《Daily life of a cultivation judge》
Chapter 1 1: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (1)
?A ck carriage with a golden eagle symbol on the side could be seen trotting down ane that seemed to be made of deep blue marble. The flooring on thene made one feel they were riding or walking on a cuboid ocean.
It was understandable since it was made from 1000-year-old serene cyanic moonstone. From the lustre it seemed to havee from a high-quality ore too. However, this paved moonstonene that any small sect would trade all their secret cultivation techniques for wasn''t what stood out.
It was the two massive ck dragon horses that stood out. They stood at a height of 5m with one of their legs about the size of a full-grown well-built body cultivator. However, the real danger was their cultivation realm.
The pressure they were emitting was that of a core formation stage beast. Just its snort alone could pulverize a peak qi refining stage cultivator. But here they were, being used as a mount in someone''s carriage. It spoke volumes of the character in the carriage.
The pedestrians at the side were none too surprised by this scene as it was amon urrence in this courtyard. This was the courtyard of the Cultivation Order Courts. The only people allowed toe with carriages or flying swords were the officials of the court and special ess members.
The carriage soon came to a stop at the flight steps leading to a ck storied building whose height seemed to be piercing the skies above with a righteous invible aura apanying it.
The carriage driver who had robes that were half red and half blue with a rhombus symbol on the outer robe that had the numeral IV on it quickly alighted the carriage and gently knocked on the doors of the carriage.
"Judge Yang Qing we have arrived at the courts building...¡ Judge¡.Judge¡can you hear me? You better not have turned on the noise cancetion array again" Said the carriage driver whose earlier expert-like demeanor was all but gone as the gentle knock was reced by mad bashing that did little to nothing on the carriage.
"Huh¡we are already there, how fast. Hey, Yi Jie, did you use the spatial array again? I told you it makes me sick and I bet it''s not good on the horses too. They seem slimmer than before." A hazy sleepy voice seemed toe from a young person in the carriage.
"I didn''t use any spatial array, besides you don''t have the rank yet to be allowed to use spatial arrays directly to the court building''s courtyard," said Yi Jie who had exhaustion and annoyance in his voice.
The carriage doors opened revealing a young man with green hair and deep green eyes to match and slovenly hair that gave the look he was just from sleeping.
"Hahahaha, ooh yeah, sorry Yi Jie I was focused on sle¡cultivating. I had an epiphany on how to perfect my grand lunar gaze. I seemed to have lost track of time. Hahaha," Yang Qing continued with a nervousugh as he alighted from the carriage trying to tap Yi Jie''s back who tried to avoid it by using shadow-void steps. However, it was all for naught since Yang Qing manage to tap him nullifying the steps with ease.
"We have a long day today. You don''t want to get yelled at again for tardiness by supervisor Lei Weiyuan, do you?
Even if your promotion ceremony is in a week, you need to make sure to fulfill all your duties as superior core court Judge."
"Yes yes, I know." Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh to himself as he wondered how he ended up in the circumstances he is in.
He was originally from a low rank 5 family, luckily he was an extremely gifted cultivator. This led to his n pouring all sorts of resources into him.
However the higher he climbed, the less the resources of the n could support him.
Being gifted, he had a lot of choices, which were; to join a sect, join a higher rank family as a retainer, be ackey to some prince from some minor kingdom, be a loose cultivator, and roam the continent in search of treasures and opportunity or join the Cultivation Order Society as one of its officials.
Of course, he went with thest option. All the others were all too risky for him and his freedom would be restricted. Even as a loose cultivator, they were not as free as one would think as might still spoke and collective might was even louder. Thus the Cultivation Order Society it was. They were a powerful group and he won''t have to risk his neck for resources, he could even ck off.
The society was formed by a coalition of numerous sects, cultivation ns/families, and royalties. The southern continent where he lives is blessed with all kinds of resources, natural treasures, and high-grade mines, while the qi is denser and richer. The only other continent that rivaled it in these regards was the central continent.
It also didn''t help that the Millionfold treasure ocean was next to the continent. This created a brutalpetition among all the inhabitants, be it sects, ns, royalty, or loose cultivators they all fought all over for the tempting bounty. Greed took the pace of sanity.
It was in that turmoil that people from the west, east, and even the central continent tried to take a piece of the pie that was the southern continent. Especially since the residents of the southern continent were beautifully warring among themselves which would leave a bard with content for decades.
The invasion by outside forces quickly woke them up and they united against them managing to chase them back. However, this left a gaping question of what to do next. If they went back to the old they would soon be devoured thus they came up with the idea of establishing a Cultivation order society. High-tier, middle to small-tier families, sects, and kingdoms came together and pulled their resources to establish a society whose mission was to maintain order in the continent as a fair and impartial party.
Thus Cultivation order courts were established to mediate and judge conflicts within the southern continent and all members of the coalition were subject to its ruling irrespective of their ranks. To ensure fairness, the members of the courts would onlye from small families or unranked families who have little to no authority or even orphans.
Kids who showed remarkable talents would be scouted or they could bring themselves for evaluation. Using the resources from all these sects, ns, and royalty, they were trained to be the best of the best and since the threshold of entering the society was high it ensured only talents passed through.
After 1,000 years, the Cultivation order society had firmly established itself as a powerhouse. The young kids who had been recruited from all over the continent had grown to be seasoned cultivators beyond the scope the sects, ns, and royalties had expected.
This unounted growth spurt helped the order to be effective and to truly be on the road to impartiality as they were now mature enough to self-sustain themselves and not bepletely dependent on these sects/ns/ royalties, especially the high-ranked ones who wanted to shape the order into their secret subsidiary force.
The Order grew in repute and fame as an invible powerhouse where the greatest of talents gathered to test their mettle and grow. This drew in a lot of youngsters with confidence in their strengths, filled with drive and ambition to stand out against others in this hotbed of talent.
Yang Qing too was drawn to this ce, albeit forpletely different reasons. His thinking was that a ce filled with so many powerful monsters was the safest ce for him. He might not even have to do anything with so many powerful people there to pick up his ck. This would give him a chance to take it easy and eat up the resources that they would so generously offer. The Cultivation order society was famed for its treatment of its members across the board down to even the trainees.
Therefore at 14 years of age, he was all too quick to file himself up for recruitment by the Order, daydreaming about thevish life that awaited him.
Chapter 2 2: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (2)
?Thus close to the peak of qi refinement he left his family and went to the trial grounds of the order. He quickly passed their screening as a 10th-level qi refinement cultivator at that age and was nothing short of a genius. The cultivation realms in Blue origin are as follows;
Body refinement¡ú Qi refinement¡ú Foundation stage¡ú Core formation stage¡ú Pce stage¡ú Domain stage¡ú Soul formation stage.
Yang Qing had heard there may be a stage above soul formation but he had no idea what it was, in fact in all his life he had only ever once seen a core formation expert. He did so when he was at the body refining stage and that experience left an indelible mark on him. That brief encounter shaped the person he was today.
Within the body refining stage there are 6 levels namely: Iron body, Bronze body, Silver body, Gold body, Diamond body, andstly the peerless jade body. As long as one reaches the silver body stage they will have opened enough meridians to begin qi absorption and enter the qi refinement stage.
Most opt to break through to the qi refinement at this stage as cultivating a gold body and a diamond body doesn''t necessarily add longevity to your life. In addition, it takes considerable talent, effort, and resources just to break through from a silver body to a diamond body. Some have taken a few decades to do it, losing time they could have used pursuing higher realms.
The older you are, the less vigor you have in your qi to achieve a sessful breakthrough. Among the many things that hinder a smooth breakthrough, other thanprehension and umtion, age is also a factor.
As for the rest of the other stages from qi refinement going onwards, they all have 12 levels.
Yang Qing upon the evaluation tests, was found to have already cultivated a peerless jade body and was already at the 10th level of qi refinement. This created quite a rave among the evaluators and instructors, though such a situation wasn''t unseen.
With how many people have applied to join the order in the past couple of centuries, a few talents like his, some even exceeding his, have appeared through the Order''s doors from time to time, and they ended up being the pirs that support the cultivation order to what it is today.
Yang Qing was easily admitted and it went exactly how he had envisioned it. He wasvished with resources and even given special one-on-one training and ess to all kinds of cultivation techniques and facilities.
He had decided once he was admitted into the order he would do his utmost to ensure he stood out. In his mind the more he stood out as a prodigy, the less they''d likely send him out on dangerous missions, in fact he was willing to bet they''d shelter him like a mythical treasure.
"Maintain a low-key. NEVER!!! So I end up doing grunt work that is bound to be dangerous and tiresome. I Yang Qing am a soft life cultivator." He kept repeating this mantra to himself every day he was at the training institute of the order.
Thus he poured himself wholly into cultivating and ensuring his brilliance shone. He even started involving himself in other upations to show he was an all-around person. Study of arrays, beast taming, alchemy, herbology, weapon refinement, talisman production, and medicine. He did it all.
Of course, he ended up sucking at most of them except for arrays and medicine, so he was forced to rein his zealousness and add humility to one of his amiable traits.
However, all his effort soon paid up as he stood out amongst his peers in his ss with his talent and dedication and ended up being one of the strongest people with an early core formation stage realm also known as the illusory core stage. Due to his results, albeit too showy, he ended up being a direct entry judge instead of first being an inquisitor and then a judge.
He had wept in joy when he heard he would be made into a judge directly instead of being an inquisitor first. The higher-ups thought he was weeping because of his deep sense of duty to the cause of the Order. They even admired his breadth of character and berated the other trainees to show such dedication.
Little did they know that the weeping was because his long-standing dream had been realized. Who were judges? Where were they stationed? Judges were among the highest officials of the Cultivation order society and most worked in the main headquarters which was heavily fortified and protected beyond any empire or first-rate sects.
Wasn''t this what he always wanted? He''d get to sit all day in a safe courtroom, judge people, get paid handsomely in all the resources he could ever want, and not have to risk his neck out there or work tirelessly. He had secretly nned to throw some of his workloads on the inquisitor attached to him. This was the dream he had envisioned after the trauma of being terrified to death by a core formation expert when he was at the body refining stage.
"GET READY WORLD, SOFT LIFE YANG QING HAS COME" he internally yelled.
He couldn''t wait to get started or so he thought. He got swamped with a million cases the moment he started with set targets and his work was carefully monitored by a superior who Yang Qing was convinced was the manifestation of his internal demon because of the torment he went through.
Judges start as outer-core court judges and slowly make their way up thedder as they increase in cultivation realms and pass a few evaluations tied to their work. And as the lowest of the rungs, Outer core judges handle all cases from body refinement cultivators to the peak of the foundation realm.
The bulk of the cultivation world is filled with people in these realms and only 1 in a thousand make it through to the core formation stage. A qi refinement cultivator? You could wake up tomorrow and find a de of grass that has already started cultivating qi. Therefore the cases never end and since a core formation expert can stay a month without food or sleep, Yang Qing soon came to find out how true that statement was.
He was worked down to his core andst qi reserve and for some cases, he even had to leave the safefort of the courthouse and the trusty arrays flooding his courtroom. He was utterly disheartened at how ck-hearted this ce was. He couldn''t run, he had heard of what happened to traitors. It was drilled into them with illusion spells. They were shown vividly in gruesome detail what was to happen were they to betray the code of conduct of the Order.
Thus soft life Yang Qing died and broken sleepless Yang Qing was born.
Luckily, amid his despair-filled days, an epiphany hit. If he improved in his cultivation realm, wouldn''t the number of cases he had to work on, reduce on the ount of the type of cases he would get?
The cases one dealt with usually corrted to the strength of the judge. If he was at the pce realm he would deal with pce realm cases and even if they decided to lower it, it would only be those at the peak of the core formation realm. How many pce realm cultivators were there? Surely not as many as foundation and qi refinement members.
"Soft life Yang Qing get ready for your revival" Yang Qing silently muttered to himself with a crazy grin on his face.
"HEY! HEY! YANG QING!!! what are you daydreaming about at the court''s entrance? we will bete and end up doing sect valuations again."
Yang Qing was pulled out of his stupor with a yell from Yi Jie. He quickly made his way toward him with renewed vigor as he was one step closer to his goal. At 24 years he was already at the pce realm in his cultivation and had passed the internal valuations to be a pce court judge.
He would have started 3 months ago, if not for the fact that his supervisor discovered Yang Qing lied about the time it took him to break through to the pce realm during his seclusion. It had taken him 5 months to break through and stabilize his realm. However, Yang Qing in his infinite wisdom, decided to pretend it took him 8 months with him sleeping through the extra 3 months he had added on.
This little ruse never escaped the eyes of his supervisor Lei Weiyuan, who was a domain-level expert and could easily tell from the stability of his aura how far back he had broken through. With a bit of coercion, Yang Qing came clean and those 3 months were happily added to his schedule.
Chapter 3 3: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (3)
?The duo quickly made their way into the massive hallway of the building which had ck tiles matching the color of the building. The Hallway was square with mysterious hazy liquid of different colors filling the wall at the front of the hallway and the two that were at the left and the right.
The liquid was sometimes misty, sometimes gtinous, and sometimes free-flowing like a waterfall. The wall on the left was covered by 2 of these liquids; one was deep blue and the other was dark gold with glowing glyphs shuttling within the liquids. Above the blue one was a blue temte with the word ''core'' and above the dark gold liquid was a dark gold temte with the word ''pce''.
As for the wall at the front, it was wholly covered by a pure white liquid that made the wall seem ethereal. It had the word ''spirit'' written over it. As for the right side, it had a ck liquid that melded with the color of the building. If it wasn''t for the glowing glyphs and the word ''domain'' written above it, no one would know there was anything there.
This liquid was a special form of treasure called the mimicry chaos sky metal. It has a unique nature of morphing into different states while still maintaining the formation arrays drawn on it. Its best feature is the ability to magnify and stabilize spatial arrays.
The Order thus used it to build spatial gates that led all around the building with every judge, inquisitor, and other officials being given a piece of the metal to be able to use the spatial arrays. Every chaos sky metal is distinctive from the others thus only pieces broken off from it would work on the arrays built in it.
The color code of the liquids represented the courts they were linked to. Blue was for core courtrooms, dark gold was for pce courtrooms, ck was for domain courtrooms andstly white was for the spirit courts. The color was how the judges were differentiated from each other. They had on robes that matched those colors like how Yang Qing had on blue robes while Yi Jie''s was red and blue. All inquisitors had red in one half of their robe with the other half being the color of the court they were attached to.
They headed towards the blue liquid and the glyphs glowed brightly as they got transported to the core court hallways after which they made their way toward one of the many courtrooms with the words ''superior''beled on it.
As Yang Qing and Yi Jie were about to get into their designated courtroom, they saw the backside of a ck-robed man standing in front of it with both hands sped behind his back. He had a medium and slender stature with a half bun silver hair
The moment Yang Qing saw him, he stood frozen with a look of trepid fear written all over his face, his earlier crazy grin nowhere to be seen.
"Seems like you managed to make it just in time, huh Yang Qing?" Said the ck-robed man with an unhurried calm tone.
To Yang Qing, however, this sounded like the voice of the grim reapere to take his contract. And he wasn''tpletely sure, but he detected a hint of disappointmenting from the ck-robed man''s tone.
"Why is old demon Lei Weiyuan disappointed I made it on time instead of being d?" Yang Qing silently wondered to himself before dismissing it as something he imagined.
"Aaaaah Supervisor Lei Weiyuan it''s you? Of course, I''de in on time. What kind of a person do you take me for? I''d give my blood, sweat, tears, and all of my qi to repay all the Cultivation Order has done for me and entrusted me with.
I, Yang Qing have a lot of gifts but one of my best qualities is my unbending will and tenacious spirit to see the cause of the Order fulfilled no matter the cost," said Yang Qing with some piousness and fanaticism in his tone, as if he would y the world if the Order asked for it.
But the people present knew his true nature. The only times Yang Qing shows unbending will and a tenacious spirit is when he is working towards his cause of cking off and avoiding all troublesome situations.
The ck-robed man turned, revealing a middle-aged face with a slightly stern appearance and a matching silver medium beard and sharp silver eyes.
He cast a deep nce at Yang Qing, who at this moment was still busy recounting all he has done for the Order while embellishing some details, like emphasizing that he broke through to the pce realm at great personal risk so he could share the burden of the courts, conveniently forgetting he had earlier lied about his breakthrough and ended up being a superior core judge for 3 more months.
"You''ll bete, Yang Qing the tenacious." Lei Weiyuan interjected with a straight face to break Yang Qing from his continuous rumblings.
Lei Weiyuan was the supervisor for all superior core court judges and the pce court judges. His work was basically to monitor the quality of their work, to ensure integrity was upheld above all. Lei Weiyuan, like others, expected a lot from Yang Qing and never saw his true colors.
He became a direct entry judge and all who got in as direct entries were all ster at their work and conduct. He started great, but a couple of months in, he started pulling off schemes to do as little as possible. Some were sessful but others not so much, which led him to be personally supervised at every turn.
When he became an inner core court judge it seemed like he had turned over a new leaf. He was always on time and conducted himself with an air of seriousness and attentiveness to his work. He seemed fullymitted and after a couple of years, he managed to be a superior core court judge.
The rank itself was nothing to scoff at. A person at the peak of the core formation realm wouldn''t necessarily make it to be a superior core court judge. One of the key requirements was to have a gold or purple core.
Those at the core formation have different colored cores. This was a representation of the quality of their cores. The cores were red, orange, blue, gold, and purple. With red being the weakest and purple being the strongest.
The kind of core you form is dictated by the type of pirs you formed at the foundation establishment stage. Someone who formed red pirs at the foundation stage usually ends up with a red core that is if they don''t use certain special natural treasures or alchemy pills that may help improve their rank to an orange one. However, some bridges can never be gapped with treasures and that is when forming a gold core or a purple core. Only gold pirs and purple pirs can do that.
Yang Qing ended up with a purple core. One of the biggest reasons for this, other than his talent, was the careful guidance of the instructors, who after 1,000 years of trial and error on the astronomical number of geniuses that passed through, had found some of the basic requirements for forming a purple core. One of them was having a diamond or peerless jade body and the other, was to reach the perfect qipletion stage otherwise known as the 13th stage of qi refinement, even though officially the qi stage is known to have 12 stages. Yang Qing would have never known how to achieve this stage if it wasn''t for the Order.
....
Yang Qing quickly woke up from his reverie rumblings and bowed to the supervisor as he made his way to his courtroom. Just as he was about to enter he heard Lei Weiyuan softly say something.
"Blood, sweat, and tears. Interesting..."
Yang Qing quickly turned back when he heard that, just in time to see a small smile appear on Lei Weiyuan''s face as he walked away.
Yang Qing waited till Lei Weiyuan had disappeared before he grabbed Yi Jie by the shoulders yelling with unconcealed worry in his tone.
"Yi Jie, did you just hear what that old demon has said?!!!"
Yi Jie quickly broke free from his grip as he entered the courtroom, leaving the panicking Yang Qing behind, as he said with an innocent look on his face, "I think he said blood, sweat, and tears. Your speech must have moved him deeply. Good job Yang Qing"
Yi Jie shed him a thumbs up with a grin simr to the one Yang Qing had been making when he was thinking of his uing revival ceremony of Soft Life, Yang Qing.
Yang Qing walked into the courtroom with a dead look on his face. Even corpse cultivators had more life in them than he did at this moment.
He absentmindedly made his way to his podium, which was made from 50,000-year-old red dragon wood and had a golden eagle symbol inscribed on it.
Hepletely ignored the beautiful fair-skinneddy who was at the desk just below him wearing simr blue robes. She had purple round eyes that seemed to have a moving cloud in them. Her name was Mao Yunru and was Yang Qing''s judicial assistant/trainee.
All judges at his rank were required to guide someone under their wing to take over their role once they were promoted and Mao Yunru would be his recement once he went to the pce courts.
"What happened to him? Did he mess with the arrays in the carriage again to try and slow time in there so he can sleep more?" Mao Yunru asked with an inquisitive look on her face as she stared at the listless look Yang Qing had on as he silently muttered over and over again "No he didn''t say that, no he didn''t say that"
Yi Jie was all too happy to fill in all the details of what just happened, not forgetting to make sure he loudly enunciated blood, sweat, and tears for Yang Qing to hear. This resulted in a shiver from the poor guy. From the look of things blood, sweat, and tears Yang Qing was about to be born in ce of Soft Life, Yang Qing.
Chapter 4 4: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (4)
?"Yang Qing¡Yang Qing¡..SUPERIOR CORE COURT JUDGE YANG!!!" Mao Yunru called out to Yang Qing to try to get him out of his stupor.
She had to hit him with a water spell to get him back from his confused state.
"Huh, where am I?" Yang Qing muttered with confusion in his eyes. He had gone off on a mind spin, picturing all sorts of worst-case scenarios of what Supervisor Lei Weiyuan meant with hisst statement.
Based on his years of personal experience with the person, he knew his imagination would definitely fall short of what the old demon would do to him.
"Yi Jie, why didn''t you stop me? You know how much we have suffered under that monster''s hands." Yang Qing suddenly shot a death re at Yi Jie who currently had a gloating unconcerned smile on his face.
"I''m sorry Yang Qing, I too was caught up admiring your feats and selfless sacrifice to the Order. No wonder you''re one of the youngest judges to be promoted as a pce court judge. A true role model. I''m deeply honored to be¡..sniff sniff¡.. an inquisitor under your court." Yi Jie was even choking up with emotions towards the end.
"Ppfthahahaha" a softugh echoed around the empty courtroom. It came from Mao Yunru who had tried all she could to stifle theughter but couldn''t. She couldn''t believe Yi Jie, who usually had a solemn respectable face out there, was busy mocking his boss.
"Yi Jie you..you!!!" Yang Qing shakily pointed at Yi Jie with embarrassment and anger in his tone when suddenly in the middle of his mini outburst he had aplete switch in his demeanor. He seemed like he had zoned out for a second before a calm smile was soon on his face.
"You know Yi Jie, my most loyal inquisitor, I Just remembered something interesting."
Yang Qing threw a crescent-eyed smile at Yi Jie.
Yi Jie got a sudden deep sense of evil foreboding from Yang Qing''s change in behavior. He could even have sworn he saw a silhouette of a purple ram-horned viper appearing behind Yang Qing. It made him involuntarily shrink back as he gulped.
"What could Yang Qing be nning? Whatever it is, it doesn''t matter because he can''t make me do whatever Supervisor Lei Weiyuan has in store for him. I have a right to ¡.re...." His thoughts started trailing towards the end as his pupils constricted with deep shock written all over his face.
"Seems like you''ve realized it as well. As astute as ever, that''s why you''re one of the finest inquisitors out there. Nothing gets past you." Yang Qing''s whole aura had changed at this moment. He seemed like a seasoned cultivator who was filled with boundless wisdom that could pierce through the Time dao. See the present, future, and past of someone.
Yang Qing walked slowly from his podium with rhythmic steps. He even used the Mountain Crushing Steps move as he was walking to ensure the sounds of his steps echoed loudly throughout the courtroom. He stopped at the center of the courtroom, his back facing Yi Jie, as he stared upwards to a nonexistent sky with a solemn look on his face.
"Yi Jie we havee up from the lower ranks together. What haven''t we seen and experienced throughout the past couple of years? We have walked through fire, swords, poisons, and curses, but we weathered through.
It was also due to my unveiled passion for justice and wanting to do more, that the higher-ups like Lei Weiyuan noticed that passion and drive in me and bestowed me with more work.
The Order gives 5 revocation chances to an inquisitor which gives them the option to reject their judge''s orders, especially if it''s either too dangerous or is overworked. This was to create bnce and prevent misuse in the Order. Because of the burden thrown on me by the Order, I begged them to add you more chances to which they acquiesced and added 5 more. You''re the only inquisitor with 10 revocation chances."
Yang Qing went silent for a bit, purely for dramatic effect and to make sure his count was right for what he was about to say next.
"Yi Jie you have already used your 10 revocation chances. I know you are d that you''ve used them because of your deep sense of responsibility and your admiration for me. Just like you''ve said, you''re deeply HONORED to be my inquisitor after all.
Well then, Yi Jie, this court needs you now for the great mission Lei Weiyuan is about to bestow upon us. I know you will not refuse and it''s not because you have no revocation chances left or a fear that you may lose if you tried to fight me on this on ount of my recent boost in strength.
No...No..No... I know you will do this because the same mes of justice that burn in me, also burn in you. Let''s ze forward my friend." Yang Qing slowly turned from his position as he gently touched the shoulders of his ''friend'' whose mouth was widely gaping at this moment.
All that was running through Yi Jie''s mind was how he had even used up all his revocation chances. Before Yang Qing became a judge there were no revocation chances for inquisitors.
However, all that changed the moment Yang Qing''s devious sloth nature was revealed. He unashamedly swamped his inquisitors with all his workload with him only doing the bare minimum. The higher-ups soon noticed and he was severely punished. This however opened their eyes to a potential problem with the running of the Order. If not addressed who knows how many Yang Qings would take advantage of their inquisitors and end up causing a rift in the administration.
Thus the revocation orders were established and the duel challenge. These rules were soon added under the Judges'' and inquisitors'' rule of conduct and implemented immediately.
Since Yang Qing was the root of all this, of course, he was justly rewarded for his part in this. His inquisitors got two times the rest of what others had.
Yi Jie had heard that once the order was released, Yang Qing in typical fashion went and begged the higher-ups as he had said before but the true motive for his begging was where the discrepancyy. He incessantlyined at how unfair the new rules were and how the inquisitors were always begging to do more and that the new order will dampen the mes of service and justice in their hearts.
He got ruthlessly rejected and was added more work on top of his monstrous pile, for his efforts. He was told the additional workload given to him was so he could carry the ming torch of service and justice on behalf of his inquisitors.
Yi Jie and the rest of the inquisitors under Yang Qing were ecstatic upon hearing the new rules, and Yang Qing being given additional work, was just icing on the cake. Especially, the rule about the duel, they were all the more anxious to give Yang Qing a beating. Yang Qing just had that face and character, that you couldn''t help but want to beat. The duel had given them an official outlet for their well-concealed urges. Therefore even with revocation chances on hand, they chose the violent route.
They were all swiftly knocked out without a chance at retaliation. Theyter found out, much to their surprise that Yang Qing had in fact held back to cause as little damage to them as possible, as he was worried they would use injuries as an excuse to escape work. Thinking they were as shameless as he was, in looking for schemes to escape work.
Yang Qing like the vindictive gentleman he was, endlessly mocked them after the beating as he added more work to them. With no way to beat him in the short term, the revocation chances became an important resource and weapon to them especially in getting back at Yang Qing.
It felt even more satisfying than they had expected, every time they used one of their 10 chances to make Yang Qing do something by himself. The look Yang Qing gave them was priceless.
This led to the current situation. Yi Jie during the past 3 months had repeatedly used his chances just to annoy Yang Qing and gloat at his misfortune. He didn''t see the need to hold onto any of them since only a week was left. But now here they were. Yang Qing would surely drag him into whatever Lei Weiyuan had nned and he couldn''t refuse. As for challenging Yang Qing, it was always a hard-fought battle when they were both at the core formation realm, but now that Yang Qing had already taken the leap to the pce realm, the odds were slim to none that he would win.
"Well then Mao Mao, what do we have for today?" asked Yang Qing as he made his way to his chair with a triumphant smile on.
Mao Yunru could only shake her head at what just happened as she tossed a white jade slip toward Yang Qing, as she exined its contents.
"The cases today aren''t that many. You have the dispute between the Sect master of Green fog swamp sect and their sect guardian, the emerald leaf cow.
A 3-way conflict between a sect, its core disciple, and a merchant organization that is after the sect because of the huge debts they haven''t repaid.
Destruction of the furniture in the Earthvine restaurant by 3 cultivators at the core stage who refuse to pay,
andstly suing of the falling meteor cksmith shop for selling a defective sky rank sword to an itinerant cultivator at the peak of core formation realm."
During the report, Yang Qing inserted his spiritual consciousness into the white jade slip that had further in-depth details of the cases. Unlike other jade slips, the white jade slips didn''t disintegrate into dust upon use.
"Okay then let us start. Yi Jie, open the doors and let the sect master of green fog swamp sect in together with the Emerald leaf cow. We will start with them first. "
Chapter 5 5: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (5)
?Yi Jie walked forward towards a different entrance than the one they had gotten in through. This entrance door led to a different hallway where the defendants and victims under dispute were held by other inquisitors awaiting the call-up from the judge.
The hallway was packed full of cultivators with different robes awaiting to be summoned in the different courts. Despite the huge number, order was still maintained, in part it was due to the inquisitors present with them and in other was due to the prestige the Cultivation Order Courts had created for themselves in their years of service. Especially towards troublemakers within their grounds.
"Sect master Cheng Yuan of the green fog swamp sect and the emerald leaf cow your case is being heard first. Please make your way over" Yi Jie gently called out in the hallway.
As Yi Jie was doing this, Yang Qing busied himself by familiarizing himself with the case at hand.
...
The Green fog swamp sect was a Rank 4 sect. Meaning it was a sect whose highest-level powerhouse was at the core formation stage. The ranking of sects, ns, royal families, merchant organizations, and other various cultivation organizations started getting ranked the moment the Order was established.
The ranking system became part of the Order''s organizational framework. The cases the Order handled and how they were distributed, was in part decided by the rank of the party or parties in the case.
The various groups were ranked ording to the strongest powerhouse present among other basic minimums, however strength was the main deciding factor.
There were a total of 5 ranks with rank 5 being the lowest and rank 1 being the highest. Rank 5 had a foundation establishment member as the strongest powerhouse, Rank 4 had a core formation member, Rank 3 had a pce stage member, Rank 2 had a domain-level expert, andstly, rank 1 which was the highest rank, had a Soul formation expert at the helm.
However, there were 2 groups that were unranked. The families and sects that had qi formation members at the highest level, with the other group being families/sects/ ns that were dubbed as Holy Lands.
There were 13 Holynds spread out on all the continents around the Blue Origin. The central continent had the highest number having 5, followed by the western continent which had 3, then came the southern continent and the eastern continent which both had 2, andstly, the northern continent just had 1.
What set apart Holy Lands from the rest was that it was rumored that the powerhouse at the helm was above the soul formation stage. Even without verifying whether the veracity of that statement was true, their base strength is enough to dere them unrivaled as they could easily topple a few long-established rank 1 organizations, several times over.
The Cultivation Order Society could be considered a holynd due to its ability to aplish the same feats even though it has a shorter historypared to the two holynds in the Southern continent.
People in the southern continent always wondered why these two Holy Lands allowed the formation and the eventual growth of the Cultivation Order Society. Outwardly, it seemed detrimental to them for another party to rise up and muddy the waters in the continent. However, those in the know (or so they thought), or those too tired of closed-door cultivation and need a little breather and decide to gossip with some friends in a fancy pavilion somewhere stacked to the brim with voice-dampening formations. They hypothesized that the two Holy Lands namely; the Radiant Sword sect and the Flowing Valleys sect, secretly founded the Cultivation Order Society to be their dogs and keep other sects from growing to their level.
Over the years since its founding, there have been a few things that happened that lent credence to this hypothesis, one of them being the decimation of a long-established rank 1 sect. To date it''s unknown what triggered the Order''s reaction to attack that sect, all that is known is the Order cemented its profile as a powerhouse from that day.
However such hypotheses were not to be trusted as they most likely came from those who had bellies full of anger against the Order. Most likely they were at the whipping end of the Order''s justice. The other hypothesis which had a much greater sway than the former was that the two holynds were warier of the holynds from other continents than what could happen internally. The invasion by other forces during the Southern continent-wide wars further cemented this guess.
They were thus in tacit favor of the Order being formed, even though they never donated anything to the Order. Not a single low-grade spirit stone or even a single recycled cultivation mat that a dog would pee on in disdain. Stingy bastards.
However, their silence and no intervention was their way of saying "Cultivation Order Society you have our blessing to exist". Through the Order, the lifeblood of the southern continent would be preserved and the two sects would get to have a steady supply of talents who would have otherwise been snuffed out in the mes of war.
The most dangerous thing to these sects wasn''t some lecherous young master who would bring sect-destroying cmity to their doorstep, which to this day they don''t know which despicable bard spread the rumors that all these cultivation holynds have lecherous habits of lusting after swan meat. Their recruitment of female disciples suffered a massive blow during the height of those rumors. They scoured the whole continent, used karmic spells and all sorts of derivation techniques but never discovered who spread those rumors. One of the few unsolved mysteries to this day.
However, the most dangerous thing to a Holy Land, especially if they want to remain standing andpetitive amongst other Holy Lands for thousands of years is, generational talent gap.
Thises up when there is no new blood in the sect or the new disciples have low talent that is not enough to match their predecessors. Since immortality hasn''t yet been proven it exists, the sects need a steady supply of talents to seed them and ensure continuity. But if the young cultivators at the bottom have horrible talents, they will never match their predecessors or other rival Holy Lands, thus when they get into power, the levels they would have reached would not match up to their status as a Holy Land. This fat sheep would soon be devoured by others once they notice this.
Holynds have nevercked resources, what they truly needed were geniuses. Extraordinary talents that are able to bring the best out of these resources and be worthy of the title of ''holynd''. Rampant wars would only end up snuffling out these talents who even under normal circumstances were in short supply to begin with.
Some crazy disillusioned cultivators out there say that geniuses flourish in adversity and turmoil, but in the eyes of these Holy Lands, it is all nonsense. Geniuses are geniuses because they can flourish anywhere, under any circumstance, with little to no effort or stimulus to them. Some breakthrough in their sleep, others do it when gossiping, others when eating some delicious spirit beast, and some could even sneeze and end up having a minor breakthrough. They couldn''t understand why people believed the lies that geniuses need to fight within an inch of their life to have a breakthrough or epiphany. This was most likely rumors spread by some blood cult member so he could have endless pools of blood for their cultivation.
Peace in the southern continent was thus in the best interest of the Holy Lands and the other residents of the southern continent.
...
"Mmmh the Green Fog Swamp sect. They are rather gifted in the cultivation and growth of spiritual herbs. Feng Xin once told me that their spiritual rice has one of the finest tastes among all growers in their province¡Gulp...I wonder if I can scam some samples from them." Yang Qing silently wondered with a gluttonous look on his face.
"It seems in their many spiritual herb propagation experiments, one of the herbs had an effect on one of the cows increasing its spirituality. This must be the emerald-leaf cow.
She managed to activate a tiny part of its hidden bloodline which theyter found out through her was part of the radiant emerald cow bloodline, a potential soul formation bloodline. The sect made a coborative pact with her once she gained enough spirituality to understand them.
The rough content of the deal was that they would feed her with all sorts of spiritual herbs to help in her cultivation and further refine the radiant emerald cow bloodline. In exchange, the cow would provide her spiritual milk, which has been known to cleanse the bodies of cultivators, solidify shaky foundations, and is an excellent emulsifying ingredient for alchemy potions.
However, once she broke through to the core formation stage she refused to continue with the terms of the deal and ended up in a fight with the sect leader of the Green Fog Swamp sect.
No clear winner came out of it, despite the emerald cow being at the early stages of the core formation realm, and the sect leader being at the middle stages.
Mmmh, She must have a higher grade corepared to the sect leader. No wonder he came to the Order to solve his dispute. He is afraid in a couple of years he won''t be her match. She might even usurp his position as the sect leader. That would be an interesting turn of events" said Yang Qing with an amused look on his face.
Chapter 6 6: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (6)
?A middle-aged man in a green coat and matching robe with a tupelo tree emblem on his coat was escorted into the courtroom by an inquisitor who had a slender tall build, long flowing ck hair whose age seemed to be about 30 years. He had a long sword sheathed in a pure white slender scabbard attached to the left side of his waist. His name was Feng Xin. Despite his slender build, the person is quite the ravenous eater and has been banned in a couple of mess halls in the courthouse. Feng Xin is also part of the inquisitor team attached to Yang Qing under the leadership of Yi Jie.
The middle-aged man being escorted by him was Cheng Yuan the current Sect master of the green fog swamp. The sect itself has been in existence for close to 9,000 years. The tupelo tree symbol that had been embroidered on his robe became their sect symbol because that tree is the reason the sect has been able to survive in the swampy region located southeast of the continent.
The tree was once nted in the current sect grounds of the green fog swamp by the founder who at the time was a rogue cultivator on the run. He didn''t realize anything special with the seed of the tree at the time. It was only after a while when the seed had grown into a tiny sap that he started noticing some minute peculiar changes. Spiritual essence in the air increased and the ground got richer and less damp however for some reason insects were fearful of approaching the tree.
The more the tree grew therger the sphere of its effect on its immediate surroundings. It affected the air, water, and soil soon even the nts around started changing. A small biome soon came into existence and revolved around the tupelo tree. This became the basis and the foundation of the sect.
The swamp is highly inhospitable, full of poisonous insects and spirit beasts. Anyone below the foundation stage has a risk of being poisoned to death by any living thing there. This danger became a cover for the sect helping them in keeping the tree a secret before they grew strong enough to defend the tree by themselves. The swamp is also home to an abundant and varied species of spiritual herbs. It is because of this that the green fog swamp sect has been able to establish itself as an herb growth specialist and also dip its poisoned toe into alchemy.
Soon the Sect Leader Cheng Yuan and a cow that seemed to be about the size... well, just from its size alone, one could tell it stopped being a normal cow ages ago. Five Yang Qings could sleep legs and arms wide and there''d still be room for more. The cow had a green and white coat. With the green coat shaping itself to the clear patterns of a leaf. It also had green horns serrated like a leaf. This was the emerald leaf cow.
The Sect master and the cow had a solemn look at this moment, the earlier daggers they were staring at each other were all but gone at this moment due to the ce they now were. The courtroom had a regal aura apanying it with an incandescent golden glow around the whole room. It was dome-shaped and filled with furniture and equipment made of high-grade resources. The spiritual essence here was 100 times richer than in their sect. Stepping in here made them feel they''ve been living a dung beetle''s life.
The sect master couldn''t help but stick his tongue out and feel if the air tasted sweeter. Yi Jie and the rest weren''t surprised by his reaction. It wasn''t the weirdest thing they''d seen or experienced in these courtrooms. One person during his trials once pretended to have had an epiphany and sat down to start cultivating which Yang Qing happily obliged as it meant he won''t have to work until the "epiphany" was over. He ended up doing all-nighters for a week because of the stunt.
Feng Xin brought the sect master Cheng Yuan and the emerald leaf cow to the center of the courtroom and separated them with the cow being brought to the right side and Cheng Yuan brought to the left.
"Inquisitor Feng Xin hereby presents the 3rd generation Sect master of the green fog swamp sect who has filed charges against the emerald leaf cow on grounds of breaking defined sect agreements. He has waived autonomy and is willing to wholly submit himself to the ruling of the Order Courts as opposed to his internal sect rules. The emerald leaf cow named Wen Chang also agrees and submits to the same." Said Feng Xin as he performed a curt bow toward where the podium where Yang Qing was.
"Thanks, Feng Xin. I seem to remember you once mentioned the green fog swamp to me." Said Yang Qing with a hint of nonchnce on his face however he was throwing a hinting gaze at Feng Xin.
As Feng Xin was rising like a seasoned inquisitor of course that look Yang Qing was giving him didn''t escape his eyes.
"Yes, Judge I seem to remember mentioning it in passing" He replied as he threw a knowing acknowledging look toward Yang Qing.
"Is it really as poisonous there as you had said?"
"Judge if there is one thing I never joke about it''s poison. I''ve sampled a lot of fo¡ahem poisonous fungi but the poisonous nts near the green fog swamp are in a ss of their own."
"Hahaha Good!! Good!!" Yang Qing lost himself for a bit there forgetting what setting he was on before he put on a serious solemn look pretending that the earlier person who was hitting the podium table with his palms saying good good with a drooling grin wasn''t him.
Sect master Cheng Yuan in the meanwhile had a puzzled look on his face as he inwardly wondered, " How poisonous are the fungi they are discussing? I don''t remember seeing any and if it caught the attention of these big shots it must be deadly. Those damn elders I always warned them to pay close attention to all the nts growing all-round the sect with the disciples. But all they do is fawn over the emerald cow. See we now have poisonous fungi, what if it poisons the Tupelo tree? No, No!! I have to find a way to invite the people from the myriads herbs sect to do an inspection. But those bastards will bleed me dry. The cow is already swallowing all the sect reserves. Hmmph, just you wait..Maybe I might get the order to help they''re bound to be cheaper. How do I do that?"
As the Sect Master was going through a myriad of emotions, sweating buckets and qi, the emerald leaf cow too was lost in her thoughts which had originated from the hallway.
"There must be something fishy going on with the judge and the inquisitor. From the hallway that inquisitor has been throwing hidden nces at me like a wolf eyeing its prey. I felt that same look from the judge the moment I stepped in even though it was for a brief moment. What are these 2 nning?" Wen Chang the emerald leaf cow silently wondered as she kept throwing deep contemtive gazes at Feng Xin and Yang Qing trying to see through them.
The two people in question were busy continuing their charade that Mao Yunru had to clear her throat to bring back their attention to continue with the proceedings.
"Sorry about that. Feng Xin, we shall continue this another time."
"Yes, Judge" Feng Xin replied as he offered another curt bow before turning to exit.
But just as he was leaving, by some sheer web of fate or karmic strings 3 people ended up locking eyes at the exact moment. Yang Qing, Feng Xin, and the emerald leaf cow.
Wen Chang was now certain that the vague feeling she had earlier of being stared down by ravenous hungry wolves definitely came from Feng Xin and Yang Qing. It was no imagination. This shook her to her core. Bringing back memories from her past before she awakened her bloodline, of the chicken and goat neighbors she lost to the sect, and how she dreaded her day woulde.
"Let''s start, shall we? Both parties will first take a turn presenting their side of things before we move on from there. Wen Chang since you haven''t broken through to the pce stage you can''t transform into a human yet." Yang Qing upon finishing that statement took out a golden eagle medallion and inserted it into his podium. Glowing glyphs suddenly lit up originating from the podium and then spreading out in the whole courtroom forming circles and lines that filled the whole court.
A grey almost translucent smooth ball suddenly appeared from the ground below the emerald leaf cow and floated above its head. The translucent ball was covered in formation arrays.
"Wen Chang you can use that ball to transmit your thoughts and it will transform your thoughts into a voice for everyone here to hear. Just insert a strand of your spiritual qi in there and the rest is easy. Sect master Cheng Yuan we will start with you first as we give Wen Chang a moment to familiarize herself with the thought transmission ball." said Yang Qing as he took back the medallion with the glyphs slowly disappearing.
Yang Qing''s whole demeanor had changed at this moment his earlier goofiness andziness were nowhere to be seen. What was present was a seasoned and powerful judge whose presence seemed to draw everything to himself.
This change always surprises Yi Jie and Mao Yunru no matter how many times they see it. The moment a case starts Yang Qing''s whole look changes he feels like apletely different person from the one they''re used to.
Chapter 7 7: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (7)
?The sect master of the green fog swamp was caught off guard by the sudden call to his name, as he was busy scheming and wildly panicking about the supposed poisonous fungi that could very well be decimating his sect as he was here filing aint against his cow.
He quickly cleared his throat, collected his thoughts, and puffed up his gait to try and make himself look regal and authoritative. But it went wrong as he almost slipped on his right foot as he tried to pull off that look. Irony in trying to put his best foot forward he almost lost it.
He swiftly regained his bnce and deftly pretended nothing had happened. Yang Qing and the rest all went along with it as no ripple of emotion could be seen on their faces.
"My name is Cheng Yuang, I''m the current sect master of the green fog swamp sect and the 3rd person to inherit this seat. Our sect is a ss 4 sect and we mostly deal in the cultivation of spirit herbs and alchemy. The herbs that we mostly deal in are of the Earth rank in the upper tier.
However, we''ve also had a bit of sess albeit very small in cultivating a few herbs at the Sky rank low-tier level. This has been beneficial to the sect and its growth. It was also due to this sess that we were able to help Wen Chang activate her radiant emerald cow bloodline." Cheng Yuan paused for a minute to calm himself. Every time he thought of the ungrateful emerald leaf cow, his throat turns into a blood pump.
Though what drove him even madder was that some of the sect elders had even turned to support the cow and worse the cow that just years ago he would have been debating which 1,000-year-old wine and herbs to pair her with almost beat him ck and blue that he had to use sect treasures just to fight her to a draw. A couple of earth-rank treasures ended up being destroyed by her hooves.
In the blue origin, spiritual metals and herbs were ssified in the same order.
Their rank in ascending order was; mortal rank, earth rank, sky rank, monarch rank, ascendant rank, saint rank, andstly the origin rank.
Origin-rank treasures are virtually none existent around the. The only proof of their existence is old scrolls, old ruins of a bygone era, and some mystical realms that speak of their existence briefly. Origin-rank treasures are nigh indestructible, they are thought to have been formed together with the, thus the capabilities they can perform are immeasurable.
A single origin treasure could support a rank 5 sect to rapidly rise into a holynd that lives to be insurmountable for ages as long as they have the overwhelming luck to keep it a secret.
The Millions fold treasure ocean that flows between the borders of the southern continent and the eastern continent is rumored to have an Origin treasure in its depths. And that all treasuresing from that ocean have all been produced by that origin treasure.
The Millions fold treasure ocean got that name due to the sheer amount of treasures that are borne from it. They are assumed to be endless. However, with such opulence trouble is usually not far behind. These troublese from thepetition and fights for the treasures while otherse directly from the treasures themselves. A treasure with the long passage of time may end up awakening its spirit. An awakened treasure is one of the most dangerous things one can encounter due to the destructive might it possesses upon awakening.
For example, a monarch-rank treasure is usually used to make equipment, potions, talismans, or arrays that are at the pce stage in terms of exertion of power. If the treasure awakens a spirit, at its infancy stage it will be able to fully exact the powers of a pce stage expert which will only grow in power as the spirit continues to mature.
Treasures rarely awaken their spirit. The rate is usually maybe one in a hundred thousand. And this ratio only applies to treasures that have reached the ascendant rank, those at the monarch rank have much slimmer odds.
However, the ones that do end up awakening end up with huge lethality and potential. The world always has a bnce. Natural treasures rarely awaken their spirit, it is an obstacle for them whereas humans are born with awareness and able to easily manipte qi of their free will from a young age. However, as humans age, this advantage gradually disappears and the higher up the ranks they move the harder it bes for them to breakthrough. The same cannot be said for treasures. For treasures that awaken their spirit the older they get the more powerful, they are with no bottlenecks in their cultivation. They only grow stronger and stronger with time.
The rank of treasure dictates the rank of weapon, equipment or potion formed. Monarch rank treasures are used for things at the pce level, sky rank at the core formation stage, earth rank at the foundation stage with mortal rank treasures only effective for those at the body refining and qi formation stage.
The sect master of the green fog swamp sect had lost earth-rank weapons in his fight against the emerald leaf cow. For a sect of their rank that is a substantial loss that would take a while to recover. This resulted in Sect Master Cheng Yuan having a swollen throat full of blood due to the already difficult situation he was in adding to the fact that the emerald leaf cow reneged on her deal.
Once Cheng Yuan had his emotions in check he continued, "You see judge, 70 years ago when the monstrosity you see before you was just a young calf we had started feeding it ahem I mean her leaves from a young radiant twig Earthwood. The leaves had an astronomical effect as it managed to awaken faint THIN traces of her radiant emerald cow bloodline." Cheng Yuan emphasized the thin part with venom in his tongue it even seemed fork-tongued like a snake''s, as he threw a mocking side nce at Wen Chang who at the moment was glowing like a kid with a new toy as she yed with the transmission ball.
"The leaves and other mortal and earth-rank herbs we added to her daily diet helped her awaken more of her bloodline and we also assisted her in parts of her cultivation and meditation techniques. We even went as far as seeking guidance from other local rank 4 beast tamer sects to help us refine a n for her growth. The stronger she grew the more we knew it was out of our depths to be able to care for her growth efficiently. If she was an awakened nt we would have managed. With all we have gone through there''s never a day that has gone by without me wishing she was just an herb."
Sect master Cheng Yuan got lost in his thoughts and went off tangent and started raving endlessly about the pros of having an awakened nt as opposed to an animal. The cost, dignity, and ambiance. He even went down to his ancestry and spection that one of his ancestors may have been a spiritual nt due to his deep sense of affinity to nts.
Yi Jie had to interrupt him to tear him away from his impassioned speech. It seemed he had been giving the whole nt thing a whole lot of thought. Even Wen Chang the emerald leaf cow was surprised at the sect master''s speech.
"I didn''t know he loved nts this much. Exins the veiled hatred I always detect in his eyes every time they bring those second-rate herbs to me. Turns out I was eating his kin. I''ll make sure to apologizeter." The emerald lead cow made a silent mental note to herself as she looked at sect master Cheng Yuan with an unconcealed pity in her eyes. This resulted in a confused look from Cheng Yuan.
"Huh, is that pity I see in her eyes? Hmmph, she must think she is so powerful just because she got a few hooves in our fight that she can even afford to look down on me with pity. If it wasn''t for those silly elders holding me back do you think the fight would have ended in a draw?" Cheng Yuan silently thought to himself as he gritted his teeth in anger. But he quickly cleared his head and focused on the matter at hand.
"Once she broke through to the foundation stage. We formed an agreement with her. She''d supply us with emerald milk and we''d continue giving her the resources she needed for her cultivation. It was mutually beneficial and even more favorable on her part because her upkeep was expensive.
Judge normal cows eat a lot now imagine a spiritual cow that is cultivating. The costs were huge. We had to sell a few high-grade earth rank herbs, spend countless days and nights cultivating potions, and even take a few loans from some merchant organizations so the sect could continue functioning. We even stopped activating a few formation arrays in the sect to reduce cost. Part of her milk supply was used in offsetting this debt.
The cost of her upkeep only grew more and more the higher up the ranks she moved. But we endured through it because we knew once she broke through to the core formation realm things would get better for the sect.
With her milk we''d be able to harvest all the effort we put and more. The milk from a core emerald leaf cow is the dream ingredient for many alchemists out there. Other than thebining effect it has with potions especially those with opposing properties, it can help alchemists who are usually affected by pill poison due to the nature of their work and end up having shaky foundations to purify their channels and solidify their foundations.
With this, we could form a few connections in the alchemy circle and even get a variety of herbs for the emerald leaf cow. She was the dream cash cow to help the sect and her catapult forward. Up until she broke through to the core formation stage I thought that was what she wanted as well. But all that changed the moment she broke through.
She got temperamental, the quantity of milk we had agreed on, she shorted the quantity by two-thirds iming she has blocked qi channels which is impossible for a core formation expert and I don''t even see how qi channels affect milk production. Then she started stealing other herbs from the sect and even bribed a few elders and started draining the reserves. Thest straw was when she asked to eat the leaves from the Tupelo tree. This is our sect''s ancestry and saving grace.
The reason the sect exists is because the tree created a safe sanctuary for us in an environment where anything could poison you and even a biome suitable for cultivation and growth of spiritual herbs. I vehemently refused her utterly outrageous and disrespectful request.
Words and bellows were exchanged and that''s when our fight broke out. A part of the sect ended up in shambles because of the fight. The sect is almost in ruins because of her. Some of our possessions may even get repossessed by those merchants because of the millions we owe in medium-grade spirit stones. All BECAUSE THIS COW COULDN''T KEEP HER WORD AND GOT GREEDY!!!!" Cheng Yuan towards the end got a little livid. One could tell from the bloodshot eyes andbored breaths he had as he pointed toward the emerald leaf cow with shaky hands.
Chapter 8 8: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (8)
?The mood was a little somber in the court after that outburst from the sect master of the green fog swamp sect. This was the reason why despite Yang Qing''s goofy andzy nature, in every case he handles he does it with theplete attention andmitment it deserves. Some cases may seem light but are in factden with heavy consequences for the parties involved.
The case between the Sect Master Cheng Yuan and the emerald leaf cow may have seemed simple and direct. A food dispute between a man and his cow. But it was anything but that.
If handled incorrectly it may very well lead to the eventual demise and destruction of the Green fog swamp sect. This would end up making Sect Master Cheng Yuan the greatest sinner of all in his sect, for leading the sect to destruction and ruin. Destroying all the work and sacrifice of the previous sect master, the sect patriarch, and countless other unsung heroes who ended up buried beneath the marsh in the hopes of transforming the sect into what it was today.
What started as a single sap of a tree and a foundation-level vagrant cultivator in hiding with time grew into rank 4 sect with 2 core formation stage members, over 50 foundation stage members, and hundreds of cultivators in the qi and body refining stage.
This was no easy feat to aplish especially in a ce filled to the brim with poison and also the fact the southern continent was fraught with wars didn''t make it easy for something that started from a single person and a seed to grow into a sect with close to a thousand members. But all these may be taken away due to the debts and the infighting in the sect.
If all these just from the brief overview were evident to Yang Qing and the rest what about the sect master who was in the thick of it?
Ever since he was a young kid all he knew was the green fog swamp sect and his dream growing up was to be its sect master and help it rise to even greater heights. He did be the sect master and in his tenure, as the sect master, he helped in improving the various standards of the sect especially when it came to the treatment of the young disciples in the sect.
However, here he was about to lose the sect because of being unable to pay his debts as opposed to the usual sect destruction via sect fights. To top it all off he almost got beat by a cow that put him into this mess. Anyone in his position would have coughed up gallons of blood. His throat control was to be admired andmended.
"Thanks, Sect Master Cheng Yuan for your apt description of your version of events. Now we will proceed to you Wen Chang to exin your side of things. I hope you have already familiarized yourself with the voice transmission ball. But I suppose you shouldn''t have any trouble with it as I assume you''ve been using something simr in the green fog swamp sect tomunicate with the rest of the sect members.
The moment is now yours." Yang Qing threw a polite nod for Wen Chang to start.
"My name is Emer¡sorry I mean Wen Chang. I''m an emerald-leaf cow. Wow!!! my voice seems smoother than the transmission beads I use at the sect. They always make my voice seem cracklier like it came from a dried-up parched throat. I wish I could get one of this. Hey Cheng Yuan do you think you can get one for me to use at the sect." Wen Chang quickly lost herself in admiring her voice. Her voice sounded gentle and serene like leaves falling in a gentle autumn wind. It also had a hint of childlike yfulness and naivety to it.
Cheng Yuan was also shocked at the tone of her voice. Normally she sounded like bullfrogs and crickets had camped in her throat during the driest weather.
"Is this really Cheng Yuan''s voice? Will she sound like this if she breaks through to the pce and is able to perform human transformation or is it the transmission ball''s doing?" He silently muttered to himself in wonder.
Hepletely ignored her request of buying the transmission ball for her. They were already in debt thanks to her stomach which he long suspected had storage expansion arrays inscribed on them. Plus even if they weren''t in debt he doubted he could afford even the garbage in the cultivation courtrooms.
"Miss Wen Chang can you continue please." Mao Yunru''s sublime voice sounded, breaking Wen Chang and Cheng Yuan from their thoughts. Her voice seemed to have the effect of immediately calming them down even against their own excited states.
This brought a shock to both the Emerald leaf cow and Sect Master Cheng Yuan. They were both at the core formation realm and their mental defenses were a bit tougher against mental persuasions. However, their defenses seem to be nonexistent the moment Mao Yunru spoke, and from the look of things she didn''t seem to have used any cultivation technique at all, it seemed to be her normal voice.
"Is this the power of the Cultivation Order Society" they both wondered silently with trepidation creeping up on them.
Just a youngdy who seemed to be barely 20 could already shake them this much what about the rest? This must be the reason the Order just seems to be growing stronger and stronger as time progresses.
"Hehehe sorry about that, living in the backwater swamps you don''t experience novel things like this easily. I lost myself a bit" Wen Chang quickly apologized. However, one could detect the faint fearing from her voice as opposed to her earlier carefree and yful voice.
"Part of what Cheng Yuan said in his earlier statements was true. The use of the young radiant twig Earthwood did help me in my awakening and they did offer constant support to aid me in my cultivation until I broke through to the foundation stage.
What happened after I broke through was as Cheng Yuan said. We did form a partnership agreement at that stage as I was strong enough to use the transmission beads thusmunication was easier.
We agreed I''d supply them with a minimum set quantity of emerald milk and they''d continue to support me in my cultivation and the continued strengthening of my bloodline.
At the start, all was going well but at theter stages of the foundation realm the herbs they were giving proved to be less and less effective the stronger I grew to the extent that my cultivation started stagnating.
I informed one of the elder who was in charge of my care ever since I started cultivating of the struggles I was facing. He was kind enough to present my request to the sect. It took a while for the sect toe up with a solution for the problem but they eventually did and acted on it.
At the time I thought it was understandable that they took so long since my requirement in terms of spiritual herbs and spirit stones consumption had grown higher and higher. It wasn''t lost on me the burden I imposed on the sect or the amount I consumed the stronger I grew. But it couldn''t be helped.
I may not know how much it cost but I at least knew it must have been quite the sum considering how much resources I consumed. Thus I patiently waited and even tried producing more milk than agreed upon as my way to try and help the sect.
The sect after close to a year finally came up with some temporary measures with assistance from some of the beast sects the green fog swamp sect was in contact with. The support was enough to only push me to the peak of the foundation realm. Breaking through to the core formation realm I had to rely on myself.
But I didn''t me the sect I thought they had tried their best. It was only after I broke through to the core formation realm that I came to know the ugly truth." Wen Chang on reaching this point paused and shot death res at Sect Master Cheng Yuan who also shot res of his own back.
Chapter 9 9: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (9)
?After massively stomping Sect Master Cheng Yuan''s face in her wild imagination, Wen Chang continued on with her presentation.
"It was after I had sessfully passed my tribtion and became a core formation expert that the elder who usually took care of me finally revealed everything that has been going on in the sect.
It turns out that the sect master in fear that I might threaten his position if I broke through to the core formation realm pretended he was doing everything to help me but behind the scenes, he dragged his feet together with some elders so I couldn''t catch up with him. In holding back those resources I ended up stagnating for years at the foundation realm.
Of course when I was told that, I didn''t believe it at first. It made no sense to me at all. I and the sect are pretty much in the same boat. We need each other if we hope to grow stronger.
I was born in the sect and everything I''ve ever known I learnt from the sect. As for being a sect master, not once have I thought about it. I only just got spiritually aware less than 70 years while Chen Yuan has centuries on me. Who would ever trust a cow to hold that position, I don''t even trust myself. There''s a lot in this world I don''t understand and how to run a sect is definitely at the top of that list.
Besides, why would I even give up the position I am in to try and be a sect master? I get fed all day, and have zero responsibilities other than producing milk which is as easy as breathing to me. It is such a carefree and stress-free life. Why would I want to trade that for anything? Being a sect master? Others may covet that position but I don''t. I''ve seen what it''s done to Cheng Yuan. He barely has any time to rx.
Always worrying over the expenditure of the sect, being consulted to solve every problem thates up, training core disciples, fawning over merchants to get resources to grow the sect, fawning over those same merchants to give him more allowance on his repayment n, always putting a stiff solemn expression around the sect so he carries the bearing of the sect master. It''s the most tiring thing I''ve ever seen, I even have nightmares about it at times when I''m busy chewing curd in my sleep."
Yang Qing outwardly had a solemn appearance but inwardly he was yelling "Why I''m I not a sect guardian beast!!! They have it easy. She''s living the life I''ve been trying to scheme my way towards. Life really isn''t fair. At least Cheng Yuan has it rougher than I do hehe"
He threw a quick nce at Sect Master Cheng Yuan and noticed how disheveled and worn out his appearance seemed to be.
He had assumed it was from some of the beatings he received in his fight against the emerald leaf cow but now it seems it may just be due to the pressures of being a sect master. He seemed to have a lot on his te. For some reason this made sadistic Yang Qing feel better about himself. Seeing others busier and having a rougher time at it than him always seemed to put him at ease.
....
"You see Judge there''s no way I''d try my hoof at being a sect master, I even told Cheng Yuan about some of the nightmares I had about being a sect master. Thus when the elder told me the story about the trick Cheng Yuan and the rest were pulling. I didn''t believe it at first. I even suspected it was a scheme between the sect master and the elder to try and sound me out so that they can throw that thankless job on me. I aptly turned a deaf ear to the elder''s words.
Luckily the elder didn''t let me get stuck in my own naivety. He together with some other elders managed to get me into the sect treasure vault when the sect master wasn''t around and that''s when I saw shelves and shelves of precious high-grade earth rank herbs and also some sky-rank herbs. I couldn''t believe my eyes I thought it was an illusion spell meant to trick me so I sampled some for rification and found out it was all real."
At this point, the Sect Master had a livid expression on his face. He had wanted to interject but Yi Jie threw him a cold gaze that he felt as if a cold saber had been raised above his head ready to cleave him in half if he dared to utter anything.
Cheng Yuan quickly swallowed the words in his mouth with a heavy gulp and sweat drenched his back and palms. The moment he dispelled the notion of talking the feeling of the saber overhead disappeared.
None of this was noticed by Wen Chang who was still going on with her narration of events. This however, did not escape the eyes of Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, and Feng Xin who felt some pity at being locked on by Yi Jie the swift silent saber.
....
"Even after seeing all those herbs, I thought surely there must be a reasonable exnation for all this. Thinking back I must have seemed so foolish to the rest with my na?ve thoughts.
The show and tell among the elders didn''t stop there. They guided me through all the records of sales and how much the sect was making from my milk. The profits were astronomical that I couldn''t understand why the Sect Master always acted as though we were impoverished at all times.
The amount in profits recorded in those scrolls showed that it was enough to support the sect''s expansion 3 times over. Getting the resources I needed should have been easy for the sect without putting them in a bind.
This was all too much to swallow for me at the time and it affected my mental state for a while and even my milk production capacity. I startedshing out at some of the sect members including Cheng Yuan for a while because I couldn''t believe what I saw.
During that period of time, I still didn''t reveal to Cheng Yuan what I had seen because I didn''t have the courage to confront him. Some part of me didn''t want it to be true, being oblivious is a gift sometimes. And I was waiting to see if his treatment of me would change once I broke through to the core formation realm.
Sadly it didn''t. The sect continued giving me the same herbs I was getting at the middle stages of the foundation realm. These were middle-tier earth rank herbs. They had little to no effect on the improvement of my current realm. It was then I decided I''ll give what I receive. The equivalent value of the herbs I get will be what I will give back in regard to my milk. This went back and forth with the strife between me and Sect Master Cheng Yuan only growing wider and wider.
It was in the midst of this that I heard some devastating news. The news was that Chen Yuan had never once considered me as part of the sect. The proof of ity in the Tupelo tree and all the other things he''s been doing. It was brought to my attention that Cheng Yuan had been told that the leaves of that tree may be beneficial in improving my bloodline concentration better than any sky herb could, especially since my bloodline turned into a variation from the radiant cow bloodline into the emerald leaf.
The Tupelo tree leaves could help refine that bloodline further and make it easier for me to cultivate and I won''t have to rely on herbs to improve my level just the bloodline inheritance alone would be enough to support me.
I didn''t think that Chen Yuan could be that despicable especially since the stronger I was the better it was for the sect. We may fight and disagree but still, we are under one sect. If I knew some part of me could help him in his cultivation even a horn I''d be okay with helping him. I couldn''t understand him hiding that information nor forgive it.
Being stingy with resources was one thing but deliberately concealing something that could drastically improve someone''s life was a low I never expected him to reach.
I decided to try him and see if he still meant it when he said he''d support my growth fully as he had promised by asking for the Tupelo tree leaves that had fallen on the ground. Not even from the tree itself. But he disagreed with anger and even attacked me. And he has the gall to say I couldn''t keep my word.
Chen Yuang who was the one who has been dealing in bad faith all this while!!!!... Time and time again I tried and tried and hoped you would disprove what the elders showed me to be true. But every single time you showed with no doubt that what they told me was the real truth.
A greedy, selfish and despicable old man hiding under the righteousness of growing the sect all to further his own agendas and use everyone in between.
Some of the elders and finally myself have long grown sick of it. The sect may have to change to save it from the rot that has been growing." the emerald leaf cow ended with some resolve in her tone as she stared at Cheng Yuan with a gaze that said one way or another one of them will be ousted from Green fog swamp sect either alive or in death.
Cheng Yuan too had a solemn expression on his face at this point. In fact, his has been on longer ever since Wen Chang recounted the things she saw in the sect treasure vault.
Chapter 10 10: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (10)
?"Well thank you Wen Chang for your presentation on your side of things." Yang Qing gently spoke as he sped his hands together and stared at both the Emerald leaf cow and Sect Master Cheng Yuan.
He remained silent for a moment as if in deep contemtion but his sight never left those two. His face abruptly changed from a solemn look into a small smile.
"I think rather than offering my judgment on this matter. Sect Master Cheng Yuan and Emerald leaf Wen Chang it may be better if you air out things amongst yourselves first. Something has been feeling off. What do you think Mao Yunru, Yi Jie, you too Feng Xin since you are the assigned inquisitor in this case."
"It''s a pity for the sect master and the emerald leaf cow." Mao Yunru gently added as she nodded toward Yang Qing in agreement about something being off.
"Feng Xin, you will need to move fast." Said Yi Jie who was standing at the left side of Yang Qing''s podium gazing at Feng Xin who was by now moving towards the exit doors of the courtroom.
"I will" one could feel the murderous aura emanating from Feng Xin as he exited the courtroom.
"Sect Master Cheng Yuan judging from the look you have been having for quite some time you must have some doubts yourself, don''t you?
I think it may be beneficial to talk it out with your friend Wen Chang over there. I can tell she treats the sect as her home just as you do. And if what I''m suspecting is afoot ends up happening, you may need each other more than ever for what maye next." Said Yang Qing
Sect Master Chen Yuan at this moment was muddle-headed as for Wen Chang she had an utterly confused look on her face wondering just what happened in thest few seconds after she finished her statement. She couldn''t track what any of them were hinting at.
It was understandable, she may be a powerful spirit beast but she has been sheltered all her life and couldn''t understand the veiled intricacies of the ways of the world. In some regards, she had the innocence of a child oblivious to the darkness of the world.
It took a while before Sect Master Cheng Yuan collected himself and nced at Wen Chang. However, he now looked at her with a different look. The resentment, anger, and hate were all gone. It was reced with self-reproach, shame, self-me, and regret.
"Wen Chang can I confirm some things with you please." Cheng Yuan asked Wen Chang with the softest tone that Wen Chang ever heard him use on her. She even detected the shakiness in his voice and the myriad emotions running in his eyes.
She couldn''t make heads or tails of what was going on but she instinctively knew something serious was going on.
She nodded her head to Cheng Yuan for him to ask whatever it is he wanted to ask.
Cheng Yuan politely smiled at her before he started, "Do you remember how many high-tier earth rank herbs and the low-rank sky herbs you saw that day the elders took you into the sect treasure vault?"
Wen Chang was at first confused about why Cheng Yuan would ask her that. He was the sect master, he should already know how much was in there better than she did. But she still put on a contemtive look as she tried to figure out the exact number.
"Mao Yunru can you please help her in recollecting?." Yang Qing suddenly interjected softly at the side.
Mao Yunru nodded as she lifted her right hand and pointed towards where Wen Chang was and softly muttered, "Myriad thoughts purple cloud"
A light purple cloud produced from her index finger quickly engulfed Wen Chang. Dazzling flickering starlights were moving in between the clouds.
Wen Chang was at first rmed at suddenly being surrounded by clouds. But she soon felt a cool sensation flowing through every part of her mind. W every cool sensation the thoughts she had been trying to recollect became clearer and clearer by the minute. An even more amazing scene happened as the images she had been trying to recollect imprinted themselves on the clouds surrounding her. It made her feel as though at this very moment she was in the sect''s treasure vault and not the courtroom.
"Wen Chang, can we project what you''re seeing for the rest of the court to see?" Yang Qing asked
Wen Chang nodded absent-mindedly in response to the question. At the moment she was deeply engrossed and fascinated by how vivid the images were. She could see everything with such rity as though she was right there at the vault, even the grains on the amber Deerwood that was used in preserving the herbs could be easily identified.
Upon her eptance, Mao Yunru projected what Wen Chan was seeing for the rest to see, more specifically Sect Master Cheng Yuan.
The purple cloud stopped cocooning Wen Chang and soon spread above the courtroom with clear water-like images of rows and rows of herbs reflected on them.
Sect Master Cheng Yuan on seeing the images had a disturbed and dumbfounded look on his face as he kept muttering
"How could this be?" over and over again.
"Cheng Yuan what do you mean by how could this be? Aren''t these the herbs you were stockpiling for who knows what reason?" Wen Chang couldn''t help but throw a snide remark with some anger and bitterness rising.
It took a while for the Sect Master to get his bearing together as he kept watching and re-counting the herbs over and over trying to see if he will get a different result each time.
"Sun Marjoram, auspicious nocturnal bay leaf, 2,000-year-old dream dust cassia, silent echo pokeroot, blood snakeberry, heart calming lily, core tribtion wood, butcher''s vine fruit, jade bottle wood¡..what are all these herbs doing here" Cheng Yuan''s eyeballs were wide open by what he was seeing that they almost popped out.
"Huh aren''t those leaves from Elder Jia''s prison boab tree, those silver fruits seem to be from Elder Gui''s silver python tree¡wait even Elder Peng''s 3,000-year-old luminous star flower is here. That treasure is a sky rank herb and he never parts with it. How is it here?"
The more Sect Master Cheng Yuan scrutinized those herbs the more he realized that they were private stashes from some of the elders. But he couldn''t remember seeing any of them donating them to the sect or even any mention of it. These were all upper-tier earth rank herbs and hard to overlook given how frequently he visited the treasure vault for the current major undergoing project of the sect.
"I went to the sect treasure vault a couple of days ago and I didn''t see those herbs and even the books didn''t have them recorded being brought in or taken out." Cheng Yuan silently ruminated over certain timelines in his head but no matter how far he thought back he was sure he never saw some of the high-tier earth-rank treasures in the vault and the sky-rank luminous star flower.
From the images, he had counted 240 earth rank herbs but from thetest records even counting the recent herbs used on Wen Chang he was sure the sect had only about 100 Earth rank herbs on hand and they were for a very important strategic n for the future of the sect.
The sky-rank herbs he counted were 7 however, originally there were 6 of them meaning the extra was the luminous star flower that belonged to Elder Peng which among the sky-rank herbs present had the highest value. It could be traded for 3 sky-rank herbs.
Sect Master Cheng Yuan quickly regained hisposure and hurriedly asked.
"Wen Chang, do you remember when the elders showed you the treasure vault and who were they?"
Wen Chang still didn''t quite guess the purpose of the questions but still obediently answered.
"Well, it was like a few weeks after I broke through to the core formation stage and had stabilized my realm. It should have been about 4 months ago. As for the elders, I don''t want to get them in trouble so I won''t tell you" said Wen Chang.
"YOU YOU YOU...DON''T YOU GET THE SITUATION WE ARE IN!!!!! Hurry and say the name of those elders it is important or we may not have a sect to go back to." Sect Master Cheng Yuan vehemently yelled. He almost jumped to where Wen Chang was in his rage but had the presence of mind to hold himself back because of where he was, though the biggest part was that earlier feeling of death he got from Yi Jie.
"I am no.." Wen Chang was in the midst of rejecting Cheng Yuan''s request with some smirkiness to her tone when she felt an overbearing pressureing from Yi Jie. Her legs immediately buckled and her enormous body tumbled down. Despite her enormous size and weight, the fall did no damage to the courtroom floors, in fact, she was the one who ended up with bruises on all her knees.
"I suggest you listen to your sect master and answer what he is asking. You submitted yourself wholly to the rules of the court, you must have been informed by the inquisitor who brought you here what it entails and what will happen should you fail toply" Yi Jie said with coldness to his tone. At this moment he was like a drawn cold saber.
Wen Chang couldn''t even raise her head. In part, it was because of the enormous pressure bearing on her that she couldn''t raise her head but the other part was because her instincts were screaming at her if she stared at the man she might die.
Wen Chang had grown sheltered in the Green fog swamp sect. Her perspective on all things she drew them all from growing and living inside the sect. She had never experienced the outside world at all. Therefore, when she broke through to the core formation realm she grew a little conceited. She was one of the 2 in the sect who had reached that realm and considering she had been cultivating for a shorter time than Cheng Yuan. She knew it was only a matter of time until she caught up with him and even surpass him. This made her swell with pride. The recent fight that ended in a draw further added to that budding hubris.
Coming in, Sect Master Cheng Yuan had repetitively emphasized that she watch how she acted once they were in the courtrooms. She agreed on the surface but deep down she never ced much weight on what she was told. In her mind, she was already a talent. How many people could fight someone above them in a minor realm? She an early-stage core formation realm had held off someone at the middle stages. This was a feat for geniuses, so she thought.
She didn''t know much about the courts other than the rough overview. She felt her talent could match anyone even from the courts. Mao Yunru''s disy of her techniques and the coercion from before may have surprised her but Wen Chang thought in an outright battle even though she may not win but she could keep her life and if they were to fight in the same realm she may be the winner. After all, spirit beats had a natural advantage in brute strength much less her who had the bloodline of a radiant cow that has been known to reach the soul formation stage at its peak.
But at this very moment, all her earlier disillusioned thoughts were knocked down by a massive club of absolute reality in the name of Yi Jie. She may very well be an ant or dung in front of him.
"Weren''t they all core formation experts? How is the gap this big?" she painfully wondered to herself.
Chapter 11 11: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (11)
?At this moment even Yang Qing despite his carefree nature didn''t intervene. The respect of the court must be maintained above all else. This was the creed that had been drilled into all who would one day step into these courts as its officials from the judges, inquisitors, court guards, and every other kind of personnel.
"Uuuum Judge can you please forgive her? She is young and doesn''t know the ways of the world yet and is ignorant in some areas. We never let her out of the sect due to the obvious risk that we may not be able to sufficiently protect her on the outside. This resulted in her not knowing much please forgive her." Cheng Yuan hurriedly pleaded with nervousness in his tone.
He may have had a deep grudge against the emerald leaf cow but she was a member of the green fog swamp sect and everyone in the sect was under his care. This was his primary obligation as the sect master. Grudges and feuds could waitter.
Yang Qing and the rest weren''t surprised by the plea. By all ounts, Cheng Yuan seemed to be an ideal Sect Master. He had the bearing and qualities they should possess as evidenced by the testimonies and even his reaction at this very moment. About the only one who was surprised by his sudden plea was Wen Chang. She was sure he would be gloating and snickering at her misfortune. His reaction left a lingering impact that made her reevaluate Cheng Yuan.
Yang Qing put on an amused look as he watched Sect Master Cheng Yuan.
"Now it makes sense why his fight with the emerald leaf cow ended in a draw. At first, I had assumed it was because Wen Chang had a superior core but from the faint fluctuations, I got from the sect master it seems to show his core quality isn''t that much different from the emerald leaf cow. They both seem to have an orange core......
So that''s how it is. He is rather soft-hearted." Yang Qing silently thought to himself.
At this moment Yi Jie had already retracted his pressure on Wen Chang. She was able to get up again, though her legs still kept shaking and one couldn''t tell whether it was because of the injuries she got from being forced down or some other reason.
"Thank you, inquisitor." Sect master Cheng Yuan hurriedly offered his thanks with huge relief washing over his body that he felt like slumping over.
Yi Jie looked at the sect master for a while before he said in a sigh,
"You must have it tough huh?" as he cast a sideways nce at Yang Qing with meaning in his eyes. Yang Qingpletely pretended he didn''t see the look he was being given.
Cheng Yuan didn''t quite get what Yi Jie was hinting at but he could detect the unveiled sympathy in his tone almost as if they were kindred spirits on the same boat.
This left him puzzled as to what the inquisitor who until moments ago was a weapon of ughter meant with his words and the sudden empathetical tone.
"Now then Wen Chang if you please." Yang Qing motioned for Wen Chang to continue with the earlier question asked in regard to the identities of the elders who took her into the sect vault.
"Ye..ye..yees yes the elders right right!!! One of the elders was the one who was in charge of my care ever since I awakened and started cultivating Elder Peng Zhen. As for the rest they are; Elder Gui Bingwen, Elder Jia Tingfeng, Elder Hao Ye, andstly Elder Dong Yanlin." Wen Chang was quick to answer in fear of what just happened may repeat itself.
On hearing the mention of those names Cheng Yuan wore aplicated look on his face. It was a myriad of emotions. There was anger, fury, regret, sadness, disbelief, confusion and the most intense of all was worry.
"So it is them huh. Are they dissatisfied with my way of doing things this much that they''d scheme against me and the sect?" Said Cheng Yuan with a defeated worn-out expression slowly feeling his face.
"It seems that you have quite some history with them. Their betrayal doesn''te as a shock to you?" Yang Qing politely asked.
Sect master Cheng Yuan sighed as he replied, "Well, we have some history but did I think it was enough to turn them against me and the sect.? No, I never would have expected it in a million years."
"Oi Cheng Yuan what do you mean turn against the sect? Isn''t what Elder Peng and the rest doing for the good of the sect? Exposing your lies and treachery?" Wen Chang couldn''t help but ask upon noticing how Cheng Yuan kept mentioning over and over how Elder Peng and the rest had gone against the sect.
The Elder Peng she knew was righteous and kind, always thinking about the good of the sect. How could he be associated with anything that would harm the sect?
Cheng Yuan looked at Wen Chang before he offered a weak defeated smile at her and then answered with a voice that seemed to have aged years.
"Wen Chang it seems we were duped by Elder Peng Zhen and the rest."
"huuuuuuuuuuh!!! Duped, duped how?" Wen Chang couldn''t help but exim.
"Well for starters the treasures in the sect treasury vault. I was there a few days ago and the recorded amount was 100 for high-grade earth-rank herbs and 6 for low-grade sky-rank herbs. The amount shown in your images of that day is 240 high-grade Earth and 7 for the sky rank herbs.
Since you were there personally, among the sky herbs present in the vault you must have noted there was one that stood out in terms of the purity of energy it released which was significantly more than the others. That herb was the 3,000 luminous star flower. That is Elder Peng Zhen''s greatest treasure that he got from the Millionsfold treasure ocean at great risk to his life. The herb may be his lifeline to break through to the core formation realm, so there is no way he would just give it to the sect. Not unless he has decided to remain at the peak of the foundation establishment stage forever.
What do you think are the odds of that happening?
As for the additional high-grade earth rank herbs, some of them seem to havee from the personal collections of the treasures you have mentioned. What I don''t understand was how their collection could match the Sect''s numbers.
I suspect they may have colluded with some other power or they found some secret realm inheritance somewhere and kept it to themselves. Though odds are it''s the former because with their foundation level strength thetter happening seems a bit impossible.
As for their purpose for doing all these. nting treasures secretly in the vault and then showing it to you, Wen Chang by now it should be obvious even for you, right? It''s to sow discord between two of the most powerful people in the sect.
As to what end. They must either be targeting the power of being sole rulers of the sect though I fear it may be something worse because Elder Peng Zhen was already the vice sect master and the rest of the elders all held prominent positions within the various halls of the sect. Though their powers are not as much as it was due to the ns I''ve been enforcing in the past few years"
"Wait this doesn''t make sense." Wen Chang suddenly interjected.
"Elder Peng Zhen and the rest wouldn''t do this. Even if I believe what you say about the herbs being nted in the treasury to be true, it still doesn''t change the fact by your admission the sect had over 100 high-grade earth-rank herbs and 6 sky-rank herbs. That amount would have been more than enough to help me in my cultivation when I was stagnating. But you never produced a single one not even once. All I''ve ever gotten were middle-grade Earth-rank herbs. How do you exin that? You can''t pin this on Elder Peng Zhen and the rest."
Chapter 12 12: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (12)
?Cheng Yuan could only shake his head with worry at Wen Chang''s question.
"All you ever think about is food. Can''t you use your head a little bit? All this while haven''t you ever noticed anything different in the sect? The massive changes that have been happening?"
Wen Chang could only snort in reply as she silently wondered
"What does Cheng Yuan expect? I''m a cow if I didn''t think of food I''d be letting down my lineage not like I can start putting on a sage solemn look and start walking around the sect observing people and giving random advice on cultivation with high-sounding words. Especially when using that trashy transmission bead that distorts my voice."
Seeing her look Cheng Yuan could only give up and slowly exin things. Though he would have had to so the court could get a clearer picture.
"Ever since I took up the post of sect master of green fog swamp, it has been my dream to push it even further and not let it stay stuck at the position I got it in. Up until today, I thought we shared that dream with Elder Peng Zhen. The previous sect master had 3 disciples. Peng Zhen, me and Zou Wen. However, Zou Wen passed away during one of our sect missions.
When we were younger Peng Zhen was sure in for the sect master position. His talent far outmatched mine. The only thing I had going on for me was hard work. During those earlier years, he was always ahead of me in terms of cultivation.
He even broke through to the foundation stage when I was just in the 7th level of qi refinement despite starting cultivating at almost simr times. I was lucky that despite the gap, our master never neglected in guiding and assisting me in my training. It was thanks to his continual guidance that I was able to break through to the foundation stage. At that time Peng Zhen was in the 3rd level.
But the pace at which he was proceeding started slowing down whereas mine seemed to be picking the higher up the levels I moved. In less than 5 years I had fully caught up with him and we were both at the 5th level of the foundation stage. Then the gap between our cultivation levels reversed from what it was during our younger days. I was in the lead this time. It only grew more and more with time. I soon reached the peak level of the foundation stage realm while he was stuck at the 8th level. I was a whole 4 realms above him. But in all this, not once did I see him disgruntled or show hints of envy or jealousy. He always seemed cordial and focused on his cultivation and the matters of the sect plus our master gave him the same attention and resources as I got. He had always tried to be impartial in his treatment of both of us.
It was only when I was firmly at the peak stage of foundation establishment that our master started grooming me to take over his position as the sect master of the sect. He was getting along in years and he didn''t have much time left. He was a core formation expert but he ended up with a grave injury that left him with a cracked core.
If his core had been intact he was guaranteed to have a life expectancy of 3,500-5,000 years. However, due to the cracked core, he only had a life expectancy of at most 1,000 years and that time was almost up. With the capabilities of the sect, it was hard to search for or even afford a way to cure him. Thus the previous sect master decided rather than focus on something impossible he would use his remaining time and effort to ensure that either I or Peng Zhen would be able to reach the core formation realm and seed him as the next sect master.
His tireless efforts in us finally paid off because I was eventually able to break through to the core formation stage. This was a relief to him and the burdens he had been carrying seemed to have left as he soon passed dayster with a smile on his face leaving me to continue on.
I was young when I took over and was conscious enough to know I needed a lot of help. It was with that attitude that I sort my senior brother Peng Zhen. We grew up together and shared the same master. If there was anyone I trusted, it was him. He dly agreed to share the burdens of the sect with me.
Together and along with others who joined along the way we managed to raise the sect to what it is today. We shared joys, sorrows, defeats, and have saved each other''s lives countless times over in that period. I even spared no resources at the expense of the expansion of the sect to help Peng Zhen mend his foundation after he got gravely injured when attempting to break through to the core formation stage.
I remember how ecstatic I was when he showed me he had found a luminous star flower which is one of the 2 major ingredients for making a breakthrough potion for the core formation stage. That''s why I was surprised at seeing it in the image of the treasure vault. I know how important it has been for Peng Zhen to break through to the next stage and how devastated he was when he failed the first time. He may pretend he moved on but I''ve known him since we were kids, he is not one to give up. His passion for cultivation is greater even than mine.
Now as for the other high-grade earth rank herbs you were asking about Wen Chang, they are all for pushing the sect forward. The previous sect master had banked all his hopes on me and Peng Zhen, even though well-meaning it was too risky to just push your bets on 2 people. You may seed but the foundation of the sect will always be brittle.
This is why I promised myself when the sect was stable enough I would pour all the resources into a wider. I''ve been focusing my efforts on the core disciples for this very reason.
I loosened the requirements for promotion to be a core disciple to get both those who were talented and those who are average but good enough to stand out a little. This is to ensure that even as we are focusing on the talents, the base strength of the sect will not becking.
This drew a lot of pushback within the sect. Because for my n to work I had to reduce the quota of resources the elders and also what some of the halls used to get. Then you came along things didn''t get any easier we had to pinch some more. But after the struggles, the harvests are already starting to show and there is still room for more and those high-grade earth rank herbs will help with that.
We now have 50 foundation stage members having only had 16 before and hundreds of qi and body refining experts. Of the 50 there are already some promising talents who I feel have the capacity to sessfully break through to the core formation realm.
Some elders felt their position threatened with the rise of this many foundation-level disciples and also because I''ve been trying more and more to get these 34 members to have key positions within the running of the sect. Some have even reached the 7th level of the foundation realm which is the basic requirement to qualify as an elder in our sect. I dly promoted them once their character and strength proved satisfactory. Therefore for the past few years, all the new elders of the sect have been young.
This drew further dissatisfaction from a group of elders however, the loudest were the ones you just mentioned. Elder Gui Bingwen had issues because I reduced his duties as the vice head of the disciplinary hall in favor of a newly promoted elder. Elder Jia Tingfeng had an issue because I took over all his training of the core disciples which had been a source of people to bring into his faction. I reduced the number of herbs allocated for Elder Hao Ye''s alchemy experiments in favor of other elders whose research was in line with my goals. As for Elder Dong Yanlin, he handles the external affairs of the sect. As far as I can tell we didn''t have any feuds. But I''m not surprised to hear him mentioned as he became an elder from Peng Zhen''s rmendation even though his strength at the time didn''t qualify him to be one. Peng Zhen advocated that he was good with people and he could help the sect in forming connections with other sects or cultivation organizations.
A number of the beast-taming sects we were consulting with, we managed to invite them due to his efforts.
Lastly for the sky rank herbs well 3 of them are for use by anyone who will reach the peak of formation first to help refine their foundation more to increase their chances of a breakthrough to the core formation realm. As for the remaining 3 I managed to make a deal with the Golden bamboo treasure pavilion to trade them the 3 sky rank herbs for a 10-meter length leafy branch of the rainbow cloud tree that is at least 5,000 years old.
The leaves and the branch of that tree are better at awakening some of your bloodline talents better than the Tupelo leaves could.
The beast tamer sects may know more about spirit beast cultivation than I do but when ites to the Tupelo no one in the sect can match me. They did say the Tupelo leaves can help but they were not certain of it but only conjecturing based on some of the effects they have heard of the tree.
But I''ve been around the tree longer than they have and so has Peng Zhen. And here is what he failed to mention to you as he was busy saying how I hid that truth from you. Over the years the sect has tried to use the leaves from the Tupelo tree. Through that use, we discovered the leaves from that tree have a bizarre allelopathic quality. To one person it may offer beneficial properties like healing their wounds despite how severe, refining their bodies, help increase their talent at qi sensing and refining among others however to another person those same leaves result in qi poisoning, sealing meridians, or in worse cases, it may cripple your foundation.
We don''t know how and why it is beneficial to others while a detrimental danger to others. That''s why we decided it was risky to give you the leaves and you end up triggering the detrimental effects.
All the effort we put in would go down the drain. Peng Zhen was also in agreement as did the other elders present in the discussion. It was a unanimous decision to not feed you the Tupelo leaves.
But all this doesn''t matter now as I suspect Peng Zhen has cleaned out the sect treasury and even robbed us of the Tupelo tree. I can only hope he hasn''t damaged our foundation by killing off the core disciples. If he has then Green fog swamp will truly be finished." Cheng Yuan couldn''t help butment towards the end.
In the meanwhile, Wen Chang had a dull look on her face. She couldn''t believe all she had heard. Everything she had known and believed to be true had just been upended. If what Sect Master Chen Yuan said was true then she''d end up the biggest sinner of the sect. No amount of emerald leaf milk could undo the damage she would have caused to the sect because of her naivety.
Her mental state seemed to be unstable at this moment with violent qi fluctuations surrounding her massive body.
Chapter 13 13: Last Week As A Superior Core Court Judge (13)
?"Seems like she is about to go berserk. She needs to temper her mental strength more otherwise with her state of mind she may never step into thete stages of the core formation realm much less the pce stage." Yang Qing said as he moved from his podium to where Wen Chang was.
The qi fluctuations around her were only getting rougher and more violent by the second. Protruded veins started appearing all over her body and she soon started bleeding from her eyes, followed by her body with variouscerations appearing all over her body. At this moment her sclera was all white the iris and the pupil couldn''t be seen.
Yang Qing came and stood a few centimeters away from her, with Wen Chang''s qi fluctuations having zero effect on him. Every time they woulde within a few inches from him, they would disappear as if they were nonexistent from the start. There was an invisible force around him that kept everything at bay.
He raised his right palm and pointed at Wen Chang''s massive body and silently muttered,
"Green cocoon of Evernight"
A dark green water ball was produced from his palm and soon enveloped Wen Chang erasing her qi fluctuations every time the water ball closed in on her. Very soon she waspletely engulfed in a dome of the dark green water ball. Her qi fluctuations had calmed down and the injuries on her body disappeared once she was fully engulfed by the water.
A change soon happened to the water once everything had calmed down. The dark green water ball changed colors into a dark ball. It looked like staring into the dark sky during the night with no stars.
"I hope you survive." Yang Qing silently muttered to himself as he made his way back to his podium.
Cheng Yuan at this moment had his heart pounding so hard it threatened to burst out of his chest. His knees were buckling and teeth chattering and he was even struggling to take a breath as the air felt too heavy for his lungs to take in. The cause of these drastic reactions from him was that for just a brief moment he had got sucked into a different world as Yang Qing was casting his cultivation spell.
That world was a dark starry night and he was all alone within a vast body of water the size of an ocean before that ocean suddenly transformed into a person. That person''s height was too tall for him to see his shoulders and head perfectly. Cheng Yuan was facing the person''s back, the more he looked at it the more it looked like Judge Yang Qing. The person suddenly turned causing a massive windstorm with his turn.
Cheng Yuan still didn''t manage to get a look at the person''s face however, he ended up seeing something that sent shivers down his spine. The person''s eyes seemed to be two full moons. The moment that gaze fell on him, everything within him froze solid even his breath. He couldn''t move an inch. The person pointed his finger at him and with it came such an enormous pressure that all his veins, his flesh, and then his bones burst open. His vision in there started going dark but before he cked out he saw the mouth of that person move and say something but he couldn''t make out what it was.
The purple veins appearing in his pale hands were proof enough that he didn''t imagine the experience that he had juste out of. He couldn''t believe that the person he thought seemed to be the easiest to get along with in the court had that fearsome power. To Cheng Yuan that brief moment was a hundred times scarier than what Yi Jie put him through earlier.
At this moment Yi Jie and Mao Yunru were looking at each other with puzzled expressions. This seemed out of character for Yang Qing. In all the time they have known him, Yang Qing rarely lets out his cultivation realm pressure. He usually restricts it within himself, even when performing cultivation techniques and spells he has a firm grasp on it and rarely leaks out.
They tried to figure out why he acted out of form, but they still couldn''te up with any reason. Well, Yi Jie suspected maybe Yang Qing''s mind is still a bit preupied with wondering what supervisor Lei Weiyuan has in store for him for hisst week. But Yi Jie soon dismissed that thought.
With the stunts Yang Qing has pulled over the years and the punishments he has received, he has long developed a thick skin and a taste for it. Yi Jie had even started suspecting the supervisor and Yang Qing may be in some sort ofpetition to see who could outdo the other. This seed of thought started growing in Yi Jie''s mind ever since he started noting how the stern cold-faced Lei Weiyuan would show some emotion and yfulness in his eyes every time he caught Yang Qing pulling something. As for Yang Qing with how much trouble he always gets in, he never seems to give up and just keeps thinking of ways to pull one over Lei Weiyuan.
The man in question was already seated and had already put on hiszy carefree smile. He cleared his throat a little to grab the attention of the rest back from their distracting thoughts.
"Sect master Cheng Yuan don''t worry about Wen Chang. She ispletely safe in that cocoon, physically that is." His expression suddenly turned solemn.
"Mentally it''s another issue. I could have knocked her out but that may bring more harm than good. The cocoon will help protect her meridians and regte her qi flow as for the mental part she will have to dependpletely on herself. If she makes it through to the other end of her shock she has a brighter chance ahead on her cultivation path. But if she fails, in the best case she will be herself and retain her sense of self and spiritual awareness. Still, she will never be able to break through to the peak of the core formation realm or pce stage no matter how many resources or bloodline talent you help her activate.
The worst case is shepletely loses herself and ends up no more than a beast with some strength. She will turn into aplete feral spirit beast driven solely by her instincts. She will revert to how she was before she awakened albeit now with a core formation strength. You will have to monitor her personally at all times so she doesn''t end up rampaging in the sect since you''re the only core formation expert other than her.
I wish her the best as it would be a shame after all the luck and effort it took for her to reach the level she has."
Once Sect master Cheng Yuan heard what Yang Qing had said his fear from earlier vanished and he couldn''t help but stare heavily at the ck cocoon even though it still gave him palpitations.
"Wen Chang you have to live otherwise all these¡.." Cheng Yuan silently thought to himself as he tightly clenched his fists lowering his head to hide his emotions.
Mao Yunru couldn''t help but look at the ck cocoon with worry in her eyes. Yi Jie also silently nced at it but no one could tell what was going on through his thoughts as his facial expression was still the same calm and focused.
"Sect master I think we should continue as for Wen Chang''s matter we can only wait only she can decide on what happens next." Yang Qing softly said
"Okay." A soft crackled response came from the sect master as he raised his head though he now seemed even more haggard than before.
"Good. Well, luckily we have all that we need to make a sufficient judgment based on what both of you have said and shown us. From my analysis, I think that the elder of your sect, Elder Peng Zhen was the master nner of all these. As for how long he has been scheming, who knows could be recent or could be further up from your earlier days when your master was still alive.
He slowly and meticulously sowed discord between you and Wen Chang. With his authority as the vice sect master, it was easy to rope in help from the other elders who had long been dissatisfied with you.
As the vice sect master and being martial siblings for so long, I bet he knows you very well even your schedule. He knew which days you wouldn''t be in the sect treasury vault and conveniently led Wen Chang to the vault that day. The source of the many herbs well, I have a different guess than yours. That is it may very well have been procured by that Elder Dong. There may be more than meets the eye with him. Those beast-tamer sects may very well be in on it too. As a progeny of a radiant emerald cow no matter how thin or variant the bloodline is a tempting offer to any sect much less a sect for beast tamers.
As for their end goal, I can only guess it. Before that, there is something I''d like to confirm with you. Did Elder Peng Zhen know the true grade of your core?"
Cheng Yuan was surprised at the question Yang Qing asked but he soonposed himself and replied,
"I never explicitly told him." He responded briefly and concisely
"Well, that exins it. Since he may have not known that your grade and Wen Chang''s match, he assumed you had a lower grade core and despite your higher rank in cultivation, a fight with Wen Chang may end up as a bitter fight with the both of you ending up gravely injured. With that result, you''d be easy pickings for him. He could take care of you both or even sell Wen Chang to the beast tamer sects and end up taking over the sect much more easily with minimal effort.
But that n didn''t go as nned thanks to his misjudgment of your grade, Wen Chang couldn''t get the better of you despite you pretending it was a drawn-out fight, for her sake I presume.
After that n failed I bet he was the one he suggested to the both of you to settle the feud through the court. Probably under the guise of good for the unity of the sect reason...Right?" Yang Qing quickly threw another question at Cheng Yuan. It wasn''t known whether it was because of the shock that came from Wen Chang''s current situation, he had a rather stoic expression on at the moment. The hypothesis Yang Qing was making didn''t seem to elicit the emotional response that was expected.
"Yes, he was the one who suggested wee to the courts to solve our issue rather than the sect as it would cause a rift between the members of the sect. We both agreed since like me Wen Chang trusts and respects him too. He was the only one in the sect who could get through to both of us." Cheng Yuan answered in an absent-minded tone.
"Your junior brother is a rather crafty one indeed. The first n failed so he went with the next best thing, get the both of you out of the sect at the same time and the sure way he could do that was to involve the Order. With the both of you all the way here, he''d have the time to do what he wanted which I suspect is robbing you of the Tupelo tree and the sects treasury. Most likely he will trade them for resources that will help him break through to the core formation realm or use it as a price to get into a much stronger sect than yours. Either way, your sect has likely been emptied. I have to admire his boldness to use the Order in his schemes. I''m very curious about what he nned to do next. Based on what seems to be a meticulous nature he should know the reach of the Order and using it in his scheme would surely put him in our sights. This isn''t something we can easily overlook¡ooh well, all these will have to wait until Feng Xin brings all the culprits in, I think he should have reached your sect by now. Truly interesting, truly interesting," said Yang Qing as he drummed the podium with his index finger as he sunk in contemtion with some faint interest showing on his face.
"By the way sect master Cheng Yuan, onest thing if you''ll indulge me, please. Earlier you said you and Peng Zhen have saved each other''s lives. Is it before or after you were chosen to be the sect master."
"It''s both." Cheng Yuan softly answered.
Yang Qing fell into a deeper contemtion after that. As for what he was wondering no one knew.
Chapter 14 14: Court Recess
?"I think we should take a break for now as we wait for Feng Xin to bring the rest in. Hopefully, he will hold himself back and not end up killing them all." Yang Qing said as he stood up
Cheng Yuan visibly flinched upon hearing this.
"Yi Jie, Mao Yunru how about it. I''m a bit hungry, I didn''t even get time to eat properly this morning before Yi Jie rushed me. Let''s go to the Thousand vors restaurant. The rest of the cases will be resumed once we close up on this one. I don''t want to start the rest while this one is still lingering.
Sect master Chen Yuan, you should also join us. Try the food here, it might help soothe your nerves even if it''s for a little while and it is rich in spiritual essence. The food is really delicious, way better than eating fasting pills or some other kind of cultivation pills. Though I''m sure it is nothingpared to the spirit rice you produce, the chefs here try their best." Said Yang Qing as he patted Cheng Yuan on his shoulders.
Cheng Yuan was not sure, but for some reason, he detected a starry glint in Yang Qing''s eye when he mentioned the spirit rice produced by his sect. This left the sect master a little confused. Yes, their spirit rice was delicious and was also one of their significant sources of revenue other than their potions and herbs. But he didn''t think it was good enough to catch the eye of a powerhouse at the level of a judge from the mighty Order.
The food and the ingredients that they deal with are bound to be richer in quality and energy than their spirit rice.
Cheng Yuan quickly came to from his brief wonder before he focused on the main thing he was worried about which was Wen Chang.
"Judge what about Wen Chang? I don''t want to leave her alone. Wouldn''t be risky to leave her alone like this. What if something happens?" Cheng Yuan asked with some worry in his voice as he kept staring at the big massive ck blob that didn''t seem to have any movements at all.
"I won''t tell you not to worry Sect master as her situation is rather precarious and delicate at the moment. But there''s nothing much we can do, whether we wait here or in a different ce. Wen Chang ispletely isted from us all by the cocoon. In the battle she is facing, she can only rely on herself. She won''t rampage and explode if that is what you''re worried about. Her qi flow, meridians, and internal organs are already protected by the liquid flowing in the cocoon.
As far as her physical state is concerned she ispletely safe as long as she is in the cocoon. There are only two ways she can get out of the cocoon. One is if she is more powerful than me and can break out of it forcefully and the other which is the normal route is if she regains consciousness.
The spell is a healing spell with some restraining measures whose effects are stronger if the caster is stronger by leagues above the one it is used on. The spell is used to preserve those who have suffered soul attacks. As long as she regains a little bit of rity and sense, the cocoon will break and she''ll be free from it. The technique is built to detect the normal flow of her qi and the operation of all her internal state including blood flow. Currently, everything within her is running under the assistance of the spell once she can do it independently, the cocoon will break open.
But if she doesn''t, she''ll be locked in there forever. As long as I''m alive the spell will keep existing even if I don''t feed my qi into it, the qi in the courtroom can sustain it . The only other way to break out other than the two mentioned ways is if I release her from it, which I can if that is your wish. But I advise against it. She will easily go back to her earlier rampaging state when exposed to the surrounding qi." Yang Qingfortingly said as he tried to reassure the sect master.
Cheng Yuan''s worry seemed to have eased a little though notpletely. But his worried face soon came back as he contemted some other worrying scenario. He looked at Yang Qing with a fidgety appearance almost afraid to ask what was on his mind.
"Ask what you want to ask Cheng Yuan. You''re my senior here so what are you worried about? As a sect master, I''m sure you''ve been in ufortable situations where you''ve had to speak up for the good of your sect. So go on, out with it." Yang Qing gently motioned for Cheng Yuan to continue.
Cheng Yuan put on a strained expression before he sighed and put on an expression that he had already epted his death that would soone as a result of the question he would ask.
"What if someone steals her when we are not here? Coming to the Order and even in the hallway, I saw how many of the people out there kept eyeing her with greedy looks. Someone may break in here and steal her away especially when she is in that defense-less state." Cheng Yuan rapidly asked in fear he would chicken out or die midway through his question.
As Cheng Yuan was asking this question, there was something he did not dare to put forward due to the risk of further retaliation. Even though he had made his peace with being cleanly sliced in half, there was no point in risking it further by adding more details that would likely cause his death to be painfully gruesome depending on how much he had triggered the other party.
The part that he kept firmly guarded in his heart, which in truth was the real reason behind the question was, among the greedy eyes he saw, the one he suspected most of all was Feng Xin. Their assigned inquisitor.
From the moment Feng Xin saw the emerald leaf cow, Cheng Yuan felt something was off. At first, he couldn''t quite put his finger on what seemed off butter confirmed it was well-concealed greed. But this greed was different than the rest who looked at Wen Chang as some source of cultivation resources. Feng Xin''s greed was that of a predator. Wen Chang seemed nothing more than food to him.
"As an inquisitor, Feng Xin could freely get into the courtroom when they weren''t there. What if Feng Xin came back when they were eating and Feng Xin in the same spirit started eating in the courtroom too with no one around?" Cheng Yuan kept wondering over and over. Cheng Yuan had this nagging feeling that Feng Xin is the type to prioritize food over even his job. He couldn''t shake that feeling no matter how insane it sounded.
Yang Qing gently smiled as he looked at the sect master seemingly seeing through the real reason he asked that question. Causing the poor sect master to falter a step back whilst taking a small nervous gulp.
"You have absolutely nothing to worry about. As long as Wen Chang is within these walls, she is under my care. In addition, there are a lot of arrays in here recording all that happens within this room at all times." Yang Qing couldn''t help butment towards the end.
Those arrays were his doom. Among the numerous times, he has been caught loafing off or mid-way through his schemes, a couple of times it was because of those darned arrays. Especially during his earlier years when he had no idea they were even there in the first ce. After his discovery, he had tried to tamper with them before he realized he had grossly overestimated his skills and power. He ended up trapped in a really vivid illusion array reliving his worst nightmares. He still has remnant shivers from that day.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but throw a grievous look toward the roof of the courtroom as if it was a longtime nemesis.
"Mao Yunru let''s go, Yi Jie lead the sect master through the other entrance. We will meet at the court''s entrance and then make our way towards the Thousand vors restaurant." Yang Qing said as he made his way to the entrance he came in from, with Mao Yunru following behind him.
Yi Jie nodded in reply as he made his way out the regr entrance with Sect master Chen Yuan in tow.
........................¡.
Meanwhile, in the southwestern part of the southern continent, a white bird could be seen moving at breakneck speeds with clouds disappearingpletely within a mile radius of it every time it passed by. The bird looked like a kite except for its gigantic size which was almost 50 meters in length with each of its wingspans being double that size.
It waspletely white, with red eyes, and golden talons that had a bracelet wrapped around it with the symbol of a golden eagle and cloud patterns on its chest.
At this moment a voice sounded above it.
"Looks like I might make it in time. We are already close to part of the swamp as the fog is already in sight. Good job Ellie, I''ll be sure to source some fish in the core formation realm once we get back." The voice said with some relief in his voice.
The kite screeched as it narrowed its eyes in delight. That small screech produced visible waves that cleared all the clouds at the front as it echoed around the area scaring other birds away and even making some fish swim even deeper in the nearby river.
"ELLIE!! What are you screeching loud for? Do you want to attract some random beast in the pce stage here or some cultivator who may get designs on you? Even though there are no recorded rank 3 sects in this swampy region but given how treacherous it is, I wouldn''t be surprised if some rogue wanted cultivators with a higher realm made this ce their hiding spot." The voice hurriedly warned.
Chapter 15 15: Green Fog Region
?The kite on hearing the man''s warning quickly looked around in caution as if to see if there was anyone around who had noticed its earlier disy. After confirming there was nothing around, it started gliding slowly toward what seemed to be the outline of the swampy region. With a green hazy fog covering the area.
The region covered by the swamp went on for miles. The whole region came to be known as the green fog region due to the green fog that was prevalent around this area almost all season long. The fog itself wasn''t poisonous but it impaired the vision of all who stepped in. The impairment didn''t only affect the physical vision but also restrained the spiritual sense of cultivators. If their range covered a 200-meter radius around them, once in the fog that radius gets halved to 100 meters.
When one broke through to the core formation realm they would develop a spiritual sense. It is a way of sensing their surroundings without using their physical eyes but through their spirit. In many ways it is even better than the physical, it''s just that it causes a lot of strain on the user during the early stages. The cultivation world is treacherous. There are a lot of techniques and spirit beasts that are skilled in camouge and invisibility. Even though the eyes of a cultivator are keener and able to see longer distances, certain techniques and spells can easily fool a cultivator''s eyes. However, through the spiritual sense as long as the one using the camouge/invisibility techniques are in the same realm as you with some careful attention you can spot them. Therefore most cultivators when roaming unfamiliar ces, they use their spiritual senses most than their other bodily senses.
The green fog region however puts a damper on that advantage by reducing the range of visibility. The additional danger is the spirit beasts and even the cultivators who since they were young have grown in that fog. They have long grown adaptable to impaired visual conditions. They have perfected their means of attack using the effect of the fog to their advantage. They attack with extreme speed and extreme ferocity so that a spiritual sense distance of 100 meters gives little to no advantage to the user. By the time they sense something wrong, they would have already been struck. This is why most creatures in this ce are extremely agile and poisonous.
The kite on reaching the green fog hovered directly above it without getting close. This was in line with the orders of the owner of the voice who had halted it once they were within spitting distance of the swamp.
"Ellie from here on out you need to take cover, I''ll go in alone. In case a situation arises that you can''t handle out here you don''t need to force yourself and should just run to the nearest Order branch. The bracelet at your talons will grow warmer and warmer the closer you are to any Order branch. Ellie, Ellie quit daydreaming about the fish will you, pay attention to what I''m saying it''s very important. If a situationes up and you''re not sure of solving it easily don''t try and be brave, especially now. Lately, there have been reports of suspicious activity going on around the continent. Some members of the order have been attacked while they were out doing their duty. It''s been a few skirmishes here and there with no fatalities but still, you need to be careful." The voice nagged on, with the kite showing a human-like nod showing it listened.
The figure soon jumped from the back of the gliding kite that was a couple of hundred meters above the swamp. The figure was floating gently like a feather as he made his way down. His long hair and robes gently fluttered with the wind. The figure had on robes that were half red and half blue with a long sword sheathed in a snow-white scabbard. It was Feng Xin. He was making his way to the Green fog swamp sect to apprehend Peng Zhen and the rest of the elders in cahoots with him before they emptied out the sect.
Feng Xin gentlynded at the edge of the swamp before he calmly looked up to see the kite had flown higher up into the sky before a wave of clouds manifested around it and it disappeared from viewpletely. This kite was a cloud-swallowing kite. They are famous for their speed but also their camouge abilities are drawn from their innate ability to manipte clouds to their will. Their presence can meldpletely within the clouds they''re hiding in.
"Good at least she listened. Time to settle scores with Peng Zhen and the rest. They sure have dragon hearts to dare pull one over the sect. I wonder if I''ll be able to bring some spirit rice samples in as ''evidence''. They better not have stolen them too." Feng Xin who at this moment was going through a mix of emotions which ended up with some drool escaping his mouth quickly made his way into the swamp at great speed. However, what was curious was despite the speed he was using no de of grass or water was disced in his movements.
He was using the shadow void steps. He seemed to be shuttling in and out of existence every time he moved. This movement technique was a gold-grade technique. Cultivation and meditation techniques were ssified in the same way as the color of the core one formed in the core formation realm. And the same ranking involved in the cores was the same ranking the techniques followed.
The ssification of techniques from the lowest to the highest grade was as follows; Red, Orange, Blue, Gold, andstly Purple. The higher the grade of the technique, the higher the might it exerted but it also had higher requirements for one to even cultivate it to minor sess.
The shadow void steps was initially an orange grade technique going by the name silent moon steps before a senior from the Order in hiszy time fiddled around with it before he managed to improve it to the gold grade and renamed it the shadow void steps. As for why that senior went through all that effort to improve an orange grade technique, rumor has it he was looking for techniques to help him sneak in and out of his courtyard to meet up with some elders for some chat without his wife knowing. Said Elder is now in a 50-year forced closed-door cultivation. Not entirely of his choosing.
The technique was massively adopted by the Order and achieving minor sess in it is a must for one to be able to graduate as an inquisitor or a judge. It is now one of the defining trade mark techniques of the Order.
Feng Xin rapidly moved as he headed toward the western part of the swamp. This was where the green fog swamp sect was located. He was operating both the shadow void steps and his spiritual sense at maximum capacity. Feng Xin was at thete stage of the core formation realm and in a normal environment, his spiritual sense would cover 1km around him. For ate-stage core formation expert, this was an exceptional distance. This could only be achieved if either one had natural talents towards spirit sense from birth or if they train in high-grade meditation techniques that improve the strength of their spirit. In Feng Xin''s case, it was thetter. Due to how high-risk an inquisitor''s job is, strengthening their spirit sense range is one of the training regimens afforded by the Order to its members.
Within this fog, the range of his spirit sense had been reduced to a 500-meter radius. However, this was enough for him. He had enough confidence to be able to match whatever speed or trick the attacker might pull. This wasn''t being conceited towards his enemies. The reason was that for years he has been facing two monsters in human clothing during his training. One was fellow glutton Yang Qing and the other was his boss Yi Jie.
Being pummeled on those trainings and thatzy look Yang Qing always had after beating him soundly irked him so much that it resulted in him honing his speed, reflexes, and his capacity to be a sandbag so that he couldst even if it was just a minute longer.
He was certain no one could match the speed of those two in this swamp. And even if by some chance there was, he was confident to survive the first hit and even be able to retaliate swiftly. What were the odds he''d end up meeting someone who had the speed and power that matched Yi Jie''s or Yang Qing''s? If there was, they wouldn''t be holed up in this swamp, they''d be a talent highly sort after or already a member of any of the major powerhouses around the continent.
The swamp was filled with vines, and trees that had thick stems with canopies that ovepped. The visual was already obstructed due to the green fog that not only hindered eyesight but also reduced the radiance of the sunlight shining in this ce. Having intertwining canopies further added to the gloom in the ce. The water on the ground was dark green and murky with bubbles asionally popping. Feng Xin was moving in between those vinespletely unhindered, barely touching any of them. But as he was moving around he had already drawn some unwanted attention from some of the residents whom at this moment were giving him the look he had secretly been giving Wen Chang.
Feng Xin was moving rapidly as ifpletely oblivious that he had already been targetted and booked to be an early breakfast. Though with his slim build, he was more of a snack.
"I wonder how tasty I seem to these beasts hehehe. Come closer,e closer then I''ll let you experience the terror of the food fiend of the Order. We will see who will end up in whose stomach...slurp. Ooops focus focus Feng Xin." Feng Xin said with a malevolent hungry grin developing on his face.
Chapter 16 16: Flowing Leaves Of Eternal Winter
?Feng Xin kept heading to the west side of the swamp showing no signs of stopping even with the unexpected stalkers cautiously following him at a distance.
This y kept on going before Feng Xin stopped at a spot that had a small round clearing. It wasn''t covered with vines and the trees here were thinnerpared to the rest of the trees he hade across as he was making his way to the Green fog swamp sect.
"This ce should be okay." Feng Xin silently thought to himself as he removed his sword still sheathed from his waistband. The creatures on noticing Feng Xin take out his weapon, also halted their advancement cautiously eyeing Feng Xin at a distance.
"A corroding heron, an iron shot frog, rainbow mist toad that''s an interesting one the alchemist at the order would love to have it. It''s a walking trove of alchemy ingredients. This swamp really is an alchemy''s paradise. An iced beak egret is here too, looks my trip here would not be wasted. It will pair well with Yang Qing''s vermilion fruit wine. A mirage dragonfly too, I hope I can capture it alive might be a fine addition to the beast tamer hall of the order either that or I can always feed it to Ellie.
Mmmh what are these two doing in the same proximity? I must be a really tempting prize for them to willingly be within a few hundred meters of each other. The green sh viper and the rapid snapper cotton mouth. Their blood should be enough to make a few jars of the hundred-potency spirit wine. Lastly our main pleasant surprise, the green flowered babirusa. I wonder why it''s even bothering to hide. Vision may be obstructed in this ce, but that thing is a walking mountain. It sticks out like a sore thumb in this ce.
But that size slurp...how many tonnes of meat is that? I could even trade some of it with a few mess halls to be taken off their cklist. Those bastards, I don''t even eat that much. Just a few hundred kilograms of food a day. Where is their chef''s Dao heart? It should be a chef''s dream to find someone who enjoys their cooking and can''t get enough of it as I do. They have the nerve to report me saying that I caused some of them to develop mental demons due to my eating habits. How dare they when it is theplete opposite? Ever since I started frequenting those mess halls the rate of cultivation breakthroughs from those chefs increased. I should be an honored guest instead of being cklisted and getting called a food fiend and a gluttony worm.
Mmmh they all seem to be within an eptable range. The green sh viper is a rather cunning one. It is stillying at the back leaving the encirclement to the rest. By their spacing, they seem rather wary of each other too. Looks like they are not a united front. It''s understandable seeing how treacherous this ce is. To have survived this long to their level, cunning and strength must have yed a part. They are all in the core formation realm and any one of them who can sessfully devour the other has a high chance of advancing their cultivation realms.
Well, their distrust for each other works in my favor as dealing with them individually will have less strain on me than defeating them when working together. But it is still rather strange for a bunch of core-formation spirit beasts to be together in one ce in such a short amount of time. If this was amon thing the green fog swamp sect may have been raided even though I think the sect master may be able to hold off a few of them. Maybe it is Ellie''s cry that alerted them to an intruder. That damn bird." Feng Xin silently thought to himself.
As the core formation spirit beasts were debating whether to encircle Feng Xin, he picked up a few leaves that were floating on the green murky water below. The moment the leaves were in contact with his hands they changed from their green color intopletely white with theirposition seeming ss-like as opposed to their earlier look.
"These should be enough." Said Feng Xin as he threw those white ss-like leaves in the air as he rapidly unsheathed his sword which was just as pure white as the scabbard it was sheathed in.
"Flowing leaves of eternal winter." Feng Xin silently muttered as he rotated his sword in a gentle slow counterclockwise manner hitting each of the falling leaves at different points with the tip of his long sword. A thin white misty coating surrounded the leaves the moment they were in contact with the sword.
Once thest leaf was coated with the misty aura, all the leaves suddenly froze midair before they explosively flew in different directions leaving a trailing white light in their wake. Their speed was as if a midpoint explosion had blown them away with tremendous force.
The stalking creatures rapidly reacted as they each felt a scary force of death that came from each of those leaves that seem to urately pinpoint where each of them was.
The iron shot frog who was the closest was the first to be targeted by one of the leaves. The frog was almost 2 meters tall with a ck metallic shin to it. It rapidly jumped up to try and dodge the iing leaf as its throat swelled and it rapidly spit out a needle-shaped water shot that was dark in color like its skin. This was an innate skill of the frog. It was named the iron shot frog because the shot it produced was hard and sharp enough to prate the skin of an early-stage core formation expert or pierce through armor in the lower tier of sky rank.
The shot from the iron shot frog quickly struck the iing leaf however, it was blown apart easily causing no reduction in speed. The leaf was soon upon the iron shot frog before it was prated through and through in its mouth as it tried to shoot another iron shot. The force from the leaf dragged it back smashing it into the nearby trees as the leaf went on with unstoppable momentum prating every tree in its path before finally disappearing as broken shards of crystals.
The other creatures had no time to register the quick demise of the iron-shot frog as they too were soon bombarded by the other rapidly flowing leaves.
The corroding heron was targeted by 3 leaves. The heron was a few meters shorter than the cloud-swallowing kite in height. However, the heron was still bigger than most of the animals present. Unlike normal herons, this one was a mix of dark green and ck in color with a swollen nd at the base of its neck. It spout a huge wave of green ck liquid targeting those 3 leaves aimed at it. That wave melted everything in its path inclusive of the trees before it soon covered the 3 leaves. The green-ck wave was frozen solid upon making contact with the leaves before 2 of the remaining leaves prated the now green-ck block of ice nailing both the wings of the heron and even causing it to be torn halfway on both sides due to the force before finally being nailed further back to a tree.
The ice-beaked egret was also locked on by the leaves however unlike the heron it was targeted by a single leaf that seemed a bit smaller than the rest but had a thicker misty aura covering it. The egret like its name had a beak that was pure white with a crystalline texture to it. The beak at this moment was producing mist simr to the ones on the leaves but on a much wider range. It screeched as a white mist was produced along with that screech.
The mist froze everything in its path including the ground. It was attempting to freeze the leaf. The mist soon reached the leaf however what the ice-beaked egret had expected to happen didn''t happen. All the mist upon reaching a few inches from the leaf vanishedpletely with the leaf now having a faint blue hue to it. The egret in stubbornness blew arger wave of mist at it only for the same thing to happen again only this time it made the leaf bluer than before. The egret sensed the danger level it felt from the leaf had now increased further. It quickly turned and attempted to fly away narrowly evading the now blue leaf that ended up a few inches below it. The egret put a faint smirk as it thought it was sessful in its escape before a blinding thin white light struck the blue leaf and shattered it into tiny glowing blue particles that spread everywhere, especially around the egret.
The pupils of the egret froze in fear as it detected massive danger to its life. It tried to ignite its blood to increase the speed of its escape but it was toote. Everything within it and around it froze. Its qi cirction, blood, and even its thoughts were allpletely frozen. It couldn''t move. Within a km of the egret, everything was encased in a massive block of ice with the iced beak egret at the center of it.
"Hehehe too na?ve trying to y with ice in front of me." Said Feng Xin as he sheathed his sword.
Now only the green sh viper, the rapid snapper cotton mouth, the mirage dragonfly, the coveted rainbow mist toad, and the green flowered babirusa were left. However, they too had their leaves to deal with.
Chapter 17 17:Bolin
?Two leaves arrived at different locations at the same time. One of the leaves was targeting the rainbow mist toad whilst the other leaf seemed to be targeting nothing. In the area it was sent to there seemed to be no creature in sight.
Once the leaves were almost at the rainbow mist toad''s location it had already blown out a thick hazy mist made up of the colors of the rainbow. The toad blendedpletely within that mist. Unlike the other core formation creatures that hadrger sizes, the rainbow mist toad was the size of a palm. However, despite its small stature, it wasn''t one to be underestimated. Its defining ability the rainbow-colored mist was a concoction of different poisons with each color having a different attribute of poison. If a core formation expert was caught unprepared in this mist they would be poisoned to death within minutes. The mist also had the effect of boosting the physical attributes of the toad, especially agility and regeneration. The leaf targeting the rainbow mist toad was soon swallowed into the mist it had created.
As for the other leaf that seemingly had no target in sight, once it reached a particr location another blinding streak of white light struck the leaf splitting it cleanly into 4 pieces. Each of the four pieces was in the shape of the pointy end of a star. Each of the split parts moved to the north, east, south, and west respectively. Once they were a sufficient distance apart, Feng Xin''s voice carried over.
"Four cardinals of imprisonment."
A blinding white mist was produced from each of the four shards as it slowly rose upwards with the shards rising slowly along with the mist before they froze at the midpoint in their rise. It was then they started moving towards each other as if drawn by some sort of attraction. As they were moving rapidly towards each other they all simultaneously hit some sort of an invisible barrier that stopped them in their tracks.
Soon after the collision, everything below the four shards was frozen in a block of conical-shaped ice. A figure could be seen shimmering in and out of existence pinned in the middle by those 4 shards. The shimmering continued for a while before the figure could finally be clearly seen. It was a dragonfly that was about 20 meters tall with a yellow almost golden body with 2 pairs of translucent wings that were pping so rapidly that they seemed to cut the air around them. Every time those wings pped a faint mirage would appear with faint golden lights being transmitted from its body to its wings.
The mirage would dissipate every time it came in contact with the shards and the cold mist surrounding them. This was the mirage dragonfly notorious for its camouge ability and wings that are as sharp as any sky-rank weapon.
It continuously tried to invoke its mirage ability only to be disrupted once more with the duration of the effect shrinking more and more every time it used it, till it couldn''t use it anymore. Once the mirage ability failed it tried to use its wings to shred the ice below it apart only for its wings to get heavier andg after each strike till it couldn''t raise them anymore.
The four leaf shards had pinned it just below its thorax where the abdomen was connected. The whole abdomen going downwards waspletely frozen. The mirage dragonfly tried with its might to pull itself upwards but the conical ice anchored it firmly to the ground. The more it desperately tried to pull itself free from the ice, the more it risked separating itself from its abdomen. The only result should it happen would be its death and a painful one at that.
It continuously shrieked in fear and desperation as it smashed the ice with its two free limbs but another failure dly weed it in its bosom. The conical ice was slowly sapping it of its energy as its buster and fluster were slowly reducing in intensity with time before itpletely slumped over bending on the conical ice.
"Good, it should have a few minutes of survival before it freezes to death. That should give me more than enough time to take care of the rest. Hehehehe poor mirage dragonfly. Let this be a lesson in humility. You must have gotten too overconfident from sessfully ambushing your prey with your mirage abilities. Your abilities are a far crypared to the cloud-swallowing kite and I can still spot it easily much less you when you were this close to my spiritual sense circle. You stuck out like a glowing sun in it. Now rest I''lle for youter. You''re luckier than yourpatriots there, you may end up with a life-changing opportunity if Ellie doesn''t eat you that is." Said Feng Xin which seemed to have elicited some response from the dragonfly as its upper body faintly moved on hearing what Feng Xin had just said towards the end.
Feng Xin turned his head from the mirage dragonfly as his gazended on the rainbow mist of the toad with a small smile on his face.
"Seems like this little one is rather gifted. It managed to evade the leaf of winter a few times even though it got mildly injured. I can''t risk it getting injured further this is a trove of merit points." Feng Xin on finishing that statement rapidly shed to where the rainbow mist was with the shadow void steps.
The rapid snapper cottonmouth at this time was the fifth one to fall at this time as Feng Xin was making his way to the rainbow mist toad. The rapid snapper cottonmouth was dark gray with faint patches of green on its coat. It had a medium-scale girth which was rather small for a creature in the core formation realm. Due to the environment of the green fog swamp, the creatures here have a smaller sizepared to the creatures outside of the area. Years of adaptation to the foggy swampy environment led most of them to adopt speed over brute strength solely.
The rapid snapper cottonmouth had an extreme reflex and attacking ability with powerful jaws to match. With its speed and powerful jaws, it''s able to tear someone''s limbs off in one hit. The cottonmouth at this moment was sliced clean at the end side of its jaws. The two slices extended down to its tail. Its lower jaw was now hanging loosely with blood spilling from its mouth down all the way to its sides. It was in itsst squirms at the moment with its life slowly ebbing away.
Feng Xin had already reached the colorful rainbow mist and was now staring at a small rainbow-striped toad that had shallow cuts all over its body. The leaf that had pushed it this far was currently in between Feng Xin''s thumb and index finger. It had a few chips at the side and a faint green taint on it. The taint however disappearedpletely once the leaf was in his hand regaining its white ss-like lustre.
"I''m sorry friend, you''ll have toe with me. I know some people who have an interest in your kind." Said Feng Xin with a teasing look on his face.
The rainbow mist toad whose face if human would be interpreted as an expression of fear and horror. With Feng Xin so close to it, it could finally feel his fearsome overbearing pressure. It felt like it was being bombarded by a monstrous avnche. The rainbow mist toad looked upwards with clear despair written all over its face as it silently wondered to itself when was thest time it felt this insignificant and a clear threat to its life with absolutely no way of avoiding it.
"Sigh it should have been the gaze from that alligator when I was in the foundation stage. Even now I can''t forget that gaze and this human seems just as scary. If I knew he would be this powerful, I wouldn''t have agreed to Li Lun''s n. You have really done me in this time, old friend." The rainbow mist toad silently muttered to itself as it stared in the rough direction of the green sh viper.
The rainbow mist toad was absent-minded for a few seconds before some rity and hope returned to its eyes as it now stared at Feng Xin making croaking voices as if to send a message. Feng Xin on seeing the toad''s actions fished something out of a tiny white ring on his right index finger. The ring was a storage ring. The object that appeared from the ring was a small milky white bead.
He threw the bead at the rainbow mist toad which quickly caught it and gave a human-like bow as if to offer its gratitude.
"Might I have the honor of knowing the name of this esteemed master?" a middle-aged man''s voice seemed to transmit from the milky white bead. This was a voice transmission bead. From the quality of the voice sounding from it, it seemed to be of a much higher quality almost to the one being used in the courtroom by Wen Chang.
"My name is Feng Xin an inquisitor from the Order, though I don''t know if you have heard of it."
"Sorry I haven''t since I''ve spent most of my life in this swamp and I am mostly a recluse. The heron and the egret may know since they venture out often. Well now I think it''s they knew I can feel their aura fading away. I can''t believe we who were lords over certain areas in this swamp are all about to be felled within minutes by a single person. I wonder are all the humans out there as powerful as you?" The rainbow mist toad couldn''t help but ask with some fear and curiosity mixed in its tone. Just the experience it had in these few minutes had upended its entire worldview.
"Pardon me for a moment." Feng Xin suddenly said as he stared in a particr direction and flung the white sslike leaf in his hand like a dagger in that particr direction. The leaf was tossed with so much force that a part of the mist was blown apart instantly. A loud painful growl was heard soon after.
The rainbow mist toad winced in sympathy once it heard that pain-filled growl. "Those yells seem to havee from the green flowered babirusa. Even though it has a thick tough hide, from that yell it looks like it''s nothing more than a paper tiger in front of this human." The toad silently thought to itself with blocks of sweat mixing in with the shallow cuts on its body.
"Sorry about that, I had to stop a friend from leaving before I had the chance to say hello. Where were we ooh yes whether there are people as strong as me out there? Yes, there are, and not in short supply either. Just the ce I work is filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons. There are monsters I can''tst more than 10 minutes against in a fight while others one look is enough to paralyze me. I''m not anything special out there just an average person with a talent for eating. But against those in the same realm as me, I do okay. Your defeat today isn''t shameful or unwarranted" Feng Xin casually answered.
The rainbow mist frog had a contrasting expression to the casual one Feng Xin had. At this moment he looked like he had been frozen solid by ice. He couldn''t believe what Feng Xin was saying. There were actually people out there stronger than someone who treated them like fodder within a few minutes. It was unbelievable to the rainbow mist toad as it had just gotten a glimpse of how fearsome Feng Xin was. And from the look of things, he barely broke a sweat when taking care of them. But from how powerful Feng Xin was, why would someone like him take the effort to lie to someone weaker than themselves? The rainbow mist toad had no option but to believe despite how grim the answer was. Never had he felt so tiny and insignificant as at this moment that he even lost himself in despair and almost forgot why he wanted to talk with Feng Xin.
"What''s your name? It feels rather awkward calling you the rainbow mist toad. You must have named yourself right?" Feng Xin suddenly asked bringing the toad out of his stupor.
"Sorry, my name is Bolin just Bolin." The rainbow mist toad hastily answered.
"Well, Bolin is there a reason why you wanted to talk with me? I''m rather short on time here and looks like one of your friends may have just escaped my." Feng Xin asked with no worry about the spirit beast that had escaped.
Chapter 18 18: I Am Willing
?The rainbow mist toad had a conflicted expression for a second before it sighed then steeled its resolve for what he was to say next.
"There''s zero chance of me getting out of this predicament alive. Even if I tried to risk blowing myself up with you, I have a feeling I''d barely have any chance to move before you effortlessly dealt with me. I can see out of the other of mypatriots, I am the only one you have confronted personally. That must mean I must have some value that is higher than the rest of them to warrant you to act personally." Bolin paused to gauge the reaction of Feng Xin to see if his assumption was right.
Feng Xin only calmly smiled and didn''t say anything.
Bolin took it as an admission his assumption was right.
"How about we make a deal then? I submit myself to you or even the organization you''re a part of. In exchange you let me live. I am willing to sign any type of soul contract despite how unfavorable the terms may be to me. I just want to be able to keep my life." Bolin softly pleaded.
Feng Xin had expected this to happen once Bolin requested tomunicate with him. He faintly sighed before he replied.
"Well, you are right on one thing. You are far more valuable than the rest. But you are mistaken on one thing. Your value is not in your capabilities or power level but rather in your anatomy. Pardon me for being blunt but you''re a walking alchemy ingredient. Whether you live or die your value doesn''t change, it''s the same either way." Feng Xin said calmly. He was callous in his reply to the rainbow mist toad because were he to be any weaker he doubted if he would have been afforded time to evenmunicate with them.
"Is there really no way to assure my life?" Bolin asked with a pleading look on its face which was a rather scary look for a toad to have. It even made Feng Xin flinch.
"Are you sure that''s what you want? Living might be a crueler fate for you than epting a quick death. Where I am taking you, they may cut you up, heal you, and cut you up again. You will be living each day in constant agony and pain. Life may be worse on you alive than you think." Feng Xin asked as he was secretly gauging Bolin.
Bolin was lost in thought after that response before gripping his fists tightly with his eyes filled with firm resolve.
"I AM WILLING," replied Bolin as he gritted through his teeth. He was willing to endure anything as long as he lived. As long as he was alive there would always be hope.
Feng Xin stared at Bolin for a long while waiting to see if he will change his mind. Once he saw his unwavering gaze he gently muttered,
"Fine."
Feng Xin removed another object from his storage ring. It was a jar made of green bamboo with brown papyrus reeds. There was a parchment that seemed to be made of old goat skin attached to the lid. The parchment was filled with ck ancient-looking scribbling.
Feng Xin opened the lid of the jar. All the rainbow mist waspletely swallowed by the jar within seconds.
"Get in." Feng Xin as he pointed toward the green bamboo jar.
Bolin had a look of hesitation on his face. That small jar gave him a dangerous vibe. He felt his soul being sealed just from staring at a tiny portion of the scribbling on the parchment.
This reaction didn''t escape Feng Xin''s eyes who faintly smiled.
"Don''t worry you won''t die when you step into the jar. This jar is called the soul anchoring hibernation jar. Once in the jar, you will be ced in a temporary stasis. Think of it as being in a death cultivation state. Where your senses to the outside world arepletely cut off. Due to your value, I can''t risk openly walking with you. I can''t store you directly in the storage ring because living things can''t be stored in there. But it can be done through indirect means one of which is through this jar that istes everything inside of it to the outside world even in an alternate space such as the storage ring. Once we are at the Order I''ll release you. And don''t worry being stored in there will not leave any detrimental effects. It may even be of benefit to you. You''ll be able to meditate with no distractions." Feng Xin calmly exined.
Bolin was still fearful but he gritted his teeth and nodded before he made his way to the jar. Just as he was about to getpletely in he heard Feng Xin say,
"Things may not end up grim as I had earlier depicted. Who knows how things may turn up for you at the Order? You may end up with the same luck as the Mirage Dragonfly and not end up as some alchemy material but there are no assurances. I''ll surrender you to my boss then he will decide what happens next."
"Thanks." Bolin politely replied with some life in his response as hepletely entered the jar. Feng Xin closed the lid before the talisman glowed with an earth red light before the scribbling spread from the parchment wrapping the whole jar before disappearingpletely.
Once the glow disappeared, Feng Xin stored the jar in his storage ring before he turned his gaze to the remaining creature, the green-flowered babirusa. The creature whose size was like a small mountain was now crawling on the ground with painful grunts escaping itsrge mouth.
The green-flowered babirusa was a behemoth made of grey skin hide with four bronze tusks in itsrge snout. Each of the tusks was longer and wider than Feng Xin''s sword. It had arge green flower located at the top of its head. The flower was in the shape of a sunflower. A faint yellow glow could be seen emitting from it. The glow flowed around the babirusa''s body. Everywhere it passed by the wounds would faintly heal and close up though the effects it was having seemed minimal due to the severity and number of wounds on its body. Some were too deep for the glow to have any substantial effect.
The green flowered babirusa had its whole body covered in deepcerations with some areas beingpletely purple due to the frost from the ss-like leaves. It was crawled up on the ground andy on one of its sides. This was because two of its legs had been severed. Both its left foreleg and left hind leg were smoothly sliced off at the knees. From the smoothness and simrity of the cuts, it seemed to have been done at the same time with the same object.
The green flowered babirusa kept trying to force itself up but it could barely support its tremendous weight with just its two legs and it also had grievous wounds onrge parts of its body too which further strained it.
"What tremendous vitality. Even after all those wounds it still has the strength to keep struggling." Feng Xin couldn''t help but admire the spirit beast as he slowly made his way over.
The babirusa stared at Feng Xin with rage erupting from its eyes as it made even louder growls that seemed to echo for miles and miles around the swamp. The growl didn''t stop but seemed to be getting louder and heavier. The green-flowered babirusa seemed to be digging deep. The green flower on its head started growingrger as it continued to growl. The glow produced by the flower started changing from yellow to green with the color getting darker. However, the glow this time wasn''t directed at the injuries covering the babirusa but toward all the vegetation around it. The moment that glow touched any nt, said nt would dry up and wither with the green glow getting richer and richer and the green flower growingrger andrger. Before the flower looked like a normal-sized sunflower however as other nts were drained of their vitality by the glow, the flower grew to the size of a small shrub.
"That''s an interesting ability you have there. You are trying to suck the vitality of the other nts to strengthen yourself and rapidly heal your injuries. That''s quite the lifesaving ability. Too bad it''s toote." Said Feng Xin as he used shadow void steps and gentlynded where the green flowered babirusa was.
Before the babirusa could register what was happening it felt its view rotate sideways in the air. As the view lowered it saw its huge body that was now headless. The head rolled on the floor wide-eyed.
"Wouldn''t it be foolish of me to just let you use your trump card that easily especially after that loud yell you made?" Feng Xin said as he sheathed his sword which didn''t have a stain of blood on it at all despite decapitating therge head of the green flower babirusa. It was still pristinely white.
"Look at this size. It is even bigger up close. I can''t wait to have some pork fried rice, and pork chops. This meat is likely to be richer, especially with the effect of that flower on its head. I wonder if it can be eaten too. Let me store this first, I''ll have plenty of timeter to properly carve it up and make sure no part is wasted. As for that green sh viper. It should consider itself lucky though I doubt it would be moving much for a couple of months not with its injured eye.
But it''s a rather quick-witted one to be able to escape. It is the only one that didn''t even try to fight back and dashed away. Such battle astuteness, the green fog swamp sect will have to be careful." Feng Xin silently muttered as he started storing the corpses of the green flowered babirusa together with its head, the rapid snapper cottonmouth, and the iron shot frog, before making his way to the corroding heron that was nailed to a tree drawing itsst breaths.
"Can this thing even be eaten? I''ll ask Yang Qing to try it with me. He is the only one I know with the same poison resistance I do. But how do we even cook this thing? I doubt the chefs will even guide me on it." Feng Xin silently pondered with his hands on his chin as he stared at the heron that was slouched over.
He produced sword qi from his finger that prated the head of the corroding heron before swiftly storing it. He then made his way to the ice-beaked egret and ced his right palm on the massive block of ice. The block started dissolving into white mist before the ice-beaked egret fell to the ground. Feng Xin stored it soon after before he made his way to thest living creature, the mirage dragonfly.
Once he arrived where the mirage dragonfly was, he ced his palm on the conical ice and the same thing that happened with the iced beak egret repeated itself. The encasing ice turned to mist inclusive of the leaf shards before the mirage dragonfly fell to the ground too weak to even p its wings.
Feng Xin squatted down and ced his palms on the mirage dragonfly. His palms seemed to be draining the white mist from the mirage dragonfly. Some of its wings started fluttering as it slowly started regaining its strength. Spirit beasts were famed for their strength and vitality. The mirage dragonfly soon gained enough strength to stand up as it stared at Feng Xin with itsrgepound eyes. Feng Xin seemed like an antpared to the 20-meter-tall mirage dragonfly. However, the mirage dragonfly knew this was a monster and it was the ant.
"You heard what I said before, will youe with me?" Feng Xin gently asked as he rose.
The mirage dragonfly nodded so fast that it even surprised Feng Xin at how fast its response was. It didn''t even hesitate as it started nodding its head repetitively with so much force that Feng Xin worried it would snap off.
"Okay okay, no need to be so extreme. I''m currently heading to the west side of this swamp. I''m in a hurry so I hope you can keep up." Feng Xin told the mirage dragonfly as he rapidly continued his journey towards the green fog swamp sect.
He had considered riding the mirage dragonfly there, but looking at its haggard appearance, he decided against it. He''d better rely on himself or they''d end upte.
Feng Xin rushed ahead leaving the disoriented mirage dragonfly behind. Most likely the disorientation was a result of its rapid nods before it got its bearings and quickly followed after him.
Chapter 19 19: Inside Green Fog Swamp Sect
?Feng Xin and the mirage dragonfly quickly made their way to the Green fog swamp sect with none speaking to the other. The Mirage dragonfly had regained some of its strength back as it could now keep up with Feng Xin''s movement though Feng Xin had deliberately slowed down so that it can keep up without straining itself too much. The damage from the leaves of eternal winter had left some remnant effects on the mirage dragonfly although Feng Xin did his best to mitigate the damage it would still take a while forplete recovery.
There was a huge gap between the two. Feng Xin was at level 10 of the core formation realm which is thete stage of the realm otherwise known as the corepletion stage, while the mirage dragonfly was at level 4 of the core formation realm also known as the core condensing stage. There was already a huge divide in cultivation realms not to mention the quality of the core between the two as Feng Xin had a gold core. As for the Mirage dragonfly based on what Feng Xin had deduced it seemed to have an orange core same as the emerald leaf cow.
The duo moved for over ten minutes before Feng Xin stopped and signaled the Mirage dragonfly to stop too. There wasn''t anything of note in the area as it looked simr to the rest of the swamp. There were trees, vines, weeds, and shallow brackish water in the area.
The mirage dragonfly twisted its head sideways with a puzzled look as if to ask why they stopped randomly. It didn''t sense any enemies within the area. Feng Xin didn''t respond as he stretched his right hand forward, then curled his hands as if tearing or scratching at something with his fingers.
With the downward motion of his tearing hand, the scene of trees, vines, and swamps started changing. By the time Feng Xin had brought his hand downwards, the scene before them had already changed. What was just a normal swampy look had now been reced by a tall green wooden gate with a beautifully crafted Tupelo tree emblem in the middle of the gate.
There was golden calligraphy beneath the engraved tree emblem with the words "Green Fog Swamp Sect". The name had some aura of vitality to it and even a faint pressure. The pressure had zero effect on Feng Xin and the mirage dragonfly but towards someone in the foundation establishment stage and even level 1 core formation realm expert, they would be hard pressed to stand normally before the pressure from that calligraphy.
The mirage dragonfly was surprised when the scene changed. It had not detected any arrays or qi fluctuations in the area. The sect was hidden under an illusion array prepared by a skilled array master whoseprehension and abilities were likely higher than the mirage dragonfly. But in front of Feng Xin, it was a different case.
Feng Xin''s brow formed a small frown as he was in deep contemtion.
"Strange, I don''t sense anyone active within the sect. There''s no scent of blood or chaotic qi from a fight either." Feng Xin silently thought to himself as he pushed the doors of the Green fog swamp sect open.
A killing formation array was triggered the moment Feng Xin tried to forcefully open the sect''s gates but it was soon frozen solid before it could even retaliate with Feng Xin forcing the entrance gate wide open.
What weed them was apound so silent that one could hear a pin drop. The only sounds within the sect were the rustling of fallen leaves and the swaying sound made by the trees as the winds brushed up against them.
The inside of the sect waspletely different from the gloom of the outside. There was minimal green fog within the sect. There were no multitudes of hanging vines, the brackish water, or therge variety of insects that could be seen roaming around outside of the sect. The sect had an air of a herb valley to it. There were different kinds of flowers nted on the sides of the paved pathways. The pathways seemed to have been made from some Earth-red rock. They were paved, smoothened, and somehow seemed to meld seamlessly with the nts around them.
The sectnds rose upwards the further one moved in. There were about 5 peaks within the sect. Feng Xin and the mirage dragonfly soon started making their way deeper into the sect. They passed by small clustered buildings that seemed they were housing of some sort. From their size, it looked like they could house just a single person. Though small in size they were beautifully designed. They had gently curving yellow tiled roofs and red walls that matched the color of the pavements around the sect. There was a board above the entrance to those buildings. The board had the name Outer sect sleeping quarters written over it with elegant calligraphy.
As they continued moving forward, the quality of the buildings they kept passing by continued to increase in elegance and size. There were lecture halls, restaurants, somebat arenas, and some fine courtyards. These courtyards seemed to be the living area of the inner sect and core disciples. They were muchrger and more widely spread from each other.
All this while as Feng Xin and the Mirage dragonfly were moving forward at an even pace, they never spotted a single person in sight. Feng Xin still didn''t stop for a second and kept moving towards the central peak. The closer they approached the richer and higher the quality of qi in the area. This was most likely due to nts and also formation arrays that had been ced in the area to increase the quality and umtion of qi.
The buildings were getting fewer and fewer with every rise. However, though they were few they were grander in sizepared to all the other buildings they had passed by. In particr, there were a few buildings that stood out. One was a tall green ancient looking pagoda that had a rich smell of herbs with a tall gate outside with the words Alchemy division written over it. The others were not pagodas but tall dome-shaped pavilions. They each were of different divisions namely; Formation Array division, cksmithing division, Library Hall, Disciplinary Hall, Sect Missions Hall, andstly Logistics Hall.
There still wasn''t anyone in sight even in these buildings despite their clear importance to the sect. It created a rather odd atmosphere in the whole ce. Just ahead on the path leading to the central peak, Feng Xin managed to spot a disappearing purple-ck smog on one of the peaks that was to the left of the central peak.
His nose flinched a little as he quickly diverted his route heading in the direction of the peak with the disappearing purple-ck smog. Within a few minutes, Feng Xin and the Mirage dragonfly had already arrived at the bottom of the peak. There were winding steps leading up to the peak which the duo quickly scaled. The qi was 4 times denser and richerpared to all the ces they had passed through. "The owner of this peak must have high status in the sect," Feng Xin thought.
The mirage dragonfly quickly lost itself to the density of the qi in the ce as it greedily opened its pores to absorb the qi. It looked like a starving and dehydrated victim who was offered a jar of cool refreshing water and a piping hot tasty meal. Feng Xin ignored the gluttonous look of the mirage dragonfly as they soon reached the top. The area waspletely t like a in. The size was roughly a quarter of the size of the sect. This added further credence to the importance of the owner of the peak to the sect. It took Feng Xin ten minutes traveling at normal speed as a core formation realm expert just to reach the location of the various halls and pavilions of the sect. The distance he had covered was around 20km in length discounting the width of the area as his main target was the peaks. He had chosen the shortest route to reach it.
The area at the top of the peak had a quaint serene atmosphere. It had scaled-down versions of various halls and pavilions Feng Xin had passed by on his way here. There was a library, alchemy hall, cksmithing hall, and a veryrge herbal garden. There was even a small river that flowed around the area with small bridges all over the ce. There was an extremelyrge pavilion with orange tiled roofs. The purple-ck smog seemed to have originated from there as a few remnants were being carried away by the slow wind in the ce.
Feng Xin quickly made his way there with the Mirage dragonfly at his back greedily absorbing the qi in the area as they moved.
"I would stop absorbing more qi from this area if I were you not unless you want to pass out." Feng Xin said as he cast a sideway nce at the Mirage dragonfly.
The Mirage dragonfly was at first puzzled at why Feng Xin said that before small faintness washed over it before it shook its head a couple of times to try and remove that feeling from its body. When that didn''t work it rapidly pped its wings till there was a metallic rapid vibration sounding from them as golden specks of dust with bits of dew started being produced from its whole body. Soon purple-ck liquid was ejected from its body and soon evaporated from the high heat produced from the wings that were in rapid motion.
This went on until the Mirage dragonfly was sure there was no purple-ck liquiding from its body. It stopped the rapid motion of its wings before it stared around with some weariness, unlike its earlier carefree appearance. It had let down its guard since Feng Xin was around and it had experienced personally how powerful he was. If anything unexpected were to happen, it was sure Feng Xin would be able to solve it easily. Feng Xin''s presence had made it forget what the real danger of the green fog region and the swamp was. It was the use of poison.
Brute strength was not feared in the swamp but poison. Poison was king in the swamp. Half the creatures and nts in the area were naturals at it, while the other half were skilled in awareness and speed. There were some who were skilled in both such as the green sh viper that was terrifyingly skilled in poisoning, high-speed attacks, and evasion. It was one of the 3 false kings of the lower southern region of the green fog swamp. The green flowered babirusa was an oddity in the swamp. It wasrge, wasn''t fast, relied on brute strength, and didn''t have any poisoning abilities whatsoever. However, though itcked both speed and poison it had a few abilities that enabled it to stand at the peak with the best of them and even run roughshod in the area. One of them was the ability of the green flower on its head that helped it rapidly heal from wounds which included even poison. Despite the severity of the poison, as long as there were nts around it, it could drain them of their essence and use it to boost its own vitality and healing capabilities. That ability in and of itself made it almost unbeatable that is until Feng Xin. It also had a tough hide that made it hard for creatures that specialize in speed to even prate the topyer. If not for Feng Xin, given enough time it would have grown to be a new addition to the false kings of the southern region of the swamp. But sadly there were no ifs. Its destiny had turned from a potential false king to a king-like delicacy.
Chapter 20 20: Please Find Them
?Feng Xin, once he saw that the Mirage dragonfly was okay made his way to therge pavilion that had the words ''PENG PAVILION'' name on it. The words had a simple yet tenacious aura on it. This made even Feng Xin raise his brow, not due to the strength of the aura but the spirit of the writer. Most people who were tenacious had a prideful aura apanying it but not this one. He had seen a few other people in the Order with simr quality. They had a tenacious will but not with pride. The tenacity was apanied by either a carefree, curious, responsible, or freedom-loving nature. They were monstrous talents even within the Order. Who knew he''d find some other person in this backwater sect with simr quality?
He went to therge entrance and pushed open its door. The protective arrays of the building seemed to have been disabled. Once the doors were opened a thick purple-ck smog burst open with the doors as it flowed out. The mirage dragonfly rapidly moved away in fear once it saw the amount of purple-ck smoging out of the pavilion. The smog spread out increasing its coverage to the whole grounds of the peak. The buildings, nts, and the river were soon drowned by the smog. Visibility was soon impaired in the area. Sounds of footsteps softly echoed in the area. It was Feng Xin making his way into the hall of the pavilion.
"Should I let the rainbow mist frog out to take care of this mess? Aah no, let me just take care of it. I wonder what it''ll taste like." Feng Xin said as he put on a contemtive look. The mirage dragonfly was hundreds of meters above the pavilion at the moment with its altitude rapidly rising.
"All devouring funnel." Feng Xin silently muttered as his whole body turned pale white even a quarter of his hair. A huge suction force was produced the moment Feng Xin inhaled inwards gently. All the purple-ck smog that had widely spread at the moment was all dragged back towards the Peng pavilion before it was swallowed by Feng Xin. It took less than 3 minutes before all the smog was cleared out returning the peak to its previous clear and serene atmosphere.
The mirage dragonfly made shrieking inaudible voices once it saw what had happened to all the purple-ck smog. It couldn''t believe all that smog had been swallowed by Feng Xin. Just the brief exposure it had earlier was enough to make it a little faint but Feng Xin had swallowed the whole cloud that had almost covered the entire peak.
"What is this human''s body made of? Only Bolin that rainbow mist toad can deal with this much smog as easily as he did." The mirage dragonfly thought to itself as it quickly made its way downwards into the pavilion.
Once the mirage dragonfly made its way into the pavilion it saw Feng Xin standing in the middle of the hallway surrounded by numerous bodies lying down on the floor. The bodies numbered in the thousands judging from its estimate. Young, middle-aged, and elderly all were lying down on the floor seemingly dead or unconscious.
It quickly flew to Feng Xin''s side silently whose body at this moment had already gone back to normal. Feng Xin stood still for a while as he scanned the whole pavilion with his spiritual sense before his face rxed.
"So this is where the members of the sect were. Luckily they are not dead. They seem to have just passed out." Said Feng Xin with a sigh of relief.
"This is quite the interesting concoction Peng Zhen and the rest brewed. The smog seems to have the effect of knocking someone out and stagnating their qi flow. This is to ensure its effectsst longer. The potency is strong enough too, though it may not knock out someone at the core formation realm, it is strong enough to disorient them for a while. I can''t believe all this was done by people at the foundation establishment stage. It seems the alchemy reputation of the Green fog swamp sect is not for nothing. They do have some budding talent in this area. Let me leave these guys here, for now. They shouldn''t be in any immediate danger. But just in case I''ll leave the mirage dragonfly here to watch over them." Feng Xin silently thought before he turned to the mirage dragonfly and ordered it to watch over the sect members of the Green fog swamp sect while he made his way to the central peak which was where the Sect master''s residence and the Tupelo tree were.
"Don''t try and eat any one of them, I''ve memorized every single person here. If even a single one goes missing..." said Feng Xin to the mirage dragonfly with a dangerous glint in his eyes before he quickly made his way towards the central peak leaving behind the shivering mirage dragonfly.
Feng Xin swiftly made his way to the central peak. It too had the same winding stair steps just like the one he hade from. Without having to hold back on ount of the mirage dragonfly, within a few minutes he had already arrived at the top of the peak. The scene before Feng Xin was truly beautiful. The area was also t and three timesrger than the area housing the Peng pavilion. The qi was also richer and cleaner. There was a single pavilion in the area, though not extravagant it had an aura of authority to it. The other patches ofnd were filled with hundreds of herbs of different grades and varieties. There was a river that slowly flowed around the areas that had herbs. The river just like the herbs was also filled with qi. This added further richness and vibrance to the area.
Feng Xin didn''t spare a look at the various herbs there as he made his way to the pavilion. There was an old board in front of it with the words ''sect master bode'' written on it. There were three names written on a small board at the side of it. The three names were; Liao Heng which had a persevering aura on it, Tang Shanyuan which had the aura of the vibrance of a mountain spring to it and thest name was Cheng Yuan which had an aura of stability and steadfastness. These were the names of the sect masters of the Green fog swamp sect both past and present.
Feng Xin bypassed the pavilion as he went to the area behind it. Thend behind had fewer herbspared to the front but they were of better quality. There were a few Earth-grade herbs growing in the area and a single budding Sky rank herb. The air that filled the area was cool and refreshing that Feng Xin couldn''t help but take a small deep breath.
"Seems like the Tupelo tree is a rare oddity. The calmness and the richness of this ce rival the effect of some top-tier Monarch rank herbs and treasures. The environment it has created can help one to quickly enter a meditative state" Feng Xin silently thought to himself as he made his way forward to the central region of the area.
There was no single nt within a couple of km around the central area. It was as if the area was sacred and invible. Feng Xin made his way over and saw a massive hole that was a couple of hundred meters deep with other trenches spread about the area. There were mounds of Orange red soil around the area. Feng Xin moved forward towards one of the trenches before he bent downwards and picked a tiny leaf. The leaf didn''t have any special qualities at first. It seemed like just any typical leaf before it suddenly swapped colors. It went from green to orange. After another few seconds it changed once more from orange to red thenter it swapped back to green again and repeated the cycle over and over.
Feng Xin scrutinized the leaf closely before he took out 3 talismans from his storage ring. He split the leaf into 3 pieces before he ignited the talismans that turned into 3 green swallows that seemed to beposed purely of wind. They floated around Feng Xin chirping around his head joyfully.
Feng Xin silently stared at them as he silently wondered, "Yang Qing really has some strange abilities. One would think these swallows were truly alive and not a part of the tree resonant seeking swallow spell."
Talismans in the Blue origin could be used to store the cultivation spells and moves of an expert. The better the quality of ingredients used in the making of the talismans the more power it can exert. Low-grade talismans can exert at most 10% of the ability of the one whose spell/moves are being stored. Medium grade can exert 50-60% while high grade can exert 70-80% which is the maximum it can exert. Any higher and the talisman will be destroyed in production though most sects and organizations are still researching how to achieve 100% exertion.
Talismans are life savers though they have their restrictions. For example, it would be impossible for Feng Xin to activate a talisman made from the power of a domain-level expert. The most he can handle activating safely is one from a pce-level expert and it is only from one at the early stages. If it was one at theter stages, he would have to burn his vitality to be able to activate them. If the enemy were to survive the bombardment from that talisman, he would be leftpletely defenseless. Therefore a guideline was made by the Order to its members. It was that the talismans the inquisitors used should be based on the power scale of the Judge they are attached to. This should be enough to ensure their safety in most situations. Therefore currently Feng Xin and the rest under Yang Qing could either use talismans made from Yang Qing''s spells or could base them on another judge at the early stage of the Pce realm.
Feng Xin fed the three leaves to the three green swallows.
"Please find the owner of that leaf as fast as possible." Feng Xin said to the green swallows. The swallows chirped once more before they flew away at an rming speed causing wind gales in their movement. Feng Xin decided to wait for their signal from the roof of the pavilion.
He calmly sat down and decided to meditate awaiting the results from the three green swallows. He doubted Peng Zhen and the rest had made it far. With the speed and the senses of the swallows, they would soon be spotted no matter where they tried to hide. The effects of the talisman wouldst for at most three hours which was ample time for them to be tracked down and apprehended soon after.
Chapter 21 21: Almost Out
?Feng Xin decided to take advantage of the calm and serene environment created by the Tupelo tree to meditate and ensure he was in his best state once the green swallows spotted Peng Zhen and the rest. Even if the tree had already been uprooted, the effects of the tree remained. Years of it growing there hadpletely and permanently changed the area''s environment. The Qi was gentle yet vigorous, refreshing yet energizing. The area had some sort of bnce on different elements helping one further theirprehension and raising their cultivation realm.
"I really hope this case doesn''t have unexpected situations. How did Peng Zhen and the rest even carry the tree out? The tree is more valuable alive than dead. They should have some treasure that is able to safely preserve it even when uprooted. But how can they afford a treasure of that level? Based on the effects that are still prevalent here that tree is the furthest thing from ordinary much more than this sect has judged. An object that is able to sufficiently amodate it at the very least should be at the monarch level.
How can Peng Zhen and the rest afford a treasure of that level? Treasures of that level are very hard to buy using spirit stones unless they are from a high-grade mine. If Peng Zhen and the rest had ess to spirit stones of that level, they wouldn''t need to go through all this trouble and even risk antagonizing the Order.
I truly hope I am just overthinking things." Feng Xin silently thought to himself before he cleared his mind of all distractions and started meditating with a white fog slowly enveloping him which then spread to the whole peak.
A couple of miles from the Green fog swamp sect 5 people could be seen moving rapidly within the forest as the green fog ahead of them was getting thinner and thinner. They seemed to be moving closer to the edge of the green fog region.
The five people were elderly men looking to be in their seventies but the speed at which they moved in the forest betrayed their age. They moved like kites in the air. A cultivator in the early stages of foundation establishment would not b able to track their movements as they would appear as a blur to them. They had simr green robes with white paper talismans attached to the back of their robes. It had a dark grey glow around it.
"Dong Yanlin are you sure these talismans can really hide us even from someone from the Order." One of the elderly men asked with some worry in his tone as he kept looking back to see if there was a pursuer hot on their tail.
"What are you worried about Elder Hao Ye? As I already exined these talismans are top-grade. They were made from sky-rank ingredients by an expert with sufficient skills in talisman making. They cost quite a steep price at the White rose pavilion. You should already know the reputation of the pavilion, just its strength alone matches a rank 2 sect. They have a few domain experts at the helm. But what they are known and appreciated for isn''t their strength but the wide range of the goods, they deal in. It ranges from cultivation techniques, meditation techniques, cultivation pills, weapons, armor, talismans, herbs, and even spirit beasts. Almost anything that can be sold or traded there. The quality is guaranteed as long as you can meet their price.
These shadow cloak talismans can cloak us from anyone as long as they are not in the pce realm. Given the rank of our sect, the case was definitely handled by an inquisitor and a judge at the core formation realm. Even if both the judge and the inquisitor were toe after us they would have a hard time spotting us. The White rose pavilion guaranteed its quality, they even did a test against a ghost eyes owl in the core formation and it could not spot me even when standing a few inches away from me." Elder Dong Yanlin calmly replied
Elder Hao Ye heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he heard that. Ghost eye owls were famous for their vision. They could see through most illusion arrays and camouge spells. It was said they could see through even the meridians of a cultivator. If even a spirit beast famous for its senses couldn''t spot them much less could be expected from a human in the same realm. The other elders were also visibly relieved. They may have not asked it but all shared the same worry all except one elder.
That elder had a wizened face and a serene appearance. His aura was that of a still mountain that would survive through all that nature would throw at it. He had an undaunted stillness to him. This was Elder Peng Zhen, the vice sect master of the Green fog swamp sect and Cheng Yuan''s martial sibling. He was running at the lead while Elder Hao Ye flunked his lower right, to his lower left was a sturdily built elder who had an arrogant bearing to him, most likely built from being in a position of authority. This was Elder Jia Tingfeng who was the trainer of the core disciples of the sect before Cheng Yuan undertook that role for himself.
At the far back, more centrally to each other, there were two elders. One of them looked younger than the rest. He had a few white strands in his hair that was tied at the top. He had an amiable look apanied by a small soft smile. This was Elder Dong Yanlin the outer sect deacon. To his left was a slim-built elder who had a serious look on his face. He had an air of meticulousness and order to him. This was Elder Gui Bingwen the vice head of the disciplinary hall.
These five were currently about to make their way out of the green fog region as the famous green fog was getting thinner and thinner with the trees and vines also reducing in numbers.
"I really wish I could see Cheng Yuan''s face when he finds the treasury emptied and the tree he values so much than even his life stolen. He would likely end up coughing blood and die from frustration. Serves him right for all that shame he put us through. How dare he promote those wet behind-the-ears children to the same level as us? Reducing our resources, shrinking our authority and responsibilities all for the sake of those upstarts. We were the ones who supported the sect with our lives on the line every day during those tumultuous times when spirit beasts would ravage the sect or the attacks from other sects or vagrant cultivators aiming for the Tupelo tree. And he has the nerve to use the excuse of letting us rest so he could put us out to pasture. Cheng Yuan if I were in the core formation realm, I would deal with you myself. The sect you dearly love getting cleaned out is too light a punishment." Elder Jia Tingfeng said with a venomous look on his face as he clenched his fists in anger.
"That slimy Cheng Yuan deserves what he is getting and more. He dared reduce the support needed for my alchemy experiments iming poison research isn''t what was needed by the sect at the moment. Has he forgotten where the sect is and the deaths we suffered before the illusory and protection array formation was set up? The number of elders and disciples who died of poison was astronomical. To truly cement our position in the swamp we also needed a potent poison of our own to be able to fight back, especially against those false kings and their underlings. The other elders of the alchemy hall agreed with my view but they quickly turned into sycophants and lick the boots of Cheng Yuan. Not one of them had the spine to stand against him. Even that old geezer Hu Qiu had the nerve to say I''ve lost the true spirit of alchemy and would never improve my dao in alchemy. Hehehe who is passed out at the moment because of the fruits of my research?
Peng Zhen, you should have let me just kill them with the original version. Leaving them alive seems like a waste." Elder Hao Ye said with some dissatisfaction in his tone. Peng Zhen had altered his original recipe and made one that will make them pass out and stagnate their qi flow instead of the original one that would knock them out and slowly corrode their qi, then their meridians, and finally their internal organs. They would be liquefied from the inside. Hao Ye made that poison from inspiration he had based on the abilities of a red glyph spider. The spider waspletely ck except for a single red glyph on its abdomen. The spider would spray out a web that would be enhanced by the red glyph on its back. The web would seal and paralyze its victims. Once a victim was caught in the web they would be drained of all their qi, with the qi of the spider slowly invading the victim to rece the drained-out qi via the webs. The pain is so excruciating it would leave one screaming up until the body waspletely invaded. It is a slow and gruesome process. The spider will then either happily devour the victim little by little as the victim, si alive though barely or they would use the body of the victim as an incubator for its eggs. Which wouldter after much nourishment hatch and devour what''s left of the victim from the inside. It was a truly sadistic creature that most who end up in its snares would rather self-detonate than await what was toe. Hao Ye was deeply fascinated by this creature and used its abilities as a subject for his poison research.
"I may have betrayed the sect for my own selfish interest to further my cultivation but I will not pull it further down the abyss. I know It is rather hypocritical of me to say this after what I have done but I owe the sect a lot and I will not have itpletely destroyed by my hands. Some part of me still wishes to see it flourish. Hao Ye don''t forget all you have was given to you by the sect. It''s okay to have misgivings about Cheng Yuan but the sect as a whole has nothing to do with it. Besides if wepletely massacre the sect as you wish, the Order will bring down its full force on us. I doubt even the means of Dong Yanlin will be able to protect us from it." Peng Zhen softly said as he maintained his sights ahead.
Hao Ye could only grunt in displeasure as a glint of hatred shed through his eyes as he stared at Peng Zhen''s back.
Dong Yanlin at the back noticed Hao Ye''s look as he still had on his polite smile with no one telling what was running through his mind.
The group was a few meters away froming out of the green fog region. The bright rays of sunshine had even started seeping through. An excited expression showed on the faces of some of the elders. They were this close to making their escape. Making their way through the swamp they were rather tense. This was not only from the fear of being captured by an inquisitor of the Order but also from being attacked by a fearsome spirit beast. Having lived in the swamp for centuries they knew how fearsome the beasts in this ce were. They were more afraid of the beasts here than the inquisitor. At least with the inquisitor, they could surrender but with a spirit beast being eaten was their only result. Human cultivators were an enormous boon towards the cultivation improvement of a spirit beast. The stronger the human cultivator they consumed, the better the result.
"Make sure to keep your guard up it''s not a time to rx." Peng Zhen warned as he saw the rxed attitude of the elders.
"Dong Yanlin is your person going to make it in time. If he dys we will be done." Elder Gui Bingwen who had been silent all this time suddenly asked. Of the other elders here he is the one who has known Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan the longest. It was rather odd to see him betray the sect as he was known for being straightced and inflexible. He abided by and enforced the sect''s regtions to the letter. Hao Ye assumed he did it to get a chance to break through to the core formation realm as his life limit as a foundation stage expert was almost up. Foundation stage members had a life span of 1000 years and Gui Bingwen was around 900 years closer to that limit.
"Don''t worry he''ll arrive on time. He has a deep interest in the Tupelo tree. He will reward you all handsomely once all this is done. His referral will also make it sure in for all of you to be epted in the Jade autumn sect." Dong Yanlin softly answered as he patted a leopard skin pouch with a green glow at his waistline with a satisfied expression appearing on his face.
Chapter 22 22: Tracked
?Peng Zhen and the rest were soon out of the green fog and were weed with an open patch of grasnd with a bunch of hills on the horizon. They didn''t stop to take a breath but continued pushing their movement cultivation techniques to the maximum as they tried to draw further distance from the green fog region and their former sect.
Despite running for almost 100 miles nonstop most of them were still fine despite their age. This was due to the level of their cultivation realm. All the members present were either at the peak stage of the foundation realm or at thete stages of it. Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen the former vice-head of the disciplinary hall were at the peak stage. As for the rest, Jia Tingfeng the former trainer of core disciples was at the 11th level, with Dong Yanlin and Hao Ye of the alchemy division being at the 9th level.
However, despite Hao Ye and Dong Yanlin being at the same cultivation level Hao Ye looked rather haggard aspared to the rest. Spending all his waking time in alchemy led to him neglecting his martial practice. He used pills to raise his cultivation realm instead of diligently cultivating. Although he was at the 9th level of foundation establishment he had a shaky foundation to work with. His qi movement and flow were erratic, and the effects of pill poisoning though not that adverse had started to show. Someone who had studiously built their foundation to the 7th level could match him or even defeat him. The only reason he was even able to keep up was by swallowing qi rejuvenation pills.
"There''s an amber river just less than 10 miles ahead. We will use it to travel to Amber river county. My friend will meet us there." Dong Yanlin swiftly said with the rest nodding in response.
It was at this moment that Peng Zhen showed a change in his look that was calm throughout the journey. Aplicated look appeared on his face as he briefly nced back in the estimated direction of the Green fog swamp sect.
"Cheng Yuan I hope things don''t end up too tough for you. There was no other way." He silently thought to himself with a sigh escaping from his mouth before he soon returned to his usually calm expression.
They had run midway through their journey to the amber river before Dong Yanlin''s pupil constricted as a surprised look appeared on his face as he turned his head back. The rest were puzzled at his reaction that they too turned their heads toward where Dong Yanlin was looking. They couldn''t spot anything at first but a few minutester they spotted a small green dot rapidly approaching them.
Dong Yanlin had on a deep frown before it changed back to calmness as he gazed at the talisman attached to his coat.
"What''s that rapidly approaching us? Have we been tracked? DONG YANLIN!!! I thought you said we wouldn''t be tracked if we had these talismans of yours on." Hao Ye yelled his lungs out as he swallowed some pills to increase his speed. Fear had already overwhelmed him.
"Dong Yanlin I hope you have a good exnation for this." Jia Tingfeng added with killing intent shing in his eyes. He pulled a few pills from his robe before he swallowed them. His qi seemed to have exploded as he rapidly circted his movement technique.
Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen nced at Dong Yanlin as if to ask what happened.
"The talismans have no problem, I''m sure of it. You all experienced their effects in the swamp otherwise our travel wouldn''t have been that smooth. The creature may not be necessarily targeting us. The amber river has been known to attract spirit beasts. It may be flying there." Dong Yanlin calmly said. His earlier polite smile and amiable look had disappeared. Right now he had a look of indifference.
Hao Ye was surprised by the sudden change. He even swallowed back the next words he was going to say. His heart started racing with fear when he saw Dong Yanlin''s icy gaze. Even Jia Tingfeng lost his earlier murderous look.
"Was Dong Yanlin always this scary? Why do I feel the same pressure I get from Peng Zhen or Cheng Yuan?" Jia Tingfeng couldn''t help but feel confused and a little afraid. The longer he stared at Dong Yanlin''sc changed demeanor, the more his intuition shouted at him Dong Yanlin was dangerous. He turned his gaze towards Peng Zhen to see his reaction, only to find it was still the same unperturbed look he always had on. Gui Bingwen who was at the side of Dong Yanlin had a look of worry sh in his eyes before it was reced by solemnness.
A bird cry echoed towards them before soon two simr cries could be hearding from within the green fog region but frompletely different directions. The figure that was just a small green dot grewrger by the second gaining speed on Dong Yanlin and the rest.
Dong Yanlin had hoped that the bird was really going to the amber river but that hope was soon crushed as he felt he had been locked on by the bird. That feeling grew more distinct the closer the bird got to them.
"It seems your guess was wrong." Peng Zhen suddenly said as he quickly noted the brief changes in Dong Yanlin''s expression. Even though he was focused on escaping, he had been closely monitoring Dong Yanlin''s movements.
Dong Yanlin only scoffed before a bone saber appeared in his hands from out of a grey in-looking ring he had on his right thumb. The others did not look too surprised as to why an elder of a rank 4 sect would have a storage ring that even the sect master would be hard-pressed to afford. This was because they were very costly as a low-grade storage ring that had a few cubic meters of space cost almost 50,000 middle-grade spirit stones. The one Dong Yanlin had was better because half of the herbs from the vault were stored in his ring while the other half were with Peng Zhen who also had a storage ring gifted to him by his master.
Hao Ye couldn''t help but have an envious look before he quickly looked away in fear as he quickly grew pale as if he had seen the scariest thing in his life. The rest almost immediately adopted the same trepid look even Peng Zhen at this moment had a wary look on his face as he turned his face towards Dong Yanlin. More specifically his bone saber. It had turned from bone white into a ck color with tiny blood vessels appearing on it. They seemed to be alive as they were squirming and pumping toward the handle of the saber. The saber then produced a murderous aura that enveloped a small 50-meter radius around it which ended up covering Dong Yanlin and the rest.
A hot metallic nauseating smell filled the atmosphere with Peng Zhen and the rest getting paler by the second as even the ground beneath them had all the nts decay and turn into a ck sludge from the effect of the dense auraing from the de. Hao Ye soon stumbled downwards onto the ground. At this point, he was foaming from the mouth as his eyes threatened to burst out from their sockets. He tried to get up but it was as if his body wasn''t his own and he had forgotten how to operate it. Jia Tingfeng was soon on his knees, wheezing, gasping, and vomiting what looked to be a mix of heavy saliva and bile. Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen were the only ones standing but one could tell it took all they had not to buckle at their knees.
"Ooooh!! Peng Zhen, I expected you to be the only one standing, I didn''t expect that little trash sect to have someone of the same caliber as you. Elder Gui you surprised me maybe I should give you the same offer I did Peng Zhen. As for the remaining two¡" Dong Yanlin said with mockery and contempt in his tone. His look had changed. The elderly appearance he had before had changed to a young face in his 30s. His hair changed to dark red almost resembling the color of dried-up blood with red evil-looking eyes to match. He had a charming devil appearance as his long hair fluttered with the wind.
"Since it seems we have been spotted, there is no longer a need for me to keep up appearances. It is a shame. I wanted to see the look on your faces when I delivered you to a real abyss. I can just picture it rejoicing at having promising futures before despair and agony swept you up. Truly a beautiful sight." Dong Yanlin said with a savoring gleeful smile appearing on his face.
"You¡ you ¡.you¡.." Jia Tingfeng had used all his willpower just to utter those few words in between his gagging.
"That''s it, that''s it...YES!! That is the look I wanted Elder Jia Tingfeng. You were not the trainer for the core disciples of OUR sect for nothing." Dong Yanlin said with jubntughter in his tone.
"I guess I should reward you for cheering me up. What should I reward you with? Blue tier cultivation techniques, sky rank treasures, a chance for you to break through to the core formation realm, or juicy information of what awaited you? This is a tough one to choose from. Mmmmmh let''s go with thest option. With your lousy talent, the first three options will be a waste on you. You''re what? 600 years and still only at the Late stages of foundation establishment... Ppfthahahaha no wonder Cheng Yuan demoted you. It''s truly a wonder how you held the post for so long. If you were a member of my organization you would have already been harvested as ingredients for an alchemy pill. At least then could you prove your usefulness."
Jia Tingfeng ended up with a shed purple face as he soon started vomiting blood before he ended up passed out on the floor.
Dong Yanlin''s earlier gleeful smile changed into a cold indifference as he stared at the passed-out Jia Tingfeng as though he was nothing other than a worm beneath the ground.
"Here I thought I''d get to have some more fun with you. Just this much and your mental fortitude has already copsed? What a weakling. I wonder if the organization will even be able to get much use from him. It seems that stupid bird is almost here. Peng Zhen, you better not think of running away during the fight otherwise who knows what will happen to the curse poison inside of you." Dong Yanlin said with a teasing smile on his face as he held down his saber ready to bring it down on the bird that was now almost 400 meters away.
His cultivation realm kept increasing from the 9th level foundation stage, the 10th, 11th, Peak foundation, 1st stage core formation realm it kept rising before it stopped at the 3rd level of core formation. Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen exchanged a solemn worried look with each other before they nodded toward one another. Hao Ye on the other hand had gone manic. He was madly pulling his hair, scratching his face as he screamed and yelled on the floor trying to remove something that covered his whole body. As for what it was, only Hao Ye could tell.
Chapter 23 23: Awakening Ao Yin
?Within a few minutes, Dong Yanlin and the rest finally got a clear look at the green dot that was tracking them. Dong Yanlin was visibly surprised once he got a clear look at the green swallow made of wind. He had assumed it was a living creature based on the cries it made only for it to be the machinations of someone''s cultivation spell came as a shock to him that bordered on fright.
He was deeply worried at the moment that even Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen noticed therge change in his expression. Peng Zhen had a thoughtful look at the moment as he stared at the green swallow and Dong Yanlin. He waved a sign at Gui Bingwen indicating that he wait for a moment, who nodded back in response.
"A sentient cultivation spell. No core formation realm expert can do this even those at the peak. This can only be done by someone who has broken through to the pce stage. Did the order send someone at the pce stage? It doesn''t add up. The Green fog swamp sect is just a fourth-rate sect and thus doesn''t warrant the attention of someone at the pce stage.
Luckily I brought the Ao Yin saber which is a monarch-rank weapon. I need to take care of this fast and meet up with Kang Hu, only then can my safety be guaranteed especially if a Pce stage expert is involved." Dong Yanlin silently thought to himself as he firmly gripped his bone saber.
A thin dark red gale surrounded the saber with the shade getting richer and darker resembling Dong Yanlin''s dark red hair color. The small vein-like tendrils on the bone saber had protruded and were rapidly pulsating.
THUD! Gui Bingwen fell on his knees due to the pressure Dong Yanlin was currently radiating. The ground beneath Dong Yanlin''s feet had even started to cave in and crack within a certain radius around him.
Peng Zhen quickly rushed beside him and tried to help him up. Even he was struggling just to walk. He quickly pulled Gui Bingwen up as they supported each other.
Gui Bingwen was about to say something before Peng Zhen shook his head sideways indicating he remain silent as he gestured ahead toward where Dong Yanlin was.
The Green swallow was already less than a hundred meters away from Dong Yanlin when he drew his saber backward and made a curving upward sh toward the green swallow. A red thick scythe-like gale was produced aiming to slice the green swallow in half.
The green swallow screeched before it produced a conical gust of wind from its beak. I was the size of a palm when it was produced but within a second it mushroomed into a massive tornado that swallowed the red scythe whole and disintegrated it into tiny bits before it dissipatedpletely. The tornado wind showed no signs of stopping as it charged towards Dong Yanlin and the rest more so Dong Yanlin who didn''t look too good at the moment.
His skin had gotten paler with pools of sweat filling his palms and face. He could feel an overwhelming death threating from the tornado that was charging toward him.
He quickly slit one of his wrists as the blood spilled covering the bone saber. The vein-like tendrils that were on the saber embedded themselves into the wrist Dong Yanlin had just slit open. They started draining his blood as the bone saber which was ck at the moment turned into a dark grey almost silver color. The tendrils continued to greedily swallow Dong Yanlin''s blood who at the moment had numerous strands of white hair with his skin rapidly drying and shriveling up. Some cracks had started appearing on his hands like dried-up ground.
"This still isn''t enough. I''m still too weak to fully activate it. It needs more, those two will have to do." Dong Yanlin gnashed through his teeth before he removed the tendrils from his wrist which healed almost immediately. The tendrils didn''t seem to have had their fill yet as they kept trying to poke holes into Dong Yanlin''s wrist now and then. A purple-ck talisman appeared in his hands which he then pasted over the de which seemed to have soothed it as the tendrils calmed down and reattached themselves to the saber. Dong Yanlin continued to draw a few ancient-looking symbols on the talismans with the blood left over on his palms.
A red door soon appeared over the talisman before a thick tendril the size of arge snake appeared. Unlike the other tiny tendrils on the saber which were red, this one was pitch ck.
"Drain the two to your satisfaction." Dong Yanlin weakly said. Forcing open one of the seals of the saber drained his vitality and qi. The tendril almost in response charged toward the passed-out Jia Tingfeng before a part of it split and charged toward Hao Ye whose eyes had already rolled over and he had thousands of scratch marks all over his body.
The tendrils pierced the bodies of the two elders before Peng Zhen saw something he would never forget. Elder Jia and Elder Hao were drained of their blood till they were only a bag of bones before their skin cracked apart and disintegrated into sand particles that were blown away by the wind Twote foundation stage experts had disappeared just like that.
Gui Bingwen''s eyes almost pop out of their sockets with his mouth wide open stammering what what what over and over. Peng Zhen by his side had his whole body trembling with his fists clenched tight. A look that was filled with horror and despair overtook him before he slowly stared at the bone saber that was now in immacte silver color as the tendril that had pierced Hao Ye and Jia Tingfeng disappeared along with the talisman that was pasted over the saber.
Dong Yanlin had a satisfied expression on his face as he muttered, "This should be enough."
"First awakening Ao yin" Dong Yanlin roared as he swung the sword forward to meet the iing tornado.
A faint silhouette of Ao Yin appeared above the saber throwing a fist toward the tornado. Ao Yin was a fearsome bloodthirsty creature that liked devouring people. It had the appearance of a bull that stood on its two hind legs and had human-like hands. It had a massive build almost 20 meters in height and a body that seemed like 10 bulls had been stacked together. It had four horns with eyes that looked like a leech''s sucker. Since it was faint, not much color could be seen it was light grey like smoke.
The Ao Yin silhouette roared and punched forward as Dong Yanlin shed forwards. The tornado and the fist shed creating a thunderous explosion that blew Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen a few meters away. The wind was knocked out of their lungs from the impact of the sh. Their robes were in tatters with numerous wounds all over their body.
Gui Bingwen weakly struggled to get up and he ended up vomiting blood.
"Gui are you okay?" Peng Zhen weakly said as he moved over to help Gui Bingwen. He too wasn''t in the best of shape. He had a few deep cuts on his torso and he was bleeding from his ears.
"I feel like my internal organs have been shifted from that explosion. Peng, we may be in out of our heads here." Gui Bingwen pitifully said with trembling in his voice as he fearfully stared at the massive crater ahead of him that was filled with a cloud of dust and wind.
"Dong Yanlin hid his abilities well. I didn''t think he''d have a trump card this powerful." Peng Zhen sighed as he passed some pills over to Gui Bingwen while he swallowed some himself. Their wounds started closing up albeit at a slow pace.
"I hope the person the Order sent is capable. They may be our only hope out of this in case our measures fail.." Peng Zhen added with Gui Bingwen remaining silent as he stared at the aftermath that was clearing up.
Dong Yanlin was heaving up and down as he looked ahead. His pupils shrank in horror as he saw the green swallow unharmed with a concave green windshield at the front of it.
It screeched again however this time it didn''t attack Dong Yanlin but instead rapidly flew up. Soon two other simr screeching sounds were heard as two small green dots were rapidly moved toward where the green swallow had flown.
"THERE ARE TWO MORE? Just one has pushed the first seal to this state. No, I need to get out of here. I already got half of what I came for." Dong Yanlin madly yelled with trembling in his voice. His earlier confident look waspletely shattered. The silhouette of Ao Yin was a bit fainter than before. The energy used to summon it from sacrificing the two elders had been partially drained by the earlier attack. It had enough reserves for two more attacks.
Dong Yanlin couldn''t risk using his blood as a source of energy again. The weapon would end up swallowing him. He did have some measures to prevent that from happening but it was not aplete guarantee they would fully work. The Ao Yin saber was not his weapon and therefore didn''t haveplete control of it. He was lent the weapon by his master from the sect he was a part of. The weapon was a monarch-rank weapon and one that was at the high tiers of it. Its level made it hard for Dong Yanlin to control it especially due to its bloodthirsty nature, he would suffer a severe bacsh if he tried drawing more of its power.
Dong Yanlin quickly turned to run away when he saw Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen together. An unconcealed killing intent was produced by him. He couldn''t bring the both of them to amber river town with him as he had earlier nned. They would drag him down. It was better to kill them now even though Dong Yanlin felt it was a shame to kill them, especially Peng Zhen. Peng Zhen may be old but Dong Yanlin admired his spirit. With sufficient support from his organization, he was sure they could help him break through to the core formation realm. He would be a sufficient addition of manpower to the sect and they wouldn''t have to worry about his betrayal due to the curse poison embedded in his dantian. It would take the skills of a pce stage expert to remove it but not just any cultivator but one skilled in cultivation techniques aligned with the wood, water, or lightning element.
Dong Yanlin hesitated for only a second before he charged at them with his left free palm.
"Death fang." Dong Yanlin said as his hand curved into two fangs with a ck ashy shadow enveloping his whole hand.
"Gui. NOW." Peng Zhen yelled as he pulled what looked like a smooth green white bark from his storage ring.
Chapter 24 24: The Blood Ghost Hands
?Gui Bingwen pulled out an aged wooden tablet with scribbling that seemed to have been written with a sword. The markings were sharp and smooth. The words on the tablet were "Mountain river strike."
Dong Yanlin frowned once he saw that tablet exerted a faint pressure on him aspared to the bark in Peng Zhen''s hands. Gui Bingwen''s hand that was holding the tablet ignited into a green me that covered the tablet.
"Ignite," Gui yelled as a huge change happened to the wooden tablet. The green mes covered the whole tablet then they immediately got swallowed by the Mountain river strike markings.
Gui''s face got paler by the minute as he kept feeding mes to that tablet. He had to swallow some pills to boost its intensity before the markings seemed satisfied. The tablet broke apart and disintegrated into ashes but the words Mountain river strike floated in the air as green sword markings.
The wordsbined to form a green-blue bamboo sword that released an overbearing pressure on Dong Yanlin before it struck him bringing forth a tremendous wave of water that had the heaviness of a mountain. The wave fell on Dong Yanlin who ferocious look on his face as he charged straight at the wave aiming to rip it apart with his hands.
The head-on charge resulted in Dong Yanlin being pushed back a couple of steps before he halted the charge of the sword attack. His robes were torn apart at his chest as for his hand, it was bloodied with a deep gashing wound that revealed bone.
"Good, good it seems you came prepared huh Peng Zhen? I always wondered what you told straightced Gui Bingwen to make him join your betrayal. You even prepared a core formation attack just for me too bad it still fell a little short. The technique doesn''t seem like Cheng Yuan''s style. Did you get some outside help? Doesn''t matter both of you DIE!!." Dong Yanlin said with a malicious grin as he charged shing the bone saber forward with the Ao Yin silhouette throwing a matching punch. The green smooth bark unleashed a bright white gentle glow that covered both Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen before it twisted to form a 10-meter-tall tree made of alternating colored lights. The colors were red, orange, and green.
A gonging sound was produced when the fist from the Ao Yin shed against the white glowing light from the tree. A deep crack was produced from the collision point between the two which grew wider and wider like a deep crevice. The white glow from the tree kept flickering like it would shatter at any minute.
Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen had grim looks on their faces. If the white glowing barrier were to crack they would be decimated by Ao Yin''s attack leaving no corpse behind. The white glow shed repeatedly with the light dimming a little after every sh just as the barrier was about to crackpletely Dong Yanlin felt a change on the leopard pouch by his waistline.
Just as he was about to investigate what was wrong he had a yelle from Peng Zhen.
"Tupelo NO DON''T DO IT. It doesn''t matter what happens to us, you have already helped us plenty. Don''t do this?" Peng Zhen hurriedly pleaded as he tried to make his way over across the barrier but he couldn''t pass through no matter how much he tried.
Dong Yanlin''s pupils froze once he heard what Peng Zhen was saying.
"Is something happening to the tree ?" he wondered to himself. He quickly used his spiritual sense to inspect the leopard pouch only to be shocked at what was happening. The tupelo tree was rapidly shrinking in size and emitting the same white glow as its projection outside.
"No No No this can''t be happening. Stop it you dumb tree." Dong Yanlin hurriedly yelled before he pulled the tree out of the pouch which was already half its original size. He produced multiple seals with his hands which attached themselves to the tree trying to halt whatever it was doing but they all shattered like ss the moment they approached it. The Tupelo treeunched itself towards where the green bark with its projection was. The barkpletely melded itself into the tree like it belonged before the projection shrunk and surrounded the tree itself. The barrier that seemed to be only moments away from shattering was renewed and seemed multiple levels stronger and brighter. The tree continued to shrink before it stopped at almost 2 meters from its earlier 30 meters. A huge power seemed to be concentrating from within the tree.
Dong Yanlin detected an overwhelming danger from the tree. He hurriedly reacted and made a huge gushing wound on both his abdomen as he allowed the tendrils of the saber to rapidly swallow his blood. He couldn''t care less about the risks he would suffer or the damage losing so much vitality and qi would do to his cultivation. He knew if he didn''t go all out he would die. The Tupelo tree was radiating the energy waves of a peak core formation stage expert.
He madly roared as he fed more blood and qi into the saber. Veins were protruding all over his body as more of his hair turned white rapidly. His face got sunken as his body rapidly aged. He looked like a 30-year-old just seconds ago but currently, he seemed to be in his 80s rapidly approaching his death bed. Meanwhile, the silhouette of Ao Yin got more distinctive there was even some faint color on its coat. It had a ck and red coat albeit it was still faint as the projection still looked like an illusion and not the real thing. The red coat seemed like a pure flesh muscle that wasn''t covered in any skin.
The silhouette roared before the saber broke free of Dong Yanlin''s hand. The tendrils still lurched into his navel. The roar traveled for miles producing thundering airwaves all around the area.
A green, red, and orange light was released from the Tupelo tree the moment the Ao Yin made its roar. The light streamlined itself into the shape of a smooth branch before it charged straight into Ao Yin who met the iing attack by trying to grip the branch of light in between its massive palms.
BAAM! An explosion sounded from the sh with the ground beneath Ao Yin caving in. It roared ferociously as it tried to break the branch but to no avail. Both sides seemed to be at a stalemate but neither Dong Yanlin nor Peng Zhen had a good look at the moment. Dong Yanlin was continuously drained and at the rate, it was going if Ao Yin didn''t end this soon he would end up with a crippled cultivation or worse the saber would swallow himpletely like what happened to happen to Hao Ye and Jia Tingfeng.
Peng Zhen on the other hand had an expression that was on tenterhooks as he stared at the Tupelo tree with worry, regret, shame, and a pained expression on his face.
"Why did you do this? You are at a critical stage in your cultivation and are about to go into dormancy. If you don''t have sufficient energy before you go in, you may never wake up." Peng Zhen said with pain in his voice. There was nothing he could do at this stage, the die had been cast. All he could hope for was the Tupelo tree to end this as fast as possible to minimize the amount of energy it would need to expend. But from the look of things, they weren''t that optimistic that they would end soon.
The stalemate that was being maintained for a few minutes had reached a tipping point. The tupelo tree increased the intensity of its attack with the glow growing brighter than the blinding sun As for Ao Yin its conduit the bone saber had almost drained Dong Yanlin to death. His skin was saggy loosely attached to his bones. His whole body seemed to have been swallowed by his robes. He wasying weakly on his knees but there was a fire in his eyes. He removed a jar from his storage ring. He weakly unsealed it and removed some creatures that looked to be pale white leeches from it and madly devoured them like some ravenous wolf. Hisplexion changed and got a tad bit rosier from his earlier paleness. However, the paleness swiftly returned immediately after.
Dong Yanlin on seeing gritted his teeth as a small grey crucible that had engravings and patterns of a 3-headed vulture on it appeared on his palms. He cautiously removed the lid as he lifted it above his mouth to swallow its contents. Something dark grey, with a slimy texture with grey and white rings over its body, wriggled back and forth. It looked like an earthworm covered in a slimy mud puddle. The moment Dong Yanlin swallowed that creature his eyes turned hollow like a ghost as his skin turned ash grey. The tendrils attached to him squirmed almost as if in fear before they dislodged themselves from his body.
Despite the saber now losing its energy supply the Ao Yin silhouette did not seem to have weakened one iota. It was still madly shing with the Tupelo tree and seemed to be gaining a narrow lead.
Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen were staring at Dong Yanlin with horrified expressions. They recognized the worm he had just swallowed. It was a rare worm used by the blood ghost hands sect. This was an infamous sect known for its brutality and evil techniques. One of their vice leaders once massacred a whole province to advance the grade of one of his cultivation techniques.
Even though it was an evil organization it had a lot of dealings with the so-called righteous sects, ns even some kingdoms and empires. They undertook assassinations, kidnappings, robbery, and all other sorts of missions that these sects and ns would not want to be tied to directly. Due to their high sess rate, and the ability to undertake any missions despite the range of difficulty, the secrecy, and the abilities of their members to meld anywhere, many employed their services as long as they could make sufficient payment.
The blood ghost hands rarely fail their missions. A supreme elder of the Mao n which is a rank 1 n was sessfully assassinated by someone from the organization. The elder was a domain-level expert. The assassination created waves throughout the southern continent. Domain-level experts were considered extremely powerful as a single expert could level an entire Rank 3 kingdom with a flip of their palm. But an expert of this level had been assassinated. This meant Domain experts whom normal people thought were immortal could also be killed just like any other person and as long as you paid the price you could get the blood ghost hands to do it for you.
After the assassination, members of the blood ghost hands sect were continuously hunted by the Mao family and their allies but it was unsessful. Only a few low-level branches and members were captured as for the real talents of the sect or even their headquarters none was caught. It is also rumored that their leader is a soul formation expert which is why even their main hideout has never been found.
Chapter 25 25: Founder’s Enemy
?"Oi Peng is that¡.." Gui Bingwen asked in a trembling voice with his eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Yes, it definitely looks like the ghost worms described by the sect founder in his notes about the person he was running away from to end up in the green fog region. That must mean Dong Yanlin is also from the same organization as that person. The founder had said due to its eerie nature and even its rarity not many cultivators out there walk around with ghost worms. Only one organization has been known to effectively use them despite its horrifying ability to parasitize its victim into a walking corpse, and that is the blood ghost hands sect.
The founder fought against one of their members for some treasure in the mysterious realm where he got the Tupelo tree. The founder was almost done in by those worms that he had to escape despite having a higher cultivation realm than his opponent. That member used those worms to siphon energy from the founder into himself using some weird symbiotic cultivation technique turning a long battle in his favor. He pursued the founder relentlessly that he had to escape into the green fog region despite the many dangers in that ce. The founder made a sessful escape in the swamp. Years passed by without him ever being chased or spotted by the person. It''s like the person just disappeared. The founder''s guess was that the member of the Blood ghost hands died from a bacsh from the spell he used with the worms or he died from being attacked by one of the spirit beasts in the swamp or sumbed to his injuries as the founder had grievously wounded him in their shes.
It was only yearster through investigations that the founder discovered what organization that member belonged to. It''s for that reason the sect has never been moved to the maind despite how difficult it was to survive in the swamp. Just a snort from some of the mid-level members can wipe the Green fog swamp sect out of the continent.
If Dong Yanlin is really from that sect then all of us are in danger. I can only hope Dong Yanlin was fishing around the sect for his own interest and it wasn''t at the behest of his sect because if it is then all we nned and did would have been for nothing. It''s a gross underestimation on my part as I never expected Dong Yanlin would be part of a dangerous organization like the blood ghost hands. I''m sorry Gui to have dragged you into this." Peng Zhen said in a remorseful tone.
"There''s no need for that Peng. I knew what I was getting into, it''s not exactly what we expected but I would still jump into this quagmire despite knowing what we know now. We have known each other for a long time you, me, Cheng Yuan, Hu Qiu, and Kang Mei. What life and death hurdles haven''t we gone through together? It''s a pity Kang Mei never got to live this far. She was quite the talent.
The previous sect master was lucky to have gotten three disciples with exceptional talent. You Cheng Yuan and Kang Mei made us look bad. If only she was alive the three of you would have pushed the sect to greater heights and it would have been a matter of time before it got promoted to a rank 3 sect.
But there are no could have been as it stands we may just end up meeting her and the whole green fog swamp sect along with us if the blood ghost hands were to target the sect. It''s been an honor, Peng. I wish we could see what the sect would grow into especially with Cheng Yuan''s recent ns starting to bear fruit despite some venomous parasites trying to sabotage it." Said Gui Bingwen as he threw a nce at the location where Hao Ye and Jia Tingfeng were devoured.
"It''s been an honor too old friend. I don''t know what will happen to Cheng Yuan after this but he is a resourceful guy I''m sure he will find a way out for the sect. He will end up looking like our friend Dong Yanlin over there though due to all the stress." Peng Zhen said as he and Gui Bingwen exchanged a serious look before they burst outughing.
"He''ll have Wen Chang''s milk to refresh him at least." Gui Bingwen added cheekily
"Don''t let him hear you say that. That senior brother of mine loves his face a little too much. Well Gui we may be beyond our depths here but I have no intention of dying so easy. We still have to avenge Kang Mei. I heard that the ck cosmos caiman is now a false king and the strongest of them all. We can''t let Cheng Yuan carry that debt of vengeance alone." Peng Zhen said. One could detect a faint hint of boiling fury in his tone.
"I''d rather not die if it can be helped. Cheng Yuan promised me a great retirement n. I have 100 years left toy infort which I''d rather not let get cut short by some ghost blood member and a leeching bull demon." Gui Bingwen said
"That green swallow earlier looked like someone''s cultivation spell. Based on the reaction Dong Yanlin had earlier even choosing to escape after just a single sh, the owner must be pretty powerful to elicit that kind of response from him. Plus I saw two more birds charging when Tupelo unleashed itself. Just one was enough to push this vicious technique of his to a draw what if two more were added to the mix? We may just be able to survive this. I''ve always been lucky ever since I was a kid." Peng Zhen said with some unconcealed pride in his tone.
"Luck and you got poisoned while fishing for treasures. That is some luck alright." Gui Bingwen muttered under his breath while throwing Peng Zhen a mocking look who stroked his beard in embarrassment.
The silhouette of Ao Yin had a sudden change to it as the bone saber charged into the mildly colored translucent body. The saber flew forward and positioned itself on its right index finger. The bone saber changed from a saber into a matching skeleton bone of that index finger like it always belonged there. What was just a translucent finger transformed into real flesh and blood. A thick red-ck finger the size of a horse''s leg was formed.
Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen started struggling to breathe despite being under the protection of the glow of the Tupelo tree. They felt their insides being corroded and melted at the same time. From just that small finger they saw the illusion of a river of blood and skulls behind it with a terrifying creature swallowing that whole river in a single gulp.
They felt their head almost split open due to the effects of that illusion. Gui Bingwen started screaming as he bled from his eyes, ears, and nose. His mental psyche was being invaded with its limit fast approaching. Once it gets broken into he would lose all sense of himself and be nothing more than a puppet or an empty shell. Peng Zhen at the side was also barely hanging on but he was much better than Gui Bingwen there was still rity in his eyes as he gritted his teeth till they bled just to hang on.
Just as they had thought this was their end after bragging about their survival chances, a calming sensation enveloped them. They felt like they wereying on smooth grass feeling the warmth of the sun and a refreshing breeze on their skin. The feeling spread from their heads to throughout their body before they regained the proper feeling of their body. They both turned towards each other and saw the green, orange and red light that enveloped both of them.
They both bowed towards the Tupelo tree that was still struggling against Ao Yin but seemed to be losing. The branch that it had produced was being corroded like rust on metal by the right hand of Ao Yin. The branch was tightly gripped with a dark red liquid flowing from the living index finger down the branch. A sizzling sound and red smoke would be produced every time the liquid came into contact with the branch. The light from the branch would flicker each time the sizzling happened however the brightness never dimmed even once.
Peng Zhen couldn''t help but throw a hopeful look towards the sky where the earlier green swallow had disappeared off to. If things stood as they are the Tupelo tree would lose. With its hibernation stage closing in some of its abilities had been sealed with no easy way of reversing it. Right now all it could do was burn its reserve energy and use some of the abilities that were not sealed away such as purification and spectral judgment. The former was what was used to save Peng Zhen moments ago and thetter was the branch of light fighting against Ao Yin.
As Peng Zhen was staring above the clouds started forming and then they got darker. Two green lights rapidly flew into the dark cloud before they joined together with a third green light. The green lights looked like small fists. They began to rotate counterclockwise within the clouds. At first, Peng Zhen could track their movements but soon they moved so fast that they seemed to be one single light. The dark clouds were influenced by that movement as ripple waves formed in them as they began rotating in the same direction as the green light till they werepletely in sync.
Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen both frowned wondering just what was happening before they had a shell-shocked appearance as the cloud that was just dark moments ago had turned into a light green color apanied by loud bird chirps that sounded like the p of thunder.
................................................¡.
At this moment miles away was a peak surrounded by a thick white fog that nothing could be seen at all. A bird chirp that seemed to have sounded miles away reached this ce affecting the deep silent and chilly atmosphere that was present. Soon after the fog started gathering inwards from all around the peak like it was being swallowed by something. Within a few seconds, the whole fog had cleared revealing arge courtyard with a three-story building and arge herb garden. On the roof of the building was a young man seated in a lotus position with white long flowing hair and a sword whose scabbard was pure white just like his hair.
"It seems like the swallows have found them. That was fast. Might be because Yang Qing made these talismans after he broke through to the pce stage. From the sound of the chirp, it seems they are in the northeast direction and they may no longer be in the green fog region. That''s a fair distance way even if I fully exert myself it would still take roughly 20 minutes. I wish the cloud-swallowing kite was with me. Making that distance would be a breeze to it, but the swamp isn''t a conducive ce for it to fly with its size.
Mmmh there is the mirage dragonfly even if it is at the early stages of the middle phase of the core formation realm it should be able to make the distance fast if I feed it the primal lotus dew. It is such a waste to be using the dew this way. But it can''t be helped time is of the essence even though I doubt those elders from the green fog swamp sect would be able to escape from those swallows. They may not be suited for attacks but they can stall someone at the early stage of pce realm for a few minutes." Feng Xin said as he jumped off the sect master''s building as he made his way to Peng Zhen''s peak where the Mirage dragonfly was watching over the unconscious members of the green fog swamp sect.
Chapter 26 26: The True Picture Of The Green Fog Region
?In less than a minute Feng Xin had already made his way up Peng Zhen''s peak. He continued onwards and opened the door to Peng Hall.
The mirage dragonfly was nervously flying around the hall closely monitoring the situation of the members of the green fog swamp sect who currentlyy unconscious on the floor. Despite the purple-ck smog having been cleared out not a single member had woken up. The mirage dragonfly was closely monitoring them to prevent any unexpected ident from urring to them in their feeble and unconscious state. It still remembered Feng Xin''s warning vividly about not eating them but if an ident were to happen to them its instincts told it Feng Xin would still not let it off even if it had nothing to do with it. It was already on thin ice with Feng Xin with its fate hanging in the bnce. It still remembers what Feng Xin said about there being a chance it may be fed to the cloud-swallowing kite. It could only try and make itself as useful as possible to try and increase its odds of survival.
The doors of the hall opened startling the mirage dragonfly which was already on tenterhooks. It shrieked in fear as it readied itself to attack whoever was at the other end of the door. It didn''t dare to use its spiritual sense in case the intruder felt it. Right now surprise was its best card.
As it was debating thebo of moves it would perform to end the fight swiftly without injuring the members of the green fog swamp sect It got a clear look of who had opened the hall. A feeling of relief washed over it which it would have never expected to get from seeing Feng Xin. Its wings were beating in a more rxed manner and its antennae were less rigid than they were just moments ago.
Feng Xin smiled at the mirage dragonfly''s rigid look. His hair had already turned back to ck as opposed to the white color he had on the roof of the sect master''s building. He slowly walked over as he spread his spiritual sense, covering the whole building. He carefully scanned every member in the building. Once he confirmed everyone was okay he retracted his spiritual sense. The mirage dragonfly was visibly relieved once it saw the unchanged expression on Feng Xin''s face after his scan.
"Do you have a name?" Feng Xin suddenly asked bringing the mirage dragonfly out of its brief celebratory state. It was puzzled as to why it was asked that before it nodded its head in affirmation. The nod was done in the same impassioned state it had done before when Feng Xin had asked it if it wanted toe with him. It was a strong repetitive nod that moved as fast as its beating wings that it even caused small gusts of wind.
Feng Xin could only helplessly sigh at its reaction. He could understand why it was acting that way. Considering the earlier threat he had made about feeding it to the cloud-swallowing kite, he figured it must be using every moment to ingratiate itself to him to stop that fate from happening. Its antics may have started working as Feng Xin''s gaze toward it was less cold than before. Feng Xin fished out the milky white transmission bead he had used with Bolin and threw it towards the mirage dragonfly that was still fervently at it with its rapid nods.
It was thanks to its all-aroundpound eyes that it managed to spot something whiteing towards it before it instinctively caught it with its front legs. It looked at Feng Xin with a look that seemed to be asking what it was supposed to do with the bead.
The mirage dragonfly unlike Bolin the rainbow mist toad rarely interacted with other beasts in the green fog region. Its interaction was virtually nonexistent. It always kept to itself hiding in its cloaking abilities. This made it unfamiliar with a lot of things, especially the ones rting to human cultivators. The only reason it was even around the area where Feng Xin got surrounded was that it had been tailing the green flowered babirusa. The babirusa always had a good nose for finding areas that were filled with spiritual nts with eptable levels of qi content. Most were in the mid-tier and upper tier of the earth rank sometimes there''d be a few top-grade ones.
The mirage dragonfly would always appropriate a few under the cloaking effect of its ability. It was faster than the babirusa so it never worried too much about being caught. However, it was conscientious enough to take just enough to meet its needs and leave plenty for the babirusa. It would even leave a few of the nts that grow around its nest as payment. The green flowered babirusa may have noticed it but never did anything as if in tacit agreement with the mirage dragonfly.
Earlier that day before Feng Xin was surrounded it saw the green flowered babirusa madly dashing towards a particr direction with unconcealed greed and excitement written all over its face. The mirage dragonfly like a loyal mooch tailed the babirusa with equal excitement. It knew this must be the mother load of spiritual nts, there may be sky-rank nts involved this time. In all the years it had been tailing the babirusa not once had it seen it having that level of excitement. Based on this it assumed surely the babirusa had sniffed out something extremely good. Soon they arrived at the clearing where Feng Xin was surrounded.
The mirage dragonfly was cautious at first especially after it detected the aura of other spirit beasts that were in Feng Xin''s encirclement. The spirit beasts present were almost the same level as it while two beasts were a fatal threat to it. That was the green sh viper and the rainbow mist toad. It had wanted to escape the moment it spotted all these beasts in one area. It never liked confrontation, though it was never one to shy away from it once provoked. But curiosity got the better of it as it wondered why all these big shots were in one ce. It was then it spotted Feng Xin. This slim weak looking human in a ce he shouldn''t be in. The reason it had overlooked him was because of the pressure it got from the other beasts. However, a change soon overcame it the more it stared at Feng Xin. Something instinctual was telling it to devour the human before it. The feeling got more intense the longer it lingered there staring at Feng Xin. It did not know when but it felt a voice inside telling it if it were to sessfully consume the human ahead it would grow tremendously powerful even beyond the three false kings of the lower southern part of the green fog region. The green sh viper present in the encirclement was one of them.
The green fog region was extremely enormous in and of itself. Its sheer size alone could match several rank 2 empire territoriesbined. The deeper one ventured into it the stronger the spirit beasts and sentient nts that had embarked on cultivation were. The central region was the stomping of the truly monstrous ones. There were domain-level spirit beasts and spirit nts in there and it was even rumored there were a few spirit beasts at the soul formation realm and one of them was the true overlord of the ce. Feng Xin had got into the green fog region from the southern side. The green fog swamp sect, the spirit beasts that had ambushed him, and even the three false kings were located within the outskirts of the southern region of the green fog. Though it was called the outskirt or southern region of zone 8, it covered an area of over 2.5 million acres which was about the size of a province.
An explorer at the early stages of the soul formation realm once ventured into the green fog region and drew a rough map of the area. He segmented the region into 10 rings or zones. The outermost ring was zone 10 while the innermost ring was zone 1. He never got to zone 1 as he had a premonition if he stepped in there he would not make it out alive. It was even a struggle to survive in the area he named zone 2. The only reason he added another zone instead of naming zone 2 as zone 1 was he noticed those fearsome beasts he fought against seemed to all be consciously avoiding a certain area of the region. Curious, he tried to venture into the area but he stopped at what seemed like a boundary separating that area from the rest of the region when a deep sense of dread overtook him. He stood rooted at that boundary for almost a month before he used all his power just to move his body and escape from the region. Once he made it out of the green fog region he never came back. He auctioned off a few copies he made of his map and journal experience to some of therge sects, families, and various powerful organizations. He then used the umted wealth he gained from the auctions to build himself a powerful abode as he closed himself off from the world despite being one of the most active soul formation realm experts around the continent.
The various powerful sects, ns, and organizations sent some of their people to the green fog region to confirm the findings of the journal and map but the people they sent couldn''t make it past zone 4 despite some of the members being at the domain level and the weakest being at the middle stage of the pce realm. This was enough proof of how scary the green fog region was and they were not curious enough to send more powerful people to find out about the upper zones. They had lost a few domain-level experts just to reach zone 4 which was already a painful loss despite finding out that the environment got richer like a blessed cultivation ground the upper they moved in the zones. For example zone 4 was filled with monarch rank and even ascendant-level herbs of the low tier. Ascendant-level herbs are the primary ingredients used to refine pills and potions that are used by those at the domain level. This information alone was enough to incite greed in most but the news of domain-level experts dying was enough to cool those excitements down.
The green fog swamp sect, the core formation spirit beasts, and the three false kings were all located within the southern region of the eighth zone.
Chapter 27 27: Haishi Might Be A Talent
?Most spirit beasts at the peak of the foundation stage and the core formation realm were found in the eighth zone of the green fog region. There were also qi formation beasts but those were the offspring of the core formation beasts in the area.
In the cultivation world power was what was respected. This rang true for both humans and spirit beasts more so for thetter. Fight for supremacy was constant, especially in an area such as the green fog region that was stack filled with them. Every zone was this way with it being extremely intense in the lower regions where the gaps in low cultivation levels didn''t offer such an insurmountable advantage. The eighth zone was among those zones.
From the incessant fights, various powerful spirit beasts were borne with each of these beasts being overlords inrge regions. Some even had the sense to bring certain core formation beasts in as theirckeys instead of downright eating them. There would always be spirit beasts pumped up on their pride fuelled from conquering the lower zones who would move up in the hopes of repeating the same. They would either end up as a cultivation resource or faithfulckey after being ''sufficiently weed''.
With time the false kings arose. These were the most powerful of all the beasts in the southern region of the eighth zone. They had conquered all the other powerful beasts except each other and one final beast the one who is the reason they can only be called false kings. This is the golden-scaled alligator. This beast is the true overlord of that southern region of the eighth zone. However, it is always in deep hibernation cultivating and for the past 50 years, it has not been heard of nor seen. But despite its absence, there is no doubt that it is still alive and well. No creature in that zone could threaten its life. Even the three false kingsbined are not powerful enough to take its life.
With its minimal activity, the 3 false kings are free to reign supreme and run roughshod within the eighth zone. One of the kings is the green sh viper, the other is the ck cosmos caiman that has a blood debt with the green fog swamp sect for killing a member of their sect i.e. Kang Mei one of the disciples of the previous sect master and thest king is the dystopian gaze turtle. It''s the oldest of the three and also whose whereabouts are always hidden. It''s the least active of the three with the ck cosmos caiman being the most active hence why most spirit beasts and even human cultivators who like the green fog swamp sect have taken residence in the area think it''s the most powerful.
Back to the present-day events, the momentary allure of greed led to the capture of the mirage dragonfly by Feng Xin and the brutal murder of core formation beasts that were part of the green sh viper''s faction except for the rapid snapper cottonmouth and the corroding heron that were part of the ck cosmos caiman''s faction and the green flowered babirusa and the mirage dragonfly who were unaffiliated. The green flowered babirusa was too prideful and stubborn to be under anyone''s rule as for the mirage dragonfly it was always hidden in its mirage and never interacted with any spirit beast. It grew to feelfortable with the istion. Ironically the only beast it was ever close to was the green flowered babirusa it always tailed. But in all that time they never once spoke but there was a tacit eptance of each other between the two, though it''s doubtful if either of them realized it. The mirage dragonfly due to its reclusive nature thus never knew much about anything outside its sphere of life, especially human artifacts such as the transmission bead in front of it.
It had thought of eating the bead at first due to the levels of qi it detected from it but had second thoughts about it as it found it strange for Feng Xin to feed it out of the blue. It looked at him with a tilted head for guidance on what to do with the bead in its hands which came as a small shock to Feng Xin.
"You really have no idea what that is?" Feng Xin asked with curiosity to which the mirage dragonfly replied by shaking its head sideways that it didn''t.
Despite expecting it Feng Xin was still surprised but he went on and patiently exined the use of the transmission bead and how the mirage dragonfly could use it to transmit its voice by using its spiritual sense to transmit its thoughts.
"Go ahead and give it a try." Feng Xin gently implored as the mirage dragonfly nodded its head.
"H..E..L..L..O, h..ello human." The mirage dragonfly said as her thoughts seemed scattered on the first try before she got the hang of it.
"Good, it seems you understood the gist of it. My name is Feng Xin. I am a¡well seeing you don''t know what a transmission bead is I doubt you''d know about the order. I think just knowing each other''s names should be enough for now. The rest can wait after we deal with the matters at hand¡So what''s your name?"
"My name is Mir...I mean Haishi. My name is Haishi." The mirage dragonfly hurriedly said. She had a smooth wavelike voice with a melodious charm to it.
"She looked as if she wanted to say mirage but then changed to Haishi mid-point. Why did she even try to change it though, Haishi still means mirage. Sigh, she seems like a na?ve one. What was she even doing at the encirclement?" Feng Xin thought to himself as he shook his head.
"Haishi, can I ask you something before we proceed? It''s okay if you don''t want to answer it but how old are you?" Feng Xin asked with curiosity due to her antics.
Haishi was pulled out of her deep fascination with the capabilities of the transmission bead. Her five thousand lenses in herpound eyes all had some glow as she stared intently at the milky white transmission bead.
She quickly got out of her excited stupor as she looked upwards almost like a human in deep thought.
"I may be 70 years or is it 80 years? Sorry, I don''t quite know between the two as I''ve gone into seclusion several times somesting for years. It ended up skewering my sense of time. The only thing I can be certain of is I haven''t yet reached 100 years. I''m supposed to have a growth change at that age." Haishi innocently replied
"A 70-year-old core formation beast huh. Seems like a waste to feed you to Ellie now based on that revtion. To reach that level at your age your talents don''t seem that bad" Feng Xin said as he cast an interesting gaze on Haishi. He increasingly felt Haishi was more of a steal than even Bolin. Even by human standards, not many could reach the middle stage of core formation in less than 100 years. The only ones known to do this are the big sects and ns that are at rank 3 and above. Cheng Yuan the sect master of the Green fog swamp sect though is more powerful than Haishi at the moment but he is already over 200 years old. But Haishi is much younger and unlike humans, she didn''t have anyone to guide her. For her to reach that level she had to have talent and a powerful bloodline in her.
Spirit beasts don''t have mentoring and nurturing by seniors in their cultivation as humans do. They increase their cultivation realms by intuition, devouring each other, or cultivating through the inheritance stored in their bloodlines. Powerful spirit beasts especially those in the domain rank and above can imbue their cultivation insights, bloodline talents, and special techniques into their bloodline. This wasn''t only restricted to cultivation knowledge but general knowledge too such as the attributes and uses of certain nts or some ancientnguage. It all depends on the knowledge the originator rued. When they have progeny that shares their bloodline those children inherit the knowledge the parents stored in their bloodline. The thicker the bloodline the more knowledge they have ess to. This is why a spirit beast like the emerald leaf cow was able to break through to the core formation realm easily and by the looks of it, it was the same case for Haishi.
" Haishi can youe here for a minute, I''ll be needing your help to fly me somewhere and we are rather short on time so I''ll have to boost your speed by several notches for us to be able to get there in good time." Feng Xin said as he removed a slim rectangr box made of sandalwood from his storage ring.
Haishi flew towards him with curiosity written all over her face. After her experience with the transmission bead, she wondered what other cool trinkets Feng Xin was going to show her this time.
Feng Xin slid off the top of the box and inside was an unassuming green stalk however at the end of the stalk was a dew drop the size of a melon seed. The dew had an ancient primeval aura to it. The kind that can only be exhibited by things that have experienced the long vicissitudes of time and survived to the end. This was the primal lotus dew.
The moment Haishi saw the dew everything within her was screaming that she consumes it. That greed was slowly overwhelming her like a volcano close to eruption. But fear prevailed over greed in the end. The deep-seated fear she felt from Feng Xin had helped her muster enough will to override her greed.
Feng Xin nodded in approval once he noticed her ability to restrain herself, especially in such proximity to the primal lotus dew.
"It seems it wasn''t just her bloodline that helped her get to where she is." He silently thought to himself.
"Well done for controlling yourself Haishi. This little dew you see before you is what we will be using to boost your speed and unlike the transmission bead you''re free to eat this one." Feng Xin said with a teasing smile.
Haishi quickly froze before a look of both relief that she didn''t eat it and embarrassment from Feng Xin figuring out that she had contemted eating it.
"Luckily I didn''t swallow it. But it did look tasty though like the lunar moth eggs near myir." Haishi thought she had said that thought internally only to be surprised when she heard her voice. Due to her incident with the primal lotus dew, she had forgotten she was still holding the transmission bead and unconsciously revealed her thoughts through it.
"Yes, lucky indeed" Feng Xin couldn''t help but chuckle with Haishi wishing there was a hole she could bury herself in.
Chapter 28 28: Primal Lotus Flower And Dew
?It took a minute before Haishi looked up and took the sandalwood case with the primal lotus dew. The primal lotus dew like its name was dew produced by the primal lotus flower. The dew is produced every 100 years. whose size and efficacy increase the older the primal lotus flower gets. The flower is a rarity around the world that would cause an upheaval if news of its location got around. Every sect from sect 1 to the lowest sect 5 would fight for a chance to own the flower.
Both the flower and the dew are of huge importance to human cultivators and spirit beasts alike especially ones that are naturally attuned to the water element like Haishi. The primal lotus flower''s main use is to induce an epiphany thatsts a whole day. The older the flower the longer the duration of the epiphany. Some have been known tost even a year.
Entering a state of epiphany is something that can be chanced upon and not something deliberately sought after. Cultivators could spend their entire lifetimes without entering an epiphany state while most would enter that state once or twice in their entire lives. Those who do even if it''s just once end up making qualitative strides in their cultivation. Almost all cultivation techniques have been created when one was in a state of epiphany. Some have been improved from the lowest red grade into a gold grade due to epiphany. The fruits that one can harvest from just a brief moment of epiphany far outweigh what one could get from bitter hard cultivation or pills that are used in the same.
Treasures and natural oddities that can induce that state are few and far in between and the primal lotus flower is one of the few. Feng Xin at the moment only had the dew and the stalk. The stalk had almost no use other than ensuring the long-term stability of the dew after it has been separated from the flower. If the dew is separatedpletely from the flower it experiences a dip in its efficacy and dissipates easily. However, if left on the stalk it can exist for a longer time in support of supplementary measures like the ink sandalwood Feng Xin stored it in.
Though the stalk is useless in some regards the same can''t be said about the dew. Its degree of importance may not match the level of the flower but it''s of significant importance just the same. The dew when consumed temporarily alters the sensitivity of the user''s body to the spirit qi in their surroundings. Their body before may have been like a dry rock in water but after consuming the dew their body turns into a dry sponge greatly soaking in the qi. This effectsts at a minimum of half an hour but the durationsts longer therger and older the dew is. The one in Feng Xin''s possession was the size of a melon seed which wouldst for half an hour.
In the cultivation world what sets apart cultivators other than wealth and power is talent. Talent can be appraised in various numerous forms and one of those forms is someone''s aptitude for sensing qi in their surroundings and their rate of absorption. The higher your sensitivity the easier it bes to absorb qi inrge quantities and the smoother your cultivation technique cycle bes of converting the outside qi internally and filling up your dantian orpleting cirction cycles. This increases the speed of cultivation.
A person with an average level aptitude will havepleted a qi cirction cycle multiple times before someone with a mediocre aptitude manages to draw enough qi to start their qi cycle. The primal lotus dew can however improve albeit temporarily someone''s aptitude in sensing and absorbing qi by a couple of levels. Someone with a mediocre aptitude would be increased to the average level while someone with an average level would be increased to just at the doorstep of what someone with a genius aptitude would experience. As for those with a genius-level aptitude the heavens are fair. They have already been blessed with great natural talent that most would envy so they get nothing from the dew just negligible increases in the amount of qi they can sense. Their only takeaway from consuming the dew is its sweet and refreshing taste. Feng Xin had it for that exact reason. He had traded a few years'' worths of treasures and favors for that tiny dew that he intended to use for a sea soup recipe he stumbled on in an auction which he would now have to improvise on since one of the key ingredients, the dew is missing.
Haishi picked the stalk up with deep fanaticism in her eyes as she passed back the sandalwood box to Feng Xin.
"Make sure to properly refine the dew so the effectsst longer as you may need to fly full speed for quite the distance. You can start any time now." Feng Xin said. Haishi nodded solemnly like a child receiving instructions before she swallowed the dew, stalk, and all.
Herrgepound eyes turned into narrow saucers as she hovered up and down as if in glee. A huge change soon underwent in her body that made her pause her momentary glee of savoring the dew. Her body felt warmer with the temperature increasing drastically by the second. Just when she thought she couldn''t handle the heat, a huge cool energy nketed her. The energy refreshed her, and the overwhelming heat from before dissipated. What was left now was a level offort she had never felt before. Even the tensed-up emotions she felt from being around Feng Xin seemed to have been washed away by the cool refreshing energy. Haishi soon lost herself to that feeling.
"Haishi focus." Haishi was woken up from that reverie as she felt as if freezing cold air had prated her whole body. Her eyes opened wide in trepidation.
"Don''t lose yourself to momentary satisfaction here. You still haven''t even started properly refining the dew. It''s not much so we don''t have the luxury of wasting even a tiny amount away. Keep a calm mind and try to sense the energy around the dew and not your surroundings despite howfortable it feels. Dive into the dew inside of you. Its nature, its rhythm, and its breath. Be led by it and ignore everything else. The more you attune yourself to it the better the effects you''ll receive.'' Feng Xin gently said trying to calm Haishi''s excited emotions.
Haishi soon calmed down as she closed her eyes and tried to sense the dew inside her. As she immersed herself within, she saw the dew that was still as tiny but the more she drew closer to it therger it seemed. The dew suddenly transformed into a long river and swallowed Haishi. Haishi tried to fly away the moment she was swallowed but her wings started turning into a rock it started with one wing and then quickly spread to all the other three wings. Haishi tried as she might, just couldn''t escape the clutches of the river. A massive pain soon assaulted her whole body. She felt it was being forcibly transformed. Her bones and inside were all beingpressed and the more she struggled the worse it felt. When she was about to give up she remembered Feng Xin''s words on diving into the nature, rhythm, and breath of the dew and ignoring everything else so as to be led by it. She let herselfpletely go and stopped struggling against the transformation. The moment she let go, the pain disappeared and the transformation proceeded swiftly and smoothly. At the end of the transformation, she got turned into a crude-looking rock which then sunk to the bottom of the river and was dragged along with its flow.
Shepletely immersed herself in the flow of the river. She was dragged along for what seemed years with the river showing no signs of stopping. In those years, however, there was a great change to her now-rock body. What started off as crude and jagged had been smoothened out and the size greatly reduced. Only a few rough parts were left. Haishi had a feeling when she waspletely smooth would be the time she would gain her freedom. She was right, after what seemed to be five years to her, she had turned into a small purple smooth pebble the size of a fist. The river flow became gentler and smoother as a glowing blue-purple light soon embraced Haishi.
The next time Haishi opened her eyes, she found herself in a hall full of unconscious people. She was a little bit dazed at first before she regained her bearings of where she was.
"Congrattions, it seems you got more of a harvest than I expected." A gentle voice sounded from behind her. She quickly turned and saw the owner of the voice, Feng Xin. Instead of the deep-seated fear she felt before from seeing him, she now had endless gratitude because she could feel the changes in her body. Her transformative experience in the river-like illusion didn''t seem to be false. Her body felt lighter, morepact, and full of energy. She felt like she had better control of each part of her body. Her control was five times better than what she had before. What came as a surprise to her was her cultivation realm seemed to have risen by a tiny bit. Before she was at the early phase at the 4th stage of the core formation realm but currently she was at the peak of it just inches from breaking through to the 5th stage. She had a feeling within a few hours she should be able to break through.
Haishi had only broken through to the 4th stage less than a month ago. By her estimation, she expected it to take 2 years or more to break through to the 5th stage. Just a tiny dew had done what needed 2 years of cultivation. This was an impossible dream for her.
"Thank you for the opportunity you bestowed upon me, Feng Xin. Haishi will always remember it." Haishi said as she performed a solemn bow toward Feng Xin.
"Well don''t worry about it, but if you do want to pay me back I need you to fly me with all your strength toward a particr direction. Looking at the changes in your body I think we may make it in good time." Feng Xin said as he inspected Haishi''s wings. Her wings now had a light purple tint to them and seemed sturdier than before.
"I will," Haishi said with strong resolve.
Feng Xin finished examining Haishi as he made his way to the exit of the hall beckoning Haishi to follow him. Once outside Feng Xin remembered something as he quickly fished out a few formation gs from his storage ring. He ced the gs at a few specific positions around the hall. When thest g was ced, Feng Xin removed a few high-quality spirit stones from his ring that he crushed into powder and sprinkled them over the gs. Haishi at the side had her eyes wide open at how wasteful Feng Xin had been but she didn''t have the guts to point it out.
The formation gs lit up as they absorbed the energy from the grounded spirit stones. A white fog was produced by them which grew till it nketed the whole hall.
"The fog of obscurity formation should be enough to stop anyone from harming them not unless a formation arrays expert at the pce stage shows up." Feng Xin said as he dusted off the spirit stones from his hands.
"Haishi let''s go. We are headed in the northeast direction. Once we are out of the green fog you''ll automatically know the exact location I want you to head in. You need to focus on just flying don''t worry about anything else, I''ll be taking care of the rest." Feng Xin said as he jumped on Haishi''s back. Haishi didn''t hesitate as she beat her wings in full force disappearing past Peng Zhen''s peak. Within a few seconds, the sect master''s peak was soon in the shadows and they were about to leave the green fog swamp sect territory.
Chapter 29 29: Two Old Friends?
?Several miles away east of the green fog swamp sect a green creature was shing around the swamp at abnormal speed almost as if running away from something. Only a green blur could be seen due to its fast movement. The green creature that seemed to be heading in a straight line suddenly deviated from its path and swiftly turned to its left. Secondster a loud thud was heard followed by a brief animal grunt that was silenced soon after almost like it had been muzzled shut.
The green blur turned out to be a green snake whose scales were glistening like green rubies. The snake was madly devouring a willow-horned deer. The muzzled grunt seemed to havee from the deer as there was a clean strike to its neck from where the green snake was madly devouring its blood.
The willow-horned deer was the size of a fully grown cow except it had well-defined muscles that seemedpact and not excessive. Its antlers were white with yellow willow leaves. The green snake was tiny inparison being at most 10 meters in length and less than a meter in girth. That snake however was at the moment tearing through the dear like it was made of cotton. Within minutes there was no trace of the deer even the little blood that had slipped onto the ground had been swallowed clean by the snake.
The moment the green snake finished eating the deer it closed its eyes in meditation. A deep pained frown appeared on its face with beads of perspiration filling it. There was a deep wound in one of its eyes that had been sliced apart. The wound extended from its eye down its head to its lower body. It covered a range of 3 meters from its eye to its body. There was a chill to the wound. A white misty haze was produced from the deep cut with the highest concentration being where its eye was.
Most of Its scales turned into a darker shade of green with only the head being brighter. It seemed like energy was being drawn from the rest of the body and was being concentrated on the head where the injuries were the heaviest. Steam was produced around its wounds almost as if the white mist was being boiled at high temperatures. The frown it had on grew deeper with even a small pained grunt escaping from its mouth. It was currently under an enormous and painful struggle as it tried to heal its wounds. It kept trying to eliminate the mist within its wounds but every time it thought it was close to sess in dissipating the mist, it would be reborn soon after. The back-and-forth struggle between the green snake and the mist went on for almost an hour before the green snake opened its remaining eye with despair, worry, and fear written all over its face.
The wound still remained as it had been an hour before, not a single inch of it had been healed or even closed up. The mist produced above it was still as thick as before permeating deeply from within and around the wound.
"Figures even a beast at the 1st stage of core formation realm isn''t able to provide me with enough energy to heal the wound. Not even the tiniest bit of the mist has let up. What a fearsome ability. From the look of things, it''s going to take me at least a year to heal from these wounds and that is only if I fully dedicate myself to healing and not do anything else even cultivating. But who knows if I can even healpletely without leaving hidden injuries that will hinder my cultivation speed going forward? What a blunder. That human was a ferocious beast in human skin. I can''t believe he trounced all of us so easily within a few minutes. If I were even a step toote in making a decisive retreat I would have ended up like the rest.
Bolin, I''m sorry old friend, I thought it was an opportunity for us who knew we were delivering ourselves on a tter for that human. I even detected insatiable greeding from him. Hehehe some false king I am," The green snake silently thought as it made a self-deprecatingugh. It flinched a little from the pain from its wounds.
The green snake was the green sh viper who was one of the spirit beasts that surrounded Feng Xin. He is also one of the three false kings of the eighth zone. At the ambush, he was the sole survivor however he did not leave unscathed from it. Feng Xin''s qi was constantly corroding his flesh and prating his organs and given enough time it would prate his meridians. The green sh viper had tried to use the energy from the 1st stage core formation willow horned deer to try and purge the foreign qi but it was all for naught. The qi was as strong as ever slowly eating away at him. It took all he had just to keep the injury at bay and safeguard his internal organs. It would be an uphill battle just to heal from these injuries as it would require at least a few high-grade sky-rank herbs or the consumption of a dozen beasts at the middle stages of core formation realm and long-term secluded meditation.
"With this level of injuries I''ll need to go deep into hiding and recuperate, I won''t have the energy to do anything else. The real trouble is the spirit beasts under me. They pretend to revere me but who knows what they might think once they see me in my current state. An injured false king is a very tempting price for them, they may even team up to increase their odds and devour me soon after. Settling at the barren leaves abode should be my best option. With the horrible conditions of that ce, no one would think to look for me there and the poison array that Bolin helped me set up there should offer better protection. Luckily it''s not that far from here." The green sh viper looked around to try and gauge how far it would have to travel to the barren leaves abode.
It was amid its calctions that its body suddenly tensed like an arrow already knocked up ready to strike its target. A vignt expression washed over it with its pupil constricting as it stared to its northwest side. The side was normal just a few seconds ago. It was filled withrge trees lush with leaves and hanging vines. Though sunlight was obscured by the green fog some still prated giving the area an ambient glow. However, at this moment there was a dark circr spot less than 2 miles away. What started as the size of a fist had grown to the size of a window then a door within a couple of minutes. Everywhere the darkness touched would be devoured by it in its wake as the darkness grew in size and length the closer it drew to the green sh viper.
"Zekekeke my old friend Li Lun you look a little bit frosty there. You need to take care of yourself well or you may get an infection with your wound all exposed like that zekekeke. I wonder who was strong enough to strike and heavily injure the fastest false king of the eighth zone, the green sh viper," a cold raspy voice sounded from within the nketing darkness.
The green sh viper rotated its head all around it as it contemted making a run for it on the opposite side of the iing darkness. That though was soon rejected once it detected the numerous presence of spirit beasts at different stages of core formation realm encircling it at different spots in all directions. It could take care of them however that would require time which would create an opening for the owner of the cold raspy voice to strike him.
Li Lun the green sh viper gave up on the escape and soon focused all his attention on facing off against the intruder that was the source of the darkness on his northwest side.
"Zekekeke Li Lun looks like you wanted to leave. That''s rather cold-hearted of you, seeing how I came all this way just to see you. Let''s sit down and chat about who gave you that wound. As your friend, I may even help you get rid of that foe and even heal you of that wound. I may not be great at healing techniques like that obstinate babirusa but I''m rather proficient at swallowing stuff. I could swallow that corroding misty qi for you," The owner of the cold raspy voice said with some teasing in his tone.
"Stop with the nonsense Liao Ying. What do you want?" Li Lun said with coldness in his voice as its eyes narrowed.
"Nothing much, I just want to catch up with a fellow false king who I haven''t seen in a while zekekeke." The owner of the voice was finally visible. It was a 100-meter length caiman with scales that were darker than ck obsidian or the night of the sky. There was a faint cluster of small sparkly white dots on some of its scales that looked like stars. On its left side from its jaw down to its stomach there was a massive sword-shaped scar.
With every step the caiman made light, and the livingponents present from the ground, grass, shrub, trees, and vines were all devoured by the darkness produced by its body. It soon came to a stop when it was 100 meters from the green sh viper. This caiman was one of the false kings, the ck cosmos caiman Liao Ying. Two false kings stood face to face chatting like old friends but the tremendous pressure produced by each of them shing against each other said a different story.
Chapter 30 30: Exposing Wounds From The Past
?The standoff continued for a few seconds before the green sh viper decided to break the silence in the intense atmosphere.
"I can''t believe ''the most powerful false king'' would want to have a chat with a lowly one like me. I''m not worthy of it but I know who is, you can try having a chat with him since you''re both powerful figures. You know who I''m talking about right Liao Ying? This monstrous golden-scale alligator the true ruler of this ce who likes to sleep a lot. I don''t think he''d mind thepany of a fellow powerhouse, you may even form a pact and ascend to zone 7 together," the green sh viper said with a mocking show of humility. The ck cosmos caiman wasn''t triggered, he still had the same yful teasing look on his face.
"It''s not my fault the spirit beasts and the human cultivators in this zone think that way. I didn''t start the rumor and I''m toozy to do anything about it. You know at our level we don''t bother much about the talk of small critters," the ck cosmos caiman saidzily in an unbothered tone as it shrug off the green viper''s snide remark.
The green sh viper internally sighed seeing how calm the ck cosmos caiman was. He guessed it must be his current injured state that left Liao Ying so calm. The caiman had always been known for its vtile temper and its penchant for being too bloodthirsty even by the spirit beast standards. It was narrow-minded and vengeful for the tiniest slight. Liao Ying once murdered his closest subordinate because the subordinate stepped on his shadow. From that day forth every spirit beast under his reign kept a significant distance from him.
"What do you want Liao Ying and don''t say to catch up. We''ve known each other far too long, so I know what you are like." Li Lun said as he narrowed his eye.
Liao Ying earlier yful expression changed and was reced by a solemn expression with a hint of malevolence and bloodlust shing in his eyes.
"I wasn''t lying when I said I wanted to have a chat but that was before I saw your current state. I''ll have to shift my ns ordingly now. My purpose for looking for you was to suggest to we form an alliance. With us working together we''d be able to wipe out a few of the human sects around this zone. You know how these human cultivators like to store up the good stuff zekekeke and they''re much more beneficial to our growth than what devouring spirit beasts could do. If we hit a few sects we''d have enough resources to push our realms higher and faster than we would have been able to, sticking to our current routine. We were to do all this in preparation for the real goal which is to target that infamous lord of the eighth zone the golden-scaled alligator Ren Qiang. With ourbined strength, we could even pull in the dystopian gaze turtle to help us. He''d be foolish not to.
With our improved levels our odds of defeating him would be higher even though we would likely end up with some serious injuries but it would be well worth the risk if we consumed him. You''ve heard the rumors that he may have a dragon''s bloodline even though it''s the thinnest of traces. It is still a valuable tonic to us." Liao Ying couldn''t help but have a gluttonous smile at the thought of it. He paused for a moment as his look turned serious with even a hint of boiling anger.
"You know Li Lun I''ve never much cared for titles but I just can''t ept it. That derogatory name false kings. After all, we have gone through, the numerous brushes with death every single day for the past century to get where we are and all we get for it is the title of false king. A name that belittles us at every turn, a constant reminder that we are not the rulers of this ce just some ceholders for a beast that sleeps year on end. I can''t stand my name being muddied by the word False in it by these weaklings out here. I WANT TO BE A REAL KING and I think you do too Li Lun. But none of that matters now, seeing your current state you''d not make a fitting partner for this venture. But you could still contribute to the cause in a different form zekekekke." Liao Ying said as he greedily eyed Li Lun.
Li Lun was outwardly calm without the faintest ripple of emotion. He was like a silent detached observer in this whole y but internally it was a different case. He couldn''t help but be frustrated at his current circumstances. A failed hunt that left him injured and meeting up with the most self-serving greedy beast in the whole zone. He had shed with Liao Ying more than once and in all that time it was always a close battle with no clear winner. They never went all out as they always held back as whoever won it would be a pyrrhic victory that would end up benefitting some other spirit beast out there waiting to fish in troubled waters. But Li Lun''s current situation was extremely unfavorable. He was gravely injured and he had to divert his attention to keep the injury at bay. These were all circumstances he couldn''t afford to have when facing off against Liao Ying. It would have taken all he had to force a draw against him but now with the injuries the odds were hugely stacked against him and the greedy caiman knew that too. Li Lun couldn''t help but specte that Liao Ying was deliberately dying the inevitable sh to ensure the misty qi further ate away at his strength to further increase his odds.
"Well two can y at that game you ck overgrown lizard," Li Lun silently thought to himself as he steadied his resolve for what was toe.
A curving smile appeared on his face which threw Liao Ying off who couldn''t help but frown and wonder if Li Lun had something up his scales. Each of the false kings didn''t reach their level just by being stronger, especially in their younger days they survived by having special tricks up their sleeves. Liao Ying''s caution was therefore warranted.
"Bolin looks like I might be joining you soon. That human cultivator truly opened my eyes today to what true ability is. We deserve to be called false kings. We are just weaklings ying as big shots. No wonder even the golden scale alligator never interferes in our affairs. We may be nothing but amusing ants in his eyes. Hehehehe Liao Ying your hubris will be your downfall but as your friend, I''ll need to leave you with some farewell gifts." Li Lun silently thought as he turned to face Liao Ying finding his cautious look amusing.
"You know Liao Ying, I think I''ll take you up on that offer to chat. I always knew you had greedy ambitions that bordered on stupidity and insanity but I never knew it was this much. It seems you grew tiger lungs and a dragon heart since west met for you to have the gall to suggest attacking the golden-scaled alligator. But if anything you are predictable, I can give you that. A greedy, insatiable, and reckless beast with no self-awareness other than an inted ego and an unquenchable petty vengeful streak. All this talk about bing real kings who are you trying to fool with that spiel? I know you Liao Ying unlike your followers over there I know your history." Li Lun paused with a cheeky smile on his face. Liao Ying was silent at the moment as he turned fierce and fiery. He wanted to attack immediately but he couldn''t help but wonder if this was Li Lun''s trick to try and bait him in.
Li Lun expected as much. The caiman was known to be brutal but it was extremely cautious and this had much to do with its past.
Li Lun continued his chat with his voice louder than before ensuring that all the spirit beasts within the encirclement heard him clearly.
"The spirit beasts and human cultivators out here keep saying you''re fearless and the most powerful false king who has the highest chance of bing the true overlord of this ce. Hehehe truly the rumblings of weaklings who don''t know anything. They have no idea their fearless leader over here once upon a time when he was a young beast in the early stages of core formation once went to challenge the golden-scaled alligator. The young beast had numerous victories under his belt. With his head swollen with pride, he went ahead and challenged the most powerful being in the area. He bragged to his underlings how he would emerge victorious.
Remind me what happened again, Liao Ying. Oh yes, that little na?ve beast knew what true power was that day. A single gaze was enough to petrify him so much that he couldn''t move an inch. The beast in fear for his life started groveling and crying begging for his life for weeks till his voice turned raspy and cracked. The alligator spared him not because the groveling worked but because he disdained eating something so weak-willed. You were no less than a wiggling sniveling worm to him.
LISTEN TO ME ALL YOU BEASTS OUT THERE. You all know Liao Ying to love battling and being bloodthirsty, especially in thest 50 years. What you don''t know is that most of the creatures killed by him in that period were all spirit beasts privy to his embarrassing tale with the golden-scaled alligator. Pitiful you even killed your closest friend because you couldn''t stand anyone knowing that embarrassing moment of your life. Rumors say you killed him because he stepped on your shadow hehehe it was creative I''ll give you that. You forgot one thing there was someone else there when you challenged the golden-scaled alligator and unlike the others, he lived to tell the tale. Some big talk about wanting to be a king and all you want is to wipe the stain of your life that most likely turned into an internal demon for you. I wonder how the second round will go." Li Lun asked with a teasing look as started to boisterouslyughpletely ignoring the effect it would have on his injuries. If he was to go he would do it with a bang.
He had achieved his goals with that speech. He had involved the spirit beasts present in the encirclement by bringing up Liao Ying''s embarrassing past. It didn''t matter whether they believed it or not, what mattered was they heard it in the presence of Liao Ying who was known for being petty, vengeful, and prideful. Being his underling they knew him all too well. Currently, the best scenario for them was for the two false kings to massively injure themselves in the fight that was all but guaranteed to happen. With this, they may try to take out both of them in their injured state if they had the guts for it. Li Lun had effectively ensured those beasts wouldn''t interfere in his fight and give assistance to Liao Ying. The other goal was he had added a ticking time bomb to Liao Ying''s ranks. Those who believed his story and those with doubts will never look at him the same. Spirit beasts respected bravery as much as they did strength. In their minds, Liao Ying was the perfect embodiment of both but now it wasn''t so. That doubt would breed discontent from discontent seeds of mutiny will grow. Some may even be thinking of making their escape just in case Liao Ying decides to silence them all. With these Liao Ying''s reputation will be sullied forever and the fear he ingrained in the spirit beasts in the area will have a crack. Challenges upon challenges will be mounted on him from all over by beasts who think he is unworthy of his title.
Liao Ying''s gaze turned dark with fury.
"Good, good Li Lun it seems you''re as good at running your mouth as you are at moving your body. Before I thought of giving you a quick and painless death as a fellow false king but now I''ll make it as excruciating as possible."
"I''m not your underling to be scared of your threats. I may be injured but don''t think you''ll be getting out of this scot-free. I have a reputation as a false king to uphold after all."
The pressure from both beasts increased astronomically. A ck wave shed against a green light curtain with none giving room to the other.
"Enough talk"
"My sentiments exactly."
The two false kings for the first time in their lives charged furiously at each other without holding anything back. Li Lun stopped fighting back against Feng Xin''s corroding misty qi. At the point of collision, a thunderous explosion was formed which spread around them destroying everything within half a mile. The spirit beasts within the encirclement had to retreat further lest they be caught in the aftermath. Some even had half a mind to escape this wasn''t something they could intervene in even the ones with ideas of profiting from it quickly dropped the idea. It was at this moment they saw what to be a king albeit a false one meant. The gap between them and the two kings was that of a lion and a cat.
Chapter 31 31: The Ripple Effect From The Eighth Zone
?The sh between the two false kings only grew more vtile by the second with its scale of destruction exceeding the half-mile radius it had started with. The ground violently shook with tremors spreading vastly around the forest with trees and everything in between being eviscerated to dust.
The spirit beasts from earlier had retreated even further with trembling fear as they looked back at the fight that was still ongoing. Li Lun and Liao Ying couldn''t be seen but what was clear as day for miles was a huge ck mass shing with an equally huge green mass with explosions and destruction following everywhere they went. The battlefield kept changing in the time it took to blink. Nowhere seemed safe as the battle would crisscross a few miles within seconds. Spirit beasts who were slow, those too curious, or those with the worst luck ended up getting caught up in the battle. Their deaths were swift and painful. A loud yell was heard from an earth w bear that was in deep hibernation in its cave. It was at the fifth stage of core formation realm and was known for its sturdy defense. However, the fight between Li Lun and Liao Ying had shifted towards its cave and before it even had a chance to put forth its defense it was blown to bits leaving behind a record of the shortest yet loudest yell.
A mass exodus soon started spreading out throughout the eighth zone as a result of the fight. Spirit beasts within a 50-mile radius could feel the tremendous shockwaves and pressure from the battle between the two false kings. None of them had any hesitation as they all started fleeing not caring about anything else other than ditching this powder keg with their lives and limbs intact.
They all fled in different directions but most fled towards the lower zones. This in turn caused mass hysteria in those zones as the creatures there were weaker and were surprised to see all these core formation big shots invading their tuff. They did the prudent and most respectable thing they could do at that moment which was to give up their own homes and help wee the visitors while they graciously went to find amodation elsewhere most likely in the final zone, zone ten. What happened in zone nine repeated itself in zone ten except those in zone ten had no other zone to go to.
This movement resulted in whatter came to be known as the zone shuffle migration. The core formation spirit beasts who made their way to the ninth zone waited for a long while to move back to the eighth zone while some decided to permanently settle in the ninth zone out of fear of what they had seen or experienced in the fight of the two false kings. This led to a sudden increase in the number of core formation beasts there and the foundation level spirit beasts from zone nine took up permanent residence in zone ten. This added further dreadfulness and eeriness to the green fog region as the uninformed spectors assumed it was the beasts in those zones that had massive leaps in cultivation. This train of thought led to further spection that there must be a powerful treasure at y which then drew droves of human cultivators to zone nine and ten in search of the treasure. The spirit beasts and those humans shed making the area more vtile than normal for a treasure that didn''t exist. However, all these happened yearster and be a ck mark for the cultivators of the southern continent once it spread that thousands of cultivators had died for a treasure that wasn''t even there.
The battle between Li Lun and Liao Ying was still ongoing with no signs of stopping soon as the scale only grewrger. The human sects in the area had to burn spirit stones to power their sect formation arrays once they detected the violent qi fluctuations of the fight. Some that had weak illusory arrays had their locations exposed which was a death sentence to them in a ce filled with spirit beasts.
This was the day that changed the eighth zone forever. What had been a norm for centuries had been upended with a new era being ushered in with a reshuffling of hierarchy and powers all from the fight of two false kings. On this day one or two kings would fall it was uncertain which but one thing was certain, at the end of the fight the eighth zone would never be the same. Whether that was a good thing or bad only time would tell for the residents of the area.
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A couple of miles northeast of the green fog swamp sect a dragonfly could be seen bursting through the forest with tremendous speed. There was a human standing atop the dragonfly with a long sword drawn. This was Haishi and Feng Xin. Haishi deftly moved around the forest with speed and finesse. She had improved control of all her body thanks to the lotus dew she drank which increased her maneuverability as she moved each of her four wings in independent directions with such ease that she didn''t have earlier.
It was at this moment that a sticky grey tongue rushed towards her with speed aiming to strike her down. The moment the tongue was a few inches away from Haishi it was sliced cleanly in half as the strike still full of momentum shed at the rest of the body that was neatly camouged in a nearby tree. A geyser of blood sprayed out as the creature was soon revealed once it fell on the floor.
The attacker was arge green chameleon with silver-like needles spread out through its whole back down its tail. Ity dead on the ground, body split apart with its eyes wide open with a look that said it had no idea that it was dead. Feng Xin didn''t bother to collect it as Haishi did as she was ordered before, not to stop for a thing.
"This was the eighth one already, don''t these spirit beasts learn? I can''t release my full pressure here to avoid attracting some pce stage beast but this is getting tiring. Haishi you need to pick up the pace a little more," Feng Xin gently said as he carefully monitored his surroundings.
Haishi obeyed the instructions as she pushed herself even further. The wings were moving so fast that one would think they were absent if they ignored the powerful wind gales produced by them. Spirit qi from all over was constantly flooding her body from all over. The effects from the primal lotus dew were in full effect at the moment with qi being effortlessly drawn towards Haishi''s body. Every qi she expended was reced within secondster. This helped her burn wantonly through her qi without fear of her internal reserves running out.
At the rate she was pushing herself Haishi''s body from before would have been injured from the strain even before she was halfway through the journey. However, the bonus effect of refining the dew had greatly strengthened and altered her body. Her body could handle the intense speed and her meridians were strong and ductile enough to handle the huge volume of qi that was flooding and coursing through her body especially the meridians attached to her wings made them sturdier than before.
Haishi had an exhrated almost euphoric look at the moment as she burst through the forest with speed she never knew she had. It felt like some part of her had been unleashed after being shackled for a long time. All her life Haishi had always been reserved, watching and calcting her every step as she hid in her mirage. This was the first time in her whole life that she acted without caution as she flew with reckless abandon. It was a new experience for her that left her heart racing wildly. She didn''t have to worry about being attacked as there was a powerful fiend above who would take care of it. All she had to do was be carefree and fly to her heart''s content and fly she did. The more she lost herself in her flying the more she felt certain concepts tugging at her. At first, they were almost opaque but with time the longer she pushed herself the clearer those concepts became. She kept having the same feeling she had in the river, moving with the flow instead of against it. Her movements became even nimbler than before.
Feng Xin noticed her situation as he smiled in admiration. Haishi''s movements had be smoother and more efficient. Before she was a brute forcing her speed using the copious qi flowing in her but currently she was integrating the qi to achieve the best results with minimal effort. Her speed had increased by several notches. Feng Xin nodded in satisfaction as this meant they''d reach the location of the swallow birds earlier than he had expected. This would help reduce the number of variables he would have to deal with. Within ten minutes or less they would be close to the edge of the green fog region and closing in on the rogues from the green fog swamp sect.
Chapter 32 32: Brace Yourself
?Haishi continued on with her flying getting better by the minute. The air around her seemed to be carrying her and guiding her toward the path of least resistance. There was a wind current that moved like a river wherever she flew. Feng Xin was carefully monitoring their surroundings to prevent any ident from interrupting her in her current state. The further along one moved in the cultivation realms the less talent yed a part and it became more on your ability ofprehension. Unlike epiphany which is a burst of inspiration. Comprehension is built on experience and even if one was interrupted in the middle of it, one can still enter it during silent meditation.
Haishi''s current state was influenced by the time she spent as a rock in the primal lots dew river. Inside that river, she felt like she had lived in it for years moving along with the current when in the real world only a few minutes had passed by. However, her years-long experience in the illusion was very real to her and had nted certain seeds in her that needed just a sudden catalyst to be triggered. Her pushing past her limits in flying and bing unbridled like the wind was exactly that trigger. This was a boon for Haishi as what sheprehended now would form the pathway leading towards theter stages of core formation realm.
Feng Xin was busy monitoring the surroundings before he frowned as he noticed Haishi was borrowing the momentum from herprehension and the qi that was flooding into her to break through the gates leading to the 5th stage of core formation realm.
"She''s being too hasty," Feng Xin silently thought to himself
"Haishi don''t be in a hurry to break through to the 5th stage just yet. Use the opportunity you have now to reinforce and solidify your foundations. The sturdier it is now the further and easier your road will be ahead. This will also help you be stronger in a fight against those in the same realm as you." Feng Xin gently advised as he ced his palm above her head and used some of his qi to calm Haishi''s excited qi.
Haishi didn''t stop the invading qi even though it''s very dangerous for a cultivator to let foreign qi run around in their body. Feng Xin''s qi had helped her calm down as she quickly halted her attempt to breakthrough without a second thought. She may not trust Feng Xin yet and was more terrified of him than anything but she believed in his insight. She had seen and experienced how Feng Xin had massacred spirit beasts that were at the same level or stronger than her as if they were nothing. That disy of power left a clear impression on her. She both feared and envied it. So when Feng Xin offered his suggestion on what she should do she didn''t hesitate and took it as a creed hoping that someday she''d have a sliver of the ability she saw from him.
Haishi was still maintaining her speed despite the brief interlude with Feng Xin. Five minutes passed by and they were close to zone ten. The spirit beasts had stopped attacking as most of the spirit beasts there were in the early stages of foundation realm or at the qi refinement realm. Haishi''s core formation pressure was enough to scare a whole lot of them away and leave some petrified for life. The distance to the edge of the green fog region kept shrinking by the minute with little to no external interference.
The green cloud miles ahead became visible as the green fog thinned out the closer they were out of the green fog region
"Haishi you see that area with the small green cloud that''s the destination I need you to fly to." Feng Xin said as he pointed to the fist-sized dot in the clouds. With their eyesight as core formation experts, it was easy to spot the cloud especially Haishi with herpound eyes filled with over a thousand lenses. Years of living in the green fog region had made her eyesight keener. She swiftly flew in that direction drawing closer to the exit of the green fog region.
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The fight between the tupelo tree and the Ao Yin was still heated and intense. One tried to corrode the other while the other tried to purify it. However, things were not looking too good for the Tupelo tree as it had to fight against Ao Yin and also maintain the barrier to protect Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen from the aftermath of its fight. Both these elders had pained expressions filled with guilt and frustration at their weakness. If things stood as they were it was only a matter of time before the Tupelo tree lost. It would lose more leaves the longer the fight progressed but it had no way of ending the fight not with it supporting the both of them.
Peng Zhen couldn''t help but look upwards at the sky which was filled with the green cloud. His instincts kept screaming at him that something terrifying was about to fall. If it was any other time he would have dreaded but at this moment that brewing disaster felt like a saving grace. If it fell the Ao Yin would definitely suffer the brunt of it giving them and the Tupelo tree a chance to survive. Dong Yanlin was still in a petrified state however some color had started returning to his limbs and parts of his face. Peng Zhen had been monitoring his situation ever since the barrier was put up. From his experience with the person, he had a feeling Dong Yanlin wouldn''t risk his life without living a slim chance of a way out. His assumption was proved right as Dong Yanlin seemed to be regaining vitality albeit at a slow pace. If he woke up things would get dicier than they already were.
Just as Peng Zhen was debating how he would convince the Tupelo tree to let him out of the barrier and deal with Dong Yanlin his earlier wishes were answered. A green light in the shape of an arrow shed so fast that even Peng Zhen could barely catch a glimpse of it. The green-like arrow was targeting the area Ao Yin was. Before Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen could register what it was there was a blinding explosion the moment it shed with the Ao Yin. The Ao Yin roared defiantly but the green light in the shape of an arrow decimated part of its silhouette as it struck the flesh-like finger where the bone saber was with a force so high that it threatened to blow apart the Tupelo''s tree barrier. The barrier that was sturdy before was now filled with cracks all over. The tupelo tree grew even brighter than before as more leaves fell. The barrier that was moments away from being blown apart was rapidly mended soon after.
After the dust settled from the collision both Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen got a clear look at what the green-like arrow was. It turned out it was a green feather and it had prated a small part of the bone saber before it disappeared into a small gust of wind. Just as Peng Zhen was about to make sense of what he saw up above him the green cloud cleared out all of a sudden but in its ce was a gigantic swallow the size of an elephant. It was coldly gazing at Ao Yin as it gently floated with its wings. It screeched so loudly that Peng Zhen felt his eardrums quake. He quickly used some of his qi to dampen his ears and reduce the soundsing in. The screech didn''tst for long as it was silent once more after a few seconds.
But this made the atmosphere even eerier. As Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen looked up once more they saw a green light being charged from the mouth of the swallow. The levels of energy were multiple levels higher than the previous feather attack.
"GUI WE NEED TO HURRY TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE TREE!!! Tupelo you need to shrink the barrier to just within a few meters of you or we won''t survive the attack that''s toe." Peng Zhen yelled as he rushed towards the tupelo tree. In a few seconds, they were both beneath the tree which shrunk the barrier and concentrated it to the tiny spot they were together.
Without even speaking as if in tacit understanding both Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen started driving all their qi in the Tupelo tree without reservation. That barrier was the only thing that could protect them. The barrier grew brighter as the tupelo tree stacked five more on top of the current one. It lost over two hundred leaves the moment the barriers all went up.
"IT''S COMING GUI BRACE YOURSELF!!"
The swallow''s charged attack finally fell like a pir of green light except the light was filled with millions of tiny squallspressed together. The attack struck the Ao Yin that was roaring defiantly to the skies as it struck upwards with a ferocious punch.
BOOM
A huge green mushroom explosion filled the area which drowned out even the Ao Yin''s yell. The wave spread beyond the collision point as it spread like an ocean drowning out a shoreline. The range of the explosion ran for more than a mile with the earth being sliced and diced into dust with Ao Yin, the tupelo tree, and the rest being nketed in the sandstorm that was being formed concurrently with the destruction.
Chapter 33 33: How Is This A Reconnaissance Spell?
?The explosive impact of the attack from the green swallowsted for over five minutes before it started fizzing out. Soon the tremors and the widespread destruction halted leaving a cloud full of dust in the whole area from the center of the attack to half a mile radius with its height almost reaching the clouds.
It took a while longer before the dust finally settled revealing a 700-meter-wide crater that was over 200 meters deep with it being deeper in the area where the Tupelo tree and the Ao Yin were. The Ao Yin''s silhouette had disappeared and what was left behind was the bone saber in its original pure white form however it seemed to have an impure and coarse shade of white, unlike the earlier refined and smooth white. There was a small indentation where the green feather had struck it.
Ahead of the bone saber was a tiny golden barrier that was flickering close to dimming out and surrounded by cracks all over. By its state, a tiny breeze would likely break it apart. As if on cue a small gust of wind passed by and with it came thest straw that broke the barrier that shattered into tiny mots of light that soon faded out of existence revealing an almost withered tree and two old men who barely supported themselves using the bark of the tree.
The Tupelo tree was still standing tall however it had shed most of its leaves being left with only less than 200 and its earlier bright lustre had disappeared. All that was left behind was a normal-looking tupelo tree that had a white smooth bark. Its leaves were no longer alternating among the three colors; red, orange, and green. The leaves were only green in color with some of them having patches of brown like dried leaves. As for Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen they looked so spent that they could barely support themselves with the bark of the tree. Their arms were hanging loosely as they used their shoulders to keep themselves standing but that soon gave in as they both dropped to the floor like logs. Their skins were pale white, robes soaked with sweat and they hadbored breathing, all clear signs of qi drain.
When the attack fell the first three barriers were shattered in an instant leaving only three remaining. The fourth fell secondster with the fifth beingyered with numerous cracks. It was then Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen used every means they had to pour all the qi they had as fast as they could into the Tupelo tree. Those means included some forbidden techniques that had a steep price such as using the user''s lifespan in exchange for a short burst of qi. None of them were worried about the consequences because if they did nothing they were all but guaranteed to fall and the Tupelo tree along with them. They wanted to avoid thetter from happening at all costs even at the expense of their lives. Their efforts though minuscule in therger scheme of things paid off. Two peak foundation establishment experts could provide very little help against an attack that was touching on the precipice of a pce realm attacker. But thanks to that drop in the bucket from the two the tupelo tree didn''t have to sacrifice all its leaves and the reserve energy along with it to stop the attack from the green swallow.
Despite the result, Peng Zhen couldn''t help but show a regretful; look as he caught a glimpse of the state the tree was in when he was struggling to move his head. Before all this debacle, the tupelo tree was at a critical juncture in its evolution. During that period it would be in a hibernated state. The more energy it had, the greater its chances of making it through to the other side. But currently, it seemed to only have a quarter of its original reserve. Peng Zhen knew there was a chance the Tupelo tree might not wake up once it went under. The situation could not be avoided as once the evolutionary state was triggered it could not be undone, everything will have to follow the set path.
Peng Zhen craned his neck to look upwards to the sky and spotted the culprit behind the terrifying attack that almost blew them apart, the green swallow. It was silently maintaining its altitude as it stared down below with a deadpan expression. Peng Zhen couldn''t help but sigh at his own weakness as he thought to himself just someone''s technique was capable of pushing them this bad what if the owner of that technique was here? He shook his head to clear himself of such discouraging thoughts as he focused on what he was currently most concerned about. This was Dong Yanlin''s state. He used whatever energy he had left to scan the area where hest saw him only to spot the bone saber lying horizontally on the ground that was now mostly sand and other areas had streams of water puncturing through from below. Peng Zhen didn''t stop as he scanned all around before he managed to spot a small object atop one of the sand pits. That object had green wavy cloak energy surrounding it. Peng Zhen stared at it for a while in disbelief that the object survived and by the looks of it unscathed too.
"Is that..? It can''t be? Can it? Such a thing was able to survive the attack and remain unscathed. I knew it was special since it was able to store the Tupelo tree but I can''t believe Dong Yanlin''s leopard storage pouch had such defensive capabilities. Its rank may even be higher than that bone saber. How does Dong Yanlin have these many treasures? is he some elder''s kid from the blood ghost hands?" Peng Zhen couldn''t but worry however beyond that was a relief as the sect treasures they had pilfered were all safe.
"Gui, Gui the treasures are safe. I told you I had the best luck." Peng Zhen smugly said in a dried parched voice. Gui Bingwen whoy just next to him could only groan like an old geezer as his body was too weak at the moment to even move or make a sound.
"It''s good they are s¡a¡f¡.e," Peng Zhen as he slowly passed out giving in to the drowsiness that had been overwhelming him.
Momentster a dragonfly could be seen making its way toward the crater as someone quickly jumped from it and gentlynded on the crater below.
"Luckily we made it in time but what is with this level of destruction? Did Yang Qing tweak the technique? What reconnaissance cultivation spell has a destructive might of this level? I knew something was off when he was all too enthusiastic to help me craft more talismans and the cheeky smile he had on the whole time. He may have done something to the rest too, that sleazy judge." Feng Xin shook his head and didn''t bother thinking too much about it as he made his way toward the bone saber. He was surprised to see something survive the destruction on this level. The attack was just a few inches shy of what a pce realm expert is capable of unleashing. For an object to survive such an attack it had to be a monarch-level weapon whose power level was equivalent to a pce realm expert. So the bone saber piqued his interest.
As Feng Xin was scrutinizing the bone saber the green swallow swiftly made its way toward him. Feng Xin had an object with Yang Qing''s qi signature which served as a beacon and a controller for the green swallow. Cultivation techniques whose effects produce a sentient spell when not cast by the owner and instead via talismans, the caster needs to have an object with the qi signature of the owner of the spell to prevent mishaps.
Feng Xin ignored the swallow as he was deeply engrossed with the bone saber. He used a sliver of his spiritual sense to investigate its inner structure. However the moment his sense prated the saber an ident happen. He seemed to have triggered something as he felt his vision change as he was sucked into a dark world filled with the putrid smell of death, bloodlust, and torture. A humungous bull-like creature appeared roaring loudly as it charged toward Feng Xin. Feng Xin recognized the creature as the Ao Yin in an instant as he hurriedly severed his spiritual sense from the saber. The roar shook his head before the spiritual sense had beenpletely cut off but it only affected him for a few seconds. The roar made him feel like he had been hit in the head by a massive club. Any other core formation expert would have suffered injuries to their soul from that attack however Feng Xin was okay as all inquisitors were required to cultivate soul meditation techniques to help them from being susceptible to attacks such as this one and also strengthen their souls and their spiritual sense by effect.
"Who is crazy enough to make a weapon from the remains of an Ao Yin and one at the middle levels of the pce realm to boot? Aren''t they afraid of being corrupted by its murderous spirit and being enved or used as a furnace by it? Truly insane." muttered Feng Xin with some weariness. He quickly removed a brown coarse looking cloth from his storage ring which he used to tightly wrap the bone saber in. The moment the saber came in contact with the cloth, it trembled as if it wanted to flee however it was immediately locked into ce by four chains that appeared from within the brown cloth. Each chain had a different type of seal attached to it. The seals seemed to be representations of four different elements which were; water, light, earth, and wood.
The seals were the antithesis of the bone as theypletely restrained it with ease.
"Figures the four element life divergent seals would have an effect on a creature so steeped in murder and blood." Feng Xin silently thought to himself as he stored the smothered bone saber in his storage ring. As he was moving toward where Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen were he quickly spotted the leopard pouch that was half buried in the ground and faintly glowing with a greenish hue.
"What an interesting storage pouch." Feng Xin said as he picked it up and dusted it off. He was a little more cautious this time as he carefully studied it to avoid any tricks that may be nted on it. It was during the examination that he noticed a trace locator array deeply hidden in the pouch.
"Mmmh looks like it has been drawn by someone at the pce realm though they don''t seem to have much expertise in the area aspared to a real formation master at the pce stage. Breaking it with a weapon at the monarch stage should suffice." Feng Xin silently calcted as he unsheathed his sword. He formed multiple hand seals which were allpacted to the tip of his sword. The seals were pure white which in turn made the sword tip just as pure white. When Feng Xin was satisfied with the number of seals, he shed downwards toward the pouch. There was a small resistance as the sword was moving downwards with the tip of the sword sizzling as if it was burning something with the sword progressing downwards with every sizzle before it soon made aplete sh. Feng Xin sheathed his sword as he smiled in satisfaction. With that, the one who nted the array would never be able to track it.
Feng Xin quickly examined the leopard pouch which left him whistling in excitement soon after.
"This is really good stuff. A storage pouch capable of storing live objects and an internal space the size of two living roomsbined. Must be what they used to transport that tree. What a steal!!!" Feng Xin couldn''t help but glee in excitement as he yed with it using his index finger before finally tying it to his waist.
"Now what do I do with those two? Only one may be needed for the case." Feng Xin''s tone and aura turned so cold that it even made Haishi at the back flinch. Feng Xin slowly made his way to the trio of two men and one tree. He stopped in front of them as he gazed at the Tupelo tree brushing his fingers against some of the remaining leaves
Chapter 34 34: Contacting The Branch
?"This tree is truly something to have withstood an attack of that level and even protect these two. But it seems to have paid a cost for it. I wonder if it was worth it." Feng Xin sighed as he saw its currentckluster appearance. It looked more like a shrub than a tree as its height had shrunk to less than a meter tall and almost half of the remaining leaves had hints of dryness to them. Feng Xin stored away the tree in the leopard pouch before he squatted down and ced both his palms atop Peng Zhen''s and Gui Bingwen''s backs. He started channeling his qi into them to revitalize their dried-up meridians and empty dantian.
At a nce, he could already tell they were suffering from qi drain. Given sufficient time they would recover by themselves but Feng Xin didn''t have the luxury of that time as both of them had things to answer for and he too had questions of his own that he needed answers to. More specifically the owner of that bone saber. He had a feeling their identity was not normal as there were not many people who had an Ao Yin''s corpse lying around and even fewer people who had the capabilities to refine a weapon out of it. The leopard storage pouch was the nail in the coffin. Storage treasures that had life-nurturing capabilities were a true rarity that even rank 3 sects may not have one. Something of that grade was qualified to be a sect''s highly valued treasure but here it was along with a monarch-rank weapon. The owner must have had powerful backing. The sooner Feng Xin knew their identity the better he could n his next moves.
After a few minutes of Feng Xin continuously channeling his qi into the two elders, they started showing signs of recovery. Their skin tones had turned rosy as opposed to the earlier paleness. Peng Zhen groaned as he showed signs of waking up. He felt a cool gentle qi coursing through his body washing the fatigue and pain away. It was the mostfortable he had felt in a while. He slowly opened his eyes and turned towards the source of the sensation he felt over his body. It was then that he caught a glimpse of Feng Xin. However, Peng Zhen''s eyesight was blurry so he at first saw the vague outline of a male cultivator. He immediately panicked thinking it was Dong Yanlin but cool reasoning soon took over as he thought it was highly unlikely for it to be him. For one even if Dong Yanlin survived the second attack he would barely have any energy to spare and the man was a member of a bloodthirsty sect so benevolence wasn''t in his creed. Peng Zhen ining to this conclusion decided to no longer worry too much about who the person was and go along with it. In his current state, even someone at the body refining stage could easily kill him much less the person before him. He could sense how vibrant and pure his qi was and that told him that the owner of that qi was powerful even more than Cheng Yuan. He guessed the person must have had a reason for saving them and almost as if in response to Peng Zhen''s thoughts Feng Xin softly spoke up,
"Nice of you to wake up Peng Zhen. I hope you had sufficient rest to be able to take a journey with me. You and your friend over here will have to follow me back to the Cultivation order courts to answer for a few things one of which is using the Order in one of your schemes. You have quite the guts on you, I almost can''t help but admire it." Feng Xin''s cold gaze bore into Peng Zhen which left him feeling suffocated. Peng Zhen felt for a brief moment his lungs freeze over before they thawed out a secondter. The thick murderous aura Feng Xin was releasing was just as heavy as the one he had experienced from the Ao Yin.
"I will do as you say, esteemed master." Peng Zhen said in a humble tone. He internally sighed to himself but he soon regained his calm. The moment he set his n into motion of the different scenarios he had expected to happen this was one of them and which had the highest likelihood. He had resolved himself to what woulde next. Being caught by the Order was one of his best-case scenarios. His only regret was things didn''t quite work out as he expected especially when it came to the Tupelo tree''s current state and Dong Yanlin''s scary background.
Feng Xin observed Peng Zhen''s ability to regain his calm quickly and couldn''t help but admire his mental fortitude. This was one of the prerequisites to ever make it far in cultivation. Normal people paint cultivators as lofty people fighting against fate, challenging the heavens. But the reality of it is much simpler, they just want to improve their quality of life. It is a road with a lot of hurdles and those who keep on oveing them are those with the appetite to take a beating and still keep hoping, trying, and getting up and continuing onwards. Mental fortitude was what fuelled this journey when talent and resources just couldn''t cut it.
Gui Bingwen woke up momentster and just like Peng Zhen he at first had a bewildered expression at how he woke up so fast before it turned to panic when he assumed it was Dong Yanlin''s doing. He hurriedly scurried back on his knees trying to get away from Feng Xin. He only calmed down when he got a clear look of his face. However, this left more questions as he turned his head towards Peng Zhen almost as if asking who the person before them was with Peng Zhen shaking his head with a bitter smile. That reaction was enough for Gui Bingwen to know it was someone from the Order.
"Good, now that both of you are up and okay it''s time for us to leave. Haishie over here, we''ll be heading in the southwest direction closer to the outskirts of the green fog region. There is someone we have to pick up there." Feng Xin said as he jumped atop Haishi carrying Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen along with him. The two elders were shocked to see a spirit beast that was as strong as Cheng Yuan and the qi flooding in due to the primal lotus dew effect further mystified Haishi in the minds of these two elders. They weren''t sure if it was a special trait of hers.
Haishi quickly flew in the direction Feng Xin said with the green swallow following at the side. It still had a few more minutes left before it disappeared. During the journey, Feng Xin took the opportunity to question Peng Zhen about the owner of the bone saber. It was from them that he learned of Dong Yanlin''s true background. Everything clicked into ce on how such high-end treasures could be with one person. In terms of rank, the blood ghost hands sect was equivalent to rank 1 sects. They may be even richer since they''ve wantonly robbed, murdered, and piged other sects and empires without fear. They were also crazy and skilled enough to fashion a weapon from a bloodthirsty creature such as the Ao Yin. The weapon refiner was even skilled enough to trap the spirit of the beast into the weapon making it a spiritual ranked monarch weapon.
A weapon or treasure having a spirit means it has the ability to grow past its current rank without the use of treasures as long as it''s given sufficient time. The weapons themselves also require less qi to operate as the weapon is sentient to absorb the surrounding qi by itself and adding the user''s qi on top of that is like adding wings to a tiger.
This derived conclusion left Feng Xin with a furrowed brow as he remembered the trace locator array he had removed from the leopard storage pouch that was drawn by someone at the pce stage, most likely the real owner of the pouch. He was confident of mopping the floor even against someone at the peak of core formation realm despite being at thete stage himself. However, someone at the pce stage was a whole major realm above him. He would consider it a win if he escaped from such a fight with only light injuries. Of course, if push came to shove he had certain means to ensure he kept his life. However, those means worked against those in the early stage of the pce realm. If someone in the middle stages or thete stages show up he would have to wash his neck or achieve a major breakthrough in fawning dao otherwise only certain defeat awaited him.
"How could a case between a sect master and his spirit beast over food end up with so many twists andplications? Someone in your sect must have the worse luck alive." Feng Xin said once he had heard theplete story and had sorted out his thoughts.
Gui Bingwen coughed almost trying to stifle augh as he threw Peng Zhen a mocking look who on seeing that look decided perfect the stillness dao with barely any reactioning out of him. Feng Xin saw their antics but ignored them as he had urgent matters at hand. He was even debating whether to request backup from the nearest order branch. It was bound to have someone at the pce stage at the helm of it and in case they were unavable even a fewte-stage core formation experts there would be sufficient to put up a fight against someone at the early stages of the pce realm.
"If you can pull in more people to make your work light, do it no need to break your back." Feng Xin couldn''t help but smile to himself as he remembered one of the creeds Yang Qing piously lived by. He pulled out a map from his storage ring. The map had eagle-shaped symbols vastly spread out throughout the map. Those eagle symbols represented the branches of the Order spread all over the southern continent. Feng Xin traced his current location as he marked the closest branch to him before he pulled out amunication talisman specific to that branch. It didn''t take long before it connected.
"Hello, this is inquisitor Feng Xin numeral IV of the superior core court attached to the main headquarters."
"Hello Feng Xin what is the mantra of the day." A young male voice sounded from the other end
"The blue dipper downs the raging storm."
"Mantra matches. My name is Long Song a numeral III inquisitor and the person in charge of branchmunications today at the green mountain branch. How may we help you today inquisitor Feng Xin?"
"No need to be so formal there Long Song. I may require the branch''s help in handling a potential rank 3 problem. I''m not too certain but I may have attracted the attention of a pce realm member in the conduct of my duties."
"A rank three issue huh sounds troublesome. Let me call the boss. Something of that level will need his input, luckily he is around." Long Song disappeared and shortly after another voice sounded.
"Hello there this is branch leader Hu Fang, I''ve just heard you may have a rank 3 problem on your case. Can you tell me which direction you areing from, the background of the potential threat, how far away you are, and the means of travel?" Hu Fang said in a gruff voice.
"I''ve just left the green fog region and I should be arriving from the south of your location. The case I''m working on may have members of the blood ghost hand sects involved as one of the perpetrators was a core formation expert of the sect. The reason I suspect a pce realm expert involvement is the treasures I confiscated were at the monarch stage with one of them having a trace locator array inscribed on them by someone at the pce stage. I have already destroyed the array and sealed the other treasure so there is minimal chance of being tracked through them but this is the blood ghost hands, I''d rather not risk it. I''m about 200 miles away flying with a cloud-swallowing kite at thete stages of the core formation realm." Feng Xin calmly replied.
"Blood ghost hands huh mmmh this is troublesome. It''s better if Ie personally. With the speed of the kite, we can meet halfway in twenty minutes or less. Being attached to a superior core judge you should have measures to ensure your safety until then. Who are you attached to?"
It was a while before Feng Xin answered and when he did it was in an almost muffled tone with some embarrassment. This reaction of Feng Xin drew curious looks from Peng Zhen and the rest wondering what could be wrong.
"Hello, are you there?" Hu Fang curiously asked when he didn''t get a response.
"Sorry I was distracted for a moment. His name is Yang Qing."
"Whaaaat? La... ahem I mean Judge Yang Qing who''s about to be promoted to the pce realm courts?"
"Yes him." Feng Xin sighed as he answered choosing to ignore what Hu Fang almost said at the start. Yang Qing''s antics were well known throughout the order even down to the branches. It made for a great topic of conversation during tea and lunch breaks.
" Ahem, I''ll make my way over. See you then inquisitor Feng Xin." Hu Fang quickly said as he cut off the connection which Feng Xin couldn''t have wished for it to happen any moment sooner.
"Why couldn''t I have a normal boss." Feng Xin internallymentedpletely ignoring that he too had a widespread negative reputation as a food fiend.
It took over twenty minutes before they were close to the area where Feng Xin had earliere in from. It was then that a huge ck shadow charged at them from one of the clouds before it stopped a few meters above them causing a massive shade on Haishi and the rest. Haishi''s body froze midair with massive tremors appearing on her body from a deep sense of fear from the shadow looming above them. Everything within her body was trembling and racing wildly as an internal voice deep within her was screaming for her to run with all she had but she couldn''t even move a step. As for Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen they were tly pressed on her abdomen with Feng Xin still seated calmly next to them.
"Ellie quit with your antics we need to leave fast. There may be trouble brewing that even I am not confident of dealing with and oh you can''t eat her. I n to introduce her to the beast tamer hall and have her inducted into our unit. She''ll be your partner from now on." Feng Xin said as he waved his hand dispelling the pressure the cloud-swallowing kite was emitting.
Haishi was still trembling as a leaf despite the earlier pressure being cleared. Feng Xin was not too surprised by this as it was expected. Spirit beasts with a higher bloodline could suppress those with lower bloodlines just by emitting their presence. This suppression was so potent that a spirit beast at the 5th stage of foundation realm with a higher bloodline could suppress another beast with a lower bloodline at the peak of foundation realm. However, this suppression loses effect if they are major realms apart. But in Haishi''s case, she was suppressed by a spirit beast who had a higher bloodline than hers and also had higher cultivation too as Ellie was at the 8th stage of core formation realm. She was suppressed on two fronts.
"Everyone get on the kite we will be using her to fly back. You too Haishi." Feng Xin said as he leaped off towards Ellie. She was big enough to amodate them all and then some. Feng Xin to avoid any mishaps decided to use Ellie on the flight back.
Haishi meekly got on with Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen in toe who at the moment had the same look of worry on their faces. They knew the Order was powerful but hearing something and seeing it for themselves is a different thing. They couldn''t help but worry that they had triggered a sleeping dragon that may destroy even their sect in retaliation. Once they were on board Ellie bolted without a second to lose in a speed that was a hundred times faster than Haishi''s. Feng Xin had to erect a spiritual barrier to prevent the rest from being thrown off or torn by the winds.
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"I tried to hurry here as fast as I could once I detected the Ao Yin''s aura being released from the broken first seal but it seems I was still a step toote."
Chapter 35 35: Thousand Flavors Restaurant
?There was a man in silky red robes crouching in the area which had just been decimated by the attack from the green swallow. There were two swords at his right hip sheathed in a ck scabbard that had scarlet clouds engraved on them. He had deep ck hair that was tied in a half bun man ponytail. He looked like someone in histe thirties. He had a medium build and scarlet red pupils and pale white skin that seemed it had never seen the sun in a millennium.
He grabbed a handful of sand at the area where the Ao yin bone saber had just fallen. He then let slip the sand in between his fingers closely scrutinizing it before he dusted the sand off his hands.
"Dong Yanlin you silly boy. You not only lost my leopard storage pouch but you couldn''t even keep master''s Ao Yin''s saber despite breaking the first seal. Some easy score this was. With you dead, I''m the one who will have to get an earful from him even more than usual since offte he has been in a sour mood from not having enough subjects for his spirit refinement experiments.
I don''t even know why master, the man known as the bloodless refiner would spoil you this much. Always a handful and causing nos small amount of trouble that I''m left cleaning up. I can no longer track the pouch as the trace locator array seems to have been dismantled, and the Ao Yin blood droplet I expected to help me locate the saber stopped working. Either the weapon waspletely destroyed and no trace was left behind or it has already been sealed. For my sake, I hope it''s thetter. But how do I track the perpetrators judging from this level of attack it should have been made by someone at the peak stage of the core formation realm almost half-step into the pce realm. I should be able to handle them easily as long as there are no surprises." The red-robed man silently thought to himself before he rose and started levitating from the ground. This was a clear sign that the man was someone at the pce stage.
Cultivators get flight capabilities when they reach the pce realm. Before that, they can only use spirit beasts or specialized flying artifacts such as flying ferries. As for flying swords, unlike ferries, can only be used by someone at the pce realm. Most experts who have only broken through to this stage prefer to use flying swords as opposed to flying without them. The advantage of using the former is that the flying swords are engraved with formation arrays that aid in boosting their speed. The better crafted the sword the greater the boost. It''s only at theter stages of the pce realm that most cultivators are confident in their speed that they don''t have to use things such as flying swords.
The young man flying up scrunched up his face as he started sniffing the air before a small smile formed on his face.
"This dense qi mmh it seems like someone used the primal lotus dew and luckily for me there are a few traces left for me to follow the general direction in which they went," said the red-robed man as he unsheathed one of the two long swords attached to his waist. It was deep red in color. He ced it beneath his feet and flew off in the direction Haishi had flown off to. A red streak could be seen flying rapidly through the air.
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Within the cultivation order court grounds, Yang Qing andpany could be seen making their way down an alley filled with different kinds of buildings neatly arranged and spaced on both sides of the alley.
This alley was still within the samepound as the Cultivation order courts. Thepound was partitioned into different zones sparsely spread out. The courts were centrally located within the grounds. Certain zones were off-limits to the public such as the area where carriages were stored and special stable grounds for the spirit beasts. But certain zones were open to the public such as where Yang Qing was headed. The area was filled with buildings that housed different things. There were restaurants, inns, pavilions, and courtyards avable for rent. This area was created to cater to the needs of the parties that would be having their cases heard and deliberated. Since the use of teleportation arrays was strictly forbidden within the Order grounds unless special permission is given, traveling back and forth to the Order bes rather tedious and strenuous to those parties especially those with weaker cultivation whose sect or family grounds were quite a distance from the court grounds. There was therefore a need to create ces where cultivators could rest especially those whose cases wouldst more than a day. To help with this the Order allowed different businesses that would cater to those needs to be created within its grounds. The services were to be charged at an affordable rate so those parties could use them at their discretion.
Those businesses blossomed and soon became not only popr with the cultivators who had cases but even the staff of the Order became regrs at them. Yang Qing was leading Cheng Yuan and the rest to one of his favorite spots, the thousand vors restaurant. The restaurant had four stories and was madepletely of red starlight wood. This wood was famous for being sturdy and it also had an ambient and inviting effect. It made one feel as if they were hurdling with a group of friends around a campfire enjoyingughs and a piping hot meal. Most of the young staff of the Order were frequenters of this ce because of that effect. It was for that reason that Yang Qing decided to bring Cheng Yuan who was a bundle of nerves. The effect of the wood would help him loosen up a bit.
They soon stopped at the entrance of this fine establishment as one of the servants hurriedly made his way towards them with a smiling familiarity once he saw Yang Qing and the rest make their way over.
"Wee judge Yang Qing, judge Mao Yunru, inquisitor Yi Jie and esteemed master. Can I guide you to your usual ce?" the young servant who seemed to be around 17 years warmly asked.
"Cao Ying still chipper as always. Sure we will go to the usual ce, thank you very much. Your presence in this ce will be missed. Your rest period from the institute is almost over, right?" Yang Qing asked as he patted the young Cao Ying''s back.
"Yes, it''s almost over. I only have three more days left before I have to head back. If I wasn''t afraid of the threat the instructors made if we were even a secondte I wish I could extend my stay here. It was much more rxing and fun being here unlike the brutalpetitive atmosphere at the institute." Cao Ying couldn''t help butment as he led Yang Qing and the rest inside the restaurant.
"Hahahaha every student had the same thought you have when it was almost time to go back to the institute after a break. Even me so has Yi Jie over here and the studious Mao Mao here. Though little Cao I''d warn against you beingte. Those instructors are of the same ilk as demon Lei Weiyuan. They are very creative in the punishments they dish out. There was once a young cultivator in the prime of his youth who gotte because he was being a dutiful son and grandson but those instructors could hear none of it. They sealed his meridians and made him go to sses for a week with no cultivation knowing full well those sses were over ten miles apart with some being on top of hills. I wonder which insensitive person designed those sses so far apart. The cultivator copsed every single day, had blisters the size of mushrooms, and was added further punishment for beingte to those sses. How is someone with no cultivation expected to travel over ten miles in ten minutes or less¡." Yang Qing went on rambling as his face flushed red in anger before Yi Jie interrupted him to get a move in before he finally settled down as he made their way in.
Mao Yunru couldn''t help but shake her head as she knew the young cultivator in the story wasn''tte because he was dutiful to his parents and grandparents. That dutiful cultivator had eaten a few dozen questionable crimson boars with a few friends. The boars were suspected to have weird mutations and were being thrown out by a certain restaurant. The young cultivator heard of it and they pooled their money with a few friends and bought all of them despite being warned it might be dangerous to eat them. The young cultivator and his friend of course paid no heed to the owner''s warnings and roasted all of themter that day. They ended up passing out resulting in the young cultivator and his friends being 2 dayste. The young cultivator was of course Yang Qing with the other being Feng Xin. Yang Qing had tried to beg his parents to cover for him and they did what any typical parent would do which is to betray their child to their teacher and encourage the teacher to be ruthless with the punishment as possible.
Yang Qing was neverte again after his weeklong punishment but his recklessness when it came to eating questionable food still strongly prevailed to this day.
Chapter 36 36: Five Judges
?As the party made their way into the Thousand vors restaurant, Cheng Yuan who was walking at the back, had a look of extreme shock on his face and it wasn''t due to the use of red starlight wood by the restaurant. It was entirely because of the young man who was ushering them into the restaurant, Cao Ying.
From what Cheng Yuan could tell, Cao Ying was 14 to 15 years old, however, someone that young had a cultivation realm in the early stages of foundation establishment. From what Cheng Yuan could tell, Cao Ying was at the peak of level 3 and just needed a small nudge to break through to the fourth stage.
He couldn''t believe just some servant at a restaurant had talent that wasn''t even suitable to call genius anymore, as it was on the grounds of a monster. At his sect, the disciples who werebeled talents were those who had managed to reach the foundation realm at the tender age of 30.
Cheng Yuan couldn''t quite put his finger on why, but he felt Cao Ying was vastly different and several levels more powerful than what a regr Foundation establishment member should be at within the same level.
Meeting someone so young at the foundation realm had shaken him. Even his ambitions of making the Green fog swamp sect great had wavered. If a servant was this powerful, what about the rest of the world? Rank 3 sects and above are bound to have stronger people and that''s not even mentioning the Order. Yang Qing and the rest noticed his reaction but they did not say anything and just continued on their way.
The inside of the restaurant stayed true to the capabilities of one who could use something as precious as red starlight wood to make a whole restaurant out of it. The inside had qi three times richer than the outside world.
Cheng Yuan''s pores opened by themselves swimming in the opulence of the qi around them. The chairs and seats were made of the same wood with a delicate and intricate design. It looked more like art than furniture. It was arranged into four rows with equal spacing between them. But what caught Cheng Yuan''s eye, well his nose mostly, was the different food fragrances that filled the air. The weird part was, it was not convoluted or a mix and marsh of food fragrances. There seemed to be a rhythm andw to it, almost as if all the smells originated from one source.
Secondster, there was a grumbling sound, and moments after that, there was an even louder one that sounded like the roar of a tiger. Cheng Yuan was embarrassed when his stomach grumbled but he didn''t get to live through that embarrassment, as secondster there was a louder one that almost gave him a heart attack. However, the culprit didn''t show the normal embarrassed expression one would have in such a situation. He was instead patting his stomach with the expression of a bloodthirsty beast going for a hunt.
"Cao Ying, tell the chefs today not to ck off. I haven''t had anything all day all thanks to Yi Jie here. I''ll need a few bites here and there to tide me over." Yang Qing said as he kept slurping over and over staring at the door ahead that led to the kitchen.
Cao Ying could only drilyugh as he shook his head. Yi Jie and Mao Yunru were long used to it because there was an even bigger glutton, by the name of Feng Xin in the group. As for Cheng Yuan, he was the only one grateful for Yang Qing''s roar like grumbling.
"Heeeeey!! Yunru over here?" Mao Yunru was soon called over by a fewdies seated a few tables to her right. They had the same blue color robes as her and were just as picturesque.
"Does the Order only ept beauties?" Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but wonder to himself as he saw the crowd calling Mao Yunru over.
"See you, Yang Qing," Mao Yunru said as she waved back to her friends while going over. As for Yi Jie, he had long disappeared to the second floor with another friend, leaving only Yang Qing and Cheng Yuan together.
"Would you look it here, our soon-to-be model pce judge decided to grace us with his presence? Yang Qing what are you doing here this early, it''s barely midday. Wasn''t your old buddy supervisor Lei Weiyuan making rounds near your court today, no way you managed to pull a fast one." A teasing young man seated to the left of Yang Qing next to one of the windows said.
He was seated at a table with a party of five inclusive of him. It was three men and two women. The young man had yellow hair which was tied in a half ponytail. He had matching yellow eyes with the same average build as Yang Qing. His eyes had a crafty look to them with a goofy smile on his face. He seemed like the always goofing and making jokes type. He had on the same simr blue robes as Yang Qing with the same numeral IV at the back.
Just like Yang Qing, he was also a superior core court judge. In his group, two others also had the same blue robes and numeral IV inscribed inside a rhombus shape showing they were judges too.
One of them was a young woman with pink plum-like hair flowing smoothly down her shoulders. She was slender and taller than even the rest of the males there. Her beauty was breathtaking like a sakura tree in winter. She had a soft but silently bold expression. As for the other person with simr robes, it was a man with a slender build too with ck hair tied in a top bun, his robe and demeanor were meticulous like that of a noble or a clean freak about to level up his skill tree. If a stranger was asked to pick out who among the group was a judge, he would be the most likely pick. He had the righteous aura to apany his noble-like demeanor.
As for the remaining two in the party of five, one was a young man who had medium-length brown ck curly hair that was tied loosely into a small ponytail, with a pink ribbon. He had a short coarse beard, one that was a cross between someone who wanted to shave but didn''t want his face to remainpletely naked. He had a wild freedom-loving look to him with a carefree grin. He lookedpletely dissimr to the noble, as his robes were loosely worn with his inner robe slightly revealing his chest. And unlike the others, his robes were dark golden with the numeral I at the back.
Thest member of the group was ady. She was so small that she would be easily buried within the group. She had chin length bob hairstyle that was pure ck with amber eyes. Her cheeks were fluffy and had a shy docile expression. She kept staring below every now and then or y with her food. Despite her looking down, her beauty could not be hidden, it was like the zing sun. She too had a dark gold robe with the numeral I on the back.
"Of course, I need toe to this ce and raise its standard a bit because a certain yellow-haired ruffian keeps ssing down the joint, that reminds me, pay up the three thousand high-grade spirit stones you owe me. It''s almost been half a month." Yang Qing said as he made his way over to their table stretching his palms out.
"Yu Huifang, Zhang Qingge, Dai Chen, and Xia Boqin, why do you all keep hanging out with him especially you Xia Boqin with your meticulous personality can you stand this walking heap of trouble?" Yang Qing asked as he stared at the judge with the meticulous robe and noble-like demeanor.
"I think of it as mental training, not like you are any different either." Xia Boqin softly answered.
"Hahahahaha you two are always at it. The next monthlypetition will be held at Zhang Qingge''s ce right? Can''t wait." Dai Chen the rough-looking young man in dark gold robes boisterouslyughed as he gulped what looked to be rice wine.
"Huuh it¡.i..t..it¡.it¡.it is me this time? But I haven''t made preparations since I was swamped with work and reprimands again." Zhang Qingge said with shy stuttering in her voice as it trailed off towards the end due to embarrassment.
Due to the shock of her hosting, she ended up looking up, which made Cheng Yuan inadvertently gulp at how someone could look this pretty. Even Yu Huifang at the side had a beauty that couldn''t be overlooked. But Cheng Yuan dare not stare as he felt a faint unapproachable aura from her.
"Don''t worry Qingge, I''ll help you, besides there isn''t much to prepare anyway." Yu Huifang gently said with a warm smile on her face as she looked at Qingge like one would look at their small sister who was helpless without them.
"YOU WILL¡.Thank youuu sister Huifang. That saves me a lot of trouble. I was worried about the food and drinks. Yang Qing eats like a million pigs and Dai Chen drinks like a deep abyss whale¡eeeeeeeh!!! DID I JUST SAY THAT LOUD?" Zhang Qingge suddenly yelled as she quickly lowered her head and covered her face in embarrassment. She ended up blurting out what she thought due to her excitement about receiving help.
The table suddenly burst outughing, even the meticulous Xia Boqin couldn''t hold it in.
"I''ll bring the food." Yang Qing said as he continuedughing
"I''ll bring the drinks." Dai Chen added immediately after
"See, everything is well and sorted." Yu Huifang gently coerced her as she softly smiled at the side.
"Qingge never disappoints." Kang Hung said as he pushed away Yang Qing''s hand.
"Thank you." a soft mosquito-like reply came from under the table as the rest could only smile at this.
"Hung, spirit stones please, don''t think this little interlude will prevent me from collecting what is owed."
"Fine, fine, I''ll pay at the end of the day. How can a pce court judge be so stingy? collecting every single debt even from a lowly superior core court judge like myself. You sully that post. Why can''t you be magnanimous like Dai Chen or Qingge? They have the demeanor of pce court judges." Kang Hung scoffed with bitterness in his tone.
"ountability my good friend Hung, ountability. I am the embodiment of order and justice. I will not bend the rules, even for friends." Yang Qing righteously said as he puffed out his chest. However, like a sleazy chameleon, Yang Qing immediately changed his bearing.
"Big brother Dai Chen, sister Qingge please y for this lowly one''s meal as my seniors in the Pce courts. That old man Lei Weiyuan halted my payments for the past three months. I don''t have much left. Please seniors take care of your junior in his hour of need." Yang Qing humbly said as he performed the best bow he could make. His righteous indignant aura from seconds ago was gone and reced by a humble fawning underling''s aura.
"I don''t have much myself, it got taken away for reparations because of an ident. It is big sister Huifang who is paying my bill" Zhang Qingge softly replied as she still kept her face covered looking down.
"Reparations again?" Yang Qing asked in shock
"It wasn''t my fault this time, I tried my hardest and things just ended up that way. It really wasn''t me this time." Zhang Qingge suddenly raised her head as she defended herself like an aggrieved cat. However, her cheeks were red from embarrassment, and her eyes darting all over.
"It''s definitely her fault." Everyone unanimously thought.
"Okay I believe you,.. Big brother Dai." Yang Qing still not giving up in the pursuit of a free meal
"Fine, but just the appetizer. Wait, forget the appetizer, I almost forgot you''re shameless enough to order a million of them. I''ll pay only a thousand middle-grade spirit stones for your meal. Anything above that you pay yourself."
"Thank you." Yang Qing said with some cheer in his voice.
Dai Chen wasn''t fooled by his amiable expression because he heard Yang Qing click the moment he changed the idea of buying him appetizers.
"Well, I''ll leave you guys to it, ooh before I forget, this is Cheng Yuan, a diligent sect master of a rank 4 sect in the green fog region, Cheng Yuan these are my friends."
Cheng Yuan was too nervous to even say anything he ended up cupping his fist which was trembling and pale. The rest nodded at him as Qingge stared at him. Seeing someone this nervous made her feel emboldened enough to stare before she went back to her eating.
"Okay then and don''t miss my ceremony. Hung END OF DAY." Yang Qing said as he eyed Kang Hung like a vicious loan shark before he made his way to a table a few steps over where Kang Hung and the rest were. It was also next to a window and where the thousand vors aroma was denser than in other areas. It was Yang Qing''s spot. He had a satisfied expression as he sat down with the Cheng Yuan in tow.
"You''ll cover that thousand from the 12,000 spirit stones you owe me, Hung." Dai Chen said after Yang Qing left.
This left Kang Hung coughing as blood drained from his face. Zhang Qingge at the side stared at him fidgeting almost as if she was debating asking him something, but on seeing his pitiful look, she shook her head and went back to eating.
Chapter 37 37: Different Pathways, Different Dao
?Once Yang Qing and Chen Yuang were settled in their seats, Cao Ying dutifully appeared with a small red y pot that had the image of a red parasol tree drawn on it. Cheng Yuan felt a faint warmthing out from that tree. The warmth wasn''t like the warmth of a me but a life-nurturing kind of warmth like the one of a henying on an egg.
"You can enjoy our famous oolong tea as you make your order," Cao Ying warmly said. The tea introduction was mostly for Cheng Yuan''s sake. Regrs like Yang Qing unless they state otherwise are usually served oolong tea. Most regrs here prefer it over the other kinds because one of the chefs of the restaurant specializes in nothing else other than brewing oolong tea.
Because of how dedicated he was to the path of tea brewing he ended up unlocking his own kind of path in tea brewing and from it, he started getting glimpses of a dao borne from that path.
The world is huge andposed of over a millionponents and with thoseponentse different paths and from those pathse different dao. The ignorant think cultivators achieve breakthroughs through endless fights,petition, and trouncing their enemies beneath their feet but they could not be further from the truth.
Some or most choose to pursue their path through the sword, fist, saber, formation arrays, and soul this ends up creating the sword dao, fist dao, saber dao, array dao, and soul dao but even in those dao, there are further divisions like those who pursue ughter, invincibility, protection, solitude it all depends on the person they are. Then they are those who chose dao which doesn''t necessarily involve fighting or a weapon. They are usually generalized as the life skill dao by some. In this category are the likes of alchemy dao, medicine/ healing dao, painting dao, musical dao, nurturing dao for those who find meaning in teaching others, and cooking dao which features all kinds of chefs like the oolong tea brewer of the thousand vor restaurant. The paths that one can pursue are as endless as the people pursuing them as dao in its simplest form is a way of life.
Those who have found their dao find their cultivation ahead smoother and there is never a right time or stage in cultivation to start pursuing it. Some started as kids while others discovered it in their old age, it only matters if you know your heart.
"Thanks, Cao Ying." Yang Qing said as he got up to pour himself and Cheng Yuan a cup of tea.
"No, No Judge Yang Qing let me." Cheng Yuan said with a flustered expression at seeing a judge pouring him a cup of tea. He knew that although Yang Qing was amiable and easygoing just his single finger was able to obliterate him and his sect. He still remembered how terrifying that illusion he saw of Yang Qing being a massive body of water reaching the sky and the moon-like eyes that petrified him for what seemed like forever. Just as he was about to stand he felt a soft breeze-like force sit him back down.
"Don''t worry too much about it Cheng Yuan. Cultivation ranks aside, I''m still a person and you are my elder as by right I should be doing this besides you are my guest and it''s customary for the host to pour the tea. Don''t fuss too much." Yang Qing said with a carefree smile as he poured the tea for both of them and sat down.
Cheng Yuan couldn''t do anything else but sit but he was still flustered and fidgety. All that apprehension dissolved away the moment the mist from the oolong tea wafted over to him. He felt its light fragrance prate his body before it drifted to his head making his mind elerate. He felt his mind had been unclogged, all sorts of jumbled thoughts were getting aligned and arranged in their right order. That state only grew stronger with more of the misty oolong tea fragrance wafting over.
"What is this tea? Just the mist was able to do this, what about¡" Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but have a shocked expression as he greedily stared at the tea in his cup. His cultivation had halted for quite a while in the 5th stage of the core formation realm. He had not made a single improvement in several years. Most of the reason was the pressures of guiding the sect forward, especially his project of ensuring the growth of the young disciples. He spent most of his days nurturing them while also keeping a handle on the rest of the sect which didn''t leave him any time to cultivate. But the sensation from the oolong tea had helped trigger some movement in his long stagnant realm, he couldn''t help but get excited.
"It is only here at this restaurant that you can get to taste oolong tea crafted by a master half step into the pce realm. What''s in this tea is better than any pill, potion, or elixir. This is a taste of the world seen by someone who has understood a part of one of the world''s paths and is about to break through to the pce realm. Cherish it well Cheng Yuan not many get the opportunity," Yang Qing calmly said as he pulled the cup below his nose closing his eyes as he savored the smell. Even though he was stronger than the chef and had his own dao it never hurt to see the world through another person''s eyes. It may give him more ideas on improving his own path.
There was one more thing that Yang Qing didn''t tell Cheng Yuan. Only a few people were qualified to drink this tea, not all judges could do it. Only those at the superior core courts and a few upper core court judges and outer pce court judges can taste this tea. The judges at the lower courts and some at the upper court don''t have this chance not unless they leach off the superior core court judges. The reason for this wasn''t that the chef and the restaurant were conceited and disdained others from drinking it. One of the reasons was it took considerable time, effort, and precious ingredients to brew it so there wasn''t enough to go around and the other which was the most important was that the chef would consult them on their insights and experience from the tea they drunk so he could improve himself. Only those who stood at the same level as him or higher could give him the input that could help him improve himself. It was a beneficial give-and-take rtionship.
Cheng Yuan''s heart was madly palpitating. A half step to the pce realm that was a realm he hasn''t dreamed of reaching yet. A half-step is still someone at the peak of core formation but unlike typical core formation experts those at the half-step had started seeing an outline of their roads it''s just that the building stones required for that road hadn''t formed yet and required further effort and refining to bepletely dug out. Those at this stage could hold their own against two at the peak of core formation realm provided he did not have a weaker core to them. Someone at the half step with a blue core would still get beat by someone at the peak who had a purple core and a gold core could force a draw or even a defeat depending on their skills.
Cao Ying was still at the side waiting with some envy in his eyes. He had been a worker here but even he had never tasted it, most of the other workers in the ce had not either it''s just one or two other chefs who were at the same level as the oolong chef and the manager of the restaurant who have drunk it. Cheng Yuan lifted his cup holding it carefully like some hot treasure as he gently took a sip. The taste wasn''t explosive it was gentle and mellow like that of ck tea with the light fragrance of green tea. It had a freshness and brightness to it that spread from his tongue down his throat and within seconds his whole body felt that way. His mind felt rejuvenated and his earlier sensation of being unclogged up was even more prominent this time. He felt answers to questions he had been struggling around with. They were clear and direct guiding him to questions he never thought to ask himself. He soon lost himself to the feeling of exploration and discovery.
Yang Qing at the other end had also taken his sip and was swirling it around his mouth as he pleasantly nodded before he swallowed it down.
"It seems like Jiang Fu is close to a breakthrough he is just at the cusp of it. A single push and he is through. I''m happy for him but seeing how this close he is, I guess he''ll be going into seclusion soon. The meals will miss their spark without his tea to go along with them but I can''t wait to taste his new brew once he is at the pce realm. Gulp." Yang Qing silently muttered to himself as an excited glint shed through his eyes.
"Cao Ying sorry to keep you waiting. I''ll be having mmmh well if I let Cheng Yuan choose for himself he may end up being too reserved and say the tea is enough for him. Bring us dim sum. For the dim sum let''s have barbeque pork buffs and buns, meatball soup, beef and pork short spare ribs in ck bean sauce, sesame balls, pineapple custard buns, fried taro dumplings, zhaliang, orange chicken, steamed lotus root with sticky rice and maybe we can finish with yellow radiance egg tarts." Yang Qing finished as he sneakily tried to wipe off his drool towards the end. Cao Ying as a cultivator had excellent memory so he didn''t need to write anything down and just went to the kitchen to make the order.
Cheng Yuan was still in a trance-like statepletely cut off from his surroundings as Yang Qing continued enjoying his tea at the side eagerly waiting for the food.
Chapter 38 38: Don’t Forget Me
?Yang Qing waited for ten minutes joyfully enjoying his oolong tea before Cao Ying appeared from the kitchen with a table tray filled with the meals Yang Qing had ordered. The tray seemed to have an istion array inscribed on it as none of the smell leaked out. Yang Qing''s eye gleamed as he saw Cao Yinge over that he quickly gulped down his remaining tea before he hurriedly got up almost rushing Cao Ying.
"Enjoy Judge Yang Qing." Cao Ying said as he ced the food tray by the side of Yang Qing''s table.
"Thanks very much, Cao Ying." Yang Qing hurriedly said as he opened the trays deciding which dishes to start with first.
"Hello my precious, which one of you will be the lucky ones to undertake the great mission mmh it shall be you barbeque pork buns just perfect to be washed down with Jiang Fu''s oolong tea." Yang Qing said as he removed arge te filled with over a dozen barbeque pork buns. Half of them were steamed with the other half was baked. The moment the te full of buns was ced on the table, the thick steamy air of buns suddenly exploded filling the whole table even waking Cheng Yuan from his trance state.
He was surprised to see a table filled with buns. However, its sweet and savory smell made it hard for him to keep his mind straight. When one broke through to the core formation realm one could spend almost half a year or more without needing to eat or drink. Some even substitute the need for food by eating fasting pills which can help them stay longer without needing to eat anything. The longer they do this the easier it bes for them to lose the part of themselves that desired food. Cheng Yuan was part of this group of cultivators who substituted food for fasting pills that he even forgot what food and desiring food felt like. The close he came to it was drinking milk tea. He had visited the various mess halls in his sect during his rounds but not once in those rounds did he feel the urge to eat as he did at this moment. He felt like some part of him that he had sealed and deemed unimportant was unlocked.
"Judge Yang Qing this¡..?" Cheng Yuan wanted to continue but he rapidly stopped to cover his mouth with robes due to how much drool was dripping. It was a small waterfall about to grow into a full-blown rapid.
"Hehehe eat sect master Cheng Yuan. I can''t eat all this alone so there''s no need to be reserved about it." Yang Qing said as he pulled a te over to Cheng Yuan''s side and filled it up with half of the pork buns before he had a chance to decline.
"Tsk my pork buns!! Being a host sucks. Is the remaining food even enough to fill me up? Maybe I should add more? Yes I''ll add more I already have the 1000 spirit stones from Dai Chen" Yang Qing internally grieved before he was upbeat again but outwardly he had no change in expression other than the warm amiable expression a host should have.
Cheng Yuan on seeing the te filled with pork buns didn''t have the heart to refuse for one he didn''t want to spite Yang Qing''s kindness with his refusal and the other reason was he couldn''t help himself the buns just looked too delicious begging to be eaten. He picked one up with his chopsticks with the smell getting dense the closer it was to his mouth.
"Crunch" the sound of something crispy being broken sounded the moment the baked bun was in his mouth. The vors of the pork soon exploded in his mouth as the juices sshed out. With every bite, it was sweet, spicy, and savory. Cheng Yuan could detect an intrinsic firey texture to the pork itself like it was its natural attribute. That quality seemed to ignite the memories of his youth when he was hot-blooded and carefree. The days when he dueled with his fellow disciples, thepetitions, the exhration it felt breaking through from body refining into the qi condensation realm and to the foundation realm, seeding and failing in missions, times with his master, Peng Zhen, and thete Zou Wen. All these memories came flooding back and with it the passion for life which he doesn''t know when but had been slowly worn away with time.
Cheng Yuan felt his face heat up as tears dropped down his face, he tried to stop it but some part of him didn''t want to and just wanted to enjoy that release. That was the part that won out in the end.
"I don''t know about others but I have never really liked these cultivation principles out there that dictate for one to grow they need to be indifferent to everyone and everything. To be a calm spectator and be detached all in the name of pursuing the peak. But is that really alright? Before being cultivators we are people first. How can we achieve anything if we deny such an important part of ourselves? Laugh, cry, be satisfied, be angry, argue, makeup, hate, love, eat, drink and have things in your life that you will never let go of no matter what, and on this long journey try to hold on to who you are as much as possible and not stick to other people''s definition of what a cultivator should be.
Cultivation is a part of life like sleeping and yawning, you can''t let it be all your life is about it should always just be a part that enhances your life like eating food to satiate hunger. Cultivators are blessed with a long life do you want to spend that life alone, burying who you are, or do you want to spend it living? Cheng Yuan decide what living means to you, you''ll find the world just a little bit exciting every time you work towards that answer. Keep dreaming, keep trying, keep failing, keep growing and add more color to your life Cheng Yuan," Yang Qing calmly said as he stared into the pork bun with a deep look like he was looking at some unfathomable secret but the drool and the silly grin that appeared secondter ruined his whole expert like demeanor.
"What world will you show me master pork bun, your humble student awaits your teaching." Yang Qing joyfully said as he took a bite of a steamy pork bun that left his eyes curved up into crescents in satisfaction.
Cheng Yuan had his eyes wide open as what Yang Qing just said sent waves in his heart and mind. He saw himself in a dark space and ahead of him, he saw someone surrounded by chains. Without even seeing who was in there he instinctively knew it was a four-year-old child and that child was him. He was currently locked by thousands of chains however there was a breeze flowing around the chains shattering each of them one by one. The chains kept shattering until only less than a hundred were left before the breeze disappeared. With the shattered chains some body parts of the four year Cheng Yuan could be seen. His left shoulder down to his hand was exposed. Cheng Yuan with trembling legs walked forward to the four-year-old him and tried to touch his left palm.
The moment he did he heard a childlike voice whisper in his head,
"Don''t forget me." The illusion shattered and Cheng Yuan came too. His shoulders and heart felt lighter even his body felt younger and his mind clearer. He stared deeply at Yang Qing whose eyes were still crescent shaped taking delight in the taste of the pork buns. Cheng Yuan gently woke up and bowed solemnly which drew some looks from the customers around the restaurant.
Mao Yunru stopped chatting with her friends as she thoughtfully looked at Yang Qing''s table.
"What is he nning?" She couldn''t help but wonder.
Yang Qing actedpletely oblivious to what was happening around him deeply engrossed with his bun. Cheng Yuan sat down and continued eating with less apprehension than he did at first though he was still a bit reserved.
"I''ve only helped you partly the next steps are all yours. All the best sect master, I hope you''ll show me what sect you''ll make that made it worthwhile for you to take the risk you did ¡.mmh the bun is already finished? Did those scumbags reduce the size again?" Yang Qing quickly opened his eyes as he closely scrutinized the size of the remaining pork buns with heavy suspicion growing on his face with every second he looked at those buns.
Chapter 39 39: Institute’s Idea
?The duo continued eating, one was relishing every bite with the other showing a disgruntled and pouting expression. The former was Cheng Yuan while thetter was Yang Qing who was aggrieved when he noticed a few of the dumplings were smaller by a few millimeters. He would haveined but he''d have to wait for recement and that was if the restaurant decided to listen. In the end, he decided to eat them first and give the restaurant an earfulter.
After a few minutes, the steamed and baked pork buns were finished as Yang Qing pulled up the te of fried taro dumplings. It was crisp golden with a hint of red from the phoenix tail shrimp used in the filling. Yang Qing due to the doubt that was already rooted from his earlier discoveries was quick to examine each of the fried taro to find if they were even and in the correct size. It was only after he had confirmed there was nothing off with their size that he nodded in satisfaction and started dividing them up. Cheng Yuan wondered what Yang Qing was doing when he was examining them, he just chalked it up to an eating ritual of Yang Qing''s. He had thought of copying him but then decided against it.
Cao Ying like a dutiful waiter came to clear the te that had the pork buns on them. Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but meaningfully nce at him as he was taking the te back to the kitchen. He still wasn''t over how someone this young and at the early stage of the foundation realm was just a servant at a restaurant no matter how morous it was.
"Is the Order blind or do they have so much talent that they don''t care about someone with this level of talent." Cheng Yuan silently wondered to himself.
"Curious about Cao Ying are we?" Yang Qing asked with a smile when he noticed Cheng Yuan still looking over at Cao Ying.
Cheng Yuan ended up choking on the fried taro that was midway down his mouth before he got clear enough to respond,
"No it''s not that it''s¡..it''s...it''s¡..Yes, I''m curious why someone that gifted is just a servant at a restaurant. Doesn''t the Order want someone with his talent? By what I''ve noticed even rank 1 sects and families would covet someone with his level of talent. From what I can tell he doesn''t even seem like a regr early-stage foundation expert. His realm seems multiple levels stronger and more defined." Cheng Yuan decided to be honest and speak out his thoughts when he saw he couldn''te up with a good excuse for why he was looking at Cao Ying. Yang Qing was a judge and stronger so he should have noticed it. Lying here would just be foolish.
"You have a good eye Sect master Cheng Yuan. Your years of guiding and nurturing your core disciples personally were not spent in vain for you to be able to detect something different about Cao Ying''s foundation establishment realm. Nurturing might be yourne." Yang Qing calmly said as he smiled before he chewed on the taro dumpling in his chopsticks.
"The Order is not full of talents to the point that it would ignore someone of Cao Ying''s caliber. He is one of us. To be more specific he is a student of the Cultivation order institute. When he reaches the core formation realm he will be inducted to the Order either as a judge, inquisitor, or a different kind of staff for the Order depending on where his interests and talents lie." Yang Qing said as he fished for another taro dumpling.
"Then why?..." Cheng Yuan wasn''t able to finish his question as he felt it was too inappropriate to dig this deep into how the Order did its things.
"Why is a student from the prestigious Order a servant at a restaurant catering to others? Is what you wanted to ask, right Sect master Cheng Yuan?" Yang Qing smiled as he asked. Cheng Yuan nodded in return.
"Well, it''s not a secret or anything, anybody with a good source of information would know that most of the servants in these restaurants, inns, and pavilions are students of the Order Institute. Like I told you cultivation is just a part of life and not life itself, I came to learn that from the institute. As kids, we couldn''t cultivate all throughout so the institute gives a three-month break every year. During those three months those with family can go see their family should they wish to and those without are given the option toe here. Even those with families, some opt toe here during the remainder of their holidays.
I worked in one of the restaurants here when I was a student and the pay isn''t bad." Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile as he remembered those days. It was during one of his holidays spent at some restaurant where he met Feng Xin and Yi Jie. Coincidentally he and Feng Xin had the same idea of working in a restaurant to score free food. The owners were exhrated thinking they had gotten cheapbor but when they saw how much these fiends ate they had to quickly fire them before they went under. Soon word got around about these two and no restaurant dared hire them. As for Yi Jie, he worked as a wine brewer. He was almost as skilled at it as he was with the saber. He too got fired during the same period as Yang Qing and Feng Xin. However, his reason was simr yet different. It was due to his perfectionist nature that seemed toe out whenever brewing wine was involved that he ends up squandering ingredients to get the perfect blend. He got cklisted around restaurants too.
The three became close during that time. Yi Jie and Yang Qing were in the same year and Feng Xin was two years below them. Their circle continued growing with time but their bonds remained. When Yang Qing became a judge he requested the two to be ced under his court. If both Feng Xin and Yi Jie wanted they could have both been Judges. They had the talent for it with both having gold cores but none of them wanted to be a judge. Feng Xin wanted to roam around as an inquisitor so he could eat delicacies all around and as for Yi Jie, he chose so because being an inquisitor would give him opportunities to gain inspiration and different ingredients for his wine recipes and the other reason was years of knowing Yang Qing he doesn''t know when but he ended up as his caretaker. He had tried leaving once but the higher-ups said he will be Yang Qing''s nanny forever.
"Those were fun times." Yang Qing muttered to himself before he came to, meeting the dumbfounded gaze of Cheng Yuan.
"Cough cough ahem where was I, right students like Cao Ying from the institute working at restaurants and whatnot. Well, the pay is good but it wasn''t the reason the instructors suggested we do it. Other than helping us achieve a bnce from cultivation, they suggested it so it could help us be grounded. It isn''t that hard to imagine what would happen to young kids who got epted at one of the most powerful organizations around the continent. The more their genius talent showed and flourished the more seeds of puffed-up pride would grow and they''d look at others as beneath them. You''ve seen how disciples from these stronger sects and families act around weaker sects and families haven''t you? As a body of order and impartiality, the Order couldn''t let its members go down that route. Working in these establishments was one such measure meant to curb that pride. You get to serve the big shots like us judges and those lower than yourself like cultivators from rank 5 sects.
The students have to be sincere and diligent in their services since their conduct is constantly evaluated by us and the reports are sent to the instructors who then share them with the ss once those students resume their lessons at the institute. Those evaluations are crucial as those who have great evaluations get the favor of the judges and inquisitors who gave them those evaluations. When their work experience periodes up those judges and inquisitors can put a personal requisition for them instead of being randomly positioned. As for those with poor evaluations, that report isn''t only shared by instructors but even among us judges and inquisitors too. Barely anyone would want someone with a bad attitude under them. So the student is left in limbo with nowhere to go and without work experience, the Institute will never let them graduate and the Order will never employ them. The only way they can improve their image is toe back here and do their work diligently and sincerely.
The mental strain of pretending you''re not looking down on someone with a smile on your face is too much especially if you know there are monsters here who will easily spot that pretense. The only way to ovee it is to drop the pride and life bes easier here for you. The whole outlook of the student changes once they do that besides Judges asionallye here with the defendants so it makes it easier for the students to re-adjust their attitudes once they see their interactions like how I am here with you." Yang Qing patiently exined.
"Uuum pardon me for saying this but why would the student risking here if they know there''s a chance of getting a negative evaluation? I would rather stay at home and not get any evaluation." Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but wonder as the risk was too much.
"If you were told to take a small test for the chance at receiving pointers from someone in the pce realm and the domain realm when you are just at the foundation or qi stage would you take it?" Yang Qing asked.
"I would." Cheng Yuan answered instinctively. Who would refuse such a juicy pie? He would retake the test over and over. When his thoughts reached this far he couldn''t help but smile with a look of understanding.
"Precisely, they get to interact with numerous experts from the core stage and above all in one ce and maybe receive a good rmendation when they start their work experience putting them miles ahead of the rest. The students will always reel at such a chance. Besides our evaluations are not that strict. We don''t judge their service skills just their eyes. If they treat you how they''d treat their friends, parents, teachers, or us then they pass it with flying colors. Most evaluations are good it''s only that like in every society there are always bad apples. This test is one that weeds some of them out. Our eyes as judges and inquisitors will get clouded if something as dangerous as contempt fills them." Yang Qing seriously said before that look disappeared within seconds when his chopsticks picked up another taro.
"How do his expressions switch that fast?" Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but wonder as he followed suit in gobbling down the taro dumplings.
Chapter 40 40: Cheng Yuan Red With Envy
?As time went by Cheng Yuan lost his earlier reserved disy and grew morefortable as he dug into the remaining dishes with Yang Qing. They chatted andughed as they enjoyed their meal together like two old friends though with the disparity in how they looked it looked more like a grandfather and his grandson.
Cheng Yuan was shocked to discover as he ate the different dishes that they were all made of ingredients that were at the peak of the foundation realm. He couldn''t help but wonder about the identity of the owner of the restaurant. From the red starlight wood which just a single log would cost over a thousand mid-tier spirit stones to the chef who was half step into the pce realm and now the ingredients which were all in the foundation realm, he couldn''t help but wonder if the owner was a member of the Order.
"No member of the Order owns any business establishment within these grounds. To reduce the risk of infighting andpetition for such a prime location, all members of the Order are prohibited from owning a business here. Every single owner is an outsider who had to pass a few tests here and there to prove they were upright individuals and had a certain level of capability," Yang Qing said as if he read his thoughts.
"Does Yang Qing read minds?" Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but shiver in fear when that thought crossed his mind as he stared wearily at Yang Qing.
"I don''t read minds either," Yang Qing said with a yful smile as they went on to the penultimate dish of the dim sum which was the steamed lotus root stuffed with sticky sweet rice. Yang Qing showed an excited voracious expression that had been raised a notch when it came to this dish. His reaction was much more exaggerated than when he was about to eat the other dishes. Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but wonder what was special about this dish. It looked just like a regr dish nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was yellow with some hints of white on the base like it had been sprinkled with snow and below the stuffed lotus roots was a red-brown thick sauce which Cheng Yuan assumed was made of sky wolf berries and jujubes.
What he did find weird was even after Yang Qing had picked the te from the tray and ced it on the table there was absolutely no scenting from it. The te may have very well been bare. He couldn''t help but find it suspect.
"You''re in for a treat Cheng Yuan. This steamed lotus root stuffed with sweet sticky rice was made by someone who is close to the level of the chef who brewed the oolong tea. Though she is younger and in the middle stages of the core formation realm she has already started walking her path. It''s still in the early stages though but it is something interesting. Her dishes would be more beneficial to you than the oolong tea since she is closer to your rank than Jiang Fu. It''s easier for you to grasp some concepts. The best part is this dish is really delicious." Yang Qing said in excitement as he quickly fished out two small bowls faster than Cheng Yuan''s eyes could follow. He split the soup between the two bowls and then started dipping the steamed lotus root in his own soup as he gently chewed it.
"Mmmmm," Yang Qing couldn''t help but groan in pleasure when he chewed on it.
"Qi Shan you''ve really outdone yourself this time," Yang Qing muttered as he quickly grabbed another steamed lotus root. Cheng Yuan seeing Yang Qing''s reaction got curious and hurriedly dipped his in the soup before he chewed on it.
Boom
The taste and even the scent exploded instantaneously. Cheng Yuan had never thought he could taste scent but here he was doing exactly that. His tongue tasted the vors and the smell of the steamed lotus root stuffed with sweet sticky rice. They didn''t overwhelm each other but insteadplemented each other pushing the dish to a higher level. The dish was soft that just the movement of the tongue would dissolve it and had a sweet vor apanying it which wasterplemented with a hint of sourness from the wolfberry soup. Even though the dish were mixed together the dishes managed to maintain their individuality which was perfectly used to add to each other and form a revolving bnce of taste, vor, and scent.
Cheng Yuan felt his qi circte automatically using his cultivation technique the green water light saturation sutra. With eachpleted revolving cycle his operation of the technique became smoother and quicker. He was shocked as he had been using this technique ever since he established his foundation more than 80 years ago but in all his time using it he had never felt as familiar with it as he did now. It felt like the cultivation sutra was adjusting itself to suit his body and not the other way around, which was why his qi cirction currently felt more natural to him than he had ever felt before. His qi was boiling and felt more alive than ever, his whole body even seemed rosier and younger.
After a few minutes, his qi calmed down as it flowed at a gentle pace like a slow river. He blew out turbid qi from his mouth before his face froze n fright. He had forgotten where he was for a moment and did what he did instinctively in his own abode after a cultivation session. Blowing out turbid qi was like farting for cultivators and here he was doing it absentmindedly in front of a judge in a ssy restaurant. He hurriedly tried to suck it back in but it was toote, it was already out. He stared nervously at Yang Qing''s reaction as he prepared to be pped to death but what he waited for never happened.
"Maybe my turbid qi isn''t that bad and there was that aroma from the lotus root that may have drowned it out. Saaaaaaafe." Cheng Yuan silently thought to himself as he gently stroked his beard with a rxed expression.
"There are istion arrays built specifically for targeting turbid qi which is why it didn''t reach me. Due to the quality of the food here and those even weaker than yourself eating here, a reaction like yours isn''t that umon. To help preserve the dining experience the restaurantmissioned a formation master to carve turbid qi istion arrays below each chair and table around this restaurant. I don''t know why you had a smug expression like your turbid qi was roses here." Yang Qing couldn''t help but snidely remark once he saw the prideful look Cheng Yuan was having before he went back to eating.
Cheng Yuan''s face flushed red in embarrassment as he tried to bury his head in the small bowl like Zhang Qingge at the other table. After a quarter of an hour, thest of the dish of the dim sum was finished. It was the yellow radiance egg tarts. Cheng Yuan felt his body filled with bursting energy due to the high quality of the ingredients and the technique used to create the dishes. He would need to go into short closed-door cultivation to fully digest that energy and the other fruits of realization he had harvested from them. He couldn''t wait to get this case over with and head back to the sect. He felt he would breakthrough to the sixth stage in the core formation realm in one go.
Cao Ying came and cleared the food tray and thest of the te leaving only the parasol teapot at the table. Yang Qing poured the final cup for himself.
"In your current blotted state drinking the tea would be detrimental. It would drown out your other harvests." Yang Qing patiently exined which Cheng Yuan understood as he felt if he dared drink that oolong tea the fragile bnce of thought and energy in his body would be broken and he knew the real reason which Yang Qing was kind enough not to say out loud was he wasn''t talented enough to swallow all the harvest at once. He would have to sacrifice one for the other. The insights from the steamed lotus roots were much more beneficial to his current state than how much he could glean from the oolong tea.
Cao Ying cameter to give the bill which was at a whopping 3,500 mid-tier spirit stones which left Cheng Yuan the penny pincher with a gaping mouth full of shock. This was just the bill for a single meal. He couldn''t believe it as he used that same amount to maintain the formations at the lecture halls and inner sect disciples'' courtyards for a month. His eyes were green in envy. Mid-tier spirit stones had fewer impurities and multiple levels of stored energy than the low-tier spirit stones. Cultivators at the core formation stage and even those in the pce realm could use them to speed up their cultivation as opposed to drawing qi from the environment. Just a single mid-tier spirit stone could power a dozen low-tier formation arrays so it was easy to imagine how valuable mid-tier spirit stones were.
In the blue origin the value of a spirit stone was as follows;
1 mid-tier spirit stone= 1,000 low-tier spirit stones
I high-tier spirit stone= 100 mid-tier spirit stones
Yang Qing ignored Cheng Yuan''s look which looked like he wished he could pull Yang Qing aside by the ear and give him a lecture on the importance of not squandering mid-tier spirit stones. He pulled out a ck jade talisman from his robe. The jade was palm-sized and rectangr in shape with a few golden symbols that Cheng Yuan couldn''t recognize. From what he could deduce the jade looked like a special kind of storage treasure.
"Deduct 2,500 spirit stones from here and the bnce Dai Chen will cover it," Yang Qing said as he pointed behind him. Cao Ying nodded as he took the ck jade and went over to Dai Chen''s table where he was given a simr-looking ck jade talisman by Kang Hung who was grieving as he handed it over. Cao Ying then disappeared to a room upstairs then came back and handed the talismans to Yang Qing first and then to Kang Hung. As Cao Ying was passing by to head to the kitchen Yang Qing called him over and handed him 10 mid-tier spirit stones which caused Cheng Yuan to almost rupture the capiries in his eyes.
"All the best as you return to the institute Cao Ying," Yang Qing said as he patted his back to which Cao Ying responded by smiling and offering a bow of gratitude.
"I guess I''ll have to go to the institute and tell them to send the kid my way when his work experience periodes up." Yang Qing silently thought to himself as he prepared to get up and leave.
"You couldn''t be thinking of leaving without saying hi, young master Yang Qing?" a short stout man with brown short hair and a gruff beard said as he came out of the kitchen.
Chapter 41 41: Palace Realm Stage
?Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile when he saw the maning over. He hurriedly woke up from his seat. Cheng Yuan turned too to see who the person was. The person had on a light yellow robe that was form-fitting and was rolled back at the sleeves till they reached his elbows. The man had a medium rough-looking beard and hair that was tied up in a round bun with loose strands flowing everywhere. He had light brown eyes that matched his hair. His build was stocky. He looked more like a cksmith than a chef. What made Cheng Yuan assume he was a chef and not a cksmith moonlighting as a chef on the side was the clean robes and the crystal-like hands. They stood out against his muscr build.
"Don''t stare at his hands too much Cheng Yuan. Even though Jiang Fu never says it, he doesn''t like people staring at his hands for long," Cheng Yuan was shocked to hear Yang Qing''s voice being transmitted to his head despite thetter not making a sound as he was currently smiling.
"How is he able to do this? I don''t think voiceless transmission is something one at the core formation realm can do as far as I can tell master told me it was those at the pce realm who were able to do things like this¡Wait could he be? But no it can''t be. He is a superior core court judge and as such he should be at that stage. Besides how old is he? He looks to be barely 20 years old. The Order may have talents but even I doubt they''d have a 20-year-old pce realm cultivator. Maybe core formation experts from the Order are of a different breed like how Cao Ying is. The Order has unfathomable means that people at our rank can never fathom," Cheng Yuan internally wondered as he quickly averted his gaze away from the short man''s crystal jade-like hands.
In the cultivation realms once one reached the pce stage they would be able to transmit their thoughts using their spiritual sense. Though when they breakthrough to the pce stage it stops being the spiritual sense and bes the monarch''s sense. At that level, their senses can do a lot of things including transmitting their thoughts which is why spirit beasts canmunicate with people at the pce stage without the need for voice transmission beads.
"Master Jiang Fu," Yang Qing cheerily said as he went over and exchanged a back pat with the short man. Jiang Fu also reciprocated the pat with the same level of enthusiasm as small chuckles escaped his mouth.
"Young master Yang Qing I told you to stop calling me that. It makes me feel embarrassed being called that by someone a thousand levels more powerful than I am. Where would I put my face if a pce stage expert called a puny core formation expert like myself master." Jiang Fu jokingly said.
"I''ll do that when you stop calling me young master making me sound like the scion of some noble family," Yang Qing answered back before both of them broke upughing shoulder to shoulder. They seemed closer than the friendly rtionship a regr customer and a chef would have.
Cheng Yuan''s mind was in disarray once he heard Jiang Fu say Yang Qing was a pce stage expert. He almost yelped out the moment he heard, luckily he heard enough self-restraint to hold himself back.
"HOW, HOW HOW HOW HOW...Whhaaaat," Cheng Yuan internally mumbled to himself in fear as he stared at Yang Qing with a terrified gaze. Even as he stared he still found it hard to believe. There was no single aura of an expert flowing out of Yang Qing in fact at the moment it felt like it was being swallowed up by the person named Jiang Fu who had a tempestuous stillness to him like he could erupt at any moment. Though Jiang Fu had withdrawn as much of his pressure as he could, Cheng Yuan still felt his palms sweating and heart racing from being this close to him. As for Yang Qing, he seemed like he wasn''t even there. He didn''t add or remove anything. He was just a green-haired youth with a slovenly appearance and a happy-go-lucky attitude.
Cheng Yuan had a hard time reconciling one of the stories he had heard about pce stage cultivators and Yang Qing''s current look. It was a stark contrast.
In one of the stories recorded by the sect founder, there was a rank 4 kingdom called the Silver sun kingdom that had been under mutiny. Before the mutiny happened the power of the royal family was being encroached upon by the various powerful noble families of the kingdom who had banded together to try and dethrone them andpletely devour their resources. There wasn''t much power difference between the royal family and the noble families except that the royal family had more core formation experts and resources than the noble families. The noble families produced schemes and plots to wear down those resources and also test the capabilities of the royal family to dig out other hidden trump cards they may have. During all this, the royal family was passive as they did all that they could just to maintain the fragile bnce. However, the bnce was broken when two of the ancestors of the rebelling noble families had a leap in their cultivation from the peak of core formation realm to half step into the pce stage. It was then that they rallied the rest of the nobles. Even those who were on the fences quickly joined in and charged the royal capital. Within a week all the protection formation and the experts of the capital were destroyed leaving only the royal pce which was thest bastion of the royal family.
Breaking through the royal pce proved more difficult than had been expected. Even after a month of trying they couldn''t break through the formation and other protective measures such as the puppets surrounding it. These results drew even more greedy looks from the nobles as they got to see the royal family''s true depth and they couldn''t wait to swallow this fat sheep. They threw all caution to the wind and pulled out all their trump cards to break the formations around the pce even the two half-step pce ancestors didn''t hold back. Two days into their full-blown attack was when a sudden change overtook the pce and its grounds which were a couple of thousand acres. There was a dark cloud overhead which unlike normal clouds had an overbearing and suppressive effect on cultivators and its effects were more pronounced on the two half-step pce realm cultivators. They instantly knew this was a cloud tribtion for someone breaking through to the pce realm. They madly tried to break the formation fearing the worst from happening but s they didn''t have enough time. After half an hour the cloud tribtion had rained down lightning at a particr spot behind the pce grounds. The moment that tribtion disappeared a powerful aura erupted from there as it rapidly spread and covered the whole pce and soon went beyond it and covered the intruding nobles. They were all pressed down by an overbearing pressure. Those weaker in the foundation realm were crushed into meat paste. Those who could barely stand were the two half-step pce ancestors but they didn''t look too good.
It was secondster that they all saw an old man float above the pce wearing white robes with free-flowing silver-like hair that glistened with the sun. This was the trademark look of the royal family, their silver-like hair that had the re of the sun. It was rumored that they had the bloodline of a silver sun unicorn. A rain of silver me sword qi was produced behind him which he used to massacre over ten thousand cultivators who had besieged the pce. Whether they were at the core formation realm or at the foundation realm they were all reduced to ashes instantly leaving behind the two half-step pce ancestors. They tried to ignite their potential and use forbidden arts to escape but they were suppressed with a single palm of the silver-haired old man that they couldn''t even detonate themselves. They got their cultivation realm crippled andter got tied to the gates of the capital as a warning to others. In a few seconds, the whole rebellion had been put down.
It was onlyter during a kingdom-wide celebration that people came to know the old man was the fourth ancestor of the kingdom and that he had broken through to the pce stage hence the celebration. Cheng Yuan was surprised when he read that story he even suspected it was a lie when he asked his master if it was true. His master admitted it was because his master, the sect founder of the green fog swamp sect was sworn brothers with one of the princes from that kingdom. He had offered his help to the prince the moment he heard of the rebellion. During the onset and finally its resolution he witnessed it all, especially the attack of the fourth ancestor.
Against a pce stage expert, even a hundred core formation experts couldn''t hold a candle. This event came to be known as the silver sun''s me of retribution.
[Author''s notes:
Hey, fellow Daoists I was thinking of writing short bios of various characters every few chapters. Enjoy. You can also write down below which character you want to see their bio.
MC Bio
Name: Yang Qing
Age: 24
Cultivation rank: Outer pce stage (Pce realm 1st stage)
Type of core: Purple core
upation: Currently a superior core court judge.
Likes: Eating, pulling a fast one on Lei Weiyuan, spending other people''s spirit stones, payday, and snuggling at his rattan chair as he admires his pond
Dislikes: Working especially overtime, getting caught by Lei Weiyuan, and being defeated by Kang Hung in their monthlypetitions.]
Chapter 42 42: Birth Of The Sect Ghost
?That was the story that ignited Cheng Yuan and Peng Zhen''s thirst for cultivation. To one day wield that level of power. If they really did have that kind of ability they could be overlords of the eight zone of the green fog region and the most important part for Cheng Yuan was he could finally avenge Zou Wen and his master against the ck cosmos caiman. Zou Wen was killed andter consumed by it as for his master he got heavy injuries fighting against it while trying to protect Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan from it. Those injuriester hindered his cultivation and his eventual early death. This has always been a huge knot in both his and Peng Zhen''s heart. Their master had the talent to reach the pce stage especially with him having a blue core. But in a single day they lost their fellow disciple and their master got fatally wounded though he did cause a massive wound to the beast.
Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but clench his fists in frustration. Yang Qing shortly nced at him when he noticed his change before he continuedughing and chatting with Jiang Fu.
"Oh Jiang Fu this is the sect master of a rank 4 sect Cheng Yuan. Cheng Yuan this is Jiang Fu the chef who made that delicious oolong tea we just had." Yang Qing said once he noticed Cheng Yuan had gotten his emotions in check.
"Cheng Yuan humble greets Master Jiang Fu. I deeply thank you for the insights your oolong tea has given me.'' Cheng Yuan said as he offered a solemn bow.
"No need for formalities. What you gain at the end of the day is because of your own capabilities. The tea is just a key. Besides I''m not the one you should be thanking it should be my young friend Yang Qing over here. Without him offering it you wouldn''t be able to drink. All the best in your trails ahead Sect master Cheng Yuan," Jiang Fu said in a in tone. Cheng Yuan nodded in understanding as he cupped his fist in thanks to both him and Yang Qing.
Yang Qing could only smile as he shook his head. Jiang Fu has always been too curt and straightforward.
"Well, Jiang Fu let me offer my congrattions in advance to you breaking through to the pce stage. When will enter closed-door cultivation?" Yang Qing asked as he prepared to leave his one-hour break was almost up and he had to hurry back before the old monster Lei Weiyuan came sniffing around his court.
"I''ll be closing tonight I''m already in a refreshed peak state after today''s brew and I want to take advantage of that momentum. Thank you once again Yang Qing for your guidance in helping improve my dao. Once I breakthrough I''ll make sure to set aside my very first pot for you." Jiang Fu said as he cupped his fist with deep gratitude showing in his eyes.
"It''s all due to your constant efforts master Jiang Fu plus I wasn''t alone in giving my insights you have Dai Chen and the rest there who offered just as much," Yang Qing said as he gently smiled and ced his hands over Jiang Fu''s back.
"Mmmh I''m about to head over too to give them my thanks." Jiang Fu said as he nodded in agreement.
"I need to head out too I''m still in session. I await your good news Jiang Fu," Yang Qing said as he made his way out. Mao Yunru and Yi Jie were already at the entrance waiting for him with Yi Jie frowning with eyes that were telling him to hurry.
Jiang Fu waved goodbye as he went over to Kang Hung''s table. Cheng Yuan was surprised to see he was just as free with them as he was with Yang Qing. Even the shy Zhang Qingge wasughing and chatting along with him freely. He couldn''t help but wonder was this guy that free and friendly with everyone.
"He is not that way everyone. It''s just that we have known him since we were young. Despite how he seems he is a friendly person once you get to know him. He used to make this sweet ckberry tea and some persimmon cake when we were little it is still Zhang Qingge''s favorite to this day. Of us all actually, those two are the closest to each other like a father and his little daughter. He is one of the few people outside of us that Qingge can hold a conversation without shying up." Yang Qing said as if reading Cheng Yuan''s thoughts.
As they were walking away Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but look back when he noticed Zhang Qingge blissfullyughing. Thatughter raised her already exaggerated beauty a couple of notches that Cheng Yuan couldn''t look away. It was refreshing like the morning sun after a cold winter night.
"I wouldn''t do that if I were you," Yi Jie said once Yang Qing and Cheng Yuan had arrived at the door.
"Huh?" Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but ask in confusion as he knew the question was directed at him as Yi Jie was looking at him dead eye when he said.
"What my trying to look cool with few words friend is trying to say is don''t stare at Zhang Qingge too much or else you''ll invite disaster upon yourself," Yang Qing chimed at the side as Yi Jie snorted to his remark.
Yang Qing''s remark left Cheng Yuan even more confused than Yi Jie''s earlier remark. Despite being warned he couldn''t help but instinctively look back at the table again and wonder where the danger came from.
"Is it one of the guys sharing the table with her? It must be. There''s no way they''d be this close to such a beauty and not try their chances. One of them might be seeing her. It might be that rough-looking guy Dai Chen was it or the noble like one Xia Boqin. But I have a feeling it''s more likely to be thetter. Dammit, how lucky are they? I''ve been single all my life and the elders of the sect none of them are lookers. Mmmh I should arrange somepetition events with some of the sects around us to expand the horizons of the disciples, form some connections and maybe I might find someone to share my woes with. Do I have enough spirit stones for this?..." Cheng Yuan''s mind drifted off as he started absentmindedly muttering figures, interest payments, grace periods, deductions, bleeding dry, and dying alone. Yang Qing and the rest couldn''t help but wonder what was going around this guy''s head.
"Oi sect master, sect master you''ll m your face into the door," Yang Qing couldn''t help but warn him once he saw he was still engrossed in his thoughts that he wasn''t looking ahead.
Cheng Yuan managed to look up in time narrowly avoiding the door. He smiled sheepishly as the gang finally left the restaurant. Cheng Yuan sneaked onest nce at Zhang Qingge''s table as the door was closing.
"You really don''t value your life Sect master Cheng Yuan. You''re lucky senior sister Qingge''s attention is grabbed by Jiang Fu otherwise you''d be close to death right now," Mao Yunru said with some worry in her voice as she looked at Cheng Yuan as if he were a reckless child ying with a sharp knife.
"Huh her attention?" Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but ask out loud. Things were not tracking to him as he wondered what Zhang Qingge''s distraction had with him escaping death. "Wasn''t the risk of deathing from the two guys sharing a table with her," He couldn''t help but wonder as he threw Mao Yunru a puzzled look.
"You must be thinking the danger is the guys sharing the table with her but it isn''t, the real danger is Zhang Qingge herself. You must have noticed how shy she is. Those at the table with her, myself, and Jiang Fu are about the few people she can hold a normal conversation with without her acting anxious or shy. If she was only shy like a normal person there''d be no problem however she reacts differently than most whenever she is made extremely shy or anxious. Being stared at continuously by strangers, especially oneced with lecherous desire is an extreme trigger for her. She gets anxious, shy, and flustered and her violent side gets triggered. A long while back a core disciple of a rank 4 sect tried to take liberties with her when she was doing her sect evaluations not thinking she was a judge because of how her small frame made her seem young. The disciple was a bit too zealous in his pursuit, especially seeing how shy reacted stoked it further but soon her violent side got triggered and crippled him on the spot. The sect master and other elders came in to try and protect the disciple but Qingge was already in her violent rampaging state. She crippled them too and destroyed half the sect buildings. So you see my good friend Cheng Yuan if you don''t want to get your cultivation destroyed in the most painful and violent way, you really shouldn''t stare at her so much." Yang Qing innocently exined as he admired Cheng Yuan''s skills in getting his skin pale white. It was like the fifth time today.
Cheng Yuan''s back was soaked wet as he increased his pace so he could get to the safety of the courts. He had been dancing with a grim reaper without him noticing. This little interlude was what gave rise to the rumor about a ghost patrolling the green fog swamp sect at night. Cheng Yuan was filled with nightmares for years of Zhang Qingge visiting his sect for retribution. He always woke up panic-stricken and pale as a ghost from those nightmares that he had to patrol the sect to confirm they had not been attacked. Some young disciples saw his pale and frenzied state during those patrols and the rumor about a ghost walking the sect grounds started from there.
Chapter 43 43: The Brewing Undercurrent
?Cheng Yuan finally heaved a sigh of relief once he was in the courtroom. Never had he been so d to be here however his mood soon turned sour once he noticed that Wen Chang was still enclosed in the ck blob.
"Mmmh you might be in luck sect master Cheng Yuan, Wen Chang may very well pull through from this. My spell, the Green cocoon of evernight has shrunk and this means there''s been an improvement in her state. We may not have to wait long. Maybe before Feng Xin makes it back she would have already woken up a new cow," Yang Qing said as he moved closer to examine the blob and left secondster with an interesting smile showing up on his face.
It was only when Yang Qing mentioned the shrinkage that Cheng Yuan managed to notice the ck blob had a very significant reduction in circumference. The reduction was so huge that he suspected if Wen Chang was even there because the blob''s current size was even smaller than her regr body size. Despite thinking it over and over he couldn''t figure out why it seemed smaller and just assumed that the spell had some spatial features to it.
Yang Qing went over to his podium as Mao Yunru and Yi Jie went to each of their positions with Yi Jie staying by Yang Qing''s side and Mao Yunru sitting at the desk below his podium. As for Cheng Yuan, he moved to where the defendants stood which was to the left of Wen Chang.
"I wonder if we should call in people from the other cases to save up time." Yang Qing held his chin as he debated.
"I think it may be best. We don''t know when Feng Xin will arrive. It''s already been over an hour and he isn''t back yet. I hope he didn''t get into trouble over there, especially with recent developments of members of the Order being attacked when conducting their duties. I can''t help but feel a tumultuous undercurrent brewing," Mao Yunru added with concern showing on her face.
"What do you think Yi Jie?" Yang Qing asked solemnly.
"If it was anyone else I would be worried but it''s Feng Xin. Not many inquisitors at his level can best him in a duel; that is when he hasn''t activated his physique. If he were at the same level as me I would be hard-pressed to gain victory over him as I do now. Who knows he may beat me." Yi Jie coolly said.
"Isn''t that pretty modest of you there Yi Jie seeing as how you are one of the few people at the Order known to have defeated a purple core formation expert despite being a gold core yourself. But I have faith in Feng Xin too, he did manage tost 90 seconds against me when I broke through to the pce realm albeit I held back but his skills and especially his reaction speed have been refined to the tip. He still also has the talismans I made for him and the rest after I recently broke through. Although they are at 80% of my full strength it should be enough to give him room to escape from someone at the early stages of the pce realm and if he decides to spam them who knows killing or fatally wounding one might not be out of the question." Yang Qing said.
Even though both he and Yi Jie had full confidence in Feng Xin, they were secretly worried. Over the past ten months, some members of the Order were attacked with some being grievously wounded. This put the Order on high alert. During their investigations on the surface, it seemed the attackers were part of factions and underworld organizations that had a deep feud with some members of the Order. However, the attacks seemed too coordinated throughout the continent and the ''culprits'' didn''t have the resources and manpower to pull it off. The Order came to an assumptive conclusion that there was some powerful mastermind behind it all and it may not even be a single entity but a couple. They were careful and meticulous enough to not leave any trail or connecting thread behind. It was always intermediaries, false leads and in some cases, they had created a thorough frame-up job that if it was any other organization other than the Order they would have fallen for it. They were even able to avoid scrying techniques of the Order which were done by the elders who were at the peak of the domain realm. This was what made the whole Order to be wary, for someone to be able to evade those techniques they had to be at least a peak domain expert and one who was one of the most powerful or they were at the soul formation stage. Thetter was a worst-case scenario that the Order didn''t hope for. The attacks over the recent months have also grown in sophistication and intensity. Thest recorded attack was on an inquisitor at the pce realm. He was besieged by 15 half-step pce realm cultivators. He managed to get out alive and even killed 10 of them and fatally wounded the rest however he ended up with some severe injuries that he had to be transported to the Order''s medicine valley for recuperation for a year.
It was after this attack that the Order started ensuring that every branch had at least someone at the pce stage manning it and with the major ones having someone either at the peak of the pce realm or an early-stage domain realm cultivator. However, those at the domain stage were few and far in between. Though the Order had talents, domain stage cultivators were in short supply and were a critical resource to them who had to be positioned in strategic ces.
Because the mandate of the Order covered the whole continent, it has always struggled with a shortage of manpower. With their very best efforts, years of expansion, and growth the Order is only able to address 10% of the continent''s issues. A lot of cases go unresolved or even unnoticed most of the time. There are even ces in which the Order has no footprint. The recent attacks made the Order stretch its already thin resources even more. At the moment they were currently debating whether to close some branches and concentrate their manpower and resources in the more central branches or alternatively for the next decade ? of the talent thates out of their institute priority will have to be given to the branches instead of the main headquarters orstly, they find the mastermind and deal with the root cause. However, thest solution was predicated on them being able to handle the mastermind while suffering minimal loss. The Order was already in a precarious position especially after they destroyed a rank 1 sect. They had shown their hand and this left the rest of the rank 3 and above sects and families wary of them. The Order protecting the underdogs instead of the interests of these sects and families also contributed hugely to the list of grievances they had which has only grown more with time. Were the Order to attack the mastermind and both end up with huge losses there was no doubt these sects and families would take advantage unite and pounce on them.
"Feng Xin I hope you''re okay," Yang Qing silently muttered to himself. Yi Jie at the side had his hands behind his back which were tightly clenched.
It was then during this somber atmosphere that the doors of the courtroom swung open revealing three people, two of them were in a disheveled and sorry state. Their robes were in tatters, their whole bodies were covered in ck soot and one of them was even bald. They seemed to be at death''s door as they could barely stand and it was the man in the middle who was supporting the both of them. The man looked better of the three, however, part of his right sleeve robe was torn apart revealing a pale white arm that had a few wounds that were visibly healing at a fast speed.
Yang Qing stared wide-eyed at the stranger but soon a d smile formed on his face as for Yi Jie his shoulders seemed to rx and a small smile was on his face.
"YANG QING YOU BASTARD, WERE YOU TRYING TO GET ME KILLED WITH THOSE TALISMANS?!!!!!!!!!" the man in the middle yelled as he carelessly dropped the two people by his side.
"Feng Xin you''re okay," Mao Yunru cheerily said as she quickly left her desk to go check on him. Feng Xin who was already an erupting volcano suddenly turned into an extinct volcano the moment he saw Mao Yunru rush towards him with a glowing smile.
"Mao Mao only you''re the best, unlike a certain someone. I wish I could ditch his court for yours," Feng Xin said as he gave her a warm smile but not before throwing a death re at Yang Qing.
"Feng Xin I knew nothing could happen to you. Didn''t I tell you Yi Jie his ability to survive matches his ability to eat, truly unparalleled." Yang Qing said as he sheepishlyughed also making his way toward Feng Xin with Yi Jie in tow.
Mao Yunru hugged Feng Xin before she quickly moved to the two people on the floor.
"Summer stratus glow," She muttered as a golden cloud was produced from her index finger enveloping the two people. They were swallowed up by the cloud. Cheng Yuan''s pupils were frozen once he saw the two people even in their charred state he could still recognize them. How could he not when one of them was his junior brother and the other was one of his oldest friends.
Chapter 44 44: The Flaw Of Talismans And Feng Xin’s Scheme
?"Are they?" Cheng Yuan asked in a cracked shaky voice as he nervously pointed at Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen who were currently swallowed up in a yellow sunny cloud. His voice was so low that it would be swallowed up by the space of the courtroom however to the members present even a tiny mosquito buzz was as loud as a dragon''s roar.
"They are okay just a little bit worn out from the journey that''s all," Feng Xin offhandedly replied. Cheng Yuan heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that.
"How could fatigue cause one to lose their entire hair?" Cheng Yuan thought to himself as he dare not ask it out loud. He stared at the cloud enveloping them suspiciously before his expression finally eased and heaved a sigh of relief. Even if he had a personal feud with them it was still hard for him to remain indifferent if something were to happen to them. Currently of the people left alive in the sect, he had known the two of them longest and had a great rtionship with both. At least he thought he did, but after the revtion of today''s events, he wasn''t so sure.
"Yang Qing what did you do to those talismans? One of them reacted instantly before I even had time to get away. If I wasn''t with Ellie we would have been swept up in its attack," Feng Xin said as he gnashed his teeth.
"Huh, there was something wrong with them? I thought these were my best talismans yet. Maybe I got too overzealous when I was making them. I had only just stabilized my realm and sessfully pulled a fast one on the old fiend Lei Weiyuan. It was in that high that I started working on the talismans and it sort of went away from me. By the time I came to, there were piles of them lying around. I was in a dissociative fugue state at the time so I don''t know what tweaks I added to them in that state. I just knew their general abilities and so forth. But it couldn''t have been that bad, could it? I may not be an expert at making talismans but I know enough to be skilled at it." Yang Qing said as he nervouslyughed while scratching the back of his head.
"You You You¡Yang Qing did you just use me as a guinea pig for your talismans?" Feng Xin said with spittle flying everywhere pointing at Yang Qing with his fingers trembling.
"Calm down Feng Xin atleast you are back safe and sound right?... from your current look it doesn''t look like they all malfunctioned. Though I am curious which one went wrong? I may have constructed them in an absent-minded state but I have confidence in their stability and the foundation I built them on. I did it using the insights I got from breaking through to the pce stage. This time I decided to use talismans instead of arrays which I''m morefortable with as the added difficulty and nature of talismans would help me polish up and dig further into those insights. Those talismans ended up with my dao marks on them as a result of it that''s why I''m surprised there were idents," Yang Qing said as he scratched his smooth chin in thought.
Feng Xin calmed down once he heard Yang Qing mention his dao marks. Yang Qing was known to bezy, devious, eats too much, leeches of others too much basically an all-around glorified parasite that the Order will never get rid of but of his few redeeming qualities one of them was how he was studious in his cultivation. The only thing that could match the effort he put into his soft life Yang Qing schemes was how meticulous he was in his cultivation.
The Order was a ce that gathered talents from all walks of life. Those who passed through its gates constantly pushed the boundaries of what it means to be an elite or a genius. But then there were those whom those boundaries didn''t exist for them, they went beyond normal or genius convention. They were monsters through and through who did the unimaginable.
These monsters were the likes of Zhang Qingge who became one of the youngest pce stage judges and cultivator at just 19 years but what made her ssified as a monster was her battle aptitude. As a peak core formation expert, she fought against a 1st stage pce realm cultivator for 3 days straight without losing out despite the pce realm cultivator being a cultivator who had a gold core.
There was an oddity like Kang Hung who achieved two different types of intents within a few months of each other when it would take most people decades to achieve just one of them and those are the lucky ones as most cultivators may spend their entire lives without achieving intent. Whilst those dubbed as genius would take a year to achieve one type of intent. It''s rare to see one exhibit two different intents. Intents were an astral manifestation of someone''s understanding of his or her weapon despite what kind it was. As such there were different kinds of intents i.e sword intent, saber intent, fist intent, spear intent, dagger intent, palm intent, etc/ To achieve intent of any kind one would need absolute dedication to understanding themselves and their weapon. This was why most cultivators only exhibited one type of intent making Kang Hung who had two an oddity. The man himself was also an expert at using any weapon. The moment any weapon touched his hands it was like an extended part of himself. Everything seemed smooth and natural like he had been using the weapons for years despite using the weapon for less than a month.
There was a young alchemist who achieved master alchemist status when he was just in the foundation stage. Those who are dubbed masters in alchemy are those who have walked deeper into the alchemy dao that the pills or potions they produce have spirits in them.
One-tenth of the purple-grade cultivation arts at the Order was created by one elder. Purple-grade techniques would be coveted by sect 1 sects and even holynds. Most rank 1 sects would have one or two and mostly it would be what they inherited from their ancestor or chanced upon in some mysterious realm. But regardless of where it was gotten from it would undoubtedly be one of the most important sect treasures that would be more valued than even the sect master themselves. Creating one would be considered a lifetime achievement that would leave people edifying you as a legend for a millennium but creating more than one it was unthinkable.
The reason Feng Xin calmed down was that Yang Qing fell under the ss of the Order''s monsters. When he was at the core formation stage he had improved a few red-grade cultivation techniques to the orange grade with one of them even reaching the blue grade. Since then his feats have only grown includingpleting iplete or broken cultivation techniques. His current cultivation mantra was an iplete purple-grade mantra that he has been refining and improvising on as he continued with his cultivation. Of course, he would asionally be monitored by the elders of the Order to prevent any mishap. When asked why he opted to choose an iplete technique instead of using aplete purple-grade technique that was already avable, his response was he wanted to walk and see the rest of the journey with his senses otherwise he wouldn''t feel like himself. No one but him knew what it meant though it was choked up to the false esteemed master figure he likes to posture as every now and then. However one thing was undeniable, he had an uncanny gift for parsing through different kinds of dao. Improving and improvising techniques meant one had not onlypletely mastered it to perfection but he had grasped its core and glimpsed enough of its dao to add on it while still maintaining its originality. It has always been debated which was harder to improve on someone else''s technique or create a new technique.
"It was the talisman with the cascading dawn whirlpool technique. The moment I input a bit of my qi in it even before I crushed the talisman the technique released itself and almost swallowed us all in its whirlpool," Feng Xin patiently exined. On the side, the cloud enveloping Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen had already been dispelled and they looked much better than before even Gui Bingwen''s hair started growing back odd enough it was ck, unlike his earlier white web-like hair.
"Mmmh the cascading technique huh. It swallows the enemy and drowns them in yellow and ck rays while also targeting their soul. But I don''t remember adding anything to this spell though as it''s pretty all-round in its offense. Wait, is the problem you were talking about it releasing early and nothing else?" Yang Qing suddenly asked.
"Yes, that was the issue. We were almost swallowed up in the whirlpool," Feng Xin answered showing a puzzled look at Yang Qing''s obvious question. Wasn''t this what he had been saying over and over?
"Phew, that''s good then. The instantaneous reaction wasn''t a malfunction it was deliberate. The talisman reacted the way it was meant to," Yang Qing said as he smiled in relief.
"Before you blow your top Feng Xin allow me to exin. I may y a lot but I wouldn''t joke with your lives. You and Yi Jie know me well enough to know that I wouldn''t do something like that," Yang Qing said.
Feng Xin didn''t say anything but the silence was a tacit agreement to it. He may not trust Yang Qing to hold food for him but he trusted himpletely to have his back.
"It''s because of the recent attacks towards the people of the Order that made me alter a few talismans. Feng Xin, you may have fast agility and reaction speed but that still isn''t enough, especially against someone in the pce realm. During our spar, you experienced personally how huge that gulf is and that was only with me holding back. What would you do if you faced off against someone close to or above my level? The only option will be for you to run but it''s hard to outrun them if they are as fast as me. The next choice would be to use talismans to aid in your escape. However normal talismans have a time gap that though small is sufficient enough to let the opponent nullify its activation. Feng Xin, pce realm cultivators have a lot of means at their disposal. I only broke through but I have 50 different ways to stop someone from using their talismans what about a much more seasoned and craftier pce realm cultivator?
Talismans are a trump card but they have a fatal w which is how long it takes to activate. This is why I made some of those talismans require the tiniest of qi input to trigger self-activation. Yes, it doese with the risk of someone being affected by the spell but it''s better than the alternative at least this way you have a chance. Though I should have told you about it beforehand for that I''m sorry." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists in apology.
"I guessed as much, I''m d my guess wasn''t wrong though I suffered for it. You owe me five meals and that 3,000-year-old cial rice wine of yours," Feng Xin said as he smiled slightly waving his right hand whose sleeves were torn.
"You give someone an inch they take a mile. I know you''ve been eyeing it. That''s my private stash and not be shared with gluttonouspany. But I will share a cup of Jiang Fu''s new brew. He is about to breakthrough and he promised me his first pot of oolong tea," Yang Qing said as he formed a greedy smile with tiny droplets of drool leaking out.
"He is!!!? I can''t wait." Feng Xin said with an equally greedy and drooling smile. The two for some inexplicable reason ended up staring at the ceiling giggling and gulping nonstop.
"These two are truly cut from the same cloth. Feng Xin must havee yelling, showing a pitiful look so he could score a free meal from Yang Qing. How can two people be so simr," Mao Yunru thought to herself as she shook her head at the two. Yi Jie at the side let out a long tired sigh. It seemed he hade to the same conclusion as Mao Yunru on Feng Xin''s scheme.
Chapter 45 45: Tracked Just Ten Minutes Away
?"So what happened? For you to decide on using the talismans it should have been someone you judged you couldn''t handle. That means someone at the pce stage right?" Yi Jie suddenly asked disrupting the imaginative fantasy those two were in. Feng Xin almost choked on his drool from being startled by the question with Yang Qing throwing Yi Jie an aggrieved look for ruining his food fantasy as he was just getting to the good parts.
"I don''t think the trouble had anything to do with the party targeting those from the Order." Feng Xin said seemingly reading the trail of thought Yi Jie was heading to.
"Its source had more to do with the Green fog swamp sect. It seems they had a run-in with the blood ghost hands syndicate. From what these two told me one of their elders the deacon by the name of Dong Yanlin was a member of the syndicate.
When I caught up with these two Dong Yanlin was already dead, destroyed by your spell. Yang Qing how much firepower did you pack in a reconnaissance technique? I saw the aftermath, it had leveled a half a mile radius and my two friends here survived by the skin of their teeth and it was mostly because of that tupelo tree of theirs." Feng Xin suddenly asked when he remembered the scene he had picked Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen in.
"The green swallow technique? Did you see the attack, how great was it, how about the level of its sentience?..." Yang Qing rapidly fired more questions with excitement showing on his face as his spittle flew everywhere that the rest had to form a wide berth from him.
"Calm down will you? I didn''t see it in action I only saw its aftermath. For more details, you will have to ask the survivors. But from what I could tell its level of sentience was pretty high." Feng Xin hurriedly replied to stop Yang Qing''s bombardment.
"No wonder he drools so much. What''s with that level of saliva in his mouth," Feng Xin thought as he took additional steps. At his current distance, he didn''t feel safe enough to dodge Yang Qing''s spittle.
"Fine fine¡Huh, why are you guys standing so far away?" Yang Qing asked in confusion once he had calmed down and noticed the rest standing a few meters away from him.
"Mmmh I wonder why the green swallow would attack though. I put in self-preservation means if it met an attack that it couldn''t dodge but speed is its strongest suit if it met something with enough speed to match, our two elder friends here would have long been dead facing something of that level. The only other reason would be if it met something with negative yin qi steeped in murder. The spell itself is made of qi which is Yang in nature the antithesis of negative qi borne from ces filled with death and the greater the density of it the adverse the reaction of the spell. I wonder what could trigger it. Feng Xin, did you happen to find anything with a dense negative yin qi in the area?" Yang Qing said as he deeply pondered on the weird reaction from the green swallow spell technique. It was one of the few spells that he still kept using and improving ever since he was in the foundation establishment stage.
"If we are talking about negative dense qi then without a doubt it''s from this. Even the guy who was chasing after us it was because I had it in my possession," Feng Xin said as he removed the Ao Yin saber from his storage ring. It was firmly sealed in ce with the four-element life divergent seals.
"Is that an Ao yin bone!!!? Someone was even crazy enough to fashion a weapon from it. Those fellows from the blood ghost hands syndicate never disappoint when ites to doing insane things," Yang Qing said as he picked up the bone saber. Yi Jie and Mao Yunru also had visible frowns on their faces as they stared at it. The Ao Yin tended to have that effect on people. It was a creature built for brutal ughter and torment. It not only feeds on its victims" flesh but it also imprisons their souls and torments them for almost an eternity. As long as the creature was alive the torment would continue.
Most have been collectively wiped out from the continent. Almost every sect, empire, or n is united in their fear and hatred for the beast. Though there have been those who had once tried to enve those ferocious things to use for their gain. Most failed and ended up corrupted by it which led to the eventual destruction of those sects as they had their minds corrupted and made into puppets of perpetual ughter. However, there was one beast-taming sect called the Myriad beasts sect that seeded in taming a few of them. Using the Ao Yins they grew to be as strong as the two holynds from the southern continent. The Myriad beasts sect grew rampantly and tyrannically that the two holynds i.e. the radiant sword sect and the flowing valley sect joined forces to annihte them it wasn''t only them, different sects and families had also rallied together and the Myriad beasts sect was decimated root and stem. Everything about them even their inheritance was erased from history. It has been over 10,000 years since their destruction. Only the powerful sects have records of its existence.
A huge powerful wave came and went as quickly as it had appeared but it was enough to almost paralyze everyone present. Everyone collectively stared at one ce, it was where Yang Qing stood. His hair was half green and half brown with one of his eyes looking like a moon and the other one looking like the sun. A few secondster his look went back to normal.
"Hehehe sorry about that, I tried to sneak my spiritual sense in there and got attacked hehehehe but it''s all okay now," Yang Qing said as he awkwardlyughed. The remnant spirit of the Ao Yin had attacked him just as it did Feng Xin the moment he tried to sneak a nce. He instinctively attacked it with his full power for a second before he severed his sense however a remnant of that attack leaked out which is why he hurriedly stopped. Yang Qing wasn''t worried about destroying the bone as he detected it was from an Ao Yin that was in thete stages of the pce realm. Although it had waned over time it still had the strength of at least an early-stage pce realm cultivator.
"The one who created this weapon is rather insidious. To maintain the Ao Yin''s spirit he constantly fed it cultivators'' blood and souls. From what I could deduce they numbered in the thousands," Yang Qing coldly said.
"I will have to turn this over to Lei Weiyuan they may have a way to trace its creator using the seal techniques he left on it. So Feng Xin what happened after you left the ce where you picked the Ao Yin bone? Did the pce stage cultivator attack you there?" Yang Qing said as he went to ce the bone saber on his podium. A gold siegel appeared that sealed it further in ce there was even a faint muffled painful roar that was heard the moment the sealnded on the bone.
"No I left there safely without being targeted and once I heard of the possible blood ghost hands involvement I called the green mountain branch for reinforcements. Luckily their branch leader Hu Fang was around and offered to act personally. We agreed to meet halfway at white fork mountains. Flying with Ellie I thought we''d make it in good time before anything unexpected happen but I forgot I had used the cleansing dew on a certain mirage dragonfly I got. Its effects became a tracking beacon for that expert. He caught up with us when we were less than 30 miles away."
...................... (40 Minutes earlier)
"Ellie it seems like we are almost there you did a great job there buddy," Feng Xin said as he gently patted Ellie''s head. Feng Xin had an old goat skin map in his hand. There was a white symbol moving along the map and it was heading to a mountainous region with the name white fork mountain above. The white symbol was them. The map was a precious monarch-grade treasure used by the Order to get around. Every map was linked to the owner through their blood essence. Wherever the owner had traveled, the features of the area would be highlighted on the map while the areas they hadn''t ever stepped into would be a nk canvas.
"At this speed, we will be there in 10 minutes or less," Feng Xin silently muttered to himself. His pupils suddenly froze as he looked behind him. Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen hurriedly looked back because they were surprised to see the look of rm on Feng Xin''s face. It was an even greater shock for Haishi who during her brief interaction with him not once had she seen him even mildly flustered. She joined the rest to look back too and just like the rest she couldn''t spot anything. Unlike the two elders beside her, she was visibly terrified when she didn''t see anything. She had seen how powerful Feng Xin was and she knew something capable of drawing that look from him was bound to be scary.
It didn''t take long for the rest to finally see a red dot speedily zoning in on them.
"Things just couldn''t go smoothly tsk a pce stage expert. Ellie, you need to prepare yourself the moment an opportunityes up you need to use everything you have to fly us away. As long as you buy us a minute or two we may make it through this." Feng Xin said as he removed three purple talismans from his storage ring grimly staring at the figure that was now less than a mile away. The figure only halted when he was half a mile away revealing a scarlet-robed man in histe thirties.
Chapter 46 46: Status Unknown
?Peng Zhen and the rest were visibly terrified that they couldn''t move an inch. The scarlet-robed man had fully unleashed the pressure from his pce stage cultivation that suffocated everyone present. Ellie screeched in defiance as she tried to maintain her altitude but her wings felt as heavy as 10 tonnes of metal.
"Interesting, a core formation beast that is able to resist my pressure. Its bloodline must be pretty high. What a steal! Huh, that robe. It seems like you''re from the Order. Ie in peace I just want the leopard storage pouch and the saber that you took from my junior brother. Give me those two things and I''ll let you all go," the man said as he smiled calmly waiting for a response.
Barely did he finish speaking when Feng Xin without a second to waste detonated one of the talismans. A whirlpool of ck and yellow was immediately formed as it rapidly charged toward the scarlet-robed man. Ellie got dragged into a tiny part of the whirlpool. She screeched as she tried to escape it but she couldn''t fly even a single inch away from that whirlpool despite not being the target of the attack its passive effects made it difficult for her to fly away. A huge frosty light was produced which tried to tear through a tiny part of the whirlpool. It was Feng Xin who had attacked. His hair turned white and the iris were pale blue as his sword was dazzling white like his hair.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh," Feng Xin loudly yelled as he tried to slice a tiny part of the whirlpool.
Swoosh
An opening was created in just a moment.
"NOW ELLIE BEFORE IT DRAGS US BACK IN," Feng Xin yelled as he urged Ellie who was quick to react as she took advantage of the brief weakness to escape the sphere of influence of the whirlpool. The only reason they had even managed to etch out an escape was that they were caught in the tiny part of it, unlike the scarlet-robed man who was in the thick of it.
"Don''t fly away just yet," Feng Xin hurriedly said as he noticed Ellie trying to make a run for it.
A blood-red wave like a cascading ocean was formed as it shed against the whirlpool. The whirlpool was being whittled down by the second. Feng Xin stared at one of the two remaining purple talismans in his hands as if he was debating something.
"Better safe than sorry," Feng Xin as ifing to a decision inserted his qi and crushed one of the talismans. The qi around the area was swallowed by a vacuum and a green translucent figure was formed from that qi. The figure resembled Yang Qing except it looked lifeless and still.
"Fist of the grand sr eclipse" a worldly voice sounded as the green translucent pulled his right fist back. The image of the eclipse formed on the fist as the figure punched into the whirlpool.
Boom a loud thunderous explosion sounded that made even the air visibly vibrate. Without even being told Ellie was already bolting away. Feng Xin hurriedly grabbed Peng Zhen before they fell off. The impact of the attack had already knocked both Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen out as they bled from all of their orifices. Feng Xin had a huge ringing in his ears with his internal organs screaming in pain. The aftereffects of that attack had shaken his internal organs.
Right now he didn''t have any thought of figuring out the result of the attack. Ellie had one of her wings injured in the aftermath of the explosion. It had jolted some of the minor meridians attached to that wing. She was coughing out blood as she fiercely flew. Feng Xin channeled some of his qi into her to protect her internal organs from further damage. It took almost 20 minutes before they saw the signature outline of the white fork mountains. The peaks were steep, sharp, and slender just like the mouth of a fork.
"Ellie, bear with it we''re almost there," Feng Xin whispered as Ellie responded weakly with a soft screech. Feng Xin stared ahead before a small smile appeared on his face as he patted Ellie.
"It seems like help has arrived just on time," He said as he breathed in a sigh of relief as he stared ahead. A blue-cloaked figure was moving rapidly in their direction and in less than two minutes he was already there.
"You must be Feng Xin? I''m Hu Fang branch head of the Green mountain branch of the Order. By the look of things, I''m d I decided to hurry here. Where is the one who did all this? Is he alive or dead or has he fled away?" Hu Fang quickly asked as he examined Feng Xin and Ellie as he quickly turned his head and stared in a certain direction that seemed to be simr to the direction Feng Xin had escaped from.
Hu Fang was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his early forties. He was tall and slender in build with a schrly air surrounding him. He had short blue hair with a short well-groomed mustache. His eyes were blue with hints of ck. Looking at them was like looking at a river. From what Feng Xin knew about him, he was diligent at his work and well-liked by many, and was sure in to head one of the major branches. However, he volunteered to be stationed all the way out here in the outskirts of the green mountain county which was part of a rank 3 kingdom the Emerald peak kingdom. A kingdom famous for having over 10,000 mountains each with its distinctive characteristics.
"d you could make it branch head Hu Fang. I don''t know if the attacker is alive or dead. The moment he was in range I detonated two talismans in session and left swiftly after. As you can see I didn''t have the luxury to wait and find out the result of the attack. From the pressure waves he was emitting he seemed to be in the early stages of the pce realm and if I had to guess maybe in the 2nd or 3rd stage there," Feng Xin said as he quickly removed a few green pills from his storage ring and fed them to Ellie.
"Did you manage to confirm his identity?"
"Seeing how he was asking for the Ao Yin bone the moment he saw me I guess he is from the blood ghost hands,"
"Mmmh this is rather tricky. In your state it would be careless of me to leave you alone then again letting go of someone from the blood ghost hands one at the pce stage at that is rather hard," Hu Fang said as a deep frown formed on his face.
"You can go ahead and check on the assant and see if he is alive. Ellie will fly at a slow pace so you can easily catch up with us and I have a few more talismans to ensure my protection against someone at the pce realm at least." Feng Xin said as he produced two more purple talismans from his storage ring to try and ease Hu Fang''s predicament. It worked because Hu Fang showed a rxed expression the moment he saw those two talismans.
"Then I''ll be off then Feng Xin, be careful. At the slightest sign of trouble detonate the talisman I should be able to sense it ande swiftly," Hu fang said as he immediately flew away in the direction of the scarlet-robed man.
................................. (Present time)
"So that''s what happened. When branch leader Hu Fang arrived at the scene he only found a dismembered arm and arge pool of blood but the scarlet-robed man was nowhere to be found. He gave up on trying to locate him and decided to head back to me and guided me halfway then went back to his branch and Ellie and I made the rest of the journey on our own as she had fully healed by that time." Feng Xin finished narrating the turn of events as the rest listened aptly. Cheng Yuan was the most shocked of all especially once he heard of the involvement of the Blood ghost hands syndicate. He couldn''t help but worry about the future of the sect.
"Peng Zhen you bastard what did you get us into!!!" He internally yelled as he red at him. Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen had already awakened midway through Feng Xin''s narration. They were d and surprised to be alive. They never expected to escape from a pce stage expert. During the attack, they passed out the moment the whirlpool was triggered.
"Hahaha, Feng Xin you didn''t even try to see if the guy was killed by the talismans. How afraid of him were you?" Yang Qing''sughter started echoing around the courtroom.
"It''s because of you I reacted that way. You beat me in less than two minutes when you''re just at the 1st stage of the pce realm and that was when you held back as you like to kindly remind me ALL THE TIME SINCE THEN, shameless bastard. What makes you think after being beaten by a first stage I''d have the confidence to try my hand against someone possibly at the 3rd stage who definitely won''t hold back? Of course, I ran, I couldn''t get away from there fast enough and those dangerous talismans of yours were also a contributing factor in me deciding to escape," Feng Xin snidely remarked not at all ashamed at running. From his pompous expression, he even seemed rather proud of it.
"Okay okay, no need to get touchy you''ve always had a gifted sense of saving your own hide ever since our institute days. Now that all key members are present it''s about time we draw this case to a close," Yang Qing said as he eyed Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen. The duo felt like all their secrets wereid bare beneath that gaze they couldn''t help but gulp in trepidation.
Chapter 47 47: Peng Zhen’s Side Of Things
?Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen stared at each other and they could sense the same terror in each other''s eyes.
"You two will need to stand to the right of the ck blob over there," Feng Xin said as he pointed to the rightmost part of the circr tform. The two eldersplied as they made their waypletely avoiding eye contact with sect master Cheng Yuan. From the way they acted, they were no different than strangers.
"Yang Qing there are also some things I''ll need your input on after the case. I ran into some interesting things in the green fog region." Feng Xin said with an excited smile as he ced emphasis when mentioning the words interesting things.
"How many?" Yang Qing quickly fired a question with excitement showing in his tone apanied by glowing eyes.
"About six or seven though I''ll need help handling one of them it''s rather big and will require careful craftsmanship to make the best use of it," Feng Xin said as he slurped his tongue like a dog.
"You two we have a case ongoing can you continue your discussions after we deal with the matter at hand? We are already behind schedule as things stand. I don''t want to be found here after working hours. I have a wine discourse I promised to go to today," Yi Jie hurriedly interjected once he saw the discussion between the two gluttons starting to heat up.
"Right message received," Yang Qing solemnly answered with a knowing look
"I understand," Feng Xin responded swiftly with a smirky grin apanied by a greedy gulp.
Yi Jie formed a small smile as he nodded appreciatively.
"Isn''t there anyone normal among these three," Mao Yunru couldn''t help but shake her head as she thought to herself. She could tell Yi Jie was putting on a farce about continuing with the case. His real purpose was to get the two to save up whatever they were discussing for his wine recipes. Two gluttons and a wine enthusiast, all who seem to always put their hobbies above their work.
"Ahem let''s continue where we left off. Sect master Cheng Yuan from both your and Wen Chang''s testimonies it''s safe to assume that your feud with her was a result of the machinations of a few elders from your sect being led by your junior brother and the vice sect master Peng Zhen.
Based on what we have heard from Feng Xin his coconspirators are;
- Gui Bingwen the vice leader of the disciplinary hall
- Dong Yanlin who was a deacon in charge of external affairs
- Jia Tingfeng who was in charge of training core disciples before you took over
- Hao Ye who was an elder of the alchemy division
These four conspired with Peng Zhen to cause a feud between you and Wen Chang and when you didn''t take each other out they schemed to have you both settle your dispute at the Order leaving the sect unmanned. They emptied the treasury and even dug out the tupelo tree and incapacitated everyone from the sect while they were at it. Luckily no one was found dead by the time Feng Xin arrived there and from his judgment, their survival was by design and not a fluke.
In transit, while making their escape Dong Yanlin''s true identity was revealed to be one of a member of the blood ghost hands syndicate. In his escape, he sacrificed Jia Tingfeng and Hao Ye leaving only Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen as the only survivors from the whole debacle. Dong Yanlin is presumed to be dead at the moment as none of his remains were left intact after the attack.
That''s about the gist of it right Feng Xin?" Yang Qing asked after he had recounted a summary version of the events.
"Yes, it is," Feng Xin curtly replied.
"Good. Now Elder Peng Zhen I''d like you and your friend to rify a few things for me before I make a verdict. Before that, as you''ve well heard my name is Yang Qing, by my side is head inquisitor Yi Jie and at the desk below me is judicial assistant Mao Yunru. Now that the introductions are done there are a few things I''d like to know. One is what is how did you and Dong Yanlin end up as acquaintances? From what Cheng Yuan said, he got into the sect and became an elder under your referral. The other which I think your senior brother over there is more curious about is why you betrayed the sect. Seeing how there were zero casualties as you pilfered the sect should mean you at least have some attachments to it. I''m curious what would drive such a person to betrayal?" Yang Qing softly asked as he motioned Peng Zhen to take the floor.
"Greetings judge Yang Qing. The answer to the second question is rted to the first question. I met Dong Yanlin who pretended to be a rogue cultivator at the time during one of my travels outside as I was tempering myself and looking for opportunities to deepen my cultivation. I was wary of him at first but he has a way with people and after partnering together in exploring a few abandoned cultivation abodes we became friends who had shed blood and sweat together. When I felt I had enough harvest from roaming outside I decided to return to the sect for secluded cultivation. I took the opportunity to invite him along to join the sect. He was at the 6th stage of the foundation stage and he didn''t seem to be old so I thought he''d be a great addition to the sect. Him surviving as a rogue cultivator and reaching his current realm meant he was a resourceful person which would be a plus for the sect and I had seen him fight so I knew he was capable.
I put forth my proposition, he pretended to be hesitant at first but soon agreed thus we went back to the sect together and I suggested he be made a deacon and deal with the external matters of the sect. I did that because I thought he wouldn''t adjust to sect life easily being a rogue cultivator and we could make the best use of his connections if he was a deacon of the sect. With my prestige, it wasn''t hard to get him that post. A few months in he had already worn the approval of the majority of the sect because of the loan deals and sale channels of our herbs he helped us procure.
A year in was when an ident happened. From the friendship we built outside andter in the sect I was never wary of him I treated him as a brother. He came to my cultivation peak one night to have a drink like we always did on asion. It has always been a habit of ours to seal our cultivation when drinking to get the most out of it and this time was not any different. I did just that but the moment the wine touched my tongue I felt a sudden overwhelming sense of drowsiness wash over me. I hurriedly tried to unseal my cultivations but Dong Yanlin with extreme speed and calction hit all of my acupoints and halted me dead in my tracks. From that brief moment, I could tell he was stronger than me because even with my cultivation released I don''t think there was any way I could have stopped his attacks. I passed out momentster and when I came to I woke up to find Dong Yanlin''s mocking gaze as he sat across for me. I was surprised to be alive but Dong Yanlin soon exined why. It turns out he had nted a gu and blood seal curse on me that required high concentration and technique, hence why he had to knock me out. Right then and there I tried to detonate myself but the gu swallowed all my explosive energy and the blood seal paralyzed me. Dong Yanlin also warned me that the blood seal would turn me into a corpse cultivator if I tried to kill myself and he would use me to destroy the sect.
I essentially became a puppet to him. Our meeting wasn''t an ident as he had been eyeing our sect because of the tupelo tree. As for why he was highly interested enough to scheme this far I can only guess he had some rtion with one of their members who had a scuffle with our sect founder but disappeared soon after when their sh drove them to the green fog region.
He was wary of Cheng Yuan and never wanted to engage him directly that''s when he suggested the scheme of creating a feud between him and Wen Chang. He wanted the both of them to injure each other gravely and he could easily take care of them. He was the one who provided most of the herbs nted in the treasury vault used to trick Wen Chang. I suggested we pull in other elders to further sell the reuse. Getting elders who were long dissatisfied with Cheng Yuan to follow my n wasn''t hard and should anything happen to them I wouldn''t feel guilty over what would happen to people who were willing to betray their sect for their selfish grievances. Dong Yanlin''s scheme had helped me route out these dissidents except Gui Bingwen. He was the only one I divulged my current predicament to and Dong Yanlin wouldn''t suspect him because as far as people in the sect knew he was being forced into retirement by Cheng Yuan. I needed an extra hand if I was to sessfully pull a fast one on Dong Yanlin and other than Cheng Yuan, Gui was the only one I could trust to go along with my n.
The scheme to cause a feud between Cheng Yuan and Wen Chang worked but I know my senior brother well to know he wouldn''t fight it all out with her. After their fight was when I suggested they involve the Order in their dispute. This was to ensure in case my n against Dong Yanlin failed and ended in the decimation of the sect the two most powerful people of the sect would be alive and safe at the Order and they can always rebuild. It''s much easier to restart with two core formation experts at the helm. Mine and Gui''s death wouldn''t affect the bigger picture.
Dong Yanlin may have pretended around me but all his long schemes led me to the conclusion he had an overtly cautious personality so I had a feeling he would support those two being out of the sect. With all these in ce, we had to get an additional helper whom without their presence everything would crumble, that is the Tupelo tree. It had already gained sentience and without its approval, no one would be able to dig it out as it is the most powerful being in the whole sect. Only Cheng Yuan and I knew the tree was sentient making it hard for Dong Yanlin to discover it.
Iid out my n of destroying Dong Yanlin and whoever he was working with outside the sect and it readily agreed to help. With these, I had confidence that two peak foundation experts, a spiritual tree with the capabilities of a core formation expert, and a sky-rank treasure were enough to deal with any situation that crops up but as it turns out I had grossly underestimated Dong Yanlin and his background. If it wasn''t for that spell and Feng Xin''s intervention we would have long been dead and doomed the sect along with us.
I didn''t want to use the Order in my schemes but it was the only ce I was sure Cheng Yuan and Wen Chang would be safe in case things went wrong. Given Dong Yanlin''s cautious nature I doubt he would enter a ce without sufficient measures to ensure his escape and I thought those measures must be enough to injure my senior brother. As for Gui Bingwen, he was just being a loyal friend and sect member. I am willing to ept whatever punishment you deem fit but please show mercy and spare my sect and Gui Bingwen," Peng Zhen said as he solemnly bowed at a ny-degree angle. He wanted to kneel but he didn''t want to dirty the pristine floors of the Order with his disheveled robes.
Silence soon ensued in the courtroom with Cheng Yuan''s jaws wide open as his body trembled as it went through a rollercoaster of emotions.
Chapter 48 48: Yang Qing Gets Recruited
?"Peng you....." Cheng Yuan said in a shaky sorrowful voice as he stared at Peng Zhen in disbelief.
"Why didn''t you¡."
"There''s no need for that Cheng Yuan. I did what I thought was best with what I had. The sect would live on as long as it has you, I on the other hand I''m just a cultivation fanatic. I don''t have any other worthwhile skills other than my passion for the dao which always gives me the cold shoulder," Peng Zhen couldn''t help but smile bitterly once he said this.
He had been diligently cultivating never cking off but he was 260 years old and still at the peak of the foundation realm. Dong Yanlin''s true face seemed younger than him once he had openly revealed himself in the fight. He seemed to be around 27 years and was already in the 3rd stage of the core formation realm. His senior brother Cheng Yuan was just four years older than him and was already a fifth-stage core formation realm. What about him he has been spending his sole focus on cultivating and was only at the peak of the foundation establishment realm.
"Was I maybe too extreme in my requirements," Peng Zhen couldn''t help but wonder to himself as he shook his head.
"Please Judge I knowingly agreed and supported everything Peng Zhen did. Whatever punishment you deem fit to for him I''d like the same treatment." Gui Bingwen who was silent all this time suddenly interjected.
"Gui what are you doing?" Peng Zhen asked in surprise
"Shut it, Peng. You''re not going to hog the glory of being a martyr alone and have monuments of you ced all around the sect. I want some monuments too with disciples burning incense for me bawling their eyes at how I had the spirit of a true cultivator. If there is one thing I''m good at is throwing my life away gloriously. Peng, you won''t steal this moment from me. Cheng Yuan remember not to be stingy with the monuments, I want excellent craftsmanship that will be able to bring out my heroic demeanor," Gui Bingwen righteously said as he raised his gait showing he won''t be dissuaded from his decision.
"Fine, it''s not like I don''t know you''ve always been bullheaded. No wonder you''re still a single dog till now" Peng Zhen said as he offered a grateful smile to Gui Bingwen.
"Sect master Cheng Yuan you have yourself, nice sect mates. I can see why you went this far," Yang Qing said as he admired the bond between the two elders. Cheng Yuan''s eyes were beetroot red with his lips quivering that he couldn''t bring himself to say anything. He wanted to speak up for leniency but he doubted whether his words could help change anything. He could only swallow and ept what was to happen next and move forward carrying their wills with him.
"Well then now that we have everything I shall pass my judgment. But before that I need to take care of a little sleeping parasite," Yang Qing said as he shed from his desk and reappeared where Peng Zhen was. Before Peng Zhen could even register how Yang Qing had blitzed in front of him he was poked in his forehead by Yang Qing. He instantly lurched over and started vomiting blood and a ck sticky substance.
"STAY!!" Yang Qing calmly said once he saw the agitated expression Cheng Yuan had as he quickly wanted to make his way over. Cheng Yuan wanted to rush over the moment he saw Peng Zhen vomiting blood but the moment Yang Qing uttered that word it was like his body was chained to the ground. No matter how much he willed it, his body couldn''t move an inch. His thoughts operated normally but his body had betrayed him. He couldn''t even utter a single word. Gui Bingwen wanted to rush over too but he was paralyzed just the same. Unlike Cheng Yuan who was paralyzed with words, his case was done by a mere gaze.
Peng Zhen continued vomiting as the blood and the ck substance started congealing together. He stopped vomiting when a palm size worm that looked like an overgrownrva with razor-sharp teeth and no eyes fell from his throat down to the ground. The worm was ck that had red runic symbols drawn over its body. They looked like they were drawn in blood. The worm wiggled as it shrieked like a vulture with shredded vocal cords.
A sudden change soon happened to the blood, the ck sticky substance, and the worm once they came into contact together. The worm dissolved like salt in water as the new mixture congealed together and morphed into an oval shape. Within seconds the shape had additional features forming from it which drew surprised expressions from Gui Bingwen and Cheng Yuan who despite being paralyzed could see all that was happening. The features were body parts of a face. First were the ears then the nose then the eyes and finally a mouth. The eyes wiggled as though they were trying to open up.
Peng Zhen who was still coughing had his pupils frozen in fright once he saw the face formed below him as he was lurched over.
"How is he alive? And when did he?" Peng Zhen asked in a shocked shaky voice. How could he not be in shock when the face he just saw below resembled that of Dong Yanlin. By all ounts, he thought he was dead but now here he was, a bloody face that he had just vomited. It was his strong willpower that stopped him from passing out in fright.
"W..h..e..r..e I''m I," a weak raspy parched voice was suddenly produced from the blood pool face of Dong Yanlin.
"Nice of you to join us. You know it''s not nice of you to hitchhike on someone else''s body without their knowledge. You should ask permission first and discuss terms before doing something like this," Yang Qing said as he put on a yful smile. He pressed something on his golden eagle medallion which then changed the look of the courtroom to look exactly like the site where Feng Xin had found Peng Zhen and the rest. Every single detail was mimicked to resemble that battleground as much as possible.
"Who are you? Are you the one who forcefully broke my technique and ejected me from Peng Zhen''s body?" Dong Yanlin coldly asked. His bloody face was fully formed making hismunication clearer than before and his eyes finally opened. The whole sclera was ck with a red pupil
"I did it because I wanted to ask you a few things," Yang Qing said like he was talking to an old friend.
"Good, good, good... I didn''t expect to meet a meddlesome kid. Peng Zhen so this was your trump card?" Dong Yanlin snidely asked as he had a mocking smile on his face.
"Kid seeing how you dispelled my technique I can tell you are someone with talent. I don''t know what Peng Zhen offered you but I can offer you much better opportunities. Meeting me can be considered your greatest fortune. I''m part of an organization that is as powerful as any rank 1 sect and It appreciates talents a lot. With your level, you''ll be highly favored and nurtured. Reaching the domain realm in a hundred years isn''t impossible. I''m even willing to put in a word with my master who is a domain-level expert to take you in as his disciple. What do you think kid?" Dong Yanlin asked as he put on a smug grin. No one could resist a chance at stepping into the domain rank, especially within 100 years. He made such a generous offer because he recognized Yang Qing''s talent and wanted to rope him in. The grade of the technique he had used to parasitize Peng Zhen was a blue grade technique and someone who can disrupt and dispel it had to be someone with great talent.
The offer he had made to Yang Qing was also a genuine one. With the blood ghost hands resources, it would not be hard to help someone with his level of talent to reach the domain level. He would get more merit points if he brought someone of this talent to the syndicate and getting his master to ept such a talent would help improve his master''s prestige and the overall strength of his faction within the syndicate. The syndicate wasn''t united as it was like a viper''s nest each viper vying for dominance.
"Domain expert in a hundred years? Mmmh this is a rather intriguing offer. if I say yes what do you want in return? There''s no such thing as a free meal, especially from someone like you who has the word viin written over you with that fiendish technique you used on this old man here," Yang Qing calmly asked as he yed along.
"Don''t worry, I won''t ask much I only need your help in recasting my technique on Peng Zhen. In my current state, I won''tst long, I need to be incubated in a living being. I''ll give you the forme of the technique. After you have sessfully cast it, we will make our way to amber town not far from here, and have my senior brother fly us back to the organization. He is a pce stage expert," Dong Yanlin added thest part as a form of threat to warn Yang Qing against trying any funny business.
"I still don''t know the name of the organization I''m to join. Care to share their details?"
"I''ll reveal it when we make it to amber town. We are a hidden organization just like those hidden ns and sects that not many people know of but are extremely powerful," Dong Yanlin said. He would only reveal it when he was in his senior brother''s presence. Incase Yang Qing rejects his offer taking care of him won''t be hard. This was one of the ways the syndicate recruited. They''d make their offer but if rejected the person would be killed to keep the identity of the recruiter hidden.
"I thought keeping this reuse up would help me glean something but seeing how secretive you are with just a name I guess I can''t get much from you. Blood ghost hands members sure love their secrets and mysteries. Oh well, better to send you off to the higher-ups to deal with you. They''re sure to be more fruitful at it than I am with their array of techniques specifically geared toward making you chatty. After all, you''re not the first blood ghost hands member we have our hands on," Yang Qing said as he gave the most innocent smile he could.
"You who are you?" Dong Yanlin yelled in fear at the sudden change in events.
"Oh sorry, I didn''t introduce myself. My name is Yang Qing a soft-life judge from the Order. I''ve heard great things about you Dong Yanlin and your senior brother too. He disappeared before we could have a chat and left his hand behind. So pitiful. Well, Dong Yanlin I wish you a pleasant stay in the Order. Don''t worry we have techniques that will ensure your longevity and safety. Make sure to tell the guys I''m about to send you to about that domain master of yours. They like juicy gossip like those ones. Bye Bye ." Yang Qing cheerilyughed before he waved his medallion as a huge white cocoon enveloped Dong Yanlin and disappeared on the spot as the courtroom resumed its normal appearance.
Chapter 49 49: Wen Chang’s Drastic Change.
?"Now that the interloper is gone we can resume where we left off." Yang Qing as he waved his hand. A green-blue me ignited the remaining blood stains on the floor in an instant it was pristine ck as before.
"Here, take this for your injuries," Yang Qing said as he tossed a milky white pill that had two orange stripes on it. The stripes were an indication of its suitability to a certain realm. Pills with one stripe were suitable for those in the qi stage and even those at the body refining stage could consume half of the pill safely. Those with two stripes could be used by someone at the foundation realm, those with three stripes were suitable for those in the core formation realm. The higher the number of stripes the higher the cultivation realm it suited. This went on till the domain realm in which the pill had five stripes. As for pills usable by those in the soul formation stage need to have a special characteristic, one of them is the pill needs to induce a tribtion just like a cultivator does when they breakthrough to a higher realm. Pills that survive tribtions are as rare as qilin horns and phoenix feathers. Anyone of them can cause a major upheaval around the continent and an alchemist who can concoct such a pill would be highly sought after and valued in any ce even in Holynds.
Peng Zhen caught the pill and just from a whiff he could feel his whole body being restored and energized. From this, he could tell even among pills that were of this rank it was among the top in quality. He consumed it without a second thought. Dong Yanlin being forced out of him had caused tears to his meridians and he could even tell a third of his blood essence had been forcibly consumed when the technique Dong Yanlin had used was forcibly removed. The pill flowed down to his dantian where it dissolved and started sending a warm current throughout his body. Wherever the current passed through would be repaired and strengthened. Within half a minute every single meridian and internal organ had been nourished by the pill. The pill had even gone to the extent of purifying his internal qi making it denser and more fluid. Peng Zhen was shocked at how a single pill could do all this. Cleansing qi was something only mid-grade sky-rank treasures could do which despite being mid-grade still cost quite a hefty sum due to how weed those effects were.
"Thank you judge Yang Qing," Peng Zhen said as he offered a solemn bow.
"It''s nothing. Giving you the pill is not a huge sacrifice on my part. I have thousands and thousands of them lying around. Since they have no use on me I just treat them as candy due to their sweet and refreshing vor," Yang Qing frivolously said behaving like a spoiled young master. Peng Zhen almost vomited blood once again once he heard what Yang Qing said and that I can waste without care because I''m rich look. Peng Zhen was even tempted to take a swing at him. Yang Qing even went to the extent of removing a handful of those pills from his medallion before he stuffed them in his mouth.
"It seems you''re not joining the blood ghost hands syndicate?" Yi Jie calmly asked with a straight face.
"I''m afraid we couldn''t quite agree on the terms plus I have the feeling the syndicate will work me to the bone more than the Order would and the jobs would be riskier. I''d rather stay here and deal with one fiend than go into that ce which would make the geezer Lei Weiyuan seem like a saint," Yang Qing said as he returned to his podium.
"Tsk" Yi Jie clicked as he made a small frown that disappeared shortly after. Yang Qing couldn''t help but stare at him suspiciously after that click.
"This bastard wasn''t kidding with that question. He really wanted me to be ackey of the syndicate. How badly does he want to get rid of me? Just you wait Yi Jie whatever hole Lei Weiyuan throws me into I''ll make sure to drag you INTO ALL OF THEM WITH ME. That should teach you mmph," Yang Qing thought to himself as he red vengefully at Yi Jie.
Yi Jie had been coldly staring forward like some seasoned expert before he felt a huge shiver in his spine as if something dangerous was waiting for him. He couldn''t help but look around only to meet Yang Qing''s venomous stare.
"What''s this guy nning now?" Yi Jie thought with worry flooding his whole body.
"Ahem now on the case of Sect master Cheng Yuan vs Wen Chang I Yang Qing superior court judge of the Order hereby offer my verdict and judgment after having heard all sides of the story¡.."
CRACK.
Just as Yang Qing was about to continue his deliberation was interrupted when a soft cracking sound like that of an egg was produced in the courtroom. Cheng Yuan had a nervous and hopeful expression once he saw the origin of the cracking sound. It hade from the ck blob surrounding Wen Chang that had shrunk further and solidified into an almost y-like structure. That ck substance was filled with cracks all over. Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen had no idea what was inside that ck blob. Because of how everything was moving so fast and how eventful their day had been the ck blob didn''t really register in their minds when they were in the courtroom. Peng Zhen looked thoughtfully at Cheng Yuan''s reaction before he made a guess at what was in the ck blob.
"Good, now we can have all members present for the final verdict," Yang Qing said as he ced his head beneath his interlocked hands staring at the ck blob that was almost shattering.
The cracks increased in number however the explosion Cheng Yuan expected to happen wasn''t produced. Once the cracks on the blob were as numerous as the cracks of a dry river bed they turned into ck vapor revealing Wen Chang before flowing into her body through her skin. It seemed to pass right into her body.
Cheng Yuan and even Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen couldn''t help but be surprised once they saw Wen Chang''s current look. She lookedpletely different than before. For one her size hadpletely shrunk. Before she was about 20 meters in height and girth but currently she had shrunk to the size of a normal calf that was about 1 meter tall. As for her coat, even someone who didn''t know anything about spirit beasts would be able to tell she was a special spirit beast. The leaf symbol on her coat was more vivid and lifelike. One would even mistake it for being the real deal. If one looked more closely one would notice small glyph-like symbols on the midrib of that leaf. They were radiant red in color but their glow was swallowed by the emerald green color of the leaf.
"She seems to have had a better harvest than I expected. Though I think as long as Sect master Cheng Yuan makes the best use of his harvests from today his strides will be longer. But this sect really has interesting people, especially Peng Zhen. Who would have thought there was someone crazy enough to use that method to improve their pirs," Yang Qing thought to himself as he thoughtfully looked in Peng Zhen''s direction.
Wen Chang who had her eyes closed suddenly opened them. They were deep ck with a sense of profound wisdom hidden beneath that gaze. She blinked a few times before she readjusted and looked around the courtroom to get her bearings. When her gaze fell on Cheng Yuan it halted for a moment before she bowed her head so low that it touched the floor of the courtroom.
"Thank you so much for taking care of me Sect master and for tolerating my selfish outbursts and greediness. I now realize how foolish and childish I have been. I will make sure to make up for it a hundredfold with this little life of mine and help share your burden for the sect if you''ll let me," Wen Chang said solemnly and softly. One could feel the remorse and also maturity in her tone. She still had the voice transmission ball around her which she used to transmit her thoughts.
"You are not at fault Wen Chang. I was at fault too for neglecting my duty as the sect master. You were born in the sect making you an integral part of it. I''ve been so focused on the bigger picture that I lost sight of the things that were just straight ahead. I will have to shamelessly ask for your help because the sect will need for the trouble that awaits us" Cheng Yuan said as he sighed softly. He was d Wen Chang was okay but the looming threat of the ghost hands syndicate still gnawed at him and there was also the fate that awaited Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen. Discounting his emotional ties to them, the sect couldn''t afford to lose two peak foundation stage members at the same time. Wen Chang was confused at what Cheng Yuan was hinting at but she didn''t dwell too much on it as she offered another deep bow of thanks to Yang Qing. She literally owed him her life and without his timely intervention, she may have lost her sanity and gone berserk, and end up imploding. She even profited from his intervention as she felt much clear on her road ahead and her whole sense of self seemed to have metamorphosed. The energy levels within her body were four times as much as before. She looked smaller but she could beat four of her from before effortlessly. It was only now that she realized how wasteful she had been. Her body had ballooned because she never tried to process the energy from the herbs she was fed efficiently. A lot of energy went to waste or stored as fat instead of being converted internally. She had only been focused on eating in quantity instead of converting every herb and converting its nutrients as her own. This was one of the reasons once she woke up she had remorseful toward Cheng Yuan because of how wasteful she was.
"Wen Chang I''m d you''ve made it out okay. We have already arrived at the conclusion of your case and Peng Zhen from your sect is also here with us so don''t be rmed as things are moreplicated than it seems. Your sect master will fill you in on the details after we are done here," Yang Qing patiently exined.
It was only now that she noticed there were two people to her right. She had conflicting emotions when she saw them, especially Peng Zhen. She has known him since she was a calf and he had basically raised her. He couldn''t reconcile the person from then and the traitor she assumed he was. But she held herself back from having an outburst. She doesn''t know how but some tiny part of her was keenly away how terrifying Yi Jie, Feng Xin, Mao Yunru, and most of all Yang Qing was despite not releasing any of their cultivation. Something intrinsic in her told her they were not to be trifled with.
Yang Qing nodded appreciatively seeing Wen Chang keeping her emotions in check.
"Now we can finally close this case. And this is just the first day of the week. The Order sure is as ck-hearted as usual. Hopefully from next week when I''m in the pce courts the string of cases will be simpler and fewer." Yang Qing couldn''t help butment inwardly.
Chapter 50 50: Final Verdict
?"I Yang Qing as a judge of the superior core court hereby exercise my authority as presiding judge to pass the verdict on the case between Sect master Cheng Yuan vs Wen Chang after having ascertained that I have enough information to make a sound judgment.
I hereby dere Cheng Yuan sect master of the rank 4 sect the Green fog swamp innocent of the usation made against him of being derelict of his duties and obligations towards Wen Chang. In that line I also dere Wen Chang innocent of welching on her end of the bargain struck between her and the sect. Her innocence is predicated in that her actions were guided and manipted by the elders from the sect who contrived a false tale and picture that drove her into a feud with sect master Cheng Yuan i.e. Dong Yanlin, Peng Zhen, and the rest of the elders who nted treasures in the sect vault to gaud her into fighting with Cheng Yuan.
However, even though you are innocent in this I would advise you to pay back the amount in emerald milk that you owed to the sect despite having been tricked into your feud. The reason for this is simple, the sect kept its end of the bargain in feeding you and your end of the bargain fell short. As you can already tell through the changes in your current body, the herbs the sect continuously fed you may have not been in the sky rank but they were all mid to high-grade earth-rank treasures whose energy and nutrient is responsible for the huge and explosive change in your body. Without it, the cultivation art wouldn''t have helped bring such an enormous change in you.
Do your part Wen Chang to give back to the sect that has spent all it could afford into helping you this far," Yang Qing softly said as he looked at Wen Chang. Wen Chang had her head lowered in embarrassment and was teary-eyed. It was only after her sudden evolution that she realized how spoiled she had been acting.
"I will," Wen Chang''s firm voice sounded.
"Good as for you Cheng Yuan don''t be stingy with your sky grade resources. I get saving them for the future of the sect but never forget young nts need tall trees to shelter them from the harsh weather before they are able to do it for themselves. You need Wen Chang in her optimal state and that will help give you the needed time and support for your ns. Plus her emerald milk in some circles especially alchemy will be highly valued. They can agree to swap some sky-grade herbs for it, it won''t be high-grade ones but it is still sky-grade herbs in the end. I''ll give you contacts for some of those alchemy organizations, the negotiations after that will be up to you. Introductions are the best I can do in my capacity." Yang Qing said
"Thank you Judge Yang Qing for all you have done I even don''t know how to repay you back," Cheng Yuang said as he offered a bow of gratitude.
"There''s nothing to repay. I''m doing this as my duty as a judge of the Order and an advocate of its ideals. If you still want to repay me then ensure I don''t see you or the Green fog swamp sect members in these courtrooms again. Having less workload is the best payment you can give me," Yang said as he lightly smiled. Cheng Yuan could only helplessly smile at the statement while Yi Jie and the rest knew Yang Qing was very serious about that suggestion despiteing off as a joke.
"Now as for you two, Elder Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen. While I respect, understand, and even sympathize with all you had to do for the survival of your sect, it still doesn''t change the fact you dragged the Order in your schemes to jump right in the mud with you. You had what you wished for as the Order is thoroughly in waist deep in this now. Dragons have their reverse scales and the Order has its bottom line and you touched upon it despite your well-meaning intentions.
What you did at the very least warrants for your cultivation to be crippled and have you spend the remainder of your days as aborer in some of the war-torn viges we help support as part of our outreach programmes. In the worst case id sentence your death and fulfill it instantly. But your situation is rather tricky. If I was in your situation with my back against the wall I don''t think I''d do anything different and to cripple your cultivation or sentence you to death would make us the viins in this no matter how I look at it but then again I can''t pardon you for it because there was a chance Feng Xin would have died in this case for going in blind without having the full picture of things.
As such this is my judgment and punishment afforded to that judgment. Peng Zhen, I find you guilty of making the Order an unwitting aplice to your actions and schemes and for withholding information vital in the conduct of our duties and thus leading to the potential endangerment of a member of the Order. This is in vition of the full divulgement Act that falls under article 45 of the Cultivation order.
With this, I hereby sentence you to a life and death sentence of 30 years. In those 30 years, you will serve as a duel partner to the students of the institute of the Order. You will fight with your life on the line as indeed it will be. You will have to engage in a life-and-death battle with the students of the institute who will be in the middle andte stages of the foundation realm. You are to fight them with everything you have and they will do the same. However, for them should their lives be in fatal danger the instructors will step in but for you, they will not. Whether you live or die is entirely in your hands.
These are the ground rules for those battles;
The battle will end either in incapacitation or death. If you incapacitate your opponent or the instructor steps in, it''s your win. As for the opponent, their win is either if they incapacitate you or it ends in your death. If you find a kind-hearted opponent you may live even if you lose. The instructors will not interfere in any way.
The battles will happen once every month and they will be one vs one. Any injuries you suffer from the duels will be taken care of by the Order should you survive after each battle.
You are not allowed to hold back otherwise if the instructors detect you holding back your sentence will be alternated and you will be executed on the spot.
That is all for the ground rules if there is anything extra the instructors will inform you.
Since how things penned isn''t entirely of your choosing and you didn''t have malicious intentions, you won''t be imprisoned in the Order. You are allowed to go back to your sect. You only need to be here on the day of your duels. Someone from the Order will bring you back and forth from your sect. I will also give you a blue-grade cultivation art that you may choose to use in your duels since all the cultivation arts the students from the institute use will asionally be at that grade though some may choose an orange-grade art to temper themselves against you. But to add to your odds having a blue-grade art wouldn''t hurt however you are forbidden from sharing it with your sect. All the best Peng Zhen, fight with all you have who knows you may end up benefitting from this should you live till the end of the 30 years.
Now for Gui Bingwen since you were not directly involved in the scheme to drag the Order into the mud and were just a loyal friend, you are fully pardoned of this. I had no intention of punishing you even without Peng Zhen pleading for your acquittal. With this I call the case of Sect master Cheng Yuan vs Wen Chang to a close," Yang Qing said as he banged his gavel downwards.
Mao Yunru lifted her dainty slim hands as a white jade talisman shed intermittently with a blinding white light. This went on for a few seconds before it stopped. Yang Qing nodded at her as she ced the talisman on his podium which then disappeared immediately after. The white jade talisman was used to record the proceedings and the final ruling of the case and was sent to the higher-ups for recording and review.
"Judge Yang Qing I still want to receive the same punishment as Peng," Gui Bingwen hurriedly pleaded at the side with a firm expression.
"Elder Gui Bingwen I admire you for being a good friend but what you''re suggesting will be detrimental to your friend Elder Peng Zhen. With what he will be facing even a moment''s distraction could lead to his death. Do you think he would be able to fight at 100% if he is worried about his friend facing the exact same scenario as him? And forgive me for being blunt but Elder Gui your odds of surviving the first duel are less than 10%. I might as well just sentence you to death. Don''t look down on your friend, this may not be as hopeless as you imagine it for him. Isn''t that right Elder Peng Zhen?" Yang Qing suddenly asked nodding to Peng Zhen
"It is Judge Yang Qing. This is a great opportunity far more than what old bones like myself deserve. Gui, and Cheng, you both know me well enough from a kid till now, one thing has never changed nor wavered and it is my love for cultivation. To anyone else, this would be a tormenting sentence but to me, this is a dreame true, a precious treasure that I would nevere by in my lifetime. shing with the talents of the Order and gaining firsthand experience of the cultivation moves through the hands of these prodigies, I couldn''t think of anything better. I can''t help but want to duel with them this instant even a once a month duel doesn''t feel enough.
GUI, CHENG, I WILL LIVE!!!!DON''T LOOK DOWN ON ME," Peng Zhen suddenly roared filled with a battle lust so high that it even seemed to manifest physically as a cloak around Peng Zhen. Wen Chang was visibly shocked at his current look as for Gui Bingwen and Cheng Yuan they were silent at first before they smiled in unison with renewed confidence in their eyes.
"I''m sorry I had forgotten what a nut case you are. It''s been long since I saw that side of you that I thought it went away," Gui Bingwen said as he lightly chuckled to himself.
"You better keep your word Peng, otherwise I''ll have to beat up that caiman by myself," Cheng Yuan added as he smiled too.
"This is actually a boon for me Cheng. Other than you there''s barely anyone from the sect who''s my match and our spars are not life-threatening either. These duels may give me the stimtion to finally breakthrough to the core formation realm. Plus I even get to learn a blue-grade cultivation art. We will need everything to skin that caiman, we both know he is not weak," Peng Zhen solemnly said as Cheng Yuan nodded in agreement.
"I knew I was right about him. Someone who willingly goes through a cleansing thunder tribtion to improve the grade of his pirs without breaking through isn''t a normal person. Not many people would take that risk. Thunder blue grade pirs, what an interesting person hehehehe those students from the Order will be in for the toughest fights of their lives," Yang Qing thought to himself as he smiled cheekily.
Chapter 51 51: Drop Of The Resplendence Of Spring
?"Phew, that was a handful. Mao Mao, who is next?" Yang Qing asked as he stretched his back and spooled himselfzily in his seat looking for afortable position, not at all caring about how he''d look in front of those present.
Mao Yunru cocked her eyebrow as she looked at Yang Qing who looked just about ready to sleep before she went on with what she was asked.
"The next cases are; a 3-way conflict between a sect, its core disciple, and a merchant organization who are after the sect because of the huge debts they haven''t repaid. Destruction of the furniture in the Earthvine restaurant by 3 cultivators at the core formation realm who refuse to pay andstly suing of the falling meteor cksmith shop for selling a defective sky rank sword to a rogue cultivator at the peak of the core formation realm.
Take your pick on which of the remaining we should start with?" Mao Yunru said like a diligent judicial assistant.
"Mmmh the 3-way case sounds like it would be a handful. After the Green fog swamp sect case, I need an easier case not a pile of problems that one is bound to be. I''ve made my mind up let''s deal with the case of the Earthvine restaurant vs the three rogue cultivators," Yang Qing said after giving it some thought whilst stillzily diving into thefort of his seat.
"Umm judge Yang Qing there is still something we need your help with," Peng Zhen awkwardly said at the side. Cheng Yuan had a puzzled look wondering what Peng Zhen wanted to ask.
"Could Peng be trying to get the number of duels he is to have increased?" Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but wonder and increasingly think he was right on the mark.
"What is it, Elder Peng Zhen?" Yang Qing groggily replied with his eyes still closed.
"It''s about the Tupelo tree it is still in Inquisitor Feng Xin''s custody and our treasures, I don''t know if we could get them back. I don''t care about the treasures but I was hoping to have the Tupelo tree back. He is a treasuredpanion who has taken care of us since we were kids, and I was hoping to have it back. It''s at a critical stage where it will need constant monitoring and care from us," Peng Zhen couldn''t help but ask with some worry in his voice. He was worried about both the Tupelo tree''s wellbeing and if the Order would decide to confiscate the tree as an added punishment to the sect.
"Oi Peng, has it already started?" Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but hurriedly ask.
"Yes, it should just be about to if it hasn''t already. However, things are less optimistic than before. It spent arge reserve of its energy just to keep me and Gui safe. I''m not sure how it will be able to pull through with its remaining reserves," Peng Zhen said with guilt showing on his face.
"Oh, I almost forgot about the tree. Feng Xin .." Yang Qing said as he got up with an interested expression showing on his face. Feng Xin was already making his way toward him even before he was called.
"It''s in here and their treasures too. After you finish with them there are also some things I''d like your decision on sooner rather thanter," Feng Xin said as he met Yang Qing who had already shed where Cheng Yuan and Peng Zhen were standing. Wen Chang at the moment was with Gui Bingwen who was patiently filling her in on the details about Peng Zhen''s n and everything that transpired after.
"What an interesting storage pouch. Seems to be a high-grade monarch treasure mmh a storage treasure with life-nurturing capabilities. Feng Xin, you sure struck it big this time. Will you keep it or are you thinking of selling it? Those guys from the beast-taming division will definitely buy it for a hefty sum if you decide to sell," Yang Qing said as he patiently scanned it all over with deep fascination like a kid with a new toy.
"I''m thinking of keeping it. It will help keep ingredients fresher than what normal storage rings can do," Feng Xin replied.
Yang Qing nodded in understanding as he fiddled around with the pouch some more before the Tupelo tree appeared in the middle of them. Peng Zhen and Gui Bingwen couldn''t help but have a guilty look when they saw it as Cheng Yuan had a dark look with his fists deeply clenched. The tupelo tree had shrunk in size it was now 70 cm tall with leaves being just around less than 100. It was mostly bare. Even someone not skilled in botany could tell it didn''t look too well. Yang Qing threw back the leopard storage pouch to Feng Xin as he moved closer to scrutinize the withered-frail-looking Tupelo tree. He rustled his hands through its leaves as he gently examined its branches and bark with careful attention. He couldn''t help but sigh in the end as soon as he finished his examination.
Cheng Yuan''s heart and the rest sank once they heard Yang Qing''s sigh. They couldn''t help but assume the worst-case scenario from that sigh.
"Let''s just treat this as fate and it would be a shame to let a unique thing like you disappear just like that. But I''m not doing it for free. If you start producing fruits make sure to save me some," Yang Qing''s look quickly turned greedy once he finished his sentence. Feng Xin''s eyes equally lit up once he heard the mention of fruits. He couldn''t help but lick his lips as he imagined what the fruits of a variant tree like this one would taste like. They were bound to have a unique vor. However, his brows curved in a frown. Yang Qing was too much like him, they never liked sharing especially the good stuff. To get even leftovers from the gluttonous Yang Qing he would have to trade with something of equal value and when it came to the both of them It was not cultivation resources but something edible.
"I''ll have to use that," Feng Xin thought to himself with a reluctant expression.
"Seems like Feng Xin has something of equal value to trade. His harvest in the green fog region must be bountiful to have something that would be able to match fruit from a tupelo tree which seems to have traces of the imperial pearl tree. A tree so precious that holynds would shed all pretense and fight over it. The traces are slim but even those slim traces are enough to ensure that this tree will atleast reach the domain rank and it will be the strongest among its peers even at that rank. Heheheh Feng Xin I''ll make sure to bleed you dry of everything that you got, just you wait," Yang Qing said as he threw a sideway nce at Feng Xin like a fatmb he would skim.
"Now let''s start before things get even more perilous than they are now," Yang Qing thought as he shook his head free of distracting thoughts.
"Drop of the resplendence of spring,"
Yang Qing''s voice echoed around the room like an edict before a horrific level of energy was released from his body. However, luckily all that energy was concentrated within a few centimeters of his right hand which was pointed toward the crown of the tupelo tree. A multitude of different colors was produced and concentrated on his index finger as Yang Qing''s hair turned deep green. Sounds of birds chirping, insects buzzing, animals running about in a carefree manner, water flowing, the earth moving, the wind rustling, flowers blossoming and nts growing filled the whole room. The voices all seem toe from the lighting from Yang Qing''s index finger. The produced multitude of lights produced by that finger had started blending in together. There was orange, yellow, blue, and green which were all epassed by a deep purple color thatbined them together. The lights congealed together into a palm-sized ball that was furtherpressed till it was the size of a tiny water droplet. With everypression, the amount of energy Yang Qing released would increase till his robes fluttered and the air around him seemed to tremble and quake. The light at the tip of his index finger finally condensed into a green water droplet with hints of purple in it. The tiny droplet fell on the Tupelo tree. Even though it was tiny the droplet seemed to house a world within it.
The moment the droplet touched the Tupelo tree it was like spring had arrived. Its leaves started sprouting faster than the eyes could see. They were evenrger and more defined than before. The glowing lustre that the Tupelo tree had lost came back brighter and gentler with a hint of warmness to it. Phantasms of ckbirds, skrks, robins, and tree swallows all appeared flying around the tupelo tree singing in cheer. Flowers soon blossomed and bees buzzed around all matching the atmosphere created by the singing birds.
Every single person present even Yi Jie and the rest felt their bodies restored not only that even their mental seas felt refreshed.
CRACK
The bark of the tupelo tree broke like ss as a new smoother white bark that seemed like it could even reflect sunlight appeared. Within minutes the tree that looked like it was on death''s door looked like a young tree full of life and vibrance.
"Don''t forget my fruits. You now have more than enough energy reserves to pass through your trial." Yang Qing said as he waved his right hand with all the phantasms disappearing with his wave as everything went to normal. The tupelo tree shook its branches as its way of agreeing.
Cheng Yuan and the rest were too shocked at what just happened they all just wondered if Yang Qing was even fit to be called a human. They had endless gratitude but were also filled with an equal deep sense of dread. Like one a rabbit would have when faced with a seasoned lion.
The tupelo tree glowed with a yellow brilliance which shed and shrunk as it flew toward Cheng Yuan. The light then transformed into a yellow leaf that was pinned on his robe.
"That''s convenient, atleast now we won''t have to worry about how you''ll safely get back the tree to your sect. Feng Xin transfer their treasures into this storage ring. Elder Peng Zhen, you''ll bring it back when youe for your duel. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the blue-grade cultivation art," Yang Qing said as he scrimmaged through his storage ring and produced a smooth grey jade.
Peng Zhen instantly recognized it as a ime use jade. He inserted his spiritual sense into the jade and all the information of the blue-grade cultivation art was transmitted into his head. The name of the cultivation art was the brilliant rush fist technique. Though it was a fist technique it had its own movement technique, palm techniques, and even body and spirit refinement techniques as part of the art. It had five major levels before one couldpletely master it. In itsplete mastery, one''s fist would be as fast as light with the force that could st everything within a 1000-mile radius. Peng Zhen couldn''t help but marvel at its intricacies andplexity.
He gave Yang Qing an even deeper bow than before. He may have not seen any blue-grade cultivation arts but he knew this art was definitely top tier even among blue-grade cultivation arts.
"Practice it well," Yang Qing politely smiled as he shooed them from the courtroom. Mao Yunru looked at Yang Qing as if there was something weighing on her mind. Yang Qing had been uncharacteristic of him throughout this whole case and she couldn''t guess why despite thinking hard about it.
Chapter 52 52: Yang Qing’s Deduction And Scheme Part (1)
?"Mao Mao I''ve never known you to be shy with your words. If there''s something on your mind ask away, I''d be more than happy to guide my little junior on her path so she takes as few detours as possible. Or is it something that you can''t say in front of Yi Jie and Feng Xin? I''d be happy to kick them out, they always stifle the air in the courtroom unlike you Mao Mao who''s a ray of sunshine. Life will be hard without you in the pce courts," Yang Qing had a mopping expression towards the end as he let out a pained sigh and looked at Yi Jie and Feng Xin like sharp poisonous thorns deeply stuck in his toe that he could never get rid of.
The duo snorted at the same time as they threw an equally provocative ncebeling Yang Qing as the greater thorn that grew into a parasite and just leeches of their nutrients.
"You three can''t be normal for once," Mao Yunru couldn''t help but shake her head.
"I''ve been wondering Yang Qing ever since the case started there were some instances where you have acted rather odd. Yes, you''re an odd quirky person whomon sense and sanity never apply to but still some acts of yours seemed too odd even for you," Mao Yunru rattled on innocently.
"Were the jabs at me being an odd person really necessary Mao Mao? Did you even need to use all those different words just to show how much of an oddball I am?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but grumble.
Mao Yunru as ifpletely oblivious went on,
"One of the instances was the time when you used the green cocoon of Evernight to help Wen Chang with her mental breakdown. Both Yi Jie and I detected you releasing a part of your aura and invading sect master''s Cheng Yuan''s mental sea with it. Then there was you sharing your oolong tea with him and specifically ordering dishes made by Cao Ying and the things that happened in between during your meal. Everything seemed to be geared at helping Cheng Yuan improve his realm when minutes ago you were terrifying him with your aura.
Then there''s the matter with Peng Zhen, it''s the same thing. You seem to be proactively helping his growth even going to the extent of sharing a blue-grade cultivation art with him and those favorable terms you offered barely even seem like punishment. Throughout this case it seemed at one point you had something against Cheng Yuan but then as the case continued it seems like you were doing everything you can for their growth. Being this invested, isn''t it going against the impartiality one should have as a judge?" Mao Yunru asked as she waited in apt attention for Yang Qing''s reply.
Yi Jie and Feng Xin werepletely disinterested as if this had nothing to do with them and were barely interested in knowing Yang Qing''s rationale. They were bickering at the side bargaining with each other on ingredients and wine quantity.
"How can you two beckluster about this, aren''t you interested in Yang Qing''s odd behavior, especially you Feng Xin? You almost died, don''t you find it a bit unfair for your boss to actively help the ones who put you in that situation," Mao Yunru asked. Seeing their reaction made her feel slightly irritated for some reason like she was out of the loop about something. She has been with the three in the courtroom for the past three months. She discovered she could never follow their train of thought on certain things sometimes but on this, she expected they''d be on the same page.
"Umm Mao unlike you I''m just an inquisitor, I don''t overthink Yang Qing''s ruling that much. I''d rather spend that effort thinking of how to get off the cklist of certain restaurants and how I''m going to afford another primal lotus dew. Yes, I almost got injured but that is another day on the job. An inquisitor''s job is fraught with dangers and variables. If it didn''t happen in this case it would happen in another plus I got a bountiful harvest in this case. I''m d I was the one who went this time¡.I wonder how I can get the most out of that corroding heron. I hope it doesn''t taste as disgusting as it looks," Feng Xin''s words trailed off at the end as he started mumbling to himself about different ingredientspletely forgetting what Mao had even asked.
"I''m on the same page with Yang Qing. Don''t worry Mao your doubts are understandable but the more you do this job the more your judgment will be fluid. You''ve already sent a copy of the proceedings to the higher-ups but haven''t you noticed they haven''t overruled Yang Qing''s ruling? They are in agreement with it," Yi Jie softly exined as he gave Mao Yunru aforting smile.
"I know that''s why I''m asking, I can''t help but feel I missed a couple of things that despite trying I can''t figure out myself. That''s why I need his help," Mao Yunru reluctantly said as she helplessly smiled. It was embarrassing for her to admit she couldn''t track her superior''s thoughts at all despite being a judge herself.
"Mao Mao is so cute when she is embarrassed," Yang Qing cheekily smiled as he poked at her.
"Do you want me to report you to Supervisor Lei Weiyuan for harassment?" Mao Yunru coldly said as her eyes radiated a dangerous glint.
"Cough cough ahem. Since I''m a good boss it wouldn''t hurt to guide you through my thinking. I''ll start it off by saying this and this is purely my guess but I think Sect master Cheng Yuan was the mastermind behind the whole n. To involve the order, to split up their forces, I think it was all his machination. At first, it was only a tiny suspicion but that changed when I detected something as I was removing the gu and forcefully removing the hibernating Dong Yanlin. I found remnants of qi like someone tried to tamper with the art but stopped early enough before it could trigger anything. It was faint but it couldn''t hide from my monarch sense.
No questions until the end of the presentation Mao Mao," Yang Qing said as he turned away from her and walked to the middle of the courtroom trying to evoke an expert-like demeanor. He paused in the middle of the courtroom and stared ahead pretending he had a far-reaching gaze.
"How obsessed are you with posturing like some enlightened sage," Mao Yunru couldn''t help but shake her head at this. Yang Qingpletely ignoring her statement went on,
"I refuse to believe someone of Cheng Yuan''s level wouldn''t notice a group of elders scheming behind his nose. Peng Zhen''s betrayal was also suspect from the start. I find it hard to believe people who have saved each other''s lives as much as they have, that one would just betray the other so easily especially siblings under the same master. However, the bulk of my suspicion was on Cheng Yuan. Working behind this desk I''vee across numerous sect masters and not one, even the ones heading a rank 5 sect was a simple character. They all had one thing inmon, they all have a breadth of sight and a calctive mind if you may to anticipate and n things.
There''s no way someone of Cheng Yuan''s caliber would fall short on this. In fact, I''d rate him higher among sect masters of sects of his rank. The reason for this is simple. He was thrown into that seat when he was young, their master who had the highest cultivation base had just died and he bore all this and managed to even help it to grow into what it is today in just less than 100 years in a ce as tumultuous as the green fog region. With zero presence of the Order, that ce is a hotbed of ughter and murder from the human themselves not to mention the spirit beasts. There''s no way someone who was able to survive and even thrive in the midst of that be a simple character easily deceived.
Following that thread of thought after hearing Peng Zhen''s version of events I assumed Peng Zhen came to him first and not Gui Bingwen. Cheng Yuan knew his junior brother well so if something was off he''d be the first to detect it. From there he tried to remove the gu from Peng Zhen but realized it was tooplex for him so what does he do? Kill the initiator of the art in the hopes that the technique will dispel but he can''t do it himself since the person is wary and he may have surmised the fight wouldn''t be easy and the aftermath of the fight would leave the sect in shambles. So he and Peng Zhen create that little reuse of the dispute between him and Wen Chang and while they are at it use the situation to get rid of the tumors from the sect with a borrowed knife. He has Peng Zhen get rid of Dong Yanlin since he would be less wary of him. He gives him artifacts with the might of a core formation expert and they enlist the tupelo''s tree help which has the might of a peak core formation expert. With all these factors in ce, they were sure they''d be able to get rid of him.
The Tupelo tree being taken out of the sect was also another giveaway he was involved. It''s the most prized possession of the sect and Peng Zhen got it way too easily even if he was the vice sect leader. No way Cheng Yuan as a sect master would ignore his due diligence and leave it so easily unguarded.
I think they set off two ns. n A was for Peng Zhen to deal with Dong Yanlin aided by the Tupelo tree however if something unexpected happened that even the Tupelo tree would be unable to deal with It then the second n would be in effect. This is Cheng Yuan with the aid of Wen Chang could start over and preserve the embers of their sect. I''m willing to bet among the people in the sect master''s entourageing here most would be the seedlings of the sect who showed the highest potential. I think Feng Xin can confirm that since he has seen them." Yang Qing paused as he looked to Feng Xin for a response.
"By the standards of their sect, they were promising. There were about 15 people all young and at the foundation realm with 2 being at the peak of the qi refinement realm. Among the foundation-level members, there was a guy who seemed about 30 years old who was in the middle stages of the foundation realm. That level is sufficient to bebeled a talent at a rank 3 and even some rank 2 sect," Feng Xin answered. Yang Qing nodded in appreciation.
"To Cheng Yuan, the continuity of the sect is the most important thing to him more than his life, his junior brother''s life, and even the tupelo tree if it came down right to it. Hence he was willing to make that gamble and risk losing the Tupelo tree in case their n met a mishap. About the only one clueless in all this was Wen Chang and she would have paid with her life if I didn''t intervene. This was the read I got from being around him." Yang Qing paused as he drank something from a container that looked like a small cylindrical green log. It was made of green wood with visible grains all around
Chapter 53 53: Yang Qing’s Deduction And Scheme Part (2)
?When Yang Qing felt he had sufficiently wet his beak he put it away and continued giving a rundown of his rationale.
"By the time Wen Chang had the mental breakdown I was more or less certain of my deductions. So I used the brief moment I was helping her to release part of my aura and imnted something in his mental sea. What he experienced was only a tiny part of it, the real thing will be releasedter if what I suspect will happen, happens.
I don''t know how he did it but I suspect sect master Cheng Yuan wiped some parts of his memory specifically the ones rted to Dong Yanlin and the scheme he hatched otherwise he wouldn''t have been so wless in his acting. It''s not an act when you truly don''t know it." Yang Qing said as he had a pensive look on his face. He couldn''t help but wonder what means Cheng Yuan used that even he couldn''t detect traces of it without forcefully reading his soul.
"But don''t we have measures to defeat whatever means he used to wipe his memory," Mao Yunru asked in confusion. It wasn''t that she looked down on the lower-rank sects like Cheng Yuan''s but she felt they couldn''t have something in their arsenal capable of stumping the Order''s means.
"Mao Mao if you keep thinking that way, your view of the world will be closed and short-sighted making it easier for people to pull one over you. The world is much bigger than you or I can even imagine. Cultivation is a long endless journey with as many divergent paths and discoveries that are as many as grains of sand. There may be rankless sects that have techniques to break through three realms of the body refining stage within a day, others with unique cksmithing skills, others who can mimic the cultivation style of spirit beasts and the list goes on. The same line of reason applies especially to cultivation arts and alchemy. Not even a seasoned alchemist can im they know all recipes out there. What they know is just a drop in an otherwise gigantic ocean, the same applies to cultivation arts. They may not be powerful in therger scheme of things but they may be powerful in targeting a single specific attribute let''s say wiping memory safely. Don''t ever underestimate anyone regardless of their rank even someone at the qi cultivation stage may know something you don''t. I suspect the Green fog swamp sect has a unique method capable of wiping their memories that it can even fool the senses of a pce stage expert. As for those means I''m more inclined to believe it''s from a natural treasure like let''s say their tupelo tree," Yang Qing said as he lightly smiled.
Mao Yunru lowered her head as her heart raced. She realized her eyes had been blinded by mild conceit from being a member of the Order. The reason Yang Qing had a different outlook was because of his family who were living proof of a rankless family who were specifically skilled in a particr area to such a level that it even drew in the eyes of those cultivators who were more powerful than them even in the Order. His family wasn''t the only one. This was what made Mao Yunru feel even more ashamed as she had overlooked one of the foundations that helped the Order grow into what it was today. It not only epted students from rankless families but it even epted their families and among those families or ns there were those with a unique set of skills, inheritance, and knowledge in a particr minor field. This became one of the foundations for the Order.
"Well that answers the first question you had as for the rest which more or less boils down to why it seemed I was going out of my way to support the Green fog swamp sect well¡Mmmh Mao Mao what do you think the mandate of the Order is?" Yang Qing asked
"We serve to maintain and enforce fairness, justice, and stability in the southern continent irrespective of who it is," Mao Yunru studiously said. This was drilled into them when they were kids it was like an oath to them.
"You are correct but there are a few things I''d like to add to it. The Order was started so the wars of the cultivators wouldn''t destroy the lives of normal people. Fundamentally the reason the Order exists and our real goal is to ensure the safety of normal people. Just someone at the qi refinement realm is able to easily massacre a thousand people with no cultivation while someone at the foundation can kill fifty times that and that is by themselves what about a whole slew of them, millions of non-cultivators would perish as unwitting bystanders. Their lives are no better than grass in front of cultivators where they don''t care if they identally stomp on it in the midst of their fight.
The wars back then were so bad that the poption of non-cultivators throughout the continent fell to a third of what it was. That created a dangerous consequence for the whole southern continent. Our foundation had been hollowed out. As you well know cultivators don''t conceive easily and it gets harder the more powerful we are. Someone could have lived for 10,000 years but have one child throughout their whole life.
We like to forget the more powerful we be but our rootse from those normal people we treat as grass. The lifeblood of cultivatorses from them and without them, our numbers would drop, and there would be no new talents or heaven-defying geniuses. The sects, ns, and empires came to find out that harsh reality when centuries and millenniums passed by with the eptance rate of new disciples suffering a massive dip. There were pitifully few new talents and the ratio of the young recing the old was 1:50,000. The rank 3 and above sects had to even lower their intake requirements leaving the lower sects with almost no intake within a few centuries. There was no one to pass down their legacy to and some with no one to pass down the touch to were buried in the sands of time. The cultivation level of the southern continent as a whole fell and this is one of the reasons sects from other continents even dared to sink their fangs into our backyard.
You see Mao Mao the Order''s bottom line is the lives of normal people. It is why the punishment given to cultivators who harm them is the harshestpared to when they harm each other.
When the primary goal is protected we can move to our secondary goal which is to ensure stability is maintained. We can either do it forcefully or use other means. Relying solely on the first option is impossible for us. We have the shortest history and we don''t have the numbers tofortably enforce fairness and justice throughout the whole southern continent. So we use other means, one of them is what I did with the Green fog swamp sect. Most of the sects, ns, and empires nowadays see us as a thorn in their side. They have been trying to imitate what we did to grow so powerful in a short amount of time and create alliances all to rival us and tear themselves from our rules and regtions especially the rank 2 sects and above. They hate the feeling of having someone above them monitoring their every action. It''s only because they are notpletely united otherwise they would have already stormed our headquarters.
We need therefore to create as many variables as possible and deflect the attention of these sects and ns from us to each other. The thing these sects hate more than us is another sect lower than them growing to be as powerful as them. This is where the Green fog swamp sectes in. Their fate lies entirely on us moreso if Cheng Yuan did what I think he did. I showed them mercy and helped them, they now owe the Order. They will strive to keep the straight and arrow for fear we will target them and they are less likely to form an alliance with other sects in fact I''m even willing to bet they will inform us of those alliances of their own volition to get in our good books.
We need as many sects out there like the Green fog swamp sect to be our eyes and ears but also as pieces to form a chaotic fragile bnce. A chaotic bnce like this one is our best friend Mao Mao. Sects, ns, and empires being wary of each other, keeping each other in check instead of having amon enemy. I n to install as many variables as I can out there and disrupt the long-established bnce as much as I can. At a time like this chaotic bnce is our friend. That''s why I dly helped Cheng Yuan, as for Peng Zhen it was in part to support the Green fog swamp sect but the other is because I admired him. In all this, whether it was Cheng Yuan''s scheme or not his end was guaranteed in death but he still willingly did it. Someone like that has a strong and admirable resolve. But I was surprised to see he had used the tribtion cleansing method to upgrade his pirs from the orange grade to the blue grade using the tribtion lightning meant for his ascension to the core formation stage instead he used to refine his pirs. Having someone willing to go through that duel against our students is a boon for us as it is for him plus I trust his character more than I do Cheng Yuan.
Don''t worry Mao Mao you don''t have to imitate my way of doing things, the more cases you judge the more you will find your own way of enforcing judgments that are a reflection of your take on the ideals of the Order. Read more, listen more, seek advice more and most of all keep an open mind and you''ll see your own path," Yang Qing said as he softly patted her back.
"I know you will be a splendid judge Mao Mao, you had an amazing teacher after all. In the Order, I have many monikers and one of them is the World''s canvas because of how much of the big picture I can see, you''re in luck Mao Mao to absorb some of this splendor and greatness." Yang Qing said as he puffed up his gait with some pride.
"Pppfthahahah," Mao Mao soon broke into a peal of softughter with the rest joining in.
"Leave it to Yang Qing''s shamelessness to lighten the mood." They all thought to themselves as the man in question rubbed his nose cheekily. He went on to have a discussion with Feng Xin who informed him about having Bolin the rainbow mist toad in his possession and the possibility of Haishi the mirage dragonfly joining their unit.
"Of course he is ours, I''m not sharing with those alchemists. We are already undermanned and having an extra pair of hands wouldn''t hurt and we could know more about the green fog region. Let him out first." Yang Qing vehemently said with righteous indignation.
Feng Xin released him from the soul-anchoring bamboo jar. Bolin was a bit disoriented like one waking up from a deep sleep before he got his bearing together. He looked around spotted Feng Xin and knew he was at Feng Xin''s workce. He bowed toward who looked like the boss which was Yi Jie,pletely overlooking Yang Qing who snorted in displeasure.
"How does Yi Jie look more like an expert than I am," Yang Qing thought as he seethed in envy.
"Ahem, Bolin my boss is the green-haired guy though the one you have bowed to is also my boss but the green-haired one is the overall boss. He may not look like much but even two of me couldn''t defeat one of him," Feng Xin said.
That statement shook the nds off Bolin as he looked at Yang Qing with some weariness. He couldn''t ce him as a fearsome target then again they thought Feng Xin was a softmb based on his looks and he had learned painfully from that mistake.
"Sorry esteemed master, this lowly one is Bolin," Bolin said as he bowed so low his face touched the courtroom floor.
"Wow a rainbow mist toad," Yang Qing had already squatted next to him poking him over with his index finger with a childlike smile on his face. Bolin was a nervous wreck thinking he was about to be obliterated but the smooth gentle qi coursing through him disproved that guess. Purple glowing writing soon congealed on his skin with the words ''Yang Qing''s toad don''t try anything funny''
"Good with that those alchemists won''t be tempted to kidnap him and swap with a fake. Feng Xin you can have him registered at the personnel office as for his training we will leave it to Luo Meili she is better at this sort of thing. Nice to meet you Bolin, I look forward to chatting with you more but I''m a little strapped for time. We will have a proper weing ceremonyter together with the mirage dragonfly too." Yang Qing said as he admired his own calligraphy.
Feng Xin nodded as he went his way together with Yi Jie who went to the hallway to call in the next people whose case was to be heard. Feng Xin''s footsteps paused as he couldn''t help but feel he forgot something important. But he soon shook his head dismissively as he continued moving.
Chapter 54 54: The Second Case Begins
?Yang Qing and Mao Yunru were each in their respective positions as Yang Qing went over the case details in the white jade talisman Mao Yunru had passed over to him earlier in the day.
"Three brothers Shen Shi, Shen Ding, and Shen Tian destroyed one of the tables made from earthvine wood belonging to the Earthvine restaurant. The three brothers were unable to pay 15,000 middle-grade spirit stones the sum required to cover the damage done to the earthvine table.
Mmmh it seems they are rogue cultivators which exins why their purses are tight. Three brothers all at the fourth stage of the core formation realm and are less than 200 years old. With that talent, they could afford to be retainers or guest elders in any rank 3 and rank 4 sects or family but they insist on being rogue cultivators.
Let''s see about the other party in this, the owner of the Earthvine restaurant. The restaurant is known for its iconic earthvine wood that is known to have gentle restorative properties and also gently soothes someone''s spirit. This effect is highly beneficial for someone affected by mental demons. The characteristics of the earthvine wood and their quality dishes made this restaurant garner a lot of regrs and is one of the organizations to stand out in the rank 3 kingdom the Emerald lily kingdom. The proprietor of the ce is someone at the seventh stage of the core formation.
Mmmh what is this? They are a subsidiary of the Golden bamboo pavilion!! Mao Mao, you read this report, right? Yang Qing suddenly asked
"Mmmh," Mao Yunru nodded in reply
"Well, why is the owner bringing this case here instead of dealing with it in-house? The report says his restaurant is a subsidiary of the Golden bamboo pavilion which is a mercantile organization made of 4 leaders each with a domain rank cultivation. With that level of power, they can handle a few puny core formation cultivators easily. Why bring the case here then not unless there is something I''m missing?" Yang Qing asked with a puzzled expression.
"From what I heard from Zheng Hu who is the one in charge of this case, in the background he did for the restaurant he discovered that the Golden bamboo pavilion is caught up in something major. From the information he dug out it seems to be a merger with another mercantile organization and that merger has the pavilion too upied to spare its attention or resources on other matters. All the subsidiaries were asked to handle all matters independently for the next few months to a year, be they minor or major the pavilion would not be able to step in even if they were facing a cmitous disaster.
From what Zheng Hu could glean from interacting with the owner of the earthvine restaurant he said the owner has a cautious personality and he could detect some instability in his cultivation. He suspects the owner''s realm was built off of the consumption of alchemy pills. He may be in the seventh stage of the core formation realm but someone with such a shaky foundation would be hard-pressed to suppress three core formation experts who have been living all their lives on the edge as rogue cultivators. It was why he decided to involve the Order," Mao Yunru patiently exined.
"Mmmh okay well everything seems simple enough, I doubt we will see any twists like the previous case," Yang Qing said as he stared at the courtroom doors that had opened with Yi Jie in the lead followed by three stockily built men who looked to be in their forties. The three men were carbon copies of each other down to even how they walked. The only thing that seemed to differentiate them was the color of the robes they wore. One had on a blue robe and it was clean and straightened out which looked in contrast to his stocky build and menacing appearance of de scars on his forehead and chest and part of his hands. The second man had a yellow robe while the third had on a brown robe that looked unrefined like it was made of a patchwork of different unprocessed spirit beast hides. All three men had their bodies riddled with scars that showed they lived through the edge of the de every single day.
However, there were some subtle differences among them that someone with a trained eye like Yang Qing could easily spot. For example, the one with the blue robes had a valiant general aura to him every step he took was measured every breath he took was at a timed interval. The one with the yellow robe had a shifty and calctive look to him. His eyes kept secretly darting around the room like he was taking stock of everything and deciding how much he could make from them. His eyes resembled that of a merchant. As for thest one with the brown patched hide-looking robe he was picking his ear and giving off ackluster and unrestrained vibe however Yang Qing could tell he was the furthest thing from carefree. His body was high-strung to react explosively within a moment''s notice. He also had the fewest injury of the three.
Behind the three triplets was a rotund middle-aged man with orange robes that had the emblem of the earthvine tree embroidered on it. He had short curly light brown hair, a medium goatee, and a rosy pinkplexion. He heard a friendly and gentle aura that made him easily approachable and amiable to most people. Andstly closing the group was a youth who looked to be 18 years old. He had on a charming smile that went up several notches when he spotted Mao Yunru. Appearance wise he looked like a looker with some hints of craftiness and yfulness to it. He had red hair tied in a bun with a green stick and had on robes that were half red and half blue with a rhombus image on the back that had the numeral IV imprinted on it. This showed that he was an inquisitor of the Order.
He guided the triplets to the left and the rotund middle-aged man was guided to the right.
"Inquisitor Zheng Hu hereby presents Zhong Quan the owner and proprietor of the Earthvine restaurant who has filed aint against the three brothers namely; Shen Shi, Shen Ding, and Shen Tian. The three brothers have been used of destroying an earthvine wood table with the damage costing an equivalent value of 15,000 middle-grade stones as per the owner''s valuation. The three brothers were unable to pay the sum and a middle ground was unable to be reached between the two parties. Both parties have thus agreed to submit their case to the Order and fully adhere to its ruling," Zheng Hu solemnly said as he performed a curt bow to Yang Qing. His earlier yful look had disappeared and was reced by a professional look suited to an inquisitor.
"Thank you little ahem cough cough I mean thank you very much INQUISITOR ZHENG HU for your report," Yang Qing said as he tried to hide his embarrassment by offering an apologetic smile to Zheng Hu who was as still as a rock as if the earlier statement had nothing to do with him. But his secretly grinding teeth spoke a different story.
"My name is Yang Qing a judge at the superior core courts and I''ll be in charge of your case for the day. Both sides will take turns presenting their sides of the story and after satisfactorily hearing the case from both sides, I will pass my verdict. I trust Zheng Hu has informed you of the penalties you would incur should you act against the verdict. You being here means you have both submitted yourself wholly to the ruling of this court.
I''ll ask again for your sakes do you all agree to submit to the ruling decided by this court and the penalties thate with it should you disobey?" Yang Qing asked with a serious look.
"We do," they all answered solemnly.
"Good, then we will start off with hearing from your side of things owner Zhong Quan then after it will be the three brothers'' turn. Let''s begin then," said Yang Qing.
Chapter 55 55: Owner Zhong Quan’s Side Of Things
?Zhong Quan straightened his robes and adjusted his figure to make sure he was as presentable as he could be. It was rare to find a plumb cultivator, especially in the core formation stage. There are only a few cases why a cultivator of such a caliber would end up that way and they are; they have a bloodline that makes their body that way, a side effect of a cultivation mantra, a deliberate attempt by the cultivator to hide his/her true physique i.e most assassins use this ploy as most people are less wary of a round cultivator or thest option which is that the cultivator consumed a lot of alchemical pills or natural treasures beyond their bodies capacity to properly refine them leaving the unused energy stored in the body as fat.
Without seeing the person himself based on Zheng Hu''s report he would have assumed the owner Zhong Quan was part of thest group who consumed alchemical pills and thus his body ended up that way however on seeing the person up close he had to revise that opinion. The moment Zhong Quan stepped into the courtroom he had already detected an anomaly in his body after scanning him with his monarch sense. Zhong Quan''s qi seemed unstable just like Zheng Hu had reported however through Yang Qing''s monarch sense he detected much more than that. The qi seemed to be shing and destroying each other and rebuilding each other up again and the energy produced from that destruction gets stored in the body. There seemed to be a feral primal nature to the qi. If it was any other superior core court judge, Zhong Quan''s true nature would have likely evaded their eyes but never in a million years would Zhong Quan have expected that a pce realm cultivator would be in a superior core courtroom instead of a pce courtroom.
"I wonder what bloodline he has. Too bad I can''t probe deeper without alerting him," Yang Qing thought to himself as his eyes gleamed in deep interest.
Zhong Quan who was fixing himself up suddenly flinched as he quickly tried to hide it,
"Huh why does it feel like someone probed me," he thought as he stealthily gazed around the courtroom before his eyesight settled on Yang Qing who was throwing him an interested and crafty look.
"WAIT, Did he?...No he couldn''t have. No one below the pce stage can discover my secret. He is just someone at the core formation stage maybe a quasi-pce stage expert but even they can''t see through me. No, No, Zhong Quan it seems you''re getting too sensitive and paranoid with age. Ever since the merger started and the Golden bamboo pavilion diverted its attention life has just gotten harder for me. Attacks from other rival merchant organizations and even some I suspect may have fingerprints from some of the subsidiaries of the Golden bamboo pavilion. If I knew it would bring this much trouble operating a restaurant I''d rather have opened up a bookstore caf¨¦ instead. It''s likely to be less troublesome. What''s done is done hopefully bringing this case to the Order will serve as a warning to the rest. I don''t know if these three brothers were deliberately sent to cause trouble in my shop but even if they weren''t it doesn''t hurt to have another person take care of the problem," Zhong Quan couldn''t help but sigh in his heart at his troubles.
The brief internal monologue took just a few seconds before Zhong Quan threw those thoughts away and renewed himself to focus on the matter at hand.
"Thank you judge Yang Qing for gracing us with your presence my humble name is Zhong Quan and I''ve been the owner of the Earthvine restaurant for the past 70 years. My restaurant is a small one but we pride ourselves on excellent service and customer satisfaction. This is why we don''t discriminate and our doors are open to anyone whether it''s a scion of some noble family or amoner our service is equal to all just like how the Order is to the whole southern continent which I admire greatly. If I wasn''t a coward and had low talent I would have definitely joined but s it wasn''t meant to be?" Zhong Quan made a dramatic pause and showed an expression of lifelong regret that no one would doubt as being faked.
"How great are his acting skills?" One of the three brothers thought as he scrutinized Zhong Quan''s disy to try and spot a bit of falsity in it. As for Yang Qing and Zhong Quan, their thoughts were elsewhere. Yang Qing had imperceptibly noticed Zhong Quan''s subtle hint with the open doors phrase. Birds of a kind always had a way to sniff each other out from a crowd.
"Message received. Okay, I''lle you better not disappoint,"
"Don''t worry young master we won''t short you on the quality and quantity,"
"Price?"
"50% OFF,"
"Deal!!!"
"Deal!!!"
No words were exchanged but the brief look they exchanged they had alreadye to an agreement and even ironed out the details each pleased with themselves. One had gotten a ce to eat with arge discount and the other had just gotten a new customer.
After the brief and unnoticed exchange Zhong Quan continued swiftly after,
"It was with that spirit of diligence and excellence that in all our years of service we have never had manyints from our customers and the number of regrs kept rising. I guess it''s from that reputation that maybe the three brothers decided to patronize my restaurant. They came in four days ago and had a meal there. From what I heard from one of the restaurant''s servants who waited on them, they seemed to enjoy the meal but out of nowhere, they started arguing amongst themselves and before the servant could intervene it had alreadye to blows and they broke the earthvine wood table in the midst of their brawl and even caused spilled the meals of other customers. By the time I came to intervene the damage had already been done.
I gently asked the three to repay me for the destroyed earthvine table only and I''d forgive the debt they owed for their food and the food of the other customers that their fight ruined. However, they couldn''t pay for it. They only had almost 40 middle-grade spirit stones to their name which could barely cover a drop of it. Understanding that they were rogue cultivators and that money would be tight I offered an alternative which was for them to work for me until their debt was cleared. But even that caused a disagreement between us as we couldn''te to an understanding on the going rate of their services. The amount that they suggested was their worth was enough to hire someone who was at thete stages of the core formation realm. So negotiations broke down.
They did suggest giving them time so they can scrape the amount together but I don''t know them all too well. What''s to stop them from moving to another ce? They are rogue cultivators so they are not tied down to any sect, family, or kingdom. Finding them again would be next to impossible not without me spending an amount more than the damage they caused. So we eventually decided to use the unbiased judgment of the Order. I know it''s rather inconsiderate of us to bring a case of this level here but it''s the only ce I trust to bring this issue to a weed resolution.
I ask for your guidance Judge Yang Qing," said Zhong Quan as he made a curt bow however with his belly he didn''t seem to have bent much but the sentiment was well transmitted.
"Thank you very much for your trust in the Order and we will strive to ensure fairness is maintained despite what form it may take. Now then which of you three brothers would like to start or if you''d like one of you can speak for the rest? Whichever one you decide is okay," Yang Qing said as he gently motioned to the three brothers.
Chapter 56 56: The Shen Brothers
?"I WILL DO IT," all the three brothers mored up to do it.
"No, I will do it!! As the oldest, it''s my responsibility to shoulder things and speak up for the rest," The brother with the blue meticulous robe suddenly said with a serious expression that seem to leave no room for debate.
"Who said you were the oldest? I''m clearly the oldest and also the smartest so clearly, I should be the one to speak up," said the other brother with the yellow robes who had a crafty and calctive look.
"Why are you two wasting time arguing, clearly the one with the biggest fist is the one who should speak up for the rest. Might has always spoken in the cultivation world and I''m clearly the strongest unless you two want a refresher in that regard," the other brother in brown patched robes said with a provocative smug look.
"Isn''t someone so full of himself? You seem to have forgotten the tally Shen Tian. All those blows to the head from head-bushing spirit beasts must have done a number on you. You were not gifted in the mental regard to begin with but it looks like things have dropped even lower than before," the yellow-robed brother said mockingly.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY YOU MONEY GRUBBER," Shen Tian who was the brother in the brown patched robes aggressively said as he clenched his fist preparing to take a swing.
Yang Qing shook his head sideways once he saw Yi Jie about to interrupt these brothers'' spout. He had an amused look as he was watching the show of the three brothers go on.
"Be mindful of where we are Shen Tian besides what Shen Ding said isn''t a lie either. What was the tally again of your fights against us?
You have won 23 bouts against me lost 22 drew 15 and against Shen Ding you have won 12 bouts lost 14 drew 34 while my tally against him is I have won 18 lost 17 drew 25. With these results, you still want to im you are strongest and on what grounds. Wait until we are done with this we can settle the scoreter.
For now, I think it''s fair to have the one who had the most recent victories be the one to speak for the rest. You both agree with this yes?" the brother with the blue robe suddenly asked directing the question to his two brothers.
"Fine," Shen Tian the brother in the brown patched robes suddenly let up and his earlier disy of aggression changed into a normal expression in an instant.
"Better you Shen Shi than him," Shen Ding the crafty-looking brother in the yellow robe said as he shrugged.
Yang Qing only continued to smile in amusement at the charade. The three brothers may look to havee to a sudden agreement but they only did that when they noticed Yi Jie was about to re up.
"I guess living their lives as rogue cultivators has made them rather sensitive to dangerous situations," Yang Qing thought as he drummed his index finger on the podium as his eyes gleamed with an idea.
"Sorry for the rude disy judge Yang Qing. We meant no disrespect to the Order, my brothers and I have lived in the wilderness all our lives since we were kids so we sometimes struggle to keep our mannerisms in check," Shen Shi the blue-robed brother said as he performed a curt bow.
"It''s okay, I''m already used to it. Being on this desk I''ve seen all kinds of people, especially from the rogue cultivatingmunity," Yang Qing said as he dismissively waved his hand. He could tell Shen Shi had only performed a perfunctory bow without any sincerity either.
For those who have lived most of their lives as rogue cultivators, there were certain traits that some were bound to have. Some of them were contradictory to each other whilst some were simr. In as much as a rogue cultivator''s life was filled with freedom and a sense of unrestraint, it was also fraught with danger all around more than what cultivators belonging to sects, families, royalty, or organizations could see or experience in their lifetime.
Those dangers made these cultivators either value their lives too much or be indifferent in the face of life and death. They were either valiant or cunning to the extreme. There was also another thought that was ingrained into these rogue cultivators the more dangers they survived with little to no resources. In their eyes, their survival proved them superior especially with so many odds stacked up against which in turn developed into contempt for cultivators who belonged to sects, ns, royalty, or organizations. In the same way, the cultivators of sects looked down on rogue cultivators the same sentiment was reciprocated as some of these rogue cultivators looked at these cultivators as domesticated cultivators who had no bite and would never survive a day in their shoes. The more dangers they weathered through the more that contempt for others and pride in themselves was ingrained. Some even dubbed themselves as true cultivators.
Yang Qing noticed the three brothers were part of that group. They may look restrained and showing deference right now but all that was a pretense. There was a veiled contempt hidden in their eyes when they looked at him and everyone else in the courtroom.
"No wonder despite their talent they never joined any sect. The arrogance of defying death a few times sure is something but I never quite understood how this makes them true cultivators though. How are they the better cultivators if something they fought tooth and nail to defeat it takes me just a pinkie and a millisecond to defeat?
That reminds me, what did happen to that rogue cultivator who was at the early stage of the core formation realm that Kang Hung had fight against one of the students who was interning with him and was just at the peak of the foundation realm? Hehehe I heard the cultivator was beaten ck and blue and almost suffered qi deviation from how serious that beating was. Kang is really insidious at times. But seeing the look of these three brothers even I am tempted to break their wills in the most insidious of ways. Let me be magnanimous for once seeing it''s my final week in this court," Yang Qing thought as quickly threw those thoughts aside in time to hear Shen Shi''s introduction.
"My name is Shen Shi and these are my brothers Shen Ding and Shen Tian," Shen Shi said as he pointed to the yellow-robed man and the brownpatched-robed man respectively.
"We three brothers are rogue cultivators to others it might seem like a path for those with no prospects or as ast resort but to us, it''s a gift that keeps on giving. We get to travel all over, experience different things and learn new things with the sky as our nket and the earth as our bed. It was during those travels that we heard about the Earthvine restaurant as we were making our way across the Emerald lily kingdom for a job. We decided to patronize the ce to enjoy a good meal and taste the effects of the earthvine wood and see if they are good as they say it is.
The service wasn''t bad though we''ve seen better but I can appreciate that the Earthvine restaurant doesn''t discriminate against who it serves. The food was okay and as for the earthvine wood, its effects though minimal on us could still be felt. It was during one of our discussions as brothers that it got heated and before we knew it due to our passionate natures it got to trading blows. But we didn''t use much force we were mindful of where we were and restrained much of our abilities seeing as only the table was the only thing that broke is a testament to the truth of my statement.
However, despite us holding back the earthvine table broke way too easily. Isn''t something touted with so many great effects meant to be resilient even against the attacks of a core formation expert?
We couldn''t make heads or tails of how something that is atleast of sky rank broke at the minute of our attacks. But since we were at fault we agreed topensate for it. But the owner said it was 15,000 mid-grade spirit stones. The owner was clearly trying to take advantage of us since he may have guessed we were rogue cultivators and we may not be informed on certain matters.
Judge Yang Qing my brothers and I truly do not believe that table was made of true earthvine wood. We may have not seen one ourselves but we have seen other sky-rank woods such as the condor''s caller wood, ghost stream wood, and wood from the thunder-thorn tree and they were all able to withstand an attack from an early-stage core formation expert without a doubt. But I''m supposed to believe that an earthvine wood broke to an attack that wasn''t even at the core formation stage.
As we didn''t want to create amotion we decided topromise and do one job for him but he insisted we lend our services for a month to make up for the 15,000 mid-grade spirit stones. However, the math didn''t add up. We are three core formation experts at the 4th level whose might is as strong as someone at the early stages of the 7th level of the core formation realm. How could our worth be simply 500 mid-grade stones a day? The going rate to hire someone of our caliber is ten times that at 5,000 a day. After telling him that negotiations broke down and we are.
I plead Judge please look at this case fairly. Despite being conned by the owner we didn''t act out and wanted to find a peaceful resolution but the owner just insisted on trying to have his way and take advantage of us brothers just because we are rogue cultivators. We hope the court will be fair in this matter and let the world know there are no distinctions in this ce even if you are royalty or just amoner justice and fairness are meted out all the same," Shen Shi said as he performed an even deeper bow.
Chapter 57 57: Chief Song Chuanli
?"Don''t worry Mr. Shen Shi we will ensure fairness will be upheld above everything else," Yang Qing said as he faintly smiled. Shen Shi cupped his fists in acknowledgment.
"Before I make my ruling, Zhen Hu would you please?" Yang Qing said as he ced his palms open to receive something from Zheng Hu. Zheng Hu happily obliged as he removed a square-shaped block of wood with rough edges that seemed like it had been forcibly snapped. The wood was orange-red like the sun during a sunset.
The Shen brothers had their pupils constrict once they saw it before they calmed down a secondter.
Yang Qing fiddled around with the block of wood as he nodded to himself a couple of times with his gaze flickering. The calm soothing feeling like cool and gentle water calming things around it already gave the identity of the wood away as the earthvine wood. It was one of the few trees to have a mild and gentle nature with soothing effects that could even soothe the soul.
"With this, I should have everything I need to make my judgment," Yang Qing said as he ced the block of the earthvine wood aside and crisscrossed his fingers together.
"The earthvine wood may not be the sturdiest nt out there but I agree it should be able to withstand the attacks from an early-stage core formation expert."
The Shen Shi were all in glee filled with smug expressions when they heard this.
"However due to its special mild and gentle nature, there are a few objects out there that can negatively affect it and render it no different from anymon wood out there. I found a trace of one of those substances in this wood here. The inquisitor of the case Zheng Hu grabbed a piece of the wood from the table that was broken and it''s this piece right here.
First things first, I want to dere unequivocally that this is real earthvine wood, and based on its quality it has been procured from an earthvine tree that is atleast 20,000 years old and whose effects can affect everyone up to the peak of the core formation realm. As for the price, mmh well better to let a specialist exin it. Zheng Hu can you call Chief Song Chuanli in, hopefully he isn''t in a sour mood from being torn away from his contraptions," Yang Qing couldn''t help but say with some worry in his voice.
Zheng Hu quickly rushed outside and came back in with a short old man whose hair was white and a long beard that reached his chest. He had on a white robe that was covered in sawdust which had strange properties to them as there were even a few that would asionally flicker with purple lightning, while some had a golden glow to them with others changing into a myriad of colors every millisecond.
The old man walked with firm steady steps with his hands behind his back. He had a stern almost impatient and irritated expression on as he made his way over.
"I''m sorry Chief Song for interrupting you from your busy schedule but I need your expertise in something and you are one of the best in this field," Yang Qing said as he stood up to cup his fist with an apologetic smile. Mao Yunru, Yi Jie, and Zheng Hu also respectfully cupped their fist to him. This drew curious looks from the Shen brothers and also Zhong Quan too. They wondered what bigshot this was to draw such a reaction from a judge and the inquisitors. They didn''t try to probe his cultivation but from a brief glimpse, they could tell he was just at thete stages of the core formation realm. They couldn''t understand why they showed so much deference for an old geezer who seemed he may kick the bucket any time, especially the Shen brothers. In their world and most cultivators'' world, strength was the only metric that deserved respect.
"Mmph typical of sheltered cultivators," Shen Tian thought with contempt feeling his heart as he looked at Yang Qing''s and the rest''s respectful looks.
"You better fund some of my expenses from your discretionary fund Yang Qing for tearing me away from my work for your case. Don''t you know we got a few rare materials this time? If I leave too long those old geezers will nab a few more samples for themselves and leave me with none. So be quick about what it is you need." Chief Song Chuanli impatiently said.
"Hehehe I''m in your debt Chief Song as for the funds it will have to wait till after my ceremony. I''llpensate you better then. I called you in for this," Yang Qing said as he tossed over the block of the earthvine wood which Chief Song caught deftly despite looking like he would tip over from any sudden movements. He caught it with his right hand while his left hand was still behind his back.
"Mmh an earthvine wood made from an earthvine tree that is 23,900 years old. The craftsmanship to harvest the timber from its log was subpar only retaining 70% of its original value," Chief Song brought it to his nose as he took a gentle sniff as he closed his eyes.
"The period from the harvest, refining the wood and its subsequent use after that it seems 27- 29 years have passed no its 29 years." He then did something that shocked Zhong Quan even more than he was currently. As Chief Song had got every single detail correct despite Zhong Quan not divulging anything.
Chief Song took a bite out of the wood like it was a piece of bread. His expression which was serene suddenly turned frosty as he spit out the wood with anger.
"Which bastard snuck pollen from the grey phantom deatle in there? That thing destroys the very nature of the earthvine wood. No wonder it smelled disgusting and the taste was rotten," Chief Song said as he spat a few more times and tossed back the block of earthvine wood like it was some piece of trash.
"Can you tell how much efficacy the earthvine wood retained after the 29 years Chief Song or was it too degraded for you to tell," Yang Qing asked as he put the block away and secretly evaporated the saliva stuck on his palm from the block.
"Who do you think you are talking to? Before you grew those greedy teeth of yours how many precious kinds of wood do you think passed through my hands? The efficacy was at 43%," Chief Song offhandedly said.
"Is that it? I need to leave," Chief Song asked as he was turning away to leave.
"No wait Chief Song there are a few more things. Zhong Quan what were the dimensions of your table," Yang Qing hurriedly asked as his eyes pleaded with Chief Song to wait who snorted in irritation but acquiesced to the plea.
"The table was a six-seater table that was 40 inches wide and 72 inches long," Zhong Quan said without a second of hesitation.
"Chief Song can you give me an estimate of the amount of timber used to make something like that and based on the current wood''s efficacy what its selling price would be? That''s thest question," asked Yang Qing.
"To make something like that from earthvine timber a conservative estimate would be it required 50 of them. One log from an earthvine tree that is 23,000 years old would go for 600 high-grade spirit stones and that log would produce about 400 boards of timber there about.
If I were to convert it to mid-grade spirit stones the 50 boards of timber would go for 75,000 spirit stones but that is only if the wood was processed retaining atleast 90% of its efficacy but the one who did this job retained 70% and I''m even generous in that estimation. The prices would drop to 50,000 stones then when we factor how much time haspsed and its current efficacy level its worth would be half that so its price would be around 20,000-25,000 mid-grade spirit stones though most shops wouldn''t go lower than 20,000 even if it was at 43% efficacy. I hope that is it, I''m going now. I hope those bastards left me the sun-peak cherry wood atleast. If they went too far this old man will have to settle scores with them," Chief Song mumbled to himself like a warrior heading off to a life-and-death battle. He didn''t even hear the words of gratitude from Yang Qing.
"Before I forget Yang Qing make sure toe help me on my farm when you have time. It will help you deepen your understanding of the path you are walking on. Yi Jiee along too so this kid actually does something and does not eat all of my fruits. Bring that snow plum blossom wine of yours with you too. I finished thest vat you made me. You can harvest a few things from the farm as payment," Chief Song trailed as he closed the door behind him.
Yang Qing could only smile bitterly at Chief Song''s antics. He had always been this way. Erratic and passionate when it came to craftsmanship. He was one of the craftsmen that retrofitted the furniture used in the lower core courts, upper core courts, and some of the superior core courts in the main headquarters and some of the personal offices among many other works around the Order. When it came to botany, processing, and craftsmanship his skills were unrivaled and could match even one in the domain stage. The breadth of wisdom he has is enough to write books for decades and it still wouldn''t cover all that he knew. He was also one of the trainers of the institute. A lot of techniques in handling different kinds of nts had been devised by him that even the alchemist of the Order highly value. He has created a few gold-grade techniques in his road as a craftsman.
Yes, he was only a core formation expert but the only reason for that was because he was an entric workaholic. He has postponed breaking through to the pce stage for the past 120 years iming he was too busy to afford the time he would waste breaking through and solidifying his cultivation base. He would rather spend that time creating furniture and honing his craft and when he feels like taking a break he would give some thought on breaking through. For the past 120 years that feeling never came so he remained at the peak of the core formation realm not taking a step forward.
However, despite being at that stage he had honed his dao path deeper than what even Yang Qing had done. Before Yang Qing broke through to the pce realm, Lei Weiyuan once told him that when Chief Song does decide to breakthrough it would not be a stretch for him to directly reach the peak of the pce realm in a single day and even touch the cusp of the domain realm. His foundations in his dao were that deep and robust. Now that Yang Qing had broken through and was walking in his dao path from interacting with Chief Song he could immediately tell why Lei Weiyuan thought that way. Chief Song''s whole body felt like a massive tree that covered a whole kingdom filled with the strength and knowledge of time surpassing each era. He had a density and profoundness to him that Yang Qing wasn''t close to matching at the moment.
Chapter 58 58: Displeasure Against The Order
?Yang Qing quickly pushed those thoughts away as he focused on the matter at hand.
"As you have heard, the earthvine wood was 23,000 years old, and based on the amount of timber used to make the table you brothers destroyed its worth is between 20,000-25,000. The quote Zhong Quan gave you of 15,000 middle-grade spirit stones was even more than fair on his part.
So the usation of whether it was true earthvine wood has been disproved and the charges he gave on the broken table have been found to be reasonable. With all these facts in ce¡"
"WAIT JUDGE YANG QING!!!! What do you mean by fair? Is this how the Order conducts its business? Colluding with the aafluent to oppress those in the rogue cultivators because they have no backing other than themselves.
You really expect us to trust the judgment of an old man who looks to already be on his deathbed. He is just a senile old man that you have involved in this case to create the illusion that everything was above board when in the actual sense you had already decided to side with the unscrupulous merchant over there. Some beacon of fairness and justice the Order is. Just wait until we leave here and tell anyone who will listen how the Order really does its job, especially against the rogue cultivatingmunity. I and my brothers won''t stand for it, we are not willing to continue with this sham of a case procedure," Shen Shi vehemently said as he scoffed in displeasure. The rest of his brothers seem to be in agreement with him as even Shen Tian spat on the courtroom grounds in disdain.
"Is this sentiment shared by you two?" Yang Qing calmly asked as he stared at the two brothers beside Shen Shi.
"Yes it is," Shen Ding coldly said
"Me too, though I think Shen Shi was a little tame with his words. Shen Shi you really try too hard to be ''refined'' like those aristocrats. Like I always say Shen Shi with sufficient strength even a boar could be seen as more of a gentleman than a king.
If we had enough strength do you think we would be put through this farce of a ruling," Shen Tian said as he mockingly smiled.
"The Order is said to be the hotbed of talents but they don''t seem much to me just soft cakes puffing themselves up. Just you wait, I''ll make sure to grow powerful enough to openly spit at the Order''s face," Shen Tian thought as a smile of contempt crept on his face as he dead-eyed Yang Qing.
Zhong Quan''s brows frowned in displeasure at the whole thing but they soon smoothened out as he looked at the calm indifferent expression that Yang Qing and the rest had. He could even see a hint of yful craftiness in Yang Qing''s eye as he stared at the three brothers.
"Good since you are all in agreement this makes things easier. As rogue cultivators, I would have thought you would have a bit of awareness. How have you stayed alive being so reckless and clueless? That old man you call senile is one of the frontmost figures in craftsmanship who has created a few sentient artifacts and how many materials do you think have passed through his hands from sky grade to ascendant grade. The number is sufficient to bury a whole town and you have the gall to doubt his judgment over a single sky-grade material.
You are lucky he didn''t hear your words even I am incapable of surviving one punch from him let alone three puny 4th stage core formation cultivators who have their heads so swollen with pride from surviving insignificant trials that any person from the Order would have zed through as early stage foundation experts.
Do you think core formation cultivators are enough for the Order to pull tricks and besmirch its name with? even a soul formation cultivator isn''t worthy let alone you three.
Besides, do you three think we are children ying cops and robbers here that you can get out of the case procedure anytime you want to?
I asked you beforehand if you were sure you wanted to submit yourselves wholly to the ruling of the court to which you did. Your chance to refuse went away with that agreement and you''re in it now. Any act that maligns the ruling or acts in disobedience of it is another penalty much stiffer than what you would have gotten had you agreed to my ruling. You have to prepare yourselves for whates next. This is the Order and not somece you can behave however you wish," Yang Qing said with an indifferent expression.
Shen Ding couldn''t help but nervously gulp as he wondered if they pushed their luck a bit however Shen Shi and Shen Tian looked undaunted but Shen Tian''s body seemed tenser than before and one of Shen Shi''s fists was tightly clenched.
"I Yang Qing as a judge of the superior core court hereby exercise the authority vested in me by the Order to pass the verdict on the case between owner of the Earthvine restaurant Zhong Quan vs The three Shen brothers.
Having judged the information at hand to be sufficient to pass a ruling, I hereby dere the defendants Shen Shi, Shen Ding, and Shen Tian guilty of destroying the earthvine table whose worth in middle-grade spirit stones is 20,000- 25,000 spirit stones as valuated by a master grade craftsman Chief Song Chuanli. Owner Zhong Quan''s valuation of 15,000 middle-grade spirit stones is found to be fair and above board.
As for the sentence, the Order is willing to pay the amount owed in full to owner Zhong Quan or have the three brothers pay their amount inbor to the restaurant. The amount will be considered paid off when the three brothers have worked for a month. The payment will be 500 middle-grade spirit stones a day is considered to be the standard amount for the remuneration of the services of a 4th-stage core formation expert. Which option would you prefer owner Zhong Quan?" Yang Qing asked.
"Judge Ya.." the three brothers jumped out in fury to oppose the ruling.
"Silence you have no say in the matter. Just stand still and wait your turn," Yang Qing cut them off before they said anything. The three brothers had wanted to speak but they felt some energy surround them and forcefully petrified their bodies. They couldn''t even blink their eyes, about the only thing they could do was breathe.
This sudden change made their bodies grow cold. They didn''t even understand what happened to them. They just lost all control of their bodies. Fear sunk into their hearts but their bodies didn''t show anything.
Zhong Quan noticed there was something strange going on among the three brothers especially when it seemed like their words were quite literally forced down their throats.
"There may be more than meets the eye with this judge. Maybe earlier¡" Zhong Quan paused midway as a scarier thought popped into his head as he looked at Yang Qing with more reservation.
"Judge Yang Qing if it''s okay with you I prefer the first option. As much as I would have liked to employ the services of core formation experts for a month. Having them around the restaurant may be more trouble than it''s worth especially if they don''t want to be there. The first option is the safest and most expedient option for me," Zhong Quan humbly said.
"You have nothing to worry about if you chose the second option. The Order has ways to ensure their discipline on the job. So do you still want the first option or will you reconsider?" Yang Qing asked with a smile.
"Thanks for the consideration but I prefer the first option," Zhong Quan said as he offered a smile of gratitude of his own.
"Okay then, Zheng Hu will take you to the restitution and remation offices. They will pay you back the amount in full there whether you want it in high-grade spirit stones or middle-grade or even low-grade spirit stones they amodate all choices and take this with you as proof," Yang Qing said as he quickly drafted a small note in an ancient-looking paper. He stamped it at the end with his gold eagle medallion which made the writing glow in a pure gold light before the paper rolled itself and a gold eagle spirit appeared and swallowed the paper it then flew to Zheng Hu and parched itself on his shoulder.
Chapter 59 59: Sentence Given To The Three Brothers
?"Now it''s time to settle ounts with you three," Yang Qing said with a frosty expression. He had seen his fair share of arrogant defendants who were all too reckless with their words and actions. But this was the first time someone other than him was the target of those actions especially it being Chief Song Chuanli. Of the instructors he was close with, Chief Song was one of them, it was the reason Yang Qing called him despite his fiery personality. In his time at the institute, he had been guided by him and offered support that went even beyond the scope of what a normal instructor would give and he wasn''t the only one Xia Boqin the superior core court judge who looked like a noble was one of the few people who were really close with Chief Song in fact he was more of a father to thetter. Hearing someone bad mouth him angered him more than if he was the target. It took a lot of self-restraint for him to not p them to death right then and there.
"Had you decided to be patient, things may have ended differently for you. Yes, there is no doubt that you three are guilty of damaging owner Zhong Quan''s property and you would have to pay the amount required either throughbor or spirit stones. But just like I''ve told owner Zhong Quan the Order would have footed the bill and have you three brothers settle up the amount with uster.
We would have given you sufficient time to pay us the amount in installments with a 1% annual interest charge on the amount with the 1% being charged on the remaining bnce each year. Unlike Zhong Quan, we don''t have to worry about you three escaping since the Order can track you anywhere in the southern continent.
The other option would have been to have you do some jobs for us. Unlike other ces, we don''t pay a fixed rate based on your cultivation realm we pay ording to the degree of difficulty of the job and thepletion rate. So you may have taken a single job that costs 15,000 middle-grade stones and cleared your debt in one day if youpleted it sessfully which would have opened up an opportunity for you guys. We have a lot of contract work that we offer to rogue cultivators like yourself and the remuneration terms are excellent. We can pay in spirit stones, cultivation resources like herbs, weapons, and pills that are of an equivalent value to the spirit stones or you can choose to be guided on your cultivation arts by some of the instructors from the institute for a set period of time. These options are only afforded to rogue cultivators to ensure you can have a footing in this treacherous world.
Most rogue cultivators who have be renowned in the past a hundred years over half of them was because of the harvests they gained from doing contract work with us. Some were even so good that they were offered a permanent cement with us even though they are not products of the institute.
However, because of your earlier disy of utter contempt and disregard for this court, your end will be much graver and harsher.
I Yang Qing judge of the superior core courtroom hereby dere Shen Shi, Shen Ding, and Shen Tian guilty of nder and show of contempt to the court and a member of the Order. You are also guilty of being in breach of article 24 of the court''s code of conduct the obeisance andpliance of parties involved to the court ruling and its penalties. You submitted yourselves willingly and wholeheartedly to the court''s ruling but acted contrary to your agreement putting you in breach of the article hence invoking its penalties.
Maligning a member of the Order with no grounds carries a sentence of 3 years of hardbor. The type ofbor is left to the discretion of the judge in charge of the case however as needed the terms may be changed depending on the needs of the Order as at that time. The works may result in your peril and the Order has no obligation to save you should that scenario ur. Any injuries you get during the sentence will not be handled by the Order we will only cater for housing, meals, and provision of all pertinent information to ensure youplete your tasks well. Logistical support will also be provided but only on things concerning the work,bat gear isn''t included in this. You will have to depend on yourselves on that end.
In addition, the penalties for breaching article 24 of the code of conduct in courts ruling carry a minimum sentence of 5 years of hardbor in addition to the guilty party paying what is owed in damages as a result of the verdict in their case. For your case, after you serve the 5 years you will still owe the Order 15,000 middle-grade spirit stones that you will have to pay back and the interest will still be charged as long as the debt is still active.
However, depending on the severity of the breach it is up to the discretion of the Judge to decide whether to add more years to the minimum 5-year sentence. I thus have decided to add 2 more years to it making it a 7-year sentence and adding the 3 years of showing contempt I hereby sentence you to 10 years of hardbor.
Shen Shi, Shen Ding, Shen Tian in the period of your sentence the works for your hardbor will be but not limited to:
¡¤ You will work as a spirit stone miner for 6 months. The Chief Secretary of mining will decide the mines that you will be sent to and the schedule.
¡¤ You will be attached to the alchemy division for 6 months and help them in any way they deem fit in helpbating the miasma affecting one of the grounds housing our snow streak branch office found in Snow streak empire.
¡¤ For 15 months you will be attached to the rank 5 kingdom the Midnight flower kingdom. They were struck with a flood that damaged almost a third of the kingdom. You are to assist in their efforts to construct dams, retrofit their waterways and improve on other types of infrastructure around the kingdom. You will also assist in theirnd remation, rehabilitation, and restoration measures. A specialist in disaster management from the Order will be sent with you. They will supervise your work and give you guidelines on what and how to do it. With your core formation cultivation bases it shouldn''t be too hard for you toplete it within 15 months. Failure to do so and six more months will be added to your sentence.
¡¤ The remainder of your sentence will be spent as a support staff to the core courts all around the Order here at the headquarters and the branches. Though based on your capabilities you will only be dispatched to the outer core court and the inner core court. You are to do all that is required of you and any disobedience will be considered another infraction and 3 more months will be tacked on to your sentence. Your schedule and detachment will be decided by the scheduler and shift supervisors of the lower core courts and the upper core courts. For the next seven years and seven months whatever they say goes.
A point of note during the conduct of all these duties you will be graded. You will be graded in terms of your quality of work andpletion rate. If you get anything less than 7/10 in the evaluation six more months will be added to your sentence," Yang Qing finished as he removed his energy that had paralyzed the Shen brothers who were currently wide-eyed with their jaws wide open. They had wanted to yell but the feeling of being paralyzed just moments ago was firmly imprinted on them.
"Judge isn''t this unfair just because we contradicted your decision," Shen Ding the crafty-looking brother in the yellow robes stiffly asked. His whole body was trembling and pale and he wasn''t alone in this. Shen Tian was hit the hardest as his hands despite being deeply clenched till there were blood droplets forming, his shaky knees and hands could not be calmed despite how hard he tried. Everything within him was tingling in fear yelling for him to run and he didn''t know why? He was the most intuitive of his 3 brothers and that was one of the reasons they have been able to survive this long. It was his timely warnings and reactions that saved them more than a couple of times from certain death. But it was now screaming at him telling him he was doomed. The earlier contempt and arrogance were gone from the three brothers.
"At the start of the case I did ask you if you were sure you wanted to surrender yourselves to the ruling of the court did I not? You all agreed. If you want I can even rey the photo stone recording of your agreement if you want. The problem I have isn''t even with the disagreement but the manner in which you went about it.
Do you think you could hide your true thoughts from me? From the moment you stepped into this court you had utter disregard and contempt for it and the people in it. It''s okay if you think it but you decided to push it further and act on it treating this ce and the people in it as your backyard.
If you do something you must prepare yourselves for the consequences. You even had the gall to threaten to smear our reputation out there. Do you think the Order is fragile enough to be affected by the rumblings of core formation experts howughable," Yang Qing coldly said.
"However since I''m feeling magnanimous I''ll give you three a chance. You can use that strength you seem to be so proud of," Yang Qing said as a small innocent smile curled up. Zheng Hu on seeing this could only mourn for the three brothers. He knew that harmless-looking smile and what it entailed all too well.
Chapter 60 60: Ten Second Chance At Acquittal
?"What is the chance?" Shen Shi the brother in the blue robes hesitantly asked with other brothers mirroring his show of concern. What Yang Qing just mentioned was like a dehydrated person seeing a clear single drop of liquid that they are not sure is even water but if it was it would save them from their current situation.
"Well, it is a simple thing really. I will give you two options. In option one I am willing to drop all the charges against you and the Order will still pay the 15,000 middle-grade spirit stones and you won''t have to pay us a dime. In exchange, all you have to do is to survive for 10 seconds. If you fall unconscious or die then it''s your loss but if you survive and maintain your consciousness it''s your win and I''ll even heal any injuries you incur in those ten seconds.
As for option two, it''s an even simpler choice that is to do what you should have done earlier and just ept the results of the ruling and take the punishment that you have incurred as a result of your actions and make the most of it. If you keep your noses clean, be diligent and attentive in your work with a few rmendations your ten-year sentence may be reduced or you may harvest something even more beneficial from doing every work that is asked of you. But all this is predicated on your attitudes going in.
However, you should know should you decide to go with option one and fail, two more years will be added to your sentence. So your sentence will be 12 years instead of 10 for hardbor.
I''ll give you five minutes to decide," Yang Qing said as he leaned backfortably on his chair.
If it was any other day the three brothers would have dly chosen option one but they remember being paralyzed in just microseconds. That disy of power couldn''t help but worry them. They felt they were given poison in one hand and mmable liquid in the other to quench their thirst.
The three brothers huddled together as they argued back and forth in low voices. Before the five-minute deadline was up it seemed like they hade to a consensus however their faces did not show the relief one should have from making a major decision. It was pale, filled with beads of sweat, and fraught with worry.
Shen Ding and Shen Tian nodded to their brother Shen Shi who nodded back in acknowledgment as he moved forward to face Yang Qing.
"Judge Yang Qing if it doesn''t offend could we please rify a few things before we give you our decision," Shen Shi humbly said.
"Sure you can seeing that your lives are on the line here, gathering as much information as one can is par for the course whenever one is making such life-altering decisions. So what is it you want to ask Shen Shi, like I said I''m feeling magnanimous today so I will amodate you as much as I can TO A POINT," Yang Qing cheerily said as he narrowed his eyes when towards the end of his statement.
The brothers flinched a bit when they heard Yang Qing mention their lives were on the line. When this day started they had no idea it would go this way.
"Thank you for the favor Judge Yang Qing," Shen Shi said as he bowed in gratitude.
"The thing we wanted to know is what do we need to survive against if it''s a person who would it be against, and the power level of the attack and can we use any means avable to us to defend against the attack," asked Shen Shi
"The attacker would be me since I''m the one passing the sentence," Yang Qing smiled gently as he said this which sent shivers down the spines of the Shen brothers. Shen Shi couldn''t help but look back at his two brothers with deeply worried and questioning eyes. The eyes seemed they were asking the question "Do we still go through with this."
In their eyes facing Yang Qing was the worst possible choice. Before the paralysis incident, they didn''t give Yang Qing much thought or fear in any regard. In fact to them in the whole courtroom, the one who had the scariest vibe was Yi Jie and the one with the least presence was Yang Qing. He just seemed like a young man sittingfy in his chairpping in luxury. But after the paralyzing effect, they had to reevaluate the danger factor of the green-haired youth before them. During their discussion, Shen Tian repeatedly warned them how his intuition kept repeatedly warning him of impending doom and all of it was centered on Yang Qing.
Yang Qing ignoring the looks they were giving in each other went on,
"As for the power level it will be just this much," he said as he raised his right index finger which drew confused looks about what he meant.
"What I mean by that is I''ll just be using this finger to attack and the strength of what you''ll be facing will be the amount of power stored in just this one finger. I don''t think it will be more than a full-blown attack of a 1st stage core formation expert," Yang Qing said as he wriggled his index finger like a harmless worm.
"As for yourst question, you are free to use whatever means you have avable to defend yourselves. You won''t be facing the attack separately but together. So use whatever you can, whatever you have I have no objections against," Yang Qing put the most generous and magnanimous look he could give.
"Can we choose to face a different person''s attack?" Shen Shi asked with a pleading expression.
"Like I said I''m the one passing the judgment so it will have to be me. Besides I can tell you for a fact I''m the better choicepared to the rest. Your odds of surviving my attack are higher aspared to the rest. Yi Jie will likely dismember your arm and legs and leave you crippled for life, Mao Yunru will break your minds and you''re guaranteed to live as idiots the rest of your lives as for Zheng Hu he is young and rambunctious he may torch you alive and cripple your foundations or leave you in a state you wish you were dead," Yang Qing patiently exined like a caring elder.
The three brothers couldn''t help but eye the rest once they what Yang Qing said. Yi Jie was still aloof, Mao Yunru had a cold indifferent look which was unlike her as she was always the gentle-looking one as for Zheng Hu he was smiling but he had a malevolent look on his face as he licked his lips. The brothers stared once more at each other before they nodded firmly.
"We choose option one," Shen Shi said with some resolution in his voice.
"You''re sure?" asked Yang Qing.
"Yes, we are. We are rogue cultivators, our whole lives have been built on taking risks. If there''s a chance we can get out of this we will fight for it. We will take this moment as a tempering experience to experience the might of the Order. We may be a lot of things but cowards isn''t one of them," Shen Shi said with a valiant expression. His general-like aura burst out of his body which helped his other brothers calm themselves. It took only a few seconds for the three brothers to shed their earlier worried looks and wear looks of brevity and calm indifference.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admire their current looks whatever their deficiencies and rudeness they were atleast true to themselves to the very end.
"Good, I''ll give you a few seconds to prepare yourselves," Yang Qing said as he leaned forward and supported his head on his left palm as his right hand wasid on the table with his index finger pointed downwards. He looked more like someone who was getting in the best position to daydream than someone about to attack.
Shen Ding removed something from a round white gem-like amulet he wore that looked like a worn-out round marble. A pavise shield appeared in front of him. The shield was 10 meters tall and 3 meters wide it was enough to shield the three brotherspletely. It was made of dark grey wood and covered in blue-white fur and the head of a white wolf which had apletely ck sclera was attached at the center of the shield.
Yang Qing at a nce could tell the shield was an upper mid-grade sky-rank weapon. It would be able to defend against the blow of a normal 7th-stage core formation expert. The fur and the head was from a dark cinder white wolf which was famous for the bnce it had in offense and defense. It produces a dark me that corrodes the qi of an opponent''s attack while its white fur toughened every time it absorbed qi from its surrounding. The grey wood in the shield was from a tenfold cedar. It would magnify the effects of whatever was attached to it tenfold and had a natural ability to draw in qi. This shield was another one of the reasons the Shen brothers survived this long as rogue cultivators.
The Shen brothers decided to go the full defensive route. Their weapons had been confiscated but they were left with the shield. Even if they were allowed to have their weapons back they would still choose to go with the shield rather than disperse their strength in different attacks they''d rather consolidate it in a solid defense. Their goal was only to survive which narrowed down their choices.
They hurdled up behind the shield as they started to madly circte their qi as they transmitted it into the shield.
"WE ARE READY JUDGE YANG QING," they all roared as they tried their spirits. Shen Tian''s skin transformed into a rock rhino''s hide, meanwhile, Shen Ding had a metallic golden glow in his skin as for Shen Shi there were fissures on his skin spewing lightning.
"Okay then," Yang Qing''s soft voice traveled over.
Chapter 61 61: The Drumming Execution
?Yang Qing still maintained hiszy posture with his head resting on his left palm with his right hand ced on the podium.
"The ten-second test starts now¡ONE," Yang drummed his index finger once on the podium when he started the count. A sonic wave was produced from the collision and spread toward where the Shen brothers were.
The wolf embedded in their pavise shield transformed almost lifelike as it growled producing a ck cloud that was part me and part ashes as a white glow was produced that siphoned huge pools of qi from the surrounding. However, once the sonic wave shed against the ck ashed me it was easily parted apart as it mmed itself against the shield.
The explosion that was expected to happen didn''t happen. The attack seemed muffled or as if it had been absorbed by some spongy substance but what the Shen brothers experienced seemed to paint a different picture. There was nothing soft in that attack.
The moment the wave collided and disappeared into the shield they felt each of their bodies being bashed in by a massive force that carried the weight of a whole mountain with it. Worse was the force seemed to be evenly spread throughout their whole body. No body part was spared even down to their fingernails and even eyshes.
CRACK
Part of the shield started creaking as a crack formed from the bottom spreading itself upwards. The Shen brothers were not far off from following the shield''s footsteps as cracks started forming from their palms extending to their elbows. They madly roared and tried to block all the pain out as they pumped in more qi to the shield causing it to swell up and fill up the cracks formed on it. The dark cinder white wolf''s head also increased in size to almost a meter in length with the dark ash me it produced doubling in size and intensity. However, despite how big the me was it couldn''t even burn through the courtroom floor or even remotely affect the furniture in the courtroom. The furniture was made of 50,000-year-old red dragon wood which was a monarch-grade material one that was at the very top level as for the floor it was made of storm-devouring rock which could has no other properties other than its capacity to take a beating from an attack of any element as long as it doesn''t exceed a peak pce realm cultivator''s threshold of attack.
It was for this reason that Yang Qing didn''t mind the Shen brothers using whatever means they had at their disposal. This was even without taking into ount the various powerful arrays inscribed all over the courtroom just its base strength alone was capable enough to handle whatever attacks and effects that would be produced in those 10 seconds.
"TWO," Yang Qing softly said as he drummed his index finger once more. Just like before it easily parted the humungous dark ash me and added fresh new cracks to the shield that were even deeper than before. The Shen brothers had their whole hands shredded with blood spraying out like a geyser. However this time the effects didn''t just stop there as they soon started bleeding from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
The sonic wave attack didn''t just ravage their outside but their innards were also in disarray. Their bones were vibrating and they could feel cracks forming in them too just like the shield. Their organs kept being violently shaken out of position. Their dantian had visible cracks in them which was even more painful than all the other things that were going around their bodybined.
The weirdest part was despite how terrifying and powerful the attack was, the Shen brothers had not moved a single inch from the position they had anchored themselves in. It wasn''t that they forcefully maintained their position but it seemed like the attack was precisely controlled to destroy them inside and outside while rooting them in ce. The force in the attack created some sort of tug-of-war bnce in their bodies. They were ravaged back and forth, up and down, side to side which formed a perfect bnce of rooting them in ce whilst suffering the full brunt of the attack with no energy in the attack being wasted.
When cultivators fought there were several things that determined the winner of the fight. Other than cultivation realms, grade of the cultivation art there was anotherponent that yed an equally effective role when the two cultivators had the same realm and their cultivation arts were of a simr grade. This was the proficiency level of the cultivator with their cultivation arts. The higher their proficiency level the better the effects they can draw from their cultivation arts by ensuring no qi and no movements are wasted.
Those with a good level of proficiency can exhibit 70% of the might of a cultivation art and what counted as good proficiency wasn''t only calcted from the execution of the attack but how much of the executed attack sessfully attack the opponent and to what degree. If one executes 80% of the power of their cultivation art but only half of that power manages to strike the enemy his/her proficiency will only be at 40% despite their skill with cultivation art.
It''s for this reason that the institute of the Order regrly arranges life-and-death duels between its students and the convicts who are serving a long sentences. Of course, they intervene whenever a student''s life is in extreme peril but the experience from those fights still achieve their intended purpose. As for those with long sentences, they get to shave time off their sentences with the victories they get under their belts but it alsoes with the risk of dying in those fights. Though the instructors do take care of all their injuries no matter how severe should they survive till the end of the fight.
"THREE," Yang Qing''s soft voice echoed again which now sounded like the grim reaper''s voice to the Shen brothers. Zhong Quan who was at the side in view of all this couldn''t help but nervously gulp.
"Is this the power of just a single finger," he thought warily as he scooted a few steps away afraid some remnant of the attack would spill over to him.
The me that was almost 3 meters in height and 4 meters in width had been reduced to a quarter of its earlier size.
The cracks over the shield were evenly spread all over and even some were wide enough to see the Shen brothers through them who were a bloody mess. They had disheveled appearances with blood-soaked robes that had spread all over their bodies even their hair was not spared the blood bath. No single part of them wasn''t covered in blood as they heaved withbored breaths. Their earlier determined looks had been broken down into unveiled fear and deep wrenching pain. Their hands were even trembling though one couldn''t tell if it was from fear or pain.
Just as Yang Qing was about to continue with his count someone fell over. It was Shen Ding the yellow-robed shifty-looking brother.
"It seems like I can''t keep on any longer," he whispered as he passed out the moment his face hit the ground. Shen Shi nced at him briefly as he bitterly smiled to himself as for Shen Tian he had a listless look in his eyes.
"FOUR," Yang Qing drummed his finger again. This time the moment the attacknded Shen Tian coughed out blood and dropped instantly to the floor unconscious without even a word leaving his lips. Shen Shi was thest brother standing. Just as Yang Qing was about to count again he paused midway.
"It seems he has passed out standing. What an interesting fe it almost seems like he was waiting for his brothers to pass out first so he could too," Yang Qing thought to himself with an amused smile as he stared at Shen Shi whose head was on the shield as his legs buckled into a kneeling position.
"Four seconds, they are much sturdier than I expected. I had them at 2 seconds what about you Yi Jie?" Mao Yunru suddenly asked with shining interest in her eyes just like a seasoned gambler.
"I had them at 3 they would have reached 5 seconds if they decided to use the tenfold cedar to strengthen their bodies instead of powering the dark cinder white wolf," Yi Jie said after some thought.
"I had them at 2 seconds just like sister Mao. They are pretty impressive for surviving without their dantians and meridians shattering. Their arrogance isn''tpletely unfounded, they must have had some fortuitous encounters to further temper their bodies because I don''t see how they would have survived otherwise even with that sky rank shield," Zheng Hu added as he eyed the three brothers like some fascinating specimens
"Why did I end up with troublesome cases today? even the one I thought would be easy had twists. Did that old demon Lei Weiyuan have something to do with it?" Yang Qing held up his chin suspiciously increasingly believing his guess to be true as he shed to where the three brothers were.
Chapter 62 62: Fingers Crossed Technique
?Yang Qing injected a few streams of green colored into the three brothers. Minutester they started groaning as the cracks on their skin healed at a visible speed to the naked eye. Once Yang Qing saw they were regaining consciousness and no longer in any mortal danger he stopped and just stood at the side.
Shen Tian was the first to regain consciousness followed by Shen Shi and finally Shen Ding. They were all groggy at first and could barely speak. Their bodies felt like they weighed a tonne and their innards were madly roaring in pain. Yang Qing may have healed but he only did enough to ensure their lives were not at risk and their dantians would not be crippled. As for the rest, the three Shen brothers would have to heal them naturally using the vitality orded to core formation experts or using other means they had at their disposal.
As rogue cultivators who spent most of their lives flirting with danger and death, they must have measures in ce to deal with the critical injuries they suffer such as potions, pills, or life-saving herbs and treasures. Yang Qing was still dissatisfied with them, he wasn''t going to go out of his way and let the Shen brothers save up on their resources.
"Now that you''re all awake your sentence begins from today," Yang Qing''s cold voice sounded above the three brothers who were trying to get their bearing together while still in shock that they were alive. But when they remembered they barely survived four seconds their moods instantly plummeted.
Hearing Yang Qing''s voice sent tremors all over their bodies as they nervously looked at him. Shen Tian couldn''t help but lower his head in shame and fear. He had walked in here today believing his talent and experience would make him worthy to match up with anyone from the Order whose cultivators in his eyes were like sheltered birds. But the experience from seconds ago had given the three brothers a rude awakening. Whatever pride they had was smashed mercilessly by just a single finger.
"We couldn''t even measure up to a single finger," Shen Tian thought as he shook his head in depreciation.
"Shen Shi, Shen Ding, and Shen Tian as agreed since you failed to remain conscious for 10 seconds during my attack 2 years has been added to your sentence and you will now be serving a 12-year sentence of hardbor.
As I mentioned earlier please ensure your work is of the highest quality. You will be regrly monitored and graded on the quality of your work and if you get anything less than 7/10 in your evaluations you will be penalized by having six more months added to your sentence.
Zheng Hu please take them to the penalties and rehabilitation offices and ask the chief administrator to decide the order of thebor they will start with and also the disbursement of personnel to monitor and evaluate them throughout their sentence.
Mao give Zheng Hu a copy of the proceedings so he can give it to the administrator.
Zhong Quan, Zheng Hu will guide you to the restitution and remation offices to get your owed dues. You can go with him as he heads to the penalties and rehabilitation office since they are just adjacent to each other.
With this I dere the case of Zhong Quan the owner and proprietor of the earthvine restaurant vs the Shen brothers in regards to the damage andpensation of the earthvine table closed," Yang said in quick session as he brought the gavel down.
"Thank you judge Yang Qing," Zhong Quan said as he gave a respectful bow. Things had gone differently than he anticipated especially toward the end. Truly only those who had passed through the doors of the Order could know how fearsome this lurking beast is. He may have not looked down on the Order like the Shen brothers but he wasn''t as wary of it as he was now.
"Truly this is a ce packed to the brim with crouching tigers and hidden dragons," Zhong Quan thought.
The Shen brothers on the other hand looked pitiful. Their legs were wobbly like newborn calves. They had to support each other to have some semnce of bnce. Mentally they were also shaken as they now had to serve hardbor for 12 years and they were not too sure if they would be alive till the end of the sentence. About the safest job for them was being miners but their sentencing schedule had them working in the mines for only 6 months.
"We can only do our best and take it a day at a time," Shen Shi said to his brothers who nodded agreeingly in return.
"Thank you judge Yang Qing for your favor of sparing our lives and even healing us despite ourck of manners. We will strive to work our sentence to the best of our abilities," Shen Shi said as he tried to bow that almost sent him and his brothers tumbling down.
"I sincerely hope at the end of your sentence you will be different people with a developed sense of prudence and alertness. Not everything you see is as you see it, and not everyone you see is as you see. Exercising an abundance of caution and prudence is sometimes a necessary tool if you want to live and grow to your fullest potential instead of being another could have beens. Hopefully, your time at the Order during your sentencing will help expand your horizons and perspective," said Yang Qing as he sighed. Comcency and arrogance were dangers he had to warn himself against every single day and it was one of the high do not''s of the institute. A lot of young inquisitors at the start when the Order was making strides and rising in power had their heads swollen in pride treating themselves as the special ones looking down on everyone else. The highest inquisitor mortality and even judges was during that period. It was one of the dark periods for the Order that the older cultivators had to undertake those roles to fill in the manpower gaps as the institute came up with a way to address that issue.
One of the methods was the life-and-death duels with the convicts. The convicts chosen for this role were among the best atbat and deviousness. Students that suffered at their hands couldn''t help but be grounded by the experience. And the other method was the work programme where the students get to work in inns, and restaurants as servants and have their characters be secretly judged by the judges during their time there. Even though the sense of conceitedness wasn''tpletely removed it had been drastically reduced aspared to before.
Zheng Hu escorted Zhong Quan and the Shen brothers out with the golden eagle phantasm still parched on his shoulder. Mao Yunru had also handed him a white jade talisman that had the recording of the court proceedings as the other copy was given to Yang Qing who sent it to the higher-ups using the array attached to his podium.
"Which case should I handle next? This day has just been one thing after another. Yi Jie cross your fingers with me so the next case bes an easier one," Yang Qing said with a serious expression as he crossed his fingers in an attempt to break today''s curse that he was still convinced was Lei Weiyuan''s doing. He would not put it past him doing something that would result in him expending everyst drop of qi for the Order.
Yi Jie ignored Yang Qing as he snorted in contempt. Though Yang Qing managed to notice a strange gleam in his eyes like that of someone gloating at another person''s misfortune.
"Yi Jie you?!! Are you sure this is how you want to do things? tantly mocking your boss. Fine if you cross your fingers I promise I''ll diligently do ? of what Lei Weiyuan has in store for uster," Yang Qing said in concession.
"Three-quarters, you? The same conniving person I know," Yi Jie said derisively not buying it at all.
''Fine half I''ll do half," Yang Qing said in embarrassment at being obviously called out in his lie. Yi Jie stared at him for a while seemingly trying to see through him,
"You better," Yi Jie said as he reluctantly crossed his fingers too.
"Mao Mao you too and before you say no remember you owe me," Yang Qing said as he gave a mercantile smile. Mao Yunru who was just about to refuse red back at him before she too joined the curse-breaking bandwagon using the time-tested finger-crossing technique.
Chapter 63 63: Potential Of A Soft Life Case
?Once Yang Qing was sufficiently satisfied they had used the technique for an appropriate duration he quickly started reading through the details for the next case he had decided upon. It was the case between Wen Yingjie a rogue cultivator who was suing Tan Ping the owner of the falling meteor cksmith shop. Tan Ping was used of selling a defective top-grade sky rank weapon to Wen Yingjie.
"Wen Yingjie a peak core formation expert requisitioned a custom-made saber from the falling meteor cksmith shop which is run by Tan Ping who is also a peak core formation expert though from the investigation of Luo Meili she had heard the owner was at the quasi pce stage.
The falling meteor cksmith shop has been around for almost 10,000 years being passed down from father to son each generation. It has gained enormous poprity in the Thundercrane kingdom which is a rank 3 kingdom.
I can see that the royal family has been trying to get the Tan family to be their official royal cksmith but have been turned down each generation. The only reason the royal family never retaliated for the rejection which may have seemed like a p to the face was the pact made between the 5th generation king and the 4th generational head of the falling meteor shop at that time.
The details of the pact was the falling meteor cksmith shop would give priority to the royal family when they made new creations and they would help arm the royal family with a certain quota of weapons every year however the royal family would provide the ingredients and the cost would be at market price. The falling meteor cksmith shop in exchange would enjoy autonomy even from the royal family itself and should they face a disaster that they can''t handle themselves the royal family would step in.
This pact has been in ce for the past 4,000 years and has been faithfully upheld by each king and Tan family head.
With this kind of reputation, I find it hard that they would sell a faulty weapon. Being in existence for almost 10,000 years must mean they have been honing and improving their cksmith skills for them to still be relevant and famous to this day. Luo Meili has even heard that the current generation owner Tan Ping may be one of the best among the masters who have headed the shop. His skills and talent far outshine the previous generational head.
Could there really be a problem with the saber or does the problem lie with the saber''s owner Wen Yingjie but I can see Luo Meili note from her interactions with him that he seems like a rtively straightforward person with a sense of uprightness to him. Before he became a rogue cultivator he was a young general in a rank 3 kingdom however a problem urred in his station that led to the death of a prince from that kingdom. Their family has been loyal to the crown for generations so the king in respect to the service of the family spared his life but he was banished from that kingdom forever never to return. He has been living as a rogue cultivator ever since then and despite his great talent, he has never joined any sect, kingdom, or n. Living in solitude seems to be some sort of penance and atonement for him.
That''s quite some sense of responsibility he is carrying. From what I can tell this case might just be straightforward and easy to conclude," Yang Qing thought to himself as hope grew in his heart.
Yi Jie was already by the door calling in Wen Yingjie and the owner of the falling meteor cksmith shop. Momentster Yi Jie walked in followed by a young man who seemed to be in histe 20s. He had a medium height and build with amber eyes and brown hair. His skin was deeply tanned. He had on ck robes with the emblem of a falling blue meteor embroidered on it. His footsteps were steady like someone who hadplete control of every single part of his body. Yang Qing could also detect that the qi flowing through the young man''s body was like a boiling furnace. He assumed it was a result of the cultivation mantra the young man cultivated.
"He must have a unique physique to handle such tyrannical qi flowing around him. But who is he? From his robe, I can tell he is a member of the falling meteor cksmith shop but his cultivation realm is only at the 10th stage of the foundation realm so he definitely isn''t the owner," Yang Qing had a puzzled expression as he stared at the young man before looking over to the end of the entourage.
His eyesight fell on ady who had dark green hair tied in a bun. Her hair was darker than Yang Qing''s as it had hints of ck to it. This color scheme tranted even to her eyes as she had green-ck eyes. She had a mature and gentle charm to her almost like an older sister to 5 younger brothers. Her beauty was breathtaking like spring water. Everything about her screamed gentleness and nurturing which was why the three well-polished bones which she used to hold her hair together in a bun really stood out. in direct contrast to her demeanor She had on robes that were half red and half blue.
Her name was Luo Meili and she was an inquisitor and the one in charge of this case. She noticed Yang Qing''s gaze but responded with a gentle smile as she shook her head sideways as she pointed toward the young man.
"A stand-in huh?" Yang Qing thought to himself as he read Luo Meili''s nonverbal cue. He quickly shook his head free of questions that were about to bubble on where the owner Tan Ping was but he decided to focus on the other party in this case.
There was a middle-aged man in his early forties right behind the young man. His hair was tied in a topknot with a few strands of greying white hair on his sides but they added a charm to him. His eyes were dark, deep, and tranquil but they hid a sense of sharpness and fluidity to them. He was slender and tall and had on grey robes that seemed they had just been worn today because of how straight and fitting they were. As for his aura, he seemed like a ramrod spear stabbed into a stone. He had the sharpness of a spear and the stability of a rock.
The entourage was soon in front of Yang Qing as Yi Jie made his way to his side.
Luo Meili calmly stepped forward as she gave a respectful bow with a grace that made the young man at the side gulp inadvertently with his ears reddening in embarrassment and shyness.
"Inquisitor Luo Meili presents rogue cultivator Wen Yingjie who has filed a suit against the falling meteor cksmith shop for selling him a defective sky rank saber. However the owner Tan Ping is unable to avail himself for the proceedings due to extenuating circumstances and has thus his son Tan Delun will step in his ce as his proxy," Luo Meili softly said
"What are the circumstances that made Owner Tan Ping unable to avail himself?" asked Yang Qing.
"He has been in secluded cultivation for the past 4 months and is at a critical juncture. I confirmed it myself and can attest it to be true. It is the reason this case has been brought to the Order. When Wen Yingjie went to the shop to forward his query Tan Ping was already in secluded cultivation and since his son, Tan Delun wasn''t confident to resolve the matter and he doesn''t know when his father wille out of seclusion he opted to bring the matter to the Order. Both parties willingly agreed to this and will submit fully to the deciding of the court," Luo Meili patiently exined as she stepped back.
"Thank you, Meili. Well then Wen Yingjie and owner Tan Delun I know Luo Meili has informed you both of what penalties you would suffer should you act in vition of the ruling or act in a conduct that breaches the articles guiding the whole court process. Are you sure you want to go through with it? There is still time for you to change your minds and decide to handle it yourselves?" Yang Qing gently asked. From what Yang Qing had experienced earlier with the Shen brothers he couldn''t help but be prudent.
"On behalf of the falling meteor cksmith shop and its 17th generation master I Tan Delun on the honor of the Tan name will abide by the ruling of the court," Tan Delun solemnly said with a booming voice that reverberated around the courtroom.
"I just like my young friend here do promise I will abide by the court rulings and proceedings whichever end ites to I will dly ept it. My name may not mean much but I Wen Yingjie value promises made as much as my own life," Wen Yingjie softly said. Even though his voice was soft everyone could feel the conviction in his voice.
Yang Qing nodded to them as inwardly he was extremely pleased.
"This may be a sail through soft life case. Finger crossing technique you have saved your faithful practitioner once again,"
Chapter 64 64: Tan Delun Takes The Stage
?"Thank you both for your trust in the Order, I will do my best as the judge in this case to bring the case to a resolution that you both can find eptable.
As I inform everyone whoes before me each of you will take turns presenting their side of things for me to get a clearer picture of the situation. I may also invite experts on the matter to provide additional information for my sake but also for yours.
When I have deemed I have gathered sufficient information I will then pass my ruling which will take immediate effect unless stated otherwise.
Well then, Tan Delun I think we should start with you first before we end with Wen Yingjie''s testimony.
The floor is now yours," Yang gently said as he motioned for Tan Delun to begin.
"Thank¡. You¡. Judge¡ Yang Qing," Tan Delun said as his voice trembled. He had spent all his life behind the forge holding conversation with the refining materials but when it came to talking to people other than the regrs of the shop he usually struggled with new customers. It has been this way ever since he was a young kid and him being here in an unfamiliar setting set those feelings of nervousness into overdrive. The otherworldly beauties Mao Yunru and Luo Meili didn''t make the situation any easier either in fact, one might argue they added fire into the easily nervous Tan Delun.
Yang Qing and the rest noticed all this and couldn''t help but find Tan Delun''s current state amusing. Mao Yunru tried to offer aforting smile to him which only turned his skin redder than the furnace he was around in day in and day out.
"Ahem," Yang Qing gently coughed to force Tan Delun out of his stupor.
"Hehehe," Tan Delun nervouslyughed as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his robes.
"As I said earlier my name is Tan Delun the 17th generation master of the falling meteors cksmith shop however the shop is still under the leadership of my father Tan Ping the 16th generational master.
From our records, Master Wen Yingjiemissioned a custom-made saber from our shop. The order was made 9 months ago and it was my father who took up thatmission. I already handed a copy of that record to elder sister Luo Meili.
As you can see from the record Master Wen Yingjie provided the materials he wanted for the saber to be made of. From the record, my dad also epted some of those materials as payment for themission of the job. The materials were; violet dusk metal, faceted oak, baleful jewel, orange frost deer horn, obsidian wyrms scale, a dangkang''s tusk, andstly falling aurora jade which was to be the main body of the saber.
All these are top grade sky rank ingredients and it was the reason my father epted payment in the form of ingredients instead of spirit stones. After 3 months which is 6 months ago from today, my dad sessfully crafted the saber which adopted the look of a willow leaf saber as you can see," Tan Delun exined. The moment he started talking shop all his earlier nervousness seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Luo Meili had handed the saber to Yang Qing for his examination as Tan Delun was exining the details of the records which had been stored in the white jade talisman with the case details.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admire the saber in his hand. It was 44 inches long. It was sheathed in a ck scabbard that had been decorated with images of golden vines with tiny leaves. Just from the workmanship of the de''s hilt which was pure white with some hint of orange most likely made from the orange frost deer horn and the scabbard he could tell the person who did this work poured his heart and soul into it.
He gently unsheathed the saber and was greeted with a smoothened, slender gently curving de. It looked to be made of pure ss rather than metal. The de was cloudy white with golden shes of light flowing around the de like something swimming from cloud to cloud. The de''s edge seemed blunt but a faint almost imperceptible thin violet coating wrapped itself onto the edge of the de.
Yang Qing slid his slender finger across the de as if to taste its sharpness which drew shocked looks from Wen Yingjie and Tan Delun. They both had seen firsthand how sharp that de was. It could tear through low-grade sky rank metals or even an early-stage core formation expert as though it was cutting through butter. That was without even taking into ount the violet coating that was as a result of the violet dusk metal used in the forging. It had deeply corrosive and destructive properties. If an early-stage core formation expert was cut by a weapon made from that metal even without considering the attacker''s qi they would be left with an injury that would require months of seclusion to heal.
Even Wen Yingjie a peak core formation expert wasn''t confident of passing his hand through the edge of the de without risk of injury. The torn flesh they expected to see happen to Yang Qing never happened but what greeted them was a sight they wouldn''t forget. Everywhere Yang Qing''s finger passed sparks would be produced. It seemed like his finger was sharpening the de with every movement.
"What an excellent de even I''m tempted to have it in my arsenal. Yi Jie, here. I will be needing your expertise on this case." Yang Qing said as he sheathed the de and tossed it to Yi Jie whose face briefly lit up when he caught sight of the saber before it went back to normal.
"Continue Owner Tan Delun," said Yang Qing.
It took a moment before Tan Delun collected his thoughts together and broke free from the waves of thoughts he was in from Yang Qing''s brief disy.
"Yes, as I said my dad finished the saber in three months and master Wen Yingjie was called to pick it up. He examined it with my dad and found it to have no issues and was more than pleased with it as he even gave my dad a few more materials as a token of thanks. He went his way after that and my dad went into closed-door cultivation that very day. He had reaped an enormous harvest from crafting that saber which gave him enough insights that he felt the barriers leading to the pce realm thin. My father has been stuck at the peak of core formation realm for almost a century that he almost gave up ever touching the pce realm in his lifetime. So when the opportunity came knocking he dropped everything else to the back burner and focused on breaking through.
He didn''t give even the Thundercrane royal family a notice that he will be in seclusion and left all these troubles to me," Tan Delun said in an aggrieved expression towards the end.
"He has been in seclusion ever since then and this is the sixth month running. Master Wen Yingjie came back three months ago saying there was a problem with the saber but my father wasn''t avable to address the issue. The shop is handled by the two of us and he is the only one capable of making sky-rank weapons. So solving an issue affecting a sky-rank weapon is out of my pay grade.
I informed Wen Yingjie about my father''s current situation which he was kind enough to understand and decided to wait for him toe out of his seclusion but we never expected even after three months he would still be shut in and we can''t very well interrupt him as he is at a critical stage. Wen Yingjie was rather pressed on time with his matters and I couldn''t help in as much as I wanted to so we decided to use an intermediary we could trust which was when we settled on the Order.
Judge Yang Qing we therefore humbly seek your guidance and help in this matter as I have nowhere to turn to with my dad out ofmission and me being too inexperienced to handle the matter on my own," Tan Delun said as he bowed in humility.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sympathize with the youngd. He was thrown into the fire without time to even prepare or legs to stand on. Striving to ensure the legacy your predecessors spent their blood, sweat, and tears building doesn''t copse with you isn''t an easy thing especially on someone as young as Tang Delun who was just a foundation realm expert now standing in at the helm of what is basically a top rank 4 organization with a widespread reputation especially among the core formation experts and other big shots and no one to turn to for help other than yourself. It would not be an easy burden to bear.
Wen Yingjie at the side couldn''t help but sigh at this. If it was any other time he would have patiently waited even a year but he had a time-sensitive matter that he had to deal with at all costs and to increase his odds of sess he needed a top-grade sky rank weapon at the very least.
Chapter 65 65: Grading System Of Craftsmen
?"Don''t worry Owner Tan Delun we will do all we can to assist both you and cultivator Wen Yingjie to bring this matter to a sessful close. Cultivator Wen Yingjie if you may," Yang Qing said as he left the floor to Wen Yingjie to give his testimony.
Wen Yingjie cupped his fist in acknowledgment before he continued.
"I won''t waste the court''s precious by repeating some of the details as I can attest to the veracity of my little brother Tan Delun''s statement in regards to the materials and also the arrangement I had with his father and everything that happened in between.
I have known the falling meteor cksmith shop for quite a while now though I''m not a regr I''ve had a few pieces of equipment made by the owner of the shop Tan Ping. So I''ve personally experienced the quality of their work and it was the reason I was willing to entrust themission of refining a customized saber for me to them.
After hashing out the details with Tan Ping which Tan Delun has borated on, Tan Ping called me three monthster toe and inspect the saber and see if it was to my satisfaction. I had left him with additional ingredients so if there was a problem with the weapon, Tan Ping would work on it without charging me anything else.
The saber had more than exceeded my expectations from the craftsmanship to its quality. I''ve seen my fair share of high-grade sky rank weapons and I can confidently say the saber Tan Ping made is capable enough to stand with the best of them.
Pleased with the effort he put into making the saber I left the additional ingredients with him as a token of my thanks and left.
It was a few days almost a week in that I noticed a problem with the saber though I can''t necessarily say it''s amon problem. For some reason, the saber kept attracting lightning over. At first, I thought nothing of it and just chalked it up to a freak ident or the whims of mother nature.
However, this problem didn''t go away and only continued to increase in intensity. I didn''t notice it at first but after being almost struck a few times I realized it was the saber''s doing. It would produce this humming sound every time there was a cloud overhead and lightning bolts would charge soon after. If it was regr lightning I would have ignored it but this lightning was different. For one it could hurt me though not as much but enough to leave some minor injuries.
Things got worse one time when I was trying to run away from the lightning that was trying to strike me when I felt the saber I don''t know how but it anchored itself on the ground and refused to budge an inch no matter how much I tried to pull it. It kept drawing more lighting strikes to it for almost ten minutes before it cleared up. I honestly expected it to be destroyed in the bombardment but there it was still standing and intact. I don''t know why but I intuitively felt it had be different after being bathed in that lightning. Everything seemed normal but my instincts were telling me there was something different about though I could not tell what.
When I tried to pick it up once more this time it finally budged and I could easily pick it up. It was then that I decided to hurry back to the falling meteors cksmith shop and inform Tan Ping of the weirdness of the saber. As a rogue cultivator, I''m often in perilous situations when sourcing for cultivation resources, and having the saber bring out unstableponents such as the lightning or the weapon dislodging itself were things I couldn''t afford happen to me on a job where a second of distraction or weakness could very well lead to my death.
When the saber behaved normally it was the perfect weapon the only issue I have is the weirdness surrounding it which I have no idea whether it will disappear on its own or will it get worse. I decided to err on the side of caution rather than find out.
But when I visited Tan Ping I found out he had already gone into seclusion to breakthrough. As for little brother Tan Delun, he tried to help but even he was stumped by the bizarre characteristics the saber was exhibiting so I decided to wait for his father toe out of seclusion. But despite staying for three months he never came out. If it was any other time I would have been willing to wait for even a year but I have a time-sensitive mission that I cannot postpone and I need as much firepower as I can get such as a high-grade sky rank weapon.
I would have traded the saber for another weapon as long as it was a high-grade sky rank weapon of a simr caliber to the saber but I felt it would be irresponsible of me to leave the saber with Tan Delun. If it invoked another lightning strike whilst in Tan Delun''s possession in the best case he will be crippled in the worst case he would instantly die. The odds of thetter happening were much higher since those strikes have been increasing in power they are close to matching the attack of someone at theter stages of the core formation realm.
It was then we decided the best option was to settle the matter here as I didn''t have the capital to buy another high-grade weapon and Tan Delun doesn''t know any other personpetent and trustworthy enough to consult on the matter.
Judge Yang Qing, it is my sincere hope you can help us with this. If possible I''d rather retain the saber, I''d hate to part with it. I humbly ask for your guidance," Wen Yingjie solemnly said with deep sincerity showing in his eyes.
"Hahahahahahha well, Wen Yingjie you may be in luck one more than you could have ever imagined. Luckily you brought this matter to us rather than go somece else especially other cksmith shops or merchants with a keen eye for detail and who know their weapons well.
"Yi Jie you''ve detected it too right? I''m afraid without my monarch sense It would have gone unnoticed but from a seasoned cksmith like yourself it would be as clear as day," Yang Qing said as his eyes glittered as he eyed the saber in Yi Jie''s hands. Yi Jie was the same too as he even brought it close to his ears for further inspection.
"Mmmh¡Exins why the owner went into seclusion immediately after. Sessfully making something like this in just three months and it seems like he seeded on the first try. It is the culmination of all he has learnt erupting in a single work. I''d like to exchange pointers with him. It''s a nice saber," Yi Jie said as he eyed the saber with deep admiration which went opposite to his normal deadpan face or the asional frustrated frowning face riddled with throbbing veins all courtesy of a certain green-haired judge.
Yang Qing''s and Yi Jie''s conversation drew in puzzled looks from both Wen Yingjie and Tan Delun who couldn''t keep track of what was going on and why the duo looked at the saber like it was some sort of treasure.
"Before I fill you in on what you are wondering about I''d like first to introduce Yi Jie over here. He is an inquisitor well the head inquisitor of this court but he also has another title too and that is a blue-grade cksmith. You should know what that means right? He can make monarch-rank weapons or equipment with the potential to reach that level," as Yang Qing exined this it drew shocked looks from Wen Yingjie and Tan Delun moreso thetter. As a cksmith, he knew how difficult it was to be a blue-grade cksmith. How old was the guy? His father had been stuck at the orange grade even though he was touted as one of the best at that grade it was still no blue grade.
In the blue origin world cksmiths, alchemists, and any other craftsman even beast trainers or formation array masters were ssified into the following grade in ascending order: White, Red, Orange, Blue, Gold, andstly Purple. Their grading followed the exact rankings followed by the types of pirs one formed in the foundation stage. With white being the lowest and purple being the highest though there have been rumors there is a level above a purple-grade craftsman as for what it is no one knows except people at that level.
In Yi Jie''s case being a blue-grade cksmith meant he could create weapons that had monarch-rank potential or were at that level. A monarch rank potential was direct equivalent to pce stage cultivation potential.
Craftsmanship followed a different evaluation as opposed to cultivation realms. Sometimes their grades as a craftsman never equated to their cultivation realm though in most cases those two went hand in hand but in special cases where skilled individuals were concerned it never did. For example, a core formation array master could build a formation array that could exhibit the power of a pce stage expert or a cksmith that is able to create a weapon that is capable of exhibiting the attack of a pce realm expert even if it was just once. Yi Jie fell in this category he was a quasi-pce stage expert but he could craft weapons that either had pce rank power or one that were at that level though they would be low-grade.
However, there was another special ss where people like Song Chuanli the chief craftsman fell. Their expertise was so profound that they could raise the ranks of artifacts solely on their dao alone as long as the necessary materials were there. Chief Chuanli was a gold-grade craftsman despite being in the same cultivation realm as Yi Jie. It was because of skilled craftsmen like them that the term artifact potential was born.
Chapter 66 66: Two Kinds Of Artifact Potential
?"I told you his grade as a cksmith in the spirit of transparency and also for your sakes so you will not doubt what he says next. And if doubt still exists after you hear his report, I am willing to write you an introductory note to some of the independent cksmith shops we sometimes deal with.
With my referral, the consultation fee will most likely be waived or it will be given at a discounted rate. The shops have skilled craftsmen with most being at the blue grade so they too would be able to tell the issue with the saber in case you want a second opinion after this.
It''s all up to you cultivator Wen Yingjie," said Yang Qing as he gently smiled.
"It''s okay judge Yang Qing meing here means I trust in the Order''s judgment though I wouldn''t mind the contacts of the cksmith shops. Having the contacts of a few shops that the Order deems trustworthy wouldn''t be a bad thing to have especially in my line where every bit of information matters," Wen Yingjie said as he awkwardly smiled. He had decided to thicken his face and ask for that letter. He knew for those shops to catch the eye of the Order they had to be at the top of their game and it would take someone like him an astronomical amount of luck and power just to get through the door. Yang Qing''s letter would be some sort of cheat for him which he would dly thicken his face to get.
"Hahahaha sure that can work too," Yang Qing said in amusement.
"Yi Jie if you would please," Yang Qing said disrupting Yi Jie in his more than ''normal'' examination of the saber.
It took a minute before Yi Jie pulled himself back to reality and start sharing his insights.
"From the craftsmanship, I can tell the cksmith did a great job to achieve a material bnce. Every material used in making this saber was meshed together seamlessly to achieve a subtle bnce to ensure their individual characteristics improve each other instead of one or two outshining and drowning the others.
One of the primary goals of a great craftsman is to bring the best out of all the ingredients used in making an artifact despite how insignificant the ingredient is to the whole artifact. A well-made artifact is when all the ingredient attributes are well represented and melding together and not overshadowing or restraining each other.
From the craftsmanship quality of this saber, I can tell the cksmith managed to achieve it even if only barely. But achieving just this means he has taken a step towards a path that millions of craftsmen may never get the chance to tread on their whole lives.
Truly a piece of beauty. I remember when I made my first step on this journey how the world seemed to change¡."
"Ahem, Yi Jie we are not here to hear you regal us on your journey as a cksmith. Focus on the matter at hand. Tsk what a slimy hypocrite. Whenever I want to talk about my heroic tales he is the first one to interrupt me, and here he is trying to do the same thing. How thick must one''s face be to do something like that after endlessly mocking someone for doing the exact same thing? Some people.." Yang Qing said derisively as he threw a mocking look at Yi Jie which left him embarrassed and gritting his teeth as he threw a vengeful look toward Yang Qing.
"Fine," He muttered forcefully under his breath.
"Umm cultivator Wen Yingjie I don''t know how to say this but the judgement of your situation depends on how one looks at it. From my end, I take it as a positive but to others, you either have the worst luck or the best luck out there," Yi Jie said as he eyed Wen Yingjie as an intriguing specimen.
"Huh, what?" Wen Yingjie said as he couldn''t quite follow Yi Jie''s words.
"How do I exin this?....as you know to be a blue-grade craftsman one has to be capable of making a monarch-rank artifact the other way which actually rtes to your saber is to make an artifact with the potential to be a monarch-rank artifact.
When refining an artifact despite using subpar materials, a craftsman can be so gifted in his/her field that they are able to elevate the potential of that artifact based on their pure skill alone. Such an artifact usually needs just a single high-grade material to elevate that artifact to realize its potential. The craftsman will have already crafted the artifact with this idea in ce. The artifact in simpler terms is usually an unfinished product with designs and amodations already in ce to elevate its rank. All that is missing is the high-grade material to make itplete.
Then there is another special kind of artifact potential which is the one your saber currently falls under. It doesn''t need a higher-grade material to elevate it.
Your saber is at the absolute peak of high-grade sky rank weapons. However, it is different from other sky-rank weapons and that difference is what gave it a monarch rank potential. Your saber has birthed a pseudo sentience. It''s trying to break its cocoon as a still weapon and birth a natal spirit.
The reason I said you either had the worst luck or the best luck is for some weird work of fate you kept moving to areas where people were about to undergo their tribtions.
Every artifact that bears sentience undergoes a lightning tribtion however your saber is in a special state where it is existent and isn''t. It''s in some sort of limbo not sure how to move forward. Normally an artifact can birth a spirit right off the bat the moment it''spleted but this usually only happens when the artifacts are made by gold-grade and purple-grade craftsmen. Then there are those artifacts that have the potential of awakening but it requires time and it''s a long and arduous journey at that. Most artifacts end up awakening their sentience this way. However, you moving around ces with tribtion may have ''woken'' your weapon from slumber before it understood what is happening. Those tribtions were like loud rumblings to it that breached the door that should have taken years to just nudge.
However, the spirit was notpletely awake or even aplete spirit. It is why the tribtions were not that powerful in the beginning because it''s in a pseudo spirit state. If you moved in areas with no one undergoing their tribtion it would have gone to sleep but in every single ce you passed through there seemed to be someone passing through their tribtion which kept triggering the pseudo spirit more and more till it mushroomed to the situation you experiencedst where it forcefully anchored itself to the ground.
Wen Yingjie you must have crazy luck," Yi Jie said as he chuckled before continuing on.
"Through the strikes, it intuitively realized the lightning is making it stronger which is why it forcefully anchored itself before. It doesn''t know any better and is doing things in pure intuition like a baby crawling. However, those were not its true tribtion trial and it was just leeching off others so its lethality wasn''t that high, and the benefits thate along with a true tribtion. Even though there was a gradual change it still hasn''t awokenpletely yet which is a real danger. It was your luck that you managed to awaken a part of its sentience prematurely but it''s also your misfortune because when it attracts another tribtion from someone else it will trigger its real tribtion because of the excitable state it is in currently.
The real strike in its current state will obliterate itpletely before it has a chance to grow. It''s not strong enough to withstand a real tribtion trial, not as a pseudo spirit with less than a year since its creation," Yi Jie said as he sighed towards the end.
Wen Yingjie had his eyes wide open as he couldn''t believe what he just heard. He never expected all the things he had been experiencing was the awakening of his weapon. He thought it was one of the ingredients used in the weapon that was a natural lightning attractor. He was ted when he heard Yi Jie mention it was awakening but then he was plunged into the pits of despair from learning of its impending doom.
"So dad was able to¡" tears were building up in Tan Delun''s eyes as he repeated what he had heard over and over. It has been the lifelong ambition of the Tan generational masters to one day create a weapon that birthed a spirit. In over 10,000 years there wasn''t a single sess. But today¡
In his excitement, he had even nked out everything else Yi Jie said after mentioning the weapon his father had crafted awakening its spirit which was a blessing in disguise. He couldn''t help but feel the 15 generational mastersughing in celebration as they patted his dad''s back. This has been one of the lifelong dreams that he and his dad shared and every other falling meteor shop head before that. His dad was so consumed by it that he never had a family and only came to have Tan Delun when he was a core formation expert and over 1,000 years old.
He ran a risk of not having a descendant since the further along your cultivation you are the harder it is to conceive. It''s the only reason all this time Tan Delun was the only child. Tan Ping wasn''t able to have another kid.
"Is there anything we can do to save it?" Wen Yingjie at the side asked pleadingly as he kept hisst embers of hope in the Order for having a solution.
Chapter 67 67: Option One, Two Or Three
?"Well, off top of my head I can only think of three ways. There may be others who may have more to add on or they may more or less match up to what I''m thinking," Yi Jie said with his eyes still trained on the saber.
Wen Yingjie''s eyes lit up in excitement once he heard there was a chance and it wasn''t just one but three.
"The first option would be to trade the weapon with someone for another weapon that has already shown signs that it may awaken its spirit. Since you are not a cksmith and not a pce stage cultivator who can use their monarch sense to detect budding spirits, I''d suggest you conduct the trade with a reputable organization. I hope you''d choose the Order as first in your considerations.
Should you decide to go with us I''d be more than willing to do the trade with you and Judge Yang Qing or a different judge and an additional party of your choosing can act as witnesses to the deal," Yi Jie patiently exined as he raised his eyes and caught Wen Yingjie''s budding smile freeze over midway.
"And the other two options?" Wen Yingjie stiffly asked. Option 1 would have worked for him had he not known his saber had awakened its spirit partially. With option 1 he would have to wait for a long time for the new saber to awaken its spiritpletely or worse if his streak of luck continued and he ended up stumbling in areas with cultivators breaking through wouldn''t the new saber end up in the same spot as the old saber?
But fundamentally the real reason was he was averse to the very idea of swapping out his saber. The saber was made literally from his blood and sweat when he sourced for those materials. He felt like he was a part of its creation. Even if the new saber had better craftsmanship it just wouldn''t feel the same to him kind of like how kids never liked sharing the wooden sword they started cultivating with no matter how beat up it gets. Wen Yingjie felt exactly the same way. If the saber didn''t invoke lightning he would have never considered trading it even for another better-crafted weapon.
Yi Jie as if reading up on his thoughts swiftly continued,
"The second option is to seal your saber in dark lunar ice preferably one that is atleast 10,000 years old. Your saber will need to be sealed into it for atleast 10 years however the older the dark lunar ice the less time you will need to seal it. The ice will force the pseudo spirit of your saber into deep slumber thus calming down its current excited and agitated state that will eventually draw a real tribtion to itself.
Sealing it will calm it down and quiet that temptation by making it forget the sensation the tribtion lightning caused. However, using this methodes with its downsides. For one there will be no qualitative change to your saber''s spirit in that time. It won''t suddenly transform into a full spirit from its pseudo-state. The other downside is for the sealing to work the saber needs to be under for a long or be sealed in a very old block of dark lunar ice. Either will put that saber in a sleep so deep that it may take even years for it to reawaken even after being unsealed from the ice. The effort and time you will need to expend on it will be no different than trying to awaken a new weapon.
Then thest option it''s the simplest but also the deadliest. Just risk your life with it," Yi Jie offhandedly said as he even shrugged his shoulders with a nonchnt look like the topic of risking lives carried the same weight as talking about the weather or whether you need to pee before you head out for a long journey.
"Risk my life?" Wen Yingjie asked with a nk look. He looked like he was at the end of the rope. From Yi Jie''s first option he already had this nagging feeling the rest wouldn''t be all that good or simple but part of him couldn''t help but have a sliver of hope that in between those gut-wrenching, spirit-breaking, wish I didn''t hear options surely there''d be one that would be doable.
But here he was being told that even the simplest option had him risking his life and he was too afraid to ask how. Then as for the other two options the first one was now looking like a bed roses instead of the thorns it was before and option two he didn''t know how much a block of dark lunar ice cost but he guessed for something with spirit sealing capabilities it had to cost a hefty sum much beyond the capabilities of a rogue peak core formation expert. Then there was the fact of the spirit not awakening for years. With his ''enormous luck,'' he had a feeling for him it may end up taking centuries. If he could wait that long he wouldn''t havee to the Order and would have just continued waiting for Tan Ping toe out from his seclusion.
"It seems like my hope of washing away the stain on my honor is now turning into an impossibility with how things are panning out," Wen Yingjie muttered to himself with a forlorn look as his wide broad shoulders seemed narrower and slumped than before.
"Wen Yingjie if it was any other person I would not have suggested the third option but for you, I think it''s the best option. I don''t know what it is that drove you into such an urgent state and in a desperate need to have a top-grade sky rank weapon when being a peak core formation expert should serve as protection enough but it must be something dangerous and also important that you want to increase your odds of sess as much as possible?" Yi Jie asked
"Yes, it is. If my life were enough to ensure sess I''d give it a hundred times over," Wen Yingjie firmly said as he clenched his fists with a battling fire in his eyes. The fire seemed pure not one borne out of a need for vengeance but one out of being duty bound to fulfill no matter whate may the task must be done. Yi Jie recognized that look all too well and any other inquisitor and judge with experience on the job would recognize that look too as they develop that sense of obligation the more they work their jobs and Wen Yingjie had that same look.
Yi Jie, Yang Qing, and the rest could already tell that the matter had something to do with the kingdom Wen Yingjie belonged to and the reason behind why he was exiled and the death of the prince of that kingdom. Yi Jie didn''t want to pry and neither did Yang Qing those were the internal matters of their kingdom but if Wen Yingjie decided to divulge they wouldn''t mind hearing the story either and offering their two cents.
But from Wen Yingjie''s cues both verbal and nonverbal he didn''t seem like the type to say more than what was needed especially on matters concerning the royal family. He may not be a general anymore but being a descendant of a military family, silence and fealty must have been ingrained in him from childhood. He''d rather die than mention things he shouldn''t be mentioning. Someone like that wouldn''t spill any juicy details and would be tight-lipped mincing their words.
Mao Yunru was fidgety as she stared at Wen Yingjie with a calctive look. Her lips parted and closed repetitively almost as if in debate whether to ask something or not. Yang Qing saw all this as he shook his head.
"It seems Mao Mao''s nosey nature is eating at her again. With such a juicy story in front of her it''s a wonder she has held out for so long. Sometimes I can''t help but wonder about her real motivations for being a judge," Yang Qing silently wondered to himself as he brought his gaze back to Wen Yingjie.
Mao Yunru as if feeling something off quickly turned her head back missing Yang Qing''s stare by seconds.
"Then if you have already resolved to risk your life for whatever it is then the third option is definitely for you.
You may have heard of natal-bound artifacts but just in case you haven''t these are artifacts bound to someone from birth. A part of the child''s soul is nourished by the artifact and vice versa. Most of the powerful noble families and ns use this method as a measure of protecting their most gifted seeds. For great effects, the artifact needs to atleast be in the ascendant state which as you well know is able to exert the might of a domain-level expert.
From the moment the binding isplete that artifact is inseparable from the child it is bound to and any attempt to separate the two would be met with its swift retaliation and upon the owner''s death, the artifact bes destroyed too. The life of the artifact and the person be tied together literally. Anything that happens to one affects the other not only in terms of danger but also in other regards too like their cultivation realms. From the moment the child''s soul is bound to the ascendant level artifact or treasure they already have an insight into the doors of the domain realm. They only need sufficient time and resources to reach that level experiencing little to no bottleneck on that journey as all the detours they would have taken have been removed.
However, it alsoes with some risks though to some those risks maybe gains. The child bound to the artifact will be heavily influenced by the dao of the artifact. They will never get the chance to figure out what dao suits them as that choice would have already been made for them the moment their soul is bound by the artifact. If they are not gifted in the artifact''s dao they usually cap at the same level the artifact is in and their only chance of them growing past that limit is if the artifact improves itself. But there are those who have the talent and are gifted enough to be highlypatible with the dao of the artifact they are bound to so they can elevate themselves past the limit of their artifact and push their artifact to grow with them.
Cui Liang the n leader of the rank 1 family the Cui family in charge of the west pine breeze valley is one such example who went past the limits of the rank of his life-bound artifact.
The reason I mention all this is that the third option involves doing something simr. You will bind half of your soul and spiritual essence to the saber''s pseudo-spirit. In addition, I can tell you have already touched saber intent. You will keep feeding your intent to the pseudo spirit nurturing it and tempering it until it can learn to release a sliver of that intent by itself. Since your saber''s pseudo spirit is immature and iplete the intent and your spiritual essence will be used to fill that gap and strengthen its foundations so it can hasten its development.
Losing half your soul and spiritual essence will be one of the most painful things you will have to endure and it will leave your body in a weakened state and your potential hollowed out not to mention it will be next to impossible for you to recover it. If it was just a tiny amount, after a few years of cultivating soul-nurturing techniques it would be easily mended but losing half for a core formation expert to boot will be impossible not without using some treasures and soul-mending techniques that are atleast at the gold grade. Feeding your saber intent in this state will be even more demanding than usual and you''ll have to be careful not to identally damage the pseudo spirit with your intent. It''s a delicate bnce that will require a certain level of finesse to maintain.
The goal will be to let the pseudo spirit learn from you as much as it can to prepare it for when the tribtion hits. Its path from that moment forth will be based off of you and all you know.
However, it''s not all bad because if you sessfully nurture your saber''s pseudo spirit topletion it will automatically mend your iplete soul and spiritual essence and since it will have been nurtured by your essence there will be no issues with ipatibility when it bes your life-bound weapon. Your life and the saber will be inextricably linked from that moment forth. If it gets destroyed facing the tribtion you will die too however if it survives and its spirit evolves from that baptism your path to the pce realm will open up as you will harvest the boost from the spiritual growth too. Whatever the saber gains you gain and whatever you gain so will it. The good and the bad.
So Wen Yingjie are you willing to risk it all with this saber to the very end even if it means there''s a chance you may not make it out alive to do what it is that you want to do or do you want to reconsider the other options," Yi Jie solemnly asked.
Chapter 68 68: Act With A Clear Heart
?Wen Yingjie felt his mind and throat dry up once he heard all Yi Jie had to say. He was no coward but the risk of dying before he could even do what he had set out to do left his mind in tatters.
He sighed as he looked upwards his gaze turning blurry.
"How many years has it been? 50,60,70 or more since I had mom''s cooking, getting that cold stare from the old man, and hearing grandpa''s regaling tales of how he got his nickname as the golden spear of the blue oak kingdom.
Who would have thought I who wasuded as the youngest general with the highest chance of making it to the pce stage would one day end up as a vagabond roaming the earth with no ce to call home, destroying the Wen family name that has been synonymous with honor and duty.
Maybe death would be a release from the hell I''ve lived through from that day.
Fourth prince why, why, just why would you get in bed with the ck jade syndicate and serve as their spy against your own kingdom?
You had a life and all the power that most can only dream of but you decided to collude against your own kingdom with a criminal syndicate known to have atleast five pce stage experts and are unscrupulous and merciless in their ways.
Just what were you after by colluding with them? Why did the syndicate decide to kill you? Was it to just get at my family who are the only other family other than the royal family to have a pce stage expert to be on the wrong side of the king or was something else at y?
I thought I''d get an answer to some of these questions after decades of tracking down the grey weasel one of the executives from the ck jade syndicate who was one of the parties involved with the prince but if I die before even getting to question him then¡.
I can''t even risk getting close to him without a top-grade sky rank weapon as he haste-stage core formation experts surrounding him and being an executive his strength should be at that level too or stronger.
Am I really unfated to resolve my family''s shame and help the kingdom I once called home?
This is frustrating. Grandpa what would you do if you were in my ce?" Wen Yingjie stood in silent contemtion as his mind drifted off to simpler days.
.....................................................................................................
Two people were riding horses side by side. One seemed to be an old man in pristine white robes who was fairly built and could be seen riding a red feather-tailed horse apanied by a youth around 9 years old who was riding a smaller but simr red feather-tailed horse. He too had pristine white robes, eyes glowing as his head kept darting around with an excited smile on his face. The young boy and the older man had some features resembling each other such as their eyes and cheekbones. One could tell at a nce they were rted.
"Grandpa thank you for bringing me to the red ive forest. I kept asking dad to bring me but all he does is make me practice my shield and sword routines every single day and beat me up repetitively. That stinky old man.." The young youth clenched his fists in fury before his look shifted once more to one of excitement when he looked at the forest which looked normal at a nce if one didn''t look at the crown of the trees that formed broad sword shapes at the top. This was why the forest was named the red ive forest. It was rumored there was a sword cultivator who improved his sword dao in the forest that when his dao manifested it transformed the trees into red ive trees. Whether there was truth to that rumor nobody knows but what is known is that the forest was home to some of the most ferocious spirit beasts in the blue oak kingdom.
"Heheheh do you want me to knock him around a few times for you Yingjie''er," the old man asked with a gentle smile as he looked dotingly at his grandson who at hearing about the prospects of his father getting a beating made his eyes glow brighter than he was a few moments. However, a few breathster as he held his smooth chin in a contemtive posture he shook his head sideways as he sighed.
"Thanks, grandpa but for some reason I feel dad will be even more ruthless towards me in training if you give him a beating. He isn''t the best at handling losses. I remember beating him in rock paper scissors once and out of anger and embarrassment he made me go try and cut a boulder with a thin slice of paper. I was four at the time and when I failed he made me clean the stables of his spirit beasts knowing full well I was afraid of them and they beat me up on asion. What kind of person does that to their child," the young boy fumed in righteous indignation.
The old man who was listening to the story had his eyes freeze for a moment seemingly remembering something before he awkwardlyughed.
"Why don''t you let grandpa tell you about the time I led a solo charge through the famed white stone cavalry of the Rockwhale kingdom and leveled a whole battalion, encampment and a few fortress strongholds while I was at it," The old man said as he stroked his beard with a smug smile and puffed up gait following.
"Really," The young boy said as his eyes glittered like the stars as he stared piously at his grandfather.
With this, the duo of the old and young made their way to the red ive forest. The former was animatingly telling his story with spittle and passion flying everywhere as thetter soaked up everything with a fervent expression.
30 minutester
Swoosh
An arrow punctured through a grey deer that had hooves that had metallic shin to them and looked more like daggers than hooves.
"Great shot Yingjie''er. We may make a fine hunter out of you yet. Now quick start processing it and make sure no part of the iron hoofed deer is left unattended down to its pelt," the old man said at the side as Yingjie started processing the kill with practiced precision.
It was when Yingjie was halfway done that an unexpected situation urred. A loud roar that sent the trees shaking and some even creaking on the verge of breaking echoed around the area they were in. The ground soon started shaking as if something was madly dashing destroying everything in its wake with sheer unadulterated force.
Yingjier didn''t have to wait for long to know what that fearsome thing was as he saw a mountain size object rapidly rushing his way as it mowed down the trees in its path as if they were young grass.
"Yingjier''er don''t take a step from my side," the old man calmly said as he moved in front of his grandson with a golden spear appearing in his hand. It had the symbol of a roaring dragon embedded into it with a tinge of dark red color coating the edge of the spear. He stood stalwart and calm facing the behemoth that was making its way.
Yingjie finally got a clear look. It was a massive red tiger with a baleful murderous aura surrounding it. Yingjie recognized that aura as he had seen it on his father, his colleagues, and the other rtives from his family who were in the army. The only person who didn''t seem to have that aura surrounding him was his grandfather which he had always wondered why.
The gaze of the tiger fell on the tiny Yingjie who was cautiously eyeing it. Yingjie froze immediately under the gaze as he soon started vomiting over and wheezing. He felt like he was buried in a sea of blood and carnage. When he breathed in he felt he was being drowned in blood as everything within him was being grinded andpressed. His grandfather snorted as he waved his sleeves which broke Yingjie free of the torment he had been in. He coughed repetitively immediately after before he got a hold of himself however he didn''t dare stare at the tiger again.
"Yingjie''er don''t look down. Stare ahead and don''t shy away from what you are feeling. You feel weak, timid, and afraid. There''s nothing wrong with that. epting those feelings and facing them won''t automatically make you stronger but it will give you a clear heart one that is epting of yourself and the situation you are in. There is strength in that and freedom in it. Don''t let that oversized cat take that away from you. Face it head-on and the feelings that you feel ept them and decide what is it you can do. This will help you act with a clear intent whether it''s to attack, hide, run, or ask for help. Whatever you do your actions will be guided with a clear intent that isn''t held back. There is a difference in the actions of someone acting with intensity and one on the fences. Surviving dangerous situations depends on those little subtleties. Whatever step you take you do it with your whole mind and body carved into it. No matter what happens next all that matters is you did it facing your true self.
That''s how I''ve always lived, I faced the storms of my life with my eyes wide open when I fought I fought without holding anything back, when I ran I did it decisively. Every action I take I face with a clear heart. Find your clear heart Yingjie''er like my heart is telling me to obliterate this massive cat for scaring my grandson," the old man smiled a bit at Yingjie who had a dumfounded look before his gaze became clear and stared at the beast.
"I''m weak so I can''t run away or fight but I won''t always be weak but for now since I''m incapable of anything I''ll rely on you grandpa," Yingjie said as he clenched his fist.
The old man nodded his head in appreciation before he valiantly charged at the beast. The moment he swung his spear forward the head of a massive golden dragon materialized as it let out a deafening roar as it charged toward the tiger which whimpered in fear as it tried to turn tail and run. However, it was toote as it was punctured through with a massive hole running through its chest with its front legs being obliterated in the attack. It fell down with a huge thud. It tried making a sound but nothing came out other than gulps of blood and strained breath.
Yingjie couldn''t believe what he saw as that massive beast that towered over themy dead after just one strike.
"Grandpa is so cooooooool," Yingjie yelled as he stared worshipingly at his grandfather.
........................¡.
"Act with a clear heart huh grandpa," Wen Yingjie said as he smiled to himself with his eyes clearer. He seemed like a different person like he had let go of a burden that shackled everything within him.
"I''ll do it, I''ll take the third option," Wen Yingjie calmly said as he bowed.
"If I fail well that will be that but there are many people in the kingdom more talented than I am to take my ce with the ck jade syndicate. If it can''t be me then someone else can take over. Relying on someone else is also a strength right grandpa" Wen Yingjie thought as he smiled gently with his face easing up.
Chapter 69 69: 6,000 High Grade Stones!!
?Yang Qing also noted the sudden change in Wen Yingjie. He could even detect his spiritual essence seemed purer, calmer, and denser than before. This would serve as a good foundation when finding his own dao.
"Good, Yang Qing may I?" Yi Jie asked at the side.
"It''s your show to see to the end. I''ll go by your judgment and suggestion on this since it''s more in your wheelhouse than mine and the case is basically resolved now," Yang Qingzily said seeming all too d to throw this whole thing on Yi Jie''s shoulders.
"Cultivator Wen I don''t know if you have any soul-binding techniques of your own and if you do for greater sess they need to be atleast at the Orange grade and above," Yi Jie asked.
"Uuum I don''t have any. My family may have some but it''s difficult for me to get them with my current situation," Wen Yingjie said as he smiled in embarrassment.
"The order can lend you one if you want. Though full disclosure it''s an iplete technique but even in its iplete state it''s solidly a top tier blue grade technique," said Yi Jie.
"Blue grade!!!! and a top one at that? I don''t think I can afford that and I don''t want to impose on the Order more than I have already. I''m already deeply indebted for the rification and advice you gave me concerning the saber which is more than I could ever repay," Wen Yingjie bitterly said. Since bing a rogue cultivator, resources had been tight unlike when he was the youngest scion of the Wen family where he was drowned in resources more than he knew what to do with.
He could get whatever he set his eyes on, but now he had to decide what was a priority and what wasn''t. He had used most of his reserves in crafting the saber and also digging up information and tracking the whereabouts of the grey weasel the executive of the ck jade syndicate. In fact he had spent more on thetter than the former as the grey weasel was an overtly cautious person whose whereabouts were next to impossible to track. It had taken Wen Yingjie decades of false leads and astronomical resources to even get an inkling of his routes and all he got for all his efforts and time was a short window in a location that was heavily fortified.
With all that Wen Yingjie didn''t know how he could afford a blue-grade technique. He had an inkling how astronomically priced they were and even their family that has been standing for over 10,000 years had less than four in their treasure vault and were treated as the most prized possession surrounded by numerous arrays with its location so secretly guarded that only the family head and the supreme elders had ess to it. His current cultivation mantra the golden soaring dragon was one of the four blue-grade cultivation arts they had.
"Let me finish first then you can decide whether you want it or not. You will have four months at most to master that soul-binding technique. The reason for that is after those four monthspse you will forget everything concerning that technique. Everything including the insights you make tied to that technique will be wiped clean from your memory but the physical harvests of it will remain. Since we are only lending the technique to you there is a mechanism in ce to wipe itself off from the user after a set period of time.
The price we will charge you for lending you the technique will be a third of its original prize. The going rate of a top tier blue grade art is around 18,000 high-grade spirit stones so you will only need to pay 6,000. If you can not afford it you can pay using other means such as selling your services and doing contract jobs for the Order. We have a whole list of the jobs, requirements, their apanying remuneration, and degree of difficulty. You can decide which jobs to take and you don''t have to choose solely from here you can get them from any of our branches all over the continent. We will deduct the amount from the jobs youplete sessfully and we can also ept any treasures or materials you have as a form of payment. We will use an independent appraiser to decide on the price of your material should you decide to use it as payment.
In addition, we also have a cultivation abode avable for rent that you can use during this period of time. It has arrays and treasures in ce that will ease your concentration and increase your odds of sess and it is also secure. You will be in a weakened state so finding a secure ce is a necessity and a ce that will help improve your concentrate despite the enormous pain you will be in. The rental charges for the abode will be 1,000 middle-grade stones a month.
That is all, you can now make your decision," Yi Jie calmly said as he ced back the saber on Yang Qing''s podium.
Wen Yingjie had his jaws wide open once he heard all those astronomical figures. 6,000 high-grade spirit stones!!!! The closest he hade to that figure was 100 high-grade spirit stones and that was what he had managed to save up for 3 years from going on dangerous excursions that left him half dead on a daily and now he was meant to give 60 times. He couldn''t help but worry about how long that would even take or whether he would even be alive long enough to clear that debt.
"We may not pay as much as the rich merchant organizations but it''s decent pay , we never run out of jobs and their range is an abyssal pit so you will neverck choices in what kind of jobs you want to take. At your current skill level, I''m sure you could get jobs that pay as much as 50,000 middle-grade stones just for a single job and they are not few in number either though theye with an equal measure of risk," Yang Qing softly said seemingly reading Wen Yingjie''s thoughts.
The apprehension Wen Yingjie had seemed to have been worn out by Yang Qing''s words as his creased forehead eased a bit.
"Do I have a deadline on when I''m supposed to clear the debt," Wen Yiingjie asked.
"Ideally no you don''t. However, an annual 1% interest is charged on your remaining bnce. That is to keep you honest and diligent in clearing your debt. Other than that the rest is up to you to decide the jobs you take, and the amount you repay each month or year.
Oh yeah, Yi Jie didn''t mention it but after every job, you can decide to either have your whole pay deducted to service your debt or give a percentage of it. The minimum you can give is 30%. Other than that there is nothing else," Yang Qing patiently exined.
Wen Yingjie went silent for a moment before he exhaled and he formed a carefree smile.
"It''s just 6,000 high-grade stones for the chance to learn a top grade blue grade cultivation art. Most people can only dream of such an opportunity," Wen Yingjie told himself in an effort to lift his spirits under the enormous weight of that potential debt.
"I agree to the conditions. I ept the blue-grade cultivation art and also the rental services of the cultivation abode."
He decided to go with thetter as his cultivation abode only had the barest of minimums. He had skimped out on using formidable arrays as he thought his cultivation realm was sufficient and he didn''t have the surplus of spirit stones to power such powerful arrays or even the resources to hire a skilled formation array master. Wen Yingjie thus didn''t dare risk it especially if he was going to be in a weakened state. Who knew he may end up with the worst luck where some scavengers broke into his abode and caught him in his weakened state.
This was amon urrence in the cultivation world, especially among rogue cultivators. Since their abodes had the worst securities in ce they were often targeted by scavenging groups. These groups would track down injured rogue cultivators to their abodes, break into them and loot everything in there and the rogue cultivator too after they finish them off. It''s the reason why some of the veteran rogue cultivators liked to maintain privileged membership in certain powerful inns and pavilions that ensure the protection of their customers'' wellbeing as long as they are within their establishment.
"Okay then. I''m happy to dere the case of Wen Yingjie vs the fallen meteor cksmith shop closed. Yi Jie you''ll handle settling down Wen Yingjie and everything he will need," Yang Qing brought his gavel down signaling the end of the case. The noise of the bang finally managed to pull back Tan Delun from his celebration party with the other Tan generational masters.
"Huh is it over?" Tan Delun asked as heughed sheepishly scratching the back of his head. In his reverie and jubtion, he hadpletely forgotten himself.
"Yes, it is. You can go home now everything is resolved," Yang Qing said as he smiled.
Tan Delun nodded as he stared longingly at the saber that was being handed back to Wen Yingjie by Luo Meili. In his eyes, this was just as much a treasure to Wen Yingjie as it was their shop. The culmination of the dream of 17 generation Tan masters finally realized. He couldn''t help but feel emotional when he saw it and moreso he wanted to rush back and tell his father of the news.
"I''ll make sure to pass by the shopter after I am done with my issues and let your dad see it," Wen Yingjie said as he smiled at Tan Delun''s gaze.
"Thank you," Tan Delun said as heughed trying his best not to tear up. The duo made their way out as Yi Jie followed them giving a few instructions to Wen Yingjie on where he would wait for him to meet after his shift.
Chapter 70 70: You Are One Of Us
?Yang Qing threw himself backward on his chair in a dramatic fashion as he stretched his back and neck.
"Now we are only left with one case for the day before we can close for the day. These cases always leave me drained more than cultivating at times. I can''t wait to move to the pce courts, life should be freer there." Yang Qing grumbled as he closed his eyes whileying backzily on his chair.
"The days are getting that much closer to your ceremony. Are you nervous about it? A lot of bigshots around will be presented both from within the Order and guests from outside. It will be a whole fan fair and you will be at the center of it. You will also be expected to give this deep touching speech too," Mao Yunru said as she shook her head at Yang Qing''s despondent look. She had never seen anyone who took every chance he got to turn the courtroom into his bedroom.
"Nope, I''m not worried at all. It''s a great opportunity for people out there to soak my radiant personality and ster character. Who knows the Order might just reward me handsomely for highlighting how it nevercks astonishing world-defying talents.
I hope they reward me with shorter work hours, fewer cases, better pay and benefits, a high-grade seat that can serve as a bed, and improvements on the formation array carved in my residence and carriage.
The time-altering arrays¡.It''s been a dream of mine to gain the skill to craft it. Time is not known as one of the supreme daos for nothing. All these years of experimentation and study and I still haven''t scratched the surface.
How I wish I could make the world a better ce with those arrays," Yang Qing sighed as he gave the look of a hero troubled by his inability to save the world.
Mao Yunru was left twitching at Yang Qing''s disy and words.
"Make the world a better ce? How can this guy say all that with a straight face when we all know and he even admitted it himself on more than one asion? The only reason he is interested in those arrays is to slow down time in his abode and carriage so he could sleep more. Some world-saving ambition this is," Mao Yunru snidely thought.
"Mao Mao how does it feel to be close to reuniting with your inquisitors again after spending thest few months apart as my judicial assistant," Yang Qingzily asked.
"I don''t feel any different. We see each other every day after work or during lunch ..it''s not like they got transferred anywhere but I do miss having them in the courtroom with me.
It''d be nice to be around a normal courtroom with normal people for a change," Mao Yunru innocently said.
"What do you mean normal are you trying to say we are not normal Mao Mao!!?" Yang Qing suddenly got up from hiszy posture and bashed his hands on his podium as he stared at Mao Yunru with an aggrieved look of someone falsely used.
"Yes, that is what I''m trying to say. We have one person who spends almost all his time and effort scheming how to do less work which ironically ends up with him doing more work and he never learns. Then we have the head inquisitor who I thought was the only normal one of the bunch only to discover he wasn''t. Just like his boss, he schemes all day trying to get his boss caught in his troublemaking schemes only for him to get punished along with his boss. Despite how much he suffers alongside him he still does the same thing over and over in trying to get his boss in trouble and that is without even mentioning how he would put everything aside at the drop of a hat all for the sake of making wine including missing work.
Then there is another guy who puts his appetite above everything else. There''s nothing he won''t do for food as it even has a higher priority than his own well-being.
There is thedy who looks gentle but deep down she has a scary sadistic side that is in stark contrast with her gentle side. Sometimes I can''t even tell which part is the real her and which one is the impostor.
Then there is the young battle fanatic. It would be one thing if he just purely loved fighting but the person in question for some reason enjoys fights in which he is soundly defeated more than ones in which he wins in fact he is usually in a depressed mood if he wins overwhelmingly in a fight.
And now thest member in this party of weirdoes who spends all her days talking to her spear like it''s a close rtive of hers and she even tries to feed it.
Yes, Yang Qing you and your team are a bunch of weirdoes. I can never track your thinking and it''s always just a hurdle just to keep up. The Order needs to pay me hazard pay for all I''ve endured, I''ll be lucky if I don''t develop mental demons of you all.
How did a team end up purely of odd people like yours?" Mao Yunru couldn''t help but curiously ask.
"Mmph odd people? What do you know? We are just a group of talented individuals with unique interests who are not afraid to show it and be true to ourselves. Besides we are among the few teams known to have two gold cores in the same team and 2 quasi gold cores. There aren''t many teams as powerful as ours or a record such as ours where a gold core cultivator defeated a purple core cultivator. You''ve personally experienced Yi Jie''s battle proficiency, haven''t you?
As for the things you mentioned Yi Jie is one of the finest wine brewers that even the higher-ups book his collection, Feng Xin can sniff quality ingredients anywhere. There is a reason those restaurants put him on their cklists on and off. There are certain ingredients they can only get through him.
Luo Meili is one of the finest beast tamers around who in a few years may very well be a gold-grade tamer. You know how many times those sneaky tamers have tried to poach her.
Zheng Hu may only have a quasi-gold core but he can go toe to toe with any gold core and taking those beatings has made him the person who has the highest survival adaptability, especially against stronger opponents. It''s the reason he is a part-time instructor plus I think that kid has already found his dao and it''s only a matter of time till he breakthrough to the pce stage once his umtions are enough and he is satisfied with it
As for thest member of our team well I can''t defend her she is an oddity but she is the only one whose spiritual sea can almost match mine despite being in thete stages of the core formation realm. Chief Song said she has a special affinity with artifacts which might exin her behavior.
But who doesn''t talk with their weapon every now and then? I find myself sharing a deep conversation with the purple glow bamboo growing in my backyard. They are the best listeners. I always feel better after sharing my day with them.
But you know Mao Mao you shouldn''t throw stones. Not like you''re the picture of normalcy either you nosey hound. You think I don''t know you spend half your ie in information organizations to dig up any weird rumors or juicy stories floating around the continent.
Hehehehe you have to know there must have been a reason you were made my judicial assistant other than me being a gifted mentor unparalleled in the conduct of my duties there had to be other factors too like YOU ARE ONE OF US," Yang Qing said as he smiled ominously.
"You, how did you know?" Mao Yunru asked with a dumbfounded expression as her voice raised a few levels in shock and apprehension.
"You work in a ce full of judges and inquisitors, it''s not hard to find certain things out. Oh yeah and one of the information brokers you deal with among the more than dozen information organizations you patron is a friend of Kang Hung. They let it slip when they were drinking together andter Kang like a dutiful friend and gossiper let it slip to us. I can''t say I was surprised though when I heard. Someone who is around you a lot would see the signs," Yang Qing mischievouslyughed especially when he saw Mao Yunru''s face redden in embarrassment.
"Can we move on to the next case," Mao Yunru said through her gritted teeth as she turned her face away from Yang Qing''s victoriousughter.
"This guy truly has a gift for riling people up and making them want to punch him," Mao Yunru thought as a dangerous glint shed through her eyes.
Yang Qing didn''t try to tempt fate by teasing her some more as he decided to swiftly focus on the matter at hand which was thest case of the day.
Chapter 71 71: A Sect, A Core Disciple And A Merchant Organization
?Yang Qing started perusing the details of the case as Mao Yunru was loudly grinding her teeth in the background as she asionally sent him death res which he deftly pretended he didn''t see.
"Mmh let''s see the Mountain spring pavilion which is a rank 4 merchant organization has filed aint against the Yellow lotus sect which is a rank 4 sect. Theint is failure to make repayments on the agreed-upon repayment schedule. The loan was to be repaid back in 8 years however they only serviced it for three but for the past year or so they haven''t made a single repayment.
The remaining debt they owe to the Mountain spring pavilion is 6,450,208 middle-grade spirit stones that is to be repaid back within 5 years with a 10% interest making the total amount being repaid back at the end of the 5 years 8,222,871 middle-grade spirit stones.
These merchants sure know how to make money. But the monthly repayment amount of 137,000 shouldn''t be hard for a rank 4 sect to meet with the many business andnds they have and their other resources. It shouldn''t be too hard to scrape that amount together since maintaining a sect of this caliber should have monthly costs that are at least 100 times that.
Is there something going on with the sect?" Yang Qing paused as he silently wondered before he resumed reading the details again after he decided it was better to hear from the parties themselves rather than spend all his energy imagining different scenarios that may end up being off base.
"Mmmh from Su Jinjing''s findings it seems that the Yellow lotus sect has debts with other merchant organizations but it seems they are honestly servicing those debts with none in default.
This must be why the Mountain spring pavilion decided to escte the matter to the Order. With theirwork of information, it shouldn''t have been too hard for them to discover they were the only ones not getting their dues.
It seems when they confronted the Yellow lotus sect to repay those outstanding dues instead of the sect owning up they did something the Mountain spring pavilion didn''t expect which was use one of their core disciples as coteral for the debt iming he was the cause of the debt. They even disclosed the attributes of the disciple to the Mountain spring pavilion.
This is rather odd of them," Yang Qing couldn''t help but raise his eyebrow in confusion. The sect being unable to repay its debt was already a red g but using a core disciple as coteral was even stranger.
Core disciples were prized figures in any given sect. Anyone who was given that title had a talent that stood out amongst countless other disciples. They were the future leadership of the sect and as such, they would receive appropriate grooming and nurturing. Considering how valued and how much effort and time was spent on core disciples it would be unreasonable for any sect to risk losing them, especially in an absurd manner such as coteral for a debt.
Yang Qing was dazed for a moment as he decided to continue on hoping to find a reason for the odd choice in the report.
"It seems the Mountain spring pavilion was just as dumbfounded when they were asked to take the core disciple away as a repayment for their loan leading them to question the Yellow lotus sect''s motives.
The Yellow lotus response was simple Huuuuuh? What''s going on?
The core disciple was given up by the sect as coteral because he was the reason they took the debt in the first ce to help him in his cultivation. But he has been a bottomless pit that swallowed up resources without showing any improvement. The sect in frustration decided to use him as repayment for the loan they took.
Since the loan was taken precisely for his sake to nurture and groom him the sect felt it was his responsibility to repay it back so they offered him up to the Mountain springs pavilion to do with him as they will and the matter of the debt was to be considered closed.
The Mountain springs pavilion took this as an affront to their face and considered it a shameless ploy by the Yellow lotus sect to welch on their debt however the pavilion didn''t have the power to force the issue since they are just a new rank 4 organization with 5 core formation experts with 3 of them being the leaders of the organization so they could only involve the Order in this.
Their choice in doing so was understandable since I can see the Yellow lotus sect has been in existence for the past 20,000 years and it''s been recorded that they have close to 20 core formation experts which has made them a local hegemon in blue carp county.
Mmmh by these standards they should be considered a high-tier sect among rank 4 organizations. Being around for 20,000 years means they have deeper foundation and resource channels too. Repaying that debt shouldn''t have been an issue for them," the more Yang Qing read the increasingly confused he became and the more questions cropped up.
"Maybe thest party in this case may shed a bit of light on the situation.
Zhao Qi is the core disciple being used as coteral and the unwitting center of all this. Once the Mountain spring pavilion filed the suit against the Yellow lotus sect they in turn dragged Zhao Qi as part of the case too.
I can see he joined the sect when he was 6 years old. He was average in his performance during the sect entrance examinations. His results weren''t too low but there was nothing worthy of note in his performance either.
When he joined the sect this didn''t change either, he kept a low profile, was diligent in his sect-assigned tasks and cultivation but never proactively tried to stand out such as by featuring in the sectpetitions. He spent two years like this and about the only thing that stood out was how strong he was in the basics and the entry cultivation art given to new disciples for use during their body refinement and qi refinement realm.
It was during those two years that one of the outer sect elders discovered that Zhao Qi had cultivated to the gold body stage in the body refining realm. This news sent waves throughout the sect and he was directly promoted to a core disciple from an outer sect disciple skipping the inner sect disciple route.
He took one of the core elders by the name of Wei Peng as his master. His talent shone brilliantly in terms of cultivation and was seen to be gifted in using the various cultivation arts, especially his skill with the sword. At 16 he had already reached the peak of the qi refinement realm and two yearster after refining and solidifying his cultivation base he broke through to the foundation realm with his first pir being a blue-grade pir. This drew the attention of even the sect master and some of the retired elders who had gone into seclusion to try and break through to the pce realm.
With the level of talent, he showed the sect decided to pour most of their resources to nurture him in the hopes that he would reach the pce realm. This is interesting. It seems the Yellow lotus sect once had 3 pce realm experts however they died while exploring a mysterious realm 400 years ago. Once news of the death of those experts spread wolves started surrounding the sect, especially rival sects. Since then the sect has been in desperate straits to try and groom a pce realm expert to ease the dangers they were facing.
Once Zhao Qi exhibited his talent in the form of the gold body and the blue-grade pir, the sects saw the hopes of having a pce stage expert in him. He was given special attention and resources to the extent of despite being in the first level of the foundation realm he was given top grade sky rank herbs and potions, the arrays in his abode were upgraded to the level that it would satisfy even a core formation expert''s needs. He was given specialized training by most of the core elders including the sect master too. Mmh but despite all the resources and training poured into him, in the past 7 years he hasn''t made a single leap in his cultivation base and is still stuck in the 1st level of the foundation realm.
The sect thought there was a problem only to find out it was all Zhao Qi''s doing. Zhao Qi said he had been deliberately holding back so he could make sure his foundations were firmer and more robust. The sect couldn''t believe what kind solidified cultivation base required over six million worth of treasure iming even a normal pig that was given the same attention and resources he was would be in the peak of the foundation realm already. They couldn''t help but worry how much resources they would keep pouring before Zhao Qi decided it was enough seeing how they had already gone beyond what was expected as the normal allocation of a core disciple. The amount they spent on him matched what the core elders got.
Zhao Qi remained stubborn not improving and only working on solidifying his cultivation base till the sect decided to cut off his support despite the pleas from his master. When the Mountain spring pavilion came to collect their debt they threw Zhao Qi to them to repay his own debt out of anger and frustration. Some elders had even sacrificed some of their monthly quotas of resources so Zhao Qi could get them. They felt betrayed by his actions and it was only out of the consideration of how much resources they had expended on him that they didn''t outright abolish his cultivation.
What an interesting kid," Yang Qing said as he pushed the white jade talisman to the side with a curious glint shing in his eyes as he smiled.
Chapter 72 72: The Last Case And Last Inquisitor
?"Mao Mao, what time is it?" Yang Qing asked as he put away the jade talisman after he had finished reading thest case report.
"Almost 4 p.m.," Mao Yunru begrudgingly answered still sour over Yang Qing''s ims.
"WHAAT!! I missed lunch?" Yang Qing rose from his desk in fright with eyes wide open spittle flying everywhere.
"Didn''t you just have lunch before the end of the first case?"
"Mao Mao there''s still a lot to teach you. Didn''t those information brokers sell you any info on the 3 lunches one should have in a day? The breakfast lunch, the lunch lunch, and the evening lunch. I haven''t had my lunch lunch of the day and it''s the most important one. Now I''ll have tobine the evening lunch and the lunch lunch which will ruin the whole eating dynamic.
This ckhearted organization. I can''t sleep in peace now I can''t even have my lunches in peace," Yang Qing sat back as he grumbled while pouting. He would have left already if this wasn''t thest case and he didn''t fear the exorbitant fine he would get for leaving during work hours.
Mao Yunru was seething at the side from Yang Qing''s callous remark about her extracurricr.
"Will he keep bringing it up every day now every chance he gets? Luckily there are only a few days left before he leaves," she thought as she wished the days could fly by fast.
The doors of the courtroom opened as the two were lost in their thoughts. In the lead was Yi Jie and behind was a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a medium-toned build and almost 3 meters tall. He wore a ck robe and coat and the emblem of the yellow lotus embedded on his coat. He had a stern look with a narrow long flowing smooth ck beard that reached his chest and hair that was tied in a topknot.
From the Yellow lotus emblem, Yang Qing could infer that this was Han Qingling the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect. From the faint fluctuations he was releasing though he tried well to conceal them Yang Qing could tell he was a quasi-pce stage expert but it didn''t seem like he broke through that long ago.
"Mmmh I heard he was one of the disciples of one of the dead pce stage experts of the sect. His talent was touted as one of the best 100 years ago and it even eclipsed all his peers at the sect. He was expected to have the highest chance of breaking through to the pce stage.
But with the death of the other pce stage experts and him being hoisted to the seat of the sect master his pace slowed down," Yang Qing couldn''t help but pity the sect master before him.
"The Order really has a deep informationwork. They even have information on the grade of his core. I wonder if I''ll get my own information team when I get to the pce courts. I could have themprise a list of the best foods and restaurants per province no , no per district no more restaurants will get lost. I should make the area as small as possible. Maybe per city or town would do.." Yang Qing got embroiled in his own epicurism fantasy as the rest of the parties made their way in.
Behind Han Qingling the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect was a young man. He had a dark grey robe with the yellow lotus emblem on it just like Han Qingling. He was of average height and build with short ck curly hair. His looks were average further adding to his average guy persona. He would be easily overlooked in a crowd just like a person''s shadow.
He walked with his head facing downward as pain and disappointment showed on his face. Yang Qing woke up from his food dream in time to notice theplex emotions running through the young man.
"That must be Zhao Qi the core disciple of the yellow lotus sect," Yang Qing thought as he sighed. The bureaucracy of sects and how cutthroat it was, were among the reasons he never dared join a sect.
Yes, the Order worked him to the bone but it was much freer and more transparent especially when it came to essing cultivation resources. Few talents are ever buried in the Order unlike in sects or ns where they can be suppressed if they don''t have a backing.
"He really is just at the first stage of the foundation realm but his qi seems much more refined than even someone at the 5th stage. Wait, was that an attribute I detected in his qi?" Yang Qing frowned as he detected something different in Zhao Qi''s qi but it disappeared in an instant. He scanned him again with his divine sense but the results came normal.
"Could I have been mistaken?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder.
Sometimes cultivators would have elemental attributes in their qi. It was usually as a result of the cultivation art they are cultivating sometimes in which blue grade and above were the only arts capable of effecting such a change or the qi was influenced by the cultivator''s physique. For example Haishi the mirage dragon fly had the water attribute in her qi, Tan Delun the son of the owner of the falling meteor cksmith shop had a special physique that made his qi seem like it was boiling magma.
Those born with special physiques don''t need to train in the body refining stage as those physiques afford them the same advantage as what training their body would give, up to a point. Few physiques could match the physique of someone who trained to the wless jade or the diamond body in the body refining stage. Mao Yunru was one of the few who had a natural borne physique that matched a wless jade body and these kinds of physiques were far and few in between. Some could be passed down from descendant to descendant but others, the rare ones were usually a stroke of fortune tied to one''s luck. Background, resources had nothing to do with it. Normal non-cultivating parents could give birth to a child who had a rare physique that matched a diamond or wless jade body.
Yang Qing''s gaze lingered on Zhao Qi a little bit longer before he moved his gaze to the person behind him.
Behind Zhao Qi was a thin tall man in a dark deep blue robe with a few rings on his hand. His hair was neatly straightened and flowing back smoothly with a well-groomed whisker-like moustache.
From the robe that looked to be made of high-quality material that cost a few thousand middle-grade spirit stones, it took no effort to know that he was from the Mountain spring pavilion.
"So he is Liu Yun, one of the three heads of the Mountain springs pavilion and the most active of the three with the other two being recluses who only show themselves for the most important of deals.
Peak of the core formation realm? And a stable foundation at that too. I can see why even as an upstart the Mountain springs pavilion has been experiencing tremendous growth. Though they fall a little short of the yellow lotus sect not unless one or both of the remaining heads are at the quasi-pce stage too," Yang Qing thought as hepared Han Qinling the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect, and the merchant leader Liu Yun. Both had a bearing of leaders who have weathered a few storms ande out on top.
Thest of the group who was closing the courtroom doors was a slender youngdy who had a half-blue half red robe and coat that were both short-sleeved. In one of her hands, she held a short pitch ck spear that looked simple with even the edges looking blunt. She had an ordinary look with ck short crinkly hair. However, her eyes stood out as they were round big, and deep almost like an unfathomable deep ocean drawing everything in the more you stared.
After she closed the door, she turned holding the spear with both hands like she was swaddling a baby.
"You be good while I work okay? I''ll tell you good storiester," She said giving the spear a tender smile.
Yang Qing smiled bitterly when he saw this as Mao Yunru threw him a smug you see look.
The youngdy was Su Jinjing the inquisitor of the case and thest inquisitor in Yang Qing''s team. She also went by another moniker like Yang Qing''s thezy glutton which he has been desperately trying to find the originator of it. She was known as the spirit smotherer.
Chapter 73 73: Iron Thorn Kingdom
?The whole group was soon in the middle of the courtroom with Yi Jie heading to his usual position by Yang Qing''s side.
Han Qingling the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect was standing on the right side, Zhao Qi whose head was still lowered stood in the middle, Liu Yun one of the heads of the Mountain springs pavilion stood on the left, andstly Su Jinjing who went ahead of them closer to Yang Qing''s podium.
She stared longingly and gently at her spear before she shook her head as he eyes firmed up as if she had resolved herself and let the spear hang downwards as she averted her eyes.
"Su Jinjing the inquisitor of this case hereby present Han Qingling the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect, Zhao Qi the core disciple of the same, and Liu Yun one of the heads of the Mountain springs pavilion.
The Mountain springs pavilion the user in this case has filed aint against the Yellow lotus sect for defaulting on its loan repayment. The sect owes 6,45,208 middle-grade spirit stones. Over the past year, they haven''t made a single repayment despite agreeing on a monthly repayment schedule.
The Yellow lotus sect on receiving the suit has in turn filed one against their core disciple Zhao Qi who they named as the cause for the debt and the difficulty in repayment.
The guidelines of the courtroom have been exined to all parties present and they have all agreed to adhere to them and suffer the consequences should they break them.
That''s it."
Su Jinjing had a soothing voice that seemed to have a mild calming effect to all around the courtroom. However, those effects were minimal on Yang Qing, Yi Jie, Mao Yunru, and the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect. It was more pronounced on Zhao Qi the weakest member present as he was able to look up finally and the dejection in his eyes was slowly disappearing.
"Thanks, Su Jiinjing," Yang Qing said as he offered her a thankful smile. He knew Su Jinjing had used her calming effect in her voice on purpose. Despite her weirdness with mothering a spear, she had a gentle personality by default. She had infused her spirit into her voice to try and help Zhao Qi but since she didn''t want it to seem like favoritism she used it in the whole courtroom.
When she joined the team both Yang Qing and Yi Jie were worried because of her gentle personality she wouldn''t be able to do her duties as an inquisitor which had a hint of ruthlessness to it. It was onlyter when seeing her in action that they realized their worries were unfounded. She may be gentle but she loved her spear a little too much and as such whenever she got a chance to use it or help it be its true self as she likes to say, she was more than overzealous with it.
Of all the inquisitors in Yang Qing''s team, she had the highest record of fatalities and injuries caused when in the conduct of her duties. Even Zheng Hu the battle fanatic fell a little shortpared to her. But due to her high spirit strength, she is sensitive to malice so she never attacked anybody who didn''t deserve it and was never the first person to throw the punch but she sure had thest throw.
Due to her sensitivity, she also had the highest impromptu cases record. Most cases in the Order are from people submitting theirints which are then distributed to the various courts that are then distributed to the inquisitors. The inquisitors can use the intelligence organizations attached to the Order to dig deeper into the background of the parties they are investigating however they also need to do their part in person. During such investigations,, they can stumble onto other cases that vite the Order''s articles and regtions and are obligated to bring those parties in. Such cases were called Impromptu cases.
....
Su Jinjing bowed in return as she offered back a polite smile of her own as she made her way back to the end of the courtroom closer to the courtroom doors.
"As my colleague has told you the moment you stepped through the courtroom doors you are now subject to the rules and regtions of this courtroom and its judgment. However, you still have time to refuse and decide to resolve the case among yourselves. The decision the court makes is final and can''t be overturned. Whatever is decided, all parties will have to follow it.
Are you all sure you want to go through with this or would you rather solve it amongst yourselves?" asked Yang Qing.
"We already tried to resolve it ourselves but we couldn''t make any headway. Whatever the courtroom decides I on behalf of the Yellow lotus sect will abide by the ruling," Han Qingling curtly said.
"I''m okay with it," Zhao Qi softly answered with a weak smile
"On behalf of the Mountain springs pavilion, we will adhere to the court''s judgment. We trust in its integrity and impartiality," Liu Yun gently said as he offered a small bow.
"Okay then. My name is Yang Qing the judge who will be in charge of this case henceforth. I will hear the version of events from all parties present and once I am satisfied I have all the pertinent information to have a sound judgment only then will I offer my ruling. During the case, I may involve specialists in the matter at hand but they are involved on as needed basis.
I hope we wille to a resolution that all members present can ept and live with," said Yang Qing as he eyed every member present.
"Owner Liu Yun I think we will start with you then sect master Han Qingling you will be next then we will finish with disciple Zhao Qi. Make sure to be upfront and not hold back the details. That is all. Owner Liu Yun would you please," Yang Qing said as he motioned for Liu Yun to start.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Judge Yang Qing. As you all know my name is Liu Yun I am one of the founders of the Mountain spring pavilion along with Wen Song and Wu Aiguo. They couldn''t make it as Wen Song is in secluded cultivation and Wu Aiguo is not on the continent at the moment and it''s hard to get a hold of him through themunication talisman. But any decisions I make they will agree to it too. We have been sworn brothers for the past 300 years. We were orphans who lived in the harsher parts of the Green bud kingdom formerly known as the Iron thorn kingdom."
Yang Qing and the rest once they heard he was a citizen of the Green bud kingdom couldn''t help but have perceptible changes in their expression. The current Green bud kingdom a rank 4 kingdom was once known as the Iron thorn kingdom. The kingdom''s name changed 40 years ago when the royal family was overthrown and killed.
The Iron thorn kingdom got its name from the way the royal family liked to impale its victims on gates all over the kingdom that were made of tiny spikes made of abyssal iron. The victims would experience a slow excruciating death as the iron sucked their life force and put them in extreme torment. Whether noble ormoner they all faced the same treatment as long as they drew the ire of the royal family.
The ruthlessness of the royal family was so extreme that a metallic smell permeated all over the kingdom. It was a mixture of abyssal iron and blood. They could act wantonly because they had a pce realm ancestor and no one in the kingdom even among the noble families had someone of that caliber. The best they had were peak core formation experts and they were few far and few in between as the royal family kept a tight leash on the resources all over the kingdom. They used those same resources to develop their own forces further strengthening themselves.
The kingdom was also located in one of the areas that had a nonexistent Order presence. Due to their low manpower, there were many areas around the southern continent that escaped the Order''s eyes while some areas were too dangerous to even create their branches there such as the Green fog region.
All these factors thus emboldened the royal family of the Iron thorn kingdom to act with unbridled cruelty and they also had the presence of mind to seal the whole kingdom so no one went out thus putting a blockade on the information flow out of the kingdom. But all this changed close to 40 years ago. Theirtest act at the time which was recorded as the cruelest they have ever been was when they massacred a whole city because they suspected a coup was brewing from it. This was the trigger that united the kingdom and also pushed it over the edge. Every citizen whether noble ormoner had onemon goal, to either escape or destroy the current family.
A mass exodus was impossible and destroying the royal family was even harder not with their pce stage ancestor lying around and the numerous other experts the royal family had created from squeezing and monopolizing almost every drop of cultivation resource.
However, in this desperation, they got help from an unlikely source, an underground organization known as the silent moon. It barely makes moves but when it does it sends waves around the continent.
The organization is veiled in secrecy and the only times they are heard off is in the aftermath of their actions which don''t happen as often.
It''s not known how but the major nobles all got messages with the emblem of a moon veiled in a hazy shadow attached to it asking the same question,
"What are you willing to pay for your freedom?"
They were at first weary but the weariness with time grew into a glimmer of hope. A what if... Which led them to the same answer. EVERYTHING they had. Once they came to that answer they all got another reply.
"Then give us every form of wealth you have silver, copper, gold, spirit stones, spiritual metals, and herbs anything you''ve attached value to except the living give it and the royal family will be no more,"
It took close to 4 years to gather the wealth of not only the nobles but even themoners. It took that long because they had to be careful about it, in case the royal family got wind of it and a repeat city-wide massacre happened.
Anything of value was gathered, from precious cultivation resources and arts to heirlooms down to even a wooden sword someone used as a kid and couldn''t let go off. Anything they thought to be a treasure was given. The whole kingdom came together and paid for the hit. It''s not known how but the silent moon knew when everything was gathered and the very next day the royal castle was destroyed and all in it. As for the pce stage ancestor, he had his cultivation crippled and hung on the same abyssal iron gates they hung their victims along with the king and other infamous princes known for their cruelty. All this barely took a day.
When the citizens saw the royal capital in mes they couldn''t believe it and when they saw the royal family hanging on the gates they all broke and wept. Young, old,moner, noble they all had the same emotions as they looked the source of their nightmare up in mes and suffering the same torment they did or dreaded.
It was only after all these happened and the borders were finally open that the rest of the continent finally knew what happened here. The Order sent inquisitors and was baffled at the records of cruelty they heard which was more intense than what was floating around.
It was from this experience that they pushed for inquisitors not only to be diligent in their current cases but even in impromptu ones. Because there were sure to be many other Iron thorn kingdoms out there.
Chapter 74 74: Mountain Spring Pavilions Side
?Everyone in the courtroom hadplex emotions running through them, even the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect who had on a stoic expression had his eyes flicker imperceptibly.
Despite a cultivation world being brutal at the end of the day, they were still human and they couldn''t help but sympathize with the torment endured by the citizens of the now Green bud kingdom, years on end to the point they were willing to give up everything for a chance at reprieve.
"We three brothers decided to start the Mountain springs pavilion 40 years ago. With our borders finally opened we wanted to see and experience the outside world which despite being core formation experts over 100 years old we were never able to," Liu Yun continued on as if all this had nothing to do with him and he was just an impartial narrator saying another person''s side of things. However, he wasn''tpletely calm as he wanted to portray as Yang Qing detected sorrow in his voice and his hands were twitching as if holding himself back from clenching them into a fist.
"We couldn''t travel without money and from our firsthand experience we realized capital is an important resource to have that can get you almost anything..." Liu Yun said with conviction in his tone.
It was understandable since their freedom from the Iron thorn royal family was paid for with resources or anything they held of value. This belief that with enough resources you can buy anything wasn''t held by Liu Yun alone but was a seed that had been nted in almost every citizen of the Green bud kingdom.
Because everyone pulled their resources together, every single person felt their resource had a part in buying back their freedom despite their quality and quantity being different from each other. It was for this reason that the Green bud kingdom was developing into a mercantile kingdom.
Every year there would be dozens of merchant organizations formed by the citizens of the Green bud kingdom.
...¡
"We, therefore, pulled everything we had together and started the Mountain springs pavilion. It wasn''t much but we also received additional support from some of the citizens of our country once they heard we wanted to venture out as merchants.
Because of being locked up in the kingdom for so long there were those who were afraid of leaving the kingdom despite yearning for it. They couldn''t ovee that mental barrier just yet from years of being threatened with death or worse should they attempt to leave. So they supported us as a way to cheer for us and also experience the outside vicariously through us.
The iron thorn kingdom may have brought nothing but torment and pain, a literal never-ending nightmare but it also gave us something else. It destroyed all forms of social constructs and the ensuing barriers thate along with it. No difference between noble ormoner, rich or poor, cultivator or non-cultivator. We all developed one identity. The people who suffered unbelievable torment together and came out the other side together.
Our sense of togetherness might be the only good thing that royal family ever gave us¡" Liu Yun''s gaze seemed to blur as he smiled a smile that wasn''t aplete smile but a smile filled with gratitude but also pain.
"Sorry, it seems I wandered off-topic there.." Liu Yun regained his rity as he bowed in apology.
"It''s okay Owner Liu Yun. I did say to offer as much detail as you can. You have nothing to apologize for. The courtroom offers not only unbiased judgment but it also offers sce to those who want to unburden themselves," Yang Qing said as he used a gentle force to stop Liu Yun from bowing.
Liu Yun was surprised to find he couldn''t bend an inch despite trying. It was like there was a soft cushion that was as sturdy as an immovable mountain in front of him. It gently absorbed all his force without moving an inch.
"The Order is really a ce full of monsters. If only¡" Liu Yun quickly shook his head free of the negative thoughts that were almost brewing.
"What''s done is done. We all agreed to start out new lives unshackled by our past. Enough has been taken from us, huh big brother," Liu Yun before he regained rity and decided to focus on the matter at hand. He had to ensure they got what was owed. That sum may not mean much to the Yellow lotus sect or other rank 4 merchant organizations but to them, it was life and death.
"We struggled at first when we started since we didn''t know how things worked. We got tricked a few times and almost gave up but we soon got the hang of things and we grew slowly by slowly in good repute and the quality of our goods and services.
Every deal matters to us whether big or small because of our background we personally saw how anything no matter how insignificant it may seem has value enough to buy back your freedom.
It was in that spirit that we were so ecstatic when we managed to strike a deal with the Yellow lotus sect a sect whose reputation as one of the strongest rank 4 sects is known far and wide.
Getting a deal with them was a validation that we had finally taken a big step as merchants," Liu Yun paused as gave aplicated look toward the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect before he continued. He experienced both the greatest moment and worst moment as a merchant thanks to them.
"It took months of negotiations, going back and forth before we managed to reach an agreement.
We agreed to give the Yellow lotus sect a loan of 9,000,000 middle-grade spirit stones which was to be repaid back in 8 years with a 10% annual interest charge.
The repayment schedule was to be done monthly with the repayment amount being 137,000 middle-grade spirit stones.
We didn''t ask for any coteral since we trusted the reputation of the Yellow lotus sect and it wasn''t like they would flee.
Everything started off well with the sect maintaining its schedule, there were even times it made the payments a month prior. With this, 3 years passed by smoothly with no issues but all that changed in the 4th year.
We don''t know why but they stopped making their repayments. The first month came and there was no repayment. At first, we thought something unavoidable must have happened for them to miss their payment. So we decided to be patient and not press them on the matter. Then came the second month still no payment. It was then that we got a bit worried and had to send one of our representatives who had been handling their repayment ount to go find out what was happening since neither I nor my senior brothers were close by.
They denied her entry despite visiting them for almost 2 months, not telling her why. Since I was the only leader closest at the time, I decided to handle the matter myself.
On reaching the sect, yes they opened their doors but they kept me secluded in one of their guest courtyards for 2 weeks before they even sent someone to talk to me.
At the end of the 2 weeks, one of their core elders came by with Zhao Qi in hand saying that their disciple will pay the whole debt. If I have anything to discuss, I should do it with Zhao Qi and the Yellow lotus sect has nothing to do with it. They considered their debt with us closed.
I thought they were joking but when a day ended with no oneing back I had to reevaluate the situation which only drew more questions than answers. The only thing I could think of at the time was the sect was in a difficult position that they had to use one of their disciples as payment.
I decided to leave and use our established channels to see if there was anything happening in the Yellow lotus sect that I wasn''t aware of. I left Zhao Qi at the sect and went my way.
A few weekster was when I discovered through my channels that the Yellow lotus sect was faithfully servicing the loans it had with other organizations except ours.
Disappointment, anger, and all sorts of negative emotions that I had long tried to forget all bubbled up in that instant.
Why the Mountain springs pavilion? Is it because we have the shallowest foundations among the organizations they deal with so it''s easier to welch on our deal than the rest? Or was it a scheme of theirs from the start to get free spirit stones from some bumpkin merchants?
Dozens of questions funneled through my mind but at the end of the day none of the answers to those question matter," Liu Yun said as his expression turned cold.
"What does matter though is the Yellow sect repaying its debt in full and not use a foundation level disciple as some form of repayment. All I want is the spirit stones they owe and we will be done.
I understand the Mountain springs pavilion doesn''t have the power to force them and I''ve seen enough bloodshed tost a lifetime to try my hand at it again, especially for something as foolhardy as spirit stones but I still can''t find it in me to forgive that debt not after how the sect has treated us.
I hope the Order can help us get paid what we are owed I''ll even waive any interest charges they just need to pay me back the 6,450,208 middle-grade spirit stones they owe. Since they have shown themselves to be untrustworthy, I hope it will be done in a single lump sum payment. Thank you for the time." Liu Yun said as he gave another polite bow and stepped back.
Chapter 75 75:Private Testimony
?"Thank you Owner Liu Yun for an apt description of your side of things. We will now move to you, sect master Han Qingling," Yang Qing promptly said.
After hearing Liu Yun''s side of things the whole thing felt too off for him. The Yellow lotus sect was a sect with a rich history and deep foundations that has existed for over 10,000 years.
It seemed imusible for such a sect to risk its reputation for a few million middle-grade spirit stones.
There were a few things that didn''t quite add up to him.
Why did the sect decide to take a loan with the Mountain spring pavilion in the first ce? The interest rate the pavilion offered was cheap but he had a feeling with the long-standing reputation of the sect they were sure to get even lower interest rates from organizations they have been dealing with for a long time.
Then there was how they treated the Mountain spring pavilion after. For a sect with so many enemies already at their doors, it seemed rather reckless on their end, especially in a situation where they need every help they can get and fewer enemies.
A sect that managed to survive for over 10,000 years and continue to exist even after its strongest pirs had perished surely wasn''t run by the foolish or the reckless.
This was why Yang Qing always felt something was off with the Yellow lotus sect even discounting the little issue with Zhao Qi exhibiting elemental qi.
"Thank you judge Yang Qing for you and the Order affording my sect this opportunity," Han Qingling calmly said with no ripples in his tone or emotions as he gave a cultivator''s salute with the right fist ced on the left palm that was facing vertically.
"I know it''s rather presumptuous of me but can I ask the court for some privacy to tell my side of things? I would prefer it Zhao Qi didn''t hear what I''m about to say or the Mountain spring pavilion."
The sect master had used a soundless incantation aided by his pseudo-monarch sense to send his message to Yang Qing.
He was already half-step into the pce stage, so when Yang Qing used a bit of his qi to prevent Liu Yun from bowing to him, the sect master caught a glimpse of Yang Qing''s actual realm.
This sent enormous waves in his heart as he could tell by Yang Qing''s vitality aura he had just cultivated for 20-some-odd years and he was already in the pce stage. Whilst he has been cultivating for almost 200 years and the best he could show for it was being a half-step pce realm expert. Though in his defense the mountain of troubles the sect has been facing made him find less and less time to cultivate.
Scale wise 50 half-step pce stage experts would at most force a pyrrhic draw with someone whose feet were firmly ced in the pce realm. It was the reason all this time the Yellow lotus sect had been in a bind. They lost their pce stage experts while their enemies had one pce stage expert at the helm. Despite how many half-step pce stage experts the Yellow lotus sect has, it wouldn''t help much against their foes who have at least one pce stage expert.
.....
Yang Qing was surprised by the sect master Han Qingling''s request. He couldn''t help but raise his eyebrow a bit in question.
Yi Jie who was beside had a bewildered look too. He may have not heard the contents of the message but he detected the ripples of Han Qingling''s pseudo sense being a half-step pce stage expert himself.
Before he could ask Yang Qing what was going on, he was already beaten to it.
"The sect master of the Yellow lotus sect is requesting that he give his testimony in private away from the ears of their disciple and the leader of the Mountain spring pavilion," Yang Qing told both Yi Jie, Mao Yunru, and Su Jinjing using his monarch sense.
Both Mao Yunru and Su Jinjing were at thete stages of core formation so they couldn''t respond back as they didn''t have monarch sense of their own to transmit their voice though with Su Jinjing''s powerful soul strength she could send her intent.
"I think we should oblige him. The case seemed a bit off and it isn''t the first time a defendant has wanted to give their testimony in secret," said Yi Jie.
"I was thinking of agreeing to it too. Though..well we will cross that bridge when we get to it," Yang Qing said seemingly thinking of something as he closely eyed Zhao Qi before dismissing that thought.
He canceled his monarch sense connection with the rest as he focused back on Han Qingling giving his response.
"The court agrees to your request," Yang Qing said as he picked up the golden eagle medallion on his podium.
He injected his qi into it which produced a small burst of white light that struck the ceiling of the courtroom. A pure white membrane started rippling from the ceiling as it flowed downwards like a waterfall before it formed a cordon around Zhao Qi and Liu Yun who were visibly shocked at being surrounded by a white membrane out of the blue.
The white membrane solidified into a cuboid shape that surrounded each of them in their ownpartments. There was a gold eagle symbol on each of thepartments that seemed almost lifelike as it flew within the membrane spewing strange script scribblings from its mouth.
Liu Yun was visibly shaken as he tried to spread his spiritual sense past thepartment only for it to disappearpletely. It was like his sense had hit an empty void with no end. He tried touching thepartment and felt a soft, smooth sensation as it rippled faintly from his touch.
"What''s going on?" He couldn''t help but fearfully worry. Years of being tormented had left him almost instinctively assuming the worst-case scenario.
Zhao Qi was theplete opposite as he stood in the middle of hispartment rotating from left to right eyeing the membrane with curiosity in his eyes and nothing else.
"I wasn''t wrong after all, there was something there. But even with the assistance of the medallion''s power, the detection is still faint. I should tell old monster Lei Weiyuan about it," Yang Qing thought as an interesting glint shed through his eyes.
"Neither your disciple nor Owner Liu Yun can hear you now. Even a domain-level expert wouldn''t be able to eavesdrop on the conversation," Yang Qing said to assure the sect master. Though what he said was half true as a seasoned domain expert like the ones in the Order would be able to bypass the membrane which could at most work against a domain expert who has just broken through at that moment without time to familiarize themselves with their abilities.
"Thank you very much for acquiescing to my selfish request," Han Qingling humbly said with his expression easing up a little bit.
"First I''d like to say, the Yellow lotus sect has every intention of paying back every single spirit stone we owe to the Mountain spring pavilion and even double that for the trouble we have caused them," Han Qingling said as he gave a sorry look toward the direction of thepartment Zhao Qi and Liu Yun were in. Though it was not known who exactly was the true recipient of that apology.
"So there is something going on with the Yellow lotus sect," Yang Qing thought to himself.
Mao Yunru''s eyes were glittering as she even moved her seat a couple of times to find the best listening position.
"Can''t she maintain her bearing as a judge atleast," Yang Qing thought as he threw a mocking look at Mao Yunru who waspletely oblivious to it as all her attention was zeroed in on the sect master. Seemingly like suddenly remembering something, she took out four white jade talismans and positioned them carefully on her desk as she chose the best angle for each of them.
"Four? Don''t we need just two recordings for the court proceedings? who are the extra ones for? it''s not like you can take them out of the courtroom," Yang Qing thought before he decided to ignore Mao Yunru''s antics and focus on the matter at hand.
"We didn''t mean to drag Zhao Qi and the Mountain spring pavilion but it was something that we felt we had to do."
Chapter 76 76: The Yellow Lotus Sect’s Confidence
?"As you all very well know our sect once had 3 pce stage experts however they disappeared about 400 years ago when they were exploring a mysterious realm.
We haven''t been able to confirm whether they are dead or alive but it''s more likely that the former happened because we haven''t heard even a single rumor about them for the past 400 years.
We tried tracking down the realm they had gone to in search of better opportunities for the sect but we couldn''t find it despite them leaving the exact coordinates of its whereabouts.
Based on our experience, a mysterious realm disappearing could be a result of a few things: Either the entrance got closed off once certain requirements were met such as the number of cultivators in the realm reaching a certain threshold or the entrance swaps spatial nodes so it could have appeared somece different or thest ominous option which we''ve been hoping didn''t happen which is the mysterious realm had a problem that led it to disappear into the void," said Han Qingling as his voice shook a little.
As a sect, they tried to keep their hope alive that the previous sect master and the two grand elders that went along with him were still alive. They were still hopeful when the first century passed by. Due to the long life spans of cultivators a single century was just the blink of an eye since just breaking through to the foundation stage gives a cultivator 1,000 years waiting a 100 was nothing.
But when 200 years passed by, the sect as a whole couldn''t help but worry considering in those 200 years they heard nothing despite mobilizing all their resources and channels to try and locate that mysterious realm or detect any news of their sect master and the grand elders.
After hearing nothing for all this time a massive seed of doubt, worry and dread was nted in their hearts.
What if the mysterious realm lost its anchor and got lost in the void? This was the exnation that made the most sense but it was also the one they found the most difficult to ept.
Yang Qing and the rest could understand sect master Han Qingling''s worry.
When it came to mysterious realms there were two types of mysterious realms; Natural mysterious realms and man-made mysterious realms.
Mysterious realms were considered pocket spaces around the world. Natural mysterious realms were usually formed by treasures or spiritual nts with space-bending properties. These kinds of realms though they had a degree of danger to them in some regards they were considered saferpared to their counterparts, the man-made mysterious realms. This was because of spatial stability.
Natural mysterious realms were more stable than manmade mysterious realms because they conformed with thews of the world rather than tearing through it. At their foundation, they had the support of the world itself. This is why treasures and spiritual nts with space-bending properties were highly coveted and would cause battles of epic proportions when spotted.
But when it came to manmade mysterious realms, it was much moreplicated. Not just anyone could build one because they wanted to. They had to have a profound understanding of the dao of space so they could detect ces where the space had ovepped. It also had to be fragile enough that they could pull it apart. Only cultivators who were at the soul formation could attempt such a thing and they had to be proficient in the dao of space too as not all soul formation cultivators could do it efficiently.
Once the ovepping space is separated they would then use artifacts and arrays and a mountain of energy-giving treasures to anchor the area between those ovepping spaces to the world. Without an anchor, the area would suffer spatial breaks which would lead to its decimation as it disappears into the void as the world seals the space in an attempt to mend itself.
This was the real danger of manmade mysterious realms. If there is a problem with the anchor the whole realm bes destroyed due to the unstable spatial barrier as it cracks apart and disappears into the void. Once in the void, anybody in the domain realm and below dies with the domain experts holding out just slightly longer. Those at the soul formation stage may survive as long as they find a weak spatial node to reenter the world from but even then they end up with heavy injuries caused by the spatial storms and void current that take a long time to heal.
Han Qingling and the other sect members were justifiable in their worry because if there was an anchor break then the previous sect master and the two grand elders were surely dead.
...
Han Qingling paused to get his emotions in check before he could continue. Over the past century since he inherited the seat as sect master he hasn''t had a single moment of respite, especially with the wolves encircling them adding to the turmoil of the potential loss of their strongest pirs.
"Our incessant search for the previous sect master and the grand elders alerted others to our situation. We knew it was a risk with the amount of fanfare we caused searching for them but it was a risk we had to take especially in a situation where every second counts.
But as time passed by with no information about our pce stage experts the curious looks we got from those sniffing around soon turned into greedy, covetous, and vengeful looks.
In our rise, we had no shortage of enemies. Friends believe in your potential and enemies push you to live up to it. We lived up to our potential alright but now the thing that drove us to prominence is now threatening our destruction.
The enemies we knew started baring their fangs then those we didn''t even know joined in and finally the friends we thought we had, joined the other side.
The past 200 years have truly been the longest years of my life," Han Qingling said as he gave a tired self-deprecating smile.
"After 200 years passed by, these unlikely motley association of greedy wolves started probing us by attacking our small-scale businesses then they moved to the mildly important ones and some mines once they saw no retaliation from us. Their appetites and range of activity have only grown since then.
Currently, we are only left with half of what we once had. The only reason that half hasn''t been targeted is that those are our core businesses and are located within a distance from the sect that we can safely reinforce and their base protections are sufficient enough to hold out against attacks fromte-stage core formation experts.
As for the businesses that we lost, we couldn''t risk protecting them as we had to concentrate all our manpower against these many foes and the most important reason is, four of those sects attacking us each have a pce stage expert.
They haven''t yet made a move but their presence is enough to deter us from sending our sect members that far out. We even had to close all our branches because of them and to cut on cost," Han Qingling paused once more as he stared in Zhao Qi''s direction with regret and self-me shing in his eyes.
"Losing half our resources and businesses hurt our foundations even if we still retained our core businesses. It was for that reason we had to take a lot of loans to maintain the running of the sect and also use the channels of those merchant organizations to find information on our enemies.
It was through those channels that we learned a bit of information that made us reevaluate our ns and priorities.
The only reason the four pce stage experts haven''t attacked us is that they have a formation art that requires five pce stage experts to work. With that formation, they would be confident in their chances of breaking our sect protection array.
They have to be pretty confident about its might since our array was set by one of the pce stage grand elder who is¡.
was a blue-grade formation master," Han Qingling painfully sighed once he said this. He couldn''t admit this in front of the rest of the elders but he too was one of those who believed the previous sect master and the two grand elders were already dead.
"The array canst a whole month from a barrage of attacks from a pce realm expert in the middle stages and that is without feeding it spirit stones for recharging.
I''m confident in our elder''s work but as a sect master I have to consider the possibilities and the might of five pce stage experts condensed in a formation isn''t something I can overlook.
And two years ago they found the missing piece. A rogue cultivator in the early stages of the pce realm joined their cause.
They may strike any minute now. I have confidence in the sect protection array holding out but just in case it doesn''t we need an alternative which brings me to Zhao Qi''s situation.
Over the past few years, we have been secretly sending out some of our most gifted disciples to different locations so they may not be targeted. Even among them, Zhao Qi''s talent is definitely the best and he has the right attitude to go along with it," Han Qingling said as he gave a look of pride and admiration in Zhao Qi''spartment.
"If circumstances were different we''d happily nurture him even if he decided to build his foundation for 500 years but time is running out and the best we can do for him now is give him a way out just like the other disciples so we can preserve the embers of the Yellow lotus sect.
Thus we decided to run his name through the mud, discredit him and show the outside forces we want nothing to do with him. Of the many merchant organizations we deal with most have already been infiltrated feeding information to our enemies.
The Mountain spring pavilion approaching us was an opportunity we couldn''t let go of. They were fairly new, had a decent reputation as far as I could tell, our enemies hadn''t sunk their teeth into them yet and the most important reason was Liu Yun''s character.
The only good thing that came from me being the sect master in these past 200 years of dealing with schemes and duplicity is it helped me improve my ability to read someone. Though I''d trade that for a single peaceful ce and day just to cultivate. I''m not sure what the elders were thinking throwing this hot seat to me. I''ve always preferred being in seclusion to dealing with people.
I''m the least suited to hold this post.
Sorry about that I deviated from the topic," Han Qinglingughed in embarrassment at speaking his true thoughts out. Yang Qing smiled at this while Mao Yunru¡..
Well, Mao Yunru had pulled out 6 more white jade talismans in the duration of the Yellow sect master''s narration bringing the count of the white jade recording talismans on her desk to 10.
Han Qingling was too engrossed in his testimony to notice while Yang Qing and Yi Jie knew well enough than toment. As for Su Jinjing, she was holding back her tears as she stared at the sect master while she whispered to her spear.
"Anyway after interacting with Liu Yun, I could tell he had a forthright character. This guess was further reaffirmed by how he acted even when we missed out on the monthly payment or treated him after. It''s an unlikely trait to have as a merchant but as someone I wanted to entrust Zhao Qi with, it was the best character to have. Were Zhao Qi to end up with the Mountain spring pavilion I know he''d look out for him and Zhao Qi would have a safe space to grow.
We intended to pay their debt back through secret channels in a year and also a note for them to let Zhao Qi stay in their care but he had already filed theint with the Order before we could do so.
With the suit filed we decided to continue along with the reuse to add further credence that we want nothing to do with Zhao Qi.
I can only imagine how much anguish this did to Zhao Qi and I didn''t wish to do this to him or the Mountain spring pavilion but it''s the only way we can guarantee his safety and reduce the pavilion''s risk of harboring him.
As for us, should the sect protecting array break we have every intention OF BURYING EVERYONE who budges in with us. It''s the least us old foggies can do for the little sprouts," said Han Qingling as his eyes shed with murderous intent and pride as a sect master.
Chapter 77 77: Judge’s Chambers
?Yang Qing and the rest were astounded by the Yellow lotus sect''s n especially the outward ruse with Zhao Qi and the Mountain spring pavilion. Though the shock was mild as both Yang Qing and Yi Jie had felt something off with the Yellow lotus sect from the start.
Mao Yunru at the side had her eyes filled with a cluster of stars as she carefully stored away the excess white jade talisman like some precious treasure as she silently muttered under her breathe,
"You, I''ll watch you after supper, then you, will be before bed, you will be in the morning before I get to work, as for you...."
She went on designating set timelines for each of the white jade talismans.
Yang Qing shook his head as he wondered if she nned to live in the Order as she wouldn''t be allowed to step out of the building with any of the talismans with the recorded proceedings. It was a severe and punishable offense by the Order, one that they did not take lightly.
The only usible way Mao Yunru could use the white jade recording talismans in the times she set was if she decided to live in the courtroom building full-time.
It could be doable as every judge is given their own chambers in the building which only get better the higher up in rank they are. Though it was called a chamber it was more like an abode.
Every judge''s chambers usually had an office where extra recordings of all the cases the judge has dealt with would be kept, a roster of his duties, and other pertinent documents relevant to their job such as progress reports on certain sentences. There would also be a cultivation room that was fitted with istion arrays, amplification arrays for spirit qi density, and among other treasures that would help them get into meditation easily and boost their cultivation speeds.
Being a cultivation judge was a taxing job that would leave one with barely any time to cultivate. The Order had gone all out to ensure each of the judge''s cultivation rooms was fitted with resources that would create the most optimum environment for their judges to cultivate. They spared no expenses as even the lowest judge from the lower core court had their chambers fitted with a treasure that was at the monarch rank at the very least and the spirit density of that room matched blessed grounds of rank 3 sects that were headed by a pce stage expert.
It was because of this environment that there were some judges who preferred cultivating in their chambers as opposed to their living quarters.
In addition to the office and the cultivation room, there was also the training room that was the size of a small arena but sturdier than one as it could handle a full blow from a domain realm expert. All training rooms from the lower core courts up to the pce courts were all made of the same materials. It was only when one reached the domain courts and above that the materials and standard of the training rooms would change.
There was also an alchemy room, cksmithing room, talisman refining room, and other professional-based rooms that were in line with the talents of the upant of that room. They were all equipped with the relevant apanying arrays and equipment. However, sourcing of ingredients such as for alchemy for example would all be on the judge''s dime which had gutted Yang Qing when he heard it.
He had tried to secretly rally other judges together and even sent some secretints to the Order to stop being stingy and that their actions were tantamount to slowing down the strides the Order could make through their young talents. He wrote a rather impassioned speech.
Arge gathering joined his cause which got toorge for him to control or do things covertly. It''s not known how and by whom, but despite his camouge arts, cloaking techniques, and every other covert arts he could use to not be found out as the instigator, he was found out by the higher-ups. They agreed to sell the resources such as herbs, spiritual metals, and the like at an extremely discounted rate that was too low to even be reasonably called a discount. But in exchange, they had to have tangible evidence that they were putting it to good use and not just wasting it away like rich young masters. As for Yang Qing as the instigator of all this, he got his just rewards.
The spirit stones that were provided for free to provide the arrays the energy they needed to run were no longer provided. He had to source his own. His chambers were reduced in size to half of what it was. The middle-grade monarch rank treasure that was provided was downgraded to a low-grade one though it would have been further downgraded to a high-grade sky rank treasure if not for his shameless begging that left one of the administrators with snort in their robes.
He is one of the few judges who almost never steps into his chambers. Every time he goes in he always struggles not to cough up blood due to the upkeep costs of the ce. He has never joined any movement since then, he even sneakily tells on his colleagues in the hopes of getting in the good graces of the higher-ups.
...
Yang Qing sympathized with the predicament the sect master and the Yellow lotus sect found themselves in but the Order''s hands were tied in this.
The Order''s primary focus has always been on the protection of the lives of ordinary people as for disputes between cultivators they could only step in after the fact or if both parties decide to involve the Order in its dispute.
In the Yellow lotus sect''s case, there wasn''t much the Order could do at the moment except wait until the battle happened and its scale that''s when depending on how everything yed out they would decide whether to enact justice or not but by that time the Yellow lotus sect would have already been destroyed.
This was a cultivator''s world, yes the Order tried as much as it could to maintain some bnce but the rules that governed a cultivator''s society still applied. Fights between cultivators were inevitable.
The Yellow lotus sect might be the ones on the chopping block now but in their rise, they had destroyed their fair share of sects and ns along the way. Their enemies may have been suppressed to the limit by the pce stage experts of the Yellow lotus sect when they were around. Being forced to pay tributes, and having their business swallowed up. Things like these were amon urrence.
With the long lives cultivators had that meant grudges and feudssted just as long. There were intertwining webs that one couldn''t trace who is in the right or wrong. This is why the Order in situations such as these where the opposing parties were almost simr in strength adopted a wait-and-see approach. They were not every person''s shield because if they were lots of sects, ns and other organizations out there would use the Order for their own means.
However, there were also extenuating circumstances in which the Order would have to intervene. For example, if a higher-ranked sect was attempting to destroy a lower-ranked sect e.g a rank 3 sect targeting a rank 5 sect. The Order would step in and review the cause of the feud and if they find the rank 5 sect to be the innocent party they would enact justice on their behalf. Another would be if a sect voluntarily surrenders but still gets massacred root and stem the Order would have no choice but to step in.
Had the Yellow lotus sect decided on that route then the Order would have ensured a safe route for them in their surrender. But from the sect master''s statement, Yang Qing could see the whole sect had every intention of fighting it out with their enemies to thest person. In such a situation as long as their fight doesn''t end up destroying dragging unaffiliated members in and other innocents, they wouldn''t interfere up to a point and that point is usually up to the Order.
¡..
"So sect master Han Qingling what do you want from the Order? In as much as you are in a huge predicament, the Order can''t actively participate in the ruse though.
The Mountain spring pavilion has to get its dues and from the moment you filed a suit against Zhao Qi and treated him as a separate entity from the Yellow lotus sect we saw him as such and thus he deserves his justice too, as Zhao Qi the cultivator.
Since it has already reached this point why not trust them both with the truth and give them the option to choose for themselves what their best recourse is? You already nned to tell Liu Yun a yearter so telling him earlier shouldn''t make a difference plus as someone who may potentially be targeted despite your careful ns, I think he ought to know beforehand so he knows what to expect.
But I''ll let you think on it sect master Han Qingling in the meantime I still need to hear things from Zhao Qi''s side then we can all decide the best way to move forward," Yang Qing said as he shed from his seat and reappeared in front of Zhao Qi''spartment.
Han Qingling stood silently at the side as he ruminated over Yang Qing''s words before he let out a heavy sigh seemingly havinge to a decision.
Chapter 78 78: Deng Chao
?Thepartment that Zhao Qi was in rippled like the surface of the water when Yang Qing ced his hand on it as it cleanly opened up a pathway for him to pass through.
Zhao Qi who was busy admiring the subtleties of thepartment was surprised when it suddenly opened but calmed down once he saw it was Yang Qing.
"Sorry to keep you waiting cultivator Zhao Qi, there was something your sect master had to say and he couldn''t say it in front of others. What about you?" Yang Qing asked as he gave a polite smile.
"What about me what?" Zhao Qi asked with a puzzled expression.
"Do you have anything you want to say that you wouldn''t want to say in front of others? The Order ensures anonymity except in situations where it impedes the judgment of the case. So Zhao Qi do you have anything you want to share that you wouldn''t feelfortable saying in front of your sect master?" asked Yang Qing.
Zhao Qi had a nigh imperceptible freeze in his pupils before they went back to normal as he let out a chuckle marred by pity, sadness, and a little anger.
"I don''t have much to tell though. I''m just a normal cultivator who got betrayed by a sect he thought was his home just because he wanted to ensure his cultivation journey ahead was a long smooth one.
Bit ironic isn''t it that the real reason I even insisted on sturdying up my foundations was so I could help shoulder the burden of the sect.
The sect master, the other elders and the senior core disciples may try to hide it but we can tell the sect isn''t in a good ce with disciples being forbidden to leave the sect grounds, the constant jointbat training that have gotten too intense to just be a normal training.
It isn''t hard to guess that something is afoot and the only way someone like me can make a difference is by atleast making sure I''m not a burden and a sturdy foundation is the best and quickest way of ensuring that.
I was acting in my and the sect''s best interest but s here I am. A core disciple whose on sect threw to the merchants as a piece of coteral to pay off a debt that the sect can clear at any time.
I wouldn''t have minded if they told me to work for it but the manner in which they did it¡." Zhao Qi clenched his fists in anger as he quickly shook his head and a sense of defeated calmness filled his body.
Yang Qing stood silently as he waited for Zhao Qi to collect himself. Seeing Zhao Qi''s current mental state was one of the reasons he suggested to the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect, Han Qingling to disclose the truth of the matter to both Zhao Qi and Liu Yun.
The severe blow Zhao Qi experienced during the whole farce was not light in any way. From being a prized disciple to being treated as a scourge and worst of all his decision, the root of all this was done because he had been trying to find a way he could contribute to the sect.
Such a severe mental blow would leave an impact. In the worst case it may turn into a mental demon that may harm Zhao Qi''s cultivation journey no matter how firm his foundations were. If it really did happen then the Yellow lotus sect would be guilty of destroying one of their talented disciples with their own hands despite the well meaning intentions.
But if Zhao Qi did manage to ovee the hurdle his mental fortitude would grow and be sturdier thus making his journey ahead even smoother.
However, no matter how good or bad it would potentially turn out should things stand as they were, that betrayal would forever guide his decision-making even if he managed to ovee it.
....
"Is there anything else you want to add on or should I take what you said as your final and only statement?" Yang Qing asked.
"You can take that as my only statement. Coming here I didn''t expect to have any say on how this matter ys out. I''m just a foundation establishment pawn caught between two organizations out of my league.
I do feel sorry for the owner of the Mountain spring pavilion though. He treated me kindly when we first met despite him being ambushed by the elder saying I was the repayment for the debt.
Maybe being epted by the Mountain spring pavilion in exchange for the debt being considered repaid in full wouldn''t be such a bad thing. It can''t be worse than where I am at with the sect," Zhao Qi said as he sighed to himself.
"Things may not be bleak as you think Zhao Qi," Yang Qing gently said. Zhao Qi only offered a polite smile in return thinking Yang Qing only said that tofort him.
"Seems like he is here," Yang Qing muttered to himself as his eyes twinkled.
Zhao Qi who was wallowing in self-pity suddenly shook almost as if he had heard something terrifying as his gaze shifted behind Yang Qing where another figure walked in.
The figure had on a ck robe, was short and slender with silver hair tied in a half bun and matching sharp piercing silver eyes. He had a stern and calm-looking face. He calmly walked in with his hands behind his back and his eyes pinned on Zhao Qi whose skin had grown visibly paler since his appearance.
"Ol¡.I mean Supervisor Lei Weiyuan you''re here," Yang Qing cupped his fists in greeting as a tiny bead of sweat trickled down from his head.
Lei Weiyuan ignored pretending he didn''t notice what Yang Qing almost called him as he stopped a few feet away from Zhao Qi.
"So are you going toe out fellow daoist or should I force you out? I would much prefer the former because from your connection to the boy it does not seem like you bare him any ill intent," Lei Weiyuan calmly said.
"How..?" Zhao Qi stammered on hearing Leo Weiyuan''s statement. He walked backward in fear before he tripped and fell.
"Seems like I was too na?ve in thinking I could hide and go unnoticed beneath the gaze of the Order. Who would have expected that I would be in front of a pce stage kid with such monstrous foundations? I don''t think our legacy disciples reached that extent.
The continent doesn''t know the sleeping dragon they created when they decided to establish the Order.
I''ming out," A tired ancient-sounding voice sounded within thepartment before a grey fog was produced from Zhao Qi''s body that congealed together to form a grey translucent image of a medium-height and slender built old man.
His features got clearer and more defined with each second. With thest fog produced the old man''s figure finally stabilized into a ghostly white figure except he looked more lifelike so much so that it looked like if one tried to touch him they would be able to.
The old man had a free-flowing hair that reached his back and a long smooth beard that reached his chest and was tied into a small braid at the bottom. His hands and eyes were crystal colored as they reflected light every now and then.
His gaze turned in Zhao Qi''s direction who had a look of guilt as he stared at the old man.
"Grandpa Chao because of me¡"
"Don''t worry too much about it child. What''s done is done. The situation couldn''t be avoided. When I agreed youe I came knowing full well that there was a chance that I would be discovered. Coming and dealing with the matter here was better than the alternative," the elder gently said as he looked at Zhao Qi with the gaze one would give their grandchild.
The old man sighed as he turned to face Lei Weiyuan and Yang Qing. His gaze paused on Yang Qing briefly before it settled on Lei Weiyuan.
"Seeing judge Yang Qing here and the rest of his colleagues I can''t help but feel the Order has already approached the ranks of a Holynd.
That youngdy Su Jinjing despite being at the core formation stage kept looking at Zhao Qi funny almost as if she felt something was off.
The young will soon surpass the old. If only¡" his thoughts trailed off as a mncholic look showed on his face.
"That they will though there are some who need constant and firm pushes to get them there more than others," Lei Weiyuan said as he threw a meaningful nce at Yang Qing who flinched instantly upon noticing the look Lei Weiyuan was giving him.
The old man lightly smiled on seeing their interaction.
"Might I ask for the fellow daoist''s name? My name is Lei Weiyuan and I''m a supervisor in the courts of the Order." Lei Weiyuan asked. Though from the crystal-like hands and eyes he had an idea behind the old man''s identity.
"My name is Deng Chao though it''s been centuries since anyone called me by that name," Deng Chao said with a tired sigh.
Chapter 79 79: Crystal Palm Jade Sect (1)
?"Figured as much," Lei Weiyuan thought to himself once he heard the old man''s introduction.
He already had his suspicions from the crystal clear eyes and palms and hearing the name all but confirmed his suspicions.
"Based on your reactions I take it you''ve heard of me," Deng Chao said once he noticed Lei Weiyuan''s reaction.
"Those keen enough have atleast heard of your name in the past 2,000 years especially those of our level and even if they didn''t, they have atleast heard of the Crystal palm jade sect," Lei Weiyuan said.
Deng Chao had a pained look on his face once he heard the name Crystal palm jade sect. It seemed to elicit memories in him that he would rather forget.
Yang Qing who at first didn''t know who Deng Chao was even after hearing his name, showed a reaction when Lei Weiyuan said the name, Crystal palm jade sect.
As part of their curriculum, the Order didn''t only teachbat, cultivation arts, and other secondary profession skills but they also ced emphasis on their students learning the history of the continent that they would be serving in addition to the institute''s own history.
Learning history was a measure of ensuring their students and all who worked for the Order knew why they did what they did, to create a sense of solemnity and respect for what they do. But it also served as a measure to open their eyes to how things could change in an instant to help them in keeping their guards up and increasing their sense of vignce and discernment in all their duties because that keenness might be the difference whether a murderous cmity is avoided or not.
As an added measure to ensure that their students did actually give the history sses the attention it deserved, the Order started giving out high merit points to those well-versed in those sses. Merit points were a highly sort after and privileged resource at the Order. It was a form of currency used within the Order that could be used to purchase anything, especially in cases you had no spare spirit stones lying around. Infact in some regard, it was even deemed more valuable than spirit stones as a form of currency.
There were things even if you had sufficient spirit stones you couldn''t buy whereas when it came to merit points as long as it was within the Order you could buy almost anything with it including even more leave days which was what pushed Yang Qing to be a history nerd. He even went to the extent of learning differentnguages, obscure techniques of preserving worn-out scrolls, and deciphering broken texts all for the precious leave days he would score.
The higher-ups soon noticed an obvious loophole in this as Yang Qing the greedy hound and exploiter that he was learned so much history that he ended up having merit points that granted him half a year worth of leave days which he shamelessly used much to the hatred and envy of his colleagues on hearing how much of a wastrel he was.
When others would redeem such a huge amount of merit points on expensive cultivation resources such as herbs, weapons, pills, or cultivation arts that were of a higher grade or gain privileged ess to special locations like restricted sections of libraries, ess to special locations that offer boosts in enlightenment and cultivation, get their courtyards retrofitted with much higher grade arrays. Yang Qing in his infinite wisdom and young master persona wasted it all on a chance tozy around and eat. There was even a judge who suffered qi deviation once he heard the news of how Yang Qing spent his merit points.
The Order on recognizing another w once again because of Yang Qing''s exploitative nature decided to cap the amount of merit points one can spend on leave days per year despite the vehement and deeply passionate protests Yang Qing offered.
...
It didn''t take too long for Yang Qing to recall the history of the Crystal palm jade sect especially since up until 400 years ago it was one of the top rank 2 sects in the whole southern continent.
From what Yang Qing had read, the sect was founded by four people about three thousand years ago.
They were four martial siblings with tremendous talent with three being masters in their own area. One was so skilled with the sword that he achieved sword intent in 14 years, the other was skilled with formation arrays that he killed a core formation expert while being at the beginning stages of the foundation establishment stage, and the third one was skilled in alchemy and medicine which was the reason they managed to survive for so long despite constantly engaging in battle for resources, especially in their earlier growing years.
As for the fourth, not much was known about him except he barely participated in the skirmishes especially when the sect started up he was always the one left manning the base. Many assumed the three brothers arranged it that way since he was the weakest of them and it was safer to have him at the sect rather than the constant battles and dangers they engaged in to try and fight for resources and expand their sect''s influence.
It took only a thousand years for the Crystal palm jade sect to move from being a no-name rankless sect to a rank 2 sect when one of the brothers broke through to the domain realm. Three hundred yearster another brother broke through and a hundred years after that another one broke through. Three of the brothers broke through while news of the fourth one was never known since he never made any monumental moves. There was a time the sect was attacked while the 3 brothers were away but the attackers were swiftly dealt with. It didn''t create much of a storm as the outside world assumed it was due to sect treasures and powerful arrays that the assants were swiftly dealt with, after all, one of the leaders of the sect was a renowned array prodigy and there were no witnesses left alive to say any different from the group that attacked the sect.
For the next 1,600 years, the name Crystal palm jade sect shook the continent as it had a meteoric rise with unstoppable momentum to be one of the most powerful sects below the rank 1 sects and organizations. In those 1,600 years, they also managed to add three more domain realm experts to their ranks. With the reputation they had built up they managed to attract numerous talents. Two of those domain experts came from their sect disciples while the third was a guest elder who joined in as a domain expert.
Only one in a million cultivators would potentially be able to step into the domain realm. This was the rank that served as the watershed that separated the above-average from the true genius. Of course, there were those with massive luck who manage to breakthrough due to some fortune then there are those who saunter through on their own two feet.
The domain realm, the door that shuts countless of those who thought themselves the sons and daughters of destiny out and lets in a few.
But once someone breaks through that realm in addition to an explosive increase in lifespan is the sheer firepower a domain expert can exert. There was a saying around the southern continent that if you had a single domain expert and no other cultivator in your kingdom, that kingdom is guaranteed atleast 10,000 years of peace and prosperity.
That was how much of a deterrent and an asset having a domain expert was. They were highly valued even in rank 1 sects and holynds and here there was a new upstart in the name of Crystal palm jade sect had 8 of them in 3,000 years.
Many had thought with the way things were going for them they would continue to rise up to a rank 1 sect. They had an astonishing number of domain experts, three talented leaders, and the best of all was their technique. It was one of the fundamental reasons they were able to draw in many talents and also grow so fast. The crystal jade palm art. Yang Qing didn''t know much about it except those who had mastered the technique were able to shatter mountains and sink their hands in the most deadly of poisons and elements such as fire and frost with nothing happening to them. It was a lethal technique that offered absolute destruction and defense.
With this technique and talented people to bring the most out of it, they were able to easily sweep past their foes. Yang Qing whose hobby involved truancy, eating, and more truancy also loved collecting cultivation arts of all ranks. The more powerful ones were to see if he could draw inspiration from them and the lower-ranked ones were to see if he could add to them and improve their grades.
When reading about the Crystal palm jade sect, their cultivation art drew him in and he couldn''t help but want to add it to his collection. Based on his guesses if the description of the art was right, it was at the very least, an upper-rank blue-grade art.
He couldn''t help but have his hopes reignited when he saw Deng Chao in front of him. Though he still couldn''t guess his identity.
"I wonder who he is among the eight domain experts that they had? I''ve never heard of Deng Chao and I know he isn''t one of the leaders because they were all¡" Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh once his thoughts reached that point as he looked at Deng Chao who still had a mncholic look cloaked in sorrow.
400 years the rising star that was the Crystal palm jade sect was snuffed out. It is not known how but rumors started floating around that one of their leaders had found a quasi-saint treasure in the Millions treasure ocean. This drew countless eyes from everyone including even some newly promoted rank 1 sects, ns, and empires. The more time passed by the more the rumor gained traction and spread.
The potted rumor soon boiled over and exploded when 10 rank 2 sects and some organizations besieged the Crystal palm jade sect. A thunderous war that shook the entire continent soon took ce with domain experts at the lead. At the time the Order was pretty new. The war had taken ce 400 years ago whereas the Order had just been established 100 years prior. A battle of that level was beyond what the Order with its then pitiful manpower could handle at the time.
The warsted 3 years but the fangs of the Crystal palm jade sect were revealed for all to see in that war. They decimated 7 of the rank 2 sects who besieged them and they even secretly diverted some of their manpower to decimate the sect grounds of those 7 sects. They were well on their way to forcing a stalemate with the remaining forces when a third party suspected to havee from some rank 1 organization and suspected to be the mastermind behind bringing so many rank 2 sects together, intervened.
The crystal palm jade sect got decimated with as few survivors as possible with the leaders confirmed to be dead but not before they took arge bite from the third party forces who despite joining the partyte suffered such huge losses that one would have thought they were there from the start. They became the primary recipients of the damage of what a cornered beast can do in itsst moments.
As for the supposed quasi-saint treasure, it couldn''t be confirmed that it even existed as all the parties present left with nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. Of the remaining three rank 2 sects two of them got attacked by their rivals once news got around of them suffering grievous injuries from the battle and thest sect subordinated itself to a rank 1 empire thus ensuring its safety as for the third party, they lost two domain experts, over a dozen pce stage experts and nothing else to show for it.
The history of the Crystal palm jade sect became a firm reminder to Yang Qing to always be vignt as the continent was rife with greedy wolves and billions of threads of conspiracies. Especially with the recent attacks on people from the Order he couldn''t help but suspect that there was somethingrger at y here other than discontent against the Order doing its duties.
Chapter 80 80: Crystal Palm Jade Sect (2)
?Lei Weiyuan saw the puzzled look Yang Qing had on still trying to guess Deng Chao''s ce in the Crystal palm jade sect.
"I''m sorry fellow daoist I may have to indulge my junior here about your background since he is still the one in charge of this case and as such he will need as much information as possible. I''m only here in a supportive capacity.
All judgmentster will be made ording to his will. Though he may not look like much, especially with hisckluster andzy look he has a good head on his shoulder and excellent judgment," Lei Weiyuan said as he cupped his fist at Deng Chao.
Yang Qing had mixed feelings at the moment. On one hand, he was surprised at Lei Weiyuan''spliment and on the other, he felt aggrieved for being bad-mouthed in front ofpany.
"Can''t old geezer Lei throw apletepliment? What''s the use of preparing a pleasant-smelling dish and then adding bitter poison to it? Stingy geezer," Yang Qing silently thought.
"It''s okay I don''t mind. I''m in someone else''s house and as such should abide by their rules besides if it will help little Zhao here I''m okay with it," Deng Chao said as he gently smiled at Zhao Qi who was still sniffling and red-eyed at the side.
Lei Weiyuan cupped his fists once again in thanks with Yang Qing also giving the same daoist salute.
"There''s a reason you haven''t heard of him and even if you tried to guess you would still fall short because he is not one of the eight domain experts recorded by the Crystal palm jade sect or known by the world for that matter. And if it wasn''t for that incident 400 years ago we would have never known either," Lei Weiyuan said as he sighed.
He was using his domain tomunicate with Yang Qing as he felt it would be crass of him to outwardly speak of Deng Chao''s matter for him to hear when the story didn''t have a particrly good ending.
For all intense and purposes, Lei Weiyuan was even surprised that Deng Chao had managed to survive that onught. Many had thought him dead though from his current state it could be seen he wasn''t far away from it.
Lei Weiyuan''s statement created more questions than answers as Yang Qing threw another nce at Deng Chao.
"Then who is he?" Yang Qing asked following the same direction as Lei Weiyuan he too used his monarch sense to send his thoughts.
"It''s not that hard to guess if you really think about it. It''s just that the Crystal palm jade sect grew so fast creating so much fanfare in its trail of glory with the three leaders'' names and their sect''s crystal palm technique being the prime highlights. Everything else seemed to pale at their brilliance.
The Crystal palm jade sect has always had four leaders from the very beginning and in those 3,000 years that has never changed despite more domain experts being added to the mix.
The three leaders took the continent by storm but little is known about the fourth one. The outside world wrote him off as someone riding the coattails of his brother which made them overlook something the same way you may have overlooked it."
Lei Weiyuan paused as he waited for Yang Qing to ruminate and digest his words. To him and the rest of the higher-ups they knew Yang Qing was cunning, liked to do as little as possible, exploitative, especially in finding loopholes, and a little too greedy but through his antics, they also discovered he was an ironical creature.
He was extremelyzy when it came to work but he was also extremely devoted to the things he loved or interested him whether it was researching lost cultivation arts and restoring them, the thorough vignce he put to his cases to ensure he doesn''t end up redoing them or the lengths he goes to try and score free things from the Order while doing as little as possible. It was one of the scant admirable qualities he had.
It was also thanks to his greedy exploits that the Order has been improving its operational guidelines and bws further smoothening its organizational structure from the weaknesses Yang Qing tried to take advantage of.
There was even amittee formed to review those structures and figure out if there were more areas Yang Qing would exploit and plug them before he took arge chunk of bite from it with the Order footing the bill.
The greatest exploiter was also thergest contributor to the operational improvements within the Order. Though if Yang Qing ever discovered that who knows what he might do¡
His open mind was what Lei Weiyuan admired about him most in fact it was probably the only thing considering his lifelong misdeeds.
That was why he would use every opportunity to help him cultivate it more and more.
Lei Weiyuan''s words shed like an electric current in his mind that seemed to be drawing things together. It was the key he had been missing.
"The crystal palm jade sect, the crystal palm jade sect, the crystal palm jade art..it''s that," Yang Qing said as his eyes shone with enlightenment.
"One of the brothers was gifted in sword cultivation, the other in formation arrays, and the other one in medicine and alchemy however what the sect was known for was the crystal palm jade art.
The art based on my initial estimates was at the very least an upper rank blue-grade art though if I''m being perfectly honest it seems more likely to be a gold-grade art.
When an art reaches the blue grade and above it''s hard to buy them just with spirit stones and from what I could tell the sect has always been known as the Crystal palm jade sect from the very start but none of the three brothers used that technique as their primary fighting style though I did read the brother skilled in medicine and alchemy did use it in harvesting and preparing ingredients but that''s about it.
Then it''s highly possible that the fourth brother was the one who used this technique but then why?"
"If the fourth brother was the one skilled in the crystal jade technique howe he was unheard of despite possessing such a terrifying art? Well at times the simplest answer is usually the right answer.
It''s because all who ever fought him died on the spot so there was no one to tell the tale," Lei Weiyuan calmly said as Yang Qing''s pupil froze as he eyed Deng Chao solemnly.
"Then that means¡"
"Yes, in the 3,000 years not a single person who fought him ever survived. There''s a reason I said most people overlooked something, yes your guess about the name of the sect was right but there was also another thing.
Let''s say you are starting a sect Yang Qing, other than your lives what should be the most important thing?" Lei Weiyuan patiently asked.
"Sect grounds," Yang Qing said without a second thought.
"Yes, the sect grounds are the root and the foundation within which a sect grows from including the people in it.
Then given how important those grounds are, do you think one would leave their weakest member to man it while the strongest members were out, especially in the budding stages? Given at that time you probably don''t have any high-grade treasures to power a formation array whose grade you probably can''t buy or create yet since it''s the early stages of your sect starting up and you''re all weak. So the best defense to ensure your grounds stay standing is to leave your strongest member behind guarding it while the rest search for resources.
The stronger the person guarding it is, the freer the rest searching for resources will be. From the stories about the sect, you can tell how rampant the three brothers were in their actions. It''s because they had confidence in who they had left to guard their home that they could act freely without a care in the world. In my opinion, the biggest reason the Crystal palm jade sect grew into what it became is because of him," Lei Weiyuan said as he gazed at Deng Chao with a look of respect. He embodied what the Order has been trying to do and that is providing a safe nest for the young to grow to their fullest potential.
"I''m sorry Supervisor Lei Weiyuan it seems I still have a long way to go in my discernment," Yang Qing solemnly said with embarrassment as he remembered just a few hours ago he was guiding Mao Yunru in keeping an open mind and even bragged how he was the world''s canvas. His face couldn''t help but turn a shade redder at the thought.
"Don''t be too hard on yourself. The only reason I could figure this out was that I had an ending to extrapte from. The ending that wasn''t written in the books.
A senior from the Order was there when the fight was at its highest and stayed almost to the very end. It was from what he saw that we were able to finally know about the true hidden trump card of the crystal palm jade sect, the true leader of the sect, and the creator of the crystal jade palm art, Deng Chao. The calm unassuming wind that turned into a massive derecho that no one sawing," Lei Weiyuan solemnly said.
Chapter 81 81: The Palm That Shattered The Sky
?Yang Qing''s countenance transformed into one of curiosity at Lei Weiyuan''s statement. He couldn''t help but throw a deep nce in Deng Chao''s direction.
"What''s missing from the records, Supervisor Lei Weiyuan?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but ask.
"The fundamental reason why the battlested 3 years in the first ce. The ten rank 2 sects that attacked the Crystal palm jade sect each brought atleast two domain-level experts making the total number of domain experts fielded on the battlefield, twenty.
The Crystal palm jade sect only had eight domain experts even if the three founders were fairly gifted and the might of the Crystal palm jade art had significant prowess, it was still a tall order for eight domain experts to sessfully hold off twenty domain experts and still have the time to attack their bases whilst the fight was still going on.
All this was only possible because of Deng Chao. When the attacks started the Crystal palm jade sect was continuously pushed back to the point that their sect guarding array got breached. The senior surmised that at that time Deng Chao was still in closed-door seclusion since he didn''t show himself when the attacks started. Considering the massive losses they had suffered in those early periods it couldn''t have been intentional.
With the sect guarding array broken and the pressure the sect was put in, most assumed the end of the Crystal palm jade sect was all but nigh but the change urred when the barrier broke. A dazzling white light pushed back the attackers and before anyone could register what had happened two of the weakest domain experts got ughtered on the spot. It was only when that light disappeared that everybody there saw a solitary figure floating in the air.
Those present couldn''t make heads or tails on who the figure was, our senior included. It was only when the three founders addressed him as junior brother and the rest of the sect called him founder that they knew he was the fourth leader of the sect who was assumed to be the weakling of the bunch.
All came to know how massively incorrect that assumption was. The battle that was one-sided soon got transformed into a free-for-all the moment he made his presence known.
Deng Chao shuttled around the battlefield like a specter of light with death, havoc, and destruction following him. With a wave of his palm, hundreds of pce stage experts died.
In a few minutes he had effectively destroyed the momentum and morale the opponents had built over a week and it didn''t stop there as he was soon besieged by five domain experts trying to steal the initiative back. After battling back and forth for a week another domain expert fell and every week after that till one month ended with four more domain experts dying. This brought the total tally of domain experts who had died by his hand to six.
When cultivators reach our level it''s usually hard to kill each other not unless the disparity in cultivation is very huge or there''s a huge gap in our attainments of the dao. It''s not easy for two domain experts that have the same cultivation realm to kill each other that easily as it is hard to stop the other party if they want to run away.
This was why Deng Chao killing six domain experts in a single month overturned the whole battlefield. The ten rank 2 sects were not as confident as they were before and the Crystal palm jade sect had been reignited by Deng Chao''s disy so they fought even more ferociously pushing their attackers back. The remaining domain experts tried to surround Deng Chao which eased the pressure on the rest of the sect members who devised the n of taking advantage of the situation to sneak out one domain expert and a few pce stage experts to destroy the sect grounds of their attackers who were being held up by Deng Chao and the rest of the remaining domain realm experts.
The guest elder was the one put in charge of destroying those sect''s bases as the rest remained. Deng Chao held up five domain experts alone while the remaining nine domain experts were split between the three founders and the two domain experts they had left. For Deng Chao, despite facing five domain experts was like a fish in water as he smoothly alternated between offense and defense taking as little damage as possible and ensuring every attack he made left an impact on the opponent. The grandness of the crystal palm jade art was revealed in that battle. The senior couldn''t help but admire the brilliance of the art, especially in his hands. No one on the battlefield could bring out the art with as much grandness as he did, it seemed to have been made specifically for him as opposed to the rest. With it, Deng Chao shattered ascendant-grade weapons bare-handed. He was like a walking weapon despite being unarmed. I wish I could have seen it," Lei Weiyuan said with some pity and desire in his tone. Yang Qing ruminated on the words built for him as there was something that he suddenly noticed about Deng Chao. Despite being a phantasm his hands had a white jade crystal look to them and his eyes. But it was the hands that drew him in because they reminded him of someone.
"Could it be?...." Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder as his gaze lingered on the hands before focusing back to Lei Weiyuan''s narration.
"Finally after a long drawn-out battle, two more domain experts fell by his hands with the remaining three being seriously wounded as for the rest of the opponents three more had been lost with one of the domain experts from the Crystal palm jade sect being grievously wounded. However, the four leaders were still alive and going.
News of the destruction of the bases finally reached the ears of their opponents which further destroyed the morale that was hanging on by a thread. The rest is as you read. A battle that was expected tost just a month ended upsting three years and by that time only three sects remained . They were the three most powerful ones who had sent domain experts in thete stages of the domain realm but even they were not doing too well. Had things remained the same in another year or two they would have joined their deadpatriots. But s things usually never go as we expect them to sometimes," Leo Weiyuan sighed. He suspected this was a part of the reason behind Deng Chao''s pained look.
It was one thing if they were totally outssed and their defeat was all but certain but they were well on their way to securing a firm win just inches when everything changed.
Without keeping Yang Qing waiting for long Lei Weiyuan went on.
"A third party appeared just when things looked to be heading in the Crystal jade palm sect''s favor. It was a small team of five led by a half-step soul formation stage expert with the other members either being at the peak orter stages of the domain realm.
The senior of the Order on noticing them, especially the half-step expert decided to leave the area just in case they decided to silence witnesses. He didn''t want to get tangled up. But before his escape, he did manage to see one of the three leaders, the medicine expert get butchered by the half-step soul formation expert. Roaring, maddening yells, and explosions soon followed as the battle seemed to have increased a hundred more notches. Just when he was about 300 miles away a palm the size of a county descended on the area from the skies above. It was crystal clear like ss with neb vortexes on the tips of the fingers. The vortex sucked everything in from spiritual qi to air down to the light in the area. There was a thunderous sound as the palm shed against a mountain size silhouette of a fire crane. The senior crashed his teleportation talisman before he was razed in the aftermath of the attack despite being over 300 miles away.
Everything within a thousand miles was decimated to dust with a crater left in its ce. Not even a single brick of the Crystal palm jade sect was left. The whole area to date has be inhabitable because of the chaotic qi and unstable space in the area. No one below the core formation realm can survive in that area and even those in the core formation realm can only do so in the outskirts.
Based on the senior''s judgment the scale of the attack had already touched the threshold of a soul formation expert.
The scale of destruction was so severe that there were no bodies to be found along with any building or vegetation within the 1000 miles. The leaders of the Crystal palm jade sect were assumed to be dead because of it along with their attackers. It was onlyter that it was discovered that two of the attackers had made it out alive albeit with grievous injuries. They were both sect masters of rank 2 sects.
One of them got killed a few weekster by a rival sect when news got out of his injury and the severe losses they suffered in their sh against the Crystal palm jade sect. His sect got swallowed soon after. Thest known survivor immediately announced that they had be a subordinate of the rank 1 empire the Crimson sky empire which served as a protection for them against their enemies. As for the third party, it''s safe to assume they made it out alive considering the two rank 2 heads had survived too. Since their movements couldn''t be traced after the explosion, it''s pure conjecture at this point,"
"Did you ever find out their identities?" asked Yang Qing
"Sadly no. We have some guesses but they are only just that, guesses. We can''t act on them without something solid. Though the senior who saw the battle has been continuously investigating it for the past 300 years. It''s only a matter of time before we can unmask their identity," Lei Weiyuan said.
"About that senior?" Yang Qing asked a bit curious about his identity. All of the information he had learned today was not in the books. So either the information about some parts of the battle more specifically Deng Chao''s interference had been expunged by some party who didn''t want it to leak out for some reason or the battle was so intense that it discouraged people from even trying to get near it. Either guess proved that the senior mentioned by Lei Weiyuan was not a simple character as he was able to spectate the battle from start to almost end.
"He is a superior domain court judge other than that I can''t tell you more. Though you may end up meeting him considering you have one of the main figures of his investigation in your courtroom. Focus on the matter at hand first," Lei Weiyuan said.
Chapter 82 82: Zhao Qi Is Not Okay
?Yang Qing couldn''t help but suck in cold air once he heard that the senior Lei Weiyuan was talking about is a judge in the superior domain court.
This was the court of the big shots. Just like the core formation courts, it has three different types of courts too i.e. the outer domain court, the inner domain court, andstly the superior domain court.
Those who could be judges in the superior domain court at the bare minimum had to be at the peak of the domain stage in addition there was another special attribute they had to have. That attribute was what made them stand out even against other peak domain experts. An attribute that can only be gotten by someone who formed a purple core in the core formation.
It wasn''t always a guarantee that those who had a purple core would awaken that attribute when the time came but more often than not it went that way as having a purple core was a prerequisite though there have been instances that even those with gold cores did manage to do it but even then their results were usually a stroke of fortune that couldn''t be replicated as opposed to the purple core that is almost guaranteed to form it as long as one has sufficient time and resources.
This was what made those at the superior domain court the absolute best of the best who could even manage to escape from an early-stage soul formation expert alive. Defeating a soul formation expert whilst still in the domain stage even at the peak was an impossible feat not unless 10 half-step soul formation experts with deep sturdy foundations banded together but even then it would be a draw at best or mutual destruction at worst. Those in the soul formation realm even at the early stages had unfathomable means and outrageous strength that they could ughter someone 5,000 miles away from them no matter what amount of protection they hid under.
If a soul formation expert wanted you dead, the best you can do is put on a clean rob, leave your affairs in order, clean your neck, and await the inevitable. So it was a huge feat for someone in the domain realm to be able to guarantee their survivability against an opponent at the soul formation. It was for this reason that the judges of the superior domain court mostly handled cases that concerned rank 1 organizations that had a soul formation expert at the helm. In addition, they were responsible for conducting the test for those seeking to join the outer and inner domain courts.
Yang Qing understood now why Lei Weiyuan had his reservation about revealing the senior''s identity. He might have very well been his superior as they vetted court supervisors too and gave their rmendations to the chief administrator and spirit council.
"Okay supervisor Lei Weiyuan," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists in understanding.
Yang Qing seemingly remembering something decided to fill Lei Weiyuan in on the Yellow lotus sect''s ruse to try and save their disciple''s life and the farce they created.
"What do you intend to do?" Lei Weiyuan calmly asked.
"For the best resolution, I feel everyone shoulde clean andy their cards on the table starting with the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect. Of course, if senior Deng Chao doesn''t wish to reveal himself to the Yellow lotus sect I will respect his wishes since we cane to a favorable conclusion without his involvement. But sect master Han Qingling has toe clean to their disciple Zhao Qi and also owner Liu Yun of the Mountain spring pavilion. Without them knowing it would be hard toe to a decent ending," Yang Qing patiently exined.
"Will he agree to it?"
"From what I can tell about the man he seems like a decent and intelligent person. I doubt he doesn''t have the same worries as I do concerning Zhao Qi. The mental blow he suffered from this whole thing if left unresolved may end up as an inner demon that may cripple his future achievements permanently or the considerable risk he would be putting the Mountain spring pavilion without giving them the full picture of things," said Yang Qing.
"Your worry isn''t unfounded as I can tell the boy is riddled with inner turmoil. Though it''s best we confirm with the person who has been with him through all this¡
Excuse me fellow daoist pardon me for asking but how is young Zhao Qi fairing in all this?" Lei Weiyuan asked as he finally turned to Deng Chao.
He waved his palm and cordoned their voices from reaching Zhao Qi. He opted for them to use their voices instead of their spiritual senses for Yang Qing''s sake. Using your spiritual sense tomunicate ran a risk of having your mental sea being invaded especially if the person you are talking to is stronger than you.
Yang Qing was just a fledgling in the first stage of the pce realm whereas Deng Chao was a seasoned expert who despite being some sort of residual spirit right now and extremely weak from what he once was, he is still a bonafide peak domain stage expert and from what Lei Weiyuan could tell he may very well be half step soul formation expert considering how his spirit form seemed so tangible.
Deng Chao realized Lei Weiyuan''s precautionary means but he didn''t say anything and went along with it.
"Were it a different person they would have been okay with time but because it''s him I can''t help but worry.
I met little Zhao Qi when he was just a few weeks old in an abandoned shack in the middle of the grey haze mountains a few hundred miles from where the Yellow lotus sect is located," Deng Chao paused as his brow constricted in grief.
"After shing with the unknown half-step soul formation expert and his party my body got destroyed in the aftermath along¡with my brothers. I thought I would die along with them which would have been a weed ending for me but sadly I survived. Though it would be more apt to say I was rescued and the rescuer was the real cause behind my sect being decimated, the milky way crescent moon pearl, a saint-grade treasure. Though I would trade it in a heartbeat for the lives of my brothers and sect mates."
One could hear the deep anguish and even a faint loathing in his tone. Did he hate the people who attacked his sect or the treasure that caused all this? It was a doubt if even Deng Chao himself knew.
"So the treasure really existed and from the looks of it the unknown experts left empty-handed," Lei Weiyuan silently thought.
"I had found the treasures almost two decades before the sect was attacked. I got it from the Millionsfold treasure ocean after a bitter struggle. I made sure to clean my tracks so it could not be traced back to the sect that we had a saint-grade treasure but it still got out somehow and I don''t know how¡.
In those 20 years, I sessfully managed to form a faint connection with the spirit of the milky way crescent moon pearl. It was because of this that I was able to ess a tiny part of its power which I used to strike against the half-step soul formation expert despite being in the peak stage of the domain realm. Thanks to it my abilities approached the soul formation realm and I managed to take the half step too in the midst of the battle. But it was all for naught as the expert had a trump card too, the personal weapon of a soul formation expert. Despite not being the owner he triggered a part of its abilities which managed to bnce out my attack and destroy the sect and everyone in it. The milky way crescent moon pearl on detecting my life was in peril forcibly incubated my pseudo spirit and shed away.
It ended up in the shack Zhao Qi was abandoned in. At the time my pseudo spirit was injured and it took the pearl almost 380 years for it to sessfully heal my spirit. During that whole time, I was in a foggy state, in and out of consciousness with fragmented memories that were only stitched together when my spirit was fully healed.
By the time I was fully lucid, I noticed a weak baby tightly holding the milky way pearl in its hands as it suckled on it.
It was fate that brought us together. A baby abandoned in the middle of nowhere and a half-dead old man with no one. Though I was in a weakened state and had lost most of my abilities, with my strengthened spirit I was able to take care of him and when he reached 6 years I asked him to join the Yellow lotus sect so he can be around children his own age and I wanted him to find lifelong friends as I did with my brothers. He was too young to be some old geezer living alone in the mountains with an old ghost forpany," Deng Chao lightly chuckled as he remembered vividly painting that picture for Zhao Qi with mystic arts which scared him so much that he agreed to join the Yellow lotus sect the very next day despite being vehemently against it.
"I was happy when he agreed to join which was a weed tonic for my endless regrets.
He tried to hide it but I could tell he was excited and mildly afraid at the chance of meeting other people since the mountain we stayed in barely had any intruders due to the presence of spirit beasts at the core formation stage and the cold and foggy atmosphere.
I was proud of him for taking that step despite living with fears of abandonment all his life. Being in my state and him being an intuitive child it didn''t take long for him to figure out he was abandoned in the shack. Since he made the discovery I would asionally spot him having a mncholic look he got sometimes where he wondered why he was abandoned to die alone on some mountain. This made letting people in a terrifying thing to him but he did it after some time when he joined the sect.
He sessfully joined the sect and I secretly guided him in the Yellow lotus sect''s cultivation arts. I would have loved to teach him my sect''s art but he ran the risk of being found out by my enemies if he ever used it so I only used part of it to help him inying his body foundations to the gold state and improve his qi. From the qi stage going onwards, I decided to stick to the Yellow lotus sect''s arts. They may not match the crystal jade palm art but with some improvements, they were a decent art to learn since they were already in the lower blue grade.
With my guidance, Zhao Qi started to soar in the sect.
I felt pity for Zhao Qi though since he clearly has a great talent for cultivation and at the bare minimum, I''m sure he would reach the pce stage. With stronger arts those odds get better but s I still don''t know who targeted us so I couldn''t risk it despite how beneficial it would be for him.
The positives that came from this though were Zhao Qi finally made friends, and he got a master who looked out for him. He was slowly opening up to the sect and letting it be an important part of his life. It was like he finally started living.
So the sect treating him like this after he opened up himself to them came as a massive hit. The thing he dreaded most happened again, abandonment. I wanted to raze the sect to the ground but I''m too weak to do anything now and not all the people were bad as the friends he made still remained close to him despite the drama that surrounded him.
So after deciding with him, we decided it was better to cut ties with the sect and when the opportunity presented itself with this case I told him to take it.
To answer your question, No Zhao Qi isn''t okay and I don''t know if he will be considering I lost my brothers, and sect mates over 400 years ago, and I''m still lost, I can only imagine what it is like for him," Deng Chao said as his gaze lingered worriedly on Zhao Qi who seemed to have calmed down a bit but still had a despondent look to him.
Chapter 83 83: Four Way Agreement (1)
?"It seems sect master Han Qingling will have to let the cat out of the bag. Considering my earlier worries and senior Deng Chao''s revtion, this is a risk that we just can''t take," Yang Qing thought and from the look Lei Weiyuan gave him, he too was in favor ofying everything out.
At the end of the day, every single person who stepped into the Order was entitled to a fair conclusion, and hiding the truth from Zhao Qi would be more detrimental than good to him even though it seemed more beneficial in the Yellow lotus sect''s side.
"Excuse me senior Deng Chao there is something I need to ask of the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fist and disappeared on the spot leaving Deng Chao with a puzzled look.
¡.
Sect master Han Qingling had a troubled look on his face which deepened when he saw Yang Qing appear in front of him.
"I''m sorry sect master Han Qingling we will have to reveal everything you just told us to Zhao Qi though I would very much prefer it toe from you rather than me," Yang Qing gently said as he put on a solemn expression.
"Is it that bad?" sect master Han Qingling asked worriedly. He, just like Yang Qing had the same misgivings about Zhao Qi''s mental state as even Zhao Qi''s master had on more than one asion raised his concerns. But what could they do? The die had already been cast, the Yellow lotus sect will be attacked, and everything was already in ce the only things left in the air were when they would be attacked and how long it would take for the sect to fall.
They all had no illusions that they would make it out of this alive. The best they could do is to ensure they save as many seedlings as they could which drove them to hard measures like the one they used on Zhao Qi. Yes, there was a chance that he would develop an inner demon from that experience that would destroy his chance going forward but the elders all assumed because of the talent he showed as long as he was given enough time he would ovee it. But if he stayed in the sect then there was only one ending for him, death.
"It''s much graver than you think. Based on what I''ve just learned if things progress as they are and he faces the tribtion for breaking through to the core formation realm he will most likely die and that is if he even reaches that far. If we leave things be as they are it''s no different than sentencing Zhao Qi to death albeit his will be a slow and gruesome one.
If you care about him just trust him with the truth and let him decide the path that suits him. Same with owner Liu Yun of the Mountain spring pavilion.
Who knows maybe another path may open up for you and your sect," Yang Qing meaningfully said.
He knew if they managed to gain the support of Deng Chao they may just etch out a path of survival. Even though he was currently in a state where he couldn''t even use 1% of his abilities he was still a half-step soul formation expert with over a millennium of experience and the founder of one of the top rank 2 sects in the whole continent. He was sure to have means that could help them in their current predicament.
But whether Deng Chao would agree to help them was another matter entirely.
"Fine, I''ll tell them both," Han Qingling said as he sighed.
Yang Qing nodded in thanks as he shed back to Zhao Qi''spartment.
"Senior Deng Chao, Cultivator Zhao Qi, there is something that the sect master of the Yellow lotus sect didn''t reveal to you Zhao Qi hence why I separated you all but he has agreed to reveal to both you and the owner of the Mountain spring pavilion, Liu Yun.
I advise you hear him out.
Senior Deng Chao you can choose to reveal yourself to him or not, we will ensure to keep your anonymity should you choose thetter," Yang Qing said.
Zhao Qi was confused when he heard there was something the sect master wanted to tell him. However, that confusion turned to anger and then despair.
"What more could he want to say? Does he want me to pay for the transport costsing here too, or my whole upkeep sinceing into the sect? Whatever it is I would prefer not to hear it. Haven''t they tormented me enough already? I''d rather stay here silently and await the decision the court will make concerning my fate. As long as I have grandpa Chao I''ll be okay," Zhao Qi gloomily said as he got up and stood next to Deng Chao.
Yang Qing could only throw a pleading look toward Deng Chao who couldn''t help but be puzzled as he turned to Lei Weiyuan who nodded his head to him.
"Little Zhao let''s listen to him. Whatever else, do it for your sake so that whateveres next you can move on with a clear heart. I''ll be right there with you, if he says something that harms you I''ll be the first to pull his beard and knit it into a cultivation mat for you," Deng Chao said as he tried to ease Zhao Qi''s mood.
"Fine we will do it as you say, Grandpa," Zhao Qi begrudgingly answered but not before muttering something silently under his breath.
"I hope he doesn''t say something bad, grandpa Chao''s knitting skills are the worst. How does he turn even the softest of fur into a hard, spikey, and scaly mat?" Zhao Qi''s back shivered as turned to see Deng Chao fiercely re at him for his remark.
Yang Qing cupped his fists in thanks before he went over to Liu Yun''spartment and told him the same thing he said to Zhao Qi on the sect master''s intent after which he removed thepartments and the courtroom resumed its normal appearance.
Mao Yunru, Yi Jie, and Su Jinjing were puzzled when they saw Deng Chao next to Lei Weiyuan and Zhao Qi. They were already puzzled when he appeared in the courtroom and headed directly into Zhao Qi''spartment where Yang Qing was at the time.
They had assumed it was just a random spot check to ensure Yang Qing wasn''t up to mischief but seeing Deng Chao they had to reevaluate their earlier assumption.
Sect master Han Qingling and Liu Yun were also puzzled and confused at seeing two people there who were not in the courtroom with them.
Sect master Han Qingling''s gaze narrowed on Deng Chao and then moved to Zhao Qi who seemed like he was hiding behind his back like a child would behind their parent when they saw a stranger.
"So that''s how it is."
He was in the midst of reaffirming his thoughts when he felt an overwhelming pressure m into his soul. Just when he thought he would pass out from the overwhelming pressure his soul was put under, he felt it disappear as though it was never there.
"I hope you give my grandson a satisfactory exnation for how you treated him. Mmph," Deng Chao said as he coldly stared at Sect master Han Qingling.
The sect master could barely breathe under that gaze that made him seem as insignificant as spit on the ground.
"Fellow daoist you shouldn''t be too hard on your juniors," Lei Weiyuan spoke at the side which helped alleviate the torment Sect master Han Qingling was under which left his whole back soaked in sweat.
"I''m sorry I lost myself there," Deng Chao said as he bowed in apology to Lei Weiyuan and Yang Qing who was already at his podium.
Yang Qing could only nod in eptance what else could he do? Reprimand him? That was out of the question in fact he admired Deng Chao''s resolve because from his brief disy it was evident he is able to kill someone of Han Qingling''s caliber without anyone noticing by striking their soul.
But in all that time even with Zhao Qi''s name being dragged through the mud he never did anything to them.
"Sect master please forgive him, this is Deng Chao. He is Zhao Qi''s grandfather and only guardian. Next to him is supervisor Lei Weiyuan, my boss. He will be part of the procession as an observer and adviser too.
We are ready when you are for you to finally reveal everything to Zhao Qi and Owner Liu Yun," Yang Qing patiently exined. He didn''t reveal Deng Chao''s background as he figured the man in question would prefer it that way as it was in doubt whether he even told Zhao Qi about it.
Sect master Han Qingling couldn''t help but wearily look at Lei Weiyuan despite not sensing any cultivation from him. Him being a boss of a pce realm cultivator meant his cultivation was at least higher and not lower. Also how he referred to Deng Chao as a fellow daoist he surmised they were on the same level.
He quickly tried to reign in his fear which he failed but he still decided to push through with it even with his hands shaking and stomach churning.
"Thanks, judge Yang Qing. Zhao Qi as your sect master I have failed you and for that, I am truly sorry. I don''t expect you to forgive me even after hearing what I''m about to say because it doesn''t change the fact that we put on you much more than you should have had to bear or deserve. And for that I am sorry.
Owner Liu Yun I would like to offer my apology to you too. You showed kindness and understanding to us despite not even knowing each other for long and all we gave you in return was betrayal, a web of lies, and possibly even inserted you in a situation that would have harmed not only you but even your organization.
Now that I''m saying it out loud I realize how careless and selfish we were in our ns despite our well-meaning intentions.
I am truly sorry to the both of you," Han Qingling solemnly said as he bowed at a ny-degree angle toward both Zhao Qi and Liu Yun, whom were both shocked at his action.
Who was Han Qingling? He was a lofty figure and cultivator who was above many and had a cultivation realm way above theirs. A talent the Yellow lotus sect has not seen in years.
Zhao Qi may have been touted as a talent, especially with his blue-grade pirs but there was one person whose mor he couldn''t outshine and that was Han Qingling. There was a reason he was pushed to the sect master position of a behemoth like the Yellow lotus sect despite being young and there being more senior cultivators who were more powerful than he was at the time. There were even three that were half-step pce realm cultivators but he was unanimously made sect master despite it. The reason for this was he is the rarest talent the Yellow lotus sect has ever had since its inception 20,000 years ago and that was even taking the three pce stage experts into ount.
He is the only one to ever form a gold core in the sect something so rare that there may be no more than five in some of the rank 2 sects.
When Zhao Qi met him for the first time during his promotion as a core disciple he remembered how Deng Chao was surprised that someone like him was in some rank 4 sect. His talent was enough for him to stand out even in rank 1 sects. Zhao Qi was utterly shocked when he heard it and here he was, that terrifying talent bowing to him.
He was shocked and conflicted on what to make of it.
Chapter 84 84: Four Way Agreement (2)
?After his bow of apology sect master Han Qinling rose up and started recounting the version of events to Zhao Qi and Liu Yun. They both hadplicated looks on their faces as they went through an array of emotions most of all Zhao Qi.
By the end, there was a looming silence when sect master Han Qingling had finished rehashing the sect''s n and the sham they created to ensure Zhao Qi''s safety when the demise of the sect eventually happened.
"Isn''t this a little too convenient? One minute I''m the parasite of the sect and the next I''m a precious seedling that the sect went to great lengths to protect. If you were in my shoes sect master would you believe what you just told me? That the things you put me through were all for my benefit?"
The whole tale seemed all too unbelievable for Zhao Qi. He found it hard to believe sect master Han Qingling''s statement.
Though it was more appropriate to say he did not want to believe it as a way to protect himself. He had already been burned once by the sect after he let his guard down with them and actually really considered the sect and its members his home.
He moved from being the most prized disciple to the scourge of the sect too fast. Yes, some people like his master and some of his sect mates treated him with the same sincerity as before despite the scandal surrounding him but even then they were the scant fewpared to the majority of the sect who saw him as an eyesore. The only reason he even managed to maintain his sanity was because of Deng Chao and the few who stuck by him.
But now he was supposed to believe the sect master that the sect never really betrayed him? It was easier for him to paint the sect as the viin despite some part of him believing the sect master''s story and even finding a tinyfort in it.
Deng Chao couldn''t help but sigh at this. He had expected as much. Zhao Qi''s greatest wound was pulled open. It was a given he would be weary, distrustful, and defensive like an injured cub.
"It''s the truth Zhao Qi. Do you remember Shi Jia, Cheng Fu, Lu Ming, Liao Gen, and Lai Gang?" sect master Han Qingling gently asked.
"I do but what do they have to do with this?" Zhao Qi still with some venom in his tone asked. He knew those names all too well because just like him they were once core disciples whose talents stood out amongst their peers.
....
Shi Jia at just twenty was already an orange-grade alchemist who could make pills and potions that could be used by those in the core formation stage. Zhao Qi was still an outer sect disciple in his sixth year at the time when he heard of her tales.
Cheng Fu other than the sect master was the youngest person to be a core elder when he broke through to the seventh stage of the core formation realm at just 34 years old.
Lu Ming had the cerulean butterfly physique that made her have an abnormallyrge dantian that was three times the size of those at the same level. She was also counted among the youngest to reach the peak of qi refinement at 14.
Liao Gen got recognized by one of the swords belonging to the founder of the Yellow lotus sect who was gifted in the way of the sword. He had four swords each with its own spirit and in 15,000 years since his death, only 6 people have ever been epted by them with Liao Gen being the seventh.
As for thest one, Lai Gang, he had reached the fifth level of the core cultivation art of the Yellow lotus sect, the 36 winding leaves of the yellow lotus. It was an upper blue-grade cultivation art. One would form a leaf at each mastery which would then result in a lotus leaf marking on the cultivator''s be. One had to cultivate four leaves to move to the next level. Lai Gang at 29 years had already cultivated 23 leaves which put him at the peak of the fifth level in the art.
The founder of the sect had found the art by some stroke of luck in some mysterious realm. That art was the true foundation that helped the sect grow into what it is today.
The highest recorded level reached is 28 leaves and it was done by Han Qingling''s predecessor, the previous sect master. Han Qingling is recorded to be close since he has 27 leaves and it is touted he would have likely reached 28 leaves if the sect wasn''t facing a crisis leaving him without ample time to cultivate.
Every jump in level is a qualitative leap in both power and difficulty which only intensifies the further up one goes to the point where the difference between 27 leaves and 28 leaves is equivalent to the difference between someone with no leaves and one who has 16.
.....
To Zhao Qi even if he didn''t know their relevance to the case he noted they had a few things inmon. For one they were all geniuses and the other was they were all no longer in the sect.
Shi Jia took on a long-term mission to work as an assistant to some big-shot alchemist from a rank 3 organization. Said alchemist was a blue-grade alchemist. She hadn''t been back to the sect in over a decade.
Cheng Fu was reported missing during an escort mission five years ago with no news being heard since. Lu Ming was the strangest as she somehow got taken in as a disciple by one of the elders of the Dreamcloudke sect, an all-female cultivation sect with two pce stage experts. Even though Lu Ming never had a master in the sect it was still thought to be weird when she joined another sect without any pushback from the Yellow lotus sect.
As for Liao Gen rumor in the sect was that he was in the Death sword valley. A treacherous ce where even early domain experts have lost their lives. However, despite its infamy, it is considered a treasure ground for sword cultivators. The wind there is made of sword qi and rumor has it that at the center of the valley lies an inheritance belonging to a sword cultivator in the sword formation stage. No one has been able to ascertain the veracity of that rumor as of yet but what is known is that sword cultivators who go to temper themselves there achieve significant breakthroughs the deeper they delve into the valley.
For 13 years Liao Gen hasn''te to the sect and his fate is unknown.
As for thest one Lai Gang, nothing was heard of him in thest sixteen years. It was like he never existed. The only thing that can be traced about him is the record. Zhao Qi doesn''t even know what he looks like since he has neverid his eyes on the person and only heard of his tales.
....
Zhao Qi didn''t have to wait too long to get his confusion answered.
"Of the names I''ve mentioned, Shi Jia and Lu Ming were purposefully sent away from the sect. We used the connections the previous sect master and the two supreme elders had built to send them to those organizations to ensure their safety. Luckily they have enough talent that it wasn''t hard to convince those organizations to take them in.
Liao Gen rejected our ns and decided to temper himself in the Death sword valley in search of an opportunity to break through to the pce stage. It was deemed safe to escort him there since the area is dered a no-fight zone and anyone who breaks it gets executed on the spot inclusive of even domain experts. As for Cheng Fu..," sect master Han Qingling paused with a pained look on his face.
"He got killed when we had arranged a safe ce for him to go to. I don''t know how but our foes got wind of it and had him killed. We didn''t inform anyone else from the sect other than the core elders for fear of creating mass hysteria.
As for thest one, Lai Gang, he never existed in the first ce. We created him as a cover for those we intended to protect. We fabricated everything. Half of the sect''s spirit stones were spent to ensure that little web of lies spread to every corner and that the story was as believable as possible both within and outside of the sect. Lai Gang had toe to life for our seed protection n to have a chance. We sessfully created someone with enough repute to attract the attention of our enemies but not absurd enough that they would suspect it. It was because of Lai Gang that we were able to safely bring out Lu Ming and a few other disciples," said sect master Han Qingling.
Zhao Qi''s jaw hung wide open from what he had just heard as the rest wore dumbfounded expressions. They were all surprised at the lengths the Yellow lotus sect was willing to go to. The one intensely hit by this revtion was Deng Chao whose eyes seemed to quiver as aplicated look shed in his eyes as he silently muttered.
"If we were like them maybe¡."
¡
"Zhao Qi there is little we can do about where we find ourselves in but what we can do is ensure the legacy and the future of the Yellow lotus sect doesn''t end with us. It is my duty as the sect master to ensure it doesn''t happen," Sect master Han Qingling said with aforting smile.
"Then why don''t we surrender? The Order can ensure our survival if we do. We will lose the sect but we can always rebuild," Zhao Qi said as his voice quivered and broke from the shock.
"We are old and have made all our memories around the sect over the centuries, some of us have even been born there. It''s hard for our hearts to ept losing it even if our heads say it''s the strategic thing to do. We are tied down to what we will leave behind. We do not want our legacy to be those who gave in without a single fight but we want it to be that we made sure the Yellow lotus sect''s me burned bright up to the very end. And in that brightness, we managed to pave the way for future seedlings who will one day grow and prop the Yellow lotus sect to greater heights than even we could.
If it''s you lot then I''m sure you will be able to do it though it won''t be easy but I''m sure in the end you will make it. I created a way you can find each other after we¡.....well make sure to look out for one another as you will all need each other in the times ahead.
I will also have to shamelessly ask for senior''s help to look out for some of our disciples should they ever need assistance when we are not there," Sect master Han Qingling said once more with much solemnity in his tone as he bowed deeply.
Chapter 85 85: Four Way Agreement (3)
?It took a while before Deng Chao could collect himself to give a proper response to Sect master Han Qingling''s request. The Yellow lotus sect''s circumstances hit a little too close to home for him.
The crystal palm jade sect may have been destroyed 400 years ago but to him, it was still fresh just like something that happened yesterday. His weakened soul left him unconscious for over 380 years with fragmented memories that left him not knowing who he even was. He only started gaining rity some twenty-odd years ago and with it the wounds from his sect''s destruction. To others, all this happened 400 years ago but to him, it happened 20 years with details getting more vivid with every passing year that for some time he had to lock some of those memories away for his sanity.
"Could I have been born as an unlucky star where I invite cmities everywhere I go? One time can be called an ident, the second time an unlucky coincidence but now a third¡?" Deng Chao silently muttered as he had aplicated look.
"I was too weak when my n got destroyed and was unlucky or lucky that I wasn''t in the n grounds at the time. The second time I thought I was powerful but even then I still fell a little too short maybe this time even in this state I may be able to do something I couldn''t do the previous two times," Deng Chao said as his despondent look was reced by the look of someone determined.
"I''ll help you sect master Han Qingling but not with the protection of your disciples but before that¡" Deng Chao paused as he turned to face Zhao Qi who was still thrown from all the revtion.
"Little Zhao you have always done everything I''ve told you but for this, I will hand over the total reign to you for you to decide what our next move will be. Whatever you decide I will support you with all of my abilities. So little Zhao, what do you want to do?" Deng Chao asked the dumbfounded Zhao Qi with a genial smile.
"Grandpa but¡.." Zhao Qi was a little tongue-tied and confused. All his life all the major decisions had been under Deng Chao''s suggestion. The only time he ever made a huge decision for himself was when he was choosing his master, Wei Peng and even then he only did so because Deng Chao adamantly refused to give his opinion on the matter.
"Zhao Qi it''s okay to be obedient but don''t use it as a crutch for your free will. Cultivators need independent thinking. Disciples are given guidance by their masters on their cultivation journey but at the end of the day, it is they who decide which road suits them best.
It''s my fault that I always made the decisions for you never giving you a chance to think and decide on your own. I let my own fears guide my actions which also influenced you and your fears.
It''s okay little Zhao, whatever you decide I WILL ALWAYS be there with you to the very end. You have the strength and courage to do it so don''t sell yourself short. You survived in a ce filled with strangers and even learned to make friends despite being deathly afraid but you still did it.
So don''t hold back on fear of what I might think. It''s my joy to see you step out," Deng Chao said with a smile as he ruffled Zhao Qi''s hair who seemed to be fighting back his tears as he uttered what he wanted to say but was too afraid to admit to himself and Deng Chao.
"I want to protect the sect grandpa," Zhao Qi solemnly said as his voice boomed in the courtroom.
He wasn''t sure if what sect master Han Qingling had said was theplete truth but he knew if he left at this moment he would be no worse than the parents he never knew who abandoned him in an old shack to die.
"Good," Deng Chao firmly said as he smiled in pride and appreciation. Yang Qing and the rest couldn''t help but admire Zhao Qi''s character. Making that choice with everything that he had gone through couldn''t have been easy.
Sect master Han Qingling''s eyes were wide open as he was surprised by Zhao Qi''s choice which further deepened his guilt.
"I appreciate your resolve Zhao Qi, but you don''t have to die with us. You have barely even started living your life. It would be a waste to risk it now. You should strive on ahead and pursue the endless dao and see where it will take you and when you reach heights where you can confidently keep the things you love safe I hope you can revive the sect and make it into a sect that doesn''t need to destroy their disciple''s reputation to keep them safe," Sect Han Qingling said in a self-deprecating smile.
"I''m sorry sect master but I''ve decided to stay in the sect to the bitter end no matter what that end may be. I should be dead but someone who didn''t even know me decided to take a chance and raised me. If the sect is in a certain doom as you say, then all the more reason for me to stay. I have to help just as I was helped when I needed it. Besides my grandfather is powerful. All the achievements I have today are because of him. I''m not as talented as you sect master and it was only thanks to my grandfather''s careful guidance that I even made it this far," said Zhao Qi as he smiled in pride as he spoke of Deng Chao''s brilliance.
"There you have it, Zhao Qi and I will be staying. Besides your situation isn''t as unsalvageable as you think. As long as you don''t face a bunch of peak-stage domain experts I have ways to ensure your survival. I can''t exert my full abilities yet but I have arts that you can use to preserve your sect atleast for ten years as long as you have the resources.
I can tell you only need half that time or even less to breakthrough into the pce realm and once you are at that stage I doubt your opponents have someone that can face a pce stage expert who had a gold core in their core formation stage," Deng Chao said as an interested glint shed through his eyes.
He couldn''t help but admire Han Qingling''s talent. His martial brothers were called geniuses but even he thought they still fell a little short of Sect master Han Qingling for a few reasons one of them being despite the sect master growing up in a rank 4 sect with a cultivation art that was a grade lower than theirs he still managed to have a gold core with foundations so firm that rivaled even his. He couldn''t help but wonder if his circumstances were better and was instead found by a rank 1 sect or even holynds if he would have ended up with the fabled purple core.
"Maybe I''ll offer some pointers to this little kid so little Zhao can cultivate safely with a tall tree to shelter him before I am able to reform my body again," Deng Chao silently thought to himself.
"This.." Sect master Han Qingling didn''t know what to say. He couldn''t help but reevaluate Deng Chao even further, who seemed more and more unfathomable by the second.
"Just who is Zhao Qi''s grandfather? He must not be a simple character seeing the casualness he has when speaking of peak domain experts. Could he be¡?" He shook his head free of the frightening thought that had just built up as he had impending matters to address the most important one ensuring the survival of his sect.
He had just been given a straw and he would be a fool not to clutch at it with both hands.
"On behalf of the sect, I humbly offer our deepest gratitude for your assistance which I will have to shamelessly ept. If you or Zhao Qi need anything, if it''s within the sect''s means we will be more than happy to amodate any and all requests," Sect master Han Qingling said as he bowed in gratitude.
"Well it''s good that you have offered as a matter of fact there are a few things I need,"
"Grandpa.." Zhao Qi hurriedly interjected as he eyed Deng Chao.
"Little Zhao this is for their benefit as well as mine. I''m not a member of the sect so me helping them and you helping them is different. If I helped without asking anything in return there will always be a strain like I own them which will extend to you and your rtionship with the sect. But by asking for payment, the sect will feel like an equal partner in this on some level," Deng Chao patiently exined.
Zhao Qi nodded perfunctorily though he didn''t look like he understood much of what Deng Chao was saying.
Deng Chao could only smile as he shook his head at this. Zhao Qi had little interaction with people and even in the sect, he had few friends as most of his time was spent cultivating so these subtle social intricacies that those at the top engaged in were a foreign line of thought to him.
"We would be happy to fulfill any requests you have senior," Sect master Han Qingling said as he smiled in gratitude at Deng Chao''s thoughtfulness in giving the sect some leg to stand on.
"First you can''t reveal my existence to others within the sect without my approval. I would have preferred to remainpletely anonymous but considering my next two requests a few of the high-ranking elders will have to know of my existence for the smooth fulfillment of those requests.
The elders who know my identity will all have to have a soul restriction seal ced on them to prevent any slip-up. This is as much a safety guarantee for me as it is for your sect considering my background. As for my background, I will reveal it only to you and no one else not even the elders with the soul restriction spell on them. As the sect master, it''s only fair you know just in case.
As for the next two requests. One is for me and the other is for Zhao Qi.
My request will have to wait until you are atleast in the middle stages of the pce realm before you can fulfill it and the sect will also need to be in one piece and fully operational. There are resources I need which at your current and the sect''s level will be hard for you to procure. At the bare minimum, you need to at least be in the middle stages of the pce realm to get the least of the resources I need. The only reason the requirement is even this low is because you have a gold core otherwise getting those resources would have required someone at thete stages of the pce realm.
As for Zhao Qi''s request, it''s not that difficult. Other than ensuring his name is cleared, I''ll need the sect to let him learn your core art, The 36 leaves of the yellow lotus. I know it''s restricted only to legacy disciples and they need to be at thete stages of the foundation stage to start learning but I want you to make an exception. I know he said it''s because of me that he made his achievements but he sells himself short. He has the talent for cultivation and an art like that would really help him soar to greater heights the earlier he starts on it.
In exchange, I''m even willing to offer my guidance and insights to some of the elders whom you will deem trustworthy to know of my existence.
That is all. As long as you agree to these three requests I will be willing to lend a hand," said Deng Chao.
"Agreed," Sect master Han Qingling didn''t take even a second to think it over. To him, those requests were more than generous. If Deng Chao had even asked for him to abdicate his seat to Zhao Qi he would have agreed. Though partly his agreement would have been to help the sect and the other was he REALLY DISLIKED being the sect master.
Chapter 86 86: Four Way Agreement (4)
?Liu Yun who had been silent all this while, ruminating on what he had heard seemed to have arrived at a huge decision as the wrinkles on his forehead straightened and the pensive look on his face calmed.
"I would also like to make a deal with the Yellow lotus sect, sect master Han Qingling," said Liu Yun.
This drew curious gazes all around the courtroom as all had assumed once the Yellow lotus sect agreed to make their payment his grievance would have already been resolved and his part in the case, done.
"Please speak your mind pavilion owner Liu Yun," Sect master Han Qingling said as he cupped his fist. He had a favorable impression of Liu Yun considering how he maintained his conduct despite the unbing treatment the Yellow lotus sect showed him throughout the ruse.
"The Mountain spring pavilion is also willing to lend a hand to your sect but we need something in particr in return," Liu Yun solemnly said.
His bearing was much more serious than when he was asking for his payment back. Yang Qing couldn''t help but be curious about what would be so important to Liu Yun that he would be ready to risk his life along with the Mountain spring pavilion and get into a battle that they needn''t get involved in.
"Why?" Sect master Han Qingling couldn''t help but ask.
"There is a reason why despite the Mountain spring pavilion having 3 leaders I''m the only one people have ever met. The reason for this is that our eldest brother got injured before the Iron thorn kingdom got liberated and transformed into the now Green Bud kingdom.
We were part of a revolutionary organization that was filled with nobles andmoners alike and our eldest brother was one of itsmanders. We got betrayed and during one of the royal family purging raids, they ambushed one of our secret hideouts.
Our eldest brother sacrificed himself to hold them off and even managed to luckily escape but he suffered grievous injuries in the process. He got infected by an insidious technique used by the royal family which caused his internal organs, qi, and his body to gradually rust.
It was because of his injuries that we decided to form the Mountain spring pavilion to try and find the means and resources to cure him as it was impossible to do so in the kingdom since there are many just like us who have someone suffering from that same technique.
The royal family may be gone but their fangs still torment us even now." Liu Yun paused as he clenched his fists in anger.
"After countless sacrifices and effort, we finally found a way to cure him but even with our resources, it''s impossible to afford it. What we need to cure our eldest brother Wen Song is the lightning aurora sunflower, a lower-grade monarch rank herb.
Despite our many efforts, it has been hard to locate it let alone afford it and our channels are not that widespread seeing how young our foundations are. It''s, for this reason, my second senior brother Wu Aiguo risks his life in the Millions treasure ocean to try his luck and find something that we can barter with or maybe get lucky enough to spot the herb there.
If the Yellow lotus sect can help us locate that herb we are willing to sacrifice everything to help you. In fact, the odds may get better for you as just before my senior brother was injured he was already a half-step pce realm cultivator just a few steps away frompletely breaking through to the pce stage. As long as his injuries are dealt with, he has the confidence of breaking through to the pce realm," Liu Yun said.
His senior brother had a few years at most before his whole body got corrupted with the technique. At that point even if they found the lightning aurora sunflower the damage would be too severe and it would leave hidden dangers that may result in theplete loss of his cultivation. The sooner they cured him of the ailment the better and taking a gamble on the Yellow lotus sect was well worth the risk.
The Yellow lotus sect had existed for 20,000 years so its foundations were not shallow and the evidence of that was there, seeing how the sect still remained standing despite losing their pce stage cultivators for a few centuries. Their foundation was something that even their enemies couldn''t overlook which had been why they had remained cautious even now, not attacking their headquarters despite having pce stage experts.
Liu Yun was willing to bank on the sect''s resources no matter how depleted it seemed. In his eyes, the Yellow lotus sect would have much better odds than them in their search. A starving camel was still bigger than a horse.
Despite making the suggestion he knew his position was more desperatepared to the Yellow lotus sect. Without Deng Chao''s involvement, he knew his odds of striking a deal with the Yellow lotus sect were high but now he wasn''t so sure. With Deng Chao''s involvement the sect''s preservation timeline could be extended by at least ten years and that timeframe gave Han Qingling the time he would need to break through to the pce realm.
The revtion about Han Qingling having a gold core had startled him beyond measure. He may have not had much interaction with the outside world for long but he had picked up a few things here and there in addition to the knowledge he already had from before their kingdom''s rebirth. His senior brother had a quasi-blue core, not even a true one but with it, he disyed enough power to escape the encirclement of twentyte core stage experts alive. What about a gold core expert? He shuddered to even think about the damage a gold core expert could exert.
His biggest worry at the moment was their help wouldn''t be needed as with Han Qingling and Deng Chao''s cooperation they would be able to easily resolve the current predicament. He only hoped Han Qingling had a prudent personality to want to increase his odds by adding another potential pce stage expert to his team and two peak core formation experts.
"You showed understanding and kindness despite how we treated you which made me admire and trust your character enough that I was willing to entrust our core disciple to you.
We don''t have the lightning aurora sunflower in our treasury but one of our elders has an acquaintance from a rank 3 alchemy organization. With her help, it won''t be hard to gain information about the herb and purchase it.
We have a deal Owner Liu Yun, I will have to impose on you and the Mountain spring pavilion when the timees," Sect master Han Qingling said as he smiled.
He had been thinking of a way to make it up to Liu Yun all this time as just using spirit stones as an apology didn''t seem like enough reparations for what he put them through. In addition, he also hoped to build a connection with them. It was rare to find people of virtue like Liu Yun, those you could trust that even in times of trouble wouldn''t betray you.
The current predicament had taught him one thing, a sect can''t stand alone no matter how powerful it may seem. It needs allies everywhere to increase its odds of survival or it needs to have insurmountable strength the kind that will extinguish any viinous thought from its enemies. But alliances can only be formed with those whom you can trust and in this duplicitous world where self-interests came above everything else it was a hard thing to find.
Meeting people like Liu Yun was rare. So when the moment presented itself he jumped at the opportunity to form a connection with Liu Yun and the Mountain spring pavilion. Gaining the assistance of a half-step pce expert just a hair''s breadth away from breaking through was just an added bonus.
..
Liu Yun was surprised at how fast Sect master Han Qingling had agreed to his suggestion that it left him out of sorts. He was partly relieved, partly worried that this was a sham. He couldn''t be med for being worried considering the Yellow sect''s prior actions.
"Well then, it seems everyone here hase to an agreement without even the court doing anything," Yang Qing said with a cheerful smile. He didn''t expect things to resolve themselves this easily.
"If you want, the court can stand as a witness to your agreement and do the binding seals for you if you all agree. Though even if you don''t it''s okay," said Yang Qing.
Deng Chao looked to Zhao Qi who nodded back in agreement.
"I am willing to ept the court as a witness to the agreement," Sect master Han Qingling solemnly said as he gently bowed to Yang Qing.
"I agree too," said Liu Yun as he too bowed.
"Zhao Qi and I agree too," Deng Chao said as he cupped his fists while Zhao Qi bowed.
"Alright then, Supervisor Lei Weiyuan if you would please," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fist in request to Lei Weiyuan.
Ordinarily, he would have been the one to create the contract but the presence of Deng Chaoplicated matters. At his level, his contract would not have any effect on someone in the domain realm even with the assistance of the court''s treasures. He could only entrust the formation of that contract to someone in the domain realm.
"I''m sorry to intrude.. I mean little genius Yang Qing. I humbly request the court to let me do it if you don''t mind Lei Weiyuan," a slow friendly calming voice echoed in everybody''s ears around the courtroom as Lei Weiyuan smiled while cupping his fists in greeting.
"I had a feeling you would show up senior Meng Chao."
Chapter 87 87: Meng Chao
?It didn''t take long for everyone to see the originator of that voice. A blue spark shed as a young man seemingly in his twenties appeared in the middle of the courtroom.
He had a handsome fair face, deep sky-blue eyes that seemed to hold the gxy in them, a slender build, and flowing blue hair that was partly tied into a bun with a starry blue vine. His robe had a rhombus shape with the numeral IV inscribed in it and the words superior written above the rhombus shape.
On seeing the figure; Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, Yi Jie, and Su Jinjing all rose up as they cupped their fists in greeting as they said in unison,
"WE OFFER GREETINGS TO THE SUPERIOR DOMAIN JUDGE MENG CHAO,"
Their voices reverberated around the courtroom as an air of solemnness and deep awe spread about. The demeanor of Yang Qing and the rest startled sect master Han Qingling, Liu Yun, and Zhao Qi who couldn''t help but wonder who the young neer was and why he elicited such a reaction from all the members of the Order present.
Deng Chao narrowed his eyes as he pensively gazed at the young man.
"A half-step soul formation expert and despite him reigning his fluctuations I can tell he is a couple of levels stronger than the one I faced," Deng Chao solemnly thought.
"Dispense with the formalities. Right now I''m just an interloper intruding on your case," Meng Chao lightly said as he offered a polite smile.
"It is not an intrusion we are the lucky ones to have you grace us with your presence," Yang Qing hurriedly and devoutly said.
The bootlicker Yang Qing had alreadye out to y. This was a superior domain court judge in front of him. As far as his clearance level allowed him to know, the superior domain court was the highest court level in the whole Order. Even though he definitely knew they had soul formation experts he wasn''t sure there was a court that tried soul formation cases.
Soul formation experts were few and far in between and those that managed to reach that level were all sons and daughters of destiny. It was very difficult for soul formation experts to kill each other not unless one of them was in the early stages and the other in thete stages but even then the means a soul formation expert had to ensure their survival was too numerous to count. It was easier to kill one hundred domain realm experts than it was to kill a single soul formation expert.
It was, for this reason, Yang Qing never thought there was a court that judged soul formation experts when it would prove difficult to find one let alone entrap one.
However, there was a matter 90 years ago that led to the demotion of a rank 1 sect when said sect lost its only soul formation expert and over half its domain experts. The reason for that demotion was tied to the Order however that topic has always been a taboo topic to talk about in the Order. Yang Qing once tried to find some details from Lei Weiyuan only to be sternly warned against asking about things he shouldn''t.
It was thereforemonly epted within the Order that the superior domain court was the highest-ranked court and its members were the most powerful force the courts had to offer. They were all peak domain experts who stood out even among fellow peak domain experts. Most of the recorded soul formation experts in the Order since its inception to the present hade from the superior domain court with a fewing from the inner domain court or other branches of the Order such as the institute.
The principal of the institute was rumored to be a soul formation expert though Yang Qing has never seen him however there was credence to the rumor as the vice principal and a few deans were peak domain realm experts.
¡..
"Haha, Lei Weiyuan he is just like you said," Meng Chao said with an amused look on his face.
"I''m sorry Yang Qing I don''t handle the working schedules and leave days, especially in the pce courts. If I overstep my bounds I would get in trouble with my superiors too," Meng Chao said with an apologetic look though there was a scheming glint that shed through his eyes.
Yang Qing was already beet red in shame that his little bootlicking scheme had already been seen through even before he could fully disy it.
"This old fox Lei Weiyuan does he never rest? Just how many countermeasures has he put in ce? Won''t I ever get time off? All I want is to give soft life Yang Qing a chance at life," Yang Qing thought to himself as he threw an aggrieved look toward Lei Weiyuan who smirked coldly in return.
"You''re a thousand years too young Yang Qing. The Order will make sure to squeeze everyst drop of qi you have after which we will feed you herbs to rejuvenate it and squeeze it out once more over and over. Blood, sweat, and tears Yang Qing the Order wees you with open arms," Lei Weiyuan thought as he offered Yang Qing a gentle smile that hugely terrified Yang Qing.
"Though."
Meng Chao''s voice quickly pulled Yang Qing back from that terrible bout of dread that was assailing him.
"If you were to make it to the domain courts I would be able to put a good word in for you with one of the administrators. I have much moretitude within the domain courts than in other areas. I''m confident I can help you out with whatever it is you were angling for," said Meng Chao as he exchanged a nigh imperceptible crafty look with Lei Weiyuan.
"Really?" Yang Qing who was beside himself with fear from Lei Weiyuan''s smile was now beside himself with blissful joy as if he had received the greatest news ever.
"I give you my word. Though just so you know bing a domain court judge we don''t just evaluate strength but the cases you have worked on and your rulings but I''m sure you will make it, after all, Lei Weiyuan speaks highly of you and your work," Meng Chao replied.
Yang Qing who was about to foam in his mouth from excitement had cold water poured on him as he felt that something felt off with the whole thing.
"This seems a little bit too familiar. Wasn''t this the same promise I was given by one of the pce court administrators which is the whole reason I worked like crazy and strived to break through to the pce stage? Not sleeping well for five years all for the dream of taking it easy once I reach the pce courts? Only to get punished for taking a well-deserved breather. I worked like a dog for five years and the Order punished me for taking an authorized three-month break. The nerve of them.
Will I really be alright in the pce courts?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but worry as he was only six days away from finding out.
...
"Now then Yang Qing I guess you''re okay with me establishing the contract?" Meng Chao suddenly said as his look turned solemn when he faced the concerned parties present more so when his look turned to Deng Chao.
"It''s okay senior Meng Chao," Yang Qing said as he handed an old gold-brown parchment to him that had the details of the agreement made between the four parties. All that was left was the binding seal which Meng Chao would do.
"Such a shame. But who knows, that mighty palm may once again shake this continent again," Meng Chao sighed as he saw Deng Chao.
"I couldn''t step in then but I may be able to help you find the answers you seek," thought Meng Chao.
Back then he was just at the seventh stage of the domain realm. He was confident of ensuring his safety but not enough to intervene and the Order at that time wasn''t at a sufficient level where it could throw its weight on affairs that touched several rank 2 organizations and even had the fingerprints of a rank 1 organization behind the shadows.
But the current Order was very different from the fledgling sap it was back then. It now had firm roots that could be spread everywhere and Meng Chao had been using them to find out who were the masterminds behind the destruction of the Crystal palm jade sect 400 years ago. He wasn''t doing it out of a sense of justice but out of a sense of respect he had for Deng Chao as a cultivator. A man who had the power to shake the world but chose to remain in obscurity providing a safe shelter for his sect and when the time came for him to act he did with so much brilliance that it blinded the sun. Meng Chao couldn''t help but admire his resolve and character. This admiration was what made him decide to investigate the culprit behind their destruction.
After years of twists and turns, he made surprising discoveries and was just a step away from unveiling the culprit.
"If it is as I suspect, I wonder if you will be able to handle the real reason behind your sect''s destruction. Not knowing may actually be a blessing for you senior," Meng Chao thought as he masked his worry with a polite smile and a nod that he gave to Zhao Qi, Han Qingling, Liu Yun, and Deng Chao.
¡
"Let''s begin," Meng Chao said as he gently threw the old parchment in the air which floated as ancient symbols and runes shed from it.
"I Meng Chao on behalf of the Order stands as a witness and binder to the agreement contract made between Sect master Han Qingling of the Yellow lotus sect, Liu Yun of the Mount spring pavilion, Zhao Qi, and Deng Chan.
Bind!!," He slowly uttered.
Though the tone was soft it sounded like an enormous thunderp had hit the courtroom as an octagram circle formed beneath his feet filling the whole courtroom.
The scenery within the courtroom seemed to have switched to the skies as a deep blue background enveloped the ce with celestial symbols such as the moon, sun, and stars shed around the circle. The parchment floated to the center as the ancient symbols turned into golden chains that tied themselves to the wrist of each of the members mentioned.
Their names all appeared simultaneously on the parchment once the chains had firmly bound one of their wrists. The golden chain then turned into mottles of light and disappeared once the final letter was written on the parchment as the courtroom resumed its normal appearance.
Han Qingling, Liu Yun, Zhao Qi, and Deng Chao could feel they were all interlinked together with some binding force in the deepest recess of their self that would only reveal itself when the agreement waspleted or vited.
"This," Deng Chao''s pupil froze as he felt the indescribable power invoked from the binding seal. It had managed to bypass his saint treasure which would form an automatic defense against anything threatening him. It had activated but it seemed to have been forcibly suppressed and put to sleep. That was a saint-grade treasure even if it wasn''tpletely activated it was still a bonafide saint treasure but in front of Meng Chao, it may have well been a toy.
From what Deng Chao knew, only a saint-grade treasure could suppress another saint-grade treasure but he didn''t detect any treasure of that level in the vicinity. The parchment was a monarch-rank treasure at best. The only other exnations Deng Chao could think of were Meng Chao was a soul formation expert or he had executed a purple-grade art in which he had a high level of mastery in.
Either of these choices was something that sent terrifying waves in his heart.
"Why did someone of his calibere here? Even if I''m a half-step soul formation expert but that is in name only. In my current state without the milky way crescent moon pearl''s protection even a pce stage expert could harm me let alone a half-step soul formation expert who I have no confidence of defeating even in my prime."
Chapter 88 88: Clocking Off
?As Deng Chao was busy ruminating over why someone of Meng Chao''s stature had made a personal appearance on the case, the contract parchment in the middle of the courtroom split into five copies. The five copies turned into dazzling golden lights as they flew toward sect master Han Qingling, Owner Liu Yun, Zhao Qi, Meng Chao, and finally Deng Chao who was pulled from his daze when he saw a golden light fly at him.
"I think my work here is done. Thank you Yang Qing for giving me a chance to intrude on your case. I''ll leave the rest to you," Meng Chao nodded to Yang Qing who nodded back in acknowledgment.
"Lei Weiyuan you''reing to Zhu Lao''s weing party, right? His wife has finally decided to let him out after the little stunt he pulled 50 years ago. The party will be tomorrow night at Su Yin''s ce," Meng Chao said as he shook his head while chuckling.
"d to hear his seclusion is over. His department in the institute has been out of sorts without their dean to hold down the fort. Hehehe sure I''ll be there," Lei Weiyuan said as he smiled.
"Zhu Lao, isn''t he?" Yang Qing paused as he immediately recollected who that was. How could he not when that was the name of the longtime absentee dean of the faculty of cultivation art history and dissection.
Other than him being the only dean Yang Qing had never seen in his time at the institute the real reason he remembered him was that one of the core cultivation arts currently being practiced by the Order was created by him. It was a movement art in the middle ranks of gold-grade cultivation arts, the shadow void steps.
The shadow void steps made one as light as a feather and as fast as the wind. With high levels of mastery, one would even move within the shadow of objects around making it as versatile as teleportation. It even went to the extent that one could bypass protection arrays of a particr level as long as the cultivator had high proficiency in the art. It was one of the best stealth and multipurpose utility art the Order had, so its creator Zhu Lao was widely known despite never being seen by the younger members, especially the story surrounding the art''s creation.
Rumor was he had created the art so he could sneak out of his home undetected to go have a chat and drink with friends in the wee hours of the night and sneak right back in. He was sessful at first butter his wife with abnormal instincts felt something was off, especially with the random dao research excuse he used on her for a few months when he came homete. Acting on her suspicions she added a few alert formation arrays without Zhu Lao''s knowledge.
Zhu Lao who had grown careless from his pumped-up pride at pulling one over his wife ended up triggering one of those formation arrays on his way out. After he was caught red-handed sneaking out, the information circted around the Order was he was going into closed-door cultivation to deepen his understanding of the dao.50 years have passed since the announcement.
Yang Qing had always wanted to meet the person who created the Shadow void steps considering how intricate that cultivation art was among movement arts. If he received pointers from such a person he felt the improvements he would make would be astronomical considering Zhu Lao had created the shadow void steps by improving on a red-grade art, the silent moon steps. He had elevated the cultivation art by three grades which was a feat in and of itself.
Though there was another person who Yang Qing would have even traded his leave days just for a chance to say hi, a monster who invented four purple-grade arts something even those from the holynds couldn''t achieve. But sadly just like Zhu Lao who was hard to get in touch with because of his ''closed-door cultivation'' it was simrly hard to find the four-time purple-grade cultivation creator.
The only reason Yang Qing and most people knew about him was that his name was among the top ten names written in the all-time merit wall.
¡
"Senior Meng Chao do you think I could.." Yang Qing hurriedly asked as his eyes gleamed with expectation. Though currently his request wasn''t purely borne out of a young cultivator''s interest in seeking pointers from their seniors. His gluttonous nature just like always had already guided his steps.
"What could be better than a feast hosted by a domain expert? The quality," Yang Qing thought to himself
"Yang Qing don''t you think you should try to atleast hide your true thoughts a little bit better?" Meng Chao said as he pointed at the side of Yang Qing''s mouth that had a tiny drool sneaking out from it.
Yang Qing hurriedly wiped it with his sleeves.
"Sorry about that senior Meng Chao. It seems like I''ve made a fool of myself in front of you. My hunger for the dao sometimes gets the better of me and I lose control of myself. I have much to learn especially from my very talented seniors," Yang Qing shamelessly said putting on the most solemn serious dao focused look he could muster.
"This guy is truly shameless beyond measure. If shamelessness was a dao I''m afraid he would already be an unparalleled expert by now," Yi Jie thought as the swollen throbbing vein in his forehead threatened to burst open from the passive shame he was suffering from. He always bore the brunt of Yang Qing''s shamelessness since he was his chief inquisitor.
Even Meng Chao was a little taken aback by Yang Qing''s reaction.
"Fine you cane too, your team included and those judge friends of yours you eat with," Meng Chao said in exasperation. He couldn''t wait to escape before Yang Qing did something that made him ruin his expert-like demeanor.
"Lei Weiyuan is truly a pro at this. He hasn''t flinched even a little," Meng Chao thought as he looked at him in admiration
"Well then, if there is nothing else I will be taking my leave," Meng Chao hurriedly said as he turned around to make his getaway. But as he passed by Deng Chao he paused for a second as if debating about something.
"I was there during the final moments of your sect. I''m sorry that I couldn''t do much for you or your sect at the time but in the next year or so should you want to find out the truth about the identity of the mastermind behind your sect''s destruction and the origin of thest intruders, you can seek me out," Meng Chao said as he passed a small ck token with a golden eagle symbol on one side and the name Meng on the other.
Deng Chao reflexively took the token though he was in a stupor as he did it. By the time he regained his senses and was about to ask a question, Meng Chao had already disappeared from his sight the same way he had appeared.
"If he was there then why didn''t he step in? With his abilities surely he would have been able to prevent the total annihtion of my sect or even kept the intruders who came at thest moment, at bay," Deng Chao softly said. However, everyone could feel the anger and despondence in his tone despite the softness of his tone.
"He was at the peak of the seventh stage of the domain realm at the time and the Order was barely a few months old and thus didn''t have the proper structure to involve itself and solve something of that level efficiently.
I''m not saying this to make an excuse for senior Meng Chao or the Order but I''m just stating the facts as they were.
If the situation were reversed and you were in Meng Chao''s shoes, a seventh-stage domain realm, would you recklessly intervene in a sh that had more than tente-stage domain experts?" Lei Weiyuan asked.
Deng Chao''s eyes shed with pain as he swallowed his next words. He knew he was just being unreasonable by assigning me but sometimes ming another person seemed a lot easier than facing the grim harsh reality.
"He couldn''t do anything for you then but over the past 400 years, he has been searching and investigating every clue he could find concerning those who masterminded the destruction of your sect. He has spent countless hours and resources doing it all because he felt he owed it to a cultivator whose character he admired.
I hope you find the answers you need fellow daoist.
Yang Qing I''ll be taking my leave too," Lei Weiyuan said as he shed and disappeared from the spot.
The mood remained somber for almost five minutes without anyone moving or saying anything.
It was only when Deng Chao regained some semnce of rity that the silence was broken.
"Judge Yang Qing, can you give my thanks to fellow daoist Meng Chao when you next meet him? Tell him I will never forget the favor he has done for me and my sect," Deng Chao softly said with some calmness to his tone.
"I will. By the way, can I ask you something? It''s okay not to answer if you find the question too personal," Yang Qing said.
Ever since he saw Deng Chao there was something that he couldn''t shake and has been nagging at him. Once he saw Deng Chao was in a calmer mood he decided to take a gamble and ask.
"If I can answer I will," Deng Chao replied with a polite smile.
"Is Deng Chao your real name?" Yang Qing hesitantly asked.
"Why ask that?" Deng Chao asked as he narrowed his gaze and his face turned serious.
"If I said just acting on a hunch would that be enough?"
Deng Chao went silent for a second a bit hesitant before he sighed as his shoulders rxed.
"Well, it doesn''t matter revealing it now anyway seeing how they''re all dead.
My real name isn''t Deng Chao but Li Ren. Other than that I''m afraid I can''t tell you more as it is a past I''d rather not dredge up. I already have too much grief tost several lifetimes," Deng Chao said as he bitterly smiled.
"Thank you senior Deng Chao for fulfilling my selfish request," Yang Qing said as he got up and deeply bowed toward him.
"Maybeter you will tell me the real reason you asked me that," Deng Chao said as he smiled.
"I will," Yang Qing solemnly said. If he confirmed his suspicions to be true he had thought of looping both parties in but that would have to wait until he met with the other half of the potential equation when he clocked off.
"Clocking off," As if realizing something, Yang Qing had a joyous smile on his face as he hurriedly grabbed his gavel.
"I, Yang Qing, judge of the superior core court of the Order and the judge in charge of this case hereby dere the case of Sect master Han Qingling of the Yellow lotus sect vs Zhao Qi vs Mountain spring pavilion, CLOSED!" Yang Qing joyously said as he thunderously brought the gavel down that it even made the podium vibrate much to the dismay of the rest.
Chapter 89 89: Party Arrangements
?"Jinjing, stay behind a bit," Yang Qing suddenly said as he got up from his podium.
"Thank you very much for your assistance judge Yang Qing," Sect master Han Qingling said as he cupped his fists.
"Thank you very much too," Liu Yun added as he cupped his fist in thanks too.
"Till we meet again young friend Yang Qing," Deng Chao said with a smile as he offered a daoist salute. Despite him being a half-step soul formation expert he didn''t find it beneath him to offer a daoist salute to an early-stage pce stage expert.
How many 20-year-old pce stage experts were there around the world? And he could detect Yang Qing wasn''t like the rest. Even Yi Jie, Mao Yunru, and Su Jinjing had made him raise his brows.
"The Order really isn''t simple. How many such talents do they have? With terrifying seniors like daoist Meng Chao and daoist Lei Weiyuan looking after them, they can grow to their fullest potential under their guidance and protection.
If what I''m seeing is any indication, then the Order has long since reached the ranks of the Radiant sword sect and the Flowing valley sect. I wonder if the president of the Order has reached that terrifying realm?" Deng Chao thought as he disappeared into the crescent moon-shaped trinket around Zhao Qi''s neck.
"I wish you all good fortunes in the times toe," Yang Qing said to sect master Han Qingling, Liu Yun, and Zhao Qi. They were all in the same battle wagon now with the troubles facing the Yellow lotus sect being imminent.
Their chances were much better now with the involvement of Deng Chao, a seasoned expert who headed a rank 2 sect and is a seasoned domain-level expert. His plethora of experience with different cultivation arts coulde in handy but the unexpected could happen and things could go wrong. In Deng Chao''s current state other than offering insight there wasn''t much he could do physically. The rest would have to fall on the shoulders of sect master Han Qingling, his sect, and now Liu Yun and the Mountain spring pavilion.
Though based on Yang Qing''s read of Liu Yun, he had a feeling only Liu Yun and his two brothers would participate sparing the rest of his staff from involving themself in the Yellow lotus sect conflict.
Sect master Han Qingling and the rest nodded back in thanks as they made their way out of the courtroom. They had several additional things they needed to iron out together.
Yang Qing sat back downfortably in his seat as he slumped backward raising his feet up on his podium.
"I wanted to inform you all I will be throwing a small wee party for our new members at my ce. They''re spirit beasts, one is called Bolin and is a rainbow mist toad, and the other Haishi a mirage dragonfly," Yang Qing said as he made a brief introduction for Su Jinjing''s sake.
"The party will be one hour from now. Yi Jie you''re in charge of informing the rest. I think they should be in themon room or their chambers here at the Order. As for Feng Xin, I''ll inform him personally. He should be at the Thousand vors restaurant," Yang Qing said as a pensive look shed in his eyes briefly.
"Hopefully he hasn''t left yet by the time I show up," thought Yang Qing.
"Can I bring friends? I''d like to bring some members of my team," Mao Yunru suddenly asked. Though from her tone it seemed more like a dictation of facts rather than a request.
"Sure, sure," Yang Qing offhandedly replied as he waved his hands.
"By the way Yi Jie you''ll be in charge of providing the wine like always. They will be your subordinates so bring something good," Yang Qing said as his eyes shone with unconcealed greed.
"You''re paying. As the boss, it''s only proper. And no putting it on your tab. You already owe me for the past 15 transactions and if you don''t pay it at the end of the week as promised I''ll just have to file aint against you Mr. I will soon be rolling in it, Yang Qing," Yi Jie said without missing a beat. He had to quickly block off every root of entry before the parasitic Yang Qing sunk his leeching fangs in.
"Yi Jie..You? I''m I that sort of person?" Yang Qing vehemently retorted with spittle flying everywhere with eyes red, fingers shaking. All the clear marks of righteous indignation.
"Of course, you are that person," Yi Jie coolly answered back.
"I''m leaving," Mao Yunru quickly said as she left, carefully carrying the excess jade talismans in both her hands.
"Another one for the collections. This will help me save up a bit for this month," Mao Yunru thought cheerfully as she made her way to her chambers via a teleportation circle at the center of the courtroom.
"Me too. It''s time for your bath and I have to put you to bed early because mummy has to go outter," Su Jinjing coaxingly said to her spear as she made her way out of the courtroom door.
Yang Qing and Yi Jie didn''t seem to have noticed anything as they were still bickering with each other by bringing up past events to one-up the other. Yang Qing was slowly losing that fight as evidenced by his decreasing word flow that soon turned to gestures and signs.
They soon decided to take a pause in their debate as Yi Jie went to the teleportation circle, headed to the inquisitormon room and chambers in search of Luo Meili and Zheng Hu.
Just like judges, the inquisitors had their chambers too and amon room right next to the judge''s chambers they were attached to. However, even if they had their own chambers they had a sharedmon room where they held their meetings and also trainings. Though it was mostly used for thetter because thebat hall in the training room was retrofitted with all kinds of powerful arrays to help them hone theirbat sense.
Yang Qing made his way out of the courtroom doors as his robes started transforming when he was midway out the door. His resplendent blue robes and coat transformed into a simple green coat with the symbol of a circle that was half-moon and half-sun appearing on the back of the coat. Inside he had a matching green robed shirt and matching shorts that reached his knees and straw sandals. Though the sandals were of different colors. The one on the left was pure white and the one on the right was pure yellow. Though contrasting they seemed perfectly in unison.
Yang Qing looked like a farmer out in the summer. He leisurely walked out whistling with cheer in his steps. Some of the cultivators whose cases hadn''t been heard yet by the other judges couldn''t help but stare strangely at the stranger walking casually in the Order''s hallway without a care in the world.
Yang Qing offered a silent prayer at the courtroom doors that were still in session. The Order didn''t have a set working schedule. The rule that they had was all the cases scheduled on the docket for the day had to all be heard that day. The Judge could only clock off when he had fulfilled this criterion.
This rule was the cause of Yang Qing''s nightmares when he was just starting out as an outer core court judge. Outer core court judges had over a hundred cases per day in their docket. This was because they heard cases from cultivators in the body refining stage up to the foundation stage. The numbers were endless. Worse was they had to hear all a hundred cases in a single day. If you didn''t finish the assigned quota they would be added to the next day''s pile and the cycle continues mercilessly. Yang Qing at the time thought nothing of it until when it came time to take his leave he was denied until he cleared his backlog of cases.
It was from this never-ending torment that Yang Qing decided to work himself like a dog to rise up the ranks. Even though the superior core court had moreplex cases, the number of cases they heard per day was few and from what Yang Qing heard that trend continues the further up one moves. He couldn''t wait.
Once Yang Qing had finished giving his condolences to the judges still hard at work, he leisurely went down the hall and passed through the blue-colored mimicry chaos sky metal that transported him to the ground hall as he made his way out of the building down the alley to the Thousand vors restaurant.
It was already dusk out with the sun almost setting but the restaurants were still packed to the brim.
"Most likely some poor saps who missed lunch because of the pile of cases in their dockets," Yang Qing thought to himself as he swaggered into the restaurant while taking in a greedy gulp of air.
"Judge Yang Qing," Cao Ying who had spotted him when he entered, quickly came over.
"Cao Ying hey, what time do you clock off?" Yang Qing asked with a smile.
"In about thirty minutes though I think I''ll stick around longer as I wait for my friends,"
"Well, you cane by my ce if you have nothing to do. I''m throwing a small party for new team members in an hour''s time. You shoulde," Yang Qing said as he patted Cao Ying''s shoulders.
"Really I can? Uum can I.." Cao Ying paused as he hesitated on how to ask what he wanted to ask.
"You can bring your friends," Yang Qing easily said.
"Thanks," Cao Ying loudly said before he hurriedly closed his mouth in embarrassment at his outburst.
"Will you be having the usual?" Cao Ying said.
"No, I don''t think so. I''ll just grab takeaways. I''ll have 10 tes of red braised pork, a simr number in sweet and sour spare ribs, sweet and sour pork fillet, vermicelli with spicy minced beef, and 10rge bowls of eight treasures porridge.
Mmmh what else..Haishi might be a vegetarian. Add a few tes of pine nuts with sweet corn, pan-seared green chili pepper, sweet sour cucumber, and seaweed, and egg soup.
To finish it off I think a hundred pan-fried dumplings, a hundred pork buns and hundred spring rolls will do and oh also the 1,000-year-old silentke elderberry wine," Yang Qing said in quick session as Cao Ying dutifully remembered everything. A cultivator''s memory grew sharper the higher the realms they moved. It was why the Order never felt odd about mming the core realm judges with a hundred cases since with their memory they could remember an event that happened decades ago with much rity as though it happened at that moment. Down to even the food, the weather, the number of people they greeted that day.
So remembering an Order was an easy task for Cao Ying with his foundation establishment cultivation. It was a given considering how much cultivators ate especially special characters like Yang Qing and his partner in crime Feng Xin who was currently discussing something with the manager of the Thousand vor restaurant at one of the tables.
Yang Qing made his way toward them as he gave Cao Ying a storage ring and the card with his spirit stones for the bill.
Chapter 90 90: Glowing Respite Valley
?Yang Qing noticed that the discussion Feng Xin was having with the manager seemed to be going well as he was all smiles as he passionately patted the manager''s shoulders repetitively.
"It seems he managed to trade something to get himself off the cklist again," Yang Qing thought as he made his way over.
The manager was a middle-aged man of tall height and medium build with ck hair tied in a top knot and red-fitting robes that had silver linings at the edge. Everything about him screamed excellence and immacte. He rose up with a weing smile once he saw Yang Qing headed in their direction.
"Judge Yang Qing it''s always a pleasure to have you grace us with your presence at our little establishment," the manager said as he cupped his fists. Every movement he made was matched with grace and elegance.
Yang Qing had long assumed before the manager worked here he was most likely under the retinue of some high noble or n at some point in his life based on his mannerisms that could only have been acquired through rigorous practice. He didn''t think his guess was that far off since the owner of the Thousand vors restaurant was a former prime minister of a kingdom thatter became a subordinate of a rank 2 empire.
Among the Thousand vor restaurant employees, none has stayed longer than the manager who has been here since the very beginning. Other than that outside of the owner who rarely shows himself, the manager is also the strongest expert at the middle stages of the pce realm.
"I''m already off the clock Manager Wang Shan as you can see. So now it''s just Yang Qing," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fist in greeting.
"Feng Xin good that you are here. I will be throwing a wee party for Haishi and Bolin in an hour so make sure to bring them over. I think their registration and part of the verification process should have been done by now," Yang Qing said as he sat down on one of the seats by Feng Xin''s side with Manager Wang Shen on the other side.
Feng Xin''s eyes glowed once he heard of the party apanied by a small rumbling of his stomach.
"I will bring them by. What did you get?" He hurriedly asked getting to the most important part.
Yang Qing dutifully told him what he had ordered. Feng Xin''s eyes were at first glowing as he nodded his head with an approving grin but at the end when Yang Qing finished his look turned to one of worry.
"Yang Qing there''s no way that would be enough considering all the other warm bodies you have added to the list," Feng Xin worriedly said.
"I know it isn''t enough but you know my financial situation well. This is the best I can afford within my budget. I haven''t been paid in three months all thanks to Lei Weiyuan''s diligent efforts," Yang Qing angrily said as he gnashed his teeth.
Manager Wang Shan could only shake his head at this. The quantity Yang Qing bought was suitable to feed a vige of 500 people and leftovers remaining considering the ingredients used were all at the peak of the foundation establishment. But these two were acting like the quantity was barely enough to fill the gap between their teeth.
Feng Xin seemingly on the fence about something finally relented.
"You remember the matter I told you I will need your help with. I have a mountain-size babirusa with me. We can use part of the meat for the party. A leg should be enough. Remember you will owe me one for this," Feng Xin reluctantly said.
"Owe you one? You still owe me a lot and that is even without counting the primordial lotus dew favor. The nerve of you, Feng Xin. We should split the babirusa half just to make up for it," Yang Qing snottily said.
"YANG DON''T GET GREEDY or I''ll take back even the leg. Just so you know the babirusa is a variant so it has excellent vors," Feng Xin said.
"By the way, I think we will need to carve it up away from Haishi''s eyes. It may have been her friend or something though I''m not too sure," Feng Xin added. He had noticed the faint ripples in Haishi''s emotions when he beheaded the green-flowered babirusa.
"Okay. My backyard is big, I''ll activate some of the illusion arrays in there. I hope Yi Jie brings the wine. His wines would pair well with the babirusa," Yang Qing said as he voraciously licked his lips.
"I know," Feng Xin said as he mimicked his actions too.
"By the way manager Wang is Jiang Fu around or has he left already?" Yang Qing asked as his persona changed into a serious one. Finding Jiang Fu was one of his goals foring to the restaurant.
"He already left a few hours ago. It will be quite a while before we see him again as you''re well aware he has gone into seclusion to breakthrough to the pce realm. His absence will be felt considering his oolong tea is one of our best sellers. Luckily Qi Shan is making strides in her cooking so we will be able to maintain our numbers before master Jiang Fues back," Manager Wang Shan said.
On one side he was happy and ecstatic since Jiang Fu''s oolong tea would have improved by leaps when hees back. They could even have to consider altering the price because of it but on the other hand, because of his seclusion, they faced a potential drop in the revenue stream till he got back. Despite the tea being produced in small quantities due to resource and technique constraints, it was one of the biggest earners of the restaurant.
"He has already left huh. I guess I will have to wait a couple of months or years before I see him. Hopefully, Deng Chao will be around then," Yang Qing said as he sighed.
"What''s up?" Feng Xin asked once he noticed Yang Qing''s weird reaction.
"I had a case today in which there is a chance he may have ties to one of the parties in that case. Though I''m notpletely sure as it''s just a wild hunch at the moment. I was hoping to meet with Jiang Fu to see if there''s some truth to my guess. But now with him in seclusion that will have to wait and I''m not sure if the other party will be around then. We will just have to wait and see," Yang Qing said as he got up to leave to await his order by the counter as he left Feng Xin and Manager Wang Shang to their prior discussion.
"I''ll leave you two to your discussions. Manager Wang, have a nice evening, Feng Xinter," Yang Qing said as he waved.
"Salutations Yang Qing and good festivities," Manager Wang replied in return with Feng Xin nodding toward Yang Qing in acknowledgment.
They swiftly went back to their discussion as Yang Qing made his way to the counter where he greedily breathed in the pleasant smell of dishes and spices that was wafting from the kitchen.
He didn''t wait long as after ten minutes Cao Ying had alreadye back with his storage ring and card. Yang Qing picked the ring dly butter frowned once he saw the decreased spirit stones in his card.
"10 middle-grade spirit stones. This is just barely enough for me to survive on for the whole week and that is only if I have a single cheap meal a day for the whole week. Kang Hung better bring the amount he owes me tonight otherwise I''ll have cold leek soup for a week," Yang Qing silently grumbled as he removed one spring roll from the storage ring to help lift his spirits.
The spring rolls seemed to have done its job as he was once again chipper, financial woes thrown into the backburner as he went to the stables where his carriage and the core formation dragon horses were kept.
He spotted Yi Jie already there harnessing the ck horses to the carriage. These beasts who were normally arrogant to the stable caretakers acted like docile littlembs under Yi Jie''s hands.
"Luo Meili and Zheng Hu wille once they finish up with their matters at the Order," Yi Jie said once he spotted Yang Qinging over. He had changed his attire too. His robes had changed from the half-red half blue inquisitor robe to a light silver coat and robe. The silver robe apanied by his calm demeanor and loosely tied bun made Yi Jie look like a detached seasoned expert.
"Okay. I have already bought the food as for the wine¡" Yang Qing said meaningfully.
"You will have to settle for what I have on hand. If you want anything better then cancel our bet. As long as I stop being your carriage driver for the month I''ll bring out my fine snow plum wine as opposed to the hundred-leaf cane wine," Yi Jie said as he tried his best to make the best pitch.
He lost a bet to Yang Qing about a month ago whichnded him in his current state where he had to be a coachman for Yang Qing for the month. He was left with a few days but he couldn''t wait to escape the endless torture of having to wake Yang Qing up both at his home and also when they arrived at work. Sacrificing his wine collection for an early release from Yang Qing was well worth it.
"Nice try Yi Jie. I admire your attempt but I happen to love sleep just a tiny bit more. I bet the hundred-leaf cane wine will taste just as good. Now then to your duties fine sir. Who knew you''d make a fine coachman? It''s regrettable that only a few days are left. I wish the bet was longer," Yang Qing said with regret showing in his eyes as he looked at Yi Jie before disappearing into the carriage when he saw Yi Jie''s vengeful look.
The carriage gently trotted away as it made its way out of the court grounds down through a special gate designated for the Order employees. The gate had a smaller linepared to the main gate used by the defendants and those withints. Since cultivators didn''t need sleep the courts worked 24/7 and the traffic in and out of the grounds never stopped.
There were different reactions from the cultivators once they saw the dragon horses and the ck carriage with the golden eagle symbol. Most were filled with awe since they knew inside the carriage was some Order bigshot especially with the fearsomete-stage core formation dragon horses driving the carriage. Yi Jie with his frosty expert-like demeanor added further charm to it.
The inviting night outside the gate swallowed the carriage whole. When next the carriage appeared it was half an hourter outside a massive gate that had two stone statues of an eagle with golden eyes by its side. Though the eagles were statues they seemed very lifelike.
There was a sign on the gate with the name Glowing respite valley written on it. The writing had a calming effect on anything within 500 meters of it.
Chapter 91 91: Not Taken A Breath In 75 Years
?The moment the carriage was a few inches from the gate to the Glowing respite valley both eagle statues opened one of their eyes. The one on the left opened its right eye as the one on the right opened its left eye.
The eyes shed with a gentle white glow that covered the carriage and Feng Xin. There were ancient glyphs shing from their eyes as the glow wrapped around the carriage.
"Confirmed: Order issued carriage number 9112.
Confirmed personnel of the Order:
Yang Qing: Employee number 2140.
Designation: Superior core court judge
Yi Jie: Employee number 2142
Designation: Chief inquisitor under judge Yang Qing.
ENTRY GRANTED."
The two eagle statues mechanically said as their white glow scanned the carriage, Yi Jie and Yang Qing.
"Who would believe that these two statues despite their aged appearance and small figure have enough might to kill a peak domain expert in less than five minutes," Yang Qing said as he sighed in admiration within the carriage.
"I''m curious which senior made it. Did Chief Song ever tell you who it was? With a creation of this level the creator must be pretty well known among their craftsmanship circle," Yi Jie said.
Creak
The gates started opening gently as they creaked like aged gates that had been beaten by storms over centuries.
"Chief Song said he still doesn''t know who made it despite asking around. By his guesses, it may be one of the members of the spirit council or it may have been a treasure found in some ancient ruin of some bygone era and was retrofitted. He strongly supports thetter as the puppetry technique and inscriptions used on the statue haven''t been seen or heard of in the past 10,000 years.
It might be the reason why despite them being so powerful they are not fully sentient and only function based on presetmands," said Yang Qing as the carriage continued on its merry way as the entrance quickly closed behind them as the eagles'' eyes lost their white glow and went back to their gray marble look.
Those two eagle statues were among one of the many unanswered mysteries in the Order. They were the first line of defense to the Glowing respite valley, a valley that housed the living quarters of the Order employees and their families.
Though it was called the Glowing respite valley it was a valley in name only. It was roughly the size of a small kingdom standing at 10 million acres. Thend was originally part of the territory of a fallen holynd, the Myriad beasts sect.
Holynds other than having astronomical power also had vast territories that would put other sects, empires, and ns to shame in both size and quality. The current size of the Glowing respite valley was but a drop in the bucket of the territory the Myriad beasts sect owned.
When the sect got destroyed about 10,000 years ago most of theirnds got gobbled up by the various cultivation sects, ns, and kingdoms around them. The two holynds i.e the Radiant sword sect and the Flowing valley sect didn''t grab thend as Holynds usually gave each other a wide berth between their territories. The Radiant sword sect is located on the southeastern side of the southern continent with its territory bordering the celestial ocean that separates the southern continent from the western continent. As for the Flowing valley sect, it''s located on the northern side of the continent right next to the churning sea that separates the southern continent from the central continent. Lastly was the Myriad beasts sect whose bulk of territory was on the western side of the continent right next to the Millions treasure ocean.
With its destruction, its territory got swept up by the powerful sects and ns right next to it with the two holynds only grabbing the core treasures and cultivation arts collection of the sect leaving the buildings and the rest of the treasures, artifacts and other cultivation resources to be fought over by others. The ensuing battle that resulted from this was one of the major among many strings of bloodbaths to ever hit the southern continent. The victors from that war ended up forming the current rank 1 sects and ns. Even though the two holynds took the major things the rest of what they left was still enough to support the growth of a few soul formation experts.
Rumor had it that the founder of the ghost blood hand syndicate was one of the beneficiaries of that war as he had managed to swipe something from one of the major branches belonging to the Myriads beast sect.
This was one of the reasons Holynds were feared by other cultivators. Just a few scraps from them was able to change the fate of a few cultivators into powerhouses what about the main thing?
As for the present Glowing respite valley, it was originally the waste dumping ground that the Myriad beasts sect used. Ordinarily, spirit beast waste would be considered a treasure trove by alchemists and herbologists but the Myriad beasts sect mostly kept nefarious beasts of all kinds who had no small amount of danger to them from toxins to baleful air. This tranted even to their waste. The dumping area turned into a ce filled with miasma that would grant an early-stage core formation expert a quick but gruesome death if they dared to step into the outskirts of the area.
The area caused no small amounts of deaths during the war for Myriad beast sect territories. As it was filled with all kinds of arrays, most assumed they were used to guard a precious treasure. The tougher it was to break in the more their greed told them this was the motherload forgetting the fact if there was anything precious in there the Holynds would have already snatched it.
What they got instead when they finally breached a small portion of the array was a painfully weing death followed by a stench that drove even middle-stage pce stage experts to insanity. The most powerful expert to fall victim was a seventh-stage domain expert who thought all the waste there was just a trap to fool others. He smugly ventured deeper thinking he had hit the nail on the head only to nevere out.
The area got quickly cordoned off and the broken array was repaired as more were added a few hundred miles extra around it for good measure. The area soon became no man''snd.
It was only 150 yearster after the Order was established that they decided to grab thend that no one wanted, for themselves. They became aughing stock to the rest of the continent for their attempt. But in fifty years they had thoroughly transformed the area from a wastnd that no one wanted into what it was now.
It was a blessednd whose qi was ten times that of any rank 2 sect and that was at the entrance of the gate where Yang Qing and Yi Jie were. Thend that spewed death with its stench and miasma now had a verdant and vibrant look with fresh air that would leave any artist inspired for their entire lifetime and poets nevercking a stanza.
There was a spiritual river cutting across thend with banks filled with lush vegetation and herbs. There was no shortage of earth-rank herbs that any rank 5 sects would die to have. The grasses were green with tinges of blue as they produced a hazy blue mist around them. They were breathing out qi same as all the other nts in the area.
They consumed the unfiltered qi in their surrounding as they breathed out gentler and purer qi. The few sky-rank trees growing several meters apart further added to that qi.
With the abundant qi, the picturesquendscape, the misty mountains by the horizon, and the spirit beasts flying about, the area looked like an immortal''sir rather than theyer of hell it was before.
The seventh stage domain expert who had tried to force his way to the core regions of the area when it was a wastnd waster found by the people of the Order. He was knocking on death''s door. His legs had dissolved, and his skin was sallow as it hugged his bones. He had scratch marks all over most likely self-imposed. He was delirious at the time as he weakly muttered ''death air'' over and over. The Order rescued him and tried to send him back to his sect but it had long been destroyed in the five thousand years since the seventh stage domain expert disappeared.
With no other option, the Order decided to take him in and handled his rehabilitation and care since he had suffered extensive damage not only to his physical body but even his soul got poisoned from the long-term exposure not to mention the mental trauma that came with it. They were even surprised the domain expert had survived that long. It was only due to his exceptionally sturdy domain that he managed to survive that long. However, the corruption eventually tainted his domain almost crippling his cultivation.
After a long arduous journey, the domain expert regained some sense of normalcy and became lucid. Though there were some changes in his persona. For one he developed an extreme phobia for spirit beasts and even food. Though none of them was as extreme as his phobia for air. Cultivators once they reached theter stages of the core formation realm, could forego food and subsist solely on qi but breathing was the one thing they couldn''t do without. They could hold long breaths some even stretching for years but they would eventually have to take that breath.
The domain expert thus decided to stretch that time as much as he could by practicing the turtle breathing art to perfection. It was originally an orange-grade art but through countless research and consultation with other members of the Order, the art got elevated to an upper-rank blue-grade art. With it, he would have no need to take a breath in 100 years. It has been 75 years since the art was upgraded and in all that time till the present time he hasn''t taken a single breath.
Yang Qing and most other institute graduates heard the tale of that domain expert as part of their curriculum on the dangers faced by cultivators. One of the dangers taught was avarice. That domain expert as a way to pay back the Order insisted his tale be told to the young cultivators to help warn them against letting greed lead them to recklessness. He became one of the teachers at the institute and currently serves as one of the institute''s deans as head of survival tactics for cultivators.
He now spends his days molding young minds and working on improving the turtle breathing art from a blue-grade art into a gold-grade art to reach his now dream of never having to take a single breath again.
Chapter 92 92: Dream Cloud Abode
?The carriage soon came to a stop at a fork in the road. Both sides of the road had two wooden signboards. The one on the left had the words ''eagle''s wings'' on them and the one on the left had the word ''eagle''s eye''.
The carriage was driven to the left side with the sign ''eagle''s wings''.
The Glowing respite valleynd was separated into two zones. The side with the name ''eagle''s wings'' was the zone assigned to all employees of the Order while the side with the name ''eagle''s eye'' was assigned to the family members of the Order employees and the students of the Institute.
All who got epted into the Order as students would be allowed to bring their families into the Glowing respite valley should they wish to do so. Since the Order mostly epts students whoe from unranked families or little to no background to speak of, they are allowed to relocate with their ns or families when they get epted into the Order.
This was what happened to Yang Qing. When he got epted he was given the option to invite the Yang n to the Order with him. They were a small unranked n with less than two hundred members with the highest cultivator being only at the foundation stage. Simr cases were seen with other students who opted to migrate with their entire n. It was also a safer option since the Order had no shortage of enemies or those who would use underhanded means to have their way.
The Order thus decided to create a separate zone within the valley to house the ns and the students before they graduated from the institute. The eagle''s eye zone also catered to those who had no families too as there were plenty of orphans and runaways who came to the doors of the Order for a fresh start or a chance at changing their lives.
Once the students graduated they would then move to the ''eagle''s wing''. They were allowed to bring their spouses, children, parents, or immediate guardians if they wished to. But the invite was only extended to immediate family while the rest could only remain in the ''eagle''s eye'' zone.
In terms of general standards both zones were almost simr in regard to size and qi density. So more often than not most family members opted to remain in the ''eagle''s eye'' zone with the rest of the n members as they let their children move to the other zone and there were also cases though few, where the students chose to remain after graduating. Though those cases were far and few between.
In Yang Qing''s case, he had made the offer to his parents, grandparents, and two siblings toe with him but they opted to stay with the rest of the Yang n members as Yang Qing moved on alone.
¡
The carriage went on for a few minutes before it stopped at another junction which had four different roads with three signs with the name; blue valley, gold valley, and ck valley as for the fourth road, it had no sign attached to it. However, a few mountain peaks could be seen in the distance on that road. Those mountain peaks were surrounded by a dense purple mist fog which made them seem ethereal as there were glittering stars within that fog.
"One day wille when I too will have my own peak," Yang Qing said with unconcealed envy as pushed aside the carriage curtains to admire those mountain peaks. Yi Jie seemed to be mirroring his emotions as he clenched his fists with unconcealed desire shining in his eyes as he stared at those mountains.
"Yi Jie don''t you think the Order is a little too stingy? We are cultivators and as cultivators shouldn''t we all have a peak to ourselves instead of them being given to a select few? How could they give us a few farnds and call that our abode and the nerve of them to tell me to go repossess an ind on the Millions treasure ocean if I want a peak so much," Yang Qing angrily said.
Yi Jie could only roll his eyes at this statement. Yes, he agreed with Yang Qing on some level that they should have peaks. They spent countless days and nights as kids discussing how they would fly on swords and majestic cranes as they went to their abodes on some mountain peak somewhere. But when they graduated all they got was a piece of tnd that had the bare standardized minimum. If they wanted to make improvements to the ce they would have to do it on their own and the costs they bore from the improvements would also be borne by them. The only good thing was they permanently owned thatnd even when they got promoted in ranks and could move to better ces.
He still remembered how his expectations were ruthlessly smashed when he saw their ''peak abodes''. The soul-crushing disappointment became the impetus he needed to improve his wine-making skills while in Yang Qing''s case, well he did some things thatnded him with a year''s sry worth of fines and giving freebor for six months to the mining division.
But he disagreed with Yang Qing''s regard for their abodes as farnds as any rank 2 sect would dly migrate their whole sect to that farnd if given a chance while giving Yang Qing a beating for his pompous young master''s foul mouth.
Yi Jie decided to calmly ignore Yang Qing''s rumblings of his tortured stint in the mines and the hellish year he survived with no spirit stones and he had to freeload at his parents for the year.
The carriage took the route with the name blue valley. It was the location that housed those who were in the core formation realm while the gold valley housed those in the pce stage, the ck valley was for those in the domain stage as for the mountain peaks they were for those who had reached the soul formation realm.
Yang Qing whose promotion wasn''t official yet still had his abode in the blue valley.
"Will you be moving to the gold valley after your ceremony?" Yi Jie asked once he heard Yang Qing go silent to wet his dry throat from the incessantining.
"After all the effort I put to spruce the Dream cloud abode into what it is today from the lousy shack it was before, NO WAY!!," Yang Qing loudly roared seemingly getting more agitated and riled up the more he thought about it.
"I''ll take resourcepensation equivalent to the abode they will give me in the gold valley. I''ll use those resources to further improve the Dream cloud. The Order isn''t tricking me with their scheme of giving me another bottomless hole to pour my minuscule resources in so it can be livable," Yang Qing snottily said as he went silent once more. But one could hear him repeatedly click his tongue over and over.
Yi Jie didn''t say anything once he heard Yang Qing''s reply as his decision wasn''t all that strange. He too had nned to go the same route when he broke through to the pce realm and got promoted. Most of the Order employees opted to stick with the first abode they had. Majorly it was because they had poured countless resources and man-hours into improving those abodes making it difficult for them to just switch up and move. The other was a healthy dose of fear of how bare the next abode they got would potentially be and them starting from scratch to improve the ce.
Because of this, the gold valley had the least number of people settling there. In fact, the ce was mostly upied by spirit beasts due to how low the cultivator numbers were despite the Order having a high number of pce stage members. It was only when one became a domain expert would they consider moving to the ck valley as the abodes there were fully customized with no expense spared on the Order''s dime.
¡
The blue valley though it was named so, there was nothing blue in there. Other than the road the carriage was on and the trees by the side, everything else was covered by a hazy mirage to the left and the right of the road. The only thing that could be seen were small wooden nks with names on them every 100 meters on both sides of the road. They had weird names on them like; the silky spider abode, multitudinous mansions abode, the wless beating ferry abode, the bnced desert abode, and so on.
The carriage proceeded forth for almost a mile before it stopped in front of a wooden nk on the left with the name ''Dream cloud abode''.
Yi Jie took out what looked like a small palm-sized wooden nest covered in white wool which he then pointed at the mirage next to the Dream cloud abode sign. The mirage shimmered as it parted letting the carriage through, and revealing the background behind it.
There was no longer a paved white moonstone road but a dark brown dirt pathway surrounded by a forest that was enormous, dense, and blooming. The trees that mostlyposed this forest were fruit trees for example; ice dragon fruit trees, scorching apple trees, star radiant peach trees, rainbow mulberry trees, and the like all of which had thick stems, luscious leaves and for some odd reason not a single ripe and barely ripe fruit on them.
Sunlight gently cascaded down the leaves with a cacophony of bird noises and insect sounds echoing around. The dragon horses which ignored the grasses on the road over hurriedly started gobbling up the wild overgrowing grass next to the dirt road with greedy drooling looks. How could they not when the grass was dawning summer grass, a sky-rank herb known to be the nectar of grasses which had been soaking up the qi that was double in densitypared to the outside of the mirage.
"Home atst," Yang Qing ruefully sighed as the mirage closed behind them with the carriage slowly moving along as the two dragon horses greedily swallowed everything along their path.
Chapter 93 93: The Choosey Cauldron
?Past the lush forest was a small one-acre pond that was circr in shape with crystal clear water that made it easy to spot the different schools of fish floating about. The surface of the water had tricolored lilies. Their petals were made up of blue, pink, and white colors evenly distributed. The tricolored lilies were the ones responsible for the pond''s crystal clear look as they had a purification ability and qi amplification ability.
Just as the carriage was about to go around the pond, a white streak shed by heading straight at the pond. Before the streak reached the surface of the pond another figure shed and pummeled that white streaked which then crashed into one of the trees.
"The nerve of you Ellie. Can''t I have any good fish with you around? You already cleaned out myst batch before I had a taste, you didn''t even spare the eggs. How greedy can you get? You''ve been hanging out with Feng Xin too much," Yang Qing said as he floated above the pond angrily pointing his finger at the cloud-swallowing kite that now had a swollen bump on its forehead as it stared aggrievedly at Yang Qing.
Screech!!
The cloud-swallowing kite cried sympathetically as it put its most pitiful look forward trying to drawpassion from Yang Qing.
"I''m hearing none of it," Yang Qing coldly snotted as he crossed his arms.
"You are banned from the pond for a month. If I find even a single egg missing I just might decide to have hot broth made from tender bird flesh. With the way you''ve been gluttonously feeding on the good stuff I bet I won''t even have to add anything to the broth just boiling water will do," Yang Qing said as he shed a malevolent greedy grin that sent the cloud-swallowing kite into a panicked frenzy as it tried to lower its head in apology.
Mmph.
Yang Qing turned as he floated next to the carriage. He knew despite the disy of fear and regret from the cloud-swallowing kite at the moment it was only a matter of time before it ate his fish and disappear for a few months at the other inquisitors'' abodes though it always avoided going to Feng Xin''s ce.
"Will you be sticking around or will you head to your abode first ande backter?" asked Yang Qing as he petted the dragon horses which narrowed their eyes in delight.
"I need to get a few things from my ce first It shouldn''t take more than a few minutes," Yi Jie said as he let go of the reigns and turned into a phantom blur disappearing from the carriage.
"He is already at the peak of the blooming stage slowly approaching perfection in his proficiency in the shadow void steps. He has always been rather gifted in speed," Yang Qing thought in admiration at Yi Jie''s proficiency grade with the shadow void steps.
A proficiency grade was adopted within the southern continent when it came to grading a cultivator''s familiarity with a particr cultivation art and they were as follows in ascending order;
Beginner- Emergent-Blooming- Perfection
However, it was believed that perfection wasn''t the highest grade in mastery one could achieve in a cultivation art. There was a level above it and the cultivators who reached this level would be able to upgrade a cultivation art by a few grades once they reached that level in that particr cultivation art for example upgrading a red-grade cultivation art to a blue-grade art.
The creator of the shadow void steps had stumbled onto that level when he was studying the orange-grade art, the silent moon steps which eventually led to the evolution of the art into a gold-grade cultivation art.
However, reaching that level was easier said than done as pure effort and talent solely couldn''t get you there. It was abination of multiple factors some of which were timing, chance, and luck thus increasing the difficulty level of reaching that grade.
¡
Yang Qing didn''t get back into the carriage but decided to leisurely walk around the pond greedily admiring the pods of fish happily swimming about as he whistled.
He went past a few other trees and banana leaves before a small courtyard appeared a few hundred meters from him.
The courtyard was made from yellow dusk wood which made it look like the setting glow of the sun. There was arge extended porch next to the entrance. There were half-ring stone benches, brown rattan chairs, and wicker chairs all surrounding a neatly built firece in the center with dining chairs and tables spread about at the ends of the pouch. There were passion vines growing around the wooden beam poles around the courtyard extending to the green tiled roofing. Their purple flowers seemed to be glowing and almost lifelike resembling jellyfish as they swayed with the wind.
Though the courtyard and the porch looked picturesque and had some natural beauty to them, there were three objects surrounding it to the left, right, and back of the courtyard that made it hard to take in the view due to their unique presence.
To the left of the courtyard was an extremely tall tree about 700 feet tall filled with so many leaves that it looked like there were other trees growing from its branches. However, the strangeness of the tree wasn''t the abundant leaves but the duality of the tree. The front half of the tree was pitch ck which extended down to its leaves while its back half was pure white like the moon. This was the eclipse tree which despite its size was still at the juvenile stage.
To the right was a field filled with bamboo however unlike typical bamboo these were purple in color and they were surrounded by lightning. They were purple lightning bamboo, one of the best nts for tempering the flesh and also warding off evil spirits or fashioning a lightning element weapon.
At the back was a tree just about the same height as the eclipse tree however unlike the eclipse tree its crown, leaves, and top stem were all covered in green mes that gently swayed with the wind. This was the green me tree the perfect nesting ground for avian spirit beasts due to its nurturing abilities. The mes also have healing properties and the leaves are as soft as crimson fox fur making them the best leaves to make a bed, pillows, and futons.
¡
Yang Qing unharnessed the carriage by the front of the courtyard as the dragon horses went their way to other parts around Yang Qing''s ''farmnd'' that was 1,000 acres in size which was the standard size given to all Order employees in the core formation realm despite what stage they are at.
Yang Qing went into his courtyard and headed to the kitchen section as he picked up a bunch of earth wooden bowls and chopsticks along with white ceramic wine pots and apanying wine urns. Yang Qing kept busy packing and storing various things from his kitchen into his storage ring. When he was satisfied he had picked everything he needed he walked back out meeting Yi Jie who was already back with what looked like a hollowed-out tree trunk in his hands.
The tree trunk was as thick as a small elephant''s body and reached half his height. It had golden sigils etched on it and the symbol of an ancient-looking giant tortoise that had mountains, rivers, and forests on its shell.
This was Yi Jie''s monarch rank cauldron, the Ao cauldron, a cauldron ironically despite its rank was horrible at making alchemy pills it always seemed like the cauldron''s spirit purposely sabotaged the pill creation process but when it came to wine brewing it was an excellent partner. Yi Jie''s great strides in wine-making were in part due to the Ao cauldron whose budding spirit seemed to favor the wine rather than alchemy pills and potions.
"I take it you''re throwing the party out here again as usual," said Yi Jie once he saw Yang Qing remove arge dining table from his storage ring as he ced it on one of the empty spaces on the porch.
"With so many peopleing, the porch is the best location," Yang Qing said as he went on arranging their various utensils and unloading the various dishes he bought from the Thousand vors restaurant.
"Aha and that is not because you''re afraid of having things stolen from your house particrly food and those other trinkets in there," Yi Jie mockingly said as he poured a light brown liquid from a wine casket into the Ao cauldron.
"It''s precisely why the porch is the best location," Yang Qing said as he took greedy side sniffs of the light brown liquid Yi Jie was pouring into the cauldron.
"I knew even the hundred-leaf sugarcane wine wouldn''t fall short. I get to drink fine wine and have a quasi-pce stage coachman for the week. What could be better?" Yang Qing smugly said as he swaggered about.
"I don''t know, maybe whatever Lei Weiyuan has in store for you soon to be BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS Yang Qing," Yi Jie gently said as his lips curled into a triumphant smile when he saw Yang Qing''s body twitch repetitively.
Chapter 94 94: Welcome Party (1)
?Yang Qing decided silence was his best weapon at the moment as he didn''t have the mental bandwidth to bicker with Yi Jie, arrange for the wee party and also secretly worry and panic over Lei Weiyuan''s n for him.
He thus decided to do the only reasonable thing one would do in his situation which was to savor the moments day by day conveniently ignoring and pretending there was no noose potentially hanging over his neck. His years of being on the receiving end of the Order''s reprimands and disciplinary actions made him a seasoned expert of the willful ignorance dao.
The duo went about their actions in silence. One neatly arranged the delicacies around the dining table while the other formed multiple hand seals that lit a pale white me under the cauldron as he immediately started pouring different ingredients into the cauldron as he carefully stirred.
Two of the sigils of the Ao cauldron lit up as Yi Jie pumped his Qi into the cauldron. There was a gentle swooshing sound as the hundred-leaf wine was being stirred with a blue icedle. The brown wine was stirred in a clockwise pattern till it formed a small whirlpool in the cauldron. It slowly started changing its color from the initial dark brown with the color growing lighter and mellower with every swirl.
Yi Jie''s stirring seemed to be measured to a specific rhythm. He would add fruits and herbs of different elements every now and then but despite the contrastingposition, they did not disrupt the bnce, flow, and look of the wine. He had thrown in a storm raven wheat which is high in yin energy along with redeye baobab which is high in Yang energy along with other nts with contrasting attributes which if handled poorly would result in a cauldron explosion but despite all this, his pace never changed and the expected implosion never happened as the wine didn''t so much as even form a bubble.
The river symbol on the ancient giant tortoise lit up with a blue glow which in turn slowly started transforming the almost light yellow hundred-leaf sugar cane wine into a clear crystal color that had tinges of blue color. Once Yi Jie saw the transformed color he smoothly slowed down his stirring until he came to a gentle stop. The swirling didn''t stop as it continued by itself albeit in a gentler, slower motion. A small tortoise spirit appeared in the swirl as it swam with the swirling current. Yi Jie poured a few blocks of hundred-year-old tempered lunar ice that turned the whole brew into a white mist as he finally closed the cauldron''s lid in satisfaction.
Yang Qing who had thought of giving Yi Jie the cold shoulder and pretend he didn''t exist was already next to him staring greedily at the cauldron.
"Your cauldron''s spirit seems a bitrger and more defined than when Ist saw it," Yang Qing said as he moved closer to the cauldron to inspect it.
"I managed to trade my merit points for a cup of night ashen spring water which helped unlock more of its river attributes. It wiped out ten years'' worth of merit points but it was all worth it," said Yi Jie.
Getting just a single cup of the night ashen spring water had cost him close to 250,000 merit points. Ordinarily, a hard worker in the core courts would earn atleast 1000 merit points per month barring extraordinary circumstances that may result in those numbers increasing. But those circumstances were rare as they involved someone either getting into unexpected perilous circumstances and surviving or bringing in unexpected results. For example, Feng Xin bringing in Dong Yanlin, a blood ghost hands member, and the Ao Yin saber along with him would result in him getting more than 1,000 merit points in his case evaluation.
It had taken Yi Jie surviving a few near-death experiences and exemry results for him to get over 200,000 merit points in ten years. However, in his eyes spending all his saved-up merit points on a single cup of night-ashen spring water was well worth it. For one, the night ashen spring water was a top-grade monarch rank natural born treasure that was a must-have ingredient for any seasoned blue-grade cksmith and above. When a de was quenched in water that had just a single drop of night ashen spring water even if the ingredients were in the earth rank it would automatically raise the rank of the weapon to a sky rank weapon.
It was a dream ingredient for all cksmiths due to its ability to improve an artifact''s quality even finished ones. Yi Jie had been eyeing it ever since he bought the Ao cauldron from an auction. The cauldron may be a monarch-rank artifact but that was because it was still iplete. If Yi Jie continuously nourished the cauldron with valuable treasures of the water attribute, earth attribute, and nt attribute to match the river, mountain, and forest symbols on it, it could evolve into an ascendant-grade treasure.
It was Chief Song Chuanli who had made Yi Jie aware that the cauldron was iplete as even the auction house he bought it from was unaware otherwise they wouldn''t have let such a treasure slip off their hands for the price Yi Jie bought it for.
Yang Qing didn''t mock Yi Jie for blowing all his merit points for a single treasure as he understood its purpose. He would have donated his merit points but merit points were nontransferable which was a measure the Order employed to ensure individual productivity and reduce chances of people leeching off each other. They had most likely created it with Yang Qing''s tendencies in mind but unluckily or luckily merit points were the one thing Yang Qing nevercked especially with his seasoned archeology skills and cultivation art dissection abilities that haveted him no small amount of merit points.
¡
Yi Jie took a bite of a spring roll as he took a sit on one of the rattan chairs as he waited on the wine to stabilize. Yang Qing was still busy moving about arranging the food and cutlery. When he was done, he went to his backyard and came back with a dozen logs over his shoulder. He sliced the logs with his palms as easily as a knife through butter. He picked a few of the cut logs and neatly arranged them over the firece as he snapped his finger and a fireball was produced which then jumped onto the logs instantly lighting them up.
He picked one of the wine pots that had the 1,000-year-old silentke elderberry wine along with two wine urns. He poured a cup for Yi Jie and himself. It was deep, dark, rich ruby red and purple in color, with fantastic violet nuances. Yi Jie the wine enthusiast he was had his eyes light up when he saw it. He went through all the motions one would expect from those who gave proper respect to wine while Yang Qing slurped his like a thirsty man stumbling near river water as he quickly poured himself another.
"It doesn''t quite match your creations but it is still something. I''m afraid only Jiang Fu''s oolong tea would match your wine," said Yang Qing. Though despite his criticism his eyes narrowed into a crescent shape every time he took a sip.
"Just one thing is missing to push the taste even further," Yang Qing said as he rose up and put a few sweet and sour spare ribs onto a te, and came back to his seat.
"P..e..r..f..e..c.t, truly delish," Yang Qing said as he pared the wine with the ribs. Yi Jie looked at him as if he was looking at an oaf but he too picked up the ribs as he ate along with the wine. His eyes lit up once the vor of the ribs met up with the wine as they exploded in his mouth.
"Qi Shan has made another leap in her dao," Yi Jie said with praise as he savored the sweet and sour spare ribs.
"Mmmh," Yang Qing replied in a muffle as he stuffed another rib into his mouth.
As the two were enjoying themselves twodies appeared out of the corner of their eyes. Thedy on the left had a white coat that had green leaf images on it and beneath the coat was a pale yellow robe which added a nature vibe to her that perfectly blended with the surrounding. She had a gentle and mature beauty to her that was further enhanced by the bun that was tied up with three magnificently polished bones. It was Luo Meili.
To her right was Su Jinjing whose average looks and unadorned short hair made her big limpid pure eyes stand out along with her light cherry pink dress that added an innocent charm to her.
"Starting off the party without us how ungentlemanly of you boss," Luo Meili said in a gentle smile as she made her way over with her gaze lingering briefly over Yang Qing''s eclipse tree.
"Yang Qing can redeemer sleep in your green me tree for a few days. I have a feeling he would enjoy it there," Su Jinjing pleadingly said as she skipped over.
"Sorry Jinjing, the green me doesn''t work well with non-l...i mean it doesn''t work well with other living species that are not birds," Yang Qing said as he almost let slip a Su Jinjing taboo word. She hated her spear being called an artifact or anything that made it remotely seem like an object instead of a living thing.
"Don''t worry Jinjing I can lend you my Zodiac twilight rock. It will do wonders to nourish redeemer," Zheng Hu''s voice trailed over before he appeared on the corner. He had a red short sleeve robe and shirt that was left open at the chest exposing his well-toned body and white shorts as he walked bare feet.
"Really?" Su Jinjing''s mood lit up as she asked.
"Sure, I won''t be using it for a while as I''ll be using the next few weeks to a month to break through to the peak of core formation. I can''t have our two bosses leave me behind. The gap is already big I can''t have it grow any wider," Zheng Hu said with a carefree smile.
"I need to work harder too," Su Jinjing somberly said as she clenched her fists in determination.
Yi Jie and Yang Qing were still busy with their ribs before Yang Qing decided to speak up when he had finished wolfing down the spare rib in his hand.
"If you''re confident then do it. I know you''re not the reckless type when ites to cultivation. You''ve stayed in the 9th stage long enough, your foundations are more than sturdy. If only that gluttonous Feng Xin would have your drive instead of loafing around clearing his name off the cklists," Yang Qing said in exasperation.
"Boss I..," Luo Meili who was always a picture of gentle calmness now had a guilty look appear on her face.
"It''s okay, take your time. I know your situation is a bit more special especially when ites to your physique. Do not be in a rush, the deeper you excavate its mysteries the easier your journey ahead. Yi Jie and I will make due though he will also be going into seclusion soon. I wonder how I will survive the pce courts by myself," Yang Qing said worriedly.
Luo Meili who had a guilty expression couldn''t help but chuckle lightly at Yang Qing''s switch in emotions.
The more he thought about it the more things didn''t seem like they would get any easier, especially without his nan... I mean chief inquisitor Yi Jie.
"I see staggering fines in his future,"
"Hugely,"
"No doubt about that,"
"It''s him so it''s a given. I bet the higher-ups can''t wait,"
Everyone present gave a word in, taking pleasure in Yang Qing''s uing misfortunes.
"Is there no good egg among you, even you Jinjing? I thought you''d be the nice one. Who poisoned you? is it Yi Jie or the other leech,?"
"Regret hurrying to the pce stage now are we?" Feng Xin mockingughter sounded as he appeared with a rainbow mist toad to his right and a 60-meter mirage dragonfly to his right.
Chapter 95 95: Welcome Party (2)
?"It seems I will need to give you a thorough training session before I leave. I can''t have my top go-to person stuck at the peak of the 10th stage of the core formation realm. It would be remiss of me as your boss to leave an underling with so much potential unattended to.
Feng Xin, I''ll need you here every day after work. I''ll file the training with the administration as a standard valuation by the superior just to ensure everything is on the up and up. We are in the business of Order after all," Yang Qing said menacingly with a not-so-polite smile.
"Yi Jie..," Feng Xin who was full of hot air just seconds ago had now turned shriveled like a dried bark as he turned to Yi Jie for help.
"I happen to agree with him on this. If Yang Qing didn''t do it, I nned to give you pointers myself. With me going into seclusion you will be the one left in charge of the team with Luo Meili to keep you in check.
With the current state of things and the targeted attacks on Order employees you all need to train harder especially you Feng Xin. At the very least you need to be at a level where you can guarantee your life against an early-stage pce realm expert without the use of talismans and other monarch-rank treasures. Who knows when the unexpected may happen?
Our enemies with results based off their attacks already know that every Order employee has atleast one treasure that is above their cultivation realm and have therefore been nning ordingly and refining their attack ns subsequently.
The attack on Lai Lei eight months ago should be proof of this," Yi Jie solemnly said.
"I know," Feng Xin''s frivolous look turned solemn once he heard the mention of Lai Lei.
Lai Lei was an inquisitor who was a half-step into the pce stage just like Yi Jie presently. Eight months ago during themission of his duties, he was besieged by fifteen half-step pce stage experts.
He managed to kill ten of his attackers, wound the rest, and even manage to escape alive but not without paying a price. His dantian had cracks and he had lost a leg and an arm. As cultivators regrowing limbs was easy but mending a dantian required incredible skills from someone atleast at the blue grade in terms of medicine and resources that were atleast in the upper ranks of the monarch grade.
Lucky for Lai Lei the Order had both however an attack on him and one that was at that scale had sent rm bells in the Order. At first, they were even surprised how Lai Lei made it out of the besiegement intact. Yes, he was a seasoned inquisitor with a quasi-gold core that would make him one of the best at his level but dying with his opponents was the best-case scenario that the Order would have expected from such an encirclement.
It was onlyter through investigations that they discovered eight of the fifteen half-pce stage experts had reached that realm through artificial means such as employing secret arts and alchemical pills making their powers weaker than regr half-step pce stage experts. However, despite all this, they still presented a very real threat along with the seven other genuine half-step pce stage experts.
It was for this reason that the first thing Yang Qing did when he broke through to the pce stage was create talismans to try and increase his team''s odds of survival just in case something like that were to happen.
"Has Dai Chen heard anything?" Yi Jie suddenly asked
"He hasn''t. Those behind the attacks covered their tracks well. For the past few years the perpetrators have been getting better and better at hiding their tracks and leaving little to no clues to go by," Yang Qing sighed as he thought about Dai Chen.
Dai Chen did his best to hide it but those close to him could still tell the attack on his inquisitor and the dried-up clues hit him hard.
"Enough about that, we need to focus on the matter at hand which is the weing of two new members to this little group of ours," Yang Qing suddenly said as he put some cheer in his tone to try and uplift the somber mood.
"Right. I was curious about my two new teammates especially after hearing they were residents of the infamous green fog region I couldn''t wait to meet you two. Are the spirit beasts there as infamous as the stories make them out to be? I''ve always wanted to go but sadly my cases never seemed to bring me there," Zheng Hu sighed in regret as he said this.
"Feng Xin, how was it there? seeing you got a firsthand experience of the ce," Zheng Hu asked with a battle intent smile as he went to pour himself a cup of the 1,000-year-old silentke elderberry wine.
"Well based on my brief interaction with them they had interesting abilities and they were above average aspared to normal spirit beasts. Battle-hardened and bloodthirsty too, though I think thetter is a detriment to them as it made them react mostly on instinct instead of using their intellect," Feng Xin said as his eyes got glued to the food spreading on the table.
"Though there was that one spirit beast that got away. A green sh viper. It showed astute battle awareness, intellect, and great judgment. I don''t know if it was the leader but it ran away the instant I made my move with no hesitation. Even its positioning during the encirclement seemed well thought out.
I wonder what it tastes like. A powerful spirit beast like that definitely has devoured its fair share of precious herbs and other spirit beasts. It''s bound to have a vorful taste.
Oh yeah, Yi Jie that reminds me," Feng Xin who was already mid drool hurriedly fished out the corpse of the rapid snapper cotton mouth from his storage ring. The jaw was still thawing from the slice made by the eternal winter leaf.
"You can use its blood to make the eighth rising tide wine right? It may just be at the 5th stage of the core formation but it should still add some kick to the wine right? Even if it''s just a tiny bit," Feng Xin said as he gently ced the rapid snapper cotton mouth on one of the tables.
Both Yi Jie and Yang Qing had already moved to the table as they closely scrutinized the corpse.
Bolin and Haishi hadplicated looks as they watched their short-term ''teammate'' get evaluated on his edibility.
The rapid snapper cotton mouth may not have been as powerful as any of the false kings but it was still one of the most powerful core formation spirit beasts beneath them, especially with its high speed, terrifying venom, and its steel-like scales. It made it a tough opponent to face off against which was why the ck cosmos caiman favored it as one of its trusted henchmen.
Bolin was at the 6th stage, one minor realm above it but even he didn''t have the confidence of defeating it let alone the introvert Haishi whose onlybat experience involved fighting insects in the foundation stage as she avoided any spirit beast at the core formation realm. She had an overly cautious ability and the only times she did anything remotely adventurous was following after the green flowered babirusa to enjoy the bounty it left behind. She thought today would be the same as all the other countless times before, she''d follow the babirusa find an area filled with precious herbs, eat her part and head back to herir to sleep. But here she was, a soon-to-be mount and the green flowered babirusa turned into an ingredient and soon-to-be delicacy.
Though she doesn''t know if it was because of her brief encounter with Feng Xin but every now and then she couldn''t help but be curious about what the babirusa tasted like.
"No, No I will not eat you even if they offer. We may have not been friends but we could be considered long-time acquaintances. It''s the least I can do¡but if they threaten me to take a bite, I''m sorry rosa I will have to but I will do it begrudgingly," Haishi thought. Though internally she seemed conflicted her greedy shiningpound eyes painted a different picture.
¡..
Oblivious to Haishi''s dilemma, the trio of Feng Xin, Yi Jie, and Yang Qing were busy verbally dissecting the rapid snapper cotton mouth as they bargained back and forth. After a heated debate and each member satisfied with their end, Yi Jie carefully drained its blood into a small brown gourd which despite its size was able topletely fit all the blood from the over 100-meter rapid snapper cotton mouth.
Once Yi Jie was done with his bit Feng Xin and Yang Qing teamed up to carve up the rapid snapper cotton mouth like skilled professionals with their finely crafted silver knives.
They expertly stripped off the skin with not even a minuscule flesh being cut out, removed the guts, and finally cleaned it with water filled with spiritual qi. Once they were satisfied they diced it into thin slices and thered it with a mixture of eggs, herbs, and spices that Yang Qing had on hand.
"Only when food is involved do these two show a modicum of seriousness," Mao Yunru said as she showed up in apany of five. There were threedies and two men. All three of thedies were breathtakingly beautiful that they would put a clear serene moon to shame however they all paled to Mao Yunru with her big cloud-like eyes, loosely hanging purple hair, a short sleeve dress that had purple flowers on it, and a light white scarf. One of the men apanying her would sneakily throw nces despite being warned off by the other gentleman by his side.
The gentleman throwing nces had blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and a medium build with an ocean blue robe on. He looked like a noble that many princesses would madly swoon over while the gentleman warning him was slenderly built, anky build, and had deep ck hair tied in a topknot. He had almost baggy eyes and a tired look to him with his pale white skin. He looked like a librarian who never sees the light of day from burying himself in books.
Yang Qing who was busy at work had his pupils pause briefly when he saw Mao Yunru but he quickly averted his gaze before anyone could notice as he dealt with the rapid snapper cotton mouth.
Mao Yunru quickly covered her neck which had a faint blush.
One of thedies apanying Mao Yunru who had ck flowing hair that had reached half her back couldn''t help but narrow her eyes once she noticed Mao Yunru''s and Yang Qing''s reactions.
"Interesting," she lightly murmured to herself as she chuckled.
Chapter 96 96: Welcome Party (3)
?Other than the long ck-haireddy no one seemed to have noticed the brief interlude between the two.
After a few minutes, thest piece of the rapid snapper cotton mouth had been sliced into thin vertical strips of meat that were now being ced over a grill mesh with orange glowing charcoal at the bottom.
Feng Xin took over as he dutifully dipped the thin strips in chili oil and dropped them over the mesh with chopsticks made from radiant autumn oak.
In the meanwhile, Yang Qing went to his storage room and came back out with a medium-sized wine gourd that had the emblem of a vermilion bird drawn on it.
"GREAT," Feng Xin joyously said as his eyes lit up when he saw the wine. Yi Jie who was checking the hundred-leaf sugarcane wine had a greedy glint sh in his eyes when he saw the gourd.
Unlike those two, Yang Qing had a pained look in his eyes. How could he not when this was the only vermilion fruit wine he had? He had won it in an auction after paying close to 300,000 middle-grade spirit stones and trading a few treasures so he could afford it.
The wine was so potent that if a foundation establishment cultivator were to consume it they would explode from its turbulent and potent energy. The main ingredient was vermilion fruit whose grade depended on the stage of the tree and how ripe the fruit is. A vermilion tree that had properly matured would at the bare minimum reach the saint grade which is the equivalent of a soul formation cultivator. However, it needs stringent measures to reach maturity one of which is a ce blessed with an ancestral dragon meridian spirit vein.
When it came to spirit veins they were usually graded into low-grade, middle grade and high-grade spirit veins. However, there was a level above that where the spirit vein is so rich that it develops some sort of pseudo-spirit. That spirit usually appears as a dragon hence the spirit veins be known as dragon spirit veins which are further divided into three sses i.e. the lesser dragon, the mature dragon, andstly the ancestral dragon. Most holynds are supported by an ancestral dragon spirit vein.
The vermilion fruit wine Yang Qing had on him was made from a vermilion fruit harvested from a young vermilion tree that was at the peak of the monarch grade which is equivalent to the peak of the pce stage in terms of cultivation. As for the supplementary ingredients they were all at the very least peak of sky grade. This vermilion fruit wine could be considered one of his most prized treasures along with the eclipse tree, purple lightning bamboo, and the green me tree.
Feng Xin and Yi Jie had both teamed to force it out of him as that was the only way he could get the various types of meat Feng Xin had on him and part of Yi Jie''s wine supply.
Cao Ying was the next to show up with three other friends of simr age around 15 years. Two of them were guys andst was ady with orange curly hair and orange eyes. They had all worn the standard institute''s robe which was a ck coat with dark orange robes that were embroidered with two symbols. One was a blue robin and the other was the golden eagle. The blue robin wasn''t the smartest or the most powerful spirit beast but it was the most adaptable to unfamiliar surroundings. This signified the Order''s hope for its students to always be adaptable.
¡.
"Cao Ying it''s great that you made it and your friends too," Yang Qing cheerfully said as he went to greet them like a dutiful host. He made sure to bring the vermilion fruit wine with him as he didn''t trust Feng Xin or Yi Jie around it.
Cao Ying was the only one who seemed perfectly at ease as his three friends were all fidgety and nervous like young chicklings as they huddled together. They seemed both excited and nervous to be among their seniors from the Order.
"So who are your friends?" Yang Qing gently asked as he tried to ease their moods with a polite smile.
"This is Fu Ye, Yao Fang, andstly Chen Zhn," Cao Ying said as he pointed to them.
Fu Ye had a small build with tiny beadlike eyes that seemed to hide enormous intelligence in them. He had short ck hair matching his eyes.
Yao Fang was medium built with dark grey hair that was tied into a half bun while Chen Zhn the onlydy in the group had orange curly hair and matching eyes, with a slender and tall build. She was the tallest of three and given a few years she would be toppling nations with her beauty and charm.
Yang Qing greeted them all with a polite smile which seemed to have had an effect on them as they seemed a bit calmer than when they came in. However, that calmness was soon disrupted by the guests that just showed up behind them.
"Yang Qing you''re too shameless. You''d throw a party and not invite us?" said a yellow-haired youth who just appeared in a group of five. Three guys including the yellow-haired youth and twodies.
"You''re the only one I didn''t tell Hung," Yang Qing answered with mocking eyes of his own.
"Where''s my spirit stones? It''s already the end of the shift," Yang Qing said as he unceremoniously stretched his hands.
"Here, it''s just two thousand middle-grade spirit stones," Kang Hung said as he pped a storage ring on Yang Qing''s hand like some nouveau-rich young master. He had on a yellow coat whose sleeves were rolled back, a white-robed short sleeve shirt, and yellow shorts with yellow straw sandals seemingly mirroring Yang Qing''s current look except Yang Qing''s was green and his yellow.
"How are you acting so smug when I''m the one who loaned you the amount? You better pay me back in a month with interest," Xia Boqin calmly said. He still looked like a noble immortal with his pristine white robes and smoothened long flowing hair.
"I see you brought the good things out. Thanks in advance," Dai Chen greedily said as he dangerously eyes the vermilion fruit wine in Yang Qing''s hand which made Yang Qing flinch as he felt he was being stared down by a dangerous beast. Dai Chen had on a ck coat, a matching ck shirt, and ck shorts with sandals.
"Thanks for the invite Yang Qing," Yu Huifang who had worn a white dress that highlighted her cherry pink hair lightly said with a smile.
"Yes, th..a..n..k you Yang," Zhang Qingge thest of the group nervously said. Her breathtaking beauty and small stature made her stand out which was further entuated by her shy looks.
"You can grab one of the tables there, Hung you can sit in the backyard somewhere," Yang Qing politely and impolitely said.
"Oh yeah Cao Ying you can grab a table with your friends too," Yang Qing said when he noticed Cao Ying''s friends rooted on the spot. Meeting one judge had already made them nervous now being surrounded by five with two of them being pce court judges made them too nervous to even move.
Cao Ying had to drag them away with an embarrassed smile on his face. He couldn''t help but shake his head as heughed as he remembered he was just like them a few months ago when he started working at the Thousand vors restaurant. The first week he couldn''t get any orders straight because of how nervous he was but over time with how easygoing Yang Qing and the rest were he adapted and got used to them.
"Now then with everyone here, I''d like to say one or two things. The Order has be a very important home for us, yes we asionally disagree on a few things, but at the end of the day, this is where we can truly be ourselves.
It''s a ce that subverts the norms of the cultivation world. Here you can find a domain expert sharingughs with a core formation expert, we don''t have to backstab each other for resources yes the Order is a little stingy and could do better but it is still better than most ces, and best of all fairer.
Haishi, Bolin there''s not much I can say to you as I want you to judge with your own eyes and decide for yourselves what this ce will be to you. But what I can say is as long as you are with us we will always look out for you as you are both now one of us and we look out for one of our own.
All I ask is never sully the Order''s fundamental creeds even to your death.
With that WELCOME TO THE ORDER HAISHI, BOLIN," Yang Qing jubntly with the crowd echoing his cheers as they raised their wine urns in weing them.
Chapter 97 97: Wisdom Pearl
?Both Bolin and Haishi were dumbfounded. Everything about today seemed a little too surreal for them. They had left the ce they called home for over a century to start off in an unfamiliar ce filled with human cultivators.
When they faced off against Feng Xin they had expected to die but they ended up living by sheer luck because Feng Xin found them useful alive more than dead. After that one of them had expected to be an alchemical ingredient whose days and body would be spent under the knife and constantly being researched on by overzealous alchemists while the other expected to be bird food. When that didn''t happen they at the very least expected to be ves with little to no rights. They never expected to be consideredrades to human cultivators none the least.
Bolin was no saint, he had killed and eaten his fair share of human cultivators who went wandering near hisir as for Haishi she may have not harmed human cultivators but in her case, it wasn''t out of an altruistic choice but because she was abundantly cautious and she had almost zero interaction with them.
Having a wee party thrown for them and the cheers was an all too strange concept for them to fathom and they didn''t know quite what to make of it or even how to react.
"What are you two spacing out for? it''s your party you should be enjoying it, no? Spirit beasts and humans may be different but we all enjoy good food irrespective of what that food is. Go eat as for the otherplicated stuff you can figure out as time goes by but as for now just eat, nod, and ept whatever treasurese your way," Yang Qing gently tapped their heads to get them out of their stupor.
Haishi who was flying found her body gravitating towards Yang Qing''s hand with the same thing happening with Bolin who was about a foot tall floating upwards towards Yang Qing.
Yang Qing''s gentle tap seemed to have had a calming effect on them as they seemed less tense and a little more at ease.
"Here this is for you two. As your boss, it''s only right I get my underlings something. They should suit you both perfectly," Yang Qing said as he held two things in his hands.
On his left hand was a small smooth white-blue pearl that seemed to have wing water wave patterns on it and on his right hand was a one hundred moon cleansing hawthorn flower. It was pristinely white and had five petals each having four moons appearing on them making the total moons on the flower to be twenty.
Bolin and Haishi had uniquely different reactions to the objects in Yang Qing''s hands.
Haishi had a greedy madly infatuated look as her blood started boiling and her heartbeat wildly craving the smooth white-blue pearl with the wing water wave patterns. As for Bolin, he had apletely different reaction. His pupils were constricted and his body frozen in fear as if he had seen his nemesis. He felt a deep intrinsic threating from the hundred moon cleansing hawthorn flower like if he tried to even breathe around it he would die a most gruesome death.
"The pearl is a wisdom pearl from a flying water mist python that was half-step into the pce realm," Yang Qing said as he brought the pearl forward in Haishi''s direction.
"Feng Xin told me he gave you a drop of the primordial lotus dew. I''m afraid due to your cultivation realm limitations you were unable to make the most out of it and the little dew you absorbed you only scratched the surface with it. This pearl should help you gain furtherprehension of the dew you absorbed and refine it even further.
It contains over a thousand years'' worth of cultivation insight of the flying water mist python. It will help you solidify your cultivation further and give you a better understanding of the water dao," Yang Qing said as he finally gave the pearl to Haishi whose eyes were glittering. If dragonflies had drool she would already have formed a waterfall.
Spirit beasts had different ways of growing their cultivation. Some had inherited powerful bloodlines to rely on which either came from a long-lost ancestor or it could be a close rtion such as a parent.
Cultivation methods, insight, and other secret arts are usually passed down through this bloodline and the thicker the bloodline the more the spirit beast can harvest making cultivation easier for the spirit beast as it already has a guide on which path to take thus avoiding a lot of detours.
The progeny of strong spirit beasts enjoy this privilege however spirit beasts that have an impure and thin watered-down bloodline of their ancestor struggle to realize the potential of their bloodline. They can only use external means to try and improve their cultivation realm and or thicken their bloodlines and awaken the secrets within.
Examples of these external means are the use of specific herbs that have a rtion to their bloodline such as using a water attribute herb to help with a bloodline rted to the water dao. The other means which is usually the mostmon route most spirit beasts employ is to consume another spirit beast with a stronger or almost simr bloodline. For example, a fire smander can consume a fire poison toad to try and thicken its bloodline. This is one of the reasons spirit beasts constantly battle each other.
However there was another reason spirit beasts wantonly plunder each other to the extent that even those spirit beasts with powerful bloodlines would choose to do so, and that is the presence of wisdom pearls.
All spirit beasts have beast cores which are their equivalent of a dantian but not all spirit beasts have wisdom pearls. A wisdom pearl is the condensation of the spirit beast''s insights and experiences in cultivation. Only spirit beasts who have touched upon a form of dao can form a wisdom pearl which is usually located in their be though it''s not guaranteed that it will always be there for every spirit beast.
The wisdom pearl not only houses their cultivation insight and experiences but also counts as a lifesaver to powerful spirit beasts. Spirit beasts that are atleast at theter stages of the domain realm can survive even if their bodies get destroyed as long as their wisdom pearls remain intact. It even has a chance of reforming its body if a drop of its blood essence remains. Yes, it would take time but unlike humans who would require a mountain of precious herbs to reform their bodies, the spirit beast with a wisdom pearl and a drop of true blood essence requires only time, safe space, dense spiritual qi, and nothing else.
However, this means of self-preservation only works on spirit beasts at theter stages of the domain realm as they are able to imbue their will to the wisdom pearl basically turning the pearl into almost like a treasured artifact that houses and protects their soul. Only a spirit beast that has higher or equivalent willpower to them can erase their will and subsequently soul from that wisdom pearl rendering that wisdom pearl usable. But if they attempt to use a wisdom pearl that still has a will that they cannot break, the spirit beast risks having its body used as a shell for the pearl when its soul gets erased by the strong will and body possessed.
This is why spirit beasts at the domain stage rarely get into fights except in extenuating circumstances like if a treasure is involved or if there''s an irreconcble feud. However, spirit beasts below the domain realm fight rampantly with the aim of consuming the opponent''s wisdom pearl to improve their cultivation realm with no risk of possession.
¡
To cowardly overcautious Haishi, getting her hands on a wisdom pearl was something she never imagined moreso one that suited her this well. The flying water mist python is a spirit beast skilled in camouge techniques through the use of mist. Just this point alone would help Haishi strengthen her mirage techniques ignoring the other water insights the python had stored in the peal for over a thousand years. She held it close almost afraid it would break before she hurriedly stored it in her Order issued storage bracelet that was tied to one of her legs.
Just like the cloud-swallowing kite both she and Bolin, each had a gold bracelet with an eagle symbol worn on their legs. The bracelet was a storage treasure that doubled up as a tracker too.
Bolin couldn''t help but look at Haishi enviously. His path wasn''t rted to water but even he would gain an enormous harvest from gaining the cultivation insights of a spirit beast that had almost reached the pce stage. It would help widen his cultivation horizons.
He couldn''t help but notice the unfairness of the gifts. Haishi got a wisdom pearl while he was most likely getting the hawthorn that would harm him with just a touch.
"Is it because of Li Lun?" Bolin couldn''t help but wonder if it was because he agreed to support the green sh viper in ambushing Feng Xin.
"I guess it can''t be helped. I should be d I''m even alive," Bolin sighed as he thought his guess was right on the mark.
"I''m not giving you the hundred moon cleansing hawthorn because I hold a grudge against you for ambushing Feng Xin if that''s what you think," said Yang Qing as he smiled seemingly seeing through Bolin''s mind who flinched at Yang Qing''s words.
"I meant what I said, you are one of us now despite your past. All you are and what matters to me is you''re Bolin a member of the Order under my court as such you''re my responsibility and I won''t treat you any different than I do the rest of my team," Yang Qing gently said.
"The reason why I''m giving you this flower is for your good, which judging by your reaction you need it more than you think if you ever want to reach the pce realm," said Yang Qing as his eyes gleamed in wisdom.
Bolin couldn''t help but throw a perplexed gaze at him. Yang Qing didn''t leave him guessing as he swiftly went on with his exnation.
"Because of your environment, you must have focused all your attention on strengthening your poisonous attribute. For other spirit beasts, it''s not an issue but for you it is. A rainbow mist toad isn''t known only for its poison but also for its healing properties which you seemed to have erroneously neglected.
Your body is currently at an imbnce and if you kept on with your current tread by the time you reached the peak of the core formation realm your poison would have grown beyond your body''s ability to handle it. Only a matching restorative ability can restrain it and without it your body will be destroyed from within," Yang Qing solemnly said as he eyed the now pale-looking Bolin who couldn''t help but inadvertently croak in fear.
"Herein lies your solution," Yang Qing said as he brought the hundred-moon-cleansing hawthorn which added further panic to Bolin once he saw how close it was to him.
"Though it''s a fraction of the real thing since it only has twenty moons activated but it should be more than enough to help you strengthen your restoration attribute. You will need to cultivate next to it atleast three hours every day until the day it feels like an irresistible tonic to you as opposed to the dreadful feeling it''s currently giving you.
The day you feel drawn to the hawthorn will be the day you''ll finally know what a true rainbow mist toad is and why every alchemist wants them," Yang Qing mysteriously said as he handed the hundred moon cleansing hawthorn to Luo Meili.
"Meili you''re the best with this so you''ll be in charge of his training and when the dayes help him to maximize the benefits he can get from the flower," said Yang Qing.
The hundred-moon cleansing hawthorn was known for its ability to be an all-around restorative herb. It had an especially curative effect when it came to poison and miasma. A hundred moon-cleansing hawthorn that had activated all its moons would have melted Bolin in his current state rather than the suppressive feeling he presently got. Currently, the suppressive effect was what Bolin needed most to turn the turbulent poison in his body milder. The milder it got the more he could stand to be around the flower.
Luo Meili nodded as she gently smiled at Bolin which for some reason made him feel an extreme fear that was a hundred times more terrifying than what he got from the hundred moon-cleansing hawthorn.
The rest as if on cue started handing Haishi and Bolin cultivation resources as gifts which surprised them as they were no less precious than what Yang Qing gave.
Bolin and Haishi soon forgot themselves as they gave a daoist salutes of thanks that Feng Xin had briefly taught them. Though Haishi''s salutes looked odd as she had no fingers to form a fist or a vertical palm. It created a fewughs that added a little warmness to the party.
Chapter 98 98: Roaming Inquisitors
?Ellie was hidden in the trees cautiously eyeing the party going on. She had an envious greedy look to her as she wanted toe and eat her fill with all the food spread about. Though asionally her eyesight would fall on Haishi though it was not a look one would give a potential teammate.
She was already on thin ice with Yang Qing, especially from the earlier debacle where she tried to nab some of his fish from the pond. She was not sure she would escape alive if she made an appearance. She didn''t want to test it.
The party was already in full swing as the cloud-swallowing kite by the name of Ellie was undergoing a risk vs reward debate. There wereughs, mingling, food being passed around, gazes being traded every now and then and wine being refilled every few seconds. It was an all-jolly mood. The two subjects of the party were nodding and bowing every now and then as they exchanged a few words. Both Haishi and Bolin were given voice transmission beads fashioned as small amulets around their necks.
¡..
"You must be pleased with yourself for having new subordinates to help lessen your workload," Kang Hung snidely remarked with clear envy rife in his tone.
Yang Qing had already left his role as the host as he sat with the other five judges; Kang Hung, Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, Xia Boqin, and Yu Huifang.
Yi Jie was closely monitoring the hundred-leaf sugar cane wine that looked almost done while Feng Xin was hard at work barbecuing the thin strips of the rapid snapper cotton mouth.
"Of course I am, why wouldn''t I be after getting such capable subordinates," Yang Qing smugly said trying to stoke Kang Hung''s envy further.
The ploy didn''t seem to have worked as Kang Hung started smiling soon after.
"Too bad the new subordinates won''t get to be with their boss much since he just got a promotion. Waite to think of it you''ll have to work alone since most of your team still hasn''t reached the requirements for your new post.
How will you survive Yang Qing, my dear friend," Kang Hung said with fake pity stered on his face.
Yang Qing who was acting like a smug cockerel a few minutes ago slumped down in his seat as he had on a serious solemn look that was soon destroyed with a red braised pork in his hand.
The manpower issue was something he had to ponder seriously. He was the only one in his team with a pce stage cultivation realm. About the only one who coulde with him was Yi Jie who was in the quasi-pce stage and had proved to have enoughbat ability to guarantee his life against an early-stage pce stage cultivator. The rest would be hard-pressed to do so. However, the only person who could go with him to handle pce court cases was about to go into seclusion. He would have to make due on his own for a couple of months before Yi Jie could join him.
"But even if Yi Jie reaches the pce realm we will still be severely undermanned. No.. no... I will have to intensify Feng Xin''s training further to make sure he joins up," Yang Qing thought as he threw a determined menacing gaze in Feng Xin''s direction.
Feng Xin who was joyfully barbecuing the rapid snapper cotton mouth making sure it was crisp while he whistled joyfully had his body suddenly freeze. He had detected something ominous heading his way which made him hurriedly turn his head only to meet Yang Qing''s determined look.
"What''s he up to? Has he decided to use force to get the rest of the green-flowered babirusa? No, I will have to stash it in the Order''s treasury. It costs a few spirit stones a year to store anything there but it''s safer there than with me especially now that Yang Qing has set his greedy eyes on it.
Shame on you Yang Qing, just because I owe you a few thousand spirit stones and made you take out the vermilion wine you want to get your hands on the rest of the babirusa. Dream on," Feng Xin thought as he threw Yang Qing a supercilious look and went back to his ''true calling''.
"This bastard," Yang Qing ground his teeth as he saw the look Feng Xin gave him.
"You know you will be given roaming inquisitors once youe to the pce courts right?" Dai Chen said once he saw Yang Qing''s state.
"I know but ordering them around will feel awkward for me considering they are my seniors. I prefer ordering Yi Jie and the rest around with zero weight on my conscience but as for the roaming inquisitors¡" Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh once his thoughts reached this point. He would actually have to pull his own weight as opposed to shamelessly throwing a job here and there to his team for a fee of course.
Other than that the manpower issue was still a factor. Whenever someone got promoted to the pce courts they would be assigned roaming inquisitors if they were the only ones in their team who had reached the necessary requirements to be promoted to the pce courts. The judges usually had more requirementspared to their inquisitor counterparts who only needed pce-levelbat strength to be promoted while judges had other factors to be evaluated on such as the grades they got on the judgments they passed on their cases.
Roaming inquisitors were inquisitors who were not assigned to a particr judge. They were usually rotated around the courts to fill in ces where there was a severe manpower shortage such as filling in as temporary inquisitors for a newly promoted judge who didn''t have his/her team with him/her or acting as a temporary recement for a team that has had high injuries or fatalities.
Despite the spike in growth, the Order is still severely undermanned making roaming inquisitors a scarce resource. Each judge was allowed only two roaming inquisitors. They would have to make do with the two toplete all cases in their docket.
This was Yang Qing''s biggest worry since the cases do not reduce just because he was short on teammates. The targets still remained and worse he had heard newbies were usually assigned all the walk-in cases adding more cases to the already enormous load.
"By the way, I heard Lai Lei will be out soon. Tell him he can use my green me forest to recuperate when he is out. It has not reached its true potential yet but it should offerfortable sleeppared to the mats in the medicine pavilion," Yang Qing suddenly said when the inquisitor dilemma made him realize Lai Lei the quasi-pce stage inquisitor who got ambushed a couple of months ago by 10 quasi pce stage experts was about to be released.
He had suffered grievous injuries throughout his body but the most serious one was the cracks in his dantian. Luckily for him, the Order''s medicine pavilion had some of the best alchemists and medical experts out there with a few of them reaching the gold grade. His dantian got mended in eight months mainly in due part to their techniques and avable resources but also because the damage wasn''t as severe as far as cracked dantians go. He was about to be released from the medicine pavilion in a week''s time.
"I offer my thanks on his behalf I''m sure he will appreciate it," Dai Chen said as he still had his usual wild smile on his face however all present could detect the mild trembling in his pupils.
"You don''t have to pretend. It''s us," Yu Huifang who was seated next to him gently said as she ced her hand on his back.
"I won''t say much but when the timees bring me along," Kang Hung solemnly said with battle intent flickering in his eyes.
"Me too," said the rest as they collectively echoed Kang Hung''s intention.
"I will have to impose on you all when the timees," Dai Chen said as he raised his wine urn. The other judges raised theirs as they clinked them together. However, Zhang Qingge looked rather odd since she was shorter than the rest she had to prop herself up on the table so her wine urn could reach the rest.
"TO A GREAT HUNT AND RETRIBUTION," they all collectively said as they swallowed the wines in their hands.
Just as the six judges were stewing in their camaraderie, a yellow-green figure blitzed from the green me tree crashing into the middle of Yang Qing''s table.
"Can''t you atleast try to be gentler in yournding?!!" Yang Qing furiously yelled as he poked the yellow-green round figure in the middle of the table.
"It''s too much work," The yellow-green round figure said as it projected its sound around the table. It didn''t so much as bother to move as ity therezily looking around.
Chapter 99 99: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (1)
?The yellow-green round creature looked like a weaver bird however it had a few distinctive features that separated it from regr weavers. For one was its excessively rotund body that made it look more like a sheep than a bird as its feathers even seemed fluffier than wool.
The creature looked to be about two and a half meters in diameter, it was round all over that even spotting its neck and legs proved difficult. However, despite its goofy look, it had a regal bearing to it. Its eyes were deep ck holding a sense of profoundness in them as a cluster of stars asionally flickered in its eyes. Its eyes seemed to be like a neb. At its head, it had what looked like an imprint of a purple crown.
With those two distinctive features, any cultivator off the street would know what creature this was, a celestial nesting weaver bird. It was a spirit beast with a superior bloodline that matched the likes of golden roc, ck tortoise, phoenix, kunpeng, dragons, and vermilion birds ¡creatures known to be the apex among spirit beasts.
However, unlike its fellow top-tier bloodlinepatriots, the celestial nesting weaver was utterly uselessbat-wise. Its fortey in sniffing out treasures and using them to build a godly nest that would outmatch any abode out there including even those in holynds. It was a creature driven by the desire to create the mostfortable space to live other than that it wasn''t bothered by anything else including even taking care of its young. It was why their poption was so pitifully few ignoring the constraints of coption thates with spirit beasts that have powerful bloodlines. Celestial nesting weavers would kick out their young immediately after they hatch to avoid worrying about feeding them or raising them since it''s a chore when that time could be spent sleeping or making the nestfier.
The younglings have to start living by themselves with the pitiful scraps their parents leave them with. Though the definition of scraps in a celestial nesting weaver''s eye is vastly different from most creatures out there. To them, anything in the lower ranks of sky grade might as well be dung, so whatever scraps the parents threw to their young was well enough to sustain them in their younger years or get them killed if they drew some greedy cultivator''s or spirit beast''s eyes.
"So what are you doing here? It''s not like you to make an appearance especially since there''s not much that may catch your eye here," Yang Qing exasperatedly asked as he rolled the celestial nesting weaver off the table onto the ground and went on to use it as a footstool.
Despite its clear annoyance at being used as a footstool, the celestial nesting weaver didn''t even bother to move. It rolled its eyes however halfway through it felt it was a bother so it just returned its gaze back to normal.
"I sensed something interesting," said the celestial nesting weaver as its gaze trailed to where Haishi and Bolin were.
Yang Qing found its gaze strange since due to itszy nature even eating was usually a bother to it not unless the food was some precious herb that drew its eye. But Yang Qing knew its temperament very well, there was nothing here that would draw its attention that it would decide to leave thefort of its nest and forego sleep.
The celestial nesting weaver has been with him for the past six years. He had once won an award that let him pick one treasure from the Order''s treasury and after going through the catalog of things he could pick, it was a no-brainer to him. The celestial nesting weaver was the best choice and nothing else came close.
With the Order''s stingy nature of giving out almost bare abodes having a creature whose talenty in creating a heavenly abode was the greatest gift he could have and he also felt a sense of kindred kinship with the bird in their love for sleep andfort. At the time all he saw was a kingly abode and ignored the expense of having such a choosey bird that refuses any material below high-rank sky grade in building its nest.
Most of his merit points and ie are spent on buying precious materials for the celestial nesting weaver to use for its nest which unlike its currentckluster nature gets very verbose as it criticizes every single material causing Yang Qing no small amount of endless grief. However, despite its critical nature, it lives up to its reputation. Ever since Yang Qing started living there much to its displeasure, he has never once spent time in his courtyard.
The quality andfort were miles apart. Infact it was in part due to that nest that he got enough umtion to breakthrough to the pce stage. Everything within that nest was geared towardfort. Comfort in cultivating, breathing, sleeping, eating anything that could be done would be donefortably while in that nest. The nest was suffused with the celestial nesting weaver''s dao, the dao of restful sce.
Since the celestial nesting weaver was already stronger than Yang Qing cultivation-wise, it was at the fourth stage of the pce real when Yang Qing was just at the peak of the core formation realm at the time, he benefited much from interacting with its rich dao-filled nest.
"Yaoting, you seem fluffier every time I see you," Zhang Qingge said as she buried her head in his feathers with her small body which made it roll away from Yang Qing''s feet.
"It''s only natural," Yaoting the celestial nesting weaver said smugly taking Zhang Qingge''s statement as aplement. It also seemed to rather enjoy her head rubbing on its feathers like a cat whose back ear was being rubbed.
The celestial nesting weaver was an extremely prideful bird despite itszy nature. It rarely allows people to get within a few feet of it let alone touch it. It tolerated Yang Qing since in its eyes he was its human servant and letting him stay in its nest could be considered payment and Yang Qing was ultimately too shameless.
Other than Yang Qing it was actually receptive to Zhang Qingge for some reason and Xia Boqin. Though in the case of thetter was mostly his noble temperament that the celestial nesting weaver admired. It actually much preferred if Xia Boqin would have been its human servantpared to Yang Qing who was aplete slob. It was also because of this reason it disliked Kang Hung, who in its eyes was just another Yang Qing except with yellow hair.
¡
"You''re not interested in the rainbow mist toad are you?" Yang Qing curiously asked when he saw the celestial nesting weaver''s eyes still darting in that direction.
"That toad might seem important to you humans but not to me. My attention is on the mirage dragonfly next to it¡.it''s origins don''t seem simple. It may not have a lofty bloodline like mine but it''s barely passable to be ranked first-rate. It''s actually its seals that interest me, they seem rather ingenious," said the celestial nesting weaver as its eyes twinkled and its crown shed in a brief purple light.
"Haishi? Was there something I missed?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but mutter curiously. The rest of the judges also curiously stared at it. Some may distrust or even hate the celestial nesting weaver''s pompous guts (Kang Hung) but they knew its appraisal ability was always on the mark.
"Bolin can youe here for a second," Yang Qing decided to call Bolin over when he still struggled to spot anything off with Haishi. He hoped Bolin might know a few details about her despite spirit beasts being wary and distant to each other.
Bolin and Haishi had noticed the moment the celestial nesting weaver appeared as they felt an innate suppressioning from it. That suppression came from deep within their souls making them feel they were unworthy to be in its presence. This wasn''t a cultivation realm suppression but a bloodline one. Though Haishi seemed to fair a bit betterpared to Bolin whose whole back was covered in sweat and his legs buckling as if he wanted to kneel.
"Restrain your aura will you," Yang Qing said once he saw Bolin''s struggle walking over.
"Why should I?" the celestial nesting weaver pompously said.
"I''ll fill your nest with earth-rank herbs if you don''t," Yang Qing said not missing a beat.
"YANG QING!!! You would dare?" the celestial nesting weaver said in shock mixed with anger.
"You know very well the answer to that. Now, will you do it or not?" Yang Qing coolly said.
It didn''t take long before the celestial nesting weaver decided to give in and reign back its aura which came as a relief to Bolin who finally made it to the table.
Even though the aura was not there the suppression didn''t disappearpletely as it still felt the urge to kneel before the rotund celestial weaver that had narrowed crescent eyes as it relished Zhang Qingge''s head rub.
"Do you know much about Haishi?" Yang Qing asked without beating around the bush.
"I''m sorry Master Yang Qing there''s not much I know about her other than what the rest of the spirit beasts may know. Infact I may know less than the rest since I was mostly a recluse and barely left myir," Bolin said with an embarrassed smile.
"Tell me about the little you know even silly rumors can count," Yang Qing gently said.
"Well, there was the odd partnership between her and the green-flowered babirusa. The babirusa was usually temperamental and territorial when it came to food but for some reason, it let her tag along despite her being weaker. That partnership was always rather strange.
Other than that the only other strange thing is how she has survived this long or how she even became a core formation realm spirit beast. As far as I can tell she has littlebat experience which in and of itself is something strange in a ce as vtile as the green fog region.
Everything around her is shrouded in secrecy. We spirit beasts avoid each other but we are atleast roughly aware of each other''s territories so as to avoid conflict or trigger one through expansion. This case is especially observed by spirit beasts in the early stages of the core formation realm who constantly seek each other out for battle.
However in her case no spirit beast even knows where she lives, the only other spirit beasts whoseirs are veiled in secrecy are the three false kings and the overlord of the eighth zone. But in the case of the three false kings, we atleast know their sphere of influence and as for the overlord, no one dares to find out.
Now that I think about it the only evidence of Haishi being seen was only when she was trailing the babirusa. Her whereabouts before and after arepletely unknown then again I''m not the most reliable when ites to information but I have a friend who may know more though his identity is a little sensitive," Bolin said with a little caution.
"Who is it?" Yang Qing curiously asked when he saw Bolin''s strange look.
"The green sh viper that escaped from master Feng Xin. He is also one of the three false kings," Bolin said after some hesitation.
Chapter 100 100: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (2)
?"False kings huh? They sound like really big deals?" Zheng Hu at some point had already shown up at Yang Qing''s table with Feng Xin not far behind with a bowl filled with the barbecued rapid snapper cottonmouth.
Yang Qing who had been focused on the false kings had his attention stolen as he gulped with his gaze glued on the piping hot crispy brown thin stripped meat. Luckily at the back of his mind, he still remembered that he was the host as he handed out green smooth bamboo chopsticks and divided up the rapid snapper cotton mouth in round wooden shaped bowls.
"Bolin I''m not too sure if you want any?" Yang Qing cautiously asked. This was a grey area for him. On one hand, spirit beasts killed and ate each other but on the other, he didn''t know maybe they had some sort of friendship so it may be odd to offer a friend for him to eat. He wasn''t sure where spirit beasts drew the line on eating each other.
"I humbly ept your gracious offer master Yang Qing and you too master Feng Xin for preparing it," Bolin as he cupped his fists in thanks.
"The rapid snapper cotton mouth was no friend of mine. One could even consider us enemies due to our rtions though if he was a friend I''d still eat him with no qualms. For spirit beasts, though I don''t speak for all but in the green fog region we do mourn our lostpatriots but we will still eat them after. It''s not that we are heartless but once we reach the core formation realm it takes almost a century before our body dposes and in that time some other spirit beast may eat us. If that''s the case better a friend eats me than a stranger. We think of it as the final thing we can do to help a friend on both sides of the table. One friend helps the other get stronger and increase their survivability and the other gives his/her friend the dignity of passing by doing a noble deed and not end up in some rival spirit beasts stomach," Bolin added seemingly reading Yang Qing''s thoughts.
"That''s an interesting culture," Mao Yunru said. She had arrived at some point when the barbecued meat of the rapid snapper cotton mouth was being served. She decided to join Zhang Qingge in petting the celestial nesting weaver.
Yi Jie came too with his cauldron in hand. Though it had morphed into an almost human size wine gourd. It had reached half his height and was propped in between one of his elbows.
The rest of the guests as if they had a prior agreement started moving their tables and chairs closer to where Yang Qing and the rest were. Before this, the tables were widely spread over the abnormallyrge porch however currently they all seemed to circle the firece like a close-knit campfire with only a few feet of gap for someone to pass through.
Yang Qing on seeing this raised his palm which had a small half-moon symbol appearing on it and pointed it towards the dining table that had all the food spread about. The table started moving gently towards them before stopping a few feet from them.
"Yi Jie the wine," Yang Qing greedily said as he cozily sat down with the bowl of barbecued rapid snapper cotton mouth in hand.
Dai Chen''s eyes also lit up at the mention of wine as he ferociously licked his lips as Yu Huifang shook her head at his current look.
"Pour for it one too. It hates to admit it but it likes your wine," Yang Qing said as he pointed toward the celestial nesting weaver.
"Good human servant," the celestial nesting weaver thought as it gave Yang Qing a nod of approval one would give an underling for perfectly doing a menial task. Yang Qing chose to conveniently ignore it.
POP
Yi Jie uncorked the wine gourd as he skillfully poured a crystal clear wine that had tinges of blue in it onto the wine urns ced around the table. The scent of the wine was refreshing and adding the nature look of Yang Qing''s abode it made one think they wereyingzily on the grass to the sound of a gently flowing river by their feet.
"Yi Jie you really outdid yourself¡.When you get time please make another barrel for me," Dai Chen who couldn''t hold himself back excitingly said as he took another sip of the wine.
The wine was gentle and mellow but it also had a pleasant heaviness to it. Everyone present couldn''t help but have their eyes light up when they had a sip except for Cao Ying and his friends who couldn''t have any due to their low cultivation realm.
The hundred-leaf sugarcane wine may be gentle but should anyone below the core formation realm drink even a sip of it they would feel like an exploding volcano filled with turbulent energy. The energy contained in the wine was too much for Cao Ying and the rest to handle. Thus they could only look on enviously as they munched on the spring rolls and some ginseng tea. Though Feng Xin was kind enough to give them a few pieces of the rapid snapper cottonmouth.
"Yi Jie you can stay in my nest for a month," the celestial nesting weaver offhandedly said as it rolled over to take another sip of its wine. It couldn''t be bothered to hold the wine urn with its wings when it could conveniently roll over with little effort.
"Thanks," said Yi Jie as he nodded in gratitude.
"Thiszy thing must have really been pleased with the wine..well that works well for me since I had intended for it to let Yi Jie stay over to increase his chances of breaking through to the pce stage faster. This saves me the treasures that I would have spent convincing it," Yang Qing gleefully thought.
"So the false kings who are they?" Zheng Hu asked. The rest paid apt attention too as they ate their barbecued meat with the hundred leaf sugar cane wine.
The Order had no presence in the green fog region and it wasn''t only them but other organizations and sects too. The green fog region was recognized as a spirit beast territory that no human would dream of conquering not unless the two holynds tried their hand. Though with the map drawn by the soul formation adventurer highlighting the region''s power distribution, it was a doubt that even the holynds would dare try their hands in that ce especially considering there was a zone that even the soul formation expert didn''t dare step into. Just the boundary itself had made the soul formation expert stay rooted for a month before he used every willpower he had just to move. It, therefore, became evident how dangerous the green fog region could be.
"They are the rulers of the region we stay in. They are spirit beasts who have won the approval and fear of all the spirit beasts in the region due to their ferocious might. There are three in total and the youngest of them is Li Lun, the green sh viper, followed by Liao Ying the ck cosmos caiman, andstly Su Gen the dystopian gaze turtle.
Dong Gen is the oldest of the three. As far as I can remember he has always been a false king for the past three thousand years firmly retaining his position while Li Lun and Liao Ying rose into prominence in the past hundred years or so," Bolin paused a bit to take a sip of the wine as he felt a bit unnerved having so many pair of eyes on him.
"So the green sh viper is a false king. Exins how he managed to escape me," said Feng Xin.
"Could you gauge his realm?" Kang Hung asked as he ate the rapid snapper cotton mouth with relish.
"Probably just broke through to the 9th stage core formation realm," Feng Xin said as he held his chin in contemtion.
"If he is at the 9th stage and he is the youngest then the rest might be at the 10th stage maybe the dystopian gaze turtle is at the peak stage of the core formation realm since he is the oldest and has retained the title of false king the longest. Has your friend Li Lun ever met the turtle, if so what did he say the turtle''s realm was?" asked Zheng Hu.
"Li Lun met him once when his renowned got far and wide for him to be dubbed a false king. He had gone to challenge the dystopian gaze turtle however not a single word of what happened in their duel got out including even the location. When I asked Li Lun what happened, he never gave a response but his whole attitude changed. He got more reserved and reigned in himself. He mostly concerned himself with cultivating instead of making a name for himself.
I can only guess something must have happened in the duel to make him change so much. Though he wasn''t even injured from the duel which made it even stranger.
Of the three false kings, Dong Gen is not only the oldest but also the most mysterious. He has no subordinates and no fixed territory to speak of," said Bolin.
"That turtle may not be simple," said Yi Jie.
"With their strength why are they false kings though?" Cao Ying asked as his eyes shown in excitement. He had not yet decided which route he would go once he finished his studies. Hearing the tale of the green fog region had him leaning more to the inquisitor''s side so he could see the sights and make a name for himself.
"It''s because though they are strong they are not the strongest. There is a true overlord of that region that I think even the three of thembined can''t hope to defeat him.
I saw him once when I broke through to the core formation realm. Just his gaze alone knocked me unconscious. I''m not even sure why he left me alive. Maybe I was beneath his attention. That was the scariest moment of my life. It was why I became a recluse," Bolin self-deprecatingly said. He still gets terrors and ckouts when he thinks of that experience.
"The green fog region is really as dangerous as the senior said. Feng Xin, you may be lucky you didn''t stumble onto it as even you might have to go all out to escape it. What''s a spirit beast of that level doing in the eighth zone? I wonder if¡," Yang Qing said as his eyes shed.
"What about the second false king, the ck cosmos caiman how is he?" Cao Ying askedpletely engrossed in the power scaling.
"Treacherous, violent, bloodthirsty, greedy, maddened with power, cunning and cowardly. He is more.." Bolin was already trembling with anger before he hurriedly closed his mouth because his next words wouldn''t bode well for the presentpany.
"Human than spirit beast is what you wanted to say," Yang Qing said as he yfully smiled.
"Master I..I..I¡," Bolin stammered not knowing what to say.
"It''s okay you are not wrong we are that way. It seems the one to be wary of is the ck cosmos caiman and not the rest," gently said Yang Qing.
¡
A million miles away in a foggy forest, a creature could be seen limping and wheezing as it painfully dragged something by its mouth. The area was filled with destroyed trees and broken ground like a terrifying battle had just taken ce.
"Li Lun I can''t believe you hid your power so well,"
Chapter 101 101: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (3)
?A slender long almost green gem-like figure was being dragged in the mouth of a caiman that had deep wounds all over its body. One of its eyes was a bleeding hole, there were deep gashing wounds that revealed its internal organs and bone and it was missing half its tail. In addition, there were deep white frost marks on some of its wounds.
As for the slender green gem-like figure, half of its body seemed to be encased in ice and it had acerated hole in its head almost as if something violently exploded there.
Bleergh!
The caiman vomited a pool of blood as it viciously and cautiously eyed its surrounding.
"I MAY BE INJURED BUT I''M STILL MORE THAN CAPABLE OF HANDLING A FEW SMALL FRIES.
Come at me at your own peril, "roared the caiman.
No sooner had it made that statement than it was ambushed by three spirit beasts. One of them was a chameleon with green glowing thorns all over its body, the other was a 30-meter praying mantis that had saber-like arms that seemed to have been soaked in blood due to the red tinge they had and thest spirit beast was a two-headed vulture that seemed blind in all its eyes with its grey cloudy eyes with no pupils.
As if on tacit understanding they all rushed the caiman from different sides while matching their speeds and distance so no one spirit beast arrives earlier than the rest however it was all for naught because when they were just a few meters away they got drowned by a dark waterfall curtain produced from the caiman''s body. It dissected their bodies like a knife through butter. The three spirit beasts were dead before they hit the ground.
"Anyone else want to try me?" the caiman madly roared as it viciously eyed its surroundings. The only response it got was a cold silence.
Hmmph!
It picked up the slender green gem-like viper into its mouth and continued walking albeit at a slow-motioned pace.
It only managed to walk a couple of more steps ahead before it had to drop the green viper from its mouth as it wheezed and panted.
"Li Lun you really are a vicious bastard. Other than hiding your ninth base cultivation realm you even detonated your wisdom pearl. What happened to supporting each other as fellow false kings," said the caiman. One could hear the derision in his tone as he said the words, false kings.
Within the pupils that were filled with anger, there was also a visible tremble of fear as he eyed the frosted side of the viper.
"I wonder who did this? I don''t know if I should thank them or hate them. If you were not injured things may not have ended the way I wanted but such an injury was even difficult for me to solve with my devouring ability. Half of the flesh gone to waste just like that," said the ck cosmos caiman with a tinge of fear and regret.
Despite the green sh viper being injured, the battle had been hard fought to the bitter end with the caiman narrowly winning as it ended up with injuries that may take atleast a few decades to heal despite spirit beasts having high vitality and regenerative capabilities.
In addition to the injuries caused by the green sh viper, it also received a new one when it tried to devour the frosting ice from the green sh viper''s body. The attack rebounded on it that it had to terminate the process before it was at risk of being frozen too just like the green sh viper.
"Without Li Lun holding it back I only have a few hours before his whole corpse is covered in ice. If that happens then I will have really made this trip for nothing¡
A few hours should be enough to get to myir. Li Lun I hope you have enough energy in your body to push me to the peak then it will not be toote to settle ounts with that bastard alligator or maybe I will pay a visit to the turtle and increase my odds but before that, there is another ce I have to visit.
Green fog swamp sect you still have a debt to pay. Now that I know your general whereabouts you will be my first stop zekekekekekeke.
I LIAO YING will be the true ruler of this region," the ck cosmos caiman ferociously said with a maddened craving for power shing in his eyes.
He picked up the green sh viper before he was enveloped in darkness and disappeared.
.....
Somewhere in the eighth zone of the green fog region.
"The tremors have stopped. It seems that little arrogant Liao Ying won. I thought the viper had potential too bad its luck seems to have run out," an ancient deep slow voice sounded in an area that had a smallke filled with yellow leaves on top that made it hard to see what was below.
The area was surrounded by green fog however there was a bit of sunlight cascading down adding a gentle glow to theke.
By theke was an open patch of grass forming a 500-meter radius around theke. However, within that patch, there were two things that stood out. One of them was a small hill that was about 50 meters. The hill was dull grey but asionally it would have red trickling lines form on it like pulsating veins and strange runes.
Right next to the strange hill was an enormous tree that had the girth of an elephant with a height of 100 meters. It was the source of the yellow leaves filling theke. However, what stood out about it wasn''t its huge girth but the red pearls forming from its branches. Inside those red pearls were tiny orange mes dancing around. Any alchemist worth his cauldron would definitely know what this tree was, it was a red pearl tree.
Just like its name, it was a tree that formed red pearls instead of fruits. Without even consuming it, the red pearls had soul-soothing and strengthening effects just like the earthvine wood except the red pearls were a hundred times better since those pearls could only be produced by a red pearl tree that was in the monarch grade. The number of red pearl fruits formed showed how high up the monarch grade the tree was. The red pearl tree by theke had a hundred of them showing it was a high-grade monarch rank tree.
It was unheard of for a tree of this level to be present in zone eight as trees and other herbs that were on the higher end of the monarch grade were usually spotted in the deeper parts of zone seven or zone six and above. Yet here it stood, vibrant and creating a meditation hallowed ground.
Theke that was calm started trembling and warping as if a crevice was forming from an earthquake and volcanic eruptionbined. Two golden eyes appeared above the surface while beneath was a dark shadow whose size seemed to have covered the wholeke. The moment the golden eyes appeared the hill trembled as a head appeared from it. It was a turtle''s head filled with red wave symbols on its forehead but when it opened its eyes a river of blood seemed to be flowing in its pupils that even the air had a metallic blood smell.
"Do you think he is stupid enough toe here Su Gen?" a majestic gentle voice came from the golden-eyed creature. Though it was gentle, the mes in the red pearls kept swaying as if in jubtion at theing of their king.
"He might be? He might have tried to hide it well but that ambitious and vindictive heart of his was still there to see even when he was crying and begging you to spare his life. I can only assume it has grown further ever since then especially with him bing a false king¡who knows I might even be his next target now that he is done with the viper," said the hill-sized turtle by the name of Su Gen.
"I left him alive precisely because of that personality of his. With a character like that making loud noises less attention would be ced on me. But if he decides to bare his weak fangs well.....it''s too much trouble, Su Gen you deal with it as a fellow false king," the golden-eyed creature said as it lightly chuckled which sent shock waves around theke revealing a part of its body that was covered in golden scales.
"Surely you jest my king. Getting that title was the best way to contain information flow in this zone. I have no intention ofpeting with little children for fame or territory," Su Gen said as he smiled in embarrassment.
"I''m not a king anymore. Here I''m just Ren Qiang. A loser who lost a battle for supremacy in the sixth zone that I had to run away all the way down here in the eighth zone just to preserve my life," the golden-eyed creature said as he ruefully sighed.
"King you only lost because.." just as Su Gen was about to continue he got interrupted.
"It''s okay Su Gen, whether I was ambushed by a group doesn''t change the fact that I lost. All''s fair in war. But don''t worry we will soon return to where we belong. The red pearl tree and the clear soul-quenchingke have helped in mending my wisdom pearl. It should only be a matter of time before it''s fully restored. In the meantime, I leave the rest to you old friend, the only one to stick by me despite my fall from grace," the golden-eyed creature gently and tiredly said before his body got submerged. Despite the fatigue in its tone, its majesty still remained.
"As you wish my king," Su Gen said as his head once again shrunk back into his body and the prior tranquil calmness was restored.
...¡
Deeper zone of the green fog region.
There was a young man and a young woman seated next to each other with the young woman leaning her head into the young man''s chest. They were all epitomes of beauty and gentle elegance.
The young man had long smooth flowing crystalline hair that looked like it was made of the purest water. He had on pure white robes that looked to have been made of insect wing-like material. His skin was fair with a gentle smile and a tranquil look. The youngdy equally matched him in look and temperament though her gentleness seemed more motherly. She too had the same crystalline hair tied and held together with a pin that looked to have one-half of an insect wing attached to it. Their eyes were what stood out the most as they had irises that wereposed of different colors. The bottom part was purple with a hint of blue while the sides had hints of orange with the top being clear like the surface of water.
They were currently staring at a garden that would have driven the entire southern continent wild as the garden was filled with hundreds and hundreds of ascendant-grade herbs. Of these herbs, most were at the top level of the ascendant grade. At the center of the field, there were two herbs that stood out. It seemed like all the ascendant herbs were paying obeisance to them.
One of them was a purple lotus and the other was a blue flower that was about 3 meters tall surrounded by a starlight dome.
"It seems like our silly daughter has left. The sensors we ced in herir haven''t lit up in quite a while," The young man softly said.
"I hope she did. She spent way too much time in there alone. I was even tempted a couple of times to go bring her here," the young woman said with worry and a hint of relief in her tone.
"You know we can''t," the young man gently said as hefortingly patted the young woman''s shoulders.
"I know but still.." the young woman said with guilt flooding her eyes.
"She''ll be okay. let her go and see the world and in case anything happens there are still the seals we ced on her that should protect her even against an early-stage soul formation expert," said the young man.
"We have failed that girl. We didn''t even get to tell her the name we gave her,"
"I think her choosing a name she loves is the best thing. When the timees we can go ask her ourselves. The tracker we ced on her is still active though it seems to be veiled by a powerful barrier. I can only roughly tell which side of the continent she is in.
We can go search for her when our guard shift ends and the other partyes to rece us," said the young man in an attempt to ease the young woman beside him. It seemed to have worked as she seemed less ill at ease.
"Okay," said the young woman.
Chapter 102 102: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (4)
?The youngdy paused as if suddenly recollecting something
"Maybe we can get that human cultivator who once came here to show us around. He owes us for saving his life otherwise if he had budged in here while the raven was on duty or any other of the rest then despite what tricks he had on him as an early soul formation expert, his life would be forfeited," said the youngdy as she chuckled remembering how rooted in fear the cultivator had been just from the release of their auras.
"Jinhai isn''t that bad. He is just serious and dutiful in his work," said the young man trying to defend his friend.
"Among us thirteen fog supremes only you get along with him well," said the youngdy.
But just as the young man was about to reply both he and the youngdy hurriedly stood up as a faint green light shed beyond the garden. There was an otherworldly celestial light being produced from the green light.
The purple lotus produced a huge purple mist as the blue flower dispersed its starlight dome making the whole scene seem like an explosion of stars in a purple sky.
The young man and thedy hurriedly knelt as they bowed their heads with extreme reverence pouring from them.
A few secondster the celestial light and the green shing disappeared and the purple lotus and blue flower went back to their earlier looks.
"It seems the queen''s seclusion is almost over," said the young man who still didn''t get up despite the light disappearing.
The young woman nodded back as she too retained her kneeling posture with a solemn look.
At this moment in different parts around the deepest part of the green fog region, 11 creatures were all reverentially genuflecting in the direction the celestial light hade from.
...¡.
A few meters from the green fog swamp sect.
A team of around 30 cultivators and a cow could be seen shuttling around the swamp in a coordinated fashion with the young cultivators being sheltered in the middle as they were nked to the front, side, and back by older cultivators.
They all seemed worn out, ragged, and on edge as if they had been in a fight for their lives.
All the cultivators had a symbol of the tupelo tree embroidered on their robes.
"Peng," a middle-aged man with a wizened look addressed the cultivator next to him who had the steadiness of an immovable mountain.
The two cultivators were Cheng Yuan and Peng Zhen respectively and the green-leafed cow holding the rear of the formation was Wen Chang.
Once their case was done they decided to make a rush back to their sect so they could settle a couple of affairs and also rent the Tupelo tree before it shut off into hibernation.
The Order had graciously transported them using one of their airships halfway which was what helped themplete their journey back to the sect in a single day when it would have taken them three days if they used their own means.
They had thought the trip back would be the same as usual. With Cheng Yuan''s core formation realm cultivation, they would deter most of the beasts in zone ten and nine then they would have to be only weary of the beasts in zone eight since they were mostly in the core formation realm.
However, all hell broke loose the moment they stepped into the green fog region. Zone ten which usually only had spirit beasts that were in the qi refining realm was now filled with spirit beasts in the foundation stage.
Normally when spirit beasts in the qi refining stage and the foundation establishment stage detected someone at the core formation realm they would avoid them but this time as if in a maddened frenzy, Cheng Yuan''s team got attacked despite him releasing his cultivation pressure to warn them off.
When they got into zone nine the situation only seemed to get worse as the area was filled with peak foundation spirit beasts and even a few early-stage core formation spirit beasts. The moment Cheng Yuan''s group made an appearance they got charged just like in zone ten. The spirit beasts involved in the attack were mostly the peak foundation spirit beasts with only a few of the early-stage core formation spirit beasts joining in. The former attacked from wild frenzy while thetter was trying to fish in troubled waters.
The early stage core formation spirit beasts had made their moves when the fight between Cheng Yuan''s team and the peak foundation spirit beasts got intense hoping to catch their team off-guard and grab a few of the young disciples.
However unlucky for them both Cheng Yuan and Wen Chang had made great strides in their cultivation due to Yang Qing''s intervention. In addition, they had enormous energy in them, especially Cheng Yuan who had the energy-rich foods from the Thousand vor restaurant in his system in addition to the energy from the oolong tea made by a quasi-pce stage expert.
He had a surplus of energy to burn which helped him in confronting the core formation spirit beasts that were trying their hands as Wen Chang, Peng Zhen, Gui Bingwen, and a few other elders in the team held off the other spirit beasts.
With the experience from the two zones, they stepped into zone eight with extreme caution preparing for a bitter fight to get back to the sect. However, the attacks by stronger spirit beasts they expected to get didn''t happen.
It was eerily quiet that they could hear each other''s breathing as they ran. Only when they moved a little deeper into zone eight did they realize why the area seemed like a graveyard. There were exploded ground, broken trees, and gruesomely torn corpses of spirit beasts widely spread about most likely from unlucky spirit beasts caught up in the attack.
The deeper in they went, the more pronounced the scale of destruction. At first, Cheng Yuan and the rest had no idea what had happened but the more areas of destruction they passed through the grimmer their looks became especially on Peng Zhen''s and Cheng Yuan''s faces.
They detected one of the auras left behind in the destroyed areas. A corroding and devouring aura. It was a bit too familiar to them, one they have not forgotten in over 50 years.
It was only when their sect was almost in sight did Cheng Yuan dared to address Peng Zhen.
"I know. It must be him and by the looks of it he has gotten stronger than when he faced off against master," Peng Zhen said as he clenched his fists together with hatred shing in his eyes.
"Based on the scale of destruction he must have shed against a powerful spirit beast maybe even one of the false kings. Some part of me hopes he is dead while another hopes he is alive so I can skin him myself," Cheng Yuan said as he gritted his teeth and tightly gripped the smooth green longsword in his hand.
"I doubt he is dead. We both saw how cunning and sturdy he is. He more than likely came out of this alive though he may have gotten a few serious injuries that will put him out ofmission for a few years atleast. Cheng, we need to ensure we use that time to get stronger not only us but the sect too.
That vindictive beast will definitely target the sect once it''s healed or it may even decide to do it earlier. We need to prepare as fast as we can. The future of the sect depends on it," Peng Zhen grimly said.
"I know. I intend to go into seclusion immediately and make the most out of the opportunity judge Yang Qing gave me. Luckily Wen Chang made a harvest too, with her present strength and the emerald milk, we will be able to push the sect forward faster than I had calcted.
We really owe judge Yang Qing too much that I don''t know how we can even begin to repay it. The only worrying situation is your life-and-death duels, Peng.
You will be fighting against the elites of the Order. I managed to catch a glimpse of this sleeping dragon and it was a terrifying sight Peng," Cheng Yuan couldn''t help but say with worry in his tone.
"The die has already been cast, there''s not much we can do now. I think we even got off easy. I get to fight against monsters and practice a blue-grade art and all I have to trade is potentially my life. Isn''t that what we cultivators do? Risk our lives for opportunities to grow our strength. In my eyes this isn''t any different infact it''s even a better opportunity than roaming through ruins.
Peng if I die then it only means my talent amounted only to that much. It''s not that much of a loss to the sect. You have Wen Chang now to hold the forte and there is also Shi Rong who if times permits will definitely exceed us both," Peng Zhen said as both he and Cheng Yuan secretly nced at a medium-height youth with tinum silvery white hair and yellow eyes. Other than his hair he didn''t have any features that stood out. He was ordinary looking, with a build that seemed more for a schr than a cultivator. He would be easily assumed in a crowd.
However, it was this ordinary-looking youth who looked to be about 16 or 17 the youngest of the bunch wasn''t breathing heavily and his expression wasn''t fatigued like his fellow disciples. His breathing was even and despite being close to the sect entrance he was still very alert of his surroundings as his eyes kept darting around. But the most striking feature of all was his cultivation base.
His fluctuations showed he was already at the sixth stage of foundation establishment very close to breaking into the seventh stage.
In the eyes of the elders present including Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan his worth was the same as the Tupelo tree, the foundation of their sect. He was also a joint disciple to both Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan and if everything went well, the one to inherit the sect master''s position from Cheng Yuan.
"Okay then," Cheng Yuan said as he refocused his gaze.
"You know Cheng, You keep thinking what will happen if I die but what if I survive those 30 years? Do you know how much gains I will have made if I even manage to survive a single year? Like I said before, I have no intention of losing...I will try to survive to the very end," Peng Zhen said as his eyes shed with battle intent.
Cheng Yuan didn''t say anything and only nodded. But his expression seemed to have eased a bit.
The group soon made their way past the illusory and protection array that hid their sect as they made their way to Peng Zhen''s peak to check on the rest of the sect members that were left behind.
"This...what happened here?" Peng Zhen said in shock as things were much different than he left them.
"When we left this wasn''t here?" said Gui Bingwen equally in shock as he arrived by Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan''s side.
Chapter 103 103: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (5)
?Cheng Yuan whose sword was already drawn started to do a detailed search of the area with his spiritual sense. His expression grew tenser by the second.
"I can''t detect anyone close by, what about you Wen Chang?" Cheng Yuan quickly asked as they shrank their formation and made it tightly knit.
"I h.a.v.e.n.t e.i.t.h.e.r," Wen Chang''s raspy voice sounded. When they left the Order she did not have the voice transmission ball the Order lent her therefore she could only go back to using the cheap voice transmission bead the sect had bought her.
Due to its degraded quality, it made her voice sound like her voice chord had been filled with dry sand.
Cheng Yuan made a silent note to upgrade her voice transmission bead. It was up the priority list of must-do things before he went into seclusion but first they had to determine the situation at hand.
"Can you detect anything past this fog?" Peng Zhen asked as he stared at the white misty fog that surrounded what was once his hall. The fog wasn''t spread anywhere else beyond the hall where he had left the rest of his sect members passed out from the altered poison fog he had used on them.
But now not a single inch of the hall could be seen.
"I can''t detect anything. Every time I try to use my spiritual sense on the fog the only thing I detect is an endless fog and the longer my sense is in contact with the fog the hazier it gets almost as if its being sapped of strength," Cheng Yuan said as he withdrew his spiritual sense.
Just as they were debating on what other means to try, the fog dissipated by itself revealing Peng Zhen''s hall and the already awake sect members who were now outside. By the look of things, they seemed to have been trying to break through the fog. Their weapons were drawn with evidence of attack marks all over.
"Sect master, vice sect master Peng you''re here already..was the fog your doing Peng?" an elderly man with white hair, and an equally white long beard that reached his chest with a rich herb smell on him quickly stepped out from the crowd that just came out of Peng Zhen''s hall.
"Hu Qiu I''m d you''re okay for a second there I didn''t know what to think when I saw that white fog," said Peng Zhen.
"So it wasn''t you?" Hu Qiu asked with a dumbfounded look as he stared around.
"It looks like a temporary formation was ced here by someone and by the look of things the materials were pretty expensive. Just these formation gs themselves are made of high-ranked sky-grade materials. It looks like the formation copsed on its own because the spirit stone used to power it drained," said another elder from the crowd.
In his hand, he held a small pristine white formation g that looked like it was made of pure ice. He had a fanatical gaze as he scrutinized the g from top to bottom over and over.
"It must have been Inquisitor Feng Xin''s doing then," Peng Zhen quickly said the moment he heard the elder''s deductions. Seeing that the formation didn''t attack the other sect members despite their attempts at breaking it, he surmised the array''s intention was istion and protection instead of attack.
Based on those clues and the quality of the materials used and the time that had passed since he left the peak only Feng Xin who must have passed by the sect in search of him could fit the bill.
A look of relief washed over Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan once they came to that conclusion. It had been a rather tense day especially with old enemies resurfacing and potentiallying after them.
"It seems things went well and Hao Ye¡," said Hu Qiu as aplicated look shed in his eyes. It was one of relief, sorrow, and regret.
"He and Jia Tingfeng died at Dong Yanlin''s hands. There is a lot we need to talk about and it can''t wait," Peng Zhen said as he nced at Cheng Yuan who nodded back in agreement.
"Everyone kindly head back to your quarters. I will be holding an all-sect assembly in a few days. Elder Shu Yun kindly take charge for the moment and ensure that the sect is on high alert and closely patrol the sect ground boundaries and the main entrance.
At the slightest sign of disturbance make sure to release the distress talisman. Grab a couple of the inner elders, chief disciples, and outer core elders to make the rounds with you. Also Wen Chang please help her. My mind will be at ease with you helping her," Cheng Yuan said as he addressed a youngdy who looked to be in herte 30s wearing the green and ck robe worn by elders of the green fog swamp sect.
"All core elders are toe with me to my peak immediately for an emergency meeting.
Shi Rong, you will also being along as there are a few things you need to be aware of," said Cheng Yuan as he addressed the tinum white silver-haired youth with yellow eyes and thin schrly build, and an ordinary look.
¡..
A few minutester in the sect master''s meeting hall.
A group of fifteen people was currently seated in lotus positions with arge round table made of a white silver juniper tree at the center.
Of the fifteen members, the majority were old elders with only four being young with Shi Rong being the youngest. But none of the elders present looked down on the four young people in the meeting as they all had the qualifications to be there as core elders. The requirement of being a core elder in the green fog swamp sect was to have a cultivation base that was at least in the ninth stage of the foundation establishment realm.
The only exception was Shi Rong who was at the sixth stage of the foundation establishment realm. However, his current achievements had well earned him a seat with the rest of them. Though he was currently seated behind Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan. He knew though he was invited his part was to listen.
"I will start with the good news first before we get to the graver matters," said Cheng Yuan to start off the meeting.
"First, Wen Chang has made a qualitative improvement in her cultivation as you have all noticed with her current look. She has agreed to cooperate with the sect in supplying the emerald milk.
Elder Mo Ying you will work with her and use the proceeds from the milk sale to clear some of the debts we have while leaving some for the young cultivators'' sect nurturing program. Also, you will use a part of the funds to purchase low-rank sky-grade herbs for Wen Chang while we also try to grow our own.
Elder Hu Qiu, I will need your assistance on the herb growth matter.
I will also be going into seclusion for quite some time as I made a bit of a harvest. In my absence Peng Zhen will handle all matters though he too will asionally be absent so Hu Qiu you will have to leave some of your affairs in the alchemy division to someone else as you handle the sect affairs from time to time," Cheng Yuan rapidly said as Elder Hu Qiu the head of the alchemy division and Elder Mo Ying the head of the logistics division both nodded.
"Now to graver matters. The tupelo tree will be undergoing a metamorphism hibernation and will thus be out ofmission for an indefinite time. We will have to monitor the sect constantly for any miasma leakages without its purifying dome present.
The next two matters are much graver so you need to prepare yourselves," said Cheng Yuan as he paused to eye every member present. The mood turned somber with beads of sweat flowing down a few elders'' faces.
"The ck cosmos caiman who we all know as one of the false kings just had a fight with another powerful spirit beast in this zone. It''s unknown who won but both Peng and I are going on the assumption that the bastard survived and possibly won.
If things go as we have guessed we are more likely its target due to the feud we have from back then when it ate our junior sister Kang Mei and shed against our master, the previous sect leader Tang Shanyuan.
Our master managed to severely injure it but not without paying a price himself that led to his death when heter sumbed to his wounds.
I don''t know how long we have but you all need to work under the assumption it may strike at any moment.
Peng and I will be the ones to face it though it''s extremely cunning so we don''t know what moves it may pull. It may lead other spirit beasts over. You all need to ensure you guide the young ones below you with much more intensity while still working on your own cultivations.
The treasury will be opened to you all including the sect master''s private vault. That together with the emerald milk should help us rapidly improve," just as Cheng Yuan was about to continue, Peng Zhen raised his hand to interject.
"In addition to what the sect master has said, I will also be guiding all elders in specializedbat training. So be prepared, that includes you too Shi Rong," Peng Zhen calmly said.
For some reason, everyone seemed more terrified of Peng Zhen''s news than the one about the possible attack from the ck cosmos caiman.
"As for thest matter well I think it''s better Peng Zhen exins it," Cheng Yuan said as he passed the floor to Peng Zhen.
Chapter 104 104: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (6)
?"I don''t know if Hu Qiu told you much. To some of you, it may havee as a surprise why someone who poisoned you is seated here when what he did is tantamount to betrayal of the sect.
First I want to offer my apologies for poisoning you and keeping you in the dark about certain matters," said Peng Zhen as he got up and bowed.
He was right. Among the elders present, most kept throwing strange looks Peng Zhen''s way throughout the whole meeting. A couple of them even wanted to interrupt the sect master''s speech but the news was too huge for them to interrupt.
"Who you once knew as Dong Yanlin is a member of the scarlet blood ghost hands. He used me and ced a seal on me to try and infiltrate the sect so he can target the tupelo tree.
With him closely monitoring my movements I couldn''t let you all know and could only involve Cheng Yuan, Gui, and Hu Qiu here. The smaller the group the less likely he would notice anything off.
We decided the best cause of action was to lure him out and confront him outside the sect. The dispute with Wen Chang was all a ruse and the involvement of the Order was to leave a path for survival for the sect in case the worst happened.
At the time we didn''t know he was a member of the scarlet blood ghost hands. It was onlyter when Gui, I, and the Tupelo tree almost perished confronting him did we discover that terrifying fact.
Jia Tingfeng and Hao Ye died under his hands. Though they were traitors who put their selfish needs before the sect so it''s no loss to the sect.
We don''t know if Dong Yanlin was working alone or he was under orders. We can only hope he was working alone otherwise if it''s thetter we may have to consider relocating if a monolith such as the scarlet blood ghost hands targets us," Peng Zhen solemnly said.
Everyone within the room was visibly shaken. They already knew about scarlet blood ghost hands from the sect founder''s records and how he had run away from one of their members all the way to the green fog region.
The whole matter sent them all on edge with blood draining from their faces. This was a solid rank 1 organization that was notorious for its unscrupulous means even among underworld organizations. They were just a rank 4 sect, just a sneeze from them was sufficient to blow the green fog swamp sect from existence.
"Things may not turn out as bad as we think. For one Dong Yanlin seemed utterly selfish, greedy, and ambitious so he may have been acting on his own. Even if he wasn''t the matter is now under the Order''s eye seeing how Dong Yanlin is already in their custody," Peng Zhen said trying to lift their moods. It seemed to have worked though the crowd was still petrified some color had returnedd to their skin.
"All right that is all. I will hold an assembly in three days'' time after which I will be going into seclusion," Cheng Yuan said as he closed off the meeting.
All the elders got up and left leaving behind Peng Zhen, Hu Qiu the head of the alchemy division and Shi Rong.
"Shi Rong with me going into seclusion and the Tupelo tree in hibernation you will no longer cultivate on this peak but will instead move to Peng Zhen''s peak and when he is absent you will also be the temporary master of that peak," said Cheng Yuan with his gaze turning gentle from his earlier stern and solemn look.
"I will do as master asks," Shi Rong said as he performed a curt bow.
"Go on then," Cheng Yuan said as he lightly smiled with Peng Zhen showing a softer expression too like watching their grandchild leave.
"That child is a blessing to this sect. I only hope the sect survives to help him reach his true potential," Hu Qiu said as he sighed.
Mmmh.
Both Cheng Yuan and Peng Zhen nodded in agreement.
"With you going into seclusion and things already resolved you will be needing this back," Hu Qiu said as he took out a vial that had a pure white liquid that had an almost ethereal feel to it with a faint cloudy wisp floating above it.
"We really danced by the skin of our teeth," Cheng Yuan said as he took the vial and uncorked it. The white liquid turned to vapor as it diffused into Cheng Yuan''s body via his nose, eyes, and ears.
Cheng Yuan who looked like a haggard old geezer staring at death''s door now suddenly transformed as his skin got tighter and rosier. His greying hair turned glossy ck with only a few greying temples remaining. His body turned firmer and straight like a spear. His eyes were no longer turbid but with a deep ck rity.
"It feels good to get part of my soul back.,"Just as Cheng Yuan was about to continue he quickly froze.
"So that''s the trick you used to seal your memories huh..a soul-splitting technique," azy teasing voice sounded in Cheng Yuan''s mental sea before it manifested into a gigantic image with two moons for eyes.
Cheng Yuan gulped once he saw this figure because he had seen it once before. It was earlier today when Yang Qing intervened before Wen Chang could go berserk.
"Not good sect master Cheng Yuan..I''ll keep this short and quick since this is a timed dy art.
Sect master Cheng Yuan I Judge Yang Qing hereby find you guilty of breaking the full divulging article both willingly and knowingly as such your sentence shall be mmh let''s see the green fog swamp sect is skilled in alchemy and Feng Xin did say the area is filled with all sorts of herbs.
Very well, Cheng Yuan, you shall provide the Order with a botany catalog of the nts in the green fog region. The catalog shall contain a brief physical description of the nt, its habitat, and chemical characteristics.
The grade of nts in your reports shall be left to your discretion whether they are of mortal rank, earth rank or sky rank.
However, do note you will be graded and the better your grade the quicker your sentence will bepleted.
The timing of your sentence is indeterminate. It will only end when the reviewmittee in charge of your supervision decides you have provided results to a satisfactory level. Don''t worry they will give you the grading system they will be working with so you can monitor your progress.
In addition, you can also provide information on current events whether strange or normal that have happened in your zone or any other region you may have information ess to. This will also go towards reducing your sentence so be as detailed and thorough as you can.
That is all. All the best sect master Cheng Yuan. I will now be sealing your mental sea with ten seals. They will be unlocked by the reviewmittee every time you hit a mile mark or target in your sentence.
Goodbye," Yang Qing''s figure burst into mots of lights that congealed together into huge chains filled with white ancient looking scribblings that locked Cheng Yuan''s mental sea as a huge moon and sun floated above the Chains.
Cheng Yuan coughed blood as his skin grew paler.
"Cheng, what''s wrong?" Peng Zhen hurried to Cheng Yuan''s side once he saw him vomit blood with Hu Qiu doing the same.
"Did the reattachment backfire? But it shouldn''t, should it?" said Hu Qiu in a panic.
"It didn''t fail. The Order found out about our little trick and punished me for it," Cheng Yuan said as he ruefully smiled.
"How?" Peng Zhen shockingly asked.
"Judge Yang Qing knew from the very beginning. He seemed to have anticipated it as he ced some sort of time-dyed art on me that would only be triggered if my state changed," Cheng Yuan said as he tried to stabilize himself.
Having his mental sea sealed he felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to his head and eyes. The mental sea was what controlled a cultivator''s spiritual sense without it they couldn''t use their spiritual senses.
A cultivator''s spiritual sense was more reliable than using their eyes, nose, ears or touch when sensing their surroundings. The details one could see through the spiritual sense were much higher and finer no matter whether it was day or night. To a cultivator''s spiritual sense, there was no distinction and the spiritual sense detection only got better the more powerful the cultivator became. It went to the extent that they could even detect budding souls with their spitirual sense such as those in the pce realm.
They could detect the budding spirits of artifacts and weapons. The uses of spiritual sense only got more and more diverse the more powerful one became. It was one of the most integral parts of a cultivator. What most called a cultivator''s intuition was mostly a reflex built from a honed spiritual sense.
Cheng Yuan felt naked and unprotected without his. He had grown so used to having his spiritual sense always activated within a 200-meter radius around him that he now feltpletely exposed and unsafe without it.
Before the seals in his mental sea got unlocked he would have to rely on his eyes and other physical senses to get by.
He quickly informed Peng Zhen and Hu Qiu what his sentencing was before he decided to shut himself off for seclusion. With his mental sea shackled he might as well close himself in and ensure his realm was raised to a sufficient level to increase his odds of survival, especially with the looming threat from the ck cosmos caiman.
Chapter 105 105: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (7)
?Meanwhile in Yang Qing''s courtyard
Yang Qing''s eyes had turned pure white like the moon and it wasn''t only his eyes, his whole body including his hair turned pure white. It seemed like his whole being and even demeanor had transformed into a celestial body more specifically the moon.
There was a tranquil yet solitary sense to him. Some of the people present like the judges and the inquisitors were not surprised to see him in this state as they had seen that form on him more than once.
However, Cao Ying and his friends felt their minds go into a gentle nkness almost as if they were hypnotized. Bolin and Haishi were not doing any better either as they seemed a bit dazed too though theirs was a little bit less severepared to Cao Ying and his fellow institute friends.
About a minuteter Yang Qing''s look went back to normal and with it, the effects that came along with his prior look disappeared.
"Sorry about that," said Yang Qing to Cao Ying and the rest once he noticed their puzzled looks after they hade off their dazed stupor.
They only remembered Yang Qing''s hair color start to transform from his usual green into a pure white color. After that their minds went nk. Bolin and Haishi''s minds went nk a few moments after that when Yang Qing''s eyes turned into two moons.
Bolin couldn''t help but reevaluate this new boss of his, the same applied to Haishi too. From their earlier experience in the green fog swamp, Feng Xin was the scariest cultivator they met so even amongst the crowd they feared and revered Feng Xin more than the rest. For one it was because everyone present had restrained the auras that apanied their cultivation realm for obvious reasons and the other was because Haishi and Bolin were too weak to even sense their cultivation realm.
It was hard to fear something unknown at the same level as a fear you know, a very real threat that you have personally experienced.
This was what happened to Bolin and Haishi. Even if they knew Yang Qing was Feng Xin''s boss, to them Feng Xin seemed much scarier as they had experienced a part of his abilities whereas Yang Qing seemed like a happy-go-lucky goofy boss.
However, they now had to reevaluate this boss of theirs with a lot of wariness attached to it meanwhile Cao Ying and his fellow students hadpletely different reactions as they looked at Yang Qing with shining eyes that were filled with awe which made Yang Qing feel rather embarrassed as he rubbed his nose.
Mao Yunru and the rest of his inquisitors threw a questioning look toward him almost as if asking what had happened.
"There was a loose end pending on the first case. Now it can be considered officially closed. I was right about the sect master. He really was the mastermind behind the whole n while Peng Zhen was just the executor," said Yang Qing as he smiled clearly pleased with himself.
"Excuse me for a bit I need to give a heads up to the reviewmittee," said Yang Qing as he fished out amunication talisman from his storage ring and called the reviewmittee.
They were the ones in charge of following up on the sentences the Judges made on their cases. Its supervision, implementation, and enforcement fell under their purview.
...
A special location within the main headquarters of the cultivation order society
"STOOOOOOOOOP!!! STOP I WILL TALK," said a young man with deep red hair who was currently kneeling as he was bound to the floor of the room with white golden chains that had sickles prating the young man''s body.
His body kept producing ck smoke almost as if something was being cleansed from him. The whole room was radiant white almost without embellishment.
"Stop it!!! I said I will talk...I will tell you everything about the scarlet blood ghost hands," the young man with the red hair hurriedly pleaded as he saw one of the three old men surrounding him raise his palm with a kind smiling gesture on his face.
This young man was none other than Dong Yanlin who had earlier pretended to be a rogue cultivator so he could infiltrate the green fog swamp sect with the intention of stealing the tupelo tree. However, his n backfired when he ended up with his body decimated by one of the talismans Feng Xin had unleashed to track Peng Zhen and the rest.
But here he was with a fully formed body, unlike the bloody blob he was a few hours ago in the courtroom when he had parasitized Peng Zhen.
However, he was the farthest thing from being exhrated on having his body reformed. All this was because of the three old men surrounding him. They all seemed different ; one was short and rotund with bird-like eyes like an owl''s, the other was middle height with a careless and slovenly appearance as his hair and beard were all over and messy with wrinkled robes however despite all that he had an otherworldly charm that made the clumsy appearance seem perfect. Thest one was thin, tall, and had his eyes closed. There was a white lotus flower symbol on his forehead that kept spinning almost like cleansing everything around.
Though those old men seemed vastly different from each other they had one thing inmon which was the robes they wore. They had pure red robes with the words, special inquisition etched on the back.
They were seated in futon cushions as they surrounded Dong Yanlin.
When Dong Yanlin got transported here it was the short rotund owl-eyed old man who reformed his body with a wave of his hand, a fewplex seals, and a few herbs he had never seen before being added to the mix.
It took only three hours before his body was fully reformed by that old man. However, his celebration of having a body was cut short when he was asked to inform on his organization. His cing in the organization, their branches, other known parties they were known to be in cahoots with, whether his attack on the green fog swamp sect was a nned move from the scarlet blood ghost hands or was he acting alone, who his backer was seeing how many treasures he had on him for a core formation expert.
Of course, Dong Yanlin wouldn''t be a proper member of an underground organization if he willingly divulged that information without first mocking his captors endlessly and with tonnes of creativity and ir at that, denying all knowledge of what scarlet blood ghost hands even is and alsost but not least hypothetically threaten them using the weight of scarlet blood ghost hands that he was definitely not a member of and how they would give the three old men the most painful of deaths if they even touched a hair of his despite not being a member of the scarlet blood ghost hands.
Two of the three old men only kindly smiled at this, almost as if enjoying a y from their favorite grandchild. They even pped a few times at Dong Yanlin''s creativity on how their deaths would be. It was only when Dong Yanlin was fully done did thest sleeping old man finally act. He sleepily flicked his forehead and chains got produced from the floor deeply entrenching themselves into his body.
The chains seemed intangible and benign as they had a gentle healing feel to them but the moment they made contact with Dong Yanlin''s body it was like magma had been poured on him. The pain was not only on his body but his soul too.
He had been enduring that torture for almost two hours now. He broke ten minutes after the chains pierced him but for some reason, it seemed like his voice had been sealed no matter how much he tried to yell he was turning traitor. It was only now that he could finally speak.
"Who would have thought such a young child would have so many innocents death on him? The scarlet blood ghost hands sure know how to nurture their young.
Kid, those chains you see before you would have no effect on someone who hasn''t ughtered the innocent but to someone who seems like they have ughtered women, children the old alike it has a torturous effect like what you are enduring now.
This is the chains of retribution and remorse. The stench of grievance and ughter on you must have ruined Mo Ye''s sleep for him to choose to act against a little core expert like yourself mister Dong Yanlin.
Forgive me I even forgot to introduce myself. As the host, it is rather unbing of me.
Hi, my name is Feng Lei, to my left is Xu Ling, and to my right, the person currently asleep and the one currently giving you a good clean bath is Mo Ye.
We are special inquisitors. Our job is to seek information on special organizations just like yours so we will be in your care from now on. Do be as detailed as you can. Mo Ye if you would, please," gently said Feng Lei the slovenly dressed old man.
Mo Ye the sleeping old man waved his hands and the white gold chains disappeared as the spinning white lotus on his forehead came to a stop.
Dong Yanlin fell onto the floor like a wooden log as partial relief washed over him though he still felt like he was still being mildly burned.
"Now we can continue but before that, I need to take care of the pesky seal. You scarlet blood ghost hands members sure are ruthless even to your own members," said Feng Lei as he pointed his right index hand towards Dong Yanlin''s forehead.
Dong Yanlin flinched but the expected pain he expected to find was not there. All he heard was a nking sound from his mental sea like something had been shattered.
Unbeknown to him there was a blood seal on his forehead that had appeared and cracked like shattered ss a millisecond after it appeared.
"Now Dong Yanlin we can start," Feng Lei joyfully said as a kettle of ginseng tea and biscuits appeared in front of him.
...
Inside a dark cave filled with red glyphs all over, and floating grey candles was a man in histe thirties with a half-man bun ponytail and scarlet red robes that they may have well been robes made of blood. He was currently missing an arm.
"I can''t believe I got injured just from talismans, what if the owner had been there¡" the man couldn''t help but sigh.
He was currently sitting in a lotus position as he staredplicatedly at a small ck pool in front of him. He seemed to have resolved himself as he made a few hand seals that were absorbed by the ghostly floating candles whichter plunged themselves into the ck pool forming aplicated circr script that had an eerie green glow to them.
"Gui''er what is it? Does it have anything to do with why my spiritual mark on the Ao Yin saber was severed?" an elderly voice sounded from the ck pool as it congealed to form an old man''s face. His features were not visible with only a general outline of the face forming in the ck sludgy pool. It was slender with a long slom beard that narrowed downards like a cone.
"Master this unfilial disciple regrets to inform you that Dong Yanlin is missing and your Ao Yin saber too," the man called Gui hurriedly knelt and bowed his head that it touched the floor as he addressed the face in the ck blob. His shoulders were faintly trembling.
"What happened?" the elderly voice calmly asked.
The calmer the voice sounded the more fearful the man called Gui seemed.
"I think Dong Yanlin got captured by the Order along with your saber. I tried to recover both him and the saber but I was too weak. I ended up having to escape before reinforcements could arrive. Please punish this disciple for his uselessness," said Gui as he further lowered his head that it even created a small round caving on the ground.
"I was wondering who was strong enough to take your arm? So the Order is involved?
What was Yanlin involved in to draw the attention of the Order?" asked the elderly man.
"I''m not quite sure as he was very secretive about it, all I know is what he was involved in had something to do with the green fog region. I did manage to see a couple of individuals with the inquisitor I was chasing after. They seem to belong to some sect with a tupelo tree symbol. If my guess is not wrong whatever Dong Yanlin was involved in had something to do with them.
I can stay and find out more master," said Gui.
"No need. With Dong Yanlin in their custody, you have to assume they know about you already and the hideouts you are currently using. The Order seems to have found a way of cracking the self-implosion seals we ce on every member''s mental sea for secrecy based on how many branches and members fell to their hands in the past few years.
Luckily that silly boy doesn''t know much. It''s a shame, he was a promising child.
Gui''er you will need to cease all activity andy low to safeguard your other identity. We spent a lot of effort creating it. Go resume your post and forget about all other matters. You are to refrain from having contact with any known blood ghost hand member with the only exception being your senior sister. She will be your only point person to us from now on. All pertinent information will be ryed to you via her and vice versa.
As for the matter concerning Dong Yanlin, we will leave it be for now. The Order will definitely be on high alert on any matter concerning our organization. We are not in a position to engage with them at the moment but that eyesore may not be around for very long.
A repeat of the myriad beasts sect isn''t that far off hehehehe," the elderly man chuckled as his image disappeared.
Gui''s back flinched at that ending statement. He waited till almost five minutes had psed before he finally got up.
"I guess it''s time I went back to my sect," said Gui as his body dissolved into a puddle and reformed once more into a middle age man''s body with a slim build and stern face.
The same half-man bun ponytail was still retained however a part of his hairline had white strands adding a mature charm to it. His swords which were red along with the ck scabbard with scarlet clouds transformed into a sky blue scabbard with the sword guards transforming into feather-like grips. His scarlet robes were now sky blue with white cloud patterns around it with a small feather symbol in the middle.
He removed a token from his storage ring. It looked like a feather sword with the name Ai engraved on it. He put it in his pocket before he used one of his dual swords as a flying sword and flew out of the cave.
Once he was a few meters away the cave dissolved into a ck puddle that then evaporated away. All that was left was barend that smelt a little rotten.
Chapter 106 106: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (8)
?The royal capital of the Midnight flower kingdom
"From now on you''re no longer Shen Shi, Shen Ding, Shen Tian the rogue cultivators from this moment forth you are now Shen Shi, Shen Ding, Shen Tian remation, restoration, and rehabilitation workers.
Your cultivation andbat abilities have no merit whatsoever here. All I want from you three is your ability to follow instructions and a solid work ethic.
As deemed by the decision made by the reviewmittee from the penalties and rehabilitation offices your 12-year sentence will begin with thend restoration and rehabilitation project in the Midnight flower kingdom," a young man in robes that were half ck and half white currently addressed three men who seemed to be triplets.
The three brothers were none other than the Shen brothers who had lost their case against the Earthvine restaurant whichnded them with a twelve-year sentence and in debt to the Order for 15,000 middle-grade spirit stones.
Their earlier arrogance, wildness, and disdain had been washed from their face all that was left was looks of obedience filled with fear.
The young man in the ck and white robes was a member of the reviewmittee in charge of the enforcement of the sentences made by the judges.
Members of the reviewmittee may not be the most battle-oriented bunch in the whole Order but their strength and specialtiesy elsewhere. They specialized in areas that didn''t necessarily tie to cultivation. Still, they were nheless an important aspect of life such as nting and the care of herbs, geomancy, and mineralogy especially when it came toying down buildings and mining spirit stones and precious metals respectively, cooking, and other areas of expertise that mortals pay attention too such as disaster management.
The youth currently supervising the Shen brothers had specialty skills when it came to disaster management such as the flood that had hit the Midnight flower kingdom submerging a third of the kingdom.
"We will be starting in these three provinces as we make our way upwards. We will be mending and restoring the floodins of the rivers along the way along with nting ming juniper trees to speed up the process. I will also need you to master a particr formation blueprint for fortification that will be integral in the restoration," said the young man as he pointed at a detailed map of the Midnight flower kingdom that was spread over the table.
"The whole kingdom needs to be put back together better than before in the 15 months that you will be here. I''m a pretty straightforward person, as long as you do your job well I will not be stingy with your evaluations but if you try to pull fast ones or I detect any hint ofcency in your actions, the duration of your next sentence in the miasma fields will be doubled," the young man sternly said which sent shivers down the spines of the three brothers.
"US THREE BROTHERS WILL GO ABOVE AND BEYOND MASTER WEN JIAN," the three brothers hurriedly yelled with gusto as they bowed trying to show their honesty and determination to do what is expected of them.
...
In a well-furnished office room within the Earthvine restaurant.
"You are free to do what you want Zhong Quan just don''t go too overboard. Losing a few businesses attached to our organizations won''t raise any eyebrows in the grand scheme of things, especially with our merger with the Maple leaf manor on the way.
Just make sure the bottom line is kept otherwise even if you are an in-name disciple of one of the heads of the Golden bamboo pavilion it will not be enough to keep you out of trouble.
We don''t need more trouble with our attention focused on the merger.
Later Zhong Quan," said a cold-sounding female voice.
"Good," Zhong Quan, currently seated in his office, grinned malevolently as a red baleful aura surrounded him like a cloak.
The earlier genial, kind, and weing face had all but disappeared and was reced with a fiendish face that found reverie in battle and ughter. It made one wonder which of these sides was the real Zhong Quan.
"It''s time to settle ounts with you bastards. Just because I don''t like trouble you think I''m soft persimmon cake that you even sent three little arrogant rogue cultivators to create trouble in my restaurant. Just you wait... I''ve long since wanted to expand the kitchen," Zhong Quan said as he licked his teeth.
He swiftly got up and made his way out of the office that was located on the third floor.
"Boss you will not be having your lunch as usual?" said one of the chefs who had seen Zhong Quan making his way down the stairs.
"Not now. There are some small matters I need to attend to so we can expand the kitchen and even our menu. Sometime in the future we may have distinguished guestsing over and we need to put our best foot forward for that guest," said Zhong Quan as he genially smiled. His weing friendly uncle persona had returned.
He still remembered the 50% off offer he had made to Yang Qing when they had a nonverbal exchange between a seasoned merchant and a seasoned glutton. He had to make sure he had some extra funds to cover the potential losses he would incur from Yang Qing. Luckily he had a few friends with deep pockets who owed him one.
Meanwhile, the chef cast a strange look as he stared at Zhong Quan''s departing figure.
In all his years working there the Earthvine restaurant never showed any preferential treatment not even to the royalty of the Emerald lily kingdom who asionally came to dine at the restaurant. Zhong Quan always insisted on equal treatment whether they be royalty ormoner, cultivator or mortal they all received the same level of treatment the moment they stepped through those doors.
The only times he has seen Zhong Quan make exceptions did not exceed the number of fingers on his hand and in those times they were usually some big shots from the Golden bamboo pavilion.
But here he was, about to expand a kitchen for a customer when he had even refused the king of the Emerald lily kingdom''s request for the third floor to be emptied so he could dine.
¡..
Two groups of three by three were currently seated in a small dome-shaped gazebo in the middle of a blue-greenke. Every single material there from the white tiger wood used to build the gazebo, to the futons made of fur from a dream cloud fox, an amber-colored marble table made of amber from a 20,000-year-old graceful evergreen tree, and incense stick from red spring sandalwood.
Everything here screamed opulence as every single object within the gazebo was atleast made from high-rank monarch-grade material with the white tiger wood being the most expensive as a low-rank ascendant-grade material.
There were three men on one side of the marble table with two women and a single guy on the other end. The all-men group was all wearing ck robes with an emblem of a golden bamboo pavilion embroidered on the coat while the opposite side had yellow autumn robes with a symbol of a maple leaf that had a small purple butterfly on it.
"With these for the most part the merger between our Golden bamboo pavilion and your maple leaf manor can be consideredplete. The groundwork stuff can be handled by our subordinates gradually," said one of the men seating in the middle from the side whose team was all wearing ck robes with a golden bamboo pavilion embroidered on it.
He had golden long smooth flowing hair that was tied in a top knot with a golden-colored bamboo stick. Every detail of him seemed to have been sculptured with perfection in mind. Though he looked like someone in histe thirties his deep ck eyes seemed to hide the history of an epoch recorded in a single nce.
He was currently addressing thedy seating in the middle across the table from his. She too had a beauty that was inexplicable. She had amber eyes that matched the table with light brown hair tied loosely into a bun with a leaf-shaped hair clip. She had the vibe of a cool refreshing breeze from a long summer day.
"It seems we have, founder Lin Guiren," softly said thedy as she offered a courteous calming smile.
"Pardon me for asking but there was something I wanted to ask since we can now be considered to be on the same ship after all," said thedy.
"If there is something founder Yan Meifeng needs to know I would be more than happy to oblige," said the golden-haired man by the name of Lin Guiren.
"It''s about those three pce stage experts in your custody. What do you n to do with them?" asked Yan Meifeng with no change in her expression.
"We have no intention of harming them in any way but they will have to remain in our custody for now. We can''t have them leaking information about the mysterious realm they stumbled onto. The fewer people who know the better after all that realm contains the inheritance of the Nebulous star sect. If word of it got out even the holynds will stake their im to it. Luckily there has not been evidence of that many people having the token that grants them entry into that realm other than us and those pce stage experts.
But we can never be too careful, who knows maybe other organizations and sects more powerful than us have tokens too. Isn''t that why we formed this merger of ours, to increase our odds of gaining great harvest from that realm," Lin Guiren calmly said.
Every member present had somber pensive looks with a hint of excitement shing through their eyes.
"If the mysterious realm of the Nebulous star sect is as illustrious as just the outer grounds seemed then we may very well be the next Flowing valley sect who grew from just a low-ranking herb farm into a holy ground," said the only gentleman in the maple leaf manor side. He had a pale almost sickly-looking face with ck spot marks around his eyes with dark green hair matching his eyes. Even though he looked sickly he still had a noble temperament to him and a sense of deeply ingrained pride in his bones.
When he spoke about the Flowing valley sect there was no sense of reverence one would expect when mentioning a holynd but it was instead deep anger. This sentiment didn''t only appear on him but on Yan Meifeng and the otherdy too whose expressions turned cold before Yan Meifeng''s expression turned warm once more.
This little change didn''t escape Lin Guiren''s eyes whose expression remained stoic as it always was during the entire exchange.
"Shame what will happen to the sect of those pce stage experts though. It''s a sect with a rich history after all," said Yan Meifeng as a look of pity and a hint of remorse showed on her face.
"There''s nothing we can do to alter the course we are on and the effects thate with it..the destruction of that sect may even end up as a boon for us, especially if those three pce stage experts mentioned anything about the Nebulous star''s mysterious realm. With its destruction any potential leak can be closed off," one of the men on Lin Guiren''s side coldly said.
The rest didn''t say anything but they seemed to tacitly agree with his thoughts.
Chapter 107 107: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (9)
?Inside the meeting hall of the sect master''s courtyard in the Yellow lotus sect.
"Sect master, why did youe back with Zhao Qi? Didn''t we all agree that he will be sent to the Mountain springs pavilion so that his life can be spared? Now that you have brought him here isn''t that the same as signing his death warrant," One of the elders currently assembled in the hall didn''t even wait for the meeting to start before he fired his question.
He was slim and short with greying hair that was neatly tied in a daoist top knot. His eyes shed with faint sparks of white lightning.
Sect master Han Qingling couldn''t help but sigh at this.
"Wei Peng I know he is your disciple and you care about him, but do you think I as the sect master would be negligible of his care?"
Wei Peng who looked like he still had a few more things to say went silent from sect master Han Qingling''s words.
"I''m sorry for my earlier impudence but I''m still lost on why Zhao Qi came back to the sect with you. Leaving the sect was a good thing, especially with the things we put him through to ensure his safety. A fresh start somece else away from all that would be best for him.
He may try to hide it but I can tell that kid hides a lot of heartaches and I don''t think it is solely tied to his treatment by the sect the past few years," Wei Peng said as he sighed with regret.
His sentiment was echoed around the hall as the elders all held guilty looks. They had all signed off on this course of action so they could safeguard Zhao Qi''s life but it didn''t mean they didn''t hate the action as it involved ruining a promising young man''s reputation all because they were too weak.
Were they strong, would they have to go to such extremes and subterfuge just to ensure their disciples'' lives were protected?
"Zhao Qi came back of his own volition. I had to tell the judge in charge of our case our current situation and the ruse we had created though I feel there was no need to as the judge seemed to have suspected something was off from the very start," Sect master Han Qingling said as aplicated expression shed in his eyes from today''s events.
None of the elders including Wei Peng interrupted as they felt sect master Han Qingling still had more to add.
"There were various things that happened during the case that I''m not at liberty to reveal yet but there are a few things that I can say.
First, there is a way to avoid this cmity and secondly, we have formed an alliance with one of the leaders of the Mountain springs pavilion. To that effect Wei Peng, I will need you to get in contact with your friend from the White ginseng pavilion and ask them if they have a way to get the lightning aurora sunflower," said sect master Han Qingling as he eyed Zhao Qi''s master.
"I will ask them, though what do you need that herb for? It may be a monarch-grade herb but its only use is cleansing miasma and breaking other poison-rted curses?" Wei Peng couldn''t help but ask with a puzzled expression.
"It''s for one of their leaders who got injured by a cultivation art and from what pavilion owner Liu Yun said it seems like it could be a poison-rted art. He offered to pay for the herb himself once we confirmed its presence but we will be buying the herb on his behalf.
It''s the least we can do after what we did and for those of you here who think we are wasting whatever resources we have left to do that just think of it as buying the services of a quasi-pce stage expert who is just inches away from breaking through to the pce sage.
We all know just a single monarch-grade herb isn''t enough to buy the services of a quasi-pce stage expert much less a potential pce stage expert," sect master Han Qingling calmly said as he eyed the elders around.
He knew there might be some who might be against him using whatever little resources they have left into helping an outsider instead of focusing it all internally, especially with the looming threat above their necks. But once sect master Han Qingling mentioned a potential pce stage expert those hidden frowns and displeasure turned to pleasant surprises.
"I have no objections to the sect master''s ns. Qingling whatever you decide is the best path forward we will do our best to support it. We know if it wasn''t for your loyalty to the sect with your talent you would have gotten into any sect you wished and even got a better position and resources but instead, you are here with us.
Whatever Qingling says goes. Our part is to be his arms and legs," One of the oldest elders in the group thunderously said with a fierce threatening pressure being produced from his body.
He was one of the four quasi-pce stage experts that the Yellow lotus sect had. Of the remaining three one was Sect master Han Qingling, the other was Wei Peng and thest one was an equally aged elder who seemed to be in the same generation as the elder who had made that statement.
The old elder''sments made some of the other elders who had something to say probably in opposition, shrink back.
"Thank you supreme elder Huang for your support," Sect master Han Qingling politely said as he bowed in thanks. Even though he was stronger he still had deference for Elder Huang and the other equally old elder. They were both supreme elders that were part of the previous generation, the same as his master.
They should have been in a long seclusion to try and break through to the pce stage but they broke their seclusion so they could support their sect. They were already over three thousand years old and the more time passed the fewer odds they will have of breaking through to the pce stage naturally due to vitality setbacks. For that sect master Han Qingling was deeply grateful to them.
"So what''s this n you have that can help us avoid the danger we face?" supreme elder Huang gingerly asked as he smiled.
"It''s with this," sect master Han Qingling said as he passed around a few formation blueprints.
"THIS? Sect master where did you find a monarch grade formation blueprint¡from the look of things it seems like a mobile one. There are some parts that I don''t understand due to my own ineptitude but the rank of this formation matches the oneid in the sect by supreme elder Tingfeng¡.
Ei,e see?" One of the elders who seemed to be an expert in formations excitingly said as he called over another elder who became equally as engrossed with the formation blueprint once his eyes fell on it. They looked like kids with a new cool toy.
The elders once they realized the exquisiteness of the formation drawn on the blueprint couldn''t help but look questioningly at sect master Han Qingling.
Buying a monarch-grade herb and buying a monarch-grade formation blueprint was not the same thing. The former could only benefit a single person most of the time and was a single-use item while thetter could ensure the survival of an entire organization such as a sect, n, or kingdom. Therefore when it came even to pricing they were miles apart. It was why they were shocked the sect master had a formation blueprint of such a level on him. They knew their current financial situation well, there was no way they could afford something of that level especially when a formation blueprint was many times more expensive than a formation disc or g of the same grade.
"Did the Order give you this?" asked one of the remaining supreme elders.
"No, I got it from somece different which I currently can''t reveal yet. All you need to know is thanks to this formation we can guarantee our survival for atleast two or three years and as you may have noticed it doesn''t need to beid down next to a spirit vein just spirit stones and a few treasures as anchors would do.
That time should be sufficient for me to breakthrough to the pce stage and when the timees I will have more than enough capital to call our enemies into ount," said sect master Han Qingling as his gaze turned cold and valiant.
"I will also be making a public apology to clear Zhao Qi''s name, in addition, I will be allowing Zhao Qi to learn our core art, the 36 leaves of the yellow lotus.
Don''t worry Peng you should know with his sturdy foundations he is not at risk for learning the art while still being in the early stages of the foundation stage as opposed to theter stages like we set," Sect master Han Qingling said once he saw the worried frown on elder Wei Peng''s face.
"That will be all¡I need you all to get started on the formation and setting them up all around the sect. Supreme elder Huang, supreme elder Bingwen, and Elder Wei Peng please remain behind there is another matter we need to discuss," sect master Han Qingling said as he addressed the three elders. He had decided they were the three he would introduce to Deng Chao.
For one they were the three he trusted most and for the other, they were quasi-pce stage experts. A few pointers from Deng Chao may very well help them cross that threshold which would add another safety when the Yellow lotus sect gains four pce stage experts.
¡..
"Boss we have eyes on the target. Based on his cultivation base aura he seems to be preparing to breakthrough to the pce stage. Should we take him now or do it after he breaks through."
Two people wearing dark cloaks were currently eyeing a short sturdy middle-aged man who seemed to be heading to his abode.
"Wait until the target breaks through to the pce stage otherwise he will be of no use to us," replied a cold-sounding voice from the other end of themunication talisman being held by one of the two cloaked men.
"Sir what about the Order? He may not be an employee there but he works at a restaurant stationed there. Won''t this draw unwanted eyes?" one of the men couldn''t help but hesitantly ask with clear worry and trepidation in his tone.
"You should only concern yourself with the task at hand. Failure is not permitted," said the cold voice as the connection went off.
The two men stared at each other as they ruefully smiled at their rock-and-hard ce situation before they decided to just focus on the matter at hand. They feared the person at the other end of the call more than what hypothetically the Order would do to them if caught.
¡.
Inside Meng Chao''s chambers
"It seems the rats have caught the bait. Time to see where their nest is and finally see whether my hunch was right," said Meng Chao as he craftily smiled while taking ice jasmine tea.
Chapter 108 108: Ripple Effects Around The Cases (10)
?At Yang Qing''s courtyard, the party was already well on its way. The fear Cao Ying''s friends had earlier when they came had all but disappeared. They still had a little bit of reservation but they could now hold decent conversations, and be bold in the amount they ate as they joyouslyughed at some of the jokes the party members were making. Though one couldn''t know if it was because the jokes were genuinely funny or if they were just fawning over their seniors.
Yang Qing, Feng Xin, Yi Jie, Zheng Hu, and Dai Chen were currently in Yang Qing''s backyard staring at the massive over 100-meter body of the green flowered babirusa.
Of the members present only Yang Qing and Feng Xin hade to carve up the beast while the rest had their own agendas. Zheng Hu wanted to see a spirit beast of the green fog region up close, Yi Jie wanted a little blood to add to his rising wave blood wine that was a mixture of powerful herbs and blood drained from powerful spirit beasts. It may be his potent wine yet. As for Dai Chen, the boozehound, he was dutifully following Yi Jie since he had carried the gourd with the hundred-leaf sugar cane wine with him.
"Will we be carving the whole thing up or do you just want to deal with the leg for the party?" asked Yang Qing as he greedily sized the babirusa.
Feng Xin hesitated for a bit as he pondered what would be the best course of action.
"Let''s carve it all up at a go. There may be a potential loss in vor if we carved it up partly," said Feng Xin.
"Great, I can''t wait to see how many tonnes we will harvest from it," Yang Qing eagerly said as he took out what looked like a grey hide from his storage ring.
The babirusa was lifted and thenid on top of the grey hide which lit up with a few glyphs before it went back to normal.
"With this, no single drop or quality of the meat will be lost," Yang Qing said with pride in his tone.
The grey hide was a high-rank sky-grade artifact whose only purposey in the preservation of the quality of organic matter. Other than that it was useless for anything else. The main ingredient used in making the hide was skin from aquatic illusions perch a creature skilled in adaptability to its surroundings. The hide was also treated with a few herbs to make sure no fire or cold would affect it. It was also impervious to the stabbing.
Were it any other sensible person they would have fashioned the hide into armor due to its properties rather than a tarp for butchering meat.
Feng Xin nodded in approval once he saw the hide before Yang Qing and he went off to their grand undertaking. Zheng Hu, Yi Jie, and Dai Chen were made into assistants to store up the viscera and other parts that had niche eaters or parts that were better suited for alchemy than being eaten such as the fangs.
After thirty minutes the whole green flowered babirusa had been expertly carved with the loin, leg, de, head, and other parts being carefully separated. Even its hide was neatly processed with not a single pound of flesh left on it. It was as smooth as a baby''s skin.
Yang Qing and Feng Xin had their arms over each other shoulder to shoulder as they admired their handiwork.
"Feng Xin I have to say this time you got a steal. Look at the quality," Yang Qing said as his eyes glittered admiring the red-pink mountain of meatin over the grey hide.
"I''m even a little tempted to keep it all for myself," said Feng Xin before he detected a murderous red reing from Yang Qing.
"I said tempted," Feng Xin said as he dryly chuckled.
"As agreed I will provide just a single leg no more," said Feng Xin with no room for debate before he hurriedly stored the rest of the meat leaving only a single hind leg and blood that Yi Jie was skillfully collecting.
"I can''t wait to see how it thashtes," said Yang Qing as heavy drool affected his speech towards the end.
The group quickly hurried back to barbecue the meat. The moment the leg was ced over a me the vorful smell it produced left every stomach present grumbling no gender or race was spared.
Even Haishi who had said she would begrudgingly eat the babirusa if offered had forgotten her oath to herrade. Herpound eyes filled with over a hundred lenses were shing with lights like shooting stars were exploding in her eyes. Any sort of reservation she had went up in smoke the moment that vorful scent hit her.
"This celestial shall allow you all to share half since I''m feeling magnanimous today," the celestial nesting weaver''szy but arrogant voice sounded in everyone''s ear as it too joined the glutton bandwagon.
"Oh allow is it?¡ I think someone is getting arrogant just because he is at the fourth stage of the pce stage. I think we need to reeducate you. A few stages in difference don''t mean a thing sometimes," Yang Qing menacingly said as he pressed his knuckles together.
Almost everyone present had that menacing look on them even Cao Ying.
"This celestial is not budging, if a celestial nesting weaver lets go of its treasure then what is it? It''s a matter of principle," the celestial nesting weaver arrogantly said still not aware of his circumstances.
It was only when four simultaneous punches, kicks, and even bites came in that the celestial nesting weaver knew it had said something it shouldn''t have. However, the die had been cast, it had to go all the way. So even if it was being mobbed by everyone present its arrogant mouth never stopped moving.
It was only when the leg had been perfectly barbecued with herbs and spices and even thered with one of the wine collections from Yi Jie did the beating stop.
Everyone involved in giving the celestial nesting weaver a beating were currently panting and wheezing while the celestial nesting weaver only had a few ruffled feathers but it looked otherwise okay infact better whenpared to the rest.
"You think we''d be able to live how we want if we didn''t have thick skin to apany us? You need to have atleast dragon talons to prate my defense and not those soft noodles you call arms," the celestial nesting weaver mockingly said as its gaze lingered mostly on Kang Hung who was the one that had thrown the most punches, kicks, and bites. Though there were two people who did nothing but bite it all this while, it couldn''t help but look wearily at them.
"Let''s carve," Yang Qing yelled like amander going to battle trying to raise his soldiers'' morale. The rest like loyal soldiers heading to the greatest battle of their lives roared ordingly while Bolin and Haishi chirped.
Pieces of the babirusa were passed around with cups of the vermilion fruit wine and the hundred sugar cane wine apanying it.
Whatever everyone had thought the delicious-smelling babirusa would taste like, it went above their expectations that it even left Feng Xin and Yang Qing weeping as they took careful bites unlike how they voraciously gulped their other foods.
"Such a shame we don''t have anyone among us skilled in the cooking dao..maybe next time we should invite Qi Shan over. With her skills can you imagine the levels this vor would rise?" said Yang Qing as the rest sighed along with him including Haishi and Bolin who didn''t even know who Qi Shan was.
Itsted only a second before the sigh was reced with crisp crunching sounds, toasts, and cheers that eventually led to an arm wrestle between Hung and Yang Qing, a marvelous guqin melody courtesy of Su Jinjing, and apanying horrible vocals from Dai Chen and Zheng Hu who did nothing but bellow out like whales over and over.
The wee partysted till 3:00 am with even Chief Song joining the mix with a few other Order employees who happened to stop by to pick up their wine orders from Yi Jie.
Feng Xin had to give out a few more spare ribs when thepany grew much to his displeasure and vehement refusal. It was only after sufficient bribery and threats did he finally relent.
When 3:00 am came the crowd started leaving one by one till finally only Yi Jie and Feng Xin were left. Yi Jie decided to just stay over since it was just a few hours till they had to clock in. Knowing Yang Qing''s morning antics it was safer to keep a close watch on him.
They were currently enjoying cial ice mint tea while Feng Xin was busy finishing up the leftovers.
"Which abode did you get Wen Yingjie?" asked Yang Qing as savored the mint tea in his hand.
"The fourth-grade spirit calming cavern," answered Yi Jie.
"Mmmh, well in terms of meditation and concentration it should support him well," said Yang Qing as he nodded in approval.
¡.
Spirit calming cavern IV
Wen Yingjie the rogue cultivator whose saber kept attracting lightning tribtions due to its budding spirit was currently in a dark room filled with water.
He was seated in a lotus position as he grimly stared at the rustic old dustymp before him. It was engraved with the image of a white octopus with ancient writings surrounding its tentacles.
Themp before him was a treasured artifact that stored the blue-grade soul cultivation art that he would need so he could split half his soul and bind it to his saber before he went on to temper it with his saber intent.
Yi Jie had repeatedly warned him how painful the process would be which made him pensive even if he was going to be cultivating a blue-grade cultivation art.
"No time like the present. I only have four months to learn this art before it automatically gets wiped off my mind. Grandpa and the rest will have to handle things with the ck jade syndicate and find out what they were doing with the prince. Now all I need to do is focus on my battle. If I survive this maybe the pce stage won''t be that far off and I can finally return home," Wen Yingjie said as he gritted his teeth and used his spiritual sense to study the cultivation art stored in themp.
"The three hearts of the radiant octopus," Wen Yingjie silently muttered as the art''s name appeared in his mind.
Chapter 109 109: Second Day Cases And Yang Qings Preparation
?Four hours quickly passed by before the time came for Yang Qing, Yi Jie, and Feng Xin to go back to work. Due to how fluid an inquisitor''s job was they never kept exact hours for their jobs. There were cases that would leave them on duty for almost one week straight with no break and there were cases that only took half a day for them to get all the pertinent information they would need before the matter is submitted to the judge they''re attached to.
While Yang Qing and Yi Jie were already in the courtroom starting on the pile of cases for the day, Feng Xin had a few hours to kill before he would be needed for another case. He used that time to liquidate some of his assets i.e. some of the spirit beasts he ughtered from the green fog region such as the iron shot frog, ice-beaked egret, corroding heron, and such. Some of his spoils such as the corroding heron was sold to one of the alchemists for a pretty good sum which he used to finally pay off some of his outstanding debts from some of the restaurants around and got delisted.
His final stop was the Thousand vors restaurant. Unlike other ces, this was the only ce he had good credit and it was also the only ce he sold a few parts of the green flowered babirusa. At the end of the deal both he and the manager of the restaurant left with pleased looks on their faces.
¡
Much to Yang Qing''s delight the cases that he had during the day were much less cumbersome than the prior day''s cases. One of the cases was a prince who tried to dine and dash in a rank 4 restaurant within his kingdom however things did not go as nned as his guards were swiftly defeated when they tried to force their way out. To avoid any further troubles the restaurant decided to bring the matter to the Order rather than settle it with the kingdom. In the restaurant owner''s mind, he wondered if a prince acted this wantonly what about the king? Rather than risk it they would rather throw the hot potato the Order''s way and ensure their safety.
The next case was a groom suing his wife for lying about her age. The groom was a seventh-stage core formation expert while the bride was a tenth-stage core formation expert. While the bride seemed to be the stronger of the two based solely on cultivation bases but in terms of potential the groom was miles ahead. He was just about 70 years old while his bride was close to 600 years. With core formation experts having a life expectancy of about 4,500 years, her age could be considered young considering she was at thete stages of the core formation realm.
When cultivators broke through to the core formation stage they could retain their youth form despite what age they are. Some cultivators choose to revert to their youth form when they were about 20 years or so while others choose to maintain a mature look of a person in the mid-40s to 50s while others don''t mind their body showing their true age.
When it came to the groom and bride; the groom despite being 70 years had chosen to retain his youth as he resembled a young man in his early thirties while the bride decided to go the same route and retained her youth looks from when she was 30 years. She was a dashing beauty with a gentle and warm face. Age was about the only thing she changed as her looks were what she truly looked like when she was that age. However, she had lied to the man that she was 63 years old. It was only during the wedding when the groom was given an artifact that checks the true bone age of cultivators that he discovered his wife to be was almost ten times older than he was.
He was appalled when he discovered the situation. Of course, he aired his grievances, words were exchanged, and swords and talismans were drawn. At the end of it all, the groom suffered a beating from her brothers, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather of the bride. Not only him but even the guest who gave out the age bone-checking artifact was not forgotten for his part in all this. It was only due to the bride''s plea that he survived with just a solid beating nothing else though it would still require a few months to heal.
The bride''s family confiscated everything from the groom including the wedding gifts. The groom was originally a rogue cultivator while the bride was from a prominent rank 4 n that had over forty core formation experts with her grandfather, great grandfather both being at the peak of the core formation stage.
It was also partly due to the bride''s resources and his natural talents that he managed to reach his current realm.
Yang Qing had a bit of difficulty with the case because on one hand other than lying about her age the bride by the name of Li Mei did sincerely love the groom Hao Ren to the point she even used her own allotted resources to help support his cultivation.
The age lie came from fear and insecurities that Hao Ren would look down on her and leave for greater skies as for her she had spent most of her life cultivating as life passed her by till she decided she wanted to pursue something different and maybe start a family.
As for the groom Hao Ren, the age difference did shake him a bit as his wife-to-be was as old as his ancestor though the lie was what got to him and the beating he got from her family did little to help the situation. And also the family never treated him well. They always treated him with scorn and disdain due to his rogue status andcking any backing whatsoever. It was only due to his talent that he had any leg up in the family. He only ever tolerated them because of Li Mei. But after the fiasco that happened on the wedding day he had sworn that he would never step into the Li family grounds. His association with them was over. Some part of him was even entertaining the idea of going back and giving the whole family a thorough beating when he reached the peak of the core formation stage. He had a quasi-blue core while most of the Li family had red and orange cores. In the same realm, he would be able to best them due to the advantage of the quality of his core.
In the end, Yang Qing ordered the family to pay his medical bills and give half the wedding presents to Hao Ren which the Li family head didn''t like but had to go along with it. Though Li Mei''s persuasion had a part to y in it.
Yang Qing also tried to convince Hao Ren to give Li Mei a chance as throughout the whole process it was evident how much she still loved him as she didn''t even so much as contest a single thing.
Hao Ren after hesitating, in the end, agreed but only if Li Mei left her family and started over with him, to which she agreed.
With help from the Order they managed to resettle somece far away from the Li n territory.
As for thest case Yang Qing dealt with, it was even simpler as he only had to serve as a witness and officiator to a duel. Two rank 3 sects were fighting over ownership of a pseudo monarch rank treasure. None wanted to relent to the other and to prevent other sects from profiting from their all-out sh they decided to settle their dispute through an official life-and-death duel under the supervision of the Order.
To prevent wide-scale destruction brought about by cultivators fighting over treasures the Order created an official duel on their grounds to help reduce this risk.
Each sect would choose five cultivators and the rank or title of the cultivators didn''t matter. The Order provided both the venue and standardized weapons to both sides to ensure the duel had a modicum of fairness.
The first to score three wins would be dered the winner. On normal asions, it was usually straightforward since a winner would be produced within those five matches and sometimes it didn''t even reach five but in this case, for some strange reason, the two sects had an almost indefinite tie as almost 15 cultivators from both sides ended up fighting.
Due to the severe losses both sects suffered as the majority of the 15 cultivators fielded by both parties were elders, the two sects decided that a merger between the two sects would be better. That way they could cover the losses they suffered bybining their numbers which would also help them guard against others who might have some ideas about the quasi-monarch stage artifact.
Since the Order also acts as witnesses and officiators in mergers when asked, the two sects decided to invoke the services of the Order at a fee of course. An agreement was made between the two sects and the Order to which Yang Qing was assigned as the arbiter to the merger. Though he would only be able to do the job only when he was officially a pce court judge as his current rank didn''t allow him to supervise any mergers.
Luckily the two sects still needed time to sell the idea to the rest of the sect and put their affairs in order while Yang Qing''s promotion ceremony and official induction were just a few days away.
¡.
The moment thest case ended Yang Qing bolted from the courtroom without even waiting for Yi Jie to chauffeur him home. He had a very important party to prepare for, the wee party for Zhu Lao the dean of cultivation history and dissection also famously known for his creation of the gold-grade art, the shadow void steps.
All day Yang Qing had been counting down the hours till the end of his shift so he could rush to the party Meng Chao ''generously'' invited him to.
Chapter 110 110: Room Of Strange Trinkets
?Yang Qing was in his room with a pile of robes thrown haphazardly on the floor. Ordinarily, he would have just used his issued judge robes that had a customized feature that let it transform into any type of robe he wished but he didn''t want to do that.
It was a mental thing since he would feel off going to a party with his work clothes. After mulling over what to wear he finally settled on wearing white inner robes with a green coat. He even tied his hair for once into a tiny half ponytail.
"Now what should I bring? The party will definitely mostly have big shots at the domain realm, nothing I have will catch their eye."
Another dilemma soon presented itself. Almost every decent thing he had, either went to his stomach, work-rted fines, and the huge nesting project courtesy of the celestial nesting weaver. Even if it didn''t he didn''t think he had any treasures that would catch the eyes of a domain expert like Zhu Lao who wasn''t just any domain expert but a dean at the institute of the Order.
Every dean at the minimum was required to have a cultivation base that was at least in the ninth stage of the domain realm and their understanding of the dao needed to be a cut above the rest. They also needed to be skilled in multiple areas. Dean Zhu Lao''s expertisey in dissecting cultivation arts and the study of differentnguages that extended even to sacred spirit beastnguages like the ones dragons, phoenixes, Kun pengs, and other top-tier spirit beasts used.
To these spirit beasts, part of their powersy in their tongue. They could move oceans, split mountains, and cause a torrential of stars to fall with particr cries.
It was due to the insights he gained from researching theirnguage that Dean Zhu Lao was even able to dissect some of the spirit beast''s innate traits and abilities and modify them into cultivation arts that could be used by people.
His breadth of knowledge was sufficient to cover a 100-foot dome library. It was because of this that Yang Qing was apprehensive about what gift to give.
On one hand, Dean Zhu Lao was an expert in the domain realm so the resources he got from the Order weren''t small either in quantity or quality and to top it all he was also a dean which meant he had additional resources that came with the post.
Whereas Yang Qing was just a sry man surviving on the meager sry of a core court judge and leaving way beyond his means, especially with the expensive celestial nesting weaver.
"I guess I''ll just have to pick something from my unknown collection," Yang Qing said as he made his way to a room that seemed like it was a storage room. It was filled with all sorts of trinkets from weird-looking broken mirrors to pebbles, old torn book covers with strange symbols and no pages, weird dried-up nts, scrolls in the shape of wine gourds, broken weapons, etc.
The room seemed to be more like a ce where people dumped the things they didn''t need or things that got damaged. However, in Yang Qing''s eyes the most valuable thing in his abode other than the green me tree, the purple lightning bamboo forest, and the eclipse tree, was this storage room and the things in it. He had even used a bulk of his merit points to have this room retrofitted with over ten top rank blue grade formation arrays just to guard the things in it.
Due to his deep interest in archeology and how far deep he went down that rabbit hole, he ended up gaining a hoarder habit of collecting strange things he came across whether they had any value or not. As long as it caught his eye he bought it. He was a regr frequenter of auction houses and open-air markets where cultivators put any goods they had on their stalls.
Most cultivators preferred going to auction houses as you would know exactly what you were buying thanks to the efforts of the auction house''s own appraisers but in exchange, the prices for the goods were high whereas buying from the open air market was different. The goods were much cheaper however there were no appraisal notes attached to the good you bought. So half the time neither the buyer nor the seller knew the true value of the object of trade especially the more bizarre the object seemed.
The trade usually went either way. Sometimes the seller would make a steal and sell a useless item whose only worth is its strange look for a hefty sum and other times it''s the buyer who ends up buying a precious artifact, or high-grade cultivation art hidden somewhere within the strange for cheap. It usually went either way.
Yang Qing got a few steals from these open-air market sales. On more than one asion he has found a few iplete blue-grade arts, random historical records of a particr time, strange techniques such as alchemical techniques that had disappeared into obscurity with the passage of time, part of a bestiary record e.t.c and other times it was a burst. He''d end up with cursed weapons, normal objects that just looked strange, and even on one asion he thought he had stumbled to some sort of celestial rock only for it to end up being dung of a mutated spirit beast that had likely ingested something it should not have. Then there were those objects whose origins he could not yet decipher with his current skills, knowledge or the objects were too degraded to glean anything from them.
Without exception, whether useful or not, known or unknown every trinket he got was stored here even the celestial dung. He had a look of gratification as he admired his collection. Half of the objects stored here, he couldn''t decipher their true origins or worth. He decided to pick something from the undeciphered pile and use it as a gift.
Dean Zhu Lao was an archeological nerd just like he was. Yang Qing was willing to take a gamble that one of the objects in the unknown pile may end up catching his eye. With that, he would have opened up a connection with a fellow kindred spirit whom he would shamelessly consult for free from time to time.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but snicker once he thought of the potential free appraisalbor from a seasoned expert like dean Zhu Lao.
"I guess you will have to do," said Yang Qing as he picked up an arc-shaped tablet made from y-like material. The tablet was dark grey and time had left its mark on it as the bottom right corner was filled with cracks.
There were weird logo sybic scripts on the old worn-out tablet. Just as Yang Qing was holding it the scripts started to interchange and transform into images of waves, sand dunes, flowing rivers, and strange animals Yang Qing had never seen before among other things. The strange transformation was not an umon urrence as it happened once a day at different times. The irregr intervals made it difficult for Yang Qing to gain any clue about the trigger for its transformations. About the only thing that was consistent was the transformations happened only once a year.
Despite using all resources avable he still had no clue what those sybles meant or what the tablet held. Even the material used to make the tablet was a mystery.
That tablet was among the top strangest objects he had in his collection and despite its current look, it was also one of the scariest. When Yang Qing bought it, the owner almost seemed relieved to get rid of it. At the time Yang Qing didn''t understand why as he didn''t detect anything dangerous from it even when he scanned it with his spiritual sense.
It was onlyter after fiddling around with it that he realized why the seller seemed thin, haggard like he had just survived a drought and a storm at the same time.
Once every year on a full moon the tablet would release sounds that mimic ocean waves and from that wave came a sound that was gentle as a calm wind and at times as ferocious as thunder that it would even shake your soul.
Luckily for Yang Qing either because he was stronger than the seller and always slept in the celestial nesting weaver''s nest or the tablet was drained of energy due to the passage of time but those sounds had little effect on him in fact they helped him sleep well on asion and even freshened his soul. He would have slept with it in the nest if he wasn''t afraid the celestial nesting weaver would steal it and transform it into part of its nest.
However, there was one aspect of the tablet that made Yang Qing cautious with it. When he bought it after making no heads or tails on the logo sybles he decided to transfer some of his qi into it to see if he would get any reaction. It turned out to be a fatal mistake as the tablet ended up sucking all his qi and only stopped when it somehow detected there was no more qi to drain. It was from that moment on that the symbols started to transform into images of waves, sand dunes, etc.
At the time Yang Qing was still in the middle stages of the core formation realm however he knew his qi reserves well. Due to his wless jade physique and the innate attribute that came along with it plus his cultivation art, his qi volume was enough to rival those in the peak of the core formation realm. That level of qi reserve was sufficient to power a few top-rank sky-grade formation arrays but when it came to the tablet it was only enough to invoke the symbol transformation feature that happened once a year.
Once Yang Qing reached the pce realm he did try to feed the tablet his qi and just like before, it drained himpletely and only stopped when there was no more qi to drain. This time the only thing that changed was a few luminescent dots that appeared on the curved edges of the tablet. They were so tiny that one would overlook them and they seem to have no effect. But the ocean noises the tablet produced seemed to have stopped the moment the dots appeared.
Yang Qing figured he would at least have to be in theter stages of the pce realm or the domain stage before he could gain anything from the tablet. Who knew how long it might take, he might as well give it to Dean Zhu Lao and score a favor with him and find out what mysteries the tablet held with his assistance.
He had this knacky feeling the secrets the tablet hid would be enormous and if they were he would soon be swimming in merit points and maybe just maybe decide his own work schedule.
Yang Qing lightly chuckled once his thoughts reached there as he made his way out of his courtyard carefully holding the tablet.
Chapter 111 111: Unwitting Spark That Triggered An Era
?When Yang Qing made his way out of his abode he met Mao Yunru waiting for him by the main pathway of the blue valley.
Yang Qing who was busy thinking up all sorts of free services he would score from Dean Zhu Lao the moment he had him hooked with the y tablet couldn''t help but pause when saw Mao Yunru.
Her hair which hung loosely in the back was now hung on the front which somehow managed to make her purple limpid eyes stand out which added more levels to her otherwise exquisite look.
Just like Yang Qing she chose something a little ceremonial but not official. She had on a white inner robe and coat that had images of a purple vine flower sparsely spread about.
Yang Qing had decided to go with her to Dean Zhu Lao''s weing party since she was there when Meng Chao extended the invite. Yi Jie and Su Jinjing could havee too since they were there but Yi Jie was about to start preparing for his seclusion and eventual breakthrough to the pce stage so he had to get all his work affairs in order before he left. Su Jinjing mentioned something about celebrating the quenching birthday of her spear so she could not make it.
So that only left Mao Yunru. She and Yang Qing decided to head off together hence she hade to fetch him in his abode once she was done with her preparations.
Her cheeks turned red once she saw Yang Qing''s dazed look. However, instead of looking away for some reason she decided to be bolder and stared at Yang Qing straight into his eyes.
In his short but eventful life over the years, Yang Qing had gained various skills and perfected various crafts one of them being talking out of his nose, mouth, and ears. He could speak on cue and make any nonsense seem righteous as evidenced by his early years as an outer core court judge when he run both overtly and covertly a few protests to make the Order add some more benefits.
He may have failed thunderously in those endeavors but none could deny he had phenomenal skills when it came to pping his gum. It was a skill he thought would never fail him except now.
The moment Mao Yunru dead-eyed him, the words he wanted to say evaporated along with the saliva on his tongue. All he was left with was a dry tongue and sweaty palms and back.
"Yang Qing say something, It''s Mao Yunru. Gossip hoarder Mao Mao. You have worked with her for countless months besides if you chicken out now she may mock you endlessly...say something, say something, anything will do," Yang Qing internally psyched himself but the more he stared at those big purple cloud eyes the less his internal voice had any sway over his body.
It finally reached the tipping point when his mindpletely nked for a few seconds. When he came to, he found Mao Yunru staring at him strangely and with the y tablet in his mouth for some reason almost as if he was chewing on it.
Despite the tablet looking like even a small gust of wind would blow it away to dust due to its aging look, it once again proved its mysteriousness by almost chipping Yang Qing''s tooth. Every part of a cultivator''s body could be considered a tempered weapon. From their hands and feet down to their eyes, ears, teeth even nails. In Yang Qing''s case if he wanted to he could chew through sky-grade weapons like they were biscuits but when it came to the tablet it didn''t budge an inch even though he took a bite out of it subconsciously and not with intent.
Though he wasn''t sure, he seemed to have heard a minuscule sound of disgusting from the tablet. But he quickly dismissed that thought as he had other matters to address like why he ate a tablet in front of Mao Yunru instead of just saying hello.
With things having already reached this point, he decided to pull a page out of the celestial nesting weaver''s book.
"Mmmh the chefs didn''t lie. This y tablet cake really is sturdy enough to deflect even a sky-rank weapon. I even feel reluctant to give it away. Oh well a junior must do what he must to celebrate their seniors," said Yang Qing as he looked reluctantly at the y tablet. He even made his stomach grumble and made the most sincere ''I want to eat it'' look so he could sell the ruse.
It seemed to have worked as Mao Yunru''s earlier look of confusion and a little shock had changed.
"That cake seems so lifelike, I wonder what ingredients they used. Should I start taking recordings of cooking too¡.Mmmh that wouldn''t be a bad idea. I can sell some to Yang Qing and Feng Xin for a good fee and keep some to myself. Win Win, I get additional funds for my ho.. research while adding a little versatility to my collection," thought Mao Yunru as an excited glint shed in her eyes which confused Yang Qing as he didn''t know what to make of her reaction.
"Now the only problem is how do I get the restaurants to agree to me recording them cook?"
There were a lot of factors Mao Yunru had to consider when making the recordings. For one it was quality. She would only be able to exploit Yang Qing and Feng Xin for all their spirit stones if the chef being recorded was skilled in their craft. But this presented another problem. Chefs of this caliber will have already set their path on cooking as their dao, to them cooking was no different than cultivating, and recording them was no different than recording a cultivator practicing their precious technique.
It was for this reason that most chefs especially the seasoned ones who had touched upon their own form of cooking dao would have a separate secluded room for cooking with the only people being allowed to those rooms being their disciples or those whom the chef has deemed worthy to be there such as their peers. Not even the restaurant owners or managers had any right over who was allowed into that room.
This was just one of the problems Mao Yunru had to consider. Another was the restaurant refusing due to a potential leaking of food recipes. A long list of problems kept piling up the more Mao Yunru thought of it but instead of throwing in the towel at the end of it, she seemed even more pumped with her clenching her fists with a valiant aura surrounding her.
"What''s up with her?" Yang Qing worriedly wondered.
What he or Mao Yunru didn''t know was this was the spark that ignited the cooking era from innovative recipes,petitions, and continent-wide des that transformed what chefs could do. Frying mountains, making soups of rivers, and plucking the stars as condiments. What chefs could do turned endless to the point Soul formations experts who proved their dao through cooking rose from this era something that waspletely unheard of, as only those mainstream dao could help someone reach the soul formation stage.
There were soul formation experts who were chefs but they only dabbled in cooking as a hobby or secondary upation while their true daoy in something else. It was usually difficult for non-mainstream dao to reach the peak as it was an unwalked road where the users would have to pave it themselves which for most led to nothing but endless darkness as was the case with cooking dao that was until Mao Yunru with her thirst for entertainment cooked up a storm that she never sawing. But thatdies and gentlemen is a story for another day.
¡.
"Mao Mao, hey Mao Mao? Are you listening?
¡We are going to bete for the party. We don''t want to keep supervisor Lei Weiyuan waiting for long otherwise if he leaves without us we may miss the party altogether," Yang Qing said as he waved his hands in front of Mao Yunru''s eyes.
"Oh sorry about that," said Mao Yunru who suddenly came to as she smiled in embarrassment.
"By the way where did you have that cake made? It''s really lifelike," said Mao Yunru with two parts interest and two parts trying to deflect so the embarrassment from losing herself to her hobbies AGAIN could quickly dwindle away.
Yang Qing who had turned to continue walking paused mid-turn at Mao Yunru''s question.
"Did she figure it out?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder as he nervously turned to face Mao Yunru but on seeing the sincere expression on her face he quickly dismissed the thought.
"Eeh it was amission job I asked one of the wandering chefs to make. One of the chefs from soup soul restaurant introduced me to him," Yang Qing said as he nervouslyughed.
"We will bete Mao Mao. Please hold on tight."
Yang Qing hurriedly said quickly grabbing her before she could dig holes in his story.
Mao Yunru who was about to ask more questions quickly froze when Yang Qing grabbed her hand and the next minute she knew they were up in the sky flying at an rming speed toward the junction where the roads that led to the four different valleys met.
Within a few minutes, they were already at the junction where Lei Weiyuan was calmly standing with his hands behind his back waiting for them. He seemed to have detected them from miles away as his eyes were already in their direction before they even appeared.
"Sorry for keeping you, supervisor Lei Weiyuan," said Yang Qing as hended with Mao Yunru in tow.
"You haven''t kept me waiting. I only just arrived a few minutes ago. Let''s set off then," Lei Weiyuan calmly said as his gaze paused briefly on Yang Qing and Mao Yunru''s hands that were still sped together.
It was only when the duo noticed Lei Weiyuan''s nce did they realize they were still holding hands which they hurriedly let go with Yang Qing showing a guilty expression that had a mix of pleasantness hidden in there as for Mao Yunru well there was not much time to figure out what was going on in her mind as Lei Weiyuan covered them with his domain before they disappeared off in a silver streak in the direction of the dark valley, the home of the domains.
Chapter 112 112: Paragon Domains?
?The dark valley was different than either the blue valley which housed Order employees in the core formation realm or the gold valley which housed the pce realm employees.
One of the key differences was, for one to get in there if they were not a resident of the valley they required a domain-level expert to escort them within the valley. It was the reason both Yang Qing and Mao Yunru needed Lei Weiyuan to guide them in.
If the two of them had tried to go by themselves at best they would get lost in there forever and at worst they would die. Unlike the other two valleys where as long as you had someone''s token you could get in their abode while the main road was free for anyone to use, things at the dark valley were vastly different. There was no main path to use and the environment changed in the short time it took to blink. Everything from the weather to the time of day, down to thendscapes changed every second.
It was because of this unique feature that the dark valley was also known by another name, the infinity domain valley. The rapidly changing environment andyout were because what was being reflected in the dark valley was someone''s domain.
Rumor had it that there was a top-tier saint-grade treasure that was being used as the anchor treasure of the dark valley. Other than improving the qi density of the ce it had another function which was to mirror the domains of the domain experts within the valley.
Even though it was just a reflection and thus the domain being produced had less lethality than the real thing, its lethal presence was still there, especially to those who were below the domain realm. They risked getting trapped in the reflected domains and suffering its effects. The reason the treasure still remains in the dark valley despite its threat factor is that to anyone but a domain-level expert it may be lethal but to them, it''s a boon as the treasure helps every domain expert present experience different types of domains which may provide them with insights for strengthening their own domains.
The treasure became a central hub forparing notes and storing every new domain thates its way going back to the first day it was ced in the dark valley.
¡.
The moment Yang Qing and Mao Yunru were covered by Lei Weiyuan''s domain they felt like they had been thrown into a silver teau that was in the shape of a sword. The temperature was mild with no wind just stillness while the sky within the domain seemed to be the domain''s window to the real world.
Yang Qing and Mao Yunru got to see the dark valley''s different domains interchanging without being sucked into it thanks to the protection from Lei Weiyuan''s own domain.
They saw different things as they went along from mountains to rivers to tall trees that reached the sky to different animals from birds, mammals, reptiles, and fishes down to amphibians. However, unlike normal animals, each of the animals here was about the size of a whole town with weird runes and features surrounding them such as a peacock bathed in lightning and blue mes or a swan that was as radiant as the sun that seemed to burn even the very air.
However, there were a few domain reflections that really stood out that even made Yang Qing and Mao Yunru almost fall under their powers despite being under the protection of Lei Weiyuan''s domain.
One of them was a massive eye that covered the whole valley. Inside the eye was a cluster of stars revolving around a purple pupil like it was a vortex. The moment the eye appeared both Yang Qing and Mao Yunru felt like their bodies and souls were being sucked into the vortex. It was only when they felt a cool sensation flood their minds did theye back to their senses with pools of sweat on their backs.
After the eye experience, the duo tried to be cautious in their view of domains however after nothing happened to them for almost twenty minutes they soon forgot themselves as they admired the different domains that was until a book domain appeared. At first, the book didn''t seem anything special but it soon erged so that it even seemed to house the whole world as its cover while its pages seemed like they housed all sorts of knowledge from antiquity. When the pages started turning a sage voice uttered a single syble that made Yang Qing and Mao Yunru''s mind buzz as an ocean''s worth of knowledge threatened to flood their mind in an instant.
It was only due to Lei Weiyuan''s timely intervention that their minds didn''t break from that exposure.
"I don''t know if your luck should be considered good or bad for running into two paragon domains on the same day," Lei Weiyuan''s voice trailed over as Yang Qing and Mao Yunru were shaking off the buzzing sound from their head. They felt extremely dizzy and nauseated just from that brief contact.
"Paragon domain?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but groggily ask as he heard something he was unfamiliar with.
"You''re still a fledgling pce realm cultivator, learn to walk first before you ask certain matters. Wait until you have firmly ced your feet in the core pce stage then you won''t have to ask because the institute''s chancellor and a few members of the spirit council will seek you out and you will then find out what you want to know and then some.
But until then focus on your cultivation and cases. Sometimes knowing certain things earlier may not be a good thing. Cultivation is a journey of never-ending steps just pace yourself little by little," said Lei Weiyuan.
Lei Weiyuan''s statement did little to assuage the curiosity in both Yang Qing''s and Mao Yunru''s minds moreso the formerpared to thetter since Mao Yunru was just in the seventh stage of the core formation realm so such matters were too far away from her but in Yang Qing''s case it was close. He was already in the pce stage albeit in the first stages still well within the outer pce stage.
Fundamentally the pce realm was divided into three stages i.e. the outer pce, the inner pce, and the core pce. Each of these three stages was further divided into four stages making the total of the stages, twelve. Yang Qing was in the first stage of the outer pce realm.
"The chancellor and the spirit council," Yang Qing silently muttered as a look of awe appeared on his face.
The two names could be considered the very topmost figures in the whole of the Order. The chancellor was the head of the Institute. She was hardly ever seen, with the vice chancellor being the nominal head in charge of everything institute rted. Even during the institute''s important ceremonies such as graduations, she has never made an appearance. The only thing Yang Qing knew of her was her name, Su Liqiu.
But despite never being seen everyone had a lot of respect for her. One of the reasons being some of the deans were once her students when the Order was starting up and another was her cultivation realm. With the vice chancellor already being a confirmed soul formation expert though Yang Qing didn''t know which stage it was safe to assume the chancellor could only have a cultivation base that was at the very least in the soul formation realm and it could only be higher than the vice-chancellor not lower.
As for the spirit council. This was the defacto ruling authority of the whole Order with the identity of its members unknown. The only thing that was known about its members was that every member was at least a soul formation expert.
Their authority superseded the two vice presidents of the Order and was equal to the president of the Order whose identity was shrouded in even more mystery than the chancellor.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder what information required the two big wigs to personally deliver and what it had to do with the paragon domain.
After a few minutes of ruminating through all sorts of spection, he decided to throw the matter to the back of his mind and leave it to time. When the time came he would know then for now he was too far from the core pce realm.
It took them almost two hours before they finally arrived at their destination and in that while another paragon domain got featured. It was a mountain filled with swords and at the topid a single long sword that seemed to use the mountain as its sheath that only the grip could be seen. The grip was covered by a white ribbon with the words all equal imprinted on it.
The moment it appeared Lei Weiyuan''s reaction had been more drastic than before as he closed off their view in his domain before they could see even further. But that brief nce knocked out Mao Yunru who woke up a few secondster pale-faced like she had seen the scariest thing in her life while Yang Qing was panting as he looked like a cornered animal with his green hair transformed into hair that was half white half orange as one eye resembled a moon and the other the sun.
Even when Lei Weiyuan had told them they had arrived as he dispelled his domain, the two kept warily looking around afraid the mountain of swords would appear.
Chapter 113 113: Snow Peach Blossom Abode
?Lei Weiyuan didn''t say anything after seeing their reactions and just kept silent as he led them forward. The mountain of sword domain would even affect someone in the core pce realm let alone them, where one of them was just in the early stages of the pce realm while the other was in the core formation realm.
Once Yang Qing had mustered enough courage to not nce back he asked the question that had been bearing down on his mind ever since those paragon domains showed up.
"Supervisor Lei Weiyuan who do those domains belong to? Especially the mountain of sword one?" asked Yang Qing with his voice having faint tremors.
Mao Yunru also tried to forcibly forget her fears and experience once she heard Yang Qing''s question as she too was equally curious.
"I guess it''s only reasonable that you''d be curious. All who have visited this ce would get curious about the owners of the domains that get reflected during their visit.
The eye domain you saw first belongs to the chancellor, and the mountain of swords you just experienced belongs to someone you met during the week," Lei Weiyuan mysteriously said.
It didn''t take even a minute before a name surfaced in Yang Qing''s mind.
"Meng Chao?" Yang Qing shockingly asked.
He couldn''t reconcile the genial, gentle person he met in the courtroom to the tyrannical soul-shaking domain he was exposed to.
"Yes, it''s his¡.Otherwise how else do you think he could witness a battle between quasi-saint experts despite only being in the seventh stage of the domain realm himself? Only those with paragon domains can ensure their lives in that situation," Lei Weiyuan calmly stated.
"What about the book?" Yang Qing asked as he recollected the massive book that seemed to house the knowledge of the whole world.
It may have seemed the least dangerous but he still couldn''t forget the sage voice that was produced by the rustling of pages. He couldn''t help but wonder what would happen if the book was opened and the pages were fully exposed.
"That one belongs to Zhu Ling," Lei Weiyuan said as he sighed.
Both Yang Qing''s and Mao Yunru''s pupils froze when they heard that name. Yang Qing''s reaction was even more drastic as he stammered the name over and over.
This was one of the names featured on the top ten names on the merit wall. The name Zhu Ling calmly sat in the fourth position.
But the reason for Yang Qing''s drastic reaction wasn''t because of the merit wall but because of why he was there. Zhu Ling was the creator of four purple-grade cultivation arts. Something that hasn''t happened in over 50,000 years even among the holynds.
It was said it was easier to find 100 saint-grade treasures than to create a single purple-grade cultivation art.
The gap between cultivation arts grew the higher up it went from red, orange, blue, gold, and finally purple grade. The gap between gold-grade art and purple-grade art even though it was just one grade was the difference between heaven and earth.
A purple-grade art would guarantee a dynasty better than a soul formation expert would because as long the art was around you were always guaranteed to have soul formation experts. So long as there were those who could cultivate the art. Even holynds would shed all cordiality for the sake of a purple-grade art, so Zhu Li''s value as a creator of four, not just one purple-grade cultivation arts couldn''t be underestimated.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder what the top three did to outdo Zhu Li on the merit wall.
"Supervisor Lei Weiyuan, do senior Zhu Li and Dean Zhu Lao have any rtions?" Yang Qing quickly asked. In his excitement, he had even overlooked Lei Weiyuan''s subtle reaction at the mention of Zhu Li''s name.
"They are brothers with Dean Zhu Lao being the older one," said Lei Weiyuan.
"Really?!!!! So will he also be in attendance?" asked Yang Qing as his eyes glittered.
"No, he is currently preupied with other matters as you have well noticed he has never made any public appearance ever since you joined. He is in indefinite seclusion. We don''t know when he wille out," Lei Weiyuan patiently exined though a strange light shed in his eyes.
"Oh," Yang Qing said with a downcast expression before he perked up once more. Dean Zhu Lao had not created a purple-grade art but he was just as equally skilled. Creating gold-grade art was no small feat either. He couldn''t help but marvel at the talents shown by these two brothers.
As they were walking, Lei Weiyuan suddenly paused as if remembering something.
"Though there was one person who didn''t want to know the identity of the owners of the domains he saw. He got exposed to five paragon domains during his visit. To date, it''s an all-time record.
The saint-grade treasure responsible for the reflection has no rhyme or reason towards the domains it disys. Sometimes a single domain may be reflected the whole day other times it would change sporadically every few minutes like it did today.
But despite all that, when ites to paragon domains they get reflected once or twice a year. It''s rare for more than one to appear on the same day.
To date ever since the establishment of the dark valley, the number of times more than one paragon domain has been shown on the same day is eight. Now I guess it should be nine seeing how three showed up during your visit," Lei Weiyuan paused as he did the calctions.
"Luckily you were exposed to three, unlike your friend who got hit by five paragon domains. By the time the fifth one arrived, his eyes had rolled backward as he bled from every orifice. He didn''t even get to do what brought him here Hehehe what a poor kid," Lei Weiyuan lightly chuckled as an amused glint shed in his eyes.
Yang Qing was bbergasted as he rarely sees Lei Weiyuanugh. The only times he did were when he was dishing out punishment to Yang Qing.
"Old geezer Weiyuan might be more of a sadist than I thought," Yang Qing thought as he warily eyed Lei Weiyuan.
"Yang Qing did you just think of something improper about me?" said Lei Weiyuan as he coldly stared at Yang Qing.
"Supervisor Lei Weiyuan I''m deeply hurt by the usation. All I hold is deep veneration for your sage presence that I even burn incense sticks to you in the morning before I go to work. It''s the only reason my attendance record has been spotless the past couple of years," Yang Qing pitifully said showing an aggrieved look of a pious believer who got doubted.
Of course, it wasn''t all a lie. His attendance record had been spotless the past couple of years if one ignored the trick he pulled by lying about the time it took him to break through to the pce stage.
He did arrive on time all for the sake of his promotion scheme where he will get to work less the higher up the Orderdder he moved and he did burn an incense stick to Lei Weiyuan''s picture frame but it wasn''t out of reverence. He hexed Lei Weiyuan''s picture every morning and it became a routine he couldn''t do without as it always left him refreshed and in a chipper mood.
"So who was the unlucky visitor?" Yang Qing hurriedly asked.
"It was your friend Kang Hung,"
"Him? HAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA¡I wish I was there to see it...Where are Mao Mao''s recording talismans when you need them. Serves that welcher right..," Yang Qing said as he raginglyughed till he even had to clutch his stomach as a few tear drops escaped his eyes.
"How did he get to that point, didn''t the domain expert guiding him shield him from the effects like you did with us?" Yang Qing curiously asked.
Despite him asionally relishing in Kang Hung''s misfortunes he knew the person''s capabilities well enough. It was almost as good as he knew his own team if not better. They were rivals when in the institute and there were a couple of areas though few which even Yang Qing had to admit he fell a little short of him. The primary one beingbat.
He was a monster who mastered three different types of intents and could use almost any weapon as though it had been part of him from his womb. His skills inbat made him even get approached by the roaming inquisitor''s deputy director in charge of coordinating the pce courts before he had graduated. His talents were better suited to be an inquisitor than a judge which was a disappointment to them when he decided to be a judge instead of an inquisitor despite the great benefits they offered.
Yang Qing couldn''t fathom how someone of such a caliber had such a severe reaction not unless he was exposed to even more tyrannical paragon domains like the mountain of swords. If Yang Qing were to endure four more domains that resembled the mountain of swords he wasn''t sure he would be conscious by the third domain.
"He was an early-stage core formation expert then and he had arrogantly mentioned how he could weather through any domain and even made a bet. The domain expert who was with him indulged him and the rest is as I''ve mentioned.
There was even a betting pool among the residents to see how far he would reach without passing out. Who thought he''d end up facing five paragon domains..hehehe¡..Actually, the host Su Liqiu was about the only one who bet in his favor. Sheted a pretty good sum," Lei Weiyuan enviously said as he stroked his beard.
¡..
After walking for a few minutes they saw a wooden board with the words ''Snow peach blossom abode'' written in beautiful calligraphy.
Yang Qing could detect a valiant spirit in that calligraphy like one of a seasoned general which went in contrast with the beautiful calligraphy or the name.
Lei Weiyuan urged them to move forward past the board. The moment they took a step past the board it was as if a new world had opened up before them. A Snowndscape filled their view with small mountains, rivers, and at the center was thergest peach blossom tree he has ever seen that was easily a few kilometers tall with wide-spread branches and peach blossom flowers that were the size of his head.
Single petals would fly with the wind around the area giving the area a breathtaking beauty with the snowy backdrop.
Just as Yang Qing and Mao Yunru were busy admiring the view, one of the petals floating by them suddenly transformed into someone.
"You must be Yang Qing, my daughter has told me a few things about you," a cheery humorous voice sounded as a valiant-looking middle-ageddy with deep pink hair appeared before them.
Chapter 114 114: The Yu Family
?Yang Qing nervously looked up at the neer who just appeared in front of their eyes especially when his name got mentioned. Over the years whenever he heard his name had been mentioned, it was never in a good light. He couldn''t help but worry about what news of him had spread this time around.
"It was not anything bad," the valiant-lookingdy in pink lightly chuckled once she saw Yang Qing''s subtle reaction.
Now that Yang Qing got a clear look at her the more her visage seemed oddly familiar. Her hair was haphazardly tied together into a bun with a lot of loose strands everywhere as she wore sleeveless yellow robes and coat. Even with her careless appearance, her look didn''t wane one bit, especially her lively eyes and matching beauty, and a cheery personality to follow.
"You are Yu Huifang''s mom?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but ask once he noticed how closely the middle-ageddy oddly resembled his friend Yu Huifang.
"Yes I am¡it seems she doesn''t speak about me much, that unfilial child. Maybe I should ramp up her training some more," the middle-ageddy who seemed to be Yu Huifang''s mom vengefully said.
Lei Weiyuan had to cough multiple times so he could drag Yu Huifang''s mom back from that vengeful spiral.
"Oh sorry," Yu Huifang''s mom said as she awkwardlyughed.
"Oops, where''s my head, I even forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yu Hong, Yu Huifang''s mom and also the deputy director of the roaming inquisitors in charge of coordination in the domain courts.
I heard from Lei that you will soon be moving up to the pce courts, Yang Qing?" Yu Hong suddenly asked.
"Yes I will," Yang Qing eagerly answered once he heard her job title. Maybe with her pull, he might end up with three roaming inquisitors attached to his court instead of the standard two who will also be constantly rotated to other ces such as branches despite being attached to his court.
"Sadly I can''t pull any strings to help you have more roaming inquisitors attached to your court. Maybe the director could do it but sadly I''m just a tiny deputy director," Yu Hong teasingly said as she enjoyed Yang Qing''s change of emotions from glee to distraught.
"Another sadist. How can she be Yu Huifang''s mom? Other than their looks they are nothing alike," Yang Qing thought once he noticed that happy glint in Yu Hong''s eyes from his distraught appearance.
Yu Huifang has always been thepassionate, gentle but sometimes stern and meticulous sort, theplete opposite of her mother who seemed like a wild spirit who did things on the fly.
"While I may not be able to help with your numbers, I can put in a good word for you with the deputy director in charge of coordination in the pce courts and have the roaming inquisitors attached to you to not be rotated so much.
He is my junior and he owes me a favor or two. Though you should know that status can only be maintained for two months at most and even then something unexpected may happen within those two months that may result in the roaming inquisitors under you getting reassigned.
So if your luck is bad be prepared to do both the role of a judge and inquisitor for a while there before your team has the necessary requirements to handle pce court cases.
Your cases and schedule will be sporadic so you will have to be adaptable to the changes, especially in the pce courts. It''s filled with much more unpredictabilitypared to other courts. So prepare yourself, young judge," said Yu Hong with a rare air of seriousness.
Yang Qing nodded solemnly in gratitude at her good intentions.
"Well if being a judge gets too tough you can always join our roaming inquisitors. We would dly wee a pce realm expert who had a purple core in the core formation stage.
We are severely undermanned and overloaded with work and with our strict requirements on enrollment it ensures our recruitment numbers are always severely low.
Think about it Yang Qing. With what my daughter told me about you, you are definitely a sure in. You too miss, seeing that you are a purple core expert too.
You may still be at thete stages of the core formation realm and are thus ineligible to join us but I would be willing to save a spot for a talent such as yourself.
We pay well and we have the most freedom than any other department as well as ess to most of the Order''s specialized facilities and artifacts.
Think about it, it''s not a bad deal right?" Yu Hong expectantly said as she eyed both Yang Qing and Mao Yunru.
"Hong, don''t you think you are being too forward trying to poach members of my team in front of me?" Lei Weiyuan coldly said.
"Mmmph so what ...We both know how many people we set our eyes on that your fancy courtroom''s poached especially that Hung kid," Yu Hong contemptuously said.
"Thank you very much for your consideration Auntie Yu but for now I think I will retain my role as a judge plus I don''t think I''m particrly suited forbat," said Yang Qing as he smiled apologetically. He had decided to use an informal tone to try and soften the rejection. He still needed her good word with the roaming inquisitor''s coordinator of the pce courts.
"Shameless as advertised. To think someone nicknamed the bnce extremist wouldbel himself as a nonbatant. What would that make everyone else?" said Yu Hong. Even though she seemed to be chastising him, the mildly pleased expression on her face showed being called Auntie Yu had worked.
She soon turned her gaze towards Mao Yunru who seemed nervous at being put in an ufortable position. Despite not having the thick face for it she decided to follow Yang Qing''s steps in her response.
"I''m sorry Aunt Yu I will have to politely decline too as I''m not confident in doing anything else," Mao Yunru softly said as she cautiously eyed Yu Hong.
"Fine your loss¡You won''t find any other job that pays better," Yu Hong derisively said as she specifically eyed Yang Qing when she mentioned thetter part of her sentence.
"What did Yu Huifang tell her mother?" thought Yang Qing as he noticed her not-so-subtle look.
"Don''t be such a sore loser, Hong," Lei Weiyuan smugly said saving the duo from the awkward pressurizing moment.
"Lei you know your way around, take them over, I have other guests to greet," Yu Hong''s voice echoed over as she disappeared from her spot with a peach blossom petal taking her ce.
"Take one of these and pour your qi into it. It will transport us where we need to go," Lei Weiyuan said as he grabbed three of the petals floating about and handed two to Yang Qing and Mao Yunru.
The petals were cool and soft to the touch almost like soft fur with a refreshing fruity smell. Both Yang Qing and Mao Yunru did as they were told.
The moment they poured their qi into the petals they felt their vision change and in the next moment they were in arge round room filled with unfamiliar guests.
Both Yang Qing and Mao Yunru curiously looked around trying to gauge where they were. Above them, they saw a blue night sky filled with a cluster of stars which was strange since just a few moments ago it seemed like it was daytime with apanying snow that was currently absent.
By their feet were orange fresh wooden floorboards that had the smell of peach. But what shocked both of them was how dense the qi was. Even the celestial nesting weaver''s nest with the enormous treasures Yang Qing poured into it couldn''t match a tenth of the qi in this ce.
"You''re inside one of the flowers of the 108 space weaving snow peach tree. Just like its name, it creates a habitable space in 108 flowers each with a unique environment. So far the tree has only unlocked 62 flowers with the remaining 46 still in their budding phases," Lei Weiyuan calmly introduced when he saw their curious gazes.
"A space attribute tree," Yang Qing muttered in awe as he expanded his gaze. His monarch sense seemed to be sealed within the flower''s space which Yang Qing attributed to being one of the unique features of the flower they were in.
His eclipse tree was also a space attribute natural treasure though it had not yet unlocked its space-rted features. It would require astronomical resources and time. Though Yang Qing could faintly detect over the past year it was close to unlocking a part of its attributes.
"Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, Supervisor Lei Weiyuan wee," a soft pleasant voice sounded before he saw the owner of the voice, It was Yu Huifang. She had a cloudy pink robe that perfectly melded with her hair as she came over with a sweet smile on her face.
She was apanied by a slender and handsome middle-aged man. He was wearing a ck robe that matched his long smooth flowing ck hair that had reached his back. Both he and Yu Huifang had faint resembling features.
"Vice dean Yu Long, Yu Huifang, How are you?" Yang Qing cheerily greeted both of them once they reached them.
He may have not known Yu Huifang''s mom since her post made it hard for one to know her with their circles not being the same and she was usually not around due to her posting but he knew her dad, Yu Long.
He was the vice dean of cultivation art history and dissection. He became the interim head of the department when Dean Zhu Lao was in absentia from his 50-year forced seclusion.
Mao Yunru also followed up with her greetings.
"Lei," Yu Long gently nodded toward Lei Weiyuan who nodded back.
"Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, nice to see my students flourish after the institute. By the way, I told Dean Zhu Lao about you Yang Qing, he is interested in meeting you," Yu Long gently said as he smiled admiringly at the two.
"Yang Qing when you meet Dean Zhu Laoter pleased don''t mention his brother," said Lei Weiyuan as hemunicated with Yang Qing via his domain sense.
Chapter 115 115: The Requiem
?Yang Qing was surprised by Lei Weiyuan''s sudden request. He turned to question him but he had already disappeared from the spot and was already mingling with the other guests.
Yang Qing could only shelf his question as he continued his small talk with vice dean Yu Long and Yu Huifang.
"Well Huifang, I will leave you with your friends, I still have to y the role of a dutiful host because we all know your mother won''t. Thatdy.... she can never just stick in one ce," said vice dean Yu Hong as he weakly smiled with Yu Huifang patting his back in constion.
....
"So Huifang what did you tell your mother about me?'' Yang Qing quickly asked the question that had been eating at him ever since his interaction with Yu Hong.
"Nothing much, just the normal stuff," said Yu Huifang as she chuckled with a mischievous glint shing in her eyes.
"I thought you were nothing like your mother but you''re definitely your mother''s daughter alright," grumbled Yang Qing.
"Mmmph what do you know...So where do you want to head first?" asked Yu Huifang.
"I''m in no hurry. By the way, howe Dai Chen isn''t here?" Yang Qing curiously asked as he didn''t seem to spot him around. Considering his rtionship with Yu Huifang he was sure he would be here too.
"He is afraid of my mother so he decided to stay away," answered Yu Huifang as she smiled in exasperation.
After Yang Qing''s brief interaction with her mother, he could understand why. If he were in the same spot he would put a wide berth between himself and her.
"I bet you are wishing you had a few recording talismans on you, Mao Mao. You can''t get a better scenery than this then add the numerous big shots around, it''s a recorder''s dream," Yang Qing teasingly said whichnded him a fierce elbow to his gut from Mao Yunru.
"I didn''t expect there''d be these many bigshots around though. It seems Dean Zhu Lao is well-liked," Yang Qing said as he gazed around.
Among the guests around there were those he was familiar with and none held a small title.
There was an old man in a light brown robe who had a hunched back and seemed to be at death''s door. However, his gaze seemed youthful and filled with unparalleled wisdom. He was the Chief librarian and was in charge of the institute''s main library.
The library was one of the institute''s most treasured facility as all sorts of cultivation arts and techniques ranging from red grade down to purple grade were stored in there. It wasn''t only restricted to cultivation arts, but history, painting, tea brewing techniques, and beginner guide to all sorts of instruments be they for entertainment or not. Anything that could be categorized as knowledge was stored in the library, making it one of thergest facilities in the whole of the Order. It was bigger than even some minor branches, about the size of a small town of 30 square kilometers housing scrolls and books that easily numbered in the millions at most and hundreds of thousands at the least.
As the man in charge of such an enormous library, his position in the Order wasn''t small. His name was Xu Ning, he also went by another nickname, the thousand faces shifter. He was a master of disguise. Very few people knew his true looks and rumor had it he may not even be human. When not in the library he usually disguised himself among the students or random passersby in the restaurants and inns in the Order''spound.
Luckily or unluckily he was not one of the only oddities in the Order as there were many others just like him who had weird temperaments or hobbies.
Yang Qing always wondered if it was the Order that made people weird or did it specifically attract people of a certain quality. Of course, he always thought he was one of the few normal people in the Orderpletely oblivious to his nature.
Throwing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he turned his attention to the rest of the guests whose titles were just as illustrious as the Chief Librarian Xu Ning. There was the director of spirit stone mining operations, the vice head of auditing, a few assistant directors of the administrative hall, hall master of the beast hall, the vice-captain of internal security, and the vice head of themissions'' hall.
Those were but the few Yang Qing could recognize. He had to seek Yu Huifang''s guidance to know the rest. Among those whom Yu Huifang helped with there was one Yang Qing paid special attention to, the vice warden of the requiem. He had a youthful look of someone in his early thirties. He had short dark purple hair with matching eyes and pale white skin. He had a cold handsome appearance as he calmly took everything in.
The requiem was the ironic title given to the Order''s prison. Usually, when cultivators were found guilty they would be put to work like the Shen brothers or Cheng Yuan and Peng Zhen. Still, there are certain cases where the crimes are so heinous thatbor isn''t enough to mete out justice or their mental states are too erratic to leave them outside or they''re too dangerous to be left outside.
Whatever the reason, all who were thrown into the requiem were guaranteed anything but rest. Everything within the prison was geared towards breaking them over and over rebuilding them back and breaking them over again. Worse was, thanks to the cultivator''s longevity and vitality it ensured that the loop was almost infinite.
A weaker mind would not be able to survive there that included even the guards. It was for this reason that their entry requirements were the strictest in the whole of the Order evenpared to the roaming inquisitors whose requirements were also demanding.
For one every guard had to have an abnormally powerful soul which would be a boon for training spiritual techniques for strengthening their mind, they also had to have an equally strong physique to handle the baleful qi produced in the prison that would corrode even someone in the core formation realm if they stayed in there for a year. Their skills inbat, formation arrays, medicine, and defense had to be a cut above the rest. Most special inquisitors were either former guards or were trained by them.
If most people outside were to be asked which was the most fearsome entity in the Order they''d say the judges and the inquisitors of the main headquarters but those within the Order knew without a doubt it was the custodians of the requiem. Their base talents were a cut above the rest even by the Order''s standards not to mention the vice warden who was a quasi-saint cultivator.
But the real reason Yang Qing paid special attention to him wasn''t his cultivation realm but because from what Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge had told him, one of his duties as a pce realm judge was the supervision and rehabilitation of a prisoner from the Requiem. The prisoner would serve under them and it was the judge''s duty to constantly evaluate them and at the end of three years decide if they were redeemable or not. If they are not they will be sent back to the Requiem but if they are they will serve under the evaluating judge for a couple of years. The specific duration is left to the monitoring judge''s discretion. If their evaluation at the end of those years is ster the prisoner would be released during which they would then be constantly monitored by the Shadow hawks, the intelligence branch of the Order.
Just as Yang Qing was contemting how he would make his approach to the vice warden, the hall room went quiet as four figures made their appearance. One of them was Yu Hong and the remaining three were a single woman and two men.
The otherdy''s beauty wasn''t overshadowed even when standing next to a wild picturesque beauty like Yu Hong. However her beauty was different, she had an aura of a reserved, meticulous schr.
As for the next two gentlemen beside her one of them had a pristine white robe and a shiny bald head that reflected the light of the room. Everything about him screamed extreme cleanliness down to even his walking, as even though he was walking his feet barely touched the ground.
Yang Qing recognized both him and thedy immediately as they were the dean of survival and adaptation and the hall master of the formation hall respectively.
He was extremely familiar with both of them as he had sses with the former when he was a student in the institute and also the dean was the domain expert who got trapped in the glowing respite valley when it was the waste dumping ground of the Myriad beasts sect andter got saved by the members of the Order.
As for the formation hall master, they have had frequent interactions, mostly reprimands to him for trying to tinker with the arrays in his carriage and courtroom.
It was only the rotund gentleman with amber hair tied in a topknot that he didn''t seem to recognize. Though with the sudden change of air in the hall it wasn''t hard to guess his identity which was soon revealed by Vice dean Yu Long''s weing words.
"Good that you are finally here brother Zhu Lao, the party can finally start," said Vice dean Yu Hong as he thunderously pped hands with the rotund gentleman as they both uproariouslyughed.
Chapter 116 116: Fellow Practitioners
?"The duo seem more like brothers than colleagues," Yang Qing noted as he took in the interaction between Vice dean Yu Long and Dean Zhu Lao.
The group soon made their way to the center of the hallway where with how these things go, Dean Zhu Lao was expected to make a speech so that the party could officially start.
It was only when talk of themencement of the party began did Yang Qing notice there was something crucial missing in the room which he had grossly overlooked. In his mind, without it, the party might as well have not existed. It was more important than the host, the reason for the party, or even the guests or the venue. It was the one thing that held everything together. But try as he might he didn''t spot an iota of it.
His brows creased as he started feeling hot all of a sudden with his palms getting sweaty.
"How could it miss? Isn''t that 90% of the reason I came here? No, No maybe it will be brought in once the party officially kicks off but just in case.." Yang Qing decided to confront the issue after his internal debate.
"Huifang, is there no food?" Yang Qing gently asked with fearful apprehension.
"Ppsch, the dean is about to speak. Other than food can''t you think about anything else?" Yu Huifang mockingly said as she ignored Yang Qing''snguid look.
....
Center of the hallway
"Other than discussing dao I''m not very good at these things. So I will keep the speech short and simple like a breakthrough to the qi cultivation realm," said Dean Zhu Lao as he drylyughed eyeing the crowd.
His cultivation humor had met a tough crowd as noneughed along with him with some only giving perfunctory smiles such as vice dean Yu Long and some of his former students who were within the crowd.
In the whole crowd, there were about three people who seemed to be genuinely enjoying it albeit for two of them it had nothing to do with the joke. The one who genuinely enjoyed the joke was the cold handsome vice warden which came as a shock to Yang Qing and Mao Yunru but the rest of the guests were none too shocked, they seemed to have expected it.
As for the remaining two, one of them was Yang Qing of course. Hisugh wasn''t because he found the joke funny but with the food situation potentially in jeopardy he might as well do his all to ensure his goal of milking Dean Zhu Lao''s services for free seeded.
His years of being a proud practitioner of fawning dao and shameless dao hade in handy. He knew the perfect bnce of augh that wasn''t too exaggerated but wasn''t too low either but just enough to make the recipient of thatugh think they may actually be good.
It seemed to have worked as Dean Zhu Lao''s shrinking figure perked up to his and the vice warden''sugh. Though the majority of the room threw Yang Qing mocking looks.
He was well renowned for his shamelessness. The actions of a shameless person could never be trusted especially the good ones. There was usually a catch and with Yang Qing''s stingy history, it didn''t take them long to guess it except for Dean Zhu Lao who had been in seclusion for the past 50 years even before Yang Qing joined.
As for thest figure whoughed, it was the hall master of the formation hall. However, herughter seemed to be of someone gloating at another''s misfortune.
¡
"Ahem as I was saying, I''m thankful that you all came for my wee party, especially with the busy schedules and all. I''ll make sure to repay back your kindness at ater date.
And a special thank you to brother Yu Long and sister Yu Hong for hosting it in your magnificent abode, I couldn''t have wished for a better venue.
As you all know I was in seclusion because I had sudden insights that I wanted to focus on. I didn''t expect it to take 50 years but as you all have personally experienced you never know with these things sometimes itsts a day and other times it mayst more than a century.
But all in all, I made plentiful gains which I would like to share with you all. Think of it as my gift of gratitude to you all.
Now let the party begin," Dean Zhu Lao cheeringly said as he raised his wine urn to the rest who raised theirs in cheers and gulped their wines down.
Yang Qing on the other hand couldn''t help but reevaluate this absentee dean once more and he wasn''t alone in this as both Yu Huifang and Mao Yunru threw strange looks the dean''s way.
"I didn''t think it was possible but there''s actually someone who matches Yang Qing in shamelessness," Mao Yunru said in shock.
"I know...I didn''t expect a renowned senior like him would be of the same ilk," Yu Huifang said equally shocked.
They found it hard to reconcile the creator of the gold-grade cultivation art, the shadow void steps, and the person before them. Everyone here had heard of the tales of why he was really absent for the past 50 years. It had nothing to do with getting a sudden burst of insight and had all to do with him getting caught by his wife sneaking out from their courtyard in the middle of the night anding backte from gallivanting with friends.
But here he was perfectly acting with a straight face and an apanying air of righteousness that showed a studious dedication to the dao. He didn''t even flinch despite everyone present knowing the real story.
Yang Qing had aplicated expression as a frown formed on his face. If Dean Zhu Lao was as shameless as he seemed then thatplicated matters. Only a fellow shameless dao practitioner would know the moves of a fellow daoist in that regard. It may not be easy to score free consultation among other things from Dean Zhu Lao as Yang Qing had nned. He may have to reevaluate his approach.
"Did he figure out my earlierugh was a fake and went along with it to deflect the attention to me?" Yang Qing curiously thought.
It was at that moment he noticed Dean Zhu Lao throw a quick nce his way before he turned back to greet the guests around with a warm smile.
That nce though brief gave Yang Qing all the answers he needed. That nce had a cunning glint in it that seemed to say,
"Thanks for the save fellow practitioner."
"I was too careless. It was all so clear but I overlooked it. There is no way someone who created a cultivation art with the sole purpose of sneaking out is someone honest..tsk. I guess it will have to be a give and take with the sleazy dean," Yang Qing grumbled as his mood further sank when he noticed there was still no food.
"Huifang is there really no food at this party just wine?" Yang Qing pleadingly asked. Both his agendas for the day seemed to be going down the drain.
"I thought your true hunger was for the dao, not food. Isn''t that what you told me yesterday?" a gentle teasing voice sounded.
When Yang Qing turned to the source he saw Meng Chao and another youthful-looking man with ocean-blue hair next to him. He had on white robes that had a faint assortment of herb smell on it.
"Senior Meng Chao, vice hall master Ren Shu nice to see you," Yang Qing hurriedly offered his greetings as he cupped his fists and warmly smiled. The earlier dejection and dread were erased instantly from his face.
"My hunger for the dao is what made me ask for food. By personally experiencing the mundane affairs such as enjoying food, I''m clearing my heart by making sure I''m in touch with my roots," Yang Qing righteously said as he puffed up his chest a bit.
"I don''t know if you know this.." Yang Qing lowly whispered as if he was revealing some grand secret.
"But my ancestor''s ancestor was quite the voracious eater which was where our body-refining ancestry started. We Yangs eat to pay homage.
In my family we always say to deny oneself is to blind yourself to the truth. I''ve stuck by that saying to this day," said Yang Qing as the Meng Chao and vice hall master Ren Shu had amused expressions on their faces.
"I didn''t know there was something like that. I will have to ask your grandfather when I go back to the medicine valley," said vice hall master Ren Shu.
"There''s ¡.THERE''S NO NEED to bother an old man with tales of the old days I''m not sure how much he can remember from back then with his waning age and memory problems," Yang Qing hurriedly said.
Vice hall master Ren Shu chose to ignore the tant excuse Yang Qing came up with and not call him on it. His grandfather was 200 years old and was a peak foundation establishment expert who bar the unexpected usually had a life expectancy of 1,200 years.
Yang Qing''s grandfather could probably remember the meal he had the day he crawled with exceptional detail due to the high memory cultivators had.
"Fine I won''t ask¡so have you ced any more thought on joining the medicine valley?
The hall master has said we can be flexible in your mode of payment and also we cane to an arrangement on your working schedule. All you need is to say yes. It''s such a shame for your innate attribute of the peerless jade physique to be wasted in a courtroom. The medicine valley is where your talents will shine," said Vice hall master Ren Shu.
Chapter 117 117: Peerless Jade Body
?Meng Chao didn''t intervene and just remained silent. He had read Yang Qing''s file and some part of him agreed with Ren Shu. With the type of peerless jade physique Yang Qing unlocked, his talents would bloom in the medicine valley better than in any other ce.
However, the Order was a free ce where their members could choose the post they''d like to go to as long as they met the requirements and there was an opening. No one in the Order would stop them even if they would be suited to another ce. They''d give their suggestions but it would only stop there.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but guiltily sigh at Ren Shu''s request. It was not the first time he had made the request. Just like Kang Hung who was recruited by the roaming inquisitors when he was just a student, the same offer was made to Yang Qing too except in his case it was from the medicine valley.
The reason for the invite for both Kang Hung and Yang Qing had more to do with their peerless jade physiques.
The Blue origin was home to countless phenomena, one of which came in the form of physiques. There were cultivators who were born with special physiques that put them at an advantagepared to the rest as they could directly skip the body refining stage.
Those physiques came with special innate attributes for example Mao Yunru was such a person as she had the purple cloud mist physique that granted her a natural immunity to illusion techniques of a certain level. Unlike most cultivators, she didn''t have to train in illusion-breaking techniques.
Just like cultivation arts, natural-born physiques had a simr grading. It moved from; white grade- red grade- orange grade- blue grade- gold grade- purple grade.
The white grade was the lowest natural physique with the purple grade being the highest. Mao Yunru''s physique fell in the purple grade.
Natural physiques were usually hereditary being passed down from parent to child however there are special exceptions where they can either be derived from a natural treasure and an apanying cultivation art. that draws out its effects Most sects with a special physique lineage pass it down this way.
Natural physiques though powerful are a rare urrence among cultivators. Most cultivators are born without one sometimes even children whose parents have a special physique may be born without their hereditary physique which puts them at a clear disadvantage to those who do.
To bridge the gap between those who have a natural physique and those who don''t, body refining arts were created which eventually became a wholeplete system that resulted in the body refining stage.
With a specialized training routine, cultivation resources, and tireless effort, those without natural physiques could excavate their own bodies'' potential and even catch up to those with natural physiques.
However, despite the grounds body refining made, there were still some shorings that made it hard for them topare to those with natural physiques. One of them was the copious amounts of resources you would burn through to refine the body, the other was time.
Those with natural physiques can naturally skip the body refining stage and the time and costs thate with it and break through to the qi refinement realm while those without a natural physique can''t skip the body refinement stage otherwise their bodies would not be able to sense, handle or circte qi from their surroundings.
For those without sufficient talent or resources, the body refining stage is a pitfall that they can never ovee. It''s why there are few cultivators out therepared to the mortal poption. There are mortals who don''t have the talent to even refine their bodies or those who have the talent butck the resources, so their talent ends up buried in the dust of time.
Thest disadvantage was the innate attributes that came with natural physiques. Even the lowest white grade physique which in terms of sturdiness couldn''t evenpare with a silver body of the body refining stage, had an innate attribute whereas, in the body refining stage, you had to atleast have a diamond body to unlock an attribute. From the iron body up to the gold body what you got was a sturdy body, and improved vitality with strengthened meridians and organs all around but there was no innate attribute.
Very few people could reach the gold stage of the body refining realm let alone reach the diamond body or the elusive peerless jade body. With the endless time and resources, it would surely consume to reach that far most decide to quit while ahead and prepare for the qi refinement realm.
However, those who endure and eventually seed in this arduous journey get rewarded, more so the peerless jade body.
The peerless jade body is like nature''s gift and recognition of those who went above and beyond. It''s not the highest level of the body refining stage for nothing. For one it grants the user 500 years of lifespan which is higher than what even someone at the qi refinement gets and its advantages will follow the user throughout their whole cultivation life never growing irrelevant.
The innate attributes are more pronounced in the peerless jade body to the point it''s considered advantageous to have a peerless jade bodypared to the purple-grade natural physique. However, that opinion varies from person to person.
However, what is undeniable is those with a peerless jade body are a cut above the rest with their numbers being so pitifully few, as breaking through to the peerless jade body is five parts effort and five parts luck.
No one breakthrough is simr which is why the peerless jade body manifests different attributes from person to person. You may find some that are close but notpletely simr.
Each peerless jade body is unique to its user however there is one area where they are simr which is how their attributes manifested themselves and their bodies'' base immunity to a vast array of poisons though not all.
The innate attributes manifest themselves in their bones which eventually affects their whole physique.
For example, Kang Hung''s peerless jade physique is called the harmonious cataclysmic jade bones, while Feng Xin has the ice soul jade bones and Yang Qing developed the nature''s Yin Yang bones.
Each of these bones grants them a natural advantage when ites to a particr area. Kang Hung is skilled in different weapons and intents in part due to his harmonious cataclysmic jade bones, while Feng Xin is gifted in both spiritual techniques and ice-rted cultivation arts because of his ice soul jade bones while Yang Qing has a deep affinity to nature and bnce.
¡..
It was because of his attributes that the medicine valley continuously sort him out. His peerless jade body was a natural build for practicing medical arts down to his universal qi that could be transferred to any nt or person without fear of rejection.
They even went so far as to gift him the green me tree which at its peak would reach the upper ranks of the ascendant grade and if it gains sentience it would be guaranteed to be a peak domain expert.
However, despite their efforts, Yang Qing refused citing it wasn''t the right fit for him and how he would let down the medicine valley and harm lives due to his own shorings and ipetence.
But the real truth which Yang Qing kept to himself for fear of getting a beating, poisoned, or cursed by the medicine valley hall master and deputy hall master was he didn''t like their work schedule, payment n, and security.
With how dangerous the cultivation world was and the nature of the Order''s jobs, work-rted injuries were guaranteed from the students to the inquisitors, to those who got injured while onmission, the list being endless, especially from the Order''s policies. The Order opens its medical doors to outsiders for a subsidized fee if they get injured while in themission of the Order''s contract works.
With the never-ending workload and the high danger levels of said works it ensures the number of patients in the medicine valley is never small and the injuries hardly ever light. The workers in the medicine valley are always working no matter the rank down to even the hall master.
Yang Qing was being worked like a dog already he shuddered to think how tougher it would be in the medicine valley.
The other reason was the payment. Those from the medicine valley were usually majorly paid in herbs. Yang Qing couldn''t ept this. Yes, the value of those herbs were most likely high but he liked the feeling of seeing the pile of spirit stones he got at the end of the month. They were not much but they put a smile on his face better than what herbs could do, which would more than likely induce the trauma he had from childhood because of his n''s experiments.
Out of principle Yang Qing would never ept herbs as payment. Food maybe, a spirit beast that produces food definitely, weird rock with absolutely no use maybe but definitely not herbs.
Andstly was security. The workers of medicine valley had one of the highest work-rted injury records that were even slightly higherpared to the inquisitors. Yet unlike the inquisitors they never left thefort of their valley.
Treating a cultivator was a battle of its own because for them to be admitted it was never just a simple ailment that they could recover with a cultivator''s high vitality. It was usually a dire case and some of those cases may harm even the medical expert themselves such as a hidden curse masking itself as a wound that rebounds to whoever tries to heal the wound, unknown poisons, erratic patients that attack you out of the blue in confusion. The dangers were endless.
No way was Yang Qing going to step in there either as a worker or a patient.
"This..." just as he was about toe up with another flimsy excuse, he was saved when Vice dean Yu Long waved over as he came with Yu Hong his wife, Dean Zhu Lao, the hall master of the formation hall, and the bald Dean of survival and adaptability.
Yang Qing heaved a sigh in reprieve as he saw them make their way over.
Chapter 118 118: Meng Chao’s Bait
?Deputy hall master Ren Shu noticed Yang Qing''s relieved look and couldn''t help but shake his head bitterly at this.
"It seems I''ll have to tell the hall master it was a bust this time too. Maybe we will get lucky and find good seedlings in this year''s second entrance examinations." Ren Shu thought to himself.
"Meng Chao, Ren Shu, thanks foring to my party especially you Ren Shu. I didn''t expect Lu Guiren to let you off," Dean Zhu Lao cheerily said as he greeted the two.
"I won''t be staying for long, I only have half an hour before I have to head back so let me give my apologies in advance and toast for your forgiveness," said Ren Shu as he raised his wine urn to Dean Zhu Lao and gulped it down.
"I will also have to give you a toast for forgiveness too brother Zhu Lao as an unexpected matter showed up that requires my attention. I won''t be staying for long either," said Meng Chao in apology as he took a gulp from his wine urn.
Dean Zhu Lao''s eyes shed with a mysterious glint once he heard Meng Chao''s statement and the seriousness in his tone when he said it.
"Is it about that other matter? Did you finally get solid leads?" Dean Zhu Lao tentatively asked.
"Yes I did, finally, though it involves putting a friend''s child in front of the fire otherwise the rats would not leave their burrows," said Meng Chao as he sighed with embers of guilt in his tone.
"Little Fu?" asked Dean Zhu Lao.
"Yes, him. He should be breaking through to the pce realm which is why they are about to make a move.
He agreed to be the bait to draw them out but I can''t help but feel guilty. If there was a way I could do this without involving him I''d dly do it but s, sadly there isn''t.
I don''t know how Jiang Chen would take it. Using his son as bait to draw in possibly the same people who took his wife and destroyed his n," said Meng Chao as he ruefully smiled.
"Some things can''t be helped and I bet little Fu would have done it with or without your intervention atleast this way you can keep an eye on him and ensure his safety.
Sad what happened to that sect and such an exquisite technique buried along with it," said Dean Zhu Lao.
"Little Fu? Sect? Could they be talking about Jiang Fu and the crystal palm jade sect? As I thought, there really may be a connection between Jiang Fu and Deng Chao," Yang Qing thought as a million other conjectures shed in his mind.
"Actually that person didn''t die it turns out he is alive albeit in a weakened state but he is still alive. He appeared yesterday in our young friend Yang Qing''s court," said Meng Chao as he pointed to Yang Qing who was still lost in contemtion.
"Oh, now that''s a pleasant surprise. I guess the rumored saint-grade treasure may have had something to do with his survival," said Dean Zhu Lao as he lightly smiled.
"It seems brother Meng Chao has beat me to the introductions¡.this is the promising young judge I was talking about. His name is Yang Qing and was one of the finest students I''ve had the pleasure of teaching.
He shares your same passion for lost arts and cultivation art dissection. He has made improvements on a few red-grade arts that transformed into orange-grade arts there was even a low-rank blue-grade art in his repertoire of upgrades.
It is the brilliant ray fist cultivation art, right, Yang Qing?" asked Vice dean Yu Long after he had made his introductions.
"Right, right it was that one," Yang Qing confusedly answered after hurriedlying out of his stupor.
"That''s pretty impressive young friend. I don''t think I made such achievements when I was your age. The young shall soon surpass the old.
I hope you will all push the Order into greater heights than us old foggeys," Dean Zhu Lao kindly smiled as he addressed the trio of Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, and Yu Huifang with appreciation in his eyes.
"That they will," said Vice dean Yu Long as he looked lovingly and with pride, at Yu Huifang who blushed once she saw her father''s gaze.
On seeing the reaction of Yu Huifang and her father Vice dean Yu Long, Dean Zhu Lao and the blue-haireddy who was the hall master of the formation hall shared a brief nigh imperceptibleplicated look which then turned to some sort of firm agreement.
Yang Qing in the meanwhile didn''t take Dean Zhu Lao''s modesty to heart. Dean Zhu Lao was a rare gifted prodigy when it came to cultivation arts. Though he was famous for the gold-grade cultivation art the shadow void steps it was not the only gold-grade art that he had created or improved not to mention the blue-grade arts under his belt and his strides of conversion of ancient beast tongue and abilities into cultivation arts.
Yang Qing may have one blue-grade cultivation art but it was in the lower ranks and he didn''t build it from scratch but instead made improvements from a high-rank orange-grade cultivation art and even that took him a decade of countless hours and research to make that leap.
While his efforts couldn''t be discounted since this was a blue-grade cultivation art that would ensure the sustainability and promulgation of a rank 3 and even rank 2 organization, the difference to make up between a blue-grade art and high-rank orange-grade art was not as huge aspared to making a blue grade art from scratch or improving it from a white grade or red grade cultivation art. He already had a huge foundation to work from.
Most blue-grade arts circting around the continent were from upgrades made to high-rank orange-grade arts. It is because of this that some high-rank orange grade arts may sometimes be even more expensive than lower rank blue grade cultivation arts. Its potential upgrade under the right hands makes them extremely valuable.
The Order built its enormous collection of blue-grade cultivation arts via this route.
¡
Vice-dean Zhu Lao then proceeded to make a quick introduction of the dean of survival and adaptability and the hall master of the formation hall. It was mostly for Mao Yunru''s sake, who though knew the dean of survival and adaptability since it was a mandatory course, had no clue about the formation hall''s, hall master.
The institute had a formations faculty but that and the formation hall were twopletely different entities. The formation faculty was in charge of training the students in arrays while the formation hall was in charge of theying down, maintenance, and improvement of all formation arrays in all the Order''s facilities. So it was rare for her to have any interaction with the members of the formation hall and on the asion she did, it was never with those high up.
The Dean of survival and adaptation was called Chu Zhen while the formation hall''s Hall master was called Ling Meimei. She was also the wife of Dean Zhu Lao, the culprit behind his 50-year seclusion.
Yang Qing and Mao Yunru threw strange looks her way once they discovered she was the wife of Dean Zhu Lao which resulted in an awkward dryugh from him. Even though he had a thick face there were still limits.
"Yang Qing, your courtroom and carriage are due for an inspection in a few days before you move to the pce courts.
I hope we won''t find any evidence of tampering likest time though some part of me actually hopes I do find something. My hall has been rather short of funds ofte and we have a staggering increase in areas where we need it.
Your kind donations will be highly weed," said formation hall master Ling Meimei as she lightly chuckled with an amused glint shing in her eyes.
"Formation hall master Ling Meimei you are always a pleasant sight. I Yang Qing have many faults but learning from my mistakes isn''t one of them.
I humbly realized I was inviting humiliation by overestimating my paltry skills in front of a behemoth like the formation hall.
I bow in apology and also to your blinding awe-inspiring excellence. I wee a thorough inspection of my courtroom and the carriage. You won''t find a single script out of ce but as an avid admirer of the selfless efforts the formation hall does to ensure we are safe andfortable, I am willing to make a humble donation as a token of my gratitude," said Yang Qing with a righteous and selfless air about him which drew questioning gaze toward him from those present and a look of approval from Dean Zhu Lao.
Internally Yang Qing was crying. When he broke through to the pce realm, riding the exhration of his newfound power he decided to try and fiddle with the arrays in his carriage AGAIN for his longtime ambition of sleeping more to work.
He failed again and damaged some of the arrays in the process. He decided to offer a donation first to soften the blowter.
Deciding to distract himself with other matters, he decided to go ahead and confirm the guess he made during Meng Chao''s and Dean Zhu Lao''s conversation.
"Seniors the little Fu you were talking about is it perhaps Jiang Fu from the thousands vors restaurant," asked Yang Qing.
"Yes, it is. It seems you noticed it too, their hands," said Meng Chao.
"Mmmh," nodded Yang Qing. For as long as he had known Jiang Fu, he has always had jade-like hands. Yang Qing never asked anything as it seemed like a sore subject to Jiang Fu. Yang Qing always assumed it was because it made him lookdylike.
But he had to reevaluate that assumption when Deng Chao one of the founders of the crystal palm jade sect appeared in his courtroom.
He may have been in an incorporeal form but his features were clear and distinctive. Yang Qing noticed that he too had jade hands. He couldn''t help but wonder if he had any rtions to Jiang Fu because those Jade hands seemed something they were born with rather than a side effect of a cultivation art. It was why he asked Deng Chao if that was his real name.
Yang Qing''s pupils suddenly froze.
"Senior Meng Chao don''t tell me you suspect the destruction of the Crystal palm jade sect had nothing to do with the saint-grade treasure they found and more to do with Deng Chao?" Yang Qing shockingly asked.
"As of now it''s just a guess but with Jiang Fu''s help, it''s only a matter of time before I confirm it. I know you have a lot of questions but that will have to wait tillter for now let''s celebrate Brother Zhu Lao''s return. I''ll find you before your ceremony to fill you in on the details," said Meng Chao as he offered a polite smile.
"Okay," Yang Qing agreed to shelf the matter as he too agreed this was neither the time nor ce.
"I don''t know if I should tell Zhang Qingge. With how close she is to Jiang Fu she will have to know," thought Yang Qing.
Chapter 119 119: Gift Giving And The Appearance Of The Phoenix Ash
?Just as Yang Qing was thinking about how to broach the subject he caught Dean Zhu Lao sizing the y tablet in his hands.
"You have quite the interesting item there, little Qing," said Dean Zhu Lao as his eyes glowed while remaining glued to the tablet in his hands.
What Yang Qing didn''t realize was that almost everyone present from Meng Chao, medical valley deputy hall master Ren Shu, Yu Huifang''s parents, Chu Zhen, Formation hall master Ling Meimei and finally Dean Zhu Lao had all been scanning that tablet the moment they saw it in Yang Qing''s hands. This was before they even came to say hello.
"Sorry, Dean Zhu Lao I almost forgot, I brought this as your weing gift. Forgive me for my poor manners and even poorer wallet, this is all I could afford," Yang Qing humbly said as he passed the y tablet over with both his hands in a subservient attitude.
As if on cue the rest started giving their gifts.
Meng Chao pulled out a ck oval-shaped gem. Within the gem was a grey smoke that asionally transformed into a blind grey whale with silver wings.
"I found this gem in the churning sea and it seems to have been nourished with the aura of the silver streak whale for close to 50,000 years. The silver streak whale may not be a sacred spirit beast but judging by its aura it was one that was just at the cusp of reaching the soul formation realm.
If it''s you, I know you will be able to make a plentiful harvest from it," said Meng Chao as he handed over the ck gem.
"Many thanks, brother Meng Chao. I too should give you something. It seems during my seclusion you managed to take half a step into the soul formation realm. I need to put in a little effort otherwise I might soon get surpassed," said Dean Zhu Lao as he fished a small wooden writ from his storage ring.
"Surely you jest, brother Zhu Lao," said Meng Chao as he lightly smiled.
It wasmon knowledge among their circle that Dean Zhu Lao would have broken through to the soul formation realm anytime he wished to. He already had the qualifications to do so over 100 years ago, he just chose not to but instead decided to further refine his domain to the utmost limit he could. Exploring the never-ending mysteries the domain realm had to offer.
"Here, you can have this. It will help strengthen your spirit the more you cultivate alongside it," said Dean Zhu Lao as he casually handed the small ck wooden writ with the words ''the sea quakes and thend remains undaunted''. The writ seemed like it was iplete as one of its ends seemed to have broken off something.
It didn''t take long for Yang Qing to realize what the wooden writ does, as the moment it appeared he felt his spirit renewed and his mental sea started to churn excitedly with his soul getting cleansed a bit and that was just from a cursory nce of the wooden writ.
Meng Chao''s pupils froze when he saw it. Other than Yu Huifang, Mao Yunru, and Yang Qing, the rest all had briefplicated expressions when they saw that writ.
"Are you sure brother Zhu Lao?" asked Meng Chao with a worried look growing on his face.
"I''m sure. It''s just a tool and if it can help someone I would be d to part with it. He would have wanted it like that besides I have tonnes of other things to remember him by. Though I don''t know why I''ve been feeling his reemergence is close for the past decade.
When hees back we will just go scavenge other mysterious realms, the millions treasure ocean, or probably sneak into the holynds," Dean Zhu Lao said as a mischievous grin was stered on his face.
"Okay then. Many thanks, brother Zhu Lao," Meng Chao solemnly said as he took the writ.
The other domain experts had mildly shocked expressions at Dean Zhu Lao''s words with most even having a hint of excitement and anticipation especially Vice dean Yu Long.
The trio of Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, and Yu Huifang werepletely clueless about what just happened. But they all decided not to pry as they detected the somber atmosphere that had appeared in that brief moment.
Next to give out his gift was the Deputy hall master Ren Shu. He took out a bamboo scroll that was wrapped in banana leaves. There was an iplete cultivation art recorded in the scroll along with a seal that was ced on it via the banana leaves.
Dean Zhu Lao''s eyes glowed when he saw it, like a little child who had gotten a new toy. But he held himself back as he stored it away. The rest of the guests seemed to have noticed gifts were being given so they too came along and soon the area Yang Qing was, became the center of the party.
From the interactions, Yang Qing discovered that some of the pce stage members present at the party were former students of Dean Zhu Lao. Most of them were in theter stages of the pce realm.
The vice warden had made his way too at some point. Yang Qing was shocked to discover he had a gentle tone despite his cold look. His name was Shao An. He seemed to be very close with Dean Zhu Lao and Meng Chao.
Among the list of shocking discoveries, he was also one of the youngest quasi-saint experts in the whole of the Order. Having just reached that realm in 300 years.
If the requiem didn''t need his services so badly he would have been tapped to join the spirit council.
The moment he revealed his gift even the peach blossom flower they were in started to quiver. He had a small red wooden square box and the inside of it was half filled with grey ash.
The ash had faint heating from it but what stood out was the misty auspicious qi it produced when the box was opened. A faint regal bird cry was produced along with the auspicious qi. It also had an astronomical amount of vitality in it.
Yang Qing came to discover it was phoenix ash. The ash is produced during a phoenix''s rebirth from its mes. He didn''t even know how Vice warden Shao An got such an invaluable thing. For one he was always stationed in the Requiem prison and another was knowing about phoenix ash and actually acquiring one were twopletely different things.
A phoenix just when hatched has the base strength of a pce stage expert and that is even discounting all its other abilities like its mes that can burn through everything even the soul, the feathers, and talons that are harder than any monarch-grade artifact, and its natural affinity to different daos.
So just getting its ash is thought to be an impossible task since only phoenixes that have grown into adulthood can undergo a me rebirth and every time they do it''s either when they are breaking through to a higher cultivation base or healing from grievous wounds. Either of these scenarios ensures the phoenix is always on high alert and tense in such a situation that snagging even a milligram of ash is thought to be an impossible task with a high fatality risk. Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder how Vice warden Shao An got his hands on one as even a seasoned soul formation expert would be hard-pressed to get their hands on one.
However, despite the many difficulties and dangers of getting phoenix ash, many cultivators would still risk their lives to get their hands on it. One of the reasons is its ability to pull someone even at the brink of death back to life due to its high vibrancy. It''s considered the highest panacea one can get As long as you have a breath in you no matter what injury you have suffered, with the phoenix ash you can guarantee your life and a full recovery. And that is only one of the uses that most people know of as there are many other hidden uses that a select few groups of people know such as inducing the phoenix mes of rebirth through those ashes and using them to undergo a cleansing like a phoenix.
¡..
"This..brother Shao," Dean Zhu Lao didn''t know what to say as he even wanted to return the gift back before he was stopped by Vice warden Shao An.
"There''s no need for that. I have no use for it and unlike others, it''s not as difficult for me to get it. Just like you said if it can help someone else why not use it though I''m not sure it will be of any use in his state, a try can''t hurt, and if it can speed up his reemergence all the more reason you should have it.
But if you still insist on giving it back then I may as well donate it to brother Ren Shu and let the medicine valley use it as fertilizer and cultivate precious ascendant-grade herbs with it," said Vice warden Shao An as he scoffed.
Dean Zhu Lao went silent at this as he knew Vice warden Shao An wasn''t kidding he really might do it.
"Then I will have to be shameless and ept. Many thanks, brother Shao An," Dean Zhu solemnly said.
The gift-giving went on for quite some time before everyone present had given theirs. Dean Zhu Lao was practically beaming towards the end as Yang Qing was green with envy and when he looked around and still noticed no food present his mood sank even further.
"Now then, young friend Yang Qing this is an interesting object you have here," Dean Zhu Lao said as he scrutinized the logo sybic scripts on the y tablet.
The other gifts he received were already stored in his storage ring, this was the only gift still in his hand. Other than some mechanism that prevented it from being stored in storage rings, Dean Zhu Lao still held it because he was rather fascinated by it.
"Where did you find it, little Qing?" Dean Zhu Lao asked
"In some cultivator''s stall during the cultivators'' open-air market," Yang Qing answered choosing to ignore why Dean Zhu Lao kept calling him little Qing.
"REALLY!!!?" Dean Zhu Lao asked wide-eyed.
"Yes, really?" answered Yang Qing confused at Dean Zhu Lao''s dumbstruck reaction.
"Tsk..some people really have good luck out there," Dean Zhu Lao enviously said with some resentment in his tone.
"Well little Qing it seems you stumble onto a remnant of the ancients," said Dean Zhu Lao as his eyes glowed with strange runes as he examined the y tablet.
Chapter 120 Legacies
?"The ancients?" asked Yang Qing with a puzzled expression.
What he knew about the word was very brief and he had only stumbled onto it during his archeology and history research.
Various cultivation practices seemed to have originated from them and what Yang Qing surmised from the brief notes he read through, their identities and race were unknown.
Other than that he didn''t know much which was why he looked quizzically at Dean Zhu Lao.
"He wouldn''t just say something and leave it hanging all for the sake of adding mystery would he?" Yang Qing wondered as he had used that move a couple of times earning the ire and hatred of those who were listening to him at the time.
Luckily Dean Zhu Lao didn''t do that as he continued on whilst still closely examining the y tablet with deep interest.
" You may have noticed there is usually very little information concerning the ancients whether it''s the library books or the course curriculum at the institute.
That wasn''t idental but rather it is by design and is something that is observed by other organizations not only us," Dean Zhu Lao said as his gaze turned solemn.
He turned towards some of the domain realm experts present including Meng Chao, Ren Shu, Vice warden Shao An, Yu Huifang''s parents, Dean Chu Zhen, and a few otherte-stage domain realm experts.
They all exchanged nces as they all raised their palms to the sky.
The cohort of Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, and Yu Huifang all had dumbfounded looks at what their seniors were nning.
Complex seals were produced from each of the domain experts'' hands which then joined together eventually forming a starlight water curtain that rose to the roof enveloping the whole hall room like a dome.
Only after the dome was fully formed did Dean Zhu Lao resume his exnation.
"With this, we can safely talk," said Dean Zhu Lao in a casual demeanorpletely absent of his earlier solemn air a few seconds ago.
"Now where were we¡The ancients, well in an overly simplified exnation you can consider them as long-lived races," began Dean Zhu Lao.
"Are you really not going to begin the exnation about the dome currently over our heads that required severalte-stage domain experts acting together to create?" thought Yang Qing as he asionally tried to use his eyes as a hint to Dean Zhu Lao to start with the dome first.
However, his signals went ignored as Dean Zhu Lao leisurely continued with his exnation like it was a ssroom lecture, and Yang Qing and the rest were his students who had no option but to listen till the end before they could ask any questions.
"The basic lifespan of a human who is not a cultivator, and has an adequate supply of the basic necessities is 90 years and if they take care of themselves well they may reach 120 years.
Now with cultivation thrown into the mix that lifespan gains an astronomical increase the further up the cultivation realm you move.
Let''s take you as an example little Qing. When you broke through to the pce realm you got a lifespan of atleast 10,000 years though for someone like you who had a purple core, the lifespan you got when you broke through was higher at 15,000 years because of the special peculiarities of the purple core.
The same thing will happen to my young friend Mao Yunru here and you too Yu Huifang even though you won''t get 15,000 years, gold-grade cores receive additional years to their lifespan too.
Dean Chu Zhen, I think you got 11,186 years when you broke through to the pce stage right?" Dean Zhu Lao suddenly asked the clean-shaven neat freak, Dean Chu Zhen.
"Yes, it was that range," Dean Chu Zhen nodded in affirmation.
"For gold grade cores, the life expectancy number isn''t fixed like the purple grade cores as I''m sure your father has told you, there are variations among gold cores. I can see yours is a six-striped gold core, the very best among gold cores mmmh is that a faint purple coat hidden in there?" Dean Zhu Lao paused as he detected something within Yu Huifang''s core with his domain sense.
"It seems you missed just a tiny step otherwise you would have ended up with a purple core too. But not to worry, purple cores give slight advantages but as long as your understanding of your dao and your techniques are firm and ster you can defeat even someone with a purple core and have the same lifespan advantages when you break through to the domain realm.
From the pce stage onwards is your familiarity with your cultivation arts and the dao that matters. Proof of that is the instructors at the Institute.
The majority of the instructors in the Institute had blue-grade cores but you have all experienced their might personally. With their foundations and achievements, they can topple those of the gold core and even hold their own against those with a purple core.
At the end of the day it depends on how you use what you have," said Dean Zhu Lao.
Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, and Yu Huifang both shuddered at the mention of the instructors, especially Yang Qing. He had been at the receiving end of their thrashing more than a couple of times with the intensity increasing with his cultivation realm.
Even with his present cultivation base, he wasn''t sure he could soundly defeat some of the more senior instructors.
Yu Huifang seemed to have had a new me ignited in her from Dean Zhu Lao''s words. She may not show it but she had apetitive spirit within her, especially with the identity of a legacy looming over her, it was a shackle she couldn''t escape.
Legacies was the nickname given to children who had parents that were employees of the Order. They were the equivalent of sect saints and saintesses or direct bloodline or main descendants when it came to ns and royalties.
With all the advantages Yu Huifang had especially being a legacy and with peak domain experts parents at that, she felt ashamed like she had disappointed her parents by not getting a purple grade core, and with the likes of Yang Qing, Kang Hung, and Zhang Qingge having purple cores in their group she couldn''t help but feel inferior. This was despite the fact that even with the enormous talent pool the Order fished from those who eventually ended up with purple grade cores were few and far in between due to the stringent requirements required to form one.
Forming a gold core may not have as many hurdles as a purple grade core but it was not an easy endeavor either as even rank 2 organizations or rank 1 may be hard-pressed to have more than 50 in their ranks. And that is counting the number since they were founded.
Since the inception of the Order, thebined number of those with gold grade and purple grade cores may be around 200 on the generous side.
Chapter 121 The Ancients
?As Yu Huifang was absorbed in her newfound resolve Yu Long sent a message to Dean Zhu Lao via his domain sense.
"Many thanks, Brother Zhu Lao," said Yu Long with deep gratitude showing in his eyes.
Yu Huifang may have thought she had hidden her mncholy well but as her parents, they could see right through her. They had told her countless times how proud of her they were in her achievements and that as long as she lived a fulfilling life, as parents they couldn''t be happier but their words seemed to have the opposite effect.
At face value, she''d seem appreciative and d but when she thought she was by herself her true feelings would emerge which were nothing but sadness, shame, and guilt. It was why they were both happy when Dai Chen came into her life as her smiles seemed genuine and when their circle grew, the young girl who had vibrance in her started to show up.
Even though she wasn''tpletely herself as she would have bouts of sadness and inferiority here and there, it wasn''t as severe as before when she had just broken through to the core formation realm.
"It''s nothing brother Yu Long, it''s what I should do as her senior and educator. You have a good daughter," said Dean Zhu Lao, replying back via the domain sense.
¡..
"Now where was I? Right, Lifespans. As we have established, someone who has just broken through to the pce realm gets a life span of 10,000 years, when they break through to the domain realm that number increases to 40,000 years which continually increases with every minor breakthrough in the domain realm.
The moment you breakthrough into the soul formation realm that number skyrockets to 100,000 years which is a huge life change from a tiny mortal who could only hope to live for atleast 90 years or 120 years at best to a five-digit figure that will enable you to see the rise and fall of dynasties.
Cultivation has changed our whole dynamic as a species. In some regards, it has made our lives worse and in others better," Dean Zhu Lao passionately said.
"No wonder he is the Dean of cultivation art history and dissection. Just casual words from him and I can already detect the charm of dao in his speech," Yang Qing shockingly thought with awe In his heart.
He doesn''t know when but as he was listening to Dean Zhu Lao, his cultivation started circting by itself. He wasn''t the only one as he noticed Mao Yunru''s shocked expression.
"The reason I mentioned the lifespan is, despite a human soul formation expert having a lifespan of 100,000 years, we still don''t have the qualifications of being considered a long-lived race.
The long lifespan we struggle to get through bitter cultivation to the ancients is something they obtain as a natural privilege the moment they are born.
There are even those who are born with a lifespan of upwards of 500,000 years.
Even spirit beasts have longer lifespans than us, you may find a spirit beast with a foundation level strength but has a lifespan of 20,000 years matching a mid-stage human pce stage expert''s lifespan.
But the universe has its bnce and is not as unfair as it seems. While spirit beasts have longer life spans they have a slower pace in cultivationpared to humans barring special circumstances and they also reproduce at a slower ratepared to us humans.
We have been blessed with the ability to quickly reproduce, adaptability, and a malleable body that can pick things up easily which is why we have the most diversity when ites to cultivation arts.
But this only applies to spirit beasts. When ites to the ancients it''s a different matter.
They may have an even lower coption rate but they have something that makes up for it in spades, TIME," said Dean Zhu Lao as he paused dramatically.
Tsk!!
Yang Qing couldn''t help but click in envy at Dean Zhu Lao''s masterful skills in being a showman.
"No matter how slow your cultivation is or how poor your aptitude is given time that numbers in the hundred thousand of years at least, you''re guaranteed to achieve something and that was what the ancients did.
They used their absurd lifespans to their advantage as they muddled their way in cultivation slowly making strides and the more they walked the more absurd their life span became which gave them even more time to grow and explore different facets of cultivation. They passed on some of those insights to their offspring who went on to pave paths of their own.
I don''t know how long the ancients have lived but what I do know is their breadth of wisdom and means is more than we or any other organization canpare to including the so-called holynds," said Dean Zhu Lao with wanton disdain in his tone when he mentioned the holynds.
"The ancients have a wide array of skills and esoteric means. It is why we had to create a barrier around us. One can never be too careful when talking about them.
There was once a young genius in the soul formation realm who in his hubris mocked the ancients with his fellow disciples within their sect grounds.
In terms of power, if I was to guess, the sect he belonged to had the capabilities of a holynd seeing how they had a chief disciple who was in the soul formation stage.
However, right now that sect along with the chief disciple disappeared. All that was left behind is the present-day Green fog region," said Dean Zhu Lao with an air of somberness.
The news sent terrifying shockwaves to the trio of Yang Qing, Yu Huifang, and Mao Yunru. Even some of the pce stage Order members present had shocked expressions. Only the seniors in the domain realm seemed calmer but even they had some degree of apprehension.
"It is the reason why their information is rarely spread around. There has never been any real sighting of them but evidence of their presence is around us in various shapes and forms.
One of them is what happened to that sect and another is their descendant races who we have records of.
You are familiar with some of them due to their renowned reputations. The likes of dragons, phoenixes, the ck tortoise, the white tiger, the vermilion bird, the kunpeng, and enlightened golems just to name a few are descendants of the ancients though they branch from different ones.
This y tablet of yours belongs to one of the descendant races," Dean Zhu Lao said as he gently traced his fingers along the logo sybic scripts.
"The tablet belongs to the blue fairies."
Chapter 122 Blue Fairies
?"The blue fairies?" asked Yang Qing in confusion. Of some of the descendant races that Dean Zhu Lao mentioned, he had seen some and read about some.
He had met some golemmunities during his rounds around the continent. Their recorded numbers and sightings around the continent are few with most of them living within hidden realms.
The golem race had always deeply fascinated him, especially their origin which has always been steeped in mystery.
There were different stories about how they came about but the mostmon one was that the first golem was a spirit star stone who gained enlightenment when an immortal happen to use him as a sit. He was just a stone then without any life with him.
The immortal being pleased with howfortable the spirit star stone was to sit in, decided to preach dao as a form of thanks. The spirit star stone gained enlightenment and spirituality from that preaching and became the first golem.
Yang Qing at the time didn''t know if that story was the truth but the brief research he had made into the race never yielded any possible results as to their origins. The only thing that was certain is their general makeup which was always some sort of ore or stone.
They usually looked like human-shaped stones but that only applied to the weaker members, those with powerful cultivation haveplete control of their avatization state enough to turn their bodies humanlike. The more human a golem is the more powerful they are.
Other than the enlightened golems there has been little to no interaction with the other descendant races within the southern continent. Yang Qing has never even heard of a proven sighting of any of the races Dean Zhu Lao mentioned.
Though within the churning sea, there''s rumored to be an ind inhabited by dragons. Whether that rumor is true no one has been able to prove it because of the dangers of the churning sea without even mentioning who would be bold enough to venture into a known dragon habitation ground.
Of the five water bodies that surrounded the blue origin; the Millions treasure ocean was the most bountiful with resources, the Celestial ocean was the most mysterious, the Sea of dreams was the safest as long as your soul was strong enough that is, if not you''d get lost in there forever, the Blue origin ocean was thergest and the one that seemed more normalpared to the rest. It was also the one with a lot of unexplored areas andstly, the Churning sea which was the most dangerous.
The churning sea was between the southern continent and the central continent and it was home to an astronomical number of aquatic spirit beasts. They were violent and had the powerfulbat ability to back it up. When they were not attacking cultivators who were passing by they were always fighting amongst themselves which was why the sea got named the churning sea as it was always churning from the violent battles underneath.
Also for some reason, though the sea seemed to be the smallest on paper it was always a mystery how big it seemed in person and how it housed so many spirit beasts with some of them even having a size that was thousands of kilometers long.
¡..
"In terms of numbers the blue fairies may actually be considered to have one of the fewest numbers even inparison amongst their fellow ancient descendant races. They are also the most shrouded in mystery almost the same as their ancestors, the ancients.
While they are almost virtually impossible to track, they are the race with thergest footprint on our continent.
They are an erudite race with a love and curiosity for exploration and research. It is because of that nature that they became the impetus for the propagation of cultivation around this continent. I don''t know about other continents but here in the southern continent, the earliest human cultivators came about from studying pieces of knowledge left about by the blue fairies.
Some of the heritages around from long-forgotten holynds, sects, Empires, and ns both present and past have some tie to some blue fairy paraphernalia especially the hidden factions though you''ll have to wait until after your ceremony and you get officially inducted to the pce courts to be told some things," said Dean Zhu Lao as he fiddled around with y tablet.
His fingerprints had blue ancient scripts glowing from them as he constantly pressed them against the logo sybic scripts on the tablet. Every time he pressed against a script or a symbol a change would happen. Some of the symbols stopped continuously changing and permanently imprinted themselves on the surface of the y tablet which seemed to be gradually transforming into a foggy white crystal around the edges as it moved inwards.
Yang Qing was deeply engrossed in his mind to notice anything. The information he had been bombarded with today had been too huge. There was the bit about paragon domains, finally knowing the identity of the creator of the four purple grade cultivation arts, information about the fearsome ancients, and some y tablet that he got for a bargain is a remnant of the blue fairies andstly hidden factions.
His mind was racing not sure which aspect of the information he got today did he want to know more about.
Just as he was getting lost in his quagmire of thoughts he noticed something out of the corner of his eye that forcibly pulled him back to reality.
It was Mao Yunru. Her whole face was red with eyes popped and had this fiendish crazy smile the kind you would find in a seasoned psychopathic killer who has just spotted the ultimate prey.
"Of course, she''d react like this¡.is she having a breakdown because it was too much gossip for her to swallow at once? Or the half information that left one with more questions than answers? Will she be okay," Yang Qing worriedly thought as Mao Yunru turned redder, the eyes wider and the grin greedier.
Yang Qing tried to pinch her arm secretly when he saw she might really lose it and jump Dean Zhu Lao for more information.
He pinched lightly but that didn''t seem to do anything so he decided to use a bit of strength which resulted in a sudden scream from Mao Yunru that drew countless eyes her way.
With so many eyes on her, she lowered her head in embarrassment as she vengefully red at Yang Qing who could only offer a guilty apologetic smile in return.
As the two were exchanging nces there was a sudden burst of light as the spiritual qi in the hallway got funneled in Dean Zhu Lao''s direction more specifically the y tablet.
Crack!!
Egg-like cracks started appearing on the y tablet as it swallowed the spiritual qi in the surroundings. The earlier y-like look was mottling away as it revealed a white foggy crystalline look.
After a few minutes, the absorption still didn''t halt but even seemed to have increased in intensity as a small whirlwind of qi was formed.
Yang Qing worriedly looked around because he noticed the lighting in the room seemed deemed and the fake sky above seemed duller.
"Will the snow peach blossom tree be able to handle this level of consumption?" Yang Qing worriedly thought as the terrifying suction continued.
When he looked around he noticed the hosts, Yu Huifangs''s parents all had calm and mildly intrigued looks as their eyes were glued to the tablet. They didn''t have the look of someone whose home was about to be ripped apart from being drained by a voracious tablet.
"Maybe it can hold," thought Yang Qing as he looked around and noticed only he was the worried one with Mao Yunru already rpsing to her maddened gossip devourer look.
The suction went on for almost twenty minutes before it started to slow down.
By Yang Qing''s calctions, the spiritual qi it had absorbed within that duration was almost ten times his current qi capacity.
The fake sky above them had disappeared and what was left was a grey background. The dense qi from before had thinned put by a couple of levels. It matched the qi levels of the special grounds of rank 4 organizations.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but suck in cold air at the drastic change in the hall room. Before the qi of the hallway was so dense that it made the celestial nesting weaver''s nest seem like a dung beetle''s nesting ground inparison.
However just when Yang Qing was worrying that the flower had been damaged there was a sudden resurgence of spiritual qi so dense that some even condensed into a mist. That qi quickly restored the room to its earlier look.
As for the y tablet, it was no longer a tablet or y either. It hadpletely transformed from y to a white fog crystalline material in the shape of an octagon.
The logo symbolic scripts were no longer shing all that was left were ancient writings that Yang Qing had no clue what they were and aplex array pattern on the other side of the octagon crystal.
"It''s a blue fairy object alright, seeing the enormous amount of spiritual qi it required just to reveal its true form. The race blessed with a dantian the size of an ocean is not a statement made in vain," Dean Zhu Lao said as his eyes glittered with excitement.
Chapter 123 Possible Reward For The Gift
?"This will be a little difficult for me to decipher. I can only take it to the tranquil peaks," said Dean Zhu Lao as he sighed.
Yang Qing''s pupils froze once he heard that name¡how could he not when it was the dream target for every cultivator who joins the Order and sees the dump they are given as abodes.
The tranquil peaks were the only area that could be considered a cultivator''s dream abode. It was the home of those who had reached the soul formation realm and unlike the valleys, they called home the tranquil peaks were true mountain peaks, shrouded in fog piercing the skies above.
Its grandness couldn''t be hidden as one could feel its majesty even all the way from the junction that led to the different valleys. Standing solitary drawing awe, envy, and longing to all who saw it.
One could even argue those peaks were among the motivating factors behind the incessant pursuit of dao by the employees of the Order.
In Yang Qing''s case, he was even more determined now. After experiencing the rich and blessed of the dark valley he couldn''t help but wonder how much better the peaks would be inparison.
This sentiment wasn''t shared by him alone as Mao Yunru and Yu Huifang were clenching their fists with longing. Not only them but even some of the senior pce stage guests present had the same look.
The domain experts present didn''t mock them for their fascination as they too wanted to scale those peaks too though their target was much higher as even within the Tranquil peaks there was another ce that stood out among them, the Eagle''s refuge.
It housed the chancellor, the supreme inquisitor who was the head of all the inquisitors in the whole Order, the warden of the Requiem prison, the three vice presidents, and a few other big shots whose identities are usually hidden unless you reach the required standards to know about them.
¡..
"Little Qing this gift of yours warrants recognition andmendation, especially due to its special nature as an artifact from the blue fairies. The secrets it hides may bring enormous benefits to the Order as a whole.
I will speak to the administration and mention your contribution. They should be able toe up with an appropriate reward. If you have anything in particr you want, you can tell me and I will push for it with them. Though with the scale of this achievement, I doubt there would be even a need for me to do so," amiably said Dean Zhu Lao.
"Well, I''d appreciate anything the Order offers though if I was to ask for anything in particr it would be..," just as Yang Qing was about toplete his statement he was interrupted.
"You will not be getting quadruple leave days, triple leave days, or double leave days if that is what you are after. Give it up little Qing and choose something else," said Lei Weiyuan who had appeared out of nowhere and next to him was the Chief Librarian.
Yang Qing almost choked on his words as he turned his head Lei Weiyuan''s way with an ''i knew it'' look.
"He always appears when he is not needed that damn geezer and little Qing, who is little Qing? maybe I should start calling him old foggy Lei. Yes, I will do just that starting now in front of all these seniors.
This will teach you to mind your business OLD FOGGY LEI," Yang Qing valiantly thought as he steeled himself.
This was the moment. He has endured Lei Weiyuan for too long. He needed to make hisst stand of defiance before he moved to the pce courts. Rioter Yang Qing was about to make an appearance onest time before he retires.
"Many thanks, supervisor Lei Weiyuan for your care. I am always in awe of the care you show to us juniors so that we don''t take the wrong step. While I may have had some minor issues in the past I''m happy to say I have mended my ways and grown and it is in no small part thanks to you," Yang Qing even paused briefly to offer a deep bow of thanks.
"I will be using the opportunity graciously given to me by Dean Zhu Lao to gain permission for entry into the 7th floor of the main library at the Institute.
The information I''ve been bombarded with today has highlighted how very little I know of the world around me and I intend to remedy this by increasing my pool of knowledge no matter how small," Yang Qing solemnly said.
His statement was a mix of sarcasm, hidden jabs, fawning, and truth. It was the truth he had learned his ways. Rioter Yang Qing would do nothing but get him in trouble with fines and deductions he could not afford. His courtroom office and the 13 middle-grade spirit stones that he had left were proof of that.
Shamelessness, fawning, and taking every advantage to score things for free was his true path now.
He had been battling his foe Lei Weiyuan for several years now, and while he may have lost every single battle he had learned a few things or two such as anticipating his moves.
While getting an extension on his leave days would have been the best oue he had a feeling Lei Weiyuan would intervene in some way, shape, or form like always. He, therefore, decided on something else. Ever since it was mentioned that the y tablet of his that was an unusual glutton for spiritual qi was a remnant artifact of the ancients, he figured a reward would be in the works for giving out something like that.
There has been precedent of something like this happening all the time after all. Donating something that ends up being a treasure always resulted in generous rewards from the Order.
From that moment forth, he had been thinking about what he would want. The majority of his choices were tied to the treasury vault. He could either ask for something for himself or for his team to help speed up their breakthroughs to the pce realm so he wouldn''t have to bear the workload alone.
He had even considered redeeming the reward to gain the services of the formation hall and have the arrays in his abode upgraded along with a few things but all of that changed when he remembered the Chief librarian was present along with a few big shots.
One of his mantras along with ''do little for more'' was ''get the very best deal you can even if you have to grovel especially if it involves something you wouldn''t be able to get''. That mantra has served him well especially when it came to getting free meals.
Chapter 124 Acquiring Votes
?Other than eating,zing around, scheming,ining, and scheming some more, he loved reading.
While at the institute, the one ce he spent most of his time in, was the main Library. The brief recess time he got when they were not in sses, training, cultivating, or being maliciously beaten by the instructors and some prisoners from the requiem who they often sparred with, he would often spend it at the library.
For a ce that was the size of a small town, the volume of knowledge the Main Library contained was astronomical. Yang Qing would choose subjects to read at random very soon it became a habit that he has retained till today as whenever he had time he would still visit the library. He wasn''t the only Order employee who did so either.
Most Order employees have their private libraries either in their offices or at their abodes. However, no matter how grand their personal libraries are, they all fell short of the Main Library by miles. Which was why most employees opted to use the main library.
The main library was the culmination of the Order''s efforts since it was founded or even before that when the Order was justying its foundations before it officially started operating. Because of its history and importance, gaining entry into the Main library is usually apanied by several requirements.
The library has nine floors. The first floor has the least requirements as the only requirement is for one to be affiliated with the Order be they student or employee or outsider with permission slips to enter.
The information stored on the first floor is just general stuff with nothing rted to cultivation. It''s filled with stories, and different types of basic information like overview maps of the southern continent with no defined details other than physical features such as rivers,kes, mountains, etc.
The further up one moves, within the library floors, the higher the requirements and the higher the level of information stored in them. There are also different features that apany those floors increasing in utility and power with each increasing floor level.
Cultivation arts are stored from the second floor moving upwards inclusive of the apanying floor features. It is for this reason that outsiders are denied entry from the second floor and onwards.
Yang Qing''s current ess at the library reaches the fifth floor also known as the low-rank blue-grade floor. It''s filled with cultivation arts that are at the low rank of blue grade. Along with it are information and features that are at the equivalent of that level.
When Yang Qing was just a student he thought the Order was silly and stingy with its arrangement, especially with its strict entry requirements.
At the time it didn''t make sense to him why one would have to pass through so many hoops just to ess a floor with high-rank orange-grade arts when they already had ess to a few blue-grade cultivation arts, as students.
But it was onlyter that he realized how misguided his thinking had been. While they had ess to blue-grade arts, it was only a few arts that the instructors had picked for them or the students themselves from a small pile.
The same rule applied when an Order employee used their merit points to redeem a cultivation art. They could only choose from a subdivided parameter, for example, sword arts suited for a water attribute. It depended on their present specific needs leaving out other interests because merit points were a hard-earnedmodity within the Order.
However, if you had ess to a particr floor in the main library it meant you had unfiltered ess to all the cultivation arts within that floor, irrespective of type.
This meant at Yang Qing''s present level he had ess to all the low-rank blue-grade arts the Order had in their collection at the main library, irrespective of type whether it be spear arts, sword arts, fist arts, formation blueprints as long as its rank was low-rank blue grade it would all be stored on the fifth floor. The number of what was stored in there wasn''t fixed either as it was always being added to as time progressed.
To date, Yang Qing hasn''t even read an eighth of what was stored on the fifth floor despite camping in there frequently during his leave days.
¡.
Yang Qing now wanted ess to the seventh floor which stored cultivation arts that were in the high-rank of blue grade along with other equally relevant information and facilities.
He was not sure of his chances at gaining entry to that floor as at the bare minimum it required him to have a cultivation realm that was at the peak of the pce realm or have made contributions equivalent to that level which he was miles away from.
His odds of entry though low had a chance of sess because of where he was, more specifically the people present. He was in a room filled with numerous big shots from deans, to formation hall masters and deputy masters, to a superior domain court judge with a paragon domain, and the Chief Librarian, the person in charge of the whole thing was present. If they spoke up for him, there was a chance his request may be granted, and add the value of the blue fairy object, the odds rise further.
He decided to take advantage of the moment and try his hand. If it failed it was no loss to him, he would just pick up a treasure from the treasury vault. But if it seeded he would reap a lot, most importantly he was sure a lot of world secrets were stored in there which was a supposition he had based on the information he had ess to just on the fifth floor.
¡.
" Well it''s not an impossibility to get you ess but don''t put your hopes up just yet as at best you''ll gain temporary entry and as for the duration even I can''t tell.
Your entry to the seventh floor will have to be put up for a vote since you will be gaining entry through special circumstances instead of the normally met criteria.
I can try to speak up for you to the rest¡Luckily you already have a few votes here including mine," Dean Zhu Lao said as he looked to Dean Chu Zhen, Meng Chao, Vice dean Yu Long and Vice warden Shao An who all nodded back in agreement.
From those present, they were the ones who had the ability to cast a vote on the matter. The chief librarian had a vote too but for some reason, Yang Qing noticed Dean Zhu Lao seemed hesitant to ask for his opinion.
Just as he was wondering the reason behind Dean Zhu Lao''s strange expression the other person in question spoke.
"Hehehe what an interesting kid. You have my vote too though you owe me one. I''ll collect if you gain a paragon domain if not ooh well I''ll just think of it as me doing a good deed," said the Chief Librarian as he lightly chuckled with a gleam in his eyes.
"Many thanks, Chief Librarian En Sang and the other seniors too. Even if I fail to gain entry I''ll make sure to repay the favor someday," Yang Qing solemnly said as he bowed in gratitude.
"You can have my vote too Yang Qing. Apologies to everyone foringte." a soft prating voice sounded in everybody''s ears.
The next second seemingly out of nowhere there was a dashing youthful-looking man in white robes standing next to Dean Zhu Lao.
Chapter 125 Spirit Howling Mountain
?Everybody''s attention shifted towards the neer by Dean Zhu Lao''s side.
"What an interesting thing¡.It seems like some sort of key," said the white-robed youthful man standing next to Dean Zhu Lao.
He bent further to zoom in on the artifact leaving only a few millimeters of gap between his face and the blue fairy object.
It took only a second before Dean Zhu Lao reacted.
"Vice chancellor Wu Ling, it''s nice of you to show up, especially with your busy schedule and the entrance examinations for new students just around the corner," Dean Zhu Lao said as heughed patting the white-robed man''s back.
Mmmh!
The man offhandedly nodded as his attention was solely focused on the object.
Dean Zhu Lao on seeing his absorbed reaction that ignored everything else could only smile as he shook his head. It was a familiar urrence for the man in question. Whenever he found something that drew his interest he would forego everything else and devote all his attention to it.
It therefore came as a surprise when he was made the vice-chancellor, as the job involved juggling multiple things at once especially with the chancellor always absent more so in thest century.
However, despite his inability to focus on anything else when his interest has been piqued, during his tenure as the Vice-chancellor he has handled the running of the institute splendidly.
Yang Qing and the rest including some of the domain experts had a look of respect and awe toward the youthful-looking Vice-chancellor. Some of the guests present had been his students once. Though by the time Yang Qing joined the institute he had stopped teaching and focused on the administrative aspect. With the number of students increasing he didn''t have time to give sses on the side.
Though Yang Qing may have not been taught by the vice chancellor he had heard of him from the instructors who would regale them with tales of their time as students and being under the tutge of the Vice-chancellor. They always sang high praises of him.
His nurturing skills were one of the reasons behind the awe in everyone''s eyes and the other was he was one of the 13 people who have been recorded to have reached the 14,000-meter mark of the Spirit howling mountain which is very close to the mountain''s peak which stands at a height of 16,800 meters.
The Spirit howling mountain was a strange natural treasure owned by the Order whose origins from what Yang Qing had heard was from the seemingly normal and vast Blue origin ocean.
It was one of the founding treasures of the Order and one of the reasons behind its rapid growth.
Just like its name, the Spirit howling mountain was filled with the incessant sounds of different spirits. Some would be human, others spirit beasts, or another random race that was neither a human nor a spirit beast.
Whatever form it took the sounds had one thing inmon, their main purpose was to attack and break the souls of those who heard them. The attack took various forms; beguilement, illusions whose distinction from reality was a thin line, a direct frontal attack on the soul, and many other varied means.
Due to its unique nature, the Spirit howling mountain was used by the Order to temper the spirits of its members. They did put special measures in ce to reduce fatality as anyone who had their souls broken in there would suffer real death. However, despite those measures, fatalities did happen from time to time along with long-term injuries that required years and years of recuperation.
With danger also came reward. Those who survived the torment and attack on their souls would have their souls refreshed and strengthened. There were even times when they''d gain sudden enlightenment which was usually tied to the source of the sound that tormented them. This is why the Order advocates for its members to scale the mountain despite its apparent risks. They also give out rewards and merit points depending on the level you reach. Every single person who scales the mountain has their progress automatically recorded on a specialrge white engraved tform at the bottom of the mountain for all to see.
Every progress one makes is like a badge of honor as the record has the names of all who have ever scaled that mountain for the past 500 years which is what makes the vice chancellor''s record of being in the top 13 so awe-inspiring.
He reached the 14,000-meter mark when he was in the domain realm as those who reach the soul formation stage rarely climb the mountain due to the minimal benefits they get from it. So all the names recorded in the tform are the feats of those who climbed the mountain when they were in the domain realm and below, with the minimum threshold set at the foundation establishment stage.
From what Yang Qing had heard, the vice chancellor has been a soul formation expert for the past 100 years because he was formerly a member of the spirit council before he was transferred over to be the Insitute. And in those 100 years, those 13 names have remained unchanged though Yang Qing didn''t know who the top 5 names were or what level they reached as their names were covered in fog.
As for the Vice-chancellor, he was in the 11th position having reached the exact height of 14,745 meters while Yang Qing''sst recorded level was at 4,883 meters though hest climbed the Spirit howling mountain when he was only at the peak of the core formation stage as for his position he was too embarrassed to even think of it because it was in the quintuple digits and the lower spectrum at that.
¡..
"I''ll definitely reach the top 20,000 this time," thought Yang Qing as his eyes zed with a fighting will. His thoughts of glory were mildly interrupted when the Vice-chancellor finally pried his eyes away from the blue fairy crystal.
"You intend to bring it to the tranquil valley right?" asked Vice chancellor Wu Ling.
"Yes, there are some things I will need to consult on and also as a precautionary means it''s safer to experiment on it at the Tranquil peaks rather than here or at the institute," said Dean Zhu Lao.
"Mmh, I agree. Speaking of the institute that reminds me, You will be providing lectures back to back to make up for the time you spent in your seclusion and your sses will not be restricted only to the seniors but also the new entrants and the rest of the juniors.
This is in addition to the specialized training you give to the instructors in your faculty.
This will be your schedule for the foreseeable future until I can deem those 50 years have been made up for. So do prepare yourself," austerely said Vice-chancellor Wu Ling.
He had a sudden shift in his demeanor from the earlier archeology nerd to a stern superior.
Chapter 126 Bleak Futures Ahead
?"This..," Dean Zhu Lao was caught off-guard by the statement that he was a little lost for words. He had just gained freedom from his forced seclusion and now he was being thrown into more work before he even had time to savor the taste.
His wife, Formation hall master Ling Meimei was giggling, gleefully taking the moment in. With this sudden turn of events, her biggest worry of Dean Zhu Lao going back to prior habits was put to bed.
With his new crazy schedule where would he get the time to go crack jokes with his friends all night long over warm wine and ginseng tea?
Just as Dean Zhu Lao was about to make a plea he was interrupted by the Vice-chancellor.
"The chancellor has signed off on this," calmly said Vice-chancellor Wu Ling.
Dean Zhu Lao hurriedly swallowed the words that were at the tip of his tongue as his demeanor turned subservient with a pitiful nod of agreement.
"Vice dean Yu Long you''re free to take those umted leave days anytime you wish to. On behalf of the institute I thank you for studiously going above and beyond in your duties. It''s not easy having undependable bosses," said Vice-chancellor Wu Ling as he sighed.
"It really isn''t," said Vice Dean Yu Long as he sighed too in return.
The two seemed like kindred spirits while Dean Zhu Lao was wondering why they had to dig into him further. Wasn''t the inhuman work schedule even by the Order''s standard enough?
Meanwhile, Yang Qing''s sadistic mind surfaced. Dean Zhu Lao''s situation was somewhat pleasing to him. Knowing there was another person being overworked even more than he was, gave him some sort offort. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he may actually enjoy going to work and not do his usual routine of incessantining and threats he would never follow through to the dread that washes over him when he gets caught in a scheme.
People saw the mor but they didn''t know how stressful it was to be an employee of the ck-hearted Order. Atleast from tomorrow he would only have one thing in his daily routine which was cursing Lei Weiyuan for a bit before he went to work.
Just as Yang Qing was lost in his thoughts thinking about whether to mix it up with the morning curse the Vice-chancellor turned his way.
"Yang Qing it''s good that you''re here too as I had something to tell you too. A few days after your ceremony you will be in charge of setting and supervising the entrance examinations for the prospective students for the institute. It''s one of the duties of newly promoted pce court judges, since we are understaffed and all, adding the growing number of students we need all the help we can get.
I''ll send one of my assistants with the particrs and you can also consult some of your seniors here who have had some experience with it.
Well then everyone I will be taking my leave, do enjoy yourselves.
Zhu Lao tomorrow early and don''t be a secondte," said Vice-chancellor Wu Ling as he threateningly narrowed his gaze on Dean Zhu Lao before he shed and disappeared from the spot.
Dean Zhu Lao was left with a pale and crestfallen figure but atleast this time he wasn''t alone as Yang Qing was right there with him.
Supervising the entrance examination would seem morous but it was too much work and would span more than a day where he would be required to be present at the examination grounds day and night. Worst of all, you got paid nothing.
"I see bleak days ahead."
"I see them too."
Young and old stood slumped shoulder to shoulder sighing continuously whilstmenting their future.
Yang Qing''s mood improved a bit when finally food appeared. It turns out the food was deliberately hidden away as an borate prank arranged by Meng Chao, Lei Weiyuan, Formation Hall master Ling Meimei, and Yu Hong, Yu Huifang''s mom to tease Yang Qing, especially with his known reputation as a foodie.
Yang Qing was shocked when he learned of this and how many people were involved.
"Do they have a grudge against me or something? Old man Lei I understand but the rest..No¡.and shouldn''t they be using their time better rather than scheme. They give the Order a bad name," Yang Qing righteously thought as he gorged himself on some sweet and sour pork fillet.
Dean Zhu Lao had gone off to make the most of his limited time and catch up with some friends and exchange someughs before his brutal work schedule sentence began.
Yang Qing finally got a chance to talk to Vice warden Shao An and gain some insight into the prisoner release program. No one would be qualified to guide him through it than the vice warden of the ce, well maybe the warden would be the best but he was a little out of reach for Yang Qing''s current level and if it wasn''t for the invite to the party so would have Vice warden Shao An.
The Vice warden was generous enough to offer his two cents on the matter but they had to reschedule it to ater date as the vice warden got dragged away by Dean Zhu Lao for a dao discussion along with other peak domain experts within the hall. Some of the early domain experts and even thete-stage pce experts joined along to expand their horizons by listening in.
Yang Qing, Mao Yunru, and Yu Huifang were left to hang out by themselves as their levels were too low to really harvest much from their level of discussion. Yang Qing didn''t mind it too much as he happily devoured the delicacies that were left untouched and still inrge quantities.
However, he had to take a pause on eating when Meng Chao came over to talk to him before he left.
"I''ll find you the week after your ceremony to discuss Jiang Fu''s situation and my n moving forward,"
"I wonder if I could make a presumptuous request senior Meng Chao." Yang Qing politely asked.
"What is it?" Meng Chao curiously asked.
"I wanted to bring Zhang Qingge with me. She is very close to Jiang Fu and I feel like she ought to know especially if what Jiang Fu is doing is dangerous," Yang Qing hesitantly said carefully watching Meng Chao''s expression.
"Oh her? There''s no problem because I intended to invite her too. It was Jiang Fu''s request that she be made privy to everything that is going on including his past," said Meng Chao as he smiled.
Yang Qing couldn''t but heave a sigh of relief.
They exchanged a few more words before Meng Chao left. A few hourster Lei Weiyuan came and brought Mao Yunru and Yang Qing back to the junction he had picked them from.
The other guests were in no hurry as they stayed well through the night engrossed in their dao discussion.
As for Yang Qing after he made his way into his abode he sat weakly in one of the chairs by the porch. He kept on repetitively sighing as he ate some of the takeaways he had on him.
The reason for hisnguishing look was, he was three days away from his ceremony. What should have been a cause for celebration was now something he dreaded very much.
"Maybe I should just ept Ren Shu''s offer and join the medicine valley."
Chapter 127 Gentleman’s Way
?Yang Qing spent the whole night by the rattan chair lost in his thoughts and dreading his future life as another exploited worker in the cog known as the Order that he didn''t notice until the morning rays hit him that the night had passed.
Luckily once cultivators reach the core formation realm they can live without taking shower since most of their body''s impurities will havepletely been cleansed by then and the mechanisms in which their bodies operates alsopletely transform at that point like no longer having the need to eat too as they can subsist on spiritual qi alone.
Therefore the stress of preparing themselves before leaving for work was virtually non-existent for a cultivator more so in Yang Qing''s case who was a pce realm cultivator with a peerless jade body to boot. His body was as pristine as it could be and due to his nature''s Yin Yang jade bones, he always had the scent of nature on him. As for clothing, the Order issued robes came with dustproof arrays along with self-cleaning arrays and thermal regtion arrays not that cultivators of Yang Qing''s level were affected by temperature.
This was even without considering the materials used in making the robes that were atleast of the monarch grade and were chosen because of their specific attributes that targeted protection,fort, and maximum utility. Yang Qing had to admit when it came to the Order issued robes they didn''t spare any expense, unlike other areas where they did the bare minimum coupled with hidden schemes that made the users spend more of their resources whilst making it seem like they are doing them a favor.
¡.
Yang Qing lethargically put on his robes as he grabbed a snow peach he had gotten from Yu Huifang''s ce and made his way out.
Yi Jie had already filed his seclusion and breakthrough leave and was currently staying at the celestial nesting weaver''s nest to take advantage of the environment there and make sure he was at his peak state before he attempted to break through to the pce realm.
It was because of his stay that Yang Qing decided to rest on his porch. Yang Qing wasn''t sure how long Yi Jie would be around but at the bare minimum, he thought it would take a month or two before Yi Jie gained enough momentum then after which he would head to his own abode toplete the breakthrough.
Yang Qing would have to sleep in a different ce for those two months. His office would be the ideal ce but if he could avoid it he would not spend his nights there. It was always a slippery slope. You sleep there one day, two days, a week next thing you know it''s 2 years and your office has be a permanent home, falling right into the Order''s schemes.
Yang Qing always found it suspicious why the offices seemed a couple of times morefortable and well-equipped than even their abodes. Almost as if the Order wanted to bait them to live there with that environment that was filled with very dense spirit qi, retrofitted with all kinds of life improvement arrays and other facilities that just draw you in.
If it wasn''t for his riots and the punishment he got for those riots in which he ended up with his office downgraded and the reduced supply of materials necessary for the maintenance of the office, Yang Qing was sure he would be another unwitting victim who spent his entire life within the confines of the courtroom building.
¡.
"Maybe spending the nights there a day or two wouldn''t hurt. There are only three days left to my ceremony, two if I count today. I should spend some time in that office before it is given away to someone else," Yang Qing pensively thought as he rubbed his chin.
"Three days it is,'''' Yang Qing thought before he whistled.
Momentster the two peak core formation stage ck dragon horses appeared before him with the carriage already tied to them.
"After having Yi Jie act as a carriage driver for a month, it feels off getting on this thing without one," said Yang Qing as he sighed.
"Hei, Ma, the both of you will soon be leaving right? Time sure flies fast. The two arrogant colts from back then have grown into fine steeds about to break through to the pce realm and after that, you''ll finally gain the ability to transmorph into humans," said Yang Qing as he patted the two dragon horses'' heads with a gentle smile.
The two dragon horses were brother and sister. He knew them when they were just colts and he was a student then. During his overzealous stint in the Institute where he had taken a lot of courses just to stand out, spirit beast nurturing and taming was one of them.
As part of their curriculum, they would asionally take care of the spirit beasts at the Beast hall. When he saw the two ck dragon horses with their sleek ck coat, and silver scales on their feet and back along with the dragon horns, and add to that their regal aura owing to the thin dragon bloodline in their system, he thought they looked cool.
The two horses were at thete stages of the foundation realm at the time and even with that cultivation realm, they had an inborn arrogance about them that they always picked fights for supremacy with the core formation spirit beasts who shared nesting grounds with them. They won some and lost some but despite the result, the arrogance still remained. It was with that arrogance that they always gave a small wee beating to the students who were put in charge of taking care of them.
When Yang Qing''s turn came he never saw the beatinging. He was mid admiring the ck dragon horses saying how cool they were and how he would look amazing riding them when he got knocked out with a flick of their tails. Next time he came to, he was neck deep in manure and phlegm with spirit beasts throwing mocking condescending looks. The worst of the looks came from the ck dragon horses.
Yang Qing went through that repetitive torture of being knocked out and buried in manure for a month before he decided to drop the spirit beast nurturing course for something else. He was only at the perfect qi cirction realm by then and miles away from tussling with spirit beasts that were cross-realm fighters.
He swallowed that bitter pill and engraved the experience in his mind. For a gentleman, 1,000 years is not toote for revenge. Soon the moment came when he got the post as an outer core court judge.
Chapter 128 Yang Qing’s Present In His Courtroom
?His chance at payback came when he was at the first stage of the core formation realm and the ck dragon horses at the time were at the fifth stage of the core formation realm. A few years had passed since Yang Qing had got humiliated by them.
When Yang Qing came to the spirit beast nesting grounds they stayed at, the two ck dragon horses were just like before lording over the other spirit beasts. However unlike before they were many timesrger now with their pride mushrooming to epic proportions.
Yang Qing was surprised to notice even with their increased cultivation base, supposed pride, and a lot of time passing by, their sadistic tendencies never left them. There was a poor cultivator buried under a pile of manure while unconscious with a red whish mark on his cheek.
Yang Qing didn''t waste any time going by the familiar route of vengeance, where he asks the ck dragon horses if they remember him, what they did to him, and how he has been training tirelessly to get back at them. When he saw them he immediately gave each one of them a powerful blow to the head which knocked them unconscious after which he buried them in the manure where the other cultivator was.
Immediately after he had the beast taming hall assign those two dragon horses as his mount. Which they were all too d to do, due to how problematic those two spirit beasts were.
When the two dragon horses woke up with massive headaches they were all too shocked to find themselves in an unfamiliar ce filled with all kinds of trees and a green-haired youth standing above them kindly smiling at them as he told them they were his mounts from now on.
In typical fashion, they retaliated with violence and were soundly beaten secondster.
Yang Qing gave the two dragon horses a solid beating for a whole month while burying them in manure. He did this not out of petty vengeance to repay back the month he went through the same thing, No, he did it from the spirit of a principled and cultured person who always gave back what they received with equal proportions. Nothing more and definitely nothing less.
After a month, all the arrogance had been beaten out of the two dragon horses as they meekly epted their new duties as mounts. They did try to act arrogantly towards Yi Jie once which resulted in them hiding in Yang Qing''s abode for three months without leaving.
With time despite theplicated start, they grew to love Yang Qing''s courtyard and its spirit-rich lush vegetation and developed a close rtionship with Yang Qing. Yang Qing also promised them the moment they reached the pce realm they would no longer need to serve as his mounts.
¡..
"As I promised before, when you reach the pce stage you will be free to do what you want. You can join the beast hall, be instructors at the institute, go the inquisitor route if you want, or join any other departments you would wish to in ordance with your talents.
The options are a lot and you will also get your own ce. Though you are still wee to stay here if you want to. I have more than enough room for two cheeky dragon horses," softly said Yang Qing as he patted their heads before he went in the carriage.
The two dragon horses turned their heads backward at the carriage where Yang Qing was and then nced at each other before they firmly nodded their heads at each other as if inplete agreement about something.
They soon trotted their way out of the dream cloud abode as they made their way to the court grounds.
"Dammit!!! it seems there really is no other way than to get fined again. I didn''t even mess with them that much just a tiny bit here and there. How can arrays be this fragile? Is it a setup to get more money? I really hope Dean Zhu Lao remembers to speak up for me to his wife as he promised," Yang Qing grumbled while in the carriage.
Though he wasn''t too hopeful that Dean Zhu Lao would speak up for him. For one he didn''t seem like the type to have a voice at home otherwise the 50-year seclusion wouldn''t have happened, the other was with his new crazy schedule he doubted he would even remember.
When Yang Qing''s thoughts reached this point he decided to throw all worry to the wind and whatever happens next he will take it as ites. The arrays were already damaged and there was nothing he could do. The fines will definitelye as they always have and there was nothing he could do about that. He will deny the charges like always with creative excuses to back it and they won''t believe a lick of it like always and there was nothing he could do about that.
He just had to prepare himself to get his storage ring wiped out of anything valuable like always. It was a familiar dance between them.
"The only thing I can do now is take a nap and dream my problems away. Sweet sleep be kind to your loyal friend today like you always have," Yang Qing mumbled as he dosed off the next instant.
¡.
Twenty minutester the dragon horses had already arrived at the court building''s entrance. They both neighed a few times before Yang Qing finally groggily woke up as he made his way out of the carriage.
"Thanks, Hei and Ma," Yang Qing waved as he made his way into the building as the dragon horses went their way to a different part of the grounds.
When Yang Qing made his way into his courtroom he was surprised to find no one else in there except the prime source of his nightmares, Lei Weiyuan.
"OL''¡I mean supervisor Lei Weiyuan what are you doing here? I know I''m notte," hurriedly said Yang Qing as his voice shook with uncertainty and dread.
"Not that I don''t wee you into my courtroom though as you''re the supervisor this could be considered your courtroom too...Your bearing seems more like an immortal''s bearing every time I see it¡." Yang Qing went on to nervously ramble on for a few minutes shamelessly throwingpliments with awkwardughs before Lei Weiyuan decided to speak up from worrying Yang Qing would talk endlessly if left to his own devices.
"I came here to inform you for the next three days you will not be handling any cases but handling rank 5 promotion evaluations in the southern quadrant from the white baobab kingdom all the way down to the boundary of the Bluesky carp sect.
Here''s the list of the sect, ns, and organizations you will be reviewing. They are about 1,400 or so which can be easily done within three days. Luckily cultivators don''t need to eat or sleep.
All the best blood, sweat, and tears Yang Qing. The Order expects great things from you," Lei Weiyuan calmly said as he left the talisman with the list in the pale-faced, wide-mouthed, and frozen Yang Qing.
Chapter 129 Rank Evaluations, Promotions, Demotions And Perks
?Yang Qing stood rooted to the ground for quite some time before he finally weakly walked away from the lonely courtroom.
"1,400 evaluations in three days isn''t this too much? They want to work me to death, Yes they definitely want to work me to death. I''ve pulled a few schemes here and there, exploiting the Order but none of what I ever pulled is enough to warrant this.
Will I survive?" Yang Qing worriedly muttered.
"Even if I make aint, with how things always go they may pile even more workload on me with the excuse of training my temperament and the high hopes they have for me.
No, no, no, Yang Qing endure. It''s just three days, you can survive three days with no sleep or food and constant work right?" Yang Qing muttered to himself trying to rouse his spirits.
"No, I can''t. But what other option do I have other than just do it and copse while doing it," Yang Qing''s figure quickly deted as he slumped his shoulders walking distraughtly to the administration''s floor.
"1,400 evaluations," Yang Qing weakly muttered as he shook his head in defeat.
Once one became a judge of the superior core court other than handling cases there were other duties that fell under their docket and one of them was handling the promotion of unranked sects, ns, and other organizations into rank 5 organizations. In that same vein, they also handled the demotion of rank 5 organizations.
For one to be promoted to rank 5 they needed to have atleast one member of the organization having a cultivation base that was at the foundation establishment realm. Whenever an organization had one of its members breakthrough to the foundation establishment realm they can file with the Order to have their organization evaluated for a rank-up promotion.
Upon a sessful evaluation, they will receive a rank 5 certificate along with a que issued by the Order. Receiving the certificate meant you were under the rules that govern the Order and should anything happen to the Organization they can submit their case to the Order. Those with the certificate have priority over those without.
With how understaffed the Order is, it came up with the ranking system as a way to have a rough estimate of the organizations around, their locations, and their general power level as a way to grow its pool of information around the southern continent and also ease its work in the monitoring and enforcement of the agreed upon rules.
They set the minimum threshold for being ranked to be the foundation establishment instead of the qi cirction stage or body refining stage because thetter two groups are as many as the grains of the sand in the ocean. If they started evaluating organizations that had body refinement or qi cirction experts at the helm they would never be done with it even after a millennium passed and monitoring them would prove impossible.
Though it was still a huge struggle for the Order even with the minimum ranking requirement set at the foundation establishment realm as the number of experts at that level was not small either due to how rich the southern continent was in spirit qi and other cultivation resources.
Yang Qing at times couldn''t help butment the irony of the situation as the better the Order did their jobs the more rank 5 organizations popped up and the more their workload became.
When constant wide-scale wars were a thing it was the lower-ranked sects and organizations that paid a price which made it hard for new sects and other cultivations organizations to get a footing especially if they did not have someone powerful to protect it, one who was at least at theter stages of the core formation realm.
In addition to the promise of priority in their cases, the Order added another incentive so Organizations would willingly undergo a ranking evaluation. This incentive was quota privilege.
Depending on the rank of the organization they would be assigned a different number of quotas. For example, a rank 1 organization would be given 10 quotas, while a rank 2 organization would get 7 quotas as for a rank 5 organization, they would get 1 quota.
With that quota, they can have one of their members no matter the age, trained at the Institute for a whole year.
Within that year they will share sses with the other students of the Order though their ess will be limitedpared to the Order''s own students. For one the amount of subjects they can take is limited, unlike the Order''s students who have no limitations as long as they have the energy and talent for it. The other is the restriction to the main library where they can only ess the first floor while thest one is the grade of cultivation art they are trained in during their stay is capped at the middle rank of the orange grade.
Though for a fee, the institute can train them in a low-rank blue-grade art of which the type of art they get taught is left to the discretion of the institute and if the cultivator with the quota fails to gain mastery of the art within the year, the institute doesn''t offer refunds and they are also forbidden to share that art with their organization or even children or any other person they have a close rtionship with. If it''s found out they have disclosed the cultivation art, they have their cultivation base crippled and sent to the mines for the rest of their lives.
Other than that everything else is the same, such as receiving the same treatment in amodation, food, and clothing even allowances and rewards students get for good performance.
Though the higher-ranked organizations may not value such an opportunity the lower-ranked ones are all too d to get evaluated. Having their disciples or n members trained at the Order is a life-changing opportunity that they can''t afford to let pass them by. The experience those members gain there is enough tost them several lifetimes which will in turn benefit their organizations.
Some of these organizations have even used their quota as an incentive to recruit more talented members.
This is why the number of organizations seeking evaluations and promotions from rank 5 up to rank 3 is always in an upward increasepared to those from rank 2 or rank 1 organizations. However, even though the Order seems to have made headway with lower-ranked organizations, when ites to the high-ranked organizations it''s a different matter.
Due to the mildly invasive nature of evaluations most rank 1 or rank 2 organizations rarely go through with it which is why the number of rank 1 organizations on the Order''s file hasn''t changed for the past 500 years except for the rank 1 sect that got demoted. And when ites to rank 2 organizations while there is still a good number of rank 3 organizations that seek promotion evaluations when graduating to a rank 2 organization, the same cannot be said of a rank 2 organization that already has the qualifications of a rank 1 organization. Most choose to hide that they already have a soul formation realm expert. So on paper, it seems they only have a domain expert as the peak expert at the helm when in reality they have a soul formation expert.
It is why the number of rank 2 to rank 1 promotions conducted in the past century only numbered about twenty. While it is extremely difficult to break through from the domain realm to the soul formation stage, the Order doubted that in the whole southern continent, only twenty people were able to advance to the soul formation realm in the past 100 years.
This is why the Order adopted other means such as use of the Shadow hawks, their own intelligence department to try and get a rough picture of the power segmentation and profile around the continent. It''s still slow work in progress as these organizations know to hide their power well not only from the Order''s eyes but other organizations around themselves as well.
Though the mes of war in the southern continent have been doused a little, the habits ingrained from times of war still remain.
¡.
Yang Qing soon made his way to the administration hall. Before he left for the evaluations there were procedures he would have to follow especially considering he would be away for three days. The procedures were meant to ensure his safety while he was outside, especially with the recent attacks on Order employees for the past 50 years.
Yang Qing headed to one of the transportation arrays in the hallway of the superior core courtrooms. The area was still packed full of cultivators like usual, who secretly threw wary respectful nces at him as he passed by. There were also those who had vengeful eyes, provocative eyes, eyes filled with battle intent, and so forth though they were a select few.
Yang Qing paid them no heed as it was amon urrence. Those who came here had different outlooks towards judges or inquisitors. Some saw them as beacons of hope to address their grievances and mete out justice on their behalf while others saw them as nosey eyesores who were constantly ruining the essence of being a ''free cultivator'' for them.
¡
With a hazy translucent sh of the transportation array, Yang Qing disappeared from the hallway and reappeared in front of arge intricately designed door made of twilight sky ebony wood which was an ascendant grade material that could withstand the blow of an early-stage domain expert without budging an inch.
Tsk
Yang Qing clicked in envy as he saw the door more specifically the material used to make it.
"Order does love its face. Wish they put as much effort in the abodes as they did with the administration floor," silently muttered Yang Qing as he pushed open the twilight sky ebony doors.
Chapter 130 Administration Department
?Inside the administration hall, was a vast circr space that was atleast half a kilometer in radius and the true picture of opulence.
Every single material used in making the hall and the department as a whole was at the very least top tier of monarch grade while the spiritual qi was as dense as any sect grounds that belonged to any top tier rank 3 sects.
The floors were pristine white almost sslike with an incandescent glow on them as they reflected light while the roofing was in the form of a neb as it swirled with deep violet clouds and a cluster of stars.
The stars were not the only clusters in the administration hall room as it was filled with all sorts of people with different robes that showed they were not all from the same party.
There were the inquisitors with their famous half-red robes however they were from different courts as evidenced by the half red half blue robes some wore which showed they were from the core formation courts, others had half red half dark gold robes that showed they were from the pce courts, there were even two who had half red half ck robes that showed they were from the domain courts.
In addition to the inquisitors, there were judges and people from other departments of the Order but even their numbers paled inparison to the ''guests''.
The guests were the cultivators from different sects, ns, and organizations filling the administration hall room heading to different sections under the guidance of some of the guide workers from the Order.
The administration building could be considered the central hub of the Order that kept all the other cogwheels turning.
Whenever a ruling was made the subsequent enforcement of the ruling would be handled by the administration building and this was just part of what fell under their purview as they handled all sorts of logistics that concerned different departments within the Order. For example, filing aint on a faulty formation array would be done via the administration who then forward the request to the formation hall or when it came to the requisition of resources and materials by the craftsmanship department, it would be done via the administration.
The administration hall had different sections that worked conjointly for example; logistics was in charge of the distribution of resources around the Order down to the branches while there was an audit department that ensured things went where they were supposed to. Though when it came to logistics there were two sections, there was logistics of internal matters and logistics of external matters. The former dealt with all things within the Order while thetter dealt with reimbursements and restitutions to cultivators whose cases were ruled in their favor. There was also the reviewmittee that handled the monitoring and evaluation of penalties issued to cultivators.
.....
Within the hall room, there were ques above every section for ease of direction with staff guiding people to their destinations. Despite how crowded the area was, everyone moved with neat precision and order thanks to the staff.
As for the Order employees they had a separate section away from the rest due to the sensitivity of the matters they dealt with. There were even a few guards who maintained the line to prevent the outside cultivators from heading into the Order employee section.
They wore dark gray robes with cultivations bases that were at the early stages of the pce realm. They were four in number and their presence there was more of a deterrent as the route that led to the Order employee''s only section was filled with all sorts of terrifying arrays that would immediately strike the person who took even half a step into the area.
The guards'' presence was to prevent silly fatalities that would result from those who just couldn''t help themselves.
¡
Once Yang Qing went through his section path he made his way to the room with the que ''Deployments'' above it.
There were three cultivators seated behind different desks and chairs studiously writing on some scrolls and reviewing jade talismans as they conversed with the different Order personnel in front of their desks.
The three cultivators had ck and white robes. This was the signature robe of all administration employees. It was two men and one female. The female was at the early stages of the pce realm while the two males were both in the middle stages of the core formation realm.
As for the three different Order personnel they were conversing with, from what Yang Qing could tell two of them were inquisitors of the inner core courts as for thest one he couldn''t make heads or tails of who they were. They had pale ck worn-out robes with a roguish air about them and their cultivation base was at the middle stages of the pce realm though Yang Qing couldn''t tell which level specifically.
Even though Yang Qing was just a few meters away from them, he couldn''t hear what they were talking about as there were antiscrying and noise cancetion arrays at the desks which affected a few meters around it. The arrays could even prevent an early domain expert from eavesdropping on the conversation even with the use of their domain sense.
¡
Yang Qing didn''t have to wait for too long as one of the inner core courts inquisitors was done and soon his turn came up.
He swiftly made his way to the desk whose administration department employee was a male seemingly in his thirties. He was slim, with narrowing cheekbones that gave him an austere sharp look and neatly tied ck ponytail hair.
Yang Qing didn''t know him as he rarely got deployed as a judge and due to the huge workload the administration department had, the Order constantly rotated the administration employees in shifts to avoid burnout and the mistakes that maye as a result of it. A casual mistake in the administration department may end up with dire consequences especially if that mistake creates a bigger mistake chain that mushrooms into a catastrophe somewhere.
It was why despite the Order''s ck-hearted reputation they were careful with the bnce of work and demand on the administration employees.
Chapter 131 Deployment Procedures
?Once Yang Qing sat down, he handed the talisman and the scroll that had the evaluation list to the male employee in front of him as he started his introductions.
"My name is Yang Qing, a superior core court judge. I will be leaving for three days to conduct rank 5 evaluations. It will be 1,400 evaluations in total at the southern quadrant from the White baobab kingdom up to the boundary of the territory of the Bluesky carp sect," said Yang Qing.
"Thanks, Yang Qing. My name is Lai Han and I will be serving you today. Pardon me for a minute as I demarcate your area of evaluation," said Lai Han as he fished out a scroll with the words southern quadrant written on it.
He gently unfurled it revealing a highly detailed map that showed different territories and the power it was under. There was a color marking next to the names of the powers that owned those territories. There were five different colors used on the map next to those powers, they were; Purple, yellow, blue, orange, and red.
Yang Qing despite not being regrly deployed was familiar with the coloring scheme as it was a must-know for every member of the Order more so for the judges, inquisitors, and the members of the review section.
The purple color meant the area was under a rank 1 organization, yellow was for rank 2, blue was for rank 3, orange was for rank 4 andstly red was for rank 5 organizations.
Lai Han slowly traced the map with his fingers before he finally found the White baobab kingdom. It had an orange color coding around its territory showing it was a rank 4 kingdom. He then moved downwards with his finger until he saw the Blue carp sect that had a blue coding next to it showing it was a rank 3 sect The boundary of its territory was a long curving river that seemed to traverse for thousands of kilometers across different territories.
Lai Han drew a part square and oval shape around the map highlighting the area Yang Qing would conduct his evaluations.
On paper, the demarcated size was about the size of a palm which gave the illusion that the area Yang Qing would conduct his evaluations, was small. However, Yang Qing knew on the real scale it would be muchrger. The area was atleast nine million kilometers squared. The only saving grace is some of the organizations would be clustered together.
Within that demarcated drawing, Yang Qing noticed there was one rank 2 organization. It was a n called the Zou n. From what Yang Qing knew about them, they rose into the ranks almost over 10,000 years ago and they were famous for their formation array skills with several top tier blue grade formation masters at the helm. Other than that not much was known about them as organizations at their levels are pretty secretive about their internal matters.
He also noticed a couple of rank 3 organizations in the area, there were atleast seven in total, of which three were sects, one was an empire, two kingdoms, and thest one was the headquarters of a bodyguard and escort organization called the Wind gliding steeds.
As for rank 4 and rank 5 organizations they were too many dots to count or follow. Yang Qing didn''t pay them any heed.
Once Lai Han was done with the drawing demarcation, he took out another map. It was thin, translucent, and extremely thin like a cicada''s wings. The map didn''t have much other than eagle symbols spread about with tiny names above those symbols.
He gently ced that map above the detailed map. The thin translucent map shimmered like it was made of water as it dissolved into the map below it. The eagle symbols that were on it started appearing on the map as they widely spread about within the map. Four appeared within the demarcated area Lai Han had drawn.
"With this, I should have everything I need," Lai Han said as he took a nk scroll. He formed a few hand seals on the nk scroll then proceeded to ce it over the current map.
A duplicate copy of the map appeared on the nk scroll which he then handed over to Yang Qing.
"You can have this for your travels," Lai Han said as he handed over the map.
"As shown in the map there are four branches of the Order around your set area of evaluations. There''s one near Deer mountain kingdom, another near the headquarters of the wind gliding steeds, the other one is near the Chain gate sect and thest one is next to the Zou n territory in Yellow in County of the Red maple Empire," said Lai Han as he highlighted the four branches on his map.
"They will be informed of your deployment so they can be on alert should you encounter a situation that needs their rapid assistance.
I will also be giving you three different mantra codes for the three days you will be out which will be shared with the four branches. Though even without the mantras with your eagle medallion signature you should be able to get their assistance. Though a little redundancy never hurts.
The mantras are stored here," said Lai Han as he handed a small light grey talisman to Yang Qing who proceeded to scan its contents with his spiritual sense after which the talisman turned to dust with its contents already imprinted in Yang Qing''s mind.
"You also need this," Lai Han said as he handed Yang Qing another scroll that was sealed.
"Inside is the updated list of organizations within the southern quadrant. While the map highlights the territories and powers in charge of those areas, it doesn''t show other organizations within those territories such as ranked merchant organizations, weapon shops, restaurants, alchemy shops, and the like. This scroll contains the broken-down list of those organizations and the territories they are in," Lai Han swiftly said as he handed the scroll which Yang Qing then stored in his storage ring.
Yang Qing decided he would go through the list on the journey over since it would be a long one.
"Senior Yue Ming, I need the soul ring bell please," said Lai Han as he politely addressed the female pce stage expert next to him.
Thedy with red curly hair and matching beauty handed a small aged brown looking antique bell that had all kinds of ancient scribbling on it.
"Please pour your qi and attach a wisp of your soul to the bell," said Lai Han as he handed over the bell.
Yang Qing solemnly grabbed the bell. Although it looked like just a finger would break it, this was a genuine saint-grade treasure called the spirit calling bell. The current bell was but a part of the main spirit calling bell that was stored where the spirit council resided.
The moment Yang Qing poured his qi and attached a wisp of his soul to it, the bell lit up as a phantasm of an old man appeared from it.
"May the protection of the voyaging saint keep you," muttered the old man with an old mellow tranquil voice. He ced his palm on Yang Qing''s forehead. Argeplex seal appeared from his palm covering Yang Qing''s entire body before it disappeared.
Yang Qing felt a form of bubble protection surround his soul.
The silhouette of the old man disappeared immediately after as the bell rang with a solemn sound that almost seemed to be saying safe travels. The ringing went on for almost a minute before it stopped.
The spirit-calling bell was meant to protect the user''s soul. If Yang Qing ended up with his body obliterated the bell''s protection would be triggered and transport his soul over to the area where the main spirit calling bell was and the spirit council resided.
It was one of the life-saving measures the Order uses during deployments, especially with the recent attacks on their members.
Yang Qing went on with a few more procedures before he was finally done.
"Yourmp soul has already been kept under close monitoring by the spirit council. Thank you for your time and I wish you safe travels ahead," said Lai Han with a polite smile.
"Thanks too," said Yang Qing as he got up.
"By the way are you rted to Lai Lei by any chance?" Yang Qing asked as he was leaving.
Lai Han who had a professional look the whole time flinched a little before his appearance resumed back to normal.
"Yes he is my cousin," Lai Han finally answered
Yang Qing didn''t say much and only smiled as he left.
He then went over to the requisitioning and disbursement office where he was given 1,000 middle-grade spirit stones and 1,000 gold coins which would be his per diem for the three days he was out. He was all smiles when he received it before finally making his way to the beast hall where Ellie was busy tormenting Haishi.
Chapter 132 Leaving With Ellie
?Ellie, the cloud-swallowing kite had just pinned Haishi to the ground with her talons as she mockingly made gloating chirps in Haishi''s face who was terrified beyond measure.
"Ellie you never grow up, do you?" said Yang Qing in beratement.
Ellie quickly flinched on hearing Yang Qing''s voice before she nervously turned her head to confirm if it was really Yang Qing.
Once she confirmed it really was him she hurriedly let go of Haishi as she lowered her head submissively while making her eyes rounder to draw more sympathy from Yang Qing.
Yang Qing could only shake his head in exasperation at her disy.
"There''s not a shred in you of the fearsome reputation that cloud-swallowing kites get as the predators of the skies who would even give golden rocs a run for their money. All you have in you is gluttony, shamelessness, and petty tricks.
You spend too much time with us Ellie, maybe I should have you transferred to some of the forests under the supervision of the beast hall to help trigger the ingrain rawness of the cloud-swallowing kites out of you," said Yang Qing which triggered an even more adverse reaction from Ellie who chirped and quivered at the same time as she looked up pitifully like an abandoned kitten.
Ellie has been part of their group ever since she was a young chick who didn''t know better. Because she was small and most of her interaction was with Yang Qing and his team she picked up some of their habits over the years.
She gained Yang Qing''s shamelessness especially when it came to fawning and asking for apologies for the trouble she created which was also another habit she picked from him, she became a gluttonous eater from associating with Feng Xin, she tries to act like a seasoned expert sometimes from trying to imitate Yi Jie, her bullying personality is from hanging out with the battle maniac Zheng Hu as for Su Jinjing, Yang Qing is not quite sure what Ellie learned from her but he was sure there was something. Maybe it might be revealed when she finally gains the ability to transmorph and talk.
¡..
"K..R.RR..N..O..chirp," Ellie tried to utter the human tongue but failed at the end.
Despite her small failure Yang Qing couldn''t help butmend her attempt. She was just in the tenth stage of the core formation realm she couldn''t transmorph yet into a human to be able to speak like one nor did she have the monarch sense of a pce realm expert to transmit her thoughts to the other party.
Her attempt was out of sheer willpower and ingenuity as her current anatomy made it almost impossible to speak the humannguage. However, her efforts would not be for naught as the strides she makes now would help herter as she practices transmorphing skills. Her adaptation to the human physiqueter would be much easier.
It was due to this factor that most of the spirit beasts that reach the seventh stage of the core formation realm are forbidden from using voice transmission beads in theirmunication by the Beast hall. An overreliance on external objects would stifle their progress, adaptation, and creativityter on.
"Greetings master Yang Qing," said Haishi. Even though she was currently trembling from her earlier ''match'' with Ellie her voice was still without any ripples. It had nothing to do with her ability to mask her fear and more to do with the voice transmission beads'' inability to convey deep emotions.
It could project different tones and pitches of a voice but one couldn''t tell if someone was sad, mncholic, or fearful as the subtleties that a real voice would present are absent when done via the voice transmission bead which just vocalizes thoughts.
"Hey Haishi, how are you finding your stay at the Order?" gently said Yang Qing as he ignored Haishi''s strange posture created by her trembling body.
"It''s great Master Yang Qing. It''s more than I deserve," Haishi humbly said as she bowed her head.
"Good, good, but if Feng Xin mistreats make sure to tell me or Ellie over here," said Yang Qing as he added emphasis when it came to Ellie''s name who bowed her head deeper that she almost burrowed to the ground.
"Master Feng Xin has been most amodating there''s nothing bad I can say. I even owe him a lot for sparing my life and allowing someone lowly as myself to consume the precious primal lotus dew," Haishi reverentially said which helped her alleviate some of the fear and trauma Ellie had left on her a few seconds ago.
"Well, that''s good then. I won''t be around for three days so you can ask the others for help if you need anything and make sure to follow the guidance and instructions of the beast hall.
Don''t be afraid to consult them on matters concerning your cultivation. There are a lot of seasoned experts here, some of them spirit beasts who have sessfully cultivated to the pce stage and can now transmorph.
Their insights and experience will be invaluable to you especially in refining the primal lotus dew still in your body and strengthening your wisdom pearl.
The stronger you are the more you can help me and the Order by association. All the best Haishi and don''t ck off. I hope you and Bolin can grow strong enough to share the burden we bear," Yang Qing righteously said.
He may have sounded like he wanted to pass the mantle to them but in the real sense he wanted Bolin and Haishi to be strong enough so he would have less to do with them being around to carry the ck.
However Haishi had no way of knowing Yang Qing''s true thoughts as she vigorously said,
"I will work my hardest to not let Master Yang Qing and the Order down," said Haishi despite not having any deep sentiments or knowledge about the Order. She was swallowed by Yang Qing''s vortex of spiel without even noticing it.
"Good," Yang Qing nodded appreciatively.
Meanwhile, Ellie who had earlier been bowing her head so low that she could see the porous holes of the soil below had raised her head and was gazing at Yang Qing with shock and deep admiration in her eyes with a look that seemed to say,
"I have much to learn from Yang Qing."
She even bowed reverentially to Yang Qing towards the end which drew quizzical looks from him.
"Ellie is getting stranger by the day," Yang Qing worriedly thought before he pushed those thoughts away and did what brought him here.
"Ellie we will be flying around with you for the next three days. We will be handling evaluations and we do not have a lot of time to do it. It will take its toll on both of us but with all the fish you''ve eaten and stolen from my pond, I know you have more than enough energy toplete the journey in THREE DAYS," said Yang Qing with a smile that did not look like a smile which made Ellie shiver more as she nodded her head repetitively in eptance.
Even though Yang Qing could fly by himself with his abilities as a pce stage expert he decided against it. The journey would be a long and tiring one without even putting into ount the cumbersome evaluations. He would much rather have Ellie go with him and have a few short naps and rests on her back than make the whole journey himself. In addition Ellie was a spirit beast that specialized in extreme speeds. She maybe only at theter stages of the core formation realm but at her top speed she could match a normal early stage pce realm cultivator.
"Haishi, see youter," said Yang Qing as he leaped on Ellie''s back who started flying the moment his feet touched her back.
Haishi didn''t even have time to reply back as Ellie had already sped away at an rming speed till she was the size of a mere dot in the sky.
¡
50 kilometers away from the Order''s main headquarters
"Mmmh I should start my evaluations from the middle as I make my way northwards toward the White baobab kingdom thene back to the center again and drop downwards toward the boundary of the Bluesky carp sect. This way when I''m done with thest evaluation, the journey back will be shorter," muttered Yang Qing as he examined the map he was given by Lai Han from the deployment office.
"The central point is mmh the Purple grass county in the Red maple empire. Let''s see if there are any interesting organizations in the area," said Yang Qing as he unsealed the scroll that had the updated list of organizations and their ranks within the southern quadrant.
The list was so long that it took a bit of effort to spot the organizations in the Red maple empire which were further subdivided by counties.
"Oh this is a pleasant surprise," said Yang Qing as his lips tugged into a small smile when he saw the list of businesses in Purple grass county.
Chapter 133 Odd Arrangement In The Purple Grass County
?"This three-day trip might not be that bad after all," said Yang Qing as a small drool dripped from his hungry smile.
"I hope Zhong Quan and the Earthvine restaurant don''t disappoint," He added on as he rubbed his hands together.
When he was looking at the list of organizations in the Red maple empire, he happened upon the name Earthvine restaurant in one of its counties, the Purple grass county.
His mood turned for the better the moment his eyes zoned in on that name. It wasn''t because it was a restaurant, though that didn''t hurt but it was because it he had struck a deal with Zhong Xuan where he would be getting 50% off on his meals when he visited.
He''d get to eat twice the normal amount at that charge. What wasn''t to love about such a situation? Even if their food ended up being subpar he would still capitalize on the discount. A free meal was a free meal and Yang Qing wasn''t about to break his creed of never refusing something free for something as trivial as quality. But with the reputation the Earthvine restaurant had, from princes dining there down to it being a subsidiary of the Golden bamboo pavilion, Yang Qing was sure that their quality had to be decent at the very least.
"Mmmh the area seems to have a lot of rank 4 organizations," Yang Qing pensively said as he noticed that there were atleast seven organizations including the Earthvine restaurant that were at rank 4. One of them was an alchemy shop that sold pills and potions, another was a cksmith shop and the remaining four were all-purpose merchant stores that sold different wares.
Even though the Red maple Empire was a rank 3 powerhouse, it was still odd for it to amodate so many rank 4 organizations within a single county. Without a pce stage expert to man the helm within the county it would prove difficult for the Empire to autonomously govern the county with so many rank 4 organizations in the area.
"So many organizations of this caliber clustered together like this is odd. It would make sense if the empire had a domain-level powerhouse but as far as the Order can tell, the Red maple empire has four pce stage experts of which three are usually stationed at the capital to keep the noble families within the capital at bay and one is permanently stationed at the border the empire shares with the Zou family.
Mmmh with so many organizations in the area, it seems the stunt the Shen brothers pulled at the Earthvine restaurant was not as random as it seemed," muttered Yang Qing as he recalled the Earthvine restaurant case he had the other day.
The list he had on hand had just the barest of bones when it came to information. Other than the names and rank there was nothing else added to it so even if Yang Qing wanted to have a picture of the situation, it would be hard with the information he had on hand.
"Ellie we are headed here," said Yang Qing as he used his monarch sense to imprint the general direction into Ellie''s mind. It was another perk of the spiritual sense upgrade when in the pce realm.
The deep blue judge robes Yang Qing had on slowly transformed into a light grey robe. The Order-issued robes had a feature that enabled them to transform into the image the wearer had in mind. This was because the robe was made of silk from a void mimicry silkworm.
The void mimicry silkworm had the ability to transform into whatever it sees. It was a rare silkworm that was found in areas with unstable space such as degrading spatial nodes found in copsing mysterious realms or damaged grottos.
¡
"This should be alright," said Yang Qing pleased with himself as he admired the normal-looking grey robe his robes had transformed into.
It wasmon to change one''s robes for Order employees to draw in less attention when outside. There were even those such as the inquisitors who would alter their faces and bodies so they wouldn''t draw unwanted attention due to the nature of their upation and the grudges they have umted over the years, especially with the recent rise in attacks on Order personnel.
Yang Qing decided that changing robes was as far as he would go in trying to blend in. In his eyes doing other things was counterproductive to the goal.
For example, he was not that proficient with transformation cultivation arts though his judgment was based on hisparison with those from the Order who were gifted in that regard. If he were to do it he was sure no one at the core formation and below would be able to spot it or even those at the early stages of the pce realm. However, he had doubts if he would be able to fool the seasoned eyes of those who were familiar with such arts and techniques. If the goal was to hide from shady viinous characters then wouldn''t using skills those characters were skilled in be a huge wee sign that those characters would spot?
As for concealing his cultivation base that was an even iprehensible action to him. If your goal is to avoid trouble then that is thest thing you would do since this was a cultivation world where the strong constantly prey on the weak even with Order''s presence not much has changed. Hiding your cultivation base would just draw in trouble and curious looks when someone with seemingly no cultivation base easily topples a disciple in the foundation establishment stage, his master in the middle of the core formation stage, and their sect master in the peak of core formation stage, in all under five minutes. Even a blind man would be able to tell there was something fishy there.
Thus Yang Qing decided changing his robes was as far he would go and as for his cultivation base though he wouldn''t actively publicize it by releasing its aura he wouldn''t go to great lengths to hide it either. Those who wanted to know would know provided they were at his level as those with higher cultivation realms had their levels inscrutable to those below them though they did feel a faint suppressive pressure from them.
Chapter 134 Purple City
?It took almost three hours before Yang Qing could finally reach the border of the Red maple Empire. The border guards went on high alert the moment they saw Ellie fly toward them.
The general in charge of the border who was at the eighth stage of the core formation realm hurriedly flew up to meet Yang Qing. He was riding a winding vine condor that had the signature coiled green vines on its wings and legs. From what Yang Qing could tell it was at the fourth stage of the core formation realm.
While the winding vine condor was not as fast as a monstrous cloud-swallowing kite like Ellie, it had great stamina for long flights and was sensitive to murderous aura and ughtering qi. Making it the best choice of spirit beast to have in areas that need high monitoring such as the border.
"The Red maple Empire may not exactly be considered top tier among rank 3 powers but it is no slouch either," thought Yang Qing as he admired the arrangement of the border team. From the winding vine condor to thete-stage core formation general who despite detecting Ellie was much stronger than him still rode out to meet them, to the monarch-grade long-range transmission artifact Yang Qing detected below him along with the killing arrayid below that could kill an ordinary peak core formation stage expert either on the ground or at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
All these spoke to the resources the Red maple Empire had and its willingness to use them.
The stocky-built general with mildly graying hair and a robe that had the Red maple symbol on it had his expression turn graver when he detected there was someone seated on top of the cloud-swallowing kite. He shuddered to think about the identity of the person that was able to ride a fearsome spirit beast that was releasing so much pressure that it took all he had along with the winding vine condor to not plummet downwards. The winding vine was even faintly trembling as it avoided eye contact with Ellie.
"I hope the capital can send someone over in time. Luckily a representative from the Golden bamboo pavilion is at the pce. With their help the situation may be contained," thought the general.
The moment he detected a spirit beast stronger than him crossing the borders he decided to err on the side of caution and immediately inform the pce in case the situation escted and became too much for them to handle. The pce was already on high alert due to hosting a figure from the rank 2 Organization the Golden bamboo pavilion.
He used this thought to try and rile his spirits up which plummeted down again when he realized he couldn''t detect Yang Qing''s cultivation base no matter how much he tried to scan with his spiritual sense. The more he stared at Yang Qing the more his heart started rapidly beating on its own as he felt a primal fearing from his soul.
"Pce realm..," muttered the general as he smiled weaklymenting his circumstances. Backup would be useless now as a pce realm cultivator would have already disappeared by the time the reinforcements from the pce arrived.
Even though he couldn''t detect Yang Qing''s cultivation base that deep intrinsic suppression was something he was familiar with as he had experienced it personally when he was stationed at the border with the territory of the Zhou family. The general stationed there who was a pce stage expert exuded the same type of suppression.
"Ellie enough showing off, reign in your aura, we don''t need its deterring effect anymore," said Yang Qing when he saw the winding vine condor was almost at its limit.
Ellie immediatelyplied and the suppressive atmosphere disappeared which came as a relief to both the general and the winding condor as they could now easily move and breathe. The little goodwill from Yang Qing eased the general''s nerves though he was still weary as he clenched a talisman in his hand which Yang Qing assumed was the controller of the killing array below.
"Hello senior, my name is Qin Qiang a general of the Red maple Empire. Pardon my insolence senior but it''s a requirement for all who enter the Red maple Empire to identify themselves and their reason for the visit. It''s not that we want to pry into your matters but it''s for us to ensure the safety of our citizens," said the general as he gave a daoist salute.
He had assumed Yang Qing was an old monster maintaining a youthful look. It wasn''t anything strange as one of the pce stage experts of the empire was doing the same thing. Outwardly he looked like a 17-year-old youth when infact he was one of the ancestors of the empire who has been alive for almost 4,000 years.
"I''m not a senior or some old monster. This is my real age," said Yang Qing as he chuckled which made the general''s head spin.
"Wouldn''t that mean¡," General Qin Qiang halted his thoughts from shock, fear, and embarrassment at the possibility of the youth before him being a 20-year-old pce realm expert while he was 450 years old with an 8th stage core formation cultivation base. Within the Red maple Empire, he could be considered a talent as 400 years was considered really young for a core formation expert who had a lifespan of 4,500 years more so considering he was at thete stages.
He had always been proud of his talents and achievements but right now that pride had been ruthlessly smashed to pieces by casual seemingly innocent words from the green-haired youth before him.
"General Qin Qiang, General Qin Qiang I''m in a bit of a hurry here," said Yang Qing as he reappeared where the dazed general was.
Seeing Yang Qing floating in the air removed any doubt he had about his guess about Yang Qing being a pce realm cultivator.
"Yes sorry about that. We just need your details and reason for venturing into the empire and then we will issue you a token though with the senior''s..ahem sorry I mean.." general Qin Qiang paused midway with an embarrassed expression as he didn''t know what name to use.
"My name is Yang Qing," said Yang Qing
"Thank you¡With young master Yang Qing''s cultivation realm there is no need for one though for ease of travel it''s good to have one," general Qin Qiang humbly said.
"It''s okay, I don''t mind having the token.
"My name is Yang Qing and I''m here to visit a friend, it''s Zhong Quan the owner of the Earthvine restaurant. He told me to pass by his restaurant when I''m around the Red maple Empire," said Yang Qing.
Yang Qing decided against divulging he was from the Order to avoid the hassle of the wee ceremonies and the eventual leak of his location should that happen.
"Oh, so you are Master Zhong Quan''s friend?" said general Qin Qiang as his tone turned friendlier and even more respectful when he mentioned Zhong Quan''s name.
"It seems Zhong Quan is a big shot within the Red maple Empire," thought Yang Qing as the general excused himself to retrieve the token he would need.
"With this, you can move freely without any unpleasantness," said the general who had hurried back with an orange-red round wood that had the red maple tree engraved in it.
"Thanks," said Yang Qing as he received the token. He detected the material used was at the top tier of sky grade and there were a few arrays in there to prevent duplication and also a unique signature mark which Yang Qing assumed was of the royal family.
Yang Qing didn''t waste any more time after receiving the token. He hurriedly said his goodbyes to general Qin Qiang and sped away with Ellie.
¡
20 minutester
"Ellie since you can''t transform yet and you''re too huge you''ll have to hide in the clouds. I''ll call for you when I''m done," said Yang Qing when they were a few kilometers away from Purple grass county.
Ellie screeched reluctantly when Yang Qing decided to coax it with a few snow peaches which seemed to have done the trick as she happily flew away.
"Now time for the great feast," said Yang Qing as he speed blitzed so fast that conical airwaves were produced from his flying.
It only took him at most ten minutes before he saw the outline of thergest city in Purple grass county. It was known as the Purple city.
Chapter 135 Purple City’s Captain Drastic Action
?Even from a distance, Yang Qing could detect the vibrancy of the Purple City. The sounds of streams of peopleughing, talking, haggling, yelling, the voices that showed there was life in a ce flooded into Yang Qing''s senses.
He didn''t scan the city using his monarch sense and just used the heightened senses of cultivators to take everything in. Other than the good pay, safe thigh to hug, and fair distribution of resources, sights like this were one of the reasons he would never leave the Order no matter how much they overworked him.
Yang Qing sauntered on ahead once he had taken everything in. He decided against flying but instead walked.
There was a long line of people walking in steadily, there were evenrge carts in those lines for those who did not have storage rings or for those dealing in living things as storage rings don''t provide a habitable space for any living organism except the void mimicry silkworm.
There were guards carefully checking the goods and the owners. From Yang Qing''s detection the guards were mostly in the early stages of the core formation realm though he did detect in one of the rooms next to the gate there was a concealed aura of an eighth-stage core formation expert.
Since the line was steadily moving, Yang Qing decided to just follow the line as he admired the light purple mist above the city.
The Purple grass county was named so because it was home to grass that produced purple mist every morning. The mist had refreshing properties that renewed the mind and the spirit, as for the grass it was a top tier sky grade herb that served as the main ingredient for the mauve rejuvenation potion, amon sky-grade potion preferred by most rogue cultivators below the pce stage due to its ubiquity and wide range of uses. The potion restores qi, heals injuries within certain parameters, and also helps soothe the soul when it has been overdrafted whiches in handy when one needs to constantly be on guard through the deployment of their spiritual sense.
Though the Red maple Empire is not the sole producer of purple grass or thergest either, the purple grass it produces has been one of the foundations of the growth it has today and is still one of its most important resources. This is why other than the capital, Purple grass county is the second most prosperous area in the whole Empire.
Yang Qing''s turn soon came barely five minutester. When he produced the orange-red token he was given at the border it drew a few shocked looks from the guards who quickly went to talk amongst themselves before one of them run off in the direction where Yang Qing had detected the eighth-stage core formation expert.
Yang Qing frowned at their interactions as this was the sort of attention he wanted to avoid. Because of the drastic change in the guards'' behaviors, he was already drawing curious looks from the crowd behind him.
The guard who was holding Yang Qing''s token flinched upon noticing Yang Qing''s change in his expression.
"Sorry senior you can have this back and enjoy your stay in the Purple City. You can use the token to dine and rest on the seventh floor of the White orchard vi for free.
All holders of this token are to receive the utmost care while in our city. It was why my colleague has suddenly run off . We need to make the necessary arrangement and inform the relevant parties to ensure you have a pleasant stay in the city," said the guard as his voice shook a little while he hurriedly gave the token back.
While the token was meant to help the holder travel easily it also served as an alert or a warning to other guards or officials of the Red maple Empire about the capabilities of the owner so they could be mindful and avoid anyplications that may arise from ignorance.
The Red maple Empire usually gave out different colored tokens and the one Yang Qing had was the highest-ranked token that one could get. Only foreign dignitaries whose rank was the same as the Empire were qualified to get that token. All holders were to be shown the utmost courtesy and failure to do so would result in the execution of the party or parties responsible. It was why the guards were all flustered that they had to involve their boss because if anything went wrong even their boss wouldn''t be let off.
¡.
"Is that so? Then I offer my thanks in advance for your generous hospitality. I''ll be off then," said Yang Qing as he drylyughed.
Before the guard could respond Yang Qing had already disappeared from the spot with shadow-void steps and reappearedter in some alley a few hundred meters away from the gate.
"While I''d love to take them up on their offer at the White orchard vi I''m sure it will end up being more trouble than it''s worth which would make the little time I have even tighter," said Yang Qing as he disappeared off into the sea of people walking about looking for the Earthvine restaurant.
"Where is he?" asked a handsome young man with orange-red hair who rushed to where the guard who had just beenmunicating with Yang Qing, was.
"He has just left captain. He seemed to be in a hurry though from his shift in expression he seemed to have done so because he wanted to avoid the attention he was getting," said the guard with a guilty awkward smile as he couldn''t help but feel in part it was their fault due to their exaggerated reactions.
"Whaaat?! He wasn''t angry when he left was he?" the young man hurriedly asked.
"He didn''t seem like it, he even thanked me for the offer package at the White orchard vi," the guard nervously answered as he shrunk back in fear from being abruptly grabbed by the cor.
"Captain won''t this draw further attention to that person," weakly said the guard trying to get the captain to calm down from his current agitated state.
For some strange reason, the guard found the captain''s current state rather novel like he seemed more approachable and human now aspared to his normal stoic state apanied by an overbearing aura which the guard suspected was because the captain was a long distant rtive of the royal family.
"Mmh as expected of the royal bloodline even their faces can bloom like the flowers of the red maple," thought the guard before he hurriedly brought his straying thoughts back.
Chapter 136 Stumbling Onto The Two Zhi Siblings
?The captain continued onpletely oblivious of the guard''s thoughts and the strange curious looks he was giving him, especially on his face.
"Make sure the White orchard vi is informed and also make sure you tighten security and ce those arrogant scions from the noble families under close watch. Better yet round them up and throw them in the city lord''s dungeons," the captain hurriedly gave out orders to the rest of the guards. However, he was mindful enough to use a small sound transmission technique as he gave those orders.
"Captain isn''t this¡" one of the guards couldn''t help but fearfully question the order especially on rounding up the noble''s children within the city and locking them up in the dungeon.
With the numerous rank 4 organizations around, add to that some of the noble families who moved some of their branches to the city because of the purple grass, Purple city was a powder keg of different powerhouses maintaining a fragile coexistence and it was the job of the guards to ensure that bnce is maintained but if they were to follow the captain''s order, chaos may ensue.
"What? What? What are you afraid of? It''s the royal family that rules this ce, not the noble families despite their greedy wishes to do so. Only one of the families here has a pce stage expert and he is usually stationed at the capital not to mention that he is weaker than any of the pce stage experts in the royal family.
There''s a reason why the Empire''s ruling family has remained unchanged for 30,000 years. Act with some backbone will you? You are the face of the Red maple Empire.
LOCK THEM ALL UP. Whatever bacshes from it I will be the one to face it, so go do your jobs!!!" fiercely said the captain this time he didn''t even bother to lower his voice.
All the guards got riled up for some reason as they unsheathed their sabers pointing them to the sky as they left as if going off to battle.
The crowd behind waiting to enter all had dumbfounded looks at what just happened. Those close to the captain were trembling from being exposed to the overbearing and murderous aura that leaked from the captain whichter gotpounded by the guards'' own murderous aura.
"Is the Empire at war or something," most couldn''t help but wonder. There were even some of the weaker ones within the crowd who fearfully turned back to head back to whence they came from.
Meanwhile, Yang Qing who was the unwitting cause of all this was busy whistling with his hands sped behind his head happily taking in the sights.
"Hey big brother, are you a visitor by chance?"
Yang Qing''s intake of the scenery was interrupted by two children about nine years old who appeared in front of him. It was a boy and a girl and from their evident close resembling looks, they were twins.
They had on worn-out light blue robes that had a few holes in them. Though Yang Qing noticed despite the holes and worn-out appearance the robes were clean and well-maintained down to their looks. Their skins were tanned and a little sallow but they were clean nheless.
Both two siblings had short pitch-ck hair with the girl''s hair being amateurly tied in twin ponytails.
Though the two were identical twins they seemed like pr opposites. The brother had lively eyes that shone with energy, intelligence, and a hint of cunningness. He was also the one that asked Yang Qing if he was a visitor. As for the sister she had a shy and cautious temperament to her as she stood closely behind her brother''s back. She was also curious sort as he asionally examined Yang Qing''s light grey robes while hiding behind her brother.
Yang Qing smiled with deep interest as he examined the two siblings before him. Even though the sister seemed like she was the one who had chosen to hide behind her brother''s back in the real sense Yang Qing noticed when the boy appeared he was the one who had conveniently ced his sister in that position.
Even though he seemed rambunctious, the young boy was calcted. Even the moment he had chosen to talk to Yang Qing was conveniently when one of the city guards appeared within shouting distance.
"Quite the sneaky cautious one," thought Yang Qing as he noticed a few bruises on the brother''s arm hidden under his robes.
¡.
"Yes, I am a visitor. How did you know" gently said Yang Qing as he offered a small friendly smile which made the brother increase his wariness though he was quick to mask it with a cheeryugh.
"It''s because I am pretty good with details, among them, faces. Big brother, I''m sure you have heard this plenty of times but there''s a lofty bearing to you almost like a solitary immortal. With such an aura there''s no way I would have not noticed you were a resident of the Purple city despite itsrge popce hence why I knew right away you were a visitor," said the brother with a bit of smugness and no shame whatsoever at calling Yang Qing a solitary immortal.
Yang Qing was decent looking but even he knew it wasn''t to the extent of being likened to a solitary immortal. He even wondered what part of him looked lofty from his carelessly kept hair andckadaisical air. He was the farthest thing from what an immortal should be though he had to admit it was nice being shamelesslyplimented even if it was aplete lie.
"Many thanks for yourpliments little brother though my skin isn''t too thick to ept such apliment. So how can I help you two?" asked Yang Qing.
"My name is Zhi Da and this is my sister Zhi Run. Big brother how about we be your guides in Purple City? I don''t mean to brag but you would be hard-pressed to find better guides than us.
We know all the best general merchant stores, alchemy shops, and cksmith shops where you can buy top quality products at a considerable price..," Zhi Da suddenly paused from his enthusiastic speech as he beckoned Yang Qing over, cautiously eyeing his surroundings afraid someone will overhear them.
Yang Qing happily obliged him as he bent his ear over.
"Big brother it''s only because I have a favorable impression of you that I''m willing to tell you this even at the risk of my life. While the Purple city is known as the central hub for trade especially when ites to alchemical ingredients and potions such as the Mauve rejuvenation potion, the city is unkind to outsiders. Most shops won''t sell outside their established clientele and those that will, do so at exorbitant prices. Lots of visitors have been swindled like that some even got defective potions but with my help and rmendations, I know shops with decent reputations that will open their doors to you on my ount.
So what do you say, big brother? Do you want to employ our services? Don''t worry because I feel like fate has brought us together I''ll even give you a discount. I usually charge 4 low-grade spirit stones but in your case, I''ll charge just 2 and I''ll even answer any and all questions you may have.
As I said before, I''m pretty good with details, the information I have in my head is sufficient to ensure the longevity of any information organization," said Zhi Da as shed a professional deal-closing smile that left his sister red faced which Yang Qing guessed was from passive embarrassment.
"What a talent," Yang Qing muttered in shock as he dryly chuckled.
Chapter 137 Zhi Da’s Dilemma
?Yang Qing paused for a bit before he gave his reply. It was an intentional pause as he wanted to see whether Zhi Da''s current smug expression would change and squirm a little bit.
While Zhi Da did manage to skillfully hide his emotions but for a seasoned judge such as Yang Qing it was easy for Yang Qing to read his nervousness. It even seemed like a couple of times Zhi Da wanted to speak but held himself back.
As for Zhi Luoran, she was eyeing the two of them alternating her nces between the two during their showdown as her eyes glittered as if enjoying a show.
The little dance between Yang Qing and Zhi Da was interrupted by the mild rumbling of a hungry stomach.
Eiiii!!!!
Zhi Luoran''s embarrassed cry broke the stalemate as she yelped in shame burying her head in her palms with a reddened face.
"Fine, I agree to hire your services Zhi Da. I will be in your care from now on," said Yang Qing after he decided he had teased Zhi Da long enough and any more would just be cruel.
It couldn''t have been easy for the two siblings to survive alone especially given their current age. From what Yang Qing could detect they were only at the body refining age and from the density of their bones and internal structure, they were both at the bronze refining stage. In a ce as prosperous as the Purple city they were no different from a mortal with no cultivation.
The bulk of the poption roaming the streets was atleast in the qi refinement stage and with how ruthless and exploitative the cultivation world was, it was a wonder how the two Zhi siblings were still walking about. But with how mature and overly cautious they were, it seemed they had gone through their fair share of difficult moments that shaped their current habits.
¡
"You won''t regret it, big brother," eagerly said Zhi Da who would have jumped up and down in excitement if it wasn''t for his restraint and professional business-mode persona he currently donned on.
"So do you want the payment now orter?" asked Yang Qing.
The Zhi siblings didn''t seem to have any storage rings on them and if he casually produced spirit stones to pay them even if it was the lowest grade spirit stone, it would still draw in unwanted attention to the two siblings. Birds die for food and men die for treasure. Openly giving them two spirit stones was the same as painting a target on their backs.
Zhi Da was also in a dilemma as he kept exchanging nces with his sister Zhi Luoran.
Earlier he had picked Yang Qing out of the crowd not because he was a visitor since there were always a lot of visitors streaming into the city, but it was because Yang Qing looked young and affluent. Even though his light grey robes seemed casual both Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran could tell it was made of excellent materials more so thetter who had a sensitive eye for certain things. She was the one who told Zhi Da that Yang Qing might be rich.
Zhi Luoran would be the one to judge potential prospects while Zhi Da would be in charge of soft selling and closing the deal. This has always been their modus operandi. They have had a bit of sess with it along with some close draws where they almost got kidnapped or got stiffed on the payment. But all in all, they always made enough to meet their basic needs and also pay ''operating tax'' to the head of the ck vipers, which was the local underground organization in charge of the area they operated under.
Yang Qing seemed like an easy mark to them so the Zhi siblings made their approach. Zhi Da decided to raise a high charge first, then they would bargain back and forth and he would eventually settle for maybe 10 gold coins. Not once has he ever gotten a low-grade spirit stone as payment. It has always been a few silver coins on a bad day and maybe five to ten gold coins on a really good day. As for getting a low-grade spirit stone, that was a pipe dream as just a single low-grade spirit stone is valued at 100 gold coins, and even if you had the gold coins it didn''t necessarily mean you''d be able to get a ce that would agree to the trade.
Only mortals with no hopes of cultivation and who had a spirit stone in their possession would agree to such a trade since the spiritual qi in a low-grade spirit stone would dissipate over time if not used or stored properly.
When Yang Qing agreed on paying them two low-grade spirit stones, Zhi Da agreed on reflex but now that he had time to cool down and think on the matter, he couldn''t help but worry for his and his sister''s safety. The spirit stone was a hot potato that would get them killed by some of the thieves in the area and if they decided to hand them over to the ck viper they may get killed by the person in charge of collections so they could pocket the stones for themselves and eliminate the witnesses.
Zhi Da''s eyes seemed to be asking his sister what they should do. He couldn''t outright admit to Yang Qing his earlier charge was a bluff and he wanted gold coins instead. He would seem like a sham and receiving a beating from it would be their best-case scenario.
He couldn''t tell Yang Qing''s cultivation realm but if he was to guess he assumed Yang Qing was in the foundation establishment stage and one that had good backing based on the quality of his robe. He wasn''t sure how someone of that caliber would react and the consequences they would suffer.
Zhi Da sneakily nced around to see if the guard was still within shouting distance. If worsees to worst he would scream for their help. Though even then there would be consequences from the guard''s end but it would be a better end than what might happen.
Zhi Da gritted his teeth as he prepared to ask for gold coins instead but he was cut off when Yang Qing suddenly spoke up.
Chapter 138 Trouble Brewing From The Alleyway
?"How about this, I''m a bit hungry right now, you could show me the way to the Earthvine restaurant first and we can discuss the payment over a meal. You can also tell me a bit about Purple city."
Zhi Da who had prepared himself for a beating that woulde when he came clean was caught off guard by Yang Qing''s suggestion that it took him a minute before he oriented himself.
"Sure, sure, big brother. That can work too," Zhi Da hurriedly said as he chuckled awkwardly.
Zhi Luoran had her eyes glow at the mention of the Earthvine restaurant but then they dimmed with mncholy and worry.
"Big brother will they¡" she nervously said as she tugged at Zhi Da''s robes.
"It''s okay while we can''t afford a meal there, we both know they have a good reputation for not discriminating against their guests. It will be okay and we have a duty as guides to bring big brother there atleast. If they refuse us entry we can just wait outside for big brother to finish his meal and we can resume the tour.
It will be okay Luoran," Zhi Da gently said as he shed a confident smile while patting his sister''s head.
"Okay," Zhi Luoran meekly said.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw this.
"Maybe I can test their talentter and see if they can apply for the Order. Even if they don''t have the talent for the posts with high requirements, the administration department is always undermanned and in desperate need of manpower. Maybe they can get a post there," thought Yang Qing.
"Big brother..."
"Just call me Yang Qing," said Yang Qing.
"Okay big brother Yang Qing, I''ll lead the way. The Earthvine restaurant isn''t that far away from here.
The restaurant can be considered to be a jewel of the city other than the purple grass of course. While I have not had a meal from there since I''m a simple person with simple pleasures, some of my friends, very trusted friends might I add, have. From their reviews, they said the meals there were worth every spirit stone they charge.
They even considered it a huge bargain for the money spent because eating a meal there is the same as consuming any alchemical pill or potion except it''s cheaper and doesn''t have the bitter taste or the risk of umting pill poison associated with consuming alchemical pills and potions.
Some of the alchemical shops in the area have lost a bit of business to them and as a result of that, there has been a recent increase in the number of restaurants in the city. Nonees close to the Earthvine restaurant though but there are some decent ones that have good food and equallyplementary d¨¦cor.
If you want to visit er after you have had your meal I can take you to one I go to on special asions. It may not be much but it has a great ambiance with good food though not as high quality as the Earthvine restaurant or other uing high-ss restaurants. But they do try as they bring the best out of the ingredients they have. They make the best cakes and tea and they keep improving, they are now even trying their hand at pork dumplings," Zhi Da animatedly said as spittle flew everywhere.
"Oh, what is the restaurant''s name?" asked Yang Qing with interest showing in his tone. Food was food to him and if it was made with people passionate about their craft, it was even better despite the quality of the ingredients they used he would eat it with relish.
"It''s called Wang''s restaurant. The grandpa and grandma there who run the ce are nice," Zhi Luoran softly answered from the side as a small smile formed on her face.
Clearly, she too liked the restaurant albeit for different reasons than Zhi Da.
"Seeing the praise it''s getting from Purple city''s finest guides it would be foolish of me not to try the food there atleast once before I left," said Yang Qing.
"You won''t regret it big brother Yang Qing," Zhi Da happily said with Zhi Luoran nodding along in agreement.
Yang Qing noted the current smile Zhi Da showed when talking about the Wang restaurant was the most sincere one he had shown during their brief interaction.
¡
During their walk over, Zhi Da was dutiful in his role as a guide as he gave brief introductions of the businesses they passed by on their way over while adding a few trivia here and there. Yang Qing had to admit Zhi Da wasn''t just boasting shamelessly when he said he had lots of information to share and was detail-oriented. As some of the insights he had could only be obtained by someone meticulous in their observations.
Close to ten minutes passed by as information poured out of him nonstop with Zhi Luoran asionally shyly adding on her two cents from the side. She grew less and less reserved on the walk over as she asionally bickered with Zhi Da over the uracy of his details.
Yang Qing asionally threw a few questions here and there as he enjoyed thepany of the two siblings.
Just as he was about to ask another question he suddenly paused as he turned his gaze down some alleyway to his right before resuming his attention back to the siblings'' tour who did not seem to notice his brief pause. They were heavily engrossed in their roles.
"Is it someone from the guard''s station? No, it can''t be. There wouldn''t be a need for them to hide and I don''t think someone at the second stage of the foundation realm would qualify to be a guard in Purple city.
Maybe it wasn''t me he was trailing," thought Yang Qing as his eyes narrowed on the two siblings.
¡.
"Did he notice me?" said a thin man with sunken eyes and a hawk-like nose with a few de scars on his face. He had pressed himself against one of the walls within the alleyway he was in so he could take advantage of the dark shade the building provided to hide.
He cautiously nced in Yang Qing''s direction before pulling his head back in once again.
"What''s with that kid? Isn''t he just some easy mark those kids targeted? Maybe I''m just being overly sensitive and he didn''t notice me. Anyhow now that I''ve confirmed the kids'' location, I can tell the boss," muttered the hawk-nosed man as he took a beat-upmunication talisman.
"Boss it''s me, I''ve spotted the two kids," said the hawk-nosed man with a faint shiver in his tone.
"Where are they?" asked a gruff voice from the other end.
"Just a few meters away from the Earthvine restaurant. They''re guiding a young youth around,"
"Keep following them and make sure they are within your sight at all times,"
The hawk-nosed man hesitated a bit before he answered back. He finally gritted his teeth and decided to air his concerns.
"Boss I think the youth they are guiding may have spotted me as I was stalking them," the hawk-nosed man nervously said. There was a long pause before he heard a reply back. He nervously held his breath as he waited for a response.
"It doesn''t matter, just keep following them. One of the Mo family scions has his eye on the two siblings and asked us to bring them to him today.
In consideration of my past rtionship with the two siblings and how much money they have made me I decided to give them a few hours together before I deliver them tonight. Until then I need you to be constantly aware of their whereabouts before I send iron tooth to collect themter. That Zhi Da has always been a slippery brat.
Do your job well, there is a lot at stake. With the help of the Mo family scion, our ck viper may join the Tiger w gang, the Jade scorpions, and the Crimson des as one of the top underground gangs in the market square.
Don''t fail me, Shu Wei," said the gruff man as he ended the call.
The hawk-nosed man despite no one being there shivered as he put themunication talisman away.
¡
"So it''s them they are after," Yang Qing silently muttered as they finally stopped at the entrance of the Earthvine restaurant.
Chapter 139 Turned Away
?On seeing the suspect behavior from the person tailing them, Yang Qing decided to spread his monarch sense to the area the person was hiding in.
His conversation with the head of the ck viper had all been heard by Yang Qing.
"It seems the city is not as peaceful as it seems," thought Yang Qing as he took a step to the Earthvine restaurant''s doors.
It was a four-storey building made entirely of maroon cedar wood and a hip and gable roof. Although its design seemed simple, it was that elegant simplicity that felt inviting to all who ced their eyes on it.
"What an interesting design. Mmmh it''s pretty well defended too," thought Yang Qing as he detected a dormant array formation surrounding the building that would defend against the attack of severalte-stage core formation experts. If Yang Qing had to guess, he surmised the grade of the formation array was at the peak of orange grade tittering towards the blue grade. It only missed it by a small distance.
"Zhong Quan is either a pretty resourceful guy than he lets on or he is valued by the Golden bamboo pavilion. Though none of that matters. Time to see how the food is in this ce. I hope ites close to the Thousand vors restaurant even better if it exceeds it," thought Yang Qing as a greedy glint shed in his eyes.
"Is it always this empty?" Yang Qing suddenly asked when he noticed the crowd outside the restaurant was small which was strange, especially for a restaurant that was deemed one of the jewels of the Purple city.
"No, this is odd. There''s usually a long line of people waiting for their turns. No matter the time, the line is always long. This is strange. The only times it''s been like this is when the owner was hosting some special guests. From what I heard they''re not from the Empire either and they seem to have some rtions with the restaurant along with a few other top shops within the city.
Might be some big shot on the same level as the Emperor," Zhi Da said pensively as he whispered toward the end.
"Oh, then should we go in?" asked Yang Qing though even if it seemed like he was waiting for Zhi Da''s input his hand was already on the door pulling it.
The two siblings followed behind with Zhi Luoran''s nervousness showing with every step she took. While Zhi Da tried to seem okay he too had some anxiety showing in his darting eyes.
"Don''t worry, they won''t chase you out. The owner is a friend," Yang Qing softly said trying to ease their tension. He was tempted to pat them on the head but he didn''t think it would be a good move, given how guarded the two were to strangers.
Zhi Dao didn''t believe Yang Qing''s statement about his friendship with the owner. In his mind how could a foundation establishment youth be friends with the unfathomable owner who even the princes of the Empire had to treat with respect?
He assumed Yang Qing made the statement tofort them or seem like a big shot. There were many people who would lie they were friends with a big shot to increase their own prestige.
Creak.
The door opened as Yang Qing walked in with the two siblings in tow.
The crowded restaurant he expected to find was not there as the seats on the ground floor were all empty and from his senses, he detected the other floors were empty too. However, despite it being empty there were people rushing about carrying trays of food and wine with others carrying decorative materials hurrying to the upper floors. The staircase was even adorned with carpet made from silk gotten from the lunar silkworm. It had an ethereal white feel to it and even without touching it one could feel its delicate softness along with the cool refreshing sensation it added to the floor.
"Young sir, what are you doing here? We already gave out a notice an hour ago that we are not epting any guests for today. Please leave, if you want to eat you can back tomorrow morning," said a middle-aged man in pristine white robes that were not even an inch out of ce. He had a short mustache and ck hair tied in a small bun.
Yang Qing assumed the middle-aged man was the supervisor. He had an air of superiority about him and his cultivation base was at the second stage of the core formation realm while the other workers shuffling about had cultivation bases that were at thete stages of the qi refinement realm and some were in the early and middle stages of the foundation establishment realm.
Though Yang Qing did detect three other core formation experts on the ground floor. They were in a room that Yang Qing assumed was the kitchen.
The middle-aged man was walking down the staircase from the first floor as he said this. He stopped when he was a few meters away from Yang Qing. He showed an imperceptible frown and a look of disgust when his gaze fell on Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran. Although it was only for a second the two siblings seemed to have noticed it as Zhi Luoran lowered her head in shame while Zhi Da gave a self-deprecating smile as he held his sister''s hands.
That veiled look of contempt didn''t only appear on the middle-aged man but on some of the workers too who didn''t even bother hiding their unkind looks of disgust as though the presence of the two siblings was tainting the ce. But there were others who had looks of pity and empathy when they saw the two sibling''s sallow and malnourished looks.
Yang Qing wasn''t surprised by this but rather he expected it. Despite the restaurant''s all-wee policy the people who could afford toe to this ce were either rich with prominent backgrounds or had powerful cultivation bases. With the fame it had, with time, the staff would grow ustomed to serving a particr client base and would form a bias against those who didn''t fit that criterion.
Most organizations with huge repute suffered from this w be they sects, ns, kingdoms and empires, or merchant organizations even the Order wasn''t immune to this. They would asionally get a few bad eggs but with time the Order has found means to tackle the issue and they keep adding to those means to avoid the danger such a habit could bring.
Chapter 140 Welcome At The Wang’s Restaurant
?"Atleast not all of them are bad but just on this reception alone they fall short of the thousand vors restaurant and the other restaurants at the Order," thought Yang Qing as he took everything in.
As a basic rule, all the restaurants within the grounds of the Order had to create a menu that catered to customers of all spectrums. Food that could be bought with spirit stones from low grade to high grade and food that could be bought with coins from gold coins to silver. It was required to be all-inclusive in every sense of the word.
....
"Sorry I''m new to the city and I just arrived today so I wasn''t there when the notice was being given.
Zhong Quan gave me an open invitation to visit his ce when I was around so I did. Once again I''m sorry for badging in, I will take my leave. When hees back tell him Yang Qing passed by," said Yang Qing as he turned to leave. When he was scanning the restaurant with his monarch sense he noticed Zhong Quan''s aura wasn''t anywhere in the restaurant.
"Let''s go," he gently said as he spoke to the two siblings who nodded and turned to leave with him.
The middle-aged man was left frowning as he stared at Yang Qing''s departing back but he made no attempt to stop him from leaving.
The reason he had even personally intervened was the strangeness surrounding Yang Qing. He was seemingly a 20-year-old youth with no cultivation base who just easily opened their doors that had a restriction that would prevent it from moving not unless one used the strength of a middle-stage foundation establishment realm expert.
Even at such a close range, the middle-aged man didn''t detect any cultivation realm fluctuationsing from Yang Qing which is why he opted to be polite and then there was the matter of him being friends with the owner. He wasn''t sure how valid that statement was because many people use that same line to try and get in the restaurant especially when there are not any empty spaces for them to seat.
"It doesn''t matter what his background is. It can''t beat the restaurant''s backing with the Golden bamboo pavilion.
Speaking of which, I hope master makes it in time to host the guest from the main headquarters and the branch head of Purple city," nervously thought the middle-aged man as he decided to push the matter about Yang Qing to the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand. He continued yelling orders as the staff moved with more urgency.
¡.
Yang Qing and the Zhi siblings were already a few meters away from the Earthvine restaurant making their way to Wang''s restaurant.
It took them a bit of time before they reached it as the restaurant was quite some ways away from the Earthvine restaurant.
The roads, the buildings, and the shops seemed more downscaledpared to the street the Earthvine restaurant was in. Even though the area was still decent in terms of infrastructure but even someone who wasn''t a craftsman would notice there is a huge difference in stature between the two areas.
From what Zhi Da told him Yang Qing learned that the area was known as the lower market square while the area the Earthvine restaurant and the other big stores were located in was the upper market square.
After they had left the Earthvine restaurant, they all as if in tacit agreement didn''t bring up what happened in there. Yang Qing suggested they go to Wang''s restaurant which was a weed suggestion to the two siblings who perked up quickly erasing their earlier gloom. Atleast on the surface, it seemed that way but Yang Qing saw the sadness the two hid deep in their eyes even though they tried to mask it by resuming their information guide on the areas they passed by before they finally arrived at Wang''s restaurant.
Just like advertised it was a small three-storey restaurant made out of sandal wood while its interior was simple with wooden round chairs and tables and a few nts here and there to add a little freshness to the ce.
It was a weing and lively ce, especially with the sounds of joyousughter, gorging sounds, and conversations that spanned across tables. It reminded Yang Qing of the restaurants from the Order during dinner time when almost everyone had clocked off and were in there at the same time. Employees from different departments would be there sharingughs, banter, and good food.
"This is nice," Yang Qing said with a smile.
"Told you," Zhi Da smugly said as he cheekily rubbed his nose with his finger.
"Zhi Da are you up to no good again? You shouldn''t pull sweet little Luoran into this,"
"Luoran ask grandma Wang to give you the blue cloud cake on my tab,"
"Put plum juice on mine,"
"And a few dumplings on mine,"
Some of the customers started chiming in when they saw Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran walk in.
"Don''t I get anything?" Zhi Da hurriedly asked when he heard no mention of his name on the food being offered.
"Pay me back the few silvers you owe me from the bet you lost,"
"Zhi Da how can you be so thick-skinned after you charged my sworn brother from out of town four gold coins to show him the best cksmith shop where he ended up being charged an arm and a tooth,"
"Wait, he did that to you too. He did that to my maternal uncle''s granddaughter. Now I can never visit them and the way their house has a good spirit gathering array even the guest house...Zhi Da you bastard,"
"Why don''t you start your own information organization? You always brag about how you could guarantee the lifeline of one. With the money you get from being an information broker, you could buy us meals for years instead of being the stingy braggart you are,"
"I doubt he would do it. We all know how stingy he is. He could stumble on a spirit stone mine and still hustle us for free food,"
"Yes, he is that type of person. Stingy money grabber,"
The tune took a turn from gentleness when it came to Zhi Luoran to vengeful anger and scorched earth when it was Zhi Da''s turn.
Chapter 141 The Odd Couple
?Yang Qing noted despite Zhi Da being unanimously branded a disloyal stingy braggart, the person in question seemed to wear all those insults as a badge of honor.
He even puffed out his chest a bit and donned a smug smile as he fired back as good as he got sparing no one. Zhi Luoran would asionally step in defense of her brother; other times, she would stand on opposite sides against him like a sneaky diplomat.
Yang Qing detected the two kids clearly felt at home in this ce as even their guards dropped the moment they stepped in while the regrs in the restaurant even if they were giving Zhi Da grief one could see the gentleness and care in their eyes and demeanor as they looked at the two siblingspletely different to the experience they had at the Earthvine restaurant.
"It seems it''s not just the food that makes them love this ce so much," silently muttered Yang Qing.
Just as he was about to head up to the second floor, the doors to the kitchen opened as a spirited elderly man walked out with adle in his hand. He had an average build but despite his mildly wrinkled face his footsteps were firm and his back was ramrod straight like a spear with eyes that had an unquenchable youthful fire in them.
"Pipe down will you!!!! Even my aging ears are ringing from all the ruckus you all are causing," yelled the Old man as he threateningly waved hisdle around towards the guest however his gaze and demeanor turned softer the moment he saw Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran.
"Da''er, Luoran''er, you finally decided toe by after almost a week. If you''d waited any longer probably I and grandma Wang would have passed by then. You shouldn''t stay long without passing by," said the old man he even faked back pain to try and draw sympathy which seemed to have worked on the two siblings who quickly rushed to his side. Meanwhile, the rest of the guests threw looks of disdain as they clicked their tongues under their breath at the old man''s shamelessness.
In their eyes, there was a very high likelihood of the old man and his wife, outliving them all. The restaurant has been around for 70 years and in all that time not once had the old man fallen sick or tired or closed the restaurant.
Even when the customer numbers grew, the speed and quality of service didn''t reduce and they never hired an extra hand either. It has always been the old man, grandma Wang and their two sons who took orders and delivered food.
The customers cursed the old man''s antics under their breaths which drew a threatening re from him before he hurriedly went back to pretending to be a frail old man.
¡.
"Grandpa we promise not to disappear, it''s just work has been busy ofte so we didn''t get time.
As an apology, we even brought you a new guest. This is big brother Yang Qing. We are showing him around and he asked me to bring him to the best restaurant in Purple City so I obviously brought him here," Zhi Da smoothly said whilst pointing towards Yang Qing.
"Grandpa, it doesn''t hurt anymore does it?" Zhi Luoran worriedly asked as she kept kneading his back much to the delight of the old man.
"No, it''s much better now thanks to your quick and skillful action. Your massages are the best, better than what any vitality restoration pill could do. Thank you very much Luoran''er," said the old man as he exaggeratedly straightened his back and stretched it to show it was okay which drew giggles from Zhi Luoran.
"You must be young master Yang Qing? We may not be as great as little Zhi Da made us out to be but I can promise we put our sincerest effort and care into the food we serve. I hope you will enjoy it. There''s a free table upstairs, you will also find one of my sons up there to take your order," said Grandpa Wang.
"Many thanks, Owner Wang for your hospitality, I couldn''t ask for anything more. This type of restaurant suits my tastes more, good food and a good environment to enjoy it in," said Yang Qing as he cupped his fists.
There was a glint of interest that shed in his eyes as he eyed the old man and the old woman he had detected behind the kitchen door secretly monitoring him.
"What an interesting pair of old folks," thought Yang Qing as he made his way up the stairs.
To the rest of the people here, the two seemed like simple elderly people in the middle stages of the foundation realm but that couldn''t be further from the truth.
The moment Yang Qing entered the restaurant he detected the fluctuations of two top rank sky grade artifacts. Curious as to why two high-grade artifacts would be doing in a seemingly simple restaurant he discovered they were infact concealment artifacts worn by two people. After a deeper probe that''s when he discovered they were used to hide the cultivation bases of the wearer.
Outwardly ''frail'' grandpa Wang seemed like an old man in the fifth stage of the foundation establishment realm when in actual fact he was an old man in the peak of the core formation realm while the olddy cautiously eyeing him behind the kitchen door was someone at the 10th stage of the core formation realm.
While the old man seemed to havee out to quiet the ruckus, Yang Qing felt he hade because of him and there were a couple of reasons that fueled that guess other than the concealed artifact he had on. One was the seemingly ordinarydle in his hand that was in fact another top rank sky grade artifact. And another was the way the old man carried himself from the look in his eyes to the situational awareness.
He had reflexively positioned thedle in a way he could quickly defend himself while the olddy behind the door was on alert to back him up at the slightest sign of trouble.
This type of reaction and look could only be seen in someone who had been baptized by countless battles till its lessons were hard drilled into them to the point it was a natural reflex. Only seasoned generals or those exposed to constant dances with death could have that kind of look.
¡
Other than outwardly finding their presence interesting like discovering a secret in the open that others didn''t know and the person in question not knowing that he knew, he had no intention or care in digging further.
Whether they were spies or part of some organization or some old couple in retirement he had no interest in their affiliations or their agendas in Purple city. All he cared about was that they had the same skills in the kitchen as they did their situational awareness.
But if he were to guess about their origins it wouldn''t be too hard. He had a few guesses in mind, from how well-equipped they were, their power levels, and the location they were in, those three clues gave out a lot. Only a few groups in Red Maple Empire could afford to give out three top-rank sky-grade artifacts and have peak-rank core formation experts in their ranks.
Then again the old couple could just be retired rogue cultivators with no affiliations which would perfectly fit their bill too.
Yang Qing decided to pay this matter no heed as he had given himself an hour to rx before he officially started on his evaluations and he wasn''t going to waste it on guesses when he could be eating to his heart''s content.
The upper floor''syout was just as simr to the ground floor except that it had a few balconies with a few tables and chairs in them.
Yang Qing chose one of them with the two siblings joining him. The moment he sat down, a stockily built young man that resembled the old man came up to his table to take his order. There was no menu so the young man just told him what was ready and he could choose from there.
"I''ll have two of everything. What about you two? What do you want? I''m buying. Just think of it as me saying thank you for bringing me here," Yang Qing hurriedly added worried Zhi Da would refuse.
Zhi Da looked to his sister who nodded back before he finally nodded back in return.
"Many thanks, big brother Yang Qing. In exchange I''ll make sure to give you the most in-depth tour of the city," said Zhi Da.
"I look forward to it," said Yang Qing as he smiled.
Though inwardly he sighed since he would be leaving immediately after the meal. His n was to make a call to the nearest Order branch and have them transport the two siblings to the headquarters with his rmendation so they could be given amodations until the entrance examinations started.
From their looks, he had thought they were having a hard time here so offering them a chance to start somece else would be weed. But seeing their rtionship with the Wang couple and the other customers he wasn''t sure they would readily agree. This was without even putting their wary overcautious personalities into ount. He had a feeling they would most likely doubt if his connections to the Order were real and not some scheme to kidnap seeing how they both doubted him when he said he knew Zhong Quan.
He decided to push the matter to the back of his mind. He would present the offer when the time came. If they epted, it would be the best oue but if they didn''t it would be okay too. They may seem like they were struggling but they had one peak core formation expert and ate-stage core formation expert who genuinely cared for them and most likely secretly watched out for them. This finally answered the question in Yang Qing''s mind of how the two siblings survived on their own. They may be smart and cautious but before overwhelming strength it meant nothing.
¡.
"Have you decided what you will have?"
"Pan-fried dumplings and blueberry cake," they both answered simultaneously with eagerness in their tone.
Chapter 142 Ginkgo Tea
?Yang Qing lightly chuckled at their preference. They may act a bit too mature for their age but there were some things they couldn''t ovee and that was a love for sweet things.
"Okay," said Yang Qing as he shook his head.
"Can you bring me the sweet fermented rice wine first, a singlerge bowl will do and for them, bring them the 500-year-old ginkgo tea," said Yang Qing as he finished his order.
"Big brother Yang Qing it''s not that we are being inconsiderate and unthankful but can we have the pearl milk tea instead?" Zhi Da hesitantly suggested.
Both he and Zhi Luoran flinched when they heard the ginkgo tea being mentioned as if they''d been afflicted with unpleasant memories.
"It''s good for you, especially your bodies. There''s no refusing it but after you drink the ginkgo you can have the pearl milk tea too but you have to finish the whole ginkgo tea otherwise I''ll terminate your services as my guides," Yang Qing solemnly said as he narrowed his eyes to add an air of seriousness.
The 500-year ginkgo tea was about one of the few things in the restaurant that could be bought with a spirit stone. It cost a single low-grade spirit stone.
The tea was great at improving concentration and blood cirction in addition to its healing properties that are brought about by strengthening the vitality of the user. The older the tree the better these effects were pronounced and the worse its taste. It always had a woody texture to it that got more pronounced the older the tree was.
During the brief scan Yang Qing did on the two siblings he realized their bodies were overdrafted. When one was in the body refining stage in addition to precious herbs that were used to refine their bodies they also required a high intake of energy-rich foods to keep up with the requirements of their bodies.
The two kids were clearly not able to meet those daily needs so their bodies always run empty. In the short term, there was no problem but if it went on for long they would damage their bodies'' foundations which though could be remedied would end up costing a lot.
The ginkgo would help remedy those problems for atleast a month. Ideally, for better effects, Yang Qing would have preferred to give them some of the vitality rejuvenation pills he had on him that he used as candies but they required one to have atleast a minimum cultivation base at the seventh stage of the foundation establishment realm otherwise if someone below that stage attempted to consume those pills their bodies would blow up from the overwhelming energy contained in them.
The two Zhi siblings were only in the bronze stage of the body refining stage no different than mortals, they wouldn''t be able to handle the potency of those pills so the tea was a better substitute since the tree it was sourced from was an earth rank herb that worked on those at the body refining stage and qi refinement stage.
¡
"Okay," they both softly said as they bowed their heads.
The old man''s son had a strange glow sh in his eyes as he eyed the interaction between Yang Qing and the two siblings. He bowed immediately after as he left to give out the order to the kitchen.
¡..
(Kitchen of the Wang''s restaurant)
The old man was currently seated in one of the chairs trembling on his hands as he exchanged a grim look with an elderlydy in a brown apron who was seated on the seat opposite to him. There were beads of sweat dripping from her head.
"Honey what do we do about him?" asked the elderlydy.
"What can we do? It took all I had just to remain standing in front of him trying to act casual.
There was no pressureing from him, not even a little bit but every bone and sense within me was screaming for me to run away as far as I can. In all my years on the battlefield I''ve experienced that sensation not more than five times and every single time a cmity descended soon after," the old man weakly smiled in self-deprecation as he ced his still trembling hands in front of his eyes. He kept clenching and unclenching them to try and calm them down but his hands had betrayed him.
"Do we tell them? He might be outside help for the others," said the olddy.
"There''s no need for that. I doubt they would be able to afford someone of his caliber, if they did they would have already stirred up a storm instead of biding their time. Besides I believe that the matter has already been reported by someone else not unless he snuck in. But I doubt that. I don''t get that sense from him," said the old man as he got up from the chair still shaking a bit but he stabilized himself with the table before he picked up some of the ingredients and the kitchen knife next to it.
The elderlydy mirrored him as she too got up and started preparing some of the ingredients.
An eerie silence ensued as they went about their work. The silence was broken when their son who had just taken Yang Qing''s order walked in.
He frowned when he walked in as he found the atmosphere too strange. Usually, he would find his parents bickering as they cooked but right now there was an air of tension and grimness in the ce that apanied the silence.
"Is something wrong?" He pensively asked.
"Has the customer made his order?" asked the old man as he threw a stern stare at his son which made him swallow the follow-up questions he wanted to ask. He knew that look well, if he insisted on butting into their matters all he would end up with was a painful beating.
He painfully sighed when his thoughts reached this point. He was almost 40 years old but he still had to leave with the fear of receiving a beating from both his parents. He and his younger brother had thought of escaping more than once but with the connections of their old man, they''d be found within a day and get a world-shaking beating for their attempt at escape.
"Is this still the same monster that dotes on Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran? They always show a side I never knew existed. Maybe when I breakthrough into the core formation realm the beatings will hurt less," he enviously thought as a new fire of hope got lit in his eyes.
But it was extinguished immediately after when he noticed the impatient re from the old man.
Chapter 143 Forces In Purple City
?He hurriedly gave out the order of Yang Qing and the two siblings which drew surprised looks when he mentioned that Yang Qing had specifically ordered the Ginkgo tea for the two.
"Atleast those two brats get to drink it again after refusing, hiding for weeks, and making all sorts of excuses not to drink it when we put it on their menu for their sakes," said the old man.
"Isn''t your stupid nder one of the reasons they refuse? You know how those kids are and you went ahead and put it on the menu and put that charge in there. There''s no way Zhi Da would have epted us giving it to him for free all the time especially if it cost that much.
Sometimes I think those kids are too conscientious and reserved," said the old woman as she sighed in pity.
"Take this. The rest will be ready in a few minutes," said the old man as he handed a tray that had a red y kettle filled with the ginkgo tea and arge bowl filled with fermented sweet rice wine next to it.
"Give them these too," he said as he added a few biscuits that were lying around into one te.
Their son skillfully picked the tray up as he headed back.
¡
"As we wait for the food to arrive maybe you can tell me more about this city. The different organizations around, especially those that stand out above the rest, the things they sell, and maybe a bit of the power structure around this ce. I noticed a lot of powerful people walking in and out of the city when I arrived.
The city''s administration must be pretty impressive for keeping so many people in line," said Yang Qing as he decided to make a gentle probe and find out about the Mo family whose descendant had their sights on the two siblings.
"The power structure? Big brother Yang Qing what do you intend to do with such information?" Zhi Da warily asked.
"What do you think?" Yang Qing answered with an easygoing smile which made Zhi Da only frown even further.
"I thought you said you''d answer any question I asked and you''d provide all apanying information as part of the tour. Are you already going back on your word even after I agreed to that huge fee you charged," said Yang Qing as he ced high emphasis on the huge fee in his tone.
"Big brother it''s not that I''m going back on my word it''s just that the information you''re asking for is a little sensitive and there has been a crackdown on the dispensation of such information ofte," said Zhi Da.
"Don''t worry I''m not nning anything. No need to overthink the whole matter I just want the general information that any random passerby can easily know. The general outline of the city will do," said Yang Qing.
Zhi Da''s and Zhi Luoran''s expressions eased a bit once they heard Yang Qing''s requirement though Zhi Da would asionally throw a suspecting nce his way.
"Fine. I will give you the general overview and nothing more. If you insist on getting more details than that we will have to part ways as I don''t want to risk my life or my sisters or grandpa and grandma Wang and the rest of the customers here," Zhi Da firmly said.
"I''m okay with it but before that let me put this up for secrecy," said Yang Qing as he took out a small green shell that was filled with runes. He tapped on it as a small bubble formed around them which then disappeared from view.
Both Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran had their eyes glow as they eyed the shell.
"Big brother this is?" Zhi Luoran eagerly asked as she excitedly pointed at the shell.
"This is the shell of a green-veiled tortoise. It''s a little treasure that blocks eavesdropping and sound. With this, you won''t have to worry about anyone knowing what you said," Yang Qing said as he yed around with the shell.
He had already set up a stronger barrier around them through a small blue-grade cultivation art and the barrier was stronger than the protection the shell provided. However, he decided to add the shell to the mix due to its dazzling disy which would put the Zhi sibling''s minds at ease rather than telling them there was an invisible barrier that no one at the early stage of the pce realm and below could prate. They would both paint him a shameless braggart and maybe even m up.
"So can we begin," said Yang Qing as his voice pulled the two out of their excited investigation of the green-veiled tortoise shell.
"Okay," Zhi Da reluctantly said as he tore his eyes away from the shell. He paused for a few seconds to arrange his thoughts together.
"Let''s start from the top. The Purple city is governed by the city lord however unlike other city lords around the Empire he has operational autonomy within the city so he doesn''t answer to the Purple grass county governor. Whereas in other counties the governors are usually above the city lords within their counties. They can decide the approval or dismissal of the city lords from their offices.
But here it''s a different case. The city lord was personally put into that position by the royal family and it''s also widely known that he is a member of the royal family, same as the captain of the city guards," said Zhi Da as he paused to eye the things that were on the tray that was being delivered by grandpa Wang''s son.
Zhi Da''s and Zhi Luoran''s eyes lit up when they saw the biscuits but they dimmed when they saw the red kettle releasing piping hot steam of the ginkgo tea.
"I''ll bring the rest in the order of theirpletion. Please enjoy these while you wait," he said as he ced the tray on the table.
"Thanks," Yang Qing said as he took his bowl of milky white fermented sweet rice wine while the two Zhi siblings reluctantly poured themselves cups of the ginkgo tea.
Zhi Da waited until Grandpa Wang''s son had left before he resumed his introductions.
"Though on the surface it seems like the City lord is the one in charge of the city, those who have lived here know that in fact Purple city is ruled by three forces; the City lord''s administration, Five noble families, and six organizations of which the Earthvine restaurant is one of them,"
Crack!!
The somber mood created by Zhi Da''s reveal was shattered by the biscuit Zhi Luoran had been trying to silently nibble.
"Hehehe," she nervouslyughed when both Zhi Da''s and Yang Qing''s eyes got trained on her.
Chapter 144 Weird Power Dynamic
?Zhi Da decided to ignore Zhi Luoran''s nibbling as he went on with his introduction to theyout of Purple city.
Yang Qing in the meanwhile was thoroughly enjoying the bowl of fermented sweet rice wine. It may not have been made with ingredients of high quality like the ones he was used to from the restaurants around the Order but what itcked in ingredients quality was more than made up for with technique.
It had a sweet freshness to it along with a mild sour coolness toplement it.
"Their identities aside, their cooking skills are the real deal," thought Yang Qing as he scooped another filling with his spoon.
Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran were enviously looking at his bowl due to Yang Qing''s crescent-eyed facial expressions that made it seem like it was the tastiest meal in the whole world.
"I''m not giving you any, you''re too young to appreciate meals of such caliber. Drink your ginkgo tea and biscuits," said Yang Qing as he pulled his bowl closer to him like a beast defending his kill from other predators.
"Tsk stingy big brother," Zhi Da muttered discontentedly under his breath. He wasn''t alone in this as shy Zhi Luoran muttered a few things under her breath too though it was less audible and sounded more like mosquito noises.
They begrudgingly drank their tea, closing their eyes as they drank it and gorging themselves with biscuits immediately after as a means of curbing the woody taste.
"As I was saying, there are three forces ruling Purple city; the city lord''s administration, the five noble families, and the six organizations," Zhi Da said as he used three condiments on the table to represent the three forces.
"Now this is purely my guess though anyone with half a brain would notice it; Of the three forces, the five noble families could be considered slightly weaker among the trio.
This is rather ironic because they make the most noise when flexing their authority around the city. Though they act with a lot of bluster like they own the ce, especially their younger members, they always act within certain bounds that do not cross the bottom line of the city lord.
This is why the city lord turns a blind eye to most of the things they do, not unless his interests are interfered with, then he steps in. But normally, he lets them be, to fight among themselves. They are a boisterous bunch trying to outdo the city lord, the six organizations, and even within themselves.
They are pretty ruthless toward one another, one would even doubt if they were really from the same Empire," said Zhi Da as he mockingly chuckled.
"As for the six organizations, they seem to have a decent rtionship with the City lord''s administration. I don''t know if it''s me reading too much into something that''s not there but I''ve always felt the attitude of the City lord and his people is strange when ites to those organizations," said Zhi Da as he held his chin in a pensive look.
"I always felt the same too," Zhi Luoran suddenly chimed in.
"Strange how?" asked Yang Qing as he directed the question to Zhi Luoran who had a look that seemed to say she wanted to contribute.
Zhi Da made an inviting gesture for her to take over.
"I don''t know how to put it, the difference is more like a sense. You see when the people from the city lord''s office interact with the noble families they always have a different air about them. While they are still mindful of their identities as noble families it''s not more out of fear or deference but more out of basic politeness and decorum.
They can smile and show respect but if the noble family in question steps out of line they would not hesitate to take action against him in a heartbeat. But when ites to their interaction with the six organizations it''spletely different. It almost seems like the interaction between a subordinate and his superior with the city lord administration being the subordinates in this scenario.
When the six organizationspete amongst themselves which sometimes results in damage to the city or its residents the administration always seems like it''s doing something to address the issue but they never do and only say so to keep up appearances. But when ites to the noble families, when their fights reach a certain extent the administration never hesitates to drop its weight on them.
Atleast that''s the sense I always get. You can take my observations with a grain of salt big brother Yang Qing," Zhi Luoran softly said as she took a cup of the ginkgo tea to wet her dry throat. She hesitantly picked it up before she downed a huge gulp.
Zhi Da looked at her with a hint of admiration and pity as he too downed his out of a sense of camaraderie of two people going through the same torment.
"My sister and I are of the same opinion on the matter and I think grandpa Wang and grandma Wang are of the same opinion as well because of how they constantly nag us not to cause a ruckus at the doors of those organizations. Not like we have the ability to do so or the time. They worry and nag too much sometimes," Zhi Da said as he lightly chuckled.
"Mmmh those are some interesting insights you two have shared. Your dream of opening up an information agency might actually work," said Yang Qing in admiration of the two.
"It''s nothing much we just use our eyes well that''s all," Zhi Da said trying to put up a face of fake humility. But one could see the aura of smugness oozing out of him from thepliment.
Zhi Luoran lightly giggled as she raised her head up as if asking to beplimented more.
"So who are the five families?" asked Yang Qing as he shook his head at the reactions of the two siblings.
Of the three forces ruling Purple city, he was clueless about the five families. But when it came to the six organizations even without asking he had an informed idea of their identities especially if they were on the same level as Earthvine restaurant.
This informed idea came from the scroll that had an updated list of the different organizations spread about in the areas he would be conducting his evaluations. He had gone through some of the organizations in Red Maple Empire when he stumbled onto the Earthvine restaurant. It was then that he noticed the peculiarity of Purple Grass County since it had five more rank 4 organizations that were of the same caliber as the Earthvine restaurant.
Yang Qing''s rumination of the information he had parsed through on the flight over was interrupted by the arrival of tes of food.
There were two tes stacked to the brim with pan-fried dumplings. The two Zhi siblings had their glowing eyes glued to it. Meanwhile on Yang Qing''s end was a te of fried rice, arge bowl filled with beef and broli stir fry, a bowl of dan dan noodles, crispy golden hot scallion pancakes, and a bowl of tomato egg soup.
Just the scenting from the hot meals made the stomach of the trio loudly rumble.
"Please enjoy," said grandpa Wang''s son as he turned and left to bring the remaining order since Yang Qing had ordered two of everything.
¡
"Where were we? Aah, the five families...The five families are; the Mo family, the Zhang family, the Gong family, the Chen family, andstly the Gui family.
Of the five, the Mo family can be considered the strongest, actually, the reason the noble families can be considered a ruling force is in part due to the presence of the Mo family. Their forces are thergest and from what I hear their patriarch is a pce stage expert.
Maybe it''s because of this that they have the nastiest reputation, especially from their young descendants who¡" just as Zhi Da was about to hurl a torrent of usation he hurriedly shut up as he cautiously gazed around.
"The barrier is still up no one can hear you," Yang Qingfortingly said once he saw his wary look.
"Big brother I can see you''re a person of means but please avoid going to the White orchard vi if you can. Most visitors like going there understandably so since It has the reputation as being the best ce to have a meal, drink or rest but it''s also the ce where the descendants of all these noble families frequent, more so the Mo family.
They treat that ce as their own backyard and unquestionable things have happened behind those doors. As an outsider with no backing, I''d advise you against going there.
If you want a ce to stay I know of a few good ces. It may not be as luxurious as the White orchard vi but atleast you''ll be able to rest peacefully and your safety guaranteed as opposed to what may happen if one of those scions set their sights on whilst in the vi.," Zhi Da solemnly said.
"Many thanks for your consideration Zhi Da, I''ll keep it in mind," said Yang Qing as he smiled thankfully.
"Can I ask you two something? Though it''s okay if you refuse if you feel ufortable answering," asked Yang Qing.
"What is it?" Zhi Da asked with a puzzled expression on his face.
"The both of you are not from here, are you?" Yang Qing slowly said.
"What do you mean!?" Zhi Da hurriedly asked as he leaned backward before he tried to correct his posture to put up a front that everything was okay and he wasn''t just stunned by the question. His voice had also risen by a few decibels as it shook which he quickly tried to mask. Zhi Luoran at his side had her pupils constrict in fear when the question was asked.
Chapter 145 Yang Qing’s Advice To The Two Siblings
?"Figures," Yang Qing muttered to himself. During his interaction with the two siblings, there were a few outliers that he noticed in the way they talked among other things that made him suspect their origins.
"Before I say anything, don''t worry you''re not in any trouble and I''m not someone from the Empire either or have any remote affiliations with them," Yang Qing softly said trying to calm the two siblings who despite trying to hide it were visibly terrified.
Since his monarch sense was always up he could already feel the shaking of their legs, the elevated heart rates, and even the holding of their breaths. Each and every signal that their body gave out was as clear as day to him through his monarch sense.
When he saw his statement did little to alleviate the tension they had, he couldn''t help but sigh in wonder if he was careless or impatient in bringing up the matter. With the way those two were looking at him, it seemed as if given a chance they would jump out the balcony and run to parts unknown.
"Since I''ve already opened that box, I might as well go all the way," muttered Yang Qing as he picked up a scallion pancake.
"You see I''m not that good with subterfuge or any other techniques rted to it but I am pretty good at spotting it. I wasn''t good with it at first but with time due to the nature of my job I gained a hands-on experience at it and got really good at it otherwise I''d get reprimanded, fined, and get sent to the field all the time.
So for my sake, I honed my awareness to the point it became a natural habit. Because of it, I find myself subconsciously hyperaware about certain things in my surroundings even without meaning to and I''m naturally curious, so it doesn''t help either.
Every nuance, every expression, every gesture, and every word whether inane or important, I take it all in with keenness. Though I''m sure even with all that there are plenty of things that escape my eyes and ears, It''s a big world after all but when ites to you two I''m more than certain you''re not from here.
And why would I bring all this up? It''s not like it''s strange for people to move from country to country and from the flow of people to the city, it doesn''t seem like the Empire has a shortage of people immigrating in to settle with the way things are around the world.
The reason I brought the matter up is actually for your sake," said Yang Qing as he took a bite from the scallion pancake.
"Mmmh this is rather nice. You guys should try some with your dumplings. Said Yang Qing as he picked a few and put them on both their tes. When he moved his hands Zhi Da defensively put his hands in front of his sister afraid Yang Qing would try something.
"You need to do better at masking your reactions there Zhi Da. Even if someone had a faint suspicion of your origins, your present reaction would solidify those suspicions further that there is definitely something and it''s not small either.
When you approached me earlier you did a better job of hiding your true emotions than you are now. And please drink the ginkgo tea before it gets cold and loses some of its potency. It will help mend your hidden injuries and the overdraft sensation constantly affecting your bodies. When sallow skin tones begin appearing in cultivators even ones at the body refining stage like yours, it''s never a simple matter that one can ignore. If you neglect it for too long it will turn into a sequ that will need the services of a skilled medical expert to remove and expensive herbs ranging from the earth grade up to the sky grade," Yang Qing solemnly said as he narrowed his eyes which made the two siblings inadvertently take their cups despite their fears and drink sips subconsciously.
"Before I tell you how I discovered you both are not from here and my reasons for bringing it up there''s something I feel I need to tell you both especially you Zhi Da.
Pride means nothing if you have to exchange your life and the life of someone you love just to keep it, especially if that pride prevents you from epting the help you desperately or admitting that you need it.
You need to ask yourself this, does holding onto that pride help you out of the situation you are in or does it only bury you further?
If it''s thetter, is there any use in keeping it? It is okay to ask for and ept help, especially for those in your circumstances, and if you are that burdened by it just make sure to note down every favor you have received and pay it back when you''re powerful enough to do so rather than refusing help all because of some misguided notion that it would be rude to do so or you want to get yourself out of the situation with your own two hands.
If the world really worked that way there''d be no need for sects, ns, or other organizations. People would just rise to the top and be hegemons with their own effort and no support whatsoever. But s it doesn''t work that way, though there might be exceptional individuals who are actually able to rise to the top alone but how many are they? and even those that do usually have their own special circumstances that enable them to do so.
Are you one such person Zhi Da? Zhi Luoran?," asked Yang Qing as the two kids lowered their heads in guilt and shame.
If you''re not then use everything at your disposal to live not just to survive but live, just as long as it doesn''t cross your bottom line as a person.
There''s no need for me to add more to that, you''re both smart kids so you both know where I''m getting at," Yang Qing meaningfully said as he gently smiled.
He had a feeling the old Wang couple must have tried to help the kids and with their means, there was no way the two kids would still be stuck at the bronze stage of the body refining realm or overdrafted their bodies. The two must have rejected their help.
"We do," Zhi Da solemnly said as he raised his head. Zhi Luoran raised hers a few seconds after though hesitantly with guilt showing on her face. She even started to nervously fiddle with the biscuits to try and deflect the awkwardness she felt from her guilt.
Chapter 146 Yang Qing’s Pitch
?"Good and if you really do put some thoughts into my words then It won''t be too long before the Zhi information agency is up and running. I''m even tempted to be an early investor," Yang Qing teasingly said to lighten the mood.
"Really?!" Zhi Da suddenly asked as he hoisted himself up on the table with excitement showing in his eyes.
"Why not? I happen to think that you both would be pretty good at it given sufficient resources and time," said Yang Qing. These were his true thoughts as he admired their level of insight. With sufficient training and resources, he couldn''t help but wonder what heights they would reach.
"Maybe they could join the Shadow hawks. But their training is ruthless with high fatalities and dropouts. I don''t know if I should rmend them to it. Based on their fearful reactions earlier it seems they have more going on and it couldn''t have ended well either judging by their guarded reactions," thought Yang Qing as took another scallion pancake.
This time instead of taking a direct bite from it he decided to dip it in the tomato and egg soup first before taking a bite.
Crunch!
Yang Qing groaned in relish as he savored the taste of his newbo.
Zhi Da seemed to hesitate about something before he finally gritted his teeth and decided to speak.
"Big brother how did you know we are not from the Empire not that I''m admitting we are not from the Empire. I just want to know so I can improve my Intel gathering skills.
It''s purely for the sake of our information agency. The better I am at my job the more money I can make which should be a wee thing since you''re an investor after all," said Zhi Da with eager eyes and a fakeugh he was using to hide his nervousness.
"Me too," Zhi Luoran hurriedly added as she looked at the scallion pancake Yang Qing had ced on her te. She seemed to be in a dilemma about picking it up or going with the pan-fried dumplings. In the end, she went with the scallion pancakes as she sighed in relief as if she had passed through an enormous hurdle.
Pfft!!!
Yang Qing quickly tried to stifle hisughter at Zhi Luoran''s antics but Zhi Luoran heard him which led her to bury her head behind the scallion pancake in her hand. It didn''t help that Zhi Da startedughing too.
"Well, it was a few things. You two picked me out of the crowd for a reason and if I had to guess, it was because of the robe, right?" said Yang Qing as he pointed at his robes.
"Yes," they both nodded as they sheepishlyughed especially Zhi Da when he remembered that spiel he had blurted out about Yang Qing''s lofty bearing and being fated.
"Not many can tell the quality of the robe and those that do either have a certain level of cultivation base or they have had exposure to robes of this ss. Either of these two scenarios means the person who notices it isn''t simple.
Two kids with a body refining realm cultivation noticing my robes, of course, that would make you stand out and just having good eyes wouldn''t cut it. Everything else aside, at the very least it means at some point in your life you have interacted with robes of simr quality. And not that I''m underestimating the Red maple empire but I doubt they have robes of this quality and even if they do maybe only those at the higher levels like the emperor or princes would have ess to it."
The void mimicry silkworm was a hard spirit beast to track due to the areas it inhabited. It had no offensive powers but its camouging skills and its preference for inhabiting areas with unstable spatial fluctuations made it a hard beast to capture. Even after one captured it, converting the silk it produced into a robe required the skills of someone who was at least in the blue grade in terms of their craftsmanship. Just a single robe made of the silk would cost upwards of 100 high-grade spirit stones.
The two siblings may have not known what material it was made out of but they must have interacted with robes made out of silk from the void mimicry silkworm for a long time till it registered in their subconscious. Atleast this was what Yang Qing thought.
"The royal family has distinctive features due to their bloodline which none of you exhibit that can only mean you interacted with the robe somece else that''s not the Empire.
The second one was when you were mentioning the emperor or the royal family there was no reverence or caution when mentioning him or his family almost as if he was another geezer or passerby to you. I doubt even the noble families would be that brazen. You also couldn''t hide your contempt for the noble families and it isn''t purely from their bad reputation but something intrinsic like they are beneath you. It was evident in your tone and mannerisms when you were talking about them.
Andstly, your subconscious habits that highlight you had a high upbringing. You may not even notice it since it''s something you were used to doing before birth.
The first two things you can easily remedy but thest one would need a lot of effort for you to transform them into a conscious behavior instead of an unconscious habit," said Yang Qing as he decided to help himself to a small cup of their ginkgo tea since he felt his throat dry up.
"Big brother just who are you?" Zhi Luoran asked wide-eyed while Zhi Da''s jaws were hanging loosely on the table with pale skin like he had just seen a ghost.
Yang Qing lightly chuckled as he felt a little smug seeing their looks of shock.
"I wonder if the old couple will have the same reaction if I broke their cover," thought Yang Qing as a mischievous glint shed in his eyes.
But he decided to push those thoughts away as he moved on to his real goal for the whole thing.
"I don''t know about your pasts and I''m not going to ask you about it either. Everyone is entitled to their privacy and secrets. But I know that you both seem like you''re hiding from someone hence your reason for being in the Empire and the most crowded city to boot.
I highlighted those few things so you could work on them and keep your covers well. Though if you do want to grow those skills I could help you or if for some reason you feel tired of your current lifestyle and need some ce to start over, I could help you with that..," Yang Qing paused as he eyed the two siblings who had deep thoughtful looks on their expression. Though they seemed tempted by Yang Qing''s words they were also wary.
"What do we have to do to be trained in those skills?" Zhi Da asked, choosing to ignore the second option as he thought despite the background Yang Qing may have it would be difficult to match the background of what they were hiding from.
Yang Qing noted Zhi Da''s choice of words and he could guess the reason behind it which made him inadvertently chuckle as he wondered what Zhi Da''s reaction would be when he told him he was from the Order. He doubted whether their background no matter how illustrious it was would be at the level where it would stump the Order.
"Well, if you want to learn those skills all you have to do is...¡.ELLIE!!!!!!," Yang Qing abruptly paused as his look turned grim.
"Excuse me for a bit," said Yang Qing though only his voice was left behind as he had disappeared like a formless wind from his seat leaving the two Zhi siblings with dumbfounded expressions and waves of shock hitting them
"He is not at the foundation establishment realm?" Zhi Da absentmindedly said as his voice cracked.
Chapter 147 Chance At A Fresh Start
?Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran stayed seated in their chairs for a little while before they hurriedly got up and started looking around from the balcony.
They looked at the streets first, but they didn''t seem to spot Yang Qing and no one walking around seemed to have noticed anything amiss. They then moved their gazes to the skies but they still didn''t see any sight of him. It was as if the Yang Qing that they had just shared a meal and had a conversation with, was nothing but an illusion.
"Big brother, where do you think he could have gone?" asked Zhi Luoran.
"I don''t know but based on his expression it seemed to have been a dire emergency. I didn''t expect big brother Yang Qing to be so powerful. Even without interacting with us, just with his cultivation base alone I doubt there''s much we can hide from him and here I was full of myself because of my acting skills and us gaining a gullible rich client," said Zhi Da as he drylyughed with pools of sweat forming on his back.
He was joking around with a powerhouse and he had no idea. If things had gone wrong, he and his sister may not even know how they died.
"Do you think he will still let us call him big brother?" asked Zhi Luoran with some worry in her tone. Though she seemed like she was asking a question it seemed like it was more like she was airing her concerns.
"I don''t know," Zhi Da said as he sighed. Today was not an easy day for them.
At the start of the week, the ck viper had increased the percentage of the amount they would be given as their cut. He had been struggling along with his sister to try and reach that quota while still having enough to survive on. Earlier today he held out on the amount he was supposed to give but was caught by one of their members.
Luckily he was only given a beating and a double fine that had to be paid by the end of the day.
It was why he was so ecstatic when he stumbled upon Yang Qing, a rich-looking young person. He thought he was their way out only to end up with their identities exposed and now the person they thought was just a gullible foundation establishment youth turned out to be someone with a terrifying cultivation base.
"I think he will. He seems like a nice person. He doesn''t look at us with the same eyes as the others do when they see us. He even bought us lunch even though the ginkgo tree was thrown into the mix," said Zhi Luoran as she stared at the sky with glowing eyes trying to see if she could spot Yang Qing amongst the clouds.
"Maybe he can help us. He did say he could help us start over," added Zhi Luoran in a hopeful tone.
Zhi Da sighed when he saw this. Some part of him wanted totch onto the hope that was budding in his heart but he knew what they were dealing with wasn''t an easy matter.
"Luoran while Big brother Yang Qing may be someone in the pce realm seeing how he disappeared into thin air but there may be a chance he might not be able to help us.
Even if the organization he is a part of is powerful do you think they would risk offending our n just to protect two children at the body refining stage whom they don''t even know, all at the word of big brother Yang Qing?
We''ve all seen the politics of big ns and organizations. The n''s interests alwayse first before the individual no matter how talented they are. We saw it with father and mother," Zhi Da paused as he gritted his teeth with deep sorrow and anguish shing in his eyes.
Zhi Luoran moved to her seat as her lips started quivering and tears bnced in her eyes.
"Luoran it''s not that I want to dampen your hopes but I don''t think there is anyone that would want to risk falling out with a n that has existed for almost 100,000 years and is known to have several domain experts, all for a couple of kids.
But even though those are my thoughts I am willing to ask big brother Yang Qing for help when hees back.
The past few years have not been easy. A chance at a fresh start no matter how slim the odds would not be a bad thing and I don''t know why but I''ve been feeling uneasy the whole day almost as if someone was watching us.
The ck viper has been making a lot of moves ofte by epting more members almost as if they are preparing for something. Even if big brother Yang Qing doesn''t help us, having him take us somece else before we get embroiled into whatever the ck viper is cooking up would work too," said Zhi Da as he ruffled Zhi Luoran''s hair.
When he and Zhi Luoran came to Purple city with theirst savings four years ago he didn''t expect them to survive this long. They may be smart, intuitive and have a few skills from their background to rely on but even he wasn''t arrogant enough to think they would have survived on smarts alone in a world where strength dictated everything.
He always felt it was only due to luck that they survived this long and offte that luck seemed to be drying out.
Yang Qing''s earlier words about asking for help woke him up. He still behaved like he had his illustrious background and perks to rely on when infact all he had were delusions of his past and his sister.
"I''m no longer Zou Li but Zhi Da now. It''s high time I epted the fact," Zhi Da silently muttered as he ruefully smiled.
"If we want to enlist big brother Yang Qing''s help we will have to tell him everything about our past so he knows what he is getting into. We both need to prepare ourselves for the consequences that maye after because it may not go as we wish," said Zhi Da as he stared at Zhi Luoran in the eye.
Mmmh!!
Zhi Luoran firmly nodded with resolve.
"I will miss this ce though, with grandpa and grandma Wang and the rest," Zhi Da said as he sighed.
"Me too," Zhi Luoran softly muttered with sadness in her tone.
¡..
Kitchen
"Did you feel that?" said grandma Wang said in a shivering voice as the knife in her hands shook and dropped to the floor.
"He really is in the pce realm and by the looks of it that aura seemed even more powerful than Dong Qiu''s," said grandpa Wang with a heavy look on his face.
When Yang Qing left he released a bit of his aura in his haste. Grandpa and grandma Wang who were already wary and had their spiritual senses up were hit with that aura. A brief exposure made their bodies freeze in fear.
....
Above the skies outside Purple city.
"Truly worthy of a spirit beast with noble bloodline," said avishly dressed young man in white robes that had gold embroidering in his sleeves and an image of a gold-colored bamboo sown on his coat.
He had blonde hair and was young looking seemingly in his early thirties and had a golden hairpin holding his hair.
He was currently pulling a golden rope that was tied around something that was hiding within a whirling wind that produced loud bird-screeching noises.
He formed a few hand seals that made the rope grow in girth as a faint red light appeared on the rope.
"With the flood dragon tendon binding rope tying its movements down and you two attacking it to drain its energy, it''s only a matter of time before it''s sessfully captured," said the golden-haired young man as he addressed the two men opposite him who had surrounded the whirling wind.
One of them had sword-like eyes and orange-red hair with a robe that didn''t lose out to the golden-haired young man. As for thest person he was an elderly man that had a mildly plump build, he had on simple white robes but he too had the symbol of a gold bamboo on his robe.
The orange-red-haired man sighed as he charged in with his sword while the elderly man threw a powerful punch that seemed to produce the sounds of a tiger''s roar as it moved.
They matched their rhythms perfectly with the golden-haired young man showing apt anticipation and excitement in his eyes that had a hint of greed.
"YOU DARE!!!!" Yang Qing''s roar echoed in the area that even the clouds seemed to part.
Before the trio could even register who the owner of the voice was, there was a loud boom as the golden roped got snapped.
A blinding white light that had hints of purple lightning crashed into the elder''s fist first who was then blown a few hundred meters away as the purple lighting separated from the white light crashing into the orange-red-haired man''s sword.
There was a huge almost metallic sound of collision between the purple lightning and the orange-red-haired man''s sword.
A grim expression appeared on his face as his sword creaked as he was being forced back. His hands got charred in the process up to his elbows but they quickly regenerated.
The white light disappeared and in its ce was an apathetic-looking Yang Qing.
Chapter 148 Yang Qing Vs Three Palace Realm Experts (1)
?The three gentlemen present all had wary looks as they stared at Yang Qing, especially the elderly man and the orange-red-haired man with a sword.
They had both shed against Yang Qing, though briefly, that interaction left them with shockwaves running through their hearts. The elderly man had his wrists fractured with bone showing while the orange-red-haired man still felt his arms tingle from the lighting attack even though his hands had healed.
His pupils constricted when he finally saw the object d in purple lightning that he had shed against. He had assumed it was another weapon that matched the grade of his sword if not better but when the blinding purple lightning disappeared all that was left behind was a smooth green jade-like bamboo that was about the length of an arm. It gently floated back to Yang Qing''s hand.
"Ellie it''s okay," softly said Yang Qing as he ced one of his hands into the whirlwind which seized immediately revealing the cloud-swallowing kite in a disheveled appearance.
Yang Qing sighed in relief when he saw her because other than a few ruffled feathers and mild indentation she was mostly okay except for the rope burn around her neck where part of the flood dragon tendon binding rope was tied to.
Yang Qing surmised she had been trying to use the sheer force of her speed to break the rope but it would have been impossible since based on his judgment the flood dragon tendons used in making the rope were from one that had atleast reached in the middle stages of the pce realm and the craftsmanship was atleast from a blue grade weapon refiner who sessfully transformed the tendons into a middle tier monarch grade artifact.
Ellie despite her sturdy body would be hard-pressed to destroy something of such a level not unless she was in the pce stage but if she was the matter wouldn''t have gotten this far. She would have been able to defend herself without suffering any losses and if she decided to hide there was no way thepany present would have seen through her cloud camouging techniques not unless they had special means or physiques like Mao Yunru''s that is able to see through most illusion and camouge techniques that were at the level of her cultivation base.
"I told you to not neglect your training. Instead, you spend your days stealing my fish. You''re letting down your bloodline and talent if just three pce stage cultivators are enough to corner you this badly.
If you keep going on like this at this rate the two neers may overtake you, especially Haishi," said Yang Qing as he gently chastised her before sighing.
He couldn''t be too hard on her since if she wanted to run there was no way the three people present would have caught up with her but she stayed because of him. It was why he decided to let up in the end.
Ellie in the meanwhile had her head lowered in shame and embarrassment the whole time and only raised it when Haishi was mentioned. A defiant will born of crisis seemed to have been ignited in her.
Yang Qing lightly chuckled at this as he sliced the remainder of the rope with his palm. When the rope was down, a green me that was distinctly simr to the mes from the green me tree was produced from his hand which he then proceeded to cover the whole body of Ellie with.
Ellie screeched infort as the mes covered her, she even spread her wings to ensure no part was left uncovered by the mes.
Once he was done, Yang Qing turned to face the three men who judging by how they were floating in the air without the use of treasures were all in the pce realm.
His gentle look swiftly turned frosty which made those facing him flinch but the golden-haired man soon recovered as a look of confidence appeared on his face.
The orange-red-haired man by his side frowned deeper and deeper once he saw the confident look from the golden-haired man. He exchanged a few nces with the elderly man who only offered a bitter smile in exchange.
"I guess I should thank you all for taking care of my bird when I wasn''t around. You even went through the trouble of gifting her a monarch-grade rope around her neck.
We don''t know each other but you all went through so much trouble to make sure Ellie over here was well-taken care of. Truly the Red Maple Empire is a ce that wees its guests with the highest hospitality," Yang Qing said as he took out the token that he was handed at the border.
"It''s too good for someone like me, you can have it back since I''ve had all the hospitality I can take from this ce," he added as he tossed the wooden token over to the orange-red-haired man who caught it with aplicated expression.
From his features, Yang Qing guessed he was part of the royal family bloodline and one of the rumored four pce stage experts that the Red Maple Empire had.
Yang Qing didn''t know much about him or the rest of the pce stage experts in the royal family since there were thousands and thousands of kingdoms, empires, ns, and organizations that were at the level of the Red Maple Empire, he couldn''t remember them all.
But he was willing to bet there was probably a dossier of the royal family member along with the other three pce realm experts, at the main library and the branch headquarters at the Yellow in county, a small county the size of a city that was at one of the borders between the Red Maple Empire and a rank 3 kingdom under the rule of the Zou n.
The county was technically in the Red Maple Empire but due to its wars with the neighboring kingdom, it turned into awlessnd where victims of the war on both sides hurdled together.
Stability returned to the ce when the Order built a branch there which gradually turned into a buffer zone between the Red Maple Empire and that kingdom. The name of the kingdom was the Five clover kingdom and one of the two rank 3 kingdoms located in his quadrant of evaluations.
"Fellow daoist I..," Just as the orange-red-haired man was about to speak, Yang Qing raised his hands to stop him in his tracks.
"There''s no need for us to waste our time here with perfunctory remarks. It''s not like whatever you will say will end up with us exchangingughs over 5,000-year-old wine and good food and bing sworn brothers at the end.
We are not stupid people here. The general at the border, I think his name was Qin Qiang, must have given you vivid descriptions about me and Ellie here. So there''s no way you attacked her thinking she was an ownerless spirit beast but you did so knowing full well she had an owner and I''m sure there''s no way she would attack a group of pce stage experts first when she is just at thete stages of the core formation realm.
So A, you are either stealing her wantonly with no care of her owner''s thoughts, or B, you did it deliberately to draw me out. Whatever the reason I could care less since what must happen will happen," Yang Qing coldly said.
"And before you try to threaten me with your backgrounds, neither the Golden bamboo pavilion nor the Red Maple Empire will save you from your just rewards," Yang Qing ominously said as he tightly clenched the bamboo stick with sparks of purple lightning asionally shing by.
"Fellow daoist there''s no need to be rush. We can resolve this amicably without a need for bloodshed. It took a lot of effort for us to reach where we are and it would be a shame to jeopardize it over a little misunderstanding.
I am willing to pay 100 high-grade stones for my slight behavior and if you are willing to part with the cloud-swallowing kite I''m even willing to pay any amount you ask. You already know I''m from the Golden bamboo pavilion so I can back my words," the golden-haired young man said still with poise and confidence though there was still some wariness in his voice.
Yang Qing''s feats of breaking the flood dragon tendon binding rope and simultaneously deflecting two attacks from pce stage experts were no easy feat. Were the roles reversed he was not sure he would be able to replicate such a feat. He was both wary and puzzled on how someone who seemed just at the first stage could release such pressure that would overwhelm a third-stage and two second-stage pce realm experts.
He along with the elderly man were both at the second stage while the orange-red-haired man was at the third stage of the pce realm. Every increase in cultivation no matter how minor in the pce realm was a qualitative increase, unlike the lower realms where level skipping fights weremon.
Once one reached the pce realm, fighting above your cultivation base was something only the true monsters of cultivation would do. It was why the golden-haired young man decided on diplomacy despite the confidence he had in his backing or their numbers. If a battle was to break out, heavy injuries were a guarantee. He couldn''t risk it, especially with the merger underway and the opportunities that came along with it.
Yang Qing who was prepared to fight paused as he asked with a dumbfounded expression,
"You want to buy Ellie?"
"I do. As long as you name the price I''m willing to meet it," said the golden-haired man.
"There are fools everywhere you go no matter how illustrious the background," Yang Qing silently muttered as he made an exhausted sigh.
"Despite her dumb look she has a bloodline that guarantees at the very least she will reach the domain realm when she matures and you want to tell me your Golden bamboo pavilion can afford it? If it could, you''d have more domain experts in your organization since they could just buy them.
I''m a little short on time so the words end here. You need to prepare yourselves. Don''t worry I won''t kill you since your actions don''t warrant it yet but a beating is a must," Yang Qing solemnly said as he let go of the purple lightning bamboo that floated by itself.
"Eight trigrams elemental barrier," Yang Qing said as he brought his palms together. A small circle formed in between those palms before it grew and covered a few kilometers around them enclosing them in a transparent dome.
Chapter 149 Yang Qing Vs Three Palace Stage Experts (2)
?The dome grew as it covered a ten-kilometer radius around them. A translucent floor was formed beneath their feet. Other than the floor the rest of the dome took a light greenish hue and had a feel of nature to it.
"We can go all out without worry of damaging the ces below us or injuring bystanders," said Yang Qing as he casually began to take a step forward which inadvertently made the three men take a step back.
Yang Qing''s move added a new level of fear they did not expect. They could distinctively feel that they would struggle to break out of the barrier he had cast and for some reason, whilst in that dome, they felt like they were in a separate world. Creating mysterious realms and small worlds was something only those at thete stages of the domain realm and above could do with the help of countless treasures with space attributes and strong vitality.
"This¡" the orange-red-haired man could not evenplete his sentence as he grimly held his sword.
Even the golden-haired man did not have the confident look he wore the whole time since Yang Qing''s arrival.
They all had the same thoughts and it was whether Yang Qing was a domain expert pretending he was just a first-stage pce realm expert.
"This isn''t a real small world. It''s just the effects of a perfected cultivation art that effectively draws out my abilities," Yang Qing lightly said seemingly reading their thoughts.
"Maybe I can gain insights into improving the brilliant ray fist cultivation art with them and share some of those insights with Peng Zhen," Yang Qing silently muttered.
The brilliant ray fist cultivation art was a low-rank blue-grade cultivation art that he had improved on from a low-rank orange-grade cultivation art called the meteor raining fists. He had shared the cultivation art with Peng Zhen to help him in his life and death duels with the students from the institute during his sentencing.
Though the brilliant ray fist cultivation art was primarily a fist art but when Yang Qing created it, he transformed it into a wholesome art that in addition to fist moves had other variations to it other than just the fist. It was a technique that emphasized speed with force.
"I won''t be needing this either," said Yang Qing as the bamboo stick transformed into a light that disappeared into his robe.
His whole demeanor didn''t seem to change as he seemed rather casual but deep within the recess of his eyes his pupils had changed color from dark to golden pupils that had me-like waves in them.
rm bells went all over the bodies of the three men.
"Dawn of autumn,"
"Mad bull''s descent,"
The orange-red-haired man and the elderly man muttered respectively as their bodies underwent huge transformations.
The orange-red-haired man had transformations in his body. His hair transformed into red vines that spread from his head to the rest of his body. His sword had a woodier feel to it with a red-orange glint on its edge.
Yang Qing could detect a drastic increase in temperature and vitality from the orange-red-haired man.
As for the elderly man, his gaunt appearance changed as he transformed into a middle-aged man with a massive physique. His skin turned darker almost iron-like. On his right hand was a one-hand axe that looked rusty that slowly started producing a red-ck baleful aura that spread from the edges of the axe to its hilt till it finally started covering the elderly man like a cloak. His look transformed into a maddened beast of ughter.
As for the golden-haired man even though there was no change to him but despite that, he was the one who seemed to be the thorniest of the bunch for Yang Qing to deal with. He was covered in high-grade defensive artifacts such as a tinum circlet he had on which was a middle-rank monarch-grade artifact and the robe that had defensive arrays inscribed on it.
"His rank doesn''t seem to be low in the Golden bamboo pavilion," muttered Yang Qing as he looked at the fan in the golden-haired young man''s hands. It was made of purple feathers and seemed to be releasing undting waves typical of a high-rank monarch-grade weapon.
"I wonder if I can break them." Yang Qing malevolently grinned as he charged at them. He had transformed into a ming white light.
Boom!!
An explosive gong sound was created when he mmed his fist against the wing-like gold sand shield that had appeared in front of the golden-haired man. The defensive shield seemed to be an automatic response from the circlet on his head.
There were small cracks on the gold sand shield but it had managed to block the sudden blow from Yang Qing.
"If one blow won''t do it then what about a hundred," said Yang Qing.
But just as he was about to strike again the elderly man''s attack and the orange-red-haired man''s attacks arrived simultaneously.
A ck-red wave-like hundred-meter streak that reeked of blood and corrosion charged at Yang Qing from his left side while to his right there was an ocean of orange-red leaves with ferocious sharpness that were aiming to swallow him whole and dice him apart.
Anyone of these attacks could cleave through a whole city and cause tremendous destruction in its wake. A peak core formation expert would be rendered immobile just from the pressure they were releasing while a pce stage cultivator who had just broken through would do all they could to avoid facing the attack head-on.
Yang Qing barely moved as he took on their attacks.
He swatted the iing red streak upwards as he effortlessly shuttled around the iing leaves with extreme speed and precision that he seemed like a thin streak of white light. With every evasion, he destroyed every leaf he passed.
Within a few breaths, the ocean of leaves had already copsed with Yang Qing rapidly charging at the orange-red-haired man.
"Brilliant hundred-finger descent," Yang muttered as his index finger struck the orange-red-haired man in rapid session.
Yang Qing''s finger strikes moved so fast that they seemed to blur into hundreds of fingers.
The orange-red-haired man kept swinging his sword all around as he defended himself from the strikes that came from different trajectories.
Every strike made his sword creak and his body tremble from the sheer weight of the force. After a dozen strikes his palms were already bleeding and he seemed to be struggling to keep up with the speed attacks.
Soon a couple of them breached his defense as small finger-sized holes appeared on different parts of his body. Luckily thanks to his special physique they kept healing immediately after.
"Interesting ability but I''m afraid it''s not enough," Yang Qing softly said as he increased the speed and intensity of his attacks.
However, his attacks paused midway due to a bird''s screeching sound behind him. The pause came as a relief for the orange-red-haired man whose whole robe was now covered in holes filled with blood.
Chapter 150 Yang Qing Vs Three Palace Stage Experts (3)
?Yang Qing threw a roundhouse kick at the orange-red-haired man as he was turning.
"Momentary distraction is a dangerous thing to have in a battle, your highness," Yang Qing gently said to the orange-red-haired man who was sent to the floor with the kick.
He was bleeding from the nose as a small indentation appeared on the cheek that was just kicked in.
Instead of being livid, he was visibly shaken because if he hadn''t tried to deflect some of the weight of the attack with the hilt of his sword he would have lost his eye and suffered even more serious injuries.
"Just who did we provoke?" he bitterly muttered as he threw aplicated gaze towards the source of all this, the golden-haired man who was currently surrounded by a purple peacock that had purple mes around it.
"Fellow daoist we can still go our separate ways and put past grievances behind us," said the golden-haired man.
"It seems having a weapon with an awakened spirit has given you some confidence. If it were more mature I would have considered employing much more serious means but it''s only been sentient a little less than five years.
That is hardly enough. I''m sorry ''fellow daoist'' I will have to reject your thoughtful offer.
You shouldn''t expose your weapon''s spirit so easily you know, especially if it''s so young and youcking the abilities to stop your opponent.
Think of this as a life lesson from your fellow daoist here," Yang Qing gently said as his whole look changed.
His hair turned to pure white, down to every part of his body that had a white gentle glow to them as both his iris turned into a full moon.
The temperature in the area seemed to turn cooler with a sense of gentleness and calmness that made the three pce realm experts feel this wasn''t a battlefield but a ce of rest.
"Return to slumber little one: Slowing tides, grand lunar," Yang Qin gently muttered as a silhouette of a moon rising over a calm ocean appeared behind him.
The purple peacock screeched in defiance but with every second the screech got weaker and weaker till it finally turned into a purple smoke that disappeared into the purple feathered fan.
"Whaat?!!!" the golden-haired man frantically said as his pupils constricted.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY WEAPON?!!!!" he madly roared as he frantically charged towards Yang Qing.
"It seems only your cultivation base is the only good thing you have. In terms of mental acuity you''re sorelycking in that regard," Yang Qing indifferently said as his look switched from the white moon radiance-like look to his normal self.
The golden-haired man ignored defending himself as he waved his fan producing huge winds in the form of scythes. Despite attacking in a mad frenzy his attacks were even more powerful than the orange-red-haired man who had a third-level pce realm cultivation base while the golden-haired youth had a second-level pce realm cultivation base.
Yang Qing met the golden-haired man''s frenzied attacks head-on as he threw a white-d fist that caused a mirage in its wake. His fist effortlessly blew apart the wind scythes heading toward him as he charged head-on at the golden-haired man who recklessly charged on to face off against Yang Qing.
The elderly man and the orange-red-haired man also charged especially the former who charged with extreme urgency once he saw the golden-haired man''s state.
The three men attacked holding nothing back as Yang Qing weed their attacks with ease as he seamlessly transitioned between attack and defense. The dome kept violently shaking as they went on. A white light could be seen rapidly shuttling through the violent chaos.
Ellie, the cloud-swallowing kite who among many things had learned pettiness from Yang Qing was gleefully taking everything in as shefortably swam in the green me which not only healed her but also acted as a barrier against the waves produced by the battle.
The battle had gone beyond just a fight of disagreement and instead became a battle for survival for the three men facing off against Yang Qing.
The more the battle raged on, the clearer they became on their disparity with Yang Qing. They had wounds all over their bodies while Yang didn''t even have a scratch on his robes no matter how much they attacked. Worse was, his speed and force seemed to be rapidly increasing with time till it reached a point they couldn''t attack anymore and could only throw all their focus on defending.
CRACK!!!
The axe of the elderly man got shattered by one of Yang Qing''s rapid kicks which went on to m his torso shattering his ribcage. He violently coughed up blood as his vision turned hazy.
"Young master," he silently muttered as his blurry gaze fell on the golden-haired young man who had lost his morous look from before. His hair was all over the ce closely sticking to his skin due to sweat and blood.
The defensive circlet he had on that had a tinum silver hue at the beginning was now dark grey in color and had faint cracks on it. Due to Yang Qing''s rapid attacks, the automatic defense power on the circlet got rapidly drained till it could no longer independently activate anymore. The golden-haired man would have to constantly feed qi into it which was a rather difficult thing to do since he couldn''t afford to spare the qi or the attention it needed to activate it.
His earlier frenzied look had disappeared and was reced by deep fear as he stared at the green-haired monster gazing calmly at the three of them not showing any sign of stopping.
The orange-red-haired man seemed to have gotten it worse among the three as he was fully covered in blood, his sword was barely holding on, and he was wheezing with only one of his eyes open. He was barely hanging on.
The golden-haired man gritted his teeth as a purple talisman appeared in his hands. He seemed hesitant but then he firmed himself.
"You think I''d just let you activate a talisman," Yang Qing''s voice echoed over as the hand that was holding the talisman got shattered at the wrist. Yang Qing kicked the purple talisman away as he flung a grey paper talisman of his own at it.
The grey talisman lit up as ck runes lit up from it covering the whole purple talisman which then turned into a grey dull like rock.
"Now we won''t have to worry about an idental release," Yang Qing muttered as he resumed his attack on the golden-haired man before he could process what had just happened.
A one-sided onught ensued from that moment on as Yang Qing thoroughly terrorized the three men who were barely hanging on.
After five minutes the elderly man and the orange-red-haired man were already lying unconscious on the floor while the golden-haired man was on his knees with a look of despair on his face as Yang Qing stood above him with a look of calm indifference.
"While I did say I wouldn''t kill you but that only applied to the other two. The way I see it, this whole thing happened because of you and the rest agreed on it since they couldn''t afford to offend you. Who knows how many stunts like this you have pulled? You must have some pretty powerful backing in the Golden bamboo pavilion to have two pce stage experts follow your every whim. Erasing you could be considered a good deed," Yang Qing calmly said.
He got no response from the golden-haired man who kept muttering why and how over and over.
Yang Qing raised his fist as his gaze turned solemn. A small ck whirling circle appeared below his fist as it grew in size by the second.
"I invite nature''s mercy upon the unfavorable, to wash the blight of misfortune away. Take your pardon and begin anew. Everything washed away into oblivion to rise once more.
The fist of oblivion."
The golden-haired man was pulled out of his stupor due to the terrifying fluctuations above him. He raised his head and was met with an enormous ck hole that seemed like it could swallow the world whole.
He started yelling incoherently as he tried to move backward away from the ck hole but all strength had left his body.
"Father help!! HEELP! HELP MEEEE!!!" he madly yelled but s there was no response.
"A domain father huh..," Yang Qing mumbled.
"Now go in peace fellow daoist," Yang Qing slowly said as he brought his fist down.
Chapter 151 Opening An Investigation
?The golden-haired man screamed and yelled as spittle flew everywhere as he watched the ck swallowing vortex inch closer and closer.
"Just kidding," Yang Qing teasingly said as he made the ck vortex disappear when he was just a few inches away from the golden-haired man''s face.
Thud!!
The golden-haired man copsed on the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
The whites of his eyes were showing. He had fainted before Yang Qing put away his fist.
"His mental fortitude is even weaker than the first-year students at the Institute.
Fellow daoist make sure you work on some spirit training exercises. You have a solid cultivation base but it doesn''t mean a thing if you don''t have the mind to make the most out of it," Yang Qing leisurely said.
Though it seemed like he was talking to himself since the golden-haired man wasn''t in a state to hear or answer anything, him being unconscious and all.
"Hehehe I can''t believe he really thought I''d kill him. I don''t want to get sent to the Requiem to serve time plus I''m not sure I would have been able to, even if I decided to go through with it," Yang Qing meaningfully said as a wary and curious glint shed in his eyes.
He could faintly feel a threat to his life the closer his fist got to the golden-haired man. If he really went through with the punch, he had no doubt some life protection mechanism within the golden-haired man would have retaliated in response to the threat.
Based on the intuition he was getting, he had no doubt it was a domain-level protection most likely left there by the golden-haired man''s father.
"His father must be pretty powerful in the Golden Bamboo Pavilion ranks," Yang Qing said as dryly smiled at his mildly trembling hands.
Despite one-sidedly defeating three pce stage experts, he couldn''t handle the threatening aura of a domain''s intent.
"Well if he came, I can always run to the Order and bring old man Lei Weiyuan with me or ask for backup from the Order branch in Yellow in County. They should have a domain expert stationed there," Yang Qing thought as he went on to seal the cultivation base and the acupoints of the three pce realm cultivators.
He was just done sealing the base of the elderly man, who was thest person when he saw Ellie swoop in as she bashed her beak against the golden-haired man''s already injured face.
Yang Qing could have sworn he heard something break.
"ELLIE!!! What are you doing? This isn''t the time to act petty and cause trouble," Yang Qing angrily said as he punched her in the head.
"Luckily it''s just a few fractures," Yang Qing silently muttered as he examined the fresh injuries caused by Ellie conveniently forgetting the mental blow and physical blows he had left on the golden-haired man.
Ellie screeched with an aggrieved expression at Yang Qing''s hypocrisy as she rubbed her head with her wings.
"If you want payback, do it yourself. Breakthrough to the pce stage and seek him out. Don''t beat him when he is unconscious. I have nothing against using unscrupulous means in a battle but not when he is like this.
Just who do you learn these petty habits of yours from? I think you need to undergo reeducation from the beast hall again, better yet, I will have Luo Meili do it," said Yang Qing as he chastised Ellie.
Ellie immediately flinched upon hearing Luo Meili''s name that she kept making whimpering noises. But Yang Qing heard none of it. Since Ellie was part of his team whatever troubles she caused, he would be the one to incur it. He already had troublesome members and habits as it is, he didn''t want to add more.
Yang Qing shook his head as he decided to push the matter to the back of his head until he got back to the Order. At the moment there were a few things he had to do which couldn''t wait.
He took out two different talismans. One was the white jade recording talisman and the other was themunication talisman.
He quickly activated both of them.
Themunication talisman quickly connected through.
"Yang Qing what do you want? Shouldn''t you already be doing the evaluations? Are you cking off?" Lei Weiyuan''s voice sounded from the other end.
"I''m not, I promise, I''m not," Yang Qing hurriedly said trying to mask his guilt.
"So what''s wrong?"
"I encountered three pce stage experts trying to steal Ellie so I gave them a beating. One of them is royalty from the Red Maple Empire while the other two are from the Golden Bamboo pavilion. I suspect one of them might be the son of one of the founders of the pavilion. He was also the prime instigator of all this," Yang Qing patiently exined the circumstances.
"What''s their state? Are they dead, crippled, or..?"
"They are alive, though barely, but I haven''t crippled them. They just have a few serious injuries that would take a few years to heal, that''s all. Though I think the time will be shorter for the royalty from the Red Maple Empire. I wonder what kind of special physique they have¡,"
"Yang Qing¡" Lei Weiyuan interrupted.
"Hehehe sorry about that. I wanted to send a recording with my judgment. I deem the beating to be sufficient punishment for their actions with no further actions needed but that only applies to them trying to steal Ellie.
I would like to open an official investigation into the Red Maple Empire and also the member who I suspect is the son of one of the founders. They acted wantonly despite knowing Ellie was mine and my cultivation base. I have a feeling it''s not the first time something like this has happened, especially with that scion of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion.
I would like the case and procedural investigation to be ced under my docket. But I don''t know how that would work since even though that person is a pce stage expert, the Golden Bamboo pavilion is a rank 2 organization. I can''t handle their cases yet," said Yang Qing.
He had a nagging feeling that the blood on the golden-haired man might not be small but his rtionship with a potential domain expert father,plicated matters.
Chapter 152 Comfortable Shade Of The Order
?There was a long silence before Lei Weiyuan finally responded back.
"The case can be ced under your docket but should the investigation go beyond your scope it will have to be taken over by the domain courts.
I''ll file the case at the administration under you and an inner domain court judge called Hou Dehui. He has had a few run-ins with one of the founders of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion in his pce court days. His insight will prove invaluable also if the case jumps to the domain level it''s better he handles it.
Even though the Golden Bamboo Pavillion is outwardly known to have five domain experts, we suspect it may be more than that they may have three more in their ranks. But even if they just have five domain rank experts there are two that stand out and are the prime reason for its growth today.
One of them is Liang Zian a gold-grade alchemist and the other is Lin Guiren who I suspect might be the father of the golden-haired man. He is a man of unquestionable strength and he has a special physique that helped him form a quasi-purple-grade core when he was in the core formation realm.
While the Golden Bamboo Pavillion was formed by five domain experts there is no doubt Liang Zian and Lin Guiren are at the helm of the thing," Lei Weiyuan slowly exined.
"It seems his background is more impressive than I thought," Yang Qing silently muttered. He would still pummel the golden-haired man again even if he knew his background beforehand but he couldn''t help but frown at the potential headache it would be to deal with the matter.
Based on the brief judgment Yang Qing made from their interaction, he guessed the golden-haired man was massively spoiled by either his father or mother. How would said parents react when they saw his current state?
Yang Qing drylyughed once his thoughts reach this far.
"Come what may in fact it would be best if they have it in for me atleast it will stop the Order from sending me out or at worst I''ll just have to ask for precious treasures to guarantee my life against a potential vengeful domain father with a special physique. Just another day at the Order.
If you don''t draw hate and grudges then you''re not doing your job well. I wonder which bastard wrote that quote in the Court building''s hall. They cursed us all," Yang Qing venomously thought.
The Order wasn''t infallible. It may have a fearsome reputation but idents do happen especially due to its nature of business. Since its founding over the years, there have been countless members who have been disappeared, cursed, or killed using special means or end up with injuries that take centuries to heal.
Yes, those caught suffered brutal retaliation from the Order as an example to the rest and there were unsessful attempts that left the attackers worse off but still these workce idents never stopped.
The southern continent was an enormous ce filled with millions of cultivators with esoteric cultivation arts and techniques and some of those techniques could help them get away with harming a member of the Order despite the measures the Order uses to prevent that very thing from happening. The best they could do was train up their members, equip them properly, and use special means to tip the odds in their favor.
Yang Qing was justified to be wary since he had potentially drawn the ire of a rich, well-connected domain expert who had a quasi-purple core when he was in the core formation realm.
He may have mopped the floor with the three pce stage experts but that was only because based on their fluctuations the elderly man and the orange red-haired man must have broken through with orange core and quasi-blue core respectively. While the golden-haired man had a blue-grade core, hisbat sense was poor.
He had dwarfed them all in terms of umtion and experience even if they were one or two levels above. His feats were not unique since you could grab even the pce realm guards at the Court building and they would effortlessly do a repeat of what he had just done. But facing off against a domain expert with a renowned reputation of being abatant and worse off, he was a merchant, which meant he had more means to work with, Yang Qing couldn''t help but be wary of the potential mishaps.
"Yang Qing?!" Lei Weiyuan called when the silence became too overdrawn.
"Sorry, my mind wondered for a bit there Supervisor Lei Weiyuan. Ummm about his son?" Yang Qing warily asked to try as he looked to share the hatred with someone.
"Don''t worry about it. I''ll inform Hou Dehui of the matter. He will handle the aftermath," Lei Weiyuan curtly said.
"Yes!!" Yang Qing joyously said before he hurriedly shut his mouth in embarrassment. However, his gleeful state resumed secondster as he excitedly swung his fists in the air which drew strange looks from Ellie who was still nursing her head wound.
"Isn''t this why I joined the Order? To rest beautifully under thefortable shade provided by my powerful seniors," Yang Qing smugly thought as he looked at the golden-haired man as a mere peasant who couldn''t match his background.
He even had the urge to throw a kick in but he held back as he had an image to uphold in front of Ellie.
"Yang Qing make sure to send the three men to the nearest branch to have their statements and records taken. It should be the Yellow ins Branch mmmh if I remember well Luo Xiaofan should be the head there. She should be able to handle the matter well with her strength and abilities," Lei Weiyuan thoughtfully said.
"Mmh" Yang Qing muttered in agreement. Luo Xiaofan was a domain-level expert and the branch head of the Yellow ins Branch. Even though she was just in the early stages her means were bound to be better than what Yang Qing could do with his puny pce realm strength.
He couldn''t wait to dump these hot potatoes at her office while he went on with his evaluations. Even though the case would still be his but when he handled it, he would be under the sweet protection of the main headquarters until then it would be better to let someone else hold the bag.
"That reminds me what are you doing all the way at Red Maple Empire? That''s halfway through your quadrant. You better not have glossed over those evaluations Yang Qing. Do I need toe and personally monitor you?"
"NO..NO¡NO..There''s no need for that," Yang Qing hurriedly said with a flustered expression that he almost dropped hismunication talisman.
"I just decided to start from the midway point as I worked my way upwards to the White Baobab kingdom then I''de back and work my way downwards to the Blue sky carp sect," Yang Qing fearfully added trying to stop Lei Weiyuan froming. He would be on edge through the whole thing if he got closely monitored by him.
"Okay then. I''ll go inform the administration and Hou Dehui of the matter. Take care," Lei Weiyuan said as he cut off themunication.
Yang Qing slumped on the floor like a log as he heaved a sigh of relief.
He quickly made a call to the Yellow ins branch to have them grab the three men and hold them at the branch along with the recording he had made of his judgment.
In about twenty minutester, someone from the branch arrived and took the three unconscious men from Yang Qing''s hands. Yang Qing also happened to receive an earful from the branch head via hismunication talisman for adding more to her already enormous workload of maintaining the fragile bnce between the Red Maple Empire and the Five clover kingdom. Yang Qing could only promise to repay her back if she ever needed his assistance with anything along with any good treasure he may get during his pce court promotion ceremony.
¡
"Now I can eat in peace," Yang Qing muttered as he watched the inquisitor from the Yellow in county fly away. The inquisitor was also a pce realm expert at the fourth stage and was thus well at ease to handle three pce stage experts even if they woke up.
Yang Qing decided to bring Ellie with him as he told her to hide in the skies above Wang''s restaurant.
Yang Qing reappeared the same way he disappeared, like a gust of wind. His sudden appearance caused the two siblings to jump up in fright as they shrieked. They had been gorging themselves on a blueberry cake that had been brought over at some point along with other dishes that Yang Qing didn''t leave behind.
"Big brother¡.." both siblings hesitantly said
Chapter 153 Zhi Da Opens Up
?Yang Qing noted the hesitation and awkwardness written all over their faces. He wryly smiled as he expected this sort of reaction more or less.
"You don''t have to be so on edge, we can act just like before though if you want to worship my awesomeness I don''t mind," Yang Qing teasingly said as he tried to lighten the mood.
"I can keep calling you big brother Yang Qing?!" Zhi Luoran asked as she almost tipped over on the table in all the excitement.
"You better," Yang Qing said as he smiled.
"Who knew big brother Yang Qing is even more shameless than I am," Zhi Da muttered in shock at how thick-skinned one must be to act for praise so openly. He may have pulled a few shameless stunts himself but even he had to admit he fell a little short when hepared himself to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing didn''t waste any time as he hurriedly started sampling all the dishes sprawled out on the table. In addition to the scallion pancakes, the tomato egg soup, and the spring rolls that were already on the table there wererge bowls of red braised pork, dry fried shredded beef, potato in caramel, andstly chili pork.
Yang Qing ravaged the meals like someone who hadn''t eaten in a year which left the two siblings gawking in wonder at how someone could eat so much and in so little time at that.
They gazed at each other before they burst outughing. Yang Qing was too engrossed in eating to give any thought to their suddenughter.
"So did you two give much thought to what I said before? I can help you if you want to train up your skills in blending in or gathering information or if you want to start over somece else.
Though I know it''s not an easy choice to up and leave especially with the connections you have built with the people in the city," Yang Qing said as he paused from eating to look up at the two siblings.
After the little scare with Lei Weiyuan threatening to supervise him and the potential retaliation from a domain-level expert, the quicker he was done with his evaluations the better.
When he was done with his food he would be leaving for the first evaluation point in Green Pine County still within the Red Maple Empire before he made his way to the other points.
"Big brother Yang Qing are you sure you can help us start over?" Zhi Da hesitantly asked.
Even though he had steeled himself to ask for help he was still afraid to. During the past three years, he and Zhi Luoran had gone through so much that they had to extinguish the embers of hope in their lives if they hoped to keep surviving. They got their hopes ruthlessly smashed so much that it was safer for them to be as pragmatic as possible.
"I can," Yang Qing softly answered.
"Big brother helping us may end up potentially inviting a cmity to your doorstep. I know you are powerful but even pce realm strength isn''t enough," Zhi Da solemnly said.
Yang Qing dusted off his hands as he interlocked them and rested his chin on them looking interestingly at the two siblings.
"My promise still stands. It''s not like it would be the first time I bring trouble back either. As a matter of fact, I invited some trouble a few minutes ago and I''m not the only one who does so. The organization I''m from is skilled at handling problems, especially cmitous ones.
They wee it even," said Yang Qing as he put on a silly grin thinking of the tired face the branch head of Yellow ins County was showing right about now. He always felt joyful whenever he saw someone else being run ragged by the Order more than he was. It always came as some sort of therapeutic relief to him.
Zhi Da and Zhi Luoran exchanged nces then they both nodded. A worn-out sigh came from Zhi Da immediately after.
"Big brother Yang Qing we humbly ept your offer to help us start over. My sister and I owe you our lives," Zhi Da said as he and Zhi Luoran woke up and gave deep bows.
"There''s no need for that. I just helped you because.... well let''s just chalk it up to fate and you two were interesting. You remind me of some of my colleagues and friends," Yang Qing said as he raised them up with a gentle force that sat them back in their seats.
Even though the two siblings already knew Yang Qing was powerful being exposed to it in person still caused shockwaves in their hearts.
However Zhi Da immediately calmed down as he went silent, he seemed to be collecting his thoughts as a look of sorrow shed in his eyes.
Yang Qing didn''t say anything and just gave him the space he needed. Based on their reaction he guessed they wanted to open up on the reason why they were on the run in the first ce.
"My name is not Zhi Da. Both my name and Zhi Luoran''s are fakes. Our names are Zou Yi and Zou Liqin respectively and we are from the Zou n," Zhi Da now Zou Yi solemnly said.
Both siblings cautiously gauged Yang Qing''s reaction to their reveal however they were shocked to find there was no look of surprise, shock, fear, or any of the normal reactions they expected one would get from getting such a reveal. Instead, Yang Qing was yfully dipping a piece of the stir-fried beef into a small bowl of sesame sauce next to him.
"So you''re from the Zou family the rank 2 n skilled in formation arrays? Is it them you are hiding from?" Yang Qing quizzically asked.
If they were hiding from the Zou n by all ounts they should have already been found out or dead even incase their rtionship was less than cordial which it seemed to be if he took their current circumstances into ount. He had no idea how two body-refining children could hide from such a colossal family.
From what Yang Qing knew about the Zou n they were an old n even among rank 2 organizations. They had a history spanning atleast 50,000 years. This was a history and foundation most couldn''tpare to, especially with how chaotic times were from the past millennia going back much less 50,000 years ago. For the Zou n to survive that long was a testament to their abilities.
The n was known for their all-around skills in different types of formation arrays and inscriptions. Their range run from deadly killing arrays down to day-to-day arrays and inscriptions like the ones used on robes.
"No wonder they could identify my robe. If they are from the Zou n they should have been exposed to these things from birth since the n is among the top producers of quality robes with utility arrays inscribed on them," thought Yang Qing.
"Yes we are from that Zou n," Zou Yi confirmed as he painfully sighed.
"The Zou n has always had a long-standing tradition when choosing its next head and my father was one of the candidates in consideration but he lost¡" Zou Yi paused to hold back the trembling that was in his voice along with the tears that were millimeters away from dropping.
The same however couldn''t be said of Zou Liqin who was already sniffling with tears streaming down her face.
"You don''t have to say anything. I will still help you either way," Yang Qing hurriedly said when he saw their reactions.
"No, it''s the least we can do. Since you may potentially be risking your life by helping us, you knowing is as it should be," Zou Yi firmly said which made Yang Qing hold back the words he was about to say once he saw his solemn look.
"Fine," Yang Qing gently said as he motioned for him to continue.
"Our n''s root and foundationy in formation arrays so the person who gets chosen to be the next family head has to be unequivocally gifted in this regard.
Unlike other organizations, the Zou n doesn''t choose the person with the highest cultivation base as its next leader or any attainments in that regard all that matters in the eyes of the Zou n is your skills with formation arrays.
It is because of this that over the years since its founding asionally we would have a n head who had a pce realm cultivation base despite there being domain-level members who could take up the mantle.
Our heads usually stay in their posts for about 500 years then they retire to focus on their cultivation leaving it to someone else. The next head is chosen via a special artifact that was brought back by the third ancestor and also one of the most powerful ancestors we have had. I heard he was a top-tier soul formation expert," Zou Yi said in reverence.
Zou Yi''s current look came as a surprise to Yang Qing since based on their pained reactions he would have expected them to have bitterness and resentment against their n, not reverence.
"The tradition of choosing the next head via their skills in formation arrays was started by him and has be a n decree since.
The selection process is done by the special artifact he came with from an ancient ruin. I don''t know much about the artifact other than it''s the cornerstone of our n. It has raised countless geniuses but it has also killed countless of them, two of them being my father and mother."
Chapter 154 Zou Sibling’s Past (1)
?Yang Qing''s curiosity was drawn to what grade the artifact was seeing how it was instrumental to the growth and survival of the Zou n.
However, it would remain just that, a curiosity. He doubted if Zou Yi knew much about it due to the restrictions of his age and the level of ess that came along with it and the importance of the artifact to the n. Even if by some slim chance Zou Yi did know enough about the artifact based on the reverence in his tone, it was in doubt whether he would reveal much about it and to someone he just met no less even if said person would be helping them start over.
"From what my father told me, the artifact creates a separate realm with different levels. Each level has different kinds of arrays that the user has to break through before they move to the next level.
The degree of difficulty, sophistication, and quality increases with each level. The arrays one deals with are never the same during each test. So you cannot prepare yourself for them by drawing from the experiences of the previous challengers," Zou Yi paused as he took a drink of the ginkgo tea before he resumed.
"The next head of the Zou n falls on the person who reaches the highest level. And if there ate ties they look at the time taken. There is no restriction on who can apply for the seat as there are many side-branch descendants who asionally apply for it.
The test is a chance to shoot for glory in one fell swoop and from what I heard from our seniors every level you clear there are harvests thate along with it. The rewards vary but they all center on the dao of formation arrays. So there is never a shortage of people who apply for it since even if they fail at gaining the n head seat they could still reap various rewards as long they cleared a few levels.
However, despite how morous it seems, it is also a death trap. The lethality of the arrays used in the test increase with each level. There is no talisman or protection mechanism to protect the challengers. If you fail to decrypt an array you may end up paying for that failure with your life depending on how lethal it is.
Other than the danger of the test produced by the artifact there is also another rule that is imposed by the n when ites to vying for the seat of the family head, and that is the challenger is not only risking their own lives but their immediate families too.
If the challenger dies in there, their immediate family gets banished from the main n. They can join the side branches if they wish to but they can never remain at the main family. You even have your names removed from the n registry.
This method was employed to ensure the new n head would have an easy transition into power without having to worry about potential backstabbings from those who hold resentment for their dead family members. Thus reducing infighting. Those who choose to vie for the family head seat don''t do so lightly since it''s not only their lives that they risk.
''You have to be willing to risk your life and your families before you have the right to shoulder the fate of tens of thousands of Zou n members'' is what my grandfather used to say," said Zou Yi as his tone turned heavier.
Zou Liqin had managed to calm down by the time the tale reached this point, albeit just barely, as the waterworks being held at bay in her eyes didn''t seem like they would need much effort to drop again.
"Every participant and their families prepare themselves mentally in case the worst happened. Our father did the same with us when he decided to vie for the position.
Even though he did, we were all perfunctory with it as we never thought he would fail. He was touted as a genius, one can only see in ten thousand years.
Many within the n expected he would be the next head once the test began since there were very few who matched him when it came to formation arrays. At just thirty-three, he was already a blue-grade formation master.
Looking at our current appearance one wouldn''t guess we were constantly fawned over by people stronger than even the emperor of this nation as they tried to curry favor with my father.
Right now it takes enormous effort just to earn a few pieces of silver when back then I used to throw around middle-grade spirit stones in the water as if they were rocks," said Zou Yi as he smiled in self-deprecation.
"I never thought my father would lose. It''s been three years since then and I still can''t believe it. No one did.
In fact, if it wasn''t for the n decree set by the third ancestor my father would have already been handed the seat," Zou Yi paused as he tried to forcefully hold back his tears but that was a battle he lost within seconds as tears kept dropping no matter how much he tried to stop them.
"When the day for the selection came, we all expected our father would win. This was a sentiment shared by even some of the participants who were only there to be seen and reap a few harvests while they were at it. Most of them didn''t think they would outdo my father.
When thepetition started, it all went as expected at the earlier levels, with our father breezing through them easily.
His momentum only slowed down when he was at the thirtieth level and by that time most of thepetitors had either given up, died, or got too injured to continue.
I think there were about twenty people left who were able to keep up with him but the higher he moved the lower the number got. By the time he reached the forty-seventh level only four people were left."
Zou Liqin had decided to take over for her brother who was still struggling to hold back his tears. She could sympathize since just like him, she worshipped their father too and that day that should have been the greatest day of their lives turned into the worst day of their lives.
She could remember how wildly they were cheering every time a disy stone attached to the artifact would light up as their father moved up a level.
The stone was an essory to the artifact. Participants would have their names automatically recorded the moment they started the tests in the separate realm created by the artifact. The stone showed the levels they reached and their state, whether they were dead or alive, and those that forfeited their names would be greyed out on the level they reached.
You could only forfeit when you cleared a level and then forfeit the chance to move on to the next level or if you survived the attack of the array. The chances of thetter happening were always low and mostly depended on luck since you can''t bring any artifact with you while taking the test.
"The number only got smaller the higher they moved till by the time they reached the sixtieth level only two people were left. One was my father and the other was someone we all didn''t expect.
It was someone from the side branches who no one knew much about even the members from the side branch he belonged to. If it wasn''t for the test no one would even know someone like him existed.
Those from the side branch typically never do well from these things since even though they are called that, the main family barely offers them any support other than the Zou family name. Everything else they have to depend on themselves, so their starting point and that of those from the main family are different.
However, despite the disadvantage, someone we knew nothing about kept up with our father, one of the greatest prodigies our n has ever seen.
Whilepetitors can''t see each other within that realm they can track each other''s progress.
My father and the other person from the branch went head to head till the 63rd level where a gap started forming. My father was in the 64th level while the person from the branch made it to the 67th level.
I was told by the seniors from our n that the increase in difficulty between each level once you reach the 60th level threshold is as big as the stars and the earth.
The gap between them may have only been three levels apart but in there the person from the side branch may well have been half a continent apart from my father.
The irony of the situation is that even whilegging behind at the 64th level, my father had already gone past the level the previous n head had reached which was at the 62nd level," Zou Liqing said as she painfully sighed.
"As for the 67th level, the number of previous n heads who reached that far is not more than ten. Everyone that day young or old were all in disbelief by what we were seeing.
My father someone dubbed as a genius whose talents may one day rival that of the famous third ancestor was beingpletely overshadowed by someone unknown and younger than him. If we were that shocked, I can only imagine how stupefying it was for him.
But he still went on and managed to reach the 67th level too but by that time the person from the side branch had set an even more absurd record. He was already at the 70th level.
Only four people have ever made it that far and one of them is the third ancestor. As for the other three, each one of them left a legendary reputation during their time both within the n and outside."
Chapter 155 Zou Siblings Past (2)
?"At that point even though we didn''t want to admit it, the chances of our dad bing the next n head were very slim. The final nail in the coffin was when the person from the side branch made it to the 71st level.
It has been 20,000 years since anyone made it that far and at that point, he became the third person in the whole history of the Zou n to make it that far.
By that point, all we could hope for was for our father to concede and make it out alive. As long as he made it out alive, we would still get to remain with the Main branch since the banishment stiption only takes effect when thepetitor dies or ends up with fatal injuries that can never be recovered.
If father forfeited everything would have been okay. But things didn''t go as we expected.
Even though it took long, our father managed to reach the 67th level, bing the sixth person in the whole of the n''s history to reach that far. We thought with such an achievement he would feel okay forfeiting because based on how long it took for him to clear the two levels, it seemed like it was getting harder and harder for him.
He went on to challenge the 68th level and died five minutester¡" Zou Liqin went silent as her gaze became unfocused and cloudy.
"I wonder what he was thinking at the time," she slowly and painfully uttered as tears streamed down her face.
Yang Qing sighed at their story. There was nothing he could do or say to make the loss and confusion they felt make sense or hurt any less. He chose just to be silent. He even felt awkward grabbing the red sweet and sour pork fillet that was calling at him.
"The moment his status showed deceased on the stone tablet, our mother charged into the artifact...
She died on the 48th level. We didn''t even get to see their bodies¡Because my mother recklessly charged in while the test was still going on, she broke n rules of the n head selection with her interference even though our father was dead at that time.
Since she died in there, the punishment fell on us but our grandfather stood up for us and took the punishment upon himself. The top leaders epted the suggestion though I think it had a little bit to do with the lingering sentiments and respect they had for our father.
Our grandfather got sentenced for 5,000 years. He was to be locked up in one of the forbidden locations of the n for those years. It''s a horrendous ce that anyone below the pce realm would die within a week if they were sent there.
We must have done horrible things in our past lives to deserve such an ending. We lost three family members in just a day," Zou Yi had decided to take over with the ending. His voice was still trembling with sorrow and anger as his eyes shed with confusion.
"Liqin and I got banished from the main branch with a few things to go start over at the other side branches.
However, none of those branches wanted anything to do with us because of optics. To them, It would not look too good in the n head''s eyes if they were seen harboring the children of hispetitor. Also with both our parents dead and grandfather locked up, we essentially had no backing to rely on that would make these branches reconsider.
So my sister and I decided to start off somece new away from the eyes of the Zou n. Even though the present n head might not have anything against us but the same can''t be said about those trying to curry favor with him or the other countless members that were overshadowed by father and had long grown resentful about it.
There have been cases of exiled members dying under ''mysterious circumstances'' before they arrived at the branches.
We got shunnedpletely both within and outside the n. The fawning expressions we used to get turned to open hostility and mockery. It''s only due to the n rules, my grandfather, and a few elders who thought favorably about my father that we were not secretly murdered within the n grounds.
After the burial of our parents, we used every treasure we had on hand to secure safe passage out of the n''s territory.
It''s onlyter that we learned the ''merchant'' we happened to stumble onto to help us leave was someone arranged for by my father before the test. He was a failsafe he had arranged in case things didn''t go as nned.
Even beyond the grave, he was still looking out for us," Zou Yi said as he smiled with sadness.
"He always worried a lot and liked to over n things. His arrangement shouldn''t have been a surprise," Zou Liqin softly said as she smiled.
"Yes, he was always like that," Zou Yi as he lightly chuckled.
"I miss them,"
"Me too,"
¡.
Yang Qing decided to give them a few minutes. Based on his interaction with the Zou siblings he expected them to have a tragic tale behind them he didn''t expect it to be so tragic to that extent.
The Order couldn''t intervene in their matter since everything that just happened was within their n rules and the Order couldn''t interfere with them, it would be overstepping their bounds. Plus he had a feeling the two siblings wouldn''t want it either.
"Thank you for trusting me with your past," Yang Qing said as he woke up and gave them a daoist salute, drawing shocked looks from the two siblings. Removing the background that they no longer had now, they were basically body-refining antspared to Yang Qing''s realm. It was unheard of for a pce realm expert to give a daoist salute to those weaker than themselves even when they were close rtives, it was something unimaginable.
This world was a ce where hierarchy and how you were treated mostly depended on strength or background and they both had neither.
"You deserve it. Where I''m from it''s pretty normal to do so. We don''t give cultivation realms much thought but instead do so to the person''s spirit. Even if a domain expert was here, if they had a rotten spirit I wouldn''t give them a daoist salute.
The salute was for both of you, your parents and grandfather. From what I can tell they seem like really admirable people deserving of my respect. Strength or power has nothing to do with it," Yang Qing gently said as he smiled.
"By the way big brother you didn''t tell us where you are from," Zou Liqin suddenly asked with a curious look. Zou Yi seemed curious too as he leaned over the table almost tipping over the table filled with spring rolls luckily Yang Qing swiftly reacted to put the te back in ce but not before snagging one for his troubles.
"Well, my name is Yang Qing and I''m a judge from the Order," Yang Qing said closely monitoring their expressions with a teasing smile.
Zou Yi had his eyes and mouth wide open as Zou Liqin was frozen like a million-year-old block of abyssal ice.
It took a few minutes before they reacted.
"Wait, big brother, you''re really from the Order? The same Order, Order, and not some other organization that happens to share the same name?" Zou Yi shockingly asked as his spittle flew everywhere.
A formless barrier formed in front of Yang Qing evaporating all spit that flew his way. Zou Liqin wasn''t lucky as she caught some on her hair, face, and even her eye.
"ZOU YI?!!!!!!" she venomously said with a murderous expression which made Zou Yi flinch as he nervouslyughed.
"Sorry about that Liqin," Zou Yi said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head and calmly sat down.
"Yes I''m from the Order," Yang Qing sinctly said as he made his robes change to his official look when he was in the courtroom before swiftly changing them back to the grey robes.
During the transformation, the two siblings had at some point left their seats and sandwiched Yang Qing to the left and right as they admired the robes up close with glittering eyes.
"Cool," Zou Yi said. Luckily this time he was careful enough not to throw spittle everywhere in his excitement though Zou Liqin wasn''t in any headspace to notice anything as her eyes were solidly glued to the robes.
"You can touch it if you want," Yang Qing said once he saw her hesitation every time she brought her hands forward.
"It''s really soft, softer than even the ones we saw from the n," Zou Liqin said admiringly.
"Big brother, are you some old monster?" Zou Yi suddenly asked when he remembered Yang Qing''s strength. Most pce stage experts even at his n were old, like his grandfather looked like a 50-year-old man but was infact 1,200 years old.
When he saw Yang Qing up close with his youngish look, questions about his age shed in his head. As kids, they used to y a guessing game on the age of some of their seniors. It never ended well for them when one of those seniors found out but it was a fun game to y nheless.
"Liqin should we?" Zou Yi asked with apetitive spirit.
"We should..the bet?" Zou Liqin said not shrinking back.
"The loser drinks all the remaining ginkgo tea in one go," Zou Yi fearlessly said as he grinned.
"Fine, no making excuses when you lose. The same rules apply. Plus or minus 100," Zou Liqin said.
Yang Qing was surprised to see the shy girl he had been interacting with transforming into a fearless dragon.
"Deal," They both said as they firmly shook hands.
"On the count of three then¡.One...Two...Three...
700"
"200"
Yang Qing was still puzzled at what they were doing.
"Big brother what''s your age?" Zou Yi eagerly asked with a look of victory.
"So that''s what is going on. I can''t believe you guys think I''m that old," Yang Qing said as he drylyughed.
"I''m only 23 years old," Yang Qing said as he shook his head.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!!!!!!!!! The two siblings loudly yelled. Luckily the sound barrier was still there so their voices were enclosed within the barrier.
Chapter 156 Zou Siblings’ Resolve
?They both looked at Yang Qing with disbelief showing in their eyes.
"Big brother you''re not just saying this to look cool?" Zou Yi asked with a suspicious look.
"I''m not¡it''s not exactly strange, is it? There are pce stage experts who are younger than me at the Order while others around the same age as me and I know for a fact there are some like me in some of the rank 1 sects much less the holynds.," Yang Qing offhandedly said.
He would have added their father to the mix since he was a 33-year-old blue-grade formation master. He could be considered a talent even by the Order''s standards. But he decided against it, for fear of souring their moods.
The tale behind the n head selection made him more curious about their current head who was seemingly younger and showed so much talent to eclipse a 33-year-old blue-grade formation master.
"If nothing unexpected happens, the Zou family may soon rise into a rank 1 family," Yang Qing mused as the two siblings eyed him like some rare artifact.
"Big brother with our talent¡?" Zou Yi hesitantly asked. When the rush of excitement had worn off, he couldn''t help but notice their current predicament.
They were just at the bronze realm of the body refining stage. In the three years they were making their way out of the Zou family territory, they didn''t have time to cultivate and they were forbidden to use the Main n''s techniques the moment they were banished.
With no cultivation arts and resources, their cultivation had stagnated in those three years.
They would be heading into the Order, a ce known to be the stomping grounds of world-defying geniuses, he couldn''t help but feel self-conscious about his current realm along with if he had the talent to actually get in. Even if Yang Qing spoke up for them, the Order was known for its impartiality when it came to these things.
Zou Liqin seemed to be sharing the same fears too as she too went silent as worry showed on her face.
"You don''t have to worry too much about not having the talent to get in, as long as you give it your all the rest will work itself out. The Order doesn''t only take gifted geniuses in cultivation. The Order needs talent in many different areas and cultivation is just one part amongst a long list of other parts. You both may have talents in those other parts.
You''re both conscientious people, I''m sure the Order will have a ce for you. So don''t sell yourself short. Just do the best you can down to thest second," Yang Qing said as he rubbed their heads.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin clenched their fists with fire zing in their eyes.
"If you do manage to get in we could help you relocate your parent''s graves back to the Order if you want. Even bringing back your grandfather may not be an issue though it would be a little troublesome but as long as you be a member of the Order it is doable," Yang Qing softly said a bit cautious about whether the question will lead them back to their despondent looks.
"No, they''re fine where they are. Our parents would want it that way. Despite how things turned out in the end, it doesn''t change the reverence and pride they held as members of the Zou family.
They were buried with honors at the Zou ancestral burial grounds. I know they are at peace while keeping each otherpany. As for grandfather, I know he wouldn''t agree to leave the n. His entire being is anchored there. It would be unfair of us to ask him to leave all he has ever known behind. He has lost too much and sacrificed so much for us already, we can''t possibly ask any more of him," Zou Yi said as he sadly smiled.
"We don''t bear any resentment against the Zou n for what happened. That''s not to say we didn''t at some point.
During the first year after losing our parents and our grandfather imprisoned, the pain brought by that loss led us down a pit of bitterness, rage, resentment, and never-ending me. We med the Zou n for using such a dangerous test as a method for selecting the n head, our father for not knowing when to give up, our mother for forgetting about us as she recklessly charged in after our father, our grandfather for taking our punishment denying us a chance at death which would have been a weed relief since we could join our parents instead of the endless torment we had to endure as the living.
The list of me was pretty long¡" Zou Yi said as his gaze became distant.
"But we don''t me them anymore. We may not be over their deaths and sacrifices but moving on is the burden we have to bear as their children so they don''t worry and also it''s our responsibility as children of the Zou family.
Our circumstances are not unique within the n. Actually that''s one of the things that has helped us in continuously trying to move on. At the n, there''s no shortage of those who went through the same thing we are going through now when their loved ones failed and died in the selection process. But they continued on and the side branches that came up as a result of it are proof of that.
Liqin and I promised we would live our fullest lives though as you can see we are not doing a good job of that with our pitiful looks but we are improving and learning to.
We want to be brave and charge through to ourst breaths like our father who kept on charging through to hisst breath or our mother who went in after him and our grandfather who showed no hesitation in taking the sword of punishment that was meant for us.
We want to live and grow then if we are able to, we can go back and show him, his sacrifice wasn''t for nothing," Zou Yi said as he cheerfully smiled whilst holding Zou Liqin''s hand.
"Imend your resolve. I''m sure the Order if anything will help you live the lives you envisioned and I''ll also be there to support you in any way I can," Yang Qing said with a heartfelt sigh.
Chapter 157 Dealing With The Black Viper
?"We will be leaving in a few minutes so eat up. Once we are done here we will go together to one of my evaluation sites andter I''ll have you picked up by someone from one of the branches who will arrange for your transportation back to the Order," said Yang Qing as he went about wolfing down his share.
Ideally, the best and fastest option would have been to have them sent to the Yellow ins county branch which was the closest and also the only branch within his quadrant with a domain expert. However, after his potential little problem with the Golden bamboo pavilion that he left them with, he didn''t have the cheek to also dump the two siblings on them.
"Mmh the Deer Mountain Kingdom branch is the closest one from here I can have them pick them up at the evaluation point close by," muttered Yang Qing as he recalled the map he had been going through on the flight over.
"By the way do you two know the ck viper gang?" Yang Qing suddenly asked when he remembered the shady hawk-nosed person who was tailing them on their walk over.
Both Zou Yi and Zou Liqin flinched once they heard that name.
"Big brother, why do you ask?" Zou Yi shakily asked.
"I discovered one of their members tailing us earlier, him," said Yang Qing as he used a mystical art to reproduce an image of the hawk-nosed person.
"It''s Shu Wei," said Zou Yi as he gritted his teeth. Zou Liqin had a deep frown and a look of disgust when she saw that image.
"No wonder I''ve been feeling uneasy all day like trouble was lurking right around the corner. Why is he following us though? It can''t be for anything good," Zou Yi as he pensively bit his nails deep in thought.
"Most of the members of the ck viper are scary people but I always get a slimy dangerous feeling from him every now and then when there''s no one around," said Zou Liqin as her frown grew deeper. She never liked anyone from the ck viper due to their ruthless personalities but Shu Wei was the one who made her skin crawl even deeper than the rest.
"He has always felt off like the Shu Wei we see is a mask hiding a hideous monster underneath. There are times he scares me more than even Lei He despite his subservient attitude when in the ck viper''sir," Zou Yi fearfully added.
"Luckily we are leaving, so their ns don''t matter anymore but what about grandpa and grandma Wang. They may get targeted after we leave. With their foundation-level cultivation base they won''t be able to stand against even some of the upper members like iron tooth who has a peak foundation-level cultivation base let alone Lei He who I heard may be at the fourth stage of the core formation realm," Zou Yi worriedly muttered as he bit his nails with greater intensity.
"Big brother can you help Grandpa and grandma Wang. They are good people maybe they can even be cooks at the Order. Their food is delicious right?" said Zou Liqin as she made a hopeful plea for them.
"If only they knew the people they are worried about are peak core formation experts who would defeat a hundred people like Lei He easily. The ck viper is nothing more than a fly to them. But these kids are something, they managed to notice something off about that hawk-nosed person or did he purposely let his guard down when in their presence?
Considering the aura surrounding him, it wouldn''t be strange," thought Yang Qing as his eyes narrowed toward a figure hiding within the shadows of a building.
"A blood fiend cultivator. He must have an impressive artifact on him to hide his true look and maintain his sanity," Yang Qing yfully mused before he turned his gaze back to the two siblings.
"The leader of the ck viper gang is the one who sent him after you. He is to continuously monitor your movement throughout the day untilter when someone else is sent toe pick you both up. The person in charge of collecting you is called Iron teeth if I''m getting the name right. You will thenter be delivered to someone from the Mo family. who seems to be themissioner of the whole thing," Yang Qing calmly exined the situation to them.
"This?!!!" the Zou siblings faintly shivered as their pupils froze when they heard all that.
"It would have been over for us had wended in the Mo family''s clutches. There have been appalling stories floating around about the fate of those who end up in the Mo family crosshairs within the city. At the capital, they may be reserved but here they lord it over like kings. And that bastard Lei He!! Even after all the money and information we gave him over the years, he sold us out," said Zou Yi as he ground his teeth.
"It seems I need to add the Mo family into my investigations along with the royal family of the Red Maple Empire. Just to cover the bases I think cing all the major families under investigation would be more prudent," muttered Yang Qing.
"As for the ck viper gang¡," Yang Qing''s eyes narrowed before they glowed with an idea.
¡
Kitchen of Wang''s restaurant.
"I''m sorry to disturb you but can youe over for a second, please? I have something to discuss with you, it concerns the Zhi siblings."
The old couple was hard at work preparing the meals when they suddenly froze from hearing a voice sound in their minds.
They stared at each other and they both could see the fear in each other''s eyes.
"What do we do?" fearfully asked grandma Wang as she tightly clenched the knife in her hands.
"What can we do other than go," Grandpa Wang bitterly said as he undid his apron and fixed his robes. He nced at thedle for a second before he decided to leave it.
Grandma Wang noted his actions but didn''t say anything as she too undid her apron and fixed her hair up a bit before they made their way out together.
"If he asks about our background, I have no intention of hiding it. We have already sacrificed too much including our sons'' cultivation life. This time I''m putting our family first," Grandpa Wang solemnly said as he made his way out the door.
"It''s good you''re sensible. I nned on doing the same though it''s surprising hearing that from an old dog like you. I expected you to bleed for the empire to your dying breath," Grandma Wang said as she chuckled.
"What do you know? I''m already old, these old bones stopped producing blood ages ago," grandpa Wang said as he harrumphed.
"This is it," said Grandpa Wang.
"Are you scared?"
"Of course,"
"Me too"
The old couple smiled at each other as stepped on thest step up the stairs. Their eyes focused on the green-haired youth waving them over with a calm smile while by his feetid a pale-faced person who was currently kneeling with the most fearful expression they have ever seen.
Chapter 158 Crimson Wave
?"Greetings mystic master," the two both offered daoist salutes as they bent their backs in greeting.
Zou Yi was puzzled at the couple''s reaction. They seemed to be fearful of Yang Qing. He found it strange since if it wasn''t for Yang Qing disappearing before their faces they would have never guessed his cultivation realm. From their n records he knew that the greater the disparity in cultivation realms the harder it is for the weaker party to detect anything different with the stronger party.
Only those who were at the same level or close would be able to realize each other''s cultivation base. But based on the couple''s reaction it seemed like they were aware of Yang Qing''s cultivation realm despite only being in the middle stages of the foundation establishment realm.
"You don''t have to do that, you can just call me Yang Qing. Agewise you can even be considered my seniors," Yang Qing said as he lifted them up with an invisible force.
The couple looked up in confusion because in their eyes despite Yang Qing looking young they had gone down the typical assumptive route, which they assumed he was just an old monster donning a young look.
It wasmon practice and most pce realm experts were usually over 1,000 years old as for the younger ones they were prodigies of rank 1 organizations and holynds who rarely made appearances.
Yang Qing next words interrupted their spective thoughts.
"The reason I called you just like I said earlier is because of them and our little friend here," Yang Qing said as he pointed towards the Zou siblings and the man kneeling down respectively.
Zou Liqin had a happy expression on her face since she assumed Yang Qing was about to suggest they relocate with them. As for the old couple they were surprised at what a pce realm big shot needed their help with when he could handle the matter easily.
"A blood fiend cultivator?!" Grandpa Wang said in surprise when he got a clear look at the man kneeling.
Grandma Wang took notice a few seconds after he did due to his sudden exmation. When they came in they were so tense that they blocked out everything else except Yang Qing.
Only when Yang Qing pointed at the kneeling person did they have the time to notice a few distinctive features on that person that sent waves of fear coursing through their bodies.
The kneeling person had pale white skin, thin red fibrous patterns on his skin, bone-like nails, and purple-red pupils along with a baleful aura surrounding him that had the apaniment of the metallic smell of blood.
These were the signs of a blood-fiend cultivator. These were cultivators who cultivated through draining other cultivators'' blood essence. In simpler terms, they literally devoured someone''s cultivation realm.
One could rapidly improve their cultivation realm as long as they sessfully devoured someone''s blood essence however despite the fast progress it came with its inherent risks. One of them was mental corrosion that turned the blood-fiend users into nothing more than murderous bloodthirsty beasts who couldn''t restrain themselves.
This wasmonly observed in those who just started using the art. They would be quickly swallowed up in the thrill of the rapid increase in strength which then devolves into the thrill of ughter and blood consumption very soon their sense of self and reason disappears till all they are is a puppet for their cravings.
Viges, towns, cities, and even some weaker kingdoms have been decimated because of an out-of-control blood fiend cultivator. Normal orthodoxies be they sects, empires, ns, other organizations, or rogue cultivators, as long as they are not blood fiend cultivators themselves, would put all enmity aside to eliminate a spotted blood fiend cultivator or cult.
The whole continent has a shared distaste for them due to the damage they cause.
The reaction isn''t unwarranted since there was once an organization called the Crimson wave close to ten thousand years ago that wasposed solely of blood-fiend cultivators.
The founder of the Crimson wave was a former prodigy of a rank 1 sect who fell out with it when it was discovered he conducted taboo arts on his fellow disciples.
He lived constantly on the run from the sect as he slowly formed the group. He kept improving on the blood fiend cultivation arts highlighting its major weaknesses, the mental corrosion. After close to a thousand years he finally created an art called the crimson resurrection tide which in terms of the quality of grade was just inches away from bing a purple-grade art. It was a bonafide top-rank gold-grade cultivation art.
With it, he transformed the Crimson wave from a rootless organization made of runaways into a behemoth that shook the entire continent. With the rapid increase in strength and the mental corrosion issue being reduced, they had a burst increase in strength.
After the creation of the art within a few centuries, they had more than twenty domain experts while the founder stepped into the soul formation realm. He bided his time for a few more centuries till he finally bared his fangs on his former sect and decimated it within a week.
The sect had two soul formation experts and over a dozen domain realm experts but even they couldn''t handle the onught of the Crimson wave.
After its destruction, the organization added three more soul formation experts to its ranks along with a wider increase in the numbers of those in the domain realm and below. With their surging numbers, they plunged the continent into a never-ending blood bath with the organization growing stronger after every sessive battle.
With the reputation it had of rapid increase in strength with no setbacks whatsoever even some orthodox sects and organizations joined the Crimson wave. Their numbers continued to increase to such an astronomical degree that you''d find a crimson wave member all over the continent, there was not a single ce thatcked them they had even encroached thends of the holynds.
The holynds at the time were just calm observers detached from the whole thing. They only made a move when one of the disciples from the radiant sword sect became a victim of one of the members of the Crimson wave.
The continent finally got to see a glimpse of what it meant to be a Holynd.
From the records Yang Qing read, the radiant sword sect dispatched four inner core elders and a hundred core disciples against the Crimson wave.
It was an impressive lineup since the inner core elders were all in the soul formation realm as for the hundred core disciples, a third of them were in the domain realm while the rest were in the pce realm.
Yang Qing remembered how shocked he was when he read about it since he knew as far as the internal structure of the radiant sword sect went, above the inner core elders were the core elders and after that, he heard there were the supreme elders who in terms of status were even superior to the sect master.
As for the disciples'' hierarchy, he heard there was one rank above the core disciples that was left for the best of the best. Its numbers were few but all who made it to that rank could no longer be described as geniuses. Those who made it to that rank were called the sword heart disciples.
Even though the four inner core elders and hundred core disciples were not weak by any measure, their presence made a lot of people more fearful and awed especially those old organizations who were in the know about their internal structure.
A cleansing tsunami ensued with the radiant sword sect team hunting down every crimson wave member they came across as they destroyed stronghold after stronghold. Other organizations who hadn''t thrown their lot with the crimson wave joined in on the momentum as a continent-wide battle front swarmed together under the banner of the Radiant sword sect.
The purge and hunt went on for almost a century with most of the Crimson wave stronghold decimated, the ns and other organizations who had joined them tried to defect but they were destroyed along with them leading to the astronomical loss of many long-standing heritages. However, there were also innocent victims in the purge who got falsely used due to some enmity with a few parties. No one had been in the mood to verify the veracity of whether a certain party was a true coborator or not.
As long as suspicion was cast on them, they would soon be swarmed. The carnage was worse than even when the Crimson wave rose to prominence.
About two hundred yearster, the upper echelon along with the founder of the Crimson wave was besieged by the inner core elders of the radiant sword sect along with some of the domain realm core disciples along with a few other domain experts and soul formation experts from other organizations who had tagged along.
A fearsome battle ensued between the two groups which ended in the decimation of the crimson wave members however things didn''t go as easily as they expected. The crimson wave had hidden itself well not even counting the founder, they had nine soul formation experts hidden within their ranks.
Two of the inner core elders of the radiant sword sect died in the siege but not before triggering a secret technique that summoned one of the supreme elders from the radiant sword sect. But by that time the team had suffered enormous losses.
The supreme elder single-handedly decimated the remaining sources while the founder of the Crimson wave held on until thest minute till he exploded into a rain of blood.
His blood turned into a literalke that continuously corrodes thend the battle took ce in and the battleground turned into a perilous ce filled with sword qi that would shred a pce realm cultivator to pieces and a blood mist that would easily corrode their minds.
However, despite the battle ending over 10,000 years ago, the echoes of that period still remain. It was an extremely dark period even by the standards of a war-prone area such as the southern continent. A monster in the name of the crimson wave had risen to feed on the very nature of the continent till it threatened its very survival.
To date, blood fiend cultivators are constantly hunted and purged with major organizations around the continent such as the Order even offering rich bounties for every proven blood fiend cultivator caught or information that may lead to theirir. The radiant sword sect even asionally sends its outer core disciples for training missions to purge blood-fiend cultivators.
However, despite the constant attacks, blood-fiend cultivators never stop appearing. Worse still, the art created by the founder of the Crimson wave, the crimson resurrection tide went missing during the attack on their main stronghold. The rumor floating around is that it''s with the founder who didn''t really die in the attack by the supreme elder of the Radian sword sect and is instead biding his time for a second wave.
It''s not known whether there is any truth to the statement but what is known is the art is indeed missing and frequently among the blood fiend cultivators caught there would be those who exhibit the signature characteristics of the crimson resurrection tide cultivation art, such as the member by Yang Qing''s feet who had some rationality to him despite only having an early stage core formation cultivation level.
This in and of itself was proof the inherent teachings of the Crimson wave are still being passed on even 10,000 yearster.
Chapter 159 Old Couple’s Connections
?"Myst¡I mean master Yang Qing what can we help you with? If it''s within our means we would be more than d to do so," firmly said grandpa Wang.
Though asionally the eyes of the odd couple would dart toward the kneeling blood fiend cultivator.
Some part of them seemed a tad bit apprehensive since they assumed the matter might have to do with blood fiend cultivators and if it did that would be a huge headache.
The constant hunt and purge of blood-fiend cultivators have made them the thorniest opponents one can ever deal with.
They have abnormally high vitality and due to constant threats to their lives, they always risk it all out with their opponents even to the extent of perishing together since if they''re caught they will end up with a fate far worse than death.
Their sturdiness and reckless fighting methods has made most to be wary when confronting a blood-fiend cultivator. Rarely would one do so alone, it would usually be a team so the risk can be collectively shared.
"It''s nothing big really, especially to people of your caliber. I would have handled it myself but it''s just that I''m a little short on time and I want to avoid drawing too much attention to myself if I can. Don''t worry it has nothing to do with blood-fiend cultivators. He will be leaving with me," Yang Qing said seemingly reading their thoughts.
Even though the old couple didn''t show it, inwardly they were sighing in relief.
"How well do you know Purple city?" asked Yang Qing.
The old couple being seasoned foxes understood the hidden meaning behind Yang Qing''s question.
They knew what he was really asking was how deep their connections went in the Red maple empire.
"I won''t lie to you, if we invited the City lord for a meal in our humble abode he would be all too d to oblige," grandma Wang was the one who replied with a bit of enthusiasm and life in her.
It seemed the execution they had expected for may infact turn into an opportunity to sow a connection with a pce realm expert.
"Mmh figures," Yang Qing inwardly thought.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin were thoroughly shocked at Grandma Wang''s statement as they kept throwing strange looks her way.
They also kept feeling themunication between Yang Qing and the Wang couple seemed a bit off.
"Grandma Wang you know the city lord?" Zou Yi couldn''t help but ask.
"We took care of him when he was a scrawny youth afraid of even his own shadow," Grandpa Wang said as he lightly chuckled while stroking his beard.
"But you''re just in the foundation stage and the city lord may be older than you even if you both look older than him," Zou Yi innocently asked in confusion trying to do the math before he suddenly flinched in fear when he saw the dangerous look grandma Wang was giving him.
"Little Zhi we seem to have another barrel of ginkgo tea lying around specially prepared for you. You won''t be leaving until you finish it all," grandma Wang said as she gave the most gentle smile she could give as her eyes turned crescent-shaped.
Zou Yi awkwardlyughed as he kept throwing help signs to Zou Liqin who purposely ignored them as she took a bite from the blueberry cake while humming.
"It would be good for the two of them if they came along. With the losses they have endured it would be a pity to separate them," Yang Qing thought as he took in the interaction between the couple and the Zou siblings.
¡..
"This makes things easier. The ck viper is after the two of them and it''s at the behest of someone from the Mo family. The thing I needed help with is taking care of the ck viper and the person from the Mo family.
With your strength and connections to the city lord it should be an easy thing, no?" said Yang Qing.
"Big brother, grandpa, and grandma Wang are just in the foundation establishment there''s no way they can handle a dangerous organization like the ck viper that has a middle-stage core formation expert not to mention the Mo family that has numerous experts.
They''ll die!!!" Zou Liqin suddenly said as she dropped the spoon in her hand. Her eyes widened as her body trembled in fear and dread.
It seemed like Zou Yi wanted to throw a few words in but Yang Qing interjected before he got a chance to.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding about something," Yang Qing said as he bitterly smiled at the reproachful gazes the two siblings were currently throwing his way.
"Should you or can I?" Yang Qing politely asked the old couple.
"We will do it," Grandpa Wang said as he sighed. There was a gentle appreciative gaze in his eyes as he looked at the two Zou siblings who were speaking back against a pce stage expert on their behalf.
"Truly young calves are not even afraid of lions," grandma Wang muttered as she chuckled.
They both removed matching silver amulets that looked to be two halves of each other. The moment they did the pressure of core formation experts was brought to bear even if their physical looks didn''t change they no longer looked like they had one foot in the coffin.
"This?!!!!" Zou Yi shockingly got up from his seat along with Zou Liqin as they looked at the old couple who were still smiling at them with the same kind gaze their grandfather used to give them.
"It''s even stronger than the pressure given off by Lei He," said Zou Liqin.
"You''re both core formation experts?" asked Zou Yi still in disbelief.
"We are. We didn''t mean to deceive you both but our current circumstances don''t permit us to reveal our true selves. If we did that then we would not be able to do the job we were given in Purple city.
It''s why we couldn''t outwardly help you with the ck viper since most of the underground organizations within the Purple city are supported in some way shape or form by the noble families around and a few of the peak organizations around.
Intervening would inadvertently blow our covers.
We are truly sorry for not helping you despite being able to," grandpa Wang softly said.
One could see the regret in both his and grandma Wang''s eyes.
Chapter 160 [Bonus ]Yang Qing Makes An Offer To The Old Couple
?"What are you talking about? It''s not your fault, you helped us plenty!!" Zou Yi hurriedly said as he skipped over the table to hold their hands with Zou Liqin already beating him to it.
"If it wasn''t for you, we wouldn''t be alive today like when you used that precious herb to help Yi when he was sick or the numerous times you gave us shelter and support.
It''s because of you being there that we started looking forward to living each day. It was because of you and the rest of the customers that the days seemed bearable.
We can never repay you all for the gift you gave us but you saved us more than you know. For that, I thank you grandpa Wang, grandma Wang," Zou Liqin tearfully said as she tightly held their hands.
"There''s no need to beat yourselves up besides we were stubbornly stupid and prideful to have epted your help then even if you offered," Zou Yi added with a foolish grin.
"It''s true you are pretty stupid Zhi Da, unlike Luoran''er. If it wasn''t for her you''d be rotting in the city lord dungeons," grandma Wang teasingly said as she used a bit of her cultivation to destroy the tears that were about to fall.
"It seems you two hid something too, Yi''er," said Grandpa Wang as he noted the slip-up when Zou Liqin was talking earlier.
"Well, we have a few things to share," Zou Yi awkwardlyughed as he scratched the back of his head.
Yang Qing didn''t interrupt them as he went about finishing up his meals with relish before they went cold. As for the kneeling blood fiend cultivator at the side, he was conveniently forgotten. If it wasn''t for his incessant trembling one wouldn''t even have known he was there.
After a couple of minutes, the Zou siblings had already filled in the old couple about their past.
"You''ve been through too much," Grandpa Wang sighed as he gently patted their heads.
"Master Yang Qing you can rest assured we will handle the ck viper and the Mo family too. The Mo family has gotten too arrogant. Just because they have a pce realm expert they think they have the same authority as the royal family.
These old bones of mine have been itching for a fight for some time now," Grandpa Wang viciously said as a thick killing intent shed in his eyes.
"After this, we can be true restaurant owners," added grandma Wang with an equally cold malevolent look.
"I actually enjoy working in the restaurant more than I thought I would," grandpa Wang said as he chuckled.
The moment they acted they would essentially be blowing their covers in Purple city. After hearing about the two siblings'' past they would regret it if they didn''t do anything at all for the sake of doing their duties.
They had tacitly decided to throw all caution to the wind.
When Yang Qing asked if they would suffer any bacsh from their employers they smugly answered that they had a lot of merit points and deep connections, with one of them being one of the pce realm experts of the empire. The worst punishment they would get was getting an earful of how negligent and reckless their actions were and nothing more.
They had even decided they would retire after and be true restaurant owners and it would no longer just be a cover.
The Zou siblings congratted them as Zou Liqin threw pointing pleading looks at Yang Qing.
"There is also another matter I would like to discuss with you." Yang Qing decided to make the offer before Zou Liqin snapped her neck with her not-so-subtle pointing.
"What is it, master Yang Qing?"
"Once I''m done here I will be leaving in a few minutes and the Zou siblings will be leaving with me.
With their ties to the Zou family and the inherent dangers it may bring, it''s safer for them to be as far away from the Zou n as much as possible.
Even if we assume the n may not necessarily pay them any attention the same cannot be said of the Zou n''s enemies who would have no qualms about harming or using them for their own gains.
Leaving is the safest option and a fresh start would not be a bad thing for them. However, they would like you both toe with them. I would too, your food is good and I know it would be just as appreciated where I''m from," Yang Qing calmly said.
"So you''re leaving huh? I think it''s a smart decision," grandpa Wang said with a sad expression as Grandma Wang echoed his sentiments.
Based on their past experience and the entanglements of these big organizations they knew how messy it could get and the thin rope the two siblings were currently walking on.
Even though they had essentially escaped the Zou n territory they had not run that far. The five clover kingdom that bordered the Red maple empire was a subordinate kingdom of the Zou n and they had numerous spies spread about in the Red maple empire, especially in an important ce such as the Purple city.
Even with their connections, they knew it would be hard to ensure the kids'' safety.
"Where will you be taking them?" asked grandma Wang.
"To the Order," Yang Qing calmly said as he took thest bite of hisst scallion pancake. In that brief moment the Zou siblings were sharing their past he had already cleared all the meals that were on his table.
He was currently dangerously eyeing the leftover blueberry cake the Zou siblings had left. The Zou siblings quickly reacted as they split the remaining piece between themselves and downed it with the ginkgo tea.
Tsk.
Yang clicked in disappointment.
The old couple in the meanwhile had nked out with their eyes wide open and they were not alone in this as the kneeling blood fiend cultivator had stopped shivering and was still like a frozen corpse.
"So what do you say? Do you want toe with us?" Yang Qing asked the dumbfounded couple.
Their reactions were more exaggerated than the siblings'' because the higher your horizons were the more you know. With the experience from their past upation, they intimately knew how fearsome the Order was as opposed to two kids who based their perception from bard tales.
It was a different case to those who had actually seen them work and it was never a glory tale half the time especially if you were the one in wrong. Individual, n, kingdom, empire, sect, rogue cultivator it didn''t matter what group you fell under, as long as the gaze of the Order fell on you, their massive hammer was sure to find you.
It was only benevolent if you were the aggrieved party but if you were on the other side then it was an all-engulfing me that was ruthless, unforgiving, and unyielding.
Chapter 161 The Old Couple Falters
?"So master Yang Qing is from the Order? Truly only an institution as big as the Order is as worthy of a young dragon like yourself," grandpa Wang said without missing a beat.
Zou Yi who was busy eating his share of the blueberry cake coughed as he identally choked on it.
He threw an incredulous look grandpa Wang''s way
"I didn''t know grandpa was this good with words. He seems more of a natural at it than I am despite my years of practice. Look at that, he didn''t even flinch," Zou Yi thought as his eyes gleamed in respect for a fellow practitioner in the dao of fawning.
However,pared to grandpa Wang he was but a fledgling starting on the road while grandpa Wang seemed like a seasoned veteran who had been walking the road for centuries and even made a few contributions to the road.
Zou Yi still found it hard to reconcile the fawning expert he saw before him and the vtile grandpa Wang who would wack customers with hisdle while throwing vicious words from time to time.
His look of awe was disrupted when he turned Yang Qing''s way and saw his smug look that was covered in a thinyer of fake humility and calmness.
Tsk
Zou Yi clicked in disdain though deep down he was envious and jealous.
Yang Qing seemingly noticing this threw a few supercilious words of how he was but a humble servant of the Order with small gains not worth mentioning which drew more words of ttery not only from Grandpa Wang but also from grandma Wang too.
Yang Qing threw a hidden gloating look Zou Yi''s way before he turned his gaze back to the couple.
"You''re not even cool mmph," jealously muttered Zou Yi as he decided to turn his head and admire the streets below.
"Big brother sure is an oddball. He doesn''t carry the air of a pce realm expert at all," thought Zou Liqin as she giggled at the hidden battle between Zou Yi and Yang Qing.
¡..
"So what do you say? Any thoughts of opening up a restaurant at the Order?" asked Yang Qing once he was done cementing his status as the big brother to Zou Yi.
"This¡" grandpa Wang seemed a bit hesitant at the sudden invitation.
Even if they wanted to be genuine restaurant owners and retire, he still found it difficult just to pack up and leave the ce he had known for all his life, then there were also the regrs to think about.
They were a noisy bunch with no sensibilities when it came to good dining etiquette but they were one of the contributing factors to the homey ambiance of the Wang restaurant. Grandpa Wang felt like it would be a betrayal if he just up and left them.
But then he looked at the two siblings then another dilemma sunk in. Even if they would be moving to the Order which was safer inparison to staying in the Purple city, they would still be starting over in an unfamiliar ce.
They were just kids despite their mature demeanor and they would be alone in there. Even though Zou Yi said it was okay, he still felt guilty for not looking out for them all for the sake of maintaining his cover.
"Master Yang Qing, can you give us time to think it over? Even if we were to agree to leave with you, we can''t do it immediately. We need to let our customers know and we also need to give a polite notice to our employer about our departure and tie up a few things with him.
All these would take time, three to four months atleast. I don''t know if there''s a way to reach you once we havee to a decision?" asked grandma Wang.
"Although she is a bit hesitant like old man Wang, she seems more open to the idea of moving.
Mmh there may be a chance," Yang Qing pleasantly thought as he took out his gold eagle medallion.
"Whatever you decide on you can tell me via our branch in Yellow ins County, who will then forward the message to me.
If you do decide to make a move to the Order this is a rmendation letter that you will present to someone from the Yellow ins county branch so they can arrange your transportation to the main headquarters.
It''s quite a ways away so it''s safer for you to travel with their help rather thaning by yourselves.
This letter will be handed back to you so you can present it to the responsible personnel from the Order who will handle your permit and relocation.
It will take some time to review it but the Order will give you a ce to stay as you wait for the review process to bepleted," Yang Qing patiently exined as he stamped the scroll he had just written with his gold eagle medallion.
A silhouette of a golden eagle materialized from the medallion as it embedded itself into the scroll.
Gasps of awe escaped from the two siblings as they stared at the medallion and the eagle silhouette that seemed a little too lifelike.
Yang Qing handed the scroll to grandma Wang who along with his husband had looks of confusion on their faces. It seemed like something was bothering them but they seemed a bit hesitant to ask.
It didn''t take too much for Yang Qing to guess their thoughts.
"Opening a restaurant at the Order is a process, while my rmendation helps, the evaluation process more so due diligence can''t be skipped."
Yang Qing''s words only made them frown even deeper. They had automatically assumed if they did decide to move to the Order they would get to run a restaurant there. But now it seemed it wasn''t even a guarantee.
Their worry was what they would do if they were rejected. Would they just aimlessly stay there or embarrassinglye back to the ce they had just left to start over somece else?
None of these options was good for them, especially with the sacrifice they would be potentially making by moving.
Chapter 162 The Mercurial Emperor
?"The rules I''ve mentioned only apply to opening up an independent restaurant in the middle of court building grounds.
There are a few other options you can take in case the review doesn''t go your way; one is to work in an already established restaurant within the Order. With your skills, it wouldn''t be too hard for you to get in. I can make a few suggestions if you want.
The other is to be the siblings'' legal guardians. When they pass their entrance test they will be resettled inside the Order and they will also have the option of bringing family members with them if they have any. It isn''t restricted to blood rtives.
Based on your interaction I can see that the sentiments you share for each other are genuine and I''m willing to vouch for you which would be enough to get you resettled with them.
There''s an area within the Order where they settle students and the families of the employees of the Order. It''s called the glowing respite valley. Even though it''s basically where they go to sleep the area has devolved into a town of its own.
All sorts of businesses have been opened up there by the families of the Order employees. You could open your own restaurant there if you wanted, and the process is simpler and shorter.
I hope the exnation has assuaged any concerns you may have," said Yang Qing.
"Many thanks, master Yang Qing," said grandpa Wang as both he and grandma Wang cupped their fists in thanks.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin were clearly excited by the suggestion of the old couple being their guardians because in their minds they already considered them family. But they were mindful enough to hold themselves back despite the excitement.
They did not want their actions to pressure the couple into agreeing. Leaving a ce you knew all your life was not easy, and they knew that feeling all too well as they would asionally get nostalgic about their old home despite the tragic memory tied to it. They could only imagine it being a thousand times harder for the couple as they had lived longer and seemed to have a genuine love for their empire.
Grandpa and grandma Wang both chuckled as they saw the two siblings who were sitting on pins and needles, trying really hard to hold themselves back.
"When wee to a decision we will make sure to inform you," Grandpa Wang finally said as he smiled in gratification with a gentle gaze falling on the two siblings.
Yang Qing smiled as he cupped his fists in thanks. Even if it seemed like they were still undecided but from the looks the couple was giving the two siblings it seemed like they had alreadye to a decision.
"By the way do you know who this is?" Yang Qing suddenly asked the old couple as he reproduced an image of the orange-red-haired he had fought with a couple of minutes ago.
He felt with the connection the couple had and their admission of being close with one of the pce realm experts from the empire, they might know his identity.
Though he felt it would be awkward if the same pce realm cultivator they had deep ties with ended up being the same person he had given a solid beating to.
"That is Emperor Duan Hou, though he abdicated the throne thousands of years ago. The current emperor is his grandson. He is also one of the pce realm experts of the empire and the youngest too," grandpa Wang said with a hint of reverence in his tone.
Yang Qing noted that the old couple almost reflexively bowed the moment the image of the orange-red-haired man appeared.
"How was he as a ruler?" asked Yang Qing.
"His rule though brief inparison to his predecessors and sessors was actually the most stable and peaceful.
He was respected by all; from the ministers to the citizens. Just his mere presence alone¡,"
"Stop!! He is not here and I''m not his friend either looking to investigate how his people think of him. I just need your honest raw opinion of him as a person and as a ruler."
Yang Qing hurriedly stopped grandpa Wang who seemed like he would go on and on endlessly with titudes as if he was a court announcer introducing the emperor to the public or foreign dignitaries.
Grandpa Wang flinched once he felt a formless pressure being exuded from Yang Qing.
"Sorry about that, it''s a reflex reaction," said grandpa Wang as he dryly chuckled.
Grandma Wang sighed at his disy as she decided to step in.
"Truthfully he wasn''t the most outstanding emperor but he wasn''t mediocre either. During his reign things remained the same, there were not too many waves or surprises.
He is a person who adjusts to circumstances and has no qualms about the methods either.
To me, it always felt like he never wanted that seat and it was just hoisted on him. So when a suitable heir presented himself he was all too quick to abdicate it.
While he may not be notable as an emperor, as a cultivator it''s something else. His talent is something that hasn''t been seen among the Duan family for quite some time. He became a pce stage expert in under 2,000 years. It''s one of the fastest speeds recorded in the empire''s history.
With him we may have hopes of bing a rank 2 empire," grandma Wang said with longing in her eyes.
"What about him?" Yang Qing asked as he created an image of the elderly man.
" That''s the branch leader of the golden bamboo pavilion branch here in Purple city. He is rumored to be sworn brothers with Emperor Duan Hou," said grandma Wang.
"If you don''t mind me asking, why are you asking about them, master Yang Qing?" Grandpa Wang couldn''t help but feel curious if there was something going on with the two people Yang Qing asked about.
"Nothing really, I just met them on my way over and we parted before I even had a chance of knowing their names," Yang Qing casually exined choosing not to divulge that he had just given their former emperor a serious beating and was now lying in some dungeon getting questioned.
The Wang couple didn''t think much of the half-hearted exnation however it was a different case for the Zou siblings.
Both Zou Yi and Zou Liqin had pensive looks on their faces for some time when suddenly Zou Yi rose from his seat almost screaming out but Zou Liqin hurriedly used her hands to shut his mouth.
"Keep quiet Zou Yi and good job Liqin. Both of you act normal and don''t say anything."
Yang Qing''s voice suddenly sounded in both of their minds. They reflexively looked up before they tried to pretend their attention was on something else.
Zou Yi even made a flimsy excuse of how he had just noticed Yang Qing''s hair was green and how he wished he had one too.
"I''d like to thank you both for your hospitality. I enjoyed the meal and I hope to see you again. If you ever need my help just drop my name in any order branch and I''ll be there.
Take care grandpa Wang, grandma Wang," Yang Qing said as he offered both of them daoist salutes.
He decided to make a quick goodbye before Zou Yi made any more unbelievable excuses that would definitely draw more questions instead of deflecting them.
"And to think he wanted to be an information broker with an act like that," Yang Qing ruefully thought.
Chapter 163 Zhong Quan’s Fury (1)
?Yang Qing paid for both his and the Zou siblings'' meals. The old couple insisted he didn''t need to pay but Yang Qing still paid since the meal didn''t cost that much and effort should always be rewarded.
The meal was too good for him not to show his appreciation. He was flush with money thanks to the generous per diem he received for his upkeep during his evaluations.
He left for a few minutes to go call Ellie, though that was just an excuse since he wanted to give the old couple and the Zou siblings space to say their goodbyes.
Even if it seemed in all likelihood like the couple would be joining them at the Order, things could happen and ns could change. It was better for them to say their goodbyes now just in case something happened atleast they would have not left any words left unsaid.
¡..
Ten minutester
"Goodbye grandpa and grandma, thanks for taking care of us," Zou Yi gingerly said as he waved his hands.
Zou Liqin went and hugged them both with tears hugging the rim of her eyes.
"Thanks," she softly said. It seemed like those were the only words that coulde out of her mouth.
Even if it was just one word all present could feel the weight of the emotion behind it.
"Safe travels master Yang Qing. Yi''er, Liqin''er make sure to eat your meals and use the herbs we have given you, keep warm, don''t cause trouble¡." Grandma Wang went on with an endless list of things they should be mindful of.
If it wasn''t for grandpa Wang forcefully pulling her away it seemed like she would have gone on forever. Zou Yi who had been trying to put on a brave face during the goodbye started tearing up which became the catalyst for the dam in Zou Liqin''s eyes to overflow as they waved goodbye.
"Let''s go," Yang Qing gently said as he held their hands and flew up with them to meet Ellie who was hidden in the clouds above the restaurant. He made sure to drag the blood fiend cultivator too whom he knocked unconscious before carrying .
Both Zou Yi and Zou Liqin had their eyes wide open the moment Ellie fell into their eyesight. She had a regal bearing, a gold white plumage, and was massively huge that one of her wings could cover the whole of the Wang restaurant and still leave space.
Her questionable habits aside even Yang Qing had to admit Ellie''s base looks left an impression. It was only when she started showing her nasty habits does her awe-inspiring look disappear. And one of her nasty habits hade to bear the moment the two siblings appeared.
She released a bit of her fearsome pressure to scare them both however the terrified expressions she expected to see never came. She increased the pressure by a few more levels but still, there was no reaction.
She twisted her head in confusion almost as if to say ''what''s happening? How are two brats the size of my nostril handling this much pressure without breaking down? Even that silly dragonfly would be paralyzed by now.''
"Can you stop fooling around?"
Yang Qing''s voice halted her just as she was about to up the pressure. Seeing his clenched fist she meekly put aside any ns she had of ''weing'' the two siblings.
Yang Qing had expected something like this to happen since Ellie always did this sort of thing to someone new. She''s suffered a few times when she misjudged the situation but she still maintains the habit no matter how many punches she receives.
Luckily Yang Qing had shielded the two siblings in a formless barrier that dissipated all the pressure that came their way otherwise based on the strength that Ellie had released they would have already passed out by now.
"I''m definitely having her reeducated at the beast hall and have Luo Meili follow up when we get back," Yang Qing thought as hended on her back along with the Zou siblings.
"So soft," Zou Liqin muttered as she brushed her hands against Ellie''s feathers. Zou Yi even looked like he wanted to pluck some from the fervent gaze he was throwing at them.
Yang Qing chuckled as he shook his head at Zou Yi''s fearless thoughts. Any one of those feathers that were as soft as clouds could effortlessly slice through an early core formation expert like a knife through butter let alone a bronze body refining stage cultivator.
"We are headed to Green pine county," said Yang Qing. He had already shared an image of their travel route and evaluation points with Ellie earlier so he didn''t need to keep showing it to her, he only needed to mention the location and she would be able to get them there.
With a p of her wings, they were already a few hundred meters away from the Wang restaurant.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin didn''t even have a chance to have a mncholic goodbye to the City that they had called home for three years. They were busy reeling with excitement at how fast Ellie was flying.
Yang Qing had already covered them with a thin water-like barrier that protected them from the winds that would tear them apart due to the high speeds Ellie was flying at. The barrier also helped anchor them to Ellie''s back.
Within a few minutes, Purple city was but a dot in the background. Ellie even did a few maneuvers to show off once she heard the excitable shocked voices the Zou siblings were making. Yang Qing didn''t interfere as he let both parties enjoy their moments.
¡.
Earthvine restaurant
"I told you if you don''t change your attitude one day you will invite disaster to this ce.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID?!" Zhong Quan loudly yelled at the middle-aged man who was sprawled on the floor coughing blood. There was a four-inch deep slice mark on his chest that looked like it was done by a massive w. He was in no mood to stop the building as he stared fearfully at Zhong Quan.
The current Zhong Quan was vastly different from the amiable and gentle-looking Zhong Quan from the courtroom.
His frame had turned taller and burlier with long wild looking hair with a golden yellow iris. His hands looked like a bear''s paw with golden ws that had just soaked in blood.
He looked like a ferocious beast of ughter with thick killing intent shing in his eyes.
Chapter 164 Zhong Quan’s Fury (2)
?The rest of the workers were fearfully hurdled together as they stared at Zhong Quan and the restaurant manager with dread in their eyes. Only the two elderly-looking gentlemen in white robes seemed calm and unperturbed within the whole group of people.
A lot of the workers present were filled with confusion at how things took a drastic turn within a few minutes of the return of Zhong Quan.
It was just a few minutes ago that he came into the restaurant in a cheery mood and even loudly announced that he would give the employees raises because he made a great harvest. It was then that the restaurant manager hurriedly came down to greet him and also inform him of the Golden bamboo pavilion envoy that would being by to dine.
Everything seemed to be proceeding normal other than the short frown Zhong Quan had when he heard who wasing but it went back to normal secondster even asking for more food to be prepared no matter the cost.
However, things took a sudden turn when the manager offhandedly mentioned that someone hade in saying they knew him and how he had told them toe over for a meal if they were ever around.
Zhong Quan at first thought nothing of it when he heard that since many people would lie using his name to try and gain entry into the restaurant. He never did anything to those caught lying with his name so it was a prettymon thing. He even took it as a badge of honor that people would go to that extent despite the risk just to eat a meal at his restaurant.
Out of curiosity, he asked what the person looked like. The manager went ahead and described the person along with those he came with. The more Zhong Quan heard the description the more his eyes widened.
Toward the end, Zhong Quan rushed to the manager with eagerness in his tone asking where that person went, to which the manager said he didn''t know since he kicked them out in preparation for hosting the envoy from the Golden bamboo pavilion. He even added how it must have been a ruse from that person since he was being apanied by two children he regrly sees scamming on the streets.
It was then that he got a vicious palm strike to his chest that tore up his robes along with the deep shred marks.
The manager would have suffered an even more ferocious attack had the two elderly men not stepped in to calm down Zhong Quan.
"Master Zhong what have I done wrong?" the manager asked still in confusion and trepidation from the sudden attack.
"Tang Xue I kept you by my side despite your horrible temperament and personality due to our longtime friendship and the debt I owe to your father for always looking out for me when I was young. However, this is how you repay me!!!!?" Zhong Quan roared threatening to attack however he held himself back at thest moment.
"Do you think just because the restaurant is a subsidiary of the Golden bamboo pavilion that means we can act wantonly as we please?
The earth beneath our feet is littered with the blood and bones of those who were foolish enough to think just a little bit of background would give them the license to act however they pleased.
It isn''t from some sense of altruism that I insist on never turning away a guest despite how they look, dress, stature, or the level of their cultivation base.
You never know who you may end up provoking or what fortuitous encounter you may end up missing by narrow-mindedly judging by what you see.
But you never listen. Do you think the Golden bamboo pavilion knows or cares who you are that they would be willing to step out for you in case you got in trouble? Even the restaurant is nothing but a useless afterthought to them that they entertain much less the people that work in it.
That''s not even considering therger scheme of things. The Golden bamboo pavilion can''t even be considered a hegemon amongst rank 2 organizations much less when they are pitted against all the organizations around the continent.
There are thousands of other organizations more powerful than them. That''s why I insist on always being cordial. But you are either too arrogant or too stupid to pay my words any heed," Zhong Quan said as his look turned colder and calmer. However the calmer he looked the more terrified the manager became.
He still had no idea who he had provoked. Wasn''t it just a youth with two kids he sees scamming people by the streets? What background could they have?
"The nobody you thought you were turning away was infact someone from the Order and a particrly powerful someone at that with who I managed to form a connection. But now I guess it''s all gone especially if you behaved like you normally do. He must assume this ce is like that too by now since it''s the people that make a ce," Zhong Quan said with a tired sigh as he turned to leave.
"Tang Xue we will part our ways here. On ount of our ties, I''ll let this matter end here but I don''t want to see you here when I get back. You can go open a high-end restaurant somece else and you can even pick those who want to go with you, half of the ingredients in stock and this month''s earnings.
Think of it as my parting gift to you old friend," Zhong Quan''s voice echoed as he shut the door behind him.
"Master Zhong¡." The manager weakly said as he struggled to get up. He had a lost look in his eyes still confused at what just happened. The rest of the staff all shared the same look.
"Tang Xue you''ve truly angered him this time," one of the elderly men said as he patted the manager''s shoulder.
"What do I do?" the manager lifelessly asked.
"I think you should do as the master says and start over somece else. If you insist on staying then¡," the other elderly man softly said.
He didn''t finish his statement but they all knew there was a high likelihood that the manager would end up with a horrible fate if he ended up staying.
Zhong Quan rarely got mad but whenever he was triggered he would turn into apletely different person. It was, for this reason, the other subsidiary organizations of the Golden bamboo pavilion never went too far in theirpetitions especially when it came to him.
"Everyone get back to your posts, we still have a dinner to host," the elderly man said as he and hispatriot left for the kitchen leaving the listless Tang Xue behind.
Chapter 165 Unexpected Turn Of Events For The City Lord Of Purple City
?City Lord''s office (Purple City)
"What do you mean you haven''t seen them? They should already have been there over thirty minutes ago,"
"I haven''t seen or heard from them at all. I even sent people over to the restaurant and they haven''t spotted theming there. But I have someone waiting there just in case they show up," said a dignified-looking middle-aged man who had on ck robes with a gold cloud pattern on them.
He had orange-red hair and his hair was tied in a daoist top knot.
"Make sure to tell me if they show up,"
"I will," said the red-orange-haired middle-aged man as he put down themunication talisman in his hand.
He slumped back in his chair as a tired sigh escaped his lips.
"I hope nothing happened, but even if it did it''s not like a mere city lord can help. I shouldn''t have epted this post. Cultivating at the n''s verdant ancestral grounds is better than the headache Purple City brings," the red-orange-haired man sighed some more as he massaged his temples.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, his door got unceremoniously opened.
"DIDN''T I SAY NOT TO BE INTERRUPTED!" he madly roared as he brought forth the cultivation pressure of a tenth-stage core formation expert.
"Mmph, it seems little Hu has gotten bolder since bing the city lord that he even doesn''t put his old caretakers in his eyes anymore.
If I knew you''d turn out this way maybe I should have let that dark scythe mantis have its way with you back then," said an old man who walked in with another elderlydy by his side.
With a wave of his hand, the elderly man made the pressure that was bearing upon them disappear like a formless wind.
The red-orange-haired man on seeing the old couple hurriedly rose from his seat as he went over and offered a humble salute as he bent his waist.
"Nephew Duan Hu greets uncle master Wang Siyi and Aunt master Wang Huiyin," Duan Hu said as he faintly shivered.
While the old couple before him seemed old and harmless they were a source of nightmares to the soldiers of the Five Clover Kingdom.
Wang Siyi was a ferocious spear of carnage who tore through the defenses of the Five clover kingdom while his wife Wang Huiyin was the de in the dark striking the enemies'' key points when they least expected it.
Together they had caused endless grief to the ranks of the Five Clover Kingdom. However, their greatest act of notoriety was when they worked together to ughter an up aning young general of the Five clover kingdom who had just taken half step into the pce realm.
The young general had just gotten sudden enlightenment from battle and had thus decided to close himself off while in the camp rather than risk the chance opportunity escaping from him. He sessfully improved his cultivation from the peak of core formation and took a half step into the pce realm. But before he could stabilize his realm and firm his findings he got attacked by the old couple.
The battle was ferocious and quick. Despite the old couple catching the general off-guard and in his weakest moment they still left the battle with serious life-threatening injuries however they had managed to kill a young talent who had high odds of reaching the pce realm.
Should that future have yed out then the fragile bnce being maintained by the Red Maple Empire and the Five Clover Kingdom would have tipped in the Five Clover Kingdom''s favor.
The sessful assassination proved to be an important win for the Red Maple Empire. While that earned the couple enormous merits within the Empire it was a different case on the Five Clover Kingdom''s side.
They became so furious when they heard about the death that all their pce realm cultivators joined the battle at the border which triggered the Red Maple Empire to send their own which created a 5,000-kilometer blood bath thatsted for three months with no signs of abating.
It was only when the battle hit five months did it show signs of stopping because the casualties on both sides had grown too severe to the point it would create an opportunity for other enemies to take advantage of.
A temporary ceasefire was created. However, despite that, the hatred the Red Clover Kingdom had for the old couple didn''t reduce. They put out a huge bounty on their heads in which they offered 50,000 high-grade spirit stones and a low-rank monarch-grade artifact along with the opportunity to cultivate in their five-clover garden.
Any one of these offers would drive those in the core formation and early pce stage experts insane especially the five clover garden that would have even attracted some middle-stage pce realm cultivators.
The garden was a blessed ground that had a natural formation created by five different clovers that symbolized the five elements; fire, wood, water, metal, and earth. The cloversbine to create a resonance that devolves into a natural formation that helps anyone who cultivates in the area to gain a deeper understanding in any of those elements. What they harvest from cultivating there depends on their powers ofprehension, their affinity to any of those elements, and the nature of their cultivation arts.
The appearance of that garden became the main catapult behind their sudden growth to the point that they were able to go toe to toe with the Red Maple Empire despite having a shorter history. Up until 10,000 years ago, they were just another rank 4 kingdom but they slowly grew to the point of threatening the Red Maple Empire.
Their pce realm cultivators grew to five inparison to the Red Maple Empire''s four. However, despite them having a higher number the pce realm cultivators from Red Maple Empire were all seasoned with the weakest one being a second-stage pce realm cultivator while those from the Five Clover Kingdom were either at the first or second level.
However, the increasing number of pce realm cultivators in just a span of 10,000 years showed the immense value of the five clover garden.
With it being added to the ante, every cultivator came out of the woodwork to im the old couple''s head. For their safety, they were taken out of the front lines, and resources were spent to help change their identities.
Their new identitiesnded them in Purple city as a couple running a restaurant together. Despite them being here for quite some time they have never interacted with each other to avoid drawing eyes.
City lord Duan Hu couldn''t help but wonder what they wanted with him. The memories of when he served under them as an early-stage core formation expert shed in his eyes as he stared at the couple before him. It was grandpa and grandma Wang.
¡
"Little Hu, don''t you feel like the crime rate in this city has been growing too much offte? Two of my favorite customers have been constantly harassed by one of those organizations, I think they call themselves the ck viper. A third-rate organization with a fourth-stage core formation cultivation realm.
It shouldn''t be difficult for the city guards to handle that right? It wouldn''t do well for old people like us to have to step in and handle the matter personally when we have our good nephew here to help us," Grandpa Wang menacingly said as he narrowed his eyes.
"It will be taken care of Uncle master. I''ll have Duan Changyin take care of it personally," the city lord nervously said.
"It isn''t just the ck viper, you need to eradicate the other underground organizations too and do a thorough mop up of it since a blood fiend cultivator was just apprehended from one of them," solemnly said Grandma Wang as she remembered the blood fiend cultivator kneeling by Yang Qing''s feet.
"What?! Where is he?" the city lord urgently asked. A blood fiend cultivator was a walking cmity, especially in a highly popted city like the Purple city.
"He has already been apprehended by someone from the Order. By the way, we will be attacking the Mo family branch. One of their scions has ties with the ck viper gang where the blood fiend cultivator was hiding.
Even if I think they''re not stupid enough to collude with blood-fiend cultivators, one can never be too careful, especially with their unveiled ambitions for the throne.
So we just came to tell you beforehand so you can n ahead and also inform the emperor. You''ve always been good at these sorts of things," Grandpa Wang said as he chuckled at the city lord''s paling figure.
Just as the city lord was about to weakly support himself on his chair to process everything he just heard, an official rushed into his office with an even paler face like he had just seen a ghost.
An incredulous look appeared on the City lord''s face as he dreaded what news made the official''s face look like that.
Things were already bad as it is and he wasn''t sure he had the stomach for more.
"City lord there''s been an issue. The captain has just arrested all the scions of the noble families caught loitering around and he has thrown them in the dungeon.
A confrontation is about to happen between those families and the city guards. The city guards have already injured a few of their guards and it doesn''t look like they''re stepping down. It''s almost as if they''re wishing for a battle. City Lord Hu you need to step in before the chaos devolves further," said the official as he bowed.
The City lord froze on hearing what the official had to say. Secondster he startedughing hysterically as he mumbled a few things.
"Missing emperor and envoy from the golden bamboo pavilion, blood fiend cultivators in the city, Mo family destruction, Order member in the city, facing off against underworld organizations and city guards going to war with other noble families hahaha!! I quit, hahaha! I quit. I don''t want it anymore. No! No! No!.. What''s going toe next? The capital has been burned to the ground and Purple city bes the new capital..No, No, I need to get out."
The City lord went hysterical then secondster he vomited blood and fell unconscious leaving a dumbfounded Wang couple and official.
"Maybe we came at a bad time," said Grandma Wang with pity in her eyes as she stared at the copsed city lord.
Chapter 166 Murong Family
?Skies above Green pine county
"Ellie watch over him and don''t eat him or fool around. I can''t worry about finishing the evaluations on time and still keep an eye out for your games," said Yang Qing as he released a heavy pressure on Ellie.
Ellie screeched as she lowered her head submissively. Only when Yang Qing was satisfied he had got his point across did he remove his pressure.
He left the blood-fiend cultivator on Ellie''s back in the sky as he gently leaped downward with Zou Yi and Zou Liqin in tow.
It had taken them almost half an hour before they finally made it inside Green Pine County. It was quite some distance away from Purple city as it was a border county just like the Yellow ins county. Except Green Pine County shared a border with Blue deer kingdom, a rank 4 kingdom.
To avoid the problems he had gone through when Ellie got attacked when she was out of range, Yang Qing decided to have her fly directly over the location he would be conducting his evaluation. This way in case something happened, he would be able to detect it before it became anything since she would be within range of his pce sense.
He still had her camouge herself though, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention and trouble if they could.
Yang Qing used his cultivation force to gentlynd along with the Zou siblings who were still reeling in excitement from the flight over.
"That was so coooooool!!!" Zou Yi fervently said before he and his sister rumbled endlessly when Ellie did various maneuvers on the flight over.
Yang Qing left them to it as he removed the cloaking art he had used as they were dropping from the sky.
He had conveniently chosen tond in a secluded forest a few hundred meters from his evaluation point.
"Let''s go," he said to the two siblings who were still heated in discussing Ellie''s maximum speed.
It took them less than ten minutes before they stopped in front of arge grey rock ebony wood gate.
There were two burly-looking men in the early stages of qi refinement guarding the entrance of the gate.
Their looks turned vignt once they saw Yang Qing and the Zou siblings however it turned normal once they detected the body refining stage cultivation of the two siblings.
They couldn''t see through Yang Qing''s cultivation but they just assumed he was a mortal with no aptitude for cultivation.
"Hi there, my name is Yang Qing. I have an appointment with your n leader. Could you tell him someone from the Order has arrived for the n''s evaluation," Yang Qing introduced himself once he was a few steps away from the gate.
The two guards nked out once they heard the mention of the name Order. It took a few seconds before they processed what they had just heard which was followed by dumbfounded gazes that gradually devolved into fear and anxiety then awkward silence which went on for too long that it prompted one of them to finally react.
"Yes, yes, the n head informed us that there would be an evaluation. Please, this way esteemed master," One of the guards nervously said as he almost tripped over himself as he invited Yang Qing past the gate.
"Aren''t you going to confirm my identity first?" thought Yang Qing though that didn''t stop him from epting the invitation and following the guard who almost tripped over a couple of more times before he finally got a grip on his legs.
His partner wasn''t doing well either as he walked stiffly even too afraid to look back as he kept looking straight ahead while Yang Qing andpany were behind him.
Ppft
"Zou Yi don''t," Zou Liqin whispered softly as she hurriedly closed her brother''s mouth.
"I can''t help it, look," Zou Yi said as he pointed to the stiff walking guard who almost walked into some hedges as he kept walking in a straight line despite the pathway meandering.
Zou Liqin almost burst outughing when she saw it but she managed to hold herself back in the end.
Yang Qing shook his head when he saw this. It wasn''t exactly a new experience for him. Atleast the guards didn''t faint or stand rooted for hours at the same spot without saying anything. There was even one time when one of the cultivators from the organization he was evaluating forgot his name and where he was due to the massive panic despite being informed beforehand that someone from the Order would being.
To the unranked organization, finally reaching the requirements to be promoted was an overwhelming experience for them all around despite their ranks. That feeling got amplified on the day of the evaluation and more so if they were the person interacting with the evaluator.
It got too much for them sometimes.
To Yang Qing, this was just another day in the office for him. Still, to these unranked organizations like the n he was evaluating today, this was a monumental moment for them, the equivalent of an earth-shaking fortuitous encounter.
After a sessful evaluation, they could be considered to finally have an identity in the southern continent no matter how minuscule it seemed, to these organizations it was a massive step.
¡.
After a couple of minutes of walking, a few building structures started appearing.
They were all made from earth-rank materials that were in the lowest of ranks even among earth-rank materials. However, despite the low quality used, the buildings'' craftsmanship was good and they were properly maintained.
Yang Qing even spotted minimalistic courtyards around most likely used to host guests who stayed over.
"For an unranked n they seem to be doing well," thought Yang Qing as he noted that all the buildings were made of spiritual wood. Even though it was the lowest earth-rank wood, it was still something when you considered this was an unranked n.
The n that he would be evaluating was called the Murong n. One of their members had managed to break through to the foundation establishment realm six months ago after which they filed for an evaluation with the Order.
Due to the manpower issue vs the astronomical number of unranked organization filing for an evaluation, there was usually a backlog since only superior core court judges could handle rank 5 evaluations.
Since for one to be a superior core court judge one has to have a purple or gold core, it always ensures that their numbers are always small.
The Murong n had filed for their evaluation six months ago the moment their n member broke through however they had to wait six months before their evaluation spot came through.
Their wait time couldn''t be considered long as there are times when it wouldst a year since the judges have to handle their cases and the evaluation and evaluations get less of a priority when the caseloads get too many.
Though the Order did create a few measures to handle the astronomical numbers and reduce the wait time. One of the methods was a quadrant evaluation model where the judges would evaluate a minimum number of evaluations within that quadrant. In Yang Qing''s case, he was to conduct atleast 1,400 evaluations within his given quadrant.
The organizations that fell under the 1,400 was up to his discretion since he would be choosing the 1,400 from a longer list of atleast 5,000 unranked organizations that were within his quadrant.
The Murong n was lucky it fell on the list of 1,400 organizations he chose otherwise they would have had to wait along with the other 3,599 organizations that didn''t make it into Yang Qing''s list.
However, to avoid unranked organizations with horrible luck suffering, all unranked organizations had a maximum 15-month wait time from the time they applied.
¡.
After walking for close to a quarter of an hour, they reached the center of the Murong n''s grounds.
"Please wait here while I go call the n leader and the other elders," said the tripping guard as he dashed away like he was running for his life leaving his stiff walking partner with Yang Qing and the rest.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure but he could have sworn he saw a look of envy sh in the stiff walking guard''s eye as he watched the other guard bolt away.
"Am I that scary," He inwardly wondered as he chuckled to himself.
They met other n members along the way who looked briefly at them as they went their way. Though the irony was, during the walk over those that looked their way were not doing so due to Yang Qing and the Zou siblings instead, it was due to the weird disy from the two guards which drew curious looks from those members however all they did was look and never approached.
During the walk over Yang Qing noted that the average cultivation realm of the Murong family n was in the early stages of qi refinement realm. There were a few who were in the middle stages but those who were in the middle stages were mostly elderly.
Based on his brief scan with his pce sense they were in theirte sixties as for the younger generation those from between four to fifteen were mostly in the body refining stage with a few in the early stages of the qi refinement. But thetter group didn''t number more than ten as Yang Qing detected seven of them and they seemed to be worshipped by other n members around them.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the disparity he was seeing. Just a casual nobody from Purple city would be treated as a genius here.
This level of disparity was the reason unranked organization would try their very best to be ranked because with it they would get a chance to have one of their members train at the Order and with it a chance to change their fate. Otherwise barring special circumstances it would be impossible for them to improve on their circumstances let alone etch out survival in such a ruthless world.
Chapter 167 Murong Family’s Evaluation (1)
?Yang Qing didn''t wait too long before he detected hurried footstepsing their way from the direction the tripping guard had disappeared off to.
Since Yang Qing had already deployed his pce sense he detected that the majority of the membersing were in thete stages of qi refinement realm. However, most of the auras were weak the kind that you''d find on those who were nearing the end of their lifespans.
"Mmmh! so that''s the foundation member, that''s a surprise," Yang Qing mused.
A few secondster a flurry of old men and women kept swarming out with agitated and excited appearances.
Their sudden appearance made all the other n members who were walking about, pause their footsteps in shock as they saw the elders running like they were chasing some treasure.
At the lead of this group was an elderly man with a slender build, white hair tied in a topknot, and a long flowing beard that had reached his chest. He had on white robes which were simr in fashion to the rest of his party.
"Forgive us for our poor manners, envoy from the Order that we were not there to receive you. Had we known you wereing today we would have prepared a proper wee and feast," said the elderly man in the lead.
They all looked excited and also a bit worried since from the schedule they were given for the potential evaluation date, it was meant to be a week from now.
The only reason the evaluation happened a week early was due to the interference by Lei Weiyuan when he was handing off the evaluations to Yang Qing instead of it going to the allotted judge and the decided time schedule.
"It''s okay, I''m the one who came without giving prior notice," Yang Qing replied as he gave a polite smile.
"Sorry, where are my manners? My name is Murong Jie, I''m the current patriarch of the Murong family, and behind me are the elders of the n," Murong Jie said as he cupped his fist.
"Nice to meet you n head Murong Jie. My name is Yang Qing and I''ll be in charge of your n''s evaluation today. These are Zou Yi and Zou Liqin. They are my friends who I brought to tag along, I hope you don''t mind.
Zou Yi, Zou Liqin say hi to patriarch Murong Jie and the rest," Yang Qing said as he pushed the two siblings forward.
"Greetings patriarch Murong Jie, we offer our greetings and congrattions in advance," Zou Yi and Zou Liqin simultaneously said as they cupped their fists.
"Did they rehearse on the flight over," Yang Qing wondered as he saw them speak at the same tempo while cupping their fists at the same time.
"Hahaha!! it''s Master Zou Yi and Master Zou Liqin, I thank you for your warm wishes on behalf of the Murong family," n head Murong Jie smiled as he offered them daoist salutes.
The rest of the entourage mirrored Murong Jie''s actions as they offered their thanks in unison.
Zou Yi inadvertently puffed up his chest when he was called master which drew light smiles from the elderly group around even Yang Qing couldn''t but smile as he shook his head.
"Their experience these past three years wasn''t a total waste," Yang Qing thought as he gauged the interaction between the Zou siblings and the rest of the Murong family.
The reason he pushed them forward in their greetings was to monitor their temperaments and attitudes towards a low-ranking family.
When the Order was founded to date, one of their fundamental rules of recruitment was they would only recruit from rank 5 families and unranked organizations, and rogue cultivators. They would not touch anyone from rank 4 organizations and above though there are special exceptions to this rule. For example, if a cultivator is banished from their parent organization like in the case of the Zou siblings where they were banished from the Zou n.
In that case, the Order would ept them should they pass their evaluations. This is because technically they could be considered rogue cultivators. However, even then those who once belonged to high-ranking organizations would be closely monitored on what their characters are like even after they pass their entrance examinations and get admitted into the Order.
The reason for this requirement was, those born from high-ranking organizations even though they may or may not mean it, tend to have an unconscious or conscious bias towards those beneath them.
If it was any other ce such temperaments would not be an issue but within the Order that''s supposed to be a beacon of fairness to all, such a habit would be a huge hindrance and a source of potential rot in the organization.
Even though Yang Qing was sympathetic and valued their abilities in observation, he was still worried about their characters. They were born in a rank 2 family and with it came the prestige of belonging to such a high-ranking n.
From Purple City up to now, he had been closely monitoring their interactions with others, and from what he could see, their interactions with people thus far didn''t have the disdain one would expect.
They did wear a mask at times but that was more of a protection for them to hide their identities than anything else.
To Yang Qing it seemed like the three years they lived by themselves had beaten any sort of superiority they had in them and made them into people who could interact naturally andfortably with people of all walks and stations of life.
"Atleast their odds of getting in now are higher," Yang Qing thought as his gaze turned toward ady standing alone in the middle of the crowd of old men. She looked to be in herte thirties. She too had on a white robe and had tied her hair in a simple bun.
She wasn''t a breathtaking beauty but one would notice her if they passed by her on the streets. She had deep ck hair, rosy skin, and round ck eyes that seemed to sh with a tenacious will.
The reason Yang Qing''s eyes drifted towards her wasn''t admiration for her beauty but rather from the fluctuations she was releasing. He surmised she was the foundation establishment member he was evaluating.
Chapter 168 Murong Family’s Evaluation (2)
?From what Yang Qing could detect she was already at the peak of the first stage of the foundation establishment realm and it was stable. Yang Qing could also tell from the brief scan that the age she was depicting was her real age. She looked to be about 37.
Even though a 37-year-old early foundation establishment cultivator was nothing much whenpared to other high-ranking organizations, it was something major in a small family such as the Murong family which only had ageing qi refinement cultivators who were at death''s door.
Those who break through to thete stages of the qi refinement realm usually get a lifespan of about 200-300 years and from what Yang Qing could detect the majority of the elders present had all reached the 250-year mark.
Only the n patriarch, Murong Jie seemed younger at 150 years. While they may have the highest cultivation bases excluding thedy, their age meant their hopes of reaching the foundation establishment stage were slim to none.
A decrease in vitality meant their sensitivity to qi and also their internal energy had dwindled so much that it made their journey to the foundation establishment stage an impossibility. And those who by some miracle do reach a point of attempting a breakthrough, suffer the risk of dying in the process due to how much energy and concentration it requires in a person.
But having such a young foundation establishment member ensured they would atleast guarantee their survival as a rank 5 n for atleast 1,000 years without risk of demotion. A lot could change within 1,000 years, especially with the one quota given where they could have one of their members trained at the Order every three years since every member receives a three-year training period at the Order.
That means in 1,000 years they could have 300 of their n members train at the Order which would qualitatively change their powerposition. And who knows maybe in the 300 members they may actually get other foundation establishment members.
However, all this was predicated on the assumption thedy before him would forever remain at the foundation establishment realm. While breaking through to the core formation realm wasn''t easy, especially with lightning tribtions appearing from that realm, Yang Qing thought the odds of her breaking through was much higher considering how young she was.
As long as she took her time solidifying her cultivation base every step of the way she would breeze through it. Most, at the Order even sleep through it, it''s only when they are breaking through to the pce realm do they have to be a tad bit serious.
"The only thing that may hold her back is her cultivation art but if she is the one who gets the quota toe to the Order she will be training in an orange-grade art for free and depending on her aptitude she may get the high ranking one," thought Yang Qing.
Even though she''d be forbidden to share it with her n members, she could continue to use the art even after shepleted her training. And if the Murong family paid the equivalent price they could even buy the rights to use it with no restrictions.
The Order didn''t have any shortage of Orange grade arts so they had no scruples about selling them considering the tradeoff. They''d get to sow goodwill with these organizations all at the mere price of an orange-grade art.
A lot of new rank 4 and a few rank 3 organizations grew from that single opportunity.
"Maybe next time Ie here it will be for a rank 4 promotion and then the bnce of power in the southern continent will be even more chaotic," Yang Qing thought as he chuckled inwardly.
¡.
"n head Murong Jie where would you like to conduct the evaluation," Yang Qing asked once he pulled his thoughts back.
He had already confirmed everything he needed with his pce sense and the evaluation he would be conducting was more perfunctory.
"Let''s do it in the n assembly hall," Murong Jie calmly said trying to hide the excitement in his tone. The elders behind him were already trembling and the other n members who had been gawking by lit up once they heard the words evaluation. Some even ran to call their friends.
"Okay," said Yang Qing as he nodded.
"Envoy Yang Qing, can the rest of the n members watch? I promise the n hall has a huge space and the members present won''t be many just a hundred or so. It''s such a huge asion and I''d like the young ones to be present too so they could get motivated. It''s toote for us but for them..," Murong Jie hesitantly asked as he cupped his fists in a plea.
"I don''t mind, you can bring them in and it doesn''t have to just be a hundred, bring as many as can fit into the hall. It''s a celebration for you all, you should all be there to witness it and the evaluation process doesn''t take much time either," Yang Qing lightly said.
His response caused a massive wave of roar from the young n members who had been eavesdropping on the whole thing from different sides all around. It was only when they were red at by the elders did they calm down.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin were taken aback by the atmosphere and mood. With their age and prior starting point, they still couldn''t understand how important and life-changing such a moment was to the Murong family.
To them, it may just be a normal recognition but to the Murong family, it is the fulfillment of the countless generations of Murong members and the start of a new journey where something special may happen like maybe thousands of yearster they may turn into a rank 3 family and the catapult for that journey was the evaluation happening today.
¡
A few minutester they made their way into the n assembly hall. It was archaic looking in a dome shape with a few spirit-calming incense sticks burning.
From its size, it could easily fit a thousand peoplefortably. There were cultivation cushions neatly spread about the hall room and a slightly raised tform on the north side of the hall. It had a hint of mysticism that made it stand out in the whole hall room.
Yang Qing, the Zou siblings, the elders, and the youngdy all made their way to their tform as other senior members went to maintain order in the entry of other members to make sure they didn''t cause a ruckus.
After a couple of minutes, the whole hall room waspletely filled though it didn''t feel congested. Young and old were all excitingly looking straight at the tform afraid to even blink fearing they may miss a single moment of it.
There was not a single member who was left out. Since the Murong family wasn''t arge n the hall room that had a capacity of a thousand fit everyone perfectly and even left a few spaces for others.
If they knew Yang Qing''s date of arrival they may have invited a few other organizations they had a good rtionship with to celebrate but Yang Qing''s impromptu visit made it so that only the n members would be in attendance.
"Let''s begin," Yang Qing softly said as his robe transformed into his official deep blue judge robes in all its grandeur.
Chapter 169 [Bonus ]Murong Family’s Evaluation (3)
?His voice though soft sounded next to everyone''s ears whether they were at the front or the back, the volume was the same.
His whole demeanor turned regal and invible which made the eyes of the two siblings widen in shock especially Zou Liqin who had seen him goofing around with Zou Yi just a few moments ago. She found it hard to reconcile if the yful person from before was the same person she was seeing right now. She had detected such an aura from herte father, grandfather, and other prominent seniors of the n.
"Is it still big brother Yang Qing?" Zou Yi muttered.
The rest of the members went silent as the atmosphere turned somber. The youngdy who would be evaluated had her pupils tremble as Yang Qing''s solemn gaze turned her way.
"Don''t look down, it''s your moment along with the n. Look ahead the journey has only begun."
Yang Qing''s voice sounded in her mind when he saw she was about to lower her head.
The youngdy looked up with even more shock as she looked around only to find out she was the only one who seemed to have heard that voice. She even suspected she had hallucinated the voice since she was so anxious.
Prior to this, she thought she''d breeze through the evaluation. Even when she saw Yang Qing at most she was just a bit curious and apprehensive about him but that was only because he was from the Order. Because of Yang Qing''s easygoing aura, she didn''t feel as much pressure, unlike the rest of the elders who were on tenterhooks because they knew a few things or two about those who conducted evaluations.
This was why, when Yang Qing''s demeanor changed as he unleashed a bit of his aura, among the members on the tform she was the only one who had the most intense reaction despite being the strongest. The other elders other than being excited were calm.
A few of the elders even took in the youngdy''s reaction with the look of a senior purposely letting a child learn the lesson a hard way.
"It seems they purposely withheld a bit of the information. Mmmh may be as a means to reign her pride in," Yang Qing thought as he watched the interaction of the elders and the youngdy.
"Since you have entrusted her to me I should do a good job of it lest she gets careless out there and brings cmity upon herself and the n," thought Yang Qing as he released a tiny bit more of his aura which he centered on the youngdy.
It would not harm her since it was just a wisp of his aura but it would give her a tiny exposure to the might of a pce realm cultivator.
The youngdy felt her whole bodypress like there was a huge mountain above crushing even the very air out of her lungs. The Yang Qing before her had suddenly turned into the zing sun. Just when she thought she was about to pass out, the pressure disappeared like it was never there to begin with, all she felt was a calm lightness.
However even though outwardly she felt that way, inwardly her heart was beating madly.
"Hold on to that feeling and let it be your motivation to push forward. There will always be a mountain above a mountain, don''t ck off and let down your talent and the hopes of your seniors. I wish you luck on the journey ahead and I hope when Ie back here it would be when the Murong n finally has a core formation expert."
Yang Qing''s voice echoed in her head once more. This time she knew the voice she heard before was no hallucination.
The n leader noticed something from the youngdy''s expression before a knowing look appeared on his face. He bowed slightly in thanks to Yang Qing who returned a nod in return.
"No matter the rank, these leaders are usually perceptive," thought Yang Qing as he decided to proceed with the show.
"I Yang Qing, judge of the superior core court of the Order hereby begin my evaluation of the Murong n for a rank 5 promotion in ordance with article 34 ranking protocols and guidelines.
The n is to present a member with a foundation establishment cultivation for evaluation.
n Murong, bring forth your member," Yang Qing''s voice boomed as it reverberated around the hall room that even the walls vibrated.
The atmosphere in the hall room had reached its peak at the moment.
The n patriarch solemnly walked out as the youngdy followed behind him.
"Patriarch Murong Jie presents Murong Yan who will be representing the family in the rank evaluation for the rank 5 promotion.
The Murong n wholly submits to the ruling of the Order and its punishment should we be found to be in infringement of those rules."
Murong Jie loudly said as he moved to the side for Murong Yan to walk ahead of him toward Yang Qing.
"Murong Yan presents herself for the evaluation," Murong Yan stopped before Yang Qing as she cupped her fists.
"The evaluation will be a two-step process. First, you will pour your qi into this foundation white haze stone," Yang Qing said as he presented a palm-sized round cloudy white stone.
"The stone will only react if you have strength that is at the foundation level and above. You don''t need to pour out a lot just a tiny bit will do," Yang Qing said as he handed the stone over.
Murong Yan held it tightly between her hands as she poured her qi into it.
The n members all inadvertently gulped in anxiety despite already knowing she was a foundation establishment.
The moment her qi seeped into the stone, a swirling circle was formed in the stone as its cloudy white color got swallowed in the swirl as it started changing colors. It went from cloud white to pristine white, then light red as the shade got darker and darker, and then the color jumped to light orange as the swirling finally stopped.
Chapter 170 Murong Family’s Evaluation (4)
?The whole assembly hall heaved sighs of relief once they saw the color change. Some of the senior members with high cultivation even lit up when they saw the color on the crystal ball especially the elders on the tform. Some even started tearing up as they knew what the orange color signified. It meant Murong Yan had orange pirs.
They knew the higher the grade of the pir, the better the chances of making it to higher realms.
If Murong Yan had white pirs, she would have an almost impossible chance of reaching the peak of the foundation establishment realm, let alone breaking through to the core formation realm. But she had an orange-grade pir which was above white pirs and red pirs.
Even if it was a low-rank orange-grade pir, based on the intensity of the color, it was still an orange-grade pir and with it, she had a high chance of reaching the peak of the foundation establishment realm as long as the resources were there and with some luck breaking through to the core formation realm was not an impossibility either.
Those who knew the significance of that color held their breaths in excitement.
Yang Qing also took a brief pause to transmit his voice to Murong Yan and exined the significance of the color. He did it out of goodwill in case the n didn''t have such information.
Murong Yan''s eyes lit up when she heard the significance but then dimmed when she heard of the other grades that were above her. Yang Qing didn''t withhold the information since it was better for her to expound her horizons now rather thanter. Though he didn''t tell her about purple grade pirs since they were so rare and there was no need to. He only reached the gold grade.
After that, he took out a cracked grey stone steel that had a few cracks all over and ced it on the floor.
It looked unassuming like it was part of the foundation of some old building.
"This is a heart steel. You''ll pour a drop of your blood essence in it and it will show other details that can''t be shown with the foundation white haze stone," Yang Qing said as he motioned for Murong Yan to start when she was ready.
Yang Qing was deliberately vague with the details since the stone''s main purpose was to find out if she used forbidden techniques to reach her realm which usually came at the sacrifice of her lifespan. If that were the case then the evaluation would be considered a fail.
The Order instituted such a measure to prevent the unranked organization from using forbidden means, all for the chance of moving up.
Before this method was instituted, there would be organizations where the older members who were at death''s door would use a forbidden art to push their realm briefly at the foundation establishment realm then perish a few months after the evaluation.
This meant other than risking the lives of the members of these unranked organizations, it also increased the workload of the Order as they did rank demotions. The heart steele by Yang Qing''s feet was used to address this issue. It was an ascendant-grade artifact and was but a replica of the real thing which was a saint-grade treasure found in the ruins of some ancient sect and fell into the Order''s hands.
¡
Murong Yan grimly bit her hand as she poured out a drop of her blood essence on the steel, which shimmered for a second, as a few words appeared on it.
Cultivation realm peak of the 1st stage of foundation establishment,
Status, stable
Lifespan, 1,067 years
Bloodline affinity, wind.
After thest word, the sentences remained in the steele for a few minutes before it all disappeared and the steele went back to its nk look.
"With that, I can affirm that your cultivation base is real. I Yang Qing. by my authority as a superior core court judge of the Order, hereby approve the promotion of the Murong family to a rank 5 organization and with it the orded privileges and stiptions," Yang Qing loudly announced as the assembly room exploded into a loud cheer and roar.
n members from young to old started weeping as they hugged each other. Even the elderly men at the tform were no different as they looked to the skies with tears in their eyes.
"Grandpa I did it," Murong Yan said as she jumped into the embrace of Murong Jie who patted her back as she sobbed.
Zou Yi, like the softy he was, almost let out a few drops however Yang Qing''s presence gave him the motivation he needed not to let a single one through. Zou Liqin didn''t have such reservations as she smiled with reddened eyes as she stared around the room.
Yang Qing smiled in gratification at the mood. No matter how many times he has experienced it, the feeling is always novel every time.
He drafted an official certificate on a yellow-brown scroll which he then stamped with his medallion and formed a couple of seals on the scroll which shed with a blinding sight before a voice echoed out.
"Received,"
A record of the certificate had appeared in the records hall of the Order. When the Murong family decided who they''d send to the Order for their quota, that record would be their entrance ticket and proof of identification.
He created another certificate and stamped it which he then handed to the n patriarch who was still smiling.
"Thank you very much judge Yang Qing," Murong Jie said with his voice shaking as he held the scroll like a precious treasure.
"All the best to your Murong family. We will not be staying since I have a long schedule but do enjoy your celebration and I hope there will be more.
Murong Yan, don''t forget what I said, ze on ahead," Yang Qing said as he held both Zou Yi and Zou Liqin''s hands and disappeared into a grey cloud of smoke.
Despite their shock, all the members of the Murong family present stood up as they deeply bowed towards the exit door.
Chapter 171 Dangers And Opportunity For Survival For The Ranked
?"Are all people from the Order that powerful?" Murong Yan asked in a daze as she looked at the spot Yang Qing and the Zou siblings had just disappeared from.
The whole experience was surreal and also the most frightened she has ever been. She had a feeling today''s experience would stay with her for a very long time.
"It''s a given since they''re known as the watchful eagles of the Southern continent. To evoke fear and respect from the whole continent, they need abilities that stand above the masses.
Even though there are n records describing those from the Order, it still doesn''t do them justice. I felt like an ant beneath his gaze," Murong Jie said as he chuckled bitterly.
One of his hands hidden beneath the sleeves of his robes was still shaking, so he had to clench it into a fist to reduce the shaking.
"Yan''er, you are one of the best talents our Murong family has seen in close to 500 years. In here, your talent is worthy of the reverence and respect you get from the n members but out there it''s a different story.
Even without pitting ourselves against the Order, since it''s a monolith we may never reach, just in Green Pine County alone, we are not even worth mentioning.
There are already over a dozen rank 5 organizations with more seniority and power than us. Our family only has one person in the foundation establishment stage, while the likes of the Shen n, Liu n, Pan n, and Thunder peak sect have about 20 of them and that number may keep growing if nothing unexpected happens.
Above them, are the noble families with core formation experts. And this is just Green Pine County, which can''t even be considered in the top five among the powerful counties of the Red Maple Empire.
The reason I mention this, Yan''er, is so that you can set your sights on a wider world. Don''t let your perspective be shackled within the Murong family otherwise, it''s easy to growcent and prideful.
I won''t ask much, since you have already fulfilled the wish of hundreds of generations of Murong members but all I ask, as your grandfather, is do the very best you can.
Every time you rise up, the world seems a bit different every time," Murong Jie said as he cast a solemn gaze on Murong Yan.
"I will," answered Murong Yan.
"Good. Now that we have an attendance quota for the Order, you will be the one who will be going. Make sure to make the very best of the opportunity while you are there.
Learn as much as you can and don''t be like that brat from the Song family, who went there only to have fun and fool around, that he ended up getting kicked out even before the three years were out.
Those three years are a chance to change your fate. I heard there are even rewards for those who perform well," Murong Jie said as he lightly chuckled when he remembered how livid the Song patriarch was when the kid came back.
He chased him around with a whip for almost a month around the mountains next to their territory. Those mountains gotter nicknamed the wailing mountains because of the Song kid''s cries.
"But grandfather, with my talent will I really be able to stand out? It''s the Order, and if they all have the same talent as the judge who was just here, won''t I be embarrassing myself bypeting against them?" Murong Yan asked with worry showing on her face.
"You silly girl, I''m not asking you topete against them. I may be getting on in my years but I''m not that senile," Murong Jie said as he softly smiled.
"During your training at the Order, you will be evaluated inparison to those at the same level and circumstances as you.
From what the Song patriarch told me, thoseing from rank 5 organizations will be trained together, separate from the students of the Order or other quota attendees from higher-ranked organizations. Though there are some sses that you will share with them, but those are only the theoretical sses such as history.
But for the practical exercises such as meditation techniques and cultivation arts, and other hands-on subjects such as formation arrays, alchemy, and the like, you will be trained together with the other rank 5 members.
Your performance evaluation will be based on how well you perform against them. The better your performance, the better the rewards. For example, you may be rewarded with cultivation resources such as alchemy pills, artifacts, and extended personal guidance on the various cultivation arts.
He told me these are only the base rewards. If your performance is really exceptional enough to stand out, you may get a chance at rebirth by having the grade of your pirs improved and your foundations reset.
A few counties over, the Red y County, there is a prominent sect there called the Snow pearl sect. It is now a rank 4 sect, but 20 years ago, it was just a rank 5 sect that didn''t particrly stand out. However, all that changed when their current sect master went to the Order.
She performed very well during her stay there for those three years and she had her body cleansed and strengthened within those three years.
I heard when she went in, she was at the second stage of the foundation establishment realm but when she came out, she was in the sixth stage. She went into closed-door cultivation immediately aftering back and 17 yearster, she broke through to the core formation realm.
That speed drew the attention of some of the mighty figures from the Red Maple Empire, like the noble families and some of the royal princes who wanted to recruit her. She rejected them but they didn''t do much to her even with the rejection, do you know why that is?"
Murong Jie asked.
Murong Yan shook her head sideways to indicate she didn''t.
"The special reward she got from the Order was a chance at a rebirth for her, but it was also a form of recognition from the Order for her efforts, which also doubles as a protective halo for her since she stood out enough to be noticed by the Order.
Other powers would have to put that into ount before they act. You understand what I''m getting at?" Murong Jie asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"I do," Murong Yan answered as a fighting will ignited in her heart.
Chapter 172 Yang Qing’s Consideration
?Even with the Order''s presence, thepetition for resources and dominance was still very much vtile among cultivating organizations and it was even more so for those at the bottom. They wouldpete both openly and in the shadows and thepetition was as ruthless as it could get.
It wouldn''t be a surprise for some genius from those families ''disappearing'' when he or she was out on a mission more so for those who had received some form of training from the Order and showed some potential.
The Murong family was insignificant before, but it had now joined in on the game the moment they got promoted.
While they were happy to be a ranked family, there was also the other side. The dangers of finally being seen.
If Murong Yan wanted a safe room to grow and realize her potential, gaining recognition from the Order with her performance was the best way since the Murong family wasn''t anywhere near capable of shielding her.
They could form alliances like the norm, but even they were littered with numerous dangers like back stabbings. The only real and safe option for both her and her n was to gain recognition from the Order through her performance.
Will the Murong family survive its first test as a ranked organization or will it be buried because of it? Only time will tell.
¡.
"Big brother Yang Qing why did we have to leave that fast? The good part was about to start?" Zou Yi asked as he pouted.
He had already prepared himself to join in on the fun of the Murong family and let loose but before he knew it, they were already on Ellie''s back and the Murong n''s ground was but a dot in the ground now.
"If I remained there, they wouldn''t be able to celebrate to their heart''s content. They''d be reserved with their attentions subconsciously drawn towards me. A party without freedom is just an event.
It''s a great day for them and they should celebrate as loud and as free as they can, while they still can before the dark side of the cultivation world rears its ugly head.
Besides, I have a lot more evaluations to get through," said Yang Qing as he closed his eyes.
With just as many rank 5 promotions they do, the number of rank 5 organizations that disappear into obscurity were just as many. Very few rarely survive beyond a couple of years on their own.
The Order could only do its best by offering them some little bit of training here and there along with tools that improve their odds at survival. But whether that would be enough, depends on their luck and effort.
¡.
"Like how many?" Zou Yi eagerly asked with his eyes shining. Zou Liqin was looking expectant too.
"Removing the Murong family, I''m left with 1,399 more," Yang Qing said as he sighed. However, to the Zou siblings, it was like they had heard the best news ever.
"Wipe those smirks off your faces. I''ll be dropping you both off to my colleague once we reach Deer mountain kingdom," Yang Qing said dampening their mood.
"Can''t we stay with you as you do your evaluations, then we can go back together when you return?" Zou Yi asked expectantly.
"Ordinarily I wouldn''t mind it but during my stay in Purple city, I may have angered someone powerful who may or may not target me. It''s dangerous for you to be with me at the moment," said Yang Qing as he opened his eyes.
"But you''re from the Order. Who would be bold enough to target anyone from the Order?" Zou Liqin asked in confusion.
Not even their n with all its prestige would try something like that.
"Just because your background is powerful doesn''t mean someone won''t attack you especially if they have the means and the power to do it without anyone noticing. There are numerous ways of pulling it off.
Having a strong background doesn''t guarantee your life. Take the Zou n as an example, since its inception how many talents or other members have died when out of the sect?" Yang Qing softly asked.
The Zou siblings fell silent with pensive looks on their faces. To their recollection, the Zou family had indeed lost a few talents over the years. There was even one whose talents rivaled that of their father but he died when exploring a mysterious realm.
Even though that was the story, the higher-ups always felt that may be their enemies may have had a hand in it, since the realm the prodigy died in, had only three fatalities, of which, one of them was the prodigy from the Zou n, while the other two were prodigies from rank 3 organizations who had a close friendship with the Zou family.
Everything seemed suspect from that death, especially when their bodies couldn''t be found. The only way the Zou n knew of his death, is the prodigy''s soulmp shattered, indicating his death.
"I hope you can maintain the same cautious and observant attitude you had in Purple city even when you do make it into the Order," Yang Qing solemnly said as the two siblings nodded their heads.
He didn''t want them to getcent into thinking the Order was some omnipotent organization that would guarantee their survival. Especially if they were to be adopted into the shadow hawk division, an abundance of caution and paranoia would be their best friend there.
¡.
After an hour they were finally within shouting distance of the Deer mountain kingdom.
Yang Qing had alreadymunicated with the branch in Deer Mountain kingdom, toe pick up the two siblings and the blood fiend cultivator before he continued on in his evaluations.
He saw a storm grey-headed albatross flying their way from about five kilometers away.
Ellie seemed to have sensed it as she suddenly released abative aura with a loud screech that blew the clouds away.
Another screech came from the direction of the storm grey-headed albatross which seemed to collide with Ellie''s sound.
The Zou siblings who had been napping on Ellie''s back, woke up visibly frightened and confused. As they were looking around they were shocked to see a swirling dark cloud charging their way with asional sounds of thunder.
"Rx, it''s just a friend. He is here for you," Yang Qing casually replied as he chuckled at their frightened appearance.
Chapter 173 Hao Da’s Transformation (1)
?The Zou siblings'' expressions eased up once they heard Yang Qing''s words.
Within a few seconds, the dot of dark clouds and thunder had already arrived a few meters away from them.
They became visibly petrified once they saw the source of that dark cloud up close.
It was a grey-headed albatross that had a wild and tempestuous aura to it, that even made it difficult for them to breathe.
It had rough-looking dark grey feathers that faintly produced thunder noises, though they were less intense than before when it was announcing its presence. Its irises were swirling like it was brewing a storm.
"Don''t look at its eyes for too long, otherwise your souls will be swallowed into its swirling storms."
Yang Qing''s voice pulled the two siblings from the brink just as they were about to be sucked in.
Yang Qing''s voice was the tether that pulled them back in. The moment they regained their senses they immediately started choking as they breathed heavily. Their skins had already turned pale white and their robes were soaking wet.
Yang Qing waved his sleeves as a green mellow qi surrounded them like a warm nket. Within a few seconds, their breathing had turned normal, however, their skin tones were still pale as they kept their eyes firmly trained on the ground, afraid to look up even for a second.
That brief exposure made them feel like they had been drowning for months. They could still feel a liquid sensation in their lungs and throats. And their wet robes were evidence that what they went through wasn''t an illusion.
"Senior Hao Da, can you tell your little friend there to stop harassing my young friends here? You too Ellie," said Yang Qing as he turned his gaze towards Ellie whosebative aura was increasing more and more.
"Where was this posturing when the pce stage realm cultivators were attacking you," Yang Qing muttered in dissatisfaction.
"Hahaha junior Yang Qing, your demeanor is turning more and more expert-like. It''s hard to reconcile the mischievous kid who used to cause the instructors endless grief back then and the pce stage expert I see before me.
Congrattions on your promotion by the way."
There was a handsome, blue-haired young man on top of the storm grey-headed albatross. He had smooth long flowing hair and sharp sword-like eyebrows.
He was in half-dark gold half red robes which only further added to his charm.
He was calmly seated on top of the storm grey-headed albatross as he looked at Yang Qing and his group.
"Please senior, don''t bring up the past, I''ve been trying really hard to forget it," Yang Qing said as he smiled bitterly when the memories of his institute days surged into his mind.
While it was one of his best years since he didn''t have an unforgiving schedule, it was also one of his hardest years. The instructors were seasoned experts at sniffing out schemes and he was always in the thick of it, either as the mastermind or theckey in for the ride.
Whatever the case, it always ended up with him on the receiving end of some creative punishment from the instructors. A couple of times he wanted to turn over a new leaf due to how extreme those punishments were, but a number of factors prevented him from doing that.
For one, he already had a reputation to uphold and if he let it go, the tongueshing he would have gotten from his fellow students would have been way worse than the punishment he would get from the instructors. Atleast, that''s what he told himself, to console himself every time he got caught and suffered under the mighty hand of the instructors.
Yang Qing hurriedly shook his head to cast out those pain-inducing thoughts once his mind touched on those punishments.
"Those instructors were beasts in human skins," Yang Qing muttered under his breath.
"That they were," said Hao Da as he sighed fearfully too.
"So how are things at the headquarters?" Hao Da asked trying to change the topic.
"Same old, same old. Being worked to the bone every day with no end in sight, hopefully, the pce courts will be better. By the way, I should also be offering my congrattions to you, senior Hao Da.
I heard you will be taking over as the branch chief at the Three fires branch. That''s a pretty big promotion, though I thought you''d choose toe back to the headquarters," Yang Qing said in admiration.
"Thanks. They did ask me if I wanted toe back but I''ve worked at the branches for so long that I''d feel ufortable any ce else. When a post at the three fires branch opened up, I epted it instead." Hao Da answered with a carefree smile.
"Your change is even more drastic than mine, senior Hao Da."
Yang Qing sighed as his gaze fell on Hao Da who looked free and unfettered like the sky could fall and he would still be seated calmly enjoying the sights.
"It can''t be helped, people change. I was nothing but a troublesome brat back then who held on to hate a little too much that it almost buried me.
Being made a rotational inquisitor was the greatest gift the Order could have given me, otherwise, I''m afraid if things went on as they were, I''d have ended up as a resident of the Requiem, being specially taken care of by my seniors.
As a rotational inquisitor, I got to see a lot of things and experience a lot of things that helped open my eyes. My life wasn''t as tragic as I thought it was, inparison. Knowing that, helped me let go of the bitterness and resentment I was holding to.
It helped mee to terms with my past, which was I was even able to break through into the pce realm. Otherwise, with the way I was, my mental demons from back then would have swallowed me whole.
Now I''m looking forward to the new experience as a branch chief. The pay and working schedule isn''t bad either," He meaningfully said as he poked fun at Yang Qing''s well-known lifelong desires.
"Senior, can you not take pleasure in other people''s misfortunes," Yang Qing said as he ruefully smiled.
He couldn''t help but admire theplete transformation of this senior of his. He didn''t have that many friends at the institute but Yang Qing could be considered one of the few. It was why Yang Qing could pick up the change in his entire persona.
Chapter 174 Hao Da’s Transformation (2)
?Hao Da was two years ahead of him at the Institute when Yang Qing joined. They became friends through punishment. Hao Da had been a trouble maker too, though Hao Da''s troubles were a bit different from Yang Qing''s. While Yang Qing was always up to harmless mischief like faking an injury during cultivation so he could get a few days off, Hao Da''s troubles were more of attitude.
He was from a well-respected rank 3 n called the Hao n that had deep roots in a rank 2 empire. However, his background made it hard for him to stand out in the Hao n. His mother was a maidservant in the n and became pregnant with Hao Da from one of the elders.
However, after his birth, both he and his mother were constantly harassed by the main wife of that elder. The elder acted nonchnt about the whole thing. Other than acquiescing to Hao Da getting the Hao family name, he never stepped in to defend them.
Under the constant harassment, Hao Da''s mother took her own life and Hao Da having nothing tying him to the Hao n, run away when he was out on a mission.
He decided to join the Order after his escape and disclosed his background after when he passed the entrance examinations. When he joined the institute, he started off okay, however, he would asionally act erratically and attack his fellow students.
Unlucky for him, the institute was a hotbed of monsters, so it wasn''t like he could bully anyone.
He had high-rank blue-grade pirs which would make him stand out anywhere but at the Institute having blue-grade pirs was expected, in addition, there were those with gold-grade pirs and even the rare purple-grade pirs like Yang Qing and Kang Hung.
Even though the numbers were not many, atleast one in a hundred of the students had purple grade pirs whilst in the foundation establishment realm.
So when Hao Da instigated the fights, he either got pummeled or it ended in a bitter drawn-out fight to the end, since everyone at the Institute had exceptionalbat sense drilled into them. Winning wlessly, no matter the grade of the pir, was almost an impossibility among fellow students.
The institute was tolerant of his incessant fights since those who came in through their doors, some of them brought baggage and tragic pasts with them.
The Order would help them confront their past in phases and one of them was to give them an outlet for those fears and frustrations. That outlet was fighting. So even if Hao Da was a menace, they still tolerated it, it''s not like the Institute had scrubs that he could bully.
So Hao Da continued on with his fights but then he escted and did something that was inexcusable for an Order recruit. When he saw he was the only one losing out in the fights he started, he turned his attention to the exchange students who came in via quotas.
The students of the Order would normally spar with the quota entrants to help expand their horizons, but they never went all out against them and always held out since the disparity was always too huge, not unless the entrants were from organizations that were rank 2 and above.
He started off with those from rank 1 and rank 2, then he moved downwards to those from rank 3 and rank 4. It was at that point that the instructors finally intervened. Even though he never went too far, he would torture his opponents from the lower-ranked organizations to the point that some had considered leaving before their three years were up.
Hao Da received an expulsion warning and a potential temporary residency at the Requiem if he didn''t find a different way to address his issues.
Hao Da transformed into a new person from the moment the warning was issued and in his final year, he never caused a single incident.
When he finished, he requested to be a judge, however, the Order couldn''t trust him due to his past behavior so his request was denied and he was made into a rotational inquisitor.
He would be deployed to different branches for a specific time period before he was transferred to another branch. He was to remain in that post until the Order deemed his character to be stable. The branch chiefs were also in charge of evaluating him, along with a special inquisitor who was sent to secretly monitor him.
Hao Da has been in that post for almost 15 years. Yang Qing kept in touch with him, though with the ck-hearted schedule of the Order, it wasn''t as much.
Even though themunication wasn''t as frequent, he still managed to get wind, that about a year ago, Hao Da was offered a post as an outer pce court judge at the main headquarters.
Yang Qing had thought he''d jump at the opportunity since it was his dream but Hao Da turned it down, in exchange for taking over as branch chief at the three fires branch, whose chief chose to be an instructor at the institute and settle down with his family at the headquarters.
''Well, it''s not like it''s a trade down. Branch chiefs receive astronomical resources. Even though he is at the third stage of the pce realm he will most likely receive resources that are fit for an early-stage domain expert.
If it wasn''t for the risks I''d apply to be a branch chief. Great pay and I get to decide my schedule'' Yang Qing enviously thought.
However, it would only be just that, a thought. He would never risk leaving thefort of the trusty protection at the main headquarters for greater pay. He would be too wary outside to enjoy the resources and authority.
¡
Yang Qing shook his head clear of such thoughts since he had a schedule to uphold and little time to do it.
"Senior Hao Da, I''ll be leaving these two with you. As I mentioned earlier, please have them sent to the Order in time before the entrance examination begins, which is a week away.
I will also be leaving the blood fiend cultivator with you. Who knows, you may be able to dig up information from him. He had this on him when I grabbed him," Yang Qing said as he passed over the amulet he had taken off the blood fiend cultivator.
"It''s a pretty decent artifact even for a sky-grade product. It is strange for someone with such a weak cultivation to have something this good not unless he pilfered it somewhere. But it seems to be geared specifically for blood fiend cultivator," Hao Da murmured as he closely examined the artifact.
"My thoughts exactly. I suspect he may be part of an organization of blood-fiend cultivators. Since I caught him in Purple city, maybe the organization he is a part of may have a location close by. Either in Red Maple Empire or other organizations that border it, like the Deer mountain kingdom.
Leaving him with you will be better."
Yang Qing picked up the unconscious blood fiend cultivator and passed him over to Hao Da. He also dropped off the two Zou siblings who were still looking down.
"Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, I''ll see you after three days. When you get settled up and are given a ce to stay, ask for someone called Cai Ying he can show you around. You will find him in the Thousand vors restaurant," said Yang Qing.
"Okay," said the Zou siblings as they hesitantly looked up.
"Don''t worry junior Yang Qing, I''ll make sure they get there safely. And take care of yourself. Speaking of which, how are Lai Lei and Dai Chen?" Hao Da asked as he sighed.
"Lai Lei is okay, he already got discharged from the medical valley. As for Dai Chen, he is just hanging in there waiting for the investigation into Lai Lei''s attackers to bear fruit.
Right now all he can do is wait," Yang Qing somberly said.
Dai Chen was in the same year as Hao Da, even if they couldn''t be considered close friends they were acquaintances and Dai Chen was one of the few people Hao Da never picked a fight with.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure if it was out of fear on Hao Da''s part or just because Dai Chen had an easygoing nature. Yang Qing felt the odds were more likely the former.
Dai Chen was an easygoing person by nature and it was hard to trigger him but in a fight, he was among the worst opponents you could have. He was undefeated throughout his whole time at the institute from both his fellow students and the ruthless convicts from Requiem.
That is a record that is not held by many people since you''d bepeting against fellow monsters. Even Yang Qing with his self-proimed brilliance got pummelled a few times, which always ended up with a glorious party being hosted by the instructors.
Yang Qing exchanged a few more words with Hao Da and then they each went their own way after. Hao Da would transport the Zou siblings to the nearest major Order branch with a spatial array while Yang Qing made his way north in the Deer mountain kingdom.
His next target was the Clear sword river sect. This was an evaluation that he didn''t particrly want to do. It was because, unlike the one from the Murong n, his next evaluation would be a potential demotion sinking the sect into an unranked sect.
Chapter 175 The Bizarre Deer Mountain Kingdom
?Yang Qing''s sighs grew more and more the closer he got to the location of the Clear sword river sect. The flight over had taken close to two hours. It was mostly because the area was a lot further away and Ellie had to be on a higher alert, the moment they entered the Deer mountain kingdom air space.
The Deer mountain kingdom was a rank 3 kingdom same as the Red Maple Empire, however, its territory vastly exceeded that of the Red Maple Empire, despite both being rank 3 organizations.''
Its size closely matched rank 2 kingdoms and empires. It was about 40 million square kilometers. Its size wasn''t the only thing that stood out as Deer mountain Kingdom could be considered an oddity.
It has richnds, and an enormous territory but despite that, it never grows and is rarely attacked by its neighbors.
The kingdom, just like its name, is hugely filled with mountains all over. Each more dangerous than the other. Some are surrounded by forests filled with spirit beasts, others are filled with poisonous miasma, while others have unexined phenomena associated with them, such as a mountain that rains blue lightning every month.
The lightning is so dangerous that it can threaten the life of an early-stage pce realm expert.
Because of therge territory, coupled with the dangers surrounding it, the royal family of the Deer mountain kingdom has a loose control over its territory.
Most of its forces and efforts are concentrated in the central area of the kingdom while the further away from the center the territory moves, the lesser the attention is given.
There was once a king who had tried to bring the whole kingdom firmly under their control but it ended up inplete failure.
The idea was cooked up during one of their highest periods when they had over 20 pce realm experts, with even three of them being in thete stages, with one of the threete-stage pce realm experts being the ambitious king.
They pooled all their manpower and resources together, and little by little, they conquered mountain after mountain. It wasn''t easy but thanks to their enormous manpower they managed to gain ground.
But their run ended in one of the mountains. It didn''t look any different than the rest except for the fact that it seemed a bit barren at the foot of the mountain. However the further up they moved, the verdant it seemed.
The king and his men charged up the mountain with momentum, assuming there was definitely a natural treasure at y here and indeed there was a treasure up there, an ascendant-grade spirit-weaving orchid. The orchard is an alchemist''s dream because it can promote or induce the evolution of other nts around it.
Having a spirit-weaving orchid would ensure you would neverck quality herbs for life as long as the orchid exists. With it, the Deer mountain kingdom could even rise to a rank 2 kingdom, if given enough time and sufficient talent. The orchid would ensure the resource part of the equation would notck.
However, it wasn''t meant to be for the Deer mountain kingdom, as along with the spirit-weaving orchid, there were two half-step domain spirit beasts who immediately retaliated the moment the royal family stepped on that peak.
Three-quarters of their forces got decimated and those that survived ended up with fatal injuries. The only reason there were even survivors was due to the intervention of the king, who used a secret sacrificial art to buy enough time for his people to escape and send the information back.
From that moment forth, they never once tried that folly again. They centralized their power and control in the central region of the kingdom and the areas they had conquered while they left the rest of the unexplored areas to remain as it were.
Those areas could be considered part of the Deer mountain kingdom in name only. The habitable areas of that region soon got flooded with foreign sects, ns, and small kingdoms that could be considered subsidiary forces of the Deer mountain kingdom since they paid tribute to them even if they didn''t get anything in return.
Due to the dangers and opportunities present, the number of foreign powers in the area has not grown by much but it hasn''t reduced either.
However, those that have managed to survive have grown by leaps and bounds to the point that the area has over a hundred rank 4 organizations.
Some at the Order have even suspected there may be a rank 3 organization in the area, it''s just that they are maintaining a low-key so that they don''t draw the attention of the Deer mountain kingdom.
Even with the loss they suffered during their excursion, the power of the Deer mountain kingdom as the true overlord of the area is still undisputed. Most of the organizations in their territory are wary of that fact. It''s the nail that stands out, that gets hammered. Who knows, if word of one of the organizations having a pce realm cultivator gets out, they may get targeted by the Deer mountain kingdom as a show of force to keep the other organizations in line.
It''s a well-tested and well-proven tactic employed by powerful organizations like rank 2 empires, to maintain order and their supremacy in the massive territories.
As for the Deer mountain kingdom, the whole tragedy ended up being a blessing in disguise for them more so for the royal family.
With the threat of potential domain-level spirit beasts roaming about in their territory, it made the whole of the Deer mountain kingdom, from the royal family to the noble families down to themoners, have a united front. Who knew how many other scary existences lurked about in the other areas, they couldn''t afford to be divided.
When the news of the discovery of the half-step domain-level spirit beasts lurking in Deer mountain kingdom broke out, it created a ripple effect on the other nations surrounding them who extinguished any designs they may have had on the kingdom.
Those unexplored regions served as a buffer for the Deer mountain kingdom. It is why they never interfered when other organizations settled in their territory without a heads-up or tribute. The dangerous unexplored areas were a buffer to the outside nations, while the organizations within the territory were a buffer for them in case anything dangerous broke out of those unexplored areas.
They could be considered free manpower whose presence showed which areas were safe and which were not.
The Clear sword river sect was among the organizations that made their home within the Deer mountain kingdom''s territory though their true rootsy elsewhere.
Chapter 176 Clear Sword River Sect’s Fate (1)
?"Ellie, drop down there," Yang Qing said as he pointed towards a spot at the bottom of some mountain.
Ellie gently glided downward as she restrained her aura. She wasn''t the only one exhibiting caution, as Yang Qing restricted his pce sense within a half a kilometer radius of them.
He wanted to avoid alerting other spirit beasts or triggering something if he could.
"Deer mountain kingdom is a really interesting ce," Yang Qing muttered as his gazended on a few of the mountains spread about.
Some were covered in mist, while others seemed almost inhabited. The ones his eyes fell on, were the ones that gave him a threatening and unnerving feeling.
"If you detect anything off, immediately rush to my side, though at this distance, I should be able to detect anything off, but one can''t be too careful in this ce," Yang Qing said as he leaped off Ellie''s back.
In front of him was a rundown gate that seemed to be hanging on by a thread. There was an illegible faded sign with the name Clear sword river sect on it.
Yang Qing sighed when he saw this as he made his way in since there wasn''t even someone at the gate. He had lost count of the number of times he had sighed on the way over.
The inside was just as bad as the gate. There were overgrown weeds all over, the buildings were few and far in between and at the state they were, calling them buildings was polite. As some of them had holes in their roofs orcked doors, there were even some which seemed like their floors had been forcibly torn off.
"I can''t believe it fell this far down," Yang Qing muttered as he took in the dpidated scene. The area would have been confused for a ghost town if it wasn''t for the absence of dense yin qi and the few human presences Yang Qing detected.
"Only about 12 people are left," thought Yang Qing as he made his way to the building that seemed better offpared to the rest. Though from the numerous patchwork it had, its future wasn''t all that promising and would soon join the rest.
Yang Qing had chosen this building since it was the location where the person with the highest cultivation was. That person had a fourth stage foundation establishment realm. But from the weak undting fluctuations Yang Qing detected, he knew that person didn''t have long to live.
Yang Qing sighed as he gently pushed open the cracked door. He had to use a bit of his qi to hold it in ce so it didn''t creek.
Inside the building at the center of the room, was an elderly man who was nothing but skin and bones donned in an old faded grey robe which Yang Qing deduced must have been ck at some point.
He was seated in a lotus position on a cultivation mat that had stopped being a mat at some point and was just loose threads tied together.
The room seemed to double as a cultivation chamber and an office, as there were scrolls and parchments of paper spread about in one of the few pieces of standing furniture in the room, with a dusty painting of a person fishing in the river, hanging at the wall in his back.
The room had amber-colored lighting that mostly came from the sunshine prating through the gaps and the cracks around the building.
Yang Qing took everything in as he sat down with a heavy heart. The elderly man before him didn''t even seem to have noticed his presence as his eyes were still closed.
Because of his atrophied state, one would even easily mistake him for a corpse if it wasn''t for the faint qi fluctuations he was emitting.
A frown appeared on his weathered wrinkled face which only grew deeper and deeper by the second. Secondster his face constricted and started coughing out blood.
Yang Qing shed to his back and poured some of his qi into him.
The elderly man didn''t even have time to react as a gentle, cool soothing qi pervaded throughout all his body.
"Senior are you trying to kill yourself?"
Yang Qing had a serious expression as he noticed the elderly man''s internal state was aplete mess. Some of his meridians were jumbled up together, some had ruptured, his foundation pirs seemed to be on the verge of copsing, and his qi flow was in an erratic state which damaged his internal organs.
It was only thanks to the vitality of a foundation establishment cultivator that he was even awake or alive for that matter, with all those injuries wreaking havoc in his body. But even his vitality seemedcking just like his body. It was dwindling like a dried river.
This was the least of the problems that afflicted the elderly man. When Yang Qing was pouring his qi into him, he detected the elderly man seemed to have overdrafted his soul''s essence since it was about the size of a weak candlelight me that could be snuffed out at any moment.
"It seemed it didn''t work this time either. The clear river sword sect will be buried with me. Forgive me master, grandmaster, ancestors, I couldn''t save it in the end," the elderly man weakly spoke then immediately passed out.
"You won''t be dying that easy, senior," Yang Qing softly muttered as he fished out three acupuncture needles with a greenish hue.
He concurrently stabbed them at the elderly man''s be, heart, and navel.
Yang Qing rapidly formed seals in his hands as a green river formed in his hands which he then dropped on the acupuncture needle in the elderly man''s be.
The acupuncture needle immediately started vibrating the moment the green river touched it. The vibration stopped after a few seconds.
A meandering green river started forming from the be as the river made its way downwards to the acupuncture needle at the heart. After it reached the heart, the same vibration urred after which it proceeded downwards to the navel.
The moment the green river connected to the three ces a dim pulsing green light was produced from the river and the three acupuncture needles.
"Nature''s convalescence," Yang Qing softly muttered as his eyes and hair turned greener to the point that vines formed in his hair.
A green gentle glow was produced from his body which filled the room with so much vitality that vines and grass started growing from where he was seated as it rapidly spread throughout the whole room with the range increasing by the second.
By the time half a minute passed even the nts that were originally within the vicinity of the building experienced a drastic growth spurt. There were a few young trees that were about four meters tall that grew to about twenty-five meters with thick leafy branches sprouting about.
After a few minutes, the area had turned into a mini forest thoroughly rming the remaining sect members who were shocked at a small forest suddenly appearing within their sect grounds.
On the elderly man''s body, the single green river line had branched off into millions of veins that covered his entire body. With every pulse of the green light, the elderly man''s state seemed to be improving.
His skin had turned rosy within a few minutes erasing the deathly pale look he had a few minutes ago. Even though his skin was still hugging his bones, his outward appearance seemed vastly betterpared to a few minutes ago. Even a few strands of his hair had turned from snow white to grey.
"I''m still not joining the Medical valley but their techniques are amazing."
Yang Qing smiled as he admired the internal and external changes happening within the elderly man''s body.
He waved his hand and the three acupuncture needles dislodged themselves from the elderly man''s body into his hands as he stored them away.
The needles weren''t the only thing that disappeared, as along with the needles, the various undergrowth within the room and building all disappeared. But the overgrown trees still remained where they were.
Yang Qing purposely left them like that because he liked the ambiance they added to the ce and they had a bit of his qi in them which with time may transform them into spiritual trees.
"Huh, I''m not dead?" the elderly man muttered in confusion as he slowly opened his eyes.
Chapter 177 Clear Sword River Sect (2)
?"No you''re not," Yang Qing softly said as he took a seat opposite the elderly man.
The elderly man seemed to be in disbelief as he kept looking around with a dumbfounded expression as he touched his body repetitively.
He did this to make sure what he was feeling was real, and he wasn''t just a ghost unable to move on due to regret and the lingering attachment he had for the sect.
Only when he had sufficiently calmed down and confirmed he was indeed alive, did he have the presence of mind to notice there was another person in the room with him.
He was also surprised to find out his body felt more vigorous. The grave injuries he had apanied by difort and pain that came from those umted injuries, had all disappeared.
His body was pristinely new like he had been reborn again.
"While I may have healed your body, I''m afraid there''s not much I can do about the lifespan you''ve lost by overdrawing your soul essence.
Even if your soul had been perfectly intact, my healing wouldn''t have been able to add more years to your life since the base lifespan of a cultivator falls upon thews of the world.
I''m afraid only natural treasures can help with that," said Yang Qing.
He didn''t want the elderly man to misunderstand and be disillusioned that he was okay, like he had a new lease on life. While Yang Qing had healed all the damage he had ever done to his body, his base lifespan remained unchanged.
If a mortal took really good care of himself/herself, they would be able to reach 100 years and with some luck, they''d reach maybe 150 years at the maximum.
But if they wanted to live past those years and maybe reach 200 years or more, it would be an impossibility because the naturalws governing their body prevented them to be able to live that long.
As long as they don''t cultivate and remain the same, even a soul formation expert would find it difficult to increase their lifespan.
The only way that mortals could live longer is if they embarked on cultivation thus breaking their mortal shackles and fundamentally evolving their being every time with every breakthrough. Or if they had the aid of some natural treasures that had the Dao of life as its main attribute. But even that, would still fundamentally change the constitution of that mortal.
The elderly man before him was nearing his end because he had lived theplete lifespan afforded to him as an early foundation establishment cultivator. Though he did squander a bit of his lifespan by draining his soul essence, he already didn''t have much time left.
From what Yang Qing could tell based on his bone age, the elderly man had lived for atleast 1,000 years and the drained soul essence reduced whatever time he had left to just one or two months at the most.
....
The elderly man seemed a bit shaken up by the news he heard from Yang Qing before smiling bitterly.
"Atleast when the timees, I''ll go infort rather than the constant pain I endured over the years.
Thank you senior for helping an old man such as myself."
The elderly man bowed as he was seated in a lotus position.
"There''s no need for that, senior," Yang Qing said as he lifted him up with a gentle force.
"Senior?"
The elderly man ruminated over the words Yang Qing had said before a look of shock appeared on his face as he took in Yang Qing''s young look.
He knew his injuries very well and he knew only those skilled old foggies who have poured thousands and thousands of years into medicine, would be able topletely heal his body.
There was no injury left, even his pirs which were on the verge of copsing had all been stabilized.
This was aplete restoration and how long had it even taken?
He wasn''t skilled in medicine himself but he atleast had a general idea of the skills that would be required to help him get a full recovery. At the very least it had to be someone who was a high-rank Orange-grade medical arts practitioner.
....
"Thank you for your benevolence esteemed master. Once again, I''m deeply thankful for your aid. If there''s anything you need, I Wang Yi will not hesitate to offer my services," the elderly man solemnly said as he cupped his fists.
"Pardon my insolence, I still haven''t introduced myself. My name is Wang Yi and I''m the sect master of the Clear sword river sect, though I fear both my post and the sect will soon disappear," he said as a painful mncholic smile appeared on his face.
"Would you like some tea, esteemed master? It may not be much but it''s the only thing I have to offer," Wang Yi said as he smiled in embarrassment at the impoverished status of his sect.
Yang Qing nodded his head in eptance as sect master Wang Yi picked up a small white porcin kettle with two cups.
He used a small mystical art to produce water which he then proceeded to mix with the green tea leaves in the kettle.
He did everything in an experienced, gentle, and practiced motion. Within a few seconds, the brew was already ready, which he then poured for Yang Qing first then himself.
The tea was more light yellow than green like the leaves had been repetitively used and drained of everyst richness they had.
Yang Qing didn''t mind as he could tell Wang Yi was a seasoned pro in tea making. Even with subpar resources, a seasoned expert could do so much with them.
"Thank you for the offer, sect master Wang Yi. My name is Yang Qing and I''m from the Order, you should know why I''m here," Yang Qing said with pity shing in his eyes as he noticed the trembling pupils in sect master Wang Yi''s eyes.
"From the Order huh...?..At the rate we are going, it was bound to happen," Wang Yi absent-mindedly muttered as he took a small sip from his tea.
Yang Qing mirrored his actions as he too took a sip.
"As expected, it''s still good," Yang Qing thought as he savored the tea which still managed to retain some vor despite the weak ingredients.
....
"Master Yang Qing, can you indulge this old man for a bit?" Wang Yi weakly asked.
Yang Qing gently nodded in acquiescence.
Sect master Wang Yi exhaled as he stared at the roof with a cloudy look as his expression turned nostalgic.
"I may be the sect master now, but in its heyday, I wasn''t even fit to be considered an outer sect disciple of the Clear sword river sect.
I was a member of the servants division of the sect. We handled the daily misceneous tasks around the sect such as cleaning, gardening, cooking, ying instruments, and the like.
We ensured the menial daily necessities of the sect were met so the cultivators within the sect could ce their entire focus on cultivation.
We strived to create an environment that was suited for just that.
Even though it didn''t seem like a morous job to others but to us, it was a privilege and a great undertaking that we did with great pride.
My memories as a servant in the sect master''s pavilion are what has helped me get through the past few years.
While my being the sect master is nothing but a constant nightmare, the proof that the Clear sword river sect I knew, has all but disappeared if all it has is a servant to hold the forte as its sect master.
It''s a cruel joke that I''ve had to endure for over a century.
Death would be a release from this torment but I''m also afraid to face my predecessors in the next life.
I''m ashamed to tell them that I was unable to preserve the embers of the sect and Clear sword river is no more...."
Wang Yi''s voice cracked as he said thest part. His look turned listless and lifeless.
There wasn''t much Yang Qing could say at the moment since he was the proverbial nail into the Clear sword river sect''s coffin.
"The world is truly a mercurial ce for a former rank 3 sect to fall this far," thought Yang Qing as his thoughts drifted to the circumstances that befell the Clear sword river sect.
A thousand years ago it was a rank 3 sect which although didn''tpletely stand out in its era, was still a decent cultivation sect that would garner respect wherever it went.
It had an unfathomable sword cultivation art whose versatility drew the envy and respect of many. With that as a foundation, it was able to grow in strength and stature as it drew in countless geniuses.
If nothing unexpected happened, its rise into the top ranks of rank 3 organizations, was all but guaranteed.
However the unexpected did happen, in the form of their legacy disciple who invited a cmity that reduced the sect into the shell of its former self, it was today.
They lost everything; their sect grounds, their power, fame, and disciples till they regressed to the point they were about to be an unranked sect with only 12 members. Of which, Yang Qing wasn''t even sure that some of them were members of the sect.
This was a sect that once had a territory that rivaled the Deer mountain kingdom in size, and unlike them, they had a firm grip on their territory.
Chapter 178 Clear Sword River Sect (3)
?They couldn''t afford fresh tea leaves at the moment but at their prime, they even had a subordinate Rank 3 kingdom under them despite being rank 3 themselves.
Within their territory, they could sneeze and it could cause a ripple effect the size of a tsunami to all organizations that were within their territory.
Despite their massive power, they had a rtively good reputation within their sect inparison to others. Yes, they monopolized some of the resources, but they left enough to even promote a rank 4 kingdom into a rank 3 kingdom, while rank 4 organizations were a dime a dozen within their territory.
However, all the goodwill and reputation they had built was destroyed about 200 years ago till they slowly deteriorated into what they were today.
The sect master back then was perfect in all regards. He was a talented swordsman, charismatic and shrewd in managing the sect and its territories.
In all regards he was perfect except for one thing, he doted on his grandson too much which made him blind to his faults.
He only had one son, who rivaled him in terms of talent and character. However that son and his wife died during a war the sect had with a rank 3 underground organization, leaving behind a son.
The sect master out of grief, guilt, and a sense of responsibility, pampered his grandson a lot.
He started off by giving him an astronomical amount of precious cultivation resources, even ones promised to others, giving him a priority in certain areas despite the grandson not earning that spot.
Not many people within the sect had anyints about it since they knew the sect master was trying to make up to the kid for getting both his parents killed. Other than that, the child was also gifted in cultivation which made it ptable to the rest of the sect, even when he was shown favoritism in a lot of things. Atleast the resources were not being wasted.
Even when he was made a legacy disciple despite not reaching the minimum standard, the higher-ups within the sect overlooked it, since it would only be a matter of time till he was deserving of the title.
However, the attitude of the sect members started changing from amodation to dissatisfaction when the grandson''s habits turned hedonistic and despotic.
Wielding the power that came with his title as a legacy disciple and the sect master''s grandson, he started behaving wantonly within the sect.
He continuously suppressed any disciple that showed enough talent to threaten his position. Some were forced into hisckeys, while those that refused, got assigned difficult missions by the sect''s mission halls at his behest and if that wasn''t enough, he would even use his connections to have their resources reduced or hinder their cultivation time.
When the matter was brought to the sect master, he only offered a soft reprimand, nothing more. After a few weeks of good behavior, the grandson went at it again but this time he was more calcting and insidious about it.
Even if most within the sect knew it was his handiwork, there was not much that could be done if he was not tied directly to those deeds.
But soon, when his cultivation grew to the peak of core formation realm, he didn''t bother to hide his vile nature. He became more vicious and open in his actions.
He injured his fellow disciples to the extent that he even crippled some, next he started relentlessly targeting the female disciples of his sect with lewd intentions. Those female disciples ended up with fates worse than death, to the point some risked desertion from the sect while othersmitted suicide.
Even with the esction of his habits, the sect master still turned a blind eye to this to the extent that he personally punished some of the elders who admonished his grandson as a scourge of the sect.
Things went downhill from there as the sect master lost the trust of his disciples and even some of the elders. The Clear sword river sect weed a decline in their talent pool as the disciples started running away whilst on missions. It got so drastic that they lost a third of them within a few years.
Sect missions got halted because of it and when that became untenable as a solution, the sect master inscribed restrictions on the souls of the disciples to ensure that they came back. Otherwise, they risked a bacsh that would heavily injure their souls.
But even with such a restriction, there were still those who risked running away despite knowing the danger. Some talented ones decided to defect to other sects and organizations of the same caliber as the Clear sword river sect and had them remove the restriction.
As for those with no such luck or talent, they decided to embrace death rather than return back.
Soon, with how many disciples were defecting and running away, news spread fast within their territory about how things were within the sect. This added another dent into their talent pool since no talented genius wanted to risk joining a sect where they''d be suppressed for showing their talents. Even worse they would risk being crippled as the sect master turned a blind eye to it. Most of those with talent and no background chose to go to other sects, which even though may not have matched the Clear sword river sect in stature, at least guaranteed their safety.
Things just got grimmer and grimmer as years passed by, with the grandson not correcting his habits and the sect master turning a blind eye to most things. Though he did try to employ some measures, such as increasing the allotted resources given to the disciples to try and cate them. But that was just a drop in the bucket that did little to alleviate their distress.
A few yearster, the grandson interrupted the breakthrough of a nephew of a grand elder of the sect. That nephew had been attempting to break through to the pce realm when the sect master''s grandson intervened using an insidious technique that caused the breakthrough to fail. That grand elder''s nephew ended up with serious injuries that almost took his life.
It was only due to the timely intervention of that grand elder that he was able to live. The grand elder was a pce realm cultivator and he had been in seclusion for quite some time which was why he had not been there to watch over his nephew as he broke through, which wasmon practice.
Once he had stabilized the situation, he attacked the sect master''s grandson only for the sect master to intervene personally as he offered to make amends for his grandson. However, the grand elder was livid at the time and attacked the sect master.
Chapter 179 Clear Sword River Sect (4)
?What started off as just venting, transformed into a life-and-death battle that almost destroyed half the sect grounds. The grand elder got defeated in the end, however, the sect master chose to spare his life.
That same night, that grand elder left along with almost half of the elders along with their personal disciples. Depleting the sect''s foundation further. The sect master didn''t stop them since the grand elder had insisted he''d rather die than remain and those who went with him, shared the same sentiments.
Even with all that had happened, the sect master still didn''t punish his grandson but instead decided to make him an envoy of the sect. That position guaranteed he would be spending most of his time outside of the sect which would be a weed relief to the rest of the sect members who remained.
Everything went as expected, and some form of peace returned to the sect without the grandson around. However, the same couldn''t be said for those outside the sect.
The sect master''s grandson became a monstrous nightmare within the territory of the Clear sword river sect as he flexed the authority that came with being the grandson of the sect master of the Clear sword river sect, the true overlord of the region.
Lives were lost and ruined as he piged through the territory like a ravenous wolf. It was during one of his escapades that some beauty grabbed his attention. When he saw her, he acted just like he always did. He tried using charm and when that didn''t work he immediately switched to force.
However, unlucky for him, thedy he had his designs on, was a pce realm expert who made quick work of him that he ended up with a crippled cultivation base and it was even unluckier that she had a daopanion with her who was an early stage domain expert.
So when the sect master''s grandson threatened them using his sect and grandfather''s name, even after being crippled, thedy''s daopanion was all too d to entertain him as he went with him back to the sect.
When they arrived at the sect, the daopanion destroyed the sect''s guardian array to make his presence known and to draw out the people from the sect most importantly the sect master.
The n worked splendidly as the sect master and all the elders reacted to the attack only to find the grandson being strung like a chicken at the hands of an unknown domain expert.
The sect master on finding out what had happened from the domain expert, begged on his knees as he offered his life along with all the sect''s treasures in exchange for his sect being spared except for his grandson. He knew at that point, death was all but certain for his grandson.
All he could do was hope his death could save the sect he had neglected for so long till it reached this point.
Lucky for him, the domain expert agreed and the matter got settled with his death, which the grandson couldn''t believe even to his death. The sect''s coffers got emptied and the domain expert left.
Things fell rapidly into decline after that with the sect falling apart. They already had too many enemies thanks to the sect master''s grandson. If people got wind that they had lost their sect master and their guardian array along with their resources, it wouldn''t be long before they were besieged and forced to pay for the crimes of the sect master''s grandson.
The remaining members split into different groups. There were those who decided to abandon the Clear river sword sect altogether and start fresh somece else and those who wanted to revive the Clear sword river sect. There were more people in thetter group than the former mostly because they assumed it would be easy to do so with the prestige of the Clear sword river sect and they thought the grand elder and the other elders who had left woulde back when they heard the sect master and the grandson were no longer around.
Wang Yi was part of this group. However, they had grossly underestimated how hated the sect master''s grandson, was. He had created countless blood feuds and had ruined whatever reputation the Clear sword river sect had.
The Clear sword river sect got besieged by thousands of enemies once word got out that the sect master had perished. Despite their loss in manpower during his reign, the sect master was a seventh-stage pce realm expert, his presence alone was a sufficient deterrent throughout their whole territory.
But after his death, of those who remained, only one was in the pce realm and he was at the first stage. The attackers had a few early-stage pce realm experts. Some came from the rank 3 kingdom in their territory who had joined in hopes of filling the void with the destruction of the Clear sword river sect, while others were part of organizations that held deep enmity with the sect for quite some time but had not been able to act on it due to the foundations the sect had.
After a few years of being constantly attacked, the remaining pce realm member died. The restorationists had thought that at some point the grand elder and the other elders who left would step in, but they never did.
With the death of thest pce realm cultivator, things kept going downhill after that with the survivors dropping like flies as they escaped, till their escapended them in Deer mountain kingdom. But by that point, only less than a hundred people were left and those that survived were the weakest of the bunch. The ones deemed unworthy of the attention of their pursuers.
The sect managed to etch out a tiny road of survival because of that. However, with no one strong or talented enough to hold the forte in the past 200 years, it fell down to the point it was just the Clear sword river sect, in name only.
With the death of Wang Yi, Yang Qing had doubts if it would even survive a year before everyone left and by then even the name will disappear. It will be nothing more than a cautionary tale to those who knew it even existed.
Yang Qing kept opening and closing his mouth as he deliberated what to say. Wang Yi was still in a lost daze and Yang Qing was hesitant because once he uttered his next words, it was the same as closing the book on the Clear sword river sect.
"It''s okay, master Yang Qing, I''m not too long for this world anyway," Wang Yi said as he gently smiled at Yang Qing.
"I''m thankful for your kindness," He added as he pulled out a scroll from a small ck wooden box that had dragon cloud engravings on it.
"Will this be needed?" He asked as he handed over the scroll to Yang Qing, albeit reluctantly.
"Yes it will, thanks," said Yang Qing as he politely nodded unfurling the scroll. In it was the certificate issued to the sect by the Order.
Chapter 180 Farewell To The Clear River Sword Sect (1)
?Yang Qing took out his gold eagle medallion and formed a few seals with one hand, as he parsed the medallion over the certificate.
A gentle golden glow appeared on the gold eagle medallion which Yang Qing used to shine over the certificate.
Glyph patterns started appearing everywhere the gold light fell on.
Yang Qing was using the medallion along with a special mystical art meant to confirm the certificate was authentic.
All Order issued medallions came from the same source making it a suitable conduit artifact to use when confirming another judge''s work, like the issued certificate before him.
Once Yang Qing had confirmed it was authentic, he rolled the scroll and stored it in the medallion.
The closer he came to the demotion the heavier his tongue felt.
For some odd reason, to him, it seemed like Wang Yi was much calmer than he was. One would even assume Yang Qing was the sect master of the Clear sword river sect while Wang Yi was the official sent to handle the demotion.
Yang Qing chalked up Wang Yi''s current calm state he was in, was due to the short lifespan he had left and the unsalvageable situation he was in.
There was a special kind of release when you were at the end of your tether and there was nothing more you could do.
....
"Do you want to confirm how long you have to live?" Yang Qing cautiously asked.
"Its part of the procedures?" asked Wang Yi
"Yes, it is. Usually, when we are doing a demotion we confirm the remaining lifespan of the member maintaining the organization''s rank to create a grace period timeline.
That grace period timeline is decided by your remaining lifespan. As long as circumstances change within that period, like gaining another foundation establishment member, the demotion can be rescinded and you won''t have to reapply for a promotion or pay the costs thate with it.
You can visit any branch to have the demotion rescinded once they confirm everything is authentic. Then they''ll update the status at the headquarters," Yang Qing patiently exined.
When an unranked organization got promoted, they usually paid a fee of 10 low-grade spirit stones. That fee increased the further up the promotion was. For example, moving from rank 5 to rank 4 the charge would be 10 middle-grade stones, and from rank 4 to rank 3 would be 5 high-grade spirit stones.
A grace period was introduced to help cushion the blow to those struggling to maintain their ranks.
Most organizations in a simr situation to the Clear sword river sect, would pour every resource they had into ensuring they didn''t get demoted. Those, who by some miracle end up pulling it off before their grace period is up, end up with nothing to their name at that point since they have used every stone and resource they have to survive and prevent the demotion.
Asking them to pay 10 low-grade spirit stones for another evaluation, is like asking a mortal farmer to produce milk from a stone. They''d have to stay as an unranked organization until they got enough spirit stones to pay for the evaluation cost, then they''d have to wait patiently until they get slotted. If their luck is horrible, it would be a year.
With how unpredictable the cultivation world was, a lot could happen within that year, such as the death of the member they cultivated to ensure they remained a rank 5 organization.
That reality wasn''t an impossibility since Yang Qing had seen it happen a few times, whereby a sect files for a promotion, only for the member supposed to be evaluated dies before the evaluation is done, nullifying the evaluation process.
...
"Master Yang Qing you must have noticed the state of the sect, right?" Wang Yi said with a bitter smile.
He left a few things unsaid but Yang Qing knew where he was getting at.
Excluding him, there were 11 more people within the sect. Of these 11 people, only three were in the qi refinement stage and none of them was past the 3rd level.
The majority of the remaining eight were in the body refining realm and it was the weakest rank at that, the iron stage.
Bar anything unexpected, it was almost impossible for any of them to reach the foundation establishment realm in three months, which was the lifespan Yang Qing roughly estimated, Wang Yi had.
When Yang Qing''s thoughts reached this point, he didn''t know what to say. He couldn''t in good conscience tell him that something could happen in the few remaining months he had left.
While there were tales of fortuitous encounters happening that made one leap to the skies in one step, those tales were few and far in between and most of them happened in perilous ces like abandoned mysterious realms and grottos or the millions fold treasure ocean.
They didn''t just fall from the sky or fell into someone''sp while he or she was sleeping and it wasn''t just anybody who got them. Those who did, despite their backgrounds, all had an absurd amount of karmic luck enough to rival that of a rank 3 empire that has had good ruling for thousands of years.
Luck, just like time and space, was an ultimate Dao rule. However, unlike thetter two, luck couldn''t be cultivated or gain insight into. You could only be born with it and it had no rhyme or reason as to who would be chosen. You could be the prince of some big empire or a child born in a ve mine.
Despite their starting point, none of them grows up to be a simple character.
While it didn''t grant invincibility due to the unpredictability of luck and how at times it went hand in hand with cmity. Those who survived its trials grew up to be big shots whose names shook the Southern continent.
Yang Qing had read of one such person, who was still alive today. He was the founder of the Bright pearl sect.
His parents were ves to some dark alchemy organization. They were used as live cauldrons which was an insidious art where potions were brewed inside the bodies of said persons.
Those with special physiques were prime targets for this technique as the potions produced with them as cauldrons, would have special attributes because of their physique.
That founder''s parents had a wood physique, and though it was nothing special, it had the effect of increasing sess in potion brewing. Their physiques could temper vtile ingredients.
As luck would have it, their dear son, the founder of the Bright pearl sect, was born with a wood physique like theirs, except his'' was even stronger, which granted him a body that was just perfect for the human alchemy cauldron art since his body could endure the damage the art caused and regenerate.
He was the perfect human cauldron and catalyst.
Chapter 181 Farewell To The Clear River Sword Sect (2)
?He got thoroughly exploited down to every cell in his body for decades. His parents had died during that time period due to the strains the art had on their bodies, leaving their son to continue on the family''s job.
That dark alchemy organization got attacked and destroyed at some point by anotherpetitor and as luck would have it, that founder survived and became one of the spoils of war.
For the next twenty or so years, that founder bounced from organization to organization as those organizations either got attacked or a natural cmity befell them, leaving that founder as the only survivor.
Yang Qing, when he read that story, wondered to himself if that founder had good luck or was a harbinger of bad luck. From what he could deduce, the only reason that founder survived was the high regeneration afforded by his special physique, zerobat sense which made him overlooked most of the time, and the greed of cultivators who saw him as a walking source of wealth.
That vicious cycle went on for quite some time till by some luck when he had enough of the cauldron life and he decided to make his escape. During his escape, he stumbled into a mysterious grotto belonging to some ancient sect.
In there he found the bright pearl, an object whose origins and ranks are unknown. But what is known from the records Yang Qing read, the founder went into that grotto ate-stage Foundation establishment cultivator and came out as someone half-step into the domain realm.
Yang Qing, in his curiosity after reading the story of the Bright pearl founder, had consulted some of the seniors of the Order on how something like that could happen. The founder had leaped two major cultivation realms within a short period. The gap between the foundation realm and the peak of the pce realm wasn''t just two realms, the implication of the gap was far above that which made Yang Qing curious about what kind of artifact that pearl was.
The seniors had a few guesses. One of them was it was a coincidence of factors where if one was missing, things would have turned out differently.
They hypothesized that his years as a human alchemy cauldron coupled with his special physique helped him gain insight into a Dao suited his physique. The longer he was in that situation, the deeper his understanding became. The repetitive experiments were nothing more than fuel for his understanding of his dao. They guessed the dao he cultivated may have had some ties to vitality which was amon urrence to those who had wood element physiques. He also had enormous volumes of energy stored in his body from all the precious herbs used on him to cultivate the potions.
His physique and the repetitive torture as a human alchemy cauldron were one part of the equation and the other was the mysterious grotto he stumbled into.
When he stumbled into the mysterious grotto, the bright pearl he got may have been a natural treasure that helped him refine all the energy stored in his body as it improved it thus adding to his understanding of the Dao. The transformation catapulted him into a half-step into the domain realm.
That assumption seemed usible to Yang Qing since Chief Song of the craftsmanship division was a prime example.
He was at thete stage of core formation but his understanding of his Dao was more profound than even Yang Qing''s by miles.
The day that he decides he has enough free time to break through, most at the Order have strong confidence he would bypass the pce realm and directly reach the domain realm. As for which stage he would reach, they couldn''t tell, but the general consensus was, he could reach the middle stage. His understanding of his Dao was just that deep.
They thus made the assumption the founder of the Bright pearl sect may have had the same simrities as Chief Song and the only areas there was a disparity was, Chief Song could break through any time he wished to but the founder needed a few opportunities for the equation to beplete. One of them being, a decent cultivation art to help him maximize the use of the energy in his body with the other being a safe ce to safely break through.
The Mysterious grotto provided both, in the form of the bright pearl and whatever else the founder harvested in there.
With his newfound strength, the founder of the Bright pearl sect did what any man of principle would do, he repaid all the debts he was owed, nothing more nothing less.
Yang Qing remembered how hot-blooded he had felt when he read that part, he could picture himself in that position, pping people and thendscapes they were in, into oblivion.
After all the debts were settled, he formed the Bright pearl sect and in less than a thousand years he had broken through to the soul formation realm elevating the sect into a rank 1 sect making it one of the youngest rank 1 sect to date since it has been in existence for only 12,000 years.
However, despite its shallow foundations as a rank 1 sect, it is still widely respected because of its founder. Who knows how much progress he has made in the past 10,000 years since he broke through to the Soul formation realm?
Both the sect and the founder barely have any visible footprint around the continent, adding more mystery to the sect and its founder, especially when ites to their power.
....
In regard to the Clear river sword sect, Yang Qing thought even if someone lucky like the founder of the Bright pearl sect showed up, would they remain in a dying sect such as the Clear river sword sect where they may not have as much belonging to it as Wang Yi or will they move on to greener pastures or decide to do as the founder of the Bright pearl did and start their own legacy.
The chances of the former happening were slimmerpared to the rest.
But rather than assume he decided to confirm a few things. Luck can''t be deduced but loyalty could.
"Sect master Wang Yi, do you have anyone to entrust the sect to?" Yang Qing hesitantly asked.
Sect Master Wang Yi got stunned by the question that it took him a few seconds to process it before he could respond.
"For a time there I did try to find suitable sessors but I failed each time. It''s difficult to find someone talented enough and has the heart to carry the burden of reviving the sect. Finding someone who fulfilled thetter criteria proved difficult since they didn''t know the Clear sword river sect in its prime. Getting them motivated to pursue something they have never known was hard. All they know is the Clear sword river sect of now, a rundown sect in some mountain that has only two red-grade cultivation arts to its name and a talentless sect master."
One could hear the bitterness and self-mockery in his tone.
"The few survivors I arrived at this ce with, either died or gave up with time till I was the only one left.
Knowing my talent, I thought finding talents was the best route but with nothing suitable to offer, those I could get were mostly at my level, and even they didn''t see much prospect in the sect and just deserted.
About 20 years ago I gave up and decided to take up the mantle myself using some forbidden cultivation arts.
The state you found me was because of that. I can''t believe I''m so untalented to even fail in forbidden arts," Wang Yi said as he chuckled in embarrassment.
Weren''t forbidden arts shortcuts for talentless hacks to gain quick results with minimal effort at a certain price? He couldn''t understand how he failed at something that had zero requirements on talents. Even if he always knew his talents were bad, he didn''t think it was to that extent.
"The few people around are just strugglers with nowhere to go who I let into the sect. To them, this is just a free lodge."
It was at this moment that something clicked in Yang Qing''s mind, he had overlooked it in his somber mood created by the prospect of sending the Clear sword river sect into oblivion.
He hurriedly took out hismunication talisman and called a friend of his in the admissions division.
"Yuanli can you check something for me?"
"Qing, you''re always asking for something, you still owe me fromst time.
I still haven''t seen that ancient scroll with 1000 face-changing techniques you promised me,"
" I''ll give it to you when Ie back, I''ll even let you use my chambers for a week,"
" The chambers that were downgraded to the point I''ll have to use my own spirit stones to charge them up? No thanks,"
"I''ll charge them myself, besides I''ll be moving to a new one once I move to the pce courts. How about I let you use that one for a week," said Yang Qing through his teeth.
"Deal, you better not welch Qing?"
"I won''t,"
"So, what did you want?"
" Can you check thest quota records of the Clear sword river sect for the past 12 years?
What cultivation bases did the students who came, leave with, along with their age and also thest entrant when did he or she finish their training? Thanks,"
"Give me a second... Right here it is...12 years that should be 4, there was
Chu Qingwu, cultivation base at the eighth stage of qi refinement 47 years old.
Zhi Lang, also in the eighth stage of qi refinement, 58 years old.
Xian Lu, the fourth stage of qi refinement, 49 years old. That one got kicked out in his first year.
Thest one is Li Feng, eleventh stage of qi refinement realm, 31 years old. He finished four months ago."
"Thanks, Luanli," Yang Qing said as he cut off themunication.
"Sect master Wang Yi, what happened to those four people?" Yang Qing asked as his brows scrunched up.
Discounting thest person and the one that got expelled, either of the first two would have had a chance of stepping into the foundation realm by now.
The grim state of the sect had made him overlook those people.
For the past 200 years even though things were bad, they were still a ranked sect, thanks to Wang Yi''s presence. What happened to those who came in via the sect''s quotas in the past 200 years?
Chapter 182 Farewell To The Clear River Sword Sect (3)
?"Even though those who had grudges against us let us be when all that was left of the Clear sword river sect was some outer disciples and servants, it didn''t mean they let us gopletely."
Wang Yi sighed as a look of hatred, frustration, and resignation shed in his eyes.
"When we came here, we shed with some of the local forces here before we could settle down. Even though everything valuable had been taken by that domain expert, we still had a few personal trinkets with us, which even though weren''t worth much, were still able to help us to create a footing in this ce,"
Wang Yi paused as he took another sip of his tea, as he habitually poured Yang Qing another cup too. He may be a sect master now, but he had been a servant far longer. Some of the habits he had from back then would show themselves every now and then.
"Despite settling down, the friction between us and the neighboring organizations didn''t stop. At first, we thought it was just weariness to outsiders and them showing dominance and resistance because of it.
However,ter we discovered things were not as simple as they seemed to be. Opponents who we had no difficulty fighting to a draw, grew in quality and quantity. Even bandits with half-step core formation experts started showing up at our doors.
It was onlyter that we discovered all our attackers had been instigated by our old enemies. They may have let us go but they didn''t forget about us. They continuously harassed us using the organizations around Deer mountain kingdom.
It was why our decline was so rapid despite settling down and our old enemies not chasing us anymore. We were constantly attacked while those same organizations put us in an embargo halting our growthpletely.
The few promising disciples we had, were either poached by them or severely injured. With our dwindling resources, those injuries were no different than fatalities.
I have to give it to those organizations, they were pretty thorough,"
Wang Yi said with deep sorrow in his tone as he smiled wryly.
"Of the names, your colleague has mentioned;
Chu Qingwu got injured a year after she came back and passed away three yearster,
Zhi Lang didn''t have much ambition, he left the sect and decided to start a family somece else.
Xian Lu got killed by the disciple of another sect when they got into an argument over a mortal rank herb. That child has always been unruly. He acted like the world was beneath his gaze but unlucky for him, he never had the talent to back up that act.
As for Li Feng¡.."
Wang Yi paused as a look of confusion, sadness, and worry appeared in his eyes.
From Wang Yi''s reaction, Yang Qing guessed he had a very close rtionship with Li Feng.
Maybe they were even kin, if outsiders couldn''t carry the torch for the sect maybe someone of the same bloodline could.
"In the past hundred years, he was the one I had the highest hopes on of seeding me.
We found him abandoned at the foot of the mountain of our sect when he was just a baby. One of our members took pity on him and brought him into the sect.
I couldn''t care less back then and left his care to them. I had a lot on my mind back then, with my dwindling lifespan and the possible demotion of the sect if nothing changed.
I didn''t have the headspace for anything else. I even stopped training the few disciples who had remained since it wouldn''t change anything, not with the talent they had. Though there might be a possibility their poor results was because I was a horrible teacher.."
Wang Yi chuckled in embarrassment as he said thest part.
"It was during that period that I started trying my hands at forbidden arts. It was a couple of yearster when I had hit another wall, like usual, during my cultivation, that Li Feng caught my eye.
That kid had talent. My judgment may be off whenparing him to others but I know he had more talent than me atleast or most of the disciples we have had over the years," said Wang Yi as he smiled in pride.
"Even with our pathetic levels of resources and only two high-rank red grade techniques to our name, the kid managed to cultivate his body to the silver body realm and then broke through to the qi refinement realm.
I can''t help but wonder if we had better resources, higher-grade cultivation arts, and a better teacher for him, what heights he would reach.
I sent him to the Order in the hopes of making it up to him for what we could not give him. As for where he is after he left, I honestly don''t know.
Some part of me is hoping he ising back and is just dyed somewhere while another part of me hopes he doesn''te back and got recruited by a better sect out there. I feel like it''s selfish of me to tie him down to my own obsessions of reviving the Clear sword river sect. "
Wang Yi seemed like he had made his peace with the sect disappearing.
"Another part of me dreads that something happened to him on his way back," Wang Yi said as deep worry showed on his face.
Most of his thoughts would swarm toward thest option. With the talent Li Feng showed, getting targeted for murder was a highly likely option.
Yang Qing''s frown became deeper.
"That''s not right," Yang Qing thought to himself.
Once the training period was up, those from the weaker sects would have their disciples dropped off at their doorsteps by employees from the Order, especially those who exhibited some form of talent. It was considered a waste by the Order if those seedlings died before they even exhibited their potential. It was why transport back was included in their quota package.
Li Feng had most been likely dropped off at his sect''s gate. After that, he either left after the Order employee dropped him off, or someone targeted him the moment the person from the Order left.
Yang Qing shook his head dismissing thest thought as improbable. If there was someone lurking by, waiting for Li Feng to arrive, the person from the Order would have detected the person and acted.
This could only mean one thing, Li Feng left the moment he was dropped.
"Luckily the revised quota rules will be made into effect at the next assembly," Yang Qing silently muttered as he sighed.
Chapter 183 Farewell To The Clear River Sword Sect (4)
?A lot of the lower-ranked sects kept losing their trained disciples to otherpetitors leaving them in a stagnated state. While others turned their own quotas into a marketing scheme.
They''d hawk their quotas to the highest bidders. Organizations would buy those spots from each other so they could get more slots.
Since these organizations were given autonomy on who to send and the Order didn''t have a name list of their members, it was easy to sneak a non-member under the Order''s nose.
However, in the next three months, the new rules for the quotas will be put into effect. All members in the quota system would have to serve their organizations for 10 years before they could leave or pay the Order an equivalent amount to the resources that were spent on them during those three years.
As for those who sold their quota spots, anyone caught would be banned for 10 years. In pursuant to this effect, the Order even offered a sizeable reward to those whoe forward with any information regarding those scalping their quota spots.
The reward was made sizeable enough that anyone turning traitor would have zero qualms about telling on their own organization.
From the brief overview Yang Qing had read, someone from a rank 5 organization would get a free high-rank orange grade cultivation art specifically suited to their skills, 10 high-grade spirit stones, a tailored sky rank artifact, and a four-year training period at the Institute of the Order.
Just a single reward, was potentially more than the total of all the umted resources some of those rank 5 organizations had. With such a reward, father would turn against the son and the son against the father.
Yang Qing thought that the spirit of righteousness would surely bloom within these scalping organizations because of those rewards.
¡
Seeing Wang Yi''s worried look, Yang Qing decided against telling him that Li Feng had most likely abandoned him and the sect.
Even if Wang Yi had said he would be happy if he went somece else, the sting of betrayal would still be there. Someone with a few months to live didn''t need to carry that. Yang Qing sympathized with the old man before him who had already been through so much.
"Where do you want me to pour the blood essence?" Wang Yi asked as he pulled his thoughts back.
Yang Qing didn''t miss that brief sh of a glimmer of hope in Wang Yi''s eyes as he asked the question.
Yang Qing didn''t say anything as he removed the heart steele stone from his storage ring. He then guided Wang Yi on what to do. Wang Yi made a small cut on one of his index fingers and then poured a drop of blood on the stone.
The stone lit up just like it did at the Murong family during their evaluation, as a few words appeared on the stone.
Cultivation realm, middle of the fourth stage of the foundation establishment realm
Status, stable
Lifespan, 63 days
Bloodline affinity, null
¡
"It''s even less than I expected," Yang Qing thought as he looked at the result. He had guessed that Wang Yi had three months left based on his bone age but from the Heart steele it was roughly just two months.
The damage Wang Yi did to his already aging body seemed to have taken its toll.
"63 days isn''t bad," Wang Yi said as he calmly smiled. He even looked at the results with admiration like it was some good thing.
Yang Qing silently took out a jar of snow peak ginseng tea. It was made by Jiang Fu though it paled inparison to his signature oolong tea. However, the snow peak ginseng was still an exquisite tea that would easily go for 15 middle-grade spirit stones.
Its main ingredient, the snow peak ginseng was a sky rank herb even though it was on the lower end of the spectrum. It had the effect of rejuvenating an injured soul with an added refreshing and cooling effect on the mind.
Yang Qing also took out two green bamboo cups and ced them next to the jar as his gaze turned solemn.
"I, Yang Qing, a superior core court judge of the Order, hereby demote the Clear sword river sect into a rankless sect having judged it impossible to maintain its current rank.
A 67-day grace period has been issued in pursuant to the rules and regtions in the article of rankings and evaluations."
Yang Qing added a few words to the scroll draft he had in his hands. The words added were ''67 days'' on the space that had been left nk before the words ''grace period.''
He then proceeded to ignite the scroll into a white me as a voice echoed in the room with the words ''received''
He had already drafted the demotion notice on the way over as he felt he would be too ufortable to write it when he was at the sect.
"Would you like to share a drink with me?"
Though it seemed like Yang Qing was asking, he had already poured Wang Yi a cup and then himself.
The tea''s surface produced a faint white mist while underneath it, was clear like liquid with a whitish hue like the surface of ake during winter.
Wang Yi''s eyes lit up when he saw the tea. His hands even trembled a tiny bit as he picked up the cup.
As a tea enthusiast, he went through the motions of edifying the tea before he finally took a sip.
Just like that young and old spent half an hour in silence enjoying tea. It was only when Yang Qing stood up to live did Wang Yi speak.
"Please take this. It may not be much, but it''s the remaining thing I treasure," Wang Yi said as he handed over the painting he had on his wall. It was a painting of the drawing of the back of a cultivator staring at a river.
"Thank you," Yang Qing said as he bowed in thanks.
"It''s nothing much. It''s just something I drew when I was young and had just started working in the sect master''s pavilion," Wang Yi said in nostalgia.
Yang Qing didn''t say much as he carefully stored it away.
"Please have this too. It''s better in your hands than mine," Yang Qing said as he handed another jar of snow peak ginseng tea to Wang Yi.
"Thanks, master Yang Qing," Wang Yi said as he smiled as he handled the jar like some priced treasure.
Yang Qing didn''t add on much after that as he turned into a dark grey cloud of smoke and disappeared from the room.
Wang Yi bowed deeply before he sat down and carefully poured himself a cup of the snow peak ginseng tea with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Farewell, Clear sword river sect," Yang Qing muttered as he floated above the sect. He took onest nce before he made his way to Ellie.
Chapter 184 Intriguing Farm In Summerfield Kingdom (1)
?"We will be making our way to the Summerfield Kingdom," Yang Qing said as he projected the location route into Ellie''s mind.
"I can''t believe I''ve already used up three hours already."
Yang Qing''s brows were lightly furrowed as he examined the map he hadid out on Ellie''s back.
"Luckily I should be able to clear a few of them in Summerfield kingdom," Yang Qing muttered as he drew a few more circles around his quadrant.
"Hopefully I''ll be able to finish the evaluations in good time."
Yang Qing looked at the map for a few more seconds before he closed it with a satisfied smile appearing on his face as he did so.
In the midst of his journey, he took out hismunication talisman and made a few calls to different people.
From the calls, he seemed to be arranging timelines and schedules in coordination with the other parties at the end of his calls.
By the time he was done with all of his calls, they had already left the territory of Deer mountain kingdom and its air space.
A look of relief appeared on both him and Ellie as thetter even made a few joyful upturns in her flying before she resumed the journey on the flight path leading to Summerfield kingdom.
Yang Qing used the brief time left over to reach the Summerfield kingdom, to cultivate. Even though he was generallyzy, that only applied when it came to his work but when it came to cultivation, he was extremely studious. His experience on the job had only firmed his belief that other than a powerful background, your individual capabilities also dictated howfortable and freer a life you lead.
The father of the Zou siblings was an example of this fact. He was born into a prestigious rank 2 family and received the respect and awe of many. However, when he failed his assessment all that went away, along with his life, while someone from the branch rose to the skies in one fell swoop from a nobody to the head of a rank 2 family in a single leap due to his abilities.
While such a scenario would not happen at the Order, Yang Qing still had lofty ambitions and goals to consider especially his newfound dream of being Lei Weiyuan''s boss. For that he needed strength first then promotions would follow.
Yang Qing snickered a bit at the thought of bossing around Lei Weiyuan.
¡
Thirty minutester Yang Qing opened his eyes and exhaled misty green air from his mouth. He stopped his cultivation as he turned his gaze to his surroundings.
Below him, he could see flourishingnds filled with the air of different nts and the aromas of their flowers mixing together to achieve a unique scent which despite the astronomical number mixed in it, was still gentle and subtle to the nose.
"Summerfield kingdom would be a good ce to rest during my leave," Yang Qing thought as he admired the picturesque scene before him.
By the time they had arrived in Summerfield kingdom, it was already midday. The sun was already high up but there was a gentle breeze that seemed to be working in tandem with the heat.
Almost every ce they flew over was arge in filled with a smallke and herbaceous nts growing around it as they gently swayed to the gentle breeze and glistened to the warm sun rays.
Such a scene would make one inadvertently enter a state of calmness and rxation.
Yang Qing genially took the sights in. Some of the nts growing in the ces they flew over were wild undergrowth but in other areas, they looked to be specially cultivated manmade fields.
There were farmers in there meticulously caring for those nts. However, unlike ordinary farmers that you''d find in a mundane ce, most farmers that fell under Yang Qing''s pce sense were cultivators.
Most were in the foundation establishment stage, while a minority few were even in the core formation stage. Even one farm had about 20 early-stage core formation experts taking care of it.
Such an arrangement was to be expected since the nts those farmers were caring for, were spiritual nts.
The nts on the ins closer to the border were mostly earth-rank herbs whose quality improved the deeper they moved in.
The area that had 20 core formation experts had high-grade sky-rank herbs growing in them. During his scan, Yang Qing recognized a few of them like; Mellody dawn dogbane, Ice flow vinegar, and silverce flower to name a few.
"The kingdom has improved its herb cultivation arts by miles if it can grow that tree to minimum maturity."
Yang Qing whistled in praise when his gazended on a white tree that was growing alone within a 20-acre perimeter in one of the areas he had been scanning. There was nothing else in its vicinity except for a shallow blue-colored river meandering around it.
However, the scene Yang Qing was seeing and what others would see when they passed over the area would bepletely different. The reason for this was the dozens of arrays nted within the 20-acre field, with one of those arrays being an illusion and befuddlement array.
The illusion part of the array made it seem like the area was a barren mountain while the befuddlement part of the array had a few hidden soul-attacking arts embedded into it. Some of them would cause minor headaches and vertigo. However, it seemed they would only be triggered if one used their spiritual sense to investigate the mountain.
In addition to the illusion and befuddlement array, there were killing arrays, defensive arrays, and rm trigger arrays. These were all meant for the protection of the white tree.
A peak core formation stage expert would die leaving no corpse behind if they were to stumble in there.
Those protective arrays were meticulously arranged toplement each other when someone stumbled in there. There were even redundancies put in ce in case one of those arrays failed.
While individually, those arrays could not be considered much in Yang Qing''s eyes since they were high-rank Orange-grade formations, theirpounded might was something else. The collective attack of all the arrays working in tandem rivaled that of a low-rank blue-grade cultivation art.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admire the ingenuity of the formation master who created that blueprint. There was even a top-grade sky-rank artifact that had a budding spirituality that was used as the anchor for the arrays.
There seemed to be a symbiotic arrangement between the two sides. The artifact powered the array while the array nurtured the budding spirit inside the artifact.
The more Yang Qing scanned the arrangement, the more shocked he became. The skills of the formation master had to be atleast in the blue grade and based on his usage of the artifact, that formation master also had matching skills in weapons refinement.
"Is it an outsider or someone from within the Summerfield kingdom?" Yang Qing wondered as he had Ellie slow down a bit as they passed through the area.
He was an avid dabbler in formation arrays, which was mainly because he still had the grand ambition of cracking the time array in his carriage so he could sleep more or fiddle with the observation arrays in his courtroom so his every move wouldn''t be monitored.
It was from that experience that he could appreciate what a work of art the array lineup below him was.
Chapter 185 Intriguing Farm In Summerfield Kingdom (2)
?"Rhythm of dao?" Yang Qing muttered in shock as his eyes lit up.
"Is he really someone from the kingdom?" Yang Qing increasingly wondered in confusion as he cupped his chin on his hand.
The Summerfield kingdom was a rank 4 kingdom whose fortey in spiritual nt propagation. Due to the favorable climate of the kingdom coupled with a long heritage of herb cultivation arts, they made their bones in producing a wide variety of spiritual nts.
They produced the mostmon varieties of spiritual nts but their quantity and quality were a cut above most rank 4 producers. Yang Qing had read they had some skills in formation arrays but not to the degree of what he was seeing before him, on the field with the white tree.
Their skills in formation arrays mostlyy in utility arrays. Most of their farms had these types of arrays whose major function was to mimic and enhance the biome in the area where they wereid at.
Spiritual nts required specific conditions to optimally grow and if you wanted to grow a variety of them together, special measures were needed and just having abundant qi wouldn''t be enough.
These conditions were what propelled the Summerfield kingdom to research arrays meant to assist them in the sessful growth of their spiritual herbs. However, the arrays before him were something different.
Though there were some utility arrays mixed in there, the resonance between all the arrays in the area and the seamless symbiotic rtionship between the arrays and the artifact was not something that just any formation master could pull especially when you consider said formation master may be a weapon''s refinement specialist with matching skills.
In addition, the interconnection between the arrays, the artifact, and the tree had even created a subtle dao rhythm. Even though it was just in its infantile stage, this was the defining feature of a genuine blue-grade formation.
A formation could only be considered a blue-grade formation if it could draw upon the world principles of its surrounding to the extent that it blended with it. For example, an illusory array that had blended so perfectly with the illusion it''s creating that it invokes the world''s element to support that illusion to the point it borders on reality.
In simpler terms, a blue-grade formation was a formation that gained the world''s recognition and eptance to the point of evoking its support.
The array before him was slowly approaching that stage. Yang Qing wasn''t sure what the final product would look like since it involved different elements i.e. the maple moon wood tree which was the white tree, the arrays nted in the ce, and the artifact with a budding spirit.
"Maybe they want to create a blessed cultivation ground with Yin Yang bnce," Yang Qing thought.
The maple moon tree had a gentle yin nature, while he detected the artifact had a major yangponent to its attribute and the array might be a link between the two, whose job was to create and maintain a subtle bnce.
However, Yang Qing soon decided to give up on investigating further. He had made Ellie fly a couple of times around the ce so he could get a clear view and the more he saw the more engrossed he became.
If he indulged any further, maybe weeks would pass by without him noticing. He could feel himself slipping into a trance the more he examined the formation. His cultivation had even started circting as new ideas circled in his mind. He had Yin Yang jade bones which made him extremely sensitive to areas that exhibited a duality of yin and yang like the arrangement before him.
"Ellie let''s go," Yang Qing reluctantly said as he tore his eyes away from the field.
The field had too many things that drew his attention, even without considering the trigger it had on his physique.
Who put that formation there? Was it one person like he had assumed or was it a coborative effort of different parties like a formation master, weapon refiner, and herbologist?
If it was a coborative effort between three parties or a one-man show, what was their end goal with the whole setup?
Was it just to create a blessed cultivation area as he had guessed or was there something deeper to it?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that maybe there may be arger goal than just creating a cultivation ground. Maybe the real goal was hidden just like how the rhythm of dao had evaded his perception on his first cursory nce, and it was only when he closely studied theyout did he discover it.
As Yang Qing was entertaining these thoughts, another idea popped up on the purpose of the field, this was double spirit nurturing.
The maple moon tree at the field had already reached the peak of sky rank. Maple moon trees at their peak would reach the top of monarch grade which was the equivalent of a pce realm cultivator.
nts rarely developed spirituality but if they did they would be no different from cultivators except for the fact that most would usually remain immobile and anchored to the area they took root in. But other than that, there was no difference between them and spirit beasts and human cultivators.
They couldmunicate and cultivate proactively other than it just being a triggered response.
In terms of degree of importance, there was a huge difference between a tree with its spirituality awakened and one that did not. A tree with spirituality could decide which aspects of its abilities to magnify and which to lessen, instead of its actions being an automated response to external stimuli.
This was why he thought so highly of the Green fog swamp to the extent he went out of his way to help them. If nothing unexpected happened, with the Tupelo tree''s help they could develop into a rank 3 sect since the tree was already sentient and knew which of its abilities would benefit the sect.
"Maybe they''re trying to use the artifact''s budding spirit as a catalyst to trigger an evolution in the maple moon tree. But all this is just conjecture and my knowledge of the subject is small.
I should consult Chief Song when I get back. Maybe i could make improvements at my ce with the results"
Yang Qing reluctantly looked back sighing before he finally firmly fixed his gaze ahead.
The farms decreased in size and number the deeper they moved into the Summerfield kingdom. It didn''t take long before the capital was within their sights.
He had chosen their capital as one of his collective evaluation point. About 200 organizations would be evaluated there together to help cut back on the time he needed toplete all his evaluations.
Chapter 186 The Ascetic Sect
?When Yang Qing was nning hisyout for the evaluations, to ensure that hepleted the evaluations in time, he decided to conduct some of the evaluations from a single spot rather than visit those organizations individually.
Those spots were chosen based on the numbers and proximity of the unranked organizations to one another. The Summerfield kingdom became one of those cluster points.
The Summerfield kingdom had a decent reputation and could be considered to be a subordinate of the Spiritual temperance sect. These were the factors that made Yang Qing choose the kingdom as one of his cluster points.
The area the kingdom was situated under was within the territory of the Spiritual temperance sect.
The spiritual temperance sect was a rank 3 sect and one of the top tier ones at that too. Though the Order suspects they may already be a rank 2 sect, it''s just that they haven''t bothered to apply for an evaluation. The basis for that judgment was that they have had a few exceptional talents over the years, who by the Order''s estimates had more than likely reached the domain realm.
The sect could be considered an ascetic sect. Its members rarely left their sect grounds. They were always cultivating or in long secluded meditation. Just like its name, this was a sect that focused on cultivating the soul so they didn''t need constant battles to temper themselves. They have a special cultivation art and an apanying treasure to aid them in their soul cultivation.
Pure soul cultivation could be considered an esoteric form of cultivation each unique from organization to organization and from person to person. The Spiritual sect temperance''s way involved them being in long-timed meditation. Because of that, they rarely engage with the outside world and are always indoors.
The only time they open their doors is when they are recruiting more disciples. Their numbers are also pitifully few for a rank 3 sect, based on the records the Order had from itsst evaluation, the sect had about 3,000 sect members.
Their entry requirements are not that high whenpared to the major sects and organizations, but they pick from a very selective talent pool. This is mostly for those who have a talent or special physique that resonates with their cultivation art.
Theirs is one of the few sects with a weird entrance requirement, where it''s the cultivation art that decides whether you get in or not rather than pure cultivation talent.
Other than when they''re recruiting new members, their sect doors usually remain closed to outsiders, and they don''t concern themselves with anything else. They barely even interfere with the rest of their territory that''s not covered by their sect walls.
In terms of territory, thend technically under them is enough to match some up-anding rank 2 organizations. However, due to their nonchnt and ascetic attitudes, they barely spare any thought towards it.
It''s because of this attitude that their territory has one of the greatest numbers of cultivation organizations. The requirements for settling in their territory are virtually nonexistent since they could care less as long as you don''t infringe upon their sect grounds.
They don''t demand payment or any form of tribute like other organizations do. For example within the borders of the Red Maple Empire, all organizations with no ties to the royal family are required to pay some form of tribute or tax for setting up their operations in their country.
Those charges are put into effect the moment those organizations be ranked organizations and are nullified the moment they be unranked. For example, the Murong family and the Clear sword river sect. The former will start making annual payments to the royal family of the Red Maple Empire since they got promoted while thetter will be exempted from payment since it has lost its standing.
Such practice is observed all around the world. The Order tacitly agrees to it since it ensures those up-anding organizations are not suppressed by the overlords of the area they are under. If they intervened and forbade those organizations from collecting payments, they would more than likely prevent or suppress any organization that has no ties to them, from setting up a base within their territory.
The Order thus rarely intervenes in the matter even when the ruling organizations charge exorbitant fees to the lower-ranked organizations, for setting up within their territory. This is their right and freedom as rulers of the ce. The Order would only step in if the matter got drastic, like tant murder, kidnappings, robbery, and the like.
This was why the territory of the Spiritual temperance sect experiences such explosive growth in new organizations. They don''t demand a single cent or notification.
If you find a ce to settle, feel free to use it, they are not using it anyways. This attitude even went to the extent that they never even showed any interest when a few monarch-grade herbs had been found within their territory. When the sect that found that herb went to pass it to them, they were chased away along with the herb and asked to stay away.
That sect master went away baffled, a little excited and afraid since when he was being chased away, it was not in a gentle manner.
Of course, that sect master got attacked and robbed when some interested parties realized he came back with the monarch herb. At that moment but when he was being robbed and those robbing him, they all had the same look. It was one of wild ambition and excitement. Based on the attitude of the Spiritual temperance sect, whatever they found no matter the grade, was theirs to keep.
That reality became a game changer within the Spiritual temperance sect''s territory. Those with the ambitions of rising from dung swarmed their territory in the hopes of having a lucky breakthrough that would help them catapult into somebody. And because the territory was technically under a rank 3 organization, it essentially deterred other rank 3 organizations from throwing their hat in the chaotic mix rife with ambition.
This was why about an eighth of Yang Qing''s list of organizations suited for evaluation were within that territory.
The Summerfield kingdom had a good rtionship with the surrounding organization and for reasons unknown to others, they were one of the few organizations that the Spiritual temperance sect actually had contact with, though it was only on a few asions and it was mostly them running errands on their behalf.
No matter the reason for the contact, just the knowledge that they had contact with the Spiritual temperance sect meant in terms of status they were above the rest and were rarely embroiled in the fiercepetition that had taken over in the region.
This made the Summerfield kingdom the safest neutral ground to conduct a joint evaluation. All of the organizations undergoing evaluation would feel safer doing it within Summerfield kingdom inparison to other areas.
Chapter 187 Collective Evaluation At The Dreaming Sunset Court (1)
?A certain field within the Summerfield kingdom.
"Looks like he left."
A young man in light yellow robes sighed in relief as he addressed the middle-aged man next to him.
The middle-aged man also had light yellow robes . He didn''t seem like he had heard the young man''s statement as he stared at the sky with a deep frown appearing on his face.
"We need to tell master about this," the middle-aged man said as he went to a round stone table that had numerous glyphs and runes inscribed on it.
At the center of the table was a cylindrical purple crystal that had been fitted perfectly to a round spacing below it that had other glyphs and runes connecting with those on the rest of the table.
"Was he someone from the Spiritual temperance sect?" the middle aged man muttered in worry as he made a few seals that lit up the ancient glyphs and runes on the table which then proceeded to light up the purple crystal at the center.
¡.
"Master Yang Qing we wee you to our humble kingdom," said a middle-aged man who was cupping his fists at Yang Qing in greeting in the middle of an empty street.
The middle-aged man was in ck robes that were gilded at the sleeves and the hem of the robe. He had a genial warm smile on his face as he weed Yang Qing.
He had a mildly rotund build with an average height. He had neatly trimmed light brown hair and a goatee along with round amber eyes that made him seem like a lively person which added a bit of enthusiasm to the wee he was giving Yang Qing.
This middle-aged man was the current king of the Summerfield kingdom and also the point person Yang Qing had been inmunication with to arrange the joint evaluation.
Yang Qing had already made his way to the center of the capital where he caught sight of the King and a procession of people waiting for him. From their auras and demeanor, they all looked to be people of status and power within the Summerfield kingdom.
"Greetings king Jia Yanyu, sorry for imposing on you suddenly like this. I hope you don''t mind."
Yang Qing cupped his fists in apology as he offered a polite smile for springing up the whole thing on them without a few days'' notice. It couldn''t be helped since Lei Weiyuan had sprung up the evaluations on him earlier today before he had time to n the whole thing well.
"No need for that master Yang Qing. It''s my kingdom''s honor to be able to be of help to the Order. Most of us were able to develop to where we are because the Order is around to shield us from the dangerous storms," said King Jia Yanyu.
"I''m deeply thankful for your magnanimity, your majesty. Also, Instructor Shaoqing sends his greetings and said if you have time you should go visit him. He has found a few variant seeds that would interest you."
King Jia Yanyu''s eyes immediately lit up at Yang Qing''s statement.
"As expected of a close friend of Instructor Shaoqing," thought Yang Qing as he took in the Summerfield king''s reaction.
Instructor Shaoqing was a herbology and alchemy instructor at the Institute. Yang Qing was able tomunicate with King Jia Yanyu thanks to him.
The two had struck a friendship when the king came as a quota student while the instructor had also been a student himself at the time.
The king despiteing from a rank 4 kingdom had shown enough talent in herbology to be noticed, It was to the point that some of his sses were altered so he could take them together with the students of the Order. It was a form of acknowledgment from the instructors of his talents.
From the briefments instructor Shaoqing made to Yang Qing as they were talking, he said the king had a natural gift for the care and handling of spiritual nts.
However, King Jia Yanyu didn''t put as much effort into it. He had a herbologist''s body but a merchant''s heart and mind. His time at the institute was spent forming friendly connections with the students from the Order and other students who came in via the quota system.
Such qualities made him a good king but it also meant he would neverpletely excavate his potential when it came to his natural talents in herbology.
¡
"He is already an instructor now, huh," King Jia Yanyu said as a nostalgic look appeared on his face.
His gaze turned distant as if turning back in time and then turned it towards the procession at his back, more specifically a line-up of four young men and three daughters.
Yang Qing followed the trail of his gaze as it fell on the seven young people with matching beauties. Their facial features had a faint resemnce to each other and to the king too especially the light brown hair.
"Must be his kids," thought Yang Qing as he made a silent offhanded note that their beauty was the one thing they definitely didn''t get from the king.
"The kingdom is already proceeding well, it might not be bad to let go of the reigns and let them lead it to the next stage while I disappear into the background. The fields might be a fitting retirement," King Jia Yanyu silently muttered to himself as he ruefully smiled.
"Master Yang Qing, you can tell him I''ll make sure to visit him soon. My schedule may be freer in the near future," King Jia Yanyu said as he pulled his thoughts back.
A few of the siblings at his back had their eyes sh in excitement at his statement.
"I will do that, your majesty¡now about the venue?" Yang Qing gently asked trying to steer the conversation toward his goal.
Time wasn''t on his side as it is. He had a mountain of evaluations to finish and a ceremony to prepare for. His body faintly shivered at the thought of how packed his uing days would be especially after his ceremony. He would have an induction to go through which came with a mountain of procedures, the entrance examination he had to prepare for, and a domain expert to watch out for, both within the Order and out.
He absentmindedly exhaled a sigh of defeat as he blindly followed the king. Those brief few seconds ofmentation had made him miss the King''s words.
He only vaguely heard the word courtyard and the king started moving while his body reflexively followed.
A few minutester, they arrived outside of the entrance of a courtyard with the name ''Dreaming sunset court''. Just the entrance alone spoke volumes of the court''s stature. The entrance walls had been iid with sunglow jade which refreshed and soothed the spirits of all those who passed through.
Yang Qing could also detect that the qi in there was just as gentle and was abundant enough to match the blessed grounds of any top-tier rank 4 organization.
The buildings within the court had a simple elegance to them which highlighted a oneness with nature rather than standing out from it. They were all made of some spiritual wood with their design and positioning made categorically to fit the arrangement of nts around them.
Yang Qing was guided into one of the building halls that had ample space and was fitted with sound cancetion and spiritual qi drawing arrays.
"Master Yang Qing you can conduct the evaluations here. I will leave one of my children here to offer any assistance should you need it and the servants will also be here to bring you refreshments should you need it.
I hope the arrangement is to your liking," King Jia Yanyu said as he politely weed Yang Qing to the hall.
Yang Qing''s eyes shed with an imperceptible glow when the words refreshment was mentioned.
Saves me the awkwardness of asking for food. I wonder which self-serving cultivator spread the notion that cultivators don''t need food just spiritual qi is enough. That venom caused more damage than any war ever did.
"Many thanks your majesty, the arrangement is just perfect," Yang Qing warmly said as he even went to the lengths of personally shaking the king''s hands with enthusiasm, which came as a surprise to him.
But as an old fox, the surprisested only for a brief second before he reacted so smoothly that it made it seem like the two were long-lost brothers who had just met.
The King and his procession left a few minutester after arranging a few things. His eldest son was the child he had decided would be assisting him.
Yang Qing didn''t say much about the arrangement as he figured the child left behind was the one he was grooming to take after him and hoped he could form a connection with Yang Qing. One can never have too many friends. Yang Qing didn''t mind as he agreed with that notion too, especially in themission of their duties. Having friends all over the continent made their work light.
Chapter 188 Collective Evaluations (1)
?Yang Qing exchanged a few pleasantries with the eldest prince who was seated next to him in the hall room. His name was Jia Wenyan. From their brief interaction, Yang Qing could finally understand why the king chose him from among the siblings to remain behind.
He was both tactful and natural when holding a conversation. In terms of cultivation, one couldn''t say he was shoddy either since he was at the fifth stage of the core formation realm but if he waspared to his other siblings, one might say he wascking a bit.
Of the seven siblings, one of the daughters had the highest cultivation base. Her cultivation base was at the ninth stage of the core formation realm. Among those present in the king''s procession, she was amongst the top in terms of cultivation base.
However, she was hiding her cultivation base just like the old couple from Purple city. Yang Qing only managed to notice it because he habitually deploys his pce sense in unfamiliar territory and unfamiliar people. The artifact she had on her was useless against the spiritual sense of a pce realm cultivator.
Her real cultivation realm was at the ninth stage of the core formation realm but outwardly she revealed a cultivation base that was at the second stage of the core formation realm which was the weakest realm amongst the seven siblings.
Yang Qing didn''t mention anything and chose to act incognizant of the matter.
The arrangement might be hers or her father''s or some other sibling''s ploy. The web of royal politics was not something he wanted to pour his thoughts into. It didn''t interest him like the array field he passed on his way over.
As for the rest of the siblings, the least of them had a peak stage foundation establishment realm and from what Yang Qing could tell, he seemed to be the same age as him while the rest had core formation cultivation bases. The highest of them, excluding the princess who had hidden her real cultivation base, was at the seventh base of the core formation realm.
"The foundations of the Summerfield kingdom are not bad," Yang Qing mused to himself as he thought of everything he had seen to this point ever since he stepped into its territory.
....
As Yang Qing was lost in his thoughts, one royal guard entered the hall room they were staying.
He had an eighth-stage core formation realm. With the pressure he released, he seemed very close to breaking through to the ninth stage.
A person of his strength in Summerfield kingdom should be someone with a great rank since by andrge the kingdom was a rank 4 kingdom. But he was currently being used as a messenger.
If Yang Qing were to guess the king''s thoughts on such an arrangement, it was first to show Yang Qing respect and another, it was a disy of strength to the organizationsing for the review.
The territory of the Spiritual temperance sect was a chaotic mess. New sects or ns were always popping out of the woodworks. Some were independent however the majority were just pawns of other rank 4 organizations of simr strength to the Summerfield kingdom while others were pawns inserted by outside forces.
The whole region was a cesspool of subterfuge, probes, hidden and open battles. The Summerfield kingdom could therefore not afford to be negligent with these organizations even with their assumed rtionship with the Spiritual temperance sect.
The guard bowed to both of them first and then proceeded to speak of the reason that had brought him to the room.
"Master Yang Qing, about half of the list of the organizations you sent to the king have already arrived. Would you like them to be sent here right away or would you like for all of the organizations to have arrived first before you started the evaluation?" asked the guard.
"Mmmh, send them over, half is already a good enough number to start...As for the remaining half, just send them over as they arrive. There''s no need to wait for all of them to gather," said Yang Qing.
"Use that same format for lining them up as theye in here...those who came earliest will be at the front and so forth and so forth," Yang Qing added after some thought.
"We will do just that," the guard firmly said.
"Many thanks uuum..."
" My name is Bu Zhe," the guard answered with a smile when he saw Yang Qing''s awkward expression at struggling with how to address him.
"Thanks again Bu Zhe, for your hard work," Yang Qing said in a polite smile.
Bu Zhe bowed to both him and the prince and then rushed to make the arrangements.
The king had repetitively emphasized that they were not to be negligent even in the tiniest of matters. It was why, he the captain of the royal guards above many and below a few, almost holding the same level of power as some of the princes, was acting as a messenger and a guide today.
...
"I''m sorry Yang Qing for my negligence," the eldest prince hurriedly apologized in embarrassment.
He felt he was a bit negligent in his duties as an aid when he saw Yang Qing awkwardly try to address Bu Zhe. As apetent aid he felt he should have filled in Yang Qing on all matters no matter how small just like how the ministers do when preparing them for a major diplomacy meeting. They''d be fed all kinds of information concerning theing parties and the event itself regardless of whether it was pertinent to the event or not.
"Hahaha you shouldn''t worry too much about that prince Wenyan. I don''t have the thick face to ept your apology since I''m the one imposing on you all here.
I owe you and your kingdom deep gratitude for your help and how quick you were to make the arrangements."
Yang Qing took out a jar containing peach blossom wine and two wine urns. He poured himself one and the eldest prince one.
"Think of this as my token of thanks," Yang Qing gently said as he raised his wine urn in a toast.
"Then I will have to shamelessly ept brother Yang Qing," said the eldest prince with a smile as he returned Yang Qing''s toast.
They each took a single gulp from their urns each exhaling satisfied expressions more so the prince.
His pupils shrunk in shock at how exquisite the wine tasted. The wine had a mellow sweetness apanied by a chilling sensation.
Secondster his expression became even more exaggerated when the energy from the wine he had just drunk exploded within his body like a volcano. He hurriedly executed his cultivation art to circte the energy before it went to waste or create a great strain in his meridians due to energy overload.
"Yi Jie has improved in leaps and bounds seeing how even a small sip is enough to shake a middle-stage core formation expert.
Too bad I won''t be getting any new brew till he exits his seclusion," Yang Qing thought as he sighed.
He poured himself another cup to lighten his mood.
"Many thanks, brother Yang Qing but I don''t think I can handle anymore. I will only embarrass myself if I do."
The eldest prince fearfully declined in embarrassment when he saw Yang Qing about to pour himself another cup.
His eyes were exhibiting a mixed mash of emotions. There was a hint of regret, fear, caution, and desire mixed in there as he eyed the jar containing the wine.
Yang Qing only smiled in response as he downed another cup with the prince enviously watching at the side.
A few minutes passed when the court got suddenly filled with a cacophony of small murmurs.
Chapter 189 Collective Evaluations (2)
?The murmurs were originating from arge crowd waiting outside the court. Yang Qing surmised the massive crowd standing outside the court were the organizations Bu Zhe was talking about, who had already arrived. He detected Bu Zhe''s aura in their midst along with other core formation experts, who Yang Qing guessed were part of his team.
¡
Secondster Bu Zhe''s aura separated from the crowd as it headed Yang Qing''s way.
"Master Yang Qing, the organizations are already here. I can send them in any time you wish to. The pce guards will ensure the order is maintained as theye in," said Bu Zhe when he entered the hallway.
"If it''s not too much trouble, please invite them all in within the court grounds.
They can lineup when they''re inside the court''spound," Yang Qing answered.
"As you wish," Bu Zhe answered as he swiftly.
"Captain, let me join you to help expedite things," prince Jia Wenyan suddenly said as he joined Bu Zhe on the way out after cupping his fists to Yang Qing to excuse himself.
Yang Qing took out two hundred scrolls, the foundation white haze crystal, and the heart stone steele as he simultaneously scanned the crowd outside.
"Mmmh is that?" Yang Qing''s brows furrowed as a murderous look shed in his eyes.
"Since you came in here, you can forget about leaving," Yang Qing coldly muttered as his gaze turned normal.
It only took three minutes for the crowd of over two hundred people to be neatly arranged within the courtyard grounds.
From the crowd, only a hundred people were to be evaluated, while the rest were their entourage like how Murong Yan from the Murong family was apanied by her elders during her evaluation.
¡
Once everything had settled, the eldest prince and Bu Zhe both came back to the hall. The prince took his seat next to Yang Qing''s side while Bu Zhe manned the door.
He was awaiting Yang Qing''s order for those outside to start being ushered in.
"My name is Yang Qing and I am a judge of the Superior core court of the Order. I will be in charge of conducting your evaluations for today. Please follow the arrangements of the Summerfield guards when ites to the order of lining up.
As I''m sure you have been told before when you applied for the rank-up promotions, the moment you agreed to the evaluations you submitted yourselves to article 34 of ranking protocols and guidelines. If found in breach you''re subject to its punishment.
For those who have second thoughts, you still have the option of leaving. If you are all still here after ten breaths it means you all surrender yourselves to the stiptions of the article."
Yang Qing controlled his voice perfectly to reverberate within the court''spound. His voice seemed like it wasing from all directions and the people within thepound were caught in the middle of that voice storm.
Yang Qing paused and gave the crowd exactly ten breaths to mull over his words. In those ten breaths, no one left, though those present all exuded an air of tensionpletely opposite to the excitement they had when they came in.
"Okay then, since no one has left it means you all are now under the subject of the article.
The evaluation will be a two-step process. The first will be, the person to be evaluated will pour his/ her qi into a foundation white haze crystal. If it triggers a response from the crystal that will be proof of having a foundation establishment cultivation.
After that they will then proceed to thest step of the verification process which would be to pour a drop of your blood essence into the heart stone steele.
Once everything checks out, I will issue you a copy of the certificate acknowledging your promotion into a rank 5 organization. All the privileges afforded to that rank will be in effect the moment I make that deration.
WE CAN NOW BEGIN," Yang Qing''s voice sounded like a thunderp within thepound as he made thest part of the announcement.
"Captain Bu Zhe would you please," Yang Qing softly said with a polite smile which made Bu Zhe, the eldest prince, and a few of the servants in the hall, have dumbfounded looks at how fast Yang Qing switched his demeanors.
One second he was exuding such a domineering aura with an apanying pressure that made all who were enveloped by it struggle to breathe and the next second he was a genial youth that someone would choose to approach due to how easygoing he seemed to be.
Could one person have such contrasting personalities? Or was one of them a mask? If so which of the two was the real him?
The eldest prince was the one most affected by this since he had been calling Yang Qing, brother Yang Qing to bring their rtionship closer. However after feeling Yang Qing''s overbearing pressure, some part of him felt inferior like a subordinate.
The short interlude ofplex emotions didn''tst long as Bu Zhe led the first organization to be evaluated into the hallway.
The first organization had a party of three people. It was two old men and a young boy. The two elderly men had on white robes with an embroidery symbol on their robes of a mountain that had been severed at the peak.
Yang Qing''s eyes shed with interest as he saw the two elderly men. They had identical facial features, the way they dressed and how they tied their hair in a half topknot was simr down to even how they walked. The only thing that differentiated them was the color of their eyes. One had silver-colored eyes while the other had dark golden colored eyes.
From their close resemnce, they were twins. The young boy apanying them looked to be about 8 years old. Despite the aging look disparity between the twin elders and the young boy, one could see a familial resemnce among the three members.
...
The young boy was eyeing everything around him with childish curiositypletely oblivious of the tense atmosphere in the room.
"The Broken peak sect submits itself to the evaluation of the Order."
Both brothers simultaneously said as they cupped offered daoist salutes.
"My name is Feng Jiao, the sect master of the Broken peak sect and this is my brother Feng Lei the vice sect master of the sect, and behind us is our grandson Feng Yu.
Yu''er say hello," Feng Jiao said as he pushed the 8-year-old forward.
"Greetings master.."
"Yang Qing," Feng Jiao whispered in embarrassment when he saw his grandson struggling to remember Yang Qing''s name.
"Greetings master Yang Qing," Feng Yu said as he clumsily offered a daoist salute while smiling foolishly.
Yang Qing lightly chuckled at the disy as he offered his greetings.
Feng Jiao was the silver-eyed brother while Feng Lei was the one with the dark golden eyes.
Chapter 190 Descendants Of The Ancient Races (1)
?"So who would be getting evaluated between the two of you?" Yang Qing asked once the pleasantries were out of the way. His eyes shined with interest as he eyed the two elderly twins.
Both Feng Jiao and Feng Lei seemed a bit hesitant at first, a few seconds passed by before they firmed themselves and answered back.
"Judge Yang Qing, we hope you can evaluate both of us, but if it''s not allowed then only I will be getting the evaluation," Feng Jiao the silver-eyed brother, who was also the sect master, replied back.
Although he tried to portray a look of calmness, inwardly he was extremely tense which revealed itself through his tightly clenched hand and the small beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.
"Well, it''s not against the rules to have you both evaluated," Yang Qing calmly answered back, which came as a relief to the two brothers.
The reason why Yang Qing found the two brothers interesting in the first ce was that they both had simr cultivation bases. They were both at the peak of the first stage of the foundation establishment realm.
The fluctuations they released had an uncanny simrity to each other, that one would confuse them to be a clone art of the other, with the only difference being the color of their eyes.
"I wonder what cultivation art they are practicing to both experience a breakthrough at the same time or does it have something to do with their bloodline," Yang Qing inwardly wondered.
As for Feng Yu, his cultivation was only at the bronze stage of the body refining realm. Outwardly Yang Qing couldn''t spot anything about him that stood out.
¡
With Yang Qing agreeing to their double evaluation, Feng Jiao the sect master of the Broken peak sect was the first to step out.
He did just as Yang Qing had advised them earlier and poured his qi into the foundation white haze crystal.
The moment his qi made contact with the crystal, the milky white color of the crystal started swirling. The triggered swirling was already proof he was a foundation establishment cultivator. All that was left was to know the grade of their pir.
Just like it did at the Murong family, the color of the foundation white haze crystal started changing with every swirl. It transformed from white, then to different shades of red, then it moved on to orange. The swirling got slower once it had transformed into an orange color.
The shades got darker just like it did with the red color, it moved from light orange as the shade got richer. By the time it stopped, it resembled the orange of the sun at dusk. However, it wasn''t purely orange as it had a few minuscule spots of blue in it.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows at this. The prince who was seated next to him also had the same reaction as he leaned forward to closely examine the crystal to confirm what he saw was real. If it wasn''t for fear of angering Yang Qing he would have grabbed the crystal for a closer observation. A shockedplicated look appeared in his eyes as his gaze alternated between the sect master of the Broken peak sect and the crystal.
Bu Zhe who had been aptly manning the door had a small frown appearing on his face when he saw the result.
Although the foundation white haze crystal was a top-tier sky-rank artifact, their kingdom had a few of them on hand which they used to scout talents within the kingdom. It was why he knew what having such a color represented.
Feng Jiao had a high-tier orange-grade pir that was showing signs of bing a quasi-blue-grade pir. Within their kingdom, pirs of such a tier were worthy of note from the royal family. The kingdom would spare no expense to recruit someone of such a caliber.
He too had a top tier orange grade pir when he was in the foundation realm, though his grade fell a little bit short whenpared to Feng Jiao''s since his pirs did not have blue spots in them.
Given enough cultivation resources and time, Feng Jiao would at the very least reach the same height as him and the odds of exceeding him were not low either.
"I wonder if they have a backer," Captain Bu Zhe inwardly wondered.
..
Yang Qing noticed the reaction of the prince and captain Bu Zhe. Their reactions were why he had to be careful in choosing of the location for the evaluation.
The Summerfield kingdom had a decent reputation for ying well with others and wasn''t marred with the reputation of being despotic towards other organizations.
The risks of these organizations being targeted for their talent would be lower in the Summerfield kingdom than in any other ce within the territory of the Spiritual temperance sect. And if anything did happen to them, the list of suspects would be few.
Based on the personality of the king, it was less than likely he would do anything untoward in spite of the results as it would mean getting on the negative side of the Order. Someone like him who valued connections above all, would less likely indulge in a move that would jeopardize them.
The kingdom gaining firsthand knowledge about these talents could be considered as Yang Qing returning them a favor for agreeing to help him with the nning for the evaluations.
¡.
"Whatever you see next has to remain here, not one word should leave this ce."
Yang Qing''s voice echoed in both the prince''s and Captain Bu Zhe''s minds. They both looked up in shock when they heard his voice appear in their minds.
The visible rm in their eyes was a clear indicator that they knew what it meant for someone to directly transmit his/her thoughts into someone else''s mind with ease. This was a means restricted to those who were in the pce realm and above.
Those below the pce realm had means of achieving something close, and this was through the use of arts collectively known as soundless or voiceless transmission arts. It was a way of secretly sending messages to each other in a crowded area and operated in the same vein asmunication talismans.
However no matter how close it was to what Yang Qing was doing, fundamentally it was different. Yang Qing directly transmitted his thoughts into their mental seas whereas soundless transmission was essentially a private conversation that involved mouth and ears.
The way they looked at Yang Qing changed as they both nodded solemnly. Yang Qing being a pce realm expert came as a surprise to them since those from the Order who did rank 5 evaluations and promotions were all in the core formation realm. Not once had they heard a pce realm expert conducting them.
"Does father know," prince Jia Wenyan inwardly wondered as he felt even more tense when sitting next to Yang Qing.
Chapter 191 Descendants Of The Ancient Races (2)
?Yang Qing went on with his evaluationpletely oblivious of their thoughts.
Once Feng Jiao was done with the crystal he proceeded on with thest part of the evaluation, which was to pour a drop of his blood essence on the heart stone steele.
An emotion of excitement and anticipation shed in both his and Feng Lei''s eyes.
"So that''s why they wanted a double evaluation." Yang Qing inwardly thought when he noticed their reactions.
From their excited expressions, it wasn''t too hard to guess their intentions. The heart stone steele, other than detecting the stability of the realms and exposing the use of forbidden arts, also served as a bloodline appraiser.
Based on the siblings'' reactions, their target seemed to have been that particr aspect. Yang Qing didn''t mind indulging them since the costs of hiring an appraiser was something a little beyond the means of a rankless sect, and it also came with risks, especially if the appraiser had nefarious intentions.
With sufficient resources and proficient skills, one could do a bloodline hijacking, which in worst cases usually left the victim dead or with a fate far worse than death. It was why one wouldn''t do a bloodline appraisal lightly without having sufficient power or backing to ensure their safety.
¡
After Feng Jiao dropped his blood essence, the heart stone steele lit up like always and then words appeared on it.
Cultivation realm: peak of the first stage of the foundation establishment realm
Status: stable
Lifespan: 3,740 years
Bloodline: Star dusk aspen (minor), silver vinewood (major)
Element affinity: wood, metal, wind
¡
The writing remained there for a few minutes before it disappeared. However the hall room waspletely silent with different reactions all around.
The youngest, Feng Yu had shining eyes that were glued on the heart stone steele. He switched his gaze between the heart stone steel and his index finger a couple of times, almost as if debating something before he finally shook his head in dismissal as his attention turned towards the foundation white haze crystal.
The eldest prince had a puzzled expression as his gaze probed deeper into the stone. He only managed to tear his eyes away from it when the words disappeared.
Bu Zhe had only spared a cursory nce before he turned it back to the outside of the door. After Yang Qing''s polite warning, he didn''t want to know more than he should. It was one of the few lessons the royal pce had taught him.
Yang Qing and the Feng siblings were the only ones who seemed invested in the results.
Yang Qing''s pupils shrunk the moment he saw the words star dusk aspen appear on the stone.
"A treefolk bloodline ...no wonder his lifespan is this exaggerated, despite having only broken through to the foundation establishment realm. It almost matches an early-stage core formation realm...
Mmh, the silver vine wood must be his variation bloodline from star dusk aspen," thought Yang Qing as he grew increasingly excited at what bloodline the other brother had.
¡
"I take it the reason you wanted to both have an evaluation, is to have your bloodline appraised?
Don''t look up just behave normally."
Yang Qing transmitted his voice into both Feng Jiao''s and Feng Lei''s minds. They may have been startled at first but they quickly masked it at Yang Qing''s warning.
Feng Jiao nodded imperceptibly in affirmation of Yang Qing''s question.
"Your bloodline ancestry is tied to the treefolk race. I don''t know if you know of them since much of their information isn''t spread around as much. Their history could be considered as old as the dragons and phoenixes.
Just like the golems or the star gaze race, they are a non-human race whose bloodline may loosely be considered part human part, part spiritual tree, however they are their own race and have absolutely no ties to the two parties.
You belong to the star dusk aspen tribe, though your bloodline is thin that''s why it has devolved into the silver vinewood bloodline. I don''t know much about the star dusk aspen tribe but you can find out more at the Order if you choose toe as students with your quota entry.
However, I should warn you, please don''t reveal your bloodline to anyone else. The treefolk bloodline is highly coveted in alchemy circles and also by those who wish to extend their lifespan.
If word of you having treefolk bloodline got out, you''d be used as blood ves, so be careful."
Because of the gravity of the results, Yang Qing decided to use thought transmission to warn the two elderly siblings while rifying their results to them in case they couldn''t make sense of it.
If they carelessly revealed the information, they would more than likely invite a huge disaster that would draw in major organizations.
As for prince Jiao Wenyan and captain Bu Zhe knowing, he wasn''t too worried about it. The prince didn''t seem like he had any clue as to what the star dusk aspen was.
Information about the treefolk race was small and those who did have ess to such information were top-tier organizations that had a long history and deepwork of information. The organizations that fit that criteria would have to be at rank 2 at the very least.
Though Yang Qing still decidedter when he was done with the evaluations, he would ce a seal on both their memories regarding this matter to prevent any mishap from happening. Additionally, he had decided to shield the results of the heart stone steele going forward, no matter how normal or abnormal the results will be.
¡
"Don''t worry, they won''t tell anyone, I''ll personally make sure of it," said Yang Qing when he saw their worried expressions to which they both nodded back in gratitude.
Feng Lei stepped over next and his results were simr to his brother''s when it came to the first test. The foundation white haze crystal lit up with a deep orange color with a few motes of blue showing up.
After knowing their bloodline, such a result didn''t surprise Yang Qing anymore. He even felt like the two siblings were letting down their bloodline. At the party he went to at the Yu family''s home, Dean Zhu Lao revealed that the treefolk just like the blue fairy was a descendant branch of the ancient races. With such an ancestry the two siblings should have had higher grade pirs.
Maybe it''s their cultivation art that let them down
...
Prince Wenyan''s facial expression turned into one of shock when he saw the results of the grade of the pirs. One person having such a talent was already rare but now there were two in such a short span and they were from the same family to boot. His gaze turned wary as it fell on the two brothers and their clueless grandson.
Just as he was calcting a few things, he felt a terrifying pressure descend on him. When he nervously turned he was met with Yang Qing''s polite smile that made him inadvertently gulp in fear.
Yang Qing resumed the evaluation after he had made his message clear. Prince Wenyan''s calctions couldn''t escape his eyes.
Better to nip everything in the bud before an eagerness for results brings cmity to both the Summerfield kingdom and the Broken peak sect and maybe potentially even extend to the Spiritual temperance sect.
After Feng Lei had finished with the foundation white haze crystal, he nervously proceeded to pour his blood essence on the heart stone steele.
He and his brother waited with abated breaths for his results to reveal themselves. They only heaved sighs of relief when it showed that he too had the star dusk aspen bloodline.
Everything else was simr to his brother, the only difference came in the major bloodline and element affinity.
Feng Lei had the ming midnight maple as his major bloodline while his elemental affinity was; fire, wood, and earth.
After that, Yang Qing went through the motions ofpletion as he handed them a copy of their certificate, confirming the Order''s approval of them being a rank 5 sect. While the original certificate got sent to the admission headquarters via a secret art.
The two siblings thanked Yang Qing deeply for his magnanimity and help on their way out as they forcibly dragged their reluctant grandson with them.
Chapter 192 Clearing A Hundred Evaluations
?Outside the hall room
"With theirposed looks, it looks like everything went well for them?"
"Does anyone know which sect they belong to?"
"They are from the Broken peak sect, they are not locals. It''s an upstart sect that hasn''t been around for long,"
"An upstart huuh.... so they have no backer, interesting,"
"You bastard, you dare scheme openly with someone from the Order just next door. You clearly have a death wish,"
"Where are you going? I was joking¡ I was joking there''s no need to run away¡.Wait even you too? I was joking,"
"We don''t know each other,"
"Hey, stoping my way,"
"Luo''er these are the types of people you should avoid. They are harbingers of death that would spill over to you even if you''re a bystander. You are to avoid people like them like a poisonous miasma.
Let''s add a few more meters away from him just in case,"
"Yes, master,"
"Which organization does that person belong to?"
"He is from the Dragon gate sect,"
"Huuuh!!!!With a name like that how is it still a rankles sect?"
"There are plenty of people like that around the world. Using domineering names especially in their attack moves when it''s nothing but blowing smoke,"
"Oh yeah like senior brother Wen Chu. I remember the first time he mentioned his trump card move, the thundering sky rending meteor fist, I thought it was an earth-shattering technique.
It was such a letdown. He even lost to a vineb chicken using that move,"
"Don''t even speak about that person. Every time I think of him, he just triggers my mental demons.
Fen''er make sure you make the most out of the opportunities you will get at the Order. Your master doesn''t have much talent and your senior brother...forget it.....
Fen''er my only hope and request isn''t something big like turning the Light hollow sect into a great sect but please, please, Fen''er don''t turn out to be like your senior brother. That foolish boy will be the death of me one day.
If you turn into your senior brother, then your master will just have to leave the sect and go swim in the Bestial churning sea forever,"
"Senior brother was right, master is always so melodramatic,"
"YOU!! Is that what you discuss with that useless braggart?"
...
"Uncle Master, I''m not feeling okay, can we reschedule the evaluation?"
"Not this again. How long do you want to dy this time? We already wasted 8 years because you were afraid your realm wasn''t stable enough for the evaluation.
You''re already in the fifth stage of the foundation establishment realm.
The n patriarch said if you make any more excuses don''t bothering back, the n will cut its ties with you.
We already poured all our resources into you, we can''t survive without the quota from the promotion. Make your choice, Undergo a simple evaluation that you will likely pass or start living on your own.
If you choose thetter, you can be sure you will meet much scarier things than an evaluation,"
"Fine, I''ll get evaluated. Since the n has entrusted me with this task, I Lin Mu willplete it perfectly¡.
But uncle master what if I suddenly lose all my cultivation base when undergoing the test or get qi deviation that makes me drop to the qi refinement realm? I don''t mind what will happen to me but what about the n? You heard what the judge from the Order said, there are penalties involved.
Uncle Master, uncle master, uncle master are you listening?"
"It seems like the Wind drifting sect is the next to be evaluated,"
"I hope they fail,"
"Ppsch! do you have a death wish? Even if they are an unranked sect they have the backing of the Chu family. Your whole sect may get annihted because of your careless words,"
"What backing? It''s just some rumor that grew out of proportion. A friend of mine from the Xiao family told me the real story. The chief disciple of the Wind drifting sect helped a scion from the Chu family get into a carriage when he was drunk.
Then that scion in his drunken stupor said he was a good brother. The scion doesn''t even remember his words from that day, however those from the Wind drifting sect decided to exaggerate that whole encounter and the words he said. They most likely hired a few shameless bards to spread the story,"
"Really? That''s what happened?"
"I don''t believe him. The whole thing seems made up. How is someone like him friends with someone from a top-tier rank 4 family like the Xiao family?
Maybe he is trying to do the same thing as the Wind drifting sect. Raise the prestige o his sect by pretending to have an association with some bigshot,"
"Mmmh, that sounds reasonable. I heard their sect had to even rent out half their building halls andnd to merchants so they could make ends meet,"
"Really? Suddenly my sect doesn''t seem that bad off,"
"But your sect doesn''t even have a gate,"
"It''s because we are free-spirited and has nothing to do with our circumstances,"
"Why is your face turning red then?"
"You?"
"Stop it, don''t cause a scene, the guards are looking this way,"
¡.
The sessful evaluation of the Broken peak sect alleviated the tense atmosphere that Yang Qing''s earlier statement had created.
Though some organizations were still tense about the whole thing, most couldn''t wait to be evaluated.
Yang Qing increased his speed through the evaluations with the duration of each evaluation notsting more than five minutes. In just four hours he had already conducted eighty evaluations just a few evaluations away shy of reaching the hundred-half mark point.
There were asions when the duration exceeded five minutes but it was only when the results prompted further exnation from Yang Qing like he did for Murong Yan or the Feng brothers who had their bloodline exined.
Of the eighty evaluations, only seven of them had failed. Some had used forbidden arts at the expense of their lifespan to break through, some had used special artifacts to create the illusion they were in the foundation establishment realm, while others used special arts to boost their cultivation base temporarily. It was a milder form of a taboo breakthrough except it would wear out within a set timeline, so the penalties were small.
Whatever means they used, they were all exposed by the discerning heart stone steele and got sentenced to a three-year ban from the Institute and their application for another evaluation. The ban would take effect the moment they had a real foundation establishment expert at the helm.
The penalties for trying to cheat in an evaluation were less severe since the Order was a bit sympathetic to the plight and desperation of these unranked organizations whose shot at turning theirck was getting ranked and getting a quota spot.
As for the organizations that sessfully passed their evaluations, most had ordinary results that one would expect from unranked organizations. The bulk of them had the white grade or red grade pirs and for thetter type, it was the low-ranked type.
With such a result Yang Qing avoided exining to them what significance the colors they formed during the first test meant. He didn''t want to dampen their joyous moods.
When it came to bloodlines, none came close to the treefolk bloodline shown by the Feng brothers.
Despite the generallyckluster results, there were a few standouts whose results in terms of grades of their pirs matched the grade of the Feng brothers. There was even one who had exceeded them and had a blue-grade pir.
When his results appeared, it drew looks of shock from Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe. Bu Zhe even forgot his duties from that moment on as he kept getting dazed over and over.
The person with the blue grade pir was a 28-year-old youth by the name of Lin Mu who hade on behalf of the Lin family.
His evaluation had alsosted the longest since Lin Mu spent the bulk of the time begging Yang Qing to spare him and his n in case he suffered qi deviation, a mental demon attack, or some other injury that would cause his cultivation base to fall.
When Yang Qing revealed to him that he had blue grade pirs and what it meant, Lin Mu seemed distraught and overtaken with fear at the impending doom instead of being happy. He even begged Yang Qing a couple of times if there was a way to downgrade his pirs, and when that didn''t work he switched tactics and begged some more for Yang Qing to escort him back to his n since he didn''t feel safe going back with his uncle alone. His uncle almost vomited blood during the whole thing and didn''t even get a chance to celebrate their promotion and having a blue-grade n member.
Other than Lin Mu, there was another person that stood out. It was a 15-year-old youth by the name of Mu Fen, who was from the Light hollow sect. During his evaluation, it revealed he had a quasi-blue grade pir.
His master, who was also the sect master of the Light hollow sect, wept endlessly at the results as he mocked another disciple of his. He only stopped when his qi almost ran amok from all the excitement. He then startedmenting as he attributed the amok qi being a curse from the disciple he had just mocked.
.....
By all ounts, Yang Qing didn''t have a dull moment. It was even more enjoyable than he expected. There was food being brought over, he didn''t have to move from ce to ce, Lei Weiyuan wasn''t here to hound him and he met interesting characters like Lin Mu and the sect master of the Light hollow sect, during his evaluations who kept him entertained.
It was an otherwise good day, which was why Yang Qing ended up finishing 100 evaluations without even noticing it. He was now only left with a hundred more before he closed the chapter on the Spiritual temperance sect''s region.
Chapter 193 Instant Change
?After the hundredth evaluation mark, Yang Qing decided to take a short fifteen-minute break to have his meal while also transmitting his voice to exin the rules and regtions of the evaluation procedure to the organizations that had just arrived.
Prince Wenyan was more reserved in his interaction with Yang Qing unlike before when he was calling Yang Qing, brother Yang Qing. The discovery of Yang Qing being a pce realm cultivator had an impact on how he saw and rted with Yang Qing, even without meaning to.
In the southern continent, one could be considered a true cultivator once they stepped into the pce realm, anything below that was generally considered just a stronger ant, with the exception of monstrous geniuses in that realm.
Yang Qing noticed the reserved attitude the prince had with him but there was nothing much he could do to make him at ease as before. Any move or suggestion he made would be taken as an order by prince Wenyan.
He chose to let things be and move at their own pace.
The fifteen minutes break flew by. Yang Qing requested Captain Bu Zhe to let in the next organization after he had taken hisst bite.
Two men walked in at Captain Bu Zhe''s guidance. One of the men was a gaunt middle-aged man built like a bear. He had wild-looking ck hair with a ferocious glint in his eyes. He didn''t seem like the type to care about his appearance since he had sleeveless robes that seemed like they had been torn at the shoulders.
Beside him was a thin, pale-looking young man with short hair that covered his eyes.
The contrasting look made both of them stand out.
"Nu Bing of the Wild roar sect presents my disciple Su Liwei for evaluation," said the bear-like man as his voice boomed in the building hall.
Even though he was just in the tenth stage of the qi refinement realm, his momentum and aura were enough to rival someone who had just stepped into the foundation establishment realm.
"Disciple Su Liwei presents himself to the Order for evaluation and willingly adheres to all protocols and regtions attached to it, including the penalties," Su Liwei said.
His voice matched his build perfectly. It was soft, low, and had a solitary coldness to it like ake in the middle of a cold, misty, and silent night.
Yang Qing nodded back as he invited Su Liwei over to have his test.
Su Liwei cupped his fist and slowly approached Yang Qing. Even till this moment, his head was slightly lowered with his hair covering his eyes. It was only when he came in front of the foundation white haze crystal did he finally look up.
He nodded with a polite smile to Yang Qing then proceeded to ce his palms over the crystal. However, with a blinding speed that shouldn''t be seen in a first-stage foundation establishment cultivator, he removed a small red pearl from his sleeves with one hand and a rotten wood with the other hand.
The red pearl had a resplendent red glow to it that matched the shining brilliance of a ruby while the rotten rectangr wood had worm-like ck symbols on it that wriggled almost as if they were alive. The movement of those ck symbols became more intense the moment the glow from the red pearl fell on them.
The youth still maintained cold silence as he violently charged toward Yang Qing.
The energy that exploded from him during his charge was that of a fifth-stage core formation expert. As he made his move, his eyes finally revealed themselves. His iris matched his sclera and was pure white like it had been fashioned out of marble while his pupils were wriggling ck worms like the ones on the wood he had in his right hand.
Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe were caught off guard by the sudden change of events that they froze in their reaction.
Yang Qing was the only one who remained undaunted as he rested his face on one of his hands looking coldly at the running youth.
The gaunt sect master he hade with crumbled into red dust that flowed into the red pearl whose color turned darker with an intense dark red glow.
"I''ve been wondering when you''d make your move, you filthy remnant of the dark helminth ghosts," Yang Qing said as he shed and appeared in front of Su Liwei.
Su Liwei flinched only slightly at Yang Qing''s sudden appearance but his reaction didn''t stop as he plunged the rotten wood into his stomach and clenched his hand that had the red pearl into a fist which he swung at Yang Qing.
Within a few milliseconds, his entire look had transformed from his sudden actions. His upper robes got burned with a ck me that was produced from the rotten wood. The mes burned the rotten wood into ash and then jumped onto his torso.
Beneath those mes were the wiggling worm-like glyphs that lurched themselves into Su Liwei''s skin like leeches turning his pale skin darker till it resembled charred wood. Su Liwei''s entire body turned charred ck with small fissures appearing all around him save for his left arm which had the red pearl.
That arm had turned dark red and produced a red mist that congealed behind Su Liwei to form an indistinct figure of a red snake with infinity-shaped pupils.
The transformation had happened almost instantaneously.
"You have grossly overestimated yourselfing here. There''s a reason your organization barely survived a week under the Order''s onught."
Before Su Liwei could register Yang Qing''s words he felt his vision change. A sharp cold in was coursing through his body from his back and his left arm was floating above him as it disintegrated like dried y. Minute red dust reflection floated slowly above the disintegrating arm.
His thoughts and his body''s response seemed to be in ag like time had frozen and everything had been magnified. When he turned his vision downwards, the floor he had been standing on was absent and what was there was a bottomless elephant-sized hole.
He still had trouble registering what just happened. The rotten block of wood he used was a cursed artifact that would grant him the immediate strength of a quasi-pce realm expert while the red pearl was a genuine monarch-grade artifact that had a lethal attack mechanism to both the soul and body. One needed to have atleast a quasi-pce realm strength to activate it, which was why he needed the rotten wood to boost his fifth-stage core formation cultivation base to the quasi-pce realm stage.
Today''s attack wasn''t just a chance encounter. He had nned everything perfectly for today''s attack. Creating a shadow sect, researching the evaluation procedures and the strength of the personnel during the evaluation over the past five years, and sourcing artifacts that had a short activation time and high lethality.
About the only thing that had gone awry for him was the joint evaluation, since conducting the attack within the base of the Wild roar sect had better odds.
But even in his ns, he had ounted for a change of location, and with the support of the two artifacts, his attack was all but guaranteed to seed since both the Summerfield kingdom and the Order personnel would only be at the core formation realm.
But things wentpletely different from what he had envisioned. He had a worst-case scenario but the current scene was miles above what he expected.
"What happened? Did¡they¡.lie¡to¡me¡..
Was¡i.t¡a¡t..r..a..p....f..r..o..m¡t..h..e¡.b..e..g..i..n..n..i..n..g?"
He didn''t have the strength to talk and his thoughts along with his vision were turning sluggish. He mustered whatever strength he had left, to look upwards.
He still hoped by some chance his attack had seeded. At this point, he would settle even for a small injury instead of the fatal injury he had expected and hoped for.
All that he managed to see was a white-haired young man standing above him surrounded with a resplendent misty white glow staring indifferently at him with eyes that were in the image of a full moon.
He didn''t even have the energy to be shocked. His gaze turned hazy as he surrendered himself to the drowsiness and the beckon of death that was calling him.
¡
Su Liwei was not the only one confused about what just happened. Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe were just as confused despite being witnesses to the whole thing.
Both Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe had prepared themselves to attack the moment they gained their senses from the sudden attack. However, before they could even make a move, they were frozen where they stood by the pressure Su Liwei released the moment he stabbed the rotten wood into his navel.
The gaze of the red snake with the infinity symbol made them feel like their souls were being wrung of everything they had.
Just as they thought they were on the cusp of death, things took a turn in an instant. A sudden sh of white light appeared and obliterated everything including the pressure and the torment they were under including the silhouette of the red snake that was behind Su Liwei.
Everything had changed too fast for them to even register what just happened. In the time it took to blink an eye, Su Liwei had attacked Yang Qing as he rapidly transformed into a fiendish being with a red snake silhouette behind him, then a momentter he was not there.
All that stood before them was a massive hole in the middle of the hall, Su Liwei floating over the hole, missing a lower body and an arm that was disappearing like burning paper, and standing next to him was someone who resembled Yang Qing except he was pure white in every part of his body with a gentle glow being exuded from his body with an apanying faint white mist.
Chapter 194 Dark Helminth Ghost Sect(1)
?Even if Yang Qing wasn''t radiating a fearsome aura like the one Su Liwei had been releasing mere moments ago, his presence still made both Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe take inadvertent gulps as beads of sweat formed on their hands and palms.
For some reason, they felt Yang Qing was there at the same time he wasn''t, like he existed in a different space and all they saw was an afterimage of him.
However, just as prince Wenyan was debating whether to approach Yang Qing, a white fog suddenly appeared and surrounded both Yang Qing and the slowly decaying Su Liwei.
It was only when the fog started forming, did they notice a small white raven flying above Yang Qing.
The fog they saw surrounding Yang Qing came from its mouth. It blew out the fog as it flew clockwise around Yang Qing and the crater he had created.
Within a few seconds, Yang Qing and Su Liwei had disappeared from their view.
Both Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe stared at each other with dumbfounded, fearful expressions. The fog didn''t just obstruct their view but also restricted their spiritual senses. It even started affecting their souls as they felt their entire senses get sluggish the longer they stared at the fog.
The past few seconds had put them through a rollercoaster of emotions and they still didn''t even know what just happened in those few seconds.
Who was the attacker? And why did he target Yang Qing? And would their kingdom be in danger since Yang Qing got attacked under their eyes?
There was a lot to consider but they dared not move, they even refrained from speaking to each other for fear of triggering something else. The only form ofmunication they had was trading looks of fear.
...
"How is the building still standing?"
It was in the brief reprieve and silence that Prince Wenyan noticed something off.
While the building hall they were in was packed with all sorts of defensive arrays, it was still not to the level that it would handle the sh of pce realm cultivators.
The only ce in the whole kingdom that was fortified to that extent was the core region of the pce, and even then, it could just barely survive a few hits from an early pce realm cultivator.
As for the building hall, the best it could do was defend against those in thete stages of the core formation realm, more specifically those who had reached the tenth realm. Anything above that and the energy from the sh would leak outside as the building slowly but surely, copsed.
The building was wholly intact, with no cracks, save for the location in the middle of the hall that had a massive hole in it. The rest of the building was seemingly okay.
As Prince Wenyan was lost in his thoughts, he saw a sudden sh of translucent membrane-like light, like the ones seen on an insect''s wings or refracted water, appear on the walls and then disappear just as fast.
Prince Wenyan managed to spot a fewplex white runes appearing within that sh.
It was then that he saw Captain Bu Zhe fearfully skip back as he stared at the door like it was some extremely poisonous creature.
It didn''t take him long to figure out that the refractive shing light was as a result of Captain Bu Zhe''s attempt to go outside.
"What happened?" Prince Wenyan used a voiceless transmission technique tomunicate with Captain Bu Zhe.
"I don''t know. I tried to open the door but it suddenly repelled me back," Captain Bu Zhe fearfully answered.
Prince Wenyan paused for a bit before a look of realization hit him.
"So that''s why.....
It must be Master Yang Qing''s doing. It seems like he has isted the ce with some sort of barrier." Prince Wenyan thought as his gaze scanned all around the building.
"Don''t touch anything else, let''s just wait for him to finish his matters. Let''s wait on his instructions first rather than acting autonomously. We may end up spoiling his matters or triggering something if we act carelessly," he added.
Captain Bu Zhe nodded in response. He even moved a few steps away from the door and the wall for good measure.
When the repelling reaction of the door struck him, that brief hit made him feel like his entire being was encapsted in ice. His Qi movement even felt sluggish till now and he felt a very real shivering coldness in his entire being down to his very soul.
That interaction had made him extremely wary as he couldn''t even react to the attack. As the man in charge of the protection of the king, he exercised honing his perception and spiritual sense, so he could react swiftly to any situation. Not many people within the kingdom could best him in that regard, but the attack from the door had shattered whatever pride he had in those skills.
There was nothing scarier than not knowing how you were even attacked.
....
Inside the fog
"You came with quite the interesting artifacts. Even with your entire organization destroyed, it seems you still have some reserves left.
A lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Your foundation as a former rank 1 organization isn''t for nothing.
Some even touted your Dark Helminth ghosts sect as the second Crimson wave but s it wasn''t meant to be," Yang Qing said as he crouched next to the hole as he eyed the disintegrating Su Liwei, yfully.
Su Liwei already had his eyes shut weing death but hearing Yang Qing''s words that wereced with mockery, he opened them and red at Yang Qing''s way.
"So scary," Yang Qing said as he raised his hands in a look of feigned fear.
"Seeing that they only sent someone at the fifth stage of the core formation realm to attack someone from the Order, must mean you''re a disposable pawn.
Torturing you for information will be useless since you more than likely know nothing and what you do know is either trivial inconsequential stuff or information nted in you for misdirection ¡. whichever the case Su Liwei, I''m afraid I will have to deny you the honor of ying the part of an unbending zealot for your organization.
So please put away that '' I won''t spill anything'' look you are throwing my way," Yang Qing said as he sat down in a lotus position.
"But there is something you can help me with, otherwise you wouldn''t be alive right now."
Yang Qing''s look turned cold as he removed a few things from his storage.
Su Liwei was still sluggish in his reactions but his pupils shrunk when he heard Yang Qing''s words.
Yang Qing was particrly easygoing with a lot of matters even with enemies, however, there was a particr kind that he abhorred with his entire being. The Dark helminth ghost sect was one of them.
Chapter 195 Dark Helminth Ghost Sect (2)
?By the time he joined the Order, they had already been eliminated, but something in him disliked organizations like theirs.
Those that treated lives so callously to the point that they''d make a hungry, bloodthirsty, and deranged spirit beast seem like a saintpared to their actions. Those whose path was tainted in so much blood that the earth would wail with their steps.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure if it was because of his Yin Yang jade bones, but he was usually too sensitive when it came to matters surrounding ruthless bloodthirsty organizations like the Dark helminth ghost sect and the Scarlet blood ghost hands.
The Dark helminth ghost sect was a dark sect that was renowned eight hundred years ago.
Originally it was not a sect but a royal unit that handled matters for the Emperor of a certain rank 3 empire. It was known as the emperor''s ''dark hand''. They handled all matters the Emperor wanted to be handled, from within the shadows with extreme efficiency.
They were a source of nightmares to that Emperor''s enemies.
However, while that unit was the reason the Emperor had a firm hold of power, it also became the reason that emperor died. That unit had done so many things at the Emperor''s behest and some at their own volition as a show of fealty to their Emperor including snatching some gold-grade cultivation art for their emperor.
They were sessful in their attempt but their Emperor got killed through a soul attack by an unknown organization as a result of it.
The unit went unhinged in a revenge spree as it ughtered any and all who may have had ties to the Emperor''s assassination. Even the emperor''s own children were not spared in that spree.
They ughtered a quarter of the empire before they moved on to the empire''s enemies. They created an ocean-sized trail of carnage in their wake and soon they were not killing to avenge their master, but killing to feed the cultivation art they had stolen, the trigger of everything.
The art fed on the lives of the living and the dead. It swallowed both the blood qi and corpse qi and fed it to the user of the art.
That unit had found another master in the cultivation art they found. They lived for it now and they ughtered to feed it. The unitter reformed into the Dark helminth ghost sect. Their numbers were few but their power was undeniable.
Despite the bloodthirsty nature of the art, it didn''t eat away at the rationality of the user. Weird as it was, it could be considered a well-bnced art that addressed the yin and Yang nature through blood and corpse qi refinement. However, the only caveat was, one could only make progress with it through ughter and desecration of corpses. This was exactly what the sect did, and faithfully at that.
At the height of their power, the Order had only been officially active for 200 years. In those 200 years, they had not made any waves, only handling a few cases here and there nothing noteworthy, building their reputation a little at a time.
The Dark helminth ghost sect became the first real case and test for the Order to really reveal its fangs to the Southern continent.
The Order''s reaction had been thunderous and swift at the time. The Dark helminth ghost sect''s founder had just reached the soul formation realm when he got eviscerated by a blinding sword streak that destroyed him along with half his base, with the rest of the survivors being taken care of by four people from the Order.
To date, to both outsiders and even those within the Order, not many know who those four people were or the owner of the sword streak that decimated half the base of a rank 1 sect. All that is known, is they were from the Order and the Dark helminth ghost sect was the mirror that revealed the Order''s edge.
The Dark helminth ghost sect is one of two rank 1 organizations that have been recorded to have fallen beneath the Order''s de. Though the Dark helminth ghost sect was attacked with the intent to destroypletely, the other organization was left with a path of survival. But in terms of shaking the continent with its news, the destruction of the Dark helminth ghost sect paled inparison to the attack on the other organization.
This was because in terms of strength and reputation, the Dark helminth ghost sect and that organization, were miles apart even though they were both rank 1 organizations.
Even though the Dark helminth ghost sect had a notorious reputation and had spread fear in its wake, its impact was subjective. Excluding the holynds at the time, other rank 1 organizations never considered the sect a threat, even some rank 2 organizations with serious depth were undeterred by them. They tolerated the sect as a form of entertainment or pawn they could use for their own objectives.
The targets the Dark helminth ghost sect chose over the years was also proof that they too, were cognizant of this fact. There were areas they dared not step into. Their overall fear factor in the Southern continent paled inparison to the Crimson wave which exceeded them in quantity and quality.
The Dark helminth ghost sect had a single soul formation expert and about a dozen domain experts. They rarely recruited new members so their numbers were always few. Its recruitment policy was more like a n''s than a sect''s. Only rtives or people with deep personal rtionships with the royal unit were considered for recruitment into their ranks.
However, even if their numbers were few, they had a few things going on for them that were absent with the Crimson wave. They were meticulous in their dealings, were loyal to each other, and knew how to cover their tracks and improve their odds of survival.
It is why, despite the decimation of their base and their founder, remnants of their organization still exist to date.
Some of the attacks suffered by Order employees are tied to survivors of the Dark helminth ghost sect. Based on the report the Order has on them, a domain expert had survived the attack on their base. That domain expert along with a few members were considered fail-safe ns instituted by the sect to ensure the survival of the embers of their sect.
That domain expert along with a few of the members were absent during the attack on the sect''s base. The Order''s investigation surmised the absenteeism was a measured action and not some sheer luck and maybe there may be others spread about around the continent who may be activated the moment the current domain expert dies.
The sect has only been shown to be active when an Order employee is targeted. Even though their numbers are few, they can still be considered a thorn in the Order''s eyes due to how they operate.
Their attacks are carefully nned and swift in terms of execution. If the execution fails, there are measures to either ensure a safe exit or clues tying to other members are virtually non-existent.
Yang Qing had doubts if Su Liwei would have attacked if he had known he was a pce realm expert.
...
Yang Qing took out a few paper talismans, a small grey candle, and a peach wood which he ced next to the candle.
Chapter 196 Five Thousand Cardinals Of The Incendiary Flame Of The Blighted Plain
?Su Liwei grew more and more anxious when he saw Yang Qing take out a few more objects from his storage ring.
Even if he couldn''t judge their exact strength because of his sluggish senses and disintegrating body, he could atleast feel the energy they released. They were all higher than the red pearl he had used against Yang Qing.
Seeing so many high-end goods being brought out made him feel uneasy about what Yang Qing nned to do with them.
He hasn''t had any contact with anyone from his sect in the past three years and anything important had been wiped from his memory. Any lingering traces he had on him that would tie him to the sect had been wiped too.
The Dark helminth ghost sect had researched and created many measures into ensuring the anonymity of each member from one another.
With their small numbers and the dangers that came with targetting those from Order, they had to use numerous means to ensure one person didn''t implicate the other.
With years of practice, they got better at it. This was why to date, despite targeting those from the Order they still managed to survive.
They chose their targets well and in case something went wrong, there were already measures in ce to ensure there would be as little coteral damage to the sect as possible.
He may have misjudged Yang Qing''s strength, but he had enough confidence that nothing he had on him could implicate other members of the sect.
Even though that''s what he thought, a huge part of him still felt worried. As far as he knew, the Dark helminth ghost sect always kept their targets small, not once had they targetted someone at the pce realm.
Their choice of prey were new inquisitors of the outer core courts, administrators, and a few other low-level employees.
Targeting an evaluator could be considered a whale of a target. It was why he had to n for five years in consultation with some of his seniors before he felt confident enough in his chances. He even added monarch-grade treasures for good measure and underwent ruthless cleansing to make sure that even if he was caught there would not be a thread to follow.
Just as he was sinking further and further into his quagmire of worrying thoughts, he heard Yang Qing sigh in relief.
"Phew!! I hope this works out. If it ends up being someone in the domain, I will have made such a huge loss," Yang Qing muttered as his gaze turned to the paper talismans floating above him, the grey unlit candle, the peach wood, and a few high-grade stones he had ced around the grey candle.
His gaze turned solemn as itnded on Su Liwei, who despite how terrified he felt still couldn''t exhibit it on his face. His body was stiff like dried y and the disintegration was still eating away at his body.
"I hope you''ll bring me an excellent harvest," Yang Qing said as the white glowing from his body turned even more intense.
He started forming seals in his hands so rapidly that his hands turned blurry.
An immense amount of qi leaked out of Yang Qing''s body that it congealed into a light green mist and with it came a suffocating pressure that destroyed every board left in the area. Just as it was about to destroy the roof, the talismans floating above ignited into a blue me that dissolved whatever pressure came its way.
The fog produced by the white raven got thicker, the more Qi Yang Qing leaked. It seemed to be working in tandem with the blue me to contain Yang Qing''s pressure within a set parameter.
If Su Liwei was worried earlier, now it was beyond that. Whatever he was seeing had gone beyond the realm of a worst-case scenario.
He didn''t know what Yang Qing was nning, but just the prologue itself was enough to send his mind into a tailspin.
"Five thousand cardinals of the incendiary me of the blighted in."
Yang Qing''s voice boomed with a sense of majesty as a in field appeared behind him which then spread to cover the ground below him and Su Liwei.
Numerous white crisscrossing lines appeared on that in.
Su Liwei still had no idea what was happening, but things turned absurdly terrifying to him by the second.
The qi Yang Qing released, had grown beyond what he had even experienced at one of the branch hideouts they used. That branch had spiritual qi that was dense enough to match a few low rank 3 organizations.
Yang Qing''s whole body had turned blindingly white that he couldn''t even see him properly. It was like he was surrounded by a pure white me that swallowed everything around him. The only thing he saw in the midst of that white cloak, was one golden-yellow round object the size of an eye floating in a fixed ce within it.
His body started to disintegrate faster. However, unlike before, he clearly felt that something was different this time. He felt something was being drained out of him with every disintegration.
In just a few minutes, only his shoulders were left and that indistinct feeling of being drained got clearer by the second.
He finally saw what was being drained from his body... A speck size drop of blood was floating next to him as it rapidly spun around.
His disintegrating body was rapidly swirling as it fed into the small drop of blood.
However, that was not the only thing bed fed in there.
The floating dust-like shards of the red pearl that had been floating above his arm were also congealing into the spinning blood adding more texture to it.
Su Liwei could feel his end drawing close, however the undaunting feeling he had before towards death had disappeared and was reced by overwhelming worry.
He may not know precisely what Yang Qing was trying to achieve exactly but he had a few guesses based on what was happening around him.
His essence was being drained, andbined with the red pearl. Below him was the in with small white threads spreading about from the center like apass.
He guessed that his essence and the pearl were about to be used as a conduit in conjunction with the in below him to track something. As for that something, If it wasn''t obvious before, now it was. It was the person who gave him the red pearl.
He still hoped he was wrong, however his hopes were dashed when the drop of blood started descending slowly into the in. By that point, the only part left of Su Liwei was his eyes and forehead. But even that soon mottled away as itbined into the blood drop that was about the size of a melon seed.
Thest thing he saw was a grey me ignite as the blood drop touched the in.
Chapter 197 Yang Qing Suffers A Loss
?The white lines and the in rippled like the surface of ake when the drop of blood came into contact with it. That red drop seemed to sink below the in as it burrowed into one of the white lines.
It rapidly crisscrossed along the white lines like it was a pathway guiding it to something. The faster it moved, the brighter Yang Qing''s white light and the grey me shed. The rapid crisscrossing went on for almost ten minutes before it finally settled down in on a white line that was in the northwestern part of the in.
"Ignite,"
Yang Qing muttered from within the white cloak once he saw the blood drop finally settle down. The drop ignited in a deep blue me. The peach wood which was the only object that had remained unused during the whole thing, darted towards the blue me.
"This is it, I hope it connects."
Yang Qing muttered to himself as he slowly watched the peach wood produce pink smoke chains that attached themselves to the blue me as it was being burnt down.
The peach block of wood was rectangr shaped, about six inches long and three inches wide. When it fell into the mes it reduced by half in an instant and then its rate of decrease stagnated almost as if thetter half was immune to the blue mes.
"Move, please move," Yang Qing nervously said once he saw the situation had remained unchanged even after five minutes hadpsed.
As if in response to Yang Qing''s plea, the rectangr block of peach wood was reduced by an inch with more pink smoke chains forming every time it burned. Yang Qing''s expression eased once he saw the movement.
Even though the progress after was slow, there was no stagnation like before. The blue me slowly ate away at the peach block as it produced more chains that wrapped themselves around the blue me like a ball.
This went on for almost an hour till finally thest chip of the peach wood had been burnt away. All that was left behind was a ball of cloudy pink chains that was snuffing out thest embers of the blue me.
"Yeeeeeees!" Yang Qing shouted in glee when the chainsbined to form a peach flower which then dissolved into the location the blood drop had been in.
Secondster, the in disappeared along with the grey me. Even Yang Qing''s white cloak faded, revealing a faintly exhausted face with a triumphant smile hanging on it.
His hair, his skin along with his eyes, went back to his normal look of green hair and green eyes. The only thing that didn''t return to normal immediately was his skin tone which was a bit paler than before, however it gradually returned to its normalposition with every inhale and exhale he took. In just a few minutes his skin tone was normal however there was still a sense of fatigue hidden within the depth of his eyes.
As for the items he had taken out, the mes from the talismans above him had already faded, however, the roof had been protected. The white raven above him was fainter and smaller than before, but the fog still remained dense as it was before. The grey candle along with the high-grade spirit stones had disappeared.
"Even with the help of the spirit-strengthening wicker candle, the top-grade gold art; Five thousand cardinals of the incendiary me of the blighted in, still took its toll. Karmic spells are really not my forte, I wonder how Yu Huifang handles them," Yang Qing muttered as he alternated his gaze to where the candle was and the in.
The art had drained almost half his qi reserves and his soul essence when he cast it topletion. The former didn''t worry him too much since he could recover qi much faster than most people because of his special peerless jade physique. High-speed qi regeneration and huge qi reserves were among its special attributes. But when it came to soul essence, even if his recovery was faster than most people, it would still require a day to fully recover.
If he didn''t use the spirit-strengthening wicker candle, the drain on his soul essence would have been many times higher than what it was.
"You can erase your memories but even that action leaves clues. Luckily the person who helped you cover your tracks and gave you the red pearl was one and the same person. The qi he left on the pearl and you, were sufficient to form a connection.
Now for thest part," Yang Qing tiredly muttered as he took out hismunication talisman.
"I''m not reducing the evaluation numbers on your list, Yang Qing," a curt voice sounded on the other end of the call the moment it connected.
"I''m not calling for that, though supervisor Lei Weiyuan don''t you think it''s unfair to spring those evaluations on me without giving me ample time to prepare," Yang Qing answered with aggrievement in his tone
"Blood, sweat, and tears Yang Qing wouldn''t want that. I was just respecting his wishes as a caring supervisor. So why are you calling? if it''s not toin and ask for less work,"
Yang Qing gnashed his teeth as he breathed in and out to center himself. Lei Weiyuan had the same skills as Ellie when it came to riling him up. Atleast when it came to Ellie, he could throw a punch or fifty but with Lei Weiyuan, he was always on the receiving end of some form of workce beating.
"Someone from the Dark helminth ghost sect attacked me during my evaluations in Summerfield kingdom..,"
"Attacked?... Again? weren''t you just in a fight with someone from the Golden bamboo pavilion a few hours ago? How much bad luck can one person have?"
Isn''t this all happening to me because you sent me on these damn evaluations. It''s all your fault, old geezer.
Yang Qing chose to ignore Lei Weiyuan''s interruption and hurtful remarks as he went on with his report.
"The attacker is dead, but I managed to use the ''Five thousand cardinal of the incendiary me of the blighted in'' art to mark the location of one of his backers who handed him a monarch-grade artifact for his operation.
Considering the effort I went through to get a lock on him, the backer should be someone in the pce realm. I managed to tag him with the treading cicada peach wood. Those from the special inquisition should be able to track him easily from its scent," said Yang Qing as he winced at the loss he had made with the treading cicada peach wood.
The treading cicada peach wood he had on him, was from a saint-grade tree. It had many uses, one of which was in tracking someone. It could mark someone''s body and soul with its scent. Once it connected, the scent could only be washed away by using another saint-grade treasure or a high-tier art that was at least in the gold grade.
The duration the scent lingered on someone, depended on the size of the wood used.
"How long?" Lei Weiyuan.
"About 20-30 days,"
"That should be more than enough time for the special inquisitors to track them. I will inform their deputy director and also have your merits recorded for this,"
"Umm, supervisor Lei Weiyuan, could I maybe get a refund for the...."
Just before Yang Qing could finish his statement the call disconnected.
"You old geezer!!!! just wait, when I be your boss, see how I take care of you," Yang Qing angrily said as he punched and kicked the fog a few times.
Chapter 198 Yang Qing Shares His Wisdom
?"The time that passed by is sure to cause amotion," muttered Yang Qing once he had sufficiently vented his frustration on the fog.
By his estimate, atleast two hours had psed. This was sure to make the organizations who came for the evaluation, wary, especially due to the disparity of the time taken and no one to address them within that time.
He had sealed the hall, locking everyone inside, with him, while those outside couldn''t barge in, not unless there were stronger than him and thus capable of breaking the seal he had ced in the building hall.
The first hundred evaluations werepleted very fast but now one evaluation had taken the same time it would take to evaluate 20 organizations.
That huge difference in time taken would not go unnoticed by them and then when the sect master of the Wild Roar sect and Su Liwei didn''te out, it was sure to add even more questions.
"I''ll take it as ites but for these two, I guess giving them an exnation wouldn''t hurt...even the Spiritual temperance sect especially if the Dark Helminth Ghost sect has set up base within their territory," thought Yang Qing as he waved his sleeves and the broken floor repaired itself.
However if one looked close enough they''d be able to notice a subtle difference on the repaired flooringpared to the rest of the hall.
Though the material was the same, the refilled wood Yang Qing just created over the hole he created when he punched Su Liwei, had a more raw natural feel to it. It felt like it was more tree than processed wood.
" I don''t know if the Order should create another branch in their territory.
Seems a bit strenuous to have the Deer Mountain branch handle cases in both the Deer Mountain kingdom and the Spiritual Temperance sect''s territory.
They both have the same issues. Hopefully there''s a n underway, but just in case I''ll have to report my findings to push the matter," Yang Qing thought as he fixed his robes.
...
Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe were a bundle of nerves especially when the hour mark hit without a single peep from Yang Qing.
The only thing that helped them stay still throughout the whole duration, was the fog that surrounded Yang Qing. The fact that it was still active, was proof that Yang Qing was still okay.
A look of relief washed over them both when they saw Yang Qing emerge from the receding fog.
Within a few seconds, the fog along with the white raven disappeared. The building walls also briefly shimmered concurrently with the white raven''s disappearance.
Su Liwei isn''t there?
Both Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe noticed the absence of the culprit behind the whole thing. However, they were mindful and a bit wary of asking anything.
They had already agreed if Yang Qing decided not to reveal anything, they would pretend the whole thing didn''t happen. This was to the extent that they would even hide the matter from the king if need be.
Whatever Yang Qing decided, they would go along with it. In their judgment from the brief experience, the matter seemed a little too big for their kingdom to handle.
....
"The attacker is someone from the Dark Helminth Ghost sect. Your kingdom should have already been formed when they were still around, so you should have some idea about who they are."
Yang Qing on seeing their curious hesitant expressions didn''t keep them waiting for long before he gave them an exnation.
Both Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe nodded in affirmation of Yang Qing''s presumption of their knowledge about the Dark Helminth Ghost sect.
The Summerfield kingdom, though can be considered young among kingdoms of its rank, has been in existence for atleast eight thousand years.
They, therefore, knew a thing or two about the Dark Helminth Ghost sect, which had been infamous in its existence, up until 800 years ago, before it met its demise at the hands of the Order. And the information they had ess to, wasn''t light either, considering their station within the kingdom.
"Then that makes things easier. Our history with them isn''t a secret. Su Liwei''s target was me and only me. He used the evaluation as an opportunity to strike.
He is already dead and the Order will be handling any matters associated with him and his organization. So you can all rest assured that the Summerfield kingdom will not be implicated in this, in any way," said Yang Qing as he tried to ease their tension.
Even if it now existed as a shell of its former self, the Dark Helminth Ghost sect was still leagues above what the Summerfield kingdom could handle.
They had a domain expert and a few pce realm experts at the helm. Who knows how many other talents had joined their ranks over the years?
The red pearl and the rotten wood were monarch-grade treasures, which showed the sect still had a few reserves in them capable of easily toppling a rank 4 kingdom like the Summerfield kingdom, should they decide to turn their attention their way.
Yang Qing''s statement helped ease whatever worries Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe may have had though Prince Wenyan still seemed a bit troubled.
" I thank you Judge Yang Qing on behalf of my kingdom. I would also like to offer an apology for being negligent in our duties which allowed such an attack to happen.
I''m deeply ashamed and sorry for it, if there is anything we can do, please do not hesitate to ask," Prince Wenyan solemnly said as both he and Captain Bu Zhe bowed in guilt, moreso thetter as he had been put in charge of maintaining security.
"Don''t be so hard on yourselves, there''s nothing to apologize for. I sprung up the whole thing on your kingdom at thest minute.
And even if I had given you ample time, the person from the Dark Helminth Ghost sect would have still got in.
This is a sect that has managed to evade even us, a few times and etch out survival for the past 800 years.
Such a reputation is not unwarranted, they have the skills to back it up. I''m afraid even the Spiritual Temperance sect would be in the same situation, were they ced in the same shoes as you.
So brother Wenyan, brother Bu Zhe, my humble advice would be this; if you want to take responsibility, do so for the things that are within your power to do so, as for things that aren''t, just shake them off and leave it to those who can. Beating yourself up about it won''t change anything, you might as well let it go, life is easier that way.
I do it all the time," Yang Qing said as he smiled in satisfaction when he remembered the pile of trouble he dropped on the domain-level branch chief of the Yellow ins branch.
The domain leader of the Golden bamboo pavilion was someone else''s problem. He was just a puny pce realm expert. He had zero guilt whenever he dumped problems above his pay grade to others.
It''s one of the reasons he would never leave the Order no matter how many times heined or how they ruthlessly exploited him. There was never a shortage of people willing to take care of his problems in strides. It was as easy as breathing to them, the same way he easily disciplined the three pce realm experts on behalf of Ellie.
Chapter 199 Chaos Under The Lake
?Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe looked at each other, confusion written in their eyes at Yang Qing''s advice. But when they saw him smiling and the genuine look on his face, they couldn''t help butugh along with him as they shook their heads.
"We will do just that," said Prince Wenyan. He had already decided after the evaluation he was going to urge his father to dump the problem on the doors of the Spiritual temperance sect.
Despite their cavalier attitude regarding matters outside their sect grounds, surely they would have a reaction if an organization such as the Dark Helminth Ghost sect, nted its footprints within their territory.
He even felt a vague sense of satisfaction at the thought of dumping it on them.
"Maybe I should remove myself from thepetition for the throne, letting others carry the weight doesn''t seem bad at all," he thought before he shook his head and smiled ruefully.
"Master Yang Qing, can we inform the king about this?" Captain Bu Zhe tentatively asked.
It was then that Prince Wenyan noticed he had overlooked Yang Qing''s opinion in involving his father.
"It would be best. Even though the Dark Helminth Ghost sect would not be in a position to act on you since we will be tracking anyone with ties to Su Liwei, It doesn''t hurt to be extra vignt," said Yang Qing.
"I''ll also be disclosing the matter to the Spiritual temperance sect after I''m done here," he added a secondter.
Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe became visibly delighted at this.
The word of someone from the Order would carry more weight than their own. And Yang Qing would less likely be turned away at the gate while for them well.....
Most people thought they had a subordinate rtionship with the Spiritual temperance sect but they knew it couldn''t be further from the truth. They were glorified errand runners for the sect. If they went there without an invite from them, they would be turned away just like the rest of them. They''d get a solid beating apanied by a stern warning for their troubles.
His grandfather, the previous king, suffered such a treatment when he was still king. He had a deep rtionship with them going back over a thousand years.
He soon came to realize he grossly overestimated the weight of that rtionship when he went unannounced to their sect to seek guidance in his cultivation. He had been at the peak of the core formation realm at the time, just inches away from bing a quasi-pce realm cultivator.
He needed assistance on just that final push, therefore he went to his ''old friends'' the Spiritual temperance sect.
He left a chipper smug old man but came back a vengeful, bitter very older man with no life in his eyes. He abdicated his throne that very same day and left for parts unknown.
From what his father told him, his grandfather took up fishing and farming in some fields within the kingdom.
His grandfather''s beating served as a reminder and warning to the Summerfield kingdom about their ce within the Spiritual temperance sect''s eye.
Yang Qing personally delivering the news to the Spiritual temperance sect had saved both him and his father, a potential beating. Moreso him, since his father was shameless enough to leave him with the bag to handle the whole thing.
The more he thought about this, the more he felt he should really give up the throne.
A thousand yearster the Summerfield kingdom had gained a weird rumor and reputation, it was that the king''s seat was cursed. In those thousand years, kings would abdicate their throne within short periods of each other. Some even sat less than a day in that seat before they gave it away, while the heirs apparent would run away or wail at being chosen as the next king.
The rulers started locking their sessors after that, to ensure there was someone to seed him/her after they left.
No one ever knew where the previous kings went off to after they left their posts, but the farming techniques of the kingdom exploded by leaps and bounds in those a thousand years, with the source of that upsurge being unknown. But that is a story for another day.
....
"Judge Yang Qing, what do we tell those outside?" Prince Wenyan asked after he had resolved himself to find a new path, during that brief pause.
"We tell them nothing,"
"Pardon.."
" There''s no need to exin anything as any exnation we offer, will only draw more conclusions from them.
Better to just leave everything to their own imaginations, which with time, will get preupied with their evaluations.
So let''s go on with business as usual,"
"Okay then," Prince Wenyan said as he motioned for Captain Bu Zhe to arrange for the next organization to be evaluated.
Both he and Yang Qing returned to their earlier positions like nothing had happened.
As for the servants who had been in the hall with them, Yang Qing had them sent away after his meal. He had already detected Su Liwei when the evaluations began thus when he detected his turn hade, he had the servants sent away before Su Liwei came into the hall.
Just as expected, the organizations were at first full of confusion and questions at the dy, especially when they didn''t see the Wild Roar secte out. But when they got no reply from the guards or Captain Bu Zhe, that curiosity got shelved the moment the evaluations began progressing like normal.
Under the euphoric cheers of promotion and despair of being caught cheating, the organizations soon forgot there had been a two-hour dy or a sect master had gone missing during an evaluation.
Organizations dropped like flies within the Spiritual temperance sect region, the missing sect master and his disciples drew curious thoughts when they didn''te out but a few hourster, they were long forgotten.
...
Inside a gazebo in the center of ake was a young man leisurely throwing worms into theke as he held amunication talisman in one hand.
"It seems like what you feared, has happened. One of the division leaders in charge of the operation got marked,"
" I told you this may happen, cancelling the operation would have been a safer option.
The opponent this time wasn''t someone they could handle.
What was he marked with?"
"Based on his description, it seems to be the treading cicada peach wood,"
"Will you help him? Though I think it''s safer to just eliminate him. If he was marked, then the special inquisition has already been dispatched as we speak. There''s not much time, better to cut our losses and eliminate any traces he has on him to us,"
"To others, the peach wood might be trouble but alchemy and spiritual nts are our forte. We will help him. We still need the Dark Helminth Ghost sect to act in the open as we prepare in the shadows."
"Does it have to be the Order?"
"Are you having second thoughts, you can still back out if you want. I know you have attachments to it, I won''t fault you for it. You have already helped us plenty enough."
"I''m already on this road, I can''t leave it. And the reason I''m hesitant isn''t because of loyalty, it''s because I know how powerful they are. The Radiant Sword sect would be an easier target in my opinion."
"It''s precisely because they are powerful, that it has to be them. The destruction of the Star Copsing Sword sect was an eye-opener for us.
The Order is a much bigger threat. They also have more enemies than the Radiant Sword Sect, making it easier for us to rope in more people against them.
The Myriad Beasts sect fell because of the same thing, now it''s their turn. Rather fitting for them to share the same fate since part of it is built in their former territory.
Take care of yourself and avoid doing anything that would draw suspicion before the second phase is set in motion,"
"I will,"
The young man calmly ced themunication talisman on hisp as he admired theke below him that was filled with an endless number of beasts continuously fighting for the worms he dropped.
Any one of these beasts could cause terror within the continent, since the weakest of them was at the pce realm and the stronger were at the quasi-soul formation realm.
"Time for some chaos," the young man muttered as he gently smiled, throwing another worm into theke.
Chapter 200 Warning The Spiritual Temperance Sect
?Yang Qing crazily spread through the remaining evaluations with the goal of trying to make up for the time he had lost when dealing with Su Liwei.
He abstained from even taking a break or even having a bite to eat, which he had to admit was harder than he expected. In the end, he even felt a bit faint, which he wasn''t sure if it was from hunger or the fatigue he had gotten from using the gold-grade art to nt a mark on Su Liwei''s backer.
His efforts and self-sacrifice finally paid off as he managed to finish thest evaluation at the five-hour mark. He had taken almost half the time it took him to clear the first a hundred batch.
Of course other than his extreme desire to make up for the lost two hours, there were other factors that worked in his favor during the evaluation of the second batch.
Unlike the first batch, the second batch did not have standouts in terms of bloodline or the quality of their grades. Most ended up with white grade pirs, while a few got red grade pirs and only one person among the hundred organizations had managed to form an orange grade pir, and it was in the lowest tier at that, simr to the one Murong Yan had from the Murong family.
¡
"Judge Yang Qing, are you sure you won''t stay? Father has already prepared a banquet for you and also a ce to rest for the night."
Prince Wenyan tried to persuade Yang Qing into staying when he saw him pack up the evaluation artifacts in preparation to depart.
"I wish I could stay but I have about 1,000 more evaluations to conduct and two and half days deadline toplete it by.
With how my schedule is, it''s even hard for me to even find the time to say goodbye to the king despite how rude and unthankful it may seem.
But after everything is done and I get some free time, I''ll make a point ofing back here. Your kingdom has the perfect environment for rxing and unwinding. When that timees, I''ll be in your care," said Yang Qing.
"I guess it would be rather inconsiderate of us if we kept insisting. Please inform me beforehand when you do decide toe back. We''ll make sure to arrange a grand tour and show you the best of what our humble kingdom has to offer," Prince Wenyan said as he handed Yang Qing signal call connection arrays for hismunication talisman.
Yang Qing dly shared his in return and then put hismunication array away.
"Prince Wenyan, Captain Bu Zhe, I offer you my sincerest gratitude for the aid you rendered in supporting me in my evaluations. Please offer my thanks to the king too. Your help saved me a lot of trouble and time.
If any of you ever needs assistance with anything provided it''s within my means, please don''t hesitate to reach me, I''ll be d to return the favor your kingdom showed me today," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists in gratitude.
"The pleasure is all ours," both Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe enthusiastically said as they cupped their fists in return.
"Take care of yourselves."
Yang Qing''s voice echoed in the hall room as he disappeared in the form of grey smoke in typical fashion as he did in all the other ces he had been to prior toing to the Summerfield kingdom.
Both Prince Wenyan and Captain Bu Zhe copsed to the floor a few seconds after Yang Qing had disappeared, with tired expressions showing on their faces. The pressure they endured throughout the day came flooding all at once the moment Yang Qing left.
"We have a long way to go," Captain Bu Zhe muttered as he stared at the floor Yang Qing had punched a hole through during his attack against Su Liwei.
"That we do," Prince Wenyan said as he sighed. He knew his talent wasn''t the greatest when it came to cultivation but it never bothered him much since he had the resources to make up for it and his true talentsy elsewhere. He was always self-aware of what he was good at and what he wasn''t, but today''s experience made him realize how weak he was.
Were he the target of Su Liwei''s attack, he would have died without even knowing how he died.
"We need to warn his majesty about the Dark Helminth Ghost sect but that will have to wait an hour or two¡I never thought the day woulde when I''d be so exhausted to the point of feeling unbearably drowsy.
When was thest time I slept?... I don''t think I''ve done so ever since I stepped into the core formation realm.
Captain Bu Zhe, I''ll be resting here for a while." Prince Wenyan said as his voice grew lethargic towards the end.
"Captain..?"
Prince Wenyan turned his head Bu Zhe''s way when he didn''t receive a response, only to see him with his back against the wall, his head plopped backward, eyes closed and his mouth mildly open.
"Seems you beat me to it," Prince Wenyan thought as he lightly chuckled to himself.
He removed a white neatly sown cultivation cushion from his storage ring and used it as a makeshift neck pillow as he rested himself on the wall next to Captain Bu Zhe.
Faint sleeping noises started echoing around the hall room.
¡
"After meeting with the Spiritual temperance sect, the Blue Lotus kingdom will be the next evaluation point. By my count, they should have about 300 organizations within their territory.
That''s a good number. If I finish it in good time, I may have some time to spare toward the end," Yang Qing gleefully thought as he crosschecked a few things on his map before he stored it away.
"Even though she steals from me all the time, it wouldn''t be bad to reward her with a few samples of the magma koi fishing in," Yang Qing mused as his gaze fell on Ellie.
Ellie was flying at a breakneck speed in the Spiritual temperance sect''s direction. Although she could maintain her current momentum for two hundred days straight before fatigue kicked in, the three-day trip journey was sure to take its toll on her by the end of it.
During the journey, other than maintaining her speed, she had to be continuously on high alert especially when they traversed across dangerous territories like the Deer Mountain kingdom. Doing both those things at once would take a huge mental toll on her.
Yang Qing paused his calctions of how many magma koi fish to give her when he detected the energy fluctuations of a high-tier blue-grade formation ahead of him.
The area his gaze fell under was arge open space ofnd that had grass, a few trees, and a summer-white cloud over it. Even though that''s what it seemed like, the view from Yang Qing''s eyes was different.
His pupils turned ck and white with a few indistinct scripts in their recess as he fixed his gaze on thend about a kilometer away.
From his view, there was a transparent dome covering an enormous area. The source of that dome was a semitransparent tree at the center of the dome. It was over 100,000 meters tall with a canopy that could cover the whole of the Summerfield kingdom with enough room to spare.
The dome seemed to be originating from the center of the canopy along with some blue-white runes that were produced along with it.
"It seems there''s not much I can glean from it¡the Spiritual temperance sect has a formidable formation master ...or is it some artifact?" thought Yang Qing as he shook his head in defeat.
Even though he could be considered a blue-grade formation master himself, he still struggled to decipher the profundities of the formation before him, though that was to be expected.
Even though he was a blue-grade formation master, just like alchemy, the scope of formation arrays was so wide that one couldn''t say they knew everything within their sphere of expertise.
¡
"Ellie, stop here. I''ll be going in by myself,'' Yang Qing said once they were about two hundred meters from the dome
Below them, there was a small courtyard outside the coverage of the dome. It had a few simple buildings, a small pond, and a garden filled with sky-rank herbs and a few monarch-grade herbs.
Even though the courtyard seemed bare and unprotected without the covering of the dome, it had a well-concealed short-burst killing array attached to it. Based on his estimates, Yang Qing deduced it had enough firepower to threaten the life of an early-stage pce realm expert like himself. But as for whether that array could sessfully strike its target, was a different matter.
Inside the courtyard, there were three people. One was a peak stage core formation expert, another was at the fifth stage of the core formation realm, while thest one was at the first stage of the core formation realm, and based on the fluctuations she released, she didn''t seem to have broken through very long.
Yang Qing lept off Ellie''s back as he gently floated toward the entrance gate of the courtyard.
By the time hended, the three cultivators were already on high alert. Yang Qing could already detect the killing array had already been primed for an attack and the three cultivators were releasing qi fluctuations typical of those preparing themselves for a battle.
"I mean you no harm friends, I''m just here to report something to your sect then I''ll be on my way," Yang Qing gently said to try and ease the tension.
Chapter 201 The Odd Disciple
?"I''m sorry young friend it would be hard for us to let you through since there was no information about the sect expecting any visitors today.
It''s not that we want to slight a pce realm cultivator like yourself by refusing you entry, it''s just that those are the rules of the sect. We can''t let anyone through not unless we have express permission to do so...I hope you understand."
A slow unperturbed voice of an old man sounded from inside the courtyard. It had a calming seemingly undetached sensation to it.
"Then can you pass on a message from me?"
"I can," the old man sinctly answered.
"I''m a judge from the Order and someone from the Dark Helminth Ghost sect attacked while I was conducting evaluations in Summerfield Kingdom.
I''ve already taken care of the attacker but members of the Dark Helminth Ghost sect are notoriously crafty and meticulous. They would not have nned the attack without months if not years, of nning.
By my guess, the fact that an attack happened during the evaluation of the organizations within your territory should mean that they have established a temporary base within your region and they may not be the only dark organization to do so.
While you may not care about what happens outside your sect grounds, the same can''t be said about them.
I just wanted to warn you to keep an eye out."
Yang Qing took out a white jade talisman that had a recording of the events that happened in the hall room during the evaluation. He already had another recording that he would hand to the Order, while the copy he had on hand, he had made for the purposes of proving the veracity of his statement to the Spiritual temperance sect.
"You can have this as proof," Yang Qing said as he tossed the talisman over the entrance gate. The talisman went on a perfect trajectory andnded in the hands of the person Yang Qing was talking with.
"I''ll be off then, please do inform your higher-ups. If the Dark Helminth Ghost sect isfortable enough to operate in your territory, I shudder to think what other organizations are lurking in there.
Your nest may already be swarming with hidden vipers all over."
Yang Qing didn''t wait for their response as he flew back up to Ellie and continued on with his journey to the Blue Lotus kingdom.
¡.
Inside the courtyard,
The three cultivators stood dumbfounded at the quick conclusion of their whole interaction. Of the many scenarios they expected for it to y out, this was not one of them.
"Is he really from the Order?" asked the onlydy among the three cultivators and also the one with the weakest cultivation base, which was at the first stage of the core formation realm.
She was young, seemingly looking to be about twenty years old. She had round deep ck eyes that shone with a light of curiosity. She had on white robes and a crystal butterfly hairpin tying her hair.
She was leaning over as she tried to scrutinize the white jade talisman in the hands of an elderly-looking man who also had pure white robes, a long flowing beard that reached his chest, and hair that was tied in a half bun.
Even though his skin was wrinkled and his frame bent, his eyes had a sense of rity in them that would give one the sensation that he was ageless.
Thest member of the group was a young man who seemed to be in his early 30s. He too had worn white robes and had ck hair tied in a daoist topknot. He had an easy-going and carefree aura to him, like a de of grass freely moving with the springtime winds.
"Elder Shi, is he really from the Order?" the youngdy asked again when she saw she had not gotten any response at her earlier question.
"The Dark Helminth Ghost sect¡.things may get troublesome if they really have a base here," the elderly man said as he breathed out a worried sigh.
"Yes, he is from the Order¡Not many ces can churn out a young pce realm cultivator like him and the fact that he was able to throw this talisman over,pletely ignoring the barrier we had already erected up, is proof his strength isn''t low either.
There''s the recording too¡Luckily I don''t think he minded much when we refused him entry," said the elderly man with another sigh.
"I wonder if the array would even have done much against him?" he wondered before he shook his head free of those thoughts.
"The Order is that powerful?!!!" the youngdy said in shock.
"He didn''t seem that older than me¡" she continued on with disbelief.
"Or maybe he is just some old person maintaining his youthful looks," she muttered with a seriously pondering expression.
"Junior sister Ya, is senior sister Yu Mei an old person maintaining her youthful looks?" the young man gently asked as he lightly smiled at the youngdy''s train of thought.
"Senior brother Lifen why are you ndering Senior Mei like that? Elder Shi, did you hear what he said?..how can Senior sister Mei be an old person? She is recorded to be the youngest pce realm expert in the sect since its founding. She is just 32 years old and she is already a pce realm expert¡
Senior brother Lifen you shouldn''t nder people like that just because you''re envious, older, have worse talent or are not as good-looking.
Just this once I won''t tell her what you said, but senior brother you need to evaluate your own dao heart if you hope to make any progress.
If you keep harboring those nderous thoughts, you''re liable to end up with a horrible mental demon. As spiritual cultivators, our mental strength should be our forte.
Elder Shi, I think senior brother Lifen needs more guidance in his cultivation lest an ident happens," the youngdy said as she cast a worried look toward the young man who was inplete disbelief at the moment as to what just happened.
How did his question end up with him disparaging his senior sister and being nderous and envious? Even his looks were thrown into the mix.
He was just trying to be a cool senior brother and guide her and all he got back was inner demon-inducing jabs and a pity-filled look that made him feel like he was the biggest scum of the continent.
Chapter 202 Three Potential Rank 3 Organizations
?"I can''t believe I will have to stand guard with her at this base for the next five years," the young man thought as hemented his future.
"No I won''t be alone, luckily Elder Shi is here with me. He knows how to reign her in," Lifen thought in relief as he eyed the elderly man with a look of worship.
"Lifen, I''ll be heading back to the sect to inform them of the news we just got. Information as pertinent as this needs to be delivered in person.
You will be in charge of the ce until Ie back. Considering the gravity of the situation, you and Ya''er will be here alone for a while.
I''ll be handing control of the array to you.
Make sure not to leave the courtyard no matter what, and at the slightest sign of trouble you are to trigger the array instantly.
Don''t hesitate, you hear me?" the elderly man said as his solemn gaze fell on the two disciples.
"We will do as Elder Shi says," they simultaneously said as they cupped their fists in eptance of the orders.
The elderly man changed a few seals on the formation disc he had in his hand and then handed it to the young man.
The young man formed a few seals of his own on the formation disc so he could have temporary control of it.
Once he had confirmed everything was in order, the elderly man poured his qi into a small pebble-sized blue pearl which transformed him into a streak of blue light that charged in the direction of the dome that was two hundred meters away from the courtyard.
Lifen had a heavy expression appear on his face when he saw the blue streak disappear into the dome.
The source of his heavy expression was unknown.
Was it because the responsibility of maintaining the security of the sect''s outpost weighed heavily on him or was it because of another graver matter? No one knew, except him.
"Senior brother Lifen, how old are you by the way? I heard someone in the sect say you were about 178 years old. Mmmh, would that make you my senior brother or elder first? Elder senior brother, grandfather senior brother, I wonder which one works best?"
¡.
50 kilometers away from the Spiritual temperance sect
Yang Qing was leisurely seated on top of Ellie with a snow blossom peach in one hand, and amunication talisman in the other.
"I''ve already informed them of the matter and given them a recording of the events, but given their way of doing things, I think it would be more prudent if a branch was established there.
The region is already chaotic enough, the Order''s presence is needed to monitor things and also to deter other organizations like the Dark Helminth Ghost sect, from setting up base there.
Also, I feel the region may experience a change in dynamics in the near future. It wouldn''t be impossible for three more rank 3 organizations from sprouting in there,"
"Which ones?"
"The Summerfield kingdom is one. I saw something in one of their fields that made me reevaluate them,
Then there is the Broken Peak sect. I evaluated their sect master and vice sect master. They are brothers who have the treefolk bloodline. The bloodline itself is thin but if they use their quota from the Order well, it wouldn''t be an impossibility for them to reach the pce realm.
As for thest one," Yang Qing paused as he lightly chuckled when he remembered the young man who kept nagging him to escort him back to his n or for techniques that could lower the ranks of his pirs.
"There was someone by the name of Lin Mu. He has quite the personality. Even though he is from a small cultivation n, he managed to form blue-grade pirs.
If he had better resources, I have no doubt he would have probably gotten a quasi-gold-grade pir at the very least.
Of the three organizations, the Lin family is the one I think has the highest odds of bing a rank 3 organization, barring any unfortunate circumstances.
I think we should put them in the nurturing program."
"You think highly of him that much?"
"I do," Yang Qing firmly replied.
"Well, I''ll pass on your thoughts. But they will still have to be vetted first to pass the preliminary review before they can be considered for nomination along with the other candidates.
But with your rmendation, their odds should be better.
When you get back you''ll have to give an exposition on everything, moreso on the situation regarding the Spiritual temperance sect''s territory, especially if you want to make a case for a branch to be established there.
You know very well with how tight our resources are, branch cements are not done lightly. For one to be ced in the Spiritual temperance sect''s region, it would have to be at the expense of one of the new proposed branches.
For such a case, you will be making the report to the Spirit Council when you get back, so prepare yourself¡.and make sure to finish the evaluations on time. Don''t bothering back until they are allpleted."
Before Yang Qing could reply, the connection had already been cut off like usual, leaving him with a belly full of anger.
Shrrieeeeeeek!!!
Yang Qing had identally pulled on some of Ellie''s feathers with nowhere to vent his frustration.
"I''m sorry Ellie," he said as he smiled in embarrassment. Unbeknownst to him, Ellie had a cunning glint sh in her eyes in the midst of her painful shriek.
The ce Yang Qing had pulled on, suddenly started bleeding like a geyser as Ellie shrieked in even more pain, even her qi became slightly erratic.
"If you''re going to exaggerate, atleast make it believable," Yang Qing said as he tiredly sighed at her theatrics.
As a spirit beast with a powerful bloodline, she had enough vitality to rival some pce realm cultivators but here she was pretending that a feather pull was enough to make her bleed so profusely when even the sharpest top-tier sky-rank weapon couldn''t leave a dent on her nails.
Ellie still stubbornly continued her theatrics as she ruptured a few other blood vessels.
"Fine'' I''ll share some of my spiritke basses with you," Yang Qing said in defeat as he removed a few from his storage ring.
Ellie screeched in joy as her wounds closed in an instant, and the feathers Yang Qing had pulled off were regrowing at an astronomical speed. In just a minute and a half, all the missing feathers had been fully regrown.
"How can one be this shameless?"
Chapter 203 Blue Lotus Kingdom
?It didn''t take too long for Yang Qing to make his way to the Blue Lotus kingdom. Ellie managed to reach in good time, most likely the silver basses she schemed off Yang Qing had something to do with it.
The Blue Lotus kingdom, just like the Summerfield kingdom, was also a rank 4 kingdom. However, unlike the Summerfield kingdom, it was not a subsidiary of arger power.
The Blue Lotus kingdom had a much deeper and longer history than the Summerfield kingdom. It has been in existence for almost 100,000 years. Such a history is enough to rival some rank 2 organizations.
In those 100,000 years, it has experienced uprise and downfalls. It was originally a small province of some long-forgotten empire. It built its prestige slowly over time, till it grew strong enough to split from the Empire it was a part of, and be independent.
Lucky for them, at the time of their independence, there was a wide world mutiny in the empire, and they were not the only province to break away from it and announce their cessation from it.
From there, they wed their way up to bing a semi-renowned kingdom when their then-king reached the pce realm. With every generation, they seemed to be growing and improving at a steady rate.
They always seemed to make the right move; they formed alliances when the circumstances called for it, they attacked when the circumstances demanded it, and they conceded or held their ground depending on the situation.
This was why after ten thousand years since they were established, they had managed to swallow almost a third of the territory of the Empire they belonged to. Immediately soon after, they halted all their expansion projects and consolidated all their gains for 30,000 years.
When the 30,000 yearspsed, they came out once more with the goal of increasing their territory by half.
It didn''t take too long for the others to realize, the Blue Lotus kingdom had the grand ambitions of swallowing all the territory belonging to the former Empire.
The provinces of the former Empire, which just like them had be independent kingdoms, banded together to resist them. Those provinces even coborated with the royal family of the broken Empire.
When mutiny broke out and some of the provinces broke away, the empire managed to maintain its control over one territory, this was the capital where the royal pce was located. They consolidated all their power there, as they bided their time while also guarding themselves against all these provinces that were eyeing them on all sides. However, the threat from the Blue Lotus Kingdom gave them the reprieve they needed, as they formed temporary alliances with the other provinces to confront amon foe, the Blue Lotus Kingdom.
A five thousand-year battle ensued, with the Blue Lotus kingdom emerging as the victor. They managed to conquer the capital which was thest bastion of the Empire, while also fending off the other provinces.
Despite being alone, their victory was made possible due to the overwhelming firepower they revealed. They revealed four quasi-domain experts from within their ranks, who helped them hold their own against the ancestor of the empire who was also a quasi-domain expert while also fending off the alliance of the other provinces.
Despite their victory, they still paid an enormous price for it, which was the devastating injuries to two of the four quasi-domain experts who got critically injured when the ancestor of the empire used a secret art to try and perish with them.
The Blue Lotus kingdom thus halted any expansion activities for the next 15,000 years to heal from the damage the 5,000-year battle caused.
In that time, the other kingdoms couldn''t attack either, since even they had paid a terrible price in that war. They could only watch in trepidation as the Blue Lotus kingdom bided its time, knowing full well the next time it made a move, it would be to conquer the remaining half of the former Empire''s territory.
Some of the kingdoms found the wait unbearable and decided to give up their own autonomy and join the Blue Lotus kingdom as their subordinates. The moment that door was opened, others soon followed.
After 15,000 years, the Blue Lotus kingdom went on for its third expedition with even more fervor, since they had fewer enemies to fight and one of their quasi-domain experts had be a full-fledged domain expert.
None of the remaining kingdoms was their match, since they only had pce realm experts at the helm. The Blue Lotus kingdom managed to bring the whole territory of the former Empire under their control in just under 100 years.
Soon a period of peace and stability returned to the region now under a new name, the Blue Lotus Kingdom. As a tribute to remember their beginnings, they decided to retain their name as a kingdom instead of dubbing themselves an empire.
However, after 15,000 years, that peace got destroyed when a sworn brother of the ancestor of the former Empire came out of seclusion. That sworn brother was a rogue cultivator who had managed to reach the middle stage of the domain realm. When he heard his brother''s Empire had fallen and him along with it, he charged alone, sword in hand, and brought havoc to the Blue Lotus kingdom, decimating everything in his path.
At that time, the kingdom had added another domain expert to their ranks, but they were still only in the early stages of the domain realm while the attacker was in the sixth stage close to reaching the seventh stage of the domain realm. Every jump in minor rank from the pce realm going forward was a huge gulf, which only got more distinctive the higher up the realms, one moved. Therefore, even though the attacker was facing two domain realm experts, he was not the one at the disadvantage and it was instead the two early-stage domain experts of the Blue Lotus kingdom, who were on the struggling end.
Their battle destroyed the capital and everyone and everything in between as it escted in intensity and destruction.
The two domain experts on seeing the severity of the situation decided to risk their lives by detonating their cultivation to fuel a special ascendant-grade artifact they had, which they used to strike the enemy with. That artifact was one of the defining trump cards of the kingdom.
Their n seeded but three domain experts fell that day and three-quarters of the kingdom the Blue Lotus kingdom had worked so hard to conquer, got destroyed along with them.
Luckily the kingdom still had a bit of manpower saved up in the original location, the first province where they dered themselves a kingdom before they expanded and move their headquarters.
As fate would have it, the location of the Blue Lotus kingdom of today is situated within that province where they started from.
The reserves left behind from over 20,000 years ago are what have sustained them till today and luckily for them, when the war between the three domain experts destroyed three-quarters of the kingdom, it also destroyed those who could have potentially attacked the original members of the Blue Lotus kingdom in their weakened state.
To date, the kingdom has not once expanded beyond the confines of its original province, even though the territory that was once wrecked by the domain-level war, has already restored itself naturally, in the 20,000 years that have passed by since the battle.
The territory,cking any owners over the years. soon got upied by others when they saw the Blue Lotus kingdom not showing any intention or interest inying im over their former territory.
It was alreadymon knowledge that one of the reasons why the Blue Lotus kingdom was passive to the whole thing, was they didn''t have the manpower to reim that territory, either in terms of quality or quantity. Almost all of their strongest powerhouses died the day the middle-stage domain expert attacked the kingdom. Some got killed as he was making his way over, while others died as coteral damage in the fight that took ce in the capital.
Of those who were left, none had reached the pce realm. Trying toy im over that territory with just the strength of core formation experts was sure to invite another cmity to their doorstep.
The Blue Lotus Kingdom thus decided to turn a blind eye to everything as it focused on its own recovery. As for whether they would reim that territory, no one knew but them. But with such a tragic history behind them, one would wonder if they would be willing to tempt fate again.
...
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he reached the air space of the Blue Lotus kingdom. Its story made him remember the sect master of the Clear sword river sect, who he had met earlier today for the demotion of his sect.
The Clear sword river sect had also been prominent in its heyday and suffered a tragedy. However, unlike the Blue Lotus kingdom, they couldn''t bounce back from their misfortune, and in three months when the sect master died, it would more than likely disappear from the continent.
Two organizations suffered an almost simr tragic event, but one was well on its way to regaining back its former glory while the other was about to be buried and soon to be forgotten. Its only hope of being remembered is as a cautionary tale and a lesson to warn against the folly of arrogance and irresponsible leadership.
Chapter 204 Special Physiques Appear
?Yang Qing pulled his thoughts back when he saw a huge congregation of people below him in one of the towns below him. The town was located in one of the counties of the Blue Lotus Kingdom, it was the White y County and was situated on the outskirts of the kingdom next to its border with its former territory.
During his discussion with the King of the Blue Lotus Kingdom, White y County was thought to be the ideal location to conduct the joint evaluation since it was at the border thus making it easier for the organizations in the other region toe over for their evaluations.
Yang Qing smiled wryly when he saw the congregation below. Among those present, one group consisted of the king and his entourage which more than likely consisted of his most loyal vassals, while the other group was the organizations he was going to evaluate.
Even though everything seemed harmonious, one could detect a bit of awkwardness between the two groups more so thetter. It wasn''t lost on Yang Qing on the weird dynamics of the whole thing, especially in regard to the rtionship between the two groups. One of them had settled in the other''s territory without their express permission, while the other has to act nonchnt about it because they are not in a position toy im over it, notwithstanding how they got it andter lost it in the first ce.
But what could Yang Qing do about it? He was short on time, the region outside of the Blue Lotus Kingdom was unruly and despite the awkwardness of the rtionship between the two sides, the Blue Lotus Kingdom actually had a rather good reputation with most of the organizations within that territory.
They had regr trades with some of the organizations within that region. On asion they have yed the part of a mediator between two sides that were in deep conflict, they''ve served as witnesses. Even though the territory wasn''t in their hands, one could detect the presence of their ''soft authority'' showing itself in the area.
Maybe they were just being good neighbors or they were using a different approach to bring that territory under their control. Whatever the case, their current reputation was what mattered to Yang Qing. With their reputation, it would be easier for him to hold a joint evaluation within their kingdom than in any other ce. Those three hundred organizations he was to evaluate, would feel more open and safering to the Blue Lotus Kingdom than any other ce, even with the awkwardness that came with it.
¡.
Once Yang Qingnded, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the King and his people after which he was then directed to a small town square that had been evacuated of its residents.
Yang Qing was given free rein of use over the administrative buildings in there by the king, and a few of his royal guards including themander-general, were left behind to be his aids.
"The Blue Lotus Kingdom seems to be well on its way to a resurgence," Yang Qing thought as his gaze fell on themander-general.
Themander had the ocean blue hair typical of the royal bloodline of the Blue Lotus Kingdom. His name was Guan Yenshu.
What stood out to Yang Qing about him was his age and cultivation base. At 37 years old, he was already a quasi-pce realm cultivator and from what Yang Qing could tell, he has been there for quite some time, based on the stability of his fluctuations. It didn''t seem like it would be too long before an opportune moment came for him to break through.
As for why he was not the king with his talent, Yang Qing could only assume it was due to his personality. He was a person of very few words, even with his men. He was the pr opposite of Prince Wenyan of the Summerfield Kingdom, who wasn''t exactly gifted in cultivation but was a natural at interactions whether it was with a servant, or with someone at Yang Qing''s level.
But whatever themandercked inmunication, he more than made up for it, in terms of cultivation and his intuition. He was the only one in the whole convoy of the king to notice Yang Qing''s realm was in the pce stage. His pupils trembled in shock when Yang Qingnded with Ellie to meet them.
¡
With time not on his side and a lot to do, Yang Qing quickly went through the motions. He exined the rules and guidelines of the evaluation procedure and what is to be expected of those who are to be evaluated.
He only had to do the exnation once since all the organizations scheduled for the evaluation had already arrived even before he came. Close to eight hours hadpsed since he informed the king of the Blue Lotus Kingdom of his intentions, which was more than enough time for them to arrange everything, including getting the word out to those organizations.
The moment Yang Qing started the evaluations, he went on with it nonstop without taking a single break. After 11 hours he was already done with all the evaluations.
Their results had a bit of disparity inparison to the one he did in Summerfield Kingdom. One of them was, the evaluations in the Blue Lotus Kingdom had more failures from organizations trying to pull something aspared to the ones in the Summerfield Kingdom.
From the list of organizations that came to the Summerfield Kingdom only seven had failed the evaluation and that was inclusive of the sect Su Liwei had used to infiltrate the evaluation. While from the list of organizations that came to the Blue Lotus Kingdom, 104 had failed. Even Yang Qing was shocked by this figure as It was close to half the organizations that he came to evaluate.
Another disparity was in the quality. It was ironic that while the organizations that came to the Blue Lotus Kingdom had thergest number of failures, they also had the highest quality inparison to the Summerfield Kingdom.
Yang Qing didn''t uncover any ancient race bloodline from their lot, like the treefolk bloodline from the Feng siblings, but the heart stone steele did record over a dozen special physiques from within that group. From those physiques there were even a few good ones that could guarantee the owner would atleast reach the pce realm barring any unexpected circumstances and one of them even had domain potential. That physique was the Golden Revolution Cicada physique.
From what Yang Qing knew about it, it granted the user the ability to create clones of him or herself even without stepping into the soul formation realm which was the stage in which someone could attempt something like that and the practitioner would have to be gifted in different kinds of dao such as vitality dao or soul dao.
The physique didn''t just stop at creating clones. Those clones had independent thinking from the main body, even if they were still linked to it. The independence even went down to their personalities and they would not inherit the user''s cultivation base. They had to cultivate from scratch and they came with different levels of talent that differed from the main body. They could therefore cultivate arts that the main body didn''t necessarily have an aptitude for and their insights would be fed back to the main body.
Chapter 205 [Bonus ]Unexpected Ending
?The physique also had various other variations to it such as the number of clones one could create. The number of clones one could form was dependent on the talent of the user in excavating the mysteries of their physique.
From the Order''s records, the highest number of clones someone with that physique has had was, nine clones, and at the time, he along with the clones were all at the peak of the domain realm. That person became a monstrous powerhouse in the Southern Continent because of it but he hasn''t been heard from in over 50,000 years since he left to explore the Sea of Dreams.
However, he left behind a sect, the Nine Cicada sect which is currently a rank 2 sect with a renowned reputation around the continent.
In terms of practicality, Yang Qing felt like the Golden Revolution Cicada was much more important than the Treefolk bloodline to a cultivator, especially in the early stages of cultivation more so if that cultivator doesn''t have a strong background. They could use their clones to explore mysterious realms, as the main body hid somewhere even though the main body would suffer some damage if the clone died. The gains far outweighed the risks since the insights gained by that clone would be transmitted back to the main body regardless of its death in the mysterious realm.
With the different degrees of talent the physique offered, one could also test out different theories, and different schools of cultivation arts which was especially useful to rogue cultivators who bought cultivation arts of dubious origins. They could test the veracity of that art with their clones or they could increase their knowledge of different cultivation arts such as; ones rted tobat, formation, alchemy, and talismans, since they had clones to spread out the burden of learning different things.
With this type of physique, atleast it guaranteed even without backing, you''d be able to survive and etch out a living using its specialty. Having such a physique was the envy of many, luckily Yang Qing learned from his earlier experience with the Feng brothers, he hid all the results of the heart stone steele and only revealed them to the owner.
The owner of the Golden Revolution Cicada physique was a youngdy, about 17 years old. She was the daughter of the owner of an upstarting merchant organization that had chosen to establish itself within the former territory of the Blue Lotus Kingdom.
Other than the special physique, she also had blue-grade pirs to boot. She had no idea about the physique and was in utter shock when Yang Qing revealed it to her.
Yang Qing on discovering her physique, had her stay behind as he wanted to issue her a special pass to gain direct entry to the institute. Judges, Inquisitors, and other members of the Order who were in the field alot, were issued special pass privileges. With that pass they could nominate any talent they met for an immediate entry to the institute without having to pass an examination. There were set standards for those who could qualify for a special pass. Someone like the Feng brothers who had an ancient race bloodline could qualify for one but Yang Qing opted against it, since he only had one special pass and their bloodline was thin at that.
But when he saw the youngdy he immediately decided to use it on her. The reason for that was, the Order also had someone with the same physique as her and he was a dean at the institute. He had seven clones, four of them were instructors while the other three were in different departments of the Order. No one could be a better guide for her than him. Her parents who she came to the evaluation with, were mad with joy when Yang Qing made the offer.
Other than her, there were also about ten other participants with blue grade pirs, and most of the remaining organizations either had someone with orange grade pirs or red grade pirs. White grade pirs were the least, with only 4 of the remaining 196 organizations having it.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if the fact that the region was once a battleground for domain-level experts, had something to do with the quality of the present upants. Domain-level experts could invoke dao into their attacks, whose remnants still remain even after they have long left the area. Maybe those remnants may have had an effect on the current upants. Yang Qing corrted that thought with the experience he had at the dark valley, where all the domain experts of the Order resided.
The area constantly exhibited different domains due to the saint-grade treasure there. The effects created not only helped the domain experts living there, but even young strugglers like Yang Qing who were briefly exposed to it.
He still firmly remembered the experience he had with the paragon domain that was in the form of a gigantic book. The moment his eyes fell on it, it bombarded his head with a million ideas about his cultivation, to the point he felt like his head would explode from the excess information. Even though the experience was horrific, he could tell he had gained an enormous harvest from it. His first stage pce realm cultivation was firmer than before, despite having only broken through in less than a year.
Yang Qing soon pushed those thoughts away as he decided to make his way to the next location. He gave his goodbyes to the king and his people as he prepared to leave.
Themander-general who was silent all this time, made a sudden request of him when he was about to leave. Even without asking, Yang Qing could guess what it was, from the unconcealed battle intent themander had been throwing at him when he was doing his evaluations. Themander-general wanted to battle him.
Since Yang Qing still had a few moments to spare and he owed the Blue Lotus Kingdom a favor for their studious efforts, he agreed to the request.
The duel was held in secret, having only a few spectators which consisted of only the king and a few higher-ups. They were all buzzing in excitement to see how it would all y out.
However, things didn''t pan out as they expected it to. Yang Qing defeated themander in four breaths. The battle ended so fast that both the victim and the spectators didn''t know how to react.
Yang Qing couldn''t help with the way things panned out. The institute had always drilled into them about not holding back, whether they are facing an ant or a lion, the reaction should always be the same, go all out. No giving handicaps or incense stick worth of time to the opponent. If you are striking, strike like you''ve met your greatest foe.
Such a habit has be second nature to them, which was why even if it was a friendly duel or against someone a level lower than him, he still went at it with the same level of intensity as he did when he faced the three pce realm experts above Purple City. The only thing he held back on, was the extent of the damage of his attack, as it would be awkward if he identally punched him into a meaty paste.
Though themander wasn''t injured that badly, he still got knocked out. Yang Qing noticing the awkward looks, feeling awkward himself, slowly disappeared into a grey cloud of smoke and asked Ellie to fly as fast as she could away from the Blue Lotus Kingdom.
Chapter 206 Distraught Man By The Lake
?"I''ve alreadypleted 500 evaluations and now I''m left with only 900 more...Old Lei, you''re really insidious with your means," Yang Qing chuckled bitterly as he took a swig of spring water rice wine.
It was close to 2 am in the morning, the moon was still out, the breeze was bone chilling and the scene was foggy.
The night had a sense of loneliness to it which seemed to magnify his current mood as an overworked worker of a ck-hearted organization whose unforgiving hours leave him a broken sce.
Other cultivators were probably exchanging a fewughs over a hot pot and a cup of wine while he was in the skies moving from ce to ce, doing evaluations nonstop.
"I wish I was a poet," thought Yang Qing as he felt his current circumstances and the somber view were perfect ingredients for a breathtaking poem but s he had no talent for it. All he could settle for was a poetical sigh at the moon as he swirled his wine making sure it grabbed the moon''s reflection perfectly.
"This is what I''ve been reduced to..," Yang Qing shook his head as he continued on with the swirling. He realized while he may not have a talent for poetry, he had a gift for posturing as one. His moon reflection capturing swirl was getting more picturesque with every swirl. But you can only swirl for so long, before the woes of reality kick in.
That''s what happened to Yang Qing, as at some point the wine lost its vor and appeal to him when all he could think about was the 900 evaluations that were still waiting for him.
As per his scheduled route, his next evaluation would be in the territory of the Diamond body sect which just like the Spiritual temperance sect was a long-established rank 3 sect but unlike them they had a firm hold over their territory.
Just like its name, it was a sect that specialized in body refining techniques, more specifically it specialized in achieving the diamond body stage of the body refining realm.
While they could not guarantee that they could help every sect member achieve a diamond body due to the demands and constraints of reaching such a stage, especially in regard to talent, they have made sufficient progress in it, which in quantitative terms is enough to rival the achievements of some rank 1 organizations in that regard.
Due to the resource demands of reaching the diamond body stage, the sect allows other organizations to establish themselves within their territory in exchange for a fee that is either paid in spirit stones or herbs. They even give preferential treatment to organizations that have an alchemical background or foundations in spiritual herb growth.
This is why its territory has some of thergest herb producers in the northern part of the Southern continent.
As per Yang Qing''s scheduled nning for his joint evaluations, just like the Blue Lotus Kingdom and the Summerfield Kingdom before it, the Diamond Body sect had also been chosen as a joint evaluation point.
There were 270 organizations within its territory that had filed for an evaluation.
After the Diamond Body sect, he would make his way further north to the territory of the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort which was another rank 3 organization that had 250 unranked organizations being evaluated, before he finally finished with 150 organizations within the White Baobab Kingdom which was a rank 4 kingdom.
The remaining 500 evaluations were down south of his assigned quadrant. He opted to finish themst since the headquarters of the Order were closer to them.
The thought of how much he still had left to do, kept draining all his energy by the second and the gloomy weather apanied by a deathly silence didn''t help either.
"No, I definitely need a break before the next evaluations," Yang Qing firmly decided as he scanned the grounds below for a suitable ce to take a much-needed rest.
Yang Qing''s searchsted almost twenty minutes before he finally found a ce that seemed like a suitable location to rest at.
His criteria was simple, he wanted a secluded ce that was absent of people and one that wasn''t part of anybody''s territory. It took some time before he finally locked onto a ce that fulfilled those requirements. The area was a ten-acre forest that had ake in the middle of it.
The forest didn''t seem to have anything special to it, it had a garden variety of mortal-rank herbs and a few earth-rank herbs that were generally useless. The area had a dangerously low temperature and an apanying fog, which served as an excellent deterrent for people.
In terms of spirit beasts, there were not that many, just a few critters here and there, of which the strongest had an early stage foundation establishment realm, cultivation base.
Itsyout suited Yang Qing''s needs perfectly, and the only downside to him was, the spirit beasts present none of them were particrly meal worthy. But that could be remedied since he had detected a few fish in theke in the middle of the forest.
Just as Yang Qing was fantasizing about the smoked fish he would be having when theynded, his pupils froze in surprise.
"Now this is an interesting surprise. A yin mist form Hornwort, and a Starlight crab..what are these two doing in the same ce?...
Mmmh, is that a yin spirit meridian?....no wonder," Yang Qing thought as an interested smile shed on his face.
"Ellie drop down there," Yang Qing''s voice suddenly turned urgent when he gave the order, as he disappeared off Ellie''s back and rapidly dropped to theke''s location.
Ellie was surprised at Yang Qing''s drastic reaction but even in her surprised state, her speed didn''t falter as she faithfully followed Yang Qing''s instructions by rapidly descending to theke''s location.
By the time shended, she spotted Yang Qing pulling what looked to be a corpse out of theke.
The body seemed to be a male''s and was frigidly pale white to the point it released a faint white mist when Yang Qing pulled it out of the water.
...
"Luckily he still has a faint breath on him," Yang Qing muttered as he rapidly jabbed a couple of acupuncture needles into the man.
The man''s face was indistinctive due to how pale he looked. His muscles seemed like they had contracted and congealed together making identification difficult. About the only thing of color on him, were the purple veins that were protruding from his arms and legs, and the ragged blue robes he had on.
"Yin Yang reversal," Yang Qing calmly said once he ced the final needle in the man''s chest.
He quickly formed a seal with his hands that transformed into a circle that was made up of the ck and white YinYang symbol.
The circle began rotating in a clockwise manner as soon as it was formed.
At first, the speed was slow, but with everyplete rotation, the speed would double till it reached a point only a blur of ck and white could be seen as ck scripts spread from that circle to the rest of the pale man''s body.
After a few seconds, a change started to happen to the man''s body. The ck scripts seemed to be draining the fog from his body and then transporting them back to the rotating circle. The rapidly rotating circle created a small whirlpool of fog as it kept absorbing the fog that was being drained by the ck scripts. The circle had transformed into a bottomless pit that swallowed every fog that was produced from the man''s body.
In five minutes, the man''s appearance started turning normal. His skin looked like it finally had normal blood flow from the light brown texture it regained.
It didn''t take long for Yang Qing to cancel the technique after it seemed like whatever had been affecting the man, had beenpletely removed from his body.
Yang Qing still wasn''t done with the treatment. He proceeded on to use the man''s wrist as a conduit for pouring his qi into him, so he could use it to heal whatever internal injuries the man may have had.
"A core formation expert with a broken dantian?..this ..." the more Yang Qing learned of the man''s situation, the deeper his frown became.
"Mmmh the cold yin poison in him, some of it doesn''t seem to have originated from thiske.
Is it from the same person who crippled him?
Was he thrown here?"
An endless stream of questions continued to flood Yang Qing''s mind the more he examined the man.
The man''s dantian seemed like it had been cleanly shattered. This showed that the person who did it, vastly outpowered him and could have easily killed him if they wished to but they purposely left him alive.
The shattered dantian still had traces left of the cultivation art used on it, which was more than enough for Yang Qing to use to glean a few clues from it, such as the attribute of the art. That trace showed that the art used on the man was mostly a cold-rted cultivation art that was strong in its yin nature.
This was why Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if the man was thrown into theke. If you had a cold yin injury and were thrown into a ce filled with dense yin energy like theke before him, it would exacerbate the injuries you had, bringing with it an enormous level of torment to the person.
Without Yang Qing''s intervention, the man would have undergone an unimaginably painful death. Even in his unconscious state, the pain still struck him since Yin-based attacks not only affected the body but the soul too.
"What could he have done to warrant such a ruthless action to be taken on him," Yang Qing wondered as he finished thest of his treatment. Based on how much of theke''s yin energy he had on him, it seemed like the man had been submerged in theke for almost a month.
He couldn''t do much about the broken dantian since even the Order didn''t have means of restoring apletely shattered one, but his qi had dense vitality which was more than enough to heal all the other internal injuries he had on him.
Yang Qing also didn''t have to expend much since the man''s natural vitality took care of the rest.
Even though his cultivation got crippled, he still had the body of a core formation expert, which was majorly the main reason he survived this long even after being plunged into the Yin-richke and having a cold yin injury himself.
"W..h..y d...I.....d y..o..u s...a...v...e me? You..... should ...have..... let.... me die?" a weary cracked emotionally devoid voice came from the man who had at some point opened his eyes that seemed just as soulless as his voice.
Chapter 207 Sudden Attack
?"Seeing that you can talk, it seems you''re feeling better," Yang Qing said as he used his pce sense to monitor his internal structure. His breathing though weak had a stable rhythm to it and some vitality was being restored throughout his body with every breath.
Yang Qing had managed to eliminate all existing sequ in his body, including the one that was left behind by the technique that shattered his dantian. With everything cleared up, it would only take a few hours before the man''s body was restored toplete health.
Even if he would still have a crippled cultivation base, his body had already been cleansed and strengthened by the lightning tribtion he faced during his breakthrough to the core formation realm. The benefits that cleansing brought, were still there.
Other than losing all his ability to manipte or store qi in his body and losing all chances of achieving a breakthrough in his realm, he still enjoyed some privileges of being a core formation expert like a strengthened body that still had the vitality and conditioning of a core formation expert.
Everything from his skin down to his internal organs had the sturdiness of a sky-grade artifact and his body''s own reflexes guaranteed he could still hold his own against a peak-stage foundation establishment expert and even some first-stage core formation experts that had weak foundations and umtions.
In addition to the body''s base strength, he still had a core formation expert''s life expectancy since the life expectancy of a cultivator was tied to the world''s fundamental dao rules and not whether his dantian was intact or not. The only reason those with broken dantian usually lived shorter lives was because of the internal injuries that came with the dantian getting shattered. As long as one resolved them, even with a shattered dantian, one could live to the end of the lifespan they had when they still had their dantian intact.
The man Yang Qing just saved, based on his preliminary estimates, was someone who had reached the middle stages of the core formation realm. While Yang Qing couldn''t tell what type of core he had, with the knowledge pool he built from his n''s specialty on the body refining stage, he could tell that the man had achieved a gold body in his body refining stage. That coupled together with his cultivation base, gave the man a base lifespan of 4,000 years. Even without using the heart stone steele, Yang Qing could tell that the man had atleast 3,000 years left in his lifespan.
He couldn''t help but wonder what pushed a person like him to this point. With the effort he clearly put to reach where he was, taking his life and in the most gruesome of manners at that, couldn''t have been done lightly.
¡
"Are you hungry?" Yang Qing politely asked.
The man gave no response and didn''t seem like he had any intention of conversing with Yang Qing as he closed his eyes.
Yang Qing only smiled at his actions and decided to focus his attention elsewhere. With the man''s life out of danger, he could now ce his attention on theke before him that had dense yin energy, a yin mist form Hornwort, a starlight crab that was at the core formation realm, and schools of redears and bluegills that had a white luster like the moon''s radiance.
The lustre was most likely as a result of longtime exposure to the yin energying from the yin spirit meridian at the bottom of theke. Any single one of them could freeze a qi formation expert solid, within three breaths if they tried to catch them, let alone eat them, but to Yang Qing they were delicious delights that would pair well with his spring water rice wine.
Yang Qing being honest to his needs waved his sleeves and a third of them were pulled out of theke unaware their lives were about to be cut short. Yang Qing regretfully looked at the remaining redears and bluegills that were still in theke as he shook his head in resolve against taking more.
He spared them out of a false sense of altruism though deluded, it was part of his maxim to always leave behind a few seedlings for continuity.
He always told himself it was his way of respecting nature, but in the real sense he only did what he did, because he never wanted tock food to eat when he was on the road. It was alwaysforting to know one had food nests stashed all over the continent.
Yang Qing gingerly whistled as he carefully stored his catch in a bucket filled with blue-green water. He had left the bucket unattended as he swaggered into theke but seemingly realizing something, he went back, grabbed the bucket, and threw a look of disdain, Ellie''s way.
"No one can be trusted," Yang Qing mumbled in reproach as he calmly made his way into the middle of theke where the yin mist form hornwort was located along with the starlight crab.
"Ellie, make sure to keep a close eye on him," Yang Qing coldly said, halting Ellie in her steps who was well on her way to grab the remaining redears and bluegills in the water.
Seeing Yang Qing''s threatening look, she could only begrudgingly agree as she lowered her head in defeat.
"Mmph, how dare you have designs on what I Yang Qing have decided to spare," Yang Qing righteously thought as he widened his gait sauntering off into the depths of theke. Theke''s water seemed like it was giving way to him with every step he took.
It didn''t take him long to reach the yin mist form Hawthorne''s location. The starlight crab that was right next to it, menacingly raised its ws the moment it sensed Yang Qing''s presence.
It was small in stature, about palm-sized,and had a blindingly white carapace that had a faint golden radiance to it. The source of that golden radiance was minuscule golden motes of light spread all around its body. Those mots of light resembled stars.
"There, there, little one. I''m not here to steal your treasure, I just want to take a look at the ground below it," Yang Qing gently transmitted his thoughts to the starlight crab in an attempt to coax it. However his attempt seemed to have fallen on deaf ears because the starlight crab immediately attacked him the moment he crossed the hundred-meter mark to the yin mist form hawthorne.
It charged with fierce momentum as it swung its w in an upward motion. Dozens of thin wavelike golden streaks were produced from its swinging motion. The streaks had a ferocious sharpness to them, that they even seemed to cleave the water into pin sized droplets as they made their way to Yang Qing. Its speed was nothing to scoff at either, as they crossed the hundred-meter gap between Yang Qing and the starlight crab in milliseconds, to the point it seemed like they had been teleported from the starlight crab to Yang Qing''s position.
Chapter 208 Scheming With Starlight
?"I just can''t seem to catch a break today," Yang Qing tiredly muttered. Even in the face of the attack, his demeanor was still as nonchnt as it was, when he step into the ce.
Boom!
Yang Qing casually flicked his finger at the iing golden streaks, causing an explosion as every streak was simultaneously blown apart by the single flick. The flick''s momentum didn''t wane as it charged toward the starlight crab, barreling it into theke''s bedrock causing a massive shockwave that spread all around theke.
When the dust cleared, the starlight crab could be seen deeply entrenched into the bedrock that had caved in from its point of impact creating a 500-meter small weblike crater with the starlight crab at the center of it.
Its golden radiance was dimly flickering almost as if it would go out any minute and it had minute cracks all over its carapace down to its ws.
"I''ll get to you in a minute," Yang Qing calmly said as he made his way to the yin mist form hawthorne. Yang Qing had shielded it from the aftermath of his attack but even without his intervention it would have survived albeit with a few cuts here and there.
The yin mist form hawthorne was light green with a luster that made it seem almost lightly crystal-like. There was a hazy white mist surrounding it almost like a cloak. Even though the mist seemed harmless at a nce, it had the ability to freeze a core formation expert to their death.
Those who could survive contact with it were those whose bodies had yin attributes like the starlight crab or those with strong pure yang attribute and could forcefully negate the properties of the mist.
Yang Qing casually waved the mist away as he ced his hand on the soil beneath it with crystal white particles and blue-white mist attached. Even though the yin mist form hawthorne was a valuable herb especially when it came to strengthening those with yin-based physiques, which was more likely what the starlight crab needed it for, Yang Qing had zero interest in it.
His true interestsy in the spirit meridian below it.
"Mmmh, it seems to be right below, the eyeless ash finch is perfect for this," Yang Qing muttered as he formed a seal that created a pebble-sized grey finch that had feathers that looked to be cindering with a dark grey me around it. The ce where its eyes should have been was hollow with a glyph gently floating in the cavity.
The moment the finch was fully formed it flew through the ground as a formless smoke. Yang Qing sat in a lotus position as he closed his eyes. A still silence ensued for the next five minutes with a half-conscious starlight crab fighting for dear life, a grieving Ellie up top, a man with a story, and Yang Qing whose eyes finally opened up with disappointment after the five minutes passed by.
"No jade yin liquid in this one¡well that''s a waste, it seems I beat up the crab for nothing," Yang Qing thought as he threw a look of pity in the direction of the crab.
Yang Qing full of remorse made his way to the starlight crab and dislodged it from the crack it was entrenched in. He used a bit of his qi to restore its injuries and carried it back to its favorite spot beneath the yin mist form hawthorne.
As if feeling that wasn''t enough he took out a small violet oval-shaped object from his storage ring. The object was about the size of a thumb and one inch in diameter.
The starlight crab that had been making its peace with death a few seconds ago jumped in greedy delight as it charged toward the violet-colored object in Yang Qing''s hands.
It seemed like it had forgotten its earlier lesson as it seemed to be charging up its golden streaks from before as it aimed at Yang Qing''s hands.
"How are you this temperamental?" said Yang Qing as he chuckled. He caught the crab mid-attack and pinched it between his fingers dispelling the attack along with the carriage it had just brewed up.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure but he could have sworn he heard an embarrassed chuckleing from it that had a hint of fawning, which made him resize the starlight crab in a different light.
"I didn''t imagine it," Yang Qing muttered as he noticed a glint in the starlight crab''s eye which he was all too familiar with, how could he not when he had shown that same look countless times when Lei Weiyuan caught him in the midst of a scheme.
"Mmmh maybe it wouldn''t be a bad idea to take you with me, you could keep an eye on Ellie for me," Yang Qing said as he brought the starlight crab up to his eye level. The crab seemed like it had understood him as it repetitively nodded its head as it theatrically moved its ws.
"You''re sure?" Yang Qing asked in surprise. The crab seemed to nod with even more enthusiasm as its gaze inadvertently fell on the violet egg-like object in Yang Qing''s hands.
"So that''s why?" Yang Qing thought as he drylyughed at the crab''s real motive showing.
"The yin mist form hawthorne isn''t any worsepared to this," Yang Qing said to it as he pointed at the hawthorne.
The starlight crab threw Yang Qing a supercilious look filled with disdain almost as if to say
"What do you know, how can a mere herb bepared to that thing, I may be a crab but I''m no fool. I know the good stuff."
"Fine," Yang Qing chuckled as he threw the violet egg-shaped object to the starlight crab which joyously grabbed the object and pressed it against its mandibles with unconcealed greed.
Yang Qing wasn''t too surprised with its reaction since the object was a wisdom pearl from a cyclone arc prawn that had just broken through to the pce realm. The insights contained in that pearl would save the starlight crab years of cultivation while also strengthening its foundations, once it started digesting all the information contained in that wisdom pearl.
As for the yin mist form hawthorne he had no use for it, so he decided to leave it there. Maybe it might gain spirituality or it may be a lucky encounter for some cultivator who stumbled onto the ce like he did.
"Your name will be Starlight from now on and you''ll be the caretaker of my pond. I have a thief that I need you to keep a regr eye on," said Yang Qing to the crab as he ced it on his shoulder. The crab nodded but Yang Qing had doubts if it even heard what he said.
"Doesn''t matter, I have a new guard. As long as I train it up a bit, with the pearl and its bloodline it should be able to fend off Ellie in a couple of years.
Maybe this will push that gluttonous bird to pay more attention to her cultivation," Yang Qing thought as a scheming look shed in his eyes.
Chapter 209 Ma Yuan
?Ellie had a look of surprise when she saw the Starlight crab parched up on Yang Qing''s shoulder. Despite its tiny size, its white shiny lustre coupled with its golden radiance made it eye-catching. Its look soon turned from surprise to unveiled greed.
The Starlight crab was pulled out of its euphoric state when it suddenly sensed a dangerous aura locking on to it. On reflex, it shielded the wisdom pearl of the cyclone arc prawn using one of its ws, as it used the other in preparation for an attack.
On seeing Ellie''s unconcealed greed, it firmly sped the wisdom pearl in between its ws as the other w grew with a deep golden glow surrounding it as if charging up for an attack. The starlight crab seemed to have misunderstood Ellie''s target and thought she was after the wisdom pearl in its possession.
Even if Ellie was multiple levels stronger than it, it was determined to fight back. It had suffered a ruthless beating for the pearl, there was no way it was going to hand it out without a fight. It was determined to fight to the bitter end.
"Is it brave or just recklessly stupid?" Yang Qing wondered as his gaze fell on the starlight crab that was just at the brink of charging a preemptive strike on Ellie.
"I think rather than increasing its strength, based on how it does things, I should help it increase its ability to take a beating. Otherwise, with its strike-first personality, it will definitely die prematurely before it''s even able to be apetent pond guard.
Though if it does die, it''s meat..slurp..no no no, starlight is my guard, arade¡slurp ¡..but what if....no , no ¡Yang Qing focus, focus...Ellie getting beaten, Ellie getting beaten...Your pond being full¡.Ellie getting beaten¡"
Yang Qing repetitively muttered ''Ellie getting beaten'' like a mantra for almost a minute before he finally stopped when some rity returned to his eyes. It was in good time too because Starlight had already leaped off his shoulders, charging straight at Ellie who had a mocking eager gaze on her.
"Stop it you two," Yang Qing said as he pulled back the Starlight crab that was already in midair. The crab was still reeling its ws but it didn''t take long for it to recover from itsbative state. As for Ellie, she did what she did best, which was lower her head in fake submission and remorse whilst cooking up something in her head that she will definitely pull at ater time.
Yang Qing could only sigh at this. Before the starlight crab grew strong, he would have to protect it from Ellie which would be another added chore in addition to ensuring Ellie didn''t steal from him.
"Maybe I should have her stay at Yi Jie''s abode in the meantime. She is always well-behaved around him for some reason," Yang Qing tentatively thought, increasingly feeling that this was his best y. Otherwise, with his uing schedules, he would barely have any time to rest, let alone y mediator between two reckless spirit beasts.
Yang Qing decided to push the matter to the back of his head and focus on the most important task, grilling the redears and bluegills that he had caught from theke.
He quickly got to work as he expertly gutted them, cleaned their innards with the spring water rice wine, and then stuffed some herbs, onions, and other condiments in that space. He then proceeded to slowly roast them over a gentle white me he had produced.
Due to their nature as yin-based spirit beasts, they were extremely sensitive to mes. Any misstep in temperature control and the whole meat would disintegrate into ash. Yang Qing used his pce sense to make sure he smoothly controlled the mes as he evenly spread it around the fish''s body. After twenty minutes of slow, gentle, all-around burn, all the fish he had on hand were beautifully roasted.
They had a golden hue to their skins and produced a waft of smoke that was mouthwatering. All party members present, except for Starlight, were affected by the smell. Yang Qing and Ellie had glittering eyes with an apaniment of drool, while the man who had firmed himself to continue acting like a corpse, had his nose involuntary move a few times before he finally opened his eyes and directed it towards the perfectly roasted fish Yang Qing had lined up over a fewrge tes.
As for Starlight, the fish might have well-been dungpared to the pearl it was currently making crab noises to. Everything else seemed to pale inparison to the pearl.
"I may not be a match for the chefs at the Thousand vors restaurant and the like but this isn''t too shabby If I do say so myself," said Yang Qing as he smugly admired his work.
He sprinkled a few more condiments on it that produced a sizzling sound as they burned from the heating from the roasted fish.
"Now it''s done," Yang Qing said with a smile as he poured himself a cup of the spring water rice wine.
"Ellie you get five, Starlight you get¡well forget about it."
Yang Qing decided against giving Starlight anything when he saw the look of disdain he got from it before it hurriedly returned its gaze to the pearl.
"Ellie you get seven then.... and wipe that ''you''re unfair'' look off your face or I will reduce it to two."
Yang Qing calmly berated Ellie once he noticed she was about toin about the distribution. If Starlight had epted Yang Qing''s offer, he would have received five just like Ellie. Ellie in typical Ellie fashion had expected to get the lion''s share of Starlight''s bit. She expected to receive three or four with Yang Qing getting one or two.
She thought it was only fair, since she was the kite here and fish was like the primary food for any kite. Out of principle, she deserved the biggest share and she also had those fake wounds to heal. In her mind she had every justification to get more but all that was shelved the moment Yang Qing threw a threatening look at her.
"Just you wait, Yang. A thousand years isn''t too long for a kite to get its revenge," Ellie vengefully thought as she did her best to conceal her true thoughts. Too bad she never how horrible she was at it. Her internal thoughts were as clear as day to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing decided to ignore her as he would deal with her like he always did. Nothing a swift punch to the head couldn''t fix. When the time came, he would give her a generous helping of it.
"What about you? Still going to pretend to be dead or are you going to join me? They are really good and I have good wine to go along with it. If you still want to take your life, you can do so after you''ve filled your stomach," Yang Qing said as he ced aside a te that had seven roasted fish in it.
The man was still silent as he cast a gaze in Yang Qing''s direction. He still didn''t say anything as he had this forlorn look to him. Even though he seemed to be looking at Yang Qing, his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
A few minutes psed like that without him saying anything and his gaze fixed on the area Yang Qing stood.
Yang Qing sighed at this as he set aside his te and ced a wine urn filled with spring water rice wine, next to it.
He gave Ellie her share who swiftly grabbed it and disappeared off to the other side of theke as if afraid Yang Qing would steal from her.
Yang Qing calmly sat down and picked a roasted fish from his share. As the chef and the fisherman, it was only reasonable for him to have a bit morepared to the rest. He had ten, no eleven... since he took the extra fish left over when he evenly split Starlight''s share between Ellie and the man stuck in a gaze.
A tranquil silence engulfed the ce as Yang Qing and Ellie enjoyed their fish in separate corners, while Starlight had finally gotten over its earlier excitement and had begun refining the wisdom pearl.
As for the crippled core formation expert, he had at some gotten up and was seated in a lotus position with his gaze still trained on where Yang Qing stood when he made his offer to him.
"Ruo''er would have loved this," the man suddenly said as he got up and walked towards Yang Qing in slow weak steps.
Yang Qing didn''t say anything as he continued to calmly enjoy his drink and meal.
"Fellow daoist, forgive me for my earlier rudeness, I would like to thank you for saving my life. Despite my intent, it was rude of me to make that statement when you showed me kindness.
For that, I Ma Yuan I''m deeply sorry for my shameful behavior and thankful for the concern and help you showed to aplete stranger such as myself. I have nothing else to offer other than my bow, I hope you don''t take offense," the man said in a gentle stable tone that didn''t seem to match his weakened state.
Though he struggled with it, he was still able to give Yang Qing a ny-degree bow. Yang Qing made no move to stop him, as any interference by him would have likely had a negative effect. The bow may not seem like much but to that man, that bow seemed like it was his entire possession and self-worth. The only thing he had on him worth giving, and denying him that, would be shattering whatever little he had left to him.
Yang Qing cupped his fists in acknowledgment as he slid over the te he had set aside for him along with the wine urn.
"Many thanks for the offer," Ma Yuan said as he slowly sat down and grabbed one of the fish on his te. He gave it a long stare before he took a bite of it.
Chapter 210 Yang Qings Offer
?Ma Yuan and Yang Qing didn''t exchange any other words from the moment Ma Yuan sat down. They sat there, eating and drinking in silence. Close to half an hour passed by like that, with not a peep out of the two. They seemed to meld into the silence of the ce. Even their eating seemed muffled.
The only person or creature out of ce was Ellie. She had finished all her fish at some point and flew over to try and score some from Ma Yuan using the most pitiful look she could muster. She didn''t try to pull the move on Yang Qing as she knew the person all too well. All she''d get for her efforts was a good painful flick to the head.
Her analysis and efforts paid off because Ma Yuan gave her three of his fish and kept three for himself. Yang Qing yed a bystander in all these as his entire being was focused on eating. The taste was just as he expected, if not more. The meat was packed with vor from the herbs and spices he used, while its texture was so tender that it broke down by itself the moment he took a simple bite.
There was also a mellow refreshing coolness to the meat which, Yang Qing attributed to the Yin nature of the meat.
He had nned to save some for next time, but with every bite, that n seemed like an impossible task to him. The pairing of the redears, bluegills, and the spring water rice wine was just too good to stop midway. In thirty minutes, he had eaten through all his share. The only thing that remained unfinished was the wine, which even if he devoted himself to drinking nonstop for a week, he would still not be able to finish.
Even though the gourd he used to store the spring water rice wine in, looked normal sized, about a few inches tall and wide, its internal size waspletely different. If he wanted to, he could store all the water within his 1-acre pond and still leave some room in it. He had a few barrels worth of spring water rice wine stored in it. His casual drinking on the flight over barely made a dent in it.
....
When they had all finished their meals, another awkward silence ensued. The awkwardness was mostly on Ma Yuan''s part. He had been grumbling about dying half an hour ago and Yang Qing even told him he could do it after his meal. With the meal finished, he felt a bit embarrassed about what to do next. The statement he made earlier felt like a noose to him now.
He was still tormented by the demons that pushed him into attempting to take his life over a month ago, but now he felt if he still went through with it, it would be a p in the face, to Yang Qing.
The brief moment of silence when they were eating also gave him a rare opportunity to have a clear mind, free of the torment and nightmare he had been enduring for the past few years. Even though he was still as hopeless as before, some part of him still wanted to keep going. At some point during his torment-filled years, without even realizing it, he got swallowed whole by his grief and regrets to the point it made him forget himself along with the promise he made. The brief rity he got during the meal helped him remember the promise he made seven years ago.
...
"Fellow daoist...." just as Ma Yuan was about to give his thanks and find the right words to break the awkwardness he felt, Yang Qing interrupted him mid-sentence.
"Just call me Yang Qing." Yang Qing said as he smiled.
"Thank you, brother Yang Qing, once more for saving my life and for sharing your meal with me.
That brief respite helped me more than you know. It pulled me out of a fog. It''s been a while since I haven''t felt like I''m drowning. Thank you truly and about before...," said Ma Yuan as he scratched the back of his head with a smile of embarrassment showing on his face.
"Ma Yuan, how about you join me in my travels?" Yang Qing suddenly asked as he downed the remaining wine in his urn.
Ma Yuan was caught off guard by the suggestion that he didn''t know how to respond.
"Excuse me?" he asked, still baffled by Yang Qing''s sudden suggestion.
"From your eyes, I can tell, you don''t have as much intent to take your life now as you did before. There''s nothing much you''re doing here, why not join me on my travels? It''s just for two days and the change of scenery could do you some good.
After the two days are up, we can go our separate ways. Think of it as me easing my conscience. I would feel uneasy if I left you by yourself considering the situation I found you in. Having you with me for a few days will at the very least help assuage my worries when we go our separate ways, after." Yang Qing patiently exined as he cast a solemn gaze at Ma Yuan.
"We don''t need to talk about anything, we can just do what we did before and enjoy the silence but if you feel the need to unburden yourself, I''m willing to lend an ear but it''s also okay if you don''t. You can treat this as a spontaneous trip around the continent," Yang Qing added when he saw Ma Yuan show a hesitant look.
His statement seemed to have had an effect, as Ma Yuan''s expression seemed to ease a bit though not by much. After a few minutes of wrestling with the suggestion, Ma Yuan finally came to a decision.
"I''lle only if you promise to share more of that wine we had," Ma Yuan said, trying to make a joke to ease his awkwardness.
"There''s more than enough to spare, brother Ma Yuan," Yang Qing said as he smiled.
Yang Qing internally had a sigh of relief from being spared the chance to enact his worst-case scenario. He had every intention of bringing Ma Yuan with him either willingly or through force. With the effort he put into saving him, despite Ma Yuan''s current look, Yang Qing wouldn''t be at ease leaving him by himself. He also had a rather good impression of him.
Chapter 211 Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts
Yang Qing''s Yin Yang jade bone physique made him sensitive to certain types of qi, especially ones rted to ughter, fiendish qi, or corpse qi. Yang Qing didn''t detect a dense ughter qi on Ma Yuan which meant he had fewer bodies on him.
If he could, Yang Qing wanted to help him with whatever pushed a man like him who seemed to be at the prime of his life, to the point he would willingly sentence himself to a painful death. From the earlier words that he spoke in a daze, he felt it had something to do with the person who was called Ruo.
He hoped the two days would be enough for Ma Yuan to getfortable enough to open up to him about his circumstances, once he realized he was from the Order. If two days weren''t enough, Yang Qing was willing to bring him back to the Order and book him an inn there and give him some time to think things through. If by the end of it, he still didn''t feelfortable sharing, then Yang Qing would leave it at just that and wish him well. But if he did decide to share his story, then Yang Qing was willing to help, if it was within his means to do so. If it was above his pay grade, then he would dly dump it on Lei Weiyuan''sp.
¡
True to his words, during the entire journey to the Diamond Body sect, not once did Yang Qing broach up the matter of Ma Yuan''s past. They just silently drank wine enjoying the lonely skies atop Ellie''s back.
Starlight was also with them. Yang Qing had ced him in the barrel he used to store the redears and bluegill from the Yin-richke. The blue-green water in the barrel had dense spiritual qi that had a gentle attribute that would help Starlight in his attempt at refining the wisdom pearl from the cyclone arc prawn.
The preliminary phase of refining the wisdom pearl was a critical juncture for it. If a blunder urred during its attempt, the wisdom pearl would either disintegrate to ashes with all its insights disappearing, or the starlight crab would suffer a bacsh from the pearl when all the insights stored in there instantaneously flooded its mind. The resultant effect would be the insights would saturate its mental sea slowly eating away at its spirituality till it finally ends up going berserk. From that point, it would only be a matter of time before it imploded.
In addition to the spiritually rich blue-green water, Yang Qing also dropped a few sky-rank herbs that were perfect for strengthening its mental state. Whatever happened next, it would have to depend on Starlight.
¡.
Yang Qing''s group managed to reach the Diamond Body sect''s territory about an hourter. The sect had dispatched one of their high-ranking elders to assist Yang Qing in his evaluations. The elder in question was a fourth-stage pce realm expert, which was a way for the sect to give face to Yang Qing.
By the time Yang Qing arrived, they already had everything in ce, including the area in which Yang Qing would conduct his evaluation. They had set it at one of their branches that had been emptied out of its disciples. The only people who were left behind were the servants and the branch leader. Everything proceeded rather smoothly, especially with the assistance of the pce realm elder.
After a couple of hours, Yang Qing easilypleted all 270 evaluations. Yang Qing wasn''t sure if it was because of the prestige of the Diamond body sect or something else entirely, but none of the 270 organizations who came for the evaluation tried to scheme their way through their evaluations. All 270 organizations passed, though their results were not as outstanding as the ones from the Blue Lotus Kingdom.
The bulk of the organizations had red-grade pirs, while those that had orange-grade pirs didn''t number more than ten. In terms of physiques, they were few in number and were of the general variety. Almost all of the recorded physiques were rted to the wood element and they were of the low-grade kind at that, which didn''t offer too much of a benefit to the user.
When Yang Qing was done, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the elder from the Diamond Body sect before he made his way to the territory of the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts. He had Ma Yuan with him during the evaluations, which came as a shocker to him when he realized Yang Qing was from the Order and also the respect showed by the pce realm elder towards Yang Qing.
Ma Yuan assumed it was the Order''s prestige at y there, instead of it being a pce realm expert showing respect for another, especially to one so young.
Ma Yuan seemed to be out of sorts from the moment Yang Qing revealed his title. Even when they left, he seemed dazed like he had a lot of thoughts flooding his mind.
His rapidly contorting face gave away some of those thoughts. His look asionally shifted through a multitude of emotions some of them being hesitation, dilemma, and fear. With how intense his emotions were, it wasn''t hard for Yang Qing to see through some of them. With the hesitation in y, it atleast showed Ma Yuan was open to sharing, it only needed time.
Even with him close to the edge, Yang Qing decided to let things flow organically rather than forcefully steering it.
...
The Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort''s territory wasn''t that far from the Diamond Body sect. Their journey took them about two hours.
Just like the Spiritual temperance sect, the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort had a loose control over its territory. Other than a small annual tribute, they didn''t demand much from those within their territory. But unlike the Spiritual temperance sect that liked to close itself off from its territory, the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort had over a dozen branches spread all around its territory. The branches'' purpose wasn''t oversight, but to lessen the barrier between them and those settling within their territory, while also growing their business through the use of that rtionship.
The Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort is one of the few independent mercenary organizations that has managed to create a strong base for themselves. Their primary business is the transport and protection of goods from one point to another. Their specialty is, long-distance coverage. In addition to that, they also handle security for various auction houses.
The organization has been in existence for almost 20,000 years and has built a solid reputation for itself around the continent due to its service and strength.
They don''t discriminate when ites to their clientele, which has been one of the factors behind their growth over the years. With their amenable rates, even a rankless organization could hire their services. They have taken work from rankles organizations to high-ranking organizations like the Order.
It was from that established rtionship that Yang Qing was able to gain their assistance on short notice, for his evaluations.
Chapter 212 Looking For Clues
From the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort''s end, they had sent the head of logistics to assist Yang Qing in his endeavors. The head of logistics was a middle-aged man with a slender build and a schrly air to him. His name was Yun Wei and had been one of the instrumental figures who helped the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort to reach the heights it did, today.
He had a genial personality and was very meticulous and erudite in everything he undertook. He knew the background of all the organizations within their territory by heart, to the point that one would mistake him for their founder because of the depth of information he knew about each organization. It didn''t matter whether it was ranked or unranked, he knew enough about all of them. He even gave Yang Qing a well-drafted list of all the organizations that would likely reach a promotion standard before the year''s-end.
Yang Qing dly epted the list since he spotted a number of rank 5 organizations predicted for promotion within the year. When he moved to the pce courts he would start handling the promotion of rank 5 organizations to rank 4 organizations. The information Yun Wei provided would help him n his evaluations better when the time came.
Yang Qing recorded that favor in his heart. When he returned back to the Order he would push for a few more contracts to be thrown in the way of the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort. He was azy parasite most of the time but every now and then he''d have an ant''s conscience in him, when he went above and beyond in returning favors.
¡.
With Yun Wei''s help, Yang Qing was able toplete all 300 evaluations within a short period of time. The evaluation had been free flowing just like it was at the Diamond Body Sect''s territory.
Their results were also not that bad, though there were a few organizations that tried to pull something. Their futures seemed to turn bleak the moment they got caught. The cold look Yun Wei threw at them the moment they were exposed, was enough for them to know their future within the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort''s territory would not be an easy one.
The reaction of those who got caught had a ripple effect on those who were about to be evaluated. Once they revealed Yun Wei''s displeasure, a few organizations decided to opt out of the evaluations.
Of the 300 organizations, 8 were caught cheating, 14 opted out and the remaining 278 organizations passed their evaluations. Of the 278, there were about 30 organizations that had members with blue grade pirs which was the highest record since Yang Qing started his joint evaluations. Those with white grade pirs were just two organizations, while the remaining bulk either had orange grade pirs or high tier red grade pirs.
Ironically though, with such good results, the recorded physique among all the organizations that came, was just one. It was an iron fog physique, which wasn''t a particrly eye-catching physique since its strength and effectiveness were tied to the user''s cultivation base.
The physique was a utility-based physique that had no lethality to it. Those with the iron fog physique were able to produce a grey fog that would shield them from being scanned by a cultivator''s spiritual sense by creating a formless field of disruption around their body.
The range and capabilities of the physique were restricted to the user''s strength. A foundation establishment expert with that physique would not be able to shield themselves from the spiritual sense of someone in the core formation expert. Those the fog could work on were those who were in the same realm as them. Though it had some good points to it even with such a restriction. The more the fog was used, the more it strengthened the user''s mental sea and as a result fortified their spiritual senses too.
It may not directly help in a frontal confrontation but it was more than enough for helping someone make a clean escape or those whose upationsy in espionage and spying.
¡
Yang Qing wasn''t that surprised by the results, though the same couldn''t be said for Ma Yuan whose eyes were saucers during the whole thing, especially when the count of blue-grade pirs reached 20.
Yang Qing expected such a result from the ce and the reason for that was the presence of Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts in the area. In addition to their core duties, the mercenary organization also acted as go-betweens and procurers. Because theirmissions and contract works had them on different parts of the continent for days on end, for the better part of the year, that exposure left them with a lot of knowledge and ess to all sorts of goods and information from all over the continent. For a fee, they could get you whatever you wanted as long as it was within their means to do so and was on their travel route.
Those within their territory would use the connections of the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts to buy cultivation arts and other resources such as cultivation pills or formation array blueprints, through them. And because prices of these goods varied from ce to ce, thanks to the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort''s vast travel route, they had the option of getting whatever they wanted at a cheap price.
For an additional fee separate from theirmission, the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort would also provide a tabted list ofmon goods and their prices across different locations. With such ess, it was only reasonable that those organizations would experience explosive growth.
By Yang Qing''s estimates, it wouldn''t be too long before the region was swarming with rank 3 organizations.
¡
"Chief Yun Wei, pardon my impudence but can I ask you for a favor?"
Ma Yuan who had been silent all this while suddenly spoke up. He was clearly very anxious about his request, based on the trembling in his voice when he asked and his shaky hands.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but look his way with perplexion. Based on the severity of the look Ma Yuan had, Yang Qing guessed the matter more than likely had something to do with his present circumstances.
"If it''s within my means, I would be more than happy to help, Brother Ma Yuan," Yun Wei politely replied.
Even though Yun Wei was a pce realm expert and Ma Yuan was just someone with a crippled cultivation base, who even at his prime would have been unworthy of being called brother by a pce realm expert, Yun Wei still afforded Ma Yuan respect because of his association with Yang Qing.
In all the areas Yang Qing went to with Ma Yuan, he introduced him as his friend which was sufficient to cover him with his halo.
In Yun Wei''s mind, he was all too d to help Ma Yuan since this was a chance of deepening the organization''s good karma with Yang Qing via Ma Yuan.
All members present were aware of what was at y here. Yang Qing knew Yun Wei wanted to deepen the connection with him by agreeing to that request and Ma Yuan knew whatever assistance was afforded to him, was all because of Yang Qing. Otherwise, there was no way he''d be able to ask a favor of someone as lofty as Chief Yun Wei.
He felt a bit guilty since he knew he was basically using Yang Qing to further his ends but he had to do it. Things such as pride and face had long be weights he couldn''t afford to carry over the past few years.
Ma Yuan on seeing Yun Wei''s agreement took out something from his storage ring. The storage ring was about the only possession he had on him.
What he took out was a small shard about the size of a pinkie. The shard was crystalline with a faint violet-white lustre to it. It could easily be mistaken for an expensive gem because of how magnificent it looked.
However, there was one indistinct feature that made one unable to call it a gem, and that was the freezing attribute it had. From the moment it was taken out, the temperature within a 50-meter radius around it, suddenly plummeted. It didn''t visibly release anything for one to expect such a change from it. Just its mere presence and exposure to the air caused a sudden and severe dip in temperature within seconds of it being brought out.
Yang Qing''s pupils constricted when he saw the shard. He noticed that the energy within that shard was the same as the energy he had detected in Ma Yuan''s shattered dantian. With how clear the fluctuations were, he had no doubt the source was the same.
"What dense Yin energy," Yun Wei muttered in consternation as he narrowed his gaze on the shard in Ma Yuan''s hands.
Ma Yuan''s hands immediately began frosting over, the moment he had the shard in his hands, but he paid it no heed despite the tremendous pain it was definitely inflicting on him.
"Chief Yun Wei, can you please help me find any organization whose attacks closely resemble this shard? Any information no matter how small is fine.
I don''t have much to my name but I would be willing to repay the favor many times over, including staking my own life if you were to help me with this," Ma Yuan solemnly said as he made a deep ny-degree bow with his hands ced forward like a servant presenting something to his master.
"This....brother Ma Yuan you don''t need to be like this," Yun Wei softly said as he helped Ma Yuan up.
He could tell the shard had a deep importance to the man and one that wasn''t tied to anything good. When Ma Yuan removed the shard, a faint killing intent shed in his eyes as he was holding the shard.
" While I can''t say with definite assurity that I may be able to find which organization this belongs to, but I can tell the list is likely to be small, based on the effects on this shard. There are not that many organizations that I know of with a yin-based technique this strong.
The search may take some time and you have to be prepared that there''s a chance it may not bear any results at all. The scale of the search will be continent-wide after all, and there are some areas we may not be able to pass through even with our connections.
Perhaps......" Yun Wei left a few words unsaid but his look was enough to give away his thoughts as his gaze fell on Yang Qing.
The roots of the Order were far more widespread than theirs were and investigations into matters such as this were more of the Order''s fortepared to them.
Chapter 213 Ma Yuan Makes His Choice
With Yun Wei''s overt gesture, it wasn''t that hard for Ma Yuan to notice the connotation behind it. His look turnedplicated because of it, but he gritted his teeth as he firmed himself. Since he had already opened that can of worms by taking advantage of Yang Qing''s rtionship, he would go all in.
"Judge Yang Qing would you please....?" said Ma Yuan with a faint quiver in his voice as he passed over the shard to Yang Qing.
There was a bit of expectation and also worry in his eyes as he handed over the shard to Yang Qing.
For some reason unbeknown even to himself, he was more nervous asking for Yang Qing''s help than he was when he asked it from Chief Yun Wei, even though ironically the former was more predisposed to help him than thetter.
Before Yang Qing took the shard, his gaze, and demeanor had a sudden shift. There was a formless regal pressureing from him as his gaze bore down on Ma Yuan.
"Brother Ma Yuan, before I take a look there''s something we need to get straight first. Are you making the request to me as a friend or as a member of the Order?" Asked Yang Qing. Although his tone was polite and soft, the weight of it made even Yun Wei who was virtually a bystander in this, feel his heart race like he had stakes in it too.
Ma Yuan who was the subject of it all, was in an even worse state. His knees almost buckled as they shook slightly, his heart pounded so much that he was sure it was audible to the outside, his insides felt like they were in knots and his tongue was drier than a desert.
He understood the implications of Yang Qing''s words. If he asked it as a friend, he would still have autonomy over how the matter progressed and the direction of the whole thing would depend on him, but if he asked for Yang Qing''s help in his official capacity as a member of the Order, then the whole dynamic changes. The whole case would be under the authority of the Order from that moment on and the whole matter would thus be subject to its rules and regtions.
His role in the matter would be passive. He would switch from an active participant to a witness. Whatever happened next, he would have no influence whatsoever.
Both sides had pros and cons to it, one gave him autonomy on how things progressed, but all he''d get was Yang Qing''s help as a friend, while the other he''d lose all decision-making rights but in exchange he''d get the help of a monolithic organization like the Order.
Despite the ramifications of his choice, Ma Yuan had no hesitation in deciding what was best, to him, it was a no-brainer on which choice was the best.
Yang Qing''s demeanor and question may have thrown him off for a bit, which made him flustered, but even in that state, the choice he needed to make to fulfill his promise, was as clear as day.
"I, Ma Yuan would like to beseech the Order to help me investigate the disappearance of my wife and daughter who were forcefully taken away from me, seven years ago."
Ma Yuan''s voice boomed as he said those words. Every syble and sentence was uttered with a firm heaviness to it.
When Ma Yuan uttered thest sentence, he felt relief wash over his whole body. It was a relief he hasn''t felt in a long time ever since his wife and child got taken. He doesn''t know why, but tears started streaming down his cheeks along with the relief. He tried to stop them, but once the floodgates opened, no matter how hard he tried, he found it hard to close them back up.
However, luckily for him, he didn''t cry for too long because a minuteter he passed out. Yang Qing shed to where he was and caught him before he fell.
Yang Qing ced Ma Yuan over his shoulders and then he went on to gently drop him on Ellie''s back.
"I, Yang Qing in my capacity as a judge of the Order, ept your request. Rest now Ma Yuan," Yang Qing softly said to the passed-out Ma Yuan.
He sighed when he saw Ma Yuan weakly smile in his passed-out state. He could tell that the moment Ma Yuanpleted his request, something within him finally let go.
He had been forcefully enduring the past seven years and that vtile strain took its toll on both his soul and body. Ma Yuan looked like he had been holding everything together within him with a thin string, and finally, that string snapped when hepleted his request. Everything he has been overriding and forcefully enduring in the past seven years flooded his body all at once. Without the string to forcefully stitch all that damage into ce, his mind and body easily gave in and he passed out.
Though it would be more apt to say, his mind and body finally got the rest they needed for what it was put through, for those seven years.
¡.
"Chief Yun Wei, even with the Order taking charge of the matter, I would still like to uphold Ma Yuan''s earlier request. Whatever information and clues you might dig up about this shard, please transmit them to the Order, no matter how small.
Also, consider this as an official request from the Order. All the stiptions regarding the remuneration of your services are now in effect should you agree," Yang Qing said as he carefully split a piece of the shard and handed it to Yun Wei.
Yang Qing purposely made one piecerger than the other during his split. He handed therger piece to Yun Wei while he remained with the smaller piece.
Just like it did to Ma Yuan when he held it, the shard tried to freeze both Yang Qing''s and Yun Wei''s hands the moment they held it. Thetter used his spiritual qi as a barrier to protect his hands when he held the shard, while the former seemed almost immune to the shard''s effect.
Yang Qing''s hand would start frosting from the nails but it would disappear just as fast, as if there was a massive hole swallowing that ice. After a minute of rapid shing of the appearance and disappearance of the frost, the shard seemed like it had lost its effect on Yang Qing''s hand. Its freezing effect no longer appeared on his nails after the minute mark passed
Chapter 214 [Bonus ]Issuing An Official Commission
"Judge Yang Qing, we of the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts are willing to handle the investigation, and there is no need for us to be paid. We already owe the Order a lot, this can be considered our way of paying back," said Yun Wei as he grabbed the shard Yang Qing handed to him.
"While I appreciate the sentiment, Chief Yun Wei, the Order''s regtions not only bind those who pass through its doors but us to, and the organization as a whole.
Some of the rules we can be flexible with, but not when a case is involved. I can freely ept your help during evaluations but a case is a different matter altogether. Because of its severity, all members associated with the case are bound by its rules and none is exempted from it, including the Order.
So I must insist Chief Yun Wei, for me to ept your help, it must be within the confines of the regtions that make an allowance for it. I can''t ept the help for free because of the various implications behind it. If you were to insist on doing it for free, then I will have no choice but to terminate the request." Yang Qing politely said.
"Since Judge Yang Qing has put it that way, then on behalf of the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts, I ept the terms and conditions set on the request,'' Chief Yun Wei solemnly said as he offered a daoist salute.
"Thank you very much, Chief Yun Wei, for your cooperation and understanding. I hope for a fruitful venture for us both," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists in return.
"Since you''re not new to this, the same terms of remuneration grading apply.
Though I still don''t know the full story yet, with the few insights I''ve managed to obtain, the case may involve someone either at the peak stage of the core formation realm or someone at the pce realm.
The basis of that judgment is, as you can tell Ma Yuan is someone who once had a middle-stage core formation cultivation base. While I don''t know how strong he was before he lost it, I can tell he had a gold stage body, so he couldn''t have been that bad.
Despite his strength, his dantian was shattered cleanly and in one strike at that. The traces of the attack left in his dantian share the same energy as the one in this shard.
Using both of these clues, the person who could sessfully pull off that attack has to be someone who at the very least is a peak stage core formation realm expert, with a strong foundation at that or he/she is someone at the pce realm.
As such, because the case may potentially involve someone at the pce realm, the standard rates of the pce realm are the ones that will be in effect for thismission.
The Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort will be receiving an upfront fee of 45,000 high-grade spirit stones or may redeem it for something else from the Order in the equivalent of that amount.
Your final payment at the end of themission will be subject to the strength of the perpetrator and quality of the information, whose grading will be in respect to thepletion of the case," Yang Qing said as he took out a golden-colored scroll which he used to draft a promissory note and an official contract between the Order and the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts.
As a superior core court judge, it was well within his rights to do so. After he finished drafting the document, he stamped it with his gold eagle medallion and left a gap for Yun Wei to sign on behalf of the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort. They would present that document to the administration department, sub-office; remunerations, to get their payment and their contract on file.
"I know you know this already, with the numerousmissions and contracts you have done for the Order, but the Order asks us to be redundant about these matters.
If the case ends up involving someone or an organization with the highest powerbase being someone at the early stages of the pce realm, your maximum payout for that case will be 250,000 high-grade spirit stones or a redeemable item of that amount. The quality of your information will determine whether you get that maximum payout or not and the judgment is left to the discretion of the Judge in charge of that case, which will be me.
If the matter involves a party in the middle stages of the pce realm, then the maximum payout is 500,000 high-grade spirit stones or a redeemable item of that amount.
If the matter involves a party in thete stage of the pce realm, the maximum payout is 750,000 high-grade spirit stones or a redeemable item of that amount.
At any point during the course of your investigation, should you suspect the matter involves a party in the domain realm, you are to cease all investigations immediately and present your spections to the person in charge of the case, which will be me.
The Order will hold payment pending an investigation into your ims. If the spection is found to be true, then the Order will pay you 1,000,000 high-grade spirit stones, a blue-grade formation blueprint, a blue-grade cultivation art, and a double quota will be given to your organization for five years.
Please note, you are not to investigate the matter further if you have even the tiniest of suspicions the matter involves a party in the domain realm. All your investigations are to cease immediately, I repeat all your investigations are to cease immediately and you are to present your findings to the Order.
Should you ignore the warning, and proceed, whatever circumstances arise from it will be borne by you alone.
Do you understand?" Yang Qing asked in a serious tone.
He had to reemphasize thest part of his statement over and over again because there had been a number of organizations in the past that got greedy for sess and tried to handle matters that were above their abilities. The result of that greed was the annihtion of those organizations, leaving the Order to bear the infamy of beingbeled as the cause of their destruction.
It was for this reason, the Order emphasized caution above all else when they gave outmissions and contracts to outside organizations.
"I understand," Chief Yun Wei solemnly replied.
"Okay then, thank you for your help Chief Yun Wei, should you require additional support, please don''t hesitate to ask," Yang Qing said in a rxed tone as he smiled.
"I will dly take you up on that," Chief Yun Wei said with a chuckle.
They exchanged a few more words after that, to iron out a few details here and there in regards to themission.
After Yang Qing was done with that, he immediately set off for the final evaluation point within the upper half of his quadrant. The final point of that half would be in the White Baobab Kingdom, a rank 4 kingdom favored for its delicacies. It''s the one ce Yang Qing in his whole route that he was actually excited about visiting even if work was involved.
Chapter 215 The Prince Who Became King.
Half an hour passed by with Ma Yuan still asleep. Yang Qing had decided to let him rest and they''d discuss matters concerning the disappearance of his wife and daughter once he woke up.
Yang Qing stored away the shard the moment they left the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escort''s territory. He wasn''t in a hurry to dig into the case yet, since he still had his evaluations toplete first and a ceremony to prepare for immediately after.
But even with the packed schedule looming ahead, Yang Qing, at this moment, was as chipper as he could be.
He had a bag of crispy fried sunflower seeds on hisp, which he gingerly snacked on as he sang a song he was definitely butchering. He didn''t seem like he knew the lyrics to it at all and was just ad-libbing it, using whatever words came to mind.
He doesn''t leave the confines of the Order often even during his leave, but in the few moments he does, one of his favorite stopovers has always been the White Baobab Kingdom.
The Kingdom wasn''t exactly a powerhouse and even among rank 4 kingdoms, it could be considered average at best in terms of overall power. When it came to history, it has been around for less than 500 years. However, despite all these, Yang Qing still rates it as among one of the best ces one could ever visit, though this opinion wasn''t shared by many and only a select niche of people thought so, one of them being Yang Qing and the other being Feng Xin.
The Kingdom was a haven for food and foodies. Not many kingdoms around its rank coulde close to the number of restaurants the White Baobab Kingdom had.
Based on Yang Qing''s rough estimate from when he visited the ce, he guessed there were atleast a thousand restaurants in the capital alone.
The Kingdom was founded by some fallen prince of some kingdom, who fell out of grace with the king because of his hobbies. He got removed from the line of session, deprived of his family name and identity as a prince, and banished from the kingdom.
Though his father, the king wasn''tpletely ruthless as he gave him a substantial amount of money to go start over somece else. That prince was all too d with the banishment, as he had no interest in being the king of that kingdom. While he had zero interest in the throne, he did have an unhealthy obsession with something else, and that was food.
He would forsake everything else for food and not just any food. in his own words, "It was food that had a spirit to it, a reflection of its creator. Food that had an identity."
It didn''t matter whether it was from some side road stall, or some fancy restaurant, as long as it met that criteria, he would eat it. But If it didn''t have it, it didn''t matter who cooked it or their reputation or their establishment, he would not eat it.
Even though he was a food enthusiast like Yang Qing and Feng Xin, he was apletely different brand of epicure.
Thetter two had no scruples about what they ate, and what they called food had a loose definition to them. Sweet-smelling poison could be considered a delicacy to them as much as red braised pork could be considered one for someone else.
Whereas for that prince, food to him were ingredients that had been prepared and sealed with the unadulterated spirit of its chef. He didn''t care whether it looked good or smelt nice, as long it had the sincerest efforts of the chef, that would be a delicacy to him.
His preference and Yang Qing''s or Feng Xin''s were almost simr in some regards, and the distinction was slim.
....
With money in hand, that prince roamed from ce to ce, sampling foods from different parts of the continent. It was during that journey, that a little idea sprouted in his heart.
How great would it be if he created a kingdom whose sole focus was food? Creating a ce that would draw in Chefs from all over the Southern continent and potentially even pass that.
While he could travel from ce to ce, his cultivation base restricted the areas he could visit and how much he could cover, but having a central location that drew just even the tiniest portion of the chefs around the continent, would ensure he could sample a multitude of different foods with little risk and half the effort.
With a goal now, for the first time in his life despite constantly being pushed by his father and refusing, he finally gave attention to his cultivation base.
When he was banished he was just an eighth-stage foundation establishment cultivator despite all the resources afforded to him as a prince. He never cultivated, and whatever improvement he had, was a passive effect of the food he ate.
Despite all this, that prince had top-rank blue-grade pirs. Yang Qing rememberedughing so hard when he read his background. He could understand the anger of the King when he banished him. The prince could be considered a source of both envy and disappointment to him.
As a cultivator, it would hurt if you saw someone who barely paid any attention to his cultivation reach heights you could never reach and the only way of you reaching those heights is if you staked your life. One bitterly cultivates to the point of death to achieve glory, while the other eats to glory and that glory isn''t even something he sort and was just a by-product.
Even though they were father and son, Yang Qing had a feeling the king may have contemted killing his son a few times over the matter.
As for the disappointed bit, Yang Qing supposed the king as a parent, may have been disappointed with the prince as a waste of natural talent. Who knew the heights the prince could reach If he actually gave even the tiniest of efforts, which in all his years at the pce never did? Even when threatened with torture, he still refused to cultivate.
With no other option, to protect his sanity and the prince''s life, banishment seemed like the only usible solution at the time. Ironically though, it was as a result of that banishment that the prince who would rather get imprisoned in dark ice than cultivate, finally decided to cultivate.
He roamed around the continent, growing his strength as he looked for a suitable location for establishing his food utopia. It took him 50 years before he found a bandit hideout that fit his criteria. Sword in hand, he cleaved his way through that hideout and created the foundation of the White Baobab Kingdom from that rubble.
By Yang Qing''s count, 293 years have passed since then. A prince who wanted nothing about ruling and cultivating, grew to be a quasi-pce stage pce realm cultivator and established a rank 4 kingdom in that time. And that kingdom was well on its way to potentially bing a rank 3 kingdom should he break through to the pce realm. At that time it would have overtaken his parent''s kingdom, which was still a rank 4 kingdom.
Yang Qing wrylyughed as he thought of how many cultivators had likely vomited blood when they heard of that prince''s story. What about his father? The story of someone who founded a kingdom to further his hobbies. Worse, he actually seeded and in one of the shortest times possible at that.
While tonnes of people out there surely hated his guts from envy, Yang Qing rather admired and respected him. He felt like the Southern continent definitely needed more kingdoms like the White Baobab kingdom.
The kingdom has been explosively growing over the years. When it started, it went through a period of stagnation since the idea of a food-driven kingdom was out of the norm, but with the prince''s persistent efforts, his strength, and the rtionships he had cultivated over the years in his food spree, he managed to get the kingdom off the ground.
The number of Chefs who came over at the beginning was few, but with time, that number slowly mushroomed and a hundred years ago when it had a solid base, their numbers experienced a massive growth that hasn''t waned to date.
The only thing that may slow their numbers down, was the size of the kingdom. With it being originally a bandit''s hideout, the size was small. It has grown over the years but not by much since it''s bordered by a few rank 3 and well-established rank 4 organizations on all sides.
The only measures they employed tobat the size issue, was to limit the size ofnd allocated to each establishment, and from what the prince, now King of White Baobab kingdom told Yang Qing, he had the intention ofying a space expansion array in the capital to increase its size. However, such an endeavor was costly, both in terms ofbor and the materials needed to pull it off.
The cost was beyond the kingdom''s current capacity to afford it, not unless they got sponsored by a rank 2 and above organization, which the king was against. Yang Qing asionally donates a part of his ie to the goal though, along with Feng Xin and the owners of the restaurants within the White Baobab Kingdom. Who knows within a century, the amount may be enough to kick-start the project andy the groundwork.
Just as Yang Qing was calcting the amount he''d be donating after he got his new pay as a pce court judge, the White Baobab kingdom appeared on the horizon. On reflex, Yang Qing inhaled deeply with a wide smile on his face. Even a hundred kilometers away and so high up, he could detect a faint aroma of food in the air. The wee sign of the White Baobab Kingdom.
"Longwei, you''re a genius," Yang Qing muttered as his eyes gleamed with excitement.
Chapter 216 A Welcome To Baobab Kingdom For Newcomers
The closer Yang Qing got to the White Baobab Kingdom, the wider his smile became.
It didn''t take long before the full aroma of the kingdom came flooding toward him the closer he got to the kingdom. The effect resembled that of the Thousand vors restaurant, except the one from the kingdom was a hundred times more intense.
For a kingdom that was only formed in less than 500 years, its security was veryx, especially at its borders. There was barely any security at the border and those who were supposed to be in charge of it, acted more like a wee party, more than anything else.
The design was made on purpose by the king because he wanted the Chefs to feel more at easeing to his kingdom and he thought the rules of entry beingx, may help in that regard.
His n seemed to have worked as the number of chefs whoe flooding in every day, grew, but it also had an adverse effect. With thex security, it created a window for nefarious characters to behave however they wanted.
Like right now, Yang Qing spotted a bandit in the foundation establishment realm who was attempting to mug a group whose highest member was only at the eighth level of the qi refinement realm.
They seemed to be neers and based on the attires of some of them, they looked like chefs. They had a couple of wagons filled with all sorts of ingredients and equipment. The foundation establishment bandit seemed to be targeting those things.
.....
"Looks like both parties are new to this ce. The ce is not an easy target as you think. The White Baobab Kingdom always looks after its own," Yang Qing muttered as he ced his chin on his palm searching for the best angle to enjoy the show.
No sooner had he finished that statement than a blinding silver streak shed from one of the buildings next to where the mugging was taking ce.
That streak flew at an rming speed in the direction of the foundation establishment bandit who was currently toying with the eighth stage qi refinement cultivator.
Just as the bandit raised his hand to swing the saber in his hand at the qi refinement cultivator, he saw the hand that was holding the weapon fly in the air.
It took him a few seconds to register that the hand he saw flying before him, was his.
His hand was sliced cleanly and smoothly at the wrist. When he was about to yell, he lost the entire arm, followed by his next hand, then the arm.
The dismemberment soon moved from the hands to his legs. It only stopped when thest leg was sliced cleanly off. Despite the gory nature of what had just transpired, the bloody scene that should have appeared from the event waspletely absent.
The joints where the arms and legs were separated from, seemed like they had been cauterized, staunching the bleeding.
All members were shocked at what just happened, both the thief and his targets. Everything had happened too fast for them to register what just happened.
After the shock, soon came the pain for the foundation establishment bandit. He started screaming in pain as he begged forgiveness from the unknown party that had just sliced his limbs off. The only response he got was a swift bashing to the head that left him unconscious.
"Wee to the White Baobab Kingdom, you are Chefs moving in right?" A crisp, warmdy''s voice came from the building the silver streak hade from.
"Ye..es we are, " the eighth stage qi refinement cultivator was the one who replied once he was out of the stupor created by the sudden events. He was being toyed with to death just a few seconds ago, but now the perpetratory dismembered beneath his feet, with no idea how it even happened.
The flurry of emotions that came at him at the moment left him unable to think ormunicate properly.
When he thought he would die, all he had was endless regret for choosing to leave his home and start over somece, all because he heard the ce was a haven for cooks. Ever since he was a kid, cooking was the one thing he could do properly. This left him mocked in his hometown, where alchemy was the mainstay. But despite that, he stuck to it and even manage to make a name for himself within that town.
He had thought he''d spend his entire life there, but that all changed when one of the customers he served, mentioned the White Baobab Kingdom in passing and how it was a ce filled with Chefs as far as the eye could see.
At first, he didn''t believe it since he thought it was the ramblings of a drunk. How could such a ce exist when he, the son of the mayor of their town got endless ridicule and grief when he started out as a chef?
While he had managed to build to make a name for himself as a chef, even if the people around town no longer ridiculed him for his choice, there still existed a form of stigma against him, like what he did was no different than a fool''s errand and he would not amount to much with that path. They enjoyed his food but never respected his path, so he found it hard to believe that there''d be a whole kingdom built exactly for what he had been ridiculed for, all his life.
Despite how preposterous he thought of it, he could not silence the voice in his head,
"What if that ce really existed and it wasn''t the rumblings of someone who had drunk too much 4,000-year-old yellow m wine."
That ce would be something beyond his wildest dreams. Hasn''t he always been dreaming about finding just another person to have a cooking dao discussion with, just like how the alchemists in town wouldpare notes at times? Finding others, just like him who had a fervent passion for cooking, mentors to learn from, different paths to explore¡A kingdom built for chefs was exactly that, an answer to his desires and more.
Once that thought took root in his heart, he couldn''t erase it. He used whatever spirit stones he had saved over the years to find out if such a ce really existed. After two months, he finally found the answer he wanted, that ce really did exist and has been in existence for atleast 100 years.
The day he found out, he wept in euphoria and endless joy because at that moment he felt it, he wasn''t alone and he wasn''t wrong for pursuing cooking. There was a kingdom filled with thousands and thousands of people who shared the same belief as he did.
From that day he resolved himself to move there along with his wife and three children. The ce was far and he was too weak toplete the journey alone, so he saved up for five years and finally had enough to hire a decent mercenary organization to escort him there.
The journey itself took almost one year but finally, he reached it, the object of his dreams, the White Baobab Kingdom, thend of chefs. Just like Yang Qing, he too got captivated by the aroma that was leaking out of the kingdom even when one was miles away.
Chapter 217 [Bonus ]Journey That Began With A Scrambled Egg
If he had any doubts before that, it was erasedpletely by that weing smell. When they reached the border, the mercenary organization they had hired, parted ways with them upon thepletion of their mission. The eighth stage qi refinement cultivator thanked them and even paid them a little extra for all that they had done for them, to get them here in one piece.
Who would have expected that the moment they parted ways with the mercenary organization, he''d get attacked a few minutester? The high of reaching his dream ce got ruthlessly smashed down. In that moment, when the bandit was about to cleave him in half with his axe, for a brief second he thought maybe he was wrong and being an alchemist would have been better for him. He was about to die along with his family because he couldn''t let go of cooking.
But here he was, alive and in the White Baobab Kingdom. He didn''t quite know how to feel after the experience he had. Does he stay and continue on or does he take the experience he just had as a warning sign to change paths?
¡
"What is the one food you''ve always liked cooking ever since you were a child?"
Just when he was lost in his thoughts, he saw a young man with green hair standing in front of him with a kind smile. For some reason unbeknownst to him, he felt some sort of affinity to the person.
That feeling has appeared to him four times in his entire life, that''s with the green-haired man standing in front of him being put into ount. The feeling seemed to follow no pattern, rhyme, or reason. Once was when he was a kid and there was a purple cat that had snuck into his courtyard when he was experimenting with a scrambled egg recipe. He got that feeling from the purple cat which to this date, he always felt that cat wasn''t normal, he didn''t know why, just instinct.
The second time it happened was with his wife when she came in as a customer the first time when he had just started up his restaurant, the third time was with the customer who had told him about the White Baobab Kingdom, and now with the green-haired youth standing in front of him.
¡.
"If I had to choose one, it would be scrambled eggs with tomatoes," he answered on reflex.
"Oh, I love scrambled eggs. There''s something about it, no matter how much time passes by, one would always enjoy it, whether you are a baby, youth, or old. It''s a timeless food and one can make many variations to it, so you can always surprise yourself¡" the green-haired youth rapped on enthusiastically about scrambled eggs and the various neat tricks he has added to his, over the years.
The eighth qi refinement cultivator who had been heavy-hearted about what to do next, got sucked into the rhythm of the conversation about scrambled eggs and the enthusiasm of the green-haired youth, that he too started sharing his own experiences.
Within a few minutes, people who wereplete strangers to each other were patting each other''s backs as theyughed and talked with enthusiasm. At some point their discussion drew in another person, a slender, slightly maturedy with red hair holding a butcher''s knife in her hands joined in on the conversation at some point. As time progressed, the crowd in the discussion group kept growing.
After fifteen minutes the crowd''s number had grown to 12 people enthusiastically discussing different food recipes, their experiences; the good ones and the embarrassing ones while tradingughs.
In between thoseughs, a makeshift barbeque was prepared by some members of the crowd. The green-haired youth slowly disappeared to the background without the eighth stage qi refinement cultivator noticing, as he was too engrossed in admiring the preparation of sweet and sour spare ribs, by one of the members.
¡
"Longwei, it seems you have snagged another talent. Maybe I should quit the Order and just move here permanently." Yang Qing seemed like he was talking to himself as he sat atop Ellie while staring down at the small crowd below.
"I''ve told you over a hundred times that you should just move here, but you''re always harping on about duty, justice, honor, and all the other values that definitely are just made-up excuses.
Feng Xin told me the real reason when he wasst here. Qing how can you be so cowardly and you even have the cheek to call yourself the unrivaled spear of the Order? How can someone be so shameless?"
A grey vined crane suddenly appeared in front of Yang Qing, like it had shimmered out of thin air. There was a tall slender handsome young man seated atop it and ahead of him were dozens of tes filled with different kinds of dishes from poultry to beef, to seafood, to vegetable and soup dishes.
He currently had a bowl of soft noodles and boiled eggs in his hands that he was gently slurping away.
"Are you even going to share, you bastard?" Yang Qing asked with greed shing in his eyes.
"Only if you have something of trade," the young man gingerly answered.
"Don''t I get anything for helping you recruit a new member? He may end up being something special in the future," Yang Qing said as his gaze fell on a young blue-haired man who was nodding his head like a young chick, as he listened to some person who was cooking next to him. The blue-haired man was the eighth stage qi refinement realm cultivator that he had just been conversing with about scrambled eggs.
"I have to agree, there is something peculiar about him which I can''t quite ce,, it''s almost ethereal. I think it must be the same for them, though theirs might be different than ours," said the young man as he took a bite of the boiled egg in his noodle soup.
"I wonder what interesting foods he will create," both Yang Qing and the young man simultaneously said as their gazes fell on the blue-haired young man.
They didn''t know it yet, but a thousand yearster that blue-haired young man became one of the premier cultivators to prove their dao through cooking and ended up bing a soul formation expert.
When asked how he reached the heights he reached, his response was, "It started with scrambled eggs". This was why even his daoist name when he became a soul formation expert, was '' Daoist golden way scrambled eggs''.
Chapter 218 Finishing The Evaluations In The Northern Quadrant
"Have you had everything set up?" Yang Qing asked, directing the question to the young man who had just finished up with the noodles and was moving on to a stir-fried mix of vegetables.
"Mmmh," the man nodded as he savored the crunchy vor of his festivals.
"And?" Yang Qing impatiently asked. His stomach grumbled immediately after asking the question, which drewughter from the young man.
"They''re all at the square of the vegetable and soup street. You''re in luck, I told them to prepare something for you for their evaluations," the young man offhandedly said as he took another vegetable with his chopsticks.
"Do you think I''m judging a foodpetition," Yang Qing muttered under his breath. Though he said that, internally he was ecstatic. He''d get to sample a lot of different dishes.
The organizations being evaluated within the White Baobab Kingdom were 50. The majority of the organizations being evaluated were restaurants, while the remaining few were organizations that had an indirect rtion to it, such as merchant stores that dealt in the supply of food ingredients.
There were no sects being evaluated within his list since it was a rarity for a sect to startup in the White Baobab Kingdom. The White Baobab Kingdom gave priority to restaurants and they also didn''t have that muchnd to give.
In the whole kingdom, there were only two sects. They were both rank 4 sects, but were at the lower end of the spectrum when it came to rank 4 organizations. The only reason they were allowed to settle in the kingdom was because as per their terms of settlement, they agreed to act as buffers for the kingdom.
They were allocatednds that were at the border of the kingdom, more specifically the borders that the kingdom shared with organizations that they had poor rtionships with.
Those two sects could develop and recruit however they wanted within the kingdom and did not have to pay tribute, but in exchange for being allowed to settle within the White Baobab Kingdom, they had to keep an eye on the border. Should an attack happen, they were to do all they could, to stall for time before the reinforcements from the pce came.
The king was also a bitx on that decree since he allowed them to give up should the enemy be multiple levels above their capacity to handle.
Despite not being cooking-based organizations, other than the king and the party that he had when he was formting the kingdom, these two sects could be considered the oldest organizations within the White Baobab Kingdom. They have been there for close to 150 years and have embedded themselves into the culture of the Kingdom.
The White Baobab Kingdom may not be able topare to other well-established rank 4 organizations in terms of overall power scale, despite having a quasi-pce realm cultivator, but it was one of the most close-knit kingdoms Yang Qing has ever been to.
As a young kingdom, that was one of the most fundamental things it could have to help propel it forward. Yang Qing couldn''t help but look forward to the day it finally bloomed into a top-tier kingdom.
....
As Yang Qing was daydreaming about how many restaurants the White Baobab Kingdom would have if it became a top-tier powerhouse, the young man led him to the square of the vegetable and soup street.
True to its status as a cooking-based kingdom, the streets and the arrangement of the kingdom were done ording to a type of dish. For ease of arrangement and nning, organizations that specialized in a particr type of food were all ced in the same area and that area was named after the food they specialized in.
It made things easier in terms of navigation by customers and also for new chefs and even proper nning. Merchants who dealt in a particr ingredient would know which street they could best serve.
...
It wasn''t long before they arrived above the vegetable and soup street. All the buildings were atleast four stories. They were narrowly shaped and had a tiny distance between each other. However, despite thepact nature, the buildings were all meticulously arranged and their designs were impable, one would think they were transformed out of a painting.
They all had different designs and colors to them that helped maintain their own individuality but still melded well with each other. The roads were narrow and virtually no carriages could be seen on the roads. Swarms of cultivators all over the street could be seen walking to and from the buildings.
To maximize space usage and minimize congestion, the use of carriages and terrestrial spirit beasts was forbidden within the streets of the White Baobab Kingdom, but the use of avian spirit beasts was allowed. The rules applied to everyone within the kingdom, even the king himself, who was the young man apanying Yang Qing to the vegetable and soup square.
Despite having to walk from street to street, the swarms of crowds below didn''t seem to mind it. They all had joyous excited faces to them, while others had looks of contentment. Most of those who came to White Baobab Kingdom, did so because of their desire and passion for food. Everything else was immaterialpared to it.
¡.
"There they are," the young man on the yellow vine crane said as he pointed toward a well-arranged party by the square.
"This guy, he really arranged it like a food judgingpetition," thought Yang Qing as he wryly smiled at the arrangement he was seeing.
The organizations he was to evaluate were split into two sides each standing behind a long table that was partitioned with a small board that separated one organization from the next, and above them were banners with their organization''s name.
The arrangement looked like the table was partitioned into small stalls. On the table were various dishes. There was a small group of four people within those tables that didn''t have a dish on their makeshift stalls. Yang Qing guessed they were merchant organizations based on the awkward looks they kept exchanging because of the arrangement that made them stick out like a sore thumb.
¡
"Did you have to put them like that?" Yang Qing asked in exasperation. The young man carelessly shrugged in response.
Yang Qing sighed as he decided to get on with it. He jumped off Ellie''s back and gentlynded at the center of the square, the young mannded with him.
Even though he was the king of the White Baobab Kingdom, the gasps of awe along with other expected reactions one would expect when a king suddenly made an appearance, werepletely absent, either from those walking by or the members of the organizations about to be evaluated. They all seemed rather casual to his presence, in a more genial sense. In fact, it was Yang Qing who made them a bit tense,pared to their king.
¡.
Yang Qing immediately started with his exnation of the evaluation procedures like usual, before he officially began with the evaluations. He started off with the merchant organizations much to their relief, who couldn''t wait to get this over and done with.
Once he finished with them, he moved on to the chefs where he took his sweet time evaluating, while thoroughly sampling their dishes. He along with the king, cleaned out every dish and pot they passed by. The evaluation which should have taken him four hours toplete, took him six hours.
In that time, Ma Yuan had already woken up at some point and joined them in their sampling evaluations.
¡.
"Longwei, thanks for your help," said Yang Qing as he handed the young man to his left a basket with five snow peaches, a gourd filled with the hundred-leaf sugarcane wine, Yi Jie had made the other day.
"No problem, Qing," Longwei replied as he excitedly stored away the wine and snow peaches in his storage ring.
"Your ceremony should be in a few days, right?" asked Longwei.
"Mmmh, it''ll be in two days to be exact," said Yang Qing as he did a mental calction on the remaining time till his pce court promotion ceremony.
"You better bring something decent as a congrattory gift by the way," he added.
"You think I''m as stingy as you, who gifted me a rock in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the kingdom," said Longwei in displeasure.
"It was meant to be symbolic, besides that rock cost me over 100 high-grade spirit stones and is not as useless as it seems. It affects the luck of an area, the scale is small but the effect is very much real. But If you don''t want it, you can always return it back to me. With the way things are shaping up for me, I feel I''ll need all the luck I can get," said Yang Qing with a hint of worry in his tone.
"Even though I don''t believe you, I think I''ll hold onto it. Well Qing, I won''t be seeing you off as I have stately matters to attend to," said Longwei as he took a greedy sniff in the air.
"Sure, sure, I''ll leave you to it," Yang Qing mockingly said.
"See you in three days Qing, I can''t wait to sample Master Jiang Fu''s oolong tea again. I wonder how much improvement he has made sincest I was there."
"Sorry to disappoint, but Jiang Fu went into closed-door cultivation a few days ago in preparation to break through to the pce realm. It may be quite some time before hees back," Yang Qing somberly said as he remembered there were still certain matters tied to him that involved Meng Chao.
"Whaaat?!!!! There goes my whole reason foring," Longwei dispiritedly said. His shoulders even slumped as his eyes turned lifeless.
"Even though Jiang Fu won''t be there, there''s still Qi Shan who has made tremendous improvements in her dishes, it won''t be long before she reaches Jiang Fu''s level,"
"Really?!!" Longmei hurriedly grabbed Yang Qing by his shoulders in all the excitement.
"Yes," Yang Qing said as he forcibly pried Longmei''s hands from his shoulders in displeasure.
"Also, I''ll have you know, Feng Xin brought back something from the green fog region, a green flowered babirusa.
We barbecued a piece of it a few days ago and Longmei, the taste was beyond any pork I''ve ever tasted. If you want to have a taste, make sure you bring something of ''equal value''." Yang Qing smugly said as a cunning glint shed in his eyes.
He left with Ellie and Ma Yuan immediately after making that statement leaving Longmei in a mumbling stupor. He kept mumbling ''green flowered babirusa'' over and over as he walked aimlessly. Those around him ignored him as it wasn''t the first time he acted like that.
¡.
Skies above the White Baobab Kingdom.
"That will teach you to extort me all the time. I''ll make sure you pay it all back, in kind. Hehe my good friend Longmei, make sure you bring something worthwhile," Yang Qing muttered as he rubbed his palms together with an evil smile appearing on his face.
Ma Yuan who had prepared himself to share the backstory of his circumstances found himself flinching and hesitating when he saw Yang Qing''s expression.
"He looks like a bandit''s bandit," Ma Yuan thought.
Chapter 219 Ma Yuans Past (1)
"What''s wrong?" asked Yang Qing when he noticed the weird look Ma Yuan was giving him.
"Nothing," said Ma Yuan who cleared his throat awkwardly immediately after.
"Okay.....So about this shard."
Yang Qing not giving Ma Yuan''s odd behavior too much thought, took out the shard he had gotten from him.
"While the shard isn''t enough by itself to shed aplete light on the matter, it does provide some useful insights nheless," said Yang Qing as his whole visage turned into the pure white look he had when he confronted the member Dark Helminth Ghost sect.
"Based on the energy waves, the art used on you is atleast at the blue grade tier. As for the strength of the perpetrator, while I can''t tell much due to the degradation it has suffered over the years, I can still detect tiny hints of Dao markings on it.
Your attacker at the very least must be someone at the quasi-pce realm or even if they are not, they have enough foundations to make that leap.
In terms of nature, while it''s a yin-based technique, I don''t know why, but I feel something a tad bit sinister in its intrinsic nature, It has a firm rigidity to it, which is something not typically seen in Yin-based arts. They are usually fluid and soft.
Its lethality is pretty decent. You''re lucky to have kept your life, Ma Yuan. If your assant wanted to, they''d have killed you within ten breaths if they wanted to.
I wonder why they kept you alive though considering it doesn''t seem like you know their identities?" Yang Qing asked with a quizzical expression as he continued on with his scan of the shard.
Ma Yuan''s expression turned dark at Yang Qing''s question. Even if he had already resolved to open up, he still found himself struggling with it. He would rather drown himself in the cold yinke again rather than relive the day he lost his wife and daughter.
Since their disappearance, he wished he could forget that dreadful day, but no matter how much he wished so, he couldn''t do it. The event had left an indelible impression on him. That day was a source of his greatest torment, but it was also his only tether to his wife and daughter. If he was to ever find them, he needed to vividly remember the clues of that day with extreme rity no matter how much it broke him to do so.
...
"I was spared on ount of my wife," Ma Yuan bitterly said as he ruefully smiled.
"Down to thest minute, she was still looking out for me "
Ma Yuan''s gaze turned unclear as he seemed to zone out.
Luckily, unlike before, it didn''t take him long to recollect himself.
"Judge Yang Qing, could I have a cup of the spring water rice wine, if you don''t mind?" Ma Yuan gently asked.
Yang Qing silently took out the wine gourd and poured him a cup. Ma Yuan downed the wine immediately as Yang Qing poured him another.
It was only after he had three cups, did Ma Yuan continue on with his tale.
"I met my wife, Fei''er about 18 years ago. She found me half dead in some mysterious ruins I stumbled onto in my attempts at searching for opportunities to increase my strength and I was also on the run at the time.
I was born an orphan and had no backing.
I managed to step on the road of cultivation by some stroke of fortune when my friends and I stumbled into the abode of some cultivator who had long passed away and left an inheritance legacy behind, along with some trials for his would-be sessor.
After a bitter struggle, only I managed to pass through the trials that were set. It was thanks to the sacrifice of my friends that I was able to reach the end.
I don''t know if it''s because too much time had passed by and thus degraded some of the functions and materials of the abode, but the inheritance I got after all that was iplete. It was only able to push me to the peak of the foundation establishment realm.
However, whatever I got l, I''m still thankful for it since I was able to refine a gold body and even create blue-grade pirs because of it. Now that I think about it, I can''t help but wonder if I got theplete thing, maybe just maybe I may have had the power to save my wife and daughter..," Ma Yuan dispiritedly said.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but have a look of curiosity towards what type of inheritance Ma Yuan got from that abode. If just a portion of it was able to turn someone who had no cultivation or guidance for that matter, into a cultivator with a gold body and blue-grade pirs, what about theplete thing? The owner of that abode may have been some powerhouse.
However, despite his curiosity and interest in different cultivation arts, Yang Qing knew it wasn''t the time or ce for that.
It looked like it took Ma Yuan all he had to calmly narrate his tale. Yang Qing felt it would be rude of him to interject just to satisfy his own curiosity.
"Once I finished gaining the inheritance, all the protection mechanisms in the abode disappeared. A few cultivators from a sect close by noticed themotion and came by. A fight soon broke out, but with the inheritance I got, I easily took care of them.
However, that dispute ended up drawing the ire of their entire sect which was a rank 4 sect. For the next 10 years, I lived on the edge of death and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me since it helped me internalize more of the Inheritance and make it mine. In the end, I managed to break through to the core formation realm and took care of a few of the pursuers.
When that sect realized I had grown in strength, they sent their stronger elders after me. I was all too d for it since in my eyes they were nothing more than whetstones to help me hone myself.
I can''t believe how arrogant I was back then," Ma Yuan said as he chuckled. Unlike the earlierughs, this was the only one that seemed light-hearted like he looked fondly at those memories.
"Needless to say my arrogant words and actions back then finally drew the attention of their sect master and two supreme elders who were all in theter stages of the core formation realm.
I run as far as I could in the hopes of increasing my strength and finding a safe haven, which led me to that mysterious realm Fei''er found me in. I came into that realm with serious injuries which only got more severe during my exposure to the dangers in that realm.
When Fei''er found me, I was half dead and unconscious at the time. She nursed me back to health. I remember waking up to this cold-looking jade-faced beauty with a deadpan expression using all sorts of precious herbs on me.
I thought it was an illusion at the time or some form of attack from the realm, which led me to attack her. She swiftly knocked me out," said Ma Yuan as he grinned foolishly, as he carefully patted the back of his head like there was some existing injury there.
"After that, I stubbornly stuck close to her in my attempts at trying to pay her back for saving my life. I didn''t know it at the time but she was multiple levels stronger than me, so whatever help I could give her was little. But that didn''t deter me one bit as I had resolved myself to pay her back and it also didn''t hurt that she was the most beautiful woman I ever saw.
She was averse to my presence at first and I ended up suffering a few beatings for it, which she''dter nurse. But after three years the cold-faced woman with no other facial expressions other than furrowed brows, and horrible conversational skills, finally warmed up to me and we got married.
In the third year since our meeting, we had a beautiful daughter whom we named Ma Ling. She had her mother''s beauty but luckily she got my sense of interpersonal skills, otherwise, I''d worry for her.
I got happiness from something I never knew I could get or needed, a family. The next eight years that followed were honestly the happiest years of my life, even breaking through cultivation realms didn''te close to what I felt and experienced in those eight years.
But all that changed during a certain night when a certaindy bashed into our home and took my wife and daughter, leaving me there helpless to stop it," said Ma Yuan as he clenched his fists so hard that his finger bones started creaking.
"I don''t know why, no matter how many times I try, that woman''s face is a blur to me. I only remember her voice and actions. When she barged in, I thought she was some random intruder but her interaction with my wife led me to believe that they knew each other.
She asked my wife to leave with her, which I don''t know why, but the violent wife I knew turned docile at that moment and agreed to leave with her. Of course, I rejected the whole thing no matter how much Fei''er tried to convince me otherwise.
I attacked that woman without a second thought, only to find myself on the floor a secondter with a shattered dantian and an overbearing chillness that seemed to suck the life out of me. That woman was well on her way to deliver a killing blow, but my wife pleaded for my life. Not once have I ever seen her shaken or in tears but at that moment she was, as she was begging for my life.
The woman agreed but she forcibly took my daughter in return. My wife tried to stop her but some weird script appeared on her body and she copsed immediately after.
I could only helplessly watch on as they were whisked away. I vowed to find them, but finding them turned out to be harder than I expected. I spent everything I had, to dig out any information on the woman, but in seven years I haven''te close. She''s still a mystery today as she was when she barged into our home and took my wife and daughter.
When you found me, I had already lost all hope of ever finding them, thus I decided to end the suffering by taking my life in thatke.
I have nothing to offer other than my life, please Judge Yang Qing I''m willing to trade it if you can help me find my wife and daughter," said Ma Yuan as he performed a double genuflection on Ellie''s back.
Chapter 220 Ma Yuan’s Past (2)
"You don''t need to do that," Yang Qing said as he helped Ma Yuan whose body was mildly convulsing because of his current agitated state. Yang Qing used some of his qi along with a soul cultivation art, to help calm Ma Yuan''s nerves as he was lifting him.
"The Order was founded for exactly these types of cases, so there''s no need for you to do all these nor do we need an oath of servitude from you. Since you have presented your case, it''s our responsibility from this moment forth to bring the case to a sessful conclusion.
If you want to help us, there are various areas you can do so, the primary one being on the case itself.
As a matter of fact, there are a few areas that you could help shed a light on," said Yang Qing as he poured Ma Yuan another cup of the spring water rice wine.
"Thanks," Ma Yuan softly said as he grabbed the wine urn. His hands were trembling as he picked up the urn.
"If there''s anything you need, please feel free to ask Judge Yang Qing. I''m willing to do anything that I can, to help find my wife and daughter," said Ma Yuan.
"There are a few areas I''ll need rification on, first it''s the woman who barged into your home and took your wife and daughter. You said she was blurry, the blurriness, did it seem to appear suddenly out of the blue or did it seem like it was ever present?'' asked Yang Qing as he took a few light brown incense sticks from his storage ring.
"I''m not too sure because I was too agitated at the time that I barely concentrated on it. Let me see..." Ma Yuan closed furrowed his brow as he closed his eyes trying to remember the details Yang Qing was asking about.
"You can start the recollection from what you did that day all the way leading to that point. It will be easier on your mind that way. I''ll also be using incense sticks from a 20,000-year-old spirit-strengthening morning dew Yew wood. It will help in strengthening your spiritual consciousness especially if it was forcibly tampered with," said Yang Qing as he lit four of the seven light brown incense sticks, he had taken out of the storage ring.
"So what happened that day?'' Yang Qing''s voice had a bit of ethereal mystical quality to it. He had strengthened his voice with his soul to help Ma Yuan in his recollection.
If his memories were forcibly tampered with, Ma Yuan''s attempt at remembering those events carried an inherent risk to them which would result in an injury to his mental sea. Yang Qing''s voice had a special soul art attached to it, which acted as a buffer in Ma Yuan''s mental sea.
¡
The impact of Yang Qing''s voice seemed to have dragged Ma Yuan into the memory of that day. The memory appeared in his mind like a scene from a recording talisman and he was watching the events in the third person.
"We started the day like usual; Fei''er guided our daughter in her cultivation, as per the morning routine while I was working on the garden.
She may have zero people skills, but she had talent when it came toprehension, which made her a better tutor than I.
I on the other hand worked in the garden since the inheritance I got, did give me a bit of knowledge and skill in the growth and care of spiritual nts and alchemy.
After the training, we had a meal together, then went to the town''s market to offload some of the herbs I had, while we bought a few things for our cultivation.
We came back homete in the afternoon. My wife and I both went to our respective cultivation chambers to cultivate and we left Ling''er to watch the house.
We finished our cultivation session in the early stages of the night. I prepared a quick meal for us after that.
We then went on to set the table after everything had been prepared, huh, Fei''er seems shocked," said Ma Yuan.
The spectating version of himself moved closer to his wife as he scrutinized her face with sorrow and surprise in his eye. In that scene, Fei''er had her pupils shrink in surprise and then she hurriedly masked it.
The spectating Ma Yuan wasn''t too sure, but he saw a look of mncholy and regret sh in her eyes during that brief second as her gaze fell on both Ma Yuan and their daughter who were tradingughs at the time.
"It looks like she detected it before it all happened. But how?" wondered Ma Yuan with a lost look as his gaze fell on his wife. It was then that he noticed something that made his pupils shrink.
His wife, Fei, was holding onto something, it was a small octagon-shaped object that looked like it was made out of ice crystal. Even at a nce, Ma Yuan knew exactly what it was, it was the controlling disc for the formation array of their house.
He didn''t know much about formation arrays and the one in their house had been set by his wife and he and his daughter were each given a simr-looking disc to help control the formation. From what he could remember when his wife set the whole thing up, she said it was strong enough to defend against a 10th-stage core formation expert.
Ma Yuan remembered how amazed he was when she said that since his wife was just at the seventh stage of the core formation realm at the time. Creating a formation that could stop a cultivator a few minor levels above her, showed how skilled she was in formation arrays. Ma Yuan didn''t suspect she was lying or bragging because the woman had zero social skills to pull either. He even wondered at times, if she had even ever told a lie.
¡
"Fei''er, why did you let her in?" Ma Yuan wondered as he saw her use the disc to shut off the arrays protecting the house. He was also confused about why he couldn''t remember some of the things that happened that day. Some of the things he saw right now feltpletely new to him.
He may have had his cultivation crippled, but he still had the body and senses of a core formation expert including the mental sea and spiritual sense of one. He could remember things that happened 30 years ago with so much detail as if it had happened at that exact moment, however, he seemed to have memory gaps from something that happened just 7 years ago.
He couldn''t understand why since the woman who attacked them, hadn''t even shown up yet.
..
"Ma Yuan, what happened next?" Yang Qing''s gentle-sounding voice appeared in Ma Yuan''s mind. He had gone silent in his narration from the moment he saw the shocked look in his wife''s eyes.
"It looks like my wife may have detected the intruder much earlier than I thought and she even let her in by deactivating the formation arrayid around the house," Ma Yuan said in disbelief.
"Why can''t I remember any of it, despite being there," said Ma Yuan as he furrowed his brows.
"After the table was set we went on to share a meal together like we always did. If I had known this would be thest time together, I would have savored it more," Ma Yuan painfully said.
"Ten minutes passed like that, then Fei'' er did something out of the norm. She kissed me on the forehead. She''se so far." Ma Yuan''s spectating body and the real body that was seated in front of Yang Qing with closed eyes, both smiled at the same time.
"This?!!!!!"
Secondster the smile turned to an O-shaped mouth of shock.
In the shback, the spectating Ma Yuan saw a small rune appear on the forehead of the memory Ma Yuan. It appeared on the exact spot where his wife had just kissed him.
"Fei''er what''s happening? What are you doing?" the spectating Ma Yuan couldn''t help but ask the wife in his memory even though he wouldn''t be able to get any response from her. His question echoed out in the real world too.
Fei''er looked at the memory Ma Yuan with a loving look before her earlier calm look returned and she went back to her sit leaving a silly grinning Ma Yuan who was boasting to his daughter, who giggled in return.
"This is when she barged in," Ma Yuan lifelessly said. At this point with how many surprising things had happened in the shback, he wasn''t even sure that memory was his or if it was even real. He couldn''t make sense of it at all, especially where his wife was involved.
Just like he said, ady in a pure white robe that had a crystal shine to it, barged into their house through the roof. However, something was different now, he could clearly see her image but none of that brought him anyfort because, in addition to seeing the bargingdy''s face, he also saw the rune in his forehead shine the moment thedy appeared. From what Ma Yuan could see, it had been triggered by his wife when she mumbled a silent incantation a few microseconds before thedy in white robes barged in.
Chapter 221 Sudden Realization
None of what Ma Yuan saw made any sense to him. If his wife detected the intruder before she stepped into their house, why didn''t she trigger the formation array? Even if it didn''t work, it may have bought them enough time to run away together.
Also, there was the matter of the seal. All this time he thought it was the intrudingdy who did something to him that made him unable to remember her face, but it turned out, it was his wife.
Why didn''t she want him to remember the face of the perpetrator who split their family apart?
Why did it seem like she gave in way too easily almost as if she was capitting to the enemy?
However, he pushed all these doubts and questions to the back of his mind as he focused on his true goal, the rest he could mull over with time or ask his wife if they had the good luck of reuniting, but for now, his sole focus was thedy in the white robe.
She had frost-white hair that was hanging loosely on her back. It was as smooth as silk. She looked to be in her mid-thirties. Just like his wife, thedy in white robes had a nation-toppling beauty with a face that looked like it had been carved from white jade and the carver was seeking absolute perfection.
The more Ma Yuan examined her the more he felt she had an odd familiarity to his wife. It was not in terms of looks but more in their aura and the way they seemed emotionless. There was neither joy nor sorrow, neither delight nor anger, there was nothing in them other than indifference to everything and anything.
When he met his wife, Fei, she had a simr expression to thedy in white in some regards, except she had a few emotions that would show themselves here and there like, curiosity or displeasure when Ma Yuan would bug her. But the more they interacted, the more expressions and emotions she showed, almost like she was thawing out.
If earlier he had slight suspicions that his wife and thedy knew each other, that simr-looking expression was the final nail he needed to confirm without a doubt that his wife and the woman shared simr origins.
Ma Yuan continued with his narrations to Yang Qing on what happened next including a vivid description of thedy in white robes.
There were no surprises this time and everything progressed as he had said earlier when he first told Yang Qing about the matter. Thedy in the white robe ignored everyone else and justmunicated with his wife, then Ma Yuan charged in and got beaten within a second of his attack, and had his dantian shattered and cultivation base crippled.
Because he was seeing things in a third-person view, he got a close-up view of his wife begging thedy for his life. It was then that he heard something that he couldn''tst time, due to the injuries he had from the blow he received and the agitation caused by the reality he may lose his wife.
In the midst of her plea, he heard his wife mention a name in passing. He saw her mention the name ''Yao'' before she hurriedly stopped herself and continued on with the plea.
"Is her name Yao?" Ma Yuan wondered as his gaze fell on thedy in white robes. Mao Yuan went on to ry that discovery to Yang Qing.
Things proceeded as he had mentioned. Thedy acquiesced but not before asking for their daughter in exchange for sparing Ma Yuan. Fei''er attacked the woman once she made that request, however, a glyph appeared on her chest and eyes for a few seconds, and then passed out millisecondster.
Ma Yuan got a clear look at the glyph. The glyph that appeared on her chest and eyes were one and the same. It was an icy white glyph that was in the shape of a spider. Thedy then proceeded to pick his wife up and her daughter who had been seated in her chair, rooted in fear. Thedy jabbed one of her acupoints to knock her out and grabbed her too, leaving without sparing the half-dead Ma Yuan a single nce. The image cut off at that point since Ma Yuan passed out immediately after thedy in white left.
¡
When he was done with his narration, Ma Yuan stewed in silence with deeply furrowed brows. Recollecting the events of that day wasn''t easy, but adding all the other details he had overlooked the first time around, added further weight and confusion to his mental state.
Yang Qing was in silence too, sorting out the information Ma Yuan shared. He then took out a recording talisman and a scroll from his storage ring.
"Judge Yang Qing, initiating preliminary findings on the case of Ma Yuan and the disappearance and potential kidnapping of his family.
The victim Ma Yuan had his wife and daughter kidnapped seven years ago by an unknown assant. His wife Fei," Yang Qing paused his recording to address Ma Yuan.
"What''s the name of your wife and child, oh, and also the ce where you lived?"
Yang Qing''s question pulled Ma Yuan out of his confused and foggy state.
"My wife''s name is Shun Fei and my daughter is Ma Ling. We used to live in a town called Leek Valley in Mandrill province of the Qian Kingdom," answered Ma Yuan.
"Thanks," said Yang Qing as he switched on the recording talisman in preparation for continuing with his report.
"There''s sufficient evidence that points in the direction that Shun Fei knew her assant. Ma Yuan''s wife and daughter Shun Fei and Ma Ling respectively, got kidnapped in their home within the Qian kingdom.
Ma Yuan ended up with apletely shattered dantian from the attack and had his cultivation base crippled. The source of the attack seems to be a Yin-based technique which by my estimates should be from a blue-grade cultivation art at the very least. The residue left by the attack has led me to believe that the attacker may be someone in the quasi-pce realm at least, as there was evidence of remnant dao markings on the shard left behind from the attack and also on Ma Yuan''s shattered dantian. I saw evidence of it during my examination.
The assant is female, with white hair, white jade skin, and looks to be in her mid-thirties. The victim, Shun Fei mentioned Yao as she was addressing her, however, based on Ma Yuan''s testimony, it seems like she stopped herself.
It is my guess that the assant''s name has Yao in it, the investigation is to be made with this assumption in mind.
In my capacity as a judge of the Order, I have epted the case on an Ad hoc basis having judged the case to have passed the threshold and met the criteria under the articles and guidelines of impromptu cases.
I ept full responsibility and liability for the case up to itspletion. Should the matter exceed my capacity and station to bring it to a sessful conclusion, Session of the case article is to take effect immediately and the case is to be transferred to the appropriate party within the Order, to which i will continue on with the case in the capacity of a judicial assistant.
I, Yang Qing officially dere Ma Yuan''s case and all that it entails is under the purview and judgment of the Order and all the resources and regtions afforded to it," Yang Qing solemnly said.
He turned off the recording the moment hepleted his statement. The same words he had uttered were also written on the scroll. He ratified the statement with his seal. The scroll disappeared momentster and a toneless voice sounded secondster with the words ''received, approved, epted and in effect''
Even though there was no one there, Yang Qing stood up and cupped his fist in an almost ceremonial manner. His robes had even transformed from the grey casual look to his judge''s robes when he performed that daoist salute.
¡.
"Ma Yuan your case can now be officially considered to be the Order''s problem now and we will do everything we can to give you justice.
I still have evaluations going on for the next two days, so I may not be able to get on it immediately but with the record officially ced at the Order, there will be inquisitors attached to your case to do preliminary investigations in the meantime. When I get back I will follow up with them.
I would also like you to be ced in our custody within the duration of the case. Your room and board will be taken care of by the Order. The reason for that is your own safety and also it will be easier for me to fill you in on the case''s progression if you''re close by.
But if you do not want to be under the Order''s grounds, it''s okay too, I can still find a way to get the information to you on time.
So which would you prefer will you go back with me or do you have somece else you''d prefer?" asked Yang Qing.
"I don''t have a particr ce in mind since even the home we lived at, we had only been living there for eight months or so since for a time there we kept moving from ce to ce at Fei''er''s request.
If the Order will have me, I''d like to shamelessly ept the offer of amodation within the Order''s grounds,'' Ma Yuan said as cupped his fists in gratitude.
Yang Qing nodded his head in acknowledgment however, his mind seemed like it was elsewhere.
"You said you moved from ce to ce at your wife''s request, right?"
"Yes, I have. Fei''er was very picky about the areas we lived in. One minute it would be perfect the next she would ask us to pack and leave. Before her disappearance, we did that for almost fo.." Ma Yuan''s voice trailed off as a look of shock and realization hit his mind.
Chapter 222 Potential Clue?
Things suddenly clicked for him when he made that statement and when he looked at Yang Qing, he realized Yang Qing seemed to havee to the same realization as him.
"Do you remember when you started moving from ce to ce or has it always been like that since the first moment you met?" asked Yang Qing.
Ma Yuan paused as he tried to recollect the timeline and details since he met his wife. The missing details in the memory that came to the surface seemed to have triggered other things that he had overlooked over the years.
"When we met, we moved from ce for the first three years. I didn''t think much of it at the time since I assumed she was a rogue cultivator like myself, where moving from ce to ce is part of the norm. I used to move from ce to ce, especially with the infamous reputation I had built with the Rapid Spears sect. To evade their sect master and elders I had to move from ce to ce.
I assumed Fei''er may have been in the same circumstance or she just liked traveling from ce to ce. However, all that stopped when she got pregnant with Ma Ling.
The year she was born we decided to settle down in a little town in Gemini kingdom. We stayed there until she was three, then we moved, but at that time it was because the Gemini kingdom was too remote and barren. The resources avable could not satisfy our requirements, so we moved.
We ended up settling at..." Ma Yuan paused as he tried to recall the name of the ce.
"It was Monk''s Birch town, one of the towns under the rule of the Wild Birch sect. We stayed there for a year and things were going well, however, the higher-ups of the Wild Birch Sect got wary about having two core formation experts of unknown origins settling within their territory, especially when they were just a rank 4 sect themselves.
To avoid any unnecessary confrontations we moved again to Fairymoss County of the Green Hollow Kingdom. The area was remote, filled with resources and the kingdom had a loose policy in regards to those who wanted to settle there.
We made that our home for six months until Fei''er asked us to leave out of the blue. She never gave any reason for it, we just upped and left in the middle of the night.
Come to think of it, a few days before that she had been behaving funny, and I just chalked it up to her quirky social awkwardness.." Ma Yuan said with a pensive look.
"What happened?"
"We went to the market one day to buy a few things and out of the blue I saw her freeze and then she suddenly dragged me and Ma Ling to a nearby restaurant.
I had thought she was just overwhelmed by the crowd since she wasn''t used torge crowds. But for the next few days, she''d leave for the market alone, and when she came back a few times, she''d have this lost look to her.
I never pried too much about it in respect for her privacy and it didn''t seem like a big deal at the time. A couple of dayster, she came back and asked us to move.
After that, for the next four years everywhere we lived was on a short-term basis. We never stayed one ce for more than three months. Even if the sudden movements were strange, i didn''t mind it that much as long as I had her and our daughter.
Actually, Leek Valley is the only ce in thest four years that we have managed to stay at for so long." said Ma Yuan.
Even though his wife wasn''t much of a talker, based on their interactions and how she was, he knew she had aplicated past that still affected her to the present day. He never asked her about it since people were entitled to their own secrets. So even with the strange habits and behaviors, he never asked or thought too much about it.
But now, he couldn''t help but wonder if he should have tried to get her to open up more rather than let things be and move at their own pace.
During those few years they moved from ce to ce, it was very likely that his wife seemed to be running away from something.
....
Yang Qing had pulled out his map at some point and started marking certain points from it. Those points were the areas Ma Yuan and his family had lived in.
He started with Gemini kingdom, then moved to Monk''s Birch and then Fairymoss in Green Hollow Sect, and then traced the line up to Mandrake province in Qian kingdom, which was thest ce they settled at.
He filled in other ces after consulting Ma Yuan on them. There was Flowing Boar town of the Bandicoot kingdom, Yellow me County under the Burning mes sect, Rapid twin of the Lunar Bug sect, and the list continued. In those 4 years, they had settled and resettled in 14 different ces with theirst ce in Leek Valley being taken into ount.
There seemed to be no rhyme or pattern in the movement, as all these locations were inpletely different directions from each other.
"Did you decide the ces you settled at or did your wife do it?" asked Yang Qing as he scrutinized the map and the locations he had marked to see if he could dig any clue from them.
"She was the one who chose those locations. Other than where I grew up, I didn''t know much about other ces but Fei''er was a walking trove of information," Ma Yuan answered.
"Mmmh," Yang Qing offhandedly answered as his eyes bored deep into the map.
"This might actually be something," Yang Qing said as he smiled. Ma Yuan had no idea what Yang Qing was hinting at but for some reason, he felt excited and mildly hopeful from seeing Yang Qing''s reaction.
"Ma Yuan, when you were running away from the Rapid Spears sect, how did you choose the location you fled to?" asked Yang Qing with a glint shing in his eyes.
"At first I didn''t have any clear direction, I just ran randomly in any direction but the moment their sect master and elders set their eyes on me, I chose areas they''d less likely track me to, like dangerous ruins, mysterious realms or territories of powerful organizations or those that had a terrible rtionship with the Rapid Spears sect." Ma Yuan answered as he helplessly chuckled at how he lived his early years.
"Bingo," Yang Qing said with a triumphant smile.
"Look at these," Yang Qing said as he excitedly guided Ma Yuan''s view to the map.
"All the locations you lived at are evidence that your wife subconsciously created. By the way, did she ever tell you about her past?" Yang Qing suddenly asked.
"No she didn''t, and I felt awkwarding asking about it when it clearly seemed like she never wanted to talk about it much," Ma Yuan said as he sighed.
Chapter 223 [Bonus ]Concluding The Evaluations
"Mmmh, if she didn''t, then her actions back then track. Based on my guess, your wife may have been on the run when you met her and the seal she ced on you the day she got taken along with your daughter, was to save your life.
Her capittion and the running seem to suggest that she viewed thedy in white and the sect behind her, as too powerful to fight against and doing so would likely end in death.
She knew you well enough to know you would likely chase after her, so she decided to proactively hinder your ns by destroying the one thing you needed for the search, the visual image of thatdy. Without it, it would be hard for you to track them. I think she hid all information about her past from you, for the very same reason.
Her n may have very well been wless but the locations she chose sold her out.
If we go by your earlier judgment from your escaping experience, then all the ces you settled at, were ces she deemed the sect she was running from would never think to look.
With this we can narrow down the area and who we are searching for," said Yang Qing as he drew a few things on the map.
Ma Yuan wasn''t all too surprised about Yang Qing''s deduction on the reason for the seal on his forehead, since he hade to the same conclusion too after he thought on it a bit.
.....
"First, we can eliminate every area in between or close to the ces you lived in , and also the area around the mysterious realm she found you in. If I''m running, I''d make sure it''s as far away from the headquarters of those I''m running from and their sphere of influence. Therefore any area around the mysterious realm and the ces you lived in, can be eliminated.
Next is the rtionship between these areas and who she is running from. Some of these areas are either too secluded from that sect or they have a terrible rtionship with it, so she deemed those ces suitable.
We will look for themonality in all these ces and the organizations they have a horrible rtionship with and see if they ovep, and from there we will see which of those resulting organizations use a yin-based blue-grade cultivation art.
This should reduce the area and the organizations that will be ced under investigation by a significant number and since we also have the name your wife mentioned, ''Yao'' Though it may not contribute much, it doesn''t hurt to use it," Yang Qing said as he circled a few areas on the map, marking them as ''obsolete areas'' and circled other areas and marked it as ''potential zone''.
"Judge Yang Qing...," Ma Yuan''s voice turned shaky as he got overwhelmed that he didn''t even know how to continue.
How long has he been searching, for seven years it has been nothing but dead ends, few clues, and even more pitiful resources to work with. As years went by, the more desperate he became, which then evolved into a cup of despair that kept growing in size till it reached a point he had chosen to take his life rather than continue drinking from that cup.
Yang Qing''s deduction had given him something he feared more than anything, ''Hope''.
"My deductions are not definite but it''s a ce to start. We will take it a step at a time and see where it leads," Yang Qing said as he gently patted Ma Yuan''s back which was shaking. He looked to be struggling to hold back his tears as he gave a muffled okay response.
Yang Qing didn''t say much after that and just poured himself and Ma Yuan another drink. Today''s events must have shaken Ma Yuan, he needed time to process everything and his emotions.
As for Yang Qing, after making a few notes and ns on how to proceed with the case, he refocused back on his evaluations.
They were now traveling back to the Southern quadrant of the area of his evaluations. He had already done 1120 evaluations and was left with 280 of them. Of that number, 120 organizations would be evaluated within the Chain Gate sect''s territory which was a rank 3 sect, while the remaining 160 were spread about between a few rank 4 organizations and the Blue carp sky sect which was a rank 3 sect.
By his count, he had about 19 hours left toplete everything. The time was tight but doable.
About an hourter they passed over the Purple City of the Red Maple Empire. There were battle cries all around the city with most of the residents indoors.
The battle seemed to be concentrated in a particr area that Yang Qing detected was the Noble''s district.
"Mmmh, so it''s them?" Yang Qing muttered as he detected two familiar auras in the midst of that chaos leading the charge in one of the buildings.
Those two auras were rapidly moving around the building. Everywhere they moved, a core formation expert would disappear.
Ma Yuan was shocked at what was happening below him. He could detect more than a dozen auras of cultivators who were stronger than him even when he had his cultivation base. There were even some whom he detected were stronger than his wife. He cautiously looked at Yang Qing almost as if to ask ''You''re not intervening'', but the man in question had ackadaisical look to him, as he took out sunflower seeds to munch. He didn''t seem to have any intention of stepping in.
"The Order does interfere in certain matters, but not all.
While we maintain some semnce of peace, this is a cultivation world after all, we can''t intervene in everything nor should we, otherwise we would bear more infamy than we do.
Besides we are cultivators, battles are to be expected, the southern continent would grow weaker without it. As long as it doesn''t pull in the innocents and those too weak to defend themselves, the Order will turn a blind eye to it.
We are not the continent''s babysitters. The rules of the cultivation world will always be in effect, even with us around." Yang Qing offhandedly said.
In a few minutes with Ellie''s speed, Purple City was left in the rear and was nothing more than a tiny dot.
Almost half an hourter they reached the Chain Gate sect''s territory, where Yang Qing immediately resumed his evaluations with the assistance of a core elder from the sect.
From there he followed a set trajectory as he moved in ateral line clearing the remaining 160 evaluations. Relief washed over him when hepleted thest evaluation with 10 minutes to spare.
He left the ce immediately after and flew back to the Order with much eagerness. All that was on his mind was sleep and food. It had been an exhaustive three days.
Chapter 224 Another Object Of Yang Qing’s Nightmares
After one and a half hours, the Order was already in sight. After long draining evaluations, every time Yang Qing came back, the ck building that was a constant source of his nightmares would turn into a source of relief to him.
He could remember that after his first-ever evaluation session, the day he came back he almost wept in joy at being back at the Order''spound, then a weekter he was back at it, bemoaning his circumstances and ruthlessness of the Order.
Ellie lowered her altitude and speed as the gold eagle bracelet on one of her legs lit up when she was flying over. Other than acting as a tracker, the bracelet acted as a key to the invisible formation array that surrounded the Order''s grounds. The bracelet was also synced with her qi and soul signature to prevent its use by anyone else.
Once she went through the formation barrier, she flew in the direction of the beast tamer hall. Just at the entrance of the hall, there was someone casually waving over, it was Zheng Hu, one of the inquisitors from Yang Qing''s team.
...
Ellie dropped down and gentlynded beside Zheng Hu. Yang Qing and Ma Yuan alighted from her back.
The starlight crab had already woken up during the journey back and was perched over Yang Qing''s shoulders with the wisdom pearl of the cyclone arc prawn tched between its ws.
Unlike before, the pearl had a gentle glow to it now. The starlight crab had managed to prate its defenses and begin the assimtion process which would take a very long time considering the disparity in strength between the starlight crab and the wisdom pearl of the cyclone arc prawn that was at the pce realm when it was alive.
"Boss, how were the evaluations? Did you meet anything interesting out there like Feng Xin?" Zheng Hu excitedly asked.
"Not good, I hope I won''t have these many evaluations to do when I get to the pce courts. Old Lei really did me in, especially considering the troubles that found me along the way..." Yang Qing faintly sighed when he reached the end of his sentence. The events that happened in those three days shed though his mind when he made that statement.
He stumbled onto a blood fiend cultivator in the first ce he stopped at, then he ended up in a fight against three pce realm experts with one of them being the child of a domain-level expert with considerable means. As if that wasn''t enough, he ended up getting attacked by a member of the Dark Helminth Ghost sect.
It was too much, now all he wanted was to enjoy thefort and peace of a courtroom. However, he still had over a million things to get through before he enjoyed theforts of a courtroom, one of which was to settle Ma Yuan first. He had called over Zheng Hu for that purpose.
....
"Were the opponents any good?" Zheng Hu pestered on.
He was a battle fanatic and had managed to sniff out something based on Yang Qing''s bodynguage. He had sparred with Yang Qing over a thousand times, though calling it spars was an understatement since it was always a one-sided beating. However, that exposure was enough for him to be able to tell if Yang Qing had been in a battle or not. He could detect a faint battle intent leaking from Yang Qing. It was something that only someone who had fought him frequently could detect.
"Mmmh, not really. Though if the attacker from the Dark Helminth Ghost sect was close to my realm, he would have been a thorny opponent to deal with. But other than that, the rest were pretty easy," Yang Qingzily said as he raised his arms to stretch his back.
Zheng Hu lost any interest in digging any further once he heard Yang Qing''s response.
Ma Yuan was silent in the background, taking everything in. He seemed a bit nervous as he tried to meld into the background.
...
"Zheng Hu, this is Ma Yuan who I told you about earlier, I''ll need you to arrange a ce for him to stay within thepound.
You''ll also be his guide for the next few days, teaching him the do''s and the don''ts of the ce and you''ll be attached to the case on a preliminary basis. So you will need to find someone from the Administration department, to get the particrs in order and also have a liaison from there meet with Ma Yuan," Yang Qing said as he added a few more instructions.
"Ma Yuan, this is Zheng Hu, he is an inquisitor and is part of my team. He is very capable and good at his job. Whatever assistance you need, please don''t hesitate to ask him.
There will be a liaison from the Order who wille to meet you once you''re settled in. They will be in charge of filling you in on the details of the case when I''m not around or Zheng Hu.
It may take a few days before we can meet again since theing few days will be a tad bit hectic for me. I have a ceremony to prepare for, among other things that will keep me swamped for a bit. In the meantime, please don''t hesitate to consult Zheng Hu if you have any queries," said Yang Qing.
"Many thanks, Judge Yang Qing for all the help and support that support that you have given including saving my life." Ma Yuan said as he gave a deep solemn bow.
"Inquisitor Zheng Hu, my name is Ma Yuan and I thank you in advance for your hospitality and help," Ma Yuan said as he gave another bow to Zheng Hu.
"Don''t worry about it and the like the boss said, if you have any questions feel free to ask. Have you eaten?" Zheng Hu asked. His carefree and cheery personality made it easy for Ma Yuan to rx around him.
"Yes, I have. Judge Yang Qing was kind enough to share his meal with me," Ma Yuan politely answered.
"HIM?" Zheng Hu who had been smiling suddenly asked in shock as he pointed his finger at Yang Qing.
"Yes,'' Ma Yuan answered, slightly confused at Zheng Hu''s stupefied reaction.
"Zheng Hu please have Ma Yuan settled, he has had a long day," said Yang Qing as he cast a cold and mildly threatening look toward Zheng Hu.
"Ma Yuan let''s go," said Zheng Hu as heughed sheepishly. Ma Yuan bowed once more in gratitude toward Yang Qing before he followed Zheng Hu who was headed in the direction of the inns, restaurants, pavilions, and courtyards.
In a situation like the one Ma Yuan was in, where there was a risk to his safety, the Order would host them within their grounds. However, even if the Order would technically be considered the host, they didn''t use their own facilities to host them. Ma Yuan and those like him would be given shelter and amodation in the pavilions and courtyards that were owned by the different businesses inside theirpound.
As part of the agreement to start a business within the Order''s premises, these organizations had to agree they would lend their services to the Order should they need it. Part of those services was providing room and board to those under the protection of the Order, for example, Ma Yuan. Zheng Hu was guiding Ma Yuan to some of those facilities.
¡.
Once they separated, Yang Qing left Ellie at the beast tamer hall but not before he gave out a few instructions to the personnel of the hall, one of which was the reeducation of Ellie when it came to sensibilities. He hadn''t forgotten about the cheap blow she struck against the son of one of the founders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion when he was unconscious. Yang Qing wanted to nip that petty vindictive personality of hers in the bud before she invited more trouble and disaster to his doorstep. For good measure he even decided to use his trump card, Luo Meili, to take care of Ellie.
Next Yang Qing visited the deployment subdivision of the administration department. It was alreadyte into the night, but the hall of the administration department was still flooded with people and lively as ever with cultivators moving to and from different sections of the department.
The deployment sector had a fewings and goings, Yang Qing had to wait for a few minutes before his turn came up. Lai Han who had served him before he left wasn''t around, neither were the other members he had found before. The team present waspletely different.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the disparity of treatment between those from the administration department inparison to his station. The Admin department worked on 12-hour shifts, while judges as long as you had a case going on, you would remain there till it was done, however long it took. Judges could fill in for each other but that was only after three months, when they were allowed to take leave and focus on their cultivation. But before then, they would work dog hours if need be, with no alternating shifts like the ones those from the administration department had.
¡
Thepletion procedure wasn''t as cumbersome as before when he was being deployed. All he had to do was stamp a few scrolls with his medallion and then ended with the removal of the protection of the spirit calling bell from his body. The spirit calling bell had a limit on the number of people it could support, so the moment someonepleted their mission, before anything else they had to hurry back and finish theirpletion procedures at the deployment sector, so the spirit calling belling could have an empty slot for another person.
Once everything waspleted, Yang Qing went back out with a tired look longing for some much-needed rest in his abode before the events of the next day swarmed him. He didn''t have a case the next day because he would be having rehearsals for his uing ceremony that would be happening the day after tomorrow. In addition, he had been invited over to somece that terrified him even more than the Order. He wasn''t looking forward to going to that ce at all.
When he waspleting his deployment procedures, he received a call from his brother telling him that their mother asked him toe over for dinner tomorrow at the Yang family''s grounds, in the Glowing respite valley.
Before the Order, the Yang family had been the sole object of his nightmares. When he came to the Order, even if it also became a nightmare of its own, it still paled inparison to the dread he felt every time he saw some of his family members, especially his grandfather and some of his friends.
"Does mom want me to get killed, I hope she doesn''t tell them I''ming," Yang Qing fearfully thought as he made his way to his abode.
Chapter 225 Standard Regulatory Committee
Yang Qing didn''t waste any time getting back to his abode, leaving tomorrow''s problem for the future Yang Qing. Present Yang Qing needed a rest from it all, for the moment.
Once he arrived at the dream cloud abode he dropped the starlight crab off at his pond.
"Starlight, remember in the future your job will be to protect the fish in this pond from the greedy bird we came with." Yang Qing harped on as he exined to Starlight his new duties. He mixed a few threats and incentives in there as a good boss should. It was one of the few things he was grateful to the Order for. How to efficiently exploit those under you.
Starlight casually waved one of its ws in understanding and agreement. Its eyes were narrowed in pleasure at the moment as it soaked itself in the pond''s water. The pond had water with dense spiritual qi that was even denser than the cold Yin Lake it called home for the past 100 years. It also had a unique gentleness and bnce to it that seemed to be nourishing its body.
A few secondster it was shocked to find that not only was its body being restored and strengthened, but the feeling also started permeating to its soul too. The mental fatigue it had from trying to assimte the wisdom pearl from the cyclone arc prawn, was being washed away by the second.
Starlight couldn''t help but look at its new owner with a profound look of respect. It had only agreed to join Yang Qing only because of the wisdom pearl it was given. Other than that, it had no expectations, but now it was starting to feel like maybe it had lucked out with its new owner.
Yang Qing noticed every reaction of the Starlight crab from the moment it was inside the pond. He had a smug look to him when he saw how enamored the starlight crab was, with the ce. Such a reaction was to be expected because other than contributing his funds to the nesting project of the celestial nesting weaver, a bit of his ie and merit points went into that pond.
At surface value, it seemed simple, but it was iid with a blue grade formation array called the ''fifth binding seasons array'' which regted every minute condition of the water from its temperature, down to its Yin-Yang energy bnce. It created an uncountable number of variations that helped in the growth and survival of a wide number of species thus adding diversity to the pond. In addition to the formation array, there were a few spiritual herbs that were at the monarch rank whose job was to purify the water in the pond in addition to increasing the spiritual qi of the water. Yang Qing had even procured the services of a geomancy specialist in the Order to find the perfect position to build the pond.
The starlight crab''s reaction was to be expected considering the sheer amount of resources Yang Qing had poured into it. The pond in and of itself could rival the blessed grounds of some newly established rank 3 organization. The ce the starlight crab lived prior might as well have been a dung heap inparison.
"Please don''t eat the fish here, you can have one every three months but no more," said Yang Qing, but he immediately realized he was just being a worrywart for nothing when he saw the look the Starlight crab gave. It was simr to the one it gave him when he offered it some of the fish he had roasted. It was a look of derision and disdain. The starlight crab even pulled the wisdom pearl closer to himself, to ensure its point was driven across well.
Do you think I''d care about some fish when I have this? I''m not like that stupid bird that just sets its sights on anything. You may have given me a solid beating but you and that bird are clearlycking in sensibilities whenpared to me. But don''t worry since you gave me the wisdom pearl, I''ll help you with that, as it''s only right and proper I do so.
Yang Qing had a mildly puzzled look to him when he noticed the concerned and reaffirming gaze Starlight was giving him.
"What''s with that look? Do I have something on my face?" Yang Qing wondered as he checked himself using the reflection from the pond. When he didn''t find anything strange, he decided to ignore the matter and make his way to his courtyard.
"Starlight take care of yourself, oh and you can use this tomunicate though don''t make a habit of using it very much," Yang Qing said as he tossed a voice transmission pearl into the pond.
He didn''t even bother exining the pearl''s mechanism of operation to Starlight as he yawned leaving the confused Starlight behind.
"What I''m I supposed to do with this? Do I eat it, why does he keep insisting on feeding me stuff? Can it even be eaten?" Starlight wondered as it used the tip of one of its ws to cautiously probe the pearl.
"Forget it," It tossed the matter aside as its gaze fell on the wisdom pearl. The preliminary insights it had gotten from the first attempt had left it intoxicated for more. With its soul being refreshed by the pond''s water, it decided to continue on with the assimtion.
¡
"Seems like Yi Jie is still reinforcing his realm," Yang Qing muttered once he detected Yi Jie''s aura in the celestial nesting weaver''s nest.
"All the best old friend," said Yang Qing as he went into his courtyard whilst sighing. Ever since he had a taste of thefort of the celestial nesting weaver''s nest, resting in any other ce never felt quite the same to him. They always fell a little short.
Early the next morning someone from the administration department was already at his door. The person was from the Standard Regtory Committee. This was a branch of the administrative department that mostly handled induction training and ceremonies. They guided the members of the Order on what they were supposed to do and what was expected of them, whenever they went to a new station or were promoted.
For example, Yang Qing underwent induction when he graduated from the institute and became an outer core court judge, he had another when he moved to the inner core courts and thest he went through was when he moved to the superior core courts.
During those inductions, he was given a thorough guideline of his new duties, the privileges he enjoyed including remunerations, the clearance level, and the areas within the Order he had ess to, among other things. Every jump in level came with its own roles and responsibilities and the Standard Regtory Committee was in charge of guiding all Order employees in that regard, including filling in all members of the Order on any changes to the operating protocols and guidelines of the Order.
Their members were an erudite and meticulous sort. The person who hade to see Yang Qing was a young man who looked to be about 20 years old. Even though he looked young, he had an old person''s sternness and seriousness to him. Yang Qing almost flinched when he saw him because he got the same vibes from that member as he did from Lei Weiyuan.
He had short hair meticulouslybed with not a strand out of ce and had on ck and white robes that were perfectly straightened. Even his posture seemed measured to perfection along with his calm gaze and expression.
He had a fifth-stage core formation cultivation base which Yang Qing could tell had been given the same amount of meticulousness as he did to other areas of himself. It was perfectly polished to the extremes of what one could reach at the fifth level.
¡.
"Judge Yang Qing, my name is Song Guozhi and I''m the inductor attached to you during the duration of your ceremony up to the point you will officially begin your duties as an outer pce court judge.
In here you will find the schedule for tomorrow''s programme, along with the guest list of the different organizations that will being by," Song Guozhi said as he handed over a white jade talisman to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing used his spiritual qi to gain ess to the contents stored there. The sheer volume of the information stored in there made his pupils constrict in shock.
"Do I have to master all these?" Yang Qing cautiously asked as heughed dryly.
The organizations listed in there were in the thousands. In addition to their names, in-depth information on their background was also provided.
How many years have they been in existence, the minor and major changes that have affected them since they were founded, and the different leaders they have had over the years, which included their short bios, of which some were already deceased but their bio was provided nheless including their likes and dislikes.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder what he would need the information about the likes and dislikes of a deceased person for, during his ceremony. This was a little too overboard.
"One can never be too prepared, Judge Yang Qing, since you will be personally weing some of those guests. Having such in-depth information will be of benefit to you when you exchange greetings with them," Song Guozhi said without batting an eye.
"How would small talk reach the point of us discussing their long-dead ancestors?" Yang Qing inwardly wondered. But he kept all those doubts to himself because he had a feeling Song Guozhi wouldn''t amodate them.
They soon got on a carriage Song Guozhi had stationed outside his abode. They were making their way to the Order''s main building where Yang Qing would be picking up his ceremonial robe along with a few other artifacts he would need to put on during the ceremony.
After that, he would visit the grounds where the ceremony would be held. It was a 10,000-acre valley that had been specifically set aside for promotion ceremonies and graduation ceremonies. For the former, outside forces would be invited but for thetter, it was restricted to Order employees and the family of the students graduating.
Yang Qing couldn''t wait to get the next two days over with. Getting gifts was about the only thing he was looking forward to.
Chapter 226 Potential Leads
Inside the carriage, Yang Qing was given a few more talismans by Song Guozhi. They contained other relevant details that Yang Qing may need for his uing ceremony. Of course, the relevant part was only rtive to Song Guozhi. In Yang Qing''s case, he found all of it to be too tedious and cumbersome. He had doubts if he would even be able to use a third of what was stored in there.
Even though he felt it would be useless, he still gave it a read as the information stored there could be considered a good pass time read. If Mao Yunru had those talismans, the inner gossip hunter in her would have had a field day with it.
Yang Qing''s pupils had a sudden sh of insight as he was going through the information.
"Maybe I could use this to cut on the list of suspects. The amount of details stored in here could be used as reference points." Thought Yang Qing as he pulled out the first talisman he was given that had the guest list and their background.
The more he read it, the more his eyes lit up.
"Administrator Guozhi, thank you very much for all this information," Yang Qing suddenly said in excitement.
"I''m only doing my job," Song Guozhi curtly said showing no ripples in his emotion but Yang Qing being as intuitive as he was, detected a mild glint of pride sh in his eyes.
"This will definitely help cut down the time needed to search for Ma Yuan''s wife and daughter," thought Yang Qing as he increasingly admired the never-ending pile of information stored in the white jade talisman.
A few minutes ago it was a torturous object, but now, it was a priceless treasure. Yang Qing didn''t waste any time as he began closely analyzing the information stored in it, unlike the cursory nce he had taken earlier.
The more he read, the wider his smile grew. Song Guozhi who was seated next to him had a small smile tug on his lips once he saw the enthusiastic and excited appearance Yang Qing had when he read the information from the talisman.
"He''s not one of the youngest pce realm judges for nothing. His slovenly look sure can be misleading. I thought he was just another Lazy employee mooching off the Order''s graces but I''m d I was wrong.
Maybe I can enlist his support in one of my campaign reforms of increasing efficiency within the Order by increasing the range of duties of the judges that are stationed within the main headquarters. They can conduct investigations on existing cases whenever they are doing their evaluations thus freeing up the inquisitors to handle more cases, and when they are not in the field they can double up as instructors in the institute thus enabling the Institute to increase their intake capacity whilst also ensuring the quality of training is maintained.
All these will go a long way to helping the Orderbat its manpower issues. I already have enough support but adding an up-anding pce court judge wouldn''t hurt. But all that will have to wait tillter. For now, I need to do my job as meticulously as I can," thought Song Guozhi.
Yang Qing who had been joyously swallowing the information in the white jade talisman, froze suddenly. He felt a faint shiver in his spine almost as if some looming threat was upon him. He paused what he was doing and quickly deployed his pce sense around the carriage as he extended its range outwards. When he didn''t spot anything off, he opted to use his eyes as he stretched his head outside the carriage windows.
"Is old man Lei close by?" Yang Qing wondered. Usually, whenever he got that feeling, the old geezer was never far behind. He looked around for a minute and when he didn''t spot him, he decided to push the matter to the back of his mind.
"Maybe the ceremony is getting me paranoid?" thought Yang Qing as he dryly chucked.
"Judge Yang Qing is something wrong?" asked Song Guozhi with a slightly raised brow.
"No, it''s nothing. I thought I detected something but it must be my imagination. I''ve had a few tense days when I was out, I think my body is still in a heightened state," said Yang Qing as he politely smiled in apology for his sudden reaction.
"Mmmh." Song Guozhi merely nodded in response as a look of determination and affirmation shed in his eyes briefly.
Yang Qing didn''t seem to have noticed Song Guozhi''s strange look as he quickly went back to reviewing the information he was given. In that list, among the information stored on the background of the different organizations was a description of the cultivation art they practiced in addition to their geographical locations.
When it came to cultivation arts, the information was a bit vague only containing the briefest of exnations but when it came to the geographical information, it was a bit more in-depth. If an organization moved, it listed all the ces they had settled at and among the likes and dislikes listed on some of their members, personal rtionships were one of them.
Using the information he had gotten from Ma Yuan about the ces they lived at, he could use that information and corrte it with the list he had on hand and see if there were organizations that had alliances or bad rtionships with the organizations that ruled the ces Ma Yuan''s wife chose to live in. The list was pretty long along with the huge level of details, it would take him some time, but if he found anything, it would be a massive boost to the case.
¡
"Judge Yang Qing, Judge Yang Qing? We are already here."
Song Guozhi called Yang Qing a few times to alert him of their arrival at the courtroom grounds. It took them ten minutes to arrive, and by that time, Yang Qing was too deeply engrossed in the information to spare any thoughts on anything else including his surroundings. He had even forgotten he was in a carriage or where he was even headed at.
"Oh?" Yang Qing hazily acknowledged Song Guozhi''s call as he reluctantly put the talisman away.
They then proceeded to the internal logistics department. Its hall was just as massive as the one from the administration department. However, unlike the administration department, the internal logistics department was calmer and much more silent since the area was restricted to Order employees only.
There were employees from different departments walking around to different sections of the internal logistics department. There were no guides or even guards in the area. Even though the floor''s security seemedx, Yang Qing knew for a fact there was a purple-grade killing array in the hall that would kill 10 soul formation experts within a second of each other.
The reason for such an exaggerated and heightened security was simple; the area could be considered the Order''s treasury vault. All sorts of materials and artifacts across different grades were stored in the internal logistics department from spirit stones of all grades to spiritual herbs, metals, and other materials that ranged from the mortal rank up to the saint grade.
The sheer quantity and quality of what was stored in there were enough to fund over a dozen rank 1 organizations several times over. The area could be considered one of the main hubs that contributed to the operation of the Order.
Song Guozhi led Yang Qing to one of the sections named the ''ceremonial apparel section''. This was the location Yang Qing would be picking his robe. Inside was a gentle-lookingdy who had ck hair rolled into a bun with a few grey and white strands mixed in. She had a few wrinkles here and there but it did not take away from her beauty and rather added some wizened maturity to it.
Chapter 227 : Treasure Or Curse?
Both Yang Qing and Song Guozhi cupped their fists in greeting the moment they stepped through the doors of that section.
"Greetings, Assistant Director Jun Pei," they both said with respect in their tone.
The woman before them may look like any other kind-looking elder you may meet on the street who will buy you buns for greeting her with a smile, but she was a bonafide soul formation expert and one with significant weight within the Order at that.
Before being the Assistant Director of internal logistics, she had held different other posts. She was co-chair of the spirit council for some time, before that she was chief supervisor of the special inquisitors, and the time before that she was a chief trainer of the guards at the requiem who had the strictest training and standards when it came to their members. None of the posts she held were light, highlighting her strength and quality.
"Would you two like something to drink?" Assistant Director Jun Pei politely asked with a gentle smile as she pointed to the pot of tea on the table next to her.
Just from the quality of the steam it produced, Yang Qing knew it was quality stuff. If he came alone he would have dly epted, but he was here with Song Guozhi, he had doubts about whether the person would choose to indulge but based on his strict meticulous personality he didn''t think it was possible, and it turned out he was right as Song Guozhi politely declined soon after.
"Assistant Director Jun Pei we would like your assistance in getting Judge Yang Qing''s ceremonial robe along with the apanying artifacts for tomorrow''s pce court promotion ceremony.
Please find here the seal of approval," Song Guozhi said as he solemnly handed over a sealed scroll.
The assistant director waved her sleeves and the scroll unsealed itself revealing strange glyphs circling around the scroll whichter settled to form words.
"So you''re Yang Qing?" Assistant Director Jun Pei meaningfully said as she lightly chuckled.
Yang Qing awkwardly smiled at the connotation behind the question. No matter how soft and polite it sounded, he had a feeling there was nothing good behind the question. He couldn''t help but worry about what news of him has been spreading around the Order. He had caused a few righteous-driven actions over the years but he didn''t think those actions were enough to reach the ears of a renowned expert like Assistant Director Jun Pei.
"Is it old man Lei''s doing?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but worry.
"Congrattions on your promotion to the outer pce court judge Yang Qing. The Order has big expectations of you.
Give me a second as I get your robe and artifacts," Assistant Director Jun Pei said as she turned to face the grey in wall at her back.
"What does she mean by that? What expectations? I don''t want to be greatly expected, nothing good everes of it." Yang Qing''s countenance became increasingly worried. He didn''t even have the mood to admire the transformation that was happening to the wall behind Assistant Director Jun Pei.
The wall behind her transformed into some swirling gateway filled with grey mist that had small dazzling scripts floating around it. Within the grey mist, one could see a glimpse of a small silver-colored mountain. The grey mist was a transmission portal that led to a special grotto used by the internal logistics department. Only senior members, the assistant director and above could gain entry to that ce.
Assistant Director Jun Pei disappeared into the mist and came back a few minutester holding a folded dark blue robe with white linings, above it was a small white eagle medallion, a small needle-shaped artifact that was made of some sort of crystal and a green ne that looked like it was made of green vines intertwined together.
Yang Qing''s eyes shed with greed the moment his eyes fell on the things Assistant Director Jun Pei came out with. A faint auspicious mist seemed to be leaking from them.
"All of them, saint grade," Yang Qing muttered in a greedy daze. His eyes were wide open, his jaws hanging loose, and his tongue slurping all over the ce.
His fingers were itching to grab them but he held them back since they were in the hands of a former trainer of the guards of Requiem and chief supervisor of special inquisitors. Both these ces were filled with dangerous people who had special expertise that made evil cultivators seem like saints. There was no way he would risk grabbing something from someone who trained those monsters and was even their head at some point in time.
"This is the blue universe enve robe. It''s filled with arrays that will defend against the full-blown attack of a soul master cultivator at the soul formation realm. The protection willst for a full hour.
The crystal needle on top of it is the veiled destiny void domain crystal. It will iste your karma and protect you from having your karma probed or interfered with. It also doubles as a protection for your soul especially in regards to karmic spells and will heighten your senses to that of a peak domain realm, however, don''t use that aspect lightly since it takes its toll on the soul and mental sea. The safe duration of use is thirty minutes.
The ne is made from a 500,000-year-old green silkworm vine and will boost the regeneration of your body instantly should it be obliterated in an attack. It will also react to ghost and corpse qi and also to faint murderous intent directed at you.
As for the medallion, it will be used to temporarily raise the level of your own medallion so you can control the arrays and other protection mechanisms that will be on the tform you will be standing at." Assistant director Jun Lei patiently exined.
"Please take out your medallion so I can merge it with this one," she added.
Yang Qing took out his medallion as asked and gave it to Assistant Director Jun Lei. The Assistant Director formed a few seals and the medallion she had, turned into a grey translucent corporeal form that surrounded Yang Qing''s medallion and seamlessly merged into it.
Yang Qing''s medallion was still gold colored, however, it had a faint silver luster to it, around the eyes of the eagle in the medallion.
"I can take them now?" Yang Qing eagerly asked. He couldn''t wait to try them on.
"You can, oh I almost forgot, pardon my forgetful mind," Assistant Director Jun Lei said as she lightly chuckled.
"You will need to hand these items back exactly one hour after your ceremony ends. Every minute you dy returning it, you will be fined 1,000 high-grade spirit stones. If one hour passes and you still haven''t returned it, at the sixty-first-minute mark, the fine you owe will double to 120,000 high-grade spirit stones with increments of 20,000 high-grade spirit stones every five minutes.
If it crosses the three-hour mark, special inquisitors will be sent after you for repossession of the items and all treasures and wealth under your name will be confiscated as reparations for the dy. So do make sure you bring it on time," Assistant Director Jun Lei said with the kindest and gentlest smile ever.
Yang Qing who was eager to grab the items, flinched midway as his skin grew pale in an instant.
"Dir..rr¡rr¡.r¡rrr..r..rr..ector what you said?" Yang Qing stammered as he asked to confirm what he had just heard.
"It''s all true,"
"Can I not take them?"
"You could, but you do know there is a huge risk of being assassinated during your ceremony right? Even with experts of the Order being present, an attack can still get to you before they react, as you well know it has happened before, but if you are that confident in yourself, I''d be happy to take them back," Assistant Director Jun Lei said in a teasing tone.
"I''ll take it," Yang Qing weakly said as he took the items. His hands trembled slightly as he picked them up. What had been a treasure had now turned into a cursed object that had the ability to destroy him.
"Order is really ruthless, these are just saint-grade treasures. How many do they have? Do they need to be this strict about it? If I got those fines how many years would I have to work for free? Could it be....?" Yang Qing had a bold scary thought that made him flinch and turn in time to see a cunning glint sh in Assistant Director Yun Lei''s eyes.
"Assistant Director Yun Lei thank you for your assistance, I wish you a nice day, we have a lot to do please don''t see us out," Yang Qing nervously said as he quickly dragged Song Guozhi on his way out.
"We sure have been getting a lot of interesting kids ofte," Assistant Director Yun Lei muttered to herself as she resumed drinking her tea with a cheeky smile hanging on her face.
Chapter 228 Test Of The Domain Realm
"Judge Yang Qing, why did you do that? I get that you''re excited about your day tomorrow, but haste is an act of impropriety."
Song Guozhi chastised Yang Qing as he straightened his robes showing clear displeasure on his face as he did it.
"Sorry about that, " Yang Qing awkwardly said as he smiled foolishly with remorse in his eyes, especially when he saw Song Guozhi use a bunch of spells to straighten his robes over and over again.
"Isn''t this a bit too much? I didn''t even drag him for that long," thought Yang Qing as he saw three minutes in, Song Guozhi was still not done with straightening his robes.
Yang Qing used that brief pause to stare at the hot potato in his hands. After the generous exnation from Assistant Director Jun Lei, those saint-grade treasures had lost their allure to him. Right now they were nothing more than dangers that had the potential to sink him further into poverty and a resultant ve of the Order, which he suspected was the Order''s long-term n. Yang Qing the inciter may need toe out of retirement and make the noble sacrifice of revealing the Order''s intentions to the public before it was toote.
However, all that would be left forter as he had present predicaments to deal with in the form of the three saint-grade treasures. Despite wishing he could leave them behind and have absolutely nothing to do with them, he had to bring them with him.
The Order along with its meteoric rise in power and fame, also had enemies that grew in direct corrtion to their power. Those enemies would target them in all sorts of locations including their own backyard.
The Order has always held a public ceremony in the promotion of its judges. This was done with a number of reasons in mind. For one; it was to bridge the gap between the judges and the public since they dealt with them all the time in their courtrooms and for another it was a show of force to the outside world.
Of course, the Order still hid a bulk of its power by not disclosing some of its members or power distribution of its forces like the inquisitors or guards of requiem among other branches whose identities needed as much secrecy as possible, but when it came to their judges they were all too d to show them off and make a spectacle out of it, so as to buildup their own prestige.
However, that didn''t always go so well for the Order. Since its founding, there have been a few judges who have died during their ceremony and some severely injured, especially those in the lower realms like the core formation realm or the pce realm.
However, despite these dangers surrounding the ceremony, the Order has firmly maintained the ceremony, never once have they considered postponing it. The ceremony could be considered a battle of sorts. It was the Order vs everyone else, and for the Order to remain truly effective in their duties that was a battle they could not shy away from.
Though even if they were determined to raise their prestige at all costs, the Order wasn''t reckless about it. Every judge was a talent that they have spent considerable effort and resources to nurture. Their death and injury despite their cultivation realm, was a loss the Order would not want to swallow if they could help it. Thus over the years, they have fine-tuned their protective mechanism to ensure the increase of survivability of the judge at the center of the ceremony, and in the past 50 years, there has not been a single death or injury, all thanks to their continuous efforts and also the sacrifice of those who died or got injured.
¡
Yang Qing sighed lightly as he tightly held the three saint-grade items. With them in hand, it was starting to sink in he was finally moving to the pce courts.
It took him seven bitter years, but he finally made it up to a new stage with different challenges and the most important part, better pay, hopefully, fewer working hours and he was a tiny bit closer to getting out of the thumbs of Lei Weiyuan and bing his boss.
Of course, thetter part of the equation was impossible since he would need to atleast be in the soul formation realm and may be a member of the spirit council or Judicial reviewmittee before he could be considered his boss, but getting out of Lei Weiyuan''smand was a real possibility since all he needed to do was graduate to the domain courts.
"I wonder how long that will take." Yang Qing inwardly wondered. While breaking through to the pce realm was fairly easy with respect to the monsters from the Order, the holynds, or some of the top tier rank 1 or 2 organizations but when it came to the domain realm it was a different matter.
Geniuses, monsters, and the top average, who had some chance to break through to the domain realm would all need considerable time and preparation to break through to the domain realm despite their considerable resources and level of talent. While one could be considered a true cultivator the moment one stepped into the pce realm, one would be considered a different being the moment one stepped into the domain realm.
The power to level an entire nation, tten the mountains, render the sky asunder, split the rivers, and destroy space, all this power within a single being. This was the power of a domain expert, but it came at a cost and that cost was trading your life and surviving the tribtion that came in the advancement to the domain realm. The moment that tribtion fell, it fell with everything it had, subjecting the cultivator facing it, to judgment.
Are you worthy of the power and the title ''Domain''? Will your foundational dao survive the mettle? Is your will able to surmount a tribtion that makes the whole world quake?
The tribtion judged everything about the person facing it and if your heart flinched for even a second while facing it, your death was all but guaranteed, no matter how sturdy or powerful your dao foundations were.
When breaking through to the domain realm, it''s either you will be a domain expert at the end of it, or you will be a cautionary tale of the has been genius who came this close to glory but fell short in the end.
Cultivators could survive failing their tribtions in the core formation realm or pce realm but breaking through to the domain realm, was either sess or death, there was no middle ground. Every domain expert no matter their background or the quality of the domains, was worthy of respect because having that cultivation base was not only a title but proof that they risked their lives without flinching and made it through.
In some circles, breaking through to the domain realm was considered more dangerous than even breaking through to the soul formation realm because for thetter there have been a few survivors though pitifully few who survived failure in breaking through to the soul formation realm, but when it came to the domain realm, since time immemorial no one has ever survived after failing their tribtion. There have been some who had their bodies remain intact, but that was it.
This is why there are countless pce realm experts who are at the peak of their realm and have the qualifications of breaking through to the domain realm, but they never do it. They never trigger their tribtion to undergo the test because they know whatever awaits them is either death or sess and the chances of thetter were slim at that. Those odds deterred most, which was why some, would rather spend their whole lives in the peak of the pce realm and maybe extend their lives using some treasures when they hit their life expectancy limits, rather than risk losing their lives to the domain tribtion.
The Order continuously warns its members to take their time and not be in haste to reach the domain realm. Strengthening and polishing one''s dao is easy but preparing the will was the part that required time. Only experience and being tried over time could ensure your will was strong enough since willpower was not a talent but something borne out of experience. This is why you could find even a 17-year-old pce realm expert but you would be hard-pressed to find a 35-year-old domain expert. The pce realm could be considered as nothing but a bridge.
...
Yang Qing decided to push the matter to the back of his mind. He still had a few hurdles to go through before he could even consider sniffing the domain realm. One of them was the ceremony tomorrow which he hoped would pass by without a hitch and the other was realizing the gift of the purple core that would bloom when he was in theter stages of the pce realm.
From what he was told by some of the instructors from the institute, when he realizes that gift, his chances of breaking through to the domain realm would be significantly higher. The purple core despite the enormous efforts and requirements needed to attain it, had no difference from the gold core when one was in the core formation realm, however the moment one stepped into theter stages of the pce realm, the true brilliance of a purple core reveals itself then.
Yang Qing still had no clue what it was but he was told it was well worth the effort it took to get the purple core and more. Yang Qing hoped it was true since gaining the peerless jade body which was one of the prerequisites of forming a purple core, hade almost at the cost of his life, and worse if he died it would have been at the hands of his crazy experimental family''s hands. It was why he was so fearful of them.
Chapter 229 Yang Family (1)
Every peerless jade physique had its own way of being cultivated, and there was no sure way of doing it. It was the only stage of the body refining realm where there was no clear-cut way of achieving it, unlike the rest where various means had been devised.
Those means may deviate from person to person or organization to organization but despite the differences, the results could always be replicated from one person to the next and from every generation to the next.
But when it came to the peerless jade physique, things run a little differently. For one, almost every peerless jade physique was unique to the owner, it was rare to find two people with the exact same peerless jade physique. The next was the results of gaining that physique could not be replicated. You could do everything down to the minutae of details but that did not guarantee you gaining a peerless jade physique.
To date, it''s unknown what exactly is the requirement of gaining a peerless jade physique since the methods of getting it couldn''t be replicated, it meant there was another intangible factor at y that the cultivation world was unaware of.
For Yang Qing to break through from the diamond body to the peerless jade physique his family had sealed him in a hole that was lined with strange seals that isted and blinded all his senses except one, the sense of touch, which was amplified a couple of notches. He couldn''t see, hear, smell, or taste anything when he was in there, but his sense of touch was the only one that remained untouched and had its sensitivity amplified a couple of levels higher.
In addition to the seals, the hole was also filled with a strange brew that reached the midway point of the hole. The hole was about 100 meters tall and the brew was filled up to the 50-meter mark. So when Yang Qing was thrown in there, he was basically fully submerged in the liquid.
To date, Yang Qing could still smell the stench of that brew as though it was right there on his skin. It looked benign with its light green in color and had an alternating viscosity. Sometimes it would be sticky and the next second it had the viscosity of melted snow. The same alternation came to its smell. It smelled like spring in one moment, the next it was dry like the cold winds of a desert, it carried a hot scalding scent in one second and the next it had a freezing effect to it.
It had alternating properties and about the only thing that was constant, was the light green color. Yang Qing could remember how vehemently he had refused to go in that hole. Everything within him was screaming he would surely die if he fell in there to the strange concoction, but his family would hear none of it, even when he said he was okay with having a diamond body. But hisints fell on deaf ears and to the wrong audience at that.
When he fell in, he lost all his senses in an instant with the exception of touch. Everything he dreaded came to reality. He got subjected to the most gruesome pain he had ever endured. With extreme touch sensitivity, he felt as if the brew was made of a billion fire ants gnawing at his skin, then magma got poured in the gaps they created. A few secondster he felt as if every innard, every cell was being subjected to extreme cold that pierced everything. He couldn''t see, smell, or hear anything but his skin''s senses painted a vivid picture.
There was no doubt in his mind, he would have died in that hole had he not broken through to the peerless jade physique. When he regained his senses, his body was slowly repairing itself as most of the muscles had been eaten away by the brew. He had even lost all the skin in his left arm and was nothing but bone, that was half red and half white. It would have dissolved too had he not broken through.
At the time, Yang Qing wanted to give his n members a beating especially his grandfather who was the ringleader behind the whole thing, but seeing their fervent eyes at the time he knew it was a lost cause.
Those lunatics would have dly epted the beating with zero remorse and he had no doubts that maybe they may have even created some crazy hypothesis from it like giving someone a beating after breaking through solidifies the body''s foundations or those receiving a beating from someone with a higher body refining stage would get deep insights from that beating. He couldn''t put anything past them since their devotion to the body-refining realm was greater than even their own lives. Just like how they were ruthless to him, they were just as ruthless to themselves. A few members have died in that pursuit. This was just who the Yang family was.
....
The Yang family despite being a rank 5 n or a rankless n during certain eras, has remained in existence for atleast 1,000 years which was rare for a n of its power level.
There were a number of factors behind that, some of them being that they had built a few connections here and there to guarantee their survival but they also kept to themselves.
The Yang family''s base was at the peak of some mountain that had nothing of importance around it for kilometers. Other than a few spiritual herbs here and there in which there was none that had reached the sky rank, there was nothing of value in their home base or the immediate surroundings.
This barrenness became a barrier of protection for them and they also had a reputation for being lunatics more specifically body refining lunatics. This reputation ensured there were few groups or people that wanted anything to do with them and the source of this reputation originated from their founder, Yang Wu.
Their founder was someone who wasn''t blessed with much talent for sensing qi thus even stepping into the qi refinement realm proved to be a daunting task.
For some reason unbeknownst to future generations, that founder was unresigned to his fate of never cultivating thus he devised to find an alternate route to his predicament. If his body was the reason he couldn''t sense qi properly maybe he could fix it using body refining techniques. Thus his journey in body foundation began.
Chapter 230 [Bonus ]Yang Family (2)
With a direction and a goal in mind, the founder poured himself wholly into refining his body. He used every avable resource he had in that venture. Yang Qing never thought of it at the time when he was a baby listening to the stories of their founder from his parents, butter when he was recalling the stories of the person he med for his misery, he couldn''t help but suspect their founder may have been part of a family or organization with significant wealth.
While the body refining stage could be considered the lowest realm of cultivation, it was by no means a cheap endeavor, especially if you wanted to break through different stages. You needed enormous volumes of herbs and special natural treasures working in tandem to refine the body, which also meant you needed to either be good in alchemy and herbology or have the services of a good alchemist. In addition, you also needed a good diet as fuel for the body to support its growth. If one were to do the numbers, you''d find you would spend more improving in the body refining stage than you did in the foundation establishment realm despite both realms being two major levels apart.
Yang Qing had no idea how someone with no backing and no cultivation base was able to experiment with the body refining stage as their founder did.
Years went by as he poured resources and time into improving his body. He may have not had talent in sensing qi but when it came to being determined and ruthless to himself, he had it in spades. He had passable skills in alchemy and the willingness to experiment on anything of which Yang Qing never knew why he was so insistent, especially considering what happened next.
The founder damaged and healed his body over the years and did make some progress in the early phases of body refining stages. He had evolved from someone who didn''t know much, to someone who had created countless methods to achieve an iron body, bronze body, and silver body. However, despite the progress he made, time run out for him since the body refining stages never added any life expectancy of a person except for the diamond body or the peerless jade body. With time running out he started a family and poured his obsession into his children. To his dying breath, he made them share the same fanaticism he had with the body refining stage and slowly it became a thing.
Every generation of the Yang family would pour all they had into discovering the mysteries of the body refining stage. It was to the point that some had even foregone cultivating to the qi refinement realm despite having a talent for cultivation. They instead poured all their resources and time into the body refining realm and then they would spread that same idealogy to the next generation even embellishing some details.
It spiraled to the point that the Yang family created their own ethos. They believed that body refining held countless mysteries which if continuously discovered could help a cultivator directly jump levels and there was no limit to how many levels one could skip. The only limit was the person''s understanding of their own body. They even said that the current cultivation trend was living proof that the body was the door and qi was just one of the world''s many keys to unlocking it.
Where is the dantian produced? the body
What senses and absorbs qi? The body
Where do pirs and corese from? The body.
Could a cultivator form these things if they didn''t have a body?
To them, if they explored the body enough, they surmised one could even jump to the pce realm in a single leap with the firmest of foundations and they could even have a higher lifespan than what a normal pce realm cultivator would have.
With such thoughts in mind, the Yang family members would rarely actively move past the body-refining stage. The only times they did breakthrough to higher cultivation realms was to further their research into the body refining stage to see if improvements could be made if one was in the qi refinement or foundation establishment realm. They made a few hypotheses that there could be certain conditions that were required to unlock even more levels of the body refining stage.
Their dedication wasn''t without its fruits. Their skills in alchemy in rtion to the human body were exhaustive, which was why when they decided to join Yang Qing after he passed his examinations at the Order, the Medical Valley recruited them, along with other divisions like the alchemy division and also the Institute.
In the 1,000 years since the family was started, while they have never had anyone with the peerless jade physique except Yang Qing, they have had two or three members with the Diamond body physique and over a dozen gold body physique and countless silver body physique.
Their insights, especially in the first three stages i.e. iron body, bronze body, and silver body could be considered to be the most extensive that even the Order incorporated their insights as part of the curriculum at the institute. The Yang family was all too d to share its findings with the Order at almost zero cost in exchange for having a slew of students which Yang Qing called unwitting subjects in their body refinement endeavors.
The Order was the perfect haven for them, endless supply of resources and countless people with enormous talent to test their findings on. Yang Qing could remember how his grandfather and his cohorts had eyes reddened with excitement at how much their research would grow at the Order. In all his life, he has never seen his grandfather and the other elders cry, but on that day a bunch of old men with sturdy odd looking bodies wept as they hugged each other outside the gates of the Order after which they proceeded to enthusiastically greet the young kids with no cultivation who passed them by.
...
"Judge Yang Qing? Judge Yang Qing? We are already at the Star blooming mist valley."
Yang Qing who had been in a daze all this while was pulled back to his senses by Song Guozhi''s call.
They had arrived at the venue for his ceremony tomorrow, the Star blooming mist valley, a ce that exhibited the true grandeur of the Order. It was nothing short of a dreamscape.
Chapter 231 Variant Spirit Vein
The breathtaking view of the Star blooming mist valley destroyed all the foreboding thoughts that Yang Qing had of his impending family dinner and whether his grandfather together with his cohorts would try to pull something during said dinner.
The valley before him washed everything away. The Order had spent the same amount of effort and resources into the valley, that they did when creating the Institute, the Courtroom building, or the Requiem prison.
All three of these ces were core to the functioning of the Order, whereas the Star blooming mist valley was and that all throughout the year would be used once or twice. However, despite its minimal usage, the Order still spent world breaking level of resources building it. Their abodes were the only ce that seemed to have been neglected in terms of resources used especially when you concentrated on the areas those in the core formation or the pce realm lived at. This was one of the underlying factors that made Yang Qing suspect that the Order had every intention of working them to the bone otherwise why would they spend the least amount of resources In their employees'' abodes?
...
"I wonder how much they spent on this?" Yang Qing wondered as he admired the scenery before him.
The valley was gently sloping and had grass that was uniform in size. Even though they looked like regr grass, every single de present was a monarch-grade herb, with a couple of ascendant-grade herbs mixed in. They served no other purpose than adding a cool and refreshing feel to the ce.
The whole valley was also surrounded by a milky white mist with flickering stars. The starry mist was a result of a variant spirit vein that was in the ground below the valley. That vein was also responsible for the grandeur of the ce including such dense spiritual essence that it put the dark valley to shame. Yang Qing''s body even started circting by itself because the qi was not only dense but it seemed to have whispers of the dao along with faint roars of an auspicious beast.
The manifestation of dao within the spiritual qi was a characteristic of one type of spirit vein and that was the ancestral dragon spirit vein something that could only be seen in the holynds, a few long-standing rank 1 organizations that could essentially be considered quasi-holynds and some hidden organizations.
Ancestral dragon veins were spiritual meridians that gained some sort of conscious spirituality and were touched by the origin source of the. If they were to be ssified in terms of treasures they could be considered a quasi-origin treasure whose very nature was tied to the fundamental rules of the and in some sense could be considered indivisible from it. Treasures of this nature were considered nigh indestructible and inexhaustible.
The spiritual qi of an ancestral dragon vein would never dry up no matter how much it was used since its very existence was tied to the. As long as the existed so would it. Having an ancestral dragon vein was a guarantee of the continuity and survival of any organization or race that owned it because its very existence could be considered eternal.
The vein not only provided dense spiritual qi but the dao whispers that apanied it were also useful to those that were within its sphere of influence. It helped cultivators in gaining insights into different forms of dao thereby creating a route for them to the pce realm which was tied to a cultivator''s understanding of the dao and when it came to natural herbs and artifacts, the dao whisper exposure increased their likelihood of awakening their spirituality.
However, it wasn''t without its drawbacks. Cultivators with weak foundations such as those in the foundation establishment realm and below and even some core formation experts, could not survive more than a minute around it. The dao whispers would drive them insane and the dense spiritual qi also came with a heaviness that could crush a body-refining realm expert into a bloody paste. This was why the Order spent considerable resources to carve formations that reduced the effects of the ancestral dragon vein in certain areas of the valley.
There were octagon-shaped blue jade tforms all around the valley which was the area the guests sat. Some of those tforms had been inscribed with those formations to aid the guests with weak cultivation bases to be able to survive in the area.
Currently, the location was filled with various staff members from different departments and divisions such as the formation hall and the craftsmanship division. They were doing their final touches to the ce to make sure everything was in order.
Yang Qing was guided around the area by Song Guozhi, being shown which guests sat where, and where he would be weing the guests among other things. It wasn''t his first time here since he went through the same thing when he started as an outer core court judge.
However, there was a difference between then and now, one of them being the range of the guest list. The number that would being for the celebration tomorrow was over hundred times what he got when he started. It was to be expected since therger part of the cultivation world of the Southern continent would not be concerned about some new core formation judge no matter how much talent he had, but it was a different case if it was someone at the pce realm.
Someone at that level would draw eyes from various powerhouses who would want to pay close attention to how powerful the new pce realm judge from the Order really is and use the information to measure them against their own people. It was also a way for them to roughly gauge the power level of the Order and even extrapte their potential power level in the future based on present findings. For example, a present pce realm cultivator could be a future domain expert in 100 years. With such summations, these powers could guess the power distribution of the Order over the years.
As the man of the hour, Yang Qing was greeted enthusiastically by the staff members present as he gave them a smug humble polite nod in return. He even changed his walking style and gait to try and seem more refined.
It took them almost three hours before Song Guozhi finally finished guiding Yang Qing on all the procedures and forms of decorum he needed to do tomorrow. In addition, much to Yang Qing''s pleasure he even gave him a prepared speech which he could use should he need it. Yang Qing warmly epted it as he made a promise to return the favor should Song Guozhi ever need it. He had done it as a form of politeness and didn''t expect someone like Song Guozhi who was a picture of propriety to ept his offer. However, despite the surprise, he wasn''t too worried about what type of favor Song Guozhi would ask for. Based on his personality it wouldn''t be something out there and if Yang Qing could help he would only be too d to do so.
After they left the Star blooming mist valley, they both went their separate ways. Song Guozhi went to finalize a few matters while Yang Qing decided to use the little brief time he had before his dreaded dinner at the Yang''s to check on Ma Yuan.
Zheng Hu had checked him at one of the courtyards within the Order called the White River pearl courtyard. It was a quaint ce for someone who wanted some peace and quiet. Ma Yuan seemed at ease in the ce, he even seemed a bit younger, especially with the new pristine white robes he had on, and the little grooming he had done.
Yang Qing didn''t stay too long with him and had onlye to fill him in on the potential leads he had gotten from the jade talismans he had gotten from Song Guozhi on tomorrow''s guest list. He also came to give him an invitation to his promotion ceremony as a form of much-needed distraction for Ma Yuan who was all too d to ept it since he has been a bundle of nerves from the moment Yang Qing agreed to help him find his wife and daughter.
After exchanging a few words, Yang Qing left and made his way to the Glowing Respite Valley. The time had finally arrived for him to show his face at the Yang family''spound. He had also heard from Zheng Hu that the Zou siblings were at his family''s ce. Despite his reservations, he had to go home at all costs lest those two siblings turn into unwitting guinea pigs at the hands of his family even before they had a chance to take their examination.
"I hope they are at the Medicine Valley...I can''t believe I a pce realm cultivator am afraid of a bunch of old men at the foundation establishment realm. I''d be aughing stock if other people heard this, especially that bastard Hung," Yang Qing thought as he ruefully smiled at his trembling hands.
Chapter 232 Yang Qings Family (1)
Yang Qing decided to grab Ellie and make his way to the w section of the Glowing Respite Valley. If he was going to suffer, he would rather bringpany to share the suffering with him, and Ellie was the best partner for that.
He had zero qualms about exposing her to whatever dangers that may or may not be in his home. She''d been stealing from him for too long and after the stunt she pulled a few days ago with the Scion of the Golden bamboo pavilion, Yang Qing felt no guilt whatsoever about potentially subjecting her to torment. In fact, some part of him in the deepest recess of his petty soul, hoped that Ellie would be targetted.
Ellie who has had a few brushes with the Yang family showed visible fear at going with Yang Qing to his family''s ce, but at Yang Qing''s ''polite'' request she could onlyply but not before scoring a few constion prizes here and there in the form of fish, from Yang Qing, which oddly enough, didn''t refuse which made Ellie only warier. But she soon resolved herself to whatever will happen, will happen. It was not like there was any way out for her.
Thus the duo, one bird, and one young man, mopingly made their way to the w section of the Glowing Respite Valley. The w section was the area the families of the employees of the Order settled at and those students who had no families or guardians. They were given simple courtyards to settle in when they were on holiday or breaks from the Institute even though as students they would also have other amodations within the institute.
The system was put in ce to help create a sense of cohesion between all members of the Order be it the families or the students.
...
Yang Qing had endless sighs, while Ellie had low whimpering chirps the closer they got to the valley, at some point it even seemed like Ellie was frozen in midair because of how slow she flew. Yang Qing had noints about it since he was in no hurry to reach his family''s ce either. But even with the dy tactics, they eventually still reached the w section of the Glowing Respite Valley.
Even though the area could be considered a ce that housed the families and rtives of Order employees, it looked no different than an established city. There were businesses all around, from markets, to restaurants, to smithies to alchemy shops and other cultivation-rted businesses.
There seemed to be some form of order and structure to the arrangement of the area, especially when it came to the arrangement of the buildings and the business.
The sun was already down but the area was still packed with people. Cultivators of all ages and gender were moving about with liveliness about them. The streets had white glowing por trees which was the source of light to the area. It added some beauty to the area with fireflies dancing around it with their golden glows and the night clear skies above that were filled with a cluster of stars.
Originally the area wasn''t this way. When the Order just started, the area was as lifeless as a graveyard. The area was about the size of a medium-scaled province of a rank 2 Empire. It was around 470,000 square kilometers. Because of how big the area was and the few families around, there was raremunication and interaction between the families or the people from the Order. As time progressed, the poption of the Order grew as a consequence of its increasing reputation. This increase in number was also reflected on the families'' side. Of the entrants, some came with their immediate families, while others came with their whole ns. Slowly over time, the nk vacuum in the area got filled and a town grew from that.
The area was partitioned into two areas. The first half of the area was where the businesses and other recreational facilities were, basically the town of the ce, while thetter half was where the residences of the families and other students were located.
Yang Qing and Ellie slowly made their way past the town ignoring the bluster and liveliness of it all as they moved in the Northwest direction of the region, where the Yang family was located.
...
"I guess I can''t ignore this forever, luckily I don''t seem to sense Grandpa around or any of the other elders," thought Yang Qing as he stared down at the grid system courtyards below him. There was an entrance gate with a board with the name Yang above it. There was no guard at the entrance since it seemed a bit silly to have one and even before they moved, the Yang family never paid any heed to anything else that wasn''t tied to body refinement.
....
"Let''snd Ellie," said Yang Qing.
Ellie gently glided toward one of the courtyards in the middle right side.
The courtyard had a white color wall that had green lush vinestching onto it, it had grey tiled roofs and a high Horse-head wall with a small makeshiftke surrounding it.
There were other courtyards with simr designs which made the area seem like it had been built on top of water. The air surrounding the area had a refreshing river smell, and it was also mixed in with the smell of herbs.
Elliended in one of thend patches in the courtyard as Yang Qing made his way to one of the houses where he had detected his mom, his older brother, and sister-inw along with their two kids who were both sons. In addition, he also detected Zou Yi and Zou Liqin there.
...
"Hey Mom, Gen, sister Yao, Huan''er, Xie''er, Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, how are you all doing?" Said Yang Qing as he greeted his mom, brother, sister-inw, his two nephews, and the Zou siblings respectively.
When he got into the house he found the group all seated around the table waiting on a fair gentle looking slender middle-ageddy to ce a red y pot on the table.
The middle-ageddy had a simple bun with a few strands here and there and a calm-inducing aura and smile to her. Her hair was ck with matching eyes and bore a faint resemnce to Yang Qing and the 30-year-old gentleman that was seated at the table, who had short ck hair, a look to him that made him seem polite and a person of few words. He had on white robes that had a few smudges here and there like something had spilled on them.
Next to him was ady with red hair and an aura that was hisplete opposite. At a nce, she seemed like the lively and outgoing type. She had a charming beauty with long curly hair.
At the other side of the table were two siblings, one of them had red hair and the other ck and they resembled the 30-year-old man and the red-haireddy. The one with red hair seemed to be the older one and looked to be seven while the younger one looked to be five.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin were seated next to them. They had on brand new light orange robes on and had an air of shy reservation to them but that changed when they spotted Yang Qing as their eyes shone with excitement.
The look of excitement wasn''t them alone as the other two brothers next to them looked excited to see Yang Qing.
Chapter 233 [Bonus ]Yang Qing’s Family (2)
"For a moment there, I didn''t think you''de, Qing''er," said the middle-ageddy as she handed Yang Qing another pot to ce at the table.
"I wouldn''t have missed it, I did tell Gen I''de and I didn''t want to miss your cooking either," said Yang Qing as he grinned foolishly.
"I told you it would work," said the red-haireddy to the polite-looking man next to her called Gen who only smiled at her response.
Yang Qing''s love for food which bordered on obsession was because of his mom. As body refinement specialists, diet was a keyponent to the goals of the Yang family so they put a lot of effort into developing their cooking skills to maximize the benefits they could get from the food.
However, efficiency didn''t always equate to vor. Most of the meals were nd except when it came to his mother. She was skilled in the nutritional aspect just as she was in realizing the vors of the food.
Yang Qing may not admit it, but her cooking was the only reason he never ran away back then when he had been ''weed'' into the Yang family way.
"You didn''te with that lovely girl Mao Yunru this time?" Yang Qing''s mom meaningfully asked as she smiled lightly.
"I don''t know what you mean Mom. I''ve had a busy day because of tomorrow''s event so I haven''t had a chance to see her," Yang Qing replied with a deadpan face like he was making a report to a superior.
His mother cast a long look at him before she slightly chuckled and said," You haven''t changed one bit,"
She ruffled his hair lovingly and added,
"Luckily your brother gave me some grandkids, if I had to depend on you..."
She left a few things unsaid but the meaning was clear which drew someughs from his brother and wife while Yang Qing was stuck with a reddened embarrassed face.
"Uncle Yang Qing, tell us a story," Yang Huan his red-haired nephew boisterously asked with excitement in his voice. His younger brother, Yang Xie seemed equally as excited as he looked at Yang Qing with round eager eyes.
Yang Qing''s shameless bragging talents came in handy in these situations where he''d get to y the uncle with cool stories who led an active life.
Over the years he has regaled them with tales of how he gambled with dragons, barbecued with phoenix mes, raced a golden roc, and won, along with other embellished tales. No matter how unbelievable his stories sounded, his nephews believed every word and always looked forward to his visits so they could listen to more stories.
"Not now, butter I promise I will. " Yang Qing said as he ruffled both their hair when he saw how downcast they seemed.
"By the way Gen, where is Dad?" Yang Qing suddenly asked after he ced thest pot on the table.
The question had been directed to the 30-year-old polite-looking man across the table from him. Just like Yang Qing, he too has endured the torture of the Yang family however he showed an acumen for alchemy which saved him from following Yang Qing''s path of being the Yang family''s guinea pig. Though being an alchemist helped him, it was only by a tiny bit since he would asionally be ''consulted'' on a few things.
"Dad is at the institute, he said he had a lot to prepare for with the uing intake so he wouldn''t be able to make it," Yang Gen said with an awkward smile.
"His hiding from grandfather, isn''t he?" asked Yang Qing.
Yang Gen gently nodded as the two brothers and the red-haireddy shared a reuful smile.
"Grandpa really did a number on him," Yang Qing slowly muttered as he shook his head.
Their grandfather had inherited the Yang founder''s personality and passion when it came to excavating the mysteries of the body-refining realm to the point that some even suspected he was the incarnation of their founder. He only had one child, their father. His father got subjected to all sorts of tests since he was a child that it made what Yang Qing endured seem like a vacation.
His fatherter run away from home when he couldn''t take it and only came back after he had broken through to the foundation realm so he could be deemed ''unusable'' for any future body-refining experiments. However, he had grossly underestimated his father''s, their grandfather''smitment to the body-refining physique.
A new level of torment soon ensued as his father was used as a test subject on some more hypotheses. Those tests bore some fruit which prompted their grandfather to also break through to the foundation establishment realm to try and increase their efficiency of study. The torment only stopped when their father broke through to the core formation realm which only happened after they came to the Order. Moving here served as a blessing to him since he got a job at the institute as one of the foundational instructors in body refining. This ensured he would spend as little time with their grandfather as possible and also their grandfathernded a position in the Medicine Valley. Yang Qing and the rest of the family had no idea what he did there since they were afraid to go visit him, all they knew was thanks to his work there, he rarely came home.
Luckily for Yang Qing and Yang Gen, their father didn''t inherit their grandfather''s temperament and even encouraged them to break through as fast as they could. The two brothers heeded their father''s advice though it''s not known if it was to heed their father''s advice or some other underlying reason but they did as they were told, Yang Qing was a pce realm expert and his brother was a core formation expert.
Their father even purposely invited their grandfather over and a few of the elders to celebrate, though in the real sense, it was some form of vengeance to irk them. It worked too since a few friends of their grandfather vomited blood in the celebration held when Yang Qing broke through to the core formation realm while his grandfather didn''t look like he was far behind. When Yang Qing broke through to the pce realm, his father hosted another celebration again with much more fanfare. However, at that time his grandfather along with the few old men were rather reserved and they even seemed jovial in his breakthrough which rang rm bells on Yang Qing, his brother, and their father. Such a calm look from those old men could only mean one thing and it wasn''t good for the three of them which was why Yang Qing was hesitant ining back and as for their father, after all the stunts he has pulled over the years, Yang Qing had doubts if he would evere back. Since that celebration, he has never stepped foot in their home and even tried to convince their mother to relocate to the amodations at the institute.
"I hope grandpa doesn''te,"
"Me too,"
Chapter 234 Arrival Of New Guests
"What are you two saying? How unfilial can you be? The achievements you have today are thanks to the tireless efforts of your grandfather and the other elders of the n.
They used all the resources they had and even traded their research so they could help you all improve.
You both should be more thankful and it might not even be a bad idea to go see him once or twice," said their mother as she gently chastised Yang Qing and Yang Gen.
"Mother there are no outsiders here, there''s no need to pretend that Grandpa and the rest made some grand sacrifice with those resources. We were nothing more than experimental subjects to them.
Do you remember that one time Qing had a toad''s head for a week all thanks to their help or the other numerous times we have lost some function or part of our bodies due to their well-meaning ideas and guidance?
While I do thank them because they genuinely did care and try to help us in their own dysfunctional way but visiting him is out of the question. Who knows what he has been up to over the past few years at the Medicine Valley, I''ve heard some stories and it''s enough to frighten me from going there.
I''m sorry Mom, Qing can go but I''ll put a wide berth between me and Grandpa. It wouldn''t be a bad idea to join Dad at the institute."
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin were surprised to see that all those words came from the polite-looking Yang Gen. They had assumed he was the silent type but at the moment he seemed to have turned into someone else.
He may have been soft-spoken when he made that statement but one could detect firm stubbornness beneath it.
Other than them, the rest were not surprised. Yang Gen may seem polite but he has hard-headed and a bit rebellious at times. Yang Qing''s habits especially when it came to causing trouble with the Order all came from emting his brother.
"Well said big brother," Yang Qing said as he drew a thumbs up at Yang Gen however he shrunk back when he saw his mother''s calm gaze.
"Fine, then can you go see your father after and bring him some of the leftovers," their mother, Mai Ha said as she sighed.
....
"So, how do you two find the Order?" Yang Qing suddenly asked the Zou siblings who had been silent all this time as they exchanged a few nces here and there.
"It''s been okay, thanks to the help you gave and also Master Hao Da, we were able to settle in well. He ensured we got a ce to stay and even guided us here where Auntie Mai has been taking care of us the past two days," Zou Yi politely answered.
Around unfamiliar settings, he was always the freest inmunication while his sister Zou Liqin was a bit more reserved and it took time for her to befortable enough to be expressive.
"So Hao Da was the one who guided you here, I''ll have to thank himter," Yang Qing muttered.
"He''s changed so much, I almost couldn''t recognize him as that kid with anger and resentment filled in his eyes. I was always worried about him. I''m d he managed to find some peace from whatever he had been battling with when you guys were young," said Mai Ha with a gaze that had a hint of sympathy in it.
"I was also surprised when I saw him, he seemed calmer and freer than he was. He is even about to be the next branch chief of the Three Fires branch in the next month or so," said Yang Qing.
"That''s a huge post, if they can trust him with that level of responsibility, why wasn''t he been called back to the headquarters? Hasn''t he always wanted to be stationed here as a judge? It was all he talked about back then," said Yang Gen.
Hao Da had struck a deep friendship with Yang Qing and eventually, during holidays he would spend it with them since he never came with any family. He had cut ties with the Hao family when he run away after his only living rtive, his mother passed away.
So after meeting Yang Qing and striking a friendship with him during their punishments, he eventually became a guest of the Yang family household so he was familiar to them.
"The headquarters did offer him a post here but he turned it down and preferred being stationed outside. Maybe he found what he had been searching for out there and the pay and resources afforded to him as a branch chief isn''t bad either.
I don''t know yet how much I''ll be making but I was told a branch chief with the same cultivation realm as me earns almost ten times as much as I do. Being a branch chief of a ce as prominent as the Three Fires sect wouldn''t be bad," Yang Qing said after some thought.
"Well if he is okay with it, that''s all that matters," said Mai Ha as she removed the lids of the pots releasing a thick wave of misty tantalizing food scent.
Yang Qing''s stomach grumbled instantly along with Zou Yi''s.
The spreading on the table instantly made Yang Qing forget all the reservations he had abouting here.
There was sweet and sour pork fillet that was crispy red-orange in color, Kung pao chicken, braised beef fillet with scallion, red braised pork, shanxi pasta, and spring rolls filled in tworge earthen bowls.
Yang Qing didn''t waste even a second as he used his chopsticks to pick a lot of everything. Luckily the quantity wasrge enough that even his gluttony didn''t reduce the quantity.
"Mom you''ve really outdone yourself again," Yang Qing said with crescent-shaped eyes as he savored the crispy taste of the Kung Pao chicken.
A few minutes in, sounds of satisfied sounds rang all around. Just as Yang Qing was about to add more sweet and sour pork fillet to his te, his chopsticks froze midway to the pot.
"What''s wrong?" Yang Gen asked with a raised brow.
"He''s here," Yang Qing grimly said.
"You''re sure it''s him?" Yang Gen asked as his voice cracked up a bit.
"He is the one person I can never confuse and he isn''t alone either, he came with the rest."
Yang Qing slowly finished adding a little sweet and sour pork fillet and then sat down.
He was no longer that excited glutton from a few seconds ago but instead had a grim look to him as he had his meal. It was like that of a person enjoying his final meal before his execution.
Chapter 235 Solution For Past Mistakes
Their mother, Mai Ha didn''t seem to have noticed anything as she encouraged the Zou siblings to eat more while Yang Qing''s nephews were deeply engrossed in their eating. They looked like mini Yang Qing.
The only people who seemed off were Yang Qing and his big brother Yang Gen.
They both ate inplete silence as they waited for the inevitability. It didn''t take them too long before a burst of boisterousughter and sound came from outside the walls of the courtyard.
"LITTLE QING, COME AND GREET YOUR GRANDPA...Mmmmh is that spare ribs? I''ve stayed cooped up in the valley for so long that I''ve forgotten how great Ha''er''s cooking is.
Qing''er bring some spare ribs, will you?"
Yang Qing flinched a little when he heard that voice.
"You heard him," Mai Ha said as she pointed at the pot of braised beef fillet with scallion.
Yang Qing could only begrudgingly put his chopsticks down and start scooping the braised beef fillet into arge pallet. He had scooped arge quantity that matched what he had on his te, which was enough to feed five people.
Other than sharing ast name together, Yang Qing and his grandfather both shared a voracious appetite. Though thetter wasfortable with missing a meal or two and substituting it with fasting pills whereas Yang Qing would rather lose an arm than miss a meal and he also prides himself in being one of the few cultivators who has never consumed a fasting pill. It may not be a bragging point to the vast majority but Yang Qing somehow made it seem righteous not eating one.
¡
"You''re noting with me?" Yang Qing pleadingly asked his brother after he had finished with the braised beef.
"He asked for you, not me," Yang Gen innocently replied.
"He is already here, it''s not like you can avoid him now," said Yang Qing as he tried to convince Yang Gen to go with him.
"I know, but I want to enjoy those brief few seconds of freedom when you and he are exchanging greetings. I''m sorry little Qing, I will have to be selfish just this once. I hope you understand," Yang Gen said as he offered an apologetic smile and short head bow.
Yang Qing could only gnash his teeth as he made his way out like a soldier forced into the frontlines of a battle he knew he had no chance of winning.
Outside, he managed to spot five old men huddled together scrutinizing Ellie with deep fascinated interest in their eyes.
"Ellie don''t be like that, I promise it''s just one jar''s worth this time. You can easily replenish that amount within a minute and you will not be doing it for free. Over at the medicine valley, we have ake filled with all kinds of fish, I''ll let you take away some," said one of the elderly men as he tried to coax the nervous-looking Ellie.
Ellie who had been chirping in warning as she threatened to fly away suddenly paused midair. Her gaze now shone with a look of contemtion.
"Looks like she has already fallen for Grandpa''s schemes. That greed of hers...." Yang Qing shook his head in exasperation as he watched an elderly man with simple grey robes, a slender figure, average height, and a head filled with grey hair tied in a daoist topknot, smooth talk Ellie into donating her blood.
It didn''t take long before Ellie agreed to the elderly man''s request but not before making a few threatening noises which wasn''t difficult to guess was her warning the elderly man not to overdo it.
The elderly man had a foundation stage establishment strength but he managed to expertly poke a small hole in Ellie''s underwing to draw blood, which he then drained into a dark ceramic crucible that he stored away immediately after with a face that resembled that of a kid that had just gotten the toy they wanted. The other elderly men surrounding him all had simr expressions to them.
Yang Qing sighed as he made his way over to them.
"Hey Grandpa, Elders," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists to them in greeting.
Their n never cared much about observation of certain societal norms so they were usually very casual in a lot of things like greetings and even preferred it that way, hence Yang Qing''s overly casual greeting to them.
"Little Qing...," said the elderly man who had just drawn blood from Ellie.
He had facial features that shared some resemnce to Yang Qing except for his hair. Yang Qing was the only person who had green hair in his whole n despite his mother and father having dark hair. His color changed the moment he unlocked his Yin-Yang jade bones of the peerless jade physique.
"Why did you have to break through, we could have delved much deeper into the body-refining realm with your help. The n has never had someone with your level of talent. Little Qing with your help we had a real chance of realizing the founder''s dream," the elderly man said inmentation as the other elders voiced their own words here and there, echoing his sentiments.
"What dreams? Didn''t the founder just want to find a way of improving his cultivation aptitude? If he had a talent for sensing qi, I doubt he would have even given the body refinement realm any thought. Looking at their distraught and burdened faces one could easily believe their spiel," thought Yang Qing.
"And it''s the fault of that foolish son of mine. Just you wait Wui, you think just because you''re in the core formation realm, you can do whatever you want, this old man will show you," said the elderly man as his eyes shed with a cruel vengeance.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but offer a silent prayer for his father.
"Grandpa here is your..."
"Little Qing, Grandpa, and the elders have very important and exciting news to share with you. We can finally rectify the damage your father did to you and your brother," Yang Qing''s grandfather interrupted Yang Qing when he was about to hand him the braised beef.
Yang Qing looked quizzically at his grandfather wondering what crazy thing his grandfather was about to suggest now.
His grandfather didn''t keep him waiting that long.
"After years of tireless efforts, the elders and I, along with the assistance of some of the people from the Medical Valley, we have finally found it, a way to still explore the body refining realm even after you have broken through to higher stages.
Little Qing you know what this means right? You, your brother, and that unfilial son of mine can finally continue on with me and the rest of the Yang members in our grand venture of the body refining realm," Yang Qing''s grandfather said in excitement as a youthful passionate aura surrounded him.
"How?..." Yang Qing weakly asked almost as if afraid to ask.
"Body regression," His grandfather replied with a smug expression on his face.
Chapter 236 Grandpa Yang Fens Pitch (1)
Seeing that smug grin on his grandfather''s face, it took Yang Qing all he had not to fling the bowl of braised beef he had on him toward his grandfather.
"Old man, you''ve finally lost it. Is this what you and the rest have been doing at the Medicine Valley? Thinking of ways to cripple someone''s cultivation?
I''ve seen you do a lot of things over the years but I didn''t think it''d reach this level. Nope, No Grandpa I''ll have to outrightly refuse you. You can forget about using me in any ns you and the elders have cooked up.
How did you even rope in the Medicine Valley into your schemes?"
Yang Qing decided to draw a clear line at the get-go before things went downhill for him. He even started to worry about the Medicine Valley and how it could have potentially turned into his grandfather''s backyard for crazy experiments.
"What do you mean by crippling!?" His grandfather, Yang Fen became livid in an instant as his eyes widened and his face turned beet red showing how angry he was at Yang Qing''s usations.
"Qing''er I know you and the rest bear some resentment against us for the things we did which I understand, but do you think we are careless enough to cripple someone''s cultivation all for the sake of furthering our research in the body refinement realm?
Do you really think I''m that sort of person? If I was, I wouldn''t have let your father off when he came back after breaking through to the foundation establishment realm. With the knowledge I have, it wouldn''t have been difficult for me to cripple him, even if he was a couple of realms above me, but I didn''t do it.
The fact that my own grandson would think this of me¡"
Yang Fen''s voice turned low as he shook his head in disappointment.
The elder''s around him all started berating Yang Qing for how unfilial he was and how they had been doing all they did for the good of the n.
"Was I wrong?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but second-guess himself once he saw their reactions.
"I''m sorry Grandpa, Elders, I was careless and impetuous with my remarks. Please forgive me," said Yang Qing as he bowed deeply toward them.
While he did feel sorry for being rush with his words, there were aspects of it he would still hold on to. He had already firmly decided against participating in any experiments with his grandfather and the rest no matter how grand they made it seem to be. He had fallen for that trick one too many times.
Even after he had managed to break through to the Peerless jade body physique, they still continued on with their experiments and efforts to see if there was a realm past the Peerless jade body despite one never being recorded in the whole history of the Southern continent. Yang Qing rushed to break through to the qi refinement realm to put a stop to it and the final nail in the coffin was when he decided to leave for the Order.
As for why he agreed for them to join him after, their zealous nature aside, they were decent people. Even when he broke through to the qi refinement realm, they did all they could to support his cultivation in that realm and they did the same for his father when he broke through to the foundation establishment realm. Also, though Yang Qing may hate to admit it, they were extremely skilled in their fields which would be of benefit to the Order and he would have worried about them if he left them alone outside, especially with their careless personalities when it came to everything else aside from body refinement.
¡
"Qing''er, this is why you''re my favorite," Grandpa Fen said with a peal of cheerfulughter as he took the bowl of the braised beef with scallions off Yang Qing''s hand.
"Mmh, this is really nice. That foolish son atleast did something right by marrying Ha''er," Yang Fen said as took greedy bites of the braised beef.
"You bastard do you intend to eat all that by yourself,"
"And he ate thest of our fasting pills too,"
"DON''T YOU DARE TOUCH ANY, my grandson brought me this, go look for your own grandchildren and eat from them"
"How shameless can you be? Didn''t you already eat the fish-vored pork Fang''er brought me, I didn''t even get a taste before you gobbled it all up,"
"He also ate the egg fried rice my daughter brought me, not a single grain was spared. Fen you bastard, I''m having my just rewards today,"
"Fen, what are you doing with that eleven firesce flower? You''re willing to use just so you can''t share,"
"If you want to have my braised meat, you have to prepare yourself, Hehehe,"
"Two can y at that game, you bastard,"
¡
Yang Qing watched five elderly men fight over braised meat as they poured all sorts of spiritual herbs famous for their aggravating properties into the braised beef.
None was willing to be outdone by the other, so despite the ruined vors because of the added herbs and its apanying side effects they still fought over the meal. The bowl even got ground to dust in the process. By the time they were done, some had talons for hands, others had blue sclera in their eyes, and others lost hair among other strange effects on their bodies. His grandfather had a bird''s beak for a nose.
However, despite their absurd looks, the scene didn''t y out how it would have if it were any other normal person. They seemed unperturbed by the changes in their bodies, like clearly it wasn''t the first time they had experienced something like this. It didn''t take them long before their eyes shone with excitement as they started studying each other''s changes as they took notes and shared different hypotheses and findings about the changes in their bodies.
Cough! Cough!
Yang Qing had to clear his throat a few times to get their attention.
"Shouldn''t we head back in? Mom''s food will get cold and Gen said he''s missed you so much, Grandpa."
Yang Qing decided to interrupt their discussion before it went any further because by then it would be difficult to tear them away from it and it wouldst hours and hours. He also had no qualms about selling out his brother to the butcher while he was at it.
"Gen''er said that? Hehehe you kids really are the best unlike your father," Yang Fen replied with a cheerful smile as he and the rest of the elders tabled their discussion.
"So what did you mean by body suppression?" Yang Qing decided to use the short walkover to find out more about their crazy suggestion. While he had no intentions of participating in it, it did not hurt to know more about what his father would be subjected to in the near future.
As a dutiful son, he felt it was his obligation to find out more so he could warn himter, after all, their father did look out for them in his own way when they were younger. Warning him of his impending doom was the least Yang Qing could do for him along with offering a silent prayer and burning incense sticks for him.
Chapter 237 [Bonus ]Grandpa Yang Fen’s Pitch (2)
"Like I said earlier, body suppression isn''t crippling someone''s cultivation, it''s far from it." Yang Feng had an air of the seriousness of a schr when he started talking.
"As researchers of body refinement, it is taboo for us to consider crippling someone''s cultivation as a route for enhancing the body refinement since in essence crippling not only destroys one''s cultivation but even their body''s foundation which is inplete opposite of what we are after.
Yang Qing while what you went through and every other Yang member before may have seemed torturous, none of it was done without careful nning, which was built upon the foundation of countless years of research done by the Yang family.
Every experiment was done with the aim of promoting the body and not damaging it, despite how it felt, so never forget that. Our methods may seem cruel but their basis and target are pure and sound," Yang Fen said to his grandson.
Yang Qing on seeing his grandfather''s seriousness nodded solemnly.
"Now the idea of body suppression was born from sealing one''s cultivation base. Qing''er what if you could go back to body refinement or qi refinement or foundation establishment cultivation but still have the insights of a ce realm cultivator? Do you think you could make further improvements in those realms using your current insights? And if you could, how huge would they be?
There are countless cultivators who wished they could go back in time and refine their earlier foundations, especially after meeting roadblocks in the journey ahead.
After years of work, we have finally created a potion that can help with that, though it''s still in its early stages and we are not too clear on all the side effects yet. We called it the ''Body rebirth'' potion and it can cause a cultivator to regress their realm by a single major realm. The regression is temporary of course and the current potency is just for a week. However, for that week, like let''s say your case, for that week you''ll have the senses and mind of a pce realm cultivator but the body of a core formation realm expert.
Though the current potion can only work for someone in the foundation establishment realm. We haven''t yet found a way to make it work with core formation experts and above, but it''s only a matter of time.
Qing''er this potion provides a chance for someone to undo their past regrets or relearn some things," Yang Gen said with shining passionate eyes as he clenched fists along with the other elders behind him.
Yang Qing had to agree that if the potion could do what he said it did, it was truly something, but he had doubts in some areas of it, especially its core function of changing the whole body back. This was essentially reversing time and undoing the work of the tribtion that usually melted one''s body and reforged it as one advanced to the next major realm.
"Are the changes to the body a real change, Grandpa?" asked Yang Qing as he voiced his doubts.
"Well, the change is not aplete one since we run the risk of destroying one''s cultivation if it was. What the potion does, is it digs out the memory of your previous realms that have been stored in your body and brings them back to the surface for that week.
Which also means that sadly you can''t change much to your previous foundation other than examine it with fresher eyes." Yang Feng sighed with regret but he perked up immediately after.
"But it''s not all bad because, for those with courage, they could dissipate their cultivation and start from scratch, and with the insights they gain from examining their earlier foundations they can make it sturdier the second time round and with greater speed too since they already have the framework," Yang Fen paused as his gaze turned distant.
"While I wholly do believe in the Yang family''s idealogy of exploring the body refinement realm, there are areas that I don''tpletely agree with and this change in thought started taking root because of your father andter grew because of you and your brother.
At this time, I don''t believe it helps us by insisting that we should always maintain our cultivation base in the body refinement realm. Our breadth of knowledge and insight will be limited if we stubbornly stick to the past''s framework thus halting our progress, which is why I think the family''s research has experienced a long stagnation for the past 180 years.
There are things Qing''er that you can see now as a pce realm cultivator that I can not imagine because I''m not at your level. With each realm, a wider world opens up, and if we confine ourselves to the body refinement or the lower realms our vision will be limited along with how far we can actually dig into the body refinement realm.
The body rebirth potion was something one of our earlier predecessors thought about and who had the same doubts as us, so we took it up.
Qing''er I''ll admit I may have made that potion for selfish reasons but I also did it for you," Yang Fen said as he ced his hand over Yang Qing''s head and cast a deep gentle gaze on his grandson.
Yang Qing finally had guesses on how his father managed to sneak out of the Yang family home and break through to the foundation establishment realm. If what his grandfather said was true, then it seemed more likely that his grandfather knew of his father''s intentions and tacitly agreed to it. He couldn''t help but re-evaluate the elder before him who currently exuded the air of a hero treading forward on an unexplored path, the kind of look he had seen on Chief Song Chuanli. It was of someone who had an unwavering belief and rity of his path in life and was willing to do anything to follow it wherever it may lead.
"Maybe Grandpa with his passion for the body refining realm may one day sublimate his cultivation to the domain realm in one fell swoop."
Yang Qing realized even if he had a higher cultivation base, there were areas he paled inparison to his grandfather. His thoughts soon got cut off by Yang Fen''s next words.
"Qing''er while I have no grounds to base this on since there''s so little information about it, I think the peerless jade physique has different levels to it and those levels have certain requirements to unlock them."
Chapter 238 Yang Qings Palace Realm
Yang Qing stood rooted in shock at his grandfather''s statement.
"What do you mean there are different levels? I haven''t heard anything about it, and what about the other stages like gold body and diamond body do they have levels too?" Yang Qing eagerly asked.
While he didn''t have the same level of fanaticism his grandfather and the rest had toward the body-refining realm, he did have a great interest toward the mysteries of cultivation which was why he loved buying strange-looking trinkets, studying lost arts and iplete techniques.
Diving into that mystery always fascinated him.
....
"I don''t have any basis for it but just call it an old man''s gut feeling. We don''t yet know the prerequisites of forming a peerless jade body physique, there''s so much about this physique that is veiled in mystery.
What triggers it? Is it like the natural inborn physique that someone is born with and is only triggered after one reaches the diamond body stage or does every single person have the ability to cultivate one it''s just that the mechanism change from person to person?
There''s so much we don''t know about it but what we do know is the peerless jade body has an unfathomable profoundness to it that affects someone for the rest of his life.
Isn''t it partly because of it that you were able to form purple-grade pirs in the foundation establishment realm?" Yang Fen asked.
"Mmh," Yang Qing nodded in agreement.
To form his purple grade pirs, the peerless jade body yed a part along with reaching the perfect qi cirction realm also known as the ''13th level'' of the qi refinement realm.
"But the thing is, even a diamond body can gain a purple-grade pir, as you may have noticed from some of your colleagues.
If the peerless jade body physique just helped someone only gain purple-grade pirs, don''t you think it would be toockluster considering how difficult it is to achieve one?" Yang Fen asked though it didn''t look like he was waiting for a response.
"On base value, if youpared the peerless jade physique to other natural inborn physiques, it always feels a littlecking.
Let''s take your case as an example, you have the Yin-Yang jade bone physique which gives you immunity to almost over 10,000 poisons, increased qi storage capacity above those of your peers, and a high vitality and sensitivity to life essence in terms of yin and Yang.
Doesn''t this make you nothing more than a glorified strong tree," Yang Fen calmly said as he stroked his beard.
"This old man, is he taking hidden jabs at me," Yang Qing thought as his face twisted in pain at essentially being called a tree.
"As a matter of fact there is one tree with the exact same qualities as you, I think it''s the noble amethyst jasper, isn''t that right Elder Gui?'' Yang Fen said as he directed the question to one of the elders at his back.
"Mmh that is right, there''s also the summer glow willow that has the same features, the light rain thimbleweed, the ming whisper Alder, the.."
"Can you get on with it please," Yang Qing angrily interrupted as he felt Elder Gui would go on forever giving him hit after hit to his self-esteem.
"I can''t believe I''m no different than a nt."
Yang Qing even started having regrets about why he even followed up on the peerless jade physique. He could never unhear what he had just heard. Every time he looked at himself from now on, he would inadvertently picture himself as a tree, especially with his green hair.
Yang Fen and the rest smiled in embarrassment when they realized their words were a little bit harsh.
"Where was I, yes right, natural physiques and the peerless jade body physique. If you only took helping someone to achieve a purple grade pir as the only benefit then the peerless jade physique isn''t worth the effort since even a natural-born physique can do that too. That girl, what has her name? little Mao Yunru, she had a purple grade pir too right?" asked Yang Fen.
"Mmh, she did," Yang Qing answered
"I think her physique was the purple mist cloud body, I don''t know much about it but I think it gives her a natural attunement to the water Dao in addition to granting her immunity to illusion spells and those are just her base attributes, what about when she digs deeper into her physique?
There''s also the golden revolutions cicada body that can produce clones with independent thinking and different talent to the user,
The Moonstone Dreamweaver physique that allows the user to pull anyone into a dream realm despite the distance and attack them,
Or the asp of the bounteous star physique that enables the user to form multiple dantians in their body in the form of stars, while also granting them a body that is as hard as any ascendant-grade defensive artifact.
If you were topare any one of these physiques to yours, yours falls a bit short.
In my eyes, the peerless jade physique doesn''t and shouldn''t lose out to any of them and should even be greater. But if we were to look at things at face value, then clearly the peerless jade physique seems weaker.
This is why I believe the peerless jade physique must have other levels to it, and the current attributes you have now are the preliminary attributes and you haven''t even begun to touch the depths of it, which is why I think the body rebirth potion would do you some good.
It can help you analyze your body with fresher eyes and you may notice things you didn''t before. Those at the Medicine Valley helped us because of those reasons, it turns out they long had these suspicions themselves.
The Order truly isn''t short of monstrous people," Yang Fen said as he smiled in gratification.
Yang Qing stood inplete silence with closed eyes as he slowly digested his grandfather''s words. Ignoring the jabs, he had to admit his grandfather made some valid points.
When he broke through to the peerless jade body physique he did try to study it for a bit then when he broke through to the qi refinement he didn''t study it as much and just concentrated on its passive attributes such as sensitivity to Yin Yang energy and bnce.
Then the more he progressed the less he gave it any thought, especially when he broke through to the core formation realm. But now that he thought about it, the passive effects of his physique kept getting more and more pronounced the higher up his cultivation base grew. At some point, he had thought his physique became irrelevant and overshadowed by his cultivation base but it has always been there slowly guiding him and assisting him.
Yang Qing slowly started circting his cultivation technique. He cultivated the Universal duality indulgent of the myriad worlds. This technique was intimately suited to him since it attuned the user to their surrounding more specifically the natural aspect of it. For someone with Yin Yang jade bones, the technique was perfectly suited for him which was why Yang Qing chose it even though it was an iplete purple grade art.
A gentle misty glow was produced from Yang Qing''s body as he circted his cultivation art. That glow had a dense life aura to it that caused the grass and the trees around to grow at an rming speed. Even then birds, insects, reptiles, and other creatures that were around were drawn toward Yang Qing like he had some powerful tonic that invited them towards him.
Yang Fen and the rest on seeing Yang Qing''s state slowly left him and went into the house.
"You really are the pride of the Yang family, Qing''er. This old man hopes to see what heights you will reach," Yang Fen slowly muttered to himself as he turned back and cast a gentle gaze Yang Qing''s way. The other elders also turned with looks of gratification and then resumed their walks back to the house leaving Yang Qing alone outside in the courtyard standing as a dense warm sublime glow that had a multitude of colors revolved around him.
The grass had already grown to his knees in terms of length as they gently swayed almost as if celebrating something, there were a few sparrows perched over Yang Qing''s shoulders chirping, however, the chirp seemed to attune itself to the swaying of the grass and the wavy glow surrounding Yang Qing.
Ellie flew a few hundred meters away as she kept a close watch on the surroundings to prevent Yang Qing from being interrupted. As the strongest creature around other than Yang Qing, watching over him during his state was left automatically to her.
Inside Yang Qing''s body was arge stretch ofnd that run as far as the eye could see. Thend was filled with short green grass that had a gentle glow to them. In the middle of thatnd there was only one tree and it resembled the green me tree that grew in Yang Qing''s backyard. Beyond thend, there was arge deep blue ocean that seemed like it had surrounded thend on all sides, and above in the clear sky there was a moon and a sun. The sun was above thend while the moon was above the ocean.
Yang Qing''s silhouette could be seen seated above the green me tree in a lotus position. This scene was Yang Qing''s pce realm
Chapter 239 Jade Tree
Yang Qing''s silhouette had a dual glow to it. Half of his body was earth yellow while the other half was blue-white. He had a calm yet peaceful glow to him that made him seem ethereal and one with the surroundings around him.
The grass and the ocean would sway with every breath he exhaled and the moon and the sun would rotate with every breath he inhaled. Every de of grass before him was the equivalent of an early-stage monarch-grade treasure.
Everything around him was the manifestation of his pce realm. When a cultivator broke through to the pce realm from the core formation realm, their core would be melted down by the tribtion lightning and would be reformed into an environment that had the cultivator''s own Dao as its foundational outline.
Those who could be considered as quasi pce realm cultivators were those whose dao seed had already taken root in their core and all they needed was to trigger the tribtion lightning to melt their core down so it could be fed to the Dao seed that wouldter sublimate into an environment that was the embodiment of that Dao seed.
Breaking through to the pce realm could be considered the one breakthrough realm with the least risk involved even whenpared to the foundation establishment realm which has been known to have a few fatalities along with the core formation realm.
As long as you had a stable Dao seed, you were almost guaranteed a breakthrough to the pce realm, which is why the pce realm has some of the youngest recorded experts around, with the current record holder being an 11-year-old pce realm expert from the Flowing Valley sect, which is one of the two holynds in the Southern continent.
That cultivator broke through almost ten years ago and the news created a storm when it broke out. However, it is rumored that the young pce realm cultivator had a special physique that made it easy for him to step into the pce realm at such a young age.
After the breakthrough, he was named as one of the sect''s legacy leaf saints which was the highest rank one could hold as a disciple and those who held such a rank would be groomed as the next candidates for the sect master position and other higher ranking positions such as the supreme elder.
The Order has had a few young pce realm cultivators over the years, with the youngest recorded pce realm cultivator being 14 years old. The holder of that record was Zhu Li, the creator of five purple-grade cultivation arts. He was also the younger brother to Dean Zhu Lao who created the top tier gold grade technique, the Shadow void steps.
Other than Zhu Li, there have been a few others who were close to his age when they broke through for example Zhang Qingge who broke through when she was 17 years old and also had a record of fighting an early-stage pce realm cultivator from the Order to a draw for almost half an hour before she finally had to concede, when she was still in the core formation realm.
As long as you gained insight into some type of Dao and internalized to be part of you, you''d gain the qualifications to be a pce realm cultivator.
However, despite the ease of breaking through to the pce realm, most cultivators choose to take their time to be sure of the type of Dao they want to focus on because once they take that step it can never be undone and it will affect them moving forward, especially when trying to ovee the tribtion of the domain realm that has the highest fatality record across all realms.
Cultivators thus spend a lot of time trying to study different Daos if they have the talent for it, to try and find which Dao suits them best and which will in turn help themter in their cultivation route, especially when forming a Dao heart, which is one of the prerequisites for breaking through to the domain realm.
The pce realm could thus be considered a gateway and a bridge to higher realms. Therefore despite how easy it was to break through, considerable effort and thought are needed at this stage as it affects how far one will reach in theter realms.
The basis of the realm is to familiarise and deepen one''s own understanding of the Dao and internalize it. Within their internal space, there will be an abstract manifestation of their understanding which will be in the form of an environment, For example in Yang Qing''s case that manifestation appeared in the form of argend filled with grass, an ocean, and a sun and a moon.
His pce realm was still in its rudimentary stages at the moment since he was only in the first stage of the pce realm. At present, there was only one type of nt in the area which was grass and the ocean had no vibrancy to it, while the sun and the moon above had minimal effects on their surroundings. As Yang Qing''s understanding of Dao deepened, a Dao charm would be produced which would add more variety to the area in terms of different nts and herbs even animals at some point, and the area will have the semnce of a real functional ecosystem.
The pce realm had three minor realms namely; the outer pce, the inner pce, and the core pce. Every improvement was a representation of a qualitative jump in their understanding of their Dao, which would in turn be reflected in their inner space.
Because he had a purple core, Yang Qing had been looking forward to reaching the core pce stage the most, because he was told something else would form the moment he reached that stage due to his purple core, which would be a boost to his chances of attempting to break through to the domain realm.
He has always been curious about what it was but none of the instructors told him anything since they said the experience was unique to the owner, he would only find out when the moment came.
....
Presently, Yang Qing was trying to sense every area within his pce realm to the minute of details. Since the passive effects of his Yin Yang jade bone physique were still growing along with his cultivation base, he had a feeling the physique had most likely imprinted itself to his pce realm in some way. If it did, then he would not need the body rebirth potion his grandfather and the medicine valley had created and could use his pce realm as a conduit to sense his physique.
"I hope this works," Yang Qing muttered as he slowly circted his cultivation art while immersing himself deep into every area of his pce realm. Nothing was overlooked as Yang Qing looked to wholly insert his will into everything that had manifested in his pce realm, down to even the tiniest of cuticles on a single de of grass.
Unbeknownst to him, his silhouette started to produce a pulse-like light green glow that would alternate to an ocean blue color at measured intervals. This change didn''t stop there, a subtle transformation started happening in his pce realm as the sun and moon started blinking with a gentle glow. With every blink, they''d affect the sky above them and their surroundings. On the sun''s side, it looked like dawn was arriving and on the moon''s side, it seemed like nighttime was soon approaching, which even caused small gentle rising tides in the ocean.
An hour almost passed by with Yang Qing stuck in the same position as he was when his grandfather left, however unlike before they left, there was now a small circle beneath his feet. Half of it was green with a golden glow and the other half was dark blue with a white glow. Slowly the golden glow and the white glow started overwhelming the green-colored and the dark blue-colored circle respectively, till the circle turned half white and half gold yellow with dots of blue and green mixed at the center of the circle.
Inside Yang Qing''s pce realm the sky was split in the middle with one half being night and the other being day. Yang Qing''s body mirrored the same change in the sky.
Within his mind, as he submerged himself into his pce realm, he saw millions of small lines traversing all over the ground running in different directions at a speed that was at times slow and at times blindingly fast, and he was but a drop freely flowing along those lines without any form of direction or autonomy.
Yang Qing almost gave up halfway in, when he didn''t detect anything within those lines as he was guided along, but he persevered on and that perseverance finally bore fruit when all of the lines seemed to converge together as they led into a crystal clearke that had a small tree growing in the middle of it.
The tree was smooth like it had been made of green jade and it had leaves of different colors, sizes, and types almost like every type of leaf on the was on that small 2-meter tree. The tree was also enveloped by a mist that had faint shining lights of different colors. Yang Qing wasn''t sure, but he could faintly hear a voiceing from within that mist and it was in an unfathomablenguage that he couldn''t quite understand. A part of him wasn''t even sure what he was faintly hearing could be ssified asnguage.
"Are those Dao markings?" Yang Qing wondered in shock as he saw inscrutable glyphs appear on some of the leaves on that tree. Just as he was about to move closer he felt something forcible eject him from the area and when he came to, he saw himself in the middle of his parents''pound.
Chapter 240 Improvement In Cultivation Realm
"What was that tree? Was it the Yin Yang jade physique or was it something rted to the Universal duality indulgent of the myriad worlds art?" Yang Qing silently wondered as he held his chin in contemtion.
Purple grade cultivation art was different from the other different grades of cultivation art because of one distinct quality, which was that they had spirituality in them. Some of the purple-grade arts would choose those who could cultivate it, except the creator of course. So at times, a genius endowed with world-shaking talent would fail to cultivate a purple-grade art whereas a cultivator withckluster abilities may get that luck as long as they had the luck to gain the favorability of that purple-grade technique.
Even though the art Yang Qing cultivated was iplete it still had the spirituality of a purple-grade art which was why he couldn''t help but suspect that the jade tree he saw deep within his pce realm was a byproduct of his cultivation art. The ejection feeling he had just experienced was something he experienced a lot during his preliminary phases when he was attempting to cultivate the Universal duality indulgent of the myriad worlds art.
Other than the eviction there were also the numerous leaves on the tree that looked like they belonged to different nts. That depiction could be symbolic to the myriad worlds part of his technique. However, the one part that made him think the jade tree wasn''tpletely tied to his cultivation art was the sense of intimacy and familiarity he felt with the tree like it was a part of him.
Yang Qing closed his eyes and tried to insert his will into his pce realm so he could retrace the jade tree again but his will got blocked the moment he tried it and didn''t get far. He wasn''t even able to trace the outlines back to the tree. The route leading to it seemed like it had been shielded off.
¡
"Was Grandpa right about there being requirements?" Yang Qing wondered with furrowed brows.
Going on the assumption the jade tree was tied to his Yin Yang jade bones then based on his grandfather''s statement, the reason he was being rejected was because he didn''t yet fulfill the criteria of being there let alone approaching it.
"And what was with that voice?" Yang Qing could still vividly remember the sound that came from the mist was in anguage he had never heard of before.
"Mmh!!!"
Yang Qing''s frown became evenrger. He tried to utter the words that he heard but it was like they were stuck in his throat and wouldn''te out. It didn''t stop there, he kept feeling the memory he had of the words didn''t exist in his memory like they existed in a separate space like how information was stored in jade talismans and he was just essing it but the real content was stored elsewhere.
"Now this is a pleasant surprise, my realm has already increased to the peak of the first stage of the pce realm," Yang Qing excitedly mused.
His mind was too preupied with the sudden discovery that he had overlooked his cultivation base. It was only when he had decided to postpone the matter of the jade tree to another time, did he get the chance to discover the increase in his cultivation base.
It has already been eleven months since he stepped into the pce realm. It took him five months to break through and safely consolidate his cultivation base while also familiarizing himself with his realm. His breakthrough had been among the fastest and it was as smooth as it could have been which was why he thought himself clever that he could pretend it took him eight months to do so since normal breakthrough and the consolidation afterward would take 9-12 months. However, his perfect breakthrough sold him out and Lei Weiyuan was able to see through him and was therefore added three more months of work to cover the three months he had lied about.
Even though 11 months had passed by and Yang Qing was assiduous in his cultivation, he still thought it would take him another three or four months before he touched the peak of the first stage of the pce realm. Since the pce realm focused on deepening one''s own understanding of the dao, improvement was slow measuredpared to the realms below it.
The sudden improvement came as a weed surprise to Yang Qing since he felt with his cultivation base already at the peak of the first stage it wouldn''t take him more than a month or two before he broke through to the second stage of the pce realm.
In his pce realm, there was already a shallow river that had formed at the boundary in thend to the north of his pce realm as it fed into the ocean next to it. It was light blue in color and had a hint of clear crystal-like shine to it. It was shallow and had a five-meter width but Yang Qing was ecstatic with its presence since he detected a hint of liveliness to it that was different from the grass, the ocean, or the sun and moon above him.
"I really owe Grandpa for this," Yang Qing muttered with a dry chuckle as he headed back to the house. If it wasn''t for his grandfather, he didn''t know how long it would have taken him to veer his head in the direction of his physique. While he was mildly traumatized by his methods, Yang Qing knew he owed his current achievements in part to his grandfather and the Yang family as a whole. The concoction that they used on him so he could break through to the peerless jade body, he didn''t know what exactly was in it, but he knew it was pretty precious and that was without even putting into ount the glyphs that were used to seal his senses. To date, he still wasn''t sure how the Yang family was able to afford it all.
"Thanks, Ellie," Yang Qing said as he was leaving. He tossed a few fish Ellie''s way, who screeched in excitement as she gobbled them all up in one single fell swoop.
Chapter 241 Last Day As A Superior Core Court Judge[Bonus ]
Yang Qing walked into the house and found Yang Gen with a pallid-looking face as he stared fearfully at his grandfather like he was some sort of monster. It was only when he saw Yang Qing walk in did he seem to have some sort of life to him.
"Yang Qing did you hear?" Yang Gen shakily asked.
Based on his fearful appearance, Yang Qing could already guess his grandfather had already filled in his brother about the body rebirth potion which didn''t seem like it went over too well.
"Isn''t Gen a little too fearful? Mmmh maybe Grandpa gave him azy exnation, conveniently leaving out the key details," Yang Qing surmised upon seeing his brother''s increasingly pale face.
"I heard," Yang Qing answered as he nodded in agreement.
"But I don''t think it''s that bad Gen, there may be some merits to it," Yang Qing added.
Yang Gen''s jaws were wide open along with his eyes. He couldn''t believe what he heard.
"Qing are you okay?" Gen worriedly asked as he hurriedly stood up only to be sat back down by his mother.
"Grandpa thank you for before, and the elders too, thank you for your guidance, it has helped me a lot," Yang Qing said as he offered a deep bow to the elderlypany which came as a shock to his mom, brother, and sister-inw.
Almost an hour ago he had been grumbling with his brother about avoiding their grandfather like he was a gue but here he was showing sincere gratitude. They all had mildly shocked looks on their faces, especially Yang Gen who increasingly felt that their grandfather may have done something to Yang Qing or that the Yang Qing before him was an impostor.
"I take it you had an interesting experience?" Grandpa Yang Fen asked with shiny stars of curiosity showing up in his eyes along with the other elders as they all looked eagerly toward Yang Qing.
"Mmh," Yang Qing nodded as he filled them in on his experience including the jade tree and everything he saw around it.
"Grandpa, Do you think that tree could be a reflection of my physique?" Yang Qing asked.
He may have a higher cultivation base than his grandfather but when it came to the body refining realm he knew he couldn''t hold a candlelight to him or the other elders. His grandfather may notice something in the things he mentioned that he may overlook.
"Mmh, it''s hard to say Qing''er since this is essentially uncharted territory and we also know very little about the peerless jade physique to begin with. But based on your description I think it may very well like be your physique or even if it isn''tpletely atleast part of it, is.
Maybe it''s using your cultivation art as a way tomunicate and represent itself to you, but all this is conjecture but it''s a great start," Grandpa Yang Fen said in excitement with the other elders joining in.
"Ha''er forgive my poor manners I will have to cut the dinner short and rush back to the Medicine Valley to check on a few things that may be of some help to Qing''er," Grandpa Fen said as he cupped his fists in apology.
"No it''s okay father, I''m d you were able to make it and I''m thankful for all you have done and continue to do for my children," Yang Qing''s mom, Mai Ha said as she gave a graceful bow.
"Qing''er I''ll have someone send over all of the research and findings we have on the subject along with our thoughts and guesses, maybe it will help you in figuring out a way to dig further into the jade tree.
Also if you don''t mind could I share what you have just told me, with some of our colleagues at the valley?" Grandpa Fen hesitantly asked. He knew it was a form of taboo to reveal certain things about your cultivation even within a family, so he was a bit worried about making such a request.
"It''s okay Grandpa, I don''t mind," Yang Qing offhandedly replied. He wasn''t worried about such a thing. If he was to make any headway into that jade tree, he would need as many helping hands as he could get and if he got more merit points and other awards from the Order because of it, all the better.
Immediately after Yang Qing''s nonchnt response, Yang Fen and the rest of the elders immediately bolted from the area like their lives depended on it.
"How can they run so fast?" Yang Qing wondered in shock as he could feel their increasing speed within his pce sense.
The rest of the dinner proceeded as normal though Yang Gen still had this lost look to him throughout. It was only after Yang Qing carefully filled him on the details did a look of relief finally appear on his face, especially when he heard the body rebirth potion still can''t work on core formation experts yet or that the current side effects haven''t all been identified yet.
He felt like he had gotten a new lease in life but he still decided that it was safer for him to try and reach the pce realm sooner so he could feel safer. Yang Qing offered to help him as much as he could including letting him stay in the nest of the celestial nesting weaver which had a chance of sensitizing him to a type of Dao which was one of the key features of the nest. He happily took Yang Qing up on the offer though it would have to wait until Yi Jie was done and Yang Gen was just at the fifth stage of the core formation realm. For higher odds of dao enlightenment, he would have to atleast be in the seventh stage before he could harvest any benefits from the nest.
Afterward, they both decided that Yang Gen would be the one to inform their father of the news since they had no doubt that the moment the body rebirth potion started working on those in the core formation realm, their father would undoubtedly be the first tester of the potion. Better to give the old man a heads-up so he could get his affairs in order.
Yang Qingter exchanged a few words with the Zou siblings especially about the uing exams in a few days'' time before he finally took his leave to his abode to rest up and prepare himself for the following day''s events.
"Finally, I''m just a day away from being an outer pce court judge," Yang Qing thought as he smiled to himself atop Ellie''s back.
Chapter 242 Another Peerless Jade Physique
"Sure, make yourself at home, why don''t you?" Yang Qing snidely remarked once he came back to his abode with Ellie in tow.
He found Feng Xin, Luo Meili, Mao Yunru, Su Jinjing, Zheng Hu, Haishi, and Bolin sharing a meal on his front porch diningfortably like it was their backyard with feet up, though thetter two seemed a little more reserved and were only having what looked to be snow ginseng tea.
"I could pack it all up and leave you know," said Feng Xin with a mocking threatening look as he pointed toward the spread that was on the dining table.
There was an assortment of a few snacks here and there; there were spring rolls, pan-fried dumplings, and different kinds of pancakes along with a pot of snow ginseng tea.
Yang Qing ignored him and picked a te that he generously filled with everything that was there which caused a little vein throb on Feng Xin''s forehead.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" asked Mao Yunru as she took a sip of her ginseng tea. Her hair was hanging loosely and she had on a simple sleeveless white dress and a grey light silk scarf draped over her shoulder.
Yang Qing''s gaze lingered on her briefly before he tried to expertly pretend he wasn''t staring.
"If I''m being perfectly honest, the ceremony itself doesn''t scare me but it''s what happens after that, that scares me the most," Yang Qing said as he let out a tired sigh.
He still had not forgotten about the potential penalties he would face should he dy in handing back the saint-grade treasures he was given for the ceremony i.e. the blue universe enve robe, the veiled destiny domain crystal, and the ne made from 500,000-year-old green silkworm.
Just imagining the penalties he would incur by dying the return for even a minute, made his innards tied up in knots. However, even that fear was not enough to affect his appetite as he wolfed down those spring rolls.
Yang Qing shared the information on the charges he would incur, which drewughter from those around except for Haishi and Bolin who were stuck in the awkward position of whether tough like the rest or not, which was made even harder due to the recent revtions. During the past few days, they got a brief glimpse of the fearsome strength of the Order.
The revtion of its strength hit Bolin harder than it did Haishi since thetter was mostly an airhead recluse who hadn''t seen much of the world and kept to herself most of the time. Her experience at Feng Xin''s hands was the greatest danger she had ever experienced in her whole life, which was why despite knowing Yang Qing was Feng Xin''s boss, in her eyes, she was more afraid of Feng Xin than Yang Qing since she the experience created by Feng Xin left an unforgettable impression on her. That overwhelming defeat the other spirit beasts suffered and how close she was to death left a deep mark on her.
Other than that, she had not been involved in many fights so it was hard for her to imagine what levels such as the pce realm meant, her mind could only register what she saw and experienced. However the same couldn''t be said about Bolin. Even if he wasn''t officially a subordinate of the green sh viper, one of the false kings of the eighth zone of the green fog region, they were still close friends and as such, he helped the green sh viper in his rise to the rank of a false king. He had experienced countless battles over the years with both humans and spirit beasts of different power levels though most capped in the core formation realm. That battle exposure helped him gain an intimate understanding of how terrifying the Order was.
What false kings?
The false kings who ruled over the eighth zone would be worth a fart whenpared to the Order and not even the Order, just a few nobodies from the beast-taming hall were enough to trample over all the inhabitants of the eighth zone a thousand times over, and then there was Luo Meili. Bolin would inadvertently gulp in fear every time his eyes would dart in her direction. He had thought nothing would evere close to terrifying him like his experience with the gold-scaled alligator when he was just an up-anding tadpole, but his experience with Luo Meili over the past few days had subverted that experience and introduced a new level of fear he never thought possible. When his thoughts reached this far, he couldn''t help but look toward Yang Qing with pitiful begging eyes.
"Don''t worry, you''ll only have to stay with Luo Meili until you can cultivate around the hundred moon cleansing hawthorne for 45 minutes without passing out," said Yang Qing as he took another bite of his spring roll.
"By the way, how long can hest Meili?" Yang Qing asked, addressing the gentle-looking mature beauty with dark green hair that was tied together with smoothly polished bones.
"It''s just at the early phase, so he onlysts for about ten minutes or so but in theing days, I''ll try to help him reach the fifteen-minute mark," Luo Meili said as she cast an endearing gaze toward Bolin who shivered heavily at the look he got.
Yang Qing could only sight at this. Even though he sympathized with Bolin, the training regimen had to continue and Luo Meili was the best person to do it since she had the best skills in that regard.
During their wee ceremony, Yang Qing had given a wisdom pearl from a half-step pce realm spirit beast to Haishi, while Bolin was given the hundred moon cleansing hawthorne flower that had only 20 moons activated. Bolin''s body was at an imbnce since he had focused only on the poisoning aspect of his bloodline and ignored the healing aspect. Had Bolin continued on the same path, by the time he reached the peak of the core formation realm, his body would have already started corroding from the inside due to his overwhelming poisonous attributes that would have grown beyond his body''s ability to contain it.
Rainbow mist toads despite being famous for their lethal poison, were not entirely pure-based poisonous creatures. They existed as two-state creatures that could either be a healing tonic or a deadly poison. Bolin had neglected his healing aspect which was why Yang Qing had him cultivate every day for three hours next to an iplete hundred moon cleansing hawthorne to help trigger his healing side while also curbing the overwhelming poisonous qi that had filled his body.
During the early phases, it would be a torturous experience since Bolin most likely felt like his innards were being melted due to the purifying effect that the hundred-moon cleansing Hawthorne had on poison and other miasma-rted objects.
Yang Qing was even surprised Bolin was able to survive ten minutes next to it and he couldn''t help but look at the palm-sized toad with a look of admiration. The fact that it could endure ten minutes was a testament to its willpower. The training seemed to already have some effects since the green color on its rainbow-coated skin was much darker than before, though it was still very faint, but the fact it had gotten denser was proof Bolin was making progress. While he may have not improved his cultivation base, it seemed much calmer and stabler than before.
But when it came to Haishi, he couldn''t help but worry about her. From the brief interaction he had with her, he felt she was clearlycking in this regard, which was why he only gave her a wisdom pearl belonging to a half-step pce realm flying mist water python. If he gave her one belonging to a pce realm spirit beast like he did the starlight crab, he had fears that she would have suffered a severe bacsh from it.
"Mmmh, well I don''t need to do anything about her willpower. Those at the hall must have already noticed the same thing with much more rity than I did and created a training n for her ordingly. But for added measure, I think Feng Xin ''sparring'' with her won''t be a bad idea," Yang Qing thought as his gaze fell on Haishi.
"By the way Feng Xin, there was something my grandfather told me today which might be of use to you, though I don''t know how much help it will be for you without a pce base realm to work with, but it can''t hurt to try," Yang Qing suddenly said drawing curious looks from those around more so Feng Xin.
Feng Xin, just like Yang Qing also had a peerless jade body even though he ended up with a gold core. He had the ice soul jade bone physique which gave him immunity to yin-rted techniques and poisons in addition he also had an abnormally powerful soul that had a matching level of sensitivity to his surroundings. Feng Xin''s background was strange since even he doesn''t know how he got the peerless jade physique. He was an orphan, and during his earlier years as a kid, he lived in the dead body of some spirit beast. It''s unknown how he even managed to survive when he was a few months old but as he grew, he fed on that spirit beast and lived there till he was ten, then things happened and he eventually found himself at the doors of the Order two yearster with a peerless jade body.
As for the identity of the spirit beast, even Feng Xin himself doesn''t know since he ate part of it, while the other remaining part weirdly disintegrated when Feng Xin gained the peerless jade body physique. In the Order, Feng Xin had shown an unnatural gift for cultivation but the man was too obsessed with food which was why he ended up with a gold core because he always gave cultivation the bare minimum of his time. Yang Qing had no doubt that Feng Xin would have been a pce realm cultivator by now had he applied himself instead of being at the peak of the 10th stage of the core formation realm.
"Even if it eats away my leisure time, I''ll have to get thiszy glutton to reach the pce realm within three months," thought Yang Qing as he shed a gentle smile toward Feng Xin.
Chapter 243 Comparison Drawn To Natural Physiques
Feng Xin was mildly surprised by Yang Qing''s smile that came out of the blue but he decided to ignore it as he listened to Yang Qing''s own experience when he tried to sense his Yin-Yang jade bones.
When Yang Qing finished his exnation, Feng Xin closed his eyes as he tried to try and sense his ice soul jade bones using his core as a conduit to it. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t see anything, all he felt was the same feeling and sensation he got when he was in silent meditation, absolute nkness, and tranquility from the cirction of his cultivation art.
"I can''t sense anything Qing," Feng Xin said after he spent close to ten minutes and still got nowhere.
"Mmmh, maybe my grandfather was right, there may be certain requirements that one needs to reach to understand their peerless jade physique and maybe reaching the pce realm and forming an outer pce is one of those prerequisites, albeit just barely, since I was evicted a few moments after Iid my eyes on the jade tree," Yang Qing said as he scrunched up his brows deep in thought.
"Mao Mao, Meili do the two of you ever see a physical manifestation of your physiques or something close to it?" asked Yang Qing.
There was little information about the peerless jade physique despite it being around for the longest time or there was some information but that information was closely guarded by the organizations that had them. As he was basically in uncharted territory here, he thought it prudent to use Mao Yunru''s and Luo Meili''s experience with their own natural physiques as a point of reference for the peerless jade physique.
Mao Yunru had the Purple mist cloud body which gave her a natural immunity to the illusion spells and arts that were close to her in power and a natural affinity for the water Dao, while Luo Meili had the Mand prana green nebe jellyfish physique.
Yang Qing didn''t know much about Luo Meili''s physique other than it was extremely powerful that various seals had to be ced on it so her body wouldn''t explode, also passively the physique helped Luo Meili in detecting the minute of changes to the environment or a living organism. However for her to make the best use of that ability, she needed to supplement that detection with knowledge otherwise it would be more of blind intuition than anything else.
This aspect of hers was what made her the best trainer, especially when it came to spirit beasts who all had different bodies, internal structures, and responses especially when it came to cultivation. She could detect what training regimen had the best results and which did not, and a supplemented knowledge helped in the knowing of why.
It was for this reason that she had already been set aside to be a chief trainer at the institute when she reached the pce realm. The only reason she was assigned to Yang Qing was to help her build her experience by being an inquisitor and also because of Yang Qing himself. Because of Yang Qing''s Yin-Yang jade physique coupled with his cultivation art, ''The universal duality indulgent of the myriad worlds'', he ended up with a universal qi which had effects on both a person''s soul and body and because of its universal attribute it could work on all cultivator''s with different attributes without causing a bacsh. The only exception were corpse cultivators, ghost cultivators, or those with dense ughter qi that has been stained with anguish and resentment. For those kinds of cultivators, Yang Qing''s Qi would burn their bodies.
But when it came to Luo Meili, Yang Qing used his universal qi to strengthen her body and soul which would be of benefit to her when it came to assimting with her physique. This was why even after she bes a chief trainer at the institute, she would still be attached to Yang Qing as an inquisitor, albeit on a part-time basis.
....
"Mmh in my case, it''s not so much as I can see my physique, it''s kind of like.... how should I put it?.... it''s like how your body can tell when you''re hungry, tired, or thirsty, and then when you eat, rest, or drink, it knows when it''s satiated. It''s the same thing with my physique, every time I cultivate, something from my physique appears by itself like breathing. I don''t know if that helps," Mao Yunru said with a slightly embarrassed expression which only grew further when she saw Yang Qing''s eyes turn big along with Feng Xin, Zheng Hu, and Su Jinjing.
"Thanks, Mao Mao, it helped a lot," Yang Qing said as he coughed a little.
How could the greatest gossip hoarder be this horrible with exnations? Doesn''t she have enough experience to articte better from all the stories she has gobbled up over the years?
Thought Yang Qing, though outwardly he showed a look of deep gratitude which Mao Yunru didn''t seem to buy at all as she softly pouted.
"As for me, all I see is a massive jellyfish filled with all kinds of chains sealing it in a green nebulous sky. I can see it any time I want to, though it doese with some risk as you well know.
Also, every time I break through, that jellyfish releases a green smoke thatbines with my breakthrough, whether it''s my foundation pirs or my core. Every major breakthrough has been apanied by the smoke. I can tell it''s not harmful, as a matter of fact, it even reinforces my cultivation level and helps me achieve smoother breakthroughs," said Luo Meili.
"Thanks, Meili, this actually helps a lot," Yang Qing said with clear excitement in his tone, unlike his earlier expression in reaction to Mao Yunru''s exnation.
Luo Meili''s exnation of her experience gave further credence to his guess that his physique had somehow melded with his cultivation over the years, he just didn''t notice it at the time. However, there were still some clear differences since he kept feeling his Yin Yang jade bones grow with his base, no matter how minute his growth, the effect would still be there. The other one was Luo Meili could freely gain ess to her physique, while Yang Qing only had that one single experience in the day and when he tried it again it failed and he also felt even if he tried it a monthter it would still end in failure.
He had no credible reason for that feeling other than intuition and for cultivators at their level, intuition was never just a simple guess, it was usually tied to the grand Dao. It''s just that it was veiled from the cultivator, who could only ess glimpses of it which came in the form of intuition at times.
Chapter 244 [Bonus ]Day Arrives
"I wonder if natural physiques have levels of assimtion and ease of familiarity." Yang Qing wondered as he thought about the different exnations given by Mao Yunru and Luo Meili.
He suspected maybe the reason why Mao Yunru struggled with her exnation was because her physique had melded deeply into her and asking her for her feeling was like asking someone why they breathed in and out and not out and in.
"Well it''s not like I can figure all this out in one day, I''ll let Grandpa and the rest continue with it," thought Yang Qing as he decided to push the matter to the back of his mind until he had some leisure time.
Hising week would be packed with a lot of things, from induction training, a visit to the requiem, supervising the uing entrance examination test, the discussion he was to hold with Meng Chao and Zhang Qingge concerning Jiang Fu and the founder of the crystal palm jade sect, there was also Ma Yuan''s investigation into his missing wife and daughter, the investigation into the scion of one of the founders of the Golden bamboo pavilion along with the Red Maple Empire to see if they had any cover-ups and also the report he was to make to the spirit council so a branch of the Order could be created in the ungoverned territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect, where a member of the Dark Helminth Ghost sect had tried to ambush him during his evaluations.
Just thinking about all the mountain of things that were waiting on him made him feel fatigued deep into his soul and he hadn''t even begun on the cases he would get the moment he stepped into his courtroom.
He decided to bury his woes into his food and leave all those troubles to the future Yang Qing. Procrastination and cheating one''s mind were beautiful things at times.
"Tomorrow can worry about itself," Yang Qing thought as his mood turned jolly. He even took out a zither from somewhere and butchered a few songs with overwhelming glee.
His guests stayed till three in the morning before they left but not before giving him their good wishes. After his ceremony, Yang Qing nned to invite them over along with other friends who were not from the Order, like the king of the White Baobab Kingdom, and a few others he had made over the years in his post.
For once he wasn''t worried at all about the cost of hosting a party for all those people since he would be swimming in spirit stones and treasures tomorrow. It was the one good thing toe out of the ceremony, the treasures he would be getting from all the ''fat guests''.
Yang Qing snickered a bit at the thought of it. He couldn''t help but daydream about the kinds of gifts he would get.
"Mmh, maybe I can even afford the early fines for the robe. Just a few hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones, it''s nothing much," Yang Qing arrogantly said pretending to be a nouveau riche young master.
"What are you feeling so smug about?"
"My uing wealth, maybe I might have enough to get you a good gift in celebration of your uing breakthrough," Yang Qing said as he addressed the young man standing next to him pouring himself a cup of the snow ginseng tea. It was Yi Jie. Yang Qing had already sensed him when he came out of the nest of celestial nesting weaver.
Even though Yi Jie hadn''t broken through yet, Yang Qing could feel a dense charm of Dao on him, and his cultivation had been reinforced and strengthened to the tip. He felt like a lonely moon overlooking theke that had a sheathed saber at the bottom. All this was a reflection of the cultivation art Yi Jie cultivated, ''The silent phases of the moon saber draw'', a top-tier gold grade art that ced a huge emphasis on extreme swiftness, to the point there would be no ripple in sound or light. Few people within the Order were able to meet its strict requirements and Yi Jie was one of them.
Based on Yang Qing''s estimate, if Yi Jie so wished, he could break through right then and there.
"You''ll be leaving for the Wise arc mountain, I guess?" asked Yang Qing.
"Mmh," Yi Jie nodded in reply
"How long?"
"Five months or less,"
"Good,"
¡
The Wise arc mountain was a special location set aside for breakthrough by the Order. The whole mountain was a natural treasure tied to the origin of the world and it had the ability to iste someone as though they were in a separate space and dimension. The effect was so strong to the point it affected even tribtions by preventing ovepping tribtions.
If two cultivators were in the same realm and one of them triggered a breakthrough tribtion with the other cultivator closeby, that tribtion would affect the other cultivator into triggering their own tribtion on the spot, whether they wanted to or not, resulting in apounded tribtion that could threaten the lives of both of these cultivators.
However, apounded tribtion could be a blessing or a curse. On one hand, it could get so powerful that both cultivators perish beneath it, or both survive but fail their breakthrough, or one survives with a failed breakthrough while the other dies, but should one or both of them survive and sessfullyplete the breakthrough, they end up with their sturdiest of foundations, in addition to getting an upgrade to their cultivation realm, whether it''s a pir, core or pce realm and so forth. If a cultivator was suited to form an orange grade pir, should they survive and sessfully breakthrough apounded tribtion they would end up with a blue grade pir, and if the cultivator had blue grade pirs and were breaking through to the core formation realm, after surviving the tribtion they would end up with a gold grade core, even someone with gold pirs could end up with a purple grade core if they survived it.
However, the purple core would only work if two people with top-tier gold-grade pirs triggered their tribtions at the same time. The resultant tribtion was enough to kill a peak core formation expert, which was why rarely would anyone try to achieve a purple-grade core through this method.
Therefore to avoid the risks ofpounded tribtions, the Order set aside a location for breakthroughs. All top-tier organizations had simr locations.
Yang Qing and Yi Jie sat inplete silent eating and drinking. Yang Qing had taken out his vermilion wine at some point and shared it with him. It was only when the sun was almost up did Yi Jie finally leave.
"See you in three months, "said Yang Qing as he got into his courtyard to change into his ceremonial robes.
"Thanks, I''ll leave something for you here before I leave," Yi Jie said as he walked away.
"The day is finally here, I hope there are no unexpected surprises. Soft life Yang Qing, you just have to survive this uing week and you will be one step closer to your dream," Yang Qing silently chanted to himself as he clenched his fists.
Chapter 245 Talking With The Spirits
Yang Qing carefully put on his universal enve robe and the apanying veiled destiny domain crystal and the ne made from the 500,000-year-old green silkworm.
Despite being covered in Saint-grade artifacts from top to bottom, he was anything but assured. All he saw from them were cursed objects that had the capability to ruin him in mere moments and subject him to the depths of poverty he never thought possible.
However, those foreboding thoughts were soon pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on assimting the Saint-grade treasures so they could attune themselves to his body.
Yang Qing took out a small wooden token that had the image of a swirling wave that was carved on the wings of some obscure creature that Yang Qing couldn''t make heads or tails of what it was. But he could tell it looked humanoid and was slender in stature.
After getting the robe, and the other Saint grade artifacts,ter during the day he was called back by assistant director Jun Pei to pick up the token. The reason he wasn''t given before was that the token usually resided in the heart crystal mountain, the ce the Spirit Council was located.
The token would help him in controlling the Saint grade artifacts and help them ''work together'' for him.
Saint-grade treasures and artifacts were no different from a living organism since they had developed spirits of their own, and as such, being able to use them, especially when you were weaker than them, would prove to be a tough task not unless the artifacts or treasures themselves approve of you or the owner of said treasures or artifacts ordered them to assist the other party. In addition, Saint grade treasures and or artifacts always fought for supremacy against each other, so using two or more at the same time would prove difficult since they would always try to hinder each other.
The three Saint-grade artifacts Yang Qing had on hand had two problems, one was the vying for supremacy part and the other was the three Saint-grade artifacts had no owner so forcing their obedience to help Yang Qing was out of the question. External means would have to be employed so he could use them.
The only way he could use them was through circting the five harmonious technique that would merge those artifacts into one mind and also there was a will imprinted on the token that would help smoothen the process.
The Order has held countless ceremonies over the years using the three artifacts, they have thus refined the process to make it as seamless as possible.
Yang Qing slowly circted the five harmonious technique which created a small glyph that merged with the token. The swirling water wave on the token turned life-like as an intense whooshing sound was produced from it, with its blue color getting darker.
A huge wave of the densest qi was produced from that wave which merged with the glyph. The glyph turned into a small golden string that tied the blue universe enve robe to both the veiled destiny domain crystal and the ne from the 500,000-year-old green silkworm andstly to Yang Qing''s be.
Yang Qing was shocked at how dense that qi was, it felt like it could fill a whole ocean and even have some leftovers, and the nature of it, Yang Qing couldn''t quite ce it but it felt familiar to him.....
"Isn''t this?" Yang Qing muttered, but he immediately freed his head of all distracting thoughts when he felt his mind get dragged into a massive dome-shaped hallway.
The hallway was filled with mosaic sses that had the image of all kinds of auspicious beasts like; a dragon, a phoenix, a ck tortoise, a white tiger, a vermilion bird, a Luan, a qilin, kunpeng, a golden roc, a giant Ao tortoise with a huge mountain on its shell among other beasts that would cause a huge shockwave in the world were they to be spotted.
Within the hallway there were 8 statues that had dressed as Daoists however their facial features were obscured, however, Yang Qing noticed one of them looked like he had crystal blue wings and was also a bit different from the rest of the statues. Yang Qing wasn''t sure why, but he felt that statue was more life-like as if it could burst with life any moment.
His wondering thoughts however were pulled back when three figures appeared in the center of the hallway. One was a wizened old man with blue robes who looked to have the whole universe in his eyes. You could see the movement of the stars, the change of seasons, and time within his eyes.
Yang Qing took a nervous gulp when he saw him.
Next to the old man was a creature in a grey hooded robe that had all sorts of rotating glyphs. Yang Qing had to stop staring when he felt his sense of self disappear every time he tried to stare at whaty underneath the hood.
Thest of the three was a green cocoon that was the size of a palm. Despite its size Yang Qing detected the densest aura of vitality and regeneration from it, It was enough to match that of a forest that had covered a whole rank 1 empire.
Yang Qing had no doubt if Ma Yuan stayed next to the cocoon for a month, even without his cultivation realm his lifespan would definitely rival that of a peak stage pce realm expert which was 25,000 years.
"Not bad," said the wizened elder as he stroked his beard while scrutinizing Yang Qing.
Beneath that gaze, Yang Qing felt like all his secrets wereid bare.
"Mmh, the Order''s standards are getting better and better. Young man if you keep up, I see a good future ahead," said the hooded figure. Even though Yang Qing understood clearly what the figure said, he felt like the figure didn''t use words tomunicate and his brain interpreted whatever form ofmunication the creature used, into words.
"This means soft life Yang Qing may be born finally after years of tireless efforts," thought Yang Qing in glee as he mulled over the words of the hooded figure.
It didn''t take too much for him to guess the identities of the three neers. They were the spirits of the Saint-grade artifacts. He had no idea where the dome-shaped hallway came from but if he had to guess, it was more than likely from the wooden token he had.
The wizened elderly man before him with the universe for eyes was likely the spirit of the blue universe enve robe, while the hooded figure was no doubt the spirit of the veiled destiny domain crystal which had skills in karmic spells. The fact that it said Yang Qing had a good future ahead meant Yang Qing may very well live his dream in the future.
"Thank you very much seniors for your generous appraisal of this junior. I know I''mcking in many areas, but I will make sure to live up to your expectations," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists to them.
"Mmh, " the elderly spirit of the blue universe enve robe nodded in acknowledgment.
"A good worker indeed," said the spirit of the veiled destiny domain crystal in appreciation.
Yang Qing who was all smiles almost fell over during his bow to the both of them.
"Whaaat?!" said Yang Qing who was unable to contain himself after what he just heard.
"Forgive me, seniors, I am beside myself at being in your radiant presence," Yang Qing said with an embarrassed smile.
"Senior, I don''t know how I should address you?" Yang Qing politely asked as he forwarded the question to the spirit of the veiled destiny domain crystal.
"Well, we haven''t used any names in the past 200,000 years. Mmmh you can just call us what Fei always calls us. I''m Veiled Destiny, this is Blue Universe and she is Green Cocoon," said Veiled Destiny as he pointed to the spirit of the blue universe enve robe and the spirit of the ne made from 500,000-year-old green silkworm respectively.
"200,000 years?! Who''s Fei?" Yang Qing wondered as the person in question seemed to have a deep rtionship with the three Saint grade treasures seeing how whoever they were could give them ridiculous names and they looked to be fine with it.
As for 200,000 years, he wasn''t surprised since treasures and artifacts, as long as no irreparable damage happened to their main bodies, they were virtually eternal.
"Excuse me senior Veiled Destiny, when you said I have a good future ahead did you mean that I would be a good worker or did you mean something different?" Yang Qing cautiously asked.
The ''good worker''ment had sent him on edge even more than the fines he would incur should he dy returning the Saint grade artifacts back to the internal logistics department.
"I wonder about that?" said Veiled Destiny in a yful tone which was the first time Yang Qing detected any emotion from it.
"Mmh, life..aura..not...known...yet...time...maybe... curious."
Thest member of the group finally spoke up, when Yang Qing was contemting how to get more out of Veiled Destiny.
"This is rare, Green cocoon who hasn''t spoken up for the past 400 years, finally has?" said Blue Universe with clear surprise in his tone.
"She may have taken interest in him because of his nature, though that part is unclear even for me," said Veiled Destiny.
Yang Qing stood there puzzled at what the green silkworm said. Its voice was that of a young child who had just begun teaching herself to speak.
"Is she a new spirit," wondered Yang Qing. The incoherent speech pattern was amon thing to newly formed spirits.
"She is several times older than all of us, if I was to use human terms, I would call her our great great great great great great grandmother.
Her speech pattern is because she iszy and she doesn''t speak much. She could go for thousands and thousands of years without talking. Over the past 50,000 years, she hasn''t said more than 400 words," said Blue Universe seemingly reading Yang Qing''s thoughts who was currently shell-shocked at such a revtion.
"But isn''t she 500,000 years old and you have been around for atleast 200,000 years l?" Asked Yang Qing.
" The 500,000-year-old thing was just a cheeky ruse done by Fei to avoid troublesome situations. Green cocoon has taken naps that were atleast that long. But I''m afraid I can''t tell you more kid," said Blue Universe with a gentle smile.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but warily stare at the unassuming green cocoon in Infront of him.
"What is she?" He wondered
Chapter 246 Promotion Ceremony (1)
Yang Qing stared deeply at the palm-sized silkworm, however, Green Cocoon didn''t say another word again leaving Yang Qing awkwardly standing around wondering what to do next since even the spirit of both the Blue Universe enve robe and the veiled destiny domain crystal went silent.
Luckily for Yang Qing, that awkward moment didn''tst long as there was a sudden movement from one of the Daoist statues. It was from the statue Yang Qing felt was a little too life-like, and was also more slender than the rest and had insect-like wings on its back that had strange light blue scripts on it.
The statue waved one of its palms and a white tinum silver string was produced from its palm as it headed in the direction of the three Saint grade treasures and Yang Qing.
When the string was in the middle of the hallway it split into four and headed toward the blue universe enve robe, the veiled destiny domain crystal, and the green cocoon.
"Is there a need for this? it''s not like we would go back on our word and harm the young one," said Blue Universe in exasperation as he addressed that one statue.
"How long are we left with?" asked Veiled Destiny.
"By my count, we have 34,568 years left," said Blue Universe after he paused briefly to do a little mental calction.
"Almost 400,000 years have passed by so fast. Have you thought about what you will do after?" asked Veiled Destiny.
Yang Qing detected a hint of mncholying from its tone as it asked that question.
"Probably go bet with Fei again, I almost wonst time despite him clearly cheating," said Blue Universe as he clenched his fists with his eyes shing with battle intent.
"It wouldn''t hurt to get back at him, especially with that smug smile and foul mouth of his. I can''t believe he spent a whole 9,000 years bragging," Veiled Destiny said inmentation.
"Count.me.in.hateful.child," Green cocoon who had been silent all this while finally spoke up again.
"Good, it''s a deal. After we finish the terms of the bet, we will challenge that bastard again. Just you wait, Fei," said Blue Universe with clear excitement in his tone.
Yang Qing who was trying to piece their conversation together was caught off guard when the slender Daoist statue with crystal wings on its back, suddenly spoke.
"I''ll see you three in 34,568 years and don''t be sore losers when the timees. I''ve even been practicing my zither skills for the celebration I will hold after," said the statue.
The tone was gentle, ethereal with a hint of mystique to it. Yang Qing was even shocked to see Dao mist being produced as the statue spoke as if the words it was speaking had fundamental world truths to them.
He increasingly got curious about who this Fei character was. The statue gave no clue at all since he had never seen anyone who looked like that at the Order. About the only clue he had, was the dense qi he felt when the glyph produced from the Five Harmonies cultivation artbined with the wooden token he had.
That monstrous qi bared a bit of simrity with the y tform he gave Dean Zhu Lao for his wee-back party.
"Maybe after things have settled, I''ll go see the Dean and check if he has made any progress," Yang Qing thought.
As Yang Qing was trying to find out the identity of the Fei person, he felt his mind buzz like it had been struck by lightning and a secondter he felt an otherworldly sensation around him.
His body felt like it had been reformed and was a hundred times stronger. His thoughts were clearer, smoother, and faster. His vision had changed as he could see weird scrips floating around him. The mosaic sses filled with auspicious beasts seemed like they had be alive.
"What''s this?" Yang Qing wondered in shock as he felt the overwhelming power that coursed throughout his body. He felt like he could destroy 10,000 of his old self in the blink of an eye.
Just as Yang Qing was about to get swallowed over by the feeling of the monstrous power, he forcibly calmed himself down by circting his cultivation art , the Universal duality indulgent of the myriad worlds. The art aimed at promoting both the body and soul, ensuring their growth was at equilibrium.
Yang Qing felt like cool water had been poured on his whole body, calming the power in his body. Even if he could still sense its immensity, the ve-like feeling he had gotten moments ago when he got exposed to It was slowly disappearing though even if he had managed to maintain his sanity, he felt like he was standing on a very tight rope, and it wouldn''t take too much effort for him to tip over.
Just as he was wondering what to do, he felt the monstrous ocean-like qi fill him up and doused the overwhelming power within him, putting it at bay while also granting Yang Qing autonomous control over it.
Yang Qing finally felt like he could freely guide the power rather than fighting for dominance with it, which he would have surely lost had the earlier state of teetering on a thin rope, been maintained.
" Well done child. You''re among the few people who have handled that transition smoothly," Blue Universe said in admiration.
Yang Qing''s pupils shrunk when his gaze fell on the three Saint-grade artifacts.
The earlier experience had left him quickly overwhelmed so he didn''t have the time to pay attention to anything else, but now when his gaze fell on the three treasures, his jaws hang loosely at the sight before him.
Blue Universe wasn''t just a genial wizened old man anymore but was a never-ending blue universe filled with countless stars ands, as for Veiled Destiny it was no longer a hooded figure but billions of golden-colored strings that had covered a whole world while the green cocoon could be considered the tamest since all Yang Qing could see was a never-ending green sky that could cover a whole and nourish it.
"Thank Veiled Destiny for your current vision, who knows, maybe you might gain some unexpected harvests.
Yang Qing let''s have ourselves a good ceremony. We will do all we can to ensure your safety through it all," said Blue Universe as his voice turned distant.
Yang Qing could feel like he was being ejected from the dome hallway. When he came to, he found himself in the middle of his room and barely even five minutes had passed by.
"Was that a real dimension with its own time parameters?" wondered Yang Qing as he tried to sense the changes in his body.
He could now feel an intimate control over the three Saint-grade artifacts like they were an extension of his limbs.
"So this is what a domain realm expert feels like?" Yang Qing muttered as he sensed the strength coursing through his body.
The veiled destiny domain crystal among its effects, one of them was elevating some of his senses to that of a domain expert. Yang Qing wasn''t sure to which level he was elevated at, but he could feel the monstrous gap between his pce realm strength and his current abilities. The difference was like a tiny pebble and an empire-sized mountain. The experience was humbling, especially considering all he had at the moment was just the senses of a domain expert andcked the core features such as a domain filled with Dao runes.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but chuckle bitterly when he remembered how smug he had felt when he broke through to the pce realm thinking he was at the top of the world. This experience had doused whatever arrogance he had left.
Yang Qing straightened his robes out of habit before he left his courtyard.
"Is it me or does this robe make me look even more dashing than I usually am?" Yang Qing smugly thought as he swaggered outside.
"It''s just you."
Blue Universe''s voice echoed in his mind immediately after which made him almost trip over.
"Senior is there a need for that?" asked Yang Qing in aggrievement.
After not getting any response he lethargically made his way out of his abode where he found Song Guozhi from the standard regtorymittee waiting for him, but he wasn''t alone. Beside him was a middle-aged man with long flowing ck hair that had been tied into a topknot with a dragon-coiled headband. He had just the same serious look Song Guozhi had. Yang Qing wondered if it was a trait all members of the Standard Regtory Committee shared.
"It seems the assimtion went on smoothly," said the middle-aged man.
" Judge Yang Qing, this is the assistant head of our department, master Liang Wen," Song Guozhi dutifully said as he politely pointed to the middle-aged man beside him.
"Junior Yang Qing greets assistant head, Liang Wen," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists in greeting.
"Nice to meet you Yang Qing, truly a name that matches the person. Your fame isn''t undeserved. Time isn''t with us we need to move."
Just before Yang Qing could process what Assistant Head Liang Wen meant with his statement, he felt his vision change as he was sucked into the domain of assistant head Liang Wen.
"Old Lei you fiend, just how far have you spread my name? Do all these people just sit around and gossip all day? I knew it, the domain realm is the true soft life," roared Yang Qing in his mind as he was being whisked away to the Star blooming mist valley.
Chapter 247 Promotion Ceremony (2)
It didn''t take long before Yang Qing, Assistant Head Liang Wen and Song Guozhi reached the Star blooming mist valley.
The venue was already booming with people and the air of festivity along with rife anticipation had already filled the air.
The glowing mist that was filled with Dao charm seemed much more abundant than it was the previous day.
Yang Qing managed to spot a few familiar figures among the crowds of people present since at the moment it was only those from the Order who were present. The invited guests would arrive two hourster.
Of those present, Yang Qing spotted Ling Meimei the hall master of the formation hall who was currently being shadowed by other members of her department as she issued rapid instructions. Dean Zhu Lao was also next to her which based on his docile appearance didn''t look like it was out of choice. Yang Qing couldn''t help but chuckle at this.
Along with the formation hall, there were members of other departments; there was the craftsmanship division where he spotted Chief Song Chuanli among their ranks, there was the internal logistics division which was keeping track of everything that was being used since the moment the ceremony ended, the ce would return to its natural bare state, the members of the eagle guard division were also there, and their numbers were also thergest.
The eagle guard division handled security around the headquarters, the branches, the institute, and other various facilities of the Order such as the Glowing Respite Valley. The division wasn''t made up of the most talented recruits and it was usuallyposed of those who barely managed to survive getting admitted to the institute and finished their training. Their results were not the best either, however, that was only inparison to the monsters the Order recruited. Those who managed to survive in such a ce, even if they didn''t stand out and were mostly at the bottom of the group, could still be considered elites if they were pitted against other factions that were not the Order.
After their graduation, members of the eagle guard division would enter specialization training in which every member would be trained skills in a particr subject depending on their affinities to that area. For example, there would be those trained in poison detection, others in detection and handling of certain types of curses, others trained in attacks using a particr weapon, others in defense using specific means i.e. formation, barrier seals, or even through the use of a weapon. The Order''s aim was to maximize whatever talents they had and thoroughly hone them in a particr area. They were masters of a particr section within a section, which made them tough opponents when you faced them as a group or as a well-matched one-on-one opponent.
Yang Qing also managed to spot a few members of the Shadow Hawk division lurking about. A ceremony like this was the best ground for the intelligence department to update their information and gather more intel on the different organizations around the Southern continent.
Yang Qing looked around some more as he was soaking everything in. It was at this moment that he finally felt it; he was finally an outer pce court judge.
When this day ended he would be in a different station. Everything leading to this moment felt so surreal. He felt a tad bit emotional, especially after remembering how much of a shock it was to him after he stepped into the courts of the Order as an outer core judge. He was practically beaming at the time, thinking he had scored the easiest and the safest job of his life, only to get a rude awakening by getting mmed with cases upon cases.
From that point on things just seemed to spiral out of control. He began a losing battle with the Order, which made him lose the one good thing left of his despair-filled days, which was his ie. He has suffered so many penalties and fines over the years, then there was the money-sucking abode, along with the abyss celestial nesting weaver that made sure he would never have any single spirit stone lying around at the end of the month. Merit points were his only saving grace, otherwise, he was not sure how he would have survived.
He found a nemesis and source of his internal demons in Lei Weiyuan, who has been a constant thorn in his side. Just when he thought finally he would be leaving the core courts behind three months ago, once again the Old demon reared his fangs and tortured him to thest day.
But finally, here he was. His nose felt a little hot and it took all he had not to shed a few tears.
....
"Hi, Wen,"
"Yang Qing that robe looks quite good on you,"
Yang Qing was pulled from his emotional nostalgic rubdown by a greeting from Dean Zhu Lao who had managed to sneak away from his wife. But with the way his eyes kept darting in her direction cautiously, it didn''t look like he had long.
"Thank you, Dean Zhu Lao," said Yang Qing as he offered a warm smile and cupped his fists in greeting.
Assistant head Liang Wen and Song Guozhi also exchanged their greetings with Dean Zhu Lao.
"How is the experience?" asked Dean Zhu Lao as his eyes glittered while scanning the three saint-grade treasures Yang Qing had on.
"I can''t quite put it into words, but I can say it''s a humbling experience," said Yang Qing with a bitter smile.
The more he attuned himself to the senses of a domain expert the clearer it became to him on the gap between an early-stage pce realm expert and a domain expert. At this moment he could only hope the senses he had was for ate-stage domain expert because if it was an early-stage domain expert, then that would mean at his cultivation realm he would be less than an ant against any domain expert in the middle stages up to the peak of the realm.
"Well, it is understandable you would feel that way but don''t let it dishearten you. You''ve only just begun your journey, just take it day by day," said Dean Zhu Lao as he bent a little to scrutinize the sleeves of the blue universe enve robe with a deep fascinated expression appearing on his face.
Yang Qing started to feel a bit better after Dean Zhu Lao''s statement but his next words threw him back into that familiar pit of despair.
"Too bad you only get the senses of a third-stage domain expert, though at least it''s of one with a saint domain," said Dean Zhu Lao.
....
"What a waste. This robe should be used as a curriculum subject at the institute instead of letting him waste away in the mountain of the internal logistics department.
I wonder what the spirit mountain is thinking by locking him in there," said Dean Zhu Lao with regret showing in his tone.
"Blue Universe are you sure you don''t want to join the institute? As long as you say yes, I''m pretty sure I can find a way for the spirit council to agree to it," added Dean Zhu Lao.
"I much prefer the rest in the mountain rather than being constantly ogled and quizzed by an overly curious brat. I can''t believe that nature of yours is still there," said Blue Universe.
Even though his spirit hadn''t been manifested physically like in the arced dome hallway Yang Qing had been in, he could still freely transmit his voice without making an appearance.
"What do you mean by that senior? I am only in awe of your breadth of character and wisdom. There are not many people I can say can best me in terms of knowledge but in front of you, Veiled Destiny and Green Cocoon, I have to admit that I am nothing more than a junior who has only learned to crawl," said Dean Zhu Lao. He bowed when he said that and even somehow managed to radiate the aura of a humble youth seeking guidance from a renowned schr.
"How many years has he been training his bootlicking skills? I hate to admit it, but I''m miles apart from Dean Zhu Lao," thought Yang Qing as he sighed in both admiration and inferiority at hiscking skills.
Yang Qing, Assistant Head Liang Wen, and Song Guozhi became unwitting bystanders for the next three minutes as Dean Zhu Lao fawned over the spirits of the three saint-grade treasures. He went back and forth to try and get them to join the Institute but he failed in the end when he received an innocent smile from his wife, Ling Meimei who had arrived at his back during his three-minute theatrics.
Even though he failed, Yang Qing couldn''t help but look at the Dean who was currently walking like a humble ve behind his wife, in a new light.
From their brief interaction, he detected that the two saint-grade artifacts i.e. Blue Universe and Veiled Destiny, clearly held Dean Zhu Lao in high regard based on how freely theymunicated. The spirit of the two artifacts seemed like they treated the Dean as a peer despite the Dean being a peak domain realm expert and the two spirits being the equivalent of a soul formation expert with their saint grade rank.
This thought was further solidified when even the enigmatic and mercurial Green Cocoon chimed in a few words though it was mostly calling Dean Zhu Lao shameless, thick-skinned, and interesting which Yang Qing wasn''t sure if it was a mistake on the Green Cocoon''s part since she didn''t speak much. However, the fact that she bothered to talk to Dean Zhu Lao despite only speaking about 300 words in over 10,000 years, showed that she too held the Dean in some regard.
¡.
"That kid still hasn''t changed," said Blue Universe. One could detect unlike before there was a hint of admiration in his tone like that of a teacher who had seen a student exceed all their expectations.
"You detected it too?" asked Veiled Destiny.
"How could I not, when I was the one who spoke about it? I didn''t expect he would actually follow up on my rumblings. I''m not even sure if it exists,"
"It¡does¡.Fei..proof¡.this¡kid¡.might¡be¡but¡..missing¡..one¡thing¡interesting¡shameless¡though," said Green Cocoon.
"So that bastard has it, no wonder,"
"Knowing what you know now, are you going to reconsider the challenge you made to him?" asked Veiled Destiny teasingly.
"RECONSIDER?!! Why?!! Just because he had a primordial domain? You look down on me too much, Veiled Destiny.
With our background, is that something we need to fear? Besides,st time if it wasn''t for him cheating we would have won. Actually, it makes me feel a tad bit better, even with that special domain going on for him, he still needed to cheat so he could win¡hahahaha¡..maybe I should practice my zither skills too and a good song to go with it¡.mmmh maybe I could enlist kid Zhu Lao''s help. He does seem exceptionally gifted in this regard," said Blue Universe.
¡.
Yang Qing could hear theirmunication but he could make neither heads nor tails of what they were talking about. But before he could question them on some of the things they were discussing, assistant head Liang Wen had already dragged him to the tform so he could synchronize his medallion to the central array that had been ced in the Star blooming mist valley.
Time seemed to fly quickly after that because before he knew it, almost two hours had already passed by and the guests were already being weed into the valley.
Chapter 248 Promotion Ceremony (3)
More members from different departments of the Order showed up, especially with the arrival of the guests, in particr the members of the external affairs subsection of the Standard Regtory Committee.
They were working in tandem with some of the senior students from the Institute to wee the guests from rank 5 organizations.
Yang Qing was only given the role of weing those from rank 4 organizations and above because of the sheer number of rank 5 organizations.
If he was given the sole role of weing all the guests he would not have been able to keep track of all of them, even with the heightened memory of a pce realm expert. Therefore the lowest organizations which had the highest numbers, were left to the external affairs department along with the students of the Institute.
Though even with such a lineup, the number of rank 5 organizations that were invited were limited. There were over a million rank 5 organizations around the Southern Continent and the Order could only offer the invite to a tenth of that number, which was about a hundred thousand. The organizations that made it into the hundred thousand list were those whose quota members achieved ster results at the Institute throughout the three years leading up to the day of graduation.
Those from the Institute would share their results along with their in-depth exnation of their assessment to all the rank 5 organizations, so everything would be above board while also selling out those that had poor performances. A chance at invitation at the Star blooming mist valley was to serve as motivation for these organizations to send their most talented members, so they could stand a chance of getting an invitation.
Even though those at the early stages of the core formation realm and below could not handle the full effects of the ancestral dragon spirit vein thaty beneath the Star blooming mist valley, thus they had to be protected by the iid formation arrays, being exposed to the dense pure qi it produced still had enormous benefits to them.
It was not unheard of for cultivators to achieve enlightenment during those ceremonies or have minor breakthroughs. However, they were strictly forbidden from achieving major breakthroughs that would trigger a lightning tribtion. Those that were just at the cusp of achieving major breakthroughs were usually denied entry.
However, despite all these, those from rank 5 organizations fought for the opportunity toe to the Star blooming mist valley. It wasn''t only them, as rank 4, rank 3, rank 2, and even some rank 1 organizations, also found the opportunity too valuable to pass by because most of them would never get the chance to experience the wonders of an ancestral dragon spirit vein, If not for the Order''s invite. Only holynds and the oldest and strongest of rank 1 organizations and some hidden organizations were known to have them.
.....
Yang Qing managed to spot a few more familiar faces as time passed by. Feng Xin and the other inquisitors under him had arrived and were also assisting him in weing the guests. The only ones who were absent from his group were Haishi, Bolin, and Yi Jie. The former two were still unustomed to the ways of the Order and also human cultivators and thus were allowed a day''s rest, as for thetter, he had already gone to the tribtion mountain to break through.
His other friends had also arrived like Mao Yunru, Hung, and the rest who greeted Yang Qing briefly before they entertained other guests.
An hour went by and the sparsely popted valley was already teaming with people strewn across all the provided tforms, exchangingughs and conversation like long-lost friends who had just met each other after thousands of years. To some, that was really the case, especially with the long seclusions that powerful cultivators asionally take.
Over at the highest tform where Yang Qing would be standing for his coronation already had a few higher-ups of the Order present. The space there was reserved for only the top-tier members of the Order since in addition to disying their might, they would also be the first form of protection for Yang Qing in case anything went wrong. They, therefore, had to be close to Yang Qing as much as possible to avoid any unexpected circumstances. They could not take any chances even if Yang Qing still had the three Saint-grade artifacts to fall back on.
Therefore, all who sat there were at least at the soul beginner level of the soul formation realm, though Yang Qing was utterly clueless about the exact level of any member of the Order that was recognized to be a soul formation expert. He wasn''t sure whether they were at the soul beginner, soul adept, soul master, or soul supreme which is rumored to be the peak of cultivation within the continent. Yang Qing always had doubts about it though, especially when he put into consideration the holynds.
Only five people had arrived and of those who had arrived, he only recognized three of them. One of them was Jun Pei the assistant director of the internal logistics department. Yang Qing wasn''t sure if she was here to protect him or to make sure the three saint-grade artifacts he was loaned were not damaged. Other than her, there was Wu Ling, the Vice Chancellor of the Insitute and former member of the Spirit Council before he took up his new post.
He was currently speaking to a cultivator who looked like a ten-year-old boy that had purple hair and an iris that had no pupils and only had a cluster of stars. Despite little to no interaction with that child-looking cultivator, every judge within the Order knew who he was because the oath they took before they took up their post was supervised by him. His name was Shi Jia and he was the Chief Justice, the highest rank of all judges. His position in some regards was equal to that of the three vice presidents of the Order who were just as elusive as the president and the chancellor, as they rarely made any appearances. To date, Yang Qing has never seen a single one of them.
As for the remaining two, one was a youngdy who seemed to be in her mid-thirties. She had smooth flowing white hair that had a glowing luster to it that would put the moon to shame with its radiance. Her skin looked like it had been crafted with the finest and smoothest jade. She had on a pure white robe and was bare feet. Yang Qing never knew feet could be so mesmerizing until today. It took all his willpower to tear his eyes from them and when he did he was met with a charming smile from thatdy. Even though it was the most charming smile he had ever gotten, all his senses were screaming in fear even Veiled Destiny had to hurriedly warn him to avert his gaze and the Green Cocoon ne had rapid glows indicating thick murderous intent was directed toward him.
Yang Qing quickly turned with his back covered in sweat, as he decided to wholly concentrate on weing the guest.
Who is she? He wondered.
As for the final member, it was a middle-aged man who looked like he had just woken up ande to the venue. His robes were creased, and his dark grey hair was tied into a half-man bun by what looked to be the bark strip of a tree. However, despite how unkempt he looked, he had an otherworldly charm to him that did not lose out to the bare feet youngdy next to him, who was the picture of absolute perfection.
Though Yang Qing had no idea who that person was, the robes he had worn gave an indication of which department he was from. He had a deep red robe that had a talon insignia on it, which was an indication he was from the special inquisition department.
This was a select group of inquisitors whose talents in extraction and destruction, were above none. Just like the guards at Requiem, the threshold of joining the Special Inquisition was also high because of how dangerous their jobs were. They handled the investigation and decimation of thosebeled as ''dangerous elements'' around the continent. Dark organizations such as the Scarlet blood ghost hands, or the Dark Helminth Ghost sect, remnants of the crimson wave sect, could be considered as dangerous elements which was why Dong Yanlin, the member caught in Yang Qing''s first case during the week was directly sent to them immediately after confirming he was a member of the Scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate.
In addition to them, the Special Inquisition department also hunted down former Order employees who were found to be in clear betrayal of their oaths and duties. In some regards one could even say the most dangerous element and the prime reason the Special Inquisition was even created, was because of those former employees. With the high standards of recruitment and training, those who qualified to survive within the Order were the best of the best therefore if even one of them betrayed the Order, they could be considered one of the most dangerous elements against it even more than the enemies the Order has made along the way, and the Special Inquisitors were usually trained with that in mind, how to defeat your colleague should such a timee.
Chapter 249 Promotion Ceremony (4)
"Could he be the director or the assistant director of the Special Inquisitors?" wondered Yang Qing.
The presence of the slovenly dressed special inquisitor gave him an added sense of relief since they were basicallybat specialists who were skilled in reacting to the most insidious of attacks.
The groups they targeted for investigation or destruction were ruthless and had all sorts of taboo techniques in ce to ensure their secrecy. Dong Yanlin was a prime example of this. Even though he was at the core formation realm, Yang Qing detected a fearsome curse embedded in his soul that would have likely injured him had he tried to probe Dong Yanlin''s soul or asked certain questions.
Having a top member of a group that was used to dealing with these kinds of attacks, was a huge wee for Yang Qing. Anyone who would dare make an attempt on his life would less than likely use direct means but will instead rely on some underhanded means.
...
Yang Qing had to refocus when the number of guests arriving grew in stature. Before he had only been dealing with rank 4 organizations but now the rank 3 and rank 2 organizations had already started making an appearance. He couldn''t afford to look distracted when greeting them.
He quickly put on the most professional smile he could muster as he greeted each and every one of them while making a little small talk here and there. His years of bootlicking had finallye into handy. Song Guozhi who stood next to him had an approving look on his face due to how well Yang Qing was handling the whole thing.
Assistant head Liang Wen was also with him, however, he was in charge of dealing with the members of rank 2 organizations along with some of the senior members of the External Affairs department.
Every minute that passed by, the wider and more sincere Yang Qing''s smile became. His attitude shifted at some point when he substituted the faces of the guests that had arrived with the face of a gift box. To him, they were now prized elixirs, spirit stones, precious artifacts, or rare items such as cultivation arts. He was about to leave his hand-to-mouth lifestyle behind, all thanks to them.
How could he not be happy? when thanks to them, he could splurge as much as he wanted on his meals, he could buy more strange trinkets and add to his collection, he could upgrade both his abode and the nest of the celestial nesting weaver. The things he could do were endless.
A few members of the merchant organization who hade to exchange a few greetings even flinched a bit because of his gaze. While he had a warm weing smile on his face, how could these seasoned old foxes not have a sense when greed was mixed into the smile? They knew that move all too well, which inadvertently may have worked well in Yang Qing''s favor since those groups would more than likely add a few more things to their gifts in an attempt to sow positive karma with Yang Qing through his greed.
As for Yang Qing, he was all too d for it, especially with the noose of potential fines hanging over his head, the more gifts he got the better. With all parties on the same page, their whole interaction became even closer to the point they even started hugging each other which left Song Guozhi wondering,
"Was the information I gave him about the iing guests really that good?"
p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® ....
Yang Qing continued on merrily in his ''duties'' as he weed the guests with even deeper enthusiasm, that he even ended up using all the information Song Guozhi had given him that extended to the ancestral lineage of the guests who wereing by. Yang Qing expertly used that information so he could bring himself closer to the guests with the goal that they would be so touched and be more generous when the time came.
His n seemed to have worked too as some guests were deeply touched when they saw that a pce court judge from the Order knew so much about them. It made them feel important while for others it created a deep sense of dread within them at how much Yang Qing knew about which was a reflection of what the Order knew about them. They too, would likely end up giving more out of fear.
However, all good things doe to an end at some point, and the same happened to Yang Qing. When Yang Qing was busy exchanging a few pleasantries with the n head of a new rank 3 family, his gaze had an imperceptible flicker as he sensed something a hundred meters away from him.
"Is that....?" Yang Qing covertly switched his gaze to that area as he expertly continued his conversation with the rank 3, n head. He exchanged a few words with him and then moved on to the next person all the while sparing a nce at the area where he had just detected his Dao mark.
A few moments ago he felt his pce realm resonate with something, and when he focused a bit on the area he felt that resolution from, he realized it was from his Dao markings. Since breaking through to the pce realm was predicated on being familiar with a type of Dao so one could form a Dao seed, when one broke through to the pce realm that matured Dao seed would seep into every single part of the cultivator''s body including their qi which in turn meant their attacks and any manifestation of their cultivation will have their Dao mark showing. It was like their fingerprint, and Yang Qing just detected his, among the guests mixed about a hundred meters away from him.
Finding someone with his Dao mark came as a surprise to him since the only people who could have it were those he had attacked or sparred against or had items that had been made by him personally. He didn''t detect any of his inquisitors within the area so he quickly ruled out that it was on someone he had sparred with or someone that had his personal items on them.
When it came to fights, he has only been a pce realm expert for 11 months and in that time the only time he got into a fight was when he fought with the three pce realm experts in Purple City of the Red Maple Empire. As far as he knew they had not been released yet and were still being held at the Yellow ins County, where Yang Qing had them sent on the ount that they''d draw unwanted attention to him when one of them was the son of the founder of Golden Bamboo Pavilion, who was a renowned domain expert described to have a special physique that made him a skilledbatant.
Yang Qing left that hot potato with the branch chief of Yellow ins County who was also a domain expert while hepleted his evaluations. In addition, he had also filed an investigation request with Lei Weiyuan for that founder''s son. With all that in ce, he found it hard that they would have been let go, and even if they did, he would have been one of the primary people to be informed.
"Who is it?" Yang Qing wondered as he mentally went through the list of likely candidates.
Just as he was ruminating through the likelihoods, his pupils froze for a brief second when someone came into view from the corner of his eye.
"It must be... It''s the only thing that makes sense," thought Yang Qing as his gaze briefly fell on the person responsible for his sudden rity on his conundrum. The person responsible for this was none other than his fellow glutton, Feng Xin.
It was only when Feng Xin came into view, was he able to recollect that he had given him a few of his experimental talismans. Those talismans were imbuied with his Dao markings as a measure to help cut back the time needed to trigger the talismans.
When Feng Xin came back from apprehending Peng Zhen and the rest from the Green Fog Swamp Sect, he got chased after by a pce realm expert whom he assumed was a member of the scarlet blood ghost hands, because he asked for the Ao Yin saber Feng Xin had confiscated at the site Dong Hanlon had shed with the three elders and the Tupelo tree.
Realising the disparity in realms, Feng Xin was quick to detonate the talismans so he could create an avenue of escape, however he didn''t expect the talismans to have such a short dy that he and Ellie along with two elders of the Green fog swamp were almost sucked into the attack.
From what Yang Qing could remember the branch chief of the Green mountain branch, whom Feng Xin had called for backup, did not find any body at the ce Feng Xin had detonated those talismans.
"Could he be him?" Yang Qing wondered as he grew increasingly puzzled on what he should do if it was.
Members of the Scarlet blood ghost hands were skilled at infiltration and hiding in in sight so Yang Qing wasn''t all too surprised one of their members woulde here and he had no doubt that there maybe others cleverly mixed in within the guests today.
Chapter 250 Promotion Ceremony (5)
"What do I do?" Yang Qing wondered as his Dao mark drew closer to him. He couldn''t risk deploying his pce sense for risk of alerting that party who may likely be on high alert since stepping into the Order''s grounds.
Even if the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands were skilled at blending in, it didn''t mean they didn''t find it unnerving when they crawled into the belly of certain beasts, especially a beast that has been gradually hunting their members all over the continent for the past 500 years.
"Why did they risk toe here though? Even if it''s to keep up appearances, isn''t this a little too risky?" thought Yang Qing.
This was the real reason when he detected the Dao mark hepletely overlooked the person Feng Xin had shed with. He couldn''t understand why a pce realm who definitely knew about Dao markings woulde here of all ces, where the person he had just shed with a week ago, was present.
However, Yang Qing had overlooked a few things in his thought process. For one no sane person would imbue their Dao markings to a talisman for someone else to use, like the way he did for Feng Xin and it was for obvious reasons, one of them being the talisman could be unstable or when the attack art stored within it was released there was a chance it may attack both the user and the attacker at the same time.
Had Feng Xin not triggered a bunch of talismans at the same time creating a chaos storm, his pce realm attacker may have noticed something off with those talismans if he wasn''t fighting for dear life at the time. The Chaos turned out to be an advantage along with the absurde notion that had been epted of Dao markings causing instability to talismans.
Other than that, there were other factors at y on why the supposed Scarlet blood ghost hands member would risking here, and one of them was depth of understanding of Dao. While a pce realm expert would know about Dao markings since they too would have their own markings, the ability of one pce realm expert to sense another pce expert''s Dao markings depended on the abilities between the two in terms of cultivation base and also their understanding of Dao.
If there was disparity between the two then it would be difficult for the weaker party to detect the Dao markings of the stronger party.
Yang Qing had more than likely made an unconscious judgement that that pce realm expert was on the same level as him if not stronger, seeing how he managed to escape his triggered talismans.
...
In the midst of debating what to do, Yang Qing saw Feng Xin with his silly grin waving over as he pointed at someone in the iing guests. Yang Qing froze as his mind went nk from shock, thinking stupid Feng Xin had just given up everything with his pointing even before he had a moment to decide on what to do next.
Yang Qing unconsciously readied himself to attack which made the the guest standing next to him tremble in fear because he was close enough to feel abit of Yang Qing''s leaking battle intent.
It was only when Yang Qing realized that Feng Xin was pointing toward the King of White Baobab Kingdom, did he calm down but not before sending an angry re towards Feng Xin.
...
"Judge Yang Qing what is wrong?"
Just as Yang Qing was about to apologize to his guest for startling him, he heard Liang Wen''s voice in his mind.
"I sensed battle intenting from you," added Liang Wen when he sensed Yang Qing''s confusion.
Other than weing guests who were from rank 2 organizations and above, he had been closely monitoring Yang Qing and it wasn''t only him, a few of the senior members of the external affairs department also kept an eye on Yang Qing as they did their duties.
"I sensed someone ahead has my Dao markings on them and I suspect they are a member of the Scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate," said Yang Qing.
"Are you sure?" asked Liang Wen.
e¦Áglesnovel`c,om "I am."
Yang Qing went on to exin his line of thought on why he felt there were high chances, his guess was right.
Liang Wen went silent for a while, to which Yang Qing didn''t know if it was because he was thinking about what they should do next or because he was sharing the information with the other Order members around.
"Senior Blue Universe, senior Veiled Destiny can you help me with something?" asked Yang Qing.
He used the token he was given to assimte them, as a conduit for a three-way ofmunication.
"Senior Cocoon, I''d appreciate your help too, if you can?" Yang Qing added after some hesitation.
Yang Qing''s eyes lit up when he felt their spirit signatures register in his mental sea.
"What is it?" asked Veiled Destiny
"Can you sense if someone is hiding their real selves either by changing their whole body''s constitution or even hiding their karma?" asked Yang Qing.
Members of the scarlet blood ghost hands had all sorts of measures of hiding themselves, one of them being isting their karma, otherwise with the Order''s means they would have long since been tracked.
If the person he suspected had a way to hide his karma even from a Saint-grade artifact such as Veiled Destiny that was skilled in that regard, it would serve to highlight that the person had a powerful background much higher than their supposed rank 3 background.
"Senior Veiled Destiny you can check the karma,
Senior Blue Universe you can check if he is using any other cultivation art to hide himself,
, and Senior Cocoon could you please tell me if you sense something off in the person, if he has a certain aura to him, like the kind you''d find in someone whose ughtered hundreds of thousands of people."
While he had only interacted with them briefly, he did manage to develop a sense of their capabilities when he met them for the first time in that dome hallway, the synchronization that happened after, further solidified his guesses.
Veiled Destiny was the most obvious since its strong suit was literally in its description which was an intimate familiarity with the workings of Karma, when it came to Blue Universe, the fact he could block the full-blown attack of a soul master and ensure Yang Qing''s safety meant he had a profound understanding of the different type of Daos, to the point he could instantly counter them, otherwise, it would be difficult to guarantee unteral protection against all attacks as long as they were from someone who was at the soul master level and below.
As for Green Cocoon, while she was the one shrouded in the densest fog of mystery, to Yang Qing she was the one he felt intimately familiar with, which he didn''t know was because of her dense life aura or was it something else. Of the three saint-grade artifacts, when it came to investigating the suspected Scarlet blood ghost hands member, he felt Green Cocoon would have better-defining results than even Veiled Destiny. The reason for that guess was because of his own experience with his Yin Yang jade bones, which made him extremely sensitive to specific types of qi that were antagonistic to the attributes of his physique. An example of such qi was either dense ughter qi that was doused in resentment, or corpse qi. He felt Green Cocoon with such a dense vitality aura to her, was more than likely sensitive to such things as well, to an even higher degree than him since she was more powerful.
...
"Fine." the three saint-grade artifacts all agreed to his request.
"Judge Yang Qing, I''ve discussed with a few members of the external affairs department and the Eagle Guard division on how we should proceed, and we have agreed to its better to seek Assistant Director Feng Lei''s opinion on the matter since the Special Inquisitors are better suited for this sort of thing. What do you think?"
"So he is the assistant director?" muttered Yang Qing as he cast a sneaking nce in the direction of the slovenly dressed middle-aged man who had on red robes and was apanied by an otherworldly charm.
"I don''t mind Assistant Head, Liang Wen. I was nning on doing just that, but please inform him with haste because the person with my Dao markings is the third person next in line. His name is Ai Shan, I think, and he is the current sect master of the Flying feather sword sect," said Yang Qing.
Liang Wen turned his gaze to the mentioned person. It was a middle-aged man with a slightly stern expression that had his hair tied into a ponytail that had a few white streaks that added a mature charm to it. His robes were sky blue and had white cloud patterns embroidered on the sleeves and back. At his waist were two swords that were in a blue scabbard and had sword guards that were in the shape of feathers.
From the way he carried himself, one would least likely suspect him to be part of a dark organization like the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands. He was currently instructing one of his disciples like a dutiful sect master showing him around, unaware that over 10 domain experts had ced him within their sights, three saint-grade experts, and soon, a soul formation expert skilled in hunting organizations like theirs.
Chapter 251 Promotion Ceremony (6)
The line''s progression seemed to move at a snail''s pace ording to Yang Qing''s perspective. The sect master of the Flying feather sword sect couldn''t arrive fast enough. Yang Qing didn''t know what he was going to do yet, but the anticipation was eating away at him.
The Flying feather sword sect was a rtively average sect whenpared to other rank 3 sects and organizations. It didn''t have anything that made it stand out and it wasn''t too shabby either.
From the information Yang Qing read about them from the talisman given to him by Song Guozhi, the Flying feather sword sect has been in existence for at least 50,000 years, however, it has been a rank 3 sect for about 7,000 years. In some regard, they could be considered a rtively new rank 3 sect.
The Flying feather sword sect just like its name, was a sect that focused primarily on sword cultivation. They cultivated the Avnche feather storm sword technique, which in terms of grade, was a low-tier Blue grade cultivation art, which was okay as a mainstay cultivation art for an up-anding rank 3 sect.
The cultivation art focused on agility and light movements which would then culminate and create a terrifying sword speed that would shred an opponent to minced pieces. Yang Qing had a feeling Yi Jie would take a fancy to their technique since his ''silent phases of the moonke'' cultivation art also focused on achieving extreme destruction via extreme speed.
Their current sect master, Ai Shan, which Yang Qing suspected was not even his real name, took over the position of sect master 800 years ago when he broke through to the pce realm. In terms of talent, the information given to Yang Qing didn''t say much about the sect master but the fact he was one of the recorded 13 pce realm experts that the sect had on file, his talent could not be considered to be bad.
What the file did say was that the development of the Flying feather sword sect has been stable under him. Yang Qing could only assume that meant, there haven''t been any major upheavals since he took over on both the positive and negative end.
Finally, only one person was left before it was the sect master Ai Shan''s turn.
¡
"Judge Yang Qing, it''s Feng Lei. Assistant head Liang Wen and the rest have filled me in on what is going on and your suspicions about there being a potential Scarlet blood ghost hands member within our midst."
Just as Yang Qing was counting the minutes to his eventual ''meetup'' with the suspected Scarlet blood ghost hands member, he heard an unfamiliar gentle easygoing voice in his mind.
"There''s no need to answer back first, there are a few things I need to exin to you seeing as how you''re already embroiled with the syndicate. Dong Yanlin was sent to us by you, No?
We are still questioning Dong Yanlin, so there is not much he has divulged yet on the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate, however, there were a few things he did divulge to us in regard to his master, senior brother, and senior sister.
His master is called Mo Yin, the one within the Scarlet blood ghost hands that has the moniker, ''The bloodless refiner'', who is also one of the ten blood fingers.
From what little Yanlin told us, his rank within the Blood fingers is seventh.
As for his martial siblings, he has two; the eldest is his senior sister by the name of Yu Rue and then she is followed by his senior brother by the name of Gui Shiren.
Of his two martial siblings, he is a bit familiar with his senior brother Gui Shiren. The bits he told us was he was a pce realm expert at the second stage and was skilled in the way of swords, and he is a dual wielder.
Your suspicions may not be wrong as I can see that the sect master of the Flying feather sword sect is also a dual wielder just like the Gui Shiren," said Assistant Director Feng Lei.
Yang Qing''s pupils froze for a brief second before they went back to normal. If his guess about sect master Ai Shan was right, and he was in fact a member of the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate, then the information he was just given by Assistant Director Feng Lei,plicated matters.
It was one thing if sect master Ai Shan was just another run-of-the-mill pce stage member of the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate, and it was another if he was the disciple of a Blood finger ranked member of the syndicate. The implications between the two were far apart.
The Blood Finger of the Scarlet blood ghost hand syndicate was made up of members who were the highest-ranking members and also the most powerful, within the whole syndicate. For one to be a Blood finger, they needed to at least be in the seventh stage of the domain realm.
So, every Blood Finger member was at the very least, ate-stage domain expert and there were ten of them in total. They were all given numbers as a measure of their strength from number one through ten, with one being the strongest and number ten being the weakest of the Blood Fingers.
The ten of them held the highest level of authority within the syndicate and were only below their elusive soul formation expert founder.
The reason that the Order even knew about the Blood Fingers was that 300 years ago they managed to catch one of them, the ninth finger.
Capturing him was anything but easy. That member had been caught in the midst of arge-scale ritual where he had sacrificed an entire city of a rank 3 kingdom for some cultivation art. He would have been sessful in what he was doing had it not been for the intervention of a roaming inquisitor, who was at the early stages of the domain realm.
A massive fight immediately broke out and the roaming inquisitor would have perished had it not been for the artifacts he had on him and the swift arrival of the backup he had called for before he began the fight with that ninth finger.
It took thebined attack of three domain-level experts from the Order before that member of the syndicate was brought down. Of course, there were a number of factors at y there for the protracted battle despite the disparity in numbers. Some of those factors were; the experts of the Order wanted to capture him alive which was much harder than killing him, and the other was that member had various esoteric means in his repertoire that proved to be troublesome for the Order experts to deal with in the short term.
The battle spanned three days before it finally had a sessful conclusion, which was the eventual capture of the ninth finger of the Scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate.
As for what happened to that ninth finger afterward, Yang Qing guessed he was likely a constantpanion of the requiem guards and the special inquisitors. By his guesses, he more than likely hadn''t spilled much to date seeing how the syndicate was still active, alive, and healthy.
...
"Whatever measures he has on him, there''s no way it can match three saint-grade artifacts," thought Yang Qing as he lightly patted his deep blue robe. His thoughts were cut off when Assistant Director Feng Lei continued with his exnation.
"When ites to his senior sister, Yanlin doesn''t seem to know that much since he has only seen her once or twice from the time he got epted as a disciple by the ''Bloodless refiner''. However, the little he could tell was she was the most powerful and prized disciple under his master, and not only to him, but she was also even well-favored among other higher-ups of the Scarlet blood ghost hands.
Based on that, we can assume she is either at the peak of the pce realm or she may very well be at the domain realm.
I wouldn''t be surprised if she was even here.
It would be interesting if she was here though¡hehehehe¡..ever since we captured the ninth-ranked blood finger, it''s been long since we have caught another big fish from them, who knows maybe we may very well get the chance of capturing a seventh-ranked finger, " Assistant Director Feng Leo gingerly said.
"Yang Qing, by now I assume you have already enlisted the help of the saint-grade artifacts, right?"
"Yes, I have," answered Yang Qing.
"Then the way I see it, once we have confirmed the sect master of Flying feather sword sect isn''t who he is, we have two options;
One, is we let things y out for the long term and closely monitor all his movements and fully dig out everything that entails his life. This option may take time since Dong Yanlin''s master more than likely knows he has been captured and as such they are likely to go underground or break off contact with the rest of his disciples including Gui Shiren who we suspect may be Ai Shan.
The second option is more direct and has a shorter time span, which is you attack him while I and the rest of my colleagues here will closely monitor the reactions of the guests in the hopes of sniffing out any of his co-conspirators in the midst especially that senior sister of his.
I leave the choice to you and don''t stress too much about it, even if it fails, we still have the ninth blood finger with us. Even if he is still tight-lipped, it''s not for too long. No matter what happens, it doesn''t change the fact that we already have the scent of the syndicate. As things stand, we are not dealing with if but on when we will strike at them.
So, act freely, little judge."
Chapter 252 Promotion Ceremony (7)
Yang Qing smiled as he nodded in acknowledgment. Even without input from Assistant Director Feng Lei, he had already decided how he was going to act when the moment came.
While all this was going on, he was still hard at work entertaining the guests. As all this was going on, he even managed to spot the King of the White Baobab Kingdom heading out with Feng Xin with serious looks on their faces like they were discussing something very delicate. Joining them was also the manager of the Thousand vors restaurant and one of their up-anding chefs by the name of Qi Shan. There was also other personnel from different restaurants within the Order that seemed to have joined in on the discussion that Feng Xin and the King of the White Baobab Kingdom were having.
They even had to switch locations and sat together at the tforms when they saw they were crowding out the area and restricting others froming in.
"They better not leave me out of the good stuff," thought Yang Qing as he tracked where Feng Xin and the rest had walked off to.
His gluttonous instinct was screaming that something good was happening but in as much as he wished he was there with them, right now he had pressing matters to attend to, and the party in the center of it all was already before him.
¡.
"Hey, you must be Sect master Ai Shan of the Flying feather sword sect. I, Yang Qing, offer my humble greetings and I would like to thank you foring to my ceremony and wish you a pleasant stay."
Yang Qing offered a polite smile as he cupped his fists in greeting, to the sect master of the Flying feather sword sect.
"Senior Blue Universe, Senior Veiled Destiny, Senior Green Cocoon, did you detect anything off with him?" Yang Qing anxiously asked.
Whatever they said next was going to determine how he was going to act.
"His morphing technique is one of the finest ones I''ve ever seen. If it wasn''t for your suggestion that he may be an impostor which made me take a deeper look, I''m afraid he would have evaded me.
Mmh, it''s a rather uncanny technique. It seems to be a blood-rted cultivation art. No wonder he can blend so easily without being detected. His point of transformation seems to begin from his bloodline and then proceeds outward. It''s a rather ingenious technique¡"
"Blue Universe, can you keep it short? We don''t have all day here. What if Yang Qing runs out of things to say in the midst of your long-winded exnation?
Why do you always get this way every time a cultivation art is involved.
To me it seems like you should have just taken up little Lao on his offer and be an instructor in that school of his," said Veiled Destiny with an exasperated sigh.
"Yang Qing, you were right, his karmic lines seemed to have been interfered with. At face value, it seems normal, but I can tell that those lines are not his. It seems like another person''s life history was grabbed and imnted in him, and another and another.
It looks like they want to pass the different karmic lifelines to be the result of reincarnation, while his real karmic line is hidden beneathyers andyers of fabricated karmic lines.
Sadly, I can''t pry into his real line, there seems to be some sort of beast defending it with a thick red malevolent coating.
I could try to force myself in, but judging by the nature of the thing, when it realizes the disparity in strength between us, it is likely to destroy that sect master''s karmic line, essentially killing him on the spot.
e¦Áglesn?¦Íel I''m sorry I couldn''t be of much help," said Veiled Destiny
"No, this is more than enough Senior Veiled Destiny," said Yang Qing as he waited for thest saint-grade artifact to say her piece, which he wasn''tpletely sure she would.
"That little kid looks to have the blood of at least half a million people on him. I don''t know if it is because of the beast Veiled Destiny detected, but he has a familiar aura to him that belonged to the sacred beast of the Myriad Beasts Sect.
It''s strange... Jiayi would not get in with their likes at all. She was no stranger to killing, but even she would not get in bed with someone like him, with such a dense bloodlust on him.
Did something happen to her after the destruction of the sect?
Blue Universe, over the years have you heard anything about the Myriad Beast Sect? Especially in regard to their sacred beast being alive?" asked Green Cocoon.
Yang Qing was in shock from being caught off guard by how many words she had spoken and how eloquent she sounded, unlike the incoherent toddler voice she had before. She now had a graceful, wisdom-filled charm to her tone. Yang Qing couldn''t believe it was the same person who couldn''t structure aplete sentence together.
"Does she have some ties to the Myriad Beasts Sect?" wondered Yang Qing.
Other than knowing the Myriad Beasts Sect was once a holynd that faced its demise at the hands of the two remaining holynds and other rank 1 organizations, he didn''t know too much about it, despite the destruction of a holynd being a world-shaking event.
The events happened over a thousand years ago, and the reasons behind it were highly suspect. At face value, it was believed that the Myriad Beast Sect was trying to control the vicious Ao Yin beasts known for their wanton ughter. Rumor was, they seeded and would soon dominate the southern continent with them.
The whole thing never made any sense since Ao Yins despite their nefarious reputation, could be considered rare beasts just like phoenixes, dragons, the ck tortoise, the white tiger, qilins, and the like. Their numbers were rare and few and they needed strict conditions for an Ao Yin to even be born.
Chapter 253 [Bonus ] Promotion Ceremony (8)
If the Myriad Beasts Sect had the intention of dominating the continent through the use of Ao Yin, then where were they going to get the numbers sufficient enough for them to pull it off?
If the continent had such a number of Ao Yin beasts lying around, then three-quarters of it would have already been ughtered.
There were a lot of unanswered questions on why a holynd got destroyed out of the blue, and it seemed like the top powerhouses were all intent on keeping the matter hidden. Even the Order rarely discussed it.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but be curious about Green Cocoon''s rtionship with the Myriad Beasts Sect and the identity of the sacred beast. For something to be considered the sacred beast of a sect that was known to have all sorts of powerful spirit beasts, the sacred beast must have been a standout powerhouse.
From the things that got looted when the sect fell, he did not hear about a sacred beast at all since most of the beasts the sect had, got ughtered in the battle as they all chose to die with the sect rather than surrender to outside forces no matter how bleak the circumstances were at the time.
Though the older and more powerful spirit beasts chose how they lived and died, the same could not be said about their offspring and eggs, which all got imed as bounty during the war. asionally one would hear an egg or two from the Myriad Beasts Sect being auctioned off for a hefty sum.
Yang Qing had always wanted to get one, but his financial circumstances made it so, that he would never be a sessful bid winner. The celestial nesting weaver was one of the purchases the Order got from one of those auctions, that Yang Qing managed tond as a gift.
"I wonder if the highest level of the library has more information about them?" wondered Yang Qing.
The ninth floor, also known as the purple floor was rumored to store all kinds of information, and being a soul formation expert was not enough to be guaranteed entry to that floor. Unlike other floors where merit points and cultivation base were the key requirements of gaining entry, the ninth floor operated a little differently, in that it was even unknown what was even the requirement of getting into it.
¡.
Yang Qing managed to focus back from his wandering thoughts when Blue Universe answered Green Cocoon''s question.
"I haven''t heard much about Jiayi or the Myriad Beast Sect for that matter. I did talk with little Jun about it some time back, and all she said was there were definitely a few survivors from the sect, but as for their identities, she wasn''t too clear on them.
Maybe Fei can shed more light on it, he is bound to know more than little Jun.
I hope Jiayi is okay though, it would be a pity if a rare Bixi such as her lost her life like that. I haven''t met more than three Bixis in my whole life and she had the highest chance of awakening herplete bloodline talent.
What a pity," said Blue Universe.
"Bixi?!!!!!" Yang Qing wondered in shock.
However, he didn''t have time to wallow in it for too long because he had run out of things to say to sect master Ai Shan after getting the final confirmation he needed from Green Cocoon and the rest.
It could already be confirmed that the sect master before him was an impostor, there was no doubt about it, now all Yang Qing needed to do, was to decide what to do next;
Does he smile and let the sect master go and let things y out as the Order closely monitors him for the next century or so, to try and dig out other members of the syndicate through him?
Or does he attack now in the hopes that maybe his senior sister and other syndicate members who knew of his cover are present at this exact moment and would show some sort of reaction to the attack?
Of the two, there was only one clear choice for him, one that was rooted in dedication and rity of the situation at hand and thus Yang Qing acted.
BOOM!!!!!!!
CRACKLE!!!!
Yang Qingunched a thunderous punch that took the form of the fist of oblivion. However, unlike the previous version he unleashed when he was teasing and mildly traumatizing the scion from the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, this one was much grander and much more ferocious.
There was a massive ck hole at the end of his fist and inside that hole, one could see white lightning shing. It was the picture of pure destruction and that force was beingunched towards the bbergasted sect master of the Flying feather sword sect.
When asked why he decided to attack? Yang Qing''s answer was simple;
What hotblooded youth would be stupid enough not to jump at the opportunity of using saint-grade artifacts, especially ones that granted monstrous buffs like the ones he had on him?
It was a no-brainer to him, of course, he''d jump at the opportunity to use them and look cool doing it. He would not get another chance like this again, and he was surely going to make the most of it, especially with the potentially exorbitant fines attached to it, he was going to make sure he would get his money''s worth.
No way the Order would indenture him to a potential life of long work hours with no pay, and he would just take it lying down. He was going to go all out and taste the life of living it up with saint-grade treasures.
Saint grade treasure Yang Qing was going to have his moment. The silly grin he had on as he threw the punchpletely sold him out to the rest as to his true thoughts and motivation on the matter.
Yang Qing didn''t care about catching other potential syndicate members, he just wanted to use those saint-grade artifacts, and the sect master of the Flying feather sword sect gave him the perfect excuse to do it.
Chapter 254 : Promotion Ceremony (9)
"Please don''t die," hoped Yang Qing as he held nothing back in his punch.
The region around them had already been sealed by the domain experts around, the moment they detected Yang Qing was about to take action.
A thunderous bellowing darkness swallowed the shocked sect master of the Flying feather sword sect whole apanied by crackling sounds of white lightning.
Yang Qing could detect that his punch was much more refined than it usually was. This was thanks to the heightened effect of the Veiled Destiny which gave him the senses of a domain-level expert.
With this discovery, he was much more eager to try all his other techniques to try and deepen his understanding of them while he still had the chance to, and the only person who could give him that chance was currently swallowed in his fist of oblivion.
The moment of truth had arrived; would it end as just a one-shot denying Yang Qing the opportunity to create a scene where he could brag endlessly for years toe or would the sect master produce a trump card of his own and go toe to toe with Yang Qing?
Yang Qing didn''t have to wait for too long to get the answer to that question. His punch that would have instantly destroyed any cultivator that was at the seventh stage of the pce realm and below, was instantly neutralized by a dark red smoke that was apanied by the agonized wails of the dead.
The dark red smoke seemed like it had a corroding effect on it as it ate away at the massive ck hole that surrounded it. The only thing that it seemed to be struggling against was the white lighting that was rapidly crisscrossing within that hole. Every time the smoke came close to the white lighting, a sizzling sound like something being burnt up would be produced.
However, the apanying wailing sound of the ck-red smoke seemed to have a restraining effect on the white lightning which gave a little breathing room to the dark-red smoke to eat away at the ck hole and then moved on to the white lightning.
Despite his technique being effectively neutralized, Yang Qing had a beaming smile on his face, like he had just received the best news ever.
"Thank you, sect master Ai Shan," Yang Qing gently muttered as he calmly stood by waiting for the sh of their attack to clear up.
¡.
"That kid," muttered Lei Weiyuan who was observing the position from a different area.
Next to him was Meng Chao, Dean Zhu Lao, his wife, the Yu couple, Dean Chu Zhen, Ren Shu the vice hall master of the medicine valley, and Shao An, the vice warden of the Requiem.
They were all standing in the same area along with other Order employees as they observed the situation.
"He isn''t too bad. In terms of execution, I can see he didn''t hold anything back," said Dean Chu Zhen the head of the survival and adaptability department.
e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "He seems careless and cheeky at face value, but he is rather devious," said Yu Hong as sheughed with a shining glint shing in her eyes as she eyed the attack that was clearing up.
"Mmh, his choice was the right one. Attacking suddenly and with such power will force the opponent to react reflexively increasing the chances that they will reveal their true selves in the process.
Scarlet blood ghost hand syndicate members are notorious for keeping thingspartmentalized and hidden even from each other so as to ensure their own safety and anonymity. So other than maybe their master and handler to the syndicate, their identities are a well-guarded secret even from each other which makes using one member to track another, next to impossible.
However, there is one thing that can reveal them to another syndicate member despite not being familiar with each other...
Their core cultivation art," said Yu Long the vice dean of cultivation art dissection and history.
"How many have you spotted?" Meng Chao asked with apetitive smile.
"11," said Yu Long
"10," said Ren Shu
"11," said Ling Meimei
"11," said Yu Hong
"11," said Chu Zhen
"12," said Lei Weiyuan
"12," said Shao An.
"What about you Zhu Lao?" asked Meng Chao to the silent Dean Zhu Lao.
"Leave him be, I doubt his mind is even here," said Ling Meimei as she shook her head at her husband whose eyes were shining as they locked onto Yang Qing''s location.
"Maybe he mighte up with ideas for another cultivation art," said Yu Long with admiration in his tone.
"How many did you spot, Meng Chao?" asked Lei Weiyuan.
"Just like yours, my number is 12," answered Meng Chao as his gaze fell on a certain youngdy mixed within the crowd of guests.
"Technically there are 13 but 12 is just about right."
The response came from a young man who had pristine ck robes that were simr to the one Meng Chao had on. His looks were ordinary along with his short wavy ck hair.
However, there was one thing that made him stand out, his eyes. His irises were star-shaped and they were light orange in color. He had five pupils in each eye. Four were at the end of each of the four cardinal points of his star-shaped iris, while the fifth one was at the center of the center.
"It seems like nothing can hide from your eyes, Hou Dehui," said Meng Chao.
Were Yang Qing here, he would have recognized that name to be of the inner court domain judge who would step in for him should the leader of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion interfere in his son''s case.
"Who''s the 13th one?" asked the taciturn Shao An as he furrowed his brows at the guests that surrounded the area Yang Qing had just shed against the sect master of the Flying feather sword sect.
"Shao An, you can bepetitive at times too? Who knew," Hou Dehui said as he chuckled. The others smiled along too which brought out an embarrassed smile from Shao An.
Chapter 255 [Bonus ]Promotion Ceremony (10)
"The 13th one isn''t technically a person, but it could be considered one since it''s a remnant will that hastched on to someone. It''s on that youngdy''s body. It was why she was able to mask herself so well, even hiding from Yu Long, Yu Hong, Dean Chu Zhen, Hall master Ling Meimei and Ren Shu," answered Hou Dehui as his five pupils danced around his star-shaped iris like they were swimming about.
His gaze was focused on the same person Meng Chao had eyed moments before when he arrived.
"It seems I''m the loser in this one," said Ren Shu as he smiled bitterly.
"I think you did well, considering your strong suitsy elsewhere," said Yu Long in constion.
"I''m surprised Lei Weiyuan you managed to keep up with Meng Chao and Shao An despite being only in the eighth stage while they''re both half-step into the soul formation realm.
Hou Dehuipeting with them despite being at the tenth stage is one thing, because of his Viridian void constetion physique, but Lei isn''t your strong suit the sword dao? How did you manage to spot the 12th member?" asked Yu Hong, who felt bitter at missing the 12th mark despite being the vice coordinator of the roaming inquisitors of the domain courts.
Roaming inquisitors were second only to the special inquisitors when it came to investigations and were usually a cut above the rest of the normal inquisitors. She couldn''t help but feel she had let down her role as one of the top-most figures of the roaming inquisitors, by missing out on the 12th member.
"Well, I''ve been dealing with a troublesome underling for the past few years. I can''t let down my guard around him for even a second, or who knows what things he may get away with within that timeframe. That experience made me sensitive to a lot of things, especially sneaky people," Lei Weiyuan calmly said as his gaze fell on a green-haired youth that had one of the most humble-smug smiles he had ever seen.
"Can''t he be low-key for once in his life?" wondered Lei Weiyuan.
¡
When the attack cleared, the real body of the sect master of the Flying feather sword sect was revealed. It was a 30-year-old male with blood-red hair and at his waist were two swords sheathed in a dark red scabbard that looked like it was made of dried blood.
"How did you know?" asked the 30-year-old man as a despair-filled smile shed on his face.
Yang Qing ignored the man''s question for a brief moment as his gaze fell on the intricately carved fang amulet the man was wearing on his neck. It had terrifying undtions and seemed to be the source of the red smoke that swallowed his technique.
"What is that?" he wondered since it didn''t feel like an artifact and felt more lifelike than anything.
"The core ingredients of that thing seem to be the w, fang, and horn of an Aoyin coupled with the blood of a million cultivators that were all in the core formation realm. There is an intricate spell curved into the amulet that seemed to have ''fed'' all that blood to the amulet. ording to grade, one could think of it as saint grade artifact, however, I can detect a dormant real live spirit in there that was alive before the amulet was crafted," said Green Cocoon.
"It seems to match the sensation I got from that saber, albeit this one is over a thousand times stronger," muttered Yang Qing. His running thoughts along with his conversation with Green Cocoon didn''t run more than 10 seconds.
"Before I answer, can I assume your name is Gui Shiren, Dong Yanlin''s senior brother?" asked Yang Qing.
The pupils of the sect master of the Flying feather sword sect froze for a brief second before they went back to normal, but that brief pause was enough to give Yang Qing the confirmation he wanted.
"It looks like he fell into your hands. I wonder what else my junior brother told you?" asked Gui Shiren. With how things had developed he found it useless to deny anything, especially with his amulet''s power already exposed along with his true look.
Even though outwardly he looked calm, his heart was still racing when he remembered the sensation he got when the ck hole swallowed him. He has gone through countless dangerous battles before but that attack felt especially different, like it was geared towards his very nature and its aim was to sentence him to the most agonizing pain he could imagine.
His amulet was triggered due to that threat and his fake body reverted to his true self reflexively from the bone-deep intrinsic fear he felt. Even though he seemed casual, he was dreading the fight that woulde.
....
"Your junior brother was shy at first but once we got to talking and he got to know how amazing I am, he became an endless chatterbox. He offered to let me join your organization under your master, the seventh blood finger," said Yang Qing as he emphasized thest part.
"Yanlin is such a kind guy, we didn''t know each other that well, but he even guaranteed to help me be a domain expert. Sadly I had to refuse him because I can''t stand blood, but in exchange for the kindness he showed me, I sent him to some seniors of mine so his injuries could be taken care of while they had a little chat about his background and other things people discuss over tea and biscuits.
Rest assured your junior brother is alive and well, and living the best life here at the Order. I''d like to make the same offer to you, but it looks like you would refuse me, and you don''t seem like a tea person either," said Yang Qing as he held his chin in thought.
"You''re right, I''m not a tea person, I''m more of a blood wine person," Gui Shiren said as he unsheathed his swords.
"And from the look you''re giving me, you don''t seem like you wanted to invite me, you were rather hoping I''d decline, weren''t you?" he added.
"The syndicate really has some talented people," muttered Yang Qing as his body got bathed in a dense white me.
"Don''t die Shiren,"
eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Nature''s wrath
The ground beneath Yang Qing caved into a crater as a white me burst from beneath it like a geyser drowning everything within a 500-meter radius.
¡
"Feng Lei has said we leave the youngdy, along with those who easily revealed themselves during the attack. We are to apprehend the rest but it feels a little overkill to have nine domain experts attacking," said Meng Chao.
"I''ll do it, I''m better at handling crowds than you all anyway," said Yu Long the vice dean of cultivation art history and dissection.
Chapter 256 Promotion Ceremony (11)
A fiery sh ensued between Yang Qing and Gui Shiren, luckily the domain experts from the external affairs department along with those from the Eagle Guard division were working in tandem to contain the fight so it wouldn''t spill over to the rest of the guests. There were also formation arrays in ce that helped contain the effects of the attack between the two.
Despite the guests'' safety being guaranteed, they all had confusion written on their faces, especially those belonging to rank 3 and below. The fight happened too fast and the little verbal exchange between Yang Qing and Gui Shiren barelysted 3 minutes before an all-out sh began between the two and the domains of the surrounding domain experts muffled the content of the said conversation.
Those guests couldn''t help but worry that they may be targeted next with no rhyme or reason, especially those from the lower-ranked organizations who were used to being pushed around for no reason half the time, by the more powerful organizations.
The only ones who seemed okay and unperturbed throughout the whole thing were the guests that came from the well-seasoned rank 3 organizations and above. The reaction of Gui Shiren to the sudden attack was enough for them to glean a thing or two, and also a fight between the two sides was well within their interests as they would get to see how strong the new pce court judge of the Order, really is.
¡.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The intensity of the sh between the two got more ferocious and extreme by the second.
On one end there was a massive white me that looked like it wanted to drown the skies and everything around it. Within that me, one could see the silhouettes of different creatures such as eagles,rks, owls, ravens, and crows.
They all danced around the white mes as they pped their wings.
Opposite them was a massive figure that had the head of a bull with dark hollow eyes. It had two horns that were curled and were about 10 meters long each and had a sharp piercing sensation to them like they could puncture a hole in the space around them if they so wished
The massive creature was bare-chested and had all sorts of strange ck patterns inscribed on its chest. Those ck patterns would asionally form the silhouette of a person yelling. A ck-red smoke was continuously produced from its body, which only got denser every time it exhaled. In its hands, it held two blood-red swords which it used to sh against the white mes that had dwarfed its frame due to how widespread and enormous it was.
Its opponent was not only the white mes that corroded it with every sh but the birds that were flying above the mes too. Each different species seemed to have their own abilities.
Therks produced a peaceful melody that drowned out the agonizing wails that were being produced by the red smoke from the bull-like creature, the eagle seemed like the one in charge of frontal assault as it shed against the bull-like figure aiming to tear it with its talons, the owl split into multiple numbers and surrounded the bull like figure in the middle. The owls produced a water-like transparent membrane that surrounded the bull-like figure on all sides. The crows produced small green droplets from their mouths that they fired at the bull figure. Every time one struck its body, a loud booming sound would be produced as the creature yelled with agony. The ck patterns on its body would also fade with every strike.
The raven was the only creature that didn''t move. It seemed to be perched on something as it sat there, silently with a cold gaze eyeing the bull-like creature. One of its eyes was ck and the other was white, the same coloration was also seen in its feathers as they were a mix of white and ck.
Yang Qing''s figure had disappeared within the white me that seemed to be increasing in size and intensity with every passing second.
As all this was going on, seven guests disappeared from where they stood when a thin blue needle stabbed at them. In all themotion, no one seemed to have noticed anything off except a few seasoned domain experts from the guests'' side and a youngdy who was in thete stages of the pce realm.
She had dark purple bobcat hair, a beauty that didn''t stand out too much to get noticed but was enough to turn a few heads if she were to walk in a less crowded ce. If it wasn''t for her mildly mature look, one would easily mistake her for a teen due to her short stature. She had on ck and yellow robes and was standing beside an early stage domain expert who had on simr looking robes.
e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Just like the rest of the guests, she seemed to have been closely observing the fight between Yang Qing and Gui Shiren. However, for a brief second a look of fear and shock shed in her eyes when she saw three people in different parts of the valley disappear at the same time.
"Miss Ning, it seems like you are itching to join them."
The purple haireddy froze the moment she heard that statement. A secondter her fists that had been clenched beneath her robes, rxed.
"Surely you jest, Director Qian. My paltry skills are not enough to match with a talent from the Order or the opponent he is facing. I would barelyst a second in that fight were I in either of their shoes.
And besides I''m an alchemist, fighting is a little bit out of my area of expertise," said the purple haireddy with a self-deprecating smile as she answered the elder beside who had worn the same matching robes as her.
"Well your statement isn''t exactly correct. Alchemists don''t necessarily have to be poor fighters, as a matter of fact I think it''s theplete opposite," said the elder beside her.
Chapter 257 [Bonus ]Promotion Ceremony (12)
"Those with the ambitions of being great alchemists need to be great fighters otherwise how will they get the most precious ingredients that are usually found in danger-prone areas?
Without an extremely heightened sense of danger, would an alchemist be bold enough to experiment with new recipes that have a likelihood of causing a cauldron explosion or other alchemy-rted mishaps? To develop such a sense other than being skilled in alchemy, one also needs to build it through fights.
I believe alchemy or even closing deals, is each a battlefield of its own, and as such, it needs a warrior''s heart to maneuver through each of them.
The Golden robin nest manor was created with such a goal in mind. We are both alchemists and merchants and to be able to do both safely and for a long time, we need to be goodbatants, which is why we spend a lot of resources to send some of our prized members to the Battle pce and have them tempered there.
I already made a suggestion to the manor head to have you sent there with the next batch. Your performance has been exemry over the past 20 years as the assistant head of the blue me hall, make sure you make the most out of your opportunity.
And I don''t think you''re that badpared to them. You''re just 200 years and are already a sixth-stage pce realm just inches away from reaching the seventh stage. Such progress really puts old fogeys like us to shame," said Director Qian with some pride in his tone as his gaze fell on the purple-haired girl named, Miss Ning.
"Thank you, truly for the support. I''ll try my very best to not let down both your and the manor''s expectations of me, and thank you for the opportunity you''ve graced me with by giving me a quota at the battle pce, despite how costly and precious the opportunity is," said Miss Ning as she performed a deep bow of gratitude.
"Think nothing of it, we deal with merit and your merits warrant you that opportunity, that''s all," Director Qian offhandedly replied.
"That being said, the Order definitely has no shortage of monsters. It seems it''s about to be over," said Director Qian as aplicated gaze shed in his eyes.
Miss Ning had already raised her head just in time to see the climax of the battle between Yang Qing and Gui Shiren. Even though her face was facing in the direction of the fight, her pupils stealthily darted around in different directions almost as if she was looking for something.
A look of relief shed briefly on her face before she focused back on the fight that was almost close to its end.
¡.
The ocean of white mes that threatened to drown everything and everyone, receded as quickly as the eye could see, almost as if it was being sucked in by something, and indeed it was being sucked in by something. The white mes that extended their reach to a 2-kilometer radius got sucked in by the white raven. The mes seemed to be flowing into its eyes.
Finally, with the clearing of the white mes, one could see what or more specifically who it was perched on. It was a youth who had ocean blue robes seated in a lotus position. His hair was half ck, half white and there was a circling symbol that was half green and half golden orange below him, which gave him an ethereal glow. Both of his eyes had irises that fluttered with a white me.
"Thank you Gui Shiren. I''ll be sending you on your way now," said the youth as he addressed the bull-like figure that had lost one of its arms, half of its ck patterns were scorched along with its torso. A white me was currently burning its horns and there was a deep sh on the left side of the face, that looked like they were made from the talons of some beast.
"I guess it''s an achievement to have held out this long. Going out like this wouldn''t be bad," said the bull-like figure. Its voice was dry and raspy like it had metal des on its throat.
"I''m sorry master, senior sister," muttered the figure as it used its remaining hand to tighten its grip on its sword. It madly roared as all the red smoke and red lines formed on its body along with its ck patterns seemed to be pouring themselves into his remaining hand down to its sword. The monster''s frame seemed to be shrinking but the sword started glowing with a dangerous red hue as the air around it started vibrating almost as if it was crying from being in the vicinity of the sword.
Yang Qing had an almost remorseful look on his face as he stared at what Gui Shiren was doing.
All the white mes in the area had already been absorbed by the raven perched on his shoulder. It seemed to have shrunk to the size of a palm when thest of the me was absorbed into its eyes.
"Nature''s discontinuance," muttered Yang Qing as he brought his palms together almost as if he was pping.
One inside of his palm had a ck circle while the other had a white circle. As he was pping, the white raven parched on his shoulders flew in between his palms. The moment the palms met each other, the raven turned into starlight dust as a shockwave was produced from Yang Qing''s hands which traveled toward Gui Shiren that was already charging in his direction.
Gui Shiren only took four steps before he suddenly froze in ce. He stayed stuck on that posture and position for half a minute before a change started showing on his body. A white crack appeared from one of his feet and spread throughout his body and turned into a million fissures like a crack that appears on dried y. His body started disintegrating secondster like burnt paper.
The booming sh the spectators expected to happen, didn''t happen. All they were left to see was Gui Shiren silently disintegrate away in a few seconds, only leaving behind a dull-looking fang amulet that had numerous cracks on it, as the only proof that he was even there and they didn''t just imagine the whole fight.
He didn''t even get to swing his sword onest time. Most of the spectators found themselves taking gulps of fear at the scene. The silence that had filled the moment sang with extreme loudness to them, especially after the sh they witnessed.
Chapter 258 Promotion Ceremony (13)
"Thank you, Senior Green Cocoon, Senior Blue Universe, Senior Veiled Destiny. I would not have been able to defeat him and also leave unscathed if it wasn''t for your help," said Yang Qing in his mind.
He was especially thankful to Green Cocoon because of her ability to speed up regeneration.
Nature''s discontinuance was one of his trump cards due to its destructive capabilities that usually ignored all forms of defense the opponent may have. Despite its clear advantage, it had a few drawbacks, for one it took a long time to prepare and the other it took a huge toll on both Yang Qing''s soul and body when it came to executing the move.
Even with his natural high regeneration, the move would leave him feeling overdrawn for at least two days. In that time, he would not be at 100% especially when it came to the use of arts and techniques that were tied to his soul and mental sea such as the spiritual sense. But right now, thanks to Green Cocoon, he felt like he was brimming with life.
With Green Cocoon''s support, he felt that at the very least he could pull off the move a hundred times which was a huge increase to his one move every two days, lest he incurs more serious injuries in the process.
¡
The three saint-grade artifacts did not respond back as they were on high alert closely monitoring Yang Qing''s surrounding for any potential threat. If an attack were to ur, this would be the most opportune moment. It wasn''t only them but Meng Chao and the rest were closely monitoring the situation around Yang Qing and the Star Blooming Mist Valley as a whole.
"It seems there will be no need for you to continue weing the guests. You can wait at the tform for now before the ceremony officially begins," said Assistant Head Liang Wen as he walked in Yang Qing''s direction.
Yang Qing sheepishlyughed as he looked around him and saw the weary and frightened looks that came from the guests around him, especially those who hade from the rank 3 organizations and below.
After what he had just done, most of the guests would be unnerved at the thought of being weed by him and it started to show when the guests conveniently avoided heading in his direction as they used other routes.
"I will do as you say, Assistant Head Liang Wen," said Yang Qing with a bitter smile on his face. His n of fleecing out the guests for more gifts would now have to be put on hold.
Though if he was asked if he regretted doing what he did, his answer would be a resounding no.
His whole body was still trembling with excitement. The experience he just had went beyond what he imagined. His thoughts were clearer and his moves were seamless. The power that he was able to bring forth with the assistance of the three saint-grade artifacts, was intoxicating.
He was even shocked to discover that he had achieved a smooth breakthrough to the second stage of the pce realm. He didn''t even notice, and it was only now that he could feel his pce realm seemed a little bit more vibrant and livelier than before.
The shallow river that had protruded into therge patch of grasnd within his pce realm, seemed to have extended its reach by almost a kilometer. In addition to that, there was also another species growing within his pce realm and it wasn''t only grass. There was now a small patch of nightshade growing in the area. However, it seemed a little different than themon nightshade since it had a small cloak of white me covering it. The grass growing around also seemed to have undergone some changes to them. Every de of grass had dew on it. Yang Qing closely investigated that dew and discovered it had strong healing properties to it.
Such a change was a boon to him since it made his already vitality-rich body even sturdier when it came to healing and regeneration.
"Thank you, Senior Green Cocoon," Yang Qing whispered in his mind. It didn''t take a genius to know that such a change obviously had something to do with her.
"Yang Qing, what do you think the Dao of vitality means?" asked Green Cocoon.
Yang Qing froze briefly as he was walking. Green Cocoon''s response caught him a little off-guard since the chatty Veiled Destiny and even Blue Universe were still silent.
"If I was to overly simplify it, I would call it living and everything that epasses it within a living organism''s body," Yang Qing answered after a momentary pause.
"Why did you choose it as your main Dao? It isn''t the most offensive and with your talent and the bits of Dao charm I''ve detected around you, you could have established your Dao seed using another Dao if you so wished.
Was it because of your physique?" asked Green Cocoon.
Yang Qing still struggled to reconcile Green Cocoon''s current fluency with her earlier way ofmunication, though that still didn''t stop him from answering Green Cocoon''s question.
"Before I used to think I stumbled onto the Vitality Dao because of my childhood trauma and the desire to live at the time. I don''t know if senior has heard about the peerless jade physiques?" asked Yang Qing.
While he knew Green Cocoon was knowledgeable about a tonne of things, especially after the confirmation that she has been alive at least half a million years, he had doubts she was familiar with themon terminologies used today since she wasn''t exactly the mostmunicative of persons. Maybe the peerless jade physique is known by a different term to her.
"I may not talk much, but that doesn''t mean I''m deaf. Over a thousand of your seniors have used us at one point or the other, so that should answer your question," said Green Cocoon with a clearly displeased tone.
Just as Yang Qing awkwardly wondered how to continue on, he was saved by Green Cocoon''s next statement.
"Your skepticism isn''t unwarranted though since a long while back it went by different names at different points in time. The nature''s grace, the peak divide, the ssless ascension physique, there was even one era where they shamelessly called it the human elegance...hehehe¡that was an interesting era, it had a lot of peculiar people," said Green Cocoon with a chuckle.
Yang Qing took advantage of her joyous state to continue with his exnation.
"As I was saying, I thought my affinity with the vitality dao was born out of my desire to live when my n members almost killed me in their crazy attempt to help me reach the peerless jade body physique.
It seeded and I managed to reach it and gained the Yin Yang jade bones physique. Had I not.... well, I wouldn''t be here today," Yang Qing said with visible fear in his tone. To date, that was the closest he has ever gotten to dying. It left an indelible mark on him.
"But as I continued cultivating and experiencing different things, I no longer think that. What vitality symbolizes happens to agree with what I want in life which is to live to the fullest. To eat all the foods in the world without fear of dying to them or due to old age. To be able tozy around and still grow strong, tough and cry, to restore and cleanse ..to me all these can be embodied in the Vitality Dao.
I don''t live to cultivate but I cultivate to live, and the Vitality Dao to me is the best Dao for exactly that," said Yang Qing with clear resolve in his tone.
A few seconds passed by before Green Cocoon finally spoke up.
"You really are an odd child Yang Qing¡but it''s not a bad thing, you may very well discover certain things that would have otherwise evaded others because of your mindset.
As a senior who has walked a somewhat simr path to the one, you''re treading on, I will leave you with these words to help you in your journey ahead. Keep your openness on what vitality really is, it may very well help you at some point in time, especially if your sense of imagination on what it means is really wide enough.
The Vitality Dao may not be the strongest Dao when ites to offense but there is an area where it''s unmatched even whenpared with the Time Dao or the Space Dao. Maybe you may very well discover it, where even I failed.
I wish you well little oddball and think of this as my gift for you on your ceremony. You will only be able to ess it when you reach thete stages of the pce realm though," said Green Cocoon.
Yang Qing felt a tremendous power flow into his pce realm which was brimming with so much life that it made his pce realm seem like a desatednd inparison. That power attached itself to one of the leaves of the green me tree at the center of his pce realm. That power coalesced into a small melon seed-shaped white cocoon that had tinges of green on it.
Despite its tiny size, Yang Qing could intrinsically feel even with the boost from Veiled Destiny, he would not be able to match its power or even put as much as a scratch on that cocoon.
"What is this?" Yang Qing wondered.
But he pushed the matter to the back of his mind when he reached the tform. The moment he stepped on it, four other people from the Order had arrived on the tform, almost simultaneously, bringing the total of Soul formation experts on the tform, to nine.
Chapter 259 Promotion Ceremony (14)
The four iing soul formation experts all had the same type of robe. It was a pure white robe that had the symbol of a small mountain embroidered on it. The mountain had dense white mist on it and the mist could even be seen moving within the mountain embroidery.
Yang Qing became a bit nervous when they showed up. From their robes he already knew they were from the Spirit Council just like the bare-feetdy, however, the ones present seemed to be of a higher station than her. Yang Qing made that distinction based on the mountain embroidery. It was present on the robes of the four neers but was absent in thedy with the white robe.
He was shocked when he saw the degree of familiarity Wu Ling, their Vice Chancellor, had with them as theymunicated, whereas Assistant Director Jun Pei and thedy in white showed a hint of reservation.
The current disy came as a shock to him since he always assumed when Vice Chancellor Wu Ling was part of the Spirit Council, he was part of themon council.
The Spirit Council was shrouded in mystery even to the members of the Order themselves. What was known was, aside from the elusive president, the Spirit Council held the highest authority in the whole Order, even higher than the individual three vice presidentsbined, who were just as elusive as the president himself to Yang Qing since he had never seen either the president or the vice presidents. However, he did hear the Directors of various departments, the chief judge, and even the Chancellor of the institute do have regr meetups with them.
The Spirit Council was known to have two divisions within it; themon council and the high council.
Yang Qing''s clearance level didn''t allow him to learn more than that, but based on their titles he assumed the high council was of a higher level inparison to their counterparts from themon council and he had assumed Vice Chancellor Wu Ling was from themon council before he joined the institute, but from their interaction, he had to reevaluate this happy go lucky Vice Chancellor of theirs.
Of the four Spirit Council members, one was an elderly female who looked to be in her mid-fifties. She had tied her hair in a simple bun and had greying hair apanied by a stern-looking face. Yang Qing felt she gave the same vibe as Lei Weiyuan did. A stern supervisor who will ding you at every turn, even for the smallest of things.
Next to her were three elderly men. One had the looks of someone in their early forties and in terms of aesthetics, Yang Qing despite how much it pained him, had to admit his own inferiority. Even Xia Boqin who was thought to be the looker in their group would lose to the member of the Spirit Council and not only him, even the bare feetdy who Yang Qing stared at for a bit before he was warned, seem to lose a few points when she stood next to him.
"Did he eat the brilliant midnight jasper fruit?" Yang Qing wondered. The fruit in terms of grade could be considered an ascendant-grade tonic but when it came to costs, it could rival the price of a low-grade saint treasure. The reason for that was because of its beautification effect, which would make even the stars weep.
Yang Qing''s jealous trait had kicked in without him knowing, which was why he struggled to believe that someone would look that good without ''foreign measures.''
Next to the middle-aged man who Yang Qing was still unreconciled if he was even born that way, was a short middle-aged man with a stocky build. Yang Qing couldn''t stare at him for more than a minute because he felt a searing pain in his body every time he did so. It was like a scalding furnace that could refine the earth and the skies, was hidden within the body of that elder.
"Could he be the owner of that domain?" Yang Qing fearfully wondered as he recalled one of the fearsome domain manifestations he was exposed to when he had gone for Dean Zhu Lao''s wee ceremony.
When he went there, he got exposed to a few terrifying domains and one of them was a smelting furnace that looked like it was melting the skies and fashioning it into a weapon. He couldn''t help but suspect that domain may belong to the short but stocky member of the spirit council.
The saint-grade treasure in the dark valley had stored almost all domains of every domain expert that has joined the Order since it was founded. Of the domains he saw that day, some may have belonged to present-day Soul formation realm experts.
"I wonder if the president''s domain is recorded? It''s bound to be a paragon domain," muttered Yang Qing as his eyes gleamed in excitement at the prospect of putting faces to the Domain manifestations he experienced that day.
Even though he still didn''t know anything about the ssification of domains other than what Lei Weiyuan told him that day, which was nothing other than the name Paragon domain. He nevertheless knew Paragon domains could be considered the purple core version of the domains based on the terrifying experience he and Mao Yunru got when they were exposed to them.
That day he was exposed to four of them; there was the sky-smelting furnace that he experienced on his way back after the party and there was the giant purple eye that had a swirling cosmos in it filled with stars, which he felt may have been the domain of their chief judge who didn''t have pupils but instead had an iris that was filled with stars.
It was the other two, that he remained curious about. The massive book which produced a single syble that made his head almost explode, and the mountain that was filled with swords and at the top of that mountainy a single simple sword that seemed to use the whole mountain as its sheathe, and had a ribbon tied on its hilt with the words ''all are equal''. He couldn''t help but wonder if their owners were present.
¡
Thest member of the spirit council looked to be the oldest. He looked to be in histe sixties. He had an average build and an average height and had this lighthearted aura to him that seemed to permeate everything he did, even walking. If one met him on the streets, they would mistake him for that friendly grandpa who liked sharing his stories with anyone who would be willing to listen.
Yang Qing froze when he saw that elderly man casually head in his direction with a friendly smile on his face. His body was mildly bent and he walked with one hand sped behind his back while his other hand stroked his white beard.
"You must be Yang Qing, what a promising young kid¡. How was the experience of using three saint-grade treasures?" asked the elderly man when he was just a few steps away.
Yang Qing was caught off-guard by the whole thing. He didn''t know whether to greet him first, but he didn''t know his name and their difference in stature made him a little nervous, especially when he got a glimpse of what it felt like to be an early-stage domain expert.
If an early-stage domain expert was that powerful what about a soul formation expert? By the looks of things, the elderly man before him was likely to be above the soul beginner stage and even the soul adept stage. He felt nothing more than an ant in front of him.
The suddenness of the moment left him flustered and he ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind which was,
"It was awesome, I wish I could do it again."
Yang Qing''s eyes widened at the end in shock at what he had just said.
"Pppfthahahhaha!!!!!!!¡. well said, kid. If it wasn''t due to their peculiar nature, I would be more than d to help but s they''re sensitive but I see you seem to have struck a bond with Senior Green Cocoon, which in some regards is even better than keeping the three of them with you.
I wish you an amazing ceremony, Judge Yang Qing," said the elderly man as he turned back and headed to his seat. The tform had 17 stone seats. One was left for the prime figure of the ceremony, which in this case was Yang Qing, while the remaining 16 were left to the soul formation experts of the Order and special guests.
In all the graduations Yang Qing has been to, the number of soul formation experts present has never been more than 10, in any single time.
Yang Qing was left rooted on the spot and only came to himself when the elderly man added a few words.
"My name is Mo Ye, the Wing Vice-President," said the elderly man which sent waves of explosion in Yang Qing''s mind.
"What''s a vice president doing here? They don''t even show up for promotion ceremonies into the domain courts¡. Will I be safe?" Yang Qing was visibly terrified.
In his mind, there was no way someone of their rank woulde out casually for a stroll, not unless there was something that prompted their presence. Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel fearful. As of this moment, he even felt the three saint-grade artifacts may not be not enough for whatever worst-case scenario he envisioned in his mind.
Chapter 260 Arrival Of Top Tier Organizations
Yang Qing looked around and realized some of the senior members like the likes of Meng Chao and the rest who knew the identity of Mo Ye as one of the three vice presidents of the Order, all had puzzled expressions on their faces on seeing him on the tform. Clearly, they too, didn''t expect him to make an appearance.
At this point, Yang Qing could only hope Vice President Mo Ye was just taking a casual stroll and nothing unexpected was underfoot. However, no matter how much he tried to downy the whole thing, Yang Qing kept wondering how the entire ceremony could go wrong.
He even ended up transmitting those worries and fears to the three saint-grade artifacts when he kept reconfirming their abilities and their odds of protecting him against any unexpected situation. It was only when he was threatened with a serious beating by the three saint-grade artifacts, did he stop.
Some part of him even started having regrets about why he even broke through to the pce realm and filed for the promotion. Being a superior core court judge wasn''t that bad, the cases were not absurd whenpared to the ones from the outer core courts, as for the pay,... well Yang Qing had already learned to live on the scraps he got, so he could have survived, and the authority was fairly decent. The only scary thing about the whole thing was he would always be under the thumb of the old fiend Lei Weiyuan.
"I just need to survive the next half an hour to an hour, then I''ll be safe," Yang Qing muttered to himself as he tightly clutched his golden eagle medallion whose authority level had been upgraded.
In addition to the saint-grade treasures, his authority was temporarily elevated during the ceremony. He had primary control over all the arrays that were within the tform and the greater part of the Star blooming mist valley. His authority as of this moment equaled that of Ling Meimei the formation hall master and the spirit council members who were on the podium with him.
He could control over a hundred different types of arrays within a single breath, thanks to his elevated authority. The degree of skill involved inying down those arrays was beyond his scope so he couldn''t quite gauge the full power of each individual array, however, thanks to the medallion he could feel a little bit of their output potential and that brief exposure left his hairs standing even with the protection of the blue universe robe and the other saint grade artifacts.
Soon a problem cropped up for Yang Qing. All this while he had been standing on the tform, sorting out his brief gains from the little scuffle he had with Gui Shiren from the scarlet blood ghost hand syndicate, however now that he was done, he felt a little awkward and mildly afraid of going to his assigned seat at the tform.
The members of the spirit council, the vice president, the Chief Justice, and Vice Chancellor Wu Ling had already crowded out the area as they chatted amongst themselves. Yang Qing didn''t have the guts to saunter off there, tell them ''excuse me,'' so he could sit in his seat.
Would he just have to stand there until the ceremony began? Luckily his woes were abated when Assistant Director Feng Lei invited him over to the seat next to him. He was the only one who remained seated in his position even when the Vice president and the other spirit council members arrived. The bare feetdy of the spirit council that was seated next to him had already left her seat and went to mingle with the rest of her colleagues, only the Assistant Director of the Special Inquisitors remained at his seat with his otherworldly charm coupled with his slovenly appearance.
Yang Qing was all too quick to grab the lifeline given to him as he made his way to the seat next to Assistant Director Feng Lei.
"Yang Qing have you ever thought of joining the Special Inquisitors?" asked Assistant Director Feng Lei.
Yang Qing almost tripped over when he heard that question.
Is the Assistant Director kidding? Thought Yang Qing.
All his life one of his main goals was to avoid dangerous and troublesome situations at all costs, which was why he opted to join the Order which seemed like the safest ce for someone in his circumstances i.e. someone without a strong background, to develop. And at the Order, he worked tirelessly to ensure he would get a post that put him away from the front lines which is why he chose to be a judge. His first choice was to join the administration hall, but he was tricked and lied to when deciding.
He was told those in the administrative department got horrible pay and their work hours were brutal since they handle everything within the Order, whereas judges had great pay and had a degree of freedom in their working schedule. As long as they finished their daily allotted caseload, they could clock out at any time.
Yang Qing was ecstatic when he heard that, which was why he did everything he could to ensure he was a sure-in to be a judge. However, he soon discovered how misconstrued those supposed benefits were, the moment he started. The daily caseloads were so monstrous that he ended up staying all through the night till the next day at times, so his workload wouldn''t pile up, as for the pay, Yang Qing quickly found out boiled rice and cold broth wasn''t a bad dish to survive on, 27 days a month.
Just as Yang Qing was debating on how to gently reject Assistant Director Feng Lei''s recruitment, a silence started spreading through the crowd, quickly followed by faint murmurings. It wasn''t too hard to find the cause of it when a bulk of the guests that had arrived all faced in the same direction.
Yang Qing too faced that way along with Assistant Director Feng Lei. Their gazes were locked in on the new guests that had just arrived. It was a team of five, and they were alldies of varying ages. They all wore the same type of robe, which was an almond-green velvet-like robe.
Yang Qing didn''t need Song Guozhi''s file to know who they were, since every member of the Order regardless of rank had certain organizationsmitted to memory and those organizations were rank 2 and rank 1 organizations.
The guests who had just arrived in the almond green robes were from a rank 1 sect called the Sparrows of the harmonious skies sect. It was a sect with a long history and could be considered mid-tier among rank 1 organizations which was something because it meant they had more than one expert who was in the soul formation realm, as for their current exact number, even the Order with all their means had no clue.
The Sparrows of the harmonious skies sect, by those who didn''t know, would assume the sect was an all-female sect because the majority of their sect members from the higher-ups down to the outer disciple were mostly female. However, the sect itself had an all-inclusive policy when it came to disciple recruitment, but there were certain factors in ce that made it seem like they solely recruited females, one of which was their core cultivation technique, the Thousand sky traversing sparrow technique.
Yang Qing didn''t know much about the technique itself other than it was rumored to be a high-tier gold-grade technique that was teetering to the purple-grade core and was the reason the sect has flourished to date. However, the technique itself had certain peculiarities to it that made it so it was difficult for a man to cultivate it to the blooming stage of cultivation arts mastery, which ended up creating the all-female dynamic of the sect. Though they have had a few male disciples who have achieved major sess with it like their current vice sect master, however those who could, were few and far between, and usually they could only do so because of other certain factors such as having a special physique that gave them a certain advantage towards learning that technique.
Their vice sect master was one such example as he mastered the technique because he had a yin wind physique that granted him a type of natural affinity to the technique rooted in the Wind Dao.
Yang Qing saw Meng Chao and Dean Zhu Lao head over to greet them as they guided them to their section. The tforms where the guests stayed were partitioned into different zones. There were five different zones and the cement of those zones was done in ordance with the ranks of the organizations. Rank 1 organizations had their own zones, rank 2, and so forth up to rank 5. The clear segregation had to be done for a bunch of reasons; such as the lower-ranked organizations would feel ufortable if they were made to sit next to members of high-ranking organizations.
Even with the presence of the Order, certain stigmas especially ones rooted in strength, were still very much prevalent which could be seen in how the majority of the guests present went silent when the members of the Sparrow of the harmonious skies sect arrived.
Another reason was the danger of the ancestral dragon vein. It was costly toy down a protective mechanism against the dao corroding effect it had on weaker members, so the Order ced a nket protection in one single area, which became one of the factors for zoning.
¡
The arrival of the Sparrow of the harmonious skies sect seemed to have been the signal for the arrival of other high-ranking organizations. Some well-established rank 2 and rank 1 organizations started arriving in droves.
Chapter 261 One Thousand Hall Battle Palace
For every seven rank 2 organizations that woulde, a rank 1 organization would appear. With the constant arrival of top-tier organizations, the reverence mixed with trepidation that most of the guests had earlier seemed to have waned a bit.
Among the iing organizations, Yang Qing managed to spot members of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion. Among their representatives, he managed to spot a man who seemed to be in histe thirties but had eyes that seemed to have seen the history of an entire epoch. He had long flowing gold sky hair and impable looks to match. He bore a faint resemnce to the young pce realm expert Yang Qing had thrashed in Purple City.
Walking beside him was a middle-aged man with a regal bearing on him. He had red-orange hair and a ck robe that dark orange cloud patterns. Yang Qing guessed that that was the current emperor of the Red Maple Empire, Duan Han.
Based on the fluctuations Yang Qing detected from him, he seemed to have just recently broken through just like him. Yang Qing raised his brow because this meant that the Red Maple Empire had added another pce realm expert to their ranks. With these their numbers and that of the Five Clover Kingdom had tied on five pce realm experts each, though with Duan Hou temporarily imprisoned at the Yellow ins county branch, their numbers were currently at four.
Yang Qing also noticed next to one of the leaders of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion, was ady in light yellow robes which had the symbol of a maple leaf that had a purple butterfly above it. Yang Qing instantly recognized who she was, as she was one of the founders of Maple Leaf Manor, an organization that focused on alchemy and medicine. It was also a rank 2 organization just like the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
"Do these two have a connection?" wondered Yang Qing.
He wasn''t the only one throwing curious gazes their way. Other organizations of simr rank were asionally throwing curious nces their way, especially merchant-based organizations who would be affected, were these two organizations to form an alliance.
As Yang Qing was going through the list of possibilities as to why the leaders of two rank 2 organizations would be traveling together, he felt a subtle gaze lock on him. Were his senses not elevated to that of a domain expert, the gaze would have likely passed him by without him noticing anything but with the heightened senses, he could feel it as clear as day.
Yang Qing wasn''t one to y coy and pretend, so he directly locked eyes with the person who threw that gaze, which was the golden-haired leader of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion, Lin Guiren. Despite finding himself suddenly being stared at, Lin Guiren offered a wave and polite smile to Yang Qing, who waved and smile in return.
"I wonder If you''ll still be smiling when I send your son to the Requiem depending on the extent of his crimes," Yang Qing yfully wondered.
Yan Meifeng of the Maple leaf manor had a curious look on her face when she noted the interaction between the two.
It was at that moment, after their brief interlude that Yang Qing spotted an Order employee head in the direction of the procession of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. Said employee had donned the robes of a domain court judge and had star-shaped irises and five pupils in each iris.
He went over and warmly weed the members of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion along with Maple Leaf Manor. Yang Qing closely monitored their interaction and manage to notice Lin Guiren seemed a tad bit stiff as he interacted with that domain judge.
"Could that be Hou Dehui, the one Lei Weiyuan told me about?" wondered Yang Qing.
With how swamped Order employees were, they didn''t all know about each other not unless someone had a certain reputation that made them renowned around the Order. This was why up until a week ago, Yang Qing had no idea who Meng Chao was or his rank, or Hou Dehui who would handle the Golden Bamboo Pavilion should his investigation touch on it.
¡
"It seems you have some history with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion?" asked Assistant Director Feng Lei with a teasing tone.
"It''s not entirely of my own choosing," said Yang Qing as he drylyughed.
He proceeded on to exin his entire debacle and how he would be potentially in their crosshairs.
"Just work your case as you see fit and handle what you can and leave the rest of the part you can''t handle to those suited to it. The special inquisitors operate that way too, we all have something we are good that and areas we are not. We divide and handle our tasks with that in mind," said Assistant Director Feng Lei.
"I do remember 50 years ago or so, when Dehui asked us to investigate one of their founders, Liang Zhan. Last I checked, I think he should be a gold-grade alchemist now.
Dehui suspected he had been experimenting with people along with working with some dark organization in his alchemy study. He made a request of us when he made no headway with the investigation with his own inquisitors. We didn''t find anything either but Dehui has a unique trait because of his physique so I don''t think he''d make that im carelessly.
The reason I bring it up is to advise you to be careful. Handling Lin Guiren will be easy, especially for someone like Dehui but Liang Zhan is a different matter. If I was to take Dehui''s words as truth, then this means Liang Zhan is skilled enough to hide his tracks from even us. Someone that sneaky, there''s no telling what he might, or might not do. His means are many and inscrutable," said Assistant Director Feng Lei.
"Thanks for your kind words, Assistant Director Feng Lei. I willmit your words to heart and act with the necessary caution," said Yang Qing with a heavy expression.
Ten minutes passed by after that, with the Star blooming mist valley swelling with crowds of cultivators. So far seven rank 1 sects had already made an appearance and of those seven there was one that really stood out as it could be considered a quasi-holy ground. In some regard, it garnered more respect than even the newly formed Order.
That organization was the One thousand hall battle pce. It is rumored to have existed for as long as the holynds which is in upwards of over 500,000 years.
Chapter 262 [Bonus ]Battle Rankings
The One thousand hall battle pce could be considered a sect and not a sect at the same time, though to most it could be considered a cultivation academy, kind of like what the institute was for the Order.
The battle pce was formed by a collection of different trainers who taught different schools and styles ofbat and everything that epassed it. Among the many techniques taught by those trainers were; fist arts, spear arts, sword arts, palm, arts, kicking arts, movement and evasion arts, soul arts, knife arts, and the like, and it progressed down to niche arts like spirit beast unionbat arts, which were derived from learning how spirit beasts fought and incorporating those techniques to be used by human cultivators.
All these different trainers individually had nothing that stood out except their familiarity with the basics of certain schools ofbat, but to try and etch out a living in those early years, they each decided toe together and offer joint training as one single entity which became the framework of the present-day, One thousand hall battle pce.
Those trainers traded their arts with each other, offered each other guidance to try and improve their own crafts, and then they started epting students. At the start the progress was slow, but with the allure of teaching multiple skills of different schools ofbat to people, their numbers slowly grew.
They epted students and legacy disciples. The former would pay a certain sum and get trained in a number of skills in respect to the sum they paid for. The duration of the training was also taken into ount. After the training period was up, they were free to leave and were not indentured to the battle pce. In exchange for the training, the battle pce at first epted spirit stones as payment but with time they made their form of payment to be varied, depending on the degree of training. For minor training, they would ept spirit stones, but for the more intense ones, they''d choose other valuable resources such as specific spiritual herbs and natural treasures of a particr kind or weapons and artifacts of a particr grade.
Legacy disciples operated a little differently. Once you became a legacy disciple, your fate was tied to the One thousand hall battle pce. But in exchange, you''d get to learn all the skills the battle pce had to offer, provided you had the talent for it.
Within the legacy disciples, there were two variations; there was the legacy hall disciple who would learn the skills of a particr school ofbat, and there was the legacy pce disciple who could be considered the elites of the elites, as they had the talents to learn from more than one school and hall to the level of exceeding the topmost figures within those halls.
The battle pce gradually grew especially from the number of students they started taking in. The number of legacy disciples also grew and with it their prestige because they were some monstrous talents among those disciples who took up the mantle as the next pirs of the one thousand hall battle pce. Slowly something that started with 50 or so instructors on different styles catapulted into one thousand halls. Each hall signified a particr style ofbat and each hall had a hall master who was in the peak stage of the domain realm, which meant that at base value, the One thousand battle hall pce had a thousand peak domain realm experts.
In addition, they also had one of thergest libraries filled with all kinds of differentbat arts. Some of the collections stored were created in-house from their own trainers, while others were bought or bartered for as payment for their training.
With their current reputation, even if they still ept students like they used to, with the current demands and the disparity between the number of trainers avable to meet those demands, the One thousand hall battle pce employed measures such as adding their costs, or putting strict trials in ce before you were epted as a student.
Being epted as a student there could now be considered a badge of honor, with how hard it is to get in, the requirements could be considered to be in the same vein as the eptance standards of rank 2 to rank 1 organizations. Those who got in either had sufficient capital to get them in or they had talent worthy enough to get in.
Yang Qing wasn''t all too surprised to see the One thousand hall battle pce in his promotion ceremony. The Order and the battle pce had one of the closest rtionships, more so members of the Institute. The Institute could be considered to have been founded based on the ideas of the Battle Pce, except the Institute added other areas in addition tobat training.
The Battle Pce and the Institute would have a lot of exchanges. Some of the trainers at the Institute were once students of the battle pce and vice versa.
Yang Qing had to admit when it came to purebat, the legacy disciples of the One thousand battle pce were a cut above the rest, even those from the Order would struggle against them. One of their prerequisites for graduating from the Institute was to earn a gold pin from the One thousand hall battle pce.
The battle pce epted 4,000 people per hall which made their total eptance of students to be at 400,000. Within that number, regrpetitions would be held and a ranking would follow from the results of saidpetitions.
The top 200,000 would get a pin in recognition of their achievements.
Those between 200,000-100,000 would receive an iron pin
Those between 99,999-50,000 would receive a bronze pin
Those between 49,999-20,000 would receive a silver pin
Those between 19,999-101 would receive a gold pin while a purple pin was given to the top 100.
Yang Qing suffered some of the greatest losses of his life within the battle pce before he got his gold pin and eventually a purple pin. The reason for this was, they not only fought against other students but the legacy disciples themselves. During his year the only person who scaled through easily was Kang Hung.
....
Yang Qing nodded in greeting to their members as they made their way to their seats. The team consisted of seven people. The lead was a male who seemed to be in his early forties. He had the normal Battle pce robe which was half ck-half white, however on his robe there was an insignia of a spear surrounded by galling winds. From the information he was given, Yang Qing knew he was the current hall master of the Rapid spear hall.
The other six members had the same ck and white robes, but they had different insignias which meant they belonged to different halls, except two people. One of them was a young female in her early twenties who had red curly hair and the other was a young man in his early twenties too, who had silver hair and a sleepy look to him. They had a pce on their robes which meant they were legacy pce disciples. Yang Qing recognized both of them since he drew with one of them and suffered a loss to the other, during his im for the gold pin.
He drew with the red-haireddy and suffered a loss to the silver-haired man. The loss didn''t weigh heavily on him since he suffered a few losses in that period and also that silver-haired young man ended up holding the 4th-ranked position during that period. Though Yang Qing himself didn''t do too badly since he ended up in the 13th position.
The results would have been ptable to him if Kang Hung didn''t take the 2nd ce as for the 1st position, it was taken by a sword heart disciple from the Radiant sword sect. The thing that incensed him the most was as much as he hated to admit it if Kang Hung''s bad habits were not involved, the first ce would have been his.
Chapter 263 Powerful Arrivals, Friend Or Foe?
The red-haireddy waved at Yang Qing with battle intent shing in her eyes. Her name was Wei Liling. She was one of the prime beauties of the One thousand hall battle pce, however, she was abat fanatic who had eyes and thoughts for nothing else, other than battling strong opponents.
Next to her was Liu Juan who was the silver-haired young man with a sleepy look.
Both Wei Liling and Liu Juan were legacy pce disciples of the Battle Pce which meant they got to learn the skills of different halls. Legacy pce disciples didn''t have one master but could be considered the disciple of every seasoned trainer of the institute. As long as one became a legacy pce disciple, every trainer of the One thousand hall battle pce was required to teach them all their arts without reservation. They were to be treated as their own prized disciple, which made legacy pce disciples the most thorny and versatile of fighters.
Over the years, the first-ce position in thepetition always went to them and it was only on a few asions would it go to an outsider, like during Yang Qing''s year when the first and second position went to a sword heart disciple from the Radiant sword sect and Kang Hung, from the Order. However, from the third position, all the way to the eighth was solely upied by the legacy pce disciples.
Yang Qing casually waved as he tried to avoid maintaining eye contact with Wei Liling any more than he should, otherwise, she might misunderstand it as an agreement for a duel.
Wei Liling showed a downcast expression when she saw Yang Qing look away, however, her eyes lit up when she spotted Kang Hung mingling with Dai Chen and the rest in the area set aside for Order employees.
Yang Qing lit up too when he saw this because it meant Kang Hung may suffer a beatingter. Wei Liling and Liu Juan were already in the pce realm just like Yang Qing, while Kang Hung was still in the peak stage of the core formation realm.
Kang Hung would have broken through at the same time as Yang Qing but he had been refining his different intents into a singr body before he broke through. That process took time, but from what Yang Qing detected, in a month at most, Kang Hung would be ready to break through along with Xia Boqin and Yu Huifang who just like Kang Hung had dyed their breakthroughs to shore up their foundations.
¡.
"Don''t spare him, sister Wei Liling," Yang Qing gleefully thought as he envisioned Kang Hung''s sorry state.
Yang Qing soon dragged his thoughts back to the iing guests as he counted the dying minutes till the ceremony began. The process would be short and direct. The Chief Justice would say a few words, then he would hand it over to Yang Qing to say a few words, then he would be handed a new medallion, a robe, a scroll, and a small artifact signifying his status as a pce court judge.
After that, thest phase would begin, which was the most dangerous and also the most exciting, it was the gift-giving phase. The guests would alle up in the order of their rank and prestige and will hand over their gifts to Yang Qing, one by one as they exchanged a few words here and there. If anything were to happen, it would be in that period.
Before Vice President Mo Ye arrived, Yang Qing didn''t dread the situation as much, but with his presence, he felt a little uneasy.
Twelve minutes passed by and six more Rank 1 organizations arrived bringing their total to thirteen. None of the new arrivals matched the prestige of the One thousand hall battle pce. Most of them were new to mid-tier Rank 1 organizations. A few of them were sects and families. Yang Qing managed to see the Zou family, however, it seemed only one of their elders hade by and not their current n leader.
The truly top-tier rank 1 organizations had not made an appearance, which didn''te as a surprise to Yang Qing and the Order since it was to be expected.
Those behemoth organizations would not make an appearance for a pce realm judge, since it was a little beneath their station, however during the domain promotions a couple of them do make appearances.
If it wasn''t for the close rtionship between the One thousand hall battle pce and the Order, they would likely not have made an appearance today, let alone send one of their prestigious hall masters. But because of their close rtionship, the Battle Pce always availed itself of these ceremonies, even to the core formation ceremonies that most organizations don''te to.
¡.
Only three minutes were left before the ceremony would officially begin. In this time, there were no more guestsing in, and everyone was already seated in their respective positions as they stared at the tform.
The soul formation cultivators on the tform with Yang Qing seemed to have tacitly agreed to Yang Qing seating next to Assistant Director Feng Lei instead of pulling him to his assigned seat. It was Vice President Mo Ye instead, who took that seat, and by the look of things he was the one who would be starting the ceremony instead of the Chief Justice.
To Yang Qing it made sense, since even though the Spirit Council could essentially supersede the authority of a single Vice president, individually they held enormous power such as granting entry to the special treasure vault of the Order could be done with the approval of one Vice president signing off, or the loaning of ascendant grade artifacts and above. Also, the unanimous vote of the three Vice presidentsbined could overrule any ruling or decision made by the Spirit Council.
The three minutes seemed like it went on for hours and hours. When thest second was up, Yang Qing expected either the Vice president or the Chief Justice to stand up and start the ceremony, however, none of them seemed to have the intention to do so as they remained seated in their seats, their gazes trained on the crowd.
Another two minutes passed by with no movement from either of them. Yang Qing grew increasingly puzzled the more the seconds dwindled by.
"Am I too sensitive, that I''m imagining this?" Yang Qing silently thought to himself.
Yang Qing felt the air around the tform had a sudden shift and felt more solemn. At first, he chalked it up to his nervousness but when he looked around, he noticed the soul formation experts up there with him all had solemn looks on their faces. From Assistant Director Feng Lei who was seated next to him, all the way up to the stern elderdy who was seated in thest seat, they all had a rare seriousness about them. Even the jolly-looking Vice Chancellor Wu Ling looked serious at the moment.
There was only one person who seemed casual as he was when he arrived, and that was Vice President Mo Ye.
When Vice President Mo Ye sensed Yang Qing''s gaze on him, he turned his way and gave him aforting smile, which oddly enough seemed to have set Yang Qing''s mind at ease, despite not knowing what was going on.
Yang Qing turned his face in the direction of the section reserved for Order employees to try and get some relief andfort from seeing his friends'' cheering gazes and Kang Hung''s indignant look, however, that n backfired when he saw the simr solemn looks on Meng Chao, Dean Zhu Lao and other senior figures within the Order.
Yang Qing now knew there was definitely something going on and there was only one way for him to discover what.
"Senior Blue Universe, Senior Veiled Destiny, Senior Green Cocoon, have you detected anything off in the surroundings?
All my seniors have these looks on their faces like something terrible ising," said Yang Qing. He had three saint-grade artifacts which were equal to three soul formation experts, he would be a fool not to take advantage of them.
"There are six people headed this way, and two of them are stronger than Assistant Director Jun Pei, which is something," said Blue Universe.
Yang Qing''s heart started racing when he heard that. His mind automatically assumed it was an attack before he calmed down and analyzed the situation. If they were attackers, then the soul formation experts on the stage would have already acted and that was even acting on the assumption that the would-be attackers had already bypassed all the other security measures the Order had on hand, and made it here.
If they were not attackers, then were they guests?
But as far as Yang Qing knew, even prominent rank 1 organizations such as the One thousand battle hall pce which had at least over five soul formation realm experts, never sent one for the Order''s ceremony, no matter their deep rtionship, because every soul formation expert could be considered a strategic resource for them, that they could not risk deploying even a single one, except for extenuating circumstances.
But now there were two of them headed their way and they were stronger than Assistant Director Jun Pei, a known trainer of the inquisitors and the requiem guards. Yang Qing realized he had overlooked one thing in Blue Universe''s statement.
How strong was Assistant Jun Pei inparison to the lineup on hand?
If she was the weakest, it wouldn''t matter since there would be 8 more people stronger than her but if she was among the top most figures, then the situation would be worrying for him.
Chapter 264 Feng Lei, Surprise!!
"Senior Blue Universe, if you don''t mind me asking, how does Assistant Director Jun Pei fair against the other soul formation experts present?" Yang Qing hesitantly asked.
He was found in a weird position where knowing the answer to that question and not knowing, both had the potential of not putting his mind at ease, especially if the response he got was that Assistant Director Jun Pei was one of the strongest contenders among the nine soul formation experts present.
"Well, this isn''t easy to say because when ites to Soul formation experts their means are extensive. One can never know the true strength of one until they engage them.
But from the base value, on the things in external surface, she isn''t the weakest, if that''s your worry?" said Blue Universe with a hint of amusement in his tone.
"I hope that''s not all, please Senior Blue Universe don''t be stingy with the details."
Yang Qing crossed his fingers that Blue Universe wouldn''t pull the same technique his seniors at the Order always pulled with sensitive information. They''d tell you bits, just enough to scratch a tiny part of the itch, but leave a whole part of it unanswered and the response they give you always left someone with more questions than answers.
Yang Qing hoped that wasn''t it from Blue Universe''s exnation and that he had more otherwise he would be ill at ease during the whole ceremony. Luckily Blue Universe did not disappoint as he provided further details.
"Yang Qing, I should reiterate that this is just the rough estimate and not the actual result, should a real battle break out the results may be different.
"Yuan Huiling is the weakest of the nine," said Blue Universe.
"Who is she?" asked Yang Qing as he superciliously rolled his eyes, thinking Blue Universe needed some work in his exnations.
"Thedy you were staring at moments ago," Blue Universe meaningfully said.
Yang Qing rubbed his hot nose as he chuckled in embarrassment.
"Even though technically she is the weakest but that''s only because she''s a pure soul cultivator. You should be thankful she is here, if anything went wrong, she would be among the first people to realize it in advance. She has a rare physique; I think it''s the Pursuing Rainbow Pearl physique. It makes her sensitive to arts that are based on the five-attribute element.
Next would be Assistant Director Feng Lie from the Special Inquisitor, however, he is the reason why I said you should take this result with a grain of salt.
While at face value he seems weaker, deep inside, he feels as dangerous as Zhou Huang, which is the stern-looking elderlydy¡"
"He is the fourth most powerful," Green Cocoon suddenly interjected when Blue Universe was in the midst of his exnation.
"No wonder¡" muttered Blue Universe before he continued on.
"After Assistant Director Feng Lei, who now moves up, it would be Assistant Director Jun Pei. That means she''s in the penultimate position.
Next after her, would be Vice-Chancellor Wu Ling, though, in terms of potential, he has a lot of promise since he is the youngest of them all¡"
Yang Qing was once again shocked by Vice Chancellor Wu Ling''s capabilities. Though when he thought about it, it made sense on some level. Vice Chancellor Wu Ling was the head of one of the backbones of the Order. Someone in that station had to have some capability.
"After him, it''s the stern-looking elderlydy, Zhou Huang. Despite her frail look, just her snort could puncture a hole through twenty top-grade defensive ascendant-grade treasures. She''s a ruthlessbatant in physical and frontal confrontations. A few elders of the One thousand battle pce are deathly afraid of her," Blue Universe said with a light chuckle.
Yang Qing had a look of relief fill his face, the more he heard. Someone who could strike fear into the hearts of Battle Pce elders was a dependable person. Every Battle Pce elder was once a hall master, who left their position once they reached the soul formation realm.
Yang Qing''s shoulders eased up a bit with the renewed vigor he had on from the realization his chances of survival were not bad. If the stern elder lookingdy was already this powerful what about the four-remaining people, and this was not putting into ount Assistant Director Feng Lei who was technically the fourth strongest in the lineup, as per Green Cocoon''s estimations, who was clearly more reliable than Blue Universe in Yang Qing''s eyes.
"I knew I loved the Order for a reason, despite their horrible work environment," Yang Qing gleefully thought as he preened his ears.
"After Zhou Huang, it would be Su Bai, that middle-aged man you were looking at enviously¡He is skilled in the sword dao.
The next one after him would be Qi Chen, the stocky-built elder. In his case, the judgment is at base value, however as a cksmith, if I was to take into ount his artifacts, he wouldn''t lose to the next two..." Blue Universe said and then made a sudden pause.
"As for the next two, I can''t urately gauge their power since they are essentially at the same level as me if not stronger thus, I can''t tell who is stronger.
You shouldn''t worry Yang Qing, you''re in safe hands," said Blue Universe.
Yang Qing wasn''t all too surprised that the strongest two were Vice President Mo Ye and Chief Justice Lai Ning. One was just below the president of the whole Order in terms of rank, and the other was the head of all of the judges within the Order. As holders of those posts, it was a given that they''d be that powerful.
¡
Yang Qing didn''t get much time to revel in his newfound sense of security for too long because he finally sensed the six people who Blue Universe and the rest talked about.
Thanks to his heightened senses because of the effects of Veiled Destiny, he could sense things at a much longer range and with much more rity. Of the six people he was able to roughly gauge their power levels, but for the remaining two, they seemed normal, as if they were not cultivators.
This was the same feeling Yang Qing got from the nine soul formation experts that were up there with him. They all felt too ordinary like they didn''t have a lick of cultivation on them. Yang Qing knew such a sensation was because of the huge gulf between them, the same way he would seem ordinary to a qi refinement cultivator.
Powerful cultivators always reigned in their pressure for fear of injuring those weaker than them, especially in a public setting otherwise if they brought out their full cultivation to bear, most would find it hard to breathe let alone stay conscious or alive in worst cases.
Chapter 265 Appearance Of An Old Legend
Yang Qing noticed most of the domain-level guests all had the same reactions, the moment he did, while some like Lin Guiren from Golden Bamboo Pavilion and Yan Meifeng from Maple Leaf Manor seemed to have noticed the six guests earlier than Yang Qing.
No matter when they discovered them, every single person had looks of shock on their faces.
Within a few seconds, the six guests appeared at one of the entrances of the Star blooming mist valley.
The moment they appeared, Yang Qing noticed Su Bai disappear from his seat and reappeared at the entrance the six guests had appeared in.
Yang Qing''s pupils constricted because he didn''t even detect the Spirit Council member disappear. He only realized it when he saw him with the guests.
The six guests were in two groups and they both wore different robes and had contrasting demeanors.
The moment Yang Qing saw them, it all made sense on who would be able to send a soul formation expert with no worry about their base. At face value, only three people met that criterion; one was the Order and the other two were the Holy Lands.
The six guests were from the two holynds and they had both sent three members each, almost as if they had a prior agreement.
The group from the Radiant Sword Sect wore peach robes that had an emblem of swords revolving around a mountain, which was their insignia. At the lead was an elderly man with white hair neatly tied into a bun, with not a hair out of ce. He was tall and walked with measured steady steps and if one looked closely, it almost seemed like the ground was carrying him forward instead of him walking. At his waist was a simple sword in a grey wooden scabbard that looked to have experienced the vicissitudes of life. It was faded and had a few scratches on it. One wouldn''t expect someone from the Radiant Sword Sect, one of the two holynds, to have such a scabbard.
"Is he a core elder or supreme elder?" Yang Qing wondered as his gaze trailed from the old man to the people next to him.
Behind him were two males; one of them looked to be just about 14 years old. He had ck hair that was tied in a Daoist topknot. His eyebrows and eyes were as sharp as des edge. At his waist was a single long sword sheathed in a charcoal ck scabbard.
Unlike the elderly man in front of him who looked like an ordinary person, the 14-year-old youth might have well been a sword in human form because of how much unbearable sharpness was leaking from his body.
Some of the weaker guests had even bled from their eyes just by throwing a quick nce at him. Though the most shocking part about the youth wasn''t his sword-like demeanor, but his cultivation realm. At the tender age of 14, most of the senior cultivators had looks of shock on their faces when they detected his pce realm cultivation base. Yang Qing discovered he was in the second stage of the pce realm.
Even though he tried to hide it, one could detect the inborn pride and arroganceing from him.
Next to the 14-year-old pce realm cultivator from the Radiant Sword Sect was a young man who seemed to be in histe twenties to early thirties. Yang Qing''s gaze narrowed as he saw an additional symbol next to the sect''s emblem. It was a heart that had a sword in it. He automatically knew what that signified, since he had seen someone with that symbol on their robe when he waspeting at the One thousand hall battle pce. The person who took first ce, and was from the Radiant Sword Sect, had that symbol on their uniform and said person was a sword heart disciple of the sect.
This could only mean that thete twenties to early thirties member of the Radiant Sword Sect was also a sword heart disciple, which was a rank held by the best talents in the whole of the sect. Anyone who held that rank had gone beyond the realm of genius and had firmly ced their feet in the ranks of pure monsters.
This was already evident because the fluctuations of that disciple drew even more eyes than the 14-year-old pce realm cultivator beside him. The reason for that was his domain level fluctuations, even though it seemed like he had only broken through recently, it was still an eye-opener since that meant he was a thirty-something domain expert which was rarer than a 14-year-old early-stage pce realm expert.
Next to them was the group from the Flowing Valley Sect, and just like the Radiant Sword Sect, they too, were a holynd. They had on light green robes that were edging closer to yellow. In the lead was a young man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. His hair was ck, long, and lightly curled, and he had this otherworldly beauty to him that would draw anyone in, irrespective of gender or even species.
Behind him were two people, a young man, and a youngdy, though thetter seemed more mature of the two. The young man looked to be in histe teens to early twenties. From what Yang Qing could gauge that young man was definitely younger than him, though it did not seem by much. However, despite being younger, the young man had a higher cultivation base than him, like way higher. The young man was already in the peak stage of the pce realm.
"Is he¡.?" Yang Qing wondered.
The young age and the high cultivation base, there was one person who met that criterion from the Flowing Valley Sect, and it was the current holder as the youngest pce realm cultivator over the past century, who broke through to the pce realm at 11 years. If the person he saw was that same person, then the absurd cultivation realm made sense. Ten years had passed since then.
Thedy next to him looked to be in herte thirties and she was in the first stage of the domain realm just like the sword heart disciple from the Radiant sword sect side.
Both disciples from the Flowing Valley Sect had a gold leaf symbol on their robes which Yang Qing recognized as the symbol highlighting that both were saint leaf disciples of the sect, which was the equivalent of the Sword heart disciples from the Radiant Sword Sect.
¡..
"Fellow Daoist Han Meng, Fellow Daoist Luo Yong, I''m d you could all make it in time for our humble festivities," Spirit council elder Su Bai said as he cupped his fist in greeting toward the Radiant sword sect elder and the Flowing valley sect elder respectively.
Chapter 266 Ceremony Begins
"Sorry for our dy, Daoist Han Meng and I met on the way and decided to catch up on the way here. Please forgive us for our tardiness Daoist Su Bai," Luo Yong the young-looking elder from the Flowing Valley sect said with a polite smile on his face.
"There''s nothing to apologize for, we at the Order are d, that you both could make it.
We are d to have you with us, and we wee you all along with your talented disciples who I have to say really show the brilliance of both your sects," Spirit Council Elder Su Bai smoothly said.
"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Su Bai," both elders said in unison.
"If you''d please."
Spirit council elder Su Bai guided the two elders along with the disciples of the respective holynds up the tform.
Among the seats provided on the tform, a third of it had always been set aside for the members of the Holy Lands. However, as far as Yang Qing knew, those seats have never been filled because none of the Holynds have ever made an appearance, despite how grand the ceremony or the celebration was, they never showed up.
¡
The crowd was deathly silent across all sections. It didn''t matter whether it was the rank 1 section or the rank 5 section, they all had the same looks on their faces, which was one of shock, fear, and surprise.
Meeting the disciples of the two holynds, though was notmon, some of the higher-ranked organizations have had some interaction with them, the One thousand hall battle pce being a prime example of such an organization. The Battle Pce in terms of age has been in existence almost the same time as the two Holy Lands, however, it has never quite reached the prestige of being dubbed a Holy Land as itcked that one factor that would qualify them as one. However, despite that, they were some of the few organizations that had regr contact with members of the two holynds.
Disciples from both these holynds would asionally enroll in the One thousand hall battle pce to undergo their training and also theirpetitions. Though the disciples didn''te all the years, they were frequenters of the establishment, which was why in Yang Qing''s year, there was even a sword heart disciple in participation.
Yang Qing had heard from Dai Chen, that during his year there was a saint leaf participant from the Flowing Valley Sect. She had a decent performance and would have finished first had she not had the luck ofing when the One thousand hall battle pce had a monstrous talent that year who effortlessly took first ce.
While the disciples could be seen on asion, when it came to their elders despite their station, whether they were outer core elders or other high-ranking figures, catching any sight of them was almost an impossibility. The only times they have been sighted was during a major asion such as when the Radiant sect had dispatched their inner elders and inner disciples to fight against the crimson wave, after which even a supreme elder arrived.
Another instance was during the invasion of the Southern Continent by organizations from other continents. At that time they had to step in when a holynd from the Western Continent got involved along with a few other high-ranking sects from the Central Continent. At that time the three holynds; Radiant Sword Sect, Flowing Valley Sect, and the Myriad Beasts Sect worked together to halt the invasion while they manned each of the borders surrounding the Southern Continent.
Thest instance when the high-ranking members of both these holynds made an appearance was during the destruction of the Myriad Beasts Sect where its presumably assumed that they took the core treasures and art of this holynd after its destruction. From that moment, they have been little to no sighting of them.
But now here they were; two elders presumably high-ranking elders seeing how they were soul formation experts which prompted a high-ranking official from the Order to wee them, in addition in theirpany they had brought with them young disciples with world-defying talents. There was a 14-year-old pce realm cultivator, a 20-year-old peak stage pce realm cultivator, and two mid tote-thirties domain experts.
The lineup might have not been as terrifying as the Crimson Wave lineup, but it was sufficient to draw eyes and gulps from the greater majority of the guests. The only ones who seemed calm about this were those from the Battle Pce and those from the Order.
The Order may be the youngest of them all, but in terms of potential both present and future, it was enough to match them all. They may not have had an 11-year-old pce realm expert like the Flowing Valley Sect, but they''ve had a few who were 13 years old over the years and when it came to domain realm members, they have had a few who were in their mid-thirties. To name a few; one of them was Meng Chao and the other was Zhu Li, Dean Zhu Lao''s younger brother and the creator of four purple-grade techniques.
When it came to repute, a domain expert who created purple-grade cultivation arts definitely dwarfed the others.
To the Order members, other than the surprise arrival of the two groups, they didn''t seem too shaken by it like the rest of the guests.
The two groups arrived on the tform where the rest of the soul formation experts courteously rose to give their greetings and Elder Su Bai went on to guide them to their seats.
The two elders sat at the front while the two disciples from both sides took the smaller seats behind them. Even if they were from Holy Lands, they were still not qualified to seat at the same level as the soul formation experts from the Order. Them being given a seat on the tform, was a courtesy afforded to them as Holy Land disciples, and nothing else. If it went by cultivation base, they were unqualified to even stand there, let alone seat.
¡
Yang Qing sensed abative-filled stare being locked on him. He was still seated next to Assistant Director Feng Lei. When the guests from the two holynds arrived, other than the cursory respectful greeting, he didn''t do much and just sat back down and slowly wished the time would fly by fast.
He didn''t turn his head but instead opted to switch his eyes ever so slightly towards the source of thebative stare, which came as no surprise to him when he saw it was from the 14-year-old pce realm expert from the Radiant sword sect.
"He doesn''t seem to be a sword heart disciple," Yang Qing muttered to himself as he turned back his eyes forward.
Yang Qing was a bit preupied when he first greeted them because the elder from the Flowing Valley Sect gave him a strange nce along with the 20-year-old peak pce realm expert, which threw him off for a bit but now that he had time to recollect the experience along with the short nce he took right now, he noticed the 14-year-old pce realm expert from the Radiant Sword Sect didn''t seem to have the sword heart disciple insignia on his robe unlike the early stage domain expert next to him.
As far as Yang Qing knew, one of the prerequisites of bing a sword heart disciple was to have a purple core, in addition to showing monstrous talent for the sword in terms of the standard of the sect. Therefore, as far as he could tell one could be a sword heart disciple as long as they were in the core formation realm. The sword heart disciple who took the first-ce position during their year was in thete stages of the core formation realm, just like them.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but guess there must be some underlying reason why the 14-year-old pce realm expert wasn''t a sword heart disciple despite his current achievements. As far as Yang Qing could tell, when it came to the sword dao, the 14-year-old disciple had genuine talent in it, despite his ostentatious disy of it, by allowing his sharpness of it to leak. At the moment, that disciple didn''t have the released sword demeanor he had before when he came, he now seemed reserved and docile,pletely different from before.
"Maybe it''s a personality issue," thought Yang Qing as he decided to push the matter to the back of his mind because it looked like the time had arrived.
He had expected that it would be Vice President Mo Ye giving the opening speech, but Chief Justice Lai Ning was the one who got up and made his way to the center of the podium.
The guests who were unfamiliar with him, found it rather funny to see a 10-year-old boy, wearing small fitting white robes, with purple hair walk slowly to the center of the podium. However, the eyes that had nothing but countless stars and the invible bearing he had on him as he walked made every single party present have reverence for him in their hearts, even without meaning to.
¡.
Rank 2 section
"Meifeng! Meifeng!! Meifeng, you need to calm down. Your agitated state is starting to show."
"Sorry about that, brother Guiren," said Yan Meifeng of the Maple leaf manor.
"I don''t know what your Maple Leaf Manor and the Flowing Valley have against each other, but if this is the type of reaction I should be expecting from your organization, then I think it may be better for the merger to be canceled.
I do not want the Golden Bamboo Pavilion to be dragged into whatever feud you have with the Flowing Valley Sect. Even all our forcesbined are barely enough topete against one of their subsidiary forces let alone them.
Whatever issues you have with them, it will have to wait till we finish dealing with the issue concerning the hidden grotto of the Nebulous Star sect. Once we are done with it, we can go our separate ways after splitting the inheritance, and you can pursue whatever it is you and the Maple Leaf Manor have against the Flowing Valley Sect but until then please keep your emotions in check and take stock of the bigger picture, otherwise we will go our separate ways here and now.
I''d rather lose out on the inheritance of an ancient sect that could potentially have been a holynd-level sect, than offend one presently.
Let what happened to the Crimson wave be a constant reminder that Holynds are not to be trifled with lightly," Lin Guiren solemnly said.
"Don''t worry brother Guiren, I promise I won''t do anything to jeopardize our deal and the ns ahead. It was just a momentary slip-up, of which I''m very sorry for that, it won''t happen again.
We of the Maple Leaf Manor have no intention of engaging a holynd like the Flowing Valley, if we did, we would have acted long ago when the situation demanded it. Right now all we want to do is to ensure the stability and growth of our organization along with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
We don''t have any other thoughts, other than this," said Yan Meifeng.
Both leaders had been using their domain sense tomunicate.
Lin Guiren cast a long nce at Yan Meifeng, who had a solemn sincere look before he nodded his head and focused his attention back to the podium. Yan Meifeng did the same, but inside her robes, her right fist was tightly clenched.
"Maybe we might have to look for another more suitable partner.."
Chapter 267 Deeply Spread Reputation
"On behalf of the Order, I would like to thank you all for availing yourself of this asion. I know for some of you the journey was not easy and getting the time to make an appearance couldn''t have been easy either.
For that, I Lai Ning, Chief Justice of the Order would like to thank you all for gracing us with your presence. I offer this salute to you all, irrespective of which ranked organization you belong to. Your presence here is highly appreciated," Chief Justice Lai Ning said as he offered a Daoist salute to the guests.
The salute may have seemed simple and inane to an unknown mind but to the cultivation world, the connotation behind it was immense. One cultivator giving another cultivator a Daoist salute was a form of recognition and acknowledgment, which was why it was never given lightly.
This was why Chief Justice Lai Ning''s simple Daoist salute left the guests buzzing with excitement especially those from rank 3 and below. Their presence had been acknowledged and appreciated by a high-ranking figure of one of thergest organizations in the world. The excitement they felt from that greeting matched the same excitement that was there when the members of the two Holy Lands showed up.
"Now I won''t take much of your time since I''m not a bard and I''m not particrly used to this type of thing.
Now on this day, we would like to recognize one of our own. A young cultivator with tremendous potential who by all ounts is considered to be living up to those expectations.
He has done all we have asked of him and he has done it with an exemry attitude and dedication towards his post as a judge of the Order¡"
Yang Qing''s ears were buzzing as he couldn''t believe all those words were about him. He knew his reputation well, as a matter of fact almost the whole Order knew his reputation well to the point that it had reached the ears of top figures like Assistant Director Jun Pei and Superior Domain Judges like Meng Chao.
When Yang Qing looked around, especially in the section where the Order employees were seated at, almost all of them, even though they tried to hide it, had looks of disbelief on their faces, some even snickered a bit at what Chief Justice Lai Ning was saying.
"Can''t these guys learn to at least hide their emotions better? What if the guests notice something off with their reactions," Yang Qing worriedly thought as he decided to ignore them and continue to hear Chief Justice Lai Ning''s words that were very much pleasing to the ears.
This was one of the few times he wished he had Mao Yunru''s habit of walking around with over a dozen white jade recording talismans. He wanted to immortalize this moment forever and it would also be a good source of endless bragging when he had friends over at his ce. He even envisioned himself tying Kang Hung and the rest to a chair and making them listen to those recordings over a thousand times.
..
"I am deeply gratified to see young cultivators like him within the Order. Those despite being blessed with enormous talent, still continuously apply themselves in their everyday lives to be better and better, and Judge Yang Qing has without a doubt, done this.
The ceremony is called a promotion ceremony to elevate him to a higher station but it is also a ceremony of recognition and honor for the efforts he has undertaken over the years. This is why he is also one of the youngest pce realm judges to grace our courts at the tender age of 23 years.
Yang Qing, I congratte you for all you have done for the Order in your capacity as a judge and as an employee of this fine institution. Everyone at the Order including even the president knows all your aplishments, both on the bench and off the bench, especially thetter..." said Chief Justice Lai Ning as he made a pause because the members of the Order present, whether they were on the tform or the section where the other employees had sat, they all shared augh when Chief Justice Lai Ning made that statement.
This drew curious gazes from the rest of the crowd including even the special guests from the Holy Lands as they couldn''t get why almost every member of the Orderughed at that statement. As far as they could tell, the statement didn''t seem to have any hidden joke underneath.
But everyone whoughed knew exactly what Chief Justice Lai Ning meant by Yang Qing''s off-the-bench aplishments.
Even Yang Qing himself knew exactly what it was, which was why he had a mild pale figure at the moment.
"Even the president knows? How did he even know? Isn''t he a lofty cultivator who shouldn''t concern himself with the actions of a passionate youth fighting for cultivator rights and working conditions?
I wonder if I''ll be okay?" Yang Qing fearfully thought as he dreaded the next words of Chief Justice Lai Ning''s speech.
After the brief pause, Chief Justice Lai Ning continued with his speech after the crowd had calmed down.
"Your shared insights and suggestions have helped the Order refine its framework to better serve the cultivators and poption as a whole of the Southern Continent.
For that we thank you and on my authority as the Chief Justice, I hereby officially dere Yang Qing an outer pce court judge, with all its privilege andmensurate responsibilities.
Yang Qing would youe please?" said Chief Justice Lai Ning as he beckoned Yang Qing over.
Yang Qing stood up and solemnly walked over with steady steps. Once he was a few steps away, Chief Justice Lai Ning waved his sleeves and a faint roar was produced beneath the ground under the tform.
The guests who have been to these ceremonies a couple of times were not too surprised by the roar, but those new to the whole experience were thoroughly terrified by the roar. The roar seemed to echo down into their very souls as it dragged out their most primal fears.
Chapter 268 Fortuitous Encounter
Just as the terrified crowd wondered what was the source of the primal bestial roar, they saw the tform light up with a few indescribable writings, and secondster the floor seemed to have turned into the night of the sky that had no stars.
Within that darkness, a golden spark could be seen, and with it came an overbearing pressure that made everything around it including space, quake. In just a few breaths, the small spark erged into an enormous golden dragon that charged up to the skies above the Star blooming mist valley.
Its size was humongous. Just one of its ws was enough to fill the whole tform. As it flew up, the shade from its figure created a darkness that covered the whole valley.
As it roared, the skies seemed to churn and a golden swirling cloud appeared along with numerous golden stars. The guests who had never been here finally realized why that location was called the Star blooming mist valley.
A cluster of stars of different sizes danced around the skies of the Star blooming mist valley, even though the sun was still up just a few moments ago.
The golden cloud produced by the massive golden dragon had blotted out the sun. As far as the eye could see, the sky was filled with golden clouds that had thousands upon thousands of stars in them.
"Fellow Daoist Mo Ye, it seems the spirit of your ancestral dragon vein underwent a metamorphosis. Despite being young, it''s releasing the energy waves of ate-stage soul master cultivator," said Elder Han Meng of the Radiant Sword Sect with his eyes shining with a strange glow.
"You have a keen eye, Daoist Han Meng. It was by a stroke of luck that it reached this point. That spirit has been in hibernation for the past seven years. We were even worried something may have happened to it since this is a variant ancestral dragon vein after all, and doesn''tpare to the real thing, like the one you have at the Radiant Sword Sect or the Flowing Valley Sect.
It was only eight months ago that it finally came out, and when it did, we were shocked to discover the huge transformation it had undergone," Vice President Mo Ye said with a light smile.
"Is that so? I guess congrattions are in order for the Order. With its transformation, there are countless benefits to harvest from it," said Elder Han Meng as his gaze narrowed on the dragon that was still roaring in the skies.
However different from its earlier roar, those in the pce realm and above could notice there was now Dao being produced within that roar, which then sublimated into a small gold mist that mixed into the golden cloud.
"The Order''s continual rise for eternity is all but guaranteed with this. I think congrattions are in order for being recognized by the popce as one of the three Holy Lands of the Southern Continent," said Elder Luo Yong of the Flowing Valley Sect.
"Surely you jest Daoist Luo Yong. We are but humble servants of the continent and young at that. We are unworthy and unable to bear the burden of the title of a Holy Land.
Only both your sects are worthy of such a reputation, especially for standing up for the whole continent when outsiders threatened to swallow the continent whole. Our achievements both now and in the future, I think will pale inparison to that," said Vice President Mo Ye.
A period of silence ensued between the three as Chief Justice Lai Ning wrote an edict with his finger in the air which charged toward the dragon in the golden skies.
The dragon roared as it charged at the edict and swallowed it. Immediately after it produced a golden pearl which it spat towards Chief Justice Lai Ning, who easily caught it despite the force and speed at which it charged towards him.
The dragon gave one final roar that was louder than the rest which left even the domain experts present at the edge of their seats.
After the roar, the dragon charged at the night sky hole it had flown out of, in the middle of the tform. Secondster the tform closed and resumed its normal appearance. The skies were still filled with the golden cloud and stars and a bit of the dao mist mixed within.
"Consider this as a token of appreciation by the Order, for you all availing yourself today," said Chief Justice Lai Ning.
The stars in his eyes all started swirling with a mild glow as he muttered something inscrutable for a few seconds. Immediately after the clouds above along with the stars within it condensed into tiny golden droplets that had a tiny golden mist around them. Those droplets fell on the guests below.
The perceptive ones glowed with excitement in their eyes as they saw those droplets fall on them. They cleared their minds of all distracting thoughts and immediately started circting their own cultivation arts to try and refine and also sense the mysteries within the droplets that had fallen on them. Those who reacted this way were the guests who hade from prominent backgrounds like the rank 1, rank 2, and some of the old rank 3 organizations.
They had sufficient information to know about the importance of the droplet that fell on them. This was a natural Dao tonic, amodity that could only be gotten by chance and not bought. That single droplet had immense value to any cultivator whether they were in the domain realm or in the qi refinement realm. It could help them cleanse their bodies, shore up their foundations, give them insights into different forms of dao, and strengthen their soul, to some it could even help unlock their special physiques, if it was hidden. And that was only when it came to the cultivator themselves. The droplet could also be used as an ingredient for an alchemy potion or it could be used to refine an artifact to help increase its spiritual awareness or trigger one in an artifact that doesn''t have a spirit yet.
Its uses were endless. If any one of them wanted such a tonic they''d have to source it from a saint-grade natural treasure or seek it from the Holy Lands that had ancestral dragon spirit veins. Both of these options showed how rare it was to get one, but here they were, getting it for free from the Order.
The high-ranked organizations that knew the value of the tonic were the most ecstatic. Members of the lower ranked organizations on noticing the unconcealed excitement from those in the higher ranked organization, instantly knew the object was something valuable even if they had no idea on much of its use.
Most chose to copy what those guests from the high-ranking organizations were doing and circted their cultivation arts as they tried to refine the golden droplets that fell on them. Looks of shock could be seen on each member when they realized what a treasure it was.
Rapid small breakthroughs, epiphanies triggered, hidden injuries being instantaneously healed, shaky foundations being strengthened and even physiques being unlocked were some of the things these guests experienced within a short moment of being exposed to the Dao droplet.
Chapter 269 Nurturing A Spirit
As this was going on, up on the tform a different transformation was taking ce. The pearl produced by the spirit of the variant ancestral dragon vein was in Chief Justice Lai Ning''s hands.
He clenched it with his tiny hands and the pearl was ground to dust and in its ce, two objects appeared. One of them was a dark golden-colored robe and the other was a golden liquid that kept morphing into different shapes until it finally settled into an eagle.
The eagle seemed lifelike as it preened its feathers and looked around with deep interest. If one didn''t see the process in which it was created, one would assume it was a live golden eagle.
"For obvious reasons, you can''t put on your new robes yet, so just hang on to it until tomorrow," Chief Justice Lai Ning said as he handed Yang Qing the dark golden robes.
The Judges wore different colored robes to show which courts they were stationed at. Those at the core formation courts wore light blue robes, while those in the pce courts wore dark gold robes, those in the domain courts wore ck robes andstly those in the spirit courts wore white robes, though it was still in doubt whether there was even a spirit court in the first ce.
Soul formation experts were respectable figures even within the Holy Lands, thus a feud or a case involving a soul formation expert was next to impossible.
Who would go tell on a soul formation expert to the Order that they did so and so? The only party that had the guts to do that was another soul formation expert and they wouldn''t do that and would instead prefer to settle the matter themselves.
Also, there was the matter of apprehending a soul formation expert. Any soul formation expert whether they were in soul beginner stage or the soul supreme stage had countless means to evade capture or guarantee their survival in unexpected situations. Therefore, the only way to capture one was through overwhelming force and have all escape routes and the battle area covered, or if it is a fight to the death where none of you is willing to leave until the other party is dead. Such a situation even makes it hard to capture a soul formation expert alive.
Therefore, the existence of the Spirit Courts has continually been one of those unanswered mysteries within the Order. The respect and also the difficulty of apprehending a soul formation expert, adds doubt to their existence.
How many cases are there that involve Soul formation experts?
In the years'' Yang Qing has been at the Order, he has never heard of a single instance of one being judged.
But the destruction of the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect and the demotion of the rank 1 sect, the Star copsing sword sect at the hands of the Order, did mean on some level there was a section of the Order that handled cases involving Soul formation experts.
¡.
The moment Yang Qing''s hands fell on the robe, he felt the softness and the grandness of it at the same time. If it wasn''t for the experience, he had with the Blue universe enve robe, this would have been the best robe he had ever had in his entire life.
The touch of it felt like he was passing his hands through a soft gxy of stars. It was gentle,forting, and relieving. He could even feel his mind being refreshed, and everything within his body from his qi, his pce realm down to even his internal organs were being strengthened subtly the more he held onto the robe.
Yang Qing''s eyebrows shot up as he wondered what this robe was made of. Just the preliminary effects made the Celestial nesting weaver''s nest that he was so proud, seem like a dung beetle''s home inparison.
"Kid your luck is pretty good.." Blue Universe like usual dutifully stepped in.
Luckily for Yang Qing, Blue Universe seemed to have been peeping on his thoughts or was really good at reading people. Yang Qing hoped it was thetter.
"This ce keeps surprising me more and more on the amount of talent it has.
I can''t believe they are giving you a robe made out of; Twisting bright horizon gold, binding xen skies crystal, silk from the carmine visage amethyst worm, fur from the saffron tears brass tigress, the lucent twilight tourmaline and it looks to have also been soaked in waters from the curse evasion maroon cloud.. wait there''s even silk invisible evasive sands¡.
It seems they keep changing the materials every time but the grade of materials is always at the same standard¡" Blue Universe said with an envious sigh.
"Senior is this a time to take a breath, you are a saint-grade robe, you don''t need a breath¡quick, finish what you were saying¡...
WHAT IS THEIR GRADE?!!!" Yang Qing madly yelled in his mind, hoping Blue Universe would be peeping into his thoughts again and get the loud hint waiting for him in there.
Before today, he had never heard of any of the materials Blue Universe just mentioned. He was a man of simple pleasures and zero treasures. With his current state of financial affairs over the years, Yang Qing chose to admire the things that were within his financial means, which meant buying scraps at the market in the hopes they were treasures, and most of his bought items were usually finished broken decrepit items or cultivation arts, something he could gauge easily, but when it came to natural treasures, it was a different case.
Those who had a plethora of information about natural treasures were usually those who had the means of buying said treasures, leeches who had ess to people who could buy them said treasures or people who sold said treasures to those who could afford them.
Yang Qing didn''t fit any of those categories. He did try to be a leech on the Order, but the Order proved to be a stingy mighty foe, they even managed to hoist a leech of their own on him, by the name of the Celestial nesting weaver, which ensured having savings was an extinct concept to him.
The thought of his circumstances made his blood boil, but he soon calmed down thanks to the passive effects of the robe he was just given. It seemed to have the effect of calming him down. Yang Qing couldn''t help but click at how wonderous the robe was.
"Senior, please continue," Yang Qing whispered in his mind which seemed to have had an effect as Blue Universe finished his statement.
"They are all made of ascendant grade materials that are at the very least mid to high tier in quality. And as for the craftsmanship based on the way they seamlessly melded those materials together, bringing out their respective strengths without a dip in quality, at the very least they are at the gold grade level in terms of skill, and based on their standard, I wouldn''t be surprised if they met the requirements of being a purple grade craftsman in 100 years or less.
Truly remarkable, but I can''t help but feel it''s a waste since you will probably get another robe when you get promoted to the domain courts, which going by your talent won''t be long.
It won''t be nearly enough time for you to help raise the budding spirit in this robe to your level..." Blue Universe said with pity in his tone.
Chapter 270 [Bonus ]Yang Qing Repents
Yang Qing sighed equally at this since the robes he was given as a core court judge had a budding spirit in them, but every time they were issued a robe, that spirit was sealed in dormancy. The only way it would be unsealed is if the Order employee getting that robe vowed to only use that robe for the rest of their life and nurture it.
This rule was put in ce to avoid negligence from the owners to the spirit of their own robes, especially when there was the allure of getting a better robe in the future. To avoid the danger of creating unstable elements in the form of rogue spirits, those spirits would be sealed forever in dormancy if the owner did not agree to the terms.
Spirits of artifacts or treasures were like newborns and needed a constant guide to help shape their values and perspective, if neglected they presented a real danger, especially with the abilities they held, thus it was safer to seal them unless the owner showed realmitment to their nurturing.
Most within the Order chose to have the spirits of their robes sealed, however, there were a few who agreed to the terms, but it was in the minority, and the majority of that small group did so when they got the robes of a higher station like the pce robes.
Since his interaction with Blue Universe, Yang Qing started harboring such thoughts too, of sticking with his issued pce court robes to the end, but the allure of getting a more powerful robe when he reached the domain realm was like a siren''s call constantly pulling him away from such thoughts.
Who would refuse something better if given the choice, raising a spirit wasn''t a small matter either since he would need to constantly nourish it with his spiritual essence, along with continuously feeding a portion of his insights to it. This would cut away at his cultivation time until the spirit reached a point where it could operate autonomously and find its own path that would have been built from Yang Qing''s foundations.
"Maybe it won''t be a bad idea," thought Yang Qing. He had a room of maneuverability when it came to the matter unlike Feng Xin and Yi Jie who were a sword cultivator and saber cultivator respectively. The both of them wouldn''t be able to support the spirit of their weapons in addition to nurturing a new one in their robes, it would stretch them too thin. But Yang Qing didn''t have that worry, he wasn''t a weapon specialist in any regard, and because of the nature of his Yin Yang jade bone physique, both his body and soul were equally powerful. He had the dense qi and spiritual essence to spare.
The more Yang Qing thought about it, the more he felt affable to it.
"I think you should do it," said Blue Universe.
"I think so too," said Veiled Destiny, who was unusually quiet all this while.
"Me too," said thest member of the bunch, Green Cocoon.
"Are you all snooping in my mind?" Yang Qing asked.
"Yes," they all answered, with a matter-of-fact tone.
Yang Qing almost dropped the gold eagle medallion he had in his hands when he heard their response.
Blue Universe''s exnation and his internal monologue, which turns out wasn''t a secret now, all took under a minute. In that time, he put away his issued pce court robes and took out his gold eagle medallion, which could be considered the single most important object in Yang Qing''s possession.
The medallion was unique to every judge since they fused a small part of their soul and blood essence into it. It helped them control the arrays within their courtroom and doubled as amunication talisman that had a direct line to all the important offices within the Order including the Spirit Council, served as a distress signal and was also their identification.
Without it, they''d be barred entry to some of the sensitive areas within the Order such as the Requiem prison, the Internal Logistics floor, and the upper levels of the main library to name a few. It was the one thing that they would always keep by them for the rest of their lives.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure why, but to him, the medallion always felt like a living organism more than an artifact.
Yang Qing passed his medallion over to Chief Justice Lai Ning, who created a fewplex seals over it and transferred the eagle that had morphed from the golden droplet, into the medallion.
The medallion shimmered briefly as millions ofplex and interconnected scripts and runes appeared on it for a few seconds and disappeared just as fast.
The two elders from the Radiant Sword Sect and the Flowing Valley Sect both hadplex emotions sh in their eyes as their gazes fell on the medallion.
"With this, the clearance level and other measures have been adjusted in your medallion to match your current station. You can research them moreter in your own time, using the assigned method.
For now, I think people would like to hear a few words from you before we reach the final part of the ceremony, which I know you''re definitely looking forward to," said Chief Justice Lai Ning with a cheeky smile.
Yang Qing chuckled in embarrassment at being seen through as he stepped forward to give the speech that he hadn''t prepared for. He spent the previous day worrying about his crazy grandfather to actually think of anything. But luckily even without anything on hand, he wasn''t worried about it, his questionable reputation had already spread around the Order, there was no way it could get any worse.
But before he began his speech, Yang Qing took a brief moment of silence to offer a silent apology to the Order.
"Sorry Order for calling you stingy bastards among other things, well you''re still stingy, but you have a heart at least. Thank you for the precious robe, and I hope the pay will be just as precious," Yang Qing muttered as he closed his eyes.
"Look at the reverence and respectable attitude he has," most thought when they saw Yang Qing''s almost pious look.
Some elders even berated their own n members and disciples for not being as dedicated and respectable as Yang Qing.
Those from the Order were the ones filled with puzzled looks from Yang Qing''s current disy.
"Is that reverence I see in Yang Qing? Is this some long scheme he is putting in y?" they all wondered.
Chapter 271 Special Appearance
After his brief silent prayer and apology, Yang Qing straightened his robes out of a force of habit,pletely ignoring the fact that he was wearing a saint-grade treasure.
What were the odds that a robe of such a caliber would have creases on it?
But it didn''t matter, straightening of the robes was a long-standing tradition that has been observed for eons and eons, who was he to break away from such a well-respected tradition?
After he felt his robes were straightened enough, and his demeanor and air were suited to the moment, he decided to get along with it. He had decided he was going to keep it brief and to the point and as for the rough nature of what he was going to say, he decided to go with what he had trained himself to do over the years, especially to survive a mighty foe, like the Order.
"Bootlicking it is," Yang Qing murmured to himself as his gaze fell on the crowd.
"As many of you know, I didn''te from a well-off family, the results I have today would have not been possible had it not been for the intervention of the Order.
I wouldn''t be the person I am today, had the Order not opened its doors to me and for that, I Yang Qing, I''m deeply grateful to have received a kindness and a grace that I did not deserve.
You clothed me, educated me, gave me a purpose I did not know I needed, I have had seniors who have constantly pushed me to be the best¡" Yang Qing paused here as his gaze fell on old fiend Lei Weiyuan who had the same austere look he always had on, except for one thing, a light smile appeared briefly and disappeared just as fast.
¡.
As this was going on, Yang Qing''s mother, grandfather, and other elders of the Yang n were throwing death res at him.
"Mai''er, you raised a fine son, alright. He really knows how to speak up for his family."
"Yang Fen you have failed as a grandfather, you old coot. Look at what your grandson is saying, making everyone think we raised him in some cave with no clothes, all his life,"
"At least I have a grandson up there, where''s yours?" Yang Fen not willing to be outdone, threw a few of his words at the mocking elders.
"Wui, don''t you dare move!" said Mai Ha to an early forties man seated next to her and Yang Gen.
He had a bookish aura to him, and a matching build too. He was slender and tall, and bore a facial simrity to both Yang Qing and Yang Gen. He was Yang Qing''s and Yang Gen''s father, Yang Wui.
Yang Wui sensing his wife''s faint murderous intent, quickly sat down, with a sheepish smile on his face. This was the first time in a few years he had been close proximity to his father, and Yang Qing''s grandfather, Yang Fen.
He had half a mind to miss the ceremony, but he knew he would suffer a far worse fate from his wife, than whatever he was afraid his father would do to him. But even if he agreed toe, he was still unnerved the whole time, especially after he was informed about his father''s research with the reversion pill. He was dead set on avoiding his father for the rest of his life, or breakthrough to the pce realm soon.
"I''m sorry brother," Yang Gen whispered in an apologetic smile when he saw Yang Qing''s mildly embarrassed look when his gaze fell on his family creating a ruckus. His grandfather was already pulling beards with the other elders, and his father looked like he was about to be elbow locked by his mother.
¡.
"Can''t they let me have a peaceful day for once, without creating a scene," Yang Qing thought as he saw the whole fiasco.
He decided to continue with his speech and pretend he didn''t notice anything.
"I''m still young and immature and know despite my result no matter how morous they seem, there is still a lot to learn and I hope my seniors will continue to lend a hand and guide me on how to be a proper judge of the Order¡,"
When he reached this point, his gaze conveniently fell on Hou Dehui, the inner domain court judge with star-shaped irises and five pupils on each eye. His gaze then immediately switched over to where Lin Guiren one of the founders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion had sat. His hint couldn''t have been louder.
Senior I leave the Golden Bamboo Pavilion to you. Your handsome junior needs your help
"I know being an outer pce court judge will not be easy and wille with its challenges and demands, but I will endeavor tomit myself wholly to ensuring the precepts of the Order and its guiding principles are observed.
To those who havee today, I am humbled and deeply thankful for your presence today, I will not forget it.
I wish you all good tidings in the days, months, and years toe, and may the Order see you through your darkest of times.
Thank you all," Yang Qing said as he performed a ny-degree bow.
He remained in that position for almost ten breaths and then raised his head.
Immediately he did so, a gentle voice sounded,
"Yang Qing''s promotion; acknowledged, approved, andmended. All the best, young one.
Little Ye, I leave the care of our friends to you. Su Liqiu will also be in attendance in my ce. Well then, I''m off, take care,"
Everything within the area from the people to the sky, the ground, and even the spiritual qi seemed to vibrate with excitement the moment the voice appeared and went back to normal the moment it disappeared.
"The president is the president," Yang Qing thought to himself in admiration as he observed the impact just a voice left on the crowd.
The president of the Order, the leading figure in the whole organization but very few people have ever seen him. Only his gender was known, but everything else including his name was shrouded in mystery. Yang Qing at times wondered if there was a reason to it, or if it was purely a calcted move to create an unfathomable figure so steeped in mystery to keep the numerous organizations within the Southern Continent at bay.
Chapter 272 Teacher To The Domain Experts?
Even if he has never been seen, he does make an ''appearance'' at every ceremony, like he did now. No matter if it was a student freshly graduated from the Institute about to start at the core formation courts or a judge being promoted to the domain courts, the president always sent a congrattory and approval statement and his voice would always have the same effect on everything present, including even the inanimate objects.
The two elders of the two Holy Lands along with the disciples of their sects had widened eyes that were filled with shock from that brief experience, especially the two elders. It was one thing for the disciples to be affected by that voice, especially those in the pce realm. If they wanted to, they could do the same thing, but they were surprised to discover that they were also affected by that voice.
They were soul formation experts, the realmmonly epted to be the peak realm within the whole Southern Continent, and to boot they were soul formation experts from Holy Lands which meant they were a cut above the rest even other soul formation experts, but they were as defenseless as the qi refinement guests when the voice hit them.
That reality of events sent shockwaves through their hearts. The higher one''s realm was, the more one understood of such implications. To the qi refinement cultivator or even core formation cultivator, they''d easily brush it off and think it was an exciting experience, but to them, they saw things differently. The fact that the owner could trigger an excited state from them with just his voice within a short few seconds despite their many defenses, meant if the owner so wished, he could attack them without knowing, just as fast. Even with all their means, there was a chance they would die without knowing how, should that owner have decided to do it.
"Fellow Daoist Han, do you think their president has reached that realm?" asked Elder Luo Yong using the spiritual sense of a soul formation expert to transmit his voice.
At their level, they could transmit a decade''s worth of content in just an instant using the spiritual sense of a soul formation expert.
"I don''t know, but at the very least I know I have never felt this exposed, even in front of the Soul supreme masters within my sect. The Order really hid their fangs well, even their vice president here feels unfathomable," Elder Han Meng said with an air of seriousness in his tone.
"That they have," said Elder Luo Yong, with an unfathomable glint shing in his eyes, as his gaze fell on the area the Order employees were seated.
"Daoist Han Meng, Daoist Luo Yong, would you like some sunflower seeds?" asked Vice President Mo Ye with an inviting smile.
At some point, a white bag filled with crispy golden brown sunflower seeds appeared in his hands.
"No need to be shy, they''re excellent and are one of the best. One of our elders skilled in herbology personally cares for them. The sunflower they''re produced from is watered using the dew of a 100,000-year-old purple firmament imperial oleander.
It''s no saint-grade treasure, but its dew might as well be. Here try some, I promise you will not regret it," Vice President Mo Ye said as he pushed the bag to the both of them.
"It would be rude of me to refuse, after Daoist Mo Ye''s generous offer," said Elder Luo Yong as he gracefully picked a few.
"I''ll have to shamelessly ept your offer, Daoist Mo Ye, thank you," said Elder Han Meng as he picked a few.
Both their eyes lit up as they ate them.
"See, I told you it wouldn''t disappoint," Vice President Mo Ye said as he chuckled.
That little action was observed by the rest of the guests since they were on the tform and because of their backgrounds and station they were the center of attention to the guests, even more than Yang Qing, who at best was considered an important sideshow inparison to the soul formation experts from the Order along with the members of the two Holy Lands.
The three experts trading sunflower seeds seemed to have visibly lightened the atmosphere around the guests. A minute before, it was a bit stifled, especially with the gift-giving sessioning up, but the action from Vice President Mo Ye seemed to have eased the air a bit.
"Daoist Han, Daoist Yong, I''m afraid the president will not be avableter for our meeting, but other members of the Spirit Council along with myself and with the chancellor will be there, so I hope you don''t mind making do with just us," said Vice president Mo Ye.
"Oh, the unfathomable Chancellor will be making an appearance?" asked Elder Luo Yong with genuine surprise in his tone.
"I heard most of your domain experts were once her students. Is that true?" he added
"Hahaha, surely that''s not possible, rumors have a way of distorting the truth as you well know. While it is true some of the domain experts we have were once her students, the number isn''t that high," said Vice President Mo Ye as he chewed on some more sunflower seeds.
"Having passed through the domain realm ourselves we know it''s no easy feat reaching it. Training even one person to reach the domain realm shows how deep one''s understanding of the Dao is and the ability to impart it to someone.
In my book, no matter the number of Domain realm cultivators she has trained, just the fact she has been able to, is worthy of my respect," said Elder Han Meng. He was never a talkative person but he was usually straightforward when it came to his likes and dislikes.
"I''m sure Chancellor Su Liqiu will appreciate your sentiments. She has always held the sword skills and discipline of the Radiant sword sect in high regard along with the heaven-defying alchemy skills of the Flowing Valley Sect. I know she will appreciate meeting with you both," said Vice President Mo Ye.
"We look forward to making her acquaintance," they both said.
"What an old fox," thought Elder Luo Yong.
The isn''t high statement Vice President Mo Ye made was well open to interpretation.
As the trio was having this discussion, Chief Justice Lai Ning had already signaled the start of the final phase of the ceremony, the gift-giving stage.
Chapter 273 Gifts From The Two Holy Lands
"Senior Green Cocoon, is there any hidden overwhelming killing intent sent my way?'' Yang Qing asked as he prepared himself.
The moment of truth had already arrived. The saint-grade artifacts he was clothed in, along with soul formation experts on the stage were all here for this moment. Chief Justice Lai Ning could be considered to be the only one who was purely here for his integral role in the ceremony and wasn''t necessarily here for the protection of Yang Qing, even though having a powerhouse like him avable wouldn''t hurt Yang Qing''s survival chances.
"There isn''t any overly intense, it''s just the normal kind. You''re not well-liked are you?" asked Green Cocoon.
Yang Qing didn''t quite know how to answer that question. While the Order did maintain bnce and helped reduce the amount of chaos around the Southern Continent, not many cultivators looked at them in a favorable light, especially those whose interests were constantly being impeded by the Order.
There were those who liked, those who hated them, those who hated them then liked them and those who liked them then hated them, when they got on the wrong side of the Order.
....
"Daoist Mo Ye, your young judge looks like he has some unique attributes, the Order really lucked out in getting him. His attributes would have been perfect for our sect," said Elder Luo Yong with a hint of envy in his tone.
Even though most of Yang Qing''s attributes were shielded by both Blue Universe and Veiled Destiny, Elder Luo Yong managed to glean a few things here and there from his base attributes, and they were so close in proximity. He would have let his title as a soul formation expert and an elder of a Holy Land if he couldn''t guess a few things or two about Yang Qing.
This time as he wasmunicating with Vice President Mo Ye, unlike before he didn''t use his soul formation spiritual sense tomunicate his words but instead used real words which the disciples next to them were all able to hear, even Yang Qing who was at the center of the podium.
The 21-year-old peak pce realm disciple of the Flowing Valley Sect along with the other saint leaf disciple all had looks of interest sh through their eyes when they heard Elder Luo Yong''s statement.
Elder Luo Yong was one of the most prominent uing inner core elders within their sect. His words bore a lot of weight, especially to youngsters like them. Him praising Yang Qing made them reevaluate him a bit. Unlike the elder, they couldn''t probe Yang Qing especially with him being d in saint-grade artifacts. Everything about him was hidden from their senses. So when they met, other than knowing he was a pce realm expert and was a judge of the Order, they knew nothing else, even his realm was hidden from them.
"Thanks for your appreciation Elder Luo Yong, the Order always ensures tomit itself wholly towards the nurturing of our talents. It''s the same for Yang Qing or any other member that crosses the doors of the Order and bes its member," Vice President Mo Ye casually said, but one could detect the faint warning in his tone on Elder Luo Yong against having any ideas.
"I''m sorry for speaking out of turn, Daoist Mo Ye," Elder Luo Yong politely said as he cupped his fists in apology.
Luckily Elder Han Meng''s intervening statement diffused the subtle tension.
"It seems the rest of the guests are waiting on us to kick start the next part of the ceremony. We shouldn''t keep them waiting, Daoist Luo Yong," said Elder Han Meng as he stood up and walked over to Yang Qing.
Elder Luo Yong followed immediately after, but not before offering another apologetic bow toward Vice President Mo Ye, who nodded and offered a few words of eptance and it not being a big deal.
Yang Qing''s eyes shone with excitement when he saw the two elders make their way over. They could be considered the biggest cash cows in this ce. Being elders of Holy Lands meant whatever they gifted him would not be shoddy at all, maybe it might even be able to cover the cost of holding on to Blue Universe and the rest for a few more hours after the end of the ceremony, with no fear that his funds would be drained and his treasures repossessed.
"I wonder what they will give me?" Yang Qing excitedly thought as outwardly he gave out the humblest look he could muster. No eunuch or servant could match his current demeanor.
"Young judge Yang Qing, please ept this little gift. It''s not much since we don''t hold much with us at the Radiant Sword Sect that doesn''t contribute to our understanding of the sword dao. But nheless, this iron stalwart dream stone should be of some use to you, especially in the tempering of your will and techniques," Elder Han Meng said as he handed Yang Qing a rust brown looking stone that looked like just a mere breeze would cause its erosion.
"If you channel your spiritual essence into the stone, a piece of your will, will be replicated in an arena within the stone, and inside that arena, there will be a guardian made of iron. As far as I can tell, that guardian is skilled in all kinds ofbat arts just like our friends from the battle pce, however, it shows particr proficiency with the sword and spear, but its palm arts, fist arts, and movement arts are also decent.
Its cultivation realm will always match yours, and it seems to learn and adapt to your techniques every time you fight. There are asions it might incorporate some of your techniques into its fighting style the more you fight with it, which makes it a thorny opponent and the perfect sparring partner. Sadly, the treasure itself, seems to have had its origin damaged, therefore the maximum level the guardian can reach is the first stage of the domain realm," said Elder Han Meng.
Yang Qing''s heart was pounding with excitement. He already expected the figures from the Holy Lands to show the opulence of their sects but he didn''t expect it to be this big. He could detect the tone of Elder Han Meng that was sincerely filled withment like one would have over a broken toy.
"Just their scraps are this good?" wondered Yang Qing as he made a conscious effort not topare himself to them.
"I am deeply grateful Elder Han Meng for your generous gift, this is more than I could have ever expected. I will treasure it greatly," Yang Qing said as he cupped his fist in gratitude with a slight bow as a show of respect.
Even if the treasure he was given had a damaged origin making its repair extremely troublesome, even in its damaged state, it could be considered a high tier ascendant grade treasure, especially with the learning attribute of the guardian, it meant Yang Qing could have a versatile opponent to train with any time he wished to and maybe he too would be able to learn the techniques of the guardian. If it could learn his techniques, he figured the reverse should be possible. Maybe it was one of the features of the stone.
The more Yang Qing thought about it, the more he felt the iron stalwart dream stone was a worthwhile treasure that no amount of spirit stones would be able to buy.
To Elder Han Meng it didn''t seem like much, but to someone of Yang Qing''s level, the harvests he could make from the stone would be endless, especially towards refining his techniques and also sharpening his battle sense, which was much-needed, especially with the nature of their upation.
Elder Han Meng''s gift could be considered the perfect gift for someone from the Order, especially a judge or an inquisitor, more so thetter.
Elder Han Meng wasn''t a man of many words, he just nodded and returned back to his seat.
"Congrattions Judge Yang Qing, please ept this Mountain spring gourd," Elder Luo Yong said as he handed Yang Qing an earth-brown gourd that had the depiction of the mountain on it, along with a river that flowed from its peak to the bottom, forming a spring at the bottom of the gourd.
Yang Qing could see the river was really lifelike; its movement, the smell down to even the sound. This realism wasn''t only reflected in his eyesight but even when he scanned it with his pce sense, he felt that mountain and river were very much real.
"It may notpare to what Daoist Han Meng has given you,bat-wise, but I feel its nature is morepatible with you. The gourd is suffused with the Dao of water and the Dao of earth, which makes it a greatprehension tool for those practicing both these forms of Dao. It can also double up as a storage treasure and unlike normal storage rings, it can amodate live specimens. As for its capacity, it''s about the size of a mountain.
It''s also a growing treasure. If you attune with it, you may very well help elevate its rank from a low-grade ascendant-grade treasure to a saint-grade treasure if you ever reach the soul formation realm. It also has a few other passive effects which you can discover on your ownter. All the best with refining it," said Elder Luo Yong.
"With your talent and the support of the Order, I''m sure you will be able to do it," added Elder Luo Yong as he turned and went back to his seat.
Yang Qing was too blown away by the treasure to even formte the right words. By the time he regained his senses, Elder Luo Yong was already at his seat, sharing sunflower seeds with Vice President Mo Ye and Elder Han Meng from the Radiant Sword Sect.
"The Holy Lands really are filthy rich," thought Yang Qing with an envious sigh. The moment he held the Mountain Spring gourd he intrinsically felt as long as he mastered the type of Dao of water and earth that was on it, he would improve his pce realm. The gourd''s dao seemed more in line with his path, and as for the attunement, he felt Elder Luo Yong''s statement was right on the mark.
Attunement was a cultivator''s ability to harmonize with a particr treasure. This state only came into y if the treasure''s rank was at the monarch grade and above, where it had some will and spirit of its own. The greater the degree of harmonization, the easier the refinement and also subsequent influence and connection a cultivator had over said treasure.
Yang Qing felt his Dao of vitality would have great synergy with the Mountain Spring gourd.
If the gift-giving ended there, Yang Qing felt it would already be worthwhile. The two gifts had already exceeded his expectations. He had half a mind to end it here and reduce any further risk, but his greedy curious heart wondered what other things he may get.
The allure of potential gifts was slowly eating away at this caution.
Chapter 274 Conclusion Of The Ceremony
Next in line to hand in their gifts were the rank 1 organizations and at the lead was the One thousand hall battle pce.
Ren Xin the Hall master of the Rapid spear hall walked forward, followed by Wei Liling and Liu Juan, the two legacy disciples that were in attendance. The rest of the disciples were left behind at their seats.
Wei Liling and Liu Juan being chosen as part of the procession of the One thousand hall battle pce, wasn''t by ident but rather by design. In his time at the Battle Pce, Yang Qing had formed a connection with both of them, among the rest of the Battle Pce disciples. Their attendance was expected and even theiring forward with the Hall master Ren Xin was expected too.
"Congrattions Master Yang Qing. It seems it won''t be long before you overtake us too," said Hall Master Ren Xin with a teasing smile on his face.
"Surely you jest Hall master Ren Xin. I doubt I''d be your match even if I was in the domain realm," said Yang Qing.
Every hall master was once a legacy battle pce disciple and for one to be considered for the hall master position, they had to be the best amongst the legacy battle pce disciples.
With such a reputation, few of those within his realm could match Hall master Ren Xin inbat, even among the domain experts from the Order.
The ones he thought stood a chance against him were maybe the special inquisitors, the top-tier roaming inquisitors, requiem guards who were in charge of guarding the region that heldte-stage domain-level criminals and maybe the judges of the superior domain court like Meng Chao, and maybe a few deans from the institute who specialized inbat or someone like Zhu Lao.
"Maybe someone from the Shadow Hawks division might, but they don''t specialize in direct confrontation, so it''s highly doubtful," thought Yang Qing.
"Who knows, you just might. Getting a cement in the top 20 isn''t an easy feat. But enough about that, Liu Juan told me you like tinkering around with cultivation arts, so I thought it best to give you that rather than give you something else that you might not necessarily like.
Here you can have this instead," said Hall Master Ren Xin as he handed Yang Qing a worn-out bamboo scroll.
Yang Qing could sense the vicissitude of time on it, along with an aura that could be sensed in cultivation arts that had reached the blue grade.
"The 108 steps of the wondering autumn leaves," Yang Qing muttered to himself as he read the worn-out title at the top.
He could sense a bit of the owner''s will in that writing. He slowly traced down the writings on the scroll with his fingers and eyes closed, slowly sensing the intent behind the writing. With every syble, Yang Qing couldn''t help but marvel at the profoundness of the cultivation art stored within, however, that excitement was soon cut short when he felt the sensation cut off.
Yang Qing''s brows furrowed slightly as he opened his eyes.
"As you have guessed, the technique is iplete and based on our estimates, it was at least a low-tier gold-grade cultivation art. There are no records of it around the continent in any organization we know of.
We would have restored it, but we already have hundreds of thousands of techniques just like it waiting to be restored, so I decided rather than it gaining dust on the bookshelves at the pce, maybe you can make use of it.
It seems to be a technique that focuses on building up the basics of each level, its not an exaggeration to say we already have enough of such techniques to fill a mountain including our own that we have refined over the years, so it will be wasted with us.
I hope you can make the best use of it, and hopefully bring the full technique to Light," said Hall master Ren Xin as he patted Yang Qing on the shoulder with an encouraging nce.
"Don''t you think you''re thinking too highly of me there, Hall Master Ren Xin?" said Yang Qing with a rueful smile.
He has rebuilt some cultivation arts over the years and got many merit points within the Order as a result of it, but most of those cultivation arts were low grade most were red grade and the highest he had ever worked with a top-tier Orange grade cultivation art which he elevated to a low tier blue grade art and named it the Brilliant ray fist art which heter shared with Peng Zhen to use in the duration of his life and death duel with the students of the Institute for the next five years.
He has never improved a blue grade technique let alone a gold grade art. Someone like Dean Zhu Lao would more than likely be able to, but Yang Qing was still finding his legs in this area.
Though even if he thought that, he couldn''t tear his eyes away from the cultivation art, and the excitement he had at potentially restoring the art, was evident for all to see.
"It seems Liu Juan was right. Best of luck with it, Master Yang Qing," said Hall Master Ren Xin.
"Liu Juan, you never struck me as the proactive type or that you even listened when we talked, you were always asleep half the time," said Yang Qing with a puzzled expression.
The Liu Juan he knew was always lethargic and wanted to expend the least amount of energy as possible. Even breathing and walking were a chore to him. He would always be caught sleeping openly or using silent meditation as another form of sleeping. While they could be considered friends, they never talked much, and mostly it was Yang Qing talking and him off-handedly making ''mmh'' sounds with his eyes closed. The only time he ever seemed active was when Yang Qing was bragging about the nest of the Celestial nesting weaver.
He was surprised that such a person would go out of his way to tell the hall master the kind of gift he liked.
"Liling told me if you want something, you must give something in return. Yang Qing, you like the cultivation art right?" asked Liu Juan. His voice started offy but towards the end, it had a bit of erupting energy in it.
"It is, and I am very grateful for it," Yang Qing slowly said with a foreboding suspicion in his heart as he saw a glint sh in Liu Juan''s eyes.
"Great!!!! Can I have the nest in exchange?" said Liu Juan as he rushed Yang Qing before he even had time to react.
''I Knew it,''
"It wasn''t you who gave me the gift but it was Hall Master Ren Xin. You can forget about weaseling your way into getting it. If you want it that bad, you only need topensate me its current value along with the treasures I''ve spent on it over the years, including the emotional damage fee I endured because of that damage.
The rough estimate should be about 100 million high-grade spirit stones but on ount of our friendship and also in acknowledgment of your efforts in helping me gain an iplete gold-grade technique, I will deduct 10 million from the total, bringing the amount to 90 million high-grade spirit stones.
As long as you can cough up that amount, I will be d to give you the nest, I''ll even add in free delivery services," Yang Qing pompously said taking greatfort in Liu Juan''s current dark look.
"You could have just said no, there was no need to be cruel about it," Liu Juan said with a downcast expression.
"Sister Liling you lied, I won''t be sparring with you anymore," Liu Juan said to the red-haireddy beside Hall master Ren Xin. He didn''t bother to stay behind and opted to go back to his seat with a listless demeanor to him.
"Yang Qing you bastard couldn''t you just give him the nest?!!!!!" Wei Liling who had been busy eyeing potential spar targets with excitement in her eyes turned livid when Liu Juan made his statement about canceling their sparring sessions.
She even charged to take a swing at Yang Qing, luckily Hall Master Ren Xin stepped in and forcefully dragged her away, creating a bit of a scene.
Yang Qing started getting strange looks from the crowd. The males gave him knowing looks, while thedies had looks of disdain on their faces when they looked at him.
"What do they think I did?" Yang Qing wondered with a sheepish smile.
"Juan , Liling, you cer at my abode, I will be hosting an after party there. Even if I can''t give you the nest, you could try it when you are here, Juan," said Yang Qing .
His statement seemed to have brought life to the dead looking Liu Juan.
"Oh, and Liling, Hung said there were cultivators in the battle pce who would never beat him even if they were one major realm apart, as much as it saddens me to say, you were one of the names mentioned."
Yang Qing decided to deflect Liling''s wrath to someone else, and what better person than Kang Hung.
"I know you''re lying, but it''s a good excuse as any to get my vengeance on him," Wei Liling said with a malevolent smile.
Kang Hung had been in the midst ofughing when he detected a dangerous aura lock on him. He turned his head with a puzzled expression, only to see Wei Liling throwing a malevolent look his way and Yang Qing joyously smiling.
"What''s with these two?" He wondered before he pushed the matter to the back of his mind and resumed what he was doing.
After the One thousand hall battle pce, the rest of the gift giving process went on smoothly and without incident.
Chapter 275 Potential Fall Of A Rank 3 Organization?
The gifts from the other rank 1 organizations were not too shoddy even inparison to the One thousand hall battle pce. The gifts they offered were all varied each being a consummate specialty of their own organization.
Some gave out natural treasures that were prevalent in their territory, others gave out finished products such as alchemical pills and potions, others robes, and other artifacts with unique and varied capabilities.
No matter what it was, in terms of quality, the gifts they offered were all in the same standard, they were all in the top tier of the monarch grade. This could be considered very generous, if one considered a top tier monarch grade treasure was equivalent to a peak pce realm expert in terms of power attribute and in terms of equivalent mary value a single top tier monarch grade artifact was at least 10 million high-grade spirit stones and if it were a rarity, then even spirit stones would not be enough.
Yang Qing was practically beaming as he received each of those gifts, and he soon lost himself to it and forgot the potential dangers of the current session of the ceremony.
After the rank 1 organizations, it was the rank 2 organizations'' turn. Yang Qing both looked forward to it and felt a little ufortable. The part he was d about was that about a third of the rank 2 organizations that had made an appearance for the ceremony were merchant organizations, and even if they were not, they could be consideredrge-scale dealers and suppliers to said merchant organizations.
Merchants were the best gift givers and when it came to the rank 1 organizations in attendance, sadly much to Yang Qing''s disappointment there was not a single one in attendance, but when it came to the rank 2 organizations, he had counted at least six and one of the six could be considered to be one of the oldest and among the most powerful and widely spread among rank 2 merchant organizations, and in terms of scale it even rivaled some rank 1 merchant organizations. The only thing that held it back was the absence of a soul formation expert. That organization was the White rose pavilion. They dealt in everything and anything and from what Yang Qing heard, they had already had another branch in the northern continent.
Yang Qing always found it odd since the Northern Continent was quite a ways away from the Southern Continent. One would either have to cross the Celestial Ocean or the Millionsfold treasure ocean depending on which side of the continent they wanted to leave from, then cross the Sea of Dreams and finally the Blue Origin Ocean before they reached the Northern Continent.
Just a single ocean was fraught with many dangers without adding another two more into the mix. Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder why the White Rose Pavilion would open a branch all the way in the Northern Continent; a continent with the least interaction even whenpared with the fractured Eastern Continent.
¡
The White Rose Pavilion didn''t disappoint as they gave Yang Qing a rare pearl that had been bathed with the aura of a Kunpeng, a mythical ancient creature just like the dragon and the phoenix. Yang Qing could detect a dense water Dao in it along with a hint of the ethereal space Dao. In terms of value, it wasn''t any less than the iron stalwart dream stone he got from Elder Han Meng of the radiant sword sect or the Mountain spring gourd he got from Elder Luo Yong of the Flowing Valley Sect.
Yang Qing sighed in admiration at the resource depths of the White Rose Pavilion, if they could match the Holy Lands in terms of their gifts. The other rank 2 merchant organizations were not too bad either with their gifts as some came with additional bonuses. The Golden Bamboo Pavilion went this route. In addition to giving Yang Qing a top-tier monarch-grade treasure, they also gave him an all-ess pass to all businesses under the pavilion including their subsidiaries. Yang Qing could get anything he wished at a 70% discounted rate, no matter what it was, the discount was universal across all businesses andmodities that had the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
Yang Qing felt rather awkward epting it since he knew it was a sort of appeasement gift from one of the founders Lin Guiren on behalf of his son and the incident he had with Yang Qing.
Yang Qing begrudgingly epted the gift since it would be an additional p to the founder''s face if he rejected his gifts in front of all the guests around, but he made things clear that should his son be found to have broken some of the guiding principles of the Order, then gift or no gift, the punishment that was due to his son, would not change one iota.
Having said all he should have, Yang Qing epted the gift conscience free, though he still had Blue Universe and Veiled Destiny check the treasure thoroughly to ensure there were no hidden dangers to them. He knew there was no way someone of Lin Guiren''s caliber would be that careless or direct with their ns, but one couldn''t be too careful, especially not after what Feng Lei, the Assistant Director of the Special Inquisitors told him about one of their founders, Liang Zian, another one of the founders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
After the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, came the Maple Leaf Manor, which was extremely generous as they gave Yang Qing over a dozen top-tier monarch-grade potions, that had been made by a blue-grade alchemist. Yang Qing couldn''t help but give their founder Yan Meifeng a once over after she presented her gift. Her gesture which seemed out of character showed there was really something going on between her and Lin Guiren.
Yang Qing remembered one of the notes in Zhong Quan''s case of the Earthvine restaurant did mention the Golden Bamboo Pavilion had been focusing on a grand matter over the past few years. Yang Qing increasingly felt the matter had more likely to do with the Maple Leaf Manor.
The rest of the interaction with the other rank 2 organizations went on smoothly, Yang Qing even took advantage of the situation to ask about Zou Yi''s and Zou Liqin''s grandfather when the delegate sent from the Zou family came to give their gift.
To Yang Qing''s delight, the twin''s grandfather had been doing okay and the new leader even reduced the sentence he was to serve by half, in honor of his son, the twin''s father.
The twins were not in attendance at the ceremony, as Yang Qing had them train up a bit before the entrance examination in a few days'' time. As for the information he had just gotten, Yang Qing decided he would tell themter at his party since they would be in attendance.
''Some good news may motivate them to try harder in the test'', he thought.
Other than the awkward moment with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, the rest of the process proceeded smoothly with no sudden attacks, and as far as surprises go, he did get one when the King of the White Baobab Kingdom handed him a normal egg as a gift saying the neer in his kingdom told him Yang Qing said heughed scrambled eggs and thought gifting an egg was rather fitting.
Yang Qing knew the King was just getting back at him for the rock he gave him as a gift when their roles were reversed during the celebration of the anniversary of his kingdom.
Yang Qing stored the matter in his heart. Ten years wasn''tte for a gentleman to get his revenge. Yang Qing was no gentleman, he would be getting his revenge during his party.
¡
A few familiar faces came by in the gift-giving process such as the King of the Summerfield kingdom, the head of logistics of the Wind Gliding mercenaries, Zhong Quan of the Earthvine restaurant who apologized profusely for his restaurant turning Yang Qing. When it came to apologies he wasn''t the only one, since the Emperor of the Red Maple Empire did the same on behalf of his grandfather who was caught along with the son of the founder of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
Yang Qing graciously epted their apologies and said it was water under the bridge. That statement however was only true for one party and that was the Zhong Quan. When it came to the Red Maple Empire, the Emperor''s grandfather had already been put under investigation to see if he may have beenplicit in any crimes rted to Lin Duyi, the son of the Lin Guiren, if he was, then he would have to bear the same punishment as him, whatever they may be.
In addition, a few noble families from the Red Maple Empire had been put into investigation too, such as the Mo family, which had a notorious reputation within Purple City.
The Red Maple Empire had a real chance of losing a pce realm expert and peak-level faction, all in one instance. As for the resulting consequences, they would have to bear it themselves.
After an hour, the gift-giving ceremony ended without a fuss much to Yang Qing''s delight. Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if his earlier disy or the presence of figures from two Holy Lands served as a deterrent for any attack.
He hoped it was the former, which would add further light to his amazing bearing when he braggedter.
Vice President Mo Ye closed off the ceremony with a few words before he, the spirit council elders, Chief Justice Lai Ning, along with the elders of the two Holy Lands disappeared, leaving behind Assistant Director Feng Lei, Assistant Director Jun Pei, and the vice chancellor behind.
The disciples from both Holy Lands were left behind and Yang Qing was forced to invite the two pce realm disciples from both sects, back to his abode for the after-party. As for the remaining two domain disciples, they were hosted by a few of the young domain experts from the Order.
The guests had all dispersed after a dozen minutes, and the once booming valley had returned to its original tranquil silence.
However, in that field there were now five people; Assistant Director Feng Lei, Assistant Director Jun Pei, Vice Chancellor Wu Ling, Yang Qing, and Shao An, the Vice Warden of the Requiem.
A momentter another person appeared. He had on pure red robes. He was short and had eyes that resembled an owl''s.
"Yang Qing you yed your role well, with this they won''t be none the wiser," said Assistant Director Feng Lei as they all stared at the same spot where there was a ck blob.
Chapter 276 Deal Behind The Flames (1)
"I''ll leave this to you," said Assistant Director Feng Lei to the short owl-eyed man in red robes.
Yang Qing assumed he was part of the Special Inquisitors too because he wore simr-looking robes to Assistant Director Feng Lei.
The man took out a small cauldron that was about the size of a palm. It was in the shape of a golden toad with Daoist inscriptions all over.
The short owl-eyed man rapidly formed a fewplex skills and the cauldron produced a grey mist from the mouth which swallowed the ck blob.
The moment the ck blob was absorbed, every inscription within the cauldron lit up immediately after the short special Inquisitor began putting herb after herb into that cauldron.
When he started Yang Qing recognized a couple of them such as the golden light night shade, red worm eucalyptus leaves, yin dew jasper tree, and the like. These were all top-tier monarch-grade herbs.
But as time went by and more herbs were poured into the cauldron, Yang Qing struggled to identify them all he could tell was their rank. A bit were at the monarch grade but the bulk were at the ascendant grade and they all had diverse attributes. Some wereplementary and others were contradictory.
The contradictory ones made Yang Qing take a gulp of nervousness as he took a step back in fear of a cauldron explosion. Considering the number of ascendant-grade herbs that were thrown in there, should a cauldron explosion happen, being the weakest member present, he would be the one to get hit first.
However, the explosion he waited to appear, didn''t happen. There wasn''t even a fizzle sound for that matter to show at least something had happened.
"Is my alchemy that bad? Shouldn''t there be an explosion or something? I''ll take even ck smoke. This is so underwhelming," Yang Qing didn''t know why but he felt a little disappointed there was no explosion despite being wary of it moments before.
"If you''re waiting for an explosion, you wouldn''t find one. Inquisitor Xu Ling is one of the finest gold grade alchemist and healer at the Order.
Some of the high-level techniques and potion recipes you practiced at the institute were invented by him," said Vice Chancellor Wu Ling as his eyes narrowed on the cauldron with shining interest in his eyes.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but throw quick nces at the short owl-eyed inquisitor by the name of Xu Ling. Being both a gold-grade alchemist and gold-grade healer was no easy feat despite the two professions having oveps.
Not all healers were great alchemists and not all alchemists were great healers there were only two professions which almost always meant as long you were skilled in one area you would be proficient in the other. Almost every herbology expert was a skilled alchemist and almost every poison expert was a skilled healer no matter how twisted the path. But alchemy and healing had deviations and being equally good at both of them to the rank of gold grade meant Special Inquisitor Xu Ling went beyond talented.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder which potion recipes and techniques were his. Back during his overzealous years when he was taking almost every subject, he could think of, alchemy was one of them, especially after all the potential money one could make from it, Yang Qing was only all too eager to try his hand at it.
Even though he didn''t end up sucking at it, alchemy proved to be too demanding for him with everything he was juggling around, so Yang Qing had to drop it. Nevertheless, the sses he undertook left him in awe of the Institute''s depth when it came to alchemy.
In the midst of Yang Qing getting lost in his thoughts, the short owl-eyed inquisitor dropped thest ingredient which looked like a beating heart.
Yang Qing may have been clueless about all the other ingredients but this one he knew. It was the core of a horizon-drawing crown tree. In terms of grade, it was in the low tier of the ascendant grade. However, the core was just as rare as top-tier ascendant-grade treasures since a horizon-drawing core tree needed over 500,000 years to form. It could only be formed by a horizon-drawing crown tree that was growing underneath a lesser dragon vein, and the area also had to be dense in the wood Dao. Only under such conditions could a core form. The core had a range of uses some of which were cleansing a body and reforming a destroyed body as long a sliver of will and blood was left of the person. The body formed will be based on the aptitude of the cultivator and his/her affinity.
Having a heart of the horizon drawing crown tree was like having another life.
Yang Qing wasn''t surprised that it was being used at the moment, unlike the other ingredients he saw being thrown in. Some even seemed to be poisonous herbs.
"Seems like you have outdone yourself against, Xu Ling?" said Assistant Jun Pei with her gaze seemingly seeing through the grey mist around the cauldron.
"It isn''t much, I just got lucky I had prior experience with a few members in a simr position," said Xu Ling.
The cauldron violently shook as the Daoist inscriptions flickered with an intense light apanied by a loud rumbling within the cauldron. This went on for almost a minute before it finally settle down.
The grey mist receded and in its ce was something that looked like a soft round brown object that had veins on it. It pulsated with every millisecond, and with every pulse the object would wriggle and increase in size.
Small red cuticles appeared on the object, followed by tiny appendages, then an eye that grew to two, followed by the ears and then a mouth. The round object rapidly grew in size and what was indistinct moments ago turned into a defined newborn baby who seemed to mature with every minute.
Yang Qing marveled at the transformation taking ce before him more so when he knew the state of that figure from an hour or two ago.
....
One hour forty-five minutes ago, in the square of the Star blooming mist valley,
"Judge, can we strike a deal?"
"What kind of deal are you hoping for?"
"I''m not delusional enough to ask forplete freedom, especially in the circumstances I am in, but I at least hope I can keep my life, free from torture,"
"Well, I''ll have to ask my seniors first,"
"It''s okay, I can wait, and thanks to your mes I don''t have to worry much about my ''colleagues,..."
"It''s okay, we can make a deal with him. In fact, the current circumstances works well in our favor. The Scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate will be none the wiser. However, to really sell it, his body will have to be destroyed in the process so his master can think all avenues tracing back to him will have been cut short and any other person he may have close ties with.
If he worries about his body just tell him, we can help him reform it just like we did for his junior brother, however, he will have to show sincerity in the information he divulges."
"Thanks, I will do so, Assistant Director Feng Lei."
Chapter 277 Deal Behind The Flames (2)
"My senior has agreed to the deal, however, there are a few things you need to know beforehand. For you to have any real value to us, two things must happen first; one is your death in front of everyone and the other is the value of the information you''re willing to share,"
"My death?!"
"Yes, Gui Shiren of the Scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate needs to die publicly and it needs to be authentic too. Your body will be destroyed in the process, but don''t worry my senior will protect a sliver of your soul and blood essence to help reform your bodyter, just like they did for Dong Yanlin.
However, you are a pce realm expert, the cost of reforming your body will be much higher than his. For us to go that far in addition to excusing you from torture, you need to ensure you are worth that expense.
So are you worth our efforts Gui Shiren? If you''re not, then we will just have to settle for your senior sister who we have a certain level of confidence on the cover she is using,"
"The Order really is as ruthless as any dark organization. I don''t know if what I have can be considered worth it, but I have been a member of the syndicate for almost 4,000 years. While I cannot share the location of the main headquarters since a curse was ced on every member who is not a blood finger, that erases all memory of the location, I can tell you everything that I have umted in those 4,000 years.
The core details, such as our core cultivation techniques and special missions have curses attached to them that prevent me from disclosing them, however, unlike the location of the main headquarters, the memories pertaining to those information haven''t been erased. The curse prevents me from revealing that information to someone other than the controllers.
I will need the Order''s help to dispel it. Other than that, there are other things I can freely disclose, such as the organizations I have personally recruited to act as the eyes and ears of the syndicate,missions I''ve taken over the years and the identities of those who ordered them, other syndicate members I have interacted with over the past 4,000 years. While I may not know their current covers, I do know enough of their habits to help extrapte that information.
Andstly, I once learned something about the syndicate, I don''t know what, but it was important enough for me to seal my memory in a memory white bloodstone and have it held in the vaults of the Dragon Meadow. I don''t know what is in it, but I thought it important to erase 10 years of my memory including every karma rted to it, and the only reason I know that I even had such a thing was thanks to the Dragon Meadow,"
"How did you afford to have it stored there?! especially with their costs? Are you the illegitimate child of your founder or something?"
"The capital for surviving long as a syndicate member is your connections, especially when you don''t have much strength. I''m not as gifted as my senior sister when ites to cultivation, but I know how to rte to people well, which eventually led me to a contact with the Meadow. Even though they were only a low-level figure, they did help me arrange it, as for how it was done, I have no clue as that part was erased too.
So, is that enough to show my sincerity?"
"Considering the Dragon Meadow is involved, it at least shows you have something valuable there, and adding the rest, I think we have ourselves a deal, Gui Shiren.
I don''t think I need to tell you this, since you clearly have more experience in deception and subterfuge, but to erase all suspicions on you, you have to go all out and hold nothing back. You can clearly feel the gap between us. Please use every trick you have, and fight as though you genuinely want a glorious victory that ends in death, otherwise, your fellow members may be able to tell if you are pretending, especially if its someone intimately familiar with your fighting habits,"
"That was my n from the very start...Though Judge, why do I feel, you just want an excuse to use your artifacts,"
"It''s all nonsense, I have no such thoughts,"
"Why do you have that gleeful excited smile then?"
"Excitement at seeing a lost soul reform,"
"And the zing battle intent,"
"Selling my character, I have to do my part as well,"
"You sure have an answer for everything. You could make an excellent syndicate member,"
"Do you want to recruit me like your junior brother, Dong Yanlin?"
"Under different circumstances, maybe."
...
In just ten minutes the newborn had matured into a 20-year-old youth with dark hair that had tinges of blue along with ocean blue eyes. The face had a devilish handsomeness to it.
"How does your new body feel, Gui Shiren?" asked Yang Qing as he tossed a robe over to the naked youth.
"Surprising, to say the least. It''s been so long since I''ve been at the syndicate, that I''ve long forgotten what my original look was like before I got into the syndicate," said Gui Shiren with a rueful smile.
He gently clenched and unclenched his hand, and then proceeded to slowly examine the rest of his body with a nostalgic look on his face not believing it was his body.
"As agreed, you will now have to share everything you know, including details on your master and disciples. Everything about them will need to be shared including the other things you promised," said Yang Qing as he closely monitored Gui Shiren.
"I have no qualms about it, I''ll reveal all I can as long as its information I have," said Gui Shiren with a smile which Yang Qing felt had freedom and carefreeness to it, which Yang Qing found rather odd since he would be a resident of the Requiem from this moment forth, which was why Shao An was here in addition to having regr visits to the offices of the Special Inquisitors, for his daily debriefs.
The only good thing was he would be spared from torture. As for the ease with which Gui Shiren agreed to betray his master and senior sister, Yang Qing wasn''t all top surprised by it. Gui Shiren was a syndicate member, the organization didn''t necessarily recruit altruistic people or zealots who believed in the cause. They were all self-serving people, who wouldn''t hesitate to backstab each other if it meant furthering their own gains or saving their own skin.
The only reason the syndicate has survived for so long was the ruthlessness and thoroughness they put into maintaining anonymity and closing the lines leading to each other, which was why all people present didn''t hold too much regard that they would get a treasure trove of information from Gui Shiren, that was actually actionable. Maybe what he knew may have turned obsolete by now. But the information stored in the Dragon Meadow was another case.
They held out hope there might be something there, all because the name Dragon Meadow was attached to it.
Chapter 278 Dragon Meadow
Yang Qing still couldn''t believe that Gui Shiren had a connection with the mysterious Dragon Meadow.
The Dragon Meadow was an organization with unfathomable origins even to the Order and it wasn''t only them but to the other Holy Lands too.
The Dragon Meadow was an organization shrouded in mystery. It could be considered a bank or a treasure vault of some sort. For a fee, you could store whatever you wanted with them.
However, what constituted a fee was always up to interpretation by them. It could range from something such as a copper coin, your produce from the farm, to sentimental things such as a wooden sword you trained with as a kid, or to extravagant things such as ascendant to saint grade treasures, or family heirlooms or your core cultivation art, well-guarded secret to some or a trade-in service.
Whatever they decided would be the cost was always up to them and it was never up to debate or bargain. In exchange for payment, whatever you store with them has a 100% guarantee of safety within the terms of the contract.
You could be a qi refinement cultivator that has something stored with them, as long as it was within the Meadow''s grounds, not even the Holy Lands could get their hands on it.
The Dragon Meadow could be considered to be one of the oldest organizations within the Southern Continent. Its existence seems to be even longer than the two Holynds. For as long as one could remember the Dragon Meadow has always been there and it is still unknown exactly for how long.
Yang Qing even heard this crazy rumor that Dragon Meadow also existed in the Western and Eastern Continents, and was just as unfathomable and had a widespread reputation as it did on the Southern Continent.
Yang Qing shuddered to think about what it meant for an organization to have such a reputation across three different continents. This was something even the Radiant sword sect and the Flowing Valley Sect couldn''t do even as Holy Lands. At best, they could only exert their influence within the Southern Continent and not one party hadplete dominance over the other. Even when the Myriad Beasts Sect was destroyed, it needed the two Holy Lands to work together along with a bulk of the top-ranking organizations within the Southern Continent.
While the Holy Lands may be respected if they visited other continents, it wasn''t to the level where they could establish firm footholds in those continents, which if the rumor was true, was what the Dragon Meadow had done.
Because of that, no one knew whether to call them a Holy Land or something else. The two Holy Lands or any other Holy Land recorded from within the Southern Continent, none had ever tried to test their limits, however, there have been a few soul formation experts, domain experts, and a couple of dark organizations that did try to rob them. However, it''s unknown where it is even located, and those that did manage to sneak their way to their headquarters with nefarious intentions were never heard from again.
Yang Qing once caught a few of his seniors throwing bets on how many soul formation experts have disappeared in the Meadow. The number he heard them throwing around left him shell-shocked. The most conservative estimate of the bunch had his guess at 5,000 soul formation experts.
That number was iprehensible to Yang Qing since as far as he knew, he wasn''t sure that the Order even had a third of that number lying around.
Were the seniors'' guesses based on truth? Or were they fooling around?
No matter the answer, what was undeniably true was if you wanted something safeguarded in the whole continent, there was no one better than the Dragon Meadow.
The Meadow despite presumably having unfathomable strength has never concerned itself with dominancy or exerting its influence or strength within the continent. Other than its storage services, it never concerned itself with anything else. Even when the Southern Continent was at the brink of destruction a couple of times, or when it pushed its wars to the point that foreign sects and organization almost snuck their fangs in, the Dragon Meadow never showed itself or made its stance clear.
It was like it could care less what happened to the Southern Continent. As long as no one breached or infringed on its operations, they were indifferent to everyone and everything else. It was this attitude that made most cultivators trust their possessions with them. They were less likely to be betrayed by an organization that could care less if the world burned as long as its bottom line was maintained.
The Dragon Meadow had agents all around, but unless they revealed themselves to you, you would never know who they are or find a way of gaining the services of the Meadow. There seemed to be no criteria by which they chose their clientele. You could find saints, heretics, cripples, and geniuses within their list of clients. It seemed to follow no rhyme or reason. The fact that a syndicate member like Gui Shiren who had likely ughtered a hundred thousand or two, was able to gain their services, showed character or even cultivation aptitude had nothing to do with it.
As for the real requirements¡No one knew.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but fantasize about being a storage holder of the Dragon Meadow.
If it was a week ago, he wouldn''t have entertained the thought. He had nothing but less than 10 middle-grade spirit stones to his name, but now, he could very well rival the wealth of a rank 4 n with the number of gifts he had umted in the ceremony.
"Maybe I could splurge a little in the auction houses instead of trying my luck in the blind markets," thought Yang Qing before he dismissed those thoughts away. He still liked the idea of getting good finds for a steal price, and the mystery of it all, wondering whether you got a mundane object such as a rock or something special, like the tablet he gifted Dean Zhu Lao during his wee party.
¡
Gui Shiren was given the breakdown of his future by both Vice Warden Shao An and Assistant Director Feng Lei. Whatever information he had on him would have to wait for a couple of weeks to months, which was the estimated time Assistant Director Feng Lei had given on breaking the curses ced on him safely.
The safety part of the equation sadly had nothing to do with Gui Shiren''s well-being but rather the anonymity part. Insidious curses like the ones the Scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate used, had a lot of hidden mechanisms in them, one of which was alerts that were embedded in the curse. Those alerts would inform the one who ced them there, that their curse has been broken. Some even went as far as disclosing the identity of the person whose curse was broken.
If such a situation happened, then the syndicate would know Gui Shiren''s death was a ruse, and whatever element of surprise they had would go with it or the syndicate could even capitalize on such information and set traps of their own. Such a scenario has happened on more than one asion in the years that the Order has been targeting the Syndicate. Their curses were some of the most intricate the Order has evere across, and the stronger the party was, the stronger and more refined the curse since they knew more and would present a great risk to the syndicate if they were caught.
The reason the ninth blood finger had not divulged anything over the years despite being in the custody of the Order, other than his mental resilience, the major reason was the high-level curse ced on him. The level of skill involved in cing the curse showed how gifted the creator was along with the top grade of their technique.
Luckily after intense study, the special inquisitors in assistance with the requiem guards, discovered that such a high-level curse had a restriction in terms of material and also the strength of the cultivator it was ced on. It required ascendant-grade materials along with a saint-grade material as the anchor, and the cultivator it was ced on needed to be in the domain realm at least, so they were not swallowed whole by the curse. With such a criterion, only the blood fingers could fulfill it.
While Gui Shiren''s curse was likely to be more sophisticated than Dong Yanlin''s since thetter was weaker, the strength of the curse still had some degree of maneuverability to it. Assistant Director Feng Lei had some confidence in finding a workaround in a few months and from what Yang Qing heard, he had even enlisted Dean Zhu Lao''s help as an assistant, which was why Vice Chancellor Wu Ling was present. He needed to sign off on it as his boss.
Chapter 279 Fond Memories
After the particrs had been finished, Gui Shiren left with Assistant Director Feng Lei, Xu Ling the short owl-eyed special inquisitor who restored his body, Vice Chancellor Wu Ling who tagged along with them out of a clear fascination with the technique Xu Ling had performed, andstly Vice Warden Shao An.
Only Yang Qing and Assistant Director Jun Pei were left behind.
"So, do you want to hand them in now, or you''ll bring themter at your own convenience?
I''m okay with whichever option you choose, I know you can already afford it," said Assistant Director Jun Pei with a teasing smile.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but grimace at her ''kind'' suggestion.
It''s been a long while since he had felt this confident and free, and he had an inkling, the uncountable treasures burning a hole in his storage ring had something to do with it.
Was he willing to risk his current transformation and rebirth; the sense of security that came from knowing he could eat a whole mountain for a whole year and still not make a dent in his finances, all for a chance of looking cool with saint-grade treasures at his party?
Of course, he was. Treasurese and go, but donning saint-grade artifacts, looking cool, and rubbing them in everyone''s faces, was eternal.
This was why Yang Qing had no regrets when he said,
"Assistant Director Jun Pei, I think I''ll hold onto them for the maximum allowed time up until the point before you have to send guards to reim them back.
I remember you saying you will send Special Inquisitors at the three-hour mark, I''ll hold onto them for two hours and the fine you mentioned was 120,000 high-grade spirit stones if my memory serves me correctly...Right, Assistant Director Jun Pei?" asked Yang Qing as he recollected the gut-wrenching introduction he was given yesterday when he picked up the three saint-grade treasures.
"It is," said Assistant Director Jun Pei with an amused smile on her face.
"Please ept this as my payment for the ensuing fine," said Yang Qing as he handed over the gifts offered by the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, the Maple Leaf Manor, and the Red Maple Empire. He added a few other treasures that he knew he wouldn''t make the most of to the pile, to add up their value to 120,000 high-grade spirit stones.
"This should be enough, right?" asked Yang Qing with a slightly pained expression. He had no regrets about disposing of the gifts from the Golden Bamboo Pavilion and their cohorts, all for the sake of gaining bragging rights with the saint-grade artifacts.
However, even if he knew it was for a good cause and he wouldn''t have enjoyed their gifts much anyway, it still hurt when he imagined the things he could eat with 120,000 high-grade spirit stones, along with the blind market finds.
But it had to be done.
"It''s more than okay. If you bring it back within that time, I''ll even give you a 10% discount since you were so forting," said Assistant Director Jun Pei.
"Don''t bete, little judge, though some part of me hopes you do," added Assistant Director Jun Pei as she disappeared from the spot leaving Yang Qing behind.
"Is she some sadist," muttered Yang Qing with a wary expression.
However, a glow immediately appeared on his face when he imagined all the bragging he was going to do with Blue Universe, Veiled Destiny, and Green Cocoon.
"Seniors I hope it''s okay?"
Yang Qing suddenly remembered he had not consulted the other half of the equation in this matter. If they refused him, in addition to the embarrassment and disappointment from not doing all he had nned, he worried he wouldn''t get a refund back.
The Order were the biggest money grubbers he knew. They never dyed when it came to collecting fines and penalties and whatever dues they were owed, but when it came to reconciliation and refunds, they dragged their feet and on certain asions, they would ignore it altogether.
Yang Qing was all too familiar with their ways, and to him, it always seemed like he was the only one who knew that side of them.
"I don''t mind. I think it would be a nice break from the mountain we always stay at," said Blue Universe.
"There were some interesting kids I saw today. I''d like to read their karma," said Veiled Destiny with a mildly excited tone.
"I''m going to sleep," said thest member of the trio, Green Cocoon.
Yang Qing was practically beaming after gaining all their approval. He conveniently decided Green Cocoon''s answer was tacit approval since it didn''t matter where she slept.
Yang Qing rushed to his abode at the fastest speed he could. His friends from both the Order and the guests who hade for his ceremony were already at his abode.
He could see Kang Hung being hounded by Wei Liling, Liu Juan seemed to be pleading with the celestial nesting weaver to gain entry into the nest and by the look of things he was being fleeced of everything he was worth by the greedy bird, staff from the Thousand vors restaurant were with Feng Xin along with King of the White Baobab kingdom heavily discussing something. Yang Qing couldn''t wait to join in on such an important discussion, his stomach even seemed to be in agreement with his sentiments.
Mao Yunru, her friends, other inquisitors, his judge friends, Cai Ying, and the rest of his institute friends were in attendance, the Zou siblings were there along with his brother and sister-inw. His abode which looked like a vast stretch of wildnds, now seemed congested because of how packed it was.
Yang Qing even managed to see the two pce realm disciples from the Radiant Sword Sect and the Flowing Valley Sect mingling with the crowd. The bulk of those present were from the Order, who were geniuses in their own right, even enough to stand out at both these holynds, so their interaction wasn''t strained, and the two disciples couldn''t put on airs since there were already more than five people within the crowd who matched them in talent, like Zhang Qingge for example, who was tightly clutching Yu Huifang''s robe as she looked around with a shy look and eyes that had a mix of curiosity, excitement, and awkward anxiousness.
Yang Qing silently took everything in before he loudly yelled,
"GUYS, YOUR AMAZING SAINT HAS ARRIVED, LET THE PARTY BEGIN!!"
Yells and scornful remarks were immediately flung by Yang Qing''s way which then devolved intounching cultivation spells and weapons.
Yang Qing weed it all with a smug smile, he even wished they would ump up their intensity, otherwise how else would he show off ''his saint-grade artifacts''? He taunted and mocked them endlessly to rile them up which was a decision he came to regretter when he handed the artifacts in 2 hourster and the party was still ongoing. But for now, he was going to make memories.
Laughter, yells, and cheers filled the ce. Yearster when a massive tragedy struck, Yang Qing would look fondly at this memory and feeling of this moment. That point in time when everything seemed peaceful, joyful, and perfect before it all got decimated in something the Order both predicated but also never sawing. Some of the faces here, he would never get to see, after that tragedy.
Chapter 280 Induction To The Outer Palace Court (1)
The two-hour time limit for returning the robe came up and Yang Qing quickly excused himself and headed to the Internal Logistics Department, to avoid even more dire circumstances and lose everything he had earned up to the current point.
Despite only spending a few hours with the three saint-grade treasures, Yang Qing developed a special bond with the three of them like he had spent all his life with them.
They felt like his seniors who had guided him and had been with him from his childhood. Blue Universe was the well-informed senior who liked to share bits and pieces of his acquired wisdom here and there. Yang Qing felt he could grow his skills in cultivation art dissection if he spent more time with him.
There must have been a reason Dean Zhu Lao kept begging him and the rest toe to the Institute.
Veiled Destiny seemed like the dependable senior who knew which path suited you. Ones that will help you grow and ones that you should avoid. Even though Blue Universe was technically in charge of the overall defense of Yang Qing, Veiled Destiny''s presence added a moreforting feeling to him, in terms of his overall well-being, like there would be nothing that could evade its detection, even the deep insidious schemes.
And when it came to Green Cocoon, even if he had minimal interaction with her, owing to her poormunication skills, he felt deeply connected to her, almost familial like she was his ancestor, calmly sitting in her rocking chair, half asleep watching the younger generation of her lineageugh about and run.
Other than looking cool, the other reason he chose to pay the exorbitant fines was he didn''t want to separate from them yet. But all good thingse to an end.
Yang Qing said his goodbyes to the spirits of the three saint-grade artifacts. He did try sneaking a plea of seeing them again, which he didn''t have any hope for but he was surprised when he heard the three of them agree to it, to the point they were willing to speak up for him to gain special ess to the mountain they stayed at. However, the approval process would have to go through the spirit council or the agreement of two of the three vice presidents.
Yang Qing could only hope the three saint-grade treasures held some sway over any of the two groups.
After saying his goodbyes, he immediately left to return back to his party. The green flowered babirusa had already been revealed by Feng Xin and they had a few skilled chefs from the Thousand vors restaurant working on it. Yang Qing didn''t want to risk missing out on it, if he was being perfectly honest, that pork was the biggest highlight of the party even more than him.
When he got back, he received a beating, which luckily healed up because of his cockroach-like vitality. The party went all the way till dawn, and the guests along with the other members of the Order slowly dispersed, albeit there were those who didn''t seem to want to leave such as Liu Juan who after sampling the luxury that was in the nest of the Celestial nesting weaver didn''t want to leave at all. He had to be forcibly dragged away by Hall master Ren Xin when Wei Liling failed to get through to him.
¡.
Yang Qing smiled with a sigh as he admired himself with his new dark gold pce court robes that had a rhombus symbol at the back with the numeral (I) inscribed on it to show he was a judge of the outer core pce court.
Although the robe fell short whenpared to Blue Universe, it still had its own charm, and the best of all, it was his forever. He still remembered the conversation he had with Blue Universe the previous day when they briefly discussed nurturing the spirit of his robe. If he chose to do so, he would not receive another robe when he got promoted to the domain courts. He would have to stick with his current robes.
After interacting with Blue Universe, Yang Qing was a bit more partial to taking the leap though he still held his reservations because of the potential quality of the robe for the domain courts. If he agreed to nurture the spirit of his current robe, he would be losing out on it.
But now, the moment he put on the robe, and sensed its wholesome brilliance, Yang Qing felt he might as well go all in. If he needed anything extra that the robe couldn''t provide when he was in the domain realm, he could use his merit points to acquire it. Even if the Order was stingy, it had mountains and mountains of treasures. As long as you could afford it, you could get almost anything from them.
"The assimtion will have to wait until my schedule frees up a bit," thought Yang Qing as he straightened his robes once more before he left for the Administration hall for his induction into the outer pce court.
Even though he already had a rough idea as to his new roles and responsibilities from his interaction with Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge who were already both outer pce court judges, the process could not be skipped.
¡.
"Good morning Yang Qing, my name is Shi Tian and I will be guiding you today into your new role as an outer pce court judge.
First congrattions on your promotion," said Shi Tian.
Shi Tian was a slender young man with short ck hair and a charming appearance. He seemed like an easy-to-get-along-with person, unlike Song Guan from the standard regtorymittee who was in charge of guiding and preparing Yang Qing for his ceremony.
Shi Tian looked to be in his mid-thirties and from what Yang Qing could tell, he seemed to have a cultivation base that was at the second stage of the pce realm.
"His rank may not be low in the department," thought Yang Qing.
The administration hall was one of the few departments within the Order that didn''t have a cultivation base requirement when giving out the job. The bulk of their workers were in the core formation realm, as for those in a higher realm like in the pce realm, they were either sub-heads, or they dealt with sensitive matters within the Order. For example, to work in the internal logistics department one had to be at the peak of the core formation realm at the very least.
"Thank you for your warm wishes Shi Tian, I highly appreciate it," said Yang Qing as he offered a thankful smile.
"Well then, let''s begin. Unlike the induction done for the ceremony, we don''t have to move around as much. We can get it done all here, for the most part, though there are a few parts rted to your new role that you will have to personally visit the concerned department for further details.
I''m pretty sure you may have an idea on some of them, such as the Requiem," said Shi Tian.
Yang Qing nodded back in acknowledgment. He did find out about visiting the Requiem from Dai Chen, which was why he decided to take advantage of the opportunity at Dean Zhu Lao''s ceremony to strike up a conversation with Vice Warden Shao An, which went rather well since the Vice Warden offered to personally guide him when the moment came.
Shi Tian took out a few scrolls and unfurled one of them and handed it over to Yang Qing.
"In here you will find a detailed guideline of your role and responsibilities and you will also find your payment package, which from what I heard, is something you are really invested in," said Shi Tian with a light chuckle.
Yang Qing reflexively nodded like a newborn chick as his eyes rapidly skimmed through the scroll to find the area that highlighted what his current sry would be, which he didn''t have to do since Shi Tian dutifully went on and gave him the rundown of the amount.
"Your remuneration package as an outer pce court judge will be:
A monthly payment of 20,000 high-grade spirit stones per month. The 20,000 is the basic pay which has an increase if the evaluation score of your cases and duties is graded as good. With that grade, you get an added bonus of 10,000 high-grade spirit stones, and if it''s excellent you receive a 20,000 high-grade spirit stones bonus, and if it''s graded as exemry then you receive a 50,000 high-grade spirit stone bonus in addition to your 20,000-basic pay.
You will receive blue-grade potions and pills whose equivalent value in spirit stones is 500,000 high-grade spirit stones.
Your chamber will also be receiving a monthly stipend of 100 monarch-grade herbs or natural treasures of your choosing. Reselling them is strictly forbidden, should you be found doing so, your alotted amount will be halved for the duration you will be an outer pce court judge.
Andstly, you will also be receiving an annual discretionary fund of 40,000,000 high-grade spirit stones. The amount is to cater for the payment of allmissions you may issue in the fulfillment of your role as an outer pce court judge.
That amount will not be given out as a lump sum but will instead be disbursed on a quarterly basis and clear records of the spending needs to be kept. If the sum is proved to have been spent correctly with minimal abuse, then the limit could be raised...
Judge? Judge? Judge? Judge Yang Qing, are you listening?" Shi Tian paused halfway into his exnation when he saw Yang Qing have what looked to be seizures apanied by an uncontroble franticugh whichter moved to Yang Qing kissing the scroll.
Chapter 281 Penalties, Again!!!
It took a couple of minutes before Yang Qing finally managed to reign his thoughts and mind from the brink of copse. Seeing all those zeros in the discretionary funds section sent his unprepared heart into a frenzy.
Ever since Yang Qing broke through and gained the peerless jade body, he has never perspired, but right now his palms were sweaty and if it wasn''t for the self-clean feature of his robe along with its internal regtion mechanism, he would have beenpletely drenched.
He still couldn''t believe the Order was just going to hand out 40 million high-grade spirit stones, to spend however he wanted.
Yang Qing in his stupor didn''t hear Shi Tian''s exnation of what the funds were for. Yang Qing''s brain automatically filled it in with what suited him best.
"With such funds, why is Zhang Qingge always broke?" wondered Yang Qing as he gave the numbers a once over with a broad grin and saliva almost dripping out.
Zhang Qingge seemed to have the same woes as him every time they meant. Other than Kang Hung who never seemed to have any spirit stones on him, and Yang Qing who had fines and a bottomless mouth to feed, in the celestial nesting weaver, Zhang Qingge was another person within their group who had money troubles. Though hers were not extreme as Yang Qing''s and Kang Hung''s. She always had barely enough to get by and the reason for that was she racked up high fines even more than Yang Qing due to her violent shy side.
Yang Qing even wondered at times why she chose to be a judge when she struggled so much in dealing with people. But with 40 million high-grade spirit stones, she shouldn''t have been living like a pauper like them.
"Judge, judge¡"
Yang Qing''s mind got pulled back by Shi Tian''s call.
"Sorry about that, I was overwhelmed by the weight of my duties," said Yang Qing as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Although Shi Tian suspected the veracity of Yang Qing''s statement, especially after seeing the greedy grin he still had on, he decided to continue on with the exnation.
"As is was saying, you will receive 40,000,000 high-grade spirit stones as your discretionary funds. You will use it as payment for themissions undertaken for your cases by external parties.
Some of themissions will be issued by the Mission''s hall department of the judicialmittee for the cases that they will be assigned to your docket, while others you can issue them yourself as you see fit.
As you very well know, in thepletion of amission, the party or persons who havepleted said mission may ask for something else other than spirit stones. In the event that they ask for a treasure or artifact of equivalent value, the amount required to get that treasure will be deducted from your discretionary fund by the external logistics department.
If they decide it''s training they want, the same amount will still be deducted from your discretionary fund either by the institute or any other department that offers the services that the party wants.
I think that is all," said Shi Tian.
"Oh, I almost forgot, sorry, there were some amendments made to the disbursement of the discretionary funds," said Shi Tian
"What amendments?" Yang Qing warily asked with dread sinking into his heart.
"I did say 40,000,000 high-grade spirit stones will be given to you annually, well that is essentially true but there''s a tweak now. Before, you used to receive that exact sum every year regardless of whether you finished the amount in the previous year, however, there''s a change now..."
"I knew it," thought Yang Qing as his face darkened in woeful fear of Shi Tian''s next words.
"Every year, the amount you will be given will depend on the bnce you have from the previous year. If by the end of the year, you have a reserve of 10,000,000 high-grade spirit stones, then the next year the Order will disburse 30,000,000, to make up the difference..."
"Then I just need to make sure I use up the whole amount. No way I''m letting them save up," Yang Qing smugly thought with a vindictive re shing deep within the recess of his eyes.
However, that n was put on a damper by Shi Tian''s next words.
"The lower the amount you spend in a year, the higher your limits get, but this is based on the prerequisite that by spending low, you have in no waypromised your abilities to meet your set targets and maintain quality towards thepletion of your cases.
In addition, because we are dealing withrge sums here, an auditor will be attached to you. At the end year, they will send a detailed report to both the administration and the internal logistics department.
While the Order won''t care about a few discrepancies here and there of a few hundred to a thousand high-grade spirit stones, they will show concern if that discrepancy reaches 100,000.
If misappropriation is found in your spending to an amount that exceeds that number you will face a 10% penalty charge. The 10% is charged on the amount given within that year. If you receive 40,000,000 then you will pay 4,000,000 in fines.
But I know Judge Yang Qing has nothing to worry about, as a judge of the Order, you are the picture of integrity and above-reproach character," said Shi Tian.
"Is he mocking me?" thought Yang Qing as he struggled to restrain the twitches on his face.
He finally understood why Zhang Qingge was always broke just like them despite having ess to 40,000,000 high-grade spirit stones every year.
That revtion left Yang Qing in a sour mood, cursing the Order''s ''threats'' towards maintaining integrity.
Where was the trust between Employer and employee? Was nothing sacred anymore?
Yang Qing grumbled a few more times before he focused on the positives. His sry increase was significant, to the point he was mildly surprised at the Order''s generosity.
As a superior core court judge, he received a monthly ie of 5,000 high-grade spirit stones as opposed to what he was getting now which was 20,000 high-grade spirit stones. His ie had shot by 4 times and that was even without taking the bonuses into ount.
When it came to pills and potions, as a superior core court judge he received an amount that was worth 100,000 high-grade spirit stones in value while right now the amount he would be receiving was equivalent to 500,000 high-grade spirit stones.
The allotted herbs and treasures also had a significant increase from 100 monarch-grade herbs and treasures to 2,000.
All in all, things were looking good, however, the 40,000,000 high-grade spirit stones had ruined the exhration he should have felt. Now all he could think about were the potential fines.
Chapter 282 The Burden Of A Palace Court Judge
"Now that we are done with the payments let''s get to the base of it, your roles and responsibility," said Shi Tian as his demeanor turned a little bit more solemn.
Yang Qing despite himself, felt his throat dry up. Yang Qing couldn''t help but worry, the reason the Order paid handsomely which was totally out of character for them, was that they had every intention of getting their spirit stones worth out of him down to thest stone.
Yang Qing shuddered at the thought of how bad it would get.
"Some duties you had at the superior core court still remain in the outer pce court albeit maybe the rank has changed.
You will still handle cases as per usual and the amount is significantly lower which will be between 50-100 a month. You will mostly be dealing with cases involving pce realm experts that are in stages 1-4, other than that, on as need basis cases involving those in thete stages of the core formation will be ced under your docket in case there is an overload in the core court.
As a superior core court judge, you''ve handled the promotion of unranked organizations to rank 5 and their demotions. In the outer pce court, the same role will be maintained, where you will be handling the promotion of rank 5 organizations into rank 4 and the demotion of rank 4 organizations.
However, under demotions, there is a special provision where you can also demote a rank 3 organization. This provision falls under one of your new roles as a pce court judge and onlyes into effect under a forced demotion.
I take it you already know about them?" asked Shi Tian.
"Yes, I do," Yang Qing somberly answered as he nodded.
Part of the reason the Order was hated in some parts of the continent was because of it.
There existed two types of demotions; natural demotion and forced demotion. Natural demotion was a demotion that urred without the Order''s hand in it. An example of it was what happened to the Clear sword river sect during Yang Qing''s evaluation.
Their only remaining foundation establishment member had less than three months to live and no sessor in sight. In such a case the demotion of the sect was all but nigh. Another example would be the Yellow Lotus sect which had lost all contact with the three pce realm experts from their sect in over 200 years hence their demotion from rank 3 to rank 4.
In both instances, the Order had no hand in it, but when it came to Forced demotion, the Order was the cause.
What happened to the Star copsing sword sect was an example of a forced demotion. They were originally a rank 1 sect but they drew the ire of the Order and got forcibly demoted to a rank 2 sect. The sect had seven soul formation experts and they all got killed as a result of the forced demotion and they were not the only casualty. The sect was left with a third of what they once had. The domain experts who numbered in the thirties, were reduced to just five and the five that remained was because of the Order''s mercy and the intervention of the Radiant sword sect.
If it had not gone that way, the Star copsing sword sect would have another statistic of a fallen sect or their rank would have been much lower than it was.
A forced demotion wasn''t done lightly because it could end in the decimation of the entire organization. For a forced demotion to be issued, a panel of seven judges would be created and they would judge the case whether it warranted a demotion or not. If the votes end up on the side of a forced demotion, they would be in charge of enacting the ruling.
It was this ruling that has always made Yang Qing suspect there was a court for soul formation experts within the Order, because if there was not, then who enacted the justice on the Star copsing sword sect? This was an orthodox sect, unlike the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect which did not need much regtions since it was a dark organization.
As an Orthodox sect, its destruction was sure to cause waves. Therefore, there needed to be an irond reason for its destruction, and who better to give it than Soul formation judges or ''Spirit judges'' as they were eluded to be called and their court was called the Spirit court. The name was derived from the Spirit Council.
Even though being a judge he had passed on harsh sentences including immediate execution, the thought of handling a forced demotion made him uneasy because he would not be dealing with a single person but an entire organization.
But since he was an outer pce court judge now, he had to face the reality that maybe at some point in time he may be dealt that hand, and maybe it may not even be once. Yang Qing could only hope when the time came, he would be ready.
The onlyfort he had in the matter was that the primary judge could choose the panel he wanted. In his case, he could choose Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge to be on the panel with him. Their presence during the enactment of the ruling would be oddlyforting, and having other five colleagues share the weight wouldn''t be bad either. Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel that maybe that was one of the reasons there a panel had to be involved in a forced demotion. Sharing the burden among colleagues rather than bearing the weight of it by yourself.
Yang Qing lifted his palms and stared at them with an austere look. At this moment he could feel it; the heaviness of wearing the title of a pce court judge.
"Maybe that moment will nevere," Yang Qing said with a weak smile that had lingering hope attached to it.
Chapter 283 Yang Qing’s Greed Surfaces
Yang Qing quickly shook his head free of those ominous thoughts and focused back on Shi Tian''s exnation.
"Now that we are done with the roles that ovep with what you did as a superior core court judge we can move to the pce court-specific roles.
As I mentioned earlier you will be receiving 40 million high-grade spirit stones every year in the fulfillment of your duties as an outer pce court judge.
As such one of your new roles and duties as a pce court judge will be the issuing, grading, and approval of contracts andmissions.
Due to the few cases in the pce courts, pce judges will be in charge of their own cases the moment they''re allotted to them. You will be given 100 cases every month, though that figure isn''t exactly fixed, in addition, the impromptu cases will be considered in end month tabtion.
The moment those 100 cases are assigned to you, the order in which you focus on them, your schedule, and your follow-up on them, will all be up to you.
You will have full autonomy on the cases, among which deciding on which cases you will give to your inquisitors, which cases will be contracted ormissioned is all up to you including who will get the contract, the duration of the contract, and the payment terms after even what you decide as payment will be up to you since you will be the one in charge of paying them.."
Yang Qing flinched in pain when he heard thest part.
"However, even though the payment will be up to you, the payment standard of the Order has to be maintained.
Any case involving a pce realm expert has an upfront fee of 45,000 high-grade spirit stones and the maximum payout you can give on amission involving someone of this level is 750,000 high-grade spirit stones.
As you well know but just in case you don''t, you can only pay out 750,000 high-grade spirit stones if, during the course of the investigation, someone at thete stages of the pce realm is proven to have involvement in the matter you''re investigating, either directly or indirectly.
I took the liberty of making a copy for you. Here," Shi Tian said as he handed Yang Qing another scroll.
"In here you''ll find a rough estimate and direction on how to payout yourmissions and what parameters to look at and the rough payment associated with those parameters. However, at the end of the day, the amount you decide on will be up to you, however, you will need to make a detailed note of your judgment, which will be used by the auditor assigned to you.
Also, in there you will also find the name of the external logistics department employee assigned to you," added Shi Tian.
Yang Qing scrolled down to the bottom of the scroll and saw the name ''Lu Mei, outer pce court logistics''
"When we are done here, you can go meet with her to familiarize yourself since you will be working in close contact, especially when the remuneration packages aren''t spirit stones but something else, she will be the person in charge of all the conversion and disbursement," said Shi Tian.
"Let''s move on. Other than contract andmissions, there are other duties that you will need to do that don''t exactly fall under the purview of what a judge does.." said Shi Tian as he took a well-measured pause to draw Yang Qing''s attention, which seemed to have worked perfectly.
"Some of those duties are;
Serving as a witness to various auction houses during their events. It goes without saying that those houses will be at rank 3.
The Order loans out its services for a fee to these auction houses, to have the judges serve as authenticators. All the goods being auctioned at that particr moment will have been checked by our appraisers, so you don''t have to do anything other than sit there, as a show of face.
For your services you will receive 50% of the fee the Order charges and any amount you may be given by the proprietors of the auction houses will be all yours..."
"Seriously?!!!" Yang Qing inadvertently yelled the question out loud from excitement and agitation about the money he could make.
"Yes, 50% of the fee will be yours, and any other thing you may get in the conduct of your duties will be yours to keep," said Shi Tian with an amused smile at the rapid changes happening to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing''s mind immediately wandered to all sorts of scenarios in which he ended up gaining all sorts of weird treasures from these auction houses and the 50% fee.
"50%....."
A calmness returned to Yang Qing as his excited expression suddenly turned serious.
"Administrator Shi Tian, it''s not that I''m greedy or anything, but is there a way the split percentage can be changed? Or is it stuck in a 50-50 split?" asked Yang Qing.
His greedy side had surfaced along with the vindictive side that he had against the Order gaining one over him all the time.
"Well, it''s not exactly fixed. In a sense, you could get 100% of themission but for that to happen, the Order will not provide its appraisal services for free and or negotiate for themission.
In simpler terms if you manage to find auction houses that want to hire your services directly, you''re free to take them, the Order won''t stop you but it has its own risks, one of which is you will have to do the appraisal yourself and any issues that arise from it, will be solved by you alone," said Shi Tian.
On hearing the response, Yang Qing slumped back into his seat with a defeated expression.
He knew enough about treasures to not get scammed, well six out of ten times because he has ended up with some duds from the open markets. However, the skill he had was only enough tobel him an okay appraiser. There was a lot he didn''t know.
Chapter 284 End Of Induction
Appraisers andpetent ones at that, could be considered jacks of all trades and could be considered geniuses in their own might because of the wide array of knowledge and skills they had. One appraiser could have knowledge about beast taming, alchemy, weapon refinement, geomancy, and spirit stone survey and mining. The knowledge they had on the subject would not be rudimentary either but would be deep and vast even extending to lost techniques.
Almost everypetent appraiser would have knowledge in different subjects at base value and then specialize in certain subjects. Yang Qing was confident in his knowledge of certain subjects such as medicine, formation arrays, and the deciphering of the grade of broken cultivation arts.
That knowledge and skill left him barely passable when it came to being an appraiser. If he wanted to be an independent witness then he would have to buy the services of a skilled appraiser and they would have to be very skilled since he would essentially be tying his name and reputation to every treasure being sold. Gaining the services of a skilled appraiser would likely consume 70% of the amount he would get paid for themission. If that was the case, it was better to ept the Order''s terms.
"In that same vein, you will also need to represent the Order in various ceremonies around the continent, from the sects, ns, kingdoms, empires, and other organizations, to keep up appearances. In some of these ceremonies, you may go as the main representative while in others you will go as a tag along.
The former is if the ceremony is from a rank 3 organization and below, while thetter would be for rank 2 organizations and above.
The gift you will offer in these ceremonies will be provided for by the Order and you will be given a one-week notice in advance to help amend your schedule.
When ites to the events, to avoid adding more burden to you, you will only be required to attend a maximum of 12 a year, which is one event per month, though it may note in exactly that order," said Shi Tian.
He had an incredulous look on his face because he wasn''t sure if he had Yang Qing click when he said the events would be 12 a year. However, when he saw Yang Qing''s attentive look, he assumed he misheard it, so he went on with his exnation.
"The auction events and the ceremonies are our way of maintaining a connection with the organizations around the continent, so even though they''re not technically your main duties, please give the same seriousness and attention as you would your cases.
You will be the face of the Order when you''re out there," said Shi Tian.
"I will," Yang Qing solemnly said.
"Now for thest two duties while I will give you an overview of them, however, you will need to visit the respective ces for further rification due to the sensitivity of their nature¡"
The atmosphere within the room turned heavier and somber.
"One of the duties is the supervision of the prisoner release and rehabilitation programme. Certain prisoners on the rmendation of the Requiem officials get approved for the programme. Those prisoners can be repurposed to support various works of the Order such as restoration and remation efforts around the continent, and temporary guards for some of the victims.
The duty depends on what is urgent and the shortages of a particr role. Every outer pce court judge will be assigned a certain number of prisoners to closely monitor along with members of the reviewmittee. You are to continuously judge the progress of the prisoner and eventually after a certain set period, you will make a ruling if they continue with the programme or be sent back to Requiem, or in some cases their execution.
When you visit Requiemter, they will fill you in on further details.
And as for your final duty, you will be assigned your informationwork. I am afraid I can''t exin much more than that. Someone from the Shadow Hawks should already be on standby to guide you through.
With that, I think we are done with your induction. Your assigned courtroom is number 24. You can ess it using your gold eagle medallion..."
Shi Tian paused to confirm a few things in one of the scrolls he had next to him.
"I can see none of your inquisitors has reached the pce realm yet and thus would not be able to handle some of the cases you get, as such you have been assigned two roaming inquisitors.
I think they should already be waiting for you in your courtroom. You can meet up with them the moment we are done here, which I think we already have, not unless you have questions, which I''d be more than happy to answer?" asked Shi Tian with an amiable smile.
"For now, I do not," said Yang Qing.
He was already familiar with most of the duties due to his interaction with Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge. The only thing that caught him by surprise was the discretionary fund which the two conveniently decided not to disclose. Other than that, he more or less knew what was waiting for him when he got into the pce courts.
"If you don''t have any questions, then I wish you all the best in your journey ahead and it''s been my pleasure serving you," said Shi Tian as he offered Yang Qing a Daoist salute.
"Thank you for your assistance and sinct exnation of my new role. It''s been most informative. For that, I''m thankful," said Yang Qing as he offered back a Daoist salute of his own.
They exchanged a few pleasantries and Yang Qing left after, heading in the direction of his courtroom. There were three things he had toplete today; he had to meet with the two roaming inquisitors to n for the cases ahead, of which Ma Yuan''s case would be a priority, meet with the Shadow Hawk representative to gain further exnation on hiswork along with a few things and finally finish with a visit to the Requiem.
After he was done with the three things, he could start nning for the entrance examinations to the Institute and there was also the meeting with Meng Chao which he knew was bound to happen in the next few days.
Chapter 285 Liquidating Assets
Yang Qing slowly made his way to the pce courts. The mechanism of transport was still the same. He still needed the mimicry chaos sky metal to ess the courtrooms, however unlike before, he now went to the side that had the que with the words ''pce'' on top of it.
The hallways of the pce courts were still in the same design as the ones from the core formation courts. From the materials used on the floor and doors, down to the aesthetics.
Yang Qing clicked his tongue in disdain at another reminder of the Order''s stingy ways. His opinion was of course tainted and jaded from all the experience he has had with the Order over the years which left him on the losing end. This was why he conveniently chose to ignore the part that every single material used whether it was at the core formation courts or the pce courts, were all ascendant grade materials, which was something that most organizations wouldn''t use freely like the Order.
Yang Qing decided to use the public hallway rather than the employees-only route. He wanted to personally see for himself if the number of cases were simr to the core formation courts or were things in the pce courts much better.
What he saw made him inadvertently smile as he nodded to himself in gratification. Even though the hallway was swamped with cultivators from different organizations, Yang Qing could tell the number was much lower than the one at the core formation courts. Just on a rough estimate, the number present was half of what he saw at the core formation courts on a slow day.
Because of the good mood he was in, Yang Qing even went around offering greetings to the cultivators he came across the hallway. His actions drew a lot of curious gazes, especially from the nervous crowds that were more than likely defendants about to receive harsh sentencing.
Some even took Yang Qing''s greeting as a cue to try and plead their innocence before they were heard. It happened four or five times before Yang Qing decided to reign in his enthusiasm, otherwise, if things turned chaotic from the pleas, he may end up having those cases thrown into his docket.
Luckily it didn''t take him long before he saw a courtroom door with the number 24 on it. This would be his new home for the foreseeable future until he gained the qualifications to be promoted to the domain courts.
Even though the pce courts had the outer pce courts, the inner pce courts, and the core pce courts, the judges would still retain the same courtroom even as they got promoted along the pce courts. The only changes they''d get would be in terms of sry and duties, however, the courtroom and their chambers would not change.
"I almost forgot about it," thought Yang Qing as he paused his footsteps at the door of his courtroom.
"No, I''ll need to get it sorted out the moment I''m done here. I can''t give them enough time to weasel their way out of it and try to force that abode on me," anxiously thought Yang Qing.
Thoughts about his new chambers made him realize he had forgotten an important thing. As a pce realm cultivator, he should enjoy all rights offered by the Order to someone of that realm, and one of those rights was being given an abode in the gold valley of the Glowing respite valley.
Regardless of his promotion, he was already entitled to the abode three months ago, the moment it was confirmed he was in the pce realm. However due to unavoidable circumstances tied to old fiend Lei Weiyuan, Yang Qing ended up postponing the matter, and then he forgot about the matter altogether somewhere in between those three months.
But now that he had recalled it, it was time to settle it. He had no intention of moving, not after all he spent on the dream cloud abode in the blue valley and the nest of the celestial nesting weaver. Yang Qing had doubts about whether the abode in the gold valley would be able to match his current amodations. He was sure whatever abode he got, would have the bare minimum and would require him to spend countless resources to improve on it. The Order was still the same stingy monster it always was.
Yang Qing would rather not undertake that thankless task that was sure to put a dent in his resources. He had already decided he would redeem the value of his abode, which was amon thing around the Order. Those who didn''t want the abode for any reason had the option to ''sell back'' the abode to the Order.
The Order wouldpensate them the value of the abode in whatever form of payment they deem fit. It could be in spirit stones, artifacts, and natural treasures, or redeeming the services of certain departments of the Order such as the formation hall, and alchemy hall or even gaining ess to certain special training areas that required merit points to ess.
Yang Qing had a lot of choices on what he could choose as the equivalent value for the liquidation of his abode. He had zeroed his options to two; he would either have the formation arrays in his abode improved, or he would use it to redeem something from the Orders open vault.
The open vault was the only treasury within the Order that one could ess through merit points or spirit stones or trade-in for something of value. It was like the Order''s open market. If you had anything of value, you could use it for trade at the open vault. The rest of the treasuries within the Order were special ess. You couldn''t get to them unless under very specific conditions, however, the open vault was muchxer, but the items contained there were all of great quality and the high price to match.
The purple lightning bamboo was something he had gotten from the vault and had cost him close to a hundred thousand merit points which in terms of purchasing power and value was greater than 10 million high-grade spirit stones.
Yang Qing wanted to redeem his abode for a natural treasure or artifact. The symbiotic rtionship he saw at Summerfield kingdom, of the blue grade formation, the quasi monarch grade tree, and the artifact anchoring the formation gave him ideas of promoting spirit development on two different objects just like he detected at the farm in Summerfield kingdom.
If the results of his experiment proved to be fruitful, he could try it on the green me tree and the duality tree which despite being at the monarch grade, still had not developed their spirituality. The undeveloped spirituality wasn''t because of ack of talent but rather the high requirements imposed on both trees because of their lineage. One of them was intrinsically tied to the Life Dao and the other to the Space Dao. This meant their growth and maturity were slowpared to other trees.
Yang Qing decided to push the matter to the back of his mind as he pushed open the doors to his courtroom.
Chapter 286 Meeting The Two Inquisitors
The courtroom unsurprisingly was just the same as the one he had in the superior core courts. The podium was made of 50,000-year-old red dragon wood and the floor was made of blossom citrine ck marble.
If Yang Qing were to point out a few things that seemed different, it would be maybe the size and the two people currently standing at the center of the courtroom with their backs facing Yang Qing.
One of them was a male with a roguish brown hair. He had on a fading grey robe that had a lot of patchworks done in different colors. On top of the grey robe, he had a in ck cloak that was just as worn out. He was slightly tall and had a medium build.
Next to him was ady with silver hair tied in a ponytail. She had light yellow robes and a brown scarf on her neck.
The moment Yang Qing stepped into the courtroom, they simultaneously turned in his direction.
The male looked to be in histe thirties and had a scruffy beard and a devilish charm and smile to him, while the silver-haireddy had big eyes that seemed to hide a swirling whirlpool, a petite oval face and a beauty that matched her radiant silver hair.
They were both sizing Yang Qing just as he was doing to them. He wasn''t too surprised to find that they both had a higher cultivation base than him. Since they were all in the early stages of the cultivation realm, Yang Qing could more or less tell their realms. The male was in the fourth stage of the pce realm while the silver-haireddy was in the third stage.
"You must be Dai Chen''s friend and our new boss, I''m Yu Gen and she is Xia Ting, we will be working together from today until two members of your team reach the pce realm.
Ah, nice to meet you by the way. With how many cases we work, it leaves me in a hurried state even in my conversations, sorry for that," said Yu Gen as he sheepishlyughed.
"Nice to meet you, Judge Yang Qing, I''m Xia Ting," said the silver-haireddy as she offered Yang Qing a courteous Daoist salute. Her face was taciturn and her tone calm.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but notice the contrasting personalities between the two.
"Nice to meet you all, I''m Yang Qing and I''ll be in your care from now on," said Yang Qing as he offered a Daoist salute of his own in return.
"Here, we were told to give you this," said Yu Gen as he tossed over a white jade talisman which perfectly fell into Yang Qing''s palms.
"In there, you will find the list of cases assigned to you for the month. We''ve already started on the first three cases and we should be able to give you our detailed findings on them by the end of the week.
Luckily, we have been told you''ll be preparing for and supervising the Institute''s examinations first, which gives us a little more breathing room to conduct our investigations on the cases. Also, I think I should tell you this,ter there will be some cases where you will have to do the groundwork yourself or you could assign some of them to your inquisitors.
There should be some that involve some rank 4 sects which they can handle while Xia Ting, I, and now you, will handle ones that involve rank 3 organizations. But don''t worry as your seniors we will take the bulk of it, only when we feel overwhelmed will we request your assistance, I hope you don''t mind," said Yu Gen with an apologetic look on his face.
"No, No, I don''t mind. I''m the one who should be thankful to have your assistance and hope I''m not a burden to you all. I''m more than happy to do my part to help lighten it," said Yang Qing with deep sincerity in his tone.
Roaming inquisitors had one of the best employment packages and had free ess to training sites that would require someone like Yang Qing to spend merit points to gain ess. However, despite the presumably good scheme they had, they also had one of the worst and most dangerous working schedules.
Due to the shortage of manpower around the Order and the cases that never end, roaming inquisitors are spread thin and they are always out, shuttling between cases across different courtrooms. Their service wasn''t restricted just to the headquarters. In case someone at the branches got injured, died, or was incapacitated, someone from the roaming inquisitor would fill in that role either as an inquisitor or the branch chief.
They were constantly moving around hence the name ''roaming inquisitors.'' The constant moving about the continent in the conduct of their duties earns them no small number of enemies, which is why they have one of the highest fatalities and also one of the strictest of training.
They never handle cases alone; they always do it in a group of two or a maximum of four, depending on the severity of the case. The teams formed are carefully chosen toplement each other in terms ofbat.
Yang Qing could feel that Xia Ting had a stronger soulpared to Yu Gen, while Yu Gen''s body felt like it was boiling magma that was about to erupt.
Also due to the nature of their work, they couldn''t have any official wear. They always dressed like itinerant cultivators out there to blend in and all had to practice the gold-grade art, ''The Ten thousand droplets transformation of the white veiled tree'' to the blooming level.
The Ten thousand droplet transformation of the white veiled tree was a transmorphing cultivation art that would let them transform their bodies, down to the nature of their qi signature, and the degree of change wasn''t restricted to humans, it extended even to spirit beasts. At its perfection, even an early-stage soul formation expert would find it hard to tell someone or something apart.
Yang Qing wasn''t even sure if these were the true faces of Yu Gen and Xia Ting. The names were probably true but the rest, from the face down to their habits, may probably be an act that has been ingrained to them that it has be second nature. It was because of this that after a certain period of time, every roaming inquisitor had to spend some time in the heart soul tree, a saint-grade tree that the Order had. Its purpose was to help one polish their heart and in times of doubt, provide rity. Without it, the roaming inquisitors would be constant victims of internal demons.
You can only pretend to be something for so long before you be it. Such was one of the struggles of being a roaming inquisitor.
Chapter 287 Handing Over Ma Yuan’s Case
"I know you have a lot to get through, it being your first day and all, we will leave you to it, but in case of anything you can reach us via themunication talisman or at the Herb garden soup restaurant, we are always there most of the time in between cases. Though asionally we do pass by at the Thousand vors restaurant, Dai Chen told me you are regrs there, so that can do as well," said Yu Gen.
"The Herb garden can work as well, I happen to like the soup there, it''s just that Thousand vors restaurant has a wide variety¡" Yang Qing despite himself found himself going on for a full three minutes on the pros of both restaurants.
He only came to himself when he saw the weird looks he got from Xia Ting who finally showed some emotion on her taciturn face with her eyes wide open.
"You really like your food, don''t you?" she said with interest in her eyes.
"Sorry about that," said Yang Qing as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Yang Qing we will leave you to it, it''s been a pleasure meeting you and I hope for a sessful cooperation," said Yu Gen as he prepared to leave with Xia Ting in tow, who nodded her head in goodbye.
"Actually seniors, there was something I needed your help with," Yang Qing suddenly said causing the duo to halt their steps.
"What is it?" asked Xia Ting, beating Yu Gen to the punch.
"There was an impromptu case I stumbled onto during my evaluationsst week. I have already done a bit of the groundwork and even had my inquisitor Zheng Hu help with a bit of the details. I was hoping for your assistance on the case and if need be, it could be among the priority cases along with the three you have already started on, if it''s not too much trouble," Yang Qing hesitantly asked.
"What''s the case about?" asked Yu Gen.
"It''s about a father who lost his wife and daughter, seven years ago. The father''s name is Ma Yuan and he was a cultivator in the core formation realm however his cultivation got crippled on the day his wife and daughter got taken.
Based on my personal observations and also his ount, Ma Yuan had reached the gold body in the body refining realm and also had a blue-grade core because of some fortuitous encounter. The attacker had been able to subdue and cleanly shatter his dantian despite him being at the fifth stage of the core formation real, which shows at the very least the attacker seemed to be someone either at the peak of the core formation realm with a superior core or she was in the pce realm.
Ma Yuan was well on his way to getting killed, but his wife intervened on his behalf and had his life spared. From the version of events, it seems like the wife knew the attacker and purposely let herself be caught.
She was more than likely deeply afraid of the attacker which was why she put a seal on her husband that blurred the image of the attacker.
I did manage to get an image of her which should roughly look like this based on Ma Yuan''s description," said Yang Qing as he used a cultivation spell to conjure a rough image of the woman based on Ma Yuan''s description.
"She''s pretty," Yu Gen carelessly said and shrunk back when he saw the looks of mockery Xia Ting was throwing his way.
"In addition, he also handed me an ice shard that was produced when thatdy attacked them," added Yang Qing as he handed over the shard to Xia Ting who shook her head and pointed to Yu Gen.
"He is better at this kind of stuff," she said.
Yang Qing had a baffled look as he handed the shard over to Yu Gen. He had automatically made the assumption that Xia Ting would have more insights since she had a stronger soul, thus her sense towards Yin-rted matter would be stronger than Yu Gen whose body was like boiling magma, which more than likely meant he had a high affinity towards Yang rted techniques.
"The fact that we managed to fool your eyes must mean our proficiency with the Ten thousand droplet transformation of the white veiled tree is getting better," Yu Gen cheekily said as his whole body transformed except his voice.
His brown hair was reced with silver hair and silver eyes, and his build got slender and taller. The boiling sensation Yang Qing sensed from him, changed to a mellow coolness.
Almost at the same time as Yu Gen''s transformation, Xia Ting also changed. Her silver hair changed into red-brown, and her body now seemed like a volcano that would erupt. The transformation wasn''t only physical, Yang Qing detected a liveliness about her.
"You didn''t do too bad Xia Ting, I didn''t expect you tost that long," said Yu Gen.
His tone was no longer excitable but had a calmness to it like the one Yang Qing detected in Xia Ting when they first met.
"What do you mean!? Of course, I''d try to outdo you, especially with the urn of merry soup on the line, I''d give my best and since our new boss couldn''t tell our nature apart, I count that as a win. Don''t welchter, Yu Gen, like you didst time," said Xia Ting.
The change in personality came as a shock to Yang Qing, especially from Xia Ting''s end. He found it hard to reconcile the reserved taciturn Xia Ting from a few minutes ago and the fiery person he saw before him.
"Is this your true self?" Yang Qing absentmindedly asked.
"Who knows," answered Xia Ting with a cheeky grin.
"Mmmh, the attacker seemed to have a fine grasp over the cold yin element and the grade should be no lesser than blue grade, but something feels off with it¡" Yu Gen said as he rolled the shard around in between his fingers. Every time he rolled the shard; a blue me would be produced from his fingertips with a seal attached to it.
"Can I hold on to it for a while?" asked Yu Gen as he handed the shard over to Xia Ting who had stretched her palms over for it.
"You can. I have already analyzed it enough to remember its structure and characteristics. As you well know I will also be busy in the next few days. It would be better in your hands than mine," said Yang Qing.
Chapter 288 Unexpected Visitor
"What were your thoughts?" asked Yu Gen.
"While the art is high grade, it has a rigid and tyrannical side to it that is absent in yin-rted art, also there was a bit of insidiousness to it.," said Yang Qing.
"It felt like it had the venom of a snake and the ferociousness of a bear," added Yang Qing after some thought.
Yu Gen''s eyes had a nigh imperceptible freeze from shock and then he smiled.
"It looks like we are the ones who will be depending on you more often than not, Judge Yang Qing," said Yu Gen.
"Surely you jest," said Yang Qing with a smile.
"Also in regards to the case, there were a few other things that I uncovered with Ma Yuan''s help.
He did say his wife said the name ''Yao'' when addressing their attacker, however, she paused halfway, so the name might be iplete but it definitely has those characters.
Also, Ma Yuan and his family had been moving from ce to ce over the past 7 years before their abduction at the behest of his wife. I have those ces listed here and I had Zheng Hu research organizations that have a bad rtionship with the powers of the area they lived in.
The result may help us narrow down a list of suspects and I also enlisted the help of the Wind gliding mercenaries to search for all organizations known for their skills in yin-based cultivation arts. Should the result bring up anything, I''ll make sure to pass it along to you," said Yang Qing as he handed over a jade talisman that had his insights and all the information Ma Yuan shared with him.
"Also, Ma Yuan is around the grounds in one of the pavilions, I''ll have Zheng Hu inform you which it ister," added Yang Qing.
"Thanks, it seems like you have done the bulk of the leg work, the part we are left with is rather easy to follow. I think we will start on it, concurrently with the three cases. In case of any major progress, I''ll be sure to inform you.
Once again, it was a pleasure meeting you Yang Qing, and do have a nice day ahead," said Yu Gen.
"The pleasure was all mine," said Yang Qing as he cupped his fists at the departing Yu Gen and Xia Ting.
"I''ll be seeing you around kid, and make sure to buy me some soupter," said Xia Ting.
Yang Qing flinched at her words. The Herb garden soup restaurant had one of the best soups among the restaurants within the Order, however, their price was on the steep side, which was why Yang Qing rarely went there except once a month immediately after getting paid or towards the third week of the month when he had nothing.
The restaurant was steep in its prices but it also had the cheapest meal; the cold leek soup which went for one silver coin. It was nd, but it could fill the stomach when one didn''t have much in their storage rings. It has saved Yang Qing a few times.
Yang Qing couldn''t very well buy cold leek soup for Xia Ting, not when he wanted to make a good impression, especially if he needed the two inquisitors to apply themself to his cases. Therefore, he would have to go all out, which would definitely cost a few high-grade spirit stones.
"Wait, I''m not the same as I was a week ago. My storage ring is no longer empty and decrepit, surely I can afford a soup or a million," Yang Qing smugly thought when he remembered the gifts burning a hole in his storage ring.
"Maybe I''ll even have their famous hundred-fold treasure soup," Yang Qing greedily thought with his grumbling stomach.
Seeminglying to a decision, he swaggered on outside where he almost knocked over a 12-year-old boy as he was walking out.
"Sorry about that," Yang Qing hurriedly said as he used shadow-void steps to avoid the boy.
"Nice movement, Yang Qing," said the boy whose voice was anything but young.
He had short ck hair, deep ck eyes, and a matching ck robe. He was currently smiling while eyeing Yang Qing with interest.
"Do I know him?" wondered Yang Qing with furrowed brows. He scrutinized the young boy but his face, his robe, down to his qi signature, none of it seemed familiar to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing looked around and noticed something odd, none of the people around him seemed to notice the young boy before him, and the more Yang Qing observed them, it didn''t seem like they saw him either.
"A domain expert," thought Yang Qing as his gaze fell on the young boy before him.
"I take it Senior is from the Shadow Hawks?" Yang Qing tentatively asked.
"Correct, could we talk in your chambers," said the young boy as he made his way into Yang Qing''s courtroom.
Yang Qing followed behind and took out his gold eagle medallion when they were at the center of the courtroom.
He inserted his qi into the medallion which let out a gentle glow that ignited a rune beneath them and they were immediately transported to a different area.
Yang Qing and the young boy appeared in an office that was about half the size of his courtroom. In it were a red dragon wood desk, cultivation futons, a shelf filled with scrolls, and a pot that had a young five-colored birch tree.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but suck in cold air. Everything within the room was at the ascendant grade, and he could even detect the formations within the room were all in the gold grade, which was why the spiritual qi was so dense.
The five-colored birch tree was the icing on the top. This was a genuine ascendant grade tree that had a passive effect of calming, strengthening, and restoring a cultivator''s mind and mental sea. However, its true strengthy in helping a cultivator gain have an easy time interacting with the water, wood, earth, fire, and metal Dao.
Yang Qing was even a little bit tempted to permanently move here, however, luckily he was ''wise'' enough to know that was the Order''s intention.
"Would you like some vermilion fruit wine, Senior?" asked Yang Qing as he took out an orange-colored gourd from his storage ring.
"Rather conscientious, aren''t you? Thanks, I wouldn''t mind," said the 12-year-old boy as he carelessly took a seat on one of the futons.
Chapter 289 Intelligence Network (1)
Yang Qing gently poured a cup for the member of the Shadow Hawks department and then poured himself some. He seemed to hesitate about something but eventually came to a decision.
He took out bamboo leaves that were wrapping something. He unwrapped them and inside was smoked pork crisply burnt. He managed to store away a few dishes fromst night''s party and this was one of them. The pork used in the dish was from the green flowered babirusa. He had intended to save it and eat it on a special asion but he decided this was a good time as any.
"Mmh, the vor isn''t bad," said the 12-year-old boy as he took a bite of the pork and drank a bit of the vermilion wine to go along with it.
Yang Qing didn''t stand on ceremony and immediately began eating and drinking his part of the share too as he waited for the 12-year-old boy from the Shadow Hawks division to introduce himself.
The division itself was cloaked in mystery even to the people of the Order. Even for someone like Yang Qing, he didn''t know much about them other than they were the intelligence branch of the Order. Every information they had on their cases, within the libraries of the Order or even the dossiers they received during their ceremonies, all came from the hands of the Shadow Hawks Division.
Their primary purpose was essentially to be the eyes and the ears of the Order so it doesn''t get blindsided and also shed light on the current state of the continent for the Order.
Yang Qing didn''t know where they stayed, if they even had a floor or a building within the Order as for the identities of their members, he couldn''t say that he knew them. He did know a few people from his year at the Institute who may have gotten into the Shadow Hawks after their training at the Institute, but that was just about it, an unconfirmed rumor.
However, even if he didn''t know about their members, he did know a few things about them such as their recruitment criteria. Their recruitment focused more on the adaptability of a cultivator rather than cultivation talent, however, despite not having any strict demands in cultivation, due to the nature of their upation, their training was extremely strict and dangerous.
It was one of the few departments where dying in training was amon urrence whereas in other departments it was almost nonexistent.
Yang Qing felt the two siblings would do well in the Shadow Hawks, however, the dangers of the ce made him a little hesitant.
¡
"My name is Shi, just Shi and I''m the assistant to the chief of staff of the Shadow Hawks, since she is a busy person, I''m the one who handles this particr handover and induction," said the 12-year-old boy as he ced his chopsticks down.
"Did the person who did your induction tell you what your duties in regard to the Shadow Hawks, are?" asked Shi.
"He didn''t go into much detail other than it involved an intelligencework and that someone from the Shadow Hawks would tell me more," said Yang Qing as he put his dish to the side and sat upright.
"Mmh, that''s good¡" said Shi as he paused for a few seconds with his gaze locked on Yang Qing.
Yang Qing was okay at first but when it hit the one-minute mark he started getting ufortable. He felt like all his secrets were beingid bare for Assistant Shi with every passing minute. Luckily he didn''t have to bear the difort for long when Assistant Shi broke the silence.
"We have been monitoring you for a while.."
Yang Qing who had just taken a sip of the vermilion wine to calm his nerves found himself spitting it all out the moment he heard that statement.
"What?!!!!!" he asked wide-eyed.
"I thought you knew?" answered Assistant Shi with an innocent expression.
"With how many things you have done over the years, of course, the Order will ce a close eye on one of their most active employees," said Assistant Shi with a light chuckle.
"Since when?" Yang Qing nervously asked.
"It''s been a few years now."
Assistant Shi peeled off another smoked pork immediately after and proceeded to eat it with relish.
Yang Qing sat there frozen as he tried to make sense of the response that practically told him nothing.
"No wonder they caught me easily," thought Yang Qing as his face turned paler.
"The reason I told you that wasn''t to scare you but rather because I happen to admire something you said a week ago to a colleague of yours, her name was Mao Yunru, another promising talent though she does use a lot of white jade talismans, even more than normal. I think the logistics department will start charging her, so you could warn her after this to reduce on her extracurricrs," said Assistant Shi.
"I will," answered Yang Qing solemnly but inwardly things were different.
"About time someone else suffered the Order''s wrath. I''m sorry Mao Mao," thought Yang Qing.
He was inwardly gleeful much more than he even expected, which helped reduce the fear of being spied on by the Shadow Hawks. He even went as far as to mirror Assistant Shi''s actions and picked smoked pork of his own.
Assistant Shi smiled a bit as he took in Yang Qing''s actions and continued,
"As I was saying, something you said happened to resonate with the ideals of the Shadow Hawks.
What was it you said?" Assistant Shi took a pause as he adjusted himself.
"You wanted to cause as much chaos as possible in the continent so the organizations around the continent would be much more wary of each other than the Order.
In some sense, your thoughts happen to align with some of our undertakings and one of them happens to now fall under your purview as a pce court judge.
Once you be a pce court judge, you gain the authority to supervise and manage your own intelligencework. However, that statement in and of itself is rather misleading since thework you''ll be managing may not necessarily help you in the conduct of your duties.
I think it would be more apt to say, you will be managing an intelligencework on behalf of the Shadow Hawks and the Order as a whole," said Assistant Shi in an unhurried tone.
At this point, Yang Qing was already drawn in.
Chapter 290 Intelligence Network (2)
"Every pce court judge is given a group of informants. These informants are individuals ced in unique positions across different organizations around the continent. Some are from sects, ns, merchant organizations, alchemy, kingdoms, empires, and the like. Some are even bandits and members of other shady organizations.
Your job is to be the connection of the Order to them. You will meet with them at your discretion to source any information that they may have on them, and evaluate their mental well-being and you will also be their lifeline and source of help.
Whatever help they need; you will be the one to provide it. Of course, you could consult with us if it''s somethingplicated but I think it would be more prudent for you to handle it yourself.
The discretionary fund you receive from the Order is meant to help with that along with a few other things I will tell you shortly¡" Assistant Shi paused when he saw Yang Qing''s look turn gloomy.
"Is something wrong?" asked Assistant Shi.
"I''m sorry Senior Shi but I can''t help but wonder if the funds I receive will be enough since its supposed to cater also for the payment ofmissions done for my cases throughout the year.
With the caseloads I''ll be getting and the remuneration scheme I was given, I can''t help but feel the amount may not be enough to cater for both my duties as a judge and in the maintenance of the intelligencework," said Yang Qing.
He didn''t know what troubles may arise in thework but whatever the case, they were sure to cost a tidy sum.
"You don''t have to worry about that, even if the discretionary funds won''t be enough, there are other sources to make up the difference, which was what I was going to get toter, but other than that I feel you have other reservations. Go on, no need to be shy here," said Assistant Shi.
Yang Qing on seeing Assistant Shi''s look put on a serious expression as he asked,
"The informants, can they all be trusted?"
Since he would be meeting personally with them, there was an inherent risk a trap may be set for him during one of those meetings, and with the recent surge in attacks on personnel from the Order, there was a very real chance of that happening.
"They can, after all, they are all from the Order," Assistant Shi leisurely answered which drew a confused look from Yang Qing.
He could understand Order employees infiltrating a sect, an empire, a kingdom, or somerge-scale merchant organization, but for something like a n and how close-knit it was, it would prove difficult to infiltrate one.
Even some kingdoms and empires never allowed outsiders within their sphere of ruling, it was always kept within and around the topmost ruling families of which the royal family was one of them.
"The southern continent is a really big ce and the wars that have happened over the years, though they are a tragedy but, in some regard, they could be considered opportunities.
Over the years, even just thest century, do you know how many low-ranked organizations have disappeared?" asked Assistant Shi
"A quarter of a million?" answered Yang Qing in an unsure tone.
"I wish it was that low because then it would be proof that we have an impact," said Assistant with a rueful smile.
"It''s no less than ten million. As we are speaking, a hundred of them have likely fallen," said Assistant Shi.
Yang Qing knew even with the presence of the Order, the state of things around the continent was still hard but he never thought they were still that bad, he thought that they''d made a difference even if by a tiny margin. But ten million made it seem like they hadn''t made a dent at all.
"Don''t be disheartened, even though that number is high, it isn''t as it once was a millennium ago and at least now even though those low ranked organizations find it hard to grow, their destruction isn''t an entire annihtion," said Assistant Shi seemingly reading through Yang Qing''s thoughts.
"Some get lost through mergers and alliances, others disband and the like while the bulk sadly is through ughter, either by rivals or fiendish organizations like the scarlet blood ghost hand syndicate or the Crimson wave, well remnants of it¡
But enough with the gloomy topic. Now because of how many organizations are lost, this makes it easier for someone to nt someone in the ruins of those organizations.
With the information we have collected over the years and the multitude of lost cultivation arts we have, it''s easier to nt someone from the Order in the background of some destroyed organization in other instances we can even make up one and no one would be the wiser.
We''d pick someone from the Order and give him/her enough support to start a n, or a sect, or other different types of organization depending on the skill set of that member.
The direction and growth of the organization is entirely up to them. Our part is to ensure their smooth integration into the locations they would be situated at. We fabricate everything about them including their karma. You''ve met Veiled Destiny, part of it is done with its help.
That project has been going on for the past 700 years and finally, its fruits are starting to show, however, the workload of maintaining it is too much for only the Shadow Hawks to manage, so we need help, and who better to do it than our very own judges.
None of the organizations within thatwork are powerful. Most range between rank 4 and rank 5, with a handful reaching rank 3 but thetter don''t number more than 10. There''s none at rank 2."
Yang Qing had an incredulous look. With the talent of the Order surely, they would have been able to have at least one person reach the domain realm in the past 700 years, not unless it was by design and the Order made those members slow their progress so as not to draw suspicious eyes.
"Those selected for the program are those who failed their entrance examinations but showed some talent in some aspect. Theck of rank 2 organizations wasn''t by design, in fact, the rank 3 organizations we have, some of them appeared as a total surprise.
Hiding a talent in in sight would draw much more eyes than revealing it, especially to a trained eye. It''s safer to use people with normal aptitude in this regard and the Order would not risk their highest talents for such a venture, and it''s not like they had or have enough of them as it stands," Assistant Shi carefully exined.
Chapter 291 Intelligence Network (3)
"To put it more callously, only those the Order can afford to lose are put into the programme, however having said that, we still have to do all we can to increase their odds of survival and longevity, and one of those ways is to have a pce realm cultivator from the Order watch out for them, and the best candidates for that would be the judges who other than goodbat acumen, have good judgment on them¡" said Assistant Shi.
Yang Qing ended up raising his gait a little bit from the statement he had made. It didn''t matter whether you were a mortal or a cultivator, words had a powerful effect despite the cultivation realm or station in life.
Assistant Shi''s statement helped raise Yang Qing''s self-importance.
"Is this how sect masters feel and n patriarchs," smugly thought Yang Qing. However, water was immediately poured on his swelling mood.
"That being said ideally we would have preferred the roaming inquisitors to handle it since they are mostly outside so they know they of thend and have much more adaptability built from their experience outside. But with how much they have on their te, and also the risk factor of them implicating the informants, it''s safer to have judges," added Assistant Shi.
"Was there a need to add that part," Yang Qing grievously thought as he withered back into his shell.
"You will be in charge of 24 informants widely spread about throughout the continent and you will need to maintain contact with all of them at least once a year.
To help aid you in the matter, among your new privileges one of them is the use of spatial runes leading to all the Order branches around the continent.
I don''t have to tell you this but you obviously can''t meet with them at any of those branches and it is also ill-advised to meet them within their own grounds to avoid drawing eyes.
Please have these," Assistant Shi said as he handed Yang Qing three things. One of them was a white jade talisman, the other was a green jade key that had a ck w symbol at the bottom and thest one was a crystal feather.
"Within the talisman, you will find the list of the 24 organizations that will now be part of the intelligencework under your supervision. You are to conduct yearly meetings with the Order informants and record everything they have to share, could be rumors, could be something actionable, whatever it is make sure to have it recorded in thorough detail and you will drop it off at the External logistics booth number 4.
In addition, should the informant need any help you are to immediately render aid even if it is at the expense of blowing their cover, however, if it risks your life to the point where your survival is in doubt you are encouraged to ignore the call for help.
I know it''s rather cruel, but every person within the programme is told of that fact beforehand and they still choose to do what they do," said Assistant Shi when he saw the grim look on Yang Qing.
"I understand," Yang Qing heavily said.
In his mind he knew those chosen for the programme, this was like another opportunity for them especially after failing to make it into the Order. They get the chance at reinventing themselves. Yes, there were inherent risks, but there were gains to the affair too such as getting the chance to establish something big.
Within his list of 24 organizations, Yang Qing saw one kingdom in there, which even though was a newly promoted rank 4 kingdom, it was still a kingdom and the ruler of that kingdom was once someone who had failed to get into the Order and had no parents or background to speak off. He had no talent or power, and if things had remained constant for him, he would have likely died an unremembered, unremarkable death. Another statistic and nobody that showed the southern continent wasn''t safe to those without ability and backing. But now here he was, a king of a young kingdom that has only been around for 300 years. Even though in the grand scheme of things he could still easily die and was just a stronger ant, he was a strong ant that managed to create something that would have otherwise been an impossibility for him.
To them, no matter what happens, they would have done the unimaginable. However, even though Yang Qing''s mind could rationalize it and see how it could be a benefit for them, it was still hard to swallow when he thought no matter how much that king has contributed to the Order in terms of the information they have provided when it came down to either the king, his kingdom or Yang Qing''s safety, Yang Qing''s safety would take priority without a second thought.
"Such is the cruelty of life, we all have a value attached to us which at times dictates whether we live or die. It applies to them just as much as it applies to us.
Within the list, I''ve given you, even among them there are differences. There are those you will give more attention to than the others because of their potential value.
As cultivators we either aim to increase our value or grow strong enough to subvert its existence in our lives.
Personally, I hope someone among them reaches that point," said Assistant Shi with a gleam in his eye.
"Now, thest two objects; the jade green key and the crystal feather, both of them are your identity markers," Assistant Shi said as he pointed to the two objects in Yang Qing''s hand.
Yang Qing got a contrasted feel to them. The jade key was smooth and cold to the touch and had a soft squishy feel to it like it was easily malleable like y, while the feather had a gentle warmness to it and was as hard as a top-tier monarch-grade artifact. Yang Qing wasn''t sure if he could break it even if he fully exerted himself in it.
Chapter 292 Intelligence Network (4)
"The green jade key will grant you the authority as the defacto owner of the Green jade pavilion, which is a rank 4 merchant organization under the control of the Order using the White rose pavilion as a hidden proxy, so if anyone looks they''ll think it''s one of their many subsidiaries that isn''t worth any mention.
The pavilion has a lot of businesses under it from alchemy shops, to cksmith shops, to apparel manufacturing and the like. It makes a decent profit, however, none of the members working there are in any way tied to the Order.
The top leaders think they are owned by some organization under the White Rose Pavilion. However, they have no idea of the organization, but what they do know is to respect the holder of that key as the overall leader of the pavilion," said Assistant Shi.
Yang Qing couldn''t hide his excitement as he gently held the green jade key.
"You can also use the key as your identification at the Golden earth bank to withdraw the proceeds of the pavilions from there. They deposit 50% of the profits at the bank every three months.
In terms of the pavilion, I think it''s okay to let things run autonomously, but if you want to be hands-on it''s okay too since whatever you earn from them along with your discretionary fund is what you will use to support the informants should a need ever arise."
Yang Qing quickly inserted his spiritual sense into the jade slip to see what businesses were under the Green jade pavilion. He was surprised to find despite being a rank 4 merchant organization, they had their hands in a lot of different kinds of business, though some were mostly small scale, however, their bread and butter were in medicine and herb trade.
Yang Qing eagerly went through the list almost as if he was looking for something specific.
"The pavilion doesn''t have a restaurant under its list of businesses if that''s what you''re searching for¡" said Assistant Shi.
Yang Qing instantly deted when he heard that.
"It''s not all bad though. Unlike the discretionary fund, whatever you choose to do with the 50% share of the Green Jade pavilion is entirely up to you. Just as long as you''re able to handle anything that crops up with your informationwork, we don''t care how or what you spend that share on," said Assistant Shi as he looked on in amusement at Yang Qing''s sporadic changes in emotion.
"How much do they make annually?" asked Yang Qing with eagerness in his voice.
"About 10 million high-grade spirit stones a year, though there have been a few good years that its reached about 30 million," answered Assistant Shi.
Had Yang Qing not known about the amount in the discretionary fund he would have been excited about the figure, however, the 40 million figure warped his sensibilities. He couldn''t help but think 10 million was too low despite it being an amount he was free to do as he wished unlike the 40 million.
Assistant Shi chose to ignore his despondency and went on to finish with his exnation.
"Thest item on the list is the feather of a crystal tear Yuan. Each of the 24 informants has a feather just like that one, however, the one you have is the main controller of the feathers they have.
You will need to refine it with a wisp of your spiritual essence. Once you have, you can insert a bit of your essence into it and it will link you to the other 24 feathers which have also been refined with their owner''s spiritual essence.
The crystal tear Luan is a rare bird with attunement to both soul and space. With the feather you can contact the other informants and using your feather as a conduit, you''ll appear in a different domain linked by the feather. Using wisps of your spiritual essence, you canmunicate with each other. However because these are just its feathers you can''tmunicate for more than 2 minutes, otherwise you risk damaging it.
You will need to give it a four-day cool down after every use and it also needs spirit stones or dense spiritual liquids to renew it. So only use it for emergencies or when you want to set up a location for the meetup with the informants.
Other than that I don''t think there''s anything more to add. The informants have already been informed that you will soon be in contact with them. So please do reach out to them as soon as possible.
I wish you all the best in your new journey, I know it''s a lot but the fact that you made it here means you''re up to the task. Do take care of yourself Judge Yang Qing and thank you for these.
I have a feeling you may end up with a sizeable profit this year young judge," said Assistant Shi as he pointed to the vermilion wine and the smoked pork.
He gobbled up the remaining piece and downed the wine remaining in his urn. He got up after that and faded like a fuzzy shadow before Yang Qing even had the time to offer his thanks.
"Thanks, Assistant Shi, I hope I will be able to measure up," muttered Yang Qing as he cupped his fist in the empty office.
"Guess this will have to wait tillter tonight when I''m done with everything," thought Yang Qing as he fiddled around with the crystal feather with an encumbered look.
Yang Qing sighed heavily as he stored away the three items and disappeared from his chambers with the use of his gold eagle medallion.
He reappeared an instantter and made his way to the internal logistics division to begin the procedure of liquidating his abode before he went to the external logistics division to introduce himself to Lu Mei the person from the division attached to his court who would aid him in converting and settling up the payments of hismissions, then after that was when he would finally make his way to Requiem and finish his events for the day.
Chapter 293 Original Judges
Yang Qing didn''t waste much time at the internal logistics department when it came to liquidating his abode. He was clear, direct, and brief. He made sure to ignore all sorts of ''well-meaning'' suggestions that came from the attendant who tried to convince him to try the abode for a week before he made a decision, and if within a week he still did not want it, they could convert it then.
However, Yang Qing wasn''t easily tricked. He knew it was more than likely a trap. Who knew what could happen within a week? He may very well end up being given the runaround and find himself one year in being fleeced dry maintaining two cultivation abodes, making the Order richer.
Yang Qing heard none of it and quickly insisted on settling the matter right then and there. He opted to trade the abode for a natural treasure from the open vault. He was given a token that he would present at the vault to trade for an item that was the equivalent value of the abode.
Yang Qing left in a ginger mood as he made his way to his next stop which was the External logistic division. The visit was a short one since it was basically him introducing himself to the department member attached to his court. As far as he knew the logistics personnel attached to him would remain with him throughout his stint as a pce court judge. This is whether he was an outer pce court judge or a core pce court judge, his attached personnel member from the External logistics division would not change, thus it was better for him to establish a cordial rtionship with them.
The meeting proceeded smoothly. Lu Mei, the personnel attached to his court, was a pretty sociable person. She had been an attach¨¦ to the pce court for almost ten years and Yang Qing would be the 14th judge attached to her within the present batch of pce court judges.
With how burdensome the process of remuneration was, every logistic personnel attached to the pce court could only have a maximum of 15 judges attached to them and Lu Mei was one judge shy of reaching her limit.
She was very generous in her exnation of the ins and outs of her duties and all she expected of Yang Qing, which luckily for him wasn''t much other than ensuring the spirit stones were made avable three days prior to the agreed-upon date of payment which would give her enough time to convert the spirit stones into whatever format the person whopleted themission would want. In addition, Yang Qing would also have to hand her the report of his valuation of themission. As long as she had those two things, she would be able to handle the rest easily.
This worked well for Yang Qing who felt he already had his hands full with the intelligencework, his cases that he was currently undermanned in, and whatever new duties that were tied to his next stop, the Requiem.
Yang Qing exchanged a few pleasantries with Lu Mei along with promising her a meal at the Thousand vors restaurant before he finally left for the office of the Judicial Committee.
There was no direct way of heading to Requiem, at least not one that he knew off. In fact, Yang Qing didn''t even know where the grand prison of the Order was located, despite him sending a fair share of cultivators that way. The only way he could ess the ce was via the Judicialmittee.
The Judicial Committee could be considered to be the spirit council form for the judges of the Order. It was made of former judges who gave up their posts, for another role which was to judge the judges. Every judge had judicial discretion on their cases however whatever judgments they made on their cases were subject to review by the judicialmittee.
Themittee would evaluate whether the sentencing was sound and whether the judge and his team had done enough on the case to make a sound ruling.
Using their judgment, experience, and information on hand they would assign a grade to the judge and the grade was per case. The grade has a variety of uses within the Order, one of which was in gaining bonuses. At Yang Qing''s current post if he got an evaluation score of good at the end of the month, he would get a bonus of 10,000 high-grade spirit stones, and the higher the grade, the higher the bonus.
The reverse was also true. If he got a low grade, he would suffer penalties. Those penalties were in the form of fines. If the issue seems to be amon urrence then the particr judge would be ced under investigation to see if the malfeasance is intentional or ipetence. If it''s found to be the former then the judge gets sent to requiem, but if it''s thetter then they get reassigned to a different department within the Order, however, even in that new role they would be ced under close monitoring.
If one wanted to move up the courts, having a decent valuation was one of the prerequisites along with an increase in their cultivation base. Therefore, the Judicial Committee had a lot of influence in the promotion and demotion of judges and their roles didn''t stop there as they acted as intermediaries for the judges to different departments within the Order, one of which was Requiem.
If Yang Qing wanted to head there it would have to be through them.
Yang Qing went to the hallway of the main building and triggered a rune at the center of the hallway using his gold eagle medallion. He disappeared from the center of the Hallway and reappeared in a rustic building that was in the middle of a small grove.
The building was made of old brown brick and had flying eaves roofing. The area was tranquil, surrounded by green lush trees and a small pond next to the building. The building was a two-story building and was 2000 square feet.
Outside the building''s entrance, there were three elderly men leisurely seating about on futons. Two of them seemed engrossed in ying Go while thest one was fiddling around with a miniature penzai.
They all had greying white hair and white robes that had the symbol of a hammer hanging above a podium. This was the symbol of the members of the judicialmittee.
Yang Qing on arriving here straightened his robes out of habit and carefully went forward and cupped his fists in greetings.
"Junior Yang Qing, greets the elders," said Yang Qing in a deferential tone.
Yang Qing''s respect for them wasn''t because of their ability to influence the growth or destruction of his career but rather because of their prior identity.
The Judicial Committee was also known by another name, it was known as the Collection of the Original Judges. Themittee was made up of 17 members and every one of them were the very first judges the Order ever heard. The groundwork upon which every judge currently works on was set up by them, and they have continued to do so even after they left their posts and became part of the judicialmittee.
From the original batch, some joined themittee, others went to the spirit council, others became deans or instructors at the institute, others joined different departments and others died in the conduct of their duties.
Every judge held them in high esteem and Yang Qing was no exception. The Judicial Committee may not be as powerful as the Spirit Council, but in terms of prestige they didn''t lose out, and when it came to power even though they couldn''tpare to the Spirit Council that only consisted of soul formation experts, the Judicial Committee wasn''t that bad off. Of the 17 members, there were a few soul formation experts while the majority were domain-level experts.
Yang Qing knew of the three members present, the one fiddling around with the penzai was one of the soul formation experts of themittee. His name was Long Ei and the two-ying go; one of them was Jiang Heng and the other was Jia Bohai. They were bothte-stage domain experts as far as Yang Qing knew.
"Yang Qing, you''re here, would you like chrysanthemum tea?" asked Long Ei who was still busy pruning and adding a few touches to the penzai. Every time he did so, the change would be reflected in the background of the building they were staying at. One second there was a bare rocky mound the next it was reced by a forest, then a river, then a mountain.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure whether the changes were real or fake because to him it felt very much real.
"How are you finding your new position?" gently asked one of the elders ying go.
"Heavier than I expected," said Yang Qing as he picked up the cup of Chrysanthemum tea that floated next to him.
"It seems you have already met with the Shadow Hawks?" asked the other elder.
"Yes," answered Yang Qing as he took a sip of the tea.
"This is good stuff!!!!!" thought Yang Qing as his eyes lit up.
"Who knew Shen Zhu''s impetuous idea would grow into one of the backbones of the Order, shame it came at the cost of his life," said Long Ei with a sigh. The other two elders sighed along with him as they put aside their go table.
"Shao An should be expecting you, Yang Qing so we will not dy you any further," said Long Ei as he drew a seal on the penzai, immediately after a spatial tunnel opened up behind the building revealing 12 mountains.
Yang Qing took a small gulp as he felt a terrifying aura within those mountains.
Chapter 294 Could Be A Grotto
He could feel the palpable aura of fear and despair that had surrounded those mountains like a fog. Other than that, he could feel the arrays along with something he couldn''t quite put his finger on what it was but every mountain could eviscerate his existence within an instant. He even had serious doubts he would survive even if he had the three saint-grade artifacts with him.
"How do they work here all year round," wondered Yang Qing.
He steeled himself and immediately stepped forward into the open spatial tunnel.
"All the best young judge," said one of the elders.
Yang Qing nodded gratefully toward them as he could feel the encouraging gazes from each one of them.
Once he stepped into the tunnel, his backside closed and all he could see were thergest 12 mountains he had everid his eyes on. Before Yang Qing stepped into the spatial tunnel, the 12 mountains looked ordinary like any run-of-the-mill mountain that he could spot anywhere around the continent. Whether it was in terms of size or general outlook they seem to be mundane and nothing seemed to stand out except for the despairing aura surrounding them and the terrifying sensation Yang Qing felt from them on a visceral level. However, the moment his foot touched the other side and his backside closed, the scenery he saw underwent a seismic transformation.
The mountains were still 12 however they now seemed starkly different to what they were. They were now humongous, Yang Qing had to crane his neck to see them and even then, he couldn''t see their peaks which were surrounded by white fog that if one paid attention to it, could hear the wails of people and beasts.
Other than their humongous size, each of the 12 mountains looked distinctive to one another which overturned their normal mountain look. One mountain had lightning rains over it of different colors, another was shrouded inplete darkness, another was theplete opposite as it was shrouded in a blinding white light, another was covered in red, orange, and blue mes, while another had variable changes happening to it; one minute it was flooding, the next it was a scorching desert and another a hail storm was running through it and another it was covered with a blizzard.
Not all mountains were depictions of horrifying disasters. There was one that looked to be the picture of perfection. It had lush vegetation, a healthy river running through it and animals leaving in it. It was aplete functional ecosystem. The only thing about it that was strange was the animals running around none of them was below the pce realm, and the nts were all in the monarch grade. It looked more like a blessednd than anything.
Yang Qing even had to rub his eyes a few times to confirm he was at the requiem. The other horrifying-looking mountains were a reminder, especially the one covered in nothing but poisonous nts and bugs. Even the air around it had transformed into a purple-ck fog that had the earmarks of a terrifying natural poison. It was sweet smelling and had that dangerous beauty to it.
Each of the 12 mountains had something that made them unique from each other. Yang Qing was soaked in the terrifying grandeur of the ce as he waited for someone to guide him in.
The ce he currently stood seemed to be at the edge of a cliff with a bottomless pit below. The 12 mountains he saw before him seemed to have their bases beneath that pit and rose high up above which further highlighted their enormous size.
Yang Qing couldn''t risk taking another step because he felt the same terrifying presence, he felt earliering from below the cliff. The region was dark and had a faint fog to it. Yang Qing''s heart would race and his qi flow would turn chaotic every time he tried to stare below. After trying it two times and getting the same feeling he decided he had enough of tempting fate.
Just as he was wondering how long he would have to wait he saw a red-orange branche from one of the mountains as it traveled at an rming speed toward Yang Qing''s direction. Yang Qing was perturbed at first since this was the Requiem and after the short experience he had of the ce, it wouldn''t be surprising if something out of the norm happened, like maybe an attack from something within those mountains, and when he saw the branch heading his way he assumed it was exactly that.
It was only when he detected a familiar aura being produced by that branch did he halt his thoughts and preparations for an impending attack.
The branch came to a halt once it was in front of Yang Qing. Yang Qing felt a gentle heating from it that had one of the densest concentrations of vitality and purity to it. His green me tree even paled inparison.
"Just what tree is this?" wondered Yang Qing as he took a step onto the branch. Even though it was a branch, it had about a 100-meter width, and as for its length, Yang Qing didn''t even bother to estimate it. Even though the 12 mountains seemed like they were just right ahead of him, no more than a few kilometers away, he could feel that wasn''t so. The space seemed like it had been folded to make it appear like they were really close by.
When Yang Qing''s feet were both firmly ced on the branch, it immediately began to move. Only when he was atop it did Yang Qing realize how fast it was traveling. Even fully exerting himself a thousand times over he would not be able to match its speed.
Yang Qing standing atop the branch realized that at random intervals the branch would produce a me-like glyph in the air and a snapping sound would be produced. Yang Qing wasn''t sure but he felt that even the space itself seemed to have restrictions attached to it.
"How far are the mountains?" Yang Qing wondered as he narrowed his gaze on the 12 mountains whose position didn''t seem to have changed over the past five minutes despite the speed and the distance they had traveled.
Going by how fast they were traveling, Yang Qing would have already made his trip to the Red Maple Empire within that timeframe, which was roughly 50,000 kilometers from the main headquarters of the Order. However, within Requiem, it didn''t seem like he had moved at all.
"Where is Requiem anyway. I wonder if it shares the same area as the headquarters and the institute," wondered Yang Qing.
The area was too bizarre a ce that it made Yang Qing doubt whether they shared the same grounds or was it maybe in some hidden grotto. Yang Qing felt it was more likely thetter mostly because of safety reasons.
Grottos were simr to mysterious realms except when it came to grottos they were usually smaller in size and were naturally urring. Grottos were usually created from a natural treasure or some triggered inexinable natural urrences that could never be replicated such as dao fusion that mixes with a heavenly tribtion that could result in a grotto.
Even till date deep research and study was being conducted towards unearthing the mysteries of grottos. Other than being naturally urring they had other features that made them uniquely betterpared to mysterious realms which were artificially created.
Some of those unique features was a grotto could only have one owner or controller and as long as they were alive that fact would not change easily. It was rumored grottos had spirits of their own just like how ancestral dragon veins would develop spirits. Every grotto formed was rumored to have a spirit formed at the point of its creation and as long as you gained the recognition of the grotto''s spirit you could control it however you saw fit. But this also came with a risk, one could die if they gained the ire of the grotto''s spirit.
The theory remained unproven since grottos were uniquely hidden and every organization that was rumored to have a grotto, were all powerhouses. From the intelligence records Yang Qing had ess to, no organization below rank 1 had a grotto.
Even if the theory about a grotto spirit was unproven, what was undeniable was the worth of a grotto. Because of how uniquely they were formed, each grotto had that uniqueness down to the natural treasures they formed. Some of the rarest and unheard off treasures were formed inside grottos, and some were so unique to the point that they couldpletely subvert themon sense of the cultivation world.
One instance of it was a fruit that turned a mortal who didn''t have the tiniest cultivation aptitude at all into a talent with a special physique with three dantians each holding a specialty in the wood, earth, and water element. That person went on to found the Universal saint garden medical valley, a rank 1 sect that was as powerful as the two Holy Lands because of how many connections they had built over the years as the number one ground for healing. Their founder has made monumental discoveries in the medical Dao, that a third of the medical techniques and remedies being practiced in the continent came from his hands.
There was even a rumor going around that even if you only had a single breath left on you, a shattered body, and a dantian, as long as you ended up in death stealer Lin Fan''s hands, you were sure to make a full recovery and even be renewed stronger than ever.
He ended up with the moniker ''death stealer'' because of how many cultivators he brought back from the brink, which ended up being a protective halo over the Saint garden medical valley. A lot of cultivators both mundane and renowned have been healed by Lin Fan, from emperors to bandit kings, to sect masters of orthodox sects to leaders of assassin organizations and each one of them would drop everything should Lin Fan require their assistance.
He was the most favored and the most dangerous man in the continent and such a change was triggered by a grotto.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if the Requiem was one too, it was too weird and unique not to be one, and if it was,
who was the owner?
Chapter 295 Owner Of The Grotto
However, momentster Yang Qing quickly dismissed his guessing thoughts because finally there was a change in the mountains. They seemed grander than before and their effects became much more prominent to the point that some of the defensive features of Yang Qing''s robes were triggered.
However, there was nothing to worry about because in the next instant a gold-red barrier formed around the branch that shielded him from the effects of those mountains.
"How do the core formation and pce realm guards survive here," Yang Qing inwardly wondered with a faint shiver as he recalled the short experience.
Requiem guards had a bare minimum threshold which was ate-stage cultivation base and a blue core. However, based on the experience he just had, Yang Qing had doubts about whether anyone below the domain realm would be able to survive on those mountains not unless they had special tokens or artifacts that helped them stave off the effects of the mountain.
When his thoughts reached this point, he couldn''t help but look below to the long branch beneath his feet that he had detected Vice Warden Shao An''s aura on.
After 20 minutes Yang Qing had already arrived at one of the mountains. It was the mountain that had normal-looking features, except for the spirit beasts that he detected where none was below the pce realm and was lush with monarch-grade herbs.
The branch took him to the summit of that mountain. On the way over Yang Qing finally realized how terrifying the mountain was despite its picturesque and serene look. He had detected almost 18 spirit beasts that made his soul tremble. For such an effect they either had to be at the peak of the pce realm or were at the domain realm already. Other than that, Yang Qing had this nagging feeling there were even more terrifying spirit beasts it''s just that he was too weak to detect them.
The 18 spirit beasts that he did detect, acted in a docile manner when they sensed the presence of the branch. With his safety assured that was when Yang Qing decided to boldly take a closer look at the mountain and its ''upants.'' Use of spiritual sense seemed to have been restricted within the area so he could only use his eyes.
"Are they?!!!" Yang Qing had a look of dismay as he spotted two spirit beasts seating cross-legged as they traded what looked to be jugs of wine. They had a long scroll unfurled between them and they seemed to be discussing it, based on the serious expressions they had as they pointed to certain parts of the scroll.
One of the spirit beasts was an ashen rainbow deer and the other was a sapphire-eyed aurora bear. They were both in the middle stages of the pce realm. Under normal circumstances they should have provided a wide berth to each other since the stronger a spirit beast was the more territorial, they were.
It was rare to find two spirit beasts of simr cultivation base being in this close proximity to one another without breaking into a fight. Though spirit beasts in the pce realm had the same intelligence as humans or spirit beasts that had already unlocked their wisdom pearls, they usually avoided each other. Of course, there were exceptions such as Bolin and the green sh viper or Haishi and the green flowered babirusa. However, for the former, though they could be considered friends, there was still a hierarchy. In some regard, Bolin could be considered a subordinate of the green sh viper.
A subordinated rtionship could create such a scenario and as for Haishi''s case, she was an oddity who didn''t exactly know the way of the spirit beast world and its ruthlessness. Thus when she tailed the green flowered babirusa she didn''t have the malevolent bloodthirsty aura of a spirit beast that had eaten fellow spirit beasts, which was why the green flowered babirusa wasfortable enough to ignore her and their cultivation base were a few minor realms apart, so it had another reason not to care if it was being followed by a weaker spirit beast or not.
But for spirit beasts that were at the same cultivation level, they rarely tolerated each other, the few instances that they did was usually under influenced circumstances such as the spirit beasts being groomed at beast tamer halls around different organizations. In such a circumstance they''d be trained and forced to tolerate each other, however, even then there was always some sort of hierarchy.
Yang Qing observed some more and was shocked to find the harmonious rtionship exhibited by the two spirit beasts could be seen by other spirit beasts around the mountain even the domain realm spirit beasts.
"Could it be the work of a top-tier gold-grade beast tamer?" wondered Yang Qing as his glittered at the strange interactions around him, however, all that was cut short because in no time he was already at the peak of the mountain which was covered in nothing but yellow grass and snow and a 1-meter golden red tree that had luscious leaves.
Beneath that tree was Shao An fiddling with some broken dark grey almost rusty amulet which he put away when Yang Qing appeared.
Yang Qing''s eyes were wider than even when he saw the mountains because he saw the branch that had carried him over, casually disappear into Vice Warden Shao An''s index finger.
"Thank you for bringing me over Vice Warden Shao An," said Yang Qing as he cupped his fists in greeting.
"Just call me Shao, and be casual like you are with Lei," said Vice Warden Shao An as he invited Yang Qing over for a seat.
"It should be your first time here, what''s your impression?" Vice Warden Shao An asked.
"It leaves an impression," Yang Qing said as he smiled bitterly when he saw the look Vice Warden Shao An was giving when he had a small smile tug on his lips.
"Is this a grotto?" since Vice Warden Shao An seemed casual, Yang Qing thought he might as well ask one of the few things on his mind about the ce.
"That it is¡" Vice Warden Shao An said as he paused as his gaze turned distant and nostalgic when he stared in a random direction in one of the mountains.
"I was astounded too when I came here the first time. The 11 mountains really do leave an impression, En Sang lucked out with this ce, too bad he doesn''t seem to value it at all. He would rather be anywhere else but here," said Vice Warden Shao An with a rueful smile.
"En sang? Isn''t he the chief librarian!!!!?" Yang Qing inwardly thought with a shocked expression.
Chapter 296 Duty For Life
"Pardon me, the Chief Librarian is the owner of this ce?" asked Yang Qing.
"Yes, this ce is his," answered Vice Warden Shao An.
"He is also the true warden of this ce, however because of his disinterest of being in the ce, another person had to be appointed to hold the position in his ce.
But since only En Sang is the only one who can fully control this grotto, the current warden can only be considered a nominal warden."
Yang Qing found the whole matter curious. The chief librarian has always been a mercurial figure within the Order. No one knew his true face, gender, or even race. He would go around transforming into a different person all the time, and make appearances in random ces. It could be at the students'' mess hall at the institute or a party filled with high-ranking figures like Dean Zhu Lao''s wee ceremony.
Yang Qing had always kind of admired his seemingly free-spirited and mysterious nature. He never seemed to have a set work schedule and could go wherever he wanted to.
Hearing that someone like him held two posts came as a surprise to him, and none of those posts was small. The chief librarian was the head of thergest library in the whole of the Order, while the warden was the topmost figure in a ce that locked some of the most infamous cultivators in the Southern Continent.
As Yang Qing wondered about their mysterious chief librarian, he suddenly recalled Vice Warden Shao An''s statement.
Yang Qing turned his head and counted the mountains. He repeated this action about two times and finally turned his head.
"You said 11 mountains but aren''t they 12?" asked Yang Qing.
"The mountains are 11 and the ce we are right now isn''t a mountain but something made by En Sang. Everything you have seen; from the mountain itself to the river and the spirit beasts, every single thing here except for this tree was formed from En Sang''s bloodline trait," said Vice Warden Shao An as he pointed toward the short golden red tree they were seated under.
Yang Qing''s jaws were hanging loosely, wondering what bloodline trait could create a whole massive mountain and a functioning ecosystem. He even scanned the area once more for good measure.
It was still a mountain.
"There''s no need to wonder about him, he is a monster through and through even by the Order''s standards. Now let''s get to the matter at hand¡" said Vice Warden Shao An pulling Yang Qing''s cascading thoughts back.
"As you''ve been already told you will be handling the evaluation and rehabilitation of a few prisoners from here. The exact number is seven. You will stick with those seven for the next four years, in which you will be giving an evaluation report of their conduct, annually.
That report will be shared with Requiem, the judicialmittee, and the spirit council. However, you only need to give it to the judicialmittee and they will do the rest. Someone from the reviewmittee will also be working alongside you.
You will get the various list of projects from them and the daily supervision will also be done by them. Your part will be to conduct random check-ins every year.
As for how many times you need to do the check-ins, well you can decide that for yourself, as long as it''s sufficient enough for you to make an urate judgment about them.
The judgment criterion is pretty simple. It''s to find out if they''re pardonable and redeemable. Every year you will give points in ordance to your judgment of their character and your reasoning needs to be clear to us, so be thorough.
Whatever you need to do to find out their true characters, do it. Be as creative as you can in testing them. At the end of the four years whatever conclusion youe to will either have them released, sent back here permanently, or executed. So be very mindful of your assessment and don''t make it lightly. The four-year period can be extended since four years is the basic bare minimum for the programme. With your instruction, more years can be added.
Also, I think I should tell you, the seven cultivators you get for the programme and every other cultivator after that will be your responsibility. If they get pardoned and cause a tragedy yearster it will be up to you to clean it up regardless of whether you will be in the pce courts or the domain courts or in the Spirit council or judicialmittee.
Whichever station you will be in, doesn''t matter. Every prisoner you get from this moment on will be your responsibility for life. So do keep that in mind," Vice Warden Shao An said with an austere look.
"I will," Yang Qing solemnly said.
"Okay. Now for the prisoners. You will need to have at least one pce realm cultivator in your list of seven, as for the remaining six it is up to you. You can mix them up or you can single out one cultivation base, it''s all up to you.
After our talkst time, I went ahead and created a list for you. In there, you will find thirty names. Four are in the pce realm, twelve are in the core formation realm, eight are in the foundation establishment realm and the remaining six are in the qi refinement realm.
You can go and look at them in depthter and decide which seven you''d like," said Shao An as he handed Yang Qing a white jade talisman.
"You will find their bios, the crimes theymitted and why they did it, along with that you will also find the thoughts of different guards on the cultivator themselves which are based on the interactions they have with them both directly and indirectly. It should help paint a picture of who you are dealing with," said Vice Warden Shao An.
Chapter 297 The Twelve Mountains (1)
"Thank you," answered Yang Qing with a smile.
He immediately roughly scanned the contents of the talisman. The information was just as thorough as the one he had gotten from Song Guozhi to prepare him for his ceremony.
A report this thorough he couldn''t help but feel grateful for the vice warden. Without his involvement, the details would not have been this deep. With the information he had on hand, Yang Qing could make the best choice he could, though the risk was always there that those he chose may end up turning on him, however, the report helped lessen those odds somewhat.
As Yang Qing was sifting through the report, he noticed something that made his brows rise up.
"Senior Shao, what do the animal symbols beside them mean?" asked Yang Qing.
When going through the report he noticed that every name listed there had a symbol of an animal next to their names.
The animals were; a rabbit, rooster goat, rat, dog, pig, horse, and an ox.
When he thought about the symbols closely, he realized they were the zodiac symbols.
"The symbols are the designation of the mountain they are imprisoned at. Those in the qi refinement are imprisoned in the rabbit mountain which is that mountain over there filled with a lot of holes around it¡."
Vice Warden Shao An pointed to one of the mountains to the west of their direction. The mountain had little vegetation and was riddled with holes, that made it look like it was a million ant hillsbined together.
"The rooster, the goat, and the rat are the mountains that house the criminals in the foundation establishment realm. The rooster houses those in the early stages, the goat houses those in the middle stages andstly, the rat houses those in thete stage to the peak of the foundation establishment realm.
It''s those three respectively," said the vice warden as he pointed towards three mountains that were side by side.
The Rooster Mountain had what looked to be two miniature suns around it. One was golden yellow and the other was dark orange.
The Goat Mountain was barren and only had one single tree growing at the peak. The tree was about 1200 meters tall and had tiny green leaves. However, what was distinctive about it were therge roots and thorny vines that came from that seemed to have traversed the whole mountain.
The Rat Mountain had a few trees here and there, while the mountain was filled with murky ck water. Yang Qing felt like the water had corrosive nature to it. If a mortal was exposed to it they would get riddled with all kinds of diseases within minutes and when it came to cultivators, a body refining expert would have internal organs corroded continually. Yang Qing even detected it had the ability to corrode someone''s qi.
He couldn''t help but wonder what requirements were needed to form an insidious grotto as this one and how the chief librarian even managed to make it his own.
Gaining ownership of such a grotto came with considerable risks, especially in the early stages.
"The Pig and Dog are the mountains that house those in the core formation realm. The Pig Mountain houses those in the early to middle stage of the core formation realm, while the dog mountain houses those in thete stages to the peak of the core formation realm.
It''s those two respectively," Vice Warden Shao An said as he pointed to two other mountains.
The Pig Mountain had nothing on it except constant tremors and thunderous earthquakes which immediately repaired itself only for another earthquake to happen. The effects were of varying degrees and apanying those earthquakes werendslides.
Dog Mountain was theplete opposite of Rooster Mountain. It was dark and gloomy and had a lone moon above it as the only source of light. The moon''s light seemed to be dimming. Yang Qing could detect the glow had detrimental effects attached to it especially ones that were targeted towards the mind. One of those effects was inducing mania.
The more Yang Qing looked at it, the more he felt it seemed familiar. He narrowed his gaze on the nts around it and his pupils shook.
''Poison. It''s that mountain,'' he wondered in shock.
When he arrived, he had seen a mountain that was surrounded by purple smoke that had a dangerous enchanting beauty to it and poisonous nts below it along with insects.
When he closely examined the gloomy mountain, he realized it was the same poisonous mountain from before except the moon above it seemed to be restraining and concealing the poison. Only when he looked closer did he discover minute poisonous elements spread about in most of the nts.
''What kind of crazy ce is this grotto?''
Before, Yang Qing only gave the mountains a cursory nce since he was warier of the terrifying sensation he got from the recess of the abyss below the mountain.
After he met up with Vice Warden Shao An, even if he was close to the mountains than before, their effects seemed isted from him, and at the time he was fully concentrated onmitting Shao An''s introduction of his new role to memory.
Only now when he purposely evaluated them, did he realize how terrifying those mountains were, and even what he sensed seemed to have been reduced and wasn''t theplete effect.
''How do they survive?''
"Lastly the horse and the ox mountains house those in the pce realm. The horse mountain houses those in the early and middle stages of the pce realm and also those in the quasi-pce stage while the ox houses those in thete stage to the peak of the pce realm.
The Horse Mountain is that one, and the Ox Mountain is the one to its right," said Vice Warden Shao An.
The Horse Mountain was the one Yang Qing had taken note off before that had variable changes. One minute it was a scorching desert, the next it was flooding. The changes happened to the weather and thendscape, only the mountainous structure remained but what was on it changed every few minutes, and every change seemed to be a natural cmity, though it did exhibit a calm surrounding once in a while, it was rare. As for the changes, though they seemed normal cmities, Yang Qing detected dao of destruction mixed in with those cmities.
A core formation expert, even one in thete stages would not be able to survive there for more than 30 minutes before their body and soul were destroyed.
Chapter 298 The Twelve Mountains (2)
Yang Qing quickly averted his gaze from Horse Mountain to Ox Mountain. The Ox Mountain was the mountain covered in three different colored mes. They were orange, red, and blue. The more Yang Qing concentrated on those mes the more he felt like his whole body down to his soul was engulfed in those mes. The blue me had the highest potency of the three, while the orange was the weakest, though even though it was weak it could burn a core formation to ashes in an instant.
"This could be an alchemist''s and cksmith''s paradise as long as they could bear the mes," thought Yang Qing. Certain ingredients needed a certain type of me to be able to refine them either into a potion or weapon.
Yang Qing even spotted a few unique herbs and ores growing within those mes. He had no idea as to their identities since grottos usually had unique natural treasures tied to the intrinsic nature of the grotto itself.
After being given a brief introduction to the mountains, Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder about the identities of the remaining ones. If he went by Vice Warden Shao An''s statement about there being only three mountains, then he guessed the three mountains housed domain-level criminals and maybe even one at the soul formation.
Just as he was about to investigate them further, he heard Vice Warden Shao An''s voice warning him.
"Don''t try to look at them too deeply otherwise even with the protection of the parasol tree, you won''t leave unscathed."
Yang Qing hurriedly pulled back his when he heard Vice Warden Shao An''s warning.
"Those three mountains are special inparison to the rest, which is a given considering they are used to imprison domain experts. If you''re not careful your soul, your mind, and body may be injured by them, even passively," warned Vice Warden Shao An.
"Thank you for the kind reminder Senior Shao," said Yang Qing with an apologetic smile. His back was covered in sweat.
Because of the illusion of safety he had with Vice Warden Shao An, he had forgotten where he was. This was where the most heinous cultivators were housed. Those who hadmitted all kinds of atrocities such as single-handedly massacring a whole city or a whole n with different means.
How could a ce that housed cultivators like them be a ce anyone could do as they pleased? It had to be even more dangerous than its upants, otherwise, it would not serve its purpose as a doomed prison for the damned. A ce built to break their spirits and their lives.
The name Requiem was rather ironic considering the nature of the ce. It did not give repose to those imprisoned but guaranteed them never-ending torment. Though if one looked at it from a different angle the name was fitting. While those imprisoned here didn''t gain any peaceful rest, their victims, both the living and the dead would get rest knowing those who harmed them were receiving the worst possible treatment they could ever get, even worse than what they got and such a thought may have afort to them.
"Since I am your senior and I understand the curiosity of youth. I could tell you of the three mountains even if you can''t analyze them as the rest."
Vice Warden Shao An had a smile as he said this when he saw Yang Qing quickly perk up his ears and eyes gleaming with curiosity.
''I hope he won''t take out a bag of sunflower seeds and wine'' Shao An yfully thought.
"The remaining three mountains; monkey, snake, and tiger are for the mountains that house the early-stage, middle-stage, andte-stage domain experts respectively.
When you came in you must have noticed the mountain that was raining different colored lightnings, one that wasplete darkness and one that was covered in light.
The Monkey Mountain is the one with the lightning rain, the Snake Mountain is the one covered inplete darkness and the Tiger Mountain is the one covered inplete light¡"
"What about where we are?" asked Yang Qing.
Even though it wasn''t part of the Grotto mountains he still felt it held a significant role. The Chief Librarian couldn''t have created it just for kicks or maybe it was where the Requiem Guards lived. It could be considered the only habitable ce in the whole grotto Every other ce was a disaster waiting to happen.
"This is the Dragon Mountain, the prison for the soul formation experts and also their burial ground because, unlike the rest of the cultivators, we can''t risk having them around for too long.
Every soul formation expert caught is executed within 10 years, not that we have soul formation experts here.
For now, it''s just a nice mountain to rx at and drink tea and admire the view," said Vice Warden Shao An.
For some reason Yang Qing didn''t believe him, he felt there was more to the Dragon Mountain, and the part about there not being a soul formation expert present had its doubts too. He didn''t have any basis other than gut instinct and youthful indulgence and curiosity.
Yang Qing had an unhealthy penchant for seeing mysteries even where there were none, which was why he usually got taken for a lot of his spirit stones at the open-air market. The weirder an object looked, the more likely Yang Qing would spend an arm and a tooth to get it.
"I think it''s about time to send you back. I''m afraid without En Sang''s token, it will get dangerous for you to be here even with my assistance, and the warden isn''t around to keep that thing at bay," said Vice Warden Shao An as he looked below them.
"There is something down there!" Yang Qing fearfully thought. He had learned his lesson from before, so he made no attempts to look downward.
He exchanged a few more words with Shao An before he was brought away the same way he was brought back. The ride back however was two times faster than before. In ten minutes, he was back at the cliff he appeared from and the spatial domain to the Judicial Committee building was already open. He immediately jumped in, leaving the nerve-wracking Requiem behind.
¡.
"Luckily it is still in deep hibernation," muttered Shao An as he stared below him with an austere look and a golden glow in his eyes.
Chapter 299 Preparation For The Entrance Examination
"That thing must really be something for it to need 11 mountains and En Sang''s blood essence just to seal it."
Vice Warden Shao An''s eyes turned into a golden me with while his pupils morphed into the shape of a tree. A few minutester he sighed and went back to lounging under the tree, as he read some booklet he had.
¡
Yang Qing didn''t spend too much time with the three elders of the judicialmittee when he came out. He exchanged a few words with them, one of which was he will send his decision of the seven inmates he would be supervising to Vice Warden Shao An through them.
After the experience he just had, the less interaction he had with the ce the better. It was better and safer to use the Judicial Committee as the go-between.
Once he was done, he made his way to his abode but not before informing both Zheng Hu and Ma Yuan to meet up with the two roaming inquisitors attached to him; Xia Ting and Yu Gen. He needed to get the case going which he hoped would have made some major headway in theing week or so before he got swamped in his other cases.
Ma Yuan tried to actposed and not impatient but Yang Qing could tell underneath he was as anxious as any man who lost his wife and daughter could be. In fact, one could argue Ma Yuan was even more nervous from the moment Yang Qing took over the case.
While finally there was a glimmer of hope that he may be able to find his wife and daughter, a newfound fear cropped up from that possibility and that fear was what would be the status of his wife and daughter when they were found?
Would they be alive? What would be their condition in case they were found alive?
The cultivation world was ruthless as it came, it didn''t matter whether you were a man, woman, child, or an elder with one foot in the grave, as long as you were weak you were subject to the grim realities of the underside of the cultivation world where the strong preyed on the weak.
When Ma Yuan had little to no hope of finding them and was wishing for his death, the one positive thing he had which was more wishful thinking than anything else, was they were alive and well. But now with the Order''s help and all these grounds they had started making in just a few days, he now had to face the realities of what would he find at the other end of that venture.
As an orphan and a rogue cultivator, he knew how bad it could get which was why even though he seemed ecstatic when Yang Qing told him about the progress and having more hands on the case, he couldn''t hide the fear in his eyes from Yang Qing.
Yang Qing sympathized with him but he knew not knowing would be a far worse fate for Ma Yuan. That torment made Ma Yuan want to take his life in the most painful way possible and had Yang Qing not been around, Ma Yuan may have very well seeded in his endeavor.
Yang Qing left the preliminary investigation to the roaming inquisitors and Zheng Hu could assist where possible even if he was in the core formation and the case more than likely involved someone in the quasi-pce realm or the pce realm.
With how much information they had to sift through, every help would be needed, which was why Yang Qing even contemted having certain aspects of the case onmission for an outside contract in case the Wind Gliding Mercenaries failed toe up with anything in theing week.
After Yang Qing was sure he had handled everything i.e. the things that concerned Ma Yuan''s case and the things for his induction, he left for his abode to prepare for the entrance examination that would be starting in just two days. He had today and tomorrow to ensure everything was in ce.
With how desperate the Order was for talent and manpower, the entrance examination for new recruits was much more serious than other organizations and Yang Qing''s role as the chief examiner this time was likely to be closely monitored.
If he did a good job, he was likely to get rewarded with merit points and other tangible benefits, but if he messed it up, he had no doubt the Order with all its creativity would find a way to make sure he would pay dearly for it. He didn''t want that to happen which was why despite how much it pained him, he decided to ask for help from the one person he never wanted to.
¡
"You sure kept me waiting a while, o'' mighty pce court judge."
Yang Qing immediately had veins throbbing on his forehead when he heard those words and the mocking look of the person saying them.
"Hung can you not eat my food and mock me at the same time?" said Yang Qing in exasperation as he pushed Kang Hung''s feet off his table.
"You''re the one who called me. So, what is it?" asked Kang Hung as he returned his feet back up the table.
Yang Qing exhaled in defeat and went to take a seat opposite him and took out a worn-out bamboo scroll from his storage ring.
Kang Hung who was nonchnt before with azy look leaned forward to the scroll with interest in his eyes.
Yang Qing proceeded to unroll it over the table revealing all its contents, though with how aged it was, almost half of it was illegible, however, there was one part that was clearer than all the other texts and images. It was the cursive title at the top of the scroll.
It had the name ''108 Steps of the autumn leaves.''
"Where did you get this?" asked Kang Hung as he traced through some of the texts with his fingers.
"I got it from hall master Ren Xin of the Rapids spear hall."
Kang Hung who was about to be enthralled by the scroll, flinched as an angry look appeared on his face.
"Don''t think I don''t know it was you who goaded that she-devil Wei Liling to attack me," Kang Hung angrily said.
"You know she would have attacked you regardless of what I said, especially after what happened in your duelst time," answered Yang Qing unperturbed by Kang Hung''s angry re.
"So, what do you need from me? It can''t be to help youplete this art, you''re better at that sort of thing than me and if you needed help, Boqin would have been a better choice than me," Kang Hung curiously asked as his attention was drawn back to the contents of the bamboo scroll.
"Ordinarily, yes, I''d ask Boqin for help if I needed it, but right now I need your particr expertise. I''ll be the chief examiner for this year''s entrance examination for the institute and as such I need to make sure it''s prepared thoroughly and one of the ways is through this cultivation art.
I think you may have noticed already, that this art has a rather in-depthyout towardsying down fundamentals however those fundamentals are built for those already in the qi refinement realm, and even for them it only bes relevant to those in thete stages, preparing for their journey into the foundation establishment realm.
But the problem is the bulk of thoseing for the test will have no cultivation, or will be in the body refinement realm or the early stages of the qi refinement. While there will still be a lot of them in thete stages, their numbers pale inparison to those in the body refinement or the early stages.
I need help in refining the cultivation art so it can be usable with those groups. The first part of the art is still intact, which we can use as a basis to create something simple and usable by those without a cultivation base or in the body refining realm and the early stages of the qi refinement.
With the short amount of time I have, I''ll need your help with thebat arts attached to the art while I focus on the art as a whole," said Yang Qing.
The 108 steps of the autumn leaves was an iplete gold-grade cultivation art he had received from the hall master of the One thousand hall battle pce.
The art seemed to have been created with the sole purpose of reinforcing the cultivation base of the practitioner by solidifying their fundamentals at each stage from thete stage of the qi refinement realm to the foundation establishment realm. The legible part of the technique had reached the peak of the core formation realm, while from the pce realm going forward was iplete.
It not only helped the user improve their cultivation realm but it also touched on differentbat arts that were integrated into the art to help with its purpose of solidifying the fundamentals.
It had palm arts, fist arts, saber arts, sword arts, spear arts, and movement arts attached to it. However, these arts were created for someone in thete stages of the qi refinement realm, any one weaker would struggle to execute them, thus Yang Qing had to modify them along with modifying the entire cultivation art for those weaker than its minimum requirement.
Tackling thebat aspect and the cultivation art would require some effort and time which he didn''t have, therefore enlisting the services of abat monster with already three different types of intents and an aptitude for every weapon, was the next best option. Kang Hung, just like him, had a peerless jade physique. His was the Harmonious cataclysmic jade bones, which gave him an unnatural aptitude towardsbat sense and attunement of differentbat arts.
With his help, they would be able toplete everything in time, and one part of his preparation would be done.
Chapter 300 The Crazy Ones
"I''m not going to help you for free, it will cost you," said Kang Hung.
He put his feet up on the table, along with an apanying smug grin.
Yang Qing wasn''t too surprised by his words. He would have been more surprised if Kang Hung agreed to help him with no strings attached.
"How much?"
With how short of time he was, Yang Qing had already prepared himself to get fleeced. Luckily, he had the gifts from his ceremony, so he would be spared from paying out of pocket.
"Mmh, I think 10,000 middle-grade stones should do it," answered Kang Hung, closely monitoring Yang Qing''s reaction.
"Fine, but for that cost you will need to do something more, don''t worry it''s nothing strenuous and is something I''ve just thought up would be great for the test¡"
Kang Hung was surprised by Yang Qing''s ease with which he epted the charge. He had expected for them to go back and forth like they usually did before he finally settled for 7,500 middle-grade spirit stones, which was his real asking price.
''I should have asked for more.'' Thought Kang Hung in regret.
"What do you need?" asked Kang Hung.
Yang Qing showed a devious smile as he exined the ins and outs of his ideas.
"Are you sure the institute will agree to it? I don''t want to end up getting fined with you because you went overboard with your duties," said Kang Hung.
"I think they will agree to it¡" said Yang Qing as his gaze turned solemn.
"In terms of cultivation, while the quality of intake hasn''t changed, other aspects seem to have been neglected.
Things are not the same as when we got in or the seniors before us¡ the world may seem safe on the surface but it has a lot of undercurrents and one of those undercurrents is charged toward us, Lai Lei and others like him are proof of it..."
A heavy silence ensued for a few seconds. Lai Lei''s attack happened eight months ago and when news of it spread, it hit them heavily because they knew Lai Lei, they were close to him because he was the chief inquisitor under Dai Chen and they knew each other even during their Institution days.
It''s one thing hearing a random colleague getting attacked but it''s another when that colleague is also a friend. From that moment, the danger felt very real. Also, the manner in which Lai Lei got attacked added to it. He got surrounded by fifteen cultivators of which eight were half-step pce realm cultivators just like him except for the fact that they had used forbidden means to reach that level, which was why Lai Lei was able to escape the encirclement in the fast ce albeit with a lost arm, leg, and a cracked dantian.
Though he survived, the attack showed there were people capable of forcefully creating half-step pce realm cultivators, and had the means and the guts to target those from the Order and also manage to hide their identities.
Every Order employee had an arrow in the dark pointed at them, and who knew how bad the next attack would be, if or when it happened?
"The peopleing now need to be mentally for the storm that maye for us. If they''re not ready, this is the best we can give them to protect their lives.
Since the attacks started happening, there have been cases of desertion from those in the outer core courts, and other departments that put its members in the field.
I don''t fault them for running, when they came in, they came in for the glory that came from bing a member of the Order but what they got is an increased threat to their lives because of their association with us. Some even leftfortable lives for it, and they haven''t been at the Order long enough for them to willingly give up their lives for it¡"
Yang Qing at some point took out vermilion wine and poured a cup for himself and Kang Hung.
"Hung this is why we need crazy people. Those willing to trade their lives for a shot at something selfish that the Order can give them. Isn''t that why we came here in the first ce?
We didn''t have lofty ambitions of bringing peace to the whole Southern Continent or fighting for glory, we all wanted something from this ce, thus we fought and wed our way in and continue to do so to selfishly keep hold of what lured us in here in the first.
Here''s to finding crazy people like us," said Yang Qing with a malevolent grin. He raised his cup towards Kang Hung who was dazed but then showed a simr-looking grin.
"To the crazy ones," he answered as he clinked his cup with Yang Qing''s, and then both downed their cups, with Yang Qing immediately refilling them after.
"I''ll still need the 10,000 middle-grade spirit stones though," added Kang Hung as he brought the cup over for a sip.
"Sure, no problem. I don''t know why you keep up with the bets, it''s not like you have ever won and worse youpete with guys from the administration hall.
There''s no way you''d ever win against them," said Yang Qing with a pitying look.
"Even though I haven''t won, it won''t always be that way, I''m getting better and better at it, it''s only a matter of time now, and when that momentes, I''ll show those bastards," Kang Hung snortingly replied as a battle intent shed in his eyes.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but shake his head at this. Since their institute days, Kang Hung developed the nasty habit of cing bets on random things such as the punishment Yang Qing would get from the instructors for his many incidents. Yang Qing even intentionally got in trouble at some point and tried his hand at it since the betting pool had enough money to buy him a thousand crimson pigs for a whole month. He lost that bet and ended up punished, and a few spirit stones light.
After they graduated, Kang Hung''s habits turned to bet on cases, more specifically random pop-ins. He and a few others from different departments would bet on different aspects such as how many random pop-in cases the outer core court will get, or guess the weirdest random case that maye in before it did.
Kang Hung has been doing it ever since he was an outer core court judge and not once had it ever gone his way. Which was why he was always borrowing from them, along with offering tutoring sses to those from the institute at a cost.
Yang Qing shook his head in wonder at how many weird people were in the Order. There was Kang Hung and his cohorts gambling on cases, Mao Yunru spending most of her ie on information brokers, Zhang Qingge who paid thousands of fines due to her berserker shy nature, Dai Chen who funded a lot of amateur wine brewers in different parts of the continent in the hopes there was a diamond in the rough among them, thus guaranteeing him a lifetime supply of quality wine.
''Is there no one normal here?'' wondered Yang Qing in worry.
He pulled his thoughts back into extrapting the 108 steps of the autumn leaves cultivation art. With how little time he had, he couldn''t afford to waste it in wonder at the oddness of the people the Order epted through their doors.
Chapter 301 Going To The Institute
Enlisting Kang Hung''s help proved to be useful as they were done with improvising the cultivation art in almost 14 hours. Their individual expertise and cultivation bases yed a part along with the target for the art, otherwise, it would have proven difficult toplete it in such a short time.
Yang Qing because of his background with his family, even though he wished he could block out much of his childhood memories, left him with a wide knowledge pool on the body refining stage and its differentplexities.
Integrating his knowledge of the body refining realm and the 108 steps of the autumn leaves went on seamlessly, while Kang Hung was easily able toe up with moves around the cultivation art.
They both had extensive skills and a plethora of experience in each of their areas and their high cultivation bases coupled with the low requirement of integrating the art for those in the body refining realm up to the middle stages of qi refinement, made the task easy to aplish within that time frame.
"Thanks, Hung," said Yang Qing as he prepared to leave for the Institute.
"Mmh, the other matter I will have finished it by the time you get back," said Kang Hung.
He seemed to be intricately carving something into a cylindrical block of wood. His movements were slow and measured and his eyes closely trailing his every movement.
Yang Qing on seeing this left without saying anything else as he headed to the craftsmanship division first before he headed for the institute.
He didn''t spend too much time there, and just left some instructions with them on what he needed and the timeframe for picking the finished product. The work he needed wasn''t overlyplex thus he didn''t receive a bacsh for giving a six-hour deadline.
¡.
"This ce still hasn''t changed," Yang Qing thought with a rueful smile on his face as he stared at arge gate made of red dragon wood. It was intricately designed to look like it was made of intertwining vines and on both sides of the door from the center, there were two magnificently crafted images of two birds. One of them was a golden eagle and the other was a blue robin. Both birds symbolized justice and adaptability, respectively.
The blue robin was the Institute''s respective symbol. Their aim was to train their students and increase their odds of survival for when they started working for the Order, which was why they ced great emphasis on adaptability.
Yang Qing walked in with a nostalgic look on his face as he took the sights in as he walked. There was no guard at the gate since there was a purple grade formation on the gate that read the soul signatures of those entering, and that was only one of the measures put in ce.
In terms of importance, the Institute held more value than even the courtrooms and Requiem. The Institute was the lifeblood of the Order, without it, they would find it next to impossible to find cultivators good enough to handle the demands of its jobs. Therefore, it was also one of the most well-protected ces in the whole of the Order.
As a student, Yang Qing had even heard of the rumor that there was a certain restricted area within the Institute that housed select members of the Spirit Council. Yang Qing didn''t know how true the statement was, but he felt it couldn''t be that far off because the Institute was just that valuable, that was even without taking into ount the Main Library that was ced within the Institute''s grounds.
However, that particr rumor remained unproven because of how enormous the ce was. One had to move from one faculty to another through the use of spatial runes, otherwise, if they depended on their cultivation base, it would take them months, and there were dangerous zones between those faculties. Each faculty was its own territory, including even the Main Library.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure howrge the Institute was, but he was sure in his five years there, he had not covered half of it.
Yang Qing walked smiling, admiring the buildings and the history in them as he headed to the administration building which was the target for his visit.
On the way over he could see young students in ck coats and orange robes who had eagerness, excitement, and apetitive spirit written over their faces. They curiously looked at Yang Qing before they went on their way.
Yang Qing soon spotted another group wearing the same robes. They had a sense of maturity to them both in their looks and demeanor. However, they had a haggard look to them. Yang chuckled when he saw them. He too was once like them. During their final years from the fourth year, the deathbats would increase in number.
When it came tobat training, Institute students would fight against each other, the instructor, their seniors, andstly convicts from Requiem who either had long sentences that would see them serve it to their death or those who were sentenced to death after a certain set period.
Those prisoners for a chance to reduce their sentence or have their duration of the death sentence extended would be given a chance at it bybating students from the Institute. However, because they were heinous criminals who shouldn''t see the light of day, that option came with a catch, which was they could get killed if they lost the duel.
It was simr to the sentence Yang Qing had given to Peng Zhen. If the convicts lost, the battle would either end in their death or injury. If they wanted to avoid that, they had to fight with everything they had. They were encouraged to fight to kill the students. With death having over their heads and the potential of freedom or another day of life, fight they did, and fearsomely at that.
This method was the preferred method of choice when it came to training thebat sense of the students of the institute. They could get a clear sense of how life outside the Institute would be, which was why student vs student spars or student vs instructor spars were not done as much because itcked the ferocity of a real battle where life and death were real stakes.
Awards and punishments were given in regard to a student''s performance in those fights. In the early years they''d do it once a month but from the third year down up to the fifth year the fights would be three days a week, and the intensity would increase the further up the years, one was.
The fights were anything but easy. The instructors would monitor the fights and would not intervene until the student was at risk of death or being irreversibly crippled, as for everything else including losing your limbs, was something termed as eptable.
From their looks, Yang Qing guessed they were in their third year. Even though they looked haggard they were not beat up enough. They still had some life in them.
"Yang Qing is that you?"
Yang Qing''s thoughts were cut short by a call from a blue-robed man who looked to be in histe thirties. Yang Qing had a slight shiver when he saw him before he smiled obsequiously at the blue-robed man. He had to since that man was an instructor, a nightmare fiend in human skin to all who had the misfortune of having him as their instructor.
"Instructor Wu Shi, your heroic bearing hasn''t waned one bit."
Chapter 302 Final Preparations
"d to see some things haven''t changed despite you being a pce court judge," said Instructor Wu Shi with a light chuckle.
Yang Qing could only grin foolishly at this.
"So, are you here for a ''friendly'' duel like your past seniors the moment they broke through to the pce realm?" asked Instructor Wu Shi.
Yang Qing flinched at the question before he answered,
"No, I''m not that crazy. I''m here to meet with the Vice Chancellor to agree on a few things. I will be the chief examiner for the entrance examinations happening tomorrow," said Yang Qing as he immediately smiled in embarrassment when he saw Instructor Wu Shi''s unconcealed look of disbelief.
"They decided on you!?"
''What''s wrong with me, I''m more than capable. Just you wait till I''m in the domain realm. I''ll make sure to take good care of you then, just like you always took care of me.''
Yang Qing kept those thoughts to himself as he outwardly said,
"I know I''m still immature and unworthy of it, but I will work hard not to disappoint the Institute," Yang Qing solemnly said.
Even though he was essentially bootlicking and pandering here, he still meant those words. He was going to give his very best to ensure the standards of the Institute were maintained, which was why he didn''t hesitate to use his own iplete gold-grade cultivation art as one of the means or pay Kang Hung 10,000 middle-grade spirit stones for his assistance.
"That I do not doubt, you did have one of the fewest loss records in your year after all," said Instructor Wu Shi with a look of approval and respect.
His statement drew looks of awe from the haggard-looking students who regained some life in their eyes as they stared at Yang Qing with gleaming eyes of respect.
One''s records of defeat and loss were tabted throughout all their five years at the Institute from the moment they begin their death duels with the convicts of Requiem.
They knew Instructor Wu Shi''s temperament and methods of judgment. If he praised someone, they had to be of an outstanding caliber. Those worthy of his praise were those who were in the top 10.
Yang Qing smiled bitterly at this, despite the praise. Unlike others within the top 10, he didn''t reach there solely because of thisbat acumen. As long as you were not defeated, it would count as a win for you, which on loose definition meant even a draw was a win or out-enduring your opponent.
Yang Qing''s physique was built for exactly that; durability and endurance.
"All the best, and do find us some good seedlings ones with the backbone to take a beating and still keep going," said Instructor Wu Shi.
"That was my exact intention," answered Yang Qing with excitement in his tone. He has always been a little sadistic due to how much trouble he got into over the years. It''s in doubt if he even realized it himself.
In as much as being a Chief Examiner came with an opportunity to score a lot of merits, he also relished it for the opportunity to put his new juniors through the wringer.
Instructor Wu Shi on seeing the malevolent small grin appearing on Yang Qing''s face, drylyughed, said his goodbyes, and then left with the haggard students who had looks of pity on their faces for the new prospects.
It took a few seconds for Yang Qing to pull himself back from that reverie.
''I can''t wait to get started,'' thought Yang Qing in glee.
Using the administration office in the outer perimeter of the Institute he was able to ess a spatial rune that took him to the central administration building where the Vice Chancellor was located.
Lucky for him, Vice Chancellor Wu Ling was around and he also had Dean Zhu Lao with him which came as a weed surprise for Yang Qing since he had ns for visiting himter once, he was done with the Vice Chancellor.
Even though extrapting a cultivation art for those in the body refinement realm and those in the early stages to middle stages of qi refinement was not difficult, it did not hurt to seek the opinion of a skilled cultivator in the creation and improvement of cultivation arts like Dean Zhu Lao. He may be able to point out inconsistencies and mistakes that he or Kang Hung may have overlooked and make the art even more refined.
Yang Qing quickly gave out an in-depth exnation of his ns for the examination including the measure Kang Hung was working on, which he was surprised to see that Vice Chancellor Wu Ling and Dean Zhu Lao were in support of.
Yang Qing was fully prepared to list all the pros of the measure, however just after giving out the preliminary exnation, both seniors were in full support of it.
Once he was done with his exnation, he went on to show Dean Zhu Lao a copy of their modified cultivation art and also the 108 steps of the autumn leaves, for reference.
Like a cultivation art fanatic, Dean Zhu Lao was immediately immersed in the art and almost lost himself to it if it wasn''t for Vice Chancellor Wu Ling''s timely intervention.
The Dean didn''t disappoint as he made a few improvements to the art, especially to the parts touching up on the early stage to middle stage of the qi refinement realm. After he was done, he asked to make a copy of the 108 steps of the autumn leaves cultivation art in exchange for a copy of an equivalent iplete art that Dean Zhu Lao had on hand.
Yang Qing readily agreed to the deal and left immediately after to finish up the remaining tasks for the day.
The goals ofing to see the Vice Chancellor was to fill him in on his ns for the test and the other was to get the materials and approval of the ce he would be conducting the test.
Chapter 303 Three Guests
The Institute had no shortage of ces to conduct tests at, however other than things rted to his time at the institute such as sses and thebat arena, Yang Qing was unfamiliar with areas unrted to it such as areas set aside for the entrance examination, and for that, he needed the Vice Chancellor''s help in addition to getting the necessary manpower and materials to set everything up.
He was left close to 12 hours before the test began, so he needed as much help as he could and the best way for that was through Vice Chancellor Wu Ling.
With his support, Yang Qing was able to find a suitable location and was able to source manpower from different departments both from within and outside the Institute such as the beast taming department, formation department, alchemy, and the like.
Within seven hours everything had been arranged and Yang Qing could finally rest easy for five hours until the beginning of the test. Yang Qing decided to spend that time at his abode. It has been a while since he enjoyed theforts of the resource pit nest of the celestial nesting weaver and he also had to pick up the material Kang Hung was working on.
''I wonder how Yi Jie is doing," wondered Yang Qing as hezily stretched within the nest admiring the bullfrog totem in his hand. The totem was dark brown and was about the size of his palm. The statue was of a bullfrog performing a Daoist salute. It was in and ordinary looking. The Daoist salute was about the only thing that made it stand out but even then, it wasn''t by much. One could easily assume it.
Yang Qing grinned foolishly as he cast a deep gaze on the bullfrog wooden statue.
¡.
Five hours went by quickly. Yang Qing had already made his way to the venue of the examination one hour prior and made a once-over check to make sure everything was in ce for the examination.
Once he confirmed everything was in ce Yang Qing set up a small round table filled with different fruits, meat dishes, and a wine gourd at the top of the mountain underneath a caramel tree.
Yang Qing took a deep breath of satisfaction as he admired the mountain that would be the venue for today''s entrance examination. The mountain was called the dawning autumn mountain. He felt it was rather fitting to choose a ce that shared a name with the cultivation art he would use for the test.
The region was mildly low and it was called the dawning mountain because of the orange-red leaves that filled the mountain. It had a forest that had maple trees, cedar trees, and the cinnamon tree as the prevalent tree species, though it had a lot of herb growth due to those trees and the environment of the ce, in addition, there was a winding river that covered the whole mountain.
The spiritual qi in the area was mild and bnced with all the elements and was suitable to all cultivators from the core formation realm and below and it had a few unique features that woulde in handy for the examination one of which was the dreamscape waterfall. All who walked through it would have their inner ambitions brought to the surface. It was one of the many means of the Order in sifting out those with questionable motives.
"I wonder how many exceptional talents will show up," Yang Qing eagerly thought, however, a worried look soon appeared on his face.
"Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, I hope the both of you can pass this hurdle," Yang Qing worriedly thought.
The two siblings had a low cultivation base at the bronze stage of the bronze refining stage. While the test was bnced out with advantages to give those with low cultivation bases a chance, if they did not have the talent to take advantage, they would not be able to make it through.
Yang Qing admired their ability to adapt and the tenacity they had developed in their years in Purple City, however, the examination today didn''t have areas that tested the qualities that they had honed in Purple City. For them to make it, they would have to use their heads and have the will to keep going but they also had to have the talent to work from, without it their chances of getting into the Order will be low, and if that happened Yang Qing could only help them gain jobs in the various organizations around the Order or put their names forward for the intelligence programme and see if the Shadow Hawks could ept, however, that was essentially throwing them into the deep end, a much dark deeper water than the pond they called Purple City.
Their life expectancy would be dangerously low if they went that route, which Yang Qing was rather hesitant to do.
"We will cross that bridge when we get there," muttered Yang Qing as he poured himself the wine Yi Jie left him before he left to break through.
"What are you mumbling to yourself about?"
"Don''t you three have cases today?" Yang Qingzily asked without turning back as he took out three more urns.
At his back was Kang Hung, Xia Boqin and Dai Chen.
Kang Hung was dressed in regr-looking yellow robes that made it seem he was going to do some farming instead of working. Xia Boqin as always looked like a noble with deep blue robes.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but click in envious disgust when he saw him. Dai Chen had on the same robes as Yang Qing. The dark gold robes and numeral I at the back signifying he was a judge of the outer pce court.
"I don''t have any cases for the time being, I already filed for leave in preparation to break through to the pce realm. I will be leaving for the tribtion mountain in three days," answered Kang Hung as he made his way over, grabbing a few sliced mangoes as he sat down.
"You managed to fuse them?" asked Yang Qing in mild surprise
"Mmh, the thing we worked on yesterday even gave me the inspiration to add one more intent into the mix," Kang Hung smugly said.
''Combat maniac,'' spitefully muttered Yang Qing under his breath.
"What about you two?" asked Yang Qing trying to take the light out of the smug-looking Kang Hung.
"I''ll also be heading for the mountain," Xia Boqin answered as he smoothly sat down and took his cup of the poured wine.
"I filed to be the assistant examiner when I heard it was you supervising this entrance examination," answered Dai Chen as he greedily gulped the wine Yang Qing had poured for him and shamelessly poured another for himself only this time, instead of using the urn, he poured it to a big bowl.
"Well, it''s better than watching over it myself," said Yang Qing as his gaze focused on the bottom of the mountain.
Chapter 304 [Bonus ]Guidelines Of The Test
Droves of people started swarming in, dressed in different robes and of different ages. Some had new robes, while others had robes that looked like they were hanging on by a thread. There were those as young as five years, while there were those as old as seventy.
Age, size, gender, and looks did not matter, they all had the same nervous and excited expression on their faces as they curiously looked around.
Yang Qing managed to spot Zou Yi and Zou Liqin in the midst of that crowd. Zou Liqin looked to be a nervous wreck as her eyes darted around while standing close to Zou Yi whose eyes were curiously staring around with apetitive spirit oozing from him.
"What do you guys think?" asked Yang Qing as he stood up prepared to head below.
"There are some unique talents."
"I hope there will be unexpected surprises from the lot."
"I''m curious how many will be able to make it the first time."
"Hung why do you have that look?"
"Did you two do anything?"
"The Vice Chancellor approved of everything within the test."
¡
Yang Qing shed and disappeared from the peak of the Dawning autumn mountain and reappeared at the base of it.
The crowd that was busy murmuring to each other, all went silent the moment they saw Yang Qing suddenly appear.
Yang Qing remained silent as he waited for thest of the entrants to gather. The number was quiterge since it was at five thousand. However, half of that number was the apanying family members or guardians who had brought the applicants over.
The Order only epted entrants from unranked organizations or those in the rank five. For thetter, the whole organization would have toe under the Order or the applicant, if sessful would have to cut ties with them. This was to avoidplications that may arise; one of which was the danger to that organization were they discovered to have familial or any other deep ties with someone from the Order.
The other was to avoid disputes that may arise if that organization grew despotic from knowing they had someone from the Order backing them up.
Every applicant was allowed to bring a maximum of four family members or guardians.
Some came with their n heads or close familial members, others were part of some unranked sect, others had no families while there were those termed as ''special applicants''. These were applicants who belonged to high-ranking organizations, however, they cut ties with them before joining the Order. Hao Da, Yang Qing''s problematic friend from his Institute days, was one such example. He was part of the Hao family which is a rank 3 n, however, he cut ties with them the moment his mother passed and applied to join the Order. The Zou siblings fell into this category too and they were not the only ones. Yang Qing could identify this group based on their fluctuations. They were a lot more stable than the rest, showing their prior background.
Andstly, there were the ''Legacies''. These were the children of members working for the Order. With the Order''s attitude toward ensuring fairness to all, even the children of Order employees had to go through the normal route to attain the qualifications to work for the Order. Simply being the child of an employee didn''t automatically qualify them to be an employee of the Order. They had to earn that spot.
Even if it was done with fairness in mind, they already had an advantage over the rest, which was their parents or rtives. While the Order strictly enforces the rule that they must go through the same process as others to gain entry into the Order as a worker, their starting point is different from the rest.
The training and the exposure they get are the same as the disciples from Holy Lands. Them clearing the entrance examination is always all but guaranteed for those who apply.
¡
Yang Qing on seeing everyone had arrived, cleared his throat to show he wanted to speak.
"I want to wee you all for this auspicious day and important event for both the Order and yourselves.
My name is Yang Qing and I will be the Chief examiner for this examination. Other than me the other examiner is the Dawning autumn mountain.."
Yang Qing pointed to the mountain behind him as he said this with an austere expression.
"The mountain behind you will test whether you have what it takes to be epted by the Order.
I don''t know why each of you decided to apply but I can promise you, regardless of the reason, your life will change from this moment forth, should you reach the top.."
Yang Qing''s statement ignited the battle intents of the applicants who moments ago were bundles of nerves.
"The Order''s examination is a bit different than what is considered the norm, however there are aspects of it that do not deviate from the normal¡"
Everyone perked up their ears when the details involving the test were being given. None was an exception, from the legacies to the vagrants, even the guardians and family members of the applicants paid careful attention to Yang Qing''s words.
"The Order considers a lot of different aspects in those it epts, so you don''t necessarily have to be great atbat to be considered as valuable to the Order. Some of you may have skills in alchemy, herbology, medicine, formation, spirit beast zoology, geomancy, cksmithing, craftmanship,bat etc; whatever your skills, the mountain behind me will give you an opportunity to draw out those skills.
So hold nothing back, you may fail the test but your performance may give reason for consideration despite the overall result, to wit, the exam has one rule and one rule only and that is to make it to the caramel tree at the top.
Those who do, gain an automatic entry into the Order, and those who don''t, some may get special consideration depending on their performance, and for others, sadly we will have to part ways."
Chapter 305 Different Participants
The atmosphere turned sombre at Yang Qing''s statement. It was amon urrence around moments like this. Everyone conveniently imagines themselves getting through but none ever thinks about the other side of it, which was a failure despite the high failure rate with tests like these ones.
"I will reiterate again; this test has one rule and one rule only which is to make it to the top. As long as you reach my table at the top of the mountain you will have considered to have passed the exam.
And now let me give you kind words of advice; be very attentive to everything around you, be adaptable, do not let your guard down, and do your best, should you make it, this will be a lifetime opportunity to change the trajectories of your lives, so make sure you leave no regrets behind¡" said Yang Qing as he made eye contact with every single one of the participants.
"Oh, I almost forgot, within the mountain, there will be special locations spread about. If I were you, I would make it a priority to make it to those areas.
Those areas could be considered to be safe zones. Within 50 meters of those areas, nothing can attack you, in addition, there will be other special features that will be even more crucial to you more than the safety those areas provide.
In there, you will find certain things I''ve left for you all to make use of. It will help increase your odds of survival as you scale up the mountain.
The areas are randomly spread about around the mountain, so be keen and it looks like this," said Yang Qing as he used his qi to create a vivid image of a maple tree that had the symbol of a bullfrog on its trunk.
The participants narrowed their gazes tomit every single part of the tree to memory, even its grains.
"Does anyone have any questions up to this point?" Yang Qing gently asked.
The crowd went silent for a few seconds before one of them hesitantly raised his hand.
The participant who fearfully stepped forward to ask the question was a kid with a slender build which didn''t seem it was out of choice either. He was thin to the point one would think the wind blowing in the ce would easily carry him away. He had deep sunken eyes, grey key hair, bronze skin, and dark eyes. He was one of the tallest people around but because of his clearly malnourished look it, he was slouched over like a strung bow.
In terms of age, he looked to be sixteen but Yang Qing could tell the kid was 13 years old.
His robes though clean were worn out and filled with patches all over. Some of the well-off participants looked at him with mockery in their eyes. As for his cultivation, he was only in the iron stage of the body refining realm.
"What''s your name?" asked Yang Qing as he offered a genial smile to try and ease the grey-haired participant.
"My name is Lai Rou," answered the youth, his voice shaking as he answered.
"What is it you wanted to ask? I will answer any questions you have, no matter how small or silly you may think it is, I don''t mind. So ask away," said Yang Qing.
Lai Rou went silent for a second trying to collect his thoughts along with his courage together.
"Will we all be taking the test together?" he quickly asked.
"What I mean is, we...not all of us are in the same realm, if we all got in at the same time then¡"
His eyes quickly darted around to some of the participants with cultivation bases in the qi refinement and above. His implications were clear on what his real worry was about which invited no small number of ridiculing eyes from some of those participants while others were indifferent to it.
"Yes Lai Rou, every participant here regardless of their age or cultivation base will be taking the same test at the same time¡"
Lai Rou''s expression turned downcast once he heard that. He wasn''t the only one, as those with weaker cultivation bases all shared the same looks. Even Zou Yi and Zou Liqin had troubled looks at Yang Qing''s statement.
"The world is an unfair ce, and I don''t need to tell you that. Some of you have personally experienced that fact. That fact will not change here and it will not change even after you join the Order. You will be thrown into unfamiliar situations that may or may not be advantageous to you.
Should that happen, what would you do? Will you abandon your duties because the circumstances were unfair, or will you do what some of you have learned to do in unforgiving and unfair circumstances, which is to use what you have to survive and that is what will be expected of you, each one of you¡" Yang Qing paused a bit as he let that reality sink into the participants.
"That being said, you will be given a fighting chance, like I said those special zones have certain things to them, and safety is the least of those things, in addition, I will also be handing out a cultivation art to you all, which depending on how much understanding you gain from it, may very well carry you to the top of this mountain despite the realm you will be at.
While the world is unfair, in some regard, nature is fair to all, so do keep that in mind as you scale the mountain.
Does anyone have any other questions?" asked Yang Qing.
With Lai Rou taking the plunge, two more participants found the guts to raise their hands. One was from the special group and the other was one of the unique participants present. Both were at the middle stages of qi refinement. The only difference was their gender and age.
The cultivator from the special group was a youngdy who looked to be 11 years old, and the other cultivator was an old man in histe sixties. He wore a farmer''s light green robes, a straw hat, and had a smoothened wooden stick for support.
He drew a lot of eyes in because of his age. He was the oldest participant present.
Chapter 306 Test Begins!!
The Order didn''t ce a lot of limits on those who could apply for their examination. When it came to age as long as you had 20 years before you were at death''s door you could try out for their tests. Even though the younger you were, the better your odds of breaking through due to the strong vitality associated with a young age, that only applied to the early stages of cultivation, and that aspect could be remedied with some treasures.
There were a lot of talents that go unburied because theycked the necessary resources to unearth that talent. It was why the Order never cared much for age and were loose in their entry requirements to the point that they would even allow someone without a cultivation base to take their examination.
There were those geniuses you could tell at a nce they were geniuses because visibly there were factors that showed their statuses as one, but then there were those whose radiance was mired by something and others which hadn''t yet been revealed.
For example, the old man. He may end up being a hidden talent that had wasted away his years in faulty cultivation arts or he may end up being mediocre. The Order didn''t lose anything in finding out. If he ended up being a genius who had the horrible luck of having a difficult starting, they would be more than willing to spend whatever resources they had to raise him to his potential.
However, it was a gamble in the end. Sometimes it paid off, other times it doesn''t. During Yang Qing''s entrance, he participated with a few of them. None of them passed sadly.
Yang Qing decided to point to the elderly man first in respect of seniority.
"My name is Bu Fui, esteemed master. If you don''t mind me asking, I have two questions about the cultivation art?" asked the elderly man.
He had a simple but firm ent to him despite his age.
"Yes.." asked Yang Qing as he motioned for him to go on.
"Can we continue using it after the test even if we fail to get in, and the other question is if we will be receiving guidance on it, and if so, how long will the guidance be and will it be considered part of the test too?" asked Bu Fui.
"To answer your first question, you are free to use the art even if you fail the entrance examination, and you can freely pass it down to whoever you want to, however, be mindful of who you pass it to. If the person you give it to ends up causing a heinous crime with that art and I hear about it, I will personally find you.
The art is my personal property and you can consider it a gift from me to all of you for taking this brave step¡" said Yang Qing.
All the participants'' eyes lit up, even the legacies, none was left unaffected by the prospect of getting a cultivation art for free.
"As for the next question, no, no one will be guiding you, and there is no specific time set aside for you to learn it.
How long you decide to take on the art will be up to you, though in some regard, that could be a test of sorts.
Aren''t you all curious if you have the makings to be considered a genius by the Order''s standards? This is your opportunity. You have everything you need to find the other to that question," said Yang Qing with a smile thoroughly igniting the fighting will of the participants, especially the young ones.
"It''s your turn young miss, what did you want to ask?"
The elderly man Bu Fui stepped back as he bowed in gratitude leaving the floor to the 11-year-old with yellow hair tied into a ponytail. She had a prideful look to her, which was in stark contrast to what looked like her parents who were sweating buckets, unlike their daughter. The father was rotund and had a merchant''s air about him, however, had no cultivation base while the mother was slender and was clearly the reason for the beauty of thedy. Her cultivation base was only in thete stages of qi refinement realm.
The youngdy on seeing Yang Qing point to her, cusped her fists and elegantly walked forward with poise in her steps.
"Thank you for the opportunity, my name is Yin Rong. Are participants attacking each other allowed?" she asked.
"Our numbers may be more than the special zones avable, after all," she added as she sent a dangerous re to some of the cultivators around, one of which was Lai Rou.
"It''s all up to you. Like I said be attentive," Yang Qing said with a mysterious smile about him.
The youngdy seemed displeased with his ambiguous answer but did well to conceal it with a polite smile.
Yang Qing took a few more questions after that and then gave a few minutes to the guardians and family members of the participants to say their short goodbyes before the start of the rest. Once they had finished, they were transported to a different viewing area where they could see the progress of those they had brought.
¡
"This is the cultivation art I''ll be providing. It''s called the 108 steps of the autumn leaves. Feel free to use it if you want to. Using it or not will not affect your standing.
You also need to ce this somewhere on your robes," Yang Qing said as he passed booklets containing the improvised 108 steps of the autumn leaves cultivation art. In addition to the booklet, he also gave out orange maple leaves.
The participants eagerly took the booklet as they curiously examined the leaf.
"The leaf is a protection tool that will only react if you''re on the brink of death. It will restore your injury and transport you out of the mountain, at which you will be considered to have been eliminated.
Now with nothing else left to add on, let the Order entrance test BEGIN!!" said Yang Qing as he waved his sleeves instantly transporting the participants before a waterfall.
"Your test begins now."
Chapter 307 Zou Yi’s Plans
Yang Qing immediately shed to the mountain''s peak after making the announcement.
"I hope there will be interesting surprises," said Dai Chen whilst pouring himself another cup.
The other judges all chimed in their thoughts as they stared at the participants who had already eagerly started the test.
Their guardians were all nervously monitoring them, hoping for the best. To some of them, this was the chance to leap over the dragon gate and transform from carp to dragons.
There was a saying, if an immortal ascended, even his cows, chickens, and dogs would get elevated with them. The same thing applied to the family and guardians of the participants.
Should the participants pass, it would be a grand opportunity not only for them but even for their family or guardians too, who would receive the Order''s favor because of their rtion to the sessful participant.
They would get ess to resources they would have never dreamed of, and having the halo of the Order above them wasn''t bad either. Every now and then, there would be certain groups that would use the Order as a safe haven to escape something that was beyond them in the continent.
This happened more often than not. For those who failed, what waited for them at the end wasn''t just rejection but certain doom from whatever they were running from. One could say the test was even a life-and-death battle for some.
¡
Despite being given the go-ahead to begin the test, the participants all had different reactions to the announcement. A small group plunged into the waterfall without a second thought.
This group was made of the smallest number. It was made up of four people. Two of them were legacy, while one was another uniqueponent. It was a six-year-old male kid who still had some baby fat on his cheeks. He was the youngest participant and had reached the bronze body of the refining stage despite his young age. As for thest member, it was Lai Rou, the thin cultivator who was the first to ask the question, when Yang Qing opened the floor to questions.
As for the rest, it was basically two groups. One group was calmly observing the first group to see if the was any trap in the waterfall, while the other group was perusing the booklet containing the 108 steps of the autumn leaves.
Each one of them had shining eyes as they went through the booklet. Two of the remaining legacies were in this group.
To avoid overwhelming their participants, the Order had kept a cup on how many legacies could be fielded in every test. The cap was six per test.
As for the test, the Order conducted an entrance examination once every two weeks. If it wasn''t for the astronomical costs associated with it, the number of tests would have been increased to once a day if it was tenable in terms of resources expended or guarantee of quality.
However, due to the constraining factors, it was restricted to two tests a month, and the chief examiner would be different every time along with the type of test, which kept things rtively fair and unpredictable to all.
..
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin were part of the second group, that decided to go through the cultivation booklet before they began the test.
"What do you think?" eagerly asked Zou Yi.
Ever since they were kids he knew his sister had a higher aptitude than him when it came to cultivation, specifically formation arrays. She was more like their father in this regard. Sadly, with how things eventually evolved, she didn''t have the opportunity to realize that potential. Cultivation was a costly endeavor, even in the early stages, were it not so, they would not have remained stuck in the bronze stage of the body refining realm for the few years they were at Purple City. They were even at risk of hidden injuries because they couldn''t afford the diet requirements of their cultivation base.
But an opportunity had finally arrived. Zou Yi couldn''t hide his excitement which wasn''t for him but to see the heights his sister could reach.
While he didn''t look down on his own potential, he knew his sister''s odds were higher than his. He was already prepared for the potential that he might not make it through and if he didn''t, he would be okay with it. He could work at the restaurant with the Wang couple. But he had resolved himself to do everything in his power to ensure his sister made it through, it was the least he could do as her brother.
¡
"It''s pretty profound, I can''t believe big brother Yang Qing decided to share it with us. Even at the n, it is rare to see something like this being handed out. Only the prized n members, like father, would¡" her voice trailed out as a mncholic look appeared on her face.
"This is a chance to make Mom and Dad proud, even Grandpa. Maybe when we are done with the exam, we can try and send him the good news," Zou Yi gently said as he tried to raise his sister''s spirits.
"Mmh," Zou Liqin nodded as she clenched her fists and refocused back on the booklet.
"The 108 steps autumn cultivation art addresses everything at every stage, it even has different potion baths and recipes we need for each stage in the body refining realm.
I can''t believe how expansive it is, especially the recipes of the silver body stage and the varied ways of achieving," Zou Liqin said with clear excitement in her tone.
"It even has apanying techniques to help with the breakthroughs and understanding of the art. What do you think could be its grade, Zou Yi?" Zo Yi eagerly asked with her eyes and palms glued to the booklet the more she read it.
"I don''t know, but considering how expansive it is, it should not be less than the blue grade," Zou Yi answered.
"Liqin, based on Brother Yang Qing''s words, the special zones may very well have the resources and equipment to make the baths and the potion.
Since he said the test is wholesome and will allow the participants to disy their different strengths across different subjects, I think alchemy is one of them. All these provided recipes prove that fact.." added Zou Yi as he sunk into further contemtion.
"I think we need to team up with other people," firmly said Zou Yi after a brief pause.
"But isn''t that dangerous, what if¡" her eyes darted to the yellow-haireddy who had asked Yang Qing whether attacking other participants is allowed.
Her insinuation was clear. She was worried they may get attacked or worse get used as fodder during the test.
Chapter 308 Sudden Announcement
They were already one of the weakest in the area. The only people weaker than them were three people. One of them was Lai Rou who was in the iron body stage, the other was a wild looking boy who was almost the same age as them.
He was nine years old and had worn different animal skins as clothing, covered his face with dung leaving his eyes, nose and mouth as the only visible parts of his face. He had deepceration marks all over his arms, legs, part of his torso and face. They looked like w marks of different beasts.
As for thest person, it was a youngdy about 13 years old. She looked dazed and confused. She had not made a single movement the whole time. She stood silently staring at the waterfall in a zoned-out expression. She had on a worn-out cream-colored robe and a scarf that looked to small for her, that had blue colored stars on it. She was the oddest of the bunch.
¡.
"I know¡" Zou Yi said as he sighed.
"But we don''t have a choice in this matter. If we want to make it to the top, we will need help. We already have one of the weakest cultivation bases. If we went up the mountain as is, I doubt we would make it far.
None of us is that skilled in alchemy either or herbology for that matter. If we want to make the best use of the recipes we have, then we need someone who at least knows a little bit about these things.
While the booklet has the name of the herbs we need, even their pictures. That''s about it, an image and a name.
How many herbs resemble each other?
This may be the perfect way toy a trap. Give someone enough information to reel them in and lower their guards and then entrap them," added Zou Yi which created a solemn look on Zou Liqin.
"Having little knowledge is as dangerous ascking knowledge, infact in some regard, I think its even more dangerous. We need help. The mountain is likely to be filled with all sort of things.
We know to deal with people, but whatever lies there maybe something else," Zou Yi said as he pointed past the waterfall.
"Who do we go with?" asked Zou Liqin.
"Who would you choose?" Zou Yi asked back.
Now that they were at this point, he would do everything he could to promote Zou Liqin''s sense of independence. If they got in the Order, they may get sent to different departments.
Surviving in Purple City, they became codependent on each other, but from this moment forth it may prove to be a handicap in certain areas, especially their growth, and finding their own path.
The few days he had at the Order before the test began made him reconsider a lot of things on their future, and their experience.
¡
"It seems Zou Yi''s soul has gotten much calmer and purer over the past few days," said Yang Qing with white colored pupils appearing in his eyes.
"Their prior experience may prove to be a blessing for them," said Xia Boqin.
They were all closely monitoring the actions of each and every participant. For those who may fail to reach their table, their actions may be able to qualify them in.
¡
Zou liqin stayed silent for a brief moment as she bit her nails, cautiously sizing the people around her.
"I would go for those at the same level or stronger than us, however when ites to those stronger than I was, I think its safer to not choose anyone above the early stages of the qi refinement realm.
We may end up as subordinates instead of partners in such a dynamic, which may put us in more dire situations," answered Zou Liqin after she had collected her thoughts together.
"I agree with your assessmentpletely¡"
Zou Liqin lit up with pride when she heard this.
"But I think there area few exceptions we can make with those in the middle grade of qi refinement," Zou Yi added as his gaze secretly swept over a few people, one of them being the sixty year old man from before in the farmer robe and hat. He too was one of those who decided to peruse the cultivation booklet first.
"I think some are worth a try, for example the elderly man Bu Fui, or those two twins. One of them seems like the honest sort. If Lai Rou was here, I would have preferred to join up with him too even if he is weaker than us," said Zou Yi.
The two twins he mentioned were 14-year-old twins who looked dissimr in everything but their face. They were brothers. One had short ck hair, brown robes and a masculine build, while the other had a slender build, scrly white robes and long hair tied in a bun. The masculine one had a simplistic air to him, even his grin screamed innocence and purity. It was why Zou Yi considered forming an alliance.
"I think we should make a move," said Zou Yi as he saw other participantse to the same conclusion as him.
Lots of participants started grouping up, he even saw a few of theme over to their side. While they were one of the weakest groups, their mannerisms as Zou n scions had not left them, coupled with their new orange robes, made certain parties more open to recruiting them despite their bronze body refining realm.
Zou Yi politely declined most of those who came forward. While he didn''t how to survive in a mountain, he did know how to survive in a city filled with all kinds of people. Surviving in the bottom rungs of Purple City and his interactions with the underworld of the city made him acutely aware of certain nefarious intentions, which he detected in most of the participants who came over.
While he thought it would be risky making the trip alone, he would rather do it with Zou Liqin than team up with people who would be all too quick to turn on them, among other things.
Just as he was about to approach the old man Bu Fui, an announcement suddenly echoed all over the mountain from Yang Qing.
"I forgot to mention this but the first three to make it up the mountain will be receiving merit points. For those with no idea, with merit points you can buy almost anything from the Order. It''s more valuable than spirit stones.
In addition, anything you find in the mountain is yours to keep whether you qualify to join the Order or not.
All the best..."
Chapter 309 Forming A Team
Yang Qing''s announcement seemed to have lit up a fuse, as the participants who werefortable taking their time immediately sprung into action.
They plunged into the waterfall by the dozens, with the remaining legacies being the first of the bunch.
Zou Yi''s target the elderly man Bu Fui disappeared in the midst of that chaos which made Zou Yi halt his steps as he moved back to where his sister was.
"What do we do? Do we rush in just the two of us?"
"No, I guess improvising is the only thing we can do," Zou Yi said as he made his way to the 9-year-old young boy withcerations over his body and garbed in animal hides.
He immediately became weary when Zou Yi made his way as he grabbed the short axe on his left waist. He also had a bow and arrows that were crudely made. The axe was rusty and had blood-dried marks on it and looked to be held together by a vine.
"What do you two want? I may be at the iron stage, but if you think you can push me around be prepared, you will both pay a price for it," said the 9-year-old boy as murderous intent shed in his eyes.
"We did note with evil intentions, we hope to form an alliance with you," Zou Yi said as he paused a safe distance away from the 9-year-old boy.
He tried to offer a genial smile but that only made the boy more wary of him.
"I don''t want to," the 9-year-old crudely replied as he tightened his grip on his axe in preparation for an attack.
Zou Yi stared at the high-strung 9-year-old for a few seconds before he removed the smile on his face with a slightly serious expression. The nine-year-old tightly clenched his axe that the whites of his knuckles started showing.
"You must have your reason for being here, and so do we.." Zou Yi gently said as he removed his robes from his shoulders to his torso.
The nine-year-old who was just about ready to attack, halted his steps with a surprised look.
What he saw was a slender frame just like his except it didn''t have as much muscle as his, however, what stood out to him were the numerous scars that filled that body. Some even seemed to have grown on top of each other.
The nine-year-old boy couldn''t help but trace his own injuries.
"We both have something we are chasing towards at the top of that mountain. I''m not asking we be friends or sworn brothers, what I''m asking for is a partnership.
Think of it as a trade. I think you''re already aware the mountain may not be as simple as it seems, which is why you haven''t stepped in yet.
Are you confident of climbing it alone?" asked Zou Yi.
The nine-year-old boy was silent; however, he wasn''t on guard as before as he stared deeply at the injuries on Zou Yi.
Zou Liqin at the side had a saddened look as she saw Zou Yi''s torso. When they were with Yang Qing, he offered to heal thempletely. Zou Liqin took him up on the offer, Zou Yi did too but he wanted the scars on his body to remain as a reminder lest he get arrogant in the future.
"We all can help each other. My sister and I are skilled with formation arrays, and while I may not be an exceptional fighter, my reaction isn''t bad. Having an extra pair of hands and eyes wouldn''t hurt.
What say you, friend, do you want to form a partnership with me and my sister?" Zou Yi asked extending the olive branch.
The nine-year-old remained silent with his gaze never leaving the two and his hand still holding to the axe.
"I will not hesitate to leave you behind in case a dangerous situation appears that I deem impossible to ovee. I will not warn you, help you or stay with you should that moment arrive," the nine-year-old boy finally said.
"But I will not stab you in the back to ensure my survival," he added after a couple of seconds when he felt his statement sounded wrong.
Zou Yi finally smiled when he heard his response. This was basically an agreement from the nine-year-old youth.
"As I said, it''s a partnership, just that. It''s a pleasure to be working with you..."
"My name is He Shan," answered the nine-year-old boy.
"I''m Zou Yi and this is my sister Zou Liqin," Zou Yi said as he pointed to his sister.
"Nice to meet you," said Zou Liqin with a polite smile.
He Shan flinched a little at her smile and clenched his axe in a fluster before he regained his calmness and awkwardly nodded back.
The siblings lightlyughed which helped defuse the earlier tension.
"So what are your skills, we will need to share a bit if we are to make an effective partnership. As I said earlier, we have skilled in formation arrays. We are a bit all-rounded when ites to it, that''s not to say we are geniuses or anything, we just know bits here and there on a wide range," said Zou Yi which drew an incredulous look from He Shan.
How could the nine-year-old know they were taught by one of the best talents of the Zou n, a rank 2 n famed for their reputation in formation arrays, and their father was one of the youngest blue grade array masters of the n?
He had hammered the basics into them since they were young. While they he died before hepletelyid the foundation in the subject, they were confident they knew enough topete with the other participants since they had the personal tutge of a gifted blue-grade formation master.
"My skills lie in hunting and surviving as a hunter," said He Shan.
Both Zou siblings had dumbfounded expressions when they heard He Shan''s reply.
They could already tell he was a hunter, but couldn''t He Shan expound on it a little bit more?
"I''m skilled in long-range and close-quarterbat. Have good control over my senses such as sight, smell, and hearing. I know a bit about herbs, well which are edible and which you shouldn''t touch, though that''s not to say I know their names.
And I can roughly gauge a beast''s attack patterns and preferences after the first couple of shes. Grandpa said I''m a natural at it," He Shan said with pride, showing a rare smile ever since their interaction, before he hurriedly closed his mouth and resumed his wary appearance once he remembered which setting, he was in.
"That''s pretty useful He Shan," said Zou Yi in amazement. He had no doubt there were likely to be spirit beasts in the mountain, and He Shan''s skills would definitelye in handy.
"Should we set off?" Zou Yi suggested.
Both Zou Liqin and He Shan nodded in agreement and they soon made their way to the waterfall. However, just as they were about to go through it, Zou Liqin paused as her eyes fell in a particr direction.
"Not again," Zou Yi said with a facepalm.
Chapter 310 Lessons From The Past
He Shan puzzledly looked in front of him to see what the hold-up was about. He had conveniently positioned himself a few inches at the back, giving himself ample room to react in case Zou Yi and Zou Liqin tried something. Even if they were now in an alliance, he still didn''t trust them one bit.
He saw Zou Liqin look in a particr direction. He recognized that look. It was the same look he had when he was very small and would try to convince his grandfather to spare a certain beast when they were out hunting or when he wanted to bring back a couple of them home as pets, ignoring the fact they would be eaten by the beast if given a chance.
He couldn''t help but chuckle when he remembered his naivete from back then before his look turned to one of sadness mixed in with regret.
"Does your sister want to bring her with us?" asked He Shan as his expression turned stoic.
"Liqin, we can''t do it. She doesn''t have a cultivation base and by the looks of it, it doesn''t seem like she even wants to participate in the test. Even with the announcement she still hasn''t made a single movement," said Zou Yi.
The moment Zou Liqin stopped, he saw where her gaze hadnded, and it was on the weakest participant. The 13-year-old girl without a cultivation base who had been staring at the waterfall with a dazed expression on her face.
Zou Yi even suspected that the Order made a mistake in letting someone like her take the test. She did not seem like she was all there. Back at the Zou n he had seen some n members show the same habits as her. Those n members were ones who got traumatized while undergoing the selection test for the next n patriarch.
He couldn''t help but suspect the same thing may have happened with that 13-year-old girl.
"But brother, it can''t hurt to have extra help, besides Grandpa.." Zou Liqin''s voice trailed off in a faint quiver as she focused on the dazed girl.
Zou Yi who was prepared to rebut her and forcefully pull her into the waterfall, paused his actions. He silently stared at his sister and the girl and momentster made a sigh of exasperation as he said,
"Fine, do what you want, but if she doesn''t want to move, we can''t force her or wait for her and if she puts us at any risk, we will abandon her. If you''re okay with that, then you can ask her to join us, but if you''re not, I''m afraid we will have to leave her Liqin, we can''t afford to be willful," Zou Yi said in an austere tone and expression.
"Fine, I agree," Zou Liqin begrudgingly agreed as she hurriedly made her way over to the dazed 13-year-old girl.
"Are you two crazy?!" He Shan hurriedly yelled with spittle flying everywhere. Some of it even fell on Zou Yi who wasn''t far away from him.
"She doesn''t have any cultivation, and we are about to step into an unknown situation, and you two want to add more risk to the already unfavorable circumstances?
We are already the weakest, and you want to add another burden to the mix when we can barely guarantee our safety in there, even with all of us cooperating.
All this for what? Some misguided kindness? What if we all get eliminated because of her? Have you all thought through the consequences of your actions?
Misced kindness is no less dangerous than drinking poison hoping it will stave off your hunger. If you two want to take such a risk, do it, I''m better off alone," He Shan vehemently said as he prepared to set off alone.
"While bringing her alonges with its risk, I can tell you leaving now and scaling the mountain alone will almost guarantee in your elimination, aspared to doing it with us, even with a ''burden''ing along with us," Zou Yi coldly said.
"Though you could scale up the mountain if you had a monstrous talent, that would guarantee your sess of it, but the fact that you agreed to form a partnership with us or remained behind instead of charging in immediately at the start of the test was announced, means you do not believe your individual talent is enough to scale the mountain alone.
You need us, the same way we need you, and there is no one else around who we would both befortable enough to form a partnership with," added Zou Yi.
His words seemed to have had an effect since He Shan had paused his footsteps as he red back at him.
"He Shan.." Zou Yi''s gaze turned to one of sorrow as he mentioned He Shan''s name.
"My father, mine, and Zou Yi''s was hailed as a genius, a once-in-a-thousand-years genius. He was given that title in a ce that had no shortage of geniuses. Everyone from the elderly to the young believed in that..."
Zou Yi smiled wryly when he reached this point as his gaze turned distant.
He Shan had a puzzled expression as he wondered what all this had to do with the matter at hand.
''Do we have time for this? Forget it, Grandpa said if one has a story the least one can do is listen in silence. I should think of it as hunting and learning more about the habits of my prey'' thought He Shan.
"However, that one in a thousand genius, lost to someone no one had any expectations of, and the loss wasn''t small either.
He Shan, our father lost and died, and the person hepeted against was a nobody who shocked the whole n and ended up gaining something coveted beyond measure.
I learned something from that tragic reality, things are never as one expects, life has a way of surprising you and it is never set in stone. To us, that girl may very well be a dead weight but who knows, she may surprise us.
In your hunting, haven''t you ever been surprised by a beast that acted outside your expectations?" asked Zou Yi.
Chapter 311 Going Through The Waterfall
He Shan''s gaze inadvertently fell on one particr scar on his left arm when Zou Yi asked that question.
"Fine, but what if she doesn''t end up being surprising and is in fact what we both believe her to be?" asked He Shan as he took a sit while facing the waterfall with his back facing Zou Yi.
"Then we abandon her," Zou Yi firmly said as he took a sit beside him. He was still mindful enough to keep a distance from He Shan.
..
"Hi, I''m Zou Liqin, do you maybe want to partner up with us for the test? I think it would be good if those of us with the cultivation base would look out for each other," Zou Liqin softly said as she tried to rouse the 13-year-old girl from her dazed state with a soft tone.
"Hi.."
Zou Liqin called her once more when she didn''t get a response even after a minute or two had passed. She awkwardly looked behind her only to see her brother urging her to hurry, while He Shan didn''t hide his displeasure as he red at her with an impatient expression.
Zou Liqin sighed as she prepared to try and reach out to the girl once more. If she didn''t reply, she would take it as a decline of her request and just leave.
"You''re kind."
The young girl suddenly spoke just as Zou Liqin was about to reach out to her again.
Zou Liqin was stunned for a brief second before she hurriedly said,
"Do you want to team up with us?" Zou Liqin asked with a polite smile as she pointed to her brother and He Shan, whose gazes were locked on the 13-year-old girl.
"This waterfall is mesmerizing. I don''t know when was thest time I felt this peaceful," said the young girl as she stared at the waterfall with a serene look on her face.
"She''s pretty,"
"Mmh, but we will still abandon her if the situation asks for it,"
"Goes without saying, but still..."
"She looks like a moon fox,"
Zou Yi and He Shan had dazed looks as they saw her serene appearance that seemed to meld with the charm of the waterfall.
Zou Yi could have sworn he saw the blue stars on her scarf glimmer.
"Do you want to join us?" Zou Liqin softly asked. Doubt shed in her eyes as she asked the question again.
"My physical body isn''t the strongest, I may drag you all," said the young girl as she tore her eyes away from the waterfall and settled them on Zou Liqin who immediately froze when her gaze fell on her.
She felt like all her internal thoughts wereid bare the moment that gaze fell on her.
''She felt almost like brother Yang Qing'' she thought as she cleared her head.
Her brother and He Shan had expressed their clear impatience, thus she couldn''t afford to drag things out.
"We are not that strong either, so I think there''s safety in numbers and we can all use what we are strong in to make up for each other''s deficiencies to try and survive through the test.
You may not have physical strength, but you may have something else you are good at, right?" Zou Liqin hopefully asked.
"I don''t know if it''s a talent or anything, but I''ve always been able to feel things, most of the time it isn''t good things, this is the first time I''ve felt something good like this waterfall.
It has a peacefulness to it, that I''ve never felt before," the 13-year-old girl said as her eyes went back to the waterfall again.
Just as Zou Liqin was about to get worried another dazed episode was about to ensue, the 13-year-old girl added,
"If you don''t think me a burden or beneath you, I would be d to join you," she said with a gentle smile.
"I''m Yu Mei,"
"I''m Zou Liqin," answered Zou Liqin with a smile on her face.
"Can we leave now?" impatiently asked He Shan.
"That''s He Shan and next to him is my brother Zou Yi," introduced Zou Liqin as they made their way to the duo
"Nice to meet you," said Yu Mei as she curtsied.
He Shan thought nothing of it as he harrumphed in impatience giving a casual wave, however, Zou Yi and Zou Liqin exchanged a brief before the former replied back with a polite greeting of his own.
"Should we get going?" asked Zou Yi to the three new party members, who all nodded back in agreement.
"Be sincere," Yu Mei suddenly said.
The trio all had confused looks as they looked at Yu Mei.
He Shan already threw a look Zou Yi''s way that seemed to be saying,
''She''s crazy, let''s leave her before it''s toote.''
Zou Yi seemed to be considering the suggestion but held off when he saw his sister''s fierce re.
"Sincere in what, sister Mei?" asked Zou Liqin.
"The waterfall..." Yu Mei pointed towards it.
"If you want to get through to the other side, you need to be sincere. That''s the feeling I''m getting from it," she added.
The trio all had incredulous looks as they shifted their gazes to the waterfall. However, they could not detect anything off with it. It seemed like a normal waterfall.
He Shan had a look that showed he did not believe her at all and as for Zou Yi, he seemed to be a bit on the fence about it and had to look to his sister to get her thoughts on the matter, who looked just as equally in doubt.
"Well, there is only one way to find out," said Zou Yi as he took the lead in walking through the waterfall.
Zou Liqin and Yu Mei followed behind, with He Shan taking up the rear as he switched to his bow.
¡
"This¡" Zou Yi was surprised to find out that even though he was in the middle of the waterfall, not a single part of him was drenched.
"It seems He Shan is right," Zou Yi thought as he chuckled to himself.
''Where are they?'' Zou Yi thought as he turned to look behind him, only to find a white mist at his back blocking his entire view.
"Liqin, He Shan, Yu Mei?" he called out.
A minute passed by with no response. Zou Yi called out once more but still got no response.
If before it wasn''t clear, right now he was all but certain there was definitely something off with the waterfall.
Chapter 312 It’s You?
Zou Yi called out a few more times still not willing to ept the present circumstances. When calling out didn''t work, he decided to cautiously look around.
He took small measured steps, with his body angled at the best position for retreating, defense, or a counterattack. Whichever proved more suitable at the moment.
However, all that preparation proved to be for naught. There was nothing but chilly white mist around him. With no direction orndmarks to work with, Zou Yi decided to walk forward in a straight line. If he zig-zagged around he may find himself moving in circles without knowing.
Thirty minutes went by and he was still walking with no end in sight, and no change experienced. The same silent white mist kept himpany.
Outwardly he seemed calm andposed, but inwardly he was a bundle of nerves in worry for himself and his sister.
''What I''m I supposed to do here? Just walk around? Am I missing something?'' wondered Zou Yi.
There was nothing but silence and illusory mist. He couldn''t glean any clues on how to proceed forward, so he just kept walking and with every step he took, he drowned in doubt, that grew to worry, that grew to impatience, which then turned into agitation.
At the two-hour mark, whatever sense of calmness he had at the beginning had been eroded away within the cold silence.
"Little Yi.."
As Zou Yi was debating on what to do next, he heard a faint whispering from the mist.
"Huh?" Zou Yi frantically looked around him with a guarded expression.
After having nothing but misty silence forpany for the past two hours, that slight change triggered his agitation further.
He looked around with widened eyes ready tounch a fist, but the attack he expected toe, didn''t.
''I must be losing it,'' he inwardly thought as he chuckled bitterly.
''It''s just the first part¡'' he couldn''t help but worry. The fact that he knew this was a test, was the tether that helped him maintain whatever rationality he had left after the two hours went by.
He continued walking for another half an hour and assumed the voice he had heard was nothing but his nerves and delusions getting to him. However, the same voice sounded again, and this time it was a bit clearer.
"Little Yi, you have grown."
"Who''s there?!" Zou Yi asked in agitation as he rapidly switched his view to his left and right.
Ten minutes went by with no reply. Zou Yi didn''t so much as take a single step from where he was as he looked around warily.
At this point with how terrified and on edge he was, he very much preferred an attack than to be tortured endlessly by a voice that appeared and disappeared hours apart.
He wasn''t sure how much of it he could take.
"Little Yi, how is your sister doing?"
Zou Yi who was prepared to make a dash for it and see if he could outrun the foggy mist, paused his steps as his pupils trembled. Immediately after, his whole body was shaking.
"Are you all eating well, taking care of yourself, I hope you''re not bullying her."
This time the voice was more distinctive. Earlier it was shallow and androgynous, but this time Zou Yi could clearly tell the tone of the voice and even the gender.
"Mom¡. is... is¡is that you?" Zou Yi weakly asked with eyes welling up with tears. He still couldn''t tell the direction of the voice, so he could only slowly look around as he asked this question.
His heart was wildly racing as he got flooded with a mix of emotions. He was afraid, excited, anxious, thrilled, panicked, in doubt, and hopeful.
That voice was something he had wished he could hear over the past three years. He had obsessed over it, dreamt about it, but sadly the voice existed only in his dreams. Every time he woke up, that voice wasn''t there. It got too painful that he had to try and erase it in his mind.
It''s been a few months since he dreamt of it, but now here it was, and as far as he could tell, he was awake.
Zou Yi pinched his left forearm to confirm he wasn''t dreaming. The electric sensation traveling through his arm was the proof he needed to know that this wasn''t a dream.
"I didn''t think my son would be such a crybaby. What happened to the person who would brag endlessly that he would be the next n patriarch and overshadow all my achievements?"
Another voice sounded immediately after. This one was masculine.
"Dad...."
The bem in Zou Yi''s eyes broke when he uttered those words.
"Dad, Mom... Is that you?" asked Zou Yi as he looked around.
The fog that had no change in all the time Zou Yi was walking, finally had a ripple to it.
North of Zou Yi, there was a faint ripple that rapidly grew in intensity that caused the white fog to part in the middle. Zou Yi''s gaze narrowed in that direction with anticipation and fear in his eyes.
He saw two silhouettes standing shoulder to shoulder looking in his direction.
Zou Yi squinted his eyes to confirm what he saw was real. Every time he reopened his eyes the silhouettes would get more and more distinct. In no time he could clearly see them, it was no longer a spection of who the owners of those voices were. It belonged to the two people he had wished every day of his life he could see again, his parents.
His mother was just as he remembered her. She had long curvy ck hair, an oval face with polish jade beauty, and amber-colored eyes. She had an unrestrained aura to her. In terms of personality, Zou Yi took after his mother. She would cause no small amount of headache for his father with her fiery personality.
As for his father, he had ck hair tied in a Daoist topknot, held together by a hairpin that resembled an inscribing pen used in formation. He had a masculine beauty that didn''t lose out to his mother and had a calm and silent aura to him. Zou Liqin took after him in terms of personality, however when it came to their face, they both resembled their father more.
"It''s you," Zou Yi said with a quavering voice as his whole body trembled.
Chapter 313 Heart’s Desire
Before he could even register, his body had already betrayed him as it dashed in the direction of the two figures. It didn''t take long before he was right before them.
Zou Yi hesitantly stretched his hands towards them with anticipation mixed with fear. Even though he was overwhelmed by emotion at the moment, some part of him still knew his parents were dead and had been dead for the past three years.
He was worried his hands would pass through them, then that sinking reality he didn''t want to admit, would burst forth and ruin the moment.
But what if, what if the past three years were not real, or by some weird fate the Order had resurrected his parents and this was a surprise unveiling they had arranged for him?
While he had never seen people being brought back to life, he couldn''t dismiss its possibility.
If cultivators could survive without their bodies, or be regrown from a drop of blood, his parents could have a chance at survival, right?
In Purple City in preparation for opening his own intelligence agency, he stumbled into a plethora of information floating around, some of which was news regarding cultivators and even mortals who had been brought back to life.
Surely among those stories, some of them might have been true. Part of the reason he and his sister agreed to join the Order was the faintest chance that they could bring back their parents.
With how big and powerful the Order was, surely, they would have a way. At least Zou Yi held out hope they could.
Once that thought took root, it slowly eroded any rationality he had left as he reached out to make his confirmation.
"It''s been hard on you, little Yi,"
They were real. His hands didn''t go through them as though they were specters or part of the fog. When Zou Yi made contact with their robes, his hands felt it, it was real and not a figment of his imagination.
"Mom. Dad.."
Zou Yi instantly bawled as he threw himself into their embrace. All the torment and heartache he had endured for the past three years exploded within that moment.
His parents stood in silence as they softly patted his back, with only the echoes of Zou Yi''s cries echoing around. Even though he had matured over the past few years, he was still a nine-year-old kid who still needed his parents and when he saw them, every guard he had developed over the years broke.
Almost ten minutes went by before Zou Yi finally calmed down.
"What are you both doing here? Are you¡" Zou Yi was hesitant to ask.
"We can talk about thatter, tell us about you. How have you and your sister been?" asked his mother with a gentle smile as she used the sleeves of her robes to wipe away his tears and snort, which Zou Yi was all too d to let her do.
"You''ve not met Liqin yet?" asked Zou Yi in confusion as he looked around.
"You''re the first person we have seen, and in our condition, well let''s say we are just happy to see our child¡So how have you and your sister been?" asked his mother.
Zou Yi realized she was avoiding; however, he didn''t insist on it and did as he was asked. He narrated their lives in Purple City, making a point of avoiding the few months that followed after their death. It was a horrendous time after their passing, and Zou Yi did all he could to forget that time.
So, for his tale, he focused on their lives in Purple City, how they survived, how they met the Wang couple, and the friendship they struck with them and their regrs. The tours they gave around the town, the skills they gained, and other exciting details. He avoided the dark part of their lives in the city such as beingckeys to the ck viper gang and how much they suffered when they were forced to join.
Zou Yi soon forgot himself in his narration as he animatedly described the two and half years, they spent in Purple City. He got more enthusiastic about it, especially when he saw how attentive and keen his parents seemed to be on hearing the story.
An hour quickly went by before finally he reached the end of his tale which was his interaction with Yang Qing and finally getting a chance to join the Order.
"You did good," said Zou Yi''s father with a look of pride on his face.
Zou Yi sniffled, tears threatening to stream down his face, with a warm but abashed smile on his face. Hearing his father''s words of reaffirmation, made everything he had endured to ensure his and Zou Liqin''s safety to be all worth it.
"I know both you and Liqin will do well in the test, you''re our children after all," added his mother as she ruffled his hair.
"Little Yi, I''m sorry that we weren''t there for you when you needed us¡" said his father with a mncholic tune.
"But you''re here now, and Grandpa will join be joining us," Zou Yi suddenly said as he looked up at his parents. However, his gaze froze when he saw their sad smiles. Other than the sad smiles there was something else that shook him, their robes seemed fainter, and it looked to be spreading to their bodies.
"Mom, Dad, what¡" Zou Yi worriedly pointed at their misty sleeves as he tried to stitch it back up to their robes. However, his hands passed through.
"Little Yi, I know you''re smart to have realized it from the beginning. It is okay. We are d we got to share this moment with you. It''s a shame that we won''t get to see you and Liqin grow but I''m d we got to have this moment with you.
We both love you very much, and you''re already my pride," said Zou Yi''s father.
"You''re not alive, are you?" Zou Yi asked with a sad smile.
"No, little Yi," his mother answered.
"I should have known," said Zou Yi as he stared longingly at his parents trying tomit every single part of them to memory.
"I''m d I got to have this moment with you too," said Zou Yi with an honest big smile with red-rimmed eyes.
"We love you, and you and your sister need to look after each other and Grandpa too. I hope you make many more memories, little Yi, happy ones. We love you and we are cheering for both you and Liqin," said Zou Yi''s mom.
"ze on ahead, little n patriarch Yi," his father added with a cheeky smile.
"I will," Zou Yi answered as he watched his parents'' bodies morph into a passage.
"So, this is this is what she meant¡" Zou Yi muttered to himself.
"Thank you for giving me this," said Zou Yi as he gave a solemn ny-degree bow within the fog.
He stayed that way for a few minutes and then rose up, wiped the remaining tears from his face, took a deep breath, and walked through the whirlpool passageway.
He felt his vision change, and when he came to, he found himself lying down on the grass in a fetal position.
"Brother!!!!"
Chapter 314 Disparity In Time
Zou Yi''s vision was a little hazy, along with his senses which felt a little sluggish. He tried to hurriedly get up, however, he almost slipped, luckily someone was there to catch him before he could.
It took a few seconds before his vision adjusted to his surroundings.
"Zou Yi, drink this, it will help you with re-adjustment."
Just as Zou Yi was trying to readjust to the surrounding, he felt something squishy get shoved into his mouth.
"Liqin, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" Zou Yi yelled as he coughed rapidly. The object shoved in his mouth was anything but sweet. It was prickly to the tongue and set his tongue on fire within milliseconds, which then turned to a frozen tundra a second after.
In a few breaths it wasn''t only his tongue that was affected but his entire body too. He almost thought his sister was an impostor sent to poison him. They were in a test after all. However, he felt his body get reinvigorated and he could finally control his body along with his senses, well.
He could finally get a picture of where he was. He couldn''t help but hold his breath from what he saw. There were maple and cedar trees around littering the ground with their orange-red leaves. The grass was green and there was a mildly chilly atmosphere in the air. The spiritual qi was dense but not to the point it overwhelmed them. It was gentle and seemed to be evenly spread around with the cool winds.
Zou Yi felt a cup of ginseng would go well with the environment. He stood silently in ce admiring the view while his arm was still supported by his sister.
"Liqin, what did you feed me?" he asked when he was finally done getting his fill of the view.
"I got it from He Shan, he told me it''s called the cold zing lime. It helps renew someone in a disoriented state especially one with a concussion," answered Zou Liqin as she let go of Zou Yi so he could stand by himself.
"Since when were limes, slimy and prickly?" Zou Yi asked, not buying his sister''s exnation at all. As he swallowed it, he felt it move. It felt more like a living thing than a fruit.
"We need to get going before others appear," Zou Liqin awkwardly said as she dragged Zou Yi along to where He Shan and Yu Mei were.
It was only when Zou Liqin said those words did Zou Yi realize something he had overlooked. Why did he wake up on the floor, when just seconds ago he was walking, but despite all that, there was one thing he had to confirm, now that he had the chance.
"Liqin, the test¡" Zou Yi paused halfway through the expression as he saw a sad expression in his sister''s eyes.
"Did you see Mom and Dad?" Zou Yi asked after firming himself.
Zou Liqin paused her steps with her gaze fixed on Zou Yi as aplicated look shed in her eyes.
"I did not," answered Zou Liqin.
Zou Yi wasn''t sure, but for how long he knew his sister, he felt there was something off about his sister, a fear that was in her. It was in her mannerism as she answered.
"Liqin what did you see in there?" cautiously asked Zou Yi.
"Something I hope never happens," she answered back with a pitiful smile, which confirmed to Zou Yi that something happened to her within that foggy realm.
"It''s only because of Yu Mei that I was able to make it out," she added.
Zou Liqin''s response only drew more questions from Zou Yi, however judging from how perturbed and cagey she seemed to be, he doubted he could get anything from her, and digging in might be even more detrimental.
Zou Yi could only sigh at this as he made a mental note to repay the favor to Yu Mei for saving his sister, which he didn''t know how she even did it. He assumed that foggy realm isted people individually, and some part of him felt it wasn''t a real space, considering how when he came to, he was on the ground in a disoriented state.
Lu Mei and He Shan were not too far away from him. He Shan was still the same; he had a bow in hand, warily looking around being on guard against potential threats. He maintained a careful distance from Yu Mei.
As for Yu Mei, she was no longer dazed, and Zou Yi wasn''t too sure but she felt different. Her eyes seemed clearer than before and she seemed freer.
"He Shan, Yu Mei, I''m d you all made it out safely," said Zou Yi as he greeted them both with a smile that earned him a nocked arrow from the wary, He Shan. He couldn''t help but smile bitterly at this.
"I''m d you made it out safe too," replied Yu Mei with a smile.
"Wait, how long has it been since I reappeared?" Zou Yi suddenly asked.
He had been through a rollercoaster of emotions from walking in the lonely fog for hours on end, meeting his parents and their parting, and finally reappearing in a groggy state that he forgot he had spent at least four hours in whatever ce that foggy area was.
He didn''t know how big the mountain they were on, was but four hours was a long time for the other participants to make significant headway.
"You appeared, a few minutes after Yu Mei and I showed up. He Shan was already here, when we arrived," answered Zou Liqin.
"He Shan, how long did it take you to arrive here?" asked Zou Yi.
"A few hours," He Shan carelessly answered as he kept a close eye on the surrounding.
"Can you be exact?" asked Zou Yi with an exasperated look.
"I don''t know, I was hunting the whole time. Time went away from me, and I was here before I knew it. I didn''t even get to eat my kill after all the effort I put into tracking it," grumbled He Shan.
"What about you two?" asked Zou Yi when he realized he wouldn''t make any headway with He Shan.
Zou Liqin seemed a little bit hesitant on answering at first before she said,
"Four years."
Chapter 315 First Participant To Pass
Zou Yi''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets at her answer.
"Four?" he asked in disbelief. However, he toned down when he saw the same guilty awkward look he saw earlier when he asked her if she saw their parents.
"Not more than five minutes have passed since we went through the waterfall and arrived here."
Yu Mei who had been silent, spoke.
Zou Yi found it hard to believe. Lu Mei as if reading on it, added,
"That ce operates differently than here. Years could pass there, and it wouldn''t be more than a few minutes here. Your real body wasn''t there."
"What was that ce?" asked Zou Yi in confusion.
"Your heart, I think," answered Yu Mei. Her response triggered a reaction from Zou Liqin whose look turned grimmer.
''What happened to her in there? What did she experience for those four years?'' Zou Yi inwardly.
Whatever happened to her had left a mark, and for something to have such an impact on her after what they have endured and ovee over the years, Zou Yi couldn''t help but worry how bad it was.
"Since we have all made it through, maybe we should discuss on how to go forward from here. Based on what Lu Mei has said, then that means the other participants aren''t far ahead of us, even the ones that left earlier than us," said Zou Yi.
"About that, He Shan said he saw a few unconscious bodies about 1 kilometer that way," Zou Liqin said as she pointed to the west of them.
"Unconscious how? From an attack?"
"No, they were just like how we found you," He Shan casually answered as he made his way toward them and carelessly sat down.
"How sure are you it wasn''t an attack from something?" asked Zou Yi.
"I may not have a high cultivation base but as a hunter who has lived his life teetering on the brink of death half the time, I think I''m experienced enough to tell if someone has been attacked or not.
Their breathing was normal, their heart rate and pulse were steady, I searched their bodies, and they had no visible markings and I used some of the methods I know for checking poison but none of them registered anything," answered He Shan with dissatisfaction at being doubted.
No matter how clumsy he looks, he seems like a pretty thorough person
thought Zou Yi as he evaluated, He Shan with a new look.
"Can someone be trapped in there forever?"
Zou Yi decided to direct that question to the one person who seemed to know more about the ce they were in, Yu Mei.
"It''s possible," answered Yu Mei.
She didn''t need rification on what Zou Yi was getting at. The unconscious participants He Shan saw could be those who failed to ovee whatever it was they saw in the foggy realm.
"Well, it''s to our favor the more unconscious participants there are. Now our main focus is what we do next.
I think we need to put all our efforts into searching for the special zones, and along the way, we can also look for some of the herbs listed in the booklet, which we can use at the special zones.
Our current strength should be pretty clear.." Zou Yi paused as he eyed the three.
"I don''t think we can make it far with our present strength. We need to increase it somehow. We either improve our cultivation base or we improve on our techniques or we do both.
But whichever option it is, we can''t act on it without the special zones that guarantee protection.
What do you guys think?" asked Zou Yi.
"But how do we find the zones, it''s not like we were given a map that highlights those zones. Other than the bullfrog symbol we have nothing else to work with," said He Shan.
"I agree with He Shan, we could spend endless hours looking for it. Maybe we could scale the mountain as we look for it, so we don''t lose on time," said Zou Liqin.
"Yu Mei, do you have any thoughts?" asked Zou Yi.
"Well, I don''t know if this will help, but I''ve been sensitive to certain things and areas ever since I was a child. Some are usually good, but some are bad, however, I never know if they are good or bad before stepping into oring into direct contact with those things.
Though more often than not it''s usually bad things," Yu Mei said as she chuckled bitterly.
The trio couldn''t help but sigh when they saw her look. They were all intimately familiar with that type of look, a look borne of tragedy.
"While we don''t have a map showing the location of those special zones, their existence in and of itself is the only thing we need.
He Shan whenever you go for hunts thatst days on end, which ces do you choose to sleep in at night?" asked Zou Yi with a smile.
"Depends on a number of factors, the area I''m hunting, the beasts and nts in the area, the weather¡."
Zou Yi regretted asking that question as He Shan rattled on endlessly with so much passion that he even returned the bow to his back so he could have free room in his hands to describe things better.
When it hit the ten-minute mark and He Shan showing no signs of stopping, Zou Yi was forced to interrupt him, lest they spend hours being guided on how to sleep during a hunt.
"What I was getting at is this, the special zones will be anomalies in this ce, especially if this mountain is filled with dangerous things such as spirit beasts or nts.
For those ces to be safe they must have features that deter those things froming there. The more dangerous a ce is, the easier it will be to spot them.
We only need to search for those ces with such a thought in mind and lucky for us we have a seasoned hunter who knows how to track and study the habits of spirit beasts, and we have someone who is sensitive to both good and bad things.
With such things working for us, it''s only a matter of time before we find the special zone," Zou Yi said with a triumphant smile.
¡.
"Looks like the twins made it?" said Kang Hung.
"I thought they both would, I didn''t expect Zou Liqin to almost fail. The tragedy from back then still has a hold on her. It may affect her future forward if she doesn''t address it," said Yang Qing as he sighed.
"It was surprising. If she gets in, the instructors can help her work through it, and luckily, she is aware of it now thanks to the waterfall," said Dai Chen.
"I didn''t expect someone with the crystal heart zed physique to appear among the participants. The special inquisitors are sure to scoop her up immediately should they hear of her," said Xia Boqin as his gaze fell to the bottom of the mountain.
"It''s a wonder how she has survived this long."
"Maybe the ce she lived at, those around her didn''t know, otherwise her fate would have taken a downward turn. Luckily, she is here.
Will you exempt her from the test? With her physique and the dangers surrounding it, even if she fails, we can''t let her go back, it''s no different than sentencing her to a painful death."
"She''s already exempt but I think I''ll let her continue the test. It may be good for her and I''m curious how this team will perform," said Yang Qing.
Chapter 316 Zou Liqin’s Experience
"Liqin, I hope you do better than the first part," Yang Qing muttered to himself as his gaze fell on her.
Of the areas he thought they would struggle with; he didn''t expect them to stumble at the first test. After interacting with them for quite some time Yang Qing thought they''d both be able to get through, though he thought they may struggle with it for a bit, he thought it wouldn''t be enough to stump, however both their performances had surprised him.
Zou Yi performed excellent and Zou Liqin would have failed had Yu Mei not stepped in and saved her using her physique''stent abilities.
The first test involved the participant passing through the heart-cleansing waterfall. This was a natural Dao treasure. In terms of grade, one could ssify it as an ascendant grade treasure, however, its worth was much more than that as it approached saint grade treasures in terms of importance.
One of the key reasons Yang Qing chose this location was because of its existence.
The waterfall had the ability to dig out one''s own desire as long as you stepped through it, your deepest wants would be brought to the surface by it. It would use those desires and wove a phantasm world around it, and then it would drag your soul into that world.
The thing you held deeply would be dug out by that waterfall, and it would use other things within the person''s heart to supplement the main feeling.
Yu Mei''s advice to the team before they stepped into the waterfall though simple, highlighted the main aspect of it, which was sincerity. The sincerity of the heart.
From his interaction with the Zou siblings, he felt as though they had been deeply affected by the loss of their parents, and in the manner in which they lost them, they seemed to havee to terms with it, even though it still saddened them, it did not seem to have a negative hold on them.
Thus, in the first part of the test, Yang Qing had a feeling they would see their parent''s in there and though it may be hard for them, they would eventually get through it. However, things went apletely different route for the two of them.
Yang Qing had expected a bit of bitterness, and anger before finallying to terms with everything, which would finally allow them to pass the test, however when it came to Zou Yi, there was no anger, bitterness, or the negative emotions Yang Qing had expected.
About the only thing that seemed negative was the solitude, which Zou Yi seemed to have handled splendidly, and when it came to his heart''s desire, what he wanted most was closure. To have a proper goodbye with his parents and for him to tell them he and his sister were okay.
When he had that, the test ended. Yang Qing was genuinely surprised by it, and then when it came to Zou Liqin, she also went outside his expectations. She was silent, and seemed moreposed than Zou Yi when they first met, so Yang Qing expected she''d have an easier time in the heart-revealing waterfall than Zou Yi, but that wasn''t the case.
The deepest sentiment for Zou Liqin was brought to the surface, it was fear. Fear of losing her one living rtive, Zou Yi. In the illusion created by the waterfall, both Zou Yi and Zou Liqin passed their test. It was so vivid that Zou Liqin couldn''t tell it was an illusion.
After the test, Zou Yi insisted they go deliver the news in person to their grandfather, which Zou Liqin happily agreed to. However, that was when things went wrong. They got attacked as they were making their way over to the Zou n''s main family grounds.
The attackers critically injured Zou Yi who put himself in danger to ensure Zou Liqin''s survival. Zou Yi died soon after and Zou Liqin was forced to escape by herself. She was on the run for months before finally, she lost her pursuers, whom she still didn''t know their identities.
They were dressed as bandits but they moved as cultivators who had been well trained, which was why despite the protective measures they had on them, courtesy of the Order, they still suffered a loss.
She was on the run for a year before she finally managed to get one of the Order''s branches. There she quickly asked for help on behalf of her brother. When they went to the site they had been attacked, there was no body or any evidence that they had been attacked.
Zou Liqin almost went mad with grief, and then that''s when mes of vengeance were ignited in her. She hid it well, but she used the Order''s resources to investigate her brother''s murder. After one and half years, the investigation led her to an assassin organization that had ties to an elder of the Zou family.
She was in shock when she found out, which then turned to unrestrained fury. The Zou n killed her parents and now her brother. She restrained herself and nned for months on how to exact her revenge, starting with the assassin organization responsible for her brother''s death.
For whatever she had nned, she decided against involving the Order. She researched hundreds of taboo and fiendish arts belonging to different nefarious organizations, which she then used to massacre the assassin organization and left breadcrumbs that would lead to the dark organizations whose skills she used in the act.
The n was well crafted and meticulous. She had even conveniently left a few survivors and witnesses that would report the news to the Zou elder with ties to that organization. The n worked well, and the Zou n elder used his pull within the n to attack the dark organizations he thought were responsible, who retaliated in return and soon arge-scale battle ensued.
However, it wasn''t chaotic enough, so Zou Liqin schemed and had one of the young talents of the Chu n get killed in the skirmish between the two sides. The Chu n was a rank 2 family at the same level as the Zou n, and the two ns had the worst of rtionships that dated back to their third ancestor.
Chapter 317 Surprising Participants
Once the death of a Chu n member spread, Zou Liqin''s fuse worked perfectly, as the Chu n was now thrown into the fray. Arge-scale chaotic battle ensued for the next two years, with Zou Liqin taking advantage of it, to kill anyone from the Zou n. She was determined to ughter them all.
The shy girl had turned into an insidious killer who had no bounds on the means she could use for her goal. Poison, curses, frame jobs, nothing was below her.
Her spree however soon came to an end, when her grandfather who was still at the Zou n, identally died in one of her schemes, when someone from the Chu family attacked. Bereft with grief, she sought to end her life, luckily before she could Yu Mei pulled her out of the nightmare.
The whole event was seen by Yang Qing and the rest because of a special artifact made from the origin of the waterfall. Yang Qing saying he was surprised by how things turned out, was an understatement. He didn''t expect Zou Liqin to have that side in her.
Had Yu Mei not intervened, Zou Liqin would have suffered elimination. With what they saw, it was already grounds to disqualify her as an unstable element, but the Order had ways to help her deal with whatever traumas and issues were buried in her heart. Therefore, Yang Qing decided to allow her to continue with the test and there was also another factor at y, Luck.
To mortals, Luck was something intangible and unassuming, but to cultivators, it was a very real thing and Zou Liqin had it going for her when she decided to invite Yu Mei who ended up being a lifeline for her.
While Luck was an ethereal concept to cultivation, it was counted as a real thing, as a fabric of the world like space, time, karma, and other major Dao that guided the functionality of the world, luck could be counted amongst them.
Every cultivator especially those who have made a name for themselves, usually had the highest amount of luck, if luck was quantifiable. The two could not be separated from each other. Suddenly stumbling into a natural herb that conveniently helps you awaken your bloodline, resting in a cave that has spirit meridian with Dao properties to it that help you gain enlightenment, walking into a ruin that has been ransacked clean but you end up picking up a broken assumed object that turns out to hold a long-lost legacy.
Every single one of these events had the thread of luck on it, and every single cultivator including Yang Qing has been touched by it, and now so has Zou Liqin. Who knows she may very well end up doing something monumental in the future, and this was the moment that triggered it for her. Yang Qing was willing to let her have that chance and find out, despite how worrying thoughts.
¡
"This test sure has its share of surprises," said Yang Qing as the rest nodded along in agreement.
There was Yu Mei with the crystal-zed heart physique. Gaining that physique was a blessing and a curse. No matter whether you were born with a powerful background or a normal setting or dire circumstances, every holder of that physique rolled a dice if the physique would be a blessing to them or a curse.
The physique itself other than not granting the user any outstanding physical abilities could be considered a top-tier physique. It imbued the owner with rity, and this rity didn''t only trante to knowing themself, it touched even Dao.
Every owner of that physique was immune to illusion and effects that targeted their mind and hearts. They could not be beguiled easily, especially if the means involved using their deepest desires like the heart-cleansing waterfall. This was why Yu Mei remained unaffected in the waterfall and even had time to save Zou Liqin who almost lost herself in there.
In addition the more the user excavated their physique, the immunity even spread to poison and curses. However, the thing that made it a top-tier physique was its ability to sensitize its user to the Dao at an early age, as early as even birth at times.
Every owner of the crystal-zed heart physique was guaranteed to reach the pce realm at the very least. And this was even without having any cultivation art or resources to their name. All cultivation arts in essence, their purpose was to help the cultivators to get attuned with the Dao, which was already one of the fortes of the crystal zed heart physique.
However, despite such a heaven-defying opportunity, most users of this physique never reached their full potential. The reason for this ironically was because of the Dao advantage afforded to every user of the crystal-zed heart physique.
Every single user had a crystal heart in them that grew more powerful, the more their cultivation base grew. That crystal heart was the reason for their deaths. Were it consumed by someone at the peak of the pce realm their chances of breaking through to the domain realm and surviving their tribtion were increased drastically due to the effect of the crystal heart allowing them to deepen and firm their understanding of their own Dao.
When news broke of the crystal heart increasing the odds of a cultivator breaking through to the domain realm, the whole continent was sent into an uproar with every known owner of the crystal ze heart physique getting hunted.
Sect shed against sect, kingdom against kingdom, empire against empire soon it spiraled inwards; fellow n members turned on each other to the point parent turned against child and vice versa. As long as you had the crystal ze heart physique you couldn''t trust your mother, father, sister, brother, master, sect master, martial siblings, or any other person with that revtion. Gaining the chance to enter the domain realm was temptation enough to blur the lines of such rtionships.
Having such a physique soon became a death sentence. It didn''t matter whether you were born in a rank 2 organization or some non-descript shack somewhere. Your fates could very well go down the same route considering who finds out about your physique.
As time went by even hiding the physique became difficult. You could always rely on cultivators to be creative and determined when it came to the pursuit of powerful cultivation. Cultivation arts geared towards identifying those with the crystal-zed heart physique numbered in the thousands, with constant improvements happening every other day.
Other than that, they also improved on the various methods of correctly harvesting the crystal heart for maximum efficacy. Medicine in the cultivation world stagnated, but when it came to butchering someone perfectly, the grounds it made were light years ahead of normal medicine. As long as something had use, you can be sure there is a cultivator somewhere who has an entire in-depth legacy on how to extract that object.
Yang Qing sometimes wondered about the first cultivator to discover the ability of the crystal heart, and what exactly was he/she up to at that moment. Was it by ident, or intentional?
For now, he could only sigh at Yu Mei''s luck. At least within the Order, her safety could be guaranteed and those who made it through had some level of pride in their talent. They wouldn''t stoop so low as to harvest the crystal heart to break through to the domain realm. The Order wasn''t alone in this. The two Holynds and some of the old and powerful rank 1 organizations such as the One thousand battle hall pce were simr in this regard. Most of the cultivators with Crystal ze heart physique ended up seeking refuge in these organizations.
As far as Yang Qing knew, three of the hall masters at One thousand battle hall pce had the crystal ze heart physique, and as for the Order, the Chief Inquisitor who was in charge of all the inquisitors including even the roaming and special inquisitor had a Crystal ze heart physique. Yang Qing has never met them though.
Other than Yu Mei, there were also other surprising figures among the participants, and one of them was a seven-year-old boy who went toe to toe with the legacies when it came to the speed at which they scaled the mountain. They were already a third of the way through.
The seven-year-old boy had a special physique too. Yang Qing didn''t know which one, but he felt it was oddly familiar. From what he could tell, the physique had a primordial origin, which he could tell from the purple aura that asionally leaked from the body of the boy whenever he fought. He was a walking body of pure unadulterated destruction. The boy didn''t have a cultivation base, but as he fought and moved up the mountain, his body broke through to the qi refinement realm.
This was the advantage of those with natural physiques, they could directly skip the body refining stage if the conditions were right. Among the participants present, that seven-year-old boy was the one that stood out the most.
Chapter 318 Long Forgotten Memories
The young boy was trailing behind two legacy disciples, though he wasn''t that far back. The mountain itself in terms of scale was as big as a major town of a rank 2 empire which loosely tranted into thergest capital of a rank 4 empire or kingdom.
The surface area at the base of the mountain wasrge and it would only narrow down the higher up the peak one moved. Therefore, the participants would have low chances of stumbling onto each other in the early stages of the test, though stumbling onto each other wasn''t a foregone conclusion, even at the early stages.
But, for the moment none of the participants had met up yet. From their files, the seven-year-old boy was called Liao Jiayi and was the son of a retired low-ranking soldier from a rank 4 kingdom. As for the two legacies ahead of him; both were of simr age and sex. They were 13-year-old males both in the fourth stage of the qi refinement realm.
One was dark colored and the other had brown almond hair. From what Yang Qing knew, the dark-colored one was the son of an Order employee who worked in the beast-taming hall as for the brown almond haired one, one of his parents worked as a cksmith in the craftsmanship division while the remaining two legacies had parents in the same division, which was the external logistics division.
It came as no surprise to Yang Qing and the rest on the excellent performance of the legacies thus far, however, the other participants were not bad either. Other than the seven-year-old boy, there were other standouts behind them;
There were the twin brothers who seemed to have mastered a blue-grade cultivation art even though it was just the preliminary phase, it was still a feat. The blue-grade art gave them elemental attributes. The burly one had a study defense and was in tune with the earth element while the schrly looking had radiant blue lightning sh around his body. They were seamless in their cooperation and theyplemented each other perfectly.
Other than them, among the special participants there was a 14-year-old girl who had unlocked her mental sea due to her abnormallyrge soul. She could already deploy spiritual sense that covered a five-meter radius around her. However, her soul was too powerful for her body to handle, and she struggled to react to what her senses detected, in addition, her body had an imbnce due to her overly powerful soul. Her cultivation base was at the third stage of the qi refinement realm, however, her soul based on Yang Qing estimates had the same strength as a freshly broken-through core formation expert.
''As long as she finds one of the special zones, and starts practicing the 108 steps of the autumn leaves, she should be able to alleviate some of the pressure from her body,'' thought Yang Qing.
The cultivation art wasprehensive and touched up on the foundation of all the major facets of cultivation which included body and soul-strengthening techniques, and with Yang Qing''s additional notes, he even added means of trying to achieve equilibrium between the two, which was built upon his experiences with his Yin Yang jade bone physique that granted him a soul and a body that was at the same level of strength, as one of its effects.
As long as thedy with the powerful soul gained sufficient time to strengthen her body, and also gain insight on how to properly use her soul without straining herself, she would be a serious contender for being among the first people to make it to the top of the mountain. As far as advantages go, a spiritual sense had the greatest advantage even when pitted against all the physiques Yang Qing had noted among the participants present.
The spiritual sense was an advantage only those in the core formation realm could have. Even though her range was just five meters, which was lower than the range a first-stage core formation expert would get, she still enjoyed the benefits of a true spiritual sense within those five meters. An all-round sense that is able to capture everything by magnifying their presence to the user. Things that could escape the eye or the ears, would be easily captured by a spiritual sense.
When venturing into an unfamiliar ce, a cultivator''s spiritual sense was one of their lifelines. Yang Qing was eager to see how things would pen out at the end.
His gaze then trailed off to the other participants. He couldn''t help but sigh at the level of talent he saw. There was already a promising alchemist in the midst, and a cksmith. The two had already stumbled onto one of the special zones and were hard at work using their respective strengths to try and increase their odds from within the special zone.
"It looks like the Order still holds sway over the popce, despite the things that have been happening offte."
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh as he took count of over fifty participants who had the talent to be named elite disciples within any of the high-ranking organizations that were at rank 3 and above.
Yang Qing''s gaze then trailed over to Lai Rou''s position. He held a favorable impression of the tall youth for his guts to be the first to ask a question despite being overly terrified. Yang Qing admired his tenacity, and in terms of talent, even if Yang Qing still didn''t see anything that stood out, he still thought Lai Rou had done well for making it through the heart-cleansing waterfall.
About a third of the participants had already been eliminated by the waterfall, while those that passed through some of them had already fallen before they climbed very high.
Lai Rou was still holding on despite having one of the weakest cultivation bases. He was even weaker than the Zou siblings seeing how he was only at the iron stage of the body-refining realm.
He was extremely cautious in his approach in using unconventional routes such as using hisnky build to scale up trees with thick canopies and moving slowly from tree to tree to keep out of sight. His progress was slow but it was still there.
''mmh," Yang Qing''s brows furrowed as he cast a close eye on Lai Rou.
"Guys what do you think of that kid, Lai Rou?" asked Yang Qing with his gaze not leaving the person in question.
"I can''t believe he is only 13 with that build. If he had some meat in him, he would be terrifying," Kang Hung offhandedly said as he threw some sesame seeds and wine in his mouth.
''Has hee here just to eat,'' thought Yang Qing. He kept those thoughts to himself since Hung''s help with the cultivation art was crucial to the test, especially thest special part of the test.
Thus, Yang Qing decided to give him a pass this time as he said,
"I was talking about his coordination and movement."
"He is very agile for his tall build, almost as if he is using the air to propel himself forward and the darkness of the canopy doesn''t seem to affect him one bit," Xia Boqin said.
"He seems to have fine control of every part of his body. No movement is wasted, and his shoulder movements are too fluid, almost as if there is no halt in his rotator cuffs. It looks like he is dislocating his shoulders.
I wonder what he went through that made him adopt such extreme means," said Dai Chen.
"If I was to guess, he worked in a mine, and with a build like that he had to find a way to handle those small shafts," said Kang Hung.
He was no longer casual as before but instead had a rare austere look to him.
"His movements are of someone swinging a pick axe, and with how dark those mines sometimes get, handling a little darkness from the canopy should be no problem for him.
I think he may have a talent for the sword or the saber. His skill with his movement, and the flexibilities of his wrist and shoulder, coupled with his reach, I think he''d make a terrifying sword or saber expert," added Kang Hung.
His entire focus waspletely drawn to Lai Rou.
The others sighed when they saw Kang Hung''s look. Before he joined the Order, Kang Hung was a ve who worked in the spirit stone mines of some long-forgotten sect. The mines were a death trap. Other than threats from the sect to meet their quotas, the mines were also littered with ferocious spirit beasts.
The sect used them as both miners and cannon fodders to scout the mine for any hidden dangers. Kang Hung only survived that ce because he unlocked his peerless jade physique within that mine and made an escape during spirit beast tide that created the perfect opportunity for his escape.
Lai Rou''s form might have dug long-forgotten memories from him.
Chapter 319 Starting From The West
"Exins why he kept reminding me of Yi Jie when we just started at the Institute," said Yang Qing as his eyes gleamed in interest while observing Lai Rou.
"Seems like your siblings are finally about to make a move," said Xia Boqin.
Yang Qing quickly shifted his focus toward them at Xia Boqin''s mention. Even though he waspletely impartial in setting up the test and its eventual supervision, deep down he hoped the two siblings would make it and there were those he hoped, wouldn''t. But regardless of his sentiments, those who made it to his table would gain entry whether he liked it or not, while those who failed to make the cut would get eliminated regardless if he wanted them to stay or not.
It was up to Zou Yi and Zou Liqin to ensure their entry into the Order. All Yang Qing could do for them is secretly cheer them on and wish them luck.
¡
"Before we start, I think from this moment forward, He Shan you should take the lead," said Zou Yi as he solemnly pointed at, He Shan.
"What do you mean?" asked He Shan in confusion.
"While we may not know what things have been ced on the mountain to serve as our test, its base value is still a mountain and the things that constitute one.
I don''t know about Yu Mei, but Liqin and I have little to no experience when ites to such a setting..."
"I don''t either," interjected Yu Mei
"With Yu Mei, that makes it all of us except you. You are the only one of us who knows how to survive on a mountain. The experiences we have may not serve us too well there, as such I suggest He Shan you take the lead and guide us on what to do and don''t do so we don''t end up being a burden or make careless mistakes there.
We may not be strong, yet, but the insights you have He Shan, may very well help us to gain ground in there," said Zou Yi.
"You want me to be the leader?" asked He Shan incredulously
"In part yes, if we hope to make it through," said Zou Yi as he lightly smiled at the shocked look on, He Shan.
"Okay you''re sure you want that?" asked He Shan still eyeing Zou Yi and the rest suspiciously.
"I am, what about you Liqin and Yu Mei? Do you have any objections to my suggestion?"
"I don''t" simultaneously answered Zou Liqin and Yu Mei.
He Shan still didn''t seem like he believed them and kept thinking it was some sort of trap. He eyed them suspiciously for a few seconds before he sighed and decided to go along with it.
"Fine, but you all have to do what I say to the letter," said He Shan as he purposely eyed Zou Liqin and Yu Mei.
"What do we need to know and do?" said Zou Yi to move things along. They were already short on time and didn''t have much of it to deal with He Shan''s overly apprehensive nature.
"First things first, whatever notions you have about hunting, throw them out the window. It doesn''t work with spirit beasts; some may use your understanding of what''s normal to trick you and before you know it your legs are in some spirit beast''s mouth.
The name of the game is stealth supplemented by speed," He Shan said as he eyed the trio like a seasoned senior and they were his disciples swallowing his every word.
"These twoponents will determine how far we reach. If we are to make it far one cannot exist without the other. Speed without stealth will only expose us easily, the same thing can be said about stealth without speed."
He Shan paused as he saw the looks of confusion from the trio.
"Like I said spirit beasts subvert the norm. When you are being stealthy with no speed, you will be still, avoiding making movements and slowly creeping about. This makes you an easy target for any spirit beast that has a better reaction and sensory perception than us.
There are spirit beasts whose fortey in precisely that, hunting stealthy creatures.
While you are stalking other creatures, they are stalking you, and with your speed at an all-time low, there''s no easier target.
I almost died of an attack from a mahogany cloud luster viper that used that same move. I was hunting a purple arc hare and therefore had to be stealthy. I stalked it for weeks; with no idea, I was being hunted too.
That damn viper was sneaky and greedy. It waited until I had sessfully shot the hare before it attacked me. This way it could have two prizes for the price of one and it would have seeded too had I not smeared the dung of a night stream elephant on myself, which gave me the much-needed protection from its fangs," He Shan said visibly frightened.
"This brings me to my next point, survival is all that matters in there, it doesn''t matter how or what, you just have to do it. If we have to bury ourselves in a pit of dung to survive, we do it, if we need to hide in the rotting carcass of some beast, we do it, or apply mildly poisonous herbs and putrid-smelling extracts on ourselves, we do it.
And finally¡" He Shan paused slightly for pure theatrics. He clearly seemed to enjoy having the trio have their entire focus centered on him, though asionally he would reach for his axe on reflex before he rxed his hands.
"If we are unlucky and end up getting noticed by a spirit beast, we have no chance at all of defeating, then ignore the first rule about being stealthy and speedy.
In that moment make as much chaos and noise as you can, the louder the better. We need to draw as much attention to our area as we can, by some luck a stronger spirit beast will appear, or the spirit beast attacking us will grow wary and choose to escape.
However, if it decides to attack, we are to run in different directions, but that''s only if it''s a single spirit beast if they are two or three, it''s safer to stick together.
I don''t have time to tell you everything, just keep those three in mind as for the rest, I''ll mention them as we move up the mountain, after all, every ce has a different set of rules," said He Shan.
The trio nodded to him as they got up.
"Yu Mei which side would you choose for us to enter the mountain from?" asked Zou Yi.
Yu Mei was surprised by the sudden question but nheless answered after she gave it some careful thought,
"That side," said Yu Mei as she pointed in the north-northeast of their direction.
"Great, the far west it is," the trio instantaneously said. With Yu Mei admitting her natural affinity towards dangerous situations, she was the best danger sensor avable.
The west was likely to be safer for them than whatever awaited them in the north-northeast direction.
I hope that girl picked that side thought He Shan as he remembered the yellow-haired girl.
Chapter 320 Beauty Of Autumn
The team followed He Shan''s instructions to the tee. He Shan led the front while Zou Yi held up the rear and Zou Liqin and Yu Mei were ced in the center.
Yu Mei was the weakest of the group with no cultivation base, therefore it was safer to have Zou Liqin next to her in case something unexpected happened.
Since they were a freshly formed team, their coordination wasn''t up to par, but the trio still tried to heed He Shan''s instruction, while He Shan adjusted slowly adjusted his movements to sync up with them, while he guided them on how to synch up with each other, especially with Yu Mei on the team.
Every time he saw her slowbored pace, he couldn''t help but sigh. Despite hearing from Zou Liqin about how Yu Mei had saved her life, He Shan still felt that Yu Mei would be a burden to them going forward, and seeing her current performance, only solidified that thought.
He even saw Zou Liqin as another added burden too, especially with her confession of how she almost failed the first test. He Shan found it difficult to understand how someone could fail such an easy test. He had the easiest hunt of his time in the test, barely even breaking a sweat doing it, he couldn''t understand how someone could almost fail such an easy test.
The only person in his eyes who seemed reliable was Zou Yi, however, Zou Yi felt too cunning to him. Every time he saw him, he would feel like he had the same sensation as that viper that almost killed him during his first years of learning to hunt.
This was why he was extremely hesitant at first in forming a team with them before he agreed to it. Part of the reason was, despite the cunningness he felt from Zou Yi, he also felt a staunch determination from him, that reminded him of his grandfather.
And if Zou Yi did try to stab in the back, well He Shan had experienced countless cunning opponents than the mahogany cloud lustre viper, he was confident he could carve himself an escape path from a human that didn''t have the same explosive strength and abilities as some of the spirit beasts he fought against. He also knew of Zou Yi''s weakness which was his sister. If worstes to worst, he could always use her, which was why He Shan conveniently positioned himself closer to Zou Liqin than Yu Mei.
Of course, that distance wasn''t noticeable to anyone else but him.
"Is He Shan scheming something," thought Zou Yi as he frowned. Years of surviving insidious schemes of the Purple City made him hyper-aware to the point his subconscious would register things that he couldn''t yet make sense of.
However, he decided to shelf those thoughts and chalked them up to He Shan''s paranoia rubbing off on him. At the moment he couldn''t afford to be distracted by one iota, especially in a ce where he felt he waspletely out of his element.
They had been steadily running for close to ten minutes and in that time, they had not stumbled onto anything remotely threatening.
The west was densely packed with trees. It had the air of autumn to it. A faintly chilly breeze brushed up on their skins, above them were towering trees from red oaks, to maples, to fothergi, to me leaf sumacs and to sweat gums.
They all had the fiery red radiant beauty to their leaves that heralded autumn was here. Every time the wind blew and the leaves dropped, Zou Yi felt like shooting stars were dropping from those trees gently cascading down to the ground, adding a carpeted beauty to it, which was further enhanced by the gentle cascading sunlight glow that passed through the canopy.
The blowing wind, the rustling of the leaves, and the critter noises, all distinctbined together to form a gentle melody that would almost put you to slumber.
Zou Yi couldn''t help but gasp at the beauty. He wasn''t the only one as Zou Liqin and Yu Mei had eyes that glimmered to the picturesquendscape beauty around. Even He Shan despite scoffing in contempt at the amateurish disy of the lot, would asionally deep whiffs of the chilly air.
Who could me him, it had that earthy autumn scent that seemed to calm their nerves every time they breathed it in.
The season of transition huh? Seems rather appropriate for the weather to be this way during the test. A transition of two extremes; those who pass the test will gain the opportunity to be reborn into dragons from lowly carp, and those who fail get thrown to the bottom forever doomed to be pitiful and forgotten.
I wonder which I will be at the end of it all.
Zou Yi smiled ruefully as he felt his inner poet being drawn out by the environment around him.
However, time for indulging and digging out his inner poet was cut short when He Shan drew his arrow without warning and fired at something to the left of their direction.
Almost simultaneously they had a ng sound like the sound of metal hitting metal.
Before the gang even registered what was going on, He Shan immediately yelled
"Liqin, Mei, drop to the ground!!" yelled He Shan as he simultaneously fired two arrows in their direction.
The two girls still couldn''t make heads or tails of what was happening around them they were therefore in a fluster, but despite that they obediently followed He Shan''s instruction and ducked to the ground.
It proved to be the right choice because almost instantaneously, Zou Yi had a swooshing sound above their heads, with strands of hair floating above them with singed edges.
He strained his eye and finally saw it, a tiny blurry scarlet object turning and immediately returning in the direction where He Shan had fired his first arrow.
What was that? Zou Yi fearfully wondered as he rushed towards his sister and Yu Mei to confirm they were okay.
That proved to be a reckless decision on his part because the moment he moved, he saw He Shan throw his axe at him.
"He Shan, you bastard?!" roared Zou Yi as he prepared to use his fist to deflect the axe.
The position he was in and the speed at which the axe was thrown made it hard for him to dodge. He could only hope his bronze body would be able to handle He Shan''s rusty old axe.
Chapter 321 Shocking Response
Zou Yi gritted his teeth as he swung his fist, however, he saw the axe swerve to his left the moment it was about to hit him.
Has he missed
A shing sound and force hit Zou Yi just as this thought hit his mind. The force made him trip to his left. Luckily Zou Yi still had some control of his body, so the moment he tripped to the side, he performed a sideway roll which gave him the chance to see the source of the explosive sound.
He saw a long narrow trench had been created from where he stood, up to the direction the scarlet blur had disappeared to. Within that trench was a green object that looked like a nt''s root, but from the smoothness of the object, it looked more like a branch.
Zou Yi saw the green object move. It rapidly retracted back leaving a 30 cm whipsh trench behind that seemed to producing smoke. He Shan''s axe was buried in the ground of that trench with faint cracks and smoke being produced from it.
Zou Yi gulped when he saw the scene. Had the attack hit him, his leg would have likely been blown clean off.
"Are you going toy there dazed or are you going to prepare for the next attack? I won''t save you for the next one."
He Shan''s cold voice pulled Zou Yi from his confused state.
"You two can get up now," added He Shan.
The whole event had not taken more than ten seconds, but every person present including He Shan was breathing heavily.
The two girls got up warily as they put up defensive positions rtively behind Zou Yi and He Shan. Zou Liqin stood in front of Yu Mei holding a few ck pebbles in her hands. Zou Yi had the same pebbles in his hands too.
Those pebbles were century iron pebbles and they had gotten them from Yang Qing''s nephews when they had visited. The pebbles were hardy enough to punch a hole through a regr wall, which made them effective blunt-force weapons.
From what the nephews told them, with the right throw, heavily injuring someone in the qi refinement realm wasn''t an impossibility. They each had four of those pebbles with them. They couldn''t carry more because each stone despite being two inches in size weighed 5 kilograms each. Even with their bronze body stage cultivation, carrying more than 5 would hinder their movement.
At the moment, they each had four of them while they gave, He Shan the extra one. Yu Mei wasn''t given since even with no luggage she was still struggling to keep up with them.
Everyone except He Shan was visibly on edge at the moment, especially the twodies. Zou Yi used the corner of his eyes and saw a smooth line at the top of their heads, as if their hair had been parted.
Whatever that orange blur was, it would have prated their scalps had they been even a secondte in dodging. He could even see small blood stains on their scalps.
Forget elimination, at this moment both girls felt how close to death they were. Both their hands were trembling; however, they forcefully endured their fear as they stared to their right, the source of both attacks.
In that direction was a bunch of fothergi shrubs clustered together with sweet-scented white flowers growing within them. However there was one thing that seemed to fit and not fit within that area, and that was an old unassuming willow tree.
Its leaves were greying almost pale white and it stood there silently, gently swaying with the wing so peacefully, but Zou Yi knew it wasn''t as peaceful and unassuming as it seemed to be.
The vine that almost took his leg had it not been for He Shan''s intervention, he saw it retract back into that tree.
However, Zou Yi didn''t seem to see anything remotely scarlet within the willow tree.
''What was that orange blur''
He couldn''t help but look at the fothergi with some suspicion. They were the only things that had scarlet colors in the area. He couldn''t help but feel whatever attacked them, likely originated from within those shrubs.
"Just our luck to stumble onto a snapping willow," He Shan murmured with a sigh of resignation. His gaze faintly lingered on Yu Mei as he said this, who couldn''t help but smile in defeat at the implied meaning of He Shan''s look.
"He Shan, the orange blur¡"
Of the things Zou Yi was most wary of, it was that thing. He couldn''t even track it with his eyes. He may have been caught unaware, but its speed was still valid. Even alert, he had doubts he could defend against something with such speed.
"It''s a scarlet crown hummingbird, and it''s one of the inhabitants of that willow tree, which is why I can''t help butment our current circumstance.
We might potentially be facing four opponents, though if I count the willow tree, it would make it five¡." Said He Shan with a grim expression.
He knocked three more arrows as he said while the rest readied their pebbles.
They had narrowly evaded death from two attackers, and the thought of facing three more opponents of the same caliber, made seeds of despair take root in their hearts.
He Shan didn''t seem to read the mood as he continued with his exnation.
"It''s not always a guarantee that they would be here but a snapping willow tree is usually inhabited by the scarlet-tipped hummingbird, a grey fog tree fog, a ck verdant porcupine, and a withering weevil..."
Silence ensued when He Shan took a sudden pause cautiously eyeing the willow tree for any strange movements. He only resumed the exnation when he confirmed something wasn''t brewing from the willow tree.
However, before he did, Zou Liqin interrupted with a question of her own,
"If you know that is a snapping willow, howe you didn''t warn us before we stepped into the area, we could already notice it when we were back there," said Zou Liqin as she pointed a couple of meters behind them.
Even though she was still grateful for He Shan''s timely warning, it was a little bit too close forfort.
"Before we came in here, I already warned you to be alert about everything and anything, down to the de of grass," He Shan coldly said.
"Besides when ites to the snapping willow tree, you can never differentiate it from a normal one up until it attacks you. When dormant, it''s no different from a normal willow tree, and as far as I know or what my grandfather taught me, there is no other way to differentiate it.
It was why I struck it with an arrow when we were close, to see its response¡"
The trio was dumbstruck at He Shan''s response.
Chapter 322 Fate Curse
"What?!" He Shan looked superciliously at them as he said this.
"Surely, you''re not all so na?ve as to think that we could have gotten part it easily had I not hit the tree with my arrow?" he mockingly.
From the looks of the trio, they had clearly entertained that thought when He Shan told them about striking the snapping willow tree first. Maybe if he didn''t, the scarlet-beaked humming bird would have not made an appearance, and the willow tree would not have retaliated with one of its vines.
However, deep down they knew that was wishful thinking on their part.
"We may not know each other well, but I can tell you I''m not one to y with my life¡" He Shan said as he sighed. He decided against mocking them further.
Their disy during the attack had left him dissatisfied and in a sour mood. Even Zou Yi whom he had expectations for, let down his guard and almost invited disaster on himself when he ran toward his sister without assessing the situation first.
If their disy was going to be like this, He Shan felt he might as well go at it alone, at least then he would only have to watch out for himself and not expend his concentration watching over the three of them.
But when he saw his axe, which was at the edge of breaking apart, his consternation eased up. It was one of the first things he got from his grandfather, and although it had long lost its use in terms of practicality, he still held onto it for sentimental purposes. It was one of his mementos of his grandfather.
I was no different than them when Grandpa took me in
"Even though the snapping willow may or may not have attacked us when we passed by, I know for sure the scarlet-beaked hummingbird would have attacked us.
It''s temperamental, territorial, vindictive, insidious, and extremely bloodthirsty. Had I left the tree alone, it would have likely calcted its move before it shot out, rather than reacting like it did before. If the former had happened, one of us would have fallen to its beak, more than likely it would have been Yu Mei.
That bird is extremely calctive, it would have gone for the weaker party and worked its way up to thest person whom it ssifies as a threat¡"
Yu Mei shivered slightly as she heard He Shan''s statement. She reflectively touched her scalp with a fearful imagination running through her mind.
She wasn''t alone. Zou Liqin was right there with her when the hummingbird targeted them, as for Zou Yi, since their experience he was more wary of the bird than the tree. But with He Shan''s introduction of other potential enemies all inhabiting the willow tree, he couldn''t help but worry if their power scaling was simr to the hummingbird.
He Shan as if reading his mind continued,
"While we may potentially be facing five opponents, that''s only if they all decide to attack, which¡." He Shan hurriedly shut his mouth with his hands.
The trio reflexively looked around with wariness, expecting an attack, but when a few seconds passed with no attack, they all looked at He Shan with confused looks.
"I almost cursed us," He Shan said with a faintly trembling voice.
"Cursed us how?" asked Zou Yi.
"Haven''t you all heard of the fate curse?" asked He Shan who immediately had a dumbfounded look when he saw all of them shake their heads sideways.
"But Grandpa said it wasmon knowledge," he muttered in perplexity.
"The fate curse is usually triggered by someone''s words. If you said something is unlikely to happen, then usually it would likely happen even if it wasn''t because of the words spoken.
If I didn''t stop in time, I would have cursed us."
"What kind of curse is that? Isn''t that just in superstition? How could anyone believe something as silly as that?" thought Zou Yi.
He shook his head when he saw the sincerity in, He Shan''s demeanor. He seemed like he believed it wholeheartedly.
"It really exists, I''ve seen it happen to Grandpa a million times. He would say something was unlikely and secondster, minutester, an hour, or even dayster, the scenario he said had unlikely chances of happening, ends up happening.
We ended up in no small amounts of trouble because of it," said He Shan when he saw the looks of suspicion and disbelief from the rest.
But when he saw their still doubtful looks even after his rification he decided to move on. They woulde to know the fearsomeness of the fate curse sooner orter. He could only hope he wasn''t with them when it did.
''I hope they get the worst kind. Grandpa was perfect but he had a big mouth on him, He Shan thought as hemented his past.
"Of the five opponents, the hummingbird is the most thorny, while the willow tree is unpredictable with its attacks, you can never know its range and those vines usually hide other things in them. They might have poison, or paralyzing effects to them, but it''s also the easiest to deal with since it can''t move, we can escape its range as long as we move but we can''t do that with that damn hummingbird eyeing us.
As for thest three, the ck verdant porcupine is docile by nature, it would rarely attack unless it feels a threat to its life or to the willow tree while the remaining two; the withering weevil and grey fog tree frog are thorny opponents especially due to their abilities, they are not as vindictive as the hummingbird.
As long as we leave this area, they won''t bother to pursue us. So long story short, we need to stall that bird and make a run for it. That''s our only way out of here in one piece¡and speak of the bastard¡." He Shan''s eyes narrowed on the willow covered in grey leaves.
The rest all readied themselves. Yu Mei was the only one left awkwardly standing about. She looked around to try and grab something to use as a weapon, but she immediately stopped when she remembered the experience from a few minutes ago.
Any movements, such as even bending to pick up something, could very well spell her doom, she thus decided the best thing she could do was stay put in the same posture and position.
He Shan who had spared a nce in his direction, nodded in approval.
Still a potential deadweight, but has a good head on her
"I will work on handling the bird, you two deal with the vines from the willow tree. It shouldn''t be hard for you two to match its speed¡" He Shan said as he pulled his bow with the three arrows already in ce.
"Oh, and if you see a white ky powder appear, run. The withering weevil has the most dangerous ability. It produces particles which if you get in contact with them, will rot your skin, and if more if it gets on you ¡.
Here ites!!!"
He Shan paused his exnation and rapidly fired the three arrows on his bow.
The three arrows moved in an almost upward curve trajectory as they looked to pin the scarlet blur up ahead. The three arrows formed an almost triangle pattern.
The scarlet blur swerved to the left and the right in the time it took someone toplete a sneeze. The arrows missed their target and due to its speed, it seemed like it phased through the arrows.
Chapter 323 Fending Off The Two Attackers
He Shan was prepared for this, as three more arrows wereunched in quick session of the earlier ones. As he was busy tangling with the scarlet hummingbird, Zou Yi, and Zou Liqin were already called into action when the willow treeunched three vines in their direction at an rming speed.
Luckily its speed was way inferior to the scarlet hummingbird, which was still a blur to them despite being well prepared for it.
"Yu Mei, tell us if you spot the white kes, or fog," yelled Zou Yi as he and his sisterunched the century iron pebbles in their hands.
With their strength as bronze body refining cultivators hurling the five-kilogram pebbles with ease and uracy wasn''t a difficult feat for them.
They both managed to halt two of the vines of the snapping willow tree dead in its track. Zou Yi didn''t pause, as he ran forward and picked, He Shan''s axe which he immediately flung at the third vine.
All three of the vines seemed to be specifically targeting He Shan who was currently locked in a firing battle with the scarlet hummingbird.
From what Zou Yi could tell, He Shan had thirty or so arrows in his quiver, and within the short span of the reappearance of the scarlet hummingbird he had alreadyunched twelve of them.
Zou Yi couldn''t help but worry about what would happen when the arrows were finished. Those arrows seemed to be the only things keeping the high-speed bird at bay.
However, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he focused on the matter at hand, which was dealing with the vines of the snapping willow while still being on guard against the other spirit beast in case, they made an appearance.
When Zou Yi and Zou Liqinunched their century iron pebbles they were mindful enough to throw them low to the ground and at a distance where they could swiftly recover them.
They only had three pebbles for each of them, they, therefore, had to use them carefully, and from the results they saw, it was their most important asset.
Two of the vines that had been hit by the pebbles had been punctured through at the point of contact. There was arge piece of the vine that had separated from the main vine and immediately in front of it were small fist-sized holes with the century iron pebbles neatly tucked in.
"Liqin be careful as you grab them," Zou Yi said as he kept guard behind Zou Liqin who was in charge of recovery.
The part of the vines that had broken off were releasing green-purple liquid that had a sweet nectary scent to them.
Zou Yi wasn''t sure if that liquid was poisonous or not but it was best to err on the side of caution.
Just as Zou Liqin was going for thest pebble, the willow treeunched two more vines toward her direction at an increased speed.
Zou Yi wasn''t sure but he felt some sort of agitation from the vines, like they were filled with anger, hence the ferocity and speed.
Does injuring the vines hurt it? He wondered as heunched two pebbles in quick session.
The first one missed as the vine was speedily retracted before his pebble made contact, while the second pebble did hit the vine but not most of it, as it too was being retracted it just wasn''t as fast as the earlier one.
Zou Liqin picked up thest pebble and dashed to her position while Zou Yi rushed forward and picked up the pebbles he had just thrown while Zou Liqin covered for him.
Their cooperation was seamless, and as people who have fought and survived alongside each other for the past five years since their eviction from the Zou n''s main grounds, it was only to be expected.
Zou Yi easily picked thest pebble with no attackunched his way.
The short reprise gave him a moment to observe the confrontation between He Shan and the scarlet hummingbird.
He Shan may have questionable traits to him, but Zou Yi had to admit, when it came to skills, even he a former scion of a rank 2 family felt inferior.
The way He Shan fired those arrows; it was almost as if he could direct them mid-air to perfectlynd on the scarlet hummingbird''s flight trajectory. No matter where it moved, an arrow was always there to wee it.
He Shan looked like a puppet master, controlling both his arrows and the scarlet hummingbird into the perfect dance. However, no matter how beautiful the y was, its end was about to arrive since He Shan was only left with six arrows and three of them were already in his hands ready to be fired.
Zou Yi hesitated on whether they should lend a hand to He Shan. His hesitation was he didn''t want to cause problems with his ill-timed amateurish interference. He still didn''t know how He Shan kept track of the scarlet hummingbird''s movements when he was at the same cultivation base as Zou Yi, who still struggled to keep track of it, though he did get short quick nces of it, whenever it twisted and turned to dodge, He Shan''s arrows.
It was just about the size of a grown man''s palms. It had a gem green coating on its plumage around the head and neck, and circr ck rings around it. At its neck the plumage was white. The beak was the most distinctive. It was scarlet red, almost looked as if it was coated in blood, and was as thin as a needle.
He couldn''t believe that such a thing almost punctured a hole through his sister''s and Yu Mei''s heads.
"You two, when I say it, I want you to throw those pebbles to the left and right of my arrows. Don''t bother with uracy just focus on speed..." said He Shan as he rapidly fired the three arrows in his hands.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin both tightly clenched their pebbles awaiting his instruction.
In quick session, He Shan knocked the three arrows and fired them as he simultaneously yelled,
"NOW!!"
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin immediatelyunched their pebbles with so much speed that they produced a hissing sound as they flew.
That was when they saw an incredible scene. The scarlet hummingbird which seemed like it was pinned down by their attack, dodged He Shan''s arrows, and gently glided downwards passing in between the gaps of the two pebbles Zou Yi and Zou Liqin hadunched.
If it wasn''t an opponent that would butcher them given the slightest of opportunity, Zou Yi would have whistled in admiration at the finesse in which it dodged.
"That''s what I was waiting for."
Chapter 324 Snapping Willow Strikes
Something tiny the size of a bird''s egg appeared on the flight path of the scarlet crown hummingbird. It looked like a rubber sac, like something that came out of the entrails of some beast.
The sac exploded instantly when it almost collided with the scarlet crown hummingbird. A thick viscous ck-green liquid was produced from it which immediately covered the hummingbird as it was flying downwards.
At the speed it was flying, it was difficult for it to escape getting drenched in the green liquid.
Zou Yi and the rest didn''t know what that green liquid was, but they assumed it definitely had properties that could help them with their current predicament.
His guess proved to be true. The scarlet crown hummingbird that flew so fast that it looked like a blur in their eyes, got a little bit sluggish in its flight the moment it made contact with the green liquid.
A look of shock appeared in its tiny beady eyes as it tried to rapidly p its wings, but with every passing second its pping speed would reduce. Realizing the danger it was in, it immediately gave up targeting them as it turned in the direction of the snapping willow tree.
Even though its speed had reduced, it was still fast, and covering the distance back to the tree would not take more than ten seconds at its current speed.
Both Zou Yi and He Shan as if on tacit understanding,unched their century-iron pebbles toward it. Zou Liqin held back as she kept a close eye on the snapping willow tree that looked to be preparing another more powerful move.
It was intertwining several of its vines together forming a knot that was as thick as three of herbined. She wasn''t sure if the century iron pebbles would be able to damage it as they did before, she could only hope He Shan and Zou Yi could finish off the scarlet-crowned hummingbird before the snapping willow tree attacked.
One of the pebbles thrown at the scarlet-crowned hummingbird managed to hit one of its wings which made it lose bnce and tumble into the ground.
Just as He Shan and Zou Yi were about to go in for the kill, Yu Mei spoke up,
"There are white kes showing up from the tree," she warned.
He Shan and Zou Yi both looked up in time to see tiny white kes circling around one of the branches of the willow tree. Because its scale was small, one could easily miss it as long as you were not looking keenly enough, but in a few microseconds, the size grew.
"Let''s run," He Shan yelled as he quickly grabbed his rusty beat-up axe and made a run for it to his front.
Zou Yi had been contemting whether to go for the century iron pebble, but when he saw He Shan''s hasty retreat he decided against it.
He nodded toward his sister and made a beeline toward Yu Mei and grabbed her by the hand as he hurriedly made a getaway with her. She had the slowest pace, and physical capabilities since she had no cultivation base to speak off. In essence, she was just a normal 13-year-old girl.
Even though she was the oldest of the four, because of no cultivation base she looked like the youngest and the smallest of them.
The group used every strength they had to make a run for it, while still keeping a close eye on the willow tree. From the way it waspressing its vines despite them not engaging it, it seemed like it wasn''t done with them, and with them this close to leaving the area, it was only a matter of time before itunched its attack.
Just as they were about to leave the open clearing, the attack finally came. A thick spiral vine that looked like it was more like an oversized arrowhead wasunched in their direction, more specifically it seemed to be directed at Zou Yi.
The force at which it wasunched was so big that it produced a whistling sound.
Zou Yi''s eyes flinched as he saw the attack. At the front, He Shan had half expected the attack to beunched in his direction for the damage he had done to the scarlet crown hummingbird. When he saw the attack veer toward Zou Yi, he exhaled a sigh of relief as he increased his pace to draw as much gap as he could between him and Zou Yi, who had to worry about himself and Yu Mei that he was dragging along.
"Liqin, grab her."
Zou Yi immediately made the decision to offload Yu Mei to Zou Liqin while he prepared for the attack that was no more than ten seconds away from hitting him.
Zou Liqin looked troubled, especially on noticing that her brother seemed to have been singled out by the tree.
"LIQIN DON''T!!" yelled Zou Yi when he saw her contemtinging his way.
Things were already bad enough without his sister adding herself into the fray.
Zou Liqin flinched at Zou Yi''s yell and whatever ideas she had evaporated as she grabbed Yu Mei and run after He Shan.
Zou Yi reduced his pace a little bit to ensure whatever coteral damage mighte from the attack will not affect his sister and Yu Mei who were just a few meters ahead of him.
I hope this isn''t the end for me. It would suck when I''m just looking forward toing out at the other end of this thing and making Dad and Mom proud.
How petty is that tree anyway? It was just punctured on a few vines which should be no different from losing a few nails right? What I''m I thinking?
Zou Yi ruefully smiled as he tightly held on to two century-iron pebbles in his hands as he run.
Please don''t hurt
He thought as he gritted his teeth and jumped sideways the moment thepressed massive vine was upon him. It was as thick as a trunk but towards the end, it was pointy and sharp as a needle.
Chapter 325 Zou Liqins Fears Resurface
The snapping willow tree was clearly looking to impale him and even with his bronze body, Zou Yi felt it wouldn''t be difficult for the willow tree to do so. He couldn''t help but wonder why the snapping willow tree was called that way when piercing moves seemed to be its forte. Zou Yi couldn''t help but think maybe the name had something to do with its temperament.
Ever since his parent''s death, as a means of coping with ufortable and scary situations, he started thinking about inane things which slowly evolved over the past five years into an unconscious habit because of how much he did it.
Boom!!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A sand explosion formed at Zou Yi''s former position. Clouds of dust and leaves filled the area along with a strong gust of wind that almost made Zou Liqin and Yu Mei trip.
"ZOU YI!!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Zou Liqin as she forgot herself and ran in that direction, she saw Zou Yi get flung too, dragging Yu Mei along who seemed to struggle to match her pace no matter how fast she tried to run.
Microseconds after the explosions, Zou Liqin felt a sharp wind brush up against her, and immediately after she saw something orange sh past her at an rming speed like a broken kite.
She instinctively knew that orange sh was Zou Yi being flung from the attack by the snapping willow and the direction he was thrown to, was the same direction they were running towards.
Trees shattered like thin dried branches everywhere that orange blur passed through.
He Shan who was close to twenty meters away from the Zou Liqin, grimaced when he saw those snapping trees. He had been running in a straight line, and the direction that Zou Yi seemed to have been flung to, seemed to deviate from his path by a few inches.
He seemed to hesitate for a bit before finally, he headed in the direction of the shattered trees.
The three members all rushed in the direction that was filled with a cacophony of noises. The booming sound a few seconds earlier, the crashing trees had destroyed the tranquil setting of the area, and with it came different cries from the resident of the area. The cries were of fear, and some wereced with threat.
He Shan''s look turned grim when he heard this. While chaos would have been their best friend in certain circumstances, in this instant when they had a teammate potentially heavily injured, it was the worst possible oue.
He wasn''t in good shape either. While it seemed like he had effortlessly handled the scarlet-crowned hummingbird, only he knew how much of a strain his body was in. He had pushed his body to its limits and even over-exerted his arms, eyes, and every other sense of his body to ensure he kept the hummingbird at bay.
Every tendon in his body felt like it was being boiled in magma and his bones were molded of the heaviest of metals. His eyes felt like they had knives poking his eyelids. It took all he had to keep running and he wasn''t sure he had any energy left to handle even a weak opponent.
The only people who looked to have some energy left for fighting were Zou Liqin and Yu Mei, however He Shan couldn''t bank his safety on them, especially in their current state. Zou Liqin looked to be delirious. In her current state, she couldn''t react rationally and was no different than a ravenous beast. With the way she was, He Shan would rather entrust their safety to Yu Mei even though she was the weakest with no cultivation base.
Despite everything that had happened, her eyes were clear even when she was being dragged like a rag doll. He Shan could tell that her breathing was shallow and ragged, while her legs were filled with shallow cuts everywhere because of the reckless force with which Zou Liqin dragged her with.
"Zou Liqin calm down, while we don''t know the state in which we will find your brother, we can at least tell he is alive. Had the attack put him at risk of losing his life, the leaves we were given would have instantly reacted and the fact that it didn''t means he is okay," said Yu Mei as she struggled to talk under the severe shortness of breath.
Zou Liqin who seemed like a crazed beast, had some rity return to her eyes when she heard Yu Mei''s words.
"You''re right, we are on a test," said Zou Liqin in a tone that seemed like she only realized it, and was saying those words as a form of reassurance for herself.
Yu Mei had a gaze of pity as she looked at her from the back. In the realm created by the heart-cleansing waterfall, she could see the illusions formed by Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, and He Shan as she walked around there, and it wasn''t only them, she came across the illusions of other participants.
She was a spectator in its test while others had their deepest desires dug out by the waterfall, therefore she saw how much Zou Liqin suffered and what her deepest fear was. Her greatest fear was losing Zou Yi and within that realm, she had indeed lived with that loss for a couple of years. Even if the realm was an illusion, the loss she felt was real and very fresh, and Zou Yi getting hurt right now more than likely dug up those four years she was in there.
¡
With some rity returning to her, Zou Liqin controlled her pace as she looked apologetically at Yu Mei when she saw her disheveled appearance, especially her robes that were torn at the bottom, and her feet that were filled with bruises.
With her running controlled, Yu Mei was able to get some relief, albeit only a tiny little bit. The damage was already done, and that short burst had likely pushed her body beyond its limits. He Shan was even surprised at how much will she had to still keep up and still have the presence of mind to think rationally and help Zou Liqin calm down.
However, he knew no matter how much willpower she had, the rules governing her body could not be undone, when they stopped, her body would immediately crush, and at that point, they would have two members incapacitated in just the first few minutes of them stepping into the mountain.
He couldn''t help butment their luck and think maybe they should have chosen the north-northeast direction that Yu Mei had earlier chosen.
He had no way of knowing that that direction had already caused the elimination of 50 participants, and of those participants, one of them was a legacy.
Chapter 326 Saving Zou Yi
It didn''t take long before He Shan and the rest saw a pile of rubble and trees clustered together up ahead of them, and beneath it was apartment that had caved in.
Zou Liqin immediately let go of Yu Mei once she spotted the rubble. Without care for her image, she ran into the piled-up mess ahead and started throwing the pieces of broken trees to the size as she yelled for Zou Yi.
"Zou Liqin, watch your voice will you? The crush has already created enough of amotion as it is, we don''t need to add any more to it by alerting every beast or participant out here of our location.
Nothing good wille of it if they decide to be curious ande here," He Shan austerely said as he went to Zou Liqin''s side and helped remove some of the parts of broken trees and rocks.
He had an incredulous look as he removed the rubble. He couldn''t understand how Zou Yi was even alive with such a scene on disy. The piled-up trees and rocks had created a miniature mound that was at least 20 meters in height.
There was also a deep trench that had extended for a quarter of a kilometer and that was what he saw at the final scene. The attack from the snapping willow tree hadunched Zou Yi for at least a kilometer and within that kilometer, he crashed into everything that was within that distance. Broken bones were the least of Zou Yi''s injuries.
He Shan couldn''t help butment the current circumstance. Part of him even contemted leaving, however, he wasn''t in a good state himself, and if the journey up was anything like what they had just gone through, then his chances of making it up alone, were close to non-existent, he was better off teaming up with Zou Yi and the rest even if they didn''t seem like much help at the moment.
The one saving grace was they had the opportunity to get stronger as long as they found a special zone. They could use whatever resources that were in there to strengthen themselves. He was eager to try the 108 steps of the autumn leaves cultivation art, especially the movement arts. From the brief glimpse he took, he found it more diverse and deeper than what he learned from his grandfather.
If she can improve, she can be a worthy teammate. Outwardly she doesn''t seem like the tenacious sort, but she sure is full of surprises.
While he was removing the rubble, he spared a nce to observe Yu Mei who looked to bepletely spent that a single gust of wind could likely topple her over.
Sweat had soaked her robes entirely to the point that one would think she had gone for a swim in them, her feet had more wounds on them, her hair was all over the ce and with some sticking to her face and she was wheezing as she struggled to breathe. She didn''t look like she was that far from keeling over and fainting, however even with her run-down body, her eyes still exuded a tranquil calmness as she carefully looked around.
He Shan couldn''t help but admire her tenacity. Of the three, she was the only one he had the least hope for, but she turned out to be one of the biggest assets when the moment called for it.
Too bad even with all her tenacity, her body finally couldn''t take it as her legs gave away and she fell on her side scraping her hands on some of the branches. She tried to get up but her arms soon followed.
"Don''t force yourself or something worse will happen to your body, for now just focus on regting your breath. Rx and gently take short breaths through your nose with your mouth and eyes closed. Empty your mind and just breathe.
Right now that should be your job, the rest leave it up to me and Zou Liqin. When we find Zou Yi we will need to get out of here," He Shan said when he saw the calm-eyed Yu Mei stubbornly try and get up.
Yu Mei hesitated for a moment before she silently nodded toward He Shan and did as he asked.
...
With He Shan and Zou Liqin working together it didn''t take them long to empty out the rubble and find a badly beaten up Zou Yi who looked to just be hanging on to dear life.
His robes were in tatters, and some of the bones like the femur, radius, ulna, and vicle were already showing. His whole body was covered in dirt and wood chippings that he had collected along the way, and it was held together by his leaking blood. His body looked like that of someone that had been charred.
Wait!! Is he smiling? thought He Shan as beneath that grime he saw what looked to be a weak smug smile.
Zou Liqin who was already at the edge seemed like she would lose it when she saw how beat up he was. However at thest moment she bit her lip hard to the point it dripped blood and gently went to her brother''s side.
Zou Yi who had shallow breaths and eyes closed, opened them when he sensed Zou Liqine over.
"L....i...i...."
He tried to open his mouth, but all that came out were low squelching sounds, that got drowned out by the blood he was coughing out when he tried to speak and move his hand toward Zou Liqin.
"Brother, don''t move," Zou Liqin hurriedly said as she clumsily dug out a few herbs from her robe.
She spread them on the ground, quickly looking through them as she muttered words whenever her hands passed through each herb.
From what He Shan could tell, she seemed to be mentioning herb names and their uses. He heard a few names he was familiar with like; hidden toothwort, river mound morrel, and jade resplendent peony root to name a few.
Even if he couldn''t recognize the first one he recognized the first two as go-to herbs for injuries. The hidden toothwort could be considered the prime herb of first aid, well to body refining experts like them, it was. It helped regte the body''s stress, and with a body in Zou Yi''s state, he definitely needed it, before they could move him, the hidden toothwort would need to be applied to him, to help regte his body from his bleeding, breathing down to the pain levels, which the hidden toothwort was excellent at. As for the river mound morrel, it would help in replenishing his blood essence along with boosting his healing abilities.
The more herbs Zou Liqin poured out, the more He Shan recognized. They were all restorative herbs, and for someone whose body was thered in countless scars, the reason he was able to live through the injuries behind those scars, was through those herbs. Having one was like having another life.
The qualities are great too, by the looks ofit, and she seems to have gotten her emotions in check, thought He Shan as he scrutinized both the herbs and Zou Liqin who despite her urgency was very careful in picking the herbs she would need as she closely monitored Zou Yi''s state to try which of his many injuries was the most dire.
Chapter 327 Destruction Of Seventy Three By One
Once everything was in order, with no hesitation Zou Liqin chewed on the jade-resplendent peony root which sheter poured on her hands and squeezed it above Zou Yi''s open wounds. A white golden liquid would be produced every time she squeezed, and every time the liquid came in contact with Zou Yi''s wounds, a sizzling sound would be produced, like the sound of something being burnt.
Even with his body covered in dirt, ck markings that were granr kept appearing across different parts of Zou Yi''s body as they got sucked toward the areas that had the white gold liquid that Zou Liqin had squeezed from the jade-resplendent white peony root.
ck vapor immediately started getting produced from Zou Yi''s body. All people present knew what that signified, Zou Yi had poison in him.
Was it the snapping willow tree or something else? wondered He Shan as he carefully took a few steps back to avoid the vapor.
Zou Yi could have been poisoned by the snapping willow tree, or by any of the million things he crashed into on the way over.
Speaking of the tree....
He Shan quickly made his way to Zou Yi once the ck vapor had cleared out and carefully analyzed his torso.
How could he? it''s not there...
He Shan had a dumbfounded look the closer he observed Zou Yi''s body. Even though he was already a few meters ahead of Zou Yi, he had seen the form attack the snapping willow tree employed when it attacked Zou Yi, and even in the best-case scenario, He Shan had Zou Yi being run through by that elephant-sized arrow, but the hole he expected to see wasn''t there.
The closer He Shan observed Zou Yi, the more bbergasted his look became. All of Zou Yi''s injuries seemed to havee from him barrelling through the forest, and there didn''t seem to be a trace of the snapping willow tree on him.
How did he do it?... So that''s how...
He Shan managed to spot a couple of broken smooth ck objects tightly clenched in Zou Yi''s hand.
These two siblings are not simple he muttered as he saw the smoothness and familiarity in which Zou Liqin went about to address Zou Yi''s injuries.
One of them managed to deflect a full-force blow that was the equivalent of ate-stage qi refinement cultivator through quick thinking and with the use of a pebble, and the other had a fastidious mind when it came to first aid.
He Shan however quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he went on to assist Zou Liqin in attending He Shan. He had expected her to be guarded and apprehensive of him when he offered to help, but she was quick to ept his help and even assigned areas to him.
Isn''t she a little too trusting? thought He Shan as he went about resetting Zou Yi''s bones. He took out a neatly wrapped cloth from his beast skin top and removed a few ingredients which he ground and applied around the areas he had reset the bones.
The two silently and methodically went about restoring Zou Yi''s body as Yu Mei worked on steadying her breathing and giving her body time to recover what little strength it could.
....
"Too bad for senior Lanfen''s daughter," said Dai Chen with a sigh.
"That it is, her son showed some skill too bad his luck wasn''t too good," said Xia Boqin.
"If he chose to work with some of the other participants he may have passed. A loss here may serve him some good. It may help temper his character more," said Kang Hung.
The three judges including Yang Qing had their attention all centered at the same spot, the north-northeast of the mountain.
There''s a kilometer-wide crater filled with charred marks, debris everywhere, deep wide cracks, and trees that had blue mes on them. It evidenced that a terrifying battle had taken ce, and currently leaving that ce was a young deer gently tip-toeing about as it sniffed and gobbled some of the herbs around the area.
The young doe looked ordinary at first, however, if one looked at its coat one would notice it faintly shimmered with different colors, which gave it an almost ethereal look. That innocent-looking doe was the culprit behind the crater of destruction in the area, and also the elimination of 73 participants, one of which was a legacy.
"I don''t think I''ve seen it in the beast-taming hall, did you get it from somewhere Yang?" asked Xia Boqin.
"No, I didn''t. While the spirit beast from the beast taming hall have some skill, they would still need some time to adjust to this environment, for an effective test it''s better to go with local inhabitants.
Every creature here is a natural resident of this ce including the seven-colored doe. I was just as surprised when I found it here. Other than the special zones, everything else is a naturally urring element of the ce.
Those participants have the worst luck for stumbling into one of the five overlords of this mountain so early into the test," said Yang Qing.
"I hope Senior Lanfen doesn''t hold a grudge for this. You all are witnesses that it was purely coincidental," said Yang Qing.
While legacy participants did get eliminated once in a while, it was a rare urrence and those who did will forever be branded with the stench of failing an entrance examination, no matter the reason.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but worry about an official from the external logistic division bearing a grudge against him for her son failing the test. The legacy participant had shown some skill as he had managed to go more than fifty rounds with that seven-colored doe before he was decimated. Before him, the doe had obliterated 50 participants in one go before they had a chance to register what happened. He was the only one of the 73 participants who had managed to push the spirit beast, which was a feat in itself.
The seven-colored doe was a progeny of the seven-colored deer which is a spirit beast that at its peak would have a Dao level of mastery of seven elements i.e. water, wind, earth, wood, fire, metal, and lightning. It was no weaker than the phoenixes, or dragons at its peak, however, the doe before them wasn''t at that level.
In terms of cultivation, it was just at the early stages of qi refinement and had not yet unlocked its bloodline. But its base strength gave it enough ability to destroy all within the realm of qi refinement, with a few exceptions being those with the same ssification of monster just like it, which the legacy participant sadly wasn''t.
While legacies had an advantage when it came to the starting line, it didn''t equate to them having the same talent as their rtives. Situations that called for something special, would usually leave them exposed, and that was true for that legacy participant. From what Yang Qing had seen of the participants, he had seen a few that had the capabilities of going toe to toe with that seven-colored doe, and even maybeing out on top.
The fact that that participant couldn''t, was only a reflection of his natural talent. He could only me his horrible luck for being in a situation that demanded monstrous amounts of it. However, Yang Qing quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as a smile of relief appeared on his face.
Chapter 328 Racing Through The Forest(1)
"Good, it''s a little bit better now," He Shan said as he performed a once-over check on Zou Yi.
Zou Yi agreed with his summations as she seemed visibly relieved too, though she still looked worried about Zou Yi.
The most grievous injuries Zou Yi had were on his back more than anywhere else. When he got sted by the snapping willow tree, he crushed back first into every tree he came across within that one-kilometer stretch before he finally stopped. A majority of those trees were as sturdy as rocks, so Zou Yi took considerable damage when he crushed into them and the force with which he crushed into them.
Luckily Zou Yi seemed to have guarded his neck when he was crushing into those trees; otherwise, ending up with a broken neck would not have been an impossibility.
With Zou Liqin and He Shan working together, they reset some of his bones, restitch his wounds, and braced his body up as they applied different herbs. Once they were done doing the best they could with what they had, He Shan, at the end, fed him the leaves of a blue ocean felonwort which would help boost his blood cirction and vitality.
When they cleaned his body of the grime and blood, his skin was slightly pale from exhaustion and blood loss. The blue ocean felonwort usually was an earth-rank herb that was used by qi refinement cultivators in restoring their blood and healing their injuries. It had gentle properties that made it usable even by those in the body refining stage.
The herb He Shan had on hand was young and wasn''t of the best of qualities, thus barely qualified as an earth-rank herb and could, at best, be considered a top-tier mortal-rank herb. However, considering Zou Yi''s realm and present needs, it suited the moment perfectly.
The whole treatment took almost a quarter of an hour to do, and Zou Yi had been lucid throughout the whole treatment. The more time went by, the better he seemed in terms of awareness and mobility.
He grabbed the blue ocean felonwort from He Shan and ate them as he grimaced from the disgusting taste. Some color seemed to return to his face as he chewed on it.
"We need to start moving. Some of our friends here may decide to abandon all caution and try to find out the cause of themotion. It wouldn''t be too good for us if they find us in this state..." He Shan said as he scanned his surrounding with a solemn expression.
Even though fifteen minutes didn''t seem like a long time, it was long enough for any spirit beast or human that had thatmotion to start getting curious in the ce of caution, and if they were found in the state they were in, they would be sitting ducks.
He Shan was barely hanging on, and Zou Yi was a stitched-up pile of broken bones, blood loss, and injuries. They did the best they could, but Zou Yi would need some time until his natural vitality kicked in. As for Yu Mei, while she had gotten her breathing in check, He Shan could still spot tremors in her body, which showed she was in no condition to fight, let alone even make a speedy escape.
Zou Liqin was the only fighter they had, but even though physically, she seemed okay, mentally, she was spent. She had poured every mental energy she had into ensuring Zou Yi''s injuries were addressed, from the broken bones to the tiniest of cuts, while also ensuring he wasn''t poisoned or had a parasitic creature or any other nefarious object in him. She rechecked over and over with He Shan before she finally settled down, and when she did, all that mental strain during those fifteen minutes came flooding back into her body.
He Shan seemed to hesitate about something before he finally took out a mushroom that looked like it was made of red animal flesh from a cloth where he stored most of his things. The cap was the most distinctive as it seemed like it was even beating.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin both flinched when they saw it, and He Shan''s wary expression when he took it out amplified their fear of the strange-looking mushroom.
"This is the red suckle berserker mushroom. It gives anyone a temporary boost in strength for fifteen minutes. With our state, Zou Yi, I, and Yu Mei should take it. Zou Liqin, take this."
He Shan handed Zou Liqin what looked to be a crudely wooden mallet. Zou Liqin took the mallet, questioning why He Shan would suddenly hand her a mallet.
When she grabbed it, she was surprised at how heavy it was. She could stillfortably hold it with one hand, but from its weight, it roughly weighed twenty kilograms. She couldn''t help but evaluate the wood it was made out of. It was dark grey and scaley looking.
"Zou Liqin, please carefully monitor us. When you see any of us froth at the mouth, please use the mallet to knock the person out immediately. The mallet is made from grey tempering oak, which has properties that will help us keep our sanity or knock us out.
In exchange for giving us a temporary boost in strength, the red suckle berserker mushroom erodes the mind, and after the fifteen-minute duration is out, it will leave us paralyzed for thirty minutes to an hour. It varies.
Honestly, I''d rather not use it because of the many risks, but..."
He Shan left a few words unsaid as he smiled bitterly at the rustling sounds around them. Clearly, a few curious individuals were already making their way to them.
"Why don''t I take the mushroom in ce of my brother? In his state, wouldn''t it be a risk for him? We could take it, and both carry him," said Zou Liqin worriedly.
With Zou Yi''s body already frail, she shuddered to imagine what further damage he would suffer when the side effects of the red suckle berserker mushroom kicked in.
Chapter 329 Racing Through The Forest (2)
"Are you sure you want to risk your brother''s safety? What if we get attacked by something as fast as the scarlet hummingbird or the snapping willow? Can your brother, in his current state, be able to fend off something at that level?
Side effects aside, the mushroom is the only way we can make enough distance between us and whatever beastsing our way, but if you don''t want him to take it, I won''t force it but should something happen, it will be on you," said He Shan.
"Liqin...stop...I''ll take it," said Zou Yi when he saw Zou Liqin still had more to say. He slowly rose up, albeit with wobbly legs and an unsteady gait. He had to use Zou Liqin to steady himself.
He Shan didn''t waste much time as he split the cap of the mushroom to its ring and left the stem for Yu Mei, who was already up.
"No need to chew it. Just insert it into your mouth, and it will dissolve," He Shan said as he went ahead and ced it in his mouth.
Zou Yi and Yu Mei subconsciously closed their eyes as they put the mushroom in their mouth. With how disgusting it looked, its taste was bound to be anything but tasty. Zou Liqin looked worried as she watched them swallow it.
"Mmh," Zou Yi moaned in surprise. The disgusting taste wasn''t there. The mushroom instantly dissolved in his mouth, and all he got was the taste of the mix between passion fruit and orange with a tinge of hotness.
Immediately after, he felt the liquid he had just swallowed fill every cell, tissue, and organ down to his bones with explosive energy.
The tired sensation he had seconds ago was gone, including his pain. He was mesmerized by the miraculous effects the mushroom had on his body. The energy even gave him the illusion that he could punch through thest attack from the snapping willow tree in his current state.
However, his reverie of vengeance was cut short by He Shan ordering them to leave. They still maintained their earlier formation except with one minor change. Zou Liqin had taken the ce of Zou Yi in holding up the rear while he took her ce at the center with Yu Mei.
"You guys better refund me everything I''ve spent," He Shan muttered as heunched bags releasing light grey smoke to their left and right.
"He Shan, what is that?!!" yelled Zou Yi as he spat out saliva with a look of disgust showing up on his face. He looked to just be at the cusp of vomiting. He wasn''t alone in it, as Zou Liqin and Yu Mei made simr faces that seemed like they were about to hurl.
"It''s the dung of an baster-inmed lion. It''s really good stuff, especially in deterring other beasts. Just that one bag cost 1,000 gold coins. You all owe me 2,000 gold coins," said He Shan as he increased his pace while muttering the cost every time he threw out a bag containing the dung of an baster-inmed lion.
The run became torturous for the trio as they struggled not to vomit, with He Shan ruthlessly flooding the area with cloud smoke. Their eyes had reddened at some point as they started feeling even the taste of the dung in their mouth. Despite how they felt, they couldn''tin since the results were there.
They could hear the whimpering voices of a couple of spirit beasts when they got hit by the smoke. Just like this, the distance between them and the area Zou Yi crushed into continued to grow by the second, and with the boost from the mushroom, Yu Mei was able to keep up with them effortlessly.
He Shan would zig-zag around while the trio faithfully followed his lead. Ten minutes passed by without a major incident. They had encountered a few spirit beasts, but none were particrly troublesome for them. He Shan even insisted that they help him carry a few of them forter.
With the fifteen-minute marking up, they spent it searching for a secluded area where they could rest when the paralysis hit, leaving Zou Liqin as the only person to watch out for them for thirty minutes or an hour until the paralysis wore off. The most ideal spot would have been the special zone, but they lucked out in that regard. However, they did manage to spot a few herbs mentioned in the booklet, which they quickly snagged up as they looked around.
With time slowly dwindling and no ce in sight that seemed safe, panic showed on their faces, except for one person, Yu Mei.
"Yu Mei, what''s wrong?" asked Zou Yi. He noticed for the past few minutes, Yu Mei had her brows scrunched up, almost as if she was in deep contemtion about something.
"I keep hearing voicesing from there?" she said as she pointed at a river running to their left.
Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, and He Shan all curiously looked at the river. They didn''t know how long it was, but in their escape, they found it and had been running close to it just in case they needed to mask their scent and cater to their water needster.
He Shan had said they''d suffer from severe dehydration after the paralysis wore off, and being close to a water source was important. But now it seemed there was something off with the river if Yu Mei''s words were anything to go by.
Zou Yi couldn''t help but think maybe he wouldn''t have gotten hurt if they had agreed to follow the direction Yu Mei had pointed at before. After what he had been through, he was more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
"What voices?" carefully asked Zou Yi.
"It''s a mix of noises from different creatures. So far, I''ve heard noises from a bull, crane, swallow, frog, cricket, cicada, katydid, bear, rhino, and the loudest of them all was from a tiger," said Yu Mei with visible fear on her face as she mentioned the tiger.
The trio all had looks of dismay when they heard Yu Mei''s response. When she said voices, they expected something along the lines of fish noises, or if it was something mystical, they expected ghostly noises at least or some creature whose name they had never heard of, and not birds, mammals, and insects that don''t live in water.
He Shan shook his head, clearly in no mood to listen any further. As for Zou Yi, even if he wanted to speak up for her, he struggled to believe what she said, especially when they didn''t hear anything from there.
"Wait!" Zou Liqin suddenly said.
Chapter 330 Finding The Source Of The Voice
"What is it, Liqin?" asked Zou Yi with a curious gaze.
"Yu Mei, you said you heard a tiger''s roar?" asked Zou Liqin.
"Mmh," nodded Yu Mei.
"Was there anything special about it, like was it any different from a normal tiger''s roar?" asked Zou Liqin.
He Shan and Zou Yi looked puzzled at Zou Liqin''s questioning.
None of them believed Yu Mei or if those voices existed because if they did, howe none of them had heard it? He Shan assumed the side effects of the red suckle berserker mushroom had already kicked in, and Yu Mei was beginning to exhibit some of its symptoms, such as being delirious.
Even though He Shan had been mindful enough not to give her the cap, which had the most potent attribute, the stem he gave her would still be potent to her, considering she had no cultivation base whatsoever. On the other hand, Zou Yi chose to reserve his judgment, especially when he saw his sister''s contemtive look.
She was always keen, observant, and meticulous in everything she did, and he had grown to trust her judgment when it came to certain matters unequivocally.
"Its roar seemed normal at first, but it seems to contain a certain charm or aura to it that isn''t in any of the other noises," said Yu Mei after some thought.
"Does the roare from a fixed point?"
"At first, it sounded like it came from all over the river, but the more we move, the distinctive the location. If we keep following this route at no more than four hundred meters, we should be able to find the source," Yu Mei answered.
Even with the discussion ongoing, none of the members paused their run. They still kept actively looking around for a safe space or any bullfrog markers that identified special zones.
However, when Zou Yi and He Shan heard Yu Mei say the location she had heard those voices were in the direction they were running towards, they reflexively slowed down their pace, and He Shan even looked like he wanted to change the direction they were running towards.
"Yi, He Shan, I think we should head in the direction Yu Mei is talking about," said Zou Liqin with firm eyes.
He Shan, who was already preparing to switch directions, fired back,
"Are you crazy? We don''t even know if there is anything there, and howe she is the only one who can hear those voices, and we can''t? What if it ends up being a location like that waterfall? Didn''t you almost fail that test? You''re sure you want to take a gamble and confront something that may have a simr nature to that waterfall?"
He Shan''s words were a ferocious jab toward Zou Liqin, whose expression turned downcast and fearful once He Shan mentioned the waterfall.
"He Shan, please watch your heads, another word out of you about my sister, and we will have to part in less than amicable ways," Zou Yi coldly said.
He Shan, who was running ahead, narrowed his gaze as he turned his head and made Zou Yi''s cold and threatening look.
"I''m only speaking the truth. With three of us about to be paralyzed, should we be taking an unknown risk?" asked He Shan, unwilling to shrink back.
Just as it seemed like the two were about to argue some more, potentially leading to a fight, Yu Mei interrupted them.
"The voices I''ve heard, I think you would have probably heard them if you were not under the effects of the red suckle berserker mushroom," said Yu Mei.
Yu Mei''s response highlighted something they had ignored in their desperation to search for a safe location to recoup at. They were so focused on the paralysis side effects that they forgot the other effect that had slowly but surely sneaked up on them: an agitated and frenzied state.
He Shan, who was more familiar with the mushroom, had also overlooked it when the symptoms were already so clear. The fact that he was short with Zou Liqin, and he and Zou Yi almost went to blows, despite where they were, proved the red suckle berserker mushroom was eroding their rationality.
He Shan stopped and looked at his hands, which were red as the mushroom itself and trembling. He switched his gaze to Zou Yi and noticed his eyes were bloodshot and veins protruding on his face. When he switched over to Yu Mei, he was shocked to see the only thing different about her was that she had a rosyplexion in contrast to her earlier exhausted pale face. But when it came to her eyes, they were clear, and her body micro-movements seemed normal, unlike the tremors exhibited by both him and Zou Yi.
"I''m sorry for my rude words, Zou Liqin," He Shan said as he performed a crude head bow to Zou Liqin.
Zou Liqin, who was caught by surprise by He Shan''s apology, answered in a fluster,
"No...No...It''s okay. Your worry was valid."
"You said we can''t hear it because of the mushroom''s effects, but why can''t she?" asked He Shan as he pointed at Zou Liqin. She wasn''t given the mushroom, so she wasn''t under its effects.
Yu Mei seemed to hesitate about her answer but sighed as she gently said,
"She may not have the mushroom in her system, but she has the same agitated mental state."
Yu Mei offered an apologetic look towards Zou Liqin as she said that.
The trio immediately what she alluded to when she made that remark, especially the person herself. Even though she seemed okay on the surface, she was still struggling against the trauma of the heart-cleansing waterfall, and Zou Yi''s following injured state had done a number on her, adding on the pressure of watching out for her teammates when they became paralyzed, meant she was stretched thin mentally.
"Liqin is there a reason you think we should go that way?" asked Zou Yi.
His voice was strained and hoarse. Of the three, the effects of the mushroom seemed to be hitting him the fastest. With his earlier injured state, it was only to be expected.
Zou Liqin looked at him with worry in her eyes before she answered,
"There''s the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion bird of the South, the ck warrior of the North, the White Tiger of the West, and the Yellow dragon of the center.
These can be further expounded into seasons. The Azure dragon is synonymous with Spring, the Vermilion bird with Summer, the ck tortoise with Winter, andstly, the White tiger with Autumn.
If you look around, the season around us is Autumn, and surely it can''t be a coincidence that the loudest roar Yu Mei heard was of a tiger.
I think rather than us aimlessly running around. We should head in the direction she heard the roare from. It''s much better than us randomly running about.
At worst, we find nothing there, or it''s a trap. We get eliminated, but as things stand, aren''t we already at risk of that if we don''t find a safe ce in the next four minutes, or we take a risk and find out if there is really something there, and if there is, it may very well be what we need, a safe ce and maybe it might even guide us to a special zone.
I feel we should take the risk," Zou Yi said with some conviction in her tone.
Chapter 331 It’s All On You Now
"I know we''ve only just met, and we have no capital to make you trust us, but He Shan, I think we should do so on this. My sister has always been good at these sorts of things, and her guesses, more often than not, have always been right on the mark," said Zou Yi with unconcealed pride in his tone.
He Shan paused for a second before he sighed in resignation as he said,
"Well, if we fail, we fail, and if there is something there, then it''s our best bet."
"Where should we head?" he added, directing his question at Yu Mei.
"Not far, just up ahead at the corner of that maple tree," answered Yu Mei as she pointed at a Maple tree at one of the nting corners a few hundred meters ahead.
Having only five minutes or less before the paralysis kicked in, they hurried ahead to the area Yu Mei heard the roar.
Even though they had already resigned themselves to whatever fate of what will be waiting for them there, they were all filled with trepidation. Even Yu Mei, the one who heard those voices had a concerned and worried look.
Their earlier experience was anything but easy. She and Zou Liqin almost lost their lives to the scarlet hummingbird, and Zou Yi still had a banged-up body from his sh with the willow tree.
Who knew what would be waiting for them at the origin of those animal noises?
Time seemed to slow down as the distance seemed to shrink. Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred meters, fifty, twenty until they were finally at the spot Yu Mei talked about with two and a half minutes to spare.
The area was....underwhelming. They arrived half expecting a white tiger to charge at them. Well, only He Shan expected this, but as for the rest, they expected an attack of some sort like what they had gotten from the snapping willow tree and the scarlet crown hummingbird earlier.
However, what they got was a gently flowing river, some cedar trees, short grass carpeted with fallen leaves, and shallow cricket noises. There was nothing remotely threatening in the area.
"Yu Mei, you''re sure this is the ce?" asked He Shan as he picked up a stone from the ground and casually threw it at a random tree ahead.
His actions drew gasps and res.
"Sorry, force of habit," he said as he grinned foolishly.
"Yes, this is the ce, though I can no longer seem to hear the sounds, either of the tiger or the other animals," Yu Mei answered as she looked around in confusion.
Moments ago, the sounds were as clear as day, almost as if they were being closely whispered to her ears, but now, she couldn''t hear a peep.
Zou Liqin and He Shan cautiously looked around while Zou Yi tightly clenched his fists in an attempt to keep the frenzied side effects that were currently assaulting him at bay.
Despite looking around for almost a minute, they still didn''t find anything that seemed remotely mysterious, ominous, or suspicious. Everything was the image of a mundane forest in Autumn and a river gently flowing with leaves on its surface being guided along.
"Why don''t we jump in the river?" Zou Yi, who went to the extremes of even dunking his head in the water, suddenly said as he raised his head from the river.
His foaming mouth, beet red face, bloodshot eyes, fuming nose, and now add his wet hair. His current look did little to give the image of someone whose judgment could be trusted.
"Sure, why not?" said He Shan.
Zou Liqin thought He Shan was being sarcastic, but when she saw him test the waters with his hands and nod, she realized he was dead serious about it.
Are these two okay?
Zou Liqin tightly clenched the mallet He Shan gave her as she prepared herself to act.
The two of them were clearly delirious.
"I think we should jump. In all this time, as we made our way, the roar always sounded from the same spot. I think it may very well be in the water," said Yu Mei withbored breath.
Though mentally she seemed okay, her body could not escape the over-exertion being brought by the mushroom.
Zou Liqin looked at her before she gritted her teeth as she said,
"Fine."
The four, without hesitation, jumped into the river. The moment they did, the gentle river turned into a swirling whirlpool that slowly transformed into the maw of a tiger.
"Are you seeing this?!" He Shan yelled in fright at the sudden transformation.
"I can," answered Zou Yi in a worn-out tone. His consciousness seemed to be fading, and he wasn''t alone.
The rest, the deeper they were dragged, the harder it became for them to stay awake. By the time they reached the bottom of the whirlpool, all of them were unconscious.
....
"Liqin..Liqin...Liqin..."
Zou Liqin groaned as she heard the faint, indistinct voice of someone calling her name. Her ears felt like they were submerged in water.
She tried to get up. However, everything seemed to spin around the moment she did, and she found herself back on the ground with a nauseated feeling welling inside her. She shook her head to try and alleviate the symptoms of vertigo, but it only seemed to worsen them, and eventually, she found herself vomiting.
It took her almost five minutes before she finally felt mildly okay to crawl and carefully monitor her surroundings.
When her vision got mildly better for her to take stock of her surrounding, all she saw around her were trees whose height stretched as far as the eye could see, and below them was grass.
"Liqin.."
She finally saw the source of her voice.
"Yu Mei?!" she said as she hurriedly crawled toward her. That was when she noticed He Shan and Zou Yi lying on the ground, just like Yu Mei. However, they didn''t seem to be conscious yet.
"Liqin, I heard; swallow, cricket, bull, crane, katydid, cicada, dragonfly, hornbill, swan noises as we came down. I think they''re clues. It''s all on you now..."
Just as Zou Liqin was about to rush to crawl to Zou Yi, she heard Yu Mei''s faint voice before she fell unconscious.
Chapter 332 Zou Liqins Struggle
Zou Liqin was left stunned when she saw Yu Mei immediately pass out after leaving behind sentences she couldn''t make heads or tails about.
However, even in the confusion, she headed to her brother''s side first to confirm his state. She heaved a sigh of relief when she confirmed his breathing seemed normal. He seemed to have passed out from exertion from his injuries, the side effects of the red suckle berserker fruit, and whatever effects the river had left on them.
She did try to wake him up after confirming his body was okay, but she got no response. She moved on to He Shan, who was a couple of steps over, but just like Zou Yi, he was knocked out cold and had zero response to her calls.
Finally, she decided to try her luck with Yu Mei, but Yu Mei was just the same as the two. She seemed to have held on by sheer willpower, and once she had delivered her cryptic message to Zou Liqin, she immediately passed out.
Zou Liqin''s senses were still groggy, and anxiety began hitting her when she realized she was the only person who seemed conscious.
On realizing the precarious position she and they were in, out of reflex, she hurriedly searched for the mallet He Shan had lent her, which she luckily found wasn''t too far from where she had woken up from.
She hurriedly grabbed it and ran to Zou Yi''s side. She crouched on one knee, shielding Zou Yi''s body to her back. After carefully positioning herself next to Zou Yi, she had the time to look around.
"Where are we?" she wondered as she cautiously looked around her.
They looked like they had been sequestered in a two-hundred-meter cylindrical patch of grasnd, surrounded by trees too tall for herfort.
Zou Yi tried to see their top but could only see a blinding white light and hazy leaves. She gave up trying to find out how tall the trees were when it started affecting her vision and making her dizzy.
Swallow, cricket, bull, crane, katydid, cicada....what did she mean by this? I still can''t hear a thing.
Zou Liqin silently pondered on thest words Yu Mei said to her before she passed out. She looked around, hoping to find something that could corrte with what Yu Mei told her, but all she was met with was a regr forest grove and grass.
Maintaining her position next to Zou Yi, she stared at each and every tree that was close to her. Ten minutes passed by without her gleaning anything from them. Seeing she was getting nowhere, she looked at Zou Yi and the trees, seemingly debating about something before finally gritting her teeth and leaving Zou Yi as she went to the closest tree.
As she moved towards it, her eyes kept darting back to Zou Yi, afraid something would happen to him as she moved towards the tree.
Nothing seems distinctive about it,... muttered Zou Liqin as she traced her hand upon the bark of the cedar tree closest to her. She looked around it at the undergrowth and even plucked some of its leaves, but still, she didn''t manage to find any clue that remotely resembled what Yu Mei was talking about.
Besides Yu Mei''s clues, she was half hoping where they were was maybe the special zone Yang Qing mentioned. She could afford to let her guard down a bit if it was. However, she hadn''t spotted an image of the bullfrog that was the identifying marker of an area as a special zone.
When she was done with that one tree, she moved to another while still ensuring to keep a close eye on Zou Yi. Almost one and a half hours passed with nothing to show for her efforts.
In those two hours, she had investigated over a dozen trees, and each was more thorough than the next. She even examined each de of grass beneath them to confirm, and when that didn''t show anything, she dug up around the trees to see if the clues may have been hidden beneath the grass. The result was fruitless.
With every passing minute, her anxiety grew. She didn''t find anything remotely valuable around her. Zou Yi and the rest had not woken up despite He Shan saying the side effects wouldst thirty minutes to an hour. The limit had long been exceeded, but they were still asleep, unconscious.
With how unnerved Zou Liqin was already, she couldn''t even tell if they were asleep or unconscious or if they had been attacked by something as they were being swallowed by the river, leaving her as the only survivor.
Her breathing turned erratic along with her thoughts as she loudly muttered,
"You''re in a test, you''re in a test, you''re in a test....." over and over like it was a meditation chant to help her calm down.
That mantra failed. Her eyes were bulging; she was shaking and pulling her hair as she walked around and around the circr patch of grass. She seemed to have reached the end of her mental tether when she plopped herself to the ground with a look of despair and eyes welled up with tears.
"You''re in a test..." she softly whispered. It didn''t sound like she believed it.
Despite regaining full mobility of her legs and bnce, she crawled to her brother. She curled into a ball when she reached him and held his hands.
"Zou Yi, I know you always say I''m more talented than you and destined for great things, but you''re the stronger one to me. I don''t know if I would have survived the past five years if I had done it alone.
Before the test, I thought with what we have been through, I was finally brave enough to face any circumstance that presented itself, so you won''t have to worry about me all the time, even at the expense of your well-being, and when Brother Yang Qing offered to let us take the test to join the Order, I thought to myself...this is it, a chance to show my brother that I can be brave, but look at where I am now..."
Zou Liqin''s soft cries echoed around the silence of the grove, and with how hollow it seemed, the cries, despite being soft, were echoed around.
Chapter 333 Back To The Start
"I couldn''t even pass the first test to the point I ended up this way. When you all need me, I can''t even move or think without seeing it...
I know it was all an illusion, but I can''t unsee my four years there. You dying but not seeing the body, the lives I took after, and..... Grandfather''s look when he saw me do what I did before he died. It was one of remorse, regret, shame, betrayal. Seeing him look at me that way was just as hard as seeing you die.
Yu Mei told me the waterfall reveals what''s in our hearts. From how you acted, it seemed like you saw Mom and Dad. This might be the first time I''m thankful I didn''t get to see them; despite wishing for it for so long, I felt my heart break.
If they saw what I did, the lives I took, both innocent and guilty, they would be ashamed of me, just as Grandpa was. I''m d you didn''t see it too. To see your sister doing worse than what the ck viper has ever done to us.
I''m afraid Yi. I''m worried that this is the dream and that those four years are real. I''m so scared when we meet Grandpa, he will look at me with those eyes, I''m afraid you will look at me that way too, and Mom and Dad, I wonder if they saw it too, their daughter turning into a bloodthirsty viin, and what about senior brother Yang Qing?
I can''t help but hope we don''t make it through the test because if we don''t, maybe what I saw will never happen. I won''t lose you like we did Mom and Dad, and Grandpa will never get to look at me with those eyes, and I won''t have the lives of all those people on my hands.
Life in Purple City wasn''t so bad, right, Yi?..."
A light chuckle echoed around in the groove, recing the muffled soft cries from earlier.
"We can work for Grandpa and Grandma Wang at their restaurant, and with their identities, we won''t have to worry about being bullied, and maybe with enough savings, we can open up the intelligence broker agency you always wanted. That wouldn''t be bad.." Zou Liqin softly said as her voice trailed towards the end with some tiredness to it.
"I''m sorry, Yi. You won''t be ashamed of me, right? At least you''ll be alive," added Zou Liqin in a sleepy and tired tone.
Sounds of even breathing soon filled the area with the gently swaying of the branches of the trees and grass.
....
Glowing respite valley, days before the entrance examination
"Can you believe it, Liqin!! We are at the Order, and very soon, we may very well join it," Zou Yi excitedly said as he held his sister''s shoulders.
"Mmh," muttered Zou Liqin, equally as excited.
"I can''t believe we are here, joining something bigger than the Zou n. Brother Yang Qing said Grandpa was already let out and had sent a message informing him of our whereabouts, and Grandpa and Grandma Wang were alsoing.
It all seems too good to be true. If only Mom and Dad were here, then it''d be perfect," said Zou Yi with a mncholic sigh escaping from his lips.
"I wish they were here," muttered Zou Liqin with sadness.
"Don''t worry, we can go back to the n when we make something of ourselves, clean their tombs, and tell them not to worry, that we are okay now.
Do you know Liqin..." Zou Yi paused as his gaze turned distant with a small smile.
"This is the first time in a long time since we lost them that I am actually looking forward to the next day and the day after that.
The future doesn''t seem bleak anymore; we have something to look forward to. I''m almost afraid to close my eyes, only to open them and find this is all a dream.
Liqin, let''s live. This is our turning point. From this moment forth, let''s live for each other, for ourselves, for them, and for whatever the future has in store for us," Zou Yi said with a gingerly smile as he stretched his hand forward.
"Let''s," Zou Liqin said as they tightly sped their hands as some form of pact.
...
"It seems I slept," muttered Zou Liqin as she drylyughed.
"Thank you, brother, even in that state, you still find a way to help me...." Zou Liqin had a forlorn look as she said this.
"I''m still afraid, but we did promise to live, and I can''t have you worry, or Mom or Dad, or Grandpa, and Grandpa and Grandma Wang.
You can do this, Liqin!! You''re the daughter of the youngest blue-grade formation master the Zou n has ever seen, and the daughter and sister of the biggest troublemakers the Zou n has also ever seen," said Zou Liqin as sheughed in a genuine cheeriness, though was still touched by sadness and a little bit of anxiety.
"Now, which direction should I choose?" muttered Zou Liqin. She went to one tree and broke a small branch from it.
Just as she was about to toss it in the air, she stopped and walked closer to Yu Mei before she tossed it as she said,
"I hope you can lend me luck on this, sister Yu Mei."
The branch rolled around in the air, and when it fell, it pointed in the northeast direction of her.
"Is this a coincidence," she wondered. The northeast direction was the same direction Yu Mei had chosen when they were about to venture into the mountain.
Already resolving herself, she took out her coat and Yu Mei''s and tied them together. She gently picked up Yu Mei, who was closest to her, and ced her on the coat; then she went for her brother and He Shan.
The trio fit perfectly on the tied-up coats. She checked the coat and them over and over to ensure they were tightly fastened to the coat, after which she breathed out to calm her nerves and started making her way in the northeast direction, dragging the coat with the trio with her left hand while her right hand tightly held onto the mallet.
She braved on step by step, carefully surveying all directions making sure they weren''t ambushed, and looking for any clues that could be found.
....
"Huh, why I''m I here again," said Zou Liqin in confusion.
She had barely been walking for ten minutes when she found herself in the same circr patch of grasnd she came from. Nothing seemed off, and her appearance in the grasnd seemed so natural that she almost thought it was a different grasnd, but when she saw the area she had dug, she realized it was the same ce.
"Of course, it wouldn''t be that easy," she smiled as she smiled bitterly.
Just as she was about to choose a random direction and see if she would reappear in the same ce again, she heard something that prompted her to raise her head.
"Are those swallows?" she muttered, somewhat unsure.
Chapter 334 Deciphering The Noises (1)
Zou Liqin was a bit unsure at first, but as more time went by and the sound didn''t dissipate, she became sure what she heard were indeed sounds made by swallows.
She was bewildered by the whole thing, but then she suddenly remembered what Yu Mei had said earlier when she spoke about hearing the voices.
Zou Liqin gently touched her heart as she recalled her exnation of why she could hear those noises while Zou Liqin, Zou Yi, and He Shan couldn''t.
The prerequisite of hearing those voices was for someone to have a sense of calmness. Thetter two, i.e., Zou Yi and He Shan, were already suffering from the side effects of the red suckle berserker mushroom, which left them in an agitated state. At the same time, Zou Liqin had the four-year demons courtesy of the heart-cleansing waterfall to deal with, and even after when the trio had passed out, she was in a panicked and frantic state at being the only one conscious and overwhelmed by the weight of that reality.
"Turns out Mom didn''t lie about the benefits of sleep," she thought as she smiled.
With the appearance of the swallow noises, it had altered the situation. Things seemed slightly more positive and hopeful than a few minutes to an hour ago. At least now she had something to work with. Even if it swallow noises she still didn''t know how to use or make sense of, it was at least something.
Zou Liqin ced the trio down along with the coat as she decided to focus all her attention on the swallow noises.
"From what Yu Mei said, she heard swallow noises, cricket, bull, crane, katydid, and cicada.
Did the noises follow that exact order, or did she mention them based on what came to her mind first.."
Zou Liqin walked forward to pick up the stick she had used to select the direction she would go in. She gently sat down in a lotus position and proceeded to use the stick to write down all the clues Yu Mei had given her.
First were the voices she had, after which she added some of her questions, such as the order of the noises. Next, she went on to write a question in bold.
"Is this a formation?"
The experience from moments ago, where she walked a few steps only to reappear at this grasnd, were indicators of the presence of a formation.
The fact that she couldn''t even detect its fluctuations meant it was something above her current level of expertise, which meant she couldn''t brute force it.
"Are the noises the key?" she wondered, increasingly feeling that may be the case.
She felt there was no way Yang Qing would put a formation so high level proving impossible to break through without leaving some clues behind, and maybe the noises were it.
Once she had written all she wanted to write and got her thoughts in order, she gently exhaled, inhaled, and then closed her eyes as she centered all her senses on hearing.
She submerged herself in the noise around her as she calmed her heart further. As she was writing her thoughts and making conjectures, she still had not heard any other noises apart from the swallows, which she suspected meant her heart wasn''tpletely calm.
She emptied her thoughts andmitted her sole focus on the swallow noises. Her actions immediately bore fruit in less than five minutes.
The swallow noises that sounded like they came from all over the ce and from a bunch of different swallows at different frequencies now had some order and uniformity to it.
The way Zou Liqin heard it, at first, when she listened to the swallow noises, it was all jumbled up, and it sounded like a thousand swallows were all making sounds trying to outdo each other.
As time went by, that cacophony of noises sounded lessbative and more harmonious, and the number shrunk from a thousand to a hundred, and now it sounded like they were less than twenty.
Zou Liqin clenched her fists in excitement when she saw the results of her guess starting to show. However, that little burst of excitement made the noises turn a little bit chaotic again as the number of swallows making noises shot to fifty in an instant.
She hurriedly reigned in her enthusiasm and regained her calm focus. The number reduced, and harmony resumed. She couldn''t tell how much time passed by, but the noise transformed into a melodic sound from just one swallow, and now she could urately tell the direction it wasing from.
"Where are the others?" she inwardly wondered.
As if in response to her thoughts, noises from different animals immediately flooded her ears and seemed even to echo in her mind.
The sudden influx came as a surprise to her that she almost broke her concentration, but with clear results and a methodology to work from, she recentered herself as she slowly listened.
Instead of actively trying to force it, she allowed herself to be guided by it like a leaf gently floating on a river.
She thought this was the safest option for her since she wasn''t sure if the animal noises had an order to them and if it would have an effectter. Therefore, it was better just to empty her mind of the choice and be guided blindly by the noises.
If that failed, she would iste those noises based on the order Yu Mei gave her.
Just like before, the noises were so jumbled up that she couldn''t even make how many different types of animals made those noises. This didn''t deter her. She sat there silently weing it all in, and soon she could clearly make it out, and there seemed to be an order to it; first was the bull, then the crane, then the cricket, followed by the heron, then wolves, followed by cicadas, which were followed by katydids, then swans and finally ended with goat noises.
Zou Liqin was surprised when she heard more noises than Yu Mei did, and the order also seem different than hers.
She couldn''t help but feel maybe she had assumed wrong, and Yu Mei randomly mentioned those names in the order of what she could remember and recognized, and as for the part about her hearing more creatures; Yu Mei may have heard them but didn''t have enough time to mention them all, since she seemed to be hanging on by a thread by the time Zou Liqin had regained her consciousness.
Either that or the extra noises could only be heard once they were in the forest grove.
Whichever the case, Zou Liqin decided she would work with what she had on hand to see if it would lead her anywhere, hopefully out of the formation they were potentially entrapped in.
Chapter 335 Deciphering The Noises (2)
Since the noises were still chaotic, Zou Liqin decided to iste each individual noise once she had confirmed their order by wholly focusing on one type of animal noise. She started with the Bull. Just like the swallow, at first, the noises seemed like they came from all over the ce and came from many bulls. With her prior experiences, she calmed her heart and focused her ears on those sounds until the number was reduced to just one Bull, and the direction of the origin of the voice was highlighted.
Just like that, she isted each and every animal voice she heard, from the Bull to the goat, as she made sure to confirm the direction each noise was heard from.
Once she was done, she opened her eyes and picked up the broken branch, and used it to draw a circle on the ground she had dug up earlier. She divided that circle into ten segments, and in each segment, she wrote the name of an animal. She started with the swallow, then moved on to the Bull, crane, cricket, heron, wolf, cicada, katydid, swan, and finally, the goat.
Once she was done drawing, she looked it over once more to confirm everything was in the right ce and then sat in silent contemtion as she examined the drawing.
"Mmh, some of these noises ovep in direction, even though only just.
Now how do I go about using them? Is there anything more to them other than direction?
As it stands, it still doesn''t give a concrete direction on what I should do," muttered Zou Liqin as she cupped her chin in her palms while tracing her stick on the circle.
The noises she heard only gave her random directions that she still couldn''t make use of. If she only followed the direction, she would end up in circles. She could only hope the clues she had were sufficient enough to shine a light on the next step.
She muttered to herself as she added notes around the map, and almost thirty minutes went by without her moving.
"Did I miss something?" muttered Zou Liqin when she saw even after an hour, she didn''t seem like she was any close to figuring out what to do next.
"Maybe I did. It can''t hurt to try again," she said as she closed her eyes in preparation to discern those noises again.
One minute, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, till finally twenty minutes passed by when Zou Liqin opened her eyes in shock.
"I can''t hear them!" she yelled in shock, almost ruining her drawing as she hurriedly woke up.
"No, no, no, there must be something wrong."
Unwilling to believe that the animal noises she had just heard before had disappeared, she once again sat back in almost silent meditation to try and see if she could hear them again.
Ten minutes pass by with nothing but the breathing sounds of Zou Yi and the rest to keep herpany.
She almost went into a panic again but quickly calmed herself down as she told herself to work with what she had. She struggled at first but was quick to find her rhythm as she wrote down every single idea that came to mind.
Once she was satisfied, she had written everything. She immediately proceeded to evaluate her ideas, as she debunked which were unfeasible and separated them from which were feasible. From the feasible ones, she meticulously went on to evaluate each and every one on their merits before she finally settled on the one with the most merits, which was to follow the noises.
With this as her focus, she calmed her mind as she recalled everything she had heard. It wasn''t too difficult for her to do so. Luckily not much time had passed by since she heard the animal noises, and her ability to recall even the minute of details was one of her strongest qualities.
Time slowly passed, with the wind brushing on Zou Liqin as she silently dissected each and every voice she heard within her mind.
"The frequencies, that''s it!" Zou Liqin hurriedly said as she got up and started scribbling numbers over each animal within the circle.
Swallow had (13) next to it, Bull had (8), Crane had (7), Cricket had (10), Heron had (14), Wolf had (21), Cicada had (3), Katydid had (5), Swan had (9), andstly goat had (6).
Zou Liqin looked over the numbers once more as she did mental calctions of her own and muttered,
"96."
"I Should start off from there," she said as she pointed in the direction she had the swallow noises from.
Just like before, she grabbed the coat containing the trio in one hand while the other held a mallet and walked in the west direction of where she was, which she had deemed as the area she had heard the swallow noisesing from.
Once she was at the boundary of the grasnd with the trees, she took a deep breath with eagerness in her step as she walked forward while counting numbers with every step she took.
"1¡. 2...3¡."
She slowly walked forward, counting every step she took from the moment her feet left the patch of grasnd.
"Huh!! Why am I here again?! It''s barely been ten steps¡" yelled Zou Liqin in disbelief when she found herself in the same patch of grasnd.
"No, the direction is right," she said as she recalled the noises the in her mind.
"Was the order wrong?" she wondered.
"Let''s try the goat," she said as she took the southeast direction and started counting her steps the moment her feet left the grasnd.
"Barely three steps," said Zou Liqin in frustration when she felt the scenery change, and she was once more back at the grasnd.
"I''m missing something¡"
After two failures, it was already evident to her that her process was wrong. Whatever confidence she had built from deciphering the noises was quickly crumbling.
She stood in utter silence as she went over everything in her head. It didn''t take long before a look of realization hit her.
"I hope this works," she said as she fastened the coat holding Zou Yi and the rest to herself and walked in the direction she had started from, which was the direction the swallow noises came from.
Chapter 336 Taking A Leap Of Faith
Once she was at the edge, she exhaled as she sought to calm herself and then closed her eyes.
Immediately after, she started walking, with her eyes closed as she slowly counted her steps.
Once she was at the thirteenth step, she hesitantly opened her eyes and was pleasantly surprised when she found herself in surrounded by different trees, and the tree she stood in front of had a swallow perched on one of its branches.
"It seems this is the key," muttered Zou Liqin in excitement as she closed her eyes and turned to the left of the tree, and started counting her steps just like before.
She now walked eight steps before she opened her eyes, and in front of her was a small pond that had a bull drinking water from it.
A small smile appeared on her face as she turned towards the north of the pond and closed her eyes, and started counting her steps again. Just like this, she walked from ce to ce, counting a select number of steps before she opened her eyes, realigned her direction, closed her eyes, and counted her steps again.
She finally opened her eyes when she was next to a jagged cliff, and at the edge of that cliff was a silver-coated goat that jumped off the cliff and disappeared into the fog that had enveloped the whole cliff.
"Where do I go from here? There wasn''t any other noise," muttered Zou Liqin in confusion as she dragged the coat containing Zou Yi and the rest to the position the silver goat had just jumped from.
Zou Liqin felt a frigid cold once she reached that position. She hesitantly went close to the edge to see if there was a way down, but all that met was white endless fog and a newfound fear of heights.
She hurriedly stepped back, almost as if in fear the ground below her would suddenly cave, leading to her fall and eventual death.
With no other options or way in sight, Zou Liqin decided to use the one thing that helped her get this far, hearing. Just like before, she closed her eyes and tried to sense if there was maybe a voice around the cliff or within the fog, which could point her way forward.
Almost ten minutes passed by with no sound. Zou Liqin started second guessing herself, that maybe her assumption was wrong, and hearing wasn''t the solution for the way out of this cliff. However, just as she was about to open her eyes, she had this primal roar that shook her to her very core, and with it came a frigid coldness that froze everything within her, from her body to her thoughts, down to her very soul.
It barely took two seconds for her to feel she was about to die. However, just as she was at the brink, the roar and its effects disappeared instantly.
Two minutes passed by with Zou Liqin still terrified to open her eyes or move an inch from her position.
"What¡what was that?!" Zou Liqin frightfully muttered when she got enough courage to open her eyes.
She touched her face, arms, and legs to confirm she was still intact. It was only after she confirmed she was okay that she dared look around.
She had no idea what the beast that made that sound was. All she knew was it was the incarnate of coldness, and never had she felt such a fear as she did now.
"Looks like it came from there," Zou Liqin said, fear still pervading her entire body as she stared at the white fog at the exact ce the silver goat had jumped off from.
"But it can''t be¡."
Zou Liqin found it hard to believe the voice came from that direction, a bottomless abyss that would swallow them whole if they dared take a step.
She tried to recall the direction of the voice but was shocked to find she couldn''t, no matter how much she tried.
She stood for quite some time in a constant debate about what to do before she finally sighed in defeat and then gritted her teeth as she firmly tied the coat containing Zou Yi and the rest to herself.
Once she was sure they wouldn''t fall out of the coat or get unfastened from her, she slowly walked towards the edge of the cliff, her heart pounding with every step to the point she could feel its echoes in her ears and throat.
"There wasn''t even a frequency to follow. How many steps I''m I supposed to take?" she muttered to herself once she was at the edge.
"Should I guess it?"
Zou Liqin was flooded with worry as she muttered over and over the number ''96'' in hopes something maye to her in the mutterings.
Sadly, two minutes in, there was nothing. No sudden enlightenments, all she had was a bottomless abyss calling for her and a stomach about to eject its contents.
"Brother Yang Qing set this test, and it hees off overly cheeky, maybe this might be it¡."
"I hope it''s 12¡." she added as she bravely took a step forward with her eyes closed.
She expected to plummet down with her first step, but she felt her footstep on a cloud of frigid coldness.
Still fully afraid, she took another step and another until she had taken 12 steps, which was when she stopped. She didn''t dare open her eyes even after the 12th step.
Luckily for her, she didn''t have to stay in fearful wonder if her guess was right or wrong because ten seconds after she made the 12th step, she heard the croaks of bullfrogs, and the frigid coldness that had surrounded her was reced with gentle warmth.
With the sudden happenings around her, Zou Liqin hesitantly opened one of her eyes and was met with a gigantic tree with a bullfrog tree sculpted on its trunk that was croaking.
"The¡. special¡zone," Zou Liqin muttered, half choked up in tears and disbelief.
She passed out immediately after.
¡.
The peak of the Autumn Mountain
"Congrattions Liqin, you did well."
Chapter 337 The Special Zone
Yang Qing sighed in admiration as he observed the passed-out Zou Liqin. Her passing through the four cardinal ten trigram formation was worthy of his recognition.
The formation was a top-tier blue-grade formation which meant it could draw the energy of the dao of heaven and earth to create a sense of spirituality when it was activated. It could entrap and kill anyone at the pce realm and below, and if an early-stage domain expert was caught off guard, suffering heavy injuries was not an impossibility.
Yang Qing decided to use a miniature version of it since the original version required an ascendant-grade material and several top-tier monarch-grade treasures as materials toy it down.
If he dared use such high-grade materials for a test that had ate-stage qi refinement expert as the peak expert, he had no doubt he would end up charged with over a dozen of fines for misappropriation of resources.
He thus decided to use a mid-tier monarch-grade artifact as the anchor and sky-rank resources as the secondary materials.
Even though the materials used and the formation he set up with the assistance of the formation hall was a downgraded version, it was still too much for participants below the foundation establishment realm to contend with. Even a regr peak core formation expert skilled in formations would die to it, let alone a bunch of participants with no much skill or power.
To help make breaking through the formation easy, Yang Qing deliberately hid the clues in the animal noises that appeared. The direction of their sound and the frequency highlighted the weak points of the formation, and as long as one followed it, they would make it out safely.
The final part was a cheeky thing he added to see if the participants were keen on details and if they were brave enough to take a leap of faith no matter how terrified they were. He had used a technique that could recreate the roar of a Xuanwu, otherwise known as the ck tortoise. It held the same level of notoriety as a dragon, vermilion bird, white tiger, and phoenix.
Thest part was a test of bravery and keenness to detail with which they could figure out the clue from the booklet he handed to them.
Zou Liqin''s performance amazed him particrly because he wasn''t sure she would be able to do it, especially when Yu Mei and the rest passed out, leaving her behind by herself. If it were before the test, Yang Qing would have thought her odds of passing through the formation were high due to how attentive and meticulous she seemed to him.
However, from the experience she had with the heart-cleansing waterfall and what it did to her, he had doubts whether she could do it, and the first one and half hours when she was spiraling showed there was a likelihood she wouldn''t do it, but from the moment she woke up, she continuously surprised him with her reformed attitude. Though she still seemed as terrified as before.
....
"He Shan, are you sure you know what you''re doing?"
"Zou Yi, you have the cheek to ask me that....Who wasted away seven earth-rank herbs, all for the sake of pretending they were a skilled alchemist?
I shouldn''t have let you near them. What a waste..."
"It was only because the effects of the red suckle berserker mushroom YOU GAVE ME made me a little bit unstable, and are you sure we were only out for thirty minutes?"
"Why are you asking me? I was passed out the same as you.."
"Yu Mei, is something wrong?"
"DON''T TELL ME YOU''RE HEARING VOICES AGAIN?!"
"He Shan, you bastard, can you point thatdle carefully? You''re wasting the potion."
"Now is when you''re worried about waste..."
"You...you...you.."
"Zou Liqin is waking up..."
"Liqin, wake up slowly, don''t strain yourself," said Zou Yi as he rushed to Zou Liqin''s side, who was struggling to get up.
Zou Yi help her by her arms as he supported her up.
"Yi, you''re awake?!"
Zou Liqin, who had a groggy look, shot to her feet as if a jolt of lightning was coursing through her body.
"You''re awake.." she excitedly said as she sized Zou Yi up and down.
"You too... I''m d to see you''re all awake.." she bashfully said when she noticed the awkward looks He Shan was giving her.
"Thank you for protecting us and bringing us here...." said He Shan in a low tone.
He looked like he was struggling and filled with difort as he said those words.
"At least you have a conscience.." scoffed Zou Yi, which drew an angry re from He Shan.
"Thank you, sister Liqin," Yu Mei said as she cupped her fists in gratitude.
"No, no, it is I who should thank you. If it weren''t for your clue, I wouldn''t have been able to figure it out," Zou Liqin hurriedly said as she bowed with deep gratitude.
While everything seemed like it had fallen into ce for her, she wouldn''t have entertained the thought of looking out for the animal noises had Yu Mei not mentioned it or insisted on it.
"Still, Liqin, you did great. It couldn''t have been easy getting her....we finally found it, a special zone...Liqin, you can''t imagine the things that are here. Reaching the qi refinement realm isn''t an impossibility.." Zou Yi eagerly said.
Thanks to Zou Yi''s reminder, she now had the time to observe the special zone. She had passed out before she could take it in, and now that she had the time, saying it was spectacr was an understatement.
The area still had a few trees around it with green grass below, but they all seemed more unique than the other trees and grasses they had seen along the way. They had a certain charm and richness to them that affected not only the air and environment around them as a whole but even Zou Liqin herself.
She felt her fatigue, both mental and physical, wash away with every whiff and nce she took. The area seemed to have been partitioned into different zones, with a few trees being used as the demarcation line.
One area had cauldrons, wooden tubs and was filled with all kinds of herbs.
"Did we collect all those herbs" she wondered as she switched her gaze to the other areas.
Another had a furnace and a working bench, and crates filled with all kinds of ores and minerals that Zou Liqin couldn''t recognize, and another area had inks, bs, and scrolls. Another area had a weapon rack filled with all kinds of weapons, and one area looked like it was a training area.
"Is this all for us?" she muttered in stupefaction.
"It seems so..." Zou Yi said as he admired the scenery with her. He still couldn''t believe the special zone would be this stacked.
"There are ingredients, and over ten recipes we can use to achieve a silver body. Not only that, there are even a few that will help us reach the gold body and one that will highlight how to gain a diamond body..." Zou Yi said
"Too bad, the ingredients are not provided, and none of what we collected would work, not even putting into ount the level of skill required to concoct such a herbal solution.." Zou Yi said with regret filled in his tone.
Zou Liqin walked with a zombie-like expression as she went to the area that looked like it had been specially set aside for alchemy. Her eyes gleamed in excitement as she took sight of the mountain of herbs arranged in differentpartments.
While she couldn''t tell what half of them were, she could tell by their grade they were all earth-rank herbs of the highest grade. Her hands went over to the cauldrons that were designed in the shape of a bullfrog.
There were three of them, and each had a different color to the other. One was earth brown, another dark grey, and thest one was yellow. Their qualities looked uniform, and there were small glyphs glowing around them, and below them, there were what looked to be coals that produced gentle white mes.
Just like that, she absentmindedly went around the different segments of the special zone, examining the different resources stored there. Every single area had the same level of resources, which was at the top tier of earth grade.
Only in the area with all sorts of weapons did she find a difference. The finished weapons stored there were made of mortal materials, and although their qualities looked exquisite, they were built for those with no cultivation base. She was sure if she dared smash the century iron pebble at them with force, a few of them would break.
The training area was what brought her the biggest surprise. She could feel herself calm down and her thoughts bing sharper with every second she was there.
"This area...." she muttered.
"Was designed specifically to help us grow our strength in preparation to scale the mountain.." said Zou Yi.
When Zou Liqin turned to face them, she could see their spirits soar up with battle intent as Zou Yi said this. Even the calm Yu Mei had a gleam of battle intent shing in her eyes.
"We will reach the top," yelled Zou Liqin, swallowed up by the atmosphere before she hurriedly closed her mouth in embarrassment when she saw the dumbfounded look the three were giving her.
"WE WILL REACH THE TOP!" the trio yelled seconds after and then they all burst outughing.
Chapter 338 Choosing Arts (1)
After getting pumped up with the prospect of reaching the mountain peak, the team worked on the potions as they evaluated the different recipes they were given.
"We were out for almost three hours?!" Zou Yi suddenly yelled.
Curious, he asked Zou Liqin how long they had been unconscious. He thought it would be one hour or thirty minutes like He Shan had told them before they consumed the mushrooms, but three hours was way over what He Shan had said.
"Yes, it was three hours, I also thought something was wrong, but your breathing were normal.." Zou Liqin casually replied, which, despite the casualness, did little to ease Zou Yi''s expression.
"You bastard, I thought you said one hour at most? How did we end up asleep for three hours?" Zou Yi asked He Shan with clear dissatisfaction in his tone.
He Shan looked just as shocked as Zou Yi was from the revtion. However, to not give Zou Yi the satisfaction of calling him out, he quickly switched his expression to one of calm seriousness.
"That''s what Grandpa told me. Today is the first time I''ve ever tried it. The other times I couldn''t take the risk since most of the time, I''m usually by myself during the hunts. Being alone and unconscious for nearly an hour is a risk I couldn''t afford to take..."
"You...You...How careless can you be?" Zou YI struggled to talk as he pointed his shaky fingers at He Shan.
He usually prided himself in keeping his emotions in check, especially in Purple City, where it was one of his tools of trade. Still, ever since he met He Shan, he struggled more and more to keep his emotions in check, i.e., mostly his outbursts.
Is the red suckle berserker mushroom still in my system?
He wondered when he saw how easily agitated he had be.
"I don''t think Grandpa lied...Yu Mei, didn''t you say you were the only one awake when we got swallowed by the river?.."
Yu Mei nodded at He Shan in response to his question.
"Maybe the river did something to us since Zou Liqin passed out too. Also, the mushroom works only if your body is at least intact, which you were not...You were just a pile of broken bones stitched together by some herbs.
How could a body in that state handle the potent effects of something like the red suckle berserker mushroom so easily? Aren''t you thinking too highly of yourself?" He Shan mockingly said.
"Weren''t you unconscious for three hours too? At least I had broken bones as an excuse. What''s yours?" Zou Yi quickly fired one.
They went back and forth before finally, Zou Liqin intervened when the potion He Shan had been working on almost spilled over.
He Shan worked quickly as he threw a bunch of herbs into the bullfrog cauldron, which resulted in the mixture almost spilling over to simmer down.
"Which potion is he making?" asked Zou Liqn as she took out her handbook with the 108 steps of the autumn leaves technique Yang Qing had handed them before the exam began.
She flipped the manual to the page highlighting how to move from the bronze stage of the body refining realm to the silver stage. In that section, there were eight different recipes.
"We decided on this one... the Azure grace elixir.." Zou Yi said as he pointed to the recipe with that name.
Below it were the ingredients needed, the general description of the order they were to be ced in the cauldron, and how the finished product should look.
It was purposefully left out when it came to other matters such as measurement, how to process the ingredients, heat control, and other specific measures to be considered when brewing an elixir or potion.
Zou Liqin couldn''t help but shake her head at this. The one saving grace was the ingredients written on the recipe had apanying images at least. The recipe needed about 21 spiritual herbs and over a dozen parts from spirit beasts and mineral ores. Zou Liqin may have been born in a rank two n that had no shortage of earth-rank resources, but looking down the list, she couldn''t recognize half of the herbs and mineral ores, and when it came to the parts from spirit beasts, she waspletely clueless about it.
"He Shan, you know alchemy?" Zou Liqin asked with genuine surprise in her tone.
She didn''t mean to look down on He Shan. Still, alchemy was a subject that required an astronomical amount of resources to make any progress in, simr to artifact and weapon refinement or even the study and creation of talismans and formations.
Based on Shan''s equipment and clothing, he didn''t seem like someone who had ess to a mountain-sized resource.
"My Grandpa may have been undependable in a lot of things, but when it came to the study of herbs and their application, he was a different person the clumsy old geezer who would get trapped in his traps would turn into a bottomless pool of wisdom when it came to alchemy and herbs, even the study of spirit beast and which parts are the most delicious.."
He Shan couldn''t help but lick his lips with greed when he said thest part.
"As his sole student, while I can''t match him, I know enough to get by, at least better than a certain someone.." He Shan smugly said as he cast a mocking side nce at the infuriated Zou Yi.
Zou Liqin couldn''t help but chuckle seeing the reaction of the two as she threw a questioning nce at Yu Mei that seemed to ask:
"When did they get so close?"
The team soon focused back on the brew He Shan was making. Zou Liqin, like a good teammate, offered to lend a hand, but after she was given a few pop quizzes by He Shan on her herb and alchemy knowledge, she was ruthlessly sent away when she showed herself to be severelycking in these areas.
Though He Shan was gentler when he chased her away, unlike how he was with Zou Yi, which surprised her.
"Let him be. I can''t wait for the cauldron to explode on his smug face.." Zou Yi venomously said.
Zou Liqin reserved herments as she doubted He Shan would fail. While she wasn''t skilled in alchemy, she had seen a few shares of good alchemists in the Zou n, and when she saw He Shan and how he handled and processed the materials, she could tell he had exceptional skills. She knew Zou Yi could say to it too, which was why he had such a sour look.
His grandfather must have been a skilled alchemist. I wonder what grade he was in¡ªwondered Zou Liqin.
"Liqin, Yu Mei, which techniques do you intend to use with the herb solution?" Zou Yi eagerly asked as his eyes shined with anticipation when he perused through his handbook.
"Look at all these techniques; fist arts, palm art, sword arts, leg arts, movement arts, spear arts...There are so many aspects of the 108 steps of the autumn leaves cultivation art to choose from.
I think I would be great with the sword.." Zou Yi valiantly said as he grabbed the tang sword next to the alchemy table and pointed it to the sky.
"Can you not fool around?" Zou Liqin said as sheughed at her brother''s goofy look.
"Liqin, don''t you think your brother has the skills to be an excellent swordsman.." grumbled Zou Yi with a pitiful expression as she put the sword away.
"We''ve already wasted close to five hours just making it here. Working on the fist, palm, leg, or movement arts would be better for us in terms of getting results in the shortest amount of time possible..." Zou Liqin said as she went through the arts concerning these four areas.
Chapter 339 Choosing Arts (2)
The art associated with the fist art was called the Flurry Waves fist art, while the palm art was the Withering Leaves palm art; the leg art was the sundering kicks of the blizzard, andstly, the movement art was called the traceless leaf gliding movement art.
Zou Liqin had only perused the flurry waves fist art briefly, but just those glimpses were enough for her to know it would require a particr effort on their part to make any significant process with it.
If they wanted to make any significant qualitative progress in their short time, they could only do it if they focused on one aspect. Each of those arts had guidelines on executing them at different stages and incorporating them with their herbal solution to break through their body refining stage.
It had a step-by-step guide up to the gold stage of the body refining realm.
Zou Liqin analyzed each art on a surface level before she settled on the art she thought she would have better odds with.
"I will go for the fist art.." said Zou Yi.
"I''ve decided on the palm art. What about you, Yu Mei?" asked Zou Liqin.
Yu Mei seemed hesitant to answer at first before she awkwardly answered,
"I''m going with the blooming tranquil lotus meditation art.." said Yu Mei with the troubled smile of one afraid they would be scolded.
"Why?" Zou Yi asked with deep consternation.
The blooming tranquil lotus meditation art was only for strengthening and calming the mind, and it couldn''t be used in breaking through the body refining stage.
All cultivators in the early stages of the body refining realm focused on honing their bodies. From what Zou Yi knew, this extended even to the qi refinement realm, where constant exercises and herbal solutions would strengthen and expand the meridians and limate the body to toleraterge volumes of qi. Only when one stepped into the foundation establishment realm would they focus on other aspects that didn''t tie to the body.
Only when one was at thete stages of the foundation establishment realm would they start strengthening their spirit. Doing it before then would only slow down your cultivation, and training the spirit in the early stage was almost useless since the mental sea got unlocked when one was close to breaking through to the core formation realm.
The only people he knew who focused on honing their spirits early on were usually those with special physiques.
"Wait, could she..." Zou Yi''s pupils constricted as his gaze fell on the awkward, smiling Yu Mei.
"If she does, then that exins a lot..." thought Zou Yi as he shook his head.
"Yu Mei, you don''t have to answer. If that''s your wish, then it''s okay. We made it all the way here partly because of your efforts. If you feel that''s the best for you, it''s okay.." Zou Yi said as he gave her a smile of endearment.
"Many thanks, brother Zou Yi.." Yu Mei said as she cupped her fist, sighing relief.
She had been the first to regain consciousness and was ahead of the others by almost twenty minutes. Once she had confirmed the rest were okay, she looked around the ce and discovered it was a special zone.
She had no skills in alchemy, weapon refinement, or other skills relevant to the partitions and resources provided, so she went through the booklet to try and increase her strength.
Other than her intuition, she realized she was practically useless and wanted to increase her strength so as not to be a burden to the rest.
Like Zou Yi, she mildly entertained the idea of trying the Soaring Swallow sword art recorded in the booklet. Seeing how demanding it was, she came to the same conclusion as Zou Liqin and decided to try and see how the other arts were.
As she was perusing, a calm voice told her to ignore the other arts and only focus on the Blooming tranquil lotus meditation art. The voiceter told her not to tell the others.
While she did not know the voice''s owner, she felt it had to be someone from the Order, especially when she didn''t detect any malice from the statement. Since she was small, her intuition of any form of malice has always been strong, which was how she had been able to escape before her father sold her to a gambling den.
When Zou Yi asked her why she chose the art, she hesitated because she would have to lie to them. Even though they were a new team, she felt they were good people and didn''t want to lie. Zou Yi''stter response came as a relief to her.
"What about you, He Shan?" asked Zou Liqin when she saw He Shan step away from the cauldron.
"With my sporadic fighting style, I think the movement art would suit me best...So which one of you wants to try the solution? It''s already done," said He Shan as he eyed the trio, who reflexively looked sideways at his stare.
"How can you be cultivators with such an attitude.." He Shan said as he scoffed.
"Since none of you are willing, I will do it.." said He Shan as he poured the herbal solution into the wooden bathtub.
The liquid had the viscosity of water and a turquoise color. Despite the cauldron being smaller than the wooden bathtub, when He Shan poured the solution into the tub, it was filled to the brim, after which He Shan threw in an azure crystal that was in the shape of a teardrop into the solution and closed the tab with a cylindrical lid.
After confirming the lid was firmly in ce, he took out his booklet and started going through the traceless gliding leaf movement art guideline.
The key to using the solution was first to practice the particr art until their strength had been overdrawn, then soak in the solution in which their body would hungrily absorb the nutrients in the solution to strengthen the body, then go back and practice the art again to help them in refining the solution better in every part of their body.
It needed to be done in four cycles before they could rest. The better they were in the art they practiced, the more benefits they extracted from the solution, which tranted to how fast they would break through to the next stage of their body refining realm.
All members present, with the exception of Yu Mei, were all in the bronze stage and were trying for the silver stage.
Chapter 340 Traceless Leaf Gliding Art
He Shan frowned the more he read about the traceless leaf gliding movement art, but more than that, there was a fire lit in his belly, and he swelled in anticipation.
The Traceless leaf gliding movement art was versatile and had a tonne of variations which worked well with hisbat style, which was sporadic.
He used arrows when convenient, switched to flying daggers when he finished his arrows, and worked with the axe when it came to close-quarterbat, though he wasfortable with a small sword just the same.
With how much he switched his weapon of choice depending on the battle needs, he required a movement art that couldplement his fighting style. It was for this reason that he never practiced any of the movement arts that his grandfather bought for him. None of them fit his needs, but the Traceless leaf gliding movement art finally did.
The goal of the movement art required one to have the finest control of their body parts to the point they could use a single part to support the whole movement of the body. For example, using just a single toe to move the body while using minimal energy to the point they would not leave a trace on the ground hence the name traceless.
The technique ced great emphasis on the lightness of the step to achieve great agility, whether you were on solid ground, muddy ground, rocky ground, or even a pure water surface. As long as you practiced the technique to perfection, you could traverse all the grounds with the same rtive ease and speed. One could even use a falling leaf as a springboard tounch themself.
The variations of the technique deeply marveled He Shan, and the fact that it erased someone''s traces was an added bonus to him as a hunter.
"The examiner did say we can keep the cultivation art and use it even if we don''t make it through the examination. While I''m sure it''s impossible to achieve great mastery over it with the short amount of time we have for the exam, maybeter, with a few years of practice, I could do it.
Its relevance even extends to the core formation realm. The examiner sure is generous." thought He Shan.
He immediately scattered any useless thoughts he had and poured himself wholly into studying the basics of the movement art.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin also began to study their individual arts while Yu Mei went to the alchemy table with her booklet in hand.
"It says for maximum efficiency with the meditation art, I need the blind serenity lotus root.. I think I saw it here based on the illustrations.." muttered Yu Mei as she carefully looked around at the earth-rank herbs provided.
She carefully went through each of them before her eyes lit up when she saw a long cylindrical root that looked like that of a cassava, except it was white and spongy, looking like it was filled with fluid and a gtinous coating.
Yu Mei carefully scrutinized it as shepared it with the drawing in the booklet before she nodded in satisfaction.
She took the root and went to thebat partition and sat in a lotus position, and immediately put the blind serenity lotus root into her mouth and gently chewed on it.
¡¤?¦Èm The gtinous coating broke easily with her chewing, and a sticky liquid came out of it. It was sweet and had a cold stinging feeling to it. Yu Mei didn''t swallow it but let it remain in her mouth as she chewed on it every four seconds.
Around the twentieth second, the sweet cold, sticky sensation turned to vapor that seemed to use the roof of her mouth as a path to reach her brain. She felt like multiple strings were cool to the touch and were attaching themselves to every cell within her brain.
She immediately took out her booklet and started chanting the mantra of the blooming tranquil lotus meditation art. At first, it was all gibberish to her, made no sense, and sounded like she was chanting words that required one to have a lot of salivae and a swollen tongue to pronounce, but with every cell that got touched by the cool string, those words started to sound familiar with every syble uttered.
Unbeknownst to herself, a few minutes after she started the chant, her eyes turned pure white like she was blind, and her mouth stopped moving. Yu Mei thought she was still chanting the mantra out loud, but it was all happening in her mind.
The rest of her teammates had no idea what was happening with her as they were all busy trying to study their own cultivation arts.
Twenty minutes went by with none of them moving before. Finally, He Shan got up with eagerness in his eyes.
Zou Liqin and Zou Yi had their eyes closed as they internalized and reyed the moves of their respective techniques in their mind.
He Shan tensely walked over to thebat segment and made an effort to put as much distance as he could from Yu Mei, who was in silent meditation.
Thebat area was thergest area, covering about four acres. This provided enough space for any of them to practice independently without interfering with each other.
He Shan took off his shoes and any other equipment he had on him till all he was left with was his beast hide clothing. The first step of the art was familiarizing himself with his own overall body weight, and from there, it would move to him realizing the weight of each body part and for him to be able to have as little on him as possible.
He gently jumped up and down a couple of times to get a feel for his body. Then he moved on to breathing. Breath control was one of the crucial parts of the technique.
The underlying concept in its foundation was simple enough, which was just inhtion and exhtion and making sure they were measured and in sync with each other.
Chapter 341 Sorry States Of The Trio
However, the following step was where it would prove challenging to He Shan since he had to synch up his breathing with his movements then. Every step, every twist and turn, every leap he took had to be synced with his breathing. This would help him control how much oxygen each muscle had, which would, in turn, help him regte his energy and also increase the fluidity of his movements.
After he had done all this was when he would move to the final part, which was deep sensory awareness. Sensory awareness involved perfecting the first two steps to the point he could feel every single part of his body as though it was the only part in his body and have fine control over it.
The ultimate goal of all these steps was to create harmonization. Harmonization of a person with his own body and then with the environment around him, all with the goal of achieving the most natural and optimal movement.
He Shan knew without guidance, it would take him a few years before he reached that state because it also needed to beplemented with a few resources.
For now, all he was aiming for was to gain rudimentary mastery of body alignment to achieve symmetry and bnce and work on shifting his weight for smooth transitions of his movements, and finally, if he had time, supplement it with breath control.
He picked up a few bamboo poles with leaves hanging on by a thread and spread them all around the area he had selected for his practice. Next to each bamboo on both sides, he ced brittle earthen bowls filled to the brim with water. His goal was to shuttle in between those bamboo poles without disturbing the water or the leaves within the time it took half a joss stick to burn.
Once everything was set, he lit up the joss stick and began the training. He had already expected the training to be hard and to put a strain on his body and his mind, but the moment he began, he realized he had grossly underestimated the difficulty of the art.
Within the first ten minutes of his exercise, he had already failed over a dozen times. Either he made the leaves fall with the wind from his movement or broke the bowl earthenware next to him, or made the water spill over.
He Shan didn''t grow frustrated over the failures. With every failure, he would sit down and analyze what he did wrong, then begin again. His progress was slow, and there were times when he thought he''d figured it out, but the result would be different every time.
One moment he would reach halfway, the next, he would fail at the third or fourth bamboo, but in all these, he kept trying with the same eagerness that he had before he started.
After half an hour, he was already soaked in sweat, could barely move an inch, and his breathing was ragged,, but despite his sorry appearance, there was a mad smile on his face as he eyed the bamboo poles like they were some prey waiting to be devoured.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin also had, at some point, begun training in their own arts. Just like He Shan, they all chose an area far from each other, and they, too, had their own resources to help them in their training, as listed in their booklet.
Zou Yi trained against some wooden puppet which, if not for the nk face with no facial features, would have been mistaken for a real person. It had on a white robe, and on that white robe were orange leaves that had numbers on them running from one through to fifteen. Two leaves were on its eyes; three were on its wrist, elbow, and shoulder on each arm; two on its chest and one on its navel; one on each knee andstly, one on each ankle.
Zou Yi''s training in the flurry wist wave art pursued speed and flexibility. His goal was to use the fist art to grab each of the leaves on that puppet in the order of the numbers from one to fifteen.
It was a tall order since the puppet had insane reflexes and was equally as skilled in its fist art, which gave Zou Yi no small amount of trouble. Zou Yi had almost been beaten unconscious a few times since he started. He could barely survive its onught, let alone think of grabbing any of the leaves.
As for Zou Liqin, she was training next to one of the few trees in thebat area. The tree was an urchin exploding thunder tree. As long as one made any sudden contact with it, it would release small wooden shards from its trunk like an explosion. Along with the explosion was a thundering noise that would disorient the victim, leaving them open to be struck with thousands of tiny wooden shards.
Zou Liqin looked like an urchin. She cut a sorry figure even worse than Zou Yi, whose nose and eyes couldn''t even be identified. Zou Liqi had torn bloody robes with disheveled hair and wooden prickings that were so many it looked like she had goosebumps.
The technique she chose, the withering leaves palm technique, focused on force. Force that was strong enough to create a barrier around it and also causes a capiry wave when it struck something, thus resulting in a ripple-like attack that spread the attack from the point of contact outward in a circr motion.
From her sorry state, Zou Liqin made little progress in it as the art served as both a defensive and offensive measure. With it, she would be able to strike the urchin exploding thunder tree and leave unscathed.
He Shan was run ragged, Zou Yi was a human punching bag, Zou Liqin was a human porcupine, while Yu Mei was still seated in her lotus position, exuding serenity.
The three couldn''t help but spit out bitterness and hate every time they passed her andpared themselves to her.
Chapter 342 Sudden Announcement!!
When Zou Yi and Zou Liqin saw He Shan head for the wooden tub, they all stopped their training and went over to observe if the herbal solution he had brewed, the Azure grace elixir was functional.
While on the surface, it looked okay as per the description of the booklet, they couldn''t be sure until someone soaked in it and felt its effects. The two siblings gulped in nervousness as they watched He Shan open the wooden lid and then set up a covering woodenpartment for privacy since he couldn''t very well get in with his beast hide robe.
"How is it?" Zou Yi nervously asked, which only increased when He Shan didn''t answer back until a few minutes had passed.
"It''s working," answered He Shan with a tone that had a mix of excitement and pain.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin lit up when they heard He Shan''s reply. With the solution having effects, it was only a matter of time until they reached the silver body. After being stuck in the bronze stage for five years due to their circumstances, a chance to grow their strength past the bronze stage was something they had been looking forward to greatly.
Zou Liqin couldn''t help but tear up.
He Shan, on the other hand, had massive twitches on his face. The herbal solution didn''t offer any grace at all but torment mixed with relief.
The moment he submerged his whole body into the Azure grace solution, he felt he had been thrown into a frozen tundra which then changed into molten magma that then transformed into bullet ants gnawing at every fiber of his muscle, then it transformed to this heavenly solution, that gave him relief andfort that he couldn''t help but groan before it turned into a frozen tundra again.
Despite its contrasting effects, he could feel the solution strengthen his body with every minute. Each stage, whether it was the iron, bronze, silver, or gold stage, involved the collective andplete transformation of the body from its muscles, marrows, bones, and internal organs, which in turn qualitatively influences the senses, functions, and vitality of the cultivator.
He Shan could feel his blood get more vibrant, his muscles get strengthened, his bones felt denser, and his body overall felt lighter and lighter, and his senses a bit sharper despite the worn-out state he had been in.
His body was greedily absorbing the solution through his pores. After the thirty-minute mark, the efficacy of the solution reduced, and the turquoise color from the start had turned grey with ck murkiness floating within it.
"He Shan is that you?!!! Have you died in there?!!!!" Zou Yi said as he pinched his nose to avoid the stench that was wafting his way. Zou Liqin did the same, with an almost hurling expression.
"I wonder if the other recipes will have better effects?" wondered He Shan as he rinsed the ck impurities from his body and put on his beast hide robe.
He had chosen the Azure grace solution since it seemed like the easiest to concoct. There were a few other recipes whose ingredients were all there. However, they had an increased degree of difficulty inparison to the Azure grace solution.
After feeling the effects of the Azure grace, he was tempted to try the other solutions, especially if their efficacy was much more than the Azure grace.
Once out, he shared his findings with Zou Yi and Zou Liqin and then got to work to brewing some more for himself and Zou Yi and Zou Liqin. With the experience from the first try, the second, third, and fourth solutions were much easier to brew for him, and it took the shortest amount of time possible, and the efficacy had also increased.
Through those brewing sessions, Zou Yi and Zou Liqin came to realize just how skilled He Shan was when it came to alchemy and how assiduous he was, and it wasn''t only in rtion to alchemy. The animal corpses they had dragged along turns out He Shan didn''t only bring them as a source of food but for study.
He dissected them and mixed each organ with various solutions and ores he had on hand to figure out their attributes which he noted in a book. He even listed where they were found, what triggered their attack, and if there were any nts they seemed to guard at the time, among other factors that Zou Yi and Zou Liqin had paid zero attention to.
His study then moved to the herbs that were provided to them for free. He made drawings in an old leather book he had on him as he noted down their names as provided by the recipe and the properties he discovered from them when he was brewing the solutions.
The greatest shock to Zou Yi was how great He Shan was at drawing, and his handwriting was spectacr. He couldn''t believe that scar-ridden He Shan, rough-looking He Shan, would have such soft handwriting and great drawing skills, which, as per Zou Yi''s judgment, overshadowed his great skills in herbology, alchemy, and spirit beast zoology.
...
Over the next three days, He Shan alternated between training, brewing the solutions, and studying the different herbs provided, while Zou Yi and Zou Liqin trained and handled cooking since their demand for food grew with how exerting the exercise was and their growing strength. Zou Yi even helped He Shan craft some more arrows.
While he was not as good as his sister in formations, he had some skills in talisman refinement, which he learned from his bear-tempered mother, who was a perfectionist. The torturous training his mother gave him left him with deft hands, which came in handy in intricate work such as making arrows and inscriptions.
Yu Mei, on the other hand, would wake up every twelve hours to eat before she went back to meditation. In those three days, even though the trio couldn''t tell why, they felt Yu Mei had grown stronger on some level even though she still had no cultivation base.
The team had all agreed to stay for seven days before they had to leave the special zone. They didn''t know if reaching the top had a deadline since they couldn''t remember Yang Qing mentioning it, but they decided it was safer to arrive earlier rather than spend more time than needed in the special zone.
Also, with a working deadline, they could push themselves more. The next few days, He Shan experimented with other herbal solutions, in which he seeded with three out of the seven he tried. Their effects were multiple levels higher than the Azure grace, and just like that, four days quickly passed by with the quartet pushing themselves to the limit to grow their strength and also increase their familiarity with the 108 steps of the autumn leaves cultivation art.
....
"He Shan, why are you trembling? Are you nervous? Did those experiments of yours leave damage on you?..just so you know, I won''t stop to carry you. I''m heading straight to the top.." Zou Yi smugly said as battle intent shed in his eyes.
Even though he was nine years old, his body looked like that of a 15-year-old, and his hair seemed longer and much more lustrous than before. He wasn''t the only one. He Shan and Zou Liqin had just as much a transformation, but thergest was on Yu Mei, who had transformed from a 13-year-old who looked like a six-year-old to a youngdy with a calm, pure serenity to her.
"Sister Yu Mei, we will be in your care from now on as the only person in the group at the qi refinement realm," said Zou Liqin with a cheeky smile on her face.
"Surely you jest, Sister Liqin. Even with my cultivation base, I doubt I could defeat any of you in a fight.." said Yu Mei with a gentle smile
"but at least I could run faster than you all now.." she added, with the restughing after.
"I hope when we stop, it will be all of us at the peak.." Zou Yi said as he looked at his teammates. The seven days and the ordeal they had been in before had made them closer, unlike when they first formed the team. Even He Shan didn''t reach for his bow like he did before.
The group nodded to each other and charged into the trees ahead of them with skillful speed, with one goal in mind, that is, to reach the peak of the mountain and maybe even win the merit points promised for those who would be the first three to reach the finish line.
After a few minutes of running, they had barely reached five hundred meters when they heard an announcement from Yang Qing that made them stop dead in their tracks with widened eyes.
"To all participants. I''d like to announce the first, second, and third ce have just arrived at the peak. In addition to them, three more people have justpleted the test making a total of six people.
The first fifteen people will get a direct entry and will be immediately enrolled at the institute, while those who reach the peak after the fifteen people will have to wait for one more month before they are enrolled. In that month, they''ll receive brutal training from the instructors. I would not rmend it because you may very well die. Please do your best, and for those not too sure that they will make it to the top fifteen, you have a chance to forfeit, otherwise it will be toote if yound in the instructors'' hands.
I will now announce the first three people and their awarded merit points.... "
Chapter 343 Shocking Revelation From Yu Mei
"Liao Jiayi is in the first position and gains 10,000 merit points, in second ce is Meng Jia who gets 4,000 merit points, and in third ce is Yan Qiu, who gets 1,000 merit points.
I would also like to congratte Tang Su, Tang Di, and Bu Fui who havee in fourth, fifth, and sixth ce respectively.
I wish good luck to the remaining participants."
Even after a few seconds had passed since Yang Qing''s announcement, He Shan and the rest stood rooted in ce with shock in their eyes, especially Zou Yi who had just announced aiming for the top three.
¡¤?¦Èm Even though he had not said it with much seriousness and thought their odds were slim, he still didn''t expect both three ces to disappear in such a fashion.
"Did they all finish simultaneously, or did Brother Yang Qing wait so he could announce them all together?" muttered Zou Yi.
"I think they must have arrived together, otherwise if Brother Yang Qing were waiting he would have announced the moment the first three arrived, and not do it all together by announcing all six participants at the same time.." Zou Liqin answered with a bitter smile on her face.
She barely made it through the first test, but six people already reached the peak just as they were about to start scaling the mountain. They didn''t know how far away they were from the peak, but they figured they were closer to the bottom than the top, and as they moved up, it was bound to get tougher and tougher.
The reality of six people having already cleared such a test was a huge hit to their egos when they realized the disparity between them and the six people.
"I didn''t expect that old man to be that powerful. He finished sixth!" muttered Zou Yi in shock.
Of the names mentioned he only recognized the sixth ce Bu Fui who was one of the unique participants present because of his old age. He looked to be in his seventies and had a farmer''s get-up on. He was also one of the few people who summoned enough courage to ask a question.
Even though he had a cultivation base that was in the middle stages of the qi refinement realm, Zou Yi didn''t hold too many high hopes for him. He was even surprised to see someone that old participating in the test.
Being that old, and having only reached the middle stages of the qi refinement realm meant his talent was too low, and even if it wasn''t, his best years for cultivation were already behind him. Zou Yi couldn''t understand why the Order let him take the test. He just chalked it up to the Order being generous with its quota.
Still, he didn''t expect much from him, but ending up in sixth and if the top six announcements happened in real-time, it meant he wasn''t that far from the first-ce finisher.
The announcement was filled with shocking surprises to him.
"Do any of you know any of the participants mentioned?" Zou Yi asked with a grim expression.
The question was mostly directed to Yu Mei. He Shan with his ''excellent skills'' in striking conversations, Zou Yi had doubts if he would know anything about the participants. He could know what spirit beast they ate for supper, which herbs they brushed up against whening here, or which weak points he could target, but when it came to knowing normal things like their names, Zou Yi had serious doubts if he would care about that.
"Of the six other than Bu Fui, I know of only one of the names..." Yu Mei paused as she had an incredulous look on her face.
She was shocked just like Zou Yi and the rest, but her shock was different. It was more of a surprise that came when someone you know reached heights and did something you never expected.
"The first-ce finisher...Liao Jiayi. I met them on my way here. His father and mother were kind enough to invite me to travel with them here which gave me the opportunity to interact with him. I can''t believe he is in the first ce even without a cultivation base..." Yu Mei''s voice trailed off as she this look that made it seem like she was reying the scene in her head.
Can''t you finish it, Don''t you see how anxious He Shan is because of your dys? If he shoots an arrow at you out of frustration, I''m not stepping in for you...
Zou Yi couldn''t help but roll his eyes, and dock a few points from Yu Mei or her dy tactics. He Shan did look twitchy and impatient from her dy, and Zou Yi oblivious of himself, ignored the fact that his hand was clenching and unclenching the century-iron pebble stone as he looked at Yu Mei.
"Liao Jiayi was the youngest participant among us. That seven-year-old kid, who had blue robes with circr symbols on the chest..." Yu Mei finally said, with disbelief still showing in he tone as she said this.
"HIM?!!!" they all yelled.
They had all unanimously assumed that the first three ce finishers were all legacies. Never in a million years would they have thought it would have been the seven-year-old boy whom they all assumed had no hopes of joining and his parents had probably signed him up in the hopes of lucking out and shooting for the stars in one fell swoop in the hopes of their child joining the Order.
Such a notion wasn''t impossible. Over the years parents have tried even sending month-old babies to try out and join the Order. Of course, they were ruthlessly turned back and scared stiff, but such cases had not stopped happening. Zou Yi and Zou Liqin had heard of those stories from Yang Qing''s nephews. They assumed Liao Jiayi''s case was the same since he had no cultivation base.
It took them a short while before they processed it, along with the shock of the sudden announcement.
"Let''s focus on reaching the peak. For now, the position doesn''t matter though ideally I would like us to reach it before the 15 ces are up. I''d rather not experience a month-long training that could in my death if I can help it," Zou Yi said as he drylyughed with fear shing in his eyes.
Everything he endured in Purple City paled inparison to those brief few seconds he almost got drilled into by the snapping willow. Even with the increase in strength he still held an unreserved fear for the tree and death itself as a whole.
The rest all nodded in agreement to Zou Yi''s statement and immediately set off with increased urgency to their steps.
Chapter 344 Path Of The Six Participants (1)
Top of the Autumn Mountain...
The four judges i.e. Yang Qing, Kang Hung, Xia Boqin, and Dai Chen all had their gazes trained on a few individuals in front of them.
They had looks of admiration towards the party before them, particrly Yang Qing and Kang Hung who had worked together on a few things for the test.
"We found the crazy ones.." said Yang Qing.
"That we did.." said Kang Hung.
Before them were six people. Even though they were different in age, sex, or cultivation base among other things, they did have a few things inmon one of which was the ragged state in which they were in.
They were all on the ground a few inches from the table Yang Qing and the rest were seated. They barely had any strength to get up with some even looking like they were about to pass out. Their robes were all in tatters and as far as their bodies went, they were all in different conditions but badly battered all the same.
Some had missing limbs, and others had holes and deep gashes throughout their bodies that revealed bone. Blood constantly soaked the ground beneath them, with their breaths bingbored.
There was only one person who seemed rtively better inparison to the rest. He had the fewest wounds, with a few deep scratches here and there and they were in areas that wouldn''t prove too fatal even if they were left unattended which was in stark contrast to the rest who looked to be already sharing tea and having discussions with death.
That person was a young boy who had on blue robes that were torn at the sleeves and knees and was currently shrouded with grey mist that had a sort of heaviness to it, like within that mist was a big ocean. Within that mist, one could hear faint cries that sometimes sounded like the cries of a primordial whale, and other times sounded like the cries of a primordial bird.
"This is truly unexpected and a great find for us. Someone with the kunpeng bloodline.." said Xia Boqin with a glow in his eyes as he eyed the young boy who even though looked better than the rest, was unconscious, unlike the rest who though badly battered, had a sliver of consciousness to them.
"Dai Chen, what do you think?" asked Yang Qing.
"Seems natural and unnatural at the same time.."
"I feel so too. Quite the peculiar kid.."Yang Qing said with a smile.
"The rest are not too shabby either. I didn''t expect to get more than one surprise.." he added as he waved his sleeves and green water droplets were produced which gently enclosed the six people before them like a bubble.
When the droplet approached the young boy, the mist reacted as if to attack the droplet. However, it was forcefully smothered by the droplet when it erged to cover the young boy.
Once inside the bubble, all the wounds that the six participants had rapidly started healing, and those that had missing limbs and holes in their bodies began regrowing the missing organs and appendages.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh in admiration as he observed the six participants. Zou Liqin had been right in her guess that the six arrived almost at the same time which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for them because of the final surprise that awaited them at the finish line.
Yang Qing had a feeling that a few of them may have managed to get by individually, but facing it together added increased their odds which was why despite their injuries they still managed to reach the finish line.
The six had brought him a few surprises, one of which was, of the six, only one of them was a legacy, and it was the third ce, Yan Qiu.
Considering how they crossed the finish line part from the first ce Liao Jiayi, the others it was a roll of the dice whether one finished second or sixth. The difference was a literal hair''s breadth.
First ce was the young boy who had the grey mist on top of him, second ce Meng Jia, was the fourteen-year-old girl with the unlocked mental sea and abnormally powerful soul.
Third ce Yan Qiu was the brown almond hair legacy whose parent was a cksmith in the craftmanship division. He didn''t seem to have his father''s talent in weapon refinement, however, when it came to understanding weapons, he was by far one of the best. His skills with the spear were one of the reasons he made it this far and that fast.
Fourth and fifth ce Tang Su and Tang Di respectively were the two twin brothers who had a beginner level of understanding of a blue-grade art that gave them elemental attributes. Tang Su was skilled with the earth element while Tang Di had the lightning element.
The order of their finish was amusing to Yang Qing. The brother Tang Di as per Yang Qing''s estimates would have finished second had he wanted to. However, he dragged back a few inches to help his brother Tang Su forward. Tang Su among the six participants had some of the heaviest injuries.
He had a few holes in him and would have been eliminated had it not been for the regenerative effects attributed to the earth element brought about by the blue-grade cultivation art he cultivated. Yang Qing inner cultivation arts hoarder was itching to have a look at the blue-grade art they cultivated.
The art had single-handedly catapulted the two brothers ahead to the point that one could survive with holes in his body even if he was only at the early stages of qi refinement, while the other could have finished second. This showed not only the skills the two brothers had in cultivating high-tier cultivation arts but also the power of the blue-grade art they cultivated.
Yan Qiu cultivated a blue-grade cultivation art, but to Yang Qing, the blue-grade art the two brothers cultivated was better, especially in versatility.
Thest participant, Bu Fui was the biggest surprise. His cultivation realm was now in the seventh stage of qi refinement as opposed to the fourth stage he had earlier.
However, what surprised Yang Qing wasn''t his cultivation base but the fact he developed sword sense whilst inbat.
Chapter 345 [Bonus ]Path Of The Six Participants (2)
When it came to sword cultivators, those willing to prove their dao with the sword, all followed a particr path which started with a cultivator developing sword sense, which meant an extreme familiarity with one''s sword to the point it was no different than any of their limbs. They could feel its breath and itsposition almost as if it was a part of their body.
From sword sensees sword qi, then sword intent, which grows to sword domain, and finally sword soul or sword spirit. Just developing sword sense was so difficult that it was one of the biggest watersheds of bing a sword cultivator. Even within the Order, despite their many training regimens of helping cultivators achieve it, only one out of fifty manage to do so but Bu Fui managed to acquire it by himself.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but thank the light storm mantis for its part in Bu Fui''s growth. The light storm mantis was another one of the overlords of the Autumn Mountain just like the seven-colored doe, except it was much more ruthless than the doe. It had a hardy exoskeleton that was harder than iron and mandibles and wings that were built for effortlessly tearing any flesh apart.
Both the ws and wings moved so fast that created shing light images that only amplified its ability to tear apart a target.
The seven-colored doe in terms of potential had a much higher potential than the light storm mantis but in terms of present skill, the light storm mantis was a much more dangerous opponent, which was why Bu Fui had the highest injuries of the six participants present followed by the twins.
These three participants had the unfortunate luck ofing across it. The twins were the first to stumble onto it, where it made quick work of them.
It was thanks to Tang Su''s defensive form, that Tang Di was able to hang on with the former throwing himself and taking the attacks that were fatal to Tang Di.
Bu Fui walked into that fight when he was running away from a goldva w bear that was after him which was another overlord of the area. A three-way battle ensued.
Yang Qing couldn''t believe their luck.
Luckily the two spirit beasts in addition to fighting against the three, also fought against each other, while the twins faced off against the bear and Bu Fui faced the mantis.
The trio agreed on this format afterparing their strengths. Though when it came to the twins, Tang Di who had higher agility thanks to the lightning element would asionally switch targets depending on whether Bu Fui or his brother was in the greatest danger.I think you should take a look at
The battle was chaotic and Bu Fui lost his left arm to the light storm mantis but thanks to gaining sword sense, he cleaved one of its wings and two of its hind legs. It had also suffered a few more injuries from the goldva w bear which had also received a few in return in addition to receiving deep gashing wounds thanks to the twins.
The two spirit beasts decided to retreat after their injuries reached a certain point. They were more wary of each other than the three humans they were fighting against. The more injured party suffered a risk of being devoured by the other, or they would both get devoured by some other spirit beast so it was safer to retreat while they still had some fighting ability left.
Had both spirit beasts insisted on fighting to the end, with their strong vitality and ability, the three would have been eliminated without a doubt. Because even with both spirit beasts fighting against each other while fighting them, they still managed to gravely injure them.
Despite how things yed out, the three participants had showcased their abilities and they deserved to be in the top fifteen with the ability they showed.
Other than them, the only other person who faced off against an overlord was Liao Jiayi who fought against a silver horn python. Their battle was thunderous just like the one from the twins, however the more heated it became the more the kunpeng aura in Liao Jiayi''s bloodline leaked which terrified the python through bloodline suppression which wasmon among spirit beasts. It fled away mid-way into the fight.
As for Meng Jia and Yan Qiu even though none of them faced off head to head with an overlord, the former was skillful enough to use her mental sea to dodge leaching vines that numbered in the hundreds and whose speeds were ten times the speed of the snapping willow Zou Yi faced while thetter managed to run away from the strongest overlord of the five spirit beasts and ended up poisoned by it but even poisoned he still managed to reach the peak of the mountain while dodging and fighting other spirit beasts along the way and avoiding or solving the formation trapsid to the top along with other challenges.
The spirit beast in question was the grey pollen aurora moth. It was half asleep when Yan Qiu identally walked in within a kilometer radius of where it was sleeping.
The moth was still in the qi refinement realm. However, its spiritual sense and sensitivity were that of a core formation expert. Its length matched those at thete stages of core formation. In addition to its massive spiritual sense, it had pollen that had lethal poison that could put down anyone lower than it in strength within seconds.
In its half-asleep state, Yan Qiu got grazed by one of its pollens which left him sluggish and half-conscious. He used a few potions to keep it at bay, but it only slowed down the poison. The only solution he came up with was to bulldoze his way to the top before he got passed out or got eliminated if the poison put his life in jeopardy.
The performance of the six participants amazed the four judges. Though they did not know it, one of them would end up as the chancellor of the Institute in 700 years.
Chapter 346 Liao Jiayis Background?
It didn''t take more than twenty minutes for all of the participants to be healed and restored fully by Yang Qing.
Bu Fui had his missing arm restored, Tang Su had the various holes, ruptured organs, and broken bones healed, Yan Qiu had his body detoxified along with the injuries he suffered along the way when he decided to speed run the mountain and abandon all caution.
The first-ce finisher Liao Jiayi waspletely healed. However, he was still unconscious. He had overdrawn the abilities associated with his physique which put a strain on not only his body but his soul too.
From what Yang Qing and the rest had gathered, Liao Jiayi had a physique associated with the Kunpeng. However, the physique wasn''t a naturally urring one.
When it came to physiques one could either acquire it naturally as a form of bestowal by the order or rules governing the world, or you could acquire it through assiduous cultivation through body refinement, which is what therge popce does since naturally acquired physiques were a rarity.
They were no different than natural Dao treasures if one thought about it.
However other than these two, there was also one other group that could be considered a hybrid of the two physiques. Liao Jiayi happens to fit into this category.
The physique was both acquired and natural at the same time. Such a physique was usually acquired through a pact between a human and a spirit beast or a sentient spiritual herb. Such a pact is usually soul-binding between the two parties and is intrusive to the point it may perpetually affect the bloodline of both parties or one of them.
Some of thergest and most powerful ns and empires within the southern continent had their origins tied to such a pact. One of them was the Shu n a rank 1 n, which was as ancient as the two holynds. Their founder formed a pact with a powerful golden roc that was in the soul formation realm. The founder had been in the soul formation realm at the time too.
His blood as a result of the soul pact was altered, containing traces of the golden roc''s physique within it, and with it came the abilities of the golden roc, one of which was the speed the rocs were famous for.
The roc in return gained a portion of the Shu patriarch''s talent when it came to understanding different types of Dao, more specifically the one the patriarch was gifted in.
Humans had the weakest bodies, and the lowest start whenpared to other species. However, they had one area in which they outdid the other species, which was their malleability and adaptability to different forms of dao to the point that they could master two different Daos that were antitheses to each other such as the water and fire Dao or the wind and lightning.
This is why there are millions and millions of cultivation arts floating around the world. Humans have no birth restriction on what they could learn unlike spirit beasts who despite their powerful bodies, long lives, and racial traits, were restricted to a particr Dao, and the improvement of their cultivation is at a snail''s pace.
A pact between a spirit beast, a spiritual nt, and a human helps alleviate that issue. But for the pact to seed, the human has to have talent and strength that matched theirs or they would be swallowed by the soul pact ritual.I think you should take a look at
The Shu n patriarch had his physique altered from the pact and gained some of the racial abilities of the Golden roc, one of which was immense speed and an affinity for the wind dao. This bloodline soon got passed down to his children, and their children down the progeny line to date.
Thus the Shu n is known as Roc physique users, though there are different variations of it among the n members, and not everyone gains the bloodline and the purity of the bloodline also differs which affects how many traits of the golden roc they gain. When it came to purity the generation of descendants didn''t matter as someone in the 50th generation could have a thicker bloodlinepared to someone from the 5th.
The only ones that were exceptions to this rule were the patriarch and his direct children.
Liao Jiayi seemed to have a thin bloodline of the Kunpeng. However, the abilities he showed were one of someone who had a thick bloodline.
Yang Qing guessed he had something else in him, that belonged to a real kunpeng or the progenitor who had formed the pact with the kunpeng which was why he could draw out some of its abilities such as high-speed regeneration via the water Dao.
Both Yang Qing and Dai Chen had tried to use their pce sense to investigate his body, however, there seemed to be a shield that isted his inner structure from them.
The only reason that they even discovered he had its bloodline was the final move before he crossed the finish line.
"Whatever....the vice chancellor will handle any concerns about Liao Jiayi," thought Yang Qing.
Whatever object Liao Jiayi had on him, whether it belonged to a kunpeng directly or someone who had formed a pact with one, whichever case it was, they both meant his background wasn''t simple.
Yang Qing decided not to overthink the matter. Liao Jiayi was officially part of the Order despite his background, and there were trusty seniors above him who were more suited to deal with it than him.
His part as a lowly Order worker was to serve and to try and shamelessly score more merit points for discovering Liao Jiayi with the kunpeng bloodline, Yu Mei with the crystal heart zed physique, Meng Jia a 14-year-old with an unlocked mental sea, there was Yin Rong with the zing vined white rose physique, and Bu Fui an old man with a talent for the sword who would have likely been buried in the dust.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but snicker at the thought of merit points and treasures he would fleece out of the Order. He had every intention of making it seem like he had scouted them personally.
"Zou Yi, Zou Liqin make sure you reach the finish line so I can milk this for all its worth.." thought Yang Qing as a greedy glint shed in his eyes.
Chapter 347 Difficult Choice
It didn''t take long for five of the six participants to regain their senses as they hurriedly cupped their fists at Yang Qing.
"We greet the examiner..."
"Thank you for healing me.."
Since it was sudden, there were mixed replies from all five which made them pale before they all unanimously decided to settle on the two statements with fidgety expressions afraid that their earlier discordant greeting may cost them a ce in the Order.
"First, I would like to sincerely congratte you all for your disy and for making it to the finish. You have all shown qualities deserving of the Order.." Yang Qing said as he offered them Daoist salutes.
Kang Hung, Xia Boqin, and Dai Chen did the same too as they offered their congrattions, which drew gleaming eyes from the five participants, more so Yan Qiu who somewhat knew about them and their abilities.
"Meng Jia, Yan Qiu please have these, they''re your rewards. You can redeem them after this at the external logistics division or you can wait till your orientation is over then you can do it at the Institute.
If you decide on the former, Yan Qiu can you please show her the way?" said Yang Qing as he produced two blue jade talismans.
"I will!!" Yan Qiu solemnly answered as he thumped his chest with one fist like he was undertaking a grand mission.
"Now let''s move to the next matter. Other than Yan Qiu, and Liao Jiayi, there is something I''d like you all to consider, especially you, elder Bu Fui..."
The atmosphere became heavy from Yang Qing''s austere words.
"I''d like to make something clear, you''re free to refuse it if you don''t want to, and your entry to the Order will not change no matter the decision, and will still do our very best to nurture you all.
You should all have an inkling of what I''m driving at.." said Yang Qing as he eyed the five of them with his gaze concentrated on Bu Fui, Tang Su, Tang Di, and Meng Jia.
"Your foundations in the body refining realm and the qi refinement realm will limit your progress ahead. While the Order has vast resources, that help can only reach so far.
For some of you, you will be halted at areas beneath what your potential could reach because of your earlier foundations.
Forgive my crass tone, but they''re too brittle to meet the standards required of you and the work the Order will give you. They will affect how far you reach.
The minimum threshold is a gold body which none of you has reached, and the qi refinement can only be polished with a good base body to work from.
Some of you may have had good cultivation art, but without a good solid foundation, you can''t bring out the best of its abilities.."
Tang Su and Tang Di lowered their heads when they heard this. Yang Qing could tell at the body-refining realm they had only reached the bronze stage, the same as Meng Jia which was why her body couldn''t handle her powerful soul.
Bu Fui had the worst since he had an iron body and the cultivation art he practiced for qi refinement was massively wed that it left his qi erratic, and with a lot of hidden injuries. It was only when he started cultivating the 108 steps of the Autumn leaf did his qi flow appear to be smooth.
However, his meridians had developed seque which if left unattended would hinder or risk his progress to the foundation establishment realm.
"My solution to you all is this, to abolish all your cultivations and help you start from scratch. I know it''s not an easy thing, so you have a month to decide. You can inform your instructors then. I think you should take a look at
If you have any questions or fears, your assigned instructors will help dispel them, so don''t shy away.
Like I said earlier, whatever you decide, your entry to the Order will not be affected in any way nor will your treatment..."
All four participants hadplicated expressions on their faces since they were already in the qi refinement realm, more so Bu Fui who was in the seventh stage and was far along in his years.
"Your lives won''t be at risk, neither will your potential.." Yang Qing added when he saw the fear in their eyes, especially Bu Fui.
"Once again, congrattions and wee to the Order. I wish you all the best in your future ahead.." Yang Qing warmly said as he waved his sleeves activating the teleportation array below them.
Only the unconscious Liao Jiayi was left behind while the five were transported to the administrative building of the Institute to start their enrollment procedures along with meeting up with their parents and or guardians who had also been sent along.
The four judges moved their focus back to the other participants. Other than the six who made it to the peak, there were still a few others not far away from reaching them.
There were two of them to be exact.
One of them was the remaining legacy after one of them got eliminated by the seven-colored doe. Even though that particr was less talented than the six, he had sturdy foundations and a steady personality hence his slow and measured rise to the top.
As for the remaining one he was a gifted alchemist who would have arrived earlier had he not spent a long time using up all the materials in the special zone he stumbled onto. With a qi refinement cultivation base, he could already make earth-rank pills and potions that were suitable to those in the foundation establishment and were of decent quality.
Potions and pills were given grades in terms of quality and the grade run from I-XII.. Based on Yang Qing''s judgment the pills and potion he brewed were grade XII and his sess rate of reproducing such a quality was 70%.
The alchemist was only 11 years old and had already shown such skills.
When he thought of the alchemist his gaze couldn''t help but fall on, He Shan, who fit the model of what an Order based alchemist should have.
When the order trained alchemy they not only focused on recipes and how to correctly brew potions and pills, but they also focused on the ecology of the herbs and supplemented it with spirit beast zoology. They needed to know which herbs grew where, and which animals were drawn to them, which would help them in their adaptability when sourcing for new ingredients.
The test had a lot of participants who showed a lot of promise in alchemy, but they were eliminated because of carelessness that shouldn''t be in one aspiring to be aplete alchemist. They fell to the allure of precious spirit herbs and got attacked by spirit beasts that were co-existing with those spirit herbs.
Some were big and some were the size of a melon seed, regardless the result was the same, which was the elimination of the careless participant who didn''t know to look out for those spirit beasts.
Yang Qing felt He Shan showed a lot of promise. Even if he failed to make it to the peak, he had a feeling his odds of getting a special rmendation from the Alchemy faculty department were very high.
The person in question was currently working with Zou Yi and the rest making steady gains as they scaled up the mountain. They had already covered about three kilometers of it in that short time and still had enough energy to maintain the momentum.
Their cooperation was seamless with each sticking to their own strengths. They had all made significant improvements when it came to the execution of their respective arts which was a huge boost to their strengths, but their biggest attribute was Yu Mei.
While physically in terms of battle technique, she would lose out to the three despite being a first-stage qi refinement cultivator, she had unlocked an attribute of her physique when she broke through to the qi refinement realm.
That attribute was called the ''heart mirror''.
Chapter 348 More Announcements
Yu Mei had only partially unlocked the heart mirror, however, the partial features were sufficient to give her team a leg up in gaining ground.
The heart mirror was simr to a spiritual sense in that it could be used to detect the surroundings on a detailed level and wasn''t affected by the concept of darkness and light.
However, there were a few differences between the spiritual sense and the heart mirror, one of which was versatility. The spiritual sense was much more versatile than the heart mirror when it came to using it outside ofbat. It could be used to investigate ores, artifacts, and weapons down to researching the structure of herbs and spiritual nts.
When it came to the heart mirror, however, it couldn''t be used in those investigations. It was useless in anything outside ofbat. That was where its true brilliancey. With the heart mirror the user could detect hidden attacks from their fluctuations; the owner could even see through certain techniques that aim to impair the sense of the cultivator.
The range and the strength of the heart mirror were tied to both the strength of the user and how much of their physique potential they have excavated.
In Yu Mei''s case, her range was restricted to a 25-meter radius around her, and how much she could read via the heart mirror was still a bit vague at times or overt. An assassin with true skill at the peak of qi refinement could kill her before she could even react.
In addition, she had not used the attribute for long, so she couldn''t adjust her reactions and judgments ordingly, and that could only be done with continuous training of both her attribute and herbat and body response.
However, despite the shorings, the heart mirror was still sufficient for the team to avoid ambushes, traps, and extremely dangerous locations along the way, which helped them gain a lot of ground and cut down their time on reaching the peak.
Only nine spots were left in the top fifteen. If they failed to make it, then they would have to go through torturous death-inducing training for a month. They may not have a clue how bad it was, but they could use their imaginations.
They, therefore, had sufficient motivation to be among the fifteen, and Yu Mei''s heart mirror came in handy in achieving that target.
....
Almost one and a half hours had passed by since the announcement was made and Zou Yi and his team had already crossed the halfway point of the mountain. There were notices all around that informed them they had crossed the halfway point.
Zou Yi and the others, all had excited looks as they took a short rest beneath a honey locust tree. They were working at regting their breathing and had a few shallow injuries on all of them, but they all were otherwise okay and pumped.
They had tangled with spirit beasts and spiritual herbs that were more vicious than the scarlet crown hummingbird and the snapping willow tree respectively. However, they managed to get through effortlessly with their increased strength that came from the improvement in their cultivation bases, cultivating moves from the 108 steps of the autumn cultivation art gave them explosive strength and they also had seamless cooperation built up. I think you should take a look at
They had also stocked up on weapons and supplies. The century iron pebble was still a trusty weapon that could not be matched by anything in the special zone, but they now had versatility in weapons which even though were used by mortals could still have an effect on their foes, especially whenced with poisons courtesy of He Shan''s handiwork.
Zou Yi was terrified when he saw how effortless and gifted He Shan was with poisons and the tranquil and joyous face he had on as he was brewing them. They applied different kinds of poison to the arrows, short spears, and the sword that Zou Yi and Yu Mei carried.
He Shan even had the crazy idea of them storing the poison in their mouths and ying bait so as to draw the spirit beasts closer and spraying it on them the moment they did. He was brutally rejected on that n and the team would have given him a beating had they not seen how ''gifted'' he was in brewing and choosing how to use the poison.
"If we keep going like this, in a matter of hours we will be at the top.." Zou Yi said with a wide smile on his face as he panted.
"Thank you, Sister Yu Mei, your ability really saved us.." Zou Liqin offered a big thumbs up to Yu Mei as she said this.
"We can''t celebrate yet, we still need to keep our guard up. Thetter half will definitely be more dangerous and difficult than what we have experienced..." said He Shan dousing the joyous atmosphere with a cold water of reality.
"What a sour ball.." Zou Yi muttered under his breath as he snorted at He Shan who didn''t seem like he cared as he casually picked his ear wax and conveniently flicked it close to his direction.
"Let''s go..." said Zou Yi as he got up along with the rest, all wearing stern and determined expressions.
They had decided on taking a fifteen-minute break to condition themselves to be in peak form to pull through thetter half of the mountain. Just as He Shan had said, they all knew thetter half would not be easy, and they needed to be at the most optimum state to try and get through it.
Ten minutes after they begin traversing through thetter half of the mountain heading to the peak, another announcement from Yang Qing came in announcing the seventh participant to make it through which was someone by the name of Shen Liu.
Five minutes after that another announcement came in announcing the eighth participant by the name of Shi Hong.
The team got nervous since it meant only seven more spots were left which was cutting it close since there were four of them already.
Chapter 349 Strike With Intensity
With an increased urgency they increased the speed at which they scaled up the mountain. However, they quickly found out they couldn''t rush through their way as they did the first half of it. There were way more insidious traps than Yu Mei could detect, the spirit beasts were cunning and more powerful. He Shan''s poison came in handy in those moments but they were quickly burning through their resources.
A day and a half passed before they reached the 50-kilometer mark which they had managed to cover within a few hours in the first half of the mountain.
Their expressions became grimmer with every rise up the mountain. It felt like the difficulty doubled every kilometer and the variations were a lot. One ce was swarming with spirit beasts of different kinds, another was filled with miasma, trap formations were almost everywhere and there were asional inexplicable urrences.
For example, at the ce they had reached, they felt their cultivation base suppressed, even Yu Mei could no longer ess her heart mirror. All they could rely on was their techniques to survive. Yu Mei was the one hit hardest by this since she basically relied on her natural physique to contribute to the team and also move up.
But because of the suppression, she was basically where she was at the start of the test, no cultivation, except this was even worse since she didn''t even have her physique to rely on. Lucky for her, He Shan was a fish in such a setting.
For someone who survived only on pure skill, a setting such as this one was perfect for him since it not only affected them but the spirit beasts and other organisms in the area. However, things were still difficult for them since the spirit beasts in the area to adapt to such a setting had also honed their individual skills.
It was because of this that it took them almost six hours to cross the region which was a little less than ten kilometers.
By the time they came out of it, they were all haggard, especially Yu Mei, but thanks to the removal of the suppression, the vitality of their cultivation bases helped them recover.
Despite them regaining their cultivation bases none of them looked too happy about it. The first six participants had only taken seven days to climb the whole mountain, while for them at the rate they were going, they felt it would take two times that, and that was with them working together.
Surely among the first six participants to reach the peak, there must have been some who did it alone.
Thisparison put a dark look over their faces, but they still kept going with the only positive thing being there was no announcement of other participants. The number was still at eight, and there were still seven free slots.
That littlefort got taken away when four hours and seven hours in, the ninth and tenth participant got announced respectively, leaving only five spots for immediate entry.
Though they didn''t halt a step despite the announcement, some part of them knew at their pace, their odds of grabbing four of the remaining five spots were growing slim. Every minute that went by was another chance that an announcement could be made.
This reality made the already tough job of climbing the mountain even tougher.
....
"Do you hear that?" Yu Mei suddenly said as her remark made the group suddenly halt in their steps.
"Don''t tell me you''ve heard other special noises?" He Shan warily asked.
The Zou siblings were just as wary too. They couldn''t afford any detours. Even if they saw another special zone, they would not get into it.
"No, it''s not that kind of noise..." Yu Mei said as she smiled bitterly when she saw the looks they were giving her.
"I''m using my ears, there''s a fight that way...and the voices sound familiar.." said Yu Mei as she pointed to the northwest of their area.
"Whose?" asked Zou Liqin.
"One of them is that young blondedy. I think her name is Yin Rong and the other is Lai Rou," answered Yu Mei.
The trio instantly recognized the two people. They both asked questions during the open Q&A initiated by Yang Qing. Lai Rou was thenky youth who was afraid of taking the test with the other participants because of his iron body realm while Yin Rong was the seeminglybative yellow-haired girl who asked if it was okay to attack other participants.
Zou Yi had wanted to form a partnership with Lai Rou but thetter had already left with the first group before he had a chance to do so.I think you should take a look at
"So he made it this far by himself?" thought Zou Yi in disbelief.
"Yu Mei are they fighting against something or each other?" asked Zou Yi with a contemting look.
Zou Liqin could already tell that there were gears already turning in Zou Yi''s mind in regard to the situation.
Yu Mei tilted her head toward the northwest direction as she closed her eyes and focused her hearing in that direction.
"It seems like they are fighting each other, but I''m not too sure. We will have to go a bit closer to confirm it.."
Zou Yi went silent for a few seconds before he suddenly opened his eyes with firmness to them.
"What do you guys think of partnering with Lai Rou?" he suddenly asked.
Without waiting for their response he continued,
"At our pace, and even strength, I know you can all tell it would be hard for us to make it to the top fifteen.
While making it to the top fifteen doesn''t matter as long as we reach the peak it''s okay, even reaching the peak may not be assured for us, but adding Lai Rou to the mix will increase the odds.
The fact that he made it this far alone, is proof enough of how skilled he is.
My opinion is we team up with him and fight Yin Rong. We can kill two birds with one stone. We can eliminate one of the strongest contenders left and we can also gain Lai Rou''s favor.
What do you guys think?" asked Zou Yi.
"I think it''s the best option we have.."
The first support came from the unlikeliest of people, which prompted Zou Yi to throw a dumbfounded gaze in his direction. It was He Shan.
"What?" asked He Shan with an embarrassed expression from suddenly being stared at by the trio.
Zou Liqin and Yu Mei also expressed their support for the n.
"If we are to really do these and stand a chance of winning, the best way to ambush someone is to do it instantaneously more so for a human.
If we are to strike, we can not wait for the opportune moment and stalk her. At her level, she will likely detect us.
The best chance is for us to strike immediately before she has a chance to register what is happening.
The moment we leave here we are charging straight for her, no nning for how or when to strike. The strike happens from here. Unpredictable and swift, otherwise we may be eliminated.
Strike with intensity, hold nothing back and don''t think. We can''t have thatg," said He Shan.
Chapter 350 Potential End Of The Journey (1)
The team sat in silence as they soaked in He Shan''s words. Ideally, Zou Yi would have liked ti stalk the fight between the two so they could n better and gauge Yin Rong''s abilities but if they jumped in, they would be blind in there.
For someone who liked nning his steps, going in blind put him out of hisfort zone. There were a lot of variables to consider and doing it He Shan''s way carried considerable risk to him.
Deep crease marks appeared on his head as he reyed best-case and worst-case scenarios if they were to go with He Shan''s n. The more he thought about it the more cons he came up with, which made him even more nervous than he already was.
"Zou Yi, forgive me for saying this, but while nning is good, it may end up being a shackle for you at some point in life..." He Shan solemnly said breaking Zou Yi out of his contemtion.
"There are times when you''re called to act with no preparation or ns. Whether it''s in a cultivation breakthrough, a sudden appearance of treasure, or when your life or those you love are in danger.
If such a situation were to happen in front of you, would you wait and n, or would you act and try to seize the moment?.." asked He Shan.
"That blonde girl is in the qi refinement realm and is therefore stronger than us on multiple levels. Do you think we can stalk her without her realizing it?" He Shan fired another question.
"If we trail her to observe her fighting she will likely discover us and if she is smart she will react ordingly. She will feign weaknesses here and there to sound us out and also hide some of her moves and insert some trickery.
We don''t know her well enough to know what''s real and what''s not. Falling for her ploy will be very easy and we will also tip our hand since she will already be on guard against us...
But if we do it my way, she will have no idea if we are targeting her or running away from something.
The suddenness may throw her off which may work for both our favor and thenky kid. This is why whatever you do, make sure you don''t hold anything back.
Don''t hold anything in reserve like telling yourself you''re doing it so you can have a fail-safe to escape in case things go wrong..." He Shan sternly said.
"If that''s your n then we might as well avoid the fight all together since it''s all but guaranteed to be a losing battle.
Other than Yu Mei, we are all in the silver body stage, and that girl is one major realm above us. We all felt the difference in power when we moved from the bronze stage to the silver stage.
Then how exaggerated is it to be in the qi refinement realm?" asked He Shan.
This statement brought rity and shock to Zou Yi''s hesitant expression.
The seven days in the special zone were enough for them to not only improve their cultivation arts but also break through to the silver body.
The moment they did, Zou Yi and the rest could feel how qualitative the difference was between the two stages i.e. bronze stage and the silver stage.
Even though it was just one minor realm, the differences were monumental and wholesome. All the body''s senses from sight, to touch, to other elements such as body control were improved greatly. They were at least two times better than they were in the bronze stage.
Their blood vigor and vitality had improved immensely. Whatever internal injuries and fractures he still had left over, had already healedpletely.
The internal organs, sinews, muscle, bone, marrows, and skin had been refined and cleansed making them sturdier and increasing the explosive force of their attacks.
If everything was constant, Zou Yi felt he could easily defeat three of him in the bronze stage. He now had a punching force of 500kg which was double the force he had in the bronze stage which was between 180-220.I think you should take a look at
With such an obvious improvement, he shuddered to imagine what it would feel like to break through to the qi refinement realm.
When that picture sunk in, some part of him even wanted to abort the n.
What were they thinking intervening in a fight between two qi refinement cultivators while they were at the body refining stage themselves?
Wait, did Lai Rou move all the way from the iron body to the Qi refinement?
Zou Yi suddenly remembered he had not confirmed Lai Rou''s cultivation base with Yu Mei.
"Yu Mei can you tell their cultivation base?" asked Zou Yi.
"I can''t tell from here, I would need to be close to do so. All I can hear are faint sounds, which don''t tell much.." answered Yu Mei.
Zou Yi frowned and went silent for a few seconds before he finally said,
"Let''s do as He Shan says. I know it''s a risk but right now we need to take it.." Zou Yi said as he sought the opinion of Zou Liqin and Yu Mei, more so thetter.
This was a gamble that could result in their elimination. Yu Mei was in the qi refinement. Even if she had nobat abilities for now, with her heart mirror she could potentially go at it alone by avoiding various dangers and running.
If she yed it safe, even if she wouldn''t make it to the top fifteen, she was guaranteed to reach the peak. She didn''t need to tie her fate to theirs.
"We are already a team.." she firmly answered.
That single answer said it all.
With all four of them in agreement, they made a little preparation which was mostly poisoning every piece of equipment they had from the swords down to even the century iron pebble.
They were already the weaker, so whatever means they could use to close up that gap they would do it.
After they were sure everything was in check they ran full force in the direction of the fight.
The closer they were to the area, it wasn''t just Yu Mei who could hear the sounds, they all now could and from the sounds, the battle seemed very intense.
They even came across a couple of spirit beasts running for their lives with the most human-like expression of fear on their faces that they didn''t even bother attacking them. Some even seemed like they were signaling them with their eyes saying
Don''t go in that direction. You will die.
However, that well-meaning advice fell on deaf ears.
Chapter 351 Potential End Of A Journey (2)
Zou Yi could feel his palms turn sweaty and cold. His heart pounded so loudly that it threatened to break out of his ribcage. His hearing had gone at some point, other than the sounds of his heartbeat and his heavy breath, he couldn''t hear anything else. It felt like his whole head had been submerged in water. His vision was the next to get affected as it seemed blurrier than usual. He wasn''t sure if it was because of the pool of sweating out of his body that affected it, or if it was his irregr heartbeat that had affected his breathing and now his vision.
The only thing that seemed intact was his sense of touch. He could feel the cold touch of the century iron pebble, which was oddlyforting to him.
Do I use the fist art, the pebble, or the poisoned sword?
Zou Yi didn''t have time to make a decision because within seconds he was already in the midst of the chaotic battle.
Before him, there were piles of branches and pieces of trees that were cleaved apart along with the corpses of spirit beasts strewn about that never saw iting.
There were two figures in the middle of that chaotic mess that were moving their weapons so fast that it seemed they had more than two hands and every time they shed their weapons it felt like thunder had rumbled.
Zou Yi who had not yet decided on his move felt his body move on its own as he flung the century-iron pebble at the small figure blitzing all over the ce as she swung her sword creating a destructive force that made the attack he had suffered from the snapping willow seem like a gentle poke inparison.
"Is she human? is Lai Rou?" he muttered in shock.
"What are you gawking for?!!!" roared He Shan as he rapidly fired half a dozen arrows at Yin Rong who had effortlessly dodged Zou Yi''s thrown pebble by a hair''s breadth.
He Shan''s arrows were dealt with just as swiftly. She danced through some and destroyed some with one of her swords.
She was a dual wielder and had two swords of simr style. They were as thin as cicada wings with a bronze hue on the surface of the des and sword hilts that had engravings of white petals on them.
"What are you doing?" she coldly said as she charged straight at He Shan, who quickly used the traceless leaf gliding movement art to draw distance between himself and her.
His steps were light and his movements fluidly angr. It seemed as if he was swimming in the air as he rapidly fired more arrows, with Yin Rong using her petite body to narrowly dodge them.
The ease and precision at which she dodged the arrows made it seem like she could read He Shan''s mind. Even with her dodging, the speed at which she charged at He Shan didn''t slow either.
Seeing that she was already so close, He Shan drew the axe from his him in preparation for a frontal sh.
Yin Rong crossed her des to attack but before they could connect with He Shan someone appeared in front of him with anky build, torn robes, and tiny de marks all over his arms, and legs. I think you should take a look at
It was Lai Rou. He was wielding a slender ck-shaped saber. The design was simple and looked a little crude in the making and was longer than normal sabers as it was around 6 feet long.
However, despite its crudeness, Lai Rou was able to deflect the attack from Yin Rong''s swords which created a wave that almost threw He Shan off bnce.
In the few seconds it took He Shan to orient himself, Yin Rong and Lai Rou had traded over ten blows, though it was more Lai Rou taking the blows.
He Shan and the rest couldn''t help but take a gulp at the sheer disy of might between the two. He couldn''t believe Lai Rou the participant he''d written off as a weakling and more likely to be the first to be eliminated would show such skills with the saber and even hold his own against someone who was already in the early stages of qi refinement while he was in the iron body stage.
However, he was in no mood to wonder at how He Shan got so powerful in such a short amount of time since he had to immediately attack Yin Rong who looked to just be about to get the better of Lai Rou who was being pushed backward with the rapid swings of her de that made it seem they were dragonfly wings.
Seeing the skills of Yin Rong, and feeling its force up close, He Shan decided range battle was better for him. He poured his whole effort and concentration into firing his arrows, with single-minded devotion and abandoned any thought of anything else.
Zou Yi who had alreadyunched hisst pebble and missed had no option but to fearlessly charge in, in the hopes his skin had be thicker from the beating he had received from the monstrous puppet with six arms.
Just like He Shan, he abandoned all other forms of attack he had prepared and focused on his fists. Zou Liqin whom he had seamless cooperation ran side by side with him in his charge at Yin Rong.
Yu Mei ran just behind them with a sword in hand. Even though she had the highest cultivation base, herbat ability was not the highest.
She had focused solely on the meditation art which though helped trigger the awakening of her physique and the eventual breakthrough to the qi refinement realm, wascking in offensive capabilities, and her heart mirror wasn''tbat oriented either.
The best she could do at the moment was brute force it with her cultivation base and swing wild and to not be a liability to her teammates, she could only do so after their leads.
Lai Rou who looked to be barely hanging on offered an eye of gratitude to the four of them, as he tried to keep Yin Rong at bay.
Every person present knew what was going on.
Just like that, an already chaotic battle turned even more chaotic as five people ganged up against the lone Yin Rong.
"Good, Good, Good, I''ll just butcher you all here!" Yin Rong furiously said as her eyes turned cold and two white rose symbols appeared on the upper side of her hands.
Chapter 352 Potential End Of A Journey (3)
Everyone present including Lai Rou who had presumably fought her for quite some time, were visibly wary the moment they saw the white roses appear on Yin Rong''s hands and the white mes on her de.
The temperatures fluctuated immediately the moment the mes appeared which was rather ironical for a dip in temperature to appear because of such pure white burning mes that looked like they could melt any metal as if it was butter.
Zou Yi and Zou Liqin both had grim expressions. They had seen their fair share of natural physiques at the Zou n for them to recognize Yin Rong had a natural physique of her own, which meant other than watching out for her exquisite skills in dual sword wielding they had to be wary of the attributes of the physiques, and from the look of things it wasn''t a utility based one like Yu Mei''s but an offensive type.
Yin Rong''s breathing became a little bitbored as she breathed out a faint mist with every breath and sucked it back in with every inhtion.
One of He Shan''s arrows arrived in the midst of her sudden transformation. She casually struck it with one of her white me-coated swords and it burst apart into white crystal-like shards that glittered like stars as they disappeared leaving behind a faint mist that had a rosey scent to it.
Zou Yi took a nervous gulp when he saw the arrow burst apart. He couldn''t help but imagine what if it was his hands. However, it was already toote since he was already within striking distance of Yin Rong.
He immediately executed the flurry waves fist art, which made his fists fluid, flexible as water, and carried the ferocity of a monstrous wave. He held no reservations in his swing even though Yin Rong was tinier than him.
Yin Rong casually blocked his fist with the hilt of her sword which created a ''gong'' sound from the deflection. Zou Yi felt a sharp sudden pain crawl up his right arm which was apanied by a burning sensation that had pain-induced frost in it.
He hurriedly tried to draw his fist back only to find out his movements within that arm were slightly sluggish. It wasn''t sluggish enough to be noticed by a normal eye, but it was sluggish enough for Yin Rong to exploit it.
She quickly swung her free sword, aiming at Zou Yi''s unguarded torso. Just as her sword was about to connect, Zou Liqin tried to deflect it sideways with her palm technique.
A ripple-like wave appeared from the point of contact between her palm and the swords which ended up creating a loud ringing sound. However the de didn''t budge but her attack did manage to halt it for a few milliseconds which was enough for Zou Yi to jump backwards, the attack missing him by an inch.
A smooth slice mark appeared on his tattered robes and part of his chest had faint shallow wound which immediately closed up.
Zou Liqin in the meanwhile was flung sideways when Yin Rong instantaneously swung sideways after her attack missed Zou Yi. Zou Liqin gritted her teeth as she felt her bones almost fracture from that swing.
Yu Mei who had been behind Zou Yi instantly swung her sword downwards at Yin Rong when Zou Yi masterfully moved to the side when she was bringing down her sword.
They were hoping to catch Yin Rong off-guard but Yin Rong sidestepped to the side as if she had expected it with a mocking grin on her face as sheunched a kick to Yu Mei''s swinging arm which not only almost broke her arm, but also caused the sword in her hands to slip away.
The trio of Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, and Yu Mei couldn''t believe how they had been effortlessly thwarted when the fight had only just begun.
"It seems I was wary for nothing.." Yin Rong calmly said as she charged at them with a malevolent smile on her face.I think you should take a look at
Zou Yi and Yu Mei despite not wanting to, found themselves taking a step back out of fear.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WERE YOUR WOUNDS JUST FOR SHOW?!" He Shan madly roared as he charged Yin Rong with his axe.
Despite his fearless disy, Yin Rong simply crossed her swords and stopped the axe dead in its tracks. While it seemed simple for her, He Shan''s hands were bulged with veins and even small tear marks appeared on his hands as he desperately held onto the axe so it would not slip.
He Shan remained undaunted as he followed up with more attacks each missing the mark or being casually deflected. His moves were fast, ferocious, and precise just as he was with his arrows.
However, before Yin Rong, she made it seempletely harmless, especially the ease with which she dealt with it.
The tables were turned on He Shan when the roles were received and he was on the receiving end of her attacks. Unlike her, he couldn''t handle Yin Rong''s attack with ease. Cuts started appearing on his arms and they grew by the second, but despite that, he didn''t shrink back one bit.
"Out with you, you feisty brat.." Yin Rong said as she brought her sword downward aiming to slice He Shan at the shoulders.
He Shan had a vicious glint in his eyes as he made no attempt to dodge and was looking to trade injury for injury as he swung his axe sideways aiming for her stomach.
Yin Rong snorted dismissively at his actions, showing no hints of deviating from her attack. However, her pupils froze when the smooth slice she expected to happen once her sword connected, shed with something strong.
Only when she looked closer did she notice an abnormal bulging on He Shan''s shoulders underneath the beast robe.
He Shan took advantage of that momentarypse to increase the ferocity of his swing. Yin Rong reacted swiftly and pinned the axe between her elbow and thigh. Though she prevented it from tearing her in half, the force it created did manage to manage to throw her off bnce for a few steps.
"See, she can be defeated.." He Shan smugly said as he geared up for another attack.
Zou Yi and the rest, whose eyes had despair and self-doubt in them, had their fighting wills reignited by He Shan''s disy.
"Can''t believe I''m still this fragile that I can waver this easily.." thought Zou Yi with a rueful smile.
"Thank you He Shan I owe you one.." added Zou Yi.
"I''ll keep her at bay, use whatever attacks you have. Don''t worry about me getting caught up in it..." Lai Rou said as he swiftly charged Yin Rong.
Chapter 353 Potential End Of A Journey (4)
When Zou Yi and the rest joined the fight, he sunk back. Zou Yi was worried he was preparing to escape and leave them holding the bag, but his worries were unfounded.
Lai Rou seemed to be regting himself, preparing for another go. Only when they shed against her did they realize how strong Lai Rou was for going toe to toe with her. If they wanted to get out of it, they couldn''t do it without him. If he left or was out ofmission their defeat was all but guaranteed.
The four all nodded as they spread about, with Lai Rou striking Yin Rong with his saber.
"Don''t think it will be easy for you like before.." Yin Rong mockingly said as she swung her swords to meet his saber strike.
Even though she showed a modicum of seriousness when facing Lai Rou, one could still detect a sense of casualness from her as she faced him, however, that instantly changed when their weapons shed.
At the final moment, the saber in Lai Rou''s hand seemed like it had a life of its own as it slithered through the tiniest of gaps between the two swords before they connected and struck one of Yin Rong''s arms.
She hurriedly dodged backward, but one of her sleeves had been torn and one could see blood dripping from it.
" Saber sense?!" she said in shock.
"Don''t think it will be easy for you like before.." said Lai Rou trying to act pompous like her.
"Sorry I was trying to sound cool.." he said with a smile of embarrassment when he saw the looks Zou Yi and the others were giving.
"Mmph! it''s just saber sense. Your cultivation itself isn''t strong enough to make use of it.." Yin Rong said as she geared up for another attack.
Even though she sounded unperturbed from her statement, her gaze and demeanor were much more solemn. The white mes that were wavey on her sword became much more streamlined to the point one couldn''t tell them apart from the de.
Secondster a thunderous sh ensued between her and Lai Rou, except this time, Lai Rou wasn''t being put on the defensive. He matched her movements with his saber.
"Our bet may pay off.." Zou Yi thought with glittering eyes as took the terrifying battle before him.
Lai Rou was tall but his body seemed like it had no bones from the flexibility and agility with which he moved, dodged, and attacked. The movements of his saber and his body were so in synch that one couldn''t tell the saber apart from his long arms.
With clear hope in sight, Zou Yi and the rest all threw caution to the wind and attacked without a care in the world. I think you should take a look at
At first, they struggled in their coordination and were at times in Lai Rou''s way, but with his encouragement, they kept going.
Soon the attacks became much more coordinated and fluid as they took advantage of the gaps in Yin Rong''s defense created by Lai Rou, to strike at her. They managed to injure her, but for closebatants such as Zou Yi and Zou Liqin, it came at a cost of injuries of their own even with Lai Rou keeping her at bay.
Despite being swarmed and the growing injuries, Yin Rong showed no signs of shrinking back. She faced them all and increased the ferocity of her attacks, even going so far as epting certain attacks if it meant she had a chance of trading a greater one in return.
If an outsider saw their fight and the degree of ferocity they had, one would think it was an irreconcble blood feud that had resulted in a battle to the death.
In some sense, it was indeed true. While they didn''t have a blood feud, they were fighting with their lives on the line. They all aimed to take the other party''s life in their attacks which only grew in intensity and desperation as time flew by.
Each and every one had their robes bloodied with cuts all over but their expression remained determined. Minutes flew by and soon a quarter of an hour flew by with them locked in a battle that showed no signs of stopping causing chaos and destruction in the area.
There were a few spirit beasts that had been drawn in by themotion with the goal of trying to fish in troubled waters, but quickly shrunk back in fear when they saw the scale of destruction up close.
As time went by, Lai Rou grew in his ability to use saber sense and when it came to Zou Yi and the rest, their familiarity with the cultivation arts of the 108 steps of the Autumn leaves had also improved while Yu Mei discovered new ways to use her heart mirror especially when Yin Rong was looking to deal fatal injuries she could sense it a couple of times which proved to be a lifesaver to the team more so Lai Rou who was in the front line keeping Yin Rong at bay.
Sadly for them, they were not the only ones. Yin Rong''s roses had vines in them that extended to her neck with white leaves at the side. This seemed to have increased the destructive capabilities of her attack by making it more colder and Zou Yi wasn''t sure but he felt different the more the fight went on, he couldn''t tell where and how.
Other than that, her sword skills became much more refined. They weren''t the only ones who chose one art from the 108 steps of the Autumn leaves. Yin Rong had done so too. The sword art'' the dual flow transition''. Her attacks were forceful and gentle at times; nimble and firm. It kept contrasting and alternating, which added variability.
They would have despaired were they to face her alone or with their numbers short of one of them. But as the fight progressed the more Zou Yi and the rest struggled to keep up. They could finally tell the gap between them and Lai Rou and Yin Rong.
The grace of their movements, the ingenuity of their attacks. How they pulled off dodges like they had eyes on the back of their heads and transition to an attack just as fast.
One hour quickly passed by, with the fight ongoing and by the look of things, it was soon approaching its end.
Five kilometers around the battlefield had nothing but cracked ground, mist, and smoke that was filled with different colors and scents spread about being carried by erratic winds. The winds not only carried the scented smoke, but roars that were too wild to be human, and too soft to be from a beast and were followed by the sound of trees falling and ground trembling.
Chapter 354 Potential End Of A Journey (5)
Half an hourter, in the middle of a destroyed forest.
"Liqin..... are..... you... awake?"
"Just....barely....You?"
"Barely..in the next few seconds, I don''t know.
Yu...Mei...are you...?"
"She''s....un..conscious..."
"Seems...like...you...are okay, He Shan. Your..your... poisons ...didn''t seem like they worked.."
"Bastard...you..threw them wrong.."
"You still..."
"He Shan is unconscious, Zou Yi.."
"How are you still awake with those injuries?"
"I learned to stay awake whether injured, starving, sick... ever since I was a kid, otherwise...let''s say if I didn''t, injuries such as these are the best I could have hoped for.."
"Thank you all for all your help by the way. It seems I dragged you all down with me. If only I was a little bit stronger.."
"What are you saying? it''s because of you holding her back that we survived this long and who would have expected her ability to contain poison too...if it wasn''t for that, we would have won...
But still..she was a monster..you too Lai Rou.."
"Liqin?..."
"She''s unconscious too, and it seems I''m about to join them too. Thanks, Zou Yi....
Zou Yi....it seems him too...
Why is my heart still this excited despite being defeated....i hope this ..isn''t the end...."
...
The peak of Autumn Mountain.
"Those kids really put on a performance.." said Kang Hung as his gaze fell on a certain area.
"That they did.." said Yang Qing with a soft smile of appreciation appearing on his face.
"That girl Yin Rong is quite something foring out on top despite the odds. She may not have sword sense yet, but herbat sense is exemry. The way she used her physique, her skill with sword art, and the trap shey with the poison in her physique.
The different departments of the inquisitor are bound to get in a battle for her.." said Xia Boqin.
"Lai Rou wasn''t bad either. Had his foundations not been as shaky as they were, the result would have been different. Saber sense and sword sense users appearing in an Orange grade test is a wee surprise.." said Dai Chen with a glint shing in his eyes.
"That it is... I hope the Order isn''t stingy with its awards.." Yang Qing gingerly said.
The fight between Zou Yi''s party against Yin Rong had been captivating even to them, especially with the ferocity at which they went at each other and the skills they disyed. However, the biggest standouts were Lai Rou who developed saber sense, and Yin Rong whom despite being beset by five people, among them a saber sense user still managed toe out on top.
Of course, she didn''te out unscathed and her victory hinged on the hidden ability of the zing white rose physique which produced traceless paralytic poison in every shard that exploded.
However, the poison wasn''t fast acting and it needed the victims to be injured or worn out to a certain degree before it kicked in. She was secretly dosing them in the midst of the fight while masking its effect with the frost-numbing effect of her ability. Which was why someone poison conscious as He Shan never noticed it until it was toote.
Her judgment throughout the battle was exemry. The others also managed to showcase their abilities despite losing in the end.
The only question now was if they would be able to reach the peak on time. In the two hours they had fought, two more people had arrived bringing the total participants to twelve, leaving only three open spots, one of which would be for Yin Rong if she manages to reach the peak. I think you should take a look at
In Zou Yi''s team of five, only two would make it, that is if, by the time they regain consciousness, those spots will still be avable.
Yang Qing at this moment could only hope they make it in time. While he didn''t mention anything about a deadline for the test, one did in fact exist, and would only be triggered after the fifteenth person reached the peak.
The moment the fifteenth person crossed the finish line, a three-day deadline would be in effect, and those who don''t reach within that timeframe would be eliminated. The participants would only know about it after the fifteenth person is announced, and if they are unconscious when he makes the announcement, he can only sigh at their bad luck.
Of the group, Yu Mei already had her spot reserved and Lai Rou had a chance of getting in via special rmendation if he failed to make it in time because of achieving saber sense which was an excellent feat. He Shan had a chance of making it through rmendation too via his skills in alchemy as for the two siblings, it was in the air at the moment.
While Zou Yi did show excellent judgment on a few asions, it wasn''t enough to warrant a special rmendation, and for Zou Liqin the odds were already against her, especially after her results in the first test. The only way she would make it is if she crossed the finish line in time.
...
"Huh? Is the sky moving... wait I''m the one moving!!" He Shan jumped in fright as he hurriedly went for his axe only to realize it had broken while fighting against Yin Rong.
He clenched his fists in preparation for an attack, only to find Lai Rou gazing at him with an innocent smile.
"Can you help me in pulling them?" Lai Rou awkwardly said as he pointed to the unconscious Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, and Yu Mei who were in what looked to be a makeshift hammock made of vines.
He Shan nodded in an absent-minded manner as he grabbed one of the vines Lai Rou was using to pull.
"Are you sure you''re okay to be doing this?" hesitantly asked He Shan as he looked at the bloody wounds on Lai Rou.
His old robes were soaked in blood and every part of him was still bleeding with his left arm even showing bone as a faint mist came out of it. Despite the wounds on him, Lai Rou didn''t so much as flinch, and from the area they were, it seemed like he had been dragging them along for quite some time.
"It''s okay, I can handle this much, besides we can''t afford to waste too much time. Fifteen people have already reached the peak and...."
"We have a three-day deadline to reach the peak..two hours have passed since the fifteenth person was announced.." said Lai Rou.
"What?!" He Shan almost dropped the vine in shock.
"Three days?" he asked to which Lai Rou nodded back in confirmation. He was unused to talking to people. Sinceing for the test, it''s the most he had talked to people.
"Okay," He Shan said with a sigh after he had calmed down.
He took one end and Lai Rou the other, and they dragged Zou Yi and the rest at a moderate pace so as not to aggravate their injuries, or draw the attention of some unwanted spirit beast in their injured state and injured party to look after.
Luckily, they didn''t have to do it for too long because twenty minutes to thirty minutester the whole party had regained consciousness, after which He Shan dropped the deadline bombshell on them.
With a deadline on hand, the group pushed themselves to the limit to make sure they made it on time.
Along the way, with He Shan''s guidance they picked certain herbs which he used to make healing salves that they wrapped on themselves in. The quick first aid helped them in having enough energy to increase their momentum.
A dayter they finally reached the peak of the mountain after a mildly gruesome struggle. With their injuries, they would have struggled to make it in such a short time without working together.
The team was all smiles for making it this far with two days to spare. They even forgot the dreadful training waiting for them for missing the top fifteen.
Zou Yi could feel his face turn hot and steamy when he saw Yang Qing and the other judges seating below a maple tree.
"We did it.." he said to Zou Liqin and the rest who were just as emotional. It had been a long couple of days.
The team grinned at each other as they gingerly made their way forward with joy and a little life in their haggard steps.
Fifteen steps, ten steps, five steps...
Zou Yi gulped in greed as the waft of the delicacies Yang Qing and the rest were eating, reached him.
"It won''t be too forward if I asked for a tiny bit, would it?" Zou Yi thought.
However, before he could delight in his flights of fancy he had Lai Rou yell,
"WATCH OUT!!"
Chapter 355 End Of The Test
Before he could register Lai Rou''s warning, his body froze as he saw a massive fist suddenly materialize in front of him. It was so big that it seemed to bloat out the sky. It brought with it a pressure, that Zou Yi forgot everything including moving.
His legs gave out and he wasn''t the only one. To his left and right, Yu Mei and Zou Liqin were on the floor with the same look of fear Zou Yi had. He Shan struggled to stand but his hands were trembling with his eyes wide open as an unresigned glint shed in them.
The four had already resigned themselves to death, but they suddenly saw a figure sh passed them and rapidly sh at one single point in the fist. A small crack was formed and a hole immediately after.
Before Zou Yi could register what was happening, he felt his vision change like he had been thrust forward. He wasn''t the only one, the same thing happened to Yu Mei, Zou Liqin and He Shan.
They were all thrown through the hole that had appeared through the fist.
They didn''t understand what was happening, but the moment they crossed over through the hole, all the death-inducing pressure disappeared.
"Congrattions on reaching the peak, Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, He Shan, and Yu Mei. The Order and the institute by rtion, wees you..." said Yang Qing.
Zou Yi and the rest didn''t have time to register Yang Qing''s words as they hurriedly looked back only in time to see Lai Rou being pummeled back below by the fist.
"Lai ROU!!" they all yelled.
At that moment they understood what had happened. There was a trap at the finish line, which they had all overlooked except Lai Rou. Even with He Shan''s salves, he was already heavily injured and had used whatever little strength he had left to push Zou Yi and the rest forward at his expense.
They all wanted to go after him when the fist disappeared but a barrier appeared that halted them from going back. It was Yang Qing''s doing. If they moved it would count as interference in the examination which came with penalties in addition to being eliminated.
The four could onlypromise by asking Yang Qing to let them stay till the end of the test, to which Yang Qing acquiesced.
Half a day almost passed by with no signs of Lai Rou, then the day ended with still no signs of him. Zou Yi and the rest were all filled with worry the more time went by. Only one day was left.
On the third hour of the final day, they were surprised to see Yin Rong make her way over. When she was almost at the table they finally saw the source of the death-inducing fist that almost destroyed them had it not been for Lai Rou''s timely intervention.
The source was an unassuming statue of a bullfrog next to the grass close to where Yang Qing and the rest had sat. I think you should take a look at
Zou Yi couldn''t help but smile bitterly at their carelessness. The bullfrog had been the marker for the special zones, which desensitized them to it being a trap.
Zou Yi and the rest now hoped for Yin Rong''s elimination. But it seemed like Yin Rong anticipated it as she charged ahead and dodged it by a hair''s breadth and made it to the table Yang Qing and the rest were.
Based on how easily she evaded it and the familiarity of it, Zou Yi instantly assumed Yin Rong had faced it before and that was why she arrivedter than them. What had happened to Lai Rou may have happened to her as she immediately passed out after Yang Qing congratted her and weed her into the Order.
Four more hours passed by before finally Lai Tou made it with five more hours to spare which came as a relief to Zou Yi and the rest. Just like Yin Rong, when the fist appeared he opted to dodge it rather than confront it and finally made it.
Zou Yi and the rest celebrated when he was finally congratted by Yang Qing. Yang Qing gave them a moment before he sent them away to the Insitute to be enrolled and also the preparations for their month-long death training from the instructors.
While Yang Qing did exaggerate about them dying, the training would be so severe that they would feel like it. He could only offer a silent prayer for them.
The remaining five hours quickly passed before they finally called a close on the test. It had taken three weeks, and Yang Qing was forced to stay at the peak as he closely monitored the participants. He didn''t mind it since he wasn''t alone, and it was much more rxing than sitting in a court room all day and it was refreshing to see the young seedlings show case their talents.
Of the one thousand participants only 103 had made it through. Most of those who were eliminated were done in by the traps and the spirit beasts on the mountain. But there was a small group that had managed to reach the peak and faced the monstrous fist that was created of Kang Hung''s fist intent that had been watered down to the extreme. This group was hit by the fist and failed to ovee the fear and trauma created by the fist and thus opted to quit when they saw how far down they had beenunched and the fearsome fist waiting for them at the top.
The Order had no need of those whocked the courage to keep trying. If they cowered before a fist, how could they have the guts to face the entire southern continent, which was something every employee of the Order had to be prepared to do?
The way Yang Qing and Kang Hung had set it, getting passed the fist intent wasn''t impossible even for someone without a cultivation base.
There were a few ways to get passed it all of which required keenness, bravery, and skill to pull it off.
Most participants opted to dodge it and a few faced it head-on like the first-ce finisher Liao Jiayi who went head-on with it and managed to keep it at bay and the other five who were there with him all attacked and made it through. Other than them, all the rest dodged.
"I wonder how the other tests went?" wondered Yang Qing as he got up and did a stretch out of habit.
From the following day, his cases would resume. He did not look forward to it at all. If he could, he would have rather supervised entrance tests all year long.
Chapter 356 Different Grades Of The Entrance Examinations (1)
"Dai, what happened to the other tests?"
Yang Qing had just finished storing away the tea and wine pots and table that they had been using for the duration of the test when he saw Dai Chen store away the light blue rhombus-shaped talisman that had dense golden runes on it.
It was a special type ofmunication and recording talisman which only found its use in examinations.
With the talisman, the examiners could monitor different entrance tests that were undergoing in the same duration while also sharing information.
The higher officials of the institute used these talismans to monitor the situation across all the tests while also giving their own special instructions should it be needed. One such instance was giving Yu Mei a direct entry into the Order the moment her physique showed.
"Among the blue tests, yours was thest to finish among the eight, and as far as results went, there weren''t any surprise physiques like the ones here, but there were a few weapon senses showing up, and thepletion rate was more or less the same as here.
The four gold tests are still ongoing. Like always, there are a lot of promising individuals in there showing their mettle despite how difficult those tests get.
The instructors really go all out with these things. Your fist intent trap with Hung really falls short with how bad theirs is.."
When Dai Chen said this, Yang Qing, Kang Hung, and Xia Boqin all smiled wryly with looks of fear on their faces.
"I still can''t believe what they do counts as tests. It''s like they wanted to have us killed in the most brutal way possible..."
Xia Boqin took thest gulp of his wine as he said this.
"No matter what they say, I''m sure they were out to kill us.." Yang Qing grimly said.
"No doubt about it.." added Kang Hung.
"We are lucky...They are getting more and more creative with it by the year..." said Dai Chen as he went on with his exnation.
"The tests are still ongoing and from what I''ve been told by one of the examiners, one of them is about two months away frompletion. The others are working with the same timeline, just like they always did, except I see they are more generous with the rewards this time..."
Yang Qing and the rest grew curious when Dai Chen said this, more so Yang Qing who knew what a cold-blooded miser the Order was.
"What are they getting? Have they increased the merit points or something?" curiously asked Yang Qing.
"The merit points for first ce have been increased from 30,000 to 50,000. In addition, they get two months in the cleansing five-element jade spirit pool, and a chance to pick one treasure in the open vault that is the equivalent of 10,000 high-grade spirit stones...."I think you should take a look at
"What?!!!" Yang Qing and Kang Hung suddenly yelled.
"The most I can get from supervising and setting this examination is 15,000 merit points and maybe one treasure in the monarch grade...How are they earning more than me before they even start?
How bad is the test?"
With how generous the offers were, Yang Qing instantly assumed it was payment for the beating the participants were going to get during the exams.
Here soak in this top-tier jade pool that even rank 2 organizations would ughter each other to the roots and stems for, and use it to wash away the mild trauma and broken bones, severed body parts, and the blood and tears you''ve lost.
Here grab these merit points to make up for whatever self-confidence of yours we have ruthlessly shattered.
Yang Qing had this nagging feeling that the first ce would likely go for a defensive treasure.
The awards were just too generous to be used for a test. If he was given the same exact results, he would be over the moon, especially with the chance to get into the five-element jade spirit pool for two months.
The pool was a natural Dao treasure like a dragon spiritual vein. It was formed from the coalescing of five elements; water, wood, fire, earth, and metal which were blended together by the governingws of the world to create a minimized pool that was no different than a half-formed liquid-shaped world.
The liquid formed within the five-element spirit jade pool was usable to all cultivators up to the peak of the domain realm.
Those in the body refining realm or without cultivation could cultivate in the pool and see drastic improvements within a month.
Even without doing the strenuous exercises required in the body refining stage and copious amounts of herbs, as long as one soaked in the pool for a month, they were guaranteed to reach the silver body in one shot and if they are in the silver body, achieving a gold body is within the realm of possibility. And if they are given two months, them reaching the gold body is all but guaranteed even without a guiding cultivation art.
Those with natural physiques also gain lots of benefits from the pool, especially when ites to unlocking more of their physique and its attributes. The pool does a lot for those with natural physiques that are tied to the five elements. Mao Yunru with the purple mist body would benefit a lot from the pool.
For those in the qi refinement, they could have their meridians expanded, their qi purified and their bodies attuned to the five elements, especially ones they have a natural predisposition for.
The list goes on up the cultivation realms. In Yang Qing''s case, the pool had the dao charm of the five elements which would massively guide him in setting up his own pce realm foundations that required a firm understanding of the dao to grow.
However, for all its benefits, the five-element jade spirit pool wasn''t renewable and was scarce in its supply. After every use, it needed a three-month rest period, and a lot of monarch-grade natural treasures rich in the five elements needed to be fed to the pool during that period so that the pool''s origin isn''t damaged from over-extended use.
In a year only four people could use the pool, and the method of choosing those who could do so was extremely stringent.
Chapter 357 Different Grades Of The Entrance Examination (2)
Yang Qing couldn''t believe that the Order was willing to fork it out as the price for finishing an entrance examination.
"They will definitely be overworked to the death to pay back everyst drop.."
Yang Qing was too deep in his thoughts to notice the envious vindictive smile forming on his face that happened to be hit perfectly by the cascading sunshine and the shade of the maple leaf tree.
Dai Chen and the rest ignored him as he finished,
"The purple test has been going on for three months, and from what Instructor Han has told me, he expects it to run for four more months.."
Dai Chen put away the light blue talisman as he finished.
"The timeline sounds about the same. I wonder how many will even reach the finish line? How many reached in your time Dai?" asked Yang Qing.
"There were about seven...yours was one of the highest at thirteen...I remember the sensation it caused when four peerless jade physiques appeared in the same test, and a swarm of monsters to boot.
The purple jades is what they called it..." Dai Chen as he admired Kang Hung, Yang Qing, and Xia Boqin.
"Such an ethereal name doesn''t match the hell that was there.." Yang Qing fearfully said, with the other two mirroring his sentiments.
The Order had three categories of tests namely; blue, gold, andstly purple.
With the huge number of participants they got, the wide spectrum they fell under, and the desperate need for talents by the Order, they created and categorized tests into three grades which was done with the degree of talent of the participants.
It was done with the goal of helping the participants shine in their own way, rather than throw a nket test and throw them in altogether.
The light of a firefly would easily shine in the darkest of nights, however, it would dim whenpared to the brilliance of the sun.
The Order the hungry exploiters that they were, wanted both the firefly and the suns to cog their wheels thus creating three different types of tests that would help with that.
The blue-grade test was the weakest test and it was for those withck of a better term, average aptitudes but had a chance of showing something special if given the chance.
Unbeknownst to the participants, the day they apply to join the Order they are given a shallow screening, and from that screening, they are categorized which tests they should fall under.
Most participants fall in the blue grade tests since it takes those with no cultivation bases, poor foundation or low cultivation bases, and natural physiques that are considered ''normal'' in their output. The normal part was as per the Order''s judgment which was skewed whenpared to others.
Of the participants avable in Yang Qing''s test, Liao Jiay''i''s cement in the blue grade test was a mistake. For someone with the Kunpeng''s bloodline, his test should have been at the gold grade at least. I think you should take a look at
However Yang Qing could think of a number of reasons why he appeared in the blue grade test, one of which was his age, and the other was, his physique had been sealed and only unsealed parts of itself when he shed against a frost horned python and the next was when he fought head-on with Kang Hung''s fist intent.
The surface preliminary test may have missed it. When it came to Yu Mei, while her crystal heart zed physique granted her direct entry into the Order and also made it easy for her than most people to reach the domain realm, it had no offensive capabilities as of yet and she had not yet unlocked any attribute from it and even if she did, any test above the blue grade would have eliminated her.
Her physique wasn''t suited for the brutality of the gold grade and purple grade test and as per the Order''s judgement, it was a normal physique. Yin Rong''s zing white rose physique fell under this category too.
Other than intake potential, the blue grade test deferred from the other tests when it came to timeline. It could only keep going for a maximum of two months.
If within that timeframe no one would have reached the finish line, they would all be considered eliminated and no special rmendation would be filed for the lot. However, it was a rare urrence.
After the blue grade test came the gold grade test. This was set for those with above-average aptitude as per the Order''s standards which included their natural physiques, and their understanding towards their cultivation.
While Lai Rou and Bu Fei could be considered exceptional for discovering saber and sword sense respectively in battle, those participating in the gold grade test fielded a couple of participants who already had a type of weapon sense, and a sturdy foundation toplement it.
The two of them would be the lowest of the rungs if they were thrown into the gold grade test, and their chances of elimination were very high in such a test.
The gold grade teststed for four months and they were supervised by the senior instructors of the Insitute, unlike the blue grade tests which an outer pce judge was in charge of.
When Yang Qing said those who came in below fifteen would die, it was because they would be thrown into one of the venues of the gold grade test for a month.
The test was five times harder than whatever Yang Qing pulled. The light storm mantis that cleaved Bu Fei''s arm would be a fodder creature in that venue.
Thest test was the purple grade test. What the participants didn''t know was, every participant thrown in that test already gained automatic entry into the Order regardless of whether they made it through the test or not, which was why the instructors went overboard to the levels of insanity when setting it.
Those who qualified for the purple grade test were participants who had a diamond body, a peerless jade physique, or a natural physique that was equivalent to those two body refining stages.
Someone with a gold body could also qualify for the test but they needed to be in the peak of emergent or at the blooming stage when it came to their understanding of a blue-grade cultivation art, and their age needed to be 14 or below, and in the early stage of qi refinement stage. Barely above the second stage.
The group had also those who had mastered a type of intent, and the age was not above fourteen.
Only the cream of the crop could gain the qualifications for this test. However, despite their talent, all who go through it, end up with the same emotion, Fear.
With so many talents participating, one would expect them all to reach the finish line of whatever test it was, however, itspletion rate was the lowest of the three grades of tests.
This was despite it having the longest allowance on the duration ofpletion, which was seven to twelve months.
Chapter 358 First Case As A Palace Court Judge (1)
Yang Qing''s year was among the top five in terms of number of people who finished the test. The highest-known record was 145 years ago with the total number of people whopleted the test being twenty-eighth.
Yang Qing''s year was the fifth, with thirteen participantspleting it. The lowest record of finishing participants was one, with the general average throughout the years being four or five.
There was a monument called the Purple grade monument which was fashioned from a 100,000-year-old purple moonstone. In it were the engravings that had the records of the performances of each year of the purple grade test.
The Order conducted only one such test a year and it was the most brutal and ruthless. Other than the test being flooded with ferocious beasts that had noble and special bloodlines, there were prisoners of requiem thrown in there.
For every participant they eliminated, they had a few years taken off their sentences along with being given certain special rewards that improved their way of life at the prison. The prisoners had their cultivation bases sealed, but they were all at least in thete stages of the foundation establishment realm, and in terms of skill were judged to be skillful by the standards of the instructors.
They were even fallen prodigies within their midst. In addition, the instructors even went to the extent of hiring assassins for the test, the formation arrays had no clues in them, and everything could kill you in there even the very air you breathed. There was no such thing as a special zone.
Surviving alone was hard enough let alone reaching the finish line, and worst of all, the teststed for a bare minimum of six months and that was if four people or more worked together, and one of the four had the greatest luck attribute, and even then when they reached the finish line, they would be half poisoned, missing a few limbs, missing memories, crying, trembling and traumatized beyond belief.
The only good thing was the rewards in the purple grade were extremely generous, and regardless of what number you finished at, as long as you finished the rewards were all the same which were 300,000 merit points, personal tutoring from a domain expert for two months, two blue grade artifacts and one blue grade art, and have the formation hall, beast hall, and the alchemy hall lend you their services for free just once. One could redeem this at any point in their life, it wasn''t a must they do it immediately.
Yang Qing got the two ck dragon horses via this reward. During his year, he teamed up with Kang Hung and Xia Boqin. He and Kang Hung had peerless jade physiques while thetter in addition to the physique, he had also mastered fist intent in addition to having spear sense and sword sense.
Xia Boqin at the time had a gold body which was considered incredible, especially with his background in consideration. However, he had also mastered sword intent at the time and it was all self-taught and he didn''t have Kang Hung''s broken harmonious cataclysmic jade bones to assist him. Using the rewards frompleting the test, he managed to reach the diamond body stage.
The three of them, in addition to another member, had teamed up for the test. Even with the four of them working together, they only barely made it through. Yang Qing lost an eye, almost every bone in his body was broken, while Kang Hung had lost both arms at some point, and Xia Boqin was riddled with poison and a lost arm and leg, while the final member of their party survived with one lung and one leg.
He hadn''t heard from thest member since she joined the roaming inquisitors and the erratic schedule that came with it, though they still hang out with their group whenever she is free.
Feng Xin and Yi Jie had been in the test too, but the former got eliminated at some point..Yang Qing never learned how, but he had no doubts food may have had a factor, as for Yi Jie he did manage to clinch a position by teaming up with five others, making it a six-man team. Only three made it through, of which Yi Jie was one of them, and Lai Lei, who was the chief inquisitor to Dai Chen.
The purple grade test was aplete horror show and it was set by the collective effort of the assistant deans of the Insitute across all faculties.
In some of the scariest moments in Yang Qing''s life, that test was among the top three. It was up there with the method his family used to help him break through to the peerless jade physique and in his early years as an outer core court judge when he discovered the Order wanted to work him to hisst drop of qi.
Yang Qing shook his head free of those painful memories as he and the rest made their way out of Autumn Mountain.
.....
Herb garden soup restaurant
"Are you sure you''re going to finish all that?"
Yang Qing flinched as he saw all the different earthen bowls filled with different kinds of soups and gourds sprawled all around the table.
A misty smoke that had a refreshing aroma came from the soup contained in those bowls. Some were as mellow as ake, while others looked like a volcano waiting to erupt.
Yang Qing grimaced in pain as he watched ady with short red-brown hair greedily chug two bowls at the same time.
"100 middle-grade spirit stones, gone.." he muttered in pain as he watched thedy speedily empty more bowls and called the waiter to refill them.
Yang Qing''s throat instantly dried up.I think you should take a look at
"Xia Ting, even if Judge Yang Qing offered to treat you, it doesn''t mean you push it..."
"That will be all for now...Thanks..."
Yang Qing was almost in tears of gratitude when he saw Yu Gen step in for him.
"Uhm wait, could you bring us the Urn of Merry, please?" Yu Gen suddenly said when he took stock of the soup on the table.
Yang Qing who had prepared a word of thanks instantly swallowed them as he cursed Yu Gen who was currently showing the most innocent smile out there.
"Many thanks, Judge Yang Qing for hosting us. We are really lucky to have you as outer boss this time.." said Yu Gen.
"Mmh, thanks Yang Qing...I appreciate it.." chirped Xia Ting as she chugged another soup, but this time she only went with one.
"No problems seniors, it''s as I should.." Yang Qing said with a fawning smile trying to swallow the blood that was welling up.
I hope your ashes fill up that urn.
"Now where were we...aah! the case concerning Ma Yuan..." Yu Gen went silent as a sigh escaped from his mouth.
Yang Qing after parting ways with Dai Chen and the rest, searched for the two roaming inquisitors attached to him to find out the progress of Ma Yuan''s case while also being filled in on the progress of the other cases, so he could decide which case to start on tomorrow.
He didn''t have any judicial assistant like Mao Yunru to monitor the case logs, so he had to do it himself. Normally that''s how things operated. Mao Yunru had been his judicial assistant for a month since she was taking over his cases, along with being promoted to a superior core court judge.
Those undergoing major promotions such as moving from the inner core court to a superior core court would need to undergo on-the-job learning from their senior for a month as a judicial assistant before they took up the post.
Yang Qing did the same before his promotion ceremony to the pce courts. He worked as a judicial assistant for an outer pce court judge for a month. After that period he went back to his court to finish up on the workload Lei Weiyuan had forced him to do after his breakthrough stunt.
Yang Qing had already grown ustomed to having a judicial assistant, that he felt worried and anxious to suddenly going back to handling these things on his own.
Did something happen to Ma Yuan''s wife and daughter?
Yang Qing on seeing Yu Gen''s troubled look instantly jumped to the worst-case scenario as he waited with bated breath for his next words.
If something really did happen to them, he would be the one to have to break the news to Ma Yuan.
"If things fold out the way they are based on the investigation, then I have to say Judge you really picked quite the case...the details are in there..." Yu Gen said as he passed a recording talisman to Yang Qing.
In that talisman were his step-by-step findings on the case.
"I enlisted the help of your inquisitors; Feng Xin, Zheng Hu, and Su Jinjing to confirm certain matters pertaining to it, they should being with the results today or tomorrow..but things are not good
"You found it?!" Yang Qing uttered in shock the moment he poured his spiritual sense into it.
"Yes, we did and some part of me wishes we didn''t," Xia Ting somberly said.
Chapter 359 First Case As A Palace Court Judge (2)
Yang Qing couldn''t help but frown at Xia Ting''s words as he went on to delve into the recordings.
Everything written there was pure conjecture on the part of the two inquisitors based on what they had dug up on the case for the past three weeks as he was supervising the entrance examination for the potential students of the Order.
Right off the handle, Yu Gen had already written to whom they suspected to be the ones responsible for the abduction of Ma Yuan''s wife and daughter along with crippling his cultivation.
They suspected the female Ma Yuan had seen attack them was a member of the Ice emerald sect and thatdy was one of its elders going by the name of Deng Yaozu.
From what Yang Qing could remember, Ma Yuan had said he heard his wife mention the name Yao when she was pleading for his life from thedy who attacked. Ma Yuan said she had stopped herself midsentence as she said the name, which meant the word ''Yao'' was iplete.
Yu Gen''s and Xia Ting''s conjecture on her identity and name wasn''t that far-fetched. In the report, he also included a short bio of the Ice Emerald sect.
It was a rank three sect of considerable repute and had been in existence for less than 50,000 years. It was located in the southwestern part of the southern continent close to the shorelines of the continent and the Celestial Ocean bordering the south continent and the west continent.
Just like other sects and organizations that rose up the ranks, one of their founders caught a lucky break almost 10,000 years ago while exploring a mysterious realm and ended up getting a natural treasure that helped catapult the sect into what it is today.
The treasure was rumored to be a top-tier monarch grade treasure which in terms of cultivation base was equivalent to someone at the peak of the pce realm.
With the aid of that treasure, in just under one thousand years, they managed to have their first pce realm expert despite struggling to have one in 40,000 years. In the next 9,000 years, more pce realm experts came out from the sect, bringing the current total to seven as per the Order''s record.
With the rise in strength, the Ice Emerald sect slowly rose up from being one of themon rubble in their area to being a local hegemon and governing an area that was at least 1.5 timesrger than the territory of the Red Maple Empire.
Sects and other organizations that were oncepetitors slowly turned intockeys or moved to other areas to set up or became underlings of organizations that were just as strong as the Ice Emerald Sect.
While the rise of the sect wasn''t overly unique, it still had aspects that made it stand out, one of which was it was an all-female sect.
They never epted any males, no matter how talented they were which ruined the flights of fancy of a few of many who tried to get their admissions into the sect.
The reason the sect gave for the requirement was it was because of their sect''s treasure and legacy. Originally when the sect was founded it epted both sexes, however from around 40,000 years ago with reasons unbeknown to outsiders, it became an all-female sect, and the reason floating around currently was it was because of the sect''s core legacy art, the Emerald frost flow veiled scripture which from what Yu Gen''s notes was an iplete part that was part of arger art known as the Frozen serenity scripture which belonged to an ancient sect called the Frozen serenity that existed over a million years ago.
Different parts of the Frozen Serenity scripture could be seen floating around the southern continent across different organizations. Yu Gen had listed a few of them of which the Order was one of them.
The Order had two parts pertaining to the scripture; one was the frostfire art which was a body and soul refining technique, and the other was the Winter''s embrace art, which was a meditation technique suitable for even domain experts and in terms of grade was a blue grade art.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but think the Frozen Serenity scripture may have been a purple grade or at least a top-tier gold grade art if parts of it could be in the blue grade.
Mmh, maybe their rise had more to do with the part they have rather than the treasure they got...
Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel the art in the Ice Emerald sect''s hands had a part to do with their rise. Even before the so-called treasure, they had been steadily improving even though they didn''t have any pce realm experts at the time.
Yang Qing almost forgot himself to the allure of the mysterious Frost serenity scripture and the sect itself before he quickly focused back on the report.
In the early parts of the report, nothing seemed off and Yang Qing easily read through it including the hierarchy of the sect and the rtionships of the sect. I think you should take a look at
From the report, he managed to spot some ovep with his line of thought which painted the Ice Emerald sect more and more as the suspect behind Ma Yuan''s case.
Among the rtionships listed was the Lunar Bug sect, which had a thorny bordering murder each other rtionship with the Ice Emerald sect. The reason for that was the Lunar Bug sect also had a cultivation art from the Frozen serenity scripture.
The different parts of the scripture could be used toplement and add to each other since theye from the same source. With this thought, before the Ice Emerald sect rose to a rank 3 sect, the Lunar had on more than one asion tried to get a copy of their part of the Frozen serenity scripture to use it to improve their own part by fair means or foul, and they reached a high peak when one of the elders of the Ice Emerald sect got murdered in the process.
The feud hassted for over 40,000 years and when it started the two sects had been at the same power level, with the Lunar Bug sect being slightly stronger since it was a bit older than the Ice Emerald Sect. It was because of this that the Lunar Bug sect was always tyrannical in its approach.
However, the dynamics changed when the Ice Emerald Sect finally had a pce realm expert while they at the time had three quasi-pce realm experts.
Out of fear, the Lunar Bug secttched themselves onto a rank 3 empire for cover in exchange for being their subordinate and giving out other resources that were tempting enough that to date that empire still has them under their wing despite the Ice Emerald sect now having more pce stage experts and more seemingly in the works like Deng Yaozu who it turns out was one of the youngest elders of the sect and was a quasi pce stage expert.
The Empire in question was called the Twin River Empire, which though at the moment was recorded to have only five pce realm experts, one of them was presently at the sixth stage of the pce realm, which was two levels higher than the peak expert of the Ice Emerald expert.
The reason the Lunar Bug Sect stood out to him was of the ces Ma Yuan lived with his wife, Rapid Twin County was one of the ces, and the ce in question was under the control of the Lunar Bug Sect.
With the strained rtionship between the two sects, Ma Yuan''s wife choosing to settle in that location was within reason.
There were a couple of things Yang Qing didn''t understand. One was the reactions of Yu Gen and Xia Ting and the other was as far as he could tell the Ice Emerald Sect as far as sect went didn''t have a bad reputation to the point of abducting someone''s daughter.
The sect had the same reputation as the Spiritual Temperance Sect which was, it was a recluse sect that mostly kept to itself and rarely interacted with others.
But as he continued to read the report, his face started contorting little by little, till by the time five minutes had passed by his forehead was filled with veins, and his eyes were livid.
"Is this all true?!" Yang Qing grimly asked.
He strained his voice to make it as low and as calm as possible, but the boiling rage in it was still evident to the two inquisitors.
"It is.." Yu Gen answered.
"And there is more, it seems to have been going on for over 10,000 years. It is why we had to enlist your inquisitors and not only them but also other roaming inquisitors who were free.
With the findingsing in, you will have to invoke the five-party judge judgment from the Judicial reviewmittee and the Spirit Council in preparation for whates next.
I''m sorry Yang Qing, dealing with whates next can''t be easy, especially as one of your first cases as a pce court judge..." added Yu Gen with a sympathetic sigh as he saw theplicated gleam shing in Yang Qing''s eye along with mild hesitation.
"It has to be done.." Yang Qing finally said as he plopped back with a tired expression.
"A forced demotion huh... Is my luck good or bad, I wonder?..."
Chapter 360 First Case As A Palace Court Judge (3)
"The case concerning the Ice Emerald sect and Ma Yuan aside we havepleted all investigation in two cases, you can decide which to start with.."Yu Gen said as he passed two other jade talismans to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing smiled in gratitude because he knew it was Yu Gen''s way of deflecting his attention from the tough decision that was waiting for him.
"How long will it take to have everything?" Yang Qing asked before taking the two talismans.
"Shouldn''t be more than three days to confirm everything, after that it will be up to you on how to proceed.." Yu Gen answered with a sigh.
"Three days ..." Yang Qing said as he looked at the ceiling of the garden herb restaurant with a lost look.
"I''m sorry Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge...I will have to shamelessly ask you bare this infamy with me.." he thought to himself.
A minuteter he shook his head free of those ominous thoughts and went through the two talismans.
The cases were rather simple and straightforward unlike Ma Yuan''s case, which was a wee relief to him.
One of the cases was between a rank 4 sect called the Silver de sect, which had fallen into a disagreement with an itinerant cultivator who had just broken through to the pce realm.
The dispute was a theft case in which the Silver de sect were the perpetrators, though out of fear for their lives, they were the ones who had brought the case forward to the Order to have them mediate on their behalf.
The dispute was rather straightforward and Yang Qing felt the two roaming inquisitors had done a thorough job on it. With the information he had on hand, the verdict for the case was as clear as day.
The other case involved a restaurant that was owned by a pce realm expert in the second stage.
Yang Qing''s eyes lit up when he saw he had another case involving a restaurant. One of the customers had filed aint against the restaurant for selling defective products that resulted in him havingplications with his cultivation base.
Just like the case involving the itinerant cultivator and the Silver de Sect, Yu Gen and Xia Ting did a thorough job of it, which would make Yang Qing''s verdict on the case a lot easier.
He couldn''t help but sigh at their work rate. It was just the two of them, and the two cases were in locations that were far apart from each other, but they had managed to dig up everything relevant to the case and the inane stuff, that would help Yang Qing get a rough overview of the parties involved in those cases.
In addition, they also made a lot of headway with Ma Yuan''s case which had little clues to go on at the beginning, and the search area was the whole Southern continent.
"Speaking of which..."
"Senior Yu Gen, Senior Xia Ting did the Wind gliding mercenaries provide any information concerning Ma Yuan''s case?" Yang Qing suddenly asked.
Yang Qing remembered he had left a piece of the ice shard Ma Yuan had given him with one of their leaders and had even officiallymissioned them on the case.
While the Wind Gliding mercenaries were not as big as the Order, they moved around the continent a lot and had formed a lot of connections and goodwill with a lot of people, and were more approachable inparison to the Order, which even though were respected and liked by those in low organizations, those organizations still feared the Order because of its stature.
There were information and rumors that would be easier for the Wind gliding mercenaries to gain whenpared to the Order.
"Yes...it was because of their help that we were able to find clues leading to the Ice emerald sect, and what they have been doing.I think you should take a look at
Even with what we''ve found I decided to let them dig further into the case, and see how far the sect has gone.
I hope it''s okay?" said Yu Gen.
"No, no, it''s okay...I''m just d they were able to help you..." Yang Qing hurriedly said.
With how bad things were, he was all too d to have involved the Wind Gliding Mercenaries on the case.
He had 40 million high-grade spirit stones to use for the year, and at this moment he wouldn''t fill a pinch even if he paid the whole amount to the Wind Gliding Mercenaries escorts after what they dug on the Ice Emerald Sect.
"Maybe I could have a chat with Yun Wei, and have them handle some of my cases till Yi Jie and the rest breakthrough.." thought Yang Qing.
With a massive manpower shortage, using the Wing Gliding Mercenaries seemed like the only usible way he could handle his cases without falling behind.
They already showed they had the capabilities for it, Yang Qing wouldn''t hesitate to pay premium to gain their services for his cases.
"I guess I''ll start with this.." Yang Qing said having decided on the case he would start with.
To avoid the matter behind the Ice Emerald Sect he decided to join Xia Ting in sampling the soups of the Herb Garden soup restaurant.
....
Inside Yang Qing''s courtroom
"I can''t believe I let Xia Ting goad me into buying five more Urns of merry. That''s a thousand middle-grade spirit stones down the drain..."
Yang Qing sat behind his podium with a paled expression as he recollectedst night''s events.
Somehow he ended up getting suckered by Xia Ting into buying more soup. Afterst night he swore never to go back there again if Xia Ting was around.
But considering how that was the ''office'' of the two roaming inquisitors, he knew he was only kidding himself.
"Luckily I have the presents from the ceremony to keep me afloat. Yi Jie, you better hurry with your breakthrough, and Feng Xin and the rest.
I think from today I will have to handle their training personally. Otherwise, if things keep going like this, I won''t have anything by the end of the year. I will be back to my hand-to-mouth days...
No!...No!...No!..That can NEVER happen!!!"
Yang Qing finally felt what it was like to feel flushed with spirit stones. There was no way he would go back to the beggar lifestyle that he lived before he came to the pce courts, where he had to fawn and be shameless just to get enough to fund his hobbies.
"Well, fawning isn''t bad. At least I won''t be spending my own spirit stones.." Yang Qing shamelessly thought as Yu Gen came in with ten people.
Chapter 361 First Case As A Palace Court Judge (4)
Immediately behind Yu Gen was an elderly man who looked to be in his sixties. He had white hair that looked to have just beenbed roughly. He had on a ck robe with white ribbons on the cor and sleeves.
His skin was lustrous and young looking despite his old look, and his eyes were brimming with life and had a de-like sharpness to them. However, he reigned it when he saw both Yang Qing and Yu Gen look at him.
"Sorry, I do that when I''m afraid and in an unfamiliar ce..." the elderly man sheepishly answered at being stared down by the two.
His fists could be seen trembling as he cupped his fists in apology to the duo.
"It''s okay.." Yang Qing said as he drylyughed at his nervous disy.
If one looked at the elderly man, one wouldn''t think he was a pce stage expert.
From the descriptions Yu Gen gave him, he inferred that the elderly man was Tang Qi an itinerant cultivator at the early stage of the pce realm.
Per Yang Qing''s judgment, he seemed to have only recently broken through and hadn''tpletely ustomed himself to his abilities which was why his saber intent almost leaked out from nervousness.
Behind him, the next seven people all wore the same type of robes. The robes were red in color and had a de embroidered on the chest.
The lead of the group was a middle-aged man who had a bronzeplexion and a handsome face with hair tied up in a Daoist top knot that was held together at the top with a hair ornament that was fashioned in the shape of a hilt. His hair waspletely ck with hints of grey that added a mature charm to him.
His cultivation base was at the eighth stage of the core formation realm and Yang Qing detected a hint of sharpness from his qi. Yang Qing surmised the middle-aged man in the red robes had mastered saber qi.
His name was Shao Rong and he was the sect master of the Silver de sect which was a rank 4 sect that was known for its skills with the saber.
Despite being a leading figure of a moderately average sect, his current demeanor was one fraught with fear and anxiety as he lowered his gaze afraid to look up.
He wasn''t the only one. The six other members from his sect all wore the same looks of trepidation with their bodies visibly trembing beneath their robes.
The six members were all young and looked to be in their early thirties tote twenties. All six of them were in thete stages of the foundation stage with one of them being at the peak.
It was four males and two females. The one with the highest cultivation base was a female who had ck hair smoothly flowing downwards and a narrow oval face.
Yang Qing was surprised to find that just like her sect master she too had mastered saber qi.I think you should take a look at
Yang Qing couldn''t help butugh inwardly as he saw their reactions. Flinching at everything. Considering how things were described by Yu Gen, their reactions were understandable.
Yang Qing had decided that his very first case as an outer pce court judge would be the theft case of the Silver de Sect and the itinerant cultivator Tang Qi.
After the seven cultivators of the Silver de Sect, there were two more people. They wore blue and white robes that had a ck mountain emblem on them that had an array carved onto them.
The two members were from the Mountain Guarding Array manor which was a rank 3 merchant organization whose specialtiesy in formation arrays.
Their niche was inying down defensive arrays, and they had a blue-grade formation master as their founder, which was why the organization had a considerable reputation.
They lent their services to kingdoms, empires, ns, and other organizations, down to itinerant cultivators.
One of their founders was the blue-grade formation master by the name of Su Ye and he was at the third stage of the pce realm. Behind him was one of his workers by the name of Meng Bai who was one of the leading figures of the manor. He was at the ninth stage of the core formation realm.
However, unlike his boss who was calm looking and upright, he was cowering and shaking with clear nervousness written on his face.
The reason the Mountain Guarding Array manor was brought into the courtroom was because they had an involvement with the case. They were the ones who hadid the formation in the cultivation abode belonging to Tang Qi, and Meng Bai had been the one to personally handle it.
Yang Qing waited for the three groups to be arranged in their respective positions by Yu Gen before he finally began his introductions.
"My name is Yang Qing and I will be the judge in charge of the case. In the case before us, the Silver de Sect stand used of viting the articles pertaining to the guidelines of ruin exploration, and as such they ended up ransacking the cultivation abode of senior Tang Qi when he was in closed-door cultivation.
You are used of stealing his 24 cultivation arts from him, one of which is his legacy art the Rising Tide Saber art. 23 of the arts are mid-tier orange-grade arts while Rising Tide Saber art as per Tang Qi''s statement is a low-tier blue-grade art.
Other than that you are also used of stealing 21 sky-rank herbs of which 8 were top tier with the remaining 13 being mid-tier.
You are also used of stealing 113 earth rank herbs with 98 of them being in the top tier and 15 being in the mid tier.
You are also used of stealing 4 sky-rank artifacts and materials namely; the snow plume saber, thunderhead marble, violet rain cauldron, and robe made from the cocoon of the sunset grey butterfly.
And finally, you are used of destroying the formation arrays in the herb garden and the training room of the abode...." said Yang Qing
Chapter 362 Case Begins
The seven members of the Silver de sect lowered their heads, with their shoulders trembling as they had Yang Qing recount the charges against him.
Their sect master, Shao Rong, was the one hit the hardest. He grew increasingly pale and he had sweat all over with every word Yang Qing uttered.
With how affected he was, Yang Qing was even worried he would copse before the case began. He used a small art that transmitted a bit of his qi to sect master Shao Rong to help calm his nerves.
The sect master nodded gratefully to Yang Qing with a pitiful smile when he detected the sudden changes to his body.
Even though he was still pale, his state seemed a little bit better.
"The Mountain Guarding Array Manor stands used of being derelict in its duty and ipetent in its services.
Those are the charges filed against you by Senior Tang Qi. The protection array he hadmissioned your organization failed to work as intended, otherwise, his cultivation abode would not have been exposed and ransacked there after.
I have with me a copy of the agreement, and I believe you have one too, Senior Su Ye?" asked Yang Qing as he directed his question to the slender, stern-faced middle-aged man with blue robes and ck hair tied in a ponytail.
"We do," answered Su Ye as he took out a yellow scroll from his sleeves.
"Could I have it please, so I can confirm if the details on these two scrolls match?" asked Yang Qing.
The founder of the Mountain Guarding Array Manor agreed to his request as he handed the scroll over.
Yang Qing ced the two scrolls side by side as he examined both of them. From the details written, down to even the seal used and the material of the scroll, to confirm they were indeed from the same source.
The scroll was the written agreement between the Mountain Guarding Array Manor and Tang Qi.
He had requisitioned them to create six top-tier orange-grade formations in his cultivation abode.
As per the agreement Tang Qi would provide the materials, while the manor would providebor and the array which was why the cost of the whole thing was 670 high-grade spirit stones which if converted to middle-grade spirit stones would have been 670,000 middle-grade spirit stones, which was a pretty hefty sum, especially for an itinerant cultivator.
In terms of pricing, it was fair sinceying down top-tier orange-grade arrays could cost 300 high-grade spirit stones per formation. Tang Qi had gotten a rather good deal on it for only paying a third of it.
All six of the arrays Tang Qi had set up were all non-lethal and were mostly illusory and befuddling arrays along with an istion and shield array.
Yang Qing could understand why Tang Qi went for non-lethal arrays. One the cost would be cheaper inparison to killing arrays. One killing array usually went for the same price as three non-lethal arraysbined, and also the other reason, which was the most important one, it was because he was going into seclusion.
A killing array would easily disrupt his seclusion if triggered, inparison to non-lethal arrays.I think you should take a look at
The scroll not only listed the arraysid down but also included the materials Tang Qi offered to be used for the arrays. Next to his ingredients was the list Mountain Guarding Array Manor would have used had they been the ones to provide the materials.
As far as Yang Qing could tell, when it came to secondary materials, what Tang Qi offered was a bit low in quality inparison to what the Mountain Manor had suggested, however, the quality didn''t differ by much.
When it came to the core materials, which were the main anchors of the arrays, what Tang Qi provided was even better than what the Mountain Manor had suggested. Therefore when it came to malfunctioning of the arrays, the materials had nothing to do with it.
As long as one had a good core material to support the entire formation, they could get away with skimping down on the secondary materials with no degradations in the power of the formation.
Included within the scroll, was an agreement by both parties, that the formation was functioning as it should have, andstly there were the names of Meng Bai and Tang Qi at the bottom.
"You can check to confirm the authenticity of the scroll Tang Qi provided as evidence, andpare it with yours.." Yang Qing said as he passed both scrolls over to Su Ye.
Su Ye at first seemed hesitant topare them since in his mind, if the scroll Tang Qi provided was a fake, there would have been no need for them to be called over for the case.
The fact that they were summoned, meant the scroll was real. However, Yang Qing''s next words stopped him from refusing.
"Please confirm it Owner Su Ye as it is part of the regtions governing these proceedings.." Yang Qing said with an austere expression leaving no room for refusal.
Su Ye went through both scrolls with apt attention before he handed it to Yang Qing admitting that the scroll was indeed theirs, and the terms indeed matched.
"Good, now we can begin...I''m sure Yu Gen has already informed you beforehand but I will reiterate it once more.
Once you stepped through those doors, you have all wholly subjected yourselves to the ruling of the Order whichever oue it may be, and should you refuse, you are subject to the penalties attached to the refusal.
I hope you have all prepared yourselves..." Yang Qing said as he eyed the three parties, who all nodded in affirmation.
"Okay, now that we are all in agreement, I will take turns hearing ounts from all of you. For purposes of expediency, we will start with you Senior Tang Qi, and then we will move on to you, sect master Shao Rong before we finally finish with you, owner Su Ye and Meng Bai.
Senior Tang Qi would you please?" Yang Qing said as he motioned for the itinerant cultivator Tang Qi to begin.
"Th..ank you fffor the op..opportunity Judge Yang Qing.."
Tang Qi stammered a bit as he began his introductions. It was mostly out of nervousness but also hisck of skills inmunicating with people especially considering how for the past 230 years he had been in closed-door seclusion and most of his life he has mostly lived alone.
Chapter 363 Tang Qi
As an itinerant cultivator, he had long grown to be wary of people.
Tang Qi however was quick to rpose himself. Despite everything else, he was a pce realm expert and had managed to make that leap while being an itinerant cultivator which was no easy feat.
"About 233 years ago, I got a lucky encounter that finally gave me an opportunity to step into the doors of the pce realm after being stuck in the peak of the core formation realm for 567 years.
I thought with my talent, that was where I would stop at. In fact, if I was to go by the judgments of the sect I used to belong to, reaching the early stages of qi refinement realm was the best I could hope for.." Tang Qi said with a rueful smile.
Before he decided to be an itinerant cultivator, when he was younger he belonged to a rural vige that didn''t know much about cultivation until one day a random cultivator belonging to a sect called the Iron Shattering palm sect passed by and out of a sense of karma decided to check the aptitudes of the children in the vige to see if they had a talent for it.
Tang Qi was one of only four who were found to have a talent for it. The cultivator offered to bring him back to the sect. He was hesitant at first but the cultivator sold him on the abilities of a cultivator, how he could change his parent''s lives, and so many things he could do once he was a cultivator.
Tang Qi was nine at the time and was easily tricked. By the time the cultivator was done with him, Tang Qi had already thought himself an immortal with grand techniques, and his parents, cows, chickens, pigs and the girl he happened to like would all be brought by him to such heights.
Sadly things didn''t go as he imagined. He ended up being a servant for the sect and waster demoted to be a pill ve where they experimented different potions on him due to his physique that had proven to be sturdier than the other three children who came from the same vige as him.
The three children from the same vige as him died within three years, and only he was left. Over the next nine years, it was nothing but hellish torture. If he was not being used as an alchemy experiment, he was being used as an exercise dummy by the real disciples of the sect.
His only means of defense at the time was a white-grade body refining technique that was no different than him not knowing any cultivation art.
The beatings and the alchemy experiments ended up being a blessing in disguise as somehow he managed to form a silver body in five years which he was quick to hide.
Lucky for him it was easy to do so since the Iron Shattering sect despite its domineering name was a mediocre sect at best with the sect master being at thete stages of qi refinement.
However, despite their poor standards, they still had qi refinement cultivators who would easily kill him even with his silver body, so he decided to bide his time.
13 more years passed by before it came when the sect got ughtered when one of the rival sects finally got someone who broke through to the foundation establishment realm, and when he did, the first thing they did was attack the Iron Shattering Palm sect.
Tang Qi was lucky to escape with his life in the midst of that chaos while looting a few techniques here and there.
With nothing but the bloody robes he had on, a body pumped with defective potions, and three low-tier red grade techniques he began his journey as a rogue cultivator.
With his experience with the Iron Shattering Palm sect, he wrote off ever joining any sect again. He would rather depend on himself and die trying than risk it with sects who saw him as nothing more than a tool to be used.I think you should take a look at
After trial and error he managed to reach the qi refinement realm in a few years after escaping from the sect, and 30 years after that he managed to retrace his steps back to his vige and see his parents.
His experience with the Iron Shattering Palm sect had left him with a jaded mentality and personality. With what he had seen and experienced, he knew how terrifying the world was, and as he was going back to his vige, all he could think of was the brutal state he would find the vige in, and his parents dead.
His guess was proved wrong as he found the vige the same way as he had left it. It was a farming vige, so the vigers were usually hard at work on the farms, and as for his parents, they were alive but were well on in their years.
They were in theirte eighties which was understandable since he was about sixty-four years himself by the time he came back and at thete stage of qi refinement realm at the time.
They all teared up when they saw each other, especially Tang Qi who was sure he would never see them. For the next decade till their death, he stayed with them living the life of a simple farmer''s son.
Despite not actively cultivating, in that decade he managed to reach the peak of qi refinement and was just a tiny step away from breaking through to the foundation establishment realm.
Those 10 years had helped him greatly, especially when it came to calming his heart and adjusting his mental state. The tranquility and the improvement in his state of mind became a blessing for him.
After his parents died, he left and in less than a year he broke through to the foundation establishment realm.
Tang Qi couldn''t help but feel emotional when he thought of his parents, and the blissful smile they had to their death. He ended up toiling for close to a thousand years before he finally reached the peak of the core formation realm, and those years were far from easy and he had so many brushes with death that were too many to count.
But his parents'' smile and that decade he had with them was like the tether that kept him afloat and pushed him forward till finally here he was, a pce realm expert that would look below millions.
There were days he felt all this was an illusion and he would wake up to find himself tied down and being pumped with potions that were not qualified to be called that.
"Senior..Senior..."
Tang Qi''s eyes regained focus when he regained he heard Yang Qing''s voice.
"Sorry about that judge..." he said with an apologetic smile.
"Maybe after this is done, I can go settle there permanently.."
Chapter 364 Version Of Events (1)
Tang Qi knew his talent well. He had a top-tier orange core when he was in the core formation realm but originally when he broke through to the core formation realm it was a low-tier orange grade core.
The change only happened when he stumbled on an amber frost orchid sap in some ruins he was investigating. It improved his core by a small grade which was a huge boon that helped him reach the peak of the core formation realm.
Tang Qi was self-aware that given his talent, even reaching the peak of the core formation realm was purely by luck, so he was stuck in that realm for over 500 years. He had resigned himself to that fact, but he decided to risk it onest time and went diving at the shores of the Millionsfold treasure ocean, despite the infamy it had of cultivators easily dying to the mysteries within or to other cultivators.
It was unknown why, but the Millionsfold treasure ocean was home to countless treasures, but with it came countless dangers, which was why despite the allure of getting something good from it, few people including even those at the domain realm, would risk going there not unless they were at the end of their tether or had something that made them want to risk it.
Tang Qi wasn''t overly ambitious and he was already at peace with where he had reached in life. He was content with being a core formation expert. However, the torment he went through still had part of its ws in him no matter how many years had passed and him being countless times stronger than even the sect master of the Iron Shattering Palm sect.
Despite that, asionally he constantly worried he wasn''t strong enough and what happened then could happen to him even as a core formation realm.
When he reached the peak of the core formation realm he tried to cultivate by himself and reach the pce realm but his talent fell short, and when he searched for alternative means they were all too dangerous, while the safer options involved him joining arge organization, which he wasn''t willing to do.
Finally, his search led him to the Millionsfold treasure ocean. He decided he would risk it just once, and whether he got anything or not, he would move back to his vige and spend the rest of his days there.
His risk paid off because he managed to snag an amber glow poinsettia. In those five hundred years as a peak core formation expert, other than bitterly cultivating, with no results, to reach the pce realm, he had also spent a bulk of his fortune searching for natural treasures that could help one reach it, and one of them was the amber glow poinsettia.
The amber glow poinsettia was a low-tier monarch rank spiritual herb, however, when it came to price it matched a top tier monarch grade herb.
At the time, when Tang Qi was researching other things besides cultivation that could help him reach the pce realm, the amber glow poinsettia had been written in the scroll he had as a cheeky afterthought by the writer, sort of mocking the reader.
If all the above methods fail, then the only option for you is the amber glow poinsettia. Only luck can help you reach the pce realm, Good luck.
Also if by chance you find it, can you spare a few petals for me? I owe White Rose Pavilions a few million high-grade spirit stones and writing books isn''t as lucrative as I thought.
At this rate maybe treasure gambling may be the only way...
The author rambled on and on about his debts and how he had attached a curse to the book that would affect the reader if they didn''t help him with his debts.
Tang Qi assumed he had gotten conned by the merchant who sold him the booklet that mocked him for having horrible luck and got cursed and cosigned to a debt.
But all that changed when he got his hands on the amber glow poinsettia. He realized what the reader meant with hisst words.
The flower had no uses at all except two, which granted good luck or bad luck to a user or sometimes both. It was usually a gamble that Tang Qi didn''t know at the time and only found out after he had broken through to the pce realm.
Thanks to the amber glow poinsettia it triggered a version of events that ended up with him getting a tornado wave turtle amulet that helped him gain insights and his art the rising tide saber art which helped give rise to saber intent and the final push he needed to breakthrough to the pce realm.
The amulet also helped him survive his tribtion at the critical moment. The poinsettia granted him the best luck because without it he would have likely not even survived the tribtion did he not have the amulet with him.
However, he also managed to trigger its bad luck when his abode and his remaining wealth got ransacked.
He couldn''t help but gnash his teeth when he thought about it, as he stared hatefully at the members of the Silver de sect and Meng Bai from the Mountain Guarding Array Manor.
...
"When I realized I was about to break through to the pce realm, I consulted a few friends of mine to find the best organization tomission to strengthen my cultivation abode with formation arrays.I think you should take a look at
As a rogue cultivator one of the many risks we suffer is being robbed or interrupted when we are in secluded meditation or preparing for a breakthrough. It''s one of the periods where we are most vulnerable, so we have to take many measures to guard against it.
I''m not particrly skilled inying down formation arrays thereforemissioning an organization to do it for me was my best option.."
Yang Qing nodded in understanding. Tang Qi''s experience was amon urrence among the itinerantmunity.
It was why Wen Yingjie didn''t hesitate to pay 50 high-grade spirit stones a month to rent the abodes at the Order for his soul-binding ritual with his saber.
In terms of cost, should Wen Yingjie use the abode for a long period, he would end up spending more than Tang Qi who spent a one-off fee of 670 high-grade spirit stones to have the arraysid down, but in terms of safety as per present circumstances, Wen Yingjie was much safer.
The Order wasn''t the only organization known to rent out abodes, but because of how long seclusions couldst, most itinerant cultivators opted to hire formation masters toy down formations in their own abode rather than get charged astronomical fees for renting an abode.
The Order was cheaper inparison to organizations out there that charged 100 high-grade spirit stones a month. Tang Qi was in seclusion for 230 years and if he decided to go for the rental abode route, he would have ended up spending 276,000 high-grade spirit stones.
At such a cost he could afford toy down two low-tier blue grade formations and even have money for the core materials.
Despite the high fees, the abodes did get customers because they guaranteed the safety of all their customers, and most who took them up were thoseing in for short periods of time.
..
"After consulting and my own research, I finally settled on the Mountain Guarding Array Manor. They had a decent reputation, especially among itinerant cultivators and their charges were within the range I couldfortably afford.."
Tang Qi having no dependants, never hoarded treasures he umted. He used it all in the efforts of cultivation. Whether it was in improving his cultivation base, or in helping him gain skills in secondary upations such as alchemy, weapon refinement, formation arrays, talisman refinement, and other studies.
As an itinerant cultivator and only having himself to depend on, he thought it wise to know a bit about everything so as to be self-sufficient, and with the long life spans of cultivators, he could afford to do so.
He poured everything he had into researching and trying these different subjects which was not cheap and always left him with little to no money or resources, half the time.
In all these years he came to realize it wasn''t only cultivation that he had no mind for. It was a humbling experience, to say the least, but there was one thing he identally discovered he had a good hand for, which funny enough was farming.
He thus decided to focus on spiritual herb propagation.
"After negotiating back and forth, we finally came to a deal with the manor. I would pay them 670 high-grade spirit stones, along with giving them a few booklets that contained my own personal insights on the growth and maintenance of moon-dew felonwood.
In exchange for that, they would build 6 top-tier orange grade arrays for me which were supposed to be run autonomously for at least 500 years.
With everything in ce, theyid down the formation and in two years everything wasplete, and we even tested it out.
However, the assurances they gave me seemed to have failed because 230 yearster after i broke through to the pce realm, I found my abode had been ransacked and none of the six arrays theyid down was functional.
I was lucky that in the chamber I had decided to seclude myself was guarded by my amulet which isted it from the rest of the abode, otherwise my seclusion and breakthrough would have likely been interrupted..." Tang Qi coldly said.
His tone was gentle and low, but one could detect the powerful undercurrents hidden beneath. He even did a good job of maintaining his expression. Other than the coldness in his eyes, his facial expressions were utterly calm.
Chapter 365 Version Of Events (2)
"I waited for six months to stabilize a bit of my cultivation base before I went to search for them forpensation and an exnation.
Most of what I owned had been taken. For fear of losing them to the tribtion, I had them stored in the abode, and because I had some faith in their arrays, I thought nothing would happen and they would be safe.
The arrays I had them install should have been able to stop someone at the seventh stage of the core formation realm, and among those arrays, one of them was even a cloaking array meant to hide my abode from the public.
None of them seemed to have worked because 217 yearster some children in the foundation establishment realm managed to get into my abode and abscond with all my items.
They took everything including my legacy art, insights into saber arts, my own collection of different cultivation arts, ingredients and even destroyed the herb garden that I went to great lengths to create..."
Killing intent shed for a brief second when he said this before Tang Qi hurriedly snuffed it out.
The members of the Silver de sect including their sect master trembled when that killing intent shed.
"At the time, I had no idea who had stolen from me, so my first stop was automatically the Mountain Guarding Array Manor.
While I don''t know much about arrays, but thanks to the pce sense I can at least tell if the array was forcibly broken, which it didn''t show any signs of.
What it did show, was signs of an array that had degraded with time, which made no sense to me since I was 270 years early to the time we had set, which was 500 years.
So I went there and confronted them about it. But they denied it, iming my tribtion was the one that destroyed it. It made no sense since those arrays had failed long before I faced my tribtions which happened two and a half years ago.
The disciples of the Silver de sect had already broken into the abode and stolen almost everything, eleven and a half years prior.
Words were exchanged and when they brought out two pce realm experts, I decided to ept my losses and leave..." Tang Qi said with a bitter smile.
When he broke through, he was ecstatic and over the moon, and when he felt the immense power that came with being a pce realm expert and how he could defeat 20 of his peak core formation stage, he was maddened with joy.
He could feel it intrinsically, being in the pce realm had some quality to it that was different to the experience he had when he broke through to the foundation establishment realm andter when he broke through to the core formation realm.I think you should take a look at
While those two stages came with absurd leaps in strength, he still felt ''normal'' like it was within the bounds of what the world found eptable, within reason, like he was grounded in something, but when he broke through to the pce realm, he felt it. He was different, and he couldn''t put his finger on why, but he could feel like he had stepped onto a different stage.
He finally understood why only those who had reached the pce realm were considered true cultivators.
Riding that high, he wanted to do something thatplemented his cheerful mood, which to no surprise was going to his garden and doing some farming based on certain insights he had gotten as he was breaking through. But all he got was an abode that was no different than a ruin, and he had been taken for all he had, even the flooring of some rooms had been dug out.
He couldn''t believe what he saw. Everything he held of value, taken, well except for his saber which was on him as he was going through his tribtion. But everything else, even random dragon statues he thought would look cool in his abode were taken.
He was livid and with his pce realm strength, he was determined to settle ounts with all responsible and the first stop was the Mountain Guarding Array Manor who sold him faulty arrays.
He thought he could overturn the skies with his strength after all he was a pce realm expert now and a saber user with saber intent to boot.
He imagined it, how things would go. Him crippling a few of their members before pping the teeth of their founder with the hilt of his saber and getting what he was owed and then some.
But finding his abode cleaned out wasn''t the only horrible surprise he got. When he blew his top at the headquarters of the Mountain Guarding Array Manor, he finally realized why formation masters were to be feared.
In thirty minutes whatever self-respect he had as a pce realm expert was beaten out of him. Two killing arrays were enough to destroy him and bring some perspective and rity to his life, the kind that someone gets when they are nearing death.
Am I about to die because of some bs and stolen soil? I haven''t even enjoyed the flight of a pce realm expert. This isn''t how things are supposed to go...Right, I''m still at the Iron Shattering Palm sect and the potion''s hallucination effects are about to wear off..Damn it!!
His life was spared at the behest of the owner of the manor Su Ye. Tang Qi high-tailed out of there as fast as he could, afraid that they would attack.
With a dose of humility and caution, he went back to his abode and slowly investigated who robbed him. He was still unreconciled, and some part of him wanted to vent that shame he had just endured on someone and he very much hoped the thieves were weaker than him, had no powerful background, and had no rtion with formation masters.
Lucky for him, the Silver de Sect fit the requirements to a tee.
Chapter 366 Tang Qis Shamelessness
Tang Qi was very tactful and avoided giving the details of the beating he was given when he knocked on the doors of the Mountain Guarding Array Manor.
The moment he was done giving a brief overview of what happened at the end and downying the conclusion of events at the headquarters of the manor, he quickly moved on to the next phase which was his interaction with the Silver de Sect.
"After a few months of leaving the Mountain Guarding Array Manor, i went on with my investigations to find who broke into my abode.
While I didn''t care about most of the things they stole, I did care about my legacy art the Rising tide saber art, and the booklets that had my insights recorded on them.
I was unwilling to ept that someone had stolen them just like that. Those two items are just as valuable as my own life.
It took countless years of blood, sweat, and tears to research and gain insight into the art along with thee numerous insights I continuously derived from it.
It was hard for me to ept that someone could get away with thousands of years of MY EFFORT just like that..." said Tang Qi.
His statement made the group from the Silver de Sect wish the floor below them would just cave in and swallow them whole which would spare them from the situation they were in.
Before their interaction with Tang Qi, they were a sect on the rise and had millions fawning over them within their territory with their sect master having swarms of cultivators from different organizationsing to form a partnership with them because of how much radiance they had been showing in the past decade.
However, all that changed the moment Tang Qi stepped through their doors. It was a downhill from that moment on and now here they were, used of robbery.
"With a little investigation, I finally found traces of the thieves, which led me to the doors of the Silver de Sect.
It wasn''t that hard really.."
When he reached this point Tang Qi threw a cold smile in the direction of sect master Shao Rong.
"The sect over the past decade made a name for themselves using my saber art and insights, along with using whatever resources they stole from me to boost the reputation of their sect and grow its strength.
In just a decade they went from an average tier rank 4 sect to an above average one with fearsome saber skills to boot.
When I heard about them, I wasn''t sure it was them who stole from me. I don''t know if it was out of caution or hubris but when they started using my saber art the name they gave to the outside world wasn''t the Rising Saber art but they called it the Gxy Wave Silver de art which they imed was created by their grand elder when he had a sudden inspiration from seeing shooting stars.
However, as someone who has studied that art for thousands of years, how could I not know its intricacies and qualities?
Even if they stered a different name on it, the moves and the intrinsic qualities were the same as the Rising Saber Art.I think you should take a look at
When I waspletely certain it was my art, I went and confronted their sect about it and sought rpense along with them returning all my items.
However, they had the gall to deny it and said it was their grand elder who created the art by improving on their already existing cultivation art that they have had for over ten thousand years, which was how long they said their sect has existed.
I''m usually a patient person, judge Yang Qing..." Tang Qi said as he looked at Yang Qing with a solemn expression.
Patient, how? And from what Yu Gen told me when you went to the Mountain Guarding Array Manor you didn''t even bother with words. You immediately went on to p the guards at the entrance as you made your way in, bringing chaos and mocking words.
You even had the gall to demand all the treasures of the Mountain Guarding Array Manor forpensation and then redesign your abode with blue-grade formation arrays at their expense.
You were lucky, they only gave you a beating. How could someone be this thick-skinned?
Yang Qing however didn''t call Tang Qi on his pretense since he was indeed the wronged party in this instance, so he nodded along in a perfunctory manner.
Tang Qi who was nervous at first as he made that statement since he knew clearly how things really went and that the Order knew it too, felt an enormous weight of potential embarrassment drop from his shoulder when he saw Yang Qing go along.
With the judge giving me face, I can''t be shameless about thest part and overdo it. I should keep it brief, Thought Tang Qi as he looked to finish his version of events.
"Humans have their bottom line and dragons have their reverse scales. I could tolerate a lot of things but I could not tolerate being called a thief by people who actually stole from me.
So I acted. The best way to prove the art they practiced was really mine was to show it to them, which I did.
I used the Rising Saber Art and attacked when I saw words were not getting anywhere. I''m ashamed to say I let anger get the best of me in that moment and bullied juniors who are young to be my great-grandchildren, but if one steals they should be prepared to ept the consequences of that act.
A few of their elders and grand elders attacked, along with deploying their sect guarding array. I injured about 11 of their elders and destroyed half of their array and a couple of buildings.
However, I can assure you judge, I did not kill any member of their sect.." said Tang Qi.
Tang Qi has always been rather tolerant of others, especially as a rogue cultivator, where they were all on their own and could not afford to draw in enemies left right, and center. His experience at the Iron Shattering Palm sect had an impact too, which made him a little averse to brutalizing those weaker than him.
He was even surprised at the destruction he caused at the Silver de Sect which was out of character for him. On a normal asion, he would have just opted to settle it with the Sect master and used a bit of force to bring him to reason, but on this instance after their first denial, he became irate and immediately attacked.
He couldn''t help but feel the beating he got from the Mountain Guarding Array Manor had some part to do with his reaction.
Chapter 367 Manor Master Su Yes Decision
"Before the situation turned worse, I stopped and gave the sect a month to return everything they had stolen, along with 4,740 high-grade spirit stones which was the value of everything they had stolen and I tacked on 10,000 high-grade stones above it, which was the cost i charged for them using my legacy art and i added 5,000 more for my insights and short notes.
While the art itself is a top-tier orange grade art, it was only when I felt the threshold of the doors of the pce realm opening up, did I realize the art itself is intricacies that put it above the normal top-tier orange grade art. It''s just that I was too ipetent to understand it at the time.
I think it may be an evolving art.." said Tang Qi.
Evolving art was a special type of cultivation art that required a special skill to create. One could think of it as a growing cultivation art where what you saw was limited by your level ofprehension.
A single cultivation art could seem different to someone in the qi refinement, foundation establishment, core formation, pce realm, domain realm, or soul formation realm.
Every time the level of understanding of the cultivator grew so did what they perceived from the cultivation art.
Most long-established and powerful organizations passed down their legacy arts this way. They also used it to sieve out their recruits to find those who were talented and fit to bear the mantle of their organizations.
Creating an evolving art was something that only someone who had an enormous understanding of the dao rted to the art could do, and more often than not such people were at the minimum in thete stages of the domain realm, where they have polished their Dao to the tip and had already started gazing on the universal truths.
This was why every evolving art went for the same price as a top-tier gold-grade art, regardless of whether the art would stop at the core formation realm, pce realm, or domain realm.
Every evolving art was the handiwork of a cultivator who were at the peak of their craft and having one of their evolving arts was like receiving one-on-one guidance from them which made the art very invaluable especially to young cultivators just starting out. It would help themy better and firmer foundations since the knowledge within those arts had little to no gaps.
Sect master Shao Rong had his eyes widen when he heard that the art may be an evolution art. If it was then paying 10,000 high-grade spirit stones would not be enough.
Just a top-tier blue grade art went for 1,000,000 high-grade spirit stones, what about a top-tier gold grade one?
He felt that even liquidating his whole sect would not be enough to cover the cost.
"Why did this happen?!!" he cried internally.
...
"After setting my conditions, I gave them two months to pay it. About three weeks ago, they informed me the matter had been sent to the Order, and here we are.
All I want is to be paid by both the Silver de Sect and the Mountain Guarding Array Manor. The former stole from me, and the price I gave them is more than fair but I''m willing to ept whatever pricing the Order decided is fair in ount of the items they took.
As for the Mountain Guarding Array Manor, I hope they can at least refund me the 670 high-grade spirit stones I spent on the arrays that didn''t even work.I think you should take a look at
But if they don''t want to, I''m willing to concede. Senior Su was kind enough to spare my life and if I had a choice I''d easily forget the debt, but as it stands I have nothing to my name.
I hope for your judgment in this matter, Judge Yang Qing, and whatever the Order decides, I am willing to abide by it." Tang Qi solemnly said as he cupped his fists.
"Thank you very much for your trust, Senior Tang Qi. We will do our utmost to bring this matter to a fair ending.." said Yang Qing as he nodded towards Tang Qi.
"Now then who would like to go next?" Yang Qing said as he looked at the remaining two parties.
"Judge Yang Qing, if I may?" Su Ye, the founder of the Mountain Guarding Array Manor suddenly interjected.
"You can, Owner Su Ye.."
"To save the court on time, Mountain Guarding Array Manor admits guilt of being negligent in our works. After our unfortunate interaction with fellow Daoist Tang Qi, I did go and investigate the arrays in his abode.
The array really did fail and that failure was on our part. My colleague ovepped some of the arrays together to try and amplify the effects of those arrays while also trying to reduce the consumption of the energy of the resources required to fuel those arrays.
While his desire was well-meaning, it ended up jeopardizing the stability of the formations. From the energy left behind, and the clues I could dig up, the arrays seemed like they failed about 130 years ago.
One of the arrays triggered a chain reaction that increased the amount of energy it should normally consume which threw all the other five arrays at an imbnce since they were interconnected and a few of the core materials got destroyed in the process. Without the core materials, the secondary materials could only hold on for a short while before all six of them copsed.
I would like to offer an apology on behalf of my disciple for the slight we cost you and the damages you incurred because of it.."
"Master, please!!!" Meng Bai who was at the back hurriedly moved forward to prevent his master, Su Ye from bowing.
"It was my own carelessness and overestimation of my abilities that led to this, I should be the one to apologize.." he added in desperation when he saw Su Ye showing no signs of stopping.
"Meng''er we made a mistake and betrayed a contract. The Mountain Guarding Array Manor is not one to shrink back and avoid responsibilities.
Fellow Daoist Tang Qi paid for our services because he trusted our Manor but we betrayed that trust. It doesn''t matter if it was your fault or not. As the head, offering an apology is the least I can do considering the risk he was in.
What if the arrays ended up costing him his breakthrough to the pce realm, Meng''er? That failure is no different than crippling him!!" Su Ye firmly said as he performed a deep bow.
Chapter 368 Conclusion Of The First Case (1)
Meng Bai on seeing his master''s actions and the words he had said made him realize the gravity of his actions and what implications it may have had, had things gone very wrong.
Following his master''s actions, he also followed suite and gave a deeper bow as an apology.
"On behalf of the Mountain Guarding Array Manor, I would like to offer our sincerest apologies for our neglect that put you at enormous risk.
We are willing to refund you the 670 high-grade spirit stones and raise it to 10,000 high-grade spirit stones as an apology.
In addition, I promise to personally help youy down three low-tier blue-grade formations of your choosing and provide the core material for one of them.
I would have liked to provide for all, but I have a lot of people to pay and it would put the Manor in a difficult spot. But, if in 10 years you will not have found the core materials, I will provide the materials myself
I sincerely hope this is enough.." said Su Ye.
Everyone in the courtroom was shocked at the statement of Su Ye, especially Tang Qi. He was wide-eyed and in disbelief at what he had just heard.
His asking for the 670 high-grade spirit stones was him just venting for the beating he got. He wasn''t expecting anything in return, especially after the ruckus he had caused at their headquarters.
When the owner let him leave with his life, he already considered them even. It was just that he couldn''t let go of the humiliation he had suffered and had a belly full of petty vengeance, so when Yu Gen came to inform him of the case, he decided to drag the Mountain Guarding Array Manor in and cause problems for them.
It was his way of getting back at them, but now that he had time to cool off, he felt he was rather silly.
"Manor master Su Ye, there is no need for this. I can''t ept the payment. I already owe you for sparing my life after what I did.." Tang Qi hurriedly said.
"No, we failed in our duties as such, this is the bare minimum we should do.." Su Ye firmly said.
"You should ept senior Tang Qi. You doing so gives face to Senior Su Ye and eases his conscience.
As a pce realm cultivator, I''m sure you have realized the mental state affects a great deal in our realm.." Yang Qing said when he saw Tang Qi was about to refuse Su Ye.
Tang Qi''s pupils suddenly constricted and then hurriedly cupped his fists to Yang Qing in gratitude.
"Thank you, Judge Yang Qing.."
"I ept your offer fellow Daoist Su Ye, but on the materials kindly let me source them myself. It''s the least I should do also.." said Tang Qi.
"Okay.." answered Su Ye when he saw the firmness in Tang Qi''s eyes.
"By the way do you do arrays that help in herb farming?" Tang Qi suddenly asked.I think you should take a look at
"We don''t but if it''s what you want, I would be willing to give it a try.."
"No, No, I was just curious.."
"If you want agricultural-based arrays, I could have someone from the Summerfield kingdom assist Senior Su Ye on the matter.
While he may not be a blue-grade formation master yet, his talents in the area are worthy of recognition even by our standards.
I''m sure he would be happy to help, in exchange for help from two pce realm masters.." Yang Qing suddenly said to the two.
The Summerfield Kingdom was the best when it came tobining formation arrays and spiritual herb growth. While Mountain Guarding Array Manor were experienced in arrays that provided protection which happened to be what Summerfield Kingdom needed at the moment, especially with a member of the Dark Helminth Ghost sect already showing up within their territory, the services of the Mountain Guarding Array Manor would be highly weed by them, along with registering good karma with two pce realm experts.
Su Ye and Tang Qi were both seasoned foxes, so they didn''t miss reading between the lines of Yang Qing''s statement. They dly agreed with his suggestion as it was no loss for them.
"Now then, we are only left with the Silver de Sect. Sect master Shao Rong would you please?" Yang Qing said.
Sect Master Shao Rong gulped like he was preparing himself for an execution. While they didn''t mean it, they were the main perpetrators in this.
"Master let me, we were the ones who caused it all," pleadingly said the ck-haireddy with a pretty oval face who among the young group had formed saber qi and was at the peak stage of the foundation establishment.
"Thanks for the concern Fan''er but let your master do this, and despite everything that happened, the sect doesn''t me you. We were the ones who made things reach this far with our own stubbornness.
The other elders think so too.." Sect master Shao Rong said as he gently smiled to cate the worrying ck-haireddy.
"Sorry about that, Judge Yang Qing. The Silver de Sect epts its fault in this matter. About sixteen years ago, my disciple along with the core disciple of our sect were out during a mission when they stumbled onto Senior Tang Qi''s abode.
To them at the time, they thought it was a ruin, and thus decided to try their luck and explore it to see if they could find anything in there.
As young cultivators, we have all experienced that hot-blooded thrill of an adventure and exploring different ces.."
As he made this statement, Tang Qi, Su Ye, and Meng Bai all nodded in agreement. Only Yang Qing was there with a deadpan expression wondering,
Just how old do they think I am? And what''s with the nostalgic looks of missing something dangerous like ruin exploration?
Even if the Order paid me, I wouldn''t go explore one.....well if they gave me more time off and more pay, then ....no, no, no, I Yang Qing have a bottom line!! But...
Chapter 369 Conclusion Of The First Case (2)
"So with great enthusiasm, they went into Senior Tang Qi''s abode thinking it was an abandoned ruin of a long-dead cultivator.
They didn''t detect Senior Tang Qi''s presence, otherwise, they would not have intruded, and with no functional array in ce, they assumed the area had long been abandoned. It was why they willfully grabbed everything in ce and brought them to the sect.
Upon realizing the value of the items they brought back, I sent a few elders to Senior Tang Qi''s abode, to confirm it was really abandoned, and they came back with the same report as them, that they detected no presence, and it didn''t seem like anybody had been there for a while.
We thought it was our lucky break. With the Rising Tides Saber Art and the insights of Senior Tang Qi, we were able to rapidly increase our strengths in a short time span that even one of our grand elders broke through to the quasi-pce stage within that decade.
With our increasing reputation, we decided as a sect it was safer to say the reason for our increase in strength was because our grand elder gained insights into our core art, which helped him break through to the quasi-pce stage.
This way we wouldn''t attract greedy eyes or rumors that we may have some treasure. Other sects have been destroyed for less.
Then a few months ago, Senior Tang Qi showed up. We didn''t believe him at first, well it was more like we did not want to, even if he was telling the truth.
We had already grown so much in power and prestige and we didn''t want to lose it, and we were also a little bit arrogant in our dealing with him.
On behalf of the sect, I would like to apologize to Senior Tang Qi for our conduct and I am willing to ept any punishment the Order deems suitable. My only plea is this, please spare my sect and disciples.." Sect Master Shao Rong humbly said as he bowed towards Yang Qing and then Tang Qi.
"I only want my items returned andpensation for the ones you have already used, that is all.." Tang Qi said as he sighed.
"Is that really okay?" asked sect master Shao Rong in disbelief. When he heard the Rising Tide Saber Art was potentially an evolved art, he had already prepared himself to put up three-quarters of their territory up for sale to be able to get a loan that would be enough to pay for the cost of the art, of which he wasn''t sure if it would even be enough.
But hearing Tang Qi only wanted the original amount which was 10,000 high-grade stones for the art, plus 5,000 high-grade stones for his insights, and 4,740 high-grade stones for the other items they had taken, even though it was still a little bit expensive for them, he felt they were getting off cheap.
"Yes, the amount I requested is okay.." said Tang QI.
"Many thanks, senior Tang Qi," said sect master Shao Rong with clear agitation in his voice. With his trembling shoulders as he bowed it seemed like he was in tears.
The rest of the disciples from the sect all followed suit as they bowed in gratitude and apology toward Tang Qi, who epted.I think you should take a look at
"Good, it''s good that you have alle to an agreement, it makes my job easier. However, there is one thing I would like to add.." said Yang Qing as his gaze fell on both Tang Qin and the group from the Silver de Sect.
"Leaving everything aside, it is undeniable that your sect has benefited greatly from Senior Tang Qi''s cultivation art and his insights.."
"Yes... Yes, we have.." said sect master Shao Rong.
"Regardless of whether he allows you to continue using his art or not, you still owe him for what you have today, and as such on behalf of the Order, I would like to dere that 40% of the profits of your sect will go to him for as long as your sect exists.
What you gained is the same as receiving the personal tutge of a pce realm expert. Your sect has to pay up for it.
While your disciples may have not known, it doesn''t change the fact that you benefited immensely from it and the person in question is very much breathing. It''s the least you owe him.." said Yang Qing.
"We agree to the ruling!!" Sect master Shao Rong immediately said with no hesitation.
Tang Qi was even taken aback by how fast the sect master agreed to it. Aplicated look shed in his eyes before he said,
"You can continue using my cultivation art, Sect Master Shao Rong, but in exchange, I''d like your sect to asionally ept disciples who don''t seem to have much aptitude.
I''m not asking for any special treatment for them, just give them a chance. Also if you can send a few disciples to help me with my farm asionally I wouldn''t mind, if it''s not too much trouble.." said Tang Qi.
"We are willing, senior Tang Qi.." Sect master Shao Rong said as he cupped his fists.
"Okay, thanks."
To Tang Qi, since he didn''t have disciples or a family or have any desires for one, he didn''t mind the Silver de sect training in his legacy art which wasn''t his in the first ce. Rather than let the art die with him, better to let their sect use it and maybe help it reach greater heights, and in exchange, he can get freebor while also preventing another tragedy like his with the Iron Shattering Palm sect from happening to another person.
"Thank you all for your cooperation and with my authority as a judge of the Order in charge of this case, I would like to dere the case of Tang Qi against the Silver de Sect and the Mountain Guarding Array Manor, closed," Yang Qing said as he brought his gavel down.
Chapter 370 Ruin Exploration Article
"Seems like you''re easing into your new role rather well..." Yu Gen teased at the side.
"It''s only because those involved were upstanding and the details you dug up were sufficient to reach a conclusion quickly.
Thank you for your help..."
Yang Qing was grateful to the two inquisitors for their in-depth investigations but the character of the three parties in the case also helped.
Had the Mountain Guarding Array Manor insisted that they had been ndered by Tang Qi, Yang Qing would have had to bring in three independent formation array masters of good repute to give their own opinions on the arrays at Tang Qi''s abode.
Each master giving their own exnation would have taken at least half an hour each. Who knows, maybe he may have ended up with a rather talkative formation master who would veer off-topic and even delve into the history of those arrays like some instructors he had met at the Institute. Something that should have taken a few minutes to exin would turn into a full-day lecture.
The Manor Master Su Ye epting their fault in the matter, removed the need to involve those formation array masters. Though Yang Qing felt pained since he would still have to pay them regardless of whether they testified or not since they had already investigated the Tang Qi''s abode and the results were more or less the same as what Manor Master Su Ye had said.
Handling the Silver de sect was the easiest part since the evidence that put them in the wrong was already as clear as day and for them, there was already more than one evidence that nailed them to the coffin.
There was the saber qi present in the sect master Shao Rong and his disciple. The saber qi had the same quality as Tang Qi which proved their cultivation arts had the same origins.
The next piece of evidence was the contract between Tang Qi and the Mountain Guarding Array Manor that had the date the contract was established, written on it.
There was a universal guideline established when it came to the exploration of ruins which was unanimously agreed by three-quarters of the organizations that supported the founding of the Order.
The guideline was an Article called the Ruin Exploration article which was established as a preventive measure for the exact same thing that happened to Tang Qi.
Cultivators would go into seclusion for long periods of time and sometimes it may go beyond the nned timeline.
For example, a pce realm cultivator in the middle stages had a lifespan of 20,000 years. When such a cultivator went into seclusion, it could go from a few hundred years to a few thousand years, and within that timeframe, a lot could change one of which was the withering of their arrays or guarding treasures suddenly malfunctioning within such a period of time. And if the cultivator is in deep seclusion they may not realize their abode is exposed and with the withering of time, the abode may end up being mistaken for the ruins of a lost organization.
Therefore a stiption was ced. There was a 5,000-year time limit ced in ruin exploration. A party could rightfully keep the gains of a ce if the ce in question looks to have been abandoned for more than five thousand years.
However if before five thousand years, the rightful owner is proven to be alive and well, or their descendant or legacy inheritor, they are to bepensated everything that was taken along with additional charges depending on how what they took altered their growth. The more monumental the change, therger the charges imposed.
Other than cultivators going into seclusion, there were those who would go to explore mysterious realms or other ces and would not be around for years, only to find their abodes or establishments have been ransacked and treated as ruins that were free for all to explore.
A lot of small-scale andrge-scale battles appeared because of it which prompted the article to be established.
Among the major cases that prompted the establishment of the article was where an elder of a rank 3 sect who was in the pce realm ended up stumbling across an abode of a domain expert who was a high elder of a rank 2 n.
That domain expert liked exploring the continent and would constantly move from ce to ce which left her little time to return to her n headquarters, so she had the habit of building abodes that were spread about all around the continent.
As a result, she has over a thousand abodes spread about the continent, and each of those abodes is filled with various treasures she collects in her travels.
It just so happened that one of her abodes, by some twist of fate had its defenses weakened when a few cultivators fought a few thousand kilometers from where her abode was.
For the shockwaves to reach that far, it is assumed the cultivators were at the very least in the domain realm, but many who studied the events that happened after felt the cultivators were at least in the peak stages of the domain realm because the after-effects of their fight were sufficient to cause cracks in a top tier blue grade formation at the abode just from fighting over a thousand kilometers away.I think you should take a look at
Over a thousand yearster the formation guarding her abode had weakened greatly, and since she was always moving about and had thousands of abodes spread about, that w in her formation was never fixed and the pce realm sect elderwas drawn to her abode due to the leaking energy of some of her treasures.
When he arrived at the site and saw the degrading blue-grade formation, he instantly assumed that the ce was likely some abandoned abode of a long-forgotten organization.
It had all the telltale signs of one. There was no one in there, and it didn''t look like anyone had lived there for years. It had a degraded top-tier blue grade formation which he assumed had degraded due to time, and the owner was likely dead since there was no way they would leave the ce unattended especially not with the top-tier monarch grade treasures he had felt from within it.
With a heavy sense of responsibility to not leave the treasures without an owner, he decided to do the selfless thing and take them under his care.
So with great effort he broke through the degraded top tier blue grade formation array guarding the ce and made away with all the items in there.
He left with a lot of valuable items from the abode. There were monarch-grade herbs, and other natural treasures, a few nes and artworks in the monarch grade that the domain n elder had made along with several blue-grade cultivation arts and maps and journals that detailed the domain expert''s experience within certain mysterious realms that were in the area.
That elder did the sensible thing he could do after getting the items which was to use them to make himself stronger first. Before he explored the ''ruin'' he had been at the third stage of the pce realm but after he used a few of the treasures from the abode his strength experienced a massive jump.
In fifteen years, his strength leaped to the sixth stage of the pce realm, and was just inches away from breaking through to the seventh stage and bing ate-stage pce realm expert.
With his newfound strength, he made his way back to his sect and reasonably asked the sect master who was at the fourth stage of the pce realm to retire, which resulted in the sect master getting crippled after the discussion and a few of his supporters mysteriously disappearing over the next few years.
That elder became the next sect master. With his power as sect master, he mobilized the strength of the sect and explored the few ruins listed in the journal of the domain expert. Even though they didn''t find extremely valuable resources, they still found enough to catapult their sect into a major hegemon in their area, and in thirty years the number of pce realm experts within their ranks had increased from 11 to 34 and the sect master was already a ninth stage pce realm expert.
However all that changed a few yearster when that domain expert realized one of her abodes had been robbed and with the skills of a domain realm cultivator, it wasn''t hard for her to track those items to the doors of that sect.
The domain expert on reaching that sect was pretty reasonable with her demands and didn''t kill them outright. She just casually destroyed their sect guarding array and casually disyed the prestige of a domain expert by crippling the cultivation base of a few(14) pce realm experts of the sect before she gave her demands, which waspensation on the items taken and she would forget the matter.
She seemed to have a merchant''s background because she tabted the owed amount to thest spirit stone whose amount would have left the sect in the hole for 10,000 years but at least they''d get to exist.
She gave them half an year toe up with the amount, in addition, she had also put forth a special arrangement in the deal where they''d get to be her assistants in the exploration of various mysterious realms and grottos she had information on.
On the surface, that sect seemed to agree with her demands, but there was no way a sect that had just tasted the heights of power and with a sect master who had murdered another sect master for that position just agree like that. So they did what they thought was the best solution which was to hire assassins to hunt that domain expert and pay them a third of the amount she asked for.
In addition, they also leaked that the expert had a few treasure maps that led to ancient legacies for good measure, so that the organization would be sufficiently motivated, and gave up copies of some of the journals they had stolen from her abode as proof.
What they didn''t know was that they had kicked a ho''s nest. The domain expert was a member of a long-established rank 1 n, and even without them, the woman herself was powerful by her lonesome as a sword domain user, and she also had numerous connections, especially with the merchant and auction houses due to her reputation as a treasure hunter, so it wasn''t hard for her to find out what that sect had done using their informationwork.
That sect along with the assassin organizations they hired disappeared overnight.
Other than them, numerous other organizations have fallen due to the exact same reason minus a few details. They end up stumbling in some area they assume to be abandoned or sometimes they conveniently ignore clues that it may not be abandoned due to cultivators'' greed, and they end up inviting cmity upon themselves.
To deal with this issue, the ruin exploration article was established, which was meant to deter exploration without due diligence but also to avoid total annihtion by having the Order step in and act as a mediator between the two parties just like what the Silver de Sect had done.
They knew they were in the wrong and were the weaker party, so their only path of survival was to involve the Order in the process. Even if they may end up paying through the arm in reparations, at least the sect would be intact in the end.
Chapter 371 Message From The Yellow Plains County
"I''ll settle the matter of the Silver de sect with the reviewmittee on my way out..
Oh, and the branch chief of the Yellow ins county said you should pay her what you owe."
Yang Qing who had been secretly grinning to himself about how he had a nice start in the pce courts and may actually finish his cases for the day before lunch reached, flinched at Yu Gen''s statement.
He remembered throwing the mess with the Scion of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion on herp when he was doing his evaluations.
In exchange for her temporarily grabbing hold of his mess, he promised a few treasures.
With the examination schedule and how long it run, he had forgotten all about it.
"Did she say anything else?" Yang Qing cautiously asked.
He hoped the Yellow ins county branch chief was not cut from the same cloth as Assistant Director Jun Pei of the internal logistics division, who would tack on blood-draining fines by the second with a kind smile on her face.
"She did manage to dig up a few things on your behalf, so she hopes you show additional appreciationter.
Most of the information she dug up concerns Lin Duyi himself and some of the things he has done within the Red Maple Empire and other affiliate regions associated with the Golden Bamboo Pavillion.
She has released the previous emperor Duan Hou since it seems he had no part in the matters concerning Lin Duyi, though he may have known and chose to turn a blind eye to it, which we can''t necessarily convict him for, so she decided to let him go, but the other person you sent along with them, Yao De, the branch head of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion stationed in Red Maple Empire, was found culpable and had direct involvement in all of the cover-ups within Red Maple Empire.
She sent the results of the investigations along with both of them. I have the case files with me, which I want to follow up on after this. I think in the next day or so, we should have everything we need to charge them and bring them before court.
Also, she did manage to dig up a few things about some of the aristocratic families within the Red Maple Empire, especially the Mo family. They seem to be in bed with the blood-fiend group known as the Grim Scavengers.
The Grim Scavengers have been active in the area, especially on the border between the Red Maple Empire and the Five Clover Sect.
At the moment it''s unknown if the royal family and the other families are in bed with them, but she feels it''s less likely for the royal family to take that risk, and as far as the Mo family goes, she has met with their patriarch a few times. And while he is ambitious, he is not reckless enough to get in bed with blood-fiend cultivators. It''s unlikely he knows of the involvement of some of his family members with the Grim Scavengers.
She is investigating how widespread tentacles of the Grim Scavengers have spread within the Red Maple Empire and the parties involved. Because of personal reasons, she will handle the Grim Scavengers, but the families in bed with them, she will leave them up to you.."
"Personal reasons? " muttered Yang Qing in wonder.
"Senior Yu Gen do you know about the Grim Scavengers?"
There were too many fiendish organizations within the Southern Continent for Yang Qing to keep track of. The ones he knew off were those who had a certain level of renown and infamy around the continent or ones the Order had direct confrontation with such as the Dark Helminth Ghost sect.
He had nned to brush up his knowledge on a few more of them, especially with him being assigned an intelligencework. Having knowledge of dark organizations around the continent could help him in ensuring the survivability of the members of hiswork.
"The little I know about them is they are fairly new and very ambitious. It''s rumored that they have a domain expert supporting them who was a former deacon of the Crimson Tide.
I don''t know if that''s true or maybe just some propaganda to gain more members but what I can confirm is they have some ability to them seeing how they have been able to escape senior Jin Niu''s traps while causing a bit of disturbance on both the Red Maple Empire and the Five Clover Kingdom.I think you should take a look at
It''s because of them that Senior Jin Niu was sent there in the first ce. Over the past 50 years, she has been rooting them out, and about a decade ago one of the inquisitors under her fell into one of the traps set by them and ended up with a corrupted body and qi due to the ghost sarcophagus blood poison used on him by a senior member of the Grim Scavengers.
The inquisitor in question is alive, but he had to have his body destroyed and cultivation dissipated to be healedpletely..."
Yu Gen and Yang Qing sighed simultaneously.
Destroying a body was easy, but reforming one was aplicated process and would require astronomical resources. Then came the period of familiarizing yourself with the body, and then retraining from the beginning.
All the progress one made in their cultivation would be gone just like that, and one would have to start over from scratch. Reforming a body would take a decade at least, retaining to align yourself with the body would take another five years before they can start cultivating again.
"What stage had they reached?"
"Ninth stage of the core formation realm but losing the physique is the regrettable part. He had the Spring Twilight physique which made him highly coveted by the Medicine Valley due to its purification and rejuvination nature.
He had been sent to the Yellow ins County branch to help with miasma build-up there from corpse poison, and it was also part of hisbat training before he finally settled in the Medicine Valley.
Sadly just two years before he was due back, that happened..."
A short somber silence ensued. While a body could be restored, natural physiques couldn''t. What he''d get was just a stronger-than-normal body because of the materials used in reforming his body, but when it came to the Spring Twilight physique, that was gone forever.
Yang Qing could now understand why the branch chief had taken the matter of the Grim Scavengers personally. With such a loss, as the head of the ce, she felt responsible for what happened to that Order employee.
The cultivator''s journey may have potentially been ended. Even if their body got restored, and their cultivation base too, there was also the mental aspect of it. Losing something intrinsic to you such as your natural physique had a cost to it.
He couldn''t help but wonder about his peerless jade physique. If circumstances were to force him to lose his body, would he be able to recultivate again and acquire another peerless jade physique, or does anyone only have one shot at it, and if by some luck he seded would he end up with the Yin Yang jade bones or would it be something else.
Yang Qing sighed as he decided to abandon those ominous thoughts.
Yu Gen left momentster and in came Xia Ting with the parties involved in the next case.
At the lead was a middle-aged man with short, wellbed ck hair and had amber eyes and a small moustache, and white robes with the emblem of a te that had a golden duck on it. He was a second-stage pce realm expert.
Thest person was a youngdy who looked to be in herte twenties. She had curly pink cherry blossom hair tied at the top with butterfly clips. She had chubby rosy cheeks which added a sense of vibrancy and liveliness to her/ Her eyes were round and limpid and she wore light blue robes that had white flower embroidery around at the corner of the sleeves.
Though her robes looked beautiful and new, when it came to quality as per Yang Qing''s estimation it couldn''t have cost more than 100 low-grade spirit stones. The materials and the arrays on the robe were at most mid-tier earth-grade materials.
While the arrays inscribed on the robes at the bottom of the barrel too. The defensive array could at most block two or three attacks from a middle-stage foundation establishment realm cultivator before they broke.
The arrays may as well not be there since thedy in pink hair was in the sixth stage of the core formation realm. She could sleep soundly and a middle-stage foundation establishment cultivator could punch her or hack her with an earth-grade sword and she wouldn''t feel a thing.
"Maybe she bought it for the design.." thought Yang Qing as he prepared himself for the start of the case.
Chapter 372 Poisoned By Food (1)
Once Xia Ting had led the two parties to their respective positions, she nodded toward Yang Qing and stepped back.
"Hello to both of you, my name is Yang Qing and I will be the judge in charge of this case. As my colleague may have already told you, the moment you stepped through the doors of this courtroom you are both subjects under the regtions of the Order.
Whatever conclusion and verdict wee to, are to be followed to the letter.." Yang Qing sternly said to which the two parties both nodded in acknowledgement.
"Good. Since you have entrusted us with the duty of bringing this matter to a just resolution we will do everything within our means to ensure just that.
Owner Bai Zhou, your restaurant, the Golden Duck tter stands used by Daoist Li Shu of selling her dishes that were dosed with alchemical pills.
As per her statement, she has been a regr member of your establishment for the past twenty eight years and has rarely missed a day without having a meal there.
About three years ago she started experiencing slight difficulties circting her qi using her qi cirction art. The issues started growing from there. Her qi flow became sluggish and erratic, and some of her meridians appeared to have weakened and others appeared to have been blocked.
Thister tranted to her skin, where green and purple patches started appearing on different parts of her body. When she consulted a medical practitioner she was diagnosed with Spiritual qi imbnce and meridian blockage as a result of pill poisoning.
As per her statement, she doesn''t use pills for cultivation other than the asional pill for healing injuries and the like, so as per her there is only one ce she could have gotten pill poisoning from, which is from the foods from your establishment.
Those are the charges filed against you and your restaurant, Owner Bai Zhou.
You will both take turns, to exin your side of things. Be as clear and direct as you can, and leave no information out that you may think may be relevant to the case.
After hearing both testimonies, there will be independent alchemists and medical practitioners brought forth for the purposes of the cases, to help provide more information that will help shed more light into the situation and offer a resolution that both of you can ept.
Now then, I think as the user, we will start with you, Daoist Li Shu..." said Yang Qing as he motioned to the pink-haired core formation expert to start.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Judge Yang Qing. My name is Li Shu and I''m a guest elder of the Shao n which is a rank 4 n, though because of this incident, I''m no longer considered one of their members.
I guess I''m an independent cultivator now..." she said as she smiled ruefully.
Even though she tried to hide it with satire and humor, Yang Qing could detect the bitterness and disappointment in her tone.
Based on her words, it wasn''t hard to guess that the Shao n had more than likely cut ties with her when she decided to go against the Golden Duck tter that was owned by a pce realm cultivator.
The Shao n most likely thought to themself they couldn''t afford to offend a pce realm cultivator, especially not for an outsider like Li Shu who was only a guest elder.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel it was a pity. Li Shu was only 180 years old and she was already a sixth stage core formation expert. Though her qi flow was still unstable due to pill poisoning, from a scan Yang Qing could tell she had a quasi blue grade core.
With such a talent, any rank 3 organization would be quick to scoop her up and give her favorable conditions even rank 2 organizations would ept, though not as a guest elder, but she still had the qualifications to pass through their doors as a normal disciple.
From the information he was given, the person with the highest cultivation in the Shao n was a supreme elder who was at the eighth stage of core formation, however as per the report, he seemed to only have less than 100 years left in his lifespan.
The next Shao n family member to follow him was the current n leader who was at the sixth stage of the core formation realm same as Li Shu, though he was not as young. As per the record, he was already above 1,000 years old.
Other than him, there were only six other members of the Shao n who were in the core formation realm, and all were in the early stages and none showed as much talent as Li Shu. An outsider would be baffled why Li Shu was even in such a n as a guest elder. I think you should take a look at
Yang Qing asked himself the same question too, before he learnt that when she was in the early stages of core formation realm, one of their n elders had helped her when she was injured. The elder in question was a peak foundation establishment member who was an alchemist. He helped her with her injuries and Li Shu out of a sense of responsibility offered her services to the n as a guest elder.
The Shao n was all too d to agree since they would be gaining the services of a first-stage core formation expert, and a young one at that. Under normal circumstances, it would have been hard for them to invite someone of her talent, not with the foundations they had.
With her help, they managed to stabilize their footing in Silent Willow County, which was a free-for-all all county under the rule of the Jadebrook Kingdom, a rank 4 kingdom that was top tier among rank 4 organizations.
The royal family had over a hundred core formation experts and about 11 quasi pce realm experts but funny enough never a pce realm expert. Rumor had it, the reason there was no pce realm expert in the kingdom was because they had displeased a powerful cultivator, and from that moment forth every pce realm cultivator toe out of the royal family would die through inexplicable means.
So no one from the royal family dared to break through to the pce realm, and because they wanted to keep hold of their kingdom as the prime rulers, they also restricted the aristocratic families under them by allowing other organizations to freely establish within their territories so they couldpete for resources.
Silent Willow County was one of the territories that had an open door policy where all organizations could mix in there, and the Shao n was but one of the cultivation ns established there and Golden Duck tter had also opened a major branch within that county.
To survive in such a ce Li Shu''s help came in handy and she continued to do so even when the elder who had helped died due to old age. She still continued supporting the Shao n to help them establish a foothold in Silent Willow County.
But when she got pill poisoning and her case with Golden Duck tter escted, it seemed that they cut their ties with her.
From what he read, even when it came to the medical cost, they offered the bare minimum which couldn''t cover the whole cost which was why she resorted to bringing the Golden Duck ter to court to try and getpensation or her cultivation journey ahead would be halted.
Pill poisoning was just as dangerous as hidden injuries when it came to hindering the journey of a cultivator.
The more time passed by without it being removed, it would affect the qi flow, seep into the meridians and internal organs as it slowly corroded the body of the cultivator adding more side effects with every corrosion.
The more it stayed in the cultivator''s body, the greater the danger, because you never know what otherponent of the world would react with the pills umted in your body which may result in an almost irreversible damage to the cultivator such as permanently damaging the body''s foundation.
Pill poisoning sufficient to affect a sixth-stage core formation expert requires the services of a blue-grade medical practitioner or alchemist to ensure itsplete removal and recovery, and gaining the services of one isn''t cheap either.
It was why Li Shu more than likely didn''t hesitate to file her charges even at the risk of offending a pce realm expert, and whatever bacsh that maye from it. She had the fate of her cultivation journey on one hand, and making an enemy of a pce realm expert on the other, and a n holding a knife in her back.
Even though Yang Qing was meant to be impartial, he couldn''t help but sympathize with her plight.
...
Li Shu quickly recollected herself and continued.
"I''m not skilled in many things other than using the spear and eating. Though if I''m honest I love thetter more than the former..."
When she said this a gluttonous glint shed in her eyes, and at the same time Yang Qing had the same look sh in his eyes as his mind wondered what to eat for Lunch.
"He''s like me."
"She''s like me."
At that moment, they could both sense each other''s gluttonous spirits.
Chapter 373 Poisoned By Food (2)
However, they both decided to push the matter of being kindred spirits to the side, to focus on the matter at hand.
"When I joined the Shao family is when I discovered the Golden Duck tter restaurant, which had already established itself as one of the prime locations within Silent Willow County.
It had garnered the love of all the residents of the county from all walks of life and the reputations they had made for themselves was high, even higher than the royal family of the Jadebrook kingdom.
Even though their prices are a bit high, they offer quality meals that would attract those who enjoy good-tasting food or those who would want to use it as a source of cultivation resources.
The ingredients used are all high quality, and the chefs who make them are the best at what they do.
In all my years of frequenting different establishments, few can match the meals served at their restaurant, so when I discovered how good they were, I was over the moon about it.
When I wasn''t cultivating or practicing my spear skills, I would spend all my time at the restaurant sampling different dishes.
Without me knowing, I''ve spent twenty-eight years there inplete bliss. However, about thirteen years ago, I began to notice slight changes to my body."
Li Shu, whose mood was light and brimming with excitement and life, mellowed down, as he stared at her palms.
"My fingertips started growing numb at different times, mostly at night. I''d feel short stinging pains that came and went away.
When it started, I thought nothing of it and assumed it was brought about by me being overenthusiastic in spear training regimen.
But then, the symptoms slowly progressed over the years and it wasn''t just numb fingertips anymore.
My muscles started stiffening, then my body temperatures kept rising at certain times especially when there was a strong wind, I''d feel like the wind was fanning mes on my skin. After the sudden surge in body temperature, then came sudden bouts of dizziness, and then finally my qi started getting affected.
Every time I''d try toplete a cirction, it would turn sluggish, or suddenly turn berserk which resulted in a few minor injuries to my meridians.
Thenter it wasn''t only my qi that got affected, I could feel my whole body was different. It was heavier, and when I scanned my body with my spiritual sense, I noticed foreign substances in there, which no matter how many times I tried to expel them, clinged to every part of me, whether it was my qi, meridians, blood, blood vessels and internal organs.
The only ce it had not invaded yet was my dantian and mental sea."
Li Shu showed visible fright as she said this with a trembling voice.
"At the time I thought I was poisoned, so I went and consulted some of the alchemists of the Shao n.
They did all sorts of tests on me, along with giving me a few potions to try out, but none of what they gave or suggested seemed to work, and they too were stumped on what affected me.I think you should take a look at
Seeing that they seemed to struggle with identifying what was wrong with me, I decided to pay a visit to a friend of myte benefactor..."
A look of sadness shed in her eyes. Yang Qing knew the benefactor she was talking about was the Shao n elder who had once helped her when she was injured and then passed of old age a few years after taking her in the Shao family.
"The alchemist''s name is Pan Xin and my benefactor Senior Shao Qing thought very highly of him, to the point he attributed, that all he knew was because of Alchemist Pan Xin.
Senior Shao Qing though had a poor talent in cultivation, when it came to alchemy and relevant knowledge, there was no one in the whole Shao n who could best him. And seeing how he managed to nurse me to health despite my injuries, I assumed anyone he sang this much praise for was bound to be a gifted alchemist.
Despite the costs I knew woulde with consulting an experienced alchemist, I decided to seek him out. Which wasn''t hard because he was the vice pce master of the Blue River Cauldron Pavilion, a rank 4 alchemy organization located in the next county over called the Snow Plume County.
Thanks to my being acquainted with benefactor Shao Qing, he agreed to see me at half the cost. After conducting several tests, he came to the conclusion that I had suffered pill poisoning due to overconsumption of potions and pills.
I remembered how stupefied I was when he told me that. It made no sense. Believing I was poisoned made so much sense than me having pill poisoning..."
Li Shu''s facial expressions showed even now, she still had qualms with the diagnosis she was given.
"Ever since I was small, I haven''t been using pills except for the asional injury. Even when it came to fasting pills, I haven''t consumed more than 100 in my whole life.
It doesn''t make any sense how I''d end up with pill poisoning. I don''t consume pills, and I don''t craft pills and potions either, where I''d get it via contact poisoning.
But even then, as a core formation expert more so one who works in refining her body due to my cultivation art, I''d like to think I have a firm control and understanding of my own body''s senses.
This was why I was surprised when senior Pan Xin told me that it looked like I had built up the poison over ten years.
How could that have happened without me noticing anything over all those years?
Despite my disbelief, all I could do was ept it," Li Shu said with an exasperated sigh escaping from her lips.
"Senior Pan Xin was kind enough to exin the symptoms to me, which though hard to ept, I finally came to terms with.
But then came the question, where did I get pill poisoning from? Like I said I barely consume any during my cultivation. Even when it came to the resources provided by the Shao family, i only epted spirit stones, and a few herbs here and there as my monthly quota as their guest elder.
Even though they are not here, and want no involvement in the case, the elder in charge of logistics can attest to that much at least.." said Li Shu.
Chapter 374 Three Options
"Then if I didn''t get from the Shao family, there was only one other ce that I frequented as much as my abode, and that is the Golden Duck tter Restaurant.
It was the only ce that made sense that I could have gotten the pill poisoning from. I didn''t want to believe it at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the likeliest of suspects.
At first, after the diagnosis, while I did feel some bit of anger and ill will toward them when I thought they may be the ones responsible for pill poisoning in my body, I had no intention of pursuing the matter further.
With senior Pan Xin already certain I was suffering from pill poisoning, I thought I''d get healed, and after that, I''d find somece else to eat or if I still wanted to have my meals at the Golden Duck tter restaurant, I''d be careful with the dishes i ordered.
I felt it would be a pity topletely stop eating there..."
Yang Qing was shocked to see the regret Lu Shi showed for not getting to eat at the Golden Duck tter restaurant was much more than the look she had as she mentioned her abandonment by the Shao family.
If she has no ce to go, I think she''d fit perfectly in the White Baobab Kingdom, mused Yang Qing.
"However whatever intentions I had went to a halt whenplications arose in my treatment.
Despite the skills that Senior Pan Xin had as a top-tier orange-grade alchemist and even having the strength of a fifth-stage core formation expert, he still struggled to get rid of the pill poison that had built up in my body.
He used every means at his disposal to remove it, but no matter how much he tried, the pill poison seemed like it hadtched itself tightly to my body.
He worked tirelessly for a month, even at the expense of expending his spiritual essence, but he only managed to deal with a third of it.
He even went to the extent of consulting with their pce master who was just at the edge of bing a blue-grade alchemist, but even with her intervention they only managed to get remove half of it, and even then it came with considerable risk since it seemed like the my contaminated qi could transfer the pill poison to them, over long durations of interactions of our qi during the treatment n.
Once it seemed like it would be impossible topletely get rid of the poison, and I wasn''t willing to risk their lives, I decided it was better to search for an alternative solution.
The pce master of the Blue River Cauldron Pavillion was kind enough to give me three options.I think you should take a look at
One of them was to hire the services of the blue-grade alchemist and have them purge the poison for me, if i could not find a blue-grade alchemist then a pce realm cultivator would do, especially, one skilled with the wood or water attribute since they would be able to purge the poisonpletely through using the overbearing qi of a pce realm cultivator and with their enhanced spiritual sense, they could easily track it and ensure not a single of the pill poison remains.
As for the final option, it was to consume the morning lily heartseed..."
"With my current means and station, how could I possibly afford any of those means.." she said with a pitiful smile.
Who were blue-grade alchemists? These were alchemists who could refine a potion or pill that could be used by pce realm experts, and for a pill to be considered usable by a pce realm expert, it had to trigger a tribtion upon itspletion and survive that tribtion.
Such a pill was no different than a natural Dao treasure. Such pills could be considered as pilfering nature''s fortune and blue grade alchemists were those who could steal from nature and imbue that force to their pills.
This was the reason why four in every one hundred thousand orange grade alchemists could sessfully be a blue grade alchemist.
Their numbers were always in short supply and in high demand. Li Shu with whatever amount she got as a guest elder of the Shao n was hardly sufficient to hire their services, even if she saved for a decade, and since she only got her quota in spirit stones mostly, it was even harder.
Just because you had the spirit stones, didn''t automatically trante to gaining the services of a blue grade alchemist. Their services were always in high demand and to gain their attention, wealth was but the least factor. You had to have sufficient reputation, connection, or power to gain their help.
Pan Xin had agreed to see her on ount of his rtionship with Shao Qing but he went above his way because of her potential and cultivation as a sixth stage core formation expert at such a young age.
With his skills as an alchemist, and a seasoned one at that, it wasn''t difficult for him to guess Li Shu''s young age for a core formation expert, which prompted him to do everything in his power even to the extent of involving the Blue Cauldron pce master. All this was for the sake of sowing good fortune and a rtionship with Li Shu who had the potential to reach the pce realm someday.
Having the friendship of a pce realm expert, was the same as having a monarch-grade treasure in your hand. This was why both he and the pce master went out of their way to help her, even at the risk of having their qi infected.
However, when it came to the three options she didn''t have such a standing. A blue-grade alchemist would not give her the time of day so easily, even her potential would be insufficient to move them, even if the alchemist was in the core formation realm as her, they would not show her any concern because every blue-grade alchemist was always guaranteed to reach the pce realm, if they were not one already.
Chapter 375 [Bonus ]Fulfilling The Two Conditions
As long as they remained alive, their reaching the pce realm was as sure as the sun rising and setting.
When it came to the second option, while of the three it could be considered the easiest, Li Shu didn''t know any pce realm expert, and she didn''t even know how she could begin hiring one.
The only feasible way she coulde into contact with one was if she joined a rank 3 organization, and gained their help after bing a member, but even then, she would need to prove herself before they stepped forward to help her or they could use her condition as a leash to keep her in tow.
Besides some part of her would have felt guilty of leaving the Shao n even after they in not so subtle terms left her to deal with her affairs alone, creating a wide berth between them and Li Shu as they could.
While she was disappointed in their behavior, she didn''t fault them for it. At the Shao n, she never did anything. She was never assigned any tasks, and the resources she was given were only slightly lower than what the n leader got. All the Shao n wanted was her presence as a middle-stage core formation expert.
The arrangement suited her perfectly since she was unskilled in anything else other than fighting. Still, she felt guilty as she always felt like she was a free loader and she always felt like she owed them a lot especially with Shao Qing saving her life by healing her injuries. It was why despite having opportunities to leave for better organizations who would offer much better terms than the Shao n, she opted to remain with them to repay her favor.
But now, while she didn''t me for choosing the well-being of the family and it was understandable even, she felt it would be better to part ways after the trial. Though she had decided she would help them down the line, should a need ever arise, but she wouldn''t do it for free and would put them through the wringer before agreeing to help them.
When she thought of other alternatives of gaining the services of a pce realm expert, that thought led her to Golden Duck tter restaurant which was owned by a pce realm expert and was the one who had caused her pill poisoning. It was only fitting that they be the ones to solve it, so she went to them and told them of her condition and suspicions.
They rejected her ims right off the bat iming she was ndering their restaurant, especially with no other customers exhibiting the same symptoms. One of their managers who was ate-stage core formation expert, even threw in some veiled threats of involving the royal family should she continue with her ims.
She could only shrink back after that and figure out another way forward which led her to file aint with the Order.
She didn''t entertain the third option since it was the hardest option of the three. The morning lily heartseed could be considered to be a low-tier monarch-grade spiritual material. It had the effects of cleansing the body of anyone who consumes it, it had an especially good effect towards ailments associated with pill poisoning.I think you should take a look at
However, the problemy in acquiring it. The morning lily only grew in an area that had the perfect yin yang bnce and the spiritual qi in the area had to be gentle in nature. Very few areas met that criterion. The heartseed that formed, grew having the gentle yin yang bnce.
Only one in a hundred, morning lilies could form one, and harvesting the seed had extremely stringent requirements. For one to sessfully harvest it, they either required a treasure of the Yin Yang attribute, or have the Yin Yang attribute themselves, or had a wood physique and wood qi that was gentle in nature.
If one didn''t meet the aforementioned requirements, and they tried to harvest the heartseed, it would dissolve in their hands upon contact.
To Li Shu, finding the location where morning lilies grew was hard enough, let alone the odds of finding one that had formed a heartseed. Then came the difficulty of finding someone who met those requirements. Anyone with the needed physique was bound to be a notable figure, which meant finding them was just as hard as gaining the services of a blue-grade alchemist who more often than not were the ones who predominantly had wood-based physiques.
As for a yin yang treasure, she has never seen one let alone hear about one. Therefore as much as it frightened her to confront the Golden Duck tter restaurant which had a considerable reputation not only within Silent Willow County, but the Jadebrook kingdom as a whole, and with a pce realm expert at the helm to boot, she resolved herself to do it since her life and fate as a cultivator was in jeopardy and this was the only viable option she had. Plus she was certain they were the ones responsible despite being the only one who seemed to have shown symptoms of pill poisoning.
Therefore she could only get them to pay for her treatment by using the Order''s might and then disappear for parts unknown to avoid the ire of the owner of the Golden Duck restaurant.
Disappearances and idents have been known to happen to those who filed cases against stronger parties. Even though the Order would retaliate upon discovery, Li Shu didn''t want to risk it. By the time the Order acted, it would mean she would be dead already or worse. It was safer to disappear immediately after the case. She even had half a mind to ask the Order for their help in the matter.
The irony was, with hering to the Order she had managed to find someone who fulfilled two of the options she needed to remedy herself which was a pce realm expert who happened to have a Yin Yang-based physique, as for whether that person had morning lily heartseeds, it was up in the air.
But the seeds other than their purification ability, they were known for their heavenly vor. If they were graded in terms of taste, one would grade them as ascendant grade, in terms of vor.
Chapter 376 Bai Zou
"This is why I am now here. With the means at my disposal, I can''t afford any of the three options the Blue River Cauldron offered.
I am sure I got the pill poisoning from the Golden Duck tter Restaurant. I''m not looking for a payout or anything, If there were any other options, I would rather choose them than escte the matter to this point, but there isn''t.."
One could hear the desperation and turmoil in her voice, and the distress the whole ordeal had caused her.
"My plea to the court is for a fair judgment so I can have my pill poisoning treated. That is all. Thank you for the opportunity..." Li Shu cupped her fist and stepped back.
"Thank you Miss Li Shu for your apt exnation. Owner Bai Zhou, the floor is now yours," said Yang Qing as he motioned for the middle-aged man with short hair and white robes and an emblem of a roasted golden duck sown on his robes.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Judge Yang Qing. I would like to be upfront in dering our innocence in this matter. I find it hard to believe that my restaurant had anything to do with Miss Li Shu''s plight.
Our restaurant isn''t big and we only have three branches around the continent. The main branch that I mostly take care of is in my hometown in Cinnabar kingdom, as for the other two, one is the one in Silent Willow County and the other is in Green Bridge province of the Gold Finch Empire.
Both these branches are headed by my personal disciples who have been with me for over a thousand years and know how much cooking matters to me and the reputation of the Golden Duck Restaurant tter.
There is no way they would do anything to jeopardize that, and the branch in Silent Willow County has been operational for almost 500 years, and in that time not once has there been an incident of pill poisoning.."
His tone was gentle and soft-spoken but one could detect the staunch firmness and unshakeable will from it.
Li Shu was a bit taken aback by Bai Zou''s demeanor and the apanying pressure that made it hard for her to breathe.
Even though his outward look was calm and collected, he was very much impassioned, and that led him to inadvertently leak out a bit of his pressure as a second-stage pce realm expert.
The leaked spiritual pressure made Li Shu feel as if a mountain had been dropped on her body and the air had been thinned out.
Even though Bai Zou may not have purposefully targeted her with his pressure and whatever bits caught her were purely the remnants, it was still more than what a sixth-stage core formation cultivator with pill poisoning could handle.
A healthy primete-stage core formation expert would have the same struggle much less her who was weaker, ill, and also nervous for filing a case against a pce realm cultivator.
Her nervousness was understood since other than Bai Zou being a pce realm expert, there were rumors surrounding him, that most residents of the Silent Willow County had heard about.
One of those rumors was how he had single-handedly decimated a beast tide that numbered five thousand strong in the Cinnabar Kingdom.
The kingdom was a rank 4 kingdom that was filled with numerous forests and rivers andkes, and in terms of resources, it was rather rich. With all these going on for it, one would expect the kingdom to be strong. I think you should take a look at
However, before Bai Zou''s rise to prominence, it could be considered average at best whenpared to other rank 4 nations and organizations.
The reason for that was while it was blessed with resources, a third of its territory was home to some of the most ferocious spirit beasts that the royal family and other residents of the kingdom just couldn''t handle.
Their territories were loosely scattered and different areas of their kingdom were constantly being attacked by those spirit beasts which gave them little opportunity to grow or develop. While the constant attacks did help them improve theirbat ability, they were restricted in the areas they had ess to, and the spirit beasts were wise and calcted in how they performed their attacks.
They prevented the kingdom from mobilizing their attacks by sporadically attacking different territories, which always kept the different powers in those territories on guard.
The death toll on the normal poption was also high which meant that their total poption continuously dwindled.
Had Bai Zou not appeared, the Cinnabar kingdom would have likely beenpletely overrun by the spirit beasts, eventually.
From what Li Shu heard about him from the gossip around, his father had been a butcher for the army of the kingdom and he was stationed at the borders of the kingdom.
His job was to process the body of the carcasses of the spirit beasts that fell in battle. With the kingdom constantly fighting against the spirit beasts and having no room for anything else, they could only use those same spirit beasts to help them grow their strength.
They therefore slowly studied them, especially the moremon ones, in the hopes of discovering not only their weaknesses but how to use every part of their bodies to strengthen themselves, and this was where the upation of a military butcher was born.
This job was assigned to those who didn''t have a great aptitude for fighting and cultivation. With how many spirit beasts attacked them, and how high the frequency was, the kingdom trained a lot of its citizens to be butchers.
Their jobs would be to quickly process the killed spirit beasts before other spirit beasts devoured them, or some precious ingredients from their bodies got ruined due to the passage of time.
The job was highly dangerous since it involved sending those who didn''t have the greatest strength into the most dangerous of ces.
However, it wasn''t without its benefits, such as gaining merit points with the royal family, and with those merit points, they could redeem them for treasures from the royal vault or gain aristocratic titles. In addition, there were also idental benefits brought by butchers who had been on the job for a long time.
Due to constant contact with the bodies of the spirit beasts, their own bodies got strengthened and in certain instances even mutated from having their bodies continuously soak up the blood of those spirit beasts as they dissected them.
The mutation would sometimes be beneficial and end up elevating their strength and even natural aptitude, and in other instances, it was no different than poison which resulted in the gruesome death of the butcher.
Bai Zou''s father had been one of those butchers. There was nothing noteworthy about him, and the only reason he was mentioned was because he had taught his skills to his son, who inherited his post when he died.
Chapter 377 Smooth Wind Butcher
At 14 years of age, Bai Zou joined the army to be a butcher after his father had passed. He had two younger siblings and a sick mother who had been injured in one of the many beast tides that hit the area.
At such a young age, he quickly grew in repute because of how meticulous he was in processing the spirit beast''s body, and not only that he had shown to have an almost genius level aptitude for cultivation.
At 16 years he had already broken through to the foundation establishment realm and had blue grade pirs to boot.
The royal family quickly used its scant resources to help nurture him and even offered to move him and his family to the capital and have his post changed from a butcher.
While Bai Zou did agree to have his family move, he wanted to remain as a butcher. It was during that period that he started his cooking. He''d clean damaged carcasses and parts that were unwanted and make a few meat dishes from them.
The royal family acquiesced, though begrudgingly. Little Bai Zou''s reputation slowly grew as the butcher of the field, who carved spirit beasts in one hand and cooked them with the other.
With his talent showing, spirit beasts in the core formation realm which usually had the same level of intellect as their human counterparts, even more so considering their long lives, started targeting him.
In their long years of fighting, those spirit beasts always showed a coordination that was human-like along with their cunningness. Over the years they were known to especially target any outstanding geniuses that showed up on the battlefield, even at the expense of sacrificing hundreds of their ranks for the one.
It even went to extreme cases where they''d mark those geniuses using scent-rted racial abilities of some of them, and then attack them when their guards were lowered.
There was once a young general about 37 years of age and in thete stages of the core formation realm who had sword qi already developed at that age and was showing promise of bing a pce realm expert.
His brilliance shone to all, including the spirit beasts who upon realizing the danger he posed to them, had him marked with the dust of a grey ash moth during one of the shes.
The spirit beasts used the scent of that ash, to continuously track him as they waited for an opportune moment, and when it did, over a dozente-stage core formation spirit beasts skilled in stealth and poison attacked him with no care for their lives.
He managed to ughter about half of them, but he got poisoned in the end, and gotten eaten by the remaining two surviving spirit beasts at the end.
The royal family and other powers became even more cautious after this incident, however despite knowing that their geniuses could be targetted, they could not afford to hide them. They barely had any breathing room or the luxury of hiding them from the constant and brutal attacks of the spirit beasts especially during the tides, where every man, woman, and child would have to be used, to protect whatever little territory they had control over.
The best they could do was train them to the best of their abilities and offer as much protection as they could by assigning them, protectors. The protectors were usually aged war veterans in thete stages of the core formation realm, who had one foot in the grave. They only had one duty, to protect the genius even at the expense of their lives, which was why every protector was taught a destructive taboo art that would unleash a fearsome attack at the expense of their life.
The taboo art was something the royal family had been working on for thousands of years and its might when executed by ate-stage core formation expert, was sufficient to heavily injure a quasi pce realm expert.
With such firepower in their hands, the old veterans could ensure the safety of their protectees, even against a sudden beast tide or ambush like the young general had suffered.
Bai Zou with the talent he had shown was assigned one. He ended up forming a friendship with the old veteran, a friendship built on cooking. The old veteran wasn''t exactly a skilled chef, but he had an obsession with duck recipes which he taught Bai Zou.
His restaurant''s main dish, the golden me roast duck was rumored to have originated from said veteran, and a few of the other duck recipes on the menu of the Golden Duck tter restaurant.
Regardless of whether there was any truth to that statement, what was true was his deep friendship with that old veteran, which was why Bai Zou was hit hard when the veteran sacrificed himself to save Bai Zou when he was in thete stage of the core formation realm.
At the time his reputation among the popce of the Cinnabar Kingdom and the spirit beast was at an all-time high, especially thetter whom he had butchered a few of the top figures over the years.I think you should take a look at
This was why they sent a mini beast tide after him that wasposed of about 300 spirit beasts, all at the core formation stage, and in the midst, there were about 4 of them that were already at the peak of the core formation stage.
The area Bai Zou had been stationed at the time became a blood bath at the onught of that attack with over half a million cultivators dying. Bai Zou managed to escape alive because of the veteran who executed the taboo art which opened a space for him to escape.
Over the next decade in a mad frenzy, he charged to the frontlines of anywhere with a rumored beast tide and ughtered his way through their ranks.
He managed to increase his cultivation base within that short time to the peak of the core formation stage and develop ughter qi andter ughter intent which helped push his cultivation base to a quasi-pce realm expert and be the topmost figure of the kingdom.
As a quasi-pce realm cultivator, the Cinnabar kingdom behind him began its counter-attack and were finally the ones raiding their territories of those spirit beasts and bringing it under their control little by little, and within thirty years they had taken half of the territories and made it their own.
Within those thirty years, Bai Zou managed to break through to the pce realm, and along the way, he gained the moniker ''the smooth wind butcher''.
It didn''t matter whether the spirit beast was skilled in defense or not, they were all the equal beneath his butcher de. Whenever he swung his de, there was no ostentatious disy of power that came with most techniques that resulted in the destruction of the surroundings. Whenever Bai Zou swung his butcher''s knife, the attack was silent and never went beyond the target and even the target never realized they''d been sliced until it was toote and their body were splitting ever so gently apart.
He had honed his slicing skills to the tip, where every movement of the de, energy used, and containment were done with utmost precision and with one goal in mind which was to perfectly slice the spirit beast with minimal wastage of both his qi and the spirit beast materials.
Countless spirit beasts fell beneath that butcher knife and got harvested. Even as a pce realm expert he never forgot his roots.
Finally, they charged the main territory where the most powerful and ferocious of spirit beastsy, the Aurora wild forest.
If it wasn''t for the fearsome roars, the threat of brutal death, and being eaten, it was one of the most beautiful ces in the whole kingdom with aurora lights shining at night and it was also the spiritual qi in the area was the densest in the whole kingdom.
The royal family had long day dreamed of making that area their own, ever since they spotted but they could never set foot there, but with a pce realm expert who had honed his skills in butchering spirit beasts, maybe they could finally do it and finally have full control over every inch ofnd within their kingdom.
But sadly things didn''t go as nned, they barely made it halfway into the forest before they were routed back, and with serious injuries at that, with Bai Zou''s injuries being the heaviest.
The forest housed a spirit beast in the pce realm, that was in hibernation and got woken by themotion and retaliated. Its cultivation realm remains unknown but in its half asleep state, it managed to wound Bai Zou and ughter a third of the parties who had charged in.
A ceasefire ensued in the kingdom, with the spirit beasts restraining themselves within their remaining territories while the kingdom abandoned all thoughts of getting close to the Aurora wild forest.
It was after that fight that Bai Zou settled and opened the Golden Duck tter Restaurant.
To Li Shu, while she admired the cooking of his restaurant and thought it was divine. When she entertained the thought of filing a suit against him, all she felt was dread.
She was taking someone who was known to cleave hard-skinned core formation spirit beasts as easy as putting a knife through butter and had a knack for it, and she was filing aint against him, and when she felt his spiritual pressure that had the brutality of ughter in it, she would have run away had her legs not given out immediately.
...
"Ahem."
Chapter 378 Experience From The Instructors
Just as Li Shu felt she was about to be cleaved in half, a gentle breeze covered her bringing a sense of calmness and refreshes on every part of her body. Even her qi which felt sluggish in one instant and erratic the next seemed to have been affected by the breeze as a vibrancy returned to them.
She hurriedly looked up to see Yang Qing smile gently at her.
"Breath, Owner Bai Zou.."
Bai Zou felt his agitation settle down as he too got covered by a cool gentle breeze. Even though he had not lost himself to anger, those who developed ughter qi or ughter intent, while they did have an advantage over most when it came to sheer destructive force due to the nature of their intent or qi, that nature made them susceptible to erratic mood changes.
The overbearing nature of ughter qi or intent, put pressure on their mental states which made them prone to mood swings or going berserk. This was why most ughter qi users who were not of fiendish origins usually supplemented their cultivation with arts that strengthened their souls and mental states.
They could either do it through a cultivation art, or a natural treasure or object with spirit calming properties such as the yellow plume ginseng tea leaves which were known to calming properties that had an effect on those that were in the domain realm.
However most opted to use a cultivation art or engage in secondary upations that helped renew and strengthen the mind such as painting, ying an instrument, sea or sky gazing. In Bai Zou''s case, Yang Qing assumed cooking was what helped him contain the overbearing nature of his ughter intent, which was ironically why he had a mildly drastic reaction when he felt his restaurant was being targeted.
"Sorry, I lost myself for a second there.."
Bai Zou cupped his fist in apology to both Yang Qing and Li Shu, whose skin seemed to be improving from the paleplexion it had a few seconds ago.
"Is he really a first-stage pce realm expert?!"
While Yang Qing''s qi had a calming effect on him, a part of what made him regain his senses was shock, from how easily Yang Qing had affected his state.
Yang Qing didn''t conceal his cultivation base, so it was his for Bai Zou who was in the second stage of the pce realm to detect it when he came into the courtroom. Therefore he knew Yang Qing seemed to be close to the peak of the first stage.
However, Yang Qing despite being weaker than him by a one minor level, managed to influence his state before Bai Zou had an opportunity to react.
This was truly shocking for Bai Zou who had long grown to be hypersensitive to his surroundings no matter if it was his kitchen at the restaurant in Cinnabar Kingdom or within the courtroom of the Order, his guard was never down owing to years of being on guard against the spirit beasts.
But before he could react, Yang Qing had prated whatever defenses he had before he could even respond.I think you should take a look at
Yang Qing on the other hand thought nothing of it. Breaching Bai Zou''s defense was a non-issue for him.
Bai Zou was just one minor level higher than him and when it came to foundations of the dao, type of core, and other factors including his peerless jade physique, he was miles ahead of Bai Zou, and there was also one other factor which was the instructors at the institute.
He had been brutalized for four years by them when he was just a puny qi refinement cultivator and they were levels higher than Bai Zou, and among them, there were a few of them who had ughter intent that was denser, and much more refined than what Bai Zou had, and they would asionally wash the young students with it, to train their minds and ''prepare'' them.
Bai Zou''s ughter intent was like a peaceful meadow in springtime to Yang Qing whenpared to the ughter intent of those instructors and he had to soak it up for years. If he couldn''t handle someone like Bai Zou when they were almost at simr levels then he might as well hand over all his yearly sry to those instructors as a thank you for how well they took care of him.
"Judge Yang Qing while I sympathise with what daoist Li Shu has endured, I can say with certainty it has nothing to do with our restaurant.
Every ingredient we use is carefully prepared and sourced, to bring out the greatest vors and ensure its quality. It is for this reason that the restaurant has grown its fame over the years.
The meat dishes we serve such as the golden roast duck, the ducks that we use are ones that we rear ourselves and we do not use any pills like other establishments do, so as to fatten them up in the shortest amount possible and also boost their growth, or trick the customers it has more spiritual energy in it, than it actually does.
We rear them by using naturally produced spiritual herbs, and we monitor their growth and the quality of their meat. If any is found with fault, we do not serve it. I respect cooking, and I would not desecrate it by doing something untoward like pill dosing.
Even when ites to the restaurant, I don''t do it to earn money. You can see from the prices that are charged and the quality of the ingredients I use. What I make is just enough to have just a tiny bit above breaking even.
I opened the restaurants to live out the dream I shared with an old man that I admired greatly, which was opening a restaurant that served the most excellent meat dishes in the continent, that could be enjoyed by people in all walks of life.
A hope that those meat dishes could be a sort of reprieve for them. .."
Bai Zou''s look turned mncholic as he said this.
"Judge, I''m sure you have heard a little bit about Cinnabar kingdom?" asked Bai Zou
Yang Qing nodded.
Chapter 379 Lesson From The Last Moments
"The stories though, have truth to them.... Words ultimately fall short of truly depicting certain things...the hell it was...the constant fear that at any moment you may die, your wife may die, your child may die, your parent may die, your brother, sister, or girl you want to marry. We did not have the luxury of the living...."
"Fear was our constantpanion, fear was our way of life from dawn till dusk and dusk till dawn. There are those who enjoy the sounds of crickets chirping by the water, the cicada noises announcing summer, and the bird chirps announcing spring.
These noises symbolize life, change of seasons, something to be enjoyed and celebrated, but to us...."
Bai Zou had a pitiful smile and his frame seemed to have grown frail. He stared at his hands which were trembling as he chuckled to himself.
"Even as a pce realm cultivator I still haven''t escaped it, it seems.." he lowly muttered to himself.
"When we hear cricket sounds, we know it''s the writhing melody crickets, whose cries induce illusions and hallucinations that dig up your worst nightmares, cicada noises act as a precursor to the sun blistering smog that will boil your smoke alive.
To this day I don''t know if the smog is brought about by the cicada or what the source is, but the damage it does is unimaginable.." Bai Zou said with a slight tremble in his voice.
"As for the birds, a quick painless death is all a Cinnabar citizen can hope for when met with their flock. But if you have horrible luck then your innards may very well end up being used as an incubation chamber for their eggs whilst you''re still alive.
In the Cinnabar kingdom, whether you have lived there for 10 years, 100 years, or 1,000 years if you''re lucky or unlucky depending....fear is a constant factor to you all. You never get used to the ce, and your only reprieve is death.
Of the stories about me floating around, more so in respect to my father is how he taught me my butchering skills, but what they don''t say is, the day he died I was there. He was butchering the carcasses like usual, however this time it was different than the other harvesting expeditions he had been to.
Within those corpses, there was a yellow agate jackal that wasn''tpletely dead. When my father went to carve it up, it used whatever life and strength it had left to tear him apart in the most brutal way possible before it died.
Before any of the other butchers could react, my father had his arm torn off, his torso was being chewed into. But even in all that carnage, where I could hear that jackal grind his bones with a malevolent grin, not once did he yell in pain.
I could never forget his look at that moment, and to this day I have never forgotten it. As that jackal was tearing him apart, he had this peaceful smile on his face, one of pure relief.
At the time, I could understand why he looked so relieved as he was being brutally torn apart. But the long I lived, the better I understood it, which was why when the royal family came asking me to take a different post, one that wasn''t as dangerous, I refused.
I wanted to be a butcher, and not because of some altruistic sense of duty to defend others, or protect the kingdom, no, it was because I wanted that release, the release I saw on my father''s face that day.
That final moment is something I consider as his final lesson to me. I think you should take a look at
The peace andfort that came from knowing, I won''t have to endure this anymore, I can now sleep forever.
The constant fear does things to someone to the point death even though brutal seem like the best gift one can get.." Bai Zou solemnly said.
"I would have ended up the same as him, had I not met my mentor, the protector assigned to me.
He showed me a different form of reprieve, one that wasn''t centered on dying, and that was cooking.
Cooking and enjoying good food, helped me live through it, which is why I would not jeopardize my restaurant. The Golden Duck is a restaurant to others but to me, it''s a saving grace, a proof of a life being lived, which is why I would treat it no different than my life, because it is.."
Bai Zou''s gaze turned firm as he faced Li Shu.
"Daoist Li Shu I can assure you and also the court, our restaurant had nothing to do with it, and if I could help you with your ailment I would. You are our customer after all, and offering reprieve is what I aim for as the owner, but my qi isn''t exactly suited for healing, and despite being a pce realm expert myself, I don''t know others since I spend all my time in Cinnabar kingdom, and my prior history made it hard for me to do so.
For that I am sorry, but our restaurant had no part in your pill poisoning.." Bai Zou said as he showed a rare gaze of sympathy.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Judge Yang Qing, and I leave the matter to your court.." he added.
Yang Qing gently sighed with a heaviness surrounding the court. Even Xia Ting who always seemed like the energetic sort, had a somber expression on her face, and as for Li Shu, her gaze wasplicated and full of confusion.
Yang Qing could understand her current state. Before the case, she was all but certain the restaurant was involved in her current ailment, and with her uneventful life of training and going to the restaurant, to her, the logic that she was poisoned by the restaurant was sound. But with the insight from Bai Zou and the staunch conviction he had for himself and the restaurant, she had doubts about whether the restaurant was really responsible despite not having any other usible suspects.
If she didn''t get it from the restaurant, where could she possibly have gotten her pill poisoning from?
"Thank you for your words and exnation Owner Bai Zou. With both testimonies in ce, we can move on to the next stage.
Xia Ting, please call them over.."
Chapter 380 Similar Quality
At Yang Qing''s direction, Xia Ting went to the doors of the courtroom and respectfully called a couple of people over.
A total of five people walked in. Li Shu and Bai Zou looked back in curiosity at the new entrants to the case more so the former.
Li Shu''s pupils constricted in surprise as she recognized two of the people. Bai Zou had a simr reaction though not as exaggerated. He had the same look of recognition Li Shu had.
Two of the people nodded toward Li Shu with polite smiles on their faces. They wore dark blue robes that had an emblem of a cauldron that was seated on top of a flowing river.
Of the two one was a middle-aged woman with a short build, ck hair tied in a bun that had greying in it. She had light green eyes and a kind-looking face. Next to her, spotting the same robes was a slender tall man, who looked to be in his sixties with grey hair neatly tied at the back, and had a serious expression that resembled someone very studious of their work.
Li Shu offered a slight bow toward them, with an apologetic and guilty smile.
Behind the two, were two men, one seemed elderly and the other seemed to be in histe thirties, early forties. They had different robes.
The elderly-looking man had in grey robes and his hair seemed to be all over the ce in a haphazard manner, like an explosion had hit it or he was struck by lightning. Despite his aged appearance, his skin had a rosey suppleness to it, and his ck eyes had a depth of profoundness to them.
The young man next to him had blue hair matching eyes and a milky whiteplexion. Looking at him made one feel like they were staring at a river that gave life to all sorts of fertile ins filled with verdant vegetation.
And finishing the group was a young man who looked to be in histe twenties. He had short brown hair, tanned brown skin, and an honest simple face. Everything around him gave the amalgamation of the qualities of earth.
All five members that had just entered all seemed different in looks, gender, demeanor and had varying cultivations to each other, such as the two cultivators who had nodded toward Li Shu, the middle-ageddy was at the eleventh stage of the core formation realm, while the elderly looking man with the same robes was at the sixth stage of core formation realm. The elderly man with grey robes was a third-stage pce realm expert, while the blue-haired man next to him was a first-stage pce realm expert and the brown-haired young man trailing the group was a ninth-stage core formation expert, which from the fluctuations he was releasing was just inches away from reaching the tenth stage.
While they all seemed different in one shape or form, there was one area in which they were all simr, which is, that they all smelled of herbs, the kind that could only develop on someone who has been around herbs for years and years.
"Thank you all for availing yourself and sparing the time from your busy schedules to assist us in this matter. I on behalf of the Order would like to offer my sincerest gratitude for your time and assistance.."
Yang Qing stood up and cupped his fists in greetings at the five members who all returned his gesture in kind, adding words of gratitude and honor in their responses.
"Okay for purposes of rity, I will make introductions on their behalf, though for both of you, you know a few of them.." Yang Qing said as he addressed Li Shu and Bai Zou who nodded back in agreement.I think you should take a look at
Li Shu was familiar with the two blue-robed cultivators who had a cauldron symbol on their robes while Bai Zou seemed to be familiar with a simple-looking brown-haired young man.
"To my right are Alchemist Meng Ye and Pan Xin respectively.." Yang Qing said as he politely gestured to the two blue-robed cultivators Li Shu was familiar with.
"They are the pce master and vice pce master of the Blue River Cauldron Pavillion respectively, and were the ones who did Li Shu''s diagnosis.."
The Duo offered a bow to Yang Qing and then to the rest of the cultivators they had walked in with.
Their bows seemed a bit more solemn when they did to the two men next to them i.e. the slovenly-looking old man and the blue-haired young man.
There was deep respect in their eyes as they bowed to the duo.
" Next to them is Alchemist Ma Bo. He is not a foundational member of any organization but is a guest teacher in the Green jade of the Jade Leaf Dao Imperial Academy of the Jade Leaf Empire..."
Li Shu, Bai Zou, the pce master, and the vice pce master of the Blue River Cauldron Pavilion all had looks of shock as they heard Yang Qing''s introduction.
The only ones who seemed undisturbed were the blue-haired man and the simple-looking young man. Though the reason for their unperturbed looks was different. The blue-haired man seemed like he already knew the old man''s identity, while the simple-looking man seemed like he didn''t understand the magnitude of the identity.
To him selling dumplings at a sideway stall and being a guest teacher at the Jade Leaf Dao Imperial Academy may as well have the same importance in his eyes, but to the rest, it waspletely different.
The Jade Leaf Dao Imperial Academy was a renowned institution around the Southern continent and shared the same fame just like the One Thousand Battle Hall Pce as a ce of training of the same caliber.
Like its name, it was founded and is supported by the imperial family of the Jade Leaf Empire which was a rank 1 Empire and could be considered among the top five empires in the whole Southern Continent.
Everybody around the continent, whether it was a 4-year-old kid climbing mango trees to chase after a grasshopper, a refined schr, a renowned gossip monger, or an information broker, if you asked them which was the one ce that had the greatest pool of knowledge, they would all answer the same thing, the Jade Leaf Empire. This was even with the two holynds being thrown into the mix.
The Jade Leaf Empire was synonymous with endless knowledge. It was an Empire built upon the foundation of knowledge across all genres be it cultivation or mundane subjects such as tea brewing, The Jade Leaf Empire had it all.
Chapter 381 Jade Leaf Academy
It was an Empire built for the sole purpose of prying into the essence of anything and everything and they have been doing that for over half a million years which is how they ended up with thergest library in the Southern Continent and became the center of knowledge.
A bulk of the foundational cultivation techniques in use around the continent either originated from the Jade Leaf Empire or had some indirect rtion to it.
Their foundations were terrifying, to say the least, and it was built in part due to their insatiable curiosity and interest in all manner of subjects, and the other was because of the ten thousand leaf white jade tree located in their empire.
Much of the information regarding the tree or its rank and even its location is a well-guarded secret by the imperial family however there was some information that was known. One of that information was the numerous cultivation arts that were created by the Empire was because of that tree.
It was rumored that the tree could induce epiphanies as easily as breathing, and the tree itself had its root entrenched in the origin dao, which transformed its leaves into materialized forms of dao. It had ten thousand leaves and each leaf was a form of dao, which was why the Ten thousand leaf white jade tree also went by different names around the continent such as the ''ten thousand dao tree'' or the ''wisdom jade tree.''
Dao had different ssifications to it, which highlighted its strength. They were ssified in ascending order into minor dao, major dao, supreme or foundational dao, and finally origin dao.
Time and space Dao fell under the foundation or supreme dao category, while Dao tied to the elements usually fell under the minor or major Dao depending on the form of variations it takes, and as for the origin dao, there has never been any cultivator known to have mastered it because mastering it meant mastering the world itself and every single facet of it, which would basically make you an immortal.
The origin Dao was also called the ''source Dao'' which meant it was the source of every single Dao in existence or toe.
The fact that the Ten thousand leaf white jade tree was rumored to have its roots entrenched in the origin dao, no matter how unbelievable it was, meant the tree at the very least was at the absolute peak of saint-grade treasures, and its abilities proved that because of how powerful the Jade Leaf Empire was.
Even though it was unmentioned, Yang Qing had no doubts in his heart that the Jade Leaf Empire was as strong as any of the two holynds. Its power had definitely reached that level, and it was a holynd in everything but name.
There was no way a ce rumored to have ten purple-grade cultivation arts be a rank 1 Empire.
Yang Qing even suspected the rank was a ploy between the Order and the Empire. As for the motives for doing so, Yang Qing had no clue but he knew the Order to be a cunning fox. Who knew half the reasons, it did the things it did? like paying their workers so low despite being so rich.I think you should take a look at
Yang Qing gave up trying to understand them, the more he tried, the more likelihood he would develop more internal demons.
The Jade Leaf Empire being one of thergest grounds of umted knowledge founded the Jade Leaf Imperial Academy. An institute that taught and researched all sorts of subjects. The best and the brightest of the Empire, have all passed through the Academy, not only them but even renowned cultivators around the continent, some of them were students of the Jade Leaf Empire.
The Imperial Academy opens its doors not only to its citizens but also to outsiders, though its citizens are given preferential treatment when ites to admissions. Outsiders need to pass a rigorous test that is solely based on theirprehension for them to gain admission to the Academy.
Depending on how they perform, they may be epted as a regr student, to which they will have to pay astronomical admission fees or they could be epted as special admission students. This was reserved for those who showed world-defying aptitude.
They were simr to the legacy disciples of the One Thousand Hall Battle Pce, except when it came to thetter the consideration was given with respect tobat aptitude whereas for the former they had a much wider scope.
To the Academy to be considered a special admissions student all you needed to do was show an abnormal level of aptitude toward any area. It could bebat, pig rearing, painting, array interpretation, and talisman drawing. It did not matter to them, as long as it was something you excelled at, and fell within their category of knowledge, and that category was extremely vast.
Those who got in through special admissions would have all their fees waivered along with being given other special considerations. However, it wasn''t all free for them, as they were required to share the services with the Academy either by bing teachers there for a certain period of time or share the findings of their research whichever it is, with the Academy. They would bepensated for their findings of course and the number was limited to only three, any findings above that number, they had no obligations to share it.
As for the regr students, in addition to the fees, they also owed the Academy a favor. Should the academy ever face danger, they were required to help. All the regr students were bound by a soul-binding agreement, so they could not escape theirmitment.
Despite the stringent requirements, people still flooded to join the Jade Leaf Imperial Academy. Due to its size and the range of subjects it teaches, the Academy is divided into five branches namely: The Red Jade which specializes in cultivation arts rted tobat more specifically attack techniques, the Blue Jade which is simr to the Red Jade except it specializes in defense techniques, the Yellow jade that specializes in artifact refinement despite whether its used forbat or daily life, the Brown jade that specializes in life skills that are notbat oriented such painting, calligraphy, archeology and the likes, and finally the Green Jade.
The Green Jade specialized in alchemy, herbology, medicine, and spirit beast zoology.
The elder slovenly dressed man called Ma Bo was a guest teacher in the Green Jade branch and even though guest teachers were of a lower tier than regr teachers, they still needed to have great skills for one to even be qualified to be a guest teacher at the Academy, which was why Li Shu and the rest were in shock as they heard Yang Qing introduce the old man.
Chapter 382 Guest Opinion (1)
"He is a blue-grade alchemist whose skills in both alchemy and herbology are at the same standard..."
With his introduction as a guest teacher at the Jade Leaf Academy, the crowd finding out he was a blur grade alchemist didn''t hit as hard as it would have had they not heard of his association with the Jade Leaf Academy.
The fact he was a guest teacher at the Academy, they felt him being a blue-grade alchemist whose skills in alchemy and herbology matched, was only par for the course as a teacher at one of the most prestigious institutions in the continent.
"Thank you for having me, ki..I mean Judge Yang Qing.." Ma Bo said as he chuckled in embarrassment at his almost blunder in addressing Yang Qing.
Yang Qing could only shake his head with a rueful smile at this. He was able to invite the Alchemist Ma Bo for his case, not through using the Order''s connections but his own.
Other than being a guest teacher at the Jade Leaf Academy, Alchemist Ma Bo was basically a rogue cultivator, who liked to roam from ce to ce in study of different nts and even exchange pointers with various organizations that had built themselves upon the foundation of alchemy.
Since he had lived his whole life as a rogue cultivator, he never put on airs, and never minded whom he exchanged pointers with. It was in one of his travels that he stumbled upon the Yang family before they moved their n home to the Order. At the time Yang Qing wasn''t even born yet.
Ma Bo was deeply fascinated by his n''s long documented research that spanned countless years and their insights into the body refinement realm, which was supplemented with their knowledge of various materials to aid in that subject. The n had done their in-depth study of the reactions of various materials with each other, and theirbined effects on the human body.
The Yang family may have been borderline fanatics of the body refining realm, but their passion was built upon solid knowledge and understanding of the cultivator''s body and it didn''t just stop there but even extended to the materials needed to strengthen that body.
Ma Bo was instantly drawn to the strides and the studies they had made and immediately managed to strike up a friendship with his great-grandfather, which was about 400 years ago. He stayed at their n grounds for almost 15 years and then left, but he asionally passed by over the years.
He was one of the few outsiders the Yang family ever took to. As body refinement fanatics with an unpopr reputation they never made friends that easy, and with their obsession in digging the mysteries of the body refinement realm, they never bothered in knowing or striking up rtionships with others. Ma Bo was one of the few.
He learned a lot from the Yang family and the Yang family benefited a lot from him too, be it when it came to additional knowledge and ess to materials that they would not be able to have easy ess to. Ma Bo was already a pce realm cultivator and a guest teacher of the Jade Leaf Academy when he met the Yang n.
With his identity as a guest teacher of the Jade Leaf Academy, his pce realm cultivation, and his skills as a blue-grade alchemist, he had tonnes of connections and was able to supply the Yang family with tonnes of materials for them to experiment with.
The ingredients used on Yang Qing over the years were courtesy of him, especially the ones used when he broke through to the diamond body stage and then finally the peerless jade body including the array used to seal his senses.
No one in the Yang family knew of his identity as a Guest teacher of the Jade Leaf Academy except his grandfather, they all thought he was just a slovenly-looking old man with good connections, great skills in alchemy, and potentially a reincarnated ancestor of the Yang family who came back to push forward the n''s research into the body refinement realm.
It was only after they came to the Order, and Yang Qing was an outer core court judge did his grandfather let it slip one night when Yang Qing wasparing the Institute''s library to the grand library of the Jade Leaf Empire, and the library of the One thousand hall battle pce wondering which had the best collections, and what he would give to be a librarian at all three libraries.
His grandfather at the mention of the Jade Leaf Empire opened up about Ma Bo''s identity to Yang Qing. His reaction at the time was the same as Li Shu''s and the rest because unlike them he knew intimately how awe-inspiring their Academy and the empire as a whole was, and to be a guest teacher there for what seemed to be 400 years was no small feat.
With his talents as a guest teacher, he was more than qualified to be an instructor at the Institute.
Even after the Yang family moved to the Order, his grandfather and the rest of the elders still maintained contact with him and continued a lot of research together.
With his identity as a guest teacher of the Jade Leaf Academy, being given special entry ess to various facilities of the Order including where the Yang family generally conducted their experiments wasn''t an issue, and the Order also had a good rtionship with the Empire.
Some of their members have also been guest teachers at the academy. Yang Qing had entertained the thought at some point, to do it as a part-time time during his leave days since the remuneration was really good at least better than his measly pay at the Order, but he changed his mind since it meant more work.
What use were breaks, if you just worked? It wasn''t a soft life at all. It went against everything he stood for.
Yang Qing was many things but he wasn''t one to vite his life principles all for the sake of five thousand high-grade spirit stones per lecture. But...I think you should take a look at
When Yang Qing got the list of cases and went through this particr case, on seeing its parameters decided to call on Ma Bo for his expertise in the case, his identity would make his opinion eptable to both parties and the best part was, Yang Qing could get for cheap as opposed to what he had to spend to invite the blue haired man next to him.
Yang Qing hatefully gnashed his teeth as he outwardly smiled when he made the next introduction.
"Next to Alchemist Ma Bo is Alchemist Luo Fan. He is a blue-grade alchemist with matching skills in medicine and spirit beast zoology. He is also one of the appraisers of the White Rose Pavilion..."
Yang Qing need not say more about the White Rose Pavilion. While it was lower in rankpared to the Jade Leaf Academy, as it was only a rank 2 organization, but when it came to reputation and being well known around the continent, it had the same level of renown as the Academy.
Almost every kingdom, empire, or territory of any sect had a branch store of the White Rose Pavilion merchant group.
Though the Golden Bamboo Pavilion in terms of rank was the same as the White Rose Pavilion, fundamentally be it in terms of scale and even power they were miles apart. Among the rank 2 merchant organizations, if the White Rose Pavilion imed itself to be second no one would dare name themselves first.
Their level of influence and scale of business was the same as some of the rank 1 merchant organizations around, and Luo Fan''s identity as one of the appraisers carried significant weight with the members present, same as Alchemist Ma Bo.
"I''m d to be of service Judge Yang Qing and we appreciate your trust and patronage.." said Luo Fan in a gentlemanly tone.
Yang Qing''s eyes twitched at the mention of patronage.
Is this bastard teasing me?
He needed an additional seasoned alchemist for bnce and for the sake of fairness to the members present he couldn''t use those from the Order. He could thus only use outsiders for this, and when it came to outsiders, it had to be those who had belonged to organizations with a worldwide repute.
Sourcing blue-grade alchemists from renowned alchemy-based organizations was difficult since they were always too busy to even humor the Order, but there was one ce where they would dly offer their services for a price and that was merchant organizations. While it was easy to gain their services it wasn''t cheap either.
Yang Qing had to fork out two low-tier blue-grade recipes, of which it didn''t matter whether it was iplete or not, and add 50 high-tier sky-rank herbs under the specification that Luo Fan wanted.
Redeeming the items from the external logistic division using his discretionary funds cost him 48,908 high-grade spirit stones and that was even at an employee discount. The 40,000,000 high-grade spirit stones he was getting, now didn''t seem high at all.
He quickly pushed down the urge to punch Luo Fan as he introduced thest person.
"Andstly this is Liang Tian, a top-tier orange grade herbologist. He is here because the various spiritual herbs owner Bai Zou uses, are produced by him.
Of the members present, pce master Meng Ye and Vice pce master Pan Xin, you both diagnosed Li Shu with pill poisoning. You just need to share your findings and rationale as you did the tests.
As for Liang Tian, you''ll need to provide detailed guidelines in the farming process of the herbs you sell to owner Bai Zou and if there was anything you might have changed in the process during thest ten years, and finally
Alchemist Ma Bo and Alchemist Luo Fan are both skilled seniors of high repute and integrity. They have been trusted by this court and the Order erge, to provide their own unbiased opinion on your injuries Li Shu.
They will both perform independent screenings of their own and give their opinion. They will be screening Li Shu, the gold-feathered duck, the moonsilver-scaled carp, the crimson fire pig, and the cerulean deer which are the meat dishes Li Shu has mostly consumed over the years at the Golden Duck tter Restaurant.
In addition, they will also be testing the red scale fairymoss, ocean tassel, and volcano fennel which are the three herbs supplied to the restaurant by Liang Tian.
Their findings will be openly shared in the court so none of you can have any doubts when I give my ruling.."
Chapter 383 Experts Opinion (2)
"Oh, I almost forgot the finished dishes will also be evaluated and scanned.." Yang Qing added with a straight face, though inwardly he was gleeful.
He had taken liberties and ordered triple of each dish that Li Shu regrly ordered at the restaurant in the past ten years. With the enhanced memory of a core formation cultivator, it wasn''t hard for her to recollect every single meal that she had over the past decade, and the fact that she was a creature of habit, who only had three selections every time, it was easy to remember.
Every time she went over she had the restaurant''s special which was the golden roast duck, barbecued crimson pig which was another house specialty, and smoked veal.
Yang Qing had the branch in Silent Willow County prepare three of each of those meals for easy analysis, and after the inspections werepleted, well he would have nine meat dishes for lunch.
He couldn''t wait for the case to be done with.
"Pce Master Meng Ye, Vice Pce Master Pan Xin, we will start with the both of you, then daoist Liang Tian it will be your turn..." said Yang Qing.
"Seniors, I will leave the next matter to you both to decide how you want to go about it.." he added as he addressed the two blue-grade alchemists.
Of the two members of the Blue River Cauldron Pavilion, Vice Pce Master Pan Xin seemed to have agreed with the pce master that he would go first since he had been the one to diagnose and treat Li Shu first before he went to consult his pce master when the matter got too difficult for him to handle.
"Daoist Li Shu came to our pavilion a few months ago for help concerning her ailment which the alchemist of the Shao n had struggles identifying.
With my rtionship with Shao Qing, I readily agreed to help her. She proceeded to exin her symptoms to me, which at the time had the ear markers of a poison.
I had a Silverleaf euphorbia gotten from the tree that was at least 5,000 years old, and I used it to perform a general check to find if she had any obvious signs of being poisoned.
On using the leaf, there was no change to it. This is the leaf I used.."
Vice pce master took out a palm-sized brown box and gently opened it revealing a white colored leaf that had a metallic shine to it, which made it seem like it was carved from metal. It had smooth edges and a single mid-rib and veins that were white in color.
Yang Qing took the box as he nodded inwardly. The box was made from serenity oak wood which was an excellent material for storing sensitive spiritual herbs. It helped preserve their efficacy even after they had been harvested.I think you should take a look at
He gently parsed his hand through the leaf, and from its fluctuations, he could tell Vice Pce Master Pan Xin didn''t lie about it being from a Euphoria tree that was at least 5,000 years old. As per Yang Qing''s estimation, it seemed to have been approaching 7,000 years. The midrib had a lustrous liquid flowing through it. The liquid was thin and if one wasn''t keen, one could easily miss it.
The liquid flowing through it was the silver dew that could only be formed on the leaves of the Silver leaf euphoria tree that had crossed the five thousand mark in terms of age. The liquid had gentle properties which made it an excellent ingredient as a potion stabilizer, especially when the potion involved was a vtile one. The dew also enhanced the properties of the leaf itself especially when it came to poison detection.
The leaf of the silver leaf euphoria tree also went by another name, which was the hundred poison leaf, which was given due to its ability to detect different kinds of poisons. Every time it detected poison the silver leaf would change colors. It usually reflected three colors; red, orange, and green. Red showed a high level of toxicity in the poison detected and green showed it was mild.
It was amon must-have item for most alchemists especially those just starting out, due to the ability to identally interact with poisonous materials, or a potion identally having a poisonous attribute due to some mishap somewhere, and the one in his hand was even better than most silver leaves at the job due to the presence of the silver dew.
Yang Qing fiddled with it for a bit before he passed it on to Alchemist Ma Bo and Alchemist Luo Fan for their own inspections. They all did quick scans thatsted barely three seconds and then handed it back to Vice Pce Master Pan Xin with a tacit agreement of the nature and age of the Silverleaf he had presented.
Vice pce master Pan Xin looked visibly relieved as he received his Silverleaf back. Despite knowing none of what he said was false about the leaf, he couldn''t help but be nervous as the three inspected it. Some nervous-ridden part of him expected him to be called a fraud and for things to go downhill from there.
After this, I''m going for a secluded break, he thought.
"After getting no reaction from the Silverleaf euphoria, i proceeded to use other means for checking poisons that i had at my disposal and they all failed.
Some of her symptoms were evident to me such as her sluggish qi but none of my tests showed it was a result of poisoning. That was when I decided to conduct one final test, which is something every alchemist at the Blue River Cauldron does, which is the pill poisoning test.
With how many potions and pills we make, along with our personal research, despite our skills, we are always at risk of pill poisoning. Therefore we devised a method to regrly check if our bodies had umted a lot of pill and potion residue, and that method is using the mes produced from lighting the branch from a night star Rowan tree that had been soaked in water produced from middle grade spirit stone mine.
The mes produced are able to trigger a reaction in the person''s body and cause a coloration to appear on their skin if they have pill poisoning. We can keep the mes burning a while longer and if the coloration turns to colored smokeing out from the pores of the person, then that shows their pill poisoning is extensive.
I''m sure you are all aware of the particr technique. It''s the spiritual kindling cleansing art that''s been shared by the Flowing Valleys Sect.."
Chapter 384 Experts Opinion (3)
Yang Qing and the two alchemists nodded at his remark. Flowing Valley Sect had made its bones in alchemy and the strides it has made, no organization in the continentes close. They asionally make public some of their research arts, one of which was the spiritual kindling cleansing art which was highly appreciated by the alchemistmunity around the continent, with their greatest dangers of the job being umted pill poisoning.
The art itself was simple enough and anybody could use it as long as they knew an orange-grade me art suitable with alchemy, the night star rowan tree was a sky rank tree though at the top tier, and the water from a middle-grade spirit vein wasmon enough that it could be bought by spirit stones from any merchant organization and even other alchemy organizations.
Its simplicity, affordability, and practicality made the art, a ubiquitous art around the continent.
"When I used the spiritual kindling cleansing art, Daoist Li Shu''s skin changed. Green, red, and pale white markings appeared on her skin, andter a thick green smog was produced from her body.
That basically confirmed that she had pill poisoning, and from the scale of the smoke produced from her body, it could only be if it had umted in her for quite some time. Her level matched what a seasoned alchemist would get after concocting potions and pills for at least seven years.
With the mdy identified, I went ahead and used the violet me purging acupuncture technique that we use at the pavilion to purge the toxins umted in our bodies.
It always works on me perfectly, so I thought it should do the trick on Li Shu since we are basically of the same cultivation base.
It seemed to be working at first, but as time went by, whatever materials that had umted in her body started absorbing the mes produced by the technique and became stronger, and purging them got harder by the second..."
Vice Pce Master Pan Xin gave an overview of the acupuncture art, without giving too much away about its core details since it was one of the core arts of the Blue River Cauldron Pavilion.
If he gave out the core details, it was basically giving out their core art. Though Pan Xin felt like the people present could likely decipher their art with the information he had given out. The art was a top-tier orange-grade art, that the previous pce master had bargained for in the market fair, in exchange for 100 sky rank recipes.
The art was a prized treasure for the pavilion, and those who knew it were the pce master, Pan Xin, and four other senior alchemists of the organization who had been with the pavilion for over 100 years and were orange-grade alchemists.
To them, it was a valuable art, but Pan Xin felt to Yang Qing and the two alchemists, it was no more important than dumplings being sold at the sideway stall.
With their stations and abilities, they likely had ess to hundreds of arts that matched the violet me-purging acupuncture art.
Pan Xin wouldn''t even mind exposing every little detail of the art, but the rules of the cultivation world had to be observed, especially ones tied to core arts. So he had to be careful about how much he gave away in his exnation, but when it came to the changes that happened to Li Shu as he was executing the art, he was as thorough with the details as possible, exining every minute change he observed.I think you should take a look at
"When I saw I was getting nowhere with the violet me purging acupuncture art, that was when I decided to involve Pce Master Meng Ye..."
On reaching this point, Vice Pce Master Pan Xin respectfully gestured for the pce master to take over.
"With vice pce master Pan Xin''s exnation of the situation at the time, and with my own observations, I arrived at the same conclusion as him, which one, Daoist Li Shu had pill poisoning and the level was high enough to the point of assuming she had umted it for more than five years.
I tried using the violet me purging acupuncture art since I have slightly more familiarity with it than vice pce master Pan Xin and thought the results would be different. That it would work, but it failed and since the art requires close contact with the person being treated, I almost got infected by the pill poison that had built up inside her.
In all my years, I haven''t seen pill poisoning that acted like that. It seemed more like a live curse than anything...
With the failure of the acupuncture art and the added risk of getting poisoned ourselves, i opted we use a formation array to cleanse her of the pill poison.
Though the grade of the array is the same as the acupuncture art, its powers of cleansing are much stronger since it has the support of treasures and more than one person can operate it to increase its cleansing abilities.
The name of the array is the blue river harmony cleansing array and is a top tier orange grade formation that we have used countless times to perform cleansing en masse on our members.
Vice pce master Pan Xin and I operated the array, but even after three days of operating the array non-stop, we didn''t manage to remove the pill poisonpletely, and it even seemed like it had mutated somewhat.
To avoid any further risk I decided we stop with the treatment using the array. Whatever pill poisoning she has, it was beyond our ability to treat, and I judged us continuing may very well cause irreversible damage to her, so we stopped.
With nothing left to try, at least not with our abilities, I gave her three options that may work. Which was to seek the help of a blue-grade alchemist to help her purge the pill poison in her body, find a pce realm expert to do it, or finally use morning lily heartseed.
Despite telling her this, I knew how difficult it was, to just find one of the three options I had given her. But it''s the best we could do.." A soft sigh escaped her lips as she said this.
"I''m sorry Daoist Li Shu.." she added as she cupped her fist apologetically at Li Shu.
Chapter 385 Experts Opinion (4)
"No, no, no, Pce Master Meng Ye ...You went above and beyond for me, and for that, I''m extremely grateful..." Li Shu hurriedly said as she went to offer a bow of thanks of her own.
Yang Qing could detect the deep sinceritying from her. He could understand why, since none of the measures that the Pce Master and the Vice Pce Master used on her was particrly cheap, especially the array.
If they kept the blue river cleansing array running for three days non-stop, being driven by two core formation experts, one could imagine how much resources that array consumed in those three days.
Not unless Li Shu was an ingrate, her reaction was to be expected.
"Thank you for your apt exnation Pce Master Meng Ye, Vice Pce Master Pan Xin..."
"Liang Tian, would you please.." Yang Qing said as he addressed the simple-looking brown-haired young man.
"Th..a..nk you for the opportunity, Judge Yang Qing..."
Liang Tian was a little taken aback as he seemed unustomed to being in such a setting.
Yang Qing chuckled inwardly at the young man''s reaction.
Bai Zou who had maintained an austere expression throughout the court proceeding, had his gaze soften somewhat when Liang Tian was introducing himself.
Liang Tian was a resident of the Jadebrook Kingdom. Bai Zou established a rtionship with him when he was opening his restaurant''s first branch in the kingdom.
Liang Tian was a farmer, and he had a 100-acre farm in Felonwood County. Bai Zou came to know him courtesy of the royal family of the Jadebrook Kingdom.
Liang Tian was a gifted farmer who could grow all sorts of spiritual herbs en masse, along with certain spirit beasts known for their docile nature.
He formed a bnce between the two to support the growth of each other. He used the manure from certain spirit beasts to promote the growth of certain spiritual nts, and he used certain spiritual nts to ensure the growth of certain spiritual beasts.
The output was high with matching quality. Liang Tian was very meticulous with every single process involved in the farm, which was why in the whole kingdom, few could match the quality of his produce. However, he was rtively unknown and unheard of in the kingdom despite being such a gifted farmer and ate-stage core formation expert.
If it wasn''t for the royal family of the Jadebrook kingdom introducing him, Bai Zou would have never known that someone like him existed in the kingdom.
He kept a low profile, his farm was secluded and also hidden in arrays, and as far as the spiritual herbs and animals go, he usually kept them for himself and the only people he sold to were the royal family, in exchange for themying down the istion and illusion arrays around his farm.
Bai Zou became his second customer. In exchange for getting the spiritual herbs he needed, he offered up the seeds of some indigenous species to the Cinnabar Kingdom.I think you should take a look at
He couldn''t help but smile when he remembered how over the moon Liang Tian was when he saw the seeds. When they met, it was just like now, he struggled to talk but when Bai Zou showed him the seeds, all nervousness and awkwardness he had, vanished. He rattled on endlessly about the seeds and various ideas he had of nting them.
Bai Zou rather admired his almost innocent single-minded focus. Every now and then he liked going there personally to pick up the spiritual herbs he needed even though his disciples could do it.
He liked the air around Liang Tian''s farm. It was calming. It brought him the same sense of relief that cooking did. So whenever he had time, he would visit Liang Tian with a few seeds, and watch him rattle on and get excited as he ran over the farm looking for the perfect ce to nt.
Is this what it feels like to be a parent? he often wondered every time he was around Liang Tian.
The torturous experience of the beast tides from the Cinnabar Kingdom made him avoid any thoughts of having children in such an environment, where you could all die in the next second. Even after everything had settled down, and he became a pce realm expert, he still avoided it. One of the reasons was fear of loss, and the other which was the most important one, was the presence of the pce realm spirit beast in the kingdom.
Even though it never attacked, except when they burged into the forest it was hibernating in, Bai Zou always felt it was a matter of time until it attacked them. The spirit beast tides had already shaped his judgment of them, they were all violent, and the pce realm spirit beast may not be any different. This was why he rarely left the kingdom.
...
"I deal with a lot of nts like the starfiretle, the moonlit jasmine good for tea that calms the mind, but I found it doesn''t go well with the starfiretle, they always try to devour each other.
For nts that are so dissimr in quality, it''s rather funny that they depend on the same resources for growth, and conditions are almost identical. They always seem like quarreling siblings to me..." Liang Tiang let out a soft chuckle as he said this.
The moment he started talking about his nts, his whole demeanor changed, all nervousness and shyness changed, and he had a certain aura to him that seemed to radiate the vibrancy and nature of the earth.
Even the two senior alchemists couldn''t help but evaluate him.
"The earth alder physique... exins the variety and the quality of the herbs.." muttered Yang Qing as he smiled.
Liang Tiang may or may have not noticed it, but the skin and the hair on his head had changed the moment he began to talk passionately about the nts in his ce. His brown hair had transformed and had small branches growing out of it with leaves that matched that of the alder tree, while his face had golden yellow runic lines thatbined into forked-like lines at the front of his forehead.
The features he presented were usually found in those who had the earth alder tree physique. The physique had no offensive means to it, but if one was to be a herbologist, there were few physiques that were better suited for the job than it.
It granted the user the ability to affect the earth around it and alter it to reach conditions that could amodate different spiritual nts. Even the barest and poorest of soils could be transformed into a ground that could host over 50 sky-rank herbs as long as a user of the earth alder tree physique worked on it.
They are also sensitive to the changes in moisture which is why the users of the physique are proficient with arts that are tied to both the earth and water element.
Chapter 386 Inspection From The Two Alchemists
A bunch of the herbs collected from Liang Tian''s farm for purposes of the case had excellent quality, matching even those grown from the herb gardens of the Medicine Valley.
"Then there''s the luminescent moss that senior Bai Zou brought the other day...."
"Ahem, Liang Tian while I appreciate the step-by-step introduction of the nts on your farm, and would like to hear more about itter, for now, could we focus on the three herbs you usually sell Owner Bai Zou and whether there were any of the three that you changed up on how you cultivated them.." said Yang Qing.
"Sorry.." said Liang Tian as he grinned foolishly while scratching the back of his mind in embarrassment.
"Well of the three herbs in question I haven''t changed much when ites to the ocean tassel and volcanic fennel. They''re pretty hardy nts and highly adaptable.
For the ocean tassel as long as the water it grows under has the same saline conditions maintained and the lighting controlled, it grows with minimal interference for my part.
I use the marine jadeite crystal to maintain the saline conditions and its essence hasn''t been drained yet, it''s about 7 years shy of it.
As for the lighting part, I use the Eclipse oak tree for that. It absorbs the sunlight around it, which is where I ced the pond containing the ocean tassel. Its leaves are still intact, and it only wilts once every eight months, and it''s at night during the full moon.
As for the volcanic fennel, it''s the easiest. its growing area is basically supported and run by an array supported by the beast core of an infernal nd smander that was at the peak of the core formation stage.
Since Iid down the formation, I''ve never touched it."
"Thank you senior Bai Zou for the core..I''m thinking of adding spirit me lemon grass with the volcanic fennel. I feel like the grass would work well with the mutton soup you bring by..." Liang Tian suddenly said, deviating.
"I''ll bring some next time when Ie, but please finish answering Judge Yang Qing''s questions first. We can discuss the other matters after.." Bai Zou gently said as he looked toward Yang Qing like a parent asking a teacher to let off their kid.
"The white scale fairy moss was the one I had a problem with a few years ago but I rectified it. The fairy moss has stringent requirements on the water it grows from. It needs to be dense with wood qi, and yin qi, however, the water feeding into my farm had yang qi mixed into it a few years ago.
While the levels were not that detrimental to it, it would slow down the rate of maturity of the red-scale fairy moss. So every morning before the sun hits, I would sprinkle it with dew collected from the leaves of the moonlit cypress tree on my farm.
The dew it produces has a gentle yin qi in it, which suited perfectly to meet the needs of the white-scale fairy moss.
The quality was in no waypromised or damaged because of it. Over the years I''ve continually checked it, and I evenpared it to the fairy moss I had stored up before the water used in the farm got yang qi concentrations. The qualities are simr.
Miss Xia Ting picked a few samples, you canpare both and see they''re the same, Judge Yang Qing."
"And for what it''s worth, I don''t think senior Bai Zou is someone who would poison their customers.." added Liang Tian.
"Thank you Liang Tian.."
"Seniors, it''s up to you now.." said Yang Qing.
"Daoist Luo Fan, I''ll take the herbs how about you take Miss Li Shu''s inspection first? then we can finish up with the inspection of the spirit beasts. What do you think?" asked Alchemist Ma Bo.I think you should take a look at
"Let''s do it that way.." Alchemist Luo Fan readily agreed.
"Miss Li Shu please don''t move," Alchemist Luo Fan said as he walked towards her, stopping a few inches away from her.
"Mmh, it''s as I guessed.." he muttered after casually scanning her for a few seconds.
Carp of illumination
Alchemist Luo Fan pointed his index finger toward her and a silver carp was produced from his fingertip. The carp was palm-sized and slender and had blue glyphs in its eyes.
Li Shu was taken aback by its lifelike appearance especially when it turned its gaze toward her, she felt like she had been locked on by a real-live spirit beast.
She was about to take a step back because of the pressure the carp was emitting but she remembered Alchemist Luo Fan''s order and stood still.
The carp produced a water ball from its mouth that it fired at Li Shu which immediately expanded from a tiny pebble-sized ball to a big ball that wasrge enough to envelop her and even leave some room for her to move all her limbs around if she wanted to.
The moment Li Shu was enveloped in the water ball the silver carp dived into the blue water ball and then swam directly into Li Shu''s body.
Li Shu on instinct blocked her body with her arms, but the carp was like a specter as it phased through her defense and prated her body.
Just as Li Shu was wondering what the carp was up to, she saw glowing lines suddenly appear on her body, and the resplendence of that glow grew brighter by the second to the point it could be seen even through her blue robes.
The lines grew in number by the minute, till every part of her body had them.
Vice pce master Pan Xin tugged at pce master Meng Ye''s robe as he pointed at Li Shu and the water ball.
"That?" asked Pan Xin with a voice of disbelief.
"It''s all her meridians andposition, internal organs, vessels ..everything within her internal structure.." answered Meng Ye with disbelief herself as she took in what was before her
Li Shu''s current outward look had transformed. The water ball had shrunk both in size and shape. Its shape became humanoid and surrounded her like a translucent protective membrane. The glowing lines reflected themselves on that membrane, and what seemed to be random lines at fast became the outline of her entire internal structure.
The meridians, vessels, and internal organs were depicted on the membrane. One could see a massive bowl-sized object at the center of her navel that had a blue wave swirling in a clockwise manner and from that object were multiple channelsing out of it that went throughout her body.
At present the color showing around her body was one single color, which was blue, but after a few seconds, two more colors appeared which were deep yellow and white color and a tinge of green.
Blue was the most dominant, then followed by yellow and white and finally green which appeared in a single ce which was her stomach.
"A yin yang imbnce..." said Alchemist Ma Ba as he came over holding the white scaled fairy moss in one hand, and stroking his beard with the other.
Chapter 387 Resolution To Li Shus Case (1)
"How were the concentrations?" asked Alchemist Luo Fan as both he and Alchemist Ma Bo scrutinized the reflected image of the internal structure of Li Shu.
"On the nts, normal but on the duck I bet it will be different, and judging by her internal makeup, it seems to have been the cause.." answered Alchemist Ma Bo as he handed the white scale fairy moss in his hand to Alchemist Luo Fan, who gently parsed its leaves through his fingers.
A blue crystalline liquid that shone like the luster of stars appeared on his fingertips as he pressed the leaves of the white-scale fairy moss against his fingers.
The white-scale fairy moss was pure white in color and its leaves had a silky smoothness to it and released a sweet fresh breezy scent.
"The quality is not bad. It falls under the top 5 among the white-scale fairy moss I''ve interacted with over the years..." said Luo Fan as his gaze went back to Li Shu.
"Mmmh, exins why the Jadebrook royal family has so many experts. Having someone gifted like young Liang Tian supplying them with all sorts of spiritual herbs with such a quality, having skilled experts is a definite guarantee.."
Alchemist Ma Bo couldn''t help but sneak a nce Liang Tian''s way who had already walked to Bai Zou and seemed to be animatingly discussing something with him in a low voice.
"I wonder if he''d agree to join the Jade leaf academy. With my rmendation and his talent, it wouldn''t be a problem. But he doesn''t strike me as the sort to care too much about that.." wondered Alchemist Ma Bo.
"He didn''t either.." he added as his gaze fell on Yang Qing.
His years of working as a teacher made him develop a habit of scouting unpolished gems and rmending them to the Academy and see what heights they''d reach.
His life was changed in the same way too. He too was once a student of the Jade Leaf Academy and had gotten in as a regr student. However he was an orphan and had no lucky encounters or treasure stash somewhere to fund his entry, but lucky for him there was a guest teacher of the Academy who admired his talents and gave him his rmendation.
Guest teachers were given two rmendations a year. The rmendation worked as a free sponsorship and not a direct entry card. Whoever they rmended had to have sufficient talent to be epted into the Academy by normal means. Their rmendation would serve as their fees throughout their whole education.
The rmendation Ma Bo received in his early years, had changed his life. It was no different than giving him a new life. All he had today was because of that rmendation. What he learned at the Academyid down the foundations he needed to be a blue-grade alchemist and herbologist.I think you should take a look at
This was the reason why, when the Academy offered him a position as a guest teacher when he became a blue-grade alchemist, he did not hesitate. Other than the generous resources and opportunities he would get as a guest teacher, one of the other main reasons he did it, was he wanted to create many opportunities for other potential geniuses who may end up buried because of insufficient resources.
He wanted to be that opportunity for them, which was why he kept roaming around the continent. He did so for his research and also spotted a few talents that he could use his rmendation on.
One of his journeysnded him at the doors of the Yang n. A family that had some of the most profound theories and deductions into the human body, that was supplemented with a deep level of knowledge that it drew even his attention, despite already being a blue-grade alchemist at the time.
Over the years of interacting with them, he had attempted to rmend a few of them to the Academy one of which was Yang Qing''s grandfather who had a creative mind for research that wasn''t only restricted to the body refinement realm, but to other physiques and alchemy.
As per Alchemist Ma Bo''s assessment from their most recent interaction, Yang Qing''s grandfather was already just inches away from being a blue-grade alchemist, even with his foundation-level strength.
Ma Bo wouldn''t be surprised if he was overtaken by him someday, which was why he tried to get him to join the Academy to further develop his talents and there would definitely be cultivators there who would help him with his research, however he was ruthlessly rejected by Yang Qing''s grandfather, and when he tried recruiting other Yang n talents they all gave him the same response, which was a rejection.
He didn''t give up and still kept trying to rmend someone from the Yang family. He always felt like he owed them for them allowing an outsider like him to have a share in their insights and the research. He was surprised at how open they were with it after just exchanging a few pointers with them.
Their research had greatly contributed towards him strengthening his abilities as a blue-grade alchemist, to the point it wouldn''t be long before he was able to sessfully concoct mid-tier blue-grade potions and pills.
Potions and pills of this grade were ones that would induce two tribtion lightning uponpletion. Such potions and pills had the same potency as a cultivator in the middle stages of the pce realm.
If Ma Bo managed to make such a potion, the harvest he would gain would be sufficient to push his cultivation base to the middle stages of the pce realm, and he could be a regr teacher of the Jade Leaf Academy which came with over 100 more perks than what he had ess to, one of which was ess to gold grade recipes, and ess to facilities and treasures that would increase his understanding of alchemy and other rted matters.
The research and generosity shown by the Yang family had given him a chance at something most alchemists would drool over, thus he felt he owed them a lot, and giving them resources for their experiments wasn''t enough in his book.
A rmendation was the most valuable thing he felt he could give them, but sadly to most of the Yang n members, it was no more important to them than a useless rock by the road. Other than their devout study of the body refinement realm, they had little care for anything else and they were stubborn about it and were creatures of habit, and would not deviate from it.
Chapter 388 Resolution To Li Shus Case (2)
However every now and then, some anomalies would appear among them. Some Yang members who didn''t care for the body refinement realm or had any interest in pouring their whole lives into it. Ma Bo often waited around for those anomalies, but unluckily none of them were talented enough to have a guaranteed entry into the Academy, that was until Yang Qing''s father.
He had top-notch skills in alchemy, one that was enough to even draw Ma Bo''s attention, and the best part was Ma Bo had long since noticed his dissatisfaction with the ways of the Yang family. He thought surely he could get him to ept his rmendation. However, he had severely underestimated how deathly afraid Yang Qing''s father was of his grandfather. He refused him only for yearster to run away from the Yang n.
Luckily for him, after a decade or so when he came back, another anomaly in the form of Yang Qing was born. A kid who showed the same level of aptitude as the special entry students of the Academy, and the more he saw Yang Qing cultivate his way through the body refinement realm, the more he was certain of it.
He decided to let Yang Qing stay in the Yang family during his body refinement period since even the Academy would not do any better than the Yang family when it came to it, and when Yang Qing reached the qi refinement realm, he would nominate him with his rmendation.
He had alreadyid down the groundwork for it over the years, by painting the picture of how grand the academy was, the resources, the endless research into different cultivation arts, and how the academy even gives their students the opportunity to delve into all sorts of different unexplored ruins and mysterious realms within their territory.
He knew all young cultivators boiled from the thrill of the adventure, and when Yang Qing kept asking for detailed specifics of those ruins, and mysterious realms such as if they were truly unexplored, and if the Academy supervised, Ma Bo was certain Yang Qing''s interest had been piqued, and him joining the Academy was all but guaranteed.
However he came back yearster only to find Yang Qing had left like his father, but unlike him, he went to join the Order.
To date, Ma Bo couldn''t understand why. Yes, the Order was a powerful organization with a lot of prospects but in his opinion the Jade Leaf Academy didn''t lose out to the Order. It had vast resources just like the Order, it had connections all over the continent, and in terms of power, only when he became a guest teacher did he discover how powerful the Jade Leaf Academy was.
Teachers were ranked ording to a grade that not only highlighted their aplishments but also their power level. Ma Bo as a pce realm cultivator and blue grade alchemist was a blue-rank teacher, and above him was gold rank which was reserved for those in the domain realm, and above that was purple rank reserved for those in the soul formation realm.
In all his years working there had heard there were at least 31 purple grade teachers. That was 31 soul formation experts, and then there was the Jade Leaf Empire behind it which was bound to be even more powerful than the Academy it supports.
While the Order was powerful, he found it difficult to believe it was stronger than the Jade Leaf Empire, an entity that was dubbed as strong as the holynds. If it wasn''t, there was no way they could hold onto their ten thousand-leaf jade tree.
When he met Yang Qing, after he had be a judge and his choice, Yang Qing said it was out of a sense of duty and he felt the Order suited his ambitions of introducing fairness to the world.
Ma Bo didn''t believe him at all. He knew the kid, he wasn''t a believer or a true altruist. The kid talking about fairness was the same one who learnt herbology and alchemy from him all for the sake of dosing his grandfather and a few elders with a potion that induced diarrhea and nightmares.
However, despite Ma Bo not buying it, he didn''t pry too much into the reason. At least his talents flourished at the Order. The little kid he''d bribe with pancakes so he could drink the disgusting body refinement potions was already a pce realm cultivator, the same as him, probably even stronger. Ma Bo could distinctly feel even with his third-stage pce realm strength, if he fought with Yang Qing, there was a high likelihood he would lose. It was only to be expected since the grades of the dao they used to breakthrough to the pce realm were different. If he wanted to suppress Yang Qing, he''d need to be at the sixth stage to be able to confidently do it. But as long as they were both within the early stage minor realm, the likelihood of him winning was small.
Ma Bo couldn''t help but sigh in gratification.I think you should take a look at
"Maybe if I enlist daoist Bai Zou''s help I can get Liang Tian to agree," he thought, unwilling to let Liang Tian rot away in a rank 4 kingdom without getting the chance to excavate his potential to the full.
He decided to push the matter tillter and focus on the task at hand. Li Shu''s internal structure was clear to the point that it seemed like she had been cut open and her innards were exposed.
The blood flow and the qi flow could be observed in real-time. His gaze focused on the white-red cloud spots that had filled most of her body except the dantian. It was in her organs, meridians, and blood vessels. Other than her dantian, the head was the only other ce that didn''t have the white red spots, that seemed to be trying to consume each other rather than live in harmony.
"Daoist Luo Fan''s skills are truly a masterful wonder..." Alchemist Ma Bo said in admiration.
The imagery was so detailed that he could see even the numerous injuries in her meridians.
"It''s nothing of note.." Alchemist Luo Fan said with a light chuckle
"You gave her harmony wisteria as a stop-gap to regte her qi flow right?" asked Luo Fan as he directed his question at duo masters of the Blue River Cauldron Pavilion.
"We did.." humbly answered pce master Meng Ye.
"Pce master Meng Ye, right?" asked Luo Fan as he cast a deep nce in her direction.
"It is senior..." Meng Ye hesitantly answered.
"I guess congrattions are in advance..." Luo Fan said with a smile as he made his way to where the live spirit beasts were kept, leaving the dumbfounded Meng Ye and Pan Xin behind.
The membrane that surrounded Li Shu popped and disappeared almost immediately, and the silver carp flew out of her body and followed Alchemist Luo Fan in the direction of the spirit beasts, who showed signs of fear and agitation when they saw the carp.
"Don''t worry, it won''t harm you.." Luo Fan softly said. His words seemed to have a charm to it, because the moment he uttered those words the beasts calmed down, and almost seemed like they were about to doze off. The gold-feathered duck even tucked its head under its wing in preparation for it.
"Judge Yang Qing, I think we only need to test the gold feathered duck and the respective dish. The other animals and dishes likely did not cause Miss Li Shu''s yin-yang imbnce.."
Chapter 389 Resolution To Li Shus Case (3)
"It''s okay senior Luo Fan.." answered Yang Qing.
From Liang Tian''s statement and the image of Li Shu''s internal structure, he could already infer what happened.
Alchemist Ma Bo''s and Alchemist Luo Fan''s presence at this point and whatever they were doing was more of a reassurance for the two parties involved.
Yang Qing''s eyes lit up at the thought that he would soon be devouring the dishes brought over for the test. While the live spirit beast will be given back to the restaurant, the finished dishes on the other hand, Yang Qing had already decided either by fair means or foul, they would not be leaving the courtroom.
Alchemist Luo Fan went over to the gold feathered duck, while Alchemist Ma Bo went for the roasted version of it. The former ced his hand on the duck that was already dozing off and rubbed its back almost as if he was guiding something out.
Secondster, a white crystal came out from the open mouth of the duck. it was the size of a tear drop and had faint chilly mist being emitted from it.
When it came to Alchemist Ma Bo, he produced a gentle looking pale green me from his fingertip tip which he used to jab at the sulent back of the roasted duck.
The green me transformed into a string that traversed the whole body of the roasted duck. Secondster the roasted duck began emitting white mist from its body.
Alchemist Ma Bo waved his sleeves and the mist got sucked into his palm to form a light blue crystal that had a white shin to it.
"I think we have everything. Daoist Ma Bo would you like to do the honors? As a teacher, i feel you''ll be better at the exnation than I am..."
"As an appraiser, shouldn''t you be better with your words than I am.." said Alchemist Ma Bo with a light chuckle.
However, he didn''t reject Alchemist Luo Fan''s suggestion as he took the white teardrop crystal he had on him.
"Before I start, there is one thing I''d like to rify.." Alchemist Ma Bo said.
Yang Qing waved his hand saying it was his show.
"Miss Li Shu, whenever you have the roasted gold feathered duck, do you have it with anything special, outside of what the restaurant offers?"
Li Shu paused a bit, surprised at the line of questioning, but she was quick to recollect herself and answer.
"I usually sprinkle dried dragonfire basil on it.."
"Mmh, that exins it.." muttered Alchemist Ma Bo.
"Okay, now first things first, Miss Li Shu you don''t have pill poisoning, though your body does present its symptoms, what you have ispletely different.
If you had pill poisoning, despite the levels, the means Alchemist Meng Ye and Alchemist Pan Xin used on you, would have been more than sufficient to handle it, and if it wasn''t, well..you wouldn''t be able to walk as you are right now.
In the best case scenario, you''d be bed ridden, and in the worst case, you''d be in spitting distance of death''s door. The fact that you''re still rtively well, means you don''t have acute pill poisoning, and you have something else.
That something else is a disharmony known as yin yang imbnce," said Alchemist Ma Bo as he stroked his beard.
Li Shu who should have been relieved for not having pill poisoning, had a look of confusion that slowly grew to worry.
"Is it treatable?" she asked in fear.
Yin-Yang imbnce no matter how she looked at it sounded way more dangerous than pill poisoning. Maybe it might be something she would have to live with and manage using certain natural treasures like various ailments she''s seen other cultivators live with.
While cultivators were known to have improved vitality and the diseases that affected them while they were mortals would no longer affect them, that did not mean they didn''t get sick. Though the sickness was usually of them going to some ce dangerous and suffering the consequences of it, one of which was getting infected.I think you should take a look at
Over the years, as a rogue cultivator, Li Shu has seen cultivators with all manner of mdies which they contracted from exploring some dangerous ruin, mysterious realm, forest, and areas known to be bountiful with natural treasures, or even from fighting against other cultivators.
They''d get cursed, injured, possessed, poisoned, and have their bodies altered, which more often than not if they didn''t die on the spot, usually manifested itself as a sickness.
She once saw a cultivator in the seventh stage of core formation realm who went to harvest a mushroom that had the constetion of the stars in its cap, and produced a mist and voice that seemed to increase a cultivator''s ability ofprehension.
A massive fight broke out for the mushroom. Li Shu was only in the early stages of the core formation realm at the time, so she only spectated. The seventh-stage core formation expert won the bout and managed to grab the mushroom for himself.
However because his skills in herbology seemed to be wanting, he didn''t know there was a specific way of harvesting that mushroom and one couldn''t simply just pluck it from the ground. Upon contact, the mushroom exploded and some of the pores got into the system of that cultivator. Within minutes he became delirious and started to vomit.
At the start, he was vomiting saliva, but as time went by the saliva turned to tiny mushrooms. Then the mushrooms started appearing on different parts of his body. That cultivator never managed to make it out of the area. Li Shu asionally passes by the area, and herst visit was about six years ago and went she went by the area she found that the cultivator was still alive, however, he was mumbling crazy things and had mushrooms growing all over his body.
There were countless stories simr to that cultivator and some were even worse. Li Shu couldn''t help but feel fearful she was about to join that group and her case would be even worse.
She couldn''t help but imagine herself growing basil and producing duck feathers from different parts of her body, and towards the end would she be a duck basil human?
...
"It is treatable, of the methods you were given two of them are guaranteed to work. ANy blue grade alchemist can remedy it easily, and the morning lily heartseed would work as well, as for the third option, while a pce realm expert could do it, it would have to be one with certain attributes that would enable them to quel the out of sync energies in your system.
Lucky for you, there is one here, who would do a better job than even what a blue grade alchemist could do, or the morning lily heartseed.." Alchemist Ma Bo lightly said as his gaze darted off in Yang Qing''s direction.
Alchemist Luo Fan had a gleam of curiosity sh in his eyes when he saw Alchemist Ma Bo''s insinuation.
"Thank you, senior Ma Bo.." said Li Shu with a visible sigh of relief.
"No problem...Now to the matter at hand..The Yin-Yang disharmony in your body was caused by a series of coincidences, which if even one piece was missing, you may have not gotten it in the first ce.
I''ll start from the top.."
Alchemist Ma Bo began exuding the aura of a seasoned schr. However, the aura he was exuding was butchered by his sloven appearance.
"Our young friend Liang Tian is right. In essence, the white-scale fairy moss he produced using the water that fed to his farm, and the one he produced using the dew of moonlit cypress when ites to quality, they''re the same.
However, even though the quality is the same, doesn''t mean they''re truly the same.."
"Huh, what do you mean, senior?!" Liang Tian asked in surprise.
"Mmh, well as mortals, we can have water from the same source that is simr in every single detail, but that same water when drunk cold or drunk hot, cause different reactions to the human body. The former can cause constipation while thetter aids in digestion.
In essence, when ites to quality, these two waters are the same but the effects they cause on someone are different, the same thing applies to the white scale fairy moss you produced.
While the yin qi from the moonlit cypress is gentle, the same as the one from the water feeding your farm, making both fairy moss essentially the same. However, the difference doese up because of the gold feather duck.
The yin qi derived from a water source, and is naturally urring and usually passes through the system of the duck when it consumes the white scale fairymoss, but it''s different with yin qi from the dew produced from the leaves of the moonlit cypress.
The duck has special bacteria, that can process that qi into yin salts. This is that salt.." Alchemist Ma Bo said as he raised the hand containing the white teardrop crystal that he was given by Alchemist Luo Fan.
Chapter 390 Resolution To Li Shus Case (4)
"This yin salt continually umtes in the duck''s body the more it consumes the white scale fairy moss doused with dew from the moonlit cypress. The yin salt in by itself is not harmless and is rather beneficial to the duck, when ites to increasing the durability of its feathers, and when ites to the restaurant side of things.
Duck meat from a gold feather duck with yin salt in its system is much tender than one without."
"Now daoist Bai Zou, I take it you use the tri fire me to cook it?" asked Alchemist Ma Bo.
"I do," answered Bai Zou with a mildly surprised expression.
"The tri fire me is an excellent me art for both alchemists and chefs.." As Alchemist Ma Bo said this, a me appeared in his hands.
The me had three different colors. There was blue, yellow, and dark orange.
"With this me, you can regte different levels of heat be it on your cauldron or on the food you''re processing. The blue me is fierce and hot, the dark orange me is gentle and slow, and the yellow me is the middle ground between the two.
It''s one of the best me arts to use to extract arge quantity of the elements contained in an ingredient. It''s truly a wonderous art with unlimited uses and high efficiency.."
Alchemist Ma Bo lightly rubbed his palm and the me disappeared.
"The me is good for ensuring every ingredient is used to its maximum potential, and that''s what happened with the Yin salt. Because of the tri-fire me, the yin salt which should have remained in the gizzard got melted and distributed throughout the body of the duck, and if served sizzling, the yin salt is usually at an active state because of the fire.
Herein lies the problem...yin salt by itself is no problem to someone who consumes it, however, in its active state, it bes problematic if you introduce apound with vtile yang energy which the dragonfire basil has plenty of.
Introducing both substances in your body at the same time turns it into abat arena with one vying for dominance over the other.
Had Miss Li Shu not been a regr and had the same dish, the yin-yang imbnce wouldn''t have appeared. Your body would have regted it with time or the yin salt and the yang energy from the dragon fire basil would have neutralized each other.
But by consuming it on a regr basis you continuously supplied these two substances the energy they needed to subsist on your body to the point they could run autonomously by using different organs and parts of your body as a furnace and a source of the yin and yang energy, with each trying to outdo the other.
It''s why your qi bes erratic and sometimes sluggish, the dizzy spells, and other effects. Every part of your body turned into a battleground for these two types of energies, and the measures the two alchemists from the Blue River Cauldron couldn''t work because a lot of substances around the world contain traces of yin or yang energy.
The two substances used their means to feed themselves. The array or their technique would have worked had they used an item with a void element but those are hard to find and it would be a waste to use it for a harmonization or cleansing.
That''s the basic ins and outs of what happened.."I think you should take a look at
A short silence ensued as Li Shu and Bai Zou processed what happened. They all seemed to have conflicted expressions. With what Alchemist Ma Bo had said, Li Shu couldn''t very well me the restaurant. Her regr consumption of the golden roast duck and the long-term use of the dragonfire basil was the trigger for the whole thing.
Guilt could be seen all over her face as she tried to avoid eye contact with Bai Zou.
As for Bai Zou, he too felt guilty along with Liang Tian who kept mumbling ''how'' over and over... For Bai Zou the yin salt present in his duck was a factor in Li Shu''s imbnce, and she was only affected this badly because she was a regr customer. Her reward for loyalty to the restaurant was sickness.
He could be seen clenching his fist in frustration.
"Ahem.." Yang Qing''s soft cough broke the silence.
"Well, I guess its time for me to pass my judgment. Li Shu, Bai Zou....as per the seniors''ments in my humble opinion, none of you is to me, it''s just a series of unlucky events that brought this on.
As for the matter of resolving the imbnce, as your mediator for this case, I''ll just do it myself and bring it to a close.."
Yang Qing immediately reappeared in front of Li Shu with his right index finger ced above her forehead.
"While it''s not the morning lily heartseed, it works just the same. I''ve eaten enough of them to mimic their abilities.." Yang Qing casually said as a green-blue drop appeared on the tip of his finger.
Spring of resplendence
A burst of refreshment and vitality filled the room the moment the drop appeared. Luo Fan''s pupils constricted in shock when he felt the fluctuations of that droplet. He wasn''t alone in this, as Bai Zou had the same reaction but for Lou Fan, it was more exaggerated.
"A perfect yin-yang harmony? it''s even better than the morning lily heartseed? How?!" he couldn''t help but turn his gaze to Alchemist Ma Bo who had hinted about Yang Qing being capable of resolving the issue.
Luo Fan had assumed Yang Qing was a blue grade alchemist like them or would use some natural treasure to resolve the issue but he didn''t expect him to resolve it as he did.
With all the treasures he has appraised over the years, he has interacted with a few treasures that exhibited the dual nature of yin yang but none of them matched the purity of the droplet in Yang Qing''s hand. He was even half tempted to ask for it and do the treatment himself.
The moment the droplet fell on her forehead Li Shu felt a sense offort she had never felt before instantly washing her body. Every bone, sinew, organ, and blood cell were being renewed and revitalized by the microsecond.
Chapter 391 [Bonus ]Selling The White Baobab Kingdom
Within seconds every tear within her meridians and other injuries she had suffered because of the Yin Yang imbnce were immediately restored to full vitality, and she could even feel they had been strengthened.
Along with the deep sense of relief, she also felt something being gently pulled together from all over her body into a small ball. Momentster that ballpacted and released a dense energy that flooded back into her body.
Li Shu was shocked to discover the doors to the seventh stage of the core formation realm were quaking. She hurriedly sat down and focused all her concentration in breaking through. However, the arduous process she expected to happen, didn''t. The breakthrough to the seventh realm was as easy as popping a bubble. She barely just sat down and the barrier broke.
The dense spiritual qi in the courtroom flooded toward her after her breakthrough. Li Shu pushed the shock of the speedy smooth breakthrough to the back of her mind as she refocused on solidifying her cultivation base.
The dense extremely rich spiritual qi would help her establish a firmer base than if she had used the spiritual qi in her abode at the Shao family. She was not going to let the chance slip by. The firmer her foundations are, the shorter the time she will need to reach the eighth base of the core formation realm.
Things had taken a crazy turn for her. She came in thinking she had pill poisoning and all she could hope for from the court was to get her medical expenses paid for, then she ended up not having pill poisoning but instead something she had never heard of in the name of Yin-Yang imbnce, and when she thought she was deep in the abyss, she was given alms. Her situation was not only resolved but she had achieved the smoothest breakthrough she has ever had in her whole.
If someone told her that her day would end up this way, she would scoff it off and say the odds of her turning into a basil duck were higher.
As the rest were waiting for her toplete stabilizing her realm, Luo Fan took the time to butter Yang Qing. Yang Qing like the discerning person he was knew exactly what he was after.
You want my spring of resplendence you damn leech..mmph, time to recoup my losses and then some.
True to form, Yang Qing fleeced him for everything he could take. He was just short of taking his robes. Luo Fan''s look had turned from the refined handsome-looking schr, to a schr that had been run down by life, and ended up being a beggar at the street with one loosely hanging tooth.
The only thing that brought life to him was the vial that contained four drops of the drop Yang Qing had used on Li Shu. Yang Qing felt it was an otherwise good day with his smug smile and puffed-up chest.
He had erased the karma on the droplets using the medallion and the artifacts in the courtroom before he sold it out. After what he had done to Luo Fan, one can''t be too careful.
"Little Qing, you have grown.." Alchemist Ma Bo said with a look of pride and gratification.
"It''s because of your care, Grandpa Bo.." Yang Qing said as he gave a deep bow that he would give his own grandfather because to him Ma Bo was no different than one.
They went to to catch up as they exchanged a few words, with Ma Bo still trying to poach him for the Academy and Yang Qing using the same old spiel and deflecting by using some of the strange urrences he had seen especially the one from Summerfield kingdom.
After ten minutes, Li Shu was finished with stabilizing her cultivation base.
"Thank you for saving my life Judge Yang Qing, I don''t know how I could ever repay you for this!" Li Shu said in an agitated state as she performed a hastened bow that she almost tipped over.
"It''s okay daoist Li Shu. Solving your issue wasn''t that much of a big deal for me. I acted because it just so happens to fall in my area of expertise that''s all.." Yang Qing casually.
"Miss Li Shu, I''m truly sorry for what happened to you.." Bai Zou said as he cupped his fists. He had a guilted expression on his face.I think you should take a look at
"I''m sorry too," Liang Tian lowly said as he bowed.
He seemed to have been the one of the three to have taken it hardest.
"No, no, it''s I who should apologize.." Li Shu said in a fluster.
"I maligned your restaurant. I''m truly sorry. I''m willing to do anything to make up for it.."
The two went back and forth to make up for each other.
"Have you two ever heard of White Baobab kingdom?" Yang Qing asked as form of breaking their never-ending impasse of trying to out guilt each other.
"I have." They both answered.
Bai Zou was rather casual about it, but Li Shu couldn''t hide how highly she thought of the ce. Her eyes glittered during her response.
"Well, I don''t think I need to add much. Miss Li Shu if you want to go there, you can just use my name and the people there should help you settle.."
"Senior Bai Zou, I think it may do you some good to visit the ce. There are over a dozen chefs there who use yin salts on yang-rich dishes and they blend them seamlessly together..you might get some insights from them.
The incident today isn''t necessarily a bad thing if done right.." said Yang Qing.
The duo nodded as they offered their thanks. Yang Qing shared a few words and called a close to the case, dismissing all members present in haste. The ''collected evidence'' would grow cold if they hung around.
...
Dinner time, One of the tables at the Thousand vors restaurant.
"Zheng Hu, is this all true?!"
"It is."
"Yang Qing, you sure know how to pick cases..." Dai Chen said with a tired sigh as he leaned back to his seat with a defeated and somber expression.
Chapter 392 Five Judge Panel
"You can refuse, I know the ask isn''t small.."
Yang Qing had a difficult smile as he said this. He knew the matter he was about to suck them into, was anything but easy.
"Qingee, what do you think?" Yang Qing softly asked.
At the table, they were four. It was him, Dai Chen, Zheng Hu, and Zhang Qingge.
Of their original gang of five, Xia Boqin and Kang Hung had already gone into seclusion to break through to the pce realm, while Yu Huifang was also doing her final preparations before she set off for the tribtion mountain.
It was times like this that Yang Qing wished Kang Hung and the rest were at the same realm as him.
In Ma Yuan''s case because of the severity of the matter and the sentence that was about to be passed, it needed a five-judge panel to decide on it.
Yang Qing was new to the pce courts, he didn''t have time to socialize with the other outer pce court judge before he was hit with a case that forced a five judge decision.
While he was acquainted with some seniors, for the case at hand it was better to share the burden with friends rather than acquaintances.
Of their group, only he, Dai Chen, and Zhang Qingge were in the pce realm, and thus could only ask those two to be part of his panel.
After he hadpleted his cases for the day, Zheng Hu came to his courtroom with more reports that were just as grim as the one he had received from Yu Gen at the herb garden restaurant.
On reading the report, Yang Qing decided against waiting a few days , and despite the unease and anxiety he had because of the matter, he decided to call Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge over.
When he broke the information to them, Dai Chen acted pretty much the same as he did, but when it came to Zhang Qingge, she was no longer her shy self. She had a collected calmness to her, which was a bit unnerving to Yang Qing as he worried he may have sprung up a lot on Zhang Qingge.
"Qingee you don''t have to do it. It''s okay, I can ask other judges. Lei Weiyuan is bound to know a few..the case isn''t easy, even for me who took it on. So you don''t have to force yourself.." Yang Qing said with guilt showing on his expression.
In his haste and shock, he had overlooked how much of an impact it would have on them. He couldn''t help but regret his sense of selfishness that had overridden his thought as a friend.
Seeing Zhang Qingge''s silent and calm state he couldn''t help but wish he could turn back time and undo the request.
"No, I''ll do it...Sorry, it''s just... I had to forcibly calm myself otherwise if I let the rage inside me surface I''d find myself already headed towards the Ice Emerald Sect before we even have a chance to put everything in ce.
Huifang taught me the silent ripple mantra to help me calm down. It usually makes me zone out for a bit, every time I execute, but it works.." Zhang Qingge said as her usual shy demeanor came back.
Thanks to it, my fines have seen a significant reduction.." she softly muttered with a tone that was half mixed with embarrassment and pride.
Pfft...
Yang Qing and Dai Chen hurriedly stifled theirughter, when they saw Zhang Qingge clench her fists at them.
"You''re sure, you''re both okay with this? You can refuse.." Yang Qing asked once more with a look of concern.
"When we took this job, we all knew there was a possibility of this happening. It is the world we live in. There are thousands of Ice Emerald Sects out there.." said Dai Chen.
"I''m okay with it. Besides, if I ever had one myself, I woulde to you too. So it''s only fair," he added.
"I''m okay with it too, and just like Dai Chen said, you''ll both be my first calls if I ever get one.." Zhang Qingge said.
"What?" Yang Qing asked when he saw Zhang Qingge fidgeting looking like she wasn''t done talking and seemed to be struggling.
"You can refuse if you want, but can you loan me 1,500 high-grade spirit stones?" Zhang Qingge shyly asked as she looked downwards afraid to look at Yang Qing''s reaction.
"That''s it?" Yang Qing asked in shock.
"Sure...though why do you want it?" Yang Qing curiously asked.I think you should take a look at
As per Zhang Qingge''s admission, her fines had reduced which was the one area she usually lost her money at. Unlike him, Dai Chen or Kang Hung, she didn''t have expensive hobbies to support.
"It was Kang Hung''s stupid idea. He told me he had bribed someone from the case log admission department, and that someone would give him information on the next cases which he would use to ce his next bet.
Everything seemed sound and I even met with the person from the admissions department. So I agreed with Kang Hung to go even on the bet and we would split the profitster.
The odds for the case he chose were 15:1. We would wind up with 45,000 high-grade spirit stones if it all went to n, which would have given me enough spirit stones to improve the arrays in my abode and pay a bit of what I owe Huifang, but Kang Hung''s stupid bet failed, and because he is not reachable at the moment, they threw his bet obligations on me too..." Zhang Qingge said.
Even with her pitiful expression, Yang Qing and Dai Chen couldn''t help butugh out loud.
"Why did you listen to him? The person from the admissions department was more likely nted by the others in on the bet.
If Kang Hung really had connections in the ce, would he be losing as badly as he does?" Yang Qing couldn''t help but shake his head.
He once fell for the same ploy. Kang Hung sold him on this detailed analysis on how a certain bet was a sure in and they could pull their spirit stones together for a higher payout. Yang Qing at the time was wallowing in fines, a bottomless bird to sponsor, and was feeding on cold leek soup and dry bread, so when Kang Hung told him there was a way he could end his pitiful state and eat like a king, of course Yang Qing jumped at it.
All Yang Qing got at the end of it was starvation and getting robbed of whatever pitifully few spirit stones he had left.
Dai Chen and Yang Qing teased her a few more times before they focused back on the matter concerning the case.
Zheng Hu after dropping off the jade talisman containing the results of his investigation, had already left in search of Ma Yuan to feel him on the progress of the case.
With how fast things would be moving, along with theplicated situation, Yang Qing thought it was better for Zheng Hu to handle the updates rather than wait for a court liaison from the administration department to do it.
...
"So do you have any suggestions on who we can choose for the two remaining spots?" asked Yang Qing.
Zhang Qingge and Dai Chen have been in the outer pce courts for at least a year, especially thetter who has been there for two. They were bound to have made connections.
"I can think of one. His name is Mo Liwei, we got in the same year, and unlike as he has handled one of them before, so I think it will be better to have someone like him, who has experienced it, on board.." said Dai Chen.
"I''ll ask him, and see if he''ll agree to it.." Dai Chen said he took out hismunication talisman.
"I also can try one..." Zhang Qingge softly said.
"She was my senior and helped me a lot when I was starting out in the pce courts. I think she may agree to it..." she added as she took out her talisman to call.
"Liwei will only agree to it after he hears theplete details of the case. How far are you from it?"
"Yu Gen will be bringing the final bits of information tomorrow. He requested help from some of his colleagues from the roaming inquisitors.
Su Jinjing, Luo Meili, and Feng Xin should be bringing in whatever they have dug before midnight..."
"Aah, there they are.." Yang Qing said when he saw the trio walk in.
Unlike their typical jovial mood, they all seemed rather low on spirits, especially Feng Xin who would light up whenever he was in the vicinity of a restaurant. He had a grim look on his face.
"We Ying has agreed. She has said she will pass by the restaurant in the next hour or so after she finishes herst case.." said Zhang Qingge.
"Thank you, both, truly.." Yang Qing said.
At least with this one part of the to-do list had been done. He already had the five-judge panel needed.
Next, the panel would evaluate the findings on hand and vote on what to do next. The result of their deliberations would then be presented to the Judicial reviewmittee, and after that it would be the passing of the sentence.
Chapter 393 Review And Deliberations(1)
The dinner at the Thousand vors restaurant extended well past midnight. Luckily since the restaurant was operated by cultivators, it was always open and had no closing hours, which worked well with the brutal schedule of judges, inquisitors, and other staff of the Order.
Wei Ying, Zhang Qingee''s friend, ended up taking a much longer time to arrive. The one hour she had given, turned into three.
When they saw she was taking longer than usual, Dai Chen decided to invite Mo Liwei over. They could fill in both the two judges on the case, and with Yang Qing''s inquisitors having already arrived, they had more than enough information to present to Mo Liwei for him to decide whether he wanted to be on the panel or not.
Mo Liwei agreed and around two hours in he had already arrived at the restaurant.
He was from the same ss as Dai Chen and was one of their top performers, though if one looked at him they would not think like that. He was short, and had a small build and a regr-looking face, with a head of ck hair that was given the most minimal of attention.
When Yang Qing saw him, he thought to himself
Now this is the true picture of an Order employee...
Other than the robes that were smoothened out thanks to the self-straightening arrays and other quality materials used in making the robe, Mo Liwei looked absolutely haggard. The kind someone who had been pulling all-nighters and had little sleep for over a week would get.
His eyes were droopy, his shoulders slumped, his walking style seemed like it took all he had to drag his feet, and every movement was slow andbored.
This was the true picture of someone who has been ''well taken care of'' by the Order. Everyst bit of his qi and soul essence had been thoroughly exploited.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder how much work would a pce realm cultivator in the third stage have to do to end up in the same state Mo Liwei was in.
It was only when they started discussing the case, did Yang Qing get an inkling as to the reason for his current state. Judges despite the station, were all meticulous in their working, but when it came to Mo Liwei he took it to another level.
Feng Xin and the rest felt like they were in an inquisition, and they were the ones being put on trial because of the millions of questions Mo Liwei fired at them, and some of them were pretty inane things like the weather that day, if dogs were barking that night and what the weather was that day.
By the time Mo Liwei was done, Yang Qing and the rest looked exactly like him, luckily Wei Ying came in and managed to save them from the long torture. She was more free-spirited inparison.
She had ck wavy hair, a beautiful face to boot that was sunny and filled with energy, and she had a lively personality to match it. She was allughing and had a knack for bringing out hrious stories that never seemed to stop.
With her addition to the group, whatever damage Mo Liwei had done to them was quickly healed, and they managed to get through the first discussion smoothly before they agreed to do the official deliberation the following day.
...
Yang Qing''s courtroom, Morning
"We are here today to decide on the matter concerning the Ice Emerald Sect..."
Within Yang Qing''s courtroom, the podium''s look had changed. On a normal day, it would have been him at the seat, however at this moment the semi-circr podium had elongated to a rectangr shape, and behind the podium were five people.
Seated from the left going to the right were; Mo Lingwei, Dai Chen, Yang Qing, Zhang Qingge, andstly finishing of the group was Wei Ying.
In front of them was Yang Qing''s team; Su Jinjing, Feng Xin, Lu Mei, and Zheng Hu.
Along with them were the roaming inquisitors Yu Gen and Xia Ting.
Even though the courtroom was well lit it had a grim darkness to it, especially with the austere expressions being shared all around.
"When the case started it was a kidnapping case of a cultivator by the name of Ma Yuan. He is a fifth-stage core formation cultivator that I stumbled onto during my evaluations as he was trying tomit suicide in a yin-richke.
When I found him, he had his cultivation base crippled and the remnant energy left in his body showed that the technique used on him was a pure yin-based art.
Yu Gen, can you please present that fragment.." said Yang Qing.
Yu Gen produced a prism dark blue shard which he then ced on his right side of the podium.
Yang Qing heaved a sigh of relief and even sent a nod of gratitude Yu Gen''s way. Yu Gen had chosen Wei Ying''s end instead of Mo Liwei. With this they had avoided the chance of Mo Liwei over-analyzing the shard, dying the chance for the others to do so.
"That was the shard produced by his attacker and also the person responsible for crippling him. I think you should take a look at
As per Ma Yuan''s statement, seven years ago someone broke into his abode, actually not broke, I think it would be more apt to say they were let in.
Seven years ago, while he, his wife, and daughter were having dinner in their abode in Rapid Twin County, an intruder got into their home. Said intruder seems to have a connection with his wife, Shun Fei.
Shun Fei and Ma Yuan met 18 years ago in some mysterious realm, and as per Ma Yuan''s statement, she was a seventh-stage core formation expert skilled with formation arrays.
The couple settled in Leek Valley Town in the Mandrake province of the Qian Kingdom. They lived there for a few years before suddenly his wife suggested that they move.
From this incident, we can infer that she was on the run from something or someone. In every ce that they have lived since then, she was the one to choose the locations.
From Leek Valley they moved to Monk''s Birch which is in the territory of the Wild Birch sect, then they moved to Fairymoss town of the Green Hollow Sect, after that they moved to Flowing Boar County of the Bandicoot Kingdom, then to Yellow me County of the Burning me Sect before finally settling in Rapid Twin County which is under the control of the Lunar Bug Sect.
Seven years ago, was when the intruder got into their home and attacked them kidnapping Ma Yuan''s wife and daughter in the process.
I had to use a mind-clearing incense stick to help Ma Yuan recollect the details of the day since it seemed like the memories pertaining to that day had been tampered with purposefully.
The memories showed that Ma Yuan''s wife, Shun Fei knew the perpetrator as she purposefully disarmed the arrays in their home to let the attacker in. From the events that followed it doesn''t seem she anticipated that Ma Yuan would get crippled or her daughter getting snatched up in the process.
Before they were attacked, Shun Fei seemed to have been aware that the attacker would be making her way into their home, as she was the one who tampered with Ma Yuan''s memory before the intruder came in.
The tampering was a single targetted seal that was meant to distort Ma Yuan''s memory of the attacker.
Shun Fei seemed to have done this as a form of protection for him. Seeing how she willingly let the attacker into her home with no fight and had been running away moving from ce to ce over the years, we can surmise whoever she was running from, she thought she was no match for them.
Whoever they were, they were strong enough to make a seventh-stage core formation expert run away from them or abandon all thoughts of fighting.
This is why I think she ced that seal on Ma Yuan, it was to protect his life by eliminating any clues he could use to track them.
However, her n was ultimately wed because the moment the attacker came into their home, Ma Yuan attacked, and he ended up defeated within a few seconds and a smoothly shattered dantian.
The attacker was clearly skilled as Ma Yuan despite being in the fifth stage core formation realm, he had a gold body, so his foundations were solid. Any cultivator that could effortlessly defeat him within a few seconds and smoothly shatter his dantian in the process has to at least be someone at the peak of the core formation realm, with extremely sturdy foundations.
As for the identity of the attacker, this is the image Ma Yuan showed and described..." Yang Qing said as he used his qi to depict the image of a cold white-haired youngdy with breathtaking beauty.
"The attacker was well on her way to kill him, but his wife stepped in and pleaded for his life, and in the process she let slip a name before she hurriedly stopped herself. The name she said was ''Yao'' which we can presume has some tie to the attacker.
The fact that Ma Yuan is alive shows that she listened which shows some rtion with Ma Yuan''s wife. However, in exchange for sparing his wife, she asked that along with Shun Feiing back with her, their daughter had toe along too, which Shun Fei vehemently refused to the point of attacking her.
But, as per the memories of Ma Yuan, the moment Shun Fei tried to attack, a seal appeared on her be that knocked her out. This woman took her and Ma Yuan''s daughter, called Ma Ling, who was eight years old at the time and should now be fifteen.
I enlisted the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts for help in tracking the woman using the shard, along with entrusting the matter to Yu Gen and Xia Ting who did an excellent job of it.
Assuming Shun Fei was running from someone, then the locations she chose to live at had to be ces where she thought whoever she was running from would have a hard time tracking her. It had to have little to zero of their presence.
I had Zheng Hu look into the areas they lived in and corrte the powers in charge of those locations and see if they had detrimental rtions with any sect or organization that was skilled in yin-based techniques.
Yu Gen and the rest managed to trace it back to the Ice Emerald Sect, however along with discovering their identity, they also discovered that the sect over the past 40,000 years has massacred close to a million people, kidnapped children from their families while they killed their families.
In addition, there have been a few sects, and families that have been destroyed. On paper, they were destroyed by bandit raids or fiendish cultivators.
However, if you look closely, those organizations had one thing inmon, they all had a part of the Frozen Serenity Scripture, and the Ice Emerald Sect had a hand in their destruction.
This is just but a bit of the long nefarious deeds that they have dug up.
I''ll let Yu Gen take over, and then I hope we can all decide on what is the suitable punishment for the Ice Emerald Sect depending on the findings. This is no longer just a kidnapping case."
Chapter 394 Review And Deliberations (2)
Yu Gen nodded to the panel as he handed out grey talismans, along with recording talismans to the panel.
"Following Yang Qing''s deductions, and with the help of the Wind Gliding Mercenaries we were able to narrow down the list of suspects to Ice Emerald Sect.
While there are many organizations that have yin-based techniques and powerful ones at that, there were few that had rtions with the areas that Ma Yuan and his life had lived at over the years.
When Ice Emerald Sect came out as a suspect, we had to dig further since on paper, they don''t seem like the type.
Their reputation is of an ascetic sect that keeps to themselves. Other than the hostile rtionship they had with the Lunar Bug Sect they were cordial with most of the other organizations within their area and their neighbors.
Even from 9,000 years ago, when they first produced a pce realm cultivator, the way they operated never changed.
They kept to themselves, had minimal activity outside their own sect grounds, and even their territories are usually handled by subordinate organizations.
When they became a rank 3 sect, they didn''t overly disy their power or grab territories of those around them. Though their territory has grown over the years, it wasn''t of their own doing. Some of the organizations around them willingly ceded some of their territories in exchange for being under their banner.
The terms of subordination are fair whenpared to other organizations. The Ice Emerald Sect only requires 30% of the resources within the territories of the organizations subordinated to it, and are amiable in the duration of the payment.
By all ounts, on the surface, they seemed like an above-board sect, which was why Xia Ting and I had some doubts that one of their members was really involved in the kidnapping. With the reputation that they have built up, there is no need for that, and cases of organizations wlessly framing each other are not unheard of..."
All members present nodded at that conjecture. Since the Order began its work, that has been one of the impediments to their work.
When the Order started, a lot of organizations around the continent would try to frame each other so as to try to borrow the Order''s hands to get rid of their enemies.
At the start, almost 30 of 100 cases were deliberate frame jobs. Every organization out there saw the Order as the knife they could wield against their enemies. The frame jobs were subpar at the start and did not require a lot of effort on the Order''s part to unravel for them.
To deter such cases from happening, the punishment was severe for those caught. A crippling or five was usually handed down, along with a 50-year ban and forced istion in which the organization caught in the act was forbidden from stepping outside their main grounds within the duration of that ban.
The sentence could be longer depending on the severity of their frame job.
However, despite the risks and punishments associated with the framing of others, their numbers didn''t dwindle and only grew in sophistication. It was for this reason that the Order altered its lineup.
At the start, every judge was assigned one inquisitor to handle all their workload, but with the increasingplexity of the frame jobs and the lengths to which different organizations would go to, to one up each other, the number of inquisitors attached to a judge increased.
Currently, every judge needed a minimum of five inquisitors, and the upper limit was ten. It was to give the inquisitors breathing room and reduce their caseloads. They needed to have sufficient time to vet the cases handed off to them, and before the cases reached their hands, some would have already had preliminary investigations done on them by investigators from the administration hall.
"Xia Ting investigated with that in mind. At the time we thought there might have been a possibility of the Ice Emerald Sect being framed. Despite keeping to themselves, they have no shortage of enemies.I think you should take a look at
We therefore started digging into cases with an almost simr setting. A series of kidnappings more specifically one of young girls, and one done by women.
With the sect''s reputation of being an only female sect, if they were to be framed and make it seem believable, it would have to be tied to how the sect is.
We began the investigation within the Ice Emerald Sect''s territory as we worked our way outwards toward their neighbors both the ones they had a good rtionship with and ones they had a hostile rtionship with.
Within their territory there were minimal cases of kidnappings and the ones that were recorded were usually of the normal variety associated with gangs, debts, and the like.
But as we made our way outside the territory of the sect, a few cases here and there started popping out. Girls barely ten years old, taken away, their families missing.
Those cases by themself had nothing inmon, other than the fact that they involved young girls. But the more we dug, we found out that the case had a sudden spike in the past 20 years. Before that, such cases were rare.
We decided to deepen our investigations by researching the areas a century or two back and see if those kidnappings were there..."
With the long lives of cultivators, and esoteric arts that could retrace the life or history of an area even a few millennia back, digging up information that happened a few centuries back was not a hard thing.
It would only be hard if the area under investigation had all residents and witnesses massacred, and every karma associated with the ce erased.
But as long as that was not done, finding out about the history of a ce that dates back 1,000 years ago was as easy as researching what happened a day ago in the area.
"About two hundred years ago, there was a spike in the kidnapping cases in the territories of the neighbors surrounding the Ice Emerald Sect.
If one wasn''t looking they could easily overlook it, since the cases were spread about through the 200 years so as not to stand out.
Realizing that in itself was a pattern, we extended our research timeline to 1,000 years. When we did that, a veil unfolded and something was revealed.
The girls that went missing, based on the description of the witnesses, all possessed a quality, and based on the description, that quality has likely association with special physiques that may be Yin rted.
While all these are not enough to point a finger at the Ice Emerald Sect, it was enough for us to doubt them and treat them as suspects.
We intensified our investigations and formed a new thread with the Ice Emerald Sect as being guilty of all those kidnappings over the past millennia, and we kept pulling it.
We finally managed to find a living witness per se, as we furthered our investigation about 5,000 years back.."
"A living witness? If they have been that long, it means they are a pce realm cultivator by now. With their strength, howe they areing forward only now?" asked Mo Liwei.
Chapter 395 Review And Deliberations (3)
A peak core formation expert had a life expectancy of 4,500 years and only if you had a gold core or purple core would you have one that was above that. A gold core would give 5,000 years and that number would increase depending on the type of gold core since quasi purple cores gave 6,000 years while those with a purple core had 7,000 years.
The fact that the living witness was from 5,000 years ago either meant he was a pce realm cultivator or at the very least was someone with a gold or purple core at the peak of core formation realm.
Regardless of which it was, it meant they were people of means, who should have been able toe forward much earlier in the past thousand of years since the Order''s founding.
"While I did say he is a living witness, I used that term closely. It''s more apt to call that someone a proxy or secret keeper.
I think it''s better if I invite him in.." Yu Gen said as he nodded toward Xia Ting to open the small door to the side.
At his behest, Xia Ting went through the door and a secondter came back in with an elderly man who was hunched over with white hair that was smoothlybed back, though, at the top of his head, one could see the hair had waned out and was thinner. His skin was wrinkled and filled with liver spots.
One look at him, and one would think he wasn''t far off from sleeping forever.
He had a green tang jacket and matching pants, and in his hand was a smooth polished walking stick that had the dragon scales intricately carved onto it.
The old man slowly and steadily walked over to the center of the courtroom with Xia Ting cautiously walking beside him in case he fell.
"This is Tang Wenyan and is the fifth generation patriarch of the Tang family found in the Elm Wood Kingdom which is a rank 4 kingdom that has been in existence for the past 24,000 years.
The Tang family is currently a rank 5 n and is situated within Gentle Fall County..." said Yu Gen.
"Senior Wenyan, could you please exin the matter you told me the other day? Don''t leave anything out. You can just say it as you did the other day..." Yu Gen softly said as he led the old man by the arm to the middle of the courtroom where a sound amplification array gently lit up beneath his feet.
The old man nodded his head as he smiled.
"My name is Tang Wenyan and I''m the fifth patriarch of the Tang Family, but because of my current circumstances, I will be abdicating in a few months, and enjoy thest few years of my life.."I think you should take a look at
Tang Wenyan was at the tenth stage of the foundation establishment realm. Even though he seemed steady enough and even when he spoke, he was clear and firm in his speech. He had about 50 years left in his life expectancy.
The fact that he could walk, talk, and see while being over 1,000 years old and having little life left, was the strengthened physique brought about by his cultivation. Even after his death, it would take 100 years for his body to start decaying, and that time only got longer the more powerful the cultivator was.
Yang Qing even heard there was a mysterious realm that had a dead cultivator who if you judged by face value might seem alive. Their body was intact, the skin still retained the suppleness and rosiness one would have when they were alive. His hair was pristine ck.By all ounts, he seemed like he was alive and just sleeping but he was in fact dead, and his body has been in that mysterious realm for over 100,000 years, and in that time, his body has not decayed even an inch.
Some cultivators did try to cut some part of him, but even ascendant-grade artifacts couldn''t pierce his skin. When they tried to lift him, he seemed to weigh almost as much as the. Five domain experts tried to lift him up and failed.
Even dead, his body''s strength remained. A cultivator''s body in some circles could be considered a valuable treasure or precious ingredient for a lot of things.
"About five thousand years ago my great great grandfather had someone he liked very much during his younger years. The person he liked was ady from the Shu family by the name of Shu Wen.
Shu Wen and my great-great-grandfather were promised to be wed, as an arrangement by the elders from the two families to bring the rtionships closer. It was considered a good thing by both families, and even Shu Wen and my great great grandfather were in support of it. They had already developed feelings for each other, since our two families were close even before the marriage alliance was proposed.
The Shu family was not as powerful as us, since at the time the father to my great great grandfather was a core formation expert while the highest expert of the Shu family was only at the seventh stage of the foundation establishment realm.
The old timers of the Tang family were all in support of the union between the two despite the Tang family being more powerful, and my great-great-grandfather was praised for having enough talent to reach the core formation realm at the very least.
At 11 years old he already achieved a diamond body and had broken through to the qi refinement realm. With his talent, the Tang family could have arranged a marriage with the royal family of the Blue Spear Kingdom, which is where we originally were before we moved to the Elmwood Kingdom. But they chose the Shu family because of Shu Wen.
Other than an unmatched beauty, she had a special physique, the lunar butterfly physique that gave her an unseen aptitude when it came to alchemy and cultivation. She was two years younger than my great great grandfather, and at 9 years old she was already in the qi refinement herself.
A lot of hope and expectation was ced on the two of them, and the heights they could reach. However, all that was destroyed when Shu Wen was thirteen years old. She disappeared, one night along with the whole Shu family.
All 800 members, died, in a single night. The death was made to look to be the handiwork of a group of blood fiend cultivators, because of the manner in which the corpses wereid about, along with a blood refinement array that was found in their family grounds..."
Chapter 396 Massacre At The Shu Family (1)
"That was the story that was spread around, and our family believed that tale except for one person, my great-great-grandfather.
When the news of the Shu family getting massacred broke, it sent uproars around the region and the Blue Spear Kingdom as a whole, since something like that had not happened in a while and the manner in which they died, made everyone wary.
The Tang family as the ones with the closest rtionship to the Shu family were the ones hit the hardest. Our n founder went to investigate the remains of the family and came to the same conclusion as all the others, that it was the work of blood-fiend cultivators.
With the marriage off, the founder suggested that my great great grandfather join the Celestial Harmony Sect.
Our founder was once an outer sect member of the sect, therefore with his connections and my great great grandfather''s talent with his diamond body, he was sure-in to join even though he was from a low tier rank 4 n while the Celestial Harmony Sect was a prominent rank 3 sect.
Even now, while they''re currently a rank 2 sect, he still would have made it in.." Tang Wenyan said.
Pride and admiration could be detected in his tone as he talked about his great great-great-grandfather.
Yang Qing and the rest knew he wasn''t blowing smoke when he said his great-great grandfather could have made it in the Celestial Harmony Sect even though it was currently a rank 2 sect that had been newly promoted 70 years ago when one of their previous sect masters broke through to the domain realm.
As someone who had reached the diamond body stage, even the Order would guarantee him a direct entry let alone a newly promoted rank 2 sect that was rank 3 at the time.
"My great great grandfather agreed to it. It should be noted from the night the Shu n was destroyed, all our family members expected him to be distraught and broken, angry. His love for Shu Wen was clear as day.
This was why the founder suggested he go to the Celestial Harmony Sect even if there was a chance he would be asked to cut his ties with the Tang family should he be a core disciple. The rules for outer sect disciples were looser whenpared to core inheritors such as inner disciples and core disciples who would need to cut ties with everything in their past and wear the banner of the Celestial Harmony Sect to theirst breath.
Despite the risk of potentially losing the chance to elevate the Tang family by letting my great-great grandfather join the Celestial Harmony Sect, our founder still chose to do it. It was a way to help my great great grandfather leave the region before the events of the Shu family dug their way into his mind, which would have happened if he remained in the Tang grounds.
To their surprise, my great-great-grandfather agreed with not much as a singleint. Throughout the whole period, he was silent and indifferent. Almost as if whatever happened to the Shu n and the loss of his fiancee had not shaken him one bit.
He sessfully got into the Celestial Harmony Sect and was even made an inner disciple when he was epted as a disciple by one of their elders due to his performance and also his natural talent.I think you should take a look at
After he got in and it was announced that he had be a personal disciple to one of their elders, the Tang family didn''t hear from him again for years.
It wasn''t until almost 100 years had passed did the Tang family finally saw him since he left. The founder had a decade or two left to live at the time, he was ecstatic when he saw heard the news that my great great grandfather hade back home.
However, that excitement turned to sorrow because my great-great grandfather had a crippled cultivation base. A mishap urred during his cultivation which ended up ruining his gold core, which was left shattered in the aftermath.
My great-great-grandfather didn''t share much, but his master passed by and told our founder that the mishap urred because of the mental demons that gued him over the years. The sectcked the means to help him reform his core and even if they did, my great great grandfather did not seem to have the ambition to cultivate.
So by mutual consent, they decided to let my great great grandfathere back and spend the rest of his years with his family. Even with a shattered core, he still had the life expectancy of a gold core formation expert minus a few hundred years because of the shattered core.
He was less than a hundred when he broke through to the core formation realm,so he had at least 4,000 years left to live.
Our founder was heartbroken, especially when he learned he had formed a gold core that most couldn''t. He himself only had a high-tier red core, so he knew what the implications of having a gold core meant and the potential it had towards thetter part of one''s cultivation. But it was all gone.
I wonder if that was one of the reasons he died earlier than the predicted timeline, leaving my great-great grandfather as the next head, even though even after he came back, he barely interacted with the rest of the n members.
The one time he did interact with them was when he announced that the n would be moving from the Blue Spear Kingdom to where we currently are.
As you can imagine, it was met with vehement opposition, especially from the elderly who had lived all their lives there. It started off with words but then escted.
With it being well known that my great great grandfather had a crippled cultivation, it didn''t take long for covert and overt challenges toe in from those who were dissatisfied with the founder''s decision to name someone with a crippled cultivation base as the next head of the n.
But they came to know even an old and out dragon could still strike fear into a seasoned spirit beast. Even with a crippled cultivation base he still had the physical strength of a core formation expert whose body had been nourished with qi refined by a gold core, had the foundation of a diamond body, and had his experience as a former core disciple of a rank 3 sect.
He easily trounced all opposition forcefully and with that, we moved. A long whileter, about two hundred years, he had a son, my grandfather, to whom he left the seat of patriarch about a hundred yearster. Along with the seat, he also left something else..."
Chapter 397 Massacre At The Shu Family (2)
"He was there that day, the day the Shu family was supposedly annihted by blood-fiend cultivators.
He liked meeting up with Shu Wen every two days and that night was one of their scheduled meetups. He always used a coat made from the silk produced by a shadow cloak spider. It was a gift he received from the royal family of the Blue Spear kingdom.
With it, he could move undetected from those in the core formation realm since it isted the user from being detected by either the physical senses or the spiritual senses.
He liked to use it to avoid the extra attention of those from the Shu family or Tang family if they knew he hade out to meet Shu Wen.
That night, he thought it would just be like every other night where he would get to share snow jasmine tea, and warm rice wine with Shu Wen like they always did as they envisioned the heights they would reach as cultivators and other things but there was a major alteration to his expected ns.
When he went that night all he saw was a grey-haireddy in her mid-forties with a mole under her left eye waving her palm which produced a bluish-ck me that sucked the life out of every member of the Shu family.
She floated above the n grounds, coldly watching those corpses dry out to her mes, and in her hands was Shu Wen sped by the neck.
She had tiny purple and blue flowers growing from her body and within ten minutes she disintegrated into dust while the purple and blue flowersbined together to form a white fruit that was in the shape of an egg that had butterfly wings on its surface.
My great great grandfather at the time was swallowed by fear and shock at what he was seeing that he couldn''t even move. He stood rooted as he watched Shu Wen transform into dust, and her n get drained of their very life essence to thest member.
He couldn''t move, talk, breathe, or blink, all he could do was bear silent witness to what happened.
After the grey-haireddy had gotten what she wanted, she drew the blood-refining array in the middle of the Shu family grounds and left.
It was only after five hours had passed did my great-great grandfather regain his sense of self and mobility.
The first thing he did was to run to the Shu n grounds. However, he was too weak to step into the Shu family grounds. The remnant energy left from the technique thatdy used, was too much for his body to bear, even after five hours had passed, and the majority of the energy had dissipated.
He wanted to rush over and tell his father, the founder what happened, but in the run over, he had some time to analyze the details of what he saw. A single person had killed over 500 people with a single spell and they didn''t even have enough time to scream. Their abilities were definitely higher than the founder, then there was the single fact that the cultivator seemed to be floating by herself.
Even though at the time he wasn''t sure if she did so with an artifact or by herself, it definitely meant they were no simple person and to err on the side of caution my great-great grandfather immediately assumed they were a pce realm cultivator.I think you should take a look at
The founder was a second-stage core formation expert, there was no way he would be able to handle someone in the Pce realm, and neither could the Blue Spear Kingdom''s royal family. He thus decided to keep the matter of what he had seen to himself, lest he invite cmity to his n, and when the opportunity to join the Celestial Harmony presented itself, he quickly jumped at it as a way to protect himself.
He wasn''t sure if that grey-haired female cultivator had noticed him or not. When he came back to the n, every night since then he half expected to be attacked along with the n members. That they too would be engulfed in that blue-ck me which though was a me, it might as well have been the frozen tundra in me form.
He said that me had a chill that even put the chill of death to shame..." Tang Wenyan said with a shiver in his tone almost as if he was there.
"Even without the founder''s suggestion to join the Celestial Harmony Sect, he had already decided to join them to protect his life. At the time he didn''t care about the n, or even seeking vengeance for Shu Wen, all he had was deep-seated fear.
The Celestial Harmony sect was the best ce he could run off to for safety since it had pce realm cultivators of its own.
When he reached there, he went all out in the entrance test so he could stand out to at least draw the attention of the pce realm cultivators of the sect, which he did, and it was his master.
But sadly even with the protection offered by the sect, he couldn''t escape the demons that haunted him from that night.."
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
"Even as a core formation expert, he was still afraid, tormented, and maddened by the events of that night. He was even afraid to talk about it, which is why he never told his master, afraid if he revealed what he saw that day, it would spell his death.
It was only when he was nearing his death, did he finally mention it, and he did it to one person only, his son, my great-grandfather. Along with it, he left a decree to him which was to be passed along the family line until it was met.
The decree was to find the identity of that woman and seek justice for the Shu n and Shu Wen. But the prerequisite was to have sufficient strength to do so. If we didn''t then, we were to keep the evidence of what happened then alive until the day someone in our line was strong enough to do it.
Thus, the decree has always been passed from father to son. My father did so to me, and I did so to my son.
I think along with the fear, my great great grandfather was unable to forgive himself for how he acted. So leaving the decree was his way of atoning to Shu Wen and her family for not being able to act back then.."
Chapter 398 Witness From Beyond (1)
"Did you ever find out the identity of the grey-haireddy?" asked Yang Qing.
"No, we have not. However, our power level is what has restricted us. If it is as my great great grandfather said that the person who did all that to the Shu n is a pce realm cultivator, then with our strength and foundations we can''t go around digging what happened back then.
We risk inviting disaster to the n and not a way to prevent it. Unlike him, we don''t have a massive sect to run to, and it''s not like we can go to his master and try and seek his help on the matter.
After the death of my great great grandfather, he dide over to help for the first hundred years, but after that, he never came back. We can consider his ties with our n severed.
With how we are currently, in the past 5,000 years we haven''t made any headway in the case because we haven''t actively dared to investigate it. The only thing we can do is ensure what my great great grandfather saw that day is kept alive until a point where we will have someone capable of fulfilling his wish..." said Tang Wenwan.
Even though his skin was wrinkled making his facial expressions indiscernible, one could detect embarrassment and shame oozing from him.
"Pardon me Patriarch Tang Wenyan, but there are one or two things I''d like to seek your rification on if you don''t mind?" asked Mo Liwei.
"If there is anything I can shed light on, I''m more than happy to do so.." answered Tang Wenyan.
"You said your great great grandfather was a core formation expert and one that had a gold core at that. Based on the experiences I''ve had at the Order, he should be alive right now. Those with a gold core have a life expectancy that reaches 5,000 years.
Even though he shattered his core which likely reduced some of those years, there are ways to regain those years and ensure you live out theplete 5,000 years. His master as an elder of the Celestial Harmony Sect would in no doubt know those means and have the necessary materials to aplish it.
What I want to know is, is your great great grandfather alive?" asked Mo Liwei.
"As for the next question, it''s more or less directed to both you and Yu Gen. While i don''t mean to doubt the veracity of the tale you have told us, Yu Gen how does what happened then tie to the Ice Emerald Sect?
And if there is something that ties the sect to that incident at the Shu family, then Patriarch Tang Wenyan''s ount of the events isn''t enough since by his own admission he wasn''t there.
What we have is second-hand information, which isn''t enough for us to decide on the punishment of the sect.
We need something that ties them to it.." Mo Liwei gently said.
Despite how harsh his words seemed, the other judges were in agreement with him. While Tang Wenyan didn''t seem like he was lying, his words alone were not enough damning evidence.
"When I said there was a living witness, I meant it..." Yu Gen said with a teasing smile.I think you should take a look at
"Patriarch Tang Wenyan, would you please.."
"To answer your question senior, the first and second questions have more or less the same answer.
Yes, my great great grandfather should have had more years to live even with his shattered core, and yes, his master did leave various pills and natural treasures to help prolong his life but he never used them.
The Celestial Harmony Sect may or may not have known this, but his shattered dantian wasn''t the result of his cultivation going haywire because he was attacked by his internal demons but rather my great great grandfather did that to himself..."
As Tang Wenyan said this he undid the buttons of his Tang suit revealing his bare chest.
"Once during a mission for the sect, he stumbled onto a grotto, and in it, he found the corpse of some cultivator that had grey bone in his hands. That bone had an esoteric cultivation art inscribed on it.
That technique was called the chrysalis soul incubation art. He didn''t know the grade of the art, but the more he studied it, the more he realized it was the answer he needed.
The first stage of the art could only bepleted by sacrificing his core, which was how he ended up with a shattered dantian, and in exchange for it, he got the chance to materialize a part of his soul, and within that soul was specific memories.
The art itself was iplete but the parts that were avable were more than enough to help my great-great grandfather with what he wanted..."
The green polished stick in Tang Wenyan''s hand transformed into a grey bone that was the length of an arm.
The bone had inscrutable markings on it and had cracks all over it.
Yang Qing and the rest had their pupils constrict when they saw the bone. The faint energy fluctuations it released were that of a domain expert. Whoever or whatever that bone belonged to had a cultivation base that was in the domain realm though the energy within it had long dissipated and all that was left was the tiniest of traces.
At its state, even a foundation establishment cultivator could break it if they hit it at full force. If its energy wasn''t dwindled, Tang Wenyan with his ninth stage foundation establishment cultivation base would struggle to lift it let alone get close to it.
Even in death, a domain expert was a domain expert. Every part of the corpse of a recently deceased domain expert contained enough energy to pulverize someone in the foundation establishment realm.
For Tang Wenyan to be able to hold it closely the owner of that bone had to have been dead for at least 50,000 years or whoever inscribed a cultivation art on it dissipated the energy in it which made no sense since the more energy the bone had, the better it could preserve whatever he/she had inscribed on it.
"He started researching the art when he was at the Celestial Harmony Sect and continued to do so even after he had left and came back to the n.
Chapter 399 Witness From Beyond (2)
The demands for cultivating the art was why he who should have lived for 5,000 years ended up living for less than a thousand years.
But in that thousand years, thanks to the arduous efforts and sacrifice he had put into studying the chrysalis soul incubation art he managed to materialize his soul and separate a part of it which he incubated in his bloodline.
The decree he formted before his death, was done on the basis of what he had harvested from that art.
Along with passing the mission from father to son, the memory of that day was passed in word and also in its truest form.
What I told you may have been second-hand information but I think you would believe it if it came from the person himself, my great great grandfather, Tang Niu."
Tang Wenyan immediately began muttering strange incantations which resulted in light grey scripts appearing in his chest. Immediately after a strange sound was produced from the bone. The sound produced was the mix of a bird cry and a flowing river.
The sound it produced seemed to reverberate with the scripts on Tang Wenyan''s chest. Beads of sweat appeared on him as a small red gold droplet congealed together at the center of those scripts.
The red gold droplet then floated out of his skin as it moved towards the bone and dissolved in it.
Immediately after something that looked like a mirage was produced by the bone.
"This is what my great great grandfather saw that day..." Tang Wenyan said as he gasped for breath.
Whatever he had done seemed to have overdrawn not only his body but also his soul. With someone with just a few years to live, the technique he had just conducted seemed to have strained whatever vitality he had left to the limits.
Yang Qing frowned and immediately shed and appeared in front of him.
He produced the same droplet from the spring of resplendence that he had used on Li Shu earlier, except this droplet was smaller and the energy contained seemed much milder and gentler.
The instant the droplet fell on Tang Wenyan, his pale skin immediately regained some color, and hisbored breaths started to be smoother as energy returned to various parts of his body.
"Have this," Yang Qing said as he stuffed orange-colored ginseng down his mouth before he had a chance to refuse.
After he confirmed Tang Wenyan had swallowed the ginseng, Yang Qing went back to his seat, leaving a wide-eyed Tang Wenyan behind.
"This?!!!!" he stuttered in stupefaction.
The droplet from earlier was miraculous enough as it instantly restored not only his body but every other wound he had ever umted, was restored, and the overdraft to his soul was also renewed and restored.
As if that wasn''t enough, the ginseng that had just been forced down his throat, seemed to have done even something even more outrageous.
As it stood, he had about 10-12 years to live and after he executed that art, that number went down to about 8, but now after consuming that ginseng he felt like he had more years to live. If he were to put a number on it, it would be about 30 years. He could feel the vibrancy of his blood and his qi, which even tranted to his physical body. His cloudy eyes were a bit clearer, and he had a few grey hairs mixed in with the white.
He couldn''t help but wonder what miraculous object he had been fed.I think you should take a look at
"Th..ank you.."
Tang Wenyan offered a deep bow as he said that with a voice chalked with emotion. While he had made his peace with death, and had his affairs settled. Towards the end, anybody would ever and wish for more time, especially if they had something to live for, and Tang Wenyan wasn''t different.
He hoped to be around his n members some more, see if one of his grandchildren had the opportunity of reaching the core formation realm and most of all, he wished to see if the decree issued by his great great grandfather could be fulfilled in his lifetime.
With the Order potentially being involved in the case, maybe it might.
While he still had no idea what his great great grandfather saw that day had to do with the Ice Emerald Sect, the fact that the Order was digging into the affair opened the door to the possibility that what happened to the Shu family may actually have a resolution, and their mission would be done.
Tears couldn''t help but form in his eyes as he thought of that.
Meanwhile, the mirage formed from the fusion of the red-gold blood and the grey bone had started to form a clear image.
The image portrayed was of a clear night sky with the moon out. It was slightly windy as one could see the grass and the leaves rustling as they were being moved by the wind.
The liveliness of the night was in full effect with the twinkling stars in the skies and the insect noises on the ground.
However, an eerie silence immediately invaded the ce, as cold frost marks appeared on some of the vegetation on the ground.
Secondster someone appeared a few hundred meters from the eyeview of what was being projected. Though even at such a distance the features of the person were distinct. They had a pure white robe, grey hair hanging loosely, an oval face with city-toppling beauty that had a coldness to it.
Thedy floating above the grounds in the distance had a ck mole beneath her right eye. She stared coldly at the ground before her as a cold smirk appeared on her face.
She immediately waved her hand and a youngdy who looked to be about fourteen years old floated toward her.
She had purple hair and jade milk skin. She had a look of primal fear as she floated gently toward thedy in grey. A maic force seemed to be pulling her toward the grey-haireddy till her neck was tightly sped in thedy''s hand.
The purple-haired girl tried to struggle free but immediately fell into a daze when the grey-haireddy blew white mist on her face. Immediately after purple and blue flowers started appearing on different parts of her body as they increased in number by the second. With each flower produced, the purple-haired girl seemed to shrink in size.
The grey-haireddy then proceeded to produce a blue-ck me that was the size of a tangerine from her hand and waved it downwards to the buildings below her.
The me on reaching the ground immediately mushroomed and nketed every single area that was within the walls of the area she floated above.
"That''s the Non-luminous dissecating ghost yin me.." muttered Wei Ying.
"It seems like it is.." answered Dai Chen with a grim expression on him and the rest of the judges.
Chapter 400 [Bonus ]Release From A 5,000 Year Old Curse
The Non luminous dissecating ghost yin me could be in certain aspects considered an alchemy me except where typical alchemy mes were used to refine and maximize spiritual herbs and other alchemical ingredients, the non-luminous dissecating ghost yin me refined humans and treated them as ingredients. It refined everything from blood, and qi down to their soul essence.
It was the go-to me for corpse refiners and blood refiners, and its origins tied back to an ancient sect known as the ghostmp sect.
A sect of heretical cultivators who studied everything from soul refinement to corpse refinement, to human puppetry and the like. The sect existed over a million years ago and its hey dey it was as powerful as the Radiant Sword Sect or the Flowing Valley.
It was rumored that the founder of the Crimson Wave found an artifact belonging to the Ghost Lamp sect, and that artifact was one of the reasons he managed to hold his own against four inner core elders of the Radiant Sword Sect despite being besieged alone and even managed to heavily injure one of them.
Despite being long gone, the remnants of the Ghost Lamp Sect still influenced the current Southern Continent. They had countless mysterious realms and grottos floating about in the continent which contained thousands upon thousands of cultivation arts, their research, and artifacts among other things that constituted their foundations which have formed the backbone of some of the major heretical organizations formed around the continent.
The non luminous dissecating ghost yin me was but one of its many fruits.
"The chrysalis soul incubation art is really something.... the memories inscribed here managed to capture everything senior Tang Niu saw down to the intrinsic sensual details, such as the chilling cold of the non-luminous dissecating ghost yin me.." said Mo Liwei.
"Couldn''t have been easy for him. He really was talented to be able to reproduce such a thing as a core formation cultivator. Sealing a memory inside your bloodline by materializing your soul, couldn''t have been an easy feat.
The technique and that bone had a major part to y, but his part can''t be overlooked either.." said Yang Qing as he sighed in pity.
Based on what they could see, had Tang Wenyan''s great great grandfather been alive and not shattered his core, with the talents he had shown, reaching the domain realm was in the realms of high possibility.
The scene yed out just as Tang Wenyan had described. Everyone within the grounds died, their blood essence, qi, and energy sucked dry by the non-luminous ghost yin me.
Afterward, the purple-haired youngdy disintegrated into dust as the flowers around her body blended together to form a white fruit.
The grey-haireddy stored the fruit away and then proceeded to draw an intricate blood-refining array below the grounds where the massacre had just happened.
She dropped a few blood-soaked natural treasures, activated the array briefly, and then disappeared from view.
The image cut off after that point, and the bone stopped producing the bird and river flowing sound. It seemed to have more cracks than before.
Tang Wenyan grabbed it and formed a short seal that transformed it back to the green polished cane from before, though its luster seemed a bit duller.
He couldn''t help but sigh as he noted the change.
"Yu Gen, I take it you know the identity of that woman with the mole under her left eye?" asked Dai Chen.
"Yes, she is the first elder of the Ice Emerald Sect, Guo Mei. With just this, even if we ignore everything else, we know there is something wrong with Ice Emerald Sect. One of their elders massacred the Shu family just like that, and it seems like in the process she also refined Shu Wen into a fruit, as to what ends, I don''t know, but what we do know is that she was targetted, and the Shu n was eliminated as a result of it.
The fact that the elder can produce the non-luminous ghost yin me is another factor. Since as we all know you can only produce that me by draining the entire life essence of at least 30,000 cultivators in the foundation establishment realm, and it needs to be done above a high-grade yin spiritual vein.
Only in this way can you harvest the seed of the non-luminous ghost yin me. Odds are Guo Mei isn''t the only person from the Ice Emerald Sect to know that spell.
Other than Tang Wenyan, we managed to find countless others whose stories matched more or less what his great great grandfather saw that night.I think you should take a look at
It isn''t exactly the same, in the manner of execution, but in most instances, someone with a yin physique was at the center of it, and these events run back 40,000 years.
In addition, there are a few survivors of organizations that had certain parts of the frozen serenity scripture, and their description of the attackers links back to the Ice Emerald Sect.."
"Are they here?" asked Mo Liwei.
"They are.."
"It seems we have a long day ahead of us.." said Wei Ying.
"Seniors, does it mean you know the identity of that woman?!" Tang Wenyan suddenly interjected in disbelief.
Despite hearing the identity of the woman, and her affiliation with the Ice Emerald Sect, he still couldn''t believe it.
"We do, Patriarch Wenyan.." Zhang Qingge who had been silent all this while, softly answered.
"Good, good, good...." Tears started falling from his eyes as he smiled, and when his trembling legs couldn''t handle the excitement from the news, he sat down as he smiled and cried, saying good over and over.
Yang Qing and the rest didn''t dare interrupt him and let him process it, however long it took.
It took almost half an hour before Tang Wenyan settled down, albeit mildly because his hands were still shaking and he had a relieved smile stered on his face, and tears still danced at the tip of his eyshes threatening to fall.
"Sorry about that...I''m sure it''s not an easy experience seeing an old man cry..." Tang Wenyan said as he smiled in slight embarrassment.
"Those memories just weren''t memories. Having them stored inside our bloodline, since we share the same bloodline as him, there was a resonance, I don''t know if it was intended on his part, or it was an ident, but because of it, everything within that memory was vivid to us as though we were there, including everything my great great grandfather felt in that moment, and after.
The fear, how bottomless and swallowing it was. It never seemed to stop. The guilt that came after, and regret. We felt it all, every day from the moment the seal was passed onto you and activated.
While I respect my great-great-grandfather for trying, another part of me resents him. That was his burden to carry but he subjected his descendants to a never-ending torment of reliving his memory of that day.
He was a rare talent, one that hadn''t been seen in thousands of years, but what were the odds of another person like him appearing in our n? We are not him. Reaching the core formation realm is hard enough, let alone the pce realm.
I always felt like he knowingly condemned us to endure the same torment as him. Out of spite or out of trying to achieve a sense of peace from knowing there were others who would feel what he felt back then.
Whatever the reason, it wasplete hell for me, my father before me, and my grandfather. They all seemed broken towards the end, the shell of the people they once were, and I was there too, and the thought my son would go through the same thing did nothing but add to my sorrow.
On behalf of the Tang family, I want to thank you. It might be another case to you, but to us it''s a redemption from a five thousand year old curse.
Thank you..." Tang Wenyan said as he performed a deep bow.
Chapter 401 Two Remnants (1)
"We would also like to offer your thanks for the information that you have shared with us today and your willingness and the lengths you went to do it.
You can rest easy Patriarch Tang Wenyan. The Order will take up your great-great grandfather''s decree on behalf of your n and fulfill it.
We will seek retribution for the Shu Wen and the Shu n as a whole.." said Yang Qing.
"Thank you.." Tang Wenyan softly mumbled half choked up in emotions.
After he regained himself he was led away by Xia Ting as they brought in other witnesses.
Yang Qing and the rest of the panel heard their ounts one by one, which slowly painted the picture of how dark the Ice Emerald Sect was.
The Shu n wasn''t the only n to get ughtered throughout the years. Between 40,000 years to 30,000 years ago, the killings were more prevalent in that period than in any other period and were not as meticulous as they are now.
Around 40,000 years ago, the Order wasn''t around, so sect and n annihtions were a regr urrence, which is why it became easy for Yu Gen and the rest to dig out clues that tied back to the Ice Emerald Sect since back then they didn''t bother to hide their fingerprints in most of those killings.
Yang Qing and the rest were shocked to discover that some of their members knew the non-luminous dissecating ghost yin me even from 40,000 years ago.
While they didn''t know the exact identity of the perpetrators since they didn''t match the current lineup of the sect''s hierarchy, the technique they used had simrities to their current core cultivation art the Emerald frost flow veiled scripture.
Using the shard they got from Ma Yuan it wasn''t hard to use it as a point of reference and draw simrities to the witness ount statements that were being given.
The witness testimonies finally ended with two individuals. It was a man and a woman who both seemed elderly and had varying cultivation bases.
The woman was ady who looked to be in her early sixties. She was the maidservant of a princess of a rank 4 kingdom that had long changed its name from the Han Kingdom to the Chu Kingdom.
She was an eighth-stage core formation expert who was currently a supreme elder of the Mulberry Sect which was a rank 4 sect that was rated among the top tier sects in the rank 4 sector. It was skilled in alchemy and palm techniques. It had a bnce of both thebat aspect and the alchemy aspect and was one of the rare all-rounded sects in the lower stratum that had shown a perfect bnce in bothbat and nonbative aspects.
The elderlydy was called Dai Ya and had been with the Mulberry Sect for 1,800 years. She had joined as an outer sect disciple and slowly made her way up the ranks till she became a supreme elder, and she was one of seven within the sect.I think you should take a look at
Before that, she was one of the maidservants who worked for the fifth princess of the Chu Kingdom, formerly the Han Kingdom. The name of the kingdom changed 2,400 years ago when the royal family that went under the Han name was ughtered within the royal pce.
Their deaths looked like the work of a skilled assassin, as every single member died from a single slit to the throat, and nomotion was made even as over 100 of the royal n members were killed.
The array protecting the pce looked to have been broken effortlessly, and the royal n members even to their death seemed unaware of how they had died.
The fifth princess had been away from the pce at the time, so she escaped the massacre and became the only survivor of the Han royal family. As the only surviving member, it meant she was the next one in line for the throne, but it also meant she was the stopping block for all the major families that wanted to be the next rulers of the Han Kingdom.
Realizing the precarious position she was in, she decided to escape from the Han Kingdom along with a few of her guards and maid servants of which Dai Ya was one as they made their way to any other ce but the Han Kingdom. She had the other aristocrats to watch out for and the mysterious killer who had just assassinated her entire n. The Han Kingdom was thest ce someone like her could be in.
The escape wasn''t easy because they had few resources, and some of the former allies turned traitors, which put her life and escape in jeopardy. The princess ended up dying about four yearster from sumbing to her wounds, and the grief of losing her entire family. Dai Ya was one of the few in her retinue who survived.
About 20 yearster the Chu n which was one of the four most powerful ns in the Han Kingdom managed to win out in the struggle for the throne and renamed the Han Kingdom into the Chu Kingdom.
Dai Ya in the meantime moved from ce to ce until she was at the doors of the Mulberry Sect. Yearster when she was an elder at the sect, did she use the powers afforded to her as an elder of the sect to find out the goings of the Chu family and also to try and dig up what happened to the Han family all those years ago and who was behind it.
It was in those investigations that she discovered that the legacy art of the Han family was not found when the rest broke into the royal pce. And even after a couple of centuries of the Chu family being in power, they never obtained any trace of it. The legacy art along with a few key treasures of the Han royal family were said to have been looted by the killer.
The whole murder and even the theft of the royal treasury ended up being pinned on the fifth princess, who people knew was the only survivor but didn''t know that she died a couple of yearster.
Dai Ya assumed that the rumor being spread was a ploy made by the Chu family to discredit the fifth princess in front of the masses by using her of regicide, patricide, and the murder of her whole family. With such a reputation hanging over her, her odds of trying to seize back the throne would be lessened.
Even though Dai Ya was incensed by the ploy, she finally gained a clue as to the death of the Han royal family, which could have been due to their cultivation art. While she didn''t know the particrs of the art, she did know of its name, which the fifth princess excitedly mentioned to her when she was told she had met the qualifications to cultivate it.
The art was called the hearthfrost spear dome. She had also heard from her that the art was just but a part of an art known as the Frozen Serenity Scripture. The founder of the Han family found the hearthfrost spear dome art through a lucky encounter and he who was once a servant for some mercenary organization rose up to create the Han family andter the Han Kingdom.
All the sess he achieved was thanks to that cultivation art, and the Han maintained its hold over the Han Kingdomter thanks to that cultivation art.
Chapter 402 Two Remnants (2)
Other than that the only thing Dai Ya knew was that it was guarded securely even from the royal family members themselves. The only way to see it was to exhibit a certain level of aptitude for cultivation. Not every Han n member was able to cultivate it.
She did try to dig further into potential suspects, but the means and reach of the Mulberry Sect were limited, and whoever the killer was, they were capable enough to ughter the entire Han family which by itself had enough power to overturn the Mulberry Sect.
This fact slowed down her progress as she had to be careful with it and there was also the fact that her investigation into the Frozen Serenity Scripture opened her eyes to just how many powerful organizations out there had ties to it. Over the past decade, she had even given up on trying to dig further, and it was only when Xia Ting made her way to the doorsteps of her sect did she talk about the matter for the first time in so long.
Next to her, the man who hade in with her also had a simr story. He looked to be in histe sixties with a head of grey hair, mixed in with some white however his skin was firm and young. He was missing his left eye which looked like a me had scalded his eye off and extended to his cheek and forehead.
The elderly man was a quasi pce stage cultivator and didn''t seem to be far away from reaching the pce realm, and had on ck robes with the emblem of a falling star and an array below it. He was an elder of the Falling Star Array Pavilion, a rank 3 organization that focused on formation arrays.
About 974 years ago he was the chief disciple of the Echo Resonance Sect, a sect that specialized in formation arrays and their maiden array was the frozen echo resonance array. An array that had the capabilities of ying even an early-stage pce realm expert. Cold energy was transmitted in everything from the qi to the air currents down to the sound waves, all with the express purpose of immobilizing the target and freezing them solid to their death.
However, 900 years ago even with such an array, his sect still got destroyed. A rumor started circting that the Echo Resonance Sect had found a purple fog flower. The news created mayhem among the organizations that were around them, and it continually spread outwards.
The purple fog flower was known around the continent as the pce flower. This was because the fog it produced along with the petals had the ability to increase the odds of a cultivator breaking through from the core formation realm to the pce realm. The odds were astronomical to the point there was a saying that if you had a 10% chance of reaching the pce realm, if you had a purple fog flower in your hand before you did anything else with it, the odds shot to 50% and after you consume its petals and refine the fog it produces, your odds instantly sky rocket to 90%.
With the flower, you couldn''t fail even if you wanted to, and it didn''t just stop there. It could even shorten the time taken to break through in the pce realm as long as it was within the first four stages. Past that, it had no effect but within the first four stages, if one was to take 20 years, if they consumed the flower they could shorten that time to 11 years.
Therefore when news broke that the Echo Resonance Sect had the flower in their possession, friend and enemy alike instantly targetted. The sect tried to disprove the rumors, but no matter what they did, no one would believe them because who would admit they had the purple fog flower if they had it? Them denying it, only increased the odds that they had it.
The final nail in the coffin was when the purple ray that is produced when the flower blooms appeared in their sect. Chaos broke that same day, and the sect was besieged right, left, and center.
The frozen echo resonance array was deployed in full force and its brilliance was revealed to the world but ultimately it still fell to the constant besiegement especially since there was no pce realm cultivator at the sect to man it.
If it did, the Chief disciple, Gong Renshu felt their chances of survival may have been higher. But all that was wishful thinking because in that chaos, he saw a cloaked woman mix in and attack his master who was the sect master along with a few elders. Within minutes they had all been incapacitated, which came as a shock to Gong Renshu since his master was a quasi pce stage cultivator and the elders next to him were allte stage core formation experts.I think you should take a look at
However, in ten minutes or less, they were all defeated, and the cloaked woman went on to interrogate them about the frost echo resonance array, and its original blueprint.
Gong Renshu managed to get away with his life when his master deployed a taboo art that gave him enough power to crush a teleportation talisman that he used to get Gong Renshu and himself away. The talisman would transport them to a random location within the continent.
While they managed to get away, it wasn''t without a cost. While they were making their getaway, the cloaked woman attacked, which other than making the spatial tunnel they had created unstable, the attack tore through his master, and a bit of it fell on him, taking his eye.
By the time he made it to the other end, his master had already died. There were no farewells, all he got was the dismembered body of his master. He went into hiding for months before he finally resurfaced, and joined the Falling Star Array Pavillion. Lucky for him, the teleportation talisman had transported him a fair distance away from his former sect.
The Echo Resonance Sect was destroyed and the purple fog flower was never found, and whatever Gong Renshu saw that day was only revealed today. The Frozen echo resonance array they had was also from the frozen serenity scripture, though the blueprint that their sect had was of the secondary array, and from the descriptions left in the blueprint, there were three other secondary arrays, and one primary one.
The five arraysbined together to create a top-tier gold-grade art known as the Frozen Temporal Seal Array.
At his former sect, they all liked to daydream about seeing that array in action just once, sadly all who shared that desire with him, died.
...
"I think with all the testimonies we have heard, along with the evidence presented, I believe we have sufficient information to make a judgment.
Are we all in agreement?" Yang Qing asked hispatriots on the panel.
"We are.."
"Then let''s put it to the vote.."
Chapter 403 Judgment Vote (1)
"By the way before that, Yu Gen, Xia Ting, did you try to sneak in there?" asked Dai Chen.
"We did, but we only managed to prate the outer periphery of the sect, the core areas had a much more powerful array guarding it.
Any interference on our part and we risked rming them.." answered Yu Gen.
"I guess the part you had ess to, didn''t reveal much.." said Mo Liwei.
"What is it Xia Ting?" asked Yang Qing when he noticed the slightly hesitant look on the gluttonous thick-skinned soup fanatic.
From their brief interaction over thest couple of days, he didn''t peg her for the reserved type. She was the kind to speak her true thoughts before even thinking about them, but he still wasn''t sure if it was her true character or another one of their masks.
"I may be off but I felt something dangerous and ominousing from the core region of the sect. It was only for a quick second and then went back to normal.
I could be off about it since it isn''t the first time I have gotten such a sensation wrong with the nature of our work we spend so much time being hyper-alert and anticipating attacks that it sometimes warps our senses after doing it for so long.
I may have been overly sensitive, especially with the information we dug about them weighing over my head, it may have influenced my senses for a second.." answered Xia Ting.
Even though she said that, her facial expressions showed she truly believed what she sensed even if it was just for a brief second.
"Yu Gen, you were with her at the time, did you get the same feeling as her?" asked We Ying.
"I did not, though that doesn''t mean her judgment may be wrong on what she sensed.."
"asionally there have been moments when one of us has sensed something the other hasn''t, and what we sensed ended up being a tangible threat.." Yu Gen added after a pause.
"As per the records we have, the person with the highest cultivation base from the sect should be Zhao Ju, the current sect master, and she should be at the third stage of the pce realm.
How recent was this assessment?" asked Mo Liwei.
"As per what we have, the report is about 10 years old," answered Yu Gen.
"I assume you already checked in with the Shadow Hawks?"
"We did, and while they did do an evaluation about 4 years ago, the findings from 10 years ago are still the same.
They have seven pce realm experts and the person with the highest cultivation base still remains Zhao Ju, at the third stage of the pce realm..."
Yu Gen''s answer drew contemtive looks from the five judges. They could now understand why Xia Tign was hesitant and doubtful about the feeling she got.
Both Yu Gen and Xia Ting were at the third stage and second stage of the pce realm respectively.
If the person with the highest cultivation base in the Ice Emerald Sect was at the third stage, that was insufficient to make Xia Ting ssify the feeling as dangerous.I think you should take a look at
The one minor level gap between the two was insufficient to threaten her. When it came to a fight between the two, the odds were even in Xia Ting''s favor.
While level skipping fights got harder the higher up the cultivation realms one moved, the degree of difficulty only became prevalent in the domain realm where the gulf between the first and the third stage was so huge that a third-stage domain expert could effortlessly defeat a first stage domain expert with half his energy left to spare.
However, even with the strictness of the domain realm, there were exceptions that were brought about by the quality of the domain, which was why someone like Meng Chao who was at the eighth stage of the domain realm during the besiegement of the Crystal Jade Palm Sect, was able to witness the whole fight a fair distance away, when other domain experts were afraid of being swallowed in the aftermath of the attacks of the fight.
Quality always helped to a point, especially when the quality was extremely superior which was why Yang Qing could wallop the three pce realm experts, and the same could be expected of Xia Ting who would have been given the best training and the toughest at that as a roaming inquisitor.
As long as the opponent was within the first four stages of the pce realm, also known as the early stage, she should be able to handle her own against someone at the fourth stage. The same was expected of Yang Qing and the rest.
As long as it wasn''t someone from the Order with simr foundations or some legacy disciple from the top tier rank 1 organizations and holynds, they should be able to guarantee their lives against anyone within the same stage. It was par for the course, so Xia Ting saying she felt a dangerous threat from the Ice Emerald Sect, was highly suspect considering the strength of the sect inparison to her, and there was also the fact that Yu Gen didn''t sense anything.
Yang Qing''s eyes shed with a thought as his gaze alternated between Yu Gen and Xia Ting.
"Senior Gen, Senior Ting, there is something I''d like to ask if you don''t mind?"
"What is it?" asked Yu Gen with a curious gaze.
"Do the two of you have natural alignments to certain elements, if so, which?" asked Yang Qing.
"Though you can decide against answering, it''s okay.." added Yang Qing with a light smile.
Even though they were from the same organization, Yang Qing was cautious in the question he asked, since what he was asking touched upon things that could be termed as a cultivator''s secrets and arsenal.
The rules of the cultivation world still needed to be observed within the walls of the Order. As cultivators, they kept certain things to themselves such as their trump cards.
The question Yang Qing asked could very well be misconstrued as him searching for their weakness or looking for clues to their trump cards which was why he opted to ask for natural affinity rather than outright ask if they had special physiques.
His rtionship with them was still new, unlike the one he had with his team or with Dai Chen and the rest where they basically dissected each others'' special physiques and moves. Caution and respect for bounds had to be observed.
"What are you being all wishy-washy for? We already shared soup, in my book we already have a bond..." Xia Ting said as a greedy glint shed in her eyes.
"I''m attuned to fire, and his is water.." she added.
"It'' s as she has said, no need to be reserved.." said Yu Gen with a smile.
"Thank you for your trust, seniors.."
"No problem, though why did you ask that?"
Chapter 404 Judgment Vote (2)
"Well, I recently had an intriguing experience when I was passing through Summerfield kingdom that reminded me of something.
I am sensitive to ces, or objects that have a yin-yang nature to them, which is why I''m able to find morning lilly heartseeds easily.
I have the same amount of sensitivity to ces or objects that are purely yin or purely yang, however, my greatest sensitivity is to things that are in contrast to my nature, such as the imbnce Li Shu was suffering from would be easily detectable to me than a flower field filled with morning lilies.
A while back when I got in the superior core courts I had the chance to get in one of the treasure vaults of the Order.
Within that vault, there was a treasure of the ascendant grade whose nature was Yin-Yang, however even when I was told that, I couldn''t detect it, despite holding it in my hands.
Things that are simr to you are able to hide from you more easily than things that are inplete contrast to your nature since the former knows your workings and can easily fool your senses.
I think the same thing may have happened at the Ice Emerald Sect. Whatever Xia Ting had detected may have avoided Senior Yu Gen''s detection because it and Senior Yu Gen have simr attributes thus it could hide from him better than it could Xia Ting who has a contrasting attribute to it.
But if my guess is right..." Yang Qing paused as he eyed all the members present in the room.
"Then it means whatever it or who it was, may have already alerted the sect that they had been infiltrated.
The sect may already been on high alert and considering the nature of the activities they have been engaged in all these years, they''re even more so.
What we have going for us is that they don''t know who is looking into them yet and I trust the two seniors'' capabilities in covering your tracks during the investigations.."
"We were careful. Besides, if they knew the identities of the survivors of their activities, they would have already acted, I doubt they would have left them alive all this time..." answered Xia Ting.
"I have no doubt. But I think with them being aware we will need to act fast to avoid unforeseeable events.
While we know the Ice Emerald Sect is the culprit behind all those heinous events, we still don''t know why they did it.
We do know the kidnappings and killings began as far back as 40,000 years ago which was about the time they changed the operation of their sect to be an all-female sect.
Before 40,000 years ago we can say they operated differently, so what happened back then that made them change?
The only female admissions that they made back then is highly doubtful if it was because of their legacy art the emerald frost flow veiled scripture.
Why are they kidnapping people with yin-rted physiques? They seem to have actively targeted them over the years, and it''s more likely that those victims ended up the same way as Shu Wen.
That fruit that we saw being produced after she disappeared, as per my guess may be the crystallization of her physique after it has been extracted.
How is a sect at the level of the Ice Emerald Sect able to pull that off? As far as I can tell, I''ve never heard of something like that even from the Order.I think you should take a look at
Have any of you guys?"
At Yang Qing''s question, those present nodded their heads sideways. Physique extraction was something unheard of. If it was rumored to be possible, a lot of cases of people with physiques being kidnapped would have already flooded their doorsteps.
Of course, there were cases of those with certain physiques being kidnapped like the crystal heart zed physique that Yu Mei had, but in such cases, it was because the physique offered something to other cultivators.
For example, the heart of someone with a crystal heart zed physique could help a cultivator increase their chances of breaking through to the domain realm hence the increased cases of kidnapping.
What they required was the heart itself and not the physique.
What happened to Shu Wen, while it was pure conjecture on Yang Qing''s part, the rest all agreed with his hypothesis about the fruit, otherwise why would they be actively targeting those with yin-rted physiques?
"Them stealing arts rted to the Frozen Serenity scripture is about the only thing that makes sense, but then in those 40,000 years, the organizations that they have destroyed some were more powerful than what they presumably were before 9,000 years ago.
How did they pull it off? Was it outside help or have they been hiding themselves? and it wasn''t 9,000 years ago that they first had a pce realm expert within their sect.
There are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding them and their actions. The Ice Emerald Sect we see now may all be a cover, but for now, what matters to us is their guilt and proof of it.
This is why I Yang Qing, judge of the outer pce court find them guilty of kidnapping, wanton murder, and massacre of millions over the years and hereby exercise my vote as part of the panel and vote for the sect''s entire demotion.." Yang Qing said as he ignited a talisman that burned in a red me filled with glyphs.
The me slowly rose up to the ceiling of the courtroom.
"I, Dai Chen, judge of the outer pce court also find the Ice Emerald Sect guilty and vote for the entire demotion of the sect.."
Just like Yang Qing, he ignited a talisman in his hand that burned into a red me filled with glyphs that rose to the ceiling next to Yang Qing''s.
"I, Zhang Qingge, in my capacity as a judge of the outer pce court find the Ice Emerald Sect and hereby exercise my vote in favor of the sect''s entire demotion.."
"I, Wei Ying, as a judge of the outer pce court find the Ice Emerald Sect guilty andbel them a heretic sect, and warrants the full punishments of one. I vote for the sect''s entire destruction..." as Wei Ying said this the talisman in her hand ignited with a red me that had tinges of violet in it.
"I, Mo Liwei as a judge of the outer pce court find the Ice Emerald Sect guilty andbel them a heretic organization that warrants immediate destruction. I vote for the destruction of the sect.." Mo Liwei coldly said as he ignited his talisman which shone with the same color as Wei Ying''s.
The five mes formed a circle and the glyphs withinbined and immediately lit up. Yang Qing and the four judges removed their gold eagle medallions which gently floated and blended with the red mes above.
Immediately after the connected glyphs opened a portal to two ces. One was a green bamboo courtyard and the other was a mountain filled with white mist.
Chapter 405 The Three Vice Presidents
The images formed were a bit hazy at first but were soon filled with high rity.
Yang Qing and the rest quickly recognized the image with the courtyard and bamboo around it, because at some point they had all visited that location, especially as part of their induction.
Yang Qing had even been there, just a month ago when he was going to the Requiem. The courtyard with the green bamboo had an ancient wooden que hanging above it with the name ''Judicial Review Committee'' and in front of the courtyard were five elders in pure white robes with an image of a hammer and a podium embroidered on it.
Three of the five elders, Yang Qing had met on his way to the Requiem. They were; Long Ei, one of the five soul formation experts in the Judicial Review Committee, Jiang Heng and Jia Bohai who werete stage domain experts.
As for their exact level, Yang Qing had no idea. He only knew they were at the seventh stage or above. Even Lei Weiyuan who regrly got in trouble with, despite being nemeses for all these while, Yang Qing still didn''t know his exact cultivation base.
All he knew was Lei Weiyuan was ate-stage domain expert skilled with the sword, who had excellent stalking abilities and more than likely had a charm on him that warded off curses, otherwise with how diligent Yang Qing had cursed him over the years, there was no way he would have left unscathed without the assistance of an object known to ward off curses.
Other than the three, there were two faces next to the Judicial Review Committee members who were not there when Yang Qing came by.
One of them was ady with light purple hair that was neatly braided to her back and had a purple gem on her forehead. It looked like it had been embedded there. She looked to be around 40 years old, with breathtaking beauty.
She had a genial smile on her face as she looked at Yang Qing and the rest, like that of a grandparent looking at their grandchildren.
It might as well be true since just like Long Ei and the other two judges, she was among the original judges when the Order was founded. Going by that timeline, she was at the very least 1,000 years old, which was old enough to be their ancestors, which Yang Qing would not dare mention.
Next to her was a middle-aged man with hair that was a mix of red, ck, yellow, blue, and green. His irises had the same coloring pattern. Instead of a single color, it was a swirling mix of the five that extended to his pupils.
His name was Tao Wen and of the seventeen members of the Judicial Review Committee, he could be considered the most recent addition, and unlike the others wasn''t a judge beforehand but was a requiem guard, who moved over 200 years ago.
From what Yang Qing heard, he had a special physique that was simr in nature to the five-colored deer which gave him proficiency over the five elements, which was why he was able to be a gold-grade alchemist and formation master, and rumor had it soon enough he might be the next soul formation expert of the Judicial Review Committee.
In the other image, the mist cleared up and revealed two people. One of them was a nine-year-old with purple eyes that were filled with a cluster of stars, and the other was a schrly-looking man with snow-white hair tied in a half bun, a young-looking face that made him look like he was in histe twenties, which was narrow, and an ethereal charm to it. His eyes, however, showed the vicissitudes of time in them.
He had on apricot robes.
Of the two people, one was the Chief Justice Lai Ning, as for the other, Yang Qing didn''t seem to know him and when he looked at the others, they didn''t seem like they knew him either. Yang Qing could only guess maybe he was another member of the Spirit Council.
"Seems like we have another destruction on our hands.." the man with snow-white hair calmly said.
"Mmh, it seems so.." muttered Chief Justice Lai Ning as he munched on a crispy brown biscuit that was packed in a wooden bowl before them. Next to it was a white porcin tea set and kettle.I think you should take a look at
Yang Qing ended up taking a gulp as his eyes narrowed on those biscuits, that just seemed to draw him in, along with the wafting smoke from the kettle.
"Are those biscuits normal?" he muttered in greed.
Everything within him wanted to rush over there. He had had his fair share of biscuits before, and while he liked them, it wasn''t to the point that they could affect him as they did now.
"Little Qing don''t be greedy. If you had even a shaving of this, you''d likely explode. If you reach the middle stages of the domain realm, maybe you can handle half of it.." Chief Justice Lai Ning said as he gingerly grabbed another and bit into it, with Yang Qing licking his lips like he was the one who took the bite.
He immediately shook his head to clear his head of the greedy desires slowly welling up.
"Just what are they made of?" he wondered.
...
"Now for the matter at hand, we have heard the case put forward, and it is apelling case. Thank you for the efforts you have put into it.." said Long Ei.
"As for the decision of the panel, three have put a vote for sect demotion, while two have put a vote for its destruction.
"The five votes are essentially the same at its root with one slight difference which I will get to.
But first, let''s get our own votes out of the way. What do you think Chief Justice Lai Ning, Vice President Tao Wen?" Long Ei asked as he conferred the question to the two people in the other image.
The five-panel judges, along with the two roaming inquisitors all had looks of shock when they heard the words ''Vice President Tao Wen.''
The three vice presidents were just as elusive as the president and the chancellor. They were rarely seen and in just under a month, Yang Qing had seen two of them.
There was Mo Ye who appeared during his promotion ceremony which had a lot of surprises including the arrival of representatives from the two holynds and now they got to meet another one.
While information about the three vice presidents was usually scant, those at the Order knew a bit about them such as their name, and their moniker or epithets.
Vice President Mo Ye was known as the eagle''s wing, Vice President Tao Wen was known as the eagle''s talon, and thest one, Vice President Zhu Bai was known as the Eagle''s eyes.
Chapter 406 Unanimous Decision By The Seven
Their epithets described their roles, which didn''t exin much as far as Yang Qing could tell. But he could infer a few things from what he saw during his promotion ceremony.
Vice President Mo Ye purposefully appeared in his ceremony because of the representatives of the two holynds. Maybe as the eagle''s wing, his job was to be a representative of the Order to outside forces, more so in situations that require a high-ranking figure from the Order to be present.
As for Vice President Tao Wen''s epithet as the eagle''s talon, Yang Qing could only assume his role wasbat rted like the special inquisitors who were sent after targets that had extreme danger levels. If his guess was true, then that meant the Vice President before them, likely had one of the highestbat abilities in the whole Order.
When his thought reached this point he couldn''t help but re-evaluate the thin schrly-looking man with snow white hair and a genial harmless smile on his face.
"Dean Chu Zhen was right, people like him are the most dangerous," thought Yang Qing as he recalled the various aspects of things to look out for in the survival and adaptability course.
As for thest vice president, Vice President Zhu Bai, as the eagle''s eye, Yang Qing could only surmise he was an overseer of some sort. Maybe he oversaw the running of the entire Order or was some fate seer who guarded against enemies that targeted the Order.
He couldn''t make heads or tails about it since this vice president was the most mercurial among the three since there was barely anything about him floating around.
..
"I have no problems with it, Judge Long Ei," Vice President Tao Wen gently answered as Chief Justice Lai Ning nodded in agreement to Long Ei''s suggestion along with the other judicial reviewmittee members at his side.
"Okay then. I find that what has been presented in the case has sufficient basis and has thus met the threshold for the extreme measures to be taken as judgment.
On my authority, I support the demotion of the sect with the intent to destroy.."
"I vote in favor of the suggestion," said Jiang Heng
"I vote in favor of the suggestion," said Jia Bohai
"I vote in favor of the suggestion," said Xu Biya who was the purple-haireddy with the purple gem embedded in her forehead.
"I vote in favor of the suggestion," said Li Han who was the the judicial review member with five element colored hair, iris, and pupil.
"I vote in favor of the suggestion," said Chief Justice Lai Ning.
"I vote in favor of the suggestion,," said Vice President Tao Wen.
Yang Qing, Dai Chen, and Zhang Qinngee all had puzzled looks at the judgment. While in essence, it seemed to support their view, it also seemed to support the judgement of Mo Liwei and Wei Ying, which Yang Qing was still surprised by.
Yang Qing agreed that the sect had done despicable deeds and they must be brought into ount for it, but only those who did it were the ones who should bear the consequence, and should not be a nket punishment for all.
There were bound to be good people in there, maybe people like Ma Yuan''s wife and there was also his daughter.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but worry in his heart. From what he saw of the Shu family, specifically Shu Wen, he couldn''t help but wonder if his wife and daughter had already suffered a simr fate.I think you should take a look at
An entire destruction would implicate everyone within the sect, which Yang Qing was a bit hesitant to do.
"Yang Qing, Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, you all must be perplexed by the decision and why Wei Ying and Mo Liwei made the suggestions that they did.." Long Ei gently said with a tone of an elder guiding the young ones.
Even though the trio didn''t outright say it, the hesitation and the confusion in their eyes were as clear as day to a seasoned judge like Long Ei.
Their reactions weren''t exactly unique since it was amon one, especially in such a scenario.
"The decision they made was made in part because of the severity of the crimes of the Ice Emerald Sect, but it was also made in your consideration, especially yours Judge Yang Qing.."
Yang Qing had an even more confused look. He couldn''t understand how the duo''s votes were made in his best interest. What they suggested would essentially add more body count which made the difficult situation even more so.
Some part of him even regretted making them part of the panel when he heard their votes.
"Do you think the Ice Emerald Sect will let you just capture those involved and surrender themselves to their deaths? If they were such reasonable people then they would not have done what they did.
Then there''s also the matter that whatever they have been doing, has seemingly been going on for 40,000 years.
How many of those from the sect, do you think are truly innocent?" Long Ei said with a sight of pity as he looked at the trios changing expressions.
"That being said, just like you, we believe there are chances that not every member is involved and there are likely to be innocents involved.
If there is, then I hope they can be spared.
From the witnesses brought forward and the evidence gathered, it''s enough for us to trace the karma of everyone who has ever been involved in those murders and kidnappings and any other nefarious deeds they may have done, along with the victims that may have not been presented here.
We have someone working on it already as we speak, and we will send you a verified list of every member involved.."
Yang Qing visibly heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this.
"But regardless of what we find out that doesn''t change what will happen or lessen the ruling Judge Mo Liwei and Judge Wei Ying made..
The ruling we have just made will have to be personally delivered at their sect grounds by the five of you, specifically you, Yang Qing.
You will have to announce all their crimes before them and the whole continent before you pass down the sentencing.
When the sentencing part arrives, a choice will have to be presented to them.."
Yang Qing, Dai Chen, and Zhang Qingge pricked up their ears, paying attention to every single detail that came to this part.
Chapter 407 Will You Do It?
"The choice given only applies to those who are innocent, and the choice is simple they can leave the sect temporarily until the sentencing has passed or they can choose to face it with the rest.
Ultimately it is up to them. If they choose to remain, then regardless of their innocence in the matter, they will share the same fate as the guilty.
Wei Ying''s and Mo Liwei''s verdict was to help youe to terms with this eventual reality. You may give them the option to leave, some may take it, others may not, they may all take it or they may all decide to stay.
You therefore need to prepare yourself that you may indeed be forced to destroy the entire sect in the execution of the sentence.
As the judge in charge of this case, the burden falls on you first then to the rest. You cannot be half-hearted about it in the least.
You need to prepare yourself for that possibility is still there so it''s safer to bring your mind to the odds that this may very well turn out to be an entire sect decimation..
and finally..."
Long Ei''s expression that was soft as he was exining suddenly turned cold as an overbearing pressure emanated from him.
"You can not hold back in the slightest. The moment the execution starts it doesn''t matter whether they are guilty or innocent, if they''re a pce realm expert or a body refining expert. Everything and everyone that is within that area is to face your full wrath. Hold nothing back, destroy everything with your full force.
The Ice Emerald Sect has destroyed countless lives, for so many years, and for that, they must face the consequences, and their victims deserve the repreive.
The sentence is a punishment but also a deterrent to the rest of their continent, that should they do what the Ice Emerald Sect did, then they will share a simr fate. It also serves as a warning to the remnants of the sect, should there be some at the end of it from those found innocent and decide to not share the same fate as the sect.
This needs to be a permanent reminder, a traumatic one at that. They need to be traumatized to the point that internal demons thate from that event will halt any cultivation progress they may have.
To leave asting impact, the execution needs to be thoroughly frightening for all; those being charged, and those witnessing, and for that you need to prepare yourself now to destroy everything, in the most brutal and fearsome way you can think.
As cold as it may sound, it is the only way we ensure what happened, has less likelihood of happeningter..."
"No matter how harrowing the experience may be, this is the burden you have to bear as a judge in the Order.
A burden others have shouldered, and continue to do so, a burden you will shoulder and continue to do so.
This may not necessarily be the only demotion and destruction you handle.."
"Yang Qing, Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge.." Long Ei''s gaze paused on the three, who despite trying to hide it, the overwhelming weight of the situation could be seen on their faces.
Their eyes shed with disbelief, anxiety, and a slew of otherplicated emotions. Their skin tones seemed paler, and some of their body parts could be seen shaking in some way. The lips, the eyes, and the hands.
"I don''t envy you or wish it on you, but rely on each other, and your seniors which includes us. We will help where we can, and I won''t lie, such an event will leave an impact, but it must be done so instances like what happened to the Shu n don''t end up happening again.
It is impossible topletely prevent such tragedies, but we must do what we can to reduce those odds as much as possible.
So please, do not hesitate."
"Will you do it?" he asked in a soft tone.
A long silence ensued before a response finally came.
"I will do it, but can I make a request?" Yang Qing asked with a heavy but firm expression.
"What is it?" Vice President Tao Wen was the one to ask this.
"Can I be the only one to shoulder this, and they be excused from it.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, Mo Liwei, and Wei Ying.
No matter how thick-skinned he was, or afraid, with what he had heard, he couldn''t in good conscience allow them to bear it. He started the whole thing with Ma Yuan, and he felt he should bear its consequences alone.
"If that is your wish, and theirs, I see no problem with it. How about the rest of you?" Vice President Tao Wen said as he redirected the question to the Judicial Review Committee members and Chief Justice Lai Ning.
"I see no problem with it either...."
Their responses were all more or less the same.
"Dai Chen, Qingee, I''m sorry for selfishly dragging you all into this. Please let me do this.." he said with an apologetic and guilty smile on his face.
"Are we friends?" Dai Chen asked.
"We are?"
"If we find who attacked Lai Lei, will you help me?"
"Of course.."
"Then don''t look down on me or our friendship. What I said still stands, even now. I''m not weak or unresolved, that I would shirk on it. I''m in this to the very end. So stop. I''ll be there, the same way I know when the moment calls for it, you''ll be there for me.
Your refusing now, is what I''d consider being selfish.." Dai Chen said with firmness in his tone.
"Be the shameless Yang Qing we know. Being selfless doesn''t suit you.." he added with a lightugh as he punched his shoulder.
"I..m n..o..t w..e..a..k e..i..t..h..e..r," Zhang Qingge meekly added with a stuttering voice as she threw a punch of her own. Though with how nervous she was, she didn''t control her strength properly.
"Qingge are you trying to fracture my knee.?!" Yang Qing yelled as he cautiously took a step back from her. Immediately after the trioughed.
"Seniors.."
"We are also in it to the end. We made that judgment knowing what we were in for.." Mo Liwei said showing a smile that contrasted the lethargic and serious undertone he had since they met.
"I promised Qingge, so I''m staying till the end," said Wei Ying.
The five nodded to each other as they all turned cupped their fists and answered in unison.
"WE WILL DO IT."
Chapter 408 Another Saint Grade Treasure
?
The seven elders looked ahead at the five young judges with looks of gratification on their faces.
"Good."
Long Ei said only one word but one could detect the breadth of respect and pride it carried towards the five of them.
Yang Qing, Dai Chen, and Zhang Qingge still had some hesitation in them, and it wasn''t only them because even Mo Liwei and Wei Ying were their seniors and had already mentally prepared themselves owing to the judgement they made and even one of them had done a demotion of his own, the weight of it was still as heavy to them as it was to the trio.
Xu Biya the purple-haireddy with the purple gem on her forehead then took over to exin the particrs of the process to be observed when executing the sentence since it wasn''t something Yang Qing or the others knew about, and it didn''t exactly operate the same way they were used to.
The exnation itself wasn''t long as it only touched on a few key areas such as the announcement and the options afforded to those found innocent and wish not to get entangled in the mess, establishing the zone in which to conduct the sentence, and the prevention of interference by outside parties and the measures to take incase of interference, among other small details that may crop up before, during or after the execution of the sentence.
Yang Qing and the rest took everything in as they asked a few questions of their own here and there to ensure they were as prepared as possible.
...
"With that out of the way, you can have this..." Vice President Tao Wen said as he tossed over a 10-inch horn that looked to be from an nd.
It was white with tinges of brown and gold on it, with beautiful curlings on it that looked like rope carvings intertwined together had been crafted on it.
Yang Qing on grabbing it, could feel it was smooth to the touch, and for some reason, he felt he could hear a multitude of voicesing from it, along with the rain sounds.
"That horn is called the harbinger''s call. It''s a saint-grade artifact whose body was made from the horn of a storm bringer nd, along with other materials.
The horn has seals on it due to its abilities that don''t make a distinction between friend and foe. And the artifact''s spirit... well, let''s say it''s better for you that we put it to sleep in the duration that you will have it.
That is to say with the spirit sealed along with the seals in ce, the horn will be working at 30% capacity, which is more than enough for what you need it for, which is announcing the verdict of the Ice Emerald Sect, along with their crimes, to both them and every other ce within the continent.
Your voice should be able to reach every area around the continent except perilous areas, various mysterious realms, grottos, and areas covered with top-tier gold-grade formation, other than them, you should be able to reach almost every living thing around the continent thanks to the horn''s assistance along with various artifacts we have installed in every branch around the continent that will work in tandem with it by amplifying its effects through synergy.
The horn also has the ability to break down formations as another of its abilities. Even in its slumbered state, it should be more than enough to handle whatever formation the Ice Emerald Sect has covering their sect..." Vice President Tao Wen patiently exined.
Yang Qing''s gaze got heated as he stared at the horn.
"A saint-grade treasure. Just how many of them do they have?" he thought greedily as he wondered if there was any way he could scam one from the Order.
With the way they kept throwing them around, surely they had more than enough to even give an impoverished pce realm cultivator one.
"I would advise you to put the horn away and seal it, immediately after making the announcement and breaking the formation.
The more you use it, the more likelihood the little fe in there will wake up. She is more trouble than she''s worth, so please err on the side of caution and seal her immediately after.
You can use this..." Vice President Tao Wen said as he handed over a brown cloth that looked like it was the soft hide of some beast.
The cloth was the smoothest thing Yang Qing had ever touched, he couldn''t help but wonder what material it was made of, and the potential uses of it.
"These stingy bastards really have the good stuff.." Yang Qing venomously thought as he put the horn and the cloth away.
"With this, I think we can draw the case to a close if there''s nothing else..." Long Ei was just about to end when he saw Yang Qing raise his hand.
"Is there anything you want to ask, Judge Yang Qing?"
"It''s not a question but more of a request...The two techniques rted to the Frozen serenity scripture, could I have a look at them?" asked Yang Qing
Even though he wasn''t interested before, but with the things the Ice Emerald Sect had done over the years to get parts of the scripture, he might as well have a look at it.
The Order had two arts rted to it. One was the frost fire art, which was a body and soul cultivation art, and the other was the Winter''s embrace which was meditation art that could be used even by someone in the domain realm.
They were both blue-grade arts. With his station, he had the clearance to learn them, but it would take a few days before he got the approval, which was why he opted to use the assistance of the big figures present.
His guess proved to be right on the mark because after a few minutes, he was given copies of the art, which though Yang Qing appreciated it, felt it was kind of a letdown because he was hoping for the original copies.
Some part of him felt there might be something to the segmented arts of the Frozen Serenity Scripture, and having the original copies could help shed some light on that guess.
It was rare to find an art that had been cut apart the way the Frozen Serenity Scripture was done. It may have been done by the Frozen Serenity Sect, as for the why, while Yang Qing had no clue, this was the type of mystery he enjoyed digging over.
However, he would have to postpone the investigation until after the matter with the Ice Emerald Sect had been settled.
Chapter 409 Meeting Under The Wisteria Tree
?
Getting the original copy of a cultivation art required authorization from the president of the Order, and the Chief Librarian. Either that or the approval from the three vice presidents, and seven members of the spirit council, after which he would also need to sign a soul contract with a timed duration.
These measures were employed only when one wanted to take the original copy of the cultivation art out of the Main Library where they were stored. But if one wanted to read them there, the only thing required was for them to have clearance ess to the level in which they were stored. They didn''t require anybody''s permission.
These measures were employed to preserve the integrity of those copies since there were treasures and artifacts in the library that were put in ce to ensure it.
Cultivators could imbue their will, in the original arts hand-crafted by them, and they could hide other things in there too. As long as they were preserved, one always had an opportunity to discover them.
A gold-grade alchemy form had once been found hidden within the texts of a top tier orange grade cultivation art, a cultivation art that appeared to be a red grade but it had a trigger and conditions to it, which when met, transformed the art into a blue grade art, a booklet containing a cultivation art that ended up gaining spiritual awareness.
Cases like these have been observed within the Main Library at the institute which was why the Order was very strict towards lending out of original copies.
After receiving the two copies, the portals leading to where the Judicial Committee members were, the Vice President, and the Chief Justice, immediately close up after they wished them well.
Yang Qing and the rest would act immediately after the report containing all the guilty members was provided by the Judicial Review Committee. In the meantime as they waited they all went to the administration hall, in the deployment department and filled out the required scrolls along with getting marked by the saint-grade artifact, the Spirit Calling Bell, which worked simr to a soulmp, except in addition to notifying their status to the higher-ups, it also safeguarded their souls and had a teleportation ability attached to that protection
After they had finished with the administration hall, they all went their own ways to prepare themselves for what was toe.
Yang Qing sighed as he made his way out of the court building and walked in the direction of the Thousand vors Restaurant.
Despite being one of his favorite spots in the whole area, he had a hesitant and conflicted expression as he went there. His steps were slow, and a few times it seemed like he wanted to turn back. He didn''t seem like he wanted to go there.
As he walked into the restaurant, Cai Ying was there to greet him like always, but he was surprised when he received a lethargic and absent-minded nod from Yang Qing.
Yang Qing ordered a few dishes with the same absent-minded expression and left, making his way to his abode, leaving a confused Cai Ying behind, along with other staff members who were used to a boisterous Yang Qing, every time he walked in and left. The silent, slow-walking Yang Qing was new to them.
A few minutester Yang Qing was in front of the entrance to his abode. He stood there for a couple of minutes before he let out a defeated sigh.
"It has to be done.." He muttered as he walked in, dreading every step he took toward his courtyard.
At the seats outside there were two people there. One was Zheng Hu and the other was Ma Yuan whose legs kept nervously tapping the ground over and over.
...
The core region of the Ice Emerald Sect,
"It seems there were intruders in here..."
"How?!.. I have been manning the array over the past month, and I haven''t detected anything, and I didn''t ck off either. Senior sister Mei can attest to that sect master.."
"I''m not doubting you Zhn. I didn''t detect anything either. I was only just informed..."
Sevendies of different ages, each with breathtaking beauty and matching cold temperament were seated in lotus positions beneath a 50-meter Wisteria tree that had pink purple radiance floating around it with faint mist being produced from its body. It had blue-ck crystalline leaves, that added further mor to the tree.
The sevendies all had pure white robes and white jade milk smooth skin.
"Was it her?" one of thedies cautiously asked directing the question to ady who looked to be in her fifties and had smoothly flowing white hair and light blue eyes. She seemed to be the center of the group.
"It was.." thedy answered.
"For someone to be able to prate our defenses with none of us being able to detect it, even you sect master, that means they''re pretty skilled in formations and powerful at that too..."
"Could it have been the ancestor of the Twin River Empire.." anotherdy chimed in.
"He is the only one strong enough to sneak right under our noses, and with his rtionship with those lunar bug bastards, we know he has been eyeing our art..mmph, just because he is at the sixth stage, he thinks he can act as he pleases..." a murderous intent shed in the eyes of one of thedies as she said this. There was a small mole under her eye
"It''s not him...There were two intruders... One was at the second stage and the other was at the third stage.." answered thedy in light blue eyes.
The atmosphere turned grim withplicated and wary looks being exchanged all around.
"You''re sure?" asked thedy with the mole under her left eye.
"It''s why I have gathered you all here. The situation this time may not be as simple. Two pce realm cultivators of unknown origins, who are just in the early stages of the pce realm just like us, were able to sneak past our formation and avoid the detection of seven pce realm experts..
Their origins are definitely not simple and as for their motives, it''s still too early to tell, but we need to be prudent.."
"Why didn''t the elder act?"
"She is at a critical juncture and can''t spare the attention. We need to stop all activities outside and the sect needs to be on high alert.
I''ve already sent Fu Ning, Luo Jingfei, and Ma Song out to quickly bring back those outside, while we will join Zhao Shan in ensuring there are no intruders in the sect...
I will remain here to watch over the tree and the elder, while the rest of you handle the sect. Make sure you''re alert and in constantmunication, that is all..." thedy with blue eyes said as she dispersed them.
"Yaozu, stay behind.." she added, addressing a 30-year-olddy with smooth white hair and the only person from the group who wasn''t a pce stage cultivator, but she didn''t seem to be far off from it.
Chapter 410 Delivering The News To Ma Yuan
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Yang Qing''s courtyard
"Judge Yang Qing.." Ma Yuan on detecting the gaze of Zheng Hu looked behind him and spotted Yang Qing walking over.
He had been brought over by Zheng Hu who had been the person who had been feeding him the progress of the case during the past month.
However, the updates stopped almost a week ago when Zheng Hu disappeared, and the person from the administration department attached to his case, only gave him the barest of minimums.
Over the past week, he had not heard anything, and then Zheng Hu came out of the blue and told him Yang Qing wanted to see himter in the evening at his abode.
He had received that notice in the morning, and the whole day, he had been a bundle of nerves. He was anxious, excited, and filled with dread.
The seven-year-old nightmare was about to end. He guessed Yang Qing called him over to potentially tell him about the conclusion of the case. That news excited him but also terrified him.
On one hand, there was a chance he would finally be reunited with his wife and daughter, and on the other, he may get the news that he had half expected, dreaded, and buried in the deepest recess of his mind, the expectation that was so terrifying to him that it drove him to madness and despair that he tried to take his life.
That news was the confirmation that his wife and daughter were dead. Even though he tried to hold on to hope that they might be okay, he couldn''tpletely remove that conclusion from his mind.
He had seen how ruthless the world was, especially the cultivation world, and when Yang Qing helped him recall the memories of that night with the thought-clearing incense stick, he didn''t only recall the events of that night, but he also managed to see his wife''s look that night. She was abjectly terrified when the white-haired woman broke into their home and when she went for their daughter.
His wife always had a stoic face. While over the years he had learned how to tell if she was happy or mad, especially thetter along with an array of other emotions, those emotions were not clearly written on her face but that night, even a blind stranger could tell she was afraid.
His mind couldn''t help but wander to dark ces every time he remembered the fear she had and what potential future awaited them.
He had experienced and seen a lot of things as a rogue cultivator, so he had no shortage of ideas of how bad it could get, and those ideas terrified him. They terrified him so badly, that asionally some part of him hoped they died a peaceful death seven years ago.
"Ma Yuan, thanks foring.." Yang Qing said trying to pull out the mostforting smile he could.
Yang Qing wanted to unpack the dishes he had picked from the Thousand vors Restaurant, but he decided against it and instead took out a gourd that had a flowing blue mist emblem on it.
The gourd was a natural treasure. It was made from the tranquil mistgourd and had the ability to add calming properties to anything that was stored in it, along with chilling it. The gourd wasn''t expensive, so Yang Qing used it to store his wines.
He decided to take out the spiritke rice wine which had a mellow undertone that refreshed and renewed the mind, which added to the effect of the tranquil mistgourd, he hoped would be able to help Ma Yuan handle the news.
Yang Qing poured a cup for himself, Ma Yuan, and Zheng Hu, then sat down.
"Ma Yuan, we have made progress with your case, and we already know who has your wife and daughter.
Thedy you saw is called Deng Yaozu and she is an elder of the Ice Emerald Sect. There''s a high likelihood that your wife was a member of that sect too.
Though the name '' Shun Fei'' you gave us, doesn''t appear in the list of recorded members we have. Which is not strange as she may have changed her name when she left the sect..."
Ma Yuan''s hand trembled as he held on to the wine urn which caused some to spill over. His eyes immediately became hazy, with his lips quivering.
"Are...are...are....they?" It seemed like it took every willpower he had to get those words out of his mouth.
Yang Qing and Zheng Hu, despite trying to hide their true thoughts so as not to startle Ma Yuan, couldn''t help but sigh when they saw his current look.
"I can''t confirm if they are alive or dead yet, but I can confirm they were taken by Deng Yaozu and more than likely the sect knew about it, and supported it. So it''s very likely that they are there, as per their states, I honestly don''t know..."
Yang Qing paused as his look turned sympathetic.
"There''s something else I also need to tell you, and it''s not easy..."
Ma Yuan who had been out of sorts immediately froze at Yang Qing''s words as he looked at him.
"What?"
His gaze slowly moved to Zheng Hu who spotted the same look as Yang Qing. His stomach immediately churned, and he felt like his blood was freezing over by the second, and his tongue had a bitter aftertaste forming.
Even without them saying, he knew it wasn''t anything good. His mind couldn''t help but wander to those horrendous scenarios he had imagined happening to them over the years.
"What happened to your wife and daughter, it isn''t the first time the Ice Emerald Sect has done this. It has been doing so for the past 40,000 years as far as we can tell.
And...."
Yang Qing felt his tongue get heavier, and whatever words he had rehearsed on the way over seemed to be quickly escaping him, but in the end, he steeled himself and broke everything to Ma Yuan.
While Yang Qing was mindful enough to leave out the gory details of how the sect conducted its affairs, the much he did reveal was enough to drain the color out of Ma Yuan''s skin, and in the end, Ma Yuan couldn''t take it as heughed and cried hysterically, teetering close to breaking down.
When it seemed like he was about to lose it, Yang Qing swiftly knocked him out.
"Watch over him. He should be out for three days, by the time hees to, all this will all be over. In the end, he will have a concrete answer, whichever it may be.." Yang Qing said with a tired sigh as he handed over Ma Yuan to Zheng Hu.
"When are you leaving?" Zheng Hu asked.
"A day from now. There''s a report from the Committee I''m waiting on, and I also need a day to prepare myself.
We all decided to take a day for it.." Yang Qing said as his gaze turned distant.
Zheng Hu closed and opened his mouth a couple of times before he finally said,
"You''re sure we can''te?"
"I appreciate the sentiment Zheng Hu, and I feel the weight would feel lighter if you were all there with me, but if I were to take you all with me as you are, part of my concentrations would drift towards your well-being..."
"But thank you.." he added with a gratified smile.
"Okay.." said Zheng Hu withplicated emotions shing through his eyes as he clenched his fists as he walked away.
Chapter 411 Silent Wishes
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A few minutester there was another guest at Yang Qing''s abode who seemed like he had timed his visit perfectly to when Yang Qing was eating his meal. It was Feng Xin.
When he came he didn''t talk much and just poured himself the wine on the table and took a few of the dishes that were spread about.
The two ate in silence for almost half an hour and when they had finished all the dishes on the table, Feng Xin stood up to leave.
"Feng Xin, there''s no need to hold back anymore. I don''t know why you did, Yi Jie isn''t one to care about it.." Yang Qing muttered as Feng Xin was walking away halting him in his tracks.
"I know.." Feng Xin softly said.
"I''m headed to the mountain today, I''ve already left my cases to them.." he added as he left.
"All the best. Later you can tell me how the lightning tastes like, if it''s any different from the rest.." Yang Qing said to the fading silhouette of Feng Xin.
"Feng Xin.." he couldn''t help but shake his head as he said this.
He had long discovered Feng Xin was purposefully holding back his cultivation, which Yang Qing could only guess was on ount of Yi Jie, either that or Feng Xin dyed breaking through so it would take away from the time when he could be eating.
Some part of him felt the odds of thetter were slightly higher.
The rest of his team, as if by design came at different times, with each not saying anything. They just stayed there with Yang Qing and then left.
After Su Jinjing left who was thest inquisitor toe in, the final visitor of the day was Mao Yunru, who unlike the rest couldn''t mask the worry and sympathy in her eyes.
"How are you finding your new role?" asked Yang Qing when he saw her worried look.
"It''s okay, I''m adapting well. I had a good teacher after all. Not many people are lucky enough to have someone known as the world''s canvas as their teacher.." Mao Yunru cheekily replied trying to rouse her spirits with humor.
"Don''t you forget it," Yang Qing smugly replied.
After that another awkward silence ensued between the two. Yang Qing yed around with his wine urn, while Mao Yunru kept pulling at her purple scarf trying to align it perfectly.
"I''ll be okay.." Yang Qing finally said when he saw Mao Yunru seemed to be getting nervous by the second.
Mao Yunru for the first time since she walked in, her eyes stopped darting around as she stared at him. When she saw the calmness in those green eyes that carried the essence of a whole ocean in them, it seemed to have affected her as she too started calming down.
"Okay, then..."
A sense of harmony and calmness pervaded the area as they resumed the silence, which unlike before was warm unlike the bundle of nerves and awkwardness it was, moments earlier.
After some moments passed, Mao Yunru stood up to leave after exchanging a few words with Yang Qing.
She had walked away a few steps when she hurried back and kissed Yang Qing''s forehead and said,
"Take care," and immediately bolted after with reddened cheeks leaving a stupefied Yang Qing.
"What just happened?" he absentmindedly muttered to himself as he gently touched his forehead.
A small smile appeared on his face, however, the moment was immediately ruined by the celestial nesting weaver that had dropped from its nest with its arrogant gaze falling on Yang Qing.
"You finally realized how amazing I am, little Qing.." it pompously said as it emphasized thest two words.
"You bastard.." Yang Qing yelled as he immediately pounced on it, throwing a flurry of punches.
After ten minutes of the two thrashing about, the twoy exhausted in the grass next to the courtyard.
"I''m going to have a talk with the crab you brought over and take a look around this dump. You can have the nest.." the celestial nesting weaver arrogantly said as it rolled its rotund body towards the pond where the starlight crab was staying.
"It has a conscience after all," Yang Qing muttered with a smile as he headed to the nest.
After he arrived, he immediately took out the two arts pertaining to the Frozen Serenity Scripture and started going through them.
About two hourster Yang Qing put both arts down.
"The Frozen Serenity Sect really was something," he muttered with admiration in his tone.
While he hadn''t fully cultivated both techniques to any degree at all and was just studying their ins and outs, the bit he had managed to glean in those two hours left him marveling at its intricacies.
It was generally known that yin arts were best at building up the soul and were extremely poor at strengthening the body but the frost fire art had managed to do something that most yin arts couldn''t, which was strengthen not only the soul but also the body in equal regard.
The art produced a blue-white me known as frost fire which was a me conjured by the energy of the soul, the art strengthened the soul first then used the energy produced to refine the body then with the body strengthened, the energy it generates is partially absorbed by the me which then feeds back to the soul, creating a tied cycle between the two.
The Winter''s embrace was just as amazing. The meditation art was founded on maintaining a calm heart and mind by deriving warmfort even in destion. When mastered to perfection, one would be immune to all arts that influenced the mind that were in the blue grade, not only that it increased the odds of a cultivator entering a state of epiphany by 35%. It also increased the cultivator''s understanding of their own soul and spiritual sense.
The benefits derived from it were truly huge. However, Yang Qing had not picked them up so he could cultivate them. The time he had on hand was too short for him to even reach the emergent phase of it.
What we wanted to ascertain was the essence of it. Since the two arts came from the same source, even though they are two different arts that target different things, their core essence should be simr, which was what Yang Qing wanted to study.
"As I thought¡..this shard feelspletely different for something rted to the Frozen Serenity Scripture.." he said as he fiddled with a blue shard in his hand.
He stared at it for a full minute before he burned it away with a pure white me. ck smoke was produced from it along with a sizzling sound which made Yang Qing''s face turn grimmer.
"Just what have you all been doing? The essence seemspletely different...
But none of that matters, after tomorrow, the Ice Emerald Sect will be no more..."
Yang Qing exhaled like he was releasing whatever pent-up emotions he had and closed his eyes in silent meditation. A colorful mist filled with stars, oceans, animals, nts, andnd, immediately surrounded him.
Just like that, the night passed, followed by the next day without Yang Qing moving.
...
Skies in the southeastern side of the southern continent.
"Are you ready, Yang Qing?"
Chapter 412 Delivering The Sentence (1)
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Yang Qing looked upwards for a bit, then his gaze fell below him. There was nothing but mist below that obscured everything on the ground from view.
"I am.." he calmly answered as he took out the harbinger''s call horn.
He looked to his left and right, where the four judges; Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, Mo Liwei, and Wei Ying all nodded back at him.
He then looked behind him where Xia Ting and Yu Gen suddenly appeared waving their hands.
"Okay then.."
He immediately took a deep breath and then muttered a silent incantation that produced white sigil markings from the horn.
He tightly held the horn as his gaze pierced through the veil of mist below him. His pupils turned pure white with a green dao marking on them.
He could see a group of youngdies huddled together deciphering an old-looking scroll beneath a silver cypress tree with excitement in their eyes, at another end he could see young girls seemingly about 10- 12 years old admiring a senior of theirs producing a 20 foot water current from her sword y, and in another side there were two youngdies who looked to be in theirte twenties and were in the early stages of the core formation realm who seemed to be exchanging pointers in the form ofbat within an arena as other disciples cheered them on.
The area was brimming with life and if Yang Qing didn''t have the yin-yang jade physique or cultivated the University duality indulgent of the myriad worlds cultivation art, he may have very well missed the air of resentment and anguish that floated within every inch of the area below, especially at the central ce where it congealed to the point of creating faces filled with pain and torment, screaming.
Any part of him that was still hesitant and resistant to eliminating the whole sect, disappeared the moment he saw the congealed air of anguish and sorrow.
Such a thing could only be formed in an area that has been littered with the souls of those who died bitterly and painfully to the end, and their number was in the hundred of thousands. Their resentment lingered afraid, tormented, and unable to move on.
For someone like Yang Qing who had an absurd sensitivity toward life essence, such resentment was as clear as daylight to him. He could even feel the fear that they had as they met their ends.
"What is it?" Dai Chen asked when he saw his look.
"The area is littered with the resentment of millions.." Yang Qing said with an apathetic look.
With zero hesitation he began the promation of the charge and sentence that would befall the Ice Emerald Sect.
..
The core region of the Ice Emerald Sect,
"Zhao Ju it seems we have intruders above us...."
The mature-lookingdy with free-flowing white hair who had been seated in lotus position beneath the Wisteria tree hurriedly opened her eyes as she turned back to face the Wisteria tree which seemed to be the source of the voice that had spoken.
The voice was raspy and had a deathly chillness to it.
"Is it the ancestor of the Twin River Empire?" she asked with worry clearly written all over her face.
"It is not that old emperor, those who have just arrived are different. If his empire had people of their caliber, they would have already ttened the sect..."
The mature-looking youngdy''s pupils constricted in fear as she looked up.
"There are seven pce stage experts; three are in the first stage, one in the second stage, two in the third stage, and one is in the fourth stage. Each with foundations I''ve never seen before.
Even that coot would likely flee when targetted by them, and two of them were the two who had sneaked in here not too long ago..."
even with a raspy cold voice that was shaky and a tad bit inaudible at times, one could feel the wariness in the speakers.
"What do we do? Do you think they know?"
"With such a line-up, is it even in doubt?"
A long silence ensued as the mature-lookingdy walked back and forth next to the tree.
"Could they be from the Order?" she muttered to herself horrified at the prospect of it, which felt like it was highly likely they were/
"Founder, what do we do!?!? ... I told you we needed to be careful, and things are not the same as back then... see now...the ORDER IS ALREADY AT OUR DOORSTEPS!!!!"
Even though it was just conjecture, she was dead certain those outside were from the Order. They were the only ones who fit the bill and could marshal the lineup outside.
"Calm down will you..where was this reasoning when what we did helped you break through to the pce realm and even increase your cultivation base to the third stage?"
the tone of the voice in the tree was rife with mockery as it said this.
"Stall for time using the array, use every precious resource avable. With how much strengthening it has undergone over the years, it should be sufficient to stall them for an hour at least..that should buy me enough time.."
"Enough time for? Do we have a way out?" sect master Zhao Ju impatiently asked.
"Zhao Ju you need to master your emotions well, otherwise even with the special abilities of the Wisteria tree and the taotie destruction rebirth swallowing art, it will be hard for you to break through to the middle stages of the pce realm with such a shaky resolve.
You''re the sect master, act as one.."
"I''m sorry founder.." said sect master Zhao Ju as she bowed.
"While the situation we are in isn''t ideal, it''s not unsalvageable either. The defector Yaozu brought back has dense pure yin energy, enough to support my breakthrough which will give me more capital to negotiate with our benefactor to help us out of this mess.
With his abilities, getting us out of this should not be difficult, but for that, I need to be indispensable to him, and increasing my strength is one such way.
I''m not that far off, so you need to do all you can to buy me as much time as you possibly can. The resources we have acquired over the years should be able to fully activate the formation, and if that isn''t enough.."
"Sacrifice some of the talented disciples preferably those in the core formation stage," the raspy voice coldly said.
Sect Master Zhao Ju flinched on hearing the order, however, she immediately rposed herself as she replied,
"Yes, founder."
"And Zhao Ju..." Just as the sect master was about to hurry away the voice suddenly spoke up.
"You need to be prepared for the chance that not everyone may make it. You need to resolve yourself to abandon your disciples..all of them. Depending on how things go, in the best case, I think I can only guarantee your life, and the other elders in the pce realm, and maybe Yaozu, who has some talent, but for the rest, we will have to abandon them, and everything that ties us to the sect.
Prepare yourself to abandon the sect.."
Sect Master Zhao Ju paused as she softly answered,
"Okay.."
The voice behind the Wisteria tree sighed as Zhao Ju disappeared from sight.
"I guess I should inform him. If he doesn''t help us..."
Her interaction with the sect master, though seemed long, hadsted two minutes.
Chapter 413 Delivering The Sentence (2)
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"Residents of the southern continent on behalf of the Order, Ie before you this day to dere the Ice Emerald Sect, a rank 3 sect founded by Feng Qiu, 53,417 years ago, guilty of breaking the southern continent taboo charter.
Since 40,000 years ago they have kidnapped and ughtered in the millions. The following is the list of their victims:
Ma Yuan- wife and daughter were kidnapped seven years ago and his cultivation crippled in the process. The kidnapping and the attack were done by Deng Yaozu, an elder of the Ice Emerald Sect.
Lin family- a rankless n of 97 members was massacred 11 years ago by Ma Song an elder of the Ice Emerald Sect.
Lan family: a family of six, husband Lan Shi, wife- Wang Huiling, twins: Lan Di and Lan Chen, Grandfather- Lan Hui, and Grandmother-Meng Zhn, were brutally killed and refined into a blood crystal by Luo Jingfei, an elder of the Ice Emeral Sect.
..."
Yang Qing went on to list all the victims in chronological order till he reached the first killing 40,000 years ago, which was the Sun jade kingdom which was the sovereign of the area where the Ice Emerald Sect was located before the whole kingdom was massacred overnight.
Back then with the warring that was going around, such events weremon so they didn''t stand out much at the time, however, with the range of activities of the Ice Emerald Sect, the ughter of the Sun Jade Kingdom wasn''t just two organizations fighting for hegemony and one losing out.
The Sun Jade Kingdom was built on the foundation of a sun jade which was a crystal that had extremely purifying abilities and had a restraining effect on yin energy, especially tainted ones. This was likely the reason they were targeted by the Ice Emerald Sect who practised yin-rted arts, and one that was likely tainted by corpse qi.
With an entity like the Sun Jade Kingdom above them, their activities would have likely been noticed and restrained by them, therefore it seemed more prudent to their ns to eliminate them, and were thus the very first victims to fall.
On paper, at the time the Sun Jade Kingdom was more powerful than the Ice Emerald Sect as it even had a pce stage ancestor, but everyone within the kingdom was ughtered, with inscrutable means, and from that rubble, the Ice Emerald Sect slowly but surely grew.
And the culprit behind that massacre was none other than Feng Qiu the founder of the Ice Emerald Sect who at the time was already rumored to have died during a ruin exploration 2,000 years prior, and she was an eighth-stage core formation expert at the time, so no one could have believed she was the one behind the Sun Jade massacre.
However, with the means of the Order, even events that happened that far back could be dug up as long as they had a thread to follow and they had more than enough thread to unravel the whole thing including knowing that the founder was alive and kicking.
Yang Qing was amazed at how thorough the report he received from the Judicial Review Committee was. When he read it, he couldn''t help but be reminded of Veiled Destiny, the monotoned saint-grade treasure he had worn and befriended during his promotion ceremony.
With its karmic abilities, it could probe the past of anyone in the early stage of the soul formation realm and below. Unraveling theplete life activities of every member of the Ice Emerald Sect both living and dead, was likely as easy as Yang Qing eating a barrel of crisply roasted duck by himself.
He couldn''t help but wonder if the treasure had been the one involved in discerning all the guilty parties from the sect. As Yang Qing mentioned the crimes along with the victims, he also mentioned the perpetrators.
...
"EEEEEEEEIIIIIH!!!! how did they know about me?!!"
The disciples of the Ice Emerald Sect were already confused when they heard Yang Qing''d voice and all those charges put against their sect. That confusion was further added to when they heard an aged loud shriek like that of a dying bird echo throughout the sect.
"Master, master, you have to help us?!"
red markings appeared on the bark of the Wisteria tree as a pulsing red light seemed to be pulsing from deep within its bark.
The bark shimmered and rippled like the surface of water as it opened up revealing an olddy with disheveled white hair with hollow eyes and bark-like grey skin. She had tendrils from the wisteria tree hooked into her back and hands and legs. They throbbed like they were transporting something into the olddy.
Thedy had a red orb in her hands that was filled with ancient ck scriptings and seemed to be the source of the red glow around the tree.
"Why is he not responding?!"
..
"Having found the Ice Emerald Sect guilty of viting the southern continent taboo charter, the entire sect has been sentenced to decimation, and all guilty parties involved in the kidnappings and killings have been sentenced to death...with immediate effect.." Yang Qing said as he coldly cast his gaze below.
He put the horn next to his mouth ready to blow it.
"Zhao Ju, deploy the formation!! USE THEM ALL!! USE THEM ALL!!!!"
The olddy''s cry came toote because in that instant as she was madly yelling, a solemn tune that carried with it an ancient aura enveloped her entire sect, and immediately after a thunderous explosion like the roar of a primordial beast resounded in the area.
A sturdy blue crystal dome had appeared above them glowing with numerous ck glyphs and a red curtain covering it, seemingly to enhance the dome, but that dome was hit with a massive soundwave and instantly shattered like an egg hit with a rock. It did notst a second to the onught of the sound.
Seeing the protective array shattered, Yang Qing instantly sealed the horn with the hide he was given and put it away.
"Members of the Ice Emerald Sect, if your name has not been mentioned in the crimes done by your sect, we will allow you to leave, now. You have ten breaths to make your decision. If you will not have left by that time, you will face the same fate as the guilty members, which is DEATH.."
Chapter 414 Movement From Limbo (1)
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Along with the destruction of the formation array, various buildings had already copsed all over the sect, the only ce that remained undamaged was the area where the Wisteria tree was located.
There was a radiant purple-pink veil that had red sigils on it constantly rotating around the veil. However, the veil seemed to be just hanging on. It had dim flickering lighting.
As for the rest of the sect, chaos had ensued everywhere, with yells and screams flooding the area.
Everything had happened too fast, from the destruction of the formation to the announcement Yang Qing had just made before and after the destruction of their formation.
The members of the Ice Emerald Sect still couldn''t process all that had happened, and most were left confused about what to do.
"That formation was pretty sturdy," said Mo Liwei as he observed the aftermath below.
"Should have been a high-tier blue grade one.." said Wei Ying.
"It seems like they stacked two formations together to add to its strength," she added.
"Considering the attack on the Echo Resonance Sect, they may have used the formation blueprint they had as part of the Frozen Serenity Scripture set and added it to their own formation..but it seems they added something in there too.." said Dai Chen
"There were blood refinement sigils mixed in.." Yang Qing said as he took out a bamboo stick that had purple lightning shing through it.
...
Meanwhile around the Southern Continent,
Blue Lilly sect (rank 3 sect located in the border between the southern continent and the Millionsfold treasure ocean)
"Sect Master, have you heard?"
"I have...it seems before the day ends, a rank 3 sect will be no more..."
"Isn''t the Order too tyrannical deciding the destruction of a sect that has been in existence for 50,000 years just like that? how do we even know the Ice Emerald Sect really did those things they''re iming they did it?"
"Elder Shi Yu, you need to be careful with your words. Don''t forget the peace we enjoy today is because of the Order''s presence, and with their means do they even need to frame a rank 3 sect like the Ice Emerald Sect..."
"Pass down my order, the sect is closing off for the next ten years. No one from the disciples to the elders is allowed to leave the sect grounds for any reason whatsoever and the order is in effect from this moment.
Anyone caught breaking the order will be punished ording to the sect rules, regardless of their rank.."
..
Jiang Family (rank 4 n located in the Grey Fox Kingdom at the border between the southern continent and Blue origin ocean)
"Jiang Chen, are you still against the marriage between the two? You''ve heard what happened to all those ns and sects, and even royal families.
Our two ns are weaker than them, what''s to prevent what happened to them from happening to us?
Even with the Order''s presence, things like these are still happening. What are you hesitating for?
For small fish like us to survive, we need tobine together and look out for one another, and the only way to ensure we will do so honestly is a marriage uniting our both families.
My son, Song Tingfeng, and your daughter Jiang Fan.."
"Song Fa there''s no need to pretend with me. Don''t think I don''t know this is just a means to end for you. What you are really after is the throne, especially, with the news that the retainer of the royal family suffered a grievous injury and is at death''s door.
With him out of the picture, the royal family no longer has a quasi-pce stage expert to help them hold the kingdom, so you and the other families have been scheming all this time with greed in your hearts ready to grab that throne for yourselves.
But have you even for one second thought it may all be a trapid by them to ferret you all out in one fell swoop and destroy you all together?
The royal family isn''t stupid, if they were, they wouldn''t have had hold over the kingdom for the past 20,000 years, and still have the hearts of the people.
Don''t you think it''s suspicious how news of that senior''s injuries spread so fast?
Song Fa, we have known each other for long, Please heed my advice and don''t let greed and the opinion of others muddle your head.."
"Ol'' Chen ...It''s a pity....if that is your stance, well.....don''t let the others know..All the major families are involved in this, and I don''t think they''ll take too kindly to fence sitters...ask your sister who is married to the fourth elder of the Pine me sect toe visit you. The sooner the better.
Take care, Ol'' Chen.."
"Take care, Song Fa."
..
Royal pce of Autumn Wind kingdom ( a rank 3 kingdom located in the southeastern region of the southern continent, 1000km from the Ice Emerald Sect)
"Father let me go!! I must speak up for them!! There is NO WAY!! NO WAY!! the Emerald Ice Sect did what they said they did.
The Order is just making up lies about them!"
"General Fu, don''t let that rascal go!.... Yun''er you ingrate!! Do you want to damn the kingdom because of you were enchanted by some beauty from there?!
Do you think just because we can lord over billions, and hundreds of sects and other organizations within our territory, gives us the guts to interfere with the matters of the Order?!
We are no more than dried-out twigs before them, that they can easily snap whenever they wish to.
It''s my fault for not disciplining you properly and giving you a wide berth that has left you muddle headed.."
"Muddle-headed?! Muddle headed?! Me? You are the one whose muddle-headed, old man. All you have done since you took the throne was grow your harem and drink wine all day long leaving the affairs of the kingdom to your underlings.
You misuse countless resources that could have helped those who serve you grow stronger, but instead, you use it all on yourself, and your so-called '' cultured friends''.
You plundered countless resources so you could actually reach the pce realm and even after all that, what you ended up with was the shakiest and most pitiful one could get, robbing other geniuses of the family the chance to improve themselves, and I''m Muddle headed?
Since you took over as king, the kingdom has stagnated and in fact, it even feels like it has deteriorated. We are one of the few kingdoms of our rank to have been in existence for 100,000 years, but all of it will likely be ruined by drunk self-serving hands, and you have the gall to call me Muddle headed..heheheheh.....
Why? All because I dared to question the Order''s judgment? What''s wrong with that? Are we supposed to unterally ept everything they say and take it as fact?
The Order was formed from the coalition of numerous cultivator organizations around the continent. Our kingdom was one of those organizations. We supported them with donations from our own coffers, and have been doing so up until 500 years ago.
They are not our overlords, their mandate is to work on behalf of the continent, and we have the right to question them when we feel what they are doing doesn''t add up.
How long have we known the Ice Emerald Sect? Now that they are in trouble with the Order, you decide to shrink back and ept what they''ve been charged with because it''s the Order?
If you''re so afraid that I''ll implicate the kingdom then I''m willing to abdicate my title as the crown prince and even be removed from the Lin n ancestry records..
Let me go, Father, please."
"Knock him out, General Fu, and seal his acupoints and cultivation base. You can let him go in four days.."
"Yes, your majesty.."
"Yun''er you''re perfect in every way except you''re too bullheaded and one tracked in your thoughts a lot of the time. With that rigid personality of yours, those old foxes may take advantage just like the damn sect.
I don''t care if I''m known as a wastrel or a fool of a king as long as it helps me clear out a smooth pathway for you in the end.
I know the kingdom will be better in your hands and reach greater heights. As your father, all I can do is reduce as many obstacles for you as I can, even if you end up resenting me for it.."
Chapter 415 Movement from limbo (2)
Chapter 415 Movement from limbo (2)
..
The top floor of a certain restaurant in Gold Leaf Empire, a rank 1 empire located in the central region of the southern continent.
"Guiren what have you decided to do about the matter concerning our son? will you leave him at the hands of the Order and suffer their fate?! What if they sentence him to death?! if they do, then..."
A youngdy with ck hair tied in a crystalline butterfly hair clip and a beauty that even words could not describe was seated across from a middle-aged man who was the picture of perfection with smooth-flowing hair that seemed to have been crafted from pure gold.
"Ding''er what do you want me to do? It''s the Order, even if I was to ally with your father we still wouldn''t be able to do anything. And considering he cut off all ties with you when you decided to follow me, I doubt he''d help. Also, Hou Dehui is closely monitoring the situation.."
"That bastard?! Why?! isn''t the case concerning the pce realm, beneath him?!"
"Why else? isn''t it because of Liang Zian?"
"Our son can not rot at the Order, Guiren!! We have to do everything to get him out!"
"I know. It''s why I''m here to beg your father with you. If that fails then, we will have to wait and see how the undercurrents of the continent pen out."
...
Jia family ( a rank 4 n in Silverfern Kingdom in the northeastern part of the southern continent)
Within an open ground stood an elderly-looking man and seated in lotus position were about fifteen children who were between the ages of four to eight.
"Granduncle Ma, why are you smiling?" asked one of the kids when he saw the elderly man look up to the sky with a smile on his face with tears in his eyes.
"I had a sworn brother who disappeared 800 years ago. I was closer to him than my own brothers, and we''ve known each other since i was just a tiny bit older than you. Sword in hand we travelled around, causing no small amount of mischief with a sense of adventure, but eventually when we grew old, we each got busy.
I came back to help train the young members of the n, while he decided to settle down and was lucky enough to find someone and they eventually managed to have twin girls, and I became their godfather.
But 800 years ago they disappeared, and I never knew what happened to them despite looking for them, till now..."
"Brother Tao, Sister Linling, I''m sorry I wasn''t there for you both and little Zhng and little Qiang...If they were alive, they would have grandchildren of their own by now..." he muttered to himself as he took a swig out of the jug of wine in his hands.
"As saddened as I am for only knowing it now, I''m d the Order is there to stand up for you and seek justice on your behalf.
I look forward to seeing you both.." he said as he took another sip with tears streaming down his eyes.
"Granduncle?"
..
Murong family n grounds.
"Grandpa, that announcement? Was that Judge Yang Qing?"
"It was, Yan''er."
"Will he be okay? that is a rank 3 organization.."
"Don''t worry, despite how he looked, I could tell he was powerful, and besides he has the Order behind him.
Yan''er, never forget small ns like us can only survive because a monolith like them exists. That is a debt that we can never repay. When you go to the Institute, make sure to learn as much as you can in the three years that you are there..
The Murong family will be in your hands after that.."
"I will grandfather.."
...
White Baobab Kingdom
Food streetne,
"Yang Qing, it seems you have your work cut out for you today. I know you never like these things. I wish you well old friend.."
"Longwei who are you talking to? Have you finally lost it? I knew eating as much as you do woulde to bite you at some point.."
"Is that how you talk to your king? and stop being stingy with the brown sauce. How is that tiny amount supposed to fill these braised pork cutlets?"
...
Wind gliding mercenary escort headquarters.
"Leader Gui you need to remove Yun Wei from his position as head of logistics. Because of him, we are now mixed up in this mess.
What if people find out we were the ones who provided the evidence that led to all this? Our Organization could be razed the next day and all of us killed.."
"Vice Leader Wang Fu calm down.."
"I don''t want to hear that from you Chunhua. Don''t think I don''t know you also helped him with this. Your position as a vice leader should be revoked the same as his. What you both did put us at risk and you did without even putting the matter to a vote."
"I consulted the leader and he agreed to it."
"Gui, why?"
"I decided to hinge a bet on it. With the way things are shaping out, we can''t be fence sitters, sooner orter we will have to make a choice, better to make it early, and I think betting on the Order is the best choice we can make for the Wind Gliding Mercenaries.."
Isn''t this the dream we all four shared when were small? To grow strong, and travel the world, that is why we went for wind gliding, to be free and unfettered, but for that "But.."
"Leave it be Wang Fu, the die has already been cast. Besides, while you may see it as a risk, I see it as the opportunity we have been waiting for to elevate ourselves into a rank 2 organization and that is a risk I''m willing to take, and I hope you do too..
Isn''t this the dream we all four shared when were small? To grow strong, and travel the world, that is why we went for wind gliding, to be free and unfettered, but for that we need strength, and having a rtionship with the Order will give us that.."
"I hope you all are right, because if you aren''t.."
...
Tang Family, burial chamber.
An old man knelt with his head touching the ground in a dimly lit room as he faced four tablets neatly ced on a tform above him
"Great great grandfather, great grandfather, grandfather, father, did you all hear that? The mission is about to bepleted. The person behind the Shu family has been found, and the family is about to be avenged.
The mission is over, so please great great grandfather, please have peace, and let us rest. Let the Tang''s curse end here!"
...
On this day, the continent that was in limbo started moving.
Chapter 416 Yang Qing makes his move (1)
Chapter 416 Yang Qing makes his move (1)
Universal bead
Yang Qing rapidly formed seals with his hands which resulted in a small pea-sized green ball forming above him.
The green ball was filled with streaming lights of different colors. There were red, white, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, and grey.
They swirled around the ball while the ball rotated in a clockwise manner swallowing massive amounts of spiritual qi in the area.
A cyclone could be seen forming above it as it rapidly pulled spiritual qi into the area. With every passing second the green ball grew in size.
Wei Ying and Mo Liwei looked up curiously at the bead with mild surprise in their eyes due to the monstrous volume of spiritual qi that was being sucked into the green ball.
From its sheer volume, one could easily mistake it as a phenomenon that usually urred after a cultivator survived their tribtion and they were harvesting the results of that sessful breakthrough.
One of the harvests was a massive downpour of qi into the cultivator to rece what he/she had expended during the breakthrough. In addition, the quality was also different. The qi that pours into the cultivator after their breakthrough is distinctive from regr spiritual qi because it is induced by the origin dao as a reward to the cultivator for sessfully surviving their tribtion.
The qi is mixed with the aura of the origin dao which will help firm their foundations and heal any damage caused by the origin dao since the source of the tribtion is tied to it. Other than that, the qi produced is created for the express purpose of that cultivator. So every aspect of that qi is uniquely crafted to the designs of that cultivator''s entire being and isn''t the generalized spiritual qi that floated around the.
It is geared perfectly to the cultivator from the element prevalent in it to suit what the cultivator is suited for, to the ease in which the cultivator absorbs it and assimtes it. The qi doesn''t need to be refined further by the dantian, and is even of a higher grade than if what is usually refined by the cultivator''s dantian.
To anyone other than that cultivator, the qi is as useful as normal water, but to that particr cultivator it was created for, it was a precious tonic almost as good as a saint-grade tonic.
When it came to the green ball forming above Yang Qing, while it wasn''t the same as the one produced by the Origin dao after a tribtion, based on what they could feel from it, the qi gathered inside of it seemed to be one that could be freely absorbed by anyone, and with a certain level of ease, especially owing to the fact that it seemed like most of the elements were represented within that qi.
The ball formed was as a result of the iplete purple grade art Yang Qing cultivated, the Universal duality indulgent of the myriad worlds which worked wonders with Yang Qing''s yin-yang jade bones, resulting in the formation of a universal qi, that granted Yang Qing the ability to draw in qi from almost anything and it had all rounded nature to it, however, the most prevalent was the yin and yang energy, which was represented by the white and ck lines intermingled within the ball, which acted as its core.
The ball served as a second dantian and storage. With it, Yang Qing could replenish his qi but he could also use it as a conduit for a cultivation spell without draining his own reserves, which was his intention for creating it.
"The capacity seems to have increased significantly thanst time.." Dai Chenmented with a wry smile on his face because despite the size of the ball being the size of a papaya, the spiritual qi stored in it was enough to rival that of a second-stage pce realm expert.
"It is...seems like he has no intention of holding back at all..." muttered Zhang Qingge.
"That should be enough.." muttered Yang Qing as he sized the amount of qi stored in the green ball.
His hair slowly changed half green with hues of blue in it while the other half was orange-yellow, with matching irises.
He took out a few formation gs which gently floated from his hands and revolved around him.
Yin-Yang Earth''s resting aurora of judgment
The green ball turned into a crimson orange. It looked like a miniature sun during sunset.
"Members of the Ice Emerald Sect, time is up..."
Yang Qing gently spoke as the crimson-orange orb rose up into the sky, which filled the entire sect with a red overcast hue that made one think dusk had arrived.
The members of the sect whether it was the new or seasoned disciples to the elders all looked up with solemn expressions on their faces.
The orb not only influenced the scenery of their sect, but every member could feel their hearts beating to the rhythm of the fluctuations of the crimson-orange orb.
Badum! Badum!
Every heartbeat sounded like the drum of judgment. The weak members felt like their chests were caving in and they could not breathe. Every time their heart beat, it became heavy and forceful till some plopped on their knees because they couldn''t handle its weight, as they wheezed with their mouths open trying to gasp for breath with their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
"Those willing to leave, do so now..." Yang Qing''s voice was like the tether that pulled those at the brink of copse back to life.
The pressure and the pain in their chests disappeared the moment Yang Qing spoke. They warily looked up to see the crimson-orange orb above explode into shooting stars that gently glided downwards.
With the exploding orb at the center, the shooting stars produced from the explosion created an orange-red veil in between them that had the vastness, stability, and smell of earth. With the shooting stars as a guide, the veil surrounded the whole sect, creating a translucent crimson-orange dome that had ancient-looking scripts glowing within it.
"Those who want to leave do so now, all you have to do is pass through the veil.." Yang Qing announced as his gaze fell below him to the still-confused members of the Ice Emerald Sect.
"Elders!! Sect Master!! Help us!!" It was unknown who started it, but a swarming yell came from the core disciples and then spread out to the young newer disciples.
They couldn''t make heads or tails of what was happening. Everything had happened too fast, and the blow of the announcements was too much for them to fathom, and thus by default, thest tether of their sanity made themtch on to the biggest support they could think of, which was their elders and sect master.
They had grown up idolizing them and thinking them invincible.
Surely those amazing pce stage elders and the powerful sect master above them could handle this...
Once that thought took root in their heart, they began to calm down and some even defiantly looked up at Yang Qing, as if to say
Wait till our elders and sect master get their hand on you, we will be the one to give you ten breaths of time to survive...
They all looked dishevelled with some bleeding from their ears and eyes. They had been manning the formation together, and when it broke, they suffered a little bit of Completely overlooking he was from the Order.
But what they didn''t know was, that those elders and sect master they had ced their hopes on, were all looking up with the same expression..FEAR.
They all looked dishevelled with some bleeding from their ears and eyes. They had been manning the formation together, and when it broke, they suffered a little bit of bacsh from it.
"How is he just a first-stage pce realm cultivator?" sect master Zhao Ju looked at the veil surrounding them with solemnness in her tone and eyes.
The other elders all had the same reaction. They could feel the sheer level of power hidden within that unassuming veil was enough to ughter some of them who were already in the pce stage.
"Is the founder really not acting?" asked one of the elders.
"She is a critical juncture, we are on our own for now....we need to work together to buy her as much time as possible.."
"Will we even be able to?!"
"We can only try. Besides it''s not like we have a choice in the matter. You heard the sentence..."
"Maybe we can use them to buy more time. The Order values its reputation, surely they will hold back on their ount.." said one of the elders as her eyes moved over to the disciples that were calling for them.
Sect master Zhao Ju paused with a conflicted look in her eyes as she looked at the disciples around her. She had watched all of them grow and held high aspirations for some, there were even a few she had groomed to take over for her and push the sect to further heights.
But all that could now only ever exist in her mind.
She sighed as she firmly replied,
"Let me do it.."
Chapter 417 Yang Qing Makes His Move (2)
?
"Disciples of the Ice Emerald Sect, this is your sect master Zhao Ju. As you have heard, the Order has dered us guilty of heinous crimes. As your sect master, I''d like to announce it''s all false.
Our sect did not do those things. We have always kept to ourselves and slowly built up to where we are today.
I admit it wasn''t without its fair share of blood shed but this is the world we live in. Is there truly any cultivator who has reached the heights that they have without stepping over someone?
I doubt there is, though I could be wrong, but in the time I''ve been around, I haven''t met a single one.
Despite how blood-ridden the path is, we as the Ice Emerald Sect have always strived to be cordial with everyone. We avoided conflicts if we could, kept to ourselves, and even when we grew a bit strong, we didn''t wantonly plunder our neighbors to exert dominance.
Didn''t we live peacefully with them?"
"WE DID!!!!"
"Then how could we be capable of doing all those things the Order has imed we did? They did not even give us a chance to defend ourselves and just unterally decided we were guilty and announced the sentence and destruction of our sect...
While our sect may not be as huge as theirs, we are not made of soft bones. I and the rest of the elders have decided we will stand our ground and fight against their tyranny. We will not shirk back to defend the name of the sect that gave us all we have today.
I will have no regrets even if we meet our end here.
As for you all, I won''t order you to fight with us. Those who want to leave can do so, I and the elders will not judge you for it. You can do as the fellow Daoist has said. I wish you all the best in your paths ahead, and I hope you will keep Ice Emerald Sect and our teachings in your hearts.
And for those willing to stay, all I can say is thank you..."
"She''s quite the speaker.." said Wei Ying with her tone rife with mockery.
Barely a secondter, the whole ground was filled with uproar as the disciples spoke over one another, each pumped full of chicken blood and dragon guts.
"Sect master, what are you saying? Don''t look down on us!! If you are staying, so are we. We are not afraid of death either!!"
"Yes, yes...we will show the world that our sect isn''t a pushover. Even against an entity like the Order, the Ice Emerald Sect will dare fight back for what is right.."
"The sect is our home.."
"We will fight to ourst breath.."
"We will not bend..."
Roars filled the ce, with an infectious fighting spirit filling almost every disciple regardless of their age or cultivation base.
People who were riddled with fear moments earlier, now looked as if they wanted to y the entire world under a righteous banner, but of course, there were those whose sense of preservation remained undeterred by the sensation floating around.
Though their numbers were pitifully few, there were those disciples who took up Yang Qing''s offer and passed through the veil with guilted and nervous expressions as they suffered torrents of abuse from the disciples behind them.
There were even some who were attacked but a crimson orange shield appeared around them to shield them from the attacks as they made their way out. The sessful passage of one of them prompted a few others to follow suit, and at the end, 17 decided to leave of which one was an elder while the bulk of the rest were new disciples.
Emboldened by therge number that decided to stay back, one of the elders spoke up with mockery in her tone.
"See that, people from the Order. We are not afraid of you. Your ims are ridiculous. We do not ept the charges or the ruling, and if it''s a fight you want, then a fight you will get. though we may not match you, our spirit is undaunted.
But for you, you will make an enemy of the world with your actions. Are you sure you can bear it?"
The elder was a pce realm cultivator who amplified her voice with her qi which pushed it for thousands of kilometers.
"They''re truly insidious every one of them. She is ying to the audience we have.." Mo Liwei said as he looked behind them.
There were a few figures lurking about monitoring the situation from a distance, and the number seemed to be growing.
Clearly, that elder seemed to be trying to incite others.
Once Yang Qing saw that no one else seemed to have the intention to leave he finally made his move.
"You truly disappoint me sect master Zhao Ju. You''re a failure as a leader. ."
Two white mes suddenly appeared in the ce of Yang Qing''s pupils.
"As for you.." Yang Qing''s gaze turned to the elder who had just spoken up.
She was short and oozed an unruly and unbridled aura. She had white hair, the same as all the elders.
She had an arrogant smile as she spoke but when Yang Qing''s gaze fell on her, she shrunk back.
"You must be the second elder, Xie Liqiu. Thank you for your kind concern but, every person from the Order, whether it''s the guard at the gates, or the judges in the courtrooms, every single one of us has been prepared from the moment we stepped through those doors and agreed to join the Order, that we may one day be an enemy of the whole continent.
We have worn that reality every single day. So what if we be an enemy to the entire world? If it happens, then so be it. We are all prepared for it, even if it happens now, we are ready.
We will always do, what we have been mandated to do, nothing more, nothing less, and if making an enemy of you all will be a consequence, then we wee you all and see whose fist is bigger..."
A murderous intent radiated from Yang Qing''s whole body that immediately shut the mouths of the disciples roaring below.
"Also do you think I gave you all this time to make the whole speech because I was afraid to act..attacking those weaker than you, and living insidiously has dulled your senses.
Do you think you can use their lives against me? You''re too naive, sect master. Your sect will be buried today, and you all with it, that is in no doubt..." Yang Qing coldly said as he rose to the center of the veil where a small crimson-orange bead was embedded.
The other judges smirked with murderous intent radiating from them, as Mo Liwen suddenly said..
"You heard him, friends. If you dare mix yourselves up in this, we will bury you all, just the same as them.."
"Reverberate," Yang Qing coldly muttered as he clenched his fist and mmed it sideways into the bead-like it as a drum.
Crack!
It shattered like ss, and the veil disappeared soon after. There was no explosion or any thunderous sound or anything that showed something cataclysmic was about to happen, but what happened next sent the elders and the sect master into the deepest abyss of fear.
The disciples they had riled up all copsed the moment the veil dropped while some exploded into mists of blood. It did not stop there as the same event extended to the regr elders. Some exploded into bloody mists while others dropped unconscious.
"Sect master save me?!!!" one of the core elders suddenly yelled when she saw crimson-orange cracks appearing on her body.
She speedily ran to the sect master only to explode when she had taken less than ten steps.
"Sister help me!" another yelled as she nervously stretched her hands towards an elder who had a mole under her left eye.
"Yao''er!!!!!!!" that elder yelled in return as she booming sound appeared under her feet as she charged towards a slender young lookingdy who had a simr looking mole under her right eye.
However, just when she had just reached her, that slender youngdy exploded.
"I WILL KILL YOU!!! YOU BASTARD!!!!"
"How is this happening?" muttered Sect Master Zhao Ju as she saw the disciples falling and exploding all around her.
However, what hit her hardest was that among the victims were three core elders who were all at the peak stage of the core formation realm. They had all exploded into bloody mists within an instant, and one of them was even Guo Mei''s sister.
In just a minute only nine people were left standing.
Seven were in the pce realm, while two were in the quasi-pce realm.
"You must be Deng Yaozu, right? The woman you kidnapped from Rapid Twin County, is she alive?" Yang Qing as if unperturbed to what was happening below him or the murderous look Guo Mei asked him, turned his nce to one of the two quasi pce realm cultivators still standing.
Her image matched the description Ma Yuan gave of the kidnapper who came to their home and crippled him and also took his wife and daughter.
Chapter 418 Yang White Lightning Flames (1)
?
Deng Yaozu flinched a little from being caught off-guard by Yang Qing''s question. Despite Yang Qing not explicitly saying who he was asking about, she instantly knew from the question.
She could feel a calm vastness as she looked at Yang Qing''s apathetic gaze that was trained on her.
The green-blue iris made her feel like she was being smothered by the full weight of the ocean while the orange-yellow iris made her feel like she had been transported to the surface of the sun, as for the white-med pupils, she felt an intrinsic fear that she couldn''t quite exin when she saw them.
Just a stare alone made her feel so insignificant. Ever since she broke through to the core formation realm, she had been one of the rising talents of the Ice Emerald Sect in the past century.
In less than 30 years she had managed to reach the quasi pce stage and was well on her way to reach the pce realm. This had created a certain level of confidence within her to the point while she did respect her seniors who were already in the pce realm, she wasn''t afraid of them.
She respected them as fellow sect members but didn''t have that deep veneration that came from cultivation-based suppression where those in the core formation realm would feel a deep sense of awe towards those in the pce realm.
She never experienced that sense of suppression or pressure from them, and also to her, she always figured it was only a matter of time before she reached the pce realm herself. There was nothing to venerate or fear from them.
But now...she felt a sense of insignificance beneath Yang Qing''s gaze that she had never felt before like all it would take for Yang Qing to get rid of her was a mere word or a flick of his fingers, and she would cease to exist.
Not even her sect master made her feel that way. The only other person that made her feel like that was...
When her thoughts reached this far, she thought of the trump card of the Ice Emerald Sect, the real reason they had been able to rapidly improve in the past thousands of years. That unfathomable elder, who was an endless pool of cultivation knowledge.
To date not once had she ever failed to answer one of the millions of cultivation doubts Deng Yaozu had posed over the years. Her answers were always simple, yet profound. A simple response would leave Deng Yaozu harvesting its fruits for months on end.
If there was one person in the whole sect that she deeply respected, it was her, which was why she didn''t even hesitate to hunt down her junior sister whom they were close as sisters, and forcefully bring her back to the sect along with her daughter.
For a fraction of a moment, a look of pity shed in her eyes as she thought of her junior sister before her thoughts went back to the unfathomable elder within the Wisteria tree.
She only discovered about her when she broke through to the core formation realm, and at the time she was only introduced as the guardian elder of the sect, who had been with the sect for over 5,000 years and the past three sect masters, including the current one had been her personal disciple, while the bulk of the core elders were her pupils and she was the reason the sect managed to produce pce realm cultivators.
However, her identity was to be kept a secret, which was why she had never heard of her prior to the first contact she made when she became a core formation expert, and from that moment forth, her life had taken a massive change. Her outlook on cultivation had been redefined and expanded thanks to that elder''s insights.
Deng Yaozu couldn''t help but well up with pride when she thought of the breadth of wisdom and abilities of that elder.
"With the elder''s help, we might be able to get through this..." Deng Yaozu thought as she used that as an anchor to repress her fears forcefully.
She coldly stared at Yang Qing as she said,
"I don''t know what you are talking about.."
"Is that so..."
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh inwardly. Even though it was for a fraction of a second, he noticed the subtle change in Deng Yaozu''s eyes when he asked about Ma Yuan''s wife.
He could only assume the worst. The moment the sect''s protection array fell, he scanned the entirety of it with his pce sense. He did manage to find Ma Yuan''s daughter in one of the buildings meant for new disciples, however, when it came to her mother, she was nowhere to be found.
He could only assume she was at the one ce in the whole sect that had shielded itself from his pce sense, which was the area where the Wisteria tree was located. There was a shielding in the area, that even his spiritual sense couldn''t prate.
So either Ma Yuan''s wife was dead or she was there, and if she was there, based on Deng Yaozu''s guilty look, Yang Qing could only assume the worst.
"Seniors, Dai Chen, Qingge, I''ll leave their founder to you, I''ll handle the rest.." said Yang Qing as his gaze lingered on the Wisteria tree for a brief moment.
"Even here you''re still cking off and leaving the heavy lifting to us.." said Dai Chen as he smiled wryly.
"Well, you did ask me to be shameless after all..." answered Yang Qing as he rubbed his nose.
While he would be facing nine opponents, his match-up was considered easier inparison to what was in the Wisteria tree.
They could all detect a threatening elementing from it, which could only mean one thing. A powerful cultivator was hidden there, and the Wisteria tree wasn''t simple either.
Yang Qing felt two conflicting emotions when he looked at it. One wasplete revulsion while the other was sympathy and sorrow.
Dai Chen and the rest had their work cut out for them, and Yang Qing felt a tad bit embarrassed for throwing the biggest problem on them.
"I''ll have to finish this quickly.." muttered Yang Qing.
For the rest to act freely he would have to clear the field of every other element that might potentially add more variables to theter fight, and those elders could be counted as one of those variables.
A cool breeze filled the area which prompted the elders and the sect master of the Ice Emerald Sect to look above them.
The sun was already shining on the horizon but above their sect grounds other than the temperature dipping with the cool breeze spread about, there was a gentle darkness enveloping the ce with Yang Qing at its epicenter.
His gold-colored pce robes gently fluttered with the wind as a backdrop of what seemed to be a gigantic green ocean appeared behind him.
Slowly the gentle night filled with the ocean breeze filled the ce and Yang Qing''s silhouette seemed to disappear into the background as two moons appeared in his ce.
Grand lunar gaze: Frozen capsule
Before the elders and the sect master could register what was happening, there was a sudden sh of white light and the ground beneath them froze over along with the members of the sect who had been knocked unconscious earlier.
"Guo Mei, Zhn help Yaozu and Lao Shan! We need them to execute the array!!" sect master Zhao Ju hurriedly yelled as she charged towards Yang Qing''s location.
Chapter 419 Yang white lightning flames (2)
Chapter 419 Yang white lightning mes (2)
Deng Yaozu and another elder of a simr age all had dazed looks as their heads seemed to be glued to the two moons above them with pure white ice slowly encroaching their bodies.
It had reached their waists when the elder with the mole under her left eye, and another elder with white hair and tall slender build with pure ck eyes charged at the two of them and rapidly infused their qi to the two elders through their be.
Secondster, their out-of-focus eyes regained rity. They quickly moved from confused to shocked when they realized they had been encased in ice without even realizing it. What was even scarier was their bodies were even freezing from the ice that had encapsted them.
They cultivated a blue grade yin-based technique which gave their bodies a certain level of immunity to ice-based techniques, and at their level, that immunity was huge, but at this moment they were no different than a normal who had been submerged in a frozenke.
The two elders; Guo Mei and Zhn quickly used their qi to melt the ice off Deng Yaozu and Lao Shan. They traded looks of shock when they tried to get rid of the ice. It had the densest yin energy they had ever interacted with and when they used their own qi that was rich in yin energy to get rid of it, that yin energy within that ice swallowed their yin energy and produced a mist that instantly burned Deng Yaozu''s and Lao Shan''s bodies.
Guo Mei and Zhn grimly nodded to each other as they decided to use a brute direct means which was to pull the ice off the two quasi-pce stage elders using their hands.
They both grimaced in pain as they felt the yin energy within that ice invade their bodies. Once inside it immediately started wrecking havoc as they felt like an ice knife was shing every inch of their bodies.
They both used their qi to try and keep it at bay as they broke apart the ice covering the two quasi-pce stage elders.
"Can you move?!" asked Guo Mei, once the two elders were free.
The two nodded with fear evident in each of their eyes. They almost died without even knowing how.
"You two get into position and wait for the sect master''s order tounch the emerald frost flow array...
Zhn let''s help the sect master.." said Guo Mei as she left with the other elder charging in the direction sect master Zhao Ju had flown off to.
The whole ordeal from Yang Qing''s attack to the two elders being frozen in ice, and finally being released had only taken less than ten seconds, but to the four elders, it felt like a lifetime.
The four elders all hadplicated expressions from that brief moment. Deng Yaozu and Zhao Shan were horrified and had been smacked with a painful dose of reality of their insignificance in the fight ahead while Guo Mei and Qin Zhn had a different level of shock.
Yang Qing''s attack was a huge p to their faces as he had overshadowed them in the element they were good at, and despite all of them being in the pce realm, the two elders had struggled to resolve his attack. They still felt like their hands were being stabbed and burned over and over.
Guo Mei struggled to ept it, especially since she was in the second stage of the pce realm.
When they arrived at the ce where their sect master had already started confronting Yang Qing, they were hit with an even bigger blow when they saw their sect master, who was the most powerfulbatant of them all, being bombarded by attacks as she did all she could to keep it at bay.
Yang Qing''s whole look had transformed from his earlier disy. He now had a head full of white hair that seemed to be made purely of white mes. His irises were the same too, as they looked to be entirely made of mes.
Beneath his eyes were three lines that flowed down his cheek and seemed to extend all the way to his hands.
The three lines had three colors; the middle line was white, the one on the right was blue-green green and the one on the left was orange-yellow. The middle line with the white color, seemed to be the densest as it pulsated with a radiance that stood out among the three colors.
His look wasn''t the only thing that changed, as the purple bamboo he had on his hand that had purple lightning asionally shing was now pure white and looked to be coated in white mes that was mixed with white lightning.
Their sect master was not holding back in the slightest as she brought out her full strength as a third-stage pce realm cultivator to bear.
She had a slender four-foot blue de in her hand which she used to bring out the full might of the Emerald frost flow veiled scripture. The surrounding area was filled with frigid coldness and within that coldness, there were thousands and thousands of tiny crystals forming which rapidly charged at Yang Qing with every swing of her de, bringing with it a force so powerful that the air seemed to be torn and frozen over in the attack.
A single one of those crystals was as hardy as low tier monarch grade artifact, and it had enough sharpness to tear through a quasi-pce realm cultivator as easily as a hot knife through butter, and the yin energy contained within a single crystal was sufficient enough to freeze a 100-kilometer river within minutes.
However, despite the fearsome threat they posed, they seemed useless to the person currently targeted by them. Yang Qing barrelled through the swarming crystals rapidly swinging the white me lightning bamboo in his hands.
A white streak ferociously bashed through all the crystals faster than they were being produced and just as Guo Mei and the rest of the elders were arriving, a loud booming sound was produced when Yang Qing arrived in front of their sect master with a rotational swing of his bamboo.
A wave mixed with extreme heat and coldness washed over the iing elders who hurriedly raised their protective shields, while the twobatants at the center of it were each flung back a couple of steps.
Sect Master Zhao Ju was pushed back for three more steps than Yang Qing.
The six elders inclusive of Guo Mei, who were all in the pce realm, all flew to their sect master''s side in time to see the scalding burn marks on her hands and various parts of her face, which sent shivers throughout their body.
Yang Qing stood alone gently rolling his shoulder as he prepared to charge in again.
Chapter 420 Battle against seven palace realm experts (1)
Chapter 420 Battle against seven pce realm experts (1)
Guo Mei and the other five elders all looked tense as they faced Yang Qing. Because they were in such close proximity to him, they could distinctly feel his overwhelming presence, more so the white mes.
Even the mes were contained on the bamboo Yang Qing was holding and in his eyes, each one of them felt those mes were capable of incinerating the skies, the ground, the rivers and oceans out of existence within an instant.
They felt their skin and their innards being boiled just from being in close proximity to him, in addition the me seemed to have a suppressive effect to their yin based attributes and even an extreme purifying effect.
They could finally understand why their sect master seem to have a hard time healing her current wounds even though they were not deep.
A sizzling sound along with mist was constantly being produced from the areas on her hands that had been burned, and when they looked at Yang Qing, unlike their sect master who had burn marks spread about her hands, Yang Qing looked perfectly unharmed without a hair out of ce.
Just as they were sizing Yang Qing, Yang Qing was doing the same, but in his case, all he saw when he looked at them were their crimes and the blood on their hands, also because of his yin yang elders respectively. All of them had the same white hair, and matchless beauty that would stand out anywhere within the jade bones, and the yang white mes he was coated in, he could detect something else.
The sect master was nked to the left and to her right by three elders respectively. All of them had the same white hair, and matchless beauty that would stand out anywhere within the continent.
However, Yang Qing, all he felt when he saw them was revulsion and the urge to incinerate them out of existence.
They may look beautiful, aloof and unconcerned with mundane affairs, but the seven of them as per what they had dug up had ughtered millions which each numbering at least hundreds of thousands of victims.
There was also the fact that Yang Qing could tell they had all cultivated the non luminous dissecting ghost yin mes.
Half of the charges filed against them was because of the seven of them.
From the left to the right was; Fu Ning, Su Zhu, Mo Xiang, Zhao Ju, Guo Mei, Xie Liqiu and finally Qin Zhn.
Of the seven Zhao Ju was at the third stage of the pce realm, followed by Guo Mei who was at the second stage of the pce realm while the rest were all at the first stage of the pce realm.
Fu Ning and Su Zhu were the weakest, more so the former who based on her fluctuations seemed to have broken through to the pce realm within two years or less. She had yet to get aplete grasp on the abilities of a pce realm expert.
The key to breaking through to the pce realm was to have a grasp of a certain type of Dao and your understanding of that Dao needed to reach a certain threshold before it triggered the tribtion lightning for breaking through to the pce realm.
That threshold was understanding the Dao enough for it to be sublimated into the core, which then triggers the tribtion lightning that melts out your core in the process into something else, something capable of housing your Dao.
That structure was called a pce, and its purpose was to house and nurture the Dao. So the whole pce realm involved nurturing your Dao. The more you nurture it, the stronger your Dao bes and your understanding of it and your integration of it, whiches into y in thebat abilities of a pce realm expert.
The reason a pce realm expert could effortlessly defeat over a hundred peak core formation experts within an instant was because their attacks had a bit of their Dao infused in their attack.
As long as an attack infused with Dao it was like taking a regr knife, soaking it in the blood of a dragon, remold it with precious metals and have a legendary cksmith work on it for years till it was sharp enough to split a river in half from a casual swing.
Dao amplified the magnitude and power that one could disy from a particr cultivation art or spell. Two cultivators could be practicing the same technique, and have the same level of understanding toward it, however if one of them had even the tiniest bit of Dao infused into that technique when they executed, it creates a monumental difference, since fabric of the world is built from many Daos intertwined together, and whoever has a grasp on it, is able to influence and even borrow its force.
This was why, even after Yang Qing and Sect Master Zhao Ju had taken a brief pause in their attacks, the effects still remained.
The air was covered in streaks of mes in some ces, and in others it was frosting with ice.
In general fights between pce realm cultivators usually boiled down to three things; the grade of the art they practiced, because usually the better the grade the better it was on drawing the power of Dao,
the quality of their Dao, and finally their understanding of their Dao which influences the quantity of the Dao they can infuse into their arts.
All three of these things are usually interlinked which was why Yang Qing remained unperturbed even when facing seven pce realm experts.
He may be just at the first stage, but he dwarfed them in terms of the grade of the art he cultivated, and the quality of his Dao, and when it came to his understanding of his Dao, he had three cheats already; the iplete purple grade art that by increased his understanding Dao the more he became familiar with it, the peerless Yin Yang jade bones that improved one''s attunement to the Dao rted to the physique, and he had the Order and the numerous instructors with unfathomable insights about the intricacies of Dao to no end.
Though even with all his advantages, Yang Qing wasn''tcent in the least. His opponents were people who had been robbing physiques, who knew what they did with them, and there was also the fact that he could feel something insidious within all of them that seemed to have some ties with the Wisteria tree below them that was strong enough to iste their founder from all their spiritual sense.
"The sooner I end this the better.." Yang Qing thought as the mes in his eyes and bamboo stick flickered.
The moment they did, he seemed to have disappeared from the spot with the flickering and reappeared next to Fu Ning, who was the weakest of the bunch.
Chapter 421 Battle against seven palace realm experts (2)
Chapter 421 Battle against seven pce realm experts (2)
Sect Master Zhao Ju seemed to have anticipated Yang Qing''s attack as she immediately intercepted Yang Qing''s white lightning-med bamboo that was swinging downwards toward Fu Ning, who seemed frozen from the sudden attack before she hurriedly stepped back a fair distance as she took out a white saber with a unique design that made it seem it was an arrow in saber form. It seemed to have been designed with the extreme purpose of enhancing its piercing abilities.
Sect Master Zhao Ju gritted her teeth in pain as she forcefully endured the extreme burning sensation that she got as soon as her de made contact with Yang Qing''s bamboo which was dded with white lightning mes.
The moment she shed with Yang Qing, those mes would instantlytch onto her de and speedily crawl into her hands as if they had a life of their own.
And it wasn''t just the hands, any mes floating in the air from the sh would instantly home in on the body part closest to them, which was why her face ended up getting the same amount of burn marks the same as her hands.
The mes ate away at her body and qi immediately upon contact, and even seemed to be eating away at the qi and Dao in her attacks, which reduced the venom in her attacks by a couple of levels by the time it reached Yang Qing.
She found herself in doubt if Yang Qing was really a first-stage pce realm expert, and when her eyes wandered to the remaining members of the Order who seemed to be observing the Wisteria tree, she felt a wave of despair wash over her.
"You can''t afford to be distracted here, now can you?"
Yang Qing''s ominous voice sounded as he rapidlyunched another attack when Zhao Ju was momentarily distracted.
Zhao Ju quickly reacted and hurriedly used her de to deflect another swing of Yang Qing''s bamboo-med attack, but in her haste her swing revealed a w which Yang Qing capitalized by nimbly twisting his wrist, evading her de,unching the attack at her undefended left side torso.
Before the attack could connect, a crystal blue fan and two silver-white tusk-shaped daggers appeared in direct collision with Yang Qing''s attack, intercepting it before it could strike sect master Zhao Ju.
zing white mes with crackling lightning and mist were produced when the three weapons collided.
The white mes mushroomed with an overbearingness as it aimed to swallow the three weapons.
Boom!
An explosion sounded as three figures were immediately flung back.
"Thank you, Mei, Liqiu.." said Sect Master Zhao Ju as she addressed the two elders next to her who didn''t seem to be in good shape after that sh.
Both of them looked to be in extreme pain as one of them let out a muffled scream as she tried to use her qi to heal her hands, but every time she did, it would be swallowed by the finger-size white me that was eating away at her hand.
The blue fan in her other hand seemed to be charred halfway with shes of lightning still passing through it.
As for the other elder, it was Guo Mei whose sleeves had been charred to her elbows with charred and blood-soaked hands.
She gritted her teeth in an effort to keep the pain at bay, but it didn''t seem to work as the two tusk-shaped daggers in her hands could be seen shaking due to her trembling hands.
As for Sect Master Zhao Ju, though she managed to escape the brunt of Yang Qing''s attack, thanks to the intervention of the two elders, she was still injured as the two elders couldn''t deflect the attackpletely. A bit of it managed to bypass them and burn the sect master at her side.
However they didn''t have time to address their injuries, as they forcefully bore the pain and charged towards Yang Qing, who had taken their brief moment he had sted them to charge at one of the elders, Qin Zhn.
Elder Qin Zhn wielded a golden whip with a ck underside. It had hooked-like spikes in every segment that had purple and white misting out of it, and at the end of the whip was a sharp dagger that looked just a nick of it was enough to slice through a mountain.
The skill with which she operated the whip made it seem like it was an extension of her body or something she grew with from birth. The whip would sometimes be nimble and ripple with the fluidity like that of a tidal river flow, and at other times it would be rigid, like a piece of frozen ice, sometimes it would be fast, and other times it would be slow.
It was constantly changing, and the transition was seamless.
Besides Sect Master Zhao Ju and Guo Mei, Qin Zhn had one of the highestbat abilities among the elders, and given enough time she would even surpass Guo Mei because of her raw talent. She had managed to master weapon intent through the whip, with her mastery growing over the years, but despite that, against Yang Qing, she seemed like aplete novice.
None of her attacksnded as Yang Qing seemed like a formless body made of nothing but mes as her whips passed through him, and with every miss he drew ever so closer to her which in turn made her attacks erratic and panicked.
Her whole fight with Yang Qing had taken a few seconds which wasn''t enough time for the elders next to her to render aid, especially with how erratic the attacks from Qin Zhn got, they risked getting injured if they recklessly barged in, which left them at a predicament.
They either charge in and risk getting heavily injured by the whip made of monarch-grade materials and filled with poison that would put a first-stage pce realm expert down within thirty minutes if they were injured by it or wait for the opportune moment to step in, which meant leaving Qin Zhn by herself, which was a massive risk in of itself as she would likely have been heavily injured by the time they step in.
They were also hesitant because of the incinerating power that lingered within those white mes. Qin Zhn''s golden whip was already showing signs of being melted apart within that brief exchange.
Luckily for them, they were spared the choice when they saw their sect master swiftly charging over. Following her lead, they made it just in time to save Qin Zhn from being burned half way through, though the hand holding the whip had been dismembered and burned in the process.
Chapter 422 Help from below
Chapter 422 Help from below
When the sect master and the rest arrived, they didn''t have time to help Elder Qin Zhn with her wounds, as Yang Qing remained relentless in his attacks.
Even with them swarming him, he just kept switching targets. The speed with which he acted and reacted was unmatched, to the point that some of the weaker members like Fu Ning and Su Ju had difficulty tracking him. Which was a major disadvantage for them as they started umting injuries by the dozens with every second that passed by.
Then there were the white lightning mes. They were the furthest thing from ordinary mes. The white me ate away at their yin qi while the white lightning exerted maximum damage on their body at the fastest speed it could while leaving a paralyzing effect on their bodies causing dys in their reactions, which Yang Qing was all too quick to capitalize on.
This was why even with all seven of them ganging up on him, they still failed to injure him and the only people who seemed to remotely be able to keep up with him were sect master Zhao Ju, and Guo Mei, with thetter struggling horribly with every passing moment.
Qin Zhn would have been able to share in the burden but she had effectively been taken out ofmission with her dismembered hand. She could regrow another limb with the high vitality afforded to a pce realm expert, however, she didn''t have the room to do it, and even if she did, the white lightning me eating away at her wounds, suppressed any healing measures, which was why she was still bleeding while being charred, as she desperately held her half-melted whip with her non-dominant hand.
Two minutes passed by but to the elders and sect master of the Ice Emerald Sec, it seemed like they had been fighting for a week non-stop. Their hair was sticking to their scalps and faces were drenched in sweat, their breathing was ragged, and their bodies were riddled with severe injuries from burns that revealed bone that was charred ck. Not a single part of their body seemed to have been left unscathed.
The weaker members; Fu Ning, Su Ju, and Mo Xiang seemed to be barely hanging on. Within those two minutes, they had umted the worst injuries with Su Ju having a burning hole through her stomach, that was constantly leaking out blood, while Mo Xian had been blinded and had half her left face burned to the bone.
As for Fu Ning, she looked more corpse than human. Her whole body had been burned up that she looked like a human charcoal. There were shes of lightning zing around her body which caused her to spasm. With her droopy eyes, and fadingbored breath, she looked to just be hanging on by a thread and didn''t have long.
The damage to the three elders would have been worse had the sect master and the three senior elders of the sect not stepped in for them, which cost them something.
Deng Yaozu who had been watching all this from below was frozen with disbelief as she watched her sect mates get single-handedly demolished by one person. Her skin had started turning beet red because the smoldering heat from above had started affecting the ground below.
Her and the other quasi-pce stage elder could now distinctly feel what their sect members had been subjected to. The mes that sought to purify everything while at the same time extinguishing everything out of existence.
If just the remnant effects of that me were hot to this extent, Deng Yaouz shuddered to imagine what it felt like to actually be hit by it. The thought sent shivers through her all body.
She quickly circted the Emerald frost flow veiled scripture to get rid of the remnant effects caused by the me above her.
"Even our technique famed for its defense, is struggling this much against those mes?!" she wondered still struggling to believe or understand what was happening above her.
The emerald frost flow veiled scripture gave those who cultivated it a sturdy defense by forming a thin crystalline armor on their skin that was as strong as any low tier defensive monarch-grade artifact, and that sturdiness increased, with the more proficiency one had in the technique.
The protection didn''t just stop there, as it even extended to their bones, internal organs, and even qi.
With it, they could sink their whole body into a volcano ofva and remain unaffected without even as much as surface burns. They could ignore the heatpletely and even suppress it, which was how they had been able topete with opposing sects that tried to use Yang-based arts to counter them.
Never in all her years had she seen what she saw today. Aplete and thorough suppression that made it seem as if the sect master and the rest of the elders had not cultivated the scripture and were instead defending the mes using mortal bodies.
Her eyes seemed cloudy as she looked up at the motes of white mes that had covered the skies above, and the mirage that was forming because of the intense heat present above and the smell of burnt flesh that was drowned out by the thunderous shes going on above her, and the painful screams of her fellow elders.
...
"Sect master we can''t keep going like this. Just a few minutes have passed!! any more of this and we will all be burned alive within ten minutes!! We don''t even have the room to use the array.." Guo Mei said using a secret transmission.
Sect master Zhao Ju seemed like she didn''t hear Guo Mei as she continuously charged in trying to prevent Yang Qing from causing more damage to her elders.
It was only after a few seconds had passed, did she reply,
"The founder is about to act with the help of the tree. She''s about to use the sanguine doppelganger array..."
Chapter 423 Exploiting The Moment
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"But won''t that expose us?! If we use it, it will be the same as admitting to the world we did those things they said we did.."
"Guo Mei, surely you of all people can''t be naive to think that someone will step in to help us? even our dearest of allies, would not risk angering the Order by stepping into this quagmire. You heard them, if they get involved they will suffer the same fate as us, no one is that stupid.
"As things stand, using the emerald frost flow veiled array will do us no good. Those mes of his seem to suppress the very essence of our art. If we insist on keeping up the facade, then even with the array, we will all be burned down.
All that the emerald frost flow veiled array will do is give us a few more seconds before that eventuality. But with the sanguine doppelganger array, we can enhance one another while also getting support from the Wisteria and the lives we have fed it all these years.
Fu Ning and those two are barely hanging on, and the way things are going Zhn isn''t that far behind. If those four get eliminated then it will leave only you, me, and Liqiu fighting against him.
How long do west then? Besides.....before the fight began, the founder said we need to be prepared to abandon the sect.. .....with things as they are, there''s nothing much left for us anyway.
The sect is already gone, we might as well go all the way through if it means we get to live. Otherwise, why did we agree to all this, and do the things we did? Get ready, ill inform the rest.."
"Okay.."
On Yang Qing''s end, even if he didn''t know what the two were discussing, he did notice the sudden change in the demeanor of their sect master.
On the surface, she seemed to have gotten reckless as she madly charged to cover for her weaker sect mates, gaining more injuries, unlike before when her interference would be measured, only acting when the trade-off was small injuries while also creating room for a counter-attack by the other elders.
Yang Qing had to admit that herbat acumen was good, especially when it came to seizing or creating an opportunity from the slightest of chances. The other elders had held on, only thanks to her.
But now, she was jumping in with a hurried manner. Any time Yang Qing went close to Fu Ning who seemed to be barely hanging on or the other two, the sect master would immediately step in with no caution in mind which led her to gain more injuries and expending a lot of qi.
However, despite how she acted, Yang Qing could detect a calmness to her, something that was absent before, which made him think that something was up.
His guess was immediately confirmed when he noticed visible changes to the expressions of those elders, except Fu Ning who was a charred mess, that one could only tell what she was feeling through her eyes.
As for the elders, they all seemed to have one emotion inmon, and that was relief.
"Seems, they''re nning something..." muttered Yang Qing as his gaze narrowed to the tree below him.
If something was to change, it woulde from there.
He quickly exchanged a look with the rest of the judges who had been closely monitoring any changes from the tree while Yu Gen and Xia Ting had been keeping an eye out for any outside interference.
They were not the only ones. All the judges present had brought in one of their inquisitors who were in the pce realm to keep an eye out on the surroundings in secret. All together counting Yu Gen and Xia Ting, there were five other pce realm experts hiding in the shadows.
"It''s here," sect master Zhao Ju muttered as a crimson-colored rune shed from the Wisteria tree and immediately split into nine droplets each targeting; Deng Yaozu, Luo Shan, Su Ju, Mo Xiang, Qin Zhn, Xie Liqiu, Guo Mei and Zhao Ju.
The droplet immediately merged with their be, and a resonance seemed to have been created among the nine of them, with one anchor linking them, which was the Wisteria tree that was now letting out a blue, purple, and red pulsating glow.
A transformation started happening within the bodies of each of those members. Their hair which was pure white now had red mixed in with it, along with their pupils. Their skins got pale white, and the injuries they had suffered immediately started healing.
Fu Ning, charcoal-like look transformed and she started looking more human-like as her flesh and skin grew back.
The changes not only happened to her as Qin Zhn''s right hand started regrowing back, while the rest had the scorch marks heal and flesh regrowing along with replenishment of their qi.
"Now."
Just as the members of the Ice Emerald Sect were drowning in the ecstasy of being restored, four lights shed past them headed toward the tree.
Sect master Zhao Ju and the rest warily looked below them in time to see four figures synchronize their attack on the tree. Different colored lights that carried power enough to raze the whole sect to the ground within an instant were instantly directed at the tree as it was pulsating.
A thunderous sound that made it seem like the earth was quaking resounded as those attacks shed against a pink-red translucent barrier that appeared around the tree in time to block the four attacks.
The barrier rippled like the surface of water disturbed by a rock as it absorbed all four attacks.
Just like it seemed the barrier had sessfully defended against the five attacks, an object wasunched above it that looked like a cut-off fin of some fish.
The moment the fin appeared, an overbearing and ancient pressure was released. The temperature dropped and the area seemed to darken, as the sound of the clouds and the ocean were produced from it.
The four figures each settled down and surrounded the tree revealing their origin. It was the four judges; Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, Wei Ying, and Mo Liwei.
Without pausing a step, they rapidly formed seals that joined together to form one giant seal that linked up with the fin above. Once it made contact with it, the fin produced a whalish roar that seemed to ignore space as it traveled everywhere.
A ck light immediately shot out of the fin. The ck light seemed to contain a gxy of stars within it as it targeted the barrier around the Wisteria tree. The barrier''s glow intensified as if in preparation for an attack from the ck light.
However, the ck-light upon making contact with the barrier, phased throughpletely ignoring it as it prated the tree.
A shriek of surprise could be hearding from the tree, as this happened.
The eight elders along with sect master Zhao Ju were all shocked upon seeing this, as they turned to see a smug grin on Yang Qing''s face.
"Now, none of you can escape. That tree, your founder, and this area has its space locked. Thank you for giving us the chance to anchor your founder''s location.
That tree is truly wonderous, especially in isting space, or is it being done by something else, I wonder..." Yang Qing casually touched his chin as if in deep wonder.
"But none of that matters. If it wasn''t for your founder personally acting, it would have taken significant effort to iste her from that space, but now thanks to her intervention, she exposed herself long enough to mark her and lock this area while we are at it.
So thank you all, and as a thank you, I''ll now send you on your way. Your roles in this is done.. I was asked to strike terror after all, and this isn''t nearly terrifying enough.."
Yang nova universal me of destion.
Chapter 424 Fulfillment Of The Sentence (1)
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Sect master Zhao Ju and the rest of the elders all had confused looks on their faces as they tried to process what Yang Qing was telling them.
From what he said, Yang Qing made it seem like the whole fight was deliberate and they were nothing more than bait meant to draw out their founder, who bit.
While they hade to terms they were a caliber short of Yang Qing despite having a higher number on their side and also having two members who had a higher cultivation base than him, they still held onto the slightest bit of dignity as pce realm experts in the fact that no one had died yet, and they were still hanging on, and now with the boost from the sanguine doppelganger array, they could even hold Yang Qing to a draw.
A draw that would provide their founder with sufficient time she needed to break through to the seventh stage of the pce realm, or even form other means of escape for them.
But Yang Qing''s words changed all that. He made it seem like he had been deliberately going easy on them and did just enough to force the hand of their founder.
The reality of that thought was a little too much to swallow.
"The sheer arrogance. I would like to see if you''re capable!!" raged Fu Ning as she gnashed her teeth with murderous intent exuded from her body, which she used to mask the fear that was still showing in her trembling pupils.
Of the seven pce stage experts, she was the one who had suffered the worst injuries from Yang Qing which left her as the most resentful of the seven but also the one with the most fear.
Up until a second ago before the transformation brought by the sanguine doppelganger array, she could feel her life slowly whittling away. Given another half an hour she was sure she would be dead.
Even though her skin had already regrown, she could still feel a scalding burning paining from it and the strong scent of burned flesh even though there was nothing burning. The sensation and the experience had left a huge impact on her. Even if she managed to survive this, her cultivation journey had essentially been ended by the experience Yang Qing gave her.
She could already tell that harrowing experience had already been deeply embedded into her, and more than likely was well on its way to bing her internal demon. The only way she could salvage this was kill Yang Qing, or inflict on him as much pain as she received.
Before, she couldn''t even think about leaving as much as a scratch, but with the sanguine doppelganger array, maybe there was a chance.
The array served as a link between the elders, the sect master, and the Wisteria tree. Through the link, they shared everything from damage to power to senses. They were essentially the same person in different bodies, with the Wisteria tree serving as the link between them all, and also the regtor.
If one of them got injured, the damage would be shared by the seven of them, and when it came to power, Fu Ning could feel a boost to her strength. She could distinctly feel she had the same power as Guo Mei, who was a second-stage pce realm expert. Though even if she had a power simr to her, it was a pseudo-power, and she could not wield it as well as Guo Mei, since fundamentally, she didn''t have the capabilities for it.
The transformation wasn''t on her alone, Deng Yaozu and Luo Jingfei who were in the quasi-pce stage could feel their power had already gone beyond what a quasi-pce stage expert should have by over ten times.
Every member linked by the array shared the same cultivation base, which was the second stage of the pce realm. This included the sect master too, who had her realm regressed back to the second stage.
The limit was decided on what the majority of the members could handle which was usually the second stage, while the Wisteria tree would regte and bear the burden for those who couldn''t, which was Deng Yaozu and Luo Jingfei.
Even though it looked like a step down for losing sect master Zhao Ju''s third-stage pce realm cultivation base, it was a wholesome boost in their fighting power, as they now had nine second-stage pce realm cultivators, with all their senses, and other aspects linked, while the Wisteria tree assisted in the background.
There was less likelihood of one of them getting singled out and eliminated since the damage would be immediately shared, while the Wisteria tree also assisted in amplifying their regeneration abilities, which not only extended to injuries but also to qi regeneration.
The array was something their founder gave them, and it was perfect in every way except for the fact that it was a blood-fiend art that required arge pool of blood from cultivators who were at the very least in the core formation realm to act as fuel for it. The array only required one material, cultivator blood, also another disadvantage was it would leave the users of the array in a frenzied state, but the members of the Ice Emerald Sect didn''t have this worry because of their Wisteria tree, which anchored the array and was able to keep the array going on for long while also helping them maintain their lucidity.
Fu Ning''s confidence was in this aspect. It wasn''t the first time, they had used it. When she was just at the quasi-pce stage, she and three other elders, of which Guo Mei was one and at the first stage of the pce realm at the time, managed to corner and ughter a royal family that had a first-stage pce realm cultivator that was at the peak, along with the rest of the members that had a few quasi pce stage experts and over a dozen members in the peak of core formation realm and hundreds in the core formation realm.
While she didn''t think they could defeat Yang Qing as they did that family, they could at least beat him in endurance and force him to expend a lot of qi and when he was running empty, they could seize the moment.
Skill-wise they fell short, but when it came to qi capacity, she felt they had the upper hand, with the support from the array and the Wisteria tree.
Her gaze shed with a more intense murderous gaze as she thought about how she would skin Yang Qing alive, drain his blood to the tree, and maybe even use the technique they were taught, to try and have him refined into a source fruit.
However, her thoughts of revenge were cut short when she felt the air change, followed by the surroundings, and the source of it was her greatest nightmare, Yang Qing.
His appearance had transformed from white me-like hair to yellow-orange hair while his eyes were ck but had a gleaming radiance to them.
Of the three lines below his eyes, the white one was no longer the one glowing, but it was instead the orange one.
"What are you spacing out for!!! Attack!!!" sect master Zhao Ju hurriedly yelled to some of her teammates who were dazed at the skies that had changed into a swirling cosmos forming a helix swirling shape with Yang Qing at the center.
A massive pressure weighed on them, as it seemed like the weight of a whole world was being brought down on them.
Sect master Zhao Ju didn''t know what attack Yang Qing was brewing, but from the scale, she knew well enough than to let himplete it. An attack with such an effect already forming would surely require concentration and time, and any interference was likely to halt it in its tracks and maybe even cause a huge bacsh to the user.
Whatever the case, she couldn''t let Yang Qing be, so she hurriedly called on the other elders as she charged straight to Yang Qing.
"Nice judgment sect master, but you''re not the only one who can be sneaky.." said Yang Qing.
His voice seemed different, as it seemed to carry a grandness within it.
Chapter 425 Fulfillment Of The Sentence (2)
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Just as he said this, the area where the sect master and the other elders were still had remnant white mes, that suddenly sparked at Yang Qing''s gesture and linked up to form a white that ignited into a massive explosion.
The sect master and the other elders barely had any time to react as they hurriedly put up their defenses against the white me lightning onught.
A massive ocean wave of white mes mixed with lightning swallowed them whole. Blue crystals filled with ck-red corrosive mist could be seen slowly growing from within the ocean of white me, desperately struggling against it.
Within that mist were the sect master and the nine elders with white red hair, and pale white skins that now had red runes covering them like totem tattoos. The red mist surrounding them seemed to originate from those runes.
They all had strained expressions as they continuously produced a blue crystalline ice and misty red substance that seemed to have corrosive effects to fight against the white mes that were threatening to consume them.
"POUR EVERYTHING!!"Sect master Zhao Ju roared in fury as she pushed herself to the point of bleeding from her eyes and ears, all for the sake of putting out the mes as fast as she could.
She could already feel that whatever Yang Qing was brewing was almostplete. The air around them had gotten more oppressive, and they felt as if a thousand suns were above them threatening to drop.
"How is this possible?!" Fu Ning had a listless look on her face as she looked above her.
Yang Qing''s eyes now looked like two zing yellow suns, while the cosmos from before had gotten much grander and looked to be depicting the universe.
Behind Yang Qing there were 12 orbs; 9 looked formless, almost translucent, while three of them seemedplete. One of them was green and had the symbol of a flower on it and had the densest life force she had evere across, while the other was blue-green, and one look at it made one feel they were in an all-epassing water body, and thest orb was golden orange. It made one feel like it was a zing star that birthed many suns.
Each of those formed orbs, made Fu Ning feel like she was looking at entire worlds. Her mind couldn''t even process what it took to form something like that.
Was this something a pce realm cultivator was supposed to be capable of?
Despair took hold of her as she gave up all forms of resistance.
"Luckily I managed to grasp this one in time...." Yang Qing muttered as the orb moved to the center of the cosmos.
"Sect master Zhao Ju, I hope in the next life, you can be a somewhat decent person, who doesn''t betray everything for power...goodbye Ice Emerald Sect.."
Yang Qing waved his palm downward almost as if he was pulling something from the heavens.
The cosmos vibrated and a dense golden light of me poured down from it, down to the sect master, the elders, and their sect below. Dai Chen and the rest of the elders had already left the area when they sensed Yang Qing''s move.
Sect master Zhao Ju had a bitter smile on her face as she looked at the curtain of light that carried with it a pure force of destruction that seemed capable of blowing a hole through the.
Complex emotions shed through her eyes as her journey seemed to sh through her eyes. She could see a young girl smiling at her gentle-looking woman making purple butterfly ice crystals, that seemed as if they were alive as they moved to the swirling fingers of that woman.
That young girl smiled as she resolved herself to be as powerful as that gentle-looking woman. She studiously practiced with the sword endured an eight-hour soak in the pendulum ice pond, and assiduously studied a scroll with the words ''Emerald frost flow veiled scripture.''
Twenty years down the line, that young girl had grown into a pristinely beautifuldy with a mature expert-like demeanor. However, her eyes still had the same excitement as she did when she was younger every time she practiced her sword, or executed the moves of the scripture she had grown fond of, under the gentle gaze of the gentle-looking woman she admired.
However, yearster, thatdy was screaming as she held onto the corpse of that gentle-lookingdy that had a deep sh mark over it. Just as the youngdy was about to lose her mind she heard a voiceing from the tree she liked to practice under.
The voiceforted her, and soon she made a connection with the voice. Along withforting her, the voice guided her in cultivation, which helped her improve in bounds. It was a hundred times faster than when she was guided by her master, who was a gentle-lookingdy.
After some time passed, the owner of the voice finally revealed themselves. The beautifuldy was shocked to discover that the voice that had been there with her all these years was in fact the famed founder of their sect, who despite all the time that had passed since her disappearance, was still alive.
The founder continually guided her until she was just at the cusp of reaching the pce realm, and despite how she tried she could never ovee thatst hurdle.
Just as she was about to give up and make her peace that was the most her talent could take her, the founder gave her something, a white fruit that made it seem like it was grown in snow. Along with the fruit, the founder also exined the origins of the fruit. Upon hearing it was produced from the life of someone, the beautifuldy refused it at first because of the teachings of her gentle master, who was respectful of life whether preserving it or taking it. She would never take a life if there was another option.
She had grown to believe that too. However, her founder reminded her of the loss she suffered when that gentle master died to someone she had defeated and spared only for them toe back stronger, and with more people, which led to her death.
With the promise from the founder that she would grow strong enough to prevent what had happened to her master and her sect members, she buried whatever guilt she had, and consumed the fruit, and managed to reach the pce realm.
People immediately started fawning over the sect, after her breakthrough, and the enemies they had, some offered an olive branch for peace while others ran.
She finally understood the immense benefits brought about by true strength which became the impetus for the numerous things she did under the guidance of the founder in pursuit of it, till she lost the reason why she pursued power in the first ce.
The reason no longer mattered to her as she ughtered countless, all for the goal of getting stronger. She pulled in others over the years, and slowly they all grew, till they reached this point..
"Master please forgive your foolish disciple.." she muttered to herself as the waterfall of burning light descended on them.
She looked relieved, Guo Mei was unresigned while the rest had looks of terror.
"Han Kingdom, Shen family, Echo resonance Sect......." Yang Qing recited the names of all who had been victims of the machinations of the sect.
"Ma Yuan..consider yourselves, avenged.."
He muttered as a world-shaking explosion sounded beneath him. The tremors were so loud that every area within a 10,000-kilometer radius could feel their grounds shaking, along with the sound of that forceful explosion.
Numerous cultivators within the vicinity immediately started running away when they saw that horrifying disy of power.
"Ol'' Jiu why are you running away, didn''t you yell throughout the city how you wereing to defend the honor of the Ice Emerald Sect.."
''Ol'' Fen shut it, aren''t you running too? What happened to letting Elder Guo Mei, see how manly you are, in your showdown against the Order in the hopes of gaining her favor in marriage.."
"What favor? mmph!! Do I Fen Gu look so desperate as to seek to marry a blood fiend cultivator!!
Don''t look down on me Ol'' Jiu, I''d rather preach Dao to a rock and help it gain sentience and marry it, than risk my lot with a blood fiend cultivator, no matter how beautiful they seem.."
"Are you crying?!"
..
"This should be enough.." muttered Yang Qing with a tired sigh.
Chapter 426 Ma Yuans Daughter
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Yang Qing had aplicated expression as he stared at the carnage going down below him. The earth-shattering explosion was still ongoing and it didn''t seem like it would be letting out.
After ten minutes the ground cleared and what was once Ice Emerald Sect was now a shattered charred crater that was over 1000 meters deep.
The main central grounds of the sect upied about an area of 50,000 square kilometers which was a tenth of the whole area of their sect ground which run for 500,000 square kilometers.
The sect grounds of the Ice Emerald Sect were rather modest inparison to other organizations of a simr rank that had grounds that ran for millions of square kilometers.
Everything within the central grounds which had borne the brunt of Yang Qing''s attacks, anything and everything within the area had been eviscerated which also included all the sect members he had frozen before in cial ice.
Among those members, there were those who were guilty and there were those who were innocent, however, they all faced the same ending. When thetter group chose to remain behind, they had essentially doomed themselves to suffer the same fate as the guilty ones. Yang Qing had no option but to follow through on the im he made before.
As things stood, the only members of the Ice Emerald Sect who survived were the seventeen who had decided to leave when Yang Qing made the offer, though technically there were still eighteen survivors, if one was to count the one person who managed to weather through Yang Qing''s attack.
At the center of the burned crater, there was a tree that still stood tall with a red-blue dome surrounding it that had numerous cracks on it. However, despite its feeble look, there were undtions of stabilitying from that red-blue dome.
The dome vibrated for a few seconds and melted away with the liquid dissolving back into the tree that now had someoneing out of it.
"Yang Qing, here.." Dai Chen said as he handed over a girl who looked to be around fifteen years old to Yang Qing.
She looked to be asleep, while her brows contorted showing deep consternation in her face. She looked like she was having a nightmare. She had ck hair mixed with tinges of white, and when one looked at her face, she bore a faint resemnce to Ma Yuan.
"Thank you, Dai.." Yang Qing said as he took over the young girl with relief on his face, which soon turnedplicated as he looked at the Wisteria tree below him.
"She had a controlling seal on her, along with a memory-altering gu ced in her brain. I''ve gotten rid of them, but with the gu, it seems like it has been there for quite some time. It''s too early to tell the extent of the damage it had done. I think it''s safer if we bring her back with us and have the Medicine Valley look at her for an extended period..." said Dai Chen as he and the three other judges grimly stared in the same direction as Yang Qing.
Before Yang Qing dropped his attack, he had already pin pointed the location of Ma Yuan''s daughter. She had been secluded from the rest somewhere and seemed to be in a hypnotic state.
He had Dai Chen grab her just as he was preparing his move.
"I''ll tell Ma Yuan when we get back.." answered Yang Qing as pity and sympathy shed in his eyes as he scanned the fifteen-year-old young girl.
He could detect the remnant effects of the controlling seal on her immature mental sea and foundation pirs, and her mind''s fluctuations seemed to be in disarray due to a part of her brain having a hole in it that was closing up.
From the essence he detected from the hole that was closing up, he knew that was the region the gu imnted into her had been nesting in.
Memory-altering gu were special worms that had been soaked in countless precious herbs and certain blood of spirit beasts along with other countless treasures, along with being inscribed with arrays that specifically targetted the mind.
This type of gu required meticulous care and technique to produce, along with an apanying cultivation art.
This type of gu was highly valued by both heretical and orthodox cultivators due to its purpose. One could use the gu to imnt memories into someone, and that person would never be none the wiser that the memories they had were nted.
With the help of this gu, someone who had his loved one''s killed, could worship the killer as his/her parents if the killer decided to imnt the gu on him and imnt memories that made the victim amenable to them.
The gu was highly used in heretical organizations where loyalty was a factor, and even by certain royal families who wanted absolute loyalty from their retainers.
The memory-altering gu came in different grades and qualities depending on the skill used and the quality of ingredients used in making them. One made by someone truly skilled at it would leave the person it was imnted into unaware it was even there until they broke through to the soul formation realm, which by its nature makes cultivators in such a realm, immune to certain abilities, one of which were ones that targetted their minds.
But until then, they would bepletely oblivious of it.
The one used on Ma Yuan''s daughter was unlikely to be a high-grade one otherwise Dai Chen would not have been able to detect it or remove it as easily.
Yang Qing suspected it was either a two-ringed or three-ringed gu. Their qualities were determined by the rings it formed when being made. One was the lowest and five was the highest. A five-ringed gu would remain undetected to a domain expert.
It was truly an insidious technique and the preferred weapon of choice when controlling someone or when nting a mole because of how difficult it was to detect it, from both outsiders and the person under its effects.
Yang Qing had no doubt that it wasn''t only Ma Yuan''s daughter who had the memory-altering gu imnted in her, others from the sect had likely fallen victim to it, maybe even the elders down to the sect master who was now gone, had it imnted on them.
Chapter 427 Founder Feng Qiu Makes Her Appearance
"The main show is about to start. Yang Qing we are of...watch our backs, will you? She looks like the poisonous and hidden attacks type.." said Dai Chen as he and the rest took out their weapons when the person they had been waiting for finally revealed herself.
Something that looked like a withered tree with humanoid features walked out from the tree. One couldn''t even tell whether it was alive. It walked wobbly and had white scattered hair with red tinges at the edge.
The corpse-like figure had on a grey in robe and on one of its hands it held a broken-off branch to support itself.
It was bent down and hunched over, so one couldn''t see its face, but Yang Qing and the rest had no doubt as to the identity of the humanoid creature below.
Who could it be, other than the founder of the Ice Emerald Sect, Feng Qiu, who started all this 40,000 years ago with the massacre of the Sun Jade Kingdom?
Even though she looked to be just on death''s door, none of the judges present dared to underestimate her as the four main attackers got ready.
Dai Chen took out two single-edged long swords that were six feet long and the des were as ck as the night sky. They asionally glittered as if they contained stars in them. The deep ckness and the asional starlight was a characteristic of weapons or artifacts made from meteor starlight metal which was a top-tier monarch-grade material.
Dai Chen''s whole demeanor changed when he held the two swords. A formless pressure apanied by an extreme slicing sensation formed around him. The air vibrated around him, moreso his swords that seemed to be in a highly excited state.
Mo Liwei had taken a silver spear that had a handle that resembled the wings of a bird. His tired state instantly transformed into one of extreme vigor. His eyes changed into a bird''s eyes. It was silver on the outside and yellow on the interior.
Wei Ying took out a purple fan that was filled with all sorts of inscriptions. Even though she didn''t have any visible changes to her like Dai Chen and Mo Liwei, there was a sense of quality in her that seemed different from before and was even different from Dai Chen and Mo Liwei.
If one was to point out was what different, it was she seemed more at one with the worldpared to them. Like she could borrow its force easily.
As for thest person Zhang Qingge, she was the only person without a weapon, but that didn''t diminish her presence at all, and her transformation was the most drastic. The shy, gentle-looking person was no more and was reced by a shortdy with an indifferent gaze exuding a battle lust so huge and palpable that it made the air around her quake.
The four of them were like arrows that had already been pulled back to its most limits on a bowstring and were ready to be let lose and obliterate the target and the target of those arrows was a hunched over, wilted bark-lookingdy, who with every wobbly step she took, the world seemed to echo it.
An expert at the sixth stage of the pce realm, one whole minor realm than her opponents. Yang Qing despite besting seven pce stage experts, couldn''t hope to replicate such a feat on their founder. He would be lucky to get out with his life if he insisted on fighting her to the death in a one-on-one fight, using normal means.
A middle-stage pce realm cultivator was a middle-stage pce realm cultivator, it didn''t matter that he had a deeper more stable foundation base than her, or that he cultivated a purple-grade art, and had a peerless jade physique to work with, he would lose to her if he faced her alone.
There was nothing to it, the fact that she was a middle-stage pce realm cultivator meant she could infuse more dao in her attacks, making them more lethal than whatever Yang Qing could throw at her with his current level.
The pce realm involved cultivating your embryonic dao to maturity, and her embryonic form was a bitrger than Yang Qing''s or the other judges in the vicinity.
The only way to bridge that gap was to gang up on her and stack their own qualities along with using high-grade equipment to close that gap, and lucky for them, they had already faced middle-stage andte-stage pce realm cultivators who had a much scarier presence than her by a thousand times, and they did so when they were just in the core formation realm.
To keep them humble, their sadistic instructors would asionally challenge them to a fight. One instructor would face the whole ss. They would be soundly defeated and traumatized after the fact because of how ruthless the instructors were despite holding their punches, but the experience was nheless invaluable to them.
This was why despite the founder of the Ice Emerald Sect fully releasing her cultivation base and pressure, they still dared to face her when others in their situation would have shrunk back and escaped.
Her pressure paled inparison to the instructors, they even felt it was weaker whenpared to the instructors who were at the fourth stage of the pce realm, despite her being at the peak of the sixth stage, just at the cusp of breaking through to the seventh stage, effectively breaking into thete stage of the pce realm.
Her power seems impure almost as if artificial and borrowed. Whatever means she used to get her this far will not help her establish her core pce no matter how many lives she sacrifices. Her path will forever stagnate, where she is....
...
"How did this happen?...how did this happen?... Why isn''t Master answering even now?..." the founder of the Ice Emerald Sect muttered over and over in a delirious state before she suddenly looked up revealing a dried-up face with hollow sockets with red orb in them.
Chapter 428 Contrasting Transformations
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"IT''S ALL YOUR FAULT!!" she said with a raspy cackled voice as blood lust thick enough to materialize appeared around her like a river of blood, with mournful souls wailing beneath it.
"If I offer you all to master as tribute, maybe he will answer?" she added with a colder tone as a malevolent smile appeared on her face as she eyed the five of them like chickens waiting for ughter.
"Who''s your master?" asked Wei Ying.
"Mmph, you''re unworthy to know him, even that nosey organization you belong to is unworthy of his notice.." she said with a tone filled with zealot spirit towards whoever her master was and disdain for the Order.
"Now, I''m even more eager to meet him.." Wei Ying coyly said.
"I''ll ensure you meet him, corpse intact.." Sect founder Feng Qiu coldly said as she took another step which caused the ground beneath her to crack as a red mist appeared from the crack beneath her feet.
She took another step, and more red mist appeared as it flowed into her.
"With things as they are, I have no need for you anymore.." she casually said as she faced the Wisteria tree.
She waved one of her hands as a giant red seal formed beneath her and the tree.
A gargantuan red mist that blew was produced from the seal along with a white icy mist which then flowed to founder Feng Qiu''s body and enveloped her like a cocoon.
"Qingge, there''s no need to.."Wei Ying casually said when she saw Zhang Qingge about to attack Feng Qiu while she was in the cocoon.
"Despite how she looks and how she was behaving, she is not careless enough to leave herself undefended. She would not have survived this long as a blood-fiend cultivator if she was... Besides her by herself is nothing much, but I feel something unsettling from that rune itself...."
"It doesn''t seem entirely of her doing, maybe it''s that master of hers.." she said as she carefully eyed her surroundings.
Wei Ying among the five had the highest cultivation base. She was well on her way to reaching the fourth stage of the pce realm. From what Yang Qing heard from Zhang Qingge after this fight she would be going into seclusion in preparation for the breakthrough with her promotion to the inner pce courts already underway.
Her judgment and senses were received with apt attention by the rest because of it, especially Yang Qing, who felt something move in his pce world the moment the rune appeared.
The object that showed a reaction to the rune was the green orb that the enigmatic saint-grade artifact, green cocoon had left with him when he interacted with her, saying it was a gift for him to use when the time came, which he didn''t know what that time was, but he was all too d to receive something from a saint grade treasure that seemed to have been alive for 1,000,000 years.
Whatever she gave, was bound to be useful. That orb flickered slightly the moment the rune appeared.
"If Wei Ying''s guess is right, whoever her master is, isn''t a simple character. They managed to turn her into a middle-stage pce realm expert, and the physique absorption technique was anything but simple.." Yang Qing muttered in deep contemtion, as he consumed yellow cloud-patterned peach fruit to quickly recover his expended qi.
Thest technique he used on the sect master and the elders of the Ice Emerald Sect had expended two-thirds of his qi and for the fight ahead, he couldn''t afford to run out even if he would not be an active participant in it.
As Yang Qing and the rest made their final preparations, the red rune flickered and disappeared, along with it the red and white mist being drained from the Wisteria tree that had a seismic transformation from what it once was.
In that short amount of time, it had transformed from a lustrous tree brimming with life and with vibrant blue and purple flowers adding to the pink radiant light that surrounded it, and it turned into a shriveled withered tree that seemed like it would be blown to dust by even the slightest wind.
It was dark grey and the flowers and leaves on it had all withered away, while its branches desated and turned to ash leaving only one main stump holding on.
"There is a spirit in there?!" Yang Qing muttered in shock as his pupils trained on the tree.
From the moment he saw the tree, he felt conflicting emotions toward it. One was disgust which he understood because of the resentment and blood that was produced from it, but the other was strange to him, something deep within him felt sympathy, which he didn''t understand why until now..
"Seniors, Dai Chen, Qingee, in your fight could you drag it away from the tree..." Yang Qing hurriedly said as he saw them preparing to attack.
The red cocoon holding the Ice Emerald Sect seemed to havepleted its job as it cracked releasing a chilling and blinding red light revealing the person from within it.
The Wisteria tree wasn''t the only one to have a drastic transformation. From out of the cocoon came out a woman who looked to be in herte thirties.
She had silky smooth red hair that glittered like the stars in the sky gently cascading down her back. Her beauty was matchless, enough to mesmerize and befuddle the masses to the point they would dly forsake their life, their kin, and their whole ancestry for the chance of gaining her favor.
She had milky white skin, red pupils that seemed to have been crafted from red gemstones, and a cold and aloof demeanor.
Thedy stood there, silently, drawing everything to herself like a cold shining star that blinded the radiance of everything around her.
However, her moment was cut short, when a force of pure destruction charged towards her at terrifying speed.
"You overestimate yourself, child," thedy gently said as she casually raised her hand creating an oval red-blue crystalline object in front of her just in time to block a terrifying fist that came with enough force capable of reducing a hundred mountains to ash within an instant.
Boom!
A loud explosion was produced from the impact which rang out throughout the area. The red crystalline shield despite being less than an inch in thickness, held strong against the fist, without so much as a crack forming it as thedy indifferently gazed at the attacker.
"Is that so? I think you''re the one who has overestimated herself, your shriveled human bark.." muttered the voice behind the fist.
Armageddon seismic pulse
The thunderous force behind the fist suddenly disappeared like it was sucked back into the fist itself only for a momentter, vibration roars that seemed to have been produced from the earth''s scorching core were instantly produced by the fist which instantly shattered the red-blue crystalline shield.
With unmatched speed and power, the fist zed on towards thedy''s face, which had lost its previous casual indifference and now had a look of shock on it.
Swoosh!
The fist missed its target who reappeared a couple of meters away, with a red streaking line across her right cheek with a venomous re on her face, as the wound instantly closed up.
"Good, good.." she icily said as the branch in her hand transformed into a crescent-shaped saber that had a white surface with a rusty edge that had red-ck corroding mist being produced inches from it.
Chapter 429 Mobbing A Sixth Stage Palace Realm Expert (1)
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"She always seems like apletely different person every time a battle starts. If one saw her like this, one would think the shy side of her is a pretense.." Wei Ying said with an amused smile as she saw Zhang Qingge who was usually shy and docile, chide the sect master of the Ice Emerald Sect, to the point of even calling her a shriveled human bark.
The person before her now and what she usually was like, werepletely different.
"I sometimes wonder, if one is a mask for the other. Maybe this is the real her...." added Dai Chen.
"Don''t let her hear you say that.." Yang Qing teased at the back as he consumed more cloud peaches to replenish his qi.
His qi levels were more than a typical first-stage pce realm expert. If it was to be quantified, it matched that of a peak second-stage pce realm expert, and he had expended half of it with the previous technique.
To quickly recover it, the cloud-patterned peaches that could be considered monarch grade would do a better and faster job than if he was to rece the spent qi by absorbing it from the area around no matter how rich the grounds of the Ice Emerald Sect were in spiritual qi.
With the fight about to begin, even as support, he couldn''t afford to be careless and was needed to be at the absolute peak, especially, considering how livid the founder Feng Qiu seemed at Zhang Qingge''s attack and remarks.
She looked almost ready to skin her alive and torture her in the most brutal way possible.
Yang Qing took out a blue shell and ced it on top of the body of Ma Yuan''s daughter. The shell instantly transformed into a blue water bubble filled with trigram seals and encircled her.
"Yu Gen, Catch," Yang Qing silently transmitted his voice towards Yu Gen who was at the boundary of the sect grounds as heunched the water bubble with Ma Yuan''s daughter in it, toward him.
Almost instantly he did that, Sect founder Feng Qiu instantly reappeared in front of Zhang Qingge as she brought her crescent-shaped saber down.
The temperature dropped to the point the air seemed to be frozen in the process, apanying it was a tearing force that could cleave an ocean in half and reduce a mountain to dust.
It seemed to be just a casual swing, but Feng Qiu had brought to full disy her strength as a sixth-stage pce stage expert.
Her casual swing carried ten times the force sect master Zhao Ju''s full-blown attacks carried.
Zhang Qingge charged up her fist ignoring the sabering down on her with the aim of cleaving her in half.
A gentle cyan gale appeared in front of her absorbing the force of the attackunched toward her.
A struggle of force between the cyan gale and the freezing tearing saber ensued with the gale looking to be on the losing end.
Zhang Qingge seemed to have been anticipating the gale toe in her defense as she swung her right fist which seemed to carry the force of an exploding volcano.
With her attack added to the mix, itbined with the gale to dispel the saber attack from Sect founder Feng Qiu.
With bells of battle already rung with Zhang Qingge throwing her earlier fist, the battle between the five pce stage experts went into full swing as Yang Qing held up the rear.
With no pause in their attack or coordination, Mo Liwei immediately stepped in to follow up on the attack with his silver spear.
He blurred into a silver streak with a silhouette of a bird enshrouding him and his spear. Within a quarter of a breath, he was already on Feng Qiu,unching his spear with speed that was awe-inspiring and terrifying.
In just the time it took to blink he had swung his spear over a dozen times with nimbleness, fluidity, precision, and speed that defied logic.
Were a core formation cultivator present, all they could see was a silver light switching locations faster than the eye could see.
"Senior Mo Liwei seems to have the bloodline or a physique with ties to the roc.." muttered Yang Qing as he saw the speed with which Mo Liwei attacked, and the silhouette that enshrouded him.
The figure was all too familiar, it was the mythological bird famous for its unmatching speed, the roc bird, which was imed to be so fast that it would be able to tour the continent in six hours and the whole in a day.
Feng Qiu despite having a higher cultivation base, found herself having to defend herself against Mo Liwei''s attacks, and when she felt the speed got too annoying for her to follow she decided to go with brute force as she madly swung her saber pouring huge amounts of qi and power into the attack forcing Mo Liwei back, giving her some relief only for Dai Chen, to charge in within that gap.
He carried an unbridled and unfettered air around him as he swung his swords bringing with it the force that made it seem like the meteors were being brought down from the skies.
His ck swords had a golden glow at the edge as they cleaved through the blizzard storm Feng Qiu had conjured with the swing of her sword, and soon they were exchanging blows saber vs. sword, each of them masters of their own weapons.
Dai Chen swung with the force of a celestial impact, while Feng Qiu''s saber was a slithering viper that had an abyssal breath that froze everything in its path.
shes of their weapons brought terrifying explosions and destruction around them, with none letting out. Within seconds they had traded over a hundred attacks with Dai Chen seemingly on the losing end, as shed wounds appeared on different parts of his body, that were apanied by frostbite, but to the person himself, it was like the wounds were not even there, as a wild smile and look appeared on his face as he increased the tempo in his attacks.
His attacks seemed to grow with every swing, and the air around him seemed to change. It felt like a primordial beast was being awoken with every swing.
A savage ancient aura immediately leaked out of him which made even the stoic-looking founder raise her eyebrows.
She could feel a domineering auraing from Dai Chen as she saw golden liquiding from the wounds she had created quickly dissolving the frost and healing the wounds.
"Seems like Dai Chen has decided to activate his bloodline from the start.." Yang Qing said as he noticed the changes on Dai Chen''s body.
Chapter 430 Mobbing A Sixth Stage Palace Realm Expert (2)
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His body always seemed bulkier, but now, it seemed like it had shrunk and be morepacted, and slim, while his eyes were orange like a deste ancient wastnd, as he leaked the aura of a primordial beast.
Dai Chen had the Hou bloodline. The Hou was a mythical creature with the same renown as the dragon, phoenix, qilin, and the like. In some texts, it has even been rumored to have predated the dragons in terms of existence. It wielded the mandate of the heavens.
Yang Qing didn''t know about all that or confirm if it was true since there had never been a real sighting of the Hou in the continent, but he knew Dai Chen''s attacks carried the force of the stars behind them.
The bloodline he had on him was thin but that quantity gave him enough firepower to finish as among the top 3 in his year at the institute and he had made it into the 4th ce in the One Thousand Battle Hall Pcepetition. And he would have likely finished in a better position had thepetition been different. Because of the tyrannical nature of his bloodline, Dai Chen suppresses himself and would not truly go all out not unless it was a battle to death, which was why he showed no hesitation when he released it when facing Feng Qiu.
However even with the bloodline of the mythical Hou activated, Dai Chen still struggled to gain an upper hand against Feng Qiu who other than being mildly surprised quickly regained her calm and immediately started suppressing Dai Chen, by increasing the flurry of her attacks and its range.
Wounds appeared on Dai Chen by the dozens as they instantly closed up. Luckily for him, he was not fighting alone because Wei Ying who was the originator of the gale from before immediately stepped in and took some of the pressure from Dai Chen.
With a swing of her fan, a fierce cyan gale would be produced, instantly colliding with the attacks from Feng Qiu. The cyan gale seemed to have hundreds of micro-cyclones within them, that instantly grinded and ate away at Feng Qiu''s attacks.
Even though they didn''tpletely destroy them, they did enough to halt them and even reduce the power within them, which provided room for the other three to act with reckless abandon as they instantly charged Feng Qiu.
She always knew when to intervene, and create a moment of reprieve along with a moment for retaliation.
She seemed to have been the one to handle defense and cover while the other three handled attack, which suited them perfectly.
Zhang Qingge carried the force of destruction capable of leveling mountains within her tiny fists, while Dai Chen swung with the weight and the power of the stars in his swords, and Mo Liwei had the terrifying speeds of one of the fastest mythical birds alive to work with.
All three of them had also mastered the intents of their various weapons; Zhang Qinggee had fist intent, Dai Chen had sword intent, and Mo Liwei had spear intent.
Weapon sense was reached when the cultivator gained an understanding of their weapon of choice to the point it was no different than their limbs, though for the fist it worked in reverse, one needed to train to the point their fist felt like an embodied weapon. Once one had mastered their weapon, to the point it was no different than their body, their internalized that understanding and slowly integrated it into their cultivation resulting in the formation of weapon qi, their qi would carry the qualities of the weapon they mastered then after that, came weapon intent.
Weapon intent was the materialization of the will borne from the integration of their weapon mastery and understanding, along with the qi thates from it, to form a brand that was entirely their own. They no longer needed to internalize and understand their weapon, but they had used their understanding of it and made a rendition of it that had their identity in it, which then culminates with them being able to use anything and everything to evoke the abilities of their weapon.
A de of grass could have the same sharpness and cutting abilities as a sword, a blown breath could have the same piercing power as a spear, and a fist could be trained to carry the same destruction as an earthquake.
With the three of them each master of their own craft, with terrifying abilities and foundations and working together, they were able to somewhat bridge the gap in the fight against Feng Qiu and make it an even ying field by swarming her with their exceptional abilities, and for Dai Chen and Mo Liwei, they also had top tier monarch grade weapons made by the finest masters in the Order to work with.
With those weapons in hand, they had no worries about their weapons failing to prate the defenses of Feng Qiu.
Feng Qiu on the other hand proved her worth as a sixth-stage pce realm expert. Even with the three of them working together she still managed to hold her own and just like them, she had mastered saber intent too.
Her attacks were precise, swift, and terrifying. One careless move and any of the three judges would instantly suffer grievous injuries.
Feng Qiu used the same technique as the sect master had used on Yang Qing, where tiny crystalline ice daggers appeared with the swing of her saber, however, her execution was much more precise and the ice daggers had a more prative power, speed, and rangepared to what Yang Qing faced.
Mo Liwei who had the highest speed had been forced to turn from attacker to defender as he covered for both Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge, with Wei Ying stepping in to eliviate the pressure while also creating an opening for the three of them.
Within minutes they had exchanged over a thousand blows with them crisscrossing over the whole grounds of the Ice Emerald Sect, creating even more destruction in their wake.
If there were still more cultivators lurking about thinking of dipping their toes into the mess, they all abandoned all thought when they saw the scale of destruction along with how terrifying the battle grew with every passing moment.
...
On a mountain peak miles away from the fight,
"The Ice Emerald Sect had someone this terrifying? That damn Yin Guo and his Lunar Bug Sect almost threw me and the empire to our doom! Luckily the Order stepped in before I threw myself and the empire into the pit..those bastards!!!!!"
An old man with pure white hair and a regal bearing had a look of abject fear as he watched the terrifying fight that was a ze a thousand miles away.
Even this far away he could feel the terrifying undtions of the attacks, which sent shockwaves in his heart when he thought of a certain oue had things not ended up as they did today...
"The ruins of the Frozen Serenity Sect...it''s such a pity...but better to be alive, than risk it...i got lucky this time...but that ruin, with it I could reach the domain realm and pull the Twin River Empire to a rank 2 Empire and establish a dynasty tost a lifetime..such a pity.." the old man said in destion as he shook his head.
Chapter 431 Neighbors (1)
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With the passage of time, the battle grew more chaotic with its effects traveling far and wide. Whether it was the Twin River Empire to the East, the Lu n territory to the North, the Five Mountain Sword Academy to the south, and the baster Midnight Sect to the West; all these immediate neighbors to the Ice Emerald Sect, despite being thousands of kilometers away from the battleground could feel the terrifying undtions created from the fight between the founder and the four judges.
All were hit with different reactions. The younger ones, too ignorant to understand what it meant for shockwaves of a fight to reach that far, had shining looks of ignited spirits and blood boiling, each imagining the future of one day wielding the same level of power as the ones that released so much power in their attacks that it made their buildings tremble despite being so far away, while the older ones had looks of respect, fear, despair and envy for some, especially those who had been hit by the massive p of reality on their limits.
As for the senior leaders of these organizations, they all had varied reactions. The old ancestor of the Twin River Empire had trepidation and relief the more the fight went on and he saw how terrifying Feng Qiu really was. He was just at the fifth stage of the pce realm, he could not hold a candle to her, and based on what he saw, he could barely evenst half an hour against her. Were he to face off against her, his only choice would have been to use every trump card and taboo art to ensure he could escape from her alive, as for confronting her, he extinguished all thoughts the more the fight went on.
He wiped the cold sweat on his forehead when he thought, in a year''s time when the grand elder of the Lunar Bug Sect broke through to the pce realm, he had nned to go with him and strongarm the Ice Emerald Sect into giving out their original copy of the Emerald frost flow veiled scripture that was part of the Frozen Serenity Scripture.
When the Lunar Bug Sect came to him for help, in order to gain his cooperation and help in sheltering them from the Ice Emerald Sect that now had a pce realm expert, the Lunar Bug Sect gave out the original copy of their cultivation art that was also a part of the Frozen Serenity Scripture, in addition to sharing a key detail, which was the reason they had a thorny rtionship with the Ice Emed Sect.
The Lunar Bug Sect divulged that the original copies of the cultivation arts that were part of the Frozen Serenity Scripture, had part of a map covertly embedded in them, and the map more than likely led to the main legacy of the Frozen Serenity Sect.
He was skeptical at first, so he used the extensive resources of his empire to verify the ims of the Lunar Bug Sect. He managed to find a few organizations that were weaker than his Empire, that had arts that had ties to the Frozen Serenity Scripture.
With a few veiled threats and promises, he managed to obtain the original copies. The cultivation arts themselves were not much in terms of grade as they fell a little short whenpared to the art the Lunar Bug Sect had given him, or the one the Ice Emerald Sect had. If he was to grade them, they were in the top tier of the orange grade, but nevertheless, he parted with a few valuable resources to acquire them.
With the original copies in hand, he studied them for almost a decade before he managed to decipher the secret mechanism of unlocking the map hidden within it. Each copy had its own unique method of being decrypted.
After confirming the veracity of the Lunar Bug Sect''s ims, his interest and greed were sufficiently piqued. He was an ambitious person by heart, and he hoped to push the Twin River Empire to greater heights even though he had long let go of his reigns as the Emperor to focus on his cultivation.
Before him, the Twin River Empire had been a rank 4 empire that was stronger than the rest of its rank, but it was still a rank 4 empire, with no pce realm expert in sight until him. He wasn''t the favored prince or the one next in line for the throne.
He had been one of the many children, the emperor before him had sired over the years. He bided his time, neverpeted or showed any interest in the throne, and never tried to form any connection.
All he was known for was being a bookworm, as he spent his days at the royal library studying different things, or hanging out in tea restaurants regrly frequented by schrs and rogue cultivators alike, andter he even joined the Odyssey Horizon Guild. An organization simr to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, in that anyone could join it.
It was as ancient as the Dragon Meadow and if the rumors floating around were thought to be true, they also had ties with the Dragon Meadow in that both these organizations had their roots from the same ce and that ce was an ancient sect known as the Primordial Log Keepers.
The Primordial Log Keepers was rumored to be an organization formed by eight transcendent beings. It only had seven founding members, each belonging to a different species. It was founded by a dragon, Ao, a Fusang tree, a kunpeng, a yuan, a fairy, a vermilion bird, and thest one was a sage human, whose identity was unknown other than he was deemed worthy to be a founder along the other mythical beings.
The origin and reason for the Primordial Log Keepers''s existence was unknown, and it was even in doubt whether such an organization ever existed in the first ce because the lineup of their founders excluding the human, was terrifying, to say the least. It wasn''t far-fetched to think that such a lineup was strong enough to unite the whole continent if they so wished.
However, other than the name and the rumored founders, there was no much that was known about them, and any evidence of such an organization existed was virtually non-existent and not many people knew about it, and one of the few reasons talks of it still remained relevant to date other than the monstrous lineup of its founders, was because the Dragon Meadow and the Odyssey Horizon Guild were rumored to have been offshoots of it.
Both their origins had their foundations built from the Primordial Log Keepers. The Dragon Meadow was a mysterious enigmatic treasure house that could safeguard your wares even from the heavens itself.
As for the Odyssey Horizon Guild, it was an organization formed with the aim of exploring the continent. They gave out tonnes of missions rted to the exploration of the continent, and their payments were good enough to tempt the masses to venture even to the most dangerous of locations.
You could trade in iplete lost cultivation arts, recipes, locations to undiscovered grottos and mysterious realms, recipes, and unknown creatures, maps of ces that have not been traversed such as the deeper regions of the Green Fog Region. The Odyssey Horizon Guild epted it all, and in return, you could get paid in spirit stones, certain treasures of equivalent value, and ess to special locations to boost your cultivation.
There was no limit to what you could redeem your findings for. If it was extremely valuable, you could even get a saint rank treasure for your efforts, or even gain the means to break through to the soul formation realm. They had the foundations to do it.
They epted membership from anyone, it did not matter whether you belonged to a sect, n, royalty, or just a rogue cultivator, anybody could join and undertake their missions. They also had a tiered membership system to encourage the fulfillment of their missions. Other than payment given for a missionpleted, depending on the tier of membership one had, they could have a discounted rate and ess to certain resources; some general, some unique to the point that they could only be found in the hands of the Odyssey Horizon Guild.
The higher the membership, the better the discount and the wider the ess, and as far as the resources went, it went from cultivation resources to even information.
The majority of rogue cultivators who did not want to join any organization were members of the Odyssey Horizon Guild. As long as they were lucky and made great discoveries, they had the chance to leap over the dragon gate from carps into dragons, and it wasn''t just them. Members of royalty, n members, or even sect members who were not favored within their respective organizations could use the guild as a source to strengthen themselves, and the old ancestor of the Twin River Empire did exactly that.
Chapter 432 Neighbors (2)
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He joined the Odyssey Horizon Guild and used whatever resources and advantages he had as a no-name prince toplete their missions, and finally, he reaped the rewards for it.
He managed to find an ancient artifact, whose value he didn''t know, but when he traded it at the Odyssey Horizon Guild, it garnered him enough merit points to shoot his rank from a white tier member to an orange tier member, along with having the chance to redeem it for the opportunity to break through to the pce realm, which he was quick to do so.
He was given a mystic essence mulberry fruit which gave him enlightenment along with fortifying his foundations, to the point he had the smoothest breakthrough he had ever experienced. He even had doubts if it was real.
With a pce realm foundation, he took the seat of Emperor without opposition or even asking. He used all his experiences and the preparations he had made to be an efficient ruler, all with the express purpose of pushing the empire to greater heights so his name would one day eclipse even the founder of the Twin River Empire.
He was flexible and adaptable, willing to concede when the moment called for it, and he was firm and ruthless when the situation called for it. Slowly and surely, the Twin River Empire grew with him at the helm, and the empire''s golden luck was slowly being centered on him, continuously boosting his cultivation speeds.
Eventually, he managed to reach the fifth stage of the pce realm with help from the golden dragon luck of the empire, and the lingering effects of the mystic essence mulberry fruit.
When the sect master of the Lunar Bug Sect divulged the news of the map hidden beneath the Frozen Serenity Arts, he saw another opportunity, an opportunity for him to reach the domain realm and further cement himself as the immutable emperor of the Twin River Empire, as he transformed it and himself into a hegemon.
After he confirmed the existence of the map, he decided to collect a few of the original copies of the scripture, decipher the map, and then share his findings with the Odyssey Horizon Guild.
Even though he was greedy and ambitious, he had a clear mind on his abilities, and he was under no illusion that with his current abilities and reach, it was impossible for him to collect all the arts tied to the Frozen Serenity Scripture to decipher theplete, and even if by some defying luck he was able to do so, he wasn''t about to charge into the grounds belonging to a behemoth sect like the Frozen Serenity Sect.
It was sure to be trapped, and that was a surefire way for him to die. To the masses, he was a fifth-stage pce realm expert, an expert so powerful he could flip the skies with his palm, boil the rivers, and shatter mountains with his breath, but to something like the Frozen Serenity Sect, just their iplete arts were already more powerful than what his empire had.
Based on that, was a fifth-stage pce realm expert worth anything to them? If he overestimated himself and tried to swallow whatever it was they hid on the map, he would be nothing more than another reckless dead cultivator used to highlight how dangerous that ce was, and a warning to others about the dangers of greed.
For him, sharing his findings with the Odyssey Horizon Guild, was the safest and clear way of improving himself. Depending on what he found, and the appraisal of the guild on its value, he was sure the rewards he got could at least support him reaching the domain realm, and if they were really good maybe a shot at the soul formation realm wouldn''t be an impossibility.
For him, giving the map to the guild was a no-brainer. Why would cultivators risk venturing into dangerous ces such as ruins, grottos, and mysterious realms? wasn''t it all for the chance to grow stronger? and if you could do it in a safer way, who would want to risk their life? He sure wouldn''t.
This was why he bided his time and collected a few of the arts here and there as he eyed the Ice Emerald Sect. He tried the soft approach with them, then when they refused, he nned to rope in a few other friends he had made over the years, along with the grand elder of the Lunar Bug Sect and forcefully take their copy with minimal risk to himself.
However, seeing the world-shaking battle ahead of him, had things proceeded as he had nned, seeing the insidiousdy at the center of it, they would have likely been killed and their bodies swiftly dealt with, and none would have been the wiser about it.
After this, he had decided, he would trade in whatever he had to the guild and redeem it for whatever his findings were worth, and retire and maybe drink tea and chat with old friends like his younger days.
Any grand ambitions he had, had been snuffed out. Right now he only wanted to live a normal life as a retired old man.
As for the three organizations that bordered the Ice Emerald Sect, two of the leaders were indifferent to the whole thing, while one had cold sweats like the old retired emperor of the Twin River Empire, albeit his cold sweat was entirely for different reasons.
The two indifferent leaders were from the Five Mountain Sword Academy and the baster Midnight Sect. Both organizations were rank 3 organizations with the former being the more powerful one, as it had ties with the Jade Leaf Academy, as one of its founders was a former prized student of the Academy once upon a time.
Both the Five Mountain Swords Academy and baster Midnight Sect barely interacted with the Ice Emerald Sect, and with thetter''s reclusive nature at the time, it was expected. As for the Lu n, it was also a rank 3 family albeit a younger one. One of their elders broke through to the pce realm 20 years ago elevating the n into a rank 3 n.
It was rumored that said elder had broken through to the pce realm with assistance from the Ice Emerald Sect, as both organizations had close ties to each other.
"Renshu were you also mixed up in this? Is that how you manage to reach the pce realm?" muttered a middle-aged man with apricot robes and ck hair tied in a daoist top knot.
His worried-filled gaze was focused on the cataclysmic explosion that was a thousand miles away.
"Have you found her?" he asked when he detected a presence behind him.
"I''m afraid she''s gone, patriarch.."
"Damn!!!" angrily roared the middle-aged man as he punched the tree he was next to, shattering it to dust.
It took a while before he finally calmed down, somewhat.
"After this, we need to head to the Order, and report everything, all our interactions with the Ice Emerald Sect, and everything about Renshu.
All the elders are to apany me. Ry my orders to them, and if one tries to flee, cripple them.."
The shadow figure behind him acknowledged the order, as he disappeared like a formless wind.
...
Above the Ice Emerald Sect
Feng Qiu was filled with punctured holes and sh wounds and disheveled robes, but she still had the same unworried stoic look to her, while her opponents had matching degrees of injuries.
Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, and Wei Ying, none remain uninjured as they all had frost apanying sh marks on their bodies.
But neither they nor Feng Qiu showed any signs of fatigue or relenting in the intensity and scale of their attacks, especially thetter whose attacks started changing.
Before they were all tied to cold yin ice, but as the fight went on, another attribute was added to her attacks, ughter blood qi started appearing as an opal-looking object slowly appearing in the center of her brows.
Chapter 433 Changes To Feng Qiu
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The four judges on seeing the ice crystal seed opal forming on the sect founder''s forehead, all intensified their attacks on her.
As the opal was forming, the crystal seed on her forehead greedily absorbed terrifying amounts of spiritual qi in the air, slowly influencing the area.
The temperature dropped significantly as it felt more and more like they were in the deep abyss of a frozen tundra, while another feeling also slowly permeated the air. It was a feeling of corrosion, dissolving, and assimtion. It was like acid vapor was slowly mixed in with the freezing temperature.
Despite the sudden changes that foreshadowed that Feng Qiu was about to make big moves, the four judges remained undisturbed as they continually attacked and defended with the same rhythm.
There was no feeling of urgency, desperation, or fear in their attack. Everything was calcted while the intensity kept growing with every passing second.
Mo Liwei was a torrent of lethal speed that aimed to drown her in spear attacks from every angle with extreme swiftness, while Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge approached the fight using the same means, which was absolute destruction. One wielded the force of an apocalyptic power in her fists while the other exploded with the power of the cosmos in his des, while Wei Ying was the ever-calctive conductor. Her every move either provided the best defense or the best offense.
Yang Qing who had been out ofmission as he restored his spent qi was finally done as he started making his preparations for joining the fight.
He rapidly formed seals which resulted in the creation of the universal bead that slowly started forming above him.
Spiritual qi was constantly been fed to the bead inrge amounts but it fell a little short of the qi that was being absorbed by the ice crystal opal seed that was forming on Feng Qiu''s forehead.
"Yang Qing are you ready?" Wei Ying asked as she blew scythe-like wind currents toward the sect founder intercepting her de attack that aimed to decapitate Zhang Qingge''s left hand.
"I am.."
Spiritual qi stopped flooding toward Feng Qiu with the opal on her forehead looking already fully formed.
She used her long index nail to carve a seal above the opal which resulted in a red glyph forming along with red blood that slowly dripped down to the opal.
For dividing her attention in a fight that she could not afford to, she got injured gravely as Mo Liwei and Dai Chen used the gap created as she was carving the glyph in her forehead to attack her.
Dai Chen managed to sh her in her shoulder revealing her vicle, while one of Mo Liwei''s spear attacks had managed to run her through her stomach.
But to the person being attacked, it was as if the body wasn''t even hers as she didn''t even flinch one bit despite how gorey the attacks on her body looked with blood dripping from them and the energies of both Dai Chen and Mo Liwei each wreaking havoc on her body to expand the injuries.
Her cold gaze fell on both of them as the wound on her shoulder instantly closed up faster than the eye could blink, while the wound formed from Mo Liwei''s puncturing spear, was frozen solid in ice, entrapping Mo Liwei''s spear.
Mo Liwei hurriedly tried to pull it back, but it refused to budge. He felt like his spear had been enclosed in a mountain-sized ice that was as heavy as a castle made of century meteor iron, one of the heaviest iron metals around. A single finger-sized piece of it weighed 5 kg, and the ice that had trapped his spear felt as heavy as a castle built entirely of meteor iron.
"If I can''t pull it out then I''ll just run you through again.." Mo Liwei coldly thought as silver feathers with a strange mystical light around them appeared on his right hand.
While he was doing this, Feng Qiu swung her crescent saber in a sideways sh aiming to decapitate his head.
The sh was a couple of levels stronger and faster than before. That single sh carried with it enough force to part the skies, and it was apanied by a freezing storm, a terrifying shing intent, and a red vapor that seemed like it could melt anything in the world.
Mo Liwie acted as if he didn''t detect the attacking toward him as his gaze focused on the spear in his hand.
Roc void step
Feng Qiu''s saber instantly sliced through Mo Liwei''s head, but the blood or decapitated head scene that should have appeared the moment she sliced through, didn''t.
Feng Qiu''s eyes had a slight frown as the figure she had sliced through faded away like a mirage.
She cast a sideway nce to her left where another Mo Liwei appeared a few hundred meters away with a spear in his hand and a cold smirk on his face while she had a smooth horizontal line on the ice in her stomach that extended to the other end of her stomach.
Her wound started closing up as the ice melted away and was reced by skin, but the healing process though fast seemed slower than before.
"How tough is her body?" Mo Liwei wondered in surprise.
Even though he seemed calm on the outside, inwardly he was surprised at the founder''s sturdiness.
The rocs were famed for their speeds and how they were able to traverse arge distance in a single moment. Part of what enabled them to do that was their ability to travel through the void. They were expert maniptors of it from birth.
The void was a dangerous realm that existed in the fabric of space and it was filled with countless dangers that were potent enough to even harm a domain realm expert. The area was filled with cataclysmic void storms that could permanently damage their cultivations, cripple them or even kill them.
Other than that there were sounds that could corrupt their minds, and then there were void creatures who were just as dangerous as the void storms. A domain expert would not venture into the void easily, however, for rocs it was different. From the moment they hatched, they all knew how to perfectly maneuver in the void, and their bodies were built for it.
In some regard, they could be considered to be void creatures themselves except they had the ability to survive in the normal world, unlike the void creatures who couldn''t subsist without void energy and the biome around it.
Even though Mo Liwei was miles away from being able to traverse the void without care owing to his iplete roc bloodline, he could execute an aspect of it. He imbued the roc''s ability to prate the void and used that ability in his spear attack to sh at Feng Qiu, ignoring whatever defenses she had on her.
Even though the slice was thin and looked unassuming, that was one of the most powerful moves in his arsenal. The attack wasced with tiny traces of void energy, which should have eaten away at Feng Qiu''s body.
However, things didn''t proceed as he had expected. With void energy slowly eating away at her, he expected the injuries to remain unhealed, but judging by how they were slowly closing up, it seemed like the founder had the means to handle the void energy, and based on his judgment, it more than likely had to do with the opal on her forehead.
"Of course, things just can''t be easy.." he thought with a weary smile.
Chapter 434 Leave It To Him, Abandon All Defenses
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Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge each coordinated their attacks to attack Feng Qiu at the same time. Dai Chen targeted the injuries Mo Liwei had created as he swung both his swords like a swirling tornado while Zhang Qingge aimed a punch that was filled with purple runes. The air vibrated with the movement of her punch.
With their synchronized attack, and the speed with which they attacked, Feng Qiu would only have the time to defend one while the other person''s hitnded. It was up to her to decide which.
Despite being stuck in a pincer attack, Feng Qiu smiled derisively as she swung her sword intercepting Dai Chen''s attack creating an explosion in the strike that sent Dai Chen a couple of steps backwards, with his sword humming as if it was threatening to break. His arms turned stiff as a sharp pain traveled down both his arms.
Gong!
At her back, Zhang Qingge''s thunderous punch had just arrived only to sh against red crystalline scales that had appeared at her back.
Zhang Qingge felt like she had hit an immovable fortress that didn''t budge an inch no matter how much force she poured on it.
The scale shimmered as it rebounded the force back to her, luckily Zhang Qingge reacted in an instant and crossed her arms to deflect the rebounding force as she flew back.
Feng Qiu then proceeded to release an all-too-familiar technique that she had been using throughout the fight, which was the same technique that the sect master had used against Yang Qing.
Sharp tiny crystal ice shards appeared shimmering like a gxy of stars. Before they were white in color with a glimmer of blue, but now there was another color mixed in, it had a red tint around the edges that produced the pungent scent of blood.
In addition, the crystals produced wails that targeted to corrupt the minds of Zhang Qingee, Dai Chen, Mo Liwei, and Wei Ying.
Even if the four judges had strong mental strength capable of defending themselves against the mental corrosion, the interference was still annoying enough to affect their fighting power and reactions against the founder.
"I''m ready seniors.."
The moment Yang Qing''s voice echoed in the mind of the four judges, a melodious chirp filled with a cleansing and serene power attached to it swarmed their area instantly negating the mental corrosion effect being produced from the crstyals.
An exaltation ofrks filled with viridian light immediately appeared above the four judges drowning them in a green glow that not only served as a shield against the mental effects of the shards but also refreshed and renewed their minds.
The changes didn''t stop there as two koi fish, one blue and the other orange swarm to them producing tiny droplets that matched their colors as they swam toward them.
The moment the orange droplets fell on the four judges, their wounds started healing at a rapid rate while the blue droplets made their skin tones appear refreshed, and their breathings normal.
The orange koi fish handled healing and the blue koi fish restored their spiritual qi, and therks above guarded their minds while also renewing them.
"No wonder the medical valley keeps hounding him to join them.." Dai Chen said with a ferocious barbaric grin appearing on his face as he eyed the founder.
"About time he pulled his weight.." Zhang Qingge said with a carefree smile as she clenched and unclenched her fist like she was recalibrating them. Every time she did so, a subtle force would be produced.
"Liwei, senior Wei Ying, you can let loose without worry now. Senior Wei Ying, you can leave our defense to him.
He is unreliable in many ways, but in terms of support, there are very few who can match him especially when fiendish arts are involved..." Dai Chen.
"Mmmh, with him, as long as you have a single breath in you, dying is an impossibility.." added Zhang Qingge.
Mo Liwei stood silently as he felt the restoration happening in his body.
"With the stories surrounding him, it''s easy to forget he is a purple core with a peerless jade physique to boot..." muttered Mo Liwei as he sensed the wondrous transformation in his body.
All his wounds were instantly healed, and the qi he had expended was continuously being replenished by the blue koi fish, while he felt his mind being refreshed by the second.
Wei Ying took in the changes with a curious look in her as she turned back to look at Yang Qing who was surrounded by a green fire and green ocean below him with his hair turning back to its normal color and a green raven with ck and white eyes perched on his shoulder and a green pearl rapidly revolving above him.
She nodded to him as a gesture of thanks, and immediately turned to face Feng Qiu with a renewed vigor.
She rapidly formed hand seals that as she threw formation talismans in their air which then transformed into a translucent cyan turtle dragon.
The turtle dragon let out a majestic roar as it instantly charged at Feng Qiu who was surrounded by millions of swirling white blue red crystal shards.
With the charge of the turtle dragon, the crystal shards immediately swarmed in aiming to tear it apart, only to meet a tough defense from the shell that let out a golden glow with every sh as the turtle dragon relentlessly charged on ahead.
Its shell creaked with the ruthless and endless swarm of those shards, but it still held on long enough for the head to strike at Feng Qiu who halted its attacks with the hilt of her sword.
Dragon cyan ze
Wei Ying who was in the middle of the dragon surrounded by glowing talismans instantly formed other seals that produced a change in the turtle dragon.
The dragon instantly opened its maw letting out a a condensed green light targetted at Feng Qiu''s opal.
Feng Qiu managed to turn her head just in time to dodge the green light, that tore a few of her hairs.
Before she had a breather, Mo Liwei, whose look had transformed, and he now had two silver wings and bird legs instantly turned into a silver twirling tornado that swallowed the shards that were aiming to break through the turtle dragon''s defense. Meanwhile, Dai Chen looked like he had a red mane that glowed with ancient runes which seemed to strengthen his sword.
He instantly dove toward Feng Qiu with a downward swing bringing the force of a meteor storm with him. The air boiled with his swing.
Feng Qiu instantly swung upwards and used the force to push the turtle dragon backward while aiming to deflect Dai Chen''s swords in oneplete motion.
Creak!
Her sword immediately started creaking the moment she made contact, as she felt like the weight of the heavens was barrelling through her body.
The opal in her forehead produced an intense red glow that instantly flowed down her hand to her sword, holding it together and giving her the strength to push Dai Chen backward, only for a powerful purple force to strike her at her stomach within that instant.
Roar!
Zhang Qinggee let out a bestial roar that one couldn''t believe could be produced from such a tiny frame as she aimed to puncture through the red scales that had been produced the instant her fist connected.
Creak!
Spider-web cracks instantly started forming the more she pushed, and momentster her fist broke through instantly flinging Feng Qiu away like a kite whose strings had been cut.
"With them recklessly going out like this, I guess I have to do my part well.." Yang Qing thought with a smile as he saw Dai Chen and Zhang Qinggee abandon all thoughts of defense, charging in a foolhardy manner.
The other two judges followed suit as they swarmed Feng Qiu with relentless attacks without a care of how much qi they expended or the injuries they gained.
They all seemed to work with a single-minded devotion of destroying Feng Qiu apart, and caution be damned.
Chapter 435 Wisteria Tree, Friend Or Foe
?
With caution thrown to the wind, and the four judges no longer pulling their punches, Feng Qiu was immediately swallowed in a barrage of attacks, more than she could effectively keep a handle on.
Even though she tried to keep them at bay, with how forceful and absent of care or caution their attacks were, a couple would prate her sturdy defenses, heavily injuring her.
However, despite the scale of injuries she got, the crystal seed opal on her forehead would release a subtle red glow and her wounds would instantly close up.
The fight which had been cautious and measured before, had now turned into an all-out bloody brawl, and the intensity and the damage grew by the second.
Dai Chen and the rest would have deep cuts appearing in different parts of their bodies during the fight but an instantter, with an orange drop falling on them, the wounds would instantly close up.
Feng Qiu who was constantly being swallowed by a barrage of attacks, took a quick nce at the person responsible for the sudden change in fighting style.
An intense murderous glint shed in her eyes as her gaze briefly fell on the green-haired youth surrounded by green mes and green ocean that were constantly revolving around him, with arge pool of spiritual qi constantly being released and absorbed by him.
The techniques he released seemed to have a natural suppression to her blood-fiend arts, which enabled the four judges to act without caution despite her mixing blood poison, curses, beguiling, and mind corruption arts into her attacks. None of them seemed to have any effect on the four judges, and even if they did, they were quickly resolved by the measures of the green-haired youth.
She had half a mind to throw caution to the wind, and try and eliminate him first, but the price she would pay for that would likely be her life even with the opal''s support on her forehead.
Yang Qing whose entire focus was on supporting the four judges as best as he could, felt an intense re on him which prompted him to take a brief pause as he put on the most polite irritating smile he could muster as he innocently waved towards Feng Qiu, hoping to rile her up.
It seemed to have worked as thin fibrous veins appeared in her eyes for a brief moment before her gaze turned indifferent.
Mo Liwei and Dai Chen had taken advantage of the brief rpse tounch a simultaneous attack on her wrist shing it off, only for a thick red-blue liquid to be reproduced from her arm quickly reforming another hand.
"Hehehehe I may not be a match for Dai Chen and Qingge when ites to exerting powerful attacks but healing and restraining fiendish arts is just right up my alley.
I''ll make sure you cough up all the blood you''ve swallowed over the years, you old bark.." Y
Yang Qing instantly umped up his output as an intense green glow was released from his body along with a mystical light shing from deep within his bones.
The ground below him that had been repetitively destroyed over and over till the crater from before was now a wastnd filled with sand, ice, corrosive blood, and cracks that seemed to extend as far as the eyes could see, started showing signs of resurgence below where Yang Qing was.
Small shoots appeared, that rapidly grew inrge swaths of grasnd. The grass produced, released a radiant glow that seemed to purify the area, especially of the metallic corrosive blood scent that lingered in the area.
From grass, trees slowly started appearing, which upon reaching a meter in height, started absorbing spiritual qi in the area and constantly released it in the area, promoting the growth of more grasnd.
An air of vibrant life was immediately reproduced in an area that had been a deste wastnd moments ago.
Nature''s envoy.
Yang Qing waved his hand and the universal pearl above him floated to his mouth. He bit a piece out of it as he formed seals apanied by a strange incantation that sounded like the luby of nature.
A droplet made of the purest green color was produced from his mouth which he gently blew to the ground below him.
Within a few minutes, the area was filled with hundreds of trees, and the area covered by grasnds had tripled. A universal light rune immediately appeared from the grown grasnd and trees.
A rapid pulse was produced as the trees and the grasnds seemed to bebining to form something. Within a few seconds, a gigantic humanoid shape made of green vines slowly took form.
"What''s he doing?" Feng Qiu wondered as she detected therge amount of spiritual qi Yang Qing kept pouring into the ground below while also healing and supporting the four judges.
But all she could do was wonder because the four judges increased the pace of their attacks keeping her at bay. Even if she wanted to interfere with Yang Qing, she didn''t have the opportunity to do it.
Therge humanoid green figure took form as its facial features grew distinct. It resembled Yang Qing.
Yang Qing brought his hands together like he waspressing something. The humanoid figure below him that resembled him instantly shrunk in size to match his exact body size and shape down to even his hair.
The figure even adopted his posture as it sat down in a lotus position and seemed to be in deep meditation, mirroring Yang Qing who had closed his eyes.
Beads of sweat appeared on his face, while his skin seemed a tad bit paler like he was in a strain.
"I hope there''s a vein down there, otherwise it would put a huge strain on my soul to split my attention like this.."
His brows scrunched up a bit as he focused on his target, a spiritual vein beneath the wastnd of the sect.
He heard a weak voice saying there was a vein below as Dai Chen and the rest were fighting which prompted him to act swiftly despite the precariousness of the situation.
Even without looking, he knew the origin of that voice; it was the spirit of the Wisteria tree that was still hanging on, albeit slightly.
With its reminder, he was able to realize something he had overlooked earlier, which was understandable since it was his first sect demotion.
The Wisteria tree was special, more so for a tree like it that had gained sentience. Therefore it went without question that there had to be a special rich spiritual vein that could support its growth, and considering how the Wisteria tree was still able to maintain its life, despite the sacrificial rune Feng Qiu had used on it, that vein had to be of a high quality.
Yang Qing intended to use that spiritual vein to support an autonomous spell that would remain operational as long the spiritual vein continuously provided the necessary spiritual qi.
With the support of the spell and his own efforts, he could thoroughly suppress the fiendish effects of the arts Feng Qiu used while also boosting his own team''s abilities.
As things stood, things would remain at a stalemate for a long time. Feng Qiu seemed like she would continuously regenerate thanks to the opal on her forehead, which based on the vibes Yang Qing was getting from it, seemed to have been condensed from the lives of countless cultivators.
As per Yang Qing''s guess, this meant she would continuously siphon the lives of all the cultivators she and the sect had harvested over the years, which was in millions.
As for his end, while he could continuously heal his teammates, he wasn''t sure he would be able to oust that opal, even with the support of the universal bead above, he didn''t want to gamble that he had more in reserve whenpared to the opal.
The only way he saw out of this was if, by some sheer luck, his teammates were able tond a fatal hit before his qi ran out, which based on how things were going, the odds were slim, or he finds an alternative means to supplement their current needs, and provide additional cover for both him and his team. The spiritual vein mentioned by the Wisteria tree filled that requirement.
If he found it, he would set an autonomous spell targeted at healing his teammates, alleviating that burden on him, while he would focus on restoring their qi and working with the spell to restrain the nature of the fiendish arts Feng Qiu was using.
This was why Yang Qing decided to put a strain on his soul as he split attention with providing cover for his team, while also using the nt clone below him to search for the source of the vein below him.
Thanks to his cultivation art, he had a certain level of sensitivity to different forms of energy, more so spiritual veins that were a concentration of one, and add his Yin Yang jade bone physique, if that vein had yin nature to it, which Yang Qing was willing to bet his lunch it did, then if the spiritual vein did in fact exist, and it wasn''t some trap by the Wisteria tree, then with the natural advantages he had, the odds of finding it were high.
As for why he trusted the Wisteria tree, despite it being the center of a lot of dark deeds of the sect, based on his senses, Yang Qing, more or less guessed that the Wisteria tree had been tampered with and corrupted, which was why he felt two contrasting naturesing from it from the moment heid his eyes on it.
Chapter 436 Precursor
?
Beneath the nt vine clone of Yang Qing, a slender vine was rapidly burrowing through the sand and rock, slithering and crisscrossing everywhere as it sunk in deeper and deeper into the ground. On its tip, it was surrounded by aurora lights that would asionally drift a certain way which the vine would follow.
Meanwhile, the four judges had adjusted their fighting to suit the present circumstance. Even though Yang Qing''s boost was still there, they slightly altered their fighting to amodate him by lessening the burden of what he had to do especially when it came to dealing with their injuries.
The breadth with which they attacked didn''t reduce, because if they let up, they had no doubt that Feng Qiu would capitalize on it and attack Yang Qing. However, even if they didn''t decrease their intensity, they did slightly position themselves and also had targeted attacks.
Wei Ying seemed to have taken a more central role in the attack as she used the turtle dragon to restrain Feng Qiu''s movements along with her attacks, while Dai Chen and Zhang Qinggee increased the power of their attacks which they used as a way to contain Feng Qiu and not give her room for anything else, while Mo Liwei hanged back a bit even though he still continued with his flurry of spear attacks, with where he was positioned, it seemed to have the direct line to Yang Qing. In case of anything, with his speed, he would be able to reach Yang Qing in a heartbeat.
Despite the five of them having fought together for the first time, the smoothness of their coordination made it seem like they had been fighting together for years. This was why despite Feng Qiu knowing what they were up to, she was helpless to do anything about it. She found it hard to find an opening to exploit in the shortest amount of time not unless she decided to use much more drastic means, which she was hesitant to use especially when she saw the fin floating above them constantly releasing a dark starlight.
But just because she wasn''t willing to use taboo arts didn''t mean she was willing to let things proceed as they were.
She swiftly evaded Dai Chen''s shing sword attack and used that brief gap to make a small cutting on her palm and flung the blood that was dripping out like it was a hidden weapon attack.
Osciting blood urchin rain
Hundreds of blood-colored needles that were as thin as a single hair were reproduced from the blood from her palm which she rapidly flung towards the undefended Dai Chen and Zhang Qinggee who had been charging in.
Dai Chen used his swords to defend against the needles that were speedilying toward him, while Zhang Qingee used the force generated from her fists to deflect the iing needless.
Despite the duo doing their best to defend themselves, a few needles still managed to prate their defenses. Dai Chen had two needles in him; one on his left shoulder and another on his right forearm, while Zhang Qinggee, had one needle on her left thigh.
The skin around the areas where they had been stabbed started drying into white y as it slowly spread.
Tsk!
Feng Qiu clicked her tongue when she saw how slow-acting the needles were. When she was at the third stage of the pce realm she used the same technique to turn a first-stage pce realm cultivator, into a white dried y figurine, yet now as sixth stage pce realm cultivator, she couldn''t replicate the same feet against opponents of a simr cultivation base.
Unwilling to give up, she immediately created more needles to number a thousand, despite the drain producing those needles was on her since they required a bit of her essence to produce.
"This should give me the opening I need," she thought as her cold gaze centered on Yang Qing.
However, her pupils instantly flickered as she detected tremendous undtions of energy suddenlying from the clone below which suddenly raised its head as it faced her, and then brought its hands together to form a seal that resulted in its body ballooning. It then immediately opened its mouth and blew a green cloudy dust wave in her direction.
The wave had a gentle cool sensation to it, and smelt of spring. The blood needles on Dai Chen and Zhang Qingee started melting when they came in contact with the green particles as their petrified skins regained their normal skin.
Feng Qiu instantly reacted as sheunched the blood needless she had formed towards them, with the bulk of it being specially targeted towards Yang Qing.
However, the green cloud dust, clung tightly onto the needles, draining a bit of their energy, while Mo Liwei and Wei Ying stepped in with a joint attack to stop the attack.
The turtle giant grew in size and immediatelyunched itself sideways putting itself between the needles and the rest while Mo Liwei like a white blinding streak crisscrossed the whole battle field targeting every single needle he flew across.
In less than a minute all the needless had been eliminated as a counter-attack wasunched on Feng Qiu.
The blue koi fish around them suddenly doubled in size as it increased its output, while the cleansing melody of therk increased in fervor, in addition, there was now a raven floating above them constantly spewing out green mes that had a white coating on them.
Feng Qiu''s look turned grim, as a multitude of attacks befell her. She was continually barraged by a torrent of attacks with injuries growing by the second.
To respond to the sudden change, her technique switchedpletely to blood fiend arts. Her opal turned crimson red, with her hair turning red. It looked like it had been refined from blood, while a pungent air of blood surrounded her. It wasn''t only her hair that changed as her crimson sword looked like it had been soaked in blood especially when it constantly dripped blood, that was filled with vengeful screams.
The blood needles that she was using in a reserved manner were now being relentlessly produced with the swing of her de from the blood that was dripping on it.
Blood needles, crimson saber attacks, ck miasma, river waves of blood corruption, all sorts of attacks were continuously released by Feng Qiu with no reservations as the opal on her forehead continually let out a crimson glow that grew in intensity almost as a precursor that it was about to birth something.
Chapter 437 The crimson red Ba She (1)
Chapter 437 The crimson red Ba She (1)
The danger levels of the battle increasingly shot up with Feng Qiu adopting the same mode of fighting as the four judges.
Without care for her self-image or the amount of qi she expended, she continuously released high-level blood fiend arts with no pause or reduction in intensity.
Her moves seemed much more natural to her, refined and lethal now that shepletely switched purely to blood-fiend arts.
If there were still people who still had doubts as to the guilt of the Ice Emerald Sect, it was all eliminated now.
The air and the ground below them had turned into a purgatory. A blood river flowed below, as it released ck miasma corrupting the ground.
The only thing that seemed to stand against it was the grass field that had been formed as a result of Yang Qing''s technique, however, even part of it had been corroded by the boiling blood river that slowly encroached on more ground aiming for Yang Qing''s nt clone.
On the ground, Yang Qing had decided to use the nt clone to concentrate its abilities on healing the team members rather than split the spell''s abilities toward to healing and purification.
Yang Qing had managed to find a high-grade spirit vein that showed signs of evolving into a lesser dragon vein. It was a variant spirit vein that had yin jade liquid forming from it which was how it was able to support the growth of the Wisteria tree and even help it form a spirit.
Just a single drop of Yin jade liquid had the same energy as the output of spiritual qi from a middle-grade spiritual vein, or a barrel''s worth of spiritual liquid from a high-grade spirit vein.
Spirit liquid was the liquefication of spiritual qi, and a substantial amount of spiritual qi was required to form a drop of it. Low-grade spiritual veins were unable to form spirit liquid, and when it came to middle-grade spirit veins, those that could form it, required at least five to ten years to form a cup''s worth of spirit liquid, with the time needed to form one reducing the higher up one went on the grades of the spirit veins.
Spirit liquids were a highly coveted substance, and could be considered as natural treasures. They were purer, than spirit stones produced from those veins or the spiritual qi being released, and were also richer in energy.
As long as a weapon was quenched in spirit liquid, it had a high chance of bing a monarch-grade weapon even if said weapon was crafted by an orange-grade craftsman, and pills and potions of high caliber like the ones used by pce realm experts, as long as the alchemist used spiritual liquid in crafting it, there was a high degree of it being sessfully crafted and its quality being ster.
Spiritual liquids were considered as nature''s all-rounded tonic. It was filled with all sorts of wondrous uses. Then above spiritual liquids, were activated spiritual liquids.
Activated spiritual liquids were those spiritual liquids that had an attribute to them, and they could only be formed from spirit veins that were beginning to form a spirit. The process of gaining sentience also alters the aspects of the spirit vein as it begins to gain an identity tied to the nature of the spirit being born.
A spirit vein gaining sentience naturally was purely by luck, though one could induce it by using precious natural resources to try and trigger it, however, the cost was never worth it because, in most instances, the resources it required were above what one would gain even by expending those resources, and spirit vein''s that had their sentience triggered through outside interference rather than it urring organically, had a low ceiling of growth. They would never grow past a lesser dragon vein, despite possibly using an ascendant-grade treasure to induce its metamorphosis.
However, not all things were set in stone, because Yang Qing once read in the bio of an ancient rank 1 sect called the Pine Crane sect, they had a mature dragon vein, and rumor was the spirit vein had been a middle grade one when the sect was justing up, however, it instantly elevated when the founder was having a dao discussion with a friend of his, that led them into a state of epiphany thatsted 25 years.
The spirit vein ended up soaking the dao light and charm they had been releasing in those 25 years, and it gained a spirit, while the founder broke through to the domain realm after the 25-year epiphany state.
Even Yang Qing didn''t know whether that tale was true or not, since inducing a 25-year epiphany state was as rare as stumbling onto a saint-grade treasure, the story at least led credence to the fact that a spirit vein evolving into a lesser dragon vein was easier said than done, which was why he was shocked to find a high-grade spirit vein well on its way into bing one.
The yin jade spirit liquid it had produced was about the size of a small pond, which showed the spirit vein was just inches away from bing a lesser dragon vein.
The Wisteria tree managed to cling on to dear life, thanks to that yin jade spirit liquid and the support of the spirit vein.
Even without siphoning the liquid, Yang Qing had ample source of qi to continually produce the green cloud dust for months without worry, which was why he wasn''t disturbed by the boiling blood river slowly encroaching on the clone.
He had concentrated a denser green cloud of dust within a 500-meter radius of the clone which continuously produced it as it blew the dust to the fighting going on above.
The green cloud of dust even though its primary attribute was healing, still had suppressive effects on fiendish qi,? along with some cleansing abilities, which was how it was able to keep the miasma and blood river on the ground at bay.
...
Above the ground, Yang Qing had been using the green mes produced by the raven to drown out the miasma and eat away at every technique Feng Qiu released, reducing its lethality.
He even had enough energy to spare to attack, which he did by using the orange koi fish to blow orange water droplets toward Feng Qiu. The droplets looked like they had beenposed of acid, as Feng Qiu''s skin would get scalded every time they made contact, with a pained grimace appearing on her face.
The longer the fight went on, the worse things looked for Feng Qiu. Her body had been repetitively shed, pummelled, run though, bit through, and burned by the attacks from the five judges, as she healed over and over.
However, after half an hour, the speed with which she healed, showed a decrease, with fatigue slowly creeping on her, while on Yang Qing''s end, the universal pearl hanging above Yang Qing, had shrunk and only a quarter of it was left, while he seemed to have expended half his qi, and he wasn''t the only one, the other four judges seemed to be in a simr state even with the blue koi fish helping with the expenditure.
The good thing though was, they didn''t seem to have any injuries on them even with the tattered robes, and their slightly tired breaths and seeing the battered state Feng Qiu was in, only ignited their fighting wills further.
In tacit unison, they all charged in at the same time pushing their cultivation base and arts to the extreme, aiming to obliterate Feng Qiu in one fell swoop.
Mo Liwei turned into a gleaming silver streak that produced sonic sts as it barreled toward Feng Qiu, Wei Ying''s formation turtle dragon lit up with all sorts of glyphs as it opened its mouth, showing that something utterly terrifying was brewing in its mouth. Dai Chen''s two ck swords had transformed and turned into two golden des that released a blinding white-hot radiance It seemed like he was holding the power of two stars in his hands ready to detonate them on Feng Qiu, while Zhang Qingge''s fist caused the space around it to quake.
The four charged in simultaneously andunched their attack only for the opal in Feng Qiu''s forehead to let out a blinding red glow and an explosion sounded as the ground beneath them shook.
The attacks of the four judges were deflected by the explosion as they were sted back, and the area Feng Qiu stood was covered in dust, with the shadow of a monstrous figure slowly coiling up from it.
Chapter 438 The Crimson Red Ba She (2)
?
An overbearing pressure flooded the area as a dense smell of blood, and corpses flooded the ce.
The ground shook like a catastrophic earthquake was happening.
Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, Wei Ying, and Mo Liwei quickly stabilized as their gazes fell on the cloud of dust slowly clearing up.
"Is that still the founder?!" muttered Yang Qing as he looked at the behemoth creature that had just revealed itself from the dust.
In front of them was a snake whose size made it seem like it could swallow ten whales in a single sitting with no problem.
Just a single scale of the beast was about the size of his whole hand.
Lying before them was an enormous snake with red scales. The red scales had a shine, making it seem like they were made of red gemstones. They glistened with a beauty that was enchanting and deadly.
Its eyes had the same matching red pupils that exhibited the same dangerous allure. They seemed to have a hypnotic effect the more one stared into them.
Cold frosty red mist was constantly being released from the gaps between its scales.
"Is that a Ba She?" asked Dai Chen as he looked at the monstrosity below that was still squirming seemingly adjusting its movements to the ground it was on top of.
Every time it moved, the ground below it would formrge fissures, as it caved it from the weight of its movements.
"It would seem so, though this one, I don''t know how to put it, seems strangely artificial.." said Wei Ying as a pensive look appeared on her face.
The rm calls she felt at the start of the sentence became a lot more distinctive when the snake appeared.
In terms of strength, the snake before them, despite its size, the cultivation base still matched that of Feng Qiu, and it was that of a sixth-stage pce realm expert.
However, even though the cultivation base was the same, there was something about it that felt disconcerting. The feeling was ephemeral, which was why Wei Ying was puzzled about it, which was why she went on to share her concerns with the rest of the judges.
They all had pensive looks on their faces, especially Yang Qing, who seemed like he had something on his mind that clicked when he heard Wei Ying''s statement.
"I received something from senior Green Cocoon.."
Yang Qing made a pause when he noticed the puzzled look on the judges'' faces that seemed like they were asking the question,
"Who is this senior Green Cocoon? Howe we haven''t heard anything about him or her with a name so unique as that one.."
"Ahem, this senior is the spirit of the saint-grade treasure, the ne made from the 500,000-year-old silkworm.."
"500,000 year old silkworm...wait! the spirit talked to you?!! when I had it, it was dormant. Blue Universe said it was asleep. At the time I thought it didn''t like me much and Blue Universe only made the excuse it slept for years, to make me feel better, but when I asked about the experience of others, they all had the same experience.." Wei Ying said in an incredulous tone, with curiosity shining in her eyes like a curious cat.
"What is it like? How was its voice?" she rapidly fired one question after another.
"Even though I didn''t get a response from it, I got a warm motherly feeling from it..It helped me survive the introduction to Senior Blue Universe and Senior Veiled Destiny...." softly muttered Zhang Qingge, with her eyes showing just like Wei Ying, she too was curious about the details of Green Cocoon.
"Oh yeah the enigmatic treasure, I spent my synchronization sharing wine lists with senior Blue Enve. I wish I had more time.... the recipes he shared were ingenious..." Dai Chen said as he licked his lips with a gluttonous smile appearing on his face.
"She did talk to me once and then went silent.." Mo Liwei suddenly said with a wry smile.
"She?!"
"What did she say?"
"Sheughed and said she wished my ancestor was there to see his descendant that has a turtle''s persona...sheughed for quite a bit and then dozed off..." Mo Liwei showed he was clearly embarrassed by the tale as he lowered his voice when talking.
The embarrassment grew when he saw the looks the four judges were giving him that seemed to say
"We totally see it.."
"So the senior is ady? was her voice aged?" asked Wei Ying, which snow balled the conversation into Green Cocoon''s personality and other matters that wentpletely tangent to what Yang Qing wanted to discuss by bringing up the enigmatic saint-grade treasure.
"Do we have time for this?" he wryly thought as he looked at the Ba She that was geared to attack them.
Their conversation barely took half a minute since they were using their pce sense tomunicate, but still, Yang Qing felt odd for holding a gossip session in the middle of a fight.
"Did Mao Mao get to them too?" he wondered before he decided to refocus the topic, because he saw the Ba She was well on its way to attack them, and for some reason, he felt it was ill-tempered.
"Senior Green Cocoon left me something in my pce realm which had a slight reaction the moment the burst of red light appeared. It was only for a brief moment before it went back to normal.."
The instant the red glow appeared from the opal, Yang Qing felt the green orb floating dormant next to the green me tree at the center of his pce realm, suddenly flicker, then it went back to normal.
If Wei Ying hadn''t said anything, he would have likely overlooked the flicker and assumed it had something to do with how hard he was pushing his realm as he multi-tasked.
His guess was reasonable since when pce realm cultivators fought, their pce realm would exhibit changes since it was a conduit for their power. The green ocean within his pce realm had been repetitively swaying back and forth with a lot of high tides appearing, while the green me tree burned with a fiery green me that reached the skies of his pce realm.
He thought the green orb that had formed as a result of what Green Cocoon gave him, had reacted due to the changes in his pce realm since it was within the vicinity, and Green Cocoon had likely given him to aid him in his cultivation.
It reacting to the movements within his pce realm seemed reasonable enough, that is until Wei Ying shared her doubts.
Chapter 439 The Solitary Figure
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"We can''t hold off any longer.." Wei Ying grimly said as the other four judges nodded in agreement.
"Just in case we need to be ready to deploy the convocation golden radiant feather in conjunction with the peng''s fin with its seals unlocked..At the slightest sign, we act.." she added.
The five judges all took out their gold eagle medallions and formed a seal that instantly made the medallions melt into their palms, forming a gold eagle symbol on the skin at the top of their palms.
"Also I hope the three of you can hold on for half a minute, I''ll need Yang Qing''s help to deploy a binding array within the turtle dragon strong enough to trap the snake into ce..." Wei Ying said as she addressed Mo Liwei, Dai Chen, and Zhang Qingge.
The three nodded as they went to their respective position ready tounch an attack while Yang Qing left his position and flew into the turtle dragon''s shell, with the shrunken universal pearl following.
The ba she hissed as it released a pressure that would have likely petrified any man or beast at the early stage of the pce realm and below, with those below the pce realm likely exploding into mists.
However, the four judges remained unmoved even when exposed to such a fearsome pressure. One had the bloodline of a hou, a creature that could swallow even dragons when angered, another had the bloodline of a simr high-ranking mythical beast, the roc, a creature that could easily traverse through one of the most perilous areas in the world, the void space, while the other three had been exposed to scarier sensations than the one the ba she was releasing.
The Ba She as if angry and embarrassed at the underwhelming effects of its disy, opened its mouth as it rose up bloating the sky and submerging the area in a sudden darkness with the only source of light being the red glimmering of its scales.
A red lc gust apanied by tens of thousands of blood needles that seemed more condensed and deadlier than the ones released by Feng Qiu, were instantly released like an explosion from a volcano, aiming to drown the five judges.
Roc void flight tempest
Mo Liwei pushed his speed and spear intent to the extreme as heunched himself toward the red gust and tens of thousands of needles.
Mo Liwei felt a strange sensation envelop his body as he flew up, spear in hand. His body felt lighter, almost as if it was made of nothing but free-flowing air, his breath was hotter, and his vision had changed.
Time seemed like it had frozen, while he could see wavy purple-green aurora lights flowing from the west to east, as far as his eyes could see, and within that light, there were different channels.
He instinctively knew the purpose of those channels, and that if he dove into one, if he so wished he could reach the closest branch of the Order within two minutes despite it being over 5,000 kilometers away.
However, he also knew his body as it was couldn''t handle the dense dark grey mist that was floating within those channels like a viscous substance. But that only applied to the major channels, there were millions of tiny channels floating around the aurora lights, though their distances were shorter, the dark grey star mist contained in them was thin, and Mo Liwei felt it was to the extent he could handle.
"Is this what a pure-blooded Roc sees?" he thought as he gently waved his hands with an incredulous look especially when he saw theplex ancient scripts that were now shing on each of the feathers that were on the wings in his hands.
He then turned his gaze back to the aurora lights and then the red mist and the tens of thousands of needless that were moving at a snail-paced speed. The needles look like rocksnding on thick mud.
Mo Liwei firmly gripped his spear, as he eyed the millions of tiny channels tracing their points of convergence. Despite them numbering over millions, Mo Liwei only needed to take a short nce, to find the nexus between the channels and the needles.
He gently floated into one of the channels, and like a fish through water, he swam through it at first, then a secondter it seemed like the dark grey star mist in that tiny channel seemed to be carrying him to his desired path, and all Mo Liwei had to do was nothing.
Mo Liwei let himself loose, and willingly allowed his body to be carried by the mist, with his wings rapidly shing with ancient scripts every time they made contact with the grey star mist.
It wasn''t long before he arrived at the first needle. He gently stabbed in slow motion with his spear which had also been coated with the dark grey star mist.
The needle broke like weak ss, and Mo Liwei was carried to the next and the next.
To Mo Liwei everything moved slowly but outside, it was a different view from the other judges.
Yang Qing and the rest had already geared themselves for a fight and positioned themselves appropriately especially when they saw the swarming needles. They knew even with Mo Liwei''s speed, there would be blood needles that would pass through, due to the sheer numbers, and the explosive power contained in them. So they had to prepare themselves for that eventuality.
However, just as they were readying themselves, they felt a sudden change in air from Mo Liwei, that immediately tranted physically. A silver light exploded from his body as his head transformed into that of an eagle-like bird.
It had silver feathers, and silver eyes that had swirling irises that seemed like they could swallow space. It also had a silver beak that had ancient glowing glyphs on it. His wings grew more streamlined and had a grandeur mystic charm about them.
Mo Liwei''s figure then seemed like it had vanished, and in a single breath, all the needles had been soundlessly vaporized, while the red lc mist that wasing toward them vanished like it had been swallowed in something.
When Mo Liwei appeared it was in front of the eyes of the Ba She. A solitary silver figure, that was half the size of the eyes of the massive figure in front of him, however that figure had a presence that dwarfed that massive figure.
Chapter 440 Binding The Ba She (1)
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Ssh!
A bursting geyser of blood appeared suddenly from the Ba She''s massive eye, with Mo Liwei''s figure suddenly disappearing, as he reappeared at the other end.
The Ba She let out a ferocious cry as it wreathed in pain, which resulted in its gigantic body moving all over the ce.
The cry created a storm, as it spewed out a bloody mist rain from its mouth. Just like before, thanks to Mo Liwei''s interference the bloody mist that wasrge enough to drown an entire city, vanished.
If it wasn''t for the metallic scent of blood that lingered in the air, one could easily assume that the huge blood mist wave was nothing more than an illusion.
"With Mo Liwei handling the defense, I have additional time to make it more versatile.." muttered Wei Ying as she took out a block of wood that had formation glyphs inscribed on it along with four empty triangr slots on each side.
The Ba She''s screams stopped after a few seconds while its shed eye was instantly restored.
It stared warily at Mo Liwei as it geared up another attack. Its red scales opened up releasing more mist that had more purple than red.
From the flowery scent that came from it, it was no doubt poisoned. Other than that, a white fog was produced, along with crystal ice spears that had purple edges.
In its mouth, a high amount of energy was constantly being produced and condensed, as it looked to be brewing something.
Mo Liwei disappeared and reappeared in front of it, but as if it had anticipated his move, the Ba She, rapidly coiled itself at a speed that wasn''t expected from such a gargantuan body.
Arge spray of blood instantly appeared where its head had been, only now what had been sliced apart wasn''t its head, but a part of its tail, which started regenerating albeit at a slow pace after being shed by Mo Liwei''s strike.
The Ba She had coiled its body, burying its head deep withinyers of its massively coiled body.
Mo Liwei unwilling to give up,unched more attacks at it creating hundreds of shed wounds appearing at different parts of its body, causing an eruption of blood in its wake.
That blood produced was so high that a small blood pond formed beneath the Ba She, of course, due to itsrge frame, the pond may have well been a small puddle inparison.
But even with the injuries continuously being inflicted on it, the Ba She endured it with a dense amount of energy continuously being gathered at the location where it had hidden its head.
No matter what Mo Liwei did, it refused to budge and just endured. The two sides seem to have been locked at a stalemate.
Mo Liwei''s speed may have increased tremendously, but the attack power though it had also experienced a significant increase, was not to the extent that it would allow him to run the massive Ba She through.
If it was not for the void energy coated on his spear, he had doubts if he could have easily punctured through the scales and part of its flesh as easily as he did, but even then with the help of the void energy, all he could do was pierce about 50 inches in, which was tiny considering howrge the Ba She was.
While the damage was still significant, due to the number and the presence of the void energy that slowly ate away at its flesh, corroded its blood essence and qi, it still wasn''t much in therger scheme of things, seeing how it was still able to heal the wounds he caused, and the ce that seemed vulnerable was hidden beneathyers andyers of scales.
Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge, instantly stepped in as theyunched attacks of their own to try and create a hole in its defense.
They could feel whatever it was brewing from its mouth wasn''t something they wanted to face.
A storm of attacks instantly flooded the coiled Ba She, with a rain of blood being produced in the wake of it but no matter how horrendous the attack the Ba She did not move, however, with the way things were going, it did not look like it could adopt the turtle technique indefinitely.
The wounds grew deeper and deeper with each passing second, and the three judges concentrated their attacks in one singr location of its body increasing the prative damage they could cause in the shortest amount of time.
It released a storm of purple-red mist and the crystal ice spears in an explosive attack to try and reduce their speed.
The ice crystal and the purple-red mist were not targetted but were instead released in all directions in an effort to surround its body like a form of outer protection and also hinder the movements of the three judges.
However, with Mo Liwei leading the pincer attack, he managed to create a clear path within that crystal ice spear storm, for the other two, and the three of them continued with their attacks.
With the way things were developing, it seemed it would only be a matter of time before they pierced a way through to its head.
Meanwhile, Wei Yin looked like she had just about finished carving thest glyph on a triangr block of wood that she inserted into the log littered with glyphs.
"Yang Qing, I''ll need your help to pump spiritual qi into my array, also I''ve added an assimtion rune that should allow the turtle dragon to incorporate your yang white mes.
I know it''s a lot but I need you to pump spiritual qi while also releasing the yang white mes, while I handle the binding part, which should make it easy for the three of them to behead it..."
"Whatever you need, senior Wei Ying.."
When she had called him over for his help, he could more or less guess the reasons for it.
Wei Ying proceeded to ce the log of wood into the central rune located at the center of the shell of the turtle dragon.
The moment it was in ce the glyphs all lit up as green light traveled from the log into the shell lighting up other runes; four to be exact.
Wei Ying took out four other items from her storage ring. They were all materials that were in the monarch grade but one in particr drew Yang Qing''s gaze.
It looked to be a part of a turtle shell, and from the lingering energy it released, it seemed to have been taken from the shell of a turtle that was in thete stage of the pce realm.
The air around the scale seemed to weave and bend, as it released dense wood and water energy.
"Is that from an eighth-stage bluevine turtle?" Yang Qing curiously asked, as he hastily tried to cover up the slight gluttonous gleam in his eyes.
He, Feng Xin, and the king of the White Baobab kingdom had once each contributed 100 high-grade spirit stones andmissioned an information organization topile a list of 1,000 spirit beasts and spiritual herbs that were famed for their tastes.
The list took four years topile, and the trio sampled a few of the listed ingredients to confirm if that organization had done their job well, and they did.
The bluevine turtle had made it into the list.
Chapter 441 Binding The Ba She (2)
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Seeing the piece of its shell in front of him, Yang Qing couldn''t help but hope that Wei Ying had its corpse stashed somewhere. He wouldn''t even mind trading the bulk of the treasures he received on his ceremony for a shot at getting the meat from her. The bluevine turtle had excellent camouge abilities and could only be found in two ces; the churning sea, and the blue-origin ocean.
Despite his gluttonous nature, Yang Qing wouldn''t risk heading out to those ces, not unless he was in the middle orte stages of the domain realm, and had a saint-grade treasure to protect himself, but until then, he would avoid those two ces.
"Mmh ..." she answered which drew a childish joyous look from Yang Qing.
"I only have a piece of its shell, that I won at an auction, sadly.." she said with an apologetic smile seemingly seeing through Yang Qing''s intention with his question.
"Oh...." Yang Qing instantly deted as henguidly ced his right palm facing upwards.
Universal light bee
A multitude of light coalesced in his palms and weaved together to form a bee that seemed like it was made of celestial light. The bee gazed around as if it was familiarizing itself with its new surroundings. It then started grooming itself as it cleaned its eyes, thorax, abdomen, and finally wings.
Every time it did so, it would release a rainbow-like glow from its body. From its movements, one could even mistake it for a real bee from its lifelike reactions.
"You have really interesting spells. I heard you picked an iplete purple grade art, is this from that art?" asked Wei Ying as her eyes sparked at the celestial-looking bee that pumped its thorax when it detected her gaze, which drew a chuckle from her.
"Yes, I did...When ites to attacking power it''s average as it falls short of even some gold-grade arts, but when ites to versatility and adaptability in its uses, there are very few I found thate close to it.
It''s a boundless art, that keeps unraveling more and more. I love it.." Yang Qing gingerly said, as he poked the bee and sent it on its way toward the clone at the ground.
The bee was an rm bell. It was a cultivation spell built for detecting the minute of changes to the surroundings.
With the earlier spections, Yang Qing felt more measures were needed to alert them. The bee could serve as a sentry for any changes within and outside the battlefield, as it sustained itself using the energy the clone was drawing from the ground.
Wei Ying cast onest look at the bee as she sighed before she ced thest monarch-grade treasure at thest rune.
The turtle dragon that was incorporeal before instantly zed with a green-blue light that went all around its body before it finally condensed in its shell, which turned lifelike.
"Senior Wei Ying isn''t a top-tier blue-grade formation master for nothing.." Yang Qing said in admiration as he stretched his palm outward to touch the shell. The shell shimmered like it was made of a gtinous substance with dense runes flickering on it.
"If you want modifications done, you can alwayse to your big sister here... I''ll make sure to give you a friendly rate. I had you have a sizeable treasure on you.." Wei Ying said with an innocent smile that made Yang Qing''s face twitch.
Money grubbers all of them
Thought Yang Qing as outwardly he gave out an obsequious smile while ttering Wei Ying on how he would be her first call.
However, the ttery was cut short when both judges turned in the same direction.
The energy brewing from the Ba She suddenly paused.
Without even being told, Yang Qing instantly pumped his spiritual qi into the central run that had the log in it, while he used his free hand to form another seal which he poured into the log, and resulted in a white me coating the shell.
As for the three judges, in a sudden sh, they appeared behind the turtle dragon, and in good timing too, because the instant they reappeared, 10 blood spears wereunched from the Ba She.
The spears were of normal size and length, except each of the 10 released enough power to decimate an entire kingdom, and they were blood red, the blood continuously dripping from them, and had ancient runes in them that released a ferocious air.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosion after explosion sounded every time the spears collided with the shell of the turtle dragon that had erged to shield Dai Chen, Zhang Qingee, and Mo Liwei, from the aftermath of the collision.
The shell released a blue-green membrane as it shed with dozens of runes, trying to contain the force of the spear attack.
Sizzling sounds were produced from every collision, with the blood from the spears eating away at the shield.
Wei Ying gritted her teeth as she pushed the array to the maximum while Yang Qing unreservedly pumped out his spiritual qi and yang white mes as fast as he could.
They all had grim expressions as they could feel their organs shift and their blood churn just from the explosion that was produced by the collision.
The barrage of the ten spear attacks seemed like they hadsted a lifetime despite them taking up just two seconds.
"Is this still an attack from someone in the sixth stage?" Yang Qing wondered as he looked at the shield that was quickly repairing itself with a blue-green veil, at the areas that had received the most damage.
The results were a bit hard to swallow since the core material used on it was a piece of shell from an eighth-stage pce realm spirit beast. Even though it didn''t mean it had the strength of the turtle, it still had aspects of it that could be used by a seasoned formation master to create an overwhelming defense.
He quickly pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, when he saw five more spears forming as they hovered above the Ba She''s head like a crown.
They instantly honed in on them, bringing much more destruction and power than the other ten.
Wei Ying waved seal after seal, as the runes above her constantly shed and rotated increasing their power output to sturdy the shell.
Bang!
Their ears started ringing, and they felt their bones quaking, from the collision force.
The shell creaked and squirmed, almost like it was about to give out, letting through the carnage spears of death, but it held on, and as the white yang mes cleansed the shield of the blood spears'' corrosive power.
Now!
Wei Ying yelled as aplex rune appeared on her hands, which she channeled to the center of the rune.
The turtle dragon as if in response instantly elongated its body and barreled to the Ba She like a force of nature.
The Ba She that had just conjured five more spears, instantly released them when it saw the charging turtle dragon.
The turtle dragon let out a roar as it released a radiant cyan beam that was coated in white mes. The beam tore through one spear, and it used the gap created to push its head through toward the Ba She aiming to bite it while the other four were blocked by its shell.
Before the turtle dragon head could reach the Ba She, it quickly condensed one more spear, but just as it wasunching it, a silver streak smacked into the blood spear, veering it off course.
The blood spear missed the dragon by an inch, and the silver streak turned into a blur as it moved back behind the shell of the turtle dragon.
Mo Liwie instantly reappeared whizzing with a bloody wound on his arms that was corroding. The thing that seemed to be keeping the corrosion at bay was the grey coating on some of the feathers that had remained.
"That spear isn''t simple.." he said. A white-green me instantly appeared on his arm, burning the corrosive blood away while healing him.
The turtle dragon took the opportunity created by Mo Liwe and managed to bite the Ba She which had opened its own mouth to contend with the turtle dragon.
However, the turtle dragon suddenly elongated its head when it was about to make contact and rounded the Ba She, coiling around its neck, and used the force of rounding it, to drag it to the ground, aiming to forcibly uncoil it.
Boom!
Another explosion sounded when the Ba She was pulled with tremendous force to the ground.
The turtle dragon used its two limbs to forcibly hold it in ce as it writhed, while the rest of the dragon''s body started coiling around the Ba She, which instinctively released corrosive purple-red mist and ice shards to prevent the turtle dragon from coiling around its body.
A white me that coated the turtle dragon''s body, melted the mist away and slowly ate away at the ice crystals which were also constantly being disintegrated by cyan round lights released from the different parts of the dragon''s body.
Slowly but surely, the dragon started binding the Ba She in ce which gave an opportunity for Mo Liwei and the rest to join the fight and hasten the process.
Chapter 442 Vortex Vine Seal
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The Ba She writhed, twisted, and turned, all in a bid to get rid of the turtle dragon that was more snake-like than dragon with how it coiled around the Ba She.
Ferocious screams were released from the Ba She as it spewed out corrosive dark red blood from its mouth in a bid to melt the dragon, and then immediately followed up with other means.
It tried rolling itself on the ground, which created more tremors on the ground. The force of those rolls was so tremendous that it left ringing in the ears of Yang Qing and the rest.
When that didn''t seem to work, it released purple-ck miasma from its nose and from the gap between its red gem-like scales.
The purple miasma seemed to have the same corrosive effects as the dark red blood it had produced, except it now had more features to it, such as poison, and eating away at the surrounding spiritual qi.
The yang-white mes on the turtle dragon instantly grew in intensity as they mushroomed aiming to swallow the miasma being produced.
The nt clone of Yang Qing from below instantly stopped releasing green cloud dust as blue flowers appeared on different parts of its body.
The flowers closed and opened releasing a faint blue mist.
With how the battle was progressing, based on the pressing needs, Yang Qing decided to change the autonomous spell below from a healing one to one that replenished their qi, while also boosting the effects of the yang white mes.
The blue mist replenished the qi they had been expending while it seemed to also amplify the effects of the white mes as they burned with an even more intense radiance.
The blue mist was a weed help as it seemed like the turtle dragon was almost thrown off from the sheer power and attacks the Ba She was repetitively releasing.
In the midst of it, it even tried to quickly reform two blood spears above its head and a third miniature one in its mouth, but they were quickly snuffed out at the source by Zhang Qingge, Dai Chen, and Mo Liwei, who had various injuries on their bodies because they now had to work without Yang Qing''s healing and purification ability.
However, they had sturdy bodies that could handle the attacks the Ba She was rampantly releasing in desperation.
The Ba She kept trying to reform the blood spears, which the trio were quick to nip in the bud.
The spears didn''t look like they were easy to form and required a certain level of care and preparation to form. This was why the Ba She took quite some time at the start before it released them, but now out of desperation it kept trying to wantonly release them without a modicum of care and preparation and it seemed to havee at a cost. For one their power was greatly diminishedpared to the early ones and the other, the Ba She seemed like it was paying a penalty for rapidly forming them.
Some of its scales had greyed out and were peeling off.
Mo Liwei and the rest kept the spears in check, while more of its scales wilted off as a result. However, even with their power diminished, it still required considerable effort from the trio to keep them at bay. Their injuries kept growing as a result of it, however, with the blue mist slowly pervading the area, they at least didn''t have to worry about expending their qi.
Meanwhile, within the turtle dragon shell, Wei Ying and Yang Qi were undergoing a battle of their own.
Yang Qing''s hands were trembling because of the exertion he was put through in providing spiritual qi to the turtle dragon while also releasing the white yang mes. Luckily for him, he had the universal pearl to help share the burden in terms of qi expenditure on the array, however, it was rapidly shrinking, and its size was about the size of a pea.
When the universal pearl got drained, he wasn''t sure how much he could hold on. As it stood he had already drained half his spiritual qi and half of that had been drained the moment they started engaging the Ba She in close-quarterbat. He could only hope Wei Ying would have already executed whatever it was that she was cooking up.
There was a small disc on her hand constantly revolving with around with glowing glyphs. She continuously manipted it with her hand seals, like she was deciphering a code from it.
Whatever she was doing didn''t seem easy with her nosebleeding and her hands shaking, but even then she never averted her calm gaze from the disc as she kept drawing azure cyan seals on it.
Two minutes shed by and pandemonium seemed like it had descended on the ce, with the five judges and the massive Ba She locked in a full frontal confrontation, with an air of desparation pervading the area.
The Ba She grew more desperate in its attacks, as it seemed to have detected the situation was starting to turn unfavorable for it. It still couldn''t pry the turtle dragon off no matter how hard it rolled and how much miasma it released, the turtle dragon desperatelytched on like a tick on a cow, while the three judges constantly attacked it or interrupted some of its attacks.
A desperate and ferocious glint shed in its eyes seemingly resolving itself for something. In the next moment about five thousand of its scales dimmed out which resulted in it grimacing in pain as ruptured ckened veins took the ce of those scales.
A piercing scarlet right that smelled of decay was instantly released from its mouth as it twisted its head targeting the shell of the turtle dragon.
The transition from the greyed scales to the release of the scarlet streak was so short and so fast, that the three judges reacted when it had already been released and was making its way to the where Wei Ying and Yang Qing were.
Mo Liwei had already expended himself in the fight and could no longer prate the void as he did earlier, so his reaction though fast had returned to what it was earlier, despite that he was the first to react as he collided with the red streak head on.
Something that fast, andrge, he couldn''t afford to deflect it like he did before. He also noticed the Ba She seemed to have allowed part of its body to have a tight contact with the turtle dragon, and that part was coincidentally where Yang Qing and Wei Ying were.
If he tried to pull the same move he did earlier by deflecting it, he had no doubt the Ba She would drag the shell to the path of the attack, even if it was caught in the crosshairs. The only option to dissolve this , was to face the attack head on.
Bang!
The moment he made contact, Mo Liwei who already had other injuries , felt like his body had been barrelled by a hundred mountains with sharpened edges.
His blood churned as his throat welled up in blood, all his organs were rocked from their positions, while his hands ruptured almost instantly as it spread to his shoulders, while his orifices soon followed in bleeding out.
Just when he felt he was at the end of his tether, he suddenly felt the burden on him lighten as tow other forces stepped in.
Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge, who were a step slower, also reacted and stepped in time, before Mo Liwei was sliced through by the attack. They too immediately got wounds upon intervening, but with theirbined effort they managed to halt the blood-red streak and managed to deflect it upwards after an intense struggle.
The sh barelysted three seconds, but they were left struggling to hold even a breath with their robes in tatters, as they grimly looked at the Ba She that looked like it was gearing itself for another.
Luckily, their intervention managed to buy Wei Ying time as she eximed in victorious joy as the disc in her hand split into eight wooden swords that had a green glow on them and glittering blue runes.
Vortex vine seal
A blue-green vine appeared between the eight wooden swords, tying them together.
Wei Ying took one of the wooden swords and disappeared from the shell only to reappear at the tail end of the turtle dragon.
A blue glow instantly appeared on its tail, which seemed to lock the Ba She''s wriggling tail in ce. Wei Ying instantly stabbed it the moment it was locked, and the green sword lit up as it transformed into a knot which then anchored the tail of the Ba She firmly in ce.
No matter how much it tried to move it, it was like its tail had been paralyzed.
Blue rune markings appeared from the end of the tail and proceeded for almost four hundred meters, and stopped.
Everywhere the rune markings appeared, movement of the Ba She halted.
Chapter 443 Language Of The Mythical Creatures
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The Ba She''s pupils which were the size of a human head, visibly trembled when it detected it had lost all sensation of the tail and the slightly apanying region.
The shock and fear that came from that realization made it act with even more desperation as it twisted and turned its body in a bid to overturn the turtle dragon and even take a bite out of it.
However, with a part of its body paralyzed, the strength it could release coupled with the coordination of its body was at a dissonance.
The sudden loss of its tail, coupled with the shock it brought, affected its fighting abilities, as it was no more than a hysterical beast that was about to lose all reason.
Wei Ying quickly grabbed the next cyan wooden array sword and moved further up the body of the turtle dragon.
Though even if she was moving up, she was still within the lower region.
Just like before, a blue rune appeared on the turtle dragon, which pulled in a part of the Ba She''s body and immobilized it just like before.
Wei Ying formed a quick seal and stabbed the sword, which melted and turned into a vine knot anchoring that part of the Ba She to the ground.
Immediately after numerous glyphs appeared on the body of the Ba She just like earlier paralyzing it, except this time the range of the glyphs seemed to have doubled. It hit the 1200-meter mark before it finally stopped.
The Ba She went hysterical on realizing it had yet lost sensation to more parts of its body. It writhed and turned with so much force that it started bleeding as it tore its flesh from the force of themotion.
Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, and Mo Liwei stepped in, and flooded it with attacks to negate its movements, especially closer to the region Wei Ying was headed to.
Thanks to their help she was able to smoothly stab in another wooden sword, increasing the area of paralysis.
The fourth one soon followed, then the fifth, by the time it reached the fifth, half of the body of the Ba She had already been paralyzed, and a blue vine note that had countless glyphs in it, appeared on its skin.
It was only after the sixth one had been ced did the smooth journey they had been makinge to an abrupt end.
After the sixth wooden sword had been stabbed, the Ba She went dazed and stopped moving for a brief second.
It was then that a red rune almost simr to the one that had appeared in the blood-red spears appeared in its eyes, and then the opal that had disappeared under the multitude of red scales finally appeared.
It instantly melted upon making an appearance, 3/4 of the red scales left on it upper body all flickered with an intense crimson light that fed into the melted opal.
A thorn-like rune instantly appeared on the Ba She''s body from its head as it quickly made its way downwards.
Dai Chen and the rest, even though they didn''t know what the red thorn''s purpose was, decided rather than find out, it was best to intercept.
They attacked it to try and stop it in its tracks, but every time their attacks fell, the thorn would disappear deeper into the Ba She''s flesh, then reappear a secondter, away from the attack slowly making its way to the blue glyphs that were in its lower half.
Yang Qing increased his output of the white mes while he reduced the amount of spiritual qi he released to try and stop the red thorn. While the white yang mes seemed to have an effect, it was only slightly.
Yang Qing was already spent so even the effects of his spells had dropped slightly, and he could abandon all caution and pour everything into the yang-white mes since he still needed to support the turtle dragon which was their main attacking force.
Well, I only need to dy the thorn long enough for senior Wei Ying to pierce the sixth sword, with that three-quarters of its body will be paralyzed, even if the seventh fails, dealing with a quarter will be easily manageable even with all of us at ourst qi reserves, and we still have that..
Yang Qing''s gaze turned briefly to a dark object above them that made it seem like the sun during a sr eclipse.
It floated there unassumingly. But that unassuming object was a top-tier ascendant-grade treasure they had used to seal the space and even contained the force of their attacks within the territory of the Ice Emed Sect.
It was fashioned over a tiny part of the kun peng in its kun form. It had the ability to seal space and also act as a barrier.
If worstes to worst they could use their medallion and unlock its full abilities and use it on the Ba She, however, that was ast resort because their medallions would be temporarily rendered useless for using them to forcibly activate a top-tier ascendant grade treasure. Which would then mean, they would lose the life-saving trump card embedded in it.
Other than its integral functions tied to the courtroom, the medallion also served as a defensive treasure. It could block one full-blown attack from a quasi-soul formation expert. The user didn''t even have to activate it or use their own qi to trigger it, making it one of the best life-saving treasures they could have, but if they used it to activate the ascendant-grade artifact, the medallion would lose the energy required to trigger its life-saving defense.
"Things are not yet dire, there is no need to worry about it now and should focus on what i can do at the moment.." Yang Qing thought as he pushed those pessimistic thoughts to the back of his mind.
Yang Qing''s white yang mes managed to dy the red thorns long enough for Wei Ying to stab the sixth wooden sword into the Ba She.
Just like before, the Ba She was first anchored to the ground, and then the bluevine glyphs appeared on its body, rapidly traveling towards its upper half.
However unlike before the glyphs only managed to travel for about 600 meters before they halted in their tracks.
The red thorns branched out to form a barricade, then the worm-like ck glyphs appeared on them, triggering the thorns to move forward toward the bluevine glyphs.
Upon making contact, the bluevine glyphs started getting corroded by the ck glyphs. One glyph after another started crumbling down reced by the red thorn.
"How?!" Wei Ying had an incredulous look on her face when she saw her handiwork being broken through so easily.
The vortex vine seal was a blue-grade formation she had created with the help of some of the gold-grade formation masters from the formation hall.
Thanks to their assistance, the formation was one of the biggest trump cards she had in her arsenal. By itself, the formation array could be considered to be at the low tier, but its grade was not stagnant and could be elevated considering what core treasure she used to anchor the array.
The array was built with the workings of the bluevine turtle in mind. That spirit beast was mercurial in nature. It was reserved, kept to itself and one might even think it docile, however it had another side to it. It could be considered an assassin of the ocean.
It had top-tier camouging abilities, and along with that, it had one of the most terrifying binding abilities. It sneaks around and binds its target, sealing not only their movement but their qi and paralyzing them, leaving the target essentially undefended.
Its binding was swift, unlike how Wei Ying''s was going. If a real bluevine turtle had been here, it would have bound the Ba She in the time it took to blink an eye, and it would have swallowed it just as fast.
With Wei Ying using a piece of a shell from the bluevine turtle, elevated the vortex seal power to the top tier of blue-grade formation since the core material was from an eighth-grade bluevine turtle, and because Wei Ying had fashioned the array from the abilities of a bluevine turtle it made drawing power from its shell seamless.
Thanks to that she could exert the formation to produce the power of a middle-stage pce realm cultivator, which was why she had been able to bind the Ba She so fast, but the retaliation of the Ba She surprised her. The fact that it could forcibly erase the binding, meant its might had essentially stepped into thete stages of the pce realm.
The blue glyphs were eaten away by the red thorn, and the 600 meter ground they had gained, had been eaten away to the 400 meter mark.
Wwu Ying on seeing this, hurriedly took out a blue milky white pearl that was in the shape of an egg. It had crystal wavey lines that had a mystical charm to it.
Wei Ying had a pained look on her face as she crashed the pearl into particles which she then used like ink with her index finger as a quil and started scribbling something onto thest sword.
Whatever she was doing seemed to be taking a toll on her. She had just written seven characters, but writing each of those seven characters made veins from her forehead down to her hand throb. By the time she wrote her second character, the flesh on her index finger burst open. The blood that was produced from it was immediately swallowed by the de like it was a ravenous mouth.
Despite the pain that she seemed she was on , she continued until she wrote thest character.
The moment it was finished the sword hummed as a wave of spiritual qi that had mystical charm to it funnelled into the sword lighting up the seven characters.
Wei Ying used whatever strength she had left in her arm tounch the sword towards the spot upied by sixth sword.
As if triggering a chain reaction, the other five sword anchors resonated with it as they released a piercing blue light. The glyphsbined and reformed into five of the inscrutable characters Wei Ying had drawn on the seventh sword.
A mythical bestial cry was produced from those formed characters. Even without knowing what beast that cry came from, all who heard it intrinsically knew what that cry meant.
[DEVOUR][INSANTIABLE HUNGER]
The cry made it seem like whatever beast it came from could devour the whole world and all of its lifeform and still remain unsatisfied.
"Senior sister Wei Ying has even mastered thenguage of the Taotie?!" Yang Qing wondered in shock.
Chapter 445 Laugh Of Sorrow
?
An almost volcanic-like explosion of dust was created the moment the Ba She''s head made contact with the ground, which served as evidence of how massive the beast was.
At the ground, blood continuously leaked from its dismembered head, and the rest of its body, forming a blood river that drenched the ground below it, releasing miasma.
The level of miasma was low inparison to the amount it released when it was fighting for dear life, trying to escape the clutches of the turtle dragon.
Meanwhile, thebined attack of the three judges i.e. Mo Liwei, Zhang Qingge, and Dai Chen, had yet to fully subside.
Its remnants still sent shockwaves throughout thend and the skies, showing the cmity had yet to end.
Earlier and even as the fight went on, there were still some bystanders, though shaken, still had their nerves on them to continue spectating, and even entertain thoughts of fishing in troubled waters.
The world was arge ce and it was filled with all sorts of characters, and among them, there was no shortage of those who would seek to capitalize on the moment, no matter the risk, but the moment thebined attack of the three judges dropped, any notion of interference, capitalization was immediately erased.
That attack, even though they were not there, gave them an intimate knowledge of what it felt like to be embraced by death. Just the air it released, spoke of unimaginable destruction, and when it fell even though they were miles away, they had fears they would get swallowed up in it.
This sentiment wasn''t only shared by the onlookers, but also by the organizations that bordered the territory of the Ice Emerald Sect.
Those in charge of those regions had quickly deployed the protective arrays in preparations for the aftermath of the attack in case it was powerful enough to even affect them.
Luckily for them, only faint tremors managed to reach that far, however, what they didn''t know was, had the ascendant-grade treasure above the Ice Emerald Sect not been there, then the shockwaves of the attack, would have been more than just tremors, and their protection arrays would have been put to the test on their abilities.
As the dust cleared, a haggard team of five could be seen whizzing and gasping for breathe.
Their faces had dried blood stains, their bodies had mild tremors that even tranted to the weapons they held, while the turtle dragon that had been the deciding factor in all this, was already fading away into mots of green light, and what was left behind was a log that had numerous runes and glyphs inscribed on it, along with the symbol of a turtle dragon at the center.
"That sure was one tough snake.." Wei Ying said in between gasping for breath.
Of the five, she was the one who had expended the most, especially towards the end when she took primary in both offense and defense, creating an opportunity to fell the Ba She once and for all, and the result of it was her bleeding from all orifices of her body, her body looked emaciated and starved of everything.
She looked more corpse than a human, and the cheeky beauty from before couldn''t be seen. However, the rest of the judges didn''t look good either.
Mo Liwei was hunched over with veins all over his face, with a pained look on him as he looked that he was just about seconds away from passing out. He seemed like he had managed to keep himself afloat thanks to the shoulder support Dai Chen was giving him, who was another mangled mess himself. The flesh in his arms had been split in dozens ofcerations that revealed bone, and thecerations extended to his torso. None of his upper body was left unbloodied, as for Zhang Qingge, her right arm was bent awkwardly with spasms all over her body.
The only person who looked okay was Yang Qing, but he was as pale as snow from all the spiritual qi he had expended.
"The abilities she had, didn''t seem that of a sixth-stage pce realm cultivator, and how did she turn into a Ba She?" Mo Liwei weakly said as he put away his spear.
"Especially that red thorn.." interjected Wei Ying, who still struggled toe to terms that her binding array had been broken through despite being powered by material from ate-stage spirit beast.
"It''s a pity, I would have loved to analyze that red thorn to better improve the vortex vine seal array.." she added as she eyed the corpse of the Ba She.
The red thorn from earlier had already disappeared, and its color had changed. It was dull grey and looked like a desating corpse. It had lost that dangerous alluring red gleam look from its red scales.
The only intimidating thing it had left was its monstrous size, that was half of what it was, with the other half already disappeared the moment the turtle dragon turned into mots of light.
"This fight has made me realize how scary the instructors are, and here I thought I''d get my revenge on them.." Yang Qing depressingly said as a bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
"That''s what I was thinking too.. as powerful as she was, the founder was stillcking by no small margin inparison to them, even to the junior instructors who were at the fourth stage of the pce realm and had much more presence inparison.
They are monsters.." Zhang Qingge said as she shivered from something she remembered.
"That they are.." the four said with shivers of their own before they allughed.
Though in thatugh one could detect a heaviness within it, especially when it came to Yang Qing, who despiteughing, his eyes shed with sorrow and guilt as his hands shook, and it wasn''t due to overdrawing himself or fatigue.
His eyes flicked with a multitude of emotions as it stared at the deste ground below him, that was now bereft of life.
As he looked at the wastnd, all he could see were the faces and the lives that had been there earlier. A few hours ago, this ce was filled with life, with cultivatorsughing, fighting, studying, rxing, and talking, all with something to look forward to, unaware that hourster they would all be gone.
When the time was up and Yang Qing attacked, he not only executed the guilty but the innocent who decided to stay, suffered the same fate.
With things settled, amidst theirughter, he could hear their sounds, and with the massively acute memory of cultivators, he could remember every single detail about them without even trying and meaning to.
He had never felt nauseous his whole life despite the dubious things he and Feng Xin had eaten over the years, but for the first time here and now, he felt his stomach churn and an acidic taste in his mouth.
"How will Ma Yuan handle it.." he wondered as he briefly looked at his hands with aplicated look.
The other judges had the same somberness too. Despite not being the ones to have done the deed, they voted on it, and the heaviness weighed on them too.
Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge who were stillughing cast side nces toward Yang Qing who had augh on his face that expertly hid the sorrow and the guilt within.
They both sighed deep within their hearts.
Chapter 445 Laugh Of Sorrow
?
An almost volcanic-like explosion of dust was created the moment the Ba She''s head made contact with the ground, which served as evidence of how massive the beast was.
At the ground, blood continuously leaked from its dismembered head, and the rest of its body, forming a blood river that drenched the ground below it, releasing miasma.
The level of miasma was low inparison to the amount it released when it was fighting for dear life, trying to escape the clutches of the turtle dragon.
Meanwhile, thebined attack of the three judges i.e. Mo Liwei, Zhang Qingge, and Dai Chen, had yet to fully subside.
Its remnants still sent shockwaves throughout thend and the skies, showing the cmity had yet to end.
Earlier and even as the fight went on, there were still some bystanders, though shaken, still had their nerves on them to continue spectating, and even entertain thoughts of fishing in troubled waters.
The world was arge ce and it was filled with all sorts of characters, and among them, there was no shortage of those who would seek to capitalize on the moment, no matter the risk, but the moment thebined attack of the three judges dropped, any notion of interference, capitalization was immediately erased.
That attack, even though they were not there, gave them an intimate knowledge of what it felt like to be embraced by death. Just the air it released, spoke of unimaginable destruction, and when it fell even though they were miles away, they had fears they would get swallowed up in it.
This sentiment wasn''t only shared by the onlookers, but also by the organizations that bordered the territory of the Ice Emerald Sect.
Those in charge of those regions had quickly deployed the protective arrays in preparations for the aftermath of the attack in case it was powerful enough to even affect them.
Luckily for them, only faint tremors managed to reach that far, however, what they didn''t know was, had the ascendant-grade treasure above the Ice Emerald Sect not been there, then the shockwaves of the attack, would have been more than just tremors, and their protection arrays would have been put to the test on their abilities.
As the dust cleared, a haggard team of five could be seen whizzing and gasping for breathe.
Their faces had dried blood stains, their bodies had mild tremors that even tranted to the weapons they held, while the turtle dragon that had been the deciding factor in all this, was already fading away into mots of green light, and what was left behind was a log that had numerous runes and glyphs inscribed on it, along with the symbol of a turtle dragon at the center.
"That sure was one tough snake.." Wei Ying said in between gasping for breath.
Of the five, she was the one who had expended the most, especially towards the end when she took primary in both offense and defense, creating an opportunity to fell the Ba She once and for all, and the result of it was her bleeding from all orifices of her body, her body looked emaciated and starved of everything.
She looked more corpse than a human, and the cheeky beauty from before couldn''t be seen. However, the rest of the judges didn''t look good either.
Mo Liwei was hunched over with veins all over his face, with a pained look on him as he looked that he was just about seconds away from passing out. He seemed like he had managed to keep himself afloat thanks to the shoulder support Dai Chen was giving him, who was another mangled mess himself. The flesh in his arms had been split in dozens ofcerations that revealed bone, and thecerations extended to his torso. None of his upper body was left unbloodied, as for Zhang Qingge, her right arm was bent awkwardly with spasms all over her body.
The only person who looked okay was Yang Qing, but he was as pale as snow from all the spiritual qi he had expended.
"The abilities she had, didn''t seem that of a sixth-stage pce realm cultivator, and how did she turn into a Ba She?" Mo Liwei weakly said as he put away his spear.
"Especially that red thorn.." interjected Wei Ying, who still struggled toe to terms that her binding array had been broken through despite being powered by material from ate-stage spirit beast.
"It''s a pity, I would have loved to analyze that red thorn to better improve the vortex vine seal array.." she added as she eyed the corpse of the Ba She.
The red thorn from earlier had already disappeared, and its color had changed. It was dull grey and looked like a desating corpse. It had lost that dangerous alluring red gleam look from its red scales.
The only intimidating thing it had left was its monstrous size, that was half of what it was, with the other half already disappeared the moment the turtle dragon turned into mots of light.
"This fight has made me realize how scary the instructors are, and here I thought I''d get my revenge on them.." Yang Qing depressingly said as a bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
"That''s what I was thinking too.. as powerful as she was, the founder was stillcking by no small margin inparison to them, even to the junior instructors who were at the fourth stage of the pce realm and had much more presence inparison.
They are monsters.." Zhang Qingge said as she shivered from something she remembered.
"That they are.." the four said with shivers of their own before they allughed.
Though in thatugh one could detect a heaviness within it, especially when it came to Yang Qing, who despiteughing, his eyes shed with sorrow and guilt as his hands shook, and it wasn''t due to overdrawing himself or fatigue.
His eyes flicked with a multitude of emotions as it stared at the deste ground below him, that was now bereft of life.
As he looked at the wastnd, all he could see were the faces and the lives that had been there earlier. A few hours ago, this ce was filled with life, with cultivatorsughing, fighting, studying, rxing, and talking, all with something to look forward to, unaware that hourster they would all be gone.
When the time was up and Yang Qing attacked, he not only executed the guilty but the innocent who decided to stay, suffered the same fate.
With things settled, amidst theirughter, he could hear their sounds, and with the massively acute memory of cultivators, he could remember every single detail about them without even trying and meaning to.
He had never felt nauseous his whole life despite the dubious things he and Feng Xin had eaten over the years, but for the first time here and now, he felt his stomach churn and an acidic taste in his mouth.
"How will Ma Yuan handle it.." he wondered as he briefly looked at his hands with aplicated look.
The other judges had the same somberness too. Despite not being the ones to have done the deed, they voted on it, and the heaviness weighed on them too.
Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge who were stillughing cast side nces toward Yang Qing who had augh on his face that expertly hid the sorrow and the guilt within.
They both sighed deep within their hearts.
Chapter 446 Red Abyssal Thorn Tree
?
"Should we get going?" Wei Ying suggested as she took out a few pulls to help restore her qi.
The rest mirrored her actions as they each consumed different objects to replenish their qi.
The fight had drained them to almost theirst reserves, better to restore a bit of it now rather than dy it even with the fight finished.
It was one of the things emphasized in their adaptation sses by Dean Chu Zhen who from his own personal experience when he was trapped in the Myriad Beast Sect''s wastnd for all those years, had learned intimately how important it was to have even the tiniest bit of qi. It could be the difference between life and death, in a dicey moment, and if you were stuck in an area where you couldn''t replenish it naturally, better to have dozens of supplementary means to do it.
This was why every graduate who took his sses, always had hundreds of pills, potions, and natural treasures on them, and in case they couldn''t ess them fast and were in desperate need, the dean had even created a few utility spells and techniques that enabled them to store a bit of it on their bodies. They could release it with just a thought.
After hearing of Dean Chu Zhen''s harrowing ordeal because he became an instructor of the Order, the students understood his over-preparedness on certain things, and because they had his story as a cautionary tale, almost every single student who took the adaptation and cultivation sses had qi replenishing measures embedded on their body somewhere.
Yang Qing even with his abundant qi reserves was one of those people, and the judges next to him were all the same. They each had those measures on their body to act as an emergency trump card, should they need it.
"Can you give me a second first to say goodbye.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to a withered branch that was barely hanging on.
As he was about to agree to Wei Ying''s suggestion he heard the branch weakly call out to him.
It was the Wisteria tree, a husk of its former self. All the beauty, splendor, and mystical qualities it had earlier had vanished and all that was left behind was a single withered branch about the size of half his arm, withered and looked to be just about on itsst legs.
The judges nodded, but just as Yang Qing was about to head there, his pupils froze, and a millisecondter so did the rest of the judges.
Acting in one mind with zero hesitation, the five judges instantly formed simr seals thatunched to the ascendant grade treasure above them.
Five golden lights disappeared into it, and the treasure instantly let our a dark light apanied by a pressure that not only surrounded the entirety of the Ice Emerald Sect''s territory but it even spread outwards to the surrounding territories.
A few pce realm experts who were still lurking about kilometers away got caught up in the dark radiant light of the treasure and its pressure, of which the ancestor of the Twin River Empire was one of them.
All of them, irrespective of their cultivation base, were frozen on the spot. They could feel the overbearing weight of the universe fall upon them, instantly pinning their bodies to the ground as a primal fear welled in them. They could not move; not their limbs, their qi, or even bat an eye, all they could do was wait helplessly for what was to befall them.
They didn''t have time to regret it as a massive explosion that felt like it brought the might of the heavens flooded the area.
At that moment, they knew what it felt like to be truly afraid and to feel insignificant as an ant, despite them being pce realm experts; cultivators powerful enough to lord it over millions and millions of people.
...
At that moment, when Yang Qing was about to go to the dying Wisteria tree, he felt the object left by Green Cocoon flicker with a heavier intensity than it did before. That reaction was also exhibited by the universal bee he had created earlier as it let out a radiant intense glow signalling that something dangerous was afoot.
The other judges all seemed to have their own means because they too detected something that instantly prompted them to activate their medallions to unlock the seal and full abilities of the ascendant-grade treasure.
Beneath, the greyed-out pupil of the Ba She had produced a small red flicker that was the source of their rm and reaction.
Within an instant, the light turned into a pea-sized rune that transformed the whole body of the Ba She both the decapitated head and the other half of its body, into a single red seed that exploded bringing with it a terrifying power of destruction.
The space around it was torn, and the clouds above it were colored red, as it sought to drown everything from the skies above, and the ground below to extinction.
Yang Qing, and the rest from the moment that red flicker appeared, rm bells went off in their minds, and without hesitation, they triggered the ascendant grade treasure that created a massive ck ball, with starlights flowing around it.
When the red seed exploded, the force it created was instantly covered by the ck ball that was aiming to contain it so it couldn''t reach Yang Qing and the rest who were outside of it.
However, despite the intervention of the ckball, a tiny part of the energy from the red rune explosion managed to pass through which barrelled through the bodies of the five judges and pushed them back a few hundred meters from the st site.
They all hacked and coughed up blood immediately with deepcerations all over their bodies.
They didn''t have time to attend to their injuries as they saw something even more terrifying happen before them.
The ck ball was losing. There were red cracks appearing all around it, which extended to even the treasure itself. It was just inches away from being destroyed, and from the energy that was leaking out, the explosion didn''t look like it had subsided.
If the defenses got breached, Yang Qing and the rest would no doubt, perish.
They didn''t even have time to process where that red rune came from, who triggered it, and how it had enough energy to overwhelm a top-tier ascendant-grade treasure in full capacity, which was basically the same as ate-stage domain expert.
All they could now was try with all their might to ensure they didn''t die here.
"Convocation golden radiant feather"
They all formed a simr seal that triggered five golden feathers to appear from within the ck ball. The five feathers from a radiant translucent membrane that covered the ball with golden runes floating around it.
The ck ball that was just at the cusp of being broken through looked like it had been given a new lease on life thanks to the membrane which not only strengthened it but also restored it.
The dozens of cracks started getting restored albeit at a slow pace, and with the radiant membrane sharing the burden, the explosion happening within it looked like it was well on its way to being sessfully contained.
At least it looked that way to Yang Qing and the rest. However, Yang Qing had a shout in his mind filled with deep dread telling him
"RUN!!!"
But s, the warning arrived toote.
Crack!
A cracking sound like that of a bird breaking its shell sounded, and it seemed to transcend space and the void.
Everything and everyone within a 50,000-kilometer radius all heard the same cracking sound. That cracking sound seemed to echo down to their very souls.
Chapter 447 Bell Rings Atop The Misty Mountains
?
Yang Qing and the four judges who distinctively heard that sound, found their bodies trembling, as the ck ball before them shattered instantly, while the five feathers dimmed out and phased out of existence.
In the ce of the ckball now stood a red thorn tree that glimmered with a crystalline beauty surrounded with darkness and heavy stench of death, blood, and torment.
The tree despite being only 10 meters in height, seemed like it could extend to the heavens if it wanted, and the oceans and every other area around the continent if it so wished.
It stood there silently, radiating a gentle red glow, but it was that red tree that had one of its branches piercing through the ckfin ascendant-grade treasure. A loud mournful wail sounded as the ckfin despite releasing enough energy to obliterate the Ice Emerald Sect a million times over, and Yang Qing and the rest with it, couldn''t block a single unassuming piercing attack from a frail-looking branch that brought with it the scent of death and apocalypse.
The branch smoothly and easily pierced through the treasure with ck glyphs consuming the ascendant grade treasure out of existence. The only evidence that it had even been there was the mournful wail of desperation that still echoed even within the deepest recess of space and the terrifying energy it had released before its demise.
"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!" Yang Qing roared at himself for his body to move but it couldn''t.
He could barely breathe let alone move, all he could do was helplessly watch that red thorn tree gently extend one of its branches ready to rip their lives.
He roared, but his body had abandoned him, even his thoughts looked like they were well on their way, as his mind was slowly being corroded by an ancient-sounding alluring voice.
"Stop fighting..it will be okay..just close your eyes and all this will be over. Don''t fight back. It''s okay.."
Yang Qing felt his internal resistance whittle away, as a sense of slumber washed over his body, telling him he would have the best sleep he would ever have if he just closed his eyes.
His thoughts got sluggish, his vision got blurrier. His eyes had been focused on one ce and it was Mo Liwei''s location.
From the trajectory of the branch, Mo Liwei would be the first to be hit. The reason for Yang Qing''s earlier desperation was Mo Liwei had ced himself there intentionally. If and when the branch connected, it would be all over for him.
Yang Qing couldn''t let him die when this whole case was his responsibility. He urged his body to move, but try as he may, his body refused to budge an inch. Despite only being a few centimeters apart, that separation may as well have been the distance between the and the sun.
Thanks to the alluring voice, Yang Qing felt his spirit and resistance weaken.
"Is this it?" he thought, too weak to even feel despair as he hazily stared at Mo Liwei who seemed to be struggling to stay awake just as he was.
The other judges whether it was Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, or Wei Ying, all seemed to face a simr struggle. They were moments away from closing their eyes.
But just as they were about to take theirst blink, aplex rune in the shape of a bell appeared in their mind, and rung.
The bell''s ring instantly cleared their mind from the foggy state they were in, however, their bodies were still locked but the dreadful fear they had when the tree appeared.
Yang Qing roared, trying to rouse up whatever power he had to move, even if only just for a step. In his crazed desperation, unbeknownst to him, the green pearl in his pce realm produced a sigh and then moved to the green me tree at the center of his pce realm and merged with it.
Yang Qing instantly felt like some shackle had been broken for an instant and his movements restored. He was cloaked in green mes, and instantly made it to where Mo Liwei was, and at the nick of time.
He managed to drag him aside just as the branch was about to make contact. His left forearm got pierced through as a result. Yang Qing instantly exploded his arm, when he saw the ck glyphs spreading from the wound.
Despite losing an arm, and whatever qi he had left, and most of his energy with it, Yang Qing had a relieved smile on his face, even when the red abyssal thorn tree hadunched more branches on them and he was now too weak to even do anything.
Whatever burst of strength he had gained, seemed like it had all been expended.
....
Spirit Mountain
Deep within the territory of the Order, an area restricted even to their own members was a ce shrouded with mist filled with mystical lights throughout the year.
To the unassuming eye, the mist wouldn''t be any different than normal mist, but to those in thete stages of the domain realm, they could feel the profoundness of the origin dao within that mist.
A cultivator at the qi refinement realm could break through to the pce realm within three days if he/she cultivated there, provided they couldst even a millisecond within that mist as even someone at the peak stage of the pce realm would explode within seconds from being exposed to it.
The area was filled with mountains and within the peak of one mountain, there was arge ancient golden grey bell that had the vicissitudes of time to it. It had the symbols of the four mythical beasts engraved on it; the white tiger, the azure dragon, the ck turtle, andstly, the phoenix.
The bell suddenly let out a radiant glow as it produced a gentle sound that seemed to draw the beauty of the heavens.
The moment it sounded three people with pure white robs instantly appeared and a mystical air about them, appeared before the bell that was towering over them like another mountain.
Of the three people, two were familiar. One of them was a handsome young man, whose eyebrows were as sharp as swords and the other was an elderlydy with a stern expression on her face. The former was Su Bai, while thetter was Zhou Huang, both members of the high council of the Spirit Council, who had appeared during Yang Qing''s promotion ceremony.
As for the third one, it was an elderly man with a kind-looking face, while his eyes, had a jade tree in the ce where he should have pupils.
"Fellow Daoist voyager, who is it?" the elderly man asked.
The bell shimmered and a middle-aged man with grey traveller robes and scarf appeared. He had ck flowing hair, and a had a free unrestrained temperament to him.
"Five children, all in the pce realm, judges, each unique at that too. One with a dao bone, another with a peerless jade physique, two with a mythical bloodline, and another with a special physique rted to the turtle dragon.
They seem to be trapped within a special domain created by a soul formation master with the ability to corrode the mind, which is how I was triggered.."
"Can you pull them out?" asked Zhou Huang.
"The tree there is insidious, I can but it will cost the kids something .."
"Buy me five seconds then... I''ll go.." said the kindly-looking elderly man.
"No need for that, brother Zhu Qiu, let me instead. Having the chief inquisitor act is a little bit of an overkill, no?" said a young-looking man with schrly air about him, snow-white hair, and eyes that looked like they had recorded tens of thousands of years.
"And a vice president acting, isn''t?" said the kindly elderly man with a smile on his face.
"Considering the urgency, I have to. There''s my spiritual imprint on a treasure I gave to them despite your speed, Igniting my imprint will be faster.." the schrly man said as he raised his index finger and a wondrous dao light and rune appeared on it causing the mist around them to swirl.
Chapter 448 Vice President Tao Wen Appears
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The skies above the mist trembled and turned with unstoppable momentum at the flick of the schrly man''s finger.
He faced a particr direction like his gaze could pierce through space and void.
...
Ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect
Yang Qing and the rest used whatever strength they had left to move their heads and smile at each other as a form of reassurance andfort that at least they wouldn''t be dying alone. They would have each other forpany.
Yang Qing was oddly surprised by his sense of calmness with death almost upon him and unavoidable.
He had spent all his life trying to avoid it, drove himself half mad thinking all sorts of ways he could die, and painfully at that, which led him to the doors of the Order andter to the courtrooms as a judge, which ensured he would be under the protection of the sturdy walls of the Order, and he would never meet any danger with powerful seniors above him to hold up the skies should it fall.
But things always have a way of going in their own direction no matter how one ns. In Yang Qing''s case, his job as a judge did keep him out of the front lines most of the time, Of course in exchange he was worked to death, and when he was at the institute he became intimately familiar with the sensation of death every day thanks to the driven efforts of the instructors there.
But all in all, he was generally safe, and the times he was out of the headquarters on field duty such as promotions, it was rtively uneventful. This most recent one was the most activity he had seen, with the attack from a member of the Dark Ghost Helminth sect. Still, even then it wasn''t exactly a risk to him since the attacker was in the core formation realm and the preparations he had made were for a core formation expert.
Thanks to that, Yang Qing was able to deal with it swiftly. That summed up his life as a judge in the core formation courts.
Then he got to the pce courts, the ce he worked so hard to reach, all in the hopes of achieving his dreams of working less. Things seemed to be going the right way when he started. He had diligent inquisitors to help him, the cases were clear cut, he got a bump in sry and that juicy discretionary fund in hisp, and to top it off he had a month of doing nothing when he was asked to set and supervise the exams for new applicants.
Yang Qing thought to himself, this is it, this is what I''ve been dreaming of until Ma Yuan''s case happened and he was hit with a sect demotion that had the potential to be sect destruction. It was only his second month in.
In the course of his job, he has executed his fair share of cultivators, he had made his peace with that, but aplete sect annihtion was something else. He had to resolve himself to ughter thousands within a single moment, and within those thousands, there would be innocents, unlike the cultivators he had executed over the years.
He did not have the cushion of a moral high ground to lean on. Up to the point he actually executed the sentence, some part of him held on to hope that he would only have to deal with the guilty parties and that the innocents would take the olive branch he offered and spare him the weight of their lives in his conscience.
When they didn''t, he felt dizzy and an extreme heaviness in his chest. He wasn''t sure if it was because of the pressure, but he felt he had gone deaf, dumb, and blind for a brief second before his senses came back, and when they did, he swallowed up whatever he was feeling and didn''t hesitate.
The feelings only came back after the Ba She was dead, and just as he was allowing himself to process everything, a sudden attack came, and within seconds, they who had thought themselves victors in the bout, and sessful in the conduct of their duties, were about to die, and for Yang Qing, in the face of it, he had a sereness to it, that he didn''t think was possible.
"Is this the tree''s doing? Or has constantly battling old demon Lei and the cogwheel of the Order made me tougher and more mature?
I won''t have to work tomorrow I guess... that babirusa meat, what a shame I didn''t get to eat it. That bastard Feng Xin will enjoy it himself..then there are the 1,000 ingredients, I''ve only sampled 37 of it!! No No, Yang Qing, think positively.
I won''t have to be bleed dry for that nasty bird that eats away at my ie, and its pompous attitude after like I''m its human servant.
No more scheming, and the incessant worry of getting caught..well about that, I actually enjoy pulling one over the old demon Lei and the Order.
I''ll actually miss it. The Order was more fun than I expected... If there is a second chance, I wouldn''t mind going back there again.."
A blissful smile appeared on his face as he weed the torrent of thorn branches, ready to be run through and possibly eaten by the tree. With its eerie color and the smell of blood and death that surrounded it, Yang Qing was certain their death wouldn''t be simple, and if his guess was right, that tree may have been one of the core factors in the Ice Emerald Sect''s ability to assimte and refine cultivators into fruits.
Yang Qing could only assume that a simr fate awaited them.
"I wonder if I''ll be a tasty fruit..please, please let me be a disgusting one.." he silently prayed.
The attack descended.
"Huh!!!" Yang Qing who had expected to be desating and enduring the most painful death imaginable was shocked to see an illusory figure appear before him, standing elegantly keeping all the thorns at bay with a single flick of his finger.
"Vice President Tao Wen?!" Yang Qing muttered in disbelief as he looked at the illusory figure before him.
He had snow-white hair, a young handsome look, and a calmness to him as he stood there with one hand behind his back as his other hand held onto a horn.
The other four judges were equally as surprised as Yang Qing, they had been expecting their death.
They couldn''t believe Vice President Tao Wen was actually there, especially after experiencing the powerful beguiling effects of the red abyssal thorn tree, their doubt was expected.
However, the doubt was soon erased when they felt they had regained the mobility of their bodies, while breathing even became easier, through a wave of the illusory figure''s sleeves.
"Seems like you five got yourselves into a little bit of trouble. Who knew you would be unlucky enough to stumble onto a soul formation expert during your case? You sure are eager workers unlike what I''ve heard.." Vice President Tao Wen''s illusory figure said with a leisurely tone and smile. Completely unbothered by the dense thorns, the thorn tree produced the moment he showed up and intercepted its attacks.
Millions of thorns appeared on it giving it a scarier look as they were dark red in color, and the stench of death they let out was enough to bloat out the sun, and fill all the surroundings with a chillness that apanied the dead. The area turned to theherworld with the appearance of those thorns.
Yang Qing and the rest felt like they had been submerged in a different world.
As Yang Qing saw all these, all he could think to himself was
"How the hell did my stories reach the Vice President too? Aren''t they supposed to be sagely elusive figures with better things to do? Is the whole Order a gossip monger machine? How many things about me are floating around there?" Yang Qing worriedly thought.
Despite the antics he caused in the fight for his and his colleagues'' wellbeing, he still cared about his face. He couldn''t help but worry that the rumors floating about would damage the sagely expert demeanor he had worked so hard to cultivate from the moment he walked through the doors of the Order.
Chapter 449 Too Cautious
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"No, No! I need to do something about this! I can no longer ignore it. Who knows how bad and exaggerated they can get if left unaddressed?
But first, I need to find out who has been spreading it this far to the point it can reach even the elusive vice presidents. At the rate it''s going, even the president and the chancellor and the other mysterious figures will know of me, in a bad way...
It can''t be Old Lei, he isn''t that much of a talker and his reach isn''t that far, but other than him who could it be? he is the only top figure I annoy.." Yang Qing wondered with gears turning in his mindpletely ignoring what was happening around him.
He had even forgotten he had lost an arm and only remembered when he tried to stroke his chin in a contemtive pose, which prompted him to regrow it back. His cultivation art, the Universal Duality Indulgent Of The Myriad Worlds was something he got from the Hall Master of the Medicine Valley, one of the top most figures of the Order, and a purple-grade alchemist and healer.
His breadth of wisdom and connections were as vast as the stars. He had gifted Yang Qing that iplete purple-grade art in the hopes of roping him to the Medicine Valley but also because itplemented Yang Qing''s yin-yang jade bones perfectly.
In terms of attack power, it fell a little bit short of its rank as a purple-grade art, but when it came to versatility it was unmatched, especially the restorative aspects of it. Yang Qing could regrow any parts of his body effortlessly without a downgrade of his ability, and the more he familiarized himself with it, the greater the ability would be, to the point he could reform his body from a single drop of blood.
He wouldn''t need expensive materials and techniques, or a gold-grade alchemist and healer to reform his body, he could do it with a single thought.
This was one of the reasons he took a fancy to the technique. For an extreme self-preservation coward like him, there was no better technique.
With his arm reformed, he went to work to decipher the identity of the gossip monger looking to ruin his reputation within the Order.
Despite a single thorn releasing enough power to destroy him to bits with a single graze, Yang Qing wasn''t bothered. This was why he joined the Order. With tall trees like Vice President Tao Wen, providing shade, why would a tiny grass like him bother about anything else? He would just bask in the shade, and protection provided by the tree while he grew infort, even shamelessly stealing a few nutrients from the tree.
The other judges were the same. With the appearance of Vice Presiden Tao Wen, they looked visibly relieved, as they went about healing their wounds, and even discussing the thorn tree like it was a research object they were about to be quizzed on.
..
"Would the fellow Daoist care to make an appearance?"
"Mmmh I guess they are shy.." Vice President Tao Wen added as he stroked the harbinger''s horn he had handed to Yang Qing. Yang Qing didn''t even know how it had appeared in his hands. After being exposed to the means of a soul formation expert, he knew why such powerhouses were feared.
Vice President Tao Wen gently stoked the horn and released celestial glowing ring-like seals from it with every touch. The horn immediately transformed from its grey look to a pure white look with cloud markings that had lightning shes and thunder rumblings.
Those shes and rumblings immediately appeared on the skies above them, as the horn released an excited hum when it was being held by the vice president.
"Descend.."
Despite the gentle nature in which he uttered those words, a cmitous taboo lightning instantly descended from the skies above and instantly drowned the area around the red abyssal thorn tree.
A blinding blue lightning fell in the area as it rumbled almost everywhere sending shockwaves to everything around.
A red dome instantly appeared and blocked the rain of lighting. The dome looked like it had been made of thin skin, with veins all around. It was filled with ck worm glyphs that released ck smoke aiming to corrode the lightning, however they seemed to fall a little bit shot of it.
The dome seemed to cave in beneath the might of that lightning that seemed to carry the weight and the grandness of the universe within it.
Tear marks immediately appeared on it by the dozens. When half the dome had almost copsed, a red seal shined on the thorn tree as the thorns and branches and the tree coalesced together to form a red blood sword with a red pearl that looked like it contained a world within it, and that world was the underworld from the ocean of blood and skeletons contained within it.
The sword let out a sharp ughtering cry as it sliced apart the lightning.
"A sword cultivator, interesting..too bad they''re unwilling to show themselves and are just using a spiritual apparition.." muttered the Vice President as he pointed his index finger forward and waved it downward like it was a sword.
An ocean-sized sword qi filled with an ethereal and abstruse light, and destructive power sufficient to split the continent in half descended on the red sword with terrifying momentum.
Every sword within a 100,000-kilometer radius that had its spirit activated, all let out a cry of submission the moment the sword qi appeared, while sword cultivators felt the urge to genuflect themselves to that sword qi. It didn''t matter whether they were in the qi refinement or in the domain realm, they all had the same reaction.
Boom!!
A terrifying, catastrophic explosion appeared when the ocean-sized Qi and the red weapon shed.
The horn let out a celestial glow forming a barrier that isted the sh from the five judges.
"So this is a soul formation expert.." muttered Yang Qing in awe at the fearsome power being radiated from the sh.
The world around them changed, as the heavens shook, the space got torn apart, and the sh echoed all around.
A red light sliced and diced apart the sword qi aiming to drown it, but eventually, it got too much for it, and it eventually got overwhelmed and swallowed by it.
"What a cautious person.." Vice President Tao Wen said in disappointment as he waved his hand and the ocean-sized qi disappeared in an instant.
At the location, the thorn tree was no more, and oddly enough despite the degree of destruction radiated from the oceanic sword qi, the ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect remained untouched which was a testament to the degree of control Vice President Tao Wen had.
" It seems the fish escaped brother Zhu Qiu.." Vice President Tao Wen said with a genial smile as he looked to his right.
Yang Qing and the rest wondered who he was talking to when the space on that side warped as a resplendent white branch with stars appeared from the warp, and a kind-looking elderly man walked from it with his hands behind his back.
Chapter 450 Hobby Of The Chief Inquisitor
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"Was it destroyed like that?!" wondered Yang Qing as he constantly scrutinized the area where the red abyssal thorn tree had been.
That tree with just a moment of its appearance, had destroyed a top-tier ascendant grade treasure, paralyzed all of them with just its presence, and would have likely ripped their lives as easily as drinking water had Vice President Tao Wen not intervened, and if the effects of the saint grade treasure the ''voyager bell'' not been activated, they would not have even known how they died.
But now, within a few seconds of the arrival of the Vice president, the tree was no more.
Even though he was d to be alive, Yang Qing still had a bitter taste in his mouth, when the disparity in abilities was out there in the open.
He never thought he was some undefeatable monster, the instructors had made sure of that, but he at least thought when he broke into the pce realm, and the newfound strength he had along with the various measures the Order gave them, he felt he could go anywhere around the continent and guarantee his life.
But those brief few seconds with the red abyssal thorn tree and the intervention of Vice President Tao Wen had upended all that.
With his pce realm cultivation, he felt he was just as weak as he was when he was in the body refinement realm and had been scared half to death by the pressure that had been released by a foundation establishment cultivator, who had oncee to visit their n before they moved to the Order.
To say the experience was terrifying was an understatement. And today, Yang Qing felt exactly that. As a pce realm cultivator, he was just a stronger ant.
If he and a body refinement cultivator were targetted by a soul formation expert, they would both die the same and just as fast, and he had a feeling even someone at the domain realm could do that, but at least when it came to a domain expert, he had his medallion and the one time trigger engraved on it, that could block an attack from a peak stage domain expert just once, after that, he would be on his own.
But Yang Qing quickly pushed those pessimistic thoughts to the back of his mind, as a gleeful smile appeared on his face.
He was alive, he still had the babirusa meat and the 1000 ingredients to try, and the best part of all, he was d that his blind faith in the abilities of the Order had been rewarded.
He couldn''t help but smugly think to himself,
"What a big tree to hug.."
As his thoughts reached this point he couldn''t help but turn his head to the neer. It was an elderly man with a kind-looking face, snow-white hair tied in a bun, and he had simple in grey robes that had three symbols embroidered on them.
One was a red sword, the other was a sword with four ringed colors; blue, gold, ck, and white, and thest sword was a grey traveller''s sword.
On seeing those symbols, Yang Qing and the rest had looks of shock and awe on their faces, from the realization of who the elderly man was.
Despite having never met him, those three symbols were a dead giveaway as to his identity.
Inquisitors had the sword as a symbol of their unit, as they were considered to be the swords of the Order.
The red sword was a symbol of the special inquisitors, and the sword with four ringed colors was the symbol of the regr inquisitors. The sword''s color would match the court rank they were in. It was simr to the judge''s robes. While the final vagrant-looking grey sword was the symbol of the roaming inquisitors.
The fact that the kindly elderly-looking man had all three symbols on his robe, could only mean one thing, he was the chief inquisitor. He was the only one allowed to have all three symbols on his robe since he was the head of all three divisions with the assistant directors immediately below him.
Yang Qing and the rest of the judges have never met him, but their inquisitors have, during their induction ceremony. Unlike judges, the ceremony for inquisitors was private and hidden, the only people involved were the inquisitor, the higher-ups from the spirit council, and the inquisitor''s hierarchy of which the chief inquisitor was one of them.
From what Yi Jie and Feng Xin had told him, only the chief inquisitor had those three symbols in his robe.
Other than the ceremony, he was as enigmatic as the vice president or the president, and in terms of power, as the head of all the inquisitors at the Order, it wouldn''t be an overstatement to say his rank and powerpared to the vice presidents wasn''t that far off. He had the same repute as the chief justice, the head of all judges, and in terms ofbat, Yang Qing could only assume as the head of all inquisitors, abat-oriented group, hisbat abilities were definitely among the top within the Order, despite the kindly looking face he had on.
"I''m not sure if you''ve met, but this is Zhu Qiu, the chief inquisitor..." the apparition of Vice President Tao Wen said as he pointed toward the kind-looking elderly man.
"We greet, chief inquisitor Zhu Qiu.." the five said as they respectfully cupped their fists to the chief inquisitor.
"You really did well to hang on. The Order will be in good hands. It seems the day I retire is soon, then I can focus on gardening.." Chief Inquisitor Zhu Qiu said with a light chuckle.
"Gardening?!" the five wondered.
"He is pretty good at it.." Vice President Tao Wen said seeing their looks of confusion.
"He was one of the primary designers of the Medicine Valley and is a purple-grade herbalist. A few of the saint-grade herbs we have is thanks to him.." he added.
"Brother Tao Wen, aren''t you praising me too much? I ended up ruining 50 ascendant-grade herbs before I even seeded, and countless other resources. I was sure Fan Ru would have killed me at some point, with how wasteful I was..."
The five judges could detect a real wariness in his tone when he said Fan Ru which drew an incredulous look from Yang Qing as he knew her personally.
She was the valley master or hall master of the Medicine Valley. Her appearance was that of a beautiful woman in herte thirties. She had an easygoing personality but also an assiduous one when it came to alchemy, herbology, and healing.
She had a one-track mind when it came to those things, and she could easily lose herself in them, whenever she had a sporadic line of research to conduct, instantly abandoning all her duties as valley master in favor of her research, leaving the deputy valley master, Ren Shu to pick up the ck and fill the void.
Yang Qing always pitied the deputy hall master for having an unreliable boss, and getting overworked, though the thought of Ren Shu getting overworked brought himfort that he wasn''t the only one getting squeezed dry by the Order.
Chapter 451 Parting Words (1)
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When it came to the valley master, Yang Qing knew she was a monstrous genius, the kind that appears once every million years when it came to alchemy, herbology, and other rted matters, but he didn''t think when it came tobat she had enough abilities to make someone strong enough to be a chief inquisitor, to be fearful.
"Will I be safe, after refusing her all this time?" he worriedly wondered.
However, his thoughts of impending doom were cut short, when Vice President Tao Wen and Chief Inquisitor Zhu Qiu started another discussion of their own, more specifically rted to the origin of that tree.
"Mei, can you show us what happened, please?" said Vice President Tao Wen to the horn in his hand which let out an end''s call as a water-like membrane appeared out of thin air disying the events that happened in extreme detail.
Yang Qing and the rest were unable to follow because of the speed with which the details were being shown.
The whole ordeal had taken them close to an hour to conclude, but the water membrane appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Your thoughts, brother Zhu Qiu?"
"The Ba She looks to have been artificially recreated, and with some degree of skill at that. The mastermind seemed to have embedded something in the founder as a fail-safe.
Mmh It seems the tree was controlled in the same way.
The mastermind seems to have a wide array of skills from alchemy to spirit beasts, and herbology, while his blood arts are some of the finest I''ve seen for it to be able to recreate lifelike creatures like the tree and the Ba She ..."
"Just as I thought, we have a thorny person here..." said Vice President Tao Wen as his eyes let out a strange ethereal glow.
"From the fight, the thorn had the power level of a soul beginner, but the exquisiteness of the moves, the level of expertise is of someone higher, and then there''s a judgment.
They didn''t even hesitate to detonate their apparition, despite the damage it does, all to make a clean getaway.
Brother Zhu Qiu, you are better at tracking than I am, although I feel someone that cautious and skilled is less likely to make such a mistake, but are there any traces left we can work with to track them?"
"Let''s see.."
The chief inquisitor waved his palm like he was pulling something to himself. Millions of leaves surrounded by a mystical light were instantly produced from his palms, and spread all over the ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect with the bulk of it concentrated on where the corpse of the Ba She had been along with the red abyssal thorn tree.
The leaves gently swayed all over the ce like falling leaves during autumn and cast an ethereal look to the ce.
Yang Qing and the rest gasped in awe at the marvelous sight. They felt like they were standing in a gxy of stars.
After a minute the leaves disappeared.
"The trace is light and dibobted hidden beneathyers of trickery and misdirection. There are even curses mixed in there.." As Chief Inquisitor Zhu Qiu said this, hundreds of bursts of dark smoke surrounded with a radiant light appeared all over the ce.
"Their karma has also been erased...but inbusting their apparition and also appearing, they did leave something, but by the looks of it, it will only be around for ten minutes or less.."
A wavy thin hazy golden light appeared as it weakly meandered like a river headed in the northern direction of the ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect.
"Ten Minutes huh...hopefully that is doable. My real body will meet us halfway..Oh before I forget.." the apparition of Vice President Tao Wen turned to face the five judges.
"The Chief Inquisitor and I need to chase after the person while we still have time, and I will need to take the horn with me.
Have this instead for your protection when you head back, should be enough to protect you against someone in the early stage of the soul formation realm. Though it will only be there for two hours at most, so make sure you reach the headquarters by then.."
Vice President Tao Wen opened his palms as five water swords instantly appeared. They gleamed with glow of the sun, and they were about the size of an index finger.
Yang Qing couldn''t detect any energy from them and just seemed like a mundane water sword to him, a parlor trick conjured from qi.
The fact he couldn''t gauge their power level was a sign of how unfathomable those ordinary-looking water swords were.
The five swords instantly flew toward them and disappeared into their bodies through their bbs.
The five judges tried to scan their bodies to find where the swords had disappeared to, but they all couldn''t detect it.
"Take care now... and ..." a sympathetic look appeared on Vice President Tao Wen.
"Visit the judicial review when you arrive, they will guide you on what''s next. This ordeal couldn''t have been easy..Good job.." he said as hefortingly patted each one of them.
"The doubt you have, the heaviness you feel, and all the other things running through your minds, don''t hide from them, don''t ignore them, just like when you conducted the sentence, face it.
It won''t be easy, but take sce in knowing all you are feeling, we have all felt it. You''re not weak for feeling it either.
I wish you rest andfort on the path ahead.." Chief Inquisitor Zhu Qiu gently said as he saw theplicated looks sh in their eyes when Vice President Tao Wen patted them.
"Be well, and the Order will always offer you support despite the circumstance..." Vice President Tao Wenstly said as he and Chief Inquisitor Zhu Qiu shed and disappeared.
A somber silence drowned the area after the two had left, with the five young judges finally having a breather, as they prepared themselves for another fight, one though didn''t have risk of death like this one, was just as tough.
It was unknown who sighed first, but they all collectively sighed, trying to relieve the heaviness from their chests.
Chapter 452 Parting Words (2)
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"Should we leave?" Dai Chen somberly asked.
After Vice President Tao Wen and Chief Inquisitor Zhu Qiu had left, they had remained there for a whole minute stewing in silence and the ironic loudness of their thoughts surrounded by a ruin devoid of life.
No building was left, no nt was left, nothing that had life remained in the area except them, Yang Qing''s nt clone, and one other object that looked to be well on its way to its death, closing curtains on all life on Ice Emerald Sect.
The central grounds of the sect had been eviscerated and nothing was left standing. All 50,000 years worth of history had just been erased within an hour.
All that was left of proof that the Ice Emerald Sect existed, was the seven survivors, who will more than likely nevere here again or raise the banner of the sect considering the scale of destruction left in the area.
As for the other proof of their existence, sadly enough was the manner in which they were destroyed.
The way in which they were destroyed; the horrific scale of it, and the transpiration of events, were likely to keep the sect immortalized in the annals of the history of the southern continent.
Thousands of years down the line, the sect will likely still be freshly remembered by mortals and cultivators alike, as another cautionary tale and also a reminder, that this was still a cultivation world, even with the presence of the Order.
Despite the era, or the illusion of peace in the continent, any organization out there despite how old it was, as long as it wasn''t powerful enough to guarantee its existence, it was at risk of suffering the same fates as the sect, ns, empires and countless other organizations that existed thousands and thousands of years ago, before the Order came to be.
Back then organizations came and went like the rising and falling of the sun, and with the destruction of the Ice Emerald Sect, that fact still rang true even now.
That destruction served as a reminder to those that had forgotten, power still reigned supreme.
Power was what drove the Ice Emerald Sect to do what they did, and power was what enabled the Order to do what they did. In the middle of it, power started and finished today''s events, and power was the lesson countless of people had learned from today''s events.
Some had their bellies reignited with ambition towards it, while some reigned theirs in when they saw the disy of real power.
Despite the varying conclusions and outlooks all around, today''s events had an impact on the whole continent, from the seven survivors to the five young judges who executed the sentence, to those with rtion to the victims of the punitive activities of the Ice Emerald Sect like the Tang family, to those with a rtion to the sect, to the bystanders, today''s events were firmly engraved on them and on the continent.
In that silence, another voice suddenly sounded, spreading to everynd on the continent, It didn''t matter whether it was a holynd or just a shack in a vige, cultivator, mortal, spirit beast, spiritual nt, regr animal, insect, reptile, amphibian, bird.
When that voice sounded, every single living thing understood the contents of the speaker.
"The Ice Emerald Sect is no more. While justice was served on behalf of their victims, it''s still a sad affair. The lives lost can never be brought back on both sides.
While cultivating is considered to be going against the heavens and breaking free of our mortal shackles, it does not mean we act with impropriety and disregard.
We need to ground ourselves and look inwardly as an anchor and as a guide on our paths and hearts, so we may not lose ourselves, and if you cannot do that, or are unwilling to do that, you will more than likely lose yourselves, along with everything you are pursuing and hold dear.
Choose to ground yourselves, or we, the Order will do that for you, no matter your cultivation base, rank, or background.
Take care denizens of the continent.."
The voice was gentle, and serene, and had an ethereal mystique-ness to it along with a profound vastness like just a single word could birth life.
"Who was that?" Yang Qing asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.
He could feel as if the speaker was talking next to his ear.
"I don''t know, I''ve never heard that voice.." answered Zhang Qingge as she closed her eyes in an effort to recall if she had evere across that voice.
"Me neither."
"Me too.."
"It could be the third vice president or some big shot from the high council.." said Wei Ying.
"Could be.."
"Huh! I''ve forgotten it!!" Yang Qing suddenly said with his eyes wide open.
"Everything about the voice is suddenly gone, except the message! How is that possible?!.. Do any of you..."
"I can''t remember it either.." Dai Chen answered with a stupefied expression, simr to the one Yang Qing had on him.
"Today has surely been a humbling experience.." Mo Liwei said as he shook with a bitter smile on his face.
"It has.." the rest somberly said.
There was the disy from the tree, and the intervention of Vice President Tao Wen, and now whoever this speaker was, they were powerful enough to even tamper with their memories from wherever they were.
...
At the same time in different parts of the continent,
"Who would have expected them to grow this strong in just a few short years.." said a middle-aged man with a slender build, ck silky smooth flowing hair, and a tranquil look to his eyes.
He had on a simple ck robe with a coat that had the image of a mountain filled with dazzling swords revolving around it,on his back.
He was calmly seated by a pond with a tea set next to him, along with a wet stone that he used to gently polish a silver de that was seven feet long.
Every movement he made produced a dazzling light like he held the light of the gxy within his palms and used it to refine his sword, which let out a hum of satisfaction as it released radiant light.
As he was leisurely polishing his sword, an elderly man with piercing eyes appeared behind him.
"What is it, Qian?" the middle-aged man gently asked without turning.
"Sect master, the inner sect disciples chosen for the crimson tide subjugation and investigation, are about to head out.."
"Oh..elder Nianzu will be heading out with them?" asked the middle-aged man.
"Yes.." the elderly man respectfully answered.
"Mmh, add one more inner core elder, and two disciples from the radiant sword hearts.."
Chapter 453 Parting Words (3)
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The elderly man was shocked at first before he replied,
"Sect master, isn''t that too much? Though Elder Nianzu is newly promoted, he is still a soul formation expert, and with his identity as a former radiant sword heart, he should be more than capable of handling the mission.
The Crimson Wave is no more, and all they will be doing is hunting down regr blood fiend groups.."
"I don''t doubt Nianzu''s abilities, vice sect master. It''s just that things have been radically changing over the past few years, almost as if in preparation for something.
It can''t harm to be careful with these things. Even though we are considered a holynd, the number of people in the sect can''tpare to that of sects led by a pce realm cultivator. They are now called rank 3 sects, right?"
"They are.."
"What an interesting grading method...oh where was I.."
The elderly man sighed to himself at the antics of the middle-aged man. Though the person before him was one of the most talented and powerful cultivators to have ever graced the sect, or worn the crown of sect master, holding a conversation with him was hard because he would easily lose himself to his own thoughts and even forget someone was there.
He had heard it was a side effect of the long seclusions that he had taken ever since he was small. He couldn''t help but wonder if that was the reason he put so many restrictions on regting secluded cultivation among younger disciples, and the social events he had been secretly promoting around the sect.
"Well, at least the disciples are less stiff and indifferent to one another now.."
"We have low numbers because of our stringent requirements on those we allow in. However, because our numbers are so low, we cannot afford to be careless with the lives of our fellow members.
I do not want what happened back then when we lost two inner elders and half the disciples to repeat itself.
I''d rather be overcautious and not lose a single member, Qian He.."
"As you wish, sect master.." the elderly man said with a sigh as he remembered the events of back then.
It was one of the greatest losses their sect had ever suffered to date. They lost two soul adept cultivators, and about a dozen disciples who were in the domain realm and had enough abilities to even reach the soul formation expert, all because they had underestimated their enemy, even though at the time, they did not think so.
"Good, though I take it, you didn''te here just to inform me they were leaving?" the middle-aged man said with a meaningful smile as he turned to face the elderly man.
"You''re right, sect master.." the elderly man paused as he steeled himself.
" From Elder Han Ming''s report, the Order''s vice president, the chancellor who is rumored to have taught countless domain experts, and now this...they may grow beyond our abilities to control them if they haven''t already.
They may one day get too full of themselves and decide to bare their fangs against us.."
"So, what is it you''re asking vice sect master.."
"We need to suppress them, now, while we can.."
"Why?"
"Huh, what do you mean why?! Because of the threat they pose to us.."
"Sigh, vice sect master, this is why I''ve been constantly insisting for the disciples to leave the mountain and explore the outside world. The world is a big ce, much bigger than you or I can imagine.
If they stay cooped up here, their visions will be a reflection of what their seniors think, and it will not be something they decide for themselves.
Holynds., holynds...." The middle-aged man had a forlorn look in his eyes as he stared upwards.
"This continent is known to be the richest one whenpared to the others and it doesn''t lose out even to the central continent. In its heyday, I read sects and other organizations that rivaled us in strength numbered in the dozens, but currently we are just two.
Where did they all disappear off to? If they had the same strength, then they could have still been around, even if it was one or two, but there isn''t even one..well there is the Dragon Meadow and the Oddysey Horizon, but that''s too few inparison to the rumors of the numbers that existed back then.
The nebulous star sect, the illusory sword mountain, the Timeless Lotus sect, the celestial river garden sect, the Blue Mist Aurora Manor, the void walker sect, and their likes..even the Frozen Serenity Sect..
Each one of them is as powerful as us, if not more, and were once upants of this continent, but not one of them exists... All we have are ruins, mysterious realms, grottos, and little bits of information and cultivation arts that serve as evidence, that they once existed, but not one exins how they disappeared.
It''s like they all vanished at one point, and their traces were wiped out. Qian He aren''t you curious? How could all these organizations with strength that rival ours, disappear like that with no trace, other than dead buildings and scrolls and jade slips?
If you''re not, I surely am. As sect master, I would be remiss if I wasn''t. If it could happen to them, it could happen to us, but s my investigations all these years bore no fruit.
Though I''m certain the Dragon Meadow and the Odyssey Horizon have those answers, but even as the sect master of the so-called ''holynd'', I''m unqualified to learn it.." the middle-aged man said with a self-deprecating smile.
"I''m sure the three ancestors know something too, but I don''t want to get beaten up .."
"Qian He, though I appreciate your efforts and concern for the sect, I feel your concerns are a little bit misced.
I can tell you think the same of me, and that I''m lost in my fantasy thoughts again.."
"Surely not sect master.."
Even though the elderly man said that his eyes flickered slightly.
"Okay.." said the middle-aged man with a slight smile.
"Ignoring the bygone era, we could take a look at something more recent; the invasion of the continent by outside forces.
The story around is they came because the whole continent was at war, and they came to fish in troubled waters because of how rich our continent is, but we all know that wasn''t it.
If it was just regr organizations, maybe, but there is no way just a spiritually richnd would manage to garner the attention of different holynds around the continent and make them tempted enough to even traverse the dangerous bodies of water that separate our continents.
The ground that houses them is no different than ours, so there had to have been something else which we still don''t know what it is..
Who''s to say, they won''t try again? That is where our focus should be, besides.." the middle-aged man paused as he turned to his polishing.
"Don''t you think you''re looking on the Radiant Sword Sect too much...I Bai Xiaodan, am I someone who is weak enough to let myself or my sect be subservient to someone else or try to weaken them so I can protect some status?
If they have the capabilities let them try, whether it''s the Order, that ambitious two-faced snake Flowing Valley, Mythical races, other holynds, I wee their challenge any time..." An overbearing pressure that made the skies cry emanated from the middle-aged man.
An illusory sword appeared from his body and extended all the way to the skies above with its tip disappearing further and further up.
The elderly man despite being a soul supreme expert felt his blood run cold, and his legs quake from the pressure being released by that middle-aged man.
The pressure came and went just as fast, and the middle-aged man looked just like any other normal person caring for their sword while drinking tea.
The elderly man felt like he had just escaped an inferno with pools of sweat soaking his body.
"Sorry for speaking out of turn sect master.." he said as he cupped his fist.
"It''s okay Qian He.. You can go make the arrangements.."
The elderly man nodded and swiftly disappeared.
"The Order huh..i felt my heart tremble, I wonder who that swordsman was..."
Chapter 454 Parting Words (4)
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Ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect
"Can you guys give me a second.." Yang Qing said as he headed to the location where the Wisteria tree had been.
Yu Gen, Xia Ting, and four other inquisitors had already arrived where they were, after everything had settled down.
The four inquisitors were each from the four judges'' team that they had brought along for the mission. Their duties along with the two roaming inquisitors were to maintain the cordon around the Ice Emerald Sect while also remaining vignt against any would-be cultivators who would be tempted to interfere with the sentence, or those scheming to fish in troubled waters.
It wasn''t only the allies of the Ice Emed Sect they were wary about, especially with the recent rise in attacks on Order employees, an event like this one would be the perfect ce to n an ambush, especially, in the midst of the chaos brought about by the fight.
Therefore the five had to make sure their bases were covered even if they had a saint-grade treasure and an ascendant-grade treasure, that was now nonexistent.
Mo Liwei''s inquisitor was ady named Yu Lanfen. She had a studious look about her, like one of someone who liked things done prime and proper. She was at the second stage of the pce realm just like Mo Liwei.
Wei Ying''s inquisitor was a taciturn young man with a slender and small build. He was at the second stage of the pce realm and was an aplished swordsman from the bit Yang Qing knew.
Next were Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge''s inquisitors who were both in the first stage of the pce realm.
Both Dai Chen and Zhang Qinggee were newly promoted pce court judges. They had only been there less than a year more-so thetter.
Every judge had five inquisitors to their team, with the option to have more, should the option be avable but at the bare minimum, they needed to have five.
Dai Chen had six inquisitors under him while Zhang Qingee had five, and of their inquisitors, only two from both sides had reached the pce realm. In Dai Chen''s case it would have been three had Lai Lei not been gravely injured and had his dantian injured while he was in the quasi-pce realm.
In terms of talent, among the inquisitors under Dai Chen, he was the most skilled, skilled enough to even rival Dai Chen''s abilities, the same as how Yi Jie was with Yang Qing.
Stepping up to cover the gap left by Lai Lei''s injury was an inquisitor by the name of Cheng Qing. He was a bit older than Dai Chen and by default Yang Qing. His features were that of someone in his early forties. He had short ck hair and a calm and stable aura about him.
The Order unlike most organizations, never looked at someone''s age when they applied to get in. They would rather spend enormous resources to pull out a buried talent from the ground which always resulted in a few old cultivatorsing in through their ranks like that old man during the test in Yang Qing''s invigtion who managed to gain sword sense during the test, while also showing one of the highestprehension skills with the cultivation art Yang Qing had given them.
Cheng Qing, Dai Chen''s inquisitor got in the same way. He was 70 years old when he got in. He had wanted to maintain the same look, but it made Dai Chen and Lai Lei feel awkward so he changed his look to his present look.
He didn''t have any outstanding qualities other than the fact that he was a jack of all trades. He knew enough about everything, whether it was soul techniques, formation arrays, pill refining, medicine, or poison identification. He wasn''t ster at them, but he knew enough for a baseline and his application of them was ingenious and creative.
He was an all-rounded person who would have been the likely candidate to be head of the inquisitors under Dai Chen''s team, but refused it because in terms of talent, he couldn''t match Lai Lei, but with Lai Lei injured, he took up the mantle.
When it came to Zhang Qinggee, the inquisitor by her side, was a gentle, motherly, and serene-looking youngdy called Zhu Ren. She was from the same year as Yang Qing but a bit older than them by four years.
She was the head inquisitor under Zhang Qingge and had a special physique rted to the earth element. In terms of defense, she was an absolute turtle which suited her rather well for her role because even though she was an inquisitor, her primary job was to be Zhang Qingge''s nanny. Whether it was to hold her hand during shy moments or prevent her callous berserker state from causing too much damage.
Zhang Qingge would be buried in never-ending debt from reparations were it not for Zhu Ren. She was great friends with Yi Jie, which Yang Qing never understood how, since Yi Jie was never a sociable person. Other than his wine friends, he rarely interacted with people.
The four judges had thus decided to each bring one member of their team, while in Yang Qing''s case, the two roaming inquisitors had to be present as primary investigators of the whole thing.
...
"I can''t believe you''re still hanging on. I wonder what it is that has you desperately clinging on?" Yang Qing said as he gently removed the debris and sand that covered a tiny withered bark that had cracks all over, and faint white shes in those cracks that also released a little cool mist.
"F..i..n..al w..o..r..d..s.."
"Yours?" asked Yang Qing with a sad expression on his face.
This day was less than pleasant for him, and when he saw the husk of the Wisteria tree, his emotions grew even moreplicated.
Despite knowing it was corrupted, and had its spirit sealed. The tree had still been at the center of thousands of deaths one of which was Ma Yuan''s wife.
If Yang Qing didn''t know someone rted to its victims, he was sure he wouldn''t be feeling as he did. The churning pit in his stomach made him nauseous, and his body felt unlike himself.
If it was just victims on a piece of paper, he would have been sympathetic but he interacted with Ma Yuan for quite some time which inadvertently made him invested.
He hoped he could reunite the whole family and give the man some good news as a reprieve for all the torment and suffering he had endured for the past seven years.
Chapter 455 Parting Words (5)
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But now, things were different. His wife, Shun Fei was dead, and likely at the hands of the tree before him even though it had been at the behest of the founder, and his child, she had a gu imnted in her which had interfered with her memories, and Yang Qing didn''t know how wide and deep the damage was.
What if it had affected all memories of her parents?
Yang Qing wasn''t sure Ma Yuan could take it, which was why he was hesitant to head back immediately.
He gently shook his head to push those thoughts away. The tree was likely a victim just as the rest of them.
"N..o..t m..i...n..e b..u..t l..a..s..t t..h..r...e...e"
The wisteria had reached the pce realm and could thus transmit its thoughts. Its voice was cold, serene, and was that of ady. However, because of how damaged it was from whatever the founder did, it struggled to transmit its thoughts.
Yang Qing who detected waved his sleeves and the vine clone that was still on standby flew in his direction.
He sat in a lotus position, and the clone did so too, with their palms facing each other and gentle light filled with different colors in between them.
The vine clone produced a single branch that tapped the withering wisteria husk.
"You can talk now.." Yang Qing said.
He had used the vine clone as a conduit between him and the Wisteria tree. It could directly transmit its thoughts to the vine clone without the need of using its pce sense, and whatever it wanted to say or show, would be transmitted to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing was still suspicious of the tree, especially after the recent events with the red abyssal thorn tree and the likely soul formation mastermind, he couldn''t risk a direct transmission, case the mastermind still had something nted in the tree.
Having the vine clone as a go-between was safer.
"Many thanks for the consideration, young Daoist..." said Wisteria Tree.
"I achieved sentience thirty thousand years ago, but it''s been a blur from then. All I remember is being tied by miasma chains while my body was drowned in a river of blood that had billions of umted resentments of different creatures from humans to spirit beasts.
I only gained rity of my surroundings from about 30 years ago, thanks to a youngdy who would pay the harp every time she was here. She was absolutely horrible at it, but she released a unique charm with it, along with the pure yin energy around her, it managed to awaken me.
My consciousness grew stronger and stronger from that moment, until 18 years ago when she disappeared with my help.
I hid that I had regained rity from the founder since I was weaker, and she controlled the seal that shackled me, but I could still maneuver with the help of the yin spirit vein below. I used it in helping thedy escape along with revealing a few memories I had of what awaited her, had she stayed.
However, that youngdy was brought back here seven years ago, and no matter how much I didn''t want it, she ended up suffering the same fate as all the others who had been brought here.
She was set for refinement a few months ago after she reached the peak of the core formation realm. She knew what waited for her, but she willingly chose it in exchange for her daughter being spared. Even though I think she knew he daughter was likely to suffer a simr fate somewhere down the line.
In these 30 years, three people have been refined with me as the trigger, with her as one of them.
While I was too helpless to save them or stop what happened to them, I tried to preserve theirst words that they would like to leave behind. They all chose to do so.."
Yang Qing clenched his fists as he heard that. Even without asking the youngdy''s identity, he knew it was Ma Yuan''s wife.
"What did she say?"
Even though it was a thought transmission, the words said managed to convey Yang Qing''s present state which was hesitation, regret, sympathy, and worry.
"Ma Yuan,
You''re a blockhead, unreliable in so many ways except for farming which to date I still can''t believe how a clumsy person like you could be so good at it. A shameless braggart who just never shuts up, never stops getting in trouble, and is too stubborn for your own good sometimes...but it is thanks to that stubbornness that made me fall in love with you, and it is from that stubbornness that I know you will never stop looking for us.
Some part of me dreads it, but some part of me is happy. Happy to have found someone willing to go to such lengths for me, someone stupid enough not to stop no matter how difficult and impossible it may be.
This is why I''m leaving this message. On the off chance that you do find us, and..... I''m not there.
Thank you, Yuan''er for giving me a life, and giving me a reason to look forward to each day and the beautiful child we created, who I''m d doesn''t have your nose.
She will need you, and you will need her, now that I won''t be there for you both. Be there for each other and live Ma Yuan, live. Promise me you will. Take this as another unreasonable request from your wife.
I know you''ll be a good father to her, just as you always have been a good father and a good husband, a little too nagging but you were truly good, which is why I hope you can have a good life even if I''m not there to have it with you. Honestly, you still worry me to no end but even in your unreliability, you''ve always been reliable, a reliable blockhead of a husband, father, and farmer.
Thank you for an amazing life and for letting me be a wife and a mother, and experience a joy I never thought possible. If possible in the next life, I''d want to be your wife again and make so many memories without the shackles of my past hanging above me.
Take care my little blockhead, and look after our daughter, and tell her how much I love her. At least now you can''t nag that I''m stingy with my words. Those years of being with you, I''ve learned something.
Thank you and don''t forget me, I won''t forget you even in death, from your loving wife, Li Liu.."
Chapter 456 Farewell Ice Emerald Sect
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"Li Liu huh, so that''s her real name..Ma Yuan, you had a good wife..." Yang Qing thought to himself with a sad smile.
"Can you do me a favor?" asked Yang Qing to the Wisteria tree as his dread fro going back to the headquarters increased a couple of notches.
"Anything young Daoist as long as I''m able.."
"Could you recreate the message in her voice, exactly how she was when she passed on those words to you? You can do the same for the remaining two messages. If it''s not too much trouble.."
"I can.."
"Thank you.." Yang Qing said with a heavy sigh as he took out three recording white jade talismans.
He didn''t know if it would help but he hoped hearing his wife''s voice and her parting words would have offered some bit of constion to him.
He would have preferred to have a visual recording of the moment itself, but the Wisteria tree didn''t have long. It was using itsst vestiges tomunicate with Yang Qing.
After about two minutes, the three recordings were done.
Li Liu''s voice was cold but it had a hint of gentleness and fluidity to it. The Wisteria had done its utmost to recreate that scene, as Yang Qing could feel the raw emotions contained in her words.
The Wisteria tree did the same with the other two victims who left their final words with it. One of them was an old woman in the core formation stage who was the matriarch of a small rank 3 n. She was the most powerful member of the n, and her name was Shao An. She had been abducted a couple of years prior to Ma Yuan''s wife being brought back and was refined shortly after.
Her message was simple, and unlike Li Liu''s the emotion contained in it was scarce. It felt more like her giving out herst instructions to her n members more than anything else. Her instructions were directed to her chosen hair, which wasn''t her children but her great-grandchild by the name of Shao Zhen. She left him instructions on where to find some of the treasures and resources she had hidden away with the bank owned by the White Rose Pavillion.
She also left him with a few more instructions such as who to trust, who not to, and who to go to for help within and outside the family, along with a few other things that would help him cement his position as the next head of the family.
Thest message was from an inner-sect disciple of the Azure petal sect, a rank 4 sect that focused on herb growth and alchemy. Her message was to her master and it was her mostly thanking her for all the support she had gotten from her since she was a small girl.. She had been an orphan whom her master found when she was roaming in search of ingredients.
The inner sect disciple was called Xu Yun and her master found her when she was four. She had a yin wood-based physique, which was what drew her master''s eye, and immediately epted her as her personal disciple and introduced her to the Azure Petal Sect. Her life experienced a seismic shift from then on. She moved from orphan to prized disciple in a single leap.
However, her journey got cut short when she got kidnapped during a sect mission outside, which ended with her demise. Of the three, she was the earliest to be refined, and also the youngest, at seventeen years old.
Once Yang Qing had the three talismans he stored one of them away, as he held the other two in his hands.
"Do you know who the founder''s master was? or how they met?"
Even if Yang Qing thought it was a long shot to ask, he decided to go ahead and try and glean the identity of the person who almost killed them, and set everything in motion that led to today''s events.
"No, I don''t know who her master was nor their interaction. By the time I gained sentience, she was already in the pce realm and stronger than me. I couldn''t risk prying into her secrets, and she was always careful even with no one around, she never let down her guard whenmunicating with that entity.
However what I do know is, that the previous two sect masters before Zhao Ju were killed by her and then refined, and as for Zhao Ju, she had simr ns for her when she reached the fourth stage of the pce realm.
Though they didn''t know it Zhao Ju and the other elders were nothing more than harvestable products for her.."
Yang Qing sighed when he heard this.
"It shouldn''te as a surprise I guess... and the fruits? I heard that the victims were all refined into fruits, was that your doing? Is it some ability of yours?"
"I don''t have such an ability...I have an innate ability to sense yin treasures and creatures. I can improve theirprehension and quality by a bit. The sect used that ability to track those with yin-based physiques.
As for the ability to refine them, it has more to do with the seal imnted on me and that tree. I have no idea how it works either as every time it was activated, my mind would go nk, and they could use it even with my cut branches.
I''m afraid only the founder knows, but even her, I doubt she knew much about it since the mechanisms seemed to work in an alternate space, the same space, I felt like my spirit had been sealed..."
"That tracks, I guess...it seems the Ice Emerald Sect were nothing more thanborers for that person... well this is a little beyond me...."
"Thank you..uhm... I''m sorry I didn''t ask your name.."
"It''s Li Hualing, Li Liu asked me to share a name with her, so I went with that.."
"Thanks, Li Hualing.."
"You''re wee young Daoist, now I can finally go... thank you for letting me do one good thing at least... farewell.."
The shriveled stem withered away gently like burning paper and was blown away with the wind, releasing a gentle chill mist.
"Farewell.." Yang Qing exhaustedly said.
With that, the final living creature with ties to the Ice Emerald Sect was gone.
Chapter 457 Stopping To See Someone In Deer Mountain
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"I guess only you are left now.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as his gaze fell to the ground below. His gaze seemed to prate the sand and rocks down to the yin-rich spirit meridian that had a budding spirit about to form.
"This ce has seen too much bloodshed, there is no need for it to continue like that.." Yang Qing said as his eyes flickered with white mes.
Baleful and malevolent energy filled with resentment and death still permeated around the sect, especially in the ce where the Wisteria tree had been located.
The founder and the rest had ughtered millions, leaving the area soaked in resentful and baleful qi. If left unattended it could end up being a blessednd for corpse and ghost cultivators, or it will build up to form miasma that would not only corrupt the yin spirit meridian and the budding spirit below but could slowly spread to the surrounding areas poisoning the ground, the air and the creatures around.
Yang Qing stood up, and his look instantly changed to me white hair, coated in a me white cloak and white me eyes and white raven above.
He brought his palms together, and instantly a wave of white mes surrounded him and bellowed outward and upward like a ferocious tsunami.
Eternal Yang me rest
The mes released pure yang energy that one would mistake it to be mes that had dropped off from the sun.
Despite the strain, the art had on Yang Qing who had not yet restored his qi fully. Yang Qing kept the me burning for almost ten minutes, which was the time it took for him topletely eradicate and purify the baleful and resentful energy that had surrounded the area.
Universal capsule
When he was done with the mes, Yang Qing ced his right hand on the vine clone that was still seated in the lotus position.
Waves of light filled with a multitude of colors shed through its body as it shrunk till it eventually became a translucent multicolored ball.
Yang Qing gently pushed that ball into the ground and it suddenly burrowed deeper as if it had a life of its own.
"Consider this payment for the help you gave.." Yang Qing said as he turned to leave.
"Senior Wei Ying can I trouble you to seal this ce in a formation? I am willing to provide the materials," asked Yang Qing when he reached them.
"How strong do you want it and for how long?"
"Strong enough to stop someone in the first stage of the pce realm. As for the duration, mmh make it fifteen years.." Yang Qing said as he took out a few monarch-grade treasures from his storage ring.
The treasures were part of what he had received as gifts during his ceremony.
"There''s no need for you to produce the materials alone, I have.."
"No, let me do it. I need to do it, even if it''s just an excuse to try and ease my conscience.."
Yang Qing interjected with a bitter smile on his face when he saw Wei Ying and the rest wanted to offer up some of their treasures for the formation.
"Okay.."
"Thank you..." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists at them.
Wei Ying showed off her talents as a gifted blue-grade formation master, as sheid out formation after formation, maximizing the use of every material that Yang Qing had provided. By the time she was done, the formation was strong enough to stop even someone at the fourth stage of the pce realm.
The formation was wholly focused on defense and illusion as its purpose was to keep people out of the main grounds of the ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect.
If word got out there was a spirit vein capable of bing a lesser dragon vein beneath the ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect, it would trigger another blood bath in the area.
Lesser dragon vein could ensure the longevity of a rank 3 sect and even help produce a rank 2 sect if they were lucky.
Something valuable like that would draw in countless cultivators and organizations from all around the continent to try and gain ownership over it.
Yang Qing didn''t wish to see the ce embroiled in war so soon, which was why he opted to hide the vein. In fifteen years, the budding spirit will have fully emerged, since before its death, the Wisteria tree had transmitted some of its essence to it.
With the spirit fully formed, it was capable of hiding or even defending itself against early-stage pce realm experts and thus had freedom in choosing those it would let in the area and with that bloodshed could be kept at a minimum. At least that was what Yang Qing hoped for, though he had half a mind to sell the information about the spirit vein to a reputable powerful merchant organization like the White Rose Pavilion and have them upy it and broker the deal to sell it to someone else through an auction.
Yang Qing would have preferred that option since it had zero risk to it and the highest degree of sess in preventing bloodshed over the spirit vein. But some part of him was sentimental, especially after hearing the Wisteria tree''s circumstance. He wanted if possible, for the spirit vein to choose its next upants, if it wanted. To let it have the free will the tree never had, or Li Liu.
"Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, Mo Liwie, Wei Ying, thank you for today.." Yang Qing said to the four of them as they were prepared to leave.
The four nodded their heads in return with smiles on their faces, but one could tell, they were affected by today''s events just like Yang Qing.
With everything already settled, they left the area, leaving a deste ground that was once the former rank 3 sect, the Ice Emerald Sect.
....
"You guys can go on ahead, I have someone I need to see at the Deer Mountain Kingdom.." Yang Qing suddenly said when the group was close to the kingdom.
"Don''t worry I''ll make sure to be back before the two hours are up. I''ve alreadymunicated with Hao Da. I''ll use the teleportation array there toe back.." Yang Qing added when he saw the solemn looks on Zhang Qingge and Dai Chen''s faces.
"Fine.." said Dai Chen with a sigh as he led the others to leave.
Yang Qing watched them disappear into the horizon before he went in the direction of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
He passed the forests, and grounds of numerous organizations in the area before he finally stopped above some decrepit buildings on the outskirts of the Deer Mountain Range.
"Seems like you went too, Sect Master Wang Yi.."
Chapter 458 Company In Solace
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Yang Qing sighed as he made his way down to an area filled with rich verdant vegetation. It was lush with green shrubs, grass, and trees, giving the area a tranquil, rxing, and vibrant look which was in contrast to the state of the scant buildings in the area.
"It seems only three people left.." Yang Qing absentmindedly muttered to himself as he made his way through the run-down gate at the entrance of the area.
The gates were made of wood and looked to be on theirst legs as they were bent over, and it didn''t look like it would need much effort to topple them over.
Yang Qing bent over and picked up a rectangr smoothly carved wooden board. He turned it and removed the grass and dirt covering it, revealing the words ''Clear Sword River Sect''
The Calligraphy was beautiful, and the craftsmanship of the wood showed it had been done with great care.
Yang Qing sighed and walked with the board toward the area that had the densest vegetation in the area.
The grass was greener, while the trees were taller with wide canopies between them. They produce a refreshing scent in the area. The glow from the sun gently cascaded down, apanied by the melodious chirps of birds and insects that had made those trees their home.
Despite the areacking human presence, it seemed more alive than when Yang Qing wasst here.
He walked into the lone building in the area. It was a two-storey courtyard, that had leaves all over, with vines growing around it.
It had ceased to be a courtyard and had melded perfectly with its surroundings.
"The Yin Yang jade bones and the universal indulgent of the myriad worlds are truly wonderous.." Yang Qing softly said as he took in his surroundings.
The vegetation that had grown in the area was a consequence of his actions when he was healing Wang Yi, the sect master of the Clear Sword River Sect, whose body had been damaged from cultivating dubious iplete arts.
As he healed him, his qi had an inadvertent effect on the surroundings. Yang Qing could have controlled it at the time, but he decided to let it flow outward on a whim, which resulted in the dense forest and vegetation around the area.
After he left, the area seemed to have continued growing as he saw more trees and variety in vegetation, and now there were even animals that had started making the ce their own. He wondered how much his little whimsical action would affect the area in the times toe.
"Maybe I cane to cultivate here every once in a while..." he mused as he walked into the courtyard.
Inside was the same as he had left it albeit dusty, and at the center of it, was the same person he had met when he first came here to do a sect demotion. However, unlike before the person at the center no longer had any life to him, but ironically, even though he was dead, to Yang Qing he seemed much more alive than he was when he came here.
Yang Qing sighed once more when he saw the elderly person at the center of the room. It was an elderly man with old grey robes seated in a lotus position with a peaceful smile on his face.
Before him was a desk with neatly arranged parchment and scrolls, and at the center of it, there were two objects.
One was a wine jar, and the other was a painting of a man''s back fishing by the river during a starry night.
If it wasn''t for theck of life aura around him, one could easily mistake the elderly man to be savoring the taste of wine with his eyes closed, or he was in silent meditation.
But Yang Qing knew the person was dead beyond beyond doubt, and had been for at least a week.
"You went earlier than expected Sect Master Wang Yi.." Yang Qing said as he waved his sleeves producing a green wind that cleared the dust out of the area while adding a refreshing spring scent to the room.
The elderly man before him was Wang Yi, the sect master of the Clear Sword River Sect, which had been a rank 5 sect slotted for demotion into a rankless sect since Wang Yi was the only foundation establishment cultivator in the sect, and he didn''t have long to live.
When Yang Qing did the evaluation with the heart stone, it had given him 63 days, and by Yang Qing''s count, he still had about two weeks left.
"Seems like you made your peace with it, in the end.." Yang Qing thought to himself as he looked at his peaceful look.
Yang Qing was rather envious of it. With theplex emotions running through him, he didn''t even know why he decided to stop by there.
Was it to dy delivering the news that would more than likely break Ma Yuan? So he wanted to dy that inevitability as much as he could?
Was it to seek the advice of someone with a few days to live who had experienced all that life could throw at him?
He had heard people at the cusp of death had some of the greatest rity one could have, and maybe some part of him hoped maybe he could borrow that, especially from someone like Wang Yi, who had seen his sect fall from glory to where it was.
Hispany and insight would have proved invaluable for Yang Qing. At least he hoped he would.
But s, Wang Yi was already gone.
"I hope your next life is easier Sect Master Wang Yi.." Yang Qing said as he took the wine jar from the table in front of the deceased Sect Master.
Yang Qing took out a bamboo cup and poured the wine that still remained in that jar onto his cup. The wine was misty, and chilly and had a fruity scent to it. It was the wine he had left with Sect Master Wang Yi after he had made the demotion official.
The wine was the snow peak ginseng wine. One of the few wines toe out of Jiang Fu''s hands.
The wine left behind was only enough to fill half the cup.
"This scene must have left an impact on you.."
Yang Qing recognized the painting before him on the desk matched the same painting Wang Yi had given him as they were parting.
With a thought Yang Qing took out the painting he had gotten from Wang Yi, and unrolled it as he went on topare the two.
To Yang Qing, on surface level, they seemed identical, however, the painting on the desk, despite having only been recently painted and been done with cheaper materials, it had an ephemeral quality to it whenpared to the painting Yang Qing was given.
It had a quality to it, like an homage, a rity, something Yang Qing could sense but couldn''t describe.
"If you don''t mind it, sect master, please let me have this one too.." Yang Qing said as he gently rolled the painting and put it in his storage ring.
He then went on to drink in silence, with countless thoughts flooding his mind as he constantly reyed today''s events wondering if there was anything he could have done differently.
Some part of him even thought of the scenario in which he avoided theke where he found Ma Yuan. If he did, then the heaviness and the guilt he felt would have been avoided altogether.
However, the lives lost, Ma Yuan''s face when he said he would pick up the case, Tang Wenyan''s face when he heard his great great grandfather''s long-standing will could be realized, all shed before his eyes.
"The good, the bad, this is mine now I guess.." he thought as he gulped down the final contents of his cup.
Chapter 459 Dual Fate Forest
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He continued to sit there, but now he had chosen to just empty his mind and soak in the sounds of life around him. The birds chirping in excitement over something, the insects'' cacophony of noises as they foraged and built more homes on the trees around, and the sound of the gently swaying of leaves around him.
Yang Qing stayed that way for ten minutes,pletely lost to his surroundings, and unbeknownst to him, the trees, the grass, the shrubs, the birds, and the insects, started swaying to his breath.
The trees released leaves that went through the window and fell on his head, almost as ifforting him. The same could be seen with the birds and the insects, whose sounds had a charm offort to them.
A gentle light filled with a myriad of colors, with the most prevalent being green was produced from Yang Qing''s body. It leaked out from him and spread to his surroundings. It didn''t seem to have an effect at first, but some of the trees, grass, and animals around him got soaked in it, and from that bunch, there were some that started to experience visible changes to their features, due to being soaked in that light.
An oak tree had its leaves turn from green to blue-green, which formed dew drops of simr color; there was a sparrow that had its wings turn from brown to orange,as it released a gentle orange glow from them, that had purifying abilities to them; there was a skrk whose melodious voice created an illusory image of a calm river with its chirp; a firefly that had its light turn to a deep green light that seemed to affect some of the flowers around it as it made them bloom; a beetle whose body turned into the luster of a diamond. Every time the rays from the sun hit it, it would create a rainbow; a moth whose wings turned crystal clear with a crescent moon shape on its wings. A flick of its wings would create the sound of water waves, and its apanying breeze; and finally, an azalea that flickered with aurora lights every few seconds.
In those ten minutes, Yang Qing felt the stifling sensation in his heart and mind, get repeatedly cleansed, over and over.
When he opened his eyes, even though the guilt was still there, and he could still remember the faces of those he had killed today, especially the innocent ones, he felt lighter in his heart and mind.
Baffled by the change, he looked around and was instantly shocked when he detected the changes around the courtyard.
The vegetation had more than doubled, and the sizes seemed to have decreased, however, the vitality and richness of air produced by them seemed to have doubled by a few levels, and there were seven living organisms that seemed to stand out in the midst of them.
Yang Qing felt a connection with every living organism in the area, but he felt the most kinship with those seven organisms.
"So it was you.." Yang Qing muttered in realization as he detected the warmthing from the leaves on top of him, the vine that had coiled around his fingers, the soothing melodies from the birds and insects that still lingered in the air, and the air released by the trees, shrubs, and grass, that seemed to relieve his burdens.
"I guess I am a really glorified tree like Grandpa said.." Yang Qing chuckled as he thought to himself.
"Thank you..." he gently said to them increasingly surprised by the abilities of the purple grade art he was given. Its abilities kept surprising him over and over.
He could feel all the trees, grasses, shrubs, and animals around him, had been soaked with his universal qi, and it had even seeped into the ground, and of them, there were seven of them that had the densest universal qi in them. It was; an oak tree, a sparrow, a skrk, a firefly, a moth, a beetle, and an azalea.
Even though they seemed normal in terms of strength and abilities, with no cultivation base, they seemed to have changed fundamentally. Yang Qing could even feel their emotions, which was one of dness and the dness was directed toward Yang Qing.
"How did this happen?" he wondered.
Whenever he cultivated at his abode, nothing like this happened. While the vegetation would grow rapidly as per the norm, none of them retained his qi like all the organisms here. He had beenpletely oblivious to what had been happening in those ten minutes.
He had only been immersing himself in his surroundings, and before he knew it, the heaviness he felt seemed to have been soothed, which was why he opened his eyes.
But now, other than the changes to the surroundings, he could feel even within himself something had changed or more aptly unlocked, though he couldn''t quite put his finger on it yet, he intrinsically felt it had something to do with the mysterious jade tree within the deepest recess of his body. The one he suspected was the representation of his yin yang peerless jade bone physique.
To taste the theory he produced a gentle wind from his hands, and revolved it around his palms.
"Serenity.." Yang Qing muttered as he detected his qi''s ability to induce calmness seemed to have jumped in levels. He felt he could help those within the core formation realm quell their internal demons with a boost from his qi.
Yang Qing gently rubbed his palm, dispelling the wind. He would investigate the matter deeplyter, but for now, he needed to return back and give Ma Yuan the news, and his wife''sst message.
With his mind cleared a bit, he now had the heart to go back. But before he did, he picked up the body of Sect Master Wang Yi, along with the board he had, and the painting he had given him.
He dug a grave next to the oak tree with green-blue leaves, and gently ced the sect master there. Above it, he ced the wooden board sign with the name ''Clear River Sword Sect'' and the painting.
He took out a piece of wood from his storage ring and carved out
''Herein lies sect master Wang Yin, who loved, lived, and died for his sect, the Clear River Sword Sect. A worthy sect master and cultivator and loyal to the end.."
The calligraphy was beautiful and had solemnity to it. Yang Qing ced that wood next to the signboard and painting.
"Take care sect master, and thank you..."
"Can you look after him.." Yang Qing said to the trees, birds, insects, and grass around, which all responded with fervor in their own ways.
"I''lle back here after some time to check on you all.. take care until then.." Yang Qing said as he waved his hands goodbye and left the area.
The little budding forest and its inhabitants shook in dness and a bit sad, as they bade Yang Qing, farewell.
In a thousand years, the little forest would turn out to be the home of hegemons of the Deer Mountain Range, a ce mored to be the most beautiful but also the most dangerous in the whole range, as it was headed by seven stars of restoration and destruction.
Countless cultivators lost their lives in search of fortune in the area, due to how blessed the ground was, and others would have their lives transformed. It was a hell to some and a blessing to others which was why it came to be known as the dual fate forest, seclusion ce of the Yin Yang Emperor. But that is a story for another day.
Chapter 460 Considered Options
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It didn''t take long for Yang Qing to make his way to the Order''s branch in Deer Mountain Kingdom.
The Branch was situated in one of the numerous mountain ranges that were in the kingdom. Creating a branch here was easierpared to other ces because of the predicament of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
The kingdom was vast, with its territory matching the size of young rank 2 kingdoms, empires, ns, or sects. However, unlike those groups, the kingdom didn''t have a firm grasp of its territory due to the numerous tumultuous regions in the area, and after their failed attempt at consolidating their territory a few hundred years ago, they were all too d to wee the Order''s presence in the area.
With how vast the territory was, the Order was able to cut out a ce in the territory to build the branch. They chose to upy a mountain that housed a bloodthirsty rock horn boa that was in the early stages of the pce realm.
The Mountain they upied wasrge as it covered an area of about 8,000 acres. It had a mountain, an indke, and a forest that wasn''t filled with much at the time. But when the Order gained control of the area, they renovated it, and added natural treasures to boost the spiritual qi in the area, and the quality of the vegetation there.
The whole area was suffused with dense spiritual qi to the point it had condensed into blue droplets filled with ethereal light, and the growth of spiritual nts was abundant.
As for the building itself, the Order didn''t skimp out on the materials as it used low-tier ascendant grade materials to build it. From goldweave cedar wood to silverdew stone down to stormcloud te.
The materials used to build, coupled with skilled craftsmanship and the dense spiritual qi in the area, made the building look like an immortal''s abode.
Yang Qing sighed as he saw the grandiose image before him.
"For as stingy as it is, it sure loves its face a lot."
"Hao Da," Yang Qing waved his hands as he saw the young blue-haired youth making his way over.
"It seems you''ve had a long day.." said the blue-haired youth with a sigh.
Even with Yang Qing smiling like he always did, for someone who has known him since their younger days at the institute, he could detect him hiding a bit of his grief.
"It was a hard one, but I''m a little better than I was half an hour ago.."
Hao Da stared at him briefly before he said,
"You know you could always just join a branch. I feel it suits your temperament more. The cases are not that many or thatrge scale, and you get to decide your schedule. If there are no cases, the rest of the time, you can spend it doing what you want, other than the asional surveince of the area.
It''s an easy job. You could get the soft life you always cried about here."
"Ideally the branches suit me best, but Hao Da, you know how much of a coward I am.." Yang Qing said with an embarrassed smile.
"I''d have to leave the denseyers of protection at the headquarters if I joined a branch. While the formation arrays, and protective mechanisms here are not bad, they don''t quite much like those at the headquarters.
Then what if I have to leave to go eat? I''d be exposing myself, and with how much a creature of habit I am, I''d be the softest target.
No, I get nervous just thinking about it. Maybe when I''m a domain expert and I have my own saint-grade treasure, maybe I could consider leaving that overworking ck tower, but until then I''ll have to ve away for the protection it affords me.."
"How could you still be so cowardly with your abilities? d to see you''re still the same.." Hao Da said as he shook his head with a smile.
"Though...Yang Qing, pardon me for saying this, but you''re not exactly an altruist, right?"
"Not really. While I''d step in to help if I can, I''ll always weigh it against my own well-being. Why?" Yang Qing asked in curiosity.
"Then why didn''t you join the holynds? With your talents, you could have surely gotten in and would have received preferential treatment from the moment you stepped in. In terms of protection, they offer the same as the Order, and you wouldn''t have to work.
The only requirement they have is for you to cultivate.."
"The Holynds huh.." Yang Qing stared at the skies as his mind wandered. Under different circumstances, he may have very well tried his hand, and if back then he had known he would be worked to the bone at the Order, then maybe he would have opted.
"Who am i kidding," Yang Qing thought with a smile as he shook his head, dispelling those notions.
"It''s the same reason I won''t go to a branch, I''m a coward. For holynds, you''d have to go all the way to the one testing site. Who knows what could have happened to me during that journey..unlike the Order where you can visit any branch and they''ll transport you to the headquarters.
Though it would be a lie to say, I didn''t entertain the thought but I wouldn''t have gone to either of them. If not the Order, I think I''d have gone to the Jade Leaf Academy. I have a family friend who''s like my grandfather, and he is from there..."
"The two holynds while they''d offer me safety and resources, I don''t know why, but I felt I''d be more constrained there, but the Order and the Jade Leaf Academy are different.
I doubt I''d get away with half the things I do here if I were to do them there. As much as I hate to admit it, the Order grew on me, more than I expected it to. Even with recent events, I wouldn''t leave even if there was a chance to.." added Yang Qing as he shuddered in fear at the thought the Order had them where they wanted.
"What about you? From the questions you are asking, it seems like you considered it?" asked Yang Qing.
Hao Da didn''t have the best of starts at the Order, so Yang Qing wouldn''t be surprised if he harbored those thoughts. He wouldn''t be the first one. When they were young they would all fantasize about what life would be like in the holynds, especially, after a session with the murderous instructors, that thought was constantly on their minds.
"I haven''t, actually. I doubt I''d have fitted much in those ces.." he said with a rueful smile.
"Besides, my current life isn''t bad, just like you, it has grown on me and I''m looking forward to the three fires branch. Come visit when you can, the Three Fires Empire has pretty great restaurants known for their meat dishes..." he added with a chuckle when he saw the greedy look on Yang Qing.
Even when going through hard times, it seemed like his appetite would remain constant.
"I''ll do that.." Yang Qing said as he quickly wiped his dripping drool with a floosh of his sleeves.
"Where''s the branch chief by the way?" Yang Qing said when he didn''t see or sense him around.
"He went to see the king of the kingdom who had concerns that there may be heretical cultivators with a hideout here..."
"Oh...the Spiritual Temperance Sect had one too, the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect. I wonder if the special inquisitors found anything rted to them.." Yang Qing thought as he rubbed his chin in deep thought.
He still had a pending report to make with the Judicial Review Committee, separate from today''s matter, in regard to opening a branch within that area.
He exchanged a few more words with Hao Da before thetter activated the teleportation array at the branch and had him transported back to the headquarters.
"The holynds huh.." Hao Da muttered to himself as he watched the spatial gate that had been opened, close up.
Chapter 461 Caldera Of Corpses
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A certain corner, within the ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect,
"It seems master has already recovered the sarcophagus blood bead he had given that old hag Feng Qiu. tsk, here I thought I''d get to have it.."
A young man with a guileless look on his face, apricot robes, and ck hair neatly tied in a daoist top knot stood within the ruins of the Ice Emerald Sect as his gaze fell toward the center of it.
He gently stretched his hand forward before he quickly pulled it back, with a grimace on his face.
His hand had been burnt to the bone with a sizzling sound that released ck smoke constantly produced from his burnt hand.
A red incandescent glow was produced from his bones, and his flesh regrew back.
"What a feisty formation.." he muttered as he warily stared at the ward before him filled withplex runes and white mes moving in between those runes.
The ward flickered and disappeared as if it was never there.
The young man stared at the area the ward had appeared for a few more seconds seemingly debating something before he finally shrugged his shoulders in defeat.
"Forget it, it would take considerable expenditure to break it and I doubt the Order would leave anything worthwhile in there anyway. By the look of things, they even cleansed the entire area. Tsk, it''s a pity about that bead. I wonder why master treated her so well, despite her being nothing more than a collector..." he turned with his hands behind his back and disappeared like a gust of wind.
....
Within a secret grotto in the southern continent,
A mountain tall enough to blot out the sky filled an entire grotto surrounded by red vapor. The mountain looked like a volcanic mountain, except where there should have beenva overflow, it was deep red liquid, that constantly released fumes in the air slowly trickling down the mountain.
As the liquid moved down the mountain, red and purple glyphs would constantly flicker from the surface of the ck mountain.
The grotto had a red moon above it, and there was no other object in sight except the mountain, however, within that mountain was a different case.
At its caldera, there were piles of corpses that looked to be stewing within the bubbling red blood. The corpses were huge in size an number to the point that they formed mountains of their own within that caldera.
The corpses were of different varieties; there were spirit beasts such as the Ba She which were bigger and released a much more terrifying aura than the one the founder of the Ice Emerald Sect had released when she had transformed. In terms of size and stature, she had lost outpletely. Other than the Ba She, there were countless other spirit beasts each more ferocious than the previous from avianic spirit spirit beasts, to reptilian ones, to mammalian ones. There was a massive bear the size of a small hill, its body covered with the ck aura of destruction. The air around it trembled and cracked just from its presence. A bird that released the most savage aura that corpses around it would constantly be minced.
However, in terms of disposition, they all paled to five corpses, which even in death, had a majestic air about them. The five corpses were simr, though they varied in color; two were ck and three were red. The three corpses had the shape of a snake, except unlike snakes, their scales carried an ethereal and otherworldly air around them.
Even though they were dead, spiritual qi danced around them almost in joy, while their head, was that of a dragon, and their eyes even dead, radiated with unvible majesty. They were flood dragons, monsters born with the strength of a pce realm cultivator at birth, and each capable of toppling an entire nation. They couldmand the winds and the rain with a single swipe of their ws, creatures with the strongest essence of the true dragons.
Based on their monstrous sizes and the half-formed horns the five flood dragons had just reached maturity which meant they all had the strength of a domain expert and ate stage at that, however, here theyy, dead, their bodies slowly being dissolved by the boiling red liquid below them.
In addition, within the pile of corpses, there were human corpses that had their skins dissolved. Their bones released a golden glow and had dao markings on them, which made them shine like precious jade ascendant-grade treasures. The glow and dao markings showed that the corpses belonged to domain experts, and they numbered in the hundreds.
Such a scene would send shockwaves around the continent, as the caldera housed the corpses of terrifying beings able to topple a nation with the palm of their hands and eradicate oceans with another, but they were nothing but food for the boiling red liquid below and in the midst of that harrowing scene was a red shining thorn tree in the center of it.
The red thorn tree was just two meters tall and was filled with millions of palm-sized fruits of different colors. The boiling liquid below it refining the corpses around it seemed to have originated from that tiny tree, and sitting cross-legged beneath was an elderly man with a refined appearance, donning pure ck robes.
The elderly man looked to be in his early sixties, white hair smoothly flowing down his back, and irises that burned with blue-ck mes. Even with his look, he had lustrous smooth white skin, that made it look like it had been crafted from the purest jade that removed all embellishments and impurities.
Despite being surrounded by enormous corpses that bore enough pressure to create a hole in the earth, the elderly man''s presence was amodating and all-epassing to the area, as if he could contain an entire world within himself.
However, that same elderly man had four holes in his body, that constantly leaked out golden red blood that had tinges of icy blue air in it. Just a single drop of that blood made the ground below quake in an explosion.
The wounds had an overwhelming and catastrophic energy that could destroy the world surrounding them, which was what prevented the wounds from closing up.
However, despite the severity of the wounds, the elderly man had an indifferent and calm look on his face, seemingly unaffected by it as he held a red thorn in his hand.
"For an upstart, this organization has some rather skilled individuals..."
Chapter 462 Relationships And Enemies, Old And New (1)
"Feng Qiu was useless to the end. Even with the support I offered her, the best she could reach was the sixth stage of the pce realm. Utterly useless...How far have I fallen, if the best help I can get is third-rate rubble?
The cultivators she got did little to help with my current predicament, and she went and got herself killed before she could even find more arts tied to the Frozen Serenity cannon.
The arts she delivered and the ones I have are barely enough to help me deduce the coordinates of the main grotto of the Frozen Serenity Sect. I need the sovereign tears ice vine fruit if I want a chance of healing these damn wounds.." the elderly man said as he eyed the four holes in his torso that released a cmitous aura.
"110,00 years and it still burns with the same venom as when I got it from that qilin. If that twerp Liu Gen had stayed the course, the wounds would have already been healed, but he went and got full of himself just because he reached the soul formation realm.
And what did that get him? With his puny strength, and a cultivation art I helped him improve to the gold grade, he thought he could dominate the world.
He got pped around for all his bluster, some crimson wave that was. That kid..."
The elderly man sighed as a rare sign of emotion appeared on his face.
"Such a pity, he had enough talent to even stand out even during the heyday of our sect. But with the means of that kid, I''m sure he is still alive somewhere.
Liu Gen you twerp, you still owe me, and I''ll be collecting on a part of that debt today.." the elderly man said as he pinched the thorn in his hand that turned into a red bead filled with inscrutable runes.
" While that kid may have eliminated my abilities to track him through the art I helped him make, the others are not as skilled...three members of that sect seemed like they survived. One of them should be enough to deflect their attention.
You should be thankful you twerp that I''m only going for the one in the domain realm.." the elderly man said as he flicked the bead in the air.
It let out a radiant red light and immediately vanished in the air.
"That should be enough to mislead them...The Order.." aplicated expression shed in his eyes as he mentioned the name.
"I thought nothing of them at first, but they are too strange. That kid, it seemed like he had the aura of that jade enlightened arc butterfly.
If it wasn''t for the restoration abilities of that butterfly and her sect, we would have won the battle back then.
But how is she alive? I was sure she died to the ancient..." he had a bewildered look as she tried to recall past events.
"Then there was that swordsman and that sneaky old man. Even back then, they would have stood out. How did an upstart like them find such powerful people in such a short time?
We had enough talent and foundation back then to run amock in this continent, even with enemies all around, but even with our means, we couldn''t spew out so many talents in such a short amount of time.
Are they supported by remnants of the past? It''s the only thing that exins it, but who? All of them should have died back then, down to their roots.
This is all too strange, at my state, I can''t afford to get entangled with them yet.." the elderly man muttered before he went on to close his eyes in meditation.
The red boiling liquid below him started surging, rising, and falling with every breath. It released a mystical radiance that covered the corpses around it, the red abyssal thorn tree, and the elderly man.
With every corpse dissolved, the tree would vibrate, and produce a red pearl fruit which would then drop disperse into mist that covered the old man''s wounds.
Thunderous explosions would be produced every time the mist came in contact with the wound, as an auspicious air apanied by an ancient-sounding roar was produced from the wound. A loud tearing sound would be produced immediately after.
"Mmh.." the elderly man suddenly opened his eyes with a surprised look on his face.
A rusted old sword that was broken halfway immediately appeared in his hands as he hurriedly stood up.
A murderous cry was produced from the sword that brought with it the illusions of an ocean and mountain of blood, and corpses. The corpses were mythical creatures, powerful spirit beasts, and soul-formation cultivators.
The sword released a dark star cloud that had the aura of terror, decay, and corrosion. The air around its rusty edge was torn apart by its malevolent aura.
The red abyssal tree behind the elderly man let out an eerie ck and red light as a majestic red rune was produced from one of the tips of its branches. The rune was in the shape of a scythe, a grim reaper''s scythe.
A blinding white light carrying the momentum of a world behind, and the shattering force of a gxy appeared in the reflection of that elderly man''s irises, which turned grim at what he was staring at.
Bang!
A thunderous explosion reverberated all around the grotto bringing enough force to make it seem like the world was ending.
A red barrier filled with glyphs appeared around the grotto to block the iing mystical white light, but it shattered after a brief struggle as the light charged head-on toward the caldera illuminating everything in its path.
The mountain which was filled with nothing but gloomy red light, now had a light of dawn, shining on it, tearing away at the gloominess and the miasma around.
Boom!
The elderly man swung his sword at the iing mystical light producing a red-ck streak with his swing.
The space was torn apart as easily as slicing through butter, revealing the grey depths of the void.
Chapter 463 Relationships And Enemies, Old And New (2)
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The mystical light and the red-ck scythe-like light from the elderly man''s attack collided bringing an even more cmitous explosion and destruction.
The red boiling liquid below got eviscerated along with the corpses that were around. The red scythe-like glyph from the red abyssal thorn tree sprung into action when the collision force produced by the two attacks, spilled over to the flood dragons.
It obliterated any spilling energy that went in that direction.
After a few seconds, the sounds of armageddon silenced when the elderly man was able to slice through the mystical light.
However, immediately after the light disappeared, he vomited blood, as the wounds on his torso red up with blue lightning shes and cracks spreading from the holes.
He hurriedly plucked about a dozen red pearl fruits from the red abyssal thorn tree and speedily consumed them.
The cracks that were rapidly spreading around his body were halted and slowly started receding back. They only disappearedpletely when the elderly man consumed, one red pearl fruit that stood out from the rest. It had a golden light flowing through it, along with dao marks.
He had a frosted expression as he ate it, leaving only four simr-looking pearl fruits on the tree.
"Dammit!!!!!!!" he roared as he angrily punched the ground below him creating a massive crater below him which immediately closed up from a radiant glow of the red abyssal thorn tree.
"I''m sorry about that, old friend. I lost myself.." the elderly man said.
"We need to change locations.." he added.
The red abyssal thorn tree as if in agreement with him, produced another red light, which was more intense, as its body got covered by dense ancient runes.
The space trembled and then split apart revealing the dark grey void. The whole mountain range disappeared into it, with the space closing up.
...
A few seconds earlier, skies of the southern continent, stood two men, one old with a kind-looking face, the other young, with white hair and an otherworldly charm to him.
"Mmh.." the elderly man''s gaze was trained in a particr direction with a deep piercing look.
"What is it, brother Zhu Qiu?" asked the white-haired young man.
"Our friend is a rather skilled one. They have already altered the location and deflected it elsewhere with enough skill to fool most soul formation experts. Even I am struggling. I can only vaguely detect the original cing.." said the elderly man as he formed a seal with one of his hands, creating golden leaves that gently and hazily floated in alternating directions.
"He must be pretty skilled for him to have even the skills to mislead your detection. But he hasn''t yet done it, has he?
How long can you pinpoint him?" asked the white-haired youth as he took out an azure-colored long sword that looked like it had been carved from the skies.
"About three seconds.."
"That should be more than enough time to send them a little gift for all their troubles. I''d feel a little indignant if I came all this way for nothing.."
"You''re sure to cause amotion again Tao Wen, like thest time your sword was brought out.."
"Can''t be helped. They almost killed our young saplings, I have to get them back for that, even if only a little, besides, with the way things have been going offte, we need to remind the continent we are still there, otherwise more injuries and death wille for them.."
"Well, when you put it like that, even I need to put my old bones to work before I retire.."
Behind the kind-looking elderly man, a massive radiant colored illusory jade tree appeared. The jade tree looked like it could hold up the heavens and the earth.
A burst of radiant light filled with dao lights surrounded it as it shot that light in a particr direction.
Seeing the light, the white-haired young man whose demeanor and air were casual suddenly transformed as he pulled his sword over his shoulders with the tip floating over his hand almost as if he was aiming at something.
An ethereal light surrounded him, as the sword in his hand let out a joyous hum that echoed for hundreds of thousands of kilometers from where he was.
"A million starlights .." he calmly muttered as he jabbed his sword forward.
A sublime sword cry was produced followed by a brilliant white light that neatly sliced apart the space everywhere it moved exposing the deep void. The dark grey mist contained within evaporated from being touched by that light. Were Mo Liwei here, he would be gobsmacked. Just a tiny bit of the mist could erode his body in an instant if not handled carefully, but the light produced by the white-haired young man''s strike had disintegrated every single void mist in its trail.
Within that darkness, there had been humongous whale-sized creatures releasing auras powerful enough to drive a pce realm expert crazy, but they all fled without question when that light appeared.
A sh of white light carrying the force and momentum of an entire gxy illuminated cities, kingdoms, empires, sects, the void, bringing with it a terrifying pressure that rmed old monsters in the soul-formation realm to young children with no cultivation bases.
All quivered in terror beneath that radiant light that shed and disappeared before their eyes could register, leaving behind a torn space, and overbearing pressure as evidence it was there.
All who saw it knew that whoever or whatever was being targetted, was surely to be obliterated to dust.
The light traveled for hundreds of thousands of kilometers, traversingrge territories ofnd and water, before it disappeared into the void.
...
Present time
"They have disappeared.." muttered the kind-looking elderly man as the jade tree behind him disappeared.
"I figured as much, even my intent was hazy in pinpointing them. I think we need to inform the president about it. There was an uncanny aura, one belonging to the Ghost Lamp Sorhagus Sect..." said the white-haired young man with a grim expression on his face.
The kind-looking elderly man who had an easy-going air to him suddenly turned stiff as his pupils trembled at the name.
"Those madmen?! They''re still alive?!" he said as a murderous look appeared on his face.
The air around him vibrated from his fury as the clouds above him darkened with a cmitous power brewing from it.
"It could be just one of their grounds, but with the means those guys had, I would not be surprised if some survived.
The president and the others, regrly scour the continent in search of any survivors, but none has been caught.."
"We can''t let that blight resurface, I don''t think the continent can take what happened back then.." the kind-looking elderly man said with a somber expression.
He waved his sleeves and a space vortex appeared with the two walking in.
Chapter 464 Ma Yuan Receives The News (1)
?
Yang Qing sighed as he stepped out of the teleportation portal within the administration hall of the headquarters.
Every branch''s teleportation array was linked to the headquarters via the administration hall. After arriving instead of feeling the relief he usually felt whenever he came back from field excursions, all he felt now was a heaviness throughout his whole body.
However, he firmed himself to do what needed to be done. If it wasn''t for the little brief respite at the former grounds of the now-removed Clear Sword River Sect, he wasn''t sure if he''d have the guts to do what needed to be done.
He went to the deployment department andpleted the procedures for returning back, one of which was the removal of the protection of the saint-grade treasure, the Voyager Bell from him, so there could be space for others to use who may be leaving.
After he was done, he took out hismunication talisman and called Zheng Hu to have him bring Ma Yuan to his abode so he could give him the news.
As he was making his way to the Deer Mountain branch, Yu Gen had already called him to inform him he had already taken Ma Yuan''s daughter, Ma Ling to the Medicine Valley to have her examined and have the damages done to her by the memory-altering gu, repaired.
Yang Qing could only hope the extent of the damage done to her wasn''t high to the point that she couldn''t even remember her father. He wasn''t sure Ma Yuan could take it along with the news of the loss of his wife.
Luckily, even if the damage was extensive, with the expansive means of the Medicine Valley, they would be able to restore herpletely since they have dealt with countless cases simr to hers over the years.
Yang Qing slowly made his way to his abode. He had told Zheng Hu to bring Ma Yuan over after half an hour, which should give him enough time to prepare himself. Though the preparation part of it was just a lie he told himself, to give himself as much time as possible.
He spent all that time sighing and changing seating positions on his terrace, trying to find the perfect posture, and the perfect seat to deliver the news. Like the seat, and the sitting position could somehow alleviate his nerves and maybe even help Ma Yuan receive the news better.
Sadly, after thirty whole minutes of trying, he failed to find it. With Ma Yuan having already been brought over, Yang Qing let out another sigh, one of the millions he had let out since the day started, as he resolved himself to just go with it.
Ma Yuan''s face and his whole body demeanor spoke of someone who was a bundle of nerves and anxiety.
Countless emotions shed through his eyes, but only two were the loudest, that was worry and hope.
Zheng Hu had not told him anything on the way over, only that Yang Qing hade back and wanted to see him.
On the way over, all he could think of was from today, he would either be reunited with his wife and daughter, or he would get to experience a hellish torture that would be a thousand times worse than what he had experienced in the past seven years.
His heart drummed with every step he took till he saw Yang Qing''s abode, with his steps getting heavier and heavier. His ears started ringing, his palms sweating, he felt nauseous, his body was heating up, his tongue dried up, and his mind seemed to be nking out.
He had envisioned this moment every single waking moment for the past seven years, and now that it was here, he felt like he couldn''t take it.
"Judge Yang Qing..." his voice cracked up as he greeted Yang Qing with a daoist salute.
"Please have a seat, Ma Yuan.." Yang Qing gently said.
Yang Qing infused his words with his qi which now had an increased calming effect thanks to the opportune transformation he had experienced earlier from the living organisms that were next to the courtyard of the sect master of the Clear Sword River Sect.
He hoped qi''s serenity effect, could help Ma Yuan, even if it was only just a little. The action seemed to have visible effects, as Ma Yuan''s hands stopped shaking, and he was less fidgety with his body movements, even though one could still see the anxiety in him, which was understandable.
"Ma Yuan, there''s no easy to say this, other than to just say it. Your daughter is alive, and we brought her back with us, however, there were someplications with her so I had her taken to our Medical Hall. They should be able to resolve whatever issues she has. I can guarantee that.
As for your wife.."
Yang Qing took a momentary pause before he decided to take the plunge,
"She was dead before we arrived. She died a month ago, and she left something for you.." Yang Qing somberly said as he took out the white jade talisman with her recording from his storage ring.
From the reflection of his eyes, Ma Yuan had frozen solid. At first, there was a slight smile, but when Yang Qing dropped the bombshell of his wife, his smile froze halfway along with his body.
His body twitched as his eyes rolled back.
"Seems like he has fainted.." muttered Zheng Hu with a somber expression.
Yang Qing sighed as he picked Ma Yuan up and went and ced him beneath the green me tree. The green me tree had refreshing and soul-soothing effects, along with restraining effects on mental demon seizures.
Yang Qing and Zheng Hu sat next to him in silence without saying anything as they waited for him toe to.
It took almost two hours before Ma Yuan regained consciousness.
The moment he came to, his face instantly paled with eyes wide open, lips and body trembling.
"She''s, she''s, she''s dead?!" he asked softly almost as if afraid if he said it loud enough he would trigger her death.
"She is.." Yang Qing softly answered.
Ma Yuan went into a daze as he softly muttered.
"Why?" over and over with his head facing downwards as his shoulders started trembling.
His voice chalked up, and tears started dripping from his ears.
"What did she leave me?" he weakly asked, with his face still facing the ground supported by his hand.
Yang Qing contemted how to answer it before he said,
"Her final words, and her hopes for you.."
He gently slid the white jade talisman to his feet and he slowly left the area along with Zheng Hu.
They went to the terrace, leaving Ma Yuan to his thoughts and the talisman.
Chapter 465 Ma Yuan receives the news (2)
Chapter 465 Ma Yuan receives the news (2)
Ma Yuan remained in the same posture beneath the green me tree. He was seated, his head bent down and one of his palms supporting it, leaving one free hand.
Tears continually poured out of him, as he muffled his cries. If he started yelling, he was afraid he would never stop.
"Shun Fei, why did you leave?" he weakly said with a cackled voice.
He still made no attempt to reach for the talisman. Every time he would try to reach out, fear would overwhelm him, and his hands would refuse to move.
He stared at it, and before he knew it, the talisman seemed to have transformed into the visage of his wife. Her cold, stern, breath-taking face that hid her emotions, those limpid ck eyes that hid a curiosity in them, and a presence that he could never forget.
The years he spent with her, theughs, the asional ice beatings he received when he pushed her buttons one too many times, and the beautiful bundle of life they created in their daughter. Those ten or so years would probably be the best his life could ever be.
When his memory reached his daughter, his foggy mind seemed to suddenly clear up.
"Ma Ling is alive.." he muttered to himself, as he slowly stretched his hands and finally picked up the talisman.
He held it hesitantly before he firmed himself to listen to its contents. No matter how afraid he was, he had to listen to herst words. It was the least he could do since he couldn''t protect her.
"I hope it''s not a one-worded message, with her calling me a blockhead.." he said as he smiled wryly.
"But knowing her, I wouldn''t be surprised if she did.." he added as he took a deep breath.
Ma Yuan pulled spiritual qi from the surroundings to use it to activate the recording white jade talisman. Even though his dantian was shattered, he could still pull in spiritual qi from his surroundings, it''s just that his body would be unable to store it or refine it without a dantian.
But pulling enough qi to activate the white jade talisman was something he was more than capable of doing, especially with his sturdy foundations of having a gold body, and had reached the core formation realm with a blue core. His aptitude at gathering spiritual qi and manipting qi was still there, though what he could do with it had dropped multiple levels, without a dantian in ce.
Ma Yuan nervously took a gulp, with expectant eyes that had sadness in them as the talisman let out a soft white glow from the runes inscribed on it being triggered from the input of qi.
His eyes gleamed and trembled when he heard his wife''s voice.
"Ma Yuan,
You''re a blockhead.."
Ma Yuan flinched in trepidation on reflex as he heard those first lines. They were all too familiar to him, and how he would always make a break for it when he heard those words from intentionally pushing her buttons before he got mmed by his wife''s ice hammers.
He had an embarrassed smile when he realized his cowardly reaction before he perked up his ears to the rest of the message.
It didn''t take long before he heard the entirety of the message.
He had a gentle gaze as he stared at the talisman in his hands, with a weak but mirthful smile. Even though there was sorrow, there was relief andfort in him.
"This was a pleasant surprise, Li Liu... Thank you for an amazing life too. You were an exceptional wife, too good for me, and an even exceptional mother. It''s sad Ma Ling won''t get to have you in her life as she grows older, and even maybe have kids of her own.
I will always remember you too, to the end, and I''ll make sure Ma Ling does too.
You''ve always been unreasonable, but I promise, I will live, Li Liu, for you, for our daughter, and for myself.." He said with a deep sigh as he stared at the sky above him, envisioning his wife''s rare smile.
"Am I a shameless braggart though?" he wondered as he rubbed his nose with a bitter smile.
He slowly got up and gently and carefully stored away the white jade talisman. Other than his daughter, that talisman had be the greatest treasure he could ever have. He would hold onto it until hisst breath, continually listening to it, on easy days and especially on the hard days, which he was sure would be plenty.
He couldn''t help but smile when he realized his wife knew him too well. Without her encouragement and plea, he knew himself too well, and he would have likely given in to the pain of the grief and chose to apany her.
While he would apany his daughter until she was safe and better, he knew he would be no different than a living dead, present but continually absent with the memories of his wife, counting the days until he reunited with her, ignoring everything else.
But now, no matter how hard it would be, he had to present for his daughter, and also for himself, to live his life, which he wasn''t sure what it would be.
He had no cultivation base or connections that he could use.
"I''ll just take it a step at a time.." he muttered to himself as he slowly made his way to where Yang Qing and Zheng Hu were.
"Thank you.." Ma Yuan instantly said as he performed a deep bow toward Yang Qing.
"There''s no need for that.." Yang Qing said as he helped him up.
"I''m sorry I couldn''t save your wife..." he added with a look of regret.
"You did more than enough.." Ma Yuan said with a smile, which seemed to have lessened the weight on Yang Qing''s mind and heart.
"What happened to Ma Ling? Can I see her?" Ma Yuan desperately asked.
With his mind cleared up a bit he want nothing more than to be next to his daughter.
Yang Qing went on to exin the matter concerning the memory-altering gu and the repercussions to look out for.
However, Ma Yuan wasn''t hit hard by the news nor surprised as he had expected him to be. It turned out Ma Yuan had seen his fair share of memory imnt gu, and when his wife and daughter were taken, he had expected whoever took her, to do something like that.
Though he was still worried about the extent of damage done to his daughter, the worry wasn''t that high especially when he got the guarantee that his daughter would be monitored and healed by cultivators from the Order.
After finishing the exnation, Yang Qing and Ma Yuan made their way to the Medical Valley.
Chapter 466 Medical Valley
?
The Medicine Valley is considered one of the most important ces in the whole Order. It''s because of its existence that the Order can conduct its affairs in maintaining some semnce of peace and structure around the continent, despite the severe manpower shortage and arge area to supervise.
Other than training, and using every resource they have to ensure the growth of all who step through their doors, the existence of the Medicine Valley was another keyponent towards the growth of the Order.
The cultivation world being as dangerous as it was, even with high talenting through its doors, the Order would not have survived as long as it has, without the presence of the Medicine Valley, especially during the early years when the Order was just making its presence known.
Wars were still constant, and the Order was spread thinner than it was now, it had less manpower then, and its name did not have as much deterrent as it did now.
Its members were constantly in fights that left them injured, despite their skills. There was a limit to where skill could get you if you had enemies everywhere you turned, and within the rank of those enemies, there were those who had the same skill level as you, or those who were even stronger.
In such instances, you need something to ensure your survival, in case the artifacts and other means fail, and that something was the establishment of the Medicine Valley.
The Order poured countless resources, time, and thought into its establishment. It was done with the same care as the Institute.
They did mass recruitment, and constantly scoured the continent for those with wood, water element affinity, and special physiques that suited alchemy, herbology, or medicine. Delved into ruins, mysterious realms in search of lost legacies tied to alchemy and medical techniques, exploration of the Millionsfold treasure ocean, the Bestial churning sea, and the Blue Origin ocean in search of a variety of herbs and unique treasures, visiting forbidden grounds. They have continuously researched ways of merging different schools of cultivation with medicine, herbology, and alchemy. These included arrays, geomancy spirit beast zoology, and the like.
Domain experts and even soul formation experts were constantly involved in the nning phases, as they monitored every single aspect of it day and night.
Every measure possible was thought of and acted upon. The Order poured every resource and time it could get its hands on into creating a haven of life. Where no matter how bad the injuries, you could be a single breath away from death, but the moment you stepped into the Medicine Valley, you instantly regain your life, losing your body is nothing more than a flesh wound, poisoning and curses are nothing but allergies that the Medicine Valley can quickly remedy.
The Medicine Valley was meant to serve as an anchor to those from the Order. As long as it was there, no matter what happened out there, and how bad it got, the Valley providedfort and sce to every Order member, because they knew as long as it existed, it was like they had a second life.
To date, no matter the heights it reached, the Order still continuously pumps more resources, and other things, to ensure its continual development and growth, till it bes an unrivalednd of healing, one unlike any other, even capable enough to dwarf the Universal Saint Garden Sect, a rank 1 sect, unrivaled in its fame for healing techniques, especially its founder, who had a lucky encounter in a grotto and ate a fruit that modified his body to form three dantians matching three elements; water, wood, and earth. His medical techniques were unrivaled and renowned far and wide.
Yang Qing had never visited that rank 1 sect, but in his own biased opinion, he felt the Medicine Valley of the Order did not lose out to the Universal Saint Garden Sect.
..
It didn''t take them long to reach the Medicine Valley. Yang Qing used the teleportation array in his office to take him and Ma Yuan to the location.
The Valley was shrouded with millions of protection wards, but with his medallion, he got in easily. He also had a medical valley special token, courtesy of the valley master, in their bid to recruit him. It allowed him entry as he pleased, even in areas with stringent requirements.
The Valley was like his backyard. He even wondered how muchtitude the Valley Master had been given in the area, for her to unterally give out something like that token easily with no oversight or vote.
..
Ma Yuan''s jaws dropped when he saw the Valley. Whatever he had imagined the ce would look like, the ce hadpletely subverted his imagination.
It required no introduction for him to know this was the Medicine Valley, even a blind man would know the moment they stepped in.
The area was true to its name, a valley, a verdant never-ending valley. It was saturated with dense spiritual qi, which was so dense to the point it had turned into a fine mist that had stunning colors produced from the gentle glow of the sun above.
The mist nourished the herbs below and invigorated the lives of all who stepped into the valley. Ma Yuan could feel a sense of calmness and tranquility from the moment he stepped in.
Whether it was the dense mist above, the musical chirp of birds, the flowing water from the rivers that were meandering all over the valley, or the gentle breeze. They all worked in concert to promote tranquility and serenity to all in the area.
Ma Yuan saw countless fields, some looked man-made and others looked like they were by natural urrence. In each of them, the quality of the spiritual herbs was the highest he had ever seen.
The ethereal shine they had, the air they released around them, all clear markers that every single herb he came across whether it was the silver bitterweed, a mortal rank herb, the blue river dewberry- an earth rank herb, turtle starfall orchid- a sky rank herb, they all had one thing inmon.
As per Ma Yuan''s judgment from extensive years as a farmer, he could tell that each one of them was at the utmost limit in quality one could achieve in them.
He took great pride in his skills in herbology, especially in the propagation and care of spiritual nts, but he felt that pride instantly shatter when he saw the countless fields before him.
There were thousands and thousands of fields filled with spiritual herbs as far as the eye could see, and every single one of them had the same degree of quality.
Chapter 467 Coalescing Tranquility Rivers Of Healing
?
Ma Yuan couldn''t replicate their quality with even three or four spiritual herbs, let alone match the thousands of herbs in each field.
He couldn''t help but be awed by the scenery before him. It took great skill beyond his imagination to achieve such results. From the quality, down to how they were even able to grow a huge variety of spiritual herbs in a single field.
From his experience, spiritual herbs were simr to spirit beasts. They would always try to dominate one another inpetition for territory, and the higher the quality of the spiritual nt, the higher the odds something like that would happen.
A top-quality spiritual herb would stifle the growth of other spiritual herbs around it, and those that do grow around it, are ''ves'' to that one herb. All they do is provide resources for it to grow stronger, but all around, Ma Yuan saw countless herbs growing together, of simr quality.
"We are headed this way.." Yang Qing said pulling him out of his stupor as he pointed to their left.
Along the way, Ma Yuan was repeatedly awed. He had lost count of the number of times he had released gasps of shock, or his eyes widening at something he thought impossible.
Mixed with the fields were beautifully crafted courtyards and pavilions made of wood. He had no idea of the material, but the craftmanship, detail, and care were the same level as the care and attention afforded to the spiritual herbs.
He saw countless cultivators rushing about to the different courtyards and pavilions, whilst some made their way to the countless fields and natural forests around them.
Every one of those cultivators had the same colored robe, which was a robe that had a mix of green and yellow.
Ma Yuan assumed them to be the workers of the ce, because of the rich herbal scent wafting from their bodies, and they all seemed to have a simr quality to them, something he had detected from Yang Qing too, when he was being healed by him, an abundant gentle breadth of life.
Ma Yuan managed to spot what he presumed were patients outside of the courtyards they passed by. However, he was surprised to find they were not from the Order. Their robes varied in colors along with the emblem on them.
He recognized the symbols of some of them as some belonged to merchant organizations and sects from outside the Order, while some as an itinerant cultivator himself, he could recognize one of his own at a nce.
"Wondering why there are outsiders here?" Yang Qing calmly asked to Ma Yuan''s puzzled look, who nodded at Yang Qing''s question.
"Well, the valley offers treatment to outsiders at an affordable rate. One is to create goodwill, the other, its experience and exposure.." Yang Qing softly said as he admired the youths rushing about.
If it wasn''t for their ruthless working schedule, he may have been one of them.
"Experience?"
"Yes, for them.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the young cultivators in green robes.
"For them to grow into their talents, they need as much hands-on experience as they can, and well when ites to us, sadly they may not get it, because any injuries and mdies we get are bound to be something beyond their means to handle, which is why we ept those from outside the order to be purposefully handled by them.
The number of patients they handle will never dwindle, and the cases will be varied because their patients are all from all different walks of life, from different regions around the continent, each with their own medical story waiting for the young practitioners of the Medical Valley of the Order to unravel.
They get exposed to all sorts of scenarios and mdies, somemon, some strange, some easy, someplicated, some known, some unknown, and in that storm, they slowly find their way as they slowly build on what they know, to the point they get skilled enough to handle injuries capable enough of putting someone from the Order, down.."
"And now we are going to see one of those who passed through that storm, to an even bigger one. They are the ones handling your daughter''s case, and she couldn''t be in finer hands.." Yang Qing added with a soft smile on his face.
"Thank you...." Ma Yuan said with a bit of relief, though he still seemed worried. But seeing the countless patients around him,ing in anding out better, helped ease his growing tensions.
They went past a few more courtyards, pavilions, stone bridges, and meandering paths before they stopped before they stopped at a road path that had the sign
''Coalescing tranquility rivers of healing''
The sunlight seemed dimmer, and the wind seemed cooler. The region was weed by a canopy of lush forests and gently flowing sounds of a river, though, from the sounds, Ma Yuan felt it was more than one, which proved to be true when he saw four rivers meandering through the forest they were walking through,bine into one congruent point then split up into four from that point.
That central point had a three-story pavilion built above what seemed to be a white lotus. The pavilion was built in the shape of a turtle, which made it meld with its surroundings perfectly.
The region was tranquil and rxing.
"Follow my exact steps.." Yang Qing said as he stepped onto one hyacinth flower at the congruent point. There were thousands of them in there, all identical to a tee.
Ma Yuan nodded, as he followed Yang Qing''s lead. It took them ten minutes to reach the pavilion, despite it looking like it was less than a hundred meters from them.
When they reached the pavilion, Yang Qing led him to a small turtle head at the entrance where he input his qi, and a short teleportation array, appeared, which transferred them into a room that had ady, a fifteen-year-old girl asleep encased in a white liquid filled with ruins.
The white liquid seemed to be a cultivation spell produced by a youngdy with green robes standing next to the sleeping fifteen-year-old girl.
Ma Yuan''s pupils trembled, his lips shaking as he muttered,
"Ma Ling.."
Chapter 468 Ma Ling’s state (1)
Chapter 468 Ma Ling''s state (1)
Ma Yuan used all his will to stop himself from instantly rushing to where his daughter was. He softly approached her along with Yang Qing, as his body shook from head to toe, with a myriad of emotions flooding him.
"Greetings, sister Tan Jie, how is she?" Yang Qing asked thedy in green robes standing next to Ma Ling.
"Yang Qing.." the youngdy removed her line of sight from Ma Ling to them as she nodded in greeting.
"Other than interference to her memories, everything else is okay. We checked her for curses, and the nature of her qi to see if it was tainted with deviant arts, trigger imnts, and the like, and she was absent of them.
It seems like the memory-altering gu was the only thing she was subjected to. It should take six months topletely repair the damage it had caused? while also undoing some of the changes it may have done..."
"Your daughter will be okay.." she gently added as she addressed Ma Yuan who was already in tears at her reply as a look of relief washed over him.
"Thank you.." he softly muttered under chalked emotions.
Thedy called Tan Jie nodded, as she dispelled the water barrier filled with runes that was covering Ma Ling.
"You can talk to her if you want. It will also give us a baseline for marking her progress. We know she has forgotten a good chunk of her life, but we don''t know exactly which parts. You conversing with her could help with that.." Tan Jie said as she stepped back allowing Ma Yuan some room at his daughter''s side.
"Thank you for handling this, Tan Jie.." Yang Qing secretly said to Tan Jie via his pce sense.
He had told Yu Gen to bring Ma Yuan''s daughter specifically to Tan Jie after the fight at the Ice Emerald Sect.
She was one of the youngest talents of the Medical Valley and was also personally tutored by Ren Shu due to her talents.
She had the cosmic rainwood natural physique which gave her mastery over both wood, and water elements, and also had light attribute mixed in. Her physique also gave her a soul that was stronger than most.
The advantages it afforded her made her one of the best blue-grade physicians around the Medical Valley.
Due to her talents, she was always very busy, and the cases she dealt with were tough ones. She handled only Order employees, and the ones she handled were those from the peak of the core formation realm to the pce realm.
Ma Ling''s case would have been something that would have nevere at her door on a normal asion if not for Yang Qing.
The duo could be considered close friends. They got acquainted through Ren Shu, who in a bid to recruit Yang Qing to the Medical Valley, had also personally taught him a few of his techniques, and usually when he did so, Tan Jie was always present too, receiving alternate guidance on her own.
Even though he had no intentions of joining the Medical Valley, learning their techniques, especially from a peak domain expert like Ren Shu who doubled as a gold-grade alchemist and physician would not be a bad thing, and on asion to pay him back, he did offer his services to the Valley whenever he had time, using the skills taught by Ren Shu.
Though he did not match Tan Jie in terms of ability, he was not that bad off, especially because of his physique and his universal qi influenced by the cultivation art he had gotten from the Valley Master.
Since his institute days till date, he has beening to the valley every now and then, which was how he was able to build a friendship with one of the promising figures of the Valley.
"I didn''t mind it and the gu technique used was sophisticated. I had to consult Master Ren Shu to do the preliminary first aid before he left it to me. Handling her care would be a worthwhile experience.."
"But that''s not to mean you won''t have to fulfill your end of the bargain. You need to help me with my cases for a whole week nonstop.." she added as she sternly stared at Yang Qing.
Just like her master, Deputy Valley Master Ren Shu, she felt Yang Qing wasted his talents by bing a judge, he should have been posted at the Valley. So when the opportunity presented itself to have him there, she was quick to exploit it, even if it was only for a week.
"I will, besides, I feel like I will need it.." Yang Qing said with a sigh.
...
Ma Yuan stretched his hand to his daughter''s forehead with hesitation, as guilt showed in his eyes.
Though he knew he couldn''t have averted what had happened with his abilities, especially after being told the strength of the Ice Emerald Sect, he still felt he had failed them both, especially his daughter.
He felt like it was his own weakness that had robbed his daughter of her mother, and when it came to him, while he wanted to apany his daughter to the very end, with a shattered dantian, he could never improve on his cultivation base, and when his lifespan as a core formation expert was up, he would be leaving her behind alone again, to mourn another parent.
"I''m sorry Ma Ling for having an unreliable father like me.." he softly muttered as he gently rubbed her head.
Tears filled his eyes, as he saw that face that closely resembled his wife''s.
His demeanor suddenly changed, like he had been electrocuted, when he saw the eyelids of Ma Ling start to tremble like she was about to open.
His heart lept to his mouth when he saw those eyes start to open.
Ma Ling hazily opened her eyes and took a few seconds for them to adjust to her surroundings.
A look of confusion befell her, which then turned to shock, then fear as she hurriedly coiled back like a cornered animal.
"Ma Ling, it''s me .." Ma Yuan softly said, trying to hide the fear in his voice, from her reaction.
Chapter 469 Ma Ling’s state (2)
Chapter 469 Ma Ling''s state (2)
Ma Ling looked his way in confusion, though there was something different this time, and that something grew more and more prominent, the more Ma Yuan tried to gently coax her not to be fearful.
Ma Yuan gently and slowly brought up things they used to do together, her favorite meals, what they''d do on a typical day, what she liked doing, what she hated, but had to do like the morning punching routines her mother had her do diligently without fail.
Every story Ma Yuan brought up, seemed to evoke something from her, even though it seemed like she was still wary of Ma Yuan and the rest, the things Ma Yuan said, made her pause her movements.
From the way her eyes moved, it seemed like the things seemed familiar, yet unfamiliar to her, as she scrunched her face at why strange things seemed familiar despite her having no recollection of it.
The final nail was when Ma Yuan took something out of his storage ring. It was a short knife, though from the crude design, calling it a knife was an understatement. From its shape, it looked like a grafting knife.
It had lumps all over, the edges looked dull, and the material used to make it was sand iron which was a low-grade earth-rank material, while the wood used as a handle, was a mortal-rank wood, which had been processed poorly.
However, that crudely shaped knife had been encased in a box made from prismatic juniper wood, which was a top-tier sky rank tree.
"Do you remember this, you made me this when you were four, and it is one of the greatest treasures I have.." Ma Yuan said with a proud smile as he gently picked up the harvesting knife and slowly passed it to Ma Ling, who from the moment the knife appeared, froze as a look of remembrance appeared on her.
She stopped moving back to the board of the bed and crawled forward, slowly taking the knife from Ma Yuan''s hand as she closely examined it.
She traced her hands over it, examining every single part with her touch and sight, seeming more familiar to it with every sense.
"Dew harvester.." she absentmindedly muttered.
"Yes!" Ma Yuan excitedly said.
"You named it the Dew harvester, saying I could even harvest dew with it.." Ma Yuan said, then became embarrassed when he remembered there waspany present, and the craftmanship of the knife.
He wasn''t the only one, because Ma Ling''s cheeks reddened with embarrassment too.
"Who are you? Your voice seems familiar but I''ve never seen you...I don''t think I have.." she tilted her head in contemtion as she closely scrutinized Ma Yuan.
Ma Yuan''s lips opened and closed a couple of times as if in a struggle with what to say.
"I''m your father, Ling''er.." he said after struggling with it.
His eyes held fear and hope in them, as he said it, along with regret, and guilt.
"Father.." her eyebrows joined up in consternation at those words.
"But I don''t have one. I''m an orphan that the Ice Emerald Sect took in from when I was a child. My parents died to bandits when I was small, and Elder Deng Yaozu found me and took me back to the sect..
Who are you?! Where is Elder Deng Yaouz?!"
She started to get hysterical which left Ma Yuan heartbroken and confused about what to do.
He felt his spirits plummet to the ground and his heart break at his daughter''s reaction. Earlier when she recognized the knife, he thought maybe things were not as bad as he had imagined.
He had personally seen what memory-altering gu could do to someone, and when his wife and daughter got taken, of the worst case scenarios, of the one that had most probability in his mind, was them having their memories altered, and souls controlled. This was why, though he felt hurt, his daughter had one in her, he wasn''t as affected greatly by the revtion.
But then, he came here, saw her, whatever experience and expectations he had, all went with the wind, and he became a parent with the hope that his only child remembered him, and when she showed signs of it, the gloomy world he had been living in for the past seven years, seemed to light up, and now with her present reaction, he felt he had been thrown to an even deeper darkness than before.
Tan Jie shed to where the hysterical Ma Ling was and gently tapped her forehead, which put her to sleep, as she gentlyid her on the bed. She formed a seal with her hands and the water barrier from before reappeared but now Tan Jie left it to run autonomously as nt tendrils appeared below Ma Ling''s bed and wrapped themselves around the water barrier.
The water barrier seemed to change when it came into contact with the tendrils. A purifying, gentle energy started pulsing from it, which made even the heartbroken Ma Yuan have some semnce of calm.
"Your daughter will be fine, the fact that she recognizes your voice, and certain objects from her past, is a really good ce to start.
We have had worse, and we still managed to restore them, fully..." Tan Jiefortingly said.
"We will do the same with your daughter.." she firmly added.
"Really?" Ma Yuan asked, desperate to cling to something.
"We will.."
"Okay.." he said as he took a seat next to Ma Ling.
"Now as far as the treatment goes, we will do things gradually. You can talk with her about her past, things she did, as for revealing your identity or her mother''s, let''s wait until her mind and mental sea are stable, which should be after about three or four months.."
"Okay.."
"Your daughter is in the best hands possible.." Yang Qing said as he patted Ma Yuan''s shoulder.
"Thank you, Judge Yang Qing, for all you have done. I don''t know how I can ever repay you.."
"Don''t worry about it, worry about your daughter that will be payment enough.."
"I''ll leave you to your daughter, the Medical Valley has amodations you can use, right Tan Jue?"
"Yes, someone will be here shortly to guide him.."
"Good, Ma Yuan I wish you and your daughter well, and should you need anything, you can always reach out to me, don''t hesitate.."
"I will.."
"Tan Jue, I leave them in your care, and thanks.."
"MmH.."
Yang Qing turned and left and made his way to the Judicial Review Committee, as per Vice President Tao''s orders, and he also had the matter with the Spiritual temperance sect territory to present.
Chapter 470 Meeting at the Judicial Review Committee
Chapter 470 Meeting at the Judicial Review Committee
It didn''t take long for Yang Qing to reach the simplistic and quaint courtyard that housed the highest officials within his upation, the courtyard of the Judicial Review Committee.
Present were Long Ei, who was trimming yet another miniaturized bonsai tree, and ying go were Jiang Heng and Jia Bohai.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admire the carefreeness of the trio. They never seemed to be working. They were all just sitting around, enjoying their hobbies in a tranquil environment.
Yang Qing entertained the thought of joining them after he reached thete stages of the domain realm, which he guessed could be one of the requirements, as for the other requirements, he had no idea, as it was still too early for him to entertain such thoughts.
"Greetings seniors.." he said as he cupped his fists in greeting.
The trio looked up at him with the gazes of a grandfather looking at their grandchild.
"How is Ma Yuan doing?" asked Long Ei.
"He handled the news better than I thought, though it would be a hurdle for him moving forward, from what I''ve seen, he will be okay.."
"What about you?"
Yang Qing froze and then mustered a smile that would show he was okay, however, he was quickly cut off by Jia Bohai before he could say what he wanted to say.
"There''s no need to pretend, Yang Qing..." he said with a gentle look in his eyes.
"We have all lived for quite some time, and in that time, we have experienced all manner of trying moments, and some of them broke us several times over.
So we know, that going through the ordeal you just went through, can''t have been easy, and there is no need for you to pretend it was at least not for us.
We all know it could not have been easy because it wasn''t easy for us when we had to do the same thing when we were in your shoes.
Ours were worse because such cases back then were not as few as they are now. We purged countless, at every single turn on every waking moment. to the point rivers of blood and mountains of corpses flooded the continent.
It was a pretty ironic time..." he said as he smiled ruefully.
"We were started in order to reducerge-scale loss of life, but the amount of lives that died by our hands when we just started matched the same numbers as what was seen during the continent-widerge-scale wars.
I almost ran away a few times back then. I couldn''t take it, and I had doubts whether I was suited to be a judge.
In my first year as a judge, I had destroyed no less than 200 organizations, and over half of them wereplete annihtion.
Weeks after each destruction, I could still smell the metallic stench of blood on me. I couldn''t take it so practiced the turtle breathing technique, so I didn''t have to take a breath, and when that didn''t help, I invested in spiritual herbs that were known for their purifying abilities, and when that failed, I decided if I wanted to avoid that smell, then there was only one sure way, use techniques that would eviscerate the bodies of those sentenced.
If their bodies were instantly grounded to dust, then there would be no blood stench. So I practiced, and practiced, and practiced, countless cultivation arts that were famed for their explosive and tyrannical attributes.
With how diligent bordering on fanatical I was in my practice, I gained an unmatched skill in them, and a nickname too. Because of how Iid waste to everything in sight, people started calling me the sundering phantom of destion.
I destroyed everything within an instant and left just as fast. A blur of misfortune. However, I still couldn''t escape it..that smell.." Jia Bohai stared at the skies before he turned his gaze back to Yang Qing.
"I almost went mad at the time, with my internal demons growing in numbers and ability. Honestly, it still sends shivers down my spine whenever I think back on those days..."
He chuckled briefly before he went on.
"At the time I tried all I could, to hide that I''d been affected by my duties. I''d been touched by it, but I sure couldn''t show it, especially, not when my colleagues did the same thing as I did and seemed perfectly okay.
I wasn''t about to be that cultivator whocked the resolve for his job. ''Cultivators reach greater heights through a pile of corpses'' was a saying I grew up hearing as a child which ended up having an influence.
But, eventually, I finally broke. Lucky for me, at the time there was a senior who had noted the changes that had been happening to me.
He pulled me aside and told me it was okay to feel what I felt. We may be cultivators who are able to shatter mountains with one hand and overturn oceans with the other, but our fundamental being has not changed. We are the living first, and have values of the living, which means certain things will affect us whether we like it or not, whether we have a high cultivation base or not.
A mortal or a cultivator will feel the same grief if they lose a loving parent. Having a high cultivation base doesn''t absolve you of that.
They both feel the same level of rush and excitement when they find the right partner to spend the rest of their life with.
Mortals have immortalized cultivators, that we ourselves grew to believe it, that we were different, above it all, but this couldn''t be further from the truth.
We got disillusioned by that notion, and that thinking almost drove me to madness.
Yang Qing what you feel is perfectly okay, don''t pretend it''s not there or wish it away. What you feel is the proof of life, aponent of the living.
Whether we are humans, spirit beasts, or sentient nts, we all have things that will make us feel regret, doubt, anger, and confusion. Feeling those things doesn''t make you any less of a cultivator.." Jia Bohai said as he ced his hands on Yang Qing''s shoulders.
"We have all felt it, and still feel it even now. Back then that senior had me leave my post as a judge and had my cultivation base sealed for a month, and left me in some remote vige where for three years, I got to live my life as a mortal and the ups and downs thate to it.
They may not have our cultivation base, but they have resilience where it matters. Here and here.."
Jia Bohai pointed at his head and heart.
"You''re not okay, are you?" he softly asked.
"I''m not...." Yang Qing faintly said.
"Good, we will help you. This is one of the core reasons themittee exists.." he said with a kind smile.
"Don''t worry, I won''t be sealing your cultivation base and throwing you in some farm in the middle of nowhere like I was.
You don''t need such measures. The Order hase a long way from such drastic means. We have created our own ways of handling such issues, one of which is something you have been scheming all these years for..."
Yang Qing''s eyes had a glint of curiosity seeing Jia Bohai''s smile.
"Could it be?"
"You will be getting a break from your duties, for the next month. A break from this would suit you well. It''s the constant thing we discovered helps, along with that for that month your presence will be required at a special ground we have called the Requited blissful peak.
It was built for the express purpose of dealing with internal demons, rity, and introspection and also doubles up as a blessed ground for silent meditation.
It is anchored by a saint-grade tree, the auspicious grove wood tree, that helps. It will help you see things that you can''t at the moment. It exposes your heart, thoughts, and surroundings, to give you a base to see things with rity, unmuddled by other things.
You''ll need to spend your time there for four hours every day, you can decide on the time, and you''ll need this to get there. Just input your qi, and it will automatically transport you there.." Jia Bohai said as he passed over a tear-shaped blue stone.
It was soft and cool to the touch, and Yang Qing could feel his mood gradually improve with his hands on it. The constant thoughts and voices that had made a home in his mind, seemed to gradually turn mute.
"As for the rest of the matters, we can discuss them after the month is up. Your friends will be undergoing the same care too.." added Jiang Heng.
"Thank you, seniors.." Yang Qing said as he gave them a solemn bow.
"Think nothing of it, it''s what we should do as your seniors.." Long Ei said with a soft chuckle.
"Don''t lose yourself, young judge.." said Jia Bohai as he cast a meaningful gaze at Yang Qing who nodded back in eptance.
"What about my pending cases?"
"They''ll be there, waiting for you.." Long Ei said cheekily, as the three old men took pleasure in Yang Qing''s changing expression.
"I knew it! There is no way they''d be that nice. Stingy ckhearted Order.." Yang Qing thought to himself as he hastily said his goodbyes.
..
"I''m thankful nowadays we don''t have to send our own to Requiem.." said Jia Bohai with a sigh.
"It is.." muttered Long Ei as the trio went back to what they were doing prior to Yang Qinging over.
Chapter 471 Guest at the table
Chapter 471 Guest at the table
After finishing up with the Judicial Review Committee, since it was still just noon, he decided to pass by the Thousands vor Restaurant.
"Is Cao Ying not around.."
When Yang Qing arrived at the restaurant he noticed that Cao Ying was absent and now there were two new faces.
It was a young girl and a young boy both 14 years of age.
From the stability of their auras, their cultivation base that was at the early stages of the foundation realm, Yang Qing knew they were other students from the Insitute doing the work program, same as Cao Ying, who had more likely gone back to the Institute with his three-month long break over.
"Senior brother Cao Ying already left, but before he did, he left as instructions on all his regrs. Though we are still immature, we will try our best to serve you.." said the 14-year-old boy with enthusiasm as though he had received an imperial edict.
"There''s no need for that.." Yang Qing said with a smallugh.
He had once been like that, in fact, he had been worse in his early fawning bootlicking days, when he was just starting out.
"What''s your name?"
"I''m Shao Da, senior Yang Qing.." said the 14-year-old boy as he cupped his fists.
"Well, Shao Da, nice to meet you.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists back in greeting, which came as a shock to the young Shao Da.
"I''ll have shredded pork with sweet bean sauce and a pot of jasmine tea..I''ll have it there.." Yang Qing said as he pointed at his regr seating spot which was conveniently empty.
Shao Da acknowledged the greeting and speedily went to the Kitchen, his enthusiasm unabated. He even went to the extent of using the swallow crane movement technique to move about.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but shake his head at the scene.
He nodded in greeting to the faces around him as he made his way to his seat.
At this time, Dai Chen, Zhang Qingge, Kang Hung, Xia Boqin, and Yu Huifeng should have been at the restaurant having their meals.
It was a habit they had created ever since they started working as judges. They''d spare time, if possible at noon, and have their meals together. But at this moment, none of them was avable.
Yang Qing guessed Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge were getting their affairs in order in preparation for the one-month-long break given by the Judicial Review Committee, to take care of the issues caused by today''s events. As for the remaining three, they had all left for the tribtion mountain for their breakthroughs to the pce realm.
If they went by Yang Qing''s timeline, they would be absent for three to four months to sessfully break through and stabilize their cultivation realms.
"Hopefully Yi Jie will be out by that time.." thought Yang Qing, as his thoughts started to slowly drift to today''s events.
At first, it was just on the areas he could have improved on, but inevitably his mind went to the dead members of the sect, from the innocent ones to the guilty ones.
He wondered if the founder had once been a nice person, but was beguiled by the mastermind behind the red abyssal thorn tree.
He wondered how she met him, why she did the things she did, and how the other sect members just went along with whatever she was doing.
"Things maybe would have gone a different path if just one of them would have chosen the right thing. Maybe things would have not reached this point..."
Though Yang Qing knew deep down his thoughts were just wishful thinking. From the moment the mastermind of the red abyssal thorn tree appeared in the sect founder''s life, the fate of the Ice Emerald Sect had already been sealed.
With that person''s means, especially as a soul formation expert, they could have brainwashed the entire sect into doing their bidding if they so wished. It was as easy as blinking to them.
Yang Qing let out an exhausted sigh as he decided to close his eyes in an effort to rest his mind and silence the voices and the pictures in his mind, and the endless what-ifs scenarios that were ying in his mind to no end.
He opened them a few minutester when his stomach rumbled as a result of the wafting tantalizing scent of the food being cooked up in the kitchen.
A small smile appeared on his face at the thought of the shredded pork and sweet bean sauce about to be brought over.
However, when he opened his eyes his pupils froze in shock when he discovered there was someone seated opposite to him, staring at him with a worried look which they hurriedly tried to cover up when they saw Yang Qing open his eyes.
"Mao Mao...How long have you been here?" Yang Qing asked as he stared at the beautiful youngdy seated opposite to him who had her long hair tied and hanging over her left chest, the unique purple big limpid eyes that had revolving clouds in them.
Yang Qing remembered how tongue-tied he was the first time they interacted when she had been chosen to be his understudy to take over his courtroom in preparation for him leaving for the pce courts.
Those eyes were mesmerizing and captivating, while her demeanor was heavenly, but that picture was swiftly ruined when he discovered her secret quirky hobby as an out-of-control gossip hoarder.
"How have you been?" he softly asked.
Whatever else, he had to admit Mao Yunru was absolutely stunning.
Mao Yunru blushed slightly at Yang Qing''s slight gentle admiring gaze.
How does thiszy oaf always manage to get me this flustered? Luckily he is too dense to notice, otherwise, he would never let me live it down, knowing his shamelessness.
Mao Yunru hurriedly rposed herself, covertly before she engaged Yang Qing.
"I''ve been good...Have you juste back?" even though she tried to control it, she couldn''t hide the worry in her tone.
"Yeah about an hour or so now.." Yang Qing said with an air of mncholy around him.
Mao Yunru didn''t know what to say next. She felt like she couldn''t ask how he was doing, because clearly he wasn''t doing well, and asking that question, felt like she would be digging more into his wounds.
Luckily for her Yang Qing saved her the awkwardness of finding the right words with his next words.
"Thank you for worrying, Mao Mao.." he said with a thankful smile.
"Well, I have to. I do owe world canvas Yang Qing after all, for all the pearls of wisdom he shared with me on being an excellent judge.." she said, which drew augh from them both.
Shao Da came by momentster with Yang Qing''s order of shredded pork with sweet bean sauce, and jasmine tea.
Mao Yunru was surprised when Yang Qing asked her to order whatever she wanted. In the months they worked together, it was the first time he had been that generous. Usually, he''d buy them the cheapest meal within reason, which usually cost a middle-grade spirit stone at most.
"Must be because of all the gifts he got the other day.." she enviously thought as she imagined how many scoops of juicy information she could get with just a tiny amount of what Yang Qing had received on the day of his ceremony.
"I must qualify for the pce courts too.." she thought with renewed vigor as her eyes burned with resolve.
"What''s wrong with her? Is it because I offered to buy her a meal?" Yang Qing puzzledly thought as he saw Mao Yunru''s strange look.
"I guess I mistreated them a bit.." he ruefully thought as he rubbed his nose in embarrassment.
He made a silent note to do better, and treat his team to good food every once in a while, well everyone except Feng Xin. He wasn''t nearly paid enough to be able to afford that bottomless eating cmity.
A whole hour quickly passed by with the two sharingughs, meals, and stories though it was mostly Mao Yunru sharing her stories, from the cases she got, or other weird stories she hade across from around the continent, courtesy of her local information dealer.
In that whole hour, Yang Qing felt unburdened. It was like he had been transported to a different realm where he was unburdened by tens of thousands of lives he had taken earlier in the day.
s, the time got cut, when Mao Yunru had to go back to her courtroom to resume the cases she had left. Yang Qing deeply thanked her for herpany as she went away leaving him behind to finish thest pot of jasmine tea he had left.
"I guess I''ll need to visit home regrly during this period while keeping in touch with Feng Xin and the rest.."
Yang Qing intended to hide himself away for the month andter until he felt more like himself, but his interaction with Mao Yunru, changed all that. If he hoped to be better, he couldn''t hide away.
After he finished his meal, Yang Qing left, with Shao Da giving him a zealous energetic goodbye.
Chapter 472 Checking in on starlight
Chapter 472 Checking in on starlight
?
The day was still young after he left the restaurant, so he decided to head back to his abode and check on the starlight crab.
Ever since he came back with it, he has been up and down, from the ceremony to the entrance exams, to Ma Yuan''s case, that he barely had any moment to check on it.
He had brought it back due to itsck of interest in food, and its foolhardy nature. It was about one of the few spirit beasts that he noticed didn''t fear Ellie despite being weaker than it, and in terms of bloodline superiority, Ellie as a cloud-swallowing kite, had a noble bloodline that could be tied to the lineage of the Yuan bird but despite, the starlight crab still dared attack it back then.
Yang Qing hoped to train it a bit and use it as a guard in his pond to prevent Ellie from constantly stealing his fish when he was not around which was why he even went to the extent of giving it the wisdom pearl of a first-stage pce realm cyclone arc prawn.
Yang Qing walked over to the pond starlight was staying and found it immobile with its smooth white carapace filled with mots of light in the shape of stars, standing out in the crystal clear pond, adding a radiant beauty to it.
Ignoring its stubborn nature, when it came to outward appearance, the starlight crab stood out even more than the celestial nesting weaver.
"It seems to have improved its cultivation base.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he closely examined the changes that happened to the starlight crab''s body.
When Yang Qing met it, it was at the fourth stage of the core formation realm, but now it had already reached the fifth stage and it was already stable.
Other than that, Yang Qing managed to detect a swirling wave in some of the stars on its carapace.
"It seems to be progressing rather well with the pearl.."
The violet pearl wisdom pearl Yang Qing had given it was neatly tucked away beneath its mandibles. It let out a gentle pulsating glow that seemed to synchronize with the light being let out by the stars on the starlight crab''s carapace.
An ethereal mystic light continuously surrounded its body, soaking it, with the greatest concentration being at its head.
The light was evidence of the starlight crab assimting the insights contained in the wisdom pearl of the first stage pce realm cyclone.
Yang Qing went to his terrace and picked up one of his rattan chairs and came with it and sat next to the pond, as he waited for the starlight crab toplete its session of contemtion.
An hour went by before the starlight crab opened its eyes and in typical fashion, to the first time Yang Qing met it, it attacked first the moment it opened its eyes to detect someone next to it before it redirected its attack when it saw it was Yang Qing.
It let out strange sounds, which Yang Qing guessed was the starlight crab apologizing based on how awkwardly it was rubbing its ws together as it was making those sounds.
"Seems like you have a lot of energy. How about a match, we see how much of the wisdom pearl you have excavated.." suggested Yang Qing with an innocent smile.
The starlight crab flinched at his proposition as it clearly remembered how it had been effortlessly beaten by the flicker of a finger the first time they met.
It shriveled its body up, as it weakly waved its mandibles as if to say,
"Energy? What energy? Can''t you see how desated I am?"
Yang Qing ignoring its ims, pulled it out of the water, as he took it to the open field next to his courtyard.
"Don''t worry I won''t be attacking. I''ll only be defending.." Yang Qing said when he saw how it continuously let out pitiful noises.
"Where is the dauntless crab from before?" he wondered as he saw the increasingly shameless disy of weakness it continuously showed.
However, it immediately perked up when it heard Yang Qing say he would only be defending. It made a few movements with its ws to confirm with Yang Qing if what he said was true, and when Yang Qing confirmed it was, a glint of delight that likely came from the prospect of getting revenge on Yang Qing shed through its eyes, as it immediately attacked Yang Qing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but shake his head with a bitter smile at its petty vindictive nature.
A wave of horizontal and vertical scythe-like golden streaks were immediately produced by the starlight crab each aimed at Yang Qing in a bid to slice him apart.
The sharpness and speed had increased a few notches from theirst fight.
Yang Qing nodded at the increase, as he effortlessly swatted the golden streaks with ease with one hand on his chin and the other defending.
The starlight crab had a momentary pause of disbelief when it saw how easily its all-out effort had been dealt with before it produced more golden streaks as it darted all around Yang Qing to prate his defenses.
A storm of golden radiance constantly bombarded Yang Qing''s location. Some streaks were as long as an ocean tide, while others were as thin and unnoticeable as the sun''s reflection from a smooth surface.
"There''s more flexibility..good.." Yang Qing muttered as his hand turned into a blur shredding every single streak like he was parting fog.
The starlight crab used every attack and every trick it could muster to try and even scratch the hem of Yang Qing''s robes, but its attacks, no matter how powerful or well-hidden they were, were all effortlessly destroyed by Yang Qing''s hand.
"That''s enough.." Yang Qing said after thirty minutes in when he saw the starlight crab had almostpletely expended its qi in its attacks.
"Your attacks have improved from where they were before. They were rigid which gave them more forceful power, however, they could be easily broken through when one knew where to hit.
Right now they''re more malleable and flexible, which increases the degree of variation and lethality to your attacks, while also increasing their endurance.
Good improvement starlight..If you keep working at it, you may one day be able to do this. Speed of light, heaviness of water.."
A small green droplet appeared from Yang Qing''s finger and in it was a swirling red, golden light.
The starlight crab only nced at it for a second, before it felt its vision change. One minute it was in the vast grasnd, the next it was lying on its back beneath the pond, with its body trembling all over.
It felt like it had been smashed by an ocean. Its body ached all over before that pain transformed into one of relief andfort. All the fatigue and pain in its muscles instantly disappeared, as a sense of pleasure and ease washed over them, and the qi it lost, was instantly restored, it could even feel the mental strain it had transform into rxation.
"Who is that human? Will i evernd a hit?" it wondered as it slowly got up and secretly nced at Yang Qing who was sprawled on a chair by the terrace.
After staring at him for quite sometime, it went back to the bottom of the pond, as it contemted the sensation it felt when its body was hit by the green droplet.
Chapter 473 Plans for the backyard
Chapter 473 ns for the backyard
After his little match with the starlight crab, Yang Qing decided to attempt to meditate at the grounds they had been training at.
His abode was like a wild natural forest. Other than the courtyard, he did not have any other man-made features in the area. Almost all his resources were spent on the nest of the celestial nesting weaver, so his cultivation abode was usually bare, save for the pond that housed different schools of fish, the green me tree, the duality tree, and the purple lightning bamboo field.
The rest of his abode was unupied. The space was a few thousand acres, and Yang Qing had upied a tiny part of it.
When Yang Qing received this abode, he had grand ambitions of turning it into a mini-blessed ground, however, he had severely underestimated the celestial nesting weaver''s gluttony and high standards when it came to the materials it required to build the nest.
So with little resources to spare, Yang Qing abandoned whatever ns he had to make use of therge acres of space and let it be. Let nature take its course.
Because of the uniqueness of his cultivation art, and his peerless jade physique, the vegetation grew rampantly in the area which Yang Qing never bothered to manage, and just let it grow to whatever lengths it could grow to, which resulted in a mini jungle forming in his backyard.
"Howe none of them seem to have any changes simr to those seven that I left at the grounds of the Clear River Sword Sect.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he examined a few of the nts in the area.
Other than being vibrant, lush, and a slightly improved quality, the nts growing in his backyard were not as special as the few he had seen at the sect grounds of the Clear River Sword Sect.
None of the vegetation here seemed to have his universal qi in them, not the nts or even the fish he had.
Even though he mostly cultivated at the nest of the celestial nesting weaver, due to its intrinsic qualities towards boosting the speed of cultivation andprehension, he did asionally cultivate next to the pond, beneath the green me tree, or even next to the jungle whenever the mood suited him.
But in all that time, not once had he ever detected any changes happening to the surrounding living organism, like what happened to a few of the creatures that were at the residence of the sect master Wang Yin, who had their bodies, and natures transformed and influenced by Yang Qing''s universal qi.
Yang Qing decided to try and cultivate next to the jungle and see if he could replicate what happened in Deer Mountain Range, though he felt the odds of that happening were slim. Whatever happened there, he had been in a trance-like state, and try as he may, he could not remember the exact sensation of what was happening at that moment.
This would thus make it difficult for him to try and replicate something he has no idea how it came about or its working mechanisms.
Yang Qing sat down in a lotus position and started circting his cultivation art, however, after ten minutes passed by, he opened his eyes with a defeated sigh escaping his lips.
"Figures, I''m not in the right space for it.." he muttered to himself as he got up heading in the direction of the nest of the green me tree.
Yang Qing struggled to empty his mind of distracting thoughts, which made it impossible for him toplete oneplete cirction of his cultivation art.
When he saw he wasn''t getting anywhere in those early minutes, rather than force it, and risk qi deviation, it was better for him to take a break from it, and just rest.
"Mmmh, maybe I should add insects, and other species of nts in the area.." Yang Qing thought to himself as he saw the wildflowers growing about, and theck of variety in the vegetation that had taken root in his backyard.
All he had was ocean tide grass, which created a nice ambiance and background to the area, and basterurel, and a few other nts here and there, that weremon despite being sky-rank nts of the top tier, they were not anything special, and their qualities were only that high because of the dense spiritual qi in the area, and also soaking up Yang Qing''s qi, though their bodies were not intrinsically transformed by it, like the few nts and animals at the grounds of the Clear River Sword Sect, they still had their qualities improved from constantly being around him.
After making a mental note to go search for a few insects preferably ones without a cultivation base, and find more seeds either from the Order, Yang Qing made his way up to the ming crown of the green me tree.
In terms of cultivation, the nest of the celestial nesting weaver was the best, but when it came to rest, the soul-soothing and restorative effects of the green me tree, made it the best ce for Yang Qing in his current state to rest at.
Even without mental struggles, it wasn''t the first time Yang Qing had slept at the tree. Its gentle mes gave him the mostfortable of sleep.
He already had a spot he had made specifically for that purpose. It had a soft-looking quilt, and the branch was covered with ming green leaves that had the softest and gentlest feel to them, even when covered in green mes.
Yang Qing nestled himself in there, and after an hour, the effects of the tree managed to somewhat dampen the voices and the thoughts in his mind long enough for him to fall into slumber.
Even though the sleep wasn''t as deep as it usually was for him, Yang Qing still managed to take a well-needed rest and reduce the mental strain he had on him.
When morning came, for the first time, Yang Qing didn''t struggle to get up as he usually did, when he tried to get a few more winks in.
Chapter 474 Brook of clarity
Chapter 474 Brook of rity
Before the early rays of the sun hit, Yang Qing was already wide awake.
"Thanks.." he said as he gently patted the trunk of the green me tree. Its leaves swayed, with green mes around, almost as if in response to his gratitude.
"It seems it won''t be long now before your budding spirit fully forms and you undergo your spirit-forming tribtion.
I can''t wait.." Yang Qing muttered in expectation as he cast onest look at the tree, and then took out the blue tear-shaped stone that he had been given by the Judicial Review Committee, to help him get in the Requited Blissful Peak.
Prior to yesterday, Yang Qing didn''t know about the peak, but in terms of facilities around the Order, that did the same thing as the peak, he knew of a few. The tribtion mountain, where they went to break through, had special ces, to help strengthen the mind, before the onset of their tribtion to increase their odds of sess in surviving it.
Yang Qing nestled the stone between his thumb and index finger feeling its coolness, before he finally input a bit of his qi.
A cool azure was instantly produced from the stone, as countless runes were activated. The azure-colored breeze enveloped Yang Qing, and a secondter, he had disappeared from where he stood.
Yang Qing''s vision blurred for a brief moment, and when it returned he was on argend with green grass and a solitary tree at the center.
The tree was over a hundred meters tall and looked like it could blot out the sky. It had a golden brown color, with silver leaves that glittered when the rays of the sun hit it. It had fissures on its bark, that released a golden light, giving it an ethereal and mystical look.
Silently standing there it looked like the epitome of tranquility. Yang Qing felt like he could curl up and take the best nap he could ever have beneath its shade.
"What''s your name young one?"
Just as Yang Qing was about to lose himself in the endless sea of imagination of how worthwhile sleeping next to the tree would be, he heard an ancient, gentle, and serene androgynous voice, sound in his mind.
"My name is Yang Qing, senior, I was sent here by senior Jia Bohai for help.." Yang Qing respectfully said as he cupped his fist toward the tree at the center.
Without being told, he knew the voice must have originated from it, the saint grade tree, the auspicious grove tree.
"Bohai huh, time sure flies, that kid who used to try and steal my leaves back then, has now be a leader.."
Yang Qing almost choked from shock, when he heard the auspicious grove tree''s words. He couldn''t believe what he was hearing.
He tried to picture the elder who looked like a wisened sage, stealing leaves from a tree, and the image was unique. Yang Qing hurriedly stifled theughter that was brewing up from the thought.
"It seems you have not had an easy time.." the auspicious grove tree suddenly said.
Yang Qing was well on his way to say he was okay on reflex, however, Jia Bohai''s words from yesterday yed in his mind.
"I am not.." he answered
"Care to share.."
The question came suddenly to him, which prompted him to pause in shock, but after collecting himself, he went on to exin the version of events that happened from when he met Ma Yuan, to its conclusion yesterday, and everything in between.
Yang Qing''s sharing took over an hour for him to cover everything. He was surprised by the ease with which he shared, the level of detail, and even his own perspective, and the questions he had hidden away in his heart.
He found himself revealing it to the tree, and every time he did, he felt the heaviness lighten.
"That is not an easy burden to carry, Yang Qing.." the auspicious treefortingly said.
Its trunk suddenly opened up, and a gentle flowing sound of water could be hearding from within.
"Within me is the brook of rity..while it won''t immediately erase all the guilt you''re feeling or the burden of the weight you carry from those events, it will help you see things clearly, the answer you know to be true but are not willing to ept it yet.
It will guide you to it. Though I need to warn you, the first few times you use it will not be easy on you, as all your doubts, and everything you saw will be brought out to bear, and you''ll have to continuously face them, before you can see through them.."
"You can take your time and go in when you''re ready. There''s no need for you to do so at this instant.." the tree added.
Yang Qing hesitated for a bit before he decided to take his time beneath the shade of the auspicious grove tree.
He only got up from it, when he felt he was sufficiently ready to interact with the brook of rity.
He walked through the trunk and was amazed by the sight he saw. He felt like he had been transported to another world.
There was a small brook with pristine crystal clear water, gently flowing down a hill, surrounded by smooth pebbles to the side, that had undergrowth of their own.
There was small vegetation around, rabbits, short trees, birds, a small slope on the horizon, and a gentle cascading light of the sun that lit the region.
The lighting was dim, like that of the sun falling through a dense canopy, while the air was cool and refreshing, because of the brook below. There was a silence of nature to it.
"You can choose any spot next to the brook. You only need to look at it, and the rest will take care of itself.."
"Thank you for the reminder, senior.." said Yang Qing as he walked around? the area, trying to find the perfect spot.
He eventually found one, which had just the right amount of warmth from the sun rays, and gentle cool breeze from the brook.
He sat in a lotus position next to the brook as he hesitantly looked at it. When he did, he saw his reflection, the rocks below, and a reflection of his surroundings, but before he knew it that image changed, while his eyes, turned into crystal clear.
His eyes had turned into the brook itself.
Chapter 475 Torture of the brook
Chapter 475 Torture of the brook
Yang Qing felt the scene before his eyes changed. He felt like he had been transported back to the night he met Ma Yuan.
That cool, clear sky night with a chilly scent in the air, a full moon, and a person trying to take his life in the river.
The scene started out with him flying over the skies atop Ellie''s back. He was seeing things from a third person''s perspective.
He could see himself, clueless, unaware of the rumbling storm that was about to befall him. Though what he knows now, if time was reversed, he would have still chosen to save Ma Yuan, hear him out, and help him in the finding of his wife and child.
The only difference between then and now would be, with a culprit in sight, he wouldn''t need to wait that long before acting.
But all that was just wishful thinking on his part. He wasn''t sure if there was even a cultivation art, treasure, or realm of cultivation that would enable one to reverse the flow of time and write their wrongs.
If one could reach such a domain, would they be considered mortals?
The scene then yed out as it went with extreme rity. He saved Ma Yuan and they shared a meal.
His short interlude with the starlight crab had been erased, as the scenes focused solely on his interactions with Ma Yuan since it was the trigger of everything.
"Right, I forgot about this in the chaos, the arts tied to the Frozen Serenity Scripture, what did they need them for, and from our fight, it didn''t seem like they cultivated them, as the art they used even seemed to deviate from the main art.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he saw the crystal ice shard Ma Yuan had given him to help in the search of his wife and daughter.
Yang Qing suspected there was something to those arts and to why the Ice Emerald Sect seemed to want to look for them with the same fervor as they did for those with yin-rted physiques.
Yang Qing made a mental note to research further into it using the two cultivation arts the Order had on hand, that were a part of the Frozen Serenity Scripture. With the month-long break he had, he could afford to research it further when he wasn''t at the Requited Blissful Peak.
After the scene with the shard, the scenes rapidly progressed to the minimal interactions he had with Ma Yuan, Yu Gen, and Xia Ting before it the bombshell news of what the Ice Emerald Sect had been doing came to light.
Yang Qing clenched his fists when it reached this part, and despite his figure being a phantasmal incorporeal concept, he felt like his palms were sweaty as his body heated up. And finally, the scene that he had dreaded the most out of all of them, finally came up.His attack that froze and killed over ten thousand members of the Ice Emerald Sect, innocent and guilty alike.
Before the scene of the attack, the brook highlighted with great rity, everything Yang Qing had sensed that day either consciously or unconsciously, which made the viewing extremely difficult for him.
One of the scenes, was just before they announced themselves to the Ice Emerald Sect and detailed their crimes, Yang Qing''s pce sense had already been deployed, so even with the guarding array covering the sect, he could still see what the sect members were doing at the time, which the brook yed out before him.
He could see a wholesome look of the whole sect, and every single cultivator within it, and what they were doing, and their emotions doing it.
The same level of detail was still there even to their deaths. Some were horrified when they saw iting, while others, those too weak to grasp anything were still moring hyped up by the sect master''s riling words thinking they were the heroes in the story, and that they would get to live through it, in victory, unaware, those were to be their final moments.
Different emotions, different outlooks, different cultivation bases, different stations; some could have grown to be powerful cultivators, some could have grown to guide others, others could have remained the same, while others could have grown to be mediocre. Each with their own trajectories in life, but with one single act from Yang Qing, all that was erased, and they all shared one ending, Death.
This was the part Yang Qing struggled with. The futures he had erased with a single movement. With the great memory afforded to him, he kept ying out scenarios in his head of each of the members, and the life they could have potentially led had they lived.
He only did it for those deemed innocent, as for the guilty, he truly had no remorse. In fact, some part of him even resented them for doing things that led him to that moment. If it wasn''t for them and their deeds, the Order would not have been involved and Yang Qing would have not been forced to end the lives of so many.
With the brook of rity slowly reying that event, he felt like he was reliving that moment again. He wanted so much to close his eyes, but eyes open or closed, the scene yed out for him, he could not avoid it.
The brook of rity even went as far as to transmit the emotions every single one of those victims felt in the moment of their death.
Thest nail to his guilt-ridden coffin was the confirmation of the death of Ma Yuan''s wife, Li Lun.
He kept wondering if they had arrived a day earlier from when she was refined and if she would have been saved. However, he knew deep down that was wishful thinking on his part.
The Wisteria tree had told Yang Qing that Ma Yuan''s wife had died a month before they arrived. Yang Qing met Ma Yuan a month and a few days prior. The few days were the one-and-a-half days he spent doing the evaluations. For them to be able to remotely save Ma Yuan''s wife, they needed to have deduced the attacker''s identity in that one and a half day and then act immediately, and for them to be able to act, the evidence needed to be clear proof.
One and a half days was an impossible time frame to work with considering the only evidence was the crystal ice shard Ma Yuan had and the hazy image of Deng Yaozu. They had little to work with, which was why it took Yu Gen, Xia Ting, and even the enlisted help of other inquisitors, close to a month to uncover everything.
Despite the logic of it, Yang Qing couldn''t help but me himself for not acting fast enough despite it being impossible, especially, when he saw Ma Yuan''s decrepit look when he received the news.
The scenes ended where he had delivered the news to Ma Yuan.
Chapter 476 Harvests from the case
Chapter 476 Harvests from the case
When Yang Qing opened his eyes, he felt his heart racing, while his robes were soaked in sweat. His qi flow wasn''t as smooth as it used to be due to the state he was in from the reying of those scenes.
A white chilly mist was instantly produced from the brook below him that had auspicious light flowing through it. The mist covered Yang Qing and instantly quelled his qi and the rampant emotions he had been feeling.
He felt like someone had poured cool refreshing water on his body after living in a scorched desert for a month.
"Thank you senior.." said Yang Qing.
"You did well for hanging on young judge, eventually you''ll see it, your inner judgment so to speak.." said the auspicious grove wood tree.
Yang Qing didn''t understand what it meant by inner judgment, but he still nodded his head in acknowledgment as he fearfully looked at the gentle crystal clear brook before him.
"How much time has passed?" asked Yang Qing
"Two hours.."
"TWO HOURS?! Will I need to endure the same thing again for the remaining two hours?!" Yang Qing quickly asked with fear in his tone.
No matter how much willpower he thought he had, he wasn''t sure he could endure another y-by-y rendition of events from the brook of rity.
"No, you won''t. If we did, you would not be able to endure it, and before long, the budding internal demon in you would have a firm foothold.
For the next two hours, the mist around you will be cleansing, clearing, and strengthening your mind and mental sea, in preparation for tomorrow.
You only need to sit there and rx.."
Yang Qing heaved a sigh of relief as he sat down, soaking in the mystical effects of the chilly mist around him.
Oddly enough in those two hours, he didn''t have any of the scattering guilt-ridden thoughts that had been assaulting his mind for the past two days.
It even felt like he had fallen asleep. He got up refreshed, having had the most restful sleep he had ever had in his life.
Yang Qing thanked the auspicious grove tree on his way out. The auspicious grove tree transported him back to his abode the simr way he came in without the use of the blue ear drop stone.
He was surprised when the saint-grade tree showed him over a thousand of such stones littered about within the special region in its trunk.
The stones were nothing more than spatial node keys that brought people to its location because it would be next to impossible to reach where it was, not unless one had the cultivation realm of a soul formation expert who was in the soul adept stage at least.
Yang Qing became increasingly intrigued about the auspicious grove''s background and location. It had heaven-defying abilities, and based on its statement, it seemed like it was on a different ne.
"Maybe this is a grotto, or we are in the void.." he mused.
Grottos could be considered mini-worlds. As long as one didn''t reveal itself either intentionally or identally, it would be next to impossible to locate one. So he felt there might be a chance they were in a grotto, and when it came to the void, it was also another mysterious and perilous zone that required great strength for one to casually traverse through it.
With his four hours up and the spirit-calming effects of the brook of rity still present, Yang Qing decided to take advantage of his current mood to go eat at the Thousands vors Restaurant.
He also had another agenda in mind, which was to see if Dai Chen and Zhang Qingee would be there.
After the experience he had, he wondered and worried if they were going through something simr.
Luckily for him, when he went to the restaurant he managed to find both of them.
"Dai, Qingge, you both broke through?!" Yang Qing said as he made his way over to them.
He could feel by the fluctuations, that the duo had already reached the second stage of the pce realm, and it didn''t just stop there, they had both reached the middle tier of the second stage and it didn''t seem like it would take long for them to reach the peak of the second stage.
As for Yang Qing himself, he was already at the peak of the first stage, which was a big leap considering just eight months ago, he had only just broken through to the pce realm. The leap was a concerted effort of the foundation he had built before, the surprise discovery of the mysterious radiant jade tree within the deepest recess of his pce realm which he suspected was a representation of his peerless jade physique, and thest, was the green orb, green cocoon had left in his pce realm.
After the fight, he discovered that it was because of that orb that he had been able to move back then, and move Mo Liwei out of the way, and prevent him from being skewered by the red abyssal thorn tree.
When he went to observe itter, he discovered it had shrunk in size, which he didn''t regret one bit, as he was able to prevent Mo Liwei''s death, albeit for a millisecond.
"It''s nothing much. Mo Liwei is the one who made the biggest improvement among us. With the harvest he made, he is directly making the leap to the fourth stage, and then make preparations for breaking through to the middle stage of the pce realm, the same as sister Wei Ying, who has already gone into seclusion," said Dai Chen.
"That''s good, but will they be okay after everything?" Yang Qing asked with worry.
They had just gone through a tumultuous event, and breaking through a minor realm, was different than a leap in stages. The risks involved in thetter were higher.
"They will be okay. Senior Xu Biya will be personally taking care of them.." answered Zhang Qingge, who seemed a bit distracted by something.
Yang Qing sighed in relief when he heard that, though, he knew he was just being a worrywart for nothing. Whatever he could think of, the Order more specifically the veterans would have surely thought of it and acted ordingly, which was what they did.
The senior Xu Biya who Zhang Qingge mentioned, was the genial-looking olddy from the Judicial Review Committee who had been present during the deliberations to decide the fate of the Ice Emerald Sect.
With the experiences of the members of themittee, Mo Liwei and Wei Ying were sure to be in good hands.
...
"What''s wrong, Qingge?" asked Yang Qing after he saw her look distracted all throughout their meal.
Chapter 477 Origin of the six judges
Chapter 477 Origin of the six judges
Zhang Qinggee who seemed dazed suddenly looked up at Yang Qing as she answered,
"It''s about Jiang Fu, do you think he is okay? senior Meng Chao never called us. It''s been over a month now.." she said.
"It really has.."
Yang Qing realized in the middle of the craziness, from the sect evaluations and the mess he dragged in the name of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion, supervising and setting the exams for the new entrants, and the whole fiasco with Ma Yuan, in the midst of it all, the matter with Jiang Fu had sipped his mind.
It had already been a month since Jiang Fu left in preparation to break through to the pce realm. During the wee party for Dean Zhu Lao, Jiag Fu seemed to have a connection with the Dean, deputy hall master Ren Shu, and superior domain court judge Meng Chao.
He still remembered the case he had which was a three-way disagreement between the Yellow Lotus Sect, their core disciple Zhao Qi, and the Mountain Springs Pavilion merchant organization.
The case ended up being a ruse that the Yellow Lotus Sect had set in motion as a bid to protect Zhao Qi, in the event that the sect got destroyed.
It had a few twists here and there, however, the biggest twist was the presence of the spiritual wisp of a quasi-soul formation expert inhabiting their core disciple, Zhao Qi.
The expert had once been the founder of a rank 2 sect, 900 years ago by the name of the Crystal Palm Jade Sect, and had been one of their strongestbatants who was the reason the sect had managed to hold on for 3 years despite being besieged by multiple rank 2 sects at the time.
The sect had been destroyed because there was a rumor they had found a saint-grade treasure at the Millionsfold Treasure Ocean, which turned out to be true, as that expert survived the final onught thanks to the treasure.
The expert''s name was Deng Chao, and when he made an appearance, Yang Qing noticed something, something that seemed familiar at the time that he couldn''t ce his figure on until the end of the case, which heter realized was the crystallized smooth shine, the incorporeal figure had on his entire body, though that shine was more concentrated on his hands. He had seen something simr in Jiang Fu.
His hands were smooth as if they had been carved from white jade, though he usually hid it. Yang Qing guessed that maybe Jiang Fu and Deng Chao may have had the same connection, his guess was maybe their cultivation art had the same origin, or maybe a familial tie, which was why he had asked Deng Chao if that was his real name, to which he said it wasn''t but didn''t exin further.
Meng Chao had made an appearance that day during the case, specifically because of the presence of Deng Chao whom he admired for his bravery in the fight those years back. Meng Chao had stood witness to everything that happened back then, to helpless to intervene because towards the end, quasi-soul formation experts intervened, and the Order at the time was too young and understaffed to do anything about it, including himself.
However, Meng Chao continually made investigations into what happened to that sect that day, including the identities of the third hidden attackers, who eventually destroyed the Crystal Palm Jade Sect along with Deng Chao.
ording to what Lei Weiyan had insinuated that day, it seemed like Meng Chao had made significant progress in the investigation.
Yang Qing that day did go to find Jiang Fu and verify his guess on him having ties with Deng Chao, but he missed him, as he already left to prepare for a breakthrough to the pce realm.
However, the interaction between Dean Zhu Lao, Ren Shan, and Meng Chao during the wee party more than confirmed his guess as Meng Chao even told him he would invite him over to discuss something that concerned them both.
The meeting never happened and Yang Qing had almost forgotten about it. If it wasn''t Zhang Qinggee bringing the matter up, he would have taken some time before he remembered the matter.
Jiang Fu was one of the few people Zhang Qinggee wasn''t shy with. She had taken to him ever since she was small during her days working at the restaurant in her early years. It was a nerve-wracking job for someone so shy and nervous.
It was Jiang Fu who helped her get through that period. Despite being one of the busiest chefs in the restaurant, he always walked with her as she did the rounds, and after her shift was done they''d share deserts.
Yang Qing became friends with them during one of those times, as he realized he could score free dessert and tea personally made by one of the greatest tea brewers in Jiang Fu.
In exchange for free dessert and tea, Jiang Fu had Yang Qing help Zhang Qingge with her rounds at the restaurant, to which Yang Qing readily agreed, and he even pulled over Xia Boqin whom he was already friends with at the time since they were in the same year, to help. Yang Qing knew Xia Boqin with his righteous nature would help, then he went on further and roped in Kang Hung, who owed him from a lost bet, andter Dai Chen joined too.
Dai Chen was a year ahead of them, but he became friends with Yang Qing first, on ount of Yi Jie, whom Yang Qing always hung around with, and Feng Xin. Yi Jie had already been brewing wine since their institute days, which drew in the wine fiend Dai Chen.
When Dai Chen came in, Yu Huifeng who always secretly liked him back then, wasn''t far behind, so she too got roped into the help Zhang Qinggee bandwagon, and thus the six-judge friendship was born along with Jiang Fu who made after-work deserts and tea a regr thing for them.
Chapter 478 Tea house sanctuary
Chapter 478 Tea house sanctuary
"If you''re not doing anything, we can go ask Old Lei if Meng Chao is around.." said Yang Qing, which drew a weed nod from Zhang Qingge.
"Speaking of which, how are your sessions going from the suggestions of themittee?"
"It''s okay, though on my end I wasn''t given anything new. I went to the same ce, I was told to go when the news about Lai Lei''s injuries reached me.
It''s a ce called the Tranquil Heart Resonance Cave. I''ve been going there for at least four days a week, but with the month-long break we have been given, I can go every day now.." Dai Chen answered in the same carefree demeanor Yang Qing has always known him for.
"Am the same as Dai Chen. Because of my issue, I''ve been going to the citadel of imbuement. The seniors at themittee said I can just continue going there, since other than help with my nervousness and the other thing.." Zhang Qingee''s voice turned low, as she looked downwards with her ears reddened with embarrassment as she said this.
"They said it can help me process the events of the Ice Emerald Sect too.." she added, as she buried her head deeper into the table, drawing smiles from Dai Chen and Yang Qing.
"You haven''t had it easy.." Yang Qing said with a sigh as he looked at Dai Chen.
His carefree personality sometimes made them forget, Yang Qing included, that he had been carrying a heavy weight all this time since Lai Lei got injured.
"Well it wasn''t easy back then, but right now with him on the mend, and my trips to the cave, it is better.."
"I''m d for that.."
Zhang Qinggee who had been burying her head, looked up as she patted Dai Chen''s back.
The trio then went on to exin the mechanism of the areas where each one of them was sent. Yang Qing realized that his, was the worst. He couldn''t help but wonder if the Judicial Review Committee had a grudge against him, and he was also shocked that the two other ces the two were sent to, were also anchored by saint-grade treasures.
He couldn''t help but wonder just how many saint-grade treasures the Order had on hand, and how did they even get so many?
The tranquil heart resonance cave was apparently anchored by a pearl from a threading mirage oyster that had been at the peak of the soul formation realm. The thread mirage oyster was skilled in illusory techniques and they were so powerful that they could even fool the world itself.
Once under its powers, anybody in the domain realm and below could not even tell whether what they were seeing and experiencing was real or fake. What the memory-altering gu could do, was child''s y inparison to what the oyster could do to someone within a second.
It was said it could read one''s heart, and your entire life with a single nce. No one at the domain realm and below who hase across it, has ever survived, and those that have, can never be trusted.
Unless one is a seasoned soul formation expert, more so one with ways ofbating measures that beguile the mind, you will never know that you''re in the presence of the thread mirage oyster.
The pearl of the heart resonance cave was already at the saint grade, and it had the effect of bringing out the questions of the heart even the unconscious ones that one may overlook. Dai Chen felt it suited him best with the things he endured, and also as a sword cultivator, it was the best in firming themselves.
As for the citadel of imbuement, it was a unique saint-grade treasure. It was a building and the whole building was the saint grade artifact, and it wasn''t by design.
From what Zhang Qinggee heard about the building, it was originally a tea house, and it dates back a million years ago at least.
The tea house itself wasn''t anything special. It didn''t have a tea so magnificent it could transform one from a carp to an immortal, it wasn''t made from the grandest of materials, and all who stepped in felt like they had been transported to another world. It was just a regr tea house that was frequented by locals and it only had two things going for it. One, it always had customersing in, and the other, it was next to a beautifulke.
Because of those two things, it was always bustling with life from all walks. Schrs, farmers, merchants, and regr city guards, people from different stations in life would alle to the tea house and tradeughs and talks over a cup of regr green tree and some chrysanthemum cake.
The teahouse became a ce ofughter and talk amongst all its patrons without discrimination and it remained that way for years and years. Kings, emperors, officials, and other rulers, and even the topography changed, but the tea house remained constant, a haven for light talk, and interactions. A ce to forget all your weariness and just enjoy conversation, tea, and a semi-decent view.
With how vtile things were, by some odd fate, the tea house despitecking in background or any means of ensuring its survival, waded and survived through countless years, before the years turned to millennia and millennia turned into tens of thousands of years, and that turn to hundreds of thousands of years. It weathered through it all, till finally it vanished, and something indelible became forgotten, till a rumor started floating around about an ancient three-storied rustic building, that could protect you.
To all who entered it, they would find sanctuary and to a lucky few a stroke of fortune capable of helping them transform in a single bound.
The founder of the Su n a rank 1 n located in the westernmost region of the continent next to the Blue Origin Ocean, was one such person. Rumor was he had once escaped death because of that tea house, he stumbled onto it as he was escaping his pursuers. His life not only got protected because of it, but he also got a fortuitous encounter that helped him reach the heights he did, which was a soul formation expert.
Stories simr to his regrly floated around the continent, about the tea house of sanctuary and dreams, and to those who were lucky enough to find it, will have their fates changed, for the better.
And that tea house now ended up in the hands of the Order.
From Zhang Qinggee''s experience with it thus far, she said that the building housed the spirits of countless people. Which was why it was given the name citadel of imbuement. The spirits seemed sentient, and they didn''t exactly enhance her strength, all they did was talk to her about random mundane things.
Among the spirits, there were regrs, and there were new faces every time Zhang Qinggee went in, each with their unique perspectives and stories.
When Zhang Qinggee first went there, she was petrified, when she saw hundreds of spirits moring onto her to talk with her, but eventually she grew used to it and it was now one of the best highlights of her days. They always made herugh and feelfortable and had tonnes of life wisdom to share with her, and she always felt better unburdening herself to them, especially, with her berserker breakdowns from nervousness, and now the recent case with the Ice Emerald Sect.
Among those spirits, there were those who had simr experiences and were helping her through it.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but look at her enviously. He wished he had been sent to the tea house.
"About that chrysanthemum cake?" Yang Qing curiously asked with a glint in his eyes.
"There''s no food in there.." Zhang Qinggee said with a smile of exasperation with how Yang Qing''s thoughts always seemed to lead to the same thing.
Chapter 479 Yang Qing tears up
Chapter 479 Yang Qing tears up
The trio took their time to finish their meals at the Thousand vors restaurant. Other than eating they also discussed a few things here and there, which mostly centered on their experiences at the ces they were for coalescence.
After the meal, the trio headed toward the courts in search of Lei Weiyuan.
With their clearance levels, it would be impossible for them to gain ess to the domain courts and especially the superior domain courts which was the highest level of domain courts.
To reach it, they could either do it via the Judicial Review Committee, however, that was too much hustle or they could go via someone who has ess to the area, someone like Lei Weiyuan.
It didn''t take long for the trio to reach the building. Meng Chao had only talked about the matter with Yang Qing and Zhang Qingge, however, Dai Chen decided to tag along since he didn''t have anything else to do, and he too was close to Jiang Fu, the six of them were, though Zhang Qingge had the closest of rtionships with him, however, whether it was Dai Chen, Yang Qing, or the rest, they would be just as invested in Jiang Fu''s case, particrly if there was a danger to his life.
The trio were soon in the big hallway of the court building where Lei Weiyuan was already waiting for them with his hands sped behind his back with the same solemn appearance he always wore.
Yang Qing almost on reflex flinched before he regained when he saw him before he remembered he wasn''t missing work which drew a smug smile on his face as he sauntered off to meet with Lei Weiyuan.
"Thank you for meeting us supervisor Lei Weiyuan.." he gingerly said with life in his tone and steps.
Yang Qing seemed to derive some odd pleasure in this scenario, where it was a typical working day, but he didn''t have to work, and he could get to rub it on the face of his greatest nemesis.
Lei Weiyuan didn''t reply as he cast a deep meaningful nce at Yang Qing.
"What? The Committee said I have the month off.."
Yang Qing''s image of nonchnce and carefreeness immediately broke under Lei Weiyuan''s stare and was reced by feigned calmness that had wariness mixed within.
"I know.." Lei Weiyuan calmly said before he turned to face the mimicry chaos sky metal flowing up the hall like pirs.
"Let''s go, Meng Chao is around, he will see you..." he added with his back facing them.
"What''s with him.." Yang Qing warily wondered as he maintained a rtive distance from Lei Weiyuan.
Dai Chen and Zhang Qinggee exchanged looks with each other as they smiled at the interaction between the two.
As antagonistic as they seemed, they had the closest rtionship. Lei Weiyuan was known to be generally stoic, however, all that changed whenever Yang Qing was involved. His change was even a surprise to his peers who had known him for quite a while.
Lei Weiyuan led them to the ck-colored mimicry chaos sky metal which led to the domain courts.
The sensation was the same as what they felt whenever they used it to get to the pce courts. It was instantaneous and smooth, much better than using teleportation arrays that always left one feeling dizzy, hazy, and groggy after each trip, with the feelingpounded the greater the distance of travel.
The halls of the domain courts came into view.
Yang Qing''s eyes were wide open from the moment they stepped in. There was something he always wanted to confirm, his life''s ambitions and goals, and whether he was on the right track, and the halls could answer exactly that.
What he saw in the hallway, answered his question, and the answer it gave brought tears in his eyes, tears of gratification.
"What''s wrong?" Lei Weiyuan asked, showing an uncharacteristic concern in his voice, which was always absent whenever he interacted with Yang Qing.
Yang Qing who was too affected by what he saw to notice it, absentmindedly answered,
"It''s nothing much, I just felt my life being validated, and I couldn''t help but feel emotional.." Yang Qing answered as he wiped a few drops here and there with a gratified and thankful smile on his face as he admired the empty hallway.
The hallway was aplete ghost hall, just like what Yang Qing had always envisioned in his mind ever since he stepped into the congested hallways of the outer core courts.
He couldn''t believe his eyes, he had to rub them a couple of times to confirm what he saw wasn''t an illusion.
"Dai, Qingge, there is nothing in front of us, right?" Yang Qing asked.
He used voiceless transmission tomunicate with them lest he alert Lei Weiyuan, who would more than likely find a way to ruin the moment for him in some way.
"It''s empty.." they both answered puzzled at Yang Qing''s odd question and the tearful smile after their answer.
"Dai, do you think the auspicious grove wood where Yang Qing was sent is that bad?" Zhang Qinggee secretly asked Dai Chen as she worriedly looked at Yang Qing''s current crying and smiling disy.
"He really must have it tough there.." Dai Chen answered with an equally sympathetic and worried tone.
However, they both put their worry aside when Lei Weiyuan took them to another path way that led them to a different section.
From the moment they stepped in, they could feel a certain level of grandeur radiating from that section. A sense of solemness that incited awe from them.
Lei Weiyuan led them through one door that led them into a courtroom. The courtroom was smaller than Yang Qing''s courtroom even when he was in the core courts, if hepared the size, the courtroom he was in, seemed smaller. However, the small courtroom had a regal bearing that dwarfed every courtroom he had been in, several times over.
Just the materials used incited a greedy and bbergasted look from Yang Qing. Every single material from the wood used on the judge''s podium, to the flooring, were all top-tier ascendant grade materials, that released the mor and ethereal air that could only belong to them.
The room had a gentle cascading lighting from the rainbow crystalline ss above which created a smooth dim radiant lighting in the courtroom.
Yang Qing took a gulp at the resplendent look and emotions the room seemed to evoke in him.
Chapter 480 Turtle jade Li
Chapter 480 Turtle jade Li
"I won''t be going in with you, since I have work to do. You all know how to reach the offices. The channel has already been opened by Meng Chao.." Lei Weiyuan said as he turned around to leave.
"So studious.." Yang Qing snidely remarked when he saw Lei Weiyuan fade away before they even offered their thanks.
"Your cases will be waiting for you all, take care.." Lei Weiyuan''s voice echoed in the courtroom soon after.
Yang Qing almost tripped on the floor when he heard the voice as he hurriedly looked back with fear in his eyes.
"He ruins everything, that old fiend.." Yang Qing venomously muttered as he lowered his voice as if afraid Lei Weiyuan was still lurking about.
"Let''s head in.." said Dai Chen, pulling Yang Qing out of his paranoid state where he kept darting his eyes in anticipation of Lei Weiyuan instantly reappearing.
"Right, right.." said Yang Qing as he kept looking to his back and the door of the courtroom.
The trio made it to the center of the courtroom where a white rune instantly lit up encasing them in its light. The trio instantly vanished and reappeared in an office that had the same grandeur as the courtroom they hade out of.
"Hello.."
A gentle voice instantly sounded the moment they appeared in the office. The originator of that gentle voice was the young man seated behind therge brown oak wood desk. He looked to be in his twenties, slender build, blue eyes that seemed to hold a gxy and matching hair that was tied together in a bun by a starry vine.
"Greetings senior Meng Chao.." the trio said as they cupped their fists together in greeting to the young man.
"No need of that, be as free as you normally are.." Meng Chao said as he waved his palms and three white futons appeared behind the three judges who immediately sat on them after offering their thanks.
"I heard you had a difficult case the other day.." he said as he eyed the three of them with sympathy in his eyes, more so, Yang Qing.
"I''d like to say it will be okay, but having been there before, i know that does little to ease the burden of it, all i can do is hope your journey will be gentler in some ways, and the way you adjust is entirely up to you.
The burden we share may be the same, but how we adjust to it is entirely different and unique to the person.
In my case, other than the measures of addressing it, i decided to continue an investigation that has now span 900 years, to make up for what i couldn''t do then, which i take it is why the three of you are here.." he said with a smile.
Zhang Qinggee shyly looked downward at their reason being called out, despite there being nothing wrong with it.
Yang Qing immediately took over to help her, and he had a stake in the case so it wouldn''t be awkward for him to follow up.
"Yes, senior Meng Chao, it''s about the matter with Deng Chao or should I say Li Ren, and the thing about Jiang Fu, that you said you''d tell us.."
"Li Ren huh? it seems you got him to open up. did he tell you anything else?"
"No, he stopped at just at the name, and from how he looked, it didn''t seem like he wanted to exin further other than the name, so I didn''t push.."
"Mmh it''s understandable he would be guarded about it even with us," Meng Chao said as he rubbed his chin.
"Sorry, I should have called you sooner, but I got called up for something immediately after your ceremony, and only recently became avable, plus I heard you had an eventful month.."
" Your guess was right, Yang Qing, Jiang Fu, and Deng Chao have ties to each other, and his real name more than confirms it, because Jiang Fu''s real name is Li Fu, however, he has never used it since his birth, he didn''t even know of it and was only revealed to himter when he was a bit mature..."
Zhang Qinggee and Dai Chen had mild looks of surprise from the revtion more so the former, who never heard of it from the person in question.
"Don''t me little Fu for not mentioning it, as he made a promise to his father not to do so.." Meng Chao softly said when he saw the myriad of emotions shing through Zhang Qinggee''s eyes.
"Is he in danger?" asked Zhang Qinggee d in worry.
For Jiang Fu to hide his name for as long as he has could only mean one thing, he was likely doing so to hide from someone, who would likely harm him were they to know his real name.
"Yes and no.." Meng Chao said.
"Jiang Fu himself isn''t in any danger. Whatever danger he would have been in, disappeared the moment he and his father walked through the doors of the Order, and became employees of the Thousand vors Restaurant.
However, the Li part of his name is a different case. His entire n was eradicated, and the foe was powerful enough to even make a peak domain expert like Deng Chao afraid to reveal his name, and that foe more than likely caused the destruction of the Crystal Palm Jade Sect.
The sect was likely not destroyed because of the saint-grade treasure they found, but because they had someone from the jade turtle Li family in their midst..." Meng Chao said as he created a small image of a white jade turtle that had the same shine as what Yang Qing saw on Deng Chao when he materialized in his courtroom, and the same shine that asionally appeared on Jiang Fu''s hand.
"When the Crystal Jade Palm Sect was destroyed, I don''t know whether it was out of guilt, or a sense of respect for a strong cultivator and that beautiful art he disyed in thest throngs of his life, but I found myself unable to let go of the events that happened to the sect, so I started investigating it.
Its origins, its journey, and eventually its demise, which led me to the jade turtle Li family, an ancient n that got eradicated despite having two soul formation experts and a deep long-standing foundation.."
Chapter 481 Early periods of the Order
Chapter 481 Early periods of the Order
"I don''t know if Yang Qing exined to you the particrs more specifically with respect to Deng Chao and the Crystal Palm Jade Sect, but in case he has or hasn''t, I think my take would help provide further rity on the matter.." said Meng Chao.
"Would you all like something to drink?" asked Meng Chao as he took out a white porcin teapot that was in the shape of a majestic crane.
Zhang Qingee shook her head sideways saying she was okay while Yang Qing hurriedly nodded and immediately grabbed the kettle from Meng Chao''s hands to be the one to serve.
He looked like he was wary that Meng Chao would take back his offer.
Dai Chen on the other hand with one part embarrassed, and four parts hopeful asked if wine was avable.
How often do you get to sample the wares of a peak domain expert, especially one at the highest court there is?
Someone of that stature was bound to have quality product, thus the duo thickened their faces and decided to take advantage of it.
With a light smile, Meng Chao took out a wine jar and poured Dai Chen some, who would have drunk it from the jar, given the chance.
With the duo each pleasantly consuming their refreshments, Meng Chao resumed his exnation.
Meng Chao looked at the trio with a nostalgic smile on his face.
"Back then when the Order had just started, I wanted to be an inquisitor more than I wanted to be a judge.
I liked how free it seemed at the time, I still do. You get to travel from ce to ce and see different things. You may have unimaginable encounters during your cases.
For example, you may stumble in the birth of a spectacr treasure, a ruin lost in the void for countless years suddenly makes an appearance, and some mysterious realm bursts into light revealing itself.
All these were coincidental urrences I dreamt of encountering ever since I was little and embarked on my cultivation journey.
The thrill of exploring dangerous ces, fighting powerful cultivators and testing your mettle against them, improving your cultivation by leaps and bounds all in a bid to see how the view is from the truly powerful.
I was always curious how the powerful saw the world and also the more powerful you are, the more ces you can visit, for example exploring the bottom of the Millionsfold treasure ocean, dipping your toes in the never-ending fights in the Bestial Churning Sea, and visiting other perilous locations and maybe even other continents.
In a different life, I think I would have joined the Horizon Odyssey Guild.." Meng Chao passionately said.
His speech had inadvertently made Yang Qing almost choke on his tea.
"Does senior Meng Chao have a death wish? What''s his fascination with all those death spots?
No amount of treasure could get me to visit those ces, even as a soul formation expert. What''s there to see? Just another treasure I can buy with spirit stones if I''m lucky in some cultivation open market scale, as for fighting other cultivators to test my skills, I''d rather be a salted fish with a long life.."? thought Yang Qing, as he adjusted his seating position and pulled back a few more inches away from Meng Chao.
In the survival and adaptation sses, one of the instructors had said, that the closer you were to cultivators who attracted trouble, the more likely that stink would rub off on you even after you left them.
After hearing Meng Chao''s speech, he was sure he was one such person. Yang Qing had taken great care all his life to ensure he had as few problems and dangers to deal with as possible, and if Meng Chao''s death-seeking air infected him, he shuddered at the thought of how bad the troubles he would attract because of it, would be.
Better to be safe than sorry.
His movement, though, covert, was easily noticeable in such arge office with so few people. However, the people present chose to ignore it. Yang Qing already had a reputation for doing odd things, so certain things he did, were brushed off as Yang Qing being Yang Qing.
"So it wasn''t a surprise when I joined the Order, I wanted to be an inquisitor. Back then there were no distinctions like there are now of special inquisitors, roaming inquisitors, and court-attached inquisitors as we have now.
It was just one type who did it all, though if I''m being honest, back then with the Order just starting out, every inquisitor could have been considered a special inquisitor, because all we did back then were executions and purges.
Come to think of it, there was no distinction between being a judge and inquisitor either since both were on the field all the time and when it came to the conduct of their duties, they were more or less simr.
Inquisitors made on-the-spot judgments at certain times, while judges conducted investigations of their own cases continually.
It wasn''t as it is now, so we all needed to be out there to spread the name and build the reputation of the Order, and it wasn''t received well, even by those who hade together and suggested its formation.
Everywhere we looked were enemies who were not afraid to attack be they from heretic organizations, or normal ones, back then they all had one thing inmon, which was to stifle this new upstart organization that was trying to change how the continent had worked for millions and millions of years..."
Yang Qing and the rest had solemn expressions as they pictured how chaotic it must have been back then.
It wouldn''t have been a stretch to say that back then it was basically the Order vs the entire continent, and back then, the Order didn''t have a terrifying reputation as it does today, which was sufficient enough to deter some.
They had nothing to their name, and for them to have the reputation they have today, it must havee at an astronomical cost.
How many lives did they have to reap for them to have the reputation they have today? How did they manage to even survive and etch out a pathway that led to today, back then when their enemies were everywhere?
The three judges shuddered at the thought. Their eradicating a single Ice Emerald Sect had an impact on them, especially Yang Qing, but back then, how many Ice Emerald Sects did Meng Chao, Jia Bohai, and the rest have to deal with?
Dai Chen had been shaken by Lai Lei''s injury, which hadn''t even been that tragic since with the Medical Valley''s means, Lai Lei was able to be restored, however, he was still affected by it even now, but back then, how manypanions and close friends had Meng Chao seen gravely injured and even die? It was likely too many to count.
Chapter 482 Meng Chaos solemn advice
Chapter 482 Meng Chao''s solemn advice
The trio hadplicated emotions running through them as they imagined how harrowing and difficult it was back then. They felt that they took the current state of the Order for granted.
They would have a difficult case here and there that would show that things from back then were still prevalent even in their era, but those cases were not that many.
The easy cases they had, the ease with which they conducted, the infrastructures in ce, and even the stable working environment, had all been purchased and paid for in the blood and suffering of the seniors before them, seniors like Meng Chao.
"You shouldn''t feel guilty about it. We all knew what we were getting into back then, and had an idea of what it would cost, though the price far exceeded what some of us expected, despite being in it, we still decided to persevere and continue through it all, and I''m d we did, and I''m sure those we lost would be d too.
Their sacrifices were not in vain. You are the proof of it.." Meng Chao said as he eyed the three.
The trio didn''t know what to say and did what they felt like doing, which was bow and offer their thanks for what they had.
Meng Chao epted their thanks and went on with the story.
"Now that I think about it, it''s a bit ironic. If it wasn''t for the never-ending battles back then, we would not have grown as strong as we are now, or amassed that many resources in such a short amount of time.
Most people keep wondering and guessing the reasons behind our rapid growth when in essence it was because of them. If they didn''te at us as relentlessly as they did, creating a boiling pot that never stopped boiling, keeping us on edge, fighting for our lives every day, we wouldn''t have burst through as fast as we did.
They were the catalyst for it all. I bet they would roll in their graves and vomit blood several times over if they knew it.." Meng Chao said with an amused smile.
Even though he seemed casual, Yang Qing, Dai Chen, and Zhang Qinggee could detect a chilliness in that smile, that sent shivers down their souls. Luckily, Meng Chao immediately reigned it in and that chilly stifling sensation radiating from him vanished in an instant.
"So per history, the Order started 1,000 years ago, so 100 years in, after its formation, things were just as bad and hard for us as it was when we began.
It was even more so because we had created tonnes of blood feuds in that 100 years inciting hatred and fear all around, so even fence-sitters back then rose up against us.
Cases never stopped, especially against those who showed a modicum of friendliness or cooperation towards us. It was during one of my rounds back then that I ended up stumbling across the Crystal Palm Jade Sect.
It had been a few hours before the three-day war kicked off. They had been blockaded at the time, and their territory, prosperous as it seemed, had been abandoned, not a soul in sight.
I don''t know why even stopped that time. I knew how things were going to y out and I had seen it happen countless times before, and after a hundred years, I didn''t think I had the stomach to bear witness to it.
An organization being surrounded by others and eradicated because of what it has, then those organizations soon turn on each other, resulting in more casualty and chaos, then one of them bes the victor and ends with the spoil, or some shady third party who had orchestrated the whole thing, ends up with it, easily in the end..."
Meng Chao''s gaze turned solemn as he eyed the three.
"I''d like to advise you three to be very careful with cultivators, especially those who have survived a couple of thousand years.
Those who managed to survive that long do so in part due to strength but another factor to consider is their mind.
Those who survive that long are by no means simple characters, whether they are in the core formation realm, pce realm, the domain realm, a king, a rogue cultivator, a sect disciple, an alchemist, or an assassin, none of them reached and lived that long by being simple-minded characters who have nothing but cultivation in their mind.
They are sharp, astute, and adaptable. Able to weave the world around them to ensure their survival.
There was once a core formation expert, who brewed an borate n involving some rock he found from an excavated ruin. He was a former prince, and his kingdom got destroyed root and stem, down to its citizens, leaving him as the sole survivor in an entire kingdom, and the culprit behind it was a n that ended up having a feud with the kingdom over some trivial thing.
That n had five pce realm experts at its helm, and that prince of the fallen kingdom had just been at the middle stages of the core formation realm.
However, that prince, who basically had nothing, was able to bring cmity to that n through trickery that was so borate and well-made, that those pce realm cultivators died at the end along with their n.
It''s unknown how, but he triggered a beast tied that targeted that n''s grounds, which invited other powers in the area because within that beast tide, was a rare spirit beast, that could help peak pce realm experts reach the domain realm.
A blood bath consumed that area, that n got buried, other powers got buried too in the chaos, and blood feuds were created that ended up spanning centuries after the fact. That prince died in that chaos too, but not before he made a deration of what he did and why he did it.
Never belittle, never assume, always be alert and wary. A domain expert, even a soul formation expert may easily employ the same means as that prince against a weaker opponent despite having the ability to end it with their own hands.
Never assume just because they are powerful that they''re beneath using subterfuge and other devious means to achieve their goals just because they''re powerful.
The Crystal Jade Palm Sect was a victim of such a ploy. A sect with seven domain experts that had stood the test of time was upended in just three days through well-ced trickery.
The same could happen to us too, if we are not careful."
Chapter 483 The unravelling thread (1)
Chapter 483 The unravelling thread (1)
The trio slowly nodded nting Meng Chao''s words in their hearts. They had a personal experience of some of what Meng Chao was talking about in the Ice Emed Sect''s case.
They had suspected there was a mastermind behind them especially with the sudden upsurge in strength and the ability to refine those with special physiques, and when they fought the founder who by all ounts should have been dead, even in terms of lifespan, they became certain there was someone behind her.
However, despite expecting it, they were still caught by surprise when the mastermind turned out to be someone in the soul formation realm.
Whatever they needed the Ice Emerald Sect for, clearly they had the strength to do it themselves, evidenced by the fact that they had been able to paralyze Yang Qing and the rest and destroy a top-tier ascendant-grade treasure in the process without even their real body appearing.
But despite having such abilities, they decided to conduct their affairs via a proxy, the Ice Emerald Sect.
Whatever the case, those events coupled with Meng Chao''s words were a real eye-opener for them. The southern continent was still as dangerous as ever.
"Good..." said Meng Chao in satisfaction at their reaction.
"Now, where was I, yes, so I ended up finding myself within the territory of the Crystal Palm Jade Sect, and after a little digging around, I found out the reason for it, which outwardly was the sect had found a saint grade treasure in their expedition to the Millionsfold Treasure Ocean.
Presumably, news got out, as it always weirdly does, and who did that news fall to? The sect and organizations that had a horrible rtionship with them, which eventually led to them conveniently forming an alliance in the bid to take away the treasure and reduce the momentum with which the Crystal Palm Jade Sect was growing.
On paper and even when I heard it at the time, it was usible since I had seen something simr situations happening all around countless times over, and it was indeed true that the sect had been growing at an rming rate.
In under five thousand years, some no-name sect popped up and grew rmingly to the point it had seven domain-level experts, with three of them standing out even against those at the same level.
Such a thing is bound to incite fear, envy, and eventually collusion and retaliation from organizations around. The same thing happened to the Order, and the same thing has happened to millions and millions of organizations around.
Some weathered through it and were able to establish themselves as a hegemon at the end of it that has existed to date, while others were unable to bear the weight of it, and got uprooted before they had a chance to grow to their fullest potential.
The Crystal Palm Jade Sect ended up falling under both categories in my book. On one hand, they were able to reach heights others couldn''t on the other they had the potential to reach much higher, s the opposition proved to be too strong..." Meng Chao said with a sigh.
His statement resonated with the three young judges. Over the years they hade across sects, ns, and other organizations with rich history that eventually waned and fell into obscurity, while some were shells of their former selves.
During Yang Qing''s evaluations, the Clear Sword River Sect was one such thing. It was once powerful enough to have a few pce realm experts but eventually, it got beaten down to the point it only had an old man in the foundation realm as its member, and with his death, the name was soon to disappear in the river''s of time with countless others.
It was humbling, how easily something that took over 10,000 years to build could disappear in a shorter timeframe, and in the case of the Crystal Palm Jade Sect, three days was all it took.
"So when I heard about the matter, I decided to pay witness to it. Despite sympathizing with the sect, I couldn''t do anything about it. The Order was stretched thin, we had fires all over, and we already had plenty of enemies to boot, I couldn''t go and add another at the time.
Back then I was sure the Crystal Palm Jade Sect wouldn''t survive a day considering the lineup they were fighting against, but Deng Chao blew apart that assumption single-handedly when he made an appearance.
The silent tree of the sect whose presence was unassuming. He provides shade during peaceful times, and when the floods break, he is there to shelter the rest.
When he appeared, I found myself cheering for him as I thought to myself, maybe this time, this time things will turn different. The regr script will be upended, and greed won''t win out.
Deng Chao appeared with thunderous might sending fear to his foes, and giving hope to his sect members.
The enemies that had put them on edge when the fight started, who were swollen with pride, quickly got humbled under his hand.
He destroyed countless and the siege on his sect turned into a one-sided affair with their enemies turning into the prey.
They turned from being surrounded by ten rank 2 sects to a power that was well on its way to destroying all of them including their sect grounds.
I was pleasantly surprised as they were trying to pull it off. Deng Chao was left to run amok, holding all the present enemies at bay, while the rest of the domain experts from the sect, went to the unguarded sect grounds of their attackers.
I even helped some sneak through the cordon.." said Meng Chao with an amused smile.
"He really is a trouble harbinger," thought Yang Qing as he saw the smile Meng Chao had showing how clearly pleased he was with his interference back then.
From the records Yang Qing had read, the area was teaming with domain experts, chaos all around, cultivators on edge, and there Meng Chao was a lone domain expert, dipping his toe in like he didn''t have enough trouble already.
"I was shocked when I heard that little n of theirs had managed to destroy seven of the sects that had ganged up on them.
When the news arrived, it changed the trajectory of the battle. Those from the seven sects had their spirits crushed by the news, while those from the remaining three all fought with distracted attention possibly from worry that their sects would be next.
By the third day, things looked to be going the Crystal Jade Palm Sect''s way as they dealt with fewer enemies, s, we both had our joys crushed when a small team of five guests made an appearance with one of them being a quasi soul formation expert.
With their appearance, I wanted to leave then and there, but something urged me to stay. I had seen Deng Chao fight, and I thought maybe he could pull something even with the odds as they were.
I was even tempted to rope in the Chief Justice at the time, but he was preupied with other soul formation experts of the Order at the time. We couldn''t spare any, not like now, where a few are always on standby ready to respond..."
Chapter 484 Unravelling the thread (2)
Chapter 484 Unravelling the thread (2)
"But..Deng Chao delivered but when he did, his sect members including his brothers had been butchered by the five guests.
It was pitiful, however, from start to end he was brilliant. I still can''t forget that monolithic crystallized palm that fell from the heavens as if pouring its wrath upon the invaders.
The Crystal Palm Jade art, even among the gold-grade arts that we have, few are able to match the might it showed that day.
I think in that moment he had stepped beyond the stage of perfection when it came to the art and reached the final step, unity sentience. Something that can only be achieved with gold-grade and purple-grade art.
Just like its name, it means the artes to life and resonates with the user, and in that moment Deng Chao had reached it and used it to raze the enemy along with his own sect ground.
It was truly an unforgettable sight, which was why after it had subsided, I came back, to find nothing but a gigantic palm-sized bottomless crater with destructive energies capable of killing an early-stage domain expert, filling in the area.
The enemy, the sect, and Deng Chao were all absent. I assumed them to be dead, and I don''t maybe guilt or admiration for Deng Chao I decided to investigate them to chronicle the Crystal Palm Jade Sect so they don''t end up forgotten and that they had a cultivator with a true spirit.
For that, I needed to properly dig into their pasts and follow that thread up to their end. I felt it was the least I could do as one of the few witnesses to the whole thing.
Progress was slow, pitifully so at the start because of how tumultuous and chaotic things were for us at the time, which prompted me to enlist Zhu Lao''s, Ren Shu''s, Shao An''s, and Yu Long''s help at the time.
The progress was still snail-paced even with their involvement but we still made some, which was how I ended up discovering that two people had survived that day; the quasi-soul formation expert, and one of the attackers from the sect that had besieged them.
The attacker immediately sought refuge with a rank 1 empire the Red Fire Abalone empire. At the time I had suspected that maybe the quasi-soul formation expert was from there, but that proved to be wrong.
That attacker ended up dying a few hundred yearster from the injuries he had sustained from the fight, and the quasi-soul formation expert vanished like he had never existed.
But even with little to work with and help from Zhu Lao and the rest, I was able to recreate the history of the Crystal Palm Jade Sect, and eventually traced it back to its four founders one of which was the illusory Deng Chao.
I admired him more after discovering how he was. He never sought fame and was always there when his brothers and sect needed him.
Then when I started digging into him that''s when i stumbled upon some bizarre happenings. His past seemed like it was nk before he met with the three sworn brothers he made and eventually founded the Crystal Palm Jade Sect.
nked-out pasts isn''t exactly a bizarre thing, but it was that nk past and his art that eventually led me to Jiang Fu''s dad, about 300 yearster.
The crystallized palm art Deng Chao used was unique, and as I was digging into his past, I was always curious if there were people or ces that had something simr to it. I did out of pure interest, really, but I ended up finding a group of individuals who exhibited something simr, though not on the same scale as Deng Chao''s disy of it.
An alchemist with jade hands and eyes who could traverse into any miasma-filled region, and harvest any poisonous material with nothing but their bare hands, a diamond body cultivator losing to a 10-year-old in a pure fist brawl, a crystallized jade beauty whose radiance during the fool moon drove countless to madness.
Random people, random events with nothing simr except for the fact they had crystallized jade bodies, and their pasts had been erased at some point, and all of them died along with the organizations they belonged to at the time.
It wasn''t hard to guess that they were targetted, and now with a line to follow I dug deeper to uncover their identities which led me to countless organizations lost in the river of time, with the history dating back tens of thousands of years, each destroyed because of one reason or another but in each of those organization they had a standout person with a jade body or essence.
As I pulled that thread it eventually led me to an inn owner by the name of Jiang Tao, Jiang Fu''s father, and from him was that I finally heard about the spirit jade turtle Li family, a family that had made a contract with the Jade Turtle spirit beast from their founder''s time which was over a million years ago..."
Meng Chao sped his hands together as he eyed the three whose attention was firmly on him.
"You all know about physiques. You can acquire them through training, you can gain them through some fortuitous encounter that transforms your body, some are gifted by the Origin Dao itself and then there are those that are passed down by a bloodline, and more often than not those that fall under this category are usually tied to some powerful creature be it a spirit beast or a spiritual nt, and the Li family was the same.
Their ancestor made a soul pact with the Spirit jade turtle. It''s not a well-known creature due to its reclusive nature, but it is a standout spirit beast nheless, one with a two-generational gap to the ancients.
I''ll let Yang Qing exin to you two about themter.." Meng Chao said when he saw the puzzled looks of Dai Chen and Zhang Qinggee.
"But I guess it can''t hurt to give you a picture. You have heard of dragons, phoenixes, vermilion birds, white tigers, and the like. Mythical races they liked to be called.."
The duo nodded.
"Well, the ancients could loosely be considered their parents or originators.."
The revtion was like a thunderp to the duo as they widened their eyes. Just any of the mentioned beings was terrifying beyond measure, they shuddered to imagine what the ancients, their originator, how powerful were they?
"Now these mythical creatures, they also have descendants of their own. Dragons have flood dragons, the phoenix has the yuan bird, and the Ba She snake you fought before, though I suspect the one you fought had the thinnest of Ba She bloodline.
If you had fought one with a pure bloodline, the fight would have been much harder. The Ba She are descended from the taotie so in some respect they have their devouring ability, able to swallow all kinds of techniques and use them to nourish themselves or rebound the attack, giving them thorny defensive capabilities.
And then there is the Spirit jade turtle, descended from the Ao tortoise, the tortoiserge enough to support an entire world on its shell..."
Chapter 485 Fall of the spirit jade turtle Li family (1)
Chapter 485 Fall of the spirit jade turtle Li family (1)
From the moment Meng Chao began his narration it has been one shocking statement after another. From the ancients and now to Jiang Fu possibly having some ties to them.
When a bit of it had sunk in, they couldn''t help but worry about him. Cultivators have killed each other for less and for something as valuable as ancient ancestry in the mix the whole continent would be lining up to hunt him down if he did not have a strong background to rely on.
The cultivation world was pretty ruthless, especially, when it came to things that could shape a legacy, or improve one''s strength which was why there were still fights to the death over treasures and the like.
When it came to such fights, the Order wasn''t involved. They would only get involved if the fight extended to innocents who didn''t have any stakes in the fight and were dragged in, but if the fight urred between willing participants, then the Order would stay clear of it.
Other than treasures, those with certain physiques would get hunted down, especially if said physique was known to improve someone''s cultivation base like the heart of a crystal heart-zed user, which was known to increase the odds of a cultivator breaking through to the domain realm.
All around the continent, there were still cases of physique holders getting kidnapped and their bodies and bloodlines getting experimented on like a spiritual herb to see if one could exploit it for themselves. Physiques were no different from natural treasures to some.
They could now understand a bit of why Jiang Fu hid his name, a descendant bloodline of the Ao tortoise was something invaluable.
The Ao tortoise was rumored to be a massive creature that could support mountains, rivers, oceans, and continents on its back and it did not just stop there, some of thendscapes had the same amount of auspicious air, richness, and vitality that was seen in the cultivation grounds of Holy Lands.
It was a world in and of itself, and while they didn''t know a lot about the spirit jade turtle, for it to have descended from the Ao, it had to have qualities that made it stand out from the rest and some of those qualities had to have some resemnce or closeness to the abilities of the Ao tortoise.
Luckily for them, they didn''t have to wonder about its abilities because Meng Chao filled in their gaps in knowledge.
"When ites to the Spirit jade turtle, one could consider it a creature of bnce in terms of attack and defense. It is made entirely of spirit crystal jade, something considered to be the crystallization of purity, and tolerates no embellishment.
Embellishment here epasses a wide array of things from poison, miasma, water, fire, attacks of all kinds, malice both in thought and words, and a wrong look, as long as it is anything that profanes the turtle, the spirit jade will react, offensively or defensively, which makes it immune to almost everything from poisons, to physical attacks to karmic attacks and curses since the spirit jade istes it from everything.
Of course, the defense is limited to the strength of the spirit jade turtle itself, so if your power and understanding are higher than the spirit jade turtle, your attacks will reach it, but it could still choose to hide itself which was one of its strongest moves as it has the ability to iste its karma and presence.
When ites to attacks, its movements are fast, piercing, and all-epassing. It has the ability to control light and variations of space since the Ao tortoise is rumored to be able to bend and mold space at will, which is how it is able to support continents, rivers, and mountains on its back.
The spirit jade turtle has some variations of that ability which is it''s able to create whirlpools in space that could tear apart any defenses if you were unlucky enough to get swallowed by it. They could also disrupt space and prevent teleportation either in or out, so escape talismans and teleportation treasures are useless before it.
If you dare use it, they will malfunction and you''ll end up in a distorted space filled with void chaotic energy.
The spirit jade turtle has a long list of abilities to ensure its survival almost anywhere. However, for all its abilities, it''s reclusive in nature and likes to hide away and hibernate for years on end, which is why there is little information about it.
From the bit I''ve read about it, it dislikes confrontation and attention and much prefers solitude. It''s that love for solitude that its numbers and presence are so low. It''s rumored that one spirit jade turtle would be born every 50,000 years, making their numbers so pitifully few.
However, despite their nonconfrontational nature, once angered they will pursue you to the ends of the no matter the cost. They''re as vengeful as theye if angered, and they do not discriminate. They would attack a dragon with the same fervor they would a pig, provided they were provoked sufficiently, and it would be fight to the death.
They''re not be angered lightly.."
"I hope I never run into one.." Yang Qing fearfully thought as he imagined himself being chased by a vindictive turtle.
"What am I worried about anyway? It''s not like I go around making trouble, besides from its solitary nature, and the way it likes to hide itself, spotting one would be very difficult, and even if I did, I''m not a troublemaker in the very least.
Yang Qing you worry too much.." he thought as he chuckled inwardly.
"Now one of those spirit jade turtles from what Jiang Fu''s father told me at the time which was something passed down in their family happened to form an unlikely friendship with the ancestor of the n, and that friendship devolved into a soul contract formation between the two.
The contract was mainly because the spirit jade turtle thought the Li ancestor had a pitiful lifespan, so it shared some with it.
He told me at birth spirit jade turtles are usually born with a lifespan of 70,000 years that increases astronomically with every jump in strength, something they got from being in the lineage of the Ao tortoise that is rumored to be immortal, though that''s still unproven, but with how long the lifespans of these mythical creatures are rumored to be, I wouldn''t be surprised..."
"Senior, haven''t you said spirit jade turtles like solitude? Howe it formed a friendship with a human? Moreso one deep enough that it waspelled to share its lifespan?" asked Zhang Qinggee.
"It''s unknown how their friendship came about since their founder never shared it, however from the little bit I''ve been able to gather, though this is purely my own thoughts, I think spirit jade turtles are mercurial creatures who love and hate with the same extremes.
Once the founder became its friend, he reaped the rewards of it. Though that''s purely my own thinking. Who knows what long-lived creatures like them think or see the world?" said Meng Chao with a smile as he thought of one such person within the Order, one of the quirkiest individuals he has evere to know. Of course, when it came to quirkiness, the Order had its fair share of culprits, and there was even one in front of him.
He let out another chuckle as he shook his head.
"Anyhow, that''s how the Li family wound up with the bloodline of the spirit jade turtle, which catapulted them to grow into a first-rate n. They seemed to have adopted the same nature as the spirit jade turtle too, which I don''t know if it was by design or an effect of having the bloodline of the spirit jade turtle.
Despite their increase in power, their territory was very small, about the size of a small city in a rank 5 kingdom, which they maintained even at their peak, which could be considered odd because they had a couple of soul formation experts at their peak.
However, they did end up creating three more side branch ns to avoid congestion, who set up territories of their own and observed the same modesty as the main n.
From the ounts I heard, despite the smallness of theirnd, it was rich beyond measure in terms of resources, and spiritual qi, enough to rival the grounds of present-day holynds. Such richness could have been the work of the spirit jade turtle contracted to their founder.
Thanks to its support, they survived hundreds of thousands of years, since their history dates back a million years ago, however, all that changed when their founder died. The founder managed to live close to 700,000 years despite only reaching the soul-adept stage of the soul formation realm.
Despite the contract elevating his aptitude and reforming his body, there were some things it couldn''t change which wereprehension ability and aptitude. He excavated beyond what his talents could give him, and thanks to the spirit jade turtle, he was able to reach heights he would likely have never even glimpsed were it not for it.
When he died, the spirit jade turtle left the n. Its bond was with the founder and not his descendants and it had no qualms about leaving them or any obligation to watch over them.
Chapter 486 Fall of the spirit jade turtle Li family (2)
Chapter 486 Fall of the spirit jade turtle Li family (2)
However, even with its absence, the Li family was still powerful as it still had four soul formation experts at the helm who had more talent than their founder, a deep foundation established over hundreds of thousands of years, and had the bloodline of the spirit jade turtle which gave them some of its abilities, spirit jade body was one.
But without the founder, and the spirit jade turtle, as with most long-established organizations, rifts here and there appeared with factions, each vying for hegemony of the n. Something about bloodline purity came about, and those with low spirit jade turtle bloodline were evicted from the main n to the branches bringing about a sense of alienation and discrimination.
Fathers abandoned sons because of it, and wives abandoned daughters while there were those who resented the n for separating them like that.
That rift created an opening, and slowly by slowly they were chewed away by enemies left right, and center, some found their identities but no longer existed, but others hid themselves well.
Eventually, the spirit jade turtle Li family, a family that had survived a million years, was eradicated 16,000 years ago. The four soul formation experts they had before had already died at that point, however, owing to their resources and bloodline, they still managed to create another one who had a talent that dwarfed all the others, however, she was killed immediately after breaking through, and without a soul formation expert, they were quickly swept away.
The attack moved from the main n and even went to the side branches. There were a few survivors here and there, and Jiang Fu''s father was one of them.
Jiang Fu''s part of the Li family was a side branch, and they had survived thanks to the efforts of a friend of their grandmother. He was a young chancellor of a certain empire at the time but is now retired, he saved them due to a promise he made to their grandmother, that he would look after her family in case something happened to her.
Something did happen to her, and the chancellor kept his promise. That chancellor retired, and is now the owner of the Thousands vors Restaurant..."
Yang Qing and the trio were wide-eyed when they heard that bit.
"As for why the spirit jade turtle Li family was targetted, you all took spirit beast ecology at the institute right?" asked Meng Chao.
The trio nodded as an answer that they did.
"Then you know spirit beasts don''t just cannibalize each other for the sake of it or for territory or hegemony. Yes, thetter two could be factors, but usually, they do it with the sole purpose of improving and strengthening themselves and the targets they choose aren''t random.
It''s usually ones that are able to enhance their own bloodline for example a water typhoon lizard will likely target a cerulean kingfisher that has a lower cultivation base than it would a thunderhead mockingbird with a strong cultivation base, not unless thetter has a wisdom pearl.
Spirit beasts target those of simr attributes and consume them to improve on what they have. That is usually the case, however, there are exceptions where symbiotic partnerships appear where they each makeup for what the other needs orcks.
The snapping willow tree is one such example, which houses the scarlet hummingbird, the withering weevil, the ck verdant porcupine, and the grey fog tree frog, which cooperate not only to ensure their own safety but even in terms of cultivation they form a cycling exchange between the five of them.
Then there is another rtion that is a mix of the two, cannibalistic and cooperative, where spirit beasts attack other spirit beasts to consume them or use them as a panacea to quell the negative aspects of their own attributes, like the rainbow mist toad in your possession that needs something with a purifying ability to help quell the toxins in its own body from running rampant.
It can either consume a spirit beast with a gentle purifying nature which will help strengthen its body to the toxins or cultivate next to a treasure with simr properties..."
Yang Qing nodded at this since this was the same measure he had employed for Bolin''s training. He had him cultivate next to a hundred moon-cleansing hawthorn flower to help him bnce his body before it was overrun by poison.
"The reason I mention this is because the same thing applies to mythical creatures. They will devour each other to improve themselves when their attributes align, or use each other to fix a w.
While I''m not sure who massacred the spirit jade turtle Li family, I can tell their motives which definitely fall under the two reasons I mentioned as to why spirit beasts would target each other.
The one thing the Li family had of value more than anything else, so enticing that one would risk fighting against soul formation experts, is the spirit jade turtle bloodline.
And who would be so determined to do that? it''s those with a lot to gain from it like let''s say an organization simr to the Li family that has some bloodline of a mythical creature on the same level as the spirit jade turtle, who need its bloodline because they either share oveps in attributes, or they need its bloodline to quel the negative side effects of their own bloodline or it could even be at the behest of a mythical creature that is injured that needs the blood of the spirit jade turtle to heal.
And such a thing might be much more tantalizing to them than some saint-grade treasure. This is why I strongly believe the Crystal Palm Jade Sect was attacked because of Deng Chao''s background rather than the treasure, and based on the disy I saw of him, I''m willing to bet he is from the main branch due to how dense the spirit jade was on him.
The culprits are still hidden, but using the spirit jade turtle bloodline as the motive puts them out in the open.
The list of suspects capable of pulling what they did off, while also standing to gain the most from it, is really small, and over the years I''ve been narrowing it, and now it''s just three.."
The ears of the trio immediately perked up, especially Zhang Qinggee''s.
"I can''t tell you yet, since each one is more terrifying than the next, but when I do have something concrete I will make sure to inform you.
As for Jiang Fu''s current state, I had someone watch over him as he breaks through who discovered some cultivators stalking him.
Clearly, they''re waiting for him to break through to the pce realm and kidnap him after, but they''re just mercenaries, who had their memories altered and have no idea of who gave them the job..."
"Isn''t it dangerous, and how did they discover about him?" asked Zhang Qinggee.
"I can promise you we have taken every measure to ensure his safety. Jiang Fu is like a son to us, who we have seen grow. We wouldn''t risk his life like that.
As for how they found out, like I said Jiang Fu is safe, Li Fu is another thing. They seem to have the means to track the Li bloodline, and while we can block it, it''s more prudent if we let things be and catch all who came.
Jiang Fu can''t live his life as a prisoner, locking away Li Fu, he needs his life, and his name back, and if it''s any constion he was the one who suggested using himself as bait in this. But I can promise you, I have my chief inquisitor watching him, and Zhu Lao and the rest have sent their representatives as well, along with having a saint-grade artifact in his abode as a fail-safe and instant teleportation runes that could? work even with the interference of a soul formation expert.."
Zhang Qinggee went silent, with worry still on her face.
"It will be okay Qingge. It''s what Jiang Fu wants.." Yang Qing said with a gentle tone.
"Sorry.." Zhang Qinggee said in a low tone to Meng Chao.
Meng Chao had known Jiang Fu far longer than she had and had more likely been protecting him in all that time, even going as far as having him close by at the Thousand vors Restaurant, was likely his doing.
She felt sorry for letting worry cloud her judgment.
"It''s okay. I''ll keep you all appraised, but it will take time since I also need to make preparations of my own.
One way or another I need to resolve it myself, but these are opponents who can kill soul formation experts.
With my realm as it is, I would not be able to do much just like back then.." a sh of regret passed through his eyes as he said this.
"I will be going into seclusion to reach the soul formation realm from today. By my estimates, it should take six months to a year at most. At that time, my inquisitor Bo Gen will inform you of any changes that may happen or you can seek out Dean Zhu Lao, Ren Shu, Yu Long, or Shao An, they''re also closely monitoring the situation.
Hopefully, by the time Ie out, we will have something to work with, which will finally give me the chance to give reprieve to Little Fu, Deng Chao, and other Li family survivors who may still be there, andy this 900-year ghost case to rest..."
Chapter 487 Realizing one’s insignificance
Chapter 487 Realizing one''s insignificance
"All we can do now is wait as we wish Jiang Fu a smooth breakthrough to the pce realm, hopefully soon. I have rather missed his tea.." Meng Chao said musingly with a smile.
"I have, too.."
"Me too.."
"Me too. He can''t get here fast enough..."
The mood lightened with light smiles all around.
The trio were still slightly shaken by the information Meng Chao had revealed to them.
Yang Qing wasn''t immune to the surprise even if he had a bit of prior knowledge. All he had been expecting was maybe Deng Chao and Jiang Fu were part of some n that wasn''t around anymore, having fallen for obvious reasons.
However, just like most, he thought the Crystal Palm Jade Sect had been destroyed because of the saint-grade treasure Deng Chao had found in the Millionsfold treasure ocean.
A saint-grade treasure was a saint-grade treasure, it didn''t matter whether you were from a Holy Land or some impoverished sect or n, you would covet one the moment youid your eyes on it.
One could establish a longsting dynasty as long as one had one, more so if one got an offensive or defensive-based treasure. Deng Chao had survived precisely because of that saint-grade treasure, that not only saved his life but it has also continuously nourished and anchored his soul. If he were in the soul formation realm, his soul could easily exist outside his body with no repercussions, but as a quasi-soul formation expert, there were risks to that, and eventually, his soul would dissipate without a body.
However, 900 years passed since his sect was destroyed, but he was still alive and well, and it was thanks to the efforts of the saint-grade treasure he had on hand.
But as it turned out, his guess was off, and it was because of his million-year heritage with the Li family. Surviving that long was nothing to scoff at, nor was it something easily achievable, yet they had done it.
Who knew how many storms they had weathered in that time period? Though with the facts at hand, there was no doubt the Spirit jade turtle was a huge reason for it, because when it disappeared they didn''tst that long, though internal division had likely been key to their demise.
Still, the whole information was a shocker to Yang Qing nheless and whoever the mastermind was behind their demise, they were clearly beyond the abilities of three pce realm cultivators.
They could destroy a rank 2 organization in three days and were able to capitalize on the division of the Li family and its eventual destruction. This was a n that had a history that was likely longer than the two present-day Holy Lands in Radiant Sword Sect, and Flowing Valley Sect.
The fact that they were able to bring down such an ancient n meant they were not in the least, in terms of resources, reach, and cunning since even someone as lofty as Meng Chao couldn''t decipher their identity even now.
Today''s event was the second time in the week the trio had realized their own limitations in therger scheme of things. Even with the Order''s backing, there were things they could not be involved in, only their seniors could, and for this case, it was even more so, since it involved powerful figures from the Order in the likes of Meng Chao and Dean Zhu Lao, and still their investigation was slow.
That spoke volumes of the opponent they were dealing with because of those two, one was a paragon domain user which Yang Qing still didn''t know what that meant, and the other could break apart and remodel cultivation techniques with the same ease as breathing. Yet one felt the need to break through to the soul formation first before proceeding further despite his already terrifying abilities.
Yang Qing could still remember how terrified he had been when exposed to the depiction of the paragon domain realms in the dark valley. While he didn''t know which one was Meng Chao''s, the fact that he was known to have one, was enough. Though Yang Qing had heard he was a sword user, of the few paragon domains he was exposed to there was one in particr he felt likely belonged to Meng Chao, the one that was so tyrannical that it almost killed him the instant it appeared, had it known be for the swift intervention of Lei Weiyuan.
The one with the mountain of swords could very well be his, thought Yang Qing.
The trio exchanged a few more words with Meng Chao before they got up to leave. As they were passing through the door, Yang Qing suddenly turned back to Meng Chao as he asked a question that had been ruminating on his mind since he stepped into the hallways of the domain courts.
"Uhm, senior Meng Chao, pardon my insolence, but could I ask something?"
"What is it?" asked Meng Chao with a raised brow at Yang Qing''s current obsequious look.
He looked like a child asking for permission to y after being caught in a mistake a few days prior. There was that sense of unease in him.
Yang Qing took a deep breath before he asked his question.
"Are the domain courts usually this empty?"
Meng Chao was taken aback by the question as he nkly stared at Yang Qing before he drylyughed.
"Figured you would ask that.." he said with a knowing look which drove Yang Qing to embarrassment as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Well, one doesn''t get many cases when they get into the domain courts. Organizations with domain experts are much more reserved. They have much more to lose inparison to the lower organizations, so they are very careful in their overall conduct.
Besides, mostly when they get in conflict, they resolve it themselves, and when ites to fiendish cultivators, those at the domain level are much more cunning and resourceful in their conduct.
They are more than capable of covering their tracks, which is how organizations like the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hand Syndicate, and the remnants of the Dark Helminth Ghosts have been able to evade us.
They are extremely careful, and usually leave fewer clues unlike 500 years ago going back when they were much more direct.."
Chapter 488 Domain court system
Chapter 488 Domain court system
Yang Qing''s eyes lit up like a baby''s when he heard that. He looked like he could have blinded the whole room, if tears didn''t well up in his eyes, to dim the light up.
"Good, good.." he muttered over and over, with a growing smile that was filled with relief.
"I''m on the right track," he thought as he clenched his fists with renewed motivation.
"How many cases do you usually handle per year?" he asked.
"Well it''s never the same, but when you start at the outer domain courts, the cases are usually about 15 or less, and that number shrinks the further up one moves. In my current post, for those who make it here, the case is usually one or two at most a year, and certain years may pass by without one..."
Yang Qing''s smile grew wider and his eyes turned crescent-shaped, with little tear drops falling out.
"So you''re free for the year?" he eagerly asked.
"Well, yes in one aspect one can say that,? though because of how few cases reach here, we do conduct other duties.."
Yang Qing''s eyes instantly bulged open, seemingly saying which other duties?
Meng Chao simply shook his head with a lightugh as he continued with his exnation.
"The Order is still severely undermanned, so we take up some of that load, though it''s purely by choice, and not a mandate of our duties as judges.
For example, you can choose to assist the shadow hawks, who you have all heard of by now.."
The trio nodded.
"Well, we help them in gathering information about different parts of the continents, specifically information rting to power distribution and structure of the organizations around.
The rewards for evaluations be less enticing to higher-ranked organizations whenpared to the lower ones, so they don''t bother doing it.
We have countless rank 3 organizations and within that lot, there is a sufficient number that already have the qualifications to be promoted to rank 2 but very few choose to do so and instead hide their status, as a bid to hide themselves from us or from theirpetitors.
While they are within their rights to do so since the evaluations are entirely voluntary, for our own sakes we need to have a clear grasp of the distribution of power.
So shameful as it is for me to admit, we sneak around different organizations every year to help fill in the gaps.."
Yang Qing looked at Meng Chao suspiciously. Even though he said it was shameful to admit, Yang Qing felt Meng Chao seemed pleased by it opposite of his words.
"Other than that, we can partner with special inquisitors when they are handling certain cases, and at other times, we help the logistics hall with various matters, specifically one tied to various treasure grounds the Order has, also in refilling its coffers with treasures from all over the continent.
Basically, we scour forbidden grounds for treasures and cultivation materials at the behest of the Order..."
"You said all these are voluntary, right? The Order doesn''t fine someone or use sneaky means to make someone do them?" Yang Qing fearfully asked.
He was now seriously rethinking his career choice; the Medicine Valley was looking to be a viable option now.
The thing he had strived to avoid turns out he had been barrelling straight towards it, thinking he was avoiding it.
He had no adventurous bone in him, not unless the adventure was within the grounds of the Order, or if he was armed to the teeth with saint-grade treasures like he was in his promotion ceremony, and had 100 means of surviving worst-case scenarios like reforming his body from a single drop of blood, saliva, de of grass, whatever form it took he hoped he had a fail-safe measure of recreating his body instantaneously in case it was destroyed.
If he was armed from head to toe with powerful saint-grade treasures like a universal robe, veiled destiny, and the green cocoon, and a surefire way of recreating his body, then he could single-handedly charge into the Holy Lands, scour the continent for the grounds of infamous organizations like the Scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate and rob them of their treasures and food, and even leave a note smugly saying he was the one who did it, and they can find him in the deepest parts of the Millionsfold treasure ocean if they wanted revenge.
He wasn''t a modest person in the least, but hiscking cultivation base and high sense of self-preservation made him one, but left to his own devices, Yang Qing would create world-shaking mischief given a chance.
But until he felt strong enough to gallivant around, he had no intentions of leaving the protection of the Order, especially, if he had a choice on the matter. If it was part of his mandated duty, sure, but if not, he would sleep cozily in his nest, sponging off the Order whilst secretlyining about them.
"Yes, it''s purely voluntary. Other than the cases, whatever you spend your free time doing, it''s up to you but the Order generously rewards you for your efforts. Plus, if one wants to get into the Spirit Council, one needs such merits as one of the qualifications to gain consideration for entry"
"Many thanks for the reminder senior Meng Chao but I am but a simple person with simple pleasures. The scales of the Spirit Council are too high for the likes of me." Yang Qing humbly said.
"Well for you, you could help the Medicine Valley, I''m sure you could get many merit points through that, and you have a knack for modifying cultivation arts like Zhu Lao, that could be another.."? said Meng Chao, clearly aware of Yang Qing''s cowardly nature.
It was a well-known open secret around the Order, much as the person himself may be unaware, it was well known, same as his secret battle with the Order desperately trying to one-up them.
"Then I, Yang Qing, should the timee, will devote my all with my meager efforts to further the growth of the Order, to pay back even a tiny little bit of all they have given me.." he piously said with a righteous air about him.
Meng Chao, Dai Chen, and Zhang Qingge could only ruefully smile at Yang Qing''s words. They knew well enough that the person in question wasn''t that selfless.
After the brief interlude, they left.
Meng Chao sighed slightly after they left. He had left out something in his exnation.
"They don''t need to know that, though I think on some level they can guess. As cheeky as he might be, he is intuitive. It must have crossed his mind for him to ask it.." Meng Chao said as he leaned back on the backrest of his seat.
The cases in the domain courts were few because of the various factors he had mentioned, but there was one other factor he had avoided mentioning because of what they had just encountered.
...
Outside the court building.
"The cases that reach here huh...Senior Meng Chao is kind, the same as the others..." Yang Qing smiled bitterly as he muttered this before his smile turned to one of gratification.
"I''m d I chose toe here.."
Both Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge nodded, echoing his sentiments.
Chapter 489 Speculations of the trio
Chapter 489 Spections of the trio
?
The trio decided to head to their abodes in Blue Peak. On the journey over, Yang Qing took the time provided by the walkover to exin to the duo what the ancients were.
"I can''t believe such terrifying beings exist.." Dai Chen said with a sigh after Yang Qingpleted his exnation.
"I wonder how many of them are there? And could they.." Zhang Qingee cautiously looked around her as she motioned for the two to bend closer before she said,
"Could they too have parents like.."
Her statement made a chill run down the spines of Dai Chen and Yang Qing.
They shuddered at the thought of it.
"Everything has a bnce in the world as part of an order. Even if they did have parents, maybe they were normal, unlike them or the ancients are like natural treasures that require the involvement of the world''s origin Dao for them to be created, the same thing could apply to the ancients, same as how natural physiques appear..." Yang Qing said.
"With their absurdly long lifespans, I wonder which realms they have reached? If one was given a million-year lifespan, even with a trashy cultivation talent, at the very least reaching the soul formation realm.." said Dai Chen
"Trashy cultivation talent ..huh... Dai, are you taking a dig at the talent of Jiang Fu''s ancestor?" Yang Qing teasingly said drawing an awkward smile from him.
"It is scary to imagine it. Dean Zhu Lao told me the green fog swamp was created as a result of one move made by one of them, which destroyed a peak sect that was at the same level as a holynd.
I don''t know if that particr ancient was strong even whenpared to other ancients but the fact that they could create something like the green fog swamp sect means their realms at the very least I don''t believe a soul formation expert can do that.
That particr ancient has more than likely reached the realm above it.." Yang Qing gravely said.
His expression was shared by the two.
As a peak-level organization, they were privy to information that wasn''t avable to most within the continent, which was in rtion to the cultivation realms.
As far as the general popce was concerned, the highest peak one could ever reach in cultivation was the soul formation realm, more specifically the soul supreme stage.
Yang Qing didn''t know much about the soul supreme realm, but for rity so that they could have a general sense of it, they were told a bit about their basic abilities.
When it came to lifespans when one reached the soul supreme realm, the soul''s aging process changed qualitatively.
It''s like time reaches a penultimate point before stillness for a soul supreme expert. The concept of aging almost loses bearing for them since five thousand years could pass by but those years were recorded as five minutes had passed by where their souls were concerned.
The whole lifespan of a peak core formation expert could be summed up as just five minutes beneath the gaze of a soul supreme expert.
Yang Qing even sometimes wondered if it was even possible for them to exhaust their lifespan. They didn''t need a body to live, a wisp of their soul was enough to reform them in an instant. He didn''t know if there were immortals or if immortality was possible but the soul supreme cultivators were the closest to it.
Other than their absurd lifespans, came their base abilities that could send shivers down Yang Qing''s spine and the rest who had been present when they were being taught the particrs of a soul supreme expert.
Usually the further up one goes, therger the gap between different realms but also between the minor stages between the same realm but they were notpletely absurd.
A body refinement cultivator could escape from a qi refinement cultivator in a fight. Their odds of escape were high, however, that was only to those at the silver stage and below, the same logic didn''t apply to those with a gold body, diamond body, or the peerless jade body, especially, thetter two.
When one reached such a stage, anybody in the qi refinement realm from the first all the way to the twelfth stage, could forget about threatening their life, provided they didn''t have the same foundations as them in the body refining realm.
Someone with a peerless jade physique could fight toe to toe with a peak-stage qi refinement cultivator.
Foundations matter at that level which helps bridge the gap. Those same foundations also y a part in the next realms. Someone with sturdy foundations and at the peak of the qi refinement realm could survive trading blows with someone with an early-stage foundation establishment cultivator, and if said cultivator has the lowest grades, the white pirs, even a middle stage could suffer a loss against someone at the level of Yang Qing in terms of foundation.
Then when you move up, though foundations still y a part in cross-realm fighting, it gets much harder. A peak foundation establishment cultivator with purple-grade pirs could exchange a few blows with someone at the early stage of the core formation realm but winning was out the window, and when it reached the gap between core formation and pce realm, cross-realm fights were impossible.
Sturdy foundations meant nothing, since those who can reach the pce realm and above have sturdy foundations themselves. Then came the gaps between minor realms. At the qi refinement realm, foundation establishment realm, and core formation realm, the gaps between the early, middle, andte stages were not that distinctive.
When one reached the pce realm that''s when there would be gaps between minor realms which was why Yang Qing and the rest were forced to team up against the founder of the Ice Emerald Sect who had been at the sixth stage of the pce realm.
However, they were able to pull it off, but when you reached the domain realm, things became harder, and the gap between someone at the first stage and someone at the fifth stage of the domain realm was a huge gulf.
With such a gap, you either run at the first instant or find ten other domain experts at the early stage to force a draw against the fifth-stage domain expert.
Chapter 490 Recalling the earlier question
Chapter 490 Recalling the earlier question
The gap widens further between a cultivator at the eighth stage of the domain realm with someone at the ninth stage even if they seem to be just one level apart. That gap was wider than a first-stage domain expert and a sixth-stage domain expert.
Ten eighth-stage domain experts would likely have half of them die before they forced an injury from the ninth-stage domain expert. Of course, Yang Qing did hear there were exceptions, there were specific individuals who could bridge that gap because of their domain, but even then all they could do was force a draw or perish along with the cultivator.
However, such an advantage waspletely absent in the soul formation realm. There was nothing like exceptions within that realm. No special physique, or cultivation art mastery advantage could help one bridge the gap between a soul beginner and a soul adept. Every minor improvement was likely breaking through to a new realm which was why it was the only realm that triggered tribtion lightning with every minor realm break through unlike the others, and the gap in strength was evidence.
A soul beginner soul formation expert could massacre a hundred peak domain experts in ten breaths, however, someone that powerful would not survive a single breath beneath the casual strike of a soul adept expert, and from what they were told, soul adept experts could easily kill ten soul beginner experts with the same ease and time, and that gap grew more absurd till you reached the soul supreme level.
At that level, there was a saying," All are dust beneath the supreme".
It did not matter whether you were a seasoned soul master or a mortal with no cultivation base, in front of a soul supreme cultivator, you both had the same level of resistance and the same chance of survival, which was none.
Cultivation art mastery, saint grade treasures, numbers, foundation, distance; all of them were obsolete when it was a soul supreme expert you were facing. A whole continent could be singlehandedly ughtered by them within a day if all it had were cultivators beneath the soul supreme level.
They could kill with a single thought.
Yang Qing and other students were horrified when they heard that, and Yang Qing had another reason to never leave the confines of the Order, but then another bombshell got dropped, which was there was a realm above them, and those who reached it, terrifying couldn''t even begin to describe them.
They were beneath none, and above all. They could pluck stars from the skies if they so wished, which earned them the moniker, ''Emperors''.
There was little information about it, other than what was recorded in ancient scrolls, so other than the name Emperor, Yang Qing and the rest were not told anything else.
Therge popce had no idea such a realm even existed even among rank 2 organizations not unless their history matched that of the Spirit jade turtle Li family, which spanned a million years, and even among the rank 1 organizations, the same thing applied, only those with deep and long-standing foundations had that information.
Yang Qing at the time, wondered how the Order that was only 1,000 years old even had such information, not unless they were acquainted with those whose history dated back millions of years.
After he had interacted with Green Cocoon who the Blue Universe said had existed for at least 500,000 years, he could now see how the Order could have such information and there was something he suspected, which was more hope than suspect, he felt there was a chance, maybe the Order had someone who had reached that level.
Maybe the enigmatic president, and maybe just maybe even the Chancellor of the institute. Of course that was just wishful thinking on his part, since with how hard it was to progress the higher one up moved through the cultivation realm, especially when it came to the lightning tribtions, how hard would it be to reach that realm?
He felt aptitude and other things that mattered lost relevance as a measure of reaching that realm, otherwise it would not be as unheard of as it was, and now he suspected the ancients could very well have reached it, and that guess had a high chance of being true, which terrified him.
If a soul supreme expert could do the things they could do, what about someone above that? Maybe they could even know if you so much as thought of them.
Yang Qing''s pupils froze when his thoughts reached this far, which only spiraled from there to other scary scenarios that fueled his fears.
He soon lost himself to his imaginations and the ensuing fears that came out of it, that he didn''t realize when he reached his abode, alone. Dai Chen and Zhang Qinggee had left at some point.
"This world is scarier than I thought it to be.." he muttered to himself as he slowly made his way to the nest of the celestial nesting weaver to meditate.
He could still feel the spirit-calming effects of the brook of rity, so he decided to capitalize on it and meditate. Recent events highlighted how weak he was, and the interaction with Meng Chao further intensified it, which fueled his drive to try and improve.
"Even if I''m an ant, I want to be a stronger ant with the ability to cheat death.." he fiercely thought to himself.
"I wonder if it''s possible to get their absurd lifespans. At the time I didn''t think much about it but Green Cocoon''s question at the time was odd.
What is vitality? There was also that strange thing she said at the beginning.." Yang Qing ruminated on his interaction that day before he shook his head in defeat.
"Such thoughts are too far ahead of me when I still have the peerless jade physique to deal with. Mmh, maybe I can check in on Grandpa and the rest tomorrow.." Yang Qing mused as he proceeded to empty his mind and begun meditating on the profundities of the Universal duality indulgent of the myriad worlds cultivation art.
He managed to meditate on it for almost three hours before he stopped. The effects of the brook of rity had worn out one hour earlier, and he had been able to concentrate for almost an hour before his mind started getting distracted from the popping images of the Ice Emerald Sect.
When he felt those intrusive thoughts sneak in, he cut short his meditation and decided to try and get some sleep, though that n was interfered with by the celestial nesting weaver which like always had a gifted skill of pushing his buttons. A small fight like always ensued between the two, though the celestial nesting weaver was mostly at the receiving end of the beating, while it fought back with venomous words.
Ironically after the short bout, Yang Qing ended up having the same peaceful sleep he always had before the events of the Ice Emerald Sect.
Chapter 491 Origin Universe Resonant Light (1)
Chapter 491 Origin Universe Resonant Light (1)
"That was better than I expected.." Yang Qing thought as he woke up and stretched his body after getting up.
"Who knew giving it a beating could be so therapeutic.."
Yang Qing''s gaze viciously drifted to the rotund body of feathers that had a smug contemptuous face slowly peeking out of it.
"A beating? With those gelly hands of yours? Now I understand why you''re afraid of leaving the grounds.
With weak skills like that, even I would be afraid to leave.." the celestial nesting weaver mockingly said as it preened its feathers.
"Just you wait.." Yang Qing viciously said as he made his way to his courtyard below.
Getting into a verbal bout with the weaver was a battle he couldn''t win, and he didn''t want to get triggered into another fight with it. It was too early in the day for that and he was also mildly afraid of what poison woulde out of the celestial nesting weaver''s mouth.
It knew how to cut through him well with its words from the moment it was a young chick. He sometimes wondered who it learned it from, or if this was amon trait shared by all celestial nesting weavers.
"The less I think of that bird the better, especially with me going to the brook of rity. Having it in my thoughts is just as dangerous as those memories.."
Yang Qing had a small breakfast and then went on to pour his qi into the tear-shaped blue stone that acted as a key to get to the location where the auspicious grove wood tree was located.
His transportation was just as smooth as it was the first time he was there, and the requiting blissful peak was just as serene and breathtaking as it was yesterday.
"Good morning senior.."
"Morning Yang Qing, you seem to be in good spirits today.."
"Well, I managed to have a good night''s sleep thanks to your waters, for that I am deeply grateful.." Yang Qing fawningly said with a smile on his face.
"Is that so, well, other than the rocks, there is nothing else of value I can offer you. I don''t produce fruits either, sadly. But you could pick a bit of the water from the brook of rity, it loses its spirit-cleansing effects the moment it leaves my vicinity, but it still has a bit of purity effect that could help with vor. You could use it to boil rice, vegetables, or meat if you want.."
Yang Qing was confused by the auspicious grove wood tree''s reply before his look changed to one of embarrassment.
How did he know?
"Little Bohai came in yesterday to see me after we left. It was a pleasant conversation.." said the auspicious grove wood tree.
Yang Qing could detect a hint of teasing and amusement from its tone. His ears reddened even further from embarrassment as it seemed like the elder he so revered from the Judicial Review Committee had already sold him out.
But now that the cat was out of the bag and his ploy had already been seen through, there was only one thing he could do.
"As your junior, it would be wrong of me to refuse. I will shamelessly ept your offer, and if there''s anything you need from me don''t hesitate to ask, I will do it even if I have to go through rivers of fire or a mountain of des..." Yang Qing righteously said.
"Would you now?" teasingly asked the Auspicious Grove Wood Tree
Yang Qing let out an awkward smile unsure of what to say. It seemed that Jia Bohai left nothing out in his ''pleasant conversation'' with the auspicious grove wood tree.
"But if you do want to repay me, well there is something you could do for me.."
"What is it, senior?" Yang Qing said as he instantly perked up with a hint of nervousness hidden underneath.
"Don''t worry, it''s nothingplicated. I can feel your qi is quite unique, the effects of a unique cultivation art, no doubt, but your physique seems to amplify its effects even better... Fan Ru chose well when she passed that art to you..."
"You know about it the art?" Yang Qing eagerly asked.
The art itself was iplete, and though it suited him perfectly, he had to make preparations for further ahead. It was a purple-grade art, and despite the skills he had and how much he enjoyed filling in the nks when it came to cultivation arts, restoring a purple-grade art was a tall order.
He needed as much help as he could get and from the auspicious grove wood tree''s words, it seemed like the saint-grade tree knew a thing or two about it.
"Fan Ru never told you about it?"
"No, she just gave it to me, exined its name and features, and said the rest was up to me as she quickly left to research something..." said Yang Qing with a rueful smile.
"Sounds like her. Well, I don''t know much about it other than the fact it belonged to a sect called the universal resonance light sect, a sect as old as the continent itself.
They created the art with the goal of creating an adaptable body, qi, and soul. With it, they could traverse anywhere with no worry at all about the attributes and intrinsic nature of the ces they traveled to.
The art was so robust that someone in the core formation realm who cultivated it to the emergent stage could survive in the void for a few minutes thanks to the art.
It was an art meant to guarantee survival and adaptability in all areas and situations. A truly marvelous art, however, for as adaptable as it was, ironically it was stringent in its requirements of the user, few could ever cultivate it beyond the emergent stage.
But with your physique and aptitude, we may yet see what it looks like in natural sentience. Fan Ru may havee to the same thoughts, which was why she gave it to you.."
"She did? You think too highly of me,? but I will try my best, the only problem is what I have now is iplete, and I''m uncertain of being able to fill in the missing parts, not unless there is aplete copy somewhere.." said Yang Qing with a sigh.
"Well it''s not entirely impossible for some copy to exist but I feel the odds of that happening are slim to none. The cultivators of the Origin Universe Light Sect, were....well what''s the right word, entric? No, Weird? No, I think unique individuals is the right word..."
Chapter 492 Origin Universe Resonant Light (2)
Chapter 492 Origin Universe Resonant Light (2)
"They were not the conventional kind in everything that they did or who they were. The copy Fan Ru gave you, you can tell wasn''t damaged, so the fact that it is iplete was deliberate, and more than likely the intentional doing of the Origin Universe Light Sect.
It''s something they would do, including even inscribing part of it in the bark of a regr tree with no protections whatsoever.
If there is a full copy out there, it is either long lost by now or it''s hidden in a ce you''d never think of looking, or they never left aplete copy of the art.
You''re better putting all that effort intopleting it on your own, who knows, maybe in doing so, you might uncover something...
Those tricksters were crafty like that.."
Yang Qing could detect a wariness from the tone of the auspicious grove wood tree.
"Senior you seem to know them well, were you part of the sect or acquainted with them?"
"Part of them?! Are you cursing me?! They would have scammed me to no end if I was part of them...sorry about that.."
"They seem to have history," thought Yang Qing.
"I wasn''t part of their sect, but I had the misfortune of being acquainted with one of their members who let''s say is one of the reasons I never roam the continent as I used to.." said the auspicious grove wood tree with a wary tone.
"Roam? How does it do that in its form?" wondered Yang Qing as he secretly sized the tree.
"You seem to doubt me. I was a renowned traveler back then, I even managed to get the highest membership grade at the Horizon Odyssey Guild using this.."
One of the blue stones shed with refracted light and quickly morphed into a humanoid figure which finally transformed into an elderly looking man with autumn orange robes, deep blue hair, and and crystal clear eyes that matched the purity of the brook.
The elderly man seemed to be the embodiment of serenity as he stood there with his hands behind his back. He turned around and faced Yang Qing with a gentle smile.
"Any one of these stones can be my clone if I want, though the further they are from my main body the weaker they get. The weakest they get is a peak stage domain expert, but that is only if I stumble onto some mysterious realms or sneak around the territory of some powerhouses.
Little Zhu and his brother used to pester me so much.." the elderly man said with a light chuckle as he stroked his beard.
"Pardon me senior, little Zhu is it Dean Zhu Lao?" asked Yang Qing as his eyes marvelled at the lifelike clone before him. It felt real in every sense of the word.
"Yes it''s him, I can''t believe he became a dean. How is he?"
Yang Qing could tell the clone of the Auspicious Grove wood tree seemed worried.
"He seems okay as far as I could tell..." Yang Qing answered.
"Though he had been in forced seclusion for 50 years.." Yang Qing went on to spill the beans about Dean Zhu Lao''s embarrassing tale.
As long as others were talking about him, he would do the same. He wasn''t about to let his stories be the only thing floating around.
"Ah if he''s okay, then that''s good.." said the auspicious grove wood tree in relief.
Yang Qing seemed to hesitate about asking something before he finally decided to pull the trigger and ask.
"Senior if you don''t mind me asking, his brother, what happened? I have never heard of him before.." asked Yang Qing.
It was something he had always wondered about since the weing party.
"I am sorry I can''t speak of the matter since it''s not mine to share, but I can say his brother had a talent so high which honestly in my opinion no man, no beast, no nt could ever hope to match, either in the present, the past or the future.
The term defying was created with him in mind..." said the Auspicious wood grove tree in awe.
He went on to softly mutter the words pity before he turned to face Yang Qing.
"What I need your help with is this?" said the auspicious grove wood tree as he pointed to the brook of rity.
"You must have learned the spring of resplendence right?"
"Yes," answered Yang Qing as he moved toward the brook of rity, where the clone of the auspicious grove wood tree was gently brushing its water with his palm.
"When you reach the peak of the domain realm, you cane here and pour a drop of the spring of resplendence into this brook, that''s all, will you do it?" asked the Auspicious grove wood tree with a smile.
"I will senior," Yang Qing solemnly answered with relief clearly written over him.
"What does he need it for?" he wondered.
The spring of resplendence was a healing technique, he didn''t know what use it would have on an inanimate thing as the brook.
But he didn''t ask, since it didn''t look like the auspicious grove wood tree would answer as it dissipated its clone after receiving Yang Qing''s answer.
Silence ensued, and Yang Qing began his torturous session with the brook of rity as it exposed him to his experiences from the destruction of the Ice Emerald Sect, adding more scenes than it did the previous day.
For the two hours, Yang Qing still struggled as he did the previous day, and when the two hours were up, the brook cleansed him as it did, alleviating the mental burden from the prior two hours.
After four hours hadpsed, he took out a small sk with space expansion runes on it and put in a bucket''s worth of water from the brook of rity.
He thanked the auspicious grove wood tree after he was done as he eagerly waited for it to transport him back to his abode, so he could boil some rice with the water, and see how much the water improved the taste.
Once at the abode, Yang Qing quickly took out a red earthen y he had where he gently poured the water from the brook of rity.
He then took out a 50kg sac of rice from his storage ring and scooped out a handful which he sniffed with pleasure. The rice was pure white and crystalline and looked like tiny gems in rice shape.
This was rice from he had received from the Green Fog Swamp Sect as a gesture of gratitude. Yang Qing couldn''t refuse, it would have been rude to do so.
Yang Qing smiled in pleasure as he washed them with the spiritual spring water he had before he finally poured them into the red earthen y pot.
"I wonder how good it will be.." he muttered to himself with saliva dripping from his mouth as he lit a gentle fire under the pot.
"Oh, it seems I came at the right time.."
Yang Qing couldn''t help but click his tongue when he heard the intruder''s voice.
"How does he always time his visits?!" he angrily thought.
Chapter 493 Rice by the pond
Chapter 493 Rice by the pond
"What''s that smell?"
The neer was a young man with long flowing ck hair, smooth jade skin and slender build, and a handsome face which was immediately ruined by the turn of a crazed look that immediately appeared on his face when a bit of steam wafted his way.
Who could the young man be other than Feng Xin?
Yang Qing had a disgruntled look when he saw him appear. He thought he''d get to enjoy the meal by himself but all that went out the window the moment Feng Xin appeared and with the crazed greedy look he had on, the 50 kg sac could very well end up being eaten in one sitting.
"Yang Qing, is this the rice from Green Fog Swamp Sect? " Feng Xin excitedly asked as he took a huge sniff of the tantalizing scent mixed in the steaming out from the red earthen y pot.
"It is. What are you doing here? Don''t you have cases to investigate?"
"Howe yours smells better? When I made mine, it didn''t smell this good.." Feng Xin muttered in confusion as he took more breaths.
He even went to the extent of cupping it on his hands and used a quick spell that condensed the steam into liquid which he then took a sip off.
"Mmmh.."
His eyes immediately lit up when he tasted the liquid.
"QING WHERE DID YOU GET THE WATER?!"
Like a deranged fiend, Feng Xin instantly jumped on Yang Qing and grabbed him by the cor as he spewed spittle everywhere with bloodshot eyes.
"Quiet down will you.." Yang Qing casually said as he effortlessly chopped him on his head, nting him on the ground.
"I got it from a senior I''m working with, but I don''t have enough, so you can forget about asking me for some.." he said as he regted the mes while constantly monitoring the rice inside.
"Always stingy.." Feng Xin muttered under his breath in discontent.
"Add some more.." he added.
Before Yang Qing could reject him, he took out his own weapon, which was the leftover hindleg of the green flowered babirusa they had butchered.
He had a smug look on his face as he mboyantly swung it, which only grew when he saw Yang Qing swallow his words, take out more rice, and add more water, though begrudgingly.
"I wonder if senior Auspicious Grove will let me take more tomorrow? Hopefully he does. Luckily he needs something from me, otherwise, I don''t think I''d have a face thick enough to ask for more.." he thought to himself.
Of course, thest part of his thought was him deluding himself, as his shamelessness knew no bounds.
Yang Qing''s gaze fell on the babirusa meat that Feng Xin had already begun working on. He was already thering it with various herbs and spices.
"Might as well go all out.." Yang Qing murmured to himself as he took out various vegetables and herbs which he cleaned, sliced into perfect proportions, and started another fire where he mixed those vegetables and put them to boil using the water from the brook of rity.
Greedy gulps came out from the both of them a few minutes in when the steam from the rice and the vegetables mixed in with the barbecued smell of the babirusa.
Minutes passed by in silence with only the sound of boiling water and sizzling meat echoing around with the two showing an uncharacteristic level of attention and austerity to their works.
After half an hour there was a bowl of pristine white rice that looked like it had been plucked from a divine cloud, next to it was a crispy golden brown loin that dripped with juices, and another bowl were vegetables that had a mor, and simplicity of their own.
"Shall we.."
"We shall.."
Yang Qing took out four white earthen bowls and tworge wooden tes and chopsticks. He served the rice while Feng Xin made a cut of the barbecued babirusa meat.
As they both did this they both eyed each other to make sure the proportions were all equal. Only a fool would blindly trust another foodie when it came to divvying up food.
They wouldn''t let the other off for even a single grain of rice, or a milligram of meat. It all had to be equal. It was only when it came to the assorted vegetable soup that they didn''t mind that much.
After they had confirmed everything was the same, they each took their tes and bowls with child-like looks of glee, one could even see hints of tears in their eyes as they admired the food.
"Only one thing is missing now.." Yang Qing said as he took out a jar of vermilion wine.
Feng Xin''s brows rose up when he saw the wine. It could be considered one of Yang Qing''s prized possessions and he rarely took it out much less for him.
"You''re awfully generous today.." he asked.
"Well as your boss I can''t always be stingy besides think of this as my well wishes for you. You''re headed to the mountain, right?" said Yang Qing as he poured two small cups for the both of them before he stored away the wine jug.
"Thank you, boss.." Feng Xin said as he took the wine cup and slowly swirled it with his hands.
The wine was orange-red like it was the crystallization of mes in liquid form. He wasn''t a wine lover but this one of the few that he genuinely enjoyed.
He closed his eyes and took a small sip savoring the explosive sensation that came from it.
"This is truly magnificent.." he muttered in pleasure as he put it away.
"That it is.." said Yang Qing as he took a small sip of his own.
With that out of the way, the duo without hesitation instantly went for the rice, both curious if tasted as good as its smell, and when they did, it did not disappoint as a taste they could not describe or expect came busting out of the rice.
In an instant, the taste had eroded any self-control they had that they ended up finishing three bowls in three breaths before they calmed down and had enough patience to mix it with the vegetables and the babirusa meat, and when they did, the taste evolved even further.
It wasn''t long before they finished a whole vat of rice, vegetables, and the babirusa meat.
They sat down on the grass by the pond with satisfied yet sorrowful expressions on their faces as they eyed their empty bowls and tes.
Chapter 494 Passing the days (1)
Chapter 494 Passing the days (1)
"I think that water should be added to the list of tasty ingredients we created. You can send Longwei half a cup no quarter no just a drop to tease him. I''d like to see the look on his face after the sip, he''d likely storm all the way here.." Feng Xin said with a cheeky grin.
"That isn''t bad. In fact, I think I''ll have it sent today. He bad-mouthed me thest time I was there. I''ll send a half and maybe a half bowl of cooked rice along with it.." said Yang Qing with a gleeful expression.
"Though the rice Cheng Yuan gave us wasn''t bad either.."
"It isn''t. I''ll need to collect some more. That reminds me, Peng Zhen''s sentence should be starting in a few days now, I''ll go see how he performs as I ask for more.."
"Ask some for me too, I already finished the batch they gave me.."
"It was 100kg, how did you finish it all in that short time?"
"Haven''t you finished yours too?" asked Feng Xin with a smile of derision.
"Because of you. If you hadn''te over, it would havested longer.."
"We both know it''s a lie. It''s just us here, why bother pretending when we both know its end was already guaranteed the moment you used that water, even without it, it would have only survived a few days at most.."
"Shouldn''t you be leaving.."
"Fine, fine.." Feng Xin flimsily said as he got up to leave.
"Oh, and Qing, sorry i wasn''t there.." he said as he left.
"All the best Feng.." Yang Qing muttered with a smile.
When Feng Xin arrived, Yang Qing could already guess what it was for based on the fluctuations of his cultivation base.
He was already at the peak stage of the core formation realm when previously he had been at the tenth stage. He had leaped two minor levels in just a month. Though it may seem like a huge leap to most, Yang Qing knew Feng Xin had been deliberately holding back his cultivation for quite some time, despite already having the necessary umtions to try a breakthrough to the pce realm.
After Yang Qing''s prompt fromst time in him not needing to do so, especially not ount of Yi Jie, it seemed like Feng Xin listened, and was now making his way to the tribtion mountain for his breakthrough.
Yang Qing had a relieved smile on his face as he wouldn''t have to work alone for long with Yi Jie and Feng Xin slotted to join him soon.
With renewed vigor from the thought and the energy from the meal they had, he went searching for the celestial nesting weaver to pay it back for itsments early in the day. After the swift workout, he went to cultivate in therge uncultivated patch ofnd next to his courtyard.
He wasn''t sure he could replicate what happened at the grounds of the Clear River Sword Sect,? but after seeing the effects, he was willing to try no matter how difficult or impossible it was.
He managed to cultivate for a few hours. Though the cultivation was fruitful, his experiment bore nothing.
When he was done he called Starlight over for a practice match to help it in the assimtion of the wisdom pearl of the cyclone arc prawn.
After their exercise, he made his way to the Medicine Valley to check on Ma Yuan and his daughter, and also to fulfill his end of the bargain with Tan Jie by assisting the valley with some of their work load.
At the time he had agreed to repay the favor for Tan Jie personally handling the case with Ma Ling, but now, he felt it would help him too, whether it came to understanding more about his cultivation art and physique or to ease his conscience somewhat.
He also wanted to find Ren Shu to try and find any information about the Origin Universe Resonant Light Sect, and the Auspicious grove wood tree''s rtionship with them. It sounded like the saint-grade tree might have been conned by them at some point, which drew his curiosity at what sort of characters the sect had to be brazen enough to con a saint-grade tree and by the looks of it even get away with it.
When he reached the Medicine Valley he first made a beeline for the Coalescing tranquility rivers of healing, where Ma Yuan and his daughter were.
Ma Yuan had already been given a courtyard to stay in but he spent every moment in the Tranquility River Pavillion where his daughter was kept for close monitoring and restoration.
Due to the fragility of Ma Ling''s mind, to avoid overwhelming her and fracturing her mind, Ma Yuan''s interaction was set for an hour at most, with the time of day being adjusted in ordance with Ma Ling''s state, and during that interaction, he was advised to avoid introducing himself as her father first in case it triggered her like the first time, and he was also to avoid bringing up deep impactful moments of her life in their conversation.
He could only bring up the casual things, and slowly work his way up. The circumstances were anything but easy for Ma Yuan, but heplied. However, he did ask for permission to be allowed to stay close by even if it was outside the pavilion, to which Tan Jue agreed.
Yang Qing found him under one of the trees next to the river in silent meditation. Even with no cultivation, meditation was still useful to Ma Yuan, especially when it came to calming and strengthening the mind, and in a ce like the Coalescing tranquility rivers of healing, that effect was magnified by 10,000 times because of the ascendant grade white lotus in the middle known as the confluence aurora harmony white lotus. It did wonders for the mind and soul. Ma Yuan couldn''t have chosen a better ce to stay.
In Ma Ling''s room, he found her encased in a white gtinous liquid that had green runes within it, and next to her was Tan Jue closely monitoring her.
Yang Qing exchanged a few words with her before she gave him a jade that contained the list of patients he would work on.
The cases would have been a bitplicated if they were given to anyone else, since the bulk of them were miasma poisoning cases that were so severe that they had even tainted some of the cultivator''s soul and mental sea, but Yang Qing''s yin yang peerless jade bone physique coupled with the universal qi was the bane of miasma and curses.
After thanking Tan Jue for her care of Ma Yuan''s daughter, Yang Qing left to work on the cases given, with Ma Yuan none the wiser he was even there.
Chapter 495 Passing the days (2)
Chapter 495 Passing the days (2)
Yang Qing went to the Harmony Well Pavilion to deal with the cases Tan Jue had handed him.
There were thousands of pavilions, courtyards, and special locations around the Medicine Valley that catered to different medical mdies.
The Harmony Well Pavilion was an all-purpose pavilion that could be considered a jack-of-all medical hall. It handled everything from healing to regrowth of limbs, purification, and detoxification, internal demons purge, gu removals, and potion and pills brewing.
It had its own smallke and a herb garden to cater to all its needs and the area had been designed by a geomancy specialist and a formation master skilled with the natural formations, which was a sub-type of formation arrays that aimed at using natural features to trigger a symbiotic reaction that resulted in a natural array.
Such types of arrays were never defensive or attack-based but were mostly utility-based. Their aim was to promote the sustainability and longevity of the area they were located under by enhancing the growth of the biotic and abiotic features of the area.
The Harmony Well Pavillion thanks to the efforts of the geomancy specialist and natural array formation master were able to create one such array. The area had a gentle pure spiritual qi that had a quelling effect towards erratic qi caused by internal demons, it could dy violent effects that were caused by certain poisons, and it also helped in reducing the mental strain of the alchemists as they brewed potions or of the physicians that were working on the patients, thus increasing their efficiency and also how long they could work.
That was just one of its features, as the array was able to boost the growth of various spiritual herbs that were unique to the conditions created by the natural array. It had created a system of its own geared towards restoration.
Yang Qing made his way to the third level of the pavilion as he greeted a few of the Valley members along the way.
It wasn''t his first time at this pavilion as this was the ce where he spent most of his time when he came over to help whenever he had free time to help practice the skills Deputy Hall Master Ren Shu had taught him.
Most of the cultivators on the third floor were in thete stage of the core formation realm, with a few quasi-pce realm cultivators showing up, while the fourth floor which was the highest was reserved for those in the pce realm.
It had the fewest patients as it was rare for those in the pce realm to get injured and those that did had their own means of dealing with it.
The pavilion mostly catered to outsiders, though those from the Order could be sent there for treatment, but it was mostly centered on outsiders. It saw visits from many cultivators at the core formation realm and below, while those at the pce realm were less, and the majority of those who came in were rogue cultivators.
The flooring of the third floor was made of swirling tranquility marble that made one fill they were within a gentle ocean, while the walls at the side were made of sundew jade stone that created a purifying light and ambiance to the floor that was further amplified by potted monk''s chime bamboo nts.
At the center of the floor was a spectral image of crystal green kirin, which was a projection of an ascendant-grade artifact that was used to anchor all the formation arrays used within the building itself.
Yang Qing inserted his spiritual sense into the jade he was given by Tan Jue. Other than containing the patient''s names, it also had their faces, cultivation base, affiliations, and the preliminary diagnosis done on them.
After reading through all the names within the jade, which was about 60 of them he immediately began his rounds.
Each patient was in his/her ownpartment separated from the others by a green light curtain courtesy of the kirin treasure.
The light isted presence, noise and acted as a seal to prevent one patient from contaminating the other, or prevent idents such as berserk explosions from reaching the other patients.
The first patient Yang Qing dealt with was a rogue cultivation by the name of Ye Xun who was a core formation expert in the seventh stage. The diagnosis of his state was poisoning by a ghost vine spider, which judging by the damage done to Ye Xun had been one that was at least at the same level as Ye Xun or slightly weaker. If it had been stronger Ye Xun would not have survived more than a few minutes from its bite.
The ghost vine spider was a spirit beast skilled in stealth which made it adept at even escaping a cultivator''s detection via the spiritual sense. It also had speed that matched its abilities in stealth, however, the most dangerous part was its venom.
The ghost vine spider''s venom was filled with the purest corpse qi, and unlike corpse cultivators who get theirs through refining corpses, the ghost vine spider is naturally born with it which makes it more potent than that found in corpse cultivators.
Corpse qi was no different than poison mixed in with curses, if a regr cultivator was infected by it, and ghost vine spider''s venom contained the purest kind that amplified its effects by a couple of levels. It would eat away at someone''s qi, their blood, their flesh, slowly eroding and contaminating every aspect of the cultivator''s body to the point they''re nothing but a dried husk.
The rogue cultivator Ye Xun had a sufficient amount of corpse qi in his system based on how he was wreathing in pain while he shook violently. His body was covered in grey-ck vine markings that released grey smoke. The vines looked like they were strangting him.
"Luckily it hasn''t permeated into his heart, soul, and dantian.." Yang Qing muttered as he ced his palms over Ye Xun''s body.
The vines as if alive wriggled as if they were trying to jump out of Ye Xun''s skin andtch onto Yang Qing''s palm.
Eternal spring mes
Golden yellow mes were instantly produced from Yang Qing''s palms exuding a sense of purity that would cleanse every blemish, within it was also an aura of dense life.
The mes instantly doused the grey smokeing out of Ye Xun''s body and then went on to burn away the grey-ck vine markings on his body. Upon first contact with the mes, even unconscious, Ye Xun let out a gut-wrenching scream before his expression suddenly eased to one of rxation.
A shrieking sound came from the grey vine markings as they rapidly receded from Ye Xun''s body. Within three breaths his body had been cleared up of all markings, and his desated and cracked white skin now had some color within it, with his breathing and qi stateing under a normal rhythm.
There were ck ashes on top of his skin which Yang Qing blew away with a wave of his palms. The ashes were millions of eggs the ghost vine spider had nted on him when it bit him. They would only have hatched a month after his death. The eggs had a fluid that would increase the speed of rot and degradation of the body to release corpse qi that would provide the necessary energy required for them to hatch, and when they did they would cannibalize each other until only one was left.
This was why every ghost vine spider was deadly, every single one of them had survived a brutal fight from the instant they hatched, where they had to defeat a million of their brothers and sisters or get eaten themself, and the reward of being the final victor was to use those million siblings to refine the purest corpse qi out there.
Yang Qing left the rogue cultivator still asleep as he moved on to the next case. Within half an hour he had made quick work of 50 of the 60 cases he had been given by Tan Jue. He dealt with a few poisons, deep battle injuries, and internal demon rampages.
He could feel his skills had improved from when hest used them. He couldn''t help but think of the experience he had at the grounds of the Clear Sword River Sect, the brief experience he had when he was trying to investigate if he could find traces of his physique from within his realm that ended up with him getting transported to a jade tree with countless leaves. The experience had resulted in a slight improvement to his cultivation albeit slightly since it still remained at the first stage of the pce realm.
Then there was the substance Green Cocoon left in his pce realm. Its presence had been qualitatively improving his inner pce realm, especially the green me tree that was at the center. The object deposited was about the size of a pear fruit, however, after his debacle with the red abyssal thorn tree where it got triggered and helped him move and save Mo Lingwei, its size had decreased by half, however, even with a decrease, its effects had not waned one bit.
"Coming here wasn''t a bad thing.." Yang Qing mused to himself as he eagerly moved to the next case.
Chapter 496 Passing The Days (3)
?
After ten minutes he was done, and unlike what he would normally do which was hurrying back to his abode or to the restaurant the moment he finished his work, Yang Qing uncharacteristically offered to do more, by assisting some of the physicians in their cases, which eventually led him all the way to the second floor that had the highest number of patients around.
Those housed there were cultivators in the foundation establishment realm. In terms of scale, the number of foundation establishment cultivators around the continent was the highest in number when tallied by realm.
Their bodies were much sturdier and their lifespans longer, and breaking through to reach it was easy, even easier than cultivating a gold body, of course, that only applied when one was forming the lowest grade pir, the white pir.
Most cultivators opted for this route, they didn''t care much about reaching the peak of cultivation or having sturdy foundations, all they wanted was the long lifespan and durability afforded to cultivators the moment they made it to the foundation establishment realm.
From the moment you broke through to the foundation establishment realm regardless of the grade of pir you had, your body was immune to all mundane diseases, it was impervious to the elements and change in weather, it was sturdy enough to block iron-based weapons, and even those made of the finest steel, one had enough strength to lift five elephants without breaking a sweat, they could run for 100 kilometers without fatigue setting in, and all their senses were amplified to match that of predators.
Even though they couldn''t guarantee their lives in most ces due to the chaotic and brutal nature of a cultivation world, as long as their luck wasn''t bad, they didn''t try topete for resources and just lived simple secluded lives, their chances of living out the rest of their lives were higher than those in the qi refinement realm and below.
However, ironically, it also had the highest toll of recorded injuries and deaths. When one reaches the foundation establishment realm, one can qualitatively feel a difference that one wouldn''t feel in the first two realms. That difference would incite something in them, a hunger to grow, to be more powerful, an intoxicating curiosity if the higher one moves, the better the rewards they will reap.
It was like a cat that had only been eating grasshoppers and butterflies for the longest time finally eating a lizard, then eventually it gets its paws and teeth on an unsuspecting bird. From the moment it eats the bird, it will never return to its grasshopper-eating days and would rather lick its fur than eat one.
For those in the foundation establishment realm, once they feel the power coursing through their body and how the world seems to change around them, for some, a fire is lit in them to seek higher heights, which then prompts them to expose themselves to all sorts of dangers in a bid to seek resources to improve their cultivation bases, this is especially the case from rogue cultivators, or cultivatorsing from low ranked sects, or those without enough talent to stand out so they have to put themselves in risk to try and overturn their dealt hands.
No matter the reason, this almost always ends up with them injured or worse, and because the pool of foundation establishment cultivators around the continent is the highest, it means the percentage of injured cultivators within that realm is also the highest.
The Order offers one of the cheapest and most standardized ns when it offers its services, especially when ites to those in the foundation establishment realm, which is why most who get injured choose toe here even if they belong to a n or a sect, where they may get healed for free if they''re valued or their injuries aren''t severe. But even for those valued, some opt to visit the Medicine Valley, because the quality of treatment is guaranteed and the cost is affordable.
Their numbers never dwindle, even with a couple of fully stacked pavilions and courtyards handling their cases. Yang Qing riding the sense of aplishment he felt from the 60 cases, decided to lend his hand to them for a few hours to help alleviate their burden.
One and a half hours in, the young physicians looked at him with awe-filled eyes, and Yang Qing the glutton for admiration that he was, used every trick to push it even further.
"Mmph, after this, I want to see what stories of me will float around. Maybe Saint Hands Yang Qing, Death Stop Yang Qing, Shining me Yang Qing..hehehe, I can''t wait. But for that to happen I need to dazzle the new recruits.
Young ones, my saintly reputation depends on you.."
To further this agenda he even circted his cultivation art to the extreme creating a universal light radiant glow around, and when he felt that wasn''t enough he triggered the runes in his bones that were formed when he broke through to the peerless jade physique, to make his skin glow with an ethereal charm.
It seemed to work as there were gasps all around, which he pretended he didn''t notice as he wore a fake austere and concerned look when he went to work on the next patient which was a young boy of about 17 years with a cultivation base that was at the third stage of the foundation establishment realm.
He was a disciple of a rank 5 sect, called the Rhino Silver de Sect. They were known for their sturdy defenses. They got attacked by bandits as he and his master were headed for an annualbatpetition hosted by a local merchantpany around their region.
They fended off the attackers, but they were both injured severely with the young cultivator having been poisoned with an arrow coated with ash made from invasive bane juniper tree. If infected by the ash, the victim would get paralyzed from having his qi made heavier by the ash, which then blocks and hardens the cultivator''s meridians and even their blood vessels, asphyxiating them to death.
A branch inquisitor found them and had them sent over to the valley. The treatment for the poisoning was to drain them entirely of their qi, along with submerging them in a pond filled with glitter line leeches that would suck any ash that was in the bloodstream.
The ash had already been eliminated all that was left was restoring the qi. They had already finished with the master, and only the young boy was left.
Yang Qing smiled kindly at the young boy who was yet another awe-filled victim of Yang Qing.
However, the moment Yang Qing produced the spring of resplendence, something was triggered from within the boy''s body, and whatever it was made Yang Qing''s pupils flicker with a ck and white radiance, without him knowing, and within the deepest recess of his pce realm, the jade tree flickered.
Chapter 497 Transforming The Pavilion
?
Everything happened too fast for those around Yang Qing to react. A small finger-sized fern that looked like it was made from delicate white radiant light feathers flew out from the body of the seventeen-year-old boy named Yi Nainzu, charging toward Yang Qing at an rming speed.
The speed with which it moved was so fast that workers of the Medicine Valley present were unable to trace it or see it.
They only realized that something had happened because of Yang Qing. The moment the radiant light fern appeared from within Yi Nainzu''s body, an indescribable power was instantly released from his body, a power that seemed to resemble the duality of everything; Light and dark, hot and cold, sun and moon, destruction and life, till it finally settled on the bnce of nature.
A dense green and orange light burst from his body and his eyes, billowing his robes and hair. Within the two lights at the center where the two lights met were two halves of the same circle with one end being white and the other being white, and at its epicenter if one looked closely one could see an ethereal jade tree present.
The Jade tree had a primordial aura around it, it was like it existed when the world was formed.
Everyone present immediately fainted the moment it appeared. A gentle light was released from the tree which covered the specter of the kirin that had been just about to move from its position.
The moment the light touched it, despite being a lifeless stoic specter, the kirin showed an emotion of rxation andfort as ity on the floor, calmly looking at Yang Qing who was now being cocooned with a green and orange light.
The fern that had charged straight at him got trapped in between his thumb and index finger. Two ancient-looking glyphs that were ck and white respectively instantly appeared from the two fingers that had trapped the fern.
Yin Yang Sun Moon Eternal Starry Road Lock
An ethereal ancient voice came out of Yang Qing''s lips as the two glyphs released a power that changed the whole room. The room seemed like it had been transported to the highest skies and to a different timeline just as the world was forming.
Purple primordial air filled the skies and the sun and the moon were just being born. A starry road immediately appeared between the sun and the moon. The starry road had golden stars mixed in with a few purple, ck, and white stars.
Two fingers that looked like they could cover the world appeared and pulled the starry road along with the moon and sun transporting it to the fern which despite its small size, released a blinding dark light that made every array within the pavilion quake, while it threatened to tear the space apart.
It shook with a human-like desperation for escape after seeing something horrifying. However, its movements and the attack it released were instantly and effortlessly quelled by the starry road that had beenpressed into a chain that locked it in ce.
The starry road inbination with the sun and the moon released abined light and charm that gently exploded from the fern and proceeded outwards spreading to every floor and every person and object within it.
It was like a radiant dawn had arrived at the pavilion. The thousands of patients on the second floor whether they were maimed, deeply injured, poisoned, or suffering qi deviation, no matter their injuries or sickness, were instantly healed, while all the nts within the pavilion and a few outside immediately burst forth with verdancy as their intrinsic qualities were instantly raised.
The potted monk''s chime bamboo that were golden white in color seemed even more sacred after being doused with the starry light being released from Yang Qing''s fingertips. Their purifying abilities seemed to have been pushed a few levels higher as there was now some type of melodic dao tune being released with a movement of their leaves that wasn''t there.
There were a few vine nts around that had a massive growth spurt that led them to cover the entirety of the pavilion walls and windows. Even the kirin seemed to have been affected as its green color grew darker, and more vibrant and there was now a faint runic pattern shing on the scales of its body.
All these changes took less than five seconds, meanwhile, the fern in Yang Qing''s hand went still as the chain around it covered it and morphed the fern and itself into a small bead that was golden in color with the sun and the moon at its side, along with a faint purple coating and stars.
Yang Qing looked to his left as he said
"It seems I can leave this to them.." he muttered in the same ethereal and transcendent tone.
Though outwardly nothing seemed different, his eyes and the air around him seemed different than his usual self. He was gentle, calm and had an archaic and timeless look to him. He seemed like he predated everything in the world.
His gaze turned from the left and then moved to the bead in his hands.
"Too soon.." he softly said as he sat down in a lotus position and closed his eyes.
Serenity and calmness were restored to the pavilion, however, it was vastly different than it had been a few seconds ago.
Everything had been altered and transformed, whether it was the kirin, the monk''s chime bamboo, to the vines hanging on the wall, the air within the pavilion, even the pavilion itself and the pond outside, seemed to have been transformed.
They were now more vibrant, purer, and more filled with life whenpared to before. The pavilion was now less of a building but more of a natural feature that had been around for thousands and thousands of years. It felt like an old forest that was brimming with continuous vitality.
Secondster, two people instantly appeared in the area. One was a female who seemed to be in her early forties in a green robe and ck hair neatly tied on her back, the other was a male who matched her in age and had a willowy beard and hair tied in a Daoist topknot and matching green robes.
"What was that energy?" the man asked as he and the female next to him scanned the area around them before their eyes almost instantly fell on the bead that was in Yang Qing''s open palm.
"What dense life energy and those undtions, was a soul formation expert here?" said the man with wariness in his tone.
"I can''t seem to sense them.." said thedy.
Chapter 498 Talk under the tree
Chapter 498 Talk under the tree
The duo had been on high alert from the moment they walked in, with their bodies tensed up in preparation for defense or attack
The air a few inches away from their bodies rippled from the energies they were releasing.
"If the person really was a soul formation expert, I doubt us with our domain realm cultivation base could detect them.." said the man with the willow beard.
"It seems Tan Jue is rushing here.." said thedy as she turned to her back.
"Do we stop her?" she added.
"For now, until we know what we are dealing with.
The duo instantly vanished from the spot and appeared a few hundred meters away in front of Tan Jue''s flight path. She looked to be desperately making her way to the pavilion with worry written over her face. Tan Jue had an impatient and worried expression as she rushed in the direction of the pavilion.
She paused her steps the moment she saw the two.
"Greetings senior Yue Xin, Senior Bai Han..., what happened? Is Yang Qing and the rest okay?!"
"They are okay, but you can''t head in there Tan Jue, until we know what is going on. We have already called the deputy hall master, and a few of the valley elders should be making their way here as we speak.." gently said thedy in green robes by the name of Yue Xin.
"But.." Tan Jue bit her lip in worry as her gaze fell on the pavilion with her pupils flickering in worry.
"I promise you, they''re okay but because we don''t know what exactly happened, we need to be careful. We are restricting the area to anyone below the domain realm.." said Bai Han.
''"The deputy hall master is here.." he added as he and Yue Xin immediately cupped their fists as they gently said.
"Greetings deputy hall master Ren Shu.."
Tan Jue stood dazed before she hurriedly cupped her fists in greeting to the figure that had suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Tan Jue greets master.." she said as she addressed the young-looking man with fair skin and a handsome tender face with ocean blue hair gently flowing down his back, donning pure white robes.
"Jue''er you seem flustered, that''s unlike you.." he gently said to Tan Jue as he softly patted her head.
"Master, Yang Qing is in there, I was the one..I was the one who sent him...if anything happens..."
"He is okay. Besides there are not many people within the Order who I think can match him when ites to the ability to safeguard their lives. You know how he is.." the youthful-looking man said with a light chuckle as a mystical light shed in his eyes as he stared into the pavilion.
"Jue''er go take care of your patients first, I''ll have Yang Qinge say hi to youter.." he said with a teasing smile.
"Master..." she had an angry pout on her face for the insinuations her master was making.
Though it wasn''t that she hadn''t entertained the thought, but she ultimately let them fizzle out due to a few factors, one of which was her instincts told her Yang Qing didn''t see her that way, and she loved her work too much to spare the time for anything else.
She was still young and a pce realm cultivator at that, she barely scratched the surface of her lifespan as it was. Her romantic venture would take a back seat for a few hundred years to a thousand before she decided to revisit the matter.
She looked up to find her master, Yue Xin, and Bai Han all looking at her with strange smiles on their faces. Her face reddened up and she hurriedly left the area and flew back to her pavilion.
"Who knew even she could make such a face.." said Yue Xin with a soft smile on her face as she watched Tan Jue''s receding figure.
"She needs to act her age sometimes, which was why I always brought her along whenever I was with Yang Qing, hoping some of his traits would rub off on her.." said Ren Shu.
"Isn''t that a risk, what if she ends up learning his renowned trait, we are already understaffed as it is.."
The trio smiled at each other as they made their way into the pavilion.
"Such dense life energy.." Ren Shu muttered in awe as he swirled his hands. The air around the hallway flew gently into his hands forming a swirling mix of stars.
"Interesting.." he muttered.
"Bai Han, Yue Xin tell the rest not toe and that the matter here has been handled. The valley master ising shortly... In the meantime, I''ll stay here by myself.." he said as he casually made his way to Yang Qing who was still seated in a lotus position with his eyes closed. He seemed like he was asleep.
The duo nodded in acknowledgment of Deputy hall master Ren Shu''s order and left the building to ry the orders given.
"Yang Qing what mischief did you get into again? Was it the art''s doing or your physique or both?" said Ren Shu as he scanned around him slowly analyzing everything.
"It seems the research your grandfather has been doing needs more investment. This level of energy, truly a marvel. Though it seems to have cost you something, luckily it isn''t something irreversible.." he said as he squatted next to Yang Qing and a gentle blue drop was produced from his hand which immediately fell on Yang Qing''s body and disappeared.
"What is this, I wonder.." he muttered as he stretched his hand for the bead on Yang Qing''s hands.
"This?!!" his calm gaze flickered for a brief second before his head turned to the hallway where someone else had appeared.
....
Beneath an ethereal jade tree surrounded by auspicious air, and leaves that looked like they could contain a world were two childlike humanoid figures seated facing each other.
"It was too soon.."
"That it was.."
"But we had to do it...Otherwise, he would have been tainted and possessed"
"That we did.."
"Luckily he had the origin vitality essence to offset the impact.."
"That he did.."
"Too bad we will have to sleep for some time now.."
"It is.."
"But I''m d he remembered us. I hope hees here again.."
"That I do too.."
The two silhouettes had two voices though simr sounding had a difference about them. One felt firey and the other felt cool, each distinct from the other but seemed together.
The two silhouettes immediately vanished from beneath the tree, as the tree swayed gently.
Chapter 499 Valley Master
Chapter 499 Valley Master
Harmony Well Pavilion, second floor
"This is quite the surprise you called me to, Ren Shu.."
Ren Shu, who had been analyzing the bead he took from Yang Qing''s hands, had turned toward the entrance of the second floor where a youngdy appeared.
She looked about twenty years old, had light purple hair, and pink cherry blossom eyes with petal flowers and red-blue mes swirling around them. Her eyes seemed to contain an insatiable curiosity in them.
She wore a simple white flower patterned sleeveless dress and was bare feet and a beauty that looked like it had taken hundreds of thousands of years to create.
Everything about her was vivacious.
"Well, I figured you might enjoy something like this ''valley master''.." said Ren Shu with an easygoing and teasing smile.
"Seems like someone has grown some cheeky spine offte for him to tease his wife like that. I wonder if I should take a page from Meimei and have you go into a 50-year seclusion. It''s about time you made that jump to the soul formation realm, you already have the necessary foundations, what do you think ''dear''.." said the youngdy with a smile that wasn''t exactly a smile.
"Ahem Ru''er please be kind besides if I leave for seclusion, then all the work you''ve been avoiding in lieu of conducting your experiments, will all fall on you now, dear.."
"Fine, you win.." said the youngdy who was the valley master of the Medicine Valley, Fan Ru.
The grounds the Medicine Valley made had all been ushered by her. Over the years since its foundation she has researched and formted countless recipes that went on to save countless lives, innovated over a dozen medical techniques that could deal with myriad of diseases the Valley would deal with, and was one of the main figures who pioneered ecological session among spiritual herbs and their environment to achieve climaxmunity, where they could support and maintain each other, without one trying to outdo the other.
She and a few elders of the valley, with Ren Shu included helped find a way to perfectly mend cracked dantians, something that was once considered impossible to remedy.
She was a purple-grade herbologist, which could only be gained by one who could sessfully cultivate a saint-grade spiritual nt, had equal matching skills in alchemy, and was steadily raising her medical techniques to reach the level of her herbology and alchemy skills.
Her presence in the Medicine Valley and to the Order as a whole was instrumental to its ability to reach where it is today. However, for months on end, she would neglect most of her duties as the Valley Master whenever she found something interesting to research. She was the type to put her hobbies in front of her job.
Some of the research she went on an unhinged binge on, bore some fruit, but most, were usually useless, like trying to research if certain nts could produce sap that could alter the saliva properties of a spirit beast, and so on and so forth, leaving the valley rudderless most of the time, especially in the early years.
Luckily, Ren Shu came along, who though didn''t have her skills when it came to alchemy since she had an innate advantage because of her Yuan bloodline, which gave her an abnormal level of fire control, and innate detection of the property changes, he did match her skills in herbology and medicine, more so thetter.
He already had the qualifications to be a purple-grade physician which meant, he could heal soul formation experts, however, what was holding him back was his cultivation base. Even though he knew how to heal them, his own abilities couldn''t keep up with his knowledge, but the moment he broke through to the soul formation realm, his abilities would finally be at the same level as his knowledge.
With his skills, he was able to hold the reigns of the Medicine Valley and in some regard, most saw him as the real Valley Master, since he guided new physicians, was always there whenever he was needed, and his knowledge and skills were revered by both old and young.
..
Just as Ren Shu was sighing at what a handful his wife was, he saw her suddenlyugh as she was looking at Yang Qing.
"For someone who hates working, this little whelp sure worked a lot this time. The transformation he brought seems to have even affected the natural formation epassing this area.
In a few thousand years, I doubt this would be a true blessed ground of healing, we won''t even need to have healers here. They could just be thrown here, and they''d get better..."
She went on tough some more and even poked Yang Qing''s cheeks as she teased him despite Yang Qing being presently unconscious.
Ren Shu despite trying to hold himself back, found himself smiling alongside her.
"Luckily the bacsh from the ability he used wasn''t severe, otherwise it would be a pity for the Valley and the Order.." she said with her face suddenly turning serious.
She ced her hand on Yang Qing''s be as a small red-blue me rune appeared. Green smoke was instantly released from Yang Qing''s forehead.
Her pupils fluttered with a look of surprise.
"So that''s how he survived the bacsh. Mmph, what a lucky kid, even the green cocoon helped him.." she muttered with clear envy in her tone.
"This looks to have been the trigger for all of it..." Ren Shu said with an austere expression as he handed the bead to her.
"The object inside is a fern, but its body seems to have been made from the threads of the golden thread tree that had been mixed in with the sanguine heart vine, and by its quality, it looks to have been at the peak of the ascendant grade...
From the trace energy left, it seems to have originated from that boy''s body.." Ren Shu said as he pointed toward the seventeen-year-old boy that Yang Qing had approached.
"But what is something like this doing in him? He doesn''t have a special physique or background that would draw the attention of someone capable of engineering such a nt.." he added
"Mmmh, I''ve never seen something like this before. The level of technique ofbining the two nts should at the very least require the skills of top-tier gold-grade alchemists who are inches away from the door of the purple grade, though I think they''re more than likely at the purple grade and they have considerable resources at that.
Getting your hands on a golden thread tree isn''t something just anyone can get since it''s born with saint-grade abilities from the onset, and its karmic abilities are nothing to scoff at.."
She paused as her eyebrows rose up.
"There are numerous arrays mixed in, mmh, I can''t seem to recognize some of them. Linking array, self-destruct array, cloaking array, rming array. The kid''s technique seemed to have sealed them in a way the one who put them there wouldn''t know this.
I had he was skilled with arrays but this? it seems there is a lot we don''t know about the jade physiques..." A glint of crazed excitement shed in her eyes as she said this.
Ren Shu shook his head sideways when he saw this. It was an all too familiar scene. She was about to throw herself into another research for an indefinite period of time.
However, he too was now intrigued by the peerless jade physiques, especially when he saw the changes around him.
"It looks like they have a self-protection mechanism of some sort, just like those with contractual bloodlines from powerful spirit beasts, which have their sentient will embedded in them..."
"Mmh, I wonder if he will remember the trigger, but with the level of power he released, to protect his mind, I doubt he will.." said the valley master.
"This nt is too strange. Send that boy to the special inquisitors and have them investigate if there is anything strange with his background, while I take this to the spirit council.
This thing seems less like a nt, and more like a weapon.." she added as she prepared to leave.
"What about Yang Qing and the rest?" Ren Shu said with an exasperated smile.
"Well you''re the acting valley master dear, deal with it.." the valley master said with a cheeky smile as she disappeared.
"Figures.." Ren Shu muttered to himself as he shook his head.
"Oh, that whelp should be up in three days, I''ll be back then. You can take him to our abode, and have his grandfather there too.."
Ren Shu waved his hand, and all the sleeping medical valley workers got lined up neatly together in a single file.
When he was done, he bent over to pick Yang Qing up.
"I wonder if we should rename this pavilion after you now, Yang Qing. Knowing him, he is bound to demand it along with trying to scam somepensation from the Order and us...Luckily the lotus lily heart seeds are about to be formed, which should take care of our ''debt''...
Always a handful.." he muttered to himself with a smile as he disappeared from the pavilion, leaving it in its tranquil state.
Those left behind were not in any danger and were fast asleep, and sleeping in that environment created by whatever Yang Qing did, was a blessing for them. Their bodies and souls were continuously being transformed and nourished by the changes in the pavilion caused by Yang Qing, and they would likely continue to reap those rewards even after years had passed by.
Chapter 500 Blank memory (1)
Chapter 500 nk memory (1)
"Aaargh, why does my head feel like someone took a club to it.."
"Qing''er, Qing''er get up slowly...."
"Grandpa?"
Yang Qing''s vision was hazy as he woke up to the blurry face of his grandfather.
"Looks like I''m having the same nightmare with Grandpa again. That darn pit. Grandpa stop haunting me, I''ve already broken through to the peerless jade physique. Go throw dad in the pit this time..."
Yang Qing felt groggy and his sense of touch along with all his other senses felt sluggish. His body didn''t feel like his own. He felt like he was trapped in a string of cobwebs that had a paralyzing effect on him with every touch and movement.
"The dream this time seems different. The sensation seems real, was it the brook''s doing? Dammit, Grandpa if you weren''t my grandpa I''d throw you into the pit myself.." Yang Qing angrily muttered when he felt his sense of taste dull.
"That''s some way to talk to your grandfather you squirt.."
"Even the agitation behind his voice seems real.." Yang Qing muttered in confusion as he stretched his hand toward the hazy image of his grandfather.
He expected his hand to pass through, however, when it made contact, he was visibly bbergasted.
"What is this?"
"You''re not dreaming, Yang Qing.."
"Deputy hall master Ren Shu?" Yang Qing muttered in confusion as he looked towards the source of the voice.
The image was still blurry, and for some reason he felt he couldn''t use his pce sense very well, which was why he thought he was dreaming.
His grandfather has appeared quite a lot in his dreams over the years, along with Lei Weiyuan, but Ren Shu has never appeared, not even once.
His voice seemed to have been imbued with a charm that cleared the fogginess he felt.
His vision started clearing up by the second along with his use of his other senses.
"What am I doing here?" He asked in confusion when he noticed he was in a room made of wood from a soul-stirring brown oak.
Based on the design of the room and the materials present, he instantly knew he was in Ren Shu''s courtyard since he had been a regr frequenter of the ce.
"Wasn''t I at the Harmony Pavilion just a few minutes ago? What am I doing here?" he muttered in confusion before his pupils constricted with wariness.
"Grandpa did you do something to me?" he hurriedly asked.
In his younger years, such instances had happened way too often. His grandfather would bribe him with some sweet-tasting herb and before he knew it, he woke up with a foggy mind along with all kinds of side effects.
Seeing his grandfather here, and him waking up confused, it didn''t take long for Yang Qing to attribute the whole thing to Yang Fen.
"Qing''er, what type of person do you take me for?!!"
"Yes, I may have done a few things in the past like sneak a potion or two in your meals, knock you out with a few smoke pills, use dissonance echo stones.."
The voice of Yang Qing''s grandfather, Yang Fen got lower with an awkward look of embarrassment as he went down the never-ending list, but his voice rose up a few decibels with an air of righteousness when he reached the end.
"Qing''er this time it wasn''t me!! Master Ren Shu can attest to that. This is what I get for caring for you and even standing watch without rest these past three days. Mmph, what an ungrateful grandchild.."
"What do you mean three days? Deputy Hall Master Ren Shu please check on my grandfather, he is getting along with age, and with his crazy experiments and work habits, he damages his body a lot.." Yang Qing worryingly said as he hurriedly got up from the healing mat he had been lying on, to check on his grandfather''s internal conditions.
"Be careful.." His grandfather hurriedly said as he helped support Yang Qing who almost tripped over.
"The kid still cares about his grandfather.." he thought with a smug smile as he helped Yang Qing find his bnce.
"Something happened to me.."
Yang Qing turned a solemn gaze toward Ren Shu as he made the statement. The few-second interactions with his grandfather, and his body, made him aware there was something wrong.
And now even with his senses back to normal, he still felt a deep weakness within his body, and the weakness wasn''t just in rtion to his body, he felt fundamentally down to his soul like he had overdrawn it, and it didn''t just stop there, his pce realm felt weaker, less vibrant, and some part of him, felt dormant.
"Yes, there was. Let''s go out, Fan Ru should be arriving shortly. Let''s wait for her so we can exin things in detail. We too have questions of our own.." said Ren Shu as he led Yang Qing and his grandfather outside the room to a garden of tree peonies, that released a colorful white-red mist that had calming and restorative properties, in addition, they also provided a gentle cool air to the area.
Yang Qing was able to regain a bit of his strength which enabled him to walk alone and even take a seat without help. However, his face was deeply consternated as he stared at his hands clenching and unclenching them.
"Something is seriously wrong.." he gravely said.
"Drink this.." Ren Shu calmly said as he poured him and his grandfather mild green tea.
"Thank you.." said Yang Qing as he took the cup.
A few minutes passed by with none talking to the other. Yang Qing was lost in his thoughts trying to understand what exactly happened to him and the other two left him to it.
However, the silence was broken by the teasing melodic tone of a young woman.
"Little whelp, who knew even you could make such a serious expression?"
"Valley master?!" Yang Qing immediately pulled himself away from his spective thoughts as he rose up to greet the neer.
The young, beautifuldy in a blue flower-patterned dress, bare feet, and cherry blossom eyes which had two different mes burning within them along with swirling white petals.
"You never seemed this excited all the other times I tried to get you to join us?" she added with a cunning glint shing in her eyes.
Yang Qing froze with an embarrassed smile slowly growing on his face.
"About that?..."
He didn''t know what to say after that.
He couldn''t exactly tell them he was sorry to deny them all those times because to him the Medicine Valley was the true belly of the beast called the Order. He could forget ever having a break from the moment he agreed to join them.
Then there was also the fact, that despite refusing them, he still shamelessly epted their gifts, he regrly visited the valley to sponge off their resources, and he would asionallye to their abode and proposition a few things here and there. The purple lightning bamboo was something he had plucked from the garden in their abode, then there were the countless fruits and rare ingredients he ate every now and then.
Chapter 501 Blank memory (2)
Chapter 501 nk memory (2)
Weirdly enough for some reason, he never felt guilty about it. He wasn''t sure if maybe it was because his grandfather worked here so in a way it was the same as him working here because, in his mind, his grandfather owed him, and is still repaying his debts by taking his ce at the Valley or some other reason that Yang Qing may not be aware of yet.
However, as of now, some part of him was very worried, especially, when he saw the look the valley master was giving him. He knew her personality so well, she was one of the craftiest and pettiest people he knew.
Half of the things he did, were under her tutge and now as her most devoted student, he had a feeling it wasn''t beneath her to use his current state as a bargaining chip.
"You know little Qing.."
"Here ites...Ren Shu, help.." Yang Qing threw a sidence to Ren Shu, who instantly got the message. They both knew her and had bonded, so Ren Shu instantly understood, and as a well-respected individual with morals and a sense of duty and care for those under him, he responded in kind.
"Sorry, Yang Qing, you''re on your own. I''ll give you some tea leavester.."
"Tsk, I knew it.."
Valley Master looked at the duo with a look of amusement, like she could read what their secret messages were before she turned her attention to Yang Qing.
"Well, don''t worry I won''t use this little incident to get you into the valley just yet. If I did it like that, it would be too easy and predictable, I''d rather bide my time, my young student.." she said with an ominous smile as she took a seat next to them.
Yang Qing didn''t have to soak in the trepidation that came from that statement, as Valley Master Fan Ru immediately switched demeanors and turned serious. It was uncharacteristic of her as the only times she was that serious was when she was at a critical point in her research, or when she met a thorny case she couldn''t deal with.
Yang Qing took an inadvertent gulp as he took a seat next to her.
I hope it isn''t bad. I never thought a day woulde when i would wish that it was Grandpa who was behind it...
"Yang Qing there''s a few questions I''d like to ask, first is this, do you know what this is?" the round bead that was in Yang Qing''s hands days prior appeared in her hands as she handed it to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing had a baffled look as he pressed the bead between his hands. It was warm to the touch, and he felt like he was holding an entire sky, especially with lively stars, and the sun and moon floating around it, made it seem so.
"I don''t know what this is, but.. I feel oddly connected to it like I have some rtion with it. What is it? Is it some treasure of the Origin Universe Resonant Light Sect?" asked Yang Qing, as he could feel certain aspects of the bead had some properties of his cultivation art, the Universal indulgent of the myriad worlds.
"Oh, seems like you managed to learn a few things, was it the old grove tree who told you?"
"It was.."
"I bet seeing you must have triggered some memories.." she said as she chuckled.
"No, this isn''t their treasure. We found this on you a few days ago, and from our guess, you were the one who created it to seal the object inside.."
"Me?" Yang Qing''s brows rose as he found that hard to believe. He had no cultivation spell that could create the bead in his hands, and he could also feel the faint power released by it was something beyond his abilities to produce.
He almost wanted to ask if she was just teasing him, but when he saw her slightly serious expression, he held back those words as he carefully scrutinized the bead.
The more he looked at it, the more he felt a sense of closeness to it like it had been a part of his body.
"But how could I have created this, I don''t remember doing it, and isn''t this something beyond the means of a pce realm cultivator, especially, a weak one like me who is still only in the first stage?"
What he felt and what he saw contrasted with each other. Intrinsically he felt the bead had a deep rtion and connection with him, but there was what he knew. He knew his abilities all too well and he didn''t have some secret technique or trump card that would let him pull off creating that bead, and there was the fact that he didn''t even know what spell that bead was.
All he could tell about it was what he saw which was a sun, a moon, and a road of stars of different colorsbining together to restrict something, which was likely the white golden fern before him.
"Could it be the thing green cocoon left me?"
The green pearl in his pce sense was about the only link that could maybe exin the bead since it had managed to save him from being restrained by what was likely a soul formation expert. He didn''t know what other wondrous uses it had.
However, his look immediately changed when he closed his eyes to sense his pce realm manifestation.
The moon and the sun seemed duller than usual even if the light they produced was still bright, Yang Qing could tell it was weaker. The ocean looked lethargic in its ebbs and flows, unlike how active it always was, and the green me tree at the center was burning with a weak green me, while the pearl green cocoon had left was nothing but a green wisp that would be blown away by the wind.
"What happened?!" he muttered in shock.
"So you don''t remember creating it?"
"I don''t, I really don''t! All I remember was heading toward a patient, a seventeen-year-old early-stage foundation cultivator, who had qi depletion from his medical treatment.
I went over to help him, then.... then... huh ..what happened after that? why can''t I remember?" Yang Qing shook his head sideways as he tried to recall but he couldn''t no matter how much he tried.
"Calm down, let''s take things slowly..." The Valley Master''s soothing voice was like a bucket of water that doused Yang Qing''s frantic thoughts, bringing a sense of calmness to him.
"Why don''t I remember anything? And Deputy Master Ren Shu, earlier you said I was out for three days?"? asked Yang Qing as he remembered the words his grandfather had said earlier.
"You were.." Ren Shu softly answered.
"Don''t get flustered. Whatever happened three days ago wasn''t necessarily a bad thing, and when we get down to it, it even helped as it has alerted the Order to something.."
Chapter 502 Joining the clues
Chapter 502 Joining the clues
"Alerted the Order?"
Yang Qing grew increasingly confused by the second. None of what he was told made any sense to him. He passed out without knowing, he thought it was only for a few minutes but it turned out he had been out for three days, then there was a bead in front of him said to have been formed personally by him.
However, the profundities involved in creating said bead were beyond his current understanding.
How could he create something, he didn''t have the abilities or know how to create? The power behind he could feel the waves were mildly stronger than what was released from the ascendant grade kun scale they had been given for their Ice Emerald Sect mission, though as per Yang Qing''s feelings, he felt it was slightly weaker than the saint grade treasure he had been given by Vice President Tao Wen.
He still found it hard to believe he created such a thing. However, the most confusing part was the connection he felt with the beads upended what he knew because even though he thought it was within his abilities to create something like that, the bead felt like it was a part of him.
And now, he was told he had alerted the Order to something, it was a bit too much to swallow.
Though for now what worried him the most, was the nk state of his memory.? For cultivators of his level that is one of the most frightening news one could get.
Whether you were unconscious for a second, for three days, or for a month, the amount of terror that would strike at you after realizing it had happened, would be the same.
The further up one grew as a cultivator, the more their body and soul changed. They were gradually being transformed. The diseases they used to get as mortals were no longer there, their bodies had more power to do things previously thought impossible like slicing through a small mountain or swimming in a pool ofva with no injuries to their bodies.
They had perfect control of their whole body, mind and soul, so things like having memory gaps, identally falling asleep or unconscious for even a second, down to even a sudden bodily change like sneezing, were big rms to them, especially to those with higher cultivation bases, like Yang Qing who was in the pce realm.
Such changes meant your defenses had been breached, and something that could breach your defense could kill you just as easily. For them, a second was enough time to cause a fatal damage to someone, which was why Yang Qing was unnerved when he was told he had been sleeping for three days straight.
He wasn''t the one who initiated it and he couldn''t even remember why or how it happened. It was like his body had not been his own, which was a scary thought to him.
What if something like that happened again when he was out there, wouldn''t he be easy prey for anybody who passes him by?
"I can''t figure anything by obsessively worrying about it. Looking at their unworried looks it seems they have some idea...could it be?"
His gaze fell once more on the bead. The sun and the moon present on them seemed to match the one in his pce realm when he looked at them closely.
Intrinsically they seemed to be from the same mold, with the one from the bead being of a higher quality, but the foundation of it, Yang Qing could tell matched his pce realm.
His gaze then turned to his grandfather who had a look of worry on his face.
"The fact that he is here instead of my parents should mean it was done by design, and there is only one reason he would be called in.."
"Qing''er..."
"Don''t worry Grandpa, I''m okay now.." he said with a smile.
"Good.." Yang Fen cheeringly said.
"Valley master you were saying something about alerting the Order? I take it, it has to do with the fern locked in there.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the shrunken fern restricted within the bead.
"Yes, it has to do with the fern. The main body has been made from the parts of a golden thread tree, which needs no exnation, and along with it was a cut vine from a saint-grade sanguine heart vine, after further analysis with a few from the spirit council, we found a few more things.
It had been coated with ash from fire ivory por and the blood from a wandering light swan was used, along with it were all kinds of arrays that looked to have been done by a versatile gold grade formation master..."
Yang Qing''s eyes almost popped when he heard all the things being mentioned by Valley Master Fan Ru.
Ren Shu at the side looked just as perplexed while his grandfather Yang Fen had contrasting emotions. He had a look of greed and enticement as he drooled over the bead.
Yang Qing shook his head sideways in exasperation when he saw this. It would be a lie if he said he expected his grandfather would react any differently to the revtion.
While they would be worried about the implications of such a machination, he on the other hand would more likely be wondering if he incorporated it into a body refining regimen and what kind of changes would it bring about.
For such a powerfulbination, the results were likely to be great, and he wasn''t the only one who would think that way, the other elders from the Yang n would be up there with him along with his brother, who liked to pretend he didn''t enjoy their experiments, but he did.
"The use of such quality materials, surely the one who created it should have left something to warn them in case of tampering right, howe the fern is still intact?" asked Yang Qing.
"Where did the ferne from?" he added.
"Where does your memory stop?" asked Ren Shu.
"At the foundation establishment seventeen year old boy from the silver rhino sect. Don''t tell me it came from him?! but there was nothing special about him or could there have been?" he asked in doubt
His experience from the Ice Emerald Sect had made him question everything he saw, then there was also the advice from Meng Chao before, to be careful with cultivators.
"I had him sent to the special inquisitors and Feng Lei didn''t find anything strange with the boy, his master, or his sect.."
"Then why would someone nt something of this level in him? Wait, don''t tell me..." Yang Qing''s eyes widened as they fell on Valley Master Fan Ru and Ren Shu.
Chapter 503 Four peak grade professions
Chapter 503 Four peak grade professions
"Your guess is right, it was nted with the Order in mind. The karma of the bandits who attacked them had beenpletely erased by someone, and when we sent inquisitors to trace whatever was left of the bandit group, they didn''t find anything it was like they had disappeared, despite them having over 100 members.
Not one of them was left, and there was not a single clue to follow, even from the region where the master and disciple duo from the Silver Rhino sect were attacked.
Though considering the level of skill involved in creating the fern, those who did it, should have been more than capable of covering their tracks considering they were able to sneak such a thing into the Valley without any of the sensory measures ced reacting to it.." said Ren Shu as his face turned frosty.
The Medical Valley was one of the most integral ces to the Order and could be considered one of its hearts, and it was also one of the few integral ces within the Order that was open to outsiders, as such it was filled with all sorts of protection mechanisms, from arrays to treasured artifacts to hidden sentinels that involved cultivators with special physiques or spirit beasts and spiritual nts all aimed at guaranteeing the security of the valley.
Of course, the level of security was not the same throughout the valley, some were more stringent than others especially key core regions of the valley, but in general, the Medical Valley was well protected, and it was ensured every measure could at the very least provide protection and containment against something that was at the level of the domain realm.
Of those the measures put in ce, the bulk were meant to prevent infiltration, however, the fern had clearly escaped that, which as? one ofthe standing leading figures of the Valley, Ren Shu felt he was culpable and he wasn''t the only one who felt that way.
Yang Qing could detect a sh of suppressed fury within the eyes of the valley master. Luckily the fern was detected in time, which was only by sheer luck, because if Yang Qing had not been there, and coincidentally triggered and sealed it. None of them would have ever known something like that had made its way into the Order.
"What''s the use of the fern?" asked Yang Qing.
Even after realizing that the Order was likely the reason the fern had been nted in the seventeen-year-old youth, he couldn''t detect anything frightening from the fern. It seemed utterly benign.
"It''s dormant but that little thing has the ability to kill a soul formation expert.." Fan Ru grimly said which prompted Yang Qing to almost drop the bead in fear.
"What?!"
Valley master Fan Ru sighed as she picked up the bead from Yang Qing who was all too d to let go of the hot potato.
If it could kill a soul formation expert, what about a puny little pce realm expert like himself?
"Am I cursed?" he wondered in fright.
In just one week he had faced things that were above his level to handle orprehend. He almost got ughtered by a tree that looked like it hade from the abyss, and said tree had the abilities of a soul formation expert.
Barely a few days have passed, and there was yet another one.
"How am I even alive?" he thought.
"When I firstid eyes on it, I knew it was a peculiar nasty piece of work, it was only when I got to the council that I knew by how much.
This little thing is the culmination of four different schools, and it was done by those close to or at the peak of their levels.
There was a formation master who based on the numerous arrays imnted in it, and how seamlessly they merged with one another, was at the very least a peak gold-grade formation master, with knowledge in symbiotic arrays, istion arrays, killing arrays, curses, chaining arrays and so forth.
Then there was a herbologist probably at the purple grade because that is the only way they can handle material from two different saint-grade spiritual nts without damaging them, then an alchemist likely at the same level forbining the materials together, andstly a weapon artificer to finish it all up.
Who should at the very least be a peak gold grade weapon artificier..."
Yang Qing felt like his mind exploded when he heard that, even his grandfather who seemed nonchnt about everything else except the bead, had his look change to one of shock.
"From what we have deduced, the fern''s purpose was likely to inhabit someone or something from the Order and lie silently in wait, until it was triggered.
This fern seems to be one part of another, and we don''t know how many. There is a resonant linking array on it, which means there are likely others already nted around the valley or well on their way, and we can''t tell for how long this has been happening.
This particr fern has a profound curse attack embedded in it. If there are others, we are not sure if the attack type will be simr to this one, or if the materials being used are the same. Though we feel strongly the materials used are likely to be simr, even if the array patterns would be different, especially, when ites to the golden thread tree and the saint-grade heart vine.
The golden thread tree can iste traces including even karma so finding out will be difficult, especially if it''s working concurrently with the heart vine, which will help the fern blend seamlessly with the host it parasitizes be it human or artifact, but because of you, we have a way.." said valley master Fan Ru.
"Me? How? Valley Master, I don''t even know how any of these happened?"
"You know your body better than anyone and instantly tell if something is off. You already have a guess, don''t you?"
Yang Qing paused solemnly before he said, "You suspect my physique had something to do with it?"
"It''s more than suspect at this point. We are certain of it. Your physique triggered it and what happened after was likely antecedent atavism..."
Chapter 504 The trigger (1)
Chapter 504 The trigger (1)
"Antecedent atavism? but I don''t have a generational bloodline for it to happen, or even a natural one for that matter?" said Yang Qing in confusion.
The institute had given them plenty of courses into physiques. The more they knew the better they could do their jobs and even protect themselves. So they had dissected many of them over the years at the Institute, and in many cases, they even got first-hand experiences during their duels with convicts from the Requiem.
During the course of their study, he hade across ''antecedent atavism'' which colloquially meant borrowing from your ancestors.
It was a unique feature that appeared to those who inherited their physiques, for example, the spirit jade turtle Li family. One of their members had a chance of antecedent atavism happening to them.
Antecedent atavism could be considered a fail-safe measure, ast-resort form of protection that would be triggered if the person was in danger. If triggered, the bloodline would call upon the abilities of its originator.
In the Li family''s case in case an Antecedent atavism was triggered, they would draw on the abilities locked in their bloodline of the spirit jade turtle that had formed a contract with their ancestor.
Even though the Li family shared a bloodline with it, they did not have all the abilities of the spirit jade turtle because their bodies fundamentally differed from it and thus were incapable of supporting all its abilities.
Even among them, the abilities they got were not simr, and it was somethingmonly observed among families with inherited physiques. The family members would exhibit different abilities despite sharing the same bloodline, and the difference in abilities was usually tied to the bodies they were born with.
However, antecedent atavism changed all that because, during the duration of its activation, that particr person would gain the body and full abilities of their bloodline. In the case of the spirit turtle jade Li family, they would gain the body of a spirit jade turtle and have ess to all abilities the spirit jade turtle they were contracted with, and if their bodies could support it, even its full power, the power it had when it formed the contract.
Triggering it was out of the user''s control, what was known was it would only do so in extreme danger, and as per the records the Order had, most could trigger the antecedent atavism once in their whole lives and it was almost always involuntary, and the highest recorded number for triggered times in one person was three times, but even then, the duration was over a hundred years apart each time.
The antecedent atavism would always ur only in those with a high-purity bloodline.
However, over the years there have been recorded anomalies in the phenomena. In rare cases the atavism wouldn''t need dangerous circumstances to trigger it, in those cases, it was usually some treasure or object with close rtion to the person''s bloodline that would trigger a reaction from them. This particr scenario could not be replicated, so it was assumed there had to be an additional condition to it that wasn''t currently known.
Another anomaly was, that there have been few asions where it has been triggered on those with thin bloodlines, but for those recorded, only a handful survived with the rest dying while the atavism was in progress or immediately after because their bodies could not handle the strain of it.
Therefore it wasmonly believed the purer your bloodline, the higher the chances of triggering antecedent atavism, and the higher your chances of surviving it.
But as far as Yang Qing knew antecedent atavism only applied to inherited physiques since the antecedent atavism was basically a bloodline protective talisman passed from their ancestor to his/ her descendants. Their bloodline could be considered alive as it had the will of the creature it came from which was why it could be triggered.
But the peerless jade physique was different. It wasn''t alive nor was it inherited from someone. What was presently known about it was that there was never a duplicate peerless jade physique so each one was unique and singr to the person, and the means of acquiring one could not be replicated either.
What all peerless jade physiques did share inmon was they all gained immunity to something the moment they gained it, and those immunities could be simr among different types.
For example, both Yang Qing and Feng Xin were immune to all sorts of poison that affected the body and the mind. While for Kang Hung, his peerless jade physique gave him immunity against the effects of ughter baleful qi along with murderous qi. His body negated their effectspletely.
They had other unique features to them, but antecedent atavism wasn''t one of them, at least thus far Yang Qing hadn''t heard of it.
But when his gaze fell on his grandfather, he remembered the words he left with him that day and the experience he had soon after.
"That jade tree.." he muttered to himself.
To date, for Yang Qing, gaining the peerless jade physique was the hardest hurdle he had ever had to cross. Forming the perfect cirction in the qi refinement realm, forming purple grade pirs in the foundation establishment realm, creating a purple grade core in the core formation realm, or even breaking through to the pce realm, none of them were as hard and as life-threatening as it was to him when he was breaking through to the peerless jade physique.
Looking at it that way, the abilities he gained from the physique paled seemed to pale inparison to the difficulty and cost it took to gain it, which led credence to what his grandfather said, '' There had to be locks to the physique that needed special keys to unlock them''. Yang Qing chose to ignore the part where he was called a glorified tree in thetter parts of the conversation.
"While I haven''t been paying much attention to what Daoist Fen and the others have been working on, we have long hypothesized that there was more to the peerless jade physique than meets the eye, however, our research on the matter, was basically on a spective standpoint and never quite fullymitted to it like your grandfather and the rest.
Just like most even if we thought there had to be something more to it, at the end of the day, we were biased in the time we could afford it since no matter how special it was, it was still something one acquired when one cultivated in the lowest cultivation realm.
Ignoring the simple fact once one reaches the gold body, it''s no longer just a realm but a physique, the same as those who were born with theirs. If inborn physiques never lose relevance even in theter stages of one''s cultivation, neither should cultivated ones, especially a peerless jade physique.
We are truly lucky that we have you Daoist Fen, and any resources and help you need just ask.." Valley Master Fan Ru solemnly said.
However, her look turned from solemn to one of confusion when she saw the awkward look Yang Fen and Ren Shu were exchanging.
"What is it?" she asked, directing the question to Ren Shu who cleared his throat a little with a look that said he didn''t want to answer.
However facing the Valley Master''s vicious re, he had no option but to do so.
"Well, I thought their research direction was interesting, especially if it can help Yang Qing, so, we already give them all the support and resources they require.." he awkwardly said as he secretly eyed his wife''s reaction.
"Oh, you can''t even give your wife some face huh, ''acting valley master.."
Valley Master Fan Ru intentionally dragged out thest part of her sentence with an ominous aura being released from her body.
"Now where was I...antecedent atavism, while I don''t know much about peerless jade physiques as I should.."
The valley master''s gaze fell on Ren Shu who smiled ruefully in response.
Chapter 505 The trigger (2)
Chapter 505 The trigger (2)
" The reaction you had is something that I have seen in those who have activated antecedent atavism. Using abilities beyond their level, experiencing memory gaps, and passing out after.
In your case, considering you used abilities that were close to that of a soul formation expert, the effects would have been more severe than just sleeping for three days, if you did not have the object left to you by senior green cocoon to offset the cost of releasing such a technique.
However, even with the object''s help, the side effects are still there, right?" asked Valley Master Fan Ru.
"Can you try to trigger your runes or produce the spring of resplendence dew.." she added.
Yang Qing nodded as he triggered the runes in his bone that were formed when he formed the yin-yang jade bones.
When he tried, he felt like his body was made of hot lead that evaporated all his energy and air. He felt faint, as for the runes, every time he triggered them, a golden white radiance, would appear on his skin, and any nt around would show unconcealed vtile excitement, like that of deep yearning.
However when he did so now, the light on his skin was faint, the aura of vitality that usually suffused from his body was light, and the excitement from the nts around, though it was there, it was mild.
Yang Qing barely sustained it for a few seconds before he was forced to cancel it out as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Yang Qing was startled though he already felt it when he woke up and knew his body was weak, he didn''t expect it to be to this extent. He could activate the runes on his bones for three months straight before he felt overdrawn, but now he could barelyst a few seconds.
"Qing''er don''t push yourself.." his grandfather worryingly said.
"It''s okay grandpa.." he replied with an assuring smile.
He then went on to produce the spring of resplendence dew. Outside it looked the same as it always was, except those who were familiar with the one he usually produced, like the three present, could tell it was different, even if it still had a dense life aura and healing properties, moreso the person himself.
"It''scking an anchor, and that anchor is your physique.." said Ren Shu.
"When I gave you the Universal duality indulgent of the myriad worlds cultivation art, at the time I did so because I thought you would be able to push it to greater heights because of your physique that seemed toplement it perfectly, however, now, my thoughts have changed..." said Valley Master Fan Ru as the petals and the mes in her eyes swirled around.
"I think the art is the support in this role, to bring the best out of your yin yang peerless jade physique.." she added.
"So you think the physique was triggered because the fern was a threat to my life?" asked Yang Qing.
"But I was in a life-threatening situation a few days prior and there was no reaction..." he added, as he tried a few other spells to see if they were affected just like the spring of resplendent dew. They were.
"A lot of factors may have attributed to why it wasn''t triggered back then but was triggered now, though if we focus purely on the threat factor, I heard you had a saint-grade treasure back then as opposed to now, there is also the fact that the fern was triggered prematurely by you, so there must have been something in you that attracted it, which caused a chain reaction with the self-defense mechanism of your physique triggering, or it may have triggered prior to the attack which was why the fern reacted prematurely.
Actually, this was one of the reasons I wanted to talk with you. I needed a step-by-step ount of everything you did from the moment you stepped into the pavilion, up until the point when your memory stopped. Leave nothing out.
Maybe we might figure out something on the trigger.."
Yang Qin paused briefly before he closed his eyes and started recounting the events from that day. He left nothing out, including the whistles of victory he did, all the little tricks he engaged on the second floor to gain the awe-filled eyes of the Medicine Valley workers there.
When he finished, all four of them had looks on their faces like they had just realized something.
"Seniors, do you think me triggering my jade runes, and circting the universal duality art, may have been the thing that triggered everything?" asked Yang Qing.
"I think there are chances it did.." answered Ren Shu before silence ensued as each fell to their thoughts.
"We can''t unravel all this in a day, we still need to search and scan the whole valley and see if there are other hidden weapons like the fern, and as for researching the peerless jade physique or if circting your art in conjunction with your jade runes could be some key, that would have to wait until you recover, which by my estimates should be in two months.
We can revisit the issue then, while Daoist Fen and the rest continue with the research.."
"We will.." Yang Fen answered with eagerness in his tone.
"Two months huh.." Yang Qing muttered as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
"Could I stille? I''d like to still continue working on the patients, partly to keep my word, but I also need it for now.." asked Yang Qing.
"Well, what do you think?" asked Ren Shu as he directed the question to the valley master.
"We already know what we are looking for and the areas we receive those from outside have already been screened by the special inquisitors along with a few members of the spirit council and we have already ced a few saint-grade treasures for detection.
If it''s only the Harmony Well pavilion and the Rivers of Healing, there shouldn''t be any risk as they''ve been screened already and improved on.
Besides it might be good for him to improve his skills with the Universal Duality art, especially, without his physique giving him an added advantage.." said Valley Master Fan Ru after some thought.
"Okay...You heard her Yang Qing.."
"Thank you both for acquiescing to my selfish requests.." Yang Qing said as he bowed to them both.
The two smiled at each other as they smiled warmly at Yang Qing. In some sense, Yang Qing could be considered their half-disciple, a problematic one, but they cared deeply for him nheless.
"Now then, please see yourselves out, I have something to discuss with him.." Valley Master Fan Ru said as she threw Ren Shu an innocent smile.
Yang Qing instantly knew Ren Shu''s fate was about to turn miserable so he pulled his grandfather along and flew out of the abode as fast as he could, throwing a sympathetic look towards Ren Shu.
Chapter 506 Discussing the options (1)
Chapter 506 Discussing the options (1)
After hurriedly leaving the abode of Fan Ru and Ren Shu, Yang Qing halted his retreat only when he was close to the pavilion of the coalescing tranquility rivers of healing.
The shock of suddenly finding out he had been unconscious for three days and his potential releasing the abilities of a soul formation expert aside, he was also worried about Ma Yuan and whether there had been any changes for the past three days.
So immediately after he left the abode of Ren Shu, his first stop was the pavilion where Ma Yuan''s daughter was staying.
As Yang Qing was making his way in he was surprised to find Ma Yuan absent at the spot he had left him at which was the forest next to the pavilion.
"Is he in?" he wondered.
"Qing''er you go in while I look at the various herbs growing here. I can''t believe I''ve nevere here. When you''re done, we can head home.." said his grandfather as he bent over to study the various shrubs and nts growing in the area, with deep interest in his eyes.
Yang Qing nodded to his grandfather and quickly went up to the floor Ma Ling had been staying at.
"How is she, Tan Jue?" asked Yang Qing when he reached the floor.
There was a slight rise in his brows when he saw Ma Yuan wasn''t in the room. Those present were just Ma Ling who seemed to be drinking some melon juice with a gleeful expression, and Tan Jue who seemed mildly distracted.
However, she immediately jumped up in stupefaction when she heard Yang Qing''s voice, which in turn startled Ma Ling who would have almost spilled her juice if it wasn''t for the quick reaction of Yang Qing who shed and reappeared at her bedside stabilizing the juice and Tan Jue in the process.
"You''re awake?!" she asked in disbelief.
"Are you okay? is your qi flow rhythmic and regr? how about your soul and mind synchronization? and body senses? movement?"
She fired dozens of questions with no pause as she rapidly released countless diagnostic spells on Yang Qing.
"I am okay Tan Jue. If I wasn''t, the valley master and the deputy master would not have let me go..." Yang Qing said with a rueful smile when he saw the glowing blue, green, and white gentle lights that were surrounding his body.
"Right, sorry about that.." Tan Jue said showing a rare look of embarrassment.
Ma Ling had her eyes wide open as she stared at Tan Jue.
"Is this still the same person who always wears that assiduous solemn face all the time and always seems unperturbed by anything?
Are they?" she curiously thought as her gaze alternated between Yang Qing and the embarrassed Tan Jue.
"I guess not. He doesn''t have the same look Dad had whenever he looked at Mom. Huh...Dad? Mom? What am I saying?"
Ma Ling suddenly ced the juice down as she held her forehead in pain.
"Ma Ling, what is it?" Tan Jue hurriedly asked her embarrassed look from moments ago, gone and reced by a devoted physician.
"Nothing, it''s just a small headache senior sister Tan Jue.." she said as she smiled, to show that she was really okay.
"Okay, but, just in case can you lie down.." said Tan Jue, as she helped Ma Ling lie down.
After she was down, Tan Jue immediately formed a seal, which triggered white tendril lights to appear from the bed Ma Ling was lying on. The tendrilsbined with her seal created a blue-green water bubble that had white runes floating around it.
"Close your eyes.." Tan Jue softly said to Ma Ling who nodded as she closed her eyes.
Within seconds she was already soundly asleep with Tan Jue standing over her constantly monitoring the thin blue light line fluctuations that started appearing from the water bubble.
"How is she?" Yang Qing worryingly asked.
He couldn''t deploy his pce sense yet, so he could only monitor things at face value.
"It seems she just had an episode of a deep memory sh and her mind isn''t able to amodate it. It asionally happens.."
"And Ma Yuan?"
"He is out with Zheng Hu at the moment. He had been asking for you yesterday and I didn''t have the heart to tell him your state and add to his woes, so I asked Zheng Hu to step in instead.
They left together not more than two hours ago.."
"Did he say what he wanted?" asked Yang Qing.
From his interaction with Ma Yuan, he felt he wouldn''t look for him lightly, it had to be something important to him.
"He didn''t say, and I didn''t want to press."
Yang Qing nodded as he took out hismunication talisman to call Zheng Hu and find out where they were, though even without calling, he had an inkling where they''d be.
"Seems they''re at the Thousands vor restaurant.." he said as he put the talisman away.
"Would you be leaving now?" Tan Jue asked with a hint of worry in her tone.
"I am really okay. You know me well, I am not the type to y around with my health or life in the slightest. I am just a little worn out. The valley master said i should be back to full capacity in less than two months..." Yang Qing warmly said to ease the nerves of Tan Jue.
As a guilt-ridden person himself, he could see it written all over Tan Jue''s face which was why she was behaving uncharacteristically.
"Okay.."
"By the way, I will still be continuing with what we agreed with.."
"You can''t!"
"For reasons I can''t say, I need it, Tan Jue.." he said with a solemn air that made Tan Jue falter.
"If it''s any constion, I already sought the valley master and Ren Shu''s approval first, and they agreed. They even said it would be good for me.." said Yang Qing to try and reassure her, even only a little.
"Those two would agree to anything you asked.." she muttered silently under her breath with clear misgivings which left Yang Qing smiling bitterly unsure of what to say.
"While that may be true in some regard, but you know when ites to their profession, they are unwavering in their codes about it, and wouldn''t agree to something they are against.."
"I know.." Tan Jue said, finally relenting.
"I can''t believe I will be the one saying this, but don''t push yourself.." she added.
"I won''t, and thank you, Tan Jue. Next time you have a break, I''ll buy you soup from the Herb Garden.."
"Okay.." said Tan Jue with a simple smile as she waved Yang Qing goodbye.
Outside Yang Qing picked up his grandfather who was not all too pleased to leave and made their way to the Thousand vors Restaurant, where they split apart as Yang Qing went in and his grandfather went home, where they would meetter.
Inside he found Zheng Hu and Ma Yuan discussing something, though Ma Yuan seemed half distracted. His focus only seemed to return when he saw Yang Qinging over.
"Judge Yang Qing.." he said as he hurriedly got up to cup his fists in greeting.
"Don''t get up.." Yang Qing gently said as a gentle formless energy sat Ma Yuan down.
"You feeling better?" asked Zheng Hu via secret sound transmission to which Yang Qing nodded in return.
"Tan Jue told me you were looking for me?" Yang Qing said as he took a seat opposite Ma Yuan.
"Yes.." answered Ma Yuan seeming ill at ease.
"We can continue this at my ce if you want?" asked Yang Qing when he noticed the awkwardness and nervousness in Ma Yuan.
"Thank you.." Ma Yuan said as he performed a quick bow.
"I have cases to help Mao Yunru with. I will be taking my leave, Take care Ma Yuan, Boss.." said Zheng Hu as he got up.
"Does she know?" Yang Qing quickly asked.
"No. The only reason I know is because Tan Jue called.."
"Good.." said Yang Qing, visibly relieved.
After Zheng Hu left, Yang Qing and Ma Yuan followed soon after, headed to the dream cloud abode.
Chapter 507 Discussing the options (2)
Chapter 507 Discussing the options (2)
Dream cloud abode
"So what did you want to talk about?" asked Yang Qing as he poured spirit calming jasmine for both him and Ma Yuan.
"About that.." Ma Yuan closed and open his mouth a couple of times with no wordsing out.
"We may have known each other for a short time, Ma Yuan, but i consider you a friend, and i hope you do so to me..." said Yang Qing with a gentle smile.
Ma Yuan stared at him for a little while before he finally sighed as he replied,
"I am honored you consider me a friend, it seems i have been discourteous in my actions, forgive me for that.." he said
"So what''s on your mind?"
"It''s about Ma Ling and our current circumstances.." Ma Yuan paused briefly as he took a sip of his tea hoping it will calm him or give him courage for his next words.
"As per Master Tan Jue''s estimates, her treatment will take seven months to a year at most. I am thankful to you and the Order for the help from saving her and even now you''re still helping us at no cost.
The grace and the kindness you have afforded me is something i could never repay back and as a father i won''t pretend that i would even refuse it. For her i would willingly shame myself, thicken myself and go through whichever storm i need to go through to ensure her well being.
Nothing matters to me other than her well being. Whatever pride i had was shattered the moment she was born, but i still hope i can somehow repay you and the Order for all the help you have given and are still giving.
But as i am, no cultivation base, i am struggling in finding a way i can return the favor even if it is only a tiny little bit.
I had thought i could maybe use my herbology skills to try and repay that gratitude, but after seeing the level of skills shown at the Medicine Valley, i am ashamed to tout my inferior skills. I can not simply reach the levels that i saw.
I don''t know how to repay you all back, and while i will willingly ept any and all help given to me on behalf of my daughter, i feel ashamed to ept it just like that.." he said with a bitter smile.
"There is more.." asked Yang Qing, though it seemed more a statement of fact than a question.
Ma Yuan nodded with the same bitter smile on his face as he said,
"Other than thinking about how to repay you, these few days, when i wasn''t with Ma Ling, i was able to analyze my situation clearly.
With a crippled cultivation base, i can not protect my daughter as i would like to, and i don''t want what happened to her and my wife..." a pained expression appeared on his face as he said this.
"I don''t want to lose my daughter again, but i recognize my own inability to do it. So i would like to shamelessly request help. Is there any my daughter can join the Order?" he said as he bowed his head with an air of desparation about him.
"There''s no need for that Ma Yuan.." Yang Qing said as he gently helped him up.
"Truth be told I''ve been thinking about your situation too. While i''d like nothing more than for your daughter to join the Order. My hands are tied in that regard, the only thing i can do is file a special rmendation for her where she can take the test any time she feels ready.
However i would not rmend it.."
"Why?" Ma Yuan hesitantly asked.
"She has already formed her foundation pirs, the Order usually epts those below the foundation establishment, and those it does ept already in the foundation establishment need to have blue grade pirs that are pure.
While your daughter has blue grade pirs, they are not true ones. The Ice Emerald Sect must have done something to help her gain it.
She would have to start over from scratch for her to be given a consideration to join the Order. With all she has been through, i don''t know if she can handle the psychological burden thates with making that choice. It is not an easy one to make, and with all she has endured, i wouldn''t want to subject her to such a mental strain.
And i don''t think you''d want to either.."
Ma Yuan gravely nodded at this.
"And even if let''s say she agreed to do it, it wouldn''t be a guarantee that she would get in and i can not do anything to make sure she does, she can only do so through her own efforts.
But let''s say she gets in, the Order isn''t an easy ce to be in. If you want her protected from dangerous situations, then this isn''t the best ce for that, while her life can be guaranteed she will be in the eye of the storm here.
The moment she passes through those doors she will take on the same burden we all take, and our predecessors have, which is to willingly ept the burden of making an enemy of the entire continent if needed, and should the day everes it really does happen, we are not to falter.
If she gets in, that''s a burden she will have to ept from the onset.."
The air seemed to have turned graver. Ma Yuan felt his palms turned sweaty as aplicated expression appeared in his eyes.
He, just like most saw the mor in being a member of the Order, they never saw the cost that came with it, and now hearing it from Yang Qing, he couldn''t help but waver.
Making an enemy of the world wasn''t just something anybody could carry, and he could tell from the gaze Yang Qing had, he was someone who held firmly to the resolve that came with that possibility.
Was it worth it to hoist such a burden on his daughter?
He couldn''t help but clench his fists in frustration cursing his own weakness. If he was strong enough would he even be in this position.
However, Yang Qing''s next words pulled him from the cycle of self me he was falling under.
"But if it''s a peaceful life you are after then i have a suggestion.."
"What is it?" Ma Yuan asked hopefully.
"Join the Summerfield Kingdom that''s in the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect. Wiith your talents in herbology and farming that would be the best fit for you." said Yang Qing.
"Summerfield Kingdom? I have heard of them and I do admit I have heard they have wondrous techniques and people of my profession are readily epted, but isn''t their strength a little too weak to guarantee our safety?
As far as I know, they don''t have a pce realm cultivator.." said Ma Yuan with some hesitation in his tone.
Safety was paramount to him now.
"When ites to strength, mmh, well they are in the territory of a rank 3 sect who they have a rtionship with even if it''s thin at best.
And I''m not afraid to tell you the Spiritual Temperance Sect while on paper could be considered a rank 3 sect, it has a domain expert, and their territory had a few situations recently that will force them to be vignt, so this is the time to move there.
Other than that, the Order will be building a branch there and it will more than likely be ced within the territory of the Summerfield Kingdom.
Among the numerous organizations located within the territory of the Spiritual temperance sect, the Summerfield Kingdom is the only one we have a deep rtionship with.
Also while the Summerfield Kingdom may not yet have a pce realm cultivator, i feel in the near future, it won''t be that way.." said Yang Qing with a mysterious smile.
He still remembered the strange farm he passed through as he was making his way to the capital.
"Will they ept me as I am?" asked Ma Yuan.
With all the pointsid out by Yang Qing, the Summerfield kingdom had met all the criteria and worries he had, now there was only the problem of worth.
Someone with a crippled cultivation would always be shunned and looked at with scorn wherever they went.
"You shouldn''t worry about that. Your body still holds the strength of a core formation expert, and your gold body is an added advantage.
Besides to them, your value as a herbologist matters more to them than your strength. The only thing you need to ask yourself is if your skills are good enough, which I think they are.." said Yang Qing with a smile.
Ma Yuan went silent as countless thoughts shed in his eyes before he finally decided that Summerfield Kingdom would be their next home.
"The debt I owe you just keeps growing.." he said with a jokingugh.
"Well if you want to pay me, how about this, I''ve been nning to improve my backyard and add all sorts of nts mostly those with edible fruits and ones, that can be inhabited by creatures. Maybe you can help me with that..." said Yang Qing as he pointed toward his backyard.
"If you don''t find my skills beneath it, I would be d to.."
"It''s a deal..Have this, you can use it toe and go as you please.." Yang Qing said as he handed a green wooden medallion to Ma Yuang who epted it like it was some treasure.
Yang Qing went on to show him his backyard, which made Ma Yuan suck in a breath of cold air because the wild vegetation growing despite being unattended was of high quality.
Yang Qing exined a few of his ideas and left it to Ma Yuan to add a few of his own, giving him free rein to arrange things how he wanted.
After he was done, he left the eager Ma Yuan examining his backyard with his spirit as a farmer slowly reigniting.
Many yearster when Ma Yuan became a renowned blue-grade herbologist, he would look fondly at his time in Yang Qing''s backyard, and how it was the impetus for his transformation in so many ways.
Chapter 508 Test of the jade
Chapter 508 Test of the jade
When Yang Qing reached his family''s courtyard he was shocked to find a full house present. His cowardly father was around today though he was still squirming in his seat as his eyes asionally darted in the direction of his grandfather who was lost in his own thoughts, his brother and wife were around like always, and his two nephews while his mom was effortlessly preparing a sumptuous meal.
Yang Qing came in just the right time when she had just finished her preparations. Like a dutiful son, he helped her put them in serving bowls while sneaking a few early bites here and there with his mother''s approval of course.
While his family always ate their meal, they were never as enthusiastic about it as Yang Qing was which was why his mother always loved asking him toe over as often as possible.
Yang Qing was always in awe of her cooking skills. She was a skilled alchemist and had contributed a lot to the n through it, however, her real passionsy in cooking, so she decided tobine both and had slowly been improving her skills as a chef alchemist, though it was more apt to consider her a chef physician.
She knew how tobine her ingredients well and maximize their properties with the goal of improving the health and functionality of those who ate her meals.
With everything ced, Yang Qing unreservedly gauged himself. Later his mother asked him to stay over for a few days.
Yang Qing wanted to reject, but when he saw her worried eyes and pleading look he obliged. Even without telling her anything, either about the ordeal at the Ice Emerald Sect or his being unconscious for three days, and his physique experiencing a period of weakness, his mother could already tell something was wrong with him even though she was weaker than him, and Yang Qing going to great lengths trying to conceal everything outwardly.
"A mother''s intuition is scary," he thought to himself.
After the meal, he, his father, his grandfather, and his brother went outside for a discussion. For a family of body refinement zealots, though this was mostly his grandfather, with his brother slowly growing to the title, the discussion they had mostly centered around that topic.
Yang Qing opened up to his father and brother about his passing out and the spective cause for it, in addition, he also mentioned to the three the experience he had months prior when he was trying to investigate if there was a manifestation of his physique two months prior when he wasst here.
"The peerless jade physiques are truly mysterious. I feel we have barely scratched the surface with it.." said Yang Qing''s brother as he rubbed his chin in deep contemtion.
"Qing''er you''re sure you''re okay, the valley master confirmed there are no underlying permanent repercussions for what you did.
Everything has an equivalent bnce. If you used the abilities that approached the realm of a soul formation expert as a pce realm cultivator, then an equivalent cost for doing it will be borne.." said his father with worry in his tone.
"They did say the price would have been much dire if I did not have a certain thing left to me by my senior. The senior is a powerful soul formation expert, even among others of her kind, she seems to have a special position.
The object she left served as the price.." said Yang Qing as he winced bitterly when he recalled all he had left of the green pearl Green Cocoon left him was a single wisp that would disappear in a month as per his estimates.
"But this is still shocking, I didn''t expect the peerless jade physique to have spirituality.." added his father.
"I didn''t either, though I am grateful I was protected because of it, I still feel at ease at the prospect my body was taken over without me noticing it.." said Yang Qing with a grim expression.
"When did you be such a worry wart. Shouldn''t you be jumping in joy for having a fail-safe measure to guarantee your life.." his grandfather gingerly said as he stroked his beard.
"Besides, I feel the part about your body being taken over is misconstrued.." he added as his eyes shone with wisdom that had been honed over and over for countless years.
"How so, Grandpa?" curiously asked Yang Qing adopting the air of a studious student.
Despite having a higher cultivation base, Yang Qing was always reverent to the breadth of wisdom his grandfather and even his father had.
Having a high cultivation base didn''t mean that one knew more than those lower than them in cultivation base, though it was usually assumed that those with a higher cultivation base knew more because they had long lifespans and had powerful abilities that became tools they could use to grow their wisdom and knowledge.
However, that wasn''t always fact. Those with lower cultivation bases, if they had single-minded devotion to a particr subject, and were actually good at it, may know more than those with higher cultivation bases, which was how even someone with a core formation cultivation base who excelled at formations could end up bing a blue grade formation master before even stepping into the pce realm.
Cultivation base was cultivation base, experience was experience, and wisdom was wisdom. In his mind he always felt the amount Dean Zhu Lao knew, was probably more than what soul formation experts would know despite the former being at the peak of the domain realm. This was why he always adopted a humble attitude whether it was to his grandfather, and father, or to those who had devoted their entire lives to the study of a single subject for countless years.
"I feel you judging your physique simr to that of inherited bloodline physique and are going on the notion that what you experienced was an antecedent atavism, but thinking that way is wrong, while what the valley master said had some truth, it is also erroneous..."
Yang Qing raised his brow in surprise when he heard that before a look of realization hit him.
"You did not inherit your physique, it was not passed down from someone or something to you, you acquired it, and as your father said, everything has an equivalent bnce and cost, you paid the price to gain your Yin Yang jade bones.
Whatever its demands were, you paid it and finally reaped its rewards. No spirit beast, no spiritual nt, or rare treasure gave it to you, you gained it by yourself which is why I think peerless jade physiques can not be replicated.
The test is unique to the person, and I feel the type of physique you get is also tied to who is fundamental.
Yang Qing, the physique you got is yours, it''s not the Yang family''s, it''s not something some cultivation art gave you because if it was, we would have already produced one already. It is not something you got from some spirit beast or special bloodline.
Your yin-yang jade bones are yours and yours alone. They appeared because of you and no reason else. If we subjected someone else to what you went through and they formed a peerless jade physique, even without any evidence to back it up, I am confident he/she would not get the yin-yang jade bones.
So the fears you have, they''re unwarranted. To me, it''s the same as fearing your own shadow.
The Yin Yang jade bones are you, everything it took to create them, came from you. It is no different from your hands, feet, eyes, or legs.
Let me ask you this did we tell you the name of your physique, or did you instantly know its name the moment it appeared?" asked Yang Fen.
"I knew it.." Yang Qing answered.
When he broke through to the peerless jade physique, the name Yin Yang jade bones appeared within him like he always knew it, and it had always been with him from his birth, something etched within his soul.
"And the abilities, did you have to train them to discover them?"
Yang Qing shook his head sideways. He instinctively knew how to use the Yin Yang jade bones'' abilities with perfection, like it was second nature. It was as easy as breathing and easier than walking.
"How is that any different than learning to use your nose or ears when you are born? You don''t train to use them, you just use them.
Your yin yang jade bones are you, the more epting you are of it and stop seeing it as something external, the more I feel you will discover about it and of yourself since it''s basically a reflection and amalgamation of you.
The core part of you, the real you, one that hasn''t been marred and colored by the things around you.? We all have things that are fundamentally us from the moment we are born, however, it gets buried in the happenings of life and we forget or deny it.
The reason peerless jade physiques are hard to get or replicate is because i feel it involves finding oneself and not many people can.
Who protected you that day, was you, not some will or something else, just you, the pride of our life, Yang Qing.."
Chapter 509 Yang Fen’s advice
Chapter 509 Yang Fen''s advice
?
Yang Qing''s eyes shed like he was about to grasp something but it kept escaping his grasp at the final moment.
His grandfather''s words were like an endless storm of inspiration. Every sentence he spoke seemed to contain profound wisdom that kept filling the missing pieces in Yang Qing''s mind.
"Grandpa is Grandpa after all.." he thought as his awe-filled gaze fell on his grandfather who was still enthusiastically going on about the peerless jade physique.
He may be the one with the physique but his grandfather seemed to have deeper insights about it than he did.
All this while he had been treating the Yin Yang jade bones as something separate to himself, like an external weapon instead of considering it a part of himself.
It took his current weakened state and his grandfather''s insightful words for him to suddenly realize his peerless jade physique was no different from his soul.
He could feel something within him stir when he came to grips with that thought and willingly epted it. However, he couldn''t capitalize much on the feeling. It was like a soft itch that came and went.
"Must be because of my weakened state.." mused Yang Qing.
"Thank you, Grandpa.." Yang Qing suddenly said with a simple smile though was simple bore the weight of how he felt.
His grandfather paused in surprise before heughed as he said,
"You''re my grandson and we are family, there''s no need for these wish-washy words.."
Though he said that, he couldn''t hide how pleased and proud he was.
"The valley master said it would take two months for you to go back to normal and regainplete use of your physique.
What were your ns for those two months?" his grandfather suddenly asked as he narrowed his eyes with a serious expression.
Yang Qing paused briefly in thought before he said,
"Well other than continuing the treatment n I was given by the Judicial Review Committee.."
When he reached here, he realized he had not shared with his family yet about the ordeal with the Ice Emerald Sect and the events after.
His family already worked for the Order, so sharing the details after the fact wasn''t considered a breach of the rules, and he needed to offload it on someone, and there was no one better than his family.
In his recounting of the events he started from how he met Ma Yuan, his story with his wife and daughter and how they were kidnapped, down to the crimes the Ice Emerald Sect had engaged in over the years, and the lives it took, and finally the sentencing of the sect.
While he divulged the relevant parts, including his frame of mind at the time and even currently, he did leave some parts out, like how he and the rest almost died to the red abyssal tree.
He didn''t want to add to their worries, especially his mother''s. He detected her presence slowly leaning on the door to the courtyard. Clearly, she knew something was up with Yang Qing which was why she had been hanging close.
Even with his pce sense temporarily unusable, Yang Qing still had his heightened sense as a pce sense cultivator and it was his mom. He could sense anywhere almost instinctively with or without a cultivation base.
Her presence was part of the reason he decided to go ahead and divulge what had happened, and the remedial measure and advice the Judicial Review Committee had given him.
"You''re sure you don''t want to join the Medical Valley, Qing''er?" asked his grandfather.
"You can join the Institute too as an instructor or researcher if you like.." his father added.
"Or the alchemy division, or the formation hall too.." added his brother.
"I won''t deny that switching departments had crossed my mind especially before I started the treatment.
I had given it some serious thought, but I don''t know I feel like I am where I should be. When I graduated, I became a judge because the pay seemed better, I would be safe within the walls of the headquarters, and I was also under the illusion that the work would not be a lot.
Had I known it would be a never-ending storm, maybe I would have chosen a different route. But after doing this for quite some time, without even noticing, it seems to have grown on me.
Even if I were to switch departments, it can''t be because of fear of what might happen next, otherwise, that shadow may follow me for the rest of my life. I can''t do that.." said Yang Qing.
"But I am okay, well I am slowly getting there thanks to the support given to me by the seniors at the Order. Also being at the auspicious grove has really helped a lot.." said Yang Qing as his eyes secretly darted to the shadowy silhouette at the back of the door.
He could feel his mom''s body tighten. The rest of his family members had noticed her presence too, so they didn''t delve much into the topic, and just offered their help should Yang Qing at any point in time need it.
In typical fashion, the three Yang members, this is; his grandfather, brother, and father, had a quick change in tune when they asked Yang Qing to bring back some of the water from the brook of rity if he could, so they could use it in their various experiments, especially when they heard from Yang Qing about its wondrous properties.
Yang Qing could only helplessly acquiesce to their shameless begging before he continued where he had left off on his grandfather''s question.
"After that, I will follow the valley master''s guidance and continue my treatments at the Valley to try and deepen my understanding of the Universal Duality cultivation art.." said Yang Qing.
"But from the way you asked, I take it you have another idea in mind, Grandpa?" he added.
He knew his grandfather well. The fact that he asked that question meant that he had some idea in mind and he only asked that question to try and see if Yang Qing had the same ns.
"Well, it''s not something out of the way. What I had in mind happens to align with Valley master Fan Ru''s advice somewhat, on you practicing the various techniques and spells, to try and improve your understanding of them without the boosted effects brought on by your physique.
However, different from her, I want you to internalize and note the difference in every technique and spell you do.
Note down the subtle differences you experience now, from when you did them when your physique was operating normally.
I would advise that you don''t just concentrate on the healing techniques alone, but on every technique you have mastery over..."
"You want me to use that as a reference point to try and discover the nature and properties of my physique that I may have missed?" asked Yang Qing slowly following his grandfather''s train of thought and intention.
"Mmh, that''s right. Some techniques may not be affected, while others may be affected greatly, which will help you know more.
Be as detailed and thorough as possible on the differences just like I taught you. You can seek your father''s help on that. He may be a coward, and too willful but he has always been meticulous with the minute stuff.." Yang Fen said which drew a surprised look from Yang Qing''s father, who didn''t expect thepliment, though it was stillced with vitriol.
Over the years, the onlypliment he ever got, was marrying Yang Qing''s mother, and having Yang Qing and his brother. Other than that all he got was threats, criticism, and guilt trips on hisck of filial piety.
Yang Qing nodded before he suddenly remembered something,
"Oh and Grandpa, the day you told me about the peerless jade physique, I saw something..."
Yang Qing went on to describe the process by which he discovered the ethereal jade tree lying deep within his pce realm.
"A tree huh.." muttered his grandfather as a strange look appeared in his eyes.
"What?" asked Yang Qing when he noticed his grandfather''s look.
His grandfather suddenly coughed like he was trying to conceal something before he answered,
"Nothing.."
Did he see a tree because I made thement about him being nothing more than a glorified tree? Did I curse him?
No, there is nothing wrong with being a tree. Trees are strong, resilient, adaptive, have long lives, and have wondrous abilities that are not only beneficial to themself but to others also.
My grandson being a tree is a blessing for him and the Yang family. Yes, being a tree is a blessing.
I hope he doesn''t remember what I said that day..."
Chapter 510 Egg Peak
Chapter 510 Egg Peak
Yang Qing and the rest were surprised when Yang Fen suddenly went silent with a suspicious look on his face before he suddenly got up in a maddened hurry mumbling gibberish things about certain experiments and how he had a sudden epiphany that he needed to act on, and left for the valley.
"Has Grandpa finally lost it?" Yang Qing wondered out loud, as he saw the dust storm he left behind.
"He has always lost it.." said his father with his brother nodding along in agreement which drew a strange look from Yang Qing who as far as he saw it, his brother was slowly following their grandfather''s footsteps. He felt it wasn''t long now. He could see that crazy experimental fanaticism me slowly growing in his brother''s eyes. He wasn''t sure if the person in question had noticed it yet.
He couldn''t help but sympathize with his two nephews who werepeting on who could throw the century iron stones the furthest as they glided on the pond''s water surface,pletely unaware of the tortured future that awaited them.
However, his sympathetic side was quickly short-lived and was reced by his petty side.
"Sorry nephews, the Yang family tradition must live on. Brother, I leave it to you to educate them, leave nothing out.." he thought as he threw an encouraging look his brother''s way who seemed confused by Yang Qing''s strange eye nces he was throwing his way.
"First Grandpa and now him. Is there no normal person in this family.."? Yang Gen thought to himself and when his gaze fell on his father, he couldn''t help but sigh to himself.
The night quickly passed with Yang Qing promising to stay over for at least a week at the behest of his mother who also seemed to encourage Yang Qing to invite Mao Yunru over, which Yang Qing pretended he didn''t hear.
When morning came, like always, he used the blue tear-dropped stone to go to the auspicious grove wood tree''s location.
Even without telling the saint grade tree anything, it could already tell Yang Qing was in a weakened state and that it had something to do with his physique.
Yang Qing went on to exin what had happened, after which the saint-grade tree produced a multicolored crystal pebble from one of the shallow mounds within its trunk which it gave to Yang Qing to use to cultivate with.
The crystal pebble would help keep his soul and mental sea revitalized and refreshed at all times as long as it was next to him as he cultivated.? His hours at the brook of rity were also extended to six hours.
The two hours where he personally experienced the events of the Ice Emerald Sect with vivid details, remained, however, the period of coalescing that came after was extended from two hours to four.
Yang Qing was extremely grateful to the saint-grade auspicious grove wood tree, and without missing a beat he thickened his face to ask for more water from the brook of rity, which the saint-grade tree agreed to but not without asking for something from Yang Qing in return, which was him cultivating next to the tree when he reached the domain realm, and he was to do it for two continuous weeks in a year.
Yang Qing could only guess at its reasons, that it had something to do with the Universal Resonant Light Sect''s cultivation art, especially when he remembered the effects it had on the spirit beasts and nts at Deer Mountain Range.
However, now, he couldn''t help but wonder if his peerless jade physique had also been a factor.
However, he pushed the matter to the back of his mind to concentrate on collecting the water from the brook of rity.
After the session was done, he made his way to the Medical Valley where he checked on Ma Yuan and Ma Ling first before he went on to handle the cases for the day.
He noticed his healing abilities had been affected though he could still perform them easily and they were still powerful, he could feel the intrinsic differences to when he used them a few days prior, before his ident.
They worked fine, but they seemed tock a sense of vibrancy and liveliness that was there before.
As he did his work, he took great care to note down every single difference like his grandfather asked. As he did, he was continuously surprised at how much his physique boosted his abilities and spells without him noticing, including even the ease with which he executed the techniques and spells contained in the Universal Duality cultivation art.
Even though his mastery was still there, he could detect minute differences in the time it took to execute them, his natural movements as he did so, and the resonance with the art.
No one other than him could detect those differences, though he felt the valley master and Ren Shu could.
Now when he used the various spells and techniques it was like he was a swimmer, a human swimmer who had learned swimming from birth training day and night, that his body''s structure gradually developed and morphed to meet the demands of swimming. That was what he felt currently, without his physique''s presence, however when he recalled how he felt using the same techniques and spells with the physique active, he felt he was like a fish in water.
No matter how good a human was at swimming, they could never be freer in the water as a fish, no matter how much they tirelessly trained and conditioned their body.
Presently that was how Yang Qing felt. The Yin Yang jade bones had somehow enabled him to use the various spells and techniques as though he was born with them from birth and now without the technique, it felt less natural and more like something he had tirelessly trained for to have it ingrained in his body.
With a reference point established, Yang Qing whollymitted himself to delve deeper into those techniques to try and close that gap as much as he could, and maybe when his physique came out of its dormancy, he would experience a qualitative change in the use of his techniques.
His schedule over the next few days remained unchanged, as he left his parent''s home to the auspicious grove and then to the Medical Valley before he finally went home.
A deviation only appeared on the fourth day, which was the day Peng Zhen would have his first match for his life and death sentence.
Yang Qing admired his character, so he wanted to be there when he had his first match, and all his other matches if possible.
So after a session with the auspicious grove wood tree, instead of heading to the Medical Valley like always, he made his way to Egg Peak, which was the name of the region where the first years of the Institute were trained.
Chapter 511 End of the grace period
Chapter 511 End of the grace period
Egg peak, Yang Qing couldn''t help but let out a nostalgic sigh as he made his way there. Egg peak also known as the peak of first despair. Though when Yang Qing was starting out, he did not know it went by that name, none of the first years in the first month do, it''s only after a few months have passed by do they get to know it by that name.
It''s usually in the fifth month going forward that they get to know Egg Peak by that moniker.
Egg Peak, though called a peak, was a territory of its own. It was as big as the cities found in prosperous rank 3 kingdoms and empires.
Throughout their time there, the whole territory was used to house the first years and all the facilities and training resources they would require.
Every single training regimen that they would ever require, was catered for there. It was like a mini world for cultivation.
There werebat areas that either took the form of arenas or tforms filled with formation arrays that created various situations, naturalndscapes that had been iid by some treasure to create a cmitous environment, forests stacked with all kinds of spirit beasts and spiritual nts to hone their survival skills, herb gardens, mountains, valleys, swamps and rivers, mines, pavilions to practice weapon refinement, talisman crafting, formation and disabling of arrays, alchemy and a library, to name a few. Also inclusive of the facilities were cultivation abodes and special meditation areas.
It wasplete with everything those who got into the Institute would need topletely excavate their potential.
When Yang Qing firstid eyes on it, he couldn''t believe his eyes. It had mystical aurora lights mixed in with the ethereal mist, giving the region an air of grandeur.
He wasn''t the only one. It happened to every trainee the moment they firstid their eyes on it.? Everything was beyond their imagination, from the training facilities to the wisdom contained within the peak, down to its basics such as the spiritual qi and other daily life services.
Yang Qing wept in joy when he visited the mess hall. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet, for no cost which was the best price for someone like him who had nothing to his name, and the quality of the food in terms of taste and richness, was to die for.
During the early days, he was a bit careful and well-mannered in his eating habits. He only ate four meals a day, and it was light, though it was light ording to his gluttonous judgment because to others it was normal.
Every day he would increase his amount subtly to test the waters and see if there were restrictions on how much one could eat, and by the second week, he let loose when he realized there were absolutely no restrictions. He ended up camping there in those first months.
He remembered how blissful he had been, thinking this was paradise. There was plenty of good-tasting food, rich facilities, and resources that he didn''t have to fight for, no any of those internal politics, and the instructors were kind and gentle with them from the moment they got in.
What he didn''t know was, that they were getting fattened up for ughter, the ughter that would happen from the fifth month going onwards to theirst day at the institute, where they would pay back every resource and food they gobbled up in those first four months, several times over.
The first four months were the grace period days. Where there were no demands, no torture,? they still had some life in them along with lively and hope-filled eyes.
But from the first day of the fifth month, the illusion breaks, and the death trap that is the Institute and their captors, the instructors finally reveal their true selves, fiends in human skins.
"I wonder how bad it will be today.." Yang Qing gleefully thought.
He had a few goals for visiting the Egg Peak today. One was because he was genuinely rooting for Peng Zhen and hoped he would do well. Peng Zhen used the Order in order to ensure his sect''s survival. His motives though pure, attracted consequences for using trickery to drag the Order into the mud without telling them, and for that he was sentenced to a life-and-death duel once a month for the next ten years. Yang Qing hoped he would survive and live to the end but ultimately it would depend on his abilities and luck too in case he got a defeat that didn''t end with his death.
The second goal was to see the blue-grade art he gave him, the Brilliant ray fist technique in action. The art could be considered one of his most prized treasures since it was the only blue-grade art to date he had ever managed to create by improving upon a red-grade cultivation art.
While he uses the art himself, every chance he gets to try and improve on it, seeing it being used by someone else may give him perspective and insight he would not normally get.
As for the final reason, it was to maintain tradition. Ever since he graduated from the Institute, once a year he woulde and see the first fights held at the Egg Peak, the breaking-in fights.
Seeing the moment the hope of those young students get pummeled out of them that first time made him feel refreshed. No matter how bad a day or a month he had, the moment he stepped into the arenas of Egg Peak to see those fights, he would feel cleansed and renewed.
Therefore it eventually became a tradition, almost a ritual for him. As long as he was around he would alwayse for the very first duel.
Without him noticing it, his smile grew wider the closer he got to thebat arenas.
The fight this time would be held at the white tiger mountain. The mountain was high up and had caved in to form the maw of a tiger, and its snow-filled peak led to it being called the white tiger mountain.
When Yang Qing arrived from the air, he drew curious filled eyes from the students below. There were about 70 of them.
They all looked up with shining eyes because they could tell Yang Qing was at least a pce stage cultivator, seeing how he could float in the air so casually. They did not know his post, since Yang Qing was dressed casually. He looked like some casual farmer from the get-up he had on.
He had on a green coat, white shirt, green shorts, and straw sandals underneath, and a beat-up wine gourd at his waist.
Yang Qing casually analyzed their gazes. It was different from what he would get if he decided to visit the Butterfly Peak which was the peak that housed those who were in their final year. All together the Institute had four peaks namely; Egg Peak, Larva Peak, Pupa Peak, and finally Butterfly Peak.
Egg Peak housed first years, Larva Peak housed second years, Pupa Peak housed third years and Butterfly Peak housed fourth years, which was the final point.
Had Yang Qing visited any of the other three peaks, the look they would have given him would have been of genuine respect, especially from those in the Pupa Peak and Butterfly Peak, whenpared to those of Egg Peak, who other than a fleeting curiosity, a little awe, most of them hadpetitive and evenbative mes in their eyes.
Those from the Pupa and Butterfly Peak, have already been baptized by the terrifying mes of the Institute, which washes away any sense of confidence, and self-worth, and leaves you a broken shell, struggling to survive each day.
Yang Qing''s appearance before them would be filled with respect as they would see him as a sessful survivor who made it to the other side. They knew what it meant to survive because they had endured a substantial bit themselves, however, when it came to those from the Egg Peak it was a different story.
The looks they gave Yang Qing werepletely different. It was almost as if they were saying, that in just a few years or even less, they would be where Yang Qing was and even maybe outshine him. They saw Yang Qing as no more than a stepping stone to the mor-filled lives they had each envisioned for themselves from the moment they passed the entrance examinations.
They were filled to the brim with bluster and pride. They had already given themselves the crowns of prodigies of the Order, the shining jewels. They couldn''t wait to let out that brilliance.
The first four months were made easy for them by design, to bring out this side of them to the surface, which the Institute would then ruthlessly wash away from the fifth month to theirst day. Whatever brilliance they thought they had would be blotted out every day with the darkness of the Institute and its trusty instructors.
The dragons and tigers they thought they were would be pummeled until they wore new identities, the worms of the earth, and one of the ways they did that was through these life-and-death duels.
Yang Qing rubbed his hands in excitement as he envisioned the instant knockouts, the torn limbs, and the shock-filled eyes about to descend on these arrogant first years. They were about to experience a shocking rebirth.
Chapter 512 Gold Eagle Shield Guard
?
To Yang Qing, there were arrogant faces he couldn''t wait to see transformed. Of course, there were a few good eggs within that group too. Those who had not let the four-month grace period dull their senses. Those who could still remember what life was like before they stepped into the Order, and what it took to survive, or those who could still remember how harrowing the entrance examination was.
That group though few still had the same sense of wariness and caution that they had when they were doing their examinations.
Yang Qing managed to spot nine of them from the bunch of seventy students.
He couldn''t judge the students who were indolent, casually taking in the sights around them talking,ughing, showing little to no caution as to why they had been called to this battle arena.
It was only human to want to rx and it wasn''t like the Institute advertised its real face out there, so not many people outside of those who have been in it knew what it was really like. To the outside world, it was a dreamscape that churned out talent after talent on behalf of the Order. A ce where even a normal pig had the potential of being turned into a fearsome tiger if admitted to the Institute.
"They really do embody fairness to the extreme.." muttered Yang Qing as he found a spot on the cliff to rx as he waited for the events to unfold.
Even without asking or being told, he knew the current students were those who had graduated from the blue grade test which was the lowest ssification of entrance test that the Order has.
It was meant for those who had an average aptitude. However, that was only as per the Order''s standards. Average to them would be elite in most sects and organizations. For example during Yang Qing''s test, Lai Rou and Bu Fei had developed saber sense and sword sense respectively, but even with such an achievement, they were only qualified to take the blue grade test.
Above the blue grade, was the gold grade and the purple grade test, with thetter being the highest test the Order gave out. Those who qualified for the purple grade test already had direct admissions to the Institute, though they didn''t know that.
As the cream of the crop, they were subjected to the worst possible test that they could be given. It was so horrible that on average every year only three or four people finished it, and the test usuallysted between seven months to a year, while the gold grade usuallysted for about four to five months, though it wasn''t as brutal as the purple grade test it was multiple levels higher than all the blue grade testsbined.
As per Yang Qing''s estimates, those who came in the same batch as the current students, the ones who qualified for the gold grade test were just about to finish their tests, while those who qualified for the purple grade test were still doing it, and had two more months to continue, that is if they were still conscious and some sort of piece that enabled them to continue with the test.
In the purple grade test, you would only be removed if you were a breathe away from death, a literal breath, so until then, you would endure everything up until that moment, whether it was copsed lungs, dismembered limbs, poisoning and the like, you would not get healed or retrieved until you were literally inches away from death''s door.
Those who have undergone the gold and purple grade tests would not be as easygoing as the students in front of Yang Qing, were.
If they had been the ones present, they would have been huddled together like little chics, their eyes darting around them over and over in fear, with tensed up bodies, that were ready to retaliate or run at a moment''s notice, unlike the group before him.
They were disjointed andcked that sense of unified front, they were nothing more than strangers with one or two people seeming to have a bond, and even then it seemed superficial, and theycked a sense of fear in them.
The reason Yang Qing said the Order embodies fairness, is because the students before him would be purposefully subjected to the same level of torment that their counterparts in the gold grade and purple grade tests endured.
"I hope Zou Yi and the rest are doing okay.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he took out a bag of crispy fried sunflower seeds.
Zou Yi, his sister, and the group they formed had been sent to the test site for a gold grade test for two months for failing to be among the top fifteen during the test. They would be put through the paces for the next two months by the instructors there before they rejoined the rest.
While those who sessfully made it with them, should have started their first week and were likely still doing inductions around Egg Peak, and those with families or dependants, would be working on relocation.
"Yoh, don''t you have anything better to do other thane to these tests?"
As Yang Qing was happily munching on his sunflower seeds, he almost choked on them when a young man who looked to be in his early thirties, with ck hair tied simply with a papyrus reed, handsome face, sword-sharp eyes, suddenly appeared next to him without him noticing. He only realized there was someone next to him when that man spoke.
"Instructor Pan, nice to see you. Your heroic bearing hasn''t waned one bit.." said Yang Qing with an obsequious smile as he cupped his fists to the young man in ck and white robes that had the symbol of a robin sown on them.
"You seem genuinely surprised when I appeared? Almost as if caught by surprise. Have you been cking off in your training, now that you''re in the pce realm?" the young man ominously asked as he narrowed his eyes with a serious expression.
Yang Qing felt his blood freeze over when he saw that look.
"I knew it, the Instructors are much scarier even than the founder of the Ice Emerald Sect when she turned into a Ba She.
I should expect nothing less from a former gold eagle shield guard.." thought Yang Qing as he felt his body involuntary shake to the formless pressure radiating from Instructor Pan.
Gold Eagle Shield Guard was a special force that was usually deployed to key areas owned by the Order outside of its headquarters.
For example, when a branch was being created, a gold eagle shield guard would be deployed in the early stage to ensure security as it was being built and would only leave after the branch was built topletion and the personnel deployed there had settled for a year.
Other than branches, there were special locations such as mines, territories within the Millionsfold Treasure Ocean, Ruins, and other mysterious realms and grottos that were protected by the Gold Eagle Shield Guard.
They were the first line of defense for the interests of the Order outside. For one to join they needed to have the capability to handle three professions and also a gifted cultivator. The minimum requirement was one needed to have a gold core at least to be considered.
Their training was very rigorous and exhaustive. Before one became a gold eagle shield guard, they would work at various departments to hone their secondary professions, and it needed to be at an above-average standard before they could move to the next training.
They were troves of wisdom and experience. From the rumor Yang Qing had heard when he was a hatchling at the Institute was that since the founding of the Order till now, the number of Gold Eagle Shield Guards was no more than a hundred and the instructor Pan, who was eyeing him like he wanted to retrain Yang Qing on the spot had been one of them.
Chapter 513 Lessons For The Unhatched (1)
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After getting a brief tale of how it was back then from Meng Chao, Yang Qing couldn''t help but throw Instructor Pan a respectful gaze.
For the Order to establish its foothold back then, how hard must have it been for the Gold Eagle Shield Guards back then.
"Thank you, Instructor Pan.." Yang Qing suddenly said which drew a quizzical look from the Instructor, however, he didn''t dwell too much on it as he had pressing issues at hand.
"You still haven''t answered, have you been cking student Qing.." he sternly asked.
Yang Qing shivered as the name seemed to dredge up memories he had worked very hard to repress over the years.
"No! No! No! I haven''t, instructor Pan.." Yang Qing hurriedly said as backed away.
"I got injured the other day which rendered me incapable of operating at full capacity. My spiritual sense was one of the things affected.." he added.
He couldn''t afford to be ''trained'' in front of the young chics, not after he hade all this way to see them get that ''training'' instead.
Instructor Pan who had an austere and taciturn expression the whole time, finally showed a surprised look.
"You may goof around a lot but even I know how capable you are.. Who was the opponent? Was it a domain expert? .." he asked with a frosty expression that hid a murderous intent within.
"The instructor fiend have emotions?" wondered Yang Qing before he went and recounted the events at the Medical Valley and also his leave of absence from work, lest the Instructor think he was being a truant and drag him back to the courts.
The instructor didn''t say much after he heard the tale. An awkward silence ensued for a bit before he finally said,
"Make sure to take proper care of yourself. I''ll be off then.."
"Oh, and his name was Peng Zhen, right, the one you had sent?" he asked as he was leaving for the ground.
"Yes.."
"He seems capable... He would be an excellent molder for these feeble eggs.."
Yang Qing shivered as he saw the malevolent smile creeping up on Instructor Pan''s face as he made it to the tform below.
The students below dressed in ck and orange robes with the image of a robin sown on them went silent when they saw Instructor Pan appear on the tform.
Instructor Pan eyed the students as he exuded a slight pressure on them which made them all flinch as if a ravenous predator was eyeing them.
Yang Qing chuckled as he swallowed a handful of sunflower seeds in clear excitement.
"It''s about to begin.."
After a few seconds, Instructor Pan reigned in the pressure. The students present were mostly at the peak stage of the first, second, and third stages of the foundation establishment realm with a few being at the peak of the qi refinement realm.
Almost every single one of them had been at the qi refinement realm when they did their entrance examination, and those that were already in the foundation establishment realm at the time of the test either had blue grade pirs while those that didn''t would be absent in today''s group because they would have to disperse their cultivation base and start from scratch if their pirs had been below the blue grade.
It was simr to what happened to Bu Fei, who despite having sword sense or being close to 100 years old, was told by Yang Qing he would have to recultivate from scratch and rebuild his foundations again since he only had white-grade pirs that would stifle his progress forward if he stayed with them.
In the four-month duration before today''s test, the students were pumped full of resources like fattened calves and then were trained and guided personally by the instructors from cultivation to fighting techniques which helped them experience explosive growths in a short amount of time, which was one of the reasons they all seemed arrogant.
However, what they didn''t know was, that in the next few months, they would be beaten and tortured to the bone, and they would barely have enough strength or time to improve their cultivation base by more than a few minor realms in the next few months.
There''s a reason why despite the Institute being a resource-rich ce, every student by the time theyplete their final year, their cultivation base is usually only in the early stage of the core formation realm, and it is only after they leave the Institute do they get to experience rapid rises in their cultivation base.
The years at the institute are spent hammering the foundations and the basics in the most brutal and painful way possible into their bodies.
It''s only in the first four months of their first year do they get the chance to experience explosive growth and the reason for that is so they don''t die, to give them enough vitality as sandbags. To lengthen their ability to endure whatever the instructors would do to them.
The students started murmuring to themselves as they could feel something strange brewing. What they didn''t know was that was their sixth sense kicking in, the same one birds would get every time a major earthquake was underway but unlike the birds, they had no idea what wasing.
"Now then, today we will be doing something we call a test of incubation. It''s a test aimed at helping you gain the abilities and more importantly the character that will help you find your footing within the Order and the demands it will ce on you when you begin your duties.
The test will strengthen, elevate you, and help you reach and see heights you never thought possible.
You wille to discover things about yourselves and of each other during this test. Make sure you keep the lessons you learn here at heart, and I will also make an announcement after the test.
Many of you must be wondering what test it will be, and some of you may have already guessed it involvesbat.."
The students eyed each other with clear battle intent as he said that.
"However, you will not be fighting each other, but them.." as Instructor Pan said this a gentle swirl of leaves appeared, and in the midst of those leaves there were thirty cultivators wearing simr dull grey robes with most radiating a bloodthirsty aura that could onlye from those who have ughtered thousands.
Yang Qing spotted Peng Zhen within that group. He was an outlier as he had a gentle and stable aura to him.
Chapter 514 Lessons For The Unhatched (2)
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Peng Zhen, who had been cautiously eyeing the students from the Order, felt a presence looking over him, prompting him to look up, where he saw a young, gentle-looking green-haired youth with something in his mouth smiling at him.
"Judge Yang Qing?! What is he doing here?" he wondered as he offered a polite and respectful bow.
He had been practicing the blue-grade art, the Brilliant ray fist technique for a month now and though he was still in the beginner stages in terms of understanding it, he couldn''t help but be awed by its profundities.
The cultivation art though was a fist technique primarily, it contained other aspects that were meant to build one''s abilities toward reaching the full potential of the art. There was apanying movement art, healing art, finger art, and palm art that had an equal measure in defensive and offensive properties.
The art also strengthened his body the more he practiced it, making him more sensitive to spiritual qi, and his own qi seemed to have a quality being developed as he continued to practice the art. He could feel it had a purifying effect, though presently it was extremely mild whose effectspared to mortal rank pills with a simr effect.
However, he had only started cultivating the art, the more he practiced it, the more he felt the purifying quality within his qi would grow along with hisprehension and experience with the Brilliant ray fist technique.
Having a purifying attribute within his qi, could be considered one of the greatest harvests Peng Zhen could ever gain from the art. When he considered its value and implications, it was even more vital to him than the core technique. This was because the Green Fog region where their sect was located was a poisonous ce.
It was almost guaranteed that you would not take more than six steps before you stumbled on something poisonous. It could be a creature, nt, water, or even the air itself. Anything could poison you within the region.
Within their sect, they had to nt herbs and various nts with purification and detoxifying effects, along with that they also had to set up various cleansing and poison detection arrays all over the sect which were constantly monitored because of being continuously triggered. Those arrays were one of the biggest resource guzzlers for the sect, because of how many spirit stones and treasures with purifying, detoxifying, and rming abilities, they had to burn through within a short duration.
However, those arrays and measures were vital to the survival of the sect. However even with the measures they put in ce, and having survived in the Green Fog swamp for thousands of years, they still have poison epidemics within the sect through various means. A spirit beast the size of a small insect bypasses their protection, conceals itself, andys eggs within their sect grounds, then when the time is ripe they hatches and attacks the sect en masse, or a strange nt manages to invade their territory in the form of spores and creates a miasma gue once inside.
For a poison-rich region that continuously innovated and churned out different ways of spreading poison, the Green Fog Swamp sect could notpletely make their sect airtight against poisoning incidents. About the only ce that waspletely free of poison and eliminated all risk was the sect master''s courtyard where the Tupelo tree grew, but with it out ofmission in its hibernated state, no ce waspletely safe within the territory of the sect.
Peng Zhen having a purifying ability within his qi meant he could use it to create safe spots around the sect using his qi as a conduit, the healing arts would be more potent, and he could now roam in certain regions of the Green fog region with an added level of protection against poisoning.
The Green fog region was one of the richest resource-filled areas in the Southern Continent, however, its poisonous terrain, and the suppressed spiritual sense, and the huge spirit beast poption were some of the main reasons most including the inhabitants of the area didn''t explore it as much, but now, Peng Zhen felt if he got more familiar with it, he could explore the regions surrounding their sect for resources, and there was also the sentence handed to Chen Yuan. He could help him in creating the botanical list he was charged with.
Peng Zhen couldn''t help but sigh with gratitude. The sentence he was given felt more like a blessing than anything else.
"I don''t know if the rice from the sect will evene close to repaying the favor he has given me.." wondered Peng Zhen before he cleared his mind of all worries and focused on the matter at hand.
Even if he was given a blue grade art, and had a higher cultivation base than the young students he saw before him, he couldn''t afford to lower his guard.
He was still serving a life and death sentence, which he couldn''t afford to lose, especially with the recent happenings at the Green Fog Region and his opponents despite only being in the early stages of the foundation establishment realm while he was at the peak stage himself, two minor realms above them, he didn''t favor his odds as he would be facing elites, known to fight across realms.
He still remembered what Yang Qing told him when he handed out the sentence. He had to fight as though his life was on the line because it would be, and he would risk it over and over again so that he could live at the end of it. He should not hold back in any form whatsoever, and that was what Peng Zhen intended to do.
As someone who lived in the Green Fog Swamp, a ce where death was prevalent every second, he was no stranger to risking one''s life for survival.
..
At the arena, a palpable tense atmosphere was created when the prisoners from the Requiem arrived.
"The opponents you will be facing will be the inmates of Requiem. In the few months that you have been here, you should already be familiar with some of the core facilities of the Order, with Requiem being one of them.
The prison where we imprison heinous cultivators who are judged to be too dangerous or irredeemable to be let out.
The cultivators you see before are from there..."
Instructor Pan''s introduction drew breaths of cold air from the students whose gazes quickly turned from shock to eagerness. They saw the inmates as nothing more thanmbs ted for ughter.
The bulk of them were all too eager, they couldn''t wait for the fight to start so they could show their brilliance and the fruits of theirbor for the past four months.
To some, this was the prelude to their illustrious achievements where their names would be sung far and wide and even eclipse their fellow students.
They each threw each otherpetitive nces as if they were saying ''Who will have the cleanest and fastest wins under their belt.'' In their minds, despite their opponents having higher cultivation bases with the least of them having a sixth stage foundation establishment realm cultivation base, their victory was already guaranteed. The only question was how beautiful their wins would be.
Chapter 515 Lessons For The Unhatched (3)
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Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile when he saw this while Instructor Pan remained indifferent to the whole thing as he went on to exin the rules of the duel.
"The fight will be a simple format with not that many rules in it. First and foremost the fight will be a one-on-one, and it is a life and death duel..."
Instructor Pan ignored the startled looks of the students as he went on with his exnation.
"The inmates will be fighting with their lives on the line. As per the rules, we have asked them to throw everything they have at you. They will be fighting to kill you, because if they don''t, if I detect them holding back even a little, I will execute them on the spot.
As for you, I would advise you to fight with all you have, if you want to live.." said Instructor Pan as his gaze narrowed on the students who all flinched.
"While I will not execute you, poor results will breed grave consequences which will be no different than experiencing death. Don''t hold back for your sake.
In the fight the inmates'' death and survival hinge on your choice, as long as the inmates go all out, I will not interfere in whether you allow them to live or kill them in the fight.
I will only intervene when you''re about to die and lucky for us we have someone in our midst a former student, who is now a pce court judge whose skills in healing stand out even among the greats of our Medical Valley despite it not being his primary focus.
With him here as long as you have a single breath in you, he can instantly restore you. Judge Yang Qing, could I leave this matter to you?"
The students all looked up in surprise at the revtion that Yang Qing was a judge. From his clothing, they had all assumed he was a farmer in the herb gardens of the Order, but hearing he was a pce court judge and one skilled at healing, changed the way they saw him.
"Since Instructor Pan has asked, I will happily oblige, and do my best.." said Yang Qing with a polite smile.
"Good with him here, you can forget dying, so don''t worry about killing them, and if by some unlucky event one dies, you will not be sentenced for it, and we will just count it as our loss and negligence.
Hold nothing back, eliminate all qualms, and fight to kill, though based on the reputations you have, I doubt any of you have any misgivings about it.." said Instructor Pan as he addressed the inmates.
"Since you put it so nicely, I would be considered a reprobate if I didn''tmit myself.."
"I can''t wait to repay back all the torture I endured.."
"Instructor don''t go welching on the promise, I need to soak my back in the twilight yin pond like you promised. These aching joints need them.."
"How long has it been since I have seen blood that wasn''t my own? Don''t worry young ones, this kind senior will ensure you will have pleasant memories of me, kekekekekek.."
The inmates all mored as they let out their natures. Only a few remained silent.
The students all had strange looks on their faces as they looked at Instructor Pan. They all seemed to be asking,
"Why does it seem you''re on their side more than ours.."
Instructor Pan noticing their gazes offered a smile as he said,
"You get rewards too. For every victory you will receive 100 merit points, by now you should be keenly aware of how valuable they are.."
Greedy gazes instantly appeared in all the students.
"In addition, your performance here will influence your grade reviews. Now as to thest rule well it concerns victory and defeat.
When ites to the inmates, it will be considered their victory if they knock you unconscious or if I am forced to intervene when you''re close to death as for them is if they die, or end up unconscious in the fight.
To all who survive, they will be healed the instance the fight ends, and there will be no time limit on the fight.
I will give you all a minute to prepare yourselves before I announce the first contestants.." said Instructor Pan.
A few of the students and the inmates sat down in meditation while others talked, and others threw each otherbative nces.
During that short break, Instructor Pan gave Yang Qing a jade containing the names of the students and the criminals and their apanying crimes.
A minute quickly flew by and the first contestants were called to the center of the arena.
"First to fight is Ren Jie from the Insitute and your opponent is Zou Hong.."
When Instructor Pan made the announcement two people walked in from the opposite sides of the arena.
From the student''s side came out a heroic-looking youth with silver hair and ck eyes. He had a long sword in his hand and a cultivation base that was at the second stage of the foundation establishment realm.
"Instructor Pan is insidious as ever.." muttered Yang Qing when he realized why Ren Jie was the first to be called up.
His opponent on the other side was a thin, pale-skinned man who looked to be in his early thirties. He was nothing but skin and bones, and his robes hung loosely on his body exposing his ribbed chest that had thousands of de scars.
He walkednguidly to the center of the arena looking like he could copse and fall over any minute. He had ck hair and his head was hung low as he let out crazy chuckles. He held two hook swords in his hands.
From the jade handed to him, the inmate by the name of Zou Hong was infamous for his brutal nature. He had once ughtered all the workers and customers within a restaurant because the restaurant served him meat that wasn''t bloody enough.
He killed the one who served him, then moved to the chef, which incited rage from the customers who intervened, however, all of them were ughtered, brutally at that. Their bodies were thinly sliced like ingredients in the attack, leaving the restaurant covered in pools of blood.
Thinly sliced corpses became his trademark in his road of infamy. By the time he fell on the Order''s radar, he had ughtered thousands.
He had the lowest cultivation base of the bunch of inmates, with the sixth level of the foundation establishment realm cultivation base.
When he reached the center of the tform he raised his head with a manic snicker escaping his lips as he eyed the silver-haired youth like a prey readied for ughter.
"It''s been some time since I have prepared ingredients kekeke... I hope I haven''t gotten rusty.." Zou Hong said as he licked his hook swords.
All equipment used, whether it was the student''s side or the inmates'' side, were of simr quality and rank which was middle tier earth grade weapons.
The silver-haired youth by the name of Ren Jie ignored the provocation as he unsheathed his sword awaiting the instructions from Instructor Pan to begin the fight.
"Begin.."
The moment the announcement was made, the thin Zou Hong who looked too weak to even stand, burst with a speed that created galing winds.
There was a hundred-meter gap between him and Ren Jie, however, he crossed half that within an instant as his body turned darker like it was rusting.
Ren Jie wasn''t far behind as he used what looked to be a top-tier orange-grade art to charge in.
The art made his body seem as light as a feather and as nimble as a swallow, however, the instant he caught up with Zou Rong, his body changed and a lightning tempest was released from his body down his de which shed with Zou Rong''s hook swords creating a thunderous explosion.
Both opponents adhered to Instructor Pan''s words and went all out from the start. One was an overbearing force of lightning, and the other was a metallic wind tempest that aimed to shred everything in its path.
Chapter 516 Lessons For The Unhatched (4)
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Within the time it took to blink, they had exchanged over 20 moves, each aiming to ughter the other. Every move that they made was made with the intent to kill.
Ren Jie''s movements and attacks were continuous and fluid, which showed that his foundations were rock solid. He was only using top-tier orange grade cultivation arts whether it was the movement art or attacking cultivation arts.
Yang Qing could already decipher which they were the instant his body made the slightest of movements and even the degree of expertise Ren Jie had in them.
The orange grade arts he was using were the mainstay cultivation arts the Institute trained the students in the first four months, though they did teach them one blue grade art, but the bulk of the time they were trained in orange grade arts.
There were various factors and reasons why the instructors preferred to first train the students in orange grade arts, instead of focusing on the more superior blue grade, gold grade, or even purple grade arts.
Some of the reasons were; to help the students limate well to their breakthrough, to have a better grasp of their strength, a top tier orange grade art would do a far better job than a low tier blue grade art.
Blue-grade arts were difficult to grasp and even if one grasped it, someone at the early stages of the foundation establishment realm or in the qi refinement, would not be able to fully bring out the might of the blue-grade arts, and it would also hinder the understanding of their own bodies because of the strain the blue grade arts would have on them.
Therefore to better hone their instincts, and grasp of their abilities, the instructors usually started the students off with orange-grade arts.
The instructors would hand over a list of preselected top-tier orange-grade arts, and the students would choose which ones they would like to learn. It was usually a maximum of five. Any more, and it would prove problematic because the instructors would give them one-on-one tutoring in the early weeks before it evolved into group sses.
For the sake of efficiency, they couldn''t learn more with the help of the instructors, though they could add to their list for self-study, but the maximum the instructors could guide them on was a fixed five.
Most usually went with five or less, since more was never best. Despite being orange-grade arts, it didn''t mean they could be grasped easily. One needed to give them a fair bit of attention to gain any meaningful mastery of them. For orange-grade arts, achieving anything less than the blooming stage in terms of mastery was considered mediocre. Because it was only when one reached the blooming stage would the orange-grade arts be considered fully in use.
From Ren Jie''s exchange of attacks with Zou Hong, Yang Qing could tell the movement art he practiced was a top-tier orange-grade art by the name of the weightless water-gliding step of the phaseless lizard.
The art was aimed at strengthening the leg muscles, with the core of the body acting as the conductor. One''s control of their legs needed to be gentle and light to the point you could borrow the wind and the force of your movement or even the movement from the opponent''s attack to increase your speed.
It wasn''t the best when it came to running away from an opponent but when it came to a dueling movement art, it was one of the best, especially in a battle of attrition since it operated on borrowing the force of the attacker to sustain itself, and it also emphasized on using minimal movements as possible. Yang Qing could already tell Ren Jie was already at the blooming stage with it.
And for attacking, he could tell he went with the orange-grade art the thunderous crane sword art. It paired perfectly with the weightless water gliding step of the phaseless lizard since it focused on fluidity strikes continuously built upon the previous move be it attack or defend.
As for his opponent, even when the skilled Ren Jie, Zou Hong seemed to hold his own against him. Yang Qing could tell he had a natural physique that had the metal and wind attributes, which made him perfectly bnced in attack and defense.
Zou Hong''s fight pattern seemed haphazard without clear movement patterns. He seemed to react solely on instinct, however, those movements though irregr, had a certain uracy to them. Every attack, every roll of the body, everything he did seemed to add a lethality to his attack. Were it any other opponent he was facing, they would have lost by now and even though Ren Jie kept him at bay, it wasn''t as easy as any of the students or even maybe Ren Jie himself would have expected even with Zou Hong not being at 100%, since before he was brought here, he had been under the special care of the requiem guards.
The longer the fight went on, the more Zou Hong''s experience as a murderous rogue cultivator began to show. This was someone who had fought for countless years. From his file he was already 98 years old, and from when he was young to date, who knew how many fights he has been in? Probably several hundred more than the 16-year-old Ren Jie.
Ren Jie made a downward lightning sh toward Zou Hong to try and slice his shoulder, however, Zou Hong managed to twist his body and bones like a boneless creature and then borrowed the momentum of Ren Jie''s sh by using his two hook swords to swing rotationally on his sword. By the time he swung upwards, his leg was already at the neck of Ren Jie aiming to slice his head apart.
Ren Jie managed to dodge in the nick of time, by b twisting his waist while he bent backwards. He managed to disrupt the trajectory of the kick with the twist, evading the kick by an inch but even then, a shallow cut appeared below his eye.
Zou Hong''s pupils contracted when he saw the blood on Ren Jie''s face. His face contorted to a frenzied bloodthirsty look as he manicallyughed while increasing the speeds of his attacks. A tempest wind of destruction was created with his crazy swings that didn''t seem to follow any rhyme or reason.
For the next few minutes, Ren Jie was put on the defense, dodging and deflecting the attacks by a hair''s breadth each time, with Zou Hong''s momentum growing by the second.
Murmurings appeared from the student''s side each surprised at Ren Jie being pushed around, one of them even mocked Ren Jie for hisckluster abilities, and how he was losing face for the Order, while on the inmates'' side, they were celebrating, and cheering like it was their win.
Chapter 517 Lessons For The Unhatched (5)
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Zou Hong battering Ren Jie and putting him on the ropes, to them was like Zou Hong avenging them for all they endured in Requiem. Some of them even had the urge to jump in and ughter Ren Jie in the most brutal way possible, to vent the shame, frustration, and fear they all had in their hearts from their daily lives in the Requiem. However, they dared not too because of the presence of Instructor Pan and Yang Qing.
These were two pce realm cultivators from the Order, and they were just in the foundation establishment. While they were bloodthirsty and heinous individuals, they were no death seekers.
The only thing they could do was engrave the memory of Ren Jie getting pushed around by Zou Hong, as they eagerly waited their turn to replicate the results or even do more than what Zou Hong was doing.
Instructor Pan didn''t interfere with their cheering and jeering as he remained indifferent to the whole thing, while Yang Qing the chosen healer for the fight, had a twinkle in his eye as he watched the fight along with the reactions from both sides.
"Should be about now.." he muttered, taking out another handful of sunflower seeds to munch on.
At the arena, Ren Jie who was pushed around, tightened the grip on his longsword as his eyes changed and went hollow.
He immediately used the hilt of his sword and the tip of his de to simultaneously block two of Zou Hong''s hook swords for a millisecond. As he made the block, his mouth suddenly opened and he produced a sombre melodic owl whistle.
A silhouette of the eyes of an owl appeared behind him and disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. Its appearance and disappearance were so fast that the only people who managed to notice what had appeared were Yang Qing and Instructor Pan. The rest all they saw was a grey light sh and disappear followed by an unexpected scene before them.
Zou Hong who looked like an unforgiving and unrelenting storm, paused for a second like his body had been paralyzed with his eyes looking distant and hollow for just a second before they regained their normal look.
However, that second of absenteeism proved fatal as Ren Jie twisted his wrist creating a lightning-speed arc attack that severed his hands at the wrist as he dashed forward. When he reappeared at the back of Zou Hong, who still seemed confused at what happened with a thin line appearing on his neck.
"Have I been sliced? kekekeke.." said Zou Hong with the same manic smile as his head slowly fell from his neck. His body fell down like a log a momentter, with silence covering the area.
The change had happened too fast for them to follow. One minute it looked like Zou Hong was winning but in just a second he had already been decapitated.
Frowns could be seen forming from the inmates'' side, while from the student''s side, they all looked at the heavy-breathing Ren Jie with a new look. Most of the seventy students had already written his fight off as a loss based on how he was being pushed back, they didn''t expect him to overturn the situation and even win, especially in such a manner. Some couldn''t even tell how he had done it.
"Well done.." Yang Qing said as he shed from where he was sitting and reappeared next to Ren Jie who was as pale as snow. His lips were purple, his eyes looked to be grey and his breathing was ragged and shallow, as his body continuously spasmed.'' He looked to just be on the brink of falling unconscious.
Yang Qing ced his hand on his back as a green-blue water wave condensed on his palm which he then poured into Ren Jie through his back.
Within three breaths, color had returned to Ren Jie, and his body stopped shaking and the pounding headache, and fatigue he felt down his soul seemed to have been renewed.
He couldn''t help but look in shock at the goofy-looking green-haired judge next to him. As someone who knew the state his body had been in, he was filled with shock at the instant full restoration of his body.
He had used a soul type blue grade art that put undue pressure on his soul and body to defeat Zou Hong, he was sure he was well on his way to copsing after executing thest move with his soul drained, his body aching all over, but now, he felt like he could go again, he even felt more refreshed than before the fight.
He couldn''t help but marvel at Yang Qing''s abilities, especially, if he considered Instructor Pan''s introduction, which said healing wasn''t his primary upation.
"Thhhhank you, senior.." Ren Jie said as he stammered.
"You''re wee, and good fight.." Yang Qing casually said as he patted him on the back.
"You need to move for the next contestant. You don''t want to get on Instructor Pan''s bad side, otherwise, the overdrawn effect you felt when you executed the Soul Captivating Neb Owl art will pale inparison to what he will do to you if you don''t leave.." Yang Qing whispered as he quickly disappeared from the center of the arena to his sitting spot.
Ren Jie was dazed for a bit before he hurriedly left the arena as he cautiously eyed the indifferent-looking instructor Pan with his gaze alternating to the casual-looking Yang Qing.
"Winner Ren Jie.." announced Instructor Pan as he waved his sleeve producing a silver me that burned Zou Hong''s body to dust.
"Next is..."
When he opened his mouth to make the next announcement, the fighters from both sides were no longer as casual as they seemed before. The inmates thought they had an advantage in their cultivation realms, however, they now saw one of their own die. They had to reevaluate the 70 students, while on the students'' side, they thought victory was all but guaranteed to them, but seeing the way Zou Hong fought, they couldn''t afford to be careless.
When Yang Qing saw who Instructor Pan called next he couldn''t help but shake his head with a smile.
When he saw Ren Jie being the first to be sent up, he had an inkling to what Instructor Pan was ying at, and seeing the second person he called up, his guess had just been confirmed.
He couldn''t help but offer his condolences to the group that had no idea they were being led by the nose.
Chapter 518 Lessons For The Unhatched (6)
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Instructor Pan gave one minute for the next contestants to prepare themselves. From the students'' side was an ordinary-looking girl named Mei Ling.
She was thin and small in stature, and despite being 16 years old, she looked like she was 11. She was at the third stage of the foundation establishment realm and from the choice of weapon, she looked to be a sword user just like Ren Jie.
Her opponent was Jin Zhang also known as the ''infernal demon Zhang''. Despite the emaciating experience prisoners were subjected to in Requiem, his physique was still enormous and burly. He looked like a bull in human skin as his entire body radiated suffocating heat. He had no weapons and just viciously clenched his fists as he eyed the small Mei Ling who was about the size of one of his thighs.
Jin Zhang loved fighting and would use any opportunity he could get to engage inbat and most were usually to the death. During one of his ventures, he came across a small town in the middle of nowhere where he heard a rumor that it harbored a reclusive expert with great spear skills.
Jin Zhang in typical fashion sought after the expert and when he found him, he asked him for a duel to the death. The reclusive expert had a family at the time which was the reason he decided to abandon the rogue cultivator''s life and settle down peacefully.
With a lot to lose, he rejected Jin Zhang''s request and even offered to refer him to various cultivators and even special tournaments that Jin Zhang would enjoy due to the nature of those tournaments. However, Jin Zhang heard none of it, as he was as obstinate as a bull.
He wanted a thrilling fight with the reclusive spear expert, one in which they all went all out, so he devised a n that would force the reclusive expert to fight him in all earnest. Behind the simplistic brute face hid a sinister person who would do anything to get a thrilling fight.
So he hired an assassin organization he was familiar with and had them kidnap the wife and daughter of the reclusive expert along with ughtering the small town he lived in, so they could lure him out, to make the kidnapping a sess.
Jin Zhang waited a year before the n was put into motion, which was a sess. After he received the wife and daughter in his custody he beheaded them both and came to the reclusive expert''s doorstep with each of their heads in his hands.
The reclusive expert mad with fury gave him the fight he so desperately wanted. Jin Zhang managed to defeat and kill the expert but not without receiving nasty wounds of his own that left him unconscious in the small town.
A rogue cultivator acquainted with an inquisitor of the Order happened toe across the town and reported the matter to the inquisitor. Jin Zhang had already left by the time she appeared, however, after a few months, the inquisitor investigating the matter managed to track and capture him.
Of the inmates present, he was the newest having only been at the Requiem for seven months. He had a cultivation base that was at the seventh stage of the foundation establishment realm, and from what Yang Qing read about him, he practiced an iplete blue-grade art by the name, of Marauding Fangs of the Fire Bull. An art that boosted all his physical abilities to insane levels along with destructive power.
Yang Qing couldn''t wait for the fight to start. Meanwhile, some of the students were already surrounding Ren Jie asking him about the details that happened when the fight was about to end. They were still in disbelief at how Ren Jie pulled it off despite seeming to be on the losing end.
Yang Qing, Instructor Pan, and some of the seasoned inmates were the ones who saw what happened more so Yang Qing and Instructor Pan.
While Ren Jie seemed like he was being pushed back and struggling, which in part was true, it was also deliberate on his part. He used being pushed on the edge, to read the pattern of attacks from Zou Hong, while he continuously familiarized himself with his own arts. He had only been practicing them for four months, and despite being at the blooming stage already, understanding and experience were two different things. He needed enough time, to condense his understanding to experience, which being on the defense helped him do.
As for Zou Hong, while his attacks seemed rampant, unnned, uncoordinated, random, and reactive, something done on a whim even with unpredictability follows a routine. While his attacks seemed random and unpredictable, they were filled with predictable patterns. Attacks no matter how random would follow subconscious choices, and for some keen enough, they would be able to detect those choices. From the muscle movement, twist of the body, handling of the weapon, positioning and so much more.
Zou Hong''s unpredictable attack patterns had patterns in them ingrained from the countless battles he had over the years. He could fool many, but his muscle memory and natural movements would sell him out to anyone with enough defensive skill which was the foundation of the Institute''s teaching on defense. It involved analyzing and breaking down an opponent''s habits down to the unconscious ones in the smallest time possible and Ren Jie was able to do that, which was credit to him because most would not be able to do it in under four months. The only way someone like him would be able to pull it off is if they poured themself wholly into it for those four months with no rest to the point of breaking down.
With his attack patterns deciphered, the rest was easy, Ren Jie timed his defensive counter perfectly so that he could halt the attack long enough to deploy a blue-grade soul technique that paralyzed him long enough to be struck down. It was a meticulous and thorough approach.
A minute passed by and Instructor Pan announced the start of the next match between Mei Ling and Jin Zhang.
Simr to the first fight, few words were exchanged with only Jin Zhang being the one to say a few words which fell along the lines of'' he was truly happy to get a worthwhile fight, especially with the dangerous vibes he was receiving from the ordinary-looking small Mei Ling.
A thrilling fight was what Jin Zhang asked for, and a thrilling fight he got. Mei Ling matched him power for power, attack for attack, she did not bother to dodge. It was a simple bloody and ruthless brawl. One used his fists that could shatter and incinerate a mountain while the other was tyrannical with her sword.
Jin Zhangughed joyfully the longer the fight went on, even with his eyes and body covered in blood and his breath ragged. He kept swinging and swinging his fists bringing chaos and destruction as it met with the other equally destructive force.
Mei Ling was covered in blood too, however, her whole demeanor was calm and still, like it wasn''t her that was fighting and she was nothing more than a detached spectator.
20 minutes passed by with the two opponents still going at it, however, when the clock approached the half-hour mark was when things started to change, and the bloodied stalemate was broken.
Before the thirty-minute mark, the speeds and the weight of their attacks seemed to be more or less simr, however, that gradually changed after half an hour. Mei Ling''s attack grew more powerful and faster, as a tide movement sound was produced from her attacks.
Chapter 519 Lessons For The Unhatched (7)
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As the fight went on, Jin Zhang''s punches and movements got swallowed in an unrelenting tide of sword strikes. Mei Ling''s figure couldn''t be seen in the avnche, all that was present was an ocean tide sound apanied by a spray of blood.
After a quarter of an hour passed since the change in Mei Ling''s attack, Jin Zhang''s uproariousughter that he had maintained all throughout the fight suddenly stopped as he fell backward with a satisfied smile on his face. He was missing all his limbs that had been smoothly sliced to mince while every part of his torso to his face was filled with deep shing marks. His blood had a firey element to it that attempted to burn the floor every time it dripped on it, however, it was useless since the arena was built to handle the fight of even peak domain experts.
Standing a few inches away from him was the tiny Mei Ling who waspletely drenched in blood from head to toe. The only visible part of her body was her eyes, which seemed zombie-like as her gaze was firmly fixed on the dismembered Jin Zhang lying in a pool of his blood. The thin sword in her hands was shaking along with her body which other than trembling was also releasing steam. She looked like she was trying to move, but for the life of her, she could not take as much as a single step, even blinking her eyes proved to beborious.
"Winner, Mei Ling.." announced Instructor Pan, which was the cue for Yang Qing to step into the arena.
Yang Qing immediately appeared next to Mei Ling as he congratted her, though, by the state she was in, he had doubts if she had him at all due to the pain and strain her body was in because of the art she had just executed.
The cultivation art she had just executed was the Augmented unrelenting severing sword tide art which could be considered a quasi-blue-grade art. The attack was aimed atpounding the sword strike''s power and speed with every swing. Any user who used it would abandon any form of defense and would only focus on swinging the sword without pause or doubt.
It required one to have a strong will that they would not be deterred or shaken to halt their movement even if they were just about to be cut apart. The sword strikes needed to be continuous and like its name unrelenting. As long as one maintains and gradually increases the momentum and intensity of their attacks, the power and the momentum of the sword strikes would increase to the point the one being attacked would feel like they were being bombarded by an ocean tide of sword strikes with each strike weighing like an ocean. The strikes borrow that weight to increase the speeds, so other than a strong will to not pause in between the attacks, one needed a strong body to maintain the weight of the attack.
It was for this reason that Mei Ling could barely move with her body shaking. The move had drained her of every qi and strength she had if Jin Zhang had held on for a minute longer he would have been the victor as Mei Ling would have been too worn out and defenseless to do anything. However, though the Augmented unrelenting severing sword tide had a lot of demands and risks to the user, the power of its attack, especially at its peak is as strong as any low-tier blue-grade art. The only reason it wasn''t yet considered one, was it needed a continuous flow of uninterrupted chain of attacks to draw out that force, whereas blue grade arts can release it at the onset.
A cool blue-green light was produced by Yang Qing which enveloped Mei Ling, healing her wounds, restoring her qi, and alleviating her fatigue and mental strain in one full motion. Mei Ling who was an unmovable boulder of stillness had a look of surprise simr to the one Ren Jie had when Yang Qing healed her.
"Will....she.....be....okay?"boriously asked Jin Zhang in between coughing copious amounts of blood as his hazy eyes fell on Yang Qing and Mei Ling.
"She will.." answered Yang Qing.
"Good,....litt...le... gi.rl th..an..k you f..or the f...ight," said Jin Zhang with a pure child-looking smile.
Yang Qing waved his sleeves and another blue-green light enveloped Jin Zhang who was moments from passing out.
The moment the light fell on him, his wounds rapidly closed up at a speed visible to the ear, and then his limbs started regrowing. In less than a minute, Jin Zhang who was already having tea with death was pulled back and his banged-up body that had no limbs was reborn. It was like the Jin Zhang from a few seconds ago was nothing but an illusion.
Jin Zhang who had nothing but fighting in his mind was shocked even more so than Mei Ling.
"Why did you heal me?" he asked as he got up and started clenching and unclenching his fists, unsure that they were real.
"It''s part of the rules ofbat. As long as you have a breath in you when the winner is announced, you will receive full healing, same as the students.." Yang Qing calmly said which drew surprised looks from both the students'' and the inmates'' side.
Even though they heard the rule being mentioned, they didn''t expect it to be upheld.
Aplicated look shed before Jin Zhang''s eyes before his normalugh and look appeared on his face.
"Well thank you, I guess. Do I get to fight again?" he asked.
"What? Do you want to fight me?" asked Yang Qing with a simple grin.
"If I was at the same realm, sure, I would love nothing more, but as I am, I doubt it will be a fight. I enjoy fights, not a single-sided beating.."
"Your fight for the day has ended, but you will be called up again. But if your level remains as it is, I doubt you will get to enjoy a lot of them.." Yang Qing meaningfully said.
Jin Zhang stared at him for a short moment which then fell on the students before finally settling on Mei Ling whose calm demeanor had returned. Heughed once more as he said,
"You may be right about that.."
He turned and left to the inmates'' side while Mei Ling bowed in thanks to Yang Qing as she left for her side, leaving the arena for the next participants.
The students of the Institute won the next seven bouts after Mei Ling''s fight, with three of the seven ending in the deaths of the inmates. Although none of the seven won, the win had been hard-fought to the end.
It was only when it came to the tenth fight did a change finally happened which drew a tug of smile on both Instructor Pan''s and Yang Qing''s lips.
"As expected.."
Chapter 520 Filial Elegy Of The Mountain And River (1)
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When the next contestant came forward, Yang Qing''s eyes narrowed with hidden glee. It was a young man with a heroic bearing and a handsome appearance. He had short blonde hair and emerald-green eyes. His face looked like it had been sculptured by the finest materials at the hands of a talented craftsman.
He held a pure white silverspear in his hand as he walked with a sense of confidence and calmness about him. His cultivation base was at the third stage of the foundation establishment realm and he did not seem that far away from forming his fourth pir. Though Yang Qing didn''t have his pce sense and could therefore not confirm it, he felt like the young man had quasi-gold-grade pirs. These were blue-grade pirs that had motes of gold radiance in them. When he was breaking through to the core formation realm, provided his foundations were good, he had a good chance of forming a gold core if he put enough effort and had sufficient guidance and resources, which was something he was guaranteed to have at the Institute.
The blonde-haired student''s name was Mu Li, and from the eyes he was getting from the students especially those of the female gender, he seemed like a popr person within his ss.
"Instructor Pan, how did he perform in his entrance examination?" asked Yang Qing using a secret voiceless incantation since he couldn''t use his pce sense tomunicate.
"He was first, and he finished by arge margin at that. He had already developed spear sense at the time and even though he was only at the beginning stages, he was armed with a blue-grade spear art.." answered Instructor Pan.
"Why was he sent to the blue grade test? With his achievements, he had met the standards for the gold grade test?" asked Yang Qing.
"The choice came from the preliminary evaluator, which at the time I didn''t understand, however, after interacting with him these past few months, I could understand why. You should already have a sense of it, right?"
Yang Qing paused for a bit before answering as he deeply studied the blonde-haired youth making his way to the center of the arena.
"Mmmh, so that''s why...Considering who he ising up against, seems like you''ve judged right now is the best time?"
"Yes we have already created a n for him, shouldst six months.."
"SIX!!" Yang Qing yelled in shock
"Forgive me for the outburst, but six, won''t he break?!" he added.
"After four months, we already know his threshold and how far we can take it as we add a little at a time.."
"Excited as usual.."thought Yang Qing when he detected a hint of expectation and delight in Instructor Pan''s tone.
Yang Qing had a sympathetic look as his gaze fell on the contestants below him.
"There''s no one better than Guo Feng to be the catalyst, I guess..." Yang Qing said as his gaze fell on the opponent that the blonde-haired student would be facing.
His opponent was a slender-looking elderly man with a white beard that had reached his chest, that was perfectly straight, and white hair tied in a bun with a few loose strands hanging on his forehead.
The elderly-looking man had an indifferent expression on his face as he stood in a ramrod posture. It gave one the sensation that a mountain could fall on him and he would not bend for even an inch.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when his gaze fell on the elderly man. Every Institute student for the past seventy years knew him.
"He looks just about ready to form his core.." Yang Qing muttered to himself.
The elderly man''s name was Guo Feng and he had once been a core elder of a declining rank 4 sect by the name of the Enduring Rain Mountain sect. The sect had a rich history having stood around for almost 45,000 years, which was considered extremely long for a rank 4 sect and the reason it survived that long was because it once had an early-stage domain expert in its helm at some point in time during their history.
However, despite having an early-stage domain expert, the sect still fell into decline. The early-stage domain expert once explored a dangerous ruin and he ended up getting corrupted with one of the objects stored within that ruin, which he brought back to the sect.
The corruptive effect of the object left him in a paranoid and frenzied state. When it started, its effects were small like small outbursts here and there, nothing too serious, getting triggered by the smallest of things, micromanaging every little thing, then it progressed to violence when he attacked his personal disciple for fear he was scheming against him then it moved to the elders and the fights were no longer just fight where he injured the opponent but he started killing them.
That was the point where the sect members could not adopt a wait-and-see approach,]. They acted as they feared the domain expert who was their supreme elder at the time had been corrupted by a parasite or through some insidious means of a fiendish expert skilled with manipting the soul.
After investigations, they managed to find the root of it, which was the object the supreme elder always had on him, which was a jade sculpture of a double-headed vulture that had two irises.
However, even if they found the cause of it, they could not separate their supreme elder from it, as he was the strongest cultivator in the sect, with the remaining two supreme elders along with the sect master being at the peak stage of the pce realm. But because of their long history and the connections they built up, they managed to draw in the help of a friend of the supreme elder.
Working together, they tried to suppress and restrain the supreme elder, however, the statue reacted when it detected the danger to itself and the supreme elder. The statue boosted the abilities of the supreme elder who managed to injure the domain expert they had called over. Seeing the situation turning for worse with the statue attempting to corrupt them and the domain expert they had called over, the higher-ups of the sects which were nine pce realm experts and fiftyte-stage core formation experts, triggered a forbidden art to try and subdue their supreme elder long enough for the domain expert to act.
The forbidden art was deployed sessfully and they did manage to subdue their supreme elder and the statue in the process, however, things didn''t go as they had expected because the domain expert they had invited over, took advantage of the opportunity they had created to flee.
With no help, the higher-ups were forced to maintain the forbidden art, had they stopped it early, all they would have gotten was a few serious injuries that would have taken a decade or two to heal but without a domain expert, they were forced to push the forbidden art to the extreme which meant sacrificing their cultivation base and lives, and to make sure they seeded all remaining core formation experts within the sect jumped in to add more power to the art.
Their sacrifice paid off because they managed to suppress their supreme elder long enough for him to gain a brief window of rity. The supreme elder used that window to destroy the statue which proved more difficult than anyone from the sect had expected as it required the the supreme elder to sacrifice his life and also borrow the power of the forbidden art to destroy that sculpture.
That history lent credence to the saying birds die for food and men die for treasure. The Enduring River And Mountain Sect, lost almost everything that day. Their core power died all in a single moment, their facilities, core legacies, and treasures got destroyed in the process too, and their foundations got hollowed out, all in a single instance.
A sect that had a domain expert, thirteen pce realm experts, and over a hundred core formation experts, lost all of them because of a cursed treasure.
Chapter 521 Filial Elegy Of The Mountain And River (2)
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The surviving sect members had to move from the location where their sect was located because they no longer had the strength to retain it and thus could only move to one of the most outskirt branches they had that still remained loyal to the sect as most branches immediately turned and renamed themselves as new sects the moment they heard what happened to the Main branch.
Despite countless years passing by, the sect was never able to regain its former glory and has just been stuck as a rank 4 sect which in part is due to missing the two cannons of their legacy art; The elegy of the enduring still mountain and river of piety cultivation art. It was a gold-grade art, it was rumored to have been created by a grieving son to honor the wishes of his mother to live a long and healthy life. He created that art to honor that wish. The art was aimed at strengthening one''s heart, mind, and body to ensure longevity in all circumstances.
The art in itsplete form was a gold-grade art. The creator was a rogue cultivator and he ended up passing the art down to his only disciple who ended up creating the Enduring Mountains And Rivers Sect using it as its foundation.
The art was split into three canons. The first canon was used in establishing the foundation from the body refining realm to the core formation realm, once one mastered the first cannon to perfection, and had reached the peak stage of the core formation realm they would gain the qualification to master the second cannon that would be used for breaking through to the pce realm and would sustain them throughout that realm while thest cannon was used in the domain realm.
The first cannon was distributed all throughout the sect and its branches while the second and third were rumored to have been inscribed on a steele by its creator, in which he imbued his will onto the steele. Without reaching the perfection realm in the prior cannon, if one attempted to learn the next cannon, they would have their bodies destroyed through qi deviation triggered by forcefully learning it. The cannon was created that way. One had to reach perfection in terms of mastery before they could learn the next or risk having their cultivation base and body destroyed.
Those from the branch, if they met the requirement, would visit the main sect and learn the next cannon, but with the destruction that happened at the sect, the Steele that contained the second and third cannon got destroyed in the process and was thus lost forever.
Guo Feng had been an elder in charge of guiding the new disciples of the sect and like most, he had grown up hearing the stories of how great their sect was and idolized it to the point of obsession. Like most within the sect, he hoped that his sect could one day return to those heights which was why when he realized his talent was not high enough to make it a reality, he decided to devote his life to guiding the new disciples.
He was strict, passionate, and zealous in that endeavor, however, it ended up being problematic when he grew extreme in his methods. New disciples would get injured more heavily in their training to the point of being traumatized and then it grew even further when some had their cultivation bases crippled.
Despite being warned, he refused iming those unable to survive his training showed they were unable to carry the mantle of the sect forward and that the sect would be fine without them.
When the number of crippled disciples grew too high and their ability to attract more disciples plummeted as a result of it, the sect master finally acted.
The sect master could not bring himself to treat Guo Feng to the sect''s rules which involved getting his cultivation base crippled and banishing him from the sect. With the number of grudges he umted over the years as an instructor, it was no different than sentencing him to his death, which he could not do. Guo Feng''s heart was in the right ce even though his methods were extreme, and when he was charged, he was willing to ept the punishment, readily.
The sect master unable toe up with a solution decided to send the matter to the Order to make a judgment on it. He was given the option of a rehabilitation program or getting sent to Requiem, to which he chose thetter. He was looking to die and hoped he would get that chance at the Requiem.
It wasn''t until one of the Instructors read his file, did his circumstances change. He was given the option to be part of the life and death duels and his reward was the option to perfect the first canon of his sect''s legacy art.
Once any art reached the blue grade, it had a will or spirituality to it that grew the higher up the grade one moved. If Guo Feng reached the perfection realm in terms of mastery and understanding of the first art, then the art itself may guide him to the door of the second cannon. It was somethingmonly seen in interconnected and fragmented gold-grade arts.
As long as one had the main root foundation of the art, they could gain insight into the next parts without seeing the other parts, but they had to reach the absolute peak of perfection to induce an epiphany to the next parts.
Guo Feng on hearing this, immediately agreed and has been engaged in those duels for the past seventy years improving his mastery over the art every time which had helped him survive to this point, and from what Yang Qing could tell he was about ready to reach the core formation realm.
The fact that the blonde-haired student was matched up against Guo Feng his defeat was all but set in stone as Guo Feng had blue grade pirs himself and over the years he has even defeated a few gold grade pirs and forced a bitter draw against a few purple grade pirs.
And what happened next when the fight was announced to begin wasn''t a surprise to Yang Qing.
The blonde-haired youth dered confidently that he would defeat Guo Feng in ten moves and if he didn''t, it would be considered his loss.
Heunched his blue grade art; the golden me swallow spear art at the onset bringing a fearsome momentum with him that drew solemn looks from the inmate side and gasps of awe from the students'' side but what happened next brought a deathly silence to the arena.
Guo Feng punched slowly, however, the movement of his punch created a sonic pulse that tore apart the golden me spear art aiming to run him through. The attack was destroyed to smithereens without the punch diminishing in force. The punch went on to smash the blonde haired in his stomach producing a quaking sound in the process.
The student flew like a kite whose strings had been cut as he smashed at the walls of the cliff surrounding the arena and dropped unconscious with just a breath left.
Instructor Pan announced the winner but all the participants were wide-eyed, in shock at what had just transpired while the cause of all this bowed to Instructor Pan and calmly left the arena.
Chapter 522 Nurturing Fear (1)
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All, whether it was the students or the inmates, each and every one of them looked at Guo Feng differently as he calmly walked away. No one could believe such a slim decrepit-looking body would hide such terrifying power underneath.
An air of wariness and confusion hit both sides before some semnce of calmness started to fill the area when Instructor Pan announced the next participants.
Most of the students still seemed slightly shaken more than the next person to be called up. It was a young girl by the name of Zhu Wang. She was fifteen years old, blue hair, and a saber user.
As she walked over her eyes kept darting behind her where her fellow student, Mu Li, the blonde-haired student,y unconscious. Yang Qing gently pulled his unconscious body out of the crack and healed his wounds.
His internal organs had been shifted, and his ribs were all cracked, though, in terms of damage, it could be considered pretty light, all things considered. Guo Feng had controlled his force exquisitely and spread the right amount of damage all around his body. It was enough to hurt him, but not enough to cripple him.
In a single breath, Yang Qing had healed all his wounds.
"Huh..what happened? Where am I?"Mu Li woke up groggy.
Yang Qing helped him up and then left for his seat, leaving the next part to Instructor Pan.
Mu Li shook his head a few times as his brows coiled up in deep consternation.
"What happened?" he muttered over and over, and when he saw the sympathetic and awkward looks he was receiving from the students it didn''t take long for him to connect the dots, especially, when he saw the deep crevice next to him and his torn robes.
"Did I lose? DiD I MU LI LOSE?! No! No! It can''t be.." his expression soon turned livid as he rushed to the center of the arena.
However, his dash was interrupted halfway when a cold voice sounded. It was Instructor Pan''s voice.
"What do you think you''re doing?"
Instructor Pan who was floating above the center of the arena exuded a coldness that made the hot-tempered Mu Li pause in his steps as a look of fright appeared on his face, however, when his gaze fell on the students, the deep crack behind him and the detached looking Guo Feng in front of him, a feeling of rage and indignation got reignited.
"Instructor Pan, i don''t mean any disrespect, but i feel the inmate cheated. How could I have been defeated that fast? he likely used a secret artifact or some taboo artifact. There is no way i could have lost to him.." he angrily said.
"Is that so?" asked Instructor Pan without a change in his expression and tone.
Mu Li flinched a bit but he managed to pull enough courage to answer back despite the dangerous air surrounding Instructor Pan.
"I would like to request a rematch, Instructor, and I don''t mind if he uses the same hidden artifact or taboo art.."
"He did not use any artifact or taboo art. Every inmate present has been screened and when ites to taboo arts, does it matter if they use it or not, it''s part of their arsenal. These fights are meant to prepare you.
Do you think the enemies you face will do things fairly or chivalrously? They will use tricks, dubious means, curses, and taboo arts, they will gang up on you, deploy poison, and use subterfuge and misinformation to try and gain an upper hand over you.
They will use anything and everything against you, and you need to be prepared for that. There will be no, I want a rematch because you have used an underhanded means or whatever excuse you wille up with as yourst breath leaves your corpse.
Mu Li, do you think we are ying here? From the way I see it, you and most of you here, all just want the title of being members of the Order. You want to wear that crown despite not knowing the cost it takes to hold it.
There are nourels in what we do, no fame, no renown, all you will get for your efforts is the ire of the entire cultivation world because we are an anomaly that is destroying the epted way of life within the continent.
You may save someone today in the conduct of your duties, but in the next, they will no longer be the victim but an assant whom you will have to apprehend and if that is not possible, you will have to destroy.
So, Mu Li, I ask again does it matter if he used a taboo art or not?" Instructor Pan asked as an overbearing pressure enveloped the entire arena.
It was early in the day with the sun high up, however, as he asked the question, light seemed to turn dimmer while the temperature dropped.
The students, Mu Li included felt a deep primal fear that they could not stop well up from within them.
"But like I said, Guo Feng did not use any taboo art. He defeated you in a straightforward manner. He even went easy on you, had he gone all out, broken bones and shifted organs would have been the least of your worries.
In simple terms, you were just too weak Mu Li, but don''t worry, you will have all the rematches you want because, for the next six months, you will be living in the Purple Twilight Forest where there will be no shortage of things as strong if not stronger than Guo Feng, and the best part, they do not hold the same reservations as he does.
You will have your fill of rematches Mu Li.." Instructor Pan ominously said as he waved his sleeves creating a subtle force that pulled Mu Li away from the arena and ced him next to the other students.
Mu Li had a distraught and lost look on his face. Even though he did not know what the Purple Twilight Forest was, but from the way Instructor Pan put it, it was bound to be a horrifying ce.
Of those present only Instructor Pan and Yang Qing knew of it. Yang Qing couldn''t help but throw a sympathetic look toward Mu Li. The Purple Twilight Forest was one of the test sites for the purple grade test.
Chapter 523 Nurturing Fear (2)
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The forest was dark all throughout the year with the only source of light being a purple star mist that enveloped the forest. The forest was a literal version of an oxymoron which was why it was always called the nightmare paradise.
The forest was rich in resources and spiritual qi, and the purple mist helped to improve one''sprehension abilities. However, the forest was also home to spirit beasts and spiritual nts that had taken advantage of those conditions to develop themselves. There were also natural phenomena, dangerous at that, that continuously flooded the ce such as lightning storms, and because of how rich the area was, tribtion lightnings were not in short supply either.
It was an area fraught with danger at every turn and for the Purple grade test, the participants would have to traverse the whole of it to the finish line. He couldn''t help but feel for Mu Li, yes, Yang Qing enjoyed the one shot he received from Guo Feng, but he couldn''t help but sympathize.
The Mu Li he saw now, would be broken within days of staying there, and he would be living there for six months, even though it would be a set quadrant and he would not be asked to traverse the whole forest like Yang Qing and the rest of the testees were asked to, but still even staying in a set area was bound to be a harrowing experience.
Instructor Pan didn''t lie when he said there were countless creatures there that were as strong, if not stronger than Guo Feng. Mu Li would have to forget what sleep,fort, or what safe is, for those six months, he would have to make friends with paranoia, pain, losing limbs, and seeing his own body torn apart for a duration of time.
Mu Li woulde out a different person at the end of it. He woulde out a renewed coward, hyper-alert with a more than healthy suspicion and wariness of everything and everyone, and a deep appreciation for his intact limbs. Yang Qing remembered how he spent hours wriggling his fingers with tears in his eyes. One gets a newfound respect and appreciation for the little things in life not losing your appendages every minute or so.
While it would be one of the worst experiences Mu Li would have to go through, it was something he needed, and he would grow from it. It didn''t take long for Yang Qing to guess that the reason Mu Li wasn''t sent to the gold grade test at the start despite his achievements, was his willpower and mentality. They were too low, and if he was thrown in there at the start, he would have been traumatized beyond repair. But now, the instructor''s have already studied him enough to tailor a training regimen that would help him build it up, and the ce they chose to do that at, was the Purple Twilight Forest.
With Mu Li lost in his thoughts at what was exactly waiting for him at the other end, as Yang Qing had already taken out joss sticks to burn in his remembrance, the next fight resumed. The girl sent from the students'' side lost her fight, and in her case, Instructor Pan had to step in before she received the death blow.
The next fifteen fights all ended in defeats by the students'' side, though most were close defeats where the inmates had to use their experiences of dancing on the de''s edge to squeeze a win-through in the end, while cases like Guo Feng''s were rare. Only two more people managed to replicate what he did, though they did not do it as smoothly as he did. One of them was ady who had the Ashen Obisidian Viper physique which made every part of her poisonous, along with having extreme agility. She defeated her opponent after a few minutes.
The other person to have a smooth victory was a short stout man with long arms that seemed ill-fit for his body as they seemed longer than his entire height. He too had a special physique. He had the diamond cerulean spider monkey physique that gave him a nigh imprable defense. He barrelled straight through the attacks he received from his opponent and used a restraining cultivation spell to trap his opponent and bombarded them with a rain of fists.
After the consecutive losses, the moods all around shifted. The students who were full of spirit and contempt at the start all had dark looks on their faces, even the likes of Ren Jie, and Mei Li who had won their fights along with the seven others after them didn''t look too good either.
If it went by tally, the inmates were already leading, and they couldn''t help but worry if there were other terrifying experts like Guo Feng remaining from the inmates'' side.
Over at the inmates'' side, there was a liveliness and a sense of bloodthirstiness growing, the kind a predator would get after spotting an injured prey.
Luckily for the students'' side, they managed to win the next two fights after that, which helped uplift the spirits of those who woulde next. Though the two fights that they won, were hard-fought, the inmates they were fighting against managed to survive in the end, while the students were all on the brink of losing consciousness with heavy injuries to them.
Even though the two wins were not pretty, they drew a look of approval from both Yang Qing and Instructor Pan. The goal of the matchup was slowly being achieved, which was to change the attitudes of the students and the indolence they had, there was now a maddened desperation in them, something that wasn''t there. They no longer looked down on their opponents or were careless, and when they fought, they did so like they were risking their lives.
The matchups from Instructor Pan were deliberate which made it easy for Yang Qing to guess how things would pan out. The first seven participants from the students'' side were the ones Yang Qing noted were cautious, and studying their surroundings before the test had even begun. They were alert, and the way they carried themselves including how their bodies seemed to be just ready to burst out with power at a moment''s notice, showed it was something they had been honing in the four months during their grace period. They did not let up and their results showed.
Instructor Pan had chosen to start with them to create the illusion that the fights were easy, which would make the already arrogant students even more reckless, and when it came to the matchups of those wreckless students, Instructor Pan had a clear grasp of their abilities in those four months, so choosing opponents that would have high chances of defeating them wasn''t that difficult.
The students might think their defeat was because they let down their guards, but what they didn''t know was it was already set in stone from the moment the life-and-death duel was nned and the goal of it, had been achieved.
The students no longer had the haughty look from before, they were now analyzing each fight as though their lives depended on it. The inmates were no longermbs for ughter, they were ferocious tigers who would devour them if they showed even the slightest of openings.
A healthy fear was growing in them, and that fear would continuously be nurtured throughout their period at the Institute until it reached the point where they were so paranoid that they would gain a second nature to themselves and that nature would be going all out against any opponent before they had the chance to turn the tables on you. It did not matter if the opponent was a whole two realms lower than you, assume they would beat you if given the chance, so use everything, even be underhanded if you have to, as long as you''re breathing in the end, you have won.
Three fights passed by before finally, it was Peng Zhen''s turn.
Chapter 524 Peng Zhens fight (1)
The three fights ended with two wins and one loss for the students'' team. Though there was still a loss, the shift in mentality and attitude was evident in the students.
The results weremendable for the students despite the close three fights. The difference between win and defeat was minuscule and it usually fell down to who had more capacity to endure a beating than the other long enough to oust his/her opponent.
Nheless, regardless of the results, their efforts could be seen. Instructor Pan had set up their matches and he matched the students against opponents he felt they had a high chance of losing against. The fact that they could w a win or force a bitter win from their opponent showed they had grown a bit from who and how they were before the dueling test started.
Peng Zhen was among the final participants from the first group of convicts selected. The students at the arena numbered seventy while the convicts numbered thirty, and while some of them could handle several fights in a row, the Instructors usually let them have one fight a day, so they could improve themselves should they survive, and be even tougher opponents for the students when they were next called upon.
There was another inmate group in waiting, the moment Peng Zhen''s group finished their fights. These groups would usually have a mix of regrs like Guo Feng and new inmates who have been judged to have enoughbat acumen to push the students.
Peng Zhen''s opponent was a young man by the name of Bai Chen. He had a muscr physique and wielded a ive. He was at the third stage of the foundation establishment realm.
Peng Zhen didn''t have a weapon, which was no surprise to Yang Qing, who could tell from the first moment they met that Peng Zhen wielded his body as a weapon. His body had been repetitively tempered and strengthened to that end.
Instructor Pan gave them a minute to prepare themselves before he announced the start of the match.
The moment the announcement was made both Bai Chen and Peng Zhen charged toward each other.
A white blizzard cyclone in the form of a tiger was created when Bai Chen thrust his ive toward Peng Zhen. The move he had executed was a top-tier orange-grade art by the name of Maw of the Blizzard Tiger. It was an art that had a restraining ability apanied by a powerful destructive force.
Peng Zhen on facing the attack did not halt his steps and instead met it head-on.
Scarab white shield
Peng Zhen''s skin glowed as a white golden coating appeared on it. The coating looked like the exoskeleton of a beetle.
The moment Bai Chen''s attack reached his body it was like it had shed against an immovable metal.
A clinging sound was produced from the attack as Peng Zhen punched through the blizzard cyclone tiger.
ng!
His fist collided heavily with Bai Chen''s spear causing an air explosion. Bai Chen gritted his teeth as his muscles bulged with him tightening the grip on his ive.
His ive was vibrating heavily from the sh with a sharp stinging pain coursing through his arm from the collision. He had to forcibly endure the pain to prevent the ive from leaving his hand.
Bai Chen muscled through the attack as he retaliated with a circr swing of his ive that halted Peng Zhen in his tracks as the attack threatened to take away a limb if he bulldozed through, even with the white gold shield that coated his skin.
However, even with a pause in his movement, his attack didn''t stop as he performed a down swipe with his palm which created tidal scythe-shaped attacks made of pure white light that had a terrifying tearing force at their edges.
Bai Chen was immediately forced into the defensive as he used his ive to swipe away the attack. Though he managed to sessfully disperse the attack, he was forced back a few steps as a searing pain assaulted his hands like he had been burned.
A grim expression appeared on his face when he saw Peng Zhen swipe his palms four times in quick session creating four more white tidal sycthe attacks.
Ape storm of the five chariots
Bai Chen swallowed in the air, while his arms suddenly mushroomed as a result. He swung his ive with a rapid rotation of his body with terrifying momentum and weight beneath his steps. It was like an avnche and an eruption had descended beneath his feet.
He tore through the four attacks in one single motion with his rotational momentum still ongoing as it was aimed at Peng Zheng''s neck who was forced to suddenly raise his right hand and use it as a shield for his neck.
Peng Zhen felt like the force of five mountains had suddenly been mmed into his forearm. The white golden glow on his skin let a more intense radiant glow as though he was using it to fight against the force that aimed to tear his hand along with his neck apart.
The golden radiance being released from his skin eventually gave out as a cracking sound was produced.
Bai Chen''s ive broke through the white gold exoskeleton and then proceeded to slice into his arm. Bai Chen''s eyes bulged wide open with fury as he pushed with all his might to slice more into Peng Zhen''s forearm.
The muscle in Peng Zhen''s arm suddenly constricted and tightened, halting the progress of the ive while he used his other hand tounch a counterattack.
His finger let out a piercing light that seemed to burn as hot as the sun which he rapidly used to pierce at Bai Chen as he aimed for his neck.
Though Yang Qing didn''t know the defensive art Peng Zhen was using since it wasn''t part of the brilliant ray fist art he had given him, he recognized the finger light attack he had just released.
The attack was part of the brilliant ray fist technique. It was one of the many supplementary moves contained within the art known as the sr re finger technique thatbined the force of the entire body into a single point, the finger, and as one''s mastery over the technique grew, one could disy it over five fingers simultaneously, and if mastered to perfection, one could tear through any defensive treasure from the sky rank to below, very effortlessly.
Yang Qing could tell Peng Zhen''s mastery over the art wasn''t very high but the level he had reached, coupled with his cultivation base and his rich experience, was sufficient to trouble Bai Chen who was immediately forced to abandon his attack as he used the pommel of his ive to deflect Peng Zhen''s attack.
The pommel caved in as finger finger-sized hole appeared on it.
"What kind of art is that?" Bai Chen warily thought as he charged up another attack.
A terrifying pressure was released from his body as a silhouette of a dragon with five different colors appeared around him with its tail coiling around his ive.
Peng Zhen no longer dyed and immediatelyunched rapid continuous punches, with his fists letting out a gentle but prative white light with every punch.
rm bells rang from his body when he detected the change on Bai Chen''s body and could no longer afford to dy using the blue-grade art Yang Qing had given him even if his mastery of it wasn''t even at the blooming stage yet.
His fists rained on Bai Chen with unrelenting force as he aimed to disrupt whatever art Bai Chen was about to use, however, his fists which seemed to have enough force to punch a hole through a mountain were immediately swallowed when the silhouette of the dragon surrounding Bai Chen opened its mouth and released a blue whirlpool.
Peng Zhen''s fists were drowned in the blue whirlpool that seemed to have scale-like markings floating within it.
Chapter 525 Peng Zhens fight (2)
"Oh, the kid has mastered the five-element dragon art.." muttered Yang Qing in pleasant surprise as he eyed Bai Chen.
The silhouette surrounding Bai Chen was of a dragon that had five colors signifying the five elements, and the colors appeared on different parts of its body.
Just from the silhouette alone, he recognized the art. The five-element dragon art was a low-tier blue-grade art that required the user to have a certain level of mastery over the five elements. It required the user to have an understanding of the five elements deep enough for them to be able to alternate them seamlessly in use.
While the art itself wasn''t the most powerful when it came to potent attacks, it was one of the most stable, especially when it came to fighting a battle of attrition against an unknown foe. It was adaptable, able to grant offense and defense in one single motion provided the user had a good grasp of the elements and the art itself to be able to switch seamlessly inbat.
It had five moves based on the five elements; the dragon breath blue aqua whirlpool which Bai Chen had just released, the dragon silver fang de storm, the stoneheart dragon tremor strike, the verdant dragon scales, and the inferno dragon w strike, whichbined became the five element dragon strike.
Bai Chen quickly showed his mastery over the art, he seemed to be just at the cusp of reaching the blooming stage.
He defended against the fists using the aqua whirlpool move while he retaliated with the stoneheart dragon tremor that produced a rebounding ripple force every time it struck Peng Zhen''s body, and if a slight opening showed up, Bai Chen would deploy the inferno dragon w strike which just like its name was a w art which transformed his hand into a dragon w that was coated with crimson red magma.
Peng Zhen struggled against the inferno dragon w strike the most as it seemed to melt away his qi along with his art making him expend a lot of qi to try and maintain them. As for the silver fang de storm, it acted as a restraining art that restricted Peng Zhen''s movements by raining white piercing arrow-shaped storming attacks on him. Alone, they were nothing much, but hundreds of them had enough force to cause serious damage to Peng Zhen.
Peng Zhen''s own defensive arts seemed to struggle against the onught of Bai Chen''s moves, and when it came to the blue-grade art Yang Qing had gifted him he seemed to have only mastered two moves; the fist art which was the mainponent, and the sr re finger art. He still had not mastered the rest, especially the movement art ray tracing steps that would have provided him with much breathing space had he learned it even a little.
However, his experience as a seasoned cultivator who had survived countless battles in a ce as fraught with danger as the green fog region finally showed. He weathered through the attacks Bai Chen threw at him. The ones he could amodate, he took straight on while retaliating with attacks of his own, and the ones he couldn''t afford to get injured by, he dodged with calcted experience.
The fightsted for almost an hour before cracks showed up in Bai Chen''s attack pattern when he got too anxious for a win creating an opportunity for Peng Zhen to exploit, which he did as heunched a tidal wave of fists that knocked Bai Chen out after a minute, prompting the end of the fight.
Once the announcement was made, Peng Zhen waited for Yang Qing to finish healing Bai Chen, and when he woke up, he offered Bai Chen a Daoist salute for his performance in the fight as he nodded towards Yang Qing as he left the arena.
During the small interlude, he also informed Yang Qing of the bags of rice he had brought over much to Yang Qing''s delight, who told him he would see him when the fights were over.
After three hours all the thirty inmates present were done with their fights with six recorded fatalities. The winners were excited as they would get to receive the rewards promised to them which was usually a week at a selected cultivation ground. Such a situation was a win-win situation for both the Institute and the inmates themselves. The inmates would get a break from Requiem while also getting the chance to strengthen themself which would increase their odds of survival and even winning when they fought the next time. As for the Institute, the more powerful those convicts were, the more they would stir up the students to keep applying themselves.
Though of the group, only Peng Zhen wasn''t receiving a reward as this life and death duel was his sentence, and unlike the rest, he only had one fight a month, and he got to go back to his sect after. That freedom was considered his reward while the blue-grade art Yang Qing gave him, was more of Yang Qing helping him out as it was not something normally done.
However, some of the inmates, if they had umted a certain number of wins, would be given the option of having a cultivation art as a reward. But to trigger such a reward, they would need to have 200 wins under their belt, which was not an easy thing to do, so most used whatever art they knew along with their experiences.
After the thirty inmates were done, the next batch was brought over, and with the lessons ingrained in them, the students didn''t drop their guard and managed to win 34 of the 40 matches they had with four draws and two defeats. But before they could celebrate their wins, Instructor Pan poured cold water over their parade by telling them, they would be having the life and death duels on the same day every week from now till theirst day at the Institute. They all turned pale at the announcement.
Yang Qing left soon after, meeting up with Peng Zhen who had been waiting for him at the court building along with his assigned reviewmittee guard, who was responsible for taking him back to his sect and bringing him over on the day of his match, which was once a month.
Yang Qing exchanged a few pleasantries with him as he gleefully epted one tonne of crystal white rice. He thanked Peng Zhen profusely for it, and while he couldn''t offer Peng Zhen direct pointers on the Brilliant ray fist art, since despite his admiration of him, Peng Zhen was still serving a sentence, and some semnce of fairness and rules had to be maintained, Yang Qing did offer indirect suggestions to Peng Zhen, such as studying various spiritual nts and creatures on how they acted.
Other than them, how or where to find said creatures and what Peng Zhen would learn from them, was ultimately up to him.
Chapter 526 Accidental happening at the abode
Chapter 526 idental happening at the abode
After enjoying the uplifting thrashing of the new students at the Institute, Yang Qing resumed his normal schedule in the following days.
At his mother''s insistence that had a few meal bribes mixed in, Yang Qing ''reluctantly'' ended up staying at his parent''s house for almost a week. He had to be filial and did not do it for the tantalizing meals his mother cooked up in the week he was there to the point he contemted maybe moving back for a month or two would not be a bad thing.
However, in the end, his sense of independence won the fight. He moved back to his abode after a week but not without promising his mother that for the next month, he would pass by once a month to which Yang Qing could only helplessly agree to it when he saw her well-concealed worry as she made the plea.
Even without her plea, he would still have had to make regr visits back home because of his father who had now be a regr instead of the absentee he had been.
Just as his grandfather had suggested, Yang Qing and his father documented almost every change within Yang Qing since his physique went into a hibernated state.
Yang Qing was deeply awed by his father''s meticulousness and the way in which he conducted their study. It was well-structured and methodical. Every documentation, finding, and hypothesis seemed to be targeting or building toward something. Slowly by slowly the fog of his physique was being parted with help from his father and at some point, his brother got involved too, as he brought other secondary materials such as ancient scrolls that contained ideas that cultivators around the world across different time periods had about the peerless jade physique.
Things seemed to be improving all round. Even though there were no tangible benefits yet, he could intuitively feel he was making progress when it came to understanding his physique, and in its absence, just as Ren Shu and the Valley Master suggested, he was making improvements in his understanding of the medical arts they had taught him, and also his own understanding of the Universal Duality Of The Myriad Worlds Cultivation art was improving gradually.
His physique had helped him in the conduct of these arts, it added an almost instinctual advantage toward it kind of like how cats could climb on trees without knowing how they did it, but with his physique in hibernation, he focused on understanding the details he may have overlooked due to the presence of his physique that may have filled that gap for him, and the harvests were great.
When his physique was fully restored, he knew he would experience a qualitative jump in the execution of his abilities, and it wasn''t only that, he could already feel the barrier leading to the second stage of the pce realm was already loose and would not take much effort for him to take that leap. However, he had held off for a number of reasons one of which was he wasn''t at 100% yet with his physique in an almostatose state, and he still had the mental demons from the Ice Emerald Sect to deal with.
When it came to his meetings with the saint grade tree, the Auspicious Grove, the experience with the brook of rity was still taxing, however, the increase in the time given to him for its restorative properties was a weed bonus. The Auspicious Grove had increased the time from two hours to four hours. The two hours were used to rx his mind from the harrowing experience of reliving every detail of what happened at the Ice Emerald Sect, while the additional two hours, Yang Qing took advantage of the mental rxation it brought him to meditate and delve deeper into his cultivation art, and also his Dao.
He still remembered the question Green Cocoon had asked him on what he thought Vitality was, which was the Dao he used to break through to the pce realm. With mind-clearing effects from the colorful aurora mist produced by the brook that also boosted his cognitive abilities, he could spare some time toward that end.
Ma Yuan''s current state also managed to free him of some of the guilt-ridden mental burdens he had. Ma Yuan seemed to have some life in him as he worked in Yang Qing''s backyard. After his sessions with Ma Ling, he woulde straight to Yang Qing''s abode. Yang Qing used his merit points to redeem all kinds of seedlings from the regr treasure vault of the Order, which he then gave to Ma Yuan. In addition, he even permanently redeemed a few herbology books that had aplete step-by-step guide on how to care for those seedlings to maturity, which he gave to Ma Yuan to study.
Ma Yuan was all over the moon when he got those books. He constantly pored through the books with an infatuated gaze like that of a kid who had gotten the gift he/she most wanted. He barely slept because of it.
Of course, in the early days when he came over to Yang Qing''s abode, an ident happened to Ma Yuan. Starlight who had been wholly absorbed into refining the wisdom pearl Yang Qing had given it, ignoring everything outside, finally took a break, and when it did, it discovered Ma Yuan, gleefully examining Yang Qing''s backyard. The moment it saw him, despite being familiar with Ma Yuan as they both became acquainted with Yang Qing on the same day and ce, it still attacked him. It could still remember Yang Qing had asked it to be his guard, and thus it acted, faithfully executing itsmands.
A fight broke out between the two and luckily Ma Yuan still had his core formation body and his richbat experience as a rogue cultivator to rely on so he was able to hang on long enough for Ellie the cloud-swallowing kite, to save him.
She hade over in typical fashion to maintain her weekly routine of ''requisitioning'' a reasonable amount of fish from Yang Qing''s pond when she knew he would not be around. She did not want to disturb him, she was reasonable and considerate that way.
When she arrived, she saw Ma Yuan barely hanging on, she ignored it as she had priorities. Nothing came before food, not Ma Yuan and not even her own well-being. It was a creed that Feng Xin and Yang Qing had ingrained into her ever since she was a young chic, and it was a creed she has upheld to this day, and she wasn''t about to break it.
It was only when she was done picking the finest of fish from the school did, she stepped in to save Ma Yuan. She pped the Starlight crab around before she knocked it unconscious, otherwise knowing how obstinate the crab was, it would follow her to the ends of the earth if left awake. She left soon after.
Chapter 527 Young man by the white lotus
Chapter 527 Young man by the white lotus
Ma Yuanter shared what had transpired, which earned the Starlight crab another beating from Yang Qing, which left it feeling very greaved that it made a few inscrutable noises which Yang Qing loosely interpreted as it saying it would nevere out of the pond again, if that was the treatment it was getting for doing its job.
To prevent any future trouble because Yang Qing didn''t quite trust Starlight, he employed a few measures to keep Ma Yuan safe. One was to ask the two ck dragon horses to keep an eye on Ma Yuan when he was around. With their presence, the starlight crab could forget about acting up. Ideally, he would have asked the Celestial nesting weaver, but it was toozy and arrogant to agree. It would likely mock Yang Qing if he dared ask.
The other thing Yang Qing did to ensure Ma Yuan''s safety was to give him a top-tier sky-grade defensive treasure. It was a blue vortex jade whale amulet that would produce a vortex seal shield that wouldpletely protect Ma Yuan against the full-blown attacks of an 11th-stage core formation expert. That defense could be sustained for three days, and before the defense broke, it had a lethal attack that would retaliate every force of attack it had sustained onto the attacker before it broke apart.
With Ma Yuan''s safety assured, they both went about their activities with rtive ease. Ma Yuan spent his time in between Yang Qing''s abode and the Medical Valley, which helped him improve his mental state every day while Yang Qing spent his days at the Medical Valley honing his arts, the Auspicious Grove to take care of his mind and contemte about his Dao, and having discussions with his father, brother and asionally his grandfather in their deciphering of his physique. He also shared his notes with Ren Shu after, who was still hard at work along with the Valley Master to ensure the Medical Valley did not have anytent threats hanging about.
His schedule remained rtively the same for the next few weeks, it was only near the end of the third week did a change happen to his routine.
He was headed to the Coalescing Tranquility Rivers Of Healing pavilion when he spotted someone seated cross-legged next to the white lotus that was at the center of where the four riversbined. The lotus atop which the pavilion was built on.
The lotus was the congruent graceful white lotus, and it was an ascendant-grade spiritual nt not too far away from bing a saint-grade nt itself based on the estimates of Ren Shu. Yang Qing concurred with that estimate, as the lotus nt grew increasingly inscrutable and had an ethereal air to it that grew more distinctive by day.
Next to one of the petals of the lotus flower was the backside of what seemed like the back of a young man who had donned pure white robes, he had short wavy ck hair. His presence seemed to mirror the gentleness and the tranquility being exuded by the lotus like he was an extension of it.
Yang Qing on seeing the figure, halted in his steps. Even without seeing the face of the person, he instantly knew who the person was, how could he not when over the past year, their judge group had thought about him a lot, and he came into the Institute in the same year as him, and he had the same distinctive peaceful aura about him even back then.
Yang Qing slowly walked over, stepping at certain points within the river before he finally stopped next to the ck-haired man.
"Yang Qing..." the man turned his head to his left revealing a charming young face with a tranquil smile and eyes.
"Lai Lei, you decided to take a walk.." said Yang Qing as he sat next to him.
"Well, there''s no better ce than this. It became a habit of mine toe here every day to meditate when I was admitted. Now that I''ve been discharged, I find it hard to break the habit.
I grew attached to the lotus when I was here, and I think we became friends, right, senior.." the young man said as he stretched his smooth jade-like hands toward the petal closest to them.
The petal shimmered with an ethereal glow when his hand made contact almost as if in agreement with his statement.
"Tsk, I am not surprised. You have always been able to charm anything..." Yang Qing muttered with a jealous scoff.
"I doubt it, if senior lotus was made to choose between us, I have a feeling she would choose you.." Lai Lei said with a smile.
"How are you?" Yang Qing hesitantly asked as he ran his hands through the water creating ripples.
"Better than I was...You? Dai told me you had a thorny case.."
"Better than I was, too..."
"Thank you for watching over Dai when I got injured. Knowing him, he would have done something crazy if you all were not there to help him.."
"It was nothing. He would have done the same thing for us.." said Yang Qing as his gaze turned distant.
Eight months ago, the peaceful-looking young man seated next to him had been ambushed by fifteen half-step pce realm experts in the conduct of his duties while he himself had been a half-step pce realm expert himself.
He managed to breakthrough the besiegement by ughtering ten of his fifteen attackers, however, he lost an arm and a leg along with suffering various grievous injuries, one of which was cracks in his dantian.
He managed to escape long enough to contact the headquarters who alerted the nearest branch to send reinforcements along with any inquisitor or Order employee that was close by.A domain-level roaming inquisitor was close and managed to reach him in time to deliver him to the headquarters where the Medical Valley got hard at work to repair his injuries.
They restored his limbs, along with various injuries he had suffered including purging his body of the curses and poisoning he had been inflicted with before they proceeded to work on his dantian that was filled with cracks close to shattering.
The senior figures of the Medical Valley worked on him to help repair it, and finally, about a month ago, he was given a clean bill of health.
Yang Qing could tell from the stable rhythmic fluctuations of qi energy that he was releasing, that everything within his body was running smoothly as it should and by the looks of it, he looked just about ready to take the leap into the pce realm.
Things were better now, but back then when the news reached them, it was a grim period, more so for Dai Chen who considered Lai Lei a brother more than his chief inquisitor.
Chapter 528 Eight months ago (1)
Chapter 528 Eight months ago (1)
Yang Qing looked up, his gaze taking in the clear sunny sky above and the cool wind brushing up against his skin as his mind slowly drifted a few months ago.
...
Eight months ago, Dai Chen''s judge chamber
"Lei, why are you still taking missions when you should be preparing to break through to the pce realm?
Cheng Qing and I can''t handle the workload by ourselves, and the two roaming inquisitors I was assigned, one of them has already taken a break from work to prepare for her breakthrough and the administrative department has said it will be quite some time before they send another one.." saidDai Chen as he poured himself a crystal clear rice win.
He proceeded to pour Lai Lei one.
"Mmmh, is this Yi Jie''s work?" Lai Lei asked in surprise as the savored the chill mellow vor of the rice wine.
"No, though his skills have undoubtedly grown over the years. I found this thanks to Yang Qing''s suggestion.
He told me there was this old man who just moved into the White Baobab Kingdom, whose ply of trade was in winemaking. From what his king friend had told him, the old man''s family has a long history of wine-making that dates back 50, 000 years.
So during my sect evaluations, I decided to pass by the kingdom and sample his wine for myself and see if there was some truth to what Yang Qing told me, and it turns out there was.
Old man Feng''s Silverleaf nectar wine is really something special and easily among the top ten wines I''ve had..." Dai Chen said as an infatuated me burned in his eyes as he swirled in his eyes.
"I will need to make another trip there soon, the batch he gave me is almost done, and it should be about time for the frost snake wine he told me about to be ready.
Lai Lei can you believe it, he has been brewing that wine for ten years. I can''t wait.." Dai Chen excitedly said as he licked his lips.Lai Lei could only helplessly shake his head at this as he took another sip.
"Yang Qing should already be at Tribtion Mountain, right?" asked Lai Lei trying to change the topic from wines.
"Mmh, it should be his third month now..." Dai Chen suddenlyughed when he finished his statement.
"What?"
"Yang Qing was practically beaming with joy when he was about to head to the mountain. Most people would be slightly anxious due to the pressure of breaking through safely and the threat of the tribtion lightning, but with how joyful he was, one would think he was going for a vacation.."
"But isn''t he? To him, even tribtion lightning is better than working and there''s also the free time he gets before and after the tribtion lightning falls. How bad does he hate working?" Lai Lei said before he and Dai Chen burstughing.
"He has always been an odd one. I wouldn''t be surprised if he ends up pulling something there.."
"There''s no doubt about that, he always had a knack for attracting trouble, evenduring our Institute days.."
"Your year sure had a lot of talentsing in. I can''t believe you, Kang Hung, Xia Boqin, Feng Xin, Yi Jie, Huifeng, Hu Jiaying, and Yang Qing all came in at the same time.
All we could hear about from the Instructors back then was how we had terrifying juniors behind us and if we dared ck we would soon be overtaken by them.." said Dai Chen as he leaned back in his seat.
"Don''t lump me in with their lot, especially Kang Hung, Yang Qing, Xia Boqin, and Hu Jiaying. They wereplete freaks, especially with the manner in which they survived the purple grade test at Rest Gaze Peak.." Lai Lei said with a bitter smile and a sh of fear in his eyes.
"Hahahaha, I heard they abandoned all caution and created a chaotic storm in there. Drawing the attention of all the spirit beasts in there, especially the lords, and triggering almost every trap they came across to add further chaos to the mix.
I feel shivers just imagining it.."
"I doubt any group could have pulled off what they did and lived through it. Their lineup was the perfect grouping for it. A team thatplemented itself on extreme attack and extreme defense.
Because of the chaos they created, the test grew harder for the rest of us, especially the team I was in. We ended up stumbling onto two lords; a blood rage bear and a mist blight pangolin. Half our team along with another team we had partnered up with got wiped out before we managed to defeat those two.
At the time, we thought it was the Instructors doing that things got suddenly chaotic, only after did we know it was Yang Qing and the rest, and at that time we were too exhausted and traumatized to do anything..."
Dai Chen let out an uproariousughter when he saw LaiLei''s pitiful face as he recalled those events.
"But at least it helped you all hone your survival skills in a chaotic environment. I bet the life and death duels were less frightening to your lot after that experience.."
"That''s one way to look at it.." Lai Lei said as he took hisst sip and got up.
"Dai, I''ll be off. After I''m done with the case I''m currently handling, I will head directly to the mountain. Save me the frost snake wine after Ie out, will you?"
"Good, I will...by the way what''s the case? Is it another walk-in one?"
"Mmh, a rank 4 n is iming ownership over an artifact in some rank 4 sect. The n ims the artifact is their n''s heirloom from 7,000 years ago, and it got lost when one of their elders who had it on him went missing.
They''ve requested a death duel challenge to the sect and requested the Order to act as the witness since the sect apparently has some connection with a rank 3 empire.
I am just going to confirm if the artifact really belonged to the n at some point in time and present my findings to the administration department, and if it does, then handling the duel may very well be sent to the outer pce courts, who knows, you may even end up presiding over it.."
"A treasure tribunal showdown huh.." Dai Chen said with a sigh.
Chapter 529 Eight months ago (2)
Chapter 529 Eight months ago (2)
The death duel challenge also known as the treasure tribunal challenge was an officiated battle between two factions who had a dispute over something and could note to some sort of agreement, and the level of their dispute was high enough to the point they woulde to death blows at any minute.
In such an event, they could fight it out amongst themselves without oversight or they could choose to involve the Order in the affair.
Fights between factions weren''t illegal, and neither were fights over treasures. It only became illegal when innocents were dragged into the chaos of the battle between those factions, but as long as no innocents were affected, and the casualties were only from those factions, then the Order would not intervene. They upheld the unmentioned rules of the cultivation world.
However, despite being bystanders in such situations, to help reduce the cycle of hatred and grudges or be forced to step in when innocents have already be victims, the Order formted something called a death duel.
During a death duel, the Order would provide a neutral ground where there were no people around, it was basically a wastnd, where the different factions could fight it out without repercussions. The fight could be an all-out brawl that involves every member of their respective factions or a fight selection, where each faction chooses their topbatants to fight in a one-on-one duel or battle royale. The victor would be the side with thest surviving member.
The Order would uphold the results of the fight as per the agreed-upon terms among the different factions. The terms had to be clear and distinct for the Order to be able to enforce it. One of those terms was the duration of the effect of the agreement. The Order would not protect the terms of the agreement indefinitely and was usually for a set period of time. There were attached costs to the enforcement timeline, with it increasing the longer the time of enforcement was.
Since the Order wanted more organizations to choose this option, and reduce the chaos that they would cause if they fought on their own terms, unmonitored, the costs were usually tailored in ordance with the fiscal capabilities of the factions in question.
Within that duration, it would not matter if the losing faction had a stronger ally or rtive, the Order would uphold the terms agreed upon to thest day. Most factions that didn''t have a web connection preferred to have this form of duel, and for the Order to be involved, the ims for the dispute had to be legitimate.
For example in the case that Lai Lei was working on, if his investigations showed that the artifact had never been a part of the n iming that it was their heirloom, then the Order would not be involved in the dispute in any form whatsoever, but if the im was proved to be true, then they would act as officiators and upholders of the terms and conditions of the fight, including providing a territory for the fight.
Even though these officiated duels reduced the amount of chaos caused to the continent, it was still a gory sight to behold especially to the judge who would be serving as witness to it. It was not a pretty sight, especially if it was an all-out fight, where both sides agreed that they would fight to thest person from the leaders all the way down to the negligible servants, they would all be involved in the fight.
Dai Chen had already officiated one, and he wasn''t that enthusiastic about officiating another.
"Oh yeah, can you give this to Yang Qing when hees out? Tell him it''s my gift for his sessful breakthrough.." Lai Lei said as he tossed over a white jade talisman.
"What''s in here?" asked Dai Chen as he stored the talisman away.
"He and Feng Xin made a list of tasty ingredients, I found ake containing one of them, the emberwhisker catfish. The area is pretty secluded and uninhabited by humans. The coordinates are recorded in there.." Lai Lei said as he turned to leave.
"Take care, Lei. You still have the talismans?"
"I do, I barely have a situation to use them. They''ve just been collecting dust.."
"I sometimes forget what a battlefiend you are sometimes.." said Dai Chen with augh when he noticed the regrettable expression Lai Lei had on his face for not getting an opportunity to use the talismans he had made.
Lai Lei didn''t say anything and just smiled and left.
...
Tribtion mountain, silent willow cave
"The tribtion wasn''t that bad. So this is the pce realm? This sense of invincibility. I could defeat ten of me in the core formation realm with just a wave of my palm. I can''t believe how dangerous it was for me every time I left the headquarters for those pesky evaluations.
I always knew the Order was up to no good, sending me out there with my paltry strength, but now, no, no, Yang Qing, don''t let yourself get swallowed up by your sudden leap in strength.
Remember your weakness, if I feel this much power, what about a domain expert? How much stronger are they than me? They could probably sneeze on me and pulverize my body and soul.
Nope, I am never leaving the headquarters not unless they give me a saint-grade treasure, but would one be enough?"
Yang Qing scratched his chin with his soot-covered body releasing ck kes with every scratch.
"No I need to get two but would the stingy Order give me some, knowing them, they would not, and if they did, they would likely harvest everything they could from me to pay back the worth of those two treasures and with interest too. No, no, it is too risky.
The only other option is to either redeem them with merit points but even then I would have to ve I don''t know for how long until I earned enough to redeem one, the other.." Yang Qing''s grin turned smug as his eyes let out a radiant glow. He looked like a ck cat with golden eyes.
"I am already a pce realm cultivator, and in terms of cases, I have already met the needed number for me to be immediately promoted to the outer pce court after this. The ceremony, the ceremony is my only hope of getting a saint-grade treasure, too bad the holynds nevere to these things, otherwise my odds of getting high would be high.
Outer pce court judge, hehehehe, days of ving for days with no sleep because of endless core court cases are now over.
Soft life Yang Qing the Order almost killed you, but you now have a chance at life," Yang Qing choked up as tears started trickling down his face.
"It was long but we are here, now what to do? I already told Old Fiend Lei I would take eight months to a year to break through and stabilize myself but it only took three months.
I will spend the next two months stabilizing my realm as for the next three or so months after that, hehehe, I will take my well-deserved rest..."
His stomach immediately grumbled after that which prompted him to dig out a storage ring that had been deeply embedded into a crevice by the wall of the cave about five hundred meters away from where he was.
"The pce realm sure is something.." Yang Qing muttered in amazement as he covered the distance in a single breath to pick up the ring and shed back to where he had just been.
"A roast chicken and vermilion wine ought to be the perfect celebratory meal...hehehe enjoying a good meal and the joyous thought of pulling one over Old man Lei is satisfying. Life is starting to look good.." joyously muttered Yang Qing as he poured his qi into the ring and a golden crisp chicken and wine gourd shed out of it along with a white goose cushion.
Chapter 530 Eight months ago (3)
Chapter 530 Eight months ago (3)
Above the skies of the Scarlet Peony sect,
"This should about confirm it. The ocean turtle cauldron did belong to the Duan family at some point. The spiritual markings of their founder and the subsequent three n leaders are still present in the cauldron.
They hid their markings well, almost as if they knew the cauldron would be lost one day. Mmh but I wonder where they managed to find the cauldron.
It looks like it has been around since antiquity and despite almost 70% damage, it''s still releasing energy undtions that closely resemble that of a low-tier monarch-grade artifact. Too bad its spirit seemed to have been destroyed ruining any chances of restoring it to its former glory, but even then, I can see why the two of them would rather go to war than let it go.
A cauldron that is able to pacify vtile ingredients without the need for the alchemist to use their spiritual sense and soul essence to contain the vtility, not only that, it''s also able to strengthen the spiritual essence of the alchemist, enabling them to maintain their peak state for long durations of time. With such advantages, even an orange-grade alchemist would be able to concoct blue-grade potions.
How did the Duan family risk traveling with such a treasure? Anyone worth their salt would be able to tell how valuable the cauldron is at a nce, especially its materials, the shell of a viridian ocean turtle.
The one who crafted it surely would have been at the gold grade.
Well, my work here is done. I just need to submit the findings and let the department handle the rest. Mmh should I pass by theWhite Baobab Kingdom and see if the wine Dai talked about is ready? The Kingdom isn''t far from here. What do you think Shadow? Should we make a detour?" Lai Lei said as he stroked the head of the shadow me hawk he was seated on.
The shadow me hawk was about 20 meters long with its wing span being half that. It had a grey me cloak on its neck that extended all the way to the underside of its feathers creating an infinity loop image.
The shadow me hawk was known for its incognito abilities. Its shadow mes are able to iste its presence from every sense including scanning by divine sense. Its mes also act as a barrier or protection against soul-based attacks and it has mild healing capabilities when ites to curses.
Even though it was known mostly for its stealthy and sentinel capabilities, its speed was above average. It could cover a 100-kilometer distance in ten minutes.
The shadow hawk narrowed its eyes in pleasure as it weed Lai Lei''s scratches.
"I take that as a yes.." Lai Lei said as he took out a yellow parchment that had a detailed map of their area.
"The White Baobab Kingdom is here, and we are here.. we can pass through the broken whale fin peak to make it in good time. Shadow take us away.." Lai Lei said as he used a cultivation spell to project their travel route to the shadow me hawk which screeched in acknowledgment and pped its wings which despite beingrge didn''t create as much of a breeze with their movements.
When they were a few kilometers away, Lai Lei took out hismunication talisman to call the Administrative department member who had given him the case to inform him of the findings.
His eyes narrowed when he saw the runes of themunication talisman weakly flicker instead of letting out the gentle golden glow they usually did.
"Shadow be alert.." he immediately said as he narrowed his gaze toward his surroundings. They were currently flying above a ce known as the jagged rock-scorched ins.
The incked human presence due to its barren nature. There were poisonous yellow magma channels that crisscrossed all over the ins. The magma made the air dry and inhospitable to both people and animals as it not only raised the temperature to abnormally high levels, but it released steam that contaminated the spiritual qi of the area. If a foundation establishment cultivator were to try to absorb said contaminated qi, their meridians, and innards would be boiled from within by the tainted qi and exhibit symptoms of me poisoning, which if left unattended, would kill them within ten minutes, which would leave their bodies calcified into yellow rocks, simr to the jagged yellow rocks that were all over the in.
There were very few animal species and nts that could survive the area, and each one of them was poisonous, with the most dangerous species being the yellow poisonous med thorn chameleon. It was like a fish in water in such a treacherous environment, continuously feeding and growing stronger from the magma-tainted qi and its mes. It was stealthy and its whole body except its eyes was filled with minuscule thorns that would be coated with poisonous yellow mes upon release.
A yellow poisonous med thorn chameleon in the foundation establishment stage could easily fall a spirit beast at the core formation realm if they were in this environment. It was a king here, however, if you took it out, its strength would plummet to the point even a fledgling qi refinement spirit cub would easily kill it, but within this in, it was one of the most dangerous things toe across.
Lai Lei''s alertness, however, wasn''t to those chameleons or to the tainted spiritual qi in the area. To both he and the shadow me hawk, if they wanted to, they could limate to the area even more so than the chameleon if they wanted to. His wariness was to the strange reaction of hismunication talisman, and his instincts honed by years of experience were screaming, telling him that something was afoot.
He had already unsheathed his long sword as he restrained his spiritual sense to within 200 meters of his body even though his normal range was above 500 meters. His shrinking spiritual sense was part of thebat training preparations given by the Institute.
If you suspected you were being ambushed and your spiritual sense deployed at normal range didn''t detect it, you needed to shrink it by half and concentrate on it within that range which results in the amplification of your spiritual sense. The details one could get in a concentrated range would be higher than if it was left at the normal range. However, in exchange for concentrated rity, one sacrificed the allowance of distance for reacting to the ambush. So those who did this had to train their reactionary speeds to the peak, which the Institute ensured it did, along with the training afforded to Inquisitors.
Chapter 531 Eight months ago (4)
Chapter 531 Eight months ago (4)
Lai Lei held on to his sword, with a faint silver light shing in his eyes. He still maintained the same peaceful and graceful aura, despite the tenseness of the situation, while the grey mes of the shadow me hawk seemed much more vibrant.
They passed halfway through the in with no incident, it was only when they were almost at the edge that a change finally happened.
Lai Lei tightly gripped his sword as he narrowed his gaze and took a small deep breath. A silver line suddenly shed in his eyes and he lept off the shadow me hawk''s back swinging his sword horizontally.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion sounded that parted the hot mist from the in as sprays of blood suddenly appeared with cleanly sliced yellow med thorn chameleons appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
"Fellow Daoist, it can''t be that you were hunting the yellow me-thorned chameleon, and I happened to interrupt your strike, could it?" Lai Lei said as he softlynded on the ground with his gaze fixed on the ck-robed person standing a few hundred meters away from him.
The ck-robed person had concealed their face with a mask that was made in the image of a spider''s abdomen and legs. It was a mix of red and ck.
Lai Lei had a nigh imperceptible frown on his face, as it could feel some sort of istion power being released by the mask. It seemed to iste everything about the person, about the only thing Lai Lei could tell about the person, was that they were at the quasi-pce stage, the same as him, and the only reason he was able to glean that, was from their earlier sh.
The ck-robed person didn''t respond to Lai Lei as he pulled a chained deer horn knife. As he pulled it, the motion created a deep tear to the ground. It sliced through it easily like a hot knife through butter.
"Top tier monarch grade weapon, quasi pce stage cultivation, an artifact that can iste their presence even from me. Whoever that person is, their background isn''t simple, and by the looks of it, the attack was deliberate, clearly they seemed to have been waiting for me.."
Lai Lei took slow steps forward which prompted the ck-robed person to tighten their grip over the chain connecting two deer knives.
Lai Lei''s robes fluttered gracefully as his sword let out a gentle hum.
The pupils of the ck-robed person constricted as they detected a sharp piercing sensation surrounding their entire body when the hum sounded. When the person''s gaze fell on Lai Lei, even though Lai Lei still had the same charming peace loving look to him, the person felt a tyrannical force of destruction being released from Lai Lei.
"Are they done with the preparation yet? I don''t know how long I can hold on against him. Holding on for five minutes seems impossible even with the help of the dragon me pills. I''ll need to use the talisman.."
Just as a ck jade talisman appeared in the ck-robed person''s hand, Lai Lei flicked his sword in rapid session.
Cascading moon shes
White wind cutter slices immediately bombarded the ck-robed person as it sliced through everything in its path.
The ck-robed person who looked just about ready to detonate the ck jade talisman in his hands, was immediately put under defensive pressure that he could not even spare a momentary thought toward the talisman in his hand.
Within seconds, the person was already walking a tightrope between surviving and being sliced apart.
The person was cycling the double-horned deer knife chain so fast that it created a blur in their movements, but even then, they struggled to keep Lai Lei''s lightning-fast attacks at bay. sh marks appeared on the ck-robed person''s body, little by little.
With every attack from Lai Lei, the ck-robed person felt like their body had been smashed by a sharp mountain. The resulting force caused their blood to churn with their organs shifting in the process and some of their bones dislocating.
"This can''t be...it''s barely been a minute.."fearfully thought the ck-robed person as they felt the speeds and the weight of the attacks from Lai Lei continuously increase with every passing moment. Their body was already riddled with cuts, their breathing grewbored with the metallic scent of their bleeding body pervading the area.
"I can''t hold on.."
The ck-robed person sacrificed one of their legs by leaving it undefended so they could get a chance to detonate the talisman by their hand.
However, the ck-robed person felt the chain suddenly drop as a cold sensation filled one of their hands, and when they looked over, they saw three of their fingers fly slowly in the air as the talisman slowly fell from their grip.
Before they could register what had happened their whole arm was next to fly.
"SENIOR BROTHER NOOW!!!!!!!"the ck-robed person who had remained silent all this time finally opened their mouth, and it was to yell for dear life.
"It even istes the gender of their voice..." muttered Lai Lei in shock as he heard the androgynous voicee from the ck-robed person.
He still could not tell their gender or even age.
The ck-robed person who expected something to happen after their yell was left in shock when they saw different parts of their body being cleanly dismembered leaving only their torso intact, and just as they thought they were going to survive, they saw a sword pierce straight through their be. Even in death, they were still in disbelief.
"If you have partners then there''s no need to keep you alive.." Lai Lei muttered as he bent over to pick up the spider abdomen''s mask of the ck-robed person''s body.
However, he immediately paused and dodged to the side where a ck lightning streak shed by.
When he looked up, he saw fourteen ck-robed people standing ahead of him with the same type of mask that isted their sense of self.
A ck rusted dagger coated in ck lighting was at the center of the group. Lai Lei could tell that the dagger was special and it required eight of the fourteen people before him to maintain.
He could intrinsically feel if he was nicked just slightly by the dagger, he would suffer fatal injuries.
Without hesitation, five talismans instantly appeared in his hands that he immediately detonated,unching them toward the group as he used a silent voiceless transmission to send a message to the shadow me hawk.
"Shadow, run the way we came from and fly as fast as you can. Use the eagle bracelets like you were taught tounch a distress signal.."
Chapter 532 Eight months ago (4)
Chapter 532 Eight months ago (4)
The shadow me hawk screeched as though it was saying,
"No, I want to stay.."
Lai Lei sighed as if reading its thoughts.
"I know you want to help but if you stay I will be too distracted with your welfare to go fully out, and considering the line-up, I doubt I can afford a moment''s distraction, and it also looks like they came fully prepared.
I don''t know if it was me specifically they were targeting, or they were targeting anyone from the Order and I happened to be the unlucky one, but regardless of which is which, they came fully prepared to achieve whatever their goals were, knowing fully well what they would be up against.
Our best course of action is to split. Call for reinforcements while I hold them off, who knows the thought that you escaped might end up affecting their mental states which would give me more to exploit. And if I really can''t handle it, I will run. I have no intentions of fighting to the bitter end here, if I really can''t win, I can always run.." Lai Lei gently said.
The shadow me hawk let out a low screech almost mournful as it gently touched its head on Lai Lei''s forehead.
"Go.." Lai Lei said as he gave it onest pat on the head.
Grey mes zed and immediately coated the shadow me hawk''s full body. With a crackle, it immediately disappeared from view and flew away.
"Good.."
The whole exchange had taken just a few seconds, in the meanwhile a chaotic cataclysmic storm was brewing ahead of him.
Lai Lei had detonated five talismans, each containing 80% of Dai Chen''s strength as a first-stage pce realm cultivator.
Spiritual qi was swallowed inrge amounts, while debris and explosions sounded everywhere.
"Did I curse myself this morning?" Lai Lei wondered with a bitter smile as he took out three more talismans and then decided to add one more.
Thest talisman was dark purple and had dark gold runes inscribed on it. Lai Lei had a slightly frightful expression as he held on to it. If given the chance, he would rather not use it because detonating it came with consequences to his body that would end up in his death in the worst-case scenario.
"Hopefully I don''t have to use it.." he muttered to himself as he watched the dust cloud clear.
The talismans that had enough power to eviscerate an entire city because of how much destructive power they had, failed to so much as scratch the ck-robed group''s robes.
A giant ck lightning shield had enveloped them like a protective capsule. Everywhere around them had been destroyed, except the ce in which they stood on.
Lai Lei wasn''t too surprised by the result, since if they dared attack him, surely they had enough confidence in the means they had, especially that dagger that gave him an eerie dangerous sensation.
"It''s not quite at the ascendant grade, but it should be close. Just who are these people? Where did theye from? The artifacts, the lineup, it''s too high for it to be some no-name group, and how did they even know my route?
Launching that dagger needed sufficient time and preparation. Clearly, they were sure I''d pass by here for them to be able tounch it in time.
The blocked signal must be there doing too. They must have an artifact on them with void attributes. It''s the only thing I can think of that is capable of interfering with themunication talisman.
Luckily the group before me doesn''t seem like they have someone capable of controlling the artifact, if there was, I''d be in serious trouble.
Fourteen..let me exhaust the eight some more.."
Lai Lei in quick session instantly detonated the three talismans and fished out two more from his storage ring, which he detonated immediately after he was done three.
"Looks like it''s working.." Lai Lei muttered as he noticed the slightly erratic fluctuationsing from two of the eight ck-robed persons who were controlling the dagger and also by the demeanor of their bodies, they seemed to be imploring the remaining seven to act who immediately pulled out their weapons.
Three of them were sword users, one had a green fan made of what looked to be the dried wings of a bird, one was a saber user, one spear user, and one held two saber tooth daggers that released an eerie green-ck smoke.
"Of course, they have monarch-grade weapons too.." said Lai Lei when he detected the energy fluctuations being released from their weapons. It was simr to the first ck-robed person he had killed.
"I hope twenty minutes will be enough. I can only maintain this for thirty.." muttered Lai Lei as his figure started morphing slightly.
The graceful tyrannical storm of the gentle kirin
A rainbow-colored auspicious light permeated out of the golden scales that had appeared on several parts of his body i.e. his forearms, both sides of the neck, the nose bridge, and the eyebrows.
His eyes had also changed to a pure golden color with an ethereal light fluctuating within them.
A brilliant sword intent was immediately released from his body that cleared the dust storm around and from within it, he charged forth, sword in hand.
The seven ck-robed individuals immediately split up in a bid to form an encirclement on Lai Lei.
Three of the sword users charged forward while the fourth remained behind seemingly to guard the eight, who seemed immobilized in the operation of the dagger.
Two of the sword users had mastered sword intent too, which was the materialization of one''s sword force to the external surrounding, however, in terms of momentum, theirs lost out to Lai Lei''s sword intent which looked to cleanse every impurity by slicing it to dust.
Like an unstoppable force, the moment Lai Lei shed with the three sword users, he simultaneously deflected the attacks of the two sword users that had mastered sword intent and then borrowed the momentum of the deflection to quickly appear behind the third sword user that had not mastered sword intent.
The third sword user had just detected the danger from their back and was desperately turning his body to deflect it, only to have their arm sliced off with quick precision. The arm sliced off was the one holding the sword.
Lai Lei as if reading the trajectory of the sliced arm immediately kicked it, intercepting an iing attack from the fan user. The fan in their hands seemed almost lifelike as brown corroded feathers appeared on it. When the fan user waved their fan, and a sandstorm with ck smog was produced.
The severed arm that Lai Lei kicked over, which still held onto the sword, immediately parted the sand storm apart with fierce momentum. However, even though the attack seemed parted, the arm started rotting and desating, further in the storm, it went.
Immediately after the dual dagger wielder appeared behind Lai Lei aiming for his neck. Lai Lei as if he had eyes at the back of his head plunged his sword backward forcing the dual wielder to dodge to their side, only to be met with an elbow to their jaw as they were dodging.
A cracking sound, likely from a broken mandible immediately sounded from the crash.
"Good, it seems the masks don''t provide defense.."thought Lai Lei as he went on to follow up with a shing attack that aimed for the dual wielder''s neck only to be stopped by the spear user and saber user who had each mastered intent, though it was only in the embryonic form.
A fierce explosion was created that sent the dual wielder flying as the saber and spear user were sent back a few steps. The spear of the spear user vibrated forcefully as blood appeared in between their thumb and their index finger.
Before they could even grip their spear properly, a sh of shining radiant light was reflected on their eyes as they saw a graceful sword aiming for their neck and were too helpless to stop it.
ng!
A metal against metal sh sounded immediately drawing the spear user out of their trance-like state. The spear user felt their body get flung backward by the interceptor who turned out to be the lone sword user who had not joined the attack.
"You must be the one in charge, I take it. I don''t know if you would be willing to tell me where you are from and why seven quasi-pce stage expertsid an ambush for me?"
Chapter 533 Eight months ago (5)
Chapter 533 Eight months ago (5)
Lai Lei asked as he rapidly stabbed the sword user over a dozen times. The sword user managed to deflect those stabs, however, they looked to be struggling as the stabs grew. Muffled grunts and a pained look appeared in their eyes during the terrifying onught where the sword user felt if they let up as much as an inch, Lai Lei''s sword would easily cleave them apart.
The sword user didn''t know for how long they would be able to maintain their defense before an opening showed up, but lucky for them, they didn''t have to find out as the remaining six members all swarmed Lai Lei, alleviating the pressure on the sword user who looked to be the leader of the group.
The fan user created a sandstorm to surround the entire battlefield. Other than having life-draining properties, it seemed to have slight effects on one''s senses, especially the spiritual sense and obscuring vision. The ck-robed attackers clearly hoped to limit Lai Lei as much as they could as they seemed to have a way to easily maneuver within the sandstorm.
Unlucky for them, with his ignited bloodline, Lai Lei could easily see them, including even the flows of their qi. He had the thinnest bloodline of the graceful kirin, however, it was thin to the point that he was no different than a person without it, except for the various immunities and sensitivity to qi maniption it gave him. But after the tireless efforts by the Order, even though, they couldn''t increase his blood purity due to how mythical and mysterious the kirin was, they did find a way to force out thetent abilities contained within his bloodline, simr to atavism.
Through a special technique, Lai Lei was able to assume a pseudo-atavic state of the kirin and gain the abilities contained within his bloodline. When he started, he could only sustain it for three minutes, then with arduous training, his growing cultivation base, and improvements continuously made to the special technique, he was now able to hold it for thirty minutes.
One of the abilities he gained was something called unveiled spiritual light sight. He was able to see the flow of qi, including its characteristics within a given. The characteristics ran from its elementaryposition down to its state and or concentration. The seven ck-robed attackers stuck out like fireflies in the dark within that sandstorm.
But withunching that state, came the drawbacks, such as being in a severely weakened state for the next two hours, and if he were to forcibly prolong the state beyond thirty minutes, his foundations and life would very well be put at risk, which was why he hoped to handle the whole ordeal within twenty minutes and use the remaining ten to find a safe location to ask for reinforcements, in case the shadow me hawk wasn''t able to.
Lai Lei feigned that his senses had been affected somewhat to lull the enemy tocency which it did, as he was able to kill the one sword user who was missing an arm.
The group on realizing the sandstorm likely had no effect on Lai Lei,unched a desperate struggle against him. A rain of different nature and color of attacks wereunched on Lai Lei including deploying talismans that contained the power of a pce realm cultivator. Luckily Lai Lei still had two of his own, and his were superior. He used one of the remaining two to deflect their talismans and used the slight opening created to deal heavy blows to them.
Despite being surrounded and walking a tightrope where a single misstep could end in his death, Lai Lei gracefully interwove between attack and defense. He skillfully dodged their attacks like a fish swimming through a current as he counterattacked just as first. Ten minutes in, none of the seven attackers remained uninjured, with a few dismemberments among the group. The only reason they held on for so long was because of the dagger with ck lightning.
The backlighting borrowed the domain created by the sandstorm to crisscross and pinpoint Lai Lei. Luckily for Lai Lei, he had the unveiled spiritual light vision, and with it, he was able to detect minute fluctuations as the lightning was about to target him. Whilst he was able to dodge them, it was by a tiny margin. His robes were singed, and he had a few burn marks that could not heal from secondary contact with the lightning.
"This can''t go on much longer.." Lai Lei muttered as he felt something dangerous brewing from the dagger.
Kirin''s fang of judgment
Lai Lei suddenly exploded with energy as a sharp piercing light burst from his sword. Lai Lei like a specter, crisscrossed around the battlefield shing and piercing without stop.
The ck-robed group that was already struggling, was immediately drowned in an avnche of radiant sharp tearing attacks from Lai Lei who turned into a reaper within seconds.
The ck-robed group started dropping like flies. The spear user was split in half from head to toe, the fan user had a pin-sized hole through their forehead, one of the sword users from sliced apart from their torso, while the other received a clean decapitation,the saber user already had one of the eyes blinded and non dominant arm dismembered, leaving only the dual dagger wielder and the leader, in any fighting form, but even they were not long for the world as they had numerous injuries on their bodies.
Despite the one-sided massacre that was happening before them, they seemed apathetic about it, all working with a single-minded devotion of ying Lai Lei. The dual wielder was the next to fall as Lai Lei blitzed in between their attack and sliced them cleanly through from shoulder to shoulder.
Lai Lei''s desperation grew when he felt whatever was brewing from the ck lightning dagger was about to bepleted. It was then that the surviving sword user and saber user did something inexplicable and pretended to attack Lai Lei, only to simultaneously detonate their bodies when they were within a certain range of him.
Lai Lei managed to dodge just in the nick of time, thanks to detonating one of hisst remaining talismans that took the brunt of the attack, however, he took some damage as the force shifted his internal organs causing him to cough up blood.
The slight disorientation left him open and the ck lightning attack managed to strike him on his left foot, searing it off at the ankle, causing Lai Lei to leak gold blood.
However, Lai Lei was in no mood to care about his missing foot when he saw a presence materialize behind the dagger as the life aura in the eight dark-robed experts started to dwindle.
"Are they awakening its spirit.." wondered Lai Lei as the temperature of the area suddenly plummeted that even the ground below was encased in ck ice.
A stifling atmosphere filled the area like that of a terrifying slumbering beast awakening.
A dark silhouette of a double-headed snake appeared from the background of the now floating dagger. One of the heads had dark blue eyes that released a frigid chillness that could freeze the soul for eternity while the other had dark eyes that seemed to be the picture of endless destion.
"I can''t hesitate.."
Lai Lei immediately vomited gold blood on thest talisman he had, the purple talisman with ck golden runes.
The gold blood was immediately swallowed by the runes that let out a blinding glow and terrifying pressure that seemed to match the one released by the double-headed snake.
Lai Lei''s hand that was holding the talisman immediately became emaciated and within seconds it was nothing but bones, as his skin grew paler with his golden scales disappearing one after the other, but even then he didn''t flinch as he detonated the talisman with whatever remaining strength he had left.
The world seemed to turn still as all the spiritual qi within a 10-kilometer radius of the purple talisman was immediately sucked by the cracking talisman.
Lai Lei weakly opened his eyes to see some sort of projected image. It was of a dagger being born and inviting a ck lightning tribtion that seemed to temper it. Immediately after it dropped and sliced through the monolithic double-headed snake and absorbed them.
Lai Lei suddenly felt like he was the double-headed snake, however, that sensation was warmly and gently washed away when a white ocean appeared and then shrunk to the size of a pearl. The pearlpressed to the size of a needle radiating a terrifying presence that made the space quake.
In an instant, a blinding dawn was created as it charged towards the dagger.
Lai Lei instantly crashed a dove amulet he had on him the moment he saw the two attacks were about to collide as he made a desperate dash to his right.
Chapter 534 Eight months ago (6)
Chapter 534 Eight months ago (6)
A golden membrane with runes in the shape of a dove immediately coated his body like an addedyer of skin.
The amulet he had just crashed was a top-tier monarch-grade artifact called the twilight fortress dove. It was a defensive artifact and was a one-time use defensive artifact with a timer.
For three minutes it would protect the user''s body against any attacks at the level of a tenth stage pce realm cultivator. It only required the tiniest bit of qi to trigger it, a wisp would do. When triggered it would form a protective membrane on the user for three minutes, and when the three minutes were up whether there was an attack or not, it would shatter and disappear.
Lai Lei didn''t choose to use it earlier even with the threat of the dagger because of that particr w. At the time he could still handle the lightning attacks being produced by the dagger, even though they paused a fatal threat to him if they managed to strike him.
Triggering the Twilight Fortress Dove for something he could dodge could be considered pretty wasteful especially considering the artifact was a one-time use artifact. From the moment he saw the dagger appear which prompted him to take out the purple talisman, he knew the moment he would use the amulet.
The purple talisman was something the Order had spent countless resources and effort to create. The best-made talismans could only contain 70-80% of a cultivator''s full-powered ability,and that value usually shrunk the higher up one moved in the cultivation realms.
The purple talisman he had just triggered contained the 90% full-blown strength of a peak pce stage expert who was inches from the domain realm. A 90% threshold was something thought to be impossible around the continent, but the Order had managed to achieve it at a considerable cost at that.
Creating the purple talisman required considerable resources to create, and arge sum of it was in the ascendant grade. Therefore every employee was given only one such talisman for a couple of reasons one of which was the cost it took to manufacture them but the other was the inherent risk of the talisman to the user, especially if said user is multiple levels weaker than the power contained in the talisman.
To trigger the talisman, one would need to pour their qi into the talisman, and the amount of qi required was the remaining bnce of the power stored in the talisman. In Lai Lei''s case, he needed to pour 10% into the talisman, however, the 10% was in reference to the peak pce realm expert whose cultivation spell was used in the making of the talisman. So Lai Lei needed to pour 10% of the spiritual qi contained within the body of a peak pce stage expert, specifically for one who was already at the doors of the domain realm. That 10% wiped out all his reserves even with his atavism state triggered and it even drained his blood and soul essence, any more and he would have been drained to death by the talisman.
The qi required was one of the risks of triggering the talisman, the other was if one sessfully triggered it, there was a high likelihood they would be swallowed by the attack contained in the talisman. This was why Lai Lei immediately used his artifact the moment he triggered the talisman. If he got swallowed up in the attack, then his death would be all but guaranteed.
With the protective membrane encapsting his entire body, he triggered all of the hidden spiritual qi restoration pills stored within his body, which was like a bucket in a dry river. He used the spiritual qi he got to execute his movement speed with the highest speed he could before the cataclysmic explosion from the collision of the white ocean pearl and the ck lightning dagger happened.
However, he had clearly underestimated the abilities of peak pce realm cultivators. The two attacks collided before he could make it far. All he saw was a brilliant ray of light colliding with twelve ck mountains that had appeared out of nowhere, each exuding a terrifying presence, while below them was a pool ofva.
"What is that?" Lai Lei fearfully thought as he had hammering sounds echoing from the twelve mountains.
The hammering sound was so loud that he instantly felt like it was his very soul that was being hammered to pieces. His soul would have been severely damaged had it not been for the protection afforded by the twilight fortress dove artifact but even with its protective membrane that helped reduce the impact of those hammering sounds on his soul, he still bled from almost every orifice of his body, with a heavy bout of nausea and dizziness assaulting him.
The space started shattering as a world-ending explosion sounded from the point of collision of the two opposing sides. The wave created by the explosion was fierce and fast as it destroyed thend within the area with its effects rapidly spreading outwards, and soon Lai Lei was swallowed in the storm.
The white dove runes that filled the membrane covering his body flickered with a sense of desperation to them almost as if their existence hung at a bnce.
Lai Lei''s body was immediately filled with miniature cuts that came from burst capiries. The force of the wave was so high, that he felt an entire world had mmed into him and all he had was an armor made of the lightest feather.
He dug all the willpower he had to maintain his consciousness and try to move away from the area as fast as he could despite feeling like his body had been submerged in quicksand. Despite trying, he could not move an inch, and from the faint cracking sounds he hearding from his body, he knew the protective membrane wouldn''tst long. Barely five seconds had passed, but it looked to be on itsst legs and once the membrane disappeared, that would be it for Lai Lei. His body and soul would be shredded to dust within an instant.
"Is this it?" he muttered with a sense of calmness he didn''t think he would have.
He moved his eyes and looked at the side behind the twelve mountains where the eight masked men had been. It looked like only five were left. Vision was horrible, and every time Lai Lei opened his eyes even slightly, he felt like they were being squished. All he saw were hazy five silhouettes and then a few hundred meters away from them were what Lai Lei assumed to be body parts of the three missing members.
"Just who were they?" he wondered as he felt his body slowly being sucked into the whirling storm that had been created by the colliding force of the white ocean pearl and the twelve mountains that were now radiating with ck lightning.
Lai Lei at this moment had already epted the fact that he would die. He couldn''t move his body and his protective membrane looked to be inches away from breaking.
"There goes my leg.." he muttered as he felt a crack appear on his missing foot. A shredding force prated the slight crack in his membrane and ground his foot from the calf to the ankle to dust in an instant before the membrane shielded the rest of the leg from the knee going up.
Just as Lai Lei thought this was it, he felt a current almost guiding him through the storm.
"Spirituality.." he muttered as he saw a white wormhole appear.
Seizing the moment of reprieve created, he charged through the tunnel created and he was moving through, in the midst of that chaotic storm he spotted what looked to be the torso of one of the ck-robed people who had assaulted him.
Lai Lei immediately used the tip of his sword to reel him in. He felt the bones in his hands threaten to break the moment he forced his sword outside the protection of the wormhole current. Even though the torso was just a few inches away, he felt like he had to pass through an entire ocean filled with heavy currents just to reach it.
The veins in his arms bulged while his hands burst open as he desperately tried to get his sword to the torso. After much struggle, he managed to drag the torso into the safety of the current provided by the white ocean pearl. Immediately after he made a mad dash through it as it looked to shatter at any moment and his guess proved to be true when it shattered just as he was close to the edge.
Lai Lei borrowed the force of the explosion tounch himself further away from the collision of the two forces.
He executed the Albatross feather flow stride which was a top-tier orange grade art, about the only decent movement art he could fully execute with a missing leg, heavily injured body, and depleted qi reserves.
It was a light step movement art that borrowed the force of the wind to propel the user forward and it also left minimal traces.
Lai Lei glided crisscrossing through uneven terrain that one would not believe that he was running on one leg.
"Silver-scaled oak forest should be about 20 kilometers from here, I can try and see if I can get a signal from there. If I remember correctly there should be a cave set up by the roaming inquisitor that she uses asionally to rest in between assignments.
I hope my medallion works.." thought Lai Lei as he ran north, leaving behind continuous thunderous explosions that did not seem like abating.
Chapter 535 Eight months ago (7)
Chapter 535 Eight months ago (7)
As he made his way to the forest, he avoided ces withrge human presence to avoid dragging them in case there were more of the ck-robed individuals after him or to avoid more of their cohorts in the off-chance that they had hid themselves with the public in anticipation of if he were to escape.
After circumventing and redirections, after half an hour he finally reached the outskirts of the Silver scaled oak forest. It was already dark by the time he reached it. The moon was already overhead and the forest had a chilly wind flowing through and out of it, apanied by the sounds of insects.
Lai Lei didn''t have the time to cautiously evaluate his surroundings as he immediately plunged into the weing darkness of the forest as he headed in the direction of the cave Jiaying had told him about.
Hu Jiaying was a roaming inquisitor who had teamed up with Yang Qing, Xia Boqin, and Kang Hung during the entrance purple grade test. Since Lai Lei was from the same year as her and had been one of the few who passed the test, they ended up being friends throughout their Institute days and continuously kept in touch despite the demanding schedule of the roaming inquisitors who were in constant deployment for months on end.
In one of their conversations, Yang Qing in typical fashion mocked her in glee for having a worse schedule than him and even bragged about at least being able to sleep infort. Not willing to lose out, Hu Jiaying, ended up mentioning the hidden abodes littered all around the continent, that roaming inquisitors could use. She went into great detail about a few of them of which the one in Silver scaled oak forest had been one of them.
Lai Lei decided he would try to get in touch with the Order headquarters once he was at the abode. The abode was filled with protective formations that could shield him from even a domain expert, and it had a powerfulmunication talisman built for emergencies that was anchored.
As he couldn''t afford any sort of dy in his escape, he opted to only stop and make a call once he was at the abode, which till now he wasn''t sure if his gold eagle medallion would work or if there were other mechanisms. He could only hope the medallion work as his spiritual qi was quickly depleting, his injuries from the explosion were not light, to say the least. He could feel cracks within his meridians. If he was forced to overexert himself one more time, the cracks would spread to his dantian and trigger an implosion, which was why he was desperate to reach the hidden abode.
He smoothly traversed through the forest without so much as bending the grass despite the speed he was traveling at. The forest was filled withrge canopies that added darkness to the region, however, there was dim glittering lighting around the forest courtesy of the silver-scaled oak tree that looked like pieces of the moon sculptured into trees. The forest had a few of them spread widely about, hence the name. They pulsated with a gentle white glow that went on and off as if in rhythmic breathing along with releasing a chilly white mist.
The trees seemed to add a sense of mystical beauty to the forest, thatplemented the silence of the night perfectly. It could be considered a tranquil ce to rest at if one didn''t care about the spirit beasts that inhabited the ce which was why it had little human presence.
Lai Lei had already been detected by a few of them, especially with his bleeding body, however, they avoided him due to the pressure he was releasing, and also the speed with which he was traveling made it difficult for them to catch up with him. Lai Lei was able to cover a lot of distance unhindered thanks to this and he was soon just about 10 kilometers away from the area Hu Jiaying mentioned.
However, with the luck he had, he managed to attract the attention of a customer who was undeterred by the pressure he was releasing and his speed didn''t seem to be an issue for it.
"At the state I am in, figures even ate-stage core formation ash cinder wolf would try its hand.." Lai Lei said with a bitter smile appeared on his face.
In front of him was a massive wolf the size of a rhino. It had a beautiful silver-white fur that made crackling sounds like that of burning mes every time the wind brushed on it. Its red eyes were currently colored with unrestrained greed as it eyed Lai Lei''s body more specifically, the blood that was still dripping from his wounds.
Its greed was insatiable as it saw the droplets. Lai Lei wasn''t too surprised as his blood even though it was extremely thin, still contained traces of the kirin, a mythical creature. His blood was akin to an irresistible monumental treasure to the ash-cinder wolf.
"I have one shot at this.."thought Lai Lei as he rxed his body and made a mental calction of the remaining spiritual qi and the state of his body. He couldn''t afford to overexert himself, which was why he didn''t even bother to unsheath his sword. He barely had the strength to use it fully, he could only rely on his hands.
A silent confrontation ensued between the two as they eyed each other waiting for the opportune moment.After circling Lai Lei for a bit, the ash cinder wolf seemed like it couldn''t contain itself as it ferociously lunged toward Lai Lei. Its pelt burned with a blue me, adding a metallic hue to its fur. The blue me absorbed spiritual qi which it instantly refined to strengthen its coat along with improving its body aspects such as strength, speed, and awareness.
A malevolent grin appeared on its face when it saw Lai Lei''s weak gait, along with his trembling body. It judged clearly Lai Lei was on hisst legs. However, despite Lai Lei''s weakness the ash cinder wolf was not about to underestimate him which was why it triggered its highest mes which were the blue mes, that boosted its abilities to the highest peak. It only used this form against those at the peak stage of the core formation realm, the ones it was not sure it could defeat easily and it had judged Lai Lei to be one such worthy foe.
It aimed to destroy Lai Lei in one move to avoid anytent threats. With a speed that did not match its body, it blurred into a blue streak, and in an instant, its canines were already at Lai Lei''s neck. Victory was in sight, however, before it could even register anything, it felt one of its canine shatter followed by a sudden sharp pain to the roof of its mouth, and in the next second, it felt a sense of tiredness and everything went nk.
Its monstrous body fell immediately along with Lai Lei who dragged his arms from his mouth as he held on to a canine tooth that was the size of a dagger. He was breathing heavily as he weakly got up.
"The survival instructor said the liver and the gall dder have wood properties with healing properties.." he tiredly muttered to himself as he traced the massive body of the ash-cinder wolf whose blue mes were receding.
He traced a line on its abdomen and once he had confirmed he had the right spot, he used the tooth like a sharpened dagger to carve an opening after which he immediately plunged his hands with eyes closed seemingly sensing for something.
"There.." he said as he immediately pulled out his arm from the ash cinder wolf''s gut and out came a silver smooth fleshy substance. With zero hesitation, Lai Lei immediately swallowed the substance and immediately started running with the same intensity and desperation he had before.
Chapter 536 Eight months ago (8)
Chapter 536 Eight months ago (8)
The hundreds of cuts and wounds all over Lai Lei''s body started closing up as he moved, though his leg didn''t regrow back. He knew an art that could help him with it, but he needed a dense supply of wood element qi, and soul essence to pull it off, two things he was stillcking.
However, the liver and gall dder of the eighth stage core formation ash cinder wolf he had just defeated were able to provide him with temporary relief as he made his way to the hidden abode. The liver and gall dder of an ash cinder wolf were usually rich in wood energy which if Lai Lei had not beenpletely battered would have been enough to not only heal all his wounds but even restore some of the spiritual qi by half, however, the beating he got was not something a liver of a core formation beast could take care of. All it did was take care of some of the minor injuries and give him enough energy to continue his run.
After running for about a quarter of an hour, he finally stopped. The ce he stood wasn''t particrly different from the rest of the forest. It had one silver-scale oak forest that was at the sky grade, and had a few other trees and undergrowth, with no precious herbs or anything that stood out. It was perfectly mundane.
If Lai Lei hadn''t known beforehand that there was a hidden abode in this location, he would have overlooked it. He couldn''t sense anything off despite this being the area Hu Jiaying talked about.
"If it can hide someone from a domain expert, figures I can''t seem to sense anything. I hope this works.." Lai Lei said to himself as he took out his gold eagle medallion.
He activated it using the assigned activation method which produced a gentle gold light as the medallion seemed toe to life. The eagle suddenly flew from Lai Lei''s hands and circled around the small patch of silkfeather thyme that was growing beneath one of the trees.
It gently glided around it released distinct starlights as one glyph after another started appearing on its body.
Lai Lei waited with an abated breath hoping everything would work out as he still wasn''t able to detect anything despite covering the silkfeather thyme with his spiritual sense.
The gold eagle flew around the silkfeather thyme for about two minutes before a change finally happened. An almost mirage-like image was released from the silkfeather thyme. Immediately after an almost mechanical voice sounded as Lai Lei suddenly felt his body locked in ce.
[confirmed, Lai Lei, 12th stage core formation expert, Inquisitor identity number 4356, state; injured
Entry, permitted]
After the voice finished speaking, Lai Lei felt his body loosen up as he regained the mobility of his body and senses.
The mirage produced from the silkfeather thyme shimmered and then parted revealing a rustic wooden brown building seemingly floating on a pond with a white lotus.
Lai Lei couldn''t hide the relief and delight he felt when he saw the quaint courtyard. It was like receiving a new lease of life.
He immediately went in as the mirage closed up behind him with the scene going back to the way it was before it was disturbed by his medallion.
Inside he felt like he was in a different world. The spiritual qi was dense, vibrant, and refreshing. He could feel that even without proactively absorbing it, it was nourishing his body and even cleansing him of the fatigue he had. He even felt healing properties within the spiritual qi.
"Is thatthe congruent white lotus?" Lai Lei muttered in perplexion as he saw the white lotus that seemed to support the three-story building.
The white lotus seemed to match the same lotus he had seen at the Medicine Valley at the Tranquil coalescing rivers of healing pavilion. He was surprised to see it here, considering it was the anchoring treasure of the pavilion as far as he knew.
It was only after analyzing it for a brief moment did a look of realization shed in his eyes.
"It''s just its essence that has been transnted here.." he said as he crossed over the stone bridge across the pond to the courtyard.
At the entrance of the bridge was a stone statue of a Bai Ye which was a mythical pheasant that had a feather coating of red, orange, and green feathers. It was rumored to be able to heal hundreds of thousands of mdies and suppression of malevolent spirits. It was considered to be a sanctuary.
Lai Lei assumed the voice he had heard on his head hade from the statue. The respite valley had something simr to verify the identities of those who walked into the valley.
Lai Lei didn''t walk inside the building first but instead went to the right side which seemed to have a circr jade green tform attached to one of the petals of the white lotus.
He could tell that the tform was like a healing and cultivation chamber. The tform was filled with arrays that connected to not only the lotus but also the water below it, which seemed to have the same properties as the fourbining tranquil rivers that were at the pavilion in the Medicine Valley.
Once at the tform, he put the torso he took from the battlefield aside, and took out hismunication talisman to try and see if he could get a signal. If it failed, then he would use the high-grade talisman that was inside the building.
However, he felt the talisman would work. Despite the preparation of the ck-robed group, he had doubts, that the group would have a void interference artifact powerful enough to reach this far.
His guess proved to be the correct one, as hismunication talisman immediately connected to the administrative department attache assigned to outside emergencies.
"Hello, this is Lai Lei, Chief Inquisitor under Judge Dai Chen, identity number 4356. I me trouble during the conduct of my duties. I was attacked by 15 unknown assants all at the quasi-pce stage and looked to have an artifact that had once been at the ascendant grade by my guess.
I need help, I am severely injured, and I am at the hidden abode located in silver scaled oak forest.."
"Received. The code?"
[$&*#^]
"Contact is already being made to the nearest branches, along with any and all inquisitors or judges of appropriate level that may be within the area.
The spirit council and the Special Inquisitor will also be appraised. Advice is you remain at the abode.."
"Received and thank you..."
Once the call wasplete, Lai Lei felt the tenseness that hadtched onto his body all this time suddenly leave him.
Chapter 537 Eight months ago (9)
Chapter 537 Eight months ago (9)
Lai Lei turned to look at the torso one more time, before he shook his head and sat on the jade-green tform to replenish his spiritual qi and heal his injuries, especially the cracks in his meridians that made him feel like a thousand knives were coursing through his body cutting him up.
The runes in the tform immediately lit up the moment Lai Lei started circting his cultivation art in a bid to draw in the spiritual qi from the river and the white lotus to heal his wounds.
A tendril-like gtinous translucent string appeared from the tform and wrapped itself around Lai Lei''s leg and then proceeded to cover his entire body.
The substance wrapped around him like a burble as green, blue, and yellow lights shed around it. ck substances were immediately released from Lai Lei''s open wounds which immediately closed up after the ck smudge was produced.
Within minutes the gtinous bubble was ink-ck with the green, blue, and yellow lights being the only visible things within it.
After a quarter of an hour, the bubble became clear once more revealing apletely healed Lai Lei who though was still missing his leg had a serene look to him.
Lai Lei gently opened his eyes as the gtinous bubble slowly receded from his body with the dimming of the runes on the jade tform.
He checked his body with satisfaction before his gaze fell on his leg where he couldn''t help but sigh.
"Figures it couldn''t be restored yet.." he said as he massaged his knee that missed the lower half.
"But after one more hour, the ravaging qi from the sh should have beenpletely purged out which will make it easier to reform it..." he added as he wiped the ck liquid leaking from his leg, apanied by faint sparks.
"But all in all this is still good, my spiritual qi has been restored halfway and all the other injuries except the leg have been healedpletely.." Lai Lei muttered as he stretched his body and then walked over to the torso of one of the ck-robed individuals.
"I guess it''s about time I see even if it''s one of the faces of my would-be attackers.." Lai Lei said as he stretched his hand toward the mask that was still attached to the head on the torso.
The moment Lai Lei''s hands made contact, the spider''s abdomen mask which was red and ck suddenly rippled like a liquid and jumped on Lai Lei''s hands.
Lai Lei on detecting the sudden change, reacted swiftly and tried to pull his hand back as he lept backward, however, the mask that had now transformed into a crystal clear syrupy liquid had already reached his hands with terrifying speed.
The moment the white liquid made contact with his hand, Lai Lei could feel his resistance to it quickly erode and was reced by a sense offort like he was falling into his mother''s embrace.
Lai Lei''s body started rxing as he took a sit with a warm smile as he saw the white liquid encroach on his hands. It had already gone past his elbow radiating a white gentle glow and was quickly moving up his arm aiming for his neck and finally head.
However, the moment it reached his shoulder, something seemed to have been set off from within Lai Lei''s body as golden scales immediately appeared but this time they were denser than before as they seemed to cover every area of him and the auspicious air he released was thicker, and his free hand turned into a crystal white hoove that had ancient glyphs that released a majestic supreme air. His eyes turned golden while two golden dragon-like horns of absolute purity grew from his forehead.
An inscrutable primordial roar escaped from his mouth that seemed to call the power of the heavens as he used his hoof hand to sever his other arm from the shoulder. The white liquid shrieked as if alive when the hoove fell on it. His arm with the white liquid was immediately sent flying as it was dismembered by the golden hoof. Radiant golden blood that released auspicious air was produced from his bleeding shoulders.
A golden white wave was then produced from his mouth with its target being the dismembered arm. An intense shrill scream was produced from the hand that seemed to be burning. The scream subsided after a few seconds, and a minuteter the gold-white wave disappeared along with the dismembered arm.
Lai Lei who looked less human and more like a majestic being, immediately copsed as his body went back to normal. However, he immediately started seizing while cracks appeared in his body as he bled all over.
The twitching got more intense, and a light was being released from the cracks almost as if he was about to implode..
....
65 km away from the Silver scaled oak forest
"You said, Lai Lei?! How was he?! How did he sound?! What was his state?! No, forget it, I will confirm it myself.."
A youngdy with light brown hair tied in a ponytail and blue robes with frost flower patterns immediately flew in the direction of the Silver scaled oak forest with conical explosions being produced in the wake of her speed.
...
(Ten minutester, Hidden abode within Silver scaled oak forest)
"This?! What happened? Lai Lei, are you alive?!" the youngdy with brown hair, madly dashed toward the unconscious Lai Lei who was emaciated and looked like a dried-up corpse lying in an unending pool of blood surrounded by green fog and tendrils piercing his entire body.
The youngdy quickly poured over a dozen healing potions on the corpse like Lai Lei along with executing every emergency healing art she could think of.
"His dantian and meridians all have cracks just on the verge of shattering...Lai Lei, you need to hang on, didn''t we all promise we would go bully the demon instructors when we became powerful.." the youngdy frantically muttered as she did all she could to stop the bleeding.
"Hello, hello, this is Roaming inquisitor Hu Jiaying, help! help! Inquisitor Lai Lei is dying, send gold-grade healers, soul formation experts, anyone, Lai Lei won''t survive long.."
...
Present day
Yang Qing sighed when he recalled how he only learned about the matter concerning Lai Lei a few months after it happened all because he wanted to fool around more.
In those few months, Dai Chen would have been a deserter had it not been for the intervention of their group who managed to forcibly restrain him with the help of his pce realm inquisitor.
The state in which Lai Lei had been brought in, and the extent of the damage had shaken Dai Chen to his core, and after the shock came rage and impulsiveness. Despite being told not to investigate the matter personally so soon before the special inquisitors confirmed there weren''t any looming threats, Dai Chen pretended he had listened and left in search of who harmed Lai Lei despite not having enough clues other than where he was attacked.
His actions though understandable would havended him in severe disciplinary action because what he was doing not only endangered himself but the lives of those who would have toe to help him.
Kang Hung, Xia Boqin, Yu Huifang, Zhang Qingge, and Hu Jiaying along with one of his inquisitors immediately intercepted him before he got too far and had to work together to forcibly bring him back and for the next three months until Yang Qing came out of his seclusion, they all ensured they were with him at all times until he cooled down.
They helped keep him sane during that time.
Chapter 538 The ringing of the celestial bell
Chapter 538 The ringing of the celestial bell
Yang Qing''s gaze turned cloudy as he recalled hearing the news. It had been a little over three months ago and he came out of the tribtion mountain sauntering with swagger with excitement written all over his face.
Things were about to turn better for him. His breakthrough gave him a newfound confidence especially when he felt the vastness of strength that came with being a pce realm cultivator. Then there was the promotion to the outer pce courts waiting for him. He had already grilled Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge on the number of cases, and they had verified his guess, that the cases were fewer than in the core formation courts. His goal of bringing soft life Yang Qing was nearly in sight, and as icing on the cake for an otherwise good and promising future, he had pulled one over Lei Weiyuan.
Things were looking good. However, the joy was immediately cut short when he ''coincidentally'' met with Lei Weiyuan. Yang Qing at the time couldn''t help himself. He wanted to break the news of his sessfully breaking through to the pce realm to Lei Weiyuan while secretly snickering in his heart to Lei Weiyuan''s face about how he was the victor this time, but things didn''t go as nned. Lei Weiyuan instantly realized the little ruse of Yang Qing from the stability of his cultivation base and his promotion to the outer pce courts immediately got pushed back as he was forced to work those free months he gave himself along with paying a few fines and working with no pay.
Afterward, Lei Weiyuan broke the news of Lai Lei''s injury to him which left Yang Qing stupefied at the time. He didn''t even manage to hear anything else past Lai Lei had been injured badly and was at the Medical Valley. Yang Qing rushed all the way to where he was hospitalized and the scene shook him even further when he saw Lai Lei. He was in and out of consciousness at the time because of the severe injuries to his soul and the injuries to his dantian that left his qi chaotic.
When Yang Qing visited him, his missing limbs and any other external injuries had already been healed and all that was left was the extensive damage to his soul, meridians, and dantians.
During the first visit, in the midst of the shock of seeing Lai Lei in an unconscious state constantly being monitored by gold-grade physicians, Xia Boqin arrived during his daily visits.
After Yang Qing limated slightly to the shock of Lai Lei''s state, it was from Xia Boqin that he learned the exact details of what happened to Lai Lei including why he was in his current state. Turns out he had burned his kirin blood essence and the toll it took on him after was much more than he could bear and it was a miracle his body didn''t implode after.
They hypothesized that the only reason he survived, was probably because of the essence of the congruent white lotus that was able to stave off the burden on his body long enough for him to receive aid.
Xia Boqin then went on to exin about Dai Chen and how they had to stop and constantly be around him since that time, though by the time Yang Qing came out of his seclusion, he was already calmer, especially when the medical experts of the Medical Valley told him about Lai Lei''s improving state and their confidence of being able to fully restore him without leaving anytent injuries.
Yang Qing was absolutely mortified, especially when he thought those three months when all this was going on he had been casually eating food, and wine,ughing as he imagined Lei Weiyuan''s unsuspecting look and tinkering around with some talismans.
After his visit and confirming Lai Lei''s status he immediately made his way to Dai Chen''s abode. Too guilty to say anything, they spent the time drinking his vermilion wine which became a tradition they maintained for the next two months until Dai Chen told Yang Qing he was okay and their sessions switched locations to the Thousands vors Restaurant.
However, no matter how much time passed, and even Lai Lei regaining consciousness and looking well enough to even attempt a breakthrough for the pce realm, those events were still fresh on their minds, whether it was the serene-looking Lai Lei, Dai Chen who finally regained his normal wine loving carefree demeanor, or them, they still remembered that day, and the vow they promised.
Two months ago; Kang Hung, Xia Boqin, Zhang Qingge, Yu Huifang, Hu Jiaying, Yi Jie, and the two other surviving teammates of Lai Lei from the team he was in during the purple grade test, all made a vow to avenge Lai Lei, no matter the cost, even if it put them at odds with the Order, they would still follow through with it, but the prerequisite to that vow was reaching the pce realm.
Both Dai Chen and Lai Lei were unaware of that vow, but the duo on some level knew the group well enough to guess their thoughts, the same way Yang Qing and the rest knew despite Dai Chen looking normal, he would still make the same charge as he did months ago, should any news break out.
Back then, they stopped him in part because it was too risky for Dai Chen, but the other was because they could not help in the vendetta in case anything happened. Other than Zhang Qingge and Hu Jiaying, the rest were all in the peak stage of the core formation realm, and whoever ambushed Lai Lei was capable enough to send 15 quasi-pce stage experts. Their strength was insufficient to help with anything, and Dai Chen going alone wasn''t something they''d let him do, so the vow was created. Once they were all at the pce realm, they would all actively look into the matter as they prepared themselves for if or when the mastermind was found.
Yang Qing''s eyes zed with determination as he envisioned that day.
"By the way Lai Lei, the dagger you saw, did the special inquisitors ever find anything about it?" Yang Qing suddenly asked.
As the person involved in the whole saga, ever since Lai Lei regained full consciousness, he has been in close contact with those investigating his case, and therefore knew even more than they did, since the special inquisitors would likely share their findings with Lai Lei to try and dig up more clues.
"They haven''t, not even a single thing, which is the weirdest part.."
"Weird why?"
"When I was escaping, I saw the manifestation of a twin-headed abyssal ice basilisk being sliced apart by the dagger and then afterward 12 mountains filled with ck lightning appeared along with a pool ofva below and hammering sounds that seemed that they could mold someone''s soul into a weapon.
At the time, I thought it was an ability of the dagger, but someone from the spirit council, a gold-grade cksmith and artificer, said differently after asking for a detailed description of what I saw about the dagger and those manifestations.
What I thought was an ability of the dagger were vestiges of spirituality and had nothing to do with the dagger itself but its maker."
"Vestiges of spirituality?"
"Yes, one can think of it as like a fingerprint or a record left on a weapon by the creator when making the weapon.
As you well know when ites to cksmiths and artificers, you only be a blue-grade cksmith or artificer if the weapon or artifact you create is born with an activated spirit during its creation process, and the stronger the weapon''s spirit, the higher your grade.
However, that is not all. When ites to gold-grade and purple-grade cksmiths and artificers, the weapons and artifacts they create have the vestige of spirituality, which is a record of their creation process forever branded to them.
That record can only be triggered when your level reaches a certain level and the threshold is usually someone who is at the top tier as a gold grade cksmith or artificer.
They are able to invoke the Origin Dao to bear witness to their creation, and that moment is forever branded to the weapon or artifact by the Origin Dao.
So what I saw, the mountain, the basilisk, was a record of what happened when the dagger was being created.
Not many cksmiths or artificers are able to trigger the vestiges of spirituality, all who have, are known, even the hidden ones.
But even with the Order''s extensive resources, they were unable to gain any clue as to the creator of that dagger. There are no records at all, which is impossible considering the level of skill involved in creating the dagger.
The cksmith even surmised that the dagger was very likely a saint-grade weapon considering it was able to trigger ck lightning tribtion in its creation, and the basilisk, from the description I gave, they matched it with a mature basilisk that was already at the domain realm, however, that dagger sliced through it like it was nothing, from the moment it appeared.
How could there be no records of such a dagger or its creator on the continent? and the special inquisitors looked through records dating back as far as a million years ago.."
Yang Qing''s brow deepened as he said,
"Then that can only mean the creator is not from the continent.."
"It looks that way.." said Lai Lei with a sigh.
"Thisplicates things.." said Yang Qing, however, his next words were cut short when he heard a bell suddenly ring.
His pupils constricted, and he wasn''t the only one as Lai Lei who was the picture of unperturbed calmness instantly turned pale with a frigid expression when he heard the ring.
"The Celestial Bell has been rang!!!!"
Chapter 539 Five rings
Chapter 539 Five rings
A majestic glow circled the entire Medical Valley and from that glow came out an ethereal image of a woman in white robes and golden hair. In her hand, she held a palm-sized bell that had a purple sky and a primordial aura to it. Despite being palm-sized, all who looked at it felt the whole world could be effortlessly swallowed by it.
The bell was producing a ripple sound wave. The sound echoed within the souls of everyone at the Medical Valley and it didn''t stop there, it extended to the Requiem, Institute, Main court building, the Respite Valley, all the branches, and secret realms, as it made its way to every singlest employee of the Order. It did not matter where they were, or their cultivation base, as long as they were an employee of the Order, they all heard the celestial chime of the bell.
Both Lai Lei and Yang Qing held their breaths as their gazes were solemnly fixed on the woman with golden hair with the bell in her hands.
Employees from the Order all rushed out, as all their gazes were fixed on the woman. Only those from the headquarters could see her visage while those outside all stood or sat in silence, seemingly waiting for something.
Tan Jie had also rushed out from the coalescing tranquility rivers of healing pavilion with clear worry written on her face.
She paused briefly when she saw Lai Lei and Yang Qing together, with her gaze briefly pausing on Lai Lei before she focused it back on the ethereal golden-haired woman above them.
The bell had already rung once, then it rung again.
Yang Qing clenched his fists as he muttered to himself over and over,
"Please ring five times. Please ring five times.."
The third ring came, and when it did, there was a change to the bell as one line of blood dripped on it.
The trio; Yang Qing, Lai Lei, and Tan Jie all had an intense reaction when they saw the line of blood, then what happened next made it seem like they had seen the most horrifying thing in their whole lives.
The bell rang for the fourth time, and with it, the skies changed as they rumbled with a mournful cry.
"Who?!" Yang Qing muttered in disbelief. His voice shook as he said those words. Lai Lei went pale and for a minute it almost looked like he was about to faint, but managed to hang on, while Tan Jie clutched at her robes, with tears welling up in her eyes.
The trio froze solid all waiting with apt attention for the next part, like they were waiting for an Emperor''s decree.
The ethereal golden-haireddy''s face turned sorrowful which seemed to affect all who looked at her. She then opened her mouth to speak.
"Branch chief Lai Wan has been gravely injured.
Chief Inquisitor Hao Da has been gravely injured
Inquisitor Yi An has been gravely injured
Inquisitor Xie Wen has been confirmed dead
Inquisitor Liu Bai has been confirmed dead.
May they find sce in their next journey.."
A burst of purple light came from the bell as two falling stars appeared in the skies.
A sorrowful melody apanied their movement until the stars disappeared into the horizon.
"Hao Da''s branch?!" Yang Qing muttered in shock.
The purple sky and the ethereal golden-haired woman stayed in the skies for half a minute before the skies went back to normal.
Yang Qing seemed to be struggling with what he heard before he took out hismunication talisman.
"Deputy master Ren Shu, is Hao Da okay? Where is he?"
"Come to the Crystal Jade pavilion.."
Yang Qing quickly put away themunication talisman and turned to face Lai Lei.
"Lai Lei, sorry to cut our conversation short, but I need to check on Hao Da. You can pass by my abodeter. I had told Dai Chen you could use the properties of the green me tree in my abode anytime you wished.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists in apology.
"Could Ie? I may not be as close to Hao Da as you, but.."
Yang Qing did not need a lot of time to guess what Lai Lei was getting to. As someone who once had the subject of the same announcement, it was understandable for Lai Lei to be affected by it.
"Tan Jie, I''ll see youter..." Yang Qing said to the shook up Tan Jie who only absentmindedly nodded in return.
Yang Qing sighed when he saw and decided tofortingly pat her on the back which seemed to have pulled her back from where her mind had disappeared off to, and then pulled Lai Lei and flew off.
In the air, there was one thought that kept going over and over in Yang Qing''s mind, and it was the hope that the grave injuries mentioned were not something beyond the Medical Valley''s ability to mend.
The bell they heard and the ethereal golden-haired woman were one entity, that was the celestial bell of mourning and jubtion.
The ethereal golden-haired woman was the artifact spirit of the bell that was held in her hands. The bell was a saint-grade artifact and was one of the most powerful artifacts the Order had to their names. It was a void artifact.
Themunication talismans they had, were built from studying the celestial bell of mourning and jubtion.
Though that was what it was known by, it wasn''t its true name, and it only went by that name because of what it was generally used for over the years.
The celestial bell was used as an announcement artifact by the Order. For it to be graded as one of the most powerful artifacts the Order had in their arsenal, Yang Qing was sure it had other uses which he was not preview to, but what he knew it for, and what most knew it for, was the announcements it made as it had just done a few seconds ago.
The celestial bell of mourning and jubtion was called so because every time there was a serious injury, a death, or something worthwhile to celebrate, the bell would be the one to announce it since its voice and rings could ignore the barriers of space and reach every single member of the Order, no matter where they were. It was perfect for real-time announcements which was why it was used in the announcements of only the vital announcements.
The bell had five rings to it, the first two had no symbolic meaning to them it was only the third, fourth, and fifth rings, that did. The third ring signified the heavy injury of a member, and it was apanied by the bleeding of the bell, without it, it was just a regr ring, then the fourth which was dreaded even more than the bleeding third ring, signified death. If there was a death, the fourth ring would be apanied by a sorrowful chime and a change of the skies, followed by the announcement of the artifact''s spirit.
As for the fifth ring, this was the most weed ring, because the fifth ring was for a celebratory event and usually it was when someone from the Order broke through to the pce realm or the domain realm. Anything below was not announced. The other would be aplete recovery of an Order employee, like when Lai Lei had his dantianpletely restored, and all the other injuriespletely taken care of, an announcement of his recovery was made.
Chapter 540 Crystal jade pavilion
Chapter 540 Crystal jade pavilion
This was why the moment the artifact''s spirit appeared, all Yang Qing had been hoping for was for the rings to be five. Anything else would be bad. In all his years at the Order, this was the fourth time he had heard the fourth ring that signified the death of a member of the Order, and those previous times, it had been one person, unlike this one where there were two deaths and several severe injuries.
On his way to the Crystal Lake Pavilion, the air was the same all around, which was one of sombreness. Even though everything still ran as it should have after the announcement was done, the graveness in the atmosphere could not be hidden. The heaviness in their steps, the asional lost look, the way almost every Order employee at the valley would look up, where the artifact spirit of the celestial bell had just been in the hopes that the spirit would suddenly appear and say the announcement was false or would make another announcement ofplete recovery of those who were gravely injured.
Whether they knew the victims or not, every Order employee was heavily affected by the announcement whether it was here at the Medical Valley or some remote branch millions of miles away, the sentiment they shared was the same which was distraught worry.
It wasn''t long before Yang Qing and Lai Lei reached the Crystal Jade Pavilion. The pavilion was made of crystal clear jade that looked to have blue ocean-like water flowing around it.
Yang Qing already detected countless unfathomable presences as he made his way into the pavilion. At the entrance was a middle-aged man with a gold eagle emblem embroidered on his ck robes, along with gold braces with the same symbol. The man was a gold eagle guard.
To prevent any misunderstandingYang Qing immediately made a call to Ren Shu and informed him of his arrival. He thought it necessary to do so since it was an emergency state and he was not exactly amember of the Medical Valley, he had no reason to be there, even in an emotional capacity.
The only way he would be allowed into the area was if he was a gold-grade healer or alchemist. With such credentials, he would be allowed in, but without, his only option was through the head of the area.
Ren Shu immediately appeared after Yang Qing''s call and led him and LaiLei into the pavilion.Once inside, he immediately disappeared, most likely to supervise the treatments of Hao Da and the rest while Yang Qing and Lai Lei waited for any news on the second floor of the pavilion.
The Crystal Jade Pavilion was established specifically for dealing with life-threatening emergencies of Order employees. Countless lives had been stolen from the reaper''s hands thanks to the pavilion, and all who worked here were all at the gold grade.
When Lai Lei was injured, he had been institutionalized here.
"Do you feel okay being here?" Yang Qing asked once he noticed Lai Lei silently looking around.
Even though his face seemed at ease, Yang Qing knew him well enough to notice his emotions seemed a bit shaken when they stepped into the pavilion.
Lai Lei smiled bitterly as he said,
"This ce, well is a ce of contradiction for me at the moment. I''m both ddened and terrified by it.
My life was saved and restored here but it also serves as the anchor for where I almost lost it, well this ce and the hidden abode at the Silver scaled oak forest.
Even though I don''t remember much from back then on how I passed out and lost my hand and supposedly would have imploded and died had the essence of the congruent white lotus intervened, or Hu Jiaying''s aid, somehow every time I am here, my body remembers that sensation.." Lai Lei said as he rubbed his mildly trembling hands.
"But it is better now, and the feeling has been slowly leaving me over the past few months, it won''t be long now before I cane here without feeling like that, though I hope I''m never back here.." he added with a smile.
"Me too.." said Yang Qing as he closed his eyes to meditate.
After a few minutes, the floor that had just been the two of them now had others. The parents and rtives of the deceased and heavily injured inquisitors from the Deer Mountain Branch were waiting on the second floor with them.
As for the branch chief and Hao Da, Yang Qing did not know much about the branch chief, but from the muffled talks of the rtives and family members present, he gathered the branch chief had a wife and daughter. The wife was a geomancy specialist and mostly surveyed the spirit stone mines of the Order, but she was currently in secluded meditation. As for the daughter, she was a fourth-year student at the Institute and though she was avable, she was too petrified toe to the Crystal Jade Pavilion and asked to be informed of the progress at the Institute.
When he thought of Hao Da, Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh to himself. He had no one, which wasn''t unique since there were a lot of orphans who came through the doors of the Order. But in Hao Da''s case, his problematic youthful days when he picked fights all the time when he was at the Institute, didn''t leave him with a lot of friends, leaving Yang Qing as one of the few and Yang Qing''s family. Other than that, Yang Qing didn''t think there were that many people Hao Da was close with, seeing that he was immediately deployed to the branches after he graduated to help ground his behavior.
Last he saw Hao Da, Yang Qing believed the method had worked as he seemed less tense, and whatever he had, eating away at him from his time as a student, he seemed to havee to terms with.
"If he made other friends, then it''s likely his colleagues from the branch.." Yang Qing thought as a sympathetic sigh escaped his lips.
Chapter 541 Seven helminths
Chapter 541 Seven helminths
Yang Qing, Lai Lei, and the family, rtives, and loved ones of the employees of the Deer Mountain Range waited on the second floor of the Crystal Jade Pavilion for a few hours before one of the experts of the pavilion came out.
Yang Qing received a message from Ren Shu to meet him in his office. It was on the highest floor of the pavilion and was usually reserved for discussions among the senior figures of the Medical Valley.
Yang Qing and Lai Lei left the second floor where the rest were currently being segregated, probably for the privacy in the delivery of news and potentially the viewing of the body, for those who had a rtion with the two dead inquisitors.
"How is Hao Da?" Yang Qing immediately asked when he made his way into Ren Shu''s office.
He had caught Ren Shu in the middle of inputting something into a white jade talisman. Yang Qing knew it was a recording of the medical procedure they had just conducted. It will be reviewed and also form a basis of study for the healers of the Medical Valley, both the seniors and juniors.
It was a habit the Valley had developed at the insistence of the Valley Master. Every procedure would be repetitively studied no matter if the procedure had been sessful or not. They did so to help in innovating more techniques or find if the ones they had could be improved upon. The strides the Valley had made were in part thanks to that.
After Ren Shu finished filing away the recording to various facilities not only around the Valley but even the Institute and the Main Library, was when he had the room to answer Yang Qing''s question.
He waved his hand forward as a wee gesture for Yang Qing and Lai Lei to have a seat.
"Hao Da and the branch chief Lai Wan are okay, though they''re currently unconscious and submerged in a green sunrise mist cocoon. They will remain that way for the next month or so.."
Yang Qing heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that, Lai Lei looked visibly relieved too, as his clenched fists rxed.
Just as Yang Qing was about to ask what happened to the Deer Mountain Branch and the damage they incurred, Ren Shu beat him to it, seemingly anticipating the question.
"Hao Da and Inquisitor Yi An had been conscious when help was sent for their rescue, so they were able to fill in a bit of the details before they both passed out.
From what they said, the Deer Mountain Branch had received information from the royal family of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, that members of the Blue Soul me crow syndicate had been seen around one of the perilous zones of the kingdom by one of their special royal guard unit, the Stalking oriole.
Therefore after receiving the information, the king thought it wise to inform the Deer Mountain branch, so they could work together to route them out.
Considering the circumstances, informing the branch was the right choice, given the circumstances.."
Both Yang Qing and Lai Lei nodded in agreement. The Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate was one of the four subsidiary organizations of the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect. In its heyday, the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect was pretty renowned, especially with the amount of wealth they had plundered before and after their formtion.
They were able to use that wealth, resources, and their own power to expand their influences around the continent by absorbing other infamous organizations around and making them their underlings. Some joined voluntarily, while others did so through coercive means.
At the peak of their power, they had over a hundred subsidiary organizations spread about the continent acting as their eyes, ears, arms, and legs. Of those hundreds, only seven were worth noting because of their power and prior notoriety.
The seven were; the ck Skulls Pilgrimage Sect, the Poisonous Jade Scorpion Manor, the Sanguine de Sect, the Venomous Shadow Pavilion, The Grey Mistwalker,The Carp''s Retribution Society, and finally the Blue me Soul Crow Syndicate.
Each and every one of these seven organizations was already infamous and renowned for their nefarious crimes around the continent, and they had enough power individually to send fear to rank 3 organizations since each was rumored to be headed by a cultivator at thete stages of the pce realm.
But despite how much fame they had, they all went under the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect, either willingly or by force but despite the means with which they joined, they all became even more terrifying when they came under the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect who were generous with their resources, and it wasn''t long before two of them manage to have domain experts, thanks to the sect''s support.
However, during the demise of the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect, in which the main figures got destroyed by the Order, leaving only a few survivors, three of the seven fell with them. They were eliminated root and stem. The three were the Carp Retribution Society which was one of the seven that had a domain expert and also one of the few that wasn''t coerced into joining them,and the other two were the Sanguine de Sect, and the ck Skulls Pilgrimage Sect.
The Carp Retribution Society had been a must-target for the Order because of the seven, other than having a domain expert, they were the most dangerous, and in some regard,, they were graded to be potentially more dangerous than even the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect if they were given time. The reason for that was the wave of their propaganda and the charisma of their leader.
The Carp Retribution Society on paper was a society built up of the rejected, the undervalued, and the oppressed.
That outer disciple sect who showed promise but was constantly bullied and discriminated against by one of the ''geniuses'' because they had a background, but he/she didn''t, so their talents ended up buried in the dirt, and they never get to realize the heights they could have reached.
Themoner who was denied an opportunity he/she was above qualified for, all because their lineage was considered unworthy.
The loyal soldier who gave their all for the kingdom and was used till they were broken, and when they were not useful anymore, they were quickly cast aside.
The Carp Retribution Society was made up of people like this, and the reason for the society was to right those wrongs, to be emissaries for the carp that had their dragon''s gate robbed.
With such a theme, the Carp Retribution Society grew in fame and repute. Cultivators and even mortals were moring to join them.
With the unfairness of the world, it wasn''t hard to understand why a lot of people would be drawn to them. They served as a beacon of light to the disenfranchised, the broken, those with a vendetta but helpless to do anything about it.
Chapter 542 Battle at the mountain range
Chapter 542 Battle at the mountain range
The Carp Retribution Society quickly grew from the support it received, every time it righted a wrong, by meting out justice or giving a fair shake and opportunity for the rejected. Its numbers mushroomed, and it blew up when they joined the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect, they even managed to use their good repute they had to subvert the image of the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect to the public, they touted them as righteous guards who held onto their oaths even after their liege had died.The embodiment of what true loyalty was.
The Dark Helminth Ghost Sect was able to operate smoothly and even grow its numbers thanks to the abilities of the Carp Retribution Society to sway public opinion. However, while the Society was outwardly known as a beacon of society, the Order knew their true face,they were harbingers of death who sold their skills for the highest bidders while also satisfying their lust for power and murder.
Countless sects, ns, and organizations had fallen by their hands. While the public thought they did it on behalf of a victim, they did it because an important client had made the request and when they acted, they obliterated everyone. If it was a sect, every man, woman, and child associated with it, whether they had cultivation or not, would be destroyed, and then they would fabricate the story andy me on the leaders of said organizations by saying they were the ones whoid waste to their own members despite the Carp Retribution Society leaving them a path to life.
At the speed they were growing, the Order judged them to be following the same trajectory of the Crimson Wave, thus when the opportunity presented itself, they reacted swiftly and thoroughly as they rooted every member out. They were more thorough with the Carp Retribution Society than they were with the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect, which earned them no small amount of hate from the public.
Even with the organizationpletely destroyed, the seeds it nted still exist to date, and who knew how long till those embers med up and Carp Retribution Society was revived from the dead.
As for the remaining two organizations i.e. the Sanguine de Sect and the ck Skulls Pilgrimage Sect, the former was sold out by a captured senior member of the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect, while thetter werebat fanatics who fought to thest member, the cultivation art they practiced had a binding oath that made it impossible for them to run from a battle, no matter how unfavorable it was to them.
With those three, destroyed, only four subsidiary organizations were left. The Order has tried to root them out over the years, however, these four knew how to hide in the shadows well, and it remained true even when the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect was at the peak of its power. They were also the reason the sect has been able to subsist even after the majority of its power force was decimated.
It was still a mystery how the sect despite being on its dying legs was still able to keep the four organizations in line, but the investigations showed the four subsidiary organizations were still in contact with the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect and the prior rtion was still maintained and now in Deer Mountain Range, one of those subsidiary organizations made an appearance.
The royal family immediately calling the Deer Mountain Branch for help was perfectly understandable despite them having pce realm cultivators, the Blue me Soul Crow Syndicate was known to have destroyed a number of rank 3 organizations over the years, and some even slightly more powerful than the Deer Mountain Kingdom. So the wariness of the royal family was understandable and this was without even putting the dangerous locations around Deer Mountain Kingdom into ount.
"Branch Chief Lai Wan on receiving the report, met with the king to confirm the details, after which he ryed the findings to the Special Inquisitors as per protocol on these matters.
After that, because it was unknown how long the members of the Blue me Soul Crow Syndicate would be around or what they were up to, the Branch Chief agreed to cooperate with the king and his party, to root them out.
They investigated from where they werest seen and eventually managed to follow their trails to one of the unexplored mountain ranges within the Kingdom.
Once there, the Branch Chief detected a massive miasma array being iid on the better parts of the mountain range, and it seemed to be trying to connect to something.
Because of the urgency the royal guards, a few of the princes, and Branch Chief Lai Wan and his team all charged in.
Once inside they engaged in a battle with a few members of the Blue me Soul Crow Syndicate as they made their way up where they found what the Branch chief assumed to be two of their deacons, taking out a treasure bone and wisdom pearl of an obsidian serpent that had been inhabiting the mountain.
Said serpent was thought to have just reached the pce stage and was just about to die, however, before its death, it let out a shrill cry and that was when things went wrong because two more obsidian serpents appeared and one of them seemed to be in its evolutionary stages of morphing into a flood dragon.
The two serpents seemed to have had a rtionship with the butchered serpent, because the moment they saw its lifeless body, they went berserk and attacked the deacons, the Branch Chief, his team, and the princes and royal guards. Every human present became the subject of their fury.
Of the dead inquisitors, one was swallowed by one of the serpents while the other was killed by one of the deacons as he was trying to escape. As for Branch Chief Lai Wan, Hao Da, and the rest, they got swallowed in that chaotic mess, which ended in the death of three of the four princes who went with them and all of their guards who sacrificed themselves to buy enough time for the Branch Chief, Hao Da, the surviving inquisitor and prince to make their escape to the branch grounds.
They managed to make it, but they got poisoned and injured heavily by the obsidian serpent that was mutating. Its poison was toxic enough to damage their souls and almost corrode their dantian, as it contaminated their qi and every part of their body.
They were lucky that the anchoring treasure of their branch had detoxification properties but even then it only kept it at bay long enough for them to report their status and be saved..."
Chapter 543 Fate of the assailants
Chapter 543 Fate of the assants
"What happened to the deacons of the Blue me Soul Crow?" asked Yang Qing as he tried to take his mind away from the torment the Branch Chief, Hao Da, and the rest went through from tussling with two obsidian serpents, with one of them already being in its evolutionary stages to a flood dragon, and two deacons to deal with.
The obsidian serpent had a sturdy defense with their nigh imprable defenses from the obsidian scales that granted them immunity to most elemental-based attacks while also having a reflective ability to them, in addition, they had extreme agility. Still, their most dangerous attribute was their poison.
They had an almost dragon-like attack regarding how they attacked, which was called ''poison breath''. The poison breath had two forms, one form was an area-wide attack where they would produce a mushroom poison explosive fog from their mouth. A single breath could cover a 5km radius within ten seconds.
The poison produced had powerful corrosive, paralytic, and hypnotic properties that worked rapidly on someone once infected. In addition, it spread easily, and widely and was extremely difficult to purge from an area because it had properties that made it easy for it to blend in within the surrounding spiritual qi, and the fact that it was odorless and traceless, made it hard to track.
Other than the poison mushroom explosion, there was the poisonous ray light attack which was a single targetted attack, that made up for what itcked in wide-range attacks by being fast and with condensed destructive energy.
By all ounts, it was a thorny spirit beast to deal with and that was without putting into ount that one of them was about to evolve into a flood dragon, which increased the danger level to astronomical levels.
It was a wonder to Yang Qing that they even managed to make it out alive, seeing as how their line-up did not have someone like him who had natural restraining abilities on various toxins.
Other than maybe the artifacts they had, the only reason Yang Qing could think of for their survival was the royal guards likely triggered a forbidden art that was powerful enough to restrain the two obsidian serpents to a point where the two spirit beasts could not chase after Hao Da and the rest as they were making their getaway.
"One of the deacons was killed by the mutating obsidian serpent, while the other managed to trigger some talisman he had to make an escape, however, he was injured heavily byBranch Chief Lai Wen. It''s in doubt whether that deacon will live for long not unless they have a skilled gold grade physician on their hands, and ascendant grade ingredients to burn..."
"What about the serpents? Based on what you said, the dead obsidian serpent was likely their offspring, it''s the only thing that makes sense based on their reaction. I doubt whatever means the royal guards used was strong enough to cripple or kill them.
Isn''t the capital of the Deer Mountain Kingdom in danger?" asked Lai Lei with furrowed brows.
"The deacons seemed to havee with some way of specifically suppressing the abilities of the obsidian serpent, which is probably how they were able to fatally injure the first serpent.
They had an artifact made of heaven''s dust granite which they used to bind one of the weaker serpents during the fight which opened it up to heavy injuries during the chaotic battle.
There have been no reports of any attack on the capital or any movements from the mountain range where the three obsidian serpents were found.
My guess is that they''re hibernating to heal the injuries they suffered in the sh. Obsidian serpents of their level, considering they seem to be partners instead ofpetitors, are likely mates, and as you all know they only have one mate for life.
If there is one thing capable of pulling them out of their frenzy, is an endangering threat to the other. They have more than likely gone into hiding to recuperate for now.." said Ren Shu.
"And when they heal, it will be time for their retaliation. They''ve been known to be vindictive.." whispered Yang Qing lost in his thoughts.
Ren Shu stared at him for a brief moment, which drew a curious look from Lai Lei as he alternated his gaze between the duo wondering why Ren Shu looked at Yang Qing which seemed to suggest there was more to the look.
"There''s no reason to worry about the two obsidian serpents, by now, they should have already been found.." said Ren Shu as he leaned back on his seat.
"Already found?" asked Yang Qing in confusion before a look of realization hit him.
"By the special inquisitors, I take it.." he added.
"Mmmh.." nodded Ren Shu.
"What will happen to them?" asked Yang Qing with a sigh asplicated emotions shed through his eyes.
The fate of the two obsidian serpents was aplicated one. On one hand, what was possibly their child had been killed and they reacted ordingly, but as a result of that action, they ended up killing one member of the Order and injuring others.
Because of that, death was very much a possibility for them, for doing what any one of them would have done in the same situation.
Yang Qing couldn''t help butment the situation, and feel d that he wouldn''t be the one to make a ruling on such a situation.
"The Judicial Review Committee will be the ones to decide what will happen to them. They are making their deliberations as we speak, and.."
Ren Shu''s gaze fell on Yang Qing as he reached this part.
"They would like to meet with you. Long Ei asked for you to go see them the moment we are done here.."
"Why?" Yang Qing asked in surprise.
As much as he tried, he couldn''t think of a reason as to why the Judicial Review Committee would look for him. He wasn''t working and was still dealing with the lingering trauma from thest case.
What could the Judicial Review Committee possibly want with him when they had their hands full with the matter concerning the Judicial Review Committee?
It wasn''t like he could offer any insight into the matter. He could feel his stomach churning when he imagined those retired judges smiling kindly at him as they used some cunning and guilt-tripping way to get him to deliberate the case despite him being a puny second-stage pce realm cultivator, and the matter involving heinous long-standing organizations, andte stage pce realm spirit beasts, and a whole branch office.
"No, surely they can''t be that cruel.." Yang Qing fearfully thought as the tragic memories from his past came flooding into his mind, more specifically when his grandfather hoodwinked him over and over as a child into his many experiments.
Fear crept over his whole body when he thought the members of the Judicial Review Committee, were bound to be more wily than his grandfather. He stood no chance against them.
Wasn''t that the reason why his tally against Old fiend Lei was 377 wins to Lei Weiyuan to a staggering 0 wins for Yang Qing?
Yang Qing''s face grew increasingly pale the more he thought about it as he went down a rabbit hole of the different ways he would be exploited.
"Yang Qing? Yang Qing? Yang Qing? Lai Lei can you check if he''s okay?"
"Yang Qing? Yang Qing?" Lai Lei patted Yang Qing on the shoulders a few times before Yang Qing finally regained his senses.
"Huh, Oh sorry about that.." Yang Qing said with a nervous smile.
His instinct of years of being exploited and suffering defeats at the hands of the Order was screaming that he was about to face something simr.
Yang Qing remained absent-minded throughout the rest of the conversation with the exchange being mostly Lai Lei and Ren Shu.
He didn''t even realize when they left his office. It was only when they were out of the Medical Valley and Lai Lei was about to head to his abode did Yang Qing realize they had left Ren Shu''s office.
"Yang Qing I''ll see youter, and I will take you up on the offer of the Green me Tree, and also if you don''t mind, could I use the nest too so I can prepare as much as I can before I head to the mountain?"
"When do n to head over?"
"In about three months, by then some of the shackles I have will have been cleared...."
"That''s good, then I need to properly prepare a good congrattory gift.." Yang Qing cheerfully said which drew a doubtful look from Lai Lei who quickly tried to hide it.
"Just because I''ve been known to be stingy and done a few things in the past, doesn''t mean I can''t turn over a new leaf. I''m a pce court judge now.." Yang Qing grievously muttered as he rubbed his nose in embarrassment.
"I look forward to it, Pce court judge Yang Qing.." Lai Lei said as he waved goodbye leaving the lone Yang Qing who dragged his heavy steps in the direction of the Judicial Review Committee.
Chapter 544 Meeting with the wily old foxes (1)
Chapter 544 Meeting with the wily old foxes (1)
Yang Qing''s heartbeat pounded faster and harder when the distance between him and the courtyard of the Judicial Review Committee closed. He could feel his body grow hotter and his neck had an itchy sensation start to develop that slowly spread to his scalp.
Countless thoughts, scenarios, and hypotheticals went through his mind as the list got narrower the closer he got to the courtyard.
By the time he was just at the entrance to the courtyard, a smile of defeat appeared on his face, as he pushed open the bamboo pole door to the rustic quaint courtyard.
Aftering up with countless reasons why the old judges of the Judicial Review Committee would want to see him, of the reasons he came up with, there was only one reason that seemed to make sense and check all the boxes.
Of the worst possible scenarios he could get, it was pretty up there considering it was something that he had avoided like a poisonous miasma ever since he got into the Order and decided to be a judge.
"Hao Da, did you curse me.." he thought as he recalled thest conversation he had with Hao Da after the decimation of the Ice Emerald Sect.
Once inside the courtyard, the scene was pretty much the same as always, with three old men enjoying thefort of their homes doing their hobbies.
Jia Bohai and Jiang Chen were ying go while Long Ei was still working on his bonzai nt but unlike before there was another person with them. It was the female elder with light purple hair and a purple gem on her forehead and a genial calming aura to her. She had been one of the Judicial Committee Members present when they were deliberating on the fate of the Ice Emerald Sect. Her name was Xi Si.
"Greetings senior, junior Yang Qing presents himself.." Yang Qing said as he respectfully cupped his fists in greeting.
"Would you like some tea and dumplings, dear?" asked Xi Si with the same gentle grandmotherly weing demeanor.
"I would dare not refuse the hospitality.." Yang Qing humbly said as he took a seat next to the rectangr table that was next to Xi Si.
While it seemed like he had epted the offer out of deference or respect, in the real sense, only known to him, his epting the tea and dumplings was his way of exploiting as many benefits as he could from them if they were about to do what he thought they were about to do.He had every intention to profit and take everything he could get from them to try and minimize the loss he was about to suffer.
Yang Qing''s eyes lit up when he bit into the hot dumpling. It was soft to the touch, like taking a bite out of the clouds, however, immediately after prating the first softyer, an explosive symphony of different vorsing from the different herbs, spices, and meats immediatelybined in his tongue.
Yang Qing was gobsmacked as his eyes widened. This had to be the best dumpling he had evere across, and there were about fourteen of them, piping hot waiting for him.
He looked at Xi Si with an emotional and thankful look that also seemed to have a question in it and the question was, where did the dumplingse from?
"I made them myself.." Xi Si gently said seemingly reading in between the lines.
The response shocked Yang Qing since he didn''t exactly expect a retired judge to be such an exquisite cook. But then again, when he thought about it, it sort of made sense.
Most of the members of the Judicial Review Committee were mostly retired judges and other than extenuating circumstances that required their input, they barely had anything to do all day. It was why they were ying go all the time, or trimming a bonsai nt which seemed a little too high-maintenance from the amount of trimming it got.
So other than cultivating, what did these seniors do? it was obvious, that they indulged in their hobbies, and maybe the senior before he liked to cook, and if she did...
Yang Qing''s self-serving gears immediately started spinning at high speed which was further agitated by Long Ei''s statement which supported his guess.
"Looks like Xi Si''s dumplings have enved another victim. Do you ever wish you started chef alchemy earlier instead of being ajudge?" asked Long Ei as he came to take a seat next to them while taking one dumpling for himself which drew a grievous look from Yang Qing that he quickly masked.
"Not really. Doing it now is better. The environment and the state suit me better for it now, back then, I am afraid I would not have enjoyed it as I do now.." Xi Si said as she poured him a cup of tea.
"That is true.." Jia Bohai said with a nostalgic sigh as he and Jiang Chen came over and took a few dumplings for themselves which made Yang Qing feel like vomiting blood. In his mind from the moment he was offered those dumplings, they were all his.
Why are they all having a go at my dumplings? couldn''t they just continue what they were doing? I just can''t enjoy nice things to myself...
"I''ll give you more to take back.." Xi Si said with a light chuckle when she saw Yang Qing''s mild spasms that he was trying to mask.
Yang Qing''s eyes immediately lit up as he said,
"Thank you senior Xi Si. These dumplings are fit for an immortal feast festival, and for a nobody like me to have a taste, is a blessing for a thousand lifetimes.."
Yang Qing''s bootlicking persona immediately took over when the opportune moment presented itself.
"Quite the talker.." Xi Si said with a smile.
Internally Yang Qing was dancing shamelessly in mad joy, the smile to him was a stamp that his bootlicking had seeded, and now all that was left was to capitalize on it.
"I think I will have to be a regr visitor here, but I need toe up with a legitimate reason for doing so. Though wily old foxes like them will definitely see through it and discover my true motives. I can''t shamelessly be direct about it. Sometimes, I wish I had Feng Xin''s shamelessness when it came to these matters..." Yang Qing thought with a sigh.
Chapter 545 Meeting with the wily old foxes (2)
Chapter 545 Meeting with the wily old foxes (2)
"Judge Yang Qing now that you''re here, it''s about time we tell you why we called for you.."
The casual air from before instantly turned solemn when Long Ei started speaking.
"Here ites.." thought Yang Qing as he straightened his back, with a slowly perspiring back as he awaited his sentence.
"As you may have guessed the reason we called you here has most to do with what happened to those from the Deer Mountain Branch. I don''t know if Ren Shu informed you on this, but the deliberation of the matter fell on us as it involves the death of a member of the Order.
Before all this happened, you had sent a report requesting for a branch to be built in the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect, right?"
"Yes, I did.." answered Yang Qing.
"Reasons?"
"It was because a member of the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect managed to sneak in and attack me during the evaluations.
The only reason the attack failed was because of an anomaly, meaning me. Someone in the core formation realm should have been the one to handle those evaluations, but I happened to be the one to do them, which was something they had not prepared for.
Such a level of preparation could only mean they had a base close by right in the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect, by my guess and they had been there for quite some time.
Considering the ascetic nature of the Spiritual Temperance Sect, and how nonchnt they are about the happenings of their territory, the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect may not be the only one to have a presence there.
That territory has the potential to be a hotbed of heinous organizations because of that neglected oversight and free reign given by the Spiritual Temperance Sect.
As far as I know, the branch in Deer Mountain Kingdom which is the closest, was the one that also handled cases and surveince of that region.
But the Deer Mountain Kingdom is just asplicated as the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect, even more so, since the territory is enormous and the perilous and uninhabited regions are too many to count.
Giving that branch supervision of both the Deer Mountain Range and the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect is burdening them too much, it''s more prudent for another branch to be built in the Spiritual Temperance Sect''s territory and have the two branches support each other, in case of emergencies.."
Yang Qing''s voice turned lower once he reached this part. He couldn''t help but think that maybe if there was another branch close by, things would not have ended up as they did.
But that was a huge maybe because the Order rarely built their branches within the territories of rank 2 organizations because of how wary those organizations were of the Order infringing on their territories but the other was usually those organizations had a firm grasp of their territories, since their face was tied to it. Dark underworld organizations would show minimal activities because of it, so the Spiritual Temperance Sect was thought to be the same.
It was assumed that even though it was known that the sect had a ratherx and indifferent attitude toward anything outside its sect grounds, surely it was not to the point where infamous organizations like the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect would set up a base within their territory. That attack at the Summerfield Kingdom was a shocker.
"I wonder if they acted.." thought Yang Qing as he thought back to the message he had left with them.
"That''s an astute and excellent analysis, Yang Qing.." said Long Ei with an endearing smile.
"The Deer Mountain Branch is temporarily out ofmission with all its members either injured or deceased.
From the report we have received Branch Chief Lai Wen and Chief Inquisitor Hao Da will recover after a month or so but they will still need to remain back for rehabilitation especially where mental demons are concerned, so the earliest they can go back is in two months and that is if they even want to go back.."
Long Ei''s response elicited sighs from all present.
There was a chance that the survivors of the incident may choose to go another route instead of returning to their prior roles. There have been those over the years after going through an extreme ordeal, who opted to go for safer roles that would not leave them exposed, that was even after they had dealt with the mental demons associated with the incident.
The Order didn''t allow it before when it started when it could not afford to, but over the years, at least in the past four hundred or so years, they changed their stance on the matter. Those who have gone through what Hao Da or even what Lai Lei has gone through could choose to serve the Order in a different capacity and over the years they were those who had taken up the offer for one reason or the other.
"The Deer Mountain Branch can not remain unmanned for that long, so our request for you Judge Yang Qing is this, we need you to head the branch until the branch chief is back or we find a suitable recement..."
"I knew it.." Yang Qing thought in defeat.
"Why me?" Yang Qing weakly asked still hoping there was a way he could weasel out of this, even if he knew it was already set in stone, he knew it, and they knew it.
"Well because you happen to fit all the criteria for it. The Deer Mountain Branch chief even a temporary one needs to be at the pce realm, and while the role doesn''t matter it''s preferable to us that whoever fills in that role is either a judge or inquisitor.
With those requirements, only you fit the bill right now because you don''t have any pending cases, a newly promoted judge, and your inquisitor team can join you, so we don''t have to provide additional manpower or go through the trouble of shifting people over and considering the nature of your jade physique, you would be like a fish in the water there.."answered Long Ei.
After hearing the well-thought-out exnation, a defeated sigh escaped Yang Qing''s lips as he knew, he was truly done. There was no way he could avoid this.
"It won''t be all gloom, we know we are putting you there aftering from another storm, but the circumstances dictate it at the moment. So please bear with it. You will also be generouslypensated for it and thepensation is specially geared for you.."
Yang Qing who looked like a deted corpse, instantly perked up.
"I knew it, these old foxes are just like Grandpa."
Chapter 546 Yang Qing breaks
Chapter 546 Yang Qing breaks
After dropping the bombshell on him they were now using little advantages here and there to reel in Yang Qingpletely.
It was the same thing his grandfather used on him back then and despite knowing the trick, he still fell for it every single time. His grandfather knew him too well, and the advantages he offered were things Yang Qing couldn''t refuse, in addition to using guilt trips, and sound logic.
The old seniors before him had already used sound logic which left Yang Qing with no option but to agree, but they didn''t just stop there. They wanted to exploit Yang Qing thoroughly to make sure he would do his role well and not just the bare minimum.
Looking at their confident looks, Yang Qing felt slightly conflicted. On the one hand, he was terrified because it meant whatever they had in hand they were sure was enough to tempt him to the point he would abandon his fears and go above and beyond in his duties as a branch chief.
That thought terrified him but on the other hand, he was excited because whatever he got was bound to be something he would like.
He was both eager and terrified at the cards they held.
"First things first, you will be getting the same sry and remuneration package of a branch chief, which is a big step up from what you are currently earning.
Your current pay is 20,000 high-grade spirit stones but for a branch chief is three times that. You will be receiving 60,000 high-grade spirit stones, but because this is an emergency and ideally this role was just hoisted on you, you will receive 80,000 high-grade spirit stones every month..."
Yang Qing''s mind went nk when he heard the figures.
"80,000? 80,000? for me?" he asked with a trembling voice, shaky hands, and red-eyed eyes.
"Yes, in addition.."
Just with the opening offer alone, he was already sold. They had already bought his unwavering servitude.
"You bastards, fearsome as I thought.." murmured Yang Qing as he sucked in cold air and the drool that was dripping from his face.
80,000 high-grade spirit stones. So many things he could do with that money.
"Too bad it will only be for a month if only...No! No! Yang Qing this is what they want, don''t fall into their trap, hold strong remember your dream.."
Yang Qing quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as rity and wariness shone in his eyes.
"The amount you receive in terms of monarch-grade herbs will be tripled from 2,000 to 6,000, In addition, there is a set amount that is given to the branches. The Branch Chief is allowed to use a third of it for his/her own discretion..."
"Do these bastards want me to permanently be a branch chief?!"
"You will be allowed to keep ten copies of middle tier blue grade art for you to do with as you will. In addition, every branch has a library with over 1,000 cultivation arts and techniques, along with scrolls and information of a wide variety. As the branch chief, you have ess to all content within that Library.
While the library doesn''t match what we have here, each branch has a few cultivation arts that are not at the main library and are considered to be rare even when we consider the continent as a whole.
I heard you like researching iplete cultivation arts, well the Deer Mountain branch happens to have one. It''s contained within a broken wind chime, it is called the Ethereal root vine charm.
From what I heard, it has a lot of varied benefits and uses. On more than one asion it has even been deliberated on whether it should be relocated back to the headquarters.. Though you won''t be allowed free reign over it like the ten blue-grade arts since its considered property of the Order, you are allowed to learn it, research it and y with it as you will.." Long Ei said with a meaningful smile.
Yang Qing was already gone at this point. His eyes were starry and any hesitation he held, the staunch conviction he had held over the years, was broken this moment.
The long-standing fear he held of working in branches had all been eroded with just a few words from Long Ei.
"I stood no chance against these foxes.." he thought as tears started forming in his eyes.
Deep down he always told himself that he had a bottom line which no amount of bribery would make him betray, that if it came down to between his life or his interests, he would choose his life, but at this moment, with how easy he broke, he couldn''t help but have a sour taste in his mouth.
He was ashamed of himself, though only slightly, and that slight shame was immediately destroyed by Long Ei''s next announcement.
"All your meals will be catered for by us during your stay at the branch and there we also managed to acquire the services of one of the chefs from the White Baobab Kingdom during the time you will be there..."
Yang Qing stared nkly at the four members before he weakly said,
"Do you have to be so thorough?"
"I, Yang Qing ept the task entrusted to me and I will do my utmost to do my duties as the Branch Chief and to not sully the reputation of the Order.." Yang Qing solemnly said as he cupped his fists.
"We thank you for this.." Long Ei and the rest said.
"It seems like you still have something on your mind?" asked Xi Si when she saw the slightly hesitant look on Yang Qing''s face.
"If it''s not too much to ask, what decision did you make on the Obsidian serpents?"
Long Ei and the rest sighed when he asked this. It was Jiang Chen who stepped in to answer this one.
"One of our own was killed, and while we want to maintain a face of impartiality on this and be fair, we just can''t because, at the end of the day, it''s the Order against everyone and everything else.." said Jiang Chen as he took a sip.
Chapter 547 Strange looks
Chapter 547 Strange looks
"It''s the reason despite knowing what Dai Chen did back then, there were no repercussions for him. We understood it and even agreed to it on some level, and should the daye when we uncover those who harmed Lai Lei, however, it ends up getting handled, we will not stop it.
The two obsidian serpents were victims in this, and their reaction waspletely within their rights to do so, but it still doesn''t deny the fact that an inquisitor died in their hands. We can overlook the injuries it caused to the Branch Chief and the rest since it''s treatable, but a death, thatplicates matters.
This is why we have decided that the moment they''re caught, while we will not take their lives, they will be indentured to the service of the Order for the entirety of their lives via a soul contract.
It''s a little harsh but it has to be done. Though they will not be stationed here, but will instead remain in the Deer Mountain Range for now, until we find a suitable ce to send them. Probably one of the branches or maybe even the new branch that you suggested.."
"Will they be okay with it?" asked Yang Qing in wonder.
Though the judgment seemed harsh, in terms of bnce it was what made sense. The two serpents took lives from the Order''s and the Deer Mountain Kingdom''s side. It was a blood debt that either of these sides would collect if they were allowed to roam freely.
Rather than leave room for the bud of a cycle of hatred to flourish, it was better to nip it in the bud through forced indenture, which even though wouldn''t restore the lost lives, was slightly ptable to all parties involved. The only problem was the obsidian serpent. They were known to be vindictive and hold on to grudges. It won''t be a stretch for them to vite the soul contract and induce the deathly punishment inscribed on it, or even choose destruction by suicide.
"Well, we will give them the one thing they want desperately at this moment....vengeance.." said Jia Bohai with a cold tone.
Yang Qing nodded in understanding before another question came to his mind as he recalled the statement made by Jiang Chen.
"Did the Spiritual Temperance Sect already agree for us to build a branch in their territory?"
Despite being ascetic, Yang Qing did not expect it would easily allow the Order to build a branch within their territory.
If they were so amenable or indifferent, then the territory would already have rank 3 sects making their homes, but as it stood there wasn''t. Currently, the Summerfield Kingdom was among the strongest entities within that territory which made Yang Qing curious, should they be a rank 3 kingdom, would the Spiritual Temperance Sect kick them out?
"Maybe the story about the previous king who received a beating for seeking guidance, he may have not gone there to seek guidance but may be to sound them out and test their attitude.."
"After the attack on you, specifically by a member of the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect, at this point we don''t need their approval to build a branch there.
They should be grateful we are not taking them into ount for their negligence since it could be considered a vition of the treaty signed by all these organizations during the founding of the Order.
One of the guiding precepts of the treaty was the provision of measures that would allow us to conduct our affairs easily without hindrance.Monitoring their territory of fiendish organizations is one such measure and they broke it.
Building a branch in a territory they allowed to rot could be considered letting them off easy and in some ount we are even doing them a favor since they liked staying holed up in their sect so much.." Long Ei calmly said.
Yang Qing could detect a cold frightening sensation behind that calm remark and when he looked around, it was something shared by the rest, even Xi Si who seemed the gentlest of the four had a coldness to her.
He felt like he was staring at an executioner''s de when he looked at her eyes.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but be bewildered at their reactions. It was just a little oversight, that''s all, it''s not like it was not known that the Spiritual Temperance Sect cared so little about theirrge territory which was why many organizations swarmed up there.
The reaction from the four that made it seem they wanted to raze the sect to the ground felt a little extreme to him.
However, what he didn''t know was that during the dark ages of the Order, orthodox organizations would team up with fiendish organizations toy traps for the members of the Order.
The Order lost countless of its members back then, and with recent happenings, there were recordings of a simr resurgence, like in Lai Lei''s case.
Their livid reaction to the Spiritual Temperance Sect was understandable especially when the search for the member of the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect that Yang Qing had marked with a gold-grade karmic spell and a piece of thin wood from a saint-grade tree by the name of treading cicada peach wood ended in failure. That marked member erased the marking before the Special Inquisitors closed in on his location.
The branch was being established in the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect in part to maintain some semnce of order in the area, but the other was to monitor the sect itself in secret.
The markings were not something just anyone could do. It could only be done by a domain expert and above, and it had to be one skilled in alchemy or one with skills in obfuscation. The Spiritual Temperance Sect happened to be known to have top-tier spells and arts in obscurity, which extended to even istion in karma.
Despite how unlikely it was for them to be considered as suspects in the matter, the marking had been erased too fast for them to not be a suspect, when considering thest known location was within their territory.
"Have you decided on the rank?" asked Yang Qing.
On paper, the Spiritual Temperance Sect was a rank 3 sect, but the Order knew for a fact they had a domain expert already and it was not just one. Yang Qing wondered if the branch would be a rank 2 or will the Order uphold the ruse and build a rank 3 branch. Though with the Order''s way of doing things, he felt like thetter was likely to happen.
"It will be rank 3, which will be working in tandem with the Deer Mountain Branch.."
"Oh.." nodded Yang Qing which was what he expected.
"Now that all that is out of the way, Xi Si would you please.." Long Ei said as he motioned for her to take over.
"Well, Judge Yang Qing, I handle the deployment procedures of branch chiefs including an exnation of your duties and a few little bits here and there that will help your transition to your post be smooth.
But before that, I''d like to rify a few things, well it''s just one. What happened to the Deer Mountain Branch was a wake-up call to us.
Before, when we set up the branch we didn''tpletely scout the region other than a few key areas and where we ended up building the branch.
At the time our rationale was, as long as the defenses of the branch were good, the rest was negligible and with two pce realm cultivators from the Order holding the helm, we didn''t think much would happen.
We would maintain order within our territory without interfering with the rest of the inhabitants of the range.
We are not conquerors, so there is no need for us to interfere with the various spirit beasts and dangers lurking in there. As long as it doesn''t infringe upon our guidelines we remain spectators, but with what happened we thought it prudent to send a special inquisitor, a gold eagle guard, and a resource specialist to do a deep and thorough survey of the whole range.
By the time you head there, you will be given a document containing the full survey of everything within it, the map and distribution.."
Yang Qing''s eyes immediately lit up when he heard that.
Chapter 548 A month passes by (1)
Chapter 548 A month passes by (1)
The obsidian serpents and one of them even beginning the evolution process to a flood dragon, who knew how many other dangers the Deer Mountain Range hid?
The territory was asrge as a rank 2 empire and in certain areas, it was just as rich. But even then it was filled with countless dangers which was why despite the Deer Mountain Kingdom calling themselves lords over the territory for tens of thousands of years, they never had full control of it.
They did try it once, but it ended in theirplete loss, and their foundations got fractured so they dared not try it again.
Yang Qing was slightly worried about what dangers lurked in the area. Xi Si''s report gave him much-needed relief and as for why they didn''t do it earlier, Yang Qing could more or less guess it had to do with manpower and also the nature of the Deer Mountain Range, more specifically its inhabitants.
The Order as long as there was no imminent threat would not pour countless resources and manpower to map out an area outside their jurisdictionpletely. It would take too much time and resources, which they had a limited supply of, especiallybor. They had the whole continent to monitor which usually left them little room for deep excursions and surveys. They would rather use those resources to make the branch as imprable as possible.
The other reason was the spirit beasts. If the branch had been in an area known to be a hub for a lot of human activity, then a deeper study would have been done by the Order, but in a wilderness range like the Deer Mountain Range, it was better not to spend too much time on it. Spirit beasts are extremely territorial and would rarely live in their sphere of influence, they therefore usually kept to themselves the more powerful they were not unless there was a sudden birth of a precious resource that would trigger a war amongst themselves.
But with the death of an inquisitor and the presence of members of the Blue me Soul Crow Syndicate, things had changed. An in-depth study was needed, especially to know why the Blue me Soul Syndicate needed the wisdom pearl of an obsidian serpent in the first ce, and how they even knew it was there.
From its death, clearly, the syndicate must have scouted it for quite some time for them to be able to heavily injure it without creating so muchmotion.
The Order therefore needed to know what else lurked within those ranges in case some other fiendish organization was drawn to it.
"After everything has been mapped out,the upants will not be subjugated, except for vtile elements, but even then, considering that there have not been records of them acting out, what we will do for now is ce monitoring and alerting seals and arrays around their regions in case of any movement.
Though we will try to form a friendly or amodative pact with them if we can, in case we don''t, the Spirit Council has signed off on iying containment and suppression arrays to cover the whole Deer Mountain Range.
It willy dormant most of the time, and the only way to trigger it is through a token that would be handed to the Branch chief. With that, they should be able to avoid any surprise attacks.
But because of the scale of such an array, I''m afraid by the time you take the post it will not be done yet.." said Xi Si.
"It''s okay, having a clear picture of the whole range is more than enough.." answered Yang Qing in understanding, while inwardly he marveled at the Order''s abilities.
Despite being here and seeing all they could do, they always had a way of subverting his imagination now and then.
He could hardly imagine the skills and the resources that would be required toy a kingdom-wide array especially one the size of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, which was like the size of two rank 3 kingdomsbined.
The scale of such an array was enormous, to say the least. Other than the coverage, there were multitudes of other variables to consider.
Justying down an array that covered the abode one had to consider the resource makeup of the area to determine the flow of their signature waves and their effects on the properties of the surrounding spiritual qi, then there was geomancy, which elements were most prevalent in the area, before one finally decided the type of array toy down and the anchoring treasures to use, which will have to meld with the surroundings to not cause an imbnce and thest part, was it had to be adaptive.
The array needed to have enough strength and adaptability in its makeup to be able to respond to any changes that may happen to the surrounding makeup. This was why the bestid arrays had a moniker to them, they were usually referred to as worlds within a world. A good array made good use of its surroundings to amplify its abilities, but it also needed to be independent of it. It needed to be strong enough to blend its surroundings into its framework, forcibly if need be.
Those considerations amplified therger the scope of the area covered by the array became with an increasing number of variables to consider and blend. The probably of an arrayy up failing as it was very high therger the area it covered, and if it wasid it faced another problem of potentially imploding or malfunctioning due to adaptability issues.
For something of this scope, Yang Qing was certain it required thebined skills of at least ten gold-grade formation masters, though the number would be half that if a purple-grade formation master was involved. Other than skills, to cover something thisrge, the main anchoring artifact or treasure of the array would have to be at the saint grade for it to operate fully throughout the kingdom while the secondary treasures by Yang Qing conservative estimates needed to be at least four, and their grade needed to be top tier ascendant grade artifacts.
The costs and the skills required were the reasons why most rank 2 organizations even rank 1 rarely covered the entirety of their territory in one all-epassing array. It was too demanding and costly to the point that some could hardly afford it, which is why they mostly opted to only cover the core regions of their territories.
Only organizations like the Order had the resources and skills to pull off something like this. Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the opulence showed by them.
They were willing to spend this much in a territory that wasn''t even their own. Then how much guarded was the headquarters?
Despite himself, a small satisfied smile couldn''t help but creep up on Yang Qing''s face. The four elders all had bewildered looks on their faces on the sudden smile but they chose to ignore it as Xi Si continued with her exnations.
Chapter 549 A month passes by (2)
Chapter 549 A month passes by (2)
"There will be a gold eagle guard maintaining handling the security of the branch during the duration of your stay there, so even though the array will not be there by the time you start, your safety and that of your team will be guaranteed. You can rest easy on that.."
"Thank you.." said Yang Qing with heartfelt sincerity.
"Speaking of your team, you can inform us now orter, who you want to bring along so they have their inductions too.."
"I will need to confirm with them first if they don''t have any cases pending, but in my team, I would like to bring the three spirit beasts attached to us. That is the rainbow mist toad, the cloud-swallowing kite, and the mirage dragonfly, if it''s not too much trouble.."
"It''s okay, we will have someone from the beast tamer hall bring them over after this.."
Yang Qing nodded in gratitude. Of the three spirit beasts he mentioned, he wanted Bolin and Haishi with him mostly to look at their progress thus far and build camaraderie if he could, as for Ellie,it was a no-brainer, he didn''t trust her at all.Feng Xin wasn''t there to hold her leash, and the starlight crab wasn''t her match yet. She would ransack his pond clean if she discovered he wasn''t around.
Xi Si guided him on a few more things before she handed him a finger-sized artifact that looked like a deer''s antler. The artifact was the controlling artifact of the entire branch. It controlled all the formation arrays within the branch, while also serving as the entrance key to all the restricted facilities within the branch that only the branch chief would have ess to.
Yang Qing came in he was absolutely terrified but when he was leaving he was absolutely chipper. He looked like he couldn''t wait to get started as he made oundish promises which only grew when Xi Si handed him a basket of dumplings.
It was only when he was at the auspicious grove did some sanity and rity returned to him. He had cold sweats all over when he remembered all of the things he was mouthing off toward the end.
"I hope they don''t take me at my word..."
Over the next few weeks, he still maintained his schedule with the six-hour visits at the auspicious grove while still making trips to the Medical Valley to refine his healing arts and also check on Hao Da and the rest.
The three surviving members made rapid recovery though they remained unconscious. The poisoning, the petrification, curses, and other extensive damages they had suffered on their bodies had all been mended, the only remaining part was purging the miasma that had invaded their souls down to their mental seas.
The purging required them to be unconscious to avoid it spreading deeper into their soul and mental sea.
Ma Yuan''s daughter, Ma Ling was also showing some improvements albeit it was mild but it was still progress which brought endless joy to Ma Yuan even though he was still basically a stranger to his daughter.
Yang Qing was relieved to see Ma Yuan start to live rather than the dreadful state he found him in. He now seemed like he genuinely looked forward to each day, and when he was not visiting Ma Ling, he was excitedly working in Yang Qing''s backyard.
Ma Yuan''s state was a huge boon for Yang Qing as it sort of freed his mind and some of the shackles he had inadvertently ced on himself which increased the speed with which he conquered his mental demons via the brook of rity.
The vivid shbacks did not have as much of a mental burden on him as they did at the start and he was finally starting to make sense of what the auspicious wood grove tree had told him before he started the treatment.Seeing things from his true self would free him from whatever gued him, as he would be able to see it clearly, and closer to the end of the month he finally did. He came to terms with the events of the Ice Emerald Sect, as only Yang Qing would.
Yang Qing''s eyes fluttered with rity as his gaze fell on the image ying out on the waters of the brook of rity. The scene was that of the young disciples before his attack fell on them.
This was the true root of his internal demons, the part that he struggled with, those faces so full of life.Faces of those who lived and expected to live. Faces of hope faces of expectation.
"Some of you would have grown to be looked up to by others, some of you would have grown to lead your sect into greater heights, some of you would have given hope and a chance to someone out there suffering, some of you would have remained the same, some of you would have inspired others, some of you would have been the strong trees to shelter the saplings underneath you, but all of that was cut short by me...." Yang Qing said as his gaze fell on each of those faces.
"You will never get to live the lives you envisioned or affect those around you if you had lived because you are now...dead.
I wish you weren''t, which was something I struggled toe to terms with. Thinking that my hands affected me so much. I felt like a robber, no different from those fiendish cultivators who use the lives of others to grow their strength like cauldrons.
I was so consumed by the guilt that the future and the destiny that I robbed you was all I could see.
But you see, this is uncharacteristic of me, the arrogance of it all. I can''t see the future, who''s to say you would have grown up to be what I imagined you to be?
Here I was carrying the burden of a future that I couldn''t predict and condemning myself because of it when the only thing I can control is the here and now, and the only actions I can guide are my own.
I gave you all something that the Shu n, the Chu n, the Sunme kingdom, and countless others like Ma Yuan''s wife and daughter and even Ma Yuan himself didn''t get, which was a choice.
A chance to choose your next steps and maybe even your fate. Choice is a gift that not many get to have in this world and at the very least you got that.
A chance to choose whether to leave or stay with the sect to the end. You made your choice, and despite how it ended, you lived, as choice is a privilege of the living. Your lives are your own to decide, just as mine is my own to decide.
I ept and respect your choice, as for me, there is so much for me to do than get lost in endless loops of what-ifs. Life is for the living and I intend to spend mineughing; eating, and trying to weasel every free meal that I can from my friends, the Order, and anyone that I can think; try to exploit the Order as often as I can;exploring the free open-air cultivation market for some buried treasure, deciphering broken cultivation arts and weird artifacts; maybe eventually confessing to this oddball girl that I like, hopefully, she does it first, otherwise she may end up secretly recording me with over a dozen talismans if I end up doing it first.." A goofy smile appeared on his face as he said that.
"Keep my word, honor mymitments and rtionships, and help those I can, but if it risks my life doing it, then I may choose not to, and so many more things that I hope are waiting for me. So you see.."
"I will continue living, and it''s time to say goodbye. I hope in your next lives you will see it to all you hope for and if by chance you want toe seek vengeance, I will be here at the Order, with powerful seniors waiting to wee you. Farewell specters of the Ice Emerald Sect," a shackle seemed to break from within Yang Qing''s mind as a cooling warm sensation enveloped his whole body.
Chapter 550 Final session
Chapter 550 Final session
Yang Qing wasn''t sure but he could vividly feel some threads untangle themselves from his body, which made him feel like he had been released from something.
"That kid has managed to rip theher karma strings, that''s some resolve, now all that''s left is one karma string, but even it seems faint and looks well on its way to full resolution.." thought the saint grade tree, the auspicious wood grove tree.
"His soul has grown stronger and purer.." it added.
In its gaze, Yang Qing was surrounded by countless glowing threads but moments earlier before his resolution, amongst those threads, there had been about a hundred grey threads that released a purple-ck energy that was slowly tainting his body and mind.
When he came, half his mental sea and inner soul body had been tainted to the point there was something almost humanoid manifesting from the infested pool. However, the sessions at the brook of rity suppressed the spreading of that infestation and the corrosion caused by those ck threads.
Each and every day that Yang Qing came for treatment and was exposed to the measures of the brook of rity, the brook''s abilities moved from suppression to cleansing. The ck threads were slowly being purified so Yang Qing would sever them for himself.
Now all that was left was one, but based on the faintness of that thread and its transformation, it looked like Yang Qing would not need the brook''s help to deal with it.
"Congrattions, young judge.." said the auspicious grove wood tree.
"I could not have done this without your help senior, thank you truly for this.." answered Yang Qing as he performed a deep respectful bow to the auspicious grove wood tree.
It was only now that he realized how much dire straits he had been in. He had no idea how deep in the cesspool he had been in until he was released from it.
An unbearable weight had been slowly suffocating him and he had no idea, how bad it was until this very moment.
He felt a sense of lightness to him that brought him relief,fort, and a sense of strength that he didn''t have even before the events of the Ice Emerald Sect. He felt like he had just unearthed another part of him that had been locked away which gave him a sense of rity and assuredeness.
"My connection to my Dao seems to have grown.." he muttered as he felt an ephemeral connection with the vitality Dao thicken.
His skin immediately started letting out a gentle aurora glow which made Yang Qing''s eyes light up in excitement.
His physique, the dormancy he experienced from it was slowly being alleviated, and his peerless jade physique was reactivating once more, which was a week in advance of the prediction the valley master and Ren Shu had made, which Yang Qing agreed with.
"I might as well see this through to the end since it is his final session. The faster he grows, the better it is for me. With his help, I should be able to find them..." muttered the auspicious wood grove tree as one of the pebbles transformed into his humanoid clone.
The humanoid clone waved his sleeves as a ball-sized water bubble was pulled from the brook of rity.
The clone molded the water bubble like it was kneading dough as mystical air and an ancient-looking light were produced within it.
If one looked at the light closely, one would notice it bore a faint resemnce to the light Yang Qing released every time he executed his core cultivation art, the purple grade art, the universal duality light of myriad worlds.
The light being produced in the water bubble and the one Yang Qing produced bore some semnce of simrity to each other, except that the one produced from the water bubble felt vaster and more ethereal.
The water bubble turned into a radiant light and the elderly clone of the auspicious wood grove tree gently pushed forward to Yang Qing and watched it disappear into his forehead.
Yang Qing felt a cool sensation envelop his mind, which was simr to what he felt in the two-hour restorative session he had with the brook of rity, except this one had been amplified ten times.
His physique which seemed to be restored at a gradual pace felt like it had been given a powerful jolt of energy, rapidly regained life in an instant.
Yang Qing froze as he could feel it, it was finally back. The subtle emptiness he had been feeling ever since his physique went dormant, instantly disappeared.
Just as Yang Qing was about to thank the auspicious wood grove tree for its help, he felt his vision suddenly change as he experienced an out-of-body experience.
"This!?!"
Yang Qing was in a once familiar route and sensation that brought him an endless shock. He was within the deeper recess of the pce realm his body being guided within an enclosed radiant glowing current and in an instant he was standing before the crystal jade tree that he didn''t know lurked within his pce realm.
It was his second time here, and despite the prior interaction, he still felt awed by the jade tree like he was seeing it the first time.
It stood there gently, silently with an ethereal mist surrounding it with countless leaves though were the size of his thumb, they looked like they could contain an entire world within it.
Yang Qing tried to walk towards it, however, his body seemed frozen in ce.
On seeing his movement frozen, Yang Qing decided to observe the tree and see if he could glean any clue from it.
"The sound from before is not there.." he muttered as his gaze fell on the ethereal mist and then moved to the leaves.
The leaves were light green and looked like they had been sculptured from green smooth crystal. Yang Qing''s focus was on the runes inscribed on them. They gave Yang Qing the sensation of something primordial, something beyond ancient, but that was all he could get from them. He couldn''t understand them no matter how deeply he looked at them, his mind drew a nk on them and there was also no reactioning from them.
Everything from the mist to the tree seemed shielded from his mind somehow. It was like there was a veil in his eyes and mind that stopped him from seeing more than what he saw right now. He couldn''t decipher anything other than there was a crystal jade tree before him surrounded by ethereal mist and leaves with ancient primal runes inscribed on them.
Yang Qing was hoping that there would be some sort of reaction triggered from his presence here, but there was nothing.
Chapter 551 Discussion under the jade tree
Chapter 551 Discussion under the jade tree
Yang Qing felt like he had stood there forever in the stillness and silence. Eventually, he gave as a defeated smile appeared on his face.
"Well, at least you''re back. I am d.." he said with a heartfelt sigh as he warmly took in the sight of the tree.
This past month, the absence of the peerless jade physique made him intimately aware of how integral his physique had been to his daily life and it wasn''t only in cultivation. There was a liveliness that he felt was absent.
Earlier he had chalked up that sensation to be as a result of his experiences with the Ice Emerald Sect, but with his physique returning, he instantly knew it was because of its absence.
"Well, you''re a reflection of me after all, if I''m to take Grandpa''s guess to be true.." Yang Qing muttered as he tried to see if he could sit.
Just as the thought appeared, there was a shift in the mist, as a tiny part of it tore away and transformed into afy futon that came behind him.
"This is a pleasant surprise, thank you.." Yang Qing gingerly said as he sat on the futon.
"I think futons are forever ruined for me.." Yang Qing muttered in shock as he swallowed by a level offort he never thought possible.
He lost himself to the sensation before his eyes suddenly lit up with crazy excitement.
"Now, if I could have something to eat.." Yang Qing said as he touched his stomach while depicting the face of someone famished.
His eyes darted around as if waiting for something, but a minute passed by with no change.
"Figures," he said with a defeated sigh.
Just as he was about to curl upfortably on the cushion he saw two hazy figures appear next to the crystalized jade tree.
Yang Qing hurriedly straightened his posture as he widened his eyes trying to confirm what he saw wasn''t an illusion.
"They''re not fake, right?" he said as he squinted his eyes a few times while rubbing them a couple more times.
He confirmed that there were indeed two indistinct humanoid silhouettes behind the ethereal mist, and from their size, they looked about the size of newborns.
"Who are they?" he wondered as he focused his gaze on them. Try as he may, his sight couldn''t prate created by the veil-like ethereal mist.
"Why aren''t they talking?"
About half a minute had passed by without a word from them. Yang Qing sort of expected with their appearance, there would be something, but all the two blurry figures did was sit below the tree just like Yang Qing, there was even one who took it further and looked to beying on its side.
Yang Qing was shocked by the indolence he was seeing but more than that he seemed jealous for some reason.
Is this something a mystical figure should be doing? It ruins the whole mystical aura.. or maybe it''s a key. If I mimic it, something may happen..
Yang Qing with a face that betrayed his true motives quicklyy on his side as he curled up perfectly on the cushion.
"Hey, you two, I''m Yang Qing, care to introduce yourselves?"nguidly said Yang Qing.
"Tsk, still giving me the silent treatment and you''re living in my body, where is the respect.." muttered Yang Qing in dissatisfaction, however, it immediately changed to a pleasant surprise when he saw the two suddenly have movements.
They both seemed to be waving their hands at him. The one lying down was wavingzily, while the one on the right seemed to have an excitement about them as they waved.
"That''s more like it.." said Yang Qing as he waved his hands while still maintaining the samezy lying down posture.
"Care to tell me why I''m here?ing here should be your doing, isn''t it? are you the manifestations of my physique?" asked Yang Qing.
The active silhouette looked to be lowering its head in contemtion before it raised it. Though all Yang Qing could see was blurriness, he could still tell it seemed like it was talking, even though there was no evidence to suggest it and it was just an intrinsic feeling he had.
"I''m sorry but I can''t seem to hear what you''re saying.."
Yang Qing''s statement seemed to have had an effect, as he felt somehow despite not hearing any words or even seeing its facial features, the silhouette seemed to have stopped talking.
Yang Qing suddenly sat up as a rare serious expression appeared on his face.
"Me not hearing you, is it because of interference by the mist or something else or is it because of me?"
"Figures as much.." Yang Qing muttered as he saw both silhouettes seem like they were pointing at him.
"Then you can nod as an answer. I''ll try to make my questions direct.."
"Good.." Yang Qing added when he detected a nod from the duo.
"You''re the peerless jade physique?" he asked which got a nod from the duo.
"The tree that is behind you, it''s part of you too?"
"What does that mean?" Yang Qing muttered in confusion when he saw different responses from the duo. The indolent one nodded sideways to mean no, while the excited one nodded up and down to mean yes.
"It''s part of you and at the same time it isn''t?" asked Yang Qing.
This time he got an agreeing nod from the two.
Just as he was about to dig further, the indolent silhouette seemed to be waving their hands as if beckoning him to hurry.
"Looks like I don''t have much time, then I better make it fast, too bad all the questions that I have currently require some sort of exnation.."
"Is there a way to regrlye here by myself?" asked Yang Qing to which both silhouettes nodded yes.
"But not currently?"
The silhouettes'' answer was yes.
"What is the key toing here regrly?"
The silhouettes paused as if in deep contemtion of how best to put forward their thoughts.
The excitable silhouette started mimicking various activities such as eating, meditating, reading, walking, and seeing things and then pointed to the indolent silhouette before it finished by making a wholesome image like enveloping a world, and then pointed to its wrist and then ended with motions of growing.
"So I need to just continue doing what I''m doing, the time will present itself as I grow.." Yang Qing muttered, which drew a nod from the silhouette.
"Figures. That''s the type of response i expect from myself.." he added with a light chuckle.
"As for the final question, are there seals that need to be unlocked, seeing how where you are feels inessible to me despite being in front of me?" asked Yang Qing as he decided to go ahead and confirm his grandfather''s theory.
On hearing Yang Qing''s question both silhouettes suddenly stood up and ced their palms on the trunk of the crystalized jade tree.
A gentle light was produced from where their hands touched which immediately spread throughout the jade tree. Circr ancient runic symbols were produced as the light made its way up the tree. By the time it reached the top, there were five circr runes, each with differing sizes, with the one at the bottom close to their hands being the smallest while the fifth one at the top being thergest.
"Five huh.." muttered Yang Qing.
The two silhouettes slowly started disappearing and Yang Qing could feel the ejection sensation he felt the first time he came here.
He stood up and waved his hands to the disappearing silhouettes.
"Thank you for saving mest time, and always helping me. I hope next time Ie here, I can hear your voices. Until next time.." he said with a smile.
The two silhouettes waved back with the excited one waving heavily, while the indolent one, for the first time since its appearance, there seemed to be some energy in its wave though it paled to its counterapart.
Yang Qing chuckled briefly when he saw this as his body disappeared from the location and when he came to, he was at the auspicious wood grove.
Chapter 552 Unexpected harvests (1)
Chapter 552 Unexpected harvests (1)
"Thank you senior for your help.."
Once he had regained his rity and sensed the changes within his body, Yang Qing hurriedly bowed in gratitude to the elderly man before him with the willowy beard.
While his experience with the ethereal crystallized jade tree had likely been the doing of the two silhouettes he saw, the catalyst for the whole thing had to have been the intervention of the auspicious wood grove tree.
Yang Qing''s suspicion was more than just an inkling, he felt it was highly likely, especially when he considered the response the two silhouettes gave him when he asked them if they and the jade tree were the same.
Their response more or less gave him an idea of what it was, which was why he knew the saint grade tree''s intervention was what had given him the opportunity.
"I feel countless profundities and ideas that I never had before appear in my mind. Senior''s connection with the Universal Light Resonant Sect seems to berger than I earlier thought.."
"Think nothing of it, it''s what I should.." said the auspicious wood grove tree with a light chuckle.
"Don''t forget, when you reach the peak of the pce realm to visit once a month to cultivate here, and also the other matter of the spring resplendent dew.."
"I won''t senior.." Yang Qing solemnly said as he cupped his fists in gratitude.
"Go on then.."
Yang Qing who was about to leave suddenly paused when he was passing by the brook of rity.
"You can pick some.."
"I don''t know how I can ever repay your senior.." Yang Qing said as he gingerly took out a gold vine gourd that had the storage space of a small pond and used it to collect the water from the brook of rity.
After tasting rice boiled in water from the Brook of rity, he couldn''t go back to eating rice made from any other water that was not from the Brook of rity.
Yang Qing was cautious at first, trying to be mindful to not overindulge and take a lot of it, however, when he noticed the level of water in the brook of rity did not seem to decrease at all, he went all out and filled the whole gold vine guard. However, he did not dare turn back to look at the auspicious wood grove tree''s expression.
"Take this with you too.." the clone of the auspicious wood grove tree said as he handed over a clear transparent pebble from the brook of rity.
Yang Qing felt it was smooth, cool, and calming to the touch and he could faintly detect an unfathomable energy swirling within it. It sort of reminded him of the sensation he got when he saw Mo Liwie''s roc form that seemed to drag the currents of the void to the real world.
"It''s just like the blue pebble you were given by Jia Bohai except unlike that one, this can be used even outside the confines of the Order to bring you here.
When you reach the peak of the pce stage you can use it or if you get into a danger you''re not sure you can get out of, use it. Provided there is not a soul formation expert present or a peak stage paragon domain expert, you should be able to reach here.."
Yang Qing didn''t waste time on any superfluous words and just bowed in gratitude keeping the favors he gained from the auspicious wood grove tree in his heart.
After Yang Qing left the hidden realm of the auspicious wood grove tree, he called his three remaining inquisitors to find out who wanted to go with him to the branch.
With Feng Xin and Yi Jie already at the Tribtion Mountain attempting their breakthroughs to the pce realm, only Zheng Hu, Su Jinjing, and Luo Meili were left.
After meeting with them only two were avable to go with him which was Su Jinjing and Luo Meili. Zheng Hu had already reached a critical point in his cultivation and was preparing to break through and reach the peak stage of the core formation realm. He had already umted sufficient from about two months back and had only been holding back because of Ma Yuan''s case. Once it was resolved, he made all the preparations for the breakthrough.
With the team already decided, Yang Qing sent the two to the Judicial Review Committee for their induction along with the three spirit beasts in Bolin, Haishi, and Ellie.
Yang Qing in the meanwhile spent the day sorting out some of his affairs. He visited the medical valley to have hisst session of treatments along with sharing his findings. Over the one-month period he had refined his skills with his yin-yang jade bones physique in his absence.
He was curious to see now that it was back how different his abilities would be thanks to its presence.
Yang Qing had expected his healing would be better thanks to the support from his physique however he had grossly underestimated by how much. The Yin Yang jade bones seemed to have amplified his abilities by levels he didn''t expect. His physique was like dragon saliva being poured into a wildfire in a burning forest which catapults the scope of the wildfire from beyond the forest to covering a whole city as it spreads without stopping.
His yin-yang jade bones seemed to have added levels to his healing abilities. The amount of qi he expended, and the quality of his treatment seemed to have experienced an evolution. For example, his go-to technique the spring of resplendence, which was an all-around healing art that was the best for emergency first aid as it restored the qi, lost blood, flesh, and limbs, and even refreshed the soul to some level in one single motion.
The art had high requirements for learning, but despite the difficulty of learning it, most within the Medical Valley chose to learn it because of its efficiency and versatility. As long as the one who cast the art was a level higher than the one he/she was casting it on, the spring of resplendence could give them aplete recovery on its targetted mdies.
In Yang Qing''s case, anyone at the core formation and below would have their limbs, qi, blood, flesh injuries, and even expended soul essence, would bepletely restored from a single dew drop.
Chapter 553 Unexpected harvests (2)
Chapter 553 Unexpected harvests (2)
But now just the air created as he formed a single drop would have effects on those around. All shallow to mid injuries of anyone at the core formation and below within a 20-meter radius of him got healed, and his spring of resplendence dew, now required half of the qi it required to cast, and its effects were twice as powerful. It even seemed to have a miasma detoxifying abilities, which Yang Qing guessed was because of the passive ability of his yin yang jade bones that gave him immunity to 10,000 different toxins. The number has never been proved, but it was meant to highlight his level of immunity to all kinds of toxins and miasma.
Yang Qing pushed his arts to the limit and see the levels he could reach as he made sure to note every minute change. When he was done with his rounds, he shared the findings with Ren Shu and his grandfather who had been around.
To test how huge of a boost his physique gave him, Ren Shu had Yang Qing try and detoxify the poison that was still on Branch Chief Lei Han''s and Hao Da''s bodies.
Yang Qing was able to detoxify a quarter of it on Hao Da''s body, but that was only after expending half of his spiritual qi in the formation of the spring of resplendent dew.
One would look at the results and think they wereckluster, but Ren Shu was amazed by the results for several factors. One was, that the poison was from the evolving obsidian serpent, so it was one of the most potent poisons one could evere across considering the flood dragons other than their strength, they were famous for their poisons. It was potent to the extent that poison from a peak domain stage flood dragon was capable of harming an early-stage soul formation expert.
Even though the obsidian serpent had not fully evolved into one, its evolutionary state meant it had some of its abilities slowly budding. Other than the toxicity of the poison, the other factor was the disparity in strength between the two. Yang Qing was only in the second stage of the pce realm while the obsidian serpent was already half a step into the seventh stage.
Yang Qing being able to detoxify its poison even just the tiniest amount would be considered an impossible feat let alone a quarter of it.
For the next few hours, Yang Qing was turned into ab rat by Ren Shu, his grandfather, some of the seasoned seniors from the Medical Valley, and at some point, even the valley master herself made an appearance.
It was only because of some meeting that was called at Spirit Mountain, did Yang Qing finally had room to escape. He instantly regretted showing off as he did.
After the Medical Valley, Yang Qing had a casual meetup with Dai Chen and Zhang Qinggee to inform them of his departure. He also found Lai Lei with them whom he requested to check in on Ma Yuan now and then when he came to use the nest of the celestial nesting weaver in his ce for his preparation to break through to the pce realm.
When he was finished, he went to his parent''s ce to give his mother the news that he wouldn''t be around for a month lest she worry something happened to him when he didn''te visit her.
She hid her worry well as she wished Yang Qing well while packing him lots of dishes to carry. Yang Qing was ecstatic, the only sour part, was when she sneakily tried to bring up Mao Yunru into the conversation which prompted Yang Qing to make a run for it.
...
One hourter, Thousands vor Restaurant,
"What is with mom bringing up Mao Mao every time she gets?" Yang Qing muttered in frustration as he made his way to the restaurant.
"She should either be here or arriving in a couple of minutes.." he added as he entered the restaurant.
"She hasn''t arrived yet..." he muttered to himself as he scanned the restaurant.
He promptly made his way to his usual table and ordered a few dozen spring rolls with rice.
In the process of making his order, his usual gluttonous excited state paused for a millisecond as he turned his head to the door in time to see a beautifuldy with ck hair, limpid purple eyes with swirling clouds in them, and a beauty that words fell short of, and made mutes of many.
Yang Qing quickly recollected himself and added a few more orders, as he waved to thedy to join him.
"Hi, Qing.."
Yang Qing who had prepared how he was going to tease Mao Yunru like usual immediately froze when he heard her words.
"Qing?"
"It is still your name, right? not unless you changed your name to something oundish like the food priest, with Feng Xin being the food fiend.." Mao Yunru cheekily said as she relishingly took in the sight of Yang Qing being flustered.
"I am d I did it, wuuuh, I almost bit my tongue toward the end there. Look at him, hehehe..." she amusedly thought.
"But you never called me that before.." Yang Qing answered with a mildly shaky voice which he tried to hide but there was no way the gossip hoarder would miss something key like that.
"Well... back then I didn''t use it because you were my mentor, it would have been too casual, but now I can be as casual as I want. Besides, Qing has a nice ring to it. It sounds like the name of a cunning deer.. and I..." Mao Yunru hurriedly closed her mouth before the next words slipped out.
Yang Qing who had been looking for a way out quickly grasped the opportunity.
"You what, Mao Mao? I am rather curious...What are deers to you?" asked Yang Qing with a triumphant smile.
His smile grew wider when he saw her look turned flustered.
"You....you...could I please have steamed lotus root and sticky rice and cial bamboo wine? He is paying.." Mao Yunru quickly said trying to deflect and assuage her nervousness.
Yang Qing didn''t press and decided to enjoy the spring rolls that were next to him.
"This smug bastard.."Mao Yunru angrily thought as she saw the gleeful look Yang Qing had on.
"You?" Yang Qing was immediately caught off guard when Mao Yunru sniped all his spring rolls in a single sh and ate them all.
"How petty can you be?" askedYang Qing in surprise when he saw her use shadow-void steps to grab those spring rolls and immediately transform them into jelly which she slurped in one motion like noodles.
"Well, I did have one of the pettiest mentors. It''s not my fault I gained certain habits.." Mao Yunru smugly said.
Chapter 554 The Oath keeper
Chapter 554 The Oath keeper
"Tsk, not even the crust was spared.." Yang Qing mournfully said as he stared at the sparkling clean empty te before him.
"Can''t you be moredylike?" grumbled Yang Qing.
"When with rogues be like the rogues lest they take advantage of you, isn''t that what you always said, oh wise one.." Mao Yunru smugly said as she enunciated thest words of her sentence.
"Fine, I give up.." Yang Qing begrudgingly said as he picked up his cup of tea warily, afraid that Mao Yunru would pull her earlier stunt.
It was only when he saw her rxed expression did he dare drink his tea.
A few seconds passed by before the rest of their orders were brought by.
"You even ordered chrysanthemum cake? what is the special asion?" Mao Yunru asked when she saw the spread of dishes before her.
Over half were her favorites, especially the chrysanthemum cake. She couldn''t help but eye Yang Qing suspiciously as her heart slowly started racing.
"Don''t tell me this numb skull has finally decided to confess?I half expected him to wait 50 years at the rate he was going, or I do it first, but no, he would never let me off if I was the first to do it.
Where are my talismans? I can''t believe I didn''t bring some with me. No! No! How could I have forgotten them?! no, wait... I could look for a soul cultivator specialist from the Order, and have them duplicate my memories onto a talisman.
There is no way I''m letting this moment go unrecorded, even if I have to folk over all my years'' worth of sry, I must record this..."
"Well, one could consider it a ceremony of sorts.." Yang Qing softly said as he took a sip from his jasmine tea.
"Here ites....what do I say, I hope my words don''t fail me. What if go nk, or what if I end up blurting out a lot of things... How is he so calm? He should be as clueless and nerve-wrecked about this as I am..."
"Well..."
"Hahaha, he is nervous after all..." Mao Yunru joyfully thought as she saw Yang Qing turn almost shyly embarrassed like he was afraid to say the next words.
"I was hoping we could share a meal before I left. For the next month or so I will be holding the post of Branch Chief of the Deer Mountain branch before the current branch chief, Hao Da and the rest heal up..."
"That''s it!" asked Mao Yunru with a widened look on her face before she hurriedly reigned in her emotions.
"Sorry, I mean, branch chief, you?" she asked trying to mask her disappointment before a hint of concern went through her as she remembered the notification of Hao Da and the rest.
"Why does it feel like she was slightly disappointed?.."
"Wait, could she?"
Yang Qing''s gaze fell on the food spreading in front of him and then the dots slowly fell into ce, especially, when he recalled his slightly embarrassed expression when he talked about sharing a meal with her. It was difficult for him to say it so openly considering how he spent most of his time teasing Mao Yunru endlessly all the time. Saying something like sharing a meal with her, especially with the consciousness of how he felt about her, was a little nerve-wracking.
"Sorry Mao Mao, if I do it, it will have to be a ce littered with arrays that interfere with recording talismans, and for good measure, I''ll have to find a way to trick you into signing an oath contract so you don''t end up reproducing the memory of the conversation, and I''m still a little shy, but if you were to be the brave on here...
No, Mom is right, some things you have to be the one to do it no matter how ufortable it makes you. I have to be the one to do it, and if she decides to record, I have to resolve myself to how mercilessly she will use it.
Sigh, I wish I was thickskinned sometimes.."
Yang Qing quickly shook his head to erase the fears of his impending doom in the future and went on to answer Mao Yunru''s question.
"The branch can''t be left unattended for too long, and from those avable to fill in the role on short notice, I happen to be the one to check all the boxes. Besides, the Judicial Review Committee knew I was the right person for the job because of my title.."
" And what title is that?" Mao Yunru suspiciously asked.
"The oath keeper.." Yang Qing pompously said as he disyed the demeanor of one entrusted with too much.
"Mao Mao, you may not know this but from the moment I was born, I have kept every single one of my words, and because I have done it for so long, word started spreading about it around the order, and before I knew it, people started calling me the oath keeper.
It''s not a title I pay too much keenness to as I am but a humble servant of the masses, doing the little I can and if the higher ups so it fit to hoist the job on me, I have no choice but to answer the call.." Yang Qing piously said as gracefully took a sip of his tea.
"For a coward like you to ept the post, and not evenin about it, they offered you something didn''t they?" Mao Yunru calmly said as she calmly took a sip of her cial bamboo wine.
"Knowing you, let me guess they offered you more spirit stones, but knowing your greedy but cowardly nature for you to change your tune so fast, the amount needed to be significantly higher than what you earn.
Let''s see..."
Mao Yunru gently cupped her chin in contemtion with her hand twirling her wine urn.
"For them to really bait you, it would have to be two or three times as much as what you are earning now. It wouldn''t be higher than that because like you always harp on, the Order is too stingy to pay you above three times what you''re currently, and you''re too greedy and cowardly to be swayed by anything less than two times the amount.
They likely used the same adjustment across all the other remunerations you would be receiving as branch chief.
But even then, spirit stones are not enough for them to draw this level of devoutness and lip service out of you, they must have added a few things in there, something they know you would greedily ept and betray any reservations or self-imposed principles you may have.
What was it little Qing.."Mao Yunru said with a charming smile as she leaned over, with Yang Qing''s paling face being reflected in her limpid purple eyes.
Chapter 555 Branch chief of the deer mountain branch
Chapter 555 Branch chief of the deer mountain branch
"My guess is that they offered you the chance to research some strange iplete cultivation art with a colorful tale behind it that makes it seem it hides more secrets than it seems and with how giddy you were, the art is likely a rare one that not many have interacted with.
Then with the cultivation art out of the way, they must have tagged at your other proclivities, and when ites to proclivities there is only one that goes toe to toe with your incessant desire to pull one over the Order, and that is food.
Did they offer to fund all your meals there? Though somehow that feels insufficient. The Deer Mountain Kingdom isn''t exactly the Three Fires Empire or the White Baobab Kingdom that are renowned for having good restaurants.
Having your meals sponsored doesn''t mean much if there is no ce to redeem the offer, and knowing you, as much as you love food, you hate exposing yourself to the outside world more.." something suddenly shed in Mao Yunru''s eyes.
"But it wouldn''t be a problem if they brought the restaurant to you in the safety of the branch. So what is it, a chef or will they be sending you food from different restaurants all over the continent on set days of the week?" asked Mao Yunru with a sweet smile.
"Did Senior Ei and the rest consult her on their offers before they brought it forward or something? How could she be this urate, and thatst guess...Damn! I wish I had thought of it earlier!"
Yang Qing had a mix of emotions flooding through him. One of them was fear, and the other was regret.
"From your look, it seems I am right, O.A.T.H K.E.E.P.E.R Qing.." Mao Yunru smugly as she did a celebratory fist pump which she quickly hid in embarrassment when she saw the weird looks she was getting from the other customers.
"You win, Mao Mao, that little judge from before has be dangerously insightful in the shortest time.." Yang Qing said with a sigh of gratification.
"You think I''m fit now to take the title of world canvas, with your title as oath keeper, you don''t need world canvas too, do you?" Mao Yunru said with a light chuckle.
"You''re enjoying this aren''t you?"
"A little, and I''m a little curious about what other titles you hold?" she said as she fluttered her eyes which made Yang Qing gulp a little.
"I''d expect nothing less from the empress rumor hoarder.."
"Can''t youpliment me a little.." Mao Yunru said with a soft pout before her demeanor changed to a slightly serious one.
"Be safe out there.." she added.
"I will, besides, after the incident that just happened, it''s bound to be the safest ce. There is a special inquisitor already dispatched, and the spirit council is likely keeping a close eye on the area.
It''s highly unlikely for there to be any incident. The preparations made from the Order guarantee that to some level..." said Yang Qing without going into too much detail.
"OK..how is your friend? You and senior Hao Da are still close?"
"We are, and he is doing okay, though I haven''t been able to talk to him yet. He, the branch chief, and thest surviving inquisitor are still unconscious as they undergo the final round of their treatment.
The treatment itself is going well though..."
"Them being unconscious in some sense can be considered a reprieve in some sense, because once they wake up.." Mao Yunru left the following words unsaid as she let out a somber sigh.
"That loss, won''t be an easy thing to bear. The seniors at the Judicial Review Committee seem to be anticipating it, as they guess that they may choose not to resume their roles there.."
The mood turned somber and was only turned lighter when Yang Qing made an offer.
"I''ll save some recording talismans for you and bring them with me when Ie back.."
"Thank you, Qing.." Mao Yunru sweetly said with excitement in her.
"No problem.."
The meal went on for hours as they bantered, and exchangedughter and tales, during the time, until it came time for Mao Yunru to live as she still had cases to supervise and her cultivation routine to maintain.
They reluctantly parted with Yang Qing promising to reach out via themunication talisman.
With everything he had in mind finally sorted, Yang Qing made his way to the quaint courtyard of the Judicial Review Committee.
He was going for the final briefings before he had to leave for the Deer Mountain Branch. From his team of three, there would also be an additional member which was a personnel from the administration department.
Every branch has one, and they''re in charge of the day-to-day running of the branch. They are in charge of monitoring all resource expenditures needed for the functioning of the Order, from the arrays to the cultivation chambers to the monthly disbursed resources to the Order, and any emergency need that may arise.
They were integral to the smooth operation of the branch. The Deer Mountain Branch would be getting another administrative personnel to temporarily step in for the previous one. Though the previous one was not injured, or called over for the attack as they were not front-line personnel, they were nheless affected by the events.
The shock that came from losing one''s colleagues, while the rest were heavily injured, was not something light. That personnel member had been recalled back and would remain on standby until the branch chief, Hao Da and thest inquisitor had healed up. They would then get to decide what was next for them.
The administrative personnel attached to Yang Qing was a veteran. His name was Mo Guang, and he had been to over 50 different branches across the continent during his tenure as a branch administrative liaison. Heter retired from the role when he broke through to the pce realm and went on to be a trainer for administrative liaisons.
With the dire state of the Deer Mountain Branch, with Yang Qingcking any experience as a branch chief, Mo Guang was called back temporarily because of his vast experience which would be needed to hold the branch together until the next team was decided.
From what he was told, Mo Guang had already left for the branch, so Yang Qing would get to meet him there.
Once everything had been exined, a gold eagle guard was dispatched to Yang Qing to bring him and his team to the branch. They could have gone by themselves, but with the goal of Blue me Soul Crow Syndicate unknown, the Order couldn''t take any chances, so Yang Qing was transported by a gold eagle guard to the domain realm, and had him protect them during the journey over, and only left them once they were over the skies of the Deer Mountain Range.
There was already a team of special inquisitors along with formation specialists in preparation forying down the array, Elder Xi Si, had mentioned that was to cover the whole range. In no simple terms, the range could be considered the Order''s backyard presently.
"I guess I am now the Branch Chief of the Deer Mountain Branch. Well, these are words I never thought I''d say.." Yang Qing wryly said as he pushed open the entrance to the branch.
Chapter 556 Guide through the branch
Chapter 556 Guide through the branch
There had been countless arrays that obscured the branch from the outside view. From what Yang Qing heard it was powerful enough to fool even the senses of seventh-stage domain experts.
Thanks to themand token he was given as the branch chief, all the powerful arrays covering every inch of the branch were under his control.
Yang Qing felt an odd sense of safety and power when he held the smoothened-out deer horn artifact, which was themand token of the Deer Mountain Range Branch.
Once inside, the branch was just as he had left it when hest visited it a month ago, the verdant mountain that had a faint colorful mist surrounding it, lush vegetation, an indke with recreated tributaries, the branch building itself and its apanying facilities, and the dense spiritual qi that was so dense that it condensed to spiritual dew that was light blue.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the view. The sigh was one of admiration but also self-realization about the fragility of life inparison to the things around it.
How many branch chiefs, inquisitors, and administrative personnel had this branch seen, he wondered. A constant spectator to the changes around it while it remained perfectly in ce like an eternal record or mark, remaining unchanging, despite those within it changing.
He couldn''t help but feel time and life in and of itself was cruel that way. When one lived, provided they made something of themself, they would feel that things revolved around them but things soon change the moment they die or lose relevance. Their records and presence that they thought would never be erased would end up being buried in obscurity in the never-ending sands of time.
No matter how brilliant a life you live, if enough time passes by, you will be forgotten. The world is more liable to remember a river, a desert, or a unique barren mountain more easily than it would the deeds of someone.
The Southern Continent with all its richness was likely inhabited by hundreds if not thousands of organizations of the same caliber as the two holynds, however, with all their splendor and power, no one in this day and age knew anything about those organizations. If they wanted to find out, they would have to dig deep, far and wide to find the barest of information, and even then whatever information they find would not be worth the time and effort it would take to dig up.
The living, whether they cultivate or don''t, all know the Blue Origin Ocean but you would be hard-pressed to find if any one of them has ever heard of the Primeval Cauldron Sect, The Purple Sky Pavilion, The Heavenly Thunder Sect, The Undying Torch Sect had been some of the few organizations that Yang Qing read about that had enough power to rival the current holynds.
The information he read was no more than broken tablets, worn-out scrolls, and rumors whose information contained only the names of these organizations and that they had unfathomable power. It had nothing else of note or value other than they once existed.
They likely had enough power back in the heyday to overturn the skies and earth over the Southern Continent, but now, how many even knew they existed?
"We are nothing more than living remnants passing by in this book, and while I am still breathing I intend to live it page by page doing the things that move my soul until my numbers end or the script changes.
As for creating and leaving legacies, I leave it to those much braver and adventurous than I..." Yang Qing muttered to himself as his gaze cleared up.
"Are you getting sentimental, boss.." said Luo Meili standing by his side.
"Well, I am getting on in my years, ites with the territory..." Yang Qing pompously said as he sped his hands behind his back trying to mimic the expert look Lei Weiyuan always had whenever he was waiting to catch himte for work.
His posture was perfectly executed however, itcked the imposing sage-like aura Lei Weiyuan had. All it did was cause the twodies by his side to chuckle.
On his left was the simple-looking Su Jinjing with the deeply prating eyes, and beat-up spear that she swaddled like a baby, and to his right was the mature-looking Luo Meili with a gentle look except for the fact that she used three polished bones to hold her hair.
As they were headed toward the branch''s courtyard, two figures suddenly appeared before them. One of them was ady who looked to be in herte thirties. She had silk long flowing silver hair that reached her back, ck eyes, and a beauty in her own might that was further boosted by the solitary aura she was releasing. She had on simple white robes that had red and ck cylindrical patterns on the sleeves and a gold talon emblem embroidered on the chest area of her coat.
Next to her was an elderly-looking man who managed to perfectly pull off the sage-like look Yang Qing had been trying to pull.
He had tied his hair in a half ponytail that was grey with not a strand out of ce and a small stubble on his face that gave him an added mature charm. He had a warm kindness to his eyes that made him seem easily approachable. He had on ck and white robes and was currently smiling at Yang Qing and his team.
Yang Qing hurriedly stepped forward as he cupped his fists in greeting.
"Greetings Senior Yen Xu, and Senior Mo Guang, my name is Yang Qing and this is Luo Meili, Su Jinjing, Ellie, Bolin, and Haishi.
We will be in your care from now on, and will try not to be a burden.."
"Hohoho, I am the one who hopes I will not be a burden, Judge Yang Qing, it should be Branch Chief Yang Qing now. I am Mo Guang and it''s a pleasure to meet you and your team.
The Judicial Review Committee already filled me in, so I will guide you on the ins and outs of the area though I will be handling most of everything except the cases, of course. If you have any questions or concerns at any time during your stay here please don''t hesitate to ask.." said the elderly man.
"Thank you senior Mo Guang.." the trio simultaneously said as they cupped their fists in gratitude.
"Nice to meet you all too though I wish it was under pleasant circumstances. The whole mountain range has already been cleared so don''t be wary during your stay here.." said the silver-haireddy by the name of Yen Xu.
"I thank you for your care.." said Yang Qing as he cupped his fists at her.
She was the gold eagle guard attached to the branch. She was one of the reasons Yang Qing could be at ease within and outside the branch. Other than being informed about her particrs beforehand, the talon emblem on her sleeves showed she was a domain expert.
The gold eagle had four divisions; the wing which was made up of pce realm experts, the talon was made up of domain experts, the beak which only had one person who was a soul formation expert in charge of the whole gold eagle guards, and the eyes which were the eagle guards recruits. They were usually deployed to the small branches in areas dered moderately safe to build their experience.
"After the tour, meet me by the bullfrog sculpture.." Yen Xu said as she vanished into thin air.
"Where do you want to start?" Mo Guang gingerly asked.
"We will follow your lead, Senior Mo Guang.."
"Mmmh okay then. Let''s start with the subsidiary facilities before we make our way to the main pavilion.."
With the Mo Guang taking the lead, they went to various facilities outside of the main pavilion. There was a battleground that was iid with arrays that could mimic certain conditions and there was even an array that could reproduce different opponents of different cultivation levels and races.
Other than the battleground arena, there were spiritual qi refinement pools spread around all over the branch. These were areas where the spiritual qi had been purposefully concentrated and gathered to form small pools with lotus tforms on them. It was the best area for spiritual qi replenishment and cirction of their main arts.
Next to the refinement pools were the meditation spots. Various artifacts and natural resources at the monarch grade had been used in the creation of those spots. They cleared the mind while calming the senses. They were perfect for deciphering the profundities of their cultivation art.
Other than that there was a herb garden and a herb repository that was used to store said herbs and other ingredients and it also had an alchemy refining chamber attached to it.
Yang Qing and the rest were continually awed by what they saw, the effect was especiallyrge on Haishi and Bolin. They couldn''t believe the level of opulence they were seeing. The only one who seemed unperturbed was Ellie. Yang Qing had a few guesses as to why. She was a glutton, but to her dismay, theke around had nothing but spiritual nts growing in it. There was no fish in there, which left her deted all throughout the tour.
When they reached the main pavilion it was like they had been transported to another world. Space expansion runes had been inscribed into the whole pavilion to create space for different halls like the library, their rooms, individual alchemy and artifact refinement halls, more meditation and cultivation chambers, and the one room Yang Qing was looking most forward to, the kitchen.
Chapter 557 Deal with the White Baobab Kingdom
Chapter 557 Deal with the White Baobab Kingdom
"What''s that?" Yang Qing excitedly said as he took a giant whiff of the steamy air that was flowing through the whole kitchen area.
The kitchen wasn''t thatrge and was about the size of the kitchen in a person''s abode with the only difference being the materials used in the kitchen design.
The furniture was made of goldearth vinewood while the roofing was made of wood from a moon-dew birch.
The two materials had been expertly crafted and designed to create the illusion that one was eating beneath a starry sky near a calmke.
The moon-dew birch provided a refreshing coolness while the goldearth vinewood released a gentle ambiance glow that created a sense of rxation andfort.
Both these materials were at the top tier of the monarch grade. However, despite the splendor they created that attracted the gazes of the two femalepanions next to him, Yang Qing''s whole attention was the blend of spices and roast meat filling the area.
His stomach instantly grumbled like the roar of an overlord tiger as his gaze fell on the next partition over where there was a young man with a simple honest look and brown hair, his gaze and whole body focused on the assortment he was stir-frying on his wok over gentle white blue mes.
Within seconds he was done with the vegetables that had a soft brown coloring to them as the released misty air that carried their vors from where the young man was working to where Yang Qing was.
Once done with the vegetables he showed exquisite knife skills as he carved up a crimson boar from head to toe in seconds without any wasted parts or pauses in movements. It was all done in one fluid motion.
There was a rhythmic flow to his movements that seemed to draw everyone in.
"Shi Hai''s skills seem like they keep growing every time I see them. How did Longwei agree for him toe, with his nature he would have refused it even if the Order asked.." muttered Yang Qing.
Shi Hai was one of the leading chefs in the White Baobab Kingdom and as such the king was a regr patron of his ce. Knowing Longwei, Yang Qing was sure there was no way he would allow such a talented chef toe here for a month and if he did, he would shamelessly tag along.
"Senior Mo Guang, do you know how the Order managed to get his services?" asked Yang Qing.
"From what I was told, the King of the White Baobab Kingdom was given the ice me perch while young chef Shi Hai other than the payment in spirit stones, and he was given some old tome that contained recipes and handling processes from a certain rogue cultivator dating back 50,000 years ago.
From what I heard that rogue cultivator was pretty famous for his herbology skills, and his cooking.
The rank 2 merchant organization, the Maple Leaf Manor grew to the heights it reached today in part because they stumbled onto one of his core inheritances.
The Order had one of the many tomes he had created, thus they offered a part of it that contained some of his cooking recipes to young Shi Hai.." said Mo Guang as he stroked his beard.
"I never ate much other than one soup here and there, most of the time I spent it on fasting pills or just subsisting on spiritual qi, but after sampling one of his dishes, I think this old man may have to change his habits..." he added with a light chuckle.
"Yang Qing, what''s wrong?!" asked Su Jinjing when she saw Yang Qing''s frozen expression.
"He got the cold me perch?! The Order had such a thing?!" he said with a tone that was a mix of disbelief, regret, and a hint of bitter envy.
"The cold me perch, on the list we created, it was solidly in the top fifteen, and Longwei has it? How did the Order even know or find it? No wonder Longwei agreed. Wherever he is, I can imagine the gleeful look on his face.." Yang Qing absentmindedly muttered to himself before some life and rity returned to him as he took out hismunication talisman.
The moment the call connected an impatient voice sounded from the other end.
"Yang Qing I am not sharing it. Enjoy Shi Hai''s meals. I will tell you how it tastester, I''ll even send you a recording.."
"Longwei? Longwei? Longwei....I can''t believe this bastard wouldn''t even hear me out.." said Yang Qing as he gritted his teeth.
However, whatever wrath he had was quickly stored away when the young man put the final touch on his dishes.
He had made stir-fried eggnt and green beans, potato in caramel along with spicy and sour shredded potato, with the main dish being the golden sticky brown sweet and sour pork fillet.
Yang Qing''s drool overflowed when he saw the dishes being carried over by Shi Hai.
"Yang Qing, still the same, I see.." Shi Hai said with a small smile when he saw Yang Qing''s dazed look.
"Shi Hai, you have outdone yourself.." Yang Qing said as he casually wiped his drool with his sleeves.
"Seeing your reaction I am d I took the offer.." said Shi Hai with a satisfied smile.
There was no feeling greater for a chef than the look of those who genuinely enjoy their work with honestness, delight, and ravenous excitement like the one Yang Qing had. It was why he was sort of a favorite at White Baobab Kingdom. His reaction every single time was sort of a mix of encouragement, validation, and appreciation to all the chefs who cooked for him which was why there was even a minipetition for who would get toe here, and in the end, Shi Hai was the victor.
Though it was already agreed whoever won other than the spirit stones which they would keep for themselves, would share the recipe given to them by the Order.
Thanks to the efforts of the founder and king of the White Baobab Kingdom, Longwei, he managed to create an inclusive utopia for food lovers and creators alike. Recipes and techniques were not something guarded to the grave, knowledge was freely shared around the kingdom so that cooking dao could be explored of its infinite possibilities.
Sharing of recipes and trading techniques was something encouraged, though all who came in had free will whether to do it or not. As the king, he opened the royal library and all the collections he had to all who became residents of his kingdom. His taking the bold step, became an inspiration to others, and has been an ongoing culture ever since. It was one of the things that gave the kingdom a sense of kinship and closeness among its residents.
Chapter 558 Meeting beneath the somber moon
Chapter 558 Meeting beneath the somber moon
"Please have your seats as I serve.." Shi Hai gently said as he helped them to their seats and started serving them.
"Yang Qing, do you have any meal ns you would like me to adhere to, i can also take requests from the rest if there is anything you prefer or don''t prefer on your menu.." said Shi Hai as he divided up the food onto different bowls and tes on the table.
"I don''t know about the rest, but for me, I leave the ends to you, chef, whatever you feel like cooking I will eat. So don''t hold back, and if there is an ingredient you want to try that isn''t avable, inform me.
If the Order can find a cold me perch, then they can find almost anything. So feel free, Shi Hai..." Yang Qing said with a greedy smile.
"I Knew you''d say something like that. Then I will happily oblige if you don''t mind Senior Mo Guang.." Shi Hai said with passionate mes burning in his eyes.
"If the boss said it, then as the administrator, I will do my best to fulfill them.."
"What about you all.."
"I will go with Yang Qing''s suggestion.." said Luo Meili
"Me too.." added Su Jinjing.
As for the three spirit beasts, they were too awed by the food to say anything. They barely had any willpower to tear their attention from the food to say anything.
The team went on to have their meals, as Mo Guang continued with his orientation filling any gaps that he had not introduced during the tour of the branch.
After they were done, they each went their way, as Yang Qing made his way to the white bullfrog sculpture for his rendevous with the gold eagle guard, Yen Xu.
The moment Yang Qing arrived at the statue, Yen Xu instantly appeared out of thin air. Yang Qing wasn''t all too surprised by her sudden appearance. The whole branch was likely covered by her domain sense.
From what he knew, the domain sense of a middle-stage domain expert wasrge enough to cover a whole city, so covering a branch like this had to be nothing to someone of her caliber.
"Follow me.."she said as she ced her hand on the bullfrog statue.
A rune instantly appeared on the bullfrog which then opened its mouth and swallowed both Yang Qing and Yen Xu.
The location seemed to have changed and they were now in a location with an open grasnd, a dull moon with an ancient rune inscribed on it that was releasing a suppressive glow.
The area was somberly dark with two sources of lighting. One was the soft white glow being released by the singr ancient rune on the greyed-out moon in the dark skies above them and the other came from the mots of light that came from the only tree in the region. It was a dream star sycamore tree. Its leaves had radiant golden dots that made it seem like clusters of stars. The pulsating glow of the glowing dots on its leaves seemed to match the rhythm of the glow being released by the moon above them.
Next to the dream star sycamore tree, there was a dark pond that formed a ring-like surrounding the dream star sycamore tree.
Yang Qing stared around in wonder at what he was doing here. The whole ce had a repressive and solemn feel to it like he was walking around the graveyard.
It was silent, chilly, and heaviness in the air that he couldn''t exin.
However, his feelings aside, he followed Yen Xu who stopped before the dark pond that surrounded the dream star sycamore tree.
She immediately formed a seal that created a resonant effect between the moon in the gloomy sky and the dream star sycamore tree.
A slow white glow was released from the rune on the moon and traveled down forming a straight line that met with a golden glow that had been produced from dotted stars on the leaves of the dream star sycamore tree.
The two lights created three rings at the point where they connected and the light from the three rings fell on the dark pond that shimmered when the light fell on it.
It shed and almost looked like it melted away revealing two abnormally tall figures seated in a lotus position on a tform that had countless ck ink runes that released a white golden glow.
When Yang Qing saw the two figures, he immediately guessed their identities.
Both had glossy ck robes that seemed something fit for an emperor because of how regal they looked.
One of the figures was a thin man who looked to be in his fifties. Though he faced down, he looked like he had a narrow face, smooth ck flowing hair that matched the shininess of his robes, and a long beard that reached his chest and was just as smooth.
Next to him was a mature-looking female who looked to be in herte forties, with free-flowing ck hair that seemed to have the same luster as the elderly man next to her.
Both figures had their heads facing downward so Yang Qing didn''t get a clear look at their faces, but the level of their presence gave out their identities. They had a formless pressure releasing from their bodies, which even though seemed to be restrained by the glow released from the three rings, made the hairs on Yang Qing''s hand, stand, especially the man who had a regalness to his aura that seemed to evoke a sense of submission to those around him.
However, such an effect was lost on the presentpany, who remained undisturbed by the aura.
Yang Qing on reflex triggered the dao runes in his bones, which radiated out one of his passive abilities which was poison suppression and purification.
The duo who despite their presence remained motionless suddenly looked up revealing their faces.
They both had jade white skin, with the woman having a kingdom toppling beauty, and the man beside her not losing out in terms of looks either.
They had a sense of cold indifference on their faces which hid a certain level of majesty and malevolence. Both had silver eyes with the elderly man having a mysterious radiant light flowing in his eyes.
They both seemed to be looking at Yang Qing like he was a natural foe to them, especially the elderly man whose cold gaze narrowed on Yang Qing''s body, particrly the subtle light and air he was releasing.
Yen Xu who had been standing at the side like a bystander had a brief look of surprise in her eyes before she went back to normal.
"This kid isn''t bad. His physique seems to have a suppressive effect on them, especially the evolving one.."
"I take it they''re the two obsidian serpents from the incident that involved the branch chief and the rest.." Yang Qing calmly asked as he casually took a seat whilst facing them.
Chapter 559 The obstinate couple
Chapter 559 The obstinate couple
"They are.." answered Yen Xu.
"Figures.." Yang Qing said with a sigh asplex emotions shed through his eyes when he looked at the two of them.
One inquisitor had died at their hands and was even eaten at that, but the circumstances that led to it were anything but simple.
"Why am I here?" asked Yang Qing in confusion as he deactivated his runes.
The case of the two obsidian serpents had already been decided. They would be deployed to the various branches of the Order around the continent for the rest of their lives. Their fates were already sealed, and of the branches they would work at, he knew the Deer Mountain Branch would definitely not be in consideration.
With the bad blood already created between them and the members of the Branch, it would be cruel to have the obsidian serpents have any interaction with them, and even if Hao Da and the branch chief had no issue with it, which they likely would considering they lost two of their colleagues, there was also the Deer Mountain Kingdom to consider who had lost three princes with one of them surviving.
The Kingdom would likely take issue if they realized the culprits responsible for the losses they suffered were still alive and well within their territory and at the Order''s intervention no less.
It was safer to send them to a ce far away from here.
"Before their cement is decided by the Judicial Review Committee, it was decided that they would be held here for the time being, and as such, as the Branch Chief, they are now under your purview.
Take this.." Yen Xu said as she handed Yang Qing a miniaturized version of the bull frog statue that had just swallowed them.
"This is the key to getting here and it also controls this pocket space and the luminous starfall array that is used to bind and seal the two of them..
The method to controlling the array is in there, just insert your spiritual sense. The method for controlling the array and refining the token is imprinted there.."
Yang Qing was a bit dazed from the sudden information but he quickly did as he was told and inserted his spiritual sense into the bullfrog token.
A monosybic script appeared in his mind which then rearranged itself into an incantation that Yang Qing was able to easily memorize.
Yang Qing executed the incantation as inscribed and within a few minutes, he was able to gain control of the pocket space in the area.
With the token as a medium, he could now tell how powerful the luminous starfall array was. As powerful as the two obsidian serpents were, with the power of the array at his fingertips, Yang Qing felt it would take no more than a single breadth to end their lives, destroying both their body and soul.
Everything within the pocket space was under his control.
"That bullfrog must be an ascendant-grade artifact with space-bending attributes.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he stored away the token.
From start to finish, the elderly man and the woman didn''t so much as speak as they coldly stared at the duo though they seemed to avoid looking at Yen Xu with their gaze permanently fixated on Yang Qing.
"Have they spoken at all?"
"Just once, when we captured them. They said they would kill us, and were pretty vivid on the details, but after that not a single word.."
Yang Qing furrowed his brows when he heard that before he let out a sigh of exasperation.
"I know this doesn''t mean much but I am sorry for the loss you suffered..."
As Yang Qing said that, the two cold emotionless couple had a shift in their expressions, especially the woman whose eyes zed with fury.
"If you''re sorry why don''t you release us and remove the seals binding us or offer your life up for killing our daughter?" the elderly woman coldly said her tone filled with sarcasm.
"I am afraid I can''t do that. I happen to like my life more than most and as for releasing you, when the timees, you will be released, well notpletely but some version of it.."
"You humans are just the same, greedy. Your clothes, looks and demeanor may be different but underneath that skin of yours, you are all the same; greedy, self-serving, and unsatiable. Bringing nothing but chaos everywhere you go and we are the ones called savages.
You will pay for what you did to our daughter.." the woman calmly said as she released a dense killing intent and malevolent aura that was immediately doused out by the array as quickly as it appeared.
"While I won''t deny your ims about us humans, but we did not kill your daughter. I believe mypanions told you that at the mountain before the fight started or after you were caught. Isn''t that right, senior Yen Xu.."
"We did.." Yen Xu curtly answered.
"Makes me wonder why you''re so fixated that we did it. You''re bothte-stage pce realm experts, surely you must have keener senses to realize who murdered your daughter.
Whether it is through spiritual imprints that you may have ced on your daughter or your familiarity with her, it''s easy for you both to tell who did the deed, especially, when they didn''t have enough time to cover their tracks..."
The two obsidian serpents remained unresponsive to Yang Qing''s deductions still maintaining the same indifference.
"While we may have not killed your daughter, there is no doubt you killed one of our own, and injured three others.
You imed a life so I would be within my rights to im both of yours for the two inquisitors we lost.." Yang Qing coldly said.
His statement seemed to have gotten a rise out of the elderly man whose pupils shed slightly before they went back to normal.
"You see, while I am sympathetic, there is another emotion in me that is stronger than that, which is vengeance.
There is a big part of me that is tempted to kill you here and now. From the guidelines I was given in my new role, and my interaction with you now, I am sure if I really pushed for it since there are grounds for it, you would get executed.."
"There''s really no need to mince your words, isn''t this what you all were after from the start? Everything contained with this body of mine which..."
The elderly man who had been silent all this while finally spoke. His tone was filled with fury, bitterness, and regret.
Yang Qing''s eyes shone at the statement made by the elderly man.
"Seeing what you have seen from the moment you were caught till now, do you think we have any interest in you? Others may, but we don''t?"
"Because you''re virtuous people, unlike other humans?" the woman scornfully asked.
"No, it''s because the blood and body of an obsidian serpent even one that is at the cusp of evolving to a flood dragon doesn''t hold much intrigue or value to us. Maybe if you had the bloodline of a true dragon we would be tempted, but even then it''s just a temptation, but as it stands you have nothing we want.."
Chapter 560 Blood Charcuterie Market Town
Chapter 560 Blood Charcuterie Market Town
The woman scoffed at Yang Qing''s response clearly not believing him while the elderly man seemed like he had said all he needed to say. He lowered his head as if to say he was done talking or amodating Yang Qing.
Yang Qing didn''t say much as he took out a few feathers of the celestial nesting weaver that he had forcibly plucked out during one of their many scuffles. He considered it part of the reparations owed by the foul-mouthed weaver.
The two obsidian serpents immediately froze as their bodies seemed to contort like they were losing control of their transformation and were being forced into their original forms. Their bodies even seemed like they wanted to genuflect on the spot and all these were caused by the four soft white feathers that released an ethereal light which made it look like it had been plucked from the heavens.
Just as it looked like they were about to lose control, Yang Qing put away the feather. When Yang Qing took out the feathers, he expected such a reaction. Their reaction was bloodline suppression at its finest. Bloodline suppression was a phenomenon among spirit beasts where those of a higher bloodline could suppress those with lower bloodlines just through presence alone, governed by thews of natural Dao.
Bloodline was like a crown or a shackle to spirit beasts depending on which side of the bloodline coin they fell on.
To escape the confines of this phenomenon, the spirit beast had to at the very least reach the domain realm, which the two obsidian serpents had not reached.
The celestial nesting weaver had a superior bloodline that was at the same level as the phoenix, kunpeng, roc, or dragon. Despite itsnguid and uninspiring look, it had a noble bloodline. Yang Qing had it imbue the feathers with spiritual imprints which was why it had a strong effect on the two spirit beasts.
"Like I said, we don''t need your bodies or bloodline. The deal promised to you still stands. We will help you find who killed your daughter, they are the true culprits in this whole thing. If youy your anger, prejudice, and hubris about yourself aside, you will be able to see this.
But words are not enough to convince you, so something else needs to be done.." Yang Qing said as he took out hismunication talisman.
For what he nned for the couple, he needed the approval of the Judicial Review Committee.
"Judge Yang Qing, what is it? Have you settled in well?" asked a soft motherly voice.
"I have settled in well, thanks to your efforts and the seniors around me.."
"Good, so what is it?"
"I needed the opinion of themittee on a certain matter..."
"The two obsidian serpents, I take it?"
"Yes.."
"What is it you wanted to discuss? Long Ei, Jia Bohai, and Jiang Chen are here too.."
"Could I alter the ns for the two? Rather than have them stay here, they could be sent to the Blood Charcuterie Market, and three or four sites at the Insitute whose upants can trounce them, and someone from the beast hall to guide them around.."
"Reason?"
"I don''t think they have interacted with the outside world much. Experiencing those ces may be an eye-opener for them and shatter any self-conceived notions they have which will help in our cooperation moving forward.."
"Mmmh, okay then. Is Fen Xu there?"
"I am.."
"What do you think?"
"It can''t hurt.."
"Okay then, we will have someone from the beast hall pick them up and guide them for a week. It should be sufficient.."
"Thank you, seniors.."
"Take care Yang Qing.."
Yang Qing heaved a sigh of relief as he put away hismunication talisman.
"Thank you for your support, Senior Fen Xu.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists to the stoic gold eagle guard, who chuckled slightly as she said,
"You really are as vindictive as they say.."
Yang Qing was shocked by her suddenugh before he rubbed his nose in slight embarrassment as he said,
"It can''t be helped. To deal with their level of obstinancy, it''s the only way.."
There was slight guilt in his tone since he knew the suggestions he made had a certain level of petty vengeance and vindictiveness to it.
The Blood Chacurterie Market was a famous small town that was next to the Sea of Churning Beasts.
Because of how close the town was to the sea, it constantly had a blood mist around it, which a small part came from the town itself while arge part came from the Sea Of Churning Beasts.
The Sea itself was blood red from the constant fights that happened between its habitants and or from cultivators who came to try their luck there. The Sea was home to countless spirit beasts whose variety seemed limitless.
There were certain unique spirit beasts you could never find anywhere else but there, the cold me perch was one of them.
The spirit beasts were walking treasure troves, and the sea itself also hid countless other natural treasures that were capable of changing the fate of a cultivator, which was why despite the high mortality rate of the region, where even an early domain expert could easily die, countless still tried their hand there.
It was for this reason that the Blood Charcuterie Market Town came about. Those who survived would trade within that town. At the start, it was just a simple barter trade between survivors of the venture from the sea who managed to get something out of it before it mushroomed into a merchant town.
Every reputable merchant organization had a branch open there that gave prices and offers that were so oundish that it tempted countless to flock to the town and risk their lives to venture into the Sea of churning beasts.
Soon the town that at the start looked like a vige became one of the most prosperous towns on the continent where anything could be traded at the right price and because of its mix mash of different organizations, it was a free town with no ruler. Even the Order had an establishment there governed by the Shadow Hawks as it was a haven for sourcing information from all around, despite it being famed for the ce where you could any kind of meat.
The streets were lined up with stalls that had meats from all kinds of spirit beasts which contributed to the bloody mist that pervaded the area, and because the area was filled with all kinds of flesh from powerful spirit beasts, someone below the middle stages of the core formation realm would not be able to survive there.
They would have their bodies crushed under the pressure being released by those corpses. Yang Qing had once visited the ce. He redeemed his merit points for the chance to be apanied there. He always wanted to visit the town, but it was where the powerful gathered, he couldn''t risk going alone, especially with histe-stage core formation cultivation base at the time, so he needed someone powerful to apany him.
A gold eagle guard went as his protector, and the experience was more than he had imagined.
The reason he wanted the two obsidian serpents to go there was to shatter the illusion they had that flood dragon bloodline was special.
Once they saw a carved-up flood dragon being hung up on some stall somewhere, maybe they might realize getting one isn''t as hard or extremely coveted as they think. And if that didn''t work, then getting sent to one of the Insitute special sites would work.
There were forests filled with spirit beasts that had a bloodline that was as powerful as a flood dragon if not more. Having the obsidian serpent couple be ''guided'' by a few of those spirit beasts may very well help bring some rity to their muddled minds.
That week''s experience was bound to shake a few things up in them. The road to personal rity is paved with extreme humility and Yang Qing was sure to help them with that. Since they were under his care, it was his duty to do all he could for them.
Chapter 561 Placing bets
Chapter 561 cing bets
"By the way senior Yen Xu, was the corpse of their daughter collected?" asked Yang Qing.
He made sure to use voiceless incantation as he posed the question. Regardless of how he felt about the two obsidian serpents, he had to at least pay some modicum of respect and care to their loss which was why he opted to ask the question covertly.
"We didn''t. They most likely ate her as their way of honoring herst rites. Why?"
"It''s what the male obsidian serpent said, the way he said it. He seems to think he implicated his daughter, but why would he think that not unless she was also exhibiting the same signs of evolution, same as him?
But what are the odds of two obsidian serpents showing flood dragon evolutionary traits at the same time? The degree of difficulty of morphing into a flood dragon is about as hard as a flood dragon morphing into a true dragon, but now there may potentially be two serpents evolving into flood dragons within the same period, same location and they happen to be rted to each other.
Something feels suspect here.." Yang Qing said as he rubbed his chin with his gaze falling on the elderly man.
"The special inquisitor assigned the case had the same suspicions too. The two members of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate would not waste their manpower in hunting an early pce-stage obsidian serpent, and based on how they conducted their affairs, they had made sufficient preparation at that.
They would not spend all those resources, effort, and even risk because of the branch here, all for an obsidian serpent''s body even if their daughter had a wisdom pearl.
With the measures and abilities they had, they were better off targeting the father, but it seemed like they had been specifically aiming for the daughter, which means, there must have been something special about her, that made the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate show a willingness to risk venturing here.
But without the body, it''s hard to know and the Committee hasn''t yet signed off on extracting the information from their soul since because of their strength a peak domain expert would have to do it, but even then it will leave irreparable damage on them..."
"Mmmh, Senior what do you know about flood dragons?"
"Not much more than the next person. The powerful bodies that they''re born with are as strong as a top tier monarch grade defensive artifact and it grows stronger through each growth cycle; how they can manipte dao in their attacks from a young age, terrifying opponents to meet since they can cross realms to fight especially with their terrifying venom that needs the skills of at least several top tier gold grade alchemists to detoxify, and how their bodies are a treasure trove of precious ingredients.
Other than that I don''t know much about them.."
Yang Qing wasn''t that shocked at her admittance of not knowing a lot despite being his senior and a domain expert at that.
The mysteries of the world were infinite and one couldn''t know everything. Gold eagle guards needed to have areas they specialized in to ensure their efficiency, and since they always worked in partnerships, it was a model that suited them well.
Each guard had an area that they were good in and an area that they werecking which would be made up for by their partner.
If you tried to chew more than you could handle, you would end up losing everything. Yang Qing learned that the hard way when he tried to be eye-catching and overzealous in his institute days when he picked every subject he could learn so he could show off.
It was a humbling period for him as he came to realize he wasn''t as multitalented as he thought.
"I don''t how factual this is, but in one of the scrolls I read, flood dragons have certain elemental affinities to them and it is usually three elements that is water, fire, and or wood. You may find a variant one with the dark element, lightning or wind,and maybe even metal but earth is rare for them.
I don''t know about the triggers for their evolution process, but I figure elemental affinity has to be an aspect of it because most recorded cases of sessful evolutions have been of reptilian spirit beasts that were skilled in either one or more of those four major elements, but the obsidian serpent is different.
Its primary affinity is to earth and if it has a secondary attribute mostly its metal, but more often than not it''s just earth.
Evolving into a flood dragon is hard enough even with a strong affinity to the four above elements, let alone for the obsidian serpent that does not have them. How did he, and presumably his daughter trigger the qualifications for one?
Maybe the answer to that is what those two deacons were after, though how did they even know what to look for?"
"You suspect someone from the Deer Mountain was involved?"
"It can''t be ruled out considering their delicate state of affairs in the bnce between the weakened royal family and the different noble factions.
Putting aside the dangers of this range, and their dark history with it, this whole ce is a treasure trove tempting enough to incite the greed of those in the kingdom.
Maybe some of them are in cahoots with the Blue me Crow Syndicate.." Yang Qing said.
The stoic gold eagle guard went silent for a second as a strange light shed in her eyes as she took sight of the green-haired youth seatedfortably on the grass like he was on a pic as he held his chin in deep contemtion.
Contrary to how he looked or the never-ending rumors surrounding him around the Order, that green-haired youth had a deeply intuitive mind about him.
Now it made sense to Yen Xu why she was told once he arrived to just leave every matter to him, and focus on the continuous deeper survey of the region in preparation for the array they were about toy down in the area.
At the time they had not disclosed yet who they would be sending and only did so recently which was about the time Yang Qing was about toplete his sessions with the Auspicious Wood Grove tree.
When the name was revealed to her, she had the same reaction anybody from the Order would have upon hearing the name ''Yang Qing''. He was pretty infamous and was known for his various misdeeds in trying to pull one over the Order. There were even bets going around on what stunt he would pull next, and his sess rate.
His infamy usually overshadowed his skills as a judge, and because of how he usually looked people overlooked the fact he was one of the youngest judges at the Order, and now one of the youngest pce court judges. Reaching such heights meant he was anything but simple and Yen Xu got the chance to see how his mind worked.
"Now I can see why he can make trouble for the Order consistently.." she amusedly thought to herself as she made a mental note to ce a bet on Yang Qing the next odds that came up, who knows he may have his first victory and the payout was not bad either.
Chapter 562 Contest of presence
Chapter 562 Contest of presence
"Well I can''t speak to the state of affairs within the kingdom itself but yourment about the range being a treasure trove is true.
I doubt even the kingdom itself knows by how much. The survey we did revealed a lot, like how a third of this range hides the entrance to a forming grotto, too bad it''s an uninhabitable one.
I was told to give you this by themittee. It contains our findings of the survey done in the area.
There are about a dozen perilous zones in the area, but only three are worth noting, and one is the forming grotto.." Yen Xu said as she handed Yang Qing another grotto.
"Will you be sharing the findings with the kingdom?" asked Yang Qing as he put away the talisman and slowly stood up.
He would go through the list at the library where he would have plenty of subsidiary materials to infer from to fill in the gaps orplement the information provided.
"A few of them, yes,but the majority of them, no. Though we don''t intend to harvest anything from those regions since it is still their territory, we are under no obligation to tell them either, like you said, it''s not farfetched that some of them are in league with other nefarious organizations.
Of those zones listed there, we will seal the three most perilous zones. Leaving them exposed brings more harm than good."
"Thank you for the list, Senior Yen Xu.." said Yang Qing as he cupped his fists in gratitude to her.
"Now as for you two.." he added as he stared at the obsidian serpent couple.
"Earlier you asked to be released from the seals ced on you. Well you''re in luck, I''ve decided to ept your request.
Though it will only be a temporary release, you will have your freedom today, albeit somewhat.." Yang Qing said.
The elderly man had no movements or change, but the woman seemed to react as she lifted her face. However, she didn''t seem like she bought what Yang Qing said.
"If I released their seals, could they break out of here?" asked Yang Qing to the gold eagle guard.
"Only if they were in the middle stages of the domain realm, but as they are, even harming a single de of grass here is impossible.." Yen Xu curtly said.
"Good, then releasing them now or when the person from the beast hall arrives doesn''t matter.." Yang Qing said as he used the token to remove the seals on the obsidian serpents.
"Don''t.."
The moment thest seal was undone, thedy looked like she wanted to charge at Yang Qing who was just inches away from her, but the elderly man stopped her as he ced his right hand in front of her.
The woman''s murderous gaze flickered slightly between Yang Qing and Yen Xu who was calmly standing next to him. Eventually, she decided against what she was nning and heeded the elderly man''s words.
"You''re lucky she''s here.." the woman said coldly as she and the elderly man stood up.
Yang Qing didn''t respond as he smiled at her remark.
Even though the two wouldn''t attack due to the presence of Yen Xu it didn''t mean they wouldn''t try anything.
With the suppression of the luminous starfall array absent, the two instantly released their savage pressure that made the air boil and smell of sulfur.
Their presence as seventh-stage pce realm spirit beasts was fully brought forth.
"There''s no need, they hardly match an experience I had recently," Yang Qing said when he saw Yen Xu was about to act.
His experience at the hands of the red abyssal thorn tree that appeared at Ice Emerald Sect a few months ago made the pressure the couple was releasing to feel underwhelming not to mention that even though the seals were removed, they still had deep injuries.
In their sh against Hao Da and the rest, they did not leave unscathed. While outwardly they seemed perfectly okay, inside they were a chaotic mess, which Yang Qing could easily tell from the pale faces, and erratic qi flow.
At their state even without Yen Xu''s presence, he could guarantee his life against them, not to mention, that their ace ability which was poison, would have little effect on him because of his Yin Yang jade bones physique.
"Even the Branch Chief and Hao Da, if they were truly intent on escaping, I doubt these two would have been able to stop them. The presence of the members of the Deer Mountain Kingdom must have been a factor as to why they ended up with such heavy injuries in the end.
I''ll need the log of events.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he stood casually unperturbed by the pressure being released by the two.
His hair started changing into golden orange and ocean blue which was the same color mirrored in his eyes as a mystical light was released from his body that shed against the pressure being released by the two.
Even though it seemed like his pressure would be swallowed whole by the two, it still held on, with the two showing surprised and ufortable expressions the longer the unseen battle went on, which was only a few seconds before the couple put away their pressures, much to Yang Qing''s relief.
"This is thest time I show off like that.. Thete stage is still thete stage," as he felt the involuntary mild muscle spasms in different parts of his body, though outwardly he pretended to be the picture of perfect calmness, where the heavens could fall and he would remain unmoved.
Yen Xu who could tell he was putting on an act hurriedly stifled herughter that almost sneaked out.
"I hope you enjoy your week of freedom.." Yang Qing said as he turned to leave.
The same swirling feeling from before appeared as they were leaving, when they reappeared, it was next to the white statue of the bullfrog.
Yang Qing''s knees almost gave out the moment he reappeared that he had to quickly support himself using the statue.
"Was all that necessary?" Yen Xu asked no longer holding back herughter.
"Somethings have to be done.." Yang Qing unabashedly said.
"Well, I''ll leave you to your duties, if you need anything just call out my name. Take care Yang Qing and pleasure meeting the person behind the legend.."
Yen Xu had already disappeared before she finished the sentence and only her voice and subsequentughter was left behind.
"What legend is she talking about?" Yang Qing muttered in wonder before he pushed the matter to the back of his mind and decided to pay the kitchen a visit before he went to the library.
Chapter 563 Thirteen Perilous zones
Chapter 563 Thirteen Perilous zones
"I really lucked out this time.." Yang Qing said with a muffled tone as he chewed on a piece of the kung pao chicken that he had overflowing on arge te that looked like it could serve a group of seven people.
He munched on a piece at a time as he made his way to the Library.
The design of the library was a miniaturized version of the main library at the Institute, though itcked some of the facilities and resources the main library had, it still had the main ones.
It wasprised of four floors and space expansion runes had likely been inscribed to create room for those floors.
The first floor had red-grade and white-grade techniques spanning across different schools of cultivation. It had everything from attack and defense-based cultivation arts that favored different kinds of weapons, to professional techniques such as beginner guides to talisman making, ink refining, alchemy guide, introduction to arrays, to utility-based techniques such as herbology and spirit mine identification and the likes.
Other than that it also had bits and pieces of information that touched on geography, a touch of history, customs, and the like.
The second floor had a simr lineup except the grades of the art stored in there were from low to middle-tier orange-grade cultivation arts, and the secondary information recorded was a bit more in-depth than what was on the first floor.
The third floor held top tier orange grade cultivations arts and it also had special measures put in ce to aid those in the library. Some of those measures were special rooms for them to practise or experiment what they were studying, there were spirit dew sandalwood incense sticks burning on the floor which were beneficial for clearing the mind and or improving concentration and cognitive abilities.
Several top-tier sky-grade artifacts worked hand in hand with the sandalwood incense sticks along with various arrays to help boost learning abilities.
As for thest and final floor, it was the smallest floor, but also the most important one. It housed seven blue-grade cultivation arts given to the Deer Mountain Branch. In addition, the artifact Yang Qing was told about the ethereal mist chime bell was stored on the fourth floor under a denseyer of blue-grade arrays that could only be disabled with the Branch Chief''s token.
Those from the branch could only ess the fourth floor with the Branch Chief''s approval and a log of ess would constantly be shared with the administration department at the main headquarters along with the Judicial Review Committee.
The library was deathly silent with dim lighting and the smell of old books permeating the area. Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the coldness of the ce as he made his way to the fourth floor.
There was a private office for the Branch Chief on that floor, and in it contained various recording talismans and scrolls that contained all kinds of information on the Deer Mountain Kingdom and the range as a whole.
Part of one''s duties as a Branch Chief, other than handle cases, was to keep up appearances and maintain cordial rtionships with the powers in the area, but other than that they needed to constantly monitor the surrounding area, to prevent any surprises.
They would then log those excursions and send a copy of the log to the Judicial Review Committee which would then redistribute it to other divisions of the Order, depending on what information was recorded on the logs.
Yang Qing had asked about those logs and was informed there were copies kept in the office on the fourth floor, which became part of the reason Yang Qing decided to read the talisman Yen Xu had given him, in the library.
The office was just as he expected. A chair, spirit dew sandalwood incense burning on the desk, a shelf filled with scrolls, littered with over a dozen well-concealed killing and anti-scrying arrays.
Yang Qing walked as if with deep familiarity with the ce and sat down on the chair behind the desk. After he sat, he took out the Branch Chief token and ced it on the left side of the ck-brown desk.
Dense runes immediately appeared on the desk as palm-sized rectangr openings appeared on the desk. There were white crystals stored in those rectangr openings, with the openings numbering about 70.
Yang Qing moved to the center and picked up four from the center going right before he finally picked up two at the bottom right close to the edge of the table.
The ones at the center were the oldest logs of the ce, while the ones on the bottom right were the most recent.
After he had picked all the talisman logs he needed, he took back the token and the desk went back to normal.
"Now let''s see what is in here.." Yang Qing said as he inserted his spiritual sense into the talisman containing information on the in-depth survey of the Deer Mountain Range.
The instant he did, his face couldn''t help but contort in shock because of the information contained within it.
"The Deer Mountain Kingdom has been living above a precipice and never knew, and to think they once wanted to consolidate all this territory under their control.
Truly the ignorant know no fear. They must have used all their kingdom''s luck to not stumble into any of these ces during their n back then, if they did, there would be no kingdom today, especially these three.." Yang Qing said as he sucked in cold air.
"Disaster and reward go hand in hand but this, would you even live to enjoy the rewards.." he added as he went through the list.
The talisman had a recording of thirteen perilous zones with three described as the most dangerous, catastrophic to the level that they were guaranteed to kill anyone below the domain realm if they ventured in carelessly, and one of them was even dangerous to domain experts.
Chapter 564 Dark remnants
Chapter 564 Dark remnants
Of the three perilous zones, the grotto Yen Xu mentioned was one of them. East of the Deer Mountain Range, there was a small hill with nothing outstanding other than the fact the grass was always damp every second of every minute of every day despite the season and day.
Due to the weird phenomena, most thought there was something mysterious, possibly some natural treasure lurking in the area that contributed to the phenomena.
However, after countless years of exploration, nothing out of the ordinary other than the drought-resistant grass that was even immune to a certain degree to various fires, nothing special was ever found.
The grass was just at the mortal grade, and the dew that constantly coated its de and the ground had absolutely no properties one could speak of, though if one was to speak of one attribute it had was it increased the number of mes one would have to use and the duration of preparation, which added an unnecessary burden on an already burdensome state in alchemy.
So over time, the region became one of the regions despite technically not having any dangers to it and was never inhabited. The area was constantly dumped, which added a gloomy feel to the area, and there was nothing worthwhile there. What people didn''t know was there was the hill was hiding an embryonic grotto beneath it, and by now it was almostpletely fully formed.
From the description given the grotto''s form was a cavern full of darkness covered with rocks and water that reached one''s ankles. The area was absent of spiritual qi, and the gravity was a hundred times that of the continent''s and it increased the longer one was in there. A peak qi refinement realm cultivator would be crushed to meat paste within a minute and that was at the higher periphery, while the deeper regions would take the life of a pce realm cultivator, that is if they even reach that far.
However, what was truly dangerous about the ce wasn''t the gravity or absence of spiritual qi or the mild coldness that seemed to gradually seep into someone''s soul, but the darkness that enshrouded every single area.
It was like a living creature that slowly invaded those who encroached on its territory. It swallows you whole and seals your senses, distorts your perception of time, and slowly breaks your will, as it invades your mind, amplifies all your fears, and brings them to life.
From what was written it seemed like the grotto could materialize one''s inner demons into solid real-life forms which would then attack the user whose senses and ess to spiritual qi had already been sealed.
The special inquisitor and Yen Xu did explore the grotto sufficiently but even they decided to call it quits before the riched the core region where the spirit of the grottoy. They still did not know its identity or its full abilities but just from the little bit of exposure and first-hand experience they had, they deemed it one of the most dangerous ces within the whole range considering it made early domain experts like themself wary of exploring the core region.
Disaster and rewards followed each other hand in hand. Based on their experience, the grotto was perfect for tempering one''s will, ridding oneself of their heart demons, and even discovering the ones that they didn''t know were there.
All this was vital for the growth of a cultivator especially those aiming for a higher realm, polishing one''s heart and mind was vital for climbing higher peaks of the cultivation realm. However, all these were built on the premise that one survives the test of the grotto and manages to make it out alive.
As things stood from the judgment of the duo, anyone at the early stages of the core formation and below was guaranteed death the moment they stepped in there, while for those of a higher cultivation base, their odds were not easy either the longer they stayed in there.
If you stumbled or were identally swallowed by the grotto, there were a few requirements one needed to meet for them to be able toe out again. If you met them, a route would appear in your mind, and if you followed that route, you would end up outside of the grotto.
Both Yen Xu and the special inquisitor found out that they couldn''t forcibly make their way out once inside and had to follow the rules of the grotto-like there was some binding dao that made it impossible for them to vite it.
"From what''s written here. they found about a dozen corpses in there belonging tote-stage core formation experts, and even two that belonged to pce stage experts.
What''s this?!" Yang Qing muttered in shock as he read the disimer written at the bottom of the information pertaining to the grotto.
Though it''s unconfirmed, we suspect the materialized heart demon can exist outside the grotto and the condition for that is to kill the person they were materialized from.
''If sessful, with the grotto''s intervention, they can absorb all the memories and attainments of the person and morph into their real-life like they were them.
We have decided to name them ''dark remnants''. We don''t know how many have fallen here, but the number is likely, not small.
Various organizations out there may be inhabited by the dark remnants already, who have assumed the lives of their victims.
This is purely conjecture and thus do not yet have a way to confirm the fact. It can only be done if the grotto''s spirit is subjugated, provided it doesn''t have a fated person yet.
The region will therefore be permanently sealed until more is known about it..''
After reading that, Yang Qing couldn''t help but look fearfully behind him when he felt a cold wind brush up against his neck. The silence and dimness of the room seemed to exacerbate his paranoia.
"If their guess is true, just how many organizations could potentially be infiltrated by these dark remnants?
Are they after something under the orders of the grotto''s spirit or is it something they decided of their own volition?
How many of them could be out there?" Yang Qing wondered as countless thoughts and theories shed in his mind, each scarier than the next.
As he was lost in a scare cycle of his own, there was acouple who echoed his sentiments.
The obsidian serpent couple had remained in the same posture after Yang Qing left: standing, whilst cautiously looking around them.
"Can you break it?" asked the cold woman to which the elderly man shook his head with a sigh.
"It seems we stumbled to a dangerous ce filled with dangerous people. I can''t believe a second-stage pce realm human can hold his own against me and the suppressing feel I get from him is different from those feathers.." muttered the elderly man in deep consternation.
"I don''t remember the region having people like them, that fire alder bear would have been the first to react if there were such powerful human cultivators around. Or did something happen to it?" said the cold-faced woman in shock as she stared at the elderly man next to her.
"It''s not an impossibility considering how that woman was able to subdue and capture us easily.
The sensation I get from her even without these injuries, she would have defeated us just as easily. She is likely in the domain realm.
Even those two we fought, if it wasn''t for looking out for the other humans, I doubt we would have been able to stop them if they decided to flee. Just who are they?" he said with a look of hesitation, mild worry, and confusion shing in his eyes.
"What they said.." the woman paused as if forcibly suppressing something with great difficulty.
"Do you think they were telling the truth about not having anything to do with our daughter''s death?" she asked with great difficulty.
The elderly man on seeing her state decided to put his arms around her in a bid tofort her.
"I don''t know about that, but the treasure bone we gave her, I doubt there is anyone who would not covet it, considering it likely belonged to a mature flood dragon.
I doubt anyone would be able to resist it, especially the humans. No matter what the kid said, the body of a flood dragon pales inparison to a treasure bone, even a damaged one like the one we found.."
The elderly man went silent for a while before he said with deep sorrow and regret,
"Luo''er, I''m sorry I implicated our daughter.."
Chapter 565 Potential fate of the remnants
Chapter 565 Potential fate of the remnants
It took Yang Qing several bites of his Kung Pao chicken before he got the nerve to continue reading the rest of the list.
But to ensure the sensation he felt earlier didn''t sneak up on him again he decided to take out a few dawn fire sunstones and ce them in different areas of the office bringing some much-needed light and warmth to the room.
The dawn fire sunstones were like gentle miniaturized suns. They were known for absorbing the yang energy of the surroundings and releasing a heat that neutralized cold yin energies and also had a restraining effect on evil spirits and ghost cultivators.
Yang Qing infused some of his yang mes into the stones to increase their abilities a few notches.
Once he confirmed everything was okay and he wasn''t being stalked by some dark remnant or maybe even the grotto''s spirit since something that was able to create the dark remnants, was bound to be just as insidious, only then did Yang Qing continue with his reading.
"I can''t believe the description left me so on edge.." Yang Qing muttered with a wry smile.
"Luckily there wasn''t anyone to see. But these dark remnants, if they''re the personification of one''s heart demons, while the bulk of them are bound to be problematic, surely it can''t be all of them, and they may not necessarily be working together.
If we assume they''re born with their egos that mirror the cultivator they came out of, then there''s a high chance they are working independently and may not necessarily be one team, not unless the grotto influences how they see each other giving them a sense of kinship.
If it''s confirmed that they do exist, I wonder how the Order will deal with them," wondered Yang Qing as he scratched the small stubble on his chin.
Considering the potential identity of dark remnants being materialized heart demons, ideally, they should all be exterminated if their identities are uncovered.
However, heart demonse in different forms. They were obsessions, regrets, doubts, and other intense feelings that a cultivator could not get rid of ore to terms with. They continuously linger, eating away at the cultivator.
Some are born out of hatred and vengeance, others from shame, others from jealousy or envy, others from greed, others from regret, and others from a strong sentimental attachment to something that conflicts with what the cultivator has been led to believe or know.
Heart demons start small like some lingering thought which continually feeds off the cultivator until they be heart demons. Ridding one of their heart demons eitheres through eptance or letting go and the reasons one had them were countless. As long as you could feel you had the potential of developing one.
There were countless triggers for example a cultivator who leaves home to pursue the dao or some other reason to make his parents proud or to change their circumstances. That cultivator has the potential to develop a heart demon in two instances: One of them is if he/she never reaches the height they thought they would and develops a level of shame and dejection so deep because they couldn''t do what they set out to do and it develops into a heart demon.
The other way was if the cultivator does manage to reach the heights he hoped for, then rushes back home to tell his/her parents of the news only to find they died, which could be due to tragic or natural causes. That cultivator develops a seed of regret for not being there in their parent''s final moments, or to help them in case the death was caused by outside forces, and then that lingering regret grows over time into a heart demon.
Presented such a case, if dark remnants were born from the two scenarios, Yang Qing without hesitation would purge the former if he came across it.A heart demon born out of shame of not reaching the heights one envisioned, there was no doubt on how vtile the dark remnant born out of it would be. An intense desire for strength and achievements, and weakness and short fuse when anything highlights the weakness of its shame.
But when ites to thetter, not unless the remnant did something that broke the guiding rules of the Order, he wasn''t sure he would purge it just because it was a heart demon.
What he imagined was something born out of regret would do what gave it birth in the first ce, and in such a case, the dark remnant may go stand vigil over the parent''s grave to itsst breath, since that was the thing that gave it existence.
In such a case, was it truly right for him to intervene?
"Well, these are just spections in the end. It has to be confirmed if they exist, and if they do exist, the Order has people who can think further than I can, they''ll be the ones to decide what to do when the timees.." said Yang Qing with a deep sigh.
His recent experiences made him somewhat sensitive to the whole matter of the grotto considering, not too recently he had a budding heart demon of his own.
If the Order didn''t help him deal with it and he ended up stumbling into the grotto, what would his heart demon be like?
However, he immediately shook his head free of those thoughts as he brought his attention back to the next two most perilous zones, with one of them, being dered as potentially cmitous.
"Sword, egg, and a mature dragon vein?" Yang Qing grew more perplexed when he saw the title of the most dangerous zone, that the special inquisitor and the Yen Xu dared not venture in too deep and even requested the presence of someone from the spirit council on what to do next.
''In the northern region of the range, there is a crevice hidden under denseyers of what looked to have been a degraded gold-grade concealing formation array.
The array looks to be at least 50,000 years old based on the degradation...''
"50,000?!" The number made Yang Qing raise his brows.
Chapter 566 Should i leave this place
Chapter 566 Should i leave this ce
It was thanks to the degradation that we managed to find the objects hidden beneath the crevice, however, even with its current state, we only realized there was something in there due to mild fluctuations that didn''t reveal much other than a slightly abnormal spike in spiritual qi quality.
In its current state, the array can fool even the domain sense of a first-stage domain expert.
The design and origin of the array is unfamiliar to us. However considering how long it has been able to remain intact and functional, despite degradation, the skills of the one whoid it is undoubtedly someone at the top tier of gold grade or a purple grade formation master.
The array itself was strange enough but inside there were even stranger things.
Even though it was concealed well, the area hides a mature dragon spirit vein, though the dragon spiritmon with a mature dragon spirit vein was absent and the spiritual qi that surrounded any area other than the crevice seemed to disprove that but its lingering spiritual markings could still be felt within the crevice.
Upon further investigation, we discovered that the reason why the spiritual qi in the area was way less than what was expected of mature dragon spirit veins including the presence of the dragon spirit, and spiritual jade liquid poolmon with all mature dragon spirit veins, was because it was all being constantly swallowed by a small palm-sized egg at the center of the crevice.
All the spiritual qi, and the spiritual markings that gave us the clues needed to deduct that there was indeed a mature dragon vein below, all seemed to drain toward the egg.
The egg looked like a piece of sculptured marble and had a red and green swirling coating on its shell.
Despite its seemingly dormant state, we felt a cmitous power being birthed inside of it, and from the design of the egg and the intricate rune markings that were mixed in the red and green wave, we strongly believe that the egg belongs to the one-legged crane like being of destruction, the Bifang Niao...
Yang Qing almost dropped the talisman when he read that part. A grotto that materialized a cultivator''s heart demon which had the potential of stealing the cultivator''s life was scary enough let alone, a Bifang Niao.
Though they were not as infamous as dragons or phoenixes, by virtue of their bloodline, they were not low on the totem poll either. If someone were to scale them, they were stronger than flood dragons, and the gap between them and mythical creatures such as the phoenixes and vermilion birds wasn''t that high.
However, if one were to ask themon popce what they were most afraid of, a dragon or a bifang niao, nine out of ten would say the bifang niao.
The reason for this was simple, the tales surrounding the creature had it dubbed as a harbinger of fiery disaster, a disaster that could ravage half the continent.
The bifang niao looked like a crane, and had one leg, with a red and green feather coat and white beak. It looked benign or even weak owing to its missing leg and its size was that of a regr crane, however, that seemingly pitiable-looking bird created an unquenchable me that would swallow and destroy everything in its path.
Nothing was immune to its mes be it wood, earth, the ocean itself, or even spiritual qi, any and all who were caught by even the tiniest spark of its mes would be reduced to nothing. Once released its mes never stopped burning.
It was known as the harbinger of destruction and dpidation because after the target of its ire had been destroyed by its mes, the area would be rendered inhospitable for all life and if no extreme measures are taken for restoration, the effect couldst millions of years.
Yang Qing remembered when he was a baby and he fooled around with fire, his mom used to tell him all the terrifying tales surrounding the bifang niao, and it always ended with this,
"Whenever you hear the crackling of burning wood, know the bifang niao is not far back.."
"A bifang niao? is this ce even safe with such a creature around even in its egg form and howe there have been no sporadic fires happening in the region? From what I heard, its destructive mes are usually present even in its egg form not unless there was also a containment array in the area, but with its degraded state, shouldn''t have a few mes managed to pass through?"
Yang Qing couldn''t help but start to regret his decision for so readily agreeing toe here but the die had already been cast, for better or for worse, he had to honor his end of the deal, but if he made a mental note if he was informed that movements wereing from the egg, he would make a break for it.
He didn''t care if he got punished for it, saving his body from potentially being barbecued came first.
A few seconds after the thought of being burned to a crisp hit his mind, a strange wondrous glow appeared on his mind as his gaze focused on the description of the egg, however, a few secondster he shook his head dismissively as he muttered to himself it was impossible.
If one looked closely, one could detect a hint of unwillingness and regret in him.
Above the egg of the bifang niao is a sword in its embryonic form. The sword seems to be the reason that the gold grade formation has held on for this long, however, its role doesn''t seem to be simply anchoring the formation, but, though this isn''t proven yet and will need the eyes of gold grade cksmith, it seems that the sword is both incubating and harvesting the egg.
It seems to be using the bifang niao mes to refine and temper itself.."
"What is this?!!!!" Yang Qing found himself yelling in his office in disbelief.
"A dark grotto and now this, someone is using the mes of one of the most feared creatures on the to refine their sword! how is this ce safe?! the Order has really done me in.." Yang Qing hysterically said as he started pacing around the office, checking and rechecking the token in his hands to confirm it was still functional.
After the shock, came the hystericalughs mixed in with tears, before finally a coolness that epted death overcame him.
"They better make a statue of me or I will haunt them.." Yang Qing muttered in defeat as he sat down to read thest of the three most perilous zone.
At this point, the report could say they found the burning corpse of a phoenix or the tail of a dragon and he would remain unmoved.
He had already been broken by what he had read and resigned himself to death, what more could the next information do?
Luckily thest zone wasn''t as dire despite being in the top three of the thirteen perilous zones.
It was a regionmonly known as '' the ruins of the wails of the dead''. It was a region in the Deer Mountain Range that looked like the weathered ruins of some long-forgotten organization.
There were mottled pirs with weird sybles which filled the area. Countless explorers and those looking to try their luck at gaining something visited the ce, and some even went to the extent of taking some of the pirs with them to research the strange writings in the hopes that they could uncover some miraculous secret, a hidden cultivation art, some map, all in the hopes of growing their strength.
To date there has been no news of anyone deciphering what those symbols and sybles meant, and from what was written on the report neither did the special inquisitor nor Yen Xu.
Other than the dpidated pirs, the area was known for its sporadic changes which made it a horrible ce to stay. Spiritual qi fluctuations would be all over the ce, sometimes high, sometimes pitifully low. Anyone who tried to cultivate there risked suffering a bacsh due to those fluctuations that even affected the spiritual element distribution of the area. There would be lightning storms out of the blue,apanied by dry hot winds, it would turn foggy even with the hot sun out, and it experienced regr earthquakes.
Over time, rumors started floating around that the region was filled with the spirits of those who did something unforgivable and were cursed to never find peace even after their death which was why the region was so chaotic.
Such rumors, and the chaos surrounding the area, and pirs that weren''t worth much, left the area with little to no presence most of the time.
However, Fen Xu and the special inquisitor discovered there was some sort of natural array that linked different regions 10,000km around the region to the center of that ce, and the natural array seemed to have a spatial attribute to it. It seemed to anchor something to that area, and that something was a mysterious realm, more than likely belonging to the owners of those pirs.
However, the natural array and treasure anchoring the realm seemed to have been damaged which was the reason the area was so sporadic. Void energy was asionally leaking out due to the spatial instability of the mysterious realm, thus affecting the area.
The region would be sealed off until the area''s space had been remedied, lest a void creature worm its way through and cause destruction to the regions around.
Chapter 567 A trap or something else?
Chapter 567 A trap or something else?
After the scare given by the first two perilous zones he had read, the next zones were much more ptable.
There was nothing too oundish about the remaining ten, though the remaining ten were not at the level of the first three in terms of intimidation and the capacity to incite extreme terror to all who came across them, some of them were still threatening enough, especially to the residents of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Of the ten there were two that stood out, one of them was the territory of a Fire Adler bear. From the report, the fire adler bear was currently in deep seclusion and seemed to be preparing itself for a breakthrough to the domain realm. From the spection of Fen Xu and the special inquisitor, the odds of the fire adler bear reaching the domain realm were slim at the present moment, but it had a high chance of taking half a step into the realm, which they judged seemed to be the n of the spirit beast based on its fluctuation.
To them, a half-step domain realm fire adler bear was nothing much but to the Deer Mountain Kingdom and the rest of the upants of the range as a whole, it was a real threat.
As far as Yang Qing knew there were no peak or evente stage pce realm expert around the registered organizations in the Deer Mountain Range. The Deer Mountain Kingdom, which was thought to be the most powerful, their most powerful member who was the grand uncle of the current king, an old fossil that wasn''t long for this world, was only at the sixth stage of the pce realm.
Should the fire adler bear take that half step, how many organizations around the range would be able to keep it at bay?
A half-step domain expert would be able to take on three or four peak pce ream experts easily, let alone some middle-stage pce stage experts.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel pity for them. He could imagine their faces when they received the information about the bear. The two obsidian serpents were bad enough let alone the fire adler bear.
"I wonder if the couple and this bear know each other?" Yang Qing wondered.
The information about the fire adler bear was one of the four survey reports that would be shared with the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Of the remaining three, one was a parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree that had already roused its spirit and was at the first stage of the pce realm. The parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree was notorious for its illusory abilities and the spores it produces. The spores it produced an almost simr effect to the memory-altering gu, except the spores'' purpose was to corrode the minds of those it infected and lure them to the sycamore tree itself, which would slowly dpose the host''s body and use it as fertilizer for its growth.
The spores not only affected the living but also the dead, as long as the body it infected was intact, the spores could forcibly move the body to the sycamore''s location. The tree was both cannibalistic and a renowned scavenger, which was why despite its known danger most preferred to have it around.
With its presence, there was less likelihood of corpse miasma building up in the area, which was why there were a few kingdoms that nted it next to mass burial grounds or regions that had experienced a wide-scale battle. As for the parasitic spores, provided your willpower was strong, the spores would be harmless to you, even if your cultivation base was slightly lower than the sycamore tree.
In the case of the one in Deer Mountain Range, ate-stage core formation expert with strong willpower would be able to resist the spore''s influence even with the tree being in the pce realm and even if they got infected, if they had someone powerful next to them, they could be restrained and the spores'' effects would disappear after four days.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but lick his lips as he wondered if its fruits had matured. Wine made from its fruits was perfect with meat dishes.
The second one shared was a gorge that seemed to have once been the home to a powerful ice artifact. The gorge asionally leaked powerful cold yin energy at irregr intervals. The energy was powerful enough to freeze a middle-stage core formation expert down to their soul in fifteen seconds.
The final one was a cavern that had a jade nature stone forming within it. Jade nature stone was a natural treasure extremely vital to those at the core formation realm and below, where one needed to establish powerful foundations in preparation for theter stages.
As long as one cultivated next to the jade nature stone, it would strengthen their soul, improve their mental rity, increase their sensitivity and absorption of qi, along with cleansing their bodies, and helping the cultivator in question awaken their elemental affinity if they have any.
Its uses were truly wonderous, and most organizations usually saved it for the disciples they had the most expectations since finding one wasn''t easy. They only formed in areas of perfect harmony and bnce between all five elements and the yin and yang energy.
Just as Yang Qing was wondering why the location of the jade nature stone was dubbed as a perilous zone, he found his answer with the next sentence. The jade nature stone had an owner, a mountain jade serpent at the second stage of the pce realm.
While the jade nature stone could help human cultivators set their foundations, it had a different effect on spirit beasts, an effect that was tantamount to giving them a chance at a new life. The jade nature stone could help them purify their bloodline, and the scary part was, that as long as the spirit beast didn''t die, it would continue to do so gradually until itsst breath.
The process was slow, but if the spirit beast in question had an absurdly long lifespan, they would reap tremendous gains from having a jade nature stone.
Yang Qing once read about a turquoise leaf tortoise that stumbled onto a ce that had a jade nature stone when it was but a hatchling. That tortoise in the present day was an baster season tortoise and was the guardian beast of the baster saber sect, a rank 1 sect. The sect grounds were on its back and it had an independent weather to the outside world. It was like a walking mysterious realm on its own, and all that was brought about by the jade nature stone.
Of course, luck was also a factor since even with the presence of the jade nature stone, it wasn''t a given that it would survive to date, lucky for it, the founder of the baster Saber Sect found it and protected it long enough for it to undergo a monumental transformation.
"Why are they giving this information to the kingdom?" Yang Qing wondered.
If the Deer Mountain Kingdom was to find out about the stone, it wouldn''t be a stretch to imagine them trying to take it for themself, of course, whether they could do it was a different matter altogether. Mountain jade serpents were notorious for their defenses more so one that was already at the pce realm, and because of their deep affinity for the earth and water element, they could create earthquakes, and mudslides capable of causing mass destruction. Though the spirit beast was known for its mild temperament.
"Could it be a trap trying to ferret out the potential leaks of the kingdom? If it isthen it seems Senior Fen Xu and the special inquisitor already had the same suspicions as I did.."
Yang Qing leaned back in his chair with a tired expression as he tried to adjust his mental state.
"Luckily, there should be more people from the Ordering. The Deer Mountain Kingdom must have used up all its luck to have been able to survive all these years in such a ce.." he said with a sigh.
A tiredness washed over him and he decided to give himself to it as he slept, he only came to half an hourter when Yen Xu used her domain sense to inform him of the arrival of the personnel from the beast hall.
When the handover happened, Yang Qing was amused when he saw the wariness of the obsidian couple toward the person from the beast hall.
The wariness was expected considering the person was filled with the aura of countless spirit beasts on him due to the nature of his job, and among those auras, there was no shortage of ones with terrifying bloodlines.
Yang Qing could feel the mild trembling of their hands when the beast hall personnel walked next to them in greeting.
As they were leaving, Yang Qing did offhandedly try to find out if they knew the fire adler bear, and though they didn''t respond, the stiff expression shown by the cold woman proved at the very least they knew of the fire adler bear.
Just as Yang Qing was about to make his way to the kitchen, the administrator Mo Guang found him midway to inform him he had a walk-in case referred to him.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but curse his bad luck, not even one day had ended, before a case found him.
Chapter 568 Woes of the outer sect (1)
Chapter 568 Woes of the outer sect (1)
"A case?" Yang Qing asked partly trying to y dumb and part in the hopes that he had misheard it.
As part of his role as the branch chief, he would still hear cases which was why branch chiefs were mostly judges or inquisitors since that was one of their core duties.
The pavilion also had a courtroom which though wasn''t as extravagant looking as those in the headquarters, still had the same grandeur of authority that Order courtrooms had. During the tour, it had been one of the first ces the administrator Mo Guang took them to.
"Yes, a case. As you''ve probably been informed, you will be handling cases that are within the Deer Mountain Range,and the surrounding territories that fall within a 50,000-kilometer radius away from the boundary of the range.
These cases are usually sent to the administration department at the headquarters first for evaluation and it is only when they confirm a few parameters like its location, nearest branch, and abilities and qualifications of the personnel of the closest branch, do they decide whether to send that case to the branch or have it solved at the headquarters.
We have met the criterion for one of those cases. I will leave this with you since it''s more of your area of expertise than mine.
It contains details of said case.." Mo Guang said as he handed Yang Qing a recording jade talisman that had a seal on it.
"Thanks.." Yang Qing said with a deted expression as he took the talisman to the office that was next to the courtroom.
"I hope it''s not a handful or one with many twists. Please let it be an easy and direct one.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he used his gold eagle badge to remove the seal on the talisman.
With the seal removed, he could now read its contents.
The case concerns the Striding Falcon Sect located 32,000 kilometers westward from the Deer Mountain Range.
The sect is a rank 3 sect with the potential of a demotion if it doesn''t get another pce realm expert.
The sect has only one pce realm expert who as confirmed by the Shadow Hawks Division is at the fourth stage of the pce realm.
The confirmation done by the Shadow Hawks was 15 months ago and it is highly unlikely that the circumstances may have changed, though the Shadow Hawks is re-evaluating the status as we speak.
''The pce realm expert in question goes by the name of Liu Kang, and he was the supreme elder of the sect up until 1,200 years ago when he decided to retire from his position and undergo a death seclusion.
He was already about 12,000 years old at the time and is slowly catching up to his 15,000-year limit to his lifespan..''
"A death seclusion , huh.." Yang Qing muttered with a sigh.
Death seclusion was a cultivator''sst-ditch effort at forcing a breakthrough. They would either die in the process or seed. There was no in-between. You put your entire life at stake.
Most who used such an extreme method were usually cultivators who were at the end of their lifespans. The longer you lived, the scarier the thought of your lifespan ending out on you bes.
It was easier for most cultivators to ept their death after a heavy injury than for them to ept dying of old age. Watching their lifespan dwindle about was a much more torturous experience than dying to poison or a fatal injury.
The reason for this was simple, it was much easier to ept something that you couldn''t change than it was something you could.
A fatal injury like a shattered dantian, one wouldn''t be able to do anything about it if it happened to them, but dying of old age, to cultivators that had a remedy and it was simple, just breakthrough to the next minor or major stage and your cultivation increases, and if you had just one year left, it would shoot up to 500 for just breaking through one level.
Rather than sit and wait for the death that could be changed, it was better to risk it for the chance of averting the disaster, hence death seclusion was born.
If one was to take count, the retired supreme elder of the Striding Falcon Sect who was at the early stage of the pce realm had lived 13,200 years of his lifespan as an early-stage pce realm and was now left with 1,800 years.
To a mortal that was a lot of years, but to cultivators who had seen the change of dynasties and the aging of the world, those years were just but a drop in the eyes of the powerful cultivators.
If the retired supreme elder was able to leap from the fourth stage of the pce realm to the fifth stage of the pce realm he would gain 5,000 years for just that one leap.
Risking it all for that opportunity was understandable, since other than the increase in lifespan, he would be a middle-stage pce realm cultivator which would give him the capital to traverse to different areas he couldn''t before or get him through doors he couldn''t before. A whole world of opportunities would open before him which would help him improve his abilities or even find other means to increase his lifespan without necessarily having to break through.
Yang Qing soon shook his head free of the scattered thoughts and continued reading the report.
Rumors started floating around that he may have died since nothing had been heard from him the one thousand years which has led to the sect existing in an almost fractured state.
The current sect master, whose master was martial siblings with the former supreme elder leads one faction, while the other faction is being headed by the chief elder who is supported by various parties both within and outside the sect. They have more momentum and support than the sect master''s faction and the only reason they have not acted to oust the sect master is because of retired supreme elder Liu Kang. They can not confirm his status whether he is dead or alive, and can only alude to it.
The case in question isn''t on the session of the sect but on those below, more specifically the outer sect disciples.
Chapter 569 Woes of the outer sect (2)
Chapter 569 Woes of the outer sect (2)
Yang Qing''s brows rose in intrigue when he read this.
The case was brought forward by one of their outer sect disciples by the name of Ma Qi. He is 17 years old, in the second stage of the qi refinement realm, and an outer sect disciple of the sect.
He joined the sect three years ago when he was still in the body refinement stage more specifically the silver body stage.
Analysis done shows there was no improvement in his body refinement stage, and broke through to the next stage as a a silver body.
"Fourteen years old and he had a silver body, even though he is not a genius at the very least his aptitude should be above average but you want to tell me someone with those abilities only managed to reach the second stage of the qi refinement realm in three years?" Yang Qing muttered with furrowed brows.
About a week ago during one of his sect missions, he reached the Green Sparrow branch and requested the services of the Order.
He has filed a case against the Striding Falcon Sect for the mistreatment of its members, this is a bulk of the outer sect disciples, and failure to deliver on the promises given to said disciples before they joined just as they were taking the entrance examination.
The basis of his ims is on the sect''s current treatment of a portion of its outer sect disciples.
''As per his testimony, the sect has been overburdening the outer sect disciples with various chores all over the sect that leaves little to no room for them to cultivate, and some of those chores are even hazardous to them such as the care of the green mchite caterpir.
He has reported that in a month about a dozen outer sect disciples get maimed during the feeding of the caterpir.
Those that get maimed, if their torn limb is still intact, do get reattached, but the potions used are usually of the lowest caliber that barely do the job and even the technique behind the reattachment is low.
Their limbs never quite feel the same and are usually defective while those who get maimed either get expelled from the sect or decide to volunteer to beb rats for the various alchemy test potions in the alchemy division of the sect.
From the ount of Ma Qi, the fate of those who choose thetter is far worse than losing a limb and getting expelled..''
"Green mchite caterpir.." Yang Qing muttered with astrange light in his eyes.
The green mchite caterpir was amon spirit beast, that most organizations would have as a measure of self-sustainment. It was like the way mortals kept chicken.
The green mchite caterpir was a humungous caterpir about the size of four anaconda stitched together. It was green and with spiral blue wing-like markings all over its body.
The reason most organizations kept them was for a few reasons one of the being they required little to no skill to rear them. You only needed to feed them, and their feed wasn''t anything special, and earth-rank herbs would do.
Once properly fed, they would produce finger-sized mchites from the various pores of its body.
The mchites were filled with gentle wood energy that had mild healing properties in and by themselves. The mchite mixed in with a healing potion would elevate its properties, and it was the go-to ingredient to be used as a stabilizer in most potion recipes that were at the rank of sky grade and lower due to its gentle properties.
Pouring ground mchite during potion brewing would reduce the level of vtility during the brewing process which increases the odds of sess in thepletion of the potion or pill.
Its gentle and mild nature made sure it wasn''t triggering or negatively reactive with most ingredients, and it wasn''t strong enough to alter the properties of a potion, which was why most organizations whether they were an alchemy-centered organization or just a regr sect, n, or organization with an alchemy hall, they would have mchites in their alchemy repository. It was a must-have as it helped reduce the costs of potion or pill creation.
Since green mchite caterpirs were not hard to rear, most preferred rather than buy, they would produce it themselves by rearing the green mchites and reduce the costs.
The caterpirs were docile in nature and not averse to human beings. Other than food, they didn''t concern themselves with anything else. They were voracious eater, and as long as you kept them well-fed, there would be no issues.
However, if one were to name one issue was their impatience when they were hungry, the first person to feed in that state was likely to be attacked, and getting sliced apart was not an impossibility since their mandibles were sharp enough to slice through iron like a hot knife through butter. But even then it was not much of an issue, since the green mchite caterpircked agility, and immediately after the attack, their attention would be drawn back to the food.
A qi refinement cultivator with a red-grade movement art even a low-tier art would be able to easily dodge its attacks, and someone with a gold body and no art would be able to easily dodge or even face off directly at its attacks without fear of being maimed since their bodies would be able to withstand it.
The fact that there were a dozen maimings among the outer sect disciples of the Striding Falcon Sect spoke to theckings of the outer disciples or negligence of the sect towards the nurturing of their disciples.
''Other than taking care of the green mchite, they do almost all the chores of the sect that would normally be handled by servants which leaves them exhausted and little to no room to cultivate.
In addition, when ites to cultivation resources, they were given a low tier red grade meditation art to cultivate with as the only cultivation art, and they barely receive any guidance on it, whenever sses are held they have topete against each other for the opportunity to join the ss which per Ma Qi''s judgment isn''t worth the trouble because they get their monthly resources deducted every time they receive healing from the sect.
Ma Qi is filing a case against the sect in the hopes that it will let him go so he can join another sect, rather than remain and waste his best years at the sect which he ims betrayed their promises.
He hopes for the Order''s intervention. He was given a recording talisman to record the happenings of his sect when he went back. We had agreed to meet in a week''s time which is today.
Ideally, the Green Sparrow Branch would have handled the situation, however, since the sect itself has a pce realm expert and the branch chief is only at the core formation stage, the matter has been sent to you.
When they bring over Ma Qi, they will bring over any and all information they have about the sect, including its rtionship.
The resolution of the matter now rests in your hands, Branch Chief Yang Qing.''
Chapter 570 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (1)
Chapter 570 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (1)
"If things are as depicted, provided there are no surprises, the resolution shouldn''t be that hard.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he put away the recording talisman and took out hismunication talisman.
"Meili, are you busy?"
"No, I was just resting at theke with Haishi and Bolin. What is it?"
"There is someone from the Green Sparrow branch heading over this way with an outer sect disciple of the Strifing Falcon Sect, I was hoping you could meet with them midway and bring them over, you can go with Ellie.."
"We already have a case?"
"Looks like it. Hopefully, it will not be aplicated one. Once you bring the outer sect disciple over, even if you haven''t done the groundwork on the case, I hope you can sit in with me, to take the recordings.."
"No problem.."
"Thanks.."
Once he was done with the call, Yang Qing decided to rest his eyes a bit as he processed the information from the case.
While mistreatment of the lower rank members wasn''t an umon thing, the level exhibited by the Striding Falcon Sect was baffling, to say the least.
It was one thing to minimize guidance on cultivation for those who had joined since some sects have been known to do the same as a form of test for the outer sect disciples. They mostly use it to sieve out those with greatprehension talent or to test the willpower of the new disciples. Some would getcent or give in to the circumstance, while others would use everything and anything with what they had to etch out a living.
But even in such cases, the disciples would get a decent cultivation art and a little aid in their starting point. However, the case of the Striding Falcon Sect was a little too extreme. They were a rank 3 sect but they could not even spare at least an orange-grade cultivation art for their outer disciples, all they got was a poor red-grade art, and it was a meditation technique at that, and when it came to other resources they even charged their disciples for healing them.
"Is it because of the sh between the two factions? Or is it a rot that was always there and is only now exploding?
Maybe Ma Qi and the information collected by the Green Sparrow branch will shed more light on the matter.."
Half an hour slowly passed by with Yang Qing soaking in the solemn air of the silent courtroom. It was only a momentter that the silence was broken when the doors to the courtroom opened.
In came Luo Meili who was followed by a scrawny gray-haired young man who looked to be around thirty.
If it wasn''t for scanning him with his pce sense and thus confirming his bone age, Yang Qing would not have believed that the person before him was only seventeen years old.
The young man was gray-haired, with sunken cheeks that hid his grey eyes, which were the true picture of exhaustion. He looked like he was just about to copse. Even though he tried to stand upright, he couldn''t hide the exhaustion in his entire being. Yang Qing could detect a sluggishness in his entire body, from his steps down to the movement of his qi within his body.
Despite being a cultivator who had reached the qi refinement realm, a faint bodily odor was being released from his body which was something that rarely happened among qi refinement cultivators since at that stage they would have continuously cleansed their bodies of impurities starting from the body refinement realm.
A qi refinement realm could spend three months without bathing and they would still smell like fresh lilies but the young man before him smelled like he had been submerged in a putrid swamp filled with the pungent dung of a multitude of spirit beasts.
Even without bathing, as long as qi refinement cultivator circted their cultivation art, their bodies would be continuously cleansed by the spiritual qi they were absorbing and circting within their bodies, but for the person before to stink like that showed they barely cultivated and for one reason or the other, their bodies have been continuously umting a lot of impurities.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh with sympathy as he saw the young man fret about as he looked up and down with embarrassment, especially when his gaze fell on Luo Meili, who was a picture of gentle mature beauty and perfection.
Anybody would feelpletely embarrassed and self-conscious in his position. He had a choking tear-jerking odor, his skin was pale and wrinkled, and had patches of dirt in some areas; his robes though were clean, and had the stamp of time on them.
Outersect disciples wore light blue robes, but his was more light grey than blue at this point and looked like it had been made from the thinnest fabric that could be torn by even the slightest brush of wind.
With the way he looked even thinking he was a rogue cultivator was aplement as he looked more like a ve miner with a decade on the job. No one would believe he was an outer sect disciple of a rank 3 sect based on how he looked. It was the reason why he hated going out of the sect for missions, because every time he did he would expose his miserable state to the world. He was too embarrassed to introduce himself as a disciple of the Striding Falcon Sect.
"Just stand here.." Luo Meili softly said as she gently tapped him on his shoulders.
"Th..an..k you.." said the young man with a stammering voice as he looked at her hands hoping the grime from his skin and robe didn''t dirty her.
"If my plea doesn''t happen I''d rather get eaten by the green mchite caterpir than spend another day in that sect," thought the young man as he bitterly clenched his fists.
Three years ago before he stepped foot into the Striding Falcon Sect, he was full of life and ambition with a lot to look forward to but after bing a disciple of the sect, all that was quickly ground out of him until all that was left was the broken smelly husk he was today.
He wasn''t sure his mind would be able to take it anymore. The reason he even risked approaching the Order was because of the dangerous thoughts he had started to entertain over the past few months.
"What''s the worse that the sect can do to me than they already have.." he thought to himself.
Chapter 571 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (2)
Chapter 571 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (2)
Luo Meili handed Yang Qing a few talismans she was given by the inquisitor of the Green Sparrow Branch. Within those talismans was the recording talisman given to the disciple before him to record the happenings of the sect, while the others contained information surrounding the Striding Falcon Sect.
Yang Qing handed Luo Meili the talisman he had been given that had been given earlier by administrator Mo Guang which contained a summary version of events surrounding the case.
The young disciple who was left standing by himself nervously looked around as he kept his arms close to his body. Extreme nervousness and unease washed over him as he kept rubbing his sweaty palms on his robes in fear of dirtying the courtroom.
He still couldn''t believe he was here or that he had actually followed through on something he and other countless outer sect disciples in the same circumstances as him had fantasized about.
The whole week from the moment he made contact with the Order to finally being here, all felt so surreal to him. In the past week, he even suspected he was hallucinating from some sort of illness borne from his draining daily routine.
Suspecting himself of having hallucinations wasn''t some far-fetched notion as he had seen it happen countless times over to other outer sect disciples whose minds broke owing to the pressures, struggles, and torments they were subjected to. Their minds couldn''t take it anymore and they just snapped.
Every time he left his shack, he woulde across such instances, like today before he left the sect under the guise ofpleting a sect mission, he met one of the newer disciples who had cracked. He found said disciple paying respects to two des of grass and from the conversation he heard in passing, it seemed like the disciple thought those des of grass were his parents, and he was busy bragging to them how he would make a name for himself.
The young disciple left the ce in a hurry lest he find himself sucked in. He could feel his mind was slowly sipping away too, which was what prompted him to risk reaching out to the Order despite how far away it was from his sect, or the risks involved.
Though he may not admit it outwardly and even to himself, when he decided to make the trip earlier in the week, his greatest hope wasn''t that he would reach the Order and they would hear him out, but it was that some cultivator out there would find him an eyesore and put him out of his misery. He made the trip half hoping to die in transit and after he reached the branch and gave his report, some part of him entertained the earlier thought when he thought he would be going back to the ce that taught him what a living hell was like. But luckily or unluckily someone from the branch served as his protector back and when today arrived the same was waiting for him.
"I really have lost it, if even now some part of me is still hoping to die by some bloodthirsty cultivator''s de.." he wryly thought to himself.
..
It didn''t take long for Yang Qing to go through the information contained in those talismans in its entirety. He had to admit the Green Sparrow Branch had done a thorough investigation of Striding Falcon Sect. Any information he could think of was contained there including those he couldn''t.
Their history, the rtionship between the higher-ups both within and outside the sect, any debts they have, secret partnerships especially among the elders and outside factions, down to even their hobbies, nothing was left out.
Just the information was enough for him to make a solid judgment on the case.
The sect itself was created 37,000 years ago by a rogue adventurer of the Horizon Odyssey Guild. The adventurer used all his umted merit points to redeem an iplete blue-grade cultivation art from the repository of the guild, that cultivation art was the starry skies of the striding falcon. A cultivation art known for its agility and its practitioners use their bodies as weapons. It had excellent palm and w arts that worked in tandem with the movement technique.
The founder wasn''t particrly talented despite cultivating tirelessly he only ever reached the early stage of the core formation realm and with a red core at that. However, the reason despite acking talent he decided to go for a top-tier cultivation art that he would never even reach the emergent stage was because he had found a talented disciple during his adventures.
He and a few other friends from the guild decided to create the sect, though it was a sect, it felt more like a n because of how close-knit they were when it started. The adventurers and the founder poured all they had into the founder''s disciple. He was like their legacy, and that disciple''s talent really shone as she reached the middle stages of the core formation realm when she was just twenty exceeding her master who even at 3,000 years old was still an early-stage core formation expert.
The found and the few friends he formed the sect with soon died with gratified smiles as when they left she had already reached the seventh stage of the core formation realm, and the sect they had just started as a house for her had grown into something they didn''t expect and with her at the helm it was bound to reach greater heights.
Years passed as the sect slowly grew in fame and repute with her at the helm. She earned the title '' the graceful falcon'' because of her skills with the cultivation art, and her looks and graceful temperament.
Eventually, she reached the quasi-pce stage. Things were looking up for the sect, she was about to be the first pce realm expert, and the sect gained a few more talents who had the same level of talent as her, and one of them was the retired supreme elder, Liu Kang.
The sect seemed like it would only continue rising, however, tragedy struck. The same fame that apanied that disciple, was the same fame that doomed her. She drew countless suitors over the years however because of her abilities and reputation, none were too bothered when she rejected them all, until one, somescivious prince of a rank 3 empire that wasn''t too far from them.
That prince didn''t handle rejection too well and eventually resorted to using underhanded means such as attempting to use the forces of the empire to kidnap her, which all ended in failure, and eventually, the prince got killed in the process which then drew the ire of the empire.
Since the disciple couldn''t flee because the sect would be implicated, she sold all three-quarters of the treasures they had umted and used it to exchange for anything that could help her fight against the empire.
It wasn''t easy to find ces with the means of helping a quasi-pce stage expert gain a measure of abilities that would help her fight against three pce realm experts, but lucky for her, she did, and it was the one ce that was the impetus for the secting up, the Horizon Odyssey Guild.
Chapter 572 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (3)
Chapter 572 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (3)
The founder''s disciple traded almost all of the treasures that they had in the sect, leaving the sect only with the barest amount with the iplete blue-grade art the starry skies of the striding falcon. When that wasn''t enough she redeemed the merit points that her founder''s friends from the guild had left.
With all of that added up she was able to buy the pce path enlightenment pill. This was a top-tier blue-grade pill that was rumored to be able to temporarily boost a cultivator''s realm to the pce stage, however, as wonderous as it sounded it had several restrictions. For one, it could only work on someone who was already at the peak of the core formation realm and had a rudimentary sense of their dao, and second, the boost was temporary. Rumor was it only worked for three hours.
After the effects of the pill subside, the user will be left paralyzed and unconscious for several months to a year. The severity of the side effects was usually dependent on the foundations of the consumer. The greater the foundations, the less severe and time needed to recuperate.
The pce path enlightenment pill worked by using the cultivator''s own understanding of the dao as fuel to build a pseudo-pce realm within them using their own foundations. Since the pce realm wasn''t the real thing its abilities paled to the real thing, however, since its base mechanism worked off of the foundation of the consumer, those with firm foundations were able to make the most out of it.
The founder''s disciple who had solid foundations and a pseudo-gold core was one such person.
The Pce Path enlightenment pill was a truly wonderful pill that could only be found within the walls of the Horizon Odyssey Guild. Its ingredients and how it even was created werepletely unknown, except maybe to the guild itself, and despite the abilities or effects it created, unlike taboo arts, the users of the pill could easily survive its side effects.
If one were to draw a negative from it was, while it used the foundations of the user to work, the pce realm it builds was not a true one, because if it was, it would trigger a tribtion automatically. The pce realm built could be considered a tainted pce realm. This became a problem to the user since after the effects of the pills wore off, they would still have vivid andplete memories of how they formed the pseudo pce, which would be a form of corruption or veil for them as that memory would veer them off their true path.
Cultivators who had a high chance of reaching the pce realm may be rendered incapable of reaching the pce realm after consuming the pill. That road created by the pill bes imprinted on their soul and bes so real to them that they are unable to remember their real path which hinders their progress forward. Removing that imprint requires considerable effort simr to the ones cultivators make to purge themselves of their internal demons.
This was why despite its wonderous effects, cultivators with any chance of reaching the pce realm would try to avoid the pill if they could as it had the potential of cutting off any chance they had of ever reaching the pce realm.
However despite the founder''s disciple knowing this particr issue she still decided to take the pill because of the predicament she and her sect were in. She was the strongest member of the sect with only a quasi-pce realm strength when their enemy was an empire with three pce realm experts even though none of them had reached the middle stages.
With such odds stacked against her, she had little to no choice but to opt for the pill. With the effects of the pill already giving her the strength of a pce realm expert, she used every means she had to sneak into the royal pce of the empire and targetted the three pce realm experts of the empire of which one was the grandfather of the prince she had just killed.
Because of her foundations, she was able to kill one of the pce realm experts who had just broken through not too long ago, however, though she was sessful, the attack which she had hoped would go as a silent assassination snowballed into a full frontal confrontation that alerted the remaining two pce realm experts in the end.
Encircled by the two left with no choice, she used a taboo art that fossilized the two pce realm experts. The art created a bone ash storm that swallowed everything within a 500-meter radius. Anything touched by a single speck of the ash would turn into dry y. The ash also had a corrosive effect that woulde into y once the subject had been fossilized. It worked on both the living and the nonliving, it did not differentiate between the one who cast the technique and the one who was cast on.
The two pce realm experts were immediately immobilized but not before one of them used a onest ditch effort to hack the founder''s disciple''s body in two as she was fossilizing.
The two pce realm experts immediately turned into statues though they were still alive, all the art did was render them immobile for a certain period of time. The taboo art was not able to kill them even with its corrosive abilities, however, it was able to incapacitate them for 370 years, which was the amount of time the art would remain active before it dissipated. This would give her sect enough time for them to escape.
News of what happened at the royal pce broke, spreading far and wide sending shockwaves to all who knew her, especially her sect, and her allies.
The founder had expected her sect would escape, but instead, they chose to use the time she provided to grow as strong as possible in order to avenge her.
When the time was almost up, one of her disciples, the retired supreme elder, Liu Kang managed to reach the pce realm. Though he managed to reach it, he ended up sacrificing his foundations to reach it that fast.
Chapter 573 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (4)
Chapter 573 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (4)
With the 370 years almost up, he, the sect master at the time who had also been a disciple of the founder''s disciple and was a quasi-pce stage expert, along with other elders, all charged towards the empire.
They were not alone in this, as some of the ns, merchant organizations, and other entities with a tie to them all threw their hat into the fight regardless of the consequences because of their admiration for the founder''s disciple.
A wide-scale battle soon ensued as the Striding Falcon Sect aimed at not only getting rid of the remaining two pce realm experts but also destroying the entire Storm Cloud Empire. There was already an irreconcble feud between the two at this point. One could not exist while the other lived.
City by city fell under the onught of the Stiding Falcon Sect with the retired supreme elder leading the charge. Six months in, they finally reached the capital and a dayter they were meters away from the pce itself.
The effect of the taboo art cast by the founder''s disciple had not yet dissipated, so the team made up of the Striding Falcon Sect waited in silence until it did, and when it did, a thunderous blood bath washed the pce.
The two pce realm experts already weakened by the taboo art ended up getting killed after two months of relentless fighting. The retired supreme elder held off the two of them long enough for the sect master and the other allies to kill one of them and when that was done, he went on to kill the remaining one.
Despite their sess, they paid a severe price for it. The sect master had his cultivation crippled in the attack, over a dozen high-ranking elders of the sect died along with the prominent figures of the ns and the organizations that had allied with them in the attack, and the retired supreme elder had also suffered grievous injuries of his own.
Even though they won, it was a pyrrhic victory at that. The Striding Falcon Sect used the resources of the Stormcloud Empire to rebuild themselves whilst also splitting up the spoils with the organizations that had joined them.
The alliance between them continued as those organizations sent their members to the Striding Falcon Sect to be disciples of the sect, especially since they now had a pce realm expert at the helm and despite the damage they suffered, with a pce realm expert and the resources they plundered from the Stormcloud Empire, they were bound to regain their vitality and rise to even greater heights.
Those organizations hoped to ride that momentum, and from the support they had given, the Striding Falcon Sect was all too d to wee them.
However, something slowly started developing within the sect, seeds of ss. The descendants of those who were in the fight to oust the Stormcloud Empire felt they were superior and true disciples because of the sacrifices their seniors made in the fight inparison to new disciples who had just gotten into the sect with no affiliations to any of those organizations.
They felt the new disciples were nothing but leeches eating off theurels and the sacrifices their seniors made.
At first, that budding division wasn''t considered a big deal and was even encouraged so the sect would have intensepetition amongst its disciples, that way it would not stagnate, but slowly the chasm grew and that sentiment wasn''t only shared by the juniors but also some of the senior figures both within the sect and their affiliated organizations.
Though the mes of a divided line were there with the sentiment growing day by day, it wasn''t to an uncontroble level because despite what the descendants of the alliance felt or even the progeny of the sect members who gave their lives in the attack against the Stormcloud Empire, the supreme elder Liu Kang though didn''t interfere much acted as the anchor of sanity and cordiality between the two sides.
His presence gave room for the ''outside'' disciples room to grow while the alliance faction didn''t dare act too much out of bounds because of his presence. However, all that changed when he went into a death seclusion.
Without anyone to hold their reigns, the alliance faction that had a lot of members and more power grew and had a firm chokehold over the sect and its affairs. Their true disciple and true member sentiment pervaded throughout the sect with an even greater intensity. From what was written in the report, the affairs of the outer sect halls fell under the hands of a few disciples from the alliance faction with support from the core elders.
The sect master did try to control the situation but his hands were tied as his faction was weaker by a fair marginpared to the alliance faction. It was mostly made up of the ''outside'' disciples who managed to make something of themselves, but even then their influence was limited whenpared to their opponents who had the backing of the alliance organizations who had considerable influences of their own especially when one considered they too got a share of the spoils of a rank 3 empire.
The sect master didn''t dare act too out of turn in this, especially with the status of the retired supreme elder being unknown, he couldn''t risk it.
The alliance faction was led by the grand elder, he was called Hu Miu, and was at the eleventh stage of the core formation realm, while the sect master called, Fang Wu, led the other with a peak stage core formation cultivation base.
Even though he had the highest cultivation base if the retired supremeelder wasn''t put into consideration, he couldn''t act. On a cumtive power level, his side was weaker whenpared to the alliance faction and the organizations backing them, some had quasi pce stage experts which limited him on the things he could do despite being the sect master.
That passivity led to the present situation, and by the look of things, it would only get worse as long as the status of the supreme elder remained in limbo.
"A sect founded by rogues, those with no backing or background, is now discriminating against those very people..." Murmured Yang Qing with a sigh.
"Good morning, i take it you''re outer sect disciple Ma Qi.." Yang Qing said as he turned to face the nervous stricken Ma Qi.
"Ye..ees y....eeees i am, senior.."
"Just call me, Judge Yang Qing, and please have a seat.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to one of the chairs in the courtroom.
With the way Ma Qi''s legs were shaking, he was worried they would give out.
Ma Qi seemed hesitant, and it was only under the guidance and gentle persuation of Luo Meili did he agree to take the seat, and even then he was close to the edge.
"You''re filing a suit against your sect for negligence and hoped to be let out of your discipleship with them. Is that correct?" gently asked Yang Qing.
"It is.." Ma Qi nervously said after a slight hesitation.
"Are there others who share the same sentiment?"
Ma Qi went silent for a while before he finally said,
"yes.."
"Okay then. Thank you for the information you collected via the recording talisman. Now all i will need from you is a vivid and concise ount of your life and all you have seen and experienced as an outersect disciple of the Striding Falcon Sect from the moment you became an outersect disciple to now.
I will leave it to you to decide on the parts to share, though from time to time i may interrupt to ask a few questions for rification. If that is okay with you.."
"It is.."
"Okay then, disciple Ma Qi, you can begin.." Yang Qing said with a gentle smile.
Chapter 574 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (5)
Chapter 574 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (5)
The beaten down Ma Qi wanted to stand up and straighten his robes somewhat but his legs seemed to have failed him. He wasn''t sure if it was the fatigue borne out of three years of working as a dog, or the extreme nervousness born from the situation but he couldn''t move his legs no matter how much he tried. It was like he had been paralyzed from the waist below.
Just as he was about to fall into the never-ending abyss of panic, Yang Qing''s voice saved him.
"There''s no need to get up, saying it while seated is okay.." said Yang Qing.
What Ma Qi didn''t know was it wasn''t fear or fatigue that had stolen the strength from his legs but rather it was Yang Qing''s doing. Yang Qing covertly used his presence to seat Ma Qi firmly in ce.
The wood used on the seats around the courtroom was made from azure lotus wood which had cleansing properties on both the body and spirit.
When Ma Qi stepped into the courtroom Yang Qing conducted a quick scan of Ma Qi and discovered his body was filled with impurities. Some were from his diet and environment, while another part was pill poisoning. With limited time for cultivation, Ma Qi likely had barely enough time to properly refine the pills and potions he was given, and also based on how the Striding Falcon Sect treated their disciples, the pills and potions they got were likely to be substandard and filled with a lot of impurities.
Close contact with the azure lotus wood would help him cleanse his bodies of all the umted impurities and Ma Qi would be none the wiser about it.
Ma Qi who was ill at ease cleared his throat in preparation for giving his ount.
"Thank you for the opportunity, judge Yang Qing," he said as he cupped his fists in gratitude.
"My name is Ma Qi and I joined the Striding Falcon Sect about three years ago. I was born in one of the little outskat viges spread about within their territory.
Our vige was small and didn''t know much about cultivation other than a few body refinement techniques. But even then, everyone still knew of the Striding Falcon Sect and looked up to them with awe, it didn''t matter whether you were a small child or an old person, we all revered the sect because of the heroic tale of how they defeated the Stormcloud Empire to uphold the honor of their fallen sect master despite the odds that were stacked against them.
Almost everyone at one point or another dreamed of joining such a great sect.." Ma Qi said as he wryly smiled.
One could hear the sarcasm that was mixed in with bitterness and regret in his tone.
"I was not immune to such a sentiment either. Ever since my grandmother told me the story of how they stormed into the Empire fearlessly, something was ignited within me, a desire. A desire to be strong, fearless, and to do something worthwhile like those seniors did when they charged into the Stormcloud Empire to defend the honor of the sect master and the sect as a whole.
I could imagine myself being with them roaring with righteous anger swinging my sword for a worthy cause.
When young, we all see ourselves as dauntless heroes about to take the world by storm.."
Ma Qi went silent as his gaze turned indistinct like he was seeing the three-year-old Ma Qi who was jumping and running around theirpound as he held the little iron sword his father had gifted him when he was three.
In his mind, at three, he was already creating legends. He had in ferocious spirit beasts, and freed countless from their misery and he was cloaked in glory and honor tost him several lifetimes.
"Dauntless heroes, huh.." Yang Qing murmured to himself as he tried to recall if he had ever seen himself as one.
For as long as he can remember since when he was young, he had ever truly sought after one thing, a strong desire to survive, and the freedom to live.
From the moment he could make sense of his surroundings, all he saw was his broken father who constantly cursed his grandfather when he wasn''t around as he filled Yang Qing and his brother with all these thoughts of rebellion. Then there were the crazy body refinement experiments that his grandfather and the crazy members of the Yang n subjected him to. From the crazy training regimens that no three-year-old should do to the disgusting herb solutions he was bribed and threatened into drinking.
To him, all he wanted from that moment forth was to sleep and to eat what he wanted, and that sentiment has remained true to date.
As for being a hero and ying fiendish creatures and making his name renowned, that was something he had never thought of even once. The closest he hade to it was imagining what phoenix eggs taste like, or dragon meat and even then he was too afraid to indulge in such thoughts.
"With those emotions growing inside of me, like most, I was dead set on joining the Striding Falcon Sect.
Though our vige did have a few cultivators, the highest-ranking cultivator was the vige chief who was at thete stage of the qi refinement realm. In our family, my father had the highest cultivation base as a fourth-stage qi refinement cultivator.
He was the hunter of the vige and everything I knew about the body refinement stage I learned it from him.
I was only able to reach the silver body refining stage thanks to his tireless efforts.
Things as they are right now maybe it wouldn''t have been bad to remain in the vige and be under his tutge. Ignoring everything else, my state of mind would be better than the mess it is right now and I have no doubt my cultivation base would have been higher.
As things are I wish I could go back there so strongly, but I am ashamed to.." Ma Qi said as his eyes fluttered with deep sadness and a self-deprecating smile.
Chapter 575 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (6)
Chapter 575 Case against the Striding Falcon Sect (6)
Ma Qi remained dazed for abrief moment before he shook his head free of theplex emotions flooding within him.
The previous week wasn''t the first time he had done something impulsive. Over the three years on the worst of days in an otherwise period richly filled with horrible days, he had on more than one asion gone back to his vige but luckily reason took hold every time and he came back to the sect.
Deserting the sect was a punishable offence which depending on the type of desertion had the potential of even implicating one''s loved ones.
Since he joined the sect, he had heard of a few disciples who escaped the sect and ran home, only to be caught a dayter, along with their family who ended up suffering the same fate as the deserting disciple. Crippling of the cultivation base and imprisonment.
Ma Qi couldn''t bear to subject his family or even the vige to such torment. Him being the only one to bear the consequences was aforting sce to him which oddly enough helped him feel like the hero he dreamed of being in his younger years.
"With the attainments I had with a silver body at 15 years, the vige chief used whatever connections he had to find out when the entrance examination was happening and delivered me there himself.
He stayed through the test and was able to see me pass it, after which he left to deliver the news to my parents and the vige. One of them had finally be a disciple of the great Striding Falcon Sect.."
The sarcasm was rife in his tone as he said that.
"Before we had the examination we were told those who passed the test depending on how they performed would receive different rewards, one of which was even having the chance of bing a disciple of one of the elders and bing an inner disciple from the get-go.
As for the rest, as long as you passed the test, you would receive a top tier orange grade cultivation art, there would be weekly lectures from some of the seasoned core disciples who were already in the core formation stage or at the peak of the foundation establishment and on asion even if we were outer sect disciples, one of the senior elders at thete stage of the core formation realm would hold a public lecture four times a year.
They made countless promises on how they would nurture us and all they asked of us was not to ck in our training so we can repay the sect for its efforts and help it reach greater heights.."
"The work that they made you do, did they elude to it at any point in time before you did the test or after you passed the entrance examination test?" Yang Qing asked as he interjected.
"They did say the sect worked on a meritocratic system where if we wanted to get more resources we would need to do missions on behalf of the sect. With every sessfullypleted mission, we would receive merit points that we would use to redeem cultivation resources from the resource hall.
They said it was a way of building a sense of belonging from the disciples towards the sect and also a way to stir us to work harder rather than remain stagnant and content with the bare minimum resources we would be getting.
With merit points, we could do anything even attend lectures of inner sect disciples despite being outer sect disciples, redeem them for artifacts and weapons that we would spend countless resources.
They painted this beautiful picture of the wonderous uses of the merit points, they even said it was possible for one to cultivate the core art of the sect, the starry skies of the striding falcon with sufficient merit points.
Thinking back now, that should have been a sign that they were hoodwinking us. Are core legacy arts so easily traded that merit points could work?" Ma Qi said as he shook his head.
Everything always seemed clearer in hindsight.
"Even if it was avable through merit points, I doubt anyone could afford it, if a low-tier red-grade cultivation art with nobat abilities cost an arm and a tooth, I shudder to imagine how much the core legacy art would cost.
I could trade my life a million times and still barely cover half the cost.."
Yang Qing''s eyes glowed with a strange light as he heard that statement.
"The top tier orange grade art that they promised, was it given for free or did you need merit points?"
"You could only receive it through merit points, though you could get it on credit. It was the only cultivation art you could receive it that way. You get the art and pay up the merit points you owe after..."
"What was the cost?"
Ma Qi smiled bitterly as he answered,
"50,000 merit points.."
Both Yang Qing and Luo Meili immediately raised their eyebrows in disbelief when they heard that. Even if they did not know the valuation of the merit system of the Striding Falcon Sect, that value seemed more than absurd.
At the Order for 1,000 merit points, you could redeem five iplete blue-grade cultivation arts if you wanted, let alone the things you could do with 50,000 merit points. With such an amount, Yang Qing was able to buy the egg of the celestial nesting weaver, which was a spirit beast with a noble bloodline that did not lose out to dragons and phoenixes.
"Did they tell you that beforehand or did you discover it after the fact?"
"It was after we had joined.."
"Based on your merit system how hard is it to earn such an amount? From the statement you gave the Green Sparrow Branch, I read that you feed green emerald caterpirs. How many merit points do you earn from that?"
"You receive 10 merit points only if you do a perfect job on it. If you get injured as many do, 3 merit points are deducted for your medical care and an additional merit point is deducted for tainting the wood energy of the green emerald caterpir with your blood..." Ma Qi grimly said.
"So it would take 100 years just to pay out the debt?" Yang Qing asked in disbelief.
"What happens if you don''t?"
"You can''t avoid it since you have to sign a soul contract to get that cultivation art. The contract has several stiptions in it that bind you from defaulting. It was the reason I refused the art and opted to get the low-tier red-grade meditation art that they said was for free.."
"Are there missions that pay well or ways to earn merit points that don''t involve missions?"
"There are, but none of them are good.."
"Like?"
"Volunteering yourself as a guinea pig for the alchemy hall and being a test subject for their potion recipes and the other which is what most chose, sell yourself to the inner disciples that have a background which in my opinion is way worse than having your arm eaten by the green emerald caterpir because once you do, you seize being a human..
For people who created the hell hole that we currently live in, how could going under them possibly end in anything good?"
"Seems like he went with the first option. Exins the level of pill poisoning in his body,"
Chapter 576 Case against the striding falcon sect (7)
Chapter 576 Case against the striding falcon sect (7)
"Thank you for the rification, you can continue where you left off.." said Yang Qing.
Ma Qi nodded as he continued with his testimony.
"So after we joined it was then we were informed of the merit points and how pivotal it would be to our growth the more we had.
They did say the sect was never short of missions only short of people to do them, so even when they informed us of the charges involved in the top tier orange grade art, most weren''t wary of it.
From what I can guess based on the makeup of the outersect disciples back then, they knew their audience well.
None of us were from a well-to-do family or background as such not many of us have ever evenid eyes on an orange-grade cultivation art let alone one that was a top tier, so if told you would get to cultivate one from the onset and you''ll have to do was take a debt of 50,000 merit points, not many would bat an eye.
And the way they painted the whole thing, they made it seem like within a month one would be able to clear that whole debt, which couldn''t be any further from the truth.." Ma Qi said with a soft chuckle of derision.
"Did you have a mandatory set of missions you had to do in a day?" Yang Qing suddenly interjected.
"Officially the only mandatory one was feeding the green emerald caterpir. Every outer sect disciple was required to do it at least six hours a day.
But with the way things were structured, you couldn''t survive doing just one mission.." answered Ma Qi.
Yang Qing moved his hands to motion for him to continue.
"There are a few things I would like to make clear before I continue. First is that all the affairs of the outer sect disciples are run by the inner sect disciples from amodation to pricing of merit points and its renumeration.
To date, because of my lowly station, I am not sure if this is done with the consent of the elders and the sect master, or if it is because those inner disciples have sway with those supposed to be in charge of the affairs of the outer sect disciples who give them the freedom to do whatever they wanted.
It''s unclear if said arrangement is per the sect guidelines but considering how much those disciples get away with, it may very well be part of the guidelines that the affairs of the outer sect are handled by them..."
"Well noted disciple Ma Qi.."
Ma Qi nodded as he continued,
"So like I was saying everything is controlled by merit points from food to clothing to cultivation resources down to amodations.
If you don''t have merit points the living hell we already lived in would turn even grimmer, which was something we all discovered on the very first day.
We all went in thinking we would live in thesevish courtyards filled with dense spiritual qi and have ess to cultivation facilities that we could never have imagined.
But all we got were run-down bamboo pole shacks with moldy grass. It had nothing but a broken y cup, an earthenware bowl, and soot-filled kettle, and one mat that was to be shared by three people.
And when it came to the spiritual qi, it was sparse because of the disintegrating sulfur desertceflower that were grown all over the ce in a bid to dpose the wastes from the alchemy and artifact refinement works from the sect.
Next to our abode was the dumping ground of those wastes. Thanks to the presence of the disintegrating sulfur desertceflower, the spiritual qi of the area naturally gravitates towards those flowers, the air is constantly hot and dry, and the whole amodation constantly smells of rotten eggs because of them.
It''s like we are living inside an active volcano day in and day out, doesn''t matter whether it''s during the night or the day, the conditions are the same because of those flowers.."
The disintegrating sulfur desertceflower were considered environmental scavengers or purifiers. They worked mostly with nt and mineral-based materials and had little to no effects on animal or human corpses.
Just like their names, they disintegrated waste materials and refined them for their use thus preventing any idents that may crop up from the long-term umtion of wastes. In addition, the wastes they refined, the purified energy contained would be deposited on the petals of the flower. Those petals with said energy worked as spirit stones.
However, despite how convenient they were, most organizations didn''t use them and opted to use alternative means of waste disposal.
The reason for that was mostly because of the side effects of having the disintegrating sulfur desertceflower. They were greedy for spiritual qi so they ruined any chances of any other nt growing next to it not unless the other nt was strong enough to outdo it when it came to drawing spiritual qi, and thest two were the stench and the dry heat it subjected the area to.
No one would nt those flowers where there were living beings and would only use them in areas dered a dumping ground, where there would be little to no presence of other life.
"With merit points, you could get mortal-rank herbs and artifacts that would help you deal with the effects of the disintegrating sulfur desertceflower. However, those artifacts and herbs worked only short term so you would need to keep gathering merit points as long as you remained there.
While there were permanent solutions, the cost was just as extravagant as the top-tier orange-grade art. You''re better off limating yourself to the effects of the flower because even if you got it, it wouldn''t be yours for long.
Earlier I mentioned there were two ways of umting a high number of merit points. In truth, those two ways are also the only way you can survive as an outerset disciple..."
Chapter 577 Deliberation and passing sentence (1)
Chapter 577 Deliberation and passing sentence (1)
"Merit points can''t be stolen but the things you redeem them for can. The outer sect disciples who choose to be theckeys of the inner sect disciples use their status no matter how lowly to mistreat their fellow outer sect disciples.
A ve of a king is higher in station than the chief guard of amoner no matter how rich themoner.
The same logic applied to them. Even though they were still outer sect disciples, their association with a particr inner sect disciple gave them an edge over the rest which they used as an outlet to vent their frustrations.
In some regard, they were even more cruel than the inner sect disciples themselves. Humiliating us wasn''t enough they had to pit us against each other.
The factioned outer sect disciples would rob and intimidate those without into giving out whatever merit points they had or having them redeem them for something they wanted and if you didn''t let''s say I have seen my fair share of cautionary tales..."
"How so?"
"Though there have been no murders as of yet it doesn''t mean there are no ways to put someone to the brink of death in a way that abides by the rules of the sect and one of them is through duels.
Disciples have various ways to handle disagreements and one of them is through supervised duels. Killing a fellow disciple during such a duel is forbidden but critically injuring them is epted.
Weapons have no eyes so they say.." he sarcastically said.
"It''s easy to manage what the oue of such a duel will be if one disciple supported by an opulent disciple fights against a malnourished overexerted disciple who has only cultivated a low-tier red-grade meditation art that has no defensive or attacking abilities whatsoever and the icing on the cake is, the supervisor of said duel is a backer of one of the disciples having the duels.
After the duel whatever injuries you get, you deal with them yourself. If you''re injured to the point you can''t even reach the repository hall to redeem them, your only hope is maybe just maybe one of the outer sect disciples will have pity on you and share their potion with you.
But what are the odds of that happening? those disciples are barely getting by themselves, there''s no way they''d have enough to help someone and even if they did, would they risk drawing the ire of the outer sect disciple with a backing and risk suffering the same fate?
We are told the outside world if you''re without any roots to fall on is a ruthless ce but I struggle to imagine if it could be any more ruthless than that ce.
We barely have enough, constantly on guard against each other and those at the top. Every day is a constant battle and at the end of the day, we still lose.
Any sort of self-worth you hold as a cultivator down to even as a human is beaten out of you along with any civility from the first day you step through those walls.
Your only chance of survival is to either join one of those so-called chosen one factions and be their dog where your only reward is you get to torment those like you giving you some sort of illusion and relief that you''re not a worm in the mud like the rest of them or be a test subject for the alchemy hall.
If you do, then you''re protected somewhat. The alchemy hall does after all want their subjects to be as healthy as possible so they can endure whatever it is that they give them for as long as possible until that is of course your body can no longer take it and you get thrown out back into the wild to be eaten by the wolves you were escaping from.
Judge, it''s been a long time since I''ve felt like a human let alone a cultivator.." Ma Qi said as his voice trembled with tears forming in his eyes.
"I''m not asking for much from the Order other than please help me have a chance to be human again.." he pleaded as he bowed his head.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh as he reaffirmed himself that he had made the right choice in joining the Order. The reason he had avoided any other option was precisely because of these reasons.
No matter how much talent you have, as long as you didn''t have backing in such ces, your talent would get easily buried.
He couldn''t help but wonder how many talents got destroyed over the years thanks to cases just like the one of the Striding Falcon Sect.
"Are all of the outer sect disciples treated this way? or are there exceptions?" asked Yang Qing.
"Pardon?" Ma Qi asked not quite understanding the question.
"Earlier you said you needed to have an exceptional showing during the test to be made an inner sect disciple.
That means only a few people meet the criterion for it. Among those taking the test the ones that don''t meet the requirement surely there must be some with connections. Those disciples are they treated the same as those without.."
Ma Qi looked confused by the question some more before he said,
"There is no way those with connections will take the test. The entrance examinations are only for those verified to not have any background. Anyone with a connection gets an automatic entry to the sect.." said Ma Qi with a tone that seemed to imply that isn''t this how things are handled everywhere.
If you have connections why would you jump in the mud with everyone else? He felt it was somethingmon everywhere. Even in the vige such a thing was seen. Would he barter something valuable so that his father would give him the blood and flesh of the spirit beasts he hunted? No, he would get it for free as his son, and he had priority even over the vige chief no matter how precious a resource he bartered for it, his father would give him priority and he didn''t have to do anything for it.
Having a connection was the ultimate ticket, it didn''t matter how much talent you had. In the three years, there were a few disciples who had a talent that even the blind could see they were talented, but didn''t they suffer the same torment as them? Of course, there were a few who couldn''t swallow it and tried to retaliate but ultimately the hammer of connection and background rained on them bashed their teeth in and now they no longer had any problem swallowing the humiliation.
"What do you want Ma Qi, what is the ideal scenario for you?" asked Yang Qing.
"I just want to be let go and go back home without fear of retaliation from the sect. Otherwise, I''d rather get eaten by the green emerald caterpir.." Ma Qi desperately said.
"Are there others who share the same sentiment and resolve as you?"
Ma Qi paused for a moment before he answered,
"Yes.."
"Thank you for the testimony that you have given. That coupled with the recording you gave is sufficient for me to make a ruling on the matter.
If you don''t would you apany me to your sect to deliver the sentence?" Yang Qing gently asked.
"Me?" Ma Qi hesitantly asked as his body shook slightly.
The thought of going back terrified him. It was one thing to testify in secret but it was another to do it in public.
"Don''t worry I will be there with you so there''s nothing to worry about. Besides, even if the entire sect decides to turn against you, even without the Order at my back I can guarantee your life against them even if the supreme elder came out of seclusion.
They would be unable to touch even one single strand of your hair.." Yang Qing calmy said.
Ma Qi was stupefied by the statement as his gaze and mouth widened while looking at Yang Qing who looked normal, a little carefree and slovenly, but he now radiated an unfathomable power that Ma Qi didn''t think was possible toe from a human.
He found himself absentmindedly answering okay.
"Meili would you like to join me?"
"Sure.."
Chapter 578 Deliberating and passing the sentence (2)
Chapter 578 Deliberating and passing the sentence (2)
"Could you grab Ellie, we''ll be flying with her. I''ll meet you out there. There''s something I need to arrange with themittee first.."
"Okay.." Luo Meili answered as she went over to stabilize Ma Qi whose legs felt wobbly as he stood up.
His cheeks reddened when he saw Luo Meili help him up. After the shock of being close to an outstanding beauty had dimmed down a bit, Ma Qi was shocked to discover that the sores and pains that had constantly assailed his body along with a sense of fatigue that extended down to his soul seemed like they had been exorcised from his body.
He no longer felt that deathly tiredness, the sense of heaviness that even blinking his eyes seemedborious, the movement of his qi was no longer sluggish. His qi felt light and vibrant, unlike the muddy deep swampy sensation he felt every time he tried to circte his cultivation art.
His skin seemed a little rosy even though it still had some paleness and wrinkles to it owing to malnutrition, it was no longer a scaley ashy mess.
But the biggest surprise to him was the scent. He no longer smelt like a corpse submerged in rotten eggs. There was a woody sandalwood scent wafting out of his body now.
"What''s wrong?" Luo Meili softly asked when she saw Ma Qi suddenly pause his steps and start to sniff himself with tears welling up in his eyes.
"Nothing.." Ma Qi said as a gratified smile appeared on his face as he turned back with an eye on gratitude as his gaze fell on the seat he had sat on and finally Yang Qing.
After they left, Yang Qing took out his map which he used to trace the Striding Falcon Sect''s location.
"There you are. Now which of your neighbors is of the same rank as you and with a decent reputation?" Yang Qing muttered as he moved his index finger around the map.
"Mmh, 70,000 kilometers north of them is the 10,000 Mountain Crucible Manor; to the east 83,000 kilometers away is the SpiritFrost Well Forging Pavilion;
To the west is the Cerulean Saber Sect no, not them from what I read they seem to have an unconfirmed rtionship with the Stormcloud Empire, if they voted on this, it''s bound to bring up issues.
So who else can we use around here?" Yang Qing muttered as he rubbed his chin while his hand moved a bit further from the blue-colored dot on the map that highlighted the Cerulean Saber Sect.
"You will do, theThree Warden Mirrors Sect. I hope they pick these ascetic maidens, as for thest one, I think I will go with the Silver Rain Spear Sect to the south of them," said Yang Qing as he drew a circle on the four mentioned names i.e. Mountain Crucible Manor,Spirit Frost Well Forging Pavilion, Three Warden Mirrors Sect andstly the Silver Rain Spear Sect.
"These four should be eptable..." he added with a satisfied look on his face as he made a call to the Judicial Review Committee.
"Calling twice on the same day Judge Yang Qing, what is it?"Xi Si''s voice immediately sounded from the other end.
"It''s not like that senior Xi Si.." Yang Qing answered with a nervousugh.
"As you''re well aware there was a case sent here from the Green Sparrow Branch concerning an outer sect disciple of the Striding Falcon Sect who was filing a case against his sect for negligence, mistreatment, and misrepresentation.
I have already made my judgment on the case which is in his favor, let me send the recordings and my rulings on the matter.." Yang Qing said as he formed a few seals that triggered a reaction from his gold eagle medallion that formed a dazzling golden light that fell on a few recording talismans.
A few momentster the talismans disappeared.
"Received.." answered Xi Si.
"The ruling is sound, we find no problems with it.." answered Jia Bohai who had been next to Xi Si.
"The reason you''re calling is because of the cultivation ethics charter and the impartiality ruling?" added Jia Bohai.
"Yes, senior.."
"Who have you decided on?"
"10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor, the Spirit Fire Well Forging Pavilion, the Three Wardens Mirrors Sect, and the Silver Rain Spear Sect.."
"Good choices, in terms of wide-known respect and reputation you won''t find anyone better. Jiang Chen, do you know if the sect master of the Three Wardens Mirrors Sect hase out of seclusion?
About 360 years ago you had passed by there right?"
"I had when I went to congratte little Zhan Jue on her breakthrough. I can''t believe that little crybaby who was even afraid of weird-looking clouds would grow up to be a pce realm expert and one of the leading figures of a renowned sect like the Three Wardens Mirrors.."
"They grow up so fast.."
"That they do. Let me call her and confirm if their sect master hase out of seclusion. She should be close toing out right about now from what I heard back then, but even if she''s still in seclusion, their grand elder Bai Lan, that child can stand in.
She''s just as respected as the sect master both within and outside the sect.."
"You do that...Yang Qing please wait a moment as Jiang Chen confirms the status of the sect master of the Three Wardens Mirrors Sect.
As for the remaining three, there should not be any issues with them. We will contact them immediately and send them the relevant materials. Once they have made their ruling we will send it to you.
Please standby.."
"Thank you, seniors," Yang Qing said as he leaned back on his chair.
"I hope they vote in support so there is no public bacsh from this.." Yang Qing muttered with slight worry in his tone.
Granting Ma Qi his plea was treading on muddy waters for the Order. Things that touched on the internal affairs of sects and other organization was something the Order trod lightly on.
It was a touchy subject, to begin with as the Order would be imposing its will onto how the sect should conduct its affairs.
Their presence was already considered a thorn in many organizations'' eyes and that was when they were preventing mass casualties or handled cases with fiendish cultivators, they still suffered infamy for it.
One could imagine the bacsh they would suffer if they interfered directly with how a certain organization operated internally.
A lot of the malcontent and the hate they received over the years was borne out of it as a result to try and control the issue, a bunch of supporting guidelines were created. One of them was the Cultivation Ethics Charter , while the other was Alliance Cooperation ord.
Chapter 579 Deliberating and passing the sentence (3)
Chapter 579 Deliberating and passing the sentence (3)
The Cultivation Ethics Charter was considered amon moralw that all the organizations around the Southern Continent adhered to, kind of like how the mortals had their moralws that were the same across countless regions despite having different cultures for example filial piety to one''s parents.
The cultivation world had something simr. The Cultivation Ethics Charter was created out of it. It was a charter that highlighted the ethical responsibilities of cultivators by emphasizing qualities such as candor, honor, and integrity to name a few.
Of course, the irony of the charter wasn''t lost on the world considering the brutality of the cultivation world.
However, regardless of how things were, the charter was still needed as it was a form of an anchor for their humanity, otherwise, without it, they would be no different from the fiendish cultivator.
The Charter was more like a defense or proof that they were different from them, a moral high ground so to speak.
Different leaders from sect leaders to n leaders, to merchant leaders, to manor leaders and other organizations, down to rogue leaders of considerable repute came together and created a list of practices that established the moral bottom line cultivators shouldn''t cross or even the entity itself.
Based on the testimony given by Ma Qi and the recording he made, Yang Qing knew for a fact, that the Striding Falcon Sect had vited some of those uses.
Just from that fact alone, he could pass the sentence and enforce it without invoking the second guiding principle, the Alliance Cooperation ord. However, the Striding Falcon Sect were sneaky in their conduct, even if they vited some of the uses in the Cultivation Ethics Charter, they were not direct about it, and the ones that they were direct were considered negligible. They were not strong enough to trigger the intervention of the Order to interfere in their internal affairs.
For example, the nting of the disintegrating sulfur desertceflower next to the abodes of the outer sect disciples could be considered a soft vition of their living standards because in terms of negative effects, all it did was make the air hot and the ce smelly but in exchange, one could argue it made the area safer due to its dposing abilities.
Yang Qing wouldn''t be able to directly interfere just from that. The indirect vitions were the more egregious ones but the sect was sly in the way they vited them. The outer sect disciples were given the illusion of choice, and even the mistreatment they suffered was within the bounds of the regtions of the sect.
For example, using supervised duels to send a message, or using the top tier orange grade art as a tool to ensure the outer sect disciples end up in servitude thatsts a century.
Though Yang Qing could still use the indirect acts as evidence for enforcing his sentence, those at the Striding Falcon Sect would use the situation and paint themselves as victims of the Order as theybeled and vilified them as tyrants.
With the current reputation of the Order, it wouldn''t take much for the statement to be taken as true. There was already a spark slowly gaining momentum on how the Order were tyrants looking to ce the entire continent under its thumb and lord over them. Yang Qing wasn''t about to give the Striding Falcon Sect the chance to add more teeth to the widespread roaring rumor.
This was why he opted to trigger the Alliance Cooperation ords. With it, he could send the case to four neutral organizations with considerable repute and of the same rank as the culprit, in this case, it would be organizations that were at rank 3, same as the Striding Falcon Sect.
Once the four reviewed the case they would vote on whether they agree or disagree with the judge''s ruling. Those in disagreement could outline their reasons and their suggestion for a recement sentence.
The ruling went by a majority vote, of which the judge''s sentence also counted as one, so in Yang Qing''s case he only needed two of the four organizations to agree with him for him to enact his ruling, though even if he lost, he could still follow through with it if he felt strongly that his choice was the right one, or he couldpromise and take the suggestions of the four parties.
Later during sentencing, the results of the ruling would be publicized throughout the continent, along with the recorded opinion of the four members regardless of whether their votes support the judge or not.
It was an act of transparency by the Order and also a preventive measure so things don''t get misconstrued.
Yang Qing waited for about twenty minutes before the members of the Judicial Review Committee finally sent their response from their end.
"Luckily the sect master of the Three Warden Mirrors Sect already came out of seclusion about three years ago.
She has already given her ruling on the matter along with the heads of the other three. You should be receiving their recordings shortly.."
Jiang Chen had only just said that when the gold eagle medallion in Yang Qing''s hand shimmered four silver cuboid objects withplex runes flew out of it.
"I''ve received it seniors.." Yang Qing said with a bout of unease welling up inside of him as he held those four talismans.
He was just from eliminating one sect and now he was in the storm of another. He was a bit unnerved by it, though this instance paled inparison to the matter of the Ice Emerald Sect.
Just as Yang Qing was lost in thought, his medallion shimmered again as a white shell that looked to have been made of the scales of some beast appeared out of it.
"It''s an ascendant-grade artifact that works simr to the deer horn that the vice president gave you, except this one can''t break formations.
However, it can transmit information audio or visual around a 500,000-kilometer radius of it and it ignores noise canceling arrays and any other barriers that are at the blue grade and below.
Use it to transmit the results, oh and Yen Xu will go with you for expediency. The branch can''t be left empty and the royalty of Deer Mountain Kingdom should just be about to invite you over...
Take care, Yang Qing.."
"Take care, Seniors, and thank you for your assistance.."
After the call had ended Yang Qing had a slight frown as he wondered what the royalty of the Deer Mountain Kingdom could possibly want with him.
However, he immediately pushed those thoughts behind him and inserted his spiritual essence into the four talismans. The information contained within them was the most important at the moment.
Less than half a minuteter he was already done going through them. Yen Xu seemed to have anticipated it as she appeared just as he was done.
"Let''s go.." she said as she unceremoniously held him by his hands and they disappeared from the courtroom like a gust of wind.
Chapter 580 Deliberating and passing the sentence (4)
Chapter 580 Deliberating and passing the sentence (4)
After experiencing transportation through the domain space of a domain expert when he visited the domain peak, Yang Qing wasn''t as unnerved by it when he was in Yen Xu''s domain space, however, the same couldn''t be said for Luo Meili or Ma Qi especially thetter who was dumbfounded at the happenings around him.
"What a fast transportation artifact.." he absentmindedly muttered to himself as he admired the rapidly changingndscape around him.
Luo Meili and Yang Qing exchanged looks with each other and tacitly decided against correcting Ma Qi.
If he learned this wasn''t some artifact but the machinations of a cultivator how shaken would he be?
"Old man Lei might be more powerful than Senior Yen Xu.." Yang Qing thought to himself as he sensed the subtle differences between this domain space and the one from Lei Weiyuan.
Even though he didn''t know the cultivation base of Yen Xu or even Lei Weiyuan''s, the feel of their domain spaces was a clear indicator to Yang Qing that Lei Weiyuan was a notch higher than Yen Xu.
Even though Yang Qing already guessed his nemesis might have a high cultivation base, he was still shocked nheless when faced with clear-cut evidence.
A domain space was like a miniaturized world born of a domain expert''s domain sense. The more natural orplete it felt, the more powerful the domain expert was, or at least the deeper the understanding of the Dao and its connection with the world.
When Yang Qing was in Lei Weiyuan''s domain space with Mao Yunru, he couldn''t tell Lei Weiyuan''s domain space apart from the real world. The domain space and the real world felt one and the same but when it came to Yen Xu''s even though it still felt intrinsically connected to the real world, asionally Yang Qing could feel a dissonance, fluctuations here and there that reminded him he was in a domain space.
"I wonder when I will reach this level?" Yang Qing enviously wondered as his gaze fell longingly to the scene outside.
When he reached that realm while he would not necessarily be considered an ultimate powerhouse,the list of things that could threaten his life would shrink considerably and there were also the seals of his physique to look forward to.
As Yang Qing was lost in his thoughts, it didn''t take too long before he heard Yen Xu''s voice informing him they had arrived.
"Meili, how much time has passed by? Couldn''t be more than twenty-five minutes since we left, right?" Yang Qing asked in slight surprise.
"About twenty-one minutes.." answered Luo Meili sounding equally as surprised.
Their shock was understandable as they had covered a 300,000-kilometer journey in less than half an hour, something that would have taken them at least three times that had they taken Ellie.
"Can I even sessfully run away from a domain expert if they want me dead?" fearfully wondered Yang Qing before his look turned wary when he remembered there was a certain domain father who may or may not hold a grudge against him for imprisoning his only son.
"I wonder how the investigation of the case is going, the branch chief of the Yellow County Branch should be in the final stages.."Yang Qing muttered to himself as he turned to face Ma Qi.
He had expected Ma Qi to have the same awed look he had on the trip over, but when he looked over, what he saw was a Ma Qi who was pale, shaking all over, with a look fraught with fear.
"Ma Qi, we are here.." Yang Qing gently said as he patted his back and infused a bit of his qi into his body which helped calm him down.
"Sorry about that. I embarrassed myself in front of you.." Ma Qi said with a weak smile as he tried to clench his trembling hands.
Yang Qing didn''t say much as there was nothing he could say or do that would undo the three years Ma Qi had experienced.
Those years had left an indelible mark on him and it would need a saint-grade treasure like the auspicious wood grove tree to help him ovee fast enough, but without it, Ma Qi dealing with all he has endured will depend on him and time.
Nothing Yang Qing could say or do right now would be able to instantly rid him of all the damage and trauma he had experienced throughout his three years. He could heal the body in a single breath, but when it came to the mind no healing spell would be able to instantly rid him of all he had seen, endured, and experienced in those three years.
All Yang Qing could do was end the growth of his current nightmare and give him an opportunity to address the heart and mental demons that had likely grown in him during those three years.
As for whether he would be able to rid himself of them, ultimately only he could give the answer to that.
"Are you ready?" Yang Qing asked Ma Qi once he saw he had somewhat recollected himself.
"I am.." Ma Qi said as he took a deep breath.
Yen Xu had already used her domain space to hide herself as she used to help both Luo Meili and Ma Qi to float in the air.
Ma Qi was too wound up to notice it at first. It was only after he had calmed down a bit did he realize he was floating in the air which terrified him at first as he flung his arms all over in fear that he would fall over.
"Don''t worry you won''t fall. The artifact that got us here is still active and keeping you afloat.." Yang Qing casually said.
Ma Qi''s fear slowly subsided though he still kept looking below him with eyes that were mixed in with amazement and fear.
Yang Qing ignored him as he moved about a hundred meters from them. They were currently about 300 meters above the sect.
Yang Qing could detect a low-tier blue-grade formation covering the sect, though it was mostly concentrated in the core region of the sect while the rest of it was covered with a dozen top-tier orange-grade formations superimposed on each other.
"Things are as bad as described.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he conducted a brief scan of the areas covered with the orange-grade formations.
Chapter 581 Deliberating and passing the sentence (5)
Chapter 581 Deliberating and passing the sentence (5)
Because they were orange grade formations he was able to do a scan over the area without triggering them.
Through his pce sense he could see the dpidated facilities, the wastes and the disintegrating sulfur desertce flower, and finally the outersect disciples. Some were in the same state as Ma Qi when he arrived at the courtroom, sluggish in every sense of the word while others were in an even worse state.
Yang Qing continued his scan upwards and realized the drastic difference in status within the sect.The facilities got better, along with the environment and the vibrancy of the disciples something that was severelycking in the fringe areas of the sect which was likely the region where the outersect disciples were being housed.
One could hardly believe they were part of the same sect from how wide the difference between the outer sect and the rest of the sect.
Once Yang Qing reached the region covered by the low-tier blue-grade formation he stopped his scan.
"Senior Yen Xu, do you detect the presence of a fourth-stage pce realm experting from the region covered with the blue-grade formation..."
"There is, but it is very faint. Doesn''t look like he will live long. He has 50-70 years at most.."
"Seems like their fall is almost nigh.." Yang Qing said with asigh.
The retired supreme elder was like the glue that held the shattered pieces of the Striding Fcon Sect in ce.
Once he died, the alliance faction would definitely openly sh with the faction led by the sect master. Regardless of how the sh goes whether it would be forceful and direct or a slow drawn out approach, the Striding Falcon Sect would fracture in the end, and how long would it be before their enemies or those with greedy intentions set their sights on them?
If the alliance faction ends up as the winner in the sh against the sect master faction, how long would it be before they turn on each other, as each member tries to vie for supremacy over the rest?
If they could turn on the sect master and the ideals of the sect, it stood to reason they would just as easily turn against each other.
The way Yang Qing saw it, the fall of the Striding Falcon Sect was all but guaranteed. Now it was only a matter of how long it would take and how bad the fall would be.
"Well, whatever happens next, it has nothing to do with me, and it couldn''t have happened to a nicer sect.." murmured Yang Qing.
He felt no remorse for them and actually rather hoped their demise would happen fast. Both the alliance faction and the sect master faction were to me for what happened in his eyes even the retired supreme elder too.
Yes, the alliance faction instigated a lot of what had happened, but in Yang Qing''s eyes, it would not have reached this point if the sect master or the retired supreme elder had not been too passive and amodating.
They let the rot go on for too long until it infected the whole sect leading to this point, and even with things as dire as they are they still seemed to be adopting the wait-and-see approach leaving the sheep outer sect disciples to fend for themselves in a den of wolves.
Yang Qing quickly pushed away his thoughts as he immediately released the full pressure of his cultivation base.
His robes billowed as if a thunderous cascading tide was being produced from his body. The air seemed to vibrate around his body as his eyes switched to a shade of golden yellow and emerald blue.
Ma Qi took an inadvertent gulp as he felt like he was seeing the force of the sun and the force of an ocean all blend within Yang Qing''s body.
He couldn''t believe that this was the carefree and easy-going-looking person from before.
Yen Xu had shielded both him and Luo Meili from Yang Qing''s pressure but even with the shielding in ce, Ma Qi could still vividly feel the boundless presence being released by Yang Qing. He felt like a tiny pebble submerged in a vast ocean with a blinding sun right above him.
It was only now that he truly believed the statement Yang Qing had made earlier of being able to guarantee his life even if the entire sect turned on him.
Right below Yang Qing, the arrays of the Striding Falcon Sect that had been the target of Yang Qing''s pressure flickered with a sense of desperation. The ones on the outer edges of the sect looked to be at their limit milliseconds after being triggered. They would have been shattered had Yang Qing not controlled his pressure and concentrated it on the core region where the blue-grade formation was centered.
A grey-blue semi-illusory upside-down mountain appeared above the central region of the sect. The mountain looked like an umbre shielding the core region of the sect against Yang Qing''s overbearing pressure.
Countless runic symbols appeared at the center of the mountain in a circr rotation. With everyplete rotation, the illusory mountain would release a dense weighted pressure of its own that shed against Yang Qing''s pressure.
An ethereal glow appeared around Yang Qing''s arms as his hair changed to a shade of ck and white. His energy slowly metamorphosized and grew more majestic, the boundless vastness now had an air of antiquity to it.
The mountain that had been able to neutralize his pressure easily moments ago now seemed like it was being pushed to its limits as the rune rotation grew in intensity almost as if there was a desperation to it.
An instantter Yang Qing immediately dispelled his pressure as an aged voice rife with worry came from within the mountain.
"Friend please stay your hand, if our sect has in any way offended you, we are willing to apologize and make any rpense for any slight done towards you.."
"Thank you for your consideration, friend.." the aged voice added immediately after on noticing Yang Qing had dispelled his aura.
Ma Qi''s jaw was wide open along with his eyes as he struggled with the events happening before him.
Yang Qing''s hair had returned back to green and his aura was once again normal and unassuming. He was back to his easygoingnguid self.
Ma Qi squinted a few times wondering if he had hallucinated those few seconds. However,the inverted mountain below him that looked to be quaking was proof what he saw wasn''t an imagination.
Yang Qing''s lips tugged when he saw no one making an appearance. His show earlier was just his way of announcing himself. He had controlled it perfectly to avoid disturbing the retired supreme elder in death seclusion but it was strong enough to rm everyone within the sect, especially the leaders, whom he very much needed their attention.
"Hello, my name is Yang Qing and I am a judge of the Order. I am here to give the verdict of acase filed against you by one of your disciples..." said Yang Qing.
He amplified his voice to travel throughout the sect.
Murmurs of confusion flooded the sect for a few seconds before someone finally came out of the mountain. It was an elderly man with white hair tied in a Daoist top knot who wore fiery daoist robes.
His eyes had a sense of exhaustion, a bit of wariness, and wisdom to them.
Even without any introductions, Yang Qing knew it was the sect master of the Striding Falcon Sect, Pan Xue.
The sect master stood one spot of the inverted mountain using it as a foothold as his gaze warily fell on Yang Qing before it moved over to Luo Meili and finally Ma Qi which drew a look of confusion and surprise from him, which he quickly tried to hide.
Ma Qi immediately shrunk back when he saw the sect master, even though he had never met the person, he had seen a picture of him once at the missions hall.
Fear was soon reced with unconcealed anger and resentment as he stared fiercely at the elderly man despite the earlier trepidation.
In Ma Qi''s eyes, all he and countless others had endured was the sect master''s fault. There was no way the sect master wouldn''t know all the happenings of the outer sect and the suffering they had endured, which meant he wasplicit and supported what was happening to them.
Chapter 582 Deliberating and passing the sentence (6)
Chapter 582 Deliberating and passing the sentence (6)
The hate-filled eyes were not hidden from sect master Pan Xue who remained unmoved even by the hostility disyed by one of the disciples of his sect.
"I am sorry judge Yang Qing, but I am a bit lost. You''re saying you''re about to pass a verdict on our sect but this is the first I am hearing of any sort of grievance filed against us, and if there were, shouldn''t we have been present to defend ourselves?
I may have not gone to the courts much but I have had a few acquaintances familiar with its working. As far as I know, unless I am mistaken, both parties need to be present.." said the Sect Master in a tone that was neither overbearing nor servile.
"Ideally, yes, but there are exceptions of which this case happens to fulfill the criterion. The person filing the case is a low-ranking member of your sect, if he were to present his case with you present, I doubt he would be in the right headspace to do it or even be willing to do so considering the nature of hisint.." Yang Qing calmly said.
"And what is the nature of hisint?"
"You should already have an idea, shouldn''t you?" Yang Qing said with a small smile tugging on his lips as his gaze fell on the area where the outer sect disciples resided.
"But since you have asked, Ma Qi has filed a case against the Striding Falcon Sect for malfeasance on its duty to its disciples, the betrayal and misrepresentation of its duties to its disciples, and mistreatment of said disciples.
Since you have betrayed your duties as a sect to one of your own, it is his wish to be released from being a disciple of your sect.."
As Yang Qing made his announcement he transmitted his voice not only to the sect master before him but to the rest of the sect members.
Immediately after his deration, a few more figures immediately shot from beneath the inverted mountain.
There were seven of them in total and in the lead was a stern-looking elderly man in ck daoist robes that had gold cloud embroidery.
To his left were two men and a woman. They all wore simr-looking robes to the stern-looking elderly man. The two men looked to be in theirte forties while the sole woman looked to be in her early forties.
She had long curly pink hair and an amorous charm to her. Though she tried to hide it, her gaze flickered with conceit and mild killing intent when it fell on Ma Qi which she quickly extinguished when she felt a threatening aurae off from Luo Meili who stood next to Ma Qi.
Ma Qi thanked her with his gaze as his expression slowly turned pale when he saw the parade of figures before him.
Even though he knew none of them, based on their robes, he knew they were the core elders of the sect. Now there were seven of those figures along with the sect master staring at him.
His heart started racing madly while his palms started getting sweaty and his tongue dried up. Right now every fibre of his being was screaming at him to undo everything and go back to being the lowly worm he was before.
"Don''t worry it will be okay,"
Yang Qing''s voice echoed in his mind as he felt something like a protective coat wash over him and bring freshness and calmness to his entire body. His tense state gradually rxed.
"Trying to overwhelm a second-stage qi cirction disciple with the cultivation pressure of core formation experts, do they not feel any shame? Well again, if they did, this situation wouldn''t have happened.." Yang Qing thought to himself as he decided to pay them back a dose of their own medicine.
For a microsecond, he brought his full cultivation pressure to bear before he quickly put it away.
Ma Qi was shocked to see each and every one of these figures who terrified him to no end suddenly keel over as they struggled to breath. One of them, the female even started vomiting.
He looked puzzlingly at the seven elders and the sect master wondering what happened before he saw a brief cheeky smile from Yang Qing. Seeing his goofy look, Ma Qi almost let out augh before he stifled it when he saw Yang Qing''s goofy smile coupled with the sorry state of the sect master and the elders.
He had to admit, the scene felt rather refreshing. The bitterness he had held within all these years seemed to have healed a bit from the scene. He couldn''t help but fantasize about being in Yang Qing''s ce replicating what he had just done to the smug inner sect disciple and the cold outer core elders from the missions hall.
However, he soon became dejected as he wondered if he could ever reach those heights. Every self-belief he had, was already shattered in those three years. Now all he had was doubt and self-pity.
"Judge is this how the Order does things, terrorizing those beneath you without care?" coldly asked the stern elderly man who seemed to be the leading figure of the seven elders. His cultivation base was at the peak of the 10th stage of the core formation realm. He didn''t seem to be that far off from catching up to the sect master who was at the 11th stage of the core formation realm.
"He must be Wei Shen, the chief elder and the leading figure of the alliance faction.." muttered Yang Qing as his gaze fell on the rest of the elders. All of them except the pink-haired woman who was still vomiting were at thete stage of the core formation realm while she was at the seventh stage.
Seeing such a lineup, Yang Qing could see why the sect master''s authority slowly waned away the longer the status of the retired supreme elder remained ambiguous.
"Sorry for my poor disy, I just recently broke through to the pce realm so asionally I do struggle to maintain control over my cultivation base, there are slipups.
You understand right, considering you had a simr slipup just moments ago.." Yang Qing said with a meaningful nce.
The face of the chief elder, the sect master, and the rest all contorted at Yang Qing''s flimsy excuse, especially the sect master.
He couldn''t believe that pressure was of someone who had just broken through considering it rivaled that of his granduncle before he went into death seclusion.
Besides, when Yang Qing released his cultivation pressure it wasn''t the pressure that affected them but the illusion created by it. They all felt they had been crushed by a gigantic Yang Qing whose body was made of an entire ocean and whose height reached the heavens.
In that microsecond, they felt what it was like to be crushed by the might of heaven and the earth.
Whether it was the sect master, the chief elder, or the rest of the elders, their bodies were still trembling from the effect.
Whatever casualness, or notion they had before because of Yang Qing''s identity as an Order judge which meant he wouldn''t act out of turn, was immediately crushed. All that remained was the reality that should have had, had it been anybody else.
At the end of the day they were standing before a pce realm expert, someone who could pulverize them in the blink of an eye. Yang Qing''s brief disy had exhibited that fact clearly to them.
Chapter 583 Deliberating and passing the sentence (7)
Chapter 583 Deliberating and passing the sentence (7)
"Now that you are all here, I can continue. As I was saying I am here to enforce a case made against your sect by one of your outer sect disciples Ma Qi.
He hopes to cut ties with the Striding Falcon Sect as its outer disciple. The grounds for cutting the ties is the mistreatment of the sect towards its outer disciples. The misrepresentation of your sect, the dire conditions provided by the sect towards its outer sect disciple that harms them rather than nurture them.
He has used the Striding Falcon Sect of endangering the lives of its sect members more specifically the outer sect disciples with the harsh conditions that not only stifle their improvement and growth as cultivators but harm their lives.
As such he no longer wants to be a member of your sect.." Yang Qing calmly said as he used the ascendant grade artifact given by the Judicial Review Committee to state the facts of the case.
His voice not only echoed around the sect but thanks to the artifact that worked in conjunction with the other branches within a 500,000 kilometer radius of the region was able to spread Yang Qing''s voice and image to those areas.
"Don''t you think the Order is overstepping its bounds? This is interfering with the sect''s internal matters besides, like the sect master said, is this proper?
You only heard his side of the story, how do you know what he said was the true picture of the circumstance within our sect? After all, he is only an outer sect disciple. Neither the sect master nor any of the high-ranking figures seemed to have been present when such an usation was being filed.
It''s just the Order and an unfilial outer sect disciple..." said Chief Elder Wei Shen.
"Like I said the circumstances surrounding the case made it unfavorable to do so, besides the verdict wasn''t made solely on his testimony. We have a week''s worth of recording of the happenings in the outer sect right here.." Yang Qing said as he took out the recording talisman that had been handed to Ma Qi when he first filed the case.
The sect master and the chief elder both managed to mask their emotions well when Yang Qing revealed the talisman, but the other elders had different degrees of emotions showing on their faces, with the primary being shock and wariness.
Without wasting any words, Yang Qing inserted his spiritual essence into the talisman which let out a gentle white mist that transformed into images that were then broadcasted around the sect and every other region within the 500,000-kilometer radius of the sect, with the help of the artifact.
Everything Ma Qi had mentioned during his earlier deliberation on his experiences was perfectly corroborated by the video recording being yed.
The disintegrating sulfur desertceflower which numbered in the hundreds had turned the amodation area of the outersect disciples into a desert wastnd. The soil was cake yellow there was a mirage forming around the area, and one could see the dried burnt skin of some outer sect disciples who were slowly wasting away in its heat, while at the edge of the area, there were mounds of alchemy and artifact wastes slowly being ground away by the nts.
The harrowing state of their amodations was highlighted if they were even fit to be called that. They were so dpidated that it was no different than sleeping outside. Some were just a few bamboo poles, and a thatch of grass stringed together while the better-looking ones were bamboo poles mixed in with what looked to be dung and banana leaves for roofing.
Inside was just as cramped as Ma Qi had said, there were three sharing a room and sometimes it was even five to six and the one that had many upants seemed to be as a way to protect themselves from other outer sect disciples.
There were muggings and infighting among them, there were others whose sanity had already left them as they walked or sat aimlessly in the dry heat, one could hear muffled sobs and maddened yellsing out from those amodations.
There were disciples walking around with heavy injuries using leaves and torn garments as a form of treatment. There were even some who passed out as they were walking. Their fellow disciples ignored them as they lifelessly went their way, while those who did stop only did so to check if the passed-out disciple had anything good on him.
This was a ce that wreaked of despair and desperation.
Ma Qi who was watching it couldn''t help but silently tear up as he clenched his fists.
Everything from how they were treated at the missions hall, to the food they ate, to thepetitions they were forced to have just to have one lousy cultivation lesson that would do more damage than good, to the groveling of the disciples, and how they were continuously being broken was all recorded.
He made sure to capture everything he could. Luckily for him, the talisman had a concealment and autonomous feature so he was able to make the recordings without risk of being discovered.
"With what we have seen, do you still think your presence was needed so we could make an informed decision on the matter?" Yang Qing calmly asked as his gaze fell on the eight cultivators whose hearts shook slightly when they saw the coldness within it.
"What do you know? just because you have a recording you automatically assume you have the full picture of the situation?" yelled one of the elders before he flinched back in fear.
"Forgive Elder Jiayi, he sometimes loses himself, please don''t take offense. Apologize, elder.."said Chief Elder Wei Shen as he motioned for the elder who had a sudden outburst.
It was a young-looking elder who had red hair. He looked to be in histe twenties and had a tenth-stage core formation cultivation base.
"I am sorry for my earlier outburst.." he humbly said as he lowered his head though it was nothing more than lip service. So Yang Qing didn''t even bother to acknowledge it.
"While the elder is at fault for the outburst, his statement isn''t. To the outside world, it may seem like we are mistreating our disciples but we are doing it all for their benefit.."
"How so?" Yang Qing cooly asked.
"You obviously know the history of the sect. It started from nothing and it was only through the tireless sacrifices of our predecessors did it manage to reach the heights it reached today.
The disciples joining today, don''t know anything about that, all they are doing is chasing the glory of the Striding Falcon Sect that destroyed the Stormcloud Empire.
Character more often than not is what determines the heights a cultivator will reach or the achievements they will have in their lives.
It was a character that united this sect together and fought even against all odds and defeated the Stormcloud Empire.
Honor, an unwavering will was shown back then and it was only them, the sect founder''s disciple showed the same tenacity and character which was why many were willing toy down their lives for her even when some were not members of the sect.
The grounds of the outersect disciples, the things they are enduring now is to help them build that character.
Adversity bonds people and it also draws out the true measure of a person. It is our hope to build that tenacity, indomitable spirit, and sense of togetherness that brought this sect to where it is, and for that, they need to endure.
They need to show they have what it takes to shoulder the weight thates with being a member of this sect.
Clearly, disciple Ma Qi didn''t have that tenacity.." the Chief Elder said with a sigh of disappointment.
Yang Qing waspletely overtaken by the impassioned speech before he shook his head with a tired smile.
"I can''t tell if you''re joking or if you truly believe what you''re saying. If it''s thetter then I fear for the disciples of your sect.
Sect Master Pan Xue, do you think the same?"
The sect master stood silently with his hands behind his back.
"Figures.."Yang Qing said in response to the silence.
"If your ns are meant to foster character and a sense of worth, why does this treatment only fall to those with no background while those that do enjoy a favorable treatment from the onset?
There''s ack of fairness to it. If it''s as you say then the same measure should have been adopted across all the board, it shouldn''t just be applied to one group and even so, what I''m seeing here is already beyond what counts as a test.
How many disciples may never get to realize their fullest potential because of your so-called test? They''ve been repetitively broken over and over again till there is nothing left.
Leaving them to fend for themselves, denying them even the most basic of tools for surviving a test.
A test only serves its purpose if you have empowered those taking it with the basic tools on how to ovee it. Denying them even the barest of minimums, then that test is no longer a test but a show of brutality and torture.
I doubt even fiendish organizations treat their disciples the way you treat yours. I wonder if there has ever been a disciple who has even passed your so-called test. I am genuinely curious.."
"How we conduct our tests is ours to decide not for others. Is the Order nning to insert its will into how sects like ours conduct ourselves? Isn''t it overstepping on the autonomous charter?"
"It is not since it''s one of your own who has initiated the case and the evidence provided supports the im and if that isn''t enough, then I have these.." Yang Qing said as he took out four cuboid talismans.
"Your case triggered the Organization Coordination ord and as such I sought the opinion of four reputable rank 3 organizations to weigh in on the matter.." Yang Qing slowly said as he triggered the four talismans that created the projections of four people to instantly appear.
Chapter 584 Deliberating and passing the sentence (8)
Chapter 584 Deliberating and passing the sentence (8)
An overbearing pressure was immediately released when the four silhouettes appeared above the skies of the Striding Falcon Sect.
The figures were three men and a woman. Starting from the far right moving westward was an elderly-looking man in green robes, straightened beard that smoothened out and looked like the tip of a sword. He had tied his hair in a daoist topknot and his robes had the image of several mountains joining together to form a mortar and above it was a pestle and mortar. Just standing there one could feel a sense of freshness, the sound of moving water, a harmony between the wood and water elements brought together by a breadth of vast wisdom.
Next to him was a burly-looking man with a rough appearance. He had red and ck hair and around his eyes there was a molding that made it seem like the lining of his eyes was made from pumice and magma. He held a hammer in one hand and a crucible filled with boiling metal in the other. Even though he was just a specter, the temperature seemed to rise with his presence.
Next to the burly man was a mature-looking female who had on pure white robes with blue hair neatly tied into a bun. Her beauty was captivating, however, there was an air about her that made it hard for others to even look at her long. She had a solitary air about her like that of a full moon releasing its gentle glow in the silence of the night with only a stillke forpany.
Finishing the group was a tall slender handsome young man with ck hair smoothly cascading down his back and reaching his waist. Despite the gentle smile he had on and the casual air about him, one could subtly detect a forceful piercing momentum hidden within his body which if released looked like it would pierce through the dome of heaven.
When the sect master, the chief elder, and the other elders saw the four figures, there were visible looks of shock on their faces, a few of the weaker elders had even started to turn pale.
How could they not when one considered the identity of the four figures standing before them?
The elderly-looking man who had the air of nature and an erudite schr was a renowned alchemist who was close to bing a gold-grade alchemist and herbalist. He was the current head of the 10,000 Mountain MortarManor an alchemy organization whose reputation spread far and wide. His name was Mu Shin.
The burly man next to him was another renowned figure. He was a blue-grade cksmith with a simr mastery in runes and talisman making. He was the head of the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion an organization famed for its cksmithing skills and talisman-making. A part of the reason for their well-deserved fame is a natural treasure that has been in the pavilion for tens of thousands of years, the spirit fire well.
Rumor had it that with the me you could purify and refine any material even the ocean and the skies itself, and the other reason was the burly man before them. He was less than 1,000 years old but his skills could already rival that of seasoned top-tier blue grade cksmiths who have been practicing and honing their craft for at least 10,000 years. It was said that he had part golem bloodline which was why he was so skilled in both cksmithing and talisman making. His name was Gu Bing.
Thedy next to him was the sect master of the Three Warden Mirrors Sect. The sect was named so because of the core artifact of the sect, the Three Warden Mirror.The mirror had three abilities; to forge the heart, to forge the mind, and to forge the spirit, which was why it was called the three wardens mirror because it helped those from the Three Warden Mirrors Sect to guard their hearts, minds, and souls with its help.
Those from the sect were unwavering and still. Of the four organizations present, it was the youngest, but in terms of overall abilities, it was the strongest. It already had over ten pce realm experts, and their sect master was rumored to have already reached the middle stages of the pce realm and was steadily making her way to thete stages. Her name was Lin Ya.
Finishing the group, the young handsome man was called Ye Cheng and he was the current sect master of the Silver Rain Spear Sect and of the four he was the strongest as he had an eighth stage pce realm cultivation. His name was renowned all over for his skills with the spear. He could shatter mountains, and split rivers with just the movement of his fingers. At four he had already developed spear sense, at twelve he hadpleted full cirction spear qi in his body, and at seventeen he had already developed spear intent and was now slowly building up in preparation for the next stage, the spear domain.
There were countless tales of him floating around, how if you were to have a friend there was no one like him, he would cross the fires with you as long as he considered you a friend, but if you were his enemy, there was no one worse, he would pursue you to the end, irrespective of the consequences.
The sect master and the other elders couldn''t help but feel stifled at being in their presence. Their roles were now just like that of Ma Qi a few moments ago when he cowered before their domineering presence.
Even if the retired supreme elder Liu Kang had been present, they would still have the same feelings as they do now. The Striding Falcon Sect despite being a rank 3 organization like them wasn''t fit to be mentioned in the same breath as the four of them. These were organizations that even had the respect of a few rank 2 organizations. For example, Ye Cheng was sworn brothers'' with a rogue domain expert from the Horizon Odyssey Guild despite being a pce realm expert himself he had garnered the respect and admiration of said domain expert.
"Seniors, would you please?" Yang Qing said as he left the floor for them.
The talismans he had on his hand were special since they could support a cultivator''s spiritual will but it only worked with those at the pce realm.
The specters present were real live representations of the main bodies thanks to the talisman''s help that ryed everything the specters saw to the main body while carrying over a bit of the aura of the main bodies, which was why the four figures were able to carry the lifelike auras of the main bodies.
"If you don''t mind fellow Daoists, could I go first? My main body is currently Bestial Churning Sea, I can only spare a few seconds.." softly asked Ye Cheng, the sect master of the Silver Rains Sect.
"It''s understandable, fellow daoist Ye Cheng you can take the lead.." said Gu Ping the pavilion master of the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion.
"I don''t mind either. After you, Daoist Lin Ya can go next, then you brother Gu Ping and I''ll finish. What do you think?" asked Mu Shin the manor master of the 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor.
"It''s okay with me.." answered the sect master Lin Ya of the Three Warden Mirrors Sect.
"Good, then daoist Ye Cheng it''s yours now.." said Gu Ping.
The sect master of the Silver Rains Spear Sect nodded politely to the three before his face took a drastic change when he faced the team from the Striding Falcon Sect.
"A sect''s duty is to serve as a home to nurture all who step through its doors and help them reach heights they couldn''t possibly imagine of themselves.
Each organization be it a sect or n has its way of doing things to ensure its growth and development but even then we all have one thing inmon which is in how we treat those we admit and entrust their lives to us.
I''ve seen prisoners live better lives than how you treat your very own disciples. What you did is despicable, and if I wasn''t preupied at the moment I woulde and subject you all to the same treatment and see if you have thatudable spirit you keep talking about.
I''m utterly disgusted with your kind, petnt children who assume they know what they don''t know. What you did has stifled the lives of countless young cultivators who could have probably made something of themselves or maybe even left an indelible mark on the continent, but all that is gone, all they have now is mental and heart demons that may follow them for the rest of their lives.
For what? So a bunch of spoiled children leeching off theurels of their ancestors can feel superior..."
A murderous intent leaked out of the body of sect master Ye Cheng before he reigned it in an instantter.
"You deserve more than you''re getting. You have betrayed your duties as leaders of your sect and thus the disciples you treat like vermin are not beholden to your sect. The sacred bond between a sect and its disciples isn''t there and it''s only fair that you both cut ties with each other.
Therefore, I Ye Cheng, put my name and honor on the line and vote for disciple Ma Qi and those like him to terminate their discipleship with the Striding Falcon Sect with no repercusion should they wish too.
And for those who still have the heart to chase after the peak, I wee you all at the Silver Rain Spears Sect, if you dare try, we dare ept you.
If you have the mettle for it, I can promise you this we will give you all the opportunities you need so that in a few years'' time you cane here and retake your dignity with your own hands.
As for you.." Ye Cheng shook his head in disgust.
"It''s not even worth it to waste another word on your likes. Thank you fellow Daoist and judge Yang Qing for the opportunity, i have to make my goodbye quick, the void ink seal seems to be itching for another round.."
The specter of the sect master of the Silver Rain Spear Sect immediately disappeared after he had made that statement.
Chapter 585 Deliberating and passing the sentence (9)
Chapter 585 Deliberating and passing the sentence (9)
After sect, master Ye Cheng disappeared, the sect master of the Three Warden Mirrors Sect was the next to take the floor.
Her calm gaze fell on the elders and the sect master briefly before it fell on Ma Qi who felt a bit unnerved by the look like all his secrets had beenid bare, before finally it fell on particr parts of the sect below.
Following her line of sight, it was easy to guess which areas she was looking at, it was the same area Yang Qing had noted was the residence of the outer sect disciples.
"No matter how broken and decrepit they look, the worst of them has a better chance of reaching greater heights of the Dao than you all. Your hearts are weak, which is why you did the things you did.
One bullied those under their care, while the other remained impassive through it all despite being the sect master.
Sect Master Pan Xue I am disappointed in you the most. You may think remaining tolerant and being impassive is good for the sect as a whole but you''ve dug out your own foundations with your naivety.
I wonder what the souls of the previous sect masters would say when they see what their sect has be under your care.
What will you say to them? Will it be the line you keep telling yourself over and over again as you watch the disciples under you get tormented?All in the name of keeping the peace.
None of you has the chance of reaching the pce realm, but some of those disciples you so greatly scorn, ignore, and assume will not amount to much do have a greater chance than you.
They are better off finding that out elsewhere than staying where they''re not wanted. It even benefits you all, doesn''t it?
Your ''worthy'' sect will not be tainted by the undesirables and unworthy.
I, Lin Ya, vote in favor of the dissolution of the rtionship between the Striding Falcon Sect and its outer sect disciples..."
Sect Master Lin Ya''s voice was soft and gentle, however, her words pierced deeper than sect master Ye Cheng''s spear intent.
The sect master who seemed unperturbed at first immediately showed signs of difort and doubt in his eyes, while the Chief Elder and his cohorts all had contorted expressions, especially the Chief Elder who was livid at being told in no less terms that he would not amount to much.
"For those willing to leave, my Three Wardens Mirrors Sect will give you a chance to take our entrance examination. Whether you pass or not, you''ll get a day to cleanse your minds at the Three Mirrors Pool.."
All who were present immediately had shocked expressions on their faces when they heard the statement from the Sect Master Lin Ya, the only exception was Ma Qi who had no idea of the implications of the words the Sect Master of the Three Wardens Mirror Sect had said.
But whether it was Yang Qing, Luo Meili, the two specters from the manor master of the 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor and the pavilion master of the Spirit Fire Wellforging Sect, or the sect master of the Striding Falcon Sect and their elders, each one of them had the same look of shock as they turned to look at the disappearing silhouette of Sect Master Lin Ya.
The Three Mirrors Pool was also known as the Three Births Pool. It was rumored to be a condensation liquid that had formed where the three mirrors connected. The liquid condensed over the years to form a small pool. The liquid has thebined effect of the three mirrors, which is it''s able to cleanse the mind, the heart, and the soul, though its effects are lower than mirrors.
It was a precious resource that was most coveted, especially by those at the cusp of making a breakthrough to major realms, like from the core formation realm to the pce realm. Objects that could temper the heart and the mind were always high in demand but little in supply, and an object like the Three Mirrors Pool that had three effects was as rare as phoenix feathers.
Merchants and countless organizations tried to get their hands on it, but none of them ever got the chance because the pool is non-renewable. A single drop takes two years to create, let alone the pool that would reduce in size after every use. This was why all the people in the present were shocked the sect master was willing to go that far for a bunch of strangers from another sect.
"Rewards do really follow misfortunesometimes, but I wonder if it''s worth it sometimes.." Yang Qing thought to himself as his gaze fell on Ma Qi who was looking around in confusion wondering what he had missed.
"Their steadfastness isn''t unfounded.." said Gu Ping still in disbelief over sect master Lin Ya''s offer.
"It seems it''s now my turn.." added Gu Ping, as he stroked his beard.
"I will be brief and direct. Judge Yang Qing, how far is this thing being projected?"
"500,000-kilometer radius of this ce.."
"Good..The Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion will not do business with the Striding Falcon Sect and we will cease all business with any party doing business with them. All of you hearing this know my temperament well. I won''t say more.
A bunch of spineless traitors. You lot are the disgrace to your sect, and soon enough you will reap all the things you have been sowing.
I, Gu Ping, vote in favor of the termination of the rtionship between the Striding Falcon Sect and its outer sect disciples.
Since my fellow Daoists have made the offer, I also extend the offer to those looking to start over, if you have the thick skin to handle a little fire, you''re wee to find me at the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion.." said Gu Ping.
"Brother Mu Shin I heard the king of Brisboar Kingdom gave you 10,000-year-old sagefire dragon wine. I don''t know.." a smile that was a mix of awkwardness and greedy anticipation crept out of Pavilion Master Gu Ping''s face, who rubbed his hands together and raised his eyebrows a few times as if to motion something.
"Hahaha, you better bring something in return, a few stalks of the fireheart saffron..."
"Forget a few stalks, I''ll bring a whole bag''s worth.."
Yang Qing whose attention was already grabbed by the sagefire dragon wine, a wine so precious that countless would sell their ancestral treasures and heirlooms for the chance of a drop quickly jumped into the conversation.
"I don''t know if Manor Master Mu Shin would not think me too cheap to offer four vines of the starfall jade vine, for a cup.." Yang Qing calmly said, though inwards he was a bundle of nerves.
The gazes of both Manor Master Mu Shin and Pavilion Master Gu Ping flickered at the mention of the vine, especially the former.
"For a wine like this having morepany to share enhances its rich vor even further. I''d be honored to host you, Judge Yang Qing.." eagerly said Manot Master Mu Shin.
The starfall jade vine was even more precious than the fire heart saffron that grew in the spirit fire canyon where the headquarters of the Spirit Fire Wellforge Pavilion was located.
Manor Master Mu Shin would have traded the entire jar for just a single vine let alone four of them. He couldn''t help but feel envious of the wealth of the Order if a judge could casually hand out a monarch-grade herb like that so easily.
What he didn''t know was Yang Qing had been gifted 200 of them during his promotion ceremony. He wasn''t an alchemist at best he was a dabbling herbalist. He had no use for 200 starfall jade vine and had even nned to offload them to a few merchant organizations for something else. He even used one to pick his teeth when he had guests over just to show off and rile them up.
"Judge Yang Qing, I also have a few collections that I could bring that day.." Gu Ping said.
Yang Qing able to read in between the lines responded in kind.
"I recently got a few mineral ores that I wasn''t able to deduce their nature, maybe daoist Gu Ping could help me with that. I heard the spirit fire canyon is asionally frequented bygold me ducks, I''ve never seen one.."
"Hahaha, they''re quite the sight, I''ll bring a few for Judge Yang Qing to see, they''re quite the sight, an unmatched taste too.
Daoist Mu Shin, Judge Yang Qing, I''ll take my leave.." Pavilion Master Gu Ping said as his specter disappeared, leaving Mu Shin who was about to pass his verdict.
"I, Mu Shin, the Manor Master of the 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor support the dissolution of the rtionship between the outer sect disciples of the Striding Falcon Sect and its sect.
The sect has betrayed its sacred duty of its ethical responsibilities towards its own disciples.
I will also be terminating all business deals the 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor has with the Striding Falcon Sect, and would also like to serve notice; if any of those we have dealings with do business with them, we will be terminating our rtionships with them.
To the outer disciples below me, if any of you wish it, the doors to my manor are always open to you should you decide you want to pursue alchemy or its supporting upations.
As long as you have an agile mind, and amitted spirit, you will be able to flourish. Best of luck on your travels ahead.." Manor Master Mu Shin said as his silhouette disappeared.
The Chief Elder and the elders all had gobsmacked expressions with increasingly pale faces, and the sect master wasn''t any better either.
Thest two announcements had effectively crippled them. However this ended, aspects of the sect had already been crippled thanks to the embargo ced on them by the two organizations.
Chapter 586 Cracks that broke the dam
Chapter 586 Cracks that broke the dam
The 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor and the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion may not be as infamous as the Silver Rains Spear Sect when ites to battle prowess, or be as mysterious as the Three Wardens Mirrors Sect that was expected to join rank 2 organizations sometime in the future provided nothing changed, but these two organizations were much more terrifying than the twobined.
They had connections all over the continent, countless organizations from merchant organizations to sects, empires, and cultivation ns, down to even renowned rogue cultivators, and even some underworld organizations owed them favors.
Because of the nature of their dealings which was vital to almost any cultivator, and the quality of their products, the announcement they made had effectively cut off the Striding Falcon Sect from the alchemy and artifactmunity within the sphere of operation of these two organizations.
No organization would risk falling out with either the 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor or the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion for the Striding Falcon Sect, which didn''t have anything that would make those organizations think twice about dealing with them.
The ones who could maybe ignore the hidden threat made by the two organizations were those who were of a simr rank to them or more powerful or had an antagonistic rtionship with them. Even then, the Striding Falcon Sect was sure they would be charged exorbitantly by those organizations because they had no other option.
The statement made by the two organizations had effectively stuck them between a rock and a hard ce. They either pay through their teeth which was unlikely to be sustainable in the long run as they would have to pinch their resources just to stay in the red, which would cause a lot of unrest and dissent among the members of the sect as some would have to be prioritized over the sect, or the sect finds a way to be self-sustainable.
But there was one problem with that, the sect wasn''t exactly known for alchemy, herbology, artifact production, and the like. They would have to find and recruit those skilled in those areas, which would not be cheap considering their situation has been aired out far and wide. Then they will have to retrofit their sect to suit those needs and buy resources inclusive of cultivation techniques, and recipes, so the experts who decide toe in can have something to work with.
Just the preliminary costs alone would put a sizeable dent in the sect''s coffers. This was why Sect Master Pan Xue and Chief Elder Wei Shen who were able to do the math couldn''t help but have grimm looks in their eyes.
"Is this how the Order does things?!" roared Chief Elder Wei Shen.
"What Manor Master Mu Shin and Pavilion Master Gu Bing have decided on was entirely of their volition. We have no influence whatsoever on how they do their business. Who they want to deal with is entirely up to them.
The only thing the Order requested of them was their honest unbiased opinion on the matter as per the guidelines of the Organizations Coordination ord.
As the leading figures of the sect, you should be both familiar with it.." Yang Qing calmly said.
"Your predecessor was one of the many sect masters and leading figures who put their name to the ord along with the Cultivation Ethics Charter that you all grossly vited..." he added.
"While what we did may have been a tad bit harsh, how is what you and the rest have done no different than destroying us? It is no different than the extermination sentence passed on to the Ice Emerald Sect passed recently.
We do not deserve this, and when ites to our disciples, everything that has happened was within the bounds of our sect regtion and conduct..."
Sect Master Pan Xue who seemed passive all this time letting Chief Elder Wei Shen run the show, finally spoke up.
"Even now you can''t admit your failures. You have shamed your title as the sect master. I know sect masters in sects that have less history or prestige than yours but they did everything in their power to protect and help those below them no matter the cost. Some even went as far as spending countless resources to weave a lie so their disciples could have a path to life, while others went as far as dragging the Order to the mud knowing full well there would be dire consequences.
But they did not hesitate, to them, the well-being of those under their care mattered above everything else even their own lives.
But what have you done? Just because you weren''t involved in the happenings of your outer sect disciples, bearing silent witness as the sect master, you''re just as guilty as them.
As the sect master, everything the sect is and should be rests with you. Look at those who stood in the seat before you, how did they act?" asked Yang Qing which prompted sect master Pan Xue to slightly avert his gaze in shame and guilt.
"You have destroyed the reputation and bedrock that they gave their lives to protect. Everything they did has been undone by you and those around you.
It''s not toote for you to don the hat with honor, to try and undo all that you have let happen. Admit it to yourself and to them, that what happened here isn''t right, and let them go.." Yang Qing softly said as he pointed towards Ma Qi behind him.
"Pan Xue don''t let him muddle your thoughts..." Chief Elder Wei Shen coldly said with his demeanor hiding other implications behind his words.
Sect Master Pan Xue had aplicated expression that appeared on his face before he let out an exasperated sigh as he said,
"My opinion and that of Chief Elder Wei Shen are the same. What has happened was to help our young disciples grow.."
Yang Qing couldn''t help but shake his head in disappointment.
"Have you thought what will happen if the retired supreme elder doesn''te out of his seclusion?" Yang Qing meaningfully asked.
Sect Master Pan Xue''s stupefied expression was all the answer he needed to confirm the sect master''s thoughts.
Yang Qing guessed that as long as the retired supreme elder came out of seclusion, he could borrow the retired elder''s influence to set things right in the sect and overturn everything. But it was an erroneous n from the start. Counting aside whether the retired supreme elder could emerge from the death seclusion or not, the damage had already been done.
The sect was already fractured, and as for the outer sect disciples, the damage done to them may have permanently ruined the futures of some, and those who had some semnce of a chance to survive it, would never feel a connection to the sect, and Yang Qing had no doubt that if some of them grew powerful enough to contend with the sect they would either turn on it or leave.
The sect''s foundation was already cracked but both sides whether it was the chief elder''s side or the sect master, they were too delusional to see it or too stubborn.
Yang Qing had hoped the sect master would choose to let them go. The announcementing from him would help save a bit of the sect''s reputation and may very well help the outer sect disciples in some part, to move on.
Chapter 587 Fate of the Striding Falcon Sect
Chapter 587 Fate of the Striding Falcon Sect
"What do you mean by that?" sect master Pan Xue wearily asked as his gaze inadvertently fell on the area that Yang Qing guessed was where the retired supreme elder was having his death seclusion.
There was a short period of silence as Yang Qing debated whether to secretly transmit what Yen Xue had told him about the odds of the retired supreme elder who was unlikely to take that leap forward into the middle stage of the pce realm and now only had 50-70 years at most to live.
Ultimately, Yang Qing decided against it as he replied,
"Few things if any arepletely guaranteed in life, things as they often do, inevitably happen.
As a sect master, those below you hope for the best as for you, it''s your job to n for the worst as with any leader of an organization.
It''smon practise isn''t it, but none of that matters now.." Yang Qing said with another sigh.
"I Judge Yang Qing on behalf of the Order vote in favor of outer sect disciple Ma Qi to terminate his discipleship with the Striding Falcon Sect on grounds of betrayal of the sacred rtionship between a sect and its disciples as listed in the Cultivation Ethics Charter.
In addition, this ruling extends to all outer sect disciples willing to leave. You are free to leave the sect should you wish to do so, and the Order will guarantee your freedom to do so..." Yang Qing said.
"With the continuous practice I had at the Medical Valley, and the improvements to my physique, I should be able to do this in one go.." thought Yang Qing as he brought his palms together.
A vast transcendent aura filled with life was immediately released from his body. Boundless qi was immediately released from his body which brought a refreshing and rejuvenating sensation to all around him.
Immediately after the appearance of his spiritual qi which was waves of blue and green light that had a subtle indistinct weak purple light shing within it, triggered the growth of vegetation on the ground below him in rapid session.
The vegetation covered 100 meters within a single breadth and continued to expand outwards without any signs of slowing down.
A radiant light was released from Yang Qing''s body as below him the blue-green spiritual qi being released from his body coalesced and formed a small green puddle. From within that puddle grew a small sapling.
Within microseconds, both the puddle and the sapling had grown in size. The puddle was not a puddle anymore but a small pond and the sapling was not a sapling anymore but a two-meter tree.
A presence of eternal and ethereal tranquility was being released from the tree and the pond therger they became. The tree was crystal clear and was crisscrossed by red and orange empyrean lights which added a more mystical nature to the tree while the waters below flowed with green-blue lights.
The earth rumbled as they both increased in size and it only stopped when the pond was the size of a smallke and the tree had grown to about 800 meters with wide branches and an ethereal light surrounding it.
Yang Qing''s tiny figure could be spotted seated in a lotus position with his hands ced in front of his abdomen forming an oval seal.
Fusang''s me water of resurgence
Ma Qi, the elders, the chief elder, the sect master, and every member of the Striding Falcon Sect were all left speechless when they saw a massive tree andke suddenly appear next to their sect.
Both the tree and theke looked and felt real if one overlooked the transcendent and ethereal aura that surrounded them.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but nod in satisfaction as he saw the height of the tree and the extent of the ocean.
He felt gratified that hisbors were not in vain.
The Fusang''s me of water resurgence was a tier-grade cultivation it was a multifaceted cultivation art that had defensive capabilities, healing, purification, and purging abilities in one. It was also one of the few top-tier blue-grade cultivation arts that he had mastered to perfection.
The reason blue-grade cultivation arts and above were so greatly sought after other than their terrifying abilities, was the sentience of the art. The fusang tree below him wasn''t any less real than any other pce rank spiritual tree with sentience, while theke below him was habitable to all manner of lifeforms.
The art could operate autonomously without the user needing to guide it and it could absorb spiritual qi independently without needing to drain the user to sustain it.
Achieving sentience was the symbol that one had cultivated the art to perfection.
Yang Qing decided to go all out andunch the cultivation art for its presence to deter the Striding Falcon Sect from trying anything, and the other was its healing and purification effects. Among the arts he cultivated it was the best at it, especially in cleansing impurities that had even pervaded the soul and was the one that maximized his yin-yang jade physique the most.
In a single swift motion, Yang Qing waved his hand forward which triggered a reaction from theke and the fusang tree. The Fusang tree turned into a ze of red-orange me thatbined with the green-blue ocean, creating a light that was abination of the four colors.
The light rumbled and dispersed in the direction of the Striding Falcon Sect.
The Chief Elder had wanted to say something, however, he found his whole body firmly restricted in ce, him and the other elders along with the sect master. They could not move their bodies an inch, or speak, all they could do was watch the radiant rainbow-looking light descend on their sect like an ocean wave.
The light ignored the protection arrays as it spread throughout the region filled with outer sect disciples.
Limbs regrew in an instant, grievous injuries were immediately wiped out from the disciples that were washed by the light, all sorts of deformities were immediately cured, and their skins were no longer pale or dry, but had rosiness and sticity to them.
It was like the whole outer residence had received a cleansing.
Countless disciples stood there in disbelief shocked at what was happening around them. Those who had missing limbs couldn''t help but check and recheck the regrown limbs to confirm if it was real, those with huge injuries felt the parts where the injuries had been wondering if it was an illusion while countless others looked at the changes around them.
Tears started trickling down the eyes of some, while others yelled in joy, and others just stood in silence, overwhelmed by the whole thing.
"Chuanli is this real, is this my hand?"
"Zheng is this skin mine, wasn''t it filled with thecerations of the emerald caterpir? I thought I''d looked like a shredded human all my life. This can''t be real.."
"The purple veins and the choking breath caused by that potion are all gone.."
"My eyes don''t feel like I''ve been submerged inva.."
"You bastard Sun Qiao, why are you sniffing, stay away.."
"The smell, the smell is gone, that rotten stench is gone. Deiming, you no longer smell like a rotten corpse.."
"Huh, mmmh!! you''re right, Sun Qiao. The smell is gone, and I can finally say hi to sister Wengling finally. But wait.."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Brother Qiao can you help me confirm, the smell is gone everywhere.."
"Sister Meilin, is this real, can we leave this ce?"
"I don''t know, I hope so.."
"Has my mind finally broken that I''m seeing things? Grandpa I tried, I really tried but it seems I couldn''t hold on.
Senior brother, can you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"If you see me start to pay respects to the grass and treat them like my parents and ancestors, please knock me out and throw my body to the farm.."
"I will,but you have to do the same for me because I think I''m losing my mind too. Those bastards!!!"
Countless reactions flooded the outer region as the outer sect disciples celebrated the changes while others thought they had lost their minds. No matter the reason, the outer sect region that was and of destion and despair now hada transformation to it.
Chapter 588 Can we really live?
Chapter 588 Can we really live?
The silence of the area where the outer disciples resided was filled with murmurs and a sense of life and excitement that was not there before. The tears and wails were no longer solely of despair but of celebration, which was something the region had never seen before.
Ma Qi couldn''t see what was happening below because of the mist of light that was still shrouding the entire area but he could hear the voices and detect the emotions contained within.
Tears started dripping from his eyes as his gaze fell to the ground below. He didn''t even have time to notice that his transformation was the most drastic of all. His skin glistened with a silver glow with a vibrant aura being released from his body.His qi vigor was exploding as the light being released from the fusang and theke purified and strengthened his body.
As the person closest to Yang Qing, the effect of the fusang tree and theke was strongest in him. All the impurities that were in the medicinal herbs, and potions that were in his system had been purified, and what remained was refined to his body with the help of the light, and all internal injuries in his entire body down to his soul had been restored and strengthened several times over.
The Fusang''s me Water Of Resurgence was a top tier blue grade cultivation art that was being released in its perfected form by a pce realm cultivator with one of the deepest foundations and umtions possible as a pce realm cultivator who had a peerless jade physique skilled in restoration to boot.
Yang Qing circted the art to its fullest extent. What Ma Qi and the rest of his disciples were receiving was no less than a stroke of fortune, a panacea of rebirth. They were being remolded inside and outside, and they would be hard-pressed to find any treasure that would do a better job than what Yang Qing was doing for them at this moment.
After a few minutes, themotion died down as Yang Qing dispelled the art, along with waving his sleeves created a wild green fire that burned all the vegetation that had appeared around the area as a result of him executing the art. The mes covered an area of 7,000 kilometers which was the area that had vegetation growth influenced by his spiritual qi.
He was not about to let the Striding Falcon Sect luck out from him. He still remembered the strange evolution that happened on the grounds of the Clear Sword River Sect, and he wasn''t about to let the Striding Falcon Sect profit from something simr.
A look of regret shed across some of the elders'' eyes as they saw Yang Qing burn every single piece of vegetation as far as the eye could see into ash. When he was done, Yang Qing didn''t even spare the ash as he waved his sleeves again which created a mini cyclone that gathered up the ash all over which he then stored in a straw jar.
Below him the outer sect disciples were still in shock at the happenings around them so Yang Qing decided to reiterate his offer to them again.
"Those who wish to leave the Striding Falcon Sect can do so now without repercussions. If you so wish you can leave right now, and the Order will uphold your choice.
Not only that as you have heard from the announcement made by the seniors who have just left; Should you wish to their doors are open to you. You can try and join the Three Wardens Mirrors Sect, the Silver Rain Spear Sect, the 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor, and the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion if you want.
Their heads have given their solemn word that has been heard all over, that their doors are open to you, should you wish to join them.
It isn''t only them, I am sure there are countless other sects, and organizations out there who would be willing to take you in.
You are all not as stuck as you think, you are not as damaged as you think, and not all organizations are like Striding Falcon Sect.
If some of you are unsure, you can visit the nearest Order branch and they will give you a list of organizations around you with decent reputations and the four organizations that I have just mentioned are some of them.
It is my sincere hope that you all can embark on the journeys that you all envisioned when you started cultivating. Ignite your spirits to live and see what life bes of it.
Here and now choose how you want your story to be written. Do you want to remain shackled by what you have seen and experienced over the time you have been here? or do you want to take a gamble and take a step beyond the darkness and see what''s there?"said Yang Qing as his voice rumbled over the sect, reaching the souls of all who heard him.
"Surely at the very least no matter how it ends up as long as you take that step it''s bound to be better than what is, at present.." he added.
Ma Qi who was behind him clenched his fists as he felt his blood boil. The image of four-year-old him shed in his eyes. He had just started his journey in cultivation then.
It wasn''t as morous as he had imagined and was tedious and extremely painful as he had to push his body to the extremes every single day so as to excavate more out of it and refine the medicinal herbs and spirit beast ingredients that were used concurrently with the training.
He had almost given up a few times but he steadfastly held on, and the thing that kept him going was the image of his father using a tiny arrow to blow a hole through a bear that was five times his size.
He wanted to pull a simr feat which was what kept him going and when he broke through the first stage of the body refinement realm, the iron body, it was like a new world had opened up before him. He could never forget the exhration he felt, it was then that he decided he was going to pursue the boundless path of cultivation and experience its wonderous world.
That sentiment remained strong even after he joined the Striding Falcon Sect and the grim reality of the sect smacked him straight in the face. On the nights he had some sanity left in him, he would remember the feeling he got after every breakthrough and it would give him the energy needed to endure the next day. It was what kept him sane until it didn''t. Until the sect slowly by slowly made him forget it, until this moment.
He wasn''t the only one triggered by Yang Qing''s statement as countless outersect disciples each had their own reasons for cultivating brought to the surface.
It was unknown who said it first but a single wave of one question flooded through the area.
"Can we really live?"
Chapter 589 Each with their choice
Chapter 589 Each with their choice
"You can.."
Yang Qing''s soft reply was the tether that they needed as one by one, the outer sect disciples started moving.
Some walked by themselves while others sought additional strength by moving in groups as they excitedly talked amongst themselves.
"Shun Mei, will you head to the Three Wardens Mirrors Sect? I am thinking of going there. The sect master looked so powerful, I want to be powerful like her?"
"I think I will go to the Silver Rains Spear Sect, I have always felt I may have an affinity for the spear.."
"What affinity, you can barely hold up adle as it is. There''s no need to pretend that you have some deep connection with the spear, you fell for their sect master, didn''t you?"
"What do you know?"
"Why are you blushing then?"
"Luli, you, you.."
"Lei Chao, where are you headed?"
"I am thinking of going back home and stay with my parents. Being a farmer isn''t that bad, and they must be getting on in their years, I doubt they''d be able to handle all that work.."
"I almost forgot you have been here for 12 years..."
"What about you?"
"I haven''t thought about it yet. I don''t have any family to go back to, and I know my talent well enough to know I can''t get into any of the four organizations.."
"If you don''t mind it, why don''t youe with me? Thend we own is huge, i doubt I''d be able to take care of it all by myself.."
"Really? You''re sure it''s okay.."
"It is, we survived this hell by looking out for each other. You''re my brother in all but blood. I was hesitant to make the offer because I thought you might want to join some sect and continue cultivation.
Even in this ce, despite the conditions you still managed to reach the sixth stage of the qi refinement realm despite being here for four years, which is a far cry from my pitiful aplishments."
"Don''t be too hard on yourself. It''s only because you shared your resources with us that your cultivation stagnated and ours improved. We can never repay you for all you did for us senior brother, despite being strangers.
If the offer still stands, I would be honored to be a farmhand. Just pay me with decent food and wine.."
"Hahahaha, that is the one thing we have no shortage of. One of the elders there is known for his snow-berry potato wine..
But you''re sure you don''t want to try joining a sect, brother Xia Guo? With your talent, I''m sure you could get in.."
"The problem isn''t with my talent, it''s with my mind. With how close to shattering it is, I don''t want to risk joining a sect with all those cracks there.
For now, I think a slow life is the best thing for me.."
"Me too.."
"Oi Wen Zhi, are you not leaving?"
"Sorry brother Gong, I think I''ll stay.."
"Why? Are you crazy?! Do you have a death wish?!"
"I am already under Senior Brother Nianzu''s care. He said he has a way to ensure I be an inner core disciple by next year?"
"Nianzu, that demon in human skin? Wasn''t Su Ning made the same promise, and where is he now, look at him!!! He is over there giggling at the Disintegrating sulfur desertceflower. He was supposed to be an inner core disciple right about now, but look at his state?!"
"Brother Gong, I appreciate your concern, but it''s my choice.."
"Leave him, Gong. We all know why he is making that choice. Best of luck Wen Zhi.."
"Thank you, Brother Qin Song, and best wishes to you and Brother Gong on the paths ahead. Maybe we can meet someday.."
"Maybe.."
"Sister Houli, are you not leaving?"
"I want to, but how do we know those sects out there are not the same as Striding Falcon Sect, if not worse?"
"The Order has given us their word.."
"But didn''t the Striding Falcon Sect lure us with the same words too? I don''t have anyone out there so if I leave I will have to join another sect to protect myself.
If that is my only choice, I''d rather stay here, at least I already know what I will be getting here, rather than the unknown, and who knows with things out in the open, maybe things will get better.."
"Okay, if that''s your choice. I''ll head to the Order first and then decide where to go, though I do hope I can join the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion and try my hand at talisman making an rune study.."
"You''ve always liked those things, I wish you sess, and if you be some big-shot talisman maker, don''t forget your senior sister here.
"I won''t. Take care Senior Sister Houli.."
"Take care, Junior Sister Qing Ying.."
There were different reactions from the outer sect disciples. Some stayed, unable to ovee the fear, while others zed on the path ahead of them, meanwhile, the core regions of the sect were filled with dreadful silence. There was no movement from the inner disciples or the elders who were there.
They seemed terrified to show their faces.
Meanwhile, the faces of the Chief Elder and the other elders turned grim and ashen. Yang Qing lifted the restrictions he had ced on their bodies when the outer sect disciples started to move.
After they were released none of them said anything as a couple of the elders fearfully stared at Yang Qing. As for the Chief Elder and the sect master, each was silent trying to hide their own thoughts on the mass exodus they were seeing.
"We will be keeping an eye on each and every one of them, just incase you decide to pay them a visit.." Yang Qing casually said as his gaze briefly fell on the Chief Elder, who flinched a bit before he straightened himself.
"What about the resources we spent on them. Whenever there''s termination of a rtionship between a disciple and their sect, they need to leave behind all that the sect has given them. Their cultivation was given to them by us, and the cultivation arts and resources we gave them, shouldn''t they at least pay that back?" said Chief Elder Wei Shen.
Yang Qing made a point to iste the area around them so the Chief Elder''s question would not reach the outer sect disciples below or Ma Qi.
"Despicable to the end. It''s my understanding that you never guided them on any cultivation arts and the ones you did even the barest of minimums they had to use merit points and the lesson itself was subpar and is liable to even injure them.
I won''t even mention those putrid things you call cultivation pills and potions, or the cultivation arts.
How thick-skinned can you be? But so you don''t have any justification, here you can have this. One is a top-tier orange-grade cultivation art to pay for the one you exorbitantly charged your disciples to use, and the other is a middle-tier orange-grade cultivation art to pay for the red-grade arts you gave them.
Also, have these pills, so you know what true cultivation pills look like.." Yang Qing said as he tossed two scrolls and a ceramic jar.
"Keep the jar.." he added.
The two scrolls had silver wolf w technique which was the top tier orange grade cultivation art, while the other contained the baster palm storm technique which was the middle tier orange grade art. As for the ceramic jar, it contained an assortment of earth-rank pills of the highest quality, and there were about a thousand of them, while the ceramic jar was an sky rank storage artifact that could preserve the efficacy of the pills.
"They owe you nothing now.." Yang Qing coldly said to the Chief Elder who swallowed his next words as he put away the items Yang Qing had thrown over.
"Senior Yen Xu could i trouble you to take them to the Green Sparrow Branch so that they can make the arrangements to transport them where they need to go.." Yang Qing gently asked.
"No problem.."
"Thank you.." Yang Qing said as he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Ma Qi, you have your freedom. What are your ns?" asked Yang Qign as he turned to face the emotional Ma Qi whose eyes were in disbelief and lips were quivering.
"I think i''ll go home first, then decideter.." he said with a cracked voice chalked with emotions.
"Well, i wish you all the best, Ma Qi.."
"Thank you, judge Yang Qing, thank you truly for everything.." he said as the dam broke in his eyes.
"It''s nothing, you did well. You were brave Ma Qi, to the very end , you were brave. Be proud of that.." Yang Qing said as he patted his shoulders.
An instantter Ma Qi and the rest of the disciples who had made the choice to leave, disappeared much to the surprise of those looking.
Yang Qing''s gaze lingered briefly on those who decided to say before he sighed as he said to Luo Meili,
"Let''s leave.."
Chapter 590 Each with their thoughts
Chapter 590 Each with their thoughts
Striding Falcon Sect
In one of the core buildings, there were two sides seated facing each other as a palpable tense atmosphere filled the room.
On one side was the sect master, and eight other figures who wore simr ck robes with gold cloud markings. Most of the eight seemed young with only three being elderly and from their decrepit looks, they seemed well within their years.
The group stared ferociously at the group seated opposite them that was being headed by Chief Wei Shen.
The group from the chief elder''s side didn''t shrink back as they let out the pressures of their cultivation base which was able to drown out the side of the sect master.
The group from sect master Pan Xue''s side only had twote-stage core formation experts and it was two elderly men who looked to be at the end of their tether. The rest of the group was mostlyprised of early-stage core formation experts with the remaining few being at the middle stages of the core formation realm.
Despite their livid anger, they could barelypete with the momentum from the other side that had twelve cultivators with the weakest being at the sixth stage of the core formation realm.
"Enough..." sect master Pan Xue said as he waved his sleeves dispelling the pressure that was bearing on the elders from his side.
The chief elder along with a few of the seasoned elders all had looks of surprise on their faces when they saw how easily he dispelled thebined force of the twelve elders. Some of the elders from the Chief Elder''s side even exchanged wary looks with each other.
"Seems like the rumors were true, Pan Xue has already reached the absolute peak of the core formation realm. I don''t know how deep his umtions are, but if the retired supreme elder were here, I have no doubt he would make a try for the pce realm.
But none of that matters, with our backing, there''s nothing much he can do. As for the retired supreme elder, the seniors from the n said he got injured heavily in the battle against the Stormcloud Empire.
He was unable topletely heal them which ended up affecting his cultivation to date. His chances of breaking through to the middle stages of the pce realm are slim to none.
With his dwindling lifespan he should have eighty years at most. Once he passes we can finally search for the Stormcloud saber which should be the key to the hidden vault of the Stormcloud Empire.
Despite the sacrifices we made, they still had the cheek to hide the presence of a hidden vault that contained the true core wealth of the Empire.
With that old fossil out of the way, finding it shouldn''t be hard. Whatever we find should be able to push higher even with the embargo, especially if it has the iplete gold-grade art as the various seniors surmised is stored in there. As for Pan Xue and the rest..." thought Chief Elder as a strange glint shed through his eyes.
"Stop, this isn''t the time for infighting. Our sect is at a dire moment at the moment because of the Order. We need to put our differences aside and figure out how to weather through this storm.
With the 10,000 Mountain Mortar Manor and the Spirit Fire Wellforging Pavilion terminating their rtionship with us we have to be prepared. They will likely ask for payment for the goods we took on consignment and we should also be prepared for other organizations to cut ties with us.
We need to stick together andmit everything we can to the sect to ensure we can survive this. We have survived worse, and I am sure, we can survive this too.." said Chief Elder Wei Shen.
"The Chief Elder is right.." said one of the young elders from the Chief Elder''s side with a fawning attitude.
"Stick together?! Stick together?! It''s all your fault that we are even in this mess, to begin with! If you had not given free reign to your disciples to do whatever they wanted, do you think we''d be here.." vehemently yelled one of the elders from Sect Master Pan Xue''s side.
"Wen''er.." softly said the sect master as his gaze fell on the young elder.
"But master.." said the young elder still rife with indignation.
"What is done is done, no we need to think of a way forward.." said the sect master with a sigh.
"Sect master you need to teach your disciple better. He may be an elder but he is easily agitated which highlights his poor mentality. Maybe we should let him reside with those outer sect disciples.
It should lift their spirits to see an elder sharing the same amodations with them. What do you think?" said the pink-haired elder with a yful smile.
Her tone was filled with unrestrained mockery and disdain as she said this.
"Are you telling me how to guide my disciple, Wei Ling?" sect master Pan Xue said as a majestic presence was released from his body. The walls and the furniture in the room began to shake.
Chief Elder Wei Shen circted his cultivation in a bid to dispel the pressure that was bearing on the pink-haired woman whose face was already pallid as she felt like an entire mountain had been mmed into her body.
Even with the Chief Elder''s assistance the suffocation the pink-haired woman felt didn''t seem to subside.
"Pan Xue are you sure you want to fall out now?" coldly asked the Chief Elder.
"Wei Shen, I will only warn you once! Don''t forget the crest you wear and represent. You are a member of the Striding Falcon Sect, not the Wei n.
The same for the rest of you. Just because I was passive to the way you did your things do not think me a coward.
I may have done things that put shame on my title as Sect Master but do not for one second forget that I am the SECT MASTER OF THE STRIDING FALCON SECT! I will not hesitate to give my life for it..." sect master Pan Xue said as his body burst with a thick battle intent that made even the air shake.
"And I am not the only one who harbors those sentiments, be careful.." the sect master calmly added as he dispelled his pressure.
Chapter 591 Leaving for the Deer Mountain Capital
Chapter 591 Leaving for the Deer Mountain Capital
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Once Yang Qing and Luo Meili arrived back at the branch, they each went their own way. Lo Meili went to her room to meditate, while Yang Qing passed by the kitchen grabbed a few dishes, and went to one of the springs around the mountain to calm his mind.
The both of them traveled back in silence, each lost in their thoughts, but if one had to guess, they would guess it probably had to do with the outer sect disciple who chose to remain despite what they had endured.
"Hopefully Ma Qi and the rest have a chance for a fresh beginning, as for the others.." Yang Qing let out a sigh as he poured himself a cup of thousand-leaf bamboo cier wine.
"At least they had a choice, something they didn''t have before.." he added as he took a small sip of the wine and rested his head back while soaking his body in the boiling spring.
The dense spiritual qi and the pearlshade peony that was growing around the spring helped him rx as he made peace with the day''s happenings.
It wasn''t long before his mindpletely rxed and he fell asleep. By the time he came to, it was the night had already passed and it was already dawn.
"That was refreshing.." Yang Qing muttered as he stretched his body feelingpletely rxed from his body to his mind.
"I wonder how the effects would be if I added the water from the brook of rity?" he wondered as he rubbed his chin in contemtion before he shook his head.
"I can''t be that wasteful, I''d rather have Xiao Ye cook with it.."
Just as he was about to head to the library to research the broken wind chime artifact that contained the iplete Ethereal vine root cultivation art.
Now that he was free he thought he''d spend the day researching it. From the high praise it received from the Judicial Review Committee, he was eager to explore it, like a young child given a new toy.
However, all that enthusiasm was cut short when Administrator Mo Guang appeared timely before him.
"Branch Chief I trust you had a good rest?" Mo Guang said as a polite smile appeared on his face.
Yang Qing who was all too familiar with such a look had rm bells ringing in his mind.
"Just a bit.." Yang Qing said with an awkward smile.
"Do you remember the matter we discussed yesterday.."
"The one about the Deer Mountain Kingdom?" Yang Qing hesitantly asked pretending he wasn''t sure about it when he clearly did and was hoping it was postponed for one reason or the other.
"That''s the one. Well, their envoy is already waiting outside the branch to lead you back to the Capital.."
"Senior Mo Guang is there a reason I need to meet with the royal family? My cement here is temporary. I will only be here for a month.."
"Well, it''s not like I don''t understand where you''reing from. Under different circumstances, your presence would not be required and we would just wait until there was a permanent recement.
But as it stands, because of the events that transpired, the kingdom is a little bit antsy because of what happened and also because of the survey findings shared with them. Your presence though temporary is needed to assuage their fears.." Mo Guang kindly said.
"Also fresh eyes are needed.." he added with a serious expression.
"Okay. I will meet the envoy shortly, let me ask if Su Jinjing or Luo Meili would like to join me first.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fist.
Mo Guang nodded as he went his way.
A few minutester, Yang Qing appeared outside of the barrier of the branch with Su Jinjing and Luo Meili to his left and right.
In front of them stood a slender middle-aged man with ck hair tied in a daoist topknot. His robes were straight and made of the best materials and designed perfectly. Even those unaware of him would instantly assume he was a person of stature because of his bearing that had an erudite feel to it and how he dressed.
"You must be the current branch chief, my name is Jia Shun I am the Imperial Secretary of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Pardon me for interrupting your busy schedule, I hope you don''t take offense to the sudden invitation.
The king would havee to the branch himself but the matters in the capital have made it impossible for him toe himself. He extends his deepest apologies.." said the well-dressed middle-aged man as he performed a humble and apologetic bow.
Seeing his humble attitude one would not think he was someone just a few levels below the king or that he was a first stage pce realm expert to boot.
"It''s nothing Imperial Secretary Jia Shun. It''s understandable. I don''t mind heading to the kingdom, i have actually never been there myself and would be honored to see the rich history of the Deer Mountain Kingdom..." Yang Qing said as he cupped my fists.
"I hope you don''t mind but I will be bringing my colleagues with me. This is Su Jinjing and she is Luo Meili.
We will be in your care.." Yang Qing added as he pointed to the duo who both cupped their fists in greeting.
"No, No, it''s not a problem at all. Our kingdom is honored to be graced by your presence..
If you don''t think it is beneath you, we can use mypanion Meifen to travel back.." the Imperial Secretary said as he pointed to the 10-meter osprey behind him.
The osprey looked like it was cloaked in shadow mes with feathers and eyes that glistened with charming darkness like that of a polished dark-colored stone or gem.
Yang Qing instantly recognized the osprey as the Obsidian nightre osprey, a spirit beast skilled in camouging itself and flying undetected.
Yang Qing could understand why the Imperial Secretary brought it along since it could even fool the spiritual senses of a cultivator with its camouging skills. The one before him was at the quasi-pce stage and from its disy, Yang Qing was sure it could even hide from a few first-stage pce realm experts who had just freshly broken through.
The osprey quivered slightly when its gaze fell on Luo Meili, which drew a curious look from the Imperial Secretary. The osprey behaved arrogantly even amongst other pce realm cultivators but it seemed to avoid eye contact with a cultivator who was just at the 11th stage of the core formation realm.
"The Order is truly a fearsome ce.." he though to himself as he could feel a faint suppressioning from Yang Qing despite Yang Qingpletely reigning his cultivation pressure.
And it wasn''t always Yang Qing that he felt this way with, he felt the same with the previous branch chief and the chief inquisitor Hao Da, especially thetter who even made the king feel slightly nervous around him.
"Please.." the imperial secretary said as he weed the trio atop the osprey which obediently extended its wing for the trio to use as a bridge to its back which caught the Imperial Secretary by surprise as he again meaningfully stared at Luo Meili as he wondered what this gentle looking woman could have to terrify the obsidian nightre osprey so much into obedience.
However, he immediately pushed the matter to the back of his mind as he had other matters to worry about, especially with the state of the capital after the loss they had suffered.
"I hope they don''t create a scene.." he nervously thought to himself.
Chapter 592 Spirit of the Deer Mountain Capital
Chapter 592 Spirit of the Deer Mountain Capital
It took close to an hour before they finally reached the boundaries of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at how enormous the kingdom was. It was one thing to hear that its territory rivaled that of a rank 2 kingdom or empire but it was another to experience it personally.
He would have taken the flight over as a pleasurable sight visit had he not known about the 13 perilous zones that were spread about in the territory.
That knowledge took away the thrill of appreciating thendscape of the Deer Mountain Kingdom. The forest was lush and numerous, the air was clean, the spiritual qi was dense, and the rivers and other water bodies spread vitality and freshness all throughout the territory while other areas had an ethereal mystical beauty to them.
However, neither Yang Qing nor the Imperial Secretary seemed in the mood to sightsee. Normally in such a scenario, the host would take the opportunity to show off the beauty of his kingdom, but immediately after they left the vicinity of the branch, both the Imperial Secretary and the Obisidian night me osprey went on high alert.
The imperial secretary took out a few artifacts which based on how they were used Yang Qing guessed were warning and defensive artifacts while the obsidian nightme osprey covered them with its obsidian dark mes, isting their presence.
Despite the measures they had taken, they both were as tense as they could be. A constant fear and alertness that something could ambush them at any moment.
They only rxed after close to half an hour had passed and they were close to a mountain that was shaped in the image of a deer''s antlers.
"We are almost there.." the Imperial Secretary said with an awkward smile because of the cautious disy they had made on the way over.
Yang Qing didn''t mind them taking longer as he had been an avid follower of an abundance of caution and entertaining paranoia no matter how absurd. You never know when it might just save your life.
When they were close to the peak of the antler-shaped mountain, the Imperial Secretary took out a purple silk jade which he poured his qi into it and triggered a reaction. The air around the peak of the mountain vibrated before countless runes glittered along with the appearance of a dome.
The purple silk jade talisman created a cone-shaped covering over them that glittered with countless runes and then it smoothly faced through the dome without incident.
"This must be the rumored Juniper twilight sanctuary array. Truly seeing something is better than hearing.
The reputation does it no justice.." Yang Qing said as he sighed in admiration of theplexity and how alive the array before him felt.
Within the sphere of influence that the Deer Mountain Kingdom could control, rumor had it that within that territoryy a gold-grade array.
The Deer Mountain Kingdom has been in existence for at least 50,000 years, which is considered a rather long time for a kingdom of its stature. When the kingdom was being established, it was rumored that it was founded on the ruins of some ancient empire that had long been destroyed by the ravages of time.
That ancient empire was thought to have been as powerful as a rank 1 empire in its heyday. Though not much about it is known and its existence is only made true through rumors here and there, one of those rumors does lend credence that such an empire may have existed and that rumor was built on the bones of the Juniper twilight sanctuary array.
The array was rumored to be gold grade array and the Deer Mountain Kingdom used to cover important parts of their territory.
The Deer Mountain Kingdom was not known for its proficiency with arrays. Creating something that was able to cover multiple territories was considered to be out of their wheelhouse, but it was undeniable that they had an array that covered multiple territories in the name of Juniper twilight sanctuary array.
It was because of the presence of this array that the kingdom has been able to endure for so long in a ce as terrifying as the Deer Mountain Range and even establish itself as one of its hegemons.
From the records Yang Qing read the kingdom was almost destroyed five times and the worst was when they faced a spirit beast stampede after their failed attempt at reiming the other territories within the range.
Over a dozen spirit beasts in the pce realm swarmed the kingdom along with thousands upon thousands of spirit beasts who were at the core formation realm. Half the kingdom got destroyed in the process while the other half held on thanks to the array.
However, though the kingdom survived, the array suffered extensive damage. When the kingdom unearthed it, it was rumored to be damaged already, and the recent stampede only added to it.
Even damaged, Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the majestic power it contained, and this was only at the periphery of the kingdom. Its power was bound to be multiple levels higher than what he felt from the protective ward before them.
"We are unworthy of it and only block its brilliance due to our inabilities. In the hands of others it may very well get the chance to show so Its true brilliance..." said the Imperial Secretary with a tone that was a mix of heartfelt awe and admiration with a mixture of regret and unwillingness.
Yang Qing could understand his sentiments. If the array operated at full capacity, they would have little to worry about as a gold-grade array operating at full capacity could defend against those in the domain realm. The kingdom would be a true sanctuary in this terrifying range. Its defense would be no worse than that of the branch.
...
"Well this is interesting.." muttered Yang Qing as he noticed peculiar reactions from the Imperial Secretary.
As they traversed over different territories that belonged to the different aristocratic families of the kingdom, he would have varying reactions though he tried to hide it well.
"The situation of the royal family must be worse than the reports suggested.."
It wasn''t long before the outline of the capital appeared in all its grandness and history.
The capital was surrounded by colossal walls that bore evidence of the struggle of the Deer Mountain Kingdom. There were mottled and cracked, signs of the countless wars it had endured, but despite how it looked, the wall and everything within it exuded an air of unyielding spirit and a crowning record that it defended all within it to the end.
The cracks let out an ephemeral golden glow like that of a dying me but within it contained a grand essence of stability and indominability.
Once inside, Yang Qing and the rest could finally feel the vibrancy of a capital that has stood the test of time and has survived for 50,000 years.
Everything from the buildings down to the pathways exuded an air that had the richness of history weaved into it.
The buildings were mostly made of timeworn jadestone while the alleyways and the streets were paved with resilient petrified wood stones.
Whether it was the buildings or the pathways, they all had the markings of spirit beasts attacks weaved into the very fabric that they seemed indivisible from either the building or the pathways themselves.
The markings served as a silent witness to the enduring spirit of the capital. They told of the triumphs, trials, and tribtions of the Deer Mountain Kingdom over the past 50,000 years.
It wasn''t just the buildings and pathways, the sides of the road, or In front of some of the buildings, there were human statues ced before them. Beneath each and every one of those statues was an epitaph that was emzed with the tale of the person the statue was made of.
The epitaph depicted their heroic tales in the defense of the kingdom against invaders be it spirit beasts or humans.
Each of the statues was a hero, a citizen, one to whom the Deer Mountain Kingdom owed a huge debt of gratitude, because their actions either paved the way or were thest bastions who prevented the destruction of the kingdom.
Even as statues, their eyes still had the same heroic bearing that evoked a sense of awe, admiration, and respect to those who passed next to them.
Yang Qing could see from young to old, all show the same reverential look as they passed by the statues. The statues that still stood sentinel providing assurance andfort to the residents of the capital.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admit the Deer Mountain Capital had the aura and majesty of a long lived kingdom.
The Red Maple Empire though was an Empire of the same rank as the Deer Mountain Kingdom, they lost in sheer presence. An award from time to those who have endured it.
Chapter 593 Strange statues
Chapter 593 Strange statues
Once they were at the capital the Imperial Secretary noticed Yang Qing''s, Luo Meili''s, and Su Jinjing''s awed looks as they looked around.
He secretly mindfully instructed the obsidian nightme osprey to decrease its speed so the trio could enjoy.
There was a small tug on his lips as he took in their reactions. All who came to their capital would all have the same reaction as they soaked in the spirit of the history of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, established over thousands of years.
It was something that filled the citizens of the kingdom with great pride. However, momentster a worried look that was mixed with anger couldn''t help but appear on his face before he hurriedly quelled it.
"Power really corrodes the mind the longer you swim in it if you''re not careful. If only we could be like them.." thought the Imperial Secretary as his gaze fell on the citizens below who wereughing, sharing stories and meals together, others were arguing over a particr part of the history of their kingdom, while children were running around the statues pretending to be the heroes from those statues.
Because of the constant dangers the totality of the Deer Mountain Range posed on the Deer Mountain Kingdom, its citizens were united on themon goal of ensuring the survival of their home. Every victory, every loss, every celebration, every mourning bonded them closer and closer together, but the same could not be said of those at the top.
They wouldugh and share meals and conversations, but none of it was real. In secret and now in the open, they were constantly scheming and attacking each other trying to pull each other down.
They were at each other''s throats same as any spirit beast out there. Theycked the sense of camaraderie and togetherness shown by the citizens of their kingdom, despite all of them having seen the struggles the kingdom has been through to reach where it was.
The Imperial Secretary tried to understand why, just why did those who made an oath to protect and safeguard the kingdom were now the ones tearing it apart brick by brick.
"If it''s because we have been at peace for too long that they forgot maybe what happened the other day with the two obsidian serpents and the information the Order shared with us, should be sufficient to drive fear into them and rebuild the sense of fear and urgency we seem to have lost.." thought the Imperial Secretary.
It wasn''t long before the royal building was in sight.
It was made entirely of ck luminous jade and was engraved with gold runes that let out a gentle glow that matched perfectly with the radiant light falling from the sun.
The ck luminous jade that gave off a feeling of the night starry sky, the flickering of the runes, and the sunlight that fell on it, all seemed to give the building an austere and mystical quality.
The building felt like a solitary warrior who had just survived a terrifying battle in which millions fell, and only they remained standing amidst the pile of corpses and destruction. Even though they were battered all over, the breadth of their spirit as the living managed to dwarf the presence of the tragedy around them.
The royal building that stood out with the luminous ck jade served as a constant reminder and source of refuge and pir of support to its people, that it was still standing, be it night or day, it was still standing.
"We will have to go by foot from here, Judge Yang Qing, i hope you don''t take offense..." the Imperial Secretary politely said as he ushered the obsidian nightme osprey downwards.
"It''s no problem.." Yang Qing casually said as he took the sights around him particrly two statues that drew his eyes.
The two statues were of a dragon turtle. The stones they were made out of were weathered and had cracks all over, however, those statues which looked like they were days away from turning to stand released a subtle majestic presence that made the hairs on Yang Qing''s back stand on end.
Yang Qing wasn''tpletely certain but he felt those statues had some vitality to them. He was most sensitive to the aura of life, and for some reason, he could detect a faint life auraing from the two statues. It was like that of the dying mes of a candle.
"Meili, Jinjing, do you feel anything from those two statues?" asked Yang Qing through secret transmission.
Both Luo Meili and Su Jinjing shook their head sideways.
"Why do you ask?" curiously asked Su Jinjing.
"I am not too sure, they seem strange.." said Yang Qing as he felt the life aura from the two statues, disappear.
"Imperial Secretary Jia Shu did your kingdom make those two statues? They have excellent craftsmanship. It''s rare to see a statue so lifelike. It has managed to capture the aura of the turtle dragon so perfectly.."
The Imperial Secretary turned his gaze to the two statues as a small smile appeared on his lips.
"Those two statues were not made by anyone from the kingdom. They have been there since the start of the kingdom.
At a nce, we could tell that there was something special about them but to date, we don''t know what. We did try to repair it but every craftsman we have brought either from the kingdom or outside, has failed to restore it.
They couldn''t so much as chip it even slightly and any material they used to fill in the gaps of the cracks, all dissolved and disappeared, no matter how sturdy it was, every material used suffered the same fate.
The first king and those who seeded him after, have kept the two statues around as a symbol of where he hase from. They represent the resiliency of our kingdom perfectly. We don''t know when they were made, but they are still hanging on to this day.
I hope that the Deer Mountain Kingdom can borrow their luck and reliance andst as long as them.
I think maybe that''s why they''ve been kept around.." Imperial Secretary Jia Shun said as he patted the heads of the two statues.
"Sorry for that, let''s go in. The king and the rest should be waiting.." he added as he led them to the core part of the building.
The royal building was built like a ring with different smaller buildings joined together to create arger part.
Where they were was like the outer wall, and they were moving to the inner walls. The two guards that were at the entrance gate were caught by surprise when they saw the four of them appear suddenly out of nowhere, but they quickly recollected themselves when they saw the Imperial Secretary.
After a courtesy bow and greetings, the guards opened to the four to lead them to the inner parts of the pce.
Chapter 594 Bold wick that guides through a stormy night
Chapter 594 Bold wick that guides through a stormy night
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Imperial Secretary Jia Shun led them across different pathways before they finally stopped at a door that was made of drifting sunset oakwood that created a solemn atmosphere in the hallway.
The second stage pce realm guard that was standing guard at the door was the only identifier Yang Qing needed to know that they had arrived at their destination. That and the multiple wards and runes that covered the door and what was behind it, with some of them being wards that seemed to block a cultivator''s spiritual sense from spying on what was inside.
Yang Qing felt like his spiritual sense was facing off against a deep muddyke every time he tried to use his spiritual sense to see what was past the door.
The Imperial Secretary straightened his robes out of habit as he led Yang Qing, Luo Meili, and Su Jinjing into the room.
When they stepped in, they were greeted by a waft of gold orchid and spirit sandalwood essence which seemed to cleanse them of all their weariness.
The design of the room was worthy of a royal assembly hall. The flooring was made of star rainstones. At the same time, the walls to the side were decorated with silver silk thread tapestry that depicted the history and the progression of the kingdom at different periods while above them the ceiling had vivid paintings of the deer mountain kingdom surrounded by terrifying colossal spirit beasts, rain of meteors and lightninging from above, wave of poisonous miasma on one side, and an engulfing me and water tide in the other.
All around, the kingdom was surrounded by terrifying circumstances but within the kingdom, there were hundreds of thousands of dark silhouettes raising their weapons in valor and defiance.
The more Yang Qing looked at the painting, the more alive it felt. The silhouettes were no longer blurry indistinct figures that all looked simr to each other. Their distinction became more evident by the second. Their face, gender, down to who they were. Yang Qing could tell there was a butcher among them, a bread maker, a soldier, a schr who just passed his official appointment exam, a general, a young husband who had just be a father, a youngdy who had just been brewing potions and still had adle in her hand.
The painting grew more alive by the second. He could feel their breaths, their valiant roars that seemed to shake the soul. Yang Qing could even smell the blood from the blood-filled moat that was outside the walls of the kingdom.
"Such a skilled painter more than likely was an experienced blue-grade painter by the time they did this painting.." thought Yang Qing as he felt how distinctly alive the painting use.
Blue-grade painters could rouse the spirits of those who see their works and give life to their own, simr to how blue-grade cksmiths created weapons that instantly gave rise to weapon spirits.
"Myte great-grandfather drew that painting. He called it the bold wick that guides in a stormy night.."
A wisened gentle voice sounded as Yang Qing was admiring the painting.
"The name suits it perfectly.." Yang Qing said with a gentle smile as his gaze fell on the procession before him. His gaze centered on a middle-aged man with silver hair, a well-groomed beard, a handsome face that had a schrly beauty to it, and eyes that hid deep wisdom and the vicissitudes of time.
He wore a simple silver robe that matched his air, but even with the simple aura that enveloped him, he was like a blinding star to those around him. To his left and right he was surrounded by those with majestic presences but they seemed to dull next to him.
"Wee Judge Yang Qing to our humble kingdom. We are honored to have you grace us with your presence.." the middle-aged man said as he offered Yang Qing a respectful daoist salute that one would give their peer. It was his respect and greeting to Yang Qing as a fellow pce realm expert.
Cultivation still held true regardless of the structures in ce. A core formation emperor who lorded over millions would still have to lower their heads to a vagabond that was in the pce realm.
Everything stripped away, power was the onemon demonitor throughout the continent and the world as a whole.
"The pleasure is all mine, King Zhou Luan.." Yang Qing said as he offered a daoist salute of his own to the middle-aged man who was the current king of the Deer Mountain Kingdom and a fourth-stage pce realm expert.
"I trust the journey over wasn''t hard on you.."
"It wasn''t. Imperial Secretary Jia Shun ensured it was a pleasant journey. My colleagues and I were enamored with the beauty and richness of your kingdom.
The breadth of spirit contained within the walls of your kingdom is something of great admiration.."
"I almost forgot these are my colleagues and friends, Luo Meili and Su Jinjing.." Yang Qing added.
"It''s my deepest honor to meet you both.." said the king.
"The pleasure is all ours.." they replied.
Following the trend, the Imperial Secretary dutifully stepped in and introduced the people that were standing next to the king.
The procession was in the form of an upside-down ''U''. At the center was the king and his queen, three consorts, and his nine children.
The queen had radiant white hair and was the picture-perfect image of a cold jade beauty who despite the solitary aura she radiated most couldn''t help but want to risk it and draw close to her. Her name was Huo Mei and she was a first-stage pce realm expert unlike the three consorts she wasn''t from a noble family but rather someone who had risen as one of the generals of the kingdom. Her valiant aura that had been honed in her prior role remained to date.
The three consorts standing next to her despite not having a militaristic background didn''t lose in looks or aura. The qualities of each one were just as distinctive as the queen''s.
One of them had dark hair and she exuded the sophisticated air of nobility. Her presence incited respect, and calmness to all who saw her. One could easily mistake her as the leading authority figure of the kingdom just from presence alone. Her name was Zhang Cuifen and she was at the twelfth stage of the core formation realm.
The consort next to her was golden-haired and she radiated the aura like she was the burning sun. An aura of blinding vibrancy just like the sun. Her name was Chu Delun and just like the first consort she was at the peak stage of the core formation realm.
Ending the group of consorts was a young woman with purple hair. She had a still and gentle temperament that made her instantly amiable to all who saw her. One couldn''t help but want to confide in her just from the calming presence she exuded. Her name was Song Yun and she was a ninth-stage core formation expert.
Both three consorts came from prestigious backgrounds. In the Deer Mountain Kingdom, there were several aristocratic families but five of them stood out from the rest in terms of power and prestige.
The five families were; the Zhang family, the Chu family, the Song family, the Shi family, and finally the Meng family.
These were the five duke families of the kingdom, each owning territory that was asrge as a small rank 4 kingdoms, each had pce realm experts at the helm and each of the families was one of the founding pirs of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, along with the royal family, the Zhou family.
From what Yang Qing knew, the current king had married one daughter from each of the families, but the consort from the Meng and Shi families seemed to be absent. Along with their absence, were three princes.
On record, the king had thirteen children, which was 8 sons and 5 daughters. He lost a daughter who was the twin to his current eldest son born of his queen.
The daughter joined a prominent rank 3 sword sect early on as she showed a talent for the sword at a very young age. She managed to rise the ranks of the sect to be a legacy disciple of the sect. However, an ident happened when she and a few members of the sect were exploring a mysterious realm. The realm copsed because of an unstable node that broke down which ended up with the mysterious realm being shredded by void energy and spatial storms. All who were in at the time, died, which included the daughter of the king.
As for the remaining missing children, two princes died in the attack from the obsidian serpents, and the two deacons from the Blue me Soul Crow Syndicate, while the surviving prince was currently being healed at the Medical Valley of the Order.
Yang Qing guessed the missing consorts likely had a rtionship with the deceased princes the injured prince.
Chapter 595 Morphing characters
Chapter 595 Morphing characters
After the queen and consorts were introduced then came the princes and princesses. The king had not yet chosen a crown prince but as per the notes recorded by the previous branch chief, it seemed like the king was leaning more toward the surviving twin, the child he had with the queen.
However, though the king supposedly was leaning towards him as his next heir to the throne, his mother was a formermoner with no background whatsoever other than her des as a general of the kingdom.
If he were to be the king, the five peak aristocratic families would constantly hinder him at every turn and would even go to the extent of interfering with his inauguration. All that prince had for backing was his mother''s reputation and the Zhou royal family but even then, from the notes Yang Qing read it wasn''t all in the Zhou family who supported him.
The amount of opposition he would face was what made the king hesitant about hoisting the seat on him despite the many qualities he had both as a cultivator as he was already a quasi-pce realm cultivator with a talent for the saber, in addition to his ability to make friendships whether it was the nobility or themoner selling buns by the road, he could easily mix in with both worlds.
But even with all that going for him, his weak background put him at a disadvantagepared to the rest of his siblings. The front-runner among them was the third prince whose mother was the first consort, Zhang Quifen.
Though the five ns were rtively at the same level in terms of power and umtion, the Zhang family had a slight edge over the rest of the n because of its history. It wasmonly known as the family of heroes.
Of the statues built around the capital, almost a third of them wereprised of a member of the Zhang family. It was the one family thought to perfectly embody the chivalric and unyielding spirit of the kingdom. Their members have always made their name by being on the front lines.
Their heroism was revered by all whether it was themoners, the military, or even some of the other aristocratic families that were not part of the five peak ns. So as someone born into a family of heroes, the third prince who showed the same chivalric spirit had a leg over the rest as the next heir. Even his younger sister was in full support of him.
In the course of the introduction, Yang Qing discovered the meek-looking fifteen-year-old princess with brown hair, her mother was from the Meng family who had just lost two children in the attack against the obsidian serpents.
The consort''s name was Meng Zhi and she had three children; two sons and a daughter. From the notes he read, Meng Zhi was deeply infatuated with the king to the point that when she was chosen to be married, she wept for five days in joy.
"The recordings did say it was rumored she had a special physique too.." muttered Yang Qing as he noticed her daughter try to hide her mncholy as she offered a noble like smile and greeting.
The other missing consort Shi Ruo only had one child with the king who was the injured prince. Of the five consorts, she wasn''t the most impressionable as she spent all her time buried in books or alchemy experiments. The only thing that could tear her away from her experiments and books was her son who she doted on heavily.
The Shi n may not have the same exemry reputation as the Zhang n, but in terms of wealth, there was no one wealthier. Their ply of trade was in alchemy and herbology which gave them a lot of connections and wealth both within and outside the kingdom.
The remaining consorts; the gentle and amiable consort Song Yun had two daughters and the vibrant consort Chu Delun had two sons who had taken up her family''s gold hair.
Once the Imperial Secretary was done with their introductions he moved to the left which had the current heads of the five peak ns and a few other well-established families before he finally moved to the right where he finished off with the introduction of the high officials deemed worthy of being present such as the chancellor who was an old man with graying hair and a third stage pce realm expert, along with a few governors.
With the introductions done and the pleasantries out the way, the servants were ushered in as they brought in trays filled with all kinds of dishes that left Yang Qing''s eyes glowing.
Yang Qing has always been a big advocate of authenticity, especially with your likes. There is no need to y coy with the things you like, be direct. Which was why he didn''t bother hiding his unrefined epicurism nature. He liked food...a lot... and he hoped the royal family would read into that open hint and bring in more food.
His hint was received well. For the next half an hour countless dishes were continuously brought to the table like a parade with Yang Qing being the master conductor as he sampled each dish. It didn''t matter if he knew it or not, or if it looked strange or not. It could be meat or seaweed, Yang Qing didn''t discriminate, he ate them all which drew him no small amount of well-hidden looks, but Yang Qing didn''t care.
After his month was up, he wouldn''t be here. He didn''t have to worry about face and looking refined or like a proper cultivator and it wasn''t like there was anyone he wanted to impress. He could sense the tenseness and how guarded those present were against each other. They smiled and talked but everything they did wasyered behind probes, deceit, and sizing each other up. Whether it was the heads of the five families, the other aristocratic families, the consorts, the princes, or the rest of the high officials.
The only ones who seemed out of the dangerous y were the youngest princess Meng Ling who seemed absent-minded half the time, the Queen who ate reservedly inplete silence, and Yang Qing who ate unreservedly.
Probably because of his free attitude, the different factions started talking to him more freely they even shared a fewughs and jokes here and there. The third prince even decided to imitate him as he sampled different dishes here and there, while the eldest prince who was known for his gifted skills inmunication managed to stir up Yang Qing''s interest by bringing up various niche cuisines he had read about which covered different parts of the continent.
Slowly by slowly the atmosphere warmed up and it felt more like a family branch which technically could be considered one if Yang Qing and the officials were not there.
"What a bunch of sly people.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he took in how almost everyone at the table seemed to be so close. They were patting each other''s backs as theyughed enthusiastically at each other''s jokes, filling each other''s cups of wine, and sharing tidbits here and there, which ended up withpliments being traded all around.
If Yang Qing was some wet behind the ears guest, he would be easily fooled into thinking this group was united and would go through thick and thin together without batting an eye. But he knew better and he had constantly dealt with those who were much slyer than presentpany.
Would the people presentpare to the old fossils of the Order? They would work you to death, trick you into doing more work for little pay, and somehow you end up feeling indebted to them. They had mastered the art of exploitation to a tee.
Presentpany were children when Yang Qingpared them to the mighty foe he has been dealing with for the past few years.
Chapter 596 Unknown variables
Chapter 596 Unknown variables
Yang Qing''s gaze danced around the table as he calmly took in their interactions from the subtle of nuances.
Did one''s gaze linger slightly for even a microsecond when it fell on a certain someone?; did the back move ever so slightly during a back pat, or did it seem weed?; was there even a slight hesitation during the back pat, or was it more natural? The flow of conversation, the interjections, Yang Qing observed it all.
Everyone here was skilled at wearing masks but instinctual habits were the hardest to get rid of.
Cultivators were considered to be the best liars because they had good control over their bodies. Things that mortals could give out during a lie such as an elerated heart rate, dry tongue, a bit of perspiration here and there, a story with plot holes, such problems did not appear in cultivators who had perfect memory and could control their heartbeats along with every other part of their body as easily as breathing.
Catching such a person in a lie was extremely difficult let alone a seasoned cultivator who had seen and experienced almost everything under the sun. Their thoughts were unfathomable and as deep as the ocean but even with their skills, there were things Yang Qing discovered over his years as a judge and being a duplicitous being himself were hard to change or hide.
For example, it is difficult to control the unconscious habits one has developed over the years to the point that they have permeated to their very soul like dislike or wariness towards something or someone. He could see little clues here and there from the people around him.
The presentpany was all on guard against each other which was a huge mental strain as they had to probe each other while ensuring that they didn''t give anything out. Small cracks were bound to appear while maintaining such a delicate dance.
For example one of the daughters of consort Song Yun would imperceptibly nod her head whenever the eldest prince said something even if it was inane, or the eldest son of consort Chu Delun whose chopsticks stiffened ever so slightly when the third prince offered to refill his bowl as he was getting another serving or the head of the Shi family slightly widened smile from the head of the Meng family when he saw the head of Song family pat the back of the Chu family, the youngest Meng princess who seemed to avoid eye contact with the head of the Meng family.
It is difficult to hide the biases and opinions one has built over a long time all in one sitting especially in a room where you''re all wary of each other constantly watching each other like wolves. Yang Qing creating an atmosphere of unexpectedness and casualness made it even harder as he didn''t exactly follow the normal script.
Yang Qing made a silent note of everything he saw. While those little details didn''t reveal any secrets, they did help him get a sense of the people around him which he needed especially if one considered that among thoseughing, drinking, and eating, one of them was likely a traitor.
The Blue Soul me Crow syndicate didn''t just appear randomly in the Deer Mountain Range considering the events that transpired. They had likely been here for quite a while if one considered the ease with which they killed a first-stage pce realm obsidian serpent before it could even call for help and was only able to do so in its dying moments.
The only way they could pull something like that off was if they knew about it beforehand. The Order''s presence in the area removed the likelihood that they had a base in the area, so the only way they could have detailed knowledge of the obsidian serpent was if they were fed that information by a local and considering the strength of the spirit beast, there was only one suspect capable of knowing the whereabouts of the spirit beast without alerting it, and that was the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Someone among them was likely colluding with the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate. They may or may not know what the syndicate was after, though that was secondary, because whoever the traitor is they contributed to the deaths of two inquisitors and heavy injuries to the branch chief, Hao Da, and the remaining inquisitor.
Just for that alone, Yang Qing was determined to gather as much information and clues as he could in his short time as the branch chief, and figuring out the dynamics of the people before him was the first step.
Everyone present was a suspect, whether it was the king, his queen, the consorts, the prince and princesses, the families backing them, or the high officials, none was innocent in Yang Qing''s eyes.
Only someone high up could have pulled off what they pulled off and the presentpany had the people with the highest stations within the kingdom. The traitor was likely to be here or have a rtionship with one of the members present.
"Which of you threw in their lot with the Blue Soul me Crow syndicate, I wonder.."
One hour quickly flew by and the empty tes were cleared off the table leaving only jars of wine and cups.
There was also a subtle shift in the atmosphere as the casualness from before slowly disappeared being reced by a slightly austere air.
The third consort Song Yuan excused herself to her chambers as she left with Meng Ruo, which was a suggestion made by the king when he saw how increasingly distressed she seemed.
Once they had left, a short silence ensued before finally, the old chancellor broke the silence.
"We are truly sorry for what happened to your people. If we had gathered enough information maybe the losses would not have been as dire.." said the old chancellor.
"The Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate was involved in the matter. Any sighting of them is bound to prompt urgency which doesn''t give a lot of room for preparation. If you let them be, who knows what they may do?
Reacting quickly was the best choice, it''s only the results..." Yang Qing had a momentary pause as he continued.
"We are not the only ones who suffered from this.
I am sorry for your losses, the princes you lost, and the royal guards.." said Yang Qing as he cupped his fist.
Even though he suspected every single one of them of being responsible for what happened, he did feel pity for those who lost their lives and potentially from one of their own at that. Of all the worst ways he ever thought of going, that was one of them, a dagger in the back by someone close. He may be a little self-serving and loved his life a little too much, but to him, that was a line he would not cross, and he detested those who did.
Chapter 597 Woes of the kingdom
Chapter 597 Woes of the kingdom
A somber atmosphere spread all around. The king who had been silent almost throughout the banquet finally spoke up.
"Branch Chief Yang Qing, I won''t beat around the bush. The reason I invited you over is because of the obsidian serpents and the report that was graciously handed to us about the fire adler bear, the gorge with the profound yin artifact, the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree, and the jade nature stone protected by the mountain jade serpent.
While thetter three are not much of an issue for us the former two are of grave concern to our kingdom.." said the King.
His remark was met by weed nods all around the table. Every member present except for Yang Qing had grave expressions regarding the news touching on the two subject matters.
The kingdom had already experienced the wrath of the two obsidian serpents. Both wiped out an entire royal guard team that had three pce realm experts and killed two princes armed with all kinds of artifacts that would help safeguard their lives even against pce realm experts despite they themselves being at thete stages of the core formation realm.
There were two seventh-stage pce realm spirit beasts with one of them being a variant that was at the cusp of an evolution to a flood dragon and worse they had a blood feud with the kingdom from a misunderstanding. As if that wasn''t enough of a headache for the Deer Mountain Kingdom, they got additional information from the Order about another spirit beast within their territory that was just about to break through to the domain realm.
Both news left the higher-ups of the kingdom on edge. With their current abilities, they had nothing to defend themselves against the two groups. The strongest expert of the kingdom was at the sixth stage of the pce realm. That was insufficient to defend against two seventh-stage obsidian serpents let alone a domain-level spirit beast.
The best they could do was hole up within their territory and operate the Ebony Twilight Sanctuary array at full capacity every second of every day. However, such a measure was unsustainable. For one since the array covered only select parts of the kingdom, they would have to abandon a bulk part of their territory, then came the matter of the cost incurred to sustain the array.
The rumors surrounding the Deer Mountain Kingdom were partly true. The kingdom was built atop the Ebony Twilight Sanctuary Array. The framework and structure of the array had already been iid all over the region of the present-day Deer Mountain Kingdom before they even settled there. The founder and the then heads of some of the oldest aristocratic families of the kingdom discovered the array and it covered a much wider scope than what it covered presently.
When they discovered the array, it was dormant and only a third seemed intact, with the restpletely damaged. Since they didn''t have the skills to repair or restore it, they decided to reawaken the part that was still functional.
For the next five thousand years they poured countless resources into it including even redirecting the spiritual energy of two lesser dragon spiritual veins to feed into the array along with over 30 high-grade spirit mines, along with several dozen top tier monarch grade materials and even one that was close to reaching the ascendant grade. Only then was the array woken up from dormancy but even then it operated at 70% capacity, and its output has been deteriorating every millenia.
They did try to invite several well-renowned blue-grade formation masters to try and repair or even stop the decline but none of them could. The rune work, the arrayposition, and everything that surrounded the Ebony Twilight Sanctuary Array was something they had never seen. The formation even incorporated other schools of cultivation and wasn''t purely arrays. It had inscriptions that were tied to alchemy, artifact refinement, and even ancientnguages that seemed to belong to the tree folk race.
For them to even have a remote chance of slowing down the decline, the Deer Mountain Kingdom needed to hire the services of experts skilled in all of those schools, and considering the degree of difficulty, they all had to be at the gold grade.
The kingdom could barely afford the blue grade formation masters they hired let alone have the connections or resources to hire a single gold grade formation master.
Their only hope was to try and foster their own before the formation arraypletely copsed but what were the odds of fostering a gold-grade formation master, a gold-grade alchemist, a gold-grade artificer, and someone knowledgeable and skilled enough with anguage that belonged to a descendant of the ancient races?
Worse was the more the array was used, the faster it declined. After the previous attacks on their kingdom that even managed to touch the capital, the array had declined considerably and could now be operational at 40% capacity, and one of the lesser dragon spiritual veins was already showing signs of irrevocable depletion.
If the two obsidian serpents decided to attack them nonstop without stopping, they would only be able to hold out for five years before the arraypletely copsed, but if the fire adler bear joined in after it broke through to the domain realm, the king wasn''t sure the array would be able tost for more than three months. Their only hope now was to plead for the Order''s intervention.
The king despite his calm exterior felt like he was standing at the edge of a precipice. The array that protected them since the beginning was about to leave them when their foes were just increasing in numbers and power, and he even had to constantly deal with the internal disputes. The aristocratic families constantly eyeing his seat.
On more than one asion he had even entertained the thought of abdicating it if it would reunite the kingdom, but who of the five peak ns would willingly bow the head to the other?
The Zhang family who had been their constant ally became neutral when he refused to make Zhang Quifen the queen or officially name her son the crown prince. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to but he owed the Queen Huo Mei too much.
Had she been born into a different kingdom, she would have been the most dazzling star. Her talent in cultivation was among the best he had ever seen and even a rank 2 sect had once invited her but she declined so she could remain and serve the kingdom. She constantly made sacrifices on behalf of the kingdom, and even when he asked her to be his queen, she refused and opted to be a consort or even an unnamedpanion to lessen his burden. He only got her to agree when he vowed he would abdicate his title as the crown prince if she refused to be the queen.
He couldn''t help but sigh at his youthful wistfulness from back then.
Chapter 598 Resolve of a king
Chapter 598 Resolve of a king
As for the remaining families; the Chu family had never hidden their ambitions for the throne. Even back then when the kingdom was just in its infDancy stage, the founder of their n constantly squabbled with his ancestor for the throne. That spirit has been continuously passed down to the present generation.
They have always eyed the throne. He couldn''t do anything about them since they had an almost simr foundation. The Zhou royal family would end up with a pyrrhic victory if they decided to eliminate all sorts of cordiality with them. Other than that their family had the best weapon refiners and artifact makers within the kingdom. If a gold-grade artificer was to appear within the kingdom, it would be from their family. They were vital if they ever hoped to restore the Ebony Twilight Sanctuary Array.
Besides to him if he was asked which family he was least wary of among the five, it would be the Chu family. He knew where he stood with them and they never hid it, and they always did their things in the open.
It was the Meng, Song, and the Shi family he was most wary of. On paper, the Meng family was the only one of the peak ns that had allied themselves with the royal family, their loyal supporters, but King Zhou Luan never quite trusted them. He was only thankful that he didn''t have that same worry when it came to consort Meng Zhi. She was deeply infatuated with him to the point that she would willingly betray her father without hesitation.
"Zhi''er, I hope she recovers from this.." he thought.
As for the Song and Shi families, the Song family was the one he considered the most dangerous of the five families.It wasn''t because they had eyes for the throne or showed dissatisfaction with the royal family.
Of the five, they were the ones that didn''t seem to care about all that and it was the part that King Zhou Luan considered dangerous. They were cordial with the royal family, the five peak ns, and other aristocratic families. He wasn''t sure if it was him being overly sensitive or too paranoid, but he always felt the Song family was differentpared to the rest of the families.
The four families despite their designs and inclinations to the throne, all had a level of concern for the welfare of the kingdom as a whole, but when it came to the Song family, King Zhou Luan always felt that to them it didn''t matter a whole lot whether the kingdom lived or died, they would be okay with either oue.
He always found it hard to read them, and he wasn''t the only one who felt so. His grandfather, who was currently the strongest expert in the kingdom as a sixth-stage pce realm expert always told him to be cautious of the mercurial Song family. Back in his day, he could never see through the Song family head of their generation, and some part of his instincts always told him despite always having a higher cultivation base than the head, he always felt there was a chance he would lose if he fought him.
The king always kept close vignce on them, even his gentle-looking consort. As for the Shi family just like the Chu family, if the Deer Mountain Kingdom was ever to get a gold-grade alchemist, it would be from their n. Because of their trade, they had a lot of resources and connections that extended all over, they were sufficient enough to make King Zhou Luan wary of them.
Over the past few years, he felt he was walking a very tight and lonely rope. He couldn''t trust the families that were meant to support the kingdom with him, and that distrust extended even to some of his children connected to those families. The Zhou royal family that was his backing was also fragmented into different factions instead of being a united front against outside forces they were constantly undermining each other.
And now they had a catastrophe to deal with. He wasn''t sure the kingdom could weather it through as they did so countless times before, not as they were.
Just as he was sinking into despair, he felt a warm touch on his hands. A touch he knew better than his own that was always able to keep him afloat. He held on to it tightly as a slight smile appeared on his face thanking the owner of that hand.
"Thank you, Mei''er.." he said via his pce sense.
The queen didn''t respond as she kept the same silent look of a seasoned war veteran, albeit there was one change to her which was her slightly reddened lobes.
No one noticed the hand-holding or the exchange between the couple.
"Does he seem livelier.." wondered Yang Qing as he noticed a faint ripple in the king''s wizened-filled eyes.
He didn''t dwell too much on it as the matter at hand didn''t permit him to do so.
"Please speak frankly your majesty.." YangQing gently said as he took a sip of his wine.
"Considering the circumstances we are in, I know we are not in any position to request it, especially with what happened to Branch Chief Xue Wang and his team, but I have no option but to ask.
Could the Order please intervene with the obsidian serpents and the fire adler bear, I beg you.."said King Zhou Luan as he stood up and bowed his head deeply.
"Your Majesty you mustn''t!!!"
Both the chancellor and the Imperial Secretary frantically stood up to stop the king, but a pressure released by the king held them in ce. The other high officials, the princes and princesses, consort Zhang, and consort Chu all looked just as surprised by the king''s actions.
He was the highest figure in the kingdom both in station and even as a cultivator if he waspared to those of his generation but here he was begging. It was a shock to them who had idolized him or saw him as different from themselves.
As for the five family heads, they all hid their thoughts well. Other than a few flickers in their eyes, no one could tell their thoughts on the matter.
"Hui, Hei Shan, this is what I must do. If my bowing my head can save my kingdom then I would dly do it a thousand times over.
Dignity and honor don''t matter where life and death are concerned. Do well to remember that.." impassionately said the king.
Chapter 599 Mausoleum of reflection
Chapter 599 Mausoleum of reflection
Almost immediately two figures stood up simultaneously as they bowed deeply simr to the king, echoing his words.
"Please, branch chief Yang Qing, intervene on behalf of our kingdom in this time of peril.."
The two figures were the eldest prince Zhou Yu and the third prince Zhou Guang.
Immediately after them, the remaining princes and princesses all stood up making the same plea.
It all happened too fast and Yang Qing was slightly taken aback by it but he still retained hisposure.
The circumstances snowballed even further when finally the current head of the Zhang family stood up.
Some of his features could be seen in consort Zhang Quifen who showed an even more drastic reaction of dumbfounded shock when she saw him stand up.
He had a slender build, and a handsome face, and looked to be in his early forties. He had the sharpness of a warrior that had in countless, and the calmness of one who had seen and endured plenty, and a bearing worthy of a n of heroes.
His movements drew the eyes of all around him even the other heads who had inscrutable expressions on their faces when the king stood up, finally had visible reactions, and it was one of surprise. The third prince who was already bowing had the same look of shock as his mother, along with his sister who had bowed a few moments after him.
Even the austere queen had a change in her eyes. Other than surprise, Yang Qing noted there was also respect in her eyes.
"He seems to have the same impact on those around him as the king, if not stronger.." muttered Yang Qing as he saw the head of the Zhang family stand up. Other than the king, he had one of the highest cultivation bases of everyone present, he was a third-stage pce realm expert.
Even though he reigned in his cultivation base, Yang Qing could tell from the momentum force of his body down to his every gesture, his foundations were firmer than anyone present, even the king''s.?Yang Qing surmised at the very least he had a deep blue core during his core formation realm when he broke through from the core formation realm to the pce realm.
After standing up, he immediately cupped his fists. It was a warrior''s salute of respect. The Thousand Hall Battle Pavilion had a simr greeting by those who acknowledged each other''s skills. It was a form of recognition, eptance, and respect.
"Our n''s customs forbid us from bowing to anyone other than our parents. While the king is right, in front of life and death, things like dignity and honor do not matter only the result does. On this, for our n, we value the code set by our ancestors more than our own lives.
While I can''t bow, I can still plead. On behalf of the kingdom I love, the kingdom those before me willingly and dly gave their lives for, I am asking the Order for any help they can give to help us protect it.
The Zhang family will remember the debt and will repay it to thest man, woman, and child if need be, should a need ever arise. That is my solemn oath as its head and a member of the Zhang family.." said Zhang''s family head, with a soft tone but within it, it carried enough momentum to part the seas and the clouds.
"Zhang Ru, you?" King Zhou asked in surprise.
"I love this ce, same as you.." replied the Zhang family head replied with a smile.
"You''re putting me on the spot here, some of you are my seniors here. There''s no need to bow.." Yang Qing said with a rueful smile when he saw the imperial secretary, the chancellor, the other high officials, and the other family heads who looked like they were just about to replicate what the king or the Zhang family head were doing.
"Please sit down.." Yang Qing implored.
Yang Qing''s gaze turned solemn after they had all sat down.
"You should all know the Order''s stance in these matters. We can''t directly intervene in certain things otherwise it might be misconstrued by others as us overstepping our bounds.
If we step in directly, us along with you will draw the ire of countless and some may even be more dangerous than the fire adler.
We can take the hit, but can your kingdom handle it? It won''t only be dissatisfied organizations that would eye you with malcontent but other fiendish organizations simr to the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate will set their sights on you, because in their minds for us to break our own rules to help you it means we have a deep connection.
Since they can''t target us lightly, you would be the easiest target for them to vent their frustrations.
Trust me, what they can do to you is a thousand times worse than anything the obsidian serpent couple or the fire adler could do to you.." said Yang Qing.
It felt like the room they were in had been plunged into an abyss. The air seemed colder, and darker, with grim and worried expressions being shared all around.
Yang Qing wasn''t lying to them with the statement. The Order no matter the situation unless it involved fiend cultivators, taboo powers, or anything that vited their guidelines, wouldn''t intervene. The best they could do was give notices and warnings here and there and offer suggestions, but direct involvement was forbidden.
The continent was already rife with organizations using the Order of overstepping their bounds even when they were they were within their rights to do so, let alone something tant as this.
It was why they couldn''t touch the Striding Falcon Sect no matter how they treated their outer sect disciples, the best they could do was give those disciples a choice; to leave or to stay, anything beyond that and they risked drawing supporters for the sect, even those who didn''t agree with them.
The Order operated on an unfamiliar minefield every single day and on the matter of retaliation by other organizations if they do decide to be direct with their help, there were hundreds of organizations engraved on the walls of reflection within the mausoleum grounds of the Order.
These organizations had a deep closeness with the Order. Every one of them paid the price for it. They were all destroyed for it. The Order created a monument in their memory but on that monument was a vivid description of how they were destroyed.
After graduating, every student would be taken to the mausoleum and read those details. Helping was an admirable virtue to have but one had to exercise an abundance of wisdom and discernment and judge whether their help would save them or drag them into damnation.
Those monuments were a painful reminder of that.
Chapter 600 Northern Lights Sect
Chapter 600 Northern Lights Sect
A stifling atmosphere swallowed the room whole after Yang Qing''s statement but was broken almost immediately by the least talkative member of the group.
"What if we are willing to shoulder the burden and risk thates with it?" asked Queen Huo Mei.
Contrary to how cold she looked her voice carried a sense of soothing rity. It was like the melodious chirps of birds as they weed spring.
"The Queen is right, what if we are willing to take the risk? The matter of being targeted by other organizations because of your help may or may not happen. The risk isn''t certain but when ites to the two obsidian serpents and the fire adler bear about to break through, the risk they pose to the kingdom is all but guaranteed.." said Consort Zhang Quifen.
"Others don''t have to know you helped us..."
A meek voice filled with hesitation, trepidation, and a bit of resolve immediately sounded after Consort Zhang Quifen had made her statement.
Yang Qing turned to the source of the statement. It was a youngdy who looked to be seventeen years old. She was a beauty in her own right and bore a striking resemnce to Consort Zhang Quifen and the third prince, she was his sister.
Seeing everyone''s gaze fall on her, she shrunk back a little before she feigned a look ofposure clumsily at that when her gaze inadvertently fell on her mother and the head of the Zhang family.
"While that seems simple enough to do Princess Zhou Ai, ensuring it is another matter. Things always get out.." Yang Qing gently said.
"As for your willingness to take the risk, while you might be willing, I don''t think the Order is. Should anything happen to you because of our intervention, we are the ones who would have to live with the result of it, and who knows what kind of storm such an event would create?
Things are already tense as it is. Do we really need to add more to that me?" asked YAang Qing.
"That being said.." said Yang Qing as he sped his hands together.
"When ites to the obsidian serpents they killed one of our own so it''s within our rights to act. You won''t have to worry about them anymore.."
"You mean?" asked Imperial Secretary Hei Shan with a look beset by all sorts of overwhelming emotions. There was disbelief, relief, wariness, confusion before it came down to excitement and joy.
"They are not around your territory anymore.." Yang Qing sinctly said which drew shared looks of relief and joy all around.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you branch chief Yang Qing.." the Imperial Secretary hysterically said with tears in his eyes.
"Thank you.." said the king who even in his calmness one could hear the sound of relief in his tone.
Everyone around took turns giving their thanks before the topic circled back to the other worry the fire adler bear.
Truth be told, to them, the fire adler was what gave them the most scare and worry. While the obsidian serpents were a threat, with the array they could hold out for a few years as they figured a way to diffuse the situation.
If worst came to worst, the king was prepared to empty their vaults to hire the services of skilled hunting organizations and have them hunt down the obsidian serpents.
If that wasn''t enough he would force the other ns to send their contributions. He was certain if they pulled their resources together they would be able to hire some of the seasoned ones with skills to hunt evente pce-stage spirit beasts, but the fire adler was a different case. They would have to hire the services of a domain expert and it would have to be one who has already stepped at the second stage of the domain realm for them to be able to kill the fire adler without risk of suffering heavy injuries themselves.
Other than the Ebony Twilight Sanctuary Array, they had nothing of value that would draw the eyes of a second-stage domain expert. Their only option was for the Order to intervene. With their abilities a mere freshly broken through domain fire adler was nothing of note. The fact that they already took care of the two obsidian serpents was already proof of that.
"When ites to the fire adler bear I am afraid we cannot intervene. We do not have any feud with it. Not unless you want us to attack it for what it may potentially do.." Yang Qing said as he narrowed his gaze.
"With the history of your kingdom, I can understand why you would be weary of spirit beasts but once they reach the core formation realm and be more self-aware and less feral, they are no different from us and that fact bes more distinctive the higher up the cultivation bases they move.
I am sure you are well aware that there are sects, ns, and other cultivation organizations that have spirit beasts among their ranks. And I am not talking as mounts but as respected elders within those organizations.
Some even go as far as to have a spirit beast as its head. The Northern Lights Sect is a prime example. The current sect master is a celestial roadrk and she has been holding that seat for the past 20,000 years.."
The Northern Lights Sect was an up-anding rank 2 sect whose rise was all but guaranteed. The reason for that was they had a legacy and had developed all sorts of esoteric techniques that were useful in the exploration of unfamiliar territories filled with peril like mysterious realms and ruins that had some functionality.
Rumor was that the founder of the sect was a gifted explorer of the Horizon Odyssey Guild. He founded the sect and poured all his experiences into it. Using the skills taught to them, the sect rapidly grew from the dangerous zones they explored over the years thatted them hefty resources.
There was even a saying when going to a mysterious realm if you want to live to harvest anything, hug the thigh of the Northern Lights Sect.
It was because of its feats that the sect was well-renowned throughout the continent, from young babies ying in the mud to young cultivators drawn by the romanticism of exploring the unknown to seasoned cultivators who knew how much of a feat it was for what the Northern Lights Sect had managed to aplish over the years.
This same sect whose fame could reach the heavens now had a celestial roadrk as a sect master. She wasn''t hatched in the sect but had been epted as a disciple by one of the core elders during one of their adventures.
From what Yang Qing read she had been in the early stages of the core formation realm at the time. She was first admitted as an inner disciple, and slowly rose through the ranks till finally, she became their sect master admired by all within the sect.
Yang Qing mentioned it in the hopes that the Deer Mountain Kingdom would stop looking at every single spirit beast as the enemy.
Chapter 601 Sudden interruption
Chapter 601 Sudden interruption
"You may think your circumstances are different than theirs but let me ask you this, if you''re so sure the fire adler bear will attack you howe it hasn''t done so before? Even without reaching the domain realm as a peak pce stage spirit beast, it has the capital to attack you while guaranteeing its life.
In all the time you have been here have you seen it attack you?" asked Yang Qing.
He also wanted to include the obsidian serpents to make his point but considering how they recently massacred the two princes and royal guards, he decided against it.
The room sunk in silence before the king finally spoke up.
"As king, I have to prepare for the worst.." he sighed.
Yang Qing''s words were logical and had sound reasoning, but he, those around him at the table down to even the civilian selling pork skewers at a roadside stall, no matter their stations or cultivation bases, as long they were citizens of the Deer Mountain Kingdom they would all be wary of spirit beasts, especially the powerful ones.
The kingdom walls were painted with the bloody memories of how their kingdom almost fell several times over to spirit beast stampedes. They had seen their brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, best friends, and neighbors get eaten or shredded apart by a spirit beast.
After all they had experienced it was second nature for them to assume a spirit beast would target them for little to no reason though granted one of the spirit beast stampedes they had experienced was because they had trudged upon their territories when they were trying to consolidate all thends and bring it firmly under their grasp.
The storm that was triggered by it shook the kingdom to its very core and the price they paid wasn''t something they expected. They lost a king and countless pce realm experts whose numbers they have not been able to rece let alone find those who could match them in abilities.
Back then it was the golden age of their kingdom. Talents that would blind any era they appeared in, all appeared within the same period. There were even hopes of restoring the Ebony Twilight Sanctuary Array because it wasn''t only battling talents who appeared but alchemists, artificers, and formation masters. Reviving the array was within the realm of possibility. But all that was shattered.
The kingdom high on its prosperity woke up cmities in their consolidation agenda. Their n ended up in a ferocious bloodbath thatsted seventeen months without any pause. Spirit beasts who would have been at each other''s throats united as they sought to destroy the Deer Mountain Kingdom. If there was ever a time the array would have brokenpletely it was back then.
The only reason it held on was some of the senior cultivators of the kingdom all went out of the protection of the array and executed all sorts of forbidden arts some even went to the extent of self-detonating, all to stop the ferocious beast tide that was led by eightte-stage pce realm spirit beasts, over a dozen that were at the early to middle stages of the pce realm and countless in the core formation realm.
He wasn''t alive back then but from the vivid first-hand description his grandfather gave him, he could imagine how horrific the scene was. A sea of blood that swallowed the kingdom. All one could see or smell was blood, then there were the constant bombarding attacks that carried enough ferocity to shake the heavens and the earth which never stopped raining, and beast roars so terrifying that they made millions wail in despair.
The impact of it never left them. His grandfather was a fledgling core formation expert during the attacks, but even after he broke through to the pce realm he still found himself trembling whenever he recalled those roars that seemed to send one''s soul to the very abyss of absolute terror.
After surviving that ordeal, for the next three hundred years no one so much as took a step out of the kingdom. They were all holed up in their own houses, it didn''t matter whether you were a pce realm cultivator or a mortal with no cultivation, the trauma swallowed them all.
If pce realm beasts could do so much damage what about a domain realm?
Ever since he got the news his heart hasn''t stopped racing and he constantly felt this sickening metallic taste of blood at the back of his tongue. He already had other things to worry about such as the retaliation from the remnant surviving spirit beasts from the battle back then, as there were a few in the pce realm that managed to get away in time. Now adding the fire adler he was at his wits ends.
Seeing Yang Qing''s firm look he knew there was no way the Order would intervene. Some part of him even started having dark ideas such as hoping the fire adler bear would recklessly target the branch of the Order first prompting them to act. However, he immediately admonished himself ashamed of his thoughts.
Just as he was about to thank Yang Qing for his time and the Order''s assistance with the obsidian serpents since it was one less headache to deal with, the door behind them was mmed open as someone rushed in with erratic qi undtions.
All present craned their necks at the sound of the disturbance. The person who had just rushed in was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She was dressed in ornate peacock robes and could be considered excessively beautiful if it wasn''t for her livid almost hysterical look.
Her hair along with her robes were flying all over because of the qi undtions being released from her body. Jewels that constetion markings protruded from her skin. The jewels greedily sucked in the spiritual qi from the air and seemed to use them to amplify the body of the woman, which was why despite her being at the tenth stage of the core formation realm, her body''s presence was releasing the pressure of a peak stage core formation expert.
"IT''S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT MY SONS ARE DEAD, REVIVE THEM!!!!" madly roared the woman as she charged at Yang Qing.
Chapter 602 Working timeframe
Chapter 602 Working timeframe
The jewels protruding from her body let out a resplendent glow as they strengthened her body increasing the speed with which she moved from the door.
"Zhi''er what do you think you''re doing?" the king said with a sigh as he raised his hand to stop her.
"There''s no need for that.." Yang Qing said as pure white lotus shot out from his index finger. Before anyone present could register what had happened, the white lotus had already prated the woman''s brows.
She immediately stood still as all the chaotic energy and qi surrounding her was immediately quelled. Her rabid-looking eyes immediately regained rity as calmness seemed to descend upon her.
Yang Qing''s disy had drawn a lot of gazes from the crowd around him. Instantly stopping the frenzied woman wasn''t unexpected since anyone from the group whether it was the king, queen, the family heads, the chancellor, or the imperial secretary could easily replicate such a feat.
The chasm between a pce realm cultivator and one in the core formation realm was insurmountable. The frenzieddy no matter how much power above her cultivation base she released, ultimately was still a core formation expert. A quasi pce stage cultivator would be able to easily suppress her let alone a real pce realm expert.
What shook the crowd was Yang Qing was able tounch his technique before some of them were even able to catch it despite them being there. Those who were able to track his movement were the king, the head of the Zhang family, and finally the head of the Song family who had an imperceptible light sh in his eyes as he looked at the serenity lotus rune that had manifested on the forehead of the frenzied woman.
Everyone else was only able to catch the art after it had reached the woman. Such a revtion sent shockwaves through them because it was evidence that Yang Qing''s skills far surpassed theirs and by no small margin at that.
Being unable to track your opponent''s attacks was the worst thing that could ever happen to you. The stronger cultivators were the more dangerous their fights sometimes it would take just a millisecond of lost concentration for the opponent to take your life.
Yang Qing''szy and carefree look coupled with his young age had lulled them into thinking he was a junior like the princes forgetting this was someone who had made his bones at the Order. The disy was a rude awakening to them.
"Please forgive her for her poor disy, Branch Chief Yang Qing.." King Zhou Luan said as he cupped his fists in apology.
"The two princes we lost were both her sons, the shock of it all is still fresh in her mind please don''t take offense.." he added.
"I am sorry for your loss Consort Meng Zhi.." Yang Qing said as he stood up ced one of his arms above his chest and bent slightly.
Su Jinjing and Luo Meili also stood up offering the same condolences.
"Can my sons be saved.." the woman weakly asked with the rims of her eyes reddening again from the tears welling up.
"They can''t. It''s not us refusing. We can''t do it for them the same way we can''t do it for the inquisitors we lost.
Ressurection is out of our grasp, sadly.."
Yang Qing couldn''t help but say this as he saw whatever little hope Consort Meng Zhi had, get snuffed out. Her face turned pale and her knees seemed to lose their strength as she copsed on the floor.
The king reacted timely and caught her just as she was about to fall.
"Luan''er it''s my fault.." she weakly said as she leaned closer to him.
"Because of my selfish ambitions to make you see me worthy to be your queen, I resorted to even using my sons to further that goal.
All their lives I''ve never been a mother to them. I never got to know what Lei''er or Peng''er liked or never liked, what their interests were, what they were good at, the struggles they had. I saw nothing...All I thought of them were tools to use to get you to like me enough to make me your queen.
I deserve all this anguish and pain. I wasn''t a good mother... I wasn''t even a mother to them. I deserve this, but they don''t, Luan, they don''t.." she said with a weak pained tone that was muffled with her soft cry.
"I know.. They were good sons to the end.."King Zhou Luan said with a sigh.
He lightly pressed on a few of her acupoints which immediately put her to sleep. He waved his hand and immediately after the pce realm guard that was at the door appeared next to them.
He looked a bit ill at ease because of letting the consort through.
"Take her to her chambers and ask Ruo''er to keep her motherpany.." said the king. The royal guard acknowledged the order as he gently lifted the soundly sleeping consort and disappeared from the room.
"Once again, I am sorry for the poor disy.." added the king as he went back to his seat.
"It''s okay. In her position, I think I would react just as she did.." Yang Qing said.
The air in the room immediately turned sombre. The feast and the discussions aside, both the Order and the Deer Mountain Kingdom had suffered fatal losses and Consort Meng Zhi''s interruption was a reminder of that.
"The fire adler bear may not necessarily break through to the domain realm in one go.." said Yang Qing in a bid to break the stifling atmosphere.
His statement seemed to have worked as the downcast mood shifted.
"You''re certain?!" asked the king with unhidden agitation.
"A senior of mine confirmed it. Based on her experience after observing it, she surmised it would reach the quasi-domain stage but it is not close to that stage yet. It''s taking a cautious approach in its breakthrough so even reaching the quasi-domain stage will take considerable time.."
"Do you have an estimation?" asked the head of the Zhang family.
"Depends on the fire adler bear. It has the umtions for it. From the fluctuations the senior said it could take 20 years to 40 at most.."
Though the king was relieved by the timeline it wasn''t all the way through. To mortals, 40 years was a lot, but to them, it was the same as taking a short nap. It flew by so fast.
"The array has 120 years at most before it stops working. Hopefully, the timeframe we''ve been given is sufficient for us toe up with something.." thought King Zhou Luan.
Chapter 603 Retracing the steps (1)
Chapter 603 Retracing the steps (1)
After sharing what he could, Yang Qing and his group eventually left. From the king to his family, to the family heads and the officials all gave their thanks and exchanged a few pleasantries with him.
Of the group, the princes and princesses were the most enthusiastic about their well-wishes a few of the princesses even tried to use their amorous charm on Yang Qing unlucky for them it was wasted on Yang Qing. This was someone who avoided trouble like his life depended on it.
There was no way he would ever entangle himself with royalty. All they did was swim around in duplicity and mind games trying to gain an advantage over the other person. A constant agenda every second of every day. It was too much for the peaceful soft life-loving Yang Qing. Dealing with Lei Weiyuan and the Order was enough for him he neither had the heart nor the bandwidth to amodate more.
So despite how breathtakingly beautiful they were or how gifted they were with their words which Yang Qing couldn''t deny he liked hearing very much, ultimately he offered a courteous smile that wasn''t too warm or cold which was enough to send his message to the princesses, much to their disappointment.
...
"This has been a long day.." Yang Qing said with a tired sigh once they had reached the branch.
The imperial secretary brought them back, though Yang Qing epted the offer only halfway through the journey, the rest, they came back by themselves.
"I couldn''t even tell if they were pretending or not. It seems real at the same time not. Aristocrats are scary.
Steely, make sure you grow up to be authentic and genuine. Don''t be like them.." Su Jinjing said as she cuddled her spear.
Both Yang Qing and Luo Meili exchanged nces before they both shook their heads with smiles of surrender.
Immediately after they each went their way with Yang Qing heading to one of the secludedkes in the branch.
Once he reached the area, he gently floated to the center of theke where he took out a clover that was in the shape of amp.
Yang Qing poured his spiritual qi into the clover which caused it to open up revealing a wick that lit up with blue-white mes. The mes had an ethereal and mystic air about them as they danced around as if they were alive.
Theke it was on top of was crystal clear but the mes seemed to have transformed it into a blue-whiteke.
" The blue-white clovermp of stillness should be able to extend the duration I can maintain the Soulke memory lock seal.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he sat on a lotus position atop theke next to the burning clover.
[Soulke memory lock seal]
Yang Qing formed a seal that instantly created a whirlpool around him with him at the center. However this whirlpool was different than most, itcked the ferocity and air of chaos and destruction that typically followed a whirlpool but was instead soft, gentle, and tranquil.
A small seal filled withplex ancient runes appeared on Yang Qing''s forehead, which then expanded from his forehead and covered the entireke as it released a gentle white glow. Yang Qing''s eyes instantly transformed into two full moons while his hair turned into a blue color that had a feeling to it that it was made of pure water. The temperature slowly dropped as a white fog appeared around the area.
The scenery suddenly transformed when the seal reached the bottom of theke. What was once a white and blueke was now a majestic room filled with oceannterns, masterss tiling and furniture, and a lifelike painting of people making theirst stand against a multitude of spirit beasts with a moat filled with blood.
If either Luo Meili or Su Jinjing were to see this they would instantly recognize it as the assembly hall of the Deer Mountain Kingdom. It was a pale grey rendition of the room. The objects and the room itself looked like they were made of grey smoke.
The fog surrounding the area was drawn into the room by the radiant rune that was lighting up at the center of the room. The radiant rune swallowed the fog and then spread it around the room.
Every object touched by the fog would turn more and more distinctive, the more the fog covered it. They turn vivid and distinct like the real thing.
After a few minutes, the room that looked more like a fog memory was now lifelike and indivisible from the real thing. Everything looked real, whether it was the fibrous grains from the furniture, the reflection of the rooming off from the oceannterns that released a dazzling rainbow lighting to the room whenever the sun rays fell on them, or the intricate brushwork of the painting on the ceiling, every single aspect of the assembly hall was captured perfectly.
Were someone to step in here they would not be able to differentiate it from the one back in the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
"Now we can begin.." Yang Qing said with a mellow ethereal tone as he stood up.
He waved his sleeves and the fog being recircted by the radiant rune below churned from his movements and reformed into humanoid shapes, which within seconds had formed into clear bodies of everyone who had been in the assembly room with Yang Qing, including Yang Qing himself.
The scene being depicted was from the moment he stepped into the room.
"This art never ceases to amaze me. Such a pity its demands are too high, even with the strength of my soul I can only maintain it for half an hour without the blue-white clovermp''s help. With the artifact''s help, that time only extends to two hours. Hopefully, that should be enough for me to glean something.." said Yang Qing as a white glow that had a hint of solitude and serenity was released from his body.
The white glow seemed to have been a trigger as the scene turned alive and the figures and everything around it started moving.
Chapter 604 Retracing the steps (2)
Chapter 604 Retracing the steps (2)
Yang Qing''s moon eyes hadplex runes appearing in them as they let out a white smokey glow.
Soul Lake Memory Lock Seal was a soul-based cultivation spell that was a top-tier blue-grade art close to reaching the gold grade.
Despite being a blue grade art the degree of difficulty in mastering it was the same as a gold grade art. You needed at the bare minimum to be at the middle stages of the core formation realm for you to practice it and even then one couldn''t do it without a strong soul.
Su Jinjing among Yang Qing''s team had the strongest soul so she could practice the technique at the middle stages of the core formation realm but as strong as her soul was even with her cultivation base being at theter stages of the core formation realm she can only sustain the art for ten minutes at most and even then her soul would be left severely overdrafted.
A cultivator''s soul was an invaluable attribute to the cultivator. It affected important aspects that control the well-being and growth of a cultivator. One of those things is a cultivator''s mental sea of consciousness and subsequently the spiritual sense.
Either of these two is extremely vital towards the growth and survival of a cultivator, and the stronger soul you have the more powerful the mental sea of consciousness or the spiritual sense would be.
Be it an alchemist, weapon, and artifact maker, formation master, or talisman maker, they all needed a powerful mental sea of consciousness and spiritual sense to do their work. In a job where every detail mattered, a powerful sea of consciousness and spiritual sense that would help them monitor every single detail of the process was extremely vital to their growth and sess, which was why most alchemists tended to have powerful souls either naturally or slowly built up through meditation techniques that aimed at strengthening the soul.
There are ways and things that could fool your body''s senses and even your spiritual senses, but the soul always keeps a true record.
It was with that thought that the Soul Lake Memory Lock seal cultivation art was created. It draws out the memory of everything your soul recorded within a particr time. The stronger the soul, the more is recorded by the soul.
Cultivators had perfect recall and memory of things. They can remember things with extreme rity no matter how far back they happened.
However that memory is based on what they consciously perceive and there are techniques, special physiques, artifacts and other means out there capable of interfering with that perception. Such a memory is susceptible to tampering but the soul remembers everything even things you yourself may not consciously be aware of.
Extracting those memories was dangerous as it involved digging into your soul, any misstep and your soul could get injured either temporarily or permanently. The Soul Lake Memory Lock Seal reduced those risks to an eptable level but in return, it was extremely demanding in aptitude and strength of one''s soul.
Other than extracting memories, those from the Order used it to seal certain memories as a safeguard should they be captured. That was its primary purpose and what Yang Qing was using it for presently was but an offshoot of its intended use.
Yang Qing slowly reyed everything that happened inch by inch from the moment he stepped into the assembly hall.
He would pause every so often and stare at the different images for a substantial amount of time. He had spent close to half an hour examining the frames that were there the instant he stepped into the assembly hall up to the point the Imperial Secretary stepped in to make introductions.
He then spent the next one and a half hours reviewing the scene where the banquet had started before he finished with the reactions everyone had when Consort Meng Zhi stepped in.
He reviewed everything within her eyes as she rushed in before his attention shifted to the reactions of every single member at the table with his attention settling specifically on the family heads.
When the two hours were up the candle wick from the blue-white clovermp of stillness went out along with the radiant rune that was rotating at the bottom of the whirlpool. Yang Qing waved his sleeves and the scenery along with theke immediately transformed and went back to normal.
Yang Qing''s gaze and hair turned back to normal immediately afterward.
"It''s still strenuous.." he said as he felt mental fatigue wash over him. His mind felt foggy and a little bit dizzy while every part of his body experienced extreme exhaustion.
He quickly took out a few herbs that released a chilly and misty glow and consumed them. His pale sweat-dripped skin along with his fatigue-filled eyes slowly looked rejuvenated after he had consumed the herbs, albeit slightly.
Yang Qing wasn''t too surprised by the results as overdrawing the soul wasn''t something that could immediately be restored by consuming a few herbs even though said herbs were of high quality. You can onlypletely recover through sleep or meditation. Yang Qing opted for thetter.
Sleeping in the nest of the celestial nesting weaver had ruined his ability to sleep anywhere else. Nothing seemed toe close to itsfort so whenever he wasn''t around his abode he would prefer to meditate as opposed to resting.
Time quickly flew by with Yang Qing in silent meditation and before he knew it was already midday the next day.
Luo Meili and Su Jinjing had been rmed when they saw him miss supper and even breakfast which prompted them to look around for him in case something happened only to find him peacefully meditating next to theke he had been in.
"Because of how he usually is, I sometimes forget he is even a cultivator.." wistfully said Su Jinjing as she took in the visage of Yang Qing silently meditating.
"It''s always surprising to see him like this.." added Luo Meili.
Yang Qing was usually goofy but when a case started or when he was cultivating he always seemed to transform into apletely different person for example presently Yang Qing emitted a transcendent air like that of a banished immortal as he sat there in silent meditation. The elements and everything around him seemed to gravitate towards him.
"Is that any way to talk about your boss.." said Yang Qing with a tone that was familiar yet mystical.
As he opened his eyes, Luo Meili and Su Jinjing so the reflection of the stars, the sun, the moon, the ocean, thend and the vegetation all revolving around each other in a delicate bnce before it disappeared.
In that brief moment, they felt a vast ancient aura leak from Yang Qing before it disappeared.
"What time is it?" Yang Qing casually asked as he stretched his back overlooking the surprised looks on the duo''s faces.
"Noon.." answered Luo Meili with a strange gaze.
"Noon?! Noon, Noon as in Noon Noon!!!!" Yang Qing frantically yelled destroying whatever immortal image he had.
"Yes, noon.."
"How many meals have I missed?" Yang Qing muttered as he started counting his fingers before it stopped on eight.
"Eight?! I''m afraid that''s not right.." Yang Qing said as he stepped onto a mad dash to the kitchen.
"I''ll be stepping out for a bit, in case administrator Mo Guang asks, tell him I''ve left to look into matters concerning the previous branch chief..."
Even though Yang Qing had long disappeared from the vicinity, his voice echoed in the area.
Chapter 605 Visiting the battleground
Chapter 605 Visiting the battleground
The instant he arrived at the kitchen like a man with a time-sensitive and dire mission with monumental implications, he immediately asked for all the meals he had missed.
The Chef as if in anticipation of Yang Qing''s exact reaction walked out of the kitchen with a tray filled with all kinds of meals from snacks, to meat dishes, to vegetable dishes and soups.
"Feng Ya you know me too well.." Yang Qing eagerly said with saliva dripping from his mouth as he eyed the meals being ced on his table.
With no hesitation, he jumped on them like a beast that had been starved for months on end.
"Feng Ya, I am so d you''re here.." Yang Qing said as he leaned back in his seat with a satisfied smile tugging his lips.
"I''ll see you for supper.." Yang Qing said as he left.
Since he wouldn''t be back for lunch he made sure to bring some of the dishes Feng Ya had made.
He would rather skip cultivating than miss a meal especially if it was on the Order''s tab. For some reason that single fact made the meals tastier and him hungrier for more.
...
1100 kilometers away from the Deer Mountain Branch
"This should be the ce.." Yang Qing grimly muttered as he looked at thendscape that was the picture of armageddon.
In front of him was arge stretch ofnd that was filled with chaotic energy of different elements and attributes colliding. The energy seemed to be alive. Yang Qing could sense the emotion contained in some of them. There was anger, wrath, firm determination, pure malevolence, desperation, honor, fear... each energy seemed to be a chronological description of the emotions of those who left them there.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh as he took in the sight before him. The Deer Mountain Range no matter which part of it you were always had that verdant life force but where he was things were different.
It was bleak yet chaotic. Different forms of energy were continuously shing, the ground below was filled with the air of destruction.
The whole ground within 15 kilometers from where Yang Qing was had caved in. It Looked like several dozen mountains had been repetitively smashed into the area with terrifying force and momentum, other areas looked like multiple volcanoes had exploded with extreme ferocity that not only burned and destroyed the ground but also shredded the mountain itself apart with the debris flying in every direction charring everything and anything in sight.
The air was hot to the point that one would feel like their lungs were burning, while the smell of blood permeated through every inch of the area.
Anyone who saw the area would instantly know a terrifying battle took ce there as indeed it did.
The ce Yang Qing stood with an air of solemnity surrounding him was the ground from which the obsidian serpents, the deacons of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate, the team from the Deer Mountain Kingdom, andstly the team from the Deer Mountain Branch battled.
Yang Qing raised his hand as he felt the air around it. He could feel the desperation and the tenseness from that fight, it still had not left the area.
The area was south of both the Deer Mountain Kingdom and the Order''s branch. After his analysis yesterday, Yang Qing decided to visit the battleground to see if he could glean anything that mayplement or supplement his findings from yesterday''s interaction.
There were a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the battle from how the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate discovered the area in the first ce.
If they had aplices, who were they and what was it they were after?
What could be so valuable that they would risking this close to the branch of the Order?
He didn''t know if being here would help him answer any of the questions he had, but he had to try.
Yang Qing closed his eyes and slowly walked through the area. An ethereal and gentle charm was released from his body as he walked. Some of the remnant energy from the attacks would gravitate towards him like some force was pulling them toward him. Yang Qing would stretch his hands with his eyes closed every time they did. He would parse his hands through them like he was passing his hands down a gentle flowing stream.
A green energy filled with vitality would be released from his hands every time he made contact with those energies.
"This energy, it''s Hao Da''s.." Yang Qing muttered as a blue light that looked like a meandering river moved to his palm.
Despite its gentle-looking exterior, that single strand of blue light would shred apart the body of a middle-stage core formation expert if they were unlucky enough to be caught by it.
It contained a terrifying sword force that was in the shape of a flooding tide.
Yang Qing was intimately familiar with Hao Da''s sword intent. It contained the water element however itcked any of the gentleness associated with the element but instead had its other characteristics such as a sense of boundlessness and relentlessness. A tide that never stopped recedes. It flows continuously smothering and drowning everyone and everything in its path. It had a denseness to it that suffocated even someone''s soul.
Hao Da''s sword intent was terrifying in that regard. Once released you would feel a sense of suffocation before even the attack fell, and once it did fall, it was a storm after a storm that never let up. His sword intent though wasn''t the most destructive as far as sword intents went, it was one of the most versatile Yang Qing had ever seen.
It restrained, suppressed, oppressed, and finally devoured everything it set its sight on. With it Hao Da could fight multiple opponents without being at an extreme disadvantage, his intent was adaptable to different circumstances as it could tear apart not only linear attacks but it could also do things such as restrain and purify miasma by smothering it, and his sword intent''s momentum affected even the soul of a cultivator.
Yang Qing had no doubt Hao Da''s sword intent yed a significant role in why the team were able to fight against the obsidian serpents and the two deacons from the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate for as long as they did.
Chapter 606 Sole survivor
Chapter 606 Sole survivor
Yang Qing continued his walk slowly his eyes closed slowly sensing the powerful energies around him. He detected yet another powerful energy filled with the profundities of earth. It had the firmness and stubbornness of earth. The energy contained within it was just as masterful and deep as Hao Da''s.
"This energy should belong to the Branch Chief. I heard he cultivated an earth-based cultivation art. These fluctuations seem to resemble the Sovereign warrior earth flow descent cultivation art.." muttered Yang Qing as a gold-red silk wisp of light gently drifted to his hand.
The light had the firm stability of the earth but other than that it contained a deste air of destruction that was ancient.
This was something he had seen with Sovereign warrior earth flow descent cultivation users. They borrowed the force of the earth with every movement and from it they also pulled out an ancient warrior''s spirits.
The art itself was perfect in every way except it had one risk, the user ran a risk of having his or her body possessed by the ancient spirit if they were not careful. Every user needed to have a powerful sense of self and willpower to be able to cultivate the art.
They would continuously cultivate the art to achieve resonance with the ancient spirit they had drawn. The spirit that was drawn was unique to each user. It could be a humanoid, a spirit beast, or a spiritual nt. What came out was entirely dependent on the qualities of the user.
With a spirit connected to the earth, they would have the ability to draw the force of the earth and they would also gain some unique abilities from those spirits. The deeper the resonance they had with the spirit, the more power they could exert from those abilities.
Yang Qing could detect a disintegrating powering from the wisp in his hand, in addition, there was something animal-like about it. He could feel a w strike behind the disintegrating power.
Yang Qing continued with his walk when the gold-red wisp disappeared from his hand. He continued sensing the qualities of the different energies around him as he walked. He didn''t dare use his spiritual sense in this ce for the risk of harming his soul. He used his yin-yang peerless jade physique as the conduit for his analysis.
Slowly by slowly, he made it deeper and deeper into the battleground with the energies bing more powerful, violent, and chaotic.
Glowing Dao glyph markings appeared on his body which formed a protective green-like barrier around his body.
When he went further in he could see a ck-purple smoke still eating away at the ground. Yang Qing crouched to one of the crevices producing it and with his hand that was releasing an ephemeral green light, he reached out his hand to the smoke.
The smoke seemed alive as it trembled with an almost lifelike sensation of fear. A radiant ethereal light was immediately released from Yang Qing''s hands which covered a potion of the ck-purple smoke.
"This should be from the obsidian serpent couple...mmmh, based on the noble auraing from it, this should be from the male serpent.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he sensed the intrinsic qualities within the smoke.
He didn''t linger too long on that crevice as he moved to another and then another not staying too long in one crevice. Every crevice he went to was specifically releasing the purple-ck smoke.
It looked like he was looking for something in particr. He only stopped when he reached a particr stump of a tree that was slowly melting away as it released the purple-ck smoke.
As he did before, Yang Qing released an ethereal golden light that encapsted the purple-ck smoke. Though the smoke reacted with a frantic tremble like the other purple-ck smoke he hade across this seemed weaker and less alive in some way.
"This should be from the female serpent. Now only the signature of their child is left, hopefully, some traces of it still remain.."muttered Yang Qing before his gaze lingered on the stump of the spring crystalrch tree.
Spring crystalrch trees were usually vibrant, resplendent, and full of life so infectious they transformed those around them by filling them with vibrancy and vigor. The tree looked like a polished gem that contained sun rays within it. One look at them and you would feel refreshed.
Those with the means to sustain them liked to keep them around because of their renewing and refreshing nature and were beautiful to look at. The fact that they only grew in ces with at least a high-grade spirit vein meant that not most could afford to keep them.
The spring crystalrch before Yang Qing was but a weathered husk of its former self. Itcked the life and vibrancymon with its kind and all it had was a bleak deste look and air, however, within it, Yang Qing sensed a stubbornness to hold on.
"You did well to hang on.." Yang Qing said as he ced his hands on it.
"As the only surviving resident of this ce maybe you can help me with something, it won''t be for free of course.." he added.
Even though he didn''t use his spiritual sense, Yang Qing could detect that within that area of utter destruction, that almost withering stump was the only living thing in the area.
He didn''t know whether it was because of the vitality dao he cultivated or his yin yang peerless jade physique or both, but he has always been sensitive to life. He never needed his spiritual sense to detect even the slightest signs of it. Conversely, he was also just as sensitive to the aura of death.
A faint weak light shed for a brief second before it disappeared.
"Thank you.." said Yang Qing with a smile.
Ever since he formed his peerless jade physique he always felt an intimate connection to things he didn''t before whether it was small birds that flew by his home, the herbs his brother grew when they were little, the tree he liked to sleep under, the dog that he chased around. He could feel their emotions and thoughts and that sensation grew with time.
Whether they werepletely sentient or not, no matter the species be it animal, nt, or even the earth beneath his feet, he could always sense their thoughts and emotions more so when he triggered the dao glyph markings of his physique which he sensed seemed to have grown stronger.
Yang Qing stretched his index finger over the stump and a green drop filled with a myriad of lights immediately formed at the tip of it containing an aura of life capable of supporting a whole ecosystem.
Spring of resplendence
The moment the drop made contact with the stump, the aura of vitality contained within the drop immediately burst forth within the body of the crystal springrch, and all the damage and miasma and other energies eroding its body were all purged in an instant.
The overflowing life energy within the drop then spread to every part of the stump, restoring and revitalizing it with a speed too fast for the eye to catch. The withering root was immediately restored and strengthened even further.
Massive web cracks appeared within the ground as the renewed root ballooned in size and started burrowing in all directions.
The life aura that was burning lowly like a candle wick about to go out was instantly renewed and now burned like the ming sun.
The stump that was barely hanging on started shedding off as a more radiant crystal formed from within with vivacious light swimming within it.
Inch by inch the crystal reformed as it moved upwards while releasing air that carried the promise of life and renewal. It felt like the earth was breathing again after a period of slumber and bleak darkness.
Within seconds the stump had transformed into a mature fully formed tree filled with lush leaves that released the scented fresh air of the vibrancy of spring while the crystal that formed its body released a warm gentle glow that weed all into its embrace filling them with liveliness and a sense of excitement and jubnce to wee the season of spring.
The swimming lights within its crystal body that seemed to dance with yful joy, the earthy refreshing scent of the lush emerald leaves, and the gentle rustling of the leaves created an intoxicating atmosphere of rxation and invigorating beauty of nature''s essence.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the scene before him. He always felt a sense of awe and humility in such scenes. Whether it was his peerless jade physique or the crystal springrch all these were gifts bestowed upon them by nature itself. Cultivators couldn''t replicate it no matter how powerful they seemed.
Every time Yang Qing saw its essence in action, he couldn''t help but be awed by it. Him getting the yin yang peerless jade physique was one of the greatest things to happen to him. Even cultivating the myriad world universal resonant light cultivation world cultivation art was an unexpected fortune for him. It helped him see and experience a world he would have never imagined.
The leaves of the crystal springrch rustled with excitement almost as if to thank Yang Qing.
Yang Qing gently ced his hands on its back with a smile as he sensed the jubnt emotions within.
After a few seconds, he took his hands off the bark as he delved deeper into the area.
"I''ll need your help in a bit.." Yang Qing said as he walked in with his eyes closed to which the crystal springrch released colorful lights in response.
Chapter 607 The earth gives, the earth takes
Chapter 607 The earth gives, the earth takes
The fluctuations and remnant energies got more chaotic the deeper he went in. Anyone at the core formation and below would not be able to survive in the area. Just any single wisp of the remnant energy would be able to destroy them both body and soul.
As he walked in Yang Qing spotted a grey saber energy. The saber energy was chilling cold like the abyss and it was apanied by deathly cries that looked to corrupt someone''s mind and turn them frenzied.
It didn''t take him too long for Yang Qing to guess that the saber energy more than likely belonged to one of the deacons of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate.
The Syndicate was famous for specializing in spells and arts that distorted the mind. Next to the saber energy, there was also another remnant energy. It was ghostly pale white and carried an air of corruption. The energy continuously tainted the spiritual qi and even the other energies around it, though its attempt at thetter wasn''t sessful.
Moving a little further in Yang Qing spotted a nebulous ck swirling energy with motes of gold and red light mixing within it. Seeing it made one feel like they were staring at the deepest recess of space with its suffocating darkness and few stars around it.
Yang Qing detected a turbulent and taboo energy contained within it along with it was an ebbing life force.
"This should be from the sacrificial move made by the royal guards.." Yang Qing said with a sigh as he felt the fleeting lingering emotion contained within the swirling energy. The emotion seemed to portray one thing unbending determination.
It resembled the same air and will that surrounded the capital of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Yang Qing finally stopped at what seemed to be the center of the battleground. All the energy he had passed along the way was all concentrated in that energy still engaged in fiercebat.
Whether it was the miasma attacks from the obsidian serpent couple, Hao Da''s sword energy, the Branch Chief''s earth energy that carried ferocious ancient energy, the deathly saber energy, the ghostly corrupting energy, the taboo power from the royal guards, along with other attacks which Yang Qing surmised were from the other members who had been present such as the three princes and the two inquisitors from the Order.
The only energy that seemed to be missing was the one from the child of the obsidian serpents despite it being the trigger for the whole battle.
Yang Qing wasn''t too surprised that it was absent considering how easily defeated it was, it likely didn''t have time tounch any attack even until its death.
Yang Qing wasn''t too discouraged by it because when it came to the child of the obsidian serpent, he wasn''t interested in the traces left behind by its attack but something else, something that would either prove or disprove his conjecture.
His eyes lit up when it fell on a particr area within the crack-filled ground. The ground was just like any other ce around the area. It was filled with turbulent energy colliding against each other as they constantly ate away at the ground below.
But within that chaotic mess, Yang Qing sensed something, it was ephemeral, but it was as clear as day to him.
Yang Qing walked to the area, crouched down, and with his hands acting like a shovel, he scooped up the disintegrating soil below. It was ground to the point it looked like gold dust. Yang Qing sifted through the dust before his gaze fell on two grains.
"This must be her blood.." muttered Yang Qing as the dao glyph markings on his hands let out an intense glow and the green aura surrounding his body got deeper.
To themon eye, there was nothing within those grains even a core formation expert with a strong soul and his/her spiritual sense deployed would miss it, even some early pce stage experts would easily miss it, but to Yang Qing, the ephemeral feeling he felt before was as clear as day.
He could hear the sound of a faint roar followed by the crashing of a sea of waves. Thanks to his Yin Yang peerless jade bones and the vitality Dao added to it, he was extremely sensitive to all auras of life that came in all manner of forms.
The two grains within his hands though didn''t look any different from the rest, had one trait that set them apart from the rest, they were coated with blood at some point. Even though it was erased by the chaotic energies around it, its life imprint remained which Yang Qing was able to sense.
All throughout the battlefield, he could sense blood life imprints of all the fighters that were in the area except for the two deacons of the Soul me Crow Syndicate which was fairly understandable considering if they left their blood behind it was easy for them to be tracked by having their karma deduced through their blood or even cursed.
They rarely leave any blood traces even at the cost of their lives.
But whether it was Hao Da, the branch chief, the inquisitors, the princes, the royal guards, or the obsidian serpent couple, Yang Qing could sense their blood imprints all over the battleground.
They were like twinkling starlights in this chaotic mess while that of Hao Da, the branch chief, and the two obsidian serpents were like the zing sun.
It was filled with vibrant lifeforce of powerful pce realm cultivators. Were a foundation-level spirit beast or spiritual nt to attempt to absorb just a tiny drop of blood from a pce realm cultivator, their bodies would instantly explode. The blood also could copse their minds since it had dao traces of the pce realm cultivator.
"The earth gives and the earth takes.." Yang Qing thought when he saw the littered blood all around.
After a decade the blood that had soaked this ground will turn this wastnd into a blessed ground of cultivation. The spiritual energy and attainments contained within those blood samples would over time dpose and and integrate into the earth and air they were deposited in.
Everything the cultivator has received, he or she would return it all back upon their death. Battlegrounds like the one Yang Qing was standing on were considered prime farming grounds for harvesting all sorts of resources suitable for cultivation. The spiritual qi of an area that had experienced great bloodshed and even death of cultivators would experience a resurgence in spiritual qi and even unique natural resources would appear.
There were some spiritual herbs and metals that required the blood of cultivators for them to form or mature while others even went to the extent of requiring the lifeforce and cultivation base of a cultivator.
Provided one took care of the corpse miasma and resentful energymonly found in ces that had experienced great bloodshed and death one stood to harvest a lot which was why there were somerge kingdoms and empires that constantly engaged in warfare.
Those of low station thought the constant wars they had were because of an unreconcble feud over something among the different kingdoms but the reality couldn''t be further from it. The higher-ups of the different kingdoms meet and pren those fights and arrange everything down to even eptable casualties and how they are going to split the resourcester after the cultivators'' bodies have been refined by the earth.
The Order''s presence has reduced such cases but even now they were still prevalent. Some even went to the extent of making deals with blood-fiend cultivators for that purpose. The amount of things that one could harvest from a cultivator''s body was endless which is what constantly provokes the greed of most.
Of course that was up to a point. Yang Qing heard even to their deaths the bodies of those in the domain realm never dpose or lose the vitality and presence of the domain cultivator when they were alive.
Their bodies were immune to all sorts of attacks and would require a domain expert like themselves to harm it and since it contained the pressure of a domain expert, those below it would not be able to approach it without being crushed by the corpse''s pressure and Yang Qing even heard that the bodies of those in the middle stages going forward retained a trace of a remnant will that would be triggered if anyone tried to profane the body in any way. It acted like a sort of defense mechanism.
Countless died in an attempt to loot an area rumored to contain the corpse of a domain expert.
The darkness of the cultivation world continuously terrified Yang Qing the more he knew about it.
Yang Qing shook his head clear of those ominous thoughts as he sensed the qualities of the blood imprint in the two grains.
Chapter 608 Friend, Parent?
Chapter 608 Friend, Parent?
"It''s like I guessed the bloodline seems purer than the variant obsidian serpent. Was she born with the evolution in ce or was it a result of something else?" muttered Yang Qing as dao glyph markings constantly flushed in his pupils. One was golden yellow with the other being pure white.
The blood trace he just analyzed had the dense pure aura of a flood dragon and it was denser than what the one on the variant obsidian serpent released.
From the evidence Yang Qing guessed that the obsidian serpent couple had found something from a flood dragon which they passed on to their child or the child was born with an awakened flood dragon bloodline and the father was just a beneficiary of the fact.
Such cases were not all too strange among spirit beasts. Some progeny were able to awaken their ancestral bloodline at birth even if their parents had mediocre talents.
Even if Yang Qing had more or less confirmed one of his guesses, the question of how the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate even knew about it remained.
"I still have too little information to work with, maybe it could shed some light.." Yang Qing muttered as his gaze fell on the crystal springrch whose radiance was slowly illuminating and cleansing the air of destion and destruction that surrounded the area.
"Spring I need your help. Don''t be startled by what I am about to do, I will be essing some of the residual memory you have of this ce in a bit.." Yang Qing said as he sat in a lotus position.
The crystal springrch fluttered its leaves in response.
"Thanks.." Yang Qing said as his hands moved forming a flurry of seals thatbined to form a chain filled withplex runes and ethereal celestial lights.
Myriad world resonant chain
Yang Qing triggered one of the spells contained within his cultivation art called the Myriad world resonant chain. It worked simrly to the soulke memory lock seal except in the case of the myriad world resonant chain it wasn''t his memories he was working with but another party.
A resonant chain would be created then it would link two parties together. Yang Qing who was the controller would be able to see what the crystal springrch saw. The spell neededplete trust to be executed since both parties would be opening up their sea of consciousness for the chain to work.
A small seal filled with countless lights swirling together formed on Yang Qing''s forehead. One part of the resonant chain attached to that seal while the other end flew towards the crystal springrch. Once it reached the crystal springrch,?a seal simr to the one that was on Yang Qing''s forehead was released from the chain.
The seal triggered a reaction on the crystal springrch''s body as its body rippled like the surface of water as the chain plunged into its body.
With the connection established the countless runes contained within the chain lit up releasing a majestic celestial glow in the area.
Within Yang Qing''s mind, a blurry image appeared. It was that of what looked to be a young man whose presence zed like the sun, was as boundless as the ocean, and contained the verdant lifeforce of an entire ecosystem.
That figure slowly moved to the center of the image that was surrounded by a gloomy ck fog of death and with a wave of his hand the ck formed was eviscerated and was reced by a warm glow of resurgence and life.
"Is this how you see me?" Yang Qing muttered with a slight chuckle of embarrassment.
The figure he saw was of him from the perspective of the crystal springrch. Even though he liked others singing praises about him, he felt embarrassed when he saw the godly image the crystal springrch saw him as.
The blurry images were then switched. Yang Qing had chosen to start the memories from the moment he met the crystal springrch going back. Despite its risk, the beauty of the myriad world resonant chain was once the resonant chains were released and a sessful connection established,?Yang Qing as the controller could see through the memories of the other party as easily as his memories.
Maneuvering through the memories was as easy as him trying to recall his memories.
Moving backward the memory of the crystal springrch tree was filled with the constant gloomy ck smog of death before finally, the blurry image of two figures appeared. Yang Qing couldn''t tell much from the images. Their sex, age, and cultivation realm were indistinct.
"Should have expected as much after all spring isn''tpletely awakened. It still doesn''t have a spiritual sense of its own. All it can transmit is everything from its peripheral senses.." Yang Qing muttered with a sigh as he continued to observe the memory.
The two blurry images moved towards a particr area and then one of them took something out. Immediately after, another figure appeared.
The two figures seemed like they said something and then the third figure instantly transformed from a humanoid shape into a behemoth. It charged toward the two figures but the object held by one of them seemed to have done something to the behemoth as it halted its movements.
What happened next were faint images of the two figures moving around the behemoth. It looked like they were searching for something.
"Seems like Spring has a deep connection to the third figure.." muttered Yang Qing when he sensed the strong fluctuations that came from the crystal springrch.
Yang Qing tried to concentrate as much as he could on the two figures or the object they had used but he couldn''t glean much from it. The crystal springrch was too weak to sense any of the details.
"While I can''t see much at least it proves they knew about their child and came prepared but if they could restrain it this easily, how did it manage to call out for its parents?" muttered Yang Qing.
"Spring, did you know this figure?" Yang Qing said as he pointed to the behemoth.
There was a sudden fluctuation after which the scenery changed. The scene switched to a bright scene and within that scene was the behemoth figure moving toward the center of the scene. It looked like it was releasing something from its mouth and then left.
The lighting changed from bright to slightly dark, then when it was bright again the behemoth appeared and replicated its actions.
The same scene was reyed over and over then at some point, the behemoth transformed into a humanoid figure. The humanoid figure would approach the center of the image and produce something that would pour from its hand downward. After it finished, the humanoid figure would lie next to the center of the scene.
The same scene kept repeating over and over till it stopped at the scene where the two figures appeared.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw this. It now made sense to him why the crystal springrch tree stubbornly held on despite the pain the corrosion of the attacks left on its body.
"You were friends huh.... Though it''s more apt to say the figure was your parent.." said Yang Qing as he dispelled the resonant chain.
Chapter 609 Fortune that brings misfortune
Chapter 609 Fortune that brings misfortune
"I am sorry Spring.." said Yang Qing as he looked at the destruction around him that was still ongoing.
Though it would take considerable time, Yang Qing could cleanse the area of the violent energies wreaking havoc on each other and their surroundings, but with the case still fresh he couldn''t do it.
Considering the state it was currently in, the special inquisitors were likely not done with the location. Yang Qing couldn''t tamper with that.
"While I can''t restore this ce to what it once was at the moment, maybe you could do it.." Yang Qing said as he transmitted something via the resonant chain.
"This art is called the golden earth luminescence resurgence art. You may not understand it at the moment but just follow the pattern that I am showing and slowly by slowly you''ll gain familiarity with it.."
Yang Qing created a pseudo-image of himself in the consciousness of the crystal springrch which he used to circte the art he had just transmitted.
The movements were slow, a deliberate move from Yang Qing. Along with the movement Yang Qing''s pseudo-image muttered an incantation that went along with his circtions.
"Since I don''t know when I will be back here again after my tenure as branch chief is over, I might as well leave the whole thing here.
Launching the soulke memory lock seal again in just a day. I didn''t think I''d work this hard..." muttered Yang Qing with a tired sigh as his pupils turned into two pristine white full moons apanied by a transformation of his hair that turned white.
Yang Qing''s expression turned solemn as he was basicallyunching two intricately sensitive arts at the same time when just one required extreme concentration on his part.
Using the resonant chain as a conduit, he created a seal within the consciousness of the crystal springrch.
Various lights interweaved together around the pseudo figure of Yang Qing eventually transforming it into a golden tree that looked like it had been sculpted from the mes of the sun while the ground below it transformed into a radiant earth that surged like the waves of the ocean.
A scroll appeared in front of the tree and swallowed the tree and surging earth.
"You can ess it with a thought, spring. I wille by over the next few days to help you gain a little bit of understanding in it and then you can continue by yourself.." Yang Qing said as he canceled both the soulke memory lock seal and the myriad thoughts resonant chain art.
Beads of sweat could be seen forming on his forehead after he had canceled both arts. He had not sustained the arts for long but he felt like he had done a mental taxing activity for months on end without stopping.
Luckily the expenditure this time was not as high on his soul as it had been the previous day. After a few seconds, the exhaustion started leaving Yang Qing''s body with his soul constantly renewing itself.
"Spring, I''lle by tomorrow. Thank you for everything.." Yang Qing said as he patted the crystal springrch on his way out.
The cultivation art he had just shared with it was one of the few good cultivation arts he had managed to find on his numerous visits to the cultivation market.
At the time he had bought a brown marble stone that had a pleasant smell which he thought would improve the test of his soup if he boiled the soup together with the marble stone.
He had used his spiritual sense to see if there was anything special with the marble stone. He was half hoping for there to be a legendary tantalizing ingredient stored within but sadly other than the gentle aromatic scent it released there was nothing special with the marble.
After haggling he eventually managed to get the stone for 15 middle-grade spirit stones. He tried fiddling around with it after buying it, unreconciled that there was nothing special with it, but after a dozen failures, he decided to use it as a renewable condiment for his soup.
The taste was better than he expected and that 15 middle-grade spirit stones looked like a great steal. It was onlyter when he was boiling meat from a pumice-scaled crocodile that he identally unlocked something within the marble.
Pumice-scaled crocodiles were notorious for their ability to withstand high temperatures thanks to their pumice coating. Other than their outward hardiness, they had the most tender flesh that just a wiggle of the tongue was enough to break them apart.
Yang Qing like he always did, used his yang mes to boil the pumice off the crocodile meat he had on hand while the marble was in there. His mes immediately got swallowed by the marble which melted away revealing a golden wood that had the rich smell of earth with inscrutable markings on it that seemed to resonate with Yang Qing''s yang mes.
Without much investigation on his part since his mes seemed to work like a key, he discovered a low tier blue grade cultivation art within that wood, and that art was none other than the golden earth luminescence resurgent cultivation art.
It was a meditation art that synchronized the user''s body with the earth and the sun using the user as the midpoint between the two. Over time it strengthened the user''s body and mind by making their souls burn like the sun''s mes and their bodies were as robust as the earth.
The user would gain passive immunity to poisons and miasma, especially yin-rted poisons and miasma. That immunity even extended to corpse miasma.
It was a great and versatile technique to have except it was a slow-burn cultivation art that required the user to be still for long periods for them to have any harvest. During the day one absorbed the rays of the sun and during the night one absorbed the essence of the earth making oneplete cycle.
It requiredplete stillness which was perfect for ascetics and now the crystal springrch. The requirements of the technique coupled with its already natural ability to draw energy from the stars including the sun made the art perfect for it even if it was built with human cultivators in mind. It solely being a meditation art eliminated those racial hurdles.
Yang Qing had a feeling that the crystal springrch would have unexpected changes thanks to the art. As he was leaving he couldn''t help but sigh when his thoughts fell on the meditation art. He always had a bittersweet association with it.
On one hand, he managed to get a low-tier blue-grade cultivation art for cheap but on the other hand, he lost the perfect renewable condiment. The marble couldn''t restore itself and he didn''t have a clue on the materials or technique involved in creating it.
He wouldn''t dare admit this out loud even among friends and family for fear of receiving a beating but deep down he knew he would rather have the marble than the blue-grade meditation art. His peerless physique already gave him immunity to all kinds of poisons across a wider range than even the art itself. He didn''t need it.
But when it came to the marble, it gave him something he didn''t know he needed until he had it. His homemade soup experienced leaps in vor thanks to the marble and now he couldn''t savor that taste. He barely even makes soup anymore because he can''t stand the grief it brings.
"Hopefully something goodes out of the sacrifice.." Yang Qing wistfully thought as he made his way to his final stop of the day which was the location of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore.
Chapter 610 Are you trying to rob me?
Chapter 610 Are you trying to rob me?
Yang Qing had two goals for visiting the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree; one he hoped to harvest some of its fruits which was a great wine ingredient and the other was no one knew they of thend better than the locals.
The parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree was among the list of perilous zones that they had shared with the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Ifpared to the rest, it was the least perilous zone in the area. Other than its hypnotizing and parasitizing effects, it wasn''t considered to be a dangerous being considering most of its victims were usually corpses.
The reason Yang Qing thought it would be a good source of information was because of its nature. The main body was weak and mostly subdued its opponents through befuddlement, paralyzing, and illusory techniques.
If one was immune to its means and made it to the main body they could easily destroy it without the slightest of resistance.
To ensure its safety other than the mind-based attacks, it was great at gathering information around its immediate surroundings and even further. It releases millions of spores which when spread about act as sensory carriers for the main body along with the parasitizing effect that they have.
The spores are unassuming and can seamlessly meld with any surroundings they are deposited under making them excellent collectors and carriers of information.
Yang Qing hoped to ''buy'' some of the information it had and with what he had to trade he was sure it would even sell out its closest kin with no hesitation for the chance to acquire.
Yang Qing chuckled in glee as he rubbed his hands on a handful of green leaves that had a gentle cloak of green mes surrounding them.
The ming leaves in his hands were his guarantee. With them in hand, he could ask the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree to give up three-quarters of its branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits in exchange for the leaves and it would dly do so feeling it had gotten the better of the deal.
Yang Qing with an anticipatory glee on his face quickly made his way to its territory.
It was quite a fair distance from the battleground so it took him fifteen minutes of flying at full speed before he reached its territory.
Yang Qing halted when he was at the periphery of its territory. Before him was a picturesque scene of verdant trees, lush vegetation, crystal clear stream, birds and insects moving about the colorful flowers collecting nectar while an innocent-looking doe bent down to take a drink from the stream so pure and clean it would incite thirst from anyone no matter how perched you were.
However, all this was nothing but an illusion created by the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.
The true scene waspletely different. It was rocky with no vegetation in sight and the only thing in ce was a cavern that had been hollowed out at the top where a pink mystical crown could be seen.
"Its illusory abilities are quite something.." muttered Yang Qing as he saw the scene around him change from the picture of tranquility it was before to a picture of terrifying havoc. Before him stood a tiger that was the size of a mountain radiating a ferocious aura surrounded by the baleful aura of one that had ughtered millions.
It was so palpable that Yang Qing could smell the stench of blood being released from its mouth as it let out an earth-shattering roar.
Of course, it was nothing but an illusion but it was capable of fooling the senses. Anybody below the pce realm would likely fall victim to it without a struggle or even knowing that they had fallen victim to an illusion.
"Sorry to intrude on your territory. I haven''te with ill intentions. I was hoping we could have a chat. My name is Yang Qing.." said Yang Qing as he walked inside the cavern ignoring the massive tiger that was jumping at him that puffed into smoke once it reached his body.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw the breathtaking view that was inside the cavern. It was in stark contrast to the dry destion that was outside.
Inside the cavern was a small pond that was crystal ck. It made one feel like they were staring at the night sky that had just a little bit of moon radiance shine on it and the center of thatke was a 15-meter tree that was the highlight of the whole cavern.
The tree had pink leaves and purple flowers that let out a radiant ethereal and charming luster. The lighting and beauty of its leaves and flowers reflecting against the dark back made it seem like within the cavern was a night festival with celebratory colorfulnterns lit all around.
The flowers released white spores that twinkled like the stars in the sky. The whole tree was a work of magnificent beauty surrounded by enchanting floral scents and a gentle ambiance that melded perfectly with the silence of the cavern.
One look at it and Yang Qing felt the urge to drink wine as he indulged his nostalgic memories.
Yang Qing took a step forward and the leaves and flowers fluttered with a?sense of rm which prompted Yang Qing to stop.
"Like I said I haven''te with ill intentions I have juste here to talk.." Yang Qing gently said as his gaze lit up when it fell on the more than a dozen crystalline red fruits with stripes of purple and white that were growing on the tree before.
"All ripe!!!" thought Yang Qing with unconcealed excitement.
The tree seemed to have sensed something from Yang Qing''s gaze as its branches and leaves started trembling immediately which prompted Yang Qing to smile in embarrassment.
"I am willing to trade this.." Yang Qing said as he took out a handful of leaves surrounded by a green me.
The purple flowers instantly burst open as the millions of spores exploded out of them. The ink-ck pond rippled from the radiant energy being released by every part of the tree that made even the cavern tremble.
A small smile tugged on Yang Qing''s lips when he saw the reaction.
"Give it to me..." an alluring charming voice sounded immediately after.
One of the fruits rippled and immediately transformed into ady who was of simr age to Yang Qing. She looked to be in her twenties and had pink hair that reached to her waist, a purple floral dress, deep ck eyes, and an enchanting beauty capable of capturing every soul that set eyes on her.
Thedy instantlyunched herself toward Yang Qing with her fervent gaze locked on the green ming leaves in his hands.
Just when she was inches away from Yang Qing she felt a force lock her in ce as a calm empyrean voice instantly quelled the frantic emotions within her.
"Are you trying to rob me?"
Chapter 611 Adler and Lady Gild
Chapter 611 Adler and Lady Gild
Yang Qing''s calm voice sounded like a thunderp in the youngdy''s mind.
Her pupils shrunk with rity mixed in with dread showing in them.
After a bit of hesitation, she meekly said,
"You said you wanted to trade, i..i...I am not stealing, Am I?"
Her stuttering voice did little to make her case along with the eyes that were darting around looking at everything around the room but Yang Qing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but touch his face as he wondered if he was that scary.
Yang Qing shook his head with a slight chuckle at the awkward disy from the youngdy.
She was an absolute stunner that would bewitch the minds of many but currently, she was a bundle of nerves. Her face exhibited contrasting emotions. She had fear and excitement both trying to exert dominance over the other.
Yang Qing despite trying to hold it back couldn''t help butugh at the scene which inadvertently made the youngdy flinch before she hesitantly looked up.
"How old are you?" asked Yang Qing when he noticed her almost naive innocent behavior.
The youngdy plopped to the ground when Yang Qing removed his restriction.
Even falling she managed to make it look alluring.
The youngdy pushed some of her pink hair that had covered her eyes during the fall to the side as she said,
"I am not quite sure.."
She twirled her hair with her finger seemingly in deep thought.
"I can''t remember but I should be the same age as adler. He used toe and hide here when he was a cub every time he angereddy gild.."
A strange twinkling appeared in her eyes followed by pearlyughter.
"Who are adler and Lady Gild?" curiously asked Yang Qing.
From one of the names he had a guess, it might be the fire adler bear but this Lady Gild was aplete mystery.
Also, he couldn''t help but have a strange look when he saw the enchanting empress-lookingdy before him. If she was the same age as the fire adler bear then at the very least she was 10,000 years old.
He couldn''t help but sigh at the absurd lifespans of spirit beasts and spiritual nts. They didn''t have the same degree of adaptability and speed as humans did when it came to the improvement of their cultivation realms or versatility in the cultivation arts they could practice. Still, they were born with a few advantages of their own such as innate abilities and long lifespans.
"Adler is adler and Lady Gild is Lady Gild.." answered the youngdy with a matter-of-fact tone and a gaze that seemed to imply,
"How don''t you know about them? Everybody at our level should know.."
Yang Qing put on a smile that wasn''t a smile as he fought the urge to destroy the leaves in his hand out of spite.
"I am not from here so I haven''t heard about them. Is Adler a fire adler bear?"
To stop thedy from giving him the look like he was some sort of an airhead, he decided to take a gander at who the Adler she mentioned might be.
The youngdy looked at him strangely like she was trying to see through him and didn''t believe himpletely before she nodded as she said,
"There are not that many fire adler bears around here, at least, as far as I know, he is the only one not unless he went and found himself a wife and had a child.
But no, there is no way he would do that.."
The youngdy shook her hands dismissively as she smiled.
"With that incorrigible behavior of his ofzying around all day doing nothing but eat empyrean wasp honey, sleep, and mock others endlessly, there''s no way he''d go find a spouse let alone find one willing to tolerate him.
Even his master, despite Lady Gild''s gentle personality, couldn''t stand him and was pushed to maddening anger by him a lot, she even vomited blood a few times because of it.."
The youngdy couldn''t help but show a sympathetic look as she said this.
"She ended up leaving for parts unknown to calm her mind. It''s been a few thousand years since she left. I don''t have anyone to sing to me because of it, and adler stoppeding out as he used to when she left..."
A deep mncholic look appeared on her face as she sighed with sadness.
"I wonder if it''s guilt or he has been asleep all this time.." she muttered as she put one of her slender jade hands below her chin in deep contemtion.
Yang Qing meanwhile had a deep look as thoughts constantly swirled in his mind.
The fire adler bear having a master wasn''t something he expected as it wasn''t somethingmon among spirit beasts, though it has been seen here and there. But the only spirit beasts who usually exercised such a practice were those who had some interaction with humans and borrowed the custom from them and secondly more often than not they were usually powerful enough to not need to cannibalize a fellow spirit beast to grow their strength.
The quickest way for spirit beasts to improve their cultivation realm, especially in the lower realms was to cannibalize each other.
It was fast, the foundations were not shaky, and if one was to consider one drawback for growing their strength this way was the spirit beasts ran a risk of bing frenzied the more they did it, but even then the issue could be easily remedied with a strong willpower, natural herbs that clear the mind and strengthen the spirit, or if the spirit beast only goes for the wisdom pearl that risk is eliminated.
Therefore spirit beasts usually saw each other as delectable and precious resources for rapidly growing their strength and would only stop doing so the more powerful they became because at that point their understanding of dao would be the only thing that would be able to push them forward.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder how powerful the fire adler bear master was. For him, it stood to reason at the very least she had reached the pce realm considering the bear''s current realm and when she disappeared.
"How powerful was she?" Yang Qing finally asked.
"Very.." the youngdy said with fervent worshiping eyes.
"No matter how strong Adler became, he would suffer the same wless beating as he did when he was a cub.
A single flick would send him wailing for weeks.."
The youngdy animatedly stood up as she did a finger flick with an excited expression as she envisioned herself pulling the same move on the bear.
"She could be at the domain realm.." muttered Yang Qing.
"Do you know what type of spirit beast she was?"
The youngdy suddenly froze as she warily looked at Yang Qing.
"Why do you ask? is that the help you were talking about?"
Qi fluctuations appeared around her body and the tree at the back as the dark water rippled.
Even though she looked fearful, there was a staunch determination underneath.
"No, I was just curious since you were speaking so highly of her.." Yang Qing said with a wry smile when he saw her cautious look.
"Mister I''ll say this upfront even if those leaves are precious and life-changing for me, I won''t betray my friends for it.." the youngdy staunchly said.
"I am sorry if my question offended you, and I assure you I am not asking you to betray anyone. You''re free to refuse if you feel what I''m asking is too much. I won''t take any offense.." Yang Qing gently said.
The youngdy looked at him for a short while before her expression eased up and the fluctuations subsided.
"I don''t know her form, I''ve only ever seen her in her human form which was filled with grace and gentle majesty.
No matter how much I try, I can''t copy her essence.."she wistfully said as she used one of the clear marble rocks next to her to look at her image.
Yang Qing''s gaze flickered slightly from her response.
Chapter 612 A protected irony
Chapter 612 A protected irony
Yang Qing had to cough twice to draw the youngdy''s attention whose mind seemed to have drifted elsewhere.
"The thing I needed your help with is concerning them?" Yang Qing said as he used a water spell to create images of the obsidian couple, the two deacons of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate, the five family heads of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, the imperial secretary, the chancellor, the consorts and the princes and the royal pce realm guard he had met outside the assembly hall.
"Have you ever seen any one of them with your spores?" asked Yang Qing.
The youngdy pulled herself up from the ground as she skipped over to analyze the images Yang Qing had formed with achild-like excitement shining in her eyes as she admired the exquisiteness of the images.
"Mister, can you teach me this? I am sure my illusions will be even more lifelike.."
Yang Qing almost coughed blood from being called mister.
How are you trying to act like the junior here? you are at least 5,000 times my age..
"The art is nothing much, when we are done here I will teach it to you.."
The youngdy gingerly pped her hands in excitement as she thanked Yang Qing with a clumsy daoist salute that she imed the ''Lady Gild'' had taught her.
She then leaned forward and examined each of the images before she finally replied,
"I''ve never seen them.."
"But you have, haven''t you?" immediately answered Yang Qing which made the youngdy flinch.
Though she tried to hide it, Yang Qing noticed a nigh imperceptible reaction when her gaze was on the elderly couple.
"Mister you are putting me in a tough spot," said thedy with a sigh.
"What is it that you''re truly after? I can''t answer without knowing. It''s not me prying into your business but there are things I can say or can''t say depending on your response as it touches on my affairs.."
Seeing her austere expression, Yang Qing sighed as he decided to reveal a little bit of his intentions.
"I am sure you are aware of the fight that happened a week ago some fair distance away from here.."
"What of it?" the youngdy warily asked.
"Some of my friends got injured badly during the fight and some died. I am trying to find out what happened and the information I have is too small for me to make anything of it, which is why I need your help.."
The youngdy''s expression suddenly shifted as turn cold.
"Are you from the Deer Mountain Kingdom?"
"I am not.." answered Yang Qing while he noted it seemed that the youngdy didn''t have the best impression of the kingdom.
The youngdy stared at him for a bit before she answered,
"I know the two of them.." she said as she pointed at the elderly couple.
"Adler doesn''t have a lot of friends but these two could be considered as one..
Can I ask you something?" she asked with a slight hesitation asplicated light shed in her eyes.
"You can.."
" Are they dead?"
"They are not.."
A look of relief appeared on her face when Yang Qing gave his response.
"At least Adler won''t go on a rampage. Despite his deplorable habits, he always seemed different whenever he talked about them and their daughter, especially their daughter. It was one of the few rare asions that he acted maturely like a kind senior.
The face he made whenever he talked about their daughter...I am sure Lady Gild would have enjoyed seeing it.." said the youngdy with a slight chuckle.
"That daughter....died.." said Yang Qing with a sigh.
"What?!" said the youngdy as her expression turned livid.
"Was it the Deer Mountain Kingdom? After what they did back then, they have only survived because of Lady Gild''s interventions. If not all those old monsters both the ones here and the others traveling around would have long destroyed their kingdom.
And now they dare do this?! Knowing his temperament and without Lady Gild to hold his leash, Adler is sure to go on a rampage and fight the entire kingdom to the death!!"thedy frantically said as she started walking around impatience.
"It wasn''t them.." said Yang Qing as he infused his voice with a charm that helped reduce the agitation on the youngdy.
"Not them? then Who?"
"It''s these two..." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the images of the two members of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate.
Yang Qing had no doubt that the portrayed images were more than likely fakes, and the two deacons had long changed their appearances by now.
His hope was they used those same appearances to conduct their investigations around the Deer Mountain Range, and maybe, just maybe, the spores of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree caught sight of them at one point or another.
"Who are they?" asked the youngdy as she stood close to the images trying tomit even the tiniest of freckles to memory.
Yang Qing went ahead and exined their background and that of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate along with the battle that happened after and the results.
"This is what you needed my help with?"
"Yes.."
"But I wasn''t there, I don''t know how much help I can be. I don''t spread my spores so close to the territories of others to respect their space and avoid any misunderstandings that may arise from it.
And after Adler stoppeding over and Lady Glid went on her journey, I barely paid attention to what happened around me other than sourcing for a few corpses. I usually ignore the rest.."
"You may have not paid any particr attention but you may have noticed something you''re not aware of.
These two clearly knew about the obsidian couple''s daughter beforehand seeing how easily they killed her. They must have scouted her beforehand and made sufficient ns for them to pull it off as smoothly as they did.
Your spores may have picked up something, anything.
When Adler mentioned the daughter, did he ever mention anything special about her, something that stood out even against her parents?"
The youngdy held her chin in deep contemtion as she tried to recall her interactions with the fire adler bear.
"Well he did mention how smart she was smarter than her obstinate father but then again Adler liked bad-mouthing everyone. I am sure that incorrigible bear has done the same to me.." she said as a vicious glint appeared in her eyes before it went back to normal.
"Though I do remember there was a time he came cheerier than usual with a smug expression on his face iming how Lady Glid would praise him to no end.
He didn''t exin much of what he did but I know it was tied to the couple and the daughter. No matter how much I pressed him he just smiled cockily trying to act all mysterious. I wished Lady Glid was there to beat his face in.." she said as she punched her hand over and over imagining the smug face of the fire adler bear.
Chapter 613 Growing clues
Chapter 613 Growing clues
Seeing the youngdy get heated up, Yang Qing decided to interrupt her by asking about the rest of the images he had created.
"Are you sure you''ve never seen any of them? It doesn''t have to be around the territory of the obsidian couple it could be anywhere else..."
The youngdy paused her imaginary beating of the adler bear and looked up. Seeing the imploring look on Yang Qing''s face prompted her to look at the remaining images again despite having imed she had never seen any of them.
After giving them a once over she shook her head as she said,
"I really haven''t seen any of them before. Who are they?"
"They are from the Deer Mountain Kingdom and have some rtion with the princes who died in the fight and the perished royal guards.
It was the Deer Mountain Kingdom who first noticed the traces of these two deacons. I was hoping maybe your spores caught one of them in the course of their investigation.."
Yang Qing decided to avoid saying he suspected them of colluding with the two deacons. The youngdy already had a sour impression of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, he didn''t want to add to it further, especially after discovering her deep rtionship with the fire adler bear.
If he revealed his suspicions she would more than likely reveal them to the bear when he came by and from the character description she gave and the close rtionship it had with the daughter of the obsidian serpents, there was no doubt it would instantly attack them.
Still unwilling to give up, Yang Qing decided to probe further.
"You may have not seen any of them specifically but have you seen any humans that resemble these five walking about?"
Yang Qing dispelled the other images only leaving the image of the five family heads.
"I have not seen anyone resembling him but the badger did say he once fought with someone that closely matches his description, though he seemed a bit older..." the youngdy said as she pointed to the heroic-looking Zhang family head.
"Tha badger?" asked Yang Qing in befuddlement.
The more Yang Qing conversed with the youngdy, the more Yang Qing felt that thepiled list given to him by Ye Xun about the 13 perilous zones seemed to becking.
The youngdy had mentioned the old monsters being held back by the Lady Gild which Yang Qing assumed were some of the survivors from the tumultuous war back then.
If some of the spirit beasts involved back then had survived to date, they should be in the pce realm at the very least, but the list he was given didn''t seem to contain a lot of them, it only had six of them, seven if he counted the mild natured mountain jade serpent.
Yang Qing increasingly felt there were spirit beasts who escaped the survey and considering the survey was done by domain experts, it meant that more than likely they were not around when the survey was being done, like the unfathomable Lady Gild that the youngdy clearly idolized.
"uhm... he is what you humans would call a fellow disciple of Adler. The Badger likesbat, obsessively so, at that. He likes finding strong opponents to duel with and that eventually led him to Lady Glid.
Sometimes I''m left wondering what goes on in his mind, well Adler too, but mostly him.." she said as she shook her head in exasperation.
"He failed to defeat Adler but somehow in his mind, he thought he could beat Lady Gild. He got pped for all his efforts and was unconscious for four months as a result.
When he came to, he pestered Lady Gild to ept him as a disciple. Lady Gild didn''t want to at first considering he was just as much of a headache as Adler was but the Badger was relentless and had a thick skin and eventually, she relented.
The two disciples immediately became close over shared beatings.."
"The person he fought, did he say who it was?" Yang Qing curiously asked.
"No, he never mentioned the name, he only said that person was one of the few humans he could find himself respecting because of the breadth of their spirit and abilities. Which was something considering Badger doesn''t like humans that much.
Of course, even though he praised that human he still cursed him to no end afterward as he licked his wounds from the defeat he suffered from their yearly bouts.
Come to think of it, thisst defeat was thest time I saw him. He left soon after for parts unknown to train himself..."
"How long has it been since he left?"
"Not long, about 70 years.." answered the youngdy as a lonely look appeared on her face.
"I wonder if they wille back.." she said with a sigh.
A somber mood drowned the ce without any of them speaking.
"I am sorry I didn''t have much to share.." said the youngdy as she tried to smile to wash away the loneliness.
"No, you''ve helped plenty enough.." answered Yang Qing with a polite smile.
The gaze of the youngdy flickered as something seemed toe to her.
"I don''t know if this will help but the Adler did mention there were a few areas he liked to go with the daughter of the obsidian serpents.
I don''t know if she kept going there, but we are creatures of habit so maybe she still kept going to those ces even after Adler stopped taking her.
Maybe you might find a few clues there.." said the youngdy after some thought.
"That''s great! Thank you.." said Yang Qing with a lit-up expression.
However, his excitement was cut short when something unexpected happened.
The youngdy approached Yang Qing and started sniffing him.
"You!..you...what are you doing?" Yang Qing''s voice stammered as he pushed thedy back.
"You smell nice.." said the youngdy with shining eyes.
"When you came I sensed a deep ethereal drawing scenting from you and now it''s even more distinctive, it even seems to dull the essence of the green me leaves. I wonder why that is? what''s that smell? I have never felt anything like it..." she curiously asked as she looked Yang Qing up and down.
Yang Qing hurriedlyposed himself as he nonchntly answered,
"It''s nothing, maybe it''s just me.."
"Don''t try to sniff me again. It''s not proper.." he hurriedly answered which drew a peal ofughter from the youngdy.
"Fine.." she gently said.
Chapter 614 Unexpected guest
Chapter 614 Unexpected guest
After rposing himself, Yang Qing took out the ming leaves and handed them to the youngdy.
"This is yours, you deserve it, also you can have this. It should help with your pond. It''s an azure pearlrose produced by a deepwater frost oyster. It should improve the yin essence of your pond.." Yang Qing said as he pulled out a small pearl that released an incandescent glow that was a mixture of pink and blue surrounded by a frosty glow.
The temperature in the cavern dropped tremendously when it appeared.
The youngdy''s eyes instantly lit up when she saw this.
"You''re giving me this?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes.." Yang Qing gently answered.
The youngdy suddenly went on guard as she warily stared at Yang Qing while asking,
"What is it you want, mister? Lady Gild said humans never do anything for nothing. The green ming leaves are already plenty.
Do you...do you...want to marry me? I am sorry mister but this body isn''t real and is just a clone I built with my fruits. I can only maintain it within a 5-kilometer range of my main body.." said the woman as she pointed at the tree behind her.
Her demeanor suddenly changed as she turned shy with her head lowered as she said,
"but if you stay here, I could consider it and I heard from Lady Gild if I reach the domain realm my body can go further and if I reach the soul formation realm there is nowhere I can''t travel.
I don''t know how long it will take for me to reach the soul formation, but if you''re willing to wait, I''ll ept your proposal then.."
Her voice turned bashful and low toward the end.
From the moment Yang Qing walked within her territory she could feel a tantalizing scent she couldn''t quite exin. It was mystical and all-epassing like that of a mother tree from which all trees were birthed.
It was why despite her reservations, she found herself opening up and entertaining his questions. She felt a certain sense of affinity with him.
"Huh, what are you talking about?!" asked Yang Qing with a stupefied expression.
"You''re not proposing?" asked the youngdy with an innocent and dumbfounded expression.
"But Lady Gild said if a human gives you something expression they want to marry you.." she innocently added as she held her chin.
"What has Lady Gild been teaching you?! No, I am not asking you to marry me!!!!" Yang Qing said in exasperation as he hurriedly looked behind him for fear that someone might be eavesdropping on their conversation.
This was a misunderstanding he didn''t want floating around. He would never live it down if such information got around.
The clone before him was a looker but in essence, she was a fruit. He could already imagine Kang Hung''s mocking face as he mocked him endlessly and mercilessly for proposing to a fruit.
Yang Qing forcibly wiped away the imagined memory as he calmed his breathing.
"If you feel you''re profiting too much, then you can offer some of the fruits in exchange.." said Yang Qing with some wariness.
First sniffing, then proposal, he was worried about what this enchanting beauty before him might pull next.
"Fruits, you''re sure it''s enough?" dubiously asked the youngdy.
"Yes, it''s one of the reasons I came here. I have a friend that can make great wine with them.."
Rather than beat around the bush, Yang Qing decided to be upfront lest another misunderstanding urs.
"If that''s all you want, then you can have thirteen of the.." the young woman said with a look that said she didn''tpletely believe all Yang Qing wanted were just the fruits.
"It''s not that I''m being stingy, the rest aren''t ripe yet and I need a few of them to create clones, otherwise I would give them all to you.." she added, as if afraid Yang Qing would misunderstand her and take back the pearl.
The azure pearlrose was something instrumental to her cultivation same as the green me leaves. All her abilities especially the mind befuddling and illusory abilities were centered around yin energy.
At the bottom of the dark pond was a batch of yin essence midnight grass which supplied her with the much-needed yin energy for her cultivation and abilities. However, the level of yin energy contained in them had dwindled, and would continue to do so until she replenished them, and with her mobility issues her options were limited.
Her only means was if her spores managed to spot a corpse rich in yin energy and bring it back, but such creatures were rare even around the Deer Mountain Range.
The yin essence midnight grass was something Lady Gild had given her when she broke through to the core formation realm and 15,000 years have passed since then.
Over the years, the decreasing yin levels of the pond have been a growing concern for her especially with Lady Gild disappearing for almost 5,000 years,Adler sleeping or atoning for all the years she hasn''t seen him around or Badger gone to strengthen himself. Her options for remedying the situation were limited but with the azure pearlrose, those concerns were immediately dealt with.
She could sense that the yin energy within the pearl was capable of sustaining for at least a few thousand years and that was without taking the remaining yin essence midnight grass into ount.
With an agreement reached, the youngdy stretched out her hand and thirteen ripe red fruits with purple stripes appeared in her hand which she gave to Yang Qing who gave her the green leaves and the azure pearlrose.
The youngdy carefully ced the pearl into the dark pond which instantly transformed the dark pond''s look. It was no longer an ink-ck sky but now had a swirling blue-pink cluster within it. It felt like one was staring at the deep cosmos.
The current view of the pond coupled with the ethereal and majestic look of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree created a mesmerizing view that one could only imagine. Yang Qing felt like he had been transported to a starlight dreamscape.
"Would you like to share a drink with me?" asked Yang Qing as he soaked in the view that gave him the urge to have wine and fried scallops.
"Sure.." answered thedy with an enchanting and mesmerizing smile as she pulled her hair back behind her ears.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admit that Lady Gild whom she copied was a beauty.
Yang Qing took out a bamboo jar that contained frostberry wine brewed by Yi Jie and poured both he and the youngdy some while taking out a basket of crispy brown deep-fried scallops.
The duo toasted each other and each took a gulp.
"This is quite the sight. Drinking under such a sight makes the food and wine taste better.." Yang Qing said with an exuberated sigh.
"That it is.." said an unfamiliar voice that seemed to carry the echoes of eternity.
Yang Qing and the youngdy hurriedly turned toward the source of that voice which was a middle-aged man with greying white temples, a simple robe, and a brown conical hat.
He looked like a simple farmer out on a stroll but that simple-looking man had reached both Yang Qing and the youngdy without any of them sensing.
Yang Qing''s pupils shrunk as he could detect nothinging from the middle-aged man other than he was standing before him.
Chapter 615 Company under the resplendent view
Chapter 615 Company under the resplendent view
Not sensing anything meant one of two things, either the middle-aged before him had no cultivation base or it was so high beyond Yang Qing''s level ofprehension.
The fact that he was able to arrive next to him unnoticed, Yang Qing instantly eliminated the first option.
"It seems like my presence seems to have ruined the mood.." said the middle-aged man with a slight smile when he noticed the wary looks on both the young woman and Yang Qing.
"Not at all.." Yang Qing said with his countenance calming down.
"The fact that he reached this close without me sensing anything means if he wanted to, he could have killed me without me even noticing.
I might as well enjoy the wine and the scallops rather than worry about it. Was I cursed? Over the past month, I''ve met one scary individual over the other. I really need to have myself checked out for curses. This makes no sense.."
"Would you like to join us.." Yang Qing politely asked as he took out another cup and bamboo chopsticks.
The depths of the gaze of the middle-aged man flickered slightly with amusement when he saw how Yang Qing was able to switch effortlessly from wary to easygoing in a short amount of time.
"I will have to shamelessly ept your kind offer.." answered the middle-aged man as he took a seat next to Yang Qing while epting the wine and the chopsticks.
The youngdy was left confused by the change of events. A few seconds ago she and Yang Qing were all panicking but now Yang Qing was acting like he and the middle-aged man were long-lost friends.
She threw covert nces at Yang Qing seemingly asking if he knew the intruder. Yang Qing''s response was just a carefree smile as he casually picked up a deep-fried scallop.
Her gaze alternated between the duo before finally she decided to join them. If Yang Qing wasn''t worried about the middle-aged man neither would she. Besides the presence of Yang Qing and the middle-aged man somehow made a part of her feel delighted. It had been a long time since she hadpany. After Lady Gild, Adler and the Badger went their ways, shenguished in loneliness.
The century that she spent alone felt longer than the tens of thousands of years that she had been alive. She constantlymented her inability to be mobile because if she did then she would be able to visit the fire adler bear and check in on him, annoy him a bit, or even roam outside like Lady Gild and the Badger.
But she was stuck and because of her weak main body, she couldn''t risk forming new friendships.
"I will make the most of this, to make up for those dark years.." she said to herself as she gingerly walked over to where the middle-aged man and Yang Qing were.
"Mister, are you a farmer?" she excitedly asked as she took a big swig of her wine.
The conical hat the middle-aged man was wearing was something she had seen herb collectors and some qi refinement cultivators wear as they worked. Whenever she felt her loneliest she liked to watch them work via her spores.
"Doesn''t she switch character a little too fast.." Yang Qing incredulously thought as he saw the youngdy''s shining eyes with no sense of the fear and wariness from before.
"Hahaha, a farmer? It''s the first time I''ve ever been mistaken for one.."said the middle-aged man as he chuckled.
"So you''re not?" asked the youngdy as she leaned in closer to observe the middle-aged man''s conical hat.
"But you have the same hat as the farmers I''ve seen. They all wear the same hat just like yours and I also feel like your aura resembles them somewhat.." she added as she pointed toward the middle-aged man''s conical hat.
"What aura is that?" the middle-aged man asked with a slight smile.
"A simplistic one with.... what''s the right word.." muttered the youngdy as she ruminated over the right choice of word.
"A caretaker, yes, a caretaker.." she said with excitement.
The middle-aged man stroked his beard with one hand, with wine in the other as a nostalgic look appeared in his eyes.
"I am not a farmer, I just like wearing the hat, it reminds me of my parents. They were farmers and I always thought they looked cool with the conical hats.
I asionally find myself with the urge to wear them now and then whenever I''m roaming about.." A nostalgic smile appeared on his face as he said that.
"Why didn''t you want to be a farmer like your parents.." asked the youngdy as she nibbled on the scallops.
"Well, I didn''t seem to have the hand for it. Everything I touched seemed to disappear.." said the middle-aged man with a slight cough of embarrassment.
His reply drew an uproariousughter from the youngdy. Yang Qing who had been trying to stifle hisughter from the look the middle-aged man gave found himselfughing openly infected by the youngdy''sughter.
"So what did you end up doing?" asked the youngdy in betweenbored breaths andughs.
"Well, your earlier guess wasn''t wrong...I became a caretaker of sorts.." "Of people?" interjected the young woman.
"In part, yes.." freely answered the middle-aged man not off-put by the barrage of questionsing from the young woman.
It seemed like he rather enjoyed it and weed it even.
The youngdy sighed as a forlorn look appeared on her.
"I knew someone special to me who is like that. For all the time I''ve known her, she has always been taking care of someone. Me, a few handfuls. I hope she''s now at least enjoying herself wherever she is.."
Seeing her look Yang Qing guessed she was talking aboutLady Gild.
"She sounds like an incredible person.." softly said the middle-aged man.
The youngdy''s mood was instantly uplifted by the middle-aged man''s reply as she answered,
"She is! She is the best!"
Seeing her childlike excited face drewughter from both Yang Qing and the middle-aged man which made her bow in slight embarrassment.
"Come to think of it, Yang Qing do you farm?" she excitedly asked when she remembered the green me leaves in her hands.
She couldn''t help but imagine Yang Qing having a celestial garden filled with all kinds of precious herbs
"asionally, but not often. I have... I am not sure I can call them friends but some steal from me, others mock me endlessly for my efforts, and others send me countless work that never seems to stop.." said Yang Qing with a mournful sigh as he recalled the shenanigans Ellie and the Celestial nesting weaver usually put him through.
The youngdy''s gaze turned sympathetic as she said,
"If they are that bad you can leave them ande farm here if you want... I have plenty of space and thend isn''t bad.."
"Thank you, I will take you up on that offer sometime.."
A sense of warmness filled the area as the trio ate and drank sharing inane stories that didn''t give too much.
After talking for a bit Yang Qing''s curiosity got the better of him and decided to ask what the middle-aged man was doing in Deer Mountain Range.
He had hoped in the course of their conversation, the youngdy would bring it up but either intentionally or coincidentally she never asked it.
Yang Qing swallowed his nervousness and asked,
"Senior what brings you to the Deer Mountain Range?" "Turns out that Vixen was pretending.." muttered Yang Qing when he saw the glint sh in the young woman''s eyes after he asked the question. It turned out she had been waiting for him.
The middle-aged man swirled the wine in his hands which perfectly reflected its surroundings. The swirl was gentle, slow, and unassuming but it seemed like the entire continent could be captured within that swirl.
The middle-aged man took a small sip as he said,
"A long time ago I left something here to grow. It was so long ago that it escaped my mind, I only recalled it recently so I decided toe and check on its progress, and there was also a friend I made back then, I also wanted to see how she was doing but I didn''t find her.."
"Mister, I thought you couldn''t nt anything?" asked the youngdy as she bent her head to the side in puzzlement.
"Well I am a farmer''s son after all, it would be a shame if there wasn''t one thing I could grow. After trying countless times I eventually found one thing I was good at growing.." he said with a triumphant smile.
The youngdypletely swallowed by curiosity asked,
"What is it?!"
"Something special to me.." the middle-aged man enigmatically answered.
"Stingy, you''re just like Adler, acting mysterious.." said the youngdy with a soft pout for having her curiosity piqued only to be left hanging.
The middle-aged man''s eyes darted to Yang Qing who looked like he had just seen a ghost. When his gaze fell on the middle-aged man, what he got was a meaningful smile.
The youngdy who had been madly gulping her wine in frustration missed the interaction between the two as it onlysted a second before they went back to normal.
"What about you young friend?" asked the middle-aged man as he directed his question toward Yang Qing.
Yang Qing suppressed the tide of emotions flooding through him as he answered,
"My friends got injured recently. I am here to find out what happened to them and I somehow ended up here in the hopes of having some of the nks I have, filled..."
"And have you filled them?"
"Some, with her help.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the youngdy still drowning cup after cup of the frostberry wine.
After hearing Yang Qing''s statement she instantly raised her gait with a smug expression on her face.
Both shaking their heads, Yang Qing and the middle-aged man joined the young woman in drinking lest she finish everything.
Three hours quickly passed by with the trio talking,ughing, eating, and enjoying each other''spany like they were long-lost friends surrounded by the beautifulndscape of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.
"It''s time for me to say my goodbyes i have affairs I can''t be away from for too long.
This has been truly enjoyable.." said the middle-aged man as he slowly stood up.
"It was.." said both Yang Qing and the youngdy with genuine smiles on their faces.
"So I don''t end up feeling like a mooch for not bringing anything please have this.." the middle-aged man said as he handed Yang Qing a wine gourd crafted of white wood that had a jade tree symbol on it.
"Don''t drink it as is, it may be too powerful. You can have your friend who made the frostberry wine y around with a single drop. The drop should be enough to create a year''s worth of supply.." added the middle-aged man.
Yang Qing''s eyes couldn''t help but widen as he took the gourd. Even though he couldn''t tell the material it was made out of, he could feel a majestic worldly aura being released by it, as for its contents, what the middle-aged man said was enough to paint the picture of how powerful it was if just a single drop couldst him a year.
"As for you, in thanks for the view and conversation, you can have this.."
The middle gently raised one of his hands and seemed to be pulling down something. A gentle-looking pure white mist descended from the skies above into the man''s hand. It felt like he had plucked the radiance of the moon.
Both Yang Qing''s and the youngdy''s pupils constricted as they detected a dense pure yin energy within that mist.
The azure pearlrose floated out of the pond into the middle-aged man''s hands. With a wave of his hand, the swirling mist of pure yin energy descended from the skies and was poured into the pearl. The pearl''s color instantly changed from blue-pink to pure white color. It looked like a miniaturized moon releasing its incandescent glow and a gentle refreshing cool energy.
"It seems like it won''t be able to contain it.." muttered the middle-aged man after small cracks started appearing on the pearl. He gently rubbed his index finger on the pearl and the cracks disappeared. A vast aura instantly appeared around the pearl as the white mist weaved together into an ancient-looking edict that seemed to carry the might of the heavens.
Within seconds all the pure yin mist from the skies was swallowed by the pearl that had a crystal clear look. An object of absolute purity. It looked like it had been fashioned from a teardrop of the purest being.
"I hope the next time we meet the radiance of your tree will shine even brighter. Until next time, young friends.."
The pearl gently floated into the pond instantly transforming it into a crystal clear pond that had an ethereal air about it.
Yang Qing and the young woman were both gobsmacked by what they had just seen that they didn''t even notice the middle-aged man fading from view.
He left just as he came in, without notice.
Chapter 616 Zones of space
Chapter 616 Zones of space
It took a few seconds before Yang Qing and the youngdy could process all they had seen towards the end of their makeshift party.
"I knew he had to be powerful but this..." Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile ruefully when his gaze fell on the crystal clear pond that let out an ethereal white glow that cleansed their souls.
The yin energy it released was one of the purest energies he had ever sensed. With the energy to support her, the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree was likely to reach unfathomable heights.
Even lesser dragon spirit veins rich in yin energy didn''t have as much or as pure yin energy yet the middle-aged man easily plucked something that many would kill for so effortlessly out of thin air.
As for the azure pearlrose he had given the youngdy, it was originally a low-tier monarch-grade artifact but whatever the middle-aged man had done to it had transformed itpletely.
It now produced fluctuations that belonged to at least a middle-grade ascendant-grade artifact and the source of that transformation was that grand unfathomable edict at the center of it.
Yang Qing could detect its unfathomable power. It was too much for him to grasp anything as it seemed to contain the heavenly secrets.
After a few seconds, the edict disappeared into the pearlpletely along with the energy undtions it was releasing.
Without the unfathomable vast aura of the edict surrounding it, the azure pearlrose looked no different from the garden-variety pearl that any fisherman could acquire.
Even the dense yin energy seemed like it could fill the whole Deer Mountain Range because of how vast it was, mellowed out, and in its ce was a gentle, cool, and refreshing mist.
Yang Qing instantly understood it was by design from the middle-aged man. The parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree would be swarmed by greedy cultivators if the unfathomable and boundless presence from before remained on the pearl. Such a presence would likely invite cmity for her but with its presence subdued no one would be the wiser. Even Yang Qing despite being so close to it, the pearl seemedpletely normal even when scanning it with his spiritual sense, there was nothing that stood out.
The pearl''s true radiance had beenpletely masked out.
"A lucky encounter capable of overturning your entire life. A casual interaction haspletely changed the trajectory of her life. With the pearl''s help her reaching the domain realm isn''t an impossibility." muttered Yang Qing as his gaze fell on the still-stupefied youngdy who gently cupped the water from the crystal pond.
"Yang Qing I''m not dreaming, right?" said the youngdy with a voice of disbelief.
The water seemed to dissolve into her body causing changes to her clone and main body as it did. The purple flowers that were originally deep purple with a dark pink luster now seemed lighter. Everything from the flowers to the leaves to the branches and stem of the tree had an almost white shine to them.
The purple shading of the flowers grew lighter with a white crystalline shade to them that refracted the glow of the moon and the stars above them creating a mystical ethereal charm from the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.
The regions from which the fruits had been plucked instantly had new immature fruits forming them which despite their immaturity seemed much more vibrant than the other mature fruits.
Yang Qing could detect a continuous transformation happening to the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree. She was experiencing a cleansing baptism and evolution by the energying from the azure pearlrose.
"It seems congrattions are in order.." Yang Qing cheerfully said to the youngdy whose shock seemed to increasingly grow by the second.
"Who was that person? Was he an immortal?" With the monumental changes happening to her, she felt only an immortal could pull off such a feat.
"I don''t know if immortals exist, but if there were, I feel he would fit that description.." Yang Qing said with a sigh as he remembered the wild guess he made when he heard the middle-aged man mention growing something in the Deer Mountain Range.
The meaningful nce he gave him suggested that Yang Qing''s guess may have been right on the money.
"With the abilities he showed, him being the person that was using the egg of a Bifang Niao to raise and refine a sword doesn''t seem that far-fetched.
A farmer of swords.." muttered Yang Qing as he shook his head with a wry smile.
"What''s that?"
"Nothing.." ...
"A body of yin and yang. Who would have expected you to have such talents? No wonder there is a lot of unrest and tension going around.
They must all be feeling your momentum that is about to bury them whole. Yang Qing, I wonder how many more like you are there in the Order.."
High above the skies surrounding the Deer Mountain Range was the middle-aged man who had just shared drinks and fried scallops with Yang Qing and the clone of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.
His gaze seemed to prate the clouds surrounding him, the thick foliage, up to where Yang Qing and the youngdy were seated discussing something by the pond, unaware that they were within the sights of the middle-aged man.
"Seems like the Order has already discovered the Origin jade nexus locks. Their progress really is astounding. That boundless sword qi I sensed before, I wonder if it came from one of them. From what I know the president isn''t a sword user so if it was from them, it could only be someone below him.
How many dragons are you hiding?" muttered the middle-aged man with the same simple smile however within the depth of his eyes zed a fighting intent capable of tearing a whole gxy asunder.
"The visit was much more entertaining than I expected. The sword isn''t that far off, twenty years, the embryo should bepletely perfected.
I can''t wait to see what it bes in the end..." His gaze moved from Yang Qing and the young woman to a different location that was shrouded in mist that hadplex glyphs within the mist and at the center was an egg releasing divine-like mes that were pouring into a sword handle above it.
Despite being bathed in mes so hot that they burned the space around it, the sword handle remained standing without so much as a char mark. It released a hum that carried the weight of the heavens quelling the mesing from the egg below it.
The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction when he heard the hum whose might was capable of shattering the minds of evente-stage domain experts. Luckily the glyphs around contained the power within that sword hum so only someone at his level would be able to hear it.
His gaze then moved a fair distance away to one of the rivers surrounding the Deer Mountain Range.
"It seems like the mystic gilded carppletely transformed from the treasure bone I left here as payment for the dragon vein I drained for the sword.
Considering I can detect the traces on another spirit beast, mmh two of them, it seems she didn''t need theplete thing toplete the transformation.
I wonder what heights she has reached by now..."
The middle-aged man waved his hand and the space was cleanly sliced apart like a hot knife through butter revealing the dark grey void energy within it.
The middle-aged man casually walked in through the torn space without a care in the world despite the cmitous energy contained within it. Just a single wisp of the dark grey void energy was capable of destroying the body of a peak domain stage cultivator within seconds if they were careless enough to be tainted by it but the middle-aged man walked calmly with his hands behind his back unafraid like he was sightseeing.
The void energy would fade away immediately uponing within a meter of him. No sooner had he walked in, than a monstrous eel the size of a whole kingdom appeared surrounded by void lightning and cmitous power capable of destroying anyone below the soul-formation realm both body and soul in an instance with just its presence.
"It''s been long since I''ve eaten a thunderdrift eel. If you don''t want to end up on the other end of my skewer sticks, scram, you can go show off to someone else.."
The middle-aged man spoke in a soft and unhurried manner with no change in his expression or demeanor. He was still as easygoing as he was when he stepped into the void.
However, his voice seemed to carry an invible power that instantly diced apart the eel which used up all its strength to flee the area before its entire body was sliced to dust.
The middle-aged man didn''t bother with it as he went his way. Beneath his feet, the void energy coalesced together to form a path that the middle-aged man followed to a path unknown.
The space he had cleanly sliced apart instantly sealed itself shielding those of the Deer Mountain Range from the horrors of the sixth zone which was the deepest recess of space that contained taboo power, cmitous energy, and monstrous beings capable of killing even an early-stage soul formation expert easily if they wondered in carelessly.
Space was folded and had six zones to it with the first zone being moderately safe despite it still being dangerous to those in the domain realm.
The higher up the zones one moved, the more the dangers and also the more power one would need to tear through them.
Peak domain experts couldn''t tear past the second zone nor would they wish to even if they could.
The deepest recess of space hid countless and unfathomable dangers; ancient whisperings that could erode your soul, unassuming energies capable of disintegrating your body in an instant, powerful creatures like the thunderdrift eel capable of shuttling through the different levels, whose presence alone would make those below the soul formation realm to explode into mist.
Unless one could guarantee their safety no one would dare venture into the deepest recess of space despite it hiding countless opportunities for cultivation that had the power to transform a carp into a dragon.
Despite the alluring benefits, few would take the risk even soul formation experts because of the high degree of fatality within it.
You would not know how you died in there. Only those who had reached a certain threshold could walk in there as they pleased like the middle-aged man with some even picking spots for meditation and contemtion as the traces of special types of Dao and mysterious truths could be sensed the deeper in space one was, along with the benefits brought on by being enveloped by void energy as it made one more and more sensitive to the space dao provided they could withstand it.
Yang Qing and the rest within the Deer Mountain Range went about their activities unaware of the terror that had opened up above them for a second.
Chapter 617 Rebirth
Chapter 617 Rebirth
"Meifeng, do you even need the leaves? What that senior has given you should do a much better job than them.." said Yang Qing as he pointed at the green me leaves tightly clutched by the youngdy as she used her other free hand to y around with the water at the pond.
Amid their conversation after the middle-aged man left, the youngdy revealed that her name was Meifeng which was something bestowed upon her by Lady Gild on the night she gained spirituality and full sentience.
It was a breezy night that day hence the name ''Meifeng'' to mean beautiful wind.
"Do you want it back?" Meifeng fearfully said as she took a few steps back while tightly clutching at the green me leaves.
"I thought you said it was now mine. Yang Qing are you going back on your word? I thought we were friends.." she added with tears welling up at the rim of her eyes with a look that said,
I can''t believe you would betray me like that
Yang Qing couldn''t help but rub his nose in embarrassment when he saw her look.
"No, I am not taking it back. It''s just that the yin energy in the pond can do much more than the green me leaves can for you.
I was just curious why you still seemed interested in them.."
Meifeng looked warily at Yang Qing afraid that he would suddenly charge at her and take back the leaves.
She looked at him for a short while before she finally said,
"I like the green me leaves and it''s not ipatible with the water. Who would let go of a good thing just because they had a better thing? They would keep them both.." she said with a matter-of-fact tone apanied by a smug smile.
"I bet it''s the same with you. That senior gave you a jar of wine that is likely to be of a higher quality than the frostberry wine. Does that mean you won''t be drinking the frostberry wine anymore or any other wine that you may have that isn''t to the level of the wine that the senior gave you.."
"Fair enough.." said Yang Qing with a defeated smile.
"Then let me help you refine itpletely. Even though the green me tree leaves have the effects of purifying and strengthening your body, ultimately your natures are a bit contrasting to one another, much of the effects would dissipate if you tried it yourself.
I can help you maximize its use with my affinity with both yin and yang energies.." added Yang Qing.
Meifeng narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"You''re sure this is not just some trick to get the green me leaves back?"
"No, it''s not.." Yang Qing answered with a wry smile.
His response didn''t like it convinced Meifeng much so he was prompted to take out a bunch of green me leaves from his storage ring.
"I already have plenty more, so I really don''t need those back.."
Meifeng jaws hung loose and her eyes widened in shock when she saw the piling green me leaves in Yang Qing''s hands.
The reason she was wary of Yang Qing in the first ce from the moment he showed her the green me leaves and his willingness to trade with it was because of how precious it was.
She may have not interacted with many treasures before but because of her origin as a spiritual nt, she could intrinsically feel how special the green mes were.
Lady Gild had given her a lot of resources to nurture her over the years but none of them ever came close to the special resonance she felt with the green me leaves.
If the leaves were able to trigger such a sensation from her it meant they were precious. The more precious something was, the rarer it usually was.
She figured a few moments ago Yang Qing wanted to ask back the leaves for that exact reason, but it turned out, her guess waspletely off the mark.
"How could he have so many?" she wondered in disbelief.
Despite herself, she found her mouth moving on its own as it said,
"Could I have more?"
She hurriedly closed her mouth immediately after as she cautiously eyed Yang Qing''s reaction with slight embarrassment on her face.
"While I would like to give you more, I wouldn''t advise it. It will create an imbnce in you and even negatively impact some of your abilities.
The amount I gave you is enough. It''s the maximum that your body can handle.." Yang Qing gently said as he put away the pile of leaves he had taken out.
"I know.." said Meifeng with a low embarrassed voice. Though she said that, Yang Qing saw the look of greedy regret sh in her eyes.
Not bothering to call her out for it as he would likely react the same way were he in her shoes, he went on to help her refine the green me leaves.
Lunar Heart Lotus me
A white ming lotus appeared on Yang Qing''s hand. The ming lotus released an ethereal, cool, and peaceful air that instantly stirred the soul of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.
The clone body closed her eyes with a rxing tranquil look on her face while her main body swayed its leaves to the flickering motion of the mes.
An unexpected reaction urred as the pond water rippled and white mist moved toward the white ming lotus almost as if it was attracted by something.
Yang Qing was slightly surprised by the movement but he immediately concentrated as he made use of the mist to amplify the abilities of the Lunar Heart Lotus me which was a yin-based me capable of refining and restoring the soul.
He usually used it at the Medical Valley to deal with soul-based injuries or mental exhaustion.
He intended to use the mes to help meld the green me leaves into a whollypatible nature with the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree that had a natural affinity toward yin energy.
The green me leaves were swallowed by the white-ming lotus that spun around creating a gentle blend of green and white mes.
Thebined mes then floated toward the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree and instantly engulfed its whole body.
It looked like a ming tree of green and white.
Yang Qing blended the nature of the green me leaves into the tree using the white mes as a conduit.
The body of the parasitic purple flower sycamore tree was repetitively cleansed and strengthened using the two mes.
The process went on for almost an hour before it was finallypleted. The green mes disappeared by themselves after the green me leaves had beenpletely refined while the white me disappeared when Yang Qing canceled out the Lunar Heart Lotus me technique.
The parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree looked like it had experienced aplete transformation.
Everything within it now had a delicate vibrancy to it. Its stem and branches had a light green crystalline glow to them, while the leaves and the flowers had the quality of their colors shine with a gentle ephemeral luster that had an added charm to them.
The brushing of the leaves released a faint calming luby capable of inducing a sense of rxation and sleep in all who heard it or set their eyes on it.
Chapter 618 New companions for the sycamore tree
Chapter 618 Newpanions for the sycamore tree
The clone also seemed to have experienced a transformation as her body seemed more lively with a jade-likeplexion. Meifeng now had a sort of gentleness to her beauty.
"Thank you, Yang Qing.." Meifeng said with a heartfelt bow.
She could feel how enormous the changes in her body were. Her vitality seemed to have experienced an enormous boost, and her ability to absorb and refine the yin energy from the pond below seemed to have been improved.
Her mental sea of consciousness seemed to have grown in size and when it came to her clone she felt she had an improved level of control on it. Her clone always felt like something she controlled with puppet strings and it always put a strain on her to do intricate things with it, but now she felt she could control it with much more ease just like her spores.
"Th.a..nk you, truly.." she added with chalked-up emotions.
She was unable to hold back her tears. When the day started she never expected it to end up this way. She expected it to go as it always had which was with her wallowing in loneliness and nostalgia of the days past, dreading the passing of time.
But today sheughed, she talked, she ate, she drank, she hadpany over, and now she even experienced a monumental change in her life.
Her dream of exploring outside of the sphere of her spores wasn''t an impossibility now. She could visit adler, and maybe they could even go on an adventure like the ones Lady Gild always told them, and all this was thanks to the green-haired youth before him and the mysterious middle-aged man.
"You''re wee.." softly said Yang Qing as brought over their wine cups.
He poured thest of the remaining frostberry wine into the two cups.
"You''re about to leave?" asked Meifeng with a mncholic smile.
"I am.."
"Will you visit again?" Meifeng asked with hopeful eyes.
"Yes, I will.."
Meifeng''s eyes instantly lit up with joy however Yang Qing''s next words instantly drowned them.
"But it will only be for a month because after that I will have to leave.." said Yang Qing with a sigh when he saw her despondent look.
"Can''t you stay?"
"I can''t, but if I get the time, I will definitely pass by. Also, I have a few friends, they can keep youpany when I am not around..."
When he was conversing with her he suddenly remembered those creatures at the territory of the Clear Sword River Sect that experienced a transformation thanks to the sudden resonance he had with the area prompting some of them to experience evolutions.
If he let them be, they would be taken by someone in his absence as they were currently too weak to defend themselves, but with the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree''s help, Yang Qing wouldn''t have to worry too much about them.
"What friends?"
After experiencing the joys ofpany, Meifeng wasn''t too eager to go to her old lifestyle of solitude. She was willing to entertain even strangers despite her wary personality and meekness.
Yang Qing went on to exin about the creatures that had evolved from being soaked in his universal spiritual qi.
Of the evolved creatures, he already had an idea of which ones he would bring over. The moth with crystal clear wings that had a crescent moon symbol on each wing was a must. The moth had a gentle yin energy and would profit immensely if it stayed here where the yin energy was so dense.
It also had the effect of purifying and strengthening one''s soul which would benefit the sycamore tree.
The other two he would bring over would be the beetle with a diamond carapace that had immense speed and sensitivity to maic fluctuations and miasma levels.
The parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree had a weak main body, but if the beetle grew strong enough, it could help her address that problem.
Thest creature to bring would be the skrk whose melodious tune created the image of a river that has spirit calming properties and can increase the duration of one''s meditation.
The sycamore tree and the skrk would benefit immensely from each other considering they both specialized in vivid illusions.
The ones he would leave out were the oak tree whose leaves produced green-blue dew that replenished and revitalized the body and spiritual qi, the azalea surrounded by aurora lights which increases the purity of the spiritual qi of an area, the sparrow with gold orange feathers that had a restraining effect on corpse rted malevolent energies like corpse qi and miasma, andstly the firefly with a verdant green light that had the aura of vitality which boosted the growth of the nts around it.
Of the four, the oak tree and the azalea couldn''t be moved, while the sparrow had a yang nature that wouldn''t blend well with the conditions of the cavern that was rich in yin energy as for the firefly he intended to let it be there and see what happens, eventually, he would maybe give it to Ma Yuan when he went to the Summerfield kingdom.
Meifeng''s sour mood instantly improved as she tried to squeeze every single detail about her newpanions from Yang Qing with glittering eyes.
Even when the time for Yang Qing to leave came, she wasn''t as low as she should have been. In part, it was because of the excitement of having newpanions and the other was because Yang Qing promised toe over the next day and every day after that until his month as branch chief was over.
The instant he left the cavern, he was met by a worried-looking Yen Xu and a man who looked to be in his early forties and had ck robes with a red w symbol on the sleeves.
"Where have you been?" asked Yen Xu as she hurriedly scanned Yang Qing''s body all over.
Chapter 619 Origin of the wine gourd
Chapter 619 Origin of the wine gourd
On seeing the worried look on Yen Xun who was usually calm andposed, Yang Qing asked,
"What''s wrong? Did something happen?"
After confirming nothing was wrong with Yang Qing''s body and nodding to the slender, tall man next to her, Yen Xu said,
"A few hours ago the location containing the egg of the bifang niao and that sword I told you about suddenly vanished.
We couldn''t sense the area at all. There was even someone from the spirit council present but they could not detect where it went.
I then got information that you had left the branch and when I searched for you all over, I couldn''t find a trace of your aura.
It only reappeared now when you left that cavern. Don''t tell me there is an illusory treasure in there that i able to mask your presence.
But that''s not right, I didn''t detect anything like that when I surveyed the area. Do you remember noting anything like it when we were here, Xiang He?" said Yen Xu as she addressed the man next to her.
"No, this area had nothing capable of shielding itself against our domain sense. If it did we would have never noticed the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.." answered the man.
From his robes, Yang Qing guessed he was the special inquisitor who was investigating the blue soul me crow syndicate case and had done the survey of the Deer Mountain Range with Ye Xun.
"The change likely has to do with why that gorge suddenly disappeared without a trace.." he added as his gaze fell on Yang Qing.
"Did you experience or see anything out of the ordinary, Judge Yang Qing?" asked Xiang He.
"I did, but maybe we can continue the conversation at the branch?" said Yang Qing.
The duo nodded as Yen Xun covered Yang Qing with her domain space which she used to carry him back to the branch.
In just a few breaths they were already at the branch and in the branch chief''s office.
Yang Qing as a dutiful host and junior poured the two, snow ginseng teas before he recounted his interaction with the middle-aged man, the abilities he showed, his suspicions about him being the owner of the sword that was being refined by the mes produced from the egg of the bifang niao before he finally showed them the wine jar given by him.
The information Yang Qing was shocking to the two, as Yang Qing expected however, their shock seemed to have experienced a dramatic increase when he pulled out the wine gourd.
"He gave you that?!" asked Special Inquisitor Xiang He with clear agitation in his tone.
"He did... you know what this is, seniors?" asked Yang Qing when he noticed their reactions.
Their reactions were that of people who clearly knew what the white wood was.
After calming himself, Xiang He said,
"That is the empyrean world jade tree. One could consider it the king among jade trees with the ten thousand dao leaf jade tree of the Jade Leaf Empire being the emperor of the known jade trees..."
Xiang He paused as he took a sip of his ginseng tea, still slightly shaken by the wine gourd in Yang Qing''s hands.
Yang Qing looked puzzledly at the wine gourd with waves of excitement washing his body. He could detect a unique energying from the gourd from the moment he came in contact with it, so he figured the material had to be pretty unique considering it was unfamiliar to him despite the trove of information about spiritual herbs and nts he had consumed at the Order.
He had no doubt the material had to be unique but even then, he didn''t expect it to be at the level of something titled a jade tree king.
Jade trees were rare and each had unique properties that made it stand out among millions of other spiritual nts, and for one to stand out even amongst its kind, how special was it?
"The empyrean jade tree can form multiple realms within its body, with each realm having its aplete system withpletews that is no different from the real world.
It''s like a blend of a mysterious realm and a grotto. It''s the absolute perfection of both of them and there is even a rumor if one''s talent inprehension were high enough one could have a chance of grasping the traces of origin dao by cultivating inside one of its powerful realms.
It''s unknown if the rumor is true but if it is, then it''s no less powerful than the ten thousand dao leaf jade tree that is rumored to have been birthed by the aura of the origin dao.."
Xiang He shook his head in disbelief as he added,
"I can''t believe someone used its wood to make a wine gourd, and they even gifted it away..."
One could hear the bitterness in his tone, as for Yang Qing, now that he heard the origins of the wood, his heart started racing faster.
Just who had he shared drinks with?
A tree with ties to the Origin Dao. The Origin Dao was the mother of all Daos, he/ she who mastered it, mastered them all.
It was said if immortality was real, then the Origin Dao was the key. However, even if most knew of it, no one has ever been recorded as having mastered it.
Even the Jade Leaf Empire where the famous ten thousand dao leaf jade tree grew didn''t have anyone who had sensed traces of it despite the tree being rumored to have been birthed from the aura of the Origin Dao.
What was known and confirmed was the tree had ten thousand Daos with each Dao emzoned on one leaf, but when it came to the Origin Dao there was nothing.
"I am holding something so precious? Then what about the wine stored in there? an immortal''s wine, divine wine, world wine. How would it taste?"
Yang Qing instantly started feeling faint as his head started spinning. He thought Meifeng had been the one to have profited the most from the encounter, but it turns out he was the real beneficiary of the whole meeting.
Yang Qing instantly clutched the wine gourd afraid someone would pop out of thin air and snatch it away.
If something like that were to happen, the heart demon he would form after was something that he felt the auspicious wood grove tree would not help him out of.
The two domain experts smiled when they saw Yang Qing''s excessive reaction seemingly reading his thoughts which left Yang Qing rubbing his nose in embarrassment, though he didn''t let go of the wine gourd.
After hearing its origins he would be a fool to let it out of his sight. He even had thoughts of having it stored at the Dragon Meadows.
The Order wasn''t safe, he was friends with those who would potentially mug him if they knew about it. Dai Chen the wine hound was at the very top.
"Whoever gave you that, their origins are not simple. The spirit council, the vice presidents, and maybe even the president will have to be informed of this.." said Ye Xun with a sigh.
Laying down an array that covered the whole range would have to be altered now. The Order despite its fame couldn''t act recklessly.
How powerful was someone who gifted out wine gourds made out of empyrean world jade tree like it was nothing?
If that person was connected with the sword as Yang Qing suspected, they had to be cautious with their conduct, or at the very least let those at the top know, maybe one of them might have an idea as to the identity of the middle-aged man.
Xiang He nodded in agreement to Ye Xun''s suggestion as both of them left soon after to ry the information Yang Qing had shared with them, along with the discovery of the wine gourd to the spirit council member already in the area.
Whatever happened next would be up to them.
Chapter 620 Unexpected benefits
Chapter 620 Unexpected benefits
After Ye Xun and Xiang He had left, Yang Qing sat inplete silence as he reflected on the day''s events, especially the things that happened towards the end of the day.
His eyes kept inadvertently falling on the wine gourd he was still embracing tightly.
Yang Qing stared at the cork intently before ultimately shaking his head as he decided against opening it and seeing its contents.
He decided if he was going to open it, it would be in thefort of his abode and he also wanted to see the celestial nesting weaver''s reaction when it saw the gourd.
Despite its nasty personality and incorrigible behavior of treating Yang Qing like its man ve and sucking him dry of any valuable resources any chance it got, it had a great eye for treasures.
Yang Qing even suspected that talent was an innate ability. He couldn''t help but snicker to himself as he pictured its reaction when it saw the wine gourd that was made from empyrean world jade tree wood. It was sure to shed all its feathers. Yang Qing couldn''t wait to torment it endlessly with the wine gourd before he hopefully had the gourd sent to the Dragons Meadow, but not before he had sampled the contents of the gourd.
A gluttonous glint shed in his eyes as he looked at the wine gourd before ultimately putting it away.
Yang Qing then decided to meditate to wash away the weariness of the day. Reading the memories of the crystal spring tree and transmitting a cultivation art to it, along with his interaction with the middle-aged man and seeing his world-defying abilities up close along with helping the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore treepletely refine the green me trees had sapped him of strength both mentally and physically.
He needed a rest. He was afraid if he slept it would go beyond just a day and therefore opted to meditate which would renew him faster than sleep could.
He still had a lot of things to do like investigate the clues given to him by the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree on the locations where the daughter of the obsidian serpents regrly frequented with the fire adler bear when she was young.
There may be something left there that could help his investigation, and he thought when the obsidian serpent couple came back he could try and have a conversation with them in the hopes of finding out what the fire adler bear did for them back then.
"Speaking of the fire adler bear, I need to warn the Deer Mountain Kingdom about it and its rtionship with the obsidian couple especially the daughter, and also its rtionship with Meifeng.
If they were to do something untoward then the fear they have of the bear attacking them may reallye to pass not to mention she also had the interaction with the middle-aged man forming a karmic bond.." muttered Yang Qing with a sigh.
"I have one too.." he added.
Even though they interacted briefly, he already considered Meifeng a friend considering how sincere she was.
Rather than hide it, Yang Qing decided he would be open with the Deer Mountain Kingdom about his friendship with her which should more or less ensure her protection against them.
However, something was gnawing at him about the whole reveal.
If the Deer Mountain Kingdom had a traitor as he suspected, then revealing he was already friends with Meifeng would put a target on her back.
What if the traitor fed that information to the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate? It wasn''t a stretch to think that the syndicate may retaliate against her in their bid to get back at the Order, though Yang Qing suspected the chance of that happening was slim.
With the chaos that they had created, they were sure to avoid the area.
Ultimately Yang Qing decided he would inform the king and the head of the Zhang family about his rtionship with Meifeng and also its rtionship with the fire adler bear and the mysterious Lady Gild.
He decided to inform the two because the Zhang family seemed to have an honorable reputation if they could even garner the admiration of a spirit beast, then it had to be good. The fact that they knew the Badger was also a factor in why Yang Qing chose to reveal the information to them.
They would understand how much of a precarious position the Deer Mountain Kingdom was in if they realized the Badger they had interacted with had a master who pped it unconscious for four months.
And if by chance the information leaked, then his suspect list would be the king and the Zhang family.
After deciding on his next steps, Yang Qing took out a few spirit-calming incense sticks and started meditating. A few seconds in, he had a bold thought and decided to put out the incense sticks and take out the wine gourd.
Even if it was just a piece of wood and wasn''t the real thing, Yang Qing figured the wine gourd had to still have some effects of the empyrean world jade tree. Maybe he would receive some unexpected benefits from cultivating with it in hand.
His guess proved to be true as his mind and thoughts instantly cleared up as he felt a cool and refreshing feeling envelop his entire body.
In just an instant he was already in deep meditation. He ended uping out of the meditation eight hourster with his body and mindpletely renewed.
He even felt like his mental sea of consciousness had expanded slightly and his control of his body seemed to have grown slightly. The leap in growth was negligible, but it was still something considering that was the effect of one night''s meditation.
His eyes shone in excitement when it fell on the wine gourd before he ultimately put it away and made his way to the kitchen for his breakfast.
Su Jinjing and Lu Mei had already left for the branch''s outpost which was the location where cultivators could bring in theirints. If there were any cases to be heard, it would be from there.
The branch was covered in istion and illusory arrays, so finding its location was difficult not unless the Order explicitly gave it to you, and in the Deer Mountain Range, only the Deer Mountain Kingdom was afforded that courtesy, the rest all had to visit the outpost.
Yang Qing had expected to meet Xiang He and Ye Xun after he woke up from his meditation, but when he didn''t see them he figured they must still be handling the matter concerning the middle-aged man.
After he finished his meal, Yang Qing called the Imperial Secretary and had him arrange for the Zhang family head and the king to visit him at their convenience but he insisted on it being soon.
The imperial secretary wanted toe on their behalf because of the precarious position the kingdom was in but at Yang Qing''s insistence on the matter being too sensitive he eventually relented and said he would inform them.
With that taken care of Yang Qing resumed his investigation of the battle.
Chapter 621 Piecing clues
Chapter 621 Piecing clues
Yang Qing took out the map in the study of the branch chief and corrted it with the information Meifeng shared with him on the locations that the fire adler bear frequented with the daughter of the obsidian serpents when she was young.
Yang Qing marked out those locations and tried to see if there was anything of note written about them in some of the previous branch chief''s notes on the locations around the Deer Mountain Range.
The locations didn''t have any information recorded. Yang Qing decided he would visit those locations the following day and even if there were notes made, he still would have had to visit those locations in case there were any clues to be found there.
After he was done, he closed his eyes to rey all the information he had acquired on the attack.
Whether it was the information Meifeng shared or the information he dug at the battleground with the help of the crystal spring tree.
"I still have to make time to see Spring too over the next few days and help ity its foundations on the golden earth luminescence resurgence art.." Yang Qing muttered with a sigh as he pictured how packed his schedule had be.
He thought he would get to kick back as a branch chief but the list of things he should do seemed to be growing by the second.
He hurriedly pushed away those ominous thoughts otherwise he would have to face the grim reality that the Order had already sessfully converted him into a pious worker bee.
His current growing workload was something he had done to himself and that thought was too scary for him to indulge. His only solution right now was to avoid thinking about it by engrossing himself in said work and eating every hour of every chance he got at the Order''s dime as his constion that there was still a defiant bee in him who hadn''t yet fallen to the wily charms of the Order.
His n of burying the thought in his work went perfectly as within seconds he waspletely enthralled in it to think about anything else.
He corrted and checked every single piece of information that came to mind, from the spread-out of the organizations within Deer Mountain Range with special attention to those who lived close to the areas the daughter of the obsidian serpent frequented with the fire adler bear, and the area she resided at.
He looked into the records of their background, who they had alliances or close rtionships with, who they did not, how long they had settled in the Deer Mountain Range; and their history before they settled moved into the Deer Mountain Range. Was there a special reason they moved there? their rtions before moving to the Deer Mountain Range; did they have a close rtionship with anyone from the Deer Mountain Kingdom? If so who?
The Deer Mountain Kingdom received the same level of attention.
Yang Qing still operated on the notion that the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate had to have some help to track the habits or know of the daughter of the obsidian couple and discover whatever special thing the fire adler bear did to her.
Those who could share that information the primary culprit would be the Deer Mountain Kingdom, followed by the other organizations or a collusion of both.
Of course, he also entertained another train of thought which was that maybe there was no traitor and this was something the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate had discovered either coincidentally or something they had put in the works for quite some time, waiting for the opportune time to harvest it.
Either of these options was entirely feasible. Heinous organizations like theirs were the best at subterfuge and blending in otherwise they wouldn''t have survived as long as they did.
The Dark Helminth Ghost Sect already had its fangs in the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect which was just a few kilometers over (a couple of tens of thousands) from the Deer Mountain Range, so it wouldn''t be that strange that one of the allied factions would be close by, especially in a ce that had a branch of the Order, and maybe in the course of keeping an eye on the branch''s movements they stumbled onto the daughter of the obsidian serpent and discovered what was special about her andy out the n to ambush her.
The other was that the Blue Soul me Soul Syndicate discovered something special with the daughter back when the fire adler bear did whatever he did to her and have been keeping tabs on her ever since, waiting for her to ripen until she was ready to be harvested, which in this case as per what the evidence showed was her transformation into a flood dragon.
"If things happened this way, then they would have likely been watching her for years on end, which would give them enough time to create a foolproof measure of how to effortlessly subdue her and harvest her.
I''ll need to ask Meifeng how far back the fire adler bear bragged about helping the couple and their daughter," said Yang Qing as he rubbed his chin while poring through other information with the hopes that the foggy mist would start parting revealing bit by bit of whaty underneath.
Organizations such as the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate knew how to cover their tracks well, and if he hoped to catch traces of them he needed to go through thisborious and circuitous process that led to him going through reports and rumors that dated back almost 1,000 years in the hopes there would be something there.
Hours quickly flew by with the constant mutterings of Yang Qing and the shuffling of paper and talismans being the only sounds that echoed in the room.
But soon another sound came by, a roaring sound like that of a starved primordial beast. Yang Qing''s stomach grumbled alerting him of his famished state which could not be ignored.
Mysteries and foggy clues be damned, Yang Qing heeded his true calling and quickly went to the kitchen for his scheduled meal.
After he had his fill Yang Qing was in no mood to return back to the study and thus went on a little excursion to the former territory of the now-defunct Clear River Sword Sect territory to pick up the three would-berades and roommates of Meifeng.
Chapter 622 Changes at the Clear Sword River Sect
Chapter 622 Changes at the Clear Sword River Sect
When Yang Qing arrived, the scene that greeted him waspletely different from the one he had left when he wasst there.
The amount of vegetation had overgrown and the scant buildings that had been barely hanging on by a thread werepletely overrun by the vegetation. They looked like deformed hills filled with all manner of vines and flowers.
The people that had been living in the area had already moved on. Yang Qing figured they more than likely left the area when they discovered the sect master of the Clear Sword River Sect had died and could no longer offer them a protective halo, they, therefore, moved on to another area in the hopes of gaining the protection of another organization.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at this. In their absence, wild animals had made the ce their own.
Yang Qing silently took everything in as he moved to the area where the sect master''s courtyard if it could even be called that, had been.
The area had the densest vegetation. Their leaves were broader and greener, while the trees were taller and had more girth.
The deeper he walked, the denser, lusher, and taller the trees and the other vegetation became. The air was richer, the temperatures cooler as the sunlight couldn''t prate too deeply because of the dense canopy.
The region was filled with a sense of mystique and grandeur to it. The sense of destion that had been here before was reced with a sense of refreshing vitality that was shrouded with a celestial magnificence.
Yang Qing''s eyes shined when he sensed the spiritual qi in the area that contained slight traces of his universal qi. The traces were too tiny but to someone whose body was filled with universal qi because of his cultivation light, the traces may have well have been as noticeable as an ocean.
"They''re growing.." Yang Qing said with a smile as his eyes fell on the six living things that carried that aura.
There was the oak tree of rejuvenation with leaves filled with crystalline blue-green dew drops,
The gold-med sparrow with graceful movements surrounded by an aura of purity,
The skrk whose melodious voice created this beautiful river that brought tranquility and calmness to all whose gaze fell on it,
The firefly whose verdant green light was enriching the nts within the area. If one listened closely, one could hear cheerful screamsing out from every nt the light fell on,
The diamond beetle that radiated with the aura of a stalwart imprable shield and sentinel,
The crescent-winged moth that flew with a sense of delicate elegance spreading a refreshing coolness with every p of its wings that seemed to bring with it the descent of the moon''s glow,
Lastly was the aurora azalea which carried the densest aura of the universal qi that Yang Qing had detected among the six.A dawn-colored fog filled with spiritual lights surrounded the azalea.
Faint lines of spiritual qi were drawn toward the fog and then one tiny blue streak would be released for every hundred faint lines that were absorbed.
The blue streak was a condensed and purer spiritual qi built from the spiritual qi surrounding the area.
Yang Qing estimated it wouldn''t be long before the azalea improved the spiritual qi quality of the area to be like that of a high-grade spirit mine.
"So considerate.." muttered Yang Qing in amusement when he saw that the area around the courtyard and where he had buried the sect master of the Clear Sword River Sect remained untouched almost like a hallowed ground.
He knew this was by design by the six of them.
"Thank you.." Yang Qing said with a smile which elicited an excited response from the six like children receiving praise from their father.
They had notpletely awakened their spiritual senses yet or even officially embarked on their journey on cultivation but because of their intrinsic connection to Yang Qing, they could understand him perfectly, same as they did each other.
They had a connection with Yang Qing and each other because of the universal qi within them that seemed to bind them together. This made it easy for Yang Qing to share his ns with them. The three; the skrk, the moth, and the beetle seemed a little bit reluctant to part with the rest but agreed to go to Meifeng''s territory.
Yang Qing did promise them they could return when they were strong enough to travel freely between the two territories or when he came back to visit. Considering they evolved by chance from his universal qi, him cultivating around them could help them improve and who knows he may end up deepening his understanding of his cultivation art as a result.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but snicker when a certain thought came to his mind.
If they grew more powerful maybe he could use them to give Ellie a beating whenever she stole from him. The starlight crab didn''t give him too much confidence in fulfilling that role but with the addition of a few that we here for example the diamond beetle and the golden med sparrow, maybe they might humble that greedy incorrigible bird.
However, that was a matter for another day. After getting their agreement, Yang Qing set up a small protective and illusory formation around the courtyard to shield the remaining creatures from others. They were still too weak to defend themselves and with the abilities they were showing, it wouldn''t be too long before roaming cultivators noticed.
Yang Qing set up a formation capable of defending against peak core formation experts and left a spiritual imprint trigger that would notify him in case someone stronger barged in. The imprint had enough power to buy a few seconds against a first-stage pce realm cultivator whose foundations were significantly weaker than Yang Qing''s.
After he felt the preparations were sufficient he left with the skrk, moth, and beetle for Meifeng''s cavern who was practically skipping with joy when she saw them, especially the crescent moth whom she felt a closeness to, which Yang Qing guessed maybe had something to do with both of them being creatures of yin energy as the crescent moon seemed drawn to her too though not more than it was to Yang Qing.
With everything in ce, Yang Qing left the four to familiarize themselves which was Meifeng jumping all over in excitement as she showed them around which wasn''t much considering she only had the pond and her main body in the cavern.
That fact didn''t seem to bother either party. Meifeng was too excited with her words and thoughts scattered everywhere to notice it while the three new roommates didn''t have much spiritual awareness to care much about the decor of their new ce and one couldn''t deny the main body of Meifeng had enough majesty by itself to drown out the need for anything else and that was even without taking into ount the pond that had been improved tremendously by the middle-aged man.
The serenity melody skrk and the crescent-winged moth were already drawn towards it while the diamond beetle was drawn to one of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree''s flowers.
Yang Qing made a stopover at the battleground to check on the crystal springrch and its progress in familiarizing itself with the cultivation art he left it before finally going back to the branch where he found Imperial Secretary He Shan waiting for him with slightly nervous expression.
Chapter 623 The Imperial Secretarys plea
Chapter 623 The Imperial Secretary''s plea
"Imperial Secretary He Shan, have I kept you long?" asked Yang Qing as he made his way to where the Imperial Secretary moved.
Imperial Secretary He Shan who seemed to be in the middle of mumbling things to himself hurriedly looked up with a surprised look on his face as he said,
"No, Not at all, Branch Chief Yang Qing..."
Yang Qing made an inviting gesture toward the forest-filled illusory array.
"We can talk inside if you don''t mind.."
..
Branch Chief Study
"So what is it, Imperial Secretary?" Yang Qing said as he poured himself and the imperial secretary a cup of ginkgo tea to help calm his nerves.
The Imperial Secretary seemed a bit hesitant at first, however, since the matter he had to ask could not be avoided, he steeled himself as he made the request.
"I sent your message to the king and the head of the Zhang family and they both agreed to your request to meet you personally,
but.."
The Imperial Secretary paused as a difficult look appeared on his face. He seemed to be wrestling heavily with something.
"But..?"
The Imperial Secretary clutched the cup of his tea tightly before he finally gently ced the cup on the table with a resigned sigh.
"It''s not something I should share, but I feel I should, considering the gravity of the situation.." he said as he sipped the ginkgo tea.
"I don''t know how much you know about our present circumstance but you must know how delicate of a situation we are in....
Surrounded by wolves out there and surrounded by wolves within the kingdom. The royal family is beset on both sides and the reason for that has to do with the king''s grandfather.."
The Imperial Secretary looked like he had aged a few years when he made that statement.
Yang Qing could finally understand why he seemed conflicted. More than likely he felt he was betraying his liege by revealing what he was revealing.
Yang Qing didn''t interrupt as he let the Imperial Secretary reveal what he wanted to reveal at his own pace.
"The king''s grandfather has been a shining light to all within the kingdom for countless years.
He was a dazzling genius in his youth both in terms of cultivation and matters of the state. One of the greatest kings the Deer Mountain Kingdom has ever had, his fame even rivaled that of the third king.." said the Imperial Secretary with aplicated light shing in his eyes.
Seeing his look, Yang Qing could understand his mixed feelings about the third king. The third king''s era could be considered the golden age of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, however, it was also their darkest period because that was the time they were almost driven to extinction when they triggered a massive war with other spirit beasts in the area in their bid to bring all the territory within the range under their control.
The devastation it brought could be felt to this day. Most didn''t know what to feel about the third king. He ushered in a golden era, but he also invited cmity and brought in the dark era which he even paid for with his life.
Yang Qing quickly pulled his thoughts back when he saw the Imperial Secretary continue with his narration.
"The King''s grandfather held up the kingdom singlehandedly when it didn''t have any other support and was able to guide us forward to where we are today though he paid a price for that.
The price was his cultivation..."
The Imperial Secretary paused before he continued,
"I may not know how it was during the golden age of our kingdom but I am certain his talent would have shone back then as it did during his era.
An unparalleled cultivator whose sword singlehandedly ensured no enemies took advantage of us at our weakest.
No one dared stand against him. He invoked fear and awe in all, whether human or spirit beast.
The guardian sword of the kingdom they call him. Themoners loved him, even those nobles who have forgotten their ce revered him and never dared to put a foot out of ce when he was king.
But now.."
The Imperial Secretary clenched his fists in frustration till one could see the whites of his eyes.
"Sorry.." he said as he tried topose himself.
"Because of how damaged our foundations were back then, he never had a chance to wholly devote himself to cultivation so itgged than it was meant to despite having been one of the youngest people in the kingdom to ever achieve sword intent.
He did so at 16 years. He sacrificed what he could have been so he could help the kingdom wade through the darkness it was in, and when we were finally at a ce where he could finally focus on himself, he was gued with serious internal injuries that hindered his improvement.
He had already lost a lot of years, and he lost more to focus on healing those wounds. About 10 years ago, he was left with one, which if he sessfully dealt with it he would finally be able to move on to be a seventh-stage pce realm cultivator.
However, a problem urred and the remaining injury seemed to re up as he was dealing with it which put him in a precarious position.
I don''t know the exact details but the king said it was pretty dangerous and despite what resources they supplied, his state doesn''t seem to improve.
Over the past fifty years, rumors have been floating around that the King''s grandfather had sumbed to his injuries and those rumors have been gaining momentum every year that has passed since then.
And with him never making an appearance over the past 1,000 years at least, most are inclined to believe said rumors which is why they now have the guts to openly be at odds with the royal family and openlyy bare their greedy ambitions for the throne.
In their minds, the king''s grandfather isn''t there to hold their reigns while they still have predecessors from the same era as the king''s grandfather which has given them the gall to push us around.
Those bastards don''t have a shroud of dignity left!!" Imperial Secretary He Shan said as he gritted his teeth together in boiling anger.
His voice then turned low with a deted and resigned spirit.
"After everything he has done. This is not the kingdom I love.."
"Despite the rumors, they are still uncertain so they dare not act too much out of line for fear that he may be alive and well.
But the same restriction is on the king too. He can''t bring in outside help to advise and possibly help with his grandfather''s situation for fear of alerting them.
Every movement he makes is closely monitored, so he can only handle it all by himself because even within the royal family he doesn''t know who can trust. If the situation of his grandfather broke out, then we won''t even have to wait for the fire adler bear to act, we would destroy ourselves..."
The Imperial Secretary''s gaze turned solemn as he said,
"I know you said the Order can''t involve itself in certain matters to maintain its neutrality, but I am afraid our kingdom''s destruction is all but nigh if you don''t step in.
I know it''s shameless of me to ask this, but please help us. I am not asking for you to quell the unrest within our kingdom but please help the King''s grandfather....Please.." the Imperial Secretary agitatedly said as he bowed his head.
Chapter 624 Yang Qings suggestion
Chapter 624 Yang Qing''s suggestion
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw the shaking body of the Imperial Secretary.
If anyone were to see this, no one would believe he was a pce realm cultivator, a cultivator considered to be a god among millions because of how majestic their abilities were.
"Please get up Imperial Secretary.." Yang Qing said as he helped the Imperial Secretary up.
As the Imperial Secretary raised his head, Yang Qing could see the anxiety and desperation within those eyes, he could even feel it within his body as he helped him up.
"Does the king know about this?" Yang Qing said as he refilled Imperial Secretary He Shan''s cup.
"He doesn''t, but I can''t let him shoulder that burden alone. I am too ipetent to offer him any aid and this is the best that I can do..." said the Imperial Secretary with a tone that was filled with frustration and dejection.
"The king still has good people by his side.." thought Yang Qing as he saw the Imperial Secretary''s look which was a mixture of sorrow and staunch determination.
Yang Qing intercrossed his fingers in deep contemtion on how to handle the situation. From the moment Imperial Secretary He Shan told him of the situation he already had a decision, the only thing that remained was the Order''s stance on it.
After a brief pause, with a tense somber silence between the two, Yang Qing spoke up,
"Imperial Secretary, if it were me I would be willing to help you even right at this moment if possible.." said Yang Qing.
He wasn''t blowing smoke, with the Improvements to his physique, Yang Qing had been looking for countless chances to see it in work and the situation of the king''s grandfather would provide him the perfect opportunity to test it out. In addition, he had suspicions of his own he wanted to confirm, and his physique''s innate attributes could help with that.
"But ultimately the decision doesn''t fall on me, Imperial Secretary..." added Yang Qing which seemed to shatter the dimming light of hope in Imperial Secretary He Shan''s eyes.
"Don''t lose hope yet though. I will share my thoughts with my superiors which is we should step in, even if it''s in an advisory way.
We can now only hope that my words hold sway with them.." gently said Yang Qing.
"You''ll do that?!" excitedly said the Imperial Secretary.
Truth be told even as he wasing here he wasn''t expecting much. He remembered when the King told him of his grandfather''s situation, he absentmindedly suggested they ask Branch Chief Li Wan, Yang Qing''s predecessor for help.
He assumed with how close they were he would help but the refuse sighed as he said it was impossible. Despite the friendship, the Order''s stance took precedence over anything else, and the king knew well enough it would be difficult for them to act, which was why he never asked.
The Imperial Secretary would have kept silent about the situation had the news about the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate, the loss of their guards, and the fire adler bear not reached the Kingdom.
With all this newsbined with the tense situation with the nobles, he couldn''t hold back anymore otherwise just as he told Yang Qing, the Deer Mountain Kingdom would likely fall to ruin.
His request was ast-ditch effort he didn''t hold much hope for but Yang Qing''s response even if wasn''t an outright agreement, at least was something. It was more than what they had at the moment.
He hurriedly thanked Yang Qing with some relief and tonnes of excitement washing over his body with Yang Qing continuously emphasizing that this wasn''t a guarantee that they would help.
He didn''t care, as long as Yang Qing spoke on their behalf, it was more than enough and though cultivation wasn''t his strongest suit and only made his achievements thanks to the King spending countless resources on him, he was good at reading people and extrapting things.
With the catastrophe that happened to the previous branch members, whoever stepped in those shoes immediately had to be someone capable, someone the Order highly valued. Yang Qing being the one chosen for this job meant within the Order, he was highly thought of and his potential must be off the charts.
The Imperial Secretary could tell by bone age, that the youth before him really was a 20-year-old youth and not some old monster wearing a youthful face.
A 20-year-old pce realm cultivator whose foundations were even able to draw the ire of the Zhang family head, someone thought to be a genius of the current era of the Kingdom.
Imperial Secretary He Shan knew the Order was likely to have a lot of talents but even then, someone like Yang Qing couldn''t be that many, at least he never felt the same presence he felt from Yang Qing as he did the previous branch chief, despite the previous branch chief having a higher cultivation base than Yang Qing.
Yang Qing saying he would speak up for them, more or less improved the odds of the Order helping them. He couldn''t wait to share the news with the king.
However, he was immediately pulled out of his celebration by Yang Qing''s words.
"From what you''ve told me, can the king really make it here safely without arousing suspicions?" asked Yang Qing.
The Fire Adler news had the same level of danger as the situation within the Kingdom, he was now contemting switching his tactics and just giving Imperial Secretary He Shan the information.
However, he immediately shook his head as he needed to look both the king and the Zhang family head in the eye as he delivered the news and in his judgment, doing so at the Order would draw fewer eyes than if he visited the Deer Mountain Kingdom and met solely with those two.
"It will be difficult, but he said he will find a way, it''s just that it will take a few days to execute it.." said the Imperial Secretary.
He couldn''t hide the worry in his eyes, as he too was worried about this.
"Let''s do this, let me ask someone, and if they agree to help, we can bring both of them here without anyone knowing.." said Yang Qing as he used a voiceless incantation to call Ye Xun and see if she was in the area.
She had mentioned the whole area was covered with her domain sense, so even if physically she wasn''t around, her domain sense could inform her.
His guess proved to be correct as immediately after he heard Ye Xun''s voice in his mind.
"What is it, Yang Qing?"
"Senior, sorry for interrupting you, but I need your help with something.."
Yang Qing went on and exined the situation of the Deer Mountain Kingdom as told by the Imperial Secretary along with what his request was.
He wanted her to bring the king and the Zhang family head covertly. With her speed and abilities, no one would be any wiser of their absence and he also could have her look at what exactly was the situation with the King''s grandfather, without the awareness of the king, of course.
He felt odd making the request as she was his senior and a domain expert to boot, yet he was here making her do Ellie''s job of transportation and an inquisitor''s job despite her more than likely having her hands full with the kingdom-wide array beingid around the range and the matter concerning the middle-aged man from the other day.
Luckily for him, she didn''t seem to mind as she readily agreed instantly appearing in the office startling Imperial Secretary He Shan.
Yang Qing made a shortened introduction which was she was a domain expert who would bring the king and the Zhang family here covertly without alerting the rest and take them right back after they were done, with none being the wiser.
The Imperial Secretary broke into another fit of endless gratitude which Ye Xun didn''t seem to appreciate very much as she enveloped him with her domain sense without a word, disappearing from the study as she headed to the Kingdom.
"Is senior embarrassed bypliments?" wondered Yang Qing.
The answer to this could potentially alter his tact and how he dealt with her. With how many favors the taciturn senior had done for him thus far, he wanted to return it in some way.
Eventually, Yang Qing''s thoughts drifted back to what Imperial Secretary He Shan had revealed.
"The ring up, was it a coincidence, or was it because of something else?" he muttered as he leaned back on his seat with his gaze fixed on the ceiling and countless thoughts running through his mind.
Chapter 625 Same look
Chapter 625 Same look
Yang Qing didn''t have long to get lost in his thoughts before Ye Xun appeared in his office ten minutester or less with two people in tow.
Yang Qing saw the same look in them that he had when he and Mao Yunru had when they were being carried by Lei Weiyuan to the dark valley.
The look was a mixture of shock and humility. You hear stories of how mighty domain experts are but it''s one thing to experience it personally, especially, as a ''mighty'' pce realm expert yourself.
Yang Qing felt if Lei Weiyuan had carried him when he was at the core formation realm he wouldn''t have been as heavily impacted as he was when he did when he was at the pce realm.
When you breakthrough to the pce realm it''s like stepping into another life and you''re reborn. The changes one experiences from the core formation realm to the pce realm are greater than if one leaped from the qi refinement realm directly to the peak of the core formation realm.
In the pce realm, you can intrinsically feel it, you officially entirely be a new being one that is capable of calling the force of the rain, the stars, split oceans, and shatter mountains, being invulnerable and imprable to a lot of things. The sense of connection to a greater world that you were not worthy of seeing before.
Seeing, feeling, and experiencing the grandness of Dao for the first time, there was nothing like it. One could easily lose themselves to that rush of power and seismic transformation. You think to yourself with my abilities, maybe just maybe I could even stand toe to toe with a domain expert unaware if the pce realm was a ming spark, then the domain realm was an unquenchable inferno covering millions of hectares inparison.
Being in Lei Weiyuan''s domain space, Yang Qing realized how paltry his pce realm cultivation was inparison. He was only but a sapling that just peaked its head out of the earth, while Lei Weiyuan was a mature tree already reaching for the stars.
You realize your smallness and the two people before him had the same look to them.
Yang Qing nodded and smiled in gratitude to Ye Xun who disappeared swiftly after.
"Thank you foring, King Zhou Luan, Zhang family head Zhang Qishan..Please.." Yang Qing said as he weed them to the seats by the table with himing over to take the seat at the opposite side.
It took a brief second before the two came out of their stupor and thanked Yang Qing for his hospitality.
Their gaze seemed to inadvertently move to the location Ye Xun had just stood at. Clearly the shocking experience that her domain space did to them had not abated.
Yang Qing poured them the leftover ginkgo tea to help calm their nerves. It did not have the greatest of tastes but it was good nheless, especially its calming properties.
The duo epted as they quickly regained theirposure. Their disy was worthy of the two topmost figures within the kingdom.
Yang Qing closed his fingers together as he leaned forward slightly.
"The reason I called you here so urgently has to do with the fire adler bear and a few things I managed to dig up over the past few days.." said Yang Qing.
His words instantly drew a somber attention from the two.
"You should know that the fire adler bear had a close rtionship with the two obsidian serpents, more so with their daughter, the one who died in the attack. He took care of her when she was young..."
Both the king and the Zhang family head, instantly froze when they heard that realizing the implications.
If the fire adler bear was led to believe that they had a hand in the death of the obsidian serpent as the parents did, then they did not doubt in their hearts it would attack them to the death.
Spirit beasts were fiercely loyal to their rtionships and would honor them to their death. A potentially enraged domain-level spirit beast wasn''t something they could handle, even in their heyday, and after their experience in the domain space of Ye Xun, they now knew how terrifying the domain realm was.
If the fire adler bear targeted them, they were as good as dead. The King wasn''t even sure if the Twilight Sanctuary Array would be able to defend them for an hour, after what he experienced.
The Zhang family head seemed to havee to the same conclusion, as he too had a grim expression on his face in reaction to the news.
"Then.."
The king opened his mouth to say something but Yang Qing lifted his hand to motion to him to let him finish first, which the king heeded as he closed his mouth.
"The fire adler bear is also close to the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree and their rtionship is even closer than the one he has with the obsidian serpents. They could even be considered siblings considering they knew each other since he was a cub.
She is the one who told me of the fire adler bear''s rtionship with the two obsidian serpents.
The reason I mention this is because of several reasons.."
Yang Qing''s demeanor turned serious as he rested his chin on his sped fingers.
"First is a warning for you not to try anything untoward on the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.
She is not only connected to the fire adler bear but to his master too, and another spirit beast she called the badger, and I consider her a friend.."
"The fire adler bear has a master?!" asked the king with widened eyes.
"Pardon me, Branch Chief Yang Qing, the badger you mentioned, do you have any more description about it?" asked the Zhang family head as his brows contoured.
"Yes, the fire adler bear has a master and that master considers the sycamore tree a daughter based on how she described their interactions. There are shreds of evidence I saw here and that seems to support it.
The badger also shares the same master as the fire adler bear, and that badger from what the sycamore tree told me has been having yearly duels with someone from the Zhang family but it has been quite some time since it has done so.."
"So he is still alive.." said the Zhang family head with a sigh.
"Qishan, you know the badger?" asked the king when he saw the Zhang family head''s reaction.
"Yes, the badger used to spar with my grandfather until he disappeared a few hundred years ago.
They used to battle every year at the Forsaken Drought Valley before its disappearance.." answered the Zhang family head as his gaze turned distant.
"2,990 draws, and one narrow win.." he added with his mind seemingly elsewhere.
"In all their duels, my grandfather won only once and it was a pyrrhic victory at that. He passed out immediately after their battle.
From what Grandfather said, the badger recovered from the wounds earlier than him and kept watch over him when he was unconscious.
If the badger had wanted to kill him, it could have, but it didn''t and just left after he regained consciousness.
That was thest time he saw it. He went to the Forsaken Drought Valley yearly after that but the badger never showed.
They fought like bitter enemies leaving each other at death''s door each time, but every year, Grandfather would be busting with joy whenever the day of the duel was close and I''m sure it was the same for the Badger.
Grandfather took me to a few of their fights, and they both had the same look during the fight. Even when their bodies were covered in all kinds of gory wounds,bored breaths, and barely maintaining their consciousness, they had this pure blissful joyful look that never left them from the moment the fight started to when they both passed out.
Even now, despite not seeing the badger, Grandfather still has that same look every year whenever the day of their duel arrives.
An eagerness of when they would sh again.
Wherever the badger is, I bet he has the same look as Grandfather.."
Chapter 626 King Zhou Luans despair
Chapter 626 King Zhou Luan''s despair
The Zhang family head let out a sigh apanied by an envious look. As a sword cultivator, nothing excited him more than a thrilling battle.
He remembered the first time his grandfather took him to one of the duels. To say it was impactful was an understatement.
Even as a spectator who was kilometers away from the battlefield, he could feel his blood boil and his spirit surging from their battle.
Those within the Deer Mountain Kingdombeled the Zhang family a noble family of heroes but they never saw it that way.
The reason they plunged themselves headfirst into dangerous situations, always at the frontlines whenever danger appeared was because they were a family that lovedbat. They never felt more alive than at the battlefront.
Almost every member had that same feeling, which was why when the period of peace set into the kingdom, the Zhang family seemed silent and forgotten. They barely concern themselves with anything other thanbat. Even the struggle the royal family had with the other aristocratic families wasn''t enough to draw their attention.
To them, it didn''t matter who was king, they would continue to do what the Zhang family liked to do, which was to battle, and that feeling was something the current family head agreed with, especially as a sword cultivator who refined their abilities and grew in battle.
He too, as he grew stronger constantly fantasized about battling the badger but s by the time he felt himself worthy of being a fighting partner, the badger had already disappeared. But now hearing that the badger was likely alive and well, he couldn''t help but clench his fists in excitement.
However, he quickly reigned in his excitement but not quick enough because Yang Qing managed to detect the faint battle lust that he had let out.
"A family ofbat fanatics.." muttered Yang Qing.
From personal experience, Yang Qing could instantly recognize the embers of a fanatical look. His grandfather and his cohorts of vipers all wore the same look when they tormented him with their experiments, his brother had that same look slowly growing within him not that the person himself noticed it, and now he could see that same look in the Zhang family head.
Those who would push all logic away, all for their interests. Their interest mattered more to them than even their life.
Seeing his look Yang Qing had this strange feeling that maybe in this whole mess and chaos surrounding the Deer Mountain Kingdom, especially potential attacks from the obsidian serpents or the fire adler bear, or retaliation from the surviving spirit beasts of the war back then, that maybe the Zhang family, unlike the rest of the kingdom, might actually be looking forward to it with blissful anticipation.
It was not too farfetched, especially, with the things he had seen his grandfather and the rest of the Yang nsmen do in the pursuit of the body refinement realm. There were no lengths that they would not go to.
He felt that the Zhang family might just be the same. Just as insane. The fact that Zhang Qishan''s grandfather dared to duel the badger at the Forsaken Drought Valley already served as proof of the lengths they would go to, to enjoy a good fight.
Even if Yang Qing wasn''t a local he knew about the valley due to its peculiar features. The area was bereft of any spiritual qi and not only that one could not even use the spiritual qi stored within their bodies.
The area had an increasing gravity. All who stepped into the area felt like they were being pressed on by a mountain.
The area also released traceless baleful energy that distorted the use of spiritual sense.
Few people went there because of its disadvantages that would leave someone vulnerable to countless dangers yet despite all that, Zhang Qishan''s grandfather and the badger saw it as the perfect ce to hold their duels and have continuously done so for at least 1,000 years.
No one would do that unless they had a screw loose somewhere.
King Zhou Luan had a look of surprise when he heard the Zhang family head mention the tally count of the fight between the two.
While his grandfather had been touted as a dazzling genius within his era, there was another person who had managed to closely follow his grandfather despite others falling to his brilliance, and that was Zhang Qishan''s grandfather.
He was never that far behind his grandfather. An expert at fist techniques, and had a powerful body that made one feel like they were staring at a zing inferno capable of incinerating the mountains and the rivers to ash in an instant.
Even spirit beastsuded for their strong physique and being unafraid would tremble at his presence yet now Zhang Qishan just revealed that there was a spirit beast capable of going toe to toe with him.
He could feel his insides churning, his lungs turned hotter and his head fainter.
He was already stressed to the point of insanity with the presence of the obsidian serpents, the syndicate, the remnants of the war, the nobles within his territory, his grandfather''s well-being, and now he had to worry about a potential domain expert fire adler bear, its unknown master maybe and now a badger that can fight to a draw presumably the current strongest fighter in the whole kingdom with his grandfather out ofmission.
Worse was thetter three threats had a rtionship with each other. For the first time in his life, he felt lost. There was nothing he could do.
"King Zhou Luan? King Zhou Luan? King Zhou Luan?"
Yang Qing worriedly called out to the king a few times when he saw his increasingly pale face and the lost look he had on him.
It took him infusing his call with his soul essence for the King to finallye out of his stupor.
Some semnce of awareness seemed to return to him however the sense of despondency and tiredness born out of despair could still be seen in him.
"Sorry.." the king weakly saidpletelycking the calm regal presence he had when Yang Qing met him.
"You said the fire adler bear has a master?" he asked his tone going lower almost as if he was afraid of uttering those words out loud.
"Yes.." answered Yang Qing, reading where the king was going with this.
"Did the sycamore tree reveal the strength of his master?"
Both he and Zhang Qishan waited for Yang Qing''s response with held breaths.
"The sycamore tree doesn''t know the exact strength but considering she could transform into a human, with us assuming his master is a spirit beast then we can only assume at the very least, she has reached the pce realm.
But .."
Yang Qing paused as his gaze turned solemn.
"This is my personal opinion which I strongly believe has extremely high chances of being true, assume she is in the domain realm.
Before she left, she could effortlessly defeat the fire adler bear with a single hit.."
Yang Qing''s words shattered whatever hopes King Zhou Luan had left as he muttered,
"The Deer Mountain Kingdom is finished.."
Chapter 627 Yang Qings exhortation to the king
Chapter 627 Yang Qing''s exhortation to the king
One domain realm spirit beast already guaranteed their destruction, and adding another only ensured they would all bepletely annihted.
Even Zhang Qishan despite being abat fanatic couldn''t help but have a grim appearance. No matter how high his or his family''s attainments inbat, they would not be able to hold a candle against a single domain expert let alone two. They would be like eggs pitting themselves against a steel wall if they fought. If it could even be called that.
"I said there were a few reasons I brought up the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.
One is to make you aware of her rtionships. She not only has a rtionship with them but with me too, which should be something good for you.." said Yang Qing.
He decided to hide the connection to the middle-aged man. It would only add more panic to the King, who was barely holding it together as it was.
The king on hearing Yang Qing''s words looked up as he asked,
"What do you mean, Branch Chief.."
"I exined the whole matter with the obsidian serpents to her and rified that it was the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate that had murdered the obsidian serpent''s daughter.
When the fire adler beares out of his seclusion whenever that may be, she will likely be the first stop he makes.."
Yang Qing paused for a second and said with emphasis,
"As my friend, she will exin the whole matter to him should the timee. The fire adler bear may find it more ptable and process it better if ites from someone he knows.
Just in case he doesn''t andes to make trouble for you, the Order will involve itself as the matter also concerns us.
However, we will only involve ourselves if the grudge he has against you concerns the obsidian serpents.." Yang Qing said as he narrowed his eyes.
The duo didn''t miss the implications behind his words and why he brought up the sycamore tree and his next words more than drove the point home for them.
"Nothing can happen to the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree if you wish to maintain your safety.
This is one of the main reasons I asked you both over. You are in charge of your kingdom,as for you, the sycamore tree told me the badger thinks highly of your grandfather.
Even without our involvement, you both are uniquely ced to prevent the worst from happening, provided you handle it well.
One can be the mediator and the other can ensure he has aplete grasp of the happenings of his territory.." said Yang Qing as his gaze fell on the two.
The two looked at each other before they nodded in agreement and turned to face Yang Qing.
"We will do what we must to ensure the safety of our kingdom.." said the King with some renewed vigor.
Yang Qing nodded in return as he added a few words of his own.
"I know the bad blood between you and the spirit beasts in this region runs too deep to be forgotten on either side but try that the burden of that hate is not carried forward by those that follow you.
Don''t let the specters of your past grab hold of your present, otherwise, you will find yourself dead as the ghosts that hold you.
Your kingdom is at a precipice and it has been even back then when it was at the peak of its power.
You don''t know how dangerous your neighbors are, but when your kingdom was starting up it never noticed them and was able to establish itself and it only caught a glimpse of the true terror of this ce when it tried to conquer it.
There is something the sycamore tree told me, something that got me thinking, something that you should be thinking about.." Yang Qing said as his gaze paused briefly on the Zhang family head.
"The badger and the fire adler bear''s master left the mountain range to explore the rest of the continent.
The Question I keep asking myself is this, how many more like them left this ce to temper themselves out there?
Back then, when your kingdom tried to conquer this range, the spirit beasts that attacked you, was that the true picture of the horror of this ce?
Or were there others that were missing?"
Yang Qing''s words sent shivers down the two, especially the king.
"Beforest week did you even know there were spirit beasts as powerful as the obsidian serpents, or the fire adler bear?
How many fire adler bears, and obsidian serpents do you think are roaming out there?
One day they wille back home.
Your kingdom cannot afford to make more enemies, King Zhou Luan.
Right now it isn''t just your neighbors you have to worry about because a fiendish organization like the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate left its prints here.
How long before others get the same idea as them?
With all that I have shared, you need to decide the next steps for your kingdom. What kind of kingdom do you want?
At the Institute we were always told, think think think think for months if you have to, and when the timees to make your move, don''t hesitate, look ahead and strike with relentless intensity. Don''t waiver, don''t doubt yourself, move wholly..."Yang Qing somberly said as he remembered the speech they had given before the death duel matches or when they were thrown into the purple grade tests.
"I will and thank you for your kind words.." said King Zhou Luan as he cupped his fists in gratitude.
"Also you need to know the reason the spirit beasts around here didn''t retaliate against your kingdom back then after the fight, despite wanting to is because of the interference of the fire adler bear''s master.
She kept them at bay all this time. It''s something worth pondering. I won''t keep you long. I know your absence will be noticed if you stay here long..." Yang Qing said as he stood up.
Due to the shocking information Yang Qing just shared, the two had a slight dy in getting up as they processed the reveal.
"You should all be insightful people to realize why I just called you two. So I don''t need to add more.." Yang Qin meaningfully said.
"We do.." the two answered withplex looks in their eyes.
"Good. I wish you two all the best in your endeavors. I''ll have my senior send you back. Thank you for your time.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists toward them, who then reciprocated back as they gave their thanks too.
Immediately after Yang Qing used his pce sense to secretlymunicate with the King.
"Imperial secretary He Shan told me about your grandfather. I promised to try and get the Order''s help on the matter.
I will tell him of the results once I receive it.."
The King''s body shook as his pupils constricted. Zhang Qishan noticed something was off as his gaze meaningfully fell on the king and Yang Qing.
He had detected slight fluctuationsing from Yang Qing and guessed there must have been something told to the king secretly.
The interest in his eyes was quickly shortlived as he too had a lot of information to process especially the matter with the badger which would likely excite his grandfather.
Ye Xun appeared an instantter and in typical fashion covered them in her domain space before they had a chance to finish on their goodbyes leaving Yang Qing with a wry smile.
Chapter 628 Ye Xun acts out of character
Chapter 628 Ye Xun acts out of character
As Ye Xun transported King Zhou Luan and Zhang Qishan back to their kingdom, Yang Qing decided to remain in the office. The purpose was to wait for Ye Xun. He had asked her to check on the condition of King Zhou Luan''s grandfather, but when she brought them over she did not bring up the matter.
Yang Qing figured she opted to do it when she was taking them back where she would have time to do a thorough check or maybe she couldn''t find out.
The Twilight Sanctuary Array may have wilted down over the years however, it was still a top tier gold grade array, who knows maybe certain parts of it were still fully functional, and if they were, concealing someone from even the eyes of a domain expert should be something a gold grade array should be capable of.
With how sensitive the grandfather''s condition was, it stood to reason that both the king and his grandfather would go to great lengths to prevent such information from getting out and the best means that Yang Qing could think of was through the use of the array.
Yang Qing stewed in silence as time slowly passed him by before finally Ye Xun appeared in his office about half an hourter taking more time than she did the first time when she brought the duo over.
"They have something that can shield them from the spiritual sense of a domain expert.." said Ye Xun the moment she appeared.
"I figured as much..Is it the work of the array?"
Ye Xun shook her head sideways as she said,
"No, it seems to be an artifact, but it doesn''t seem to be fully functional because despite its presence I was still able to detect its location and when I concentrated further I was able to capture the aura of the king''s grandfather, albeit slightly.
What the Imperial Secretary told you is the truth. Even if I could only capture a trace of his aura, I can tell that his vitality seems to be weakening, and a sense of erratess to it, the kind you''d find on someone fighting against mental demons.."
Yang Qing''s brow creased together when he heard that.
"Senior Ye Xun how much do you know about the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate?" asked Yang Qing as he drummed his finger on his desk with a pensive look on his face.
"You think they may have something to do with his condition?" asked Ye Xun reading his train of thought.
"I do.."
" I haven''t dealt with them much but I could have Xiang He send you all the relevant information.
What he has is bound to prove useful if you''re looking to confirm something..."
Ye Xun paused briefly before her usually calm taciturn look blossomed into a smile. It was like the weing sun that was announcing the end of the cold winter.
Her gaze fell on Yang Qing who with no rhyme or reason thought Ye Xun was about to confess to him which made his heart race mercilessly. Every time a fair maiden smiled at him or even had a gaze that lingered on him a millisecond too long, his mind instantly assumed his handsome looks had ensnared them.
"You know if you keep going like this, the special inquisitors might decide to take you under their fold.
Xiang He did say that Assistant Director Feng Lei had his eye on you since your graduation ceremony when you intercepted that member from the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate.
With the way you''re going, it''s only a matter of time. The ck-red robe rather suits you.." she said with a meaningful smile.
Yang Qing''s heart instantly sped up for another reason entirely.
Seeing his palish features and trembling body, Ye Xun let out another chuckle as she disappeared from the room, but not without leaving a few words for Yang Qing.
"I will tell Xiang He to send you the information, I am sure he will appreciate the help as he is chasing other leads of his own on the case.
Also, don''t worry about the Special Inquisitor snatching you up, I doubt Lei would let you go so easily, and themittee too..."
Yang Qing stood frozen for a short while before his knees finally gave out and he dropped to one of the seats next to him.
"What did she mean by that? From her tone, it seems she and old fiend Lei are friends. Was she tormenting me on his behalf, or was this her way of getting back at me for all the favors I''ve had her do for me.." muttered Yang Qing in defeat.
The thought of joining the Special Inquisitors gave him a level of fear he did not know even existed within him.
He would rather go without eating for years than be a Special Inquisitor. Despite the favorable remunerations they get from cultivation resources, to ess to special cultivation sites under the control of the Order, the job itself was the most terrifying.
They dealt only with the most heinous of organizations or criminals. Yang Qing felt his stomach churn when he imagined day in and day out dealing with dangerous people like the figure behind the red abyssal thorn tree.
That was thest ce he would ever think of joining. He couldn''t help but reevaluate his actions on whether he should be less overzealous in his investigation and just pace himself.
Whatever he could think of, the special inquisitors could think of it too, and they already knew who the major culprit of the incident was.
If they found the hiding ground of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate, that was it, justice would be delivered swiftly with theirplete eradication.
Other things like why they targetted the daughter of the obsidian serpents, and how they managed to infiltrate the Deer Mountain Range, all of it would be moot if they discovered theirir which was what Yang Qing suspected Special Inquisitor Xiang He was doing instead of following this little bread crumbs Yang Qing was following up and about.
A secondter Yang Qing shook his head to dismiss the thought. He was already on this boat and he would see it through to the end.
Though he knew part of the reason he was this invested in the case was because of Hao Da. Had it been a different person Yang Qing wasn''t sure he would have exerted himself as he did.
He would have dug around because people from the Order did die and get hurt, but Hao Da being one of them, a close friend, that aspect made him push himself even further than he usually would.
"Maybe I can take this as me training up my inquisitor skills. With Yi Jie and the others unable to handle the pce court cases yet, I will have to do some of the leg work myself before they join me.
Those bastards, always so selfish.." muttered Yang Qing in frustration.
After the scare he got from Ye Xun, Yang Qing was in no mood than to do anything else other than eat.
He picked a few meals from the kitchen and moved to one of the peaks within the branch that Luo Meili had told him had a great view and ambient atmosphere.
A good meal and view was just what he needed to cleanse his mind. In the process, he even met Haishi and Bolin who he grabbed along to join him for a meal.
Even though the cultivation of the two was still where it was when they first joined, they had made significant progress.
Bolin''s wood rejuvenation element was finally showing signs of bncing out the different toxins within his body, while Haishi''s control of her mirage was getting stronger.
Yang Qing could sense with her current mastery she could hide herself from a seventh-stage core formation expert despite being at the fourth stage.
This seemed to suit her perfectly, as she didn''t seem thebative type. Yang Qing made a mental note to bring them along during his investigations to help them test their abilities.
The Deer Mountain Range wasn''t as expansive as the Green Fog Swamp but it was close somewhat, especially when one considered the spirit beasts roaming about and the countless untamed regions.
Yang Qing didn''t want the instincts that they had honed in the Green Fog Swamp to dull out and their current abilities were too weak for them to be thrown into the dangerous zones of the Insitute.
With a n in ce, Yang Qing smiled ever so brightly at the two unsuspecting duo who were blissfully enjoying the meals Yang Qing had brought along.
Chapter 629 Just as dangerous
Chapter 629 Just as dangerous
After his meal just as he was about to leave for another excursion, Special Inquisitor Xiang He appeared in front of him and gave him all the information the Special Inquisitors had on the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate.
Seeing howrge the information was, Yang Qing changed his ns and made a beeline for one of the ponds that had a lotus tform carved with spirit rejuvenation runes.
Considering the scale of information Yang Qing brought with him rice wine and a charcoal stove to warm it over.
The scale of information Xiang He had shared with him was as expansive as it could get. It went from how the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate started, to its hierarchy.
Information concerning the hierarchy was loosely based on the ounts of the members captured over the years, which was that they had one leader rumored to be at thete stages of the domain realm, the exact rank was unknown only that it was a female. Below her were three vice leaders, each a domain expert and a head of the three divisions of the syndicate.
The Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate could be considered an alchemy organization that had expertise in herbology, alchemy, and spirit beast zoology and each of the three vice leaders was head of one of those divisions.
Below the vice leaders were the branch masters also known as the deacons to the outside world and there were seven of them each at the pce realm. Two of them had already died at the Order''s hands which left their current number at five, though from the report shared with him by Xiang He, Yang Qing read that they had already shored up their ranks and filled in the missing numbers and even added more increasing the number to eight.
Yang Qing easily parsed through the countless information on the syndicate with his eye crisscrossing over all the reports looking for something specific. He was looking for their techniques.
They may be considered an organization of herbologists, alchemists, and zoologists but even while donning those roles this was an organization of ruthless killers that had ughtered hundreds of thousands, some for selfish reasons but others in the pursuit of their field of study.
It was often assumed alchemists and the like were bookworms with littlebat abilities other than their potions, but those from the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate subverted this notion considering the amount of blood on their hands.
Yang Qing''s interest was specifically in this, the means with which they attacked and the report didn''t disappoint. There were thousands and thousands of in-depth ounts of the attacks they made. Seeing the information Yang Qing had a small tug on his lips. It seemed like Xiang He had anticipated what exactly he was looking for.
Yang Qing went through each of the ounts with apt attention and as to what he expected of the attacks, the syndicate''s main form of attack was through poison-based arts, and other arts that targetted the soul.
With a name like theirs, it stood to reason they would be skilled with soul-based attacks. He had already detected some evidence of it at the battleground where he felt the dense yin energy attacks that still flooded the area along with a corrupting miasma that was different from the one released by the obsidian serpents.
The more he read, the more Yang Qing realized how truly dangerous the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate was. They were considered to be subordinate to the Dark Helminth Sect but the more he read, the more he felt the level of danger posed by the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate was just as high as the Dark Helminth Sect.
They were meticulous. From what Yang Qing read, in some of the attacks, the syndicate took decades to n before they executed, and when they did, the level of casualty was high and they always managed to cover their tracks well and it would only be discovered long after they had left and sometimes their fingerprints would not be discovered at all.
For example, Yang Qing read that they had once manipted the spiritual air of a particr area which reacted negatively with the spirit beasts in the area and made them frenzied and delirious.
Said spirit beasts wantonly attacked a vige that bordered them, as they made their way inwards into the territory of a rank 3 kingdom known as the Snow ze Kingdom. The chaos and destruction caused by the spirit beasts alerted the higher-ups of the kingdom to spring into action, which was what the syndicate wanted all along and they were using the spirit beasts to do it.
The chaos managed to buy them enough time to sneak into the kingdom''s secret vault and rob them of a wisdom pearl belonging to the snow ze swan, which was their founding kingdom guardian spirit beast which was rumored to have been close to reaching the domain realm before it died.
After stealing the pearl they reced it with a fake pearl that had been inscribed with a killing curse. The killing curse was powerful enough to kill a middle-stage pce realm cultivator instantly having their body and soul destroyed along with the pearl.
One of the ancestors of the Kingdom did die to the insidious trap left by them. The Snow ze Kingdom had thought the particr ancestor had absconded with the pearl and it was only muchter that they discovered it was a ruse and that the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate had stolen it.
The source of that information had been the Order who only managed to discover it from the confession of one of the branch masters they had captured and killed at the time, who had been part of said operation.
From his ount, they spent fifteen years nning it. There were a lot of things to consider such as finding the right concoction to muddle the minds of spirit beasts and within them, there had to be one that was at the pce realm for them to be able to draw the attention of the royal family of the Snow ze Kingdom.
This all required a lot of skill and resources as they had to do it without the pce realm spirit beast noticing it. After that, they used esoteric arts to control the souls of a few servants and guards in the royal pce as they studied it from top to bottom to locate the secret vault and they had to do all these under the noses of the pce realm figures within the pce.
The level of cunning and obscurity they went through to achieve their goals made them extremely dangerous in Yang Qing''s mind.
This left him wondering if they went to such an extent, then how long have they been nning their move in Deer Mountain Range?
Yang Qing continued reading all their recorded attacks silently noting down every means they used. After three hours he had gone over the recorded attacks a few times to confirm a theory he had in mind.
Yang Qing put down thest talisman as he rubbed his chin in contemtion.
"From what I''ve read it is within their means to curse someone even under the protection of their array without anyone being the wiser even the person themself.
His injuries may have had their hand in it.." muttered Yang Qing
Chapter 630 Blood brewing in the clouds
Chapter 630 Blood brewing in the clouds
Yang Qing carefully sorted all he had read about the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate and corrted it to the information he had gathered over the past few days.
After he heard from the Imperial Secretary that the King''s grandfather had suffered some sort of rpse just as he was about to deal with his final injury, Yang Qing instantly assumed foul y considering his existing suspicions about the kingdom.
Part of his theory operated under the fact that there had to be someone from the Deer Mountain Kingdom working with the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate to ambush the obsidian serpents'' daughter.
However, that theory had a few holes in it such as what the coborator from the Deer Mountain Kingdom stood to gain and the exacerbated injuries to the King''s grandfather answered that question.
Had he read about the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate before finding out about the grandfather''s situation, then his suspicions of there being a traitor within the kingdom would have lessened.
The Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate was very thorough and meticulous in its conduct. They could have known about the daughter centuries in advance and may have been lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to harvest her.
But now the grandfather''s sickness created ayer of suspicion of there being a traitor in the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
They stood to gain a lot from coborating with the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate, especially the nobles who had ambitions of usurping the throne of the Kingdom.
With the syndicate''s help, they injured one of the most powerful cultivators in the kingdom, and as a bonus, they also got to set a trap and whittle down their forces.
The only thing they didn''t n was for the daughter to call for her parents on her deathbed and for them to be that powerful.
This was what made Yang Qing believe the Syndicate may have not known about the daughter for long because if they did, then they would have known she had parents who were both at the seventh stage of the pce realm.
With their skills, they could effortlessly handle the royal guards of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, and with a lot of preparations and resources maybe just maybe they could ensure their escape from Hao Da and the rest provided they didn''t engage directly with them which was what most from this infamous organizations opted to do even when the odds were in their favor.
But on that particr day they not only had to face Hao Da and the rest but they also had to face the wrath of the two enraged obsidian serpents.
They only managed to luck out because the couple decided to attack both them, the team from Deer Mountain Kingdom and Hao Da''s team. That chaos gave them a little room to maneuver but even then, one of them suffered fatal injuries that would likely end their life.
Yang Qing had doubts about whether the Syndicate would be willing to sacrifice a pce realm expert all for whatever it was they got from the daughter of the obsidian serpents.
If his train of thought was correct then the appearance of the obsidian couple had a chance of being a surprise to them or..
Yang Qing''s pupils suddenly constricted as he remembered his entrance exam so he could be admitted to the Institute.
He was thrown into a forest so dangerous it seemed to have existed in the primordial era. He ended up teaming up with Kang Hung, Xia Boqin, and Luo Ran. No one could survive that ce alone and despite two peerless jade physique users and three people with mastered intents, they survived only by the skin of their teeth.
They ended with battered bodies that werepletely mangled up and had they been anywhere else other than the Order, they would have sumbed to those injuries
To this day, Yang Qing still believes the Instructors were trying to kill them with the test but the part that came to his mind as he was processing the information at hand was during the test the only reason they managed to reach the finish line was through the assistance of chaos.
They dragged their enemies to other enemies triggering every trap in between. They made it as chaotic as possible and put their all into weaseling through that mess, which was how they were able to push through even against enemies that would have easily pped them unconscious even whilst the four worked together.
He couldn''t help but wonder if the two branch masters did the same thing that day. The records of their attacks did show that using a borrowed hand to achieve their goal wasn''t beneath them.
What if they left the daughter with enough breath to cry out loud so she could call her parents because they didn''t want to face Hao Da and the rest head-on and hoped to borrow the force of the obsidian couple to escape?
"If they did that, then whatever they took must have been extremely valuable for them to go that far.." muttered Yang Qing as he stood up to leave.
Yang Qing had a frown on his face as he stood up.
"If there is indeed a traitor from the Deer Mountain Kingdom, is the throne really worth risking drawing the ire of the Order if they are caught?" muttered Yang Qing.
"Not unless they believe they won''t be caught or that we would not be in a position to punish them even if we did find out they were involved.
But what would give them such confidence?" Yang Qing said as he held his chin before his eyes lit up.
"The increasing attacks.." he ominously said with a somber expression.
He couldn''t help but stare at the clouds above him peacefully floating about but within it, he could somehow smell the rain of blood brewing within them.
"I hope it''s me just overthinking.." Yang Qing said as he dismissively shook his head.
Everything he had was purely conjecture with not enough meat and the bones were still weak to make anything out of them.
Yang Qing decided to pay a visit to the locations Meifeng had mentioned. It was the areas the fire adler bear took the obsidian serpent''s daughter to when she was young.
Yang Qing passed by the kitchen as was customary before he made his way to administrator Mo Gualing''s office to inform him of his departure.
Luo Meili and Su Jinjing were still not back from the branch post and from what he heard from Mo Gualing, they would be staying there for a bit because of a potential case. A few people had passed by the branch post and the two were following up on their ims.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wince when he heard that. With how his luck had been over the past month, every potential case sent shivers down his spine.
Not willing to give the matter further thought he picked up Haishi and Bolin and made his way to the mentioned locations.
Chapter 631 Didn’t see it coming
Chapter 631 Didn''t see iting
The two spirit beasts excitedly followed Yang Qing when he asked them to join them on his little excursion.
Ever since they got captured by Feng Xin, their world experienced a seismic shift. They got ess to resources they never thought possible, saw powerful spirit beasts that shook them to their core but were still somehow alive which was something they never thought possible either.
They saw terrifying human cultivators that were of the same caliber of terror as Feng Xin, which put them on edge every single day especially Haishi who had an easily intimidated personality.
But eventually, both of them were able to adapt to the unnerving situations and the drastic shifts in view till they were somehow used to it.
It wasn''t all bad for them as they didn''t have to risk their lives to improve their strength. Though the training they were put through was extremely demanding, they didn''t run the risk of ending up in another spirit beast''s stomach if they failed as was the norm in the Green Fog Region.
Haishi and Bolin both seemed to have adapted to their new lives at the Order, swiftly even. But considering how ruthless and dangerous the Green Fog Region was, the speed with which they called the Order home could be understood, especially when both considered their circumstances.
Other than being the only two to have survived the ambush on Feng Xin, they both didn''t have much to go back to. They were not overlords of territories that they would feel the pinch of not going back. Haishi was a wimp who liked staying in herir and the only times she got out was to shadow the green-flowered babirusa when it went to search for spiritual herbs.
With green flowered babirusa dead and already in the stomach of Yang Qing and the rest, and even hers because her willpower ended up failing her and she sumbed to that barbecued pork goodness, she didn''t have much else to go back to. She couldn''t find another partner like the green-flowered babirusa that would let her follow them all over the ce without attacking her.
As for Bolin, he only had one friend in the area, the green sh viper. Even though he thought his friend had likely survived Feng Xin''s attack, he had no intentions of going back even if he was given the chance to. His time at the Order made him realize how exhausted he had been of his life at the Green Fog Region.
He enjoyed soaking in his pond and eating a few insect spirit beasts whenever the urge struck him but other than that he didn''t have much ambition for anything else. However, because of his known friendship with the green sh viper who was one of the false kings of the eighth zone, he was constantly dragged into fights for dominance which he never wanted to be a part of.
The vie for supremacy between his long-time friend and the other false king, the ck cosmos caiman left him constantly on guard and exhausted.
After experiencing a sense of peace and rest he had at the Order, he had no intentions of ever going back.
To the two of them, their current lifestyle was afforded to them by Feng Xin but after being at the Order for some time and learning a bit of how things worked they knew it would not have been possible without Yang Qing''s support, especially for Bolin.
He was destined to be on the b of some alchemist''s table being researched and cut apart, but he wasn''t because of Yang Qing''s writing on his back. He would asionally rub it like it was some protective halo that would protect him against anything.
The two were thankful to Yang Qing for their current lifestyle which was why they liked to be around him, it also didn''t hurt that Yang Qing was easygoing and affable to them.
This was why Yang Qing''s betrayal hurt them so much when he dumped the two in dangerous parts of the Deer Mountain Range.
Bolin had his poisonous abilities sealed by Yang Qing and was left with his regenerative abilities from his wood element, which Yang Qing encouraged him to use unceasingly if he wanted to survive, while Haishi was thrown into a territory that had a ghost-eyed owl, a phantom de mantis and a few other spirit beasts skilled in perception.
Worse was, they were all stronger than Haishi. She was encouraged to hide to her heart''s content in the area.
The two didn''t see iting. They thought they would be sharing a meal, trading stories, andughing as they did the previous day not running and hiding for their lives in an unfamiliar territory.
Despite the shock, they quickly adjusted themselves as they carefully gauged their surroundings. Yang Qing nodded in appreciation when he saw how swiftly they moved and reacted. They clearly earned their reputation as residents of one of the most dangerous forests on the continent. Their mentality, adaptability, and swiftness were admirable as spirit beasts that lived in a region where your life hung on a bnce every second of every day.
Yang Qing left his spiritual imprint marking on both of them which was a safety measure in case something unexpected happened. His imprints would protect them whilst also alerting him.
After confirming his imprints were functional Yang Qing left for the locations mentioned by Meifeng.
The first stop was an area a few kilometers north of where he had mercilessly left Bolin and Haishi. Yang Qing spread his pce sense around the area before finding what he sought. He detected an area with rich spiritual energy circting.
When he arrived at the area, he found a pond made of lightning gypsum that was filled with what looked to be boiling blood as indeed it was.
Yang Qing detected the blood contained the auras of multitudinous spirit beasts. They seemed to havee from spirit beasts of varying strengths but they were all in the core formation realm.
"This looks like the body refining concoction that Grandpa and the rest used to dunk me in when I was small except it wasn''t as potent or smelled this nice.." Yang Qing said as he took a big gluttonous whiff as he walked towards the pond.
Chapter 632 Blood pond
Chapter 632 Blood pond
"Silver cloud fire boar..Zodiac dawn eagle..Twilight ivy bull.. Silver ray rabbit..Ruby thunderhead serpent...glittering sungrass stag.."
With every whiff he took, Yang Qing would ecstatically close his eyes as he named a spirit beast.
By the time he reached the pond, he had named at least twenty spirit beast names. His eyes glittered like a child''s when he finally reached the pond.
"The blood wine and soup that could made from this.." he muttered greedily as he put his hand into the blood pond.
The lightning produced by the gypsum instantly attacked his hand when he brought his hand over, but whether it was his hands or his robes, both were left unscathed.
The lightning produced by the gypsum was no more potent to him than a calm breeze brushing up against his skin.
He carefully scooped up the boiling blood like it was something precious as he sifted through it with his fingers, forming a small waterfall as it poured back into the pond.
"I don''t know how long it has been here, but the potency and the richness don''t seem to have waned one bit.." muttered Yang Qing.
After admiring the contents of the blood pond for a bit, Yang Qing focused on what had brought him here which was the investigation of the traces of the daughter of the obsidian.
He already had a register of her aura that he picked up at the battleground. Using it as a reference, he searched for simr traces in the area.
It wasn''t a surprise when he found the majority of her trace wafting in and around the blood pond.
A little study of the blood pond, Yang Qing had confirmed more or less what he suspected. The blood pond seemed to be a refining pond just like the one he had at his n. They used it on them during the body refining phase of their cultivation, except the blood pond before him was muchrger in scale and sophistication.
Had he been dunked into the contents of the pool when he was in the body-refining stage, his body would have instantly exploded from the potency of the energy within the pond. Yang Qing judged he could barely handle it if he was in thete stages of the foundation realm.
The blood used was of powerful spirit beasts each having reached different stages of the core formation realm. Yang Qing even detected one that had already reached the peak stage of the core formation realm, though, from the vibrancy of its energy, he felt it was put in recent inparison to the rest, at least not more than 100 years ago.
He could feel some sort oftent spirituality that was absent from the rest.
The more he studied the blood pond, the wonderous it was in his eyes. It was perfectly positioned above a high-grade spirit vein, and the geomancy also put it above the zone that was rich in Yang energy which would help in the breaking down and the mixing of the blood of the spirit beasts.
The pond was like one big cauldron. As for the lightning gypsum, the lightning had assimtive properties to it. It was more than likely used to strike apart the body of whoever was soaked in the blood pond and then help them slowly assimte the blood contained within it.
Yang Qing even detected some mysterious glyphs that seemed more natural than made and seemed to aid in the process.
"Did the fire adler bear do this or was this something his master had left him and he decided to use it on the obsidian serpents'' daughter?" muttered Yang Qing.
The level of sophistication employed in the pond left him wondering. Whether it was the fire adler bear''s doing or its master, whoever built the blood pond had exceptional skills.
They managed to mix the blood of the different spirit beasts into a homogenous mixture. Despite it having different properties, it didn''t sh and seemed to blend seamlessly with each other. The level of difficulty of pulling such a feat wasn''t to be underestimated considering the blood used came from 27 different spirit beasts all at the core formation realm.
This was like dealing with extremely potent and vtile ingredients in alchemy and blending them in the pond made the difficulty no different than brewing a high-tierplex blue grade potion.
Then there was the geomancy abilities shown by the positioning of the pond, the glyphs that seemed more natural than man-made, and how everything wasbined to work so seamlessly together.
Such a feat was worthy of praise even by the standards of the Order. Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder where they learned it all.
"Was it him?" muttered Yang Qing as he recalled the middle-aged man, however, immediately dismissed that thought as it didn''t fit the timeline.
Yang Qing roamed around the pond expending his spiritual essence and using every art in his arsenal to try and glean anything from the area.
His efforts were somewhat rewarded when he detected a faint savage aura floating around that mixed in with the pond.
The aura answered the question as to why the area seemed like it had been given a wide berth by other spirit beasts. The savage aura seemed to act like a fearsome deterrent to them. It was innocuous to humans which was why Yang Qing missed it the first time he looked around, but to spirit beasts, it was a ring sign of terror for them to keep off this ce.
Yang Qing spent close to an hour trying to see if he could detect traces of anything and anyone else, and when he didn''t, he decided to move on, but not before scooping a few cup fulls of the blood pond and storing them into one of his empty wine jars.
"Consider this payment for the amount I''ve taken.." said Yang Qing as he dropped a feather of the celestial nesting weaver into the blood pond.
The blood pond seemed to quiver with an almost lifelike excitement when Yang Qing produced the colorful ethereal looking feather of the celestial nesting weaver, and when it gently fell into the blood pond, it was like pandemonium broke and a ravenous beast had been woken from slumber.
The primeval agitated roar was instantly quelled when the feather touched the pond. It was like that of a master silencing his subjects.
"So pretentious.." Yang Qing muttered in disgusted envy as he produced his golden mes whose terrifying heat made the air tremble.
He doused the feather in the mes turning it into golden starry ash that dissolved into the pond. Without his mes, the celestial nesting weaver''s feather would have swallowed the pond dry.
Every part of the bird was greedy like that. With the featherpletely broken down by Yang Qing''s mes, it easily dissolved into the blood pond adding a sense of celestial mystique to the pond. The blood exuded an air of nobility.
Yang Qing unable to stand the showiness of the feather quickly left for the next location.
Chapter 633 Foundation circle
Chapter 633 Foundation circle
On reaching the next location Yang Qing couldn''t help but show a look of surprise. It didn''t take long for him to find the area he was looking for and finding it was even easier than the first location because of the nature of the area.
The next region was a nexus harmonic garden. This was a region in which spiritual nts of different elements grew together without an imbnce orpetition for resources.
Just like the blood pond where the different bloodlines blended together into one homogenous solution, in a nexus harmonic garden, spiritual nts of different elements seemed to coexist together.
A nexus harmonic garden could either form naturally or artificially and Yang Qing could tell that the one before him was a natural one.
The soil below and the spiritual qi surrounding the area had the perfect bnce of the five elements with not one being overpowered by the other which was how spiritual nts of different elements were able to grow within the area.
The medical valley had something simr but theirs was through human maniption and its scale was muchrger than the garden before him.
The area had about forty spiritual herbs spread over three acres which was the sphere of influence of the nexus harmonic garden. As for their grade, the bulk were at the middle tier of sky grade which was a decent quality. Given enough time, their quality was likely to improve.
Just like before Yang Qing scanned the area for any traces that might be in the area and like before he detected the traces of the daughter of the obsidian serpent and the fire adler bear. However, he was surprised when he detected another familiar aura mixed in the area, it was Meifeng''s.
"They likely used this ce to quell the vtility in the absorbed bloodline by using the harmonic energy present in the area.." muttered Yang Qing as he walked around the area in search of more clues.
When he didn''t find much he moved on to the other area. Meifeng had given him four locations.
The next ce he visited had a shallowke that had a single mosaic flower at the center. Despite it being midday the area had a cool temperature, and the origin of it seemed to be both theke and the mosaic flower working in tandem.
"An inner me mosaic flower.." muttered Yang Qing as his pupils turned into a pristine pure white color.
The unassuming yellow flower floating at the center of theke had a different look when he transformed his eyes.
A pale blue me releasing gray mist was produced from the stamen of the flower to its petals down its sepals as it gently covered the wholeke.
Theke looked like it was bathed in an eerie pale blue me that had a slight chill to it.
Yang Qing knew the decrease in temperature of the area was the doing of the flower before him.
It was a yin-natured spiritual herb that was great at refining the soul.
Yang Qing used his soul attunement to sense any residual trace auras around him. Because of his affinity with yin energy, he was able to easily capture the traces floating about than the previous two ces.
He detected two distinct auras in the area. One belonged to the fire adler bear and the other belonged to the daughter of the obsidian serpents.
Yang Qing triggered some of the yin glyphs in his arms which transformed his hair into pure white like that of a jade moon with his eyes turning into the full moon as his body radiated with pure white chilly glow.
He wanted to take advantage of the yin energy in the area and try to see if he could study the trace of the daughter of the obsidian serpent''s daughter and see if there were any special qualities within her trace.
In doing so, something unexpected happened. He sensed something abstract. It was an ephemeral feeling like something was there but at the same time, it wasn''t there. It was like trying to remember a word you know but it keeps escaping your mind.
Grand lunar of sce
The misty glyph markings in his body suddenly lit up with an intense radiance while his eyes started revolving around as they showed different phases of the moon as they shone with the same dao markings that were on his body.
Yang Qing focused on the ephemeral feeling he sensed for almost two hours before he sensed the tiniest of traces and even when he did capture the trace he couldn''t tell much from it. It was like the trace was covered with a thin veil.
Even if he couldn''t tell much from the trace. it at least told him there had been another person there.
"I wonder if the trace is for the Lady Gild that Meifeng mentioned?" wondered Yang Qing as his look went back to normal.
Yang Qing rested up for a few minutes to recover his expended soul essence before he moved on to thest and final location.
Thest location had nothing of note except for a boulder in the middle of a forest. Yang Qing instantly recognized the boulder the moment heid eyes on it. The boulder looked to be made of two colors. The front side was slightly dark, it looked almost like a shadow, while the back side was dark orange.
It was like the essence of the setting of the sun was captured within that boulder.
"The sunset heart seeking boulder.." Yang Qing muttered as he ced his hand on the boulder.
He could feel a slow warmness being released by it that seemed to calm his mind.
The sunset heart-seeking boulder was great for tempering the mind and the heart by promoting a meditative environment.
As long as one cultivated next to it they would find their heart and mind slowly synching into one. Scattered messy thoughts would be lined up and an anxious heart would find itself slowly being rid of its anxiousness.
Yang Qing took one of the twigs lying around on the ground, cleared some of the leaves next to it, and proceeded to write something.
"Body, alignment, soul, and heart.." were the words written on the ground. Body was at the top, alignment to the east, soul to the south, and heart to the west. Yang Qingpleted the writing by drawing a circle that linked the four.
"Breaking through from the gold body to the diamond body and eventually the peerless jade physique, the training I went through covered these four principles.
It seems like the fire adler bear had been preparing her body for something by having her go through these foundational steps.
But I have never heard of spirit beasts using the foundation circle. It is something we use.."
Chapter 634 Singing and dancing under the moon
Chapter 634 Singing and dancing under the moon
The foundational circle was something he had learned from his n''s old friend, Alchemist Ma Bo, the guest teacher from the Jade Dao Leaf Imperial Academy.
He was the one who coined the term as he and the rest of the Yang n members were refining their body refinement techniques.
Body refinement was aplete evolution of the cultivator from a cultivator. Everything that constituted the body had to be worked on, no part could remain neglected especially if one had the hopes of reaching the gold body, the diamond body, and the peerless jade physique stage.
The ingredients used had to match the user''s body, the user had to extract every benefitpletely from said ingredients, and to finally ensure that they could grasp their abilities, their mind, soul, and willpower had to be elevated to match their body''s progress.
Not one aspect could be missed or there would be an imbnce.
Each of the locations he had visited addressed oneponent of the foundation circle but as far as Yang Qing knew, spirit beasts didn''t need it.
It was always said the world was a bnce of scales. If it''s taken from one part, it will be added to another. It was a coin with two sides.
Spirit beasts progressed slowly in their cultivation but in exchange for that weakness, they had an almost perfect body which was why even a foundation-level spirit beast may have the same lifespan as a human pce realm expert.
Using the foundation circle on them was a bit redundant as it polished something that was already polished.
But it didn''t take long for Yang Qing to connect the dots.
"Not unless they areying the foundation for another physique and the current one is unable to measure up to the demands.." muttered Yang Qing.
From the battleground, he had already detected that the daughter of the obsidian serpents had a purer aura of a flood dragon than her father.
Yang Qing had never witnessed a spirit beast''s evolution but considering how vital their bodies'' were to them, it stood to reason that evolution meant aplete recement of everything within the spirit beast and such an extreme transformation had toe with huge risks.
Those risks were only lowered if the spirit beast in question had the particr bloodline already in the system and it was only a process of excavating and strengthening it, but if it didn''t then evolution would mean the destruction of the spirit beast''s body to form a new one.
As far as Yang Qing knew, obsidian serpents were far removed from the line of flood dragons, so the transformation would likely be an evolution rather than a bloodline excavation.
"The foundation circle could be the way they curbed the risk. Strengthening the body, slowly transforming and molding it so it''s able to gradually handle the process.
But is the fire adler bear really this skilled or did he get help but if he did then from who?" Yang Qing wondered as he remembered that ephemeral trace he discovered by ident at the location with the inner me mosaic flower.
"Maybe Meifeng may have some answers.." he added as he turned to leave the ce.
As he made his way to Meifeng''s cavern, he picked up Bolin and Haishi who both cut sorry figures especially the former.
He had deepcerations all over his body, there was not a single part of his body that didn''t have a clean cut that was releasing dark smoke.
The sight would make anyone wince as for Haishi, even though her injuries seemed lighter, they were nheless bad. A few of her wings looked to be hanging on by a thread and she could barely hover in the air.
They both looked relieved the moment Yang Qing appeared with a bit of resentment but relief quickly washed it away.
They were not strangers to being injured and despite how dangerous the circumstances had been, they hadfort in the knowledge that Yang Qing would show up if their lives were truly in danger even if they didn''t know about the spiritual imprint he had left on them.
The resentment they had was because of how sudden it had been.
"You both did well.." Yang Qing said with an encouraging smile as he healed their injuries.
Of course, the two heard none of it but quickly gave in when they sensed Yang Qing''s wonderous healing abilities. They felt like they had been the greatest massage in the world thatpletely washed any form of injury and fatigue from their bodies and even after he was done healing, the deeply satisfied and refreshed feeling didn''t go away.
"At least right now you should have some idea of the areas that you need to work on and you can already feel the training you had was for naught, especially you Bolin.." said Yang Qing as he sensed around the area.
There were a few ghost de mantis and other spirit beasts that had lost their lives. He could tell that the most were at Bolin''s hand.
Bolin quickly nodded as he heard Yang Qing''s words before he said,
"I am deeply thankful for the efforts you and Miss Luo Meili gave me.."
He performed a deep bow as he said this. The brief reprieve gave him the chance to analyze things clearly.
Before today even after he joined the Order, he would have never thought he would have been able to survive against spirit beasts as terrifying as the ghost de mantis without his poison.
His poison was what helped him survive the green fog swamp. As a ce filled with poisonous beings,?and those with a certain level of immunity to said poisons, his poison managed to stand out amongst the masses. It was to the point that the ck cosmos caiman had tried to recruit him over a thousand times and when it didn''t fail, tried to have him killed just as much but he survived thanks to it.
Other than his poison he had no confidence in anything else. His body was small andcked the explosive powermon in other spirit beasts and his speed while he was agile it could be considered above average at best which would not have been able to help him survive a ce as dangerous as the green fog swamp or any other ce for that matter.
But today against all expectations in a ce unfamiliar to him, without his poison he was able to survive the onught of spirit beasts such as the ghost de mantis despite both sides being at the same cultivation level.
He still couldn''t believe it. His body seemedpletely different. It felt lighter and he seemed to have fine control of everything within it and the biggest surprise was his rejuvenation abilities. No matter how much the ghost de mantis sliced him, it would instantly repair and he even felt his skin getting tougher with every healing cycle. The des of the ghost de mantis didn''t tear him apart as easily as they did at first which was what allowed him to retaliate back.
He felt like he had been reborn anew with a whole new world suddenly opening up to him. Bolin clenched and unclenched his front limbs still in slight disbelief with wonder in his eyes.
Had he not fallen into the Order''s hands, would he have discovered something like this?
He couldn''t help but feel exhrated at how many more discoveries awaited him. Being dumped in the middle of nowhere with vicious spirit beasts wasn''t as terrifying anymore.
"I promise to help you see and experience things you never thought possible.." Yang Qing said when he saw the fired look in Bolin.
Though Haishi still seemed to have some bit of wariness, she nheless had that intoxicated look one had when they discovered something they never thought they could do.
Yang Qing would help expand their abilities and scope beyond their imagination. Of course, part of the reason was for their benefit but the other was, the more powerful they were the easier his caseload would be.
"Haishi, Bolin, grow stronger, your boss here needs you.." he eagerly thought with an enthusiastic smile on his face.
The two spirit beasts, unaware of his thoughts, reciprocated the sentiment with gestures of gratitude and pride at seeing Yang Qing''s smile of ''approval.''
..
Cavern of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree,
"Adler isn''t good with nts not in the slightest. He ispletely horrible with them. Of the many beatings he suffered from Lady Gild, a couple of them were because he damaged a bunch of her gardens.." said Meifeng with a perplexed look at Yang Qing''s question.
Yang Qing made his way to her cavern with Haishi and Bolin in tow to ask Meifeng about the things he found in the locations she had informed him about.
"What about Lady Gild?"
"She was great with flowers and nts but I don''t know about geomancy or the blood pond... maybe she might. She knew a lot of things.." answered Meifeng.
"Did Lady Gild also know the obsidian couple?" asked Yang Qing.
"Not that I know of.." Meifeng said with a pensive look as she tried to recall if there was an interaction between the two sides.
"But then again she was famous, so maybe their paths may have crossed..."
"The timeline doesn''t seem to add up,.. she should have already left by the time the fire adler bear came to brag about aplishing something, which should probably be the evolution of the obsidian serpents'' daughter.." thought Yang Qing.
"And you''re sure Lady Gild has never returned in the past 1,000 years?" asked Yang Qing.
Meifeng''s words made it seem that it was less likely for the fire adler to have created the foundation circle.
"No, she hasn''t!" Meifeng hysterically said.
"At least I don''t believe so. If she did, then she would havee to see me...fire adler would havee too...the badger too... I would not have been alone if she was around.." she added in a low tone with despondency filling her.
Seeing her state, Yang Qing decided to change tact and shelve whatever questions he had and opted instead to have an impromptu celebration party with her, the diamond beetle, the skrk, the crescent moth, Haishi, and Bolin.
It started slow but with no time, the party was already in full swing with Meifeng dancing around the pond to the background of the melody of the skrk with the diamond beetle, the crescent moth, and Haishi flying around the purple flowers with the light of the moon reflecting of their bodies adding to its beauty, as Bolin and Yang Qing sang off-key to some songs Yang Qing was making up on the spot, horribly at that.
The party went all through the night, with Yang Qing, Haishi, and Bolin leaving midday the next day.
Chapter 635 Forgot himself
Chapter 635 Forgot himself
Yang Qing let out a small chuckle when he saw the reluctant look on Haishi''s face as they were leaving. She seemed to have formed a bond with the crescent moth and the diamond beetle more so thetter. He had no idea if it was because they were all insect spirit beasts, so it was a form of camaraderie among fellow insect spirit beasts or something else.
She did say she had been close with the green flowered babirusa and maybe her fondness for the diamond beetle may have something to do with it.
The diamond beetle had not yet awakened its sentience, and in terms of cultivation base it could be considered to be at the same level as a qi refinement cultivator, but even then, it had a significant build to it.
It was about the size of Yang Qing''s head and would continue to grow the higher its cultivation base grew. By the time it reached the core formation realm Yang Qing had a feeling it would be about the same size as the hulking green flowered babirusa.
Yang Qing couldn''t help butugh again as he saw Haishi and the diamond converse in an inaudiblenguage before they finally left for the branch.
After arriving at the headquarters, Yang Qing excused the two spirit beasts to do what they wanted since Luo Meili wasn''t back yet. She and Su Jinjing seemed to still be doing groundwork on the potential.
Yang Qing had a faint shiver when he got the news. It had already been two days since the two left and they were still conducting the investigations.
By this point, he knew there had to be something there though some part of him secretly hoped they were cking off. But he knew better, other than him, Feng Xin was about the only other person who would dare do that. Luo Meili and Su Jinjing were fastidious in everything they did which was why Yang Qing couldn''t help but be worried about what kind of headache they would bring his way.
Yang Qing decided to block out everything administrator Mo Guang told him as he made his way to his study. He would pretend there was no case looming over his head up until he was seated in a courtroom bringing down his gavel but until then, he would bury himself in his investigation.
On reaching his office, Yang Qing decided to pursue the foundation circle angle by calling his family''s old friend Alchemist Ma Bo. He filled him in on the details as he described every single part of the foundation circle he saw. With his expertise and long-standing cooperation with the Yang family, as they improved their body refining process, he could think of no one better to consult with on the sophistication of the foundation circle he saw.
After sharing everything on the matter, Alchemist Ma Bo came to the same conclusion as him which was whoever made that setup had to have at least a blue-grade level of expertise in alchemy, geomancy, and spirit beast anatomy along with an apanying understanding of the human body refinement process.
He did add something after, which was about Yang Qing''s suspicion that the circle was built in preparation for an evolution.
Thanks to his post as a guest teacher of the Jade Leaf Dao Imperial Academy and his deep fascination with the body refinement process, he dide across records in the ancient library of the academy stating that body refinement had some effects on spirit beasts especially one that adhered to the foundation circle.
The effect though was it helped in unlocking aspects of their bloodline or making it purer. When it came to evolution he had not yete across any evidence that suggested it helped with it and he too had his reservations about the effectiveness of the circle toward the evolution process.
As far as he knew when it came to evolution, even spirit beasts with a high affinity for the creature they are evolving to, the process was difficult, fraught with dangers, and had a high degree of failure and usually, for an evolution to even begin, a natural treasure of affinity was needed, without the whole process was moot.
Yang Qing felt like he had gone back to the beginning when he felt his theory being debunked, but Alchemist Ma Bo did promise to research it further at the Academy whilst also consulting other teachers with specialties in the subject.
Yang Qing decided to adopt the same method as Alchemist Ma Bo and contacted Ren Shu, Lei Weiyuan, and a few instructors from the Institute whose specialties touched on body refinement, alchemy, herbology, and spirit beast refinement.
In the process of sharing all he had, Yang Qing felt his spirits soar as a burden that he had been unwittingly carrying, lighten.
Yang Qing had a wry smile as he realized Hao Da''s attack had affected him more than he had realized which made him act contrary to what he would normally do.
Usually, even when he dealt with things he was good at, he liked consulting others and bouncing his ideas off them, but when it came to Hao Da''s case which had been a cloudy fog with nothing to sp at, he didn''t know whether it was some false sense of responsibility, guilt towards failing to save Ma Yuan''s wife, but without knowing he had been going at it alone like only he could do it, ignoring what made the Order work and his life easier.
He didn''t know about other ces, but the Order had some things that made it uniquely different from other ces, one of which was the invisible line between cultivators was absent.
A foundation establishment cultivator or even one who was at the qi refinement could easily interact with a pce realm cultivator while a core formation cultivator could receive the guidance of a domain expert. The barrier was not there, and it was one of the reasons for their meteoric rise.
Yang Qing had never been under the illusion that because he was a peerless jade physique user who had even managed to form a purple core at the core formation realm, that meant he was heads and shoulders above the rest.
There were a lot of terrifying individuals in the Order, like Chief Song Chuanli who despite being at the core formation realm, should he wish to, with his achievements as a gold-grade craftsman and botanist, could directly leap to the domain realm or the terrifying instructors whose presence is just as terrifying as a domain expert''s or the healers of the medical valley that could restore even a cracked dantian and reform a body.
All around there were people with defying abilities, and Yang Qing at some point had forgotten about it as he tried to do everything alone like some sort of hero trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. But he was no hero, he was a parasite who liked sponging off others while lying cozily under the shade. He felt ashamed for forgetting himself. It was time he acted true to his character.
With the sudden realization, Yang Qing quickly arranged every piece of information he had gathered thus far along with rising questions that came from said questions. Once everything was in order, he made calls to every single person he could think of who could help, which also involved informing special inquisitor Xiang He of the fleeting shrouded trace he had detected at the location with the inner me mosaic flower.
What he didn''t realize was because of his actions, he had unearthed a thread that had been wiggling around the continent from a long-forgotten past whose remnants still haunt the continent to this very day.
Gears kept turning in Yang Qing''s mind the more exchanges he had with his colleagues from the Order. The gloomy fog was showing signs of light and possibly revealing whaty within it.
Yang Qing''s eyes and grin grew wider and wider when he saw that it wouldn''t be long till the mystery was solved, but he eventually met a roadblock and to progress further, it would need the ounts of a certain stubborn couple who were there.
"They should be back tomorrow, hopefully,?their attitudes will have changed by then.." muttered Yang Qing as he thought of the obsidian serpent couple.
They were at the nexus of it all. They knew what the fire adler bear did to their daughter, they could maybe know who the mysterious partner to the fire adler bear had been, and they knew what exactly was done to their daughter for her evolution into a flood dragon to be a sess, and through their insight, he could maybe find some clues that showed how the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate even discovered their daughter.
But all that was predicated on them being willing to share what they knew and were not stillying me on the Order and the Deer Mountain Kingdom for the death of their child.
But if they were unwilling to cooperate...
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when his thoughts reached this point.
If they refused to cooperate, then their souls would have to be searched which though wouldn''t kill them would ruin their chances of ever reaching the domain realm because of the strain soul reading would leave on them. The more powerful a cultivator was, the more damage they took when their souls were forcefully read, and the couple being pce realm experts that had reached the seventh stage, Yang Qing could only imagine the damage they would suffer.
He hoped they would reconsider.
With nothing else to do, Yang Qing decided to take a walk around the branch as he wondered inwardly if he had truly gone over the effects of the Ice Emerald Sect or did he still have some lingering effects from the ordeal.
Considering his actions, he felt it was likely that he hadn''tpletely rid himself of it
Chapter 636 Guests at the branch
Chapter 636 Guests at the branch
Yang Qing walked around for about two hours around the branch to try and clear his head along with trying to do some introspection.
Even though he felt he wasn''tpletely over the incident at the Ice Emerald Sect, the introspection helped him realize he had improved and had been walking forward. He was no longer terrified of facing the memories, the results, and the implications as he did before and after passing the sentence.
He could now visualize it with some form of ease and even have the guts to entertain some questions that were in his heart without feeling a deep sense of dread apanying it.
The experience had been harrowing, but his heart and mentality had been slowly transforming since, without him realizing it.
Yang Qing had a slightly surprised look on his face as he felt some changes within his pce realm. The ocean had a slight ebbing in response to the moon that hung above.
The moon was still the same size as it was and positioned in the same ce as it was. It only had one distinctive difference from before which was a presence.
A look at the resplendent glow being released by it and one could detect a presence about it. One could feel certain qualities from it. Before its presence was static, but now, one could feel a sense of silence, peace, and lightness to it which seemed to mirror Yang Qing''s present state.
The change seemed to have also influenced his soul which seemed purer somewhat though the effect was negligible as his Yin Yang jade bones passively strengthened his body and soul. However, the soul''s improvement did have a significant effect on his mental sea of consciousness which in turn affected his spiritual sense.
His spiritual sense covered a maximum range of 10km around him but after the improvement to his mental sea of consciousness, the range increased by 2km to reach 12km.
The 2km increase might not mean much since there were attacks that could cover that range faster than it took someone to blink, but the true advantages would be seen when one condensed the range of the spiritual sense.
The closer the range was to the cultivator''s body, the more powerful the spiritual sense became.
Condensing the spiritual sense and shrinking its radius so that it''s close to the cultivator''s body improved the variety and level of detail one could discover via their spiritual sense from hidden formation arrays; to obscured treasures and artifacts; to spirit mines hidden beneath an obscuring maic field; to brewing potions and pills; to healing; down to even reacting to surprise attacks.
Countless aspects would see a drastic improvement when a cultivator condensed their spiritual sense, and usually the longer their maximum range, the more powerful it would be when they condensed it.
Yang Qing hurriedly condensed his spiritual sense to within 1km of his body and the results were better than he expected. In its condensed form he could sense different elemental energies that were spread about within the region, more specifically ones he had deep affinity with.
They usually exhibited themselves as a colored floating smoke but now the smoke seemed to be thinning out and in its ce were colored wavy strands that carried an ethereal air about them and some of those strands didn''t match the color of the smokey cloud they were associated with.
For example in one of the green clouds, the majority of the wavy strands that had formed were green in color, however there were now a few yellow strands and light blue ones.
That wasn''t the only change to them. When Yang Qing focused on a single strand he sensed a vast power that was as grand as the universe contained within them and within that power he could sense there was something in there that he was familiar with yet unfamiliar with. He felt like he was trying to catch a whisper during heavy rain.
Just as Yang Qing was about to further shrink his spiritual sense radius, he felt Mo Guang''s presence which prompted him to halt his experiment.
"Looks like I have interrupted your training Branch Chief, I am truly sorry for that, had I known.." Mo Guang said as he felt some sort of rhythmic fluctuationing from Yang Qing''s body and something he couldn''t quite exining from him.
While he wasn''t sure what was happening, he had enough experience to infer that something may have been happening with Yang Qing, and he had inadvertently interrupted him.
"No, it''s okay. I was just walking around to clear my head.." Yang Qing said with a smile when he saw Mo Guang''s guilt-ridden look.
"Nheless, I would like to offer an apology.." Mo Guang firmly said as he formed a daoist salute.
Yang Qing could only wryly smile when he saw it seemed administrator Mo Guang didn''t believe him and must have thought he had said those words tofort him.
Choosing to just go along with Mo Guang''s thoughts, Yang Qing,
"What brings you here? Have Luo Meili and Su Jinjing arrived?"
"No, though they did say they are about toplete what it is they were investigating and should be back tomorrow or the next day after that.." said Mo Guang as he raised his head from his apologetic bow.
Without waiting for Yang Qing to ask, he said,
"The third prince and his sister are outside the branch waiting to pay a courtesy visit.."
"This too is part of the duties of being a branch chief, I take it.." said Yang Qing seeing where Mo Guang was going with this.
"It is. Other than maintaining rtions, it''s a way for the branch chief to get a sense of their neighbors.." said Mo Guang with an apologetic smile when he saw Yang Qing''s concealed reluctance and tired sigh.
The administrator could understand Yang Qing''s thoughts since he would only be here for a month before he resumed his original posting as a judge of the headquarters.
Maintaining rtions with people that he may probably not see after the month is up would probably seem silly but it still had to be done.
The Deer Mountain Kingdom had agreed to let the Order build a branch within their territory, the least the Order could do was maintain friendly contact with them and it wasn''t only with them as Yang Qing woulde to find out, but with other powers within the Deer Mountain Range.
The branch chief would asionally meet with the leaders of the various organizations as a way of letting them know the Order''s doors are open to all. It was a great way to build the Order''s prestige and also establish channels of information.
Yang Qing didn''t need the administrator Mo Guang to hard sell him on it as he could more or less understand it. Thus albeit reluctantly, he met with the third prince and his sister.
The third prince despite having more of a physical with the Zhang family from his mother''s side,cked their presence, like the one the Zhang family had, that of valor and unbending will. Even his mother seemed to have that quality within her.
The third prince on the other hand was more like his father, the king. He was shrewd and seemed like someone who was malleable and adapted to circumstances.
His sister on the other handcked the gravitas of her brother, her father, or her mother, and didn''t seem to have the bearing of a valiant warriormon in the Zhang family.
If she walked on the streets, one would not believe she was a princess as shecked the air or presence of one. She had a more simplistic natural air to her that wasmon with mundane people who were not bugged down with a lot ofplexities. For her, the third prince was her brother and not someone seen as one of the favored to inherit the kingdom one day.
Yang Qing weed the sibling duo and yed the part of a dutiful host as he weed them to a ce that would feelfortable which to him was none other than the kitchen. The duo was a little taken aback as they were used to being hosted at one of the gazebos around the peak whenever they came by. The kitchen was a first for them.
They expertly hid their thoughts as Yang Qing enthusiastically gave them a short recount of the aplishments of the chef about to serve them much to the chef''s delight who made his dishes with a lot more gusto.
Chapter 637 Deciding on the king’s grandfather
Chapter 637 Deciding on the king''s grandfather
The trio had a hearty meal, with the two siblings being shocked at the level of skill of the chef. They had assumed Yang Qing to be bragging, but the level of skill shown by the chef had surpassed the ones shown by their chefs. It was to the point that it prompted the third prince to inquire if there was a way for him to rope in some chefs from the White Baobab Kingdom.
Yang Qing and the chef exchanged a smile before they said he could try. The third prince read enough to know it wouldn''t be easy.
Yang Qing saw the third prince still held intentions of trying and he wasn''t about to dissuade him from it by telling him how futile it would be because of the gluttonous king who would never take it lying down.
The rest of the conversation went as Yang Qing had expected which was titudes here and there, with the third prince trying to cozy up to him so he could eventually be one of his ''connections'' down the line.
Though Yang Qing had no intentions of doing so, he didn''t outright reject him. One can never have too many friends, you may never know when you might need them.
The third prince easily read Yang Qing''s olive branch which was more than he expected when he came here.
The connection attempt was more of him going through the motions. He had zero expectations that he would gain any form of assistance from Yang Qing in gaining the throne and was just making the visit and attempt so it could be seen he had tried it.
Perception mattered as it guided the narrative and he wasn''t about to be the only prince who didn''t attempt to form a connection with someone from the Order even though he had no expectations of it happening whatsoever.
Though he wasn''t getting an endorsement through the olive branch and was just friendship, to the third prince it was just as valuable which was evident by how he left in high spirits when their meeting was done.
As if by design, after the third prince and his sister left, the other prince and princesses showed upter in the day at different times. Only the eldest prince and the Meng princess didn''t make an appearance. Thetter''s absence could be understood as she waspletely out of sorts during the meeting at the assembly hall due to the loss of her brothers.
As for the eldest prince not making an appearance, Yang Qing could more or less guess as to his absence and it was all tied to the king.
"He may not have the backing of an aristocratic family like the rest, but he has it where it matters, and if the king''s grandfather gets well, then it''s all but guaranteed for him.."
Yang Qing suddenly froze as he realized in all the running about he had forgotten about the promise he had made to the king and the Imperial Secretary about forwarding their case to the higher-ups.
After seeing off thest guest, Yang Qing went to the gazebo that was close by and made his call to the Judicial Review Committee.
The moment hismunication talisman connected, an aged voice that had a sagely undertone to it, sounded.
"Yang Qing, I hear you''ve been quite busy in your role as the branch chief. From the reports we''ve received, we hear you have worn the shoes rather fittingly.. you''re a man of many talents.."
"See...see...seeenioor Long Ei, what do you mean?!"
Yang Qing almost stumbled into the river along with hismunication talisman the moment he heard the words from Long Ei.
A soft chuckle sounded from the other end, as Long Ei said,
"Why did you call? If it''s a follow-up on the case, the evolutionary reports are still beingpiled. You will have to wait a bit.."
Yang Qing had also roped in themittee in his spections. Considering their insights and experience he would be foolish not to.
"No, it''s not that. It''s about the king''s grandfather.." said Yang Qing.
He went on to exin his injuries and the discovery Ye Xun made when she went to drop off the king and the Zhang family head and his suspicion that the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate may have had a hand in the exacerbation of his injuries.
"Their involvement may be usible...mmh.... this may be doable. There is someone from the valley familiar with curses and soul attacks that invade the mental sea of consciousness or trigger heart demons. I''ll ask them to conduct the assessment.
Yang Qing, the king, what do you make of him?"
"He seems like someone willing to do anything to preserve the kingdom even things he may not agree with, but he also seems like someone who once decides on something, will stick to it to the bitter end, despite the consequences..." answered Yang Qing as he thought on his impression and interaction with the king.
"Good, then being bait shouldn''t be something unbearable for him.."
Yang Qing paused for a second before he followed the train of thought of Long Ei.
"You intend him to continue ying along even after his grandfather''s injuries get healed?"
"Yes.."
"To what end?"
"For it to be convincing enough to force the rats toe out to y, it would test the limits of what he is willing to endure.
Of course, ultimately it''s his choice whether he wants to or not. We will still heal the injuries if we find the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate was involved in the affair.
As for him ying along, this is only predicated on the coborator being shrewd enough to cover their tracks from us to the point we are forced to y it out but if they''re not, then there would be no need for it. The thread that leads back to them would be found soon enough, either by us or the king himself after all a local cat knows where all the rats and snakes hide within his territory better than a roaming leopard.
Healing his grandfather may embolden him to act. The only question is, is he decisive enough to act? and what lengths is he willing to go to.."
Yang Qing had a pensive look on his face before he said,
"From what I could sense of him, sacrificing his children is something he would easily do.."
"I suspected as much. I will send the person over today..and oh, the obsidian couple should be reaching there shortly, from the report given, they should have some rity now. Talking to them should be easier now. We will leave them in your care for now, find as much as you can before we transfer them to another branch.
Take care, Yang Qing.."
"Thank you, Senior Long Ei.."
Chapter 638 Revealing Yang Qings checkered past
Chapter 638 Revealing Yang Qing''s checkered past
"It wouldn''t hurt to have the death of his daughter checked out. Maybe the Shadow Hawks have something. That reminds me, I still haven''t met the members of mywork.
To think I thought life in the pce courts would be slow-paced.." muttered Yang Qing with a wry smile.
He chose to be a judge because he assumed it would be one of the safest jobs out there and he wouldn''t have to do much other than sit in an opulent courtroom and pass verdicts on cases.
He had been disillusioned that it would be smooth sailing but it was the farthest thing from it. From the first week, he was swarmed with cases from dusk to dawn with little to no breaks in between.
It was from that moment that he hatched the idea of rapidly scaling up thedders of justice within the Order. The higher up he moved, the less he would deal with.
He moved from the outer core courts to the inner core courts believing the situation would be better, but the number of cases was just as numerous as the ones from the outer core courts, then he moved to the superior core courts and he thought to himself surely the cases should reduce.
Yes, the number of cases reduced, but they became moreplex and draining. In addition to working cases more duties were added to him as a superior core court judge. He felt he was worked harder by the Order as a superior core court judge than he ever did as an outer core court judge.
After that realization, he cultivated like a dog and worked like a donkey to ensure he would reach the pce realm and the outer pce courts by association.
He told himself, that maybe it was because he was still in the core formation courts that he still felt swamped, and maybe once he jumped to the pce courts above him, things would be easier.
He never tried to ask Dai Chen or Zhang Qinggee how life as a pce court judge was, or the number of cases they dealt with for fear their response might not be what he expected.
The idea that life would be easier at the pce courts was what kept him going, but now that he was here, he realized it was the furthest thing from the soft life he envisioned it being.
He destroyed a sect, got attacked by a soul formation expert almost dying in the process, and now here he was doing a job that up until a few months ago he would have never epted for how dangerous it was.
Yang Qing sighed as hey his back on one of the cushions in the gazebo.
"Now that I think about it, life was easier back then. I dealt with a dozen cases a day but they had no lingering surprises in them unlike now.
Maybe the domain realm will be easier.." he muttered conveniently ignoring that he had said that exact same thing when he was in the pce court.
"I''ll have to meet them after I get back before I''m swarmed with unexpected things...." added Yang Qing with another tired sigh as he thought about the intelligencework handed to him by one of the division leaders of the Shadow Hawks during his induction after his promotion ceremony.
Yang Qing feeling too lethargic to do anything else, remained in the gazebo as he stared at the moving clouds above him which seemed to oddly resemble meat dishes and cozy futons the longer he stared at them.
Time quickly passed by with him drooling over the clouds and before he knew it he sensed a few familiar presences headed in his direction.
Yang Qing got up as his gaze fell on the four approaching figures. One of them was Mo Guang and he was nked on the other side by a valiant-looking woman in red hair wearing ck robes.
Between the red-haired woman and Administrator Mo Guong was a man and a woman who looked to be in their early sixties both with greying hair, simr-looking robes, and deep ck eyes that glinted like a crystal.
The duo seemed to be fidgeting and extremely vignt of their surroundings. Their bodies were tense with their eyes darting around them almost as if in fear of something suddenly attacking them.
"Branch chief Yang Qing this is..." the administrator had just begun his introduction when Yang Qing smiled as he said,
"Senior Fan Tao, I didn''t expect it would be you. Last I heard you were at the Bestial Churning Sea.."
"Seems like you know each other.." said Mo Guang with an awkward smile.
"We do.." answered thedy with a smile of her own.
"Seems like you''ve grown manlier sincest I saw you, Yang Qing. That little fledgling clung tightly to my robes at the Blood Charcuterie Market town is now a full-fledged pce realm cultivator .."
Yang Qing who had already puffed up his chest at being called manly quickly deted as a huge wave of embarrassment washed over him.
"Senior, you promised not to tell.." Yang Qing bashfully said as he warily looked around at the reactions of those present. The elderly man and woman were too fidgety to react, while Mo Guang was seasoned enough to contain his mirth.
"How''s the weaver?" asked the red-haireddy with an amused smile as she saw Yang Qing''s aggrieved look.
"Foul-mouthed, insufferably arrogant, world''s greatest parasite, loathful.." Yang Qing rattled on, getting more heated up by the second.
"I bet he''d say the same thing about you if I asked him.."
"Well, he''s a vindictive liar. Of course, he''d badmouth me given the chance.." mumbled Yang Qing which drew a peal of pearlyughter from the red-haired woman.
"I am d to see you''re doing okay.." said the red-haireddy as she threw Yang Qing a concerned but relieved look.
"Thank you.." said Yang Qing with a thankful smile.
The red-haireddy before him was one of the few instructors he wasn''t terrified of at the Institute. She was one of the heads of the beast hall department.
They have always been close since his Insitute days, especially with her being a fellow glutton.
When Yang Qing wanted to visit the blood charcuterie market, she was the one who took him. Though she bled him dry of his merit points. So much for being fellow eaters.
Being bamboozled out of his merit points aside, when it came to spirit beast zoology, there was no one better. She was the one who helped him hatch the celestial nesting weaver and source the right materials forying the skeleton of its nest.
She was also the bane of spirit beasts because of the inherent fear she induced in them owing to her taotie bloodline.
Yang Qing could understand why the elderly couple before him seemed overly agitated. Taoties could devour anything from the earth to the river of stars and everything in between. Anything was considered a delicacy to them.
The reddy named Fan Tao had a thin bloodline of the taotie, but that thin bloodline still had a suppressive and domineering effect on spirit beasts. It made them feel like they were about to be devoured which was likely what the elderly couple were feeling hence their behaviour.
Chapter 639 Meeting with the old couple (1)
Chapter 639 Meeting with the old couple (1)
The elderly couple in between Mo Guang and Fan Tao was the obsidian couple. The ferocious stubbornness they had before had been reced by abject fear and paranoia.
"Howe you''re with them?" asked Yang Qing.
Fan Tao was a seasoned domain expert and her reorienting pce stage spirit beasts seemed a little beneath her even if one of said spirit beasts was showing signs of evolving into a flood dragon.
Yang Qing knew for a fact that she had killed and butchered a flood dragon once upon a time and the flood dragon was among a long list of terrifying spirit beasts that had fallen by her hand.
Her taotie bloodline may terrify certain spirit beasts but for those with powerful bloodlines, it''s an irresistible tonic. This fact made her a target over the years but despite the target, she still lives. Part of it is because of the backup the Order provides, but the other is her terrifyingbat prowess.
Her handling the obsidian serpents was like using a sword capable of shattering the stars to carve up a chicken.
"I was free and I needed to check out a few things at the Bestial Churning Sea. So when I heard the favor was for you, I decided why not.
You owe me.."
"I don''t have any merit points to give you.." Yang Qing hurriedly said when he saw her mercantile gaze.
"Fine.." she reluctantly said with a light chuckle.
"Here.." she added as she gently patted the two elder''s backs who visibly flinched at the point of contact.
"I kept telling them I won''t eat them and they still don''t believe me.." she said with a sigh.
"Can you me them considering where you just came from? You ate in front of them, didn''t you?" Yang Qing asked as he suspiciously eyed the red-haireddy.
"It couldn''t be helped. One of the sellers had two arms belonging to an elusive fire dream octopus. Can you believe it?! " the red-haired excitedly said with an animated expression.
"ELUSIVEFIRE DREAM OCTOPUS!!!" Yang Qing instantly yelled with an agitated expression.
"Yes, and they belonged to one that had reached the domain realm.." the red-haired woman said with matching excitement.
"How was it?" asked Yang Qing as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Fire dream octopus was in the top twenty of their delicacy list. The creature was skilled in creating illusions that were so vivid that they were indivisible to the real thing. When cooked or even when eaten raw, provided you had the mental willpower and soul to handle it, its meat could transform into every vor you could think of and seamlessly blend them all together into one unique vor.
That aspect earned it the name the ''vor of dreams'', an object of great desire among food lovers alike.
Yang Qing couldn''t believe Fan Tao had stumbled onto two arms when even a whiff would incite a riot.
Fan Tao on hearing Yang Qing''s question, closed her eyes as if savoring the memory of it as she said,
"Million times better than what you can imagine. I almost wept from the taste.."
"That good?" muttered Yang Qing with disbelief mixed with envy.
"You have no idea.." said Fan Tao as she opened her eyes.
"It''s why I need to hurry back. If the arms appeared in the market, it must mean it was acquired close by, likely the Bestial Churning Sea. I want to try my hand at finding the main body.." Fan Tao said with a fervent glint in her eyes.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh in envy as he said,
"I wish I could go.." which he quickly swallowed back when he saw the teasing look from Fan Tao likely remembering how he fared back then.
"I could take you with me.." s
"No, nope, as much as I would like to, I can''t afford the trip.." Yang Qing hurriedly said.
"But if you were to find it, would you.." Yang Qing mustered the most imploring look he could make as he stared at her.
"You know the answer.." answered Fan Tao with a light chuckle.
"What if have something to trade?"
"I thought you didn''t have merit points? though even if you did, I wouldn''t ept them.."
"Not merit points, I got something that I know is definitely worth a whole elusive fire dream octopus and then some.." Yang Qing said with a sense of poise about him as he recalled the wine given to him by the mysterious middle-aged man.
If the gourd was already so precious, what about its contents?
"What is it?" curiously asked Fan Tao when she saw his look.
"Just know it''s something good. I can guarantee it.." Yang Qing smugly said.
He would have taken it out if he wasn''t afraid the red-haired woman before him would abscond with it. She was shameless enough to do so. He would rather wait till she left, and transfer a tiny bit to another gourd and have her sample that.
"Fine..." answered Fan Tao as her gaze tried to peer through Yang Qing.
"You''ve really grown.." she added with a smile as she ruffled his hair and turned to leave.
"Take care little gluttonous tree.." she said withughter as she disappeared.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile wryly when he saw her still use the nickname she gave him when they first met.
"Wait I could have asked her to take a look at the foundation circle site, with her expertise she could discover much more than I did.." muttered Yang Qing.
However, he soon dismissed that thought when he thought of the exorbitant fees she would charge him for asking for her help.
Yang Qing soon turned his attention to the obsidian couple whom he led to the dream star tree statue that they had once been contained in.
"With what you have seen and experienced, do you still believe we had anything to do with your daughter''s death?" said Yang Qing once the trio were within the world within the statue.
The obsidian serpent couple was seated on one side with Yang Qing opposite them, both sides facing each other beneath the fictional somber moon above them.
The couple seemed to be regaining some sense of self with Fan Tao absent, though they still seemed a bit pale.
Clearly, the weeklong experience had left an indelible impact on them.
"Who are you?"
The elderly man finally spoke.
"Just people looking for answers and retribution, same as you.." answered Yang Qing.
Chapter 640 Experience of the obsidian couple
Chapter 640 Experience of the obsidian couple
A short silence ensued between the two sides matching perfectly with the dimming light of the moon.
"With what you have seen, do you still think we had a hand in the death of your daughter?" asked Yang Qing as the moon in the sky reflected perfectly in his eyes.
The deep fear that they had before was slowly ebbing away giving the two a bit of a presence of mind to think clearly.
The elderly man couldn''t help but smile wryly as he eyed his surroundings.
"A few days ago this was a humiliation. Everything within me was roaring for me to break out of it but now.."
He paused as a flurry of emotions was reflected in his eyes.
"It feels like a safe haven..." he added with a dejected and terrified look on his face.
His wife seemed to share the same sentiments as the trembling of her shoulders had stopped when they were in the space within the ascendant-grade artifact.
"Are you a holynd?" asked the elderly man with slight trepidation in his tone.
It only took a day for both his and his wife''s views to be upended. Everything they saw was enough to break any form of resistance and self-pride they had.
Seeing the blood charcuterie market town was already terrifying enough especially when they felt the energy levels of the corpses that were hung on some of the market stalls, for some of them it was so intense that they felt the urge to prostrate themselves to the corpse itself despite it being dead already.
The show and tell didn''t just stop there, as their ''guide'' the ''she-devil'' Fan Tao took them to the Bestial Churning Sea where they saw a level of ferocity they never thought possible and it was only at the region closer to the shores.
They never thought such a ce could exist. They had fought against other spirit beasts at the Deer Mountain Range over the years as they were improving their strength and trying to get the best ces within the range, but their fights may have well been peaceful boutspared to the level of carnage they saw in the Bestial Churning Sea.
Had they been dropped into there, they would have died in less than a day. The spirit beasts that roamed the area were absolutely ferocious. Some had cultivation bases that were weaker than theirs, but their presence and the air of brutality and savagery around them were enough to freeze the souls of the obsidian serpent couple.
They shuddered at the thought of what it would be like if they were dropped into that sea where those savage spirit beasts battled each other to death every single second.
However, the scariest thing they saw was Fan Tao who effortlessly captured those terrifying spirit beasts as though they were helpless chickens and she even instantly devoured a few of them that had taken it upon themselves to attack her.
After the trip to the Blood Charcuterie Market Town, and the Bestial Churning Sea, they were transported to another ce that had been quite some distance from the Bestial Churning Sea.
The area they were taken to was a forest. It was quiet with a sense of tranquility about it and the denseness of the spiritual qi of the area was to the level of being cosmic.
It seemed limitless and dense. Not once in their lives have they ever been to a ce so rich in spiritual qi that even the air around it seemed to be filled with ethereal colorful lights. They could even faintly detect numerous dao charms mixed within the spiritual qi.
However, that purple-blue paradise was the reason they flinched at everything even their shadows.
The forest was home to over a dozen spirit beasts with noble bloodlines. In addition, there were other spirit beasts though theycked a noble bloodline, they had enough presence topletely make up for it. They didn''t lose one iota to those spirit beasts with noble bloodlines which came as a terrifying shock to the obsidian couple, as bloodline suppression and deference were like like an invible royal edict to spirit beasts.
They were left in that forest for two days and were only picked up a few hours ago before they were brought here.
They were not attacked while they were there but the presence of the inhabitants of that forest was enough to suffocate them and break them in every which way. They dared not move an inch from where they were left.
They were even too terrified to use their spiritual sense or make use of the dense spiritual qi in the area, afraid that it would trigger the residents'' ire. Not that they could easily make use of the spiritual qi in the area. They felt a boundless denseness within it, the kind that it would take them considerable effort and time just to absorb a single wisp, and that was without taking into ount the effort that they would need to refine said wisp.
They could feel the gazes of those spirit beasts that carried their thoughts, emotions, and attitudes toward them. There was contempt, mockery, yfulness, and for the majority of the gazes, indifference.
Indifference was the hardest to endure for the obsidian couple as they could somehow see themselves in the eyes of those spirit beasts Their worth was no different than that of the dew on a de of grass, it was less even.
In the Deer Mountain Range, they could be considered overlords of an area, but here, they were not even deemed worthy to exist. That truth was like a hammer continuously smashing against their minds and souls aiming to break them apart.
They managed to barely hang on the first night. It was on the second day that all hell broke loose and Armageddon descended on the forest.
Dawn of the next day just as the sun rays were warming their way through the dense canopies, a roar that carried the wrath of the heavens thundered around the forest. The roar shook the souls of the obsidian couple that they found themselves down on the ground gripped in fear, screaming and yelling for mercy.
However, their pleas were drowned out by the roar. The roar stopped and its terror was evident for all to see as the skies above the forest seemed to be filled with mes of different colors that looked like they would burn the to a crisp.
Immediately after another shattering roar sounded, from a different spirit beast this time, but it carried the same grandeur and terrifying presence as the first one. At this point, the couple had reached their breaking point. The roarsted just as long as the first one, which was just a few seconds, but might as well have been an eternity to the couple.
After the roar, its lingering effects created a stormy sea above them that contended with the different colored mes.
A third roar sounded, from another spirit beast, but the moment it did, the couple instantly passed out. By the time they came to, they were already in Fan Tao''s domain space, being transported back to the branch.
Even now they could still hear those roars within their very being which made them feel like their souls were shattering and their minds copsing.
Chapter 641 Fate of the couple (1)
Chapter 641 Fate of the couple (1)
The couple still had no idea who they had entangled with. Before they just assumed it was another one of those allies of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Even if Yen Xu''s abilities shocked them, especially with how effortlessly they were captured, they were not all that worried. The worst that could happen to them was dying and they had thought themselves long indifferent to life and death, especially with the death of their daughter, death looked like a weed relief to them.
And if they weren''t killed, they figured at some point in time the fire adler bear may rescue them or some of the powerful spirit beasts who had long ventured out of the range coulde back and rescue them when they heard that human domain experts were roaming their territory.
The couple may not know the exact number of spirit beasts that had reached the domain realm in the Deer Mountain Range, but they knew of two, one was the fire adler bear''s master who was terrifying in her own might, and the other was the metal moon tornado lynx.
The Deer Mountain Range was considered a free-for-all, with no overlord in ce. Even the fire adler bear''s master, as powerful as she was never dared hold that title because there had been one spirit beast that had once conquered the whole range with his terrifying abilities but left soon after when he found no one capable of holding their own against him.
It was heard that he had decided to venture into the green fog region to test his mettle against the spirit beasts that inhabited who were famed for their strength considering the forest had never been conquered by humans for as long as the green fog region has been there.
Even after he left, his seat as the undisputed overlord of the Deer Mountain Range remained, and other spirit beasts since then have tried to replicate his feats, but no one has been able to. Some even went to the extent of venturing into the Green Fog Region just as he did, which favored the Deer Mountain Kingdom because had those spirit beasts been around, the kingdom could have forgotten about gaining a foothold in the range.
The couple had been cing their bets on one of those spirit beastsing back. Even though they were not as powerful as the lynx, they were much more powerful than them as a few had even been able to hold their own against the fire adler bear''s master.
If they came back, ttening the Deer Mountain Kingdom and the branch would not be an impossibility even if with someone like Yen Xu present.
However, that four-day trip made them thoroughly aware of how naive they had been in their thoughts.
They thought Yen Xu was the most powerful figure at the branch, but then they met Fan Tao, a terrifying beast in human skin who killed spirit beasts that made their insides churn, as effortlessly as swatting a fly.
Then there were the inhabitants of that forest. Any one of them was capable of running roughshod on the Deer Mountain Range, let alone the owners of those catastrophic roars.
The couple may have never been able to see the true strength of the metal moon tornado lynx but they had doubts about whether the lynx would be able to conquer the inhabitants of that forest as he did the Deer Mountain Range, let alone survive even a day against them.
The abilities and power they saw, were something they could never imagine, which was why the male obsidian serpent assumed they had to be from a holynd, and if they were, they pitted themselves against the hardest wall there was. Death was the least of their worries. They couldn''t help but fear that their actions may have implicated every spirit beast in the Deer Mountain Range.
"No, we are not from a holynd.." answered Yang Qing which drew a look of confusion from the couple.
Considering what they saw, only the rumored holynds could be that powerful in their mind. But if they weren''t then how powerful were holynds
Yang Qing seeing their perplexed looks couldn''t help but exin to them about the Order to help with the confusion and maybe their fear.
"There is something like that?" muttered the elderly man in surprise.
"That level of strength makes sense.." he added with a defeated smile.
Some part of him thought them being a holynd may have been easier to swallow rather than an organization that supervises the entire continent. Thetter seemed much more domineering in his mind.
"You really had nothing to do with Qin''er''s death?" asked thedy next to the elderly man after she had summoned enough courage to talk despite being the most talkative of the two when Yang Qing wasst here.
"We didn''t.." firmly answered Yang Qing.
The couple couldn''t help but sigh at the response. With what they saw, they already believed it, and asking was just them hoping it wasn''t when they considered the repercussions of their actions, especially thedy who had eaten one of their members during the fight.
"What is it you want to know?" asked the elderly man with a sense of tiredness washing over his body.
"We can start with your names.." said Yang Qing.
"I am Bai Zhen, this is my dao partner, Bai Su, and our daughter.." the elderly paused as a pained look appeared on his face.
"Our daughter was called Bai Qin.." he said with a low despotic tone.
Tears dripped from Bai Su''s eyes as she leaned her head toward the elderly man called Bai Zhen.
"I know you know the fire adler bear.." said Yang Qing which drew shocked looks from the couple.
However, Yang Qing didn''t stop there.
"I also know that your daughter had a purer bloodline of a flood dragon than you. I detected it at the battleground, and I know the fire adler bear had something to do with the evolution.
I saw the foundation circle he took her to..."
"The foundation circle is the ces where he took her to refine her body.." added Yang Qing when he saw the confusion when he mentioned the foundation circle.
"Is Adler ..." Bai Zhen hesitantly asked with trepidation in his tone.
"He isn''t dead nor have we captured him.." answered Yang Qing when he noticed the shakiness in Bai Zhen''s voice and the hesitant, fearful, and guilt-ridden look in his eye.
"What I want to know is, how did your daughter achieve the evolution, and by the looks of it you too.
You don''t seem to have gone through the same process as her, but somehow two evolutions happened.." asked Yang Qing.
Chapter 642 Fate of the couple (2)
Chapter 642 Fate of the couple (2)
?
"The evolution happened because of a treasure bone.." Bai Zhen said after a short silence.
"A treasure bone?!" asked Yang Qing with widened eyes of disbelief.
"Yes, a treasure bone.." said Bai Zhen with a sigh.
"How did you even end up with something like that?" asked Yang Qing still in surprise from the revtion.
Forming a wisdom pearl was a diving threshold for spirit beasts. Only those with a certain level of talent were able to form one.
The wisdom pearl contained their insights and achievements in a particr dao and was extremely valuable to both spirit beasts and humans too.
However, as precious as it was, one million wisdom pearls filled with in-depth insights into the Dao wasn''t as valuable as a single speck from a treasure bone.
The treasure bone, also known as the mark of the saint, was something formed when a spirit beast reached the soul formation realm.
To a spirit beast no matter the heights of cultivation they reach, their bodies still remain their greatest capital and that fact remains true when they reach the soul formation realm.
Of course, there are exceptions such as those whose abilities are soul-based but even for them, their bodies do still y a part in their growth.
For spirit beasts who use their fleshly body to traverse the confines of the domain realm, they get another name when they sessfully breakthrough which is the equivalent of the soul formation realm, that realm is called the sacred sovereign realm.
At this stage, whether the spirit beast has a noble bloodline or not, bloodline suppression no longer affects them. They have stepped beyond its bounds and established a bloodline unique only to themselves.
The tribtion lightning they face when breaking through obliterates and reforms them anew, and in the end, should they survive it, their entire body is transformed and filled with the same power that forms the world around them. However, it takes different variations depending on the mastery of the spirit beast.
Their flesh, blood, skin, internal organs, and every other inch of their bodies are baptized with the aura of the origin dao. Their bodies end up filled with dao markings and glyphs just like how Yang Qing has a few because of his peerless jade physique.
Those dao markings are what the spirit beasts contemte to improve their cultivation. Their next steps are literally branded to them and when they die, those markings disappear except the ones that are in their bones.
Their bones contain their entire life''s umtion and are no different from a saint-grade natural treasure, hence the name, treasure bone.
Should a spirit beast stumble even to the tiniest piece of a treasure bone, their fortunes are instantly transformed. A whole roadmap leading to the soul formation realm is instantly opened up to them and they only need to follow it.
It didn''t only benefit spirit beasts as human cultivators could also contemte the dao markings for the profundities thaty within it like some old tome and improve themselves.
If the obsidian serpent couple had a treasure bone, evolving into a flood dragon was more than possible.
But how did they end up with a treasure bone of a flood dragon? flood dragons were notoriously powerful, famous for holding their own even against those stronger than them, let alone a flood dragon that had reached the sacred sovereign realm.
How did the obsidian couple get their hands on something so rare?
"Adler had a piece of it which he offered to share with my daughter.." said Bai Zhen.
"Where did he even get such a thing? and howe he handed it to you and not used it himself?" asked Yang Qing.
Handing out a treasure bone was no different than handing out a saint-grade treasure.
"From the moment he made the suggestion, I found myself asking myself that very question every single day since.." said Bai Zhen with a wry smile.
"I could never quite understand him sometimes, despite having known each other for almost 10,000 years.." he added with a shake of his head.
"Did he receive it from his master?" asked Yang Qing, increasingly feeling that it was likely to be the case.
"He did.."
As if anticipating that Yang Qing would ask how his master got a hold of it in the first ce, Bai Zhen added,
"His master got it from someone else, though she never told the fire adler bear much, other than it was an unfathomable figure and he was the one that gave her a chance at rebirth.
When she left, she had left precisely to search for that unfathomable figure.."
The gears in Yang Qing''s mind instantly started turning as to who that unfathomable figure could be before it slowly fell on the middle-aged man they shared drinks and meals with.
While talking, the middle-aged man said he had forgotten something in the Deer Mountain Range and hade to check on it to which Yang Qing had strong suspicions that the forgotten thing the middle-aged man was talking about was the sword embryo being refined by the mes produced by the egg of a Bifang Niao.
Other thaning to check on the forgotten object, the middle-aged said he was also checking on a friend but he missed them.
Though it was far-fetched, Yang Qing had a feeling that maybe the fire adler bear''s master and the middle-aged man were connected. Otherwise, how could his master have gotten her hands on the treasure bone of a sacred sovereign realm spirit beast?
In his mind, someone who could fashion a wine gourd with wood from the empyrean world jade tree, a king among jade trees, was exactly the same type of person who would casually give out a treasure bone from a spirit beast that had reached the human equivalent of the soul formation realm, and a flood dragon nheless.
What were the odds that the Deer Mountain Range was asionally frequented by multiple unfathomable figures? It was their luck that even one, in the name of the middle-aged man, came by at all.
The Deer Mountain Range may be rich in resources, to the point it may rival some rank 2 kingdoms, but that was insufficient to draw in the eyes of people at the level of the middle-aged man.
Therefore Yang Qing felt it was highly likely that the middle-aged man was acquainted with the fire adler bear''s master and that may have even been the reason he had decided to stop by Meifeng''s cavern.
It had nothing to do with his beggar''s rice wine or the fried scallops which were Shi Hai''s best work, or the radiant look of the parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree. It had more to do with Meifeng''s rtionship with the fire adler bear''s master.
Someone as skilled as the middle-aged man could likely trace her aura to Meifeng considering she spent some time with the sycamore tree and was like a mother to her, and without a treasure that shielded her karma from being spied on, Miefeng''s past could have been easily deduced by the middle-aged man, which was why he came there in the first ce or rewarded her with the purest yin energy he had ever seen.
Chapter 643 Fate of the couple (3)
Chapter 643 Fate of the couple (3)
It took a minute before Yang Qing consolidated his thoughts together. The couple didn''t interrupt him as they too had thoughts of their own to arrange which werergely centered on their fate, the fate of the Deer Mountain Range, and if they would even get the chance to avenge their daughter.
"Did his master not use the treasure bone toplete her evolution?" asked Yang Qing once he had finished arranging his thoughts.
"She did use it,?but not to evolve into a flood dragon even though it would have been easier for her to evolve into aplete flood dragon unlike me or my daughter.
Her constitution suited it perfectly but she didn''t want to abandon her true form and opted to just use it to strengthen her bloodline and foundations while contemting the dao markings within it..."
It was Bai Su who answered this time, with a gaze of worship.
"She wanted to walk forward with her original form. I am not sure many would make the same choice.." she added.
"It seems you''re acquainted with her?" asked Yang Qing when he saw Bai Su smile for the first time since he met her.
"I did when I was just a fledgling in the core formation realm and didn''t know better. She saved me from being eaten.." answered Bai Su as her gaze flickered.
"I know my talent well enough. If it wasn''t for your constant sacrifices Zhen''er, I wouldn''t have reached the heights that I''ve reached.
Even now I can tell, my potential has already been exhausted. This is as far as I will ever reach and I am okay with it, but Qin''er I hoped she could reach her heights someday. I hoped our daughter would soar to the skies and see a world I could never see.." she added with sorrow in her tone.
"I am sorry you had me for a wife, and our daughter had me for a mother. I failed you both.." she said as tears slowly trickled down her cheeks.
"I am not. You and Qin''er are my greatest aplishments.." firmly said Bai Zhen as cast a gentle gaze on Bai Su.
"But I am d you''re more self-aware now of how lucky you are to have me. Back then you even tried to eat me and when that didn''t work you even schemed with adler and badger to give me a beating..." Bai Zhen cheekily said drawing a smile from his wife.
"You were arrogant back then. I couldn''t stand your smug look, the same look you''re showing right now. Seems like the beatings were not enough.." said Bao Su with a teasing threatening smile.
Yang Qing didn''t interrupt as he wondered to himself if he would ever have something simr. A certain nosey purple-haired gossip hoarder appeared in his mind before he hurriedly shook his head to clear his thoughts. He still had questions that needed answering.
Once the couple had settled down, he asked,
"So whatever was left behind after contemtion, she gave it to the fire adler bear?" asked Yang Qing.
"Yes. Even though Adler wasn''t a match with it for evolution he could at least contemte the profundities contained within it to improve himself.
Even without using it for evolution, it was still precious and had wonderful benefits. But he wanted to be like his master.." said Bai Zhen with augh.
"I don''t know whether it''s true or not, Adler likes to exaggerate things all the time. But he told me the real reason his master didn''t use the treasure bone for evolution was because if she was to evolve, she wanted it to be into a true dragon and not a poisonous snake that shared its name.
Only as a true dragon would she feel worthy of telling the senior who had given her the treasure bone, that his efforts were not wasted.
Adler decided to adopt the same stance as hers and decided to pave his own way forward so that when his master came back she would think he had grown and wasn''t the same troublemaker cub he had been back then.
I think that''s the reason he was so close to our daughter. It was his way of showing he had really matured. Though he was still just as cheeky as the oversized mischievous cub I knew back then.." Bai Zhen said with a smile.
"He was.." echoed Bai Su with a smile of her own.
"The foundation circle I was talking about; the blood pond, the harmonic garden filled with nts of different elements, theke with inner me mosaic flower, and the region with the sunset heart-seeking boulder, did Adler set it all up was it the doing of his master?" asked Yang Qing getting to the real thing he wanted to know about.
"At first we thought it was his master''s doing but Adler smugly said it wasn''t and it was his doing.
But I didn''t believe him. I know him well enough to know he doesn''t have any of the skills required to create something like that.
He kept insisting it was all him, and it was only when I threatened to not let my daughter try did he finally fess up.
The design was made by a resident of this range, an eclipse spiritweave fox that went by the name of Jiang Xiang.
He may have not been the mostbative spirit beast, but he had been one of the leading figures of the range once upon a time, especially as a mediator, and his talents even extended to humans.
Because of this aura of tranquility and serenity, he can form friendships easily and make even the most vtile of spirit beasts, calm down.
He was well-liked and the range enjoyed a period of peace thanks to him, however, he left to explore the outside world and try to be a merchant or a schr or something of the sort. He was always fascinated by humans and their different facets when it came to personality and their ingenuity with cultivation arts.
He was always curious. I think it was about seven thousand years ago, and he was at the sixth or seventh stage of the pce realm, he decided to venture outside, up until two thousand years ago when he briefly came back, which was the time he met with Adler..."
Bai Zhen paused for a bit and continued.
"Adler told me Jiang Xiang had managed to join a merchantpany by the name of the White Rose Pavilion. I don''t know much about it, but from the way he put it, it has to be something big in your world.."
"It is, they''re pretty powerful and widespread. Jiang Xiang must have been talented to get a job there.." said Yang Qing which drew a surprised look from the couple.
After seeing a bit of the depth of the Order, for the White Rose Pavilion to garner such a remark from a member of the Order, the pavilion had to be powerful.
Bai Zhen and his wife had assumed the fire adler bear embellished some of the information, so he could receive their cooperation in letting their daughter go through with the evolution process.
Chapter 644 Fate of the couple (4)
Chapter 644 Fate of the couple (4)
"Adler already had the intention of giving my daughter whatever was left of the treasure bone he was left with, but even he knew he couldn''t give it straight to her without sufficient preparations.
So when Jiang Xiang appeared before him, he shared his woes with him. Jiang Xiang was known to be knowledgeable about a lot of things, and with his experience in the human world, he was bound to know more.
Adler has ventured out of the Deer Mountain Range before, unlike us, who have never taken a single step outside, so he must have known the implications of working for the White Rose Pavilion which is what I think was a factor in why he divulged that he had a treasure bone to Jiang Xiang.." said Bai Zhen.
Yang Qing nodded though, in his mind, he told himself the fire adler bear was too trusting and too wreckless by opening up he had a piece of a treasure bone in his possession.
This was an item that would cause rank 2 organizations that have been allies for tens of thousands of years to immediately wipe away the rtionship and tear at each other all for the chance of getting their hands at the treasure bone.
Kingdom would turn against kingdom, subjects would turn against their king, neighbor would turn against neighbor, friend would turn against friend, student would turn against master, brother would turn against brother, and son would turn against father.
Every sacred bond ran the risk of being shredded to pieces the moment a treasure bone appeared and the fire adler bear willingly divulged he had such a thing, to a resident, someone he had not seen in close to four thousand years.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder how trusting he was or was his mind beguiled.
An eclipse spiritweave fox had abilities rted to the soul. They had something called the eclipse vision that could induce trance-like states into subjects, sometimes it was a good thing, as it could help the person concentrate or prevent an agitated internal demon from exploding, and in other cases, it left the subject of the vision susceptible to coercsion.
Yang Qing wondered if the fire adler bear was a victim of thetter. But he immediately rejected the notion.
A spirit beast capable of reaching the quasi-domain realm and even rejecting the use of something as precious as a treasure bone had to have strong willpower which was the best defense against mental-based attacks.
"Jiang Xiang was the one who helped himy the whole thing down. He told Adler that the method was a tried and proven method that humans used to strengthen their bodies to the point that it would rival or even exceed that of spirit beasts.
He was the one who, through his connections procured the sunset heart-seeking boulder and the inner me mosaic flower.
Together, he and Jiang Xiangid out the whole thing, and in exchange for his help, Adler gave him a tiny piece of the treasure bone. It was about this size.." said Bai Zhen as he separated his index finger and thumb to show the measurement.
The space in between the two fingers was enough for a de of grass to barely fit through. It may seem small, but such a small piece contained enough insights and profundities tost a domain expert several lifetimes contemting it.
"What about the one he gave your daughter?" Yang Qing curiously asked.
"It was about this wide, and this long.."
The size depicted by Bai Zhen was a girth of about 4mm and the length was about two centimeters.
Yang Qing nodded as he motioned for Bai Zhen to continue.
"After the whole thing was set, Jiang Xiang left. Adler never told him who it was for. After he left, Adler told us of his n, which was to let Qin''er absorb the treasure bone and have her undergo the evolution.
We were ill at ease at first, by the whole thing. We may have not traveled at all, but we know how precious a treasure bone is from our bloodline memories and the sensation we got the moment we saw it.
The bone wasn''t even the size of my eye, but it radiated with a power so unfathomable and boundless that it looked like it could contain an entire gxy within it.
I felt so small and overwhelmed before it. I never felt something quite like it.."
Bai Zhen went silent as he shared aplicated look with his wife Bai Su.
When he and his wife saw the treasure bone and its grandness, they thought nothing could ever surpass that feeling, but in the past few days that notion was obliterated because they did feel a power just as grand as the treasure bone, and it was much much scarier even.
Pushing those negative thoughts aside, Bai Zhen continued.
"Eventually we relented though we didn''t need much convincing anyway. This was a chance to change the fate of our child, so of course we were going to jump at it.
We were there every step of the way as Adler helped her refine and strengthen her body, soul, mind, and heart. The process took almost 200 years before Adler was satisfied that she could handle the destructive and overwhelming process of the evolution.
He then took out an ancient-looking scroll, wrapped the treasure bone around it, and muttered some strange incantation as he ced the scroll on my daughter''s back.
The scroll .."
Just as he was about to continue, Yang Qing interrupted him.
"The strange incantation, do you remember it?"
"For some reason, i only remember aspects of it, and it''s jumbled at that., what about you Bai Su?'''' Bai Zhen said as he directed the question to his wife.
"It''s jumbled for me too, though I do remember feeling a crying from deep within my blood when he mumbled the incantation. It was like my ancestors were resonating with it.." said Bai Su with furrowed brows as she tried to recall the sensation from that day.
"Mythical beast incantation.." absent-mindedly muttered Yang Qing when he heard Bai Su''s description.
It was something he had seen happen at the beast hall.
Chapter 645 Fate of the couple (5)
Chapter 645 Fate of the couple (5)
"Mythical beast incantation?" asked Bai Zhen with a puzzled expression.
Yang Qing''s dazed eyes focused back as he answered,
"Mythical beast incantation is known as thenguage of the mythical beings. The mythical beings, in this case, are the likes of dragons, phoenixes, kunpengs, ck tortoise, white tiger, Qilin, the vermilion bird, and the like.
Even beings like the ancient tree folk and golems feature here.
It is said they are able to call on a special power within the force of the world with their voices. Anguage that beckons the world, the Origin Dao itself.." said Yang Qing with a mystified gaze as he clenched his fists together with fascination.
"That voice I don''t know by whom was transcribed into anguage dubbed the ''mythicalnguage''.
Thenguage is notoriously difficult to learn and one can easily lose their mind in the attempts to learn, and even when they do learn it, it''s difficult to execute it as it needs the body of those mythical beings to execute it fully.
Without it, you''re liable to have your body explode if you attempt to execute it. That being said, the toll and difficulty can be reduced if you break thenguage into tiny parts, and just execute one single part of those small parts.." said Yang Qing with an inscrutable gaze.
"The degree of difficulty isn''t to be underestimated though, because only one in a hundred thousand are able to learn it or execute it without suffering irreparable damage.
When executed, if a spirit beast is nearby or even spiritual nts, or people with bloodlines rted to either of the mentioned groups, it triggers a reaction within them. The lineage call of their ancestors.
It''s the feeling you have just described.." said Yang Qing as his gaze fell on Bai Su.
"From your reactions, it seems Adler never told you what the incantation was," Yang Qing added as he saw their baffled looks.
"He didn''t, he only said it was an important key for smoothening the process and reducing the risks.
That exins why he was barely able to stand at the end. He lied and said he was dizzy from controlling some array. I didn''t believe him because the weakness wasn''t just spiritual exhaustion.
Every part of him felt worn, but I didn''t press it because I was too eager and nervous for anything else other than my daughter toplete the evolution..." Bai Zhen said with a guilt-ridden sigh.
"Did he say where he got the incantation? Though from the arrangements, it''s safe to assume he may have gotten it from Jiang Xiang.." said Yang Qing.
"I don''t know, I never bothered to ask. I was too anxious at the time.." Bai Zhen said with a slight embarrassment in his tone.
Yang Qing nodded in understanding as he said,
"What happened next?"
"Gold vines filled with runes appeared from the scroll which then lodged themselves into Qin''er''s body.
The treasure bone looked like it had dissolved into the gold vines which then transmitted them to my daughter.
As prepared as I thought we were, we weren''t.." Bai Zhen said with a faint shiver in his eyes as he recalled the events.
"Her body burst apart, her screams never stopped for three years straight. It was a horrendous atmosphere that quickly drove me so mad that I almost interrupted the process multiple times, and i would have, had Adler not forcibly restrained me all those times.
I kept asking myself is this really worth it? Is it really worth it to subject my daughter to such torment all for so she could evolve into a flood dragon? is it really bad for her to remain as she is?
We may not have a noble ancestry like the flood dragon but being an obsidian serpent isn''t bad.
Up until a few weeks ago, i thought and believed it was worth it, especially after seeing the leaps in improvement she made, but now..
Was it really worth it?" he softly said as his countenance turned bleak and sorrowful.
Bai Su tried to muffle her cry but that didn''t stop the tears from rapidly falling down her cheeks.
"She went through unimaginable torment in those three years, till finally, her voice could no longer keep up with the pain.
At year five, I honestly thought she was dead because of how faint her presence was, and her body could no longer be seen beneath the blood and the vine.
It was during the eighth year that finally we saw some turn. Her vitality slowly grew from the faint candlelight it was to a small kindling fire.
Her life force slowly increased from that point which was a weed relief for us and a growing tether for our sanity.
Just like that fifteen years slowly passed us by with her still wrapped in the golden vines like a cocoon. Though her body still seemed to be a mangled mess, we felt her blood slowly transforming and then her cultivation base started increasing.
At the time of the evolution, she was at the first stage of the core formation realm. Adler had said she couldn''t do it when she was in the foundation establishment realm as she would not be able to endure the toll demanded by an evolution and she could not do itter than the first stage of the core formation realm if we wanted to avoidplications.
It was because of our conflicting nature with flood dragon elements that she had to go through many hurdles before she could start the evolution. And once started, it couldn''t be stopped.
Her cultivation base rose to the second stage and it increased every year after that until she reached the peak of the core formation realm.
The increase would have been faster, had Adler not deliberately slowed it down for her sake. The next twenty years were spent firming her foundations over and over as the evolution repetitively refined her body.
It took seventy years for the vines to finally show movements as they receded into her body. We finally caught a glimpse of her body. Pristine white, with a sense of majesty to it.." Bai Zhen with a smile of pride on his face which Bai Su seemed to share.
"The vines dissolved at a snail''s pace and it took almost eight years before we could finally see herplete body. She only had a bit of vine left where her heart was. We thought we were through the worst of it, but her body could no longer take any more power from the remaining vine, and it threatened to destroy her body which is where Adler had me quickly step in and take over the remaining load.
Luckily, the energy contained within the final vines was something I could assimte without prior preparation. Even then I still felt like my body was shredded apart, which made me realize how strong Qin''er was to have endured all that and survived it..
With the final vine out of the way, me, my wife and Adler stayed with her for almost two hundred years to help her limate to her newfound powers whilst also preparing her for her breakthrough to the pce realm.
She managed to weather through the tribtion, which was the biggest I''ve ever seen. Adler left soon after she had stabilized her realm in the pce realm, while we decided to leave her to herself fifty years after that, for her to now pave her own way and reach heights we could only ever dream of.
She asionally visited us, after that, but mostly she kept to herself, living her own life. We never imagined we would lose her so easily, after what we went through.." Bai Zhen weakly said as he used his hands to cover his face.
Chapter 646 Merging thoughts
Chapter 646 Merging thoughts
The trio all stewed in silence, each swallowed by their thoughts. The obsidian serpent couple wallowed in grief and endless regret wishing they could turn time back and arrive even a second earlier to prevent the death of their daughter.
Every waking moment since the death of their daughter, Bai Zhen has spent thinking if he could have done things differently. The things he would change given the chance.
A few days ago before he had been taken by the member of the Beast Hall of the Order, one of his biggest regrets was having his daughter undergo the evolution into a flood dragon. There was no doubt in his mind that she had been targeted because of it. He was filled with endless regret and pain for allowing it, and a bit of that regret even boiled to resentment and anger towards the Fire Adler Bear for even suggesting it to him.
But now, after his experience at the Bestial Churning Sea, the Blood Charcuterie Market Town, and the purple twilight forest, he had since changed his stance on the matter. He realized how terrifying it was out there and the need for outstanding strength.
Right now, the only regret he had was the hubris he had when he thought the Deer Mountain Range was safe and that nothing would happen to their daughter.
All because she was at the pce realm, and her evolution into a flood dragon was alreadyplete, he felt that nothing could happen to her. Her evolving bloodline ensured even though she was at the first stage of the pce realm, she could hold her own against anyone by virtue of her bloodline, and if she couldn''t, she had a special call that would alert herte-stage pce realm parents, with one of them even having a variant flood dragon bloodline. Surely they would be able to handle anything that came their way.
After absorbing part of the treasure bone that his daughter had failed to refine, Bai Zhen could feel the drastic transformation the treasure bone was causing in his body. Everything had been strengthened and transformed.
Obsidian serpents were famed for their defenses because of their deep affinity with the earth element. As ate-stage pce realm obsidian serpent, long before he refined the treasure bone, his scales could already deflect and even break monarch-grade weapons used by the humans, and some spirit beasts at the pce stage could forget about prating his scales with their ws.
He could sleep through their attacks without doing anything and still be fine. And when he refined the remaining fragments of the treasure bone, his defense was improved further by multiple levels. Some part of him felt that he could hold his own even against peak pce stage powerhouses as his scales, other than improved sturdiness, had a dao charm surrounding them that was not there before.
The Dao charm acted as anotheryer of protection that not only protected against physical attacks but spiritual attacks too, especially the thorny attacks from human cultivation spells.
He felt invulnerable to any attack. He believed other than the fire adler bear, no one within the Deer Mountain Range could harm him and with the only threat being a dear friend, he had absolutely nothing to worry about within the range.
He even had half a mind to visit the Deer Mountain Kingdom and test his newfound abilities on them but ultimately held back as he loved soaking in the sun and the earth element more than anything else and he wasn''t one to cause trouble but if provoked he wasn''t afraid of retaliating in kind, more even.
With the changes happening to him and his daughter, he believed everywhere within the Deer Mountain Range was his backyard, which was why he never kept a close eye on his daughter and let her establish her territory and live as she pleased, and if she ever ended up in trouble she couldn''t handle, with his newfound abilities, he would be able to handle whatever came their way.
He grimly found out how naive and disillusioned he had been. He had grossly overestimated his capabilities and the safety of the Deer Mountain Range.
His daughter died before he could even reach her, and when he tried to punish those who took her life, the defense he thought was imprable, failed him.
Cultivators weaker than him, those he thought couldn''t so much as leave a scratch on him, battered his body, and the invulnerable fortress he thought his body was, was revealed to be flesh and blood.
Anger from seeing his daughter''s lifeless body was the only thing that kept him from being mortified and shocked in that fight. And when he had a brief moment of respite after they had forced an escape, he remembered thinking to himself;
Who were those two cultivators?
There had been other cultivators present of simr rank, and there were even two that had been sly in their means of attacks, which he now knows were members of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate, but within that chaos, there were two, who gave him, his wife, and the two sly attackers trouble.
Despite covering for their weakerpatriots against the attacks of him, his wife, and the two deacons of the Syndicate, they still managed to hold the line and still threaten their lives.
Had it been a fight to the death with just him and his wife against the two of them, how would it have gone?
At the time, when those thoughts were looming in his mind, he felt his chances of winning were high though in the best-case scenario, he would end up with permanent injuries that may cripple him for life as a trade-off, and at worst, they would all perish together.
But now, after experiencing the might and foundations of the Order, he felt there was a high chance, he and his wife would have died.
He thought he was an unnamed king of the Deer Mountain Range, unaware of the dangers that lurked within it.
The lessons of his hubris were paid for with his daughter''s life, which was something that continuously ate at him.
"Maybe after I avenge her, I can go join her.." he thought as his gaze fell on his wife.
"Forgive me Su''er, we promised to stay together to the end, but I don''t know, I can''t stand the thought of letting our daughter, take the next journey alone..."thought Bai Zhen as another guilt towards his wife was slowly budding within him.
What he didn''t know was his wife had the same intention. Her guilt ran deeper than Bai Zhen''s.
She always felt inferior and unworthy of Bai Zhen from when they were young which was why she always avoided him and was reluctant to respond to his advances, but eventually, he wore her down and she relented.
But even then, she always felt like an interloper in his life. She always felt that her talents were unworthy of him. He was the sun and she was a firefly at the end of its twilight and her guess was proven to be true, as Bai Zhen ended up spending all his energy and resources just to help her reach the stage she reached today.
It was to the extent that he gave up parts of his blood essence and wisdom pearl to help her leap into the seventh stage of the pce realm.
Guilt-ridden and ashamed of her own inferiority which caused her husband to sacrifice so much for her, she grew up strongly desiring that her daughter never walked the same path as her.
She had feared her poor bloodline would mar her daughter''s future. Therefore when the opportunity to change the circumstances presented itself, she was quick to grab hold of it.
She was friends with the fire adler bear before Bai Zhen, and heter became friends with him through her. The fire adler bear had told her about the treasure bone in his possession, and despite wanting to share it with his daughter to help improve her aptitude, he was reluctant to use it on her due to the inherent risks it had which could result in the death of her daughter if not properly addressed.
At the time, he had not met with Jiang Xiang. However, despite knowing of the risks involved, Bai Su was willing, bordering on desperate for the fire adler bear to let her daughter consume the treasure bone.
Her possibly dying from the process, wasn''t as scary to Bai Su as her future possibly being ruined because she had her for a mother. Some part of her, even though it would be a relief if she died. Because then, she wouldn''t always feel this overwhelming fear and guilt every time she saw her as she thought to herself, that this was yet another thing she had failed her husband in.
Luckily for her, the fire adler bear met with Jiang Xiang. The fire adler bear would not have engaged with Jiang Xiang or revealed the existence of the treasure bone, had Bai Su not insisted.
Jiang Xiang''s solutions remedied whatever potential risks that were there, however, he still told them there was a chance of death for her daughter, with the treasure bone overwhelming her, despite the measures put in ce.
Bai Su managed to convince the fire adler bear not to tell her husband of the risks because he knew him well. He would not risk it, if there was a chance Bai Qin would be in mortal danger.
They kept him in the dark through all of it. His act of jumping in to refine the remnant fragment was a short in the dark by the fire adler bear. He wasn''t sure it would work. Unable to look his friend in the eye for lying to him, the fire adler bear left after ensuring there were noplications or hidden dangers to their daughter.
When Bai Qin sessfully evolved, Bai Su was relieved more than anything, relieved that her daughter would no longer have her blood and poor talent in her.
That relief overwhelmed even the joy of her daughter bing a flood dragon and with it, it slowly washed away the regrets and inferiority Bai Su had carried over the years.
But then...Bai Qin died, and all those emotions came flooding back with a vengeance. Bai Su felt she had failed yet again and that pain broke her. She felt, she could no longer continue to drag and harm Bai Zhen.
If it was not for the fear that her sudden death would have driven him to shock, Bai Su would have detonated herself on the day their daughter passed, and died with those who harmed her daughter, but she couldn''t quite do it when she saw Bai Zhen''s distraught face.
But now, she was only biding her time, and when the opportune moment presented itself, she would use it to end her life so Bai Zhen could have a chance at a fresh start, no matter how deluded it seemed, she hoped her absence, could maybe provide him with a chance to start over.
"Maybe he could go to the green fog region. You try to hide it, but I know you''re curious about the world outside of this range and have only stayed because of me.
After I am gone, I hope...you will live your best life. I will keep Qin''erpany for both of us. It''s the least I can do for all you have sacrificed for us. Meeting you is my greatest fortune.." she thought as she burned every detail of Bai Zhen''s face into her soul.
Chapter 647 Growing list of suspects
Chapter 647 Growing list of suspects
"Considering their rtionship, the fire adler bear is less likely to blurt out that he helped Bai Qin evolve into a flood dragon.
Meifeng didn''t know much about the evolution other than the fact the fire adler bear did something.
As for these two.."
Yang Qing''s eyes fell on the distraught couple.
"I doubt they''d let it slip. So how did the Blue Soul me Syndicate find out? With the fire adler bear''s presence, I doubt they would have managed to sneak in during the evolution process..
Besides what would they even be doing here in the first ce, not unless they know about the other perilous zones....
No, I highly doubt it. It would need the skills of a domain expert to discover those locations. So the only way they could have found out about her is if Bai Qin slipped up and some cultivator found out or one of the parties involved leaked it...Jiang Xiang.."
With a narrow gaze, Yang Qing asked,
"This may be hard to ask, but forgive me, I need to do it.."
"I doubt it can be harder than losing a child. Please ask.." Bai Zhen said with a mournful smile.
"Your daughter evolved into a flood dragon but that meant all traces of the treasure bone had dissolved to form her current body. Whatever value the treasure bone held, had already been expended and not a trace of it was left.
The only evidence of it is your daughter''s body. But from what I heard, the attackers never took your daughter''s body with them. What was missing?"
Bai Zhen''s pupils trembled slightly before it turned into a forlorn look.
"Her heart and wisdom pearl.."
It was just a few words, but it seemed to have sapped his entire life energy as his back hunched over and he bent his head weakly.
"Her evolution used 10% of what was in the treasure bone, and even though it was smelted into her body in the process, the bulk of it was sealed away thanks to the scroll Adler used.
Its features were split into two parts and sealed. The two parts were her heart and wisdom pearl..."
His voice seemed to grow fainter and weaker, every time he talked.
"The wisdom pearl sealed the Dao insights, and the heart sealed theplete flood dragon essence which epassed the innate attributes of a flood dragon.
Even at the first stage of the pce realm, she could barely scratch at the surface of the abilities and powers contained within the treasure bone.
She could only slowly contemte it over time, with the seals releasing every improvement made so it doesn''t end up harming her.
When she got attacked...."
Bai Zhen paused briefly with a pained expression.
"When she got murdered, she had barely scratched the surface. All she had at the time was the raw strength of a flood dragon to work with but even then she couldn''t use it properly. Which was why she easily fell to them.." Bai Zhen softly said with an air of despondency around him and his wife.
Yang Qing seemed to hesitate to ask something after seeing their moods but eventually decided to go on with it.
"Jiang Xiang...What do you know about him?" Yang Qing asked, calmly observing their reactions.
Bai Su''s pupils constricted in shock as her face went pale, while Bai Zhen still wore the same look of grief.
Bai Zhen absentmindedly answered,
"Not much only whispers and what others know about him from his time here. He never liked confrontations and was about the only one who liked interacting with humans.
He was always curious and knowledgeable about a lot of things. He may have not been feared as the metal moon tornado lynx but he was respected just as well.
He helped a few spirit beasts reach the pce realm. You could say he had a few pupils spread about the range about a dozen or less.."
Yang Qing observed the two for a brief moment before he decided to keep his suspicions to himself but from the way Bai Su was looking at him and her pallid face, she seemed to have guessed his thoughts.
Yang Qing felt there was a likelihood that Jiang Xiang may have been involved in the leak as one of the remaining people who knew about the existence of the treasure bone, other than the fire adler bear, the Bai family, the fire adler bear''s master and the unfathomable figure who gave it away.
Of the seven figures, he was the one Yang Qing suspected. The others stood nothing to gain by revealing the information and when it came to Jiang Xiang, Yang Qing didn''t know what he stood to gain either, he was the only one without a deep connection or investment to the parties involved, which makes it selling them out, very easy.
Seeing how distraught they were, Yang Qing thought it wise not to add to their woes, though from Bai Su''s reaction, it was already toote for that.
"I''ll have to get the Shadow Hawk Division to investigate him and his whereabouts. How he acquired those resources needs to be investigated too.
Does the White Rose Pavillion pay that well? Maybe he is highly valued, but if he is, then why would he collude with the Blue Soul me Syndicate?
It makes no sense.."? Yang Qing thought.
Even though he suspected Jiang Xiang, it was only because he was the only one to suspect,?but even then, the reason for his collusion made no sense considering his background or even strength.
Even though the White Rose Pavilion was a merchant organization, its foundations ran deep as any ancient rank 1 sect, and one could even it ran deeper even, if the rumors surrounding them were true.
Rumor had it that they had managed to form branches of their pavilion in the Northern and Western Continent. To achieve something like that showed their incredible reach as traversing the oceans to other continents was tumultuous, let alone gaining a foothold in those continents.
The White Rose Pavilion had done both. Yang Qing struggled to imagine why the eclipsed spiritweave fox would collude with the Blue Soul me Syndicate which was miles away from having the same umtions as the White Rose Pavilion. It made no sense to him at all.
This was one of the reasons he opted to keep those suspicions to himself.
"Hopefully the Shadow Hawks can find something to make sense of this. What a convoluted mess.." Yang Qing thought with a sigh as his gaze fell on the two.
"There is something I need to tell you both.." he suddenly said with a somber tone.
Chapter 648 Passing the sentence on behalf of Xie grandparents (1)
Chapter 648 Passing the sentence on behalf of Xie grandparents (1)
The couple looked up as they sensed the graveness in Yang Qing''s tone.
"Before I say anything else, I''d like to let you both know something. It''s more of a promise really.." Yang Qing said as he straightened his spine.
His presence seemed to have shifted, as the couple could feel the force of the world being released from his body.
"How could his body contain so much Dao force within it.." thought Bai Zhen in surprise as he felt the ethereal and majestic force swirling around Yang Qing.
Even though the density of it wasn''t the same as his, with Yang Qing still being an early-stage pce realm expert, the dao force within him felt more ancient, more primordial like something that had been there when the world was being born.
Bai Zhen couldn''t help but suspect that Yang Qing had mastered a superior Dao which he used to breakthrough to the pce realm.
While he couldn''t investigate it further, but he felt it bore the same weight as the dao of the flood dragon whose treasure bone they used.
He couldn''t help but sigh. Over the past few days, he had seen things that he would have never imagined and it was all centered on the Order.
"Maybe I should have gone out more like Su''er asked..but..none of that matters now.." Bai Zhen thought with a sigh.
"The Blue Soul me Syndicate will pay for what they did to your daughter and our people.
All involved will face death or worse and the organization itself will face our wrath.." firmly said Yang Qing.
"Many thanks for that, Branch Chief.." Bai Zhen said with an air of awkwardness around him.
He wasn''t the only one, as Bai Su''s gaze drifted a bit in shame when Yang Qing said the words ''our people''.
The two had done a number on them, and Bai Su had even eaten one of them.
"But here is the thing.." Yang Qing''s tone turned low as his gaze fell on the two.
"The Blue Soul me Soul Syndicate owes you a debt for killing your daughter and in that same vein, you owe the Order a debt too.
You killed one of our own and her name was Xie Wen.."
A sense of heaviness descended in the area.
"We lost two of our own that day. One died at the hands of one of the deacons of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate and another died at yours...the one you killed.." Yang Qing paused.
"Her name was Xie Wen.." he added in reiteration.
Two inquisitors had lost their lives in the battle against the Blue Soul me Syndicate and the two obsidian serpents.
One was Xie Wen and the other was Liu Bai and they had both been at the peak stage of the core formation realm. They both had blue-grade cores.
In most branches spread about the continent the lineup of the Deer Mountain Branch could be considered an outlier as all its members had blue-grade cores. Usually, it would be one or two with the rest having quasi-blue grade cores but because of the dangers of the Deer Mountain Range and theck of control by the kingdom, the Order stacked up the branch from top to bottom with talented personnel.
From what Yang Qing read about them, he knew Xie Wen was close to bing a blue-grade talisman maker, while Liu Bai had improved in leaps and bounds in his herbology skills. Most of the herbs growing around the branch had been personally nurtured by him.
Had any one of them reached the pce realm, they would have been relocated to either be a branch chief, or chief inquisitor or they would have been sent to top-tier branches that had a peak pce realm branch chief or domain level branch chief.
But, s, both, died.
"You owe us a life and in as much as we understand the circumstances that led to it, a debt is a debt and it must be collected..."
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh.
"Usually when we lose someone, the path we need to take is clear. We eradicate everyone and everything involved but your case is a ratherplicated one.
Others out there might think us champions of justice, or nosey do-gooders ruining the order of things by protecting the weak from the strong.
But in truth, we only do those things to not bring shame to our home. To us, it''s us against everyone else whether we saved you or punished you.
Of course, within our ranks, there are definitely those who truly believe in the cause but even for them, none of it bears more weight to them than the wellbeing of their fellowpatriot. We are all we have of each other against the rest of the world.
This is why, whenever something like this happens to one of us, we are no different from any sect, n, cultivator, or spirit beast out there, who will do anything by fair means or foul to avenge them..."
The Order just like any other institution filled with people, was notpletely perfect. It was not without its internal disputes here and there but it was just surface level and never festered and the reason for that was the bond they shared or rather the foe, they shared.
It was them against the entire continent. They never treated the continent as something to save but as an enemy, they had to defend against.
It was an unnerving reality to carry, and the only thing that made it easier to shoulder was the thought that they were not alone in it. Every person within the Order helped each other carry, which was why when death urred from a member of the Order, even if they may not personally know them, the heaviness of it was no different than losing kin.
It was why they would never let anyone off, no matter the cost, they would exact their vengeance on the matter.
The Cataclysmic Star Sword Sect, an ancient rank 1 sect with a deep heritage fell from grace because of that very reason. It had stood the test of time for almost 200,000 years. Though Yang Qing didn''t know the full story, he did hear they did something to a member of the Order, which brought the full wrath of the Order on them.
17 soul formation experts were ughtered that day and two-thirds of the sect along with all their allies who stood up to defend them were razed to the ground. Whoever and whatever was left of the sect got sealed and the seal has remained there ever since, a constant reminder and deterrent to all, on what the Order would do to them.
The Order did pay some cost for what they did, but there was no regret and they would do it over again. This was a tale told to all students just as they were about to graduate. A lesson for them to look out for each other above everything else.
"Because of the unique circumstances surrounding the events, the collector of your debt can only be someone with a close rtion to your victim, Xie Wen.
Whatever they decide, goes. If they were to ask for your execution at this very moment, it would be done.
They could decide to hold off on it and take your lives themselves, wherever that may be and we would abide by it. No matter what achievements you may make working for the Order, it would not change it..."
"But...!" the Bai couple couldn''t help but stammer when they realized the implications of Yang Qing''s words and why he had said that their daughter''s grievance would be addressed.
Chapter 649 passing sentence on behalf of Xie grandparents (2)
Chapter 649 passing sentence on behalf of Xie grandparents (2)
At first, Bai Zhen had assumed it was the Order''s way of reaffirming them so that they would give their all for the Order once indentured into their service for life, but now, it seemed it was because they could very well be executed as soon as that very instant.
The couple''s fight response triggered but they were sealed in ce by the ascendant artifact''s spirit and couldn''t move an inch. It was like a middle-stage domain expert effortlessly held them in ce. Their qi and movements were all sealed in an instant.
"It''s a debt, Bai Zhen.." Yang Qing softly said as his eyes fell on the duo.
"My friend was among them.." he added as his gaze turned distant.
"And he doesn''t have any family. Had he died at your hands, despite me being sympathetic to your plight, especially after hearing the whole story...
I am ashamed to say this, but had he died at your hands, I would have fought you both to the death the moment my cultivation base reached a level where I could hold my own against the two of you.
Which by my estimates should be the fifth stage. It would not have mattered to me whether you personally avenged your daughter or not. When the moment came...I would take your lives.."
Despite the coldness of his words, Yang Qing''s eyes shone, with a tragic sympathy as he looked at the couple.
"I was given your sentence a day ago by thest living rtives of Xie Wen, her grandparents..." Yang Qing said as he took out a scroll that was cloaked with gold gold-med eagle around it.
The Bai couple felt their bodies involuntary tremble when the scroll appeared. An overbearing and heavenly presence was released by the scroll that made it seem like they were facing the judgment of the heavens itself.
"They have decided for the punishment of killing their granddaughter, you are to live. Live enduring the same pain and loss that they do..."
Yang Qing moved his eyes from the scroll and looked at the two.
"I know the look of those looking to die.." he said with a low tone.
"I, Yang Qing, in my capacity as a judge of the Order, hereby enact the sentence entrusted to me by Xie Liang and Xie Liqi...
You are forbidden to take your lives in any form whatsoever whether by suicide or reckless action with intent to die.
You are to do everything to live and survive in the pursuant of your duties for the Order and you''re to do so, to yourst breath.."
The gold-med eagle let out a screech that seemed to carry the weight and the authority of the heavens within it as the scroll burst into golden lights that merged together with the gold-med eagle to form two gold daggers with eagle talons as handles.
The daggers were filled with ancient-looking runes that carried the voice of the Dao within them.
The couple felt a terrifying presenceing from the two daggers, much more terrifying than anything they had felt. Even the roars of the spirit beasts that came from the purple forest didn''te close to the terrifying aura surrounding the daggers.
Before they could react, the two daggers suddenlyunched themselves toward their foreheads, disappearing swiftly within them.
It looked like their foreheads had transformed into water surfaces the moment the daggers made contact with them. A faint ripple appeared, and the daggers disappeared smoothly into their foreheads.
Immediately after, gold runic feather symbols simultaneously shed and appeared on their foreheads before disappearing an instantter.
The couple didn''t feel any pain or sudden changes to their bodies, however, they could feel some unfathomable power resting within their bodies like an overseer and controller.
A momentter, the couple turned to each other in shock because they realized something was different. The thoughts they harbored before, the ones they dared not tell each other, would be blocked at the slightest recall like a foggy memory that one couldn''t quite grasp.
"Your souls and mental sea have been marked by the aura from the sealing flying dagger of the celestial river of forgetfulness.
That seal will enforce the sentence. Even at the brink of death, you can forget dying with its aura within you. You will live until yourst. It will not leave you until then, not even if you reach the soul formation realm. You can forget ridding yourself of its abilities.." Yang Qing said as he slowly stood up whilst also releasing the restriction ced on the couple''s bodies by the ascendant-grade artifact.
"Tomorrow you will be leaving Deer Mountain Range for good.." Yang Qing said with a sigh.
His sudden news sent tumultuous shock waves to the two.
"Why?" Bai Zhen weakly asked.
Deer Mountain Range was all he had ever known and even though he was held captive, he still felt some oddfort he was still within the confines of the Range. Even with the ce now holding painful memories, it still did not erase his sentiments to it.
"The people you fought to the death with, my colleagues, they wille back here. How would they feel with you around?
Would you share a ce with the people who murdered your daughter?" Yang Qing asked as he saw the two go through a myriad of emotions.
Bai Zhen looked like he had aged even more because of the news.
"I am sorry but you can not remain here...and also your duties, they will take you away from here. You could not stay here..." he gently said.
"You will be kept appraised of all developments small or big concerning your daughter, and should we find the two deacons, we will take you to them or bring them to you for you to do as you will.
I hope.." Yang Qing paused for a bit.
"That it will bring you somefort. Take care Bai Zhen, Bai Su and I am sorry for your loss.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists at the duo.
After his apology, he turned and left the space, leaving the couple to sort through their emotions and the future that awaited them.
Chapter 650 New case
Chapter 650 New case
Yang Qing let out another sigh as he exhaled the turbid air concentrated within his heart. He raised his head as he stared at the solitary moon hanging up above them surrounded by countless stars.
He couldn''t help but wonder what his reaction would be if he left a ce he called home for years and that had to abruptly leave the ce.
"I did run away from the Yang Mountain hold back then to the unfamiliar Order.." muttered Yang Qing with a wry smile.
"But I had a choice in the matter at least.." he added as his gaze fell slightly on the statue before he turned and decided to take a walk around the branch in the hopes it would uplift his mood.
He knew the obsidian serpent had gotten off easy inparison to what their fates would have been had they fallen to any other party that wasn''t the Order and one could even argue if it was not for Xie Wen''s grandparents, the situation would have ended simr to what would have happened had they killed a member of another organization, and that was their execution.
And more than likely it wouldn''t stop just there for those organizations, as they would likely go ahead and ughter any other party associated with the couple such as the fire adler bear and maybe even Meifeng, and any other spirit beast they were even remotely acquainted with.
All these would be done under the banner of killing the chickens to scare the monkeys or an ironical form of preserving peace by eliminating roots to avoid future trouble.
Yang Qing slowly walked around the footpaths leading around the various rivers and peaks around the branch with wine in hand as he sorted out his thoughts or made peace with them.
He had mixed feelings on the whole thing. He felt the couple had been dealt a bad hand that didn''t stop giving. On the other hand he felt some relief that they got to keep their lives at least. Another part of him, which was why he kept sighing with every step he took was, had the sentencee as an immediate execution, even though he was relieved the couple kept their life, he would have been okay with their execution for some reason.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if he had gotten slightly hard-hearted ever since the Ice Emerald Sect incident.
After a few steps and passionate swigs of wine, Yang Qing came to a stop before one of the ponds in the area and a wry smile appeared on his face.
"I guess I really am petty like they always say. The thought of being stolen from bothers me a lot.." muttered Yang Qing after he questioned his heart over and over during the walk on why he could easily ept the death of the couple.
"The sealing flying dagger of the celestial river of forgetfulness is terrifying as advertised. Its title as one of the four anchoring treasures of the Order isn''t for show. Just its aura alone made me feel like I had the power of the entire gxy in the palm of my hands, what about the real thing.." muttered Yang Qing as he looked at his stretched-out palm recalling the sensation he had when he activated the scroll.
The scroll with the sentence had been imbued with the aura of the sealing flying dagger of the celestial river of forgetfulness.
The dagger had been made by a fragment born of the power of the Origin Dao that pervaded the Celestial Ocean which was the Ocean that separated the southern continent and the western continent.
Just like the Millionsfold Treasure Ocean or the Bestial Churning Sea, the Celestial Ocean had its unique features just like the two.
The Celestial Ocean went by other names such as the ocean of ancient voices and scenes, or the ocean of dreams and terror.
All who walked through it would feel like they had been transported to another realm. A dream-like realm with celestial lighting and voices that either boomed like thunder or were silent like faint whispers aimed at lulling an infant to sleep.
It was filled with contrasting sceneries, one minute one would feel like they were walking into an immortal banquet filled with all sorts of splendor and opulence, and the next one would feel like they were walking in the most horrific ce they could ever imagine. A ce of wailing terror.
The Celestial Ocean was an unfathomable and contradictory ce. On surface value, it wasn''t as opulent as the Milionsfold Treasure Ocean where as long as you looked hard enough harvesting an ascendant-grade treasure wasn''t impossible, and if you were lucky enough, leaving with a saint-grade wasn''t impossible; it also wasn''t as horrendous as the Bestial Churning Sea where a domain expert would lose their life within seconds if they were careless; and it wasn''t as ordinary looking as the Blue Origin Ocean.
However, what it did have going for it was its boundless mystery.
Was it an ocean, a mysterious realm, or some massive grotto?
A domain expert could step in there and end up hearing whispers that destroy their soul and body and a qi refinement cultivator can stumble into the ocean and walk into an immortal garden manifestation in the ocean ande out a peak domain expert.
It was usually a roll of the dice, how it pans out for all who stumble onto it, you could crumble to dust or reach the heavens with just one step.
The strange voices could contain secrets and deep profundities that would reveal countless mysteries of cultivation, while on the other hand, the voices could contain curses and attacks that would destroy the body and soul of all who heard them.
Soul formation experts were the only ones known to be able to traverse the ocean safely without being subject to its whims but even then, it wasn''t aplete guarantee as there have been records of a few being affected by it.
There was a senior figure of a rank 1 n at the soul formation realm who once ventured into the Ocean toprehend the insights contained within it and ended up getting lost within it for 4,000 years and it is unknown what happened to him during those 4,000 years. Said figure immediately locked himself up away from all affairs of the n the moment he came out of the ocean.
His case wasn''t the isted one, as there have been reports of soul formation experts being affected by the Celestial Ocean. Though fatalities were not yet recorded among them, it did show the difficulty of traversing the Ocean.
The dagger was something born from that Ocean. Whatever made that Ocean function the way it did, the same force and power was in the fragment used in creating the dagger. It was this origin that made the sealing flying dagger of the celestial river of forgetfulness one of the most powerful treasures the Order has, to the point of being ranked as an anchoring treasure of the Order.
The Anchoring treasures were considered the Order''s ultimate trump cards. Should the worst happen, they could depend on them to preserve a spark of themselves.
Before yesterday, even though Yang Qing knew there were four such treasures, he only knew the identity of one of them and that was the object of his terror andints, the ck hallowed building that garnered hope, awe, fear, and hatred to all who saw it, the main building of the courts of the Order.
Yang Qing had a love-and-hate rtionship with that building. On one hand, it gave him sleepless nights, and on the other, it was the reason he never wanted to leave. The entire building was a living artifact and one of the most powerful the Order had. As long as he was in there, even the Holy Lands could forget about reaching him.
Within its confines, Yang Qing would even dare bad mouth the sect masters of the two holynds without fear. Of course, his paranoia wouldn''t let him do it, but he always reveled at the idea, that if he wanted to, he could do it.
How many people out there could say had the option of bad-mouthing the two figures, he did. Others may not know this, but that reason was one of the things that motivated him to go to the courtroom every day.
Other than the building, he didn''t know about the other anchors up until yesterday, when Ye Xun passed on the scroll whilst exining a brief background such as it contained the aura of the sealing flying dagger of the celestial river of forgetfulness.
From the little she touched on, Yang Qing knew sealing memories wasn''t the only thing it could do, it went even as far as isting karma and erasing one''s existence even though they be alive, the dagger can make it as though they never existed. That person would be erased from the mind of everyone who ever knew him/her or will ever know them.
"If its aura alone could seal the impulses ofte-stage pce realm spirit beasts, how terrifying must the real thing be.." wondered Yang Qing as he twirled his fingers with an incredulous gaze.
Yang Qing continued with his nightly walk and for some reason he absentmindedly found himself out of the branch, heading to Meifeng''s cavern.
He couldn''t help but smile wryly to himself as he walked there like he was going to his own backyard.
Meifeng as always was ecstatic when she saw him, and she was just about to kickstart their regr routine before Yang Qing stopped her as he decided to break the news of the obsidian couple leaving the Deer Mountain Range to her.
"Adler is sure to be heartbroken about this.." said Meifeng with a worried gaze.
"Well, after hees out of his seclusion, if he wants to see them I will leave you with a talisman that he can use tomunicate with them. He can use it to meet up with them after if he wants.." Yang Qing said as he took out one of the Order issuedmunication talismans from his storage ring.
Meifeng''s eyes widened as she slowly caressed the light green jade talisman filled with white runes that created a mesmerizing circle dance every time she slid her hand through its surface.
"Could I have one like this too?" she hesitantly asked.
"It''s to call you after you leave.." she hurriedly added as her eyes darted in anxiousness that Yang Qing would reject her request.
"It''s yours, I only said Adler can use it, but the owner of that talisman is you. It''s why I brought it.." Yang Qing said with a light chuckle.
"It''s mine! You''re sure!" Meifeng said, her demeanor and tone unable to hide her excitement with the crescent moon moth circling around her as if mirroring her excitement.
"It is.."?Yang Qing gently said as he went on to exin to her how to use it.
Afterward like always, thezy green-haired youth, a shut-in tree, a bird, and two insects shared songs, dances, wine, and skewered octopus meat all through the night.
Yang Qing left when it was almost dawn, leaving Meifeng and the river melody skrk trying to outdo each other in who had the most re and splendor when singing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help butugh when he recalled that Meifeng never let go of themunication talisman all through the night. She even called Yang Qing over a dozen times with it just to confirm it was functional and to feed the excitement of owning amunication talisman.
"Maybe giving it to her was a mistake.." he muttered with a shake of his head as he took out his talisman to see Meifeng calling.
Lacking the heart to reject the call, Yang Qing picked up, and like the dozen times before, the call was just Meifeng rumbling in excitement that she had amunication talisman and how novel it was.
She even impatiently asked Yang Qing to rush to the branch so she could test the range of the talisman.
Yang Qingughed in defeat as he made his way to the branch, however thatugh was frozen when he saw Luo Meili outside the branch with four people in tow who had different robes.
"Meili.." he hesitantly called out.
"Boss!.... Good, you''re here. We have a case.." Luo Meili pleasantly said as she turned to greet him.
"Good.." Yang Qing answered with an awkward smile trying to mask the twitch in his eye.
Right about now, feeding Meifeng''smunication talisman frenzy didn''t seem so bad inparison.
Chapter 651 Price of greed (1)
Chapter 651 Price of greed (1)
The four people standing beside Luo Meili all turned when they heard Yang Qing''s voice.
On seeing Yang Qing, they all had varying reactions but the onemonality among them was surprise. Surprise that such a young man was the temporary Branch Chief of the Deer Mountain Branch.
They quickly came out of their stupors as they said,
"Greetings, Branch Chief.."
"Greetings.." Yang Qing said as he nodded politely at the four cultivators while looking quizzically at Luo Meili with a gaze that seemed to be asking who the four were.
Luo Meili''s response was a slightly inclined head that motioned that she would exin everything once they were inside.
Following her lead, the group made its way into the Branch.
The four froze solid immediately after passing through the protective barrier of the branch and got hit by the richness and grandeur of the branch.
Spiritual qi so dense and pure that just by standing there, they could feel a subtle transformation of their bodies.
The eyes of the four cultivators were wide-eyed as they felt like they had been transported to another realm.
Other than the spiritual qi, the ce was filled with a sense of majesty and mystique from the colorful mist floating around the branch, the flowing river that seemed to carry a sense of calming effect, the beautifully crafted sculptures that seemed almost lifelike, the garden that was a mix of wild and well structured that was filled with thousands of spiritual nts of which more than half they had never seen, but from the energy waves the nts released, they knew it had to be precious.
"Is this real?!" asked one of the cultivators in stupefaction as his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets.
"It is.." Yang Qing said as he gently patted the cultivator''s back.
He had always been a slightly (more than slightly) vain person. Among the many reasons he joined the Order, other than for safety, was to have bragging rights.
The awe factor evoked by those who were not members when they saw the opulence of a ce he was a part of.
He always felt a refreshing sense of smugness about it.
"Yes, Yes, soak in the grandeur of my home. Amazing, isn''t it?" he would always think every time a reaction simr to what the four were showing would happen.
Seeing how shocked they were, he was even tempted to give them a tour of the ce and destroy their perceptions and imaginations further.
"Would they even remember their names at the end of it.." he wondered with a sense of cheekiness.
Just as he was lost in his gleeful schemes, he felt a gaze on him, and when he looked up it was Luo Meili shaking her head with a wry smile.
She seemed to have guessed his thoughts and Yang Qing instead of showing some modicum of shame or self-reproach, raised his gait slightly and widened his steps with a sense of peacock pompusness within him.
"Meili, oh Meili, you have much to learn. It''s criminal not to brag about it. My bragging is my way of showing respect and appreciation to the craftsmen who designed this ce.
It''s the least I can do.." Yang Qing thought as he waved the g of righteousness.
Ignoring Yang Qing''s deluded tactics that the four guestspletely missed because of how out of it they were, as the only sane person in the group, Luo Meili calmly led them to the branch''s courtroom.
Once in the courtroom, the four cultivators seemed to have cooled down, albeit slightly as their looks quickly turned from overwhelming shock to sighs of dejection.
Yang Qing wasn''t surprised, as it was something that he had seen over and over, especially among cultivators who had some background and some ambition within them.
Seeing such a scene was likely an eye-opener giving them insight on what they had to scale to reach those heights they constantly envisioned in their minds.
Some cultivators, for example, a pride of their n, a generational talent the likes of which their n hasn''t seen in over 1,000 years, said cultivator riding the high of being a standout genius would believe themselves to be sons of destiny and wearing that mantle they would lift their n to the heavens.
When immortals ascend, even their chickens and dogs ascend with them.
However, those cultivators, truly have no idea how high the heavens are and what it would take to even take a single step toward it. Stepping into a ce like the Order gives them a picture of what it is they''re chasing after and most eventually lose the drive after and wear the same look of dejection that the four cultivators currently wore.
A newborn calf is unafraid of tigers until it slowly grows and realizes how terrifying they are.
Yang Qing ignoring the shock of the four, walked to his podium with Luo Meili in tow, who took a seat in one of the seats next to the judge''s seat.
"I take it''s a malpractice case?" asked Yang Qing via a secret voice transmission.
"Yes.." Luo Meili said as she nodded in response.
"Just these ones, or there are others?"
"There may be others, Su Jinjing is following up on that as she follows the trail of the culprit. It shouldn''t be long now.."
"Hopefully it isn''t moreplicated than it seems.." Yang Qing said as he massaged his temples.
Yang Qing straightened his posture as his gaze fell on the four cultivators.
"My name is Yang Qing and I am the temporary Branch Chief of this branch. The fact that you are here before me, should mean you have a grievance against someone.
As per my duties as Branch Chief, it''s my job to listen to those grievances and give a fair verdict on them, which I will try to do.
I am sure my colleague, Luo Meili has already exined what is expected of you. For redundancy''s sake, i will reiterate what she has likely already informed you.
From the moment you walked through those doors, you became subject to the articles andws governing the Order.
Whatever judgment, Ie to, you will all have to adhere to it, and should you choose not to, you will be subject to the penalties associated with said defiance.
If you want to walk away, the moment is now. If you have any doubts and don''t wish to go along with the case, the moment is now.
On my authority, as the leading authority in this case, I will allow it. Does anyone have a change of heart and wish to leave?" Yang Qing solemnly said as he eyed the four cultivators.
A few inadvertently took gulps of fear when they saw Yang Qing''s whole demeanor suddenly transform.
"I do not.."
"I wish to go along with it.."
"So do i.."
"Me too.."
"Good, then let the case begin.." Yang Qing said with a gentle smile as he reigned in his presence.
Chapter 652 Price of greed (2)
Chapter 652 Price of greed (2)
"Okay then, we will start from my left going right. You will give your background and a clear, concise, and true ount of events as you experienced them.
Do not deviate from the truth or exaggerate on it. I will know. Now would you please.." Yang Qing said as he pointed at the cultivator at the far left.
The cultivator in question was ady wearing in ck robes who looked to be in her mid-thirties at the eighth stage of the core formation realm.
She had ck hair neatly tied in a ponytail without a strand out of ce. She had a presence about her that made one feel like they were looking at a formless sword that would shape itself depending on what was around it.
In terms of beauty, even though, she wasn''t close to Luo Meili, or Meifeng, no one would say she wasn''t beautiful especially her big limpid ck eyes that had a mesmerizing quality to them. It was sometimes sharp, like a sword revealing its edge and it was sometimes gentle.
"My name is Xin Zephyr from the Xin n in the Deer Mountain Range. I am an elder of my n.." said the ck-robeddy.
Yang Qing knowing he would be sent to the Deer Mountain Range had researched all the organizations that inhabited said ce, which he supplemented with the information the previous branch chief had in his office.
The Xin n was a rank 4 n and was one of the high-ranking organizations within the Deer Mountain Range but only when it came to human organizations. Their strength didn''t amount to much if considered as a greater whole of the Deer Mountain Range, but when pitted against other human organizations, they were definitely up there.
The n was a n famed for its swordy, the fog crane dance mist weave sword art a sword cultivation art blended with the obfuscation of mist. With every swing, ayer of mist and fog would be created which hindered not only the opponent''s senses but also their movements.
Cultivators of the Xin n were able to fight multiple enemies due to its ability to create a veiled fog that not only hindered the opponent''s perception but it also hid the presence of the user.
It was because of said technique that the Xin family had been able to gain a foothold within the Deer Mountain Range. The art was greater in defense and containment than its attack prowess, which it sorelycked.
"About 78 days ago, our n leader got a missive from the Hua n leader about sighting the tricolored white-eyed tortoise and a fine pine porcupine about to invade their territory.
We were not the only ones who got the missive as the Hua n leader sent the same information to the Flowing Fist sect and the Moon Essence Cauldron sect.
Our four organizations have all formed a binding pact with one another. If one of us faces a situation we can''t handle, we can request aid from the other three.
It''s the only way we could survive in a ce like this.." said Xin Zephyr with a bitter smile.
The other three cultivators seemed to share her sentiments as they shook their heads too.
From the moment he saw them, he had already discerned the background of the four cultivators, and the previous branch chief''s report had notes that corroborated what the elder from the Xin family said about her n''s alliance with the other three organizations.
The four organizationscked a pce realm to hold the helm and without a pce realm cultivator, surviving the Deer Mountain Range, a ce known to have pce realm spirit beasts and countless that were in the core formation realm would prove to be a tall order for them.
They had to choose to settle in locations that were not too rich in resources so as not to draw the eyes of those powerful spirit beasts, and not only that they had to live in constant fear that they may be attacked within their grounds or outside when they went to scout for resources.
As rich as the Deer Mountain Range was in resources, the organizations that settled within the range were always cautious in how they operated and thus could not freely make use of it.
In the way they lived, they were no different than prisoners in the range. They were restricted in the areas they could operate and more often than not that area was restricted within their grounds or if they were to operate outside, it would have to be areas that were close to barren in resources, lest they attract the wrong kind of attention.
Few human-based organizations would want to settle in the Deer Mountain Range not unless they had the strength to survive there like the Deer Mountain Kingdom, or if they had no other option like the Clear Sword River Sect.
For those without the strength to survive in this ce, there were only a few ways in which they could survive, one was to settle in a remote barren corner of the range like what the Clear Sword River Sect or they would form alliances like what the Xin n and the other three organizations.
Through an alliance, they ensure the safety of each other whilst also maintaining autonomy. From what Yang Qing read, the alliance of the organizations of the Deer Mountain Range went much deeper than normal alliances.
They not only answered calls for help when they faced doom like what the Hua n did, but they traded and shared resources, techniques, and information that may be of value to the other party.
Like for example a certain nt that would help cure a certain ailment that a member of the alliance may have, or a treasure that may help another member break a bottleneck.
They operated as one bodyprised of different entities united by themon threat of the Deer Mountain Range towards their existence. That threat kept them loyal to one another and conversely each other''s best interests.
Chapter 653 Price of greed (3)
Chapter 653 Price of greed (3)
Only such a tight bond could make three different organizations rush in support of one another, especially, when one of the foes was a tricolored white-eyed tortoise.
The tricolored white-eyed tortoise was a thorny opponent to deal with considering its abilities. It was skilled in four attributes namely; the poison attribute, the water attribute, the dark attribute, andstly the yin attribute.
It was called tricolored because its shell had wavey pattern symbols that highlighted the three attributes; poison, water, and dark. Poison was purple, water was blue, and dark was ck.
As for its yin attribute, the yin attribute was featured in its white eyes that didn''t seem to have pupils. It looked blind but it was the farthest thing from it as those eyes could see the souls and attributes of living creatures, and to some extent even their strength.
This made it difficult to hide from. In addition, its dark attribute made it skilled at concealing itself, its water attribute granted it great defensive and regenerative properties, while it attacked primarily using its poisonous attribute, though other than the yin attribute which was primarily used for surveince, the other attributes could also be used in attacks if need be.
With the four attributes working in tandem, it was hard to overwhelm it even when working as a group.
Yang Qing could understand why the Hua n called for help as just dealing with a tricolored white-eyed tortoise was hard enough let alone when you added another spirit beast in the mix.
Yang Qing''s eyes shone inexplicably as his gaze fell on the four cultivators.
The tricolored white-eyed tortoise was a thorny opponent to deal with but its entire body could be considered an alchemical treasure trove, especially with its ability to manipte four attributes and it didn''t stop there.
Tricolored white-eyed tortoises when they reached the core formation realm, formed something at the center of their shell. A nt formed at the center of its shell. The nt was the four-patterned dreamshade luminaria.
The lunaria nt had different colored leaves that matched the coloring pattern of the tricolored white-eyed tortoise, with each color on the leaf corresponding to one of the four attributes the tortoise was familiar with.
The leaves contained a dense and pure energy reflective of the four attributes, and the more powerful the tricolored white-eyed tortoise was, the more leaves it would have.
Yang Qing knew those leaves could help strengthen a cultivator''s body and deepen their understanding of the elements they were familiar with provided it matched up with one of the four attributes and if one had a highprehension, affinity didn''t even matter, as the cultivator could still make use of the leaves to gain a deeper understanding of the elements.
The nt was also a versatile and key ingredient in a wide range of potion and pill recipes. It could be used in restorative and detoxification recipes or strengthening recipes, but the one use Yang Qing thought was most tempting, was the Elemental enchanting attunement potion, a low-tier blue-grade potion.
The elemental enchanting attunement potion was a precious resource used by those at the peak of the core formation realm. The potion would help induce an epiphany for those cultivators, though it wasn''t always guaranteed, and was dependent on a few factors one of which was the umtions and foundations of said cultivator.
The key that led to the doors of the pce realm, was dao. A cultivator needed to grasp a form of dao to be able to take that step.
Grasping dao, any kind, was usually a function of opportunity, talent, and luck, for one to be able to catch a sighting.
There were those who expended little effort to grasp the Dao they were suited for. For example, Mao Yunru, even though she was in the core formation realm,?she had already heard whispers of Dao when she established her pirs in the foundation establishment realm. The same thing happened to Yang Qing too, because of his peerless jade physique he already had insights into his dao before he had reached the core formation realm, it was just that his understanding wasn''t at the level yet where he could make sense of it.
Then there were those who no matter how much they bitterly cultivated and sacrificed, to the point of even subjecting themselves to dangerous situations would fail to grasp it, or even if they do, it''s insufficient to take them all the way through the door, and are stuck at the entrance and end up being half step pce realm experts all their lives.
Where natural talent isn''t enough, external means to contemte the Daoe into y like visiting areas suffused with the dao such as grottos, natural formations, of spirit veins that are at the rank of lesser dragon spirit veins and above, or other natural treasures of simr rank such as the nature dao stone that the mountain jade serpent was guarding.
A cultivator with wood or earth element affinity would be able to use the nature dao stone to find insights that would guide them into their dao path to the pce realm.
Outside of natural treasures filled with the presence of dao, being preached to by a seasoned domain-level expert with good foundations could help one grasp the fleeting presence of dao, as experts of such a level can draw the force of dao with their words.
Without the talent or the luck to grasp it yourself, what were the chances that you would find a natural treasure infused with the power of dao, or find a seasoned domain expert to preach to you?
Irony was, the ces that had those things required talent and luck, to begin with. So for those with neither, their only choice of attempting to reach the pce realm was to use substandard means with a pitifully low sess rate and even if by some stroke of luck they manage to reach the pce realm, they would be the weakest pce realm cultivators around, to the point that they would likely lose to a quasi pce realm cultivator with decent foundations.
One of those substandard means was the elemental enchanting attunement potion. The potion is used in the hopes of triggering an epiphany or burst of insight into a dao that touches on the four attributes, however, for the potion to even work, it needs another natural elemental-infused treasure, to be used alongside it. Without it, the potion is just another restorative potion with elemental strengthening properties.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if the tricolored white-eyed tortoise appearing in the territory of the Hua n was idental or deliberate.
He increasingly felt it was likely to be thetter and if it was thetter, were the other three organizations they were in alliance with, privy to said n?
Even though the alliances within the Deer Mountain Range were stronger than most, there were things that could put a strain on the rtionship and one of them was the appearance of a pce realm cultivator in an alliance that didn''t have one.
The whole dynamic changes, and the equal partnership and cooperation changes to a subservient and subordinate one.
Would the Xin n, the Flowing Fist Sect, or the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect agree to it? The only reason Yang Qing could think of them agreeing to it was if they were facing an existential crisis that risked their survival and they had no option but to support one of them.
Chapter 654 Price of greed (4)
Chapter 654 Price of greed (4)
When his thoughts reached this point, Yang Qing couldn''t help but throw an inquisitive look toward Luo Meili.
"Did something big happen to these four organizations over the past few months?" asked Yang Qing via a secret voiceless transmission.
"Other than the few skirmishes they have against some of the spirit beasts that stumble into their territories, there has been nothing, but I did hear something which Su Jinjing is working on confirming as we speak.
There''s a rumor floating around that the Deer Mountain Kingdom will open its doors to any organization around the range that manages to have a pce realm expert at the helm.
The one that does will be given one of the frontier territories within the kingdom and will receive support to settle down and if they want to, an aristocratic title to go with it..."
On hearing Luo Meili''s reply, Yang Qing couldn''t help but have a small frown.
"Is it confirmed who made the offer?" asked Yang Qing.
The Deer Mountain Kingdom despite not having full control over the range, the territory within their Kingdom was still a substantial amount, so they had a lot of territory to spare. However, in all this while, they never made an offer like the one Luo Meili said.
They did invite talents to settle in their kingdom over the years to boost their numbers and strength but they never invited a whole organization within theirnds and for good reason too, one of which was the delicate state of affairs between the royal family and the aristocratic ns.
Neither side could risk adding unknowns to the equation and the only way that stance would change was if they were facing a situation that made them desperate enough that they needed the manpower.
Yang Qing''s eyes couldn''t help but constrict as the image of the obsidian serpent and the fire adler bear appeared in his mind.
Those two were potent enough to make the kingdom desperate to open its doors to outside organizations and why they set a pce realm entry threshold.
But if it was true, that fact opened up a lot of webs, one of which was someone in the kingdom clearly knew about the existence of the obsidian serpents months in advance, and was making preparations, or which Yang Qing wasn''t sure if was just him being paranoid, but when he found out about the state of the king''s grandfather, he wondered to himself, if the other major families found out about it, how would they react to said news.
Of the couple of scenarios he thought up, one of the measures was to gather as much help and strength as you can and strike the royal family.
What if the offer, was geared toward that direction? Some part of him hoped it was true because he would now have a thread to follow that may or may not lead him to the person who colluded with the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate.
However, everything was just conjecture at this point and the rumor of the offer circting had not been verified yet.
But if it was true, then such an offer would be tempting enough to make the four organizations willingly support one of them to reach the pce realm even if it would potentially leave them subordinated to that figure.
Living in Deer Mountain Kingdom, even a frontier territory at that was bound to be a thousand times better than their current state. Whether it be in terms of resources or the sense of safety, belonging, and peace of mind that came with knowing they were within the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Pushing the thoughts aside, Yang Qing focused back on the rest of Xin Zephyr''s testimony.
"On receiving notice of the attack, my n dispatched me as I was the only senior most figure of the n that was avable on such short notice. Considering who we were dealing with I couldn''t risk inviting more people, especially ones who had not reached thete stages of the core formation realm.
Both the tricolored white-eyed tortoise and the red pine me porcupine were in the sixth stage of the core formation realm. We couldn''t risk having anyone weaker than the seventh stage.
I met up with fellow daoist Ling Qi of the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect, fellow daoist Wu Shen of the Flowing Fist Sect, and fellow daoist Hua Ying from the Hua n, together we encircled the tricolored white-eyed tortoise while the rest of the Hua n handled the red pine med porcupine.." Elder Xin Zephyr said as he pointed to the other cultivators next to her.
Ling Qi was a handsome man with short wavy brown hair and eyes and looked to be in histe thirties. He didn''t look like a person who cared much about his appearance as his robe still wreaked of herbs and one could see smudges and singe marks on it. Just like Xin Zephyr, he was at the eighth stage of the core formation realm.
Wu Shen was a middle-aged man with flowing dark blue hair and even though his sect, the Flowing Fist Sect was famous for having powerful bodies to match their fist techniques, he looked more like a weak schr. He had smooth jade skin and his body was just toned enough not to be called thin.
However, from the four cultivators that stood before him, Yang Qing could tell that Wu Shen was the most powerful of the group. What made him stand out to Yang Qing despite having an eighth-stage core formation cultivation base like the rest, was Yang Qing could sense an embryonic form of fist intent forming within him. It was an ephemeral supple force swirling around his entire body.
Lastly, Hua Ying was a female cultivator who looked to be in herte thirties, with a simple look and long curly hazelnut hair. Her eyes swirled with a nebulous power, it was like staring at the eye of a tornado. There was a gravitational power within them.
Yang Qing could tell the effect had something to do with her bloodline and the cultivation art she cultivated which had dark attributes to them. She had the highest cultivation base, which was at the ninth stage of the core formation realm.
"After meeting up we went after the tricolored white-eyed tortoise and managed to corner it. Even if we were stronger than it, the battle was anything but easy, and it would have made a short work of us if it had not been for the detoxifying measures of fellow daoist Ling Qi.." said Elder Xin Zephyr.
"I hardly contributed much, it was all of you who had to face it straight on while I lurked at the back.." answered the handsome young man with a slovenly appearance.
Xin Zephyr being mindful of where she was continued with her testimony.
"After fighting for five hours, we were close to defeating the tricolored white-eyed tortoise only to find out it had been holding back its cultivation base. It jumped from the sixth stage to the peak of the seventh stage and counter-attacked.
We were caught off guard and suffered heavy injuries from it. We were only lucky that the tortoise decided to be cautious and decided to leave rather than fight us to the death. It used the opportunity it had created with the surprise counter-attack to flee.
We were in no position to chase after it, let alone even protect ourselves. Luckily someone from the Hua n came and took us to their n''s grounds.
But unfortunately for us, the injuries we suffered were beyond the means of the healers of the Hua n. So, like we always have when we face injuries beyond our means to handle, we went to Daoist Ling Qi''s sect for assistance since they are much more skilled in alchemy than the rest of us.
However, even they could not detoxify us as the tricolored white-eyed tortoise went to the extent of sacrificing a bit of its pure blood essence to poison us, making its attack more potent.
Our bodies were slowly being corroded from the inside. The poison invaded our blood, and our internal organs and was slowly making its way into our qi channels and meridians.
The poison seemed to have a life of its own, and any method we used to detoxify it was met with explosive retaliation.
For a month we suffered extreme torment. Our bodies suffered extreme chill while our organs felt like it was liquefying. Any qi we attempted to absorb left us feeling like like our qi channels and meridians had been sliced by a million knives.
Old wounds started reopening, while the new ones didn''t close, which leaked ck chilly liquid.
Next, we started losing our senses, the first to go was touch, then smell, then hearing, i don''t know when taste went, because at the time i was in so much pain, i could barely think straight, but i do know i really panicked when my vision started fading.."Xin Zephyr said with a fearful expression, her hands stretched out with slight tremors appearing on them.
"When our sight started going, I could feel my soul slowly get drained like it was being smothered by an overwhelming darkness.
When the symptoms reached that point, where our deaths were close, our organizations used every and any means they could to try and get us healed, and eventually they managed to find someone, a wondering alchemist by the name of Long Zemin.."
Chapter 655 Price of greed (5)
Chapter 655 Price of greed (5)
Yang Qing detected a shift in mood in all four cultivators. They all had the same emotion boiling within them the moment Xin Zephyr uttered the name Long Zemin, and it was anger.
Yang Qing didn''t find the reaction surprising as the moment he saw them, he could detect what had happened to their bodies.
It was the reason why before the start of the case he had asked Luo Meili if it was a malpractice case.
Xin Zephyr took a deep breath to try and calm herself.
"Long Zemin touted himself as a wandering alchemist. At the time because of our worsening conditions, we were all housed on the sect grounds of the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect.
Even though they couldn''t remove the poison of the tricolored white-eyed tortoise, they were better suited than my n, the Hua n, or the Flowing Fist Sect, in containing or slowing down the venom''s spread within our bodies.
It was there that Long Zemin found us. He presented himself as an alchemist touring the Deer Mountain Range in search of certain herbs.
During that search, he decided to pass by the doors of the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect since it was well known for its alchemy practices within the alchemy circle of the Deer Mountain Range.
Long Zemin came to the sect to seek guidance in the areas he should avoid and which areas might have what he was looking for.
Ideally, considering the state of circumstances we are in, Long Zemin wouldn''t have been given the time of day, however, as one of the elders was sending him off, he let it slip about our condition when he was exining why they could not help him at the moment.
Long Zemin''s cultivation was at the peak of the core formation realm. Even if the sect couldn''t help him, they could not afford for it to look like they were dismissing him in any way, so the elder told him a bit of the reason why the sect couldn''t help.
Long Zemin out of a sense of ''concern'' inquired further about our condition.." Xin Zephyr said with her tone rife with mockery and sarcasm.
Wu Shen of the Flowing Fist Sect had aplicated mix of emotions in his eyes.
"The elder was hesitant at first, but Long Zemin managed to convince him to spill it out by mentioning he was a top-tier orange-grade herbologist and alchemist with some skills in poison detoxification, especially with yin-rted ones.
The elder was still slightly hesitant at the time. Our states weren''t improving and we had run out of ideas. Our skills were incapable of handling the toxin, our connections didn''t prove to be much help as there was no one outside of our circle who knew anyone capable of handling the venom.
We had to be careful whom we approached lest we invite disaster because of our situation and with the resources we had on hand, we couldn''t afford to get the services of a blue grade alchemist.
Long Zemin''s appearance made the elder hesitant, wondering if maybe he could help with our predicament, but what pushed him over the edge was an identifying que he produced which showed he was a disciple of Shi Huan from the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion.
The elder may have not known who Shi Huan was buting from an alchemical sect, he did know the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion.
Seeing the que, he hurriedly invited the vice sect master over to see if he could validate the veracity of said que..."
During the pause, Xin Zephyr showed an apologetic smile toward Ling Qi, who showed a defeated smile of his own that seemed to say, it''s okay, you can say it.
A forlorn look appeared on Xin Zephyr''s face as she said,
"Most of those whoe to the Deer Mountain Range are usually running from something, or those with nowhere else to go to but here.
Weck the will, strength, connections, or foundations to survive outside of this ce. Ironically, a ce filled with terrifying powerful spirit beasts that would easily tear us to shreds is the ce we feel most safe andfortable.
At least with them, we know where we stand and their methods are direct, but out there, it''s something different.
Sorry, I was rumbling.." Xin Zephyr said with an apologetic smile.
"It''s okay.." Yang Qing softly said with a gentle smile.
Xin Zephyr nodded in gratitude as she said,
"We all know the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion, but .....we don''t really KNOW them..Our levels are too far apart for that both in status and distance.
As skilled as the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect is in alchemy, it''s still not to the level that they''d be personally acquainted with someone from the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion.
No one in the sect, including the sect master could possibly verify the que did indeed belong to someone from the pavilion or who Shi Huan even was.
So the check was all but useless. All the vice sect master could glean from the que was it was made from azure serenity glow elder wood.
The quality of that material and our desperate situation worked together and made the vice sect master think that maybe Long Zemin might be from the pavilion and if he was, then he may very well be in a position to help us of our predicament.."
Xin Zephyr took a brief pause before she continued.
"Long Zemin offered to help in exchange for a few spiritual herbs here and there that were unique to the Deer Mountain Range.
Even though the spiritual herbs were precious, his request wasn''t excessive, so all four organizations gave him about 48 spiritual nts that were at the grade of middle tier to the top tier of the sky rank.
Daoist Ling Qi may have the exact figure.
At the time we thought we had hit an enormous bargain because he was able to heal us all in just three weeks.
Our states improved drastically in those three weeks and though our bodies were notpletely restored from the damage we suffered from the poisoning, the poison was no longer ravaging our insides down to our very soul.
Our organizations were ecstatic and even added some more herbs and even offered to guide him around the range, despite the risks involved.
I could remember how filled with gratitude I was for being delivered from the torment I had endured for a month.
Long Zemin would have told me he wanted to have a guide into their of a pce realm spirit beast and I wouldn''t have batted an eye. That''s how grateful I was.
I''ve lived 400 years in vain.." Xin Zephyr said as she shook her head.
"We thought he had cured us.. he may very well have, but he did something to our bodies, and we only realized it a month after he had left when our bodies werepletely healed up.
The problem started when I started circting my n''s cultivation art. Usually, it would leave me feeling refreshed and cleansed, and my body lighter and my perception slightly higher.
However, this time, it was barely even a minute in, the cirction left me panting, and light-headed and my body felt like a thousand fire ants were crawling around every qi channel and meridian.
I even vomited blood, when I tried toplete a cirction forcefully.
At the time, I thought maybe it was the remnant effects of being poisoned. So I took a break and decided to recuperate my body with meditation. Even meditation was affected as it left me dizzy and with a slight chill in my bones, which got extreme to the point that I felt that a slight breeze could shatter them within my muscles.
I couldn''t cultivate or meditate and it''s been three months now, and I still can''t do either.
I had thought I was the only one, but I soon found out that Daoist Ling Qi, Daoist Wu Shen, and Daoist Hua Ying had experienced simr setbacks whenever they tried to cultivate, though the symptoms were different, they still experienced the same struggles.."
The other three nodded in support of Xin Zephyr''s statement.
"With all of us having simr troubles and the only thing connecting us being the poison from the tricolored white-eyed tortoise,?we assumed our troubles had something to do with its poison.
Even though we were rid of its poisons, its fangs were still in us somehow.
I had resigned myself at the time, as I thought to myself other than not being able to cultivate or meditate, I wasn''t affected much anywhere, and my body wasn''t in the same pain as I was when we got hit with the poison.
I could live without meditating or cultivating. It''s not like I held great aspirations of reaching the pce realm anytime soon.
But.."
Xin Zephyr paused as she gnashed her teeth in anger.
"As we were looking into if there was any way to cure the symptoms we were having, one of the elders of the Hua n paid a visit to the Red Lilly Sect.
The sect is known for having gems and other minerals that help with meditation and cleansing the body. It doesn''t have much effect when dealing with toxins, but when ites to dealing with mdies of the mind, the Red Lilly Sect is one of the best.
It was when the elder went to consult them that he found out that one of the high elders of the Red Lilly Sect had gotten injured by a ghost de mantis and got healed by someone called Long Zemin, a few months prior, and wouldn''t you know, he experienced the same symptoms as us, and even with the Red Lilly Sect''s measures they had been unable to solve it.
Said elder left with a few leading figures of the sect to try and find a solution outside the range.
When the Hua n elder brought back the information, it brought doubts on whether our current predicament may have not been because of the tricolored white tortoise''s poison.
I didn''t want it to be true, but it was. We investigated the organizations around the range to try and see if there were cases simr to ours and the High Elder of the Red Lilly Sect, and there were.
We found records of cultivators here and there from the organizations around the Range with symptoms matching ours.
They had severe injuries and then a wandering cultivator healed them but they couldn''t meditate or cultivate at all.
At that point, we knew it! Long Zemin did something to us under the guise of healing us.
We looked for him all over but couldn''t find him anywhere within the Range, and as for confirming if he was someone from the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion..."
Xin Zephyr paused with a smile of embarrassment coloring her face.
"We couldn''t very well go to their doors and ask if they had a member by the name of Long Zemin.... Even if let''s say we were gutsy and reckless enough to do it.. if we found out he was a member, we wouldn''t be able to confront him on it.
Even when we were searching for him within the Range, we were all hesitant. If we found him, then what?
If he denied it or refused to offer rpense for what he had done to us, how would we even deal with him? His peak core formation stage cultivation base aside, at the back of our minds, we kept asking ourselves if he really was a member of the Ocean Refining Crucible Sect, then we would have no option but to swallow it and let it go and we would have had it not been suggested we try and seek help from the Order..."
Xin Zephyr sped her hands together as she slightly bowed her head with a beseeching gaze as she said,
"We are not asking for much. It doesn''t matter to me whether Long Zemin is a member of the Ocean Refining Cauldron Pavilion or not. My only request is for the Order to help us find Long Zemin and let him reverse what he has done to us nothing else.
I may have surrendered myself to the thought that I may never reach the pce realm and the core formation realm is as far as it gets, but my not reaching that level needs to be my choice, and Long Zemin has robbed me of that. I hope that the Order can give me that, no matter how silly it sounds. Please help us.."
Chapter 656 Price of greed (6)
Chapter 656 Price of greed (6)
"If the facts check, we will do all we can.." answered Yang Qing.
"It''s all I ask.."Xin Zephyr said as she raised her head.
Yang Qing exchanged a nce with Luo Meili, who seemed to read the thoughts behind the nce as she nodded.
"Good.."thought Yang Qing.
Su Jinjing''s absence meant she was more than likely confirming the story given by Xin Zephyr, especially when it touched on the identity of Long Zemin and whether he was a member of the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion or not.
From what Yang Qing knew about the Pavilion it was a rank 3 organization with five blue grade alchemists who other than being blue grade alchemists were also pce realm experts.
The five blue-grade alchemists started out as wandering alchemists with no backing. They peddled their trade wherever it took them, till finally, itnded them in a mysterious realm that seemed to belong to some long-forgotten alchemists of an unknown rank.
It was rumored that everything the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion was today or will ever be is tied to what they found within that mysterious realm.
From what Yang Qing knew, the name of the pavilion itself was born out of a treasure they found within that mysterious realm. It was said that the five alchemists found an artifact in the form of a crucible within that mysterious realm.
The crucible was rumored to have an effect that enabled alchemists to mix vtile ingredients with ease in the preparation phase before they mixed it in the cauldron. It not only worked with spiritual herbs but spiritual metals and minerals too, reducing the burden on the alchemists when mixing the different ingredients.
The crucible also had an ocean pearl that produced gentle qi that renewed and strengthened the alchemist''s soul and spiritual essence, enabling them to brew potions and pills longer. This came in handy when dealing withplex recipes and ingredients.
With the crucible in hand along with other resources they likely harvested from the said mysterious realm, the five alchemists grew in strength and repute, and in a few short 100 years, they graduated from a ragtag of wandering alchemists into founders of a top-tier alchemy organization with five blue grade alchemists, who were pce realm experts to boot.
Yang Qing did read that asionally they would don their earlier identities as roaming alchemists. They would offer guidance, heal, or produce potions and pills for those they came across in need. Of course, they did it under disguise.
That tradition was something they continuously upheld and demanded of their members. Every member was required for at least three months every two years, to wander around the continent plying their trade and offering their services to whoever they came across, irrespective of background.
It was a tradition that garnered them a favorable reputation among the masses and other growing organizations, and even aspiring alchemists with a sense of justice and adventure in them
"Come to think of it, one of the instructors of herbology is acquainted with one of their founders, it should be Instructor Lu Bei if my memory serves me well. He was interested in their crucible because of his research into mineralogy and metallurgy of different spiritual minerals and metals.." wondered Yang Qing as he recalled an instructor from his first year at the Institute.
The instructor was a blue-grade herbologist with an interest in metallurgy and spiritual metals and minerals as they rte to herbology. He had the idea of using molten spiritual metals and minerals as fertilizer for his spiritual nts and see the changes that they would bring about.
Yang Qing knew about it because he had been enlisted in said experiments up until he graduated. The reason for his enlistment was his ability to promote the vitality of nts around him.
The pay wasn''t bad for a student as he was given 2 merit points per day and he got to take home any leftover materials from the experiment. Yang Qing was able to asionally afford to dine well at the various restaurants around the Order because of those scraps.
"If Su Jinjing doesn''t find anything, maybe I can have him ask their founder if they know Long Zemin or Shi Huang.."thought Yang Qing as he brought his attention back to the case.
"Next should be you.." Yang Qing said, pointing to the middle-aged man next to Xin Zephyr.
"Thank you for the opportunity.." the middle-aged man said as he cupped his fists in both greeting and gratitude.
"My name is Wu Shen and I am the chief instructor and elder of the Flowing Fist Sect. Just like Xin Zephyr has said we met up close to three months ago to help the Hua n ward off the tricolored white-eyed tortoise as they dealt with the red pine me porcupine.
We managed to stop the tricolored white-eyed tortoise, or so we thought before I did something I constantly warned the disciples of not doing, which is dropping your guard before the opponent is truly down.
In ourcency, we celebrated our victory too early which the tricolored white-eyed tortoise took full advantage of and turned the tables on us.
Had it been determined and willing to risk, we would likely not be here today.." said Wu Shen with a sigh of exasperation.
Yang Qing could understand why Wu Shen was hard on himself. The Instructors at the institute advocated for the same ideals when they trained them.
When you see an opponent, evaluate them well and even go as far as to overestimate their abilities even if they''re a few levels weaker than you.
After evaluating them, decide what you want, whether is it to restrain them, take their lives, or run. You choose that which has the highest odds and once you decide, do not hesitate or hold back in the slightest because the opponent will not do so.
A blunder like what Wu Shen and the rest did, was something that wouldnd them the worst torture of their lives from the Instructors until the lesson sunk in.
Chapter 657 Price of greed (7)
Chapter 657 Price of greed (7)
After recollecting himself, Wu Shen continued.
"After we got poisoned, as Daoist Xin exined, we were all transported to the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect for treatment.
Of our four organizations, and even in consideration of the organizations within the range as a whole, they were the only organizations we could trust to have a way to handle the issue.
But we underestimated how vindictive the tricolored white-eyed tortoise was. It may have not wanted to fight us to the death, but that didn''t mean it would let things go just like that.
It sacrificed its blood essence ignoring the long period of weakness it would suffer because of it just to ensure we would have the most painful death possible.
The pain was like nothing I had ever experienced. Even getting cut by the ghost de mantis didn''t hurt as much.." Wu Shen said as he smiled bitterly.
"Our sect''s core art grants us a certain level of defense against toxins and it also boosts our vitality and regenerative capabilities.
I have survived this long because of those qualities.
There have been moments where those attributes have been overwhelmed but never to this extent.
Whether it was regeneration, vitality, or a slight level of toxin immunity, all of it was rendered useless in front of the venom from the tricolored white-eyed tortoise.
The refined body I was so confident of in its defense and strength, started breaking down like dry cracked y, and I was too helpless to stop it, and so was the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect.
The situation was hopeless and none of our organizations could do anything about it...that was until Long Zemin showed up.
I don''t know what he did, or how he did it, but when he removed the toxin, it felt like my body had been submerged in a soothing hot pool filled with cleansing herbs that slowly knit my body to full health, washing our away the pain and exhaustion I had endured.
A bit of my experience with the toxin was slightly different from what Daoist Xin Zephyr experienced.
For me, I felt like my whole body was submerged in the coldest block of ice that forms in the deepest part of the abyss, where no warmth could ever reach. That block of ice may have well been coated with the chill of death.
That chill seeped into every part of my body like a fog that carried the sharpness of a sword that had been sharpened for 10,000 years. I felt like every part of me was being sliced apart, inch by inch bringing with it a pain I never thought imaginable.
I am ashamed to say this, but I have never been weing of death or indifferent to it like other more renowned cultivators are when ites to life and death, especially in sects just like ours that treat their bodies as refined weapons of ughter.
Our sect has always been different, we value our lives too much.." Wu Shen said with a rueful smile.
Yang Qing''s eyes glittered with a strange glow when he heard that statement.
"Our legacy art focuses on adaptability and endurance, and if you want to master our core art perfectly, your frame of mind needs to be in sync with the art itself and because of that, those who have achieved sess with the art loves their lives too much.
We would never face death willingly if there was any other choice. However, for the first time in a long time, because of the pain I was in from that venom, I didn''t want to adapt and find a way to survive.
I wanted that pain to end, and from the way things were going, my demise seemed like the only viable option to end it.
I broke, my spirit, and everything I grew up believing slowly shattered under that fog of pain, and Long Zemin''s appearance was what kept me from the brink.
Removing that poison was like a tether that kept my soul from falling into the abyss.
However, just like Daoist Xin, I noticed changes whenever I cultivated our core art. The cirction of our art is based on movements. We need to move our bodies in a particr motion to be one with our art''s movements.
The nimble fluid movements that I could do in a single breath feltborious. Every movement made me feel like a mountain was tied to my legs, while my muscles had melted into a slimy substance, and if I tried to force it, they would rupture.
Meditation doesn''t work either, every time I try, my mind feels foggy and at times it feels like a dam that has been overrun by a flood and is about to burst which results in a sharp piercing paining from my mental sea.
Just like Daoist Xin, I can''t cultivate or meditate either no matter what means I try, they always end in the same way which is me bleeding from a part of my body apanied by sharp pains..."
Chief Elder Wu Shen paused as he let out a sigh.
"I do hope the Order can help us find Long Zemin, so I can ask him what he did to me and if he can reverse what he did to my fellow Daoists..
But as for me...truth be told I find it hard to begrudge him for my current state. No matter how much I want to, I just can''t seem to find it in myself to me him, but instead what I have, even after knowing what he did..... is gratitude.." said Chief Elder Wu Shen.
"Wu Shen, how can you say that?! Because of what that bastard did, none of us can ever improve our cultivation base again! What he did is no different than crippling us!! He may have alleviated the torment we went through, but he gotpensated for it, more than enough even, especially in helping him collect herbs in those dangerous territories.
Long Zemin cheated us and has essentially destroyed our lives!! He is no different than the tricolored white-eyed tortoise.Just as cunning and vindictive, at least with that damn tortoise, it was an enemy, unlike that bastard!!!" said Hua Ying with a vehement tone filled with displeasure.
Wu Shen sighed again with a sympathetic look as he said,
"That may be true Daoist Ying, but I don''t know for me when he removed that toxin just as it was about topletely break me, I can''t exin it, but I intrinsically felt like something precious had been protected, which had it broken, I would never get back.
I have no idea why or what that thing is, but intrinsically I feel that Long Zemin''s act, no matter his intentions, helped me hold on to something vital to me, something as vital as my own life.
That is why I''m finding it hard to me him..."
"Settle your nerves, Miss Hua Ying.."
Just as Hua Ying was about to have another outburst, Yang Qing''s calm voice shook her soul, silencing her entire body.
Chapter 658 Price of greed (8)
Chapter 658 Price of greed (8)
"S..sorry.." Hua Ying meekly said with trembling in her pupils after feeling the pressure that had descended on her.
She felt like her entire body had been submerged into an ocean with her bearing its entire weight on her back.
The experiencested just a millisecond but her heart was beating wildly with her hairs standing on end.
Whatever anger and agitation she had was erased in an instant.
The rest on noticing the sudden change, especially her paling perspiring skin couldn''t help but look at Yang Qing warily.
They were reminded they were standing before a pce realm expert, and before a pce realm expert from one of the most powerful organizations in the continent at that.
"It''s okay.." Yang Qing said with a soft sigh.
"I understand the agitation and the anger, but as I said earlier, each of you is to give an honest ount of yourselves concerning the case, and Chief Elder Wu Shen has done that and so has Elder Xin Zephyr.
In as much as you had an almost simr experience, your thoughts and judgment on it, vary. For me to give a suitable verdict, I need as much information as I can, and your thoughts y a part in it.
Please keep that in mind.." Yang Qing added.
"I will and once again, I am sorry for my poor disy.." Hua Ying said as she slightly lowered her head in apology.
Once she saw Yang Qing nod in acknowledgment of her apology, she turned toward Wu Shen.
"I am sorry Daoist Wu Shen for my outburst and taking the anger of my ipetence on you.." she said as she cupped her fists in apology.
"There''s nothing to forgive, Daoist Ying. I understand your frustration well. Even if I am unable to me Long Zemin for what he did, doesn''t mean I don''t have misgivings about what he did.
It''s just what I''m thankful for is higher than what I me him for. It is not me excusing what we did, and I''m sorry if my statement made it sound that way.." said Chief Elder Wu Shen.
After, the two cultivators slightly nodded their heads to each other as a show of eptance of each other''s apology.
Yang Qing''s gaze lingered on Wu Shen slightly before it moved to Hua Ying, who would be the next to give her testimony.
Wu Shen didn''t understand the true reason why he was grateful to Long Zemin, just an intuition that Long Zemin''s interference helped him preserve something vital. But as for what that something vital was, he didn''t have a clue.
And from the way Hua Ying reacted, she didn''t either. The remaining two cultivators in Xin Zephyr and Ling Qi, were just as livid as Hua Ying when Wu Shen made his statement about being grateful, it''s just that they both had the presence of mind to be aware of their setting and thus controlled themselves.
But they too, didn''t understand Wu Shen''s gratitude, but to Yang Qing, he could understand it perfectly, and should the timee that Wu Shen understands why, Yang Qing knew the level of gratitude he was feeling now would explode exponentially.
The reason for that was, whatever else Long Zemin may have done, his timely intervention helped protect Wu Shen''s dao heart, which safeguarded his chance of ever reaching the pce realm and other stages after that.
That important thing that Wu Shen couldn''t put a finger on, was his dao heart which had already budded within him, he just had no idea yet. And the torment the poison was causing him, started affecting his heart.
Yang Qing had a feeling his dao heart was tied to the ethos of their core cultivation art, which encourages them to value their lives like an operating fundamental rule, and when Wu Shen started entertaining thoughts that maybe death would be the best option instead of trying to stay alive or trusting in the qualities of his cultivation art, his heart formed cracks.
Whatever foundational beliefs he had built up from the moment he started cultivating the art and all the experiences he had up to that point, were slowly being torn apart, and had he truly given to despair,and his dao heart shattered, then it wouldn''t have mattered if he gotpletely healed of the poison from the tricolored white eyed tortoise, he would never amount to much. His path ahead would be permanently shattered and not only that, even the budding fist intent within him would disappearpletely.
Intents were born of one''s dao heart and persistence. It was an art''s soul living through one''s understanding and body.
What Long Zemin did was no different than saving Wu Shen''s future and if he ever manages to reach the pce realm, that favor bes Long Zemin giving Wu Shen, a new lease on life.
"Seems like the core art of the Flowing Fist Sect might be a growing art.. and if it is, provided they get good talents, it wouldn''t be long before this range houses another pce realm powerhouse.." muttered Yang Qing as his eyes shone with an unfathomable glitter as his gaze fell on Wu Shen.
Growing cultivation arts were simr to weapon spirits that needed to feed off their wielders to develop.
A growing art was like a big map that was mostly nk except for a fewndmarks here and there. It would give you a rough idea of where a ce was, but it would need the reader to find the route that led from onendmark to another and fill in the nk spaces in between those ces. With every sessful step forward more details would appear on the map, which would make plotting the next steps easier.
Growing arts were not limitless, they had a ceiling, but as far as Yang Qing knew, at the very least that ceiling was at the blue grade as every growing art had the essence of the dao in its framework for it to be one.
If the Flowing Fist Sect had one, then their potential was a notch above the rest. What Yang Qing didn''t know was if they knew they had a growing art. He had his doubts.
"Maybe I should tell them and muddy the waters a bit. I could have them check in on the purifying light sparrow, the restoration oak tree, and the aurora azalea from time to time, lest someone absconds with them.."
Chapter 659 Price of greed (9)
Chapter 659 Price of greed (9)
"Miss Hua Ying, you can start whenever you''re ready.." said Yang Qing as he motioned for Hua Ying who had already calmed down, though one could still see she was slightly unnerved by Yang Qing, despite Yang Qing''s attempt to seem as unassuming as possible.
"I am a supreme elder of my n, and when the red pine me porcupine and the tricolored white-eyed tortoise made an appearance, I was the one deployed to handle the tricolored white-eyed tortoise.."
"Pardon me for a moment, but how many supreme elders do you have?" asked Yang Qing as he raised his palm in interjection.
"Four.." answered Hua Ying slightly baffled on why she was the one interrupted during her testimony.
Yang Qing as if reading her thoughts, smiled slightly as he said,
"The ount of the fight with the tricolored white-eyed tortoise would be the same for all of you. The differences show up in the symptoms of the poisoning, and your ounts before you met up.
Since the attack happened within your territory and not theirs, I do have a few questions for you, that I would not have for them."
Hua Ying nodded as she said,
"If there is anything you wish to know, I will dly provide the details.."
"Thank you for your cooperation..." Yang Qing said as he sped his hands together and leaned forward in his podium.
"So of the four supreme elders, how do you rank against them?" he added.
"I am the second strongest. The highest is at the eleventh stage of the core formation realm, and the third and the fourth are both at the eighth and seventh stages respectively..." answered Hua Ying.
"Why were you the only one sent then? You''re attacked by two spirit beasts and one of them despite being weaker than all of you, is notorious for its steady defenses and thorny abilities.
Howe you were the only one sent, instead of sharing the burden with another supreme elder?
It is your territory being infringed upon after all.." asked Yang Qing.
"The first and third supreme elder went to deal with the red pine me porcupine. It may not have the same level of defense as the tricolored white-eyed tortoise, but it was a dangerous opponent nheless and at the time we judged it to be a more dangerous opponent inparison to the tricolored white-eyed tortoise.
It was in the eighth stage of the core formation realm and as you well know, fire pine me porcupines are highly destructive, with a vtile temper. Once triggered, they would fight to the death, destroying everything in sight with its hardy med quills filled with me poison.
Considering its abilities, we deemed it safer for me and my fellow daoist to handle the tricolored white-eyed tortoise while the first and third supreme elders handled the red pine med porcupine..." answered Hua Ying.
"What about the fourth supreme elder?"
"The fourth supreme elder was in charge of guarding our n leader who is still in seclusion at the moment.
Whenever he is in seclusion, one supreme elder is in charge of protecting him. Ordinarily, when the two spirit beasts attacked, it should have been me guarding him, but considering the strength of the two spirit beasts, I was deployed while the fourth supreme elder took my ce.."
"Okay...You can continue with your testimony.." Yang Qing said as he leaned back in his seat with an inscrutable expression.
"O..okay.." Hua Ying said with a slight unease as her pupils flickered slightly when she saw Yang Qing smile lightly as he leaned backfortably in his seat.
Hua Ying went on to recount the events from her perspective. Her details on the sh against the tricolored white-eyed tortoise matched Xin Zephyr''s and Wu Shen''s statement on it. Which was mostly how they thought they were about to win and the tortoise revealed its hidden fangs by suddenly breaking through a minor realm and borrowing the momentum and surprise of that breakthrough to strike at the four of them, injuring them gravely.
Just as she was about to continue, to the events that happened after, Yang Qing interrupted.
"You don''t have to answer this as it''s purely curiosity on my part, but what happened to the red pine-med porcupine?"
"The first and third supreme elders managed to kill it. We used the contents of its body to fund the resources needed for our treatment.." answered Hua Ying.
Yang Qing nodded as he motioned for her to resume her testimony.
"Contents, huh...clever way to answer and be vague at the same time.." thought Yang Qing as he lightly drummed his index finger on the table with a yful smile on his face.
"After we got injured, my n spared no resource to try and help us, but the venom was beyond our abilities to handle it.
We deferred to the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect, to see if they coulde up with better means as they were more suited to it than us.
While they focused on trying to contain the poison, my n, the Xin n, and the Flowing Fist Sect, tried to find outside help from other organizations within the Range, and when that proved futile we expanded outwards, selling whatever valuables our organizations had in exchange for any information that may help us with the predicament we had..
But we grossly underestimated how terrifying the venom of a tricolored tortoise that had used its blood essence, truly is.
All the information and help we collected failed. None of it worked, and we were only left with one option, which was to hire a blue-grade alchemist, but we didn''t have the connections or the resources that would enable us to hire one.
It was when we were at the end of our ropes, that Long Zemin appeared.."
Hua Ying paused as she took a deep breath to try and calm her emotions.
"By the time he arrived, my body and mind were in a mess. I felt like my whole body was submerged in never-ending darkness. However, this darkness wasn''t like normal darkness that had silence and an abyssal chill to it.
This one made me feel like I was at the center of the earth''s core, where all the heat was gathered. That heat burned every part of my body and I even felt my soul was slowly being melted away in the process. Most of my limbs had already started melting away leaving only bone, and even that was slowly disintegrating.
Thanks to Long Zemin, I got my body back.." Hua Ying said, her bitterness not hidden, despite the thanks.
"But in exchange for gaining my body back, I am unable to use my n''s bloodline abilities. I am thankful he restored my body, but I can''t forgive him for stripping me of my abilities. It is no different from tearing me away from my entire lineage.
I feel a hollowness within me, that is even worse than the boiling pain I was subjected to. I don''t care if Long Zemin gets punished or not, I just want him to give me back what he stole.." Hua Ying said with a weak, distraught and desperate tone.
Chapter 660 Price of greed (10)
Chapter 660 Price of greed (10)
"As I said to the rest, when the details are confirmed to be true, we will do all we can to find your rpense.." said Yang Qing with aforting smile.
Hua Ying nodded, half hopeful half distraught. Despite the heights of the Order, some part of her couldn''t help but worry.
What if Long Zemin isn''t found?
They searched for him all over the range for two months with the maddened desperation of four organizations working together and they still didn''t find him.
She couldn''t help but fear that he had either escaped for parts unknown, or worse, he had ended up in the stomach of some spirit beast.
If he did, then she could forget about having her situation healed, not unless, the Order decided to step in the gap and handle it themselves.
If worse came to worst and Long Zemin couldn''t be found because he had disappeared or was dead, their four organizations had decided unanimously to empty out all their resources and get the Order to heal them.
The healing rates of the Order were known to be cheaper than other organizations but not by much lest they incur discontentment from the popce by ruining the market.
The four organizations had already decided if they couldn''t find any other solution, then they would sell off all the resources they had to be able to afford treatment from the Order, no matter the cost.
Hua Ying hoped it wouldn''te to that as it would hollow out their foundations which would take hundreds of years to recover from. The Deer Mountain Range wasn''t such a forgiving ce that it would let them slowly recover. That damage to their foundations would leave their organizations further exposed to the dangers of the range, making the already hard situation even harder.
As Hua Ying was lost in her calctions, Ling Qi the remaining member of the group took the floor and began his testimony at Yang Qing''s behest.
"Thank you for the opportunity," Ling Qi said as he cupped his fists in greeting.
"My name is Ling Qi and I am an elder of the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect. I am also an orange-grade herbologist and healer. Top tier at both.." he said, though his tone was absent of pride but more of self-mockery.
"While my sect knows a bit of self-defense to preserve our own lives, we are notbatants.
My sect was invited in the subjugation of the tricolored white-eyed tortoise because of its poison. Our role was to contain its poisoning abilities.
My abilities and interest lie in detoxification, thus the sect sent me to help in dealing with the tricolored white-eyed tortoise.
Daoist Hua Ying, Daoist Xin Zephyr, and Daoist Wu Shen would deal with the frontal assault while I would handle whatever injuries they may receive during the attack.
Before going in, I thought I knew everything there was to know about the tricolored white-eyed tortoise, and the preparations I made, I thought would be more than enough to handle what it would throw at us.
But I was grossly mistaken... I didn''t know what I didn''t know and I went there thinking to myself about how prepared I was, and all that I knew, the tricolored white-eyed tortoise may as well call me its ancestor because of how much detail I thought I knew about it.." Ling Qi said as he shook his head with a wry smile appearing on his face.
"My hubris almost got us killed. Daoist Xin and the rest did their jobs well..they pushed the tortoise to the brink whilst also protecting me while I failed to do the one job that was expected of me, which was to prevent them from getting poisoned..."
Ling Qi paused with his hands shaking and guilt showing in his eyes as he turned to face the three cultivators.
"It fills me with great shame to even ask considering that you all almost died, please forgive me for my ipetence.." Ling Qi said as he performed a deep bow to the three which caught them by surprise.
"W..what do you mean ipetence.." Xin Zephyr said with a flustered expression as she hurried to Ling Qi''s side to help him up.
"We were the ones who were negligent and when the tricolored white-eyed tortoise dealt its blow, it was your sudden lunar petal water that saved us from being instantly poisoned to death.
If it wasn''t for that, the rest would not have reached us in time to render first aid.
We are the ones who should be apologizing.." she added.
"Daoist Xin is right, Daoist Ling.. you handled your role perfectly to the end, we were the ones who left a gap for the tortoise to exploit.." said Wu Shen.
"What you did, and what your sect did, is the reason we are alive today, Daoist Ling.." added Hua Ying in support.
Yang Qing didn''t put a stop to what was happening. From the moment the case started, even though Ling Qi looked calm on the outside, Yang Qing could feel the magnitude of the turmoil boiling within him.
It was to the extent that Yang Qing was worried that a heart demon might rupture from within him, throwing his whole state out of bnce just like the emerald leaf cow from the Green Fog Swamp Sect, who experienced a mental breakdown in the middle of a deposition when she realized the people she thought were friends, were, in fact, traitors to the sect.
Ling Qi seemed close to that edge.
Ling Qi raised his head, at a loss for words on what to say as his gaze fell on Xin Zephyr''srge limpid ck eyes. The duo instantly blushed with Xin Zephyr hurriedly pulling away as she nervously looked toward Yang Qing only to find him smiling knowingly as his gaze fell on both her and Ling Qi.
"Sorry.." she said in a low soft tone as she lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.
Wu Shen and Hua Ying lightly smiled as they shook their heads at Xin Zephyr''s embarrassed disy while Ling Qi shyly scratched the back of his head awkwardly wondering how to proceed.
"I knew something was going on between these two....dammit, Mao Mao''s nature is rubbing off on me.."
Yang Qing hurriedly dispelled those thoughts as he said,
"What happened next?"
Chapter 661 Price of greed (11)
Chapter 661 Price of greed (11)
?
Ling Qi took a moment to recollect himself before he continued with his testimony. Yang Qing being intimately familiar with the burden of guilt having gone through it himself, only too recently, could tell Ling Qi was still clothed in it, but he seemed much better than he was a few seconds ago.
The little interlude seemed to have done him some good for now. But muchter, when it was just him and his thoughts, that was something else.
"They didn''t mention, but when the tricolored white-eyed tortoise retaliated, Daoist Hua Ying and Daoist Wu Shen took the brunt of its attack while Daoist Xin who has the highest speed, tried to help me avoid what was left.
We still ended up getting caught in it.
The cover they provided was what gave me the chance to use my cultivation spell to try and contain the poison.
From the moment itunched its toxin toward us, I knew it wouldn''t be something simple, but I didn''t think it would be that bad. It was virulent, beyond anything I''ve ever seen.
While the Lunar Petal Wave isn''t a universal bane against toxins, it is something the sect master, a few elders of the sect, myself, and some alchemists from the Summerfield Kingdom, took the time to refine.
We have continuously refined it over the years and have seen the effort bear fruit. The art forms a water wave with strong detoxifying properties against a good number of poisons including a few potent ones such as the ghost fog poison of the ghost de mantis or the decaying poison of the decay-spike centipede.
If it can''t detoxify the poison, it acts as a barrier that dys or encloses the poisonous substance giving enough time for an escape or counterattack.
When Iunched it, I thought to myself that no matter how potent the poison of the tricolored white-eyed tortoise seemed, the Lunar Petal Wave could restrain it, even if for just a few minutes, providing room for Daoist Hua Ying and the rest to counterattack, or even flee if need be.
But it didn''tst even a second against it. The poison seemed to have assimted my art and used it as a medium to spread itself to a wider range.
My greatest achievement and confidence were decimated and used against me in but an instant.
But at least the art had an inadvertent effect on the poison when it mixed, which made the poison slightly heavier giving us a chance to dodge a few of the sshes, but not enough to escape unscathed.
The effects struck instantly with immobilization first, followed by rapid permeation, and then corruption and erosion of our blood and qi, which it used as a conduit to spread to the rest of our bodies.
I have never seen poison spread so fast. It felt almost sentient, especially with how it reacted to all the detoxification measures we used against it.
Anything we used, it seemed to retaliate aggressively, almost as if to warn us against trying anything.
None of the recipes or detoxifying natural materials we had on hand seemed to work on it. It was only when we were at the end of our ropes, did one of the supreme elders of the sect suggested something he had read on a scroll.
It was unverified and highly dangerous. The scroll was a traveling journal of some unknown herbologist. Neither their name nor rank was recorded on the scroll.
Said herbologist liked to tour ces in search of exotic herbs, and that search led him to the Green Fog Region..."
Ling Qi paused as his mind seemed to float to that moment which elicited a wry smile from him.
"Only now do I realize, how desperate the situation was..." Ling Qi said with a slight shake of his head, a hint of fear evident on his face.
Wu Shen and the rest joined in, as they smiled fearfully themselves.
Yang Qing filled with curiosity about their reactions asked,
"Why is that?"
"The scroll...well...it wasn''t exactly a normal one.." Ling Qi said with some slight hesitation born out of embarrassment which only served to draw in Yang Qing''s curiosity.
"The scroll was more of the rumblings of someone who thought they were about to die than a standard discovery journal.
It looked like something had happened to the herbologist, and it prompted them to create the scroll. However, it seemed that whatever it was that they were suffering from seemed to affect their mind.
Instead of the scroll containing their legacy or something that one would want to entrust to others before they met their demise, theirs was different. The author was delirious, with thoughts all over the ce.
One minute, he would be describing spiritual herb harvesting techniques, the next he would go into vivid details about how he loathed someone by the name of Li Yao who stole someone he liked, and how he would torment him as a ghost, then he would go back to talk about nts, and then jump over to describing whatever symptoms he had with his panic state showing up in the words.
The method used to try and slow down the spread of the tricolored white-eyed tortoise was obtained from those rumblings.
As the author was busy cursing his luck, he did write a few remedies he had thought up that may have worked against the poison that afflicted him, and one of those remedies was fighting a virulent poison with another virulent poison and bncing the reaction with a parasite, specifically a baneblood leech.
I''m surprised the supreme elders were crazy enough to try it considering how deadly the baneblood leech is or using poison to fight off the tricolored white-eyed tortoise''s poison.
When I read that scroll, I still can''t believe they went through with it. That author had even suggested kidnapping a taotie and forcing it to devour his poison as one of the remedies.
I can''t believe they went through with some of his suggestions..but I am d they did. The sect used the five mes poison to counteract the venom within our bodies and used the baneblood leech as the tether that prevented the two poisons from overrunning our bodies.
The method worked but notpletely as the five me poison and the baneblood leech were unable topletely contain the tricolored white-eyed tortoise''s poison.
After six weeks, the five me poison was drained and the baneblood leech had died. Another batch couldn''t be created as it seemed like the poison had evolved, had they tried using the five me poison or the baneblood leech again, we would have died instantly and in the most violent way possible.
Long Zemin''s arrival was timely as we had nothing else to rely on. Despite being an alchemist organization ourselves, our circle of connection is rather small so we couldn''t verify his background and could only judge him based on his abilities.
Since we couldn''t verify his background and whether he was from the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion, the vice sect master thought the only way to measure the man, was through his abilities, so he used some covert means to test his understanding.
He used some of the discoveries they made with the poison to test him out and Long Zemin showed to have extensive knowledge of the matter, extensive enough to entrust our care to him..."
Ling Qi paused as he sighed, his eyes shing withplex emotions.
"He did heal us and singlehandedly managed to do something our entire sect couldn''t. As alchemists ourselves, we intimately understand how wonderous his abilities are, seeing how he handled the venom.
This was why in addition to the resources we agreed to give him, our Moon Essence Cauldron Sect added 30 unique recipes we researched ourselves and a botanical report of the spiritual herbs around the Deer Mountain Range that we havee across since we came here.
We did it not to even repay him for saving our lives but as respect and recognition of his abilities..."
"Ling ..You?" Xin Zephyr asked with a stupefied look. She wasn''t the only one as Hua Ying and Wu Shen showed looks of surprise too.
Clearly, they had no idea of the trade the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect had made. What they gave was no different than giving away their legacy art as it the recipes and botanical report were something born out of their blood, sweat, tears, and lives.
They were surprised the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect would hand it over to a stranger,a stranger who conned them at that.
Chapter 662 Price of greed (12)
Chapter 662 Price of greed (12)
"What he did aside, his skills as an alchemist are the real thing. Dealing with the poison of the tricolored white-eyed tortoise needed astronomical skills, especially considering how far it had spread to our bodies and the tortoise sacrificing its blood essence to make it more potent.
His skills were worthy of our respect as those who know how hard it was to pull off what he did.
Sharing a few alchemy recipes and a botanical report isn''t considered much. We would not lose what is contained in them just because we handed them out.
We would still retain the wisdom contained within them, but gifting the two objects to him is our way of showing respect to him as juniors on the same path.
The recipes and the report would achieve so much more in his hands than it would in ours. Who knows some never-before-seen legendary alchemical discovery maye out of what we just shared.
Sharing the recipes and the botanical report was our way of entrusting our hopes to Long Zemin and also thanking him.
But his actions afterward with what he did to our bodies, it was like spitting to our faces. It''s the part I can''t forgive, even though just like Wu Shen, some part of me is grateful to him and even respects his achievements as a healer, as a fellow practitioner myself.
I can''t understand it,...why he did what he did, it just doesn''t add up. Why would someone skilled enough to detoxify the venom of a tricolored white-eyed tortoise go through the trouble of healing four strangers from the brink of death, only to do something to their bodies after?
Maybe it''s just wishful thinking on my part, but I want to know why he did what he did.."
Ling Qi paused as he turned to face Yang Qing with a solemn expression.
"I beseech for the Order''s help in the matter. An answer to why Long Zemin did what he did.."
"We will do all we can.." answered Yang Qing.
"Thank you all for your testimonies. I still can''te to a verdict yet as the other half of this equation is still missing.
But worry not, a colleague of mine is working on it. In the meantime, you can rx as we wait for her, while I make a call..." Yang Qing said as he waved his sleeves and a few lotus cushions appeared in front of the four cultivators who cupped their fists in gratitude.
"By the way, where was your sect master in all this? " Yang Qing suddenly asked, directing his question to Ling Qi.
"Earlier you said it was the vice sect master who went to meet up with Long Zemin. If a figure of such skill appeared in your sect, especially after revealing a token from the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion, even if you were not sure if it was real or not, by virtue of the importance of such a matter your sect master should have been the one to meet with Long Zemin after making the appearance.
You also said the method used to contain your poison was done by one of the supreme elders, which seems to elude to the fact that your sect master was absent. Where was he?" asked Yang Qing with a slight glow in his eyes.
Ling Qi looked slightly startled by the question before he answered,
"Our sect master had already left the sect a few months before, to help a friend in handling aplex ingredient.
He wasn''t sure how long it would take, he had therefore delegated his duties to the vice sect master and the supreme elders.
When we got stuck by the poison he still wasn''t back.."
"Is that so?" Yang Qing ominously asked with a small smile.
"It is.." Ling Qi answered as he tried to hide how nervous he felt beneath Yang Qing''s piercing gaze.
"Okay, thanks. You can all rest for a bit. Su Jinjing shouldn''t be long.." Yang Qing casually said as he took out hismunication talisman.
The four cultivators exchanged nces before they took seats on the futons Yang Qing had provided.
They all simultaneously chose to rest their eyes even though they couldn''t meditate.
..
"Yang Qing, this is strange, after you graduated, you rarely call. What is it? Your grandfather isn''t looking for more samples from my garden, is he?
Tell him thest batch I gave him six months ago was the only one i had ready. If he wants more he will have to wait for four more months until the next samples are ripe for harvest, not a moment sooner.
I could have gotten him the samples sooner, but a certain someone is swimming in merit points now, and thus no longer has the time to assist me.."
"Grandpa?!... Wait, Instructor Lu Bei, you mean to tell me Grandpa has beening to you for those experimental nts?!"
Yang Qing''s voice suddenly raised a bit before he hurriedly toned it down while setting up a sound barrier around him and Luo Meili.
"He didn''t tell you? I have been supplying him ever since your days at the Institute..."
"Did he tell you what it was for?!" Yang Qing fearfully asked the owner of the voice at the other end of themunication talisman.
"What else if not for his body refinement experiments? He said he noticed my spiritual nts seemed to blend well with other natural stones and minerals they use in the soaking brew. That discovery has helped increase the odds of achieving the gold body.."
"I knew it.." Yang Qing said as he leaned back in his seat with a deted expression.
Only his grandfather would be crazy enough to use some experimental spiritual herbs grown using refined spiritual metals as fertilizers.
Yang Qing in all his gluttony and natural immunity to poisons was wary of eating even a single fruit from said nts but his grandfather seemed to have been using it for years, and by the looks of it, inrge quantities at that.
"Doesn''t the Medical Valley monitor what he does? I already told them how dangerous he is." Yang Qing fearfully thought before he decided to push that matter to the back of his mind.
"So if you didn''t call about your grandfather, what are you calling about?"
Yang Qing snapping back to reality said,
"I was sent to the Deer Mountain Range to fill in as the temporary Branch Chief.."
"So it was you they sent.." Lu Bei said with a sigh.
"Yes, though it''s only for a month before the Judicial Committee decides what to do next after Branch Chief Li Wan and the rest be stable.."
"I don''t know much about Li Wan but I have heard he has a will as strong as an immovable boulder. He will likelye back, Hao Da too, I feel, but thest surviving inquisitor, I don''t know...it''s not easy.."
"That it isn''t.." Yang Qing said.
"So what is it you wanted?"
"I have a case that may or may not have ties with the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion. I remember you saying you knew one of their founders. I was wondering if you could confirm something for me.
I have two names here, one of them is Long Zemin, and the other is Shi Huan. I wanted to confirm if they are from the pavilion.."
"What did they do?" asked Lu Bei.
Yang Qing went on to exin the gist of the matter as per the testimony given.
"The ambitious heart of cultivators sometimes invites their doom if they blindly follow it... Long Zemin, Shi Huan, there is no one by that name there, but it does have ties to someone there.."
As Lu Bei was talking the doors of the courtroom opened and two figures walked in. One of them was a youngdy with short hair, an ordinary-looking face with unique soulful eyes, and a crudely crafted spear in her hands. Next to her, was a middle-
aged man with long flowing silver hair, a genial smile, and an air of nature to him.
The four cultivators sensing the disturbance, looked behind them, and their bodies instantly froze when their gaze fell on the middle-aged man.
"I was told in passing that one of their founders by the name of Li Yao uses those names to roam around the continent. Long Zemin is the name of his junior apprentice-brother, and Shi Huan was the name of their deceased master.
He uses the name Long Zemin to sh out his apprentice brother who curses him out in every book, scroll, talisman, cafe, and inn all over the continent every chance he gets.
They have quite a dysfunctional rtionship, those two..
Long Zemin goes around badmouthing Li Yao for ruining his chances with a certaindy, while Li Yao goes around doing all sorts of wonderous deeds under his junior brother''s name knowing it will tick him off. I was told it has been going on for almost 2,000 years now," Lu Bei said with a light chuckle.
Chapter 663 Price of greed 13)
Chapter 663 Price of greed 13)
Long Zemin is a blue-grade herbologist and zoologist while Li Yao is a blue-grade alchemist and healer.."
Yang Qing whose gaze was on the middle-aged man walking with Su Jinjing asked,
"What about their master?"
"Their master wasn''t that skilled. They met him when they were kids. He was more like their adoptive father than their master.
From what Shu Mei told me, their master was in the qi refinement realm and was the one who helped them break through to the body refining stage. Though the best he could help them achieve was the iron body, the rest they learned by themselves after he passed from an injury he sustained when harvesting herbs..."
"Earlier you said Long Zemin isn''t from the Ocean Refining Cauldron Pavilion, then how did he reach his level.." asked Yang Qing.
"Despite their dysfunctional rtionship, the two apprentice brothers are close. Back when they stumbled onto the legacy of the soulke alchemist, Long Zemin was with them, it''s just that he opted against founding the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion with them, and decided to go on his own as a wanderer and adventurer of the Odyssey Horizon Guild.
I''ve read some of his books. Cursing his apprentice brother aside, his research into spiritual herb care is extensive and he has researched even rare ones like the ones in the Green Fog Region and ces simr to it..."
"Instructor Liu Bei thank you for the help. I''ll need to go as Su Jinjing has walked with who I presume is Li Yao..."
"Yes, yes, go...when you get time make sure to pass by the farm. I am already at the cusp of a major breakthrough in the nts. I already heard from your grandfather that your abilities have vastly improved from back then. I need your help, Yang Qing.."
"When I''m reced here, I will make sure to stop by.."
"Great!!"
After ending the call, Yang Qing dispelled the sound barrier around him and Luo Meili, who was just as surprised as him when they realized Long Zemin''s background.
"Long Zemin!! You bastard!! You dare show your face here.." said Huo Ying as she shot death res at the middle-aged man whose response was a light smile apanied by a polite nod.
Su Jinjing led him to the extreme left next to where Ling Qi from the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect was standing.
Ling Qi was just as shaken as the rest to see him. He clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times as his mouth opened and closed a few times.
In the end, he let out a sigh of exasperation as he asked,
"Did you trick us?"
"I didn''t.." casually answered the middle-aged man still wearing the same smile on his face as he looked at Ling Qi and the rest.
"You all seem to be doing better than I when Ist saw you.." he added.
Hua Ying and Xin Zephyr seemed like they were about to explode as they reflexively reached out for their weapons with throbbing veins appearing on their livid faces.
The middle-aged man unperturbed by their murderous res, sighed as an elder would when they saw a child do something wrong.
Su Jinjing walked ahead to Yang Qing''s podium where she had a few exchanges with him via a secret voiceless transmission.
"This is Long Zemin, I found him thanks to senior Ye Xun''s help. He was harvesting herbs in the territory of a pce realm Cyan Peacock.
Ye Xun told me he is at the fifth stage of the pce realm himself, and with a very powerful soul, simr to that of a soul cultivator who has reached thete stages of the pce realm.
I thought he was some no name, but this, Qing, I''m sorry but I think we have brought you aplicated case..." Su Jinjing said in an apologetic tone.
"It wasn''t intentional, I swear, right Meili.." she added while looking to Luo Meili for support.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but chuckle. Su Jinjinng always had a pure heart like a child''s which got her in no small amount of trouble as she conducted her duties when nefarious cultivators mistook her purity for being gullible.
"Don''t worry Jinjing, it''s okay, and the case itself isn''t asplicated as it seems and he holds the key to everything. If it is as I suspect, I won''t even have to do anything.." Yang Qing said as his gaze fell on the middle-aged man whose cyan eyes that were filled with wisdom were looking at him.
"I take it you are Long Zemin, or should I call you, Li Yao, one of the founders of the Ocean Refining Cauldron Pavilion.." Yang Qing said with a smile.
The middle-aged man smiled as he ced his right hand above his chest,
"Seems like my disguise has already been revealed before I even managed to do it myself. While I would like to wear the name Long Zemin a little more, it wouldn''t be right for me to use it here, I guess I have no choice but to revert to Li Yao.."
The statement was like a thunderp that had exploded in the four cultivators'' minds as they went wide-eyed, with one of them even trembling.
"F..F...founder.." Ling Qi muttered beset with shock as he stared at the middle-aged man standing next to him with a carefree air and a genial smile on his face.
Hua Ying who had exploded on him just a moment ago turned pale white with a horrified look. She wasn''t the only one, as Xin Zephyr shared the same look as her.
The only person who seemed mildly okay was Wu Shen who smiled as he said,
"Figures.."
"I don''t know if my colleague managed to fill you in on why you are here?" asked Yang Qing.
"Not all the way through, as we arrived here before she could finish.." Li Yao said as a bitter smile appeared on his face when he recalled how he had just been grabbed out of the blue when he was harvesting a blue mist moss.
A blonde-haireddy appeared before him and before he could react he felt his vision change as he was absorbed into some sort of space.
"So that''s what a domain space feels like.." he wondered to himself before he focused back on the court.
"But seeing my young friends here, I can guess why. They probably said I did something to them.." he added as he threw the four cultivators a yful smile.
"They did, but I take it, that''s not so. Would you care to share.."
Chapter 664 Price of greed (14)
Chapter 664 Price of greed (14)
"On their present condition yes, as for the others, I only have a few guesses here and there.." answered Yang Qing.
After a bit of the shock had waned from his body, Ling Qi alternated his gaze between the founder of the Ocean Refining Cauldron Pavilion, and Yang Qing trying to make sense of what they were talking about.
He wasn''t the only one who seemed confused by the conversation of the duo as the remaining three cultivators all seemed confused along with Su Jinjing who had just arrived with Li Yao.
"Seeing that you could tell my name, you probably know of my background already, not with the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion, but before that.." said Li Yao with a nostalgic gaze.
"I only know of a bit, especially your 2,000-year rtionship with your apprentice brother.." Yang Qing said with a light chuckle.
"Looks like Shu Mei sold me out to Instructor Lu Bei.." Li Yao said with a bitterugh.
"As strange as it may sound, we use it to keep in touch with us wandering in different ces for years on end, it''s the only way we can find out about each other whilst also telling each other where we are and we are okay.
I know amunication talisman would do the job well, but it''s something we got used to. It''s hard to change.." added Lu Bei with an awkward smile.
"It''s quite the unique way of keeping in touch.." said Yang Qing as he thought the two apprentice brothers were truly cut from the same cloth if badmouthing and impersonating each other was their way of checking in on each other.
"You''re not one to judge, Yang. Don''t you have the same rtionship with Senior Lei Weiyuan.." whispered Su Jinjing.
Yang Qing who had been leaningfortably on his seat almost fell over backwards from Su Jinjing''s words.
It took extreme control to prevent himself from tipping over.
"Jinjing you? Are you cursing me?! What do you mean the same?! Old fiend Lei isn''t my brother, nor do we check on each other.. well I do faithfully curse him when I wake up in the morning and eagerly check on him to see if it worked, but that''s it..
It is not the same!!"
"Yes, yes, boss...It''s not the same.." Su Jinjing said in a pacifying tone.
"Meili, tell her!" Yang Qing pleaded.
"Jinjing, stop teasing him. You know he is not ready to admit it yet..that he enjoysing to work because of Senior Lei Weiyuan.."
"You?! Forget it.."
Yang Qing seeing that he would easily lose out and get teased endlessly decided to throw in the towel early rather than give them more material to torture him by.
"Jinjing, I thought you were the nice one.. the only ones I can rely on now are Bolin and Haishi.." thought Yang Qing as he made a silent note to take them out to rx at Meifeng''s ce after the case was done.
The exchange between the trio wasn''t long,sting just a few seconds, ending just about when Li Yao was resuming his testimony.
"Long Zemin and I were orphans when our master found us. We used to do odd jobs here and there, some good, some unsavory. Whatever we could do to get food in our bellies we would do.
It was during one of our escapades that we stumbled upon our master, Shi Tian. This short, scruffy-looking old man with a genial face and old worn robes.
We had not started cultivating at the time, so we couldn''t tell he was a cultivator and judged him to be just another passerby who could possibly be our meal ticket for the day either willingly on his part or unwillingly in case he didn''t see things our way..."
Li Yao couldn''t help but smile as memories of that day shed in his mind.
"So, me and Long Zemin approached him, ying the part of obedient and curious little kids with saint hearts looking to help a stranger in an unfamiliar ce.
Our master yed along and even gave us a few silver coins for showing him around a ce where there wasn''t much to see, and we even made ns the next day to take him to the neighboring small forest to help him pick some herbs.
We embellished and oversold our expertise in that area. We did know the forest intimately, not because of itsponents, but because it was the best ce to mug someone, especially a weak-looking stranger from out of town.
The next day arrived, me and Long Zemin had been sleepless the previous night as we stayed up all night giggling about how we were going to take our master for all we could, the moment we stepped into the forest.
The wless and easiest robbery we expected to happen transformed into one of the most wless beatings we have ever received.." Li Yao said with a slightly scared smile.
"Though Long Zemin cried more than I that day. I didn''t know he could yell that much.." he added with a cheekyugh.
Yang Qing nodded in appreciation of Li Yao''s strict adherence to the petty dao. As an asional dabbler of the particr dao, Yang Qing respected Li Yao''smitment and discipline in it.
Even when giving his testimony, he didn''t forget to pull his brother a peg or two down.
"After receiving a beating that couldst us several lifetimes, our master made us his assistants for herb picking, and what started off as something temporary, that wouldst maybe a few days ended upsting years.
Two rough-looking kids who didn''t know any better and couldn''t see beyond their next meal ended up seeing and experiencing more than they could have imagined, and it was all thanks to our master.
He was temperamental, easily embarrassed, loved his face a little too much, a shameless braggart, and too stingy even with things he shouldn''t be stingy about but despite his numerous, oh-so-numerous ws, neither I nor Long Zemin would be here today if it wasn''t for him.
He gave us an opportunity to a life we would have never had a chance to see if left to our own devices and expanded the scope of what we knew.
He wasn''t that good at herbology but even though he wasn''t good at it, he loved learning about it.
Just because you were not good at something doesn''t mean you can''t love it he always said, so he moved from ce to ce studying all sorts of nts he coulde across.
To him, nts were a marvel, they were stuck in the same ce but for immobile things, they were the most adaptable things he had ever met.
They could endure and transform themselves to adapt to whatever was thrown at them. He admired their resilience and grace because they could also transform the area around them into something better, something that wasn''t only beneficial to themself but to those around them.
It was the reason he took us in. I''m not sure if he was just bragging at the time, but he said he could tell we were talented from the moment heid his eyes on us.
He knew for him, Qi refinement was the highest he would ever get and before his time came, he hoped just like the nts he so admired, he could maybe emte them and transform the life of someone and give them a chance at something.
He did that..." Li Yao said with a somber sigh.
"even at the cost of his life, he did it just like the nts he admired, he provided an opportunity for two rough buds that were destined to shrivel to overturn their fate and grow into something they didn''t think possible.." he added.
Chapter 665 Price of greed (15)
Chapter 665 Price of greed (15)
"After he passed, to honor his life, we lived it as he did, which was travel from ce to ce taking in the sights and studying the local flora whether it was valuable or not.
Gradually Long Zemin and I developed our own interests during the travels.
Long Zemin had the same fondness as Master did for spiritual nts and he added spirit beast zoology into the mix too, specifically insect spirit beasts.
As for me, I don''t know if it was guilt...Our master died from sumbing to injuries he sustained from a ckscale centipede.
He had gone to search for a particr herb that would help us breakthrough from the iron body to the bronze body and got injured in the process.
The injuries were severe and no matter where we went, or how much we begged, no one was willing to help us, and we could only watch him as his life flowed out of him.
I could never forget that day no matter how much I tried. I think that''s why Zemin decided to study insect-based spirit beasts as for me, my interest went into alchemy and healing.
We traveled from ce to ce, honing our craft with whatever resources we could find or afford, and it was in that journey that we met the other founders of the Ocean Refining Cauldron Pavilion, who had been wandering for reasons of their own.
We teamed up and managed to form a deep bond. Those years were not easy, especially for rootless weeds like us with no background, but they were worthwhile nheless and eventually, we stumbled onto a mysterious realm thatpletely altered our fates.
Our master''s sacrifice wasn''t in vain.." Li Yao said with a smile that was a mixture of regret and relief.
"With what we obtained we were able to improve in leaps and bounds to where we are today. I decided to create the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion in the hopes that just like Master, I would be able to transform the lives of those around me, while Long Zemin decided to roam the continent, just like Master did, and write books and journals on his discoveries while he was at it.
He ended up joining the Odyssey Horizon Guild. As for me, even though I had the Pavilion, I still traveled whenever I could, and instituted that requirement to the Pavilion as a way to keep the mes of my master alive.
And said travels brought me here under my traveling identity of Long Zemin.
I was walking about when I detected a particr aura that reminded me of Zemin. That aura came from that young man''s sect, the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect.." Li Yao said as he pointed toward Ling Qi.
"Using five me poison, and baneblood leech to contain the poison of the tricolored white-eyed tortoise is something Zemin would have done.
He had refined the art of fighting poison with poison. Due to how much time he spends in the Green Fog Region, with how poisonous its inhabitants are, he quickly and painfully found out how difficult it is to detoxify the venom of most of its inhabitants through normal means and that''s how he identally discovered using one poison to counteract the other when he got bit by two different creatures in that swamp.
Over time, he refined the process, and what I saw at the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect had the earmarkings of his work.
Other than our unique means of checking up on each other, I hadn''t seen him in fifteen years, so on detecting one of his techniques, on a wistful whim, I decided to see his technique in action so I could give him an earful of its shorings in person.
In character, I met with the elders of the sect, and as a thank you for them letting me see my junior apprentice''s technique, I decided to heal them.
It was when I was healing them that I discovered something else lurking within their bodies that I had seen with a few upants of this range.
They were tainted with the curse of the graveyard torch.." said Li Yao.
"There is one here?!" Yang Qing asked in surprise.
"There is. It is not a big one, but there is one, and the four of them must have interacted with an inheritance enlightenment blood crystal from there.
Unlike the others who had passive effects from the curse, they had a high concentration of it, they likely knew what they were handling.
If it weren''t for seeing them use my junior brother''s technique, I would have left them to their own devices.." Li Yao coldly said, with his earlier genial look vanishing, as was reced by an austere face.
The sudden change in Li Yao made the four cultivators suddenly flinch as they felt a fearsome undercurrent that would destroy them both body and soul, in but an instant.
"A graveyard torch huh...no wonder the two spirit beasts who would normally not be caught together, appeared simultaneously outside of their territory and attacked them, with one of them even going to the extent of sacrificing its blood essence.
They''re lucky it''s just those two.." muttered Yang Qing in mild surprise as his gaze fell on the four.
"Are you that desperate to join the Deer Mountain Kingdom?" he gently asked, directing his question to the four cultivators, who had lowered their heads in shame.
"We don''t have an option. We can''t move away from this ce, and staying here has been getting harder by the year. The spirit beasts seem to be getting stronger, and soon we may be overrun.
Our only option is to join the Deer Mountain Kingdom, but we can''t do it without one of us reaching the pce realm.
Using the crystals is the only way we can achieve it in the shortest time possible.." answered Hua Ying in a guilt-ridden tone.
Yang Qing sighed as he said,
"You don''t understand the gravity of what you''re dealing with here. If the Kingdom knew it, I don''t know if they''d ept you, even if one of you bes a pce realm expert.
What you have done is no different than dering yourselves the enemy of every single spirit beast that inhabits this ce.
Not even the Deer Mountain Kingdom can protect you from them if they decide to punish you for what you did.."
Chapter 666 Price of greed (16)
Chapter 666 Price of greed (16)
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw their dumbfounded looks. What they did was a case of a newborn calf not being afraid of the tiger or greed blinding them to the dangers around them.
All they could see was them having one of their own use the inheritance enlightenment blood crystals to break through to the pce realm and move to safety in the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
But what they did, assuming they didn''t end up dying from having prolonged contact with the crystals was put a bull''s eye on their collective backs which would follow them everywhere regardless of whether they got into the Deer Mountain Kingdom or not.
In fact such a thing would have doomed the Deer Mountain Kingdom which was already in a precarious position even further.
"You''ve lived here for so long, how could you not have realized the danger of what you were doing," Yang Qing muttered still in disbelief.
"Who from the Deer Mountain Kingdom made that offer to you?" asked Yang Qing.
After a brief pause from shock, Hua Ying answered,
"His name was Jia Shun, he said he was the Imperial Secretary of the Deer Mountain Kingdom. I have seen images of him before so I believe it was him.."
After a slight hesitation, Hua Ying added,
"He was also the one who informed us of ces we could find the crystals.."
"The Imperial Secretary? You''re sure?" asked Yang Qing with a frown.
"Yes, I am sure it was him.." answered Hua Ying with a look of confusion and wariness on her face when she saw Yang Qing''s consternation.
"Seems like you know the Imperial Secretary?" said Li Yao when he saw Yang Qing''s look.
"I only met the person for a day, but from my impression of him, he is not one to do such a thing as making such a suggestion is tantamount to risking the safety of the Kingdom, which is something he would never do even if the Kingmanded him to do so, he would likely not do it.." said Yang Qing.
The Imperial Secretary went as far as divulging the condition of the king''s grandfather without the King''s knowledge or permission, all so that the kingdom could not descend into further turmoil.
Such an act though well-meaning, at a different angle, could be considered a betrayal as the Imperial Secretary divulged something vital and sensitive concerning the King, and he did so behind his back and without his express permission.
Yang Qing could tell the Imperial Secretary had an internal struggle on the matter, but he still did it because of his dedication to his kingdom.
Would such a person tell a bunch of strangers to go harvest inheritance enlightenment blood crystals knowing full well such a thing would likely invite disaster to their kingdom?
Yang Qing didn''t think so. He felt the four organizations were likely duped by someone pretending to be the Imperial Secretary.
Considering both organizationscked a pce realm expert, any pce realm expert with decent beguiling and transformation techniques would easily trick them without them even knowing.
"Sorry to say this, but I think you were misled. I don''t know the Imperial Secretary too much but I am certain he would not give you such information for you to make use of.
Whoever did, I can only assume did so in the hopes that the ensuing consequences that you would invite, would drag the Deer Mountain Kingdom into said troubles..." Yang Qing said as he drummed his index finger at the table with gears turning in his mind.
"It is actually a good n, really when you think about it. They feed you the information under the guise of the Imperial Secretary, you make use of said information and maybe sessfully break through into the pce realm.
Regardless of whether the Imperial Secretary made the offer or not, the Deer Mountain Kingdom would not reject having another pce realm expert within their ranks and since it is taboo to pry into each other''s secrets, they would likely not ask how you actually managed to breakthrough into the pce realm.
After sessfully being integrated into the kingdom, you would likely be given territory at the fringing on the body, the frontier territories.
When cmity strikes because of what you did, and indeed it may, you will be the first to bear the brunt of it from the border before it spreads to the rest of the kingdom.
Your chances of survival is likely to be low because whoever set this whole thing into motion will likely want to cover their own tracks and involvement.
If you don''t die to the vengeful spirit beasts, you will likely die at their hands, through underhanded means of course, or a legitimate one like say being used of inviting cmity to their kingdom.
The perfect scapegoat and poisonous dagger to use against the kingdom and no one would be the wiser that this was someone''s well-crafted n.." said Yang Qing as he sped his hands together.
"As upants of this ce, surely you know about the graveyard''s torch, right?" asked Yang Qing bringing the four cultivators out of their stupor.
"W..we h..have.." answered Ling Qi in a stuttering voice.
"Considering what you did, I''m guessing what you know is particrly limited.." said Yang Qing with his gaze falling on the four.
"Graveyard''s torch.. the resting grounds of spirit beasts who hope to nurture the next generation, hence the name torch.."
Yang Qing paused as he leaned forward.
"Consider this information a gift so next time, if there is a next time for you all, remember to act with propriety.
When a spirit beast dies, the norm is for them to be cannibalized by another spirit beast. It can either be willingly or unwillingly. It''s their way of life as they do grow stronger by cannibalizing each other, after all.
However, not all of them go through this route. Some when they reach the end of their tether either through old age or a fatal injury they can''t heal, go to a ce, a special ce that has the blessing of thend.
Usually, the spirit beasts who go there are those without close rtionships, recluses so to speak, though even those with close rtionships have been known to go to such a ce.
That ce serves as their resting ce. When they reach there, they slowly disintegrate their bodies along with their wisdom pearls.
All their attainments, and everything that made them, them, is released into that ce so it could serve as a foundation for the next generation of spirit beasts..."
Yang Qing opened his palm and within and around it, there was a swirl of mystical lights and fog thatbined to form a hallowed ground. It was green, silent carrying the weight of remnant wills.
Spirit beasts of all kinds appeared within that hallowed ground, with a tranquil look to them they disintegrated into tiny mots of light whichbined with other mots of light as if guided by an otherworldly force, theybined to form pristine red crystals that had ethereal lights swirling within it.
"Those spirit beasts give back,they give everything they have ever achieved and gained; their attainments, their bodies and souls. That act garners them the respect and acknowledgment of the world itself, which in respect for their actions, provides the force required to store their sacrifice for eternity until it meets the fated person as a respect of their will.
That embodied will is these blood crystals. They are no different from dao natural treasures as they have been baptized by it upon receiving the acknowledgment and respect of the world.
If you gather a sufficient amount, you can indeed use them to break through to the pce realm as they are known to induce enlightenment in cultivators.
However, despite those crystals being usable even by humans, they are not ours to take, and in doing so, we spit on the sacrifice of those spirit beasts.
Spirit beasts more often than not don''t see eye to eye and are ruthless against each other, but when ites to the graveyard torch, their thoughts and attitudes are one. It is a ce of honor and respect.
They will never fight in that ce, no matter how deep the hatred. Every feral instinct they have is instantly quelled from the moment they step into that ce.
You taking those crystals is no different than desecrating the heritage of every spirit beast around the world. You can imagine what they will do to you when they find out.
I reckon the two spirit beasts you fought against must have already caught the scent.
Other than the potential risk of annihtion.."
Yang Qing paused as he held his chin as one of the crystals in the swirling image on his palm suddenly erged from pea-
sized to the size of a mango seed.
"Not just anyone can handle these crystals. These crystals contain the embodied will of those spirit beasts, and if anyone other than a spirit beast tries to use it or steal it, those wills form a traceless curse that slowly consumes the life force of all who get into contact with it.
It''s called the curse of the graveyard torch. It''s silent just like that hallowed ground, and you would never realize you were cursed up until your death and when you die, your bodies will turn into these crystals.."
Chapter 667 Price of greed (17)
Chapter 667 Price of greed (17)
Their reaction more or less confirmed to Yang Qing that the leaders of their respective organizations more than likely handled the inheritance enlightenment blood crystals.
"You touched taboo power.." Yang Qing ominously said as he dispelled his technique.
"As known with taboo power, once you get in touch with it, there is usually a price to be paid.
Lucky for you four,?Pavilion Master Li Yao helped you pay something small for what you did.
You shaved off a bit of their life essence and a natural treasure born out of a variated form of life dao. Considering they had not used the crystals themself, losing a bit of their lifespan and the treasure as a reactant, was enough to quell the curse.." said Yang Qing as he faced Li Yao.
"You are right, Judge Yang Qing. I''m amazed you were able to tell all that with just a nce. I''m in awe with the depth of your insight.." Li Yao said with genuine admiration in his tone.
"It''s nothing much, it just happens that I am a little more sensitive than most to certain energies and auras.." Yang Qing said as he waved his hands.
He wasn''t ying at being humble, as his yin-yang jade bones did make him sensitive to things that touched upon the life dao.
From the moment heid eyes on the four he could feel something off with their lifespans.
The only thing he wasn''t certain of, was the reason why. Before he knew of Li Yao''s identity, he had surmised that maybe Li Yao may have been a fiendish cultivator siphoning lifespans from the unsuspecting.
But when he heard of the curse of the graveyard torch, the affected lifespan of the four, made sense.
Normally human cultivators would avoid the graveyard torch because of the trouble it would bring. Messing with one would invite an eternal enmity of every spirit beast living in the area or even ones that have ever lived in the area and then there was also the curse to consider.
Most would avoid the inheritance enlightenment blood crystals despite their ability to help a cultivator induce a state of epiphany that enables them to gain insight into the dao.
Of course, some were reckless and desperate and would thus ignore the risks involved. Those who did this usually had nothing else to lose, for example, old cultivators reaching the end of their lifespans whose only shot at reaching the next level was those crystals.
Those cultivators wouldn''t care if they ended up getting cursed, or put a bull''s eye on their back from the spirit beasts living in the area. To them, they were dying anyway and didn''t have anything to lose.
Then there were those like the four cultivators before him, those whose recklessness was driven by not knowing enough along with ambition, greed, and a little bit of desperation.
Because of the insatiable depths of human greed, cultivators managed to find a workaround on how to properly harvest those crystals without suffering the bacsh. A skilled alchemist, someone with a top-tier wood element physique, someone with a karmic treasure, someone with skilled with a variated form of either the life dao or death, they would be able to ovee the challenges associated with the crystals, and there were even remedies for those who got cursed.
One of the remedies was called the yin-yang life conversion tribute where two energies would be used to offset the cost of the curse. The two energies were yin and yang in nature just like the name. The cursed person provided the yin, while the yang was an external treasure filled with natural yang energy that was dense in life, the denser the better because the more dense it was, the less the yin energy the cursed would have to pay.
Yang Qing''s unique physique predisposed him as the ultimate bane of that curse. Were he the one who performed the treatment on the four, they would not have had to pay a price for it.
This also meant he could harvest the crystals without fear or knowledge of some specific harvesting skill to eliminate the risk of getting cursed. His body waspletely immune to its curse.
Though even if it was easy for him to acquire the crystals, his conscience would never allow him to do so, the same way sentient spirit beasts never raided the ancestral tombs of humans despite their feud.
It was a line neither side, crossed.
Of course, there were exceptions to the rule. It wasn''tmon knowledge, but there were differences among the graveyards, and there was a unique one among them that was capable of inciting the greed of even the morally bound cultivators.
What made that graveyard unique was the formation of the eight-petal ascendant concentrated rose. A rose that grew at the center of the graveyard. The rose had eight different colored petals, with each petal containing a refined form of dao.
The rose was capable of creating eight domain experts, one for each petal. Such a bounty was capable of eroding whatever conscience a person had.
Had such a rose been present where the four organizations went, he did not doubt that the Deer Mountain Kingdom even with all the troubles facing it, would have risked acquiring that rose, no matter the consequences.
"I wonder if that story is true.." wondered Yang Qing as the tribtion of the domain realm tested not only one''s umtions but one''s spirit. He wondered if people who robbed a hallowed grave to advance themself would be able to ovee such a tribtion.
To him doing such a thing meant you were not confident of reaching it by yourself. With such doubts swirling within you, would you be able to face a tribtion known to have the highest mortality across all known realms?
Yang Qing had his doubts, though he knew his reasoning had loopholes within it. Cultivators robbing graves wasn''t anything new. Ruins and mysterious realms could be considered as burial grounds in some way. The ascension of a cultivator was steeped in bloodshed and death, what did robbing the sacred ground of spirit beasts matter to them, they would likely rob their ancestor''s grave if it gave them a shot at power.
Pushing those morbid thoughts aside, Yang Qing focused his attention on the four cultivators.
"The reason your bodies'' felt different was because of the treatment technique cast on you. The treatment consumes two things to rid you of the curse, one is a treasure and the other is your lifespan, the grade of the treasure determines how much lifespan is consumed.."
Reading the leading cue from Yang Qing, Li Yao continued,
"Since they had not been in contact with the crystals for long, I used the vitality spectrum dahlia as the yang treasure. Its grade is at the top tier of sky grade, which looked like it needed just a few hundred years of absorbing pure yang energy for it to reach the monarch grade..."
The four, especially Ling Qi who knew the value of that flower, looked dumbfounded before shame started creeping in.
Li Yaoughed slightly at their reactions and said,
"Don''t worry I only used a few shavings of it and not theplete thing. Even if I was a bit sentimental at seeing my junior apprentice brother''s technique on disy, that feeling wasn''t enough for me to burn an entire vitality spectrum dahlia on you.."
Ling Qi''s, Hua Ying''s, and Xin Zephyr''s faces instantly burned red in embarrassment.
"With the help of the shavings, the yin cost was cut down to three years. Even though three years isn''t much to cultivators like yourselves, losing it in a single moment leaves an impact on the body that requires some time to heal from.
Losing three years'' worth of your life essence is essentially you losing your ability to live those three years. Other than maintaining the basic instincts that keep your body functioning, you lose everything else like being able to cultivate or meditate.
For such a loss, the healing time ratio is usually 1:0.5. That means you will gain full functionality of your bodies in one and half years, one year, and four months to be exact since two months have already passed by.
Of course, there are ways to shorten that period, but you need ascendant-grade treasures for that which sadly I don''t have.." said Li Yao as he exaggeratedly showed the empty pockets of his robes.
An air of silence and awkwardness descended into the courtroom. Other than Wu Shen, the other three cultivators looked out of sorts like they were standing on ming coal that was slowly burning their feet, especially Hua Ying, who couldn''t even look up as her head hung low filled with shame and trepidation.
Since the case started, she had been the most vocal, not hiding her anger toward Li Yao. Filled with such venom, before the whole matter was revealed, there was no doubt she would have attacked Li Yao with reckless abandon given the chance.
But here she was, the man shehad likely tortured several times in her mind over the past two months for swindling her, was, in fact, her benefactor who not only healed them of the venom of the tricolored white-eyed tortoise but also cured them of a curse they didn''t even know they had.
And the surprise didn''t stop there, the ''scammer'' was the founder of a rank 3 alchemist organization, a seasoned blue- grade alchemist and healer, and a pce realm expert to boot.
Whether it was her, or the entire Hua n, no one was worthy of meeting such a huge figure let alone getting personally healed by him and yet she was, and what she did as a thank you was curse about him to anybody who would listen, and she even had the guts to disy killing intent when he walked into the courtroom. She even had half a mind to hire an assassin to get rid of him after the case because of how livid she was with him robbing her of her ability to use her bloodline techniques.
It was the worst misunderstanding and blunder she could ever make, a blunder that could consign her n to oblivion.
Then there was also the matter of being tricked by someone impersonating the Imperial Secretary of the Deer Mountain Kingdom to consider, and the death warrant they had signed for themselves because of those crystals.
Surviving without every spirit beast out for their heads was already hard enough, how harder would it be now that they had desecrated their hallowed ground even if they were misled into doing it?
"And to think three months ago I thought the Hua n''s rise was all but guaranteed. The patriarch would make use of the blood crystals with the refinement help from sect master Zhu Jian from the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect.
He would breakthrough to the pce realm, and we would get the rights to live in the Deer Mountain Kingdom, where we would no longer have to look over our shoulders. Living in constant fear that we would end up in some spirit beast''s stomach at any moment even within our own grounds.
When the tricolored white-eyed tortoise arrived, I thought even the heavens were in support of us by sending such a treasure trove to our doorstep.
Who would have thought it was the gates of damnation beckoning us.."Li Yao thought as her frame grew weaker and deste by the second.
Before she could sink further into despair, Yang Qing cleared his throat to grab their attention.
The four cultivators looked up.
"With all facts on hand, the whole matter is now evident and I shall now pass the verdict.
I, Yang Qing, in my capacity as a judge and the Branch Chief of the Deer Mountain Branch, finding all materials presented meeting the threshold for a clear judgment do dere Li Yao, the pavilion master of the Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion innocent of all usations against him brought on by Xin Zephyr of the Xin n, Hua Ying of the Hua n, Wu Shen of the Flowing Fist Sect, and Ling Qi of the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect.
The case is hereby closed.." Yang Qing said as he brought his gavel down.
Even though the sound made by the gavel was a low one, to the four cultivators it was like the drum of hell had been sounded and Yang Qing''s next words didn''t help either.
"My guess is you picked up those crystals for someone in the Hua n to use them to break through to the pce realm.
He may be cursed already.." Yang Qing paused as his gaze fell slightly on Pavilion Master Li Yao who shook his head.
"Helping them once is the best I can do, the rest they will have to handle themself.." said the Pavilion Master.
Hua Ying looked like she was about to copse. Ever since she found out about the dangers of the crystal, among the hundreds of concerns that popped up, her n patriarch''s condition had been high up. She didn''t expect Li Yao to help them again after their behavior but hearing the outright denial made her sink further into despair.
"Well, that''s that..His condition aside, your four organizations need to think very carefully about what to do next.
You have made an enemy of the entire spirit beasts in this ce and I can tell you, they are much scarier and more powerful than the Deer Mountain Kingdom..much much stronger....they are the overlords of this ce and what you did is an affront to them that they would not let go.
If the red pine me porcupine and the tricolored white-eyed tortoise found you, you can be sure the rest are not that far behind, it''s just a matter of time.
Considering the nature of your actions, as it is taboo, the Order can not step in as this is no different than a blood feud between you and the spirit beasts of the Deer Mountain Range.
My advice to you is to leave, leave immediately, and don''t linger as every second you remain here, you risk theplete annihtion of your respective organizations.
Stay and your fate is all but guaranteed to end in death, if you leave maybe you might have a chance at life.." Yang Qing said with an austere tone.
"Where will we go?" Xin Zephyr weakly asked with a bleak look.
"Anywhere but here.." Yang Qing said with a sigh.
"Removing the curse cost you something, and surviving will cost you another. Decide what price you want to pay, because one way or another, it will be collected. Sadly, there is no escaping it, and it will be steep," he added.
Chapter 668 As long as you’re alive, there is always a chance
Chapter 668 As long as you''re alive, there is always a chance
Hua Ying looked to be the most affected of all. A couple of times her legs looked like they were about to give out, and she couldn''t conceal the dread in her eyes. She was pale, sweaty, and looked just about to vomit.
The healing period of the life essence that was sucked out for the remedy of the curse of the graveyard torch turned out to be a blessing in disguise for her. Without being able to cultivate, or meditate meant that she was essentially a non-cultivator and was therefore not at risk of her qi turning erratic because of how unbnced she was.
All she had was an elerated heart rate increased perspiration and maybe a bout of nausea and dizziness which were child''s y inparison to what qi deviation would do to her body or if her mental demons were triggered.
The four cultivators slowly walked out each lost in their thoughts.
Yang Qing seemed hesitant about something but ultimately decided to go through with it.
"Wu Shen...Don''t turn just continue walking.." Yang Qing said as he used his pce sense to transmit his words to Wu Shen without notice from the other three.
As a pce realm master himself, Li Yao did detect the undtions of a pce sense being deployed, but he didn''t say anything only throwing a curious nce at the group of four.
Wu Shen whose legs had jerked slightly from the appearance of Yang Qing''s voice in his mind, quickly regained firmness in his steps as he continued walking, heeding Yang Qing''s suggestion.
"Earlier you said when Pavilion Master Li Yao healed you, you felt like he had preserved a vital part of you. You were right, his intervention managed to protect something. He protected your budding dao heart.
I bet for some time now you could already feel that whenever you executed your fist art it felt vastly different from what it normally was. Like they were guided by some mystical force.
Your fist felt like it had a soul of its own so to speak.."
Wu Shen subtly inclined his head to show his agreement with Yang Qing''s assessment.
"That feeling is evidence that you have started to develop a fist intent which I am sure you have heard, but that doesn''t happen without a dao heart being established.
Dao hearts can be established in different ways, but the reason I mention it is that one of those ways is through the influence of a cultivation art.
Cultivation arts that are at the blue grade and above have this ability. The deeper the understanding a cultivator has towards them the easier it bes for them to form a dao heart as a consequence of it.."
Wu Shen inadvertently paused with a look of confusion on his face. He knew the cultivation art they practiced was definitely not a blue-grade one.
Seeing his confusion,?Yang Qing added,
"Other than cultivation arts that are at the blue grade and above, there is another type that can do the same thing...a growing cultivation art, which is what I suspect your cultivation art to be..."
Without waiting for Wu Shen''s confusion to grow, Yang Qing continued,
"This is purely my conjecture, Cultivation arts are born out of a cultivator''s interpretation and understanding of the mysteries of the world around them.
The grade of the art is influenced by the level of understanding that they have which is why there are different ranks to them.
Cultivation arts ultimately to me are an abstract representation of the truths that the cultivators see around them. The more truths they glean, the better and more profound the cultivation art, as it is a reflection of it.
But you see, there are times as cultivators, when we feel something, some truth that is just at our fingertips but we can''t fully grab hold of it. Something within us tells us there is something there but our minds are not yet caught up to what our ethereal senses are picking up.
Growing arts are a product of that state. They''re arts that have long since met the requirements of being baptized by one of the mysterious truths and have just fallen short of one single step. That step is opening the door to the mysteries it guides to.
The key is already there in the art, it just needs someone who knows it well enough and to the door it points towards.
As long as you or anyone from your sect deepens their understanding of your cultivation art, eventually, you will see that door, that door that has eluded most, the door to the pce realm.
You don''t need the inheritance enlightenment blood crystals, nor do you need to ride the coattails of someone else who you think has better chances than you at producing a pce realm expert.
Your chances of reaching that level are much much higher as long as you are willing to assiduously walk on the path your cultivation art is guiding you toward.
As to why I''m telling you all this, let''s just say I have a sentimental spot for cultivation arts, and I am curious to see what heights yours will reach rather than it getting buried in the annals of time.
I don''t know what your friends from the Xin n, Hua n, or the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect will decide, but for you, your sect has a choice at a life outside of here.
Even if starting over is difficult,for you it will be slightly easier as long as you have your cultivation art. You will be able to gain a solid footing.
Like I told yourpatriots, the waters of the Deer Mountain Range are dangerously deep, deep to the point that even the Deer Mountain Kingdom cannot guarantee its safety.
Choose wisely, and if you don''t know where to head, you can try the territory of the Diamond Body Sect, they will relish the opportunity of having your sect in their territory. It''s a fair distance away from here, but you can use mercenary escorts to guide you there.
I would rmend the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts. As long as you''re alive, there is always a chance, don''t forget that. That is all.." Yang Qing said as he disconnected his pce sense from Wu Shen.
They were already at the boundary of the array that covered the branch. Wu Shen took the lead and bowed in gratitude to both Li Yao and Yang Qing.
The other three emted his actions, but they seemed distracted even while doing it. After their gratitude, they all turned and left, each to decide with their respective organizations what was next for them.
Chapter 669 Trade with Li Yao
Chapter 669 Trade with Li Yao
"Not so much favor, it''s more of being willful so I have as few regrets as possible.." answered Yang Qing.
"Understandable.." said Li Yao with a smile.
"Thank you for your assistance with the case. I hope you were not interrupted in the middle of something vital.." said Yang Qing with an apologetic smile.
Su Jinjing had already informed him that it was Ye Xun who found Li Yao and brought him over.
Knowing her, Yang Qing felt she likely swallowed him within her domain space the moment she saw him regardless of what Li Yao may have been doing. Yang Qing felt the stoic gold eagle guard wasn''t the most socially sensitive person.
Li Yao''s eyes shed briefly as he recalled the experience before he smiled awkwardly.
"No, I wasn''t doing anything of note. Just admiring the scenery and taking notes of a few herbs here and there."
Yang Qing noticed the awkwardness in Li Yao''s demeanor but didn''t say anything about it.
"Once more, on behalf of the Order, I''d like to thank you for your time and assistance on the case.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists.
"It''s nothing much. It was my pleasure. I have never been to one of these. It was quite the experience.." Li Yao said as he cupped his fists back.
"What you told them about the dangers of this ce...Is it that dangerous?" asked Li Yao as he turned to face the scene outside of the branch, his gaze seemingly piercing thousands upon thousands of kilometers from the area where they stood.
Yang Qing seeing no need to hide it, answered,
"Extremely. Earlier you said you''ve been here for a few months, right?"
"I did.."
"Then you must have felt the violent fluctuations that appeared about a month ago.."
"Everyone around the range must have felt it. With how terrifying they were, I had fled close to the border for fear of attracting their attention.
I still can''t believe there were such terrifying spirit beasts around. Even without seeing it in person, I could feel its terrifying abilities, and it just wasn''t one.
Late-stage spirit beasts...How has the Deer Mountain Kingdom remained standing all this time.." said Li Yao with some wariness.
"Luck, a whole amount of luck.." answered Yang Qing with memories of his conversation with Meifeng shing in his mind.
"Those spirit beasts..are they still around?"
"No, they are not, but there are others that are more powerful than them still lurking around..." said Yang Qing.
"Do be careful where you wander around the range, stay especially clear of the southeastern region, there is peak pce realm spirit beast there. Though it''s currently in seclusion, but, I''d still advise steering clear of that area. One can never be too sure.." added Yang Qing.
"Thank you for the reminder.." said Li Yao with a solemn expression.
He had misjudged the danger level of the Deer Mountain Range and thought with his fifth stage pce realm cultivation base, he could go anywhere leisurely taking in the sights and collecting spirit herbs.
He was gallivanting around a lion''s den without even realizing it.
"By the way, pavilion master Li Yao, how familiar are you with the Deer Mountain Kingdom?" asked Yang Qing.
"Not much, though we do have some dealings with the Song family from there. We procure various herbs and certain unique potions from them. It was one of the reasons I decided toe here in the first ce.
This region is filled with unique herbs, half of which I''ve never heard of, as they are unique to this region. Simr to the Green Fog Region.
I felt the urge toe and study them and the number wasrger than I could imagine. I had nned to spend four months, but it has already been eight.
I would like to stay some more, but with your news, I don''t think that would be wise.." Li Yao said with a sigh of regret.
"Well, I doubt it would be that dangerous. As long as you share a bit of your findings with us, we could guarantee your safety during your team here if you want.." Yang Qing said with a mercantile smile.
"Deal!!" Li Yao said without hesitation filled with enthusiasm, that it caught Yang Qing slightly off guard.
He had expected Li Yao to agonize over it a little.
"Haven''t you agreed to it a little too fast? Shouldn''t you think over it a little?" asked Yang Qing.
"Fast? I don''t think so. I was already nning to write a book based on some of my findings and share it with the Jade Leaf Academy. One way or another, the information would have still ended up in your hands.
I am the one benefitting here. I have my safety guaranteed by a monolithic figure like the Order to do what I love. With your protection, I can wholeheartedly pour my whole energy into researching the spiritual herbs in this ce..!" Li Yao said with visible excitement.
His hands were even trembling from the excitement. He looked like he couldn''t wait to start roaming about the range while collecting samples.
"On behalf of the Order, it will be a pleasure working with you..." Yang Qing said as he extended his hand for a handshake with Li Yao.
"To a fruitful partnership." Li Yao said with a blissful smile stered on his face.
"I will tell my colleagues of the deal, so they can keep track of you after you leave here.."
"Thank you...thank you!!" Li Yao said as he remembered the domain expert who brought him here.
A hint of pride couldn''t help but well up within him.
"A domain expert as my bodyguard. Zemin is bound to vomit blood with envy when he hears this. He''s liable to think I''m making this up.."thought Li Yao.
"By the way why were you asking about the Deer Mountain Kingdom?" asked Li Yao after the excitement of showing off to his junior apprentice-brother had waned a bit.
Yang Qing took out a map from his storage ring as he said,
"Have you ever seen anyone from the Song family around these areas? It doesn''t even have to be from the Song family, just anyone who left you feeling strange.."
Yang Qing highlighted all the areas Meifeng had highlighted as the area the Obsidian Serpent''s daughter and the fire adler bear frequented.
Chapter 670 Su Jinjing’s plea
Chapter 670 Su Jinjing''s plea
"Partly yes, but another part is someone suspicious, someone more vignt than usual, or someone with a strong soul with yin undtionsing from them..." said Yang Qing.
Seems like they suspect the Kingdom of colluding with whoever it was that was part of that cmitous fight a few weeks ago, thought Li Yao.
For someone who has seen the winds and rains of countless eras, it wasn''t difficult for him to figure that the Order may have had some involvement with the fight that happened a few weeks ago. Even though he had been too far to unearth the culprits, with how terrifying and powerful the waves were he had been able to glean something from them, even while being at the border, which was tens of thousands of kilometers away from where the fight was taking ce.
He could feel that some of those terrifying waves came from a human source and more than one at that. In particr, he had sensed two distinctive overwhelming forces. One of them was a powerful sword intent that made him feel as if he had been submerged in an ocean of swords, while the other was a suffocating force of the earth. It felt like the whole Deer Mountain Range was bearing down on him.
From his understanding, not that he looked down on the Deer Mountain Range. For them to survive in this range, they had to be capable but he didn''t believe that those two energies came from one of their members, if it did, they would not have holed themselves up in their territory as they did, they would have long tried to expand it as they did all those years ago.
If it wasn''t from the Deer Mountain Kingdom, then there was only one other culprit, a terrifying entity that had people who would definitely produce those two energies in spade and that was the Order.
Even if he knew the Order was definitely involved and some part of him was curious about what happened, he had enough propriety to know he should not ask what he should not ask. The Ocean Refining Crucible Pavilion was strong both in terms of the abilities of its members and its connections, but that did not mean it had the qualifications to involve itself in certain matters. That was a sure-fire way of inviting cmity.
Pushing his thoughts aside, Li Yao focused on the map.
"I haven''t reached this part yet, but here...."
Li Yao''s brow came together as his eyes shed.
"I found a foundation circle here, and by the looks of it, it was done by very capable people across different schools and their attainments were no different than mine. If it was done by one person, then their attainments are definitely higher than mine.
There was nothing I could add to it or do differently. Building a foundation circle in the middle of a forest filled with spirit beasts.." as he said this his gaze inadvertently fell on Yang Qing with meaning.
"It isn''t ours, the fire adler bear I was warning you about, did that.." Yang Qing said as he smiled wryly.
"A spirit beast?!" Li Yao asked with widened eyes.
It wasn''t that he looked down on them, but spirit beasts did not need foundation circles, they were already endowed with superior and powerful bodies. As far as he knew, the gold body, which most human cultivators struggled at attaining was something newborn spirit beasts with weak bodies had at birth.
As far as the constitution of spirit beasts went, he knew that some were so absurdly powerful that at birth their raw strength was enough for them to defend against an early-stage core formation expert.
What would such a spirit beast need a foundation circle for?
When he found the area, he left it immediately after a cursory nce because he automatically assumed it was the Order''s handiwork. Only they would have such expertise and be daring enough to set up such a thing in the Deer Mountain Range.
Hearing it was a spirit beast''s handiwork, was a huge shocker for him.
"They were using it for something else entirely which I can''t share.." Yang Qing said when he saw the confusion on Li Yao''s face.
His response only made the pavilion master''s eyes twinkle with curiosity which he reigned in as he concentrated on the rest of the areas.
After a minute, he shook his head as he said,
"I haven''t seen anyone suspicious in these areas in my time here... I have seen the Song family around though, during my surveys, but their routes are usually here.." Li Yao said as he pointed to an area northeast of the areas Yang Qing had highlighted.
Yang Qing estimated that the area was roughly 200,000 kilometers away from the areas he had mentioned.
Yang Qing sighed as he took back the map.
"Thanks for your help, Pavilion Master Li Yao.." he said as he put the map into his storage ring.
"I am sorry I couldn''t be much help.." answered Li Yao.
"No, you''ve helped. At least I can cross out eight months from my list of timelines.." Yang Qing said with a sincere smile.
He exchanged a few pleasantries with Pavilion Master Li Yao before thetter eagerly left like a kid who was afraid of missing out on ying with his friends.
Even while looking at the map, Yang Qing could tell he was fidgety like he couldn''t wait to leave the branch and go explore the range of its spiritual herbs.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but chuckle as he turned back meeting Su Jinjing and Luo Meili who seemed to be waiting for him.
"Is it okay to leave them like that? With our presence here, we could guarantee their safety..." said Su Jinjing, her face rife with worry.
Knowing what she was referring to, Yang Qing ced his hands on her shoulder tofort her as he said,
"We can''t Jinjing. If we can''t do the same for the Kingdom who have been our gracious hosts, then we can''t do it for them either.
If we intervene, forgetting the outcry that would likely happen once news of our interference breaks out, bringing our impartiality into question, it will also trigger another thing.
If we intervene, every organization would treat us as their babysitters. They would go make a mess out with no caution or care because in their mind they''ll be thinking, if the Order did it for the Xin n or the Hua n then they would do the same for us.
Our acting will set a precedent. We address injustices not recklessness.
Jinjing, what if the tricolored white-eyed tortoise was the one who came in today to file aint?.." Yang Qing said as his gaze fell on Su Jinjing whose limpid big soulful eyes flickered slightly.
"This is a blood debt Jinjing, and had the tortoise asked for a fight to the death with them or any other spirit beast from this area for that matter, I would have granted as is their right for something like this.
They broke a taboo, they should not have, even if they did not know. The road to hell is sometimes paved by what we may sometimes judge as good intentions... Whether it''s them or us.. " Yang Qing said with a sigh.
"We have already done the most we can do, which is give them critical information and advice, same as what we did for the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Whatever happenster for them is a consequence of the decisions they make. All we can do for now is wish them luck and hope for the best.
Jinjing we are each responsible for our own choices. The four have a responsibility to make their own and live by it. It''s not your burden to carry.
We have done our responsibility, which is to give them all the information that they need to decide what''s next for them.
Choice is a gift, Jinjing. No matter how it ends, it''s something we can''t deny them..." Yang Qing said as he left for one of the jade tforms next to one of the quaint rivers in the area.
Chapter 671 He is...
Chapter 671 He is...
Back at the entrance, Su Jinjing had a slightly sorrowful look on her face as she tightly clenched her spear.
"Jinjing, you know what he is saying is true. Yang Qing may be unreliable in many things but not when ites to his cases.
You know how selfish he is, there is no way he would do something that would take away his ability to sleep or eat his meals.
It''s why he is so terrified of guilt or regret, even more so than Senior Lei Weiyuan.." Luo Meili said with a gentle smile.
"He really is the biggest coward I know.." Su Jinjing added with a chuckle.
"He is.." Luo Meili said in support as both burst into light peals ofughter.
"I know he is right. The only reason I suggested it, is because of him.." Su Jinjing softly said, with her gaze trailing to where Yang Qing had disappeared off to.
"We saw what thest case did to him, and it''s not been that long since it happened. What if something happens to those four organizations? I can''t help but worry how he would take it if the worst were to happen.." she added with worry rife in her tone.
"Like he said, we are each responsible for our own choices. He must have already prepared himself for that.
It was why he went out of his way to warn them of how dangerous this ce is and I am sure he said something else to that elder of the Flowing Fist Sect.
You know how resilient he is, otherwise, he would not continually keep trying to scam the Order, despite the number of failures he has had.." said Luo Meili, her gaze flickering slightly.
Even though she said that some part of her couldn''t help but worry for her shameless boss. If it wasn''t for Yang Qing she would have opted to go to the beast tamer division. The reason she chose to be on his team, was because for some reason her physique, the Mand prana green nebe jellyfish physique seemed to quiet down every time she was around him.
Usually despite the numerous seals ced on her meant to contain it, she always had this foreboding like her body was about to be snatched away, or this feeling welling deep within her of being observed by a terrifying entity, waiting, waiting for her to show the slightest weakness and it would pounce on her.
That feeling was intense when she was younger and in the qi refinement realm. She was always afraid all the time, with never-endingpses of what was real, and what was fiction. She always saw herself in the deepest part of space facing a monstrous jellyfish that was the size of the. The cosmos swirled around it almost as if it was birthed by it.
Facing that terrifying creature was always the most terrifying experience she ever had. She always felt like she stood there for thousands and thousands of years her body being destroyed and reformed by that entity. I
t didn''t matter whether she was asleep or awake, those visions would strike her at any time, and every time she woke up her body would be filled with these green sigils that would continue to subject her body to agonizing pain for a few days to even a month depending on how long she spent in the realm with that jellyfish.
Those sigils would erode the hands of those who tried to touch her. It was the reason she was kicked out by her parents, who said she was cursed when her father lost his entire hand when trying to wake her.?The maddening screams she made every time she was dragged into that realm and got tortured didn''t help either.
Kicked out and those tortures finally broke her as she wondered aimlessly with her mind half gone. The only reason she even survived back then was the corrosive side effect of those sigils acting as a protection for her, though she wasn''t thankful for it.
Eventually, she wandered around until she found a certain cave which she made her home. That cave contained the remains of some spirit beast and survived on bone soup for quite some time until she was forced to move again and was somehow found by someone belonging to the Order who took her for the assessment.
It was only when she got in did she find out what was going on with her. She believed she was cursed, but it turned out she endured what she did because of her physique and the immense power it contained which was too much for her body to handle that it was forcibly altering her body so she could contain it.
Had she not been admitted into the Order and received their help, her physique would have eaten away at her body with the forcible improvements. In five years or less, she would have been consumed by it and disintegrated out of existence.
When they broke the news to her, she couldn''t help but think that she really had been cursed. Her own physique sentencing her to death, how absurd was that? There were countless other dangers out there that would threaten her life but it was her physique that was the greatest danger of them all. Something that was meant to protect, and give her a fighting chance, was the one tying a noose around her neck and quickly strangling her.
The dean of the beast tamer division had experiences with such physiques and quickly created a seal that halted the terrifying experiences she had. She was no longer abducted to some unknown realm to get tortured, but the feeling, that fear that came from knowing that beast was watching her, it never went away, but it became manageable the higher her cultivation base, grew.
Of course, that was until she met Yang Qing, this goofy kid who was a few years ahead of her at the institute, and already had a reputation for getting into trouble with the fiendish instructors.
It was when he was running away from doing something nefarious no doubt that he ran into her, almost knocking her over. That brief contact, though it didn''tpletely erase the fear that wrapped around her body like chains, she felt something she never thought possible, a glimpse at what respite was.
She wasn''t sure at first, but after seeking out Yang Qing a couple of times and striking a friendship with him so she could be around him, she felt it. Every time she was around him, that suffocating fear that she had known all her life would ebb away. Yang Qing''s presence seemed to affect the jellyfish within. It was almost as if his presence would turn the jellyfish into a gentle docile being and that gentleness radiated even to her.
That effect became more and more pronounced the longer she stayed around him, and the stronger Yang Qing was for some reason.
When she graduated, despite the beast hall vying for her because of thetent gifts her physique afforded her, she decided to be an inquisitor and specifically asked to be stationed with Yang Qing.
That sense of ease she felt around him was something she would never trade anything else for.
The other day when she and Su Jinjing went to check on him to see if he was okay after missing breakfast, when Yang Qing opened his eyes, she felt something stir deep within her, a feeling of tion that ended up making her body feel lighter, like some shackle had been removed.
I hope you''ll be okay. If I could, I would dly carry the weight of the things you experienced at the Ice Emerald Sect and now.For what you have given me, I can never repay.."she thought, hiding the worry she heard in the deepest recess of her eyes.
Yang Qing always felt like a sanctuary for her. It wasn''t in a romantic sense as she didn''t see him in a romantic light and neither did he, but they had an inexplicable bond. Despite being slightly older than him, Luo Meili always felt like Yang Qing was her older brother, sheltering her from that monstrous jellyfish.
She would do anything to reciprocate what Yang Qing gave her, but s, the things she could offer were limited, other than maybe keeping himpany and bringing him rare dishes.
"Jinjing maybe we can have the chef prepare him red braised pork using that radiant star anise we found and the empyrean bee honey we collected is sure to improve the vors in the hands of a skilled chef.
We can bring it to Yang Qing. Nothing cheers him more than food.."
Luo Meili paused as she held her chin in deep contemtion.
"Which do you think would rank at the top, Jinjing? Pulling one over senior Lei Weiyuan or food? I feel the former has a slight edge over thetter, with how petty he is.."
Su Jinjing mirrored Luo Meili''s look as she held her chin, tilting her head slightly.
"This is a tough one... When I met him I would have said food, but over the years, I don''t know... One thing I know for sure is he is greedy, he would likely choose both.." she said with a serious look on her face.
She and Luo Meili looked at each other in silence before they burst outughing as they headed to the kitchen.
"He would.."
Chapter 672 King Zhou Luan’s worries
Chapter 672 King Zhou Luan''s worries
"I wonder if the king''s grandfather has already been healed? Might as well confirm that too...Who do I call first.." said Yang Qing as he touched his chin in contemtion.
"The king it is.." he added aftering to a decision.
"Branch Chief Yang Qing.."
Yang Qing''s eyebrows raised slightly as he detected the excitement in the king''s tone.
"King Zhou Luan, it seems like your grandfather''s situation has been dealt with."
"Hahaha, not yet, but I got a call that someone will being today. I can''t thank you enough for your intervention. If there is anything me and my kingdom can do to assist, we would not hesitate to offer it.." King Zhou Luan passionately said.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the level of enthusiasm being shown by the king. The mountain of pressure that King Zhou Luan had been dealing with was perfectly evident given how he had rid himself of his calm persona and outrightly revealed his emotions.
"If they are sending someone today that is good. It should give you some breathing room.." Yang Qing said with a teasing tone..."
"More than you can imagine.." answered King Zhou Luan with a mirthful tone.
"How can I help you, Branch Chief? I have a feeling you didn''t call just to check up on the situation of my grandfather?"?asked King Zhou Luan with his tone turning solemn, absent of the earlier enthusiasm.
Even with his grandfather potentially making aplete recovery, the situation still wasn''t looking good for his kingdom.
King Zhou Luan knew his grandfather''s presence could maybe quell the internal situation of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, but the matter outside of their kingdom was another matter altogether.
No matter how skilled his grandfather was, handling a spirit beast that was already at the peak of the pce realm wasn''t something he thought his grandfather could easily solve, especially considering that spirit beast was about to breakthrough into the pce realm. And if you added the domain-level master of said spirit beast, then the situation was untenable.
Other than that, there were also the remnants of the previous war to consider. As people who had built their foundations from fighting against spirit beasts, everyone from the Deer Mountain Kingdom knew how resilient they were. It was that resilience that prompted the people of the kingdom to be just as resilient if they were going to survive them.
Though the citizens may know tidbits and rumors here and there, King Zhou Luan knew for a fact that there were survivors from the war back then, and with their huge lifespans and vitality, they would likely heal from those injuries given enough time, despite how severe they may have been.
His biggest worry was the volcanic stone ape. That spirit beast had been the trigger of that war and the reason for the failure of the expansion attempt by the Deer Mountain Kingdom back then, though with the recent discovery, King Zhou Luan knew they were doomed to fail, they were even lucky that they never made it into the territory of the fire adler bear or his master.
The fire adler bear and his master aside, the volcanic stone ape was worthy of worry from him as it had been the one that personally killed the king back then and his royal guard. Despite being surrounded by over a dozen pce realm experts and only being at the sixth stage, it thoroughly decimated their ranks. It had an almost perverted affinity to the earth and fire element which gave it extraordinary defenses, great regenerative abilities, and powerful attacking capabilities and speed.
After encountering it, the king and his chief royal guard were the only ones who managed to escape it, but notpletely as they both sumbed to their injuries monthster and their escape cost the lives of 23 pce realm experts and the destruction of a top-tier monarch grade artifact.
That beast filled with vengeance and anger relentlessly followed them back and singlehandedly attacked the array for four days without stopping. Its actions drew the attention of other spirit beasts who joined and in just a week they were swarmed with other terrifying spirit beasts aiming to tear their kingdom apart.
The energy powering the array was so rapidly drained that the kingdom sacrificed the outer territories to concentrate it in the core regions, and eventually, even that got difficult to sustain as they were forced to give up a few core regions. When things got extremely dire they eventually pulled the array and used it to trap the volcano stone ape and threw everything they could at it including the self-detonation of a few cultivators.
It sustained heavy injuries from the onught and looked to be at hair''s breadth away from death''s door, but it managed to escape, and they never heard from it since.
Most assumed it died with the injuries it sustained, but his grandfather who had seen what that beast was capable of, always operated on the wary notion that it was still alive.
He wasn''t the only one, as every king since then, including Zhou Luan always operated under that notion and thus continually kept scouting the area around the range for any signs of its existence. It was from that prudence that they discovered the trail of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate by ident.
Recent information from the Order brought a few ideas into King Zhou Luan''s mind. The fire adler bear''s master had left for parts unknown, the badger who had monthly duels with the previous Zhang family head also left the range. Who is to say that the same didn''t happen to the volcanic stone ape?
It may have left to go strengthen itself out there. While the fire adler bear attacking them wasn''t necessarily guaranteed, King Zhou Luan did not doubt in his mind if his guess was proven true that the volcanic stone ape had gone to strengthen itself in the wider continent, it would definitely attack the moment it decided its strength was sufficient.
Who knew how powerful it would be when it came back? The kingdom wasn''t as powerful as it was then. It had single-
handedly pulled them down during their golden age, what would it do now that they were nothing but a husk of their former selves, and unlike then, they were not as united as back then.
Would the kingdom as it was now, fight to thest man, woman, and child if asked for it as it was back then? or would they jump ship the moment they saw things were about to take a turn for the worst?
While he didn''t want to believe it, he increasingly felt the odds of thetter happening were much higher. He had already seen traces of the Song family and a few other minor aristocratic families crafting their exit strategies.
"No need to overthink it now, at least Grandpa will be there to share the burden. With his connections, we might be able to weather through this.." King Zhou Luan thought with a sigh as he tried to raise his spirits.
He had spent centuries being pessimistic and flooded with worry that it had slowly be second nature to him.
"King Zhou Luan? King Zhou Luan? Are you there?"
Hurriedlyposing himself King Zhou Luan answered,
"Sorry Branch Chief Yang Qing, my mind had wandered slightly."
"It''s okay, so the thing I was calling was in regards to something I stumbled onto from a case I was handling today.."
Yang Qing went on to describe the arrangement made to the Xin n, Hua n, Flowing Fist Sect, and the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect, by the person who Yang Qing guessed had probably been impersonating the imperial secretary and wasn''t the person himself.
He also didn''t leave out the part about the suspected impostor telling the four organizations about using blood crystals from the graveyard torch as a viable option for them to grow their strength.
"Whhhat?! How could something like that happen?!..." King Zhou Luan suddenly said with clear agitation in his tone.
"Sorry for my outburst, please give me a second to call He Shan.." added the king.
Barely a second passed by before a frantic-sounding He Shan sounded over themunication talisman.
"Brrranch hief Yang Qing! I swear I made no such offer. I admit I do roam about the range to source for potential talents to poach for the Kingdom but I would NEVER suggest them using the graveyard.
I would not do it, your Majesty. That is no different than sending the kingdom to an early grave which is something I would never do.
Please believe me!"
Yang Qing heard King Zhou Luan''s calm voice saying he believed him before he decided to add hisments too.
"I believe you too, Imperial Secretary. But clearly, there is someone out there using your name to do these things and they are likely within your walls and no doubt a pce realm expert.
They must have known your routine of regrly recruiting people and likely even the terms you offer.
If it all went to n, you likely wouldn''t question a pce realm offering to join your kingdom. With the dire straits you''re in, you''d likely receive them with open arms and not wonder too much how they were able to reach the threshold of the pce realm.
A nted bomb.. as for the reasons, I wonder about that..considering the reputation you built with the spirit beasts of this ce, if they learned someone within your ranks had desecrated their hallowed grounds what would be their reaction?
Earlier I had been operating under the notion that someone within your midst was working with the Blue Soul me Syndicate to gain some power so that they could gain the seat. You were a suspect too, King Zhou Luan, but with what I know now, I don''t believe that is the case.
Whoever it is, they are not interested in the throne, they more than likely wish for the destruction of your kingdom.
Why they would do that, I have no idea. Be careful a dangerous element lurks within your kingdom.." Yang Qing solemnly said.
Chapter 673 Vision on the blade of grass
Chapter 673 Vision on the de of grass
The rustling of the grass by the warm breeze, and the gentle flowing river all seemed tobine to form a melody for a funeral dirge.
After a long overdrawn silence, King Zhou Luan finally spoke,
"Thank you Branch Chief Yang Qing for the warning. It seems we have a lot of things to consider, and those four organizations?"
"What happens next is ultimately up to them. I did advise them to vacate the area sooner rather thanter whilst they still have time.
The Order will not be intervening past that. Whatever happens...is ultimately up to them. You''re not nning to evacuate them are you?" asked Yang Qing.
"I did entertain the thought but it''s likely to lead to a misunderstanding, especially if they get swarmed while we are evacuating them.
The spirit beasts already hate our guts, they are more likely to assume we were involved in the matter, or maybe they would not care at all.
I would rather not risk agitating them. We already have too many things on our te and to think I thought the spirit beasts were our greatest threat.." King Zhou Luan said with a tone of dejection.
"We will also investigate on our end. Triggering a spirit beast tide isn''t something we can overlook.." Yang Qing said.
After exchanging a few words with the king of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, the call ended with Yang Qing using hismunication to call Xiang He, the special inquisitor in charge of the case.
"Hey, Yang Qing?" answered Xiang He after the call connected.
"Hello, senior Xiang He.."
"Let me guess, you have new information to share.." said Xiang He with a teasing tone.
"I do and things might be moreplicated than we thought.." Yang Qing austerely answered.
"What is it?"
Yang Qing went on to exin his findings on the impostor and his suspicions that they may have had ns to destroy the Deer Mountain Kingdom with their ploy of using the graveyard torch of spirit beasts.
After he finished his exnation, there was a momentary silence before Xiang He finally spoke.
"This doesplicate matters.." Xiang He said with a sigh.
"If your guess is true, then this opens up a lot of nefarious doors. If they had been after the throne, then it would have been easier to sniff them out, but if their target is to induce a massacre of a whole kingdom...what we are dealing with is anything but easy.
Whatever they are after, they require a lot of lives to do it, and not just any lives, but the lives of a rank 3 kingdom filled with pce realm cultivators.
But how do they intend to pull it off? Ye Xun and I scanned that ce bar the royal pce where the twilight sanctuary array interfered with our senses, but even then, we could have detected if there was a sacrificial conduit.
How would they do it..."
Xiang He mumbles grew inaudible as he quickly got immersed in his thoughts for a few minutes before he finally collected himself.
"Yang Qing, sorry to cut your call short, but I need to quickly confer with a few colleagues from the Special Inquisitors, the assistant director will need to be informed too, and Ye Xun too, she should be with the elder from the spirit council, maybe she could take a look at the area once more and see if there is anything we have missed.
Yang Qing,ter.."
Before Yang Qing had a chance to respond, Xiang He''smunication had already disconnected.
"d to see I didn''t overthink it.."Yang Qing muttered with a wry smile.
When the case revealed the matter of the impostor and the blood crystals, his mind immediately jumped to some sacrificial art that required the lives of an entire kingdom to run.
When those ideas jumped at him, some part of him thought it was a result of the effects of the Ice Emerald Sect still haunting him and giving him an rmist outlook on things.
But even if that were so, he had heard and seen things in the dark underbelly of the cultivation world.
Large-scale bloodshed was not a foreign concept from vige-
level massacres to kingdom-wide massacres, such things happened. An example of such an incident happening was 70 years ago when a leading figure of Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate sacrificed a whole city filled with millions to elevate his cultivation art ughtering two pce realm cultivators in the process.
If a rank 2 sect like the crystal palm jade sect could be schemed against and destroyed, then something simr happening to the Deer Mountain Kingdom wasn''t an impossibility.
What Yang Qing found disturbing in the case of the Deer Mountain Kingdom was unlike the Crystal Jade Palm Sect where they were targeting their leader and his ties to the jade turtle, when it came to the Deer Mountain Kingdom, they didn''t seem to have anything valuable that would warrant their entire destruction.
About the only thing they had of worth was their lives and if that was what the culprit was after, then whatever their ns were, it was way worse than just hunting a semi-evolved flood dragon.
"Whoever they are, they must have the confidence of pulling it off under our noses considering they have hidden themselves well even againstSenior Xiang He''s and Senior Ye Xun''s eyes..
What could they be after that they need so many lives. Are they only after the lives of the kingdom? or maybe they''re targeting both the kingdom and the spirit beasts that woulde after them.
Why this kingdom? Is there some they are targeting specifically in the Kingdom or is it some random coincidence?
Maybe it''s not even about the kingdom itself and could be about the range. We did find a lot of weird things in this range, who''s to say underneath the grounds of the kingdom there isn''t something simr?
Or maybe it has nothing to do with the kingdom or this ce but something to do with the culprit..
Things have been getting chaotic offte.."Yang Qing said as he aimlessly threw a de of grass into the river next to him and watched it peacefully go along with the flow of the stream.
As it moved, Yang Qing could see a trail of blood forming on the de''s edges followed by screams denoting all kinds of emotions from wails of grief, to yells of anger, to screams of victory to those of indignation.
Yang Qing saw countless faces form beneath the de of grass. The images were at first of people he had randomly met over the course of his life, then they became specific to those he had altercations with. The faces were that of those he gave harsh sentences to, the inmates he fought to the death against when he was at the Insitute, to cultivators he ughtered when he was doing his evaluations.
The young master of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion along with the former Emperor of the Red Maple Empire appeared, then the founder of the Ice Emerald Sect along with the sect master and the elders appeared soon after, followed by the other sect members. Their group ended with the ominous blood-red abyssal thorn tree whose bark dripped with hundreds of blood drops.
When Yang Qing looked closer into those drops, he saw that they contained the faces of people he had a good rtionship with. It went from casual ones like the fallen sect master of the Clear Sword River Sect to the Imperial Secretary. Then Ma Yuan, his wife, and their daughter appeared in those droplets, Zhu Yi and his sister along with the old Wang couple appeared in other droplets with the number continually increasing, and before long his instructors appeared, Ren Shu and other staff members appeared, his n appeared, his family appeared, then Dai Chen and the rest appeared, his team appeared from Yi Jie, Feng Xin down to Bolin, Haishi, Starlight, his ck dragon horses and the insufferable celestial nesting weaver.
Yang Qing''s pupils trembled when he saw thest two images in the remaining droplets. One of them was a youngdy with purple hair, a breathtaking beauty with big round eyes that were filled with curiosity, while thest droplet had the image of a middle-aged man with a stern expression, silver eyes, and matching hair. It looked like the world would crumble and he would remain unperturbed.
Yang Qing''s gaze lingered slightly on the two before it moved back to the gently gliding de of grass that had a trail of bodies on its backside.
Yang Qing lifted his finger and ced it at the tip of the bleeding de of grass.
A burst of radiant light was produced from the tip of his fingers which created a crystal pure jade tree containing ethereal light with its leaves containing entire worlds.
"I have been called petty, greedy, shameless,zy, and selfish,and it is the truth, so you can be sure no one takes anything away from me easily, not even death itself.."
Luo Meili and Su Jinjing who had been carrying baskets of food with them paused when they felt a pure aura of life suddenly burst a few hundred meters in the direction they were headed to.
Chapter 674 Unexpected benefits
Chapter 674 Unexpected benefits
His body felt lighter and rejuvenated. He lifted his palm and pulled back the sleeves of his robes which revealed his skin that was getting rosier with a healthy lustre. When he looked around him he saw the spirit glow lianas that were used as a preservation tool for the storage room suddenly glow with a radiant light as if they were excited about something.
They grew rapidly and the white-blue light that was constantly released from their leaves grew a deeper shade of blue which resulted in the atmosphere of the area dropping slightly with an increase in its renewing and refreshing properties.
Administrator Mo Guang could feel his mind clearing and unencumbered while his soul felt like it was being gently massaged and refreshed with every breath he took.
"Such dense life energy.." he muttered as his gaze trailed to where he detected to be the source.
"It''s the branch chief?.." he muttered once he detected the presence of Luo Meili and Su Jinjing in the area.
"Figures.." he said with an amused smile.
"Only someone of his caliber would have the reputation he does at the Order.." he added as he went about with his work.
..
"I thought he would rx once he reached the pce realm, but the changes happening to him are more rapid than it was when he was at the core formation realm..." Su Jinjing said as she felt the life energy wash over her stirring her soul in the process.
"Mmh.." Luo Meili absentmindedly nodded as she felt the changes happening in her body. She felt like a few more shackles had been shattered. She felt like the burden her physique put on her had been alleviated significantly.
Her bones no longer felt as brittle as they had been, her internal structure didn''t feel like it was about to crumble from an overwhelming force and her head didn''t seem as heavy as it normally was. All this relief created a movement in her cultivation base as she felt her spiritual qi filling with excitement and vigor, pushing the barrier of the 12th stage of the core formation realm.
Not hesitating, she quickly sat down in a lotus position, cleared her mind of needless thoughts, and circted her cultivation art.
Su Jinjing on seeing this, moved slightly away while still maintaining a safe distance where she could act as her protector in case something went wrong with part of her attention focused on the radiant white light that was still being produced about a few hundred meters ahead.
After half an hour Luo Meili opened her eyes with an excited expression on her face after going through one of the smoothest breakthroughs she ever had. Usually, it always felt like she was smashing away at a barrier with her fists repetitively before it gave way, but this time, it felt like the gates had been opened and all she had to do wasfortably walk through.
She took a breath to calm herself as she sensed the changes within her body. Even though it was just a slight improvement from the eleventh stage to the twelfth stage of the core formation realm, she felt like her strength had experienced an astronomical leap.
Because of her physique, she had a variant core. Unlike the typical red, orange, blue, gold, and purple core, hers was dark green and had tentacle protrusions. When she went to observe her core, she found another addition to it, an illusory swirling cosmos that wasn''t quite distinctive. She had to focus her whole attention on the core for her to notice it.
Even though the cosmos was almost undetectable, Luo Meili could tell it had brought immense changes to her core and her body and cultivation by association. The swirling brought about an increase in the speed with which she absorbed and converted spiritual qi from the outside into a form that was most suitable for her body.
The speed of absorption and conversion had doubled, and not only that, but she could tell the converted spiritual qi was slightly different from before. Her spiritual qi matched her core and was a dark shade of green, but now she could detect a sliver of light grey mixed within it that matched the color of the cosmos swirling within her core.
The grey light was scantly mixed in with her dark green qi, but Luo Mieli could tell, because of the grey light, her qi felt purer and denser than before, by at least two times. She felt that if she executed her cultivation spells, the consumption cost would be two levels lower than it was before while the power would be two levels higher than before.
She felt that when her entire body was suffused with that light grey color those values would only continue to increase. Currently, only a speck of the grey light was being produced for every 500 swirls. It would take a considerable time before her entire spiritual qi was converted considering the amount within her body was about the size of a river.
The changes didn''t only stop there, as she could fairly feel the grey light carried a sense of mystique within, like some underlying truth. Because of her physique, she was sensitive to the response of living organisms to external stimuli which was why she was good at spirit beast training as she could find what conditions suited them most.
Before she never knew how she could do what she did and the details she saw even though were sufficient, she needed to supplement it with knowledge from the books the Beast Hall division had on rearing spirit beasts. But now, the amount of information she could sense had exploded and she could feel the intrinsic properties of things she hadn''t even known before and within those properties, she could sense a guiding principle like how it was all connected. However, that principle was ephemeral, she couldn''t quite grasp it. It felt like it was hidden behind a veil of fog that would disappear at the slightest disturbance.
Luo Meili quickly lost herself in the dance of trying to sense whaty behind the fog. It was only when she felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue wash over apanied by a faint headache, did she finally open her eyes.
Her eyes widened when she saw the starry sky and the moon above her.
"Seems like someone had a fruitful session.."
A teasing sound quickly pulled her from her reverie state. She turned to the source of the voice, who by no surprise was the cheekily smiling Yang Qing holding a chicken wing with one hand and a wine cup with the other.
"How long was I out?" asked Luo Meili as she unceremoniously took the wine cup of Yang Qing''s hand and took a sip.
Her eyes narrowed into a crescent shape as she sensed the smoothness and slight chill of the snow ginseng wine. For some reason, it felt even better than she remembered it, to the point she couldn''t help but mutter,
"I wonder when Yi Jie wille out..."
"Probably not long, he would have made the breakthrough a long while back had he not been conflicted in the dao to pursue. The overachiever stumbled onto two paths.." Yang Qing said as he refilled Luo Meili''s cup.
"You seem different, Meili.." Su Jinjing suddenly chimed in
"Well, i am now a peak core formation stage expert now.." Luo Meili said as she tried to mimic Yang Qing''s pompousness, who couldn''t help but rub his nose when he realized he was being teased.
"Not that way.." Su Jinjing said with mirthfulughter.
"You seem lighter like unburdened somewhat.." she added as her gaze focused on Luo Meili.
"Jinjing, the level of your intuition is really one of the highest I''ve ever seen.." said Luo Meilie with a sigh.
"It can''t be that high considering how our boss here constantly swindles me.." Su Jinjing said with a snort.
"What do you mean swindle? I am the picture of integrity and purity. You will be hard-pressed to find someone as honest and above board as I am.." said Yang Qing with an air of righteousness.
Seeing that Yang Qing was about to go on his fake endless tirade, Su Jinjing hurriedly lifted her hands in fake defeat as she humorously said,
"Yes, yes, boss, you are the most honest.."
Which drew a heartyugh from the two inquisitors, before Yang Qing joined in.
"It seems you have felt your path now, Meili?" Yang Qing said with a sideway nce as he poured forth more dishes from the basket next to him and split them unevenly among the three of them.
The two inquisitors knew enough not to say anything.
"I did but only slightly, every time I tried to grasp it, it would disappear.." Luo Meili said with a slightly frustrated tone.
With her team rapidly improving and her strong desire to help Yang Qing, she had longed to reach the pce realm as fast as she could, but with how vtile her physique was, her every step had to be careful.
She never knew how long it would take before she could reach it. Today was the first time she finally had a sight on it, but she couldn''t even take a glimpse of it.
"Don''t be in a hurry. When ites to finding your dao into the pce realm, going with the flow is the best thing you can do.
Your dao is a reflection of your heart. The more natural you are, the easier you are to grasp it. No need to brute force i. Just take your time, float along, and ease yourself into it.." said Yang Qing.
"Mmmh.." Luo Meili nodded taking Yang Qing''s words to heart.
Yang Qing poured wine into the three cups next to him and distributed it amongst themselves.
"I am not good with speeches.."
"I would not have expected it, considering how skilled you are in bootlicking.." Su Jinjing snidely remarked.
"Jinjing who poisoned you? Can you let me finish, please.." said Yang Qing as he red at Su Jinjing whoughed cheekily.
"Anyhow, Meili congrattions on your breakthrough and I wish you smooth tidings ahead.." Yang Qing said as he nked his cups with the two, followed by them drawing their heads back and downing the entire cup.
Laughter, banter, good food, and wine were exchanged amongst the three, with Yang Qing calling over Mo Guang to share in the festivities which continued till dawn, after which they went their ways to resume their duties.
Chapter 675 Transformation of Yang Qing’s internal realm
Chapter 675 Transformation of Yang Qing''s internal realm
"I am d the strain on Luo Meili''s body seems to have lightened.." Yang Qing muttered in relief as his eyes fell on her retreating figure.
Yang Qing could always tell of the anguish Luo Meili always had, even the tremors she tried to hide. He felt it distinctly the first time they met and every day ever since.
He had even once consulted Ren Shu about it, in fear that something was happening to her only to be told it was her constitution. Without her permission, Ren Shu didn''t divulge much and only told him that she would be okay and her situation was continuously being monitored and under control.
Later, when she joined his team, she divulged a bit about her physique, though she downyed the pain it caused, she did say that being around Yang Qing somehow made it easier for her.
Ren Shu did tell him the effect may have had something to do with the nature of his physique that may have a synchronicity effect with her physique.
Ren Shu''s guess was proved to be true, as he could feel the tenseness in Luo Meili''s soul and body lessen the more she was around him, especially more recently since the advances he made concerning his physique. Whatever effects it had, they seemed more pronounced now.
"Hopefully when she reaches the pce realm, it will get easier for her or I make more improvements in unearthing the secrets of my physique.." Yang Qing said as he stared at his hands which shone with a faint white lustre with a dark shade beneath it.
It wasn''t only Luo Meili who had experienced an unexpected harvest. Earlier he had ended up in a trance-like state. The trail of death he saw from the de of grass seemed to have unknowingly triggered something within him. He wasn''t sure if it was his yin-yang jade nature bones, his own Dao, or an amalgamation of both, but something reacted to the scene and a countering force was produced filled with a dense aura of life.
When Yang Qing came to, he found his cultivation had made a skip to the third stage of the pce realm. His internal pce realm had also experienced a change. Before it had the moon, the sun, the ocean, and the green me tree, but now the ocean had anotherponent within it.
Inside the ocean was an illusory fish that was surrounded by universal light associated with his cultivation art. It was sluggishly swimming about like it didn''t have control of its body. The fish had a few peculiarities to it, one of them being even though it was illusory, Yang Qing had this intrinsic feeling that its scales were made from the ethereal jade tree that existed deep within his body.
Another was it didn''t seem to have eyes, and the feeling Yang Qing got was it wasn''t developed enough yet to form them. But despite its peculiarities, even in its iplete state, Yang Qing could feel how it was constantly transforming his internal world. The green me tree had doubled in size, the sun and the moon above felt more real rather than static objects that were hanging above him and as a result of it, the grass growing beneath his green me tree had increased in number and size, and a few other nts were slowly developing.
Yang Qing spotted the bud of an azalea and oak tree buried in the grass field. He couldn''t help but think of the aurora azalea and the restoration oak tree from the former grounds of the Clear Sword River Sect that had identally evolved from absorbing his universal qi.
Even the ocean had been affected as a result of the liveliness of the sun and the moon. Its movements were not static. It didn''t seem like something preprogrammed, the ebbs and flows had a more natural feel to them, and it finally had a temperature which alternated between cool and warm, as result of the glow of the sun and moon above it.
Yang Qing could even see two pearl-sized clouds forming in the skies above the ocean. One was blue-green, and the other was golden-red.
All these transformations had an effect on Yang Qing. His already absurd quantity of spiritual qi had increased slightly. That slight increase was the equivalent to the maximum quantity of qi ate-stage core formation cultivator with a blue core could have stored within their body.
The intrinsic qualities of his spiritual qi had also been strengthened such as its restorative, regenerative, healing,calming, and purification properties. In addition, he felt somewhat in tune with his physique. He could now feel one of the seals the two illusory figures beneath the jade tree had mentioned and he even knew at what stage it would unlock. It would be when he stepped into thete stage of the pce realm.
The biggest boon to him, however, was his increasing understanding of his own dao, the Vitality Dao. The countless scattered ideas he had were slowly being strung together into something he could use.
Yang Qing rubbed his fingers together dispelling the white light from his palms.
He quickly emptied his mind as he began his meditation. When he finally got up from the meditation, four hours had quickly passed by.
Yang Qing got up and stretched his hands with a satisfied smile on his face. He feltpletely refreshed and renewed like he had the mostfortable and peaceful sleep ever.
"I can see why cultivators the more powerful they be choose to rece sleep with meditation.." muttered Yang Qing as he felt how rxed his whole body felt.
"Though it still falls short of sleeping in the nest.." muttered Yang Qing with a sigh of defeat when the image of the fluffy ostentatiously colored foul-mouthed celestial nesting weaver appeared in his mind.
Clearing his thoughts of the ulcer-inducing bird, he gingerly made his way to the kitchen. However, his trip was cut short when he saw the grim looks of Su Jinjing and Mo Guang.
"What happened?"softly asked Yang Qing, though deep down he had a feeling he knew the answer to that question.
Chapter 676 Aftermath (1)
Chapter 676 Aftermath (1)
Yang Qing nodded as he started making his way. Yang Qing''s steps felt heavier than usual as he was walking there and it felt like he was scaling up a mountain filled with thin air rather than a t smooth surface with great venttion.
Some part of him did not want to see what was at the other end of that hallway but s he had no choice in the matter. In just a few seconds he had already made that dreaded turn and was already in the reception area where the guests were usually hosted.
In the area, he saw two figures holding each other so tightly that one could easily confuse them to be one figure. There were whimpering and muffled criesing from the two figures and their bodies seemed to be shaking tremendously, their qi wave along with their breathing were erratic and their robes were filled with tear marks.
The two figures looked a little worse for wear.
"I knew it.." Yang Qing somberly thought when he saw them.
After a slight momentary pause in his steps, he slowly made his way to them. The two figures didn''t notice his arrival up until he was just a few steps away from them.
"Brranch Chief, sorry foring here, we just didn''t know anywhere else to go.." said one of the figures with a trembling and cracking voice.
When the figure looked up, it revealed the face of a young man with schrly handsome features which was hidden beneath a grime of dirt, blood, and overwhelming fear.
Yang Qing recognized that face. How could he not when he had seen that face almost eight hours ago?
"It''s okay Elder Ling Qi..." Yang Qing said as he ced his hand over his shoulders in a bid tofort him and also heal him.
Yang Qing stretched out his other hand which he ced on the person seated next to the elder of the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect.
The person flinched slightly when Yang Qing made contact with her, but she rxed slightly when she felt the soothing gentleness of Yang Qing''s qi.
Her injuries seemed worse off than Ling Qi''s though with a few broken ribs and tearing marks on her shoulders, arms, and legs. Her spiritual qi was also expended and her blood essence seemed dangerously low.
Yang Qing guessed she must have burned her essence to get through whatever it was they had juste from.
It took but just an instant for Yang Qing topletely restore both their bodies and spiritual qi to full capacity.
Once he saw they were slightly calm, Yang Qing asked,
"What happened?"
The two flinched slightly as thedy who was still crying whilst still burying her head in Ling Qi''s shoulder finally looked up. It was Xin Zephyr but shecked the demeanor of the seasoned sword expert she exhibited earlier when the case was starting. She now looked like a wounded bird, unnerved and terrified by anything around her.
Her eyes and face were a picture of a myriad of emotions constantly bombarding her. There was disbelief, shock, overwhelming fear, a sense of distraught, confusion, regret and finally despair.
Her whole body despite having been healedpletely by Yang Qing was still trembling from head to toe.
Ling Qi gently ced his hand on her back which seemed to have triggered tears to start trickling down her face.
Ling Qi himself despite being rtively well off between the two, didn''t seem to be doing that great either. His hands and legs couldn''t stop shaking, and his pupils constantly darted around him as if he were expecting something to attack them.
"You are safe here.." Yang Qing softly said, imbuing his tone with the abilities of his soul which helped calm the duo.
"Thhanks..." Ling Qi said with slight stammering as he felt a sense of calmness wash over his body.
He closed his eyes for a second, seemingly to collect his thoughts together before he opened them again.
"After we left here, we all rushed to our respective organizations to inform them of the information you had just shared with us about the inheritance blood crystals, the graveyard torch, and the dangers it posed to us to decide what to do next..."
Ling Qi paused slightly to regte his breathing in a bid to force down the nausea that was wing up his throat.
"When we left here, the four of us had already decided we would immediately convince our respective organizations to leave this ce with immediate effect.
We took what you told us to heart. As hard as it was, we knew we could not continue staying here if what you said was toe to pass.
So I went to my sect, Xin Zephyr to her n..."
Ling Qi''s mouth halted almost as if it was refusing to utter the next words.
"Hua Ying to hers, and Wu Shen.." said Ling Qi after much difficulty.
"On reaching the sect, I ryed the information to the vice sect master, who then called an emergency meeting among the elders to discuss our next steps. With the way the discussions were going, all signs were pointing to us evacuating and starting afresh somewhere.
With our professions, as long as we give concessions and sacrifice our autonomy, it would not be that difficult to find someone willing to take us in. We already had a good working rtionship with some of the leading figures of the Summerfield Kingdom.
Over the years, since we settled here, we have cooperated on a few recipes with them. The lunar wave shield I used to defend against the tricolored white-eyed tortoise waspleted through a joint partnership between us and them.
It didn''t take long for us all to unanimously agree on packing out bags and relocating to the Summerfield Kingdom, especially after we received approval from their end.
We were set to leave, but we could not do so without first contacting our sect master who was still at the Hua n at the time and was still helping their n leader assimte the inheritance blood crystals.
The vice sect master presented everything I had shared with him from you, along with our decision.
I expected him to agree. Even if he didn''t outright believe the dangers of the blood crystals, I expected the information about us being tricked by someone impersonating the Imperial Secretary to at least sway his decision on the side of caution.
However, he told us to wait as the n master of the Hua n was already at a critical junction and was not long from reaching the pce realm.
Per his admission, he told us, they had already received the information we were sharing from the Xin family''s head whom Zephyr had already told..."
On reaching here, Ling Qi paused as his gaze fell on Xin Zephyr who was still crying softly.
"Having already fallen to the allure of the pce realm, they decided to make a dangerous gamble..." Ling Qi said with a sigh.
"They decided..." he said while clenching the fist of his free hand.
"The Hua n leader seemed to be a few steps away from reaching the pce realm and just needed a small push. That small push was the inheritance blood crystals.." Ling Qi said with an exhaustive sigh.
Yang Qing who had remained silent all this while couldn''t help but frown at the statement.
"How reckless can they get?" he wondered in stupefaction.
"The Hua n leader needed just a few more blood crystals toplete the breakthrough but they had already exhausted the supply they had on hand, so they needed more.
They argued that even if the offer made by the Deer Mountain Kingdom was a fake one, it still did not take away the importance of having one of us reach the pce realm.
As long as we had a pce realm expert, it would make it easier for us to resettle outside of the Range, and with our four organizations sticking together, it would only be a matter of time before we were as powerful as the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Even under such circumstances, that was all they could think about.." Ling Qi said with a bitter chuckle.
"The Xin n bought into it as for the Flowing Fist Sect," Ling Qi paused as he shook his head for a bit.
"Their sect master had agreed to the n at first, but immediately changed their mind after Wu Shen arrived.
Later, Wu Shen did call me to inform me that they were already leaving the Range. He ended up shing with their sect master, which quickly turned from exchanging words to exchanging blows.
The fight was equal at first but something ended up happening to Wu Shen and he ended up making quick work of their sect master. With their sect master beaten up, he ordered the sect''s evacuation.
He told me they only carried whatever could fit in their storage rings and left everything else behind.
He said he''d wait for us in Violet Hickory town in case we decided to escape without our organizations.."
Chapter 677 Aftermath (2)
Chapter 677 Aftermath (2)
"When Wu Shen made the offer, though I appreciated it, I didn''t think it woulde to that. I thought despite everything else that happened when it came right down to it, our collective safety and well-being would take priority over everything else.
It was from such naive thinking that I thought I could change our sect master''s mind so I left my sect and rushed toward the Hua n.
I did try to contact Hua Ying as I was heading there but she didn''t pick up.."
Ling Qi paused as his gaze fell on the sobbing Xin Zephyr.
"Zephyr called me to tell me that most of the hierarchy of the Xin n had already left to join up with the leading figures of the Hua n to pick some more blood crystals.
We agreed that we would both meet up at the Hua n and maybe with Hua Ying''s help we could convince our respective leaders to order an immediate evacuation.
But when we finally arrived at the edge of the Hua n''s territory, it was already toote.." Ling Qi said as his gaze darkened.
I met Zephyr, half a ways away from the territory of the Hua n. But even at such a distance, we could hear the terrified wails mixed in with roars filled with anger and the sh of attacks.
The closer we were the thicker the stench of the blood became. I applied a few sensory masking ointments on me and Zephyr, who also used her n''s obscuring spell to add to its effect.
We were able to cover some distance thanks to it, but we still couldn''t reach the gates of the Hua n. We stopped about a kilometer away from the ce, and the scene.."
Ling Qi''s pupils trembled along with his hands.
"It was pure carnage. Thousands of bodies ripped to shreds were strewn all over the ce and a river of blood flowed from the hilltop where their grounds were located and it had even trickled down to where we were.
The whole ce looked like a meteor had descended on the area bearing heaven''s fury. Nothing was left unscathed, neither the people, nor the buildings, nor the trees, even the hill itself had given way to the terror that befell.
Just four..." Ling Qi said as he smiled in despair and disbelief.
"It took just four spirit beasts to wreck the foundation of the Hua n to bits and with our luck we arrived just in time to see my sect master and the Hua n leader being shredded to pieces and their bodies devoured by a ck lighting metal tiger
It toyed around with them before dismembering them and eating their limbs one by one while they watched before it finally devoured their torsos and heads.
We decided to leave the area and warn our respective organizations lest we draw attention and with our conditions, we would bembs waiting for ughter.
Zephyr and I agreed we would first go to her n since it was the closest to us before making our way to mine.
When we reached there...it was just the same as the Hua n. The stench of blood filled with the roars of beasts covered every inch of their territory.
Zephyr wanted to go and save her nsmen, but..." Ling Qi paused with guilt washing over his face.
"I am sorry Zephyr.." he weakly said.
Xin Zephyr''s body trembled slightly before she looked up with reddened eyes. Her gaze paused slightly on Ling Qi before she said,
"I don''t me you. If I did things my way..." she paused as she bit her lip in pain.
"Then I would have implicated you too.." she softly said before burying herself in his chest while tightly clutching his robes.
Ling Qi lowered his head as he stared at her for a brief moment with countless emotions washing over him before he looked up and continued with the tale.
"We left the area and made our way to my sect. From what we had seen, some part of me expected to see the same scenario of horrid devastation happening at my sect, and my guess proved to be true.
Over a dozen spirit beasts had already flooded the area and ttened my sect. My home for the past 400 years had been converted into a ravine overflowing with dismembered corpses and blood.
The spirit herb farms we cultivated dearly, the alchemy halls where we spent the better part of our days in, toiling, discovering, screaming in frustration when a brewing failed, jumping in joy when we seeded. The ce where we discovered the romance of alchemy.." Ling Qi said with a sad smile as tears slowly trickled down his cheeks.
"It is all gone now. Nothing of the Hua n, Xin n, and the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect remains now.." he said with dejection.
"With nowhere else to go, we decided it would be better to meet up with Wu Shen and take him up on his offer.
But with our horrible luck,it turns out the tricolored white-eyed tortoise had been among those spirit beasts that attacked my sect. It somehow managed to sense our presence, even with all we had done to mask ourselves.
Upon realizing it had noticed us, we made a break for it... with all our bases destroyed, the only ce we thought was safe, was here, but because of our conditions, the trip was harder than normal with us not being at a hundred percent because of the curse.
We both had to burn our blood essence to get away from the tortoise and its cohorts. We managed to escape with a few injuries, as they headed back when we reached about five kilometers from this ce.."
When he reached this point, Ling Qi paused as he bowed his head.
"I am sorry Branch Chief Yang Qing for imposing on you like this. I know what has happened is because of our greed and recklessness and we do deserve what has happened to us, but....
please help us, i know it''s shameless of me to even ask, but I don''t want Zephyr to end up torn apart and devoured by some spirit beast, and I don''t want to die either.
Please help us, any help will be weed, even if it''s just to escort us to the border. Please!!" Ling Qi pleaded.
"Please help us.." weakly said Xin Zephyr who tore herself from Ling Qi to bow her head in plea.
Yang Qing sighed when he saw this as he said,
"Fine.. I will escort you to the town Wu Shen said he would wait for you.."
"Thank you.." the duo said with relief in their tone.
Chapter 678 Setting things up (1)
Chapter 678 Setting things up (1)
"Administrator Mo Guang, I will be out for a bit. In case any pressing matter arrives before I''m back you and Meili can handle it.
Though I won''t be out for long.."
"Don''t worry, Branch Chief, I will handle it. I''ll also have the chef prepare something when you get back..." said the elderly administrator.
"Thank you.." Yang Qing said with a warm smile at the administrator''s kind intentions.
"Have you triedmunicating with the rest of your members?" asked Yang Qing as he turned his attention to Ling Qi and Xin Zehyr.
Their expressions suddenly shifted to a dumbfounded look before they hurriedly took out theirmunication talismans with desperation.
Even though Ling Qi had seen his sect get destroyed, he hoped that there may have been some who had decided to join the expedition into the graveyard torch to harvest the inheritance enlightenment blood crystals.
But after a few seconds, their excited expressions turned to dejection when theirmunication talismans produced a dull glow every time they tried to make a call.
A dull glow was indicative that the talisman that was on the other end had been destroyed.
"Once I''m back, I will try and look for them.." Yang Qing softly said.
"Thank you, Branch Chief.." Ling Qi said with an air of hopelessness.
Everyone present knew that it was more than likely that they were all dead. If the spirit beasts were nned enough to attack their home bases, then they more than likely had a few dispatched around the graveyard torch in case the humans came back for more of thepatriots'' blood crystals, and it was more than likely they would be stronger inparison to those that attacked their bases considering the importance of the graveyard torch to them.
It didn''t take long before Su Jinjing arrived with Ellie in tow.
"Ellie, there is a ce I need you to take us.." Yang Qing said as he ced his hands on her forehead which he used as a conduit to transmit the coordinates of Violet Hickory Town.
The two cultivators were quickly jolted from their depressive state the moment Ellie made an appearance. Even though Ellie had reigned in her presence, her thieving nature aside, she had a regal presence that was able to draw the eyes of all who saw her, from her humongous build, the silky gold feathers, and eyes that shone with boundless wisdom.
Her entire presence evoked dread and awe in all who saw especially if they were moderately weaker than her, her presence was intimidating, to say the least.
Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr having had a first-hand experience of their respective organizations getting ughtered to thest man couldn''t help but flinch in deep trepidation when they saw Ellie.
With just a nce, they could tell Ellie was multiple levels stronger even than the ck lightning metal tiger that had made short work of the Hua n leader and the sect master of the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect.
Even though Ellie had reigned her presence, at an intrinsic level, the two cultivators knew Ellie could ughter them in an instant should she wish to.
"Don''t be afraid, she''s a friend.." Yang Qing softly said as heced his voice with the power of his soul to ease their tension.
"Sorry about that. I hope you don''t take offense.." Ling Qi said with an embarrassed tone as he bowed to both Yang Qing and Ellie in apology with Xin Zephyr following suit.
"It''s okay.." said Yang Qing.
"Will you be staying?" Yang Qing asked directing the question toward Su Jinjing.
"If you don''t mind, I''d like toe.."
Yang Qing nodded with a smile as he ushered them atop Ellie''s back. Yang Qing opted to use his qi to drag Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr atop Ellie, who stood rooted to the ground with apprehension written all over their faces.
Even though they knew Ellie would not attack them, they still felt ill at ease at mounting a spirit beast that was many times stronger than them. Fearing and revering strength was the way of the world after all, as it transcended even race.
Their hesitation to mount Ellie was to be expected considering how prideful spirit beasts were known to be towards such a thing. They only agreed to those whose strength they respected, of which Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr werecking.
Once they were all on top, Ellie immediately darted off into the sky as she sped in the direction of the Violet Hickory Town. It was one of the towns that was close to the borders of the unmanned territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect, where the Summerfield Kingdom and countless other organizations had called home.
Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr were immediately left wide-eyed at Ellie''s speed. In just a few seconds, the branch was already but a small dot in the wide forest. They had to focus their eyesight and even employ the use of their spiritual senses for them to be able to capture the images of the objects they flew by past.
Her speed left them gobsmacked. A distance that would have taken them half an hour of full-blown speed to cover was covered by Ellie in just under ten minutes.
But soon, the shock wore off and was reced by mncholy, the further in they flew. As he was giving Ellie the coordinates, he had purposefully told her to avoid passing close to the territories of the Hua n, Xin n, or the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect.
Despite avoiding it, Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr couldn''t help but feel overwhelmed by sadness the further in they flew.
Everything had happened too fast. A few weeks ago their biggest worry was that something had been done to them during their treatment from the venom of the tricolored white-
eyed tortoise, and a few months before that the worry was dying to said venom, and the months before that was excitement about potentially joining the Deer Mountain Kingdom if a pce realm expert appeared from within their alliance.
They were full of expectation and excitement back then, but now, all that they knew was gone, brutally at that, and now they were about to leave a ce which though terrifying had been all they had ever known. They were about to start over somewhere else, alone. The weight of the suddenness of it all and what had transpired was too overwhelming and suffocating for them.
A few times Ling Qi looked like he was about to vomit and Xin Zephyr, had this listless broken look as tears streamed down her face. Ling Qi managed to pull a bit of himself together long enough to hold her hand infort in the suffocating silence and overwhelming grief.
Chapter 679 Setting things up (2)
Chapter 679 Setting things up (2)
Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr held each other''s hands tightly when they saw the ravine. They couldn''t help but turn their heads backward, taking in the expansive range filled with trees, terror, and memories, both good and bad.
Yang Qing''s gaze lingered on them for a moment as they were turning. Theplex emotions running through were evident for all to see.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if they would ever be able to get over the mark the events left on them. What they saw was likely to follow them for quite some time.
"Hopefully it doesn''t end up growing into heart demons for them. Luckily they have each other and time to sort through whatever they are going through.." he thought to himself as he saw how close they were to each other.
His earlier suspicions of something going on between the two had already been proven. If one were to go through a storm, having someone you cared for deeply to go through with it, helped.
The two were already in thete stages of the core formation realm and from a rough scan of their bone age, Yang Qing could tell none of them had reached 1,000 years. The 5,000 years afforded to them as core formation experts would give them enough to process everything and maybe get their life back. At least that was what Yang Qing hoped.
Their greed aside, Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel sympathetic.
In a few minutes, they had already crossed the ravine and were in unimed territory, making their way to the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect.
The town that they were headed to, the Violet Hickory Town could be considered one of the many hubs of the territory.
Many organizations around the area, especially the weaker ones, liked to head to the town for trade. It was one of the safer areas where they could trade their wares or buy something without fear of being robbed after the deal was done.
The town had been created by three sworn brothers, both rogue cultivators. One of them was a seasoned saber cultivator, the other a spear user, and thest one a weapon refiner. Other than the Summerfield Kingdom, they could be considered one of the earliest settlers within that territory and unlike the rest, they were one of the few who had tacit approval from the sect itself to settle within their territory.
One of their inner disciples had been saved by the three brothers when he was out roaming the continent for tempering. They helped bring the disciple back to his sect for treatment and in exchange for their efforts, the Spiritual Temperance Sect gave them a piece ofnd within their territory that they could use for themselves without paying tribute.
In addition, they were also given the sapling of a violet hickory tree. The tree could improve a cultivator''s meditative abilities while strengthening their souls, and the stronger it became, it could even help in preventing heart demons from gaining ground within a cultivator.
The three cultivators decided to settle down in the territory abandoning their rogue days. The area was rich in resources and spiritual qi capable of supporting their cultivation and they had the friendship of the Spiritual Temperance Sect which was the best form of protection they had.
The organizations that came after, knew of their rtionship with the sect, they therefore avoided them, though even without the sect''s backing, the three sworn brothers had some skill. When Yang Qing went there to do his evaluations, the report handed to him indicated that the spear user was already a quasi-pce realm expert while the sword user and the weapon refiner were already at the peak stage of the core formation realm.
Such a lineup was capable of inspiring fear and awe among the inhabitants of that territory. The only one who came close to them was the Summerfield Kingdom.
Because of their respectable reputation, strength, and connection to the Spiritual Temperance Sect, most organizations within the area had a feud with each other usually came to them to serve as mediators in their conflicts or witnesses, and through that, the Violet Hickory Town came to be. A town of fairness and Impartiality. Every deal would be upheld from start to finish by all parties as long as it was done within the town.
With its growing reputation, the town grew into a hub where all goods and services were traded without worry of being cheated. Yang Qing had frequented its market once or twice and was exactly as advertised. Even though it didn''t have goods that would catch the eye of someone of his level, what the town provided was enough to support an up-and-starting cultivator.
It wasn''t long before they finally crossed over into the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect and after twenty minutes they were already above the Violet Hickory Town.
When they were close to the town, Ling Qi had already made a call to Wu Shen to find out if he was still there and where they would find him.
Luckily for them, Wu Shen hadn''t left and was still in the town, settling in the Bamboo grove courtyard, which was the area they had agreed to meet.
"Let''s go...Jinjing stay with Ellie here, I''ll be right back after I''m done.." Yang Qing said as he gently lept off Ellie''s back while covering Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr in his qi.
Since they couldn''t yet execute their cultivation arts, Yang Qing decided to help them with the journey downward. With their cultivation base, along with the height they were in, leaping off Ellie''s back wouldn''t hurt them, but the force of their fall would create a disruption to those below, which Yang Qing would rather avoid.
Theynded about a few hundred meters away from the entrance of the town and made the rest of the journey on foot. Though Yang Qing did so to avoid drawing eyes, some cultivators already caught sight of them, both those leaving oring into the town. Their gazes were a mixture of curiosity, wariness, and awe, especially when they felt the auras of Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr.
Because of how superior Yang Qing''s cultivation base was to them, they saw him as an unassuming youth, which was scary in and of itself since they saw him float from the sky which was something someone with seemingly no cultivation base couldn''t do, which only meant one thing, Yang Qing had an unfathomable cultivation base that they couldn''t even perceive.
This led to most of them avoiding eye contact with him and throwing clumsy, fear-filled, and awkward nods as greeting whenever Yang Qing smiled at them in greeting.
Yang Qing, Ling Qi, and Xin Zephyr were soon swallowed in the bustling atmosphere of Violet Hickory Town.
There was no guard at the gate and none on the bustling streets but everything seemed orderly and lively. The streets were swarmed with stalls, storied buildings, and cultivators of all genders, ages, and cultivation bases moving from shop to shop with excitement in their eyes as they browsed the goods put on sale.
A cacophony of different noises and sounds filled the area adding to the beauty and life of the town. There was haggling, arguments, exaggerated advertising of wares, andughter blending in together.
Yang Qing expertly guided Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr through the boisterous crowd. It seemed like a formless force was parting the crowd, allowing smooth passage for the trio, and for some reason, none of the cultivators seemed to notice the oddness.
Before long they were standing before the entrance made of blue star bamboo poles that released a pleasant refreshing bamboo scent.
There was a signboard above it with the words ''Bamboo Grove Courtyard''.
Yang Qing spread his pce sense and covered the entirety of the courtyard and sensed about 700 individuals.
The courtyard wasn''t the most luxurious, but it was one of thergest ones in the town, and one of the few known to be owned by the three sworn brothers.
Yang Qing instantly spotted Wu Shen in the midst of the 700, and he seemed to be talking with two other figures. One of those figures had the same qi aura as him and a cultivation base that was at the 11th stage of the core formation realm, while the other figure was a quasi-pce realm expert with a vigorous qi, the kind you''d find on someone who has weathered countless life and death battles.
"Elder Wu Shen, we have arrived.." Yang Qing said as he transmitted his voice to Wu Shen via his pce sense causing him and the two figures to hurriedly stand up in shock.
Chapter 680 Setting things up (3)
Chapter 680 Setting things up (3)
"I brought Wu Shen''s friends.." Yang Qing said to the expert in a bid to reduce his tenseness.
His response seemed to have worked as the expert''s qi movements seemed to ease up a little before he decided to follow Wu Shen out of the room they had been meeting at, leaving only thest figure who seemed hesitant on whether to get up or stay before he finally got up and followed up after the quasi pce realm expert.
Wu Shen reduced his speed once he was outside of the building.
"Branch Chief Yang Qing, wee.." he said with a slightly embarrassed smile as he made his way to the entrance.
"Thank you.." Yang Qing said as he walked in with Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr in tow.
Behind Wu Shen came the quasi-pce stage expert. It was a man who looked to be in histe thirties. He had donned a ck robe that matched his ck mane-like hair and beard. He had an air of a valiant general about him.
However, whatever presence he had on him was reigned in at the presence of Yang Qing.
Thest toe out was an elderly man with a willowy white beard and robes that matched the ones Wu Shen had on, which were pure white.
Based on his demeanor and the fact that he had the highest cultivation base apart from the quasi-pce stage expert, it wasn''t hard for Yang Qing to guess his identity. It was likely the sect master of the Flowing Fist Sect, who Ling Qi said ended up getting beat up by Wu Shen.
Yang Qing could see evidence of that, as the elderly man had aplicated look when his gaze fell on Wu Shen. Yang Qing detected mild fear, envy, and respect in them with thetter being the strongest.
"No wonder he lost.." Yang Qing thought as he detected the massive change in Wu Shen. His fist intent had improved significantly from how it was when hest saw him. It was on the verge of aplete formation. Its embryonic form was alreadyplete and needed just onest push for it to evolve.
"Brother Ling Qi, Sister Xin Zephyr.." Wu Shen said as he cupped his fists at them.
The duo cupped their fists in return and even though they tried to hide their grief, Wu Shen was able to pick up something from their forced smiles.
"Let''s talk inside.." he said as he weed them to the room they had juste from.
It was a quaint room filled with all kinds of anti-scrying and noise-cancetion arrays.
Once they had all settled down, as a dutiful host, Wu Shen began the introductions.
"This is senior Li Tian, he is one of the chief escorts of the Wind Gliding Mercenaries and will be escorting us to the territory of the Diamond Body Sect.." Wu Shen said as he respectfully pointed to the ck-robed man.
"It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Branch Chief.." Li Tian respectfully said as he rose to cup his fists at Yang Qing.
"The pleasure is mine, how is head Yun Wei doing?" said Yang Qing.
"Leader Yun Wei is doing well.."
"That''s good, you can tell him I remember his favor, and whenever he wants to collect, I would be more than happy to oblige.." said Yang Qing.
Li Tian''s eyes sparkled with surprise and something else as Yang Qing said that.
"I will.." he said as he took his seat.
Wu Shen, the elderly person whom Yang Qing assumed to be the sect master, all looked at Li Tian with envy. Having someone from the Order owe you a favor was like having a life-saving trump card.
Xin Zephyr and Ling Qi couldn''t help but feel envious too especially with their circumstances. If they had such a favor, maybe whatever befell them could have been avoided.
Pushing his envy aside, Wu Shen went on to introduce the elderly man next to him, with slight embarrassment in his tone.
"This is sect master Cheng Chao, the leader of our sect.."
The sect master got up in greeting as he said,
"Nice to meet you, Branch Chief Yang Qing, Elder Ling Qi, and Elder Xin Zephyr.."
"He is the sect master alright.." Yang Qing thought in admiration of the sect master''s disy.
Wu Shen couldn''t hide his difort as he made the introduction, but the sect master was as natural andposed as he could be. One couldn''t even imagine he had taken a beating from Wu Shen a few hours before with how at ease he was.
With introductions out of the way, Wu Shen who was slightly hesitant in asking finally asked,
"Is it just the two of you?"
His question was directed at the two grief-stricken elders seated behind Yang Qing.
"Yes, it''s just us, brother Wu Shen.." Ling Qi said with a bitter smile.
The pupils of Wen Shu and Sect Master Cheng Chao trembled when they saw Ling Qi''s expression and Xin Zephyr who looked to be struggling to keep her tumultuous emotions in check.
Yang Qing sighed as he stepped in to retell the tale as told to him by Ling Qi. By the end of the tale, Wu Shen and Sect Master Cheng Chao werepletely shaken, more so thetter who looked like he was about to fall off his seatpletelycking in the demeanor of a sect master.
"I would have doomed my sect.." he said in disbelief with eyes wide open, tongue drying, and voice cracking.
"Wu Shen, if it wasn''t for you..."he weakly added, not daring toplete his sentence, but his implication was clear.
Wu Shen didn''t answer as he too was in shock, his mind no likely wandering in the same ce as the sect master. It took a bit of time before he regained his senses.
Yang Qing''s attention was on Li Tian who had a deep frown as his gaze fell on Wu Shen. On feeling Yang Qing''s undisguised attention on him, he hurriedly looked up to find Yang Qing looking at him with eyes that made it seem like they could see right through the thoughts he was having.
His body instantly froze from the stare, with a sudden wetness appearing on his back. He inadvertently gulped before he averted his gaze, his thoughts only known to himself.
Sometime after the deafening silence was broken by Wu Shen, who got up with a solemn expression as he said,
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"If you don''t mind it, Brother Ling, Sister Xin, would you like to join the Flowing Fist as our elders?"
The duo were dazed for a moment before Ling Qi absentmindedly asked,
"Are you sure?"
"I am. We would be lucky to have a top-tier alchemist and top-
tier swordswoman join us, especially ones that I can trust. It would be our blessing to have you.." said Wu Shen with a warm smile.
Sect Master Cheng Chao looked like he wanted to say something but held himself back when his gaze fell on both Wu Shen and Yang Qing.
"If you don''t mind, then I would be d too... What about you, Zephyr?" asked Ling Qi.
"Wherever you go, I go.." she softly said before she added,
"I would be honored to join you, though I am not sure I will ever be the swordswoman I once was.."
"Who knows... the future isn''t set in stone, it always has a way of surprising you... You may not be the swordswoman you used to be, but that''s okay, life is the sum of our experiences.. you might yet turn into another type that suits what you have experienced.." Wu Shen softly said.
"Well said.." Yang Qing said as he stood up.
"I wish you safe travels on your journey ahead. My work here is done.."added Yang Qing as his gaze fell on Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr.
"Might as well help you all the way.." Yang Qing muttered as he stretched his hands.
His hair transformed into a mix of green blue and white as an ethereal and majestic radiance was released from his hands.
Spring of resplendence
Three droplets that were a mix of green, blue, and with a celestial white glow were instantly produced from his stretched-out hand, carrying with them a dense life aura that made every nt in the area leap in joy as the bamboo immediately started overgrowing just from the remnant aura that was leaking from the droplets.
Li Tian''s pupils trembled as he sensed the dense life aura permeating every inch of the area breathing life essence into anything and everything it touched. He felt a gentle embrace wash over him, washing away every strain in his body, spreading to his spirit. He felt an overwhelming profoundness within that warm energy.
In all his life, this was the first time he had ever felt this much life essence. It was like a kingdom-sized forest had been birthed in a wastnd in but a moment, which in essence was proving to be true as the bamboo and the other vegetation had already grown past the height of the courtyard walls filled with vibrancy and strength.
Sect Master Cheng Chao couldn''t help but groan in pleasure as he felt the aches he had suffered in the fight against Wu Shen, get healed. Wu Shen experienced the same sensation too.
When the three droplets were formed, Yang Qing gently waved his hand and the three droplets disappeared into the bodies of Wu Shen, Ling Qi, and Xin Zephyr.
Before they could register what had happened, a huge pulse of vital energy immediately exploded from within their bodies and they could feel the hollowness that they had felt after their treatment, get filled up rapidly.
After just a few minutes they were brimming with life. Everything within them from their body to their souls felt renewed, refreshed, and strengthened, Wu Shen could even feel the membrane leading to the peak stage of the core formation realm was paper thin, just a thought and he would breakthrough, but the biggest surprise to him and Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr was regaining their ability to manipte and absorb qi. Something they had been told would take 3 years before they could regain their abilities.
They were all gobsmacked, especially when they remembered the founder of the Ocean Crucible Refining Pavilion saying they could hasten the process with an ascendant-grade treasure, yet Yang Qing had done it in an instant, without a treasure at that.
Earlier Yang Qing felt that his abilities had leaped, especially in regards to healing, even before his breakthrough, he knew he could resolve their situation thanks to his art and physique, he just chose not to, but with how things were, he decided to do it as a farewell. With this, he would not have anything hanging over his conscience.
"Take care of yourselves and take the lessons you gained from this to heart.." Yang Qing said to the trio as he disappeared from the room.
He could already feel the presence of three figures approaching the courtyard. One of them was a quasi-pce stage expert, and the other two were at the peak stage of the core formation realm. From such a lineup, he could already guess their identities. As much as he was a vain person, he wasn''t much for too much fanfare and he still had to go investigate the whereabouts of the Xin n members and see if there were any survivors.
Without wasting time, he used a phantom void gliding step, and in a few seconds, he had already reached Ellie, leaving the shocked Ling Qi, Xin Zephyr, Wu Shen, Cheng Chao, and Li Tao, who were too shocked even to notice he had left.
When they came to, they cupped their fists in gratitude even though Yang Qing wasn''t there to receive it.
Chapter 681 Vestiges and entrusted will (1)
Chapter 681 Vestiges and entrusted will (1)
"Hopefully a better fate than the one they left behind. As long as they are not reckless, arrogant, or lose heart, they may very well experience a boon from it.
Wu Shen even without expending too much effort will realize his fist intent. It''s only a matter of time before he does so, and when he does, even if he doesn''t reach the pce realm, his reaching the quasi-pce stage is a definite possibility which should give them enough capital to eke out a ce in the territory of the Diamond Body Sect.
Elders Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr would also boost their abilities. The former is a top-tier orange-grade alchemist and healer. Any organization would be in a hurry to scoop him up even rank 3''s.
As for Xin Zephyr.." Yang Qing paused as a sympathetic sigh escaped his lips.
"She''s a skillful sword cultivator. She may have not unlocked her intent like Wu Shen, but her sword qi has been cultivated to the tip along with her sword sense, and her foundations as a tenth-stage core formation expert are firm.
If she can ovee this hurdle in one piece and regain her confidence, then she has a chance of aplete reformation and may end up finding her path to greater heights.." said Yang Qing.
Su Jinjing nodded her head in silence as she wore the same look Yang Qing was wearing. Xin Zephyr was standing at a precipice. One side was a golden paradise that held countless opportunities while the other was a dark abyss that hid countless dangers. It was up in there on which side Xin Zephyr would eventually fall on.
If she managed to ovee the mental blow she had suffered, then her will would be reformed and strengthened which brought no small amounts of benefits one of which was tempering their hearts which would likely bud with an embryonic Dao form as a result.
But if her despair swallowed her, then the best oue was for her to stagnate at her current cultivation base, along with her abilities never being what they once were. For a sword cultivator, having an unstable heart made one''s sword dull.?At worst, her despair will end up creating a mental and heart demon that will ravage her body from the inside, eventually leading to grave consequences such as qi deviation, regression, and or loss of her cultivation base, or worse she ends up losing her mind, rampaging and killing anything in sight.
Some reports of entire viges being ughtered to thest man or some n or sect getting fractured from the inside had been as a result of a cultivator who lost their mind to the frenzy brought on by the eruption of a vtile mental and heart demon.
This was why Ling Qi was surprised by the offer made by Wu Shen for both him and Xin Zephyr to join them as elders. Thetter''s state was evident to everyone present and if something very very wrong were to happen and she could not keep her mind in check, then the Flowing Fist Sect would be at risk.
"We can only wish them the best. We have already done all we can, the rest is up to them..." said Yang Qing as he ushered Ellie to fly back to the Deer Mountain Range.
Even without the presence of Ling Qi and Xin Zephyr, the atmosphere on the journey back was still rtively heavy as Su Jinjing and Yang Qing flew in silence, each lost in their thoughts.
"Jinjing, i''m okay.." said Yang Qing with a light smile on his face, and eyes closed.
He felt Su Jinjing throw secretive nces his way on the journey over. It wasn''t hard to guess why considering the events that had transpired.
"Are you sure?" Su Jinjing worriedly asked with a piercing gaze trying to see through Yang Qing.
"I really am okay.." Yang Qing said with aforting smile.
Su Jinjing focused her attention on Yang Qing''s eyes. His eyes shone with pristine rity reflecting the authenticity of his words. It was unwavering and unblemished hiding no lie in them.
After she confirmed that he was indeed telling the truth, Su Jinjing exhaled in relief as she said,
"That''s good then.."
"Thank you Jinjing.." Yang Qing said as he gently patted her shoulder who smiled in return.
The atmosphere mellowed slightly and the flight back was rtively free with Yang Qing and Su Jinjing exchanging a fewughs and words as they made a game of the ces they flew past.
It wasn''t long before they reached the ravine that separated the unimed territory and the Deer Mountain Range.
Once they were a few hundred kilometers in the Deer Mountain Range, Yang Qing stood up.
"Jinjing, I''d like you to head back to the branch with Ellie. I''ll try to search if there are any survivors by myself..." said Yang Qing.
When he saw the frown on Su Jinjing''s face he hurriedly added,
"While Senior Ye Xun has likely scanned this ce and ensured its safety we can''t bepletely sure of it. There are tonnes of crafty ways for those with nefarious intentions to hide themselves and their ns even from a seasoned expert like her, if the potential sacrifice in Deer Mountain Kingdom is anything to go by.
I can''t risk you and Ellie being out here longer than is needed. For now at least.." Yang Qing said with an imploring tone.
"Fine.." Su Jinjing said with a defeated sigh as she ushered Ellie.
"Let''s go, Ellie.."
"And boss make sure to take care of yourself.." she added as Ellie was flying away.
"I will.." Yang Qing said as he shed and turned into a phantom fog disappearing into the clustered trees, heading in the direction of the graveyard torch.
Because of his yin-yang jade bones, his purple-grade art, and his affinity with nature, Yang Qing was able to conceal his aura effortlessly by blending it with his surroundings, and his sensory perception was even higher in such a setting.
Chapter 682 Vestiges and entrusted will (2)
Chapter 682 Vestiges and entrusted will (2)
His affinity aside, Yang Qing took out a purple talisman that contained the strike of a domain expert, just in case, and hid it underneath his robe with a sliver of his qi coating it for ease in instantly triggering it should there be a need for it.
After crossing his fingers for good luck and bad-mouthing Lei Weiyuan to cheer himself up, Yang Qing rapidly blitzed through the forest without leaking his presence or creating a disturbance.
He bypassed the territories of a few spirit beasts that were at the peak stage of the core formation realm with even one or two that were at the first stage of the pce realm, but none of them detected his presence.
Yang Qing''s attention slightly drifted on the rush over when he spotted a few trees with their fruits already ripened like the sunfire persimmon tree or the diamond dew apple tree. He bypassed more and more, the deeper he went, his eyes shining with greed and his mouth drooling in response.
"No wonder the organizations around risk their lives to remain here despite the countless dangers that surround them.." muttered Yang Qing as he used all his willpower to resist the temptation of going over to pluck a few fruits.
His willpower was almost broken when he detected a couple of honebs belonging to the empyrean gold wasp, and silversilk bees. He could feel their intoxicating sweet aromaing from them trying to ensnare his senses begging him to cover for a sip.
Yang Qing hurriedly increased his speed to escape its allure.
"Scary.." he said as he wiped off the drool with fear in his eyes. He almost gave in to the siren-like honey.
With an increase in pace, it wasn''t long before he arrived at the general vicinity of the graveyard torch.
Yang Qing had never seen one himself, and the only descriptions he had seen of them were from books and scrolls at the institute.
Being here, he could finally sense it. Yang Qing had stood at a standstill and wherever he had stood, visually, wasn''t all that different from other areas around him, but Yang Qing could feel it, just inches ahead, beyond the unassuming silent shadow moss or the ember glowurel next to it, or the ramhorn birch tree, he could feel the vestiges of the spirituality of the spirit beasts that had selflessly given their entire bodies and umtions down to their spirits to nurture the next generation of spirit beasts.
He could hear the presence of their voices, even dead, he could feel the breadth of their spirits which had been enshrined in the area, along with an ethereal grand power that shrouded that spirit.
Yang Qing recognized that power, it was the same power that had shaped his inner world when he broke through to the pce realm. It was the power of Dao.
The dao power and the vestiges of spirituality belonging to those spirit beasts worked in tandem to create a hallowed ground that seemed to affect the senses of every living being that came within an inch of that ce.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure if it was because of his personality, or if his physique had something to do with it, but the emotions evoked by the ground were immense for him, evoking a sense of reverence from him.
The more he gave himself to those feelings, he could hear those voices clearly and even understand them despite being a human himself.
"This squirrel ventured unfettered within this range with nothing but my hardened teeth and ws. I bet they could tear through dragon bones given the chance. s, my blinding radiance made most afraid to approach, which is how I ended up without a mate. The price of being amazing (sigh)..
Nevertheless, I lived free and unfettered without regrets. I bit through all who slighted me, I honored promises and rtionships, I starved, I hid, I ate beyond my fill, and wasn''t one to hide my victories. That was my freedom and as myst act, I now entrust all that I have ever had to some young ambitious hatchling out there.
Use my inheritance as you will, may the spirit of freedom continue.."
Yang Qing almost spat at how shameless that voice had been.
"This Silvermoon rhino only managed to reach the peak of the core formation realm. I lost a lot of fights than I''ve won, but my horn has always helped me dig a safe passage through. May my inheritance do the same for you.."
"The des of the ghost de mantis are swift, silent, and lethal. I was average among my peers but I had no hesitation every time I struck. I hope my des can serve as a whetstone for another more powerful de that can cleave through the entire range.."
"I had my leg and torso gnawed off by that foul-mouthed earth-carving squirrel. Whoever inherits my umtions, all I ask is just smash those damn teeth of his.."
"I am the ancient sable scorpion, I don''t know if anyone will remember me, but none of that matters. I leave my inheritance to whoever is fated along with a few words from someone who has lived a bit.
Keep your eyes clear and ws hidden but don''t hesitate to reveal them when your spirit calls for it, even if the circumstances seem vastly scary or impossible. Denying what''s in your spirit is a far crueler death, trust this old scorpion on that.
Lastly for those looking to venture out to the Green Fog Region, I won''t discourage you, only make sure your will is strong before you step in there. I reached the pce realm and could fight toe to toe with Lynx, but when we reached there... no matter how strong I thought I was, my mind and heart weren''t prepared for that ce.
Waiting a little bit is okay, but when you take that step, please don''t hesitate. I shamed the range with my actions, and my spirit fell along with it. I hope my cowardice body and flimsy umtions will help the next spirit beast not to falter.."
Yang Qing stepped over the ephemeral boundary and walked into the territory covered by the hallowed ground. The voices grew both in number and rity that he could almost feel their frames of mind before they enshrined themselves.
The voices felt more alive the deeper he walked into the ce. The air was cooler with a solemnness around it filled with dusk-
like ethereal mist mixing in with the trees, shrubs, grass, and the ground.
Yang Qing absorbing the emotion and intent left behind, suddenly stopped as he detected the presence of a figure a few hundred meters ahead of him.
Chapter 683 Unique birth
683 Unique birth
Beneath the sapphire crystal grove tree was a swan, a swan whose feathers were bathed in sacred white golden mes thatplemented the hallowed atmosphere of the graveyard torch.
The swan was half the size of Ellie, but it was stillrger than Yang Qing. Just one of its wings was enough to shelter and cover Yang Qing''s entire body.
It had pristine white feathers filled with golden glyphs that exuded a purifying aura and regal look in its sun-colored eyes which were currently trained on Yang Qing.
"Human, what are you doing here?" asked the swan.
Its voice was that of a mature woman. It was filled with the same dignified elegance as her body.
"Second stage of the pce realm but with her abilities she would still handle her own well enough even against those at the fourth stage.." thought Yang Qing.
He was mildly surprised to find such a unique spirit beast in this ce. The spirit beast in question was a celestial sacred swan.
The celestial sacred swan was unique even whenpared to mythical beings like dragons, and phoenixes. This sense of uniqueness was in how it was formed. Unlike normal spirit beasts where coption was needed, celestial sacred swans had no parents.
It was born out of a concept like how weapons and artifacts birthed spirits. It was birthed in an area that needed to fulfill three criteria. One the area had to have a dense and the purest concentration of the cosmic energy of the stars,second the energy needed to contain a trace of the origin power of those stars and third, the area needed to be pure, absent of the disturbance of violence for at least 20,000 years.
Even with all three criteria fulfilled, it wasn''t guaranteed that a celestial sacred swan would be formed, as a hint of luck was usually needed.
From time immemorial, Yang Qing had read countless transcripts of organizations trying to rare one but few have ever seeded in the venture.
But despite the numerous failures, most still continue trying because of its inherent nature. Celestial Sacred Swans were fiercely loyal, and when it came to abilities, they could purge and heal most curses, mdies, and even heart demons.
Their restorative abilities didn''t just stop there, in one of the numerous scrolls Yang Qing had read, one of them said, that their heart, the sacred heart, was able to pull you from death and give you a rebirth. The form of death didn''t matter, be it a natural one from old age, or suffering a fatal injury that leaves your body destroyed and only a wisp of your soul remains. As long as one had its sacred heart close to them, the heart would be able to give them a new body.
The scary part was, that the cultivator would retain their cultivation base with a stronger body that was able to absorb cosmic energy from the stars to strengthen itself. They would gain some of the inherent attributes of a celestial sacred swan such as high vitality, immunity to countless toxins and curses, and the ability to absorb cosmic energy which was as potent as spiritual qi produced by a mature dragon vein.
Cultivators normally couldn''t absorb it as sensing it was quite difficult and one risked ruining their body absorbing it without an appropriate body that was capable of refining the energy and the sacred heart provided just that.
Because of this,a lot of cultivators either tried to rear one, or hunt them, but they were few and far in between and even one spotted one, celestial sacred swans had esoteric abilities that made them sensitive to those who had malice toward them. Those abilities bordered on karmic precognition, as they could even tell it a minute, an hour, or a day in advance depending on their strengths.
This ability along with other abilities such as speed, and the ability topletely erase and mask their presence made them difficult to spot or catch unless they let you.
Per Yang Qing''s unsupported guess, their poption may not number more than 200 around the continent but out of those 200, maybe 10 or 20 would ever be caught. Their adaptability and rate of survival were among one of the highest.
Yang Qing couldn''t believe he was seeing one in the flesh. He wasn''tpletely sure if she didn''t choose to reveal herself whether he would have noticed her.
Yang Qing ced his hands above his chest in the form of a polite greeting his n used, as he said,
"Forgive my intrusion, my name is Yang Qing, and I was looking for a few humans who may have headed in this direction.."
"Are they your friends?" asked the celestial sacred swan with the sacred mes surrounding her flickering slightly along with the glyphs inscribed on her feathers.
Even though her tone was still the same as before, Yang Qing could feel a palpable disgusting from her.
"Not really, I promised someone rted to them that I''d look for them, and here I am.." answered Yang Qing.
The celestial sacred swan stared at him for a while, with her gaze unmoving. When she felt that Yang Qing was telling the truth, she unfurled her wings, and her golden white mes burned with an intense radiant light that hid her entire body.
The light shone for a few seconds before it receded revealing a woman. The woman looked to be in herte thirties, with silver hair that gently cascaded down her back like a waterfall, reaching the grass beneath her. The silver hair looked like it had been fashioned from the most precious polished silver threads. She was clothed in regal-looking golden yellow robes that matched her sun-colored eyes.
With an unmatched beauty and a pure and regal aura, she exuded the presence of a banished immortal empress that would make most avert their gaze in inferiority and fear of profaning her beauty.
Her gaze focused on Yang Qing once more, before a small smile tugged at her lips.
"I am d my guess wasn''t wrong in revealing myself to you. Your heart remains clear, unlike the humans I''ve met before.." she said as her eyes shed with interest at Yang Qing.
"Don''t worry I am not about to introduce a harem. There is no way I''d give Yang Qing such a privilege when I don''t have one either.."
Said a sage expert who had mastered the vindictive petty Dao to the absolute peak and transcended the mundane.
"Beauties, mmph, what are beauties even? if i want one, i could just preach dao to that grass over the year, and it would transform into a beauty whose radiance dulls the sun and the moon.."
Daynightdreamer
Chapter 684 Decisions made (1)
Chapter 684 Decisions made (1)
"Sad that I can''t make a recording otherwise I would use it to rub it in Yi Jie''s, Feng Xin''s, and that bastard Kang Hung''s faces.
To think they dubbed me a shameless misinformed toad for saying I had the looks and presence of a fallen immortal. See, even a celestial sacred swan with all their unhealthy obsession with perfection chose to reveal themselves to me.
Mao Mao you''ve really lucked out having me.." thought Yang Qing with a smug look on his face that was quickly interrupted by the celestial sacred swan.
"Human Yang Qing, seems like you have some prideful thoughts there. I can''t help but wonder what it''s about.." the celestial sacred swan said with a slow but regal tone, as a dangerous smile appeared on her face.
Yang Qing quickly extinguished his thoughts as his boot-licking defense mechanisms kicked in when it detected the danger.
"Forgive me. I was just thinking this was my greatest fortune of several times to be in such a noble presence. Forgive me forcking theposure to control myself," he said with a humble performance apanied by a gentle inclined apologetic bow.
"It seems humans everywhere are gifted with a glib tongue. Most of the ones I''ve met usually use it to hide their vile intentions toward me, at least this time even if I detect a little insincerity in the words spoken by you, human Yang Qing, your intentions are not vile.." said the celestial sacred swan with a light chuckle when she saw Yang Qing rubbing his nose in embarrassment.
The embarrassment didn''tst long as Yang Qing had long since padded his skin with countlessyers. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone within the Order with a thicker skin.
Yang Qing''s gaze instantly turned solemn, his cheeky behavior,pletely removed.
"It might be presumptuous of me, but how do I address you?" asked Yang Qing.
The brows of the celestial sacred swan rose slightly in surprise at Yang Qing''s swift change in demeanor.
"You can call me Gu Xing.." said the celestial sacred swan, with a strange sh in her eyes, which Yang Qing interpreted as a look of mncholy, one that seniors often used when they reminisced about old friends that they had outlived.
"You can call me Yang Qing, just Yang Qing is fine...Human Yang Qing sounds odd.." said Yang Qing with an awkward smile.
"Sorry Hu..I mean, sorry Yang Qing, just Yang Qing.." Gu Xing answered with a cheeky smile.
"I don''t normally converse with humans that much, well not long enough to know their names. I normalized calling you all the same over the years and it has be a habit. Sorry for that.." she added.
"It''s okay. So why did you decide to reveal yourself?" asked Yang Qing with a puzzled expression.
He knew she had already sensed him when he was about a kilometer away. Such a distance was more than enough for her to hide herself or even create an ambush but she openly revealed herself which was something he didn''t think celestial sacred swans did.
Of course, he had never met one, and his assumptions were purely based on what he had read on some scrolls, but if the tales were true, then he would have expected the celestial sacred swan to exercise an abundance of caution towards the unfamiliar, especially a human cultivator who didn''t look weak at that.
"Just a feeling.." Gu Xing casually answered as she took a seat beneath the sapphire crystal grove tree. Even just the casual act of just sitting evoked grace and matchless beauty capable of stirring the hearts of many.
Though it didn''t work on him as his heart had already been set elsewhere, Yang Qing had to admit, Gu Xing,?had an unmatched beauty and presence.
"Feeling?" asked Yang Qing as he mirrored her actions by sitting himself.
"Yes, a feeling.." Gu Xing said with her eyes shining with curiosity.
"I have never met a human like you..You have this smell and presence, it is like seeing nature encased in a human body. It resembles my body, so I got curious about how there could be a human with such a nature-filled presence.
From what I know of your kind, you''re harbingers of greed and destruction.." she said as she picked some dust from the ground.
"Just like those humans who were here. They cared not of the sanctity of this ce and contaminated it with their greed. Stealing the inheritance blood crystals.. " she added, her tone rife with disdain.
"Is there no bottom line to what your kind will go to, to gain strength? Dishonoring the sacrifices made by these spirit beasts means nothing to your kind.
To honor those who enshrined their wills in this ce, I killed them all, their ashes entombed here to atone for what they did.." she said as she dusted her hands.
"Is that so.." Yang Qing said with a sigh.
"I am sorry for what they did.." Yang Qing said as he solemnly cupped his fists.
Gu Xing with a perplexed look on her face asked,
"Why are you apologizing for them? You are not part of their organization, are you? From what I can feel and tell, it''s not like you need these crystals.."
"I may not know them, but it doesn''t mean I am not remorseful for what they did, especially since we are the same race after all. Some part of me feels shame like I was with them in the act.." answered Yang Qing.
Gu Xing stared at him for a short while, her golden sun eyes shing before she said,
"You humans are hard to figure out. I wish there was more like you out there..."
With the heaviness in her tone, Yang Qing could tell she likely had horrible experiences with humans.
"Have you always been here?" asked Yang Qing in wonder. If she had been, there was no way the Hua n or the other members of their alliance, would have been able to get their hands on the crystals.
He even had doubts about whether whoever had fed the information to those organizations about the location of the graveyard, would have been able to know of the location without alerting Gu Xing to their spying.
The sensory abilities of a celestial sacred swan were powerful enough to make them even sensitive to domain senses.
A small frown appeared on Gu Xin''s face as she said,
"About 800 years ago I detected an unfamiliar presence lurking at the boundary of this ce. By that time, I had served as the guardian of this ce for 11,000 years. The sanctified nature of this ce suited me perfectly and the various leaders of this range, agreed to me being the guardian of this graveyard.
I have seen many things over the years, but that presence made my body shiver from fear and disgust. Like if I end up in that figure''s hands, death would be the least of my worries. That presence was like an amalgamation of pure terror. I couldn''t even tell what it was.
Knowing I would not be its match, I left this ce to bring in reinforcements. I went to search for Lady Gild but she had already left, her disciple was already in closed seclusion, and other powerful figures that I thought would be capable of handling that presence had already left.
Left with no choice, I left the range in search of at least one of them. I knew most had gone to the Green Fog Region, so that''s where I went.
I left a few spirit beasts to monitor the situation in case of any changes while also leaving a wisp of my spiritual imprint on this tree.." said Gu Xin as she ced her dainty masterfully crafted hands on the scarlet crystal grove tree next to her.
"The search proved unfruitful as the region was bigger and more ferocious than I could imagine, but luckily I didn''t receive any report of the intrudering in. But erring on the side of caution despite receiving no report I decided to continue the search up until four months ago when my imprint alerted me of several figures sneaking into the area and stealing the crystals.
At that moment, it didn''t matter whether it was that strange presence or not, I rushed back to honor my my role as the guardian regardless of whether I would lose my life or not.
I arrived yesterday, just in time to catch those humans trying to steal from this ce again.."
Chapter 685 Age of the graveyard
Chapter 685 Age of the graveyard
"You said eerie, eerie how?" he asked.
Gu Xing''s pupils flickered slightly before she closed her eyes, trying to recall the sensation and everything she felt that day.
"I can''t quite describe it.." she said with her eyes trembling.
"Though if I was to find words for it, I would say it gave off the same sensation as you, except different.." she added as she cupped her palm under her chin in deep thought.
"Like me?" asked Yang Qing in confusion.
He had been called an oddity over the years but not once had he ever been called eerie.
Gu Xing realizing?her words may be misconstrued slowly said,
"The familiarity isn''t on the eerie sensation. In that regard, you''repletely different. That figure was surrounded by a cold veil of death while in your case you''re an amalgamation of warmth and life.
The simrity is in how you both seem to epass different things into one. Like from you I can feel the vitality of the nts, the earth,?the water bodies, the air,?the star, the moon, the sun, and other living organisms all encapsted within your breadth. I can feel nature''s essence from you.
When ites to that figure, it felt like different things were forcibly stitched together and transformed into one eerie horrific entity.."
Yang Qing silently tapped his knee with his index finger as he tried to figure out if he had evere across something that fit the description given.
"When you came in, did you hear their voices?" Gu Xing softly asked as she opened her eyes.
"The ones of the spirit beasts who left their inheritance crystals here?" asked Yang Qing.
"Yes.." Gu Xing said slightly surprised even though she half suspected it, given the intense aura of life she sensed from him and also his reaction when he wasing here.
"Generally humans can''t hear the voices, at least that was what I?was led to believe until you showed up.
Spirit beasts can hear them, but for them to be able to hear it, they need to have already formed their wisdom pearls.
Without it, they can''t hear them, nor can they make the best of the inheritance blood crystals left behind.
The voices are the spiritual manifestation of the crystals..."
Gu Xing gracefully stood up and gently brushed her hands against the scarlet crystals growing on the grove next to her.
"Not all spirit beasts can form these crystals.." she said with a deep sense of appreciation.
"Every spirit beast that can do it, was some talent at one point or another. They may not have a standout talent.." she said with her gaze meaningfully falling on Yang Qing before moving back to the scarlet crystals.
"But, they had talent enough to stand out from the rest.." she added while fiddling with the crystals almost as if she was ying a tune with them.
"The stronger they were, when they were alive, the longer their voices linger in the present. I think you could tell.." she said as she turned to face Yang Qing, with her robes swaying elegantly with her turn.
"Is she trying to seduce me.." wondered Yang Qing in a slight panic before he shook those nonsensical ideas which he hoped were true, away.
''"I did.." he answered.
Some of the voices he heard, varied, somewhat. The variation came from the quality of the voice. Though they were all low, almost whisper-like, some contained a lot of life in them. It made Yang Qing feel like the speakers were alive and well, talking next to him. He could clearly feel their emotions, and even character through the others.
As for other voices, some while they had that spirit of life in them, it wasn''t as intense for example from the voices he heard, the squirrel bragging about its teeth that could shred through a dragon''s bone had more life in it,pared to the voice of the ghost de mantis.
Then there was thest group whose voicespletelycked liveliness. Theycked life and emotion in them. They were too low to even make out their intent without straining yourself and they seemed to be just at the brink of disappearing.
Pulling a bit of her hair that was swaying with the wind, to the back of her ear, Gu Xing said,
"The stronger the spirit beast both in terms of will and cultivation, the longer their voice lingers and the stronger the vestiges they left behind."
"How long do you think this ce has been here?" she asked with a sense of mystique about her.
"I didn''t even know there was such a ce here.." answered Yang Qing.
"If I was to guess, maybe ten to fifteen thousand years, at least.." Yang Qing added after a few calctions based on the number of scarlet crystals shining on the grove tree behind Gu Xin.
"You''re still short, by one zero.." Gu Xin said, drawing a surprised look from Yang Qing.
"That long?" he asked.
"Yes, even one of the leading figures of this range didn''t know when it started. During her time, it had already been there.." she said with a look of respect as her gaze fell on the grove tree.
"I was like you when I was first told that..." she said with her back turned to Yang Qing.
"The amount of inheritance crystals formed doesn''t exactly match the duration..." she added as she turned back to face Yang Qing.
"This range is somewhat unique.."
"Unique how?"
"For a ce filled with spirit beasts, it is not as violent as it should be. Not like the Green Fog Region or the Bestial Churning Sea.."
"You''ve been there?" Yang Qing asked with surprise.
With her identity and the number of powerhouses that frequented the ce, even with her heightened sensitivity to danger and the ability to conceal herself, most of the frequenters of the Blood Charcuterie Market Town, would be able to see through her and capture her effortlessly.
These were cultivators who had made their bones fighting those ferocious spirits beasts habiting the Bestial Churning Sea. Dealing with a celestial sacred swan would be nothing to them.
Chapter 686 Clue from the voice
Chapter 686 Clue from the voice
"As curious as I am about many things, I would not step a foot there. I rather like living and having my heart intact.." she humorously said.
"Celestial Sacred Swans have a way of sensing andmunicating with each other, including sharing memories. Whenever one of our own is born, we can roughly sense their birth even if we are continents apart from each other.
It''s a vague sense, at first, but it bes stronger the closer one of us is to the hatchling. When I hatched, there was a senior of mine who had been close and was able to pinpoint my location from the shared sense.
Because of our low numbers and the risk we are to your kind, a nurturing system was created. A senior celestial sacred swan would help a new hatchling familiarize itself with its surroundings.
Part of it involves sharing memories. It''s like a way of sharing information, like how you humans do with those talismans or books.
It contains a lot of things that will increase the survival chances of the hatchling. It covers a lot from basic, to specific ones that I can''t share, even if I find you unique.." she said with a slight smile.
"But among them, it covers dangerous areas we should avoid. The Bestial Churning Sea was on that list. The memories...well, they were pretty vivid and drove the point home.." Gu Xin said with a slight shake in her voice.
She had barely been a few weeks old before the senior showed her the brutality of that ce. It left her shaking for years, but at least thanks to it, she had been able to survive the Green Fog Region, which was also another location on the list.
Meanwhile, Yang Qing''s eyes shone in amazement at the system of the Celestial Sacred Swan. It wasn''t written in any of the books and scrolls he had read. He was giddy at the thought of discovering something new that no one else knew.
His childlike excitement drew a peal ofughter from Gu Xing.
Yang Qing scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he said,
"Thank you for sharing the information with me. If there''s anything you need to know, I will freely answer it, if I can.."
"I will take you up on it.." answered Gu Xing with curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Now where was I.....ah, the uniqueness of this range. This range is not as violent as those ces, despite the amount of powerful spirit beasts that are in the area.
Yes, there are asional fights here and there, but it is not as widespread as one would expect, even amongst the lower-ranked spirit beast, which is something very prevalent in most ces.
It feels more like a structured society, like the ones you humans have minus the deceit, insatiable greed, and hypocrisy.
Here you can see friendships spanning across species and cultivation realms. There are even oveps in said friendship creating an interconnected web spread about the range. And those outside the circle, they''re not oppressed for being out of it.
Those friendships have birthed a lot of couples.
Then there are also the ascetics, who like to rtively keep to themselves, secluded in deep meditation for years on end.." Gu Xing said with a sigh of admiration.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but be surprised too. With the stories he had heard of this ce, from the near destruction of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, Hao Da and the other staff from the Order getting injured and murdered recently, and the destruction of the Hua n, Xin n, and Moon Essence Cauldron Sect, he had dubbed the area as a vtile ce, because of the bloodshed.
But now with some context and rity, the retaliation made sense. If things were as Gu Xing said that the range was rtively tight-knit, it was no wonder they would retaliate so fiercely to anything that threatened that.
"Now make no mistake, there are spirit beasts here that revel in chaos, for them that do so, they choose to leave this ce and venture outside in search of areas where they can have their fill of battle and chaos. This is why most leave for the Green Fog Region.
Once they leave, it''s rare for them to ever return and those that do, are those who couldn''t handle the survival requirements of those ces or those with not long to live, they, therefore, choose toe back here and live out their days in the ce they called home when they were young..
Most of these crystals are from them.." Gu Xin said as she gently parsed her fingers through the crystals.
"Whether from regret or a sense of responsibility to this ce, they alle here and give back.."
"That''s why the number is little.." Yang Qing said in realization.
"Those who manage toe back or decide toe back are few. By deciding toe back, it means they are either too injured to survive there, or their abilities are unable to guarantee their survival there.
The Green Fog Region isn''t such a forgiving ce that it would let you leave so easily..no wonder their numbers are small..
As for those with friendships or with partners, when their timees, they would entrust it to their friends or living kin, thane here.."
"Precisely.."said Gu Xing in support.
"You must have brought up the voices for a reason? Does it have anything to do with the eerie figure you mentioned earlier.."
"Yes, yes, it does..." Gu Xing said as her voice turned solemn.
"While many voices from 100,000 years ago have long disappeared, there are some faint ones from 40,000 years ago going forward still faintly active. Though, they''re now incoherent whispers..If you focus slightly, you can hear them.." Gu Xing said as she motioned for Yang Qing to try.
Yang Qing obliged as he closed his eyes to sense them. He erased the clear ones and the mildly clear ones, as his focus was spread on those that didn''t touch on the two groups, soon he caught traces of inaudible whispers that sounded like gibberish cracks, like the voice of someone suffering from dehydration and starvation and were on theirst legs.
Yang Qing activated the dao glyphs rted to his yin yang jade bones, as his hair turned pure white, to try and sense more within those voices.
Gu Xing''s eyes shone with surprise and interest when she detected the changes in Yang Qing, especially the dao markings that were shining through his robes. They were releasing a grand power that made her body tremble.
"Lion...grasp...... tyrant.... live ....... fly....''
With his dao markings activated, the incoherent mutterings became audible, though they were still scattered. After a few seconds of not getting anything other than scattered words here and there that made no sense even when strung together, Yang Qing dispelled his technique, to meet a marveled Gu Xing, who was staring wide-eyed at him.
Without meaning to, Yang Qing found himself blushing slightly from the intense gaze of the celestial sacred swan standing a few steps away from him.
"You''re quite unique, Yang Qing.." Gu Xing softly said with a smile as she regained herposure.
His weak habit rearing its head, Yang Qing on reflex, smugly replied,
"It''s to be expected..."
He hurriedly covered his mouth, secretly admonishing himself for the weak control of his mouth that kept bbing things out without his control.
Luckily for him, Gu Xing didn''t jump at the opportunity to tease him for it.
With her look turningto a grave seriousness, she said,
"One of those voices is from 38,000 years ago. It was from a lunar fury crane that had reached the pce realm. His voice is no longer present...back then he faced off against something, someone actually, a human cultivator.
The lunar fury crane, despite being stronger and having the advantage from the major parts of the fight, lost suddenly from a move from that human. The way he described that attack, it matched the sensation I felt from the figure.
Hisst words were a warning to anyone who would listen about being wary of that human. While I may not know the identity of that human, I have a few guesses on their identity.
38,000 years ago was roughly the time the founders of that kingdom came here, the Deer Mountain Kingdom.."
Chapter 687 Foreboding
Chapter 687 Foreboding
"You''re sure?" he added.
Gu Xing paused slightly to gather her thoughts together before she said,
"I am notpletely certain but the timeline warrants them to be considered a suspect at the very least.
They have been the only humans known to have created a foothold in this ce. Because of the bounty of this ce, they were not the only ones who tried to conquer this area over the years or tried to create a little ce for themselves here.
But in all this time, only they have been able to create a kingdom in this ce. Of course, various factors went into y, such as not many spirit beasts cared much about the territory they chose except for those that had settled close to that area.
The area experienced infrequent spatial storms and a tidal change in the quality of the spiritual qi, which made it an inconvenient ce for spirit beasts to live. It was left unupied because of that reason.."
Yang Qing frowned as he interjected,
"Really? I''ve been there and the whole territory from the border to the capital is rich in resources and the quality of spiritual qi. I also didn''t detect any signs of a spatial storm ever happening in the area, nor are there any records that say so.
Are you sure it''s the same ce or maybe some territory they held before they moved to where they are today?"
"No, it''s the same ce.." sinctly said Gu Xing.
"I was told by one of the senior leaders of this ce, that the transformation of the area had something to do with some treasures they found. The ce was rumored to harbor the ruins of some powerful organization.
Before the Deer Mountain Kingdom settled there, there had been several spirit beasts that ventured into the area to explore the ruins. That senior had been one of them. Though her exploration didn''t reveal too much, she did find a few trinkets here and there, that suggested the area once housed some organization,
The few objects she had gathered suggested that the organization was an empire, the Bi Xie Empire..."
"Bi Xie Empire.." absentmindedly muttered Yang Qing as he tried to recall if he had ever heard of an Empire by that name. He soon shook his head, when he realized he didn''t know it.
"The senior you''re talking about is it Lady Gild?" curiously asked Yang Qing.
Gu Xing''s pupils flickered slightly as she asked,
"You know her?"
"No, not really. I know someone with a close rtionship with her.." Yang Qing said as he shook his head sideways.
"Adler?.. but no, Adler doesn''t like humans that much. I doubt he would talk to them about his master. With the same breadth he liked annoying her, he idolized her just as much. No way he''d speak to a human about her...
Is it the badger?" she asked after some thought.
"No, it was Meifeng.." answered Yang Qing before he added,
"The parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree.."when he saw the confusion on Gu Xing''s face.
"Her?" she said with surprise.
"How is she? Gild raved about her constantly, especially when she unlocked her spirituality. She treated her like her daughter..." Gu Xing said with a nostalgic smile on her face.
"How did she reveal Gild to you? Her devotion to Gild is as high as the bear''s and she has a wary personality, especially around unfamiliar people...Though it has been a few thousand years since I saw her.."
"We are good friends.." answered Yang Qing with a smile as he went on to describe his interaction with Meifeng from how they met to their interactions after.
Gu Xing''s eyes shed with sympathy and slight guilt as she said,
"I''ve grown ustomed to solitude so much that I assumed others were the same. I didn''t know she was struggling this much with it.."
"As much as we enjoy ourpany, we do need interactions with others here and there, no matter the form it takes. Isn''t that why, you revealed yourself? Curiosity may have yed a part, but it wasn''t just that.." said Yang Qing.
"It is.." Gu Xing said with a tone of introspection.
"But she''s okay now, i left with a few friends of mine to keep herpany.." said Yang Qing in an effort to cheer Gu Xing up, whose look suggested she felt a little guilty for Meifeng''s circumstances.
"Thank you, Yang Qing. She may not even remember me, since it''s been so long since I saw her, but she mattered a lot to Gild, to whom I owe so much. I should have watched out for her in Gild''s stead.." Gu Xing said in reproach.
Yang Qing unsure of how tofort her decided to change the subject bringing the focus back to what they were discussing before.
"So I take it Lady Gild guessed that the Deer Mountain Kingdom found something that helped them stabilize the area and transform it into what it is today?"
"Mmmh, that was her guess. She warned other spirit beasts from going to that area because of it. She had explored that area for quite some time but never found anything, but the founders of the kingdom were able to do so. It showed that their abilities were not simple. In addition, those few trinkets she found lying around, even though they had long stopped functioning, the design and the materials showed that the Bi Xie Empire was pretty powerful in its heyday.
If those founders really did manage to find the core legacies of that Empire, then whatever they found was sure to be powerful enough to threaten their lives. She therefore advocated caution.
Gild had many admirable qualities, and her tolerance and amodation of others is one of them, but I can''t help but feel that her warning indirectly contributed to the war that happened back then.
She was well respected all around by most of the spirit beasts, especially the powerful ones. Of course, when she asked them to avoid the Kingdom, they did exactly just that and kept to themselves.
That tolerance had likely emboldened the Kingdom giving them the misconception that they were feared and could therefore try their hand at dominating this entire range.
I can''t help but think had she not warned them and let them attack the kingdom in its infancy stage as they had nned, maybe the bloodshed that had overrun this ce would not have happened..." she said with a sigh.
"This ce seems to be turning more and more into the Bestial Churning Sea. One of the reasons I chose to settle in this ce was because of this torch and the tranquility of the range. But now, it''s constant battles, thievery and I don''t know why, but from the moment I came back, I keep feeling this dread, as if something terrifying is about to befall this ce.." Gu Xing said with worry in her tone.
Chapter 688 The urn that echoes with legacies
Chapter 688 The urn that echoes with legacies
"Did the voice, describe anything more about the human he fought against?" asked Yang Qing.
Various events and information suggested that something was brewing in the Deer Mountain Kingdom, and whatever it was, it was likely, not good considering someone there wanted to trigger another battle by sending the four organizations to rob the graveyard torch to help them in their attempt to break through to the pce realm, afterwhich they would be invited to join the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Had the n seeded, the Deer Mountain Kingdom would have seen itself facing another spirit beast tide. They were already despised deeply as it stood, add to that the vition of their sacred ground, any and all spirit beasts would immediately attack them, regardless of the risks. Who knows it could even draw the attention of the other spirit beasts who had left the forest to temper themselves, or pull others out of seclusion.
The amount of bloodshed and lives that would be lost, would be astronomical, which was what Yang Qing assumed the schemer was after. Anything that required so much bloodshed and lives, would be anything but simple.
"He did say something, I don''t know how much help it is, but he did keep mentioning the eyes, the human had eyes that seemed to be like the windows of the abyss. The eyes filled him with dread which sapped away his resolve while eroding his mind. He felt like he was slowly being swallowed into the world within those eyes.
That dread was still evident in his remnant spirit, it was from that sensation that I was able to infer that he saw the same thing as me.."
"Let me rey it for you.." she added as a med gold rune appeared on the tip of her index fingers.
"The spell is called?the urn of echoes of legacy. It''s something I created during my stay here. It doesn''t have much use other than preserving the voices of those seniors.." she softly exined as the gold-med rune rotated together to form a gold urn with intricate designs forming on its surface.
The urn rotated slightly as the image of a crane was slowly engraved on it with every rotation. It wasn''t long before it waspletely formed.
"It''s an amazing art.." Yang Qing said with genuine praise as his eyes glittered in interest at the urn before him.
The urn was a masterful work of art. Yang Qing wasn''t sure if a seasoned craftsman who had 10,000 years of experience under their belt would be able to create an urn like the one he was seeing.
Everything from the outline to the markings, to the design, to the aura that surrounded it made it seem like it hade from some heavenly treasure hold.
Gu Xing smiled slightly as she saw Yang Qing absentmindedly muttering to himself while admiring the urn.
His gaze then fell on the crane. Yang Qing''s gaze widened as he could feel the crane though was but a drawing on the urn, felt alive and breathing. He could feel its presence. A daring, contemptuous, cold, and tempestuous presence.
Its feathers were a mixture of dark grey and silver luminescence. It looked like they were made of dark clouds covered by the radiance of the moon. Yang Qing could even hear a storm brewing within its feathers. The crane was a lunar fury crane. It could draw storms and thunder with the movements of its wings.
Gu Xing gently passed her index finger at the mouth of the urn which triggered a reaction from it, as the crane burst with a golden light, a secondter a voice came from the urn.
That thing wasn''t human! I have seen a great many deals, but that, but that!.. Those eyes..Those eyes... just a nce was enough to sink my mind into an endless abyss of dread. My body ...alone in a swirling ocean filled with wails and horrific fears that sapped the will to live out of me.
I don''t know how I left alive.. Did I even live alive? Fear, always afraid, from morning to night, all I had since that day forpany was that fear, up until I came here. The torch of the seniors before me gave me refuge from that torment.
Please stay away from those eyes, stay away from that human with that gaze, if he is human. That incarnation of horrid death... No matter how fearless you think you are, stay away, if you see him, run, I hope these broken insights of mine can aid your escape. Those two eyes...
"That''s it.." Gu Xing said as she waved her hands, causing the urn to disappear in the process.
Yang Qing remained still, ruminating over the words spoken. Gu Xing''s urn of echoes of legacy art was truly wonderous. Yang Qing could indeed feel the intense emotions of the lunar fury crane. He could feel the dread he had as if he was sharing senses with it.
"The eyes..." Yang Qing muttered.
"A physique or something else.." he added lost in the vortex of extrapting guesses.
"Can your art exist outside for long?" asked Yang Qing.
While he could maybe replicate the features of the urn of echoes of legacy, it wouldck the intrinsic rawness contained within Gu Xing''s art, which was something Yang Qing felt could y an integral part when searching for clues.
"You want to take it out of here to investigate?" asked Gu Xing.
"Mmmh..though if it''s too much trouble, it''s okay to refuse.."
"Ideally, it wouldst for two months before it dissipates without me there to feed my qi into it, but I could make itst longer, at least for a few years, five.." Gu Xing muttered as she reformed the urn.
After it formed, she nicked one of her fingers with her silver-
polished nail. A gold droplet that contained the vibrancy of the sun with a dense sacred aura was produced from the shallow cut.
"Gu Xing, there''s.."
Yang Qing had just started to protest Gu Xing using her blood essence when she shook her head with a smile.
The drop fell on the urn which quivered in excitement as it zed like it was being crafted using the mes of the sun. A minuteter the mes subsided and the urn looked the same as before, except there was now a miniaturized image of the celestial sacred swan etched covertly inside one of the patterns that decorated the urn.
Chapter 689 Trade
Chapter 689 Trade
Blood essence was precious to a spirit beast, it was like him slicing up a bit of his soul essence from his body. Though it wouldn''t affect him greatly, it would take time to rece and restore the missing soul essence.
The same applied to Gu Xing. Sacrificing that drop of her blood essence, was like sacrificing a few months of her cultivation.
"It''s okay, though if you feel guilty about it, you can repay it with something simr and use it on the scarlet grove tree. I feel it would benefit from your intervention which will more than repay what I''ve spent.
I''ve made improvements over the years thanks to it.." Gu Xing said with a soft smile.
Yang Qing stared at her for a short moment before nodding his head and moving toward the tree.
Spring of resplendence
He circted his cultivation to its fullest andbined its force with his yin-yang jade physique to create the purest drop of spring of resplendence he could create.
A gentle flood of life aura was produced from his fingertip as the vital essence of nature itself was interwoven within the droplet. It took two minutes before the drop was fully formed. A green-blue drop with multitudinous lights actively swirling within it covered with a slight purple smoke.
Gu Xing''s eyes widened as she felt the energy within that drop. She had only asked for a trade-in jest. The blood essence she used wasn''t much of a loss for her as she could replenish in it in a week and her helping Yang Qing was also a way of helping herself. If it could help trace the eerie figure the better it was for her, the more at peace it would be.
But the droplet in Yang Qing''s hands, she could feel the energy and profundity within it was much more than the energy contained in the cosmic energy of the stars. It could replenish her blood essence instantly if she was to consume it and leave room for more.
"I hope you''re not looking for me to be your daopanion. Not that I would mind, you are not bad, by human standards at least, but I would be unable to give you offspring. Our kind is unable to have children, like some natural order that prevents it.." Gu Xing hesitantly said with a low voice.
The drop in Yang Qing''s hands almost copsed with his suddenpse in concentration and the agitation brought forth by Gu Xing''s statement.
"What are you saying?! I don''t want you to be my daopanion.." Yang Qing hurriedly said as he warily turned around as if afraid someone had overheard them.
On seeing the look Gu Xing was giving him like she didn''t buy it, Yang Qing said,
"It doesn''t cost me much to produce this drop, if I wanted to I could produce 500 of them matching in quality and purity without breaking a sweat.
I am doing this not only to repay you but also to make up for what they did. I know you were not serious when you asked for the repayment but I intended to do this before I left. The reason you revealed yourself wasn''t it because of the tree, or more specifically the crystals?" asked Yang Qing with a knowing smile which made Gu Xing look away.
"Sensing my nature, you must have guessed I could prolong their longevity, right?" he asked.
"Mmh.." Gu Xing said with a slight nod.
"I did think that and thought I could trade something with you, but your abilities went beyond what I could imagine. I realized I would have nothing of equal to trade...I don''t want to take advantage..." she softly said.
"The urn is more than enough payment, trust me on that. It has enormous value to me," Yang Qing solemnly said with clear eyes.
Gu Xing stared at Yang Qing for a while trying to see any sense of falsehood and when she couldn''t, she had no choice but to nod her head.
Yang Qing smiled in return as he poured the drop onto the scarlet crystal grove tree whose leaves shook in excitement the closer the drop was to its body.
Once the drop made contact, a green-blue membrane shed on every part of its body, disappearing just as fast. The grove tree stood at 10 meters but the moment the drop entered its body, it instantly burst to a height of 50 meters with countless branches and leaves appearing over its body that it looked like 10 trees had beenbined into one.
The height continued to increase until it reached 200 meters before it started shrinking back till it was finally back to the 10-
meter height it was before.
The scarlet crystal grove underwent a profound transformation as its back turned pure white, with the leaves transforming into a shade of green and blue. The leaves released a soothing and rejuvenating essence that pervaded the entire area, while the tree itself seemed to be shrouded with a harmonious aura that carried the source of nature itself which in turn affected the vegetation around it, and the crystals that were within it.
All the crystals now shone with a radiant red color that seemed to pulse with the rhythm of life.
The voices that sounded like faint whispers from before were now full of life and the qualities all matched. Each and every voice was clear, and rich in life and character.
"Thank you, Yang Qing.." Gu Xing said in a soft tone that was almost like a whisper but contained intense emotions within. The intense emotions were of gratitude.
"You''re wee.." Yang Qing said as he felt his heart lighten when he saw the radiant light within which the scarlet crystals shone.
Even though it wasn''t his debt to pay, doing so made him feel like a knot in his heart and mind had been released.
Chapter 690 Key to the soul formation realm?
Chapter 690 Key to the soul formation realm?
Yang Qing could instantly tell what was the source of the transformation, it was his Dao. Something within it had been activated with his act. Some of the profound truths and power contained within it had been triggered by his actions and were now baptizing and transforming his body.
Yang Qing closed out all his senses as he focused his entirety on the presence of his Dao. For one to break through to the pce realm they needed to grasp a form of Dao which they would then use as the key to open the doors of the pce realm. Once inside, the amount of Dao they have grasped would be used as the material and foundation to build their internal realm.
From that moment forth, the improvement of their cultivation base would be dependent on them digging deeper and deeper into the profundities of their own Dao. The more profound truths and mysterious secrets of their Dao they grasp and absorb, the more their cultivation improves. It was the only way to grow their cultivation base.
Though Yang Qing''s cultivation didn''t improve, he felt he had a finer control of his abilities, and everything from his soul, to his qi, to his body and internal pce world seemed to have been made morepact and purer. The power contained within his body seemed to have experienced a slight increase as the level of the mysteries and profundities contained within the vitality dao had increased within him.
Countless ideas and thoughts came rushing into his mind from the increase. Some were new ideas and concepts that he had not yet thought of, while others were scattered thoughts that he had over the years and could not make sense of.
Just as Yang Qing was wondering where to start, he felt a gentle power flood his body. The power seemed to soften the energy contained within those ideas and concepts that continuously flooded his mind into a form that was easily absorbable to Yang Qing. Though Yang Qing would have still been able to harvest something from those concepts and ideas and use it to transform himself and grow his strength, the gentle force hastened that process by aiding his ability to quickly grasp and digest the insights contained within those ideas and mysterious truths.
"Thank you.." Yang Qing gently said with a soft smile.
From the moment that gentle force covered his body, he could already tell its source. It hade from the scarlet crystal grove tree, more specifically the crystals themselves. He could feel the ethereal power being released from those crystals which then slowly covered his body like he was surrounded by warm sunlight.
The interaction between the ethereal power, himself, and the vitality dao growing within him made him feel like he was in a lecture room discussing dao with countless seniors.
Within the ethereal power, he could feel the individuality contained within it. That individuality made the power split into different directions heading to the countless ideas and truths Yang Qing had in his mind.
Yang Qing could tell the split wasn''t random. The ethereal power was the amalgamation of the spiritual intent and vestigial presence of the spirit beasts that left those crystals within the scarlet crystal grove tree. Those intents each split as they went to the ideas and truths within Yang Qing that they had some understanding of.
They shared their understandings with Yang Qing which hastened Yang Qing''s ability to gain insight into the truths and ideas that hade flooding into his mind. It was like he was having a dao discussion with them and in the process of doing so, he was deepening his understanding of the vitality dao.
Gu Xing stood dazed as she saw Yang Qing surrounded by radiant lights of different colors. They flew around him like colorful miniaturized swallows. Even though she couldn''t quite tell what was happening to Yang Qing she could feel the changes happening to him as his natural essence got more and more distinctive and profound.
It increased to the point that even if Yang Qing was standing right in front of her she was struggling to tell him apart from the graveyard''s environment. It was like he and the graveyard had melded into one existence.
She could feel the graveyard''s environment and essence elevating because of that symmetry. It felt moreplete and bnced out than before.
Before, the graveyard part of the graveyard torch was more dominant than the torch. Having stayed here for close to 10,000 years, Gu Xing grew intimately familiar with every inch of the ce and had therefore been able to notice a few things here and there such as though the spirit beasts had been able to form the inheritance blood crystals, those crystals were always iplete.
They were unable to capture the full essence of the spirit beast that left them there, which in turn impacted their longevity and the benefits other spirit beasts may gain from refining it. Hence the torch aspect was alwaysgging behind but now, she could feel the essence within the area and the crystals themselves grow.
With Yang Qing acting as the catalyst, the graveyard torch experienced a transformation and elevation. Forming of the blood crystals will now be easier, they willst longer, and the sessors will be able to harvest more from the crystals.
Gu Xing even felt that the graveyard now had a chance to form the crystalized eight-dao petal flower, which was considered the ultimate gift of the graveyard torch. Despite the Deer Mountain Range''s graveyard torch being here for over 100,000 years, it has never formed one.
The requirements for forming the crystalized eight-dao petal flower were highly stringent as it needed quality inheritance blood crystals, with a bare minimum of crystals formed from spirit beasts that had reached the pce realm and had a deep understanding of the dao, other than that, there were other factors required to work in tandem such as the area''s ability to support the formation of those crystals and actually contain them. Yang Qing''s presence had done just that.
Gu Xing couldn''t help but sigh. Earlier she had only revealed herself out of whim because she found Yang Qing''s nature fascinating and did indeed have the intention to ask him to help the scarlet crystal grove tree as she felt his essence could improve it, but she quickly realized how she had grossly underestimated how unique Yang Qing was, or powerful he was. It was surprise after surprise after surprise.
His actions would affect the spirit beasts of the Deer Mountain Range for thousands and thousands of years toe. With the graveyard torch improved, she had no doubt there would be more pce realm spirit beasts as a result of it.
When her thoughts reached here, she couldn''t help but worry. Even though the spirit beasts of the Deer Mountain Range weren''t the most vtile, their history with the Deer Mountain Kingdom had left them all with a distaste and intolerance for humans. She couldn''t help but fear them acting impetuously against Yang Qing because he was a human despite him being the greatest reason for their improvement.
"But with his strength, I doubt he would have anything to worry about, but still, it would be disgraceful if they attacked him."
Gu Xing decided she would have to enlighten every spirit beast that came to the graveyard torch and inform them that the benefits they enjoyed were because of Yang Qing. That was of course after getting Yang Qing''s approval.
Almost an hour passed by before Yang Qing opened his eyes with a satisfied smile on his face. Even though he was still at the third stage of the pce realm, his harvests this time were greater than the epiphany he had by the river at the branch. By gaining a deeper understanding of his dao, all his abilities were elevated, and he could feel, he had just taken a step toward understanding the question green cocoon asked him.
What was vitality to him?
Though the question had seemed casual, right now, he felt like there was some guiding profound mystery within it that he had not noticed before. He could now feel an inkling as to what Green Cocoon was hinting at. Even though his understanding was raw at the moment, he at the very least could now feel the breadth of the question, and slowly by slowly as he kept improving, the concept of the question would no longer be as abstract as it was, and soon he would understand and eventually work toward finding an answer to it.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but be excited at what awaited him when he found that answer. Just grasping the ephemeral presence of the question had brought him so many advantages, he couldn''t help but wonder what it would be like when hepletely grasped it and answered it.
"Maybe it''s the key to the soul formation realm.."
Chapter 691 Leaving the graveyard torch
Chapter 691 Leaving the graveyard torch
Yang Qing quickly extinguished his excitable thoughts as he guided his attention back to the scarlet crystal grove tree.
The soul formation realm might as well be some oundish prospect to him at the moment. Him fantasizing about it was no different than his dreaming about one day stumbling across a mysterious realm made entirely of delicacies of all kinds.
He could think about it all he wanted, but it remained to be seen if he would ever reach such heights. Some argued that the core formation realm was the first watershed in cultivation that separated the mediocre from the rest.
Those who made it to the core formation realm showed they at least had a modicum of ability to cultivate and from within that group those who managed to reach the pce realm showed that their abilities were standouts from the rest.
With greatprehension and talent, one could reach the realms of the pce realm and below, but when it came to the domain realm, things were vastly different. Talent andprehension weren''t enough. Luck and resolve came into y.
Everyone who was able to survive the tribtion of the domain realm showed that they were geniuses amongst geniuses, a one-of-a-kind talent who appeared in 100,000 years, and it wasn''t only just that, it also showed they had an unshakeable resolve and indomitable will capable of weathering through any and all tribtions. The world would end, and they would remain calm.
It was widely epted that the tribtion leading to the domain realm was the deadliest, and such a statement was supported even by figures who had reached the soul formation realm. They all agreed on that one fact, beneath the tribtion of the domain realm, it didn''t matter whether you were from a prestigious background, orcking of, you were all equal beneath that death-reaping lightning.
Every domain expert was special, it didn''t matter whether they were at the first stage or the peak,?being a domain expert made them stand out, not because of the monstrous abilities they had, but because they survived that treacherous tribtion.
But as huge as that achievement is, those monstrously gifted and resolved domain experts, not many of them reach the soul formation realm. Resolve and talent are not enough. Yang Qing heard that every breakthrough to the soul formation realm was unique to the person, you could never be trained or prepared for it, and when the moment was ripe, you would just know.
Yang Qing knew he was a long way away from the domain realm let alone the soul formation realm. He had only begun taking the step to scale up that peak, and he wasn''t sure he would be able to reach it. No one could guarantee that he would reach the soul formation. There were already members of the Order who had stagnated in that realm.
The members of the judicial reviewmittee were prime examples of it. Other than Long Ei, none of the other members had reached the soul formation realm, despite all being from the same era. Maybe Yang Qing and his group of friends may end up the same way, with only just one of them reaching the soul-formation realm while the rest forevernguished in the domain realm.
He had already made some sort of peace with it, well a bit of it. He would only be at peace with it if Kang Hung wasn''t the person who reached the soul formation realm, because if it happened, he was sure he would develop heart demons from Kang Hung mocking him endlessly for thousands and thousands of years without pause.
"I can''t let that bastard show me up, I must reach the soul formation realm. I can''t risk it.." muttered Yang Qing as he clenched his teeth with staunch conviction.
He liked pulling down Kang Hung a peg or two, but Yang Qing couldn''t deny, among their group, the one person he thought had high odds of reaching it was that yellow-haired bastard.
Zhang Qinggee may be one of the youngest pce realm cultivators at the Order and has terrifyingbat abilities, but Yang Qing and even their circle knew, Kang Hung was something. He would have broken through to the pce realm much much earlier than even Yang Qing, had he wanted to. He only dyed for so long because he was ying around with different types of intents to try and find out how many he could blend without risking a bacsh.
Cultivators could spend thousands and thousands of years and never catch a whiff of any type of intent. They could sacrifice everything to thest drop including even their lives, and never achieve it, but when it came to Kang Hung, he had been ying around with it since he was 12 and it wasn''t just one type of intent.
Yang Qing didn''t know what the special requirements for triggering a breakthrough to the soul formation were, but he felt a bastard who was able to blend three different types of intent together had a high chance of triggering them eventually.
Yang Qing felt stifled at the thought before he said,
"At least I''ll reach the domain realm earlier than him and my chances of survival are higher.."
He could feel the resplendent power of the vitality dao coursing through every corner of his body from his essence, his qi, his spirit, his tendons, organs, and blood, everything within him had been coated by a sliver of power of the vitality dao which brought numerous benefits to him a few of which were resilience and regeneration.
While he couldn''t reform his body from a single drop of blood yet, he faintly felt the deeper he understood the vitality dao, the closer to realization such a feat would be, but even without regeneration from a drop of blood, his body''s ability to reform had increased astronomically.
Anybody below the domain realm could forget about killing him in one blow. With the changes in his body, his ability to heal, reform, and restore was likely higher than the destructive power contained in a single attack from ate-stage pce realm expert. Provided they didn''t use an artifact that was at the ascendant grade and above, they could forget killing him in one strike.
The vitality dao had not only strengthened his ability to heal but other aspects too. His immunity to poisons, curses, and soul attacks had increased too. He was already immune to over 10,000 poisons because of his yin-yang jade bones physique, the deepening of his understanding of the vitality dao and the changes it had brought had only added more to that.?The speed with which his spiritual qi was restored also increased along with his qi capacity, and the purity of his soul had experienced an elevation too.
He had experienced a wholesome transformation and he knew the deeper his understanding grew, the more perverted those benefits would be.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh in gratification as he realized one of his life''s ambitions was slowly being realized. Other than food,zying around, people who mattered to him, pulling one over the Lei Weiyuan and the Order, one of the things he cared about most since he was a kid, was his life and ensuring he could increase his ability to safeguard it. With the vitality dao, that life''s ambition was slowly being realized.
Filled with emotions of gratitude, Yang Qing turned toward the scarlet crystals. He solemnly cupped his fists as he said,
"Junior Yang Qing would like to thank you seniors for the help you have provided.."
The scarlet crystals flickered with a soft glow while gently swaying to the sides.
Yang Qing smiled with a soft nod as he turned to find Gu Xing staring intensely at him.
"Thank you for hosting me and for the urn, Miss Gu Xing.." said Yang Qing with a polite smile.
"Who are you?" Gu Xing muttered in a daze.
"A human called Yang Qing, just Yang Qing.." Yang Qing answered with a cheeky smile.
Gu Xing froze from the reply before she joined with a smile of her own as she replied,
"Well, just Yang Qing, thank you truly. Thank you for what you have done. I owe you a favor, and should you ever need my assistance, I would dly offer it.."
"It''s okay, I too benefited from the interaction. Though if you want to, it''s more of a request really, visit Meifeng when you can.."
"I was already meaning to, even without you asking.."
"I am sure she''d appreciate it. At least I won''t have to worry about her constantly calling me every minute... That reminds me, do you have amunication talisman?" asked Yang Qing.
"The senior who took care of me gave me one, but I have never used it.." Gu Xing said as she went over beneath the scarlet crystal grove tree and took out a talisman from a covered opening in its trunk.
"Your senior has good connections.." said Yang Qing as he eyed themunication talisman in Gu Xing''s hands.
The quality was the same as his which he was given by the Order. Hers could covermunication around the entire continent just like his.
Yang Qing once tried to buy one out of pocket at White Rose Pavilion. He had assumed it wasn''t that expensive and would likely cost maybe 10 high-grade spirit stones at most only to find it was five hundred times that figure. The high-grademunication talisman came at a whooping 5,000 high-
grade spirit stones and that was with him getting a 35% discount.
Since that day asionally he would get nightmares about losing hismunication talisman and the Order, asking him to rece it with his funds. Since then every time he wakes up he has to confirm it is there. He even had it inscribed with a tracking and camouging rune just in case.
Yang Qing quickly exchanged contact with Gu Xing.
"If you happen to detect that aura again please inform me, or you cane to this ce and tell the person in charge..." Yang Qing said as he projected the location of the branch through a spell.
"I figured you''re from there... so you are from the Order.." Gu Xing said as she recognized the area shown by Yang Qing.
Suddenly she frowned as she said,
"Wait, I thought you were close with the Deer Mountain Kingdom. Earlier when I said the eerie figure may have ties with the Kingdom though you seemed shocked, you didn''t seem surprised by the guess, and you didn''t challenge it either..Is there something wrong with them?"
Yang Qing went silent for a brief moment debating whether to tell her of his guesses or not before ultimately deciding to inform her of it.
"You have to promise, you won''t spread it as I haven''t confirmed it myself, and is just a case now.." Yang Qing solemnly said.
"I promise.."
Yang Qing sighed as he went on to exin his guess and the foundation of his guess stemming from the fight with the blue soul me crow syndicate and the obsidian serpents to the leaked information about the graveyard torch and how it might potentially be tied to something that required a lot of lives as a prerequisite and the identity of that person being from the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
Gu Xing''s expression turned grim from the flood of information. Everything Yang Qing said supported her worries, especially that foreboding feeling she felt from the moment she stepped onto the range.
"Why don''t you attack them? If you wait, won''t it be toote?"
"Like I said at the moment it''s just a guess. A few of my seniors had investigated the kingdom when they came but they couldn''t find anything. If we attack them with impunity, we will draw attention that the Order doesn''t need at the moment.
All we can do is pull at the thread and follow it wherever it leads, trying to uncover as much as we can which hopefully will lead us to the right ce before the worst happens..." Yang Qing said with a sigh.
"But don''t worry, I already informed my seniors of my suspicions. They are more powerful and experienced than I am in digging up things.
If something is going on with the kingdom, they will surely find it, and the urn you''ve shared with me could help with that.." he added.
"I hope so," said Gu Xing with a grim expression.
"I really hope so.." she added.
"Me too.." added Yang Qing.
He exchanged a few pleasantries with Gu Xing before he left. He made a point of warning her against investigating the Deer Mountain Kingdom on her own lest something happen to her. Turns out his warning wasn''t needed as Gu Xing was abundantly cautious of her life just as he was. She had no intention of leaving the graveyard torch. Other than visiting Meifeng, she would stay put where she was. The environment strengthened her ability to sense danger and with the evolution brought by Yang Qing''s involvement, it was even more so now.
Yang Qing told her, that if worse came to worst, she could flee to the branch which was about the safest ce in the entire range, even more so, once the array covering the entire range waspleted.
Once he was done, Yang Qing made a beeline to another location. With his period as the branch chief almosting to a close, there were a few arrangements he wanted to make before he left.
Chapter 692 I have a proposition for you
Chapter 692 I have a proposition for you
It was only those who were from the fifth stage and above that he had to be wary of, but even then, they would have to be actively searching for him for them to notice him.
Yang Qing continuously nodded in satisfaction as he felt the improvement. His sensitivity to life had increased. From the nts to the animals and spirit beasts to the rocks and soils, he could distinctly feel their breadths of life and individuality. A cursory nce was enough to tell their makeup, such as their affinities and even emotions.
At the corner of his eye, he could see a daisy open up its flower to wee the sunshine that was filtering through a canopy. As the rays of sunshine hit its petals, Yang Qing could sense its intense emotions which were of pleasant satisfaction, and the changes that sunlight was bringing into its body. Because of his physique, he could see the lines of thin yang energy trickling into the petals of the daisy, slowly transforming it. The daisy had not yet evolved into a spiritual nt, but Yang Qing could now tell exactly how long it would take for it to evolve into a spiritual nt.
He could sense things much more distinctly by just passing next to them without even using his pce sense to glean the details.
The strength of his body had improved, along with his agility. While his understanding of the phantom void steps was still where it was, which was the blooming phase, he could feel his execution was much smoother than before, which in turn influenced how much qi he expended, and how fast he traveled.
He was executing the art at maximum capacity, but the cost to his spiritual qi was an eighth of the qi stored in his body, and that expenditure was quickly covered by his body''s increased ability to restore qi.
Even without Yang Qing consciously drawing the surrounding spiritual qi into his body, the spiritual qi was voluntarily filling his body like it was being maically drawn by some force. The quantity of spiritual qi being autonomously absorbed by his body was enough to offset half the cost of executing the phantom void steps.
"Coming to this ce wasn''t bad at all.." muttered Yang Qing with a sigh of gratification.
It wasn''t long before he had covered 100 kilometers in just under twenty minutes, undetectable to most creatures he passed by. There had been a few spirit beasts whose strengthsy in their senses and had subtle changes in their expressions when Yang Qing passed by their territory, but the presence they sensed wasn''t enough to alert them or make sense of it, so they went back to what they were doing.
Yang Qing had gone to the territories of these spirit beasts intentionally to test the innate abilities of his body to meld with his surroundings. He even went to the extent of lowering his speed just enough to see if those spirit beasts could detect him. He did the test with spirit beasts famed for their high sensory abilities.
He passed through the territory of an iridescent insight jewel beetle that was at the quasi-pce stage. The spirit beast had an innate ability to sense the warm temperature released by a living body.
While cultivators had numerous ways of lowering their temperature to the point they were no different than a corpse or certain physiques that made their bodies lower than normal, the iridescent insight jewel sensed the warmth of the life that coursed through their bodies which was difficult to hide.
The iridescent insight jewel he passed by flickered slightly as if it sensed something but went back to normal when it didn''t detect anything even after concentrating within the sphere of influence of its territory. Yang Qing had attuned himself to everything around him making it difficult for the iridescent insight jewel to tell him apart from the nts and even the soil he was surrounded by.
Yang Qing conducted a few more tests with other sensory-
specialized spirit beasts in the area like the Essence echo butterfly and a soul fire resonance scarab till he was finally satisfied that his camouging abilities had experienced a significant increase like he had guessed.
Having already had a general feel of the wholesome changes brought to his body from the increase of essence of the vitality dao coursing through his entire being, Yang Qing focused his attention back on where he was headed.
After fifteen minutes, he finally reached it. It was a rocky mountain that at a cursory nce wasn''t much different than the other surrounding mountains. If one were to pick something that made the mountain Yang Qing was looking at, different than the rest, it would be it felt slightly warmer than other ces, but it wasn''t to the point that it was ring. Only someone who was acutely sensing the temperatures around different areas of the range would notice such a subtle difference.
Yang Qing sighed in admiration as he took a deep breath like he was savoring a pleasant smell as indeed he was. The entire mountain was suffused with the essence of the earth element to the point that Yang Qing could see a gold-orange veil covering the whole mountain. Of course, such a sight could only be seen by someone in the pce realm whose pce sense was able to see the materialization of an element''s essence.
The veil was in the image of golden orange threads that seemed to connect and link everything within the mountain together.
The natural blend of the rich smell of earth and wood reinvigorated Yang Qing. With his robes billowing, Yang Qing flew to the peak of the mountain.
The moment Yang Qing reached the peak, something from within the peak itself spoke. It was an ancient voice filled with vigor.
"What do you want, human?" Yang Qing paused, a soft smile tugging his lips as he cupped his fists in greetings.
"You must be the mountain jade snake.. nice to meet you, I''m Yang Qing,a judge from the Order. I have a proposition for you.."
Chapter 693 No Loyalty
Chapter 693 No Loyalty
"What proposition?"
The voice was still as stable and filled with vigor as it had been before, but now it had another connotation within it, which was intrigue.
Yang Qing''s eyes glittered when he detected interest showing on the mountain jade serpent.
"How about I give your nature jade stone an upgrade in exchange for a small favor?" said Yang Qing.
Immediately Yang Qing finished the sentence, the mountain trembled aggressively almost as if it was beset by multiple earthquakes. It wasn''t only the mountain that reacted to the air around the mountain that seemed to shake along with it, and the earth essence veil that had enveloped the entire mountain as a fog stirred bringing with it many changes.
The movement of the earth essence caused the gravity within the mountain and five kilometers around it experienced a steep increase to the point that the ground and the vegetation around the mountain started caving in under the gigantic force bearing down on them.
Numerous trees suddenly started exploding into splinters from the crown to the stem slowly extending to the ground below, the protruding rocks surrounding the ce were ground into dust, while the ground itself was instantly filled with crevices and craters.
The intensity of the damage only seemed to be increasing with the boiling up of the earth essence surrounding the mountain.
"You better leave, Yang Qing. I can tell you are more powerful than I am, and ideally, I am not one prone to engage in fights, especially in ones that are stacked against it, but that doesn''t mean that I wouldn''t do it if pushed to a corner.
Please do not push me.." said the mountain jade snake with its voice still maintaining the same stability and vigor.
Even with the increase in gravity and Yang Qing being within the sphere of influence, his posture and demeanor were just as rxed as he had been when he stepped into the area, almost as if the increase in gravity had no effects on him whatsoever.
"This pressure should match the 200th..no it doesn''t have that quality yet it should be just below it, at the 190 thereabouts. Aah, this reminds me of the good old days of scaling up the Spirit Howling Mountain, trying to outdo one another on the Spirit Howling tablet.
Since I stepped onto the pce realm, I haven''t been there. I should make a point of visiting it and harvest more rewards and probably leave Hung and the rest in the dust, maybe I could even overtake Dai Chen.." muttered Yang Qing with a gleeful smile as he held his chin in contemtion.
"Are you not leaving?" fiercely asked the Mountain Jade Serpent.
The mountain''s peak immediately trembled ferociously like it was separating itself from the rest of the mountain. The mountain that stood at 7,000 meters suddenly shrunk to half that, as it deformed into a tiny hill, while the missing portion morphed into the form of a snake.
A humongous snake the size of a small mountain appeared in the ce of the missing peak. It had a smoothened-out earth-brown jade skin that glittered with green. It looked like polished earth with moss growing on it. Its eyes matched its coating, a mix of earth brown and a little hue of green mixing within it.
The earth essence that had filled the area was now congealed around its body making it look like an extrayering of its scales giving the snake an abundant and vigorous aura. One look at it and one would feel like they are facing off against 1,000 mountains stacked together.
Seeing that the mountain jade snake looked just about ready to attack, Yang Qing sighed as he softly spoke up.
"I think you''ve misunderstood me. I am not after your nature jade stone. To others, it may indeed very well be a precious resource but I don''t need it. There''s not much it can add to my body than what my body already does.."
Yang Qing with his arms hanging casually by his side, and robes billowing, brought the presence of his entire cultivation to bear. He circted the universal light resonant art whilst also activating his yin-yang jade physique.
There was no blinding radiance or shy explosion, just a gentle ethereal light and presence released from his body, but that presence and that light instantly quelled the agitation within the area while breathing life and stability around the area. The trees that had exploded, left with nothing but a stump gained a new lease on life as they regrew their stems, branches, and leaves in the time it took to take a breath.
It wasn''t only the trees as different nts instantly regrew like weeds. The ethereal glow flowing out of Yang Qing''s body instantly transformed the ce like rain heralding the end of drought.
As for the earth essence that was the trigger of everything, it immediately quieted down and became docile beneath the glow released by Yang Qing. It was like a child lowering its head before its parent after being caught in mischief.
The pupils of the mountain jade snake immediately shook when it sensed the changes, especially to the essence of earth. That essence was something produced from the nature jade stone and it had taken it close to five thousand years for it to freely manipte it to surround itsir, and even then, it had notpletely refined it or understood the entirety of its mysteries and was still in the process ofprehending it.
The mountain jade snake''s heart trembled with shock as it couldn''t believe what it was seeing. That essence, which took it astronomical levels of effort, time, and sacrifice just to understand and assimte partially, had been subdued in just but an instant by the human standing before it.
It had no doubt in its mind, that if the human willed it, he could take away all the earth essence surrounding its body. Its guess was proven to be true when it sensed the object of its sess, the thing that transformed it from a rock python destined to be eaten into a mountain jade snake that was powerful enough to hold territory by itself without disturbance.
However, that object that it had grown to revere, was now trembling with intense excitement looking to escape its body and rush toward the human before it, like a child trying to return to the embrace of their parents.
"Can''t you show even a little reluctance? we have after all known each other for at least 27,000 years. I knew this human wasn''t simple but this.."
Sighing in defeat, the mountain jade snake finally asked,
"What is it you want?"
Earlier, while it did not think its odds of victory were high, it thought that at least with the assistance of the nature jade stone it could maybe drag things out to the point that both parties woulde to an understanding and forego further hostilities, but now, the nature jade stone would likely betray it without a second thought. The mountain jade snake no longer had the heart to fight and by the look of things it seemed like the human had been telling the truth about not needing the nature jade stone. He could already feel the subservience of the nature jade stone towards the presence of Yang Qing.
Hearing the mountain jade snake''s words, Yang Qing dispelled his aura, once again looking like a charming cheeky handsome youth taking a casual stroll in the forest.
"Just so you know, if the request is for me to attack other spirit beasts or something close to it, I will have to refuse you. I am already okay with nature jade stone as is.." added the mountain jade snake.
"I would not ask you to do something like that. If you were the type to agree to do something like that I would not havee here in the first ce, nor would I trade with you.." Yang Qing solemnly said.
"So, what is it?"
"It''s something small. I''ll be leaving soon, and I have a few friends here that I''d like you to check on now and then and confirm they''re okay.."
With a confused look on its face, the mountain jade snake asked,
"You want me to check on your fellow humans? Why don''t you do it yourself or let others from the Order do it? I''ve heard other spirit beasts who ventured outside mention how powerful you lot are. Surely you can do a better job than I.."
"My friends are not humans.." said Yang Qing as he went on to describe the restoration oak tree, the aurora azalea, and the verdant glow firefly he had left at the territory of the now defunct Clear Sword River Sect.
After hearing the description of the three figures mentioned especially their abilities, the mountain jade snake couldn''t help but look suspiciously at Yang Qing as it said,
"Why do you want me there? By the look of things that ce is valuable and we are not that familiar with each other.."
"The parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree said you could be trusted, and I feel the nature jade stone would benefit much from the three of them just as much as they would benefit from it. The three figures are filled with my aura, and while their strengths are too low to support your cultivation base, it won''t always be that way.." Yang Qing said with a smile.
"You know Adler''s sister? She''s not one to talk to strangers but if she did...."the mountain jade snake paused for a moment and then its body instantly transformed into that of a handsome man in his early forties with a robust build, smooth brown skin, long brown hair and amber eyes that had a tinge of green in them. His aura was one of stability.
"I, Mu Fen, agree.." said the middle-aged man as he extended his hand toward Yang Qing for a handshake.
"Thank you, Mu Fen.." answered Yang Qing as he stretched out his hand for the handshake.
Chapter 694 Decision made by the Judicial Review Committee
Chapter 694 Decision made by the Judicial Review Committee
The pebble shook as the colors sparkled with more radiance rotating in different parts of the pebble. Mu Fen couldn''t help but feel bitter when he saw this. This was the first time the pebble in his hands ever showed such a drastic reaction. The whole time he had it, it was dormant and dull colored almost as if it was in a perpetual hibernation, but now, it was vibrant and full of energy.
He could even feel the concentration of the earth, wood, and water essence being released by the pebble had doubled and was quickly increasing as it exuded a dense cleansing essence. He could feel his blood essence being improved just from the casual contact.
"It was holding out.." he wondered in shock as he sensed the changes. Though the improvement wasn''t much, it was still enough to rm him when he detected the spike. It was like a jolt had been passed through his body.
Choosing to pretend that the nature jade stone didn''t withhold its benefits from him and it was maybe hiscking talents that restricted it, Mu Fen reluctantly handed the stone to Yang Qing. His hand shook slightly as he was handing it over. This was the first time in over 10,000 years that it had ever left his body. It left him out of sorts like he was giving out a part of his body.
Yang Qing nodded as he sensed the energy within the pebble. As small as it was it contained a vast aura of the earth, wood, and water essence, along with a special nurturing energy that made the nature jade stone so valuable to most. That special nurturing energy would refine and strengthen the cultivator''s body and soul for the rest of their lives as long as the nature jade stone remained intact.
One would experience the greatest benefits if they used the nature jade stone toy out their foundations at the beginning of their cultivation. With the nature jade stone''s help, one would have one of the sturdiest foundations one could have thanks to its nurturing energy, though the energy took a slow and steady approach towards that endeavor which made it more beneficial to spirit beasts than humans whenying down those early foundations.
Human cultivators preferred using it when they were in the core formation realm by studying the profundities contained within it and making use of its other abilities such as strengthening their souls, clearing their minds and hearts, and sensitizing them to the water, and earth and wood elements. It served as a great cultivation and meditation tool.
Given enough time, as long as one had slight talent, somewhat decent cultivation ground, and resources, with the nature jade stone''s help, they would be able to reach the pce realm and if the nature jade stone had sufficient essence, a decent cultivation ground, and resources wouldn''t even be needed and they could just subsist of what was being provided by the nature jade stone, like what the mountain jade snake had done.
It was only the area within his mountain that seemed decent in resources and ambient spiritual qi, and Yang Qing could tell that all that was due to the nature jade stone. Its aura had permeated every single inch of the ce from the nts to the ground, to the air around it. If you took its influence away, then the quality of the ce would be no different than how the territory of the Clear Sword River Sect was.
"Have you always been here?" asked Yang Qing as he looked around him.
Mu Fen looked along with him before he understood what Yang Qing was getting at. With a small smile, he said,
"Yes, I was hatched here, doomed to remain a rock python if I even lived long. Luckily our kind can survive on eating rocks that have a little bit of spiritual qi in them which helped me avoid going further in the range for sustainance.
I spent most of my time in crevices around this ce. For the better part of my first 50 years, I didn''t know what the sun looked like or the ground above the crevices I hid in. When my body got slightly sturdier I used it to dig deeper pathways that led deeper into the ground and I could slightly manipte it to hide the entrances..." Mu Fen paused as his gaze turned distant.
"I don''t know if other rock pythons are born this way, but I was born timid. One of the very first thoughts I got when I gained sapience was I needed to hide or I wouldn''t survive a week in this ce which ended with me burrowing holes deeper into the ground and by a stroke of luck, I found it there.
I was too weak to even understand what it was back then, I just assumed it to be another pebble that would serve as my meal for a few weeks, and if I was really lucky maybe a few months..."
Mu Fen stopped as he scratched his beard with a slight embarrassment.
"So I swallowed it..."?he said whilst struggling to speak out the words as he warily eyed Yang Qing to see his reaction.
Opposite to what Mu Fen expected, Yang Qing asked,
"How was the taste?"
Mu Fen was thrown off by the question for a few seconds before he finally said,
"The taste was heavenly. I''ve never been able to stomach another rock ever since.."
Mu Fen''s attention waspletely grabbed by the memory of that taste so he wasn''t able to see Yang Qing''s conflicted, slightly gluttonous gaze as it fell on the nature jade stone that was nestled warmly in Yang Qing''s handspletely unaware of his designs on it.
Luckily Yang Qing''s internal debate was cut off by Mu Fen who managed to tear himself away from that memory.
"It took me two years to finally register that the nature jade stone was unique when even after two years I had not digested it and my body seemed to be satiated and filled with energy. It was a couple of more years after that I noticed it was purifying my bloodline.
My cowardice brought me to it. To this day I still can''t believe it. It''s the reason I don''t involve myself in the affairs outside of here. I am afraid if I do, I will lose what brought me to where I am today if it makes any sense.."
"It does. We call it sticking to your roots. It''s one of the ways developed to polishing one''s heart.." said Yang Qing with respect.
"I didn''t think I''d beplimented for being cowardly..." said Mu Fen with a slight chuckle.
"Well, one would say I''m a bit biased on it as a fellow practitioner of it.." said Yang Qing with a smile of his own.
"Is that so? I am d to meet a fellow member.."
The two immediately burst outughing as Yang Qing circted his universal resonant light art along with activating his yin-yang jade physique and directing the resultant energy and essence into the nature jade stone.
The nature jade stone vibrated as the essence was poured into it before it settled down like it was being lulled into sleep. The color code thatprised it experienced some changes as the shades of gold orange, green, and blue got deeper and deeper, with the addition of a white shade, a yellow shade, and a smidge of purple hue that was almost negligible as it was the size of a pin-sized dot.
Mu Fen''s pupils trembled as he sensed the transformation within the nature jade stone. It was denser like four or five times it was before, its essence was purer and more condensed than it was before, though he couldn''t tell by how much, and it felt moreplete like the missing pieces had fallen in ce.
He could smell the scent of pine trees, the ocean, and wet soil, feel the heat of the sun, and the gentle coolness of the moon, and hear the gentle flow of a river joining the ebbing and flowing ocean.
He could feel a cyclic system being established within the nature jade stone. He felt once that system was firmly established and assimted by the stone, it would be elevated even further.
"I am sorry for doubting you?" Mu Fen said with a sigh when he sensed the changes. The amount of benefits the nature jade stone would give him now was vastly superior to what he was getting. His cultivation base which had stagnated at the first stage of the pce realm was now showing signs of activity when he sensed the profound power contained within the nature jade stone.
"A little caution is understandable.." Yang Qing said with a slight smile as he handed back the nature jade stone to Mu Fen who seemed hesitant to ept.
"Like I said, I don''t need it, but you do. I am not exactly being too good here, as the more powerful you be the more at ease I will be with what I have entrusted you with.."
Mu Fen looked at him and the nature jade stonefor a few moments before he solemnly said,
"I will keep my promise.."
He took the nature jade stone and stowed it away.
"You can stay there if you want if you''re notpletely attached to this ce.." Yang Qing said as he looked at the barren area around him.
Mu Fen looked around him with a nostalgic expression before he turned to Yang Qing and said,
"It''s really hard to find a ce this good.."
"Don''t worry the ce I''m taking you is just asgood.."
They bothughed before Mu Fen finally said,
"A change of environment isn''t bad and I''m curious to see what yourpanions will turn into...."
"I only hope I can stay there when they develop, even if it''s just for a short while.." he hesitantly added.
"Feel free to treat it as your second home..By the way, this isn''t a must but there is someone I met there, I hope you can pour a toast for him when you''re there, if you don''t mind.."
"I will.."
"Thanks."
After hashing out the details, Yang Qing and Mu Fen left for the former territory of the Clear Sword River Sword Sect.
Both Mu Fen and Yang Qing were surprised when they got there. The source of their surprise was the changes that had happened to the area because of the spiritual rejuvenation oak tree, the aurora azalea, and the verdant glow firefly.
The spirit rejuvenation oak tree had grown to a height of 100 meters with a girth of about five meters, stacked to the brim with deep green and blue colored leaves that dripped with dew that matched the color of their corresponding leaves. Each of those dew was potent with restoration properties for both healing of the body and spirit.
One dew had the same potency as a low tier orange grade potion, which would make it usable by those at thete stages of the foundation establishment realm, and the oak tree was filled with thousands upon thousands of those dew which were just by-products of the properties contained in the leaves themself which had as much potency as a top tier orange grade potion.
If a severely injured early-stage foundation expert were to take a whiff of the air released by the oak tree, their wounds would slowly start to close and heal along with the restoration of whatever spiritual qi had been expended.
The aurora azalea was still the same height still surrounded by an ethereal glow but despite no outwardly changes it was the prime culprit for the changes in the area as the spiritual qi had gotten at least three times denser and purer than when Yang Qing was here, slowly reaching the effects provided by a high-
grade spirit vein.
The verdant glow firefly took advantage of the rich and dense spiritual qi to promote the growth and propagation of the nts around the area. The number of nts growing in the area had more than tripled since he wasst here. Everything from trees to herbaceous nts, to shrubs to flowers, were all brimming with health and vitality.
Everything from their color, size, and internal makeup was at the absolute peak standards of their rank. The area was filled with vegetation that was at the mortal rank but with the energy levels they were releasing and their outward look, one could easily mistake them for earth-rank vegetation, and by Yang Qing''s estimates, it wasn''t long before every vegetation in the area achieved a collective evolution.
Because of the improvement in his dao, he instantly detected that the vegetation in the area had been maintained at the same standard, none was higher than the other, which was most likely the intention of the verdant glow firefly. Every vegetation was at the absolute peak of the standards a mortal-
rank nt could achieve.
Yang Qing could feel his body rx as he absorbed the harmonious scent of new life being born, something special being created. He couldn''t help but sigh in gratification. When he came here, he was lost surrounded by a fog of darkness and self-doubt and in that fog something grew and it had now developed into this paradise nature.
He couldn''t help but admiringly say to the three creatures,
"You did a good job and by the looks of it, you''re not that far frompletely unlocking your sentience.."
He sensed that the rejuvenation oak tree, the aurora azalea, and the verdant glow firefly had already formed embryonic spirits that were at the cusp of breaking out.
"Are you sure I can stay here?" Mu Fen absentmindedly muttered in shock as he sensed the richness of the area. The richness of the area made him even doubt whether he was still in the Deer Mountain Range. He could even feel the energy within his nature jade stone swirl actively from the moment he stepped into the area.
"If you don''t find it beneath you, I would like it if you stayed to safeguard them.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the three figures who had already been reacting with joy at noticing Yang Qing''s presence.
"I feel like I''ve used up several lifetime''s worth of luck..." said Mu Fen still in disbelief.
Yang Qing smiled as he guided him around the area, which wasn''t much as he had only cordoned the area around the building of the former sect master of the Clear Sword River Sect.
After he had shown him around, Yang Qing also handed him the token that handled the formation he hadid in the area whilst also introducing him to the three figures. Even though they had not unlocked their intelligencepletely, because they had evolved from Yang Qing''s essence, they could understand him easily.
After he was done, Yang Qing decided to cultivate in the area for a short while in a bid to help the three organisms achieveplete sentience. After four days, they had all unlocked their wisdom and finally stepped on the cultivation path.
Yang Qing left after, much to their reluctance, leaving them in the care of Mu Fen who had already made himselffortable despite his earlier reservations.
Yang Qing soon made his way to the branch, where he found Administrator Mo Guang waiting for him.
"A decision has already been made on what will happen with the branch..."
Chapter 695 Changes to the branch
Chapter 695 Changes to the branch
He had four more days left before his tenure as the branch chief of the Deer Mountain Branch was over. He had expected the Judicial Review Committee toe to a decision on thest day, or have him extend his stay while they deliberated on who the next recement would be.
"The call is being held at themunication nexus room I take it?" asked Yang Qing as he made his way into the branch.
"Yes, considering the confidentiality of the matter, it''s the only ce we can guarantee the conversation won''t be eavesdropped on," administrator Mo Guang said as he led Yang Qing to the designatedmunication room which was stacked with antiscrying arrays and other features that prevented one from being spied on including even isting karma.
One could consider the room one of the most expensive and important ces in the whole branch. Things of utmost importance were done in that room which was usually the receiving and sending of important information and even the receiving of strategic resources.
There was a transportation array in the room that worked simrly to teleportation arrays except it could not support living organisms passing through it. Despite its apparent limitations, any array that touched on the elements of space was difficult toy down and consumed a lot of resources both toy it down and operate it.
The transport array was considered a strategic resource that the branch would only use in dire circumstances, for example, if they were besieged by an enemy they couldn''t escape, and the protection array in the branch wasn''t enough to contain the enemy long enough for help to arrive.
In such a scenario, they would ry their current state to those at the headquarters in charge of handling such situations, who would then provide the necessary expedient assistance. That assistance usually came in the form of sending an artifact or a talisman of varying abilities which was dependent on what they were dealing with.
Yang Qing knew they were different grades to the transportation arrays. The grade was dependent on the level of danger in the area where the branch was located, the distance from headquarters or major branches, and the strength of the personnel within that branch. The one at the Deer Mountain Branch was a top-tier blue-grade transportation array that could handle the transportation of top-tier monarch-grade artifacts, but with the dangers around the ce, Yang Qing didn''t know if they would elevate it to the gold grade.
But with a kingdom-wide array beingid down on the range, Yang Qing felt it was less likely. The Order was pretty frugal in how they used their resources. With a whole continent to cover, they never had enough.
It wasn''t long before Yang Qing and Administrator Mo Guang arrived at themunication and transportation room. They both stood before a bamboo pot with a young bamboo shoot growing out of it. Yang Qing took out his branch chief token and muttered an incantation that triggered a reaction from the token as produced a silver drop that contained an ancient-looking glyph within it.
The drop trickled down the bamboo shoot making its way downwards to the soil and leaving a trail of silver runes thatbined to form a silver swirling entrance.
Yang Qing and Administrator Mo Guang walked into the silver swirl, appearing in a tiny courtyard with small bamboo shoots that had concentrated to the point they looked like verdant grass, a small pond, and a five-meter wooden bridge that led to the lone building in the area. The building was a thatched bamboo hut.
The area looked simplistic and tranquil and despite its minimalistic look, the resources used to build the area were more than the total spent on the rest of the branch. Just the bamboo alone was worth an entire mountain of resources in the branch. The bamboo growing about was a spatial shield bamboo which was used as a spatial node that anchored the courtyard to the rest of the branch, as the courtyard was an artificial mysterious realm built from tearing space and stitching a portion of it.
Yang Qing made their way into the hut which was just as simplistic as it looked. Inside were smooth wooden floorboards and mats that looked like had seen better days and at the center of the room was a bowl with crystal-clear water.
Both Yang Qing and Mo Guang took seats directly opposite each other while encircling that bowl. Yang Qing used his index finger like an inscription pen as he inscribed something on the surface of the crystal clear water. With every movement, ancient-looking gold-grey scripts appeared on the surface of the water.
When Yang Qing wrote thest script, a gentle light was released from the crystal clear building, with its gentle crystal glow covering the entire building, changing the scene along with it.
In a few seconds, the walls, the roof, and the floor of the bamboo hut disappeared, and they were within a different courtyard that looked somewhat simr in that it had bamboo nts growing about except this time they were mature.
"Greetings, seniors.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists to the four figures leisurely sitting across from him with genial smiles on their faces.
"We heard you took to your role quite well, Yang Qing...We could give you the post permanently if you want it.." said one of the figures with a teasing smile on their face.
"Surely you jest, Senior Long Ei, without administrator Mo Guang''s help or the rest, I''d be fumbling about.." said Yang Qing, using a humble way of saying he did not want the job.
"Are you sure?" asked Long Ei with a meaningful look.
"The pay is not bad, the environment will be safe once the array ispleted, the caseload isn''t that high, the pay is better, kind working hours, and because of how good you are, we could be amenable to adding another chef to your retinue here..
What do you think?" added Long Ei.
Yang Qing''s face went pale as every word spoken by Long Ei felt like a soothing voice guiding his soul to the paradise of his dreams.
He could feel an enthralled voice within him whisperingtake it, take it, take it, this is what you have always wanted, take it.
"I am sorry Senior, I think I still have much to learn before I can take on such enormous responsibilities.." said Yang Qing with heavy panting almost as if he hade from the greatest fight of his life.
It took all he had to not say ''yes'', he had to dig deeper into his inner coward for him to resist the temptation. He also had an unresolved battle with Lei Weiyuan that fueled his will to leave the same as his fears.
"Stop teasing him, Ei.." softly said the single woman from the group of four. It was Xu Biya another one of the members of the Judicial Review Committee.
"I told you he wouldn''t agree. I expect that 20,000-year-old ancient pine breeze wine when we are done here.."
"He was close, a few more seconds and he would have caved in.."
"Seniors, can''t you be serious? You even made bets? How unprofessional....wait, shouldn''t I be entitled to a part of the winnings? It is about me after all..that 20,000-year-old ancient pine breeze wine, I wonder how good it is.." Yang Qing greedily thought as his gaze fell on the two gamblers from the Judicial Review Committee.
One was Jiang Chen who had won the bet, while the loser was Jia Bohai.
After a minute, the mood instantly turned somber from the lightheartedness and this was due to Long Ei''s announcement.
"Yang Qing, your predecessor, Branch Chief Li Wan has chosen to resign from his post and will be taking a break to decide what he wants to do next, though by his admission, he has said he would not be considering a return to a branch chief post even if it''s to a different branch.
Along with him, Inquisitor Ye An chose the same. She too has permanently resigned from her post as an inquisitor and will not be doing so for the foreseeable future. She has decided to transfer to the Talisman Refining Division.
As for Chief Inquisitor Hao Da, as you know he was due to be promoted as the next branch chief of the Three Fires Branch. He is still willing to take up that post and will be taking up that role in two months after his treatment has beenpleted.
Andstly, the previous administrator, Administrator Su Cheng while he has agreed to retain his job as an administrator, he has requested to be posted to a different branch, which we will agree to.
Ideally, we would have sent him to the branch Hao Da was going to, being former colleagues and all, but his current cultivation base would make him ill-suited for the role, and the current administrator of the branch made a request to remain at the branch as he already has family there, from his wife''s side. Relocating him would be a bit improper..." Long Ei said.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the announcement. While he had expected some to refuse toe back, considering the experience they had, all of them refusing was a surprise though not too much of a surprise when one considered they had lost two members.
If he lost members of his team, Yang Qing felt he would likely make the same choice as the previous branch chief and resign his posting and do something else.
"Who will be their recement?" asked Yang Qing with a somber sigh.
Chapter 696 Best suited for the role
Chapter 696 Best suited for the role
"Because of the unique state of the area and what happened, we decided to go with a roaming inquisitor by the name of Fang Wen.
She has been a roaming inquisitor for the past 300 years and is at the peak stage of the pce realm and not far away from realizing her path to the domain realm. She is already at the quasi-domain stage. This factored as one of the reasons we thought the post would be good for her despite never having been in a simr post before.
With how vtile things are, we can''t risk the life of a potential domain expert, we need all the domain experts we can get, to cover more ground.."
Yang Qing nodded in understanding. A single domain expert was worth over a hundred pce realm experts. As humbling as it may be, no matter how talented he was, his cultivation base as a third-stage pce realm expert though could be considered decent, it was not enough to shoulder the true weight of the Order, but a domain expert even a quasi-domain expert was a different case.
Just because of her cultivation base and the critical juncture she was at, Fang Wen taking the role as the next branch chief madeplete sense. Being a roaming inquisitor was one of the most vtile jobs out there on a normal day, let alone now that massive undercurrents were floating around the continent.
Being a branch chief was rtively safer, especially in the Deer Mountain Range. Barring the return of the fire adler bear''s master, Fang Wen and the fire adler bear would essentially be the two known figures with the highest cultivation base in the range, and biases aside, Yang Qing didn''t think someone who has been a roaming inquisitor for 300 years, seen and survived it all in that role, would lose out to someone of the same level.
Those from the Order were required to be a cut above the rest. It was a requirement for the inquisitors and even the judges that they needed to be able to fight above their cultivation base, losing to someone who had the same cultivation base as you was intolerable. It was only ptable if the person you lost to was someone from the Order.
It was why during their institute days, even as qi refinement cultivators, their death duels with the inmates from the requiem usually involved those who had at the very least reached the middle stages of the foundation realm, and even then, they needed to have firm foundations and fighting capabilities that made them stand out from the rest.
Such a training regimen was given to students after they graduated, specializedbat groups such as the different types of inquisitors, the gold eagle guards, and the shadow hawks,?those who joined these organizations underwent specialized training when they joined to increase their odds of survival as much as possible.
The Order''s role was like going against the heavens. When it was established, it was out of dire circumstances that threatened the continent''s survival, especially with outside forces dipping their toes into the chaos.
When the Order was established, it was essentially created as a stop-gap measure. Their role essentially was to be some tree that would provide shade and nutrients to the seedlings below who were struggling to survive against the elements. Even though it wasn''t mentioned, most organizations in the southern continent did not think the Order wouldst or be what it became, nor did they want it to.
What they needed was for it to buy them enough time by acting as the binding line to the different organizations around the continent. It was the binder that acted as a show of a unified force to the outside world. To give the continent enough time to recover and once the recovery was done, those seedlings would grow and steal away the tree''s nutrients and dry it out.
But that tree that they saw as nothing more than a fertilizer for their growth, that tree they had written off as an object created solely for their use, whose existence was to be based on their whims, had grown vastly beyond their expectations to the point it could now dictate their existence.
It had grown so vastly out of their control that they could not see its top, as it seemed to cover even the radiance of the sun. That tree now decided what nutrients would get to which seedling, and if one acted out of line, it would be pulled out.
The Order was valued at the beginning when the continent could barely hang on, but as time went by, and the Order grew beyond their expectations, that sentiment turned to fear and dissidence. The Order was now no longer seen as a protector of the continent but as a thief who was stealing the fortunes of the continent from the rest, stifling them as a result.
Such thoughts were shared by a few in the beginning but now, it had spread like burning wildfire. Right now you could visit an inn and hear bards tell the tales of how glorious the continent was before the Order was established, about how the continent was filled with dragons among men and phoenixes among women, spiritual herbs grew like cabbages that even mortals could eat their fill every day, middle-grade spirit stones filled the roadside likemon rocks, viges filled with the same auspicious qi as prosperous empires, where the road of cultivation was smoother and wider.
They even touted the southern continent as the strongest continent among the five continents which was why it could incite their greed to the point they darede to their backyard traversing across the dangerous waters that separated their continents.
The reason why those foreign organizations felt confident to venture this far into their continent was glossed over or intentionally ignored altogether, with the primary focus being on the southern continent''s ''glory days'' and how since the Order was established, those days were lost and the continent was no longer prosperous.
Some even purported that the Order''s existence had angered the heavens, and the continent was being punished because of it and would continue to be punished until the Order waspletely removed.
''For the sake of returning the continent to its glory days, the Order had to be disbanded, or removed by force if they refused'' was the slogan being spread, and slowly supporters of that slogan had been growing in number from well-established organizations that were using it as aknife to gut the Order, to the young organizations and mortals who were sold the dream that the reason they''re not soaring in the skies like dragons is because of the Order.
The bloodied past that almost wrecked the continent apart was slowly being pasted over by the tales of the Order being the enemy. The irony was, because of the Order''s presence and the support it provided through various means such as enrollment slots at the Insitute, countless organizations were able to rise from it, and it was these young organizations that were easily swayed by those tales.
Their history was too short for them to have been present during those dark days. They had no idea how bad it was making it easier for them to sold on the dream of the prosperous era. As for the organizations that were present during that era, they had already recovered and no longer needed the Order, in fact, the Order was a thorn in their end as its presence restricted them. They would have long swallowed these young organizations had the Order not been presented.
The Order now had growing enemies everywhere both from the past and the present, and with that growing enmity, the Order was extremely sensitive to the survival of its members. Every loss was treated as that sword hanging above its heading ever so closer which was why the loss of the two inquisitors from the Deer Mountain Range hit every member so hard whether they knew it or not, or why they went out of their way to celebrate whenever they graduated from the Institute or recently when he got promoted to the pce realm. Every improvement strengthens the Order against the sword above them.
"But just because she is about to reach the domain realm, is that really a sufficient reason for her to be given this post? Ideally, her being stationed at the headquarters makes so much sense as it usually happens.."wondered Yang Qing
Seemingly reading Yang Qing''s thoughts, Xu Biya said,
"The other reason we chose her for the role is she''s a spirit beast herself and she struck a friendship with a spirit beast from there when she was searching for a culprit that had escaped in the green fog region. The searchsted for two years and in that time she ended up striking a partnership with a metal moon tornado lynx. They saved each other''s lives in there.
She was all too willing to take up the post because of it. With the whole thing that happened with the obsidian serpent couple, because of her background and history, its easier for her to ept the conclusion we came to than most. With how fragile things are, she is definitely the best for the role.."
Chapter 697 Administrator Mo Guang’s choice
Chapter 697 Administrator Mo Guang''s choice
Fang Wen being a spirit beast definitely put her at an advantage over the rest as the next sessor as the branch chief of the Deer Mountain Branch. While the information about the obsidian serpent couple being spared wouldn''t be revealed to the Deer Mountain Kingdom, it was not a guarded secret within the walls of the Order.
Whoever took the mantle of the branch chief of the Deer Mountain Branch would definitely know that the couple was alive somewhere. Despite their innocence, it would be heavy for anyone who took up that post to understand it, despite the verdict being a reasonable one.
Yang Qing assumed that whoever took over would be affected just as he was. The reason he didn''t like to walk around the branch and just settled in predetermined locations such as by the lotus tforms by the river to meditate was that his mind would wander to the two inquisitors who died.
He could feel their traces all around the branch, which was understandable considering both had spent close to a decade in the area. The branch had been a home to them for so long, and now they were dead, with one of them dying at the hands of one of the female obsidian couple who ate him after killing him. He struggled with that image especially the period when the couple was here.
He always felt guilty, like that inquisitor who had been eaten was looking at him and asking why didn''t he seek justice on his behalf. Why was his killer allowed to live? Didn''t the Order promise to avenge the fallen, no matter who did it, the Order will always strike back several times over. That was a promise the Order made to its members, but the obsidian couple was allowed to keep their lives after what they did.
Even though Yang Qing, understood why they needed to be spared and supported the decision, especially after hearing their story and the daughter they lost, but his heart struggled with the judgment despite being in full agreement with it, a part of him was always conflicted about and that was something he had a feeling the next branch chief would struggle with.
It was, for this reason, that of the people he thought would choose not to return, the previous branch chief was high up his list. If Yang Qing struggled this much, he could only imagine what it would be like for the previous branch chief. Fang Wen as a spirit beast herself and a member of the Order was uniquely positioned to deeply understand both sides, so the burden on her would likely be lighter.
"What kind is she?" Yang Qing curiously asked.
"She is an ethereal swifrk.." answered Xu Biya.
Yang Qing nodded in contemtion as he tried to recall any information he knew about the spirit beast. From what he could remember, he knew they had tremendous speed capable of even bypassing a cultivator''s pce sense and protective mechanisms as though there was no one there.
The ethereal swifrk''s speed rivaled even that of a cloud-swallowing kite like Ellie. Yang Qing could only imagine how fast Fang Wen was at the quasi-domain stage. If she was to attack him, he had doubts about whether he would be able to sense the attack, his only hope of survival was relying on his body''s regeneration and ability to take a hit but even then, his chances of surviving that first attack were slim to none, let alone a follow-up.
His thoughts of his sound defeat at the hands of his sessor were immediately interrupted as Xu Biya announced the rest of the team.
"As for the rest of her team, recing and moving about four inquisitors is liable to affect the operations around, we thus settled on sending the top four trainee roaming inquisitors.
The exposure and experience there will do them some good, especially under the guidance of one of their own..." said Xu Biya.
She paused slightly as her gaze fell on Mo Guang with a slight smile on her face.
"As for the administrator, Administrator Mo Guang has volunteered to continue his stay there, for which we are immensely grateful Administrator Mo Guang. I know the promise you made. You decided to settle back at the headquarters for stability for your wife and son. We are thankful for that.." said Xu Biya.
"We are thankful for your sacrifice.." said Long Ei with his sentiments being echoed by Jiang Cheng and Jia Bohai.
"Thank you, but it''s not much of a sacrifice, really," said Administrator Mo Guang with a genial smile.
"My wife is already in seclusion, who knows how long that will be, and my son already has a life of his own now after he graduated. It''s only me at home, a little excursion would do me some good, and being here.." Mo Guang paused as he turned his gaze around with a nostalgic sigh.
"Being here made me realize how I missed this. As I said earlier, I will at most only be able to stay for three years which by my estimates should be how long Meilin''s seclusion willst. After that, no matter how much I love being an administrator, I will have to leave.
She gave up a lot for me to pursue my heart''s desires, and I want to do the same for her..." added Mo Guang with a tender gaze as he recalled that gentle-lookingdy who despite her desire to work as a herbologist at the Medical Valley and how good she was at it, decided to shelf everything for almost 400 years as Mo Guang became a rotational administrator moving from branch to branch as per need basis.
Mo Guang always had an adventurous spirit and liked experiencing every novel thing under the sun. Before he joined the Order, he had been a rogue explorer of the Horizon Odyssey Guild, however, with acking background and training, he discovered how difficult it would be to travel around with his abilities, thus his paths led him to the Order.
The Order became a chance for him to realize his adventurous dreams. He had decided he would be a roaming inquisitor, but s, his abilities couldn''t match it, and he therefore settled for the next best thing, a rotational administrator which just like its name was an administrator who was sent from branch to branch to fill in.
Through various circumstances such as breakthroughs, reassignments and such, administrator posts in various branches would be left temporarily empty and it was the job of the rotational administrator to fill those gaps. Mo Guang got to visit different ces because of it, and his wife went with him till eventually he made a promise that he would seek reassignment back at the headquarters once he hit the 400th-
year mark.
That mark came sooner than he expected, and no matter how reluctant he felt, he could not bring himself to deny his wife the chance to explore her dreams. It has been 30 years since, and even though he missed being out and about, he was d he got to keep his word and his time at the headquarters was rxing and entertaining as he got to instruct potential branch administrators.
He jumped at the opportunity to be a temporary administrator of this branch to scratch the longing itch that he had, and even though it felt just as good, being here made him realize how much he loved the job but also how much he ended up enjoying being still as an instructor, a husband and a father at headquarters.
Being here, helped him gain some rity and peace of mind. At least now afterparing those two feelings, him here at the branch and him at home, he didn''t feel like he was losing out or wasting away or settling for less.
Chapter 698 Sacred flame swan lineage
Chapter 698 Sacred me swan lineage
"I owe the Order a lot, I am d to help in any way that I can.." answered Mo Guang.
Yang Qing wasn''t all too surprised about there being a potential change in personnel in the future. Fang Wen was stationed here to take her out of the front lines and her identity as a spirit beast would be enough to steward the branch in this shaky period, but after that, she would have to leave.
Roaming inquisitors needed more domain experts than branch chiefs, there was no way she would be permanently stationed here as for the four trainee roaming inquisitors, eventually, they would be recalled back too when they were judged to have gained enough experience.
There just weren''t enough inquisitors inparison to the workload waiting for them, therefore the Order could not spare even a single one. They would only do so if it was at the express request of the roaming inquisitor and most rarely did, and those that did would be requested by the Order to take up posts as instructors at the Institute. A bulk of thebat instructors were former roaming inquisitors, with even a few special inquisitors mixed in with them, rarely would they be posted at the Branch.
With the session of the branch alreadyid out, Yang Qing asked,
"When is senior Fang Wen reporting? By my count, I still have four days left..."
"Don''t worry, you will still get your entire dues even if you leave several days early. We will not deduct it, and considering the work you have done while you were there, we may add a few gifts here and there in appreciation for your efforts.." said Long Ei.
"I am only but a humble servant of the Order trying to do my part.." Yang Qing unabashedly said despite his true thoughts seemingly seen through.
"It is our fortune to have you, Yang Qing.." said Jiang Cheng with the rest of the judicialmittee members smiling along with him as they looked at Yang Qing with the gaze of a grandparent finding amusement in the antics of their mischievous grandchild.
"You should expect her early morning on yourst day, whichever day you decide you want to depart. Of course not today as she has a few loose ends that need closing, but from tomorrow onwards she will be avable.." said Xu Biya.
"I think I''llplete the four days and close a few of my affairs here.."
"The affairs don''t have anything to do with the chef do they?" asked Jia Bohai with a?teasing smile.
"In part, yes.." Yang Qing said as he coughed in embarrassment trying to avoid the gaze of the four elders who seemed like they could read his inner thoughts.
He always prided himself as some sort of enigmatic figure but his interactions with the seniors of the Judicial Review Committee led to him to have doubts, the same doubts he had in his first year as a student at the Institute when he tried to take every ss and course that was given out.
He had automatically assumed he was a prodigy in everything due to his cultivation talent, which was how he foolishly tried to enroll himself in every course he could think of, only to get overwhelmed and perform poorly in a bunch of them which left him at the brutal end of the vicious instructors and a cautionary tale for the rest.
Pushing those dark thoughts aside, Yang Qings said,
"I also met a sacred me swan.."
"Ooh, where?" asked Long Ei with a look of interest. A sacred me swan was a rarity to even them.
Yang Qing went on to describe his meeting with Gu Xing and his interaction with her, the information she shared about the eerie figure she had sensed back then, and her suspicions of it being someone from the Deer Mountain Kingdom. He also disclosed the foreboding feeling she had when she came back to the Deer Mountain Range.
Yang Qing also exined his thinking on the matter which was in support of Gu Xing''s guess. He revealed the offer made to the Hua n and the rest by someone pretending to be the Imperial Secretary of the Deer Mountain Kingdom and his suggestions that they use the inheritance blood crystals from the graveyard torch to improve their odds of reaching the pce realm.
Yang Qing exined his suspicions that the goal of the ploy may have something to do with a ritual or something that needs a lot of bloodshed to trigger.
The four members had solemn looks on their faces along with Administrator Mo Guang who was only now hearing this for the first time.
"I once met a sacred me swan by the name of Gu Lao about 12,000 years ago. You said her name was Gu Xing?" asked Jiang Xiang as he furtively stroked his willow white beard.
"Yes," Yang Qing answered with a nod.
"Then she must be the baby sacred me swan he had said he was caring for back then. Sacred me swans adopted one of our ways when it came to names. While sacred me swans are all interconnected and closely tied together to the point they can know when one of them is born or in grave danger or dying, even if they''re continents apart, they use names to offer a distinction amongst themselves.
The nurturer will give their first name to the baby swan being nurtured. This practice has been going on for quite some time which by Gu Lao''s estimates is for more than a million years. The tradition led to the creation of lineages based on those names, like he and Gu Xing are from the Gu lineage of the sacred me swans.
There should be four other lineages apart from that one. The number was meant to match the five continents. I don''t know much other than that, but I think there must be more to it than just using names to serve as a distinction, but that''s beside the point.." Jiang Cheng as his look turned graver.
"Back then, he had said the exact words as Miss Gu Xing. He could feel something brewing within the continent, and a thousand yearster, continent-wide bloodshed soaked this continent, after that, invaders from other continents smelling blood, came over.
Most think that it ended with theming over and the two holynds reacting to their presence and sending them packing but it couldn''t be further from the truth..." Jiang Cheng said with clear disdain in his tone.
Chapter 699 Deducing the identity
Chapter 699 Deducing the identity
Yes, back then countless sects, ns, empires, kingdoms, and other factions had fallen to each other''s hands, but others had fallen to the invaders who destroyed them root and stem while piging them.
Countless legacies missing today are in their hands. The two holynds only stepped in when the other big yers of those continents walked in and set their sights on them, but by that time, the damage done by those invaders was already extensive, and the little scuffle after between the holynd and them, only added to it.
Though Gu Lao couldn''t have expected the gut feeling he had was a continent-wide war, that even managed to draw in foreign forces, his feeling was right on the mark. I think it may have ties to how sacred me swanse to be, with their ties being in the origin dao, they''re sensitive to certain changes even if they can''t make clear sense of them, especially dangerous ones.
It is how they have been able to keep themselves alive for so long, despite being actively coveted all over the world.
You are right, Miss Gu Xing''s feelings, cannot be ignored.." solemnly said Jiang Cheng.
"Ei, you''ll have to inform the spirit council..Elder Han Guo will have to be appraised of this so he can keep a close watch on them as heys down the framework of the array there.." added Jiang Cheng.
"Ideally it would have been easier if we had the special inquisitors permanently stationed there.." said Jia Bohai with a sigh.
"It can''t be helped with how many fires they are sent to around the continent, they can hardly keep up as is to the point that the gold eagle guards have to deployed along with them.." said Long Ei with a stern consternation.
"If someone from there is plotting something, it means they have the confidence of hiding their tracks, even from us. I doubt karma deduction will work but with the manpower shortage we could try and see if we could glean anything from it.." said Xu Biya.
"I don''t know if this will help, but Gu Xing did give me something. It''s an ount of one of the spirit beasts that may have had contact with the figure. Maybe the description he gave could help .." Yang Qing said as he took out the urn of echoes of legacies.
He poured a bit of his qi into the urn and activated it releasing the voice of the lunar fury crane that had fought against the eerie figure about 38,000 years ago.
As the recording was ying the four seniors all had furtive looks on their faces as they tried to pick something from the clues provided.
It was only after the recording had finished ying did they voice out their thoughts.
"A nce that can erode the mind of a spirit beast that was in the pce stage and one skilled in soul attacks at that. It could be a powerful soul art, or a bloodline technique, or some artifact..."
"Mmh, I think so too. When ites to soul arts, the eye of the dark gulf of nightmareses to mind. Those who master it are capable of eroding the minds of cultivators who are in the same realm. It''s one of the few arts I know that is capable of working even against an early-stage soul formation expert..."
"I don''t know, while the art is indeed capable of such a feat, don''t forget its stringent requirements. The creators of the art, the Stygian Purgatory Sect had an elder in the peak stage of the domain realm sumb to madness when he tried to cultivate it to perfection. He wrecked the sect, and killed a lot of disciples and elders before he was finally stopped, and even then he couldn''t regain his mind and had to be killed.
While it is likely that the copies of that art might still be in cirction despite the destruction of the sect itself and leading organizations going to extensive lengths to destroy traces of that art, the dangers and stringent requirements of cultivating the art are still there.
Its risks aside, it was still a top-tier gold-grade art that was already touching the domain of purple-grade art, and unlike other gold-grade arts, the failure of cultivating this one is having your soul consumed by the art itself. They would need a powerful pure yin treasure that is at the very least at the ascendant grade to even begin to attempt learning it, let alone sessfully cultivating and executing it.
If the figure was capable ofpassing those hurdles, there is no way the lunar fury crane would have lived to tell the tale.."
"Makes sense. What about dark entropy distortion gaze, wail of the damned art, dreadbane art, aeon blight essence art, soul dessecation mutterings art..."
"Let''s not forget physiques too. The nocturne echo soul physique, the hollow shadow will devouring physique, the oblivion veil soulbane physique, the cimmerian light reaping physique to name a few, are also able to cause the same effects.."
"We also need to consider acquired physiques. There are spirit beasts with those attributes which could be passed down by one who has made a contract with them.
Duoji the harbinger of fiery disasters the red-eyed white-tailed wolfes to mind. Then there is also the dark ember sparrow, the grim whispering snake, the Gudiao that human baby shrieking condor, Chongming Niao the double-irised vulture of destruction, the malediction void raptor...
While the voice helps narrow down what to look for, the list is still ultimately too big.."
"We can only pull that thread, see where it leads for now with the special inquisitors digging on the Blue Soul me Syndicate route, maybe that figure and them have ovepping history. We could try and find a nexus there.."
The discussion among the four seniors went on for a while before finally they regained their senses. Yang Qing couldn''t help but admire the breadth of their wisdom and experience. They had discussed over a thousand different scenarios, bouncing ideas and probabilities off each other, sieving down through them, slowly creating a guiding path.
Yang Qing could only make sense of about a third of what they were discussing. When he went back, he decided he would focus on that a third along with any ideas he maye up with.
Chapter 700 Receiving good news
Chapter 700 Receiving good news
I don''t know much about its history, but I have read about artifact spirits bing deranged like wraiths from the loss of their owners and some fiend organizations have created arts that harness that resentment. Maybe someone from the Kingdom may have done the same.." said Yang Qing.
"While that is indeed feasible, the Bi Xie Empire has been gone for too long now. Artifact spirits could be considered immortal. As long as their main body remains intact, they will continue to exist no matter how much time passes by.
It is only when they receive substantial irreparable damage to their bodies do they be mortal. Artifacts with spirits can self-repair, especially if they have an apanying cultivation art.
It''s rare for them to get substantially damaged but when they do, it''s usually extremely difficult to undo it. The difficulty is the same as trying to repair a damaged dantian. Depending on the severity, the damage can either be a foregone conclusion as being permanent, or it can be temporary, but even with thetter''s case like it was for Lai Lei, it needed incredible skills and resources to prevent the damage from being permanent and eventually restoring it.
Extensive damages on artifacts that have borne a spirit are rarely reversible as anything that can effectively damage it to that extent is assumed to be extremely powerful. It will take the hands of an extremely gifted artificer and astronomical resources to try and restore it, but even then, the artifact will never be the same and it will never be improved.
Most of the deranged spirits out there are a by-product of damaged artifacts. The Bi Xie Empire is from over 100,000 years ago. Any deranged spirit would have likely wilted away by the time the founders of the Deer Mountain Kingdom fully settled here, and even if one did stubbornly hold on, the spirit beasts here would have likely been aware of it before them.
Deranged spirits are hardly subtle, and if one has enough awareness to hide and survive the baptism of time, it would certainly be more powerful than the founders of the Deer Mountain Kingdom. It would be hard for them to contain it long enough to refine its resentful qi.
But, who knows, nothing is absolute. When youe back, I will have all the relevant information about the Bi Xie Empire sent to you.." said Jia Bohai.
"Thank you, senior. Also, could I have detailed information on the history of the kingdom, from the founders, the four great ns along with the other aristocratic ns from back then.."
"I will have it sent to you along with the Bi Xie Empire information.." said Jia Bohai as he turned to face Long Ei.
"We can also have his clearance level at the library elevated to low gold grade, what do you think Ei?" asked Jia Bohai.
"Considering he has been digging around on his own for this, no harm in letting him continue. What do you think, Yang Qing?" said Long Ei with a mysterious smile that left Yang Qing shivering for some reason.
Ignoring that sensation, Yang Qing excitedly replied,
"I am willing! Thank you seniors for this opportunity!!"
He bowed with his child-like excitement showing in his demeanor. His current clearance was at a low blue-grade tier which meant he could ess everything that fell within that range from cultivation arts to potion recipes to refinement techniques across the different schools of cultivation, to information that had been graded to that level, along with essing library training facilities that were at that level.
The library at the Insitute was like a world in and of itself. It was a behemoth that seemed to have no end, with each level being like a world of its own. The library had 14 levels, with the levels being tiered ording to the color grading given to foundation establishment pirs. It went from the white level to the purple level. It was only the white level and the purple level that had single levels within them, while from the red, orange, blue up to gold had low, middle, and high minor levels within them.
Yang Qing''s level was at the low blue grade level. Improving one''s ess level was a tedious process as cultivation level had nothing to do with it, but it was all dependent on your merit points and graded contribution and station to the Order working hand in hand.
It was why Chief Song Chuanli despite being at the peak of the core formation realm had a clearance level of middle gold tier while Yang Qing had a low blue tier clearance level.
"Don''t get too excited, the increase is only temporary, and even with our intervention we can only guarantee it for two months alone and your ess will be restricted to things supporting the investigation you were conducting here. We can''t guarantee anything outside of it..." said Long Ei.
"Getting to breathe in the air of the low gold-grade floor is already enough for me.." Yang Qing eagerly said. He was not kidding about it either. Other than a difference in what was contained in those levels, their environment was also vastly different from each other.
The environment of the low gold grade level was no different than Yang Qing visiting the dark valley, the home of the domain experts. The level was suffused with dense and rich spiritual qi that was simr in quality to what one would find in a mature dragon vein. Whispers of different kinds of dao were entrenched in every inch of the floor, and it was packed with ascendant-grade resources and gold-grade arrays that were meant to support all who walked into that floor to make full use of everything within it, especially when it came toprehending cultivation arts.
Even with restrictions, Yang Qing was sure to gain a lot from just being there. For him to reach the requirements of essing the low gold grade level at the very least he needed to be a domain court judge which was so far away that he could only fleetingly daydream of what the gold grade levels were like, but now thanks to four elders, he could see that blessed ground.
His heart was racing with excitement at just the thought of it. He couldn''t wait.
"After youe back, you will also be getting a month off to rest before resuming your normal duties.." added Long Ei, which only increased the smile on Yang Qing''s face that stretched from ear to ear.
Realizing how wide he had smiled, Yang Qing sheepishly said,
"Thank you seniors for your kind consideration.."
He bootlicked a few more times, before finally, themunication between the two sides ended, with Yang Qing as chipper as he could be as he even started whistling off-key.
Chapter 701 Making arrangements
Chapter 701 Making arrangements
"Is that regret I see in your eyes, Administrator Mo Guang? With all the trouble brewing around this ce, you''re wishing you could take back your words and go back, aren''t you? Don''t worry as long as you say the word, I will righteously undertake your cause and make sure you go back with me.."?said Yang Qing as he pumped up his gait.
Administrator Mo Guang stared at Yang Qing for a brief moment before he solemnly answered,
"If you would please. I am not sure these old bones of mine would be able to handle all this.."
The duo, young and old, ended upughing through the hallways of the branch.
"What are your ns for the next few days?" asked Mo Guang.
"Not much. I intend to rx a bit and make the most of my time here. I did see some decent fruits out there.."
"If it wasn''t for the numerous undercurrents surrounding this ce, i have to admit, of the many ces I have been to, during my time as a rotational administrator, I like the environment around this range. There''s something refreshing and relieving about it.."
"You''ve never been here?"
"No. Even though as rotational administrators we can move from ce to ce, it is around a certain sphere, for example, in my case, I was designated in the northern sphere of the continent. I would only be given a post outside that sphere if another sphere is understaffed and the rotational administrators assigned to that area are not enough.."
"Administrator Mo Guang, could I make a request?"
"Sure, branch chief.."
"Do you like eating?"
"A bit but not enough to be called an epicurist. Why?"
"I was hoping you could give me a list of the restaurants you felt served good dishes from the ces you were stationed at, and the meals that stood out to you. If you don''t mind.." Yang Qing humbly asked with a gluttonous glint shing in his eyes.
"Sure, I will even add a few mypanions told me about.." Administrator Mo Guan said with a light chuckle.
"Thank you!!!" Yang Qing said as he eagerly shook Administrator Mo Guang''s hands.
After separating, Yang Qing called over Su Jinjing and Luo Meilie and broke the news to them about the new personnel that would be recing them. He also revealed the finding he made via the sacred me swan as he warned them to be cautious out there.
Even with the presence of gold eagle guard Ye Xun and the other members of the Order who wereying down the formation array, one could never be careful. Yang Qing himself couldn''tpletely guarantee his life in this range, let alone Luo Meili and Su Jinjing who were in the core formation realm.
"Aplete overhaul huh.." Su Jinjing somberly said as she looked at the hills and the winding river around her.
"It''s better for them. At least they could avoid feeling like they are being haunted by the ghosts of theirrades.." said Yang Qing.
"I don''t think I would be able toe back either if something like that happened to me.." said Su Jinjing with a somber sigh, with Luo Meili and Yang Qing nodding along.
Trying to shake off the somber mood she had created, Su Jinjing asked,
"So, what''s your n Boss, for the next few days?"
"Some scavenging.." said Yang Qing with a greedy snicker.
"Earlier, when we separated as we wereing back, I stumbled onto a few fruits and honey that I think would make a great fruit wine. We could enjoy it tomemorate our stay here.." added Yang Qing with starry eyes as he imagined the taste of that wine.
Su Jinjing was at first ecstatic before she seemed hesitant, almost as if afraid to ask something.
Yang Qing could already tell what it was.
"There wasn''t one.." he said with a sigh.
"I guess that''s that. It''s a pity, but at least Flowing Fist Sect and the two elders got out.."
"It is.." Yang Qing said.
Even though he felt pity for the destroyed Hua n, Xin n, and the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect, he wasn''t as beat up about it, especially after his interaction with the spirits entombed at the graveyard torch.
The three organizations took a risk to try and improve themselves and it didn''t pay out, and the cost of that risk was their annihtion. It was simr to those who explored mysterious realms and dangerous locations in the hopes of finding something that would be able to change their fortunes, only for the ce to be terrifying beyond their capabilities and they end up losing their lives in the process.
The road of cultivation was paved with countless dangers, the three organizations just weren''t lucky enough.
Yang Qing separated from the two inquisitors as each went their way. Yang Qing had asked them to meet on the third day to have their farewell celebration. He had nned to have it at Meifeng''s alcove but he would have to seek Meifeng''s permission first considering how ambivalent she was about such matters. She hated loneliness, but at the same time, she was extremely wary of unfamiliar people.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel that the only reason they hit it off so easily had something to do with his yin-yang nature jade bones that gave him a great affinity with all sorts of nts ever since he acquired it, though now that he thought about, even before when he just began his journey into cultivating, he could somehow tell the feelings of the mortal rank herbs around their n, not only them but even the animals too, especially that ck dog that always looked at him with disdain, snickering every time his grandfather and his cohorts came up with a new body refinement recipe that they wanted to try on Yang Qing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but clench his teeth when that smug hateful dog appeared in his mind. At some point in time, it had disappeared before he had the time to get his vengeance on it.
"Maybe I could have its karma deduced and track it down.." Yang Qing pettily thought before he shook his head.
"It will cost too much.."
Unwilling to let the memory of the ck dog sour his mood any further, Yang Qing made his way to the kitchen and made Shi Hai privy to the leaving party he was hoping to have so he could n a sumptuous menu.
He encouraged Shi Hai to go wild with his imagination, he would have Mo Guang requisition the Order for any ingredients he wanted to use. For his final days here, he intended to milk as much as he could from the Order, it was the only time he would get to wantonly do so without fear of them getting back at him several times over.
He couldn''t help but snicker in glee as he and Shi Hai discussed the menu and the ingredients he needed. It wasn''t hard to get the young chef excited about working with limitless ingredients and at some point in time, Yang Qing somehow forgot his petty scheme as his attention waspletely absorbed by the potential dishes Shi Hai would make.
They spent close to three hours discussing it before Yang Qing hurriedly went to Administrator Mo Guang and gave him the list of ingredients that he was promised would be delivered by the end of the day through the transportation array in the transmission room.
With everything arranged, he called Meifeng, who as usual rattled endlessly about the things she, the spirit river melody skrk, the diamond beetle, and the crescent moon winged moth had been up to the past few days. Yang Qing patiently listened to her excited tales before finally she remembered to ask why he had called, and when he wasing by.
Yang Qing informed her that he was about to leave in a few days and hoped he could have the farewell party at her alcove. Few ces could match the beauty and atmosphere of that ce, especially after that mysterious figure made improvements to her pond. It had a perpetual refreshing calming coolness to it.
Meifeng was slightly hesitant at first, with Yang Qing not trying to cajole or guilt her into agreeing, he wanted it to be of her free will. Eventually, she agreed though she exhorted him to bring a lot of wine and the fried scallops he had the first time they met, to which Yang Qing readily agreed.
With all the particrs already done, Yang Qing headed to the secluded floor in the library to study the one thing that had been one of the reasons he agreed toe here in the first ce, but did not have the time to study it.
Chapter 702 First wage, humble station
Chapter 702 First wage, humble station
Above the pirs were three objects, two of them were scrolls, while thest was an ancient-looking broken part of a chime bell filled with old engravings and images of a flying moth around. It was gold rustic, with the engravings looking like they had been carved out of rust.
Both the chime bell and the two scrolls were covered in a mirage-looking translucent ball that was filled with countless runes that pulsed with the movement of energy from the pirs below them.
Yang Qing took out his token as he made his way to the pir that had a broken part of a chime bell. That chimebell was his goal foring here. The bell was one of the baits the crafty seniors of the Judicial Review Committee had used to lure him over to ept the job as the temporary branch chief of the Deer Mountain Range despite his reservations.
That gold-rusted chime bell part that looked like it was inches away from breaking down from its rust and what the vicissitudes of time had done to it contained a cultivation art that wasn''t featured in the collections of the main library. It could only be found within this branch, no other copies existed.
The rarity itself was enough to stir Yang Qing''s interest. Over the years he had collected a few oddities and trinkets around because of that reason alone. As long as something looked unique, weird, a one-of-a-kind object, he would instantly buy it without a second thought, regardless of whether it would be useful or not.
He always felt like a treasure hunter, finding a buried gem in a pile of rubble. Most of the time what he assumed was a rare find did turn out to be some trashy broken object but asionally, though not often he would find something worthwhile like the weird y tablet he had gifted Dean Zhu Lao which turned out to have a connection with one of the descendants of the ancients.
Yang Qing had always loved the feeling that came with unraveling mysteries from unexpected things. Lost knowledge, and skills that were hidden in some mundane rock, a sword skill hidden in some worn-out wooden sword, a broken artifact that has recordings of a long forgotten history, some scroll or book that has hidden something else within it, like let''s say some long lost technique or clues that tie with other scrolls that lead to some grand treasure.
He had always been in love with the romance of demystifying things, finding hidden things in scraps, the unique finds. If he didn''t have a high sense of self-preservation, Yang Qing felt in a different life he would have made a great explorer of the Horizon Odyssey Guild. Visiting ruins deciphering the hidden tales they left behind, spending years on end exploring all sorts of mysterious realms, venturing into dangerous ces to see what secretsy there but s he couldn''t. He would be too preupied with the paranoid thoughts of different ways he could die than enjoy the beauty of adventure.
His only option for satisfying that adventurous lust was visiting cultivation markets all over the continent and seeing if he could find some hidden mystery among themon goods being sold, a phoenix egg that was touted as a rotten egg. His heart would race at the thought that he might stumble onto something worthwhile. It was the reason he didn''t like to go to auction houses.
Auction houses had skilled appraisers who would extrapte a good''s entire history and abilities, there was little or next to nothing to discover about what you bought. The buyer would know exactly what they were getting with every major point about the goodspletely fleshed out by the appraisers.
Yang Qing never wanted that, he wanted his find to be a raw, jumbled mess with no heads or tails, something that would leave him spending countless hours trying to unravel its secrets. He didn''t like being told what was there, which was why if he could help, he would not step foot in auction houses, well that and he waspletely cheap.
He would lose an entire month''s worth of wages in a moderate bidding war with the less profligate, let alone the loss he stood to have if he engaged in a heated bidding war with the moguls who used middle-grade spirit stones to wipe the dust off their robes and toss it away after.
Once upon a time, when he was just young and had gotten his first pay as an outer core court judge. He felt flush after receiving his 150 high-grade spirit stone pay. He had never touched such a sum before. He hyperventted, cried in joy, screamed, worshipped his ancestors for a few hours for blessing him with talent, apologized to the Order for all he had thought and done, changed his walking style, and imagined the chaos he could do with such a sum.
He basically went crazy for the first few hours, and that insanity grew every time his eyes fell on those lustrous stones burning a hole in his storage ring. With such a sum, he genuinely felt he could buy a river, a mountain, and the entire stars above it in some ce around the continent.
So the next time he had a few days off, Yang Qing decided he was going to go into the world and create a storm by flexing his financial might. He couldn''t beat the Order, but he could definitely beat others out there with the tidy sum they gave him, so chest pumped up like a mighty beast, legs wide apart that they could reach from the east to the west of the continent, filled with momentum that reached the stars, carrying the aura of a dragon, shouldering heaven''s mandate, Yang Qing made his way to one of the best auction houses he knew about.
He had 150 high-grade spirit stones, so of course he wasn''t going to waste them in some nondescript auction house. That was like sending a dragon to destroy an ant hill, no, no, Yang Qing wanted to create as muchmotion as he could. He wanted bards to make songs about him, and statues of him to beid out all over different auction houses to strike fear and awe in all who came, and the only way he could do that was to visit thergest auction house hosted by the White Rose Pavilion.
He was humbled that day. His title as a member of the Order was what got him through the door that door, otherwise, he would not have been able to get in. Receiving entry was the worst thing that could have ever happened to him because once inside he realized the wealth he thought he had had the same worth as a fly on the wall.
Luckily the refreshments and entry were free of charge, otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to afford anything in there which was something he soon came to realize. What he had ved off for, for an entire month at the Order, no sleep, no spiritual qi, had no worth in there. Even his entire year''s worth of wages couldn''t make the first bid on the cheapestmodity in there. Never had he felt so poor, the lustrous spirit stones in his storage ring turned into dung. He ended up cking out a few minutes in. His mind and heart couldn''t take that beating and he had to be nursed to health by the staff.
He left that auction house, broken, a husk without a soul. The heavens had cast him aside. He learned something that day, which was the Order was cheap, and he needed to ept his station in life. He would never have awe-inspiring statues made out of him, he had to ept that he was but a humble scavenger and do what humble scavengers do, which is to scour around for scraps here and there, and maybe luck out and get a good find in the scrap.
When he started his humble life, he didn''t expect to love it as he did, and now it was the better highlight of his pastime. His hands were itching for the next market meet he went to. What would he find? Useless junk or some priceless treasure..
His heart raced in excitement at the thought of it.
"With the amount I got for my ceremony, maybe I could try my hand at one bidding and erase my past shame....no, no, stick to your roots, Yang Qing..."
Chapter 703 Sight within the fragment
Chapter 703 Sight within the fragment
The anti-climatic disy would mislead one into thinking the defense of the mirage bubble was weak, but Yang Qing knew it could defend against any measure that a middle-stage domain expert could think of.
The ward surrounding the pirs was part of the array that surrounded the entire floor which was the Kirin Guardian Veil Ward. It was a protection ward that not only protected the entire floor from being breached but it isted the room from most searching means either by domain sense, karmic deduction, or artifacts with simr use.
Without the token, Yang Qing would not be able to even know of the existence of the floor.
Yang Qing eagerly stretched out his shaking hands toward the chime bell fragment and removed it from the wood pir. The moment he did, the mirage-looking ward spread out from the pir and surrounded the entire room like a veil. The veil prevented others from spying or getting into the room but it also prevented Yang Qing from leaving the area with any of the objects covered by the ward.
For the veil to be dispelled, he would have to return the fragment to its original position for the protective ward to kick in and the veil to be absorbed back into the mirage ward.
"It feels more like silk than metal.." Yang Qing said as he rubbed his fingers against the fragment. It was soft to the touch and had the same sensation as the silk produced by silkworms.
Yang Qing traced his figures across the fragment while admiring every inch of it. Everything from the material to the design, to the engravings felt very novel to him. It was almost as if he could feel and smell the history contained within it.
Out of habit, he talked with it as if it were a living object. It was his process. It was something he developed from his years of scavenging, he would talk with his finds, purely in a superstitial sense in the hopes hismunication would unlock something from them or it would make them more amiable to him making it easy for him to harvest something extra.
He wasn''t sure if his ritual usually worked but he nheless faithfully maintained the tradition for years and he wasn''t about to stop, especially with the advantages he got from verbalizing his thoughts during themunication. Hearing his thoughts helped him add more considerations to his thought process.
After he was done with his ritual came the main event. He split a sliver of his spiritual essence which he fused with the fragment. If it was an artifact he had gotten from an unproven source, interacting with it via his spiritual sense was something ill-advised due to the potential risks involved. Inserting your spiritual sense into an unknown artifact left one vulnerable to attacks by opening the gateway via their spiritual essence, especially curse-based attacks.
One needed to thoroughly scan the artifact several times over for any visible ortent threats and booby traps and remove them carefully without damaging the artifact. It was a particrlyborious process, one that Yang Qing didn''t enjoy but did nheless as he had heard countless tales of cultivators who tried to recklessly refine unknown treasures before scanning them for dangers. Some had their bodies possessed, others had their cultivation bases destroyed from such recklessness and Yang Qing wasn''t about to be another cautionary tale.
With his spiritual sense serving as the unlock key for the fragment, Yang Qing felt his vision change. He was transported to a different realm. Within that realm, it was night, with a clear sky with countless stars woven through it, filling it with splendor.
On the ground, one thing stood out amid the darkness, it was a river, a river that looked to have been made from the dew drops of starlight. It had a gold-silver white radiance with a blue tone as its foundation.
One look at the river and Yang Qing could feel its grandeur and ethereal majesty. Yang Qing felt a sense of eternity within it. The past, the present, and the future are all recorded within the flow of that river that seemed to have no end or beginning.
Slightly above it, Yang Qing saw a golden string that wriggled with the ebbing and flowing of an ocean tide. More golden strings appeared from the river, emting the movement of the first string and it wasn''t long before there were a thousand of them whose movements matched before rhythmically weaving together to form a silver gold cocoon that had the tapestry of the stars above as its outer cocoon.
Immediately when the cocoon waspleted, it withered with Immediately when the cocoon waspleted, it withered with a grand radiant light, and out of that light came a moth, a moth the size of Yang Qing''s thumbs. The moth was unique in every which way. Its abdomen looked to have been carved out of the eternal radiant river, its wings adopted the cerulean color of the night sky above, and its head dotted with colorful stars.
With one look, Yang Qing could sense the vicissitudes of time within it, and with another, he could feel youthfulness.
As he was lost in wonder at what the moth was, he felt a voice transmitted from it. A clear, ethereal voice whose qualities were indistinctive.
The past, the present, and the future flow as one within me. I fly through its fabric as part of it and outside of it. With a p of one of my wings, I see it all, the iing dangers, the devastation,the tragedy that stretches its ws to the ends of the earth sparing nothing in sight, dragons capable of shattering the heavens with their roar weave reality with their ws, bodies immune to everything under the sun have fallen victim to it, phoenixes whose mes burn everything with one side and birth everything with the other, have fallen too, the child of the heavens kirin whose voice brings the majesty of the heavens have fallen to it, the kunpeng master of water and space, a world within itself has fallen victim to it..
But I, the unassuming speck, whocks even the strength to break a de of grass, have survived it. With the p of my other wing, I see it, I see the thread, the thread that weaves through all the dangers of both the past, the present, and the future. Nothing is hidden from it, from the earth to the oceans, to the stars and the heavens above, it moves through like a guiding light amidst a swallowing darkness.
With the thread as my path, no dangers will catch me, even with the earth rupturing with everything within it or the heavens fall, I will see it all, and move through it all, even time, destiny, fate, will not deny my thread.. my thread will weave through it all.. the thread cmity finding cerulean moth of the ages will be a witness to it all.."
Chapter 704 Pity it won’t be for my sect
Chapter 704 Pity it won''t be for my sect
"The thread cmity finding cerulean moth.. I don''t seem to have heard of such a spirit beast. From its tone, it may be of the same elk as dragons and phoenixes; one of the descendants of the ancients.
Cannot break a de of grass but can avoid cmities that even dragons can''t evade. Its statement makes escaping sound so grandiose like its defying the will of the heavens.
The survivor is king in the end. If you can detect all the dangers from the past, present, and future, then even withcking strength, I can see why it dares call itself thest witness. Nothing else matters as long as you live in the end.." muttered Yang Qing with an appreciative nod.
He felt the maxim spoken by what he assumed to be the thread cmity finding cerulean moth resonated with him. He may be a vain person who likes to show off his abilities a little bit here and there, but at the end of it, nothing matters to him more than ensuring his own life. When it came down to it, that was the only metric that he truly valued.
After the voice ended, the cerulean moth turned into motes of light that congealed to form the silhouette of a humanoid figure. Yang Qing couldn''t see their features as it looked like an ephemeral ghostly figure but the figure had a rough outline that showed it was a female, who was slightly taller than him by a meter.
The figure had a slender build, even if she didn''t have color, she had long hair that cascaded down her back reaching her knees. Yang Qing felt a solitary airing from her along with a bearing that could only be seen by people who have shouldered a lot of responsibility. He could feel the burden of that weight radiating from her body even though he didn''t know what it was she was carrying that it even tranted to her silhouette.
He couldn''t tell much about her age as she was no more than an indistinctive humanoid mist, but Yang Qing instinctively felt it was someone in her early forties, but whether that was her true age, Yang Qing had strong suspicions it wasn''t considering the thread cmity finding cerulean moth from before.
"Her aura seems different from the moth..her origins may not be the same.." muttered Yang Qing as the female silhouette started walking on the river.
Just as Yang Qing was wondering why she had appeared, she spoke, her tone soft and low like the whispers of the moon. It was also filled with mncholy and an unbending will.
"At birth, before I knew even to walk or crawl, I already had enough strength to punch a hole through an adult bear, at two years I was already in the bronze body refining stage, at four I was in the gold body stage, and at six, I already had a diamond body, two yearster I stepped into the qi refinement realm, and at thirteen I had already reached the thirteenth stage, the perfect cirction stage..
At fourteen I established a quasi-purple grade pir and stepped into the foundation establishment member which led me to be the youngest to be admitted as a seed disciple of the Bright Lake Dawn sect in 60,000 years, and at sixteen I became the eleventh person since the sect was established to master the sect''s core legacy, the tidal eternal dawn ascendance art to the emergent realm at below thirty years.
At neen I stepped into the core formation realm with a quasi-purple-grade core and at twenty-one my mastery of the tidal eternal dawn ascendance art reached the blooming phase, bing one of five seed disciples who had reached that realm, while also being the youngest of the five.
At twenty-four I touched upon the mysterious truths hidden within the art and at twenty-six I used them to establish my dao road that I used to step into the pce realm.
At twenty-eight I was unrivaled among my seed-disciple peers and at forty-two my mastery of the tidal eternal dawn ascendance art reached perfection and was promoted to a core elder because of it.
I secluded myself for twenty years and when I came out, I became the youngest domain expert the Bright Lake Dawn Sect has seen in 110,000 years and was one of the 23 domain experts the sect had.
With my understanding of our core legacy art and my attainments, I nurtured 22 pce realm disciples by the time I was one hundred years old.
I ventured out for the next 100 years, traveling from the brutal bestial churning sea to the wonderous Millionsfold treasure ocean, to the treacherous green fog region while exploring ruins and mysterious realms in between.
With nothing but my hands, I carved a path and increased my renown around the continent, inspiring terror and awe, in both humans, spirit beasts, and spiritual nts. I was a boon to some and a never-ending nightmare to others.
With a flip of my palm, I reduced thousands of mountains into sand, and with another turnkes, rivers, and seas were vaporized out of existence in but an instant. Mortals with no cultivation and domain experts were all equal beneath my might.
By the time, I returned to the sect, the continent didn''t know me as an elder of the Bright Lake Dawn Sect but I had instead be the Divine Sris Surge Fairy whose palms burned hotter than the sun.
To improve myself I mastered over a hundred blue-grade arts to perfection and created a couple myself. Slowly by slowly, I improved, I could feel it, I could feel my entire being transforming as I approached that gate that I dare not have imagined I would reach. Countless failed to reach it after all, and some of them far more talented than I. But finally, after 2,380 years, I walked through those grand doors, those doors that no one in my sect, despite having been in existence for 800,000 years, no one had ever stepped through it, not even our second ancestor, someone whose talent and records remained unmatched ever since the sect was established. Someone who single-handedly propped the sect into a revered sect around the continent to the point that we could hold our heads high even against those with more history than us.
But even he, with all his splendor and talent, fell short of it. At 2,642 years, I stepped into the soul formation realm, a realm that stopped millions, millions of unparalleled geniuses, millions of sons and daughters of destiny.
When I stepped into that realm, I realized why, why it was so revered, why not many could step into it so easily. The world around you changes when you step into the soul-formation realm. Your perception of things gets a seismic shift.
You feel like everything before you reached the soul formation realm wasn''t even real. Everything you see and experience before the soul formation realm is like being inside an egg, with the murmurings of the dao telling you what outside is like. You can imagine it, and you can sense a bit of what passes through the shell''s membrane but ultimately you''re not seeing or experiencing things for yourself, and reaching the soul formation realm is breaking out of that egg and seeing what is around you.
You gain ess to a world that was right before you, but you never had the qualifications tomunicate with it. Plucking the stars, bending space across millions of kilometers in but an instant, seeing the entire life of anything be it a rock or a person you can see its entire life''s past present, and future with just a look, a body that is nigh indestructible to almost even to cmitous void power, a soul that can grasp everything under the sun in just under a second, grasping any art at the blue grade with just a thought and creating one just as easy.
Everything you could imagine and not imagine bes possible within that realm and that possibility only grows endless as the river of time, the more you see the vastness of what is around you.
I became the next sect master and as the first soul formation expert to evere out of the sect, I rose it with me. When an immortal gains ascendancy even their dogs and chickens ascend with them.
With my abilities as a soul formation expert, I paved a path for glory for my sect. Everything I was able to achieve was because of them, and when the time came for me to repay it, I did it several times over.
I simplified and improved every cultivation art we had, ensuring we had nothing that was below the blue grade, sourced countless treasures that were able to do the unimaginable such as even turning waste into a genius, and everything that I could do to lift my sect and ensure an eternal legacy, I did.
We were not a sovereign legacy and I wasn''t sure I would be able to pull my sect that far, but I was going to do everything to ensure it was a possibility. My efforts were rewarded and 20,000 yearster, another soul formation expert rose from within our midst, one whose talents weren''t any less than the sacred creatures, or the dao children.
Our momentum was unstoppable and I thought to myself, surely there was nothing that could impede us. Even those who had deeper foundations and richer history than us had to think twice. I thought now I could wholeheartedly dive into the never-ending mysteries and profundities around me, and see how much I could grow, what heights I could reach.
My heart wasx, even if the heavens fell, I thought regardless of what happened to others, nothing would go beyond my abilities to guarantee a path of life for myself and the sect.
How arrogant and naive I had been... just because I tasted a little power as a soul formation expert, I thought myself indomitable. All throughout my life, I had always been unrivaled, and I assumed the soul formation realm would be the same, unaware of how deep the waters i had stepped into were, and the terrors they hid within it.
By the time, I realized it, it was toote. Everything I knew was shattered, my will which I thought would remain undaunted, was made brittle and copsed. The continent quaked with fear for what we saw. An unbridled power that showed me what I knew was nothing but a drop in an entire ocean.
Before my end, I remembered about a creature, a creature that did not share in the reputation of those mythical creatures despite being a part of it, a creature so indistinctive that it would escape the minds of the perfect erudite. Untouched by fame, glory, time, fate, and destiny, acknowledged by none.
At that moment, I remembered, a memory I had long forgotten, despite it being the reason I lived to reach the heights I did. It was a memory of when I was a young child, drunk on my abilities, wandered too deep into the mountains, and ended up facing a foe my strength couldn''t defeat, nature''s wrath.
I don''t know if it was the earth getting angry at my unbridled arrogance, wishing to teach me a lesson, but a long-dormant volcano exploded carrying with it the umted fury of the earth''s core aiming to remind me I was but an insignificantponent of it.
The heat it produced felt like the sun had exploded. No matter how much I ran, I couldn''t escape it. That sensation of impending death, beckoning you to join it. The unbearable heat and the roars of the volcano that sounded like the roars of a primordial beast viciously ravaging your entire being, trying to cry but unable to as everything within me had melted away.
Choking, crying, trying to gasp at air that had been burned away, looking around and all I could see was ming death and the earth opening its maw to swallow me. Armageddon had descended.
But in that mess, I saw it, that fragile crystal-like moth, a creature that looked so weak that even a strong breeze looked like it would take away its wings. But that creature, with grace andxness, gently flew, without hurry or panic like all that happened was predetermined by it. Free and unbridled, it moved, I couldn''t help but be so entranced by it, that even without meaning to, my body willed itself to follow it and before I knew it, I was out, with my life intact, but as for that creature whose presence seemed to abide and transcend all, I forgot it, only to remember it when I was at myst.
I, Yun Suifen, with all my attainments as the mes, with myst breath burn an incense in tribute to the thread cmity finding cerulean moth. This me may not be as good as a guide as the cerulean moth, but I hope it will guide a path to life for you, just as I was,...
Pity it won''t be for my sect.."
Chapter 705 Life testament legacy art
Chapter 705 Life testament legacy art
From within it came an incantation and a title.
"Perpetual Cerulean Weaver''s wisdom path to a lifeline.."
Yang Qing instantly knew it was the technique thedy called Yun Suifen had created which he presumed was towards the end of her life.
The incantation that came after exined the process of cultivating the art. If Yang Qing wondered if thedy had been a soul formation expert as she imed, when he heard the incantation and felt the power and the depth of profundities contained within it, all doubts instantly vanished.
Just the opening mantra alone would require significant effort from him just to grasp the rudimentary aspects of the art, let alone, the progressive parts of the art which would only keep growing inplexity the further in one moved.
Yang Qing cleared his mind of any misceneous thoughts as he poured his full attention into following the guiding path of the cultivation art. He decided to first see whaty at the end before he started deciphering it. Sensing the art to the end would give him a general sense of what he was working with.
It took almost five hours before finally the incantation was done as it coalesced together to form the cocoon that had formed earlier.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh in admiration with a little perspiration forming on his forehead.
Even without putting in the effort to decipher it, just previewing the art left him exhausted. Even though he hadn''t reachedplete mental exhaustion, with the mental heaviness he felt, he knew he wasn''t too far from it.
Yang Qing took out a few azure cloud berries which other than their excellent taste were great at staving off mental fatigue and restoring one''s spiritual essence.
After a few minutes, Yang Qing felt his mind lighten and it didn''t feel like his skull waspressing his brain.
"Earlier I thought she was just bragging, but that art.." Yang Qing couldn''t help but pause and sigh in admiration as he recalled the perpetual cerulean weaver''s wisdom path to a lifeline.
Yang Qing may have never heard of the thread cmity finding cerulean moth, but thanks to this art, he now had an idea of how truly wonderous its abilities are. The promation as thest witness didn''t seem as farfetched.
"And to think, despite the art being iplete, it is still this powerful.." Yang Qing said as his gaze filled with admiration and respect, fell on the cocoon.
Beforeing here, the judicial reviewmittee had already informed him that the art was an iplete gold-grade art, but that statement had been grossly misleading. Yang Qing had interacted with a few gold-grade arts having cultivated a few himself like the phantom void steps, so he knew, how to tell aplete one from an iplete one, and the art before him wasplete, asplete as any gold-grade art could be.
It had already met the threshold of one. The sentient intent of thedy who appeared earlier was already proof of it. The art wasplete, but it was indeed iplete at the same time. Anyone who interacted with it could feel it, thest part of the art wasn''t the real ending, there was something else that was supposed to be there, that would no doubt elevate the whole art.
However, that final part was missing, and it wasn''t due to ack of insight or not having the necessary umtions to push it that far, and it also wasn''t because the hosting conduit of the art was damaged.
No, all throughout the art, as Yang Qing allowed himself to be guided along, he could feel the life force of the creator slowly ebbing away with every incantation. She was notcking in any way, her life more than likely ended before she could put in the final touch which made the art iplete, but even without it, it was alreadyplete, it''s just that the final part, by Yang Qing''s estimates, may have the potential of elevating it into a purple grade art.
s, the origin nature of the art ensured that it would more than likely forever remain in the state it was in. Completing it would be next to impossible as the art was born out of the lifeforce, experience, and attainments of a soul formation expert. Everything that was Yun Suifen was branded deeply into every fabric of the art. She was entrenched so deeply that she was the art, the ending of the art was what she saw, and it would be next to impossible for anyone else to extrapte that ending, not unless they thought as her, lived as her, experienced as her.
Every inch of their lives needed to be a replication of what Yun Suifen''s life was, and how it shaped them fundamentally, also needed to be the same. Completing the art basically needed another Yun Suifen.
Yang Qing had seen simr arts before, arts that served as the graves of their creators, whose entire life was entombed and entwined with them, such arts were called the life testament legacy art. Arts birthed from the life of their creator.
Life testament legacy arts could never be improved on, nor could they be duplicated because of their nature, forming one was extremely difficult as it needed a cultivator to literally pour out their entire life into creating it. Everything they are, everything they were would all be burned as fuel into the creation of the art, and theirprehension of mysterious truths and profundities needed to be high enough to draw the attention of the word to serve as their witness and give them theirst rites.
But in exchange for the stringent demands, all life testament legacy arts at the bare minimum are at the blue grade, and the conduit through which they are stored remains indestructible to anyone below the soul formation realm.
The fragment before him might as well have been made from mundane materials, but from the moment the life testament legacy art of Yun Suifen was stored on it and received the cleansing of the world''s energy, it became as resilient as a saint-grade artifact.
Yang Qing cupped his fist toward the river as he paid his respects to Yun Suifen, even if she wasn''t there, he still acknowledged her.
After he was done, he immediately dived intoprehending the first parts of the art, which involved separating a sliver of his spiritual essence and weaving it together using his spiritual essence, and one memory as the materials to create a cerulean moth. Its methodology seemed somewhat simr to how one nurtures their artifact''s spirit when it is young. The cultivator in question would share his/ her experience with the artifact spirit to help it grow, the concept was the same, except this time, there was no artifact spirit, but his spirit.
Within the perpetual cerulean weaver''s wisdom path to life art was an exnation on how he would transform the sliver of spirit into a nk te which was the first step before he fed it one of his memories that needed to tie to a particr emotion, as for what emotion it was, in the early phases it was left to the cultivator''s prerogative.
Yang Qing soon forgot himself as he went about experimenting with the art.
Chapter 706 Cultivating the Perpetual Cerulean Weaver’s wisdom path to a lifeline, cultivation art
Chapter 706 Cultivating the Perpetual Cerulean Weaver''s wisdom path to a lifeline, cultivation art
An ephemeral colorful light that was a mixture of multitudinous colors with green being the most prevalent appeared on his hands. That was the physical representation of his spiritual essence.
In a normal setting, it would have disappeared the second it appeared, but the chime bell fragment produced a gentle humming sound that created a force that helped the spiritual essence stay in ce, and even give it a slightly solid feel to it.
The bell wasn''t the only thing that seemed to aid in the endeavor as the Kirin scaled white wood from the pirs around the building released a bluish-white glow that seemed to soothe the split spiritual essence in ce while the rest helped improve Yang Qing''s concentration while constantly renewing and restoring his spirit, body, and mind.
Yang Qing realized clearly the Order had not chosen to use kirin-scaled wood just as a conduit for a gold-grade ward but also in part due to its properties that would aid in theprehension of the art.
Yang Qing spent the next half an hour trying to erase everything within the sliver of spiritual essence and turn it into a nk te. The process wasborious due to the delicate nature of the spiritual essence and the amount he had to get rid of before the spiritual essence was nk.
What he was doing was simr to rewinding time to when he was just born. Everything he had experienced in his life since, then; the highs the lows, the mundane moments, cultivation, his time at the Yang stronghold before they moved to the Order, and everything else that has happened since then up until this moment needed to be erased from that spiritual essence.
Halfway through the process, the spiritual essence dissipated, prompting Yang Qing to start over. Yang Qing felt like he was doing aplex and delicate surgery where one misstep even the slightest could result in a catastrophic oue.
Yang Qing didn''t immediately jump in to separate a sliver of spiritual essence. He paused briefly as he did calctions in his mind.
"I think I can do this 20 times at most before I start feeling the effects of the split.. that number would grow if I use blue ice soul healing grass, but even if it can restore my lost essence and renew my mind, the toll will still be there.
For now, let''s settle with 15 to build my familiarity, after that, I could increase the number. Hopefully, there will be no need for that.." muttered Yang Qing.
With a working target in mind, Yang Qing soon split another sliver of his spiritual essence and delicately went on to cleanse it of everything it contained.
He faced failures just like the first time, and several times more after that, but with every failure, his execution of the art improved. His movements became less strained than they were and he was able to adapt to changes easily which helped increase his progress of the erasure.
It wasn''t till the twelfth try did he finally erase every trace of his life''s experience from the spiritual essence.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but giggle maniacally at the spiritual essence in his hands. While his soul could still handle the process, Yang Qing wasn''t sure how many failed tries he could handle before he snapped. The past few tries, he hade close, especially when the spiritual essence seemed to copse when he was left with just a smidge of presence to erase.
Yang Qing felt a little bit emotional as he stared at the finger- sized ethereal crystal fog-like substance nestling on his palm. It exuded a docile, innocent, and pure aura. After aplete erasure, that was what was left. The colorful lights from before had disappeared, and its size had shrunk considerably. Before it was the size of a melon to the finger size it was now.
"Now it''s to fill it with a memory that has some emotion to it...What should I go with.."Yang Qing muttered as he ced he cupped his chin in deep thought.
"My time at that mountain won''t do, I''d rather forget them if I could..mmmh, the day I left, yes, now that is a good one.." Yang Qing excitedly thought as he recalled the relief, freedom, and joy he felt the day he left the torturous mountain he called home and left for the Order, unburdened by the fear of being thrown into a crazy experiment his grandfather and his cohorts hade up with, or hear his father cry every time he was drunk while bad-mouthing his grandfather, threatening to go beat him up which he never seemed to do no matter how much Yang Qing tried to egg him on to do it.
"That should be a good one to start with.." he added as he used the process provided by the art on how to imbue the spiritual essence with his memory.
"Slow and steady.." muttered Yang Qing over and over as some meditation mantra that he was using to calm his excited nerves.
Following the instructions given, Yang Qing proceeded to imbue his chosen memory into the spiritual essence only for it to dissipate instantly upon contact with his crystalized memory.
"What happened?" Yang Qing said in shock as he stared wide- eyed at his now empty hand.
"What just happened?" he asked again in disbelief.
He made sure to bepletely careful. Everything within him was tranquil and his movements measured, but the spiritual essence dissipated the instant the memory touched it.
Yang Qing unable to identify what went wrong, reyed the whole scenario in his mind with apt attention, analyzing every millisecond of his actions. After he was done, he went through the incantation, specifically focusing on the process of imbuing the memory into the spiritual essence.
He grew bewildered when he saw he had done as instructed. Unable to find out why it failed, he went through he studied the incantation again, this time from the beginning to see if there was anything he had overlooked.
A few minutester there was a frown of confusion on his face, as he still didn''t know what exactly he did wrong, at least with the earlier processes he could tell where he made the mistake in the erasure process and improve up on it in the next try, but on this one, he couldn''t see it as it failed at the onset.
"I might as well try it again rather than aimlessly mulling it over.." Yang Qing said as he started the whole process over again by splitting a sliver of his spiritual essence and cleansing it.
Even with his earlier sess, it still took considerable effort and time, for it to not end in failure. With a nk spiritual essence in his hand, Yang Qing followed the process of imbuement again, this time even more focused and careful, to ensure even if it did end up in failure, he would know why.
But just like before, it failed yet again the instant his memory made contact with the spiritual essence an just like before he still didn''t know why.
Chapter 707 Ten Years
Chapter 707 Ten Years
He had done the whole process with careful attention, analyzing and controlling every minuscule detail of the described process.
He just couldn''t understand where the problem was. There was no rhyme or reason as the whole process seemed to copse at the onset and he didn''t know why.
Unwilling to throw in the towel just yet, he spent the next couple of minutes reying and analyzing every minute detail of the first two processes and corrting it with what he did to try and see if there was anything he might have overlooked.
He went through everything with a fineb but still could not spot whatever mistake he had made.
"I have two more tries, whether I seed or fail, fifteen tries is all I will do today.." said Yang Qing, using those words to control and firm himself.
If he didn''t, he was afraid he would bepletely consumed in exploring the art, and before he knew it a month would have passed by without him knowing. It was safer to set a deadline and work with it.
"There must be something I''m overlooking here, something with the memory or is it the spiritual essence?...should I alter its form into the cerulean moth, maybe that might enable it to absorb the memory easier..
But will that really work? It wasn''t mentioned and for some reason, I have this nagging feeling, the reason I''m failing is something overt..."
Yang Qing mulled over countless ideas before he finally decided to try and alter the shape of the cleansed spiritual essence and try and see if the structure was the issue of the failure, if that didn''t work, he had a couple of other ideas he wanted to try, but with only one more try left after this one, he could only choose one.
With a n already set, Yang Qing meditated for half an hour to get himself in optimal condition before he began the process over again.
He split a sliver of his spiritual essence and went about cleansing it into a nk state. Though he still took some time to cleanse itpletely, the process felt rtively easier after the previous two sesses.
After he was done with the erasure, Yang Qing took a deep breath and regted his breathing as he cautiously started molding the fragile-looking spiritual essence in his hands.
He didn''t outrightly transform it into a butterfly as what he was doing was ad hoc. Changing the shape of his spiritual essence wasn''t mentioned in the process and this was him just taking a shot in the dark to try and see if something woulde of it, though, if he were being perfectly honest, he didn''t feel like the odds of it seeding were that high.
But with little to work with, he could only wing it and act on his guesses, and if it failed, at least he would have eliminated shape as a factor in the failure.
Molding his spiritual essence wasn''t something unfamiliar to him, as most cultivators did it when leaving their spiritual imprints on something or when refining an artifact or treasure of some sort and even in the creation of talismans.
When it came to manipting his spiritual essence, Yang Qing felt he had a fair bit of experience with it. After he broke through to the pce realm and decided to give himself a well-deserved break thatnded him in trouble with Lei Weiyuanter, he spent the duration of that time ying around with talisman refinement.
Three months, for three months he was holed up eating, sleeping, giggling at the thought he had pulled one over Lei Weiyuan and experimenting with talismans. While he couldn''t call himself a master talisman refiner, he had improved and gotten pretty good at it, and as a consequence, his skills, when it came to the maniption of spiritual essence, had grown along with it, which was one of the prerequisites for talisman refinement.
Since Yang Qing couldn''t outwardly tell how the spiritual essence in his hands differed from a regr spiritual essence, he used normal shapes such as circles, squares, and rectangles as a baseline to test its durability and malleability.
Yang Qing let out a soft smile of relief when he saw it effortlessly transforming into different shapes without dissipating. After a slight pause, he moved on toplex shapes, till finally when he saw it was malleable he finally weaved into the shape of the cerulean moth.
"Now is the time of the moment of truth.." said Yang Qing as he exhaled, letting out turbid air.
Just like before, he calmed his heart, centered his attention on the memory he wanted to use, and gently and carefully poured it into his moth-shaped spiritual essence. His pce sense was deployed to its maximum enveloping that spiritual essence and its interaction with his memory.
Yang Qing couldn''t help when he detected the signs of dissipation when the memory came into contact with the essence. Even though outwardly it looked okay, via his pce sense he could already see it had failed, and a millisecondter it did.
"Shape doesn''t seem to be the issue.." Yang Qing said with a slight sigh of frustration.
"Now for thest try...What do I go with?"
Yang Qing''s brow contorted together with almost ten minutes passing by without him moving before finally he let out a sigh of exasperation followed by a stretch of his body as he said,
"Thezy carefree route it is.. If it works, it works, if it doesn''t, well that''s it. I have a lot of time to y around with it when I go back.. I still have a party to go to."
As he said that, Yang Qing breathed in and out, exhaling his fatigue and frustration from within his body as he weed a cleansing of relief.
Yang Qing took a seat and began the process over again. He split his spiritual essence and swiftly moved on to cleansing it of its entire makeup. He wasn''t sure if it was because of how at ease he was with the thought of the part spurring him on or the carefree relief brought by him not attaching much importance to whether it seeded or not as it was hisst attempt nheless, but the process was much much smoother than the previous four times.
After the cleansing wasplete, Yang Qing didn''t waste a second as he moved on to the next step. At this point, he was even hoping it would fail so he would go see if the ingredients he had told Administrator Mo Guang to procure had arrived.
Still wearing the same carefree demeanor, he channeled his emotions as he did before, only this time, he wasn''t wearing the look of some monk who was as still as an unperturbedke, this time emotions were showing on his face as he closed his eyes.
On his face, one could see glee, relief, fear, excitement, and anticipation. Yang Qing didn''t open his eyes, as he channeled his emotions into the crystal-clear spiritual essence. The spiritual essence shivered like it was about to dissipate likest time, however, this time, Yang Qing''s hand produced a blue mist filled with mots of light like little starlights that seemed to quell the excitement of the spiritual essence, and slowly permeated into it, transforming its look into an ocean blue color with tiny mots of lights.
Yang Qing''s eyes were still closed, almost as if his mind was in another realm while the spiritual essence in his palm waspletely transformed and looked like a tiny patch of ocean that reflected the sky on its surface. When thest of the blue mist dissolved into it, it contorted like y being molded, and transformed, from its formless shape, into a delicate blue-
colored moth.
With its formplete, it started flying around excitedly as it left a blue mist-colored trail as that exuded an aura of freedom.
Without even looking up, Yang Qing could already tell he had seeded. He slowly opened his eyes with a smile, meeting the excited blue-colored moth that dashed straight at him, heading straight for his nose before making a beeline for his hair where it did circles, turns, and twists.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but chuckle as he sensed its rambunctious nature and its purity. He stretched his right index finger and as if on cue the blue moth flew from above his head toward the stretched-out index finger and perched itself on top of it.
"So that was what I was missing.." muttered Yang Qing as he admired the crystal blue moth gently pping its wings. Within its wings, he could see an image of a younger version of himself. Chubby cheeks, innocence written all over with a hint of mischief, curiosity, excitement, fear, and expectation.
"I can''t believe it''s been 10 years since then.." Yang Qing wistfully said with a nostalgic sigh escaping his lips as he took in the image of him at thirteen years old when he had left home, with a rush of countless emotions flooding through him as he imagined whaty next for him.
"Things may have not gone exactly as I envisioned, but it''s more than what we hoped for little Yang Qing.." he said with asmile.
"Ten years from now, I wonder what that Yang Qing will tell me.." he added as he saw the crystal blue moth p its wings, fly above him to the roof above, and disappear.
Chapter 708 Acknowledgement of the dao
Chapter 708 Acknowledgement of the dao
He remained motionless for almost an hour before he finally woke up from his reminiscent state.
"I am d I took that step.." Yang Qing said as he stood up, as he ced his hand on his heart sensing the slight change within it. It felt lighter and clearer.
"Bright Lake Dawn Sect, Yun Suifen...junior Yang Qing, pays my respects to you...You must have been an illustrious figure during your time.." said Yang Qing with deep admiration.
Cultivating the art she created he realized how deep her breadth of insight and umtion had been.
The reason he failed every time he tried to imbue his memory into the nk spiritual essence, those few times, was he kept dissociating himself from his memory every time he tried to act calm and collected. Every time he did so there was a dissonance between him and his memory.
He was separating himself from his memory every time he did so, forgetting what a memory was. A memory was a personal imprint that carried his experience and the emotions that came with that experience, which was why every time someone recalled something, even if it happened years ago, they would feel the emotions associated with that memory despite the time that had passed by.
When Yang Qing left his home he was anything but calm, and him trying to act calm as he poured his memory into the spiritual essence made it impure as itcked the emotion he had from back then, making it no more than a static recording, hence the failures.
When Yang Qing decided to let himself get absorbed into the memory, it was him just going with the flow to see where it led. He wasn''t sure it would work and of the ideas he had on hand, this was the easiest to execute which was why he chose it.
With sess in imbuing his memory into the spiritual essence, the next step would be to imbue two more memories into the spiritual essence, and he would keep increasing the memories he imbued by two, with every growing sess until he reached one hundred, after which he would blend and refine all those memories into oneponent.
The preliminary phase of the art was for him to imbue as many memories as he could into the spiritual essence, which would in turn strengthen it and enable it to survive for much longer, and after that woulde the nurturing phase which required an assiduous attitude due to how arduous the process would be.
Despite the effort required, Yang Qing was excited to explore it and see the heights he would reach. He also felt the deeper he delved into the art, as his proficiency grew, he would end up experiencing benefits to other aspects of his cultivation, especially when it came to tempering his heart and mind. One of the driving forces of the art seemed to be introspection. The culmination of the art was built upon the summation of one''s experiences.
Yang Qing stretched his hands and back with a gleeful smile as he dusted off his robes out of habit despite his robes having self-cleaning arrays and the room being absent of even a speck of dust.
After Yang Qing was sure everything in his grooming was okay, he went by the pir that contained the fragment of the chime bell and dislodged his token via a set of clicks and patterns that seemed to have lifted the seal ced on it.
The moment the token was in his hand, the glyph-filled veil that had isted the floor from the outside world receded as itpressed together to form a ward of protection around the chime bell.
Yang Qing cast a brief lingering gaze on the chime bell fragment before he turned to leave the room. Today was likely going to be thest day he would ever be in the room. He had spent close to sixteen hours cultivating the Perpetual Cerulean Weaver''s wisdom path to a lifeline, he now had a little over 30 hours as the Branch Chief of the Deer Mountain Branch, and of those hours at least 24 hours were already spoken for. The farewell party wouldst a full day, even longer if Shi Hai already had all he needed.
"Am I getting more and more emotional with age?" said Yang Qing with a wry smile as he felt out of sorts as he was leaving.
When he ran away back then, neither was he nostalgic or mncholic. He felt like a prisoner who had just been given his release, but now, when it hit him he would be leaving, he had a bittersweet feeling about it.
Though his thoughts about being a branch chief had still not changed, he had a worthwhile experience as a branch chief despite the unpleasant experiences here and there, especially in his interaction with the different parties of the Deer Mountain Range, from the loyal imperial secretary to the steadfast king, to the mercurial aristocrats, to the spirit beasts that inhabited such as Gu Xing, Meifeng and the Mountain Jade Serpent, and experiencing the splendor of a graveyard torch.
He had unique experiences that he would never have had, had he note here, which created a lingering sentiment from him towards the ce.
With a departing sigh, he left the top floor in search of Administrator Mo Guang to follow up on the progress he had made. When he found him, Yang Qing couldn''t help but bow to the veteran''s abilities. Everything within the list he and Shi Hai hade up with had already been sourced, and Mo Guang had even added a few more that were not on the list but were a great addition nheless.
With unconcealed excitement, Yang Qing rushed toward the kitchen where he found Shi Hai cooking up a storm, taking no prisoners with the ingredients. An intoxicating fragrance filled the whole kitchen with every dish that was being produced radiated with a presence that made it seem like it was being prepared for an immortal feast as Shi Hai moved with the grace of an immortal.
Yang Qing stood there with a dumbfounded expression as he saw the sight before him when he came to, he couldn''t help but sigh as he sensed the energy within the kitchen.
He could hear the ingredients rejoice, while the aroma that pervaded the area had the aura of the heavens and the earth. His gaze finally fell on the young chef who was at the center of it, around him he could feel a stirring of the dao being molded and melded into everything he did.
"Shi Hai has found his path, the dao has acknowledged him .." he muttered as he saw the golden auspicious that surrounded Shi Hai and everything he touched. It was ethereal, majestic yet gentle and all-epassing.
Chapter 709 What’s with her?
Chapter 709 What''s with her?
Painters, cooks, tea brewers, wine brewers, and musicians, usually in the early phases of their cultivation the improvements they made were through cultivation, while the upation they chose had little to no impact in the beginning, though Yang Qing knew painting was a bit different, as it strengthened the cultivator''s soul and tempered their hearts in the beginning, so it did provide some added advantages in the early phases, but for the rest, if the cultivators wanted to improve their cultivation base, they could only do it in the normal fashion which was to master their chosen cultivation art and use its profundities to absorb and refine spiritual qi.
However, if they wanted to pursue their upation and use it as the foundation to improve themselves, the moment they reached the core formation realm, they could no longer use the cultivation techniques they had been using earlier, they could only improve their cultivation base through their professions, which was the only way they would be able to sense and maybe even gain the approval of the dao associated with their profession and use it to establish their path to the pce realm.
From the core formation realm, they could only rely on themselves, even though they could seek guidance and use the insight of their peers to help them, ultimately walking that step was up to them, the insights would only give them a sense of what to look out for, but parting that fog was up to them, and the process was usually unique to the individual.
For example in the White Baobab Kingdom, there were already a few chefs who had already stumbled onto the path of the cooking dao, the exnations they gave on how they stumble onto it were unique to them, for example, one stumbled onto it as she was processing a chalcedony scaled bass. The chalcedony scaled bass was one of the tastiest fish one could ever have, every single part of its body was a prized treasure and would usually go for at least 100 high-grade spirit stones. However, it was notorious for being highly strenuous to process and even cook, one slight misstep and the chalcedony-scaled bass would melt away as though it was thawed ice.
That particr cook spent close to three months without sleeping or stepping away as she processed the bass and somehow in that tense situation she stumbled onto the doors of the cooking dao. Another stumbled onto that pathway when he was cooking porridge for his expectant wife.
No one process was the same, and even the gravity of the scenarios were different, some were tense while others were light-hearted. The onlymonality among the different experiences was one had to be cooking, as long as you kept cooking, wholeheartedly at that, the dao of cooking may be triggered. There was no structured guideline on how to guarantee it, you only had to cook and Shi Hao had triggered his.
Yang Qing''s smile widened as he imagined the thought of what Shi Hai''s meals would taste like. Before, his meals were already top-tier, but now with cooking dao involved, the experience would be pushed multiple levels higher kind of like Jiang Fu''s famous oolong tea which left someone transported to another realm every time they took a sip.
Just like every cook had a unique experience with their cooking dao, the meals they made doused with that cooking dao provided a unique experience to whoever ate it. The cooking dao within those dishes made everything about it cater to the consumer''s wild imagination. Some would feel like they have tasted heaven, while others would feel like they had tasted that one meal someone close to them once made for them but could never find that taste replicated anywhere else.
Afraid his presence would interfere with Shi Hai, Yang Qing left to one of the peaks which he was going to use to brew some wine using the bulk of the fruits and honey he had collected around the Deer Mountain Range.
While he wasn''t an expert at it like Yi Jie, he knew enough to dabble in it, and for good measure, he had ns to add a tiny drop of the wine he had been given by that mysterious figure who joined him and Meifeng in their makeshift party. The figure he suspected was using the mes produced by a Bifang Niao to temper his sword. Considering the figure''s means and abilities, the wine was anything but simple. Even if his skills in wine-making provedcking, the wine he was given would no doubt make up for it.
Giggling with excitement, Yang Qing quickly made his way up the peak as he called over Haishi and Bolin forpany as he brewed the wine.
A couple of hours passed by before he was finally done with his brew.
"These should be enough.." muttered Yang Qing with an excited smile as he put on the lid on thest remaining vat, he had made three in total, and though he didn''t sample it and just used his pce sense to ensure it was okay, on a visceral level he could already tell it was bound to be spectacr, especially after adding the tiny drop of the mysterious wine to the four vats. The proof of this was the two spirit beasts who couldn''t hide their greedy gazes as they watched Yang Qing store away thest vat.
Once he was done, Yang Qing made his way to the former territory of the Clear Sword River Sect, to invite the mountain jade serpent and the verdant firefly to see if they wanted to join him for the party. The former refused as he wasn''t used to crowds, even amongst fellow spirit beasts, and waspletely consumed by the atmosphere of the area, he didn''t want to leave it even for a second, and as for the verdant firefly, Yang Qing could sense the conflicting within it when he made the offer. On one hand, it wanted to follow him, on the other it felt torn about leaving the nts growing around unattended.
Yang Qing eventually decided to let it stay, as for the aurora azalea, and the spiritual restoration oak tree, they couldn''t move even if they wanted to. The only way to do so was if they stepped onto the pce realm where they would have esoteric means of venturing outside even if their main bodies were rooted in ce.
Once he was done, he visited Gu Xing to extend his invitation. He had half expected her to refuse and was surprised when she agreed.
As he was leaving, on a whim Yang Qing decided he might as well try to invite the stoic gold eagle guard Ye Xun. Her social skills aside, she had helped him more than once withoutint, Yang Qing hoped he could return the favor with some good wine.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but shake his head with a smile when he received a "mmmh" as a reply before she disconnected hermunication talisman.
"That was a ''mmh'' yes right?" he wondered out loud.
He didn''t pay the matter any more heed as he would know whether it was a yes or no when the time came. She already knew where Meifeng''s alcove was which saved him from the dilemma of having to confirm whether it was a yes or no.
With all the preliminary arrangements made, he paid a visit to Meifeng to calm her tense nerves with some rice wine and crab cakes and left for the branch.
By the time he came back, Shi Hai had alreadypleted all the dishes with tears in his eyes as he sensed the gains he had made in the process. He could be considered to have finally embarked on the path to being a true world cook now. He couldn''t help but rush toward Yang Qing and thank him profusely with tears in his eyes, and promise Yang Qing a lifetime''s worth of free meals, which Yang Qing would definitely collect. He wasn''t hypocritical enough to refuse. His conscience wouldn''t allow him to.
With everything in ce, the whole band assembled in ce; Mo Guang, Su Jinjing, Bolin, Haishi, Ellie, Shi Hai, and Yang Qing, all gathered atop Ellie''s back and left for Meifeng''s ce. Yang Qing had Gu Xing meet them when they were halfway through the trip. Her pristine sacred look was enough to turn some eyes, especially from Shi Hua who didn''t blink even for a second.
As for rest, Luo Meili and Su Jinjing other than the small surprise of seeing a sacred me swan in the flesh, weren''t affected too greatly, while Mo Guang was calm wearing the genial elderly smile he always had,Haishi and Bolin were reserved when they sensed her aura, and for Ellie, she was behaved exactly the way Yang Qing had expected her to. She was smug, disdainful, and a littlebative.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at this as he wondered where she got such a nasty personality from.
...
Ellie''s intrusive thoughts
[This damn Yang Qing, did he invite the whole range? How many mouths are these?! The food won''t be enough! He has always been so undependable, a disgrace to gluttons. What glutton invites more people? And he has the nerve to beat me up every time I pick a few hatchlings from his pond now and then... he is so unreliable...Wait till we get back, mmph..]
...
Yang Qing who had been sighing at Ellie''s behavior couldn''t help but look perplexed when he saw her give him a look that was a mixture of aggrievement, disappointment, disdain, and vindictiveness.
"What''s with her?" he wondered before he decided to push those matters to the back of his head. He had more matters to focus on rather than trying to think about what ran through Ellie''s mind. He had long given up on her.
The journey over was smooth, with thepany engaging in small talk to try and lighten the mood and ease the unfamiliarity with each other. Yang Qing was about the onlymonality with all present, except when it came to Administrator Mo Guang. He was the only one who had a close rtionship with Shi Hai, Gu Xing, Luo Mieli, and the rest, so he served as abridge between the groups tying them together. As for Mo Guang, he was an old fox familiar with making conversation even amongst strangers.
It wasn''t long before they arrived at Meifeng''s alcove.
"Is this really the same ce?" asked Gu Xing with a slightly surprised look as she detected the slight pure yin energy that was leaking from the alcove.
Even if it was just a sliver, she could feel the vastness and the purity contained within it.
"It''s the same ce, it''s just that something happened recently that transformed it.." said Yang Qing as he lept off Ellie''s back and informed Meifeng of their arrival via his pce sense.
"She seems utterly terrified.." thought Yang Qing as he heard the muffled stammered reply from Meifeng that was a mixture of words and yelps.
Once inside, the crowd couldn''t help but marvel at the beauty within it. Meifeng''s flowers and fruits and even the tree as a whole looked more majestic and resplendent, as it radiated a sense of cool refreshing gentleness that matched the pond below it that filled the area with a refreshing coolness that rxed the mind.
"Little bud?" Gu Xing inadvertently muttered in surprise as she struggled to reconcile her memory of what had been here with what she was seeing. The little sapling she had left, was now all grown, bearing the beauty and majesty of the heavens.
"Meifeng will you keep hiding there, or will youe to say hi?" said Yang Qing with a teasing smile toward Meifeng whose human clone had been hiding behind her trunk, sneaking a nce from behind it as she tightly clutched the diamond beetle in her bossom, which seemed to be trying to wrestle free.
Yang Qing''s voice startled her, which gave the diamond beetle the chance to flee, as it rushed toward Yang Qing with the serenity melody river skrk and the crescent-winged moth having already beaten it in reaching Yang Qing. The trio swarmed Yang Qing as they circled him with clear joy, as the serenity melody river skrk even took liberties nesting on Yang Qing''s head as it chirped in joyous melody, while the crescent winged moth circled his ear releasing white mist and the diamond beetle choosing to settle on one of his shoulders with a satisfied expression on his face.
"Traitors! I thought we were in this together.." said Meifeng with a low aggrieved tone as she wearily stepped out from behind the trunk with her shy gaze falling on her guests.
Seeing how utterly petrified she was, Yang Qing walked over and helped her along as he made the introductions.
Chapter 710 How weak willed are you?
Chapter 710 How weak willed are you?
Meifeng responded in small murmurs to the introductions, her nervousness clear to all. The introduction ended with Gu Xing who still seemed as dazed as she was when they came in.
"What''s up with her? Why is she looking at me that way?" asked Meifeng using her pce sense tomunicate with Yang Qing.
From the moment they arrived, Gu Xing had been staring intently at her with her eyes shing with countless emotions that made Meifeng nervous and perplexed as she sensed a tinge of regret within those emotions.
She couldn''t make heads or tails of why she would receive such a look from Gu Xing. As far as she could remember she had never interacted with her. Gu Xing had a distinctive aura about her that made it impossible for one to forget ever meeting them, no matter how much time passed.
"She is friends with Lady Gild, and also the guardian of the graveyard located in this range.." answered Yang Qing drawing a surprised yelp from Meifeng, who was unable to hide her emotions from the revtion as she stared wide-eyed at Gu Xing.
"Really?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, really. You really don''t know her?" asked Yang Qing.
When he met Gu Xing and mentioned Meifeng, she instantly knew her origin from her interaction with the Lady Gild, and from the way she described it, she had even met Meifeng at some point.
"Maybe she came before Meifeng unlocked her spirit.." thought Yang Qing.
"I don''t know her. I would have remembered her if I did, though there is something slightly familiar about her. Maybe its Lady Gild''s aura.." said Meifeng as she slowly grew bolder in her scrutiny of Gu Xing, who was equally staring at her with apt attention.
The interaction between the two was like that of a parent and their child, where the child has not seen the parent for a long time and has even forgotten what they look like but from the moment their sight on them they could sense a familiarity that they couldn''t quite exin, while the parent is in surprise at how much the child has changed in their absence.
"You two should talk while we arrange everything. You could both share stories about Lady Gild, and you could even ask her to tell you tales of Adler when he was a cub.." said Yang Qing, trying to stir Meifeng on.
His tactic seemed to have worked as he could see her eyes lighten at the idea. With how much she idolized Lady Gild, Yang Qing was more or less certain that she would be pumped at the thought of hearing and trading her own stories about her.
Yang Qing used the brief momentary pause as Meifeng was lost in her thoughts of the potential stories she would hear, to inform Gu Xing of the n to have her catch up with Meifeng, which she was all too d to do.
The duo left a secondter when Gu Xing asked Meifeng softly if there was somewhere they could talk in private, to which Meifeng led her behind the trunk she had been hiding from when they came. She was still a bundle of nerves as she almost slipped a few times, but the excitement of hearing about Lady Gild and potentially embarrassing stories about the fire adler bear spurred her on.
With the duo leaving, Yang Qing and the rest went about helping Shi Hai spread about the dishes he had made, while Shi Hai himself started working on a few more dishes that he couldn''t do so until the day of the party to avoid loss of vors.
Low-height tables, futons, and a few utensils were spread about before the group started grouping the dishes from snacks such as panfried dumplings and the like; to meat and poultry; to vegetables and egg dishes like ma po tofu and stewed wintermelon; to cold dishes like winterforest mushroom in chili oil; to seafood and aquatic foods; to soups and finally wines and teas.
Other than the wine and tea, everything else had been Shi Hai''s doing. Even covered, one could sense the boundless vor contained within the pots because of the cooking dao that coated them.
As they were arranging the various dishes around the alcove, Shi Hai had already started a small fire using cinnamon ke wood and a few other precious woods that he would use to add vor to the meat he was about to barbecue over them.
With the me already underway, he took out three goats from his storage ring. Their size was that of regr goats, but there were a few things in their makeup that set them apart from regr goats, one of them being their coat which looked to have been made of cindering ash, and the red-orange crystal-
like horns on their heads that looked to have been made fromva.
The goats in question were volcanic crystal ash goats that survived in areas filled with dense fire element energy. Volcanic crystal ash goats were highly valued in the cooking and epicurismmunity because of the vor of their meat. Even without doing anything to it which included cooking it, the meat was filled with boundless vors that would bring even the hardest of men to tears from just a single bite. And also ironically, for a creature that grew in hardy areas, it had the most tender flesh.
Shi Hai''s eyes gleamed with excitement as he started skinning it, working his way through processing the three goats. Every single part of the goat was delectable even the hide itself and Shi Hai was going to give those ingredients the respect they deserved. As a cook, there was nothing more shameful than destroying an ingredient.
Once he was done processing them, he ground a few spices and herbs which he meticulously thered over them before finally, he began grilling them over the incandescent fire he had going.
The moment the meat made contact with the me and a sizzling sound was produced, gulps could be heard all around from both men and beast with two voices being especially louder than the rest. It did not matter whether you were a glutton,or an asional eater, even if an immortal was to descend when hit with the tantalizing aroma of the volcanic crystal ash goat, they would gulp just the same.
"How is Shi Hai restraining himself?" wondered Yang Qing as he wearily looked in the direction of Shi Hai who was expertly flipping the meat over as he carefully brushed them with a few sauces here and there, along with one or two condiments.
It had taken a lot of willpower for Yang Qing to not rush over there, and were he the one grilling it, he would have long taken a bite or seventy the instant it was above the mes. Shi Hai being able to remain unmoved and focused was his testament as a seasoned cook.
"Stop moving, will you?" said Yang Qing in irritation as he sat down suppressing something below him that was constantly fidgeting about.
While he knew he was weak against that smell, he knew someone else whose restraint was even weaker than his, so the instant he saw Shi Hai was about to start grilling, he went over to said person, and gently shielded them from themself. It was the least Yang Qing could do, everything else aside, he had cared for that person ever since they were small.
"Ellie, if you don''t stop moving, you won''t get a share.. How weak-willed are you?" he said as he shot a disdainful nce at the bird below him whilst wiping his drooling mouth with his sleeves.
Chapter 711 Leaving the Deer Mountain Range (1)
Chapter 711 Leaving the Deer Mountain Range (1)
She knew well enough that Yang Qing wasn''t bluffing. He really would deny her the sizzling meat, and that greedy glint only someone of his kind could understand told her he was even hoping she would create a fuss so he could eat her share. Were she more powerful, she would have done the same thing too, in fact, she would have taken the entire thing and flown away and eaten it by herself.
Tsk!
Yang Qing clicked his tongue in disappointment as he joined the rest to prepare. At some point, a cheery Meifeng, and a Gu Xing who seemed much more rxed than she was when they arrived, joined them.
It wasn''t long before they were done and started conversing amongst each other withughs and a jubnt atmosphere spreading all around. Meifeng seemed much more rxed as time went by, no doubt her conversation with Gu Xing helped, that and the thousand-leaf bamboo rice wine Yang Qing had taken out to tide them over as they waited for Shi Hai to finish, which he didn''t seem to be too far from doing.
Luo Meili and Su Jinjing were able to break down Meifeng''s walls and soon they were giggling and trading stories with their stories centering around Yang Qing''s shenanigans who in typical fashion had a few theatric performances of his own to said stories. It wasn''t long before Meifeng waspletelyfortable with everyone, even with administrator Mo Guang, whom she said had the same sort of aura as Lady Gild.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh in gratification as he saw Meifeng chatting away. For as old as she was, she was no different than a four-year-old when it came to how innocently pure she was. She couldn''t conceal how she felt. Her actions and emotions could easily be read.
Looking at how she was excitedly talking with everyone, one would find it hard to believe that she had been trembling as a twig a few moments earlier. With how scared she had been, it wouldn''t have been a stretch to think that she would have even forgotten her name had Yang Qing left it to her to do her introductions.
"For as shy and wary as she is around strangers, she seems mostfortable around people. Hopefully, Gu Xing can keep herpany after I''m gone. Maybe I could have Administrator Mo Guang check in on her every now and then.
But with skrk, crescent-winged moth, and diamond around, she shouldn''t be too lonely, especially with their spirituality growing at the speeds their growing at. Cultivation-wise, it would be quite some time before they are remotely close to her level, but in terms of spirit, as long as they are able tomunicate with her and understand her, it should be more than enough.." thought Yang Qing.
Yang Qing admired the purity of Meifeng and her cheerful spirit, which was something he hoped she would be able to retain for quite a long time, and he would try and do as much as he could to ensure she retained it, as difficult as he was.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by Shi Hai''s voice as he announced the goat was done. Yang Qing turned to see a golden brown work of art, that trickled with juices that may have well been dews from heaven itself and an aroma that words couldn''t describe. Even his stomach didn''t know how quite to respond to the sensory bombardment he was receiving. It was overwhelmed to the point of confusion.
Sensing the gazes falling on him, Yang Qing forcefully sealed his senses, especially smell so he could contain himself and think clearly.
He looked around him with the same carefree goofy smile he liked wearing before sending threatening res at Ellie, as it should to which she threw one of her own. As fellow gluttons words needed to be said for them to understand what was going through each other''s minds.
Meifeng giggled at the exchange between the two which turned infectious as the rest joined in theughter.
Yang Qing cleared his throat partly in embarrassment and partly to prepare himself to speak.
"I am not particrly good at this, so forgive the simplicity and inness of it all.." Yang Qing humbly said.
"My time here at the Deer Mountain Range is about toe to an end in the next few hours... "Yang Qing paused when he saw Meifeng suddenly sulk.
"Don''t worry Meifeng, we can still keep in touch using themunication talisman I gave you.. You can always call me anytime you want, and if you want, you can also talk with Meili and Jinjing, who I know would also appreciate hearing from you" said Yang Qing in a soft gentle tone.
"We will, in fact, I will be making those calls myself, so make sure you pick up, Meifeng.." said Su Jinjing with a cheerful smile.
"I will too.." said Luo Meili with a gentle smile.
Their demeanors helped improve Meifeng''s mood as her sulking face thawed away slightly and a smile slowly bloomed in its ce. After a slight hesitation and steeling herself, in a low shy tone, she said,
"You all better answer when I call.." her gaze intently falling on Yang Qing.
"We will.." said Yang Qing with a smile before he resumed his speech. The quicker he finished it the better. He couldn''t wait to sink his teeth in every meal around, especially the grilled goat.
"I wonder if senior Ye Xun ising?"he wondered as the stoic gold eagle guard shed in his mind.
"As I was saying, my time here would soon be ending with today being thest day. When I came here, I wasn''t particrly ecstatic about it... those who know me, know why.."
He wasn''t about to openly dere his cowardice in front of everyone, not with Meifeng looking. She already thought he was some unfathomable expert who wouldn''t waiver even if the sky were to fall and he wasn''t about to destroy that image.
The statement drew smiles from Luo Meili and Su Jinjing who shook their heads, while Ellie threw a mocking look his way which Yang Qing filed away to useter.
"Anyhow, my experience here has been worthwhile and will stay with me for the rest of my life. I gained more than I could ever give, and this ce has a special ce in my heart because of you. Thank you for your hospitality, friendship, and the memories you helped me create.
I pay grievances and gratitude in kind, should you ever need help please don''t hesitate to ask, because I wouldn''t hesitate to ask it of you. That''s what friends do. So for myst day here...for now, may we make it as memorable as we can transforming it into a treasure thatsts each one of us a lifetime.
To the moments we have and more toe.." Yang Qing said as he lifted his cup of wine in the air which was mirrored by the rest before they simultaneously downed their wines.
Chapter 712 Leaving the deer mountain range (2)
Chapter 712 Leaving the deer mountain range (2)
Her smile surprisingly wasn''t that bad for someone who didn''t like to show much emotion on her face. She was already a golden beauty even when wearing her stoic demeanor, and now smiling, though it was a small one elevated that beauty even further.
Yang Qing nodded toward her in gratitude for showing up but also for the help she had provided while he was still within the range. He knew throughout their stay here, despite her not showing herself a lot, she had been monitoring and watching over them, especially when they were outside, which was why she had been rmed when she couldn''t sense Yang Qing the time the mysterious middle-aged man appeared.
Yang Qing looked around and noticed none of the people present seemed to have realized she was present except him, and when he turned to her with a doubtful look, he saw her shake her head with an apologetic look.
Yang Qing nodded coupled with an understanding smile. Ye Xun had isted her presence from the rest with her domain space, and Yang Qing would not have noticed her had she not specifically revealed herself to him. As for why she''d rather hide herself, Yang Qing had a few guesses one of which she was being considerate.
While he, Luo Meili, Su Jinjing, and Administrator Mo Guang would befortable in the presence of a domain expert, the same could not be said about the rest. They would likely act reserved around her, defeating the whole purpose of the party. Ye Xun isting herself was understandable, besides from the little interactions he had with her, Yang Qing felt she much preferred it this way.
With introductions and speeches out of the way, the next session which both Yang Qing and Ellie agreed was the most important part out of all arrived.
Shi Hai expertly introduced the dishes and even went as far as to give his suggestions on the pairings they could try for maximum vor. Everyone listened aptly,mitting it to their hearts, well except the two, man and spirit beast who had long lost their mind to hear anything else other than the food that was already beckoning them.
With the exnations out of the way, Meifeng and Gu Xing followed the lead of the two inquisitors who decided to start with the soup first as they worked their way up. For the soup dishes, there were only three; the tomato and egg soup, hot and sour soup, and the West Lake beef soup, each packed with vors and breathtaking aroma.
Meifeng was undecided on which to choose and opted for the hot and sour one because of the golden steam and radiance it released, as Gu Xing chose the tomatoes and egg soup, while Su Jinjing and Luo Meili went for the West Lake beef soup. They paired their soups with the spring rolls that were ced next to them.
Meanwhile, on this other end administrator Mo Guang went for pine nuts and sweet corn which he paired with some green tea. Haishi and Bolin had automatically gone to the table that had the meat and poultry, however, halted their steps when Ellie sent them warning gazes, luckily Yang Qing stepped in with a wallop to the head and a few threats before he threw Ellie to the vegetable section for her behavior.
"Go on, eat your fill, and don''t worry about her, she won''t dare retaliate or I''ll have her sent to the purple forest for a few months.." Yang Qing menacingly said as his gaze fell on the aggrieved cloud-swallowing kite that ate the spicy and sour shredded potato with a pitiful look even though said dish would cost an arm and tooth due to its rich vors and the dao nourishment that filled it.
As for Yang Qing, he always thought himself to be an equal opportunities person when it came to his meals, he didn''t favor one above the other, and his chivalric spirit wouldn''t allow him to do so. So staying true to himself with an air of righteousness, he filled his te with a little bit of everything from stir-fried bean sprouts with dried tofu to sweet and sour pork fillet to red braised beef, to gold duck roast, to clear noodles soaked in autumn moon chili sauce.
Every single person couldn''t help but hum in pleasure at the stupendous taste of the dishes and their wonderous abilities as seen on dao-infused dishes. Each one of them was transported to a different realm from every dish they ate which left them with pleasant and sentimental expressions on their faces. Meifeng had teared up at some point, Gu Xing had this nostalgic smile as she stared at the stars, Bolin had a conflicted look, Haishi, and Ellie were just greedy, and Mo Guang smiled his smile was like that of a parent whenever they remembered their child, Ye Xun who had picked a few dishes without anyone being the wiser had a nod of approval as she shot a casual nce Shi Hai''s way who was choked up with emotions when he saw the reactions the rest had toward his meals.
As for Yang Qing, Su Jinjing, and Luo Meili, they were long ustomed to the emotions brought about by dao-infused meals as each surrendered themself to the journey. It was the best way to both enjoy the meal and harvest greatly from dao- infused meals.
"Shi Hai, you''ve truly created something special here.." said Yang Qing with deep-felt admiration.
"I don''t know about that, but I am d I took the offer.." Shi Hai said, tears almost falling with a smile of gratification.
The others echoed Yang Qing''s sentiments as theyplemented Shi Hai on his skills, even Gu Xing wasn''t reserved with herpliments.
The atmosphere grew harmonious and the serenity river melody skrk after eating a few lotus roots was pumped full of energy as she flew around the alcove chirping joyous melodies that elevated the mood by renewing and refreshing them. The crystal-winged moth joined it, and a few momentster Meifeng joined them adding notes of her own that blended perfectly with the tune of the serenity river melody skrk.
The diamond beetle was the only one that didn''t move as it remained perched on Yang Qing''s shoulders eating off his te. Yang Qing added more spicy dishes when he noticed it seemed to be its favorite.
The mood had already turned full throttle into that of a party, as Yang Qing shamelessly joined despite numerous protests.
It was in the midst of singing off-key that Ye Xun told him,
"Seems like you have another guest.."
Chapter 713 Leaving the deer mountain range (3)
Chapter 713 Leaving the deer mountain range (3)
The fact that Ye Xun called them a guest meant it was someone familiar to him or her. As he made his way outside the alcove to see who it was he went through the possible list of suspects.
At first, the mountain jade serpent appeared in his mind, thinking that maybe he had decided toe after all, but Yang Qing dismissed that idea when he remembered he likely didn''t know the area all too well. By his own admission, the mountain jade serpent did admit to never leaving the mountain he lived at ever since he was a rock python.
After the mountain jade serpent, Yang Qing''s mind went to Xiang He the special inquisitor put in charge of the investigation. He was the one who seemed to check out all the boxes as both he and Ye Xun knew him. He even entertained the thought that maybe the soul formation expert supervising the kingdom-wide array had decided to visit them.
It wasn''t long before Yang Qing made his way out of the alcove in time to see ady who looked to be in her early twenties looking at the alcove with mesmerization in her eyes. She had a small build, that one would easily mistake her for a young girl. In terms of height, she reached Yang Qing''s diaphragm.
She had deep ck hair that had shades of silver, blue, and gold mixed with it and it was tied in a bun with loose strands hanging from her forehead which only served to add to her charm. She had a small oval face, supple eyes, soft-looking jade-like skin, and a devastating beauty that made all who looked at her mistake her for an immortal fairy. That fact was only entuated by the silver butterfly-patterned robe she had been wearing which glistened when the rays of the sun fell on it. The robe looked like it had been fashioned from the wings of a dragonfly.
She had an ethereal air about her that made one feel even though she was standing right in front of them, she was still out of reach.
"You must be Yang Qing. Pardon me for the sudden intrusion. I sensed a few unique auras when I was flying overhead, and I couldn''t help myself.. Such pure yin energy, and I sense anotherrk with a unique constitution.." said the youngdy with a melodious tone that would be able to stir the hearts of many.
"Who are you?" Yang Qing politely asked, though he already had an inkling as to her identity, considering a few factors such as her knowing his name, and the air about her and bearing.
"Sorry.." said the youngdy as she tore her eyes from the surroundings, back to Yang Qing
"I am Fang Wen, your sessor as the next branch chief of the Deer Mountain Branch. Nice to meet you.." she said as she cupped her fists in greeting.
"Thought so.."?thought Yang Qing.
"Nice to meet you. I was told you would be arriving tomorrow.."
"I was, but I couldn''t help but want toe here early and see what it''s like. There''s a friend of mine, his mind has nothing else other thanbat, but even as thebat maniac he always spoke of this ce with fondness.
So I was curious, what made this ce so special that even abat fanatic would spare it some thought despite the time that had passed by since he wasst here.."
"The friend you are talking about, is it the metal moon tornado lynx?" tentatively asked Yang Qing.
"Mmh, he goes by Ji Shun now, he always thought his species name was always a mouthful.." Fang Wen said with a light chuckle.
"How is he?" Yang Qing curiously asked.
From what he was told by Meifeng before Lady Gild came into the limelight, the metal moon tornado lynx had been the undisputed overlord of the area whose repute spread all over the range andter left for the Green Fog Region in search of battle.
"Judging by your look it seems you have heard of him.."
Yang Qing nodded as he said,
"There''s a friend of mine who has heard of him from someone called Lady Gild.."
Fang Wen''s eyes flickered as she said,
"Is she here? Ji Shun spoke highly of her too. He imed she was the only one he ever considered his equal and that fact has never changed despite being a domain expert now.."
"A domain expert?" asked Yang Qing in surprise.
"Mmh, it''s how we became friends in the first ce. By series of coincidence and bad luck, we ended up in a predicament with our lives on the line under the same foe. Ji Shun was close to his breakthrough at the time, so we made a deal, I would buy him enough time to stabilize his injuries in preparation for the breakthrough, and after that, if he made it through sessfully, he would take over.
Luckily he did.."Fang Wen said with a wry smile.
Even though she glossed over the details, Yang Qing felt the ordeal was anything but simple. He couldn''t help but wonder what or who it was that put them on the ropes like that.
"How is it there?" he asked.
"The Green Fog Region?" asked Fang Wen to which Yang Qing nodded.
Fang Wen held her chin with a soft smile on her face which made it seem like spring had just arrived.
"For those who can survive there, it''s paradise, for those who can''t, it''s hell, and those instances can change in the blink of an eye. Nothing is guaranteed in that ce but for those looking to improve themselves like Ji Shun, it''s the best ce.
It''s a vastnd of unfathomable mysteries and richness. It''s like several grottos and mysterious realms had been stacked into one. You''ll find unique environments, unique natural treasures of all kinds, and in no small amount that are capable of transforming dung to gold, countless dao-rich fortunes that are sure to cause a disaster were it to appear any ce outside of the Green Fog Region.
I may have not seen what Holy Lands are like, but I doubt they can match the grandeur and opulence of the Green Fog Region. That ce is like an immortal''s garden. What I saw in the sixth zone already shocked me to my core, I can only imagine what it''s like in the fifth zone and above moving toward the core.
But with my paltry strength, there is no way I''d scratch that itch. It''s a sure way of dying. I was humbled in that ce..I always thought with my speed, even if I couldn''t defeat my opponent there was no way they could catch up to me if I decided to flee with all my might. I soon came to realize why that ce is dreaded so much, I''m even surprised of how Ji Shun survived that long.." said Fang Wen with a sigh.
"Are you thinking of going?" she added.
"While i don''t know what cultivation art you''re using, but with your presence, I think you''d blend easily in there, just don''t venture too deep if you do decide to go. I was told you have a peerless jade physique, the immunity to various toxins granted to the physique should help you there, though avoid getting poisoned if you can. You never know.."
"No, no,Senior Fang Wen, I have no interest in going there.." hurriedly interrupted Yang Qing with a bitter smile when he saw Fang Wen was about to give him the beginner survival guide into the Green Fog Region.
"I was just curious since I have two spirit beasts in my team who are from there and my friend from here, she''s called Meifeng, the owner of this ce, a parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree. She mentioned how most spirit beasts loved going there, so that and my teammates, I was curious of what kind of ce it was.."
"Oh.." Fang Wen said with her cheeks slightly reddening in slight embarrassment.
"But, when I do decide to go, I will definitely look for you.." hurriedly added Yang Qing.
Fang Wen instantly perked up as she said,
"Please do, as your senior, I will do all I can to prepare you. It''s a terrifying ce but it''s also one of the most beautiful ces I have been to, well to a cultivator who can sense dao that is.. When you visit the ce, you''ll know.."
Yang Qing nodded with a smile as he said,
"If you don''t mind, would you care to join us, administrator Mo Guang is with us, you could take the opportunity to talk, and the food isn''t bad, and thepany too. I would appreciate it if you could join us.."
"I would be honored.." answered Fang Wen with a polite smile as Yang Qing led her in.
She was just as surprised as Gu Xing was when she sensed the pure yin energying from the pond next to the tree.
Yang Qing introduced her to the rest, except Ye Xun who still remained incognito, and from the look she gave him, it seemed that she was just about to leave.
Fang Wen was free-spirited which made her blend easily with the rest, especially Meifeng who was quite taken with her, especially when Fang Wen said she was friends with someone from the range. It wasn''t only her, as the serenity melody river skrk flew around her with deep interest. Yang Qing guessed it might have something to do with both of them beingrks, as Fang Wen showed the same interest in the skrk, with Shi Hai lurking at the side with a smitten look on his face.
The party continued in full swing withughs, songs, stories, good food, and wine.
Chapter 714 Leaving the deer mountain range (4)
Chapter 714 Leaving the deer mountain range (4)
But thanks to her rambunctious nature, theughter never stopped because of how hrious and engaging her stories were.
A couple of hours passed by, and most of the dishes had already been eaten, except for the grilled volcanic crystal horned goat and the golden duck that had been saved up as the closing dishes.
When the moment of truth came, everyone decided to give Shi Hai the honor of carving them up as the creator of the meal itself. Yang Qing was already beside himself with growling hunger as he imagined what that crisp, tender, gold-red, gold-red, gold-brown meat would test if just the look and the smell were that great.
Luckily, he didn''t have to wait for too long, as Shi Hai had expertly carved the three goats and the two ducks into thin strips that he spread on different tes with different apanying sauces. Once he was done he invited the rest to join over, with Ellie and Yang Qing at the front line with Bolin and Haishi not far behind.
Of course, all of them were ultimately toote, as a petite figure could already be seen at the table gnawing onto a drumstick with one hand, while the other held a juicy rib as she groaned in satisfied pleasure. It was none other than Fang Wen.
"This is the best meat dish I''ve ever had. Shi Hai, you really should stay.." she said in between gorging herself with the different pieces of meat.
Shi Hai scratched the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly with reddened cheeks and neck.
Yang Qing didn''t have the time to tease him as he hurriedly reached out for an empty te and picked a few ribs, some thinly sliced strips, two of the sauces Shi Hai hadid out, and a one drum stick from the golden duck.
Without pause, he took a bite of the grilled meat from the crystallized volcanic goat, which no matter how much he imagined the vor would be, still managed to shock him to the core. It was crisp and packed full of vor and juices that the saliva on his tongue didn''t stop flowing. He doesn''t know when but at some point because of the overwhelming vor, without notice he started tearing up.
He could feel the natural vors of the meat blend perfectly with the spices and herbs that Shi Hai had coated them with like the perfect symphony of vors, and when he dipped it into one of the sauces, the taste only grew further. He realized there were levels to vors he didn''t even know existed.
The rest soon reached the table and sampled the grilled meat from both the golden duck and the volcanic crystallized horn goat. Though their reactions weren''t as exaggerated as Yang Qing''s, well except Ellie''s who became dizzy with a euphoric look on her face after she took a single bite, but the rest, though they didn''t have oundish reactions,all had expressions on their face that spoke of pleasant surprise and deep satisfaction.
For the next few minutes as they gorged themselves on the grilled meat, no one spoke. Only the sounds of satisfaction echoing behind chewing sounds filled the ce.
When they were done, almost as if by design, they all let out satisfied sighs with Yang Qing thering Shi Hai with praises after. That taste was unforgettable. He even had half a mind to tell Mo Guang to have the Order deliver some more and have Shi Hai make them more before he left.
With all the dishes consumed, Yang Qing''s wine took over. Yang Qing had underestimated how powerful the wine handed to him by the mysterious figure was, as even after using just a few drops in ten-liter barrels, the energy contained within it still proved too much for those who were below the pce realm that he had to dilute it some more.
But its potency aside, its taste was also unmatched. It made one feel like they were drinking heavenly dew. All its grandness, purity, majesty, unfathomable power, and beauty contained with each sip.
Everyone present, it didn''t matter whether it was Fang Wen who was at the quasi-domain stage, or Shi Hai who was at the eighth stage of the core formation realm, they all felt their entire beings being elevated from consuming the wine. It was like they were consuming a potent dao natural treasure that was infused with all kinds of elements that were meant to strengthen every single part of their being, from their minds to their bodies, to their souls and spirits.
Scattered thoughts became clear, ws in their foundations were slowly being smoothened up, ideas that were no more than ephemeral clouds were condensing, everything from their internal organs to their meridians, to their dantian, to their souls and internal pce realms were slowly solidified and strengthened and it all felt natural and smooth unlike elevations brought by consuming pills and potions.
The changes brought to them by the wine felt like they were being reforged and born again. Of course, all present, were in no mood to sit down and meditate to maximize the benefits, and with how potent it was, they didn''t have the self-control and the presence of mind to do so, all they felt like doing wasughing, dance, sing, tell both truthful and exaggerated stories, basically enjoy the moment.
They were soon consumed by that revelry that they didn''t notice time quickly pass by and before they knew it, the rays of dawn were already trickling their way into Meifeng''s alcove recing the gentle glow of the moon.
Chapter 715 Leaving the deer mountain range (5)
Chapter 715 Leaving the deer mountain range (5)
Fang Wen was the next to leave along with administrator Mo Guang with thetter leaving to help Fang Wen familiarize herself with the post. Yang Qing would meet themter when the official from the Administration department arrived to formalize andplete the handover to Fang Wen.
Haishi, Bolin, Luo Meili, and Su Jinjing left an hourter after Meifeng made them repetitively promise to keep in touch with her and if they could, to visit her when they could. Finally, only Gu Xing and Yang Qing were left.
"Don''t put on that face.." Yang Qing said with a soft smile as he saw Meifeng with a fragile look with tears just about to fall.
"Must you leave? You could stay.." she weakly said with an imploring look though she quickly looked down with a guilty look.
Yang Qing looked to Gu Xing for help who conveniently pretended she was discussing something of importance with the diamond beetle. Yang Qing didn''t know why but other than him, the diamond beetle seemed to have struck a connection with Gu Xing, and her with it.
"I can''t, Meifeng as much as I would want to stay, there are things I need to do, things that I left, friends and family to check on, promises to keep, and expectations to meet. It would be hard for me to just abandon all that.." Yang Qing softly said as he brushed Meifeng''s hair.
"I know..it''s just.." Meifeng paused as she used all her willpower to contain the dam of tears that were threatening to break away.
"Ever since Lady Gild went, Adler, the Badger, and now...." she paused slightly as she clutched her robe tightly.
"And now you.. I know I''m being unreasonable but the thought of being alone again after the time we have had...?it..it terrifies me. I feel like this dark hand big enough to cover the sky is stretching its hand toward me to steal from me... again..I know it doesn''t make any sense.."
"It does.." said Yang Qing which prompted Meifeng to look up.
"It does.." he added.
Gu Xing who seemed slightly hesitant about something, seemed to have steeled herself as she hesitantly said,cking any of her regal bearing,
"If you don''t mind, I could always visit regrly if you want.."
"See you are not alone.. you also have a skrk, diamond, and crescent to keep youpany.." added Yang Qing as he beckoned the three creatures over and handed them to Meifeng who received them in her arms.
"And we can always talk on themunication talisman.." he added.
Meifeng alternated her gaze between the two of them before she finally said,
"Thank you.."
"Thank you too, Meifeng. I''ll also ask a senior of mine if there is a way to extend the distance which you can send your clone from your main body. If there is, maybe you could visit me, and Meili and Jinjing and see where we work.."
"Really?!" Meifeng excitedly asked as she tightened her hold over the three creatures. The diamond beetle was okay because of its sturdy body but the crescent moon-winged moth, and the serenity river melody skrk were not as sturdy and couldn''t help but let out voices of protest toward the excitable Meifeng, who smiled in embarrassment as she tried to appease the duo.
"It''s not a guarantee, but I will ask.." answered Yang Qing as he remembered the auspicious wood grove tree that could explore the entire continent with a clone, granted it was already at the soul formation realm, but who knew, maybe he had unfathomable means to help Meifeng.
If it wasn''t for the sense he got that Meifeng would likely not agree to leave the area because of her attachment to it, and the memory it holds for her, and also his inability to replicate the effects the mysterious man created on the pond next to her, Yang Qing would have invited her to move to his abode at the Order.
"If senior auspicious wood grove doesn''t have a way, I could always just make the offer and see if she agrees.." thought Yang Qing.
He could already imagine how great it would be for her there. She would never fear the loneliness she felt here.
Once he saw Meifeng had settled down, Yang Qing turned his gaze toward Gu Xing as he said,
"I take it you will be staying for a bit.."
Gu Xing looked to Meifeng first who was already humming about all the adventures she would have if she could extend the range of her clone. Sensing Gu Xing''s gaze, Meifeng responded.
"I''d love it if you could stay, and tell me more stories, especially about the mountain-shattering squirrel. Lady Gild said other than Adler, that squirrel was the only other spirit beast that was able to get under her skin as Adler.." she said with a heartyugh.
"I would love to.." Gu Xing said with a smile of her own.
"It seems I''ll be staying..." she added as she turned her gaze back to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admit that Gu Xing had a beauty that crossed and subverted gender and even species.
"What? You thinking of inviting me to be your daopanion?" she asked with a teasing smile.
Yang Qing almost choked, before he reddened with embarrassment when he saw her smile triumphantly.
"You''d make a great match.." Meifeng innocently added at the side with her gaze alternating between the duo.
"See what you''re doing. You''re already poisoning her young mind.." said Yang Qing with an aggrieved tone.
"Fine, fine.." dismissively said Gu Xing.
"Whoever she is, she is lucky.." she added with a meaningful look that seemed like she could see through Yang Qing.
Yang Qing unwilling to continue with that line of topic said,
"What we agreed on earlier, be careful out there and in case of anything don''t forget to reach out to the branch or to me.."
"I will, and don''t forget to tell me what you find.."
"I will.."
Yang Qing exchanged a few words with the two before he made his way to the branch for the handover.
By the time he arrived, Fang Wen had already been given a wholesome induction by the seasoned Mo Guang and already knew the ins and outs of the branch, all that was left was the arrival of the administrator who would handle the handover of the rights from Yang Qing to Fang Wen.
As they waited, Yang Qing decided to share all the findings he had made during his stay including his suspicions of the undercurrent brewing within the Deer Mountain Kingdom and the range as a whole. He also informed her of what he told Gu Xing about seeking help from the branch at the slightest sign of trouble, to which Fang Wen readily agreed to. She seemed to know a thing or two about the sacred me swan''s ability to sense trouble.
"I wonder what Ji Shun''s reaction would be if he knew all this was brewing in his home. He always felt this ce was too peaceful which was why he left in the first ce, but in as much as he loved fighting, the peace of this ce was one of the things he loved about it. Even his leaving, in part, was to chase after bigger adventures but another, was to preserve the harmonious spirit that was here, which couldn''t have been done had he been here..
I can''t help but wonder how things would have yed out had he remained..."
Yang Qing sighed as he said,
"Who knows, maybe the Deer Mountain Kingdom wouldn''t have existed, or whatever card they have would have likely been forced then, but s we will never know, all we can do is deal with the here and now.
Hopefully, the array ispleted in time.."
Fang Wen nodded as time slowly passed by. It wasn''t long before the administrator arrived, and the handover process waspleted swiftly with the tokens and control of the branch beingpletely handed over to Fang Wen.
"No wonder Hao Da didn''t want to leave the branches.." thought Yang Qing as he felt a slight heaviness in his heart when the process wasplete.
All present including the administrator who hade, shared a meal, before finally, Shi Hai was picked up by Ye Xun who took him back to the White Baobab Kingdom, while he, Luo Meili, and the rest who had joined him over, rode the flying ferry the administrator took to get here. It was both faster and safer than riding back with Ellie as the ferry was a flying fortress capable of providing them protection against early-stage domain experts.
Yang Qing leaned over the starboard with lingering sighs as he saw the Deer Mountain Range fade from sight.
Chapter 716 Ultimately headquarters is still best
Chapter 716 Ultimately headquarters is still best
Immediately after he got to interact with Mo Guang, drinking from his cup of wisdom, and though their interaction wasn''t a lot, he had grown to respect and admire the veteran administrator.
Then after, out of a sense of guilt, or responsibility, or the ghosts of the Ice Emerald Sect somehow still haunting him, he was all over the ce investigating what exactly happened to Hao Da. He wasn''t sure if it was out of vengeance, or was an excuse to not keep his mind idle, or a fear-driven agenda that maybe if he found out what happened, such a situation would be able to be prevented, but he threw himself into finding out what happened, finding a long thread that only bore more questions.
The longer he pulled at the thread, the more the primary culprits of the case, the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate felt less and less like the primary masterminds of the whole event. The deeper he dug, the more it felt like some massive hand from the past had been pulling strings, as to what end, Yang Qing had no clue, all he knew was they had something to do with the Deer Mountain Kingdom, and they didn''t seem to be the only culprits.
The whole thing was a quagmire of unanswered questions that left Yang Qing''s stomach churning as he wondered if he kept digging, what would he end up finding. Would he even get a chance to, or was it already toote, and it was only a matter of time before the whole thing exploded with them being none the wiser?
At least, he wasn''t tormented by the demons of unanswered questions and foreboding all the time, as he got to enjoy a few good things, the top of which was Shi Hai''s meals, followed by the friendships and unique experiences he inadvertently ended up creating such as befriending a rare sacred me swan in Gu Xing, experiencing the hallowed sense of a graveyard torch,?which in no small part helped him gain a general sense of the Deer Mountain Range. Experiencing the world for a day was better than reading a thousand books. He got to learn more about the range than he ever expected and in some sense feel the spirit of the region.
He also got to create a deep friendship with a quirky shy parasitic purple flower spore sycamore tree in Meifeng and create memories that would serve as an anchor for him during the heavy days, and he even got to meet a mysterious figure and have one of those lucky encounter chances from it. The same kind he had heard storytellers and bards speak about in tea houses and inns about mystical chance encounters that were able to transform a mortal into a dragon among men.
While all he got was wine and a precious wine gourd made from an empyrean world jade tree, they were worthwhile nheless, especially when he felt the effects of the wine during the party. Even without actively trying to refine it, everyone who drank it reaped massive benefits from it, and some of them had even experienced minor breakthroughs because of it such as Shi Hai who lept from the eighth stage directly to the peak of the tenth stage. Yang Qing felt in his case it was abination of factors. It was the wine and his recent epiphany and interaction with the cooking dao.
By his estimates within half a year or less, Shi Hai would reach the peak of the core formation realm and to aid him in his efforts Yang Qing gave him a small wine pouch containing a bit of the wine from the mysterious figure. It was heavily diluted though, while he produced another pouch to give Longming the king of the White Baobab Kingdom.
Other than Shi Hai, Bolin, and Haishi experienced growths with their cultivations leaping to the seventh and sixth stages respectively. The two wanted to keep going, but Yang Qing put a dampener on that as they needed time to reinforce their foundations and stabilize themselves. The two had greatbat sense even by the Order''s standards owing to their time at the Green Fog Region, but because of how tumultuous the ce had been when it came to Bolin, his foundations had a lot of ws. The urgency to quickly improve himself was evident in his foundations and Yang Qing hoped to rectify that step by step, especially with Luo Meili already at the peak of the core formation realm, it was only a matter of time before she went into closed-door seclusion herself in preparation for the pce realm.
When she does, Yang Qing would have to take over Bolin''s training. As for Haishi, strangely enough, she had better foundations than Bolin, despite being weaker inbat awareness. Yang Qing couldn''t tell how or why, but Haishi''s body was strange, even if he didn''t know what, but he always felt some strange power within her which waster confirmed by some of the members of the Beast Hall. It seemed to be something she was born with. Those seniors having deemed it not to be something dangerous to her, didn''t pry too deep as they could feel there was something sentient about it and just let it be.
Yang Qing didn''t bother to dig too deeply into it after the discovery and revtion that it wasn''t something harmful to her. Each person was entitled to their own secrets and trump cards and it wasn''t his ce to invade upon them, but he would still have to submit Haishi to the same rigorous training as Bolin even with her sturdier foundations and the reason for that was her slothful nature which was evident with her low cultivation base.
Haishi given the choice would just eat and sleep, while Yang Qing wasn''t too much different in that regard, at least he was arduous when it came to cultivation and matters rting to it. Not once had he ever cked off on it, but Haishi was different.
From the observations he made from interacting with her and the reports from Luo Meili and those from the Beast Hall,Yang Qing surmised her present umtions were as a result of the mysterious force within her and not her efforts. If she had even made a quarter effort, her cultivation base would not have been at the fourth stage of the core formation realm, which was where it was when Feng Xin met her, by Yang Qing''s guess, she would have already been at the peak of the core formation realmand possibly even at the pce realm considering how many years she spentnguishing in the core formation realm despite her clear advantages.
Both he and the beast hall had already decided they would put her through the wringer. She would likely be thrown into the purple forest soon enough, but the mirage dragonfly in question had no idea as she gingerly used hermunication bead stone to excitedly share something with Bolin.
Even though they had long gone past the borders of the Deer Mountain Range and it was already out of sight even within the sight range of a pce realm expert, Yang Qing couldn''t help but turn back onest time as he engrained the experiences he had heard in his heart both the pleasant and the unpleasant ones.
"Ultimately, headquarters is still the best.."
Chapter 717 Seems like you’re back
Chapter 717 Seems like you''re back
Of course, if she broke through to the pce realm it would be a different case, but for now, she couldn''t match the speeds of the flying ferry or itsfort either. It had multiple cultivation and meditation chambers fitted with all sorts of arrays and natural treasures to aid in the endeavor, there were refining chambers for those interested. It wasn''t filled with monarch-grade ingredients, but anything below that would be found there in plentiful supply ranging from spiritual metals and ores to spiritual herbs and the like.
Every passenger had their own rooms that was fitted with their own meditation and training chamber and there was also amon room that was split into a library and a recreation room where the passengers could gather and enjoy each other''spany if they so wished to.
For thetter part of their journey, Yang Qing had been hanging out with Su Jinjing and Bolin in the recreation room as they shared some of the meals Shi Hai had made for them to have during the trip and enough to even share back home. Luo Meili was in her room meditating and cultivating, trying to take advantage of the effects of the wine Yang Qing shared and the insights she had gained into her path in the Dao. She decided to use the short interlude to deepen her understanding of it.
As for Haishi and Ellie, thetter had goaded the former into a flyingpetition with Ellie promising to use one wing, and restricting her cultivation base to the first stage of the core formation realm. The wager for thepetition was their assigned meals. Haishi in her naivety thought she stood a chance and as a growing glutton herself, she felt this was the best opportunity to increase the amount she had.
Her misjudgment of Ellie''s capabilities aside, she wasn''tpletely gullible as she had Yang Qing serve as a witness and officiator to the bet, which Yang Qing readily agreed to for a price of course. He would receive a bit of the winnings for his efforts which both parties readily agreed to.
Haishi had severely underestimated the abilities of a cloud-swallowing kite, a spirit beast touted to have the closest speed to a golden roc. Yang Qing at the fifth stage of the core formation realm could never beat Ellie in speed when she was at the first stage. There was no way Haishi would be able to do that either, even with Ellie flying with one wing. Her loss was destined, and Yang Qing allowed it in part for her growth. The humbling experience brought by the loss would do her some good in the long run in the overestimation of her abilities and the underestimation of others. She would lose her meal and Ellie would mock her endlessly and repeatedly for it, but in the end, if the experience sticks by her, it could very well help her keep her life when the moment came.
Everything went as Yang Qing expected, with her loss as she lost pitifully at that. She cut a sorry look as she tried to have Yang Qing help her but Yang Qing turned a deaf ear to it as he paid careful attention to Ellie to make sure she wouldn''t short him on the deal. Knowing her, there was a chance she would eat it at all even at the risk of a beating. Luckily this time, she was much more honorable, though she did try to short him a few pieces of meat, which Yang Qing decided to be magnanimous for once and let it slide. He was already in a chipper mood, with the headquarters already in sight.
...
"We are back..." he said when the ck medallion tower came into full view. Every time he left, whether it was for evaluations or even personal errands, every time he came back, the tower that gave him nightmares every time he was here would suddenly transform into a supportive andforting pir, reminding him that he was safe.
Yang Qing let out a sigh of relief as he offered a bow of gratitude toward the Silver Eagle members on the flying ferry for transporting them back safely and for their dutiful services during the trip over. Silver Eagles were a detachment within the Gold Eagle guards that handled the security and maintenance of flying ferries. Though they were a lesser version of the Gold Eagles, they were skilled in what they did, and the trip over had been rxing and enjoyable thanks to them.
After they alighted, the administrator who had handled his handover bid them goodbye and about a minuteter, Yang Qing and the rest went their separate ways. Luo Meili went to her abode to continue delving into her dao, and Su Jinjing went to her abode to rest a bit before cultivating. Yang Qing could tell she was slightly uneasy about it. Everyone else seemed to be making rapid progress aiming for the pce realm, while she was still at the 11th stage of the core formation realm, and though she felt the barrier of the 12th stage was already loose enough for her to make a smooth breakthrough, it was the after that worried her. She still hadn''t sensed the traces of her path.
"Jinjing, don''t be down, there''s no hurry with it, and with things like these, there is no use forcing it. Haste makes waste. Just do as you have been doing, it wille to you. The more natural it is, the easier it will be.." said Yang Qing to the downcast inquisitor.
"Thanks, Qing.." she said trying to put on a brave front as she smiled, however, as she walked away, she cut a deste image.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw this but a momentter he cheered himself up as he said,
"Her time wille.."
Su Jinjing may not have had the monstrous talent as Yang Qing, Yi Jie, or Feng Xin, nor did she have a powerful natural physique like Luo Meili, or a tenacious and relentless spirit like Zheng Hu, but she did have her unique strengths with her powerful soul and insightful mind being some of them. Given enough time, she was sure to find her path to the pce realm, it was just a matter of time.
Yang Qing instructed Haishi and Bolin to head to the beast tamer hall who would help them refine the wine that was still in their system as for Ellie, he let her do as she pleased. She had the token to his abode and the abodes of the rest of his team, she would decide whether she wanted to go there or to the beast tamer hall.
As for him, he decided to head to his office to arrange his thoughts and ns for the next month while he was still free. He still intended to follow up on the investigation he had been conducting, following all the clues he had gathered so far, and the Judicial Review Committee and Special Inquisitor Xiang He had promised to provide him with the relevant information to help him in that regard.
He also had the Perpetual Cerulean Weaver''s wisdom to a lifeline art to practice, and also try and see if the auspicious wood grove tree had the means to help Meifeng increase the operational distance of her clone, which was among a slew of other things that were on his to-do list.
He couldn''t help but smile wryly at the mountain of things on his te.
"I can''t believe I thought when I reached the pce realm things would be easier. Did old man Lei curse me back for all the cursing I''ve done over the years.."thought Yang Qing as he held his chin in deep contemtion at the entrance hallway of the ck medallion tower.
However, he was pulled from his thoughts by a voice that always made his body shake instinctively every time he heard it.
"Seems like you''re back, Yang Qing."
Chapter 718 Hallway of dreams
Chapter 718 Hallway of dreams
With stiffened muscles, Yang Qing turned around, trying to hide the reflexive fear from his face as he answered,
"I didn''t think you''d be waiting for me, head Lei Weiyuan. I am deeply honored and humbled that you would pay me such attention despite the amount of work on your te. I am both deeply touched and overwhelmed by the attention.."
Yang Qing cupped his fists with an air of politeness and admiration radiating from his entire demeanor. One would not believe he was facing the person who had haunted him and given him nightmares that were even more terrifying than heart demons. His present demeanor made it seem he was talking to his grandfather, whom he so greatly revered.
"Is it because I''ve been away for quite some time, why does he seem even more intimidating than before.." wondered Yang Qing with extreme worry and fear coursing throughout his body as he felt the palpable pressureing from Lei Weiyuan as he stood there with his calm face, his body ramrod straight looking like it could pierce through the dome of the heavens above, his hands behind his back exuding a sagely presence, and his silver eyes that seemed like they could pierce through every mysteries in the heavens above and the earth below.
Yang Qing had always been unable to maintain eye contact with him for long because of it. Even when he didn''t do anything wrong, on reflex whenever those eyes fell on him, he always felt like he had done something wrong which needed to be hidden and denied aggressively.
Lei Weiyuan remained still for a few seconds before he moved one of his hands which he used to stroke his silver beard that matched his silver eyes. The silence made Yang Qing feel like several mountains had been piled on his back with the scorching sun above him. His knees felt weak, his back sweaty, and his vision almost blurry.
"What am I cowering for, I have not done anything wrong, as a matter of fact, I did exemry work with no supervision. Old man Lei should bemending me for it and I also have a month''s off...Maybe I can rub it on his face even.." thought Yang Qing as he felt himself get emboldened by the second to the point that he had the guts to look at Lei Weiyuan straight in his eyes.
"What?!" Yang Qing fearfully asked as he took an inadvertent step back when he saw Lei Weiyuan smile softly.
The man rarely smiled and whenever he did, nothing good ever came out of it for Yang Qing. Whatever courage Yang Qing had was instantly vaporized by the smile.
"I didn''t ck off.." Yang Qing hurriedly said on reflex as he prepared a slew of other excuses.
"I know, I was told.." Lei Weiyuan calmly said as he stroked his beard some more silently staring at Yang Qing.
"What does he want, why does he keep staring at me that way.." thought Yang Qing as he felt the nervousness within him grow by leaps and bounds with every millisecond. Just when he felt his body was about to give out, Lei Weiyuan started walking away toward the mimicry chaos portal that led to the domain courts.
Just when he was just inches away from it, he paused, causing Yang Qing to flinch as he murmured to himself,
"Here ites.."
"Good job... keep it up.."?said Lei Weiyuan as he took the step into the liquid milky way of the chaos mimicry portal, disappearing from the hallway, leaving the dumbstruck Yang Qing whose eyes and mouth were wide open.
"What..what...what does he mean?! good job?! keep it up! what hellish thing is he nning for me?!"
Yang Qing walked like a soulless figure in circles around the hallway with frantic mumblings that grew more rapid, indistinct, and inaudible the longer it went on.
A few of the Order employees came and left through the hallway, staring curiously at Yang Qing, however, none seemed all too worried or disturbed by Yang Qing''s odd behavior. They had long grown ustomed to seeing such a sight from Yang Qing over the years ever since he began his duties as a judge, especially in those early years, Yang Qing would circle the hallway with hollow eyes, or this rabid look as he muttered things that seemed like the some ancient curse incantation that was in thenguage of nts, ancient spirit beasts, and every other species wrapped into one.
After circling the hallway for almost five minutes, Yang Qing regained some rity and life in his eyes, though one could still see the trepidation lurking deep within the recess of his eyes as his gaze fell on where Lei Weiyuan had just been.
Yang Qing made his way to the portal that made it to the pce courts before he decided against it and turned back. His hands were trembling and his feet refused to move every time he tried to take that step into the portal.
"Let me eat first, it should help me get my mind right.." Yang Qing mumbled to himself as he turned toward the exit.
"Come to think of it, I haven''t received my remuneration yet..." he added as he turned back and went to the center of the hallway and took out his gold eagle medallion. The center of the hallway had a ck-and-white drawing of a gold eagle that matched his medallion.
Yang Qing poured a bit of his qi into the medallion which triggered a reaction from the eagle below as it lit up and unfurled its wings with countless lights shooting out of it that swallowed Yang Qing''s body.
Yang Qing closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was in a different hallway. It was more pristine and orderly than the entrance hallway.
The nervousness and anxiety that had gued Yang Qing a few seconds ago seemed to instantly vanish the instant he stepped into the hallway. A wide grin appeared on his face when his eyes fell towards a certain entrance with the words ''internal logistical disbursement'' on them.
The moment his gaze fell on it, all concerns he had about Lei Weiyuan seemed to instantly vanish.
Yang Qing stood there in silence, his body trembling from excitement and revelry as he stared at that sign. The memories of when he first came in here washed over him. Luckily there was no one there to witness it at the time but he teared a bit and it turned out he wasn''t the only one who exhibited such reactions before that sign.
The sign itself wasn''t anything special but behind it, the area it designated, it held great significance, especially to those who had nothing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but let out a nostalgic sigh as he remembered his first time in. After the rude awakening, he had on his first month, thatst day of the month was a shining light for him amidst the darkness of being worked like a ve. That day was the day he received validation for his ving efforts, and it was thanks to whaty behind that sign.
That first pay, nothing he has ever experienced since, ever came close to what he felt that day, even his breaking through to the pce realm fell a little short. Of course, at some point, he did end up hateing here. It was after he had paid a humbling visit to the main auction house of the White Rose Pavilion. Every month he came by after that, the experience and emotion were different.
The ce was no longer a paradise that fulfilled his dreams but an abyss that constantly reminded him that he had nothing, he was nothing till it became the birthce of his rebellious thoughts, but now things were different, the pittance in remuneration he received grew when he became a pce court judge. The basic sry he used to receive as a superior core court judge had quadrupled from 5,000 high-grade spirit stones to 20,000, with the other add-ons growing along with it.
But right now his excitement wasn''t because of the 20,000 but of the 80,000 high-grade spirit stones promised to him in his short stint as the branch chief of the Deer Mountain Branch, along with all the other cultivation resources promised to him such as ten blue-grade cultivation arts that he would be given permanently.
He could feel it, that long-forgotten feeling he had when he first stepped into this hallway.
"I might not be cursed after all.." Yang Qing said with an emotional sigh, as he took a deep breath in a bid to control the tears that were threatening to drop. He couldn''t help but feel that youthful Yang Qing who had his hopes ruthlessly crushed by the exploitation finally got healed andpensated today. All he endured wasn''t in vain.
Filled with emotion, Yang Qing made his way into the internal logistics disbursement hall where he met other members of the Order cueing up with exhration potent in the air around them, especially the young members, the senior ones were a bit reserved and contained, but the young ones, Yang Qing could detect the same giddiness he had back then.
"Newbies.." he muttered with feignedposure, pretending that his heart wasn''t racing just like theirs. He was about to get his hands on 80,000 high-grade spirit stones from the Order, for just one month of work. There was something deeply satisfying about it, the thought the stingiest organization he knew was about to fork out that amount for just little work.
Impatience and anticipation grew within him with every second as the line drew ever so closer to the remunerations administrator, and before long it was his turn. As usual, he took out his gold eagle medallion which the administrator took and ced on a white jade b filled with countless runes and inscriptions.
The b lit up when it made contact with the medallion, with the administrator cing his medallion on the b as the runes flickered.
"80,000 high-grade spirit stones, 6,000 monarch-grade herbs, potions, and pills; and 10 low tier blue grade cultivation arts.
The cultivation arts have already been firmly set on the kind you''ll get and irredeemable as for the 6,000 monarch-grade herbs, potions, and pills, would you like them converted to spirit stones of equivalent value, a single natural treasure or artifact of equivalent value, or would you like them to remain as is?" asked the administrator.
Chapter 719 News from the judicial review committee
Chapter 719 News from the judicial reviewmittee
The 6,000 monarch-grade spiritual herbs, potions, pills, and spiritual ores would be split equally between the four types. While his recent improvements made having potions and pills a bit redundant, especially the spiritual qi rejuvenation and restoration ones, or ones that dealt in healing, he still saw value in keeping them, mostly as a tool for trade both within and outside the Order.
He could trade them for someone who desperately needed them within the Order for favors, while outside he could sell them off or use them to establish positive karma. The quality of the potions and pills was always guaranteed, therefore there would be no shortage of a market for them outside the Order.
If he were to convert it to spirit stones here at the Order, he would only receive it at cost value. It was better to trade it with another employee or sell it outside where it was likely to fetch more. He would only consider trading with the Order if he was converting all of it for a single treasure be it natural or some artifact, or some cultivation art, blueprint, or recipe that the Order has.
In such a case he would reap more by trading with the Order since quality was guaranteed and it would be cheaper too, since the object would be traded at cost. However, Yang Qing didn''t have anything he had his eye on at the moment, it was better to ept the disbursement as is, and he also had ideas on what to use those herbs, potions, and pills for.
After confirming his decision, the items were deposited into his gold eagle medallion which also doubled as a storage ring.
Yang Qing profusely thanked the disbursement administrator as he held his medallion with fervent admiration as he imagined what he was going to use those 80,000 high-grade spirit stones on.
Yang Qing gingerly whistled as he made his way to the Celestial Herb Garden for a meal. With the amount he had, he could definitely afford several of their high-end soups there without making a dent in his present finances.
"Was this ce always this beautiful?"?muttered Yang Qing as he felt the air around the ck tower feel different. It was brighter and uplifting, unlike the doom and gloom it exuded all the other times Yang Qing came in. He always felt like he was walking into the belly of a ferocious beast, but today it felt like an immortal''s abode where all the wildest of dreams are realized.
Filled with enthusiasm, Yang Qing made his way out of the building making a beeline for the Celestial Herb Garden. However, he had barely taken a step when he felt a change in hismunication talisman.
"Is it Meifeng?" he wondered as he took out hismunication talisman.
"Yang Qing, could you pass by briefly.."
...
"d to see you''re back in one piece.."
"It''s all thanks to your care.."
Yang Qing was seated in a lotus position as he cupped his fists in gratitude toward the four familiar elder figures that were seated across from him. Two of them were sharing wine, one had a bonsai nt in his hand, while thest one had a pot of green tea and a basket of biscuits on some tray.
"Care for some.." asked thest elder who was holding the pot of tea and biscuits.
Yang Qing got up as he said,
"Please let me, Senior Xi Si.."
"So dutiful.." said Xi Si with a grandmotherly smile on her face.
Yang Qing dutifully poured her some, and the elder next to her with the bonsai nt in his hands. The elder in question was Long Ei, while the other two who were eyeing each other''s cups were Jia Bohai and Jiang Cheng.
After he was done, Yang Qing poured himselfst while also picking up a few biscuits. He wasn''t shy about it, as he picked enough to fill a full te. The four elders already knew his reputation and his history with food, Yang Qing felt no need to pretend in front of them and there was also the fact that those biscuits were the finest biscuits he had ever had. He couldn''t believe the kind-looking Xi Si made them.
"The reason we called you here is to give you the jade slip containing the history of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, and a bit of the Bi Xie Empire too, and we also received the information you had asked for from Special Inquisitor Xiang He concerning the techniques of the Blue Soul me Syndicate.
Your approval for the low-tier gold-grade floor has also been approved for three days, and the countdown starts tomorrow. It can''t be altered, so don''t miss it. We may not be able to replicate the feat again, plus it was only approved because of the efforts you made toward the case which garnered an endorsement from us, and the special inquisition.
Surprisingly the Gold Eagle was also involved too despite theirmander being an absolute stickler for the rules.
Ye Xun must have taken a liking to you, for her to speak up for you.." Long Ei said with a smile.
"Senior Ye Xun?" asked Yang Qing in surprise.
"Yes, the reason themander spoke up was because of her input. She''s highly valued within the Gold Eagles, both her talent and input, and as you can tell, she''s not the mostmunicative person, but she spoke up for you, which made the approval process smoother and faster.
Make sure to thank her when you get the chance.."
"Ye Xun.." muttered Yang Qing still in slight disbelief that she would speak up for him.
"I will.." added Yang Qing after he had collected himself.
"Also, the grandfather of the king of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, his issue is already being resolved. It turned out to be a curse and an insidious one at that. It remains to be seen if it has anything to do with the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate.
The person we sent, will look into it, in case they discover anything else, you will be appraised.."
"Thank you.."
"Bring out your library token.." said Long Ei.
Yang Qing nodded as he took out what looked to be a crystalline part of a ck shell that had intricate lines that exuded an otherworldly and unfathomable aura.
Long Ei ced a talisman on it that melted into the shell before handing it back to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing could feel his excitement rapidly grow as he picked up the token. He couldn''t wait to see what the gold-level floor was like.
"Don''t forget what I told you before, the information you will have ess to will be severely limited to the case. All you will have ess to are the bare bones nothing else, not the facilities, or the other techniques and information stored in there that is outside your purview.
The restrictions have already been ced in the token.."
Yang Qing nodded in understanding as he thanked them for the opportunity. Even without having ess to anything else, just the exposure itself was bound to be worthwhile.
He exchanged a few more words with themittee including being informed that his month-long vacation would begin after the three days of his library hadpsed.
Yang Qing was ecstatic, as those would be three days that he would not have to work. He also informed them of his intention to visit the auspicious wood grove tree for a favor. He already had the blue stone, the wood grove tree gave him, so he could visit him whenever he wanted to. His informing of themittee was out of courtesy and propriety.
Out of worry, they had inquired the reason, to which Yang Qing openly admitted it was a consultation on Meifeng''s behalf with respect to expanding the distance her clone could cover.
After that, he didn''t stay too long, Yang Qing left for the Celestial Herb Garden.
Chapter 720 First experience
Chapter 720 First experience
He couldn''t help but feel the saying that said fortunes and disaster went hand in hand had some truth to it. It wasn''t long before he made his way to the Celestial Herb Garden.
With 80,000 high-grade spirit stones burning a hole in his pocket, he could finally enjoy the ambiance of the Celestial Herb Garden.
As per its name, the restaurant was designed to mimic a garden-like building. It was dimly lit with scarlet carp flowers providing gentle light from above, the wall and the flooring were made of star trail vine wood that coiled from the walls to the floors, with several of its branches, branching out into the tables and seats around.
Ice waterfall lianas were mixing in with the star trail vinewood at the walls. The ice waterfall lianas released a slight foggy gentle blue glow that produced a refreshing coolness around the restaurant whilst also producing the rxing sounds of a waterfall.
Everything within the restaurant was geared to provide the ultimatefort and scenery while enjoying good food. Yang Qing had always been unable to appreciate it because of how gorging the prices were, but now, it was like a veil had been removed from his eyes and he could appreciate the beauty of the restaurant.
It was already in the early hours of the morning, but the ce was already slightly packed. Even though he didn''t recognize any of them, Yang Qing could tell from their robes, that the patrons present were from the pce courts and above, with the majority of the number being those from the inner pce courts, orte-stage pce realm experts, as he had spotted a few who had indistinctive robes that had no markings or designation. Yang Qing guessed they were roaming inquisitors based on how powerful their auras were.
As he was looking around deciding where to sit, he spotted an outer core court inquisitor, wearing the same look he had the first time he stepped in here. He couldn''t help but smile to himself when he saw the change in expression running through that inquisitor''s face.
There was admiration and excitement at first before slight worry started to sink in when he looked around and realized the rank of the patrons who frequented the ce. Yang Qing could detect the panic re-up when the young inquisitor noticed the two domain court judges at one of the tables.
Yang Qing could tell the panic wasn''t out of a sense of fear from the disparity in cultivation base as the Order didn''t have such sort of hierarchy-based fears, but it was from the realization that one would get when they look around them and the only people they can see are people above their stations, which insinuated a couple of things, that an insightful inquisitor would definitely think about.
As if on cue, the inquisitor hesitantly asked for the menu and instantly went pale when it was brought to him. Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile when he saw this, and he wasn''t the only one to smile, as the other patrons did so too, and some of the staff from the Celestial Herb Garden.
The reaction was considered a rite of passage for every new customer, especially if they were as young as the inquisitor. Today was remuneration day and as it always went, most if not some would be excitable about spending it, especially if it was their first pay. They would want to spend it on something good, of course, those who would do something crazy as go to a major auction house like Yang Qing did, were far and few in between, but most would entertain the thought of using it on something worthwhile and the Celestial Herb Garden was one such ce.
Visiting the ce even once, as a newbie would garner you high repute amongst your peers. It was like venturing into some mysterious realm, which was why every new employee of the Order regardless of their post would likely visit the ce at least once, and their reaction was always the same as the inquisitor in front of him. It was excitement at first before dread kicked in once one saw the prices.
The young inquisitor sensed the smiles and couldn''t help but smile awkwardly filled with embarrassment as he tried to hide within the vines on the wall.
Yang Qing took his seat, and a staff member dutifully came to take his order.
"I''ll have the celestial phoenix sea food soup, the golden lotus broth, cloud mist herbal soup, and the jade river ginseng soup, with sides of pork dumplings and spring rolls.." said Yang Qing with a salivating mouth.
"We will bring it shortly.." politely said the staff member as he left for the kitchen to give the Order.
After around three minutes, the first of his soups was brought forth with a basket of spring rolls. It was the golden lotus broth. Yang Qing couldn''t help but close his eyes as he inhaled the aromatic steam wafting out of the broth and spring rolls.
Unable to hold back, he immediately began digging in, just in time to see the young inquisitor choose his order. Yang Qing had a feeling it would be the cold leek soup which was at the middle of not too expensive and not too cheap. It cost 10 middle-grade spirit stones and came with a basket of pan-fried dumplings. The staff took his order with a smile as she left for the kitchen leaving the antsy inquisitor behind, who no doubt was filled with regret and embarrassment foring to the restaurant.
A few momentster, the staff came with a whole tray of all kinds of soups, one of which included the cold leek soup ordered, and the golden lotus broth that Yang Qing was having.
Yang Qing along with the other patrons secretly nced at the inquisitor. The staff member went toward the table of the young inquisitor, and ced the cold leek soup in front of him, followed by the rest of the soups that were on her tray.
"So...rry but I haven''t ordered this. I can''t afford them.." hesitantly said the inquisitor as he pulled his seat backward with trepidation written all over his face.
The staff member smiled as she said,
"Don''t worry, we are not charging you for any of this. This is your first meal, and as tradition, you get to have every single soup on the menu for free of charge."
"Buuut.."
Just as the inquisitor was about to refuse, one of the patrons spoke.
"ept it, kid, think of it as a gift from your seniors. It''s a tradition that has been there for the past 400 years. There''s a special fund made by those whoe here, and it''s meant to cater to the first experience of those from the Order whoe here. So enjoy it and work hard, so you can afford to sponsor another person just like yourself.."
The inquisitor who still looked to be hesitant stood up.
"Junior Zou Long thanks you all.." he said with solemnity in his voice.
The other patrons,ughed as they gave their opinions on which soups he should start with first, which turned into a soup debate that slowly rxed the atmosphere.
Yang Qing took all of this in with a heartfelt smile on his face as he told himself that this was one of the reasons he liked being at the headquarters. That sense of wholesomeness that he had grown so ustomed to.
Chapter 721 Purple amethyst vine card
Chapter 721 Purple amethyst vine card
Even though Yang Qing wasn''t as close with the staff of the Celestial Herb Garden as he was with the Thousands vor Restaurant, he did know a few things here and there from the few times he frequented the ce over the years and a few gossips provided here and there by the faithful Mao Yunru. Of the soups they ate, some were made by a blue-grade alchemist, and based on the effects of the soup, Yang Qing guessed they were teetering toward the middle grade, which exined the prices.
In terms of ability, in as much as he didn''t want to admit it, the soup had a higher quality and impact than the oolong tea made by Jiang Fu, but that gap would likely be bridged after Jiang Fupletes his breakthrough to the pce realm.
Yang Qing savored every soup, along with the spring rolls that were also beautifully made. As for the young inquisitor, at first, he was a little reserved even if he was encouraged to loosen up and enjoy the meal. Even Yang Qing, despite his shamelessness and voracious appetite, those first few minutes he waspletely reserved and a little bit afraid if he was beingpletely honest.
The fear and the reservation came from knowing the prices of those soups. Even if he had been sponsored and was told he could eat all he could, some part of him worried,
What if, what if he was made to pay the bill and it was some ruse? How much would it cost him?
The terror he got by that thought paralyzed him to the point of being wary of the soups, and he had done what the inquisitor had done which was go for the cold leek soup first, which from the array presented, was the most affordable one.
However, that paralyzing thoughtsted only up until he finished the cold leek soup. Every time he took a sip, a thought would be nted in his mind, like a bewitching voice trying to enthrall his mind.
If the cold leek soup despite its price is this good, what about the rest? Just try one, just one more, surely you can afford one more..
That one more turned into two more and before he knew it, he had sampled the entire soup dishes of the restaurant, and at that point, it was toote to worry about it.
The same scenario was happening with the young inquisitor. He had been nursing his cold leek soup at the start that it would make one think he was sipping a bowl ofva, but slowly by slowly unbeknownst to him, his pace had been gradually increasing with every sip and before he knew it, he had emptied his bowl and was now in a dilemma and eventually, he fell to the same voice his predecessors had fallen to. Many had fallen to it, and he wouldn''t be thest.
Yang Qing bowed his head and said a silent prayer for him. Depending on how deep the addiction bes, the young inquisitor may end up spending his entire earnings in the ce for the foreseeable future and be forever weed into the halls of the paupers until he can reach a level where he canfortably afford the meals without pinching his pockets.
After finishing his prayer, Yang Qing looked at the entrance as if he was expecting someone, but soon shook his head.
"It seems they''re not around today.."thought Yang Qing as he took thest sip of hisst soup dish which was vermilion phoenix soup, true to its name, it was a firey one, which was why he saved it forst, and it was also the most expensive as it went for 4 high-grade spirit stones because of the amount of precious ingredients it used, such as the vermilion fruit.
Once done, Yang Qingfortably paid his bill, which came to a whopping 24 high-grade spirit stones. To the current him, such an amount wasn''t even worth consideration, but back then when he was just starting out, earning a mere 80 high-grade spirit stones, 120 if he performed well, paying a bill of 24 high-
grade spirit stones in a single sitting would have left him grieving for weeks, probably even sumb to a few heart demons while he was at it.
But right now, he was unfazed, he was even tempted to pay their membership offer which was for an annual fee of 700 high-grade spirit stones, they would never have to pay for a single meal at the restaurant, and there were even soups that were not on the regr menu, that were reserved for those members. The regrs like the pce realm employees and the domain judges at the next table over were likely celestial members.
Yang Qing took only a few seconds to debate the whole thing, before vanity, gluttony, and his weak will gave in. After paying for his meal, he informed the staff member of his intention to be a celestial member. The staff joyously and dutifully led him to a secluded room which was the supervisor''s room.
The supervisor was in there. It was a middle-aged man, with a slender build, auburn hair tied in a daoist top knot, and pristine ck robes with crane and cloud embroidery. His aura was like that of a vivacious but ancient oak tree, and he was in the middle stages of the pce realm.
He courteously greeted Yang Qing, whilst also throwing a fewpliments his way on his bearing and presence, which Yang Qing ate up, even if he knew, he was just being softened up for his purse strings. Even if that was so, he still enjoyed the praise, he was a man of simple pleasures after all, and it wasn''t like those stones would praise him.
Yang Qing as a seasoned bootlicker, reciprocated in kind, after all, even though he didn''t mind losing his spirit stones if bootlicking could give him a discount, he might as well do it. Again he was a simple man, who led a simple life and didn''t like any of the extravagance of the nouveau riche.
After their little dance, Yang Qing forked out 3,420 high-grade spirit stones which would cater to his membership for the next five years. He had tried all he could to haggle to 3,400 but the supervisor proved a formidable foe. He was given a card made of purple amethyst vinewood that had golden calligraphy with his name on it, a masterful handiwork of the supervisor.
Yang Qing was grinning from ear to ear as he held the card. All he could think of was of how he would ''humbly and innocently'' pull it out in front of Kang Hung when he came out of his seclusion. He could only imagine the deep sense of satisfaction that woulde out of it.
Yang Qing had assumed the card was given for vain purposes since the staff as cultivators were endowed with a sharp memory. There was no need for a card for them to remember who had membership and who didn''t or when the membership was expiring. He had assumed the card was given for face and was surprised when the supervisor told him he could use it outside of the Order at various restaurants and even treasure houses they had a cooperative rtionship with. With the card, they would receive discounts, and all sorts of special privileges because of it.
Yang Qing''s level to which he was ecstatic was through the moon. He refined the card while inserting a sliver of his spiritual sense into it which revealed the names of 17 establishments the card could be used at. His gleeful expression grew wider when he saw that 7 of the establishments were restaurants and one was even from the White Baobab Kingdom.
Yang Qing profusely thanked the supervisor as he was leaving. He had only chosen the membership on a whim to annoy Kang Hung and he was also curious about the special privilege soup list, but he didn''t expect to gain more from it.
Yang Qing whistled a joyous tune as he was leaving while he thought it seemed like his luck had truly shifted for the better.
Chapter 722 True motives
Chapter 722 True motives
"Kang Hung, I have a nice surprise waiting for you when youe out.." thought Yang Qing as he wore a silly smile on his face.
He didn''t gloat for too long as he put away the purple amethyst vinewood card with his gaze falling on some distant view.
"Yi Jie, I hope you went through well, old friend.." muttered Yang Qing as his gaze fell on the clouds to the west of him.
Even though the Tribtion Mountain was within a mysterious realm in a non-distinct position, he always felt if it existed in the same space as the headquarters, it would be situated in that direction.
It had already been almost four months since Yi Jie went to the mountain to break through to the pce realm, by his count, four months was already enough time for him to have already broken through, and should be now working on stabilizing his cultivation realm.
Yi Jie had just as much talent as he did, and they would have broken at the same time, had Yi Jie not been conflicted about which dao to use as his foundation for the pce realm. He had the saber dao and wine dao, and he was equally passionate about both, but for his foundation, he could only choose one, while the other served as a subsidiary.
Yi Jie had been conflicted about what to go with. As an inquisitor, his choice was clear, he would have to go with the saber dao as his foundation considering the demands of his upation, but for Yi Jie, he only became an inquisitor because he saw it as a route for improving his wine brewing skills.
The post would allow him to venture to different ces and expand his horizons, and improve his skills as a winemaker as a result of it.
If you were given a chance between your hobby and your work, which would be more important to you?
To Yang Qing, Yi Jie, Feng Xin, and even Zheng Hu, the answer was simple, they worked to support their hobbies. Yang Qing chose to be a judge because it was out of the front lines, but more than that was because the remunerations were better and he would get to buy all sorts of things with the pay. He wouldn''t be winning an auction bid anytime soon, but it was enough for him to splurge in restaurants and cultivation open-air markets.
For Yi Jie, the travel as an inquisitor would expose him to different wine brewing techniques,?ingredients, and the like as he went from ce to ce, which would help with his techniques.
Feng Xin was simr in that being an inquisitor would give him ess to cuisines all around the world. The difference between him and Yang Qing was in how they approached their gluttony. Yang Qing loved eating, but he would not risk his life for it, ultimately his life came above his food, but for Feng Xin, eating came above his life, which ironically gave him a strong desire to live, as he wanted to eat more and more, and he would do anything to guarantee that.
Then there was thebat maniac Zheng Hu who chose to be an inquisitor because it was the best way he could get all the fights he could ever want. He had designs on being a special inquisitor, it was just that the special inquisitors required one to be ate-stage pce realm expert as a minimum requirement for joining and have substantial amounts of merit points as a regr or roaming inquisitor.From what Yang Qing knew, it was about 20,000.
For them, while they revered the posts they upied, to them the job itself was a means to an end and not some deep-seated devotion.
"Ultimately, I know what you will choose, we all do.." thought Yang Qing with a smile. Yi Jie was Yi Jie in the end after all.
Yang Qing stared up at the glowing sun as he said,
"It''s still early, Mao Mao, Dai Chen, and the rest are probably in their courtrooms... I could check in on Hao Da and see how he is doing...mmh, Ma Yuan''s daughter too, and see if she''s made some progress and is at least a little more receptive of him and the progress of her memories.."
Yang Qing took out hismunication talisman and contacted Deputy valley master Ren Shu to find out if Hao Da was discharged or not and how the progress for the rest of his colleagues was.
Luckily the situation was much better than it was when he had left. The previous branch chief was already mobile along with Hao Da owing to their sturdy physiques, with both being fit enough to attend the funeral of the two deceased inquisitors. As for the surviving inquisitor, even though she was notpletely healed, the remaining injuries were no longer fatal, and just needed a little recuperation for a few months before physically she was back, as for the mental part, it was up in the wind. It could only be taken a day at a time for all of them.
"Good.."said Yang Qing with a sigh of relief as he made his way to the transport array that would lead him to the Medicine Valley.
It was on his way there that two people stopped him. One of them was an entrance guard, while the other looked to be an employee from the administration department.
The administrator on seeing Yang Qing, put a polite smile on his face as he cupped his fists in greetings while saying,
"Pardon for the interruption, Judge Yang Qing. My name is Shen Zemin and to my right is Senior Pan Liu, nice to meet you.."
"Nice to meet you too, daoist Shen Zemin, daoist Pan Liu..." said Yang Qing as he cupped his fists in greeting while wondering why the two had approached. From their looks, it looked like they had been deliberately looking for him.
Chapter 723 Guests (1)
Chapter 723 Guests (1)
In the past, after his various failed schemes, the Order would usually send some unassuming person at the most inopportune of times to deliver his sentencing which made him forever wary of people he did not know, wearing a polite demeanor.
"What could it be? I haven''t done anything the past few months. Is it because of the ingredients I fleeced from them when Shi Hai and I wereposing the list for the part? No matter how stingy they are, they wouldn''t take me to ount for that, would they? They said I could use and ask for anything while I was there, and the ingredients were not even too oundish. " Yang Qing warily thought as he felt his heart race when he saw Shen Zemin about to open his mouth.
"I am from the reception hall and the reason why I and senior Pan Liu were looking for you is that there were guests who had been looking for you for the past few days, however, we were told you had left the branch for an assignment, and were only just appraised of your arrival.." Shen Zemin courteously said.
"Guests?" asked Yang Qing with a slightly raised brow wondering who they were.
"Yes, one of them is a rogue cultivator named Wen Yingjie. He was initially looking for Chief Inquisitor Yi Jie, but when he was informed that?Yi Jie was in seclusion, he opted to wait for you.."
"Wen Yingjie, huh.." Yang Qing muttered as he held his chin with relief that he wasn''t being reprimanded.
"Seems like he was sessful with the assimtion and in good timing too. The four-month time limit of the soul-binding cultivation art Yi Jie lent to him for the assimtion process should be just about up.." muttered Yang Qing.
Wen Yingjie was a rogue cultivator involved in one of his final cases as a superior core court judge. Hisint was against the Falling Meteor cksmith Shop, a pretty famous rank 4 shop within the Thundercrane Kingdom which was a rank 3 kingdom.
The cksmith shop had been in existence for over 10,000 years being passed down from father to son, in the Tan bloodline. Its current head, Tan Ping, had been approached by Wen Yingjie to have a custom-made saber in which he provided all the materials required to make it, which were all top-tier sky-grade materials.
The cksmith was able to make a saber that exceeded expectations which ended up with a misunderstanding from Wen Yingjie''s end. The saber was born with a pseudo-sentient spirit which kept attracting tribtions in a bid to strengthen itself bringing Wen Yingjie no small amount of troubles that he even thought the saber was cursed, and when he brought it back to the cksmith shop, the saber''s creator, Tan Ping, had already been in seclusion because of the harvests he had gained from making the saber.
It was because of his absence that his son, Tan Delun, decided with Wen Yingjie since his father was unavable to use the Order as the mediator to help them handle the situation well. None of them knew that the saber''s oddities were actually a blessing in disguise.
It was only after they came to the courtroom did they realize that the saber that they thought was a sky-grade saber was actually a saber with the potential of rising to the monarch grade provided its spirit was fully formed.
In the end, Yi Jie, gave Wen Yingjie some alternatives that would help with his saber and he went with one of the options which involved binding a part of his soul to the saber while pouring his saber intent into the pseudo-sentient spirit as a way of feeding it and teaching it at the same time so it would be able to survive the tribtion that woulde when its spirit was fully formed.
Yi Jie had given him an iplete blue-grade art, the three hearts of the radiant octopus cultivation art that would wipe itself from his memory in four months. So he only had four months to master it and execute it. He was also provided an abode that would help ease the process, and all this came at a cost. Wen Yingjie was saddled with a debt of 6,000 high-grade spirit stones, that he would y slowly when he was done.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel curious about the process Wen Yingjie had made.
"Who is the other guest?" asked Yang Qing.
Administrator Shen Lemin looked towards the guard with silver robes and the emblem of a gold eagle on his robe named Pan Liu. He was a gold eagle guard just like Yen Xu, just that, unlike Yen Xu who was vastly stronger than Yang Qing, he was slightly weaker being in the first stage of the pce realm.
From the silver robes, he was an entrance guard. The ''silver robes'' so they liked to call them, were situated in entrances and hallways where outsiders and the staff of the Order mingled, such as the entrance gates, the administration halls such as the external logistics hall where the Order issuedmissions and gave payments for thepletion of saidmissions.
They even roamed around the pathways around the different buildings from the ck tower, to the various inns, restaurants, and other facilities within thepound of the Order. While their primary job was to provide security, mostly they were there to provide assistance and guidance to those in need. They were considered administrators and usually worked closely with the reception hall.
After nodding toward Shen Lemin, Pan Liu spoke up,
"The other is an old couple by the name of Wang Siyi and Wang Huiyin. They are bothte-stage core formation experts, who reside in the Red Maple Empire, specifically, the Purple City where they operated a restaurant together.
They said they knew you, Judge Yang Qing, and that you had told them to look for you when they came.."
"Where are they?" asked Yang Qing.
"I had them settled at the Gentle Stream Courtyard..." said Pan Liu
"They also asked for the whereabouts of Zou Yi and Zou Liqin.." he added after a momentary pause.
Chapter 724 Guests (2)
Chapter 724 Guests (2)
"They should be done or just about done with their experience.." he added as his mind wondered about the fate of the two siblings he had met in Purple Grass City.
For failure toplete the test in time, Zou Yi and his team were sent to the region where the gold grade tests were done where they would be pushed to the brink of death by the inquisitors before they could officially be epted as students of the Institute.
Usually, the ordeal wouldst for three months, but it has been known tost longer. The instructors were fiends in human skin, after all, they enjoyed breaking the spirits of the young cultivators in every which way. Considering the siblings had not reached out through his family, he figured they should still be on the testing ground.
"Hopefully, they''re just about done.." Yang Qing said as he faintly shivered when shbacks of his purple grade test appeared in his mind briefly before he shook his head to dispel those thoughts.
"What about Wen Yingjie, where is he?" asked Yang Qing.
"He is at the Green Landscape.." answered Shen Zemin.
Yang Qing detected there was something in Shen Zemin''s demeanor, he seemed somewhat ambivalent.
"Greenndscape, huh.. considering his circumstances, it''s understandable why he would want to be frugal..." muttered Yang Qing.
The Greenndscape was a tract ofnd that had nothing but grass in it. It worked like an inn, without any of the amenities such as inns, courtyards, pavilions, and arrays. All it had was grass and nothing but grass. It was owned and operated by the Order, whose purpose was to provide amodations to those who havee to the headquarters for one reason and don''t have a lot in the way of finances to afford any of the other ces.
It costs two low-grade spirit stones to book a space in the Greenndscape. Even without any sort of amenities, for the price, staying there was aplete steal because of the denseness of the spiritual qi in the area, however, despite the richness, as long as one could help it, most would avoid that ce.
Itcked privacy, among other things, and for cultivators who loved face just as much as their own life, most avoided that ce like a gue, as only cultivators who were from the unranked frequented that ce.
Yang Qing could understand why Administrator Shen Zemin had an incredulous look on his face. Wen Yingjie was a peak stage core formation realm, by all ounts even if he was a rogue cultivator, surely he would have the ability to afford a ce better than the Green Landscape as even an early-stage foundation establishment cultivator would be able to reasonably afford a better ce than the Landscape.
As for Yang Qing, he could understand Wen Yingjie''s frugality. He had likely spent almost everything he had in making the saber and add to that he already had a debt of 6,000 high-grade spirit stones saddled on him. Of course, he would be frugal.
"Could you give me his coordinates, please, administrator Shen Zemin.." said Yang Qing.
Shen Zemin nodded as a jade slip appeared on his hand which he handed to Yang Qing.
"His token has already been marked on it.." said Shen Zemin.
"Thanks.." said Yang Qing as he cupped his fists in gratitude.
"I''ll see him first, as for the Wang couple, I don''t know if I could trouble you Daoist Pan Liu, and have them sent to the ming Goose Restaurant at the Blue Respite in Recluse Valley.
They''re Zou Yi''s and Zou Liqin''s guardians, I was hoping to have them registered but that will have to wait until after I am done with Wen Yingjie.."
"It''s no problem, Judge Yang Qing, I will have them sent there.." said the gold eagle guard as he cupped his fists in departure heading towards the courtyard the Wang couple were staying at.
The Blue Respite was a small town within the Recluse Valley that formed as a result of the families of the members of the Order, both the students and the confirmed employees. When those from the Order chose to relocate with their family, the families would be given a ce at the Blue Respite.
The families carried with them their different tools of trade, some were alchemists, some herbologists, some cksmiths, some talisman refiners, others were cooks and tea makers, others skilled painters or yers of the instruments, and with that, a town of trade grew.
The Order could only provide support to the member who was in the Order, as for the families, other than giving them a ce to stay, which was very generous at that since the area was as rich as the blessed ground of a rank 3 sect, the families were left to provide for themself using the space provided to them.
They did receive a few special privileges such as discounts on cultivation resources that the Order may have in surplus, but the rest was up to them, they needed to be self-sufficient, which was why the impromptu growth of the town was a weed surprise for the Order, which prompted them to have separate departments there to ensure the stability and smooth growth of the town by reducing conflict. Where there were people, conflict was never far behind.
One of the departments located there was the resettlement department which helped new families settle in and limate to the region. After he was done with Wen Yingjie, Yang Qing nned to take the old Wang couple to that department and have them registered as the Zou Sibling''s guardians, though the Zou siblings were also required to be there in the flesh for the registration process. Yang Qing could only hope they were done with their torture and that they retained some semnce of rationality, after.
With both sides already at an agreement, Yang Qing left for the Green Landscape to meet up withWen Yingjie while Shen Zemin returned to his other duties, no doubt dealing with other cases simr to the one Yang Qing had, while Pan Liu left to guide the Wang''s.
It didn''t take long for Yang Qing to arrive at the Green Landscape. It resembled a meadow during summer, full of life, energy, and tranquility, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Once inside, Yang Qing used the jade slip he had been given to locate Wen Yingjie. As he flew over, he made a point to hide his presence lest he cause amotion in the area. The bulk of the cultivators in the ce were in the middle stages of the qi refinement realm going below.
Yang Qing flew for close to three minutes before finally he detected Wen Yingjie''s presence. He had been seated in silent meditation with his sheathed saber lying above his thighs.
"Seems like he had tremendous harvests.." muttered Yang Qing when he noticed Wen Yingjie''s aura along with that of his saber.
Wen Yingjie was already at the quasi-pce stage, his aura was unassuming while hiding a terrifying sharpness within it, as for his saber, while it wasn''t a monarch-grade saber yet, Yang Qing could feel the strength of its spirit. It was inches away from triggering its tribtion and from its strength, it was all but guaranteed to survive it, unlike before.
"It seems congrattions are in order, Daoist Wen Yingjie.." softly said Yang Qing as he casually appeared next to him, who opened his eyes in shock at Yang Qing appearing so close to him without him being aware.
Wen Yingjie was about to get up when Yang Qing ced his hand on him as he said,
"There''s no need for that.." as he took a seat next to him and fished out two cups and a wine jar which he poured for them both.
"Will you drink with me?" asked Yang Qing.
"It would be my honor.." said Wen Yingjie with a tone of respect.
Chapter 725 Broken spear reformed into a free saber
Chapter 725 Broken spear reformed into a free saber
It had an earthy, mellow and refreshing taste to it, the kind that farmers would enjoy in the evening when the sunset had just set in and their bodies were seeking reprieve andfort from the day''sbors.
Other than the taste, Yang Qing loved the wine for the simplistic feeling it evoked on all who drunk it. Just like the farmers, one would feel like the pressures of all thebors of the day get washed away by the wine. Yang Qing may not know what was going on in Wen Yingjie''s mind but over the years he had gotten pretty good at reading the silent emotions. The things the body says without saying anything, and Wen Yingjie''s body spoke of a burden, a type of burden Yang Qing was all too familiar with, especially for the past few months. The burden of responsibility and the uncertainty of it on whether you would be able to uphold it.
From the first time the rogue cultivator stepped into his courtroom, he knew he had a story. A rogue cultivator whose background was from a famous n with a pce realm expert that was held with great repute even with the ruling family, and the rogue cultivator was one of the prized talents of said family, but he up and left one day and became a rogue cultivator, and despite his talents that would make him attractive to most organizations, still chooses to remain a rogue cultivator.
Someone like that had to have a story and his face and bodynguage spoke volumes of it, but Yang Qing wasn''t Mao Yunru, he had enough of snooping around people''s stories. And if he was being honest, he was slightly terrified of it now, especially from recent events and happenings in his life, they left him a little wary.
"So how does it feel.." Yang Qing asked with a smile after picking up his wine cup which was the excuse Wen Yingjie had been waiting for to pick up his. Even though he was slightly reserved, other than his love for the saber, wines were a close second, and just from what he was picking up, he could tell the jade bamboo wine was a quality brew, the kind that even his grandfather who loved him dearly would never let him take a whiff.
Holding his wine cup with fervent admiration, Wen Yingjie said,
"I thought I was ready for the pain Chief Inquisitor Yi Jie mentioned, but I realized I had severely underestimated how excruciating it would be. It was thanks to the stygian soul bonding spring in the cave that I was able to endure the process and the cultivation he shared with me, made the integration process proceed faster.
I doubt I would have been able to survive without either.."
Wen Yingjie''s hand that was holding the wine faintly shivered as the harrowing experience of the past four months flowed through his mind. He had thought with the hardy life he led, what storms hadn''t he seen in his time as a general of the Blue Oak Kingdom or as a rogue cultivator, more so thetter.
He felt that no matter how painful the process of splitting his soul would be, he thought he would be able to endure it. The first time he made the attempt, he passed out beforepleting the process, and it needed several tries before he could even maintain his consciousness.
Then there was also the matter of feeding his saber intent into the embryonic spirit of his saber. The process on a normal day was demanding enough as any slip-up and the fragile spirit would be permanently damaged and he had to do so with the same breath as he was nurturing the spirit with his soul. It was only thanks to the abilities of the three hearts celestial octopus art that helped him split his concentration three ways like he had three clones operating different tasks and the healing powers of the stygian soul bonding spring, which eased the pain of splitting his soul whilst also boosting his concentration.
It was only thanks to the two conditions that he could sessfully nurture his saber, and even then he barely made it.
But no matter how painful the ordeal had been, Wen Yingjie couldn''t help but smile as he said,
"No matter how painful the ordeal was, what I got at the other end is truly more than I could have ever expected. I would dly go through it a thousand more times."
His gaze admiringly fell on the saber nestled in his legs.
"My dream of reaching the pce realm isn''t just something in the clouds anymore. It''s something possible, and I also have a dependable partner. I won''t have to weather the storms of life alone.." he added with a faint smile as he turned to face Yang Qing.
"I could never repay what you have given me. The 6,000 high-grade spirit stones terrified me at the time, but now it seems like it doesn''t even quite cut it for what I have gained, and for that, I am truly grateful to you all.
I know it doesn''t mean much, but should you ever need help with anything, I would be more than happy to offer my services. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, truly.." Wen Yinjie said with his words slightly shaking from his intense emotions.
Only he knew the true impact the past few months had on him. Taking half a step to the pce realm might not be much or having a weapon that was about to be a monarch-grade weapon, yes, thetter could be considered a price-worthy achievement, but to Wen Yingjie, it was much more than that.
The changes that happened to him were like a person almost dying of dehydration in a desert suddenly stumbling onto an oasis. When he left the Blue Oak Kingdom, he was mired in disgrace and all sorts of nder due to the death of the fourth prince he was in charge of protecting. The golden spear became an object of ridicule in the public''s eye, a tool used by his family''s enemies to besmirch their reputation.
The prince had been a traitor working with the ck Jade Syndicate, as to what ends he didn''t know. He ended up dying at the hands of that syndicate, and the royal family could not let it get out that one of their own had been working with a nefarious organization against his kingdom. Such information was bound to create insurrection amongst the masses, which the ambitious would likely take advantage of.
There was only one option, and that was to bury the truth in glory, which was to paint the prince as some hero and not the traitor that he was, while Wen Yingjie, would have to live in shame, the one who let the beloved prince and quite possibly the next king, die. In death, the prince''s dishonor was rewarded with glory, while Wen Yingjie, in life, lived with honor and was rewarded with infamy and disgrace.
The Wen family was known for its loyalty to the crown, and if the crown asked, they would willingly fall on the sword for them if it was asked, and they asked, to which Wen Yingjie dly ran himself through with it. He wasn''t sure if it was out of a sense of duty and honor, or regret for failing to notice the prince was a traitor, or letting others be the ones to fell him,but when he was asked if he was willing to bear the weight of the coverup, he dly took it.
His grandfather, at the time, had told him it would not be easy, that wearing that story would cost him something, but at the time, he didn''t understand it. He was blinded by regret, regret for failing in his duties, and regret that his failures had brought shame to his family, something that he held in high regard even more so than his life.
Seeing the toll it was taking on him, his grandfather advised him to leave the kingdom and go travel the world before he was consumed by the voices that had flooded the kingdom. Though the voices that came from his own mind were the loudest. That period had been the darkest period of his life, and it nearly broke him. His mind and his heart were going, and he could feel those heart demons growing in number and strength the longer he lingered around the kingdom.
So when his grandfather made the suggestion, he took it, leaving with only a spear in hand, the one his grandfather had gifted along with a few partying words.
"One of the keys to living is knowing that which needs to be carried and held onto, and that which doesn''t.."
He hoped that the journey would help enlighten him on which, and in some part, Wen Yingjie realized some of the wisdom in it as being a rogue cultivator and the countless dangers it brought, he was forced to abandon a spear and pick a saber to keep his life, and it turned out that was where his true talentsy.
He had been using the spear because he idolized his grandfather who had proven his dao with his spear talents alone, and he hoped to replicate the same feats to honor him. However, after he left, every time he used the spear because of the guilt and shame welling within him, he could never use that spear well, and his skills even seemed to regress, and it wasn''t long before he decided to switch because he couldn''t handle looking at that spear, or using the spear arts his grandfather taught him not after the mess he left them with.
After he left, tales were still being sung about him, the Blue Oak''s broken spear, the prince''s bane, the blind sentinel, the spear of regret andmentations, and the like.
The reputation his grandfather had built as the indomitable golden dragon spear of the kingdom had quickly been tarnished by his tales, and it was unbearable for him as he had grown idolizing and relishing with pride of the heroic tales that surrounded his grandfather''s exploits. He felt deep pride for being the golden dragon spear''s grandson, even though the man in question loved being a grandfather who liked to take his grandson hunting more than the man spoke of in those tales.
But all that changed. After he left, he sneaked back after a few months to see if the stories were dying down, only to find the mes were still burning strong with his trip being called a banishment, among other things, with the crowds calling for reparations from his family for his failures.
He left immediately after, swearing he would nevere back until he was a pce realm cultivator, while also bringing to justice the true culprits behind the whole thing, the ck Jade Syndicate. As a pce realm cultivator, he felt he would have the heart to face his grandfather once more, and it was the only way he could aplish his second goal, which was the elimination of the ck Jade Syndicate as the head of the syndicate was at the pce realm along with his three deputies.
His naivety fueled by anger and regret blinded him to how difficult it would be to reach the pce realm, and that was when one wasn''t gued by countless heart demons, luckily for him, life as a rogue cultivator had a way of bringing things into perspective and wearing away anything superfluous.
The voices of others were losing their sway on him, everything that was the young scion of the illustrious Wen n had been eroded and he became just Wen Yingjie, a rogue cultivator, alone in the world trying to find himself. He no longer tried to imitate his grandfather or held himself to the ambitions of the young Wen Yingjie, he dropped the spear and picked up the saber, and slowly by slowly he cut away the mold that he thought was him and leaving only a skeleton of his former self, and reforged himself, in blood, tears, desperation, all the while trying to grasp at rity, eptance, and peace and his ce in the new reality.
His grandfather''s words rang true, and with time he grew to realize what to carry and hold on to and what to let go. Though he was still figuring it out, he managed to find a bit of what mattered, and what didn''t, and for what didn''t, glory was on the list. Glory from men was worth nothing in the end. People were capricious in the end, and if you built yourself from it, it was a road to doom. He had been glorified as a genius andter a scourge that had betrayed the heavens. He truly came to understand why his grandfather never cared much for the stories being told about him.
Find yourself, be yourself, and in the end, that''s all that matters. For him, it was a few things, his family, his honor, and now his path. He would seek out the ck Jade Syndicate, but not to avenge the prince, or the royal family, or to appease the public to rectify his reputation with them, but to protect his home and family, and if he was being honest, satisfying vengeance too. He no longer wanted to reach the pce realm because he wanted to see the gratifying smile of his grandfather, which he would love, but he was now pursuing it for himself and now the saber thaty in hisp, his newpanion and see the wider world that he had been oblivious too all this time. The broken spear had turned into a free saber.
Chapter 726 What are your plans?
Chapter 726 What are your ns?
"I am d you got something out of it. Yi Jie would be pleased too.." said Yang Qing.
Wen Yingjie felt slightly embarrassed by thepliment which left him awkwardly smiling while taking frequent sips in an effort to dispel it.
Seemingly remembering something, Wen Yingjie hurriedly took something out of his storage ring as he said,
"I almost forgot, this is yours, well Yi Jie''s, please give him back for me when hees out. I wanted to thank him in person, but could I entrust you in sending my gratitude, though I n to tell himter? I still have that 6,000 high-grade spirit stones to pay after all.."
"That you do..." said Yang Qing before he and Wen Yingjieughed as he put away the artifact Wen Yingjie had handed him.
The artifact was an octopus fashioned from a blue-ck gemstone. It had three cyclone markings on its head that had ancient glyph markings on it. It was the artifact that contained the three hearts celestial octopus cultivation art.
"What do you n on doing next?"
"I''ll take a look at the listing of jobs that I can easily aplish as I make my way toward the Falling Meteor cksmith shop. I would like to keep the promise I made to Tan Delun to let his father, Tan Ping, see it, especially now that it has made slight improvements, as its creator, he should see it. Hopefully, by the time I reach there, he will be avable, if he isn''t, I can only postpone the matter to ater date..." Wen Yingjie said as he gently stroked the scabbard of the saber which seemed to let out a low hum to his touch.
Wen Yingjie smiled affectionately at the reaction, but a secondter his expression turned somber.
"After that, I intend to work towards righting a few wrongs, removing some knots from my heart, and while I''m at it maybe I could visit my family. It''s been too long since I spoke to them let alone see them. With the encumbrances in my mind lessened somewhat, I think it''s time I see them.."
"Will you be settling back with them?" asked Yang Qing.
Wen Yingjie went silent for a few seconds as countless things shed in his mind before he said,
"I am not quite sure..." he paused slightly before he shook his head before his eyes shone with faint rity.
"I do know... I don''t think I can settle back there quite yet. When I left, I hated being a rogue cultivator. Alone in the world, with enemies all around, and no one to rely on or trust. Feeling like an outcast everywhere you go... I had grown up in a close-knit family, where I was doted on not only by family but even by the greater popce of the Blue Oak Kingdom.
It took me quite a bit of time to truly adjust to my circumstances, but once I did, once I epted it, it was like a whole new world was open to me. A world that only a rogue cultivator who epted it would be able to see.
I love my family, I miss them, but I am not quite ready to lose that sight. I love my life as a rogue cultivator and I''d like to keep holding onto it and see where it leads.
I am only heading back to my family to reassure them that I am okay, and to settle some things so that my heart can truly be free. After that, there is a whole wide world out there waiting for me to see and experience.." said Wen Yingjie with a carefree smile.
"That''s admirable of you.."
"No, it''s nothing much.." Wen Yingjie said with an embarrassed smile.
"No, it is...I am even a little envious myself.." Yang Qing said as he gazed at the clear sky with a few clouds drifting across its vast expanse.
"In a different life, I would have liked to venture like you and unravel the mysteries of this world, but as things are it''s slightly difficult for me to do so.." Yang Qing said as he stretched one of his hands to the sky.
"But who knows, in the near future, I may decide to step out into that vast world, fulfilling every curiosity I have under the sun.." added Yang Qing with a cheerful smile as he envisioned that life. When or if he reached thete stages of the domain realm, he would be emboldened enough to venture out without a fear of his life lingering in his mind. But for now, he could only vicariously realize his adventurous ambitions by reading the stories of others, or through treasure hunting at the cultivation markets.
"When that timees, I would dly serve as your guide.."
"Hahaha, thanks for that, though there is something you could help me with, if you don''t mind.."
"Anything.." Wen Yingjie said with a fervent expression.
Yang Qing took out a jade slip from his storage ring which he handed to Wen Yingjie.
"In there, you''ll find a list of ingredients, if you find any, I''d like you to buy it for me, you can use this.." Yang Qing said as he handed Wen Yingjie a storage ring.
"In there are 5,000 high-grade spirit stones..."
Wen Yingjie involuntary gulped as he took the ring. The amount in there was almost equivalent to the staggering debt he had, which even now, he wasn''t sure how long it would take him to clear. He could only hope the jobs were as high paying as Yang Qing had mentioned during his case proceeding.
A moment earlier, when Yang Qing handed him the jade slip, he had wanted to say he would buy it for him from his pocket, after all, he owed them so much, but when he heard the amount mentioned by Yang Qing, he swallowed those words. Those ingredients were unlikely to be cheap, and other than his saber and the storage ring that had 23 low-grade spirit stones, 5 middle-grade spirit stones, his cultivation art, and a few sets of clothes, he had nothing else to his name. Luckily his years as a rogue cultivator had taught him to care little about his face. He would find another way to repay Yang Qing, for now, what he could do was to try and find as many ingredients as he could from the jade slip given.
Out of curiosity, he sent a sliver of his spiritual essence into the slip to read the contents. He had been curious about what ingredients someone from the Order would want when they could just get whatever they needed from the Order with its vast reach and wealth. In his mind, it had to be something unique.
His gaze soon turned into one of confusion. Yes, the ingredients listed were all valuable as he surmised, but when he read them, they weren''t quite what he expected to find. At first, he couldn''t make sense of what they were for, he assumed they were maybe for a potion or pill recipe or something, but the more ingredients he read, he discovered something, they were all known for their delectable tastes.
He couldn''t help but look puzzlingly at Yang Qing in wonder if he had given him the wrong list, but when he saw that knowing smile on his face, he realized it wasn''t wrong.
Wen Yingjie quicklyposed himself as he said,
"I will endeavor to ensure I find every single item on the list.."
"There''s no need for that.." Yang Qing said with a wry smile.
"Just keep an eye out, that will be enough. I have no hurry with it, you can take your time and it''s okay if you don''t find anything from the list. Your other matters such as the debt, seeing your family, or whatever loose ends you said you want to tie take precedence over it..." Yang Qing solemnly said.
"I will.." Wen Yingjie said as he noticed the seriousness in Yang Qing''s tone.
"Here you can have this, think of it as yourmission, and don''t refuse, it''s for your saber.." Yang Qing said as he tossed a milky white stone that was emitting a chilly air toward Wen Yingjie.
"It''s a moon essence soul stone. Use it as a whetstone to strengthen the spirit of your saber. Especially immediately after it has passed the tribtion, the effects will be better then.."
"Judge Yang Qing, I don''t know what to say.." said Wen Yingjie withplex emotions as he humbly held the stone with both his hands.
"Don''t think too much about it, I am doing it for my benefit too.. Daoist Wen Yingjie, I wish you all the best in the endeavors to follow, may it be more than you imagine, and may the fortunes follow you.. Be safe, and be well.." Yang Qing said as he stood up and cupped his fists.
"Thank you, Judge Yang Qing, thank you to you all.." Wen Yingjie emotionally replied as he stood too and cupped his fists.
Yang Qing turned to leave but just as he was leaving, he seemed to have suddenly remembered something as he said,
"Daoist Wen, you have never takenmissions from the Order before, have you?"
"I have not.."
"Well, this applies only to rogue cultivators, but the agreed-
upon payment can be converted to merit points, which you can redeem for a lot of things within the Order, that only merit points can give, such as ess to cultivation site for a set period, ess to a cultivation art for a set period, and information among other things.
It could help you in whatever it is you''re working on. Take care.." Yang Qing said as his silhouette disappeared from the area.
"I couldn''t even sense him disappearing.." Wen Yingjie thought with a wry smile. Stepping into the quasi-pce realm, he felt fifty more times powerful than he was, but in front of Yang Qing''s disys, he felt he was just as weak as he had been. He couldn''t wait to step into the pce realm, but all that would have to wait as he had knots he needed to deal with, otherwise his odds of surviving the tribtion of the pce realm would be terribly low.
Wen Yingjie''s eyes shone with firm resolve as hemitted Yang Qing''s words to heart. He already had a few ideas on what he could possibly use the merit points on, which would definitely increase his odds of sess.
"Grey weasel, you will lead me to your nest.." he said as held tightly to his saber.
After a few minutes passed by, he too left the Green Landscape.
Chapter 727 Zou siblings’ state
Chapter 727 Zou siblings'' state
Yang Qing had visited the ce a few times but not as often. It was a ce one would go for a little solitude, a good drink, and a view. The Sunset Dew was built next to ake. If it wasn''t for the fact that the best way to enjoy the ce was alone, Yang Qing would have been a regr, but when it came to dining, he preferredpany and conversation to go along with it which was something the Sunset Dew wasn''t known for. Forpany, they had burning charcoal, theke view, wine, a few sea dishes, and a skilled guqin yer ying tranquil music in the background. It had its audience.
"I wouldn''t be surprised if Senior Ye Xun was a regr there.." muttered Yang Qing as he remembered the taciturn gold eagle guard from the Deer Mountain Range.
After getting the confirmation about the Wang couple, Yang Qing made a call to one of the Instructors in charge of the extra training handed down to the Zou siblings and the rest to find out if their ''training retreat'' was done.
Luckily for him, they had been done for four days and were in the middle of being reoriented back to reality to help their mindse back from the hellish treatment they had endured for the past four months. It wasn''t only them as the participants of the gold grade and the purple grade tests would go through the reorientation process. It worked like a rehabilitation process where their minds were slowly being mended together from the broken pieces they were left with from the test.
During his time, he and the rest of the participants from the purple grade test went through the reorientation phase for a month and a half. It entailed meditation and the use of cultivation resources that would soothe their nerves, and heal their minds and tormented spirits and bodies such as the Elysium Oasis Springs, or the Radiant Reflection Falls. Both were natural treasures that were able to calm even the most frantic of people. No matter in shattered your mind was, meditating in those ces made one feel like they were in the safest, mostfortable ce in the whole world.
But even then, it took Yang Qing and the rest over a month to escape the tormenting shbacks of the test long enough to function.
"It''s only been a few days since they began the rehabilitation. Are they capable of functioning?" worriedly asked Yang Qing to the Instructor.
"As long as it''s nothingplex, they should be able to.. What do you need them for?"
"Their guardians have just arrived. I need them for the settlement procedures..."
"If it''s that, I think they should manage, especially if it''s around familiar figures. How''s their rtionship?"
Yang Qing went on to give a brief description of the Zou siblings'' rtionship with the elderly couple.
"That''s even better! It will help them recondition faster.." said the Instructor with clear enthusiasm.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile wryly at thatment. Someone who didn''t know might think the Instructor said thatment from a ce ofpassion but they would be terribly mistaken if they thought that.
The Instructor''s enthusiasm was on a different aspect. The sooner the Zou siblings recondition, the sooner their next meal of torture wille. Putting them through their paces, and leaving them broken was something that brought pure joy to those fiends. You would find a pure smile on their faces as you suffered an overwhelming loss against one of the inmates, but if you defeated them, all you would get was a cold look and a tongueshing lecture on the millions of areas you fell short, despite defeating an opponent who had close to over 100 years of experience over you, a renowned killer who had seen it all and lived through it all, and had a cultivation base greater than yours by a major realm and were fighting for their freedom.
After confirming with the instructor to have the siblings delivered to the ming Goose Restaurant, Yang Qing made his way there.
It wasn''t long before he was at the dividing fork of the Respite Valley, the one on the left led to the abodes that belonged to Order employees, while the one on the right led to the amodation of their families, both sides were as vast as an entire rank 3 empire. The area did belong to a former Holy Land after all. Even after the years that had passed by with the Order gaining more and more people, only an eighth of thend had been upied, leavingrge swaths ofnd unupied.
Yang Qing flew on the right path that had the sign ''Talon''s Edge'' written next to it, and it wasn''t long before he arrived at an entrance with the words ''Blue Respite''. The whole area was covered by an invisible protective barrier that was capable of defending even against an early-stage soul formation expert.
Yang Qing took out his gold eagle medallion which served as his entrance token that allowed him entry through the barrier. A vastnd of green greeted him. Meadows, forests, grasnds, herbs, and small hills surrounded the area as far as the eye could see, apanied by a warm tropical climate and fresh air packed full of rich spiritual qi that had condensed into blue dew on the grasses and trees growing around.
Yang Qing flew northwards, in the direction of two hills. Behind ity the Blue Respite Town, his target for the visit. After several minutes he had already arrived. The town was small but bustling with life.
Chapter 728 The charm of the blue respite town
Chapter 728 The charm of the blue respite town
There were also little roadside stalls that sold sweets, simple dishes, and little trinkets that attracted the interest of the young ones, who pulled their parents and used every trick in the book to get them to buy them something from those stalls. The guardians, parents, or rtives would then pretend to agonize over it before they acquiesced but not before exhorting them to practice hard in their cultivation when they get home in exchange or some other activity that the young one would otherwise grumble over.
Haggling, banter, teasing,ughing, arguing, and all manner of interactions went on all over the ce filling it with life and personality. The Blue Respite Town was unlike most towns in that it felt more like a harmonious vige where everyone has known each other for years and years, spanning generations and generations that their entire lives have been interwoven together as it indeed was.
Yang Qing could see four elderly grandpas ying go on a terrace outside a teahouse called Lady Ma''s House of Tea and Golden Scallion Pancakes. For as long as he could remember ever since he joined the Order and was a student, he always saw them there, ying Go while regaling the young ones with tales of their youths, and from what he had heard, they had been doing the same thing for the past 270 years.
"Little Qing, you''re back? Your mom told us you had left.." said one of the elderly men as he waved Yang Qing over with a genial smile.
"How was it? Still terrified of the outside world?"
Yang Qing scratched the back of his head with a bashful smile as he said,
"Grandpa Ma, Grandpa Jin, Grandpa Hu, Grandpa Ling, d to see you all in good health. I''m even tempted to take you all with me during my next mission outside to see your dragon ying, and phoenix egg stealing skills in the flesh, or that roar you always talk about Grandpa Ling that is able to scare even tribtion clouds.."
"Ling said that? Hahahaha, how shameless can you be? Where was that roar when sister Fei was tearing you a new one the other day. With how docile you had been that day as you took theshing, one would have even mistaken you to be deaf, dumb, and blind..."
The elderly man called Grandpa Ling had his face redden in embarrassment as he hurriedly stood up to defend himself.
"You''re one to talk Ma, we know you haven''t been home in a week, I wonder why is that. I see you''re using the skills you used to escape from that phoenix quite well.."
"Could you two please not start.." a voice came from within the restaurant. It was an exasperated female voice, who revealed herself as she walked out of the restaurant. She looked to be in herte forties with auburn hair tied in a bun with loose strands hanging loosely all around. Though one wouldn''t call her a city-toppling beauty, she had a beauty that could be described as simple andforting.
When Yang Qing saw her, he smiled widely as he said,
"Auntie Wei, your beauty gets more and more unmatched every time I see you..."
"Always cheeky..." answered thedy as she shook her head with a smile as she looked at Yang Qing with a gaze one would look at their child.
"Give me a second.." added thedy as she went back into her restaurant andter came out holding three bags filled with golden scallion pancakes releasing piping tantalizing smoke.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but gulp when the smell hit him. The reason he was so close to the four elderly men was because of the restaurant. It was owned by Grandpa Ma''s daughter, Ma Wei. Her scallion pancakes were the most vorful Yang Qing had ever had. Even his mom, who was a great cook in her own might, admitted her inferiority to Ma Wei when it came to making golden scallion pancakes.
From the moment he joined the Order and discovered this ce, he used every free opportunity he had to visit it and have the scallion pancakes, and when he couldn''t afford it, he would trade favors for a few pieces here and there, though half the time he would be given freebies like he was now.
"Here, two are for you because I know your appetite, and the other is for your nephews. Don''t eat it, or I won''t give you any for a month.."
"Auntie Wei, am I that sort of person.." Yang Qing said feigning an aggrieved as he hurriedly took the bags from her.
Ma Wei didn''t even have to respond before the four elderly men answered in unison,
"Yes, yes, you are.." as another round ofughter went around the ce.
Hiding his embarrassment, Yang Qing hurriedly thanked Ma Wei as he left the shop lest he give the four elders to bash him some more, and before he knew it more woulde and it would devolve into an event.
After a few twists and turns and crossing a y bridge, he arrived outside the ming Goose Restaurant. It was a three-
story restaurant made of citrine elm wood, which provided a refreshing smell that blended perfectly with the scent of roasted meat, causing hunger and want in all who walked close.
The restaurant was another of Yang Qing''s favorites in Blue Respite Town. Unlike the previous tea house that was owned solely by Ma Wei, the ming Goose Restaurant was owned by four people from different families. The four were all chefs skilled in a particr ss of dish, there was the meat and poultry specialist, the vegetable and egg dishes specialist, the tea and wine specialist, and the snacks specialist.
The four united their skills and opened up the ming Goose Restaurant, which ironically wasn''t famed for its goose dish, nor did it have one, with the name only being chosen that way because it sounded cool and seemed better than calling the restaurant the Golden Goose Restaurant.
Though they didn''t have goose, their meat and poultry dishes were exemry and the restaurant was frequented even by Order employees and not just their families, because of the quality of their dishes.
Yang Qing took a big whiff in with a satisfied smile on his face as he thought to himself, he was finally home. Withrge steps, he walked into the restaurant and made his way to the third floor which was where he had detected the Wang couple sitted.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting.." Yang Qing said with a soft tone when he reached their table startling the couple who had been admiring the scenery around the restaurant.
Chapter 729 Life Cauldron (1)
Chapter 729 Life Cauldron (1)
"There''s no need for that here. You''lle to find that out soon enough.." calmly said Yang Qing as he wore a warm smile on his face taking the seat that was opposite them. The duo had conveniently sat in one direction, seemingly in anticipation of his arrival.
"How was the trip over?" asked Yang Qing, trying to defuse the tenseness which he had a feeling had little to do with his presence.
Even while they were admiring the sceneries outside, Yang Qing had detected a bit of tensenessing from them as he was climbing their stairs.
Their reactions weren''t all that surprising really with all things considered. The couple was in an unfamiliar ce, and even if they were veterans who had lived quite the life, especially on a battlefield that left them predisposed to have strong wills and mental fortitude,ing to an unfamiliar ce to start over would leave anyone shaken. It was the same for Wen Yingjie who left his home as a core formation expert but still was quite shaken and struggled to adjust to his life as a rogue cultivator, and it was the same for the couple who had left all they knew behind at the Red Maple Empire toe start over at the Order.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admire them. They had made such a significant change to their lives all for two children they held no blood rtion with. Few would make such a sacrifice even to those they were rted with.
Wang Siyi who seemed to have regained his senses earlier answered,
"It wasn''t bad. The chief inquisitor of the Yellow ins County Branch was more than kind to bring us over from Purple City. The journey was fast and smooth thanks to it.."
"That''s good, that''s good. What about your sons? Will they being?" asked Yang Qing when he noticed one of the sons who had served him when he was at their restaurant at Purple City was absent.
The couple looked at each other as they smiled wryly at one another before Wang Siyi''s wife, Wang Huiyin answered,
"They said they didn''t want to let the restaurant we built together at Purple City fade away like that. They wished to continue running it and our eldest already has someone he is pursuing in the city, making the move impossible.."
"Mmph, Huiyin''er no need to sugarcoat it, we both know they wanted to avoid us. Ever since they were kids they have always been trying to find a way to leave us behind and now they do. Ungrateful brats.." said Wang Siyi as he crossed his arms.
Yang Qing only smiled at the response, hiding his thoughts. Zou Yi had once told him about the rtionship between the couple and their sons during his evaluations.
Even though Zou Yi didn''t know theplete story, he knew the two sons were always a little reserved almost cowering whenever they were around the couple, and it wasn''t hard to guess why considering the fiery temper of Wang Siyi. Even the guests knew well enough not to provoke the old man and his wife, she was even scarier, at least with Wang Siyi you could see the beatinging, but with the wife it was like a cat ying around with a mouse, enjoying the thrill of the torment.
Yang Qing could feel the fiendish spirits of his instructors from the couple. It was only when it came to the Zou siblings did they reveal a soft side.
"What about that other matter?" asked Yang Qing with a serious expression.
The couple straightened up as Wang Huiyin answered,
"With little... with the help of the City Lord of Purple City, we rooted out all the underground organizations in the city, though there were some that no doubt managed to escape we did manage to destroy the major ones, such as the Jade Scorpions where that blood fiend cultivator had belonged to, and the Crimson des, and the Tiger w gang..."
Noticing the pause, Yang Qing asked, "Did something happen?"
"We found two blood fiend cultivators in a few of the underworld organizations, the Crimson de, and the Flying Serpent gang respectively. In both, they were unassuming members but when the fight broke out and they became cornered, they both revealed the strengths of core formation experts, with the one found in the Soaring Flying Serpent gang proving especially dangerous.
From the records, her name was Ling Shi, and she had been masquerading as ate-stage foundation establishment member of the Flying Serpent gang. She handled the gang''s herbal trade activities along with being one of their alchemists.
She would have made a clear getaway had the leader of the Flying Serpent gang not revealed every escape route and contingencies the gang had if ever things got bad for them. Some of those contingencies involved using contacts from a few elders of the Chen family that they had a few dealings with over the years..." Wang Huiyin''s look darkened as she paused.
"The gang did all sorts of work for them such as hindering the trade of the other families, a few assassinations and kidnappings in there, and including sourcing of young children of about four to five to serve as pill ves for the alchemists of the Chen family. They used them to test their various recipes, especially the more dangerous ones, with some of them even being used as life cauldrons.."
Yang Qing''s eyes couldn''t help but narrow when he heard the word ''life cauldron''. Every aspect of the world had its dark side, that was more so in cultivation and its different schools, like talisman makers who use the blood of cultivators with certain physiques to boost the quality of the talismans, cksmiths, and weapon refiners who imprison the soul of a cultivator and refine it into the artifact or weapon they''re making, formation masters who dig out cores of cultivators and use it as treasures for anchoring their arrays, and when it came to alchemy and herbology there were pill ves and life cauldrons.
Chapter 730 Life Cauldron (2)
Chapter 730 Life Cauldron (2)
In reputable organizations pill ves were dressed up pretty in the form of volunteering, gaining merit points, a chance to earn a living, and maybe, even maybe changing their fortunes. Those organizations chose their subjects well, it was those with nothing, down on their luck or desperate, those whose only chance at making anything or just surviving, was to use their bodies as currency. A mortal who hoped maybe those potions and recipes would awaken their talent in cultivation, that shunned outer sect disciple with no talent or background hoping that by selling his /her services as pill ve they could curry favor with their superior and change their fortune, that surviving n member from a session dispute who opts to be a pill ve to guarantee their life.
As bad as it was to be a pill ve, half of the pill ves around the world be that by choice or at least the illusion of it given the circumstances half the time which is why the Order can never do anything about it most of the time whenever pill vese to court to file usations against their employers when their bodies and minds can no longer endure the demands of the upation. Their hands are tied due to the binding agreement between the two parties, which most nowadays are so thorough that even third-party witnesses and binding scrolls are used in the agreement.
With such rock-solid agreements, the Order''s hands get tied, but when it came to life cauldrons, it was a different matter altogether. Using life cauldrons was no different than practicing fiend arts that siphon someone''s life force.
A cultivator''s body down to its base could be considered a natural treasure, and a special one at that, irrespective if one was in the body refinement realm or the soul formation realm, a cultivator''s body was packed full of countless treasures and mysteries some unbeknownst even to the cultivator themselves. It was the exploration of those mysteries that led to the realization of great feats such as the diamond body, the peerless jade physique, the perfect qi cirction stage, the gold and purple pirs, and countless others.
A cultivator''s body was considered a world in and of itself, and it was in the spirit of that thought that others sought to exploit it for more, for example with life cauldrons. Life cauldrons were cultivators who just like the name itself, their entire being was to be a cauldron. Their bodies would be packed with specific herbs and they would be provided with a particr cultivation art that would merge their bodies with those herbs to create a unique potion.
Said potions had wondrous benefits that made countless willing enough to risk the infamy that woulde from such a venture.
Yang Qing had read about an alchemist who once sacrificed 100 foundation establishment cultivators and used them as life cauldrons. Most were unable to survive the entire process, with some dying while trying to escape, and others unable to survive its demands, in the end, only 12 were able to be converted into potions. The resultant potion wasbined and consumed by the alchemist.
At the time he had been a core formation cultivator with an orange core, however, when he consumed the resultant potion frombining the 12 potions, his orange core was elevated to a blue-grade core, and it did not just stop there as he gained two more cores that were at the quasi blue grade giving him a full total of three cores.
Having more than one core though rare, wasn''t surprising, as there have been records of cultivators having multiple cores when breaking through to the core formation realm most had something to do with their physique, with others it was as a result of some special cultivation art apanied with a special ground, and even then the feat couldn''t be replicated.
In both these instances, one had been born with it, with the other cultivating bitterly to acquire it, which was why that alchemist replicating such a feat with life cauldron potions took the world by storm. Yang Qing didn''t know what happened to the alchemist, he no doubt died under the banner of '' meting justice on behalf of the heavens and his recipe stolen in the midst of it, but what that alchemist did, lived on as he nted countless seeds on the possibilities of life cauldrons.
To date, the Order handled countless cases on life cauldrons, though Yang Qing had the fortune of never having onee across his desk, up until now.
Pausing on the matter of the blood fiend cultivator aside, Yang Qing asked,
"How long were they dealing in them?"
"From what we were able to gather from the leader of the Flying Serpents gang, they have been providing them for at least 30 years.." answered Wang Siyi.
"30, huh.." Yang Qing muttered as he drummed his finger on the table.
"In your years, of living there, you must have had some interactions, is this something that you could see them do?"
Its benefits aside, dealing in life cauldrons wasn''t something that anyone would easily engage in, but then again that was from his judgment, other cultivators might think and see things differently.
Wang Siyi took a sip of the tea he had on the table and sighed after his breath filled with a certain level of heaviness.
"If it was 1,000 years ago, I would have said they would never do something like that, but now.."Wang Siyi paused as he took another sigh.
"I don''t know. A human''s greed is insatiable, nothing is impossible, and over the years I''ve seen it in countless eyes from my men to the nobles down to the royal family itself. I don''t know maybe I too have fallen to it.." Wang Siyi said with a sorrowful tone.
Back then when he and his wife had sessfully assassinated the general of the Five Clover Kingdom, some from within the Red Maple Empire had been tempted to send them over to the Five Clover Kingdom in exchange for a few benefits, it was only thanks to one general, one of the pce realm experts of the Empire, staunchly speaking up for them, to the point that he vowed to desert the kingdom, did the idea die down, but even then, with the amount of assassinations attempts they suffered from the kingdom, there had to be someone feeding them information.
Before Yang Qing made the offer, they had contemted a few times on whether to move away or not, but their attachment to the Empire they loved so deeply made them stay, and they would have likely continued to stay until theirst had the siblings not asked them to move with them.
"Whatever happens, it''s up to them, I already gave them everything I could. I have nothing else to give other than hope the rot doesn''t destroy it.."thought Wang Siyi.
"The investigations showed that only a few elders of the Chen were involved with the patriarchpletely in the dark about the happenings. However, strangely enough, when news about the life cauldron started circting, those elders all died.. Evidence shows they took their own lives...
As it stands, I honestly can''t say the Chen patriarch or any of the other families including the royal family itself wouldn''t be involved in such a matter. I truly cannot.." said Wang Siyi as he took another sip.
"I think wine would be better.." he added after the sip.
Chapter 731 Settlement (1)
Chapter 731 Settlement (1)
?Following Wang Siyi''s statement, Yang Qing waved over one of the staff members to make the order. He ordered a few dishes and wine and even made a point to order the ''Golden Lotus Delight''. It was one of the better cakes made by the restaurant and packed with vors too. It was made fromyers of delicate sponge cake infused with golden lotus flower essence, sandwiched betweenyers of light cream, and at the top were a few edible sweet sepals from the golden lotus flower.
With the Zou siblingsing over, the vors of the cake could help them adjust from the trauma and shock long enough to string a few thoughts and sentences together.
"What happened to the head of the Flying Serpent gang and any other remnants, oh and yeah the blood fiend cultivator, Ling Shi.."?asked Yang Qing.
Wang Huiying took a brief moment to collect her thoughts before she said,
"The head of the Flying Serpents Gang and the other surviving members of the gang were scooped up by your branch at the Yellow ins County.
Once we reported the presence of blood-fiend cultivators in Purple City, the City Lord and us agreed it was better to involve you as we didn''t know what those blood-fiend cultivators were after in Purple City in the first ce.
We did also inform the Emperor, but he was otherwise preupied with other matters.."
Wang Huiyin and her husband gazed meaningfully at Yang Qing as she said this and Yang Qing could guess why. Previously when he had been at their restaurant he had casually asked them about the identities of the few people he had fought with as they tried to kidnap Ellie. One had been the child of one of the leaders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, while the other two, one had been the former emperor of the Red Maple Empire, and also the present Emperor''s grandfather, Duan Hou. At the same time, the third culprit had been the branch leader of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion branch within the Empire. He was called Yao De and he was sworn brothers with Duan Hou.
After the fight, Yang Qing had the three held for questioning at the branch in Yellow ins County. Their wanton disregard and attempt to kidnap Ellie despite knowing she had a partner made Yang Qing assume it wasn''t the first time that the three behaved that way. The former emperor, Duan Hou, and the branch leader Yao De catering to the demands of the arrogant and spoiled Lin Duyi, who was the only child of Lin Guiren, one of the domain experts and leaders of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion.
From the little bit of research, he did before and after he visited Purple City, he knew the Red Maple Empire, more so the royal family was backed by the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, which was why most of their subsidiaries could be seen densely spread about through most of their prosperous cities.
Yang Qing didn''t know the exact details of their partnership, but he felt it was more of a subordinate than a partner when it came to the two. The reason for this discounting the strength of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, the Empire''s enemy, the Five Clover Kingdom was backed by the rank 2 n, the Zou family. The only way the Red Maple Empire could contest against the Kingdom was if they had a backing at the same level as the Zou family, which they did in the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
With such a rtionship, it wasn''t strange that the young scion of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion behaved as he did, and why the former emperor behaved as hisckey. The scion''s behavior and the Empire''s attitude toward him made it highly likely for simr incidents to have urred and covered up.
Yang Qing left the leg work to the Yellow ins County branch and would likely be able to dig up more than an inquisitor from the main branch, while Yang Qing would handle the case if they indeed found something to his suspicions. However because the case potentially involved the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, it needed a domain judge to be involved. Luckily for him, there was one within their ranks who had some history with one of the founders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. It was a domain inner court judge by the name of Hou Dehui.
"I think Branch Chief Luo Xiaofan should have already gathered everything by now. I should give her a call after this...Maybe senior Yu Gen and Xia Ting already have the information.." thought Yang Qing before he pulled his thoughts back to the case.
Unwilling to divulge too much about the state of the former emperor and the rest, Yang Qing diverted attention as he asked about the blood-fiend cultivator by the name of Ling Shi.
"I don''t know whether it was out of desperation or due to the suddenness of the attack or something else, but she ended up using one of the escape routes of the Flying Serpent Gang. We managed to catch her in time before she disappeared. We assumed her abilities would more or less match the other blood fiend cultivator who disyed the abilities of someone who was at the middle stages of the core formation realm but we grossly underestimated her abilities.
The fourteen guards we sent after her while we mopped up the rest were annihted despite them all being in the core formation realm. It was only thanks to that kid, Duan Kong, the captain of the Purple City Guards, putting his body on the line managed to hold her back a little, which bought us enough time for me and my wife to rush over.
I may have grown rusty over the years, but even with me and my wife working together, it still took everything to contain her, despite her only being at the eleventh stage of the core formation realm. It was only thanks to the timely assistance of the owner of the Earthvine Restaurant did we manage to break the stalemate and injure her.
I always knew there was more to that owner than met the eye.." said Wang Siyi as he stroked his beard with respect shining in his eyes, only to be elbowed by his wife for digressing.
Coughing in embarrassment, he added.
"After we gravely injured her, she used the little energy she had to execute a secret art that she used to destroy her own body and soul.
I can''t help but wonder did she take her own life to avoid the fate that would befall her if she was captured, or if was it because there was something she couldn''t risk being obtained, and taking her own life was the only guarantee of keeping it a secret.
Now that I think about it her behavior was suspicious.."
"Suspicious how?" asked Yang Qing.
"As a blood fiend cultivator, it is reasonable to assume for her to survive as long as she did, or for any blood fiend cultivator to survive, they need to be continuously alert, keeping their guards up at all times, suspecting everyone and everything, and for her, she managed to blend in perfectly in Purple City, so other than being alert, she has to be good at reading people..." Wang Siyi paused as he thanked the staff who had just brought the wine and dishes.
"As the host, please let me.." Yang Qing said as he took the wine jar and poured it for the couple first then him.
"Thank you.."said the couple as they waited for Yang Qing to take the first sip before they could proceed to take theirs.
After Yang Qing took his sip, Wang Siyi took a sip of his narrowing his eyes as he savored the smoothness and chilly richness of the wine as it rolled down his tongue. He would have lost himself to it had it not been for the angry nces his wife had been throwing at him.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile as he appreciated at least the couple seemed freer with him around than the first time.
"Sorry for that... Now as I was saying, for someone capable of surviving in a ce bustling with cultivators, surely she needed to be good at reading others to avoid any mishap of being discovered as a blood fiend cultivator and also blending in seamlessly.
How could someone like that not know the character of the head of the Flying Serpents Head and how he would react if he were ever caught?
If she had to escape why would she use the routes that the head would know or other members of the gang? If she did use them, she would be putting herself at the mercy of their discretion and loyalty, which they definitely don''t have.
It''s safer to create her contingencies and from the admission of the head, she had been with them for 150 years which is more than enough time for her to make them. Yet, she chose to use an escape route that someone from the gang would know.
It''s highly suspect. Next is how little Duan Kong managed to contain her. He may be more talented than most, and his royal bloodline affords him a body that has high vitality and regeneration, but fighting Ling Shi, we saw for ourselves how terrifying her abilities were, Duan Kong should not have been able to hold her back for as long as she did, let alone even survive, but he did, which some part of me thinks... It may have been deliberate on Ling Shi''s part.."
"You suspect she wanted to lure you all over?"
"I think so... I don''t know maybe to divert our attention and create an opening for another blood fiend cultivator to escape, or maybe something else, but whatever it is,it was well worth it for her to sacrifice her life for it.." said Wang Siyi with a grim expression.
"Only time can tell, hopefully, my colleagues from Yellow ins County might have some answers for us.." said Yang Qing with a sigh.
"But for now, the only matter we need to focus on is your settlement. Speaking of which they are here.." added Yang Qing with a smile.
Chapter 732 Settlement (2)
Chapter 732 Settlement (2)
??The couple hurriedly looked around with excitement clearly showing on their wrinkled faces as they looked around them before their eyes narrowed to two figures walking slowly outside the window being held by the hands of some youth who looked to be in histe teens.
Their excitement quickly turned to frowns then worry the longer their eyes fell on the two figures and they couldn''t help but turn to Yang Qing with eyes that seemed to ask,
"What happened to them? Why are they like that? Is that really them?"
Yang Qing''s only response was a smile followed by him sampling the dishes on the table and encouraging the couple to try some, who did not, as their eyes were glued to the stairs that led to their floor.
"They''re okay.." Yang Qing softly added as he chewed on a star lobster.
He could see the anxiety and worry growing in the couple with every millisecond that passed by. Yang Qing''s words did little to alleviate the worry. They had seen what they had seen, and that was the farthest thing from okay.
Refusing to blink or even move their eyes from the staircase, the object of their attention appeared, and their pupils couldn''t help but tremble as they saw the two figures finally appear, slowly by slowly revealing their entire bodies.
Wang Huiyin who looked to be at the edge of her seat hurriedly lept up as she ran over to the two figures almost tripping over Wang Siyi''s chair, who wasn''t far behind as he too stood up and headed in the same direction as his wife.
"Yi''er! Liqin! Is that you?!" worriedly asked Wang Huiyin as she appeared like a phantom at the stairs directly in front of the two figures.
"Yi''er..Liqin.." Wang Siyi gently called out with worry and uncertainty when he saw theck of reaction from the two figures who seemed to be in a daze.
He and his wife knelt beside the two figures as Wang Huiyin asked,
"What happened to them?"
Her tone was rife with worry, anxiety, and a little bit of anger.
The youth who had been holding the hands of the two figures smiled politely as he gently unsped the two hands from his and motioned for the couple to bring out their hands to take over.
Wang Huiyin held the other hand of the figure on the left, while Wang Siyi held the hand of the figure on the right.
"Forgive my wife''s tone, but please can you tell us what happened to them?" asked Wang Siyi adopting a more polite tone with the smiling teen who had a cultivation base that was in the early stage of the core formation realm wearing the same orange and ck robes as the two figures.
"They survived the baptism and I''m honored to call them my brother and sister.." said the youth still wearing the same polite smile.
The couple wore bewildered expressions at the response but they were too preupied with worry to spare the answer much thought. Out of worry, the couple wanted to carry the two figures only to be stopped by the youth who said,
"Let them walk on their own two feet, they can.."
Just as Wang Huiyin was about to let out a retort, Yang Qing who suddenly arrived where they were, spoke,
"He is right, just walk with them .."
"Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, congrattions, you did well.." added Yang Qing with a gratified smile as his gaze fell on the two figures who looked to be walking husks. One look at them and one would think they were seeing calcified corpses. The two were nothing but bones with their skins hanging on their bones.
Before, when he met them in Purple City, while they looked slightly emaciated from not eating the nutritional amount and quality required by bronze-stage cultivators, their bodies still looked somewhat sturdier and healthier than a mortal''s, but now, they looked like even a slight breeze would topple them over, with their robes hanging loosely over their bodies.
Their skins looked dry and slightly cracked, with their mouths heavily perched like that of someone severely dehydrated and malnourished. They had sunken cheeks, and one could see the ribs of their chests showing from within their robes which seemed to be heavy for their twig-like limbs. Their bodies kept spasming, as their eyes darted all around the room almost as if in anticipation that something would jump at them.
However, despite how broken their bodies seemed to be, there was a strength within them, a strength that had beencking when he met them, or when they took their test and when they finished it. The skins, though parched, dry, and cracked, would glitter slightly with a golden hue, evidence that their bodies were in the gold body stage.
Such a body hid a strength that was capable of shattering elephant-sized boulders into dust, punching through iron or steel as if it were made of rotten wood, skin so tough that natural fires and lightning strikes would leave it unblemished. The spiritual qi in the surrounding area was constantly flowing into their bodies like a river flowing into a sea.
Yang Qing could feel the fruits of all that they had endured during the past few months as there was a sharpness to them that wasn''t there before.
The couple who had been too startled and worried at first to notice the changes, had changes in their expressions as they felt the transformation of the siblings and the power stored within their thin frames. They couldn''t help but look at each other with surprise on their face before they turned their gazes to Yang Qing and the teen youth next to him.
As seasoned figures, they knew how difficult it was to achieve a gold body much less in under four months. When the siblings left, they had been in the bronze stage, but only three monthster they were already in the gold body. They could count on two hands the number of cultivators they knew who had reached the gold body but none that reached it in such a short period. The results shown by the siblingspletely overturned what they knew.
Today was the day they truly caught a glimpse of how powerful the Order truly was.
Yang Qing turned to the youth as he said,
"You must be Mu Gao, thanks for bringing them.."
"I''m honored to have been the one to bring them, Judge Yang Qing, just as another senior helped me back then when I was in their position, and I didn''t mind the merit points offered.."the teen answered with sheepish smile.
"How much did the instructor offer?" Yang Qing curiously asked.
"Four.." answered Mu Gao with a bit of awkwardness.
"Figures as much. They''ve always been the stingy sort.."
"That they are.." answered Mu Gao as both smiled wryly.
Yang Qing fished out a wine jar from his storage ring which he handed to Mu Gao.
"For your troubles and also as a gift for youring graduation. You can share it with the rest.."
"Thanks, and Instructor Huo said they have three days, after that they would have to go back andplete their reconditioning before they cane back again. They''ll be given two weeks then.."
"I''ll tell them.." Yang Qing said as his gaze fell on the couple that were walking the siblings like they were newborn deer.
He exchanged a few more words with Mu Gao before they parted, and he joined the couple in the slow walk.
Chapter 733 Settlement (3)
Chapter 733 Settlement (3)
?Even though it was just a few steps away from the staircase, the journey to their table almost seemed like they had taken a one-kilometer trek, with the couple slowly holding the siblings afraid that they would trip and break every bone in their bodies while the siblings on their part, they paused with every step as they surveyed their surroundings with excessive scrutiny, unhinged and on guard towards everything.
Yang Qing seeing their reactions felt an odd sense offort well up within him as he remembered how unnerved he had been in the weeks that proceeded his entrance test. The wind, a fly on the wall, a suddenugh, a low or high tone voice, everything would make him jump as he half expected something to jump out at him.
Seeing someone else go through the same motions made him feel that all was right with the world. Fairness was really an understated virtue at times and it was one of the few things he rather appreciated about the Order. When it came to giving out torment, they ensured all the students got equal amounts, with none missing out.
"Sorry, Zou Yi, Zou Liqin, but this will be the new normal for you for the next four years.." thought Yang Qing as they finally reached their table.
The couple sandwiched the siblings in between their seats as they hung at the sides. Yang Qing had offered to get them extra seats but they refused.
They looked worriedly at the siblings who seemed to be regaining some rity in their eyes as they finally stopped frantically scanning their surroundings long enough to notice where they were.
"B..brother Yang Qing?" asked Zou Yi doubtfully as he saw Yang Qing seated across from him.
"Liqin, you''re seeing him too aren''t you?" he warily asked as he stretched his hand to touch his sister''s maybe out of fear, or to confirm he wasn''t hallucinating.
Zou Liqin nodded her head with the same doubtful expression with countless emotions shing in her eyes. She was afraid, expectant, and doubtful as she looked at Yang Qing.
A few seconds passed by with the siblings warily staring at Yang Qing. The Wang couple wanted to speak a few times and make their presence known, but they seemed to be gued with the same hesitation and wariness the siblings had. Only Yang Qing seemed at ease amongst them.
"You''ve grown..." Yang Qing said with an admiring smile.
The body of the siblings stiffened as they flinched slightly. The next second, Zou Yi smiled before the smile devolved into bleakughter.
"He Shan was right, the test isn''t over, whatever we were seeing the past few days was nothing but some hallucination. We must have triggered some array, or are in some spirit beast''s territory, or maybe under the effects of some illusory nt. We did pass by some dreamshade hydrangaes at some point, at least I think we did.."
"Brother, you think we are still in there.." Zou Liqin frightfully asked with tears forming at the rim of her eyes.
Zou Yi smiled bitterly as he said,
"What else could this all be if not an illusion? Big brother Yang Qing is here, look even Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang are all here, look even how they''re seated, almost as if they''re sheltering us to give us the illusion of safety so we can let our guards down.
And the cake..."
Zou Yi stretched his hand out to the Golden Lotus Delight that was at the center of the table. He used his fingers to pinch a piece of it, which he ate, after.
"It''s even able to create a heavenly taste.." Zou Yi said with a smile filled with despair.
"He Shan wasn''t lying when he kept insisting we were in some illusion for the past few days. I hope my real body isn''t being eaten by some spirit beast like he suspected. I thought we could survive to the end.."Zou Yi paused briefly as he stared at Yang Qing, then the Wang couple before it fell on his sister.
Zou Liqin lowered her head in shame as she softly muttered,
"I dragged you all down.."
"What are you saying Liqin, none of us would have survived as long as we did in that ce without one of us being there. Not Lai Rou with his saber sense, not He Shan with his hunter''s intuition and skills in alchemy and herbology, not Yu Mei with her skills in parsing through hidden traps and rming dangers, or me or you, we all needed one another there.
Not even the monsters who finished in the top ces in the first test could have survived there alone. Do you remember what Instructor Huosaid before he threw us in there?" asked Zou Yi to which Zou Liqin nodded her head as she answered.
"Less than five people since the founding of the Order could survive such a ce alone, and even then, it wouldn''t be unscathed..."
"Right...With the amount of talent we have seen, it''s amazing that we managed to hold on as we did, and it''s because we all did what we needed to do. Take pride in that.."said Zou Yi as he held his sister''s hand.
"If this is an illusion with no way out, if I''m being eaten, I might as well make the most of it instead of worrying.." Zou Yi added with a carefreeugh as he reached out for the cake before he hesitated as a cunning idea shed in his eyes.
"Since this is an illusion.." he muttered with augh.
"Brother Yang Qing could I have the best wine you have, and call me big brother from now on.."
"Yi, what are you doing?" frantically asked Zou Liqin with worry in her tone as she stared at Yang Qing half expecting him to smack Zou Yi on the head for his audacity. Her gaze even drifted to Grandma Wang who forbade them from having wine, till they reached the qi refinement realm.
"What are you worried about Liqin, it''s an illusion.." Zou Yi said with a smug expression.
Now that he had given up all struggle, he could feel the tenseness disappear from his body as relief washed over him, making him daring. If he couldn''t break out of the illusion, then he might as well indulge. Luckily the illusion wasn''t a scary one aimed at breaking his spirit and mind, but one meant to have him drop his guard by offering many allures. He might as well taste wine which hopefully will taste as good as the sponge cake on the table infused with golden lotus essence.
"Here, this is Harmony plum bossom wine, that has been aged for 17,000 years. I would be honored to share a cup with you, big brother.."
"See.." Zou Yi smugly saidwith his eyes shining as he saw Yang Qing take out a white ornately crafted wine jar and open it to pour some on one of the wine urns.
"Liqin you should have some too.."
Chapter 734 Settlement (4)
Chapter 734 Settlement (4)
?Zou Liqin hesitated slightly before she meekly and softly said,
"Okay.."
"Good... little brother Yang Qing, one for my sister.." Zou Yi roguishly said before his body suddenly shivered. His eyes narrowed as he knew that feeling all to well. Living at the edge of death since he was eight, and the four-month experience in that hell they called the Golden Twilight Forest had engrained in his body the ability to sense dangerous situations and right now every bone in his body was wailing, telling him that something wasing for him.
He tightened his fist, as he prepared himself to retaliate. Even if he had half given up, he wasn''t going out without taking a swing even if said swing would amount to nothing more than an ant facing off against an elephant. Out of principle or petty vengeance for all he had endured, he didn''t want to be defeated without getting at least one shot in.
"Liqin, you ready.." said Zou Yi as he stood up in preparation, however, his expression froze over when he saw Zou Liqin innocently nibble at a piece she had sliced from the Golden Lotus Delight cake.
"I know I said make the best of the illusion, but an attack ising, is this really the time?" he bitterly thought.
He had just turned when the attack he anticipateding, finally struck, and it struck true.
"Who''s your big brother?" a calm voice muttered as Zou Yi felt like a mountain had flicked him on his forehead, with the resultant shock traveling all around his body, with his legs giving out in the process that he found himself slumped on the seat as he grimaced at the hot searing needle like pain on his forehead.
"Yi''er you sure have a lot of guts for disregarding my words on not drinking until you were mature enough.."
Zou Yi didn''t have enough time to process the pain before his body tingled again warning him of something ominousing his way. Before he could register what wasing, he felt a searing hot sensationing from his ear lobe.
Out of ingrained reflex, he yelled,
"Grandma Wang I was wrong! I was wrong!."
It was only when he uttered those magical words did the searing paining from his left earlobe stop.
With some sense of calm, Zou Yi was able to look around him. He saw Yang Qing smiling dangerously at him, Grandma Wang sending him threatening res with her fingers in a w-like grip as if she was about to strike again, and Grandpa Wang was shaking his head, as for his sister, she wore the same befuddled look as he did, with her mouth and eyes wide open, with the piece of cake she had on her hand almost slipping out.
"B.b.brother Yi, is this... is this still an illusion?" she warily asked.
Zou Yi smiled miserably as he looked around the table before he finally asked,
"Is it?"
"What do you think?" snidely asked Grandma Wang with her dagger eyes still locked on him.
Zou Yi''s shoulders slumped as he replied.
"I hope it is.." Which drewughter from Yang Qing and Grandpa Wang.
"Dear, stop tormenting him, he has been through enough. See you''re even scaring Liqin.." said Grandpa Wang.
"Liqin is always the most behaved.." Grandma Wang said as she jumped to embrace the confused Liqin.
"You look amazing, child.." she added as she separated to give Zou Liqin a once over.
"This is real.." Zou Liqin with a shake in her voice.
"It is.." Grandma Wang answered with a warm smile.
Zou Liqin buried herself into her embrace as she said,
"Good.." over and over.
"So we passed?" Zou Yi said with half relief and half disbelief in his tone.
"You did, splendidly at that. Wee to the Order, you two.." said Yang Qing to the two who couldn''t help but cry at the remark.
Zou Yi tried to hold them back, and when that didn''t work he tried to quickly dry them and erase all evidence of his crying as fast as he could, he only let himself go when he saw Grandpa Wang smile gently at him with a few tears of his own rubbing his head as he said,
"It''s okay, this is worth shedding tears for. You and your sister did great, and you will be great, your grandmother and I are honored to be along for the ride.."
Grandpa Wang''s words seemed to have been a trigger as Zou Yi''s tears fell like a broken dam. It took a while before the emotions of the two siblings settled down.
"When did youe?" asked Zou Liqin in between sniffles.
"Today.." said Grandma Wang as she gently stroked her hair.
"Will you live with us?" warily asked Zou Yi. Everything still seemed so surreal for him, from the moment he met Yang Qing to now. He couldn''t quite believe it was all real. Since their arrival, he had taken to pinching himself a few times to confirm it wasn''t all an imagination.
"If you still want to have us.." said Grandpa Wang.
"We would!" the two siblings answered in unison almost as if afraid that if they dyed, the couple would change their minds.
"Good.." said the couple.
"The cake is yours.." said Yang Qing as he used his chopsticks to point to the cake.
"But not the wine.." he added with a smirk, which made Zou Yi''s cheeks redden in embarrassment, drawingughter all around, even from his sister.
The mood turned jovial, with the siblings bombarding the couple with questions about their journey, while also telling them of the various interesting things and experiences they had since they came to the Order, with hours quickly flying by without them realizing it.
The siblings seemed rxed, better than they were earlier, however, they would still flinch at the asional sudden reactions from the customers within the restaurant, and they also seemed constantly on guard with their bodies in a state where they could react explosively if need be.
The couple had been slightly worried at first, but with time, they were okay with it and even appreciated the sense of hyper-alertness exhibited by the siblings. With the experience they had as warriors on the battlefield and from being hunted by assassins, they knew the importance of being constantly vignt. It was the difference to whether you survived or not, a thin thread constantly separated the two sides, and constant vignce tilted the odds ever so slightly toward survival.
After they were done with their meals, and catching up, Yang Qing led them to the resettling department of the Administration Hall. The branch had its offices a few steps away from the ming Goose Restaurant. Once there, the rtionship between the Wang couple and the Zou siblings was sealed by a saint-grade.
The artifact had a grand dao binding oath ability to it. The couple were officially recognized as the guardians of the Zou siblings and had ess to said privileges as a result of it one of which was a ce to stay.
They were given a long list of courtyards to choose from, to which Yang Qing guided them to the ones suitable to a small family as theirs, but even then, the size of it left the couple wide-eyed as evennd for a small family was 1,000 acres and one rich with spiritual qi measuring to the standards of a top tier rank 3 organization. They had doubts if the treasured ground of the royal family of the Red Maple Empire was as good, let alone asrge, and now it was all theirs.
After they made their decision, the staff from the settlement department along with Yang Qing led them to the ce. The courtyard itself was on a in with beautiful scenery. It had a few trees, a forest, a shallow stream crisscrossing around the in, and wild vegetation with the least being at the middle tier of earth grade, with the bulk being at the top tier of the earth rank or low tier sky grade with a handful even being at the middle tier of the sky grade.
The courtyard was the standard design, being three stories high, with all the necessary requirements fit for a courtyard that would be used by cultivators. It had a few meditation chambers, an alchemy chamber, a smithing chamber,a training ground, store rooms fit for storing all manner of cultivation resources and maintaining their efficacy, a library though it was empty, a kitchen, living rooms, and personal quarters for seven people.
They had more than ample room and designation for all whatever needs they may have, and if it was missing, the Order would happily retrofit it to their specifications at a huge discounted rate for their first time, the next after that would be at cost with a little discount here and there.
The siblings and the couple were all wide-eyed when they saw the area, more so the siblings who despiteing from a rank 2 family and living in luxury during their earlier years, but after the death of their parents, and their banishment thereafter, slept in caves, trees, exposed to the elements and all manner of privation.
For all those years sleeping within a structure with four walls and a roof was a luxury they did not have but now they had more than that. Yang Qing could understand a bit of the emotion they had as they saw the courtyard and thepound that was now theirs indefinitely. While Yang Qing may not have had quite the same struggles as they did, when he got his first courtyard, there was that sense of safety,fort, and exhration of knowing that this is now mine, especially after enduring the hellish torture of the entrance exams.
The courtyard was a form of validation, a ce that says I see you, Imend you, now rest and take it all in. Yang Qing figured those intense emotions were the reason why most chose to stay in their first courtyards same as what Yang Qing was doing, and even those that move on, few choose to relinquish it. Such was the romance of the first courtyard.
Chapter 735 Ma Yuan’s efforts
Chapter 735 Ma Yuan''s efforts
?The administrator of the settlement department left soon after when he had made sure he had made all the necessary arrangements and provided all the relevant information. The courtyard was still not covered by a protective array nor was the courtyard fitted with any. The couple was advised that someone from the formation hall woulde shortly to fit them and they all needed to be present so they could be handed themand tokens for those arrays and be guided on how to use them.
The couple had been worried at first about the maintenance of those arrays as they figured it would be of a high quality, a blue grade at least and something like that would require a lot of spirit stones, but lucky for them, their worries were misced as Yang Qing informed them the arrays, all the arrays around the Order draw their strength from the surrounding vein. All the courtyards were not constructed at random locations but in locations that were above rich spirit veins that would be able to meet the needs of the arrays and courtyards indefinitely, and should there be a problem with said spirit vein, the Order would be the one to handle it.
While they wouldn''t provide other resources to the families, they would provide the amodations and everything it entails.
The couple kept thanking Yang Qing profusely as they struggled to believe that all this was real. It took a moment before they felt they were not dreaming. Yang Qing stayed a bit before he left and let the couple and the Zou siblings enjoy the moment together. It was their start of living as a family and the start of a new life, a new beginning of sorts for all of them.
Before he left, he did tell the siblings and the couple about the timed visitation the siblings had which was only three days, and when itpsed, someone from the Institute woulde to pick them up for them to resume their reconditioning phase while also undergoing orientation at the Institute.
With all the arrangements in ce, Yang Qing made his way to his parents'' home to deliver the scallion pancakes he had promised to deliver whilst also checking in on them. It was already close to dusk by the time he separated from the Wang couple.
When he arrived at his parent''s home, oddly enough he was surprised to find his father present. Usually, the person in question would do everything to avoiding home all to avoid Yang Qing''s grandfather, especially recently with his grandfather''s admittance about working on a potion that would help temporarily suppress one''s cultivation base a major realm below it, Yang Qing was sure his father would never be seen again.
So seeing his father at home and calm at that was rather surprising for him. Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if his father had finally gone through with all the crazy ideas he had formted against his grandfather, one of which was to jump his father, seal all his acupoints and cultivation base, and feed him a sleeping potion that would leave him asleep for at least two years.
Yang Qing feeling suspicious of his father, not that he would mind if his father actually went through with the n, covertly asked his mother where his grandfather was. Her response illuminated his father''s sudden bravery. As it turned out it wasn''t that his grandfather was sleeping off somewhere from his father''s doing, but that his grandfather experienced a sudden epiphany during his experiments and inadvertently triggered a tribtion for the core formation realm and had no other choice but to go with the breakthrough.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile at the news, especially when he saw his fatherughing every few seconds as he muttered something to himself. Yang Qing had no doubt he was gloating about his grandfather''s misfortunes. To others, breaking through to the core formation realm was a worthwhile celebratory moment, but to someone obsessed with the body refinement realm that he wept months when he had to break through to the qi refinement realm, and wept longer when he had to break through to the foundation establishment realm, he could only imagine what breaking through to the core formation realm would do to him and seeing his father''s gleeful look, he knew he was hoping it hit him heavily.
Yang Qing would be lying if he said some part of him wasn''t celebrating the torment his grandfather would be in after hepleted his breakthrough, stabilized his realm, and the reality of being a core formation expert hitting him.
"Have I be more sadistic sinceing to the Order?"?Yang Qing worriedly thought before he pushed those thoughts to the back of his head when he saw his mother bring food over.
He joyfully gorged himself with his mother''s cooking. His brother and sister-inw only arrivedter in the evening. After the meal, he shared the transformations of his physique had undergone with his father and brother. Even though his father wasn''t as fanatically devoted to the body refinement physique as his grandfather or the other old codgers of the n were, even his grandfather had to admit his father''s natural talent andprehension on the matter was one of a kind.
His father only managed to achieve the gold body stage, but his grandfather often said it wouldn''t have been impossible for him to reach the diamond body stage or even the peerless jade physique, had he not chosen to break through to the qi refinement realm immediately after, just out of spite.
Their discussion went well into midnight with Yang Qing once again reaffirming the belief that one''s insight and breadth of wisdom had little to do with their cultivation base. There could be countless cultivators out there with acking cultivation base but have unique insights on certain matters that others with a higher cultivation base mightck.
While he wasn''t any closer to unraveling other mysteries of his physique, the discussion helped solidify his understanding of what he knew and discovered over the years. His father and brother also reaped a few rewards from the discussion with the former even getting more ideas to refine a few body refinement techniques he had and further lower the threshold of reaching the gold body among cultivators.
Yang Qing left soon after, leaving his father and brother to exchange thoughts and ideas on their various research while he made his way to his abode to have a good rest before the next day''s events. Given only three days at the library, he intended to make it count. For the next three days, he would not take a single step outside the library, he therefore had to get as much rest as he could, which he strongly hoped he could given how excited he was at visiting the library.
"I should visit Hao Da before I go to the library.."muttered Yang Qing as he made his way into his abode.
Once inside, he couldn''t help but widen his eyes in amazement at the transformation in his abode. What was once an untamed wilderness filled with vegetation growing wildly everywhere all owing to Yang Qing''s yin-yang jade nature physique now had some rhythm and order to it, while still maintaining a bit of the free-spirited charm of the wild.
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"Ma Yuan really went all out. Did he even rest while I was away.." Yang Qing muttered with stupefaction and admiration at the evidence of Ma Yuan''s tireless efforts in revamping his abode. He could hardly recognize it.
Yang Qing''s expansive abode had been transformedpletely. What was once uncharted wilderness had been infused with harmony and purpose. As Yang Qing was walking slowly, carefully taking it all in, his sights fell on certain trees, trees that had not been part of the collection before he left. His eyes glittered with excitement when he saw those trees. It was something he had told Ma Yuan he wanted, and Ma Yuan had faithfully executed it.
Orchards burgeoned with plum, peach, and apricot trees, their branches heavy with ripening fruit, while clusters of fragrant citrus trees dotted thendscape, their vibrant hues adding sshes of color to the verdant scenery.
Yang Qing could hardly believe it took only four months for the trees to reach the heights they had reached, or to bear fruit. Even if their growth seemed to have been elerated slightly, with Yang Qing''s natural affinity with all manner of life, he could sense each tree had achieved optimal growth. Vibrant and full of life,cking in no way including even its fruits. Nothing seemed to have been sacrificed for those trees to reach the levels they had reached. It was all the work of a skilled herbologist and farmer in Ma Yuan whose meticulous care could be seen all around.
Drawing upon his expertise in herbology and cultivation, he introduced a diverse array of medicinal herbs and aromatic nts, their potent essences infusing the air with rejuvenating fragrances. Among them stood patches of ginseng and goji berry bushes, their roots delving deep into the fertile soil, and clusters ofvender and chamomile, their delicate blooms swaying gently in the breeze.
While Yang Qing had no use for medicinal herbs owing to the high-speed regeneration and vitality his physique afforded him and if he had a need for it, the green me tree was more than enough to meet all his or any other person''s needs. In terms of restoration, it rivaled even his abilities. But he nheless appreciated the herb''s presence, especially with the aesthetics it added to the ce, and some could even be used as ingredients in cooking like the goji berries.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw another one of his ideas birthed to life. A few steps from him he could see lunar light bees buzzing from flower to flower, aqua flow butterflies fluttering their delicate wings leaving a trail of blue drops as they moved from nt to nt, sapphire scarab beetles producing a delicate shine that blended perfectly with the flowers around them, and serene vine wasps suckling on some nectar with evident delight.
Under Ma Yuan''s skillful guidance, Yang Qing''s once untamed domain blossomed into a vibrant sanctuary full of life and activity.
Yang Qing had already sensed Ma Yuan''s aura on some part of his abode still hard at work. He made his way to him as he soaked in the transformation of his abode. As he looked around him he didn''t know whether it was by design or a happy consequence of it, but his aura had been used as part of the transformations around him, which had in turn been a factor in the healthy growth all around. If it was deliberate, Ma Yuan''s abilities were beyond what he expected. He found the man in question hard at work tilling the soil ever so gently mixing it with a solution made of various herbs and ground spirit gems in preparation to nt the sap of the twilight sky locust tree that was next to him.
Even though he was covered in sweat and dirt, his breath slightlybored, Yang Qing could feel how full of energy he was along with a pure carefree smile on his face, which Yang Qing had not seen in him ever since he met him. He seemed free and unfettered like a little kid engaging in a hobby he loved.
Chapter 736 Closing the chapter
Chapter 736 Closing the chapter
?Yang Qing stood silently, observing Ma Yuan as he did repetitive tests on the soil and other materials using various techniques that Yang Qing recognized came from the herbal cultivation book that he had given him.
The book was called the ''Elysian Enve'' written by a cultivator who called himself the servant of the spiritual cultivation gardens. The book contains over 10,000 techniques and means to nt different spiritual nts and the nurturing process from start-up to finish. The book was wholesome and extensive as it dealt with spiritual nts that touched upon the different grades from the mortal rank up to the ascendant rank, with thetter only having two entries.
Yang Qing had received the book as payment for a job he did for one of the Instructors who dealt in herbology. The same instructor who had a friendship with the current king of the Summerfield Kingdom and also one of the founders of the Ocean refining crucible pavilion. As a lover and collector of books he readily epted it, though he himself had little interest in bing a herbologist, the book contained harvesting techniques, and an extensive list of nts some of which were excellent delicacies.
Since he had already read the entire book front and back a couple of times and mastered everything by heart, giving it to Ma Yuan was no problem for him. Seeing Ma Yuan''s excitement, he felt gratified for the choice he made.
Half an hour passed by with Ma Yuan wholly absorbed in the preparation process for nting the twilight sky locust tree. It was only when he was close to the end, where it was just him cing its sap into the soil he had prepared did he notice Yang Qing who was sitting a few steps from him.
He was confused at first, thinking he was seeing things, before the confusion evolved to being startled.
"Jjjudge Yang Qing?!" he said with a gobsmacked expression almost dropping the sap in his hands. Luckily his excellent bodily control as a former core formation expert kicked in and he was able to hold onto the sap while still staring wide-eyed at Yang Qing.
"Ma Yuan.." said Yang Qing with a smile as he cupped his fists in greeting.
"I was surprised when I came. You exceeded my imagination. This ce resembles an immortal''s garden.." added Yang Qing as he looked all around him with admiration.
"Surely you jest, judge Yang Qing..." Ma Yuan said with a sheepish grin as he reflexively went to scratch the back of his head before he realized he was about to scratch it with the sap of the Twilight sky locust tree he had in hand, which drew another moment of embarrassment from him before he decided to first finish nting the sap to avoid any further mishaps.
As he was nting it, even though the process just took a few seconds, for those few seconds, Ma Yuan seemed to have transformed into a different person. The awkwardness he had a few moments earlier had disappeared and was reced by an aura that was as stable as an immovable mountain. He was meticulous and filled with an air that made it seem as if he was the earth itself nurturing the nt in his hands.
The moment he was done, as if it was all an illusion, Ma Yuan went back to his earlier slightly nervous and awkward demeanor.
"Have you eaten?" asked Yang Qing as he took out a few of the dishes Shi Hai had made for them as he left the Deer Mountain Range.
Ma Yuan had been about to modestly refuse but his nose twitched, and his stomach started grumbling when the tantalizing aromas of the dishes reached him.
With his cultivation crippled, his body though still regained the strength of a core formation expert owing to the baptism of the tribtion lightning, and he also had firm foundations having achieved a gold body, it now had constraints to it that were not there before when he still had his dantian and cultivation, one of which was he could get hungry.
From the moment one steps into the Foundation establishment, the body''s requirement for food is reduced. In the qi refinement realm, one could go a month without eating and when one reaches the foundation establishment realm, that timeline extends to a few years and when one reaches the core formation realm, the body''s need disappearspletely as they can subsist off spiritual qi.
But now, for Ma Yuan, he was hungrier than usual, even more so than when he had been in the body refinement realm. Even though he still couldn''t absorb and convert spiritual qi, his body still craved it and needed it lest his age started showing as it emaciated from deprivation and to curb that he needed to consume foods rich in spiritual qi which didn''t need a dantian to convert it to a form that would be readily absorbed by his body.
Unable to refuse the offer with his eyes trained on the dishes, he said,
"I will humbly ept your hospitality, Judge Yang Qing.."
"Just Yang Qing is okay.."
Ma Yuan nodded as he said," Thank you for your hospitality, Yang Qing.."
"No problem.." said Yang Qing as he divvied up the dishes and took out an ice spirit rice wine to apany the dishes.
"How is Ma Ling?" asked Yang Qing in between bites and a sip.
Ma Yuan sighed slightly as he took a small sip of his wine.
"She''s improving greatly, and even though she is not as averse to me as she was before, it is still disheartening whenever I see her look at me as a stranger.
We do talk here and there, amicably at that, but there is a wall of unfamiliarity between us, which sometimes makes it harder for me some days to go there.."
"Will she get better?" asked Ma Yuan with clear worry in his tone.
"She will.." Yang Qing firmly said as he stared at Ma Yuan whose tenseness eased a little when he sensed the certainty in Yang Qing''s tone.
Yang Qing looked around him once more before an idea struck him.
"You could bring her here.."
"Yes?" asked Ma Yuan with a confused look on his face.
"Your daughter, Ma Ling. You could bring her here sometime to see your work and see what you have done with the ce. Visiting her at the Medical Valley can''t be easy for either of you, maybe a change of scenery might benefit you both.
As you are waiting for her previous memories toe back, you can create new ones here, who knows the wall between you may grow thinner.."
Ma Yuan fell into silent contemtion as he envisioned the scenario Yang Qing described and he couldn''t but feel hopeful and slightly excited at the concept.
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"You''re sure it''s okay.."
and slightly excited at the concept.
"You''re sure it''s okay.."
"Mmmh, it is.. You look happy doing this, and who knows maybe her seeing you in your element will ease you both.." answered Yang Qing.
"So what do you think?"
"I would love that.." Ma Yuan hurriedly said.
"I don''t know how I can ever repay you for all you''ve done.." added Ma Yuan with a smile.
"I''m doing it for me too. With two more hands, I can only imagine how much more amazing this ce would get.." Yang Qing said with a cheekyugh, masking his true thoughts.
He still had his guilt for failing to save Ma Yuan''s wife in time, even though there was nothing it could change, the guilt though wasn''t as heavy as it was at the start, was still there. Helping Ma Yuan did indeed help him too as it eased the burden of the guilt in his heart.
The two ate, and drank while sharing conversation, which was mostly Ma Yuan excitedly exining how wonderful the book Yang Qing gave him was, with Yang Qing asking a few questions here and there on how Ma Yuan transformed the ce. When he met the man, he didn''t seem like quite the talker, though granted Ma Yuan had a lot on his mind at the time, but Yang Qing still felt that in general, Ma Yuan wasn''t a talker, but when it came to herbology, and farming, he would talk endlessly with enthusiasm.
Slowly a few hours passed with the two engaged in easy conversation before Yang Qing had to call it a night and went to the nest of the celestial nesting weaver. He had told Ma Yuan he could use one of the rooms in his courtyard, but Ma Yuan felt uneasy about imposing and opted to sleep outside.
Seeing he would not budge on it, Yang Qing suggested if he was to sleep outside then at the very least it should be at the spot below the green me tree where a hundred or so leaves of the tree had umted. The leaves themselves were soft and the tree had restorative properties that would boost Ma Yuan''s vitality and body condition. It wasn''t hard to guess that Ma Yuan worked himself ragged, barely sleeping and eating, and Yang Qing could do little to dissuade him from it, the best he could do was have the green me tree keep his body healthy.
After the duo reached an agreement, Yang Qing exhaustedly made his way to the nest. Though he would not admit it to the insufferable bird, one of the reasons he was in a hurry toe back was the nest. The whole nest was expertly built to provide the ultimatefort and rest, something he was always in desperate need of. After a verbal spat with the celestial nesting weaver that proceeded to a short fight, Yang Qing slept officially closing his chapter as a branch chief.
Chapter 737 Meeting with Hao Da
Chapter 737 Meeting with Hao Da
??Yang Qing woke up the next day feeling renewed, refreshed, and reinvigorated. Normally he would wake up groaning and moaning from dread as he imagined what misery the day promised as another menial worker, but today it was different. It was the first day of his leave, he didn''t have to deal with any case, he didn''t have to see old fiend Lei''s face, and he would be visiting the library today and going to a floor that countless had dreamed of.
He couldn''t wait, but first, he had a few loose ends to tie down, one of which was checking in on Hao Da with the other visiting the auspicious wood grove tree to see if there was any way of helping Meifeng to send her clones over long distances.
As he had expected, it didn''t take long for Meifeng to call him to pester him if he had found any solution. Luckily she had called when dawn was just arriving, giving Yang Qing ample time to enjoy his sleep. Knowing she would likely continue asking about it, Yang Qing decided he might as well sacrifice a few minutes of his allotted library time and find out if the auspicious wood grove tree had a way to help her.
...
Medical Valley, Crystal Lake Pavillion.
"How was it being a branch chief?" Hao Da asked with a carefree smile with his eyes closed seated in a lotus position while absorbing the pure milky white misting out from ake. Seated next to him was Yang Qing chewing on some fried sunflower seeds.
"You didn''t tell me you were making so much money. Hao Da, I thought we were brothers, after all the scallion pancakes and the crimson hogs I shared with you, I''m hurt.." Yang Qing said with an aggrieved tone as he angrily munched on a few more sunflower seeds.
"The scallion pancakes that Aunt Mei asked you to share with me, or the crimson hogs that were being thrown out. I''m d I didn''t eat that thing considering what happened.."
"Their origin doesn''t matter, it still doesn''t detract from the fact that I SHARED.."
Hao Da knowing where this was headed, and the likelihood that the shamelessness of the person seated next to him wouldn''t stop, sighed as he said,
"Fine, before I leave will buy a whole buffet from the Thousands vor, and should you decide toe to the Three Fires Empire, I will sponsor your food tour.."
"I knew you were good brother.." Yang Qing excitedly said before he added with some solemnity in his voice,
"Remember, no going back on your words, lest you suffer the wrath of the heavens. As cultivators, our words are as heavy as the heavens.."
Hao Da couldn''t help but break his meditation as he nced sideways at Yang Qing with a strange look. He couldn''t believe the shamelessness of Yang Qing when he was the biggest welcher he knew.
"What?" Yang Qing asked as he cast a suspicious nce at Hao Da before his expression soon turned smug as he said,
"I know, I know, I''ve noticed it too.. I''ve been looking more and more like a banished immortaltely, I was even able to make a sacred me swan propose to me. She couldn''t withstand my charms.."
"You''ve always been shameless, but I didn''t think you''d be this shameless. A sacred me swan proposing to you? Did she have corpse poison in her system?" Hao Da said with clear disdain in his tone.
"You!! You!! .." Yang Qing said with shaky hands almost choking on his sunflower seeds.
"She proposed.." he added vehemently.
"Sure she did, same as all the other millions of cultivators who imed to have married a sacred me swan.." said Hao Da, clearly not buying it.
"I am not lying, she proposed. She offered to be my daopanion.."
"Yes, yes, she did.."
"But she did.." Yang Qing said with a defeated tone. The one time he wasn''t bragging shamelessly and was actually being truthful, but he wasn''t believed.
"I should have recorded the whole thing.." he added bitterly prompting Hao Da''s eyes to twinkle as he asked,
"Supposedly where did you meet this swan?"
Yang Qing instantly perked up, seeing this as an opportunity to redeem himself.
"You would never guess.." he said with a mysterious smile.
"At the Deer Mountain Range. Can you believe it?" he excitedly said.
"Howe you''ve never told me there was an inheritance ground in that ce?" asked Yang Qing.
"With how averse you are about leaving the headquarters, would you havee to see it, even if I''d told you there was one?"
"Maybe I might have.." Yang Qing muttered lowly unwilling to be rebuffed.
"You met her there? How did you even know about it?" suspiciously asked Hao Da. He was sure Yang Qing would spend his entire time as the Branch Chiefpletely sequestered at the branch instead of wandering around considering the amount of dangers hidden within the range.
Yang Qing went on to describe the case of the Hua n, Xin n, Flowing Fist Sect, and the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect and also the ensuing aftermath.
Hao Da sighed when he heard theplete story. He said,
"The Hua n leader has always been ambitious to the point of being reckless, while the Xin n leader, has always been a sycophant to people he thought were stronger than him, dubbing it as being flexible. He would have done anything the Hua n leader told him, same with the sect leader of the Flowing Fist Sect.Though he wasn''t as subservient,he still deferred to the Hua n leader.
The Moon essence cauldron sect is the surprising one. Even though their martial strength wasn''t high, they had a lot of connections both within and outside of the range. The Hua n couldn''t force their cooperation even if they were marginally stronger. They likely offered something substantial to gain their cooperation.
The price of greed huh.."
"But a celestial sacred swan...I always knew the range hid countless mysteries and secrets but after spending countless years there, I would have never guessed they had a sacred me swan among those mysteries.."
Chapter 738 How would you do it?
Chapter 738 How would you do it?
??"You have no idea.." said Yang Qing when he remembered the thirteen perilous zones, the shady undercurrent within the Deer Mountain Kingdom, or the mysterious man he and Meifeng stumbled onto. The range was anything but simple.
Yang Qing''s response drew a curious nce from Hao Da.
"It seems you had quite the tenure as the branch chief.." Hao Da meaningfully said.
Yang Qing sighed as he stared ahead with a forlorn look.
"It wasn''t deliberate, it just sort of happened. Hao Da..."
"What?"
"Do you feel like a storm ising?"
Hao Da''s pupils flickered with a strange light as he asked,
"I don''t know...Why do you ask?"
"Something Gu...I mean something the sacred me swan said made me question a lot of things. There have been a lot of strange things happening all at once, that some part of me feels it''s not a coincidence.."
"Like the attack on Lai Lei.." said Hao Da, before he added,
"and us.."
"In part, yes. Before I chalked up it all to the organizations being discontent with our presence. I assumed it was those organizations trying to reduce our so-called authority so that things could go back to the way they were.
But I don''t know.." Yang Qing said as he scrunched up his brows.
"That strange figure in the Deer Mountain Kingdom, appearances of blood fiend cultivators in Purple City, the happenings of the Ice Emerald Sect, and the owner of that abyssal thorn tree, the alliance between the Golden Bamboo Pavillion and the Maple Leaf Manor... I don''t know, it almost seems like.."
"Like what?"
"Like they''re all gearing up for something. It''s like they are all trying to prepare themselves so that whatever it is they''re expectinges, they''ll be ready.."
"Don''t you think, you''re being too paranoid?" asked Hao Da with a dubious expression.
Ever since they were small, Yang Qing had always been conspiratorial about a lot of things which alwaysnded him in no small trouble with the Instructors as they were usually the core of his conspiracy theories back then.
There was even one that managed to gain a lot of traction in which Yang Qing kept saying that the Institute was built atop a massive graveyard and the Instructors were malevolent spirits who inhabited that graveyard and had been unable to move on because of their deep-seated grudge and obsession that still anchored them to thend of the living. The reason they were so vivid and lifelike was because they belonged to some pretty powerful cultivators who were able to retain a bit of their sanity even after so much time had passed by.
Yang Qing had managed to convince a lot of the students back then, with himself being one of them. At some point the more he thought about it, the more it felt usible that the Instructors were vengeful spirits, and the students were in some sort of test.
He and a couple of others ended up devoting themselves to learning all sorts of techniques on how to purge vengeful spirits. It was one of the few times, Yang Qing ever devoted himself to something so deeply. It was only after he failed severely a couple of times did Yang Qing finally realize his guess was way off the mark, but by then it was toote. He was tortured by the Instructors for a couple of months and was even sent to a cursed battlefield filled with vengeful ghosts and spirits, so he could properly hone the purging techniques he had studied and deepen his understanding of what vengeful spirits look like.
Hao Da couldn''t help but think that this was another one of his crazy spections. Yang Qing knew the thoughts that were running through Hao Da''s head. He didn''t exin further. He hoped it was just him overthinking things, and it was his life-honed paranoia getting the best of him, but if it wasn''t, he couldn''t help but wonder what it was they were preparing for.
Was it the destruction of the Order? Or was that a phase of the n?
Yang Qing''s brain buzzed as he remembered something. It wasn''t too long ago that a strange fern was found in the body of an unassuming cultivator which ended up triggering Yang Qing''s physique for some reason whichnded him in aa for a few days and unable to use his physique for a month.
From what the Valley Master told him, that fern was specially engineered bybining two saint-grade materials which were both geared to ensure the fern remained undetectable with parasitic abilities. But undetectable until when? The when didn''t even matter, as the fact that they appeared in the Medical Valley, it was certain their target was the Medical Valley.
"Hao Da, if you were to attack the Order, how would you do it?"
"What are you talking about now?" Hao Da said with exasperation.
"I am serious...If you were to attack the Order how would you do it?"
Seeing Yang Qing''s serious look, Hao Da sighed as his look turned pensive.
"If I was to do it, well first, I wouldn''t do it alone. Not even the two holynds would dare attack the Order alone.."
Yang Qing nodded at the statement before he remembered the Hua n and the other three organizations in their coalition.
"What if we had something so valuable that it would make one of them willing to take the risk? Something that they wouldn''t want to share with others?"
"It would have to be a pretty precious something, but even then, they''d need to confirm that something is indeed with the Order, for them to be willing to make the sacrifice, and the best way to confirm it, is if they had someone on the inside.."
Yang Qing frowned as he said,
" A traitor?"
"Even the Order isn''t infallible, Yang Qing. There are bound to be those whose hearts are elsewhere. Besides you''ve heard the same rumors as I have about the dragon pir at the Requiem and those who are housed there..." Hao Da somberly said.
"I know but still..." Yang Qing said as he shook his head. He didn''t want to believe that the Order would have traitors in as much as it was pragmatic for him to expect, after all, even though it was purely hearsay, in Requiem, one of the pirs, the dragon pir was rumored to house former members of the Order who had betrayed it. Though the rumor was unproven, most who heard it believed there must be some truth to it, including Yang Qing himself.
"But a traitor isn''t the only way.." said Yang Qing, drawing a curious nce from Hao Da.
"Someone with personal connection or history with that something could very well discern its existence. We know certain connections or karma transcend lifetimes, and with the various means cultivators have, while it might be a bit difficult, it''s not entirely impossible for them to discern its existence or true location even if it''s hidden within the Order. .." added Yang Qing.
Hao Da stared meaningfully at Yang Qing for a few seconds before he said,
"That may be true.."
"So after you get like-minded individuals, what next?"
"I would not attack directly, I would create awork and study the movements of the employees of the Order, from those in the branches to those at the headquarters. Their routine, the missions I could deduce like the evaluations, create cases that prompt their immediate action.
I would do all manner of things to lure more employees outside, and once outside, I would kidnap some and secretly investigate the others, some with the hopes of turning them into traitors, while others just to understand the abilities of the Order.
I would probably spend at least a hundred years on this to learn as much as I can about the Order from the random administrator to the up-anding students, to the judges across the different courtrooms, to the inquisitors the normal, roaming, and special inquisitors.
Everything and anything I can find, I will dig into, so when the time finallyes to strike, while you can''t prepare nearly enough, having enough information will reduce the likelihood of hesitation..."
Yang Qing stared pensively at a sunflower seed that was cushioned between his thumb and index finger. He put a little pressure on it, grounding it to dust.
"How would you attack?" he asked.
"Probably attack all the branches simultaneously, along with any other known facilities the Order has outside the headquarters, and for good measure I''d destroy a few organizations outwardly known to have a good rtionship with them to deter others from acting.."
"That''s pretty ruthless.."
"We live in a ruthless world Qing.."
"That is true .." said Yang Qing with a sigh.
"Attacking the branches, huh..." added Yang Qing as he stared at the reflections showing on theke.
Silence ensued in the area, with Hao Da seemingly in silent meditation and Yang Qing still munching on his sunflower seeds with his thoughts seemingly elsewhere.
Such was the norm of the interaction between the two, one minute they''d be talking, and the next it would be silence, with each lost in their own worlds. They had grown to enjoy it that way.
After close to an hour had passed by, Yang Qing broke the silence as he asked,
"When are you leaving?"
"In 13 days.."
"Isn''t that too soon?"
"Most of my injuries arepletely healed ....
Well more or less ..." added Hao Da when he saw the look Yang Qing was giving him.
"You really don''t like being at the headquarters do you?" asked Yang Qing.
" Not that I don''t like it, it''s just that I enjoy the branches more.." said Hao Da with a carefree smile.
"Can''t say I don''t see the appeal..."
"Oh, are you thinking of taking the jump? I could get you a job as the librarian at the Three fires branch. I heard they have a good library there. What do you think? Good pay, no responsibilities. It''s the perfect job for you.."
"Have you been talking with the seniors from the Judicial Review Committee?" Yang Qing suspiciously asked.
"Nothing like that...I just think Branch life would suit you just fine.." Hao Da said with augh.
" Who knows, when I finally get my revenge on the Order and Old Lei, I may take you up on the offer. I''m just not sure you''d be able to afford my services at the time?"
" Well luckily it''s not me footing the bill.."
"That is true."
Hao Da and Yang Qing burst intoughter.
"Find me for a drink before you leave, will you?"
"I will.."
"d to see you''re okay, Hao Da.." said Yang Qing as he got up to leave.
"You too, Yang Qing.."
..
After leaving Hao Da, Yang Qing passed by the Serenity Lotus Pavilion to check on Ma Yuan''s daughter briefly before he made his way to their of the Auspicious wood grove tree.
The meeting was buried as he didn''t want his library time to be cut into. He had already spent two of those hours conversing with Hao Da, and almost twenty minutes checking in on Ma Ling.
Not to seem impolite but still within reason, Yang Qing spent close to half an hour with the Auspicious wood grove tree. While his ability to travel distances with his clone had more to do with his innate abilities that could control void energy, he had learnt a few techniques over the years that could help Meifeng increase the travelling distance of her clone. One of those techniques was the cerulean small dipper star gate technique, an art created to mirror the space traversing abilities of the subspecies of the tree folk called the stargaze tree folk.
With it, Meifeng could warp through established fixed points that mirrored specific stars in the sky. The points were fixed not allowing much flexibility but with it she could expand the distance she could cover. The art was extremely demanding of the cultivator''sprehension as it touched on majorws of the world, celestial and spatialws being one of them. Luckily, Auspicious wood grove tree offered to send one of his clones to guide her through it. Yang Qing had inadvertently revealed about his interaction with the mysterious figure which drew the curiosity of the wood grove tree.
With all pending matters handled, Yang Qing excitedly took out ck shell filled with countless runes. He triggered one of them which warped him to his next destination, the Grand library of the Order.
Chapter 739 Visiting the library
Chapter 739 Visiting the library
?Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the sight before him. He had been at the library countless times but every time he came by, he would be struck by the same look of awe every time his gaze fell on it. Even though it didn''t exist in a separate space and shared the same ground as the Institute, its presence always made it seem like it existed in a separate dimension.
Yang Qing slightly craned his neck as he looked upwards. The building before him was in the form of a dome that seemed to touch the sky. Its size was so huge that it made it seem like an eclipse had arrived.
The building itself was made of gold silk living dao sand, which made it seem like a waterfall of gold sand that released an ethereal light and sound. One could feel the voices of sages of countless erasing from each of the grains of the gold silk living dao sand. It was one of the unique features of the sand. The sand contained countlessws and profundities that made up the world, and it could echo them to the world in a perceivable form.
Countless meditation mats could be seen outside the library, and the reason for that was the unique feature of the gold silk living dao sand. There were countless cultivators, some from the Order, and others from outside who had obtained the opportunity either through the token allocation system and hade to the Institute as students, or through a merit conversion system. This was where the outsiders whopleted the missions assigned by the Order could choose to convert the payment into a meditation spot outside the Grand Library.
Meditating next to the library while hearing those voices was simr to being preached to by a senior who knew their way around countless different types of dao. While it wasn''t guaranteed you would harvest anything from meditating there, those who had highprehension were almost guaranteed to reap countless benefits from meditating next to the voices contained within the sands. Some gained deeper understanding and rity into their own cultivation arts because of those voices, while others found a new path entirely, with others receiving the slight nudge they needed to step onto a wide path.
Yang Qing himself had been one of those who asionally meditated outside on those mats, especially in his first and second years as a student. Meditating outside always helped him string countless thoughts and ideas he had. The voices had a way of helping him separate the useless stuff from what was important. It helped narrow down his focus. He made leaps and bounds in his understanding of different cultivation arts because of it. He only stopped the meditation when he got into the superior core court and had his library privileges raised.
While meditating to those voices had countless benefits, inside was way better, especially the higher the levels one went. Comprehending the dao was easier inside the library than it was outside.
Wasting no time, Yang Qing walked to one of the entrances of the library. Yang Qing did not need to walk that distance, as he could teleport to whichever floor he wanted with the ck shell in his hands, but he nheless wanted to enjoy the feeling of walking a bit of the journey.
Inside the library was like he had stepped into another realm. The first floor, also known as themon sense general floor,?stretched as far as the eyes could see, filled with countless rows of shelves filled with scrolls, old tomes, books, talismans, reading tables, meditation stones, and mats, spread all over. The shelves seemed to extend to the skies.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile when he saw the scenes happening around him, especially above him when he saw probably first years at the Institute, outside cultivators some looked to be part of the token system with others here as a result of merit exchange, but regardless of their identities, based on their faces, they all had one thing inmon, it was their first time at the Grand Library, and it was the first time they used the Starry sky scroll carpet.
Carpets that looked to be made of some kind of golden brown parchment with scribblings that glittered like stars crisscrossed gently around the library like a piece of paper gliding with the wind guiding its trails. The carpets had cultivators sitting atop them and from the look on their faces, one could easily distinguish those who were used to it, from those who it was their first time. Thetter all had looks of excitement, coupled with fear for a number of them who kept looking down as if afraid they would fall.
The scroll-like carpets were artifacts used to not only facilitate movement around the library but they serve as cultivation and meditation mats. Saying the library was huge, was an understatement, as just the general floor itself, Yang Qing couldn''tpletely sense it all with his pce sense. As a student, he had once tried to see howrge it really was as a bet hinged on it, and he found out it was about the size of a prosperous city of a rank 3 empire, something like the Purple City of the Red Maple Empire.
Moving around a ce thatrge would be as easy as a pce realm cultivator who could fly at great speeds and cover great distances within a short period, but expecting a qi or even foundation establishment cultivator to do the same, would torture them. They were liable to get lost in the ce, or not find what they were looking for. That was where the Starry skies scroll carpet came into y. They were artifacts that helped the cultivators get around the library. They were sentient and also had countless arrays inscribed on them that eased the library experience for all.
Said artifacts could only be used if one had a library token, which served as the key to activating and essing them. All the artifacts had the collection catalog of the entire library stored in them, and one could ess that information by pouring their spiritual essence into the artifact via their library token. The catalog of information they had ess to was restricted to the clearance levels afforded to their tokens. Once they had ess to the information, all they had to was think of it, and the artifact would transport them to the designated area with the specified information. And if the user had nothing specific just general for example they were interested in sword arts, the artifact would provide a list of all sword arts within that floor, arranged categorically either by elements or other factors along with a brief description that can assist the cultivator to decide.
Down below at the tables, there were spirit thought transmission balls that had a simr feature. However, even with the spirit thought transmission balls, one would still need to use the starry skies scroll carpets to collect them. It was only on the blue-grade floors that things were different. There were celestial flow orbs that would instantly transmit whatever scrolls, jade talismans, parchments, or other items of information from a single thought from the cultivator, and unlike the general floor, which had amunal sense to it, the blue-grade floors, even the top tier orange grade floor had private chambers for reading and cultivating.
Yang Qing used his token to call for a starry skies scroll carpet. Reading the unique signature of his token, a single-person carpet came to him drawing envious looks from the cultivators around who recognized the carpet as a floor-traversing carpet. Yang Qing ignored the curious nces around him as he closed his eyes to meditate slightly in an effort to calm his rapidly beating heart as he willed the artifact to transport him to the low-tier gold-grade floor. He could have flown there himself or even used the token to immediately teleport there, but using the artifact suited his needs perfectly. He was too anxious to fly by himself, and he also wanted to savor the moment of reaching there which an instant teleportation would deprive him of. He wasn''t sure when he would get such an opportunity, but while he could, he would make it as memorable as possible, which included taking the scenic route to the floor.
The artifact went through special channels, moving from floor to floor, ascending to Yang Qing''s target location, the low-tier gold-grade floor. He intentionally slowed down its pace, which was why it took almost twenty minutes before he reached it, and when he did, he knew the ce would shock him to no end, but even then he had underestimated how much.
Yang Qing''s eyes were wide open in disbelief as he felt like he had been transported to some immortal''sir. Even though he knew he was indoors, he could see purple-gold clouds above him, surrounded by rainbow lights and rays filled with auspicious lights. Hills stretched as far as the eye could see, each hill releasing an ancient aura like it had born silent witness to the rise and fall of countless eras and epochs. Yang Qing''s eyes went wide when he sensed thousands upon thousands of dao markings, lights, and charms being released from tiny cracks that had formed on those hills.
Between the hills was a meandering river that was ethereal and mysterious. In Yang Qing''s eyes, it looked no different than the river of destiny as the water thatprised it seemed to contain countless profundities andws, with the river being its source as it transported it all around the ce.
"Is this still the library?" muttered Yang Qing when he saw the dense rich spiritual qi that was infused with the power of dao transform into different auspicious beasts such as the vermilion bird, the phoenix, the Qilin, the dragon tortoise among others.
Where were the books? the shelves, the cultivation chambers, furniture, and other facilities he had expected to find.
Chapter 740 Voices of the past (1)
Chapter 740 Voices of the past (1)
??Yang Qing remained stupefied unable to tear his eyes away from the sight before him. He kept pinching his thighs a couple of times to confirm that all he was seeing wasn''t an illusion. Despite its stingy nature, he was constantly reminded of the Order''s umtions. Just sitting there on the carpet scroll, he could feel his essence, qi, and spirit being renewed, strengthened, and transformed by the second. He felt like his mind was being expanded, with his thoughts bing clearer and sharper.
The voice being produced from the stream below, or the auspicious beasts above affected his pce realm, as it seemed to tremble with excitement and hunger. The ocean within his pce realm churned, the sun zed with more intensity, the moon released a gentle brilliance and the green me tree at the center vibrated with vibrancy as a blinding verdant light was released from every part of his body.
The voices produced outside by the living dao gold sands were like a candle me whenpared to the effects Yang Qing was feeling at the moment from this immortal-likeir.
Yang Qing was pulled from his daze when one of the auspicious beasts above him which looked to be the Xuanwu ck tortoise sauntered its way to him. From the stories he had read and a few ounts here and there, the Xuanwu tortoise was said to be as big as an entire ocean but the one headed to Yang Qing was about the size of a regr tortoise, however, its presence made Yang Qing feel small in front of it. It was like an entire was headed towards him. Its pressure and presence were suffocating and overwhelming.
Yang Qing found himself igniting all the runes within his physique on reflex before he forcibly calmed himself down, but even then, he felt slightly unnerved as he stared at the Xuanwu slowly making its way before him. The unnerving feeling wasn''t out of his regr cowardice and apprehensions, but out of a more primal signal like he was facing heaven''s mandate. The beast before him didn''t feel like the Xuanwu, while it did look like one,what Yang Qing was seeing, what was making him feel the way he was, was the profoundw within it, something within it felt primordial and old, like something that was birthed during the foundation of the world. Thatw could suppress and contain everything from the skies above to the earth below.
Just as Yang Qing was wondering why the Xuanwu was headed to him, he felt his token tremble as it released a gentle heat. It escaped Yang Qing''s sp and floated gently toward the Xuanwu while releasing an ethereal light that came from all the runes and ancient writings on it being activated at the same time.
Yang Qing felt relief wash over him as the overbearing pressure of the Xuanwu, disappear. The ethereal light from his token seemed to have formed a bubble of protection around him.
Once the token was a few inches from the Xuanwu, the Xuanwu paused its steps and disintegrated into a golden auspicious light that made it seem like a golden milky way of stars as it flowed into the token. The token buzzed with a strange resonant sound as the golden light fell on it, and a few secondster it trembled and morphed into a palm-sized Xuanwu.
That Xuanwu now felt like a real Xuanwu to Yang Qing even if he had never met one. However, he had heard that the Xuanwu was a master of all forms of the water element. It could flood the with one limb and encase itpletely with ice that would never melt for eternity with the other. Everything that touched on water, it was a paragon existence that embodied it all.
If he was to have a special physique based on a mythical being, Yang Qing never wanted a phoenix, dragon, white tiger, vermilion bird, Kunpeng, or any of the others, ever since fear and self-preservation became his closepanion there was only one mythical being he truly wished to share a bloodline with, and that was the Xuanwu tortoise. The reason for that had nothing to do with the mastery over all thews of water but more to do with something he had read about how those who were lucky enough to have a contract with it or its bloodline, would have an inexhaustible lifespan, absurd vitality and sturdy defense that was able to defend against almost anything under the sun.
It was the perfect physique for him. Sometimes he wondered if that was why he ended up with yin yang nature peerless jade physique. Was the physique an embodiment of his strong desire? He often wondered that because the physique more or less gave him some of the features that weremon with the Xuanwu, like his high vitality and regeneration, and also the enormous amount of qi he had. It was rumored that a single droplet of qi from a Xuanwu would fully fill the dantian of several thousand peak-stage core formation experts.
While Yang Qing''s spiritual qi capacity wasn''t as exaggerated, he always had more in his reserve than those of the same cultivation base him, and that capacity has been growing during his recent breakthroughs with his physique. The only thing he wascking was the sturdy defense, though if one wasn''tpletely technical about it, one could argue his physique granted him some defense, especially with his immunity to countless toxins and curses.
The only ce he wascking was the lifespan. His physique, coupled with his foundation as a purple core expert did grant him more lifespan than most in the same level, such as,as an early-stage pce realm expert, a normal one would have a lifespan of 15,000 years, and if they had a purple core when breaking through, they would have 20,000 years but Yang Qing could feel his lifespan would hit 30,000 years as things stood which already exceeded the limit of a regr peak stage pce realm expert who would have 25,000 years on reaching thete stage of the pce realm. Even though he had some advantages in that regard, it could not beat having an inexhaustible lifespan like the Xuanwu.
"Come to think of it can the Xuanwu be considered an Ancient because of its absurd lifespan?" wondered Yang Qing as he recalled the description Dean Zhu Lao gave of those beings, monstrous beings known for having long lifespans and being the progenitors of mythical creatures like dragons and phoenixes.
However, Yang Qing pushed those thoughts behind him when he heard the palm-sized Xuanwu suddenly talk when it perched itself on his shoulders. The voice though gentle, contained boundless and unfathomable power. Yang Qing felt that its voice contained a mysterious power that was able to influence the fabric of the world, copsing oceans, calling stars into existence, and raising and falling mountains.
"You have 69 hours left on your ess to this floor. While here, do not leave the confines of the scroll carpet. With your cultivation base, there are things here that would drive you to madness maybe temporarily, maybe permanently. Whatever you do, please don''t leave the confines of this carpet, even when you hear a voice telling you to do so, don''t do it. If you do, you may end up getting lost here forever, or worse, you may end up as one of the objects of wisdom in this ce.."
Yang Qing hurriedly shrunk back when he saw the miniature Xuanwu smirk ominously as it said those words.
"With your umtions and foundations, mmh, it might not be a bad thing to have all you know permanently absorbed into this ce and add to the collection..." added the Xuanwu.
"S..sorry senior, but I doubt I have any umtions. I barely know anything. It was because of my inadequacies that I even got sent here in the first ce. I would likely give out heart demons and qi deviations if I were a scroll. I don''t want to ruin the lives of promising talents.." Yang Qing said with a slight stammer as he swore to not take a single step outside the carpet. Not even an immortal feast would drag him out of the carpet.
The Xuanwu stared at him meaningfully while wearing a yful gaze before it said,
"Fine.. The usage is simr to the other floors. You only need to think of the books you want and they wille to you. I don''t need to say this, but your ess is restricted within certain sections. This is the list of information you have ess to from this floor.."
The Xuanwu ced its palm on Yang Qing''s forehead. A pale blue glyph appeared on its forelimb which pierced into Yang Qing. A flood of information was gently poured into Yang Qing''s mind.
The information was the books, scrolls, and jade scripts he could ess with his temporary clearance. It was as the seniors from the Judicial Review Committee had said, Yang Qing could only ess information that rted to the history of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, those that touched on the Bi Xie Empire which was the former owner of the territory of the Deer Mountain Kingdom was built on top of, andstly a curated list of cultivation arts, spirit beasts, nts, treasures, and organizations known to have aspects that projected the characteristics the sacred me swan had said she felt when the mysterious presence was outside the graveyard or torch or the personal ount of the lunary fury crane that the sacred me swan helped him get via her art, the urn of legacies.
"You can also ess any information you may require from the floors below, once again you only need to think of them or ess the catalog via the scroll carpet. You will probably need this to process the information from this floor.." said the Xuanwu as it waved its limbs. A blue veil filled withplex glyphs appeared which then covered Yang Qing''s entire body before it concentrated in his eyes.
Just as Yang Qing was wondering what the veil was for, he saw the sight before him change. The hills transformed into orange shelves surrounded by auspicious lights and these orbs were covered byplex runes that seemed to contain something cmitous within them.
He could finally see the scrolls, and books within those hill-
sized shelves and the meadows below. As for the river, while it remained a mysterious river that looked to be the source of all profundities contained within it, Yang Qing could feel his ability to separate and identify those profundities rapidly increase. It was no longer just voices but he could trace the countless lines of profundity that were flowing within the river.
"Make the most of the time you have.." said the Xuanwu as it retreated into its shell.
"What should I start with.." muttered Yang Qing with his heart rapidly racing quickly forgetting the fear that had assaulted him a few. He mulled over for a couple of minutes before he finally settled on his starting point.
"The Bi Xie empire it is.."
Chapter 741 Voices of the past (2)
Chapter 741 Voices of the past (2)
??Yang Qing''s decision was pretty straightforward on his part. He knew himself all too well. With such a juicy pie in front of him, if he did not make his thoughts delineated, he would end up spending close to an hour debating what to read. Being spoilt for choice would leave him bogged down unable to decide what to start with which was why he had spent the better part ofst night deciding on the Order he would follow through.
In more ways than one, the restrictions ced on his clearance had done him a huge favor. If he was given wanton ess to the low-tier gold floor, he had doubts if he would even research into the matters concerning the Deer Mountain Kingdom and the strange happenings over there.
With the decision already in mind, he transmitted his choice to the Xuanwu on his shoulder. Although the form had changed, the Xuanwu was made from his library token. When he inserted his will into the Xuanwu and spoke the name Bi Xie Empire, a list appeared on his mind, though it was less of a list and more of just a single line with the name ''Bi Xie Empire History by Long Wan schr of the Jade Leaf Academy.''
Yang Qing would be lying if he said he wasn''t disappointed to find only one entry rting to the Bi Xie Empire. He was hoping for several books as every book written was written based on the perceptions of the author. Different people were bound to see different things even if they lived in the same ce which was why he was hoping for more ounts.
"Is there one entry because there is little information about the Bi Xie Empire, or is this the only ounting I have ess to.." wondered Yang Qing.
Before he went to the Deer Mountain Kingdom, he had never heard of the Bi Xie Empire despite being a history fanatic. Though in as much as he read countless and countless books, scrolls, and pieces of information that went back countless years, he knew there was so much he didn''t know.
It was rather ironic at times that cultivators had longer lifespans than mortals and better memories, but they retained so little of their history and all that was because of how vtile a cultivator''s world was. A person or an organization that has existed for 10,000 years could disappear in a sh, and all history of it would vanish along with it.
In the bloody history of the continent, how many sects, ns, empires, kingdoms, and other organizations that were huge in their heyday ended up being buried into obscurity, with all trace vanishing, sometimes deliberately and other times it''s because it has happened so many times that people no longer keep track. The Clear Sword River Sect was one such example. It was once a renowned sect with pce realm experts, but now the one person who knew of its glorious history, died, with Yang Qing possibly being thest living witness to it.
Yang Qing pushing those morbid thoughts aside, called for the entry of Bi Xie Empire written by the Long Wan to be delivered to him.
The moment he did, he saw a golden sh of light appear on one of the hills-sized shelves. The golden light morphed into a golden robin that flew toward Yang Qing reaching him in a few seconds.
Yang Qing was still surrounded by the blue veil that had been produced by the Xuanwu to help him process information. While the Xuanwu didn''t explicitly say it, he knew the veil also acted as a barrier to protect him against whatever dangers that were around him which was why he was told in not-so-subtle terms not to leave the carpet scroll.
When the gold robin reached the veil, it flew through it, transforming in the process. It transformed into a golden scroll that looked to have been made from a gold jade leaf. Yang Qing could feel the dense power of dao coursing through the leaf. With his hands slightly shaking he unrolled the leaf.
When he saw the title, Yang Qing felt like he had heard a voicee from the writing itself. He could feel the power and the breadth of the spirit contained in every syble. He could now understand why the Xuanwu produced a glyph to help him, without it, he didn''t know if his spirit would have been able to read without being fatigued from the enormous pressure it would be under.
Calming his heart and focusing his mind, Yang Qing pulled his gaze back on the gold jade leaf scroll.
"I, Long Wan wasuded as a genius that has appeared only once in a million years. I didn''tctate at birth for the mysteries of the Dao and the essence of the heaven and earth were my milk and nourishment. I only spoke when I was two, and when I did, 10,000 spirit beasts and nts danced with excitement at my words.
I was born with the brilliant dao-sight physique, and from the moment I opened my eyes and gazed upon the world I could see the mysteries that only those who have cultivated tirelessly to reach the pce realm could see. I could feel different Daos fawning, trying to get my attention promising countless prizes of ascendancy if epted. ''Companion of the dao'' so they called me, whichter evolved to the sage and master of ten thousand Daos. .."
Yang Qing tore his eyes away from the scroll as an incredulous look appeared on his face.
"Did all those seniors from back then like to brag about themselves first before they broached the main topic.." he wondered as he recalled the interaction he had with the spiritual imprint of Yun Suifen, the sect master of the Bright Lake Dawn Sect who had created the legacy art within the chime bell stored at the Deer Mountain Branch.
She too began recounting her glorious achievements before she exined the concept of her art. He couldn''t help but wonder if this was somethingmon from back then.
"They must have really loved their face.." muttered Yang Qing as he brought his focus back to the scroll. Far be it for him to judge considering he was liable to do the same thing. He was even thinking of writing a few books adopting that same theme.
Who was he, to break away from the mold, thought Yang Qing with a shining look in his eyes.
Chapter 742 Voices of the past (3)
Chapter 742 Voices of the past (3)
?"At three I had already stepped in the foundation realm with purple grade pirs, and at seven I was already in the core formation realm with a purple core.
I could have broken through to the pce realm at eight, however, I spent the next five years deciding on which dao to use as my foundation for the pce realm. I already interacted with countless dao from birth and deciding which to use, ended up being harder than I thought, but after five years, I decided to take an unprecedented move and merged 20 Daos into one and used them to take that leap.
My seniors wanted me to use a superior grand dao as my foundation as it would help me travel further in my cultivation with it being the closest to the origin dao, but because of my physique I could already see it, all roads led to the same ce. It didn''t matter whether it was a superior grand dao, or a regr dao, if you follow the road to the end, they both lead to the same destination.
The twenty daos I chose were not necessarily weaker than any superior grand dao, and I could even argue that for me they were more powerful as they gave me more versatility and I was intimately more familiar with using them than I would have a superior grand dao, not that I couldn''t, as I already had mastery with space, but ultimately, I felt more natural with those daos I grew with me from birth than I did the space dao and my judgment was proven right when I managed to hold my own against a middle stage pce realm expert after just breaking through to the pce realm.
To whoever reading this take heed, just because something has been assumed to be powerful, doesn''t mean it would be powerful for you. Choose what is most like you, because ultimately pursuing the Dao is to be at one with ourselves. At least that is what I believe.
At neen I broke through to the domain realm with a paragon domain and at twenty-three I reached the absolute peak of it. .."
Yang Qing couldn''t help but suck in cold air when he read that. The schr Long Wan turned out to be a more terrifying existence than the sect master of the Bright Lake Dawn Sect.
Even Yang Qing felt he paled inparison if they were topare feats. While he matched him in foundations, with him having a purple grade foundation pirs, and core in the core formation realm, the time he took was vastly different to Long Wan. He was twenty-three himself, and he was only at the third stage of the pce realm, and while that could be considered fast even by the standards of peak organizations such as holynds, and the Order, ultimately it was nothing whenpared to someone who at that same age had reached the peak of the domain realm and with a paragon domain at that.
Yang Qing could still remember the depiction of the domains at the dark valley, and the few that stood out to the point that just their representation itself would have taken his life had Lei Weiyuan not been there to help both him and Mao Yunru, with thetter even passing out despite being protected. While he still didn''t know much about the domain realms and their divisions, that unique experience was enough to let him know paragon domains were special. As for what it entailed, he was told the information would only be provided to him once he reached thete stages of the pce realm.
"Some people can really make someone feel despair.." said Yang Qing with a bitter smile as his eyes focused on the name Long Wan.
He wondered how many in the entire history of the continent have ever replicated such a feat. A 100-year-old peak domain expert would already send the whole continent into a frenzy let alone a 23-year-old one.
"Long Wan.. If my memory serves correctly, the royal family of the Jade Leaf Empire is surnamed Chen, and among the other aristocratic ns, I don''t think there was a Long family among them either. Who is Long Wan?" wondered Yang Qing.
However, when he couldn''t ce the name, he pushed the matter aside as he focused back on the leaf.
"However, even after ten years passed by I still couldn''t find my path to the soul formation realm. It remained as elusive as ever, and despite many seniors helping me and sharing their personal experiences, that door didn''t show any signs of appearing before me. Even after spending fifteen years cultivating beneath the ten thousand dao jade tree, I still couldn''t sense my path to the soul formation realm.
When that didn''t work I spent seven years reading countless experiences of other soul formation experts outside of the empire, and when that didn''t help, I started creating and improving all manner of cultivation arts and techniques in the hopes that it would trigger something in me. I created over 100 blue-grade arts, 15 gold-grade arts, and one that was just at the cusp of reaching the purple grade, however, my long-
growing impatience and frustration stifled its evolution. One of my few regrets.
It was then when I wasnguishing in my frustration, that the royal librarian, Wang Fu,a person I grew to greatly admire helped me. Even though I had long exceeded him in terms of cultivation, his advice and insight are things I grew to value.
He didn''t reveal to me some grand mystery or had some secret treasure or writing that suddenly drove me to enlightenment like the bard tales like to say. All he gave me was regr advice, something even with my insight, I had overlooked.
It is better to travel to a thousand ces than to read a million books. The experiences the others shared with me while they might help, ultimately the help they could give was limited as it was based on someone else''s life, not mine. What I needed was to make some of my own and not use other people''s experiences as my own. A simple exnation, really, but one that I had overlooked. 55 years since I was born, not once have I ever stepped outside of the Jade Leaf Empire. The farthest I''ve moved was from my hometown to the capital, and that was only because the resources I needed were concentrated there, and the persuasion of my master, otherwise I would have never left.
Nothing could ever beat the beauty of the world of the countless daos I saw thanks to my physique, and because of it, anything outside of seemedckluster to me, and I also needed to vie for resources because of the luxuries my talents afforded me.
At 55, I finally left the Jade Leaf Empire with brush and paper as mypanion, and in the next forty five years, I ventured from north to south, east to west. Toured perilous zones, investigated ruins that told the stories of lost eras, ventured into grottos of all kinds, and saw sceneries so rich that I wept, and made friends with all kinds from humans, to spirit beasts, to golems to tree folk, I even gambled with a ck tortoise once in a contest of the mastery of differernt daos, I lost to it, but it was a worthwhile and refreshing feeling nheless.
Senior Wang Fu was right, those sixteen years became one of my fondest years, and without even realizing it, the door I had worked so bitterly to discover appeared so smoothly during my travels and I be a soul formation expert. If it wasn''t for the tribtion that appeared, I would not even have realized it.
I visited countless ces, and many left an indelible mark on me, but there were a few that stood out to me prompting me to put them in pen and paper, one of them the Bi Xie Empire, thend of fortune and favor.."
Chapter 743 Voices of the past (4)
Chapter 743 Voices of the past (4)
"When I visited it, it was as prosperous and as famous as the Jade Leaf Empire. A home to countless talents and experts. The reason I chose it as one of the ces to visit was because I heard a bard once sing about it during my travels.
The Bi Xie Empire, thend so blessed with luck that even a beggar had a chance of leaping to the heavens as long as they walked in there, having as much wealth and fortune as a dragon emperor.
While I didn''t believe the bard, I was intrigued because of their name and a few stories I had heard during my travels. My interaction and loss to the ck tortoise left me intrigued about these mythical beings. Their natural aptitudes and affinity for the maniption and application of dao stirred something within me.
At the Jade Leaf Empire, while there were some whose umtions in the dao rivaled mine, they were far and few in between, not numbering more than four, and even then I always felt that given enough time, I would exceed them. It was a future I grew to dread when I thought I wouldck equals to delve into the mysteries of the dao with.
My hubris-filled fears were dispelled when I ventured out. I met cultivators whose understanding rivaled mine, with some even exceeding mine, with thetter group being small and primarilyprised of mythical creatures.
Losing is such a novel thing. Losing to the ck tortoise, and almost dying at the hands of the three-legged golden toad, ignited something within me, that I came to know as excitement. While the better part of my travels for those sixteen years was just me pursuing rumors and sudden shes of interest, the other part I was actively seeking out these beings, and it wasn''t long before my sights were on the Bi Xie Empire.
I wondered if they had some connection to the Bi Xie. Their rumored fortune and good luck seemed to suggest it.
When I saw the Empire, the rumors of its absurd luck were proven to be true. Never have I seen in my life such a huge presence of the auspicious golden dragon of luck. Its ethereal presence was dense, filling the entire Empire. Seeing such a dense amount of luck, it became clear to me why so many cultivators at the cusp of a breakthrough all mored to have their breakthroughs within the territory of the Bi Xie Empire.
It all made sense how the Bi Xie empire had managed to amass a fortune by providing a safe ground for breakthroughs. Such a huge amount of golden luck would definitely increase a cultivator''s chance of a sessful breakthrough, and even if they couldn''t break through sessfully, it could at least guarantee their life.
While I myself have never experienced the terror of tribtions with all my breakthroughs being awfully smooth, well the domain one was slightly stifling, but I got through it easily. It wasn''t nearly as terrifying as my seniors made it to be but on my travels I got a clear picture on why it was so dreaded having seen some cultivators die to it, their bodies and souls lost to it.
A pitiful way to go, losing everything you sacrificed for
when you''re just at the threshold. The Bi Xie empire made use
of that fear and made a fortune and connections out of it. I was
surprised when I saw the list of countless renowned figures
who owed them a favor because the Empire provided a spot for
one of their juniors.
From among the names, the sect master of the Sky
rendering sword sect was one of them. He sought a spot for his
youngest disciple who was about to break through to the
domain realm. At thirty she was ready for that attempt, not as
young as I was when I made that leap, but I could see why the
sect master didn''t want to risk it and opted to increase her
odds by borrowing the help of the Bi Xie Empire.."
Yang Qing paused his reading as he furrowed his brows.
"Sky rendering sword sect? Who were they?" he wondered
before he dived back, hopefully the scroll held the answers.
Based on the tone of the author, Long Wan, it seemed like he
held the Sky rendering sword sect in high esteem, so either it
held the same power as the Jade Leaf Empire, and the Bi Xie
Empire, or it was stronger than them, and if it was that meant
the Sky rendering sword sect was at the level of holynd. But
try as he may, Yang Qing had never heard of them, not even in
rumors.
He had to admit, that the author, Long Wan had thoroughly
drawn his curiosity. He couldn''t help but wonder about his
identity too. For such an illustrious figure, surely there had to
be some mention of him in the history of the Jade Leaf Empire.
Hopefully, the scroll would shed a light on it somewhat.
"The sect master''s disciple passed her tribtion, with
the empire gaining the friendship of the sect master of the Sky
rendering sword sect, and his disciple too. It was pretty
ingenious really, as certain favors no amount of wealth could
buy.
Even without the legendary Bi Xie, with the
resourcefulness shown, I could see why the empire prospered
so.
I grew intrigued about the Empire the more I explored it.
It had its sense of uniqueness, one of them being the absence
of sects. While the Jade Leaf Empire limited the number of
sects within its territories, there were at least a hundred or so,
with some of them even having soul formation experts.
However, they did have some ties with the royal family, but
when it came to the Bi Xie empire, there was none at all.
At first, I had thought theck of sects was due to some
suppression or banishment by the Empire itself, but as it turned
out, it was the empire''s prosperity that denied their
existence..."
Chapter 744 Voices of the past (5)
Chapter 744 Voices of the past (5)
??"The Bi Xie Empire just like ours is filled with countless spots filled generously with the dao from spirit veins to treasured grounds and natural treasures. While most were in the control of the royal family and the other aristocratic families, some remained without owners and grew into uncharted areas filled with all manner of wild and rare resources that thrived in that solitude where a system of its own was established.
I managed to sneak into one, though it was rude of me I admit, but I couldn''t believe my eyes at the wealth of resources I saw justying there unimed. Resources that would drive the majority of the world to greedy madness justy there. I couldn''t believe it. There was radiant star fruit, an ascendant-grade fruit that can help a cultivator establish firm foundations and directly leap from a mortal to the peak of the core formation realm in a single day,
The dao enlightenment midnight rose which just the leaves can help a cultivator touch on the mysteries of the dao irrespective of their talent or theirprehension levels. A flower like this would definitely make those at the peak of the pce realm go mad with envy as it could deepen their foundations in preparation for a breakthrough to the domain realm.
Hundreds of profound purple sky metal lodes whose quality would make the hands of any gold-grade cksmith itch with great anticipation, green jade fires, and amber earth mes that would be the delight of any alchemist and herbalist worth their salt.
I could not believe how such a ce remained upied, up until I went to several more unimed areas, and found out they were just as rich. I was even half tempted to im one for myself. I came to realize how grossly I had underestimated its wealth, it was to the point that it even moved my heart, me, a person who once thought himself unmoved by anything other than the profundities of the dao. Even ascetic monks would feel their hearts waver from such a sight of absurd opulence.
Filled with the question, why, just why weren''t there sects established here, when they could use the wealth here to establish foundations that wouldst a lifetime, roaming around, I finally found the answer.
Bi Xie Empire, an Empire beloved so much by its citizens, that not even a single one in over 100,000 years ever considered joining a sect, all opting to either join something in service of the empire or take care of their families.
The sects never had a chance as no one would join them. The foundation of a sect, fundamentally to its core, was the inheritance of wills. Finding those who would inherit your teachings and identity. When there was no one to pass the torch to, would you still call yourself a sect, or were you just some massive cultivation abode, belonging to a party of one?
Despite the royal family trying to speak on behalf of some of the sects that wanted to start up, no one joined. With so much territory not being used, the empire ended up starting thousands of academies all over its territory that taught all manner of subjects from things rted to cultivation to the mundane, and those who wished to open up sects were employed within those academies. It was a clever idea, as the citizens were much more receptive to the academies. Anyone frommoners to aristocrats could attend them and with the wealth of the Empire, they need not pay anything, not that the citizens struggled. In my whole time there, I don''t think I ever saw a beggar within its territory.
On a whim, I ended up joining one academy, albeit temporarily, and I have to say I enjoyed it more than I expected. Imparting wisdom and my insights into diamonds in the rough, and seeing what woulde of it was a novel feeling to me, the same as when I started traveling or delved into the mysteries of the dao.
With my insights, it wasn''t long before I caught the sights of the higher-ups of the royal family, who offered me a post in one of their most prestigious academies in which the Emperor''s brother was the head. Ordinarily, I would have refused, as Uncle Wang had warned me to be careful of getting entangled in nobles'' schemes wherever I traveled, but my curiosity about whether the Empire had any association with the Bi Xie got the best of me.
As an outsider, I thought it would be hard for me to find out, and my cultivation base, though profound was nothing in the eyes of the empire that had thousands and thousands of peak-stage domain experts. The only way of finding the answers I needed was to join the Bi Xie Empyreal Chronicles Academy and maybe befriend some of the nobles, and royals who taught and learned there, in the hopes that they would share such information.
With my deep understanding of the dao and umtions, I managed to join as one of the deans. Joining the academy, I got a clear look at the foundations of the empire, which gave me three saint-grade treasures for just epting the post, and countless other resources..."
"T.hreee...three? he said three?" muttered Yang Qing in shock as he reread the scroll over and over to confirm he wasn''t hallucinating.
"It''s three.." he added in disbelief after confirming what he read was indeed so.
"What golden luck did this empire have to be able to casually give out three saint-grade treasures to someone who isn''t even from there.." Yang Qing said as he gritted his teeth in envy.
He stayed dazed for a short while before his look turned bitter and resentful as he looked around them.
"Why can''t they be like them?" he softly said before he continued with some sense of apprehension, afraid that the author would mention other oundish things he received during his tenure as dean in that academy.
Chapter 745 Voices of the past (6)
Chapter 745 Voices of the past (6)
??Yang Qing took a few deep breaths to calm himself as he exorcised the treasonous and envious thoughts that were welling up within him.
Once his heart and mind were clear, Yang Qing hesitantly poured his concentration back into the scroll.
"I was taken aback by the level of generosity and had even thought of rejecting the treasures, but they were saint-grade treasures, only a lunatic would refuse..."
Yang Qing nodded agreeably as he read that sentence, nodding his head a few more times with staunch conviction. After getting the feel of the wonderous might of saint-grade treasures during his promotion ceremony, he has been daydreaming about getting one of his own. One could even say it had easily wormed its way into one of his life''s ambitions along with living safely and long. He would not trust anyone who said they could refuse saint-grade treasures.
"Pretentious murderous hypocrites.." he thought to himself with a snort before delving back into the scroll.
"For the next eight years, I stayed at the academy as its dean and trained countless talents, some with even enough talent to rival mine...
Ever since I opened my eyes, and felt the warm inviting currents of the flow of dao, got nurtured, nourished, and interacted with it, I was inexplicably influenced by its sense of purity, which was why when it came to the impartation of knowledge and understanding, I never held back on it.
Other than the arts and techniques I received from the Jade Leaf Empire, I shared all I knew with students of the Academy. All my insights, umtions, experiences, the arts that I created over the years, and some of the legacies I found in the unexplored ruins, I shared it all without reservation much to the surprise of most, especially my colleagues who were not citizens of the Bi Xie Empire.
Most of them held back in their impartation, which I didn''t fault them for, but to me, out of the dao were we birthed, and into the dao will we go when our timees. Hoarding wisdom serves no purpose other than to shackle one''s spirit, mind, and heart.
By not sharing, you''re inadvertently admitting you''re afraid, afraid that you''re inferior to the other person, that if they learn what you know, their exploits will further outshine yours. That fear will burrow into your heart and mind and slowly eat away at you, stifling any progress and heights you could have ever reached
The dao is free-flowing and endless, we can never exhaust it, it is better to share and see how much we can travel and explore in that never-ending mystery. I''ve always been excited to see the countless forms and interpretations others make with it, even rudimentary ones because I get to see and experience something special from it.
It was the one thing I appreciated about the Jade Leaf Empire. While they didn''t have academies like the Bi Xie Empire, the royal family never held back in allowing others to cultivate beneath the ten thousand dao jade tree, be itmoner or noble, as long as they disyed sufficient talent worthy of the recognition of the jade tree, they would get the opportunity. It was how I, who came from amon birth managed to reach the heights that I reached in a short period. The Empire never held back.
I think if an academy like the Bi Xie Empyrean Chronicle was set in the Jade Leaf Empire, even if we can''tpete fully in resources, with the ten thousand dao jade leaf tree as its foundation and the spirit of the Empire, it is bound to do better than this one. It wouldn''t be a bad idea to set up one there.
Because of my work, the Bi Xie Empire thought me selfless as some reincarnated sage when in truth I was anything but selfless. All that I did was to further my self-
interests and curiosities about how many mysteries of the Dao I would get to see through the lives of those students, but I wasn''t going to admit that to them because I finally got the chance I was looking for when I first took the job.
I managed to be close with some of the leading figures of the empire, one of them being the Emperor''s brother. I found a kindred spirit in him, as he too was a soul that loved delving into the mysteries of the grand dao, and we managed to strike a friendship and even became sworn brothers as a result.
It was from him that I learned the history of the empire, the one that only those who were there at the start knew of. The founder of the Empire, the Wang family patriarch, in his youth he had been forcibly conscripted when his kingdom formerly called the White Mulberry Kingdom went to war with a cult called the purgatory ck tiger cult, which sought to destroy the kingdom after the crown prince had killed the cult''s holy child over a fight over some treasure.
I didn''t know of the cult, but from what the Emperor''s brother told me, they were pretty nefarious, and the kingdom and the cult were always at odds with each other like water and fire and the death of their holy child was just the spark needed to trigger an all-out war.
The cult had a skill called the purgatory mes of damnation whose mes never stopped burning as long as there were corpses around. It used negative feelings such as despair, resentment, bitterness, rage, and desperation as fuel along with the baleful energy released from corpses.
The mes had terrifying abilities such as corrupting and contaminating the spiritual qi with its energy poisoning those within its sphere of influence. It could also trap the souls of those who fell to it, and use their dying wails to destroy the souls and minds of others, and it could even forcibly reanimate the corpses for a brief while to cause corpse explosions that were as terrifying as a cultivator self-destructing.
Hearing those effects, it wasn''t strange that the longer the battle between the two sides went on, the worse things got for the White Mulberry Kingdom, who only managed to hold on because of their famed White Mulberry Tree that had a purifying ability that could slightly contain the purgatory mes of damnation...
Chapter 746 Voices of the past (7)
Chapter 746 Voices of the past (7)
??"In their desperation to try and contain the abilities of the me, the kingdom forcibly conscriptedmoners and taught them a corpse-purifying art that worked with the leaves of the White Mulberry Kingdom.
With the art, they could purge the negative energy around the battlefield and the corpses thus reducing the fuel needed for the purgatory me art. The art was made in haste, so it wasn''t that powerful, and it was more like trying to put out a wild me with a drop of water.
Corpses were gathered in specific spots around the kingdom, and the ritual purifiers, so they called them will be sent to those areas, to purge the corruptive energy from those corpses. The leaves of the White Mulberry Tree though afforded them protection, it wasn''t enough as many fell victim to those corruptive energies, in the most egregious of deaths, with some being eaten alive by thepatriots who had lost their minds to those energies.
The lifespan of the ritual purifiers was no more than two months, however, the Wang Patriarch managed to overturn it, by surviving 150 years, and in the end, he became the only survivor in the entire White Mulberry Kingdom after its destruction by the Purgatory ck tiger cult, who also left that war a little worse for wears.
The Wang Patriarch didn''t have any special physique or talent or some special cultivation art, but he had a stubborn and conscientious heart that led to his survival. At his designated spot, which was almost an entire town, there were two statues that he liked to sleep under whenever he felt overdrawn from his purifying activities, or when his body and mind just couldn''t keep up.
He would go to the two statues, and no matter how tired, or broken his body was, he always ensured he cleaned the statues and a few meters around it, to the extent of overdrawing himself when he used the purifying art he was taught to purify the area despite the location not having any corpse.
Countless yearster when his descendants asked him why he did it, his response was those statues provided a ce for him to sleep, it was the least he could do to repay the favor.
At the time, he had no idea that the two statues were special, and his actions were driven by a sense of responsibility and propriety more than anything else.
Every day no matter how exhausted or how broken his body was, not once did he ever miss tidying up the statues, and unbeknownst to him the statues repaid him in kind, it was just at the time he was too weak and preupied to notice it.
When he got sent to that burial site, those sent were about a thousand, and after three days that number was reduced to eight hundred, and a monthter, that number went down four hundred, and by the time two months were up, only less than a hundred were left, and when it hit the fifth month only the Wang family patriarch was left.
He hadn''t realized it at the time, but his daily routine of cleaning up the statues had inadvertently given him a lifeline. Those two unassuming statues outside some long ruined tea house had kept him alive.
Every time he went to clean them, they would reciprocate in kind by cleaning his body, soul, spirit, and mind by cleansing him of the corruption of the burial site. I couldn''t help butugh when the emperor''s brother told me it took their patriarch close to thirty years before he realized there was something strange with those statues and even then, he didn''t know exactly what was special with them, only that they seemed to make his body and mind lighter and full of purifying energy, much purer than the leaf of the White Mulberry Tree.
It was only after the leaf he had been given finally gave in to the corrupting miasma and malevolent energy of the burial site did he finally discover some of the special features of the two statues and the effects it had on him.
He was already in the foundation establishment realm at the time, with a mediocre foundation of red-grade pirs, however, whenever he used the purifying art he had been given, his ability to cleanse the corruption was much higher than when he used the leaf of the white mulberry tree, and the strain on his body and mind also seemed to decrease.
His efficiency increased and could work for longer hours, however, he still ensured that every day at the appointed time he went back to clean the area around those statues.
Slowly by slowly his body got transformed to a point that it was even obvious to him that he had changed. With time he no longer needed the basic purifying art he was given to purge the malevolent energy or purify the corpses, just releasing his internal qi was enough. His internal qi had transformed into a golden white qi which seemed to be able to restrain the malevolent energy, corrupting miasma, toxic gues, and other dangersmon to the area.
Alone, he purified the site, block by block, still maintaining a habitual schedule of purging during the day, and at night he cleaned the statues before he rested. Twenty more years quickly flew by with his foundation pirs getting transformed in the process. They had changed from the red grade to a variant of gold white that matched his qi and even his ability toprehend things had transformed.
Over the years his body had been strengthened to the point that he could directly handle the corpses without fear of being corrupted by its energy. It was then that he started looking through those corpses for anything of value such as storage rings, cultivation arts, talismans, anything that of value.
It was as a result of those searches that he discovered even hisprehension seemed to have been elevated. Even though they were mostly low grade, with nothing at the blue grade level, he ended up mastering countless arts and techniques and in the process, he even ended up gaining palm intent, something that would have been entirely impossible for him as he even struggled to reach the blooming phase with red grade arts.
Gradually he started filling the deficiencies and foundational gaps he had in his cultivation and at some point as luck would have it, he ended up stumbling onto a blue-grade cultivation art that he practised religiously, and in eight years he broke through to the core formation realm. In all his years, he said, that was one of the happiest moments in his entire life. It felt like a rebirth to him.
His cultivation base rapidly grew after that along with his insights, and after three years despiting working alone, he had already purified half the gravesite, which contained tens of millions of corpses. No new people had been sent during that time, which he more than weed as it meant more loot for him to discover, and the more he purified the area, the stronger he seemed to be, which was how in just three years despite having freshly broken through to the core formation realm, he had already reached the middle stages.
It was when he reached thete stages of the core formation realm that a lethal fortuitous opportunity befell him..."
Chapter 747 Voices of the past (8)
Chapter 747 Voices of the past (8)
Lured by the mysteries of the scroll, Yang Qing gulped as his eyes glistened with excitement and anxiousness about what happened next.
"The burial sites were some distance from the frontlines and the locations chosen were those that held little value to either the White Mulberry Kingdom or the Purgatory ck tiger cult.
To ensure they had a lot of volunteers along with the forcibly conscripted, the royal family of the White Mulberry Kingdom promised purifiers would be exempt from fighting on the front lines and the locations would be protected from the war.
From the way the Wang patriarch described it, the war back then even at the earlier stages was truly horrific, especially with the torturous arts of the cult. As the war continued, citizens were left to fend for themselves with the kingdom only stepping in when the dead reached a certain number, and even then they only stepped in to take care of the corpses.
Living under such dire straits those who didn''t lose their lives, ended up losing their minds under the constant barrage of horrific circumstances they were subjected to. The members of the cult were brutal in the way they dealt with them which prompted some to defect to their sides, and when the kingdom got their hands on the traitors, they dealt with them in the same level of brutality shown by the Cult to deter others from coborating.
Whichever way it went, it did not end well for themon citizens. Everywhere they turned to, a horrific ending awaited them, that was until the burial sites came into fruition. The kingdom promised them they would be protected as long as they undertook the task, and the more volunteers they had, the faster the war would end. While most could care less about thetter, the former struck a chord with them, with the Wang family Patriarch being one of them.
When the war started, out of a sense of patriotism and the passion of youth, he volunteered to join the war efforts at the borders. He was orphaned from a young age, so he had no mental encumbrances in making the choice and even hoped to use the battle to gain favor with some of the higher-ups and maybe improve his cultivation.
However, whatever sense of loyalty and ambitions he had were quickly eroded in the first three years after the war started, when he saw firsthand of its brutality. The purgatory ck tigers were true to their name and reputation. They knew how to break the spirits and minds of any seasoned cultivator. The Wang patriarch had seen his fair share of horrific acts as a cultivator, but the Purgatory ck tiger cult had redefined what truly horrifying was. However, what threw himpletely over the edge wasn''t their means but the treatment of those like him received. Those with no backing or a high enough cultivation base that gave them a voice.
For those three years, he had seen thousands and thousands of hispatriots die, and it wasn''t because they had been outssed but because the ''noble'' ones, those belonging to the major families saw them nothing more as meat shields meant to be used and discarded as needed.
When he volunteered, he had already resolved himself that there was a chance he would lose his life in the process, and he was okay with it if it would ensure the protection of someone else. However, the way they were treated, he did not want to die that way, a contemptible death brought by those from his own side than the enemy. That was a death he couldn''t abide by, and therefore, when the opportunity presented itself, he fled the frontlines, despite the ruthless consequences that befell deserters.
He spent the next few years living in alleys, and locations that had suffered destruction and destion, and then when volunteers were sought for the burial sites, it gave him the perfect hiding ce and one that was moderately safe. The events of the war opened his eyes to how self-serving those at the top of the White Mulberry Kingdom were, so he felt those grave sites would be protected slightly only to prevent the cult from gaining more ground on them. Those nobles would do anything to save their skins, so he joined up, and either because of desperation, those who were taking in volunteers didn''t even question why a foundation establishment cultivator wasn''t at the frontlines and was instead volunteering at a grave site.
The years that followed at the grave site were as he had hoped, the grave site suffered few attacks with those attacks happening only in the first few months. There was aplex array ced at the gravesite meant to iste it from others on the outside and there were also guards assigned outside of the sites. The few attacks that came, the Wang Patriarch only knew they were there because of the tremors that came from the sh, and even then it didn''t affect the gravesite much, with the array isting them.
And after the first few months, after a year, there was never an attack on the ce. What had been just a hiding ce for him, turned into a boon. He was alone, away from the fire and not being used as a meat shield, and thanks to the effects of the two statues, his strength was improving by leaps and bounds.
To him, being at the grave site was a fortuitous encounter, especially after the effects of the corpse miasma and other malevolent energies stopped affecting his body, and his cultivation started improving. He had vowed to not step a single foot outside of the ce. He did not need to leave the area. It was secluded, and he could grow his strength without surrendering himself to unknown dangers. It was like he was in paradise.
Years passed by without incident that at some point he had even forgotten there was a war happening outside, but he was soon reminded of it when four intruders walked into the gravesite.
Three of those intruders were from the cult and the fourth one was someone he would have never guessed he would see walking calmly with three cultivators from the cult, not when the whole thing started because of him. The fourth person turned out to be the very same crown prince whose actions had triggered the war when he supposedly killed the holy son of the Purgatory ck tiger cult.
Seeing him came as a shock to the Wang Patriarch, and what shook him even further was the fact that the Crown Prince had always been a member of the cult and was, in fact, their true holy son, and the personal disciple of their cult leader who had been rumored to be a peak pce stage expert.
Though the experience he had at the frontlines left him with a jaded outlook on the leadership of the White Mulberry Kingdom, he never expected that one of them would be a bonafide member of the cult whose evil deeds were known far and wide. The whole war had been built on an borate scheme spanning countless years between the cult leader of the Purgatory ck tiger cult and the crown prince. The cult leader had been looking for a way to reach the domain realm which eventually led him to the White Mulberry Tree. The tree had been the foundation of the growth of the White Mulberry Kingdom. It had gained sentience and possessed the abilities of a pce realm expert. It had wonderful abilities and uses one of which was its ability to improve the quality of the spiritual qi of an area to match that of a mature dragon spirit vein. Using it, the kingdom had nurtured about a dozen pce realm experts. Its leaves and branches also had cleansing features that worked well against poison, miasma, and all sorts of evil energies including even heart and mental demons, which was how they had managed to hold back against the cult despite the cult having more overall strength than them when it came to their experts.
It turned out that the cult leader had discovered a technique that he could use to reach the domain realm. The technique involved using their core art the purgatory mes of damnation to corrupt the entirety of the White Mulberry tree, through the use of an array, the twelve cardinal web of armageddon. Just like its name, the array was fixed in twelve points, and those twelve points would each gather the purgatory mes of damnation whose might would then bebined to corrupt the White Mulberry tree into the ck gue tree of avarice which the cult leader would then refine and use to break through to the domain realm.
The Wang Patriarch was bombarded with shock after shock when the crown prince admitted to having been the one who suggested to the kingdom the creation of the burial sites, which in fact were the nodes of the array and the reason why they came was that they had detected an anomaly with it.
For the array to work, each of the twelve points needed to reach a certain level of miasma and corpse energy, and if one was short, the array would not operate. The gravesite the Wang Patriarch had been on had already reached its quota thirty years prior, so they stopped paying it heed as they focused on the other ces that all finally reached the required levels a few days ago.
The crown prince had been put in charge of the operation of the array, while the higher-ups of the cult focused on draining the reserves of the kingdom with the cult leader primarily focusing his efforts on the Mulberry Tree to wear it out so that the corruption would go smoothly. However, just as they thought victory was in sight, the array failed because one node''s ratio had been halved. Out of urgency, the crown prince came to investigate the matter personally, with a few cult members who could be spared with all the others locked in a stalemate with the kingdom.
The Wang Patriarch''s presence in the area and his diligent efforts over the years came as just as a surprise to the crown prince as his collusion had been to him. The crown prince could have never expected a single person to cleanse half the burial site alone. When he came, he had thought it was some trump card of the White Mulberry tree that had been activated, or his father''s the emperor, which was how he mistakenly assumed the Wang Patriarch had been his father''s hidden card.
Following that thought, he tried to get the Wang Patriarch on his side with countless treasures and opportunities. Pretty standard move for these sorts of things, however, there was one thing the crown prince offered him that never left the patriarch''s mind even after thousands of years had passed by. It was that siding with him would give him a ticket to ascendancy, one that he could never imagine, and it was the reason he had sided with the cult. The surety with which he spoke and the passionate belief he held, was something the Wang Patriarch could never quite forget.
He had always wondered why the crown prince chose to fall in league with the cult. Even though the cult was slightly more powerful than the White Mulberry Kingdom, it wasn''t by much, not to the point that it would tempt someone fated to inherit the White Mulberry Kingdom. His allegiance to them never made sense to him.
The Wang Patriarch refused their offer openly. At the time he fancied his chances against them. He was ate-stage core formation expert, while the crown prince was at the peak stage of the core formation realm while the other three cult members were all in thete stages same as him.
Even though he was outnumbered, he felt his chances were better, especially with the transformation the statues had brought to his body, foundations, andprehension.
He had been dying to find opponents to test his abilities on, and the crown prince and the cult members became them. The Emperor''s brother said their patriarch would redden in shame whenever he was asked for details about the fight, with outbursts here and there. His children and grandchildren received a few beatings here and there whenever they asked him about it till it became a taboo question.
What he did reveal was it turned out the two statues had bestowed him with two abilities, one was the ability to ward, cleanse, and purify evil, and the other he discovered thanks to the fight, and was what kept him alive in the end, it was the ability to absorb the essence of evil and convert it to treasure, which I guess meant strength.
Thanks to it, he managed to survive, and in a short five years after that, he even stepped onto the pce realm and it was at that point that he managed to discern some of the mysteries behind the two statues. After his body was continuously transformed by it, when he broke through to the pce realm it was like some hidden knowledge about them was unlocked about them. Despite not knowing what the two statues were with his limited knowledge, after he broke through, he knew what they were based on. One of them was the Tian Lu, symbol of wealth and it was from it that he got the ability to convert evil essence into treasure, while the other statue was the Bi Xie, the ward of all evil and bringer of luck.
Chapter 748 Voices of the past (9)
Chapter 748 Voices of the past (9)
Yang Qing paused as he held his chin in contemtion while muttering the names Tian Lu and Bi Xie. Both were the same species except one was male and the other was female. The Tian Lu was the male, and the Bi Xie was female, and both were the Pi Xiu race which over time most dubbed as Bi Xie despite the Bi Xie being the female version of the Pi Xiu.
"Does this mean there were two mythical beings in there.." muttered Yang Qing as he resumed reading.
"After he broke through the pce realm, the Wang Patriarch spent most of his time cultivating next to the statues which helped him deepen his understanding of his newfound abilities, and the transformation of his body still continued, as he developed dragon-like scales over his body that were as tough as a middle tier monarch grade defensive artifact.
Though he reduced the amount of time he spent purifying the site, with his increased strength and abilities, the little time he did give to it per day he did more than he did when he was in the core formation realm. With his two abilities and his cultivation base as a pce realm cultivator, he gained thousands of kilometers of grounds with just a few hours of work. He absorbed and refined the miasma and other baleful essences in the area to grow his strength and when he reached his body''s limit, he would use his cleansing abilities to purge the area, and in less than two years, he had alreadypletely cleansed the site.
From this, even though he never revealed the glory details of what happened in his fight against the crown prince and the rest, I can guess he must have defeated them and quite possibly killed all of them in the process, because if he didn''t then there was no way he would have remained in that location, not when the crown prince revealed that the location was very crucial to the ns of the Purgatory ck tiger cult.
Maybe it wasn''t even him that defeated them and may have been the statues doing which was why he was always so embarrassed whenever he was asked about how the fight went.
After he finished cleansing the area itpletely transformed from the gloom and doom it was into an area of tranquility and sanctity. He spent two more years consolidating his understanding as he set up a new formation around the area. As it turns out the Wang Patriarch''s greatest talentsy in formations. With the cultivation benefits provided by the statues, one of them was increasedprehension and the other was providing a tranquil mind.
With bothbinations, the Wang Patriarch ended up having an epiphany which led to the creation of a formation blueprint which he named the twilight sanctuary array which to date guards the royal pce. I felt its remnant aura when I was invited to the pce a few times, and just the little fluctuation revealed how profound it was.
It could borrow the force of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the earth to power and strengthen itself without the need to use other materials, just the inscription of the array itself was enough.
When I saw it, I could hardly believe it had been created by someone with no training or guidance on it. That it was all his doing. The Wang Patriarch must have been quite the talent. Though the Twilight Sanctuary array not using secondary and primary materials may be a good thing, I can''t help but feel it is somewhat vulnerable as it demands extreme perfection on the inscriptions to disy its abilities, any w, and its power plummets considerably. It requires continual monitoring and care by someone with a deep enough understanding of its structure which may leave one vulnerable whenever that person isn''t there.
Luckily the Wang patriarch seemed to have thought about it as he left various measures in ce to address the issue one of which was creating an entire legacy on the array which had been imbued with his will to ensure the right sessor was chosen which somehow ended up being the way the Emperor of the Bi Xie empire was chosen. Those who couldpletely master the array and gain the approval of their founder would be the Emperor.
After he created the array, and set it up, it seemed like he couldn''t carry the two statues with him, which was why he made the array in the first ce. After everything was set up, he left for the next grave site. When he left he was already a third-stage pce realm expert and even though he still couldn''t face off with the cult leader, and a few of the high elders who were known middle tote-stage pce realm experts, with his abilities that seemed to be a natural bane to theirs, he could at least guarantee his life.
He thus made his way to the burial site that was closest to him where he found a fewckeys of the cult standing guard. They were only at the core formation realm, so he made quick work of them, and as for the istion array covering those sites, discounting his talent in formation arrays, they could hardly keep out someone that was at the pce realm. There was no way the White Mulberry Kingdom would set up 12 blue-grade arrays. It did not have enough resources to expend it that way, not when they were fighting tooth and nail just to survive. And since the sites were the birth child of the traitorous crown prince, of course, he would make them deliberately weak so his truepatriots could monitor the situation inside easily.
Just like he did at the ce he called home for over 30 years, the Wang Patriarch purified and purged the area of its umted malevolent energies and corpse miasma. In a few short months, he hadpletely cleansed the area, and after that, he went back to the statues, cleaned the area around them along with the statues as he used to, cultivated for a month before he made his way to the next burial site.
Just like that, a year went by, and by that time, he had cleansed 7 burial sites already. It was in that year that he discovered the travesty caused by the war. Countless cities had been ravaged by the war and not a single soul was left alive in them. Corpses littered the streets, along with the deep sentiments of dread, and desperation they left behind. Because of the state of those cities, other than burial sites, the Wang Patriarch went about purifying those locations every time he came across them.
At one point he had thought that maybe some viges were spared the tragedy, only to find that not one remained standing, with some even having traces of some sacrificial ritual conducted within them. A few more years went by with his increasing workload, of him, purifying each area he came across on his way to the burial site.
He had once thought of joining the White Mulberry Kingdom and had even gone to the capital which was the center of the thing, however, seeing the scale of the battle being waged there he realized his abilities were too low to participate, but the other reason was at that point only the major families and the royal family were alive. Everyone else was dead, with some more than likely used as fodder by them.
The Wang Patriarch cared very little about what happened to them. They and the cult could destroy each other for all he cared, the best he could do for them was clean the kingdom a corpse at a time and if in the end, he was strong enough, he would clean both those nobles and the cult. It was the best reprieve he thought to give to the wailing spirits of the dead, who even in their death knew no peace.
The emperor''s brother may have not mentioned it explicitly but I think that was the moment the Bi Xie empire was birthed.
Chapter 749 Voices of the past (10)
Chapter 749 Voices of the past (10)
"He continued cleansing the entire kingdom, while the rest continued warring. His actions seemed to have tipped the bnce all so ever slightly toward the White Mulberry Kingdom. The Wang patriarch''s actions had inadvertently provided a breathing room for the White Mulberry tree. No longer being bogged down by the corruption that had engulfed the majority of the kingdom, it had breathing space to restrain the cult leader of the Purgatory ck Tiger, making the stalemate even firmer with both sides equally locked.
The cult grew desperate when they realized the changes that had happened to the kingdom which increased the desperation in their attacks, and the kingdom responded in kind. Despite a bnce being there, it rapidly devolved into a pyrrhic war with both sides no longer holding anything in reserve. At that time, the Wang Patriarch had already cleansed and purified the entire kingdom, bar the capital, which he saved forst. He bided his time and spent it in seclusion at the two statues, and he only left when he reached the middle stages of the pce realm. The war had already reached its zenith and was almost drawing its conclusion with itsst participants being the cult leader, the white mulberry tree, and some old fossil of the White Mulberry Kingdom whom the Wang Patriarch didn''t even recognize.
The emperor, the other nobles, and the higher-ups of the Purgatory ck tiger cult had already died at that point. The Wang patriarch secretly intervened in the battle by feeding his spiritual qi into the areas the White Mulberry Tree had spread its roots. His qi seemed to boost its abilities so that it was able to contain the cult leader despite him being marginally stronger than both it and the old fossil.
Eventually, the old fossil was killed but not before he triggered a sacrificial seal that amplified the abilities of the White Mulberry Tree long enough for it to fatally injure the cult leader whilst sealing him in ce, which had been the cue the Wang Patriarch had been waiting for as he jumped in to deliver the finishing blow.
He would have died in the attack had the tree not sacrificed itself in the end to shield him from the dying attack of the cult leader. Even though he survived he ended up unconscious for almost three months with grievous injuries which would have ended up permanently disabling him had the tree not poured its essence into him for those months, but with the tree already injured from the war, and using its essence, it ended up dying a few dayster after the Wang Patriarch had regained consciousness.
He spent the next few months treating his injuries while purging the capital of any remaining corpse energy and malevolence before he returned to the statues inscribing the twilight sanctuary array throughout the kingdom to protect it against the vultures who might try to fish in troubled waters. In his words, he didn''t cleanse the kingdom just for someone else to benefit from it.
After he arrived at the statues, he ended up secluding himself for 30 years, with countless rumors spreading about the White Mulberry Kingdom on how its destruction was brought by an emissary of heaven sent to punish them. The entirend was rumored to be under the curse of the heavens.
The rumor was no doubt a ploy meant to deter others thus reducingpetition for dividing it. Several parties that neighbored the kingdom tried to get in, however, the Twilight sanctuary arrays built at strategic points kept them out of the kingdom long enough till the Wang Patriarch came out of his seclusion as a fully-fledged domain expert, iming the entirety of the White Mulberry Kingdom as his territory.
He weed vagrants, the unwanted, and the disced into his territory, giving them a chance for a fresh start, and slowly by slowly the Bi Xie Empire came to be, with its capital moved to where the two statuesy. He enforced a tradition on his family that is retained to date which is his descendants more so those at the top were required to clean the statues as he did.
The emperor does so now, and his brother does too as per his admission and the various princes and princesses also.
Sadly, though the real Bi Xie was not part of the empire, I did get to see the two statues briefly, and though I may never have seen one for reference, everything within me felt the two statues carried the true aura of the Pi Xiu race. If I were to guess, the materialsprising it had something that belonged to Tian Lu and Bi Xie, or the two statues had been baptized with their essence at some point, one thing was true, the statues were unique, as unique as the ten thousand dao jade leaf.
It may have not been the real thing, but the story behind it was well worth the time I spent in the Bi Xie empire. The empire seemed different in my eyes because of it, which made me wonder if our founding Emperor had such an illustrious story or if I could have such a story in my own life. I never held much ambitions other than delving into the mysteries of Dao, and while I still hold no ambitions of being someone like an emperor, heading up an academy like the one here may not be bad, the Limitless Dao Pursuit Academy. Who knows just like the Wang Patriarch, I may end up creating something special.."
Yang Qing put down the leaf scroll as he sighed to himself. It didn''t matter whether it was the past or now, founders of anything were truly a special breed.
"The president must be like them.." muttered Yang Qing as he thought about the illustrious and elusive president of the Order.
"Long Wan...I don''t think there is an Academy in Jade Leaf Empire going by Limitless Dao Pursuit Academy. Did he change his mind about starting one or did it end up going by another name...something like the Jade Leaf Academy.." Yang Qing mulled with his gaze shining like he discovered some huge secret.
Chapter 750 Similar capital
Chapter 750 Simr capital
??Following his trail of thought, Yang Qing willed his thoughts to the Xuanwu.
"History of the Jade Leaf Academy.."
A momentter fourteen lights flew to him. Some were scrolls, others were books, a few tablets, and one tree trunk that had been hollowed with writing on its hollowed-out interior.
Yang Qing stared wide-eyed as he didn''t expect to get anything. He had been told his clearance was restricted to matters concerned with the Deer Mountain Range. With eagerness, he quickly went for the tree trunk. The more bizarre-looking one was bound to contain the juiciest of information.
However, twenty minutester he had a dejected look on his face as he put away thest scroll.
"Figures they would be so thorough..." muttered Yang Qing with a look like he had just swallowed a fly.
None of the scrolls, books, tablets, or the tree trunk contained what he was looking for. He had hoped he would find information about the founder in there somewhere, but he found no hint or mention of the founder.
While the information recorded in those fourteen instruments was pretty in-depth, ultimately, itcked what he truly wanted to find out, and as he read through them, he realized they all came from the low-tier blue grade level, which was his original clearance level.
Sighing in defeat, he willed the fourteen objects to return whence they came. He had no intention of wasting what little time he had left in reading things he already had ess to, no matter how intriguing the information was. With his guess that Long Wan may have been the founder of the Jade Leaf Academy, he became interested in the Academy, considering if he didn''t make it to the Order, being a student of the Academy may have been the next best thing for him, and he had a feeling had his family''s old friend, Alchemist Ma Bo who was a guest teacher at the Academy, had he been there when he was leaving, he would have left with him for the Academy instead ofing to the Order.
Reading the backstory of the Bi Xie Empire from the perspective of Long Wan made him curious about the academy, and even though he didn''t have proof of it, he felt strongly that there was a chance he was the founder of the Jade Leaf Academy. While confirming that guess wouldn''t add much to his life, Yang Qing always felt a sense of fulfillment when he filled the gaps in certain parts of history. His whole fascination withpleting broken cultivation arts, and researching lost ruins,nguages, and techniques was born out of that interest, but ultimately no matter how much he wanted to unveil the history of the Jade Leaf Academy, his ess was ultimately limited and he needed to make the most of it.
After a regretful sigh, Yang Qing focused back as he closed his eyes to process everything he had just read, as he gathered his thoughts. About ten minutes passed by before he finally opened his eyes which shed with a thirst for answers.
He took out a parchment and a smooth luminescent colored charcoal from his storage ring. He slowly drew out arge circle that filled the entire parchment and then proceeded to make tiny symbolic drawings along with some highlighted writing that apanied them. For example, in one part of the parchment, he drew a few mountains and winding streams and a courtyard in the middle of it with a symbol of an eagle at the center. Slightly above the courtyard, he wrote the words ''Deer Mountain Branch''.
Yang Qing paused and held his chin as he admired the drawing with deep satisfaction. While his drawing paled inparison to a seasoned master who had stepped on the dao of painting, if he waspared to the rest, even mundane expert artists, he was sure his skills wouldn''t lose out to them. His drawings didck the vitality of a drawing done by a dao painter, however, it was still vivid with deep rity on the details which was in part due to his skills, and the other was the luminescent charcoal which helped make the colors of the drawing feel lifelike. One could see the veins of the rocks that made up the mountain, a reflection of light on the streams and rivers that winded in between and around the mountains, and the luster of the gold eagle symbol.
After one more satisfied nod, Yang Qing continued his drawings. Inch by inch, the parchment was filled with a variety of drawings and abel next to them. Far west, there was an azalea, blue oak, and a massive python sleeping beneath verdant grasnd, and above the drawing was thebel '' clear sword river sect'', a little bit to the southeast, there was a drawing of a beautiful sycamore tree with purple flowers with ady with an innocent look holding a fruit in one of her hands, and she looked to be singing as she was nked by ark, a moth, and a massive beetle. Next to that drawing, he wrote the words, ''Meifeng''sir''.
Yang Qing started by drawing all the ces he visited and passed during his time at the Deer Mountain Range, quickly filling out the map. Any ce he visited, he drew, whether it was the sacred graveyard torch where he met the sacred me swan, Gu Xing, to the battleground where Hao Da and the rest fought against the obsidian serpents, down to the locations he had been given by Meifeng on where the fire adler bear had taken the daughter of the obsidian serpent couple to help refine her body, in preparation for her to inherit the treasure bone of a flood dragon.
After he was done with those areas, he finally finished with the territory of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, which he spent a considerable time with as he tried to recall every single detail he saw on his trip over. After ten minutes, he was done. He demarcated an outline that showed the entire territory of the Deer Mountain Kingdom. Within that demarcation, a lot of areas were left nk, with Yang Qing only drawing the route he took to the capital.
On the capital drawing, he drew enough to bring out the charm of the city as he saw it before he finished with the pce, which he only drew how it looked on the outside before his eyes narrowed as he drew two creatures that he seemed to have overlooked up to this point as he was making the drawing.
"Could they be the same?" he muttered as his gaze narrowed on the two creatures.Both creatures had the body of a lion and the head of a dragon, apanied by a dragon''s tail. One of them had a single horn that stretched backward and a pair of wings on its shoulders that looked like they were made of swirling clouds, with both wings closed. The other creature had two horns that stretched out backward but had no wings.
The two creatures were part of the Pi Xiu race, with the single- horned and winged one being the male of the species, the Tian Lu, and the double-horned one with no wings being the Bi Xie.
The drawings Yang Qing made were not based on the description given by Long Wan but were instead based on the two statues he saw outside the pce. Just outside the capital, the two statues had inadvertently drawn Yang Qing''s eyes, not because they had anything that made them stand out, in fact, it was quite the opposite actually. They looked quite worn with cracks, and chips here and there, with their features not as distinctive. Yang Qing had felt it was odd for the two statues to be left hanging around at the entrance of the pce despite its beat-up state.
At the time he had thought there was more to them than met the eye, but after scanning them, he didn''t detect anything and assumed they had been kept for sentimental purposes maybe, which was when the Imperial Secretary He Shan had admitted to such. The statues were kept because of their endurance and hardiness. No matter how much chaos and destruction the kingdom faced, somehow the statues always remained intact since the kingdom started. As a result, the first king of the Deer Mountain Kingdom decided to keep the two statues around out of an endearing sentiment on their ability to withstand hard times which was what he hoped for his kingdom, and every king that seeded him continued to keep them around to echo his sentiments.
Yang Qing closed his eyes as he tried to recall every sensation he had when he was next to those statues to try and see if there was something he may have overlooked. A few minutester he shook his head, as his gaze fell on the drawing of the statues.
"Could it have been dormant? If it is the same as the two statues that supported the rise of the Bi Xie Empire, then maybe the ritual of cleaning needed to be upheld which clearly the Deer Mountain Kingdom didn''t do. Maybe that is why it seemed no different than regr statues when I was there.." muttered Yang Qing as he held his chin in deep contemtion.
Though the two statues were kept around the pce, possibly as a superstitious symbol for good luck, there were signs of neglect on them from the state they were in, and the umtion of grime on them. Other than cing them at the entrance for symbolism, they were not cared for the same way the Wang Patriarch, did. But that was under the assumption that the two statues were simr to the one that transformed the fate of the Wang Patriarch. Yang Qing didn''t feel it was wrong to hold a little reservation about them being the same ones, after all, Bi Xie and Tian Lu statues were prettymon as most people used them symbolically to bring good fortunes to their homes, businesses, and personal lives.
Yang Qing then went on to draw web-like lines that spanned across the entire parchment, seemingly connecting the entire boundaries and at the center of the parchment he wrote the words ''Bi Xie Empire''
"If their territory spanned the entire range, it would certainly exin why it is far richer than any rank 3 territory. The mature dragon veins, its ability to support a sacred graveyard, that grotto, and all the other mysterious happenings around it..even if it''s not the same as what Senior Long Wan described about the Empire, there''s no denying that the range is unique..it even drew the attention of that mysterious figure.
If my guess is right, then quite possibly, the capital of the Deer Mountain Kingdom and the capital of the Bi Xie Empire should be the same.." muttered Yang Qing as he traced a line to the royal capital of the Deer Mountain Kingdom which he circled.
"With the abilities and foundations described, how did such a behemoth figure even fall in the first ce?" said Yang Qing as he drew a few question mark signs next to the words ''Bi Xie Empire'' while adding a few more words next to it ''Sky rendering sword sect'' and a few question marks next to it, while below he wrote ''ascendancy?''
Chapter 751 Surviving legacy of Past enemies?
Chapter 751 Surviving legacy of Past enemies?
??Yang Qing remained unmoving as his eyes fell on the words he had written. He had only strung the sentences together to see if something would jump at him. Reading the history of the Bi Xie Empire, the schr Long Wan said the Wang Patriarch had never forgotten what the crown prince said as he was trying to tempt him, a ticket to true ascendancy. For it to have stuck with the founder of the Bi Xie Empire for all that while, there may have been something there, but whether it had any relevance to the present era, Yang Qing had no idea and was just grasping at straws.
How did the Bi Xie empire meet its demise? He wouldn''t have wondered too much about it had he not read their history. Even though they didn''t have the real Pi Xiu beasts with them, Long Wan proimed the two statues more than likely had rtions with one, them changing the fate of the Wang Patriarch was already proof that they were special.
A ce so rich in resources and abilities, to the point that even someone from the Jade Leaf Empire admitted to being inferior to them in certain aspects. An area recorded to have been filled with the densest auspicious aura of golden dragon luck.
How did such a ce end up facing destruction to the point that little of what it was remained to date? If it wasn''t for Gu Xing mentioning it, he would have remained oblivious to the Empire, and if he didn''t have his library clearance temporarily raised, much of its history would have escaped him until he gained the qualifications to read what was stored in the low tier orange grade floor.
"Long Wan said they had made a lot of connections, so even if what they faced had been beyond their abilities, surely their connections would havee to their aid or provided a way out for them.." muttered Yang Qing before he shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Or were they the ones that had a hand in their fall?" he added.
The cultivator world even the mundane world was filled with stories of the depths of treachery, more so for the former. Tales surrounding cultivators always portrayed them as ascetic beings who were indifferent to fame and fortune, other than deciphering the mysteries of the heavens and the earth, they cared for little else to free their hearts and minds from being tied down by the bounds of the mortal world.
However, it was all nonsense. Cultivators were the most greedy, if they weren''t there would be no need for the Order to be founded or continually exist. There were no lengths they would not go to to satisfy it including betrayal. No matter how close the rtionship, there was always a likelihood of betrayal happening provided the subject matter was tempting enough.
Over the years, Yang Qing had presided over countless cases supporting the notion. Disciples who plotted the death of their master because they coveted their master''s legacy, a father who butchered his child because the child''s internal organs had been tempered by their special physique and the father hoped to use the internal organs to improve his cultivation base, kings that betrayed the families of their loyal retainers despite there being an oath in ce that spanned thousands of years, in which the king''s predecessors promised to protect a particr liege''s family because of a meritorious sacrifice they made, only for said promise to be dishonored by one of their descendants.
Yang Qing had seen countless such cases enough tost him a lifetime. He didn''t think his suspicions about the Bi Xie Empire were too farfetched, after all, with how rich Long Wan purported it was, surely countless organizations had thought of seizing it for themselves. Leaving the flooded areas with resources aside, just the ability to increase the chances of surviving a tribtion is enough to tempt the greed and envy of countless cultivators.
Out of curiosity, Yang Qing willed his mind, calling out information about particr topics.
"Information on the fall of the Bi Xie Empire.."
"All information surrounding organizations that had a good rtionship with the Bi Xie Empire.."
"Any and all information about the Sky Rendering Sword Sect.."
Yang Qing waited for a few seconds before he smiled wryly as he said,
"Figures.."
None of what he asked for came, which he had expected, though, he would be lying if he said some part wasn''t hoping for it to seed.
"I am better off trying my luck at the cultivation market.." he added as he remembered the strange tablet he got from the ce that ended up being something that was tied to the blue fairy race, a race that he knew next to nothing, but said race held the same esteem as the phoenix or the dragon race in that they were direct descendants to the ancients.
For one reason or another, he couldn''t ess certain information which could either be because the information was missing or it was being deliberately restricted by the Order, and if his guess was right, he could only ess said information when he reached a particr level, as to what level, Yang Qing felt it was likely when he became a domain expert, because it was at that level that he would meet one of the requirements of having ess of the gold floors, which he felt likely held such information, or maybe it was held in the infamous purple floor and if it was, he could forget essing the information any time soon.
If he wanted to find out anything within the realms of his humble strength and abilities then his best bet was to try his luck at the cultivation market and hopefully stumble onto some object, a diamond buried in the rough that hid some mystery and information within it. He couldn''t help but feel giddy about his next visit.
What mysterious object would he stumble onto? He couldn''t wait, however, all that would have to wait.
Yang Qing forcibly calmed himself as he gazed back at the map, specifically the territory of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, and the sacred graveyard of torches.
After alternating his gaze between the two ces, Yang Qing took out the urn he had been given by Gu Xing which contained the voice of the lunar fury heron that they both suspected had interacted with the figure that had once filled Gu Xing with dread when they lingered outside the sacred graveyard torch.
Yang Qing became very attentive as he listened to the description the heron made, slowly visualizing it in his mind. He reyed the urn almost over a dozen times before he was satisfied.
With the luminescent charcoal still in his hands, he started jotting down a few things on one of the nk parts on the map that housed the territory of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
"Eyes swirling with dread that can break the mind of even a lunar fury heron, a spirit beast known for having a powerful soul suggests the perpetrator''s ability to befuddle the mind is high. If it was done via a cultivation art, for it to have such an effect on the heron at the very least it needs to be at the blue grade and the perpetrator''s mastery of it needs to have reached perfection.
Points of focus:
*cultivation art that targets the soul and mind that are at the blue grade and above
* Inherited and acquired physiques known to create an ocean filled with endless wails and dread. Spirit beasts and spiritual nts can also be included in this.
*Sects, ns, and other organizations known for such characteristics in their attacks, be it through cultivation art, special physique, abination of both, or through an artifact..."
Yang Qing put the charcoal down as he looked down at the list to see if he had missed anything. As the gears in his head constantly turned with countless ideas and possibilities flooding his mind, his gaze inadvertently fell to the middle of the parchment where the name of the Bi Xie empirey in bold.
"Could there have been remnants of that battle back then that survived..." he muttered as he tapped on the charcoal with his index finger which he then picked and wrote something on the part that was close to the sacred graveyard torch.
Hua n, Xin n, Flowing fist sect, Moon essence cauldron sect..
"If things went as nned and they ended up joining the Deer Mountain Kingdom, a battle would have soaked the entire kingdom which is what I suspect the mastermind was after in the first ce.
All those corpses would be ripe for the purgatory mes of damnation that the purgatory ck tiger cult used back then. Could the mastermind be a survivor of that cult? But from what Long Wan said everybody of importance died in the kingdom, and I doubt the Wang Patriarch aftering to power would have spared any remnants of that cult.
If I was in his shoes, I would not ..."
Yang Qing furrowed his brows as he pressed his lips together.
"Maybe a few survived and went underground and spread their legacy which somehow survived, and they continued covertly passing it down their inheritance and it has survived to this date.
If that is true .." Yang Qing paused as his gaze fell on the Deer Mountain Kingdom, specifically the capital.
"Then it stands to reason they would know about where the Bi Xie empire, formerly the White Mulberry Kingdom was located. Could the mastermind be from one of the founding families of the Deer Mountain Kingdom and theiring there wasn''t due to some stroke of luck but rather deliberate?"
Chapter 752 Twelve beasts of calamity (1)
Chapter 752 Twelve beasts of cmity (1)
Yang Qing flicked his luminescent charcoal stick a few times as countless thoughts and ideas flooded his mind.
"If one of them has something to do with the Purgatory ck tiger cult, what would they gain froming here?.." muttered Yang Qing with his gaze trained on the royal capital of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
"I don''t think there would be anything of value for them here. The Wang patriarch had already purged every trace of the cult in the White Mulberry Kingdom both before and after the battle ended.
I doubt there would be anything to find not unless the patriarch looted something from the corpse of the cult leader and kept it with him, but considering the heights he reached and the two statues, would anything the cult leader had even appeal to him not unless...."
Yang Qing paused as he narrowed his focus on the two statues.
"They could know about the statues that propelled the Wang Patriarch to the heights he reached and the entirety of the Bi Xie Empire after, maybe they are trying to replicate what the cult leader had wanted to do with the White Mulberry Tree in refining it with the help of the purgatory mes of damnation array into a form that would help him breakthrough to the domain realm.
Could that person want to do the same?" murmured Yang Qing as he held his chin in deep contemtion.
"But the statue isn''t the same as the White mulberry tree. If it contains the true nature of the Pi Xiu, I doubt it would be corruptible no matter how damaged its current state...
The grade of the art wasn''t mentioned. I wonder if the Order has any information rted to them. It should help me with getting a clear picture of them.."
When his thoughts reached this point, Yang Qing instantly called for all information rted to the Purgatory ck tiger cult. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw three lights flying his way. He had half-expected it to fail like it did before when he was searching for information rted to the fall of the Bi Xie Empire or the Sky rendering sword sect.
He spent the next twenty minutes reading the pieces of information about the cult which left him surprised not because of what was contained in it, but because of how in-depth it was.?He was expecting it to be scattered because of how back the cult existed or for it to be censored because his temporary clearance didn''t cover it.
But it was the opposite, he managed to learn more than he expected about the cult, and in some sense in that twenty-minute read he felt he knew more about the cult than he did the Bi Xie Empire.
"Terrifying doesn''t begin to cover that period.." muttered Yang Qing with a slight sigh of apprehension as he put away a scroll that seemed like it had seen better days.
Long Wan had glossed out on the activities of the cult. The cult had ughtered countless cities in their heyday. Despite the chaos and mayhem they caused, their background was what kept them alive, and it was their background that made Yang Qing shiver. It turned out that the cult had been subordinate to a division that Yang Qing still found hard to believe existed back then, though it was more of him hoping it never existed.
The time period, and much of the information were unclear, but the scrolls he had read did mention that the Purgatory ck tiger cult was rumored to have been one of the subordinate organizations belonging to the Taowu division of the twelve beasts of cmity.
The Twelve Beasts Of Cmity was considered an alliance of twelve different organizations banding together to form the Twelve Beasts Of Cmity. Those twelve organizations became twelve divisions of the organization and the scroll Yang Qing read that information from only had nine divisions named.
Each of the divisions was named after a terrifying beast and the author didn''t expound on whether they were truly backed by those beasts or they just borrowed the name because if they were backed by those beasts, Yang Qing shuddered to imagine how the continent had even remained intact.
The nine named divisions were; Hun Dun Division, Qiong Qi Division, Taowu Division, Taotie Division, Tiangou Division, the Primordial Water Demon Ape Division, the Yong Division, andstly the Zhuya Division.
Every single one of these divisions was named after terrifying mythical creatures that stood on the same pedestal as dragons, phoenixes, and white tigers and they were all famous for the ability to cause wild wide chaos and destruction.
The Hun Dun, Qiong Qi, Taowu, and the Taotie were collectively called the four perils.
The hundun was a mythical creature with six wings, six legs, and no face whose primary ability was to shapeshift into any creature it consumed. It not only gained the ability to transform into them, but their abilities and umtions too. It also caused disorder and chaos everywhere it went because of just its inherent presence alone, tainted and contaminated an area with decay and dark energies that could even swallow the sun. An area contaminated by its presence would never harbor life except for another hundun and it would need the purifying mes of the phoenix or the cleansing power of the primordial parasol tree to restore the area.
Because of its corruptive nature, a saying was developed, better to face the wrath of the heavens than to have a hundun as a guest in your ce for even a second.
The Qiong qi was just as notorious as the hundun. It too was a mythical creature whose entire body was cloaked in purple-
ck mes. It looked like a hybrid of a wolf, tiger, and dragon with spiked hones that went from its head down to its tail, with deep yellow eyes that hid bloodthirsty mayhem and chaos within it. It was massive in frame but despite its stature, it had great agility that apanied its fearsome strength.
The Qiongqi existed for nothing else other than brutal savagery. Every living thing that entered its sight would be torn apart, even space itself was not spared from its destruction. It knew no fear, it never got tired, and every feature of its body made it the worst predator one would ever face, as it used its horns, ws, and teeth to tear apart any defense, its eyes broke the mind and will of anyone who wavered before it and it could deduce countless daos with it, while its purple mes burned through everything and anythingying waste to anything it came across.
If a Qiongqi sets its sight on you even hiding at the ends of the earth, and in the sturdiest of defenses would not keep you safe from it, even if you escaped to the sun, it would still follow you there, destroying everything in between.
Chapter 753 Twelve beast of calamity (2)
Chapter 753 Twelve beast of cmity (2)
Just seeing those two names already set Yang Qing on edge much less the remaining of the four perils. The taowu looked like a mix between a tiger and a leopard. They possessed immense strength, but even with great strength, they cunning to the extreme, always choosing to ceyers of traps before striking at an opponent. When a taowu targeted you, you would never know. They were expert maniptors and knew how to hide well, with one of their innate abilities granting them natural immunity towards all derivative techniques that relied on karma.
Yang Qing had once read about an infamous fiend cultivator who did everything deplorable under the sun from decimating cities to kidnapping and massacring victims from all over the continent regardless of their backgrounds. They could be amoner or a prized disciple from a prominent sect, he never had any qualms in choosing his victims, though as his notoriety grew, he started to specifically target those from well-off backgrounds and tortured and brutalized them in the most agonizing and humiliating way possible.
Eventually, the parent organizations of his victims started targeting him using all manner of means, one of which was the derivation of karma, however, no matter which means they used, they could never find him. Years went by and his list of victims grew along with those who held grievances against him, till eventually from amongst his victims was a seed n member who had been selectively nurtured to take over their n which housed several soul formation experts. The seed n member before her death had used a secret art that was tied to her n''s saint-grade artifact. Using the art, as long as the fiend cultivator was alive and remained on the continent, the artifact would be able to sense his general location within a hundred-kilometer radius of him.
The n had relied on that art and artifact to track a peak domain expert who had killed one of their n members for a treasure. No matter what means the peak domain expert tried to hide himself from the n''s pursuits, they still managed to find him and exert their revenge. However, despite the fiend cultivator being at the early stages of the domain realm, that n was unable to track him. The n only knew the secret art had been triggered based on the reaction of the saint-grade artifact that registered when the art was used, who used it, and where it was used. It was there that they found the peeled body of their n member and a note written in blood which was basically the fiend cultivator mocking them and taunting them to find him if they could.
Years passed by and they never could. No matter what they tried, it was like the fiend cultivator existed outside the bounds of reality. Every year that went by without him being captured, the fiend cultivator would make a showing of it by mocking them with the whole continent as his audience as the n was pretty well known more so the abilities of the saint-grade artifact they owned.
Tens of thousands of years passed by without that n ever finding him or the other enemies he had made and they could never figure out how he had managed to evade them. Some hypothesized it had something to do with his physique, others said it was a cultivation art, with others believing it to be the workings of a powerful artifact. Regardless of what it was, they all agreed that it was powerful to the point of making the fiend cultivator untraceable to soul formation experts and saint-grade artifacts.
The popce only came to know what it was when he died, which was one of the most ironic deaths Yang Qing had ever read about. The fiend cultivator blundered with one of his targets. He was always known for targeting those weaker than him, so as a domain expert, almost all his victims were in the pce realm.
One day he targeted a youth whom he found displeasing only because the youth looked too handsome. From what he had gathered about the fiend cultivator, almost all his victims had all been lookers, which led Yang Qing to think the fiend cultivator may have not been blessed in that particr area, sadly the scroll did not have an apanying drawing of the fiend cultivator.
The fiend cultivator on seeing the youth instantly targeted him. The youth in question had the cultivation base of a middle-
stage core formation expert. The fiend cultivator ended up being burned to ashes by that youth who turned out to be a sect master of a renowned sect and was a soul formation expert who was just roaming about the continent. The fiend cultivator had chosen the worst target as the sect master in question not only was a soul formation expert but was one with a bloodline of the vermilion bird.
How horrible must one luck be to stumble onto such a figure?
Without suspense, the fiendish cultivator was burned to ash, with the only things surviving the mes being five crystalline objects that turned out to have been the ws of a Taowu, which exined how the fiendish cultivator had been able to hide so well throughout of his life, as to where he even managed to find such a thing, it died with him when his soul and body were reduced to smithereens.
As for the taotie, its abilities amongst the four perils were well known. A creature of pure gluttony, known to eat anything under the sun, including even the sun itself. Just like the Qiong Qi which could not control its malevolence, the taotie could never control its urges to eat.
One of Yang Qing''s close acquaintances, Fan Tao, the department head of the beast hall had a thin bloodline of the taotie, which gave her an incredibly sturdy physique that granted her brutalizing strength and immunity to all manner of poisons, curses, and miasma. Even a poison flood dragon at the domain realm would find it hard to incapacitate her with its poison.
However, no matter how much power it gave her, despite its thinness, the taotie bloodline gave her a voracious appetite, which in its extremes made her no different than a berserker beast that had lost all its senses except for one, devouring, attacking anyone and anything in sight. As a domain expert, she had better control of her urges, but when she was younger, from her admission, she had caused no small amount of trouble for her eldest sister, Fan Ru, the valley master of the Medical Valley.
Luckily for her, her sister was a prodigious monster who pounded her back to sanity whenever her episodes and then nursed her back to health with her profound alchemy skills. Out of fear, and a huge sense of self-preservation, Fan Tao worked hard to gain control over the urges which made it easier to control the stronger she became, and luckily for her, the purity of her bloodline didn''t grow with her, and remained just as thin as she was born with, a deliberate move on her part because if she wished it, the Order had ways of strengthen.
But even as ate-stage domain expert with a firm grasp over the urges, now and then she needed to visit the bestial churning sea to hunt. She still needed to consume something to calm those urges.
Yang Qing could only imagine how troubling it would have been for her if she had a dense bloodline, which was why he could hardly close his mouth and eyes as he read about an organization named after a taotie.
Chapter 754 Traces of fortune in misfortune
Chapter 754 Traces of fortune in misfortune
??A single taotie was troublesome enough by itself, let alone the other three perils who were also handfuls and it wasn''t just them as the other beasts listed were just as terrifying. The Tiangou division was named after the tiangou which was also known as the celestial swallowing dog known to devour the sun, the moon, and the stars, damning all to eternal darkness;
The primordial water demon ape, just like the Xuanwu, was an expert in the dao of water, however, when it came to the primordial water demon ape, its specialty was the destruction and chaos it could cause with it. There was a saying that every time a storm appeared know a primordial water demon ape was picking its teeth somewhere. Every natural cmity associated with water, they were always portrayed as the primary culprit...
The Yong of which the Yong division was named, was a creature with the body of an owl with a human face and four eyes. The Yong was known as the harbinger of drought. It sucked the life out of everything simr to the Hundun except unlike thetter which did so through decay and corruption, the Yong drained the vitality out of everything just by being in the vicinity.
And finally, the Zhuya, the Zhuya was a white ape with red feet which was said to be the red blood of its victims. The Zhuya was known as the harbinger of war. Just like the Qiong Qi, it existed only for pure carnage, and it was built for it, a sturdy body that proved invulnerable to countless attacks, and they needed to reach a particr threshold for it to feel them and it was dubbed a master of ten thousand Daos, making it one of the most terrifying opponent to face alone, as it was no different than facing ten thousand masters of the Dao.
Just any one of the nine beasts mentioned was enough to cause mayhem and pandemonium wherever they went, let alone all nine of them together. Yang Qing struggled to believe that the mentioned organizations wereprised of the true beasts they were named after. Because of their inherent natures, he struggled to believe how they could ally together. He felt it was more likely those organizations had borrowed their names, of course, some part of him couldn''t help but wonder..
What if, what if those beasts really had allied together?
"What are the odds of that happening?"Yang Qing muttered with a smile appearing on his face as he shook his head.
"From what I read the qiong qi hunts even one of its kind, how could it stand to ally with others, and the taotie and the celestial swallowing dog always try to devour each other..there''s no way the twelve beasts of cmities were made of the actual beasts.." added Yang Qing, embarrassed that he even considered it a possibility.
However, his gaze soon turned solemn as he looked at the scroll that mentioned those organizations. The history behind their names aside, the purgatory ck tiger was only fit to be considered ackey of that organization despite them having a peak stage pce realm expert at the helm and about a dozen pce realm experts. Even with such an impressive lineup, from the texts he had read, the cult was only considered an errand boy to that organization. Yang Qing could only imagine how utterly terrifying it was, regardless of whether those beasts were part of it or not, which he didn''t feel like they were.
"Who were the remaining three?" wondered Yang Qing as he put away the scroll containing the scant information rted to the twelve beasts of cmity. The list only contained nine with three missing. Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder what monstrosities they were named after and their goal.
As he was about to send the scroll back, a thought hit him which prompted him to unfurl the scroll again as he went through the list.
"Come to think of it the characteristics that lunar fury heron described do match with the attributes of several of them. The Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, the primordial water demon ape, and the Zhuya are all known for having the ability to destroy the mind of anyone weak-willed with just their eyes... but no, that''s too farfetched.." Yang Qing said as he shook his head dismissively.
"Could it?" he added with an unsure expression on his face before finally he decided to send back the scroll as he requested for all information rted to the Deer Mountain Kingdom specifically the founders, which he thenpared against the jade slip he had received from the Judicial Review Committee before he came to the library.
While the information contained within the library was extensive, the one contained within the slip was even more so. Yang Qing had a feeling it had been the handiwork of someone from the Shadow Hawks division. It was in-depth, containing all the relevant information that Yang Qing might think of and even some that he didn''t.
It was pretty detailed without missing gaps when it came to the timeline. Everything from the moment the founding families of the kingdom stepped into the Deer Mountain Range, up to the current timeline was recorded. The exploits of every king they ever had, the skirmishes both big and small they ever had since their founding, the defining talents they ever had in the 38,000 years since their founding, the attributes of all the aristocratic families from therge ones down to the small ones, their strengths were all recorded in the slip with some even their trump cards recorded such as core cultivation arts and or artifacts.
If Yang Qing didn''t know better he would have thought the report had been prepared by the family leaders of those families.
As he was reading the slip, Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he read about their golden era. The number of talents they had back then would have stood out even in rank 1 organizations and holynds, as a few had special physiques that granted them powerful abilities. For example, one of them, who belonged to the Shi family had the terraflora earthin physique that gave her terrifying umtions in the earth and wood element. At 15 she was already a blue grade alchemist.
There were about seven more listed in the report who were just as dazzling as her, exhibiting talent that could be seen once every tens of thousands of years, and weirdly enough they had all appeared at the same time.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but scratch his chin as his gaze wandered off to the drawing he had made of the two Pi Xiu statues.
Sadly no matter how dazzling their talents, they all died when cmity struck the kingdom after they had foolishly attempted to seize the entire range into their control drawing the ire and retaliation of the countless spirit beasts that called the range, home.
"Despite their misfortune back then, with what I know now, I can''t help but feel they were astronomically lucky to have survived it.." muttered Yang Qing with his gaze shining with a strange light as it drifted back to the statues once more.
Chapter 755 From retainer to a founding family
Chapter 755 From retainer to a founding family
??Yang Qing shook his head as he regained control of his wandering thoughts to focus back on the information surrounding the Deer Mountain Kingdom, more specifically their founders.
As he read about it, Yang Qing couldn''t help but raise his brows in surprise when he read about them. The Zhou family had roots extending back over 100,000 years though they were not exactly powerful with their most powerful member being the n leader who appeared about 50,000 years ago andter became the first king of the Deer Mountain Kingdom.
What surprised Yang Qing wasn''t that the Zhou family existed so far back, but it was more about the background of the Zhang family. Unlike the Zhou family, it wasn''trge,prising only of one person, Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei had been a retainer of the Zhou family for countless years and followed the Zhou family when they made their expedition into the Deer Mountain Range.
Zhang Wei had been a gifted genius of the sword whom the father of the first king of the Deer Mountain Kingdom presumably took in. The n did everything to nurture him including sending him to the Jade Leaf Dao Academy, and the One Thousand Battle Hall Pavilion, which helped extract all histent potential, that he became one of the youngest pce realm experts at the time, boosting the overall strength of the Zhou n.
When it came to the Shi n, Yang Qing paid extra attention to them. It wasn''t that they had done anything to warrant suspicion over all the rest, but when it came to influence, he felt the Shi family had a greater influence outside of the Deer Mountain Kingdom even more so than the ruling Zhou family itself, owing to their alchemy and herbology background.
They had countless connections built both within and outside of the kingdom because of it. The jade slip he had been given was mindful enough to list all the organizations that they had some rtionship with, with the list reaching almost 300 names, with 18 of those names belonging to prominent rank 3 organizations. Inside the kingdom, they were also held in high esteem by a lot of the small aristocratic families that owed them a favor for services rendered.
They had rtionships all over, and when dating back to the founders of the kingdom, the Shi family leader from back then had a deep friendship with the n leader of the Zhou family, though their rtionship was more transactional as thend which the Zhou family sat on was lush with all manner of spiritual nts. Through it, they managed to strike a long-standing rtionship with the Shi n that spanned almost 20,000 years.
The Shi family didn''t only just have a rtionship with the Zhou family, amongst the six founding families they had a rtionship with the Chu family also. The Chu family had been small but was well-established because of their inherited physique the gold fire smander physique which gave them great aptitude and control of the fire element which they used to build themselves up as a smithing family.
Just like the Zhou family, the Shi family had a deep working rtionship with the Chu family that spanned thousands and thousands of years. The Shi family had provided financial support and connections to the Chu family as they were starting up which eased their growth and development. Because of the help provided, when the Shi family decided to venture into the Deer Mountain Range, the Chu family joined them.
Though the rtionship between the two families seemed more transactional, simr to the one the Shi family had with the Zhou family, the information provided suggested there was a difference in the rtionship.
Thanks to the thorough work done, the jade slip contained even information on the marriages that happened within the six ruling families, and from it, Yang Qing noticed that between the Shi family and the Chu family, there were a lot of intermarriages, but when it came to the Shi family and the Zhou family, in the 38,000 years worth of history between the two, the number of intermarriages between the two had not numbered more than five in that period, whereas between them and the Chu family, it easily reached over 100.
"Could be the royal family and the Shi family have always been wary of each other... or... Chu family is more of a subordinate to the Shi family hence the interrtionship or they have a deep bond of trust that extends beyond just transactional cooperation...
Mmh, but they didn''t seem that way when I visited them.." murmured Yang Qing as he recalled his interaction with the five family heads.
Though they seemed cordial, Yang Qing could feel there was a distance and wariness among them. Then again it could all have been a farce meant to mislead both him and each other. Mind games was themon staple food of most noble families, especially when their foundations and strengths were simr to one another.
After learning about the Zhang family and their founder being a retainer of the Zhou family, out of curiosity Yang Qing decided to look at their marriage history expecting them to have several intermarriages with the Zhou n, only to find there was only one which was Zhang Quifen who was married to the present king. Before that, the Zhang family had never married anyone from the royal family, or any of the other families.
"That is strange... Considering their rtionship, I would have expected there to be more, or do they still see themselves as retainers of the Zhou family which might make it inappropriate for them to marry anyone from there, but then again if that''s the case, why did they agree to it?
Was it to show their stance because of the pressure mounting on the royal family, or could it have been for another reason?"
Yang Qing mulled over it for a few seconds before he decided to read through the rest of the report. Getting into the mindset of factions was something that he wasn''t good at, hence why he joined the Order in the first ce.
Chapter 756 Deepest background
Chapter 756 Deepest background
??Yang Qing cleared his mind and continued to read about the Shi family. As he read further he discovered that the Shi family had been stagnating in their alchemy skills and were slowly being pushed away from the scene by a rival n, the Luo n which though had a shorter history inparison to the Shi family, had already caught up to them and exceeded them to the point they had even garnered the cooperative deals with a few prominent organizations with one of them even being the rank 2, Maple leaf manor.
The then n leader, afraid that his n would lose out to the Luo n, epted the Zhou n''s offer to venture into the Deer Mountain Range. The range was already known for its rich resources, it was just that the spirit beasts that called the ce home deterred most from venturing into the ce. There were even rumors back then about a domain expert dying within it which made most human cultivators wary of visiting the ce.
The Shi n leader out of a deep sense of crisis and determination to help his family move forward, journeyed to the Deer Mountain Range without hesitation.
As for the remaining two families, while he had been more curious about the Shi family because they seemed to have more resources and a huge web of connections, his judgment had been off as it turned out that amongst the six families, the Song family was the one with the deepest background.
Within the information, the author surmised that the other families likely did not know about the true background of the Song family, and after reading through their story, Yang Qing supported that guess too.
The Song family had been part of the now-known Deng Dynasty, but 200,000 years ago, it went by a different name, the Song Dynasty, a rank 2 empire in its heyday, which it presently was still, but under a different name. The Song family presently resided in the Deer Mountain Range as one of therge noble ns within the Deer Mountain Kingdom but it had once been the ruling family of the Song Empire. However, their position had been usurped, not by the Deng family who currently ruled the Empire they called theirs once upon a time, but by one of their own, a branch of their family.
When tragedy strikes, ites in waves. The Deer Mountain Kingdom Song family was the main branch of the Song family in the Song dynasty, however, they had their position as the main branch taken away when they were at their weakest. The Song dynasty had feuded with two other empires because of a precious grotto that had appeared at the boundary between the three Empires.
The grotto in question had the same spiritual density as a mature dragon vein, and above all, it had a purple pith profound stone mine. Purple pith profound stone was over a thousand times better than even the purest spirit stone, as it contained pure energy that was even purer than the natal qi one was born with. A single drop of its energy is enough to push a body refinement cultivator to the peak stage of the foundation establishment realm in a single-bound and with firm foundations to boost, with even those with the poorest talents ending up with blue-grade foundation pirs.
Purple pith profound stone was capable of turning that which was rotten into a precious gem. It not only improved one''s cultivation, but it also had a way of unearthing hidden physiques in one''s body and improving the purity of one''s bloodline, there was even a rumor of a cultivator who upon refining 20 purple pit profound stones he was able topletely awaken his azure roc bloodline transforming into a true roc.
The reason it had such profound effects was because it contained traces of the chaos aura which was rumored to be the aura present when the was formed. The purple pith profound stone contained countless mysteries and profundities that would serve a cultivator well for their entire cultivation journey. The mysteries of the stone served as an illuminating light on their path, which was why when news broke out of the grotto having a purple pith profound stone, the three empires that bordered it, immediately shed all pretense of cordiality, attacked each other without reservation.
Whoever controlled that grotto would ascend to glory in one fell swoop. The war was violent and devastating on all sides, with no one leaving it unscathed. The main branch of the Song familymitted almost all of its manpower to the efforts, which ended up in the death of three of their five domain experts, with the remaining two gravely injured in the process.
The other two empires did not leave unscathed either, with them facing simr levels of causality. A ceasefire was forcibly called when it became evident that outside forces had been eyeing that grotto, and were just waiting for the three empires to damage one another enough for them to swoop in and seize it all for themselves.
By the time the ceasefire was called, the blood feud ran deep among the three empires, and not one wanted to give in to the other, making cooperation very difficult even with countless powerful vultures lurking, waiting for the opportune moment. The three empires only managed to agree because of the involvement of the Sixteen Heavenly Stars Treasure Pavilion which was a rank 1 merchant organization at the same level as the White Rose Pavilion.
With them standing as a witness, the three empires agreed on how to share the grotto and its resources, with no doubt the Sixteen Heavenly Stars Treasure Pavilion having some shares in it not only for its services as the witness but also as a protective cover for the three empires thatcked a soul formation expert. To protect themselves against rank 1 organizations, allying with one was the only way, and it came at a cost that they dly paid.
But even with the war ending, its effects still lived, more so to the ruling families of these empires whomitted all they could as they stood to gain much more if things went their way. After the war, one of the remaining two domain experts from the Song main branch sumbed to his injuries and died, leaving only one. The main branch had thought even with the losses they had suffered they had nothing to worry about because they had more domain experts in their branches, only for yearster for the branches to turn on them and seize the throne.
Thest surviving domain expert sacrificed his life and created an escape path for the main branch, even then not many escaped as it wasn''t only the side branches that turned on them but the other noble families within the Song dynasty did so too.
Luckily for them, the side branches were too busy trying to stabilize the situation in the Empire to go after them. The Empire was fragmented for a while as the Song side branches and the other major noble families all tried to get their hands on the throne and by default, ess to the grotto.
However, in the end, it was a dark horse in the name of the Deng family that stood over the rest when a one-in-a-million genius appeared among their descendants who tore through all opposition in just a decade with the Song family being the biggest step stone to his rise as he eviscerated them root and stem, which turned out to be a blessing for the main branch who were in hiding, always afraid of being pursued by the branch family.
Eventually, the members of the main branch split into different groups with one of the groups making its way to the barren hintends that were at the border of the Deer Mountain Range.
Chapter 757 Strain in relationship
Chapter 757 Strain in rtionship
??Even having fallen far from grace and already split into different groups, the Song family etching its survival on the hintends bordering the Deer Mountain Range to the north still had the reserves that one would expect of a former ruling n of a rank 2 empire. They had two pce realm experts in their midst, and a few treasures and trump cards that gave them enough bargaining power against the four families i.e. the Zhou family, the Chu Family, the Meng Family, and the Shi family.
The four families each had at least one pce realm expert with the Zhou family having three, counting the Zhang n''s founder, who was their retainer at the time. Despite having more cultivators than the Song family, the four chose to ally with them rather than try and dominate them, owing to the family''s capabilities.
While the report didn''t have the exact details of their cooperation and vaguely pointed toward it, other than the abilities the Song family showed,the reason the other families chose to ally with them likely had to do with them neighboring the Deer Mountain Range. The Song family likely knew more about the area than they did, and having someone familiar with it would prove beneficial when venturing into it.
When it came to the agreement from the Song family''s side, Yang Qing felt that they may still harbor thoughts of having a resurgence and reiming that which they lost, either by going back to the now Deng dynasty and taking the empire back or by building from scratch, using the Deer Mountain Range as their foundation.
There was no better ce than it as its riches matched those of rank 2 territories. If the Song family hoped to establish another Song dynasty then there was no better ce.
Yang Qing''s eyes glittered as a thought struck his mind.
"The n to conquer the range back then, was it the king''s design or did someone fuel that desire in him?" muttered Yang Qing, as he scanned the jade slip to locate the information during that time.
"Mmh, it could have been them.." said Yang Qing as he finished through the information.
The king back then had also been one of the talents of the golden era, being a well-established spear user, whose spear intent was rumored to puncture through even the sturdiest of defenses below the domain realm, like a hot knife through butter.
From the slip, it described him as someone gifted with both the pen and the spear. The kingdom grew by leaps and bounds under his care, and it wasn''t solely because numerous talents had appeared at the same time. He inspired all. The deep sense of togetherness, and patriotism that Yang Qing noticed when he was there had been forged by him as he bridged the gap between themoners and the aristocrats of the kingdom making all sides feel integral to the kingdom.
However strangely enough as inclusive as he was, the slip suggested he had distanced himself from the Zhang family. It wasn''t overly overt, but it was enough for those with keenness for such things to notice the difference in treatment he afforded them. The report didn''t contain the specifics of why they were treated that way, but it did mention that the king was in turn shown to be close with the Song family at the time who also had a genius in their midst skilled with formation arrays.
He was born with ster pathway physique that gave him a natural aptitude for the bnce of energy which became a huge advantage for him as a formation master and by association the repair of the twilight sanctuary array that borrowed the force of the cosmos to sustain itself. The physique was especially effective when sensing the movement of the stars, which had been one of the guiding forces of the twilight sanctuary array.
On paper, it seemed like the king had been close with the Song family because of the abilities of that formation master, but knowing what he knew now about the Song family, he wondered if the Song family had baited the rtionship to further their agendas, like let''s say a full-scale subjugation war at the range.
"They really hid themselves well, but at least I have one less suspect to focus on.." muttered Yang Qing.
The Song family was clearly ambitious and they hid their ambitions very well. That ambition was what made Yang Qing feel like they were less likely to be the culprits he was looking for. They were less likely to collude with an infamous organization like the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate and were even more unlikely to submit the kingdom to another all-out war with the rest of the range, not when the kingdom was in a weakened state.
Even though they may not hold much sentiment for the Kingdom as a whole and was nothing more than a tool to them, it was still an important tool to them, one that affected whether they reimed that which they lost or not. Yang very much had doubts if they would risk its decimation, or use some risky method like using the sacred graveyard torch as a lure. It was too risky, not unless they had a surefire way of handling the trouble that woulde from such an act, but if they did, they would have long used it to dominate the entire range and bring it under their control.
Having drawn his conclusions, Yang Qing went back to read about the remaining family, the Meng family. Their leader at the time was sworn brothers with the then n leader of the Zhou family. The two had bonded while exploring some ruin and ended up saving each other''s lives in the process, andter even betrothed their grandchildren to one another.
Though the two n leaders were close, the Meng family seemed to have joined the procession after the Zhou n made some promises to them along with parting with a few worthwhile treasures.
As Yang Qing continued to read through the report he had his guesses on what some of the promises may have touched on. The Meng family seemed like the ambitious sort, though cautiously ambitious, simr to the Song family. However, unlike the Song family, the Meng family didn''t have a deep background to support their ambitions, and could only use other means if they wanted to realize them, and Yang Qing guessed leveraging their help for a few promises from the Zhou family that had three pce realm experts was the best bet.
"It seems like none of these families were from the same ce, bar the Zhang family.." muttered Yang Qing as he finished up on the report of the six families.
The Shi family though they had businesses all over, their main grounds were in the territory of the Blue Sapphire Empire, which was a rank 2 empire rich in spirit gems and mines, along with natural spirit fire viens that lured countless alchemy-
based organizations toy their foundation there.
The Chu family on the other hand was located in the territory of the Diamond Body Sect, which bordered the Blue Sapphire Empire. The Shi family made a connection with them through the many dealings they had with the organizations located there.
As for the Meng family, it belonged to an uncharted zone called the Pce Valley. It was formerly a ce that housed a rank 2 n, which ended up offending someone they shouldn''t have, and had all their members ughtered to thest woman, man, and child as a consequence of it. It wasn''t only the n members that were destroyed in the process, as their entire n ground was destroyed to smithereens, turning it into a deste ce.
However, the rest of its territories were left untouched much to the joy of the countless organizations that paid tribute or were once surbodinate to that n. With no one to lord over them, they sought independence, and domination over each other, giving rise to the Pce Valley, a ce stacked with countless rank 3 organizations all trying to dominate the other of which the Meng family had been one of them, but decided to move when they created one too many enemies, and their survival at the area hanging on a thread.
Andstly, the Zhou family, who were prominent in the Plum Blossom kingdom, however, they ended up supporting the wrong prince for the throne which left them in a difficult position when the Emperor announced a different prince as his sessor. Realizing the predicament they had been in, they decided to n their exit fast, while they were still able to.
They had sufficient foundation to deter the crowned prince from acting against them, with the Emperor still there to keep him in check, but who knew when things would take a turn for the worse? Rather than wait for the inevitable de that was hanging above their heads to fall, they decided to cut their losses, leave the kingdom, and start over somewhere where they didn''t run the risk of being besieged and ughtered overnight, as a lesson to others.
That was how they set their sights on the Deer Mountain Range, though Yang Qing still wondered if they had already decided on the Deer Mountain Range, or was that something they decided after they had left the Plum Blossom Kingdom.
His working theory on the mysterious figure lurking within the kingdom may have known about the true picture of the range, hence their reason to reside there, which was why he suspected the mysterious figure to be from one of the founding families, being one of the earliest people to have stepped foot in that ce.
Yang Qing read through all the information on the Zhou family before he shook his head in doubt.
"It doesn''t seem likely that it was one of them. Maybe the king''s grandfather might know about how they came to decide on the Deer Mountain Kingdom. He was also alive during that battle back then, maybe he knows why the king from that time threw a cold shoulder to the Zhang family.
From what I''ve read about them, even after their founder was released from his service and allowed to start a family of his own, along with receiving a lot of support from the Zhou family, no matter how much their reputation grew, the Zhang family never stepped out of bounds, never showed any ambitions for the throne, through it all even if they were one of the most powerful families,I can''t help but feel like they still acted like the retainers to the Zhou family, which exins why they have so many martyrs ifpared against the other families.
Something may have happened back then..."
Chapter 758 Three days quickly pass by (1)
Chapter 758 Three days quickly pass by (1)
??"All that will have to wait until after I''ve left this ce..." Yang Qing muttered as he poured his concentration back on the slip.
Even though the founding families were his primary suspects, the small aristocratic families still had to be given due consideration. Who knows the mastermind might havee from there, keeping a low profile, hiding in in sight.
For the next few hours, Yang Qing learned everything and anything he could about them. He supplemented the information on the jade slip from what the Library had in stock which turned out to be pretty extensive.
By the time he was done, he knew as much about those families as a rival spy would. But no matter how much information he had gathered about them, he still wasn''t any closer to unmasking the identity of the culprit, which he had half expected from the start. Considering the mastermind was gutsy enough to remain even after the Order built their branch in the area, and still continue scheming with what they suggested to the Hua n and the rest, it showed the mastermind was confident they would not be found out.
All Yang Qing was hoping for was to luck out on a needle, but if he missed the needle the information provided would at least help him know about the haystack he was investigating.
The small aristocratic families that joinedter came as an invite of the six families, with some only choosing toe after they had made a solid footing, while others were settlers in different parts of the range. With the founding families establishing a foothold in the range, those families gravitated toward them. Their rationale was fairly understandable. In a ce filled with spirit beasts, humans would naturally converge towards those of their kind even if they knew next to little about one another.
That thought and the subsequent reaction was what became the foundation of the Deer Mountain Kingdom, with many of the human inhabitants of the range moving there when they heard of a ce that had powerful cultivators with a foothold already established and was weing of those willing to join them.
In a few short years, the embryonic form of the Deer Mountain Kingdom was established. Yang Qing read through the jade slips along with every other information regarding the kingdom but none of them mentioned how it is they came to choose their current location.
His suspicious side kept looking for anything that seemed to suggest they already knew about the ce beforehand, and not that they chose to settle in the area because it was one of the few areas in the range that powerful spirit beasts had notpletely imed. When he interacted with Gu Xing she had mentioned that Lady Gild avoided that location after discovering it contained the ruins of the Bi Xie Empire.
Yang Qing''s gaze inadvertently moved over to the two statues in the midst of mulling over his suspicions.
"If it wasn''t deliberate, and was just because it was the area with the least spirit beast presence, could those spirit beasts have avoided the area because of the presence of those statues?" murmured Yang Qing.
Though the statues were not the real thing, they still contained the aura and essence of a Tian Lu and Bi Xie. He had read ounts and even seen it first hand at the Blood charcuterie market town, how strong bloodline suppression was among spirit beasts. Even after a powerful spirit beast had left an area for years, as long as its aura lingered in the area, those weaker than it would be too petrified toe close to the area.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but think that maybe the same thing was happening with the statues.
"But none of that matters.." said Yang Qing as he shook his head in disappointment.
"None of the information I have seems to connect any one of them to that mysterious ck figure.."
The jade slip had a detailed record of the well-known cultivation arts of the noble families of the kingdom, it even went beyond just the noble families, as any notable figure known to have appeared in the kingdom whether they were associated with the noble families or not, their information was recorded in the information.
There had been a few talents that had appeared outside of the noble families who rose to prominence, which the slip highlighted, but none of them, or the noble families seemed to have any mentioned technique, special physique, or treasure that had the effects of breaking the mind and spirit of a cultivator by subjecting them to a harrowing torment of a stygian ocean filled with the wails of the dead like the lunar fury heron had described.
Yang Qing spent a few minutes trying to see if there was anything he had missed, and when he didn''t, he ultimately shelved the matter as he proceeded to another line of deductions which was to confirm that indeed the Deer Mountain Range and the kingdom were in the former territory of the Bi Xie Empire. What he was specifically interested in was the capital of the Bi Xie Empire,the capital of Deer Mountain Kingdom, andstly the capital of the White Mulberry Kingdom.
From the background done by Long Wan, he had mentioned that the Wang Patriarch established the capital of the Bi Xie empire in the first purification zone where he found the two statues.
Via the Xuanwu token on his shoulder, he asked for all maps associated with the three nations. He had not been too sure he would get one of the White Mulberry Kingdom considering it predated the existence of the Bi Xie Empire. Still, luckily, the Library seemed to have four maps, though they seemed to differ from one another in terms of scale and details. Still, the core details such as the capital was simr among the four along with some semnce of simrity in the outline of the entire territory of the White Mulberry Kingdom which was all Yang Qing wanted.
The BiXie Empire had about a dozen maps, which had little variation from one another. Yang Qing eventually settled on using just one after hepared them against each other. As for the map of the Deer Mountain Range, Yang Qing chose two variations, he chose the oldest copy and the newest, with both having the territory of the Deer Mountain Kingdom outlined.
After he had finished his selection he poured his qi into all the maps which turned them translucent and then he went for the map of the White Mulberry Kingdom and ced it at the bottom followed by the map of Bi Xie Empire, and finally at the top was the old version of the Deer Mountain Range.
Once the three maps ovepped each other, Yang Qing produced a small light that looked like a miniaturized gentle moon glow from the bottom of the pile which triggered a chain reaction from the map as it created well-defined features within the three maps, making it look like one, yet distinctively three at the same time.
Yang Qing moved the maps slightly till finally he found what he was looking for.
"They were one and the same.." he muttered with a shining glow in his eyes as he looked at the regional boundaries outlined on the maps that made it seem like the three maps were the same, with the one from the Deer Mountain Range looking like it had been chipped off from the other two.
Chapter 759 Three days quickly pass by (2)
Chapter 759 Three days quickly pass by (2)
The map of the White Mulberry Kingdom and the Bi Xie Empire ovepped with one another perfectly, while the one from the Deer Mountain Range, though it still bore a connecting resemnce to the two maps below it, looked more like a partial map of the other two with a few deformities here and there, but one could still see that its core framework was one and the same with the other two.
With his eyes fully trained on the map, Yang Qing soon located what he was looking for, which was where the three capitals were. A momentter, after he found them, and with that, his suspicions were confirmed.
Both the capital of the Bi Xie Empire and the Deer Mountain Kingdom were in the same spot, while the one from the White Mulberry Kingdom was further west from the two capitals.
Yang Qing''s eyes flickered with astonishment when he saw the location which prompted him to swap out the old version of the Deer Mountain Range with the newer one. After he did, he carefully aligned it with the two maps below it until the ovep was perfect.
Once it did, he froze on the spot with a deep look in his eyes before he let out a sigh with his index finger resting on the area where the capital of the White Mulberry Kingdom was located. The ce it ovepped with, with the current map of the Deer Mountain Range was a ce he was all too familiar with.
With another sigh, he took the drawing he had made earlier of the range and ced it on top of the three maps.
"The sacred graveyard torch.." he said as he drummed his finger across the drawing he had made of the area, which ovepped with the capital of the White Mulberry Kingdom.
"For them to go there, the chances are high that they are linked with someone from that period...
But what could they want with the ce? I didn''t sense any abnormality in the area, and I doubt if there was it could have escaped the senses of Gu Xing. Sacred me swans are much more sensitive to evil energies than most. She would not have settled there if there was anything remotely off with the location and neither would it have supported the formation of a sacred graveyard.
What could they want?" murmured Yang Qing as he bit his nails with furrowed brows.
A secondter his brows smoothened as his gaze rxed from the tense state it had been a few seconds before.
"Who would have expected the sacred graveyard to have been the capital of the White Mulberry Kingdom...It''s almost poetic.. thest vestige of the White Mulberry Kingdom, which also sounded the formation of the Bi Xie Empire after its copse ended up being the resting ground of the Spirit beasts of the Deer Mountain Range who wished to entrust their inheritance to the next generation.
I wonder if the sacred graveyard ended up appearing here because of what happened then? The white mulberry tree gave its life to save the Wang patriarch in the end, without its intervention there may not have been a Bi Xie Empire. The world is a strange ce full of unexpected coincidences.." said Yang Qing before a soft smile appeared on his face.
"Mao Mao would be over the moon for a story like this.." he said with a light chuckle as he pictured her big limpid ck eyes glittering with excitement at the story whose effects had spanned countless millennia. Stories like this were just her cup of tea.
Yang Qing had a feeling if he told her about the sacred graveyard, she would likely rush to the ce without hesitation to hear the ounts of all the vestige spirits of the spirit beasts that had been entombed there. The ce was home to countless spirits from different periods each with a story tell. The gossip monger that was Mao Yunru would be like a fish in water in that ce.
Yang Qing shook his head as he smiled as he decided once he left the library, he would do the right thing and sponsor her habit by informing her of the location. It was the least he could do, as a considerate friend who cared deeply about her, and her poor finances, what better way to help her than to give her an alternative fix for her gossip that was free of charge to boot? The only thing he needed was to get Gu Xing''s approval first.
"Gu Xing?!" Yang Qing muttered with a wide look on his face that made it seem like he had just seen a ghost.
"What if she tells her she wanted to be my daopanion? No, I can''t risk it... Mao Mao, I''m sorry you''ll have to remain in debt to the information brokers for now, at best I''ll just help you clear some of those debts.."
Exhaling like he had just escaped a ferocious killing array, Yang Qing moved on to the next part of his investigation which was on the physiques, techniques, cultivation arts, and organizations that had aspects that matched the characteristics described by the lunar fury heron.
After what he had read about the background of the Purgatory ck tiger cult, his primary suspects were the twelve beasts of cmity. He had tried to ess more information on them, but the brief information he got from the worn-out scroll was all the information he had ess to about them. He did not know if theck was because his clearance was still too low, or because genuinely the Order didn''t have any more information about them.
But he felt if such an infamous organization had existed, surely there would be some record, but then again, he had never heard of Bi Xie Empire, or the Sky Rendering Sword Sect which he felt more than likely had reached the ranks of a holynd or was close to one, but even with such achievements, Yang Qing had never heard about them, and he felt it wasn''t just them.
His cultivation art, the universal myriad worlds resonant light, if it wasn''t for the auspicious wood grove tree, he would have never known who created it, and when he did, it was a sect he had never heard of even a little. That art was a purple-grade art, and as its creators, they should have been in the history books in some form but they weren''t. It felt like a chunk of history from a certain period was missingpletely, which was strange in and of itself.
The more he knew, the more Yang Qing felt it wasn''t idental but deliberate, and the strong supporter of that idea was the library itself. Why put restrictions on its ess, in which you needed to reach a certain realm or achievements to gain ess to a particr floor, instead of allowing universal ess to all?
He may call the Order stingy, but even he had to admit the Order was never stingy with cultivation resources, which was why even as qi refinement cultivators they had ess to all graded techniques from orange all through to purple grade, as long as you had the mettle to cultivate it, they would let you have it, but when it came to the library, they were extremely strict about it, almost as if there was something there they couldn''t allow just anyone to know.
The judicial reviewmittee despite their abilities and connections, only managed to get him three days, but his ess was severely limited, and by their admission, that was the best case, and it only went through because the assistant director of the special inquisitors, along with the assistant director of the gold eagle guard had spoken up for him.
Yang Qing continuously felt like there was a veil around his eyes, hiding aspects of the world from him.
Yang Qing exhaled as he rxed his body while muttering,
"I can only take it a day at a time.."
Chapter 760 Three days quickly pass by (3)
Chapter 760 Three days quickly pass by (3)
??Clearing his mind off the countless doubts he had in his mind, Yang Qing decided to focus on the things he could, which at the present was to go through as much information as he could on the physiques, cultivation arts, artifacts, and natural treasures along with organizations that were well known for their abilities to subjugate and torment one''s mind and spirit, along with corrupting them.
Considering the subject matter, he knew he had his work cut out for him and two and a half days would likely not be enough for him to go through all of it, but he would try to get through as much as he could. Luckily the environment of the gold-grade floor would help with that with the countless treasures and arrays it was filled with to improve rity and concentration whilst also reducing mental fatigue.
With the effects he was feeling, if he wanted to, he could spend half a yearprehending the mostplex of cultivation techniques without fear of overexerting himself mentally.
Taking advantage of all the benefits afforded to him, Yang Qing poured himself into the investigation that he didn''t even realize how his allotted time quickly flew by. He only realized the two-and-a-half days were up when he sensed acute changes in his surroundings and by association his body too, as he could feel the speed with which he processed information, the spring-like breeze that enveloped his mind to keep him focused had dimmed significantly.
Sensing the changes, Yang Qing with a distracted and slightly confused look, finally looked up after two and a half days. He was startled at first when he noticed the scenery had changed. No overarching hills and mountains were filling the horizon or the dazzling auspicious energy that surrounded them, nor did the skies have the mythical creatures he had grown to revere.
What greeted him was the familiar scenery of countless rows of shelves filled with all manner of scrolls, books, and ball-shaped wards filled with colorful lights.
It took a few seconds before rity entered his eyes which was followed by a sigh as he said,
"Seems my time is up.."
With another sigh of regret, he looked up with a longing look in his eyes. Above him was a blue sky filled with countless shining stars. It looked no more different than the sky outside but in Yang Qing''s gaze, it was as if he could see through it, even if he couldn''t. Past that sky domey the brilliance of the gold-grade floor.
"I can''t help but feel I''ve been banished to the mortal world after experiencing the delights of the immortal realm. How long till I can go back there?" he said with another sigh of exasperation as he took another nce around him.
He was on the low-tier blue grade floor which by all ounts deserved its fame as a blue grade floor. The spiritual qi was as dense as that of a lesser dragon spirit vein, the arrays were all in the top tier of the blue grade, and the treasures were all phenomenal and would incite even greed from an early-stage domain expert.
It was a good ce to cultivate andprehend the dao easily, it was even better than the judge''s chambers, or the cultivation abodes of those in the pce realm. Even with the impressive attributes that could be found in the nest of the celestial nesting weaver, it still fell short of the environment provided on this floor and it was understandable why when one looked at the materials that were used to build the library. The shelves were made of sage sandstone, the floor was made of heaven-
blossoming jade stones with pieces of azure serenity crystals and mindless pathway baster.
Except for the sage sandstone, all the others were at the absolute peak of monarch-grade materials. In contrast, the sage sandstone was an ascendant-grade material that was meant to preserve the origin essence of the things stored within the shelves. And those were just the base materials, without taking into ount all the other things the Order had done to the ce.
Yang Qing would get ecstatic and overwhelmed every time he stepped onto the floor, and during his leave, half of his allotted time he would spend here. It was the one ce that he could genuinely say could make him forego eating, and he would not regret it, but now, after experiencing the grandeur of the low-
tier gold floor, the ce had dimmed a bit losing the enchanting hold it had over him, which left him feeling out of sorts.
Yang Qing stewed in silence, with a little bit of sorrow welling up inside of him.
"Well yed.." he said with a defeated smile as he looked over the scrolls, jade slips, and other pieces of information that were left over after he had been evicted from the low-tier gold-
grade floor.
The information that remained behind were those his current privilege covered and allowed him ess to.
"I might as well.." Yang Qing said with a look thatcked excitement and just seemed he was going with the motions. After half an hour, he was done with the materials returning to their respective ces after he willed it via his library token which no longer bore the look of a xuanwu but had switched to its original form, which was just a ck scale. Another reminder that he was no longer on the gold-tier floors.
However, he didn''t have too long to brood over his loss as his look turned serious as he recalled the things he had read over those two days. Ever since he became a judge, he had seen the darkness of the world and in some sense, he had thought he had seen and heard it all, but now, he couldn''t help but feel what he saw and knew was nothing but the tip of an otherwise monstrously dark iceberg, and his read for the past few days, illuminated him slightly of how truly terrifying the continent he called home, was.
Chapter 761 What are your thoughts
Chapter 761 What are your thoughts
??After what he had read these past two days, some part of him wished he didn''t. It wasn''t that the things he read were graphic but the little they did reveal left a lot of room for guided imagination, and what it revealed was enough for Yang Qing to be thankful he was born in this era and not then.
The physiques were terrifying, the cultivation arts were terrifying, the artifacts were terrifying, the natural treasures were terrifying, the spirit beasts were terrifying, the spiritual nts were terrifying, and the sects, ns, and other organizations were terrifying.
He already expected that anything associated with an attribute that can submerge someone into an ocean filled with the tormented wails of the dead that continually corrupts and breaks the spirit of the one trapped in there was not going to be anything pretty, but he had underestimated how bad it could get.
The information he had managed to read through in those two days was but a tiny portion of what was stored in the library, but even that tiny portion had left him apprehensive. He still hadn''t narrowed down anything that could tie to the mysterious figure from the range, but out of the session a newfound fear grew in him as he wondered what if all the things he read about the physiques, the cultivation arts, artifacts, and sects, ns and the like, what if they had inheritors who survived to the present.
The majority of everything he read entailed things he knew next to nothing about, so it stood to reason that whoever or whatever they were about did not survive to the current era, however, some part of him couldn''t help but worry what if they survived, if they did, they could plunge the world into a horrifying darkness that made him shudder at the mere thought of it.
For example, when it came to physiques, though they were all equally horrifying there was one that stood out to him which belonged to an elder called Zhang Fei. He had been an elder of a reputable sect called the Azure Sword Sky Sect.
Yang Qing knew nothing about the sect, from which era it was, or how powerful it was. What he did know was constrained to the elder''s physique. Zhang Fei had a physique called the eldritch woe nexus physique and if what was written on the jade slip was to be believed, with just his physique alone, he destroyed an entire n by himself. Said n was said to have the bloodline of a phoenix coursing through them. The n was also known to have breathtaking beauties owing to their phoenix bloodline and Zhang Fei had grown infatuated with one of them, however, he was rejected by her, which he epted.
But he spiraled into anger when thedy who had rejected him ended up marrying whom he judged to be inferior to him and in that fury, he revealed his physique which the report suggested he had hidden even against his sect. He ughtered thatdy and her daopanion in the most gruesome manner which drew ire and retaliation from that n. His sect rather than go to war with them, opted topromise with the n and sacrifice Zhang Fei. But things didn''t end as either expected. He ughtered his entire sect first before he finished with the n with the Phoenix bloodline.
In both ces, one could see unspeakable horrors that made it seem like the abyss had descended in the area. The souls of his sect and that n were twisted into ythings of the Eldricht horrors that had invaded the area, with their tormented screams echoing all around. Those regions turned into forbidden regions as those wails were capable of breaking the souls of domain experts.
The jade slip didn''t mention what happened to Zhang Wei after, Yang Qing could only assume he met his end at the hands of some formidable expert, or he was ganged on and destroyed, or the phoenix associated with that n he massacred delivered its retribution on him. His end was uncertain, but his strength wasn''t.
Even if there was little information provided about the Azure Sword Sky Sword Sect or the n with the phoenix bloodline, by virtue of having a phoenix bloodline, Yang Qing felt that n must have been pretty powerful. Fang Wen had a smidge of taotie bloodline and it gave her terrifying abilities, then it stood to reason that the n with the phoenix bloodline at the very least had people that were as capable as Fang Wen, and if there were, the fact that Zhang Wei singlehandedly destroyed and tormented them, spoke of his terrifying abilities.
Worse was, in those two days, he had read of terrifying figures and objects that were just as terrifying as Zhang Wei if not more, like the dark eclipse soul de, a de created by the surviving members of a cksmithing n for vengeance.
When the de waspleted, it swallowed their life force and any living being within a 1,000-kilometer radius of it. It corrupted and consumed every cultivator who has ever owned it, though it was more apt to say, the de was the one who wielded the cultivators instead of the other way round as it used them as furnaces to strengthen itself before finally it found its way into the hands of an infamous soul formation expert known for his bloodthirsty nature.
The de and the soul formation expert tried to consume each other, and a monstrous hybrid of the two was created. The duo ughtered their way through the for almost a thousand years before they were finally destroyed. During that period the number they had ughtered had reached millions, with a couple of those victims being soul formation experts.
Then there was the shadow soul forge dahlia, a flower that would cause all who gaze on it to have their souls forcibly removed from their bodies and absorbed by the flowers and subjected to unspeakable torment when absorbed as the dahlia strengthened itself using the negative energy produced. The dahlia ended up being an infamous viin called the Dark Empress who had consumed countless soul formation experts, and sacred beasts in her wake.
In those two days, he got a clear look at how truly harrowing the world he lived in was, who knew how many dahlias, cursed des, destructive physiques, and shadowy organizations were lurking in the dark?
He couldn''t help but be reminded of Gu Xing''s words of a dark undercurrent brewing. He wondered if it was because of what was in Deer Mountain Range, or it touched on the southern continent as a whole. Feeling stifled by the thought, Yang Qing left the library, heading to the Thousand vors restaurant hoping it would lift his spirit,pletely unaware that two figures, one old, one very young, had been secretly monitoring him ever since he stepped onto the gold floor.
"What do you think?"
"I think he handled it well.."
"I still feel it was too soon.."
"It can''t be helped with the way things are moving, besides, it was his fate to tread upon those waters this early. At the end of the day, it would still have happened, whether today or when he unlocked his sanctum.."
"I know, I just feel guilty leaving of them having to carry something that was ours in the first ce.."
"Me too, but it can''t be helped, the continent needs it.."
"I know.. See you, En Sang.."
"Take care, Lai Ning.."
Chapter 762 Listening to an old friend
Chapter 762 Listening to an old friend
??On his way to the Thousand vors Restaurant, Yang Qing''s mind unlike the usual where he would be wholesomely absorbed in what he would be eating, was focused on something else entirely, which was out of the norm for him. Even after leaving the library, he couldn''t escape the contents he had consumed while he was there. Every thought he had was held captive by the strings of information and revtion he got from there.
He was not any closer to the thread that shined a light on the mastermind of the sacred graveyard scheme, and in fact he felt he had more questions than answers, and in certain aspects, he felt less sure of himself than he was at the beginning, owing to the information he was exposed to.
He still didn''t have definite motives of that mastermind and what they were truly after, though he still believed a massacre was a key goal for them, but to what end, he had no idea. He still wasn''t sure if the ghosts of the White Mulberry Kingdom were hunting the present or if he was reading too much into it.
But despite how many unanswered questions he had, at least, he did confirm a few things here and there, which though inconsequential at the moment, were still important as they parted the fog on some things albeit slightly. One of those things was confirming the entirety of the Deer Mountain Range had indeed been part of a prosperous Empire known to have soul formation experts and said Empire rivaled even the likes of the present-day Jade Leaf Empire.
Knowing the Deer Mountain Range was formerly the Bi Xie Empire may not help much at the moment but in terms of guiding motives for the mastermind, Yang Qing felt he at least had different avenues to work on as to their goals. Knowing the ce was the territory of a rank 1 Empire famed for its prosperity in its heyday gave him a lot of thread to follow.
"Blessings in misfortune.." muttered Yang Qing with aplicated look shing in his eyes as he felt some guilt for the thought he had.
As a result of the attack Hao Da and the rest suffered at the hands of the obsidian serpents and the deacons of the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate, the Order was prompted to do an expansive survey of the entire range as a result of it, and with it, they discovered so many things. It was no longer a half-filled canvas. They knew every nook and cranny of it, probably even better than the Deer Mountain Kingdom itself, and with the array beingid out, they would know even more, asying out arrays, especially one thatrge needed as many details as possible for it to function smoothly.
If the mastermind''s n had something to do with what was in that range, sooner orter they would be able to find what it was, and with some luck maybe even catch them in the act. Yang Qing could only hope.
The matter concerning the mastermind aside, the Yang Qing that went into the library and the one that came out were different. Wisdom and knowledge change what you see, and what he read inevitably changed what he saw around him. He felt a heaviness within him which was also tranted to around him.
Beneath the calmness he saw around, he could sense a storm within it, hiding countless eras'' worth of secrets, but every time he tried to peer through it, he was denied entry, along with a cmitous aura that threatened to drown him. With every step he took, his heart would beat faster like a guillotine was hanging above him, and his steps felt heavier.
Sensing the changes happening within him, Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile bitterly. He knew exactly what he was feeling, and it was a feeling he had grown intimately familiar with during his childhood. A constantpanion that held his hand in his darkest moments and spurred him on to keep trying, to keep digging in and improving, in the hopes that at the end of the liney a better life. Even after he grew up, thepanion never left him, though its presence reduced a little its effect on Yang Qing still persisted, a kind sage continually whispering rity into a young junior so he doesn''t stray. His achievements to date were in part thanks to its consistent efforts.
"Thank you, old friend.." Yang Qing whispered as he brought his left palm over his racing heart, the voice through which his old friend, fear, spoke.
From the moment he stepped out of the library, his old friend, whose voice had gotten fainter over the years, was now speaking louder and clearer than before, and Yang Qing would do as he always did whenever it spoke, which was listen obediently and act.
Long-lost powerful organizations like the Bi Xie Empire and the Sky Rendering Sword Sect whose ends were unknown, terrifying organizations like the 12 Beasts of cmity, physiques that could summon eldritch horrors, dahlias that consumed soul formation experts like appetizers.. He did not know how many specters of the past still affected the present, and what he had learned about them, more than unnerved him, it downright petrified him. But he lived in this world now, and just like how he survived his crazy n, he would do his damnest to survive this crazy world too.
If those ghosts came, he had to ensure he terrified them as much they terrified him, he was vindictive that way, and if he couldn''t, he would at the very least ensure he was strong enough to take a swing and outrun them till he was strong enough to bury them.
"Luckily I am in the best hiding ce.." thought Yang Qing, before his smile slowly turned worried.
Before today, he thought it was indomitable, but who knows how many cmities it could shelter him from. For a long time, he felt the urgency of wanting to improve his abilities, but no matter how urgent it was, he still had to live, life was for the living, pursuing strength just for the sake of pursuing strength was hardly a life.
Still haunted, he made his way to the Thousand vors Restaurant, even if the earth copsed, and the skies fell, he wasn''t about to miss a meal.
Chapter 763 Knowing one’s enemy
Chapter 763 Knowing one''s enemy
It was a little after sunset and the Thousand vors Restaurant was bustling with activity as always. By the time Yang Qing arrived, almost all the tables were taken, his favorite spot notwithstanding. There were a few young outer core court judges who had already made themselvesfortable at the table as they enthusiastically exchangedughs and conversation over an array of vorful dishes and wine.
"Maybe I should just have it to go. Dai, Qingge, and Huifeng are not here too.." Yang Qing thought to himself as he surveyed the floor for any familiar figures.
The Thousands vor Restaurant had four floors, but Yang Qing, Dai Chen, and their group of judges had made it a habit to eat on the ground floor since their days as students, which was mostly at Yang Qing''s insistence as he liked to see the kitchen and be drowned in the tantalizing aromas of the dishes, and when they struck a deep friendship with Jiang Fu, it made sense for them to continue sitting in the ground floor which was adjacent to the kitchen to make it easier to have conversations with him during his breaks.
It, therefore, became a habit for them to always eat on the ground floor, and if there wasn''t space, they''d take the dishes and eat in their abodes, or visit each other''s abodes and have the meals there. Yang Qing on not seeing them made his way to the counter to make his order and leave for his abode.
Some part of him was even d that the seats were all full and Dai Chen and the rest were missing as it gave him an excuse to head straight for his abode. He was antsy about going back to his abode. He had spent almost an entire month without stepping a foot in there which was the longest he had ever spent away from his abode if he didn''t count the time he was at the tribtion mountain.
There was a longing within him to head back like that of a bird returning to its nest, and some part of him was afraid the celestial nesting weaver would get rebellious ideas with his longstanding absence.
Thest time he was away for his breakthrough to the pce realm when he came back, he had found the celestial nesting weaver had messed with the protective arrays and locked him out of his abode, and when he finally got in, he found signs of his treasure vault being tampered with and a few treasures missing which the greedy celestial nesting imed to have no clue who took them,ying the me on Ellie. While Ellie was a thieving bird herself, she never had any interest in things outside of food, she cared little for natural treasures if they were not in food form, the only one who did was the celestial nesting weaver that had the appetite that would put even the greediest dragon to shame.
Luckily for Yang Qing, he had known the celestial nesting weaver ever since it was a chick, and even as a freshly hatched chick, the first thing it did was try to rob him of his spiritual ring and it has continued that habit growing it in sophistication. Yang Qing did try to beat it up back then to straighten it up but even as a young chick, its puffy feathers were sturdy even against the attacks of a core formation expert, and then its talents as a mythical creature came to bear, and in two years it reached the pce realm, and after growing around Yang Qing there was one thing it learned from him, how to be vindictive, and repaying it with interest.
Yang Qing suffered a few righteous beatings for some time before hepromised with the bird and he only stopped when he could hold his own and force a bitter draw with the bird. Realizing its unhinged greedy nature, he created dummy treasure vaults all around his courtyard, losing countless spirit stones and merit stones in the process all to hide his true vault. He wasn''t sure how long it would be before it finally sniffed out his true vault and took him for all his worth, and knowing it, it would definitely gloat after, even at the risk of a beating.
He could not afford to leave it alone unsupervised for long periods of time, Yang Qing had already noticed signs of tampering in some of his vaults, and knowing how devious the bird was, maybe it had left those signs intentionally to lull him into a false sense of security that it had not found the true vault. If Yang Qing were in its shoes, that was what he would have done, and if he thought about it, he was sure that the thieving bird thought about it too.
Who knew how much inroads it had made during the period he was at the Deer Mountain Range?
With a sense of urgency, Yang Qing quickly asked what was readily avable, and ordered a few dishes of what was avable, hastily making the payments immediately after. With all the dishes stored instantly stored in his storage ring, Yang Qing exited the restaurant only to stumble upon two familiar figures once he was outside the restaurant.
"Dai, Qingge.." Yang Qing excitedly said when he saw them.
"Qing.. Where have you been? We heard you were back and had gone to see you at your abode, but Ma Yuan told us you hadn''t been there in a few days...Where were you? How was the range?" asked Dai Chen with a cheery smile.
"Nice to see you''re okay, Qing.." Zhang Qingge softly said her voice almost disappearing in the end when she noticed a few cultivators staring at her which triggered her shy reflexes.
"How about we take this to my abode?" Yang Qing suggested when he saw Zhang Qingge slowly clench her fist with a mixed look of slightly flustered and slightly enraged with the source of her change being three cultivators who looked to havee from the same sect, staringsciviously at her. They thought they had hidden it well, but Zhang Qingge was highly sensitive to those looks even when done a few hundred meters away she would still be able to pinpoint it, and if it continued... well she was not called the berserker for nothing or the damages princess.
To save Zhang Qingge from having to pay more fines for having pummelled a few cultivators half to death, deservedly so, Yang Qing and Dai Chen nodded to each other as they hurriedly grabbed Zhang Qingge by her arms and sped from the location.
Chapter 764 Ma Yuan’s pillars
Chapter 764 Ma Yuan''s pirs
"I can''t believe this is still the same ce.." said Zhang Qingge as she looked around her.
"Will you put me down now.." she added in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Sorry.." simultaneously answered Dai Chen and Yang Qing with awkward smiles as they put Zhang Qingge gently down.
"I wonder if Ma Yuan can do the same thing in my ce.." Zhang Qingge said with an envious sigh as she saw the lushness and beauty of thendscape in Yang Qing''spound.
When she and Dai Chen visited a few days ago, they were just as surprised as Yang Qing was when he firstid his eyes on the work Ma Yuan had done to the ce, and one could argue it was even more so for Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge who unlike Yang Qing did not have prior knowledge that Ma Yuan would be working on thepound.
"I could ask him for you. I am sure he would not mind and would be excited at the prospect even.." said Yang Qing.
"Really?!" Zhang Qingge said with an excited expression before she quickly deted a momentter.
"But I don''t have the funds.." she added in a low tone as she lowered her head in shame.
Yang Qing and?Dai Chen couldn''t help but exchange nces as they struggled to hold back theirughs.
Yang Qing looked at Dai Chen with a gaze that seemed to be asking,
"Was she fined again?"
While Dai Chen with an equally responsive gaze answered back,
"A couple of times.."
Yang Qing smiling said,
"You don''t have to worry about the funds Qingge, besides I don''t think Ma Yuan would agree to be paid for his work. I tried to, but he outrightly refused. Just provide him with the general idea of how you''d like your ce to look like, a couple of seedlings and resources for your garden, and leave the rest to him..."
Yang Qing paused as he turned his gaze toward Ma Yuan who was not alone. His daughter Ma Ling was with him which left him too preupied to even notice their presence. He was excitedly walking Ma Ling around the garden showing her the different kinds of flowers, colorful spiritual nts, and the dazzling insects that were buzzing around.
Although he was slightly nervous as he showed her around, Yang Qing could tell he was more at ease with her here than he was at the Coalescing tranquility rivers of healing pavilion. He seemed freer here than there, and that atmosphere seemed to have affected Ma Ling who seemed slightly less distant than she was whenever he visited her.
Even though she wasn''t speaking a lot whenever Ma Yuan was introducing the different nts, their effects, and how to properly nurture them while encouraging her to ask questions if she had any, even with her words being less, she was engaging with him much more freely, and it was evident to anyone who could see that learning about the nts seemed to excite her, in the same manner, Ma Yuan was excitedly talking about them.
Even with her memory loss, it couldn''t be denied they were father and daughter. Ma Yuan a couple of times had to restrain his hands from reaching over to Ma Ling and cuddling her as he did when she was small. It was hard, but when he saw her unconcealed smile and interest as she looked at the nts with the same enthusiasm that she did whenever they were on the farm together as a child, his hands rxed as he smiled dotingly with gratitude in his eyes for what he had now.
"For him, he has two pirs that keep him going to try and live, his daughter, and being a spiritual herb farmer, with thetter being the one constant that survived the seven-year hell he has been through. Asking him to work at your ce is the best payment you can give him.." Yang Qing gently said.
"Mmh.." Zhang Qingge nodded as her sympathetic gaze fell on the two.
"She seems to be improving.." added Dai Chen.
"It''s only to be expected since Tang Wen is the one handling her treatment.." answered Yang Qing as he made his way to where Ma Yuan and Ma Ling were.
Ma Yuan on sensing Yang Qing''s presence, hurriedly turned around as he excitedly,
"Ma... i mean Yang Qing!!" Ma Yuan stopped himself from calling Master Yang Qing, with Yang Qing insisting on being called just Yang Qing.
"Ma Yuan, Ma Ling, how are you both? Seems you have made more improvements.." Yang Qing said with a smile as his gaze fell on the twilight sky locust sapling that Ma Yuan had been working tirelessly to prepare for nting. It was still a sapling reaching his calves, but with his sensitivity to the aura of life, Yang Qing could feel the vibrant life force growing within it, and the sensory messages it released revealing how content and satisfied it was.
Even those without the same attunement as Yang Qing toward nature could tell the twilight sky locust tree was as healthy as it could be with the dark blue leaves that twinkled with golden dots that made the leaves seem like it was the colorful sky above during night time colored with stars. Yang Qing could even feel one of its inherent qualities bubbling forth, which was promoting rxation of the mind to those close to it, though because of its growth stage, it was restricted to within spitting distance of it. Even so, the fact that it exhibited such a quality in the early stages of its development was a testament to Ma Yuan''s skills and tireless efforts toward nurturing it.
Ma Yuan smiled bashfully as he scratched the back of his head as he replied,
"It''s only because of the nature of this ce. In all my life I have never seen an area whose everyponent is this perfectly suited to the multitudinous growth of spiritual nts even including those with contrasting attributes to one another.
This ce seems to universally support them all and even removes the need for using special solutions and materials to promote their growth. I doubt I''d be able to replicate what I''ve done here in another ce with the same ease...."
"Don''t sell yourself short Ma Yuan. It still takes considerable effort and vision to bring out the results you have brought forth in this ce. Isn''t that right, Ma Ling.." Yang Qing said with a smile trying to show Ma Yuan up.
Ma Yuan''s demeanor instantly turned anxious and anticipatory as his gaze fell on his daughter who was slightly startled by Yang Qing''s sudden question.
After a slight hesitation, while lowering her head, she answered,
"Mmh, it''s beautiful.."
Chapter 765 Change in sight
Chapter 765 Change in sight
??Ma Yuan couldn''t hide the joy on his face when he heard Ma Ling''s response as he grinned ear to ear, with the rims of his eyes reddening with emotion.
Yang Qing went ahead and introduced Ma Yuan and Ma Ling to Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge.
"Ma Yuan, if you have the time, would you mind helping my friend Qingge with her ce? You can even bring Ma Ling there to help you with it if you want. It''s not a problem, is it, Qingge?"
"Mmh, it''s not.." answered Zhang Qingge mumbling her words in a low tone when she became the center of attention.
"So pretty.." Ma Ling absentmindedly muttered before she heard herself talk and couldn''t help but yelp when she realized she had spoken her thoughts out loud.
"S.s.sorrry.." she meekly said as she cast a furtive nce at Zhang Qingge. She couldn''t help but heave a sigh of relief when she saw her smiling.
As shy as Zhang Qingge was toward receiving attention, she only reacted excessively to attention that was directed with impure motives, however, when the reaction was simr to the one Ma Ling had, she warmed up to it and even grew slightly confident when the person was more flustered than she was. It usually gave her an odd sense offort, and little by little she gets used to them.
"Treat her like you would your daughter, Ma Yuan. Don''t be as stiff. Even if she is a pce realm expert, you are her senior several times over, me too, and she bes ufortable when people older than her treat her like a senior.."
Yang Qing used the little interlude to telepathically transmit his thoughts to Ma Yuan on how he should act around Zhang Qingge in case he epted the job.
Ma Yuan covertly nodded understandingly to him as he turned to face Zhang Qingge.
"If you don''t find it beneath you, I would be happy to work on your abode, just like I did here. Though I am not sure I can replicate it, but I will try my best.."
"No, no, it is I who should be thanking you, after all..." Zhang Qingge''s voice went lower as she mumbled ..after all, I won''t be able to pay you.
Ma Yuan couldn''t help but smile slightly as he watched her reaction which reminded him of the face Ma Ling made whenever she wanted to join him on his expeditions to dangerous areas when he was looking for specific herbs and resources for his garden. She always wore a simr look to the one Zhang Qingge was wearing at the moment, which was a mixture of guilt and hope.
Something seemed to have shifted within as his gaze turned warmer when he looked at Yang Qing, Zhang Qingge, Dai Chen, and then Ma Ling. Their high cultivation bases had led him to overlook their ages. He had already lived close to 400 years, even if the three added their ages together, it would not reach a quarter of the years he had spent walking the.
In a certain aspect, they were no different than his daughter. Once his thoughts reached there, he could feel the pressure he had imposed on himself because of their cultivation wither away, reced by a warm feeling of endearment that a grandfather would feel whenever they would see their grandkids growing.
The fact that three were pce realm cultivators wasn''t lost on him and he still held reverence for what they had achieved, seeing them for who they were made him less reserved and stiff around them.
Yang Qing smiled as he noticed the change in him, Dai Chen nodded with a smile, while Zhang Qingge slowly maintained her eye contact with him, her shyness slowly receding. With her nervousness reduced she was able to n the schedule with Ma Yuan, with Dai Chen deciding to request his services too, but unlike Yang Qing and Zhang Qingge, his was not aplete transformation of his abode, he just needed help with growing a few fruits, which came not as a surprise to Yang Qing or Zhang Qingge that the fruit trees he requested were known for their wine brewing qualities.
After they were done, Yang Qing took out a few dishes from his storage ring which he left with Ma Yuan to share with his daughter. He would have liked for all of them to share the meal together, but Ma Yuan needed the time with his daughter which was easier done when there was less of a crowd. Nodding appreciatively toward Yang Qing, Ma Yuan continued the grand tour with Ma Ling, while Yang Qing and the rest headed to the back of his courtyard.
"So where have you been?" asked Dai Chen as he arranged a few of the futons moving them closer to a fire pit, where he briskly started a fire with a snap of his finger.
Yang Qing removed the dishes he had ordered from the restaurant, along with a wine jar that he was hesitant about producing, warily ncing at Dai Chen, before finally shrugging his shoulders, as if to say, "Whatever happens happens.."
Dai Chen couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows as he looked curiously at the wine jar, alternating a questioning gaze between the jar and Yang Qing on noticing his strange reaction. Zhang Qingge had already started nibbling on some of the dishes with a gleeful expression.
Yang Qing pulled a futon next to the fire Dai Chen had started, he picked up a branch that was lying next to him and poked the fire creating sparks that floated above the colorful azure me.
"I was at the library..." Yang Qing said with a heavy tone, which prompted his twopanions to look at him with incredulous gazes as his reaction waspletely opposite to how he usually was like whenever he left the library.
"I was on the low-tier gold floor.." Yang Qing added after a pause.
"Dai, Qingge, have you ever felt that the world is hiding something from you? Some massive secret that only a select few no, while the rest live either oblivious of its existence, or just go off the nagging feeling that something is not right here..''
Chapter 766 Discussion by the flames
Chapter 766 Discussion by the mes
??Yang Qing poked at the mes once more but instead of sparks being produced from it, a part of the me split off and transformed into a blue veil that covered the mes.
"I wonder how long it would have taken me to realize there was a veil there. If the reviewmittee had not allowed me ess to the gold floor, would have I remained oblivious?" muttered Yang Qing as he threw the stick he was prodding with, into the me. The blue veil that had been covering the mes, receded like a curtain as the stick was burning away.
"What happened?" asked Dai Chen.
"A lot... Where do I begin? What happened to Hao Da and the rest is as good as any.." said Yang Qing with a sigh.
He went on to describe the events that happened as he was investigating the case, from his conversation with the obsidian couple and the resulting revtion that their daughter had refined the treasure bone belonging to a flood dragon given to her by the fire adler bear, the foundation circle created thereafter by a former upant of the range, an eclipsed spirit weaving fox named Jiang Xiang who was purported to be a worker for the White Rose Pavilion which he still needed to confirm his existence with the Shadow Hawks.
From there he moved on to the case that led him to the sacred graveyard torch where he met Gu Xing and the discoveries he made there, along with his doubts about the mastermind being someone from the Deer Mountain Kingdom. He went on to the things he discovered in his three-day period at the library such as the history of the Deer Mountain Range and its history dating back to the Bi Xie Empire and before that, the White Mulberry and its feud with the Purgatory ck tiger cult, while touching heavily on their rumored background as being part of the 12 Beasts of cmity, before finishing it off with the terrifying stories he discovered as he was searching for ounts of simrity to the characteristics shown by the figure who had sent both the sacred me swan, and the lunar fury heron on edge, and now Yang Qing.
"That''s quite the mess you stumbled onto, Qing.." Dai Chen said with a sigh.
"I know..."
"If the perpetrator is in the kingdom, with someone from the spirit council there, and a few domain experts, it should have effectively put a stop to whatever they were nning. With their presence, the culprit is unlikely to try anything for the time being.
It''s one thing for them to pull schemes with just members of the branch there, and it''s another to try it with the lineup presently there.
Considering how well they have been hiding, I highly doubt they would try anything but then again, they were trying to trigger a spirit beast tide immediately after the attack on Hao Da and the rest, maybe they''re desperate?" said Dai Chen.
Zhang Qingge who had been silent suddenly spoke,
"But what would they want with the kingdom? If it is lives they are after, isn''t it easier to just cause a massacre somewhere that doesn''t have our branch? With how tumultuous things are, it''s easier to try it somece else, not unless there is a reason it just has to be the range.."
"That is what I was thinking, maybe it has less even to do with the White Mulberry Kingdom and more to do with the Bi Xie Empire or those two statues.." said Yang Qing as his eyes reflected the wavy mes.
"You didn''t detect anything off about them?" asked Dai Chen.
"No, they seemed like your normal statues, about the only thing unique about them was their durability, other than that, there was nothing that stood out. Even if they were beyond my abilities to sense anything, surely senior Ye Xun of the gold guards would have detected something about them, but she did not.. and.." Yang Qing paused as he took out two papers and rapidly drew two different maps on them.
"This map here is for the Bi Xie Empire and this one is for the Deer Mountain Range.." Yang Qing said as he used both his hands to point toward the maps.
His left hand was pointed at the Bi Xie Empire map, while the one on the right was pointed at the map of the Deer Mountain Range.
"Without even looking closely you can notice the resemnce between the two maps, but the Deer Mountain Range looks like a fragmented part of the Bi Xie. Landscapes change over time.. considering how long ago the Bi Xie empire existed, a transformation to its original makeup is expected, but not this way, this level of fragmentation looks like it was struck by a disaster that forcibly altered it.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to parts of the map of the Deer Mountain Range.
"The range seems to have been at the core parts of the Empire, it should not have changed this drastically. The borders, yes, but the center, no... They must have met with an unspeakable disaster for it to end up this way... whatever it was, it was powerful to turn an empire that was on par with the Jade Leaf Empire into this..and as for the statues, I think they bore the brunt of it, which is why the range is rtively intact inparison to the other parts that were part of the empire.
But protecting against whatever befell them must havee at a price which is why neither I nor senior Ye Xun couldn''t detect anythinging from them. Right now they should be nothing more than empty shells...
If it wasn''t for me going there, I would have never known that such an illustrious empire existed, but now even knowing about it, I''m still as clueless about it as I was before.."
"So that''s what you meant.." Dai Chen said with a sigh.
"You''re not alone, over the years I felt the same thing.. our history seems intentionally fragmented. I''ve found a few ruin pieces here and there, evidence of certain organizations, but whenever I tried to dig up more about them, it''s like they never existed.
Though it''s not all of them, for the weaker ones I found the information rtively easy, but for the strong ones, I could not find anything no matter how much I tried..."
Chapter 767 Network and rehabilitation (1)
Chapter 767 Network and rehabilitation (1)
"It is the same with me.." said Zhang Qingge.
"Some of the cultivation arts I practice like the seismic quaker fist...I know it is not something the Order created based on the spiritual imprint contained within it. The fist art was created by a sect called the Hidden Waves Sect, but other than its name I know next to nothing about it, and when I tried to dig for information about it, I found nothing, i even went to the extent of asking the Instructors, but none of them had anything to say about it and just told me to focus on mastering the art, not its history.
Based on their attitude, they seemed to know something.." she added.
"Dai, have you ever gotten any memories of the past from your Hou bloodline?" asked Yang Qing.
For spirit beasts when they reach the domain realm, they can ingrain their insights and umtions in their bloodline which can be passed down to their offspring. One could consider this one of the ways they pass down their inheritance and legacies.
The more powerful spirit beast can even pass down memories of their timeline going back hundreds of thousands of years, which its progeny as long as they have high enough talent and a high concentration of its bloodline, can ess. Yang Qing thought if normal spirit beasts could achieve that, then it should be a simple matter for mythical creatures.
Dai Chen had the Hou bloodline. The Hou could be considered a dragon of some sort, a dragon that was touted to control the mandate of the heavens. He hoped that maybe Dai Chen had gained ess to some memories of a bygone era from his Hou bloodline.
Dai Chen smiling wryly, answered,
"You know very well how thin my bloodline is, even thin is an overstatement. The Hou abilities I''m able to draw out, it''s only because of the four cardinal star gates cultivation art that was fashioned after its abilities. Without it, I doubt I''d be able to use the Hou bloodline techniques, and even then it''s not the real thing.
I don''t think my abilities are inferior to the real thing but ultimately the results I have is because of myprehension rather than the bloodline itself. With how thin it is, I''m no different than not having it.
I''m sorry Qing, my Hou bloodline would not be able to help us here.."
"I know.." Yang Qing said with a sigh as he had expected as much and was just grasping at straws for the unlikely chance.
"Well, it''s not like we will remain in the dark forever, the traces of the past are still embedded on this continent, we just have to stumble on them bit by bit and piece them together and if that proves difficult, we can always ask the Order for answers, we just have to reach the peak stage of the pce realm first.
I can wait till then.." Zhang Qingge said as she took a bite out of a steamy hot dumpling.
"Besides, we still have troubles of the present era to contend with, like the owner of that red abyssal thorn tree.." she added with slightly clenched fists.
At the mention of the tree, Yang Qing''s and Dai Chen''s looks turned grim. If it wasn''t for the power Green Cocoon left in Yang Qing, they would have all died that day the moment the red thorn tree appeared. That was as close to death as Yang Qing had ever gotten.
Deciding to lighten the mood, Yang Qing unpacked several of the dishes and uncorked the jar of wine as he poured both he, Zhang Qingge, and Dai Chen a cup.
"By the way, has Huifeng headed to the mountain?" asked Yang Qing as he was pouring.
"She went about a week ago.."
It was Zhang Qingge who answered. Dai Chen''s mind lookedpletely gone the moment Yang Qing started pouring the wine. He had a fanatical enchanted look on his face that grew with every pour Yang Qing made.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but chuckle as he expected such a reaction from the renowned wine fanatic, especially considering the wine he was pouring was the one he had gotten from the mysterious figure, diluted of course, but even then its heavenly quality remained.
Once he was done pouring, Dai Chen solemnly took his cup with both hands, lips quivering, eyes shining, as he gulped over and over with anticipation, his gaze growing wider the closer he brought the wine cup to his face, and when he finally took the sip, it was like a heavenly tribtion had exploded in his mind.
"Yang Qing! Where did you find this?!!" he said with a crazed look of a starving predator that had just spotted a prey.
Ignoring his crazy look, Yang Qing smugly recounted the tale of when he got acquainted with the mysterious figure along with Meifeng. He didn''t dare to bring the empyreal jade wine gourd. With the crazy look Dai Chen was giving him, he had no doubt in his mind that Dai Chen would rush him, pry it off his hands, and escape to parts unknown. In his shoes, Yang Qing would probably do the same, in fact, he had done the same one or seven times.
Hiding the fact that he had another more potent version of the wine they were drinking, Yang Qing promised to give Dai Chen a jar of the diluted version, along with Zhang Qingge who though was not a wine person, could not resist its captivating allure.
The rest of the night was spent with them trading tales of what they had been up to over the past month over wine and drink, with Ma Yuan and Ma Ling joining them after. Once it was close to dawn, Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge left for their abodes, while Ma Yuan took Ma Ling back to the Medical Valley for her treatment with Tang Jue.
Though there was still a line between them, Ma Ling seemed less averse to him than she was before, and Ma Yuan was less impatient than he had been before. By focusing on enjoying the present with her, it had reduced the tenseness and the urgency he had on him to try and make Ma Ling regain her memories of him as fast as she could. Throughout their interaction, not once did he bring up their past, and kept the conversation casual and restricted to things that would not trigger her.
Once he was alone, Yang Qing stretched his back as he went to survey his dummy treasure vaults for traces of tampering by the Celestial Nesting Weaver. Of the twelve vaults, he found two had been tampered with, obvious clues showing, more than likely intentionally left there by the weaver to throw him off. Then he found three more had been sneakily broken through, but it was covered up efficiently with nothing being taken, as for the rest, it showed it had not been broken through, but Yang Qing could not be sure.
With the windfall he had made, he was thinking of improving the protection on all of them, and possibly adding another fake vault and packing it full of the mostplex arrays that would draw the celestial nesting weaver''s focus. If he offered up a few of the treasures from his ceremony that he still had on hand, he was sure he could get the formation hall toyer seven or eight blue-grade arrays together. That should keep the celestial nesting weaver upied for a while, and his true vault safe from its greedy talons.
Once he had confirmed everything was okay he made his way to the nest to find a slightly infuriated weaver, no doubt disappointed from not finding the true vault. The infuriating turned into a bickering that turned into a short fight and after the two roommates to their different corners to sleep, each satisfied with annoying each other, and nning several schemes against one another.
With no responsibilities hanging over his head because of his month-long vacation, Yang Qing slept till midday, washing away the month-long fatigue in the process.
Well-rested and in a chipper mood, Yang Qing left for the administration hall to meet with a liaison of the Shadow Hawks. He had some things he needed their assistance with, one of which was the investigation of Jiang Xiang, the eclipsed spirit weave fox who had helped the fire adler in his project of letting the obsidian serpent couple''s daughter inherit the treasure bone of the flood dragon.
The agendas of the mysterious figure aside, the daughter of the couple was killed and it was no doubt because of the treasure bone. Someone knew she had it, and the list of suspects was small, with Jiang Xiang being one of them. He needed to find out as much as he could about him and there was no one better for the job than the Shadow Hawks, which was one of the reasons he was looking for them, the other being he wanted to get started on his intelligencework.
Chapter 768 Network and rehabilitation (2)
Chapter 768 Network and rehabilitation (2)
Before he went to the Administration Hall to meet with the Shadow Hawks liaison, Yang Qing decided to pass by the abode given to the Wang couple as the guardians of the Zou siblings. The short vacation given to the siblings was already over and had already returned to the Institute to continue their rehabilitation to prepare them for their life there.
Yang Qing found the couple discussing a few things here and there with members of the formation hall and the alchemy department. On seeing Yang Qing they excitedly invited him for a cup of tea. Even if three days had passed by the whole thing seemed so surreal to them. They still couldn''t believe that this would be their lives and some part of them even felt a little guilty as they felt they were leeching off the siblings.
The reaction was to be expected as he had the same experience with his family. After he had qualified to join the Institute, some part of him wanted to start over just by himself but a few days in he couldn''t stand the solitude.
No matter how crazy his n was, he still had the best memories with them, and it was even more so with his family. His grandfather as impassioned as he was with body refinement bordering on a crazy fanatic, never exceeded the bounds of what was possible, and no matter how busy he was, he would sit with Yang Qing every night, regaling him with all sorts of tales of which the bulk were centered on the troubles he got into as a youth.
Apanying the stories would be his famous honey-zed pork. It was about the only dish he knew how to prepare, but even Yang Qing had to admit to date he had not found anyone who could beat his skills in that dish.
It took him a few days to realize he needed his family with him. It took a lot of effort to convince them toe, as they too, just like the Wang couple felt that they would be leeching off his sess and they didn''t want to do that. It took Yang Qing vowing to quit the Order and never cultivating for them to agree toe. Once they did, whatever apprehension they had instantly disappeared when the Medical Valley offered to sponsor all their research whilst also sharing some of their research into the body refinement realm.
This was one of the means through which the Order expanded its knowledge trove. It sponsored ns, or families with specialized areas of cultivation. Just like the Yang family that had made its bones through body refinement enough to formte aplete legacy on the subject, there were others who had managed the same feat and the Order supported them all which was how they created one of the best foundationying programs. Regardless of talent, every product of the Institute was guaranteed to have a firm foundation in any subject matter be it their cultivation base or the other schools of cultivation.
To ease their thoughts, Yang Qing decided to share his personal experience with the Wang couple, the doubts, fears, and mental anguish he had when he thought of living alone without his family. For what the siblings had endured, other than each other, the Wang couple was one of the anchors that kept them sane, and even here at the Order, it was more than likely they were more excited with the couple being here than even the abode itself. If the couple were to leave, they would likely never step foot there, and rather opt to stay at the Institute.
After assuaging their guilt, Yang Qing finally left for the Administration hall. Once there, he quickly located the liaison from the Shadow Hawks Division. When he met with the Assistant chief of staff of the Shadow Hawks, among the pieces of information he was provided with, one was how to make contact with them should he ever have a need, and one of the ways was through one of their members stationed in the External Logistics Division.
Yang Qing wasn''t given a clear description of who they were or what they looked like, the only thing he was given, was how to notice they were from the Shadow Hawks through a distinct rhythm in their normal movements. If you didn''t know what to look for, you would easily miss it even as a pce realm expert, one would hardly notice, but if you did, then the sign was like a shining moon in the night.
Yang Qing managed to find what he was looking for in a middle-aged woman who had a kind motherly face as she courteously handled the disbursement process for the cultivators on her line. She was patient, answering any questions they had, and with some, she was so familiar with them that one would think they were her nieces and nephews. She exchangedughs and jokes here and there, teasing some, and offering kind elderly advice to others.
She looked no different than regr personnel, but Yang Qing could see a grey thread of starlight drifting from her fingertips which was the sign Yang Qing was told to look for. He didn''t know how they did it, but the only way to see the starlight was to follow a set of steps. One of them was to follow the rhythm of her movements in a specific order which would then serve as the key to revealing the starlight, and the other was to circte the nebr mist grey star art which would help him notice the starlight once he followed the rhythm correctly.
Rather than approach her, Yang Qing decided to wait at the side as he was certain she must have noticed him and knew he was there for her. The nebr mist grey star art was as much a signal checker for Yang Qing as it was for the middle-ageddy. His guess was proven correct when she announced to the cultivators who had lined up that she would be handling the next four before she took a small break, which was met by light-hearted and yfulints from the cultivators in her line.
Seeing her at work Yang Qing could clearly see why the Shadow Hawks had one of their own stationed at the External Logistics Division. It was the best ce to interact with cultivators from all walks of life and different regions around the continent and different stations. The cultivators before him were treasure fruits of information ripe for harvesting, and with the excellent rapport the middle-ageddy had established with them, she could do it so easily in thefort of her station.
It wasn''t too long before she was done with the four cultivators and politely excused herself, which Yang Qing took as a cue to head to a particr room that was hidden in illusory and antiscrying arrays. Though they both seemed to be headed in different directions, a few secondster they were in the same room.
"Good morning, Senior Mei Cheng, my name is Yang Qing.." Yang Qing politely gestured as he cupped his fists in greeting when they were both in the room.
"Nice to meet you, Yang Qing, and sorry for making you wait.." said the middle-ageddy still wearing the same motherly demeanor which Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if it was her true nature or part of her cover. He couldn''t see through her, then again if he did, then she would not make apetent member of the Shadow Hawks.
"No, No, it is I who should be apologizing foring without notice.."
"Well, you couldn''t well have prepared without knowing who I was in the first ce could you?" said Mei Cheng with a teasing smile on her face as she took a seat.
"That is true.." answered Yang Qing as he chuckled, taking a seat himself.
"I take it you''re here because of your intelligencework? You have not yet established contact with them, but considering the number of things that you have been dealing with since your promotion, it''s understandable why you haven''t.."
"As expected.." thought Yang Qing in response to Mei Cheng''s statement which implied she knew the ins and outs of his activities since he became an outer pce court judge and it was more than likely she was current with all the information she had on him.
Yang Qing''s mind quickly wandered as he wondered if the failures of his previous schemes had anything to do with them considering how thorough they seemed to be.
Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, Yang Qing answered,
"In part yes, but I would also like your assistance on a case I am working on.."
Mei Cheng on hearing this slightly narrowed her eyes whilst still wearing the same smile.
"Does it have to do with what happened at the Range?" she asked.
"Yes.."
As soon as he answered, Yang Qing saw what looked to be regret and self-reproach sh in Mei Cheng''s eyes before it went back to normal where she smiled when she caught Yang Qing''s slightly surprised look.
"We are not rocks you know. We too feel things.." she lightheartedly said before she sighed.
"What happened there is an oversight on our part. We are meant to notice the things that lurk in the shadows, and cracks, to cover the Order''s blindside, but we werepletely negligent in our duties and missed a lot of things there and the cost was the lives of our own.."
"The me is not yours, senior Mei Cheng, the Shadow Hawks do so much already, I doubt even the Holy Lands with all their abilities can im to know everything that happens around the continent. If they did, there would be no stories of cultivators stumbling onto unique treasures and having miraculous encounters. They would have already swallowed it themselves.." said Yang Qing trying to cheer her up.
continent. If they did, there would be no stories of cultivators stumbling onto unique treasures and having miraculous "Thank you..." said Mei Cheng with a gentle smile.
"What is it that you needed our help with.."
Yang Qing''s look turned solemn as he said,
"I need your help investigating someone. His name is Jiang Xiang, an eclipse spiritweave fox from the Deer Mountain Range. From the information I have gathered, he works for the White Rose Pavilion.
I need any and all information that concerns him. How he joined them, his journey since he joined them, and if he still works there.."
Feeling he had not given enough context, Yang Qing went on to mention his suspicions of Jiang Xiang being potentially involved with the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate on how they knew about the treasure bone belonging to a flood dragon, as he was one of the few people who knew who had it.
"White Rose Pavilion.." murmured Mei Feng in a slightly constrained tone before she rxed it again as she said,
"Merchant organizations especially the well-established ones are the most difficult to pry information out of, especially when it concerns one of their own. We may have to part with a few valuables, hopefully, he isn''t someone high up thedder, if he is, then we may have to involve the Chief of staff.
Give me two days... You can eithere here, or I can bring it to your chambers, no, pardon my memory, age is catching up. You''re on vacation, and from what I''ve heard, I doubt you''d step foot in your courtroom during that period.."Mei Cheng said with a meaningful smile.
Yang Qing smiled sheepishly as he said,
"I''lle here... in the afternoon if that is okay.."
"That''s okay.."
Chapter 769 Network and rehabilitation (3)
Chapter 769 Network and rehabilitation (3)
"When do you intend to meet with members of yourwork?" asked Mei Cheng once the matter of Jiang Xiang had been settled.
"In the next few days, I hope.." answered Yang Qing.
While he didn''t want to leave and hoped to make the most of his month-long vacation, he was already long overdue from meeting with hiswork which was something that was meant to be handled in the early days after his ceremony, but due to unforeseeable circumstances, a couple of months quickly went by and he still hadn''t met with a single member. He could not keep pushing it, especially, with how the waves of the continent seemed to be constantly churning.
The intelligencework was a way for the Order to spread the burden that the Shadow Hawks already had on them. Judges upon reaching the pce court would handle an intricatework of agents who could be considered students and members of the Order whocked the necessary talent to be fully absorbed in the various departments of the Order but instead chose an alternative route through which they could serve.
Even if their talent was foundcking, the Order still supported them in their current roles, which were collectors and sources of information. Just like Mei Cheng who was a shadow hawk and at the same time was a diligent member of the external logistics division, each of these agents had a role assigned to them, but unlike Mei Cheng who had a cover, theirs wasn''t necessarily a cover.
Before bing a pce court judge, while Yang Qing knew the intelligencework existed, he did not know much else about it, that was until he became a pce court judge himself and got in-depth guidance on it, and he couldn''t help but admire the Order''s ingenuity.
With the means the Order had at its disposal, it wasn''t hard for them to deduce someone''s history going back several thousands of years or even more than that provided their history wasn''t obstructed through artificial means for example through treasures and artifacts powerful enough to iste someone''s life from being deduced.
Most top-tier organizations employ several antiscrying measures to prevent such deductions, they either do it through treasures and artifacts, or in the case of ns, if one of their members has reached the peak of the domain realm, by virtue of bloodline association, they can sense if one of their descendants is being deduced and cloak them through bloodline resonance.
The Order considering its line of work, protected its members against having their karma, history, and lifeline deduced even as students. The moment they passed the entrance test, they would be taken to a certain ground that had a natural dao treasure called the Waterfall of Obfuscation. They would soak for three days in the waterfall which wouldpletely iste their karma, fate, destiny, and their past from all prying eyes, of course with exceptions. They were told peak soul formation experts who had mastered thews of karma and fate would be able to see through them, and with the way the saint-grade treasure, veiled destiny had acted when he met it for the first time, Yang Qing was inclined to believe so.
But for those without a powerful treasure or expert to shield them, their entire lives worth of history was open to anyone with the means to look through them, which was what the Order did. To all looking to join, they would deduce their entire past either through information already on hand, or through esoteric means that involved karmic deduction, and from it they could trace someone''s entire past including their lineage, dating back several thousand to tens of thousands of years.
Candidates suitable for the intelligencework were chosen this way. Whatever hat they would don in thework was usually inextricably linked to their past so that their integration into their roles would not draw a lot of suspicion. It was one thing to throw someone into apletely fabricated story without history, and it was another if the story had a solid history and the person had genuine ties to it. If anyone were to look into it,it would not crumble, no matter the means they used. That person would not draw unnecessary suspicion that would make them seem like nts.
For example, Yang Qing''swork had several n leaders. Some of them when they came to the Order, they were all by themselves so destitute that even a street rat would disdain to be in theirpany. They had nothing to their name, even their names. Some had been orphans with others ves, wearing names given to them by their vers. They knew nothing of their past, but the Order upon deducing their past was able to tie them to ns that had once existed with a couple of theming from lineages that had ancestors that had reached the pce realm, but none of them knew.
The Order would reveal their lineage to them, and they would be given the choice of whether they wished to serve as one of the agents in thework, with the only requirement being they share what they heard and saw, in exchange the Order would support them in the restoration of their lineages and ifter they wished to stop the arrangement, they could freely do so without repercussions, though they would no longer receive the resource support of the Order.
If they agreed to the deal, they would be trained for a bit by the Order as it made arrangements on how to seamlessly integrate them into the continent and once the reintegration was done, how they ran their ns was entirely up to them. Though the Order did tier the amount of resources and support they would give which was corrted to how prosperous those ns were. The better positioned they were, the more information they could provide, and in return the more resources they would receive in kind from the Order.
The wholework was impablyid out, with the Order ensuring it would get its money''s worth. Yang Qing couldn''t help but admire their level of meticulousness.
Chapter 770 Network and rehabilitation (4)
Chapter 770 Network and rehabilitation (4)
Mei Cheng took a ck jade slip filled with countless silver runes, half that Yang Qing could not recognize but from theplexity and the transcendent fluctuations they released, he could tell they were inscribed by someone whose aplishments had at the very least reached the gold tier.
Mei Cheng closed her eyes as the runes fluctuated slightly before she finally opened her eyes.
"I can see you have 24 organizations in yourwork which is a decent amount for a start, but the more you get familiar with your role and handle it well, the number will increase with each increase in your court rank. Of course, it''s not aplete guarantee that it will increase.."
Mei Cheng''s demeanor turned solemn as she paused, putting away the ck jade slip as she stared at Yang Qing, who couldn''t help but feel he was being stared down by a hawk.
"Those on yourwork, on anywork, are one of our own, even if they are under a different house, they are still one of our own. Your intelligencework can be taken away from you permanently if it is found that your negligence led to their deaths.
Their roles are already precarious as it is, when ites to the information they provide, don''t ask more of them than they can provide that it forces them to take unnecessary risks that may expose both them and their organizations to countless dangers.
Keep it simple and restrict it to things that you judge they can get easily in their day-to-day operations and established circle. Unproven rumors, gossip, feeling in the air, it doesn''t matter if it isn''t verified or not, information is information and it has value. Their longevity is more important than any information they can provide, as long as they are there, there is much we stand to gain.
They may wear different robes, call themselves by different titles, and be members of different organizations, but never forget, they are one of our own and we need to treat them as such..."
"I won''t.." Yang Qing solemnly said.
"Good.... Sorry for me tarrying about this, it''s just that, those who chose to be part of thework, sometimes tend to be overzealous and reckless in their duties to show the Order that they are still loyal and have never wavered. This usually leads them to do a lot of reckless things to prove that point, when in truth, there is no need for them to show it that way.."
Mei Cheng paused as she sighed heavy-heartedly.
"A lot of them died because of it, some I even trained myself...Let''s just say there is a reason I prefer my current role to the one I had before," she added as she smiled in dejection.
As someone nursing his regrets and guilt, Yang Qing resonated with Mei Cheng''s feelings.
"You are to manage thework, and part of that management is to ensure its survival, and it''s the metric by which we judge your sess or failure in the matter, not the information we gain from it, but their survival, and its not that I am asking you to risk your life for theirs, but do what you can to ensure they remain intact, and one way is to control their well-meaning intentions that may put them at risk.
How you do that is ultimately up to you.." Mei Cheng said, once again donning the prior motherly smile she had on.
"I will try.."
"That''s all we can ask.." Mei Cheng said with an encouraging smile.
"Now with that out of the way. You must have already decided on who you will be meeting with?"
Yang Qing nodded in response.
"I don''t know how much information Assistant Shi provided on how you should go about it, but knowing him, he probably glossed over the details.." Mei Cheng said as she shook her head.
"I might as well just do it since it''s not the first time.. must be why he is like that... So, first, you don''t have to meet with all 24 at once, you can spread them out, just don''t let it go more than five years without you meeting with them or else they may start to wonder..
Secondly, you have the green jade token and the crystal yuan feather, right?"
"Yes, I do.."
"Good, now as Assistant Shi likely covered, the green jade token designates you as the head of the Jade Green Pavilion which is a subsidiary organization under the umbre of the White Rose Pavilion.
No one within the Jade Green Pavilion knows you''re from the Order, and neither is itprised of anyone associated with us. Be mindful of that. You can consider it an artifact to help you in your station as the overseer of thework.
It has shops spread around the continent thanks to the seal it has of the White Rose Pavilion, and it shoulde as no surprise to you that those shops could be found within the territory that the 24 members belong to.
You can use those shops as meeting locations with them if you so wish, there is no restriction on the meeting ce, the decision is ultimately to you and your contact person. The shop is just a choice. In addition, I am not sure if Assistant Shi told you of the ie.."
"He did.."
"He did?" Mei Cheng said showing genuine surprise in her tone.
Yang Qing nodded, making sure to limit his words. He didn''t want it to be known that the assistant had only revealed it because he read into his greedy gaze.
"If he did, that''s good, but just in case, I''ll mention a few things on it. The funds are yours to use as you see fit, but their primary purpose is to ensure you are in a better position to provide safety and growth for the members of yourwork.
While we encourage them to be self-sustainable, some situations can''t be helped. In such instances, you can use the pavilion as a means of assistance. Also, when ites to transport, you can''t use any means provided by the Order, and considering the distances you will have to cover, I doubt it would be convenient to use your cultivation to fly.
Hiring of flying ferries, and transport arrays will be covered by your earnings from the Green Jade Pavilion, and as their subsidiary, the White Rose Pavilion offers discounts for its transport services..."
Yang Qing nodded trying to hide his disappointment that he wouldn''t get to spend the earnings as he wished.
"Lastly, the crystal luan feather. Assistant Shi must have mentioned its use which is to establishmunication between you and them in case of emergencies and or to n meetings, but in truth, the feather is primarily an emergency beacon.
Other than arranging the first meeting and establishing first contact, I would advise you to use other means as a form of establishing contact for your meetups, even regrmunication talismans are an option, and restrict the feather only for emergencies where every reactionary second counts.
Should you receive an emergency summons for them, ensure to reveal it to the judicial reviewmittee the instant you do. They are in constant contact with a lot of shadow hawks and will provide the most expedient solution for the matter.."
"I will.."
"Good, I don''t think there is much to add there, myst advice would be to go in with your eyes and ears open.."
"I will and thank you once again.."
Yang Qing exchanged a few more pleasantries with Mei Cheng before finally parting ways with her as he went to the deployment offices toplete the procedures needed in preparation for his departure to the Gold Earth Bank for a quick withdrawal before finally meeting with six members from hiswork.
Chapter 771 Network and rehabilitation (5)
Chapter 771 Network and rehabilitation (5)
??Having made all the necessary arrangements, Yang Qing decided to go to the Medical Valley to inform Ma Yuan of his departure, whilst he was there, he would also try and help out for an hour to further hone his abilities.
After losing the use of his physique temporarily, and realizing the gains he had made after, when it came back, Yang Qing promised himself to continue with the same practice of his spells and techniques without the aid of his physique, and with its aid so he could hone his base abilities, and increase his sensitivity to the effects his physique had an all his abilities.
When he arrived, he found Tan Jue had already begun her daily treatment of Ma Ling, with Ma Yuan waiting patiently at the side still wearing the same nervousness he had on him the first time he saw Ma Ling surrounded by a silver water cocoon.
Yang Qing told him of his departure without getting too much into it which he wasn''t sure Ma Yuan heard, as he was a bundle of nerves.
Yang Qing then left for the general admissions hall, to deal with the never-ending stream of injured cultivators. It was during his duties that he got a call about someone and something he had forgotten about.
"Yang Qing where are you? I heard you were back, I already prepared the list for you.."
"Vice Warden Shao An! Sorry, it had escaped my mind. I''m at the Medical Valley doing my rounds, but I am just about done, I coulde over.."
"There is no need for that. I was about to meet up with Ren Shuter anyway, I might as well do it now. Give me a few seconds.."
When the call ended, Yang Qing couldn''t help but take a deep breath of relief. After his first experience at the Requiem, he did not want to step in there. He still couldn''t forget the terrifying presence he felt lurking at the bottomless abyss beneath the twelve humongous mountains. The thought of going back there again blood run cold.
As promised, in less than ten seconds had already appeared silently beside Yang Qing who was startled at first before he smiled as he cupped his fists in greeting at the taciturn-looking youth in ck robes whose eyes showed the vicissitudes of life standing next to him.
"Vice warden Shao An.."
"Yang Qing.."
Before Yang Qing could suggest they move to a different ce to talk as they were currently in the middle of the medical hall, Vice Warden Shao An calmly said,
"We are already isted in my domain.."
Yang Qing couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows in surprise as he didn''t notice a thing. Curiously, he started looking around him trying to sense anything out of ce. He was pulled out of his investigation by Vice Warden Shao An''s mirthfulment.
"You can''t feel it, not even someone in the middle stages of the domain realm can notice it. Only someone at the same level as I am can notice it''s there.."
On hearing that, Yang Qing promptly gave up on his curiosity with a sheepish grin. The Vice Warden before was rumored to already have half a foot into the soul formation realm if only those of his level could sense the domain''s presence, an early-
stage pce realm weakling had no business sensing around for it.
"Since I broke through, instead of feeling stronger, my interactions and experiences only make me feel weaker and weaker..." Yang Qing aggrievedly thought.
"Here.." Vice Warden Shao An said as he handed Yang Qing a light blue jade slip filled withplex runes.
"The list you wanted is in there. I''ve provided seven names, as per your new role, you can only supervise three. They are all from the horse mountain, while you''d be able to handle those from the ox mountain with the restrictions we have in ce, I think it would be easier to handle those at the same level as you..."
Because they were dealing with sensitive information as it involved prisoners of the Requiem, Vice Warden Shao An could only hand over the slip personally, as the runes inscribed on the slip could only be activated by him. He helped Yang Qing register his spiritual imprint on the sip that would grant him and him alone, ess to its contents even without Shao An being there.
Once he was done, Vice Warden Shao An said,
"Sorry, I can''t stay too long, my schedule is rather hectic ofte. Once you have made your decision please inform me and don''t take too long as I am about to go into seclusion in the next two or three months, hence the busy schedule.."
"I am about to leave for a few days to establish contact with mywork. I will look over the list during my travel, and hopefully, by the time I''m back, I will have already made my decision. Thank you for your help with this, Vice Warden Shao An.."
"It''s nothing, besides, in a way you''re lessening my workload.." Shao An said with a smile as he disappeared a secondter leaving an envious-looking Yang Qing who wondered when he would get to be that powerful.
He couldn''t detect Vice Warden Shao An''sing or going, despite him being in front of him. Facing such an opponent, he wouldn''t even realize how he died.
"I might as well do what I am good at.." Yang Qing muttered as he used the remainder of the few minutes remaining to heal as many cultivators as he could in a bid to lift his spirits, which it did when he saw the dumbfounded looks on the faces of his patients and the medical valley trainees who looked at him like he was like some sort of monstrous saint.
Soaking in the looks of admiration and awe, Yang Qing''s mood improved as he sauntered away, making his way to Gold Eagle Town.
Chapter 772 Gold eagle town
Chapter 772 Gold eagle town
Gold Eagle Town, was a town under the jurisdiction of the Order. It was located several hundred kilometers away from the grounds that held the headquarters and its facilities. The town was governed by the administration department, with silver guards patrolling its alleys, maintaining Order.
Other than the name, the silver guards, and the general administration, the buildings, or the people that had swarmed the region filling it with life had no rtion to the Order. It was a town that was created out of convenience. There was only so much convenience and help the Order could provide within its walls when it came to amodation, transport, and other services.
With the number of cultivators who swarmed through its doors, it could not cater to all their needs.
For example, a rank 5 n whose prized member was involved in a case, which prompts a few of their members to make the trip with him or her. Once they arrive, it''s unknown how long the case would take to be resolved, where will they stay as they wait. The inns and pavilions within the grounds of the Order were not infinite, and in as much as the Order encouraged the owners of said inns and pavilions to institute fair pricing, sometimes, fair was rtive.
Not all rank 5 organizations were the same, they may not be able to afford the cost,?and although the Order tried to address this issue by creating the greenndscape that cost two low-grade spirit stones, itsck of privacy made it inappropriate for most, especially the low ranked organizations to whom it was primarily made for, who were always nervous due to its open nature where anyone could see them. It was an unnerving feeling for them as it made them feel like prey exposing itself to countless predators and the Order couldn''t very well inscribe istion arrays all over the ce as it was a costly endeavor.
Amodations weren''t the only issue, there was transport, while the Order did help somewhat through the use of its flying ferries, the continent was vast in size, and those who came were from all over, they could hardly transport them all, and those that they could was but a drop in the ocean. Cultivators would have to arrange their means both to and from the headquarters.
With numerous constraints and limited capabilities, the Gold Eagle Town was born out of that need. The Order provided 120,000 acres to mercantile and escort organizations that would like to either build a branch or a main headquarters there. The cost of building would be catered by those organizations, while the Order would provide the security and administration.
All organizations regardless of rank were subject to its rules within that acreage. The rules themselves were not that constraining as it was based on fair pricing and the prevention of both overt and covert struggles between those organizations. Whatever feuds they may have with one another they would have to forget it all the moment they stepped in thatnd. The acreage embodied the Order''s will which was fairness to all in its absolute sense.
Though sentiment for the Order was mixed around the continent, when those organizations heard about the acreage of space they were leasing out, along with the promise of protection, countless organizations both the established and the new ones swarmed into the area, and the emptynd was transformed into one of the most prosperous mercantile hubs in a few short months packed with any type of business that one could think of.
Inns, pavilions, escort agencies, banks, auction houses, alchemy, and weapon shops, all manner of shops sprouted within with major organizations like the White Rose Pavilion, Thousands Star Treasure Hall, Golden Bamboo Pavilion, Maple Leaf Manor, Gold Earth Bank, ck Talisman Tower and countless other rank 1 and rank 2 organizations opened branches or subsidiaries of their organizations there, while other organizations the ones that were more in rank 3 and lower established their main headquarters there. There was no ce better for them to develop. The Order''s presence ensured they would not be oppressed by the powerful organizations, not with the Order watching.
Because of those factors, the town was constantly brimming with activity at all times, drawing cultivators from all over, even ones who had no appointments with the Order would flock to the town. It was one of the safest and most convenient ces to be in if one was looking for something.
When he was a few kilometers from the town, Yang Qing transformed himself. His green hair turned earth-brown along with his eyes, he changed his face to seem more ordinary, that one would miss it along a crowd, and his whole aura transformed into a simplistic one. He had the aura of a content simple farmer whose simple pleasures in life were tilling thend, enjoying his wife''s cooking during breaks, exchangingughs with neighbors over simple rice wine, and whatever little adventures his life as a farmer would give him, and that was enough. His robes had transformed too, into a light grey coat thatplemented the air that surrounded him.
His transformation wasn''t the result of some cultivation but was one of the benefits afforded to him by his yin-yang jade nature bones physique. His physique coupled with the purple-
grade art, the universal light of the myriad worlds worked seamlessly together to create the perfect transformation technique, which transformed not only his physical features but also his nature.
Right now he was exuding the presence of someone in tune with the earth element that he would be easily mistaken to have an earth-based physique. His physique and cultivation made him intimately familiar with most elements as it was the foundation with which they both operated under, the foundational building blocks of creation which was why the manifestation of his pce realm was the way it was.
His entire essence had been transformed in the process, and it was more natural because of his physique and art which made it almost impossible for anyone in the pce realm to see through it, as his qi, his soul, his blood, and his entire body exuded the vor of the earth element.
Yang Qing didn''t bother to disguise his cultivation base, and though he was reserved and stable with his aura, his cultivation base as a second-stage pce realm cultivator was there for anyone to see. Hiding his cultivation base would likely bring more trouble than avoiding it. In a world where strength was king, it was foolish to hide your cultivation base all in the name of blending in.
If he hid his cultivation base, some arrogant foundation establishment cultivator would likelye to bully him so that they could feel better themself and were more than likely to make a showing of it, drawing more attention to himself. Even reducing it to the core formation realm seemed silly to him because if he was forced to act and revealed the abilities of a pce realm cultivator, wouldn''t people wonder why he was hiding it in the first ce, drawing more attention?
It was easier to let his true cultivation base show to deter such troubles at the root. A pce realm cultivator appearing wasn''t odd, but a pce realm cultivator pretending to be a qi refinement cultivator, now that was extremely odd.
Nodding in satisfaction at his transformation, Yang Qing made his way to the branch of the Gold Earth Bank that was in the town. Thanks to his green jade token, and the amount currently held with them, he was given great treatment as one of its moderately rich clients. He was even given a talisman that would grant him special ess and notifications to uing auctions the bank held that weren''t avable to most, along with the promise of receiving special discounts across several businesses that they had a close association with.
Seeing the service and perks offered, Yang Qing couldn''t help but regret why he had not acquired their services. Most of Yang Qing''s earnings were spent within the confines of the Order so he never thought of putting them anywhere other than his storage ring and the vaults in his abode.
He had entertained the thought of having his earnings and treasures stored elsewhere like the Dragon Meadow, but unless one of their members approached you it was next to impossible to locate them, andter he thought of starting up with the White Rose Pavilion, which also operated banks amongst their long list of businesses, but after the auction embarrassment, Yang Qing swore to never give them his business.
After that, he never gave it much thought, but now, after experiencing the treatment provided by the Gold Earth Bank, he had to rethink it. While he didn''t have millions in high-grade spirit stones, he did have monarch-grade treasures and artifacts, collections of blue-grade scrolls, talismans, and cultivation arts that were just as valuable.
"Maybe I could try the Thousand Star Treasure Hall.." thought Yang Qing, as he thanked the attendant of the Gold Earth Bank for giving him information on the escort agencies that were moderately priced but offered decent prices.
The attendant gave him an extensive list, and it came as no surprise that a few within the list would give him a decent discount because of his membership with the bank. Yang Qing looked over the list before he finally settled on one. It was rtively new whenpared with the rest, which was one of the reasons Yang Qing chose it. Trying to break out and establish its foot in the industry, it was sure to go above and beyond for every new customer it got,pared to the long-
established ones.
While it was a work trip, Yang Qing never forgot it was his vacation, he was going tobine both and ensure he enjoyed the trip as much as possible, much better than during his evaluations where he had been on a deadline. All that trip did was saddle him with endless troubles, but now it would be different, there was no Ellie to disturb him and no Lei Weiyuan haunting him to finish his evaluations, it was just him and thefortable skies, and he was going to make the most of it, and finding a good escort agency was the start of it.
Chapter 773 Bluefin spine-tailed swift
Chapter 773 Bluefin spine-tailed swift
After leaving the Gold Earth Bank, Yang Qing walked for almost two hundred meters before he came to a stop in front of a three-story building that was made of wood that was a mixture of red and white. Looking at it made one feel like they were staring at the sunset covered with white puffy clouds. It brought a sense of rxation to someone''s mind like they were resting from the day''sbors.
Yang Qing raised his eyebrows in admiration and surprise. The wood used to build the building came from a vermilion cloud tree, and from the effects it had, Yang Qing estimated it couldn''t have been less than 20,000 years old. Seeing that it could affect his mood, and lull him into a rxing mood, it was definitely a monarch grade material, and the marksmanship, while he wasn''t a professional in that regard, after interacting with Chief Song Chuanli for years, he could tell the workmanship for the building before him was decent and probably a blue grade craftsman did the work.
Yang Qing''s surprise wasn''t because of the materials used, or the level of craftmanship, while both were good, it wasn''t exactly a standout whenpared to the rest of the buildings in the town. The Gold Earth Bank building had a few ascendant-grade materials, and the arrays iid within it were likely the work of a gold-grade formation master and they were not alone in this as other organizations had used more or less the same level of materials and craftsmanship.
The reason he was surprised was because the building before him was the headquarters of the newly created Bluefin spine-tailed swift escort agency. It was the agency he had decided to use for his travels. From the description given by the staff of the Gold Earth Bank, it had only been around for some thirty-odd years, with its founder, a rogue cultivator who was in the early stages of the pce realm.
Despite its young history andck of organizational backing most escort agencies had, it did not seemcking in any way, whether it was the design of its headquarters or the services it offered and the positive reviews it garnered from said services. In those thirty years, it had been rapidly gaining in repute, and by the estimates of that staff member, it wouldn''t be long till it caught up with the long-established agencies, especially with its founder at its helm, its rise was all but guaranteed.
Out of curiosity Yang Qing asked the staff what gave them such confidence as he felt it had to be one of the reasons the bank agreed to be in a marketing partnership with them by giving its members special discounts when using that escort agency. He knew Banks were just as stingy as the Order, even more so. They would rarely engage in something that they would not profit immensely from. They must have seen something in the agency for them to willingly invest in them. Even though they didn''t necessarily provide mary support, just the association with Gold Earth Bank was more than enough support from the bank.
The response he got was because of the owner''s prospects, specifically his talent. He was a few years shy of sixty but he was already a fourth-stage pce realm expert, and he had made such an achievement without the backing of a sect, n, or anyrge organization. A 50-year-old pce realm cultivator was already in the realm of genius, one could only imagine what his achievements would have been like had he been nurtured by some of the top-tier factions. From the staff''s words, he was thought of highly by their branch president. He had a good head on his shoulders, knew how to cultivate rtionships, and had tremendous talents, bar any misfortunes, the rise of his agency was all but guaranteed.
That had been one of the factors as to why Yang Qing decided to settle on them. Ideally, he would have gone for the Wind Gliding Mercenary Escorts, but since he was going as the mysterious head of the green jade pavilion and the post would follow him throughout his career, he might as well establish a new line of rtionships for that character.
Yang Qing made his way into the building, it was silent, and graceful just like the outside, not too showy, butfortable and elegant with just the right amount of touch.
The weing attendant guided him to one of the staff members, her demeanor polite with a gentle smile and it was not surprising that she was beautiful to boot. Her name was Li Mei and was a peak-stage foundation establishment cultivator. Though she did try to handle herself professionally, exuding calmness and hospitality, Yang Qing could tell she was slightly unnerved around him. Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder if the escort agency didn''t deal with pce realm clients often.
She guided Yang Qing to a desk that housed a cultivator who was in the seventh stage of the core formation realm. He looked to be in his early thirties, with handsome, ck hair neatly tied in a daoist top knot and elegant silk blue robes which added to his elegant charm.
Despite looking perfectlyposed, his pupils trembled slightly when he saw Yang Qing and Li Mei walk over. When they reached his desk, he stood up while cupping his fists with respect.
"Good morning fellow daoist, on behalf of the Bluefin spine- tailed swift, I would like to offer my thanks for visiting this establishment and will do our utmost to cater to whatever escort needs you may have.."
"Thank you, my name is Yang Qing.."
"Nice to meet you daoist Yang Qing, I am Duan Ting, the third escort supervisor of this agency.."
"It''s a pleasure to meet you, Duan Ting, and just call me Yang Qing, just Yang Qing is okay with me.."
Yang Qing decided to just go with his name as is even if his face and aura had changed. It wasn''t like his name was so unique that he would be easily identified by it.
Duan Ting nodded with a smile as he turned to Li Mei who was anxiously waiting to be told to leave, but unluckily for her, Duan Ting had another task for her.
"Miss Li Mei could you bring us a fresh pot of jade rabbit spring tea.."
Li Mei''s eyes widened slightly in surprise before she left for the order. Yang Qing was just as equally surprised. Jade rabbit spring tea leaves were considered monarch-grade materials, they cleansed and healed the body, purging it of impurities. Most alchemists drank a brew made of its leaves to cleanse themselves of pill poisoning which came about from exposure to the potions and pills they brewed. Even without consuming them through long-term exposure, it would sip through their skin. Jade rabbit spring tea helped purge their bodies of those umtions, which not only cleansed their bodies, but strengthened their souls too, and its taste was just as magical as its abilities.
Yang Qing wasn''t about to be pretentious and refuse it, he even had half a mind to ask for a full pot to drink just by himself.
"The Gold Earth Bank was right, your services really are good.." said Yang Qing.
"Our founder encourages us to be sincere and weing in our duties.." Duan Ting modestly said.
"So how can we be of service, Yang Qing.."
Chapter 774 Ferry tiers
Chapter 774 Ferry tiers
??"I was looking to visit these four ces.." Yang Qing said as he took out a map from his storage ring and unfurled it on Duan Ting''s desk.
Four locations had been circled on the map, with those four ces having the symbol of a green jade pavilion on top of them.
"There are a few things that I need from these shops. Is there a flight going along that route, and what are the charges? I''d also like to know flying at a moderate speed, how long would it take for you to get me to all four of those ces.." asked Yang Qing.
The four ces he had circled were four shops of the Green Jade Pavilion and they were located close to the territories of the four agents he had intended to meet.
With an attentive look, Duan Ting examined the map as he narrowed in on the four ces.
"The first ce should be in Camel Lake-town in Hanming province under the Sun Birch Kingdom, the second is Five Peak Valley under the territory of Moonpine Kingdom, the third is Thousand Forgehold City under the territory of the Ascendant Divine Armament Sect, andstly Azure mirage city in Swan Oak province under the Great Chen Empire..
Considering the distance, it should take four days, to make theplete journey but it will only be four days if you hire our highest-tiered service.." Duan Ting said after some thought.
As if afraid of being misunderstood he added,
"It''s not that I am trying to make you go for the highest tier. Our travels have a lot of stopovers during regr travel for drop-offs and picking up new customers as we make our journey.
Only when we have a highest-tier customer do we remove those stops, maintaining it only a maximum of three stops outside of yours along the route, and the stops don''tst more than five minutes..."
"That''s fairly understandable. How many tiers are there?"
"There are three, gold which is the highest tier, silver tier follows after it, and the lowest is the bronze tier.."
"I take it, other than fast travel, the tierse with other privileges.."
"Yes they do, please have a look.." Duan Ting said as he handed Yang Qing a jade slip. Li Mei had arrived at that time and deftly poured tea for both of them, leaving after for her duties, looking relieved as she left.
Yang Qing breathed in the rxing aroma of the jade rabbit spring tea soaking its vorful scent. Without hesitation, he took a sip, and the reputation of its taste and effects were not unfounded. He took another sip and then proceeded to pour a sliver of his spiritual essence into the jade slip Duan Ting had handed off to him to read its contents.
"Gold tier service- costs 1,000 high-grade spirit stones.."
Yang Qing almost spit his tea when he read the cost, luckily with his excellent reflexes and will, he managed to hold himself.
"1,000 and they are the moderately priced one? How expensive are these trips?" he wondered as he read through the rest of the contents.
Despite his miserly nature, as he read through he couldn''t help but feel it was well worth the price. Gold-tiered customers would rarely share the same ferry because of the priority afforded to them on their flight routes and would only do so when their routes ovep with it not infringing on the agreed dys.
Other than preference on route, the privileges extended to their quality of stay within the ferry. They had ess to single chambers that had multiple rooms within them such as a cultivation room, alchemy and cksmithing room,bat room to test their techniques, and said room was retrofitted to handle the abilities of an early pce realm stage cultivator, and the arrays that were outfitted in the chamber were all of the blue grade. They also had an entire floor to themselves.
As for the silver tier, it cost 200 high-grade spirit stones, with every silver tier member having individual ess to their chambers which had the same number of rooms as those found in gold tier chambers with the difference being in the quality of the arrays used. Those in the silver tier were all top tier orange grade array. Though they didn''t share chambers, they shared the same floor on the ferry.
Thest tier, the bronze tier cost 10 high-grade spirit stones, and the chamber was shared four per chamber, with the arrays all being low-tier orange-grade arrays.
Even though the prices seemed steep considering there were ferries whose transport costs ranged from 50 high-grade spirit stones at the maximum to 10 middle-grade spirit stones, Yang Qing still believed the prices of the Bluefin spine-tailed swift were more than fair, because regardless of what tier someone decided to buy, they would all have the same level of security on board the ferry.
The escort agency had six flying ferries and of those six, four always had a pce realm escort on board in which the founder of the agency was one of them and also with the highest cultivation base while the other three, one was at the second stage of the pce realm, and the remaining two were in the first stage of the pce realm.
For 10 high-grade spirit stones, you could gain the protection of a pce realm expert. That in and of itself was a huge bargain that any cultivator with a brain would jump at. Most escort agencies would lump those paying low sums together on a single ferry and give them services, security, and the ferry included that was a reflection of what they paid for.
For example on a different ferry that charged 10 high-grade spirit stones for its services, the security that one would get for such a cost would be middle-stage core formation experts, but when it came to the Bluefin spine-tailed swift, they offered a universal protection system regardless of the amount paid which was one of the reasons they were favored so much. And even the two ferries that didn''t have a pce realm cultivator on board, each had an anchoring defensive monarch-grade artifact with each artifact being operated by fourte-stage core formation experts. So even with pce realm escorts not being on board, with the artifacts, it was the same as having one on board.
Having already made his decision Yang Qing took out 1,000 high-grade spirit stones and paid the fare.
"When will it be leaving?" he asked as he made the payment.
Duan Ting seemed hesitant to answer before a calm voice sounded from behind them.
"We can leave now if you want.."
Chapter 775 Even her life
Chapter 775 Even her life
??Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Yang Qing turned around and saw a handsome man with deep blue hair that was held together with what looked to be a white and blue feather calmly walk down the stairs. He looked to be in his early forties and had an easygoing aura about him. Sensing his cultivation base, it wasn''t all too difficult for Yang Qing to guess his identity.
The man in question had a fourth stage pce realm cultivation and in the Bluefin spine-tailed swift there was only one person who had such strength and Duan Ting''s next words served to prove his guess right.
"Founder Bai Chen.." Duan Ting said as he stood up, his gaze and demeanor clearly showing his deep respect for the man.
"Duan Ting.." said the man with a carefree smile on his face. He came to a stop when he was in front of Yang Qing.
"Daoist Yang Qing, I am Bai Chen, the owner of this little establishment. I hope you did not find our services to becking.."
"No, no, not at all. I even told Daoist Duan Ting here how the Gold Earth Bank did not lie in its appraisal of your services.."
Bai Chen''s eyes flickered slightly when he heard Yang Qing call Duan Ting fellow daoist, who was just as surprised. It was widely epted that only those of the same realm could address each other. It was rare for a pce realm expert to call a core formation expert a Daoist, even when they had a close rtionship.
Quickly camouging his surprise, Bai Chen ced his right arm over his chest as a way of showing his appreciation for Yang Qing''splement. It was a signmonly used by rogue cultivators, though even in the Order they were those who could be found using it because of the symbolic meaning behind it. A hand over the chest was interpreted to mean ''I will remember the favor you have done for me and keep it in my heart.'' It was used in ce where words need not be said.
"So these are the ces you will be going to?"Bai Chen said as he picked up the map on the table.
"Yes,"
"Are you in a hurry to reach those ces? If you are, we can shorten the trip to two and a half days.."
"I am in a hurry but not so much. I just hope to make it in good time but also enjoy the trip. I think Duan Ting''s timeline of four days is okay for me.."
Bai Chen nodded as he handed the map back to Yang Qing as he turned his head to Duan Ting.
"Are there any customers looking to head in that direction that are still on standby? Rather than keep them pending, waiting for the next ferry, they could go with me.."
"But sir the six ferries.." Duan Ting asked with a doubtful expression.
Bai Chenughed as he said,
"The bluefin has beenpleted.."
"It has?" Duan Ting said with a look of surprise and excitement. He wasn''t the only one excited, as Bai Chen wore the same look, like a kid who had just gotten a toy he really wanted.
"Bluefin? Do they have a new ferry?"
As if reading his thoughts, Bai Chen said,
"You''re in luck fellow daoist Yang Qing. You get to be one of the first customers to be ferried with our new ship, the Bluefin.."
"I am honored.." answered Yang Qing with a smile of his own, infected by the cheerful and excited atmosphere in the area.
He somehow felt that they were not excited just because they had another ferry. He could tell there was more sentiment to it.
Bai Chen made a few arrangements with Duan Ting who left his desk and headed to one of the courtyards owned by the escort agency. For those waiting for their assigned ferry to arrive, they could wait there free of charge which Yang Qing appreciated as it showed themitment of the Bluefin spine-tailed swift agency toward thefort of its customers.
Bai Chen guided Yang Qing to a secluded space at the back of the building. Yang Qing noticed some fluctuations evidence that a blue grade array and monarch grade treasure were in the area. The blue-white feather holding Bai Chen''s hair together released a gentle blue glow and the grasnd and the trees that Yang Qing was seeing faded away to reveal a 200-meter ship built in the shape of a bluefin spine-tailed swift.
"Beautiful.." Yang Qing inadvertently muttered as he stared at the ship.
The level of detail and craftsmanship on the ship was clear for even a blind man to see. The ship looked like a real live replica of the bluefin spine-tailed swift. The spirit bird was famous for its speed and was a bird that closely resembled a kunpeng in terms of abilities as it could travel in water and air with the same level of proficiency.
It had a silk dark blue body, two pairs of wings, and one pair of blue fins. It was a master of both the wind and water dao, which helped in its maneuverability on both air and sea in terms of speed, camouge, and endurance. It wasn''t the most powerful but it was all rounded in when it came to survivability. Yang Qing had always admired the bird, and the ship before him had perfectly captured its soul and grace.
Yang Qing tore his attention off the ship when he sensed a slight fluctuationing from Bai Chen''s body. When he turned to look at him he saw a look of mncholy and appreciation in his eyes.
"Can I ask you something? It''s okay to not give a response if you''re not able to.." said Yang Qing.
"Is it about the name?" asked Bai Chen reigning his emotions in, wearing his carefree smile from before.
"Yes.." said Yang Qing as he nodded his head.
"It doesn''t seem like you chose the name of your escort agency at random..." he added.
"You''re right.." Bai Chen said as he cast a warm gaze toward the ship before him.
"The rtionship between spirit beasts and humans is aplicated one with both sides trying to kill each other more often than not.
However, that is not the case for me. I was adopted and raised by one. I am alive today because a bluefin spine-tailed swift showed kindness to a baby unwanted by his parents and the world, and epted him as one of her own, dedicating everything she ever had and was to him..." Bai Chen said before pausing slightly.
"Even her life.."
Chapter 776 Collecting information
Chapter 776 Collecting information
"All that I am and that I have is because of her. The name and the ship is so I never forget.." softly said Bai Chen with a smile that was a mixture of gratitude and sadness.
Yang Qing unsure of what to say, just went with what was in his mind.
"It''s beautiful.."
"It is, though I would much prefer she was the one here. I doubt she would agree to ferry people around though, and is more than likely to give me a beating and throw me in some infested forest for even suggesting it.." Bai Chen said with augh.
"Come, let me give you a tour before the rest arrive.." he added as he led Yang Qing to the ship.
Yang Qing nodded, walking side by side with Bai Chen whose excitement showed as he gave Yang Qing the tour. By his admission, the ship took 10 years toplete, and though it was the youngest ship, in terms of conceptualization it was the maiden ship, it was built from the first ever ship he had which he was given by the bluefin spine-tailed swift who raised him.
Yang Qing could read enough to know the bluefin spine-tailed swift was more than likely not alive and as curious as he was about what happened, he was not insensitive enough to ask about it.
Seeing it from the inside Yang Qing could see why it took ten years. Just the materials themselves didn''t look easy to procure by an early-stage pce realm cultivator with no backing. The skeleton of the ship was made of rainbow restoration aspen wood. The material could be considered one of the ones that were at the very top amongst the list of middle-tier monarch-grade material.
Despite it being a monarch-grade material, having its equivalent value in spirit stones wasn''t a guarantee that you would get it because of how versatile in its uses it was, making it extremely valuable.
Rainbow restoration aspen wood was highly adaptive to its environment as it afforded protection to its user from what was in said environment. The wood could freely manipte seven elements i.e. water, wind, earth, fire, wood, metal, and lightning. It used the seven elements to adapt to variables it was subjected to making it an excellent material to build a ship with. It afforded an invaluable adaptive defense during travel when one was traveling over long distances hiding all sorts of dangers and treachery.
It wasn''t just the rainbow restoration aspen wood, the entire ship was a trove of precious materials. Yang Qing didn''t see any material that was used whether in a functional or decorative capacity that was below the monarch grade. Going off base value, the ship had likely cost tens of millions of high-grade spirit stones.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder how Bai Chen had managed to acquire them all in a short ten years. Some of those materials even having the required amount weren''t sufficient to procure them and required substantial connections, something that Bai Chen seemed to have though he didn''t say much about it, but he did speak a bit about his team as he was showing Yang Qing around.
Of the four pce realm experts, he was sworn brothers with two of them, while one of them was a long-time friend of the bluefin spine-tailed swift that raised him, and thest one was a friend he had made in Jade Leaf Academy who was looking to gain experience and decided being a ferry escort was the best way.
As for the rest of the staff, some like Duan Ting joined to repay a favor, which based on the respect Duan Ting showed, even though Bai Chen modestly avoided what it was, Yang Qing felt it had to be deep. Others were rogue cultivator acquaintances he had made along the way, others were referred to him by the Gold Earth Bank and a few others were from the general popce of the Gold Eagle Town who were looking for work which Bai Chen was in desperate need of considering how young his agency was.
Yang Qing did end up asking why he decided to start an escorting agency, to which Bai Chen replied that it was a way to feel close to the Bluefin spine-tailed swift that raised him as they used to travel all over the continent for the majority of his life since he was little. Flying ferries across the continent helped mirror that feeling.
A few minutes passed by before Duan Ting came over with 20 passengers who all wore the same look of amazement Yang Qing wore when he saw the ship. A few of them even asked Duan Ting in doubt if that was their ship. They were quickly settled in along with the auxiliary staff of the agency that would take care of the misceneous stuff on the ship. Despite a ship controller being on the list of staff who boarded the ship, Bai Chen insisted on being the one to fly the ship, even inviting Yang Qing to join him.
Yang Qing could only promise to do itter. He had been dying to look over the list Vice Warden Shao An had given and had been waiting for the right opportunity to go through it. While piloting a beautiful ferry like the Bluefin was enticing it wasn''t as enticing as finding out about the dangerous inmates he would be supervising.
Yang Qing oblivious of the gradual transformation happening to him, excitedly went to his assigned floor, then his chamber, and activated all the protection arrays in the room. Out of a healthy sense of paranoia, he took out a few formation gs, 20 high-
grade spirit stones, and a dark stone that looked like it was made of nimbus clouds.
He carefully ced his formation gs at specific positions around the room before cing the cmity-obscuring stone at the center of the formation. He crushed the high-grade spirit stones and sprinkled them on the formation gs before finally muttering an incantation that activated it.
Cloud shrouding shadow veil array
The whole room was instantly swallowed by a dark grey shadow that shed with grey lightning. Yang Qing couldn''t help but smile with a satisfied smile. Someone who had not reached the domain realm could forget spying with the array in ce.
Chapter 777 Misfortune of the bleeding moon (1)
Chapter 777 Misfortune of the bleeding moon (1)
Core room of the Bluefin
"Oh.. seems like my hunch was right. He isn''t just your typical pce realm cultivator.." Bai Chen muttered as he sensed Yang Qing''s aura suddenly vanish.
Even though the gold-tiered chambers were cloaked in blue-grade arrays that had istion and presence-cloaking effects, with the orb he had in his hands which was the controller of every aspect of the ship from the flying to the arrays, he could sense what was happening throughout the ship.
Though he didn''t actively spy on his guests, with the orb he could feel their presence and states, but a few seconds ago Yang Qing''s presence disappearedpletely, even hiding from the orb which was a top-tier monarch-grade artifact.
The reason he had volunteered to fly Yang Qing was because he had sensed Yang Qing''s presence and bearing wasn''t the same as others, there was something unique about it, just the pressure of his cultivation base was enough to draw his attention. He was at the fourth stage but when facing Yang Qing, despite thetter having a lower cultivation base in the second stage, Bai Chen felt a slight pressureing from him, as to why he felt that way his experience at Jade Leaf Academy was enough to give a few reasons.
When he joined the Jade Leaf Academy, he had not yet stepped into the foundation establishment realm, but because of the care and training given to him, his foundations as a qi refinement cultivator were deep enough to gain him admission into the Academy.
A few months in he broke through to the foundation establishment realm with blue-grade pirs. Despite the bluefin spine-tailed swift being a spirit beast to whom grade of pirs had no significance as spirit beasts relied on refining the entire bodies to be one with the dao, the bluefin spine-tailed swift knew extensively about the grade of pirs and other aspects of human cultivation which she didn''t hesitate to educate Bai Chen deeply on, till at one point Bai Chen even suspected she was a human pretending to be a spirit beast.
Of the knowledge and wisdom she poured on him, one of them was the grade of pirs and cores and their significance, so he knew what an astounding achievement it was to get blue-grade pirs. Were he anywhere else such an achievement would have been worthy of praise and in some organizations, he would have even been nurtured as a prized seedling but he was in the Jade Leaf Academy, a ground that housed crouching dragons and hidden dragons.
It was there that he got first-hand experience on the fundamental difference between the different grades of the foundation pirs and the cores, which was how he knew for a fact, that Yang Qing had to have had pirs that were at least in the gold grade when he was in the foundation establishment realm following him all the way through to the core formation realm.
The heavy presence he felting from him could onlye from someone who had deeper foundations than him. It was the same sensation he felt from the academy students with gold-grade and purple-grade pirs and cores. Even with a weaker cultivation base, their presence never lost out to those they were in the same realm with. This was why he was prompted to pilot the trip himself despite not being in the books for it.
To him, someone with Yang Qing''s foundations was anything but simple, and with his own background, he could only strengthen himself through the connections he made along the way, which was something he came to be painfully aware of.
Sometimes just being strong wasn''t enough, it could only be enough if you had strength capable of shaking an entire continent and an entire era, but if you didn''t, the connections were needed, especially as a rogue cultivator where you only had yourself to depend on. He had gotten where he was because of it, and it was thest lesson given to him by the Bluefin spine-tailed swift who raised.
Pushing away the mncholic thoughts that were welling up within him, Bai Chen focused his senses on the orb in his hand which he used to navigate the ship.
...
Yang Qing''s chambers.
"Now let''s see who Vice Warden Shao An chose for me.." muttered Yang Qing as he used his spiritual essence to unlock the ck jade slip in his hands to read its contents. The slip shed with hundreds of runes and glyphs being lit up before it dimmed out a secondter with its contents being poured into Yang Qing''s mind.
Guardian new moon spirit, Luo Suyin, sentenced to 100,000 years, has served 400 years of that sentence. Luo Suyin is a saber whose spirit awakened upon the untimely demise of its wielder, Luo Xue.
Luo Xue was the only child of Luo Shen, a cksmith who lived in the frontier vige in Gentle Rock kingdom, a rank 3 kingdom that has existed for 37,000 years. Luo Shen had once been an apprentice for the royal cksmith and was suited to be his sessor, however, he resigned from his post when he fell in love with one of the pce attendants, and together they left the capital for one of the remote viges in the kingdom.
The process went smoothly in part due to the support of the royal cksmith who was highly regarded in the kingdom and the king at the time.
When he left the pce, Luo Shen had been in the middle stages of the core formation realm and an orange-grade cksmith, while his wife, Wen Yu had been at the peak stage of the foundation establishment realm, with both being cultivators as imagined it took a while before they conceived a child, almost a century passing by before they finally had one, their daughter, Luo Xue whom they both adored immensely.
However, tragedy struck four years after her birth when her mother went with her to the neighboring forest to harvest some herbs as had been their routine. Only this time there was something different, they were attacked by a deer horned boa that had wandered onto the periphery of the forest where they had been...
Chapter 778 Misfortune of the bleeding moon (2)
Chapter 778 Misfortune of the bleeding moon (2)
??ounts suggest it was running for its life and heavily injured when it stumbled onto the two, however, even heavily injured it had been at the core formation stage, and Wen Yu a peak foundation establishment cultivator at the time, had to sacrifice her life to injure it further, creating a loudmotion in the process alerting Luo Shen who quickly came to their aid. But ultimately it was toote, his wife suffered fatal injuries and had kept herself from passing on by sheer will waiting for their daughter to be rescued, and when Luo Shen arrived, she shuffled off her mortal coil not long after.
Scarred by the events, Luo Shen never left Luo Xue''s side, obsessed with keeping herself from all dangers, which led him to use all resources he had to hire her a saber instructor using the contacts of the royal cksmith when he saw she showed interest for the ded. That interest blossomed into talent that even garnered praise from the instructor who was famous for guiding the noble scions of the kingdom.
After 15 years, she reached the peak of the foundation establishment realm already her body had already developed saber qi. In admiration of her talents, the instructor offered to refer her to some of therge families who had the resources to help her flourish, but Luo Shen refused, having an intimate understanding of how the noble families operated during his time at the pce.
No matter how much talent she showed, without sufficient background, she would be suppressed and exploited when she got into those families.
The instructor left when he saw he had nothing left to teach her, meanwhile, Luo Shen since the death of his wife, to ensure his daughter''s safety and realizing his inability to do it forever, decided to use the one thing he was good at to ensure her safety. For fifteen years, he poured everything he had into crafting her the perfect saber. He knew his talents well, and he had no illusions that he would craft her a weapon with a spirit, but because of intense determination and sacrifice, the heavens saw pity on him.
The saber he created, though it did not have a spirit, had the potential to awaken one, given the right conditions, but even without its spirit awakened, the potential was more than enough for Luo Shen who had exhausted all he had into creating it including damaging his soul in the process which in turn affected his lifespan, a fact he hid from his daughter, the truth known only by him and the de, that he named guardian crescent moon in the hopes it would always guard and light her path in the darkest of nights hiding its edge beneath the starry skies.
He spent the remainder of his life keeping Luo Xuepany making sure they made as many memories as possible before his time was up with the most pleasant one being seeing Luo Xue break through to the core formation realm easing some of his worries. It wasn''t long before he passed away asking Luo Xue to live as she wished, if she wanted to leave the vige and see the wider world she could but he was insistent on her being wary of the noble families of the Gentle Rock Kingdom, who, unlike the name, were anything but gentle.
After his passing, Luo Xu spent the next decade in the vige mourning him, as she polished her heart whilst also bonding with her saber as she had done from the moment it was handed to her. Even though its spirit had not awakened, there was a familial established bond between the two as they continuously affected each other. Luo Xue reaching the core formation realm as fast as she did was in part due to the saber.
However, as if misfortune was hell-bent on pursuing the family, another tragedy struck the Luo family.
The early passing of Luo Shen was a blessing in disguise for him. At least he didn''t get to witness the events that transpired if he did...I am not sure how he would have lived with that torment.
The instructor who had trained Luo Xu visited the vige during the period that she was mourning her father. He still had not given up on recruiting her for one of the families he supported and hoped with enough time passing, Luo Shen would reconsider. He had evene with a sky-grade herb, the sense-sublimating lily, known for helping a cultivator calm their heart, and deepen their understanding and concentration.
Preferred by most weapon users to strengthen their weapon qi in the hopes of achieving intent, the instructor hoped to use the herb to convince Luo Shen into eptance as the herb could help her reduce the time needed and smoothen a breakthrough to the core formation realm by helping her deepen her understanding and sensitivity of the saber dao.
His n proved to be useless as the person he wanted to convince had already died, and the herb he hoped to use as a lure was useless as Luo Xue had already broken through to the core formation realm which further increased his desire to recruit her into the family he supported.
He spent the next few months sharing his insights in the hopes of recruiting her. Before his passing, her father had warned her to keep the saber a secret until she reached the peak of the core formation realm or the saber awakened its spirit. She heeded that advice, however, the instructor was someone she had known ever since she was a child and had guided her on the way of the saber. Other than her father, the instructor could be considered the only other person she was close with.
Despite being a core formation realm expert, all her life she lived sheltered by her father unaware of the dangers of the human heart. Out of sentiment and impatience, she revealed her saber to him in the hopes that he could offer guidance on how she could hasten the awakening process of her saber.."
Yang Qing''s heart paused as he knew where this was headed. He had seen enough cases to know this could only lead one way.
"The instructor despite being a middle-stage core formation expert, interacted a lot with the affluent to know a weapon that had the potential to awaken. Unsure of his ability to snatch the saber from her, he opted for the next best thing which was to convince her to join the Zhang family, which was the noble family he was closely affiliated with in the hopes of gaining enough favor with them for them to support his cultivation and raise his station with them.
However, Luo Xue refused him as she wanted to set out on her own and try to be an explorer of the Horizon Odyssey Guild. When the invitation failed, the instructor concocted an excuse and left to inform one of the elders he knew from the Zhang family. From the records, the family was one of three that had a pce realm expert, so their reputation and power within the kingdom was very high. This was how they were able to fabricate a tale that countless believed.
After informing that elder, the Zhang family quickly dispatched a few of their nsmen to seize the saber from Luo Xue only to find she was not there. Despite her naivety, her father''s warning must have rang in her mind sometimeter, hence her departure.
The Zhang unwilling to give up on the de, struck a deal with the royal family and they fabricated a tale with their support that vilified Luo Xue''s father iming he had stolen a precious saber from them whilst he worked as a cksmith for the royal family and it only came to light thanks to the Instructor.
They framed Luo Xue too saying she refused to listen to reason and killed a few of their retainers who had been sent to her to exin the situation in good faith. Painted as a viin, the whole kingdom turned on her, and it wasn''t long before she was found. Three months was how long it had taken and in those three months, she had experienced the depravity of the human heart.
The charade didn''t stop there because when she was apprehended, a few dayster she was beheaded with that saber. The saber meant to protect was the one that doomed her. Her death and anguish be a trigger for the awakening of the saber''s spirit, which in retaliation for her death, immediately after awakening, ughtered every single person present, those involved in the execution and those witnessing it.
It did not matter whether they had been involved or not, every single person within a kilometer radius of the ce where Luo Xue was executed, died by being beheaded.
The saber had been pure white just like the moon, but from that day it transformed into a moon that cried in blood which was the form that its spirit took, ady with white hair garbed with white and sorrow, crying tears of blood.
The Zhang family from root to stem were ughtered, which continued to the royal family where every single person in the pce was ughtered, except one, the royal cksmith.
Six pce realm cultivators, over ten thousand core formation and foundation establishment experts, and countless qi refinement cultivators numbering in the hundreds of thousands were ughtered by her in two weeks drenching the execution ground, the zhang household, and the royal pce in blood.
After the bloodbath, she left for the vige where Luo Xue lived with her body in hand, buried her next to her father''s grave, and stood vigil for them, where she remained until the other noble families afraid to confront her, forwarded the case of her ughter to the Order who apprehended her afterward.
Chapter 779 Could only be a rogue cultivator
Chapter 779 Could only be a rogue cultivator
??"How tragic.." muttered Yang Qing with a sigh as he read through the final part of the report which was the rationale for her sentencing.
Blood debts and the collection of said blood debts was something even to date with the Order''s presence was allowed. Cultivators fighting over treasures, kingdoms feuding for countless centuries, vengeance being repaid, the Order never prosecuted such cases as it was the way of the world.
However, if certain lines were crossed in the pursuit of that debt, then they would be involved. Ideally, if Luo Siyun had massacred only the Zhang family and the royal family, the Order would not have acted. That was a debt that she was owed, however, from the notes of the sentence, Luo Siyun was given a 100,000-year sentence because among her victims there were 9,786 who didn''t have a cultivation base. They were those who were unlucky enough to be caught in the aftermath of her attacks.
Mortals were the bottom line of the Order and the reason they were created and Luo Siyun had breached it. Even though the report didn''t contain a descriptional list of the victims, Yang Qing had sufficient imagination to guess a bit about them.
Gentle Rock was a rank 3kingdom which by virtue meant itsnds were rich in cultivation resources and environment and Luo Xue had been executed at the capital which meant the environment was bound to be richer than other regions in the kingdom.
Which group of people were likely to have no cultivation base in a ce as prosperous as the capital?
Yang Qing understood why she was given such a steep sentence for her deeds. She was given a hundred-year sentence for every indiscriminate life she took, and in the end, the number was rounded up to 100,000 years likely because of who the majority of the victims were.
Considering the stance the Order took on such vitions, she was lucky to have gotten away with such a sentence which was likely made in consideration of the circumstances that led to it.
At the end of the report, Shao An noted that Luo Siyun had been cleansed of the baleful and murderous qi that surrounded her, and coupled with her already enacting her vengeance, her path into bing a cursed de had been severed which was why he had ced her on the list of consideration for the rehabilitation program.
After finishing her report, Yang Qing quickly proceeded to the next person on the list. He only had four slots from the list of seven he had been given. He would only make his judgment after he had thoroughly read through all of them, and he felt it would likely not be easy pickings.
The next on the list was a cultivator by the name of Pan Xing. He was a rogue cultivator imprisoned for 38,000 years and had only served 377 of those years. He had been arrested for plundering. He had plundered countless known sects and ns of their prized treasures while it was also rumored he had killed a few talents from prominent organizations while he was exploring mysterious realms.
Mysterious realms were in essence hidden worlds with their own rules of operation. This was what made them extremely dangerous. Other than the dangers posed by the realm itself, cultivators were one of the greatest dangers in that ce. Because of its istory nature, it was the perfect ce to murder without worry of being found out.
It was always said stepping into a mysterious realm was like experiencing a rebirth. Your status or station in life had no relevance in there, and because of the mercurial nature of mysterious realms, some came with strange governingws like suppressing the use of all artifacts within the realm itself, restricting cultivators to a certain realm or age, with others even sealing the senses of those who walk into them.
In the end, all who walked into a mysterious realm started at the same line, and whether they lived or died ultimately depended on their abilities in part and a whole lot of luck. In there whether you were from a rank 1 organization or a rank 4, none of it mattered, you would both die just as easily if you were careless, either to the machinations of the realm itself or to each other.
The capriciousness of it all was the reason the Order never judged any cases regarding what happened inside a mysterious realm. All who were willing to venture into them had to ept the risks that came with it whatever they may be or how far-reaching they may be. If a rank 3 disciple somehow killed a disciple from a rank 2 sect and they were unlucky enough to have a witness to the deed, whatever happened after that disciple left the mysterious realm, the consequences would be theirs to bear. The Order would not step in, the same way if that disciple ended up harvesting a great reward instead of a disaster, they would not think of sharing their spoils with the Order.
Disaster and reward were theirs to bear in equal measure which was what happened to Pan Xing. While exploring a mysterious realm he stumbled onto a natural treasure, a pearl built from the essence of a thousand realms illusory m which granted its owner the ability to seamlessly blend through and survive in countless environments by avoiding detection whilst the pearl transformed the user''s body to adapt to the location they were in and this adaptation included phasing through various protections that were not stronger than the pearl''s ability.
These protections included formation arrays. Using the pearl, Pan Xing walked through the front door of countless organizations and robbed them senseless, while killing a few that he had grudges with. Out of hubris, he made his deeds known because if he didn''t, because of the pearl''s abilities, those organizations would have never known he was the one to do it.
As per the report, Pan Xing in his earlier years was infatuated with a girl from the same city as him. They were childhood friends and in jest when they were small they had said they would marry one another, only Pan Xing had taken it seriously. When he reached of age, he sent a formal proposal.
Both his family and hers were cultivation families of simr stature, and considering their history, Pan Xing assumed his proposal would go through without a problem. They were already close friends, their families were close, and when it came to talent even if he wasn''t a genius, he wasn''t average either.
At sixteen he was already in the foundation realm with a blue-grade pir and some sects had even made offers for him to join them it was just that he decided to hold out for the very best.
From the report, Shao An did say Pan Xing admitted he had been very greedy as the sect he was waiting for was one of the two holynds. As a hot-blooded youth, he couldn''t imagine anything less, and his childhood sweetheart was the final piece of the equation toplete the picture.
However, the dream life envisioned he imagined was shattered. While he was out growing and improving his strength the girl of his dreams fell in love with another, a core disciple of a rank 2 sect, the White Thundercrane Sword sect.Pan Xing gave in to anger and attacked the disciple only to be soundly trounced by the disciple. He would have been crippled and his n destroyed had the childhood friend not pleaded for him and his family.
The events that transpired that day became known far and wide and all the sects that had been approaching him in the hopes that he would join them all rescinded their offers for fear of drawing the ire of the White Thundercrane Sword Sect.
Even though the sect didn''t pursue the matter of his actions, other sects would avoid him for fear of being tainted by association. His talent wasn''t enough for them to risk it and the sects that were pursuing him, none of them were of the same level as the White Thundercrane Sword Sect.
Those sects were not the only ones who drew a hard line on the sand against him, as his family did the same. Out of anger for almost being subjected to aplete cleansing for his foolish act, and the fear of bing an enemy of a rank 2 sect, while they were only a rank 4 n, the n cut off all rtions with him and he was removed from the ancestry records. They cared not that he was one of the greatest talents in their n in a while, none of that mattered, the n came before a single individual and prolonged association with him risked the fate of the entire n. Having him around was no different than keeping an unstable cursed artifact. One never knew when it would explode.
The families and other organizations around them may have attacked them in the name of upholding justice on behalf of the slighted White Thundercrane Sect in the hopes of currying favor with the sect, and having Pan Xing around was the greatest excuse those organizations could have in attacking them.For self-preservation they banished him, and publicly at that.
In just a single day his entire world had shifted. He was no longer the prized talent of his n that was dotted on by almost everyone, the sects who lined up with gifts had shunned him like a gue, with some even threatening to cripple him if he dared approach them, and the woman whom he thought he would share all his glory with, loved another.
A single misstep and he fell from the heavens above and was buried in all kinds of dung on the earth''s ground, having worms forpany.
He did hope that maybe just maybe someone from the Holy Land would approach him, but they never did, and joining the Order was never in consideration as he never believed in its maxim. Like most, he believed its presence was an eyesore, ruining what a cultivation world was meant to be, thus the only path he saw before him was to be a rogue cultivator.
What happened that day left him jaded, bitter, and resentful of all prominent sects, ns, and other organizations. To him, they were of the same ilk as the White Thundercrane Sword Sect.
With bitterness and a desire to show up to his childhood love that she had made a mistake, Pan Xing trained ferociously and unreservedly. No risk was too great for him if it meant he would grow stronger and his efforts paid off as he ascended to the pce realm and even acquired a precious natural treasure in the pearl of the thousand realm illusory m in the process.
By his admission, he screamed in manic joy when he got the pearl. He felt like the heavens were supporting him bing even more zealous in the process.
Using the pearl, he robbed and plundered countless prominent sects, ns, and other organizations and he even used it to fulfill a few assassination contracts, amassing a lot of resources in the process and improving his cultivation base as a result, his aim, reaching the domain realm and rob the White Thundercrane Sword Sect blind, ruin them before finally pping them silly like that disciple did to him. He had it all nned out as he envisioned what he would do when his childhood love pleaded for that disciple''s life.
When he started the heists, he was covert, butter after numerous sesses, and the hot rumor that surrounded the mysterious thief, he outed himself. He could care less if his identity was revealed. With the pearl, he could live evenfortably in the most toxic of ces, his victims could never find him. He was confident of even hiding against a domain expert.
He hoped his name and exploit would reach the ears of the White Thunderhead Sect, specifically, the hateful couple.
His notoriety grew with the more prominent sects, ns, and other organizations he robbed. Despite how much they tried they could never catch him which garnered him mixed sentiments. Those organizations even ones he had not yet robbed hated him, while rogue cultivators all around sang him praises with every steal he made. It also helped that he shared some of the spoils with countless rogue cultivator factions even donating and supporting various academies, martial schools, and organizations that were known for helping rogue cultivators.
His growing repute within the rogue cultivators''munity became anotheryer of protection for him. Even though most factions looked down on them, they were also wary of them. Within theirmunity hid countless sleeping beasts that had the capability of shaking the continent when roused which made most factions mindful at times of how they handled rogue cultivators.
However, Pan Xing''s luck eventually ran out when one of the ns he wanted to rob ended up having a hidden domain expert that had just freshly broken through, thus news hadn''t quite got out. The pearl he had grown to have great confidence in was shattered, along with whatever confidence he had built up over the years.
He would have had his cultivation crippled when he got caught had news not broken out that he was caught which created a storm as a rogue domain cultivator intervened, which prompted other sects and ns that had disputes against Pan Xing to join in retaliation which only served to draw in more sect, ns and other organizations, and the roguemunity got stirred to, and eventually over hundred pce realm experts and seven domain experts were almost going to blows.
Luckily the Order stepped in time, and forcibly inserted itself into the situation. From the record, even if Pan Xing''s case should have been handled by a pce court judge, it was a domain judge who ended up doing the proceeding. He got 38,000 years which was mostly because of his affiliation with the assassin syndicate he did jobs for, the red scythe mantis.
Both the roguemunity and the sects and ns felt the sentence was unfair, but ultimately there was little they could do about it, not without risking falling outpletely between the two sides.
Chapter 780 Saint herb garden
Chapter 780 Saint herb garden
??"I wonder what happened to the couple.." Yang Qing muttered making a mental note to find out what happened to the core disciple of the White Thunderhead Sword Sect, and the childhood love of Pan Xing.
Next on the list was the founder of a rank 3 manor known as the Jade Miracle Cures Manor. The founder''s name was Gao Wei, and he hailed from the Gao n which was a rank 2 n. He came from one of its branch ns. Even as a branch, his n had considerable resources, and a pce realm cultivator to hold the helm, who happened to be his grandfather.
Gao Wei being the grandson of the branch leader and being talented himself was heavily dotted on within the n, with his grandfather sparing no expense when Gao Wen revealed he wanted to be a medical instructor.Expending all the resources he could, he managed to get him tutge under one of the disciples of the Saint Garden Sect, which even though was not a holynd was known as the holynd of medical cultivation because of the achievements of their founder.
It was because of the founder of the Saint Garden Sect that cultivators and mortals dared take risks in trying to find fortuitous encounters. His story was an inspiration to all. The early stages of cultivation relied heavily on the talent of the body and resources, with the powers ofprehension ying little role in it.
The founder had a prodigious talent when it came toprehension of the profundities of the dao, but his body was trash. He couldn''t sense or absorb qi well with it which was why even after 40 years, the best he reached was the bronze body stage of the body refinement realm which he gained by subjecting himself to near-death torture.
Had things remained the same, he would have likely died either a mortal''s death by exhausting his 100-year lifespan, or an early death in his pursuits for greater heights. His story wasn''t unique as there were countless people with the ability to understand and decipher even the most difficult of techniques and arts at a nce but were fated to remain mediocre because their bodies couldn''t support that first step.
From the body refinement realm to the core formation realm, one''s ability ofprehension while it yed a part, wasn''t that heavy, and it was something that could be taught, but your body''s ability was the basic currency. It was only from the pce realm onwards thatprehension became the core currency for growth, a body''s talent could do very little and even guidance had limitations which was why the Order only taught till one reached the core formation realm, the next phase depended on the abilities of the cultivator. The senior figures could share their insights but ultimately what became of it depended on the cultivator, unlike the previous stages where there was a clear structured process.
Yang Qing always felt it was a pity, while the heavens was said to be fair, in certain instances, it wasn''t. Someone has the ability to see and understand the mysteries of the world, but their body denies them the ability to absorb.
They can see it but never touch it. How miserable and pitiful was that?
The founder of the Saint Herb Garden would have ended up with a miserable fate like his peers had he not stumbled onto a fruit. Not much is known about the identity of the fruit only that it gave the founder the wings hecked.
The fruit transformed his trash body, into a treasure. He ended up gaining the three-element dao infusion body because of consuming said fruit. The three-element dao infusion body gave him three dantians each with an elemental affinity and as luck would have it, the three elements wereplementary to one another. He ended up with a water, wood, and earth infused dantian, respectively.
With his body finally able to sense and cultivate qi, he quickly soared jumping to prominence in a single bound. He spent forty years just to reach the bronze body, but it took him only seven years to leap from the bronze body to the pce realm, a feat few people could ever hope to replicate, andter in life he established himself as one of the most powerful figures of the continent.
The Saint Herb Garden may have not beenbeled a holynd, but in many cultivators'' eyes it might as well. Countless cultivators were pulled from the jaws of death because of its presence.
Who knows how many cultivators owed their lives to the wonderous medical arts and techniques of the Saint Herb Garden? As long as you had a single breath in you, the moment you stepped in there, dying was an impossibility no matter how terrifying your injuries.
Rumor had it that the founder could restore apletely shattered dantian. It had taken the Order over a dozen gold- grade medical cultivators, and countless ascendant-grade treasures to heal Lai Lei''s dantian that had cracks on it, one could only imagine how much effort it would take to restore apletely shattered one like the one Ma Yun had.
In the cultivation world, an injury to the dantian was no different than a death sentence that could not be reversed, and being able to heal it, that was the stuff of legends like achieving rebirth through phoenix''s mes.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure if the founder could really restore a shattered dantian, but his achievements were undeniable. Countless cures and medical techniques being practiced today originated from him. Even the Medical Valley Master admitted her inferiority when her skills werepared to him. She had the privilege of consulting him some time back, and despite how seasoned she was, she felt like a novice the longer she was around him.
The experience was so unforgettable to her that she said something Yang Qing could never erase from his mind. She said the abilities of the founder of Saint Herb Garden were transcendent and leaped the bounds of sense. What he could heal, who he could heal, he was not restricted even an injured star could be restored. She rated that his abilities were so profound that they were leaping to the realms of creation. She couldn''t imagine a cultivator in the past or the current era that could match him, and this even included members of the Flowing Valley Sect.
With such an evaluation, it wasn''t strange that the Saint Herb Garden was revered so, whether one was a medical cultivator or not, and for anyone within that field, it would be a tremendous opportunity to gain tutge in the Saint Herb Garden. Those working in the Medical Valley of the Order were no exception.
Chapter 781 Putting their lives to good use
Chapter 781 Putting their lives to good use
??Entry into the Saint Herb Garden was just as difficult as getting into any top-tier sect, and one could argue it was even harder for the Saint Herb Garden because of the regtions set by the founder which ced emphasis more onprehension than talent.
Though the regtions for being a member of the sect were hard, other rules were ratherx such as the sect allowing its members to guide cultivators who were not members of the sect that were interested in learning medical techniques. They were free to guide them however they wanted, with the only restriction being forbidden to share the core arts of the sect, which was a given in any sect.
Other than that, anybody from the sect was free to take whoever they wanted under their tutge. It was encouraged by the sect even, as they distributed merit points for those who guided others well. Countless prominent medical cultivators, alchemists, and herbologists around the continent were born out of that arrangement with countless more pining for the opportunity to learn under a member of the Saint Herb Garden. While they mayck the ability to be a member, learning from one of them was the next best thing.
That tutge was the route Gao Wei''s grandfather used. He arranged for Gao Wei to be under the tutge of an inner disciple of the sect. With his level of connections and station coupled with the prestige of the Saint Herb Garden, it meant getting anyone above a disciple was next to impossible for him. Even to get an inner disciple to ept Gao Wei, he had to exhaust every favor he had, and even then it wasn''t guaranteed as Gao Wei still had to pass an evaluation set by the inner disciple.
Along with the freedom to tutor whom they wanted,they had the freedom to decide the kind of evaluation they wanted to use or not use. Most opted to use an evaluation and while it was not as difficult as the one Saint Herb Garden gave to its prospect, they were still difficult.
Since the performance of their students was a reflection of them and how their peers and seniors would evaluate them,the members of the sect never epted students lightly. When they did so, it was only after a rigorous test.
Gao Wei had ability, which showed itself in the evaluation and impressed the inner disciple who took him under his wing and guided him for the next twelve years. After she felt Gao Wei had learned enough, the tutge ended.
Gao Wei returned home as a seasoned medical cultivator. He opened a small clinic in his n''s territory for a season before he finally decided he was well enough to venture out on his own to start somewhere without the backing of his family. He had always admired the founder of the Saint Herb Garden and hoped to go the same route and establish himself from nothing.
It took time, but his dedication and talents shone through, and eventually, he made a name for himself as the founder of the Jade Miracles Cure Manor. Its repute and fame even rivaled that of his branch family when his talents rose to a blue-grade healer and alchemist.
Other than his growing abilities, part of what led to the fame of his manor was he was indiscriminate in those he offered his services to, be it those who had no cultivation, or those in the pce realm, his doors were open to all, and his costs were extremely cheap whenpared to most. He was dubbed the jade selfless healer.
From how his manor operated, it did not seem like he was doing it for profit, and considering the types of clientele he got, it did not seem he was doing it to establish connections either.
What connection would a pce realm cultivator who was a blue-grade healer gain from healing ate-stage qi refinement cultivator suffering from delirium caused by hearing the whispers of the whispering torment smoldering acacia or a body refinement cultivator who over-exerted their training and suffered internal injuries?
On paper, there was nothing to be gained from it. Of course, some thought being able to help another was payment enough but this was the cultivation world, it operated on transaction rather than sentiment most of the time, whether it was sects who nurtured their disciples in the hopes that they would carry on the legacy of the sect, and culling out those that did not measure, or n members showing favoritism to those with promise or even healers deciding on who treat first.
What did you stand to gain from it? It was because of this that many looked favorably at Gao Wei. He was an oddity, he didn''t seem like he was gaining much from his manor.
What they did not know was, Gao Wei was indeed gaining something and he wasn''t as selfless as they thought. It was always wondered how remained afloat with the prices he charged which never seemed to be enough to sustain the basic operations of his manor, but for some reason, his manor kept going and growing, with the prices remaining as they were which only added more fame to the selfless jade healer.
What the popce didn''t know was the reason he wasn''t worried about costs such as herbs and other things were one of the main ingredients of his healing recipes was in plentiful supply around the continent. The lifeblood of cultivators.
The potions and pills he concocted, and the healing arts he used, the key ingredient was a cultivator''s life essence. The reason he was never worried about cost was finding the ingredient he needed was pretty easy and it was free at that. The Southern Continent despite its warring nature and how many cultivators had died, was still filled with billions of billions because of how rich its environment was.
Of every 100 mortals born, 60 of them had the potential to cultivate. It is not guaranteed they will reach far, but they had the potential in them and that potential was a factor of the environment in the Southern Continent that was suffused with spiritual qi and all sorts of natural phenomena that transformed the bodies of its inhabitants to be able to survive in its environment.
Gao Wei killed cultivators of all backgrounds and cultivation bases and used them as fuel for a cultivation art he stumbled upon, the ouroboros blood river chrysalis of rebirth.
From what Shao An had written about it, ignoring its gory nature, the art itself as truly profound, and unlike most blood-
refinement arts, that art was moreplete, one that at its root was in line with the Origin Dao of the world which was how despite it being a blood refinement art, it had terrifying healing abilities from art, techniques, down to alchemy recipes and refining arts.
It was an all-roundedplete cultivation art through and through. It had its meditation technique, cirction technique, defensive and attracting forms, and even innate traits that it gave the user the further they progressed in it, and in terms of grade, Shao An and the rest said it was likely a purple-grade art.
They couldn''t decipher its history or even read its contents as it seemed shielded within Gao Wei''s memory and forcibly breaking through it risked killing Gao Wei and its contents disappearing, and Gao Wei himself didn''t even know how he found it or where he found it, who created or owned it, he knew he just knew it was with him at some point and it was what helped him grow his strength.
As Yang Qing read through its traits, he soon realized why it was considered a purple-grade art. The deeper one''s understanding of the art became, once they reached the emergent phase of the art, they would never age. Through the art, they could reverse their aging the cycle of young and old could be switched with a cycle just like the ouroboros, and the conduit of that transformation was a cultivator''s life essence.
It was always said a cultivator''s journey was written in his or her blood. Within their blood contained the evidence of all that they had achieved and the potential of what they could, it was the same for humans or spirit beasts, and when they died, all they had achieved would be broken down into its individual parts and be absorbed by the world for it to be carried again by another living thing, a cycle that never stops, and the art Gao Wei cultivated, operated under that guideline. It broke down a cultivator''s blood simr to how the earth broke down organic materials of all forms into nutrients suitable for the living. The art broke down a cultivator''s body and the nutrients were poured into Gao Wei or he could use it to heal others.
The body contained all the spiritual qi he or she had absorbed, the natural treasures he or she had refined,a record of the attainments he or she had made, all of it was stored in the blood, and was broken down by the art to feed Gao Wei or the patients he treated which was how none of them was the wiser on the nature of the medical techniques he used on them as he had already broken down his victims to their raw forms which he then used.
He was only found out when the disciple that guided him came to see him and detected something odd, though she could never quite put her finger on it. She shared her doubts with a colleague who by coincidence was friends with someone from the Medical Valley of the Order. It wasn''t long before Gao Wei was investigated and the truth of his techniques brought to light.
He had killed close to 10,000 cultivators over the years, with two of them being pce stage cultivators, with the bulk being core formation experts. The most ironic thing was he had healed ten times the number he had killed which was why he wasn''t executed on the spot when he was found.
When he was sentenced, he showed no remorse for his actions, citing cultivators died all the time, and when alive they were likely to murder countless, at least this way he reduced the number of potentially murderous cultivators and put their lives to a good course by using it to save the lives of countless others.
His reasoning exined why he healed mortals the most out of those who walked through the doors of his manor.
At the end of the report, Shao An did mention breaking him by subjecting him to the torture of experiencing what it felt like to be a human pill over and over, and he no longer holds the strong inclinations he had before.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh after reading Gao Wei''s file. Regardless of whether Gao Wei was truly remorseful or not now, with his spirit broken, Yang Qing knew the fact he was on the list, unlike the rest, Gao Wei''s profile as a healer guaranteed him a spot on the list which was likely Shao An''s and the Order''s intention.
As for Gao Wei''s sentence, it was indefinite. Regardless of how well he did, his sentence would never be reduced, he would remain an inmate until his death, and the only reprieve for him would be not spending it all in Requiem or experiencing life as a human pill.
Chapter 782 Ghost viper court
Chapter 782 Ghost viper court
"Now only three spots are left.." Yang Qing muttered with a sigh as he continued with the report.
Next on the list was a cultivator by the name of Han Lei who operated by a different name, Chen Xin.?He was an elder of an assassin organization known as the Ghost Viper Court. In terms of infamy, the Ghost Viper had the same level as the Blue Soul me Crow Syndicate. For the right price, you could them to kill anyone. They had no qualms about who their target was. Of course, they were not foolish in the jobs they undertook as they never epted any jobs that were associated with ancient rank 1 and rank 2 organizations but anything below that was fair game.
They had assassinated prominent figures from sect leaders to n heads, to prized princes and princesses, heirs to prestigious organizations, talented seedlings, down to the mundane targets. They could target an individual or even an entire organization which was how Han Lei''s path crossed with theirs.
When he broke through the core formation realm, he left his n to spread his wings on the wider continent which had been the term set by his parents to allow him to leave home. His parents had been one of the elders of the Han n, which had been a fairly decent n having two pce realm cultivators with one of them being his grandaunt.
The n was for him to roam the continent for three years before he had toe back and serve his n. However, his trip was cut short about one and a half years in when horrible news reached his ear.
His n had been pretty famous because of their talisman refinement abilities. The talismans they refined could contain 70% of a cultivator''s power from the qi refinement up to the pce realm. It was the foundation with which they propped themselves up. Because of their exceptional skills, the Han n was known far and wide, so when they got killed one night to thest member, the news spread like wildfire fast, reaching even the ears of Han Lei who had been hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from their territory.
When he heard the news, he thought it was a joke, and when it proved it wasn''t, he thought it was another Han n out there that had been destroyed. But as more news trickled in with apt details, he could no longer pretend it was not the same Han n that he knew.
The thing about bad news, one would always try to deny it up until it hit them square in the face. Before then they would make all sorts of excuses, try to rationalize it with irrationality and find threads of truth that didn''t exist that seemed to disprove the news andbel it as fake.
Up until one was face to face with the undeniable reality of that news, they would not ept it no matter how detailed and clear the details. This was what happened to Han Lei. As he was madly rushing back to his n, all he could think about was how the news he had heard was all a lie, but ultimately when he reached his n, reality smacked him dead center, and he could not deny it.
When he reached there, the structures were intact. There were no signs of struggle. The scene of utter destruction he had expected to find wasn''t there. Everything seemed as he had left it except one thing, the buildings were absent their upants. A ce that he had left so full of life was now deathly silent filled with the stench and grievance of death.
He couldn''t believe it, even when he saw the bodies of his n members, he couldn''t believe they were gone. Their bodies were strewn about in the various buildings all bearing the same characteristics. They were pale grey, looking as if they were about to turn to stone, while their eyes, nose, and ears had dried ck liquid, and at their necks were four tiny puncture wounds that looked to have been made with tiny needles.
Han Lei said from the facial expressions of most of the bodies, it seemed like none of them realized how and when they died, with some even frozen in the middle of doing a particr action.
Eventually, he made his way to his parent''s courtyard and found them the same as the rest, his father was in the same posture as he always was, in the same room as he always, doing the same thing he always did. He was seated in a lotus position in his cultivation room with his hand holding a scroll that contained a record of sales and expenditures for the various businesses belonging to the n. As for his mother, she was in their garden and looked to be tending to it.
Though by the time Han Lei arrived, the garden had been empty, same with the other ces. It had taken him six days to reach his n which was more than enough time for looters to pick his n clean of all valuables. At least the bodies of his nsmen were not among the things stolen but everything else even the furniture and clothes was looted.
It was only when he made his way to his grandaunt''s abode did he find signs of a struggle, but even then, the signs were not signs one would expect from a pce realm expert. What he saw was her rmed and looked to be swinging a sword which had obviously been looted, as she wore a look that was indignant, and terrified. She had more puncture wounds than the rest, with her entire body filled with them, which was the same thing he observed from the remaining pce realm expert of the n who had been the n leader.
He searched for hours, but not a single member of his n was alive
Chapter 783 Reason for destruction
Chapter 783 Reason for destruction
In the shock of it, Han Lei ended up going to his grandaunt''s body and tried to shake her in the hopes that she would wake and tell him that this was all just a nightmare.
It was in the middle of shaking her that he saw something fall from the sleeves of her robe, a petal of rainbow mist peony. To anyone else, that petal was of no significance even to the rest of the Han family, had they been the ones to see it, it would have no meaning to them, but to Han Lei, it held a message, something his grandaunt had left for him as only he would recognize it.
When he was small whenever he wanted to get something from his parents, if he knew they would refuse him, he would always try to enlist his grandaunt''s help but it never came from free. His grandaunt had been a seasoned herbologist who had reached the blue-grade tier. The ink they used for their talisman was made from the starry ink vine nts she grew. Everything his mother knew about nurturing spiritual herbs from his grandaunt.
As a child whenever Han Lei wanted her help she would make him promise to take care of her rainbow mist peonies which other than looking beautiful, smelling great,?and clearing the mind, had no other use. Han Lei hated that flower, it offered so little but demanded a lot of care, where any slight misstep and the nt would die. It was a sky-rank herb but had the fragility of a mortal-rank herb.
It was the neediest nt he had ever seen as it demanded every single thing from the person taking care of it. If you diverted your attention for even a second, the flower would detect, and wither a single petal or it would refuse to bloom. If you showed emotions of anger and reluctance,?somehow the flower would sense it, and it would wither, be off by even a millimeter in its nutrient requirement and it would wither.
Its care demanded patience, a steady heart, and attentiveness, which was something Han Lei was forced to learn if he was to get his grandaunt''s help, and was more than likely herst message to him, which in a sense had saved his life as it forced him to think things through amid the panic and the suddenness of his new reality.
Before he saw the flower, he had nned to go to the allies they had to seek shelter and even assistance from them. Because of their trade, the Han Family had formed countless connections and favors which Han Lei wanted to take advantage of.
His mind had been filled with nothing but anger and fear, which had made him overlook one crucial thing, the ease with which his n was wiped out.
Who would help him against a foe that could wipe out an entire rank 3 n with two pce realm experts without creating amotion?
Other than the strength of the foe, there was also Han Lei''s title as thest surviving member of the Han n.
What if whoever wiped out the n came after him? He risked not only himself but also whoever sheltered him, and those organizations would likely consider that as well and deny him at the door.
There was only one option, Han Lei had to die and in his ce, Chen Xin was born. He set fire to the n grounds and used the ensuing mes as cover to leave the area.
He waited fifteen years before he started investigating what happened to his n as he improved his strength whilst also searching for a treasure or cultivation art that would enable him to seal his memories.
Even though those fifteen years he didn''t overtly investigate the demise of his n, it was plenty of time for him to think things through over and over and n what his next steps would be if he uncovered the identity of the perpetrator.
The manner in which his n was destroyed screamed of an assassin''s work, cold, precise, and meticulous. Whether it was done by an individual or by an organization, he could not approach them with his memories intact. Those who were in that line of work would easily sniff out the scent of vengeance in someone.
He buried his impatience deep and ensured every step he took was measured. It took him seventy years before he finally caught a line on who executed his n which led him to the doors of the Ghost Viper Court.
For the next forty years, he schemed and nned on ways to destroy them but he couldn''t do it until he knew who hired them and why and there was only one way he would find the answers to those questions. He had to be one of them.
Though it wasn''t easy, he managed to join them, but before he did, he had to seal his memories away which he managed to do with a blue-tier memory-altering cultivation art, the ck sea of illusions that was paired with a monarch-grade herb the soul sealing gourd which he used to seal a part of his soul that would only be unlocked if he reached the pce realm.
If he didn''t, his memories of what happened even his real identity would forever be lost to him.
His measures proved effective, as he managed to join the Ghost Viper Court, and worked tirelessly as one of their members even drawing the eyes of one of the elders who took him under his wing. With his memories of the destruction of his n sealed away, he truly believed he was one of their own, making his integration into the court smooth.
He killed for them for years on end, rising through the ranks,pletely unaware of why he was there. Neither he nor the court were the wiser. That was until he finally broke through to the pce realm, then all the memories he had sealed came back, and by then he was already a core elder of the manor.
His years of living in subterfuge made him an expert in hiding his true thoughts, so even with his memories back, no one other than him knew he had changed. As a core member of the court, it wasn''t difficult for him to uncover what happened to his n, and what he discovered left him surprised.
Over the years, he had thought of countless reasons on why his n would be destroyed. Somepetitors wanted them gone, a jealous organization eyeing their talisman-making technique. He had thought of many reasons but ultimately they fell short of the real reason.
They were destroyed because of a sky-grade artifact. A rank 3 n that had existed for over 30,000 years had been destroyed to thest person because of a sky-grade artifact.
Chapter 784 Perpetrator’s identity
Chapter 784 Perpetrator''s identity
Han Lei couldn''t believe it when he read it and had even thought it was a trap set by the manor master who had already seen through his disguise. But as much as he found it difficult to believe it, the evidence was undeniable. His n had been eviscerated because of a sky-grade artifact.
One of his n members when exploring a ruin, ended up finding the sky grade artifact there. It was a defensive artifact that could protect a cultivator''s body against the attacks of an early-stage core formation expert and could even handle a few attacks from a middle-stage core formation expert but with a limit, past that, and the artifact would be destroyed.
In terms of abilities, it wasn''t a standout. Han Lei in denial had even thought that maybe it hid more secrets within it like maybe was one of the keys to the legacy abode of some powerful cultivator, but it wasn''t. About the only special thing about it was its design. The sky artifact was in the form of a hairpin that was made from the carapace of an emerald frost scorpion which gave the hairpin a beautiful ethereal lustre whenever the rays of the sun hit it.
When the Han n member got it, ady saw it in his hands as he was appraising it. She made an offer for it in spirit stones which the Han n member was about to agree to but hesitated and asked if he could swap the spirit stones for something else. However, that hesitationnded him his death as the youngdy had one of the servants she had with her, execute the n member.
The hesitation shown by that n member had angered her, and that anger continued to boil within her even after she had killed him. From that anger, she decided to contract the Night Viper Court.
Before taking any contract, the Night Viper Court always did its due diligence on its clients with the same care as it did on its targets to avoid falling into a trap. They had a pretty thorough detail on the youngdy.
The youngdy''s father was a merchant and a prominent one at that. He was originally a farmer born with a wood-based physique, the sentinel birchwood physique which gave him an edge on the crops he grew which became the foundation for the merchant organization he startedter on, the Sentinel birchwood pavilion.
With his talents, it didn''t take long for his pavilion to hit off the ground and he was wise enough in the market he set his sights on. When a cultivator reaches the core formation realm, they can survive without eating, subsisting on the spiritual qi that they absorb and is converted by the cores.
However, that wasn''t the same for those in the foundation realm and below. The cultivators of this rank still needed food, though not frequently as a mortal, they still needed it and the meals they required, to avoid their bodies from umting impurities and for it to meet their demands, it had to be of a certain quality, one of which is rich in spiritual qi.
This was the group that the youngdy''s father targeted. His client base was low enough that he would not step on any toes and the number was high enough that he didn''t have to worry about getting clients.
Sects, ns, kingdoms, restaurants that catered to cultivators, and otherrge-scale organizations would have body refinement to foundation establishment-level cultivators within their ranks in great numbers at that. As long as those organizations were well off, they would prefer to buy the spirit-
rich ingredients from merchants because the costs were not high rather than grow it themselves where they would have to splitnd that they could use for something more valuable, and manpower that could be better served somece else than grow food for eating.
Food was never high on the priority list for cultivators and some even disdained it as it meant they were no different than mortals if they still required food to survive.
With countless organizations choosing to buy these ingredients rather than grow them themselves, the Sentinel Birchwood Pavilion grew with orders flooding in because of their quality that outdid most in the market.
The youngdy''s father was a vane person who tried to use his newfound wealth to find the prettiestdy to wed. His background as a farmer didn''t open a lot of doors for him but with the growing reputation and wealth of his pavilion coupled with his growing strength, he eventually found one, the youngdy''s mother, whom he treated as a god up until her death when she died to some curse ced on her likely by apetitor or adversary of the pavilion.
After her death, the youngdy''s father poured all his attention and love on the daughter she left behind who looked dead simr to her mother. He spoiled her rotten, doing almost anything for her as long as she required it.
Growing up pampered by one of the most powerful rank 3 merchant organizations in the continent, that youngdy, Yi Ai, showed zero hesitation to have the entire Han family destroyed over a hesitation to hand over a sky-grade artifact.
Because of her background, she had the funds to hire the services of the Night Viper Court, and the records even showed it wasn''t the first time she engaged their services and neither was she the only one, as her father, Yi Wen, he had quite the number of dealings which was how Yi Ai knew about them in the first ce.
With the reason for his n''s demise already uncovered, he bided his time. If he was to strike at both, it had to be sessful on the first try. He could not afford to be negligent with the court or the Sentinel Birchwood Pavilion and he did so in a manner befitting of a seasoned assassin.
Chapter 785 Disturbance above
Chapter 785 Disturbance above
He simultaneously leaked the location of their headquarters to the most powerful enemies of the court he could find, and it wasn''t just them, since the court had a list of the targets they had assassinated on behalf of the father-daughter duo, he leaked that information too to theirpetitors and the organizations that had lost members to the assassination as a few of them were just as powerful as the Sentinel Birchwood Pavilion.
The list of enemies both organizations had was not small, but out of prudency, using the hundred-star treasure hall pavilion as a go-between, he had the information leaked to the Order too.
As for him, he had spent the better part of fifty years breaking apart the techniques of the Night Viper Court and learning all manner of arts that could subdue them. In as much as he was borrowing other people''s hands, he wanted to be the one to sink the final dagger through them.
It took some time for those organizations including the Order to verify everything. The details in the information Han Lei shared helped shorten that timeframe.
As he waited for those organizations to act, Han Lei went for the daughter, tortured her, and threw her injured body in the Green Fog Region, in zone nine, where she would not die easily from her injuries but would be tormented to death, but just in case she managed to escape the ce, he had also poisoned her with Stygian ck corpse poison. It was the most potent poison he had and would require the expertise of a gold-grade healer or a domain expert to remove.
He was insidious in its administration as it would take a week for it to kick in subjecting the youngdy to the worst pain she would ever endure for two days straight as her body melted and solidified until herst breath. Some part of him had hoped she would escape the green fog region alive, revel in the joy of being alive, then sink into the abyss when the poison kicked in.
However, Yi Ai barely survived a day before she was devoured. Han Lei sent a recording of her torture to her father when she died. The Night Viper''s Court he would kill to thest member, but for Yi Wen, knowing the daughter he dotted on so much met such a brutal ending was the best vengeance he could give him while the rest would be taken care of by the enemies he had built over the years.
It wasn''t long before pandemonium broke, and both organizations were attacked. Han Lei used the chaos that came to ughter his way through the members of the Night Viper Court, down to the court master whom he dyed long enough till the special inquisitors dispatched by the Order arrived in time to kill him.
As for Yi Wen, deranged and maddened at his daughter''s death, fought like a madman ughtering his way through countless using any and all means. He died violently by self detonating taking some of his attackers with him.
After the arrival of the special inquisitors, Han Lei surrendered himself to them as he confessed the litany of deeds he had done as a member of the court. To blend in, he had to truly be like them in his conduct and deeds, especially during the period when his memories were sealed.
He had destroyed countless organizations just like the Han n was and he didn''t want to be absolved of it. Before surrendering himself, the only request he made was to be allowed to mourn his family at their former grounds for two weeks which he was allowed and after because he surrendered himself of his own volition, the Judicial Review Committee was the one who issued his sentence, though it was more apt to say they were following the wishes of Han Lei.
Yang Qing put down the slip as he rubbed the middle of his brows with a sigh escaping his lips. Cases like this were the hardest to deal with. If Yang Qing was in the same shoes as Han Lei, without any other options, he would have likely gone the same route as him in seeking retribution on behalf of his family.
Sentencing someone for something you would have done yourself, was always hard to swallow, but it had to be done. What Han Lei did, if the Order was not there, he would not have been pursued for it, but now, even if they might sympathize with his actions, he had massacred other ns, and sects in his pursuit.
How would the Order answer to the departed souls of those organizations who had suffered the same fate as the Han n?
The lines felt blurry a lot of times.
Yang Qing took a few breaths to calm his thoughts but just as he was about to resume going through the list, he sensed something that prompted him to look above.
The roof above and the walls to the side all glittered from the activation of runes.
Yang Qing deactivated his istion ruin before making his way out of his chamber and onto the surface of the ferry where he was met with a red mist that had corroding and istion effects.
The mist stretched as far as the eye could see, and countless passengers could be seen panicking as they stared at it with some prudently rushing to their rooms to seek sce in numbers.
Yang Qing and the staff were the only ones who seemed undisturbed by the mist that had appeared out of the blue. The staff went on to reassure the passengers there was nothing to worry about which did little to settle them, while Yang Qing stared above him with a curious gaze.
"I wonder if a blood spirit mist vulture is delicious.." he muttered as he held his chin in contemtion.
"No, not it can''t be, considering how bloodthirsty it is, would its meat even taste right? It''s probably cursed, right? Or could it be packed with vors? But wait if I eat it, considering it mostly preys on human cultivators, would that make me a blood refiner by association if I eat it? I can''t risk it.." Yang Qing said with deep reluctance drawing shocked nces from the staff members who heard the entire debate.
Others were having panic attacks, afraid for their lives, while he was here seriously contemting whether the source of that panic was edible or not.
Some of the staff members felt like giving him an earful on awareness if not for the fact that they had been warned repetitively by Duan Tian and even the founder himself to be mindful of him. That warning served as a reminder that no matter how unassuming the person before them seemed to be, he had warranted personal consideration from their founder, which meant he was anything but as simple as he seemed.
The gentle cry of a sword immediately sounded apanied by a gentle chilly wind that sted the red mist apart revealing a massive beast that resembled a vulture. It had deep red feathers that released mist, a ck beak that looked like it could tear through anything, and blood-red eyes that might as well have been pools of blood filled with malice.
That creature that looked like something out of an abyss now had a thin line extending from its face down to its tail. As if unaware of the line, it screeched as it prepared to charge at the human with blue hair standing calmly a few hundred meters away from it, with a sword in hand.
Just as it tried to fly, its body separated into two from the thin line as its innards and blood froze at the point of separation.
The young man waved his sleeves and the massive beast disappeared.
"Sorry for the disturbance, daoist Yang Qing.." said the young man as he appeared next to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing looked meaningfully at the young man before he asked,
"Bai Chen, that art, is it rted to the Frozen Serenity Scripture?"
Chapter 786 Guesses about the bluefin spine-tailed swift
Chapter 786 Guesses about the bluefin spine-tailed swift
??Though he tried to hide it, Bai Chen looked startled by Yang Qing''s question, and Yang Qing could have sworn he felt a faint killing intent sh in his eyes before he covered it up quickly.
"What''s with the reaction?"wondered Yang Qing.
After regaining his calm, Bai Chen asked,
"Why do you ask?" though he seemed casual with the question, the wary undertone that lurked beneath it didn''t evade Yang Qing''s senses.
"There really is something there.." thought Yang Qing as he noted Bai Chen''s strange reaction.
"I detected a bit of its aura as you shed at the blood mist vulture. I have interacted with a few cultivators who cultivated an art from the scripture, and I have also cultivated one myself, it''s a meditation art though. I was able to sense the simrities because of it.." said Yang Qing.
Yang Qing had stretched his truth a bit. While he had interacted with some of its arts such as the frostfire cultivation and the winter''s embrace meditation art, he only did so back then to further his investigation into the techniques of the Ice Emerald Sect whose core art had also been part of the scripture.
From the list of victims they had attacked over the years, some had been because of their Yin physique, while others had been because they owned a cultivation art rted to the Frozen Serenity Scripture. The Echo resonant sect had been one of those victims. They had an array belonging to the scripture, and though it was only a secondary array, it was a blue-grade array, and part of three secondary arrays which whenbined would create a gold-grade array, the Frozen Temporal Seal.
Yang Qing had surmised the sect was not just collecting those techniques for the sake of collecting them and there had to be something hidden within them. He had been meaning to research further into it by researching the two arts the Order had in its possession, but he had not had as much free time to do so as he had hoped, and seeing it here again his interest couldn''t help but be peaked.
The Frozen Serenity Scripture was an all-epassing cultivation art that the countless talents and generations of Frozen Serenity Sect members had poured their lives into creating. Almost every type of cultivation was represented within the scripture from sword art, to saber art, to meditation art, to body and soul refinement art, to beast-taming art, to movement art, and other schools of cultivation that one could think of had all been blended into the Frozen Serenity Scripture.
Each of the individual arts was confirmed to be at least at the blue grade, and if multiple werebined like the array, the level could be raised. Each art though different, came from the same root. For those arts that could bebined, mastering one to perfection made it easier to master the other to the same standards in a shorter time.
His cultivation art collecting and dissection hobby tingled when he sensed its tracesing from Bai Chen which was why he couldn''t help himself but seeing his reaction, Yang Qing couldn''t help but regret the haste of his excitement.
The history of the Ice Emed Sect should have served as a reminder for him to be wary of asking about matters rting to the scripture.
"Sorry, I didn''t mean to react that way.." Bai Chen said with a bitter smile.
"Sorry too, if I was out of bounds with my question.."
"No, it is perfectly okay. I think it''s because I''m on this ship.." Bai Chen said as he looked around him with a nostalgic look on his face.
"Ever since I stepped foot on it memories of my past keep flooding in which has left me out of sorts slightly, but to answer your question, yes, it is an art from the Frozen Serenity Scripture, a sword art I got from the bluefi.. " Bai Chen paused mid-through his sentence as he shook his head with a smile before finally looking up.
"It is something I got from my mother.." he said, with a heartfelt smile.
"The Frozen Serenity Sect must have been quite something to create what they created. I haven''t interacted much with other arts from the scripture other than the sword art I have, but the profundities contained within it I can hardly believe it''s just a segmented part..
How about yours or the other arts you saw.."
"They were all profound..."
"Figured as much. I can''t help but wonder why the Ice Emerald Sect dabbled in what they did when they had one too. It should have been more than enough to sustain and grow their sect for years and years toe.
I may be human, but I can never understand our kind.."
Yang Qing sighed at the mention of the Ice Emerald Sect as he said,
"Neither can I.."
On detecting the drop in mood, Bai Chen decided to change the topic as he asked Yang Qing how he found his amodations, and once again invited him to the steering room to try and have a go, which Yang Qing happily obliged to lighten his heart before finally he felt well enough to head back to his chambers to continue with the list.
As he was heading back there was something that was gnawing at him and it was about Bai Chen. Even though he avoided the topic entirely, Yang Qing kept wondering what happened to the Bluefin spine-tailed swift that raised Bai Chen. Seeing his reaction, it stood to reason that she had passed. It was the circumstances that led to it that bothered Yang Qing, especially now that he knew Bai Chen cultivated an art from the Frozen Serenity Scripture.
There was a chance that the bluefin spine-tailed swift had been targetted because of it. The Ice Emerald Sect had been gathering the arts from that scripture for a reason, maybe it was for themself, or it was for that mysterious owner of the red abyssal thorn tree.
He didn''t want his mind to go there, but he wondered if Bai Chen''s mother had been one of the victims of the sect, and seeing Bai Chen''s sensitivity to her, Yang Qing didn''t want to broach the matter by asking for details about her.
Whatever doubts and guesses he had he would keep them to himself for now. He would only share his thoughts if he found an undeniable connection between the Ice Emerald Sect and the bluefin spine-tailed fin, and even then it would be after he confirmed it had something to do with the sword art she gave him.
Chapter 787 Ground zero
Chapter 787 Ground zero
??Pushing the matter of Bai Chen aside, Yang Qing decided to focus his attention back on the slip. When he left the steering room, per Bai Chen''s estimation it would take two hours before they reached the first location on his list, Camel Lake Town in the Sunbirch Kingdom. His target was the sect master of one of the local powerhouses in Hanming province where Camel Lake Town was located. The sect''s name was the Scorpion Lotus Sect, and it was a rank 4 sect.
After finishing with the Scorpion Lotus Sect, he would move toward the next target located in Five Peak Valley found in the Moon Pine Kingdom, which just like the Sunbirch Kingdom was a rank 3 kingdom. His target there was the n head of the Liu n, one of the five peak factions of the Five Peak Valley which just like its name was named so because of the five peak ns that inhabited the valley.
After the Five Peak Valley, he would then head to the Ember Lightning me Forge pavilion in Thousandforge City located in the territory of the Divine Armament Sect, a rank 2 sect. His person of contact was the owner of said pavilion.
Lastly, he would finish at Azure Mirage City located in Snow Dawn Province of the Great Chen Empire which was a rank two empire. His contact in the city was the sect master of the Spring Rain Sword sect.
Despite his extensive list which contained twenty members, he had restricted himself to four visits this time because of the enormity of the distance where those members were located from one another. In the spirit of caution, the members of hiswork list were spread far apart from one another to reduce someone piecing it together that those organizations were part of an Order Network.
Because of the distance, four was all he could handle for the five-day timeframe he had been given by the Bluefin Escort Agencies. If he flew with just his cultivation base it would have taken longer.
Yang Qing used the two hours left before the first meet-up to finish the list Shao An had handed him.
Next on the list was a blue-grade formation master by the name of Zhu Qing. Yang Qing couldn''t help but raise his brows in surprise when he looked at his age. He was 203 years old and he was already a second-stage pce realm expert and a blue-grade formation master and geomancy specialist when it came to the mining of spirit-rich stones and minerals.
His extensive list of proficiencies and achievements was not something that one would expect to see in someone who was only 200 years old, the fact that it was, he was nothing short of a genius-level talent. He was one of the leading talents of the Blue River Star Guadian Manor, a rank 3 organization that had made its bones in formation arrays. It was one of the best within its rank boasting a reputation as one of the best to hire when one thought ofying down blue grade arrays or buying blue grade formation blueprints.
The quality of their arrays and blueprints stood out in the market and it was a reputation that they had held for over 30,000 years. Countless prominent factions around the continent from sects to ns to kingdoms and empires, down to merchant organizations and even the rogue cultivatormunity all sort their services.
They had a long list of clients that never stopped, and because of the quality of their services, that number only continued to grow. Even with the increasing number of demands and few people to fulfill them, the pavilion put strict demands on those who would be epted within their ranks, ensuring only the cream of the crop could join them.
With the pavilion having over a dozen blue-grade formation masters, and two or three rumored to be at the cusp of bing gold-grade formation masters, their ability to attract talent even as a rank 3 organization wasn''t any less than that of a rank 2 sect.
Zhu Qing had been one of those talents. He quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the division heads in a short 150 years, and it wasn''t long before he was nominated to be one of the talents to seed the seat of pavilion master of the Guardian Blue River Star Pavilion.
The seat of the pavilion master was rotated every 200 years to promotepetition and improvement within the pavilion to prevent its stagnation. Every talent that walked through the doors of the Pavilion harbored the ambitions and hope of one day bing the Pavilion Master as whoever obtained that title, it was proof that they were the best in their generation.
Talents always liked to outdo one another, and Zhu Qing was no exception to that. That relentless desire to obtain that seat and shoot for the stars and be one of the youngest pavilion master to have ever graced the Guardian River Star Pavilion led him to his doom. To shore up his abilities to the previous masters who were the ones who voted who would seed the seat, Zhu Qing undertook a task.
A newly promoted rank three kingdom wanted a defensive and spirit-gathering array to beid out in one of their spiritual herb farms. After gaining a pce realm expert, the kingdom hoped to borrow that momentum and support the creation of another, and one of those ways involved improving one of their spiritual herb farms which was why they did not hesitate to pay the exorbitant amount it would take to hire the services of the Guardian River Star Pavilion.
Those at the Pavilion were surprised Zhu Qing took such a case as he mostly dealt with more established rank 3 organizations and not young ones like that kingdom. Only Zhu Qing knew why he had chosen them. They were the perfect tform to showcase his abilities. In a well-established organization, he would not be able to freely do what he wanted, but in a new one, he could.
Because of his prodigious talent working with formations all the time and the environment he was in, Zhu Qing once got enough enlightenment to create his formation array blueprint which he felt was at the throngs of reaching the top tier among blue grade formations. However, he had notpletely ironed out all the details.
When the requisition of the young kingdom appeared, he thought to himself surely this must be it. If he told them he wouldy a top-tier blue grade formation at the same expense as a low-tier blue grade one, which was what they had asked for, as a young kingdom with ambition would they refuse it? Surely not and his guess had been on the mark as the kingdom had been ecstatic when Zhu Qing made the proposition.
Of course, Zhu Qing had withheld a few pieces of information from them such as that was the first time that formation would ever be used. They were the ground zero for that formation array.
Chapter 788 End of the list (1)
Chapter 788 End of the list (1)
With excitement and anticipation from both sides, Zhu Qing got to workying his formation. His formation was aplex all-purpose formation that hadbined multiple functions into one. It had a defensive aspect to it, an illusory aspect, an istion aspect, and gathered spiritual qi which had a regtory aspect to it.
The regtory aspect, the idea was borrowed from the design the Summerfield Kingdom had in the arraysid out in its farms which other than drawing in spiritual qi, had a regtory array that controlled how much spiritual qi it gathered which was a factor of the needs of the spiritual herbs. This was to avoid the saturation of spiritual qi on the nts.
It took months toy down the framework which came along nicely from his relentless efforts. The individual parts of the array worked perfectly now all that was left was the final part which was tobine all of them to work as one system. That final step was when a problem urred.
An array could only reach a blue-grade array if it could borrow the force of the world around it and blend seamlessly with it. It needed to be more in line with nature and the functioning rules of the world. That was only for the blue grade array, however, when it came to the gold grade and the purple grade array, the concept was slightly different.
Both grades of arrays worked in the opposite, they did not blend or work in line with their surroundings but instead, they subverted and transformed it to suit their image. Every mysterious realm had at least a gold array built within it to support its environment which was why they had unique environments. Its concept was borrowed from the grottos that operated like mini worlds.
Zhu Qing got greedy as he was working on his array. The longer he worked on it, the stronger he felt that his design was just at the cusp of reaching the gold tier. Creating the blueprint for a gold-grade array andying one down, though both were difficult, thetter was even more so and required the presence of a domain expert to do it safely.
Because of the nature of gold-grade and purple-grade arrays, it needed the support of a domain sense to sense the changes down to the minutest of changes caused by the array to its surroundings. This was to prevent any mishap. If a domain expert was not present then anchoring ascendant-grade treasure would work just the same, more so if it was a naturally formed treasure. Zhu Qingcked both.
In his haste and fervor, he ignored those requirements. All he could think about was he was already close to sess. He could feel it, the longer he worked the array, he could feel the resonance power contained within it with every part hepleted. Its flow, power, and the ecstasy of knowing the array he thought was a top-tier blue grade might in fact be a gold grade made him ignore the risks.
He was this close, he couldn''t stop, he didn''t want to stop, he wanted to see it through to the end.?Even the seat of the pavilion master no longer mattered to him, all he cared about was he was about to finish a gold-grade array and he was about to leap into the ranks of legends.
But all good thingse to an end, the array when it was at the finish went haywire because of the conditions surrounding it. Without a domain sense, Zhu Qing could not have noticed it despite the subtle warning signs being there continuously building up the closer he got to the finish and when he did, putting the final touch to the array which involved cing an anchoring treasure to connect the whole thing, mayhem broke.
Instead of using an ascendant-grade treasure that would have repaired those problems by providing the necessary fuel and environment to support the array''s requirement, Zhu Qing used four monarch-grade treasures that wereplementary. He had thought that would be enough, but s he had underestimated the might of a gold grade array.
The entire array became unstable like a slumbering beast that had been woken up unceremoniously. The four monarch-grade treasures that had been used as the anchor were unable to contain the instability. It wasn''t long before they got overwhelmed and were swept up in the instability, bing unstable themselves.
Realizing the danger, Zhu Qing tried to work fast and ordered an evacuation, but ultimately it proved futile when the whole thing exploded. The destructive explosion went beyond the farm, spreading to the town that neighbored it. The farm was ground to dust, and the town was decimated in its entirety. Though Zhu Qing tried to evacuate those he could, ultimately over 50,000 people were lost to the explosion.
The young kingdom was livid, especially after realizing they had been kept dark about the whole thing. Realizing they would not be a match for the Guardian River Star Pavilion, they forwarded the matter to the Order.
For his recklessness and the lives lost as a result, Zhu Qing was sentenced to 125,000 years which was no different than a death sentence for him. Unlike the spirit of the crescent moon saber, Zhu Qing did not have an inexhaustible lifespan. He would need to reach the peak of the domain realm for him to have enough lifespan to serve the entirety of his sentence.
As for the young kingdom, the Guardian Blue River Star Pavillion paid for damages and offered toy six blue-grade formations at their cost which was personally handled by the senior figures of the pavilion including the master of the pavilion.
"If Zhu Qing had told them that he wasying an untested gold-grade array, would the Caldera Springs Kingdom have refused him, or would they have taken the risk?" muttered Yang Qing.
Zhu Qing could have had a much lighter sentence if the Caldera Springs Kingdom had known about the array beforehand. There were slim chances that they would have refused him even if he told them the risks involved. In all likelihood, they would have taken the gamble. A gold-grade array was a gold-grade array. Having one would guarantee the continuation of their kingdom for thousands and thousands of years. It was something one would struggle to pass up and as for the risks, the potential destruction of the farm was an eptable loss, and when it came to the town, had Zhu Qing discussed with them on the potential risks involved, they would have likely evacuated in.
All the misfortune could have been avoided had Zhu Qing been upfront about it, and as for the Caldera Springs Kingdom, Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel they were the winners in all this. They got six blue-grade arrays in exchange for a single town.
When it came to big organizations, the interest of the whole came before that of the few. Trading one town for six blue-
grade arrays, they probably felt it was a steal, after all, no key figure from the kingdom was caught up in the attack. They had all evacuated in time. The majority of those who died were in the qi refinement and foundation establishment stages and less than a dozen core formation experts.
The cultivator world had always been callous about the lives of ''weaklings''. To them, their loss was like culling the weak livestock from the herd. They could always rear others to take their ce with six blue-grade arrays.
With just two left, Yang Qing eagerly moved on to the next name. The next one was a cultivator by the name of Sun Tao, the crown prince of the Wood Stone Kingdom. He had been imprisoned for causing the death of countless mortals in his kingdom during his desperate attempt to save his kingdom. The Wood Stone Kingdom was a rank 3 kingdom that had grown due to the presence of elemental stone mines within their kingdom. They were especially known for having wood element stones.
Elemental stones were different yet simr to spirit stones. The difference was in theirposition while the simrity was in how they were formed. Spirit stones were formed in veins and lodes that amassed dense spiritual qi that congealed together to create a mine filled with spirit stones, and within those spirit stones is spiritual qi.
Elemental stones formed the same way, except they tended to form in a ce that had dense elements, for example, wood elemental stones would be formed in areas that had condensed wood energy. It could be due to a natural treasure, or naturally formed lode or vein. The stones formed would contain refined wood energy.
Elemental stones just like spirit stones could be used in cultivation, however, because of their nature, they were restrictive in their use. Those with elemental-based physiques or elemental-oriented cultivation arts could make the most out of them in cultivation, unlike their spirit stones counterparts that could be used by all.
However, if one wasn''t intending to use it for cultivation they made for great catalysts and ingredients in refining potions and the creation of artifacts. Wood stones, earth stones, and water stones were great for alchemy while fire stones and metal stones were usually preferred for artifact refinement.
Woodstone kingdom was famous for having a lot of woodstone mines which it used to develop its alchemy while selling off the surplus. They also had earth, water, fire, and metal stones and the mines were of considerable size ifpared to other ces but they were not asrge as its wood stone reserves.
Using those mines, the kingdom continuously supported itself sustaining its rank as a rank three kingdom. Though elemental stones were valuable, they were not precious to the point of inciting greed in the eyes of others. At least not mostly except for one particr stone. It''s a rarity, and even Woodstone kingdom with all its mines, had never sighted one.
Chapter 789 End of the list (2)
Chapter 789 End of the list (2)
Said stone was the five elemental infusion stone, a stone that contained the fusion of all the five elements and unlike the other stones, this one was considered a dao natural treasure because of the effects it had.
The five elemental infusion stone could be used to polish the body of a cultivator giving them at the bare minimum a gold body in the body refinement stage, and when breaking through to the foundation establishment realm provided they used the stone to polish their foundations in the previous two realms, they were guaranteed at the very least to have blue grade pirs regardless what grade of cultivation art they practiced.
The more refined five-elemental infusion stone contained dao mysterious truths pertaining to the five elements that could serve a core formation expert preparing to breakthrough to the pce realm. Given enough time and decentprehension, with the stone, one had a 70% chance of breaking through to the pce realm, and the Woodstone Kingdom had both the fortune and misfortune of finding such a mine within their kingdom.
To the west of the kingdom was the ?Silver Tiger Kingdom, a rank 3 kingdom, to the east was the Lan n a rank 3 n, to the south was the Dragon w sect, a rank 3 sect and to the north was the Willow mist forest filled with over countless ferocious spirit beasts. Of them all, the Woodstone Kingdom was the weakest in terms of power and foundation, however, the Lan n, the Dragon w Sect never targetted them because they never had anything worthwhile to draw their greed, and as for the Silver Tiger Kingdom, even though it was the neighbor they had the most friction with, they never tore all face of cordiality with one another.
With the mine they found, they could finally strengthen themselves without fear of one day being unable to protect themselves when they were targeted by any of the four neighbors. The mine of five elemental infusion stones they found though wasn''t thergest, but it could produce one regr stone every year, while the one that contained the dao mysteries of the five elements took 10- 15 years to form one.
Given enough time, their overall strength would have rivaled that of their neighbors, however, ?that was only on the prerequisite that their neighbors didn''t know about the mine. Sadly they did and that led to the kingdom being besieged on three fronts. Only the ferocious spirit beasts of Willow Mist Forest remained uninvolved as they always have when it came to human affairs, but the other three, attacked Woodstone Kingdom with intensity forcing the Woodstone Kingdom into a desperate situation.
Out of desperation, the crown prince snuck into the Willow Mist Forest and using a camouge art, stole an egg belonging to one of the ruling spirit beasts in the area and took it to the Silver Tiger Kingdom hoping to borrow the hand of that spirit beast to keep them at bay.
He miscalcted in thinking the spirit beast would act alone as they knew those spirit beasts to be fiercely territorial but he inadvertently triggered a spirit beast tide. The Silver Tiger Kingdom was almost razed to the ground, with a third of the kingdom ughtered, and the mother of the egg he stole tracked his scent after finding the egg. The Woodstone Kingdom suffered the same fate as the Silver Tiger Kingdom, without countless cities falling to the spirit beast''s attack.
Millions died in both kingdoms because of that attack and the number would have swelled had there not been someone from the White Rose Pavillion not been close. With her assistance, the tide was quelled but the damage was done.
The crown prince was sentenced to 100,000 years for his efforts, and because of what he did, the Silver Tiger Kingdom filed for a death duel with the Woodstone Kingdom, with the Order providing a venue for their duel. The format of said duel was both kingdoms sending everyone they had, there was no limit on the number, and they would fight to thest person in said venue.
Surprisingly neither side had an overwhelming victory over the other, with both sides suffering severe losses. Silver Tiger had expected to be the favorites, however, Woodstone Kingdom pulled out a draw because of the countless wood physique cultivators they had. They went toe to toe with their opponents because of their vitality and endurance.
As for the final person on the list, it was an elder by the name of Li Chen. He had been the elder of the Thunderp Saber Sect. He was a cultivation mad man who had nothing in his mind other than cultivation. He never even took disciples up until he found one in his travels who had a yuan heart physique.
Those with Yuan heart physique were able to find symmetry in two different forces, almost simr to Yang Qing''s yin yang jade bones physique. With the Yuan heart physique, one would be able to master water and fire cultivation arts and cultivate it within their body without conflict.
Li Chen had hoped to see the heights of the peak of cultivation vicariously through his disciple''s eyes. By his estimates, he would never reach the domain realm, but maybe he could raise one. He threw himself into countless dangers in search of rare resources to assist his disciple. He would disappear for years on end in those ventures and in thest one he ended up locked in a mysterious realm for almost 200 years but it had been worth it as he had found a yin-yang treasure that would be of benefit to his disciple, but ultimately it was all for naught.
When he returned to his sect, he was hit with the news of his disciple''s death. His disciple had died whilepeting on behalf of the sect. There was a small grotto at the border which the Thunderp Sect shared with two other sects of simr strength. Since they couldn''t decide on ownership, they voted on owning it jointly with the right of ownership being decided every three years through apetition between their disciples.
The victor with the ownership rights would be allowed to get 50% of the resources produced within that grotto, while the remaining two would get 25% each. The Thunderp Sect had hoped Li Chen''s disciple would be able to give them victory in the matches. With his physique they thought surely he was a sure-in for the winner, only they didn''t take into ount that one of the rival sect would have a monstrous talent themselves with a peerless jade physique. That disciple ended up killing Li Chen''s disciple in their duel.
Li Chen on hearing the news went crazed and instantly attacked the sect master of the Thunderp Sect for risking his disciple in a duel without even asking his master, and even after his disciple died, they didn''t retaliate against the other sect and justpromised for a few treasures.
The fight between the two quickly heated and it became a fight to the death that spread even outside the sect''s grounds into their territories. With the destruction it caused, countless bystanders got caught up in it and died in the process, with the greatest number being the disciples and servants of the Thunderp Saber Sect as it spread to the nearby towns that neighbored their sect ground.
The sect master got crippled in the process, while Li Chen got severe injuries of his own that were healed when he was sentenced by the Order. He got 70,000 years.
Yang Qing sighed when he finished, as he wondered, of the seven, who would he pick for the remaining three slots.
Chapter 790 Reaching Camel Lake Town
Chapter 790 Reaching Camel Lake Town
"Who should the remaining three be.." Yang Qing muttered as he wondered of the seven, which four should he pick for the rehabilitation program.
Gao Wei the rogue healer who used the life essence of cultivators as part of his healing regimen already had a guaranteed spot. A healer''s value in a ce filled with unquenchable violence was much better than a seasoned fighter which was why he figured he was on the list in the first ce. Gao Wei was the only one of the seven to get an indefinite sentence. If it wasn''t for his upation as a medical cultivator he would not have made it onto the list of consideration in the first ce.
With one slot already upied, he was left with three more.
There was Luo Siyun the spirit of the crescent moon saber who was imprisoned for destroying innocents in her pursuit to avenge her master.
Other than her, there was Pan Xing, the rogue cultivator who robbed and assassinated prominent organizations with the aid of a treasure, which was guessed was his way of taking vengeance as a jilted lover.
Then there was Han Lei, thest surviving member of the Han n, a rank 3 n that was massacred almost to thest member except him by the Ghost Viper Court, an assassin organization with countless bodies to their name. In pursuit of vengeance, he infiltrated them and rose through the ranks eventually bing one of the elders. That allowed him to find the real reason why his n was targeted and also put him in a better position to destroy the court from the inside.
Following Han Lei on the list was Zhu Qing, a once prodigious and highly valued member of the Guardian Blue River Star Pavilion whose moment of carelessness led to the deaths of millions when he tried toy down a gold-grade array.
He wasn''t the only one whose life went haywire because of one single mistake, just like him, on the list there was a crown prince by the name of Sun Tao who out of desperation to save his kingdom that was being besieged because of a five element infusion stone mine they found, he tried to lure a spirit beast in one of the factions that had besieged him only to trigger a spirit beast tide in the process that swept both the rival kingdom and his kingdom, causing the death of countless.
And finishing off the least was an Elder of the Thunderp Saber Sect by the name of Li Chen who out of anger and grief for the loss of his disciple attacked his sect master whom he med for that loss. Their battle caused countless casualties both within and outside of the sect.
Yang Qing could only pick three more from among them. He already had an idea of who he would pick for the second and the third slot, it was the fourth one that he had trouble with.
After mulling it over for a few more minutes and still noting to a decision, Yang Qing let out an exhaustive sigh as he got up to stretch his limbs and back.
"Maybe on my way back, I will have made my choice, if it still proves difficult, I might as well ask Vice Warden Shao An whom he would prefer for that fourth slot. He knows them better than I do and if I do the program well and the number increases, I may as well pick from the remaining ones if they are avable at the time.
No need to drain myself on it, it''s my vacation.." Yang Qing said as he finished his stretches.
He dispelled his istion array just in time to hear one of the staff members inform him through his door that they were about to reach Camel Lake Town, his first stop in establishing contact with the members of hiswork.
Yang Qing leisurely moved to the deck of the ship where he was met with clear skies, warm weather, and a cool breeze. He took a deep breath as he let the cool air freshen his entire body, loosening and rxing his body in the process.
"It wouldn''t be bad to finish the rest of the trip here.." thought Yang Qing as he admired the calming scenery around him.
It wasn''t only him who was on the decks as the other guests had already left their chambers, and unlike before when they were terror-stricken, just like Yang Qing they seemed rxed and even excited. No doubt the disy shown by Bai Chen when he yed the blood mist vulture had something to do with their present mood.
The atmosphere was harmonious infecting all guests around. When the trip started there were cliques among them as they maintained their interaction with those they were familiar with but now because of the rxing air, the guests were mingling all around.
"Now this is what a vacation should feel like.." muttered Yang Qing as he made his way to one of the staff members who was hanging out refreshments.
With a cold spring passion juice in hand, Yang Qing made his way to the starboard of the ship. They were less than 10 kilometers away from Camel Lake Town, but he could already make out the features of the town one of which was its defining feature.
The town was built atop a hill that closely resembled a camel that wasying down with its hump showing above its frame, and at the center of that hump was ake, a white-blueke that filled the town that was built next to it with the smell of white butterfly lilies that grew at the center of theke.
In the time it took to burn one incense stick, the ship had already reached the town and docked in one of the outskirts ces of the town. One of the staff members as per procedure went to pay a courtesy visit to the officials in charge of the administration of the town.
"How long should we wait?" asked Bai Chen as he walked over to where Yang Qing was.
"It should take thirty minutes to one hour, but you don''t have to wait, if you have any fares you can make within that timeframe feel free to do so. I''ll tell you when I''m done and we can either meet here or within a ten-kilometer radius of the town depending on where you are.."
"You''re the boss.."
Yang Qing shook his head with a smile as he left the ship and made his way to the northern part of the town which was where the Scorpion Lotus Sect was located.
Theke at the center of the town had the effect of making the spiritual qi around it gentler than it normally would which is of considerable benefit to young cultivators trying to feel qi for the first time, or for the propagation of spiritual herbs. Because of this, countless organizations settled in the area, ranging from unranked up to rank four organizations like the Scorpion Lotus Sect that were one of the leading hegemons of the area along with Obsidian Serpentfish Sect, Sapphire Palm Sect, and the Mayor creating a subtle bnce between the four.Of course, the mayor had an edge over the three as he had the Sunbirch Kingdom behind him.
Chapter 791 Dancing lilies
Chapter 791 Dancing lilies
??Even though he had never been to the Sunbirch Kingdom, Yang Qing had been given an extremely detailedyout of the Kingdom that included vivid maps that were a rendition of the physical thing, down to the history and rtionships of the kingdom with special detail given to Camel Lake Town.
Such knowledge helped him walk around the town with the same familiarity as he would in his backyard. Out of curiosity rather than head directly to the sect grounds of the Scorpion Lotus Sect, he decided to cut through the center of the town that was already bustling with activity just like Purple City of the Red Maple Empire was.
However, unlike the Purple City, Camel Lake Town didn''t seem to have the vicious underbelly lurking within it like Purple City did. The liveliness of Camel Lake Town had a sense of warmth, unlike Purple City, which had a more cold transactional aspect.
"This smell.."
Yang Qing''s gaze lit up when he was baptized by the aroma of the white butterfly lilies the moment he stepped into the town. It had a natural, gentle, and cooling sensation to it. Every time one breathed in its scent, it made one feel like they were being refreshed and renewed.
Yang Qing took another whiff as his eyes glittered from discovery.
"This gentleness, it resembles the gentleness of a jade yin liquid vein, could theke have one.."
To fulfill his curiosity Yang Qing made his way to theke where he found countless cultivators admiring the beauty of theke and the lilies as the gentle morning breeze carried its scent over. Some looked to be meditating next to it, however, no one seemed to dare step into theke.
After walking into the area, Yang Qing understood why. There were experts both open and hidden at thete stages of the core formation realm surveilling theke and also surrounding theke there was a low-tier blue-grade array that had two functions. One was to maintain the conditions of theke like a greenhouse, and the other was to serve as a barrier. The barrier was one way, it kept those out from getting in, but what was in the barrier could get out which was how the essence of the white butterfly lilies was able to pass through.
Yang Qing debated on whether to attempt to break in. The array was not overlyplex, given enough time, he would be able to find its weak point. But ultimately he decided against it.
"Besides I don''t need to go in there to confirm if there is a yin jade liquid vein within theke.." thought Yang Qing as his amber eyes flickered with a shade of white. If one looked closely one would see the image of the moon shing indistinctively within his pupils.
He closed his eyes, spreading his senses to the scenting from the white butterfly lilies. With his eyes closed, he had blocked everything out, all that was there was darkness before a wavelike stream of grey appeared within the darkness, a secondter that grey stream turned white, a mellow white which Yang Qing followed like a meandering river until he reached its source which was a pond of pristine white liquid that had a gentle coolness to it.
"It does have one, though the quantity is small, no wonder the kingdom let it be, maybe they hope its quantity will increase over time.." Yang Qing muttered, a smile appearing on his face as he turned to leave the area.
Yin jade liquid was purified and condensed yin qi. Consuming it could strengthen one''s soul to double its size, along with also healing any wounds rted to the soul that were considered the most difficult to deal with. Those with a yin-based physique would see considerable improvements in their abilities after consuming it. It was also an excellent ingredient for refining yin attribute potions, pills, or artifacts that were at the monarch grade. Even if it wasn''t a yin-based weapon, quenching a weapon in yin-jade liquid increased the likelihood of the weapon or artifact awakening its spirit.
It was a valuable resource, however, it was exhaustible and took a long time to form. In his estimates, the small pond beneath theke that was about 20 meters in radius had likely taken at least 5,000 years to reach that size. The vein likely squeezed a drop every few years which was why most used it sparingly or preferred to exploit its passive abilities that would not drain it like what the Sunbirch Kingdom had done.
Immediately after Yang Qing left the area, there was amotion among the cultivators there.
"Old Cheng, do you feel something different?"
"Different? Different how? You''re not about to use this as an excuse to shamelessly brag about being handsome are you? I don''t mean to offend you, Ol'' Bu but I''ve seen prettier green spit toads.."
"You? Good, and to think I spoke good things about you to Madam Ning.."
"Mmph, who are you lying to? You don''t think I know, you''ve had your eye on her, and those good things you im are telling her about me, you think I don''t know it was you who lied to her that I have a loving wife, and two filial sons. Whatever chance I had with her is all gone. Even if I tell her it was a lie, that I have no one, she will just think I am a scoundrel trying to cheat.
Ol'' Bu from now on don''t say good things about me, I''d rather pay some bard... Mmh, this smell.."
"That''s what I was saying, the scent of the lilies seems crispier. The fatigue I had from brewing potions all night seems to alleviating rapidly.."
"My thoughts seem clearer and faster. Has something happened to theke?"
"Oi look at that.. do those lilies look to be dancing?"
"You''re seeing things, Old Wen. Wait! What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be breaking through, wait, those robes.."
"I already did a few hours ago. Those few months in seclusion without breathing in the lilies were pure torture. I felt like some part of me was dying in there. Ol'' Huan look, they really are dancing.."
"Are you sure you need to be here? Shouldn''t you be consolidating your base? If you''re not careful then all the effort you put into breaking through will,.....wait they really are dancing.."
"I told you.."
Chapter 792 Meeting with the network (1)
Chapter 792 Meeting with thework (1)
Yang Qing unaware of themotion he had left behind from his interaction with the lilies, was already outside the Scorpion lotus sect. His eyes shone with a runic light as the protective ward that hid the sect from the outside world came into view. It was in the shape of a scorpion and was a blend of attack and defense, with its attacking aspect being the most potent of the two.
From its strength, Yang Qing had no doubt it could kill a peak-stage core formation expert. It could be considered to be at the very top amongst orange-grade arrays.
Though it was lethal against those in the core formation realm, to him it was as fragile as a spider''s web. A wave of his hand and it would shatter. The illusory effect was useless against him also as he could see every single thing that was happening in the sect.
The disciples were hard at work in their duties. The youngest of the disciples whom Yang Qing assumed to be outer sect disciples because of where their abodes were, their cultivation bases, the color of their robes, and their demeanor, those disciples were busy rushing all over the ce, some were headed to the lecture hall for their sses, others to what looked like a library, others to the alchemy halls, others to the gardens, with others passionately showing off to their fellow disciples on a cultivation art they learned.
The more senior disciples, whom Yang Qing assumed to be the inner disciples, were more reserved and contained, unlike the younger disciples. Some were meditating, others were practicing their cultivation arts, pausing every now and then to evaluate their performance, and others were having discussions with the elders of their sect.
As for the elders, some were guiding disciples, while others were in deep seclusion. Yang Qing managed to spot his target, the sect master of the sect. It was a mature-looking woman who looked to be in her forties, with a slender face, fair skin, ck flowing hair, and an air of wisdom and stability around her. She was also the person with the highest cultivation base, with her being at the ninth stage of the core formation realm, and based on the fluctuations Yang Qing sensed from her, it wouldn''t be long now before reaching the tenth stage.
Her name was Yu Mei and she was walking side by side with an elderly man next to her who had a simr cultivation base to her, while at the back of her, she was shadowed by three young cultivators who were all at the early stages of the core formation realm.
From the awestruck looks they were shooting at her, Yang Qing guessed they might be her disciples, as the three wore robes simr to the inner disciples despite their cultivation base which Yang Qing found rather peculiar because their cultivation bases matched some of the elders in the sect, but yet the robes seemed to delineate they were still disciples.
The object of discussion between Yu Mei and the elderly man seemed to be the delicate-looking crystal-white colored scorpions whose carapaces looked like they had been engraved with white vines with lotus on them. The size and number of the lotus seemed to vary from one scorpion to another.
The scorpions were lotus scorpions whose venom if refined well made one of the best cures for all kinds of toxins and miasma owing to the natural immunity of the scorpion which was immune to over a thousand different poisons. Which wasn''t strange considering their most favored meals were toxic spiritual herbs and spirit beasts, followed by areas with dense miasma, yin energy, or spiritual qi with dense water elements.
They released a mist at night that purified the spiritual qi around them to make it gentle enough for their young ones to absorb easily. They were one of the few gregarious spirit beasts that liked to live as a herd.
Yang Qing had heard that their flesh was incredibly tasty but despite his gluttonous nature, he would never eat one. They were gentle and sociable creatures which could be seen in how the younger ones yfully congregated around Yu Mei, the elderly man, and the three disciples.
Once they bonded with someone, they were fiercely protective of them even at the risk of their lives. That was how the Scorpion Lotus Sect came to be. The jade slip given to Yang Qing mentioned that the founder was saved by a lotus scorpion couple that he was close with. They ended up in danger and the couple sacrificed their lives to give him and their brood of three lotus scorpions a chance at survival. The founder escaped safely and ended up raising the three lotus scorpions in the ce of their parents. This was how he ended up in Camel Lake Town which had a gentle yin environment suitable for their growth.
Yu Mei was a descendant of that founder. The Order appraised her of her ancestry when she tried to join. Her talents were not sufficient to join but because of her background, which she had no idea of, she was given an alternative way of joining, and that was bing a source, and in exchange, the Order would secretly support her and the sect by association.
The Scorpion Lotus Sect still existed by the time she was told of her rtion with it, but it had been falling on hard times and wasn''t what it was today. It only had a single core formation expert holding things together, unlike now when they had about thirty of them.
The flesh of the lotus scorpion was great for refining a cultivator''s soul and in terms of purging toxins from one''s body, it worked just as well as their refined venom, even better, because its flesh didn''t require the hands of a skilled alchemist to transform it a usable form. One could eat it as is.
Because of its value, the Scorpion Lotus Sect which had a herd of them, was constantly targetted, falling on hard times. The reason they held on so long was because of support from one of the noble ns of the Sunbirch Kingdom.
After Yu Mei epted her role as an informant, she was trained in everything about nurturing lotus scorpions, the knowledge even exceeding what the Scorpion Lotus Sect had umted since it was founded, and using the Green Jade Pavilion, the Order funneled resources into the sect, helping it develop into what it was today.
Because of her ancestry, and the struggles the sect had, her integration into the sect had been somewhat easy, which was further helped by her sincere efforts to protect her ancestor''s legacy. She had grown up alone, unaware of her background. When she joined the Order, she had been an orphan who had been working at an inn. She fled the inn when the owner made inappropriate advances prompting her to p him. Fearing for her safety and no one to turn to, she made her way to the Order in the hopes that she would be epted and find shelter under its wings.
For someone who felt like nothing, had nothing, and believed she would live a nothing life, finding out about her ancestor, his story, and the legacy he left behind, she finally had something, something worth living for. She was not nothing.
Chapter 793 Meeting with the network (2)
Chapter 793 Meeting with thework (2)
Yang Qing decided to wait a few more minutes to see if Yu Mei would wind up her discussion before he contacted her. He used those few minutes to admire the sect as he wondered if he had joined a sect would his life have been simr to theirs or would it have yed out as a perfect replica of his fears with him being suppressed by a jealous disciple who has some backing in and out of the sect.
"For the many treacherous surprises the Order gave me, at least that one wasn''t one of them.."? thought Yang Qing as he smiled bitterly.
A few minutes quickly passed by and the sect master did not seem to be anywhere close to being done. Yang Qing, consciously aware of how much time he had, took out the crystal luan feather which he used as a forewarning for sect master Yu Mei.
Yu Mei who had been discussing with the vice sect master about increasing the number of frost-scaled salmon in some of the ponds as feed for the lotus scorpions frowned when she sensed fluctuationsing out of her storage ring. She had assumed it was hermunication talisman like always, regretting her decision to bring it with her.
However, her look soon turned to shock when she sensed the fluctuations weren''t from hermunication talisman but from a crystallized feather.
"Vice sect master Su Yi, please excuse me, I have urgent matters to attend to, I will talk to youter.." Yu Mei said as she hurriedly vanished from the spot at extreme speeds leaving the baffled vice sect master and the three disciples.
"What happened?"
..
Sect master chambers
Once in her chambers, Yu Mei activated all the arrays surrounding her chamber, and when she didn''t feel it was enough, she took out a few talismans which she hurriedly ignited, and only then did she furtively take out the crystal feather that was pulsating with the gentle glow of the sun.
The moment she took it out, it stopped reacting. Just as she was wondering what to do next, she heard a voice transmitted to her mind.
"Sect master Yu Mei, my name is Yang Qing. I''m the new pce court judge attached to you. I am sorry for interrupting you while you were busy but I am rather short on time and a great distance to cover, I hope you don''t take offense.."
"No, no, it''s okay, I should be the one to apologize. I was informed you would be making contact, I should have cleared my schedule in advance.." Yu Mei nervously said as she looked around her.
"Thanks for your consideration. Where would you like to meet, we could do it at the branch of the Green Jade pavilion in town, or alternatively, we could do it here since I am already here. Which would you prefer?"
Yu Mei hesitated slightly before she said,
"If you don''t find it beneath you, here would be okay.."
"Thanks for your hospitality in advance.."
"Let me then.." Yu Mei had just taken out her sect master''s token which controlled the arrays around the sect and her chambers, looking to dispel them and allow Yang Qing entry, however, she paused in shock when she saw someone who looked to be in histe thirties, brown hair, brown eyes, donning grey robes and had a simple but robust aura suddenly appear in front of her.
"I should have figured our array couldn''t keep someone of your stature out.." she said with a rueful smile.
"Sorry for the rude entry, but dispelling the array could draw some attention to why you did it. This way is safer.." Yang Qing said as he smiled guiltily hiding his other reason for passing through the array like that.
With a polite smile on her face, Yu Mei got up, cupped her fist with a slight bow as she said,
"Yu Mei, the snow rabbit greets you.."
Yang Qing cupped his fist as he said,
"Yang Qing, the green jade hawk, greets you.."
After both had confirmed their identities to each other using a code handed to them by the Shadow Hawks, Yu Mei spoke up.
"Would you like some tea, I have snowberry tea. It''s not much but we grow it ourselves, the environment here gives it a unique vor.."
"Thank you, I would appreciate it.."
Yu Mei got up and went for the swan-shaped kettle to her right and poured Yang Qing a cup before she poured one for herself as she took a sit.
"How is it?" she asked with a nervous look.
"Great as advertised. If it''s not a bother before I leave, could you spare some berries for me.."
"dly.." Yu Mei said, her excitement clearly showing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but rub his nose in embarrassment at Yu Mei''s reactions. Despite her looks, she was already, 113 years old, going by age she was Yang Qing''s senior several times over, but their interaction made Yang Qing feel like he was her parent.
Yang Qing hesitated on whether to tell her he was just a 20-
year-old youth and show his real face while he was at it, but he decided against it. He would rather bear with the awkwardness than take the risk of revealing his true face. Cultivators could have their memories and souls easily read, he would rather not put Yu Mei at risk.
Luckily Yu Mei was able to sense his awkwardness and adjusted her demeanor ordingly.
"How are you finding life as a sect master? I couldn''t help but admire all you have done here.."
Yu Mei turned her gaze out the window as she smiled fondly.
"It was hard at first, with the pressures of trying not to screw up and the desperation of trying to keep the sect afloat, I nearly broke trying to carry all that by myself.
I had no idea what I was doing and had to constantly pretend that I did, but it quickly grew on me, no thanks to all the help I received from the seniors here and the Order.
You have all given me more than I can ever hope to give back. How about you?"
"Simr too in some respect. I still feel like some hatchling just starting a lot of the days constantly seeking help from my seniors, but all in all, it has grown on me. Though I wouldn''t admit it to the Order, or they''ll exploit me further.." said Yang Qing, hisment promptingughter from the two.
"Well, I could always give you a post here if you want.." Yu Mei teasingly said.
"I might take you on that someday.."
The conversation flowed smoothly between the two as they familiarized themselves with each other. The rtionship was something that would follow them for their entire lives. Even if Yang Qing retired from his post and took another post, he would still be Yu Mei''s contact, her and the others from hiswork.
Toward the end, Yu Mei shared a bit of the news she had on hand which Yang Qing was surprised to find had some indirect link with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. One of the leading ns in the Sunbirch Kingdom had a close rtionship with someone from Maple Leaf Manor. The information provided suggested the merge between the two rank two organizations was almostplete. In half a year, to a year, it should beplete. The information left Yang Qing wondering what could possibly make the two powerful organizations to ally with each other.
Yang Qing after exhorting Yu Mei about not hesitating to ask for help and not exposing herself to unnecessary risks on behalf of the Order, called Bai Chen for his location. They met up a few kilometers away from the town, leaving for the next ce, Five Peak Valley in the Moon Pine Kingdom which happened to border Wei Yingjie''s kingdom, the Blue Oak Kingdom.
Chapter 794 Meeting with the network (3)
Chapter 794 Meeting with thework (3)
"I wonder how he is doing?" mused Yang Qing as he thought of Wen Yingjie.
"With the spirit of his saber already awakened and the leap in cultivation to the quasi-pce realm stage. It should be enough to handle whatever it is that seemed to be weighing heavily on him and pay his debts too.."
Yang Qing stretched his hand with a content smile as he felt the breeze brush up against his hands and the warmth of the sun on his face. He had decided for the remainder of the trip, rather than spend it in his chambers, he would rather spend it outdoors soaking in the scenery.
He couldn''t help but feel he had misused his spirit stones somewhat. Then again if he hadn''t used it, the trip would have taken longer than four days which he''d rather avoid. While the scenery was beautiful and all, he would rather not stay away from theforts of the Order longer than he should. Who knows what fate might throw his way if he dared tempt it?
The journey to the Five Peak Valley took close to ten hours, with old passengers alighting and new ones being picked up on the way over. Bai Chen had at some point joined Yang Qing by the deck where they shared some of Yang Qing''s fine stash of wine with Bai Chen bringing the dishes that would apany the wine.
..
As they were approaching the border of the Moonpine Kingdom, a pce realm expert belonging to the kingdom approached the ship as it was about to cross into the kingdom. Because it was a pce realm expert, Bai Chen was the one left to handle themunications instead of the assigned staff member who was in charge of such things.
From the brief stop, Yang Qing noticed that the garrison stationed below had a significant number of core formation experts, numbering close to three hundred with seventeen of them at the peak of the core formation realm and two that were in the quasi pce realm. There was a palpable sense of tension and unease surrounding the entire station.
Yang Qing could sense that though the pce realm guard seemed to bemunicating casually with Bai Chen, his entire body was strung like a drawn bow ready to strike at a moment''s notice. It wasn''t only the pce realm guard who seemed to be on guard. The guards below were already lined up in abat formation, with their qi signatures synchronized, ready to act when needed, and though it was hidden behindyers of arrays, Yang Qing detected the fluctuations of a monarch-grade treasure.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but wonder what could have put the kingdom so on edge. As far as he knew, he had not heard of any frictionsing from the Moonpine Kingdom or its neighbors.
The discussion between Bai Chen and the pce realm guard continued for a bit before the guard''s gaze openly fell on Yang Qing.
"I had a feeling this would happen.." thought Yang Qing as he saw Bai Chen and the guard walking over to him with the former throwing him an apologetic smile.
From the moment the pce realm guard stepped onto the ship, his attention had been on Bai Chen and Yang Qing. Yang Qing had disguised his face but not his cultivation realm which was likely to be the reason the guard''s attention was on him. The guard was at the first stage of the pce realm, Yang Qing had enough confidence that his camouge had not been seen through.
"Sorry for the disturbance fellow daoist, my name is Su Chen, the general of the Southfront of the kingdom. Could I have a moment of your time.." said the pce realm guard as he cupped his fists.
"My name is Yang Qing. How can I be of service, General Su Chen?" Yang Qing said as he felt the general tense his muscles, even more, the closer he was to Yang Qing.
"I hope you don''t take offense but thepound belonging to one of the high-ranking noble families within our kingdom was broken into and they were robbed of a precious artifact and a few of their members were killed or injured in the process of that theft. The theft urred a few days ago and we have not found the culprit yet.
Because of said events, we are forced to verify the identity of every person whoes into our kingdom. If I may be so bold as to ask, what is your purpose foring to our kingdom and your background too?
I''d also like to inform you, that your entry into our kingdom would only be allowed if someone of repute within the kingdom vouches for your identity and entry.."
"Does that only apply to me or to the rest too?" Yang Qing calmly asked.
"It applies to all who have affairs within our kingdom. Those that don''t will be exempt from the rules, however, they will have to remain on the ship. We havee to an agreement with daoist Bai Chen on that. He has agreed to let one of our guards remain on the ship for the duration it will be within the kingdom to ensure the said agreement is observed..." Su Chen patiently exined.
"I am sorry daoist, I tried, but it seems neither of us can step foot in there without those terms. I will deduct the costs for the inconvenience caused.." said Bai Chen in an apologetic tone.
"No, it''s okay. Things like this happen all the time. Very well, General Su Chen, I willply with the rules. My name is Yang Qing and I am the owner of the Green Jade Pavilion. The reason for my visit is to check on the workings of one of our subsidiaries, Serenity Ambrosia Store in Five Peak Valley..."
The eyes of Su Chen flickered slightly when he heard of the Green Jade Pavilion and the Serenity Ambrosia Store. The store was famous for dealing in high-quality sky-ranked herbs inrge volumes and wide variety. Other than its products, the other reason that made the store famous within the kingdom was its background. It was a subsidiary of the Green Jade Pavilion that in turn was a subsidiary of the White Rose Pavilion.
Even though the rtionship between them and the White Rose Pavilion wasn''t direct, the fact that there was a connection was enough to guarantee that those of the Moonpine Kingdom would treat it with respect.
Su Chen couldn''t help but feel ufortable about his current predicament. If what Yang Qing said proved to be true, that he was the owner of the Green Jade Pavilion, then he risked offending someone with ties to one of the most powerful organizations in the continent.
"It can''t be helped, orders are orders, but I will have to inform them after this.."
"The store owner, Mister Cui Song already knows of my arrival, he can vouch for me. I don''t know if he would be eptable as a guarantor?"
"No, no, store owner Cui Song would be more than enough.."
Yang Qing raised his brow slightly in surprise at the change in tone and demeanor of the general.
Chapter 795 Meeting with the network (4)
Chapter 795 Meeting with thework (4)
Before he left, Yang Qing had alreadymunicated with the heads of the Green Jade Pavilion and appraised them of his intent to visit several of the subsidiaries and main stores. He had left it to them to inform those subsidiaries and main stores of his arrival to avoid the hustle of a mixup in identities where those store owners and staff don''t believe he is who he says he is. After all, the Green Jade Pavilion owner was an unknown who had never made an appearance up until Yang Qing was given that identity.
People would distrust someone they had never seen even if he had the jade token. It was better if the information came from someone they did know.
Seeing theplications in the Moonpine Kingdom, he was d for the arrangements he had made. A secondter, the store owner of the Serenity Ambrosia vouched for him even telling the general that he coulde in person to do so, which the general said was not necessary.
With everything in ce, they didn''t have to wait for too long before the ship resumed its course. Yang Qing was the only one among the passengers who was making a stop in the Moonpine kingdom. General Su Chen after apologizing a few times, dispatched one of the guards who was at the quasi-pce stage to apany the ship during its stay in the kingdom.
The rest of the journey to the five peak valley was smooth, and it wasn''t long before they docked a ways away from the center of the town. Yang Qing was the only one who left the ferry this time, with Bai Chen''s movement and the other passengers restricted to where they had docked the ferry. Bai Chen couldn''t pick up or drop off other fares in the meantime.
To avoid the awkwardness of making Bai Chen wait for him too long, Yang Qing decided he would try to make his meeting with his contact as brief as he could. The contact inparison to the rest of in hiswork was the youngest in the program.
His name was Liu Chen and he had been in the program for 48 years. Even in terms of age, he was also the youngest as he was 62 years old. Integrating him into the Liu n was fairly easy as every cultivating n had a way of verifying their members through their bloodline. The Order trained him up for a few years before they finally let him go to the Liu n. The training was to help him survive but also stand out once he was in the n.
The preparation proved fruitful as despite his age and with no one to back him at the start, he was currently one of their elders and the youngest one at that. With his cultivation base at the fifth stage of the core formation realm, he was held in high esteem within his n and was even groomed to take over the position as the next n leader.
On the way over to the Serenity Ambrosia Store, Yang Qing had already decided on the means he would use to make contact with the young elder. With the entire kingdom on high alert, he couldn''t guarantee that he wouldn''t be trailed if he tried to sneak over. Seeing the reaction of General Su Chen at the mention of the store gave him the idea of which means to use.
Yang Qing made his way to the store where he met the overzealous store owner practically beaming as he weed him. He would have probably made a showing of it like some Emperor''s wee had Yang Qing not mentioned repetitively he didn''t want something ostentatious much to the disappointment of the store owner.
However, he didn''t reject all of Cui Song''s disys of hospitality. Cui Song had suggested hosting a weing meal for him in one of the most famous restaurants in the Five Peak Valley, the Sizzling Paradise Dining Inn. Yang Qing epted the offer and even had Cui Song invite the five peak ns of the valley over and other prominent figures of the valley as a form of acknowledgment for all the good business they brought.
With the pull the store had, it wouldn''t be difficult for Cui Song to invite those ns on short notice, and considering it was a personal invite from him, those who answered the invite would be the bigwigs of those ns, and he had no doubt, the Liu n leader would bring Liu Chen with him to expand his horizons and also as a statement that he was his sessor.
Yang Qing realized that he had underestimated the strength of the reputation the Serenity Ambrosia Store had in its surroundings. It didn''t take long for all the ns and the rest to confirm their attendance and in half an hour they were all congregated at the Sizzling Paradise Dining Inn.
With every who''s who of the valley in attendance, Cui Song as a seasoned merchant, handled his role as the host beautifully, sparing Yang Qing the effort of exercising his soft skills. As he had the seat of honor, Yang Qing didn''t have to interact much, restricting his interaction with the heads of the ns, and in the middle of that, he was able to establish contact with Liu Chen.
With no pce realm present, he was able to make his introductions to Liu Chen via his pce sense before he covertly handed him a sensory artifact that he could use to transmit his thoughts.
With the artifact''s help, he was able to learn from Liu Chen a bit of what had transpired in the kingdom, though he didn''t know much. Even though the Liu n was one of the peak ns of the Five Peak Valley, that was restricted to the valley. Outside the valley, they were nothing much as none of the five ns had a pce realm expert, and even if they did have one, they could not rival the foundations of the noble families settled in the royal capital, the true powerhouse factions of the kingdom.
The five peak ns of the valley were subordinate to one of those families, and the Liu n was no exception. It was from that rtionship that Liu Chen through their n leader learned a bit of what happened. One of the noble families, the Chen n, had something robbed, of what exactly it was, Liu Chen had no idea, and even the noble family who fed them that information had no idea, the only thing they had was a guess that whatever it was, it was rted to something they found in some mysterious realm a few hundred years ago.
Liu Chen offered to dig around more, but Yang Qing warned him against it. If Liu Chen started digging around, he was liable to draw suspicion from that family, and if they had lost something precious, who knew what they were liable to do in a fit of anger? It was better for Liu Chen to make a wide berth between him and the affairs of that family.
Yang Qing didn''t linger long after making contact, he exchanged a few perfunctory words with the guests and store owner Cui Hong before he took his leave and left for the next ce, the home of millions of artifacts, Thousandforge City, of the Divine Armament Sect, a rank two sect, famous for producing countless ascendant and monarch grade artifacts since its establishment.
Just like the Saint Herb Garden was revered by medical cultivators, the Divine Armament Sect was held with the same regard by artificers and refiners.
Chapter 796 Visit completed
Chapter 796 Visitpleted
The Divine Armament Sect''s name was just as spread as the Saint Herb Garden even though thetter was a rank one sect and the former was a rank two sect, the level of renown between the two sects was the same, and in terms of foundation and history, the Divine Armament Sect didn''t lose out either.
The sect was just as old as any of the rank-one organizations and at some point in their history, they had soul formation experts, with three of them having reached the realm of purple-grade refiners. It was unknown how they lost those experts but their works remained. Who knew how many saint-grade artifactsy within the main grounds of the sect?
Even without a soul formation expert, the Divine Armament Sect could still defend itself against a power with a soul formation expert using their foundations. History was proof of it. After the loss of their soul formation experts, the sect had been besieged by rank one sects, with a single soul formation expert being dispatched from each sect.
Countless organizations had been drooling over the Divine Armament Sect''s artifacts and legacies. They just never revealed that greed openly, but with the loss of their soul formation experts, the sect was ripe for harvesting. It was the way of the world. Any organization that sessfully managed to rise, was at the bones of another.
Even the Order was not any different to the notion. When they were starting up, facing tonnes of enmity and bacsh from the continent, they retaliated in fierce momentum in part to establish their name and a means of deterrent, but another reason was to speed up its growth and independence. The organizations they destroyed, they plundered mercilessly. It was how they rapidly amassed the resources they needed to develop rapidly, and it was a practice they still continued to date.
After the destruction of the Ice Emerald Sect, there were administrators from the Order sent to clear anything of value from the sect and should another organization happen to suffer the same fate as the Ice Emerald Sect at the Order''s hands, the same exact thing would happen to them.
An organization''s destruction didn''t just mean the elimination of its members, but of everything that formed its skeleton and this was a trait shared by all. Vultures that would pick a corpse clean and that was what the four rank one organizations looked to do with the Divine Armament Sect, except what they assumed was a weakened horse tied to a cart filled with countless treasures ripe for the taking turned out to be a lean camel with a lot of bite and strength in it.
It is unknown how, but the four soul formation masters along with those who had besieged the sect,?were all ughtered to thest person. Not a single person survived to tell the tale, but the general consensus was it had to have been linked to some artifact they had stored away in their sect which had no problem ughtering four soul formation experts and close to fifty domain experts, and over a thousand pce realm experts to thest person, in a single moment and with no survivor.
Since then, the Divine Armament Sect has never been attacked again. Even without that artifact, Yang Qing had doubts about whether the sect would be at risk in case of another attack. The Order firmly suspects that they already have a soul formation expert, and more than likely not just one. It would be bizarre for a sect as prosperous as the Divine Armament Sect to not have one appear in the past 80,000 years. No matter how difficult reaching the Soul Formation realm is, for a sect that had a foundation and history stretching back 500,000 years, they would not struggle to reproduce another soul formation expert in 80,000 years.
The journey to Thousandforge City took almost two days. The distance between Moonpine Kingdom and the city was almost triple the distance between Sunbirch Kingdom and Moonpine Kingdom.
The journey over had been uneventful. Over half the passengers had been dropped off before theypleted the trip with more being picked up on the way whose destination happened to be Thousandforge City.
Entry into the city was much smoother than their prior experience in Moonpine Kingdom. When they reached the city, there was no need for verification or for one of the staff members to go meet with one of the leading officials of the city. With extreme familiarity, Bai Chen led the ferry to a certain section of the city that seemed to have been the designated spot for transport ferries.
Thousandforge City was one of the countless cities within the territory of the Divine Armament Sect whose territory matched that of any rank one empire. Most sects with a territory of its size would opt to have factions such as kingdoms or other sects to manage such a territory on their behalf while they concentrated on the affairs within the sect itself which was why most rank one and rank two sects, within their territory one would find long-established kingdoms and other sects like what happened with the territory of the Spiritual Temperance Sect which housed the Summerfield Kingdom and countless other organizations.
However, when it came to the territory of the Divine Armament Sect things were different. Their territory was divided into cities which were governed by the members of the sect. The reason for doing so was to prevent oppression that would in turn bring out stagnation. The sect was highly obsessed with all manner of artifact refinement and they would do anything to promote its progress. Its cities served as hubs that weed all who wished to ply their craft within their territory.
If they had a kingdom within their territory, that freedom of admission would be affected, as those kingdoms would only act in ordance with their interests of growing their powers which may not necessarily align with what the sect wanted. The sect hoped its territory would be the birthless of countless ideas and legacies of artifact refinement which was why it created countless cities just like the Thousandforge City throughout their territory, where the only requirement of admission needed was your passion as a forger.
The cities were fitted with arrays, filled with all sorts of treasures, with the ground filled with countless earth fire veins and other resources, all to provide an optimum environment for refinement.
They too used the ranking system the Order used to tier their cities, which was also a reflection of the scale of the environment they provided. Their cities went from Tier 4 which was the lowest to Tier 1 which was the highest. The Tiers were ssified in ordance with the level of skill and product produced. Tier 4 cities produced earth rank artifacts, Tier 3 produced sky grade, Tier 2 produced monarch grade artifacts, andstly Tier 1 City produced ascendant grade artifacts. Thousandforge City was a Tier 3 City.
For those looking toy their roots in those cities by admission, they needed to show they had standout abilities in producing the graded artifacts within the Tier they were seeking admission for. Getting approved for settlement was considered a high honor both within the territory of the sect but also outside as it also meant that one was a standout amongst their peers.
Once the ferry settled in, almost all the passengers alighted even though for some that wasn''t their stop. The allure of a city of the Divine Armament Sect wasn''t something anyone could resist. The cities were lined with countless artifacts that were countless whose qualities were the highest one could evere across, and when it came to variety, it surpassed one''s imagination. As long as you could think it,?you could be sure that one of the cities of the Divine Armament Sect was sure to have it. It was why countless cultivators swarmed those cities. The cost was a bit more steep than in most ces, but the quality and finding something that suited you was guaranteed.
Yang Qing soaked in the vibrancy of Thousandforge City as he made his way to one of its shops,?the Ember?Lightning me Smander Pavilion. The owner was one of the members of hiswork.
His deciphered history showed he belonged to a lineage of cksmiths that had the bloodline of an ember lightning me smander. The bloodline gave them natural control of the lightning and me element and sturdy physiques.
Those advantages led them to forging and through concerted efforts from generation to generation, simr to what the Yang family had done with body refinement, they created a defined process into their forging art that borrowed the advantages of their bloodline. The forging art was a blue grade that they named the Hundred Revolutions Ember Lightning me refinement art which they continually improved and used to grow their abilities.
They managed to produce several blue-grade artificers spread out through the generations, however, they fell into decline at some point at the hands of a poor sessor, and eventually through a series of circumstances that family was shattered, and their legacy disappeared along with it.
The owner of the Ember Lightning me Smander, named Zhang Tao, had no idea of his ancestry and only came to know of it through the Order. Zhang Tao was given the blue-grade art, along with being given foundational training on artifact refinement.
After he was done, he had the choice to form a n following his ancestor''s route but decided to start a pavilion instead. The Order did all they could, making sure he had the sturdiest foundation. Though he didn''t have a standout talent for it, he had the tenacity for it, and it eventually showed through when he managed to gain entry into one of the cities of the Divine Armament Sect. He started in the lowest tier, Tier Four, and finally made his way to Tier Three, where he has been for the past 158 years as a top-tier orange-grade refiner.
Among those in hiswork, there was no one better ced to provide him with information than Zhang Tao. As a refiner admitted into one of the cities of the Divine Armament Sect, he interacted with thousands upon thousands of cultivators looking to buy his wares, spread through all walks of life. Hiswork could run off of Zhang Tao alone.
Yang Qing soon found his shop, a two-storey red brick pavilion with signage of an almost lifelike smander spewing ember mes coated with lightning from its mouth.
Yang Qing was not surprised to find a long line of cultivators, someing in, and others going out, and others waiting, all wearing the same look on their faces, a look of excitement. One of the staff members noticed Yang Qing and quickly came to attend to him, especially when said staff member realized he couldn''t see through Yang Qing''s cultivation base. It was for this reason that when Yang Qing asked to see Zhang Tao, on a normal day, the staff member would have offered a polite rejection, but the mysteriousness surrounding Yang Qing prompted him to act prudently, especially when Yang Qing told him to tell Zhang Tao that it was an old friend from Green Jade Pavilion.
It wasn''t long after that Zhang Tao made an appearance. He looked nothing like a weapon refiner. His body was scrawny, his skin was lustrous and smooth which could be seen from his hair too, which was a mix of red and gold.
"No wonder there are so many female cultivators.." thought Yang Qing when he saw the undisguised looks of infatuation from the customers when Zhang Tao made an appearance with some even making open confessions drawing an embarrassed smile from Zhang Tao as he politely rejected them.
When he reached Yang Qing, they greeted each other with extreme familiarity like they were old friends before leaving toward the back area of the pavilion where there was a quaint courtyard.
Seeing the growing line of customers, Yang Qing didn''t keep Zhang Tao for long, keeping the conversation brief and casual which mostly centered on Yang Qing familiarizing himself withZhang Tao whom he found to be a pretty thorough individual. Zhang Tao recorded every piece of information that came through his doors whether it was important or not and the recordings were ced into the handle of his refining harmer.
The information was a lot to go through in one sitting, so Yang Qing decided to take it with him and go through it once he was done with all his visits. As for Zhang Tao, his request was for the Order to find him another person who shared his bloodline so he could have him seed him. If the Order couldn''t find one, he would be forced to look for a daopanion in the hopes that maybe the children he had with her would end up with a higher concentrated bloodline of the ember lightning me smander than his.
Seeing the amount of ''suitors'' he had, he could see why Zhang Tao was distressed about finding a sessor through that route.
"Tsk, the struggles of the beautiful.." he thought enviously as he looked at the reflection of the simplistic and ordinary face he had decided to use.
Unwilling to remain a second longer, Yang Qing left the shop and it wasn''t long before they departed for hisst visit which was with the sect master of the Spring Rain Sword Sect in Snow Dawn Province of the Great Chen Empire, which just like the Divine Armament Sect was a rank two Empire.
The journey took a day and the visit was shorter as Snow Dawn Province was a pretty secluded region within the Great Chen Empire. In terms of information, there wasn''t much to get from the sect master of the Spring Rain Sword Sect.
The sect master of the Spring Rain Sword Sect was an outlier whenpared to the rest within thework. His name was Mu Gen and when he joined the Order, he had the talent to be epted as one of its members, however, he chose to go to the Spring Rain Sword Sect which had been founded by his great-grandmother, who had been born with the silver peony sword heart physique making her quite the talent in sword cultivation.
Her name was Mu Wen and she had reached the domain realm because of her talents and was respected by the powerful factions and figures of the Great Chen Empire, and rumor had it that even one of the royal members loved her.
The Spring Rain Sword Sect was founded by her at the peak of her power, however, before it had enough time to grow, she died in the Green Fog Region, leaving the sect, as a tender shoot, with the person with the highest cultivation base, her disciple, who was at the core formation realm, and the sect only had about sixty members at the time.
Keeping the sect afloat was a struggle with just fifty members and the environment where the sect was situated while it was rich in spiritual qi and resources, during certain periods of the year it was assaulted with cold frigid qi that could freeze a cultivator''s soul. Those who could endure and survive the frigid qi would have their souls strengthened in the process and the qi also contained pure spiritual qi that contained traces of the dao. This was why Mu Wen founded the sect there. However, despite its advantages, not many could survive that frigid qi and other than the effects it created, it brought other dangerous things too, like spirit beasts that had long learned to thrive in it and used it as a cover to sometimes attack the human cultivators that inhabited the Snow Dawn Province and the Spring Rain Sword Sect was located in the outer fringes of the province where the frigid qi would be densest and attacks were the harshest too.
With her demise, the sect managed to hang on thanks to the arrays and artifacts that guarded the sect, along with some support from the Great Chen Empire. However, because of the conditions of that ce and the death of the founder, a lot left the sect with few remaining, and over the years because of the harsh conditions of the area, to date, the number of disciples the sect has doesn''t number more than 100.
Despite the harsh conditions, Mu Gen opted to join the sect instead of the Order when given the choice, so he could protect his great-grandmother''s legacy which was heavily influenced by how close he had been with his mother, her grandaughter, when she was alive. Going to the sect was his way of honoring them both.
With his talent and the Order''s support, Mu Gen reached the pce realm and eventually became the sect master. Yang Qing wasn''t surprised to find that the sect practiced winter''s embrace meditation art of the frozen serenity scripture which was tailored perfectly for the environment around the sect. The art aimed to create a sanctuary for the mind and soul within a deste state, and the location of the sect, was as deste as one could get.
After familiarizing himself with Mu Gen, Yang Qing could finally call a close to his visits. Though he still had eight more contacts from hiswork list, he had three years to establish contact with them, which was more than enough time to do it. He was in no urgency to blow his vacation days doing it.
Chapter 797 Be careful
Chapter 797 Be careful
??Before leaving, Yang Qing left the sect master of the Spring Rain Sword Sect with a couple of hundred pearls that he had imbued with pure yang qi which sect master Mu Gen could use to help some of his members endure the frigid cold qi surrounding them better. The pearls could benefit even the sect master himself.
The purity of the yang qi was in respect to Yang Qing''s present state. Even before the slight developments made to his physique, both his yin and yang qi were pure enough to rival naturally formed treasures based on those energies, and with the recent developments, that purity had grown.
As long as the sect kept those pearls on them, they could forget about being frozen by the frigid qi and could focus on extracting its benefits without fear of dying in the process. The Order had likely already provided Mu Gen with means to survive and exploit the frigid qi, but it couldn''t hurt to have more means, especially considering how deep in the wilderness they were, away from any civilization.
Considering the environmental constraints of the area with the dangers from the frigid qi and the spirit beasts lurking in the tundra forest that neighbored them, the sparse human habitation, for safety, the sect likely limited themselves in the number of times they left.
Unless absolutely necessary, they likely never left, and those who could leave were likely to be the elders with powerful cultivation bases to survive the dangers that surrounded the ce. Most sects usually left errands running to the disciples for merit points or had station points within their territory where they dealt with merchant organizations, but such luxuries were absent where the Spring Rain Sword Sect was located.
The horrible weather and the dangers all around made the area sparsely popted. If the sect wanted anything, they had to move to the central city located at the center of the province which was 100,000 kilometers away from where the sect was located. They had few members and the dangers presented limited those who could make the trip. Yang Qing''s pearls would likely save them the trip for a few years, as each pearl could protect the user for at least 10 years because of the purity of the yang qi. Rather than run errands, the elders could use that time to cultivate and grow their strength, which the Spring Rain Sword Sect desperately needed if they were going to survive in the area.
While Yang Qing wasn''tpletely sure, he felt the tundra forest that neighbored them likely had spirit beasts that had reached the domain realm otherwise the Great Chen Empire would have already subjugated the entire forest and ced it under their control. When he left, out of curiosity Yang Qing sneaked to the outskirts of the forest, and at that distance, he could feel the richness and profundities contained within the qi.
Because of his physique, he had no fear of the cold frigid qi; he was like a fish in water there. Just from that brief interaction, he knew if he cultivated in the deeper parts of the forest where the frigid qi was likely richer and denser, the gains he would make would be monumental both in terms of his physique and even mastery of certain arts rted to the water element. And from the quality, having experienced the spiritual qi produced by a mature dragon vein he could feel the qi from within the tundra and that of a mature dragon vein was not different. The reason it caused fatalities was likely because of the overwhelming purity of that qi.
There was no way an entity like the Great Chen Empire would leave a ce like that alone not unless there was something in there that deterred them from upying it. As a rank two Empire, only a domain-level existence could deter them.
As Yang Qing was leaving, he couldn''t help but wonder why the founder of the Spring Rain Sword Sect decided to build her sect so close to the tundra if it indeed did have a domain-level spirit beast. That was no different than throwing one''s self into the mouth of a dragon not unless...
...
"Did I keep you waiting long?" asked Yang Qing as he made his way into the ferry where he found Bai Chen sipping some boiling wine by the deck with some of the staff members.
By the time they reached the Snow Dawn Province, the ferry was empty of passengers save for Yang Qing. For once he didn''t have the weight of dying others on him as he made his visit.
"Not long, are you done?"Bai Chen asked as he handed Yang Qing a cup.
Yang Qing taking a sit and helping himself to the wine answered,
"I am. We can now head back to Gold Eagle Town.."
"Any ce you want to stop over as we head over there?"
"Not really, but if you have suggestions of ces with good scenery and food, feel free to pass through those ces on the route over.."
"I just happen to know a few.." Bai Chen said with a smile.
The trip back was leisurely with Bai Chen leaving the steering to one of the staff members as he and Yang Qing exchanged tales of their experiences which were mostly centered on embarrassing tales which was a lifesaver for Yang Qing. He might not have adventurous or heroic tales owing to his cowardly nature, but when it came to embarrassing tales, he had that in plenty.
On the way back, they picked up more passengers as they made stopovers in cities bustling with activity where Yang Qing took the brief pauses provided by those stopovers to sample dishes and other specialties from those cities. He was even lucky enough to find a cultivation air market where he splurged a little to buy bizarre-looking trinkets and mundane ones here and there in the hopes that they hid some mysteries beneath their rough exteriors.
Time quickly passed by and it wasn''t long before they arrived at Gold Eagle Town, which remained the same as they had left it, except it was nighttime by the time they arrived, but it was still as active as daytime. To cultivators who didn''t need to sleep, and could see in perfect rity whether night or day, the concept of night and day was lost on them.
"Thank you for the trip, Bai Chen.." Yang Qing said as he alighted from the ferry.
"Thank you for your patronage, Yang Qing, and should you need our services again, please don''t hesitate to reach out, and should you hear of people needing escort services, please don''t hesitate to send them our way. We would appreciate the business and we would also give you a nice discount for the referral.." Bai Chen said as he rubbed his hands together with a mercantile smile on his face.
Yang Qing drylyughed as he said,
"If ie across any, I will make sure to send them your way. Take care, Bai Chen.."
"Take care, Yang Qing."
As Yang Qing was leaving he paused slightly which prompted a curious nce from Bai Chen.
"I have a friend who told me that the Ice Emerald Sect over the years had been hunting down organizations that had arts rted to the Frozen Serenity Scripture and were likely doing so at the behest of someone.
A few rank-three organizations were destroyed in the process. While the sect itself may be gone, who knows why they were looking for those arts. Be careful Bai Chen, In case of anything feel free to reach me..." Yang Qing solemnly said.
"Many thanks, fellow daoist. As someone who has survived as a rogue cultivator for this long, prudency has been my greatest and constantpanion.." said Bai Chen as he cupped his fists in gratitude to Yang Qing.
"That''s good.." Yang Qing said as he waved his hands as he disappeared to the skies.
After he left, Bai Chen''s eyes shed with killing intent slightly as he clenched his fists before his look turned calm as he made his way back to the Bluefin Courtyard.
Chapter 798 Surprise caller
Chapter 798 Surprise caller
When he was several kilometers outside of Gold Eagle Town, Yang Qing dispelled his camouge.
"Now this is more like it.." Yang Qing said as he cracked his neck and massaged his cheekbones as he admired his appearance from the reflection on a water mirror he had conjured up.
"Nothing beats this look.." he muttered, erging the water mirror to reflect his entire body. He spent a few minutes gazing up and down his reflection to ensure his body was exactly as it had been.?Only after he was satisfied that he was ''naturally handsome'' as before did he make his way to the Order.
Once he arrived, he made a stopover at the External Logistics Division to meet with the Shadow Hawks liaison, Mei Cheng. As always, the ce was swamped with eager cultivators looking to redeem their pay.
Yang Qing didn''t have to wait long before Mei Cheng pointedmunicated with her eyes for him to meet her in the room they met prior.
"Sorry to keep you waiting.."
"No, not at all, senior Mei Cheng.."
"How was the trip?"
"Informative, different, and a bit pressurizing if I''m being honest. Meeting with them has changed things for me.."
"In what way?"
"Well,.." Yang Qing paused as memories of the fate of the Ice Emerald Sect, the Hua n, the Xin n, and the Moon Essence Cauldron Sect shed in his mind.
"The world we live in is unforgiving, ruthless, where the line between growth and destruction is very thin. They are living in that world every day. If something were to happen to them, would I be able to make it in time to avert it, or prevent the absolute worst from happening or would they end up like the rest, suffering the fate of the cases thate across my courtroom?
The weight is heavy.." Yang Qing said with a somber sigh.
"I would like to say it gets easier with time, but it doesn''t. It is a worry that will continue to follow you as long as you continue to care about them.
It''s not a bad thing though. That worry, as long as it continues to exist will keep you alert and invested in their wellbeing. You will think and do everything you can to prevent whatever worries you have from being a reality.
From my experience, stopping your contacts from acting recklessly is one way and the other... This one has much more guarantee than the former.."
Mei Chen paused slightly, taking a sip of her tea before leaning backfortably in her chair, locking her gaze with Yang Qing, who couldn''t hide his curiosity.
"If you want to prevent your worries from bing a reality, the surefire way I know is.. you just have to be strong. Strength at the end is everything.." Mei Cheng said with an air of seriousness.
"When you reach the domain realm, the concept of distance shrinks considerably. You can cover tens of thousands of kilometers in the time it takes me to gulp down this cup of tea. You will always havefort in knowing that if something happens, you can make it in the shortest amount of time possible.
And if distance is an issue, domain experts have countless means to protect others even at a distance, imprints being one of them or other means avable to them, and as a domain expert, you won''t have to worry about someone deciphering your connection to them like you are now, so you can act freely.
The more powerful you are, the more you can do about those worries you have, but until then as your senior, I will share my insights and you can borrow from others who are in a simr situation to you, on the various safeguards you can use..."
"Thank you for that.." said Yang Qing with a sincere smile of gratitude.
"Anytime. I know the burden is not a light one, that and everything else you have to deal with. I''ll help in any way I can, but with this old bones of mine, there is only so much I can do. You need to break through to the domain realm by this time next year soI can get my well-deserved rest.." Mei Chen teasingly said as she feigned the look of an old fraildy.
"I''ll do what I can.." Yang Qing said feigning the serious look of someone undertaking a grand mission before he and Mei Cheng burst outughing.
Yang Qing exchanged a few more words with Mei Cheng as he gave her the information slip Zhang Tao had handed to him as he left his store, while Mei Cheng handed him a slip containing all the information they had gathered about Jiang Xiang, the emerald spirit weaving fox that had helped the fire adler bear with the evolution of the daughter of the obsidian couple.
After they were done, Yang Qing left directly for his abode, skipping his routine of passing by one of the dining establishments at the Order as he always did immediately aftering back. He still had a lot of leftovers from his little excursion on the restaurants and sideway stalls he visited on the trip back.
Just before he reached his abode, he felt a reactioning from hismunication talisman.
"Is it Meifeng?" he muttered as he took out the talisman. Not a single day passed by without her calling, even during his trip, she made sure to call each day.
"Huh.." Yang Qing said in surprise before answering the call.
"Grandpa Ma Bo, how are you? I was just thinking about you.." Yang Qing fawningly said.
"No need to waste your bootlicking you shameless squirt, I don''t have any resources for you to mooch off. How can you still be this way even as a pce court judge? You probably get more resources than I do by now. How can someone be this greedy.."
"It''s not greed, it''s sentiment. Since I was small, I always enjoyed your gifts. That hasn''t changed. You could give me an earth-rank treasure and I''d still be excited.."
"Yes, yes..fine, while I don''t have anything in the way of resources to give you, I did dig into that matter of the foundation circle."
"What did you find?" Yang Qing said his gaze turning serious.
The obsidian serpent''s daughter had her evolution guided by a foundation circle which was what human cultivators used in the body refinement realm. However, that circle was altered and used on the daughter and even seeded in helping her evolve into a flood dragon.
The foundation circle was created with the human body in mind, and as far as Yang Qing knew, spirit beasts had no need for it because of their naturally powerful bodies. He didn''t even know it worked on them but Jiang Xiang had managed to use it to support an evolution, whose difficulty was miles ahead of body refinement which was enough to draw his curiosity if something like this had ever been done before which was why he contacted Ma Bo to use his connections as a guest lecturer of the Jade Leaf Academy to dig into the matter. Their collection of arts and techniques was vaster than the Order''s.
Chapter 799 Lunatic prodigies
Chapter 799 Lunatic prodigies
??Without needing Yang Qing''s reminder, Ma Bo continued,
"There were two organizations that were known to have used the foundation circle to aid in the evolution of their spirit beasts, and sometimes even to aid in the speeds of their cultivation. One of them shoulde as no surprise, it was the Myriad Beasts Sect but even they, if what I read is to be believed, their technique was borrowed from another''s work, the Ghost Lamp Sorphagus Sect.
The records show they were the true creators of that technique. Considering their reputation it isn''t even surprising.."
Yang Qing felt like a thunderp had gone off in his mind. Because of the many things he was juggling around when he saw the foundation circle, the Myriad Beasts Sect despite being so obvious, the thought never crossed his mind about them, which was a huge oversight on his mind all things considered.
The Myriad Beast Sect, just like the Radiant Sword Sect, and the Flowing Valley Sect, was a holynd. However, they were found to be experimenting with the vicious Ao Yin beast, which prompted a public outcry among the masses and they were attacked by the entire continent, eventually leading to their destruction.
Researching dangerous blood bloodthirsty creatures like the Ao Yin aside, the Myriad Beast Sect had grown their strength to the rank of a holynd because of their expertise with spirit beasts and rumor had it they even had a mythical one as their sect guardian. If the Myriad Beast Sect imed to be the second in the nurturing and development of spirit beasts, no one would im to be first.
They were that good, and after their destruction, the two holynds grabbed their core secrets, while the rest split what remained. As far as he knew there were a few rank-one organizations that grew from what they pilfered from their ruins. One of those organizations was the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands Syndicate. Their founder was rumored to have found a bit of the research rted to the Ao Yin along with a treasure that he now uses to hide the headquarters of the syndicate.
He wasn''t the only one, countless others had their fortunes changed from whatever they harvested from the ruins of the Myriad Beasts Sect.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but admonish himself for overlooking such an obvious clue in the Myriad Beasts Sect.
"Grandpa Ma Bo, you said considering the reputation of the Ghost Lamp Sophagus Sect, it isn''t surprising that the technique originated from them. What do you mean by that? As far as I know about the sect, they were famous for creating heinous art like the non-luminousher mes, the soul-sealing pill, blood parasite string puppetry art, and countless others. Using a foundation circle to help with an evolution, doesn''t exactly match the arts they are known for.." Yang Qing said airing his doubt.
"Who says just because they created evil arts and techniques that that''s the only thing they were capable of?The founder of the Crimson Tide is famous for creating the blood refinement art, Blood Ressurection, and Damnation Tide, an art rumored to have reached the purple grade.
Whenever he is mentioned that is what people know him for. They ignore the fact that he had mastered the core cultivation arts of his previous sect to perfection. He created the blood resurrection and damnation tide because he was dissatisfied with his former sect''s art which he imed could hardly extract even half his potential.
That was in fact the real reason he fell out with his former sect. They couldn''t handle the disdain he showed for their legacies and a fight broke out which eventually ended in that sect''s destruction. The story floating around was a misrepresentation of the actual facts, but that''s a story for another day.
That founder when he was developing the blood resurrection and damnation tide, he didn''t just create it out of the blue. Having improved one cultivation art yourself, you know the effort it requires, right.."
"Mmmh.."
"Then you can imagine how much effort he put into making the well-known instability of blood refinement into something stable. Because of the instability, most blood arts can never reach past the blue grade, even reaching the blue grade is an achievement in and of itself. Creating a blood refinement art at the blue grade has the same level of difficulty as creating a gold grade art.
You can only imagine the level of difficulty creating one that touched the gates of the purple grades. In the process of improving that art, he created countless meditation arts that strengthened the soul and mind, along with formation arrays that helped cultivate the mind. A couple of them had reached the gold grade, and they were not blood refinement arts.
The rank two sect, 36 Lotus of Enlightenment sect built their core legacy off one of those meditation arts.
That founder was a blood refinement cultivator but he was a prodigy with orthodox arts too having created a few himself and the Ghost Lamp Sophagus Sect is the name. It was filled with countless prodigies who had the same talent as the founder of the Crimson Tide, and just like himcked restraint on what they pursued.
They created countless cultivation arts and techniques across all schools of cultivation and uncovered the properties and mysteries of countless treasures. Be it alchemy, talisman refining, formation arrays, weapon and artifact refinement, soul and body cultivation, herbology, beast taming, herbology, astrology, geomancy, medicine and poison refinement, curses, bloodline activations, they researched it all, and they were the pioneers of groundbreaking discoveries that we benefit from today.
For every 100 foundational techniques, arts, and recipes you see today, four would have their roots inevitably tied to the Ghost Lamp Sophagus Sect.
I don''t know how far back the sect existed, but even now people are still discovering their research projects all over the continent and some are way ahead of what we have now. They were absolute lunatics who would go to any lengths for their research which was often not a pretty picture, but it can not be denied, a bit of the cultivation in this continent was pulled forward because of them, something we are still harvesting even now. The spirit beast evolution foundation circle process more than likely originated from them.
Yang Qing, assumptions could cost you your life. Never assume cultivators only have one root, you never know how many branching roots they have hidden in the ground. Do well to remember that, especially in your role.. It will prevent you from being blindsided."
Yang Qing''s eyes widened in fear with cold sweat forming from his hairline. When he was training Mao Yunru, he always warned her against being closed-minded as it restricted one''s view of things, but here he was doing the same thing and he wasn''t even aware. Subconscious habits were sometimes the scariest of things.
With a solemn expression even though Ma Bo was not in front of him, Yang Qing bowed as he said,
"Thanks for the reminder, Grandpa Ma.."
"It''s nothing..."
"Grandpa Ma, how much do you think it would cost to acquire that foundational circle evolution technique?"
"Are you looking to buy it? I am sorry to break it to you, Yang Qing, you might have considerable wealth from your ceremony, but I doubt even if you sold it all you''d be able to acquire it.
Neither can I, sadly. I did try to redeem a copy here, but the merit points required is something that would require me to work tirelessly to nurture a single blue-grade alchemist every year for the next two hundred years.
That should tell you how hard it is to acquire it. As an individual, it''s hard, not unless you''re a well-established domain expert with considerable repute and resources. If not, the only other way is by being affiliated with a powerful organization that has the resources to acquire it.
I think the Order more than likely has it, and like the Jade Leaf Academy that has one too, the means of acquiring it from them is likely to just be as stringent.
I advise you to give up getting your greedy hands on it, but if you can''t help yourself you can always try your like exploring the continent. The Ghost Lamp Sophagus Sect had thousands of mysterious realms and other research grounds spread all around the continent. Not all have been unearthed, maybe you can find a record of the technique there for free, but knowing you...
How can you be stingy and cowardly at the same time? If you want something for free, you''ll have to risk yourself out there. Nothing is truly free, stingy kid and before you ask, I don''t have any spirit stones or treasures for you to borrow. .."
"I wasn''t going to do that, Grandpa Ma. Even I am not that shameless.." Yang Qing said as he rubbed his nose in embarrassment and guilt. He had indeed been entertaining the thought but with the statement that was made, he was too embarrassed to go through with it.
"You''re sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. Can''t you trust my character just this once? I''ve grown. I''m not that bratty child from before. I have matured.." Yang Qing said with righteous indignation.
"Okay then.."
Yang Qing knowing Ma Bo didn''t buy it, decided to change the subject to the doubt he had in his heart borne from the information provided.
"Do you think the White Rose Pavilion could have something like that?"
"They definitely do. It goes without saying.. They''re merchants.."
"Is it something that their staff members can gain ess to easily?"
"Depends on the rank of the staff member. One of their executives and high-ranked elders might have ess to it, but for the rest, I think it would be even harder for them than us. Merchants would bleed even their family members dry, given the chance.
For any low-ranking staff member to gain ess to it, they would have likely have to trade something of an equivalent value to the technique. Why do you ask?"
Yang Qing went on to exin his findings in the Deer Mountain Range, restricting the subject matter to the foundation circle, the evolution process, and those involved.
"Evolution into a flood dragon? Even with the treasure bone, it couldn''t have been easy. Jiang Xiang might not be a simple character, he might be a prodigy, because even with the technique, not many would be able to help an obsidian serpent evolve into a flood dragon given the contradictory foundational natures of the two, but they were able to pull it off?
I can give him being a spirit beast maybe gives him an advantage of having intimate familiarity with the workings of the body of a fellow spirit beast, but he would need the same matching knowledge with the foundational technique to pull it off. Having the method isn''t enough. Extreme familiarity with it is the defining factor and with spirit beasts'' struggles with human cultivation arts he must be quite the talent.."
"He must be.." Yang Qing said, his thoughts drifting elsewhere apanied by a deep frown.
"Thank you very much, Grandpa Ma.."
"I don''t want your thanks, I want spirit stones and spiritual herbs. Next time I pass by, I want several kilograms worth, preferably the ones tainted by the aura of your physique. I have had a lot of sess with them in my experiments...
Take care, Yang Qing."
Not giving Yang Qing a chance to weasel out, Ma Bo quickly ended the call leaving Yang Qing smiling bitterly as he went into his abode.
"Luckily Ma Yuan had already harvested some when he was redoing the backyard.."
Chapter 800 The light aurora curtain
Chapter 800 The light aurora curtain
??When Yang Qing walked into his abode, he found Ma Yuan exactly where he expected to find him. He was hard at work transforming Yang Qing''spound into an immortal''s botanical garden. It had an ethereal glow, mesmerizing scent, and refreshing melody of life. Yang Qing was surprised to discover that his aura which had contaminated every single part of his abode seemed to have been activated because of the changes around it. It felt like it was breathing and bonding with the changes around filled with excitement.
As he sensed its transformation, Yang Qing''s eyes lit up as he could feel his cultivation base stirring. He could sense a budding mysterious truth growing within the aura that surrounded his abode as it blended in rhythmic synergy with the various forms of life around it from the birds to the insects, to the fish, to every nt, down to the spiritual qi. Every single living and non-livingponent seemed to be working in tandem with each other with his aura as the bindingponent.
As the originator, Yang Qing could see and sense this change all too well. The scene that only he could see was a wave of beautiful light curtain-like an aurora that was filled with lights of different colors with the prevalent ones being green, blue, earthen brown, and golden brown. That light curtain was pulsating with a mysterious aura as it enveloped the entirepound.
Ma Yuan was with his daughter Ma Ling tending to a young sap of royal crown maple. The ethereal light curtain that was flowing gently like an aurora borealis had covered them and the baobab. Yang Qing could see the vibrant colors within that light curtain flow in and out of Ma Yuan, Ma Ling, and the royal crown baobab.
Wavy threads of light flowed in and out of them, interconnecting with other lines crisscrossing all over thepound creating a cycling connection of life. Yang Qing felt the changes happening within that connection, it was like everyponent of hispound wasmunicating with one another.
From the connection he could feel the empyrean wasp hovering next to Ma Yuan seemed to be saying,
"Oi, Ma Yuan, be careful with that baby maple, at that angle, it won''t be able to produce the best sap.."
Though Ma Yuan couldn''t hear the empyrean wasp or even realize its presence with how focused he was, somehow he kept adjusting the position of the royal crown maple in ordance with the wishes of the empyrean wasp.
As the royal crown maple was being moved, through the line, Yang Qing could feel its nervousness, the kind one would get at being in an unfamiliar ce. The maple was like a little child thrown in a room full of adults and was familiar with none of them.
"Hhhelloo seniors.." it nervously transmitted as some of its leaves curled up in fear.
As Ma Yuan was moving it, that nervously slowly left its body and was soon reced with a feeling offort.
"This feels nice.."
That feeling was transmitted to Ma Yuan who inadvertently found himself smiling even if he didn''t know why.
All around thepound, Yang Qing could see conversations and interconnected rtionships being established.
Whether it was the aqua butterfly that released tiny droplets of cool qi from its wings on winter goji berries that seemed to be getting a little too dry or the spirit-cleansing hibiscus that seemed to be beckoning the sapphire scarab beetles to have some of its nectar, or the green me tree that was ying mediator by releasing its restorative, calming and nurturing essence to the shimmering ocean apple tree and the magma bark orange tree that seemed to bepeting against each other or the ox head mushroom that seemed to be leeching of the excess fire energy from the soil because the mirage glow magnolia was feeling a little overwhelmed.
And for Ma Yuan, the instigator of all this, somehow whether it was the nts, the insects, and birds, even the earth itself seemed to know that he was injured somewhat so they kept pouring life energy into him with him none the wiser about it and it wasn''t just him, even Ma Ling, though the greatest concentration was on Ma Yuan.
His core and dantian were still shattered, but Yang Qing could feel his body was being refined, reinvigorated, and elevated by the concerted efforts of the rtions he had established with the differentponents of the environment.
Yang Qing could clearly see every aspect of his body being renewed, strengthened, and transformed to its optimal state, whether it was his skin, his blood vessels, organs, bones, or even his meridians that had long dried up ever since his dantian and core were shattered seemed like a cracked dry river bed that had been doused with short rain. There was still no water in it, but one could see there was a potential of a stream forming in there. The desation was being treated.
Because of the different elements flowing to him, no part was left unattended. Elemental body refinement went by a maxim. Water refines the spirit, wood refines the organs, earth refines the skin and bones andstly, fire refines the blood and flesh. All elementsbine you achieve the cycle of perfection and stability.
Even though there was no change to Ma Yuan''s dantian, and his cultivation base was still crippled, the base state of his body was being restored to what his life order would be as a core formation expert. Yang Qing could feel his vigor and vitality being slowly pushed forward to what it should have been had his core and dantian remained intact.
The journey of cultivation was the transformation of one''s body, essence, and spirit. Every time they improve by either a minor realm or a major realm, these three factors are continuously changed, and in the process, their entire being is transformed.
It is why cultivators stop needing food, sleep, and even breathing at a certain point. It is because their body, and how it functions changes. No longer do they need food to maintain their organ functions, or sleep to renew their bodies and minds.
The introduction of foundation pirs or cores changes that. Through pirs and cores, spiritual qi is absorbed and converted into an energy that the body survives, and slowly by slowly the body adapts, and is modified to subsist on that energy. Their bodies change and their minds along with it.
Ma Yuan''s body was that of a core formation expert, but hecked the core to sustain its functions which was why he needed copious amounts of food rich in spiritual qi to carry the job his core would have been doing. If he did not meet their needs, he would be lethargic and his body would slowly deteriorate over time, though it wouldn''t be a drastic change, it would be there, and his original life expectancy would dwindle along with it.
As ate-stage core formation expert, he should have lived for at least 4,500 years, but with his core shattered, if he doesn''t maintain the spiritual energy levels it requires, that expectancy would likely drop to 2,500- 3,000 years. Yang Qing had already nned to give him a few treasures rich in life essence to help like the vermilion lotus seeds or the green me tree''s leaves which when ground into a tea, though the vor wasn''t there, was rich in wood and me element energy that would provide all the sustenance his body needed.
But seeing the changes happening before him, that seemed to no longer be needed.
Chapter 801 Victory is victory in the end
Chapter 801 Victory is victory in the end
??Because of the rhythm of flow around him, Ma Yuan''s body was being transformed to adapt to his state while still maintaining its strength. The changes in his body were adapting to hisck of a core and dantian, while still maintaining its strength and essence as the body of a core formation expert. With the changes happening to his body, soon enough he may not need to eat food that contained dense volumes of spiritual qi and essence capable of sustaining a core formation expert. His body would be able to function normally just doing what he was doing, surrounded by life.
Yang Qing could feel his thoughts flowing into a high state. Ideas that he had thought of being aligned together to form a pathway of enlightenment.
He absentmindedly started walking forward with countless ideas being formed with the essence being extracted for the insights it contained which were then solidified into a pathway. With every step he took the wonderous his state became as he could feel the profundities of the world whisper to him, showing him a world he could not see before, holding his hand and guiding him forward, resolving the doubts he had, consolidating what he thought he knew while adding new ideas that he had not yet thought.
His body, essence, and spirit were being transformed by the step as resplendent lights that contained the charm of the natural dao surrounded him. The dao markings of the yin-yang jade bones lit up releasing an ancient almost primordial aura filled with the bnce of life,plemented by radiant all-epassing transcendent light of the universal light of the myriad worlds cultivation art.
Yang Qing at this moment looked like a banished immortal, free and unfettered, surrounded by ethereal colorful lights that carried the profundity of something that was formed at the dawn of the world, apanied by the bnce of the yin and yang that shaped the functioning of the world.
Looking at him made one feel like they were staring at a world, a world with thews of life and amodation. The elements around him seemed to be leaping with excitement as they surrounded him. The pupils in his eyes rotated mirroring the colors of those elements, swirling and mixing them, releasing a colorful radiant glow as they did so.
"What is vitality?"
Yang Qing could hardly sense what was happening around him from the state he was. Everything had nked out, except for the path beneath his feet. Everything else had been drowned out. The state he was in, he could sense excitement and tranquility, vibrancy and stillness at the same time.
It was after he took the fourth step, that he heard a voice, a familiar voice that was gentle, ethereal, childlike but at the same time carried the weight of the boundless age within it. A voice that was simple yetplex.
Yang Qing looked up and saw a green cocoon the size of his thumb but surrounded by a profound aura of green and blue that was the size of several oceans piled together.
"What is vitality?"
He absentmindedly muttered as he gazed at the sky of green and blue above him before he lowered his gaze leveling it with what was ahead of him. Hispound appeared before his eyes. The birds, the trees, the flowers, the insects, the nts, the pond, the earth, the rocks, the air around it, his courtyard, the arrays, Ma Yuan, Ma Ling, and the threads of colored aurora lights that connected them.
And when he looked down, he could see all the threads converging to him.
"The flow of life.." said Yang Qing.
His words, like a trigger, caused the light curtain waves, and the light threads around him to explode with radiant lights as they released a grand, profound, and primordial aura. The threads and curtain wave still maintained form but other lines formed within them. These lines were the sources of the profound and primordial aura. Those threads would switch colors every second and with every change, there was a switch in quality about them. More colors that were not there before seemed to have appeared.
Yang Qing tried to focus on one of the new ones. He extended his senses to one that was grey-silver, however, he quickly pulled back his senses when the harmless-looking silver thread released a terrifying destructive power the moment Yang Qing tried to make contact with it.
Adopting a cautious approach, Yang Qing decided to just soak in the changes around him and flow with it like a leaf that glides along the stream of a river, rather than force it. When he surrendered himself to the flow and freed his mind, he could hear indistinct voicesing from those threads. They seemed muffled. Yang Qing tried to focus more on the voices but nothing came of it. He still couldn''t hear them, however, he could feel his body, essence, and spirit being transformed and elevated by the voices.
The state didn''t seem tost long with those threads disappearing not long after with the scene back to how it was. Although his cultivation base had not improved and was still at the peak of the second stage, he could feel he had made considerable improvements in his cultivation. His understanding of the vitality dao had improved immensely along with the understanding he had with his purple grade art, the universal light of the myriad worlds.
The proof of it was the internal manifestation of his pce realm. The green me tree now had a fruit, a crystal fruit that swirled with colorful lights. The lights were weak, but even in that frailty, they contained profound power. He could see the same curtain of light from before being produced from the fruit as it spread to the grass and shrubs below, to the ocean ahead, and to the sun and moon above it, creating a linked connection with theponents of his pce realm.
From the change, he could feel his overall strength had improved by at least 5% from the strength of his body to the power of his soul, to the maniption and execution of his cultivation arts, and even his absurdly huge qi capacity had increased. He was closely approaching the capacity of those who had reached the seventh stage of the pce realm.
That didn''t mean that he could fight a seventh-stage pce realm. His qi reserves, though high, stillcked the refined quality of someone in the seventh stage which was a factor of one''s understanding of their dao. The deeper their understanding, the more their qi will be filled with it, and the more powerful their abilities are.
His understanding of the dao wasn''t at that level yet, thus he would lose out in a frontal confrontation, but when it came to triggering talismans and other treasures that required high reserves of qi, that he could definitely do without regard. With every improvement he made, his abilities to guarantee his life were growing with it. He may not be able to defeat his opponents in frontal confrontation, but he could oust them in endurance and vitality and scam a victory through it. In the end, for life and death, it doesn''t matter how you survive, as long as you do.
At the Institute the instructors always told them, that a shameless scam bag victory had one of the best vors to it. Frustrating your opponent to the very end and pping them with a loss they can''t swallow. Even in death, they will be riled up and indignant. There was nothing more satisfying, and Yang Qing, being the diligent student he was, kept those words in his heart to faithfully abide by.
He had a heroic spirit in him and as such, he would love to defeat his opponents wlessly, in one move, giving them a peaceful ending with the knowledge that they were not defeated unjustly, he was just that powerful. But the world was what it was, and sometimes, quick victories were not possible, and in those cases, as much as it pained his true heroic self, he had to don the robes of the shameless.
Victory was victory in the end, the process mattered too little as long as you acquired it.
Chapter 802 Month quickly flies by (1)
Chapter 802 Month quickly flies by (1)
??Yang Qing flooded with countless insights walked over to where Ma Yuan and his daughter.
"Yang Qing.." said Ma Yuan with pleasant excitement in his tone when he caught Yang Qing out of the corner of his eyes as he was moving the royal crown maple sapling.
"Senior Yang Qing.." Ma Ling said as she clumsily tried to cup her fists in greeting.
"You seem to be doing better.." Yang Qing said as his gaze fell on Ma Ling.
"It''s thanks to senior Tan Jue..."
Despite her clear nervousness, when she mentioned Tan Jue, her excitement and respect shone through.
Though Ma Yuan didn''t say anything, Yang Qing could tell he felt the same way too.
He wasn''t sure if she had regained some of her memories yet and he wasn''t about to ask but Yang Qing could tell she seemed to be growing more and morefortable around Ma Yuan than she did thest time she was here.
Yang Qing could tell from how rxed her body seemed to be from the moment he walked into the abode, and even now,he wasn''t sure if she did it subconsciously or intentionally but because of her nervousness, she moved close to Ma Yuan almost as if to seek his protection like what young children did every time they were with their parents and they happen to meet someone they were unfamiliar. On reflex, they would seek cover behind their parent.
"It''s only been a few days but this ce seemed to have transformed yet again.." Yang Qing said as he looked around him.
"I am sorry, I couldn''t help myself. The environment here is just too good. I try to control myself but I''m continuously filled with countless ideas and inspirations on what else to add, and this ce.." Ma Yuan paused as he sighed in admiration.
"This ce seems to support every wild idea that I have and it all feels so natural. I don''t think I''ve ever felt this way. I''ve always enjoyed discovering new herb species, and caring for young saplings to maturity.."
Ma Yuan''s eyes fell slightly on Ma Ling as he said that.
"Being on a piece ofnd, nting, harvesting.. it''s where I feel most alive, but this, I can''t exin it.. It feels like I am living in a dream of something that goes beyond my greatest fantasies kind of like how I felt when I grew my first earth-rank herb and first sky-rank herb, only in this, that feeling of discovering something monumental doesn''t stop and the more I keep going the more wonderous that feeling bes...
Sorry, I am rambling.." Ma Yuan said as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"No, it''s okay. I understand the sentiment all too well, having lost myself to it a lot of times.." Yang Qing said as he saw the colorful waves of light floating around his abode.
He has lost himself one too many times to the mysteries of the world around him, whether it was a phenomenon as what he was seeing happening in his abode, a broken cultivation art begging him to restore it to its former glory, an artifact whose origins trace it to a bygone era,treasures with tales around them.
Whenever his interest was piqued, he could hardly tear himself away from it which alwaysnded him in no small amount of trouble. Half of the fines he got foringte or skipping a day or three of work were because something had caught his eye and he easily lost himself to it. It was why he severely restricted himself on his visits to the library or the treasure vaults. He knew how weak he was within those halls, and Lei Weiyuan probably did too.
Yang Qing quickly diverted his thoughts from the old fiend when he felt a heartburning up.
Right now he had better things to do than figure out how Lei Weiyuan always seemed to know the days he would bete or absent. Seeing the interconnection happening in his abode, and the transformation happening to Ma Yuan, Yang Qing had a few ideas he wanted to test out.
"Ma Yuan, how is your body feeling?" asked Yang Qing.
"Pretty good actually, better than I have felt in a while.." Ma Yuan said as he stretched a few stretches of his arms with a refreshed smile on his face that was a result of how limber his body felt.
Ever since he had his cultivation crippled, his body never felt the same. It felt heavy like he wasgging tonnes of meteor iron in his muscles. Though he knew it was his imagination, he could sometimes feel his bones creak under that weight every time he overly exerted himself.
But since he started working on Yang Qing''spound, his body felt lighter and lighter. It was the mostfortable he had felt in his skin.
As he worked, with the growing relief in his body, he often found himself wondering if the reason his body was changing was because it was no longer under the pressures of the maddening obsession and torment he had been struggling to endure for the past seven years, especially that voice, that voice that grew in strength and persuasion the longer the search remained fruitless. The voice that kept telling him, each day, beguiling his mind, showing him visions and prophecies, with undeniable certainty, his wife and daughter were likely dead, and died a brutal death at that.
He did lose his wife, but the worst did not happen, his daughter yet lives even though she treated him as a stranger, a consequence of the memory-altering gu.
Her being with him, could she be the reason that his body felt better? Or was it because he was finally doing something he loved, farming? His sight and mind no longer colored by hatred, desperation, and self-loathing. Other than his wife and daughter, herbology was the greatest thing in his life. It changed his life after all, from a no-name orphan to a core formation cultivator who had achieved a gold body, and eventually led him to one of the two greatest treasures in his life, Ma Ling''s mom.
"Maybe it''s Ling''er and the farm.." wistfully thoughtMa Yuan as he smiled in gratification when he saw his daughter eagerly reaching her hand out to one of the aqua butterflies wearing the same childlike expression of excitement she wore every time she saw something exciting. Her pale blue eyes would shine just like her mother''s.
Her mother wasn''t the best at showing expression. She only had two, one was the deadpan expression that showed nothing, and the other which Ma Yuan took great pride in, despite how much he suffered for it, was anger. Over the years, he had angered her a few times, not intentionally of course, but it soon became intentional when he saw how reactive she was. It was the only time she truly wore her emotions and Ma Yuan relished it as he diligently looked for ways to trigger her. He suffered for it, but it was well worth it.
Other than anger, he grew to notice other things too, like excitement, and her eyes would twinkle in the same manner as his daughter''s.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by Yang Qing.
"Ma Yuan, I need your help with something.."
"Anything... As long as I, Ma Yuan can do it, I will not hesitate.." Ma Yuan said with enthusiasm.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but drylyugh at his reaction.
"It''s not something serious. It''s rted to the changes happening in your body.."
At Ma Yuan''s questioning look, Yang Qing gave him a brief description of the scene he saw which was still ongoing. The flow of essence to Ma Yuan''s body from the livingponents around him was still kept up at a gradual pace, and the royal crown maple sapling that released sentiments of content was the new member to join that circle as even it shared little of what it had to Ma Yuan.
"Such a thing is happening?" Ma Yuan said with an incredulous expression on his face. He turned his head around to try and see if he could see the scene Yang Qing described but eventually gave up when he couldn''t sense anything.
But still, even without seeing it himself he couldn''t help but feel gratified as he smiled with his right hand over his chest, disying the rogue cultivatormunity''s sign of gratitude as he said the words thank you, to the nts, insects, and birds and other livingponents around him.
Ma Yuan''s eyes couldn''t help but redden slightly. He had been living in the abyss for so long, that saplings and pupas showing kindness was enough to shake him emotionally.
"No...No ...No.. Ma Yuan keep it together, you can''t let Ling''er see you like this.."
Ma Yuan tried to reign in his emotions by hurriedly agreeing to whatever Yang Qing wanted to test.
"What do you need me to do?" asked Ma Yuan.
"Nothing much, just continue as you were and pretend I am not there. I will try the process from there.." Yang Qing said as he moved to the green me tree where he sat cross-legged, quickly immersing himself in the flow of life essence around.
"Universal Light Resonant Creatures."
A pure light almost like a light of creations filled with multitudinous colors was released from Yang Qing''s body filled with the densest aura of life that left both Ma Yuan and Ma Ling wide-eyed.
Chapter 803 Month quickly flies by (2)
Chapter 803 Month quickly flies by (2)
??The lights flowing out of Yang Qing''s body were of different colors with each color being a representation of an element. They flowed freely out of his body with a gentleness that soon turned active as they transformed into various creatures. There were birds one of which resembled the green swallow that Feng Xin used to track Peng Zhen and the rest. The swallow chirped with melodies that showed its clear excitement. With how lively it was, one could easily mistake it to be a real live swallow and not a manifestation of Yang Qing''s qi and cultivation art.
Other than the green swallow, there were other birds too varying ording to species but also their elements. The primary five elements looked to have been represented; water, earth, wind, wood, and fire. Other than them, there were also ones that were made of secondary elements such as lightning, metal, and light elements.
"Is this real?" Ma Ling asked with a dumbfounded expression as she saw a gold-colored doe move over to one of the orchids Ma Yuan had nted and smell it with delight, while a deep brown colored bee joyously buzzed towards one of the flowers that was ripened with nectar or a blue koi fish that started ying around with the aqua butterflies.
A few seconds ago she had just seen them being formed from the radiant light that surrounded Yang Qing. But despite what she saw, those creatures looked real and felt real. They were indivisible from the insects and birds that Ma Yuan had introduced to the ce. Had she not seen how they were formed, she would have thought they were real spirit beasts.
"What cultivation art is this?" she muttered unable to even blink from the huge surprise.
Since being admitted to the Order, she had seen her fair share of wonderous arts as she walked around the Medical Valley when she wasn''t undergoing medical valley, and what she had seen had upended her perception, and the scene before her had added onto it by a couple of levels.
She wasn''t the only one in shock, with Ma Yuan having the same dumbfounded look as his daughter as he looked at the ''new residents'' of the abode. One could argue his shock was even greater than hers. She was only in the foundation establishment realm, so it was understandable if her perception was low, but he was a seasoned core formation expert, he may be crippled now, but his senses as a veteran core formation expert were still there as he still had ess to his spiritual sense and his body could still perceive certain profundities.
But just like her, he couldn''t differentiate the creatures Yang Qing had reproduced from his qi from the ones he had introduced to the abode. He could see a crystal snow moth flying next to the lunar light bees like oldrades who had known each other since they werervas. The lunar light bee was real, and the crystal snow moth was just made from Yang Qing''s qi, but seeing the fly side by side, even with his spiritual sense deployed, he couldn''t tell that the moth wasn''t any less real than the lunar light bee it had befriended.
It wasn''t just the moth, all the other spirit beasts produced were in every essence of the word, real and alive.
Their reaction wasn''t all too surprising to Yang Qing. Purple- grade arts, were purple-grade arts for a reason. They were able to do the unimaginable. His universal light resonant of the myriad worlds art worked perfectly with his physique and he was able to do countless things with it. It wasn''t the most offensive art, but from the few purple-grade arts he had seen, Yang Qing could biasedly say it was the most versatile.
Anything from wide-range reconnaissance to defensive and offensive moves, to array cing and dismantlement, to talisman refinement, to deciphering the elemental properties of his surroundings, he could do it all with the art, and the deeper his familiarity with the art became, the more Yang Qing was awed by it as he felt like it contained the blueprint and secrets of an entire world within it.
Take for example the creatures he had produced with the moveUniversal light resonant creatures. Each of the creatures produced was no different than the real thing as they had independent thoughts and feelings and were capable of independent actions, each with their specialty courtesy of the universal nature of Yang Qing''s qi.
Take the green swallow for example that had taken to nesting in Yang Qing''s head. It wasposed of the wind element, which made it the best at tracking down things within the shortest timeframe. It was the best at tracking living thins, as it could follow the ''scent'' of their qi that they leave in the air.
The crystal snow moth was the best to use for infiltration as it had the best skills in illusion because of the water element it had which was strong in yin qi. It could create and break illusions and was highly sensitive to the changes of its surroundings.
Every creature produced had its skills and since they were all made from Yang Qing, they adopted his judgment, among other things such as enormous qi reserves which was a great boon for them. Those creatures couldn''t absorb qi, they could only survive off of what they had.
Yang Qing wasn''t the only one who could reproduce almost sentient spells, others could too, and the reason why its usage wasn''t as widely spread was because such spells would onlyst as long as the qi you used to produce them. Because of this, to others, it was a misuse, and they mostly used it for talismans, but to Yang Qing who had enormous reserves of qi, it was one of his favored techniques. With his current reserves, the creatures he had just created could remain in ce for three days, and if they were forced to face an opponent at the quasi-pce stage they wouldst half that, and if they faced one who had just freshly broken through, they mayst a few hours, provided their opponent wasn''t a skilled pce realm expert and just a regr one with normal foundations.
"Ma Yuan, you can just continue what you were doing, just treat them as you would the rest.." Yang Qing said pulling Ma Yuan out of his dazed state.
Ma Yuan nodded his head, still slightly dazed by what he was seeing. It took him a couple of minutes before he got to the rhythm of things and he was able to ignore the shock that had assaulted him.
Ma Ling on the other hand decided to abandon her father as she gave in to her curiosity and decided to walk over to the gold-colored doe that was nibbling at some orchid leaves. The doe muzzled its nose at her in a friendly manner, which was all it took for Ma Ling''s nervous apprehension to break as she cozied herself to the doe.
Chapter 804 Month quickly flies by (3)
Chapter 804 Month quickly flies by (3)
??With everything somewhat resuming to what it was before, Yang Qing closed his eyes as he circted his art and used himself as the center, gently guiding the motion of the colorful light curtain that was flowing around him. Because his aura was the conduit, it didn''t take long before he integrated his formed creatures into the cycle, sending their essence into Ma Yuan.
Ma Yuan who was at the center of the storm had his eyes flicker in surprise as he felt like his body was being cleansed, reformed, renewed, restored, and strengthened all at the same time. He felt like he was being massaged by the very heavens itself. The level offort he felt wasn''t only on his body, but on his spirit too as he could feel lighter in heart and thought which tranted into a level of free-spiritedness.
"No, I need to focus.." Ma Yuan hurriedly said as he cleared his head of superfluous thoughts and focused his mind on what he needed to do.
Yang Qing carefully sensed all the changes happening to Ma Yuan''s body as he felt thetent trauma from his crippling that was deeply entrenched in every essence of his being, slowly get washed away by the essence light waves produced from all theponents of his abode.
With him as the guide, the efficacy of the transformation of Ma Yuan''s body more than doubled as he could see each and every minute change happening within his body down to his soul.
"I may not be able to restore his core and dantian but I can elevate his body to the maximum level that ate-stage core formation cultivator can support.."
Even though he didn''t know the exact mechanics of what was happening, Ma Yuan could feel the transformation his body was undergoing. It was growing stronger, and lighter, and he could somehow feel that he now had an intimate familiarity with theponents around him. He could vaguely trace a bit of what Yang Qing was talking about. It felt like a whole new world had opened up to him. He couldn''t help but feel excited at the realms he would reach with his herbology skills.
Both Yang Qing and Ma Yuan quickly lost themselves in their own worlds of experimentation. Four hours quickly flew by and Yang Qing had to cut off his experimentation. Everything needed to be done with measure. Thin was the line between medicine and poison. Ma Yuan''s body was already close to saturation by the time he stopped.
What Yang Qing was aiming at was the transformation of his entire body so that it could maintain peak form without needing copious amounts of food rich in spiritual qi to barely maintain. His body was still operated with the need of his dantian and core at the center, even in its absence, which was why he was always straining.
What Yang Qing aimed for was evolving it,by telling it, it no longer needed a core to maintain itself. However it still needed a substitute, and Yang Qing was hoping farming would be it. A cyclic rtionship established between Ma Yuan and the grounds he took care of.
But all of that was still a concept at the moment, it remained to be seen whether it could be actualized. Ma Yuan and his daughter left for the Medical Valley, much to theint of Ma Ling who did not want to part with her new friends.
"I hope one year will be enough. Ma Ling''s treatment should be finished within that period, and then they will have to n for their new lives in Summerfield Kingdom. I have to ensure Ma Yuan is prepared as much as possible.." thought Yang Qing as he gazed at Ma Yuan''s departing silhouette.
With Ma Yuan set to start a life with Ma Ling in Summerfield Kingdom at Yang Qing''s suggestion, Yang Qing had always been thinking and making ns on how to ensure their safety as much as he could, once they left.
One of those ns included ridding Ma Yuan''s body of the hidden traumas left over from being crippled, while the others were centered around self-defense measures such as arrays, talismans, natural treasures, and the like.
The sudden changes to his abode and the effect it had on Ma Yuan gave him a headstart on one of those measures and he couldn''t help but form other ideas centered around. The whole night quickly passed by.
"This should be more than enough.." Yang Qing muttered wearing a pleased expression on his face, as the n he had was more or less refined to meet the needs he had for Ma Yuan.
"Huh, it''s morning already?" he added in surprise when he saw the morning rays hit his eyes as he was getting up from beneath the green me tree.
He stretched his limbs a bit out of habit before he made his way to one of the tables and had his breakfast which was from the leftovers he had gotten from his trip as he was establishing contact with his intelligencework.
"Time to meet Vice Warden Shao An.."
...
Medical Valley,Deputy Pce Master Ren Shu''s courtyard.
"You seem different.. you''ve made gains in the art haven''t you?" asked Ren Shu who shared a round table with Shao An and Yang Qing.
Yang Qing as the junior was dutifully pouring tea for the two of them before he shamelessly decided to drink his straight from the teapot. He was in Ren Shu''s abode, it was no different than being in his abode. He could be as free and shameless as he could.
With a satisfied grin, Yang Qing answered,
"Mmh, It was from a sh of insights i received yesterday.."
Yang Qing went on to describe the scene he saw at his abode and the treatment n he had made for Ma Yuan.
"What do you think, is it feasible?" asked Yang Qing.
While they were not officially master and disciple, Ren Shu was the one who guided Yang Qing through the use of his physique and his cultivation art. If there was anyone who could help him refine his process, it was him.
Sensing that this discussion might end up going for who knows how long, Shao An cleared his throat as he said,
"Yang Qing shouldn''t you finish with the list first before you continue the discussion.."
"Oh, sorry..." Yang Qing said with a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head.
"From the list, I have settled on Luo Suyin, the crescent moon de spirit, Gao Wei the blue-grade healer, and Zhu Qing the blue-grade formation master, it''s thest spot that I am struggling with, I was hoping you could help.."
"Mmh.." Shao An said with a curt nod.
"Of those remaining on the list I gave you there is Pan Xing the rogue cultivator, Han Lei the assassin from the Ghost Viper Court, Sun Tao the crown prince of Woodstone Kingdom and Li Chen the former high elder of Thunderp Sect.
In their time at the Insitute, they have shown to make peace with their pasts and i can say theirs decency in them, as for all, they''re only here out of a single bad choice they made out of a desperate moment.
But when ites to the programme, though it is called a rehabilitation programme, its true essence is to make the most out of those we have. Of those four who do you think we can extract the most benefits out of? It''s why Gao Wei was on the list in the first ce.
For me, I''d go with Han Lei, the skills he gained and the means with which he led the Ghost Viper Court to its demise show he is a highly resourceful person. You can make the most out of him.
Though you could do the same out of the rest too, they are pce realm experts with tonnes of experience after all, but I think Han Lei is better. His life as an assassin leaves him predisposed to think and see things that you may not necessarily see or think of.."
"I was leaning on him and Pan Xing for the fourth spot, but after your guidance, I think Han Lei would be a better fit.."
"Mmh.. When do you want to meet them? As part of their program, they will be assigned a courtyard in a secluded location. You will be able to ess it through your medallion after their release.."
"Could we do it at the end of the month, after my vacation is done?"
"I see no problem with it. When you''re free just tell me.."
"I will.."
Chapter 805 Month quickly flies by (4)
Chapter 805 Month quickly flies by (4)
??Once he was done with his rehabilitation list, the discussion between him and Ren Shu went full swing. The deeper the discussion went the more Yang Qing felt he had made the right choice ining to Ren Shu for guidance, and the bonus of having Shao An there too who had some insights of his own to share.
The discussion went on for close to eight hours. By the time he left, it was close to dusk. He was grinning from ear to ear because of the fruits of that discussion. If before he only had a hazy string of ideas on what to do for Ma Yuan and his daughter for the one-year period that they were around, he now had a clear structured n, and that n left him buzzing as it one of it involved doing one of the things he loved, deciphering cultivation arts.
"Will I be able toe up with one that is at least at the orange grade before the year is up?" he excitedly muttered.
Ma Yuan''s body was being transformed by the aura around his abode and the rtionships and interconnections he had created there. Yang Qing was just borrowing that force to streamline the process. However, aplete and thorough transformation of his entire body and essence to adapt to his missing core and dantian would take time.
One year wasn''t nearly enough time for that. Ma Yuan would have to continue with the regimen after he left Yang Qing''s abode and without Yang Qing or his aura being there to guide the process for him, he would need alternative means and the best means Yang Qing could think of was a cultivation art that did precisely that. A cultivation art built on the subtle rtionship between Ma Yuan and the grounds he worked. Only this way would, as he circted the art, would his body eventually get transformedpletely.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure how long it would take, but he had a feeling it would take at least 100 years. The timeframe could lessen if the cultivation art was good. Other than the cultivation art, he would also have to find a medium to store his essence, since his essence was the glue that held everything together.
Yang Qing could feel his spirits stirring at the thought of creating a cultivation art. He had evolved a couple of cultivation arts over the years with his greatest work being the Brilliant ray fist art, which was a blue-grade art that he evolved from a low-tier orange-grade art. But building one from scratch was something he hadn''t tried yet.
He had entertained the thought over the years but with the Order working him like a dog, and his attention that countless things could easily sway, he never got around to it. But now he did, and he couldn''t help but feel excited.
Why did cultivators cultivate and pursue great heights?
Some did so to change their fates, others to be more powerful, others to shed off their mortal coils in pursuit of immortality, and others to preserve or start a legacy, as for Yang Qing, one was self-preservation and the other was how his spirit would stir every time he delved to the mysteries and profundities of dao.
The world it showed him was truly breathtaking and he kept wanting to see more and one of the best ways of diving into the depths of Dao was through cultivation arts. Be it creating them, evolving some, or cultivating the arts themselves, one of the best gate passes to the doors of Dao was through them.
''''I wonder if Ma Yuan and his daughter have already left the abode?" Yang Qing wondered as he looked at the setting sun on the horizon.
"If they are not around, I may as well check if Grandpa is around. I need his help too in the ns ahead..''
Yang Qing passed by the tranquil lotus pond to check in on Ma Yuan and Ma Ling and found they had not arrived yet. Missing them, he made a beeline to another location. It was a green courtyard filled with all manner of herbs and spirit beasts that had not yet awakened their sentience and a bunch of old men arguing with bluster, threatening toe to blows as they huddled together staring fervently at a cauldron that had a potion that looked like it was fashioned for melting a cultivator''s body.
Yang Qing let out an exasperated sigh as he searched for the loudest old man from the sea of old men.
"Should I just go back? I don''t really need his help, do I?" he added as he spotted his grandfather who was yelling, with spittle flying over at the same time he still managed to mix in a crazy boisterousugh in there when he saw their ''potion'' change colors before he quickly switched to arguing some more.
Yang Qing resigned to the situation walked over long enough for his grandfather to notice his presence.
"Qing''er! Qing''er! Is that you? What are you doing here? When did youe back? Come here quick!! We have just created a new potion. It''s able to help a mortal jump from a mortal body to the silver refining stage in two weeks. I am calling the silver phoenix potion.." his grandfather said with smugness evident in his tone that was soon cut short when the other old men within his group hurriedly interrupted.
"Who agreed on calling it that?! As one of the people who came up with the stabilizing part of the potion, I should be the one to name it. What silver phoenix potion. A name like that makes it sound like it''s a potion for making the skin smoother. A potion like this needs something more domineering, like the spit of the dragon roar.."
"SPIT OF THE DRAGON ROAR?! Are you mad? Who would want to use a potion with a name like that? They would flee to the ends of the earth. It makes my skin crawl with disgust just thinking about it.."
"This is just the reaction I''d expect from a dainty person like yourself Ol'' Yang Fen..."
"You, Ol'' Chen, let''s go to thebat arena. I''ll turn you into that dragon spit you seem to like so much.."
"You think I''m afraid of you Ol'' Fen. Maybe you might have a chance at rebirth from the beating I''m going to give you. Let''s go.."
Chapter 806 Month quickly flies by (5)
Chapter 806 Month quickly flies by (5)
"Why does it always have to end like this? Where do they even get this energy.." thought Yang Qing.
"Seniors, please don''t. Why don''t everyone heree up with ideas they have and you can all vote on the best-sounding one?" Yang Qing said as he went over to grab his grandfather and his counterpart Yang Chen, whose eyes shed with regret and disdain for Yang Qing interrupting.
Yang Qing clenched and unclenched his fists, resisting the urge to join them in the arena and giving them the beating of their lives.
Eventually, things settled down as they settled on a name. They went with leaping silver body forging fire. It wasn''t the most creative name, but it was the safest. At least with it, they could get some poor mortals to try itpared to silver dragon spit.
"Is this really safe?"?Once everything had settled, Yang Qing couldn''t help but carefully ask, as he pointed to the eerie potion.
Even though he had no idea how they concocted that horror of a potion, he could tell from the ingredients used, that half of them were vtile like the blood-evaporating jujube, purple firetle, or the delirium longan fruit, with the growing list of ingredients matching them in properties reaching 14.
If someone without a cultivation base was to soak in that concoction, losing fifteenyers of skin and muscle was the least of their problems.
"Mmph, what do you know? Since when has cultivation nevere with a cost? We are helping someone directly leap two stages in the body refinement realm in two weeks. It''s a given that it would cost them something. Wasn''t that the same with you.." Yang Qing''s grandfather said as he threw a disdainful nce his way before turning to face the potion.
"As long as they bear with it for those fourteen days, the potion will not only enhance their bodies but temper their spirits too, which is something that will continue to support them long after they have passed the body refinement stage.
It is a test of one''s character and a preparation for what lies ahead. That is the essence of the body refinement realm. Being broken down to your truest essence, so that your journey ahead can be filled with fewer doubts.." he added as he exuded a heroic spirit.
"So, why are you here? I doubt you came here because you wanted to hang out with your old grandfather here?"
Ignoring the ploy of emotional ckmail his grandfather was attempting to use, Yang Qing exined Ma Yuan''s situation, before finally driving home what he needed from his grandfather.
"You have always been curious about reforging a cultivator''s body even after they have broken past the body refinement realm, well, Grandpa, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Aren''t you curious about the potential of body refinement? There is no better opportunity than this one. A shattered dantian, shattered core, with nothing to rely on but his body. If we forged his body to its utmost limits, what would we find at the end?" Yang Qing said with an impassioned gaze.
His grandfather stood there with a dazed look like time had gone still before it turned back on again.
"Good, Good, Good.. You''re my grandson alright.." Yang Feng said as heughed boisterously while smacking Yang Qing''s shoulders with great enthusiasm.
"Let''s DO IT!"?he added as an unquenchable me shone from his pupils spreading throughout his body.
He extended his hand to Yang Qing who was wearing the same crazy look as him.
"Let''s do it.." Yang Qing said as he tightly sped his grandfather''s hands, exchanging a tight handshake.
"You two better not be thinking about leaving us out of something this interesting.."
"Yes... I have a few recipes I have been dying to try. They would be perfect for something like this.."
"I have a few ideas myself. Ol'' Feng, Little Qing, don''t think of leaving us out of it. Even if you are, we will shamelesslye and create a scene. You don''t want a bunch of old geezers crying outside your abode, creating all sorts of tales do you.."
"These shameless fossils.."
"How would I dare to think that? All the achievements I have today are because I had your great shoulders to stand on. I will be relying on you seniors.." Yang Qing said as he smiled like a filial junior which did the trick as the shameless old men turned from threats to praises.
Owing to their eagerness, they wanted to charge into Yang Qing''s abode then there but Yang Qing had to hold them back so that Ma Yuan could get the night to rest up. After tonight, knowing those old men and also what he had nned for him, tonight might be the only peaceful night he might get till the year was up.
They agreed to start the regimen program the next day at night which would give those old geezers plenty of time to refine their ideas. Their craziness aside, Yang Qing had to admit they were always thorough and meticulous in their work. A day was more than enough time for them to formte a clear and concise workable n within the timeframe.
With everything in ce, Yang Qing gingerly made his way back to his abode after picking a few dishes here and there from both the Celestial Soup Herb Garden and the Thousands vors Restaurant.
He was whistling joyously out of tune of course before he paused in surprise when he saw someone standing outside his abode whilst wearing a dangerous smile.
"Someone seems to be in high spirits. What has gotten you in such a good mood, Yang Qing? Is it the Sacred me Swan you met?" the figure asked.
"How did she know? Who spilled? I have a traitor in my nest.."
With a fawning smile, he said,
"Mao Mao, what a pleasant surprise.."
"Pleasant is it? You''ve been here for more than a week and I had no idea. What happened to checking on your juniors? Or did that stop?" asked Mao Yunru, who was wearing a simple orange flowered dress that went perfectly with her delicate beauty.
Yang Qing was about to use a clever excuse to smoothen things out, however, after seeing the hidden sadness in her eyes, he decided to change tact.
"I am sorry Mao Mao.." he said with deep sincerity in his eyes.
Mao Yunru''s eyes flickered in surprise as she had expected him to mouth off and try to weasel out like he always did. His direct admission and apology caught her by surprise.
She couldn''t help but break out in pearlyughter when she saw how fidgety and anxious Yang Qing seemed to be as he warily looked at her reaction before quickly looking down.
"So how was your trip? Find anything interesting?" she asked with a lighter air about her which made Yang Qing sigh in relief as he felt like he had escaped an execution.
"As a matter of fact, I did.." Yang Qing smugly said as he produced voice-recording talismans that he had made when he visited the sacred graveyard of inheritance. The talismans contained the stories told by those spirit beasts entombed there.
As he expected, Mao Yunru was practically beaming with joy as she received those talismans.
"Did she just drool?" thought Yang Qing as he threw curious nces at Mao Yunru. When he handed her the talismans, he could have sworn he saw something crystalline slip out as she was smiling.
"What?" Mao Yunru ferociously asked like a beast protecting its kill.
"Nothing.."
Some things were better left unsaid and unknown.
Chapter 807 Month quickly flies by (6)
Chapter 807 Month quickly flies by (6)
As they walked in, Yang Qing filled Mao Yunru in on his exploits over the past months and the following weeks, before finally finishing with his ns for Ma Yuan.
"If there is anything I can do to help, I would be more than willing to offer it.." Mao Yunru said as they turned the corner past the pond that housed Starlight.
The crab seemed to be at a crucial juncture in his cultivation as he refined the wisdom pearl Yang Qing had handed to him. The starlight crab was surrounded by a colorful water bubble that was shed with a sharp refracting light.
"I had those thoughts.." said Yang Qing.
"Ma Yuan would need the abilities of your physique to help him master the technique once Ie up with it. The purple mind path mist from your purple cloud physique will help lessen the time he needs to learn the art better than any other means I may employ. When the timees, I will be relying on you, Mao Mao.."
"Mmmh.." Mao Yunru nodded softly with a pleased smile adorning her face that left Yang Qing slightly dazed at how breathtaking it was. He quickly tried to hide it before Mao Yunru noticed it. She would tease him endlessly if she noticed.
Ma Yuan caught sight of them when they were close to the courtyard. He looked to be just about ready to leave with his daughter for the Medical Valley.
Ma Yuan, as always was enthusiastic with his greetings as he sneaked in a few expressions to Yang Qing that only a fellow man would understand. He threw Yang Qing a few smiles here and there as he secretly alternated his gaze between him and Mao Yunru who was striking a conversation with Ma Ling.
The suggestive non-verbal cues that seemed to be saying,
"Yang Qing, I didn''t know you had a prettydy in your life. She yours?"
Yang Qing responded in kind with a humble bragging smile with his nose facing the high heavens.
"Of course she is!!"
After a short exchange, just as Ma Yuan was preparing to leave, Yang Qing said,
"Once you have taken Ma Ling to the valley, could youe back? There are some things I need to discuss with you.."
Noticing the seriousness in Yang Qing''s tone, Ma Yuan nodded before he and his daughter left.
"Why don''t you just let him stay here as your gardener? Once we be judges and are assigned an abode, we are allowed to have staff to maintain it, should we wish to. The Order can provide, or you can have some entirely of your choosing.." Mao Yunru said as she made herselffortable on one of the seats next to the firece at the front of the courtyard.
Yang Qing took out a jug of wine, poured himself and Mao Yunru a cup, and then took out the dishes he had bought at the two restaurants.
Only after he had taken the first sip, did he answer. A dejected sigh escaped his lips before he did so.
"This ce...." Yang Qing paused as he used one of the burning sticks to point around. The stick burned with a blue-orange me. It left a line of beautiful orange mes as Yang Qing used it to point around him.
"Ma Yuan will never be able to move on as long as he remains here. We helped save his daughter and he somehow feels indebted to us because of it, but, this ce, will forever be a reminder of one of his best and worst memories. For them both..." he grimly said
"It was here that I announced his daughter was alive, but it was also here that I told him his wife had died.
This ce will be an anchor for those two distinctive memories and if he remained here, he may forever be shackled by them. He needs a new environment, one not mired by all that he has endured for the past seven years.
He and his daughter need a fresh start if they want a chance at truly living their lives way beyond the tragedy they suffered, and they can''t do it here.
That''s why despite knowing the dangers lurking out there, especially for someone with a crippled cultivation base, I''m still insistent on them going rather than staying here where I could guarantee their safety more or less.." Yang Qing said as he tossed the burning stick into the pit of fire to join its mingpatriots.
"As safe as this ce is, we are surrounded by chaos, Mao Mao. It is why the Order never spares any resources to strengthen us so we can survive and thrive in this chaos. This isn''t exactly the best ce for someone looking to escape it.
Ma Yuan''s and Ma Ling''s chances at a better life lie out there. All I can do is ensure they are better equipped to increase their chances of holding onto it.."
There was a part Yang Qing left out and that was, he was also doing it for himself. The guilt he had weighing on him for the death of Ma Yuan''s wife had lessened significantly but a bit of it remained.
He knew it was irrational for him to still feel guilty about it, but since when had emotions ever been based on rationality?
He had reyed the entire incident with the Ice Emerald Sect over and over in his mind, and in the end, he concluded there was nothing he could have done differently from what he did. He did wish he had discovered about the misdeeds of the sect a lot sooner but with the resources they had, the timeframe from which he learned everything was the best he could hope for.
Even knowing that, he still beat himself up about it. Though the beating was softer than before. But if Ma Yuan stayed in his abode, would he ever be able to let it go and ept it truly?
Just like how Ma Yuan would probably think of the death of his wife every time he was in Yang Qing''s abode because it was the ce where the news was first delivered to him, Yang Qing too would be reminded of that incident every time he saw Ma Yuan.
Maybe he was doing it all for himself in helping Ma Yuan start over somewhere else. Regardless of his motives, he truly felt this was the best choice for both of them.
His guilt aside, he still had every intention of checking up on him, even after he left. One of those measures was having the royal family of the Summerfield Kingdom keep tabs on him to ensure his and his daughter''s wellbeing, along with other means he had thought of such as roping in the mountain jade serpent into the n, and should the worste to happen and the father-daughter had to flee, they could always flee to the former location of the Clear Sword River Sect which had the mountain jade serpent and his arrays and other protective measures he had left in the area.
Yang Qing was pulled from his thoughts when he felt his nose hit by a gentle pleasant fragrance that he was all too familiar with. With his focus back, Yang Qing felt his heart quicken when he saw limpid ck eyes with clouds of purple dancing within filled with an endless lust for curiosity, empathy, gentle care, warmth, mystery, and mischief, just inches away from him.
Yang Qing wanted to ask Mao Yunru what she was doing so close to him that he could feel her breath, but his mouth for the first time, failed him. It refused to move, as much as he wished it to.
"Ppfthahaha!! Who knew the greatest expert of the silver tongue dao would one day be tongue-tied? It looks adorable on you, being flustered and all.." Mao Yunru said with a teasing smile as she gleefully took the sight in with a cunning glint in her eyes as she suddenly leaned over, Yang Qing''s heart racing, threatening to jump out of his chest the closer she approached his face.
"Is this it?" he wondered.
His thoughts were cut short when Mao Yunru moved past his face to his ear.
"Little Qing, you didn''t think I''d be the first to make the move, did you?" she whispered before she returned to her seat smiling cheekily at the bashful Yang Qing.
Only she knew how fast her heart was racing, she could feel her ears ringing, while her palms had already started trembling before she pretended to fix her dress so she could hide it.
"It''s my win.." she smugly thought as she did smug air fist pumps in her head. If she wasn''t afraid her knees would give out because of how much they were shaking, she would have done it for real. Yang Qing''s shamelessness had long rubbed off on her.
Seeing how smug she was, helped Yang Qing settle down.
"Well yed Mao Mao.." Yang Qing said as he smiled wryly to which Mao Yunru casually flicked her hair in utter smugness.
The next hour was spent in awkward silence before Ma Yuan finally came back, saving the two. Detecting the awkward atmosphere between the two, Ma Yuan smiled slightly as he tried to excuse himself, but Mao Yunru got up, and said her goodbyes, speeding away immediately after like she was fleeing for dear life.
"Yang Qing, you and.." Ma Yuan grinned ear to ear. His line of question was all too obvious to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing embarrassed by his earlier disy, avoided it as he used the remainder of his wine to clear his thoughts and wash away his shame before he finally turned to Ma Yuan offering him the seat opposite him.
"You must be wondering why I called you over. How is Ma Ling''s recoverying along?"
"Faster than expected. Miss Tan Jue estimates it won''t be long before her memories start stitching themselves together, and the one-year timeframe may shrink as a result of it.." Ma Yuan said with clear excitement in his tone.
Even though he handled it better than before, he still found it difficult to pretend he was a stranger to Ma Ling so she didn''t feel overwhelmed.
Yang Qing nodded as he sped his hands together.
"Then it won''t be long before you have to n what''s next for you both, once she fully regains her memories..."
Ma Yuan''s gaze turned solemn when he heard those words. Why he threw himself into the farm work, other than his love for it, was to avoid the gut-wrenching worry he had every time he thought of what next.
The trauma of his wife and daughter being snatched away and him helpless to do anything about it still haunted him.
He couldn''t help but wonder what if it happened again. Even with his cultivation base, he was still helpless to do anything. How much more helpless was he now that he was crippled? Could he protect his daughter as he was? As he was lost in the endless trepidation, he heard Yang Qing''s voice, like an anchor pulling him out of the storm.
"For the next year, I will train you in every aspect possible, body, mind, spirit. Every part of you will be put to the forger. You may not be able to defeat a pce realm expert at the end of it, but you will be far stronger than you were when you still had your core. I can promise you that and you will also have more ways to protect your daughter.
However, it will not be easy, you will be pushed to extreme bounds. Are you willing to try, Ma Yuan?" Yang Qing softly asked.
Ma Yuan sat there dazed for a second before he shakily asked,
"Iis tHiss True? Will I really be able to protect my daughter?"
"Not against everything, but your means will be much better than before, and provided nothing unexpected happens, you''ll also be able to live the entirety of your lifespan and watch her grow.
Besides with more time who knows what the future holds. There are treasures out there known to reform or give someone a new dantian. Who knows but as long as you''re willing to live, there''s always a chance.."
"I don''t dare hope for something so extravagant, but as long as I can take care of Ling''er I am willing to try anything. I ept the offer. Please help me be able to take care of her!" Ma Yuan said as he bowed his head.
"Good, I will. Rest here tonight, and make use of the short reprieve. From tomorrow, your training begins.."
And just like that, a month quickly flew by. Yang Qing researched countless meditation arts for reference as he strived to create one for Ma Yuan.His grandfather and cohorts monitored every single change that happened to Ma Yuan from his treatment, while others like Mao Yunru, and even Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge who passed by joined in to train Ma Yuan''s body and mind, and his understanding of his cultivation arts, sharing their own insights in the process.
Ma Yuan had severely underestimated how demanding it would be, but for his daughter''s sake, he gritted his teeth and persevered through it all.
Chapter 808 Mortal’s path to transcendence
Chapter 808 Mortal''s path to transcendence
"The month has quickly flown by so fast.." said Yang Qing with a sigh with his gaze outside the window of his study. It was early morning with the rays filtering through the leaves of the pear tree outside his window.
His study was filled with scrolls, talismans, parchments, and books strewn about and opened. On the desk were empty bowls that looked to have contained food in them. Some had the oiliness and crumbs of baked goods, and others had the stickiness of stew. Only the teapot that was releasing steam looked to retain its contents still.
In the four corners of his study were spirit-clearing sandalwood incense sticks with only a few centimeters remaining from burning out and at the center of the room was a yellow stone that exuded a gentle glow. The stone was the tranquility earth stone and from the ethereal quality exhibited by the one on Yang Qing''s desk, it looked to be one that had reached the monarch grade.
It was a great material to use when one was meditating or doing something taxing for the mind which Yang Qing had been doing for the past month. Over the past month other than healing and strengthening Ma Yuan''s body, he had been researching countless arts looking for references as he aimed to create one that would help with the development of Ma Yuan/s body.
The meditation art would be stepping in ce of Yang Qing in the transformation process of Ma Yuan''s body by freely guiding the interconnection between Ma Yuan and his surroundings as he worked thend. The meditation art would be the binding link between the two.
Since he wasn''t looking to create a top-tier meditation art, but rather a fairly decent one that would maybe be at the top tier of the orange grade, he didn''t need a lot of reference material. His personal collection of meditation arts would suffice as guidingmps, while his main cultivation art, the universal light of the myriad worlds would be the real backbone of the whole thing.
It was his aura that triggered the reaction between Ma Yuan and the surroundings in his abode, and his aura was aponent of his cultivation art which was built based on epassing multipleponents into one which was Yang Qing''s qi ended up being a universal qi that featured the attributes of most elements.
Though Ren Shu did say getting universal qi from the art wasn''t guaranteed for all and the only reason Yang Qing was able to establish it so seamlessly was because of his yin-yang jade bones whose nature and the art''s nature coincided.
Yang Qing hoped to borrow his insights into the universal light of the myriad worlds andbine them with the insights from the meditation arts he had on hand, to create a brand-new meditation art.
Even though he was aiming for an orange grade art whose level of difficulty wasn''t as high as improving a red grade art to a blue grade art, creating one, no matter how low the grade still required tremendous effort and chance on Yang Qing''s part, which is why even after pouring through countless techniques, and breaking down his cultivation art, he was still in the fog, trying to find the pathway to that meditation art.
Seeing one of the incense sticks finally burn through and disintegrate into ash followed by the second one, Yang Qing took it as his cue to pause his efforts and focus on something else.
Getting up, he stretched his back out of habit, picked the teapot containing mirror heart jasmine tea, and made his way out of his courtyard, where he found Ma Yuan already hard at work preparing the ground at one of the uncharted acres in Yang Qing''s abode.
"The meditation art progress aside, at least the month had not been in vain.."?Yang Qing said with a satisfied smile as his gaze fell on Ma Yuan.
Over the past few weeks, Ma Yuan had been put through the paces either by his grandfather and his crazy n members or by Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge, with Yang Qing picking up whatever pieces of him that was left after, and putting him back together so he could go through it again. Ma Yuan persevered through it all and the results could be seen.
Originally, he had a burly build, but right now, his body was much morepact and leaner which inadvertently made him seem a lot younger. His skin was supple, looking youthful and unblemished, and his aura looked reserved and calm, mirroring the essence of nature.
Seeing Ma Yuan now and before, one would hardly assume he was the same person, be it in terms of physical appearance, or presence. Before, he had the appearance of someone robust with an untamed aura and edginess to him, but now he had the silence and stillness of ake in the middle of the day with no wind, but underneath that stillness hid terrifying power and resilience.
He still had a long way to go, but Yang Qing could say with confidence by the time the year was up, Ma Yuan would be able to effortlessly beat three or four of his previous self, and the reason for that, the major part was Ma Yuan''s relentless efforts to the regimen given to him, the other was those providing the help. Each was a master of their craft, from his grandfather and the other old Yang n fossils who were walking treasure troves of body refinement to Dai Chen and Zhang Qingge who werebat prodigies, and Yang Qing who could rebuild his body even if it was a pile of puddle. All these factors were slowly reshaping Ma Yuan.
"Ma Yuan could youe for a second.." Yang Qing softly called, as he waved Ma Yuan over.
"Yang Qing, you''re up early?" Ma Yuan said as he rushed over wearing a light smile. He had long shaved his scruffy beard, and his brown hair was nicely tied in a bun while his eyes looked spirited.
"I have to, it''s myst day of vacation and I have to make the most of it but before that, have you heard of the mortal path of transcendence?"
Ma Yuan looked incredulously at Yang Qing because of the question but still answered,
"I have, almost everyone has. The mortal path of transcendence is the foundationalbat arts that those in the body and qi refinement realm are taught to help strengthen their bodies and hone their sense. Why do you ask?"
The mortal path of transcended though widely spread was a simple technique, as it was only used by those in the body refinement and qi refinement stages. One of the reasons it was so widely known was because it was rumored to have been created by a gifted genius who was rumored to be gifted in fists, kicks, palm, sword, spear, and saber arts, reaching the absolute peak in each of these arts and suppressing an era singlehandedly.
That genius was amoner with no powerful sect, n, empire, or any other powerful organization to nurture him. It wasn''t by choice as he was judged to have a mediocre talent in cultivation with no sect willing to take him.
However, unwilling to give up his dream of being a cultivator, that genius trained by himself, relentlessly. With no one to guide him and thebel of inept hanging over him, a crazy thought grew in him. A single stick is easy to snap, but a bunch of sticks bound together will be tough to break. If his talent wascking, he would train in everything to try and make up for that gap. He trained his punching, kicking, palm attacks, sword moves, saber moves, and spear moves.
He couldn''t afford any techniques so he adopted the most rudimentary approach to training them. Punch a thousand times until your punch can punch through the air, swing your sword and saber a thousand times until they can slice through the air, kick a thousand times until your kick can slice through the air, and thrust your palm and spear a thousand times until you can thrust through the air, and if a thousand times isn''t enough, do it five thousand times, and if that isn''t enough do it ten thousand times, do it until you can slice, punch and shatter through mountains and rivers.
He pursued it with a pure single-minded devotion that he won the approval of the Dao who became his mentor in ce of those who rejected and shunned him. Trained by the Dao, he became Dao. Through his relentless efforts, he managed to capture the true essence of those arts, and through it, he transcended his mortality and rose to the soul formation realm in a single bound. It is unknown whether that tale was true, but the cultivation art rumored to have been created by him was aplished when it came to establishing and training one''s foundations.
The mortal''s path to transcendence adopted simplicity, repetition, and resilience, and had no requirement on one''s talent just discipline. Its simplicity and low requirements on talent were what made it so widely spread throughout the continent along with the promise that one could ascend to the heavens as they kept at it.
Other than its rumored creator, no one has ever been recorded to ascend to the soul formation realm using it, but it was widely epted as being one of good for creating firm foundations, though most prominent organizations choose to use their own, and those who opt to use the mortal''s path of transcendence are usually the low ranked ones or those without sufficient means.
Even though most don''t there are a few top-tier organizations that use the art, such as the Thousand Hall Battle Pavilion, that enforce it as a foundational requirement for all its members. The stance is a given considering the pavilion was started in admiration and reverence for the relentless spirit of the creator of the mortal''s path to transcendence.
The Order uses it too, but unlike the Thousand Hall Battle Pavilion that makes its use mandatory, at the Institute, the students are given a choice on whether to use it or not.
Chapter 809 Short spar (1)
Chapter 809 Short spar (1)
Yang Qing had been one of those who had chosen the mortal''s path to transcendence. His reason for the choice was more out of affinity than anything else. Like most who chose the art, he did have a secret ambition of maybe grasping its mysteries and jumping to the soul formation realm in a single bound.
As someone who had grown up with his fair share of fears and paranoia, especially towards dangerous things with cultivators being at the top of that list, jumping straight to the soul formation realm from the qi refinement realm would solve a bulk of those problems.
Who in their right mind would try to attack a soul formation expert?
He thus hoped the mortal''s path to transcendence would give him a shot at his ambitions of living a carefree life. However, the other reason he chose the art was he felt a sense of resonance with it because of his peerless jade physique that pursued harmonious bnce which was the framework of the art itself which helped a cultivator improve their saber, sword, spear, fist, palm, and kicking skills with equal measure.
Of course, there were those who chose to specialize in a particr aspect of the art, but Yang Qing didn''t choose to do so. Just like the creator, he pursued mastery of all six forms up until he broke through to the foundation establishment realm and then moved on to specialize with his present purple-grade art, and a few other gold and blue-grade arts in his arsenal.
Even though he didn''t continue with the art, he still borrowed its philosophy and spirit in his pursuit of the dao. It has continued to influence him to date, and the blue-grade art he evolved, the Brilliant ray fist technique was heavily influenced by it. The art was a fist art, but within it were other arts that worked concurrently with the fist technique toplement and supplement it. Yang Qing had incorporated a movement art, a palm art, a finger art, a soul art, a body and qi refinement art, all working together to enhance the abilities of the fist technique.
He pursued evolution in harmony when he created that art, and all of that was because of the insights and experience he acquired from the mortal''s path of transcendence.
"Have you cultivated it before?" asked Yang Qing.
"I did try to once, with my friends when we were just starting out, but I soon gave up when it couldn''t immediately produce the results I so desperately needed.."
Ma Yuan couldn''t help but let out a mncholic sigh when the images of his three childhood friends shed in his mind. They were all orphans, the lowest of the rungs, desperately trying to etch out a living in an unkind world that always seemed to have an agenda against the weak.
Like most, they knew the only way to change their fates was through cultivation. Only through cultivation would they have the strength to be treated as humans. Eventually, through stealing and doing various jobs, they earned enough to buy a single copy of the mortal''s path to transcendence. They were all excited when they bought it, but that excitement soon turned to fury when it didn''t help them leap for the heavens, it didn''t even help them jump off the ground.
Even after cultivating it for months without stop, they were still at the bottom of the barrel in the food chain. They were still treated as lowly worms and stomped on. Eventually, they abandoned the art and decided to risk it by exploring some ruins they stumbled onto when scavenging.
Three young orphans with nothing to their names but the tattered robes on their backs, investigating some ruins with no cultivation or anything rted to it, the exploration went exactly as one would expect from such a lineup. Three died, leaving Ma Yuan as the only survivor, albeit barely and he only survived because his friends sacrificed their lives to give him the chance. If they couldn''t make it, they hoped that at least one of them would get to live their dreams and soar in the skies.
"Brother Meng, Brother Luo, Brother Wei forgive this foolish little brother of yours for almost callously throwing away the life that you all gave yours to protect. I will try my best not to forget and do my best to live for all of you... for Fei''er, For Ling''er, and finally for myself too.." Ma Yuan thought as he looked up to the skies and saw the faces of those he had ever cared for but were now gone, look at him with smiles on their faces.
When Ma Yuan regained his senses he found Yang Qing staring at him wearing the same carefree smile, he always did.
"Seems like your mind went elsewhere?" lightly asked Yang Qing.
"Sorry for that.." Ma Yuan said with an awkward smile.
"It''s okay. Now, to the matter at hand. Here.." Yang Qing said as he handed Ma Yuan a booklet that contained the mortal''s path to transcendence.
"What am I to do with it?" Ma Yuan asked in confusion as he took the booklet, though deep down he felt he already knew the answer to that question.
"Familiarize yourself with it of course.." Yang Qing said with a matter-of-fact tone.
"You will need to continually familiarize yourself with the abilities of your body and there''s no better technique for that than the mortal''s path to transcendence.." he added.
"This?"
Even if he already expected it. Ma Yuan couldn''t help but be confused by it.
As wonderous as the art was, it wasn''t even graded like most cultivation arts. He may no longer be able to draw in spiritual qi which renders him incapable of using most techniques in his arsenal, but he felt with his foundation as ate-stage core formation expert, at the very least he could still use red-grade cultivation arts and not a beginner art like than the mortal''s path of transcendence.
It wasn''t like he was resetting or recultivating his foundations again. In terms of foundations, his shattered core and dantian aside, he still had the body of a core formation expert, that had been refined by the lightning tribtion and he also had his gold body from the body refinement realm to fall back on.
Personally, he felt there was little he stood to gain from cultivating that art. He only had a year, it was better to focus it on other things. However, he kept those doubts to himself. The transformative experience he had the past few weeks, opened his eyes to things that subverted his imagination. What he counted asmon sense could no longer be relied on, so even with the doubts he had, he told himself, that maybe there was something to the art that his limited horizons kept him from seeing.
Yang Qing was a much more gifted cultivator than he was. He was just a crippled core formation expert, while Yang Qing was a pce realm expert, of course, the vision and insights of thetter vastly outshone his.
Yang Qing secretly nodded in appreciation as he observed Ma Yuan''s demeanor.
"By the time the year is up, you will be delighted that you practiced the mortal''s path to transcendence. It will open a whole new world for you, but then again, some things are better shown than told.
How about a little spar?" Yang Qing said with an ominous smile.
Chapter 810 Short spar (2)
Chapter 810 Short spar (2)
"Surely, there''s no need for that, is there?" Ma Yuan said with a wry smile. When he had his cultivation base, twenty of him were worth less than Yang Qing''s pinky, let alone now. His body was regaining its vigor, but he still was weaker than he had been with his core intact.
"Don''t worry, I will restrict my strength to the peak stage of the foundation establishment realm and I will use nothing but the moves of the mortal''s path of transcendence for the spar, while you''re free to use whatever means you have at your disposal. Which is your weapon of choice, i would be more than happy to provide you with a suitable weapon.."
"Peak of the foundation establishment realm?" Ma Yuan asked with a questioning look. Surely he was not that weak? After he was crippled he had defeated a bunch of early-stage core formation experts just fine.
He may not match Yang Qing in terms of ability or foundation but wasn''t Yang Qing looking down on him?
As if reading his thoughts, Yang Qing couldn''t help but drylyugh as he said,
"It''s not that I am looking down on you. Even as a peak foundation cultivator, I could still defeat those in the early stage and sometimes middle stages of the core formation realm, and that was then. Right now even with my realm suppressed, I still have the natural insights of a pce realm expert.
If you think of it that way, you''re the one at a disadvantage.."
Yang Qing was confident of beating him with a fourth-stage foundation establishment cultivation base, but to not shame him, Yang Qing opted to restrain it to the peak. At least if he lost, it wouldn''t be as embarrassing.
Ma Yuan stood silent for a short moment before he grimly answered,
"Fine, I ept the challenge. I use a spear.."
Yang Qing nodded and took out a finely crafted orange spear from his storage ring. Its quality was at the top tier of the sky grade.
He casually tossed it to Ma Yuan whose eyes widened when he came in contact with the spear. He didn''t know what materials it was made of, but the moment he made contact with it, he felt his senses heighten and full of vigor.
"Let''s begin.." Yang Qing said, pulling Ma Yaun from his reverie.
"He''s like a different person.." Ma Yuan muttered as he sensed a formless pressure being released by Yang Qing. He still looked carefree, but Ma Yuan felt like he was facing a drowning ocean wave as he faced him even if Yang Qing had suppressed his realm to the peak stage of the foundation establishment realm.
Just as he was debating whether to be the one to attack first and what technique to go with, Yang Qing had already charged in, his weapon, a branch he had picked from the green me tree.
Ma Yuan instantly thrust his spear forward with quick precision. He may not have achieved spear intent, but his foundations with the weapon were firm and solid nheless and he had achieved spear sense and spear qi. The spear in his hand was no different than his limbs.
With the thrust, even if it was done in haste, he was sure was sufficient to halt the movements of an early-stage core formation expert.
However, things didn''t go as nned, Yang Qing used the green me branch like a sword and veered the spear''s trajectory to the right, borrowing its momentum to nimbly roll over the spear, quickly approaching Ma Yuan on his unguarded side. He quickly swung his branch, aiming for Ma Yaun''s ribs, but Ma Yuan reacted quickly and drew his spear in just in time to block the branch''s trajectory.
ng!
The sound like that of metal hitting metal was produced when the branch and the spear collided, greatly shocking Ma Yuan. However, he didn''t have the time to linger in it as the shock from the sh flowed into his body almost shifting his organs.
"Is this the strength of someone at the foundation establishment realm?" he wondered in shock as he was quickly put on the defense.
Half a minute in, he was already sweating buckets as he was constantly bombarded in a flurry of attacks. Yang Qing sometimes attacked with the branch adopting the stance of a sword or a spear, other times heunched a fist, another a palm attack, and another he kicked.
There was no sophistication in his moves, they were simple and direct, but even so, Ma Yuan could hardly retaliate and was forced into the defense which seemed to be crumbling with every second, and it wasn''t long before he couldn''t even keep track of Yang Qing''s attacks and was forced to defend with his body.
Seventeen minutes! Seventeen minutes was all it took for him to be left in the wretched state he was in. Ma Yuan was already on his hands and knees, wheezing as he tried to gasp for air.His robes were in tatters and drenched in sweat. His entire body was shaking from extreme fatigue and pain. He felt like millions of fire ants were gnawing at his bones and flesh. Somehow even if his bones were intact, he felt like they had been smashed several times over by a mountain-sized club. His vision was blurry as he struggled to maintain his consciousness.
But despite how broken he felt, his body had no visible wounds, courtesy of the monster that subjected him to that state who would inflict damage and restore it in the same motion.
Yang Qing not even a hair out ce, stood a few inches away from the trembling Ma Yuan.
"I told you the mortal''s path to ascension is something. You can meditate beneath the green me tree, and when some strength returns, use the hot spring that''s about half a kilometer that way, to soak your body. It will help.." Yang Qing said as he pointed a short distance away to his right.
Ma Yuan mumbled something to say he had heard, before finally passing out. Yang Qing picked him up and ced him underneath the green me tree before finally leaving for Dai Chen''s ce where they had promised to sample a few wines and seafood dishes.
As hisst vacation day, with how eventful that month had been, Yang Qing decided he might as well take thest day easy. Eat some fish, and enjoy some good wine.
Chapter 811 Retirement
Chapter 811 Retirement
Yang Qing couldn''t but sigh in exasperation as henguidly made his way to his abode.
"Why does time always seem to fly on thest day of your vacation.."
Drinking with Dai Chen flew by so fast and it was already just a few minutes to sunrise by the time he was headed to his abode. Officially his vacation was over. When it started he never thought it would end so fast. Thirty days felt like an eternity to him, but that eternity sort of transformed into an instant.
It seemed like it was just the other day he was touring around the continent atop the bluefin ferry and now he was about to resume his daily routine of being worked to the bone. He could feel his soul and bones startmenting as they faintly crumbled under the overbearing pressure of what awaited him.
"Maybe I should just retire, or ask the seniors at the Judicial Review Committee to employ me to take care of the courtyard there.." thought Yang Qing as he let out another sigh of resignation whilst enviously thinking what it would be like to lead a carefree retired life like those seniors at themittee.
Every time he went to see them, they were either drinking tea, gambling, ying go, trimming a bonsai nt, enjoying biscuits, or soaking in the sun.
When would he get to loaf around like that? He had no intention of waiting till he was old and grey.
"I am already in the pce courts. It''s not as carefree as I expected it to be, but the cases are not that many. I will just continue rising up thedder with my workload reducing in the process.
It won''t be long before working and being in retirement will be no different from one another, except for the former, the stingy Order will still have to pay me in respect to my title at the time. I might as well just leach off them instead of retiring. It''s the best form of vengeance I can give them for exploiting me so ruthlessly all this time.."
When he finished that thought, Yang Qing beganughing manically as he pictured his coffers filled for doing absolutely nothing.
The Order did allow one to retire, but they needed to achieve a certain level of merit points. Retiring did not mean one could leave the Order. It was less strict than a sect, but in some regards, the Order was no different from one, especially when it came to membership. Once one joined, it was for life, even after they retired, they were still part of the Order, and in case of emergencies, should the need arise, they could be called upon by the Order.
Administrator Mo Guang at the Deer Mountain Range Branch was a clear example. He was already retired, but with the ident that happened at the branch which left it inoperable due to ack of personnel, as the avable veteran, he was requested to volunteer to temporarily step into the role of administrator of the branch whilst also supporting Yang Qing who was an absolute novice as a branch chief.
It wasn''t just Mo Guang, when he was a student, some of the sses Yang Qing had, were taught by retirees who stepped in when the Instructor in charge of the subject was absent for one reason or the other. Usually, their absence was cultivation-
rted from a sudden epiphany, breaking through, or just heavily engaged in some research they were doing and were at a crucial point. In such cases, one of the retirees would be called upon to fill in.
Considering the huge number of merit points one required for their retirement to be approved,every single retiree was a treasure trove of wisdom born out of their rich experience. Being stand-in instructors was the best role for them.
As for why the Order would allow retirements despite being severely undermanned, it was to prevent an implosion from within its ranks. Considering the nature of their world and how ruthless it was, being a member of the Order was anything but easy. It takes a lot from someone and sometimes the cost bes too much for one to carry.
For the Order, rather than take the risk of what might happen if more was added to those people than they could bear,they offer respite to them as an option. Even when one retires, the Order still continues to support them with resources, albeit the value is decreased from what they got whilst they were still in service. However, even reduced, it is still more than plentiful to wholesomely their growth at every level of their cultivation base.
It was one of the few things Yang Qing rather admired about them. One of his backup ns was to jump into retirement if he saw the caseloads were not as few as he imagined as he moved up thedder but before he considered it, he wanted to squeeze as much as he could from them to have a good nest egg.
He had a good life to maintain and a few thieving parasites in Ellie and the Celestial Nesting Weaver to support, if he was not careful, those two would bleed them dry. It wasn''t would, they would definitely bleed him dry and when it came to the two at least Ellie would try and be sneaky about it, but when it came to the Celestial nesting weaver, it would gloatingly do it in the open and even mock him for it as it carved him up to hisst penny.
Yang Qing could feel his blood boiling at the thought of it. If he wanted to retirefortably, he could only do it after he had stepped into the outer domain courts at least. At that stage, whatever his earnings were aside, he would be in the domain realm, even retired, he would have a lot of other avenues for earning such as taking a small dive in the Millionsfold Treasure Ocean and scooping out a few valuables here and there that would live him and his parasites set for life.
Yang Qing found himself chuckling as he shook his head,
"It''s still too early to think about these things. I need to focus on surviving my first case back, from the way Yu Gen and Xia Ting reacted when I asked them about it, It looks like it will be a handful...Huh, is that? I must be losing it.."
Chapter 812 Presence in the first case back
Chapter 812 Presence in the first case back
Yang Qing rubbed his eyes when he saw a blurry silhouette at the corner leading to his abode, that sort of resembled Lei Weiyuan''s figure.
"What was in that wine for it to reproduce my worst fears.." Yang Qing said as heughed bitterly.
"Don''t worry Old fiend Lei, I know it''s been a month since I did our curse-dispelling morning ritual, not to worry, starting today I will make sure to resume it in honest. The four-year tradition will be maintained.." he added as he bowed solemnly to what he assumed was a specter of Lei Weiyuan born out of his fear of the person, and the fact that he would probably see him today after not being in the courtroom for close to three months.
Yang Qing went on to pat the shoulders of the ''specter'' only to freeze halfway when he made solid contact with it. Whatever wine he had in his system was instantly evaporated as he shakily adjusted his gaze like he had just seen a ghost, meeting eye to eye with those silver eyes. Those silver eyes that always seemed to see through everything he did.
"Old Le.. Le...Lei, is that you?" he asked shakily.
"d to see you enjoyed your vacation well.." Lei Weiyuan said with a calm demeanor that always made Yang Qing feel like he was waiting for a guillotine to fall on him.
"Whhy are you like that?" Yang Qing hastily asked, fear being rapidly amplified and produced in every part of his body as he pointed to the silhouette of Lei Weiyuan which seemed to be made of mist which was why Yang Qing automatically assumed he was hallucinating in the first ce.
"Oh, this? I was casually testing out a cultivation art Dean Zhu Lao came up with for reproducing imprints from a single thought in ces we have not marked but have visited. I''m still not too familiar with it, hence the look.." Lei Weiyuan casually said.
"A thought imprint?" Yang Qing asked with widened eyes.
Imprints operated simrly to talismans except unlike talismans, they contained the spiritual will of the user, it was like a clone of the user, except an imprint contained a small fraction of the user''s abilities, and they needed a medium as an anchor. The medium needed to be something that was at the monarch grade at least and if the medium got damaged, the imprint would disappear.
But from the way Lei Weiyuan described the thought imprint he was experimenting with, it did not seem to have a medium, with the only point of contact being ces he had visited.
"You don''t need a medium?" incredulously asked Yang Qing.
"No, not really, the ''prints'' I leave at the ces I''ve been to are more than enough. I can use the surrounding spiritual qi and the ''print''. You can consider the print simr to a scent like how animals identify who or what is in the area, or how they mark an area to warn of others. It''s something simr.
As cultivators the more powerful you are, you leave traces everywhere you are. The art uses those traces as conduits and provided the spiritual qi is sufficient, you can reproduce an imprint from it..."
"That''s incredible!" muttered Yang Qing as his eyes shone in innocent wonder.
"It is, but at the moment its demands are too high that only someone at the domain realm can execute it, and because what is being produced is a domain''s expert imprint, it needs a lot of spiritual qi in the area to support it, and the location needs to be a ce the expert is intimately familiar with, but even then it has a few instabilities here and there.
With time, Dean Zhu Lao hopes to reduce those demands and the instabilities with our help.." Lei Weiyuan patiently exined as he stroked his beard out of habit even if it was only a corporeal spirit.
"I can''t wait for him to refine it.." Yang Qing eagerly said before something Lei Weiyuan said struck a chord in him.
"Intimately familiar? The fact that he is here, does it mean? No, No.. How many times has he been here?"
One scary thought after another flooded Yang Qing''s mind as his skin paled at the ominous implications he was thinking about.
Choosing the path of ignorance is bliss, Yang Qing quickly took his mind off of those thoughts as he asked Lei Weiyuan what he was doing there. Yang Qing had doubts about whether it was just to test the thought imprint cultivation art, or to scare him, which he had this intuitive feeling was one of the reasons, but other than that he felt Old Lei had to have another reason for appearing outside his abode a few hours from dawn.
"Well, I came for two reasons. One is to remind you, that you resume your duties today to avoid any mixups like that time.."Lei Weiyuan said as he narrowed his gaze on Yang Qing prompting thetter to lower his head in shame for having been caught at the time, and not for pulling the scheme in the first ce.
"The other is about your first case, it is the Red Maple Empire, right?"
"Mmh.." Yang Qing said with a nod as he lifted his head.
"With the son of Li Guiren, one of the founders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, when ites to handling his judgment, Domain inner court judge Hou Dehui will be present in the courtroom as will Li Guiren and quite possibly the other two founders.
Whatever conclusions youe to, let not their presence or what they represent, influence you. We already have a lot of enemies, adding one more to the pile won''t matter. So don''t hold back on ount of trying to reduce troubles for the Order.
Let your verdict be a pure unadulterated reflection of what you believe suits him. That is all, take care, and don''t bete.."
"I won''t and thank you, Supervisor Lei Weiyuan.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists in deep gratitude.
Just as Lei Weiyuan''s imprint was about to dissipate, it froze as Lei Weiyuan''s gaze fell on Yang Qing.
"Yees?" Yang Qing hesitantly asked.
"Earlier, as I was forming my imprint, I seem to have overheard you mention my name and a morning curse ritual.."
"Supervisor Lei, I don''t want to keep you, I have tonnes to prepare since it''s my first day back in a while. Forgive me for my poor manners.." Yang Qing hurriedly said as he quickly bowed and fled to his abode, praying Lei Weiyuan would not reproduce another imprint within his abode.
"He can''t get in, right? I have never invited him here, but then again.." A scary thought shed in his mind as Yang Qing powered all his istion arrays in overdrive, expenditure of spirit stones be damned.
Chapter 813 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (1)
Chapter 813 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (1)
"Was that Yang Qing?" Ma Yuan confusedly asked his daughter.
"It looked like him," she answered.
They both quizzically looked toward the courtyard where they had seen a blurry figure disappear into.
"Maybe he was struck with a sudden burst of enlightenment, hence the hurry. Let''s go Ling''er, we don''t want to keep Miss Tan Jue waiting for long.."
"Mmh.."
As they were leaving, Ma Yuan couldn''t help but throw onest look at the courtyard, bewilderment still evident in his eyes before finally sighing as he left with his daughters.
Over the past few months, he hade to discover Yang Qing was a particrly odd person, and he wasn''t the only one. There was the bird up the green me tree that lorded over him, which constantly ended up in verbal spats with Yang Qing that evolved into fights, almost always, he would asionally see a cloud-swallowing kite with a terrifying cultivation base sneak around with a human-like look that was a mix of apprehension and excitement. Ma Yuan had once wondered what it sneaks around for but one threatening re from it was all it took for him to abandon any such thoughts.
Then there was the white starlight crab that would constantly get into fights with the cloud-swallowing kite, and despite being vastly weaker and soundly defeated every time it attacked, it never stopped. And it didn''t just attack the cloud-swallowing kite, anyone who wasn''t Yang Qing,?would be attacked by it provided he wasn''t there to dissuade it.
Ma Yuan wasn''t sure whether it was because it was abat maniac, or just in dumb, but it was horrible in those it chose to attack. Every single one of its targets vastly outpowered it, except for Ma Yuan, who was lucky enough to be saved by the cloud-swallowing kite, whom heter learned was called Ellie.
It was when Yang Qing first made the proposition for him toe work on his abode. When he came, Yang Qing had not been around but had already given him a token that would allow him entry into his abode.
He had assumed as long as he had the token he would be okay. The white starlight crab attacked him the instance he passed by the pond and despite trying to exin that he was acquainted with Yang Qing and even showing the token handed to him, the crab didn''t halt its attacks and only seemed to grow more emboldened the longer the fight went on. Luckily, Ellie, who was sneaking in for something Ma Yuan didn''t know what, intervened and pped the crab unconscious.
After Ellie one-shotted the obstinate crab, Ma Yuan wasn''t too sure if it was him seeing things, but there was a look she gave him after she had swatted the crab away. The look seemed to say,
"You owe me now..."
Whenever she snuck in, she would always throw him that same look the moment she came into the abode before covertly moving around the abode looking for whatever it is that made her sneak into the abode every single day.
"Will I turn odd to?" Ma Yuan fearfully thought.
...
Yang Qing''s study
Yang Qing frantically checked and rechecked his arrays confirming they were operating at full capacity. Even after seeing they were functioning well with no mishaps, he felt it wasn''t enough as he took out a few top-tier monarch-grade natural treasures that were great at sensing hidden auras.
It was only after seeing ack of reaction from those treasures did he let out a sigh of relief before looking suspiciously at those treasures.
"Old fi,.." Yang Qing hurriedly paused what he was about to say as he sneakily looked around him before quickly amending his statement, changing his expression to one of reverence as he did so.
"The illustrious and magnanimous Supervisor Lei Weiyuan is in the domain realm.." Yang Qing paused as he looked around him once more before his gaze fell on the monarch-grade treasures with a small frown on his face.
"These treasures as amazing as they are in their jobs, are still only in the monarch grade. I doubt they would be able to keep track of him. Do I need to upgrade my protection arrays to the gold grade?" Yang Qing warily thought, as his frown lines grew even deeper.
He had entertained the thought of elevating his arrays in the near future from the low-tier blue grade that they were, to maybe the top of the blue grade, but that was only after he had be core pce court judge.
As for installing a gold-grade array, he would only be able to do so when he was a domain court judge. He would never be able to afford it otherwise. Even if he liquidated everything he owned, including the gifts he received during his promotion ceremony, he would only be able to cover half the cost.
He had thought he wouldn''t even need one, and would just settle for a top-tier blue-grade one and that was it. When he reached the domain realm and gained the qualifications to reside in the dark peak, which was where all domain experts of the Order resided, he would just use whatever protection mechanisms were avable there.
From what he heard, the Order would abandon its stingy nature when one reached the domain realm. Domain experts were drowned in free resources, while Yang Qing had to scheme, and sacrifice his blood, sweat, and tears, to get some scraps from them.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but clench his teeth in anger as he thought of the difference in treatment, especially when he considered his present predicament. He desperately needed a gold-grade array, not one year from now, one month from now, one week from now, he needed it immediately.
The thought imprint was definite proof Lei Weiyuan had been hanging around his courtyard for it to register as one of the ces he was intimately familiar with. His blue-grade arrays might as well be a string of cobwebs in front of the old fiend, and he was certain the casual remarks Lei Weiyuan made about the thought imprint working in areas one was intimately familiar with, wasn''t an idental slip-up. He knew the man well enough to know he was never careless with his words.
He uttered those words intentionally to let Yang Qing know that he was always lurking about in his abode and Yang Qing would never know when and how which more or less confirmed what Yang Qing had always suspected considering the amount of losses he had suffered when facing off against the man. At one point he even assumed, Lei fully backed by the powers that be at the Order had been deducing his fate, karma, and future. It was why they always seemed one step ahead. Turns out he was being snooped on all this time.
Yang Qing warily looked around feeling Lei Weiyuan''s gaze everywhere, more than likely the oue the old fiend was after when he made that statement.
"Do I really have to go into debt for my piece of mind?" Yang Qing muttered with an unresigned look on his face.
The Order did offer credit. Using the credit, he could set up the gold-grade array he wanted, and pay back what he owedter. However,as sneaky as the Order was in their dealings, Yang Qing felt owing them was no more dangerous than Lei Weiyuan snooping on him.
Feeling himself stuck between a rock and a hard ce, Yang Qing eventually shrugged in defeat as he said,
"I might as well take it a day at a time. There''s nothing I can do now. Senior Mei was right, I really need to break through to the domain realm.."
Yang Qing paused before he smiled bitterly.
"If only it was that easy.." he added before lighting a few spirit-
calming incense sticks to calm his nerves long enough for him to start his meditation. He had three hours before he had to report for work and as much as he didn''t like to admit it, he was slightly nervous about it.
Thanks to the incense sticks, his spirit calmed down long enough to submerge himself in meditation with no problem. He had set an internal clock of one and a half hours. The time quickly flew by and Yang Qing got up, his entire essence filled with tranquility and energy for what the day held for him. The meditation washed away the fears of his first case back, or Lei Weiyuan possibly spying on him.
Feeling satisfied and refreshed, Yang Qing hurried to the Thousand vors Restaurant where he had a short breakfast of congee, century egg, and a few pork buns before finally heading to his study one hour before his appointed time. Along the way, he coincidentally met Lei Weiyuan who just happened to be in the hallway just as he was about to use the mimicry chaos portal to head to his study.
..
Yang Qing''s study.
"Senior Yu Gen, Senior Xia Ting, d to see you both are well.." Yang Qing said to the two roaming inquisitors who had already been in his study by the time he arrived.
"Nice to see you, Yang Qing..." genially said Yu Gen while Xia Ting only spared a nomittal nod as she was busy slurping eight treasures soup in one of the corners.
"Have you decided on how you want to handle the cases? Will it all be done together, or will you deal with them individually?" asked Yu Gen.
"Considering the number of charges against them, handling it all together will be a bit chaotic, better to handle each individually. We will do itby family and eventually finish it up with the royal family and thed from the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.."
Chapter 814 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (2)
Chapter 814 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (2)
Yang Qing leaned back in his chair, already feeling the lingering fatigue of what was likely to be a tiresome case.
"What a mess.." he said.
"What a mess indeed..." Yu Gen said echoing his statement while Xia Ting was too absorbed in devouring the eight treasures soup to care about anything else.
"Which family do you want to start with?"
Yang Qing paused for a moment before he answered,
"Let''s start with the Gui family, followed by the Zhang family, then the Cheng family, and finally the Mo family before finally finishing it off with the royal family and the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
All the concerned parties are close by?"
"Yes, they are all in one of the hidden realms used for pce court cases. They can all be summoned at a moment''s notice via the teleportation rune link between your courtroom and the realm.."
"Good. We still have one hour left to go before we start, I''d like to use that time to go through the information again. If you and Senior Xia Ting have any other matters to attend to before the appointed time you can do so.." Yang Qing said as he ced his medallion on a specific spot on his desk, revealing apartment surrounded by countlessplex silver runes that looked to be isting something.
With the medallion acting as the key, the runes, shed and disappeared, revealing the contents beneath. It was talismans, talismans that contained what Yu Gen, Xia Ting, and the Yellow ins County had dug up on the Red Maple Empire.
Earlier, after his encounter with the scion of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion, where he and the former emperor of the Red Maple Empire, along with the branch manager of the pavilion who were trying to capture Ellie, he had them investigated, along with the Red Maple Empire as a whole when he found out that a blood refining cultivator had close contact with one of the noble families. When the Wang couple came back, they admitted to having had run-ins with a few more blood-refining cultivators as they were wiping out the gangs within Purple Grass City.
Yang Qing had expected the investigation to be standard, just another day, digging up some forms of oppression and arrogance born out of those in power, but what he ended up digging up was a massive rotting corpse filled with all sorts of maggots slowly devouring it and since he was the one to trigger that excavation, he had no option but to be the one to clean the corpse and dispose of it properly.
"I''ll be at the Celestial Soup Herb Garden. Yu Gen, tell me when it''s time and Yang Qing, thank you for taking care of this big sister.." Xia Ting said as she shed Yang Qing a grin while her mind wandered off again as she started muttering all sorts of delicious soups she was going to have during that one-hour timeframe.
"I told you, you shouldn''t have told her about the card. I''ll go with her to try and keep it reasonable.." Yu Gen said as he followed Xia Ting leaving Yang Qing alone whose eyes kept twitching as he stared at Xia Ting''s departing figure.
"What did I do?" he muttered with worry.
Toward the end of his vacation, he met up with Yu Gen and Xia Ting to discuss the Red Maple Empire case. Before he took on the post as Branch Chief of the Deer Mountain Branch, he had already decided once he was back, the first case he would handle would be the Red Maple one.
When he was close to the end of his vacation, he met up with Yu Gen and Xia Ting so they could feel him in on the progress they had made, and as usual, the meeting was held in their favorite spot, the Celestial Soup Herb Garden.
Yang Qing out of politeness, and a little bit of smugness, offered to pay for their dishes, and in the process of paying, he casually revealed the purple amethyst card he was given by the restaurant, denoting him as one of their VIP members.
That reveal turned out to be a huge blunder on his part. Since knowing he was a purple amethyst cardholder, Xia Ting has been leeching off his privileges despite her being a cardholder herself.Yang Qing could only hope for Yu Gen to restrain her. She had only been using it for four days now, but he already owed the restaurant 600 middle-grade stones, and that was with them giving him a discount on their prices as a cardholder.
"Am I cursed? Why do I always end up with the worst parasites? First was that ungrateful weaver, then Ellie, and now Senior Xia Ting. Who''s next? No, it can''t go on like this!" Yang Qing worriedly said as his voice cracked with emotion at his growing burdens.
Yang Qing decided to distract himself from his crises by focusing on the case at hand which promised to be another handful itself. If there was one thing he was thankful for was, despite all that had been dug up, it would not be another Ice Emerald Sect saga, though it was damn near close.
Clearing his mind off distracting thoughts, Yang Qing poured a sliver of his spiritual essence into one of the talismans on his desk.
The talisman contained the general background of the Red Maple Empire as it touched on the important bits that would be relevant to his case.
The Empire has been around for close to 75,000 years which was prettymendable for a country of its abilities. If it was ranked amongst its peers, the Red Maple Empire would be considered just below average at best, and those that were within that bracket were mostly young kingdoms, empires, and organizations.
Surviving for 75,000 years with the strength that they had in a ce where the strong constantly preyed on the weak was a testament to the astuteness of their leaders and how well they directed the empire with each session, their endurance, and their ability to adapt to circumstance and the best of all, luck which was usually the deciding factor in these things, where the strength you have just isn''t enough to hold you through.
Chapter 815 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (3)
Chapter 815 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (3)
Its current era could be said to be the most prosperous era of the Empire, with five pce realm experts, of which those belonging to the royal family were four, but before that, in every era, there would be maybe one or two, with the number being mostly one pce realm expert.
Before the Red Maple Empire was established, the territory was under a different ownership and it was vastly different to what it was now. Back then it was under the rule of a tree spirit that had reached the peak of the pce realm, the tree which came as no surprise to Yang Qing when he read about it was a red maple.
That tree gained sentience and managed to cultivate to the peak of the pce realm. The majority of what is now the Imperial Capital of the Red Maple Empire and roughly 40,000 kilometers around counted as the territory of that Red Maple Spirit whose territory was much smaller than the present-day Red Maple Empire that had more than tripled in size.
The capital and the territory under its control were filled with countless trees, herbs, and even spirit beasts with zero human poption. Theck of human poption was an enforcement of the red maple tree spirit that prevented human cultivators into its territory and with its strength, only those at the domain realm could ignore its warnings.
As valuable as that territory was, it was not valuable enough to incite the greed of domain realm experts, and it had also been rumored that the red maple tree spirit had a close rtionship with one of the in-name disciples of the founder of the Medical Saint Garden Sect which was enough as a deterrent for human cultivators to not vite the rules set by the Red Maple Spirit lest they incur the wrath of said in-name disciple and those who owed said disciple a favor or two.
However, towards the end of its lifespan, that red maple tree becamex in its prohibitive rules. Normally spiritual herbs and trees that had awakened their spirits and be sentient usually had absurdly long lifespans. Take Meifeng for example, she was at the first stage of the pce realm, while Yang Qing was closely approaching the third stage.
In terms of overall abilities and insights into the dao, Yang Qing had her beat in every regard except lifespan. A standard human pce realm cultivator would automatically have 15,000 years of lifespan the instant they broke through to the pce realm with the value increasing with each minor breakthrough. 15,000 years was the bare minimum. Provided one had excellent foundations that base value grows.
When Yang Qing broke through, he could already tell his lifespan had hit 25,000 years which he guessed had to do with his peerless jade physique and achieving absolute perfection at every step of his breakthrough from perfect qi cirction, to purple-grade pirs, to purple core and finally using a major dao for his breakthrough to the pce realm.
Few could meet those standards and in the end, in terms of lifespan what he got was 25,000 years. For Meifeng, things were different. Even though her foundations were weaker than Yang Qing by a considerable margin, in terms of lifespan, she had him beat by a considerable level.
Because of his dao, and physique, Yang Qing was sensitive to the vitality and vigor of things. Provided they were weaker than him, he could more or less feel their life expectancy, which was how he could tell the changes in Ma Yuan''s body, and when it came to Meifeng, he could already tell at the bare minimum, provided no ident befell her and things remained stagnant, she would live for at least 80,000 years and as she grew stronger, that number was likely to grow.
If Meifeng had 80,000 years lifespan, how much lifespan did the red maple tree spirit tree have with a cultivation base that was at the peak of the pce realm?
If he were to guess, Yang Qing estimated it would have reached at least 120,000 years, and considering what he knew, he felt it would have likely been more. Just like him, that tree had a natural aptitude for the vitality dao, and as such its life expectancy was bound to be way higher even whenpared to other spiritual awakened trees.
Yang Qing would not find it strange if it was said it had a lifespan that had reached 200,000 years. It was that absurd lifespan that he somehow wished his ancestral root was tied to some spiritual tree, but as it stood, there was nothing like that in his lineage. All he had in his genealogical tree were fanatical lunatics who would decrease his lifespan rather than contribute to it.
However, as huge a lifespan as that red maple tree had, all of it was for naught as it never got to live the entirety of it and the reason for that was, that it failed its tribtion into the domain realm.
Breaking through to the domain realm was the ultimate test for cultivators and being called a genius wasn''t enough to get one over the line and your background never mattered. You could be in a holynd, or a rogue cultivator, but the difficulty and uncertainty of breaking through to the domain realm was the same for you both.
In the pce realm, core formation realm, and foundation establishment real, the powerful seniors can prepare you enough for them, and provided you had a sturdy enough foundation you could breeze through them.
Yang Qing slept through his tribtion for the core formation realm, and for the foundation establishment realm, because it was his first time experiencing a tribtion as one didn''t get to experience one when breaking through to the qi refinement realm, he was so wound up, that when it finally fell, he didn''t believe that was a tribtion.
The reason for that was because it felt like he had the most refreshing bath as the tribtion fell on him, soothing his entire body in the process. If it wasn''t for the change in strength, and the glowing purple pir produced after, he had thought he had failed it. What his grandfather and the rest put him through in the body refinement realm, especially his breakthrough to the peerless jade physique was a thousand times more terrifying than the foundation and the core formation tribtion.
The one for the pce realm was tough, but he smoothly went through it, and at no point in time did he ever feel like his life was in danger, but the domain realm was different. Countless died, and even the most talented wavered on whether to go through it despite reaching the bottleneck and having the necessary umtions to trigger the tribtion. Many choose to suppress it and only go through it when they''re close to the end of their lifespans.
The rate of failure to transcend the tribtion was 70% and the likelihood of death from those who failed was 95%.
The red maple tree spirit failed its tribtion but it managed to survive, which was a rare feat in and of itself, no doubt its natural traits had something to do with it, but it nheless paid a price, which was its lifespans. After failing the tribtion that absurd lifespan was shed, and from what the records said, it only had less than a thousand years left to live after its failed ascension.
It used its remaining years to look for a sessor amongst the spiritual nts that grew within its territory, moving even to the spirit beasts, but spiritual nts and animals had an absurd lifespan for a reason, which was they improved at a slower pace whenpared to humans.
The red maple spirit failed to find a suitable sessor among them and was forced to look for one among the humans.
Chapter 816 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (3)
Chapter 816 Shadow of the Red Maple Empire (3)
??Yang Qing wasn''t sure about what criteria it used to search for its sessors but he guessed with its dwindling lifespan the standards had to have been growing lower and lower by the year till finally, it found one in the founders of the Red Maple Empire.
Seven adventurers wandered into the territory of the red maple spirit in search of fortunes. Those seven people as denoted in the notes didn''t seem to have anything outstanding about them other than the fact by the time they stumbled onto the territory of the red maple spirit they were just as desperate as it was.
Those seven cultivators had been members of the Odyssey Horizon Guild, they were seasoned explorers at the core formation realm who had formed a partnership with each other out of convenience.
The Odyssey Horizon Guild was one of the oldest organizations on the continent sharing that same reputation with the Dragon Meadow, with both these organizations rumored to be older than even the two holynds.
When it came to renown, the Odyssey Horizon Guild was pretty well-known whenpared to its counterpart in the Dragon Meadow. Other than people with significant connections, few knew about the Dragon Meadow, and even those who knew about it didn''t know much.
Take Yang Qing for example, he knew for a fact that the Dragon Meadow was real, a bit of what it dealt with, and a little bit of history but he had no idea of how to get in contact with them let alone find where it was located. It was always stepped in a huge veil of mystery, but it was different for the Odyssey Horizon Guild. Everyone knew about it. Whether it was a cultivator or a mortal,someone in the viges or someone in the cities, a mother, a child, or a grasshopper chewing a de of grass by the road, they all knew of it.
Bards sang countless tales about it of the explorers who discovered wealth beyond their imagination, unraveled mysteries of the heavens, with the heavens and earth as their nket and tent, there was no way they would not dare venture, slowly unveiling the secrets of the world to the rest.
With tales like that floating around it wasn''t difficult for every child to be enamored by the prospect of being one of those explorers with nothing but the clothes on their back, the sword on their waist diving fearlessly into the mysteries of the world, drinking with dragons, dancing with phoenixes, drinking from the cup of wisdom offered by the most ancient of existences such as the long-lived parasol tree spirit, unearthing secrets that told a tale of a bygone era spanning millions and millions of years back.
Every single child dreamed of living such a life, being the heroic carefree figure, a glorious member of the Odyssey Horizon Guild, and Yang Qing had been no exception, that was up until he felt the fearsome pressure of a peak stage foundation establishment spirit beast when he was just a fledgling snort filled six-year-old body refinement cultivator. That terrifying experience sobered him up to the realities of the world, and how dangerous it was.
He could hardly breathe under the fearsome pressure of a radiant mingb chicken, how would he be able to dance with a phoenix or gamble with a dragon, if he couldn''t handle even a chicken?
That day, he realized that being an explorer may not be for him. That realization was something that dawned on every single cultivator who bes an explorer and they''re in the thick of it. They realize that post isn''t as morous as it was made out to be and it was fraught with dangers at every turn.
Being a cultivator was perilous and being an explorer was even more so. Explorers usually went by another name, it wasn''t spoken of in the open but it was still known. They were called the living corpses.
From the moment you became an explorer, you should consider your life forfeit, and that statement rang true for the seven founders of the Red Maple Empire. In a scramble for a treasure they found while diving into some ruin, they ended up offending someone they should not have when they maimed the son of a rank 3 n leader in the vie for the treasure.
In a ruin or mysterious realm, all''s fair in the fight for a treasure, status and background matter little in there but that is only if you can ensure what happens in there never leaks out. The seven founders fought with that son over a treasure and won that bout and they were well on their way to killing him to avoid any mishaps when he used a secret technique to escape and eventually left the ruin.
The attempted murder was a reasonable choice on their part. They had already maimed and gravely injured that young master, it would be naive to assume that young master would let it go if they left him a path to life on ount of his status. The best and surest way to avoid any troubles was to silence him, which they failed to do.
They immediately left the ruin using every means at their disposal to hide their tracks from that n. The seven of them were only in the core formation realm and had angered a rank 3 n, they could only flee and hide, and flee and hide they did until their paths led them to the doors of the red maple spirit.
There was no better ce to hide than there. Unless one had a death wish, humans were prohibited from stepping foot in that ce. It was the perfect ce for those seven cultivators to hide. If the worst was to happen, for them, it was better to die at the hands of the red maple spirit than whatever fate awaited them if they fell into the clutches of that n.
Their gamble proved worthwhile as they managed to not only guarantee their lives but also profit from disaster. The red maple spirit chose its sessor from one of them.
Chapter 817 Shadow of the red maple empire (4)
Chapter 817 Shadow of the red maple empire (4)
??How it chose its sessor was not mentioned, but what was mentioned was one of those seven cultivators managed to gain its recognition and with it, its entire fortune including a life and soul essence baptism in which the red maple spirit poured everything that constituted it, into its sessor, all the insights, all its traits, everything was poured into one of the seven cultivators, who had their entire body, spirit, essence and soul transformed by the baptism.
In every essence, it was like they had be a progeny of the red maple spirit, gaining the bloodline of the red maple spirit. Yang Qing wasn''t sure of how factual it was but after the life soul baptism, less than three monthster that cultivator broke through to the pce realm.
The name of that cultivator was Duan Qui, who eventually became the first Empress of the Red Maple Empire. As for the remaining six cultivators who apanied her while they were not fortunate to be chosen by the red maple spirit as its sessor, the red maple spirit in consideration of their rtion to its chosen sessor.
They received thirty percent of all the wealth and resources the red maple spirit had umted in its life which considering how long it had lived and the strength it had, the wealth and resources it shared were more than enough to support a young rank 3 family, be it in terms of quality and quantity.
Mo Li, Chen Fu, Gui Ling, Zhang Ren, Gong Zhi, and Deng Wei were the six cultivators. Five of them ended up creating families of their own which grew into the five noble ns of the Red Maple Empire, while the remaining one didn''t form a n of his own but instead married into one by marrying Duan Qui.
Mo Li, Chen Fu, Gui Ling, Zhang Ren, and Gong Zhi were the ones who ended up creating their own families which persist to date as the five noble ns while Deng Wei was the one who married Duan Qui, adopting her family name as his own.
Of all seven cultivators, Yang Qing found Deng Wei to be the most intriguing. When the history of the Red Maple Empire is talked about, little is mentioned about Deng Wei other than the fact he married Duan Qui. Other than that, nothing else is known, with some even saying he was unworthy of being considered as one of the founding seven. Countless historians believed that his consideration was out of face for their founding empress, Duan Qui.
He was nothing more than a live-in son-inw who was lucky enough to hug the right thigh, elevating his status in life.
If he had any abilities, why did he not start his family like the others? Countless historians and schrs surmised that the only reason he did that was that he realized his inadequacies and Duan Qui having a tender heart, took him as her partner making Deng Wei an object of contradiction as he was both envied and mocked by most.
What intrigued Yang Qing wasn''t that contradiction, but something else. With nothing but time during his vacation, Yang Qing dug into everything he could about those seven cultivators, pouring through countless ounts and pieces of information and one of them had a unique ountpared to the rest.
That ount gave apletely different tale whenpared to the others and that difference was Deng Wei. That ount said Deng Wei had been the pir of that group. The reason they were able to survive long enough as explorers with no background to lean on was because of him, and when that rank three n pursued them, the only reason they were able to survive long enough was because of him, even decided to venture into the territory of the red maple spirit was because of him.
From the way that ount portrayed it, the other founding members did not want to go there and it was only because of his insistence that they did, and once inside, the person the red maple spirit chose as its sessor, Duan Qui, it only chose her because of its admiration and awe of Deng Wei.
The author of that ount said Deng Wei had the bloodline of the treefolk, it was unknown which, but he had one which was why he was so insistent of going into the territory of the red maple spirit. To others, that ce was a death trap, but to him, thanks to his bloodline, that ce was a sanctuary.
Treefolk just like dragons, and phoenixes, were descendants of the ancients. Their bloodline was just as noble and a treefolk would be treated as sovereign by spiritual nts that gained sentience, simr to how dragons and phoenix would be treated by other spirit beasts.
When Deng Wei entered its territory, the red maple spirit instantly recognized his treefolk bloodline which was why they were not kicked out when they came in and how it decided its sessor so quickly. Even at its prime without the threat of death looming over it, the red maple spirit would still have weed that group dly, as long as Deng Wei was within their midst.
When it came to spirit beasts and spiritual nts, they cultivated to achieve perfection in their states which they equated to achieving nobility, which was why to spirit beasts, the soul formation realm was known as the sovereign realm.
Their end goal was to achieve a bloodline or an essence that was simr to the dragons, and phoenixes, and in the case of the spiritual nts, their aim for the peak was to reach the standards of the treefolk.
To the red maple spirit, being around one with a treefolk bloodline was no different than meeting its ancestor who had reached the absolute peak of what it was aiming for. Even with a higher cultivation base, in front of Deng Wei, it was no different than a junior.
That ount said the red maple spirit didn''t choose who its sessor would be, but instead left that choice to Deng Wei. As a treefolk, he didn''t need it, so when asked to choose, he chose Duan Qui whom he felt would be the right fit as the sessor among the six of them. Whether his feelings for her had anything to do with it was unknown, but Duan Qui became the red maple spirit''s sessor.
No matter how oundish it seemed, with no other ounts matching it, Yang Qing was inclined to believe that story for a couple of reasons, the primary one being, from all stories of the Red Maple Empire, it was already clear, the red maple spirit didn''t think highly of humans and as such even if it was close to death, there was little chance it would use the life soul essence baptism and transfer over everything it ever was to a human.
Leaving your entire inheritance down to the very essence of your being to a race you did not trust at all, was something Yang Qing struggled to believe it would do, even under fear of death. In its shoes, even on his deathbed, Yang Qing would not leave his wealth to those he distrusted, he would rather leave it to someone he trusted, even if they did not show much potential, he would rather risk it.
He had doubts the red maple spirit would act differently. Only one thing would make it react the way it did, and that was at the request of someone it revered, and to an awakened spiritual nt, it would deny the request if it was made by a dragon, but not a treefolk.
But if Deng Wei had such a powerful bloodline, howe he was never mentioned at all other than being the partner of the first empress and scorned byter generations because of it?
What happened to him? Sadly that ount never mentioned it, and Yang Qing could never find anything rted to him other than in that one ount.
Chapter 818 Shadow of the red maple empire (5)
Chapter 818 Shadow of the red maple empire (5)
??The ounts of what happened before the establishment of the Red Maple Empire with its founders, more specifically Deng Wei, was the only thing with contradiction,and one could argue it wasn''t truly in contradiction as only one ount from multitudes portrayed a tale that was different from the norm. Only those with wildly curious minds like Yang Qing would entertain some truth in that ount, with most dismissing it as the mad ramblings of a schr trying to get fame or some misinformation scheme by the enemies of the Red Maple Empire trying to muddy its history.
Other than the difference on what happened when those founders met with the red maple spirit, everything else when it concerned what happened after, was the same.
After gaining the red maple spirit''s recognition those seven cultivators grew their abilities in leaps and bounds, with Duan Qui being ahead of the race when she stepped onto the pce realm a few monthster.
With her already taking that jump, they no longer had to fear the rank three n that was after them. Duan Qui was already a pce realm expert and even though she had just fleshly broken through, she had the insights of a peak pce stage expert within her, and not only that, she also had the resources that the expert had left behind.
Spiritual nts may not necessarily require the same resources as human cultivators but that did not mean there were not universal resources that worked across all species. The red maple spirit had umted a lot of resources in the duration of its long lifespan. It had expended quite the sum in its pursuit to break through to the pce realm, but it still had a lot left over.
This tidy sum was able to support a rank 3 organization several times over. Among the wealth that was left untouched, some were spoils of war it had taken off human cultivators that thought themselves powerful enough to break into its territory unimpeded. Duan Qui even as a new pce realm expert had a lot of foundation to rely on to guarantee her safety along with the rest, all due to the inheritance left to her by the red maple spirit.
Luckily, even with the newfound wealth and the change in their status, they did not make any shy moves and opted to seclude themselves silently in the territory of the red maple spirit for hundreds of years bidding their time as they slowly grew their strength.
Even without a powerful enemy after them, Yang Qing felt that provided they had a good head above their shoulders, which he felt they had, they would have still done the same thing. They had justnded a windfall and they were too weak to own it. Birds die for food, and men die for treasures.
In the cultivation world, it was considered a sin for a cultivator to posses treasure that he or she could not protect. It was a sure way of dying early and that couldn''t be more true for those seven cultivators. The red maple spirit was a peak pce stage cultivator known to have lived longer than even some domain experts, who knew how many treasures it had umted over the years.
That reason was why even with its territory sworn off humans, there were still some who risked getting in. The allure of getting their hands on the red maple spirit''s fortune was just that tempting.
What would they do if they heard the red maple spirit had passed and left its fortune to seven no-name explorers with just one of them being in the pce stage?
If such news broke through, cultivators from the coast of Millionsfold Treasure Ocean to the coast of Celestial Ocean would already be swarming to loot the area of everything and those seven cultivators would hardly be spared in the plunder and would likely be made to spit out every single bone they consumed.
Keeping a low profile until they had the necessary strength to guarantee their lives and the treasures they were left with was the right choice and that they did. The records showed that for close to seven hundred to eight hundred years, not one of them took so much as a step outside the territory of the red maple spirit as they slowly improved their abilities.
During that period, three out of the seven cultivators were mentioned to have broken through to the pce realm bringing their total including Duan Qui, to four pce realm experts.
Of the three who broke through, one was Mo Li. Of the handouts handed to them by the red maple spirit, from the resources he got, one of them was a saber legacy called the dark falling stars saber art, which was rumored to be a middle-tier blue-grade art. Using that profound art, his talents with the saber, and a high-quality environment, he was able to breakthrough to the pce realm.
Other than him, Chen Fu and Zhang Ren were the other two to breakthrough to the pce realm. Both, just like Mo Li, made the best use of the resources and environment provided to make great strides in their cultivation.
As for the remaining three, though Gong Zhi and Gui Ling had not yet reached the pce realm, they were well on their way to it, having reached the quasi-pce stage and even though they were slightlycking, that was only in terms of cultivation base. In terms of functionality, they were just as valuable to the group as the four pce realm experts. Gong Zhi was a cksmith, who at the time was well on his way to bing a blue grade cksmith while Gui Ling was an alchemist well on her way to bing a blue grade alchemist.
With such expertise, both would be highly valued wherever they went, even without apce realm cultivation base.
As for Deng Wei, the records said he had the weakest cultivation base, still suck at thete stage of the core formation realm,pletelycking in any talents other than being the dao partner of Duan Qui.
After exactly one thousand years, they finally let themselves be known, well all except Deng Wei. At that point in time, Duan Qui had already reached the fifth stage of the pce realm, leading the group, while the rest had already reached the pce stage, teetering at the first stage with Mo Li being the only person with the cultivation base that was closest to Duan Qui, at the second stage.
Seven pce realm experts appearing out of the blue caught a lot of eyes, especially when said experts, human experts, appeared in the territory of the red maple spirit. Their presence there drew a lot of questions about what happened to the red maple spirit and it wasn''t long before news of its passing filtered through.
As was expected a few waves were created when such news broke through, with a few cultivators letting greed of what potentially the red maple spirit left behind, guide them. It wasn''t long before violent confrontations broke through between those greedy cultivators and the seven founders.
A line-up of seven pce realm cultivators supported by the vast resources of a long-lived peak pce realm spiritual nt was nothing to scoff at. Those seven, more so Duan Qui, who was the most powerful of the group quickly stood out as she defeated opponent after opponent, and thanks to the insane vitality the baptism afforded her, and the attunement she had with the former grounds of the red maple spirit, she was able to face multiple opponents, and even if she couldn''t defeat them, she could contain them long enough for the rest to act.
After the death of over a dozen pce realm experts, of which, amongst that number featured pce realm experts from the n that was after them, few dared set their sights on whatever fortunes the red maple spirit may have left them, not unless an organization backed by ate stage pce realm expert decided to act, and to curb that potential threat, it''s unknown how, but those seven managed to form a partnership with the Golden Bamboo Pavillion.
It wasn''t long after that, they dered the territory of the red maple spirit as the Red Maple Empire, with Golden Bamboo Pavilion serving as witnesses to that deration.
At the time, many wondered why they went with Red Maple Empire, and not Red Maple Kingdom. By all ounts, as per the norm, going with the Red Maple Kingdom first before they switched to Red Maple Empire, was the expected route. They were new, and other than the seven of them, they had no subjects, and when it came to territory, the territory of the red maple spirit covered about twenty-five thousand square kilometers which was roughly the size of some minor province in a rank 4 kingdom.
In terms of territory and poption, they were severelycking to even be considered a Kingdom, let alone an Empire. Among rank four nations, not one was an empire, and it was with reason. Those who would dub their nations as such, needed territory of a certain size and power, and the seven founders had one of those things, yes, but territory and poption they werecking.
Even calling themselves a kingdom was a huge stretch, but with time, it became clear why they went ahead and dubbed themselves an empire from the jump. They quickly revealed their fangs and their ambitions along with it as they subjugated all thend that was within a hundred thousand kilometer radius of the former territory of the red maple spirit.
ns, sects, small kingdoms, and other organizations were forced to cede their territory either willingly or by force. Most of those organizations were not powerful with a bulk of them being rank four, so they surrendered immediately, with some even offering to be vassals.
But there were others that resisted, and those that did, one or two had once produced a pce realm expert, while some had one living pce realm expert to hold the helm. It ended badly for both these groups who were destroyed with extreme fanfare as a show of force and an example to the rest.
For the next hundred or so years after their deration, they wantonly expanded their territory till it was veritably the size of a true empire.
It was from those records that Yang Qing learned where the feud between the Red Maple Empire and the Five Clovers Kingdom started as the former had been one of the kingdoms that had lost a part of its territory to them.
Of course back then, when it did, it didn''t have a pce realm expert at the helm, nor did it have the backing of the Zou family. It had no option but to swallow the humiliation until it was at a better ce to pay back that vengeance, and pay back it got with the war between the two sides still ongoing to date.
Its rise to an empire, or even bing an empire itself was something that Yang Qing found puzzling. The red maple spirit seemed to be the reclusive sort. It may have denied entry to humans and even retaliated fiercely against those who infringed on its territory, but it couldn''t be said to be domineering, considering howx it was with its neighbors even if they were humans. If it was, they would not have settled so close to its terrirory.
As its inheritor, Yang Qing would have expected Duan Qui to at least adopt part of its nature as a form of acknowledgment and respect as its sessor.
In the cultivation world, there were a lot of cultivators who continued certain acts that their masters did as a way to honor them after their passing with some even going to the extent of taking over in their master''s ce if it was something duty-
bound like protecting a certain ce, a certain n, a certain sect, a certain person because it was what their master used to do.
In Duan Qui''s case, Yang Qing would have expected her to maintain the territory of the red maple spirit as it was, free of the chaos and explosion of expansion. Forming an empire was thest thing he would have expected.
Then again, maybe it was his bias spirit talking. In her shoes, he would have definitely chosen the path of a recluse and tucked away in the territory of the red maple spirit, enjoying the resources slowly, improving himself, selling a few treasures to eat out every now and then, and using some to buy resources that would help stop intruders. Creating an empire was thest thing he would ever think of doing.
Somehow he couldn''t help but feel that the red maple spirit was rolling over in the afterlife in anger for what its territory had be, especially with the events that came to light.
Chapter 819 Shadow of the red maple empire (6)
Chapter 819 Shadow of the red maple empire (6)
"Was this something they decided on in the spur of the moment or was it something that had been stirring in them, specifically her?" Yang Qing muttered as his gaze lingered on the name Duan Qui.
"How did they manage to acquire the cooperation of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion? Though the coffers of the red maple spirit were likely to be substantial be it in terms of quality or quantity, could it be enough to draw the attention of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion or was there something else?" mused Yang Qing as he thought of a few possibilities.
There were a lot of questions surrounding the Red Maple Empire, especially when it concerned its formation during the early days.
When Yang Qing read through it, no matter how many ounts he read through, he always felt like the story had a lot of relevant missing gaps, and he didn''t know whether that was deliberate or idental.
After firmly establishing themselves as an empire, it wasn''t long before the poption problem resolved itself. They used the resources they got from the red maple spirit to quickly develop the territories they had swallowed up.
In a short two hundred years, it was finally worthy of its title as the Red Maple Empire with Duan Qui as the revered empress and Mo Li, Chen Fu, Gui Ling, Zhang Ren, and Gong Zhi rose alongside her as the heads of the five founding great ns of the Red Maple Empire. With the growing territory, more noble families were created but none could match up to the six families, something that continues to persist to the present.
But, even with the continued hegemony of the five noble families, from what Yang Qing read, back then they were all simr in foundations. When it came to power and umtions there was not much distinction to one another, especially when they were starting up. Back then, so they were not swallowed up by the ''new nobles'' they constantly supported one another as the founders of the Empire.
Their interests were intertwined with one another, and unlike Duan Qui who was a middle-stage pce realm expert and had nothing to worry about because of her strength, the same couldn''t be said of the other five n heads. They were still in the early stages of the pce realm, and while that put them ahead of the rest, who knew how long it would take for the new nobles of the empire to catch up to them.
They therefore constantly built one another, supporting one another and ensuring not one family was left behind as they put up a united front, but somewhere along the way in their long history that camaraderie disappeared and it wasn''t long before they bared their fangs against one another.
The reports gathered by the two roaming inquisitors and even the Yellow ins County branch showed the constant power struggle between those families which even seemed to have extended to the royal family. They were constantly trying to undermine one another at every turn with both overt and covert schemes which were as bloody as it could get where greed and power were involved.
The scenes happening in Purple City were the clearest indication of it. Those families had gone to the extent of starting up gangs and even getting in bed with blood cultivators in their pursuits to either try and dominate, eliminate, or weaken the other party.
About the only thing stopping all-out war from amongst themselves was the threat posed by the Five Clovers Kingdom and the Duan royal family, and one could argue they were more wary of the royal family than the Five Clovers Kingdom.
In 75,000 years, the records showed Duan Qui didn''t seem to have improved past the middle stages of the pce realm and the other heads were never able to catch up with her either, even with the resources of the red maple spirit as their support and the generations that seeded them were unable to match up to them.
The Duan royal family was unable to produce another cultivator that was able to reach the same heights as Duan Qui, but with the resources she left to her by the red maple spirit which was greater than what the spirit had given the rest, the Duan family was always able to produce a pce realm expert in every generation which couldn''t be said about the others.
When it came to the rest, some failed to produce even a single one after their founders passed. The Chen and the Gong family were prime examples of it, though it was easier for thetter to remain relevant even without a pce realm expert as they had the legacy of a blue-grade cksmith to rely on. Their founder had managed to use the resources provided to him to create a refining legacy for his descendants that would continue to serve them long enough after his passing.
Thanks to his efforts, the Gong family didn''t have to rely on the finite resources the red maple spirit had left them. The legacy he left behind created a path that would establish the continuity of his n. While others tried to get into cksmithing just like the Gong family, few could match their umtion. This left the family in a unique position and it was also the only family that didn''t seem to be involved much in the feuds happening amongst them.
But the same couldn''t be said about the rest. The founder of the Chen family had proven his dao through martialprehension, however, his descendantscked his talents which caused them to veer off to another path. Because of the influence the red maple spirit had in its surroundings when it was alive, its territory was extremely conducive to the growth of spiritual nts which was something the founding families capitalized on greatly when they were establishing the foundations of their empire.
Each of the six founding ns had great reserves of spiritual herbs stored up over the years even if it wasn''t their primary pursuit. The Gui family was one of the primary beneficiaries of therge supply of spiritual herbs and nts because of their founder, Gui Ling, who had been a blue-grade alchemist.
Just like the Gong family, the Gui family had been able to firmly establish its roots in alchemy growing to the point that it overtook the other founding ns, all except the Duan n.
When the Chen family failed to produce another gifted martial genius, they pivoted and decided to focus all their efforts on alchemy. They may not have had a blue-grade alchemist like the Gui family did, but with the vast resources they had when it came to spiritual herbs and nts, they did manage to produce top-tier orange-grade alchemists.
When it came to the Gui family, other than Gui Ling, they struggled to produce another blue-grade alchemist. They were well ahead of the other families when it came to alchemy, having the wisdom and umtion of a blue-grade alchemist to rely on, but without a blue-grade alchemist, their gap from the rest was small, which was what emboldened the rest to try and replicate what the Gui family did and try and produce a blue grade alchemist of their own.
Whatever else might be said about the Red Maple Empire, they werecking in many areas but that could not be said when it came to their reserves of spiritual nts, and the six founding ns had the highest reserves.
With such resources at their disposal, it could be understood why each of them felt that they could produce a blue-grade alchemist given enough time.
The feud among those families grew out of that ambition, the race to produce the first blue-grade alchemist, whoever did, would be the winner, and the price, it didn''t take a genius to figure it was the entirety of the Red Maple Empire as for the loser, considering the vicious lengths that each of those families went to, it wouldn''t be a stretch to think that the victor would seek the annihtion of the rest.
"Maybe this is the real reason they have not amounted to much in these 75,000 years, who knows in the next 1,000 years the Five Clovers Kingdom maypletely overtake them, and then eventually there may not be a Red Maple Empire.." said Yang Qing with a sigh.
The Five Clovers Kingdom already had six pce realm experts while the Red Maple Empire had five. Despite the Five Clovers Kingdom having an extra pce realm expert whenpared to the Red Maple Empire, as things stood thetter had an advantage over the former despite having fewer pce realm experts, and the reason for that was four of the pce realm experts of the Five Clovers Kingdom were all in the first stage of the pce realm and the one with the highest cultivation base only being in the second stage of the pce realm.
On the Red Maple Empire''s side on the other hand, only one of their five pce realm experts was in the first stage of the pce stage while the highest had reached the third stage of the pce realm which gave them an advantage over the Five Clovers Kingdom.
But how long would that advantagest given how fragmented they were? of the five pce realm experts they had, three were from the royal family while the remaining two, one was from the Mo family and the remaining one, who was the weakest, was from the Zhang family.
If push really came to shove where they had toy everything down on the line, could the royal family trust those two pce realm experts from the two families to have their backs? Or would they sooner drive a knife in their backs to give themselves an advantage?
The Five Clovers Kingdom on the other hand, didn''t have such problems. They were united, fueled by the righteous ambition of reiming what they had lost which was why they worked tirelessly to achieve it and luck seemed to be on their side. They gained the attention of the Zou family, a rank two family, who supported them purely to spite the Golden Bamboo Pavilion that they had a feud with, but even still, whatever the reasons may be, the support they provided coupled with the efforts of the kingdom, they managed to catapult to where they are today.
A kingdom that didn''t have a single pce realm expert now had six, and who knew what the situation would be in the next one thousand years?
Yang Qing may not know what will happen with the Five Clovers Kingdom in the future, but Yang Qing knew for a fact that the Red Maple Empire would be marginally weaker after the next few days.
"The Chen family it is.." Yang Qing said as he put one of the jade slips to the side, taking out hismunication talisman to call Yu Gen to inform him of his choice on the first case to settle.
There were about twenty minutes before the appointed time which Yang Qing used to meditate slightly as he waited for Yu Gen to gather all the respected parties in his courtroom.
Chapter 820 Case against the Chen family (1)
Chapter 820 Case against the Chen family (1)
Ten minutes in, Yang Qing cut off his meditation, making his way to the courtroom.
"Thankfully they are not here yet.." said Yang Qing as he took a seat in his podium and neatly arranged all the jade slips in order. Said jade slips contained all relevant and irrelevant information about the case.
Once everything was in order, he looked up, seemingly gauging the size of the courtroom beforeing to a decision a momentter. He took out his medallion and ced it at the center of the desk that had a grey faded-out drawing of a gold eagle whose size seemed to match perfectly with his medallion.
The instant the medallion and the drawing made contact, the color of the drawing changed as it vibrated with an ethereal white color which triggered a chain reaction as countless arrays started lighting up across different areas around the courtroom from the walls to the nebulous sky-looking roof, to the flow.
The arrays in these locations all lit up simultaneously and immediately after the courtroom expanded as it doubled in size. It was like the space itself had been expanded while the furniture and the design of the room seemed to remain in ce.
Using his medallion as the controller, Yang Qing kept adjusting the size of the courtroom until he found the size that he found eptable.
"This should be more than enough.." he said with a satisfied nod.
Not long after the courtroom doors opened slightly as Xia Ting briskly walked in leaking her lips in satisfaction.
"Little brother, Yang Qing, thank you. You''re the most generous judge I''ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I am even thinking of switching my role as a?roaming inquisitor and be a regr inquisitor under your court.." Xia Ting gingerly said as she held her chin in serious contemtion.
Yang Qing, who had been trying to find afortable sitting position in preparation for what was more than likely to be a long case, almost slipped and fell as a result of Xia Ting''s statement.
Almost on reflex he wanted to yell, "DON''T DO THAT!!"?but he quickly held himself back and instead adopted a softer approach.
"While I would love to have a gifted talented senior in yourself, senior sister Xia Ting, but would the roaming inquisitors allow it?" Yang Qing said feigning a look of concern, while deep down what he was saying was,
"Roaming inquisitors don''t you dare let this glutton loose. I can''t afford her, please, please, don''t let her go. Order, I know I have alwaysined about how exploitative you are, but just this once, just this once, I will be your advent supporter.. Please! Please, I am begging you, exploit senior sister Xia Ting to the fullest. Don''t give her any leave days, fill her schedule with cases that never stop, throw in a few of the unsolvable ones too for good measure, and maybe, if it''s not too much trouble, open a couple of soup shops all over the continent, so she''s not here all the time.
If you do this Order, I promise to work like a hor... I promise to work like a newborn colt for you.."
Yang Qing looked up after his short pious prayer and plea just in time to catch Xia Ting''s response.
"You''re right. If I made the request now, Deputy Rong Fen is liable to give me a beating and even add more cases to my otherwise bloating workpile.." Xia Ting said as she winced while touching the top of her head almost as if someone had just hit her there.
"I will need to at least log in 3,000 cases, and I am 1,700 cases shy of it,and I will need to train my recement for them to even remotely consider my request. With how chaotic things are, meeting the case quota would be easy in a few short years, but training another roaming inquisitor..Those demons.." Xia Ting added as she vengefully clenched her fists.
Mirroring her emotions, Yang Qing wore a downcast look as he said," It''s a shame.."
while inwardly he was screaming in jubtion.
"I knew I could always count on your generous ck-
hearted nature.." Yang Qing emotionally thought, almost moved to tears.
"You don''t have to cry, little brother Yang Qing. 1,700 cases might seem a lot, but it is not, if Yu Gen and I work tirelessly, in two years we will be able toplete it, and as for training a recement, I think if I go all out and call in some favors, three years should be more than enough time toplete it.
Please bear with it for five years, after that, even if I have to cause a scene, I will make sure to leave the roaming inquisitors.." said Xia Ting deeply touched by how distraught Yang Qing seemed to be that she wasn''t joining her.
Yang Qing''s eyes froze and his mind went nk as his future as a pauper swimming in debt while Xia Ting swam in delicious soup, shed in his mind.
Luckily he was immediately pulled out of his stupor when the doors swung open again and in the lead was Yu Gen.
"What happened to him?" Yu Gen wondered when he saw Yang Qing''s pallid face,moving his gaze over to Xia Ting who had apassionate consoling look on her face as she nodded encouragingly to Yang Qing.
"What''s happening here?"
Seeing that he couldn''t figure it out in the short time it took him to reach the center of the courtroom, he decided to shelf the matter as he focused on the matter at hand.
Behind him, he was followed by a procession of over twenty cultivators who were of different cultivation bases, ages, genders, and from the look of things, organization. But despite the differences, they all had one thing inmon, which was they looked absolutely pale, paler than Yang Qing was.
Seeing how terrified they were was the pick-me-up Yang Qing needed to free himself from his petrifying thoughts.
Once thest person had reached the center of the courtroom, which thanks to the expansion Yang Qing had done, fitted them perfectly, Yu Gen arranged them in a specific manner before moving to the side and joining Xia Ting.
With everything in ce, it was nowYang Qing''s show.
Chapter 821 Case against Chen family (2)
Chapter 821 Case against Chen family (2)
Yang Qing gave it a few seconds before he opened his mouth to speak.
"Good morning, I will try to keep this as brief and clear as I can for all of you here, so please make sure tomit every word that I say to heart and I hope you have done so with the words my colleague Yu Gen has likely shared with you beforeing here on how you should conduct yourself whilst here, and the procedures of this courtroom..."
Yang Qing took a brief pause as he eyed each and every single member present.
"My name is Yang Qing, and I am an outer pce court judge of the Order. I will be in charge of the deliberation and the passing of the sentence on all matters concerning the case put forth against you.
May the head of the Chen family, Chen Zian, please step forward.." Yang Qing said as he addressed the group.
"Greetings Judge Yang Qing, I am Chen Zian.." answered a middle-aged man walking forward to the center of the courtroom, the fidgety crowd summoning whatever strength they had to let him through.
The middle-aged man had on ck robes with no adornments on it, but even in, anyone could tell the robes were made of quality material. The robes looked to have been made of a gem-like silk which gave it a certain quality that made it seem like it was dancing with the lights of the courtroom.
That robe seemed toplement the air around the middle-aged man which was one of elegance andposure. One look at him and you could already tell, he was someone important. Unlike most of his group, he was one of the few who wasposed in the courtroom, almost as if he was nothing but a spectator to the whole thing.
Once he was at the center, Chen Zian respectfully cupped his fists to Yang Qing in greeting and acknowledgment of where he was.
"Yu Gen has filled you in on why you are here?" asked Yang Qing.
"He has.." Chen Zian sinctly answered.
"Good, but for the sake of procedure, I will need to reiterate it..."?Yang Qing said as he brought his palms together.
"Your n stands used of breaking a couple of rules from the agreed-upon southern continent cultivator base cultivator conduct charter.
These are the charges brought forth against your n;
Your n stands used of using pill ves and human cauldrons in the nourishment and growth of your spiritual nts. The specifics will be made after when I bring the charges against the specific individuals involved. Also regarding this matter, your n has been shown to be in collusion with another organization, the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion.."
No sooner had Yang Qing mentioned that name than a disturbance urred from within the crowd.
"Your excellency, judge, we are innocent! my pavilion is innocent! we have been ndered!!" frantically yelled one of the cultivators who had on dark orange robe that was embroidered with the symbol of a ming red lotus on the chest
That cultivator was thin, with ck hair tied in a daoist top knot, and a well-maintained short mustache. He looked like someone who took great care on his appearance and he was the owner of the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion. His name was Song Bo, and of those present, he could be said to be the only one who was at the same station as Chen Zian be it in terms of status or even cultivation bases. Though in terms of demeanor, he showed to be clearly inferior to the n patriarch of the Chen family.
Just like Chen Zian, he had a cultivation base that was at the peak stage of the core formation realm, and when it came to status, the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion was a subsidiary of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion just like the Earthvine Restaurant was.
After the outburst, Yang Qing narrowed his gaze on Song Ba as a formless pressure was released from his body stifling everyone present, even Chen Zian who looked like a still boulder that would not flinch even if the world copsed, looked visibly daunted by the fearsome pressure Yang Qing was releasing, let alone Song Ba who was the target. His knees looked just about ready to give in.
"Owner Song Ba, on ount that you''re clearly agitated, as you should be in this situation, I will allow the outburst just this once, there will not be a second time, and this warning goes to the rest of you.
To those directly rted to the case, you will have the chance to defend yourself, but that is only if I have permitted you to do so. Each of you will have a chance to state your case as is your right but there is an order to things which I am sure my colleague must have exined to you.
Any more sporadic outbursts and you will immediately be subjected to the penalties associated with it. Do we have an understanding, Owner Song Ba.."
"WwWe dOo, pARdon my outburst.." said Owner Song Ba, stammering as he did so, still visibly shaken.
"Good," Yang Qing said as he dispelled his pressure bringing a much-weed relief to the group.
"Now where were we?... Yes, certain members of the Chen family stand used of using human cauldrons in the growth and nurturing of specific spiritual herbs, and the evidence also shows the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion to be involved in the matter..." Yang Qing paused slightly as his gaze lingered on Song Ba briefly, who did well to control himself, which was more out of fear with how pale he looked.
Once Yang Qing was sure there would be no interruption, he continued,
"I will give out the specifics of the matter which includes the collected evidence once I am done mentioning the charges..."
Chen Zian nodded in understanding.
"The second charge is your n has been found to have deep ties with the ck Scorpion Gang, which records show to gave received a lot of support in funding and resources to help it grow to the level it is today.
While your n backing a gang is none of the Order''s business and should fall under the purview of your kingdom, it does fall under our purview when there are a lot of deaths of innocents.
Evidence shows your n using the gang to murder, kidnap, and do all sorts of atrocities for you. Evidence shows the human cauldrons and pill ves you have been using have been sourced by them.
This is but one of the things they have done for you. Just like the previous charge, I will be bringing up the specifics momentarily..
Your presence here, n Patriarch, is to bear witness to the charges against your members, and should you wish to speak on their behalf, as the n patriarch, you will be allowed to do so, but if they wish to speak for themselves, they will be allowed that too, as is their right.
Is everything clear, Patriarch Chen Zian?"
"It is.."
Chapter 822 Case against the Chen family (3)
Chapter 822 Case against the Chen family (3)
"Good, you can step back now.." Yang Qing said as he straightened himself up.
Chen Zian acknowledged with a polite cupping of his fists as he stepped back to the crowd to where his anxious n members were.
Some of them seemed to want to say something to him but held off when their nervous nces fell on Yang Qing and the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion proprietor.
"Now, let''s begin with the proceedings..." Yang Qing said, plunging the courtroom into an even more desperate atmosphere.
"Like I said earlier, each of you who stands used will have a chance to defend yourself, and should you wish to, your n patriarch can speak on your behalf. Of course, whether he does it is entirely up to him. Patriarch Chen Zian, you''re not obligated to do that, if you do not wish to, there will be no penalties for refusal, and should you wish to speak up at their behest, what you choose to say is also entirely up to you.
Is it clear to everybody present?" asked Yang Qing to which everyone nodded solemnly in agreement.
"Okay.. Now let''s go to the two charges brought forth against you. Usually with the cases that we deal with, someone files theint while the other defends themselves against theint, and we act as the arbiter between the two sides, but your case is different..."
Yang Qing paused as his gaze narrowed on everyone present causing a few to take nervous gulps.
"The one serving theint this time is us. About two months ago I passed through Purple City and noticed a few things that prompted me to have a thorough investigation conducted in Purple City and the Red Maple Empire as a whole.
The impetus for that investigation was a couple of things but the primary one was the presence of a blood refinement cultivator in Purple City and from what I have learned more were unearthed in thest month.
The investigation was conducted by my two colleagues here in Yu Gen and Xia Ting and also the staff at Yellow ins County who you should all be familiar with more or less.."
There were a few startled looks from the crowd, more startled than before when Yang Qing mentioned Yellow ins County Branch.
"Now, let''s move to the specifics of the charges brought against you. The Chen family is harboring pill ves and human cauldrons. Possessing even one of them is a vition of the Southern Continent Cultivator Baseline Conduct Charter.
As a long-standing cultivation n, I doubt there''s any need for me to waste time defining what a pill ve or a human cauldron is, is there?"
Yang Qing paused as he awaited an answer from the group. The response given was as he expected, muteness and awkward nervousness from most of the crowd as they avoided eye contact with him.
Their reaction was expected considering what they were used of. Having pill ves and human cauldrons was just as vile as practicing fiendish cultivation arts that required harvesting lives to cultivate it. Practicing such arts, and having pill ves and human cauldrons was no different because at their roots, both practices needed life force as a catalyst for progress.
Pill ves were humans be they mortals or cultivators, whose part or entire bodies were used as an ingredient in the crafting of a pill or a recipe. It did not matter whether they functioned as a primary or a secondary ingredient, they were pill ves nheless.
Cultivators were usually preferred to mortals when it came to choosing a pill ve. Those who had perfected their craft in using pill ves would rear those cultivators like how a person rears cattle whose sole purpose is to provide high-quality beef. Those organizations were very specific in the way they nurtured their pill ves. Everything from what they ate, where they lived, the cultivation art they practiced, the elemental bnce of their bodies, all of it would be micromanaged and controlled to suit the needs of the potion that required said cultivator.
A whole thorough regimen was built around it. It wasn''t all who were as thorough about it. Some would use the cultivators as is. But for those usingplex recipes, a carefullyid out nurturing n for their pill ves was needed, and the Chen family was shown to be one of them.
When it came to human cauldrons, they differed from their counterparts, the pill ves, in that they were not an ingredient, but were instead the furnace through which all of the ingredients were brewed, in ce of a cauldron. Other than concocting potions, they would also be used to nurture spiritual herbs.
One could be careless with pill ves but the same could not be said about human cauldrons.Nurturing one required considerable effort and resources which was an investment that would be repaid several times over provided you were sessful in nurturing one.
The investigation showed that the Chen family had already nurtured twenty-three of them.
"The investigations unearthed the following in regards to the charges. Your farms in Cherry Blossom County, Spiritwood County, cktear County, and Misty Caldera County were found to have pill ves and human cauldrons.
The total number of pill ves and human cauldrons was 78 to 23 respectively. Inquisitor Yu Gen please inform the Medical Valley to have them delivered.." Yang Qing said to Yu Gen, who nodded as he took out hismunication talisman.
"He seems surprised?"thought Yang Qing as his gaze fell on Chen Zian who quickly tried to conceal the shock in his eyes as Yang Qing mentioned the four counties.
It came as no surprise that all counties were in the territory owned by the Chen family, and of those counties, Cherry Blossom County and Spiritwood County were thergest spiritual herb-producing territories under their control and the reason for that was the two counties fell under the territory the red maple spirit controlled and had thus been baptized by its aura, unlike the other ces which they gained when they expanded the kingdom.
Yang Qing could only guess the reason for his surprise was the presence of pill ves and human cauldrons in those two locations. Considering the significance of those two locations, it would be a given for the n Patriarch to monitor them closely.
Why wouldn''t Chen Zian have the look of someone who had just eaten a fly when he discovered that someone had pulled one over him and he was none the wiser about it?
Chapter 823 Case against the Chen family (4)
Chapter 823 Case against the Chen family (4)
Yang Qing''s guess was validated when he saw Chen Zian get so overwhelmed by his emotions that a bit of killing intent leaked out. The target of that intent was two elders, one of them looked well on in his years, and the other was rtively young, he looked to be in his mid-thirties and could be considered to have a decent cultivation base too, as he was in the eighth stage of the core formation realm.
Of those two elders, the older one was called Chen Gutian, while the younger one was called Chen Zhn. Chen Gutian''s cultivation base was in the eleventh stage of the core formation realm, but he was well along in his years, and from what Yang Qing could tell he had at most three hundred years left in his lifespan. He was Chen Zian''s uncle by blood which Yang Qing guessed was the reason Chen Zian entrusted him with the supervision of Misty Caldera County. He was one of his people, and he was getting on in his years, there was no better retirement than the environment in one of their precious territories.
As for Chen Zhn, from what was gathered, he was one of the talented youngsters of his generation who had gained the admiration of Chen Zian. Giving him the supervisory role at Cherry Blossom County, was no different than announcing to the rest that Chen Zhn was his chosen sessor.
However, both had betrayed him, which was why Chen Zian looked like he was struggling to keep his emotions in check every time his eyes fell on them. Both Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian made sure to avoid his gaze with the former asionally looking up, with nervousness, regret, and repentance in his eyes which Chen Zian didn''t look like he was in the mood to amodate.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw their interaction, especially with his gaze falling on Chen Zian. The investigation showed him to be uninvolved in the charges brought against his n. He had no ties and seemedrgely unaware of it until the moment he was appraised of it by Yu Gen when they were about to be brought over.
His n members had hoodwinked him, and the damage they would leave behind would cause significant damage to his n and their foundations.
The evidence showed he didn''t know what they were up to or the dealings they had with the ck Scorpion Gang or the Red Lotus Alchemy Pavilion, or the pill ves and human cauldron''s business. Hisck of knowledge or involvement in those affairs could be true, but then again it could be false. Short of using karma to deduce it, it would be next to impossible to prove that he knew whatever his n members were involved.
Yang Qing could think of about a hundred different methods the Chen n patriarch could use to iste himself from the whole thing despite being involved and each one of those methods would make it impossible to trace the whole thing back to him.
Of course, they could always use karma and verify the whole thing, but those proficient in karma were all in the soul formation realm or a saint-grade treasure like the one handed to him during his ceremony, and from what Yang Qing knew deducing karma was a long tedious yet delicate process even if the person under deduction was a core formation realm.
Reading someone''s past, present, and future was not as easy as turning the pages of a book, it was more like untangling a million threads that had intertwined together into a convoluted mess and to try and make sense of it by undoing one string after another.
With how overwhelmed the Order was, it was in doubt whether they would have any karma specialist to spare and handle the case concerning a core formation expert and deduce whether he was lying about knowing his n was engaged in pills ves and human cauldrons or not.
If their normal but extensive investigation means didn''t reveal anything, then Yang Qing would have to ept either Chen Zian was truly innocent, or his means of covering up his tracks were much more defined than the Order''s means of uncovering them.
Whichever side the coin fell on, whether he was innocent of all of this, or a skilled maniptor, at the end of this case, the Chen family would never engage in pill ve or human cauldron trade again. The Order would ensure that now that they had fallen under their eyes. Surveince puppets would be permanently deployed to monitor every single thing happening within their territory.
Yang Qing had seen one, and though in terms of attack, they were not powerful, when it came to evading detection and observation, they were masters of their craft and had been made with mimicry chaos metal which gave them the ability to transmorph into anything and even hide themselves with void energy because of the attributes of the metal.
If Chen Zian was involved provided he wasn''t reckless, he would stop all activities for which they were about to be sentenced, but if he couldn''t help himself, those puppets would be the first to catch him. While they were weak against pce realm cultivators, surveilling and apprehending a core formation expert was more than doable for them.
Yang Qing twitched as he detected something that prompted him to take out his medallion and use it to expand the courtroom once more, catching those present by surprise. A momentter, a sh of golden runes and light appeared at the center of the courtroom.
The light shed for a second and disappeared and in its ce was a new group of people who looked to be around the ages of ten to twenty wearing the same robes, which were dull grey robes. Outwardly, they looked vibrant and full of life, with their lustrous skin, and healthy bodies that eluded strong vitality, but within them, Yang Qing could feel the hollowness thaty within.
They were all young with the oldest being the same age as Yang Qing who was twenty-three and was even in the middle stages of the foundation establishment stage, about half of them were, with the rest being in thete stages of the qi refinement realm.
At face value, such a young lineup which had about thirty foundation establishment cultivators and seventyte-stage qi refinement cultivators, considering how young they were, it was bound to leave countless cultivating organizations salivating over them.
A seventeen-year-old foundation establishment cultivator would be treated as a genius seedling in a rank three organization and even some rank two organizations would dly receive them as a regr disciple, and there were already seven of them here, but Yang Qing''s gaze couldn''t help but turn cold when he saw them.
The cultivation base he saw within them, was all manufactured and came at a price, a steep price at that. None of them would be able to live past one hundred years even those in the foundation establishment realm. They were nothing more than fragile porcin with countless cracks that were hidden behind beautifulyers of engraving and ornaments, but soon enough those porcins would break without fail.
Such were the lives of pill ves and human cauldrons.
Chapter 824 Sentence given (1)
Chapter 824 Sentence given (1)
The moment that group made an appearance, there was a reaction from all sides. The new group of young cultivators shivered inadvertently as their gazes fell on the group that was already there which was made up of the Chen family and members of the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavillion, while those from these two groups froze in disbelief when they saw those children make an appearance.
Countlessplex emotions shed in the eyes of both sides, though one emotion was clearly reflected from both sides, and that was fear. Albeit the cause was different for both sides.
The reaction from both sides was undoubted proof that both sides knew each other.
"Thank you, Senior Xu Yuan for bringing them.." Yang Qing said as he addressed one of the neers.
The neer had a white and yellow robe that had the words ''Medical Valley'' on it. He looked to be in his early thirties, light yellow that was edging closer to green, and had a genial-looking face.
The group of youths next to him who bore the identity of pill ves and human cauldrons were under his care. He could be considered Tan Jue''s senior, though he wasn''t much older than her and just like her, was also one of the rising healers in the medical valley.
He had the spring rejuvenation golden sunflower physique whose innate features and abilities coupled with his efforts, made him an absolutely gifted healer which was why the group youths were put under his care.
To most, the fates of those children were effectively set in stone, especially when it came to those who had been converted to human cauldrons. If they were anywhere else, the chances of them living past the age of a hundred years would be slim to none, with the damage done to their bodies ssified as irreversible.
However, they were here. There were organizations out there, like the Medical Saint Garden, and a few others that knew how to reverse the damages borne out of transforming someone into a human cauldron or a pill ve, and the Order was one such organization.
The person Yang Qing called Xu Yuan was one of those at the Order trained in that treatment owing to his physique which was excellent at replenishing lifeforce by tapping on what was avable like potions, pills, spiritual qi in the air, or grass, and even the energy of the sun and the moon. His physique''s ability to draw upon these energies and maximize its efficiency to thest drop for those who needed it was the reason he was suited to their care.
"It''s no problem, brother Yang Qing. Though, we can''t stay for too long. Thanks to the assistance of Daoist Mei Xiling, I have alreadypleted the setup. We can begin their treatment regimen any moment now and the sooner we begin, the better.." Xu Yuan kindly said.
"I know. I won''t dy you both longer than I have to. Also, I''d like to thank you daoist Mei Xiling for sparing your time to assist us in this.." Yang Qing said as he addressed the beautiful youngdy with ck hair tied in a simple bun, wearing simple white robes, and had a graceful tranquil beauty about her.
Thedy cupped her fists politely as she?softly said,
"It''s what I should do as a disciple of the Medical Saint Garden. I am merely adhering to the precepts our founder set, which I also happen to believe in.."
Her announcement drew looks of shock from the Chen family group, with some even muttering,
"we are doomed.."
Their n patriarch, Chen Zian, didn''t look too good either. The Medical Saint Garden may not be a holynd but itmanded the same respect as them when one considered its reputation.
Chen Zian never expected this case would draw the attention of such a monolithic figure like them. Falling under the gaze of the Order was already bad enough, and now adding the Medical Saint Garden? He couldn''t help but fear for his n''s future. No matter what sentence Yang Qing gave out in the end, there were bound to be even more repercussions with the involvement of the Medical Saint Garden.
He could already guess a few of them off the top of his head. Once word got out, almost every single merchant organization they had a deal with when it came to the sales of their herbs would cancel all deals with them and that was only the start.
"We are truly and utterly doomed.." he grimly thought as he felt his strength leave his body and barely managed to keep himself standing through sheer willpower alone.
"I would still like to thank you nheless for your help.." Yang Qing said with Mei Xiling nodding her head.
"As you have heard, her name is Mei Xiling and she is a disciple of the Medical Saint Garden. The reason she''s here is for transparency. A third party is needed so you don''t think the usations against you were unfair or biased on our part.
She is extremely knowledgeable in all things pill ves and human cauldrons, and her insights will prove invaluable to the case.
Other than her..." Yang Qing paused as his gaze fell on the children who still looked like frightenedmbs thrown in a wolf''s den.
"I know this is asking a lot, but I need four from your group to speak on behalf of the rest if you can. I don''t need much, just your name, how you ended up as either a pill ve or a human cauldron, and what you did in those farms. It doesn''t have to be detailed, just a few words will do.
Would any of you care to step forward? I need two who were taken as pill ves and two from the human cauldron side.." Yang Qing gently said infusing his tone with a charm that would help calm those children who looked inches away from fainting, especially when Yang Qing asked for volunteers.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh seeing how frightened and on edge they were. If he could, he would rather not use them, but for the absolute transparency of the case and ensuring everything was brought in the open it had to be done.
If he didn''t, they would be ndered for being careless in the way they handled their cases, after all the conclusions of these cases were not only shared with the higher-ups of the Order but also the Society Review Council.
The Society Review Council was made up of members outside of the Order. It consisted of 40 members. 1 member came from a rank one organization, 4 members from a rank two organization, 7 members from a rank three organization, 12 members from a rank four organization, 12 members from a rank five organization, and the remaining 4 members came from the roguemunity. Together they made up the Society Review Council.
In every case, the recorded proceedings would be shared with them. Though they had no authority to overturn a ruling they made, they were there to serve as witnesses for the others that the Order was ''behaving'' and was not abusing its powers.
The members would be swapped out every ten years, with the seeding membersing from different organizations than their predecessors. The Order did not choose those members, and they were instead voted in by their peers, thoseing from rank one organizations would be decided by rank one organizations, and thoseing from rank two organizations would be chosen from rank two organizations and so forth.
The Order had no hand in the matter. The only restriction it had in ce was the organizations chosen could not be those that had at one point been on the wrong side of the Order. Any organization that had one of its members sentenced by the Order was ineligible for consideration in the council.
Chapter 825 Sentence given (2)
Chapter 825 Sentence given (2)
??After Yang Qing''s statement, all the youths kept staring at each other almost as if they were imploring one another.
"You do it!"
"No, you do it!"
"I don''t want to do it. You seem braver!"
"I am a coward just like you. How could I be the one to do it? You do it, your legs are not even shaking that bad, surely you can do it?"
"My legs aren''t shaking because I''m frozen solid. I''ve lost control of every part of my body.."
"Why are your eyes moving? I can see you blinking. Why do your pupils look funny almost like a wormhole? You bastard, are you trying to mind control me?!"
"Someone, please step up. Junior brother Kai has lost his mind again. Please step up before he does something crazy and then we will all be in trouble.."
Yang Qing couldn''t tell what was running in their minds, but he could sense the agitation flowing through them. He was almost about to sayforget about it, when four people weakly raised their hands halfway, doubt and trepidation evident in their bodynguage. It almost looked like they would have pulled them down had Yang Qing not been looking at them as they raised them.
"Thank you all for your bravery.." Yang Qing said with a gratified smile as Xu Yuan, and Mei Xiling smiled along with him in a bid to encourage andfort the four who had stepped up.
Of the four who had stepped up, were three boys and one girl. It came as no surprise to Yang Qing on one of the boys who had stepped up. He was the oldest of the group and the records showed he was just about the same age as Yang Qing, being a year younger. He was twenty years old and the oldest of the group and was also one of the twenty-three human cauldrons.
Closer to him in age was the young girl who was neen years old,and a pill ve, while the remaining two boys, both were sixteen years old, one a pill ve and the other a human cauldron.
The smiles from Yang Qing, Xu Yuan, and Mei Xiling and theforting back pats and looks from the other children, worked well enough to embolden the four of them as they stepped out from the crowd. They could still be seen shaking, but they seemed less rattled than they had been a few seconds earlier.
"Once again thank you for stepping up, and I will try to keep this as simple and short as I can for you. As the oldest, I would like to start with you. I hope it''s okay with you?" Yang Qing said as he addressed the oldest of the group.
"Yyyyes, iTtTt ISss.." the oldest youth clumsily said as he lowered his head slightly before finally gathering the courage to look up.
"What''s your name?" asked Yang Qing infusing more soul-soothing qi into his words to help settle the nerves.
The qi seemed to work as the youth felt like the vine of fear and anxiety that had been constricting him, leaving him with no room to breathe, think, let alone talk, suddenly ease up, giving him enough relief to string a few words together without feeling like he was about to vomit his heart out of his chest.
"My name is Xie Rong..." Xie Rong suddenly paused with a sense of nervousness which Yang Qing easily guessed as to the reason why.
"My name is Yang Qing, you can just address me as Judge Yang Qing.."
The youth nodded, relief clearly showing on his face.
"Okay, Xie Rong, you''re doing good. Now for the next question, do you remember where you are from?"
"I do.." answered Xie Rong, a mixture of mncholy, hope, and regret shing in his eyes as he did so.
"Where are you from?"
"I am ... I was from a little vige, called the Glitter m Vige in Crystal Vale Kingdom.."
Xie Rong tried to reign in his flood of emotions before he answered. While he wasn''tpletely sessful at it, it was not aplete failure either, as he managed to answer with some rity, though his voice and body showed he was slightly agitated as he did so.
"I am not sure that vige remains though, or its people.." Xie Rong said with a sad smile that openly showed his guess on the matter.
Yang Qing did well to hide the touch of sadness and sympathy in his eyes. Xie Rong was right on the mark. His vige had long been looted and destroyed by bandits. At least that was what it was made to look like.
"When we found you, you were at one of the spiritual herb farms in cktear County. How did you end up there?"
Xie Rong hesitated, almost as if he had an internal struggle like he did not want to revisit those memories. After a short but fierce struggle, his willpower eventually won.
"I was eleven. Life in the vige was always slow. Other than harvesting ms and cleaning them, nothing much ever happened there. Back then all I had in my head was what a great cultivator I would be if I just had the chance.
We had a few cultivators who were in the qi refinement stage, but most were in the body refinement realm. After an entire day of harvesting ms, my friends and I would go to the nearby woods and pretend we were powerful cultivators sailing the skies with nothing but our swords like all the legends of all the stories we hear about.
Slowly those daydreaming moments changed into frustration. Something that used to give me joy now produced anger and resentment. I resented the Glowing m Vige, as I felt it was stealing my future away every second I was there and it wasn''t long before it finally reached its breaking point and exploded..."
Xie Rong paused as he rubbed his eyes trying to hide and control the tears that were threatening to trickle down.
"I don''t even remember what the argument was about back then.. We had so many arguments, my petnt anger being the creator and driving force all the time. I argued with my parents and it got heated and.....
I struck my father.."
Chapter 826 Sentence given (3)
Chapter 826 Sentence given (3)
Xie Rong''s eyes turned cloudy and his vision seemed to change along with it. He was no longer in the courtroom but in a different ce. He was inside a modest home made of azure hearth y, which gave the house a beautiful blue and orange glow, giving the illusion that one was seeing the formation of a rainbow.
However, as aesthetically pleasing and homey as the house seemed on the outside, inside was a different mood. The inside was permeated with a stifling atmosphere. It was tense and rife with strife, which resonated perfectly with the gloomy weather outside. Rain was already pouring heavily and thunder crackled with venom every few seconds, and inside the house wasn''t any different.
Xie Rong and his father were arguing, each trying to outdo the other, and the thunder rumbling outside. Their faces were all beet red, veined, fury clear in their eyes. However, there was also something in there, something Xie Rong was only now discovering as he was watching the whole thing y out.
Did he just discover it, or had he always known, but had been unwilling to admit it up until this moment?
He and his father were arguing, and they were getting heated by the second as their voices trembled, their words zing like an unquenchable inferno that burned them up with every syble uttered, scattering their rationality an inch at a time, with every word they spoke.
This wasn''t the first time they had argued but they could already feel it, deep within, they could already tell this one was different. This was why behind the fury-filled eyes there was another emotion hanging on to dear life within the tumultuous tempest. That emotion was fear, and it grew stronger with every rise in their voices.
"Stop"
"We need to stop."
"Please don''t say it.."
"Dad, I don''t mean it.."
"Son, I don''t mean it.."
"I take it back.."
Xie Rong had a pained look in his eyes as he ced his hand over his chest and mouth, being flooded with the raw emotions he felt that night. Even the words he kept in his heart before everything exploded, came full force to the front.
"Xie Rong, stop, stop saying those words, apologize, stop it, look at mom, she''s crying, look at dad. Stop, Xie Rong.."
Xie Rong wholly absorbed in those memories did not realize he was mumbling those same words outwardly at the center of the courtroom, drawing curious looks that were full of pity. However, no one moved to interrupt him.
Tears started tricking down Xie Rong''s face as his lips quivered when the scene he dreaded most drew near.
"It''s here.."?he muttered with a cracked and trembling voice.
He wanted to close his eyes for the scene toe, but he had already opened that door and it was already past the point of being closed again.
His mother, just like them, could already feel it, something was different this time. Just like how birds and other animals could feel an earthquake or some natural cmity was about to erupt in their habitat, his mother could already feel something dangerous was about to happen to her family, which made her agitated and desperate as the two at the center of that storm.
She tried to use words of reason, but her words were no more useful than trying to use a spit to quench a wildfire that had already imed acres of space, and whose mes were growing in magnitude. When her words failed her, she did the next thing that came to mind which was to try and pull one of them aside, as long as one element was removed, the danger would be averted.
The person closest to her was Xie Rong''s father. Out of a sense of urgency and desperation, she couldn''t control her strength and pulled Xie Rong''s father like a predator lunging on prey.
With how extremely on-edge Xie Rong was at the time, someone gripping his arm like a snake, he reacted by shoving whatever danger had assaulted him as far away from him as possible which resulted in Xie Rong''s mother tripping over the table that was next to them.
That was the trigger. Xie Rong despite telling himself to stop, his very soul yelling, his body refused to listen. Chaos and fury took over, especially when he saw the befuddled look in his mother''s eyes which at the time he misinterpreted to be because of what his father had done. However, now he could see it clearly, with his view as a spectator, he could see her eyes filled with worry were centered on him as she mumbled something which back then he was too heated to hear or listen.
"Don''t do it, Rong''er, please don''t do it.."
Deluding himself that he was fighting for his mother, vanquishing an unforgivable foe, in his father, he threw a righteous punch and hit his father squarely.
Despite being only eleven, Xie Rong had already taken a small step in his cultivation. He was in the iron body stage of his cultivation, his fathernguishing at the same stage too, which was yet another reason he always argued with his father.
He always felt every time his father stopped him from leaving, or told him to be diligent in the small things first before dreaming of the big things, he always believed his father didn''t say those words out of kindness but a heart filled with envy born out of his mediocre talent. His father was already in his mid-thirties and he was eleven, yet they had the same cultivation base.
What right did his father have to speak about his cultivation journey when he was clearly inept at it?
Somewhere along the way, his father was no longer the hero he admired and idolized as a child, swinging on his powerful shoulders, but had instead turned into the very picture of mediocrity. A mediocre person blocking his path to greatness.
All that pent-up frustration exploded forth as he rained punch after punch on his father, who clearly showed even if they were at the same level, experience still mattered. He retaliated in kind, instantly overwhelming Xie Rong who decided to rely on boiling rage rather than technique to pull him through.
It wasn''t long before the fight just wasn''t a brawl between a heated father and son, but it was approaching something dangerous, the danger that the depths of their soul had warned them all about. Luckily their mother in the end managed to pull them both from the brink by risking her life along with theirs.
She threatened to take her life if they didn''t stop which was the cold water both needed to regain their sanity. They stopped instantly after her threat as if all that happened before was nothing but a y but the bloody faces and the wariness and shock in their eyes showed that it wasn''t.
They exchanged a look both knowing what would have happened had it been just the two of them, and just the idea of that thought sent shockwaves throughout their body and made them unable to even look each other in the eye for long.
As if his body was possessed, Xie Rong couldn''t even hear what his mother was telling him, he just turned, his bloodied hand shaking as he reached out to the door. It felt heavy, heavier than it had ever been.
Were his hands heavy from being worn from the fight, or was it because he knew once he opened those doors, he would nevere back?
He could remember what he told himself that night, at that door,as he lied to himself that he was leaving to really live so he would have no regrets, but now, seeing and reliving it all again, he knew guilt was what drove him out the door that night and it continued to guide him every day since, and now here he was,a human cauldron with less than a hundred years to live.
While he was d the Order was helping him, some part of him felt dejected at the thought. He felt like the Order was denying him the chance to pay back the debt he owed for what he did that night and the days of bitterness, resentment, and foolishness that led to it.
The memory cloud of that night disappeared and the courtroom regained its true form to Xie Rong.
"I punched my father that night, and everything went downhill from there. Out of my cowardice, which I didn''t realize was what guided me at the time, I left home and never looked back.
With my paperweight determination, I was determined to be a renowned cultivator which I deceived myself would validate and vindicate my actions that night. How naive I was.." Xie Rong said as he smiled bitterly.
"As for what happened next, well.. things happened exactly as what was expected to happen to an eleven-year-old too wet behind the ears to know of the ways of the world. I realized how unforgiving this world was to the weak. I starved, got beaten, sinking deeper and deeper into the mud with my list of fears growing along with it.
I wandered for months, drowning in despair as I did. I was tempted to go back home, but, with the way I left things, I couldn''t bring myself to and I still held out the hope that my talent would shine through and I would make something of myself.
I tried joining some sects for those months, but none would have me. The reason.. same for all of them, which was I had no talent for it. Not even rank five sects were willing to ept me.
I on the other hand didn''t want to believe it and just kept telling myself those sects were the blind ones, they didn''t know what they were saying but despite what I told myself, I became more desperate with the growing rejections and in the end, I ended up joining some unranked sect called Silver Severing Dagger Sect.
That sect epted me, but..... only as a servant.." Xie Rong said as he lowered his head in shame.
"Determined to prove myself, I secretly tried to cultivate their techniques despite being forbidden to do so, and eventually I was caught, got beaten within an inch of my life and then was cast away.
A few weeks down the lin when I was teetering between life and death,some cultivator approached me and said he admired my tenacity, which is something that those who wish to scale the great heights of cultivation need. He offered me a chance to cultivate and change my fate and show up those who rejected andughed at me. A chance to be a dragon among men.
With how broken and desperate I was, I epted without a second thought. That man led me to cktear County. I couldn''t believe it when I saw those farms, rich in spiritual qi, flooded with spiritual herbs that evoked a sense of grandeur.
I honestly thought I was at some immortal''sir which is why I didn''t even question them when they handed me some cultivation art and a strict diet to follow. I felt lucky, especially when my cultivation base started rapidly improving. Not once did I question it, even when I was dizzy and growing weak, I attributed it to my own ipetence with the art. Only when a few of my colleagues started disappearing after long periods of weakness, and the moon starcap mushrooms grew even more resplendent after their disappearance, did I suspect something was off going on..."
Chapter 827 Sentence given (4)
Chapter 827 Sentence given (4)
??As for what happened next, it wasn''t all too surprising. Illusions worked perfectly as long as someone didn''t know they were illusions but once that illusion was broken, even if a new much stronger, and perfectly seamless illusion was put in, it would still be imperfect, reality in the end would win through and that was what happened with Xie Rong
With his growing doubts, the little things he had overlooked before turned intorge warning signs and one of them was how despite having the cultivation base of a foundation establishment cultivator he wasn''t much stronger than he had been when he was in the body refinement stage, and with time he even seemed to be getting weaker by the day.
His identity and background, havinge from some outskirt vige whose strongest expert was someone in the qi refinement realm meant there was a lot he didn''t know about the different cultivation realms, especially the intrinsic details, but he had seen the strongest expert of the vige, the sole qi refinement expert, bitterly fight a ck rock bear to a draw.
Before that qi refinement expert stepped in, that bear had managed to tear through an encirclement of over a dozen hunters from the vige. That group wasprised solely of the best fighters the vige had to offer and every single one of them was multiple levels higher in skill and ability ifpared to his father.
Despite that, even working collectively as a group, they were still yed with by that ck rock bear as it easily tore through their encirclement forcing its way to their vige.
It was during that incident that his desire to be a powerful cultivator truly took root. The ck bear ying around with the hunters he admired so greatly that he blindly believed there was no beast they could not hunt. Seeing the looks of fear on their faces as that bear mockingly tore them apart left quite the impression on him, but the greatest impact was what happened when the vige chief finally stepped in.
The vige chief had always been unassuming to the point that back then Xie Rong often wondered why he was even the vige chief or why all the elders in the vige including his father, always treated him with such respect.
To him, the vige chief was just an old man who liked sitting in his wicker chair all day long, soaking in the sun, sipping rice wine at whatever time of day it was while munching on some garlic-salted fish as he smiled genially at the youngsters hard at work. It always irked him whenever he saw that smile. He would be knee-deep in ms which though looked aesthetically pleasing, produced the worst stench he had evere across.
Every time he saw the vige chief smile at them, he would get this urge to throw one of those stinky ms at him. When he witnessed his fight against the ck rock bear,he was d he didn''t go through with the impulse.
Their chief, this old man who looked like he would be toppled over by even their tiniest gust of wind with how bony he was, managed to go toe to toe with that beast of carnage that was the ck rock bear. The vige chief seemed like a titanic general of ughter as he traded punch for punch with the bear, till the bear eventually cowered when it saw the frenzied smile look the vige chief had on as the fight went on.
While he had been too awed, too weak, too ignorant to notice a lot back in the fight back then, he was at least certain of one thing. The vige chief was the vige chief for a reason. He was the most powerful person in the entire vige and it was by no small margin at that, and as he grew up and started cultivating, that was then he knew of the chief''s cultivation base as ate-stage qi refinement cultivator.
That fight back then had been imprinted on him, especially the strength disyed by the vige chief, and even with hiscking knowledge in matters rted to cultivation, he could at the very least gauge his strength, and it was miles away from what was disyed by the vige chief and that was even after he broke through to the foundation establishment realm.
Before he had reasons to suspect his surroundings, he always bought on what his supervisor and teacher at the time told him. Hiscking in strength and growing weakness were a result of the demands of the cultivation art andcking talent. To make up this gap, the art ced demands on the cultivator''s body but that would all change once one broke through to the core formation realm.
That reason was more than enough to convince Xie Rong who was severelycking in confidence after all the rejections he had faced in the years prior.
In his mind, what was there to doubt? He may not have had the strength he had envisioned he would have when he had the cultivation base he had but strength aside, there was no denying he was a foundation establishment cultivator, and the foundation pirs were there as proof of it.As for the diminishing strength, and the growing lethargy, they would all be forgotten as soon as he broke through to the core formation.
The excitement of reaching the core formation realm blinded him to everything else around him including his odd-looking pirs. It was only when closepanions started disappearing with time, all looking sallow and drained before they disappeared, did he start to suspect there was something afoot.
As those suspicions grew, the farm that he had thought was an immortal''s paradise transformed into a devil''sir, but at that time it was toote for him. His body was already weak, just like hispanions, and he knew it wasn''t too long before he met the same fate as them. Luckily for him, the Order stepped in before his fate was set.
The other human cauldron, a sixteen-year-old by the name of Li Fie, described having the same symptoms as Xie Rong. They both cultivated the same cultivation art which was called the ster energy ss funnel art, and despite both working in different counties, with Xie Rong working in cktear County and Li Fei working in Spiritwood County, they were both involved in the care of the same herbal nt, the moon starcap mushrooms.
Everything except age, was simr when it came to the two human cauldrons, but when it came to the pill ves, there were differences to one another. The older pill ve, who was the youngdy who was closest to Xie Rong in age, practiced a water-based cultivation art while soaking in a solution of frost spider lilies. After, her blood and qi would be drawn out as ingredients for the ripple aqua sap potion which helped improve a cultivator''s understanding in water-based cultivation arts.
Her conditions were different from the other pill ve who practiced an earth-based cultivation art and would then have an elemental leech attached to drain their earth essence when the sun was at its peak. The elemental leech would then be removed at dusk and used for the magma vein insight potion which improved a cultivator''s understanding of cultivation arts and techniques that were rted to the fire and earth element.
With all of them having given their ounts, they joined the rest, seeming all too d to do so. Even with Yang Qing''s calm-
infused qi to aid, giving their testimony in front of their captors had been an all too draining task.
"Thank you all for the testimonies. I thank you for your bravery.." Yang Qing said once the four were with the rest.
The four nodded back as they were given smiles of endearment and gratitude all around, moreso by theirpatriots for speaking on their behalf. Some couldn''t help but cry as the four were giving their ounts.
They may have been in different ces, but the things they endured were all the same, with the only difference being in how they got there. Most of them were hoodwinked with the promise of a better life, while others had more pitiful fates having been sold off to the ck Scorpion gang for various reasons such as offsetting a gambling debt or funding a new one.
After giving his thanks, Yang Qing waved his sleeve and an ancient-looking weathered stone appeared at the center of the courtroom.
"What you see before you is the heart stone steele. It''s part of a saint-grade treasure that can tell the makeup of a cultivator''s body, from their cultivation base to their age, and lifespan, down to their race and any bloodlines they may have or deformity.
Some of you may have already seen it work as this is what we used during ranking evaluations.
Its purpose today isn''t for a ranking evaluation but to give a clear indication as to the state of their bodies.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the steele and to the group of youths who were curiously and warily eyeing the steele. They became startled when they saw Yang Qing suddenly reappear next to the steele in a sh.
With a gentle tone apanied by an encouraging smile, Yang Qing said, as he had said countless times before,
"All you need to do is pour a drop of blood on the stone, and nothing else, just a single drop and that''s it. .. "
"Could I go first?" politely asked Xie Rong.
"You''re more than wee to.."
Xie Rong, although seemed nervous, he was less nervous than he had been before when he was giving his version of ounts.
Feigning a look of calmness, with his trembling hands, he tried to make a tiny prick on his index finger only for his nail to slide off from all the sweat that had built up on his hands. Quickly hiding his embarrassment, he made another attempt, heaving a sigh of relief, when he saw it seed.
His nervousness showing, he poured a drop on the stone, which prompted the rest to hold their breaths as they eagerly awaited what would happen next.
Chapter 828 Sentence given (5)
Chapter 828 Sentence given (5)
??With held breaths, the crowd saw the stone sh with a gentle azure light that had released an ancient aura. A secondter, the light dimmed as writings appeared on the weathered stone Steele.
Xie Rong couldn''t make sense of what the writing was as it was in the form of anguage he had never seen. Still, the confusion disappeared an instantter when the writing stopped. Another light shed once more which seemed to have rotated the sybles, reforming them into something Xie Rong could finally understand.
Cultivation realm: true realm: bronze body refinement stage, Pseudo realm; fifth stage of the pseudo foundation establishment stage.
Status: Unstable and brittle from the pseudo pirs that are absorbing the host''s life essence into yin energy.
The maximum capacity of pseudo pirs has been reached, addition will result in the death of the host.
Lifespan: 3 years, 28 days.
Bloodline affinity: Original ( metal and fire), Pseudo ( water and wood).
"Do I have two cultivation bases?" Xie Rong muttered in confusion as he read the first part as he moved downwards his eyes widened at the report given before finally smiling in defeat when he reached thest line.
"Figures," he said with a bitter smile.
Even though he expected his body to have problems and he had also been informed of the dangers of being a human cauldron one of which was a decreasing lifespan the more pirs he formed.
He couldn''t help but feel dejected when he saw the actual value showing what was left of his lifespan.
Three years, three years that was what he had left. Some foundation establishment cultivator he was. He was weaker than mortals in every sense of the word, whether it came to strength or even lifespan.
He couldn''t help butugh at the irony of it all. Even though he had left home to escape his guilt, it was still true that he wanted to grow stronger but instead, he became weaker than he was when he left home. There was never a crueler joke.
"I deserve this I guess.." he said as he turned to walk back, his dejection affecting the rest.
The disy of Xie Rong''s lifespan left the group severely on edge as they hesitated toe forward, luckily Xu Yuan stepped in.
"Yang Qing, may I?
Yang Qing nodded to Xu Yuan with a grateful look.
Xu Yuan pped his hands, creating a subtle gentle rhythm that managed to calm the worrying youths.
Pulled out of their stupor, they couldn''t help but look to the source of the p.
"The promise we made to you at the valley still stands. Regardless of what your lifespan shows, we will ensure you get more than what you have lost..
Know this, whatever you see on the heart stone, that is not how things will end for you. Me, my fellow daoist here, and all the rest at Medical Valley will ensure you get to live your lives.." Xu Yuan solemnly said with certainty in his tone.
His confidence and matter-of-fact tone influenced the youths enough to calm them down. Yang Qing took advantage of the sense of calm around to resume the evaluations. To help reduce the pressure of who would be next, he made a unteral decision as he made the evaluations start from the left to the right.
One by one they made their way to the heart steele, each wearing the same expression when they saw their lifespans. Luckily they had Xu Yuan''s words to fall back on to steady themselves.
Whether it was those who were pill ves or human cauldrons, they all had less lifespan than they should have had. The one with the highest lifespan had 68 years left and said person, was 10 years old and was among the newest recruits as a pill ve. The human cauldrons were the ones who had it worse, as even their newest members had lifespans that were less than 30 years.
Once thest person was tested, Yang Qing turned to the group from the Chen family.
"To prove the veracity of the heart stone steele, Patriarch Chen Zian I would like to invite you over as the final person to be tested..."
Patriarch Chen Zian calmly nodded as he calmly walked over to the heart stone steele. With one fluid motion, a single drop of blood fell on the stone, and his results were shown.
Cultivation realm: 12th stage of the core formation realm
Status: Stable
Lifespan:4,012 years
Bloodline: Earth attribute
"Patriarch Chen Zian, can you confirm the results to be a true representation of your state?"
"They are.." Chen Zian curtly said, though his eyes couldn''t hide the mild surprise he had when he saw the results.
"Thank you for your assistance, you can step back now.."
"The heart stone steele''s functionality has been proven. We can now move to the next stage, which is the evaluation of the spiritual herbs and potions that were produced from harvesting them.." Yang Qing said as he pointed to the former pill ves and human cauldrons.
"The evaluation will be done by daoist Mei Xiling from the Medical Saint Garden. Daoist Mei Xiling, the floor is now yours.." added Yang Qing as he made a weing gesture towards the female disciple of the Medical Saint Garden.
As she made her way to the center of the courtroom, seemingly appearing out of thin air, a white jade table appeared, and on top of it were about a dozen mushrooms that had nebulous caps that had stars on them that glowed with a hazy almost misty white hue. These mushrooms were moon starcap mushrooms, sky-grade herbs that had excellent properties for cleansing and strengthening the soul.
A lot of alchemists or those doing jobs or practicing techniques that put huge demands on their souls usually chewed on the mushrooms to stave off mental exhaustion and extend the duration of time they can remain concentrated.
Other than the moon starcap mushrooms, the jade table also had over a dozen vials filled with different colored potions. Some of the vials had the symbol of a ming red lotus on them. The Owner of the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion nervously clenched the sleeves of his robes when he saw those vials.
Mei Xiling walked over to the jade table and neatly separated the vials of potion, before finally going for the mushrooms and dividing them into four groups. After she was done, four more moon starcap mushrooms appeared in her hands, likelying from the storage ring on her left hand. She ced the new group of mushrooms at the farthest end of the table, separate from the rest.
Only when she was done, did she finally speak.
"Except those four.." she said as she pointed to the four mushrooms that came from her storage rings.
"Except for those four, the rest of these moon starcap mushrooms were produced in Red Maple Empire, specifically the farms in ck Tear County, Cherry Blossom County, Spiritwood County, and Misty Caldera County.
They have all matured and for rity, I was the one who personally harvested them in those mentioned locations at the request of the Order.
I used a harvesting technique exclusive to the Medical Saint Garden so any of my peers or elders from the sect could easily verify it should you wish to do so..." Mei Xiling paused slightly before moving to the potions.
"I bought some of these potions from the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion. I recorded the whole purchase in this recording jade talisman.." she added as a grey talisman appeared on her palm.
She inserted a bit of qi into the talisman lighting up the runes on it which then produced a grey light curtain that was nk at first before it was colored with images that transformed into a video.
In the video, Mei Xiling could be seen walking into a pavilion that had an eye-catching red ming lotus sculpture crafted out of sunfire topaz.
Once inside, she asked for a few potions and their prices, which the attendant attentively provided as he added a few sentences meant to impress upon her how their wares were a cut above the rest, he was especially wordy when he was handing her the ripple aqua sap potion and the magma vein insight potion, exhorting how both potions could help trigger insights and epiphanies into the water, earth and fire elements that were deep enough toy the foundations for the pce realm.
Mei Xiling was already a pce realm expert and in the fourth stage at that. It could thus be assumed she had hidden it as she made that purchase. The owner, Song Ba could also be seen in the recording. He looked to be in heavy discussion with someone on the counter over, only throwing an acknowledging nod to the attendant after he hadpleted the sale for Mei Xiling.
Once she had bought the potions she wanted, Mei Xiling left the store and the recording ended immediately after.
"The talisman is a silver void talisman which is able to record soul signatures. The persons in the recording can easily be confirmed.
With that out of the way, the next part is the evaluation. I will be using a few simple known methods to bring to light the key ingredient used in said potions and moon starcap mushrooms. Said key ingredient is life essence as whole, human life essence..."
Mei Xiling throughout her whole conduct was cool,posed, direct, and sharp, cutting directly to the core of the matter.
With a flick of her hand, two things appeared, one living and the other unliving. The living thing was a fly that looked to have been sculptured from a clear block of ice, while the unliving object was a stick, that looked like any other mundane stick out there. It was brown and dried.
"I will start with the moon starcap mushrooms.." Mei Xiling said as she used the stick to point toward them. A look at her and one would think they were in a ssroom instead of a courtroom session.
"Moon starcap mushrooms require impure yin for growth. This is yin that has a touch of something that doesn''t go well with it, in most cases its yang energy, but as a substitute earth or lightning energies can do as well, but yang is the most preferable.
Yin is dominant, yang is minuscule in amount, creating an impure yin energy. The moon starcap mushrooms are dubbed so, one is because of how they look and the other, the name itself shows how it grows.
Clear skies, full moon, cluster of stars. It draws upon the energy of the moon and the stars to grow, and it''s most effective during clear skies. Because of these three simple conditions, it is one of the easiest sky-grade herbs to grow, as you don''t even need to do anything. The only problem with using this method is it takes too long for them to mature which is why substitutes were found to fill in the ce of the energy they get from the moon and stars which brings us to why we are all here today.
One of those substitutes that perfectly reces the two celestial bodies is the human body which is rich in yin and yang energy. Provided one can control the release of both energies perfectly to meet the needs of the moon starcap mushroom, human life essence is considered to be one of the best substitutes for nurturing them.
Human life essence shortens the growth period considerably, from needing sixty years and above to nurture it, to just needing five years and it''s almost always guaranteed that the quality of moon starcap mushrooms nurtured from human life essence will always be high.
But nothing is free of course. The cost for such quality and speed is the loss of the human life used to nurture those moon starcap mushrooms.."
Even though her tone remained the same which was calm and direct, there was a coldness seeping in there as she made thest statement.
Chapter 829 Sentence given (6)
Chapter 829 Sentence given (6)
??Moving on with a collected coolness about her, Mei Xiling''s attention moved from the potions and the moon starcap mushrooms to the stick and the ss build fly.
"What I have on my left is the branch of a soul incendiary cedar tree, and to my right is the yin torch bug. I will be using both to confirm the makeup of these sixteen moon starcap mushrooms.
As you know, or maybe you might not, soul-incendiary cedar trees are highly sensitive to the yin energy a living soul produces. The essence or energy produced by a living soul is capable of causing it to ignite in a bright orange me simr to the sun''s rays.
The more the yin essence, the brighter the mes be. Then there is the yin torch bug. Like the soul incendiary cedar, the yin torch bug is sensitive to yin energy. But it does have some differences to the soul incendiary cedar tree in that thetter needs yin energy produced from the soul of a living being to trigger a reaction but when ites to the yin torch bug it doesn''t have such restrictions. It will react to anything that has yin energy in it, be it a living soul, yin energy that is naturally urring from let''s say a yin spirit vein, or some natural treasure of yin origin, or even artifacts and weapons of yin attributes, down to even corpse energy, whatever it is, as long as it has yin energy within it, the yin torch bug will react to it.
However, just like the soul incendiary cedar tree, it produces light in the presence of yin energy but has some variations to the light it produces that is a reflection of the nature of the yin energy it hase into contact with.
Yin energy from a living soul produces a pure white light with golden hues, yin energy from a corpse produces dull grey light, yin energy from naturally urring objects like spirit veins and natural treasures produces a pale blue light, while yin energy from artificial objects like artifacts and weapons produces a light brown color that turns darker with the increasing grade of the artifact.
A sky-grade artifact will produce a brown color that is on the lighter side whenpared to one that is at the monarch grade.
It''s easier if I just show you.."
With a wave of her sleeves, three objects appeared on the jade table. Of the three objects, one was a fang about four inches in length and half that in girth. It looked intangible like it was made of grey smoke.
Next to the fang was a brooch that was azure blue. One look at the brooch made one feel like they were meditating next to a tranquil sea andpleting the trio was a ceramic jar that contained pure white liquid, almost like milk except this one had some ethereal almost pure shine to it. It released a refreshing coolness.
"This is the fang of a dead moonshadow cobra,this brooch is a monarch-grade artifact made from 10,000-year-old azure sangfroid crystal, and this liquid is yin jade spirit liquid.." exined Mei Xiling as she pointed to the three objects.
Once she was done, she poked the crystal torch bug almost as if she was nudging it awake, which seemed to be indeed so. It was inanimate the whole time, but after being poked, it came alive as it excitedly flew around Mei Xiling who for the first time showed a touch of emotion on her face as she gently requested the torch bug to fly to the three objects.
The torch bug brushed its head against her index finger one more time before it nodded with a human-like expression as it flew toward the three objects.
It went for the yin jade spirit liquid first, and a secondter it was clear why as it dipped its head in and took a sip, showing a clear look of ecstasy and satisfaction as it did so. A light was instantly produced in its abdomen. The light was pale blue.
The torch bug seemed to have forgotten Mei Xiling''s request. A few seconds passed and it was still intoxicatingly slurping the yin jade spirit liquid showing no signs of stopping.
It took a few ''ahems'' from Mei Xiling, to grab its attention, showing yet another expression as she did so when her neck reddened slightly in embarrassment with her eyes shing in anger in the process.
Sensing the unveiled threat thrown its way, the torch bug used its wings to quickly apologize before moving on to the next object, the monarch-grade brooch. It brushed up against the brooch, the light in its abdomen switching from pale blue to light brown which grew darker in shade before finally settling in moderately brown.
Only when the color had fully settled did it move to the next object, the fang of the moonshadow cobra. It seemed averse to going toward the fang, showing a look of disgust even, but eventually, it used one of its limbs to make contact with the fang, still begrudgingly at that, and its torchlight changed colors from brown to dull grey. It did not waste a second longer than it had to, quickly removing its limb from the fang, quickly flying back to Mei Xiling to curry favor with her. Its reason? Everyone in the courtroom knew.
"Not now, maybe after. There''s still something I need you to do.." Mei Xiling said with a sigh of exasperation. The torchbug deted at not getting the response it wanted, stared longingly at the yin jade spirit liquid eventually tearing its eyes away to avoid the temptation and torture.
"With that, I think the demonstration should be more than satisfactory, we can now begin the tests.." Mei Xiling said as she took out more branches of the soul-incendiary cedar tree, sixteen to be exact.
With one fluid motion, she used the branch she already had in hand and made contact with one of the moon starcap mushrooms that was picked from the farms of the Chen family. The branch which was no different than a dried stick instantly burst into life as it ignited with an intense blue-white me.
The stick burned for almost fifteen seconds before the me died out, leaving white ashes in the aftermath.
Mei Xiling repeated the same process fifteen more times,and the results were the same at every turn. Sixteen soul-
incendiary cedar branches all ignited with blue-white mes every time the branch made contact with the moon starcap mushrooms from the farms owned by the Chen family.
After thest stick had burned out, Mei Xiling motioned for the torchbug to take over. Uponing into contact with those mushrooms, the light produced by the torchbug was white with motes of gold, an indicator that the yin energy within those mushrooms were from living souls.
Once it was done, Mei Xiling motioned for it to remain where it was as she moved toward the group of moon starcap mushrooms that she had taken out from her storage ring.
"These moon starcap mushrooms, two are from the Medical Saint Garden, and two are from the Order. Now let''s test with the stick once more, but for transparency let''s do this.."
Mei Xiling brushed up the soul incendiary stick against thest mushroom from the Chen n''s farms, and as expected it ignited, however, this time she didn''t let it burn through the entire stick as she effortlessly separated the part that had caught mes from the rest of the stick, leaving half the stick unburnt.
"With this, you can be assured it is still the same stick.." she added as she moved to the remaining four mushrooms belonging to the Order and the Medical Saint Garden.
She prodded each mushroom with the stick, one by one, but there was no reaction. The branch maintained its mundane state where it looked no different than ordinary dead twigs.
"There''s no reaction because yin energy from the soul essence of a living being wasn''t used in their care.
Torch would you please?" she said as she beckoned the torchbug over.
The torchbug with familiarity went over each of the mushrooms, producing a pale blue light in the process unlike the white light with gold motes it produced with the previous sixteen mushrooms from the Chen n farms.
"With this, we can confirm these sixteen mushrooms were cultivated with the soul essence of living beings.
Now we move to the potions.."
Chapter 830 Sentence given (7)
Chapter 830 Sentence given (7)
With its rolepleted, the torchbug was dismissed but not before it sought guidance on its earlier request. With reluctance, Mei Xiling nodded to which the torchbug buzzed around her with excitement before flying over to the ceramic jar containing yin jade spirit liquid. As a fellow lover of food, Yang Qing couldn''t help but nod in approval at the torch bug''s firmness in its endeavor.
One must never forget what it is theybor so hard for. It is what makes the whole thing seem worthwhile and to him, food was one of those things that stirred him on in his endeavors, well that and petty vengeance, though food still held an edge over petty vengeance.
Pushing his motivations for working aside, Yang Qing brought his attention back to the case, inwardly feeling d to have gotten Mei Xiling''s help with the case. The way she handled it was just ster, leaving no room for doubt. Yang Qing couldn''t have done it any better himself.
...
Mei Xiling took out two flowers from two earth jade boxes. One of the flowers was a sunflower that released a sacred golden white light that had a cleansing, pure, and divine aura to it. Anyone with even a slight impure thought would feel insecure and ashamed when their gazes fell on it, and it was evident when the majority of the group from the Chen family and the owner of the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion all looked down when Mei Xiling removed the flower from the earth jade case.
The flower in question was the sacred cleansing sunflower. It was a rare spiritual herb that had purifying properties. It had unique properties which was why it went by another name, ''the flower of natural bnce'' it was called.
With its purifying or cleansing nature, it could detoxify a lot of toxins, but that was only if the toxin was manufactured. It had zero effects on naturally urring poisons.
To anything artificial, it was a divine medicine,?but to things that are naturally urring, it was utterly useless and was no different than a useless herb by the roadside. Its cleansing abilities only worked on things that it deemed impure, and what it deemed impure was what the natural dao ssified as unnatural.
Yang Qing nodded his head in approval when he saw the flower. It was perfect for the case. Of its purifying abilities was its ability to break down a potion into its constituentponents, which was perfect for using on the potions Mei Xiling had collected from the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion and the Chen family.
The other flower was a pristine white flower whose petals had closed shut. It exuded an air of grace, elegance, and fragility, almost as if it would disintegrate at the slightest touch.
The flower''s current docile look was heavily misleading which was why despite how it looked, Song Ba, Chen Zian, and a couple of other elders from the Chen all showed looks of fear and apprehension when the flower was revealed. The fear they felt was one that a prey felt whenever they felt they were in the presence of a predator as it indeed they were.
The flower in question was the bleeding petal devouring venus flower and it devoured just about anything. Its essence and nature resembled that of a taotie, except unlike thetter it didn''t have an unsatiable appetite, but just like the taotie it could extract nourishment from just about anything, be it living or non-living.
It could eat a rock and extract its nutrients the same way as it could when it consumed a spirit stone. What they called food was long. A lot of alchemists and cksmiths liked keeping one around as they were the best dposers. Any failed products they produced could be fed to the bleeding petal-
devouring venus flower for dposition which would then produce condensed and refined essence of whatever was fed to it in the form of crystals. Most were just pure elemental crystals.
However, the reason it was called the bleeding petal devouring venus flower wasn''t that it could dpose things, the reason Chen Zian and the rest all looked nervous around was that as much as it could devour anything, it had certain things that it liked to devour more than the rest and one of those things were cultivators be it human, beast, nts or even artifacts that had budding spirits.
As long as it could cultivate, that thing would be at the top of the flower''s must-devour list, and the flower Mei Xiling had brought out was at the pce realm. Even though Mei Xiling had sealed every part of it except its awareness and its desire to consume cultivators, some part of it still leaked out, which left those weaker than it in an rmed state especially, the ''more powerful preys'' in Chen Zian, Song Ba and the Chen elders present.
Whenever it devoured said cultivators the pristine white petals would turn color and start bleeding out red droplets hence the name bleeding petal devouring venus flower.
"Quit it or else.." coldly said Mei Xiling, reigning in the flower''s unruly behavior bringing a much-weed relief to Chen Zian and the rest.
Ignoring the difort the rest felt as she carried that ''flower fiend'' and the sacred cleansing sunflower, Mei Xiling went to the jade table, and produced four potions.
"These four potions match some of these potions here like the ripple aqua drip and the magma vein insight potion. I brewed them myself..."
She uncorked one of the potions and poured half its content onto the sacred cleansing sunflower, and the remaining half was poured onto the bleeding petals devouring venus flower which opened its petals as if it was opening its mouth as it gulped down the potion. In the end, it even burped as its petals curled up in a human-like satisfied grin.
The light released by the sacred cleansing sunflower instantly disintegrated the potion into different colored liquids, the colors being blue, green, earth orange, and a touch of silver which was a reflection of the elemental nature of the ingredients used in the potion.
When it came to the bleeding petals devouring venus flower, small finger-sized crystals that matched the same colors as that of the sacred cleansing sunflower were produced.
"If blood or human essence was used in the production of this potion, the petals of the bleeding petals devouring venus flower would have dripped with bloodline liquid and when ites to the sacred cleansing sunflower, its light would have vaporized the entire potion deeming it impure, and the impurity would be all that is left behind in the aftermath.."
Chapter 831 Sentence given (8)
Chapter 831 Sentence given (8)
After her brief exnation, Mei Xiling picked one of the potions she bought from the Red ming Lotus Pavilion and poured half of it on the sacred cleansing sunflower, while the remaining half was given to the bleeding petals devouring venus flower that seemed all too eager to sample as its petals rubbed together in apparent excitement.
True to what she had said before, the moment the potion came into contact with the sacred cleansing flower, the light released from it turned from ethereal and calm into an intense vtile brilliant ray of light that looked like it wanted to eradicate everything in sight.
The potion poured on it was instantly vaporized and what was left in the aftermath was a blood fog that got expunged by the light from the sacred cleansing sunflower before it even reached the jade table.
As for the bleeding petals devouring venus flower, it made a human-like expression of deep satisfaction as crunching sounds like it was eating up the muscles and bones of a living creature were produced by it as it ''chewed'' the potion. Secondster, red droplets that had an eerie simrity to blood down to even the metallic smell of blood were produced from its pristine white petals.
On seeing the results unfolding before him, Song Ba was tempted to speak up, desperation seemingly clear to be the cause.
The means Mei Xiling had used were not secret techniques that only the Medical Saint Garden had, they were well-known techniques. Every alchemist or merchant with a little bit of know-how would know to use the sacred cleansing sunflower and the bleeding petals devouring venus flower the same way she did.
Most alchemists had even tweaked their usage of the sacred cleansing flower and exploited its inability to tolerate impurities to root out the level of toxicity in their potions.
It wasn''t just the alchemists who did that, merchants who dealt in potions would have a sacred cleansing sunflower or two hanging around to evaluate the quality of potions they were buying.
Someone like Song Ba who was both a seasoned alchemist and merchant would definitely know about the sacred cleansing sunflower and how damning the results before him were.
It was because he knew what it meant that he reacted the way he did. His eyes were darting all around as if he was looking for an escape route, his forehead was visibly perspiring, his hands could be seen trembling. He kept trying to clench it with force as a means to contain the shaking, but it all seemed to naught.
Even without his shaking hands, everyone with an eye could see how unnerved he was and that sense of nervousness and fear only grew the more potions Mei Xiling tested out.
Every single potion on the table produced the same results. When it came to the sacred cleansing sunflower, they were vaporized the instant the potion left the vial, releasing a bloody mist in the process and scattered by the sunflower soon after.
For the bleeding petals devouring venus flower, it gorged itself with ecstasy showing as it did.
Even its look changed as a reflection of it as it turned crimson red with a thin baleful mist appearing on one of its petals. It also grew in size.
Before it was about the size of half of Yang Qing''s arm in length while its flower was half his palm but after consuming all the potions bought from the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion and the ones collected from the storehouses of the Chen family, its length had grown to about a meter. The sizes of its flowers were about the size of a fully grown pawpaw. Every time it opened its petals to gorge itself on the potion, with every potion it devoured, a portion of its petals would calcify. Now as a result of it, those calcified parts made it seem like it had teeth, razor-sharp teeth that were dripping in the same red liquid that was constantly produced from its petals.
It looked like a true fiend, and such a change would only happen from consuming the essence of cultivators be it blood or flesh. It was closely approaching essence frenzy which was amon urrence with them.
Consuming the essence of a cultivator always strongly triggered its devouring ability, throwing it into overdrive, pulling it into a frenzied state where it thought of nothing other than consuming every cultivator present to satiate the all-consuming desire it had to devour them.
It was what made them so dangerous. When in such a state, a bleeding petals devouring venus flower would massacre countless cultivators in its path to fulfill that devouring desire but the problem was, it would never get satisfied, hence the name, essence frenzy.
The more essence it consumed, the more frenzied it became as that insatiable devouring desire grew, but the problematic part was, it grew more powerful with every cultivator it consumed. The baleful mist bleeding petals devouring venus flower produced every time it consumed a cultivator''s essence had a natural corroding ability that could eat away at hardy surfaces, tough skins, and materials, and eventually it could even break down the forces of cultivation arts or techniques which would then be converted into fuel by the flower.
The bleeding petals devouring venus flower had an innate understanding of almost all of the elements which is how its able to reproduce refined elemental essence crystals.
This was what made it such a terrifying opponent to face. Provided you were at the same level or weaker than it, it would grind away at your attacks whilst strengthening itself in the process leaving you exhausted and helpless as amb at the end.
The bleeding petals devouring venus flower Mei Xiling was already at the pce realm, they didn''t have to worry about itpletely falling into a frenzied state. It has a strong spirit and self control as a result of it and the essence it consumed were of cultivators who had not even stepped into the core formation realm.
Its excitement was probably due to the test rather than the quality. That was proven when it went to its docile look from before the instant it was done consuming thest potion.
...
" With this, it''s proven beyond reasonable doubt that the potions were brewed using the essence of cultivators.
Thank you for your time.." Mei Xiling cooly said as she cupped her fists to Yang Qing before joining Xu Yuan at the side immediately after.
"Thank you for your assistance, daoist Mei Xiling.." said Yang Qing as he cupped his fists in gratitude.
"Brother Xu Yuan, I already have all I need, you can continue with their treatments.."
Xu Yuan nodded gratefully to Yang Qing as thetter used his medallion to activate the teleportation rune in the courtroom transporting Xu Yuan, Mei Xiling and the former human cauldrons and pill ves back to the Medical Valley.
"There''s one more ount we will hear before I leave the floor to all of you to make your cases.
Senior Yu Gen, could you bring him, please?.."
The roaming inquisitor nodded, as he shed and disappeared from the courtroom only to reappear a secondter with someone else in tow.
The person standing next to him wore loose ck robes that revealed his chest that was covered with sword scars,had a scrawny build, curly long flowing ck hair, blind in one eye and blue eye in the other, a devilish charm to him, that even his clear fear couldn''t mask and looked to be in histe thirties.
When he appeared, a few of the elders of the Chen family looked apprehensive each with different degrees of severity.
Yu Gen brought him to the center of the court before stepping back to join Xia Ting who seemed to be no more than a spectator in this whole thing.
The loose-robed man bowed subserviently to Yang Qing as he said,
"This lowly one greets the court."
"Your name is Shen Mu, the leader of the ck Scorpions Gang, right?" Yang Qing said as he addressed the man.
"I am.." said the man as he bowed his head ever so lower.
"What say you to the terms offered to you by my colleague?"
Shen Mu inadvertently shivered at the word terms.
"I agree to it and thank the Order for extending its grace and mercy to me, and giving me the chance to turn a new leaf.."
"Good, then we will keep it brief. You will just need to point out those here you had direct dealings here and what you did for them. That''s all..." said Yang Qing.
"But if I detect any hint of falsehood or avoidance in you, then your fate will be far worse than what you would have originally got. Is everything clear?" sternly asked Yang Qing.
"I W..Ould not D..are''" Shen Mu said with a slight tremble and stutter.
"Good, you can begin.."
Were people to see Shen Mu''s cowardly disy, they would not believe he was still the same vicious scorpion head of Purple City. His reputation was that of a ruthless and cunning person.
Bothmoners and even the nobles treated him with caution and the reason for that was his strength as a peak stage core formation expert with an embryonic form of saber intent already formed which gave him strength that was a cut above even heads of the peak ns of Red Maple Empire like Chen Zian.
He was both strong and ruthless in how he conducted his affairs. Be it facing an ant or an elephant, he would use all cunning and ruthlessness he could muster making the ck Scorpion Gang one of the most feared organizations in Red Maple Empire.
The thick coat of baleful murderous qi surrounding him was proof of the countless lives he had taken. He was surrounded by a thick dark smog-like aura filled with viciousness and the unrest of those he had in.
Such a thick stench and aura could only be found on those who had ughtered hundreds of thousands. The feared reputation he had created was not undeserved. Just his presence alone was enough to strike dread to even the most battle-hardened soldiers but s he had the misfortune of falling under the Order''s radar.
Investigation into the Chen family unearthed his rtionship with them which in turn revealed a slew of other things and eventually, he became a person of interest.
With the number of bodies he had on him, one of the pce realm inquisitors of the Yellow ins Branch, who caught him, beat him, healed him, made him fight with all he had every single time, only to beat him after, ruthlessly at that, heal him again and repeat the whole process over again.
That process went on for four days, and the result.. It was the broken man before them.
Chapter 832 Sentence given (9)
Chapter 832 Sentence given (9)
??Shen Mu took a deep breath in a bid to exorcise the torture he had endured the past few days. He didn''t start out wanting to be the leader of some gang. When he was young, just like every other impressionable young kid, he wanted to be a virtuous cultivator and sail the skies of the world. He was well on his way to doing exactly that.
He wasn''t born into a well-off family. He was from an indistinct vige, born to a father who was a hunter and a mother who was a cksmith. He lost his father when he was young. He died in an ident during one of his expeditions.
As for his mother, she wasn''t originally from the vige and had only stayed on ount of his father. When he died, she wanted to leave and asked Shen Mu who was twelve at the time to leave with her. Shen Mu afraid to leave all he knew behind, decided to remain in the vige.
His mother eventually left, but not before leaving him with a foundational technique whose grade he didn''t know at the time and only came to discoverter that it was a top-tier orange-grade technique. She also left him with a few cultivation resources and an amulet that she exhorted him to keep on him at all times. After that, she left.
Shen Mu rapidly improved with the resources left to him. The vige also took great care of him, though materially it was small, but in terms of helping fill the void left by his deceased father and his mysterious mother who had left for parts unknown, they filled that void perfectly which in part was why Shen Mu was able to make rapid improvements in his cultivation.
He eventually left the vige when he broke through to the qi refinement realm, in search of a sect to help guide him in the next part of his cultivation journey. He only took with him the amulet his mother gave him, handing out whatever resources he had left, to the vige, which included the top-tier orange-grade cultivation art his mother had given him.
Even after discovering the true grade of that artter in life, handing that cultivation art to them was something he did not regret. It was the one thing that helped preserve the person he once was.
With his talents, it wasn''t hard for him to gain admission into one, though the sect didn''t have a pce realm cultivator, it was a sect with a long heritage, having been around for almost 30,000 years. It was filled with over a dozen core formation experts, controlled territories, and resources that rivaled those of well-established kingdoms.
He was in disbelief when he gained admission into the sect, and even more so when he caught the eye of one of the deacon elders who wanted to ept him as a disciple. In his excitement, he quickly epted,a choice he soon came to regret.
With considerable resources, a deacon elder for a backer, his talents shone through like a tiger that had grown wings. In two short years, he was already one of the standouts among the outer disciples; be it in terms ofbat or cultivation speed he was leading the group, as he became one of the earliest to attempt his breakthrough to the foundation establishment, gaining quasi blue grade pirs in the process.
Thanks to the quality of his pirs and his skills with the saber, he managed to garner the attention of the big figures of the sect as he was quickly promoted to inner court disciple. But he soon came to realize how different the world of inner disciples and core disciples was whenpared to the life he had as an outer disciple.
When you''re an outer disciple you are all at the same starting line, all striving with single-minded devotion to improve yourselves and show your value to the sect. Thepetition was fierce and chaotic at times but it was pure. Those who rose above the rest rose through their strength and even though thepetition wasn''t bereft of schemes at times, most times confrontations were direct, schemes having little to no impact on the final results.
But, when it came to the domain of the inner disciples and core disciples, things were different, the rules were different. Having strength wasn''t enough, for one to wade through those waters with just strength alone, it had to be strength that was enough to suppress the entire sect, not just your fellow disciples. It had to be strength that was capable of making everything else orbit around it, anything less and it wasn''t enough.
Without that type of strength, to survive there one would need a different type of ''strength''... connections and backing were the faces of that strength which Shen Mu was severelycking in, when he stepped into that world. He went in with naivety thinking his talents would be enough to give him a footing in such a ce but without tall trees to shelter a young sapling from the storm, no matter how full of potential that sapling had, it would be blown away effortlessly when the storm came and that was what happened to Shen Mu.
His talent though decent, wasn''t aplete standout, and the backing he thought he had in his master who was a deacon elder, his master was the first to sever ties with him when he angered one of the core disciples when he refused to bend the knee.
In a single leap, the sect that he saw as thend that would nurture his dreams, only nurtured nightmares that have continued to haunt him ever since. He was thoroughly suppressed to the point that he would have lost his life had the amulet his mother had given him not activated to save him from the killing blow from his own master who hade for his head when he was out for a sect mission all to curry favor with that core disciple.
Filled with fear, anger, and distrust at everything around him, it wasn''t long before he turned into who or what he was today. He betrayed without a second thought, killed without a second thought, used cunning to the extreme to both protect himself and torment his victims, fawned over those he needed to, exploited those he needed, and destroyed those he needed.
There was not a line he would not cross and nothing he would not do as long as it guaranteed his well-being. It was why despite being stronger than most of the heads of the so-called ''noble'' families of the Red Maple Empire, he would always don the servile persona.
If there was one thing that sect taught him in the end it was how to throw the luxury that was pride as a cultivator and adjust to circumstances. Be a lion in front of mice, and be a mouse in front of dragons. Those heads might be weak, but their heritage wasn''t. It wasn''t something that a peak core formation expert with pseudo-saber intent could contend against.
He became a man of many faces because of it up until a week ago when that fear he felt as a disciple finally came flooding back and then some. As he was punched with a force that could pierce even through to the heavens above, he finally realized that everything was immaterial in front of strength. That truth was something he had realized during his years as an outer sect disciple, but it somehow got lost in the fog of time.
"That is a strength I don''t feel regret or shame bowing down to.." thought Shen Mu as he fixed his gaze on those he had colluded with. He couldn''t help but chortle as a childish thought surfaced in his mind.
"Maybe I still have the chance to be that hero I always wanted to be when I was younger.."
Something seemed to have shifted in him as hepleted that thought. Ever since he fled that sect and the path of ughter he chose to go in, he always felt like a snake was constricting him, tightening itself ever so tightly around his body, and soon he couldn''t even breathe under that mounting pressure and suffocation brought by that constriction.
Everything within him was smothered, his bones quaked, and he always felt this vivid sensation that the snake was getting ready to swallow him, leaving him always on edge. The thing that kept him slightly sane was the amulet his mother gave him which was still as mysterious as ever. Always stepping in when his life was in danger.
However, even with the amulet''s intervention, he was still greatly affected and it wasn''t just his mind, even his cultivation base had been greatly affected too.
Most in the Red Maple Empire knew him as the leader of the ck Scorpion Gang who was a peak stage core formation expert and had pseudo saber intent. What they did not know was, that Shen Mu already had these results close to 1,000 years ago, 997 years ago to be exact. His cultivation halted at that time, which coincided with the first time he ever spilled an innocent''s blood. The time when he had the luxury of knowing and feeling guilt.
1,000 years passed by, and his cultivation base didn''t so much as budge an inch, no matter how much effort he put in, all the resources he used, it wouldn''t move, and the path ahead became vaguer and vaguer and before he knew it, he couldn''t see or sense it at all. He became desperate and was driven to near madness as a result, doing everything and anything to try and get it to budge including taking jobs he would never have considered taking all for the sake of trying to get his cultivation to move even a millimeter, but it was all for naught.
What he got for his efforts was a snake that grew in size every day, suffocating him each day, and eventually..over the past four years he had this premonition it wasn''t long before that snake devoured him.
But now, he could feel a glowing warmth spread around his body, massaging every part of his body, healing the strain left by that snake. He closed his eyes infort as he felt his body lighten feeling the greatest relief and release he had ever felt.
His eyes suddenly widened when he felt that gentle warmth that was freeing him from all the torment he had endured suddenly transform into a sharp force that instantly spread all over his body slicing the snake that had enveloped him before finally dealing with its head as it did, he felt something that had long stagnated move.
"This?!" he muttered in disbelief.
"True saber intent, interesting.." muttered Yang Qing as he saw the resplendent light surrounding Shen Mu like it was cleansing him. His thoughts were immediately cut short when he sensed undtions of energy produced by the wood amulet Shen Mu wore.
Shen Mu whose emotions were all over the ce, halted in even more shock when he sensed the movementsing from his amulet. Just when he was wondering what was happening to it, the amulet released an ethereal earth red glow that materialized into the silhouette of a person.
On seeing that person, Shen Mu''s eyes widened as his lips trembled.
"Mother?"
The silhouette was of a woman in her early forties, with brown hair freely flowing that matched her free spirit.
"I am d I didn''t have to take the life of my own child.."
Chapter 833 Sentence given (10)
Chapter 833 Sentence given (10)
??"Life?!"
Shen Mu was hit with shock that he struggled to follow what was happening around him.
Just the other day, he was beaten within an inch of his life, then the cultivation base which had not moved in close to a thousand years finally moved and in the process, his saber intent grew from its pseudo phase to a fully mature saber intent and the impetus of it all turned out to be his conscience which he had long abandoned, leaving him with only one lingering regret in life, his mysterious mother and now here she was.
The shock of seeing her after searching for her for so long and failing left him at a loss for words and thoughts.
Thedy sighed as she saw Shen Mu''s reaction, her gaze turning tender in the process, as she extended her hand to ruffle his hair before pausing her movement halfway, returning her hands to her sides.
Shen Mu who noticed her movements had his gaze flicker in disappointment before he asked the one question he had always wanted the answer to all this time.
"Where are you?" he asked, chalked full of emotion.
The figure stared at Shen Mu for a bit, her true thoughts masked behind her calm demeanor. A few seconds passed without a response from her, Shen Mu growing more nervous as the silence continued.
"I should not have left you behind. I should have left with you, maybe then you would not have gone down the route you did.."the figure said with regret in her tone.
Just as Shen Mu was about to press more, he paused when he saw the silhouette of his mother turn solemnly toward two new guests. One of them was a middle-aged man with a stern expression, silver hair, and silver pupils; Next to him was also another man, middle-aged, with short ck hair, however, he had star-shaped irises with five pupils in each iris, four were at the four cardinal points of the star-shaped iris and thest one was at the center.
The two men appeared in the courtroom without presence, with only a few noticing they were there. On seeing them, Yang Qing stood up to greet them.
" Greetings Supervisor Lei Weiyuan, Domain Judge Hou Dehui.."
"Yang Qing, your case seems to have dragged in a surprised guest.."leisurely said the middle-aged man with star-shaped irises, his eyes lingering curiously at thedy.
"I hope I am not being too forward here fellow daoist, but would you care to introduce yourself? Rarely does the imprint belonging to a domain expert appear in this type of court.." added Lei Weiyuan.
The reason for their appearance was precisely because of her. Lei Weiyuan as the supervisor of the core and pce courts was always constantly monitoring the happenings in those courtrooms, in part to ensure the judges and the inquisitors were doing their jobs as they should, but another reason was because of the possibility of what was happening right now to happen, where some powerful figure appeared where they should not be.
Over the years there have been numerous cases of cultivators sneaking into the courtroom using esoteric means such as hiding in a cultivator''s soul, and transforming their spiritual will into clothing among other means and they do that for a number of reasons; like getting vengeance for a sentencing or capture of someone close to them that the person was not happy with, another reason is they sneak in to try and change the sentencing by covertly beguiling the mind of the judge, while others are more direct and try to pull of breakout.
It''s easier to try a breakout in the courtroom, at least there you know where the cultivator of interest is rather than try and do it after they get sent to the Requiem, a ce where not even those who belonged to the Order knew where it was.
Years of experience had left the Order to expect sneak-ins into the courtroom and one of the measures they put in ce other than the powerful arrays and hidden treasures in every courtroom that are capable of assailing a middle-stage domain expert, is having a domain expert supervise those courtrooms which was why Lei Weiyuan despite being ate stage domain expert, was the supervisor of the core and the pce courts.
As for why Hou Dehui was here with Lei Weiyuan, Yang Qing guessed it was because he was technically involved with the case since it had an ovey with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, with Red Maple Empire having a partnership with them, and a few of their subsidiaries like the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion being caught up in the case also, and that was discounting the fact that the son of one of the founders was also involved too.
"Forgive me for myck of manners for intruding like this, it wasn''t my intention. I had a dormant will imprint embedded in the amulet I had given my child which I had set to trigger under certain conditions, one of which was a monumental point in his cultivation such as an elevation of his spirit which he did when his saber intent matured..." solemnly exined thedy.
Hou Dehui''s irises produced a golden glow creating the look of a true star, as his pupils lit up with the color of the five elements. He ced his hands on his chin with a look of interest as his eyes fell on the amulet.
"An amulet made from 50,000-year-old gxy sands, expertly embedded in the wood from a silver dragon gourd tree. Beautiful craftsmanship.. approaching the realm of returning to one''s root, hiding the extraordinary in the mundane.
Chief Song would like you.. What do you think, Lei?"
Lei Weiyuan stroked his beard, his gaze too on the amulet.
"The blend is seamless, and the properties of both monarch-
grade ingredients have been used to their full efficacy. The array work is amazing too..." Lei Weiyuan paused as he switched his sight to thedy.
"The aura of your imprint is that of peak pce realm expert, though... " his eyes shone with an ethereal light as threads that looked like they were the fabric of the world appeared shed in his eyes.
"You''ve already broken through to the domain realm. Mmmh, based on this product, you must have just recently reached the gold tier in your craftsmanship abilities..mmh, I did hear Divine Armament City weing a gold-grade craftsman and a domain expert about three years ago, is that you?" asked Lei Weiyuan.
Thedy''s eyes flickered in surprise as she answered,
"Yes, I am. My name is Tan Lanfen. Once again, I would like to offer my apologies to the court, and .." she paused as she turned to face Shen Mu.
"I had been at the peak stage of the pce realm for over five thousand years, and though I already had the qualifications to break through into the domain realm, I was too afraid to take that leap and thus decided to wander the world, to try and clear my head, and then when I had just about fifty years left, I would make the attempt.
It was in the wandering that I ended up moving into that vige and with the thought that I might die lingering in my head, even though it wasn''t in my ns in the beginning, as time passed by with me closely approaching my limit, I thought it wouldn''t be a bad thing to have a child.
At least then, even if I did end up dying to the tribtion, at least some part of me would still be alive.
On a whimsical fate, the person I decided to have a child with ended up being your father..
I would not be here today if it wasn''t for you both. The time I had with him and you was what got me over the line.."
Shen Mu with a lost look, hesitantly asked,
"If you were such a powerful cultivator, why didn''t you save him? Surely as a pce realm cultivator, you had the means to prevent his death.."
Tan Lafen sighed as she said,
"It is still one of my greatest regrets, but I couldn''t prevent it. Had he lived back then, I would have still left. Closer to his end, I was finding it harder and harder to suppress my cultivation realm. I used a technique to seal my cultivation basepletely to the point I was no different than a mortal. If I used my qi even slightly, the tribtion would have fallen.
I.... " Tan Lafen paused as she tightly clenched her fists.
"I wasn''t ready to leave you both, so I wanted to prolong that stay as much as I could and your father died as a result of it... After his death, even though I had not nned it, out of guilt I asked you toe with me.
I never wanted you to see me die, which is why I wanted to leave in the first ce when the technique to seal my cultivation base stopped working, but seeing the toll your father''s death had on you, i waivered, but when you said you wanted to stay, I was relieved, which is why I didn''t insist on it, and just left you those resources and the amulet..."
Chapter 834 Sentence given (11)
Chapter 834 Sentence given (11)
Shen Mu pressed his lips together which spoke of the myriad of emotions brewing within him. There was relief and joy from finally realizing his mother was alive. Then there was the surprise when he realized his mother was a domain expert, not only that but a gold-grade craftsman too, and from the Divine Armament City no less. Even though she wasn''t a member of the Divine Armament Sect, her identity as one of the craftsmen in the City it controlled and being a gold-grade craftsman to boot, already showed how powerful her identity was.
That realization unearthed other emotions in him which boiled down to frustration and anger. The exnation she had given on why she couldn''t help his father made sense and even some part of him was relieved she did so, at least because of it, he still had one parent alive rather than risk losing them both.
His time as the head of the ck Scorpion Gang had left him exposed to quite a lot of information, especially with the contacts he made in the process. When his cultivation realmpletely stalled, he spent a lot of resources digging up information rted to all things cultivation, especially breakthroughs to the next realm.
Amongst the pile, even though he didn''t have much hope he would ever reach it, he had read a few ounts rted to the domain realm, and how terrifying its tribtion was.
There were confirmed records of certain peak pce realm experts that had the most stable foundation one could ever have, met and exceeded all the qualifications to reach the domain realm, despite all these, those experts chose not to go through with it, choosing to exhaust their lifespan and live out the rest of their days as pce realm experts.
That fact showed how terrifying the tribtion of the domain realm was, so to Shen Mu, his mother''s choice was the most sensible but the suddenness of it all still hurt. Every time he broke through, he would think to himself,
"If I had this level of strength, maybe I could have saved father.."
And now finding out his mother had a strength that was a million times more than what he ever had, some part of him felt indignant, like she was selfish, though it wasn''t purely the loss of his father that made him feel that way. The resources she left him, while precious, other than the amulet whose glimmer was hidden, about the only thing else that was of value was the top-tier orange-grade cultivation art.
Discounting his mother''s present achievements, back then she was a peak stage pce ream expert and a blue-grade craftsman whose abilities were already approaching the levels of a gold-grade craftsman, and a resident of Divine Armament City, with her titles and achievements, a top tier orange grade cultivation art was nothing but scraps to someone of her stature. As for the other things she gave him, all the resources she left him, none was above the middle tier of the earth grade.
Wasn''t it too underhanded of her to hand her only child resources that he could have gotten in a prominent rank five sect.
Her not helping his father on ount that she had suppressed her cultivation realm to the mortal realm, that he could understand, but what excuse did she have for being stingy with the resources, especially when she wasn''t sure she would survive the tribtion?
The part that left Shen Mu unreconciled wasn''t her apparent stinginess but rather the possibility that his life would have gone to a different line if she had been even a tiny bit generous.
If she handed him blue-grade cultivation and maybe a few sky-grade resources then he would have not needed to seek out a sect. He would have been self-sufficient.
And if he didn''t need to seek out a sect then maybe his life would not have turned out as it did.
Maybe he would not have be the cold-hearted monster he had be. A monster who kidnapped, stole, ckmailed, terrorized, massacred innocents, or associated with those who made even him seem like a saint whenpared to them.
He wouldn''t have suffered as he did if she had helped him a little bit more, but as he looked at her, whatever anger he felt seemed to dissipate.
She still looked calm, and a presence worthy of a domain expert who could overturn the skies and the oceans with a turn of the hand, but beneath that exterior, despite never having seen her for over a thousand years, Shen Mu, as her child, he could tell she felt guilty. Her countenance was unchanged, but he could tell, having seen it on his mother all too often from his mother when he was small whenever she would be preupied for days on end crafting something to the point of forgetting her surroundings, which included Shen Mu and his father.
When she was on those benders, no matter how much he tried to grab her attention, she would not as much as spare a look his way. It was like he never existed. He used to cry as he hated that feeling, that feeling that she cared more about what she was crafting than him and if he was being honest, that feeling had been one of the reasons he didn''t choose to go with her back then when he offered. At least when his father was alive, he wouldfort him whenever she was in one of those phases, but without him, if it happened again... He didn''t want to go through that pain again, and alone at that, thus seemed easier for him to remain in the vige.
Whenever his mother came out of the stupor and saw the crying Shen Mu, she would always have the same look she had at the moment. Her face and demeanor wouldn''t change much but her eyes would tremble faintly, and her two index fingers would move almost as if she was chiseling at something using them. Having trained as a hunter thanks to his father, he prided himself in his observation skills, and being around her, he noticed that habit of hers, he wasn''t sure she knew it herself but every time she felt guilty her pupils would tremble slightly followed by the movements of her index fingers, which usuallysts for two seconds before she turns back to normal.
Despite himself, he couldn''t help but smile as a warm feeling coursed through his body while his mother looked at him with a look of confusion which only made Shen Mu feel better.
"It''s not fair to me her. The choices were mine to make and I made them. I am d to see you haven''t changed even after all these years. As adept as you were with your tools, father was right, you were always clumsy when it came to these things.. "
Shen Mu shed a childish smile at his mother as he said,
"I am d you''re okay..." he paused as he bowed.
"I am sorry our reunion has to be under these circumstances. I haven''t been good for a long time and have shamed you and father with how I have lived, but, I am d I got to see you on the day I decided to give it a go again. I am really d you are here, mother.." he added, his voice shaking, his eyes reddened with tears.
Tan Lafen looked at Shen Mu, confusion evident on her face. She could tell Shen Mu had been angry with her a moment ago, and as bad as she was with people, she could understand why he was angry with her.
When she left, she could have left Shen Mu with better resources but she purposefully didn''t and the reason for that was to protect his life. Without sufficient strength, giving Shen Mu more quality resources than she did was subjecting him to disaster.
One of the greatest dangers for cultivators was possessing a treasure that they couldn''t protect. That treasure might as well be a noose around their necks. Fathers could betray sons, and vice versa for a tempting treasure, siblings could quickly turn on each other, and long-time friends who had survived life and death together would quickly turn on each other for a treasure,and a saint would quickly turn into a devil for a treasure.
Tan Lafen had seen such things happening around her, and she wasn''t about to subject her only child to such a fate, thus she gave him enough treasures to support his cultivation base to the foundation establishment realm. The resources were not precious enough to incite greed, and when it came to the vigers, she was sure none of them would realize the value of the things she left behind for Shen Mu and even if they did, she had left enough means to guarantee Shen Mu''s life against them, after all, the strongest person at the vige had only been at the qi refinement realm.
As for the top-tier orange-grade cultivation art, it was one of the best cultivation arts she hade across when it came toying down foundations in the body refinement to the qi refinement realm. Its proficiencies matched even that of blue-
grade cultivation arts. But no matter how good it was, its only use was in the body refinement realm to the qi refinement realm, past that, it was useless, so Shen Mu''s life would not be in danger for possessing it.
She had it all nned. Shen Mu would use the orange-grade cultivation art supplemented by the resources she left him to build him sturdy enough foundations that would grant him entry to any reputable sect, and in case he met with any danger, the amulet would help resolve it provided it was deemed as a fatal threat to his life, other than that the amulet had another person. It was a key to her legacy.
She had ced a dormant imprint in there that would be activated under two circumstances. One of those circumstances was Shen Mu touching on the doors of the pce realm would trigger it, which was why it activated now. With a mature saber intent, Shen Mu was already halfway there.
At that level, Tan Lafen judged he would be able to handle the weight of her treasures. The imprint would activate, and guide him to her abode in Divine Armament City along with other locations around the continent that had her resources which also included the favors she was owed which might be of benefit to Shen Mu.
The other trigger was her death. Had she failed her tribtion, the imprint would have activated,a few seconds before her death, and imprint everything into Shen Mu''s mind.
But s things ended up different than she nned. While she was alive and Shen Mu had gained saber intent, ultimately whatever ns she had would have to be scrapped seeing him in the hands of the Order, and over the years, though the imprint was dormant, she felt what Shen Mu had been up to, the life he led, and using the amulet,she sealed his cultivation realm, and if he continued, she was ready to use the amulet to end his life.
Luckily it didn''t reach that point, but even if she wasn''t forced to take his life, current circumstances were not any less difficult whenpared to what she had resolved to do. With what Shen Mu did, the repercussions were sure to be steep.
"I couldn''t help him or Gu''er back then, maybe I can help him now.."
Chapter 835 Sentence given (12)
Chapter 835 Sentence given (12)
Once she hade to a decision, Tan Lafen turned to face Yang Qing, though her attention was on the two domain experts present in Lei Weiyuan and Hou Dehui.
"Might I say a few words?" she asked solemnly.
"If it''s anything rted to the case in any way, then we all defer to him. As for me and Lei here, we are nothing but guests and observers.." said Hou Dehui, still casual and rxed as when he appeared.
"The court wees what you have to say.." said Yang Qing when the attention was on him.
"Thank you for your consideration and tolerance... I may have not known the exact particrs of what my son has been to all these years, but through my imprint, I had some ideas, and now seeing the dense haunted ughter qi around him, his crimes must be egregious and unpardonable.." Tan Lafen said as her gaze lingered slightly on?Shen Mu before moving back to Yang Qing.
In her vision, Shen Mu was surrounded by a baleful mist of blood, and within that mists were mournful wails and faces filled with grief and anguish all mbering in desperation as they tried to use the cloak of baleful mist surrounding Shen Mu as a pathway to reach Shen Mu himself and im what they owed him.
The life of cultivators wasn''t devoid of bloodshed, even saints had a little blood on their hands. That was howbative and chaotic the world of cultivators was leading to some developing a variant type of aura and qi around them like ughter qi.
Long-timebatants like generals, and veteran soldiers, the longer they remained inbat, inevitably their qi would change into a ughter qi to adapt to the lives they led. The ughter qi they acquired could be considered a natural adaptation they got so they could survive in the environment they were in.
It was almost guaranteed for every soldier to acquire it the longer they remained in abat-rich environment. It wasn''t just soldiers, those who lived in an environment where they had to fight with their lives on the line every single day would end up developing ughter qi.
The ughter qi they get is to augment and assist them to survive in such an environment as much as possible. It would make their attacks sharper and deadlier; It was much more explosivepared to regr qi and it would continually strengthen their bodies in terms of vigor and vitality.
ughter qi would continue to grow in strength and purity the longer one lived in such an environment, which was the reason most generals would never leave the battlefield or cultivators who chose to continue living in a perilous environment despite the apparent dangers to their lives.
The more developed their ughter qi became, the more the harvests they would gain from it such as refining a pure killer intent that functioned simrly to saber, spear, sword, or fist intent. Of course, despite its apparent advantages, it was still risky to improve oneself using ughter intent, other than having constantly risking your life to improve, the biggest issue when it came to ughter qi was its vtile nature that eroded the user''s mind the more powerful it became.
Without sufficient willpower, ughter qi would eat away at the mind of the user essentially transforming them into a frenzied being that existed purely for ughter absent of any form of rationality. It was why many empires and kingdoms devised meditation techniques and other means that made up for that weakness.
But what Shen Mu had was something different. He had ughter qi around him but it was deemed impure and that impurity came from ughtering innocents, those weaker than himself and those without karmic entanglements. To the natural dao, this was an unrighteous ughter and would not give its stamp of approval. If it wasn''t for the amulet Tan Lafen had handed him which kept it at bay, without a fiendish art, Shen Mu would have soon been swallowed by the baleful haunted qi around him and be subjected to the greatest torment he had ever endured as those resent filled specters tore away at his mind and flesh in a bid to possess him while subjecting him to the greatest torment unimaginable.
Luckily he came to his senses and birthed a saber intent which not only strengthened his cultivation base and spirit but was also able to keep that baleful qi at bay.
..
"I may not know what he did, but his crimes are not light.... You see, whoever he became, he wasn''t originally that way.. As a child, he was a kind and considerate child who dreamed of protecting and taking care of his parents and the entire vige up to their old age.."
Tan Lafen paused as she cast a tender gaze at Shen Mu, seeing the little child who would swing a wooden saber she made him, with a righteous aura around him as he said he would defeat the evils of the world with that saber.
She sighed in regret,as she turned to face Yang Qing once more, leaving the guilt-ridden Shen Mu.
"Whatever he became, I''m to me for it.."
"No, you are not! I made those choices... all because I couldn''t handle the weight of being weak... It wasn''t your fault.." vehemently said Shen Mu.
"If I didn''t leave you behind, you would have never had to do what you did. So, of course, I am to me. The sins of the parent are not the sins of the child but in certain aspects, the sins of the child are the sins of the parent.
I know and I have seen personally how unforgiving this world truly is and yet I left an eight-year-old child to fend for himself in that world. I was too focused on my affairs that I handled everything poorly, there was a lot I could have done differently and because I didn''t, here we are.
What''s done is done, the past is gone, all I can do is try and affect the present...
Judge, I am not asking for his crimes to be forgiven but I am begging for you to leave him a path to life. I am willing to do anything to that end including donating my entire fortune and myself to the Order to use as you will.
All I ask ....and beg is you spare my child. Please!" Tan Lafen said, her emotions showing clearly on her face for the first time.
"Mother.." tongue stricken, whatever retort Shen Mu had evaporated on seeing his mother pleading for him.
"Your son will not be executed and it''s not because of the offer you have made. If we changed our rulings based on such offers we would lose all credibility of impartiality. So, please don''t make such an offer again.
Your son will live, he may never see the light of day again until hisst breath, but he will live and the price of that is him sharing everything he knows. That is more than enough.." Yang Qing gently said.
"H..e is going to live? Mu''er?"Tan Lafen muttered in surprise. She had expected for her offer to be rejected with her son''s fate all but sealed for execution. Such a thick baleful mist surrounding him, she expected death for his crimes. Him being spared of that was a surprise to her and to a deal he made no less.
Smiling, Shen Mu said,
"Thank you for shielding me, Mother, but let me handle it from here. It''s my mess to clean.."
Tan Lafen absentmindedly nodded, still slightly dazed from the whole thing. Then when she came to, she requested Yang Qing to allow her to be there for the proceedings, which he agreed. With her presence, Hou Dehui and Lei Weiyuan remained.
Chapter 836 Sentence given (13)
Chapter 836 Sentence given (13)
Shen Mu quickly showed why his testimony was worth being spared execution. Tan Lafen''s assumption had been right. Shen Mu''s crimes were as bad as they could get. Though in terms of bad, while they were irredeemable, they were not to the point of no return like it would have been had he been a blood fiend cultivator.
If evidence had shown that Shen Mu sacrificed people like blood fiend cultivators did, to try and improve his cultivation, then no matter what he offered up, he would still be tortured for a decade for all the information he had, specifically, ties to a blood fiend cult, and then after they had gotten everything they had on him, he would be burned in the chaos yang river of retribution. The river was a saint-grade natural dao treasure that had the purest yang mes Yang Qing had ever seen, even purer than what he produced.
Those mes were the absolute bane of everything touched with yin energy, and it was especially, ruthless against blood-fiend cultivators who were covered in resentment and all manner of baleful qi. That river would cleanse them into nothingness, and that cleansing was slow, subjecting them to the most unimaginable pain they could ever imagine.
The tenth finger of the Scarlet Blood Ghost Hands syndicate who was captured by the Order didn''t flinch at anything the special inquisitors did to him, but the moment he was dipped into the chaos yang river of retribution, he resisted for a month before he started spilling and this was a hardened middle stage domain level expert who had experienced the winds and rains of the earth, but even he, could not endure the baptism of the chaos yang river.
Shen Mu was spared that fate for two reasons, his crimes though atrocious, he was flirting just at the extreme edge of that line,?and the other reason was the sincerity in his willingness to divulge anything.
After the beating, they didn''t even need to threaten him or promise him that much to get him to agree, he volunteered it, and it wasn''t just his testimony that he volunteered, the paranoid person that he was, he went to extreme lengths to record everything. Every deal he made was recorded; every conversation he had, was recorded; every meeting he had was recorded; every trade was recorded; anything and everything that could be recorded was recorded by him both visually and auditory.
Considering who he was dealing with, hisck of clear backing, and even though those he dealt with didn''t explicitly tell him what those kids he supplied them with over the years were for, as the leader of a nefarious organization, he had educated guesses that were not far off the mark.
He spent a fortune in getting talismans and artifacts to get those recordings undetected. Even with his strength and reputation, considering the dealings he had with those parties, in his mind, he felt it was only a matter of time before they decided he was a liability they could not afford to keep around, and when that day came, he had expected to use those recordings as bargaining chips or tools of causing chaos as he made his getaway.
While the recordings weren''t exactly his escape ticket, they did in some way do what they were purposed for which was to preserve his life.
Using the recordings, he fingered every person he dealt with as he provided damning evidence to apany it.
Of the four counties, cktear County was the one that had the highest dealings with Shen Mu.
Spiritwood County and Misty Caldera County were strategically important to the Chen n because they were originally part of the territory under the direct control of the red maple spirit and were thus of significant quality, however, when it came to size, the cktear County was thergest county amongst all counties under their control. It was four times the size of both Spiritwood and Misty Caldera Countybined, and the bulk of their produce for sale came from cktear County which had a lot of farms.
Despite how profitable it was, from the information provided, the n patriarch had little oversight and control of it, and it wasn''t out of choice but rather he couldn''t. Like mostrge ns, the Chen n wasn''t without its fair share of feuds and internalpetition and one of thergestpetitors to Chen Zian for the post of n patriarch was one of the elders who happened to have heavy influence over the county. That elder''s name was Chen Bo.
Be it in terms of aptitude and cultivation realm, Chen Bo and Chen Zian were neck and neck, and ultimately what gave Chen Zian a leg up over Chen Bo came from the support of their grand elders which could be considered their trump cards. Chen n had three grand elders, each a quasi-pce realm expert. Chen Zian got the support of two of them, with thest one supporting Chen Bo.
In the end, the numbers favored Chen Zian but despite being the n patriarch, Chen Zian had little influence in cktear County, which was Chen Bo''s backyard.
Though evidence showed Chen Bo was uninvolved, on ount that he had been in deep seclusion for the past 600 years in an obstinate attempt to try and break through to the pce realm, the cktear County had the highest number of pill ves and human cauldrons. It also had thergest number of people who had dealings with Shen Mo. Seven elders had dealt with him and of those seven, one of them was Chen Bo''s son, who was in disbelief when Shen Mo yed a recording of a deal they had, in which he had Shen Mo continuously supply him with more children.
Even though the recordings showed him avoid saying what those children were for when Shen Mo tried to sneakily broach the subject, the visual recordings showed the images of those children and some of them matched the pill ves and human cauldrons who were just in the courtroom.
The recordings even showed Chen Bo''s son, Chen Lai advice Shen Mo to massacre a few viges from the territory controlled by the Gui family, if he was running out of ces to source it.
Shen Mo ignored that advice of course, even with Chen Lai''s promise to help him cover his tracks and even his willingness to pay more if the children came from there. No matter how much wealth or promises he offered, Shen Mo wasn''t willing to draw the ire of powerful noble families like the Gui family who were just as powerful as the Chen family.
Doing as Chen Lai wanted was a surefire way ofing under the thumb of Chen Lai, which was likely what he was after. If he did the deed, Chen Lai would have likely held it over his head or even used it as a bargaining chip with the Gui family to try and gain their cooperation in something.
This was entirely possible, as from what Shen Mo knew, Chen Lai and those from cktear County hated Chen Zian''s guts and were constantly seeking ways to oust him which even included seeking alliances with other powers. To him, Chen Lai was more than likely using him as a chip in gaining one of those alliances.
Other than sourcing for pill ves and human cauldrons, Shen Mo had murdered and stolen at the behest of some of those elders, and those reasons were more personal, such as killing an alchemist who outbid one of the Chen elders for a recipe he desperately needed or threatening families that had children that showed some talent in cultivation. Those elders didn''t want those children to nurture them but as practice dummies for their children, in which those practice sessions almost ended either in crippling or death of the children of those threatened families.
Shen Mo had done a lot of heinous things for them and he recorded each one, which he expertly presented in court, damning all those elders.
Following cktear County, Cherry Blossom County followed in the number of elders Shen Mu dealt with, the county''s number being four, but when it came to Spiritwood County and Misty Caldera County, Shen Mu never had any direct dealings with anyone from those two counties with only an indirect involvement being showed when he showed the images of the children he had sourced for the Chen family over the years.
Both counties had the least number of pill ves and human cauldrons, with Misty Caldera spotting the lowest with two pill ves and one human cauldron, while Spiritwood had four pill ves and three human cauldrons. Other than the two elders present in Chen Gutian and Chen Zhn, no other elders were involved, unlike the previous two counties.
When he was done with the elders, his gaze moved to the store owner of the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion.
"I only dealt with Owner Song Ba once, and the deal was the assassination of a n member from the Chen family, someone by the name of Chen Xue.."
"Whaaaaaaaat?!!! Xue''er WAS....."
A thunderous roar instantly exploded in the courtroom.
Chapter 837 Sentence given (14)
Chapter 837 Sentence given (14)
??"Tell Me Again! Who did you say you assassinated?! Who Did You Kill?!.."
In the group of elders, one particr individual instantly exploded the moment Shen Mu made his statement about assassinating someone at the behest of Store Owner Song Ba.
"Say it! Who did you kill?! I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
With a thunderous roar, the elder exploded with violence, his qi exploding in the process as he charged toward Shen Mu his expression livid, maddened with anger. However, the sh that was expected to happen, didn''t. That elder was forcibly frozen in ce by Yang Qing, who used his cultivation realm force to hold him in ce. That elder couldn''t so much as blink under the restriction.
The elder felt like a massive hand bearing the weight of the heavens had held him in ce. No matter how much he tried to fight against the force with all his might, he felt like he was using a ball of snow to try and topple over a massive mountain.
Unable to move, all he could do was re hatefully at Shen Mu as he struggled to process the realities of what he had just heard. Thanks to the restriction, he managed to calm down somewhat though it was a different kind of calm. This calmness had a coldness to it like an active volcano building up its pressure until the opportune moment when it will erupt with all its fury bringing havoc to its surroundings.
"Elder Gutian, please try and contain yourself. Attacks are not allowed in the courtroom.." Yang Qing softly said when he saw a hint of rationality return to the elder''s eyes.
"Sorry for my earlier outbursts, Judge Yang Qing.." said Elder Gutian though one could tell his mind wasn''t even there and had just said those words out of perfunctory politeness. Even as he made the apology, his eyes were still glued on Shen Mu, who despite being sent death res by the elder seemed unperturbed, only sighing in pity as he looked back at the elder whose body was still frozen in motion.
Yes, the elder who just had a massive outburst, was Elder Gutian, the elder in charge ofMisty Caldera County which had the least number of pill ves and human cauldrons, and was also the uncle to the current patriarch of the Chen n, Chen Zian.
Chen Zian who had been silent all this while, spoke up.
"Judge Yang Qing, pardon my insolence, but could I ask something of him?"Chen Zian said as he pointed to Shen Mu.
"You can.."
"Thank you for your amodation.." Chen Zian said as he gave a polite bow before turning to face Shen Mu.
"Is what you said true? Were you the one who killed Chen Xue?" calmly asked Chen Zian.
Even though he tried to contain himself as much as he could as he asked the question, a lethal coldness was mixed in his tone, one that spoke of his fury.
How could he not be when Chen Xue had been one of the most promising geniuses of the n before he died unceremoniously?
Had he been alive, with the talent he showed, the next patriarch would have been automatic. It would not have mattered whether he gained the approval of the supreme elders or not, the fact that he had received the recognition of their n founder, Chen Fu was more than enough to guarantee him the spot of n patriarch when he came of age. But, s, he died.
"More or less..." answered Shen Mu.
"What do you mean, more or less? Did you or did you not kill Chen Xue?" asked Chen Zian, the limits of his patience close approaching.
Shen Mu looked at Chen Zian, then Chen Gutian whose gaze waspletely cold and almost apathetic, before finally falling on Song Ba, who was already pale, but not from Shen Mu''s reveal but for the exnation given earlier by Mei Xiling, the disciple of the Medical Saint Garden. Her testimony and exnation that left no loopholes had damned him already, and everybody in the courtroom knew it, especially, him. From then on, as the clock ran on, all he felt was an increasing dread of his impending fate.
Shen Mu couldn''t help but sigh at the look of desperation and dejection, store owner Song Ba showed. In Red Maple Empire, while he was wary of the noble families, it wasn''t to the point of being terrified of them. If push came to shove and he had to act, he would not hesitate to draw his fangs against them, but he couldn''t say the same about the subsidiaries of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. That identity alone was enough to strike terror in most and Shen Mu had been one of them.
Their personal abilities aside, the level of deterrent they had from being associated with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion was to the extent that most feared them even more than the royal family of the Red Maple Empire despite thetter having pce realm experts and countless cultivators under their control and the former having only a handful cultivators and those at the top being only in the core formation expert.
It was for this reason that those subsidiaries operated as kings in the Red Maple Empire, lording it over everyone within the Empire, including even the nobles of the Empire themselves, with their noses up the sky. About the only one they spared any though was their fellow peers and their rtionship with one another was anything but cordial. Just like the noble families of the Red Maple Empire were constantly at each other''s throats trying to devour, so were the subsidiaries of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, and theirpetition could be said to have been more fierce and ruthless whenpared to the one the noble families of the Red Maple Empire had.
At least when it came to the noble families, they kept each other in check, and also the royal family that stood above them, was even more so. Their feuds though asionally spilled over to bystanders, it was more often than not restricted to members of these noble families, but the same couldn''t be said of these subsidiaries.
Those subsidiaries treated the entire Red Maple Empire as its chessboard, and everyone in it as pawns in their game of dominance. Only the royal family seemed to be outside their game, but the rest, be it the major noble families to underground bosses like Shen Mu, to regr citizens..they were all pawns for them to use as they pleased.
The major noble families could at least resist being pawns to some extent, but when it came to people like Shen Mu and the rest, they had no option but to be pawns if they wanted to survive. But here they were, all equal under the might arm of the Order.
"Store owner Song Ba hired me to kill a few passengers, at the time he didn''t reveal their true identities and only said they had some ties to the Chen family and had cheated him on some deal by using their rtion with the Chen family.
The excuse was outrightly flimsy. Who would dare cheat the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Shop? Being associated with the Chen family is nowhere near enough to give someone such guts.
But I was in no position to ask any question not when he offered a tri-essence elysium clover that was 20,000 years old and a chance to consult one of the executives of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion to offer pointers in my cultivation.
The fact that the request was made by someone from a subsidiary of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion already made it difficult for me to refuse and the two things he offered, with my stagnated realm, turned the situation impossible to reject.
Maybe that is why he brought the request to me in the first ce instead of the other underworld organizations around or using his connections. He knew I was timid and desperate enough to ept..." said Shen Mu.
Yang Qing agreed with his assessment. For someone whose cultivation realm has stagnated even one who hasn''t, most peak core formation experts, to quasi pce realm experts would do anything to get their hands on the tri-essence elysium clover which was a monarch-grade natural dao treasure.
It was a clover that formed three petals which over time condensed dew drops on each petal that were condensed liquified forms of dao. The type of dao contained within the three petals was the same in each petal, but it varied from clover to clover. One clover would have condensed dew drops containing the dao of illusions through water, while another would contain the dao of regeneration through the wood element.
The type of dao formed by the clover was ultimately up to chance and wasn''t something one could predict. Using the clover was simple, as one only needed to ce the petals on their lips which would dissolve upon contact, releasing the dao dew and essence within in the process.
For peak-stage core formation experts or long-stagnated quasi-pce realm experts, that essence would give them the impetus needed to take the step forward by giving them a small dose of concentrated dao insights contained in the dao dew essence. How much they harvested, or how great a step they took was ultimately dependent on their powers ofprehension. If they werecking in that regard, then no matter how many petals they consumed, the dao dew essence it contained would be lost on them, but if they had decent powers ofprehension, then even a single petal would be more than enough to help them take that giant step into the pce realm.
The petals of the tri-essence elysium clover were nothing more than a key and not a guarantee, but it was precious nheless, as it offered a chance to enter the doors on the other side and Yang Qing could see why someone like Shen Mu would agree to Store Owner''s Song Ba''s request.
"So after he made the request, even though I had my reservations about the request because of how vague he was acting with the details, I decided to go through, but I couldn''t shake the feeling of the oddness of it all, especially, with how cagey he was.
Ultimately unwilling to do the deed myself, I hired an assassin organization by the name of Fog Cloaks Assassins to do the job. I fed them the information Owner Song Ba had given me which included travel ns, the ferry they''d use, the route, the targets which were everybody on that ferry, and their skills and cultivation bases.
Thinking back, I should have been suspicious of how thorough he had been with the information he provided about them, but back then I chalked it up to his extensive intelligencework as a seasoned merchant.
Knowing their unconscious fighting habits should have been a dead giveaway that something was off. No matter how developed his intelligencework was, he should not have known the tell signs they had when they transitioned from defense to attack, or feigning an attack, or all the trump cards they had on them.
It was so thorough that the Fog Cloaks Assassins even suspected I wasying a trap for them with how detailed the information had been. In the end, I had to tell them it was a job Owner Song Ba had requested for them to agree to go through with it but in exchange, they said I had to be present as they did the job, and I also had to give them one of the recordings I had made of the deal, luckily I had made five copies, so trading one wasn''t an issue and I also had to give them one petal of the tri-
essence elysium clover.
Because of the information provided, the assassination went on smoothly. Not a single person from that ferry left alive..." Shen Mu paused as his eyes fell on Chen Zian and Chen Gutian.
"At the time, I didn''t know who it was, though even if I did, with how desperate I was, I honestly don''t know if I would have been able to resist the temptation.
But I truly didn''t know the real identity of who would be on that ferry. Your son and the rest used fake names and the fight itself was finished quickly tha.. because of the information provided. They didn''t have a chance to fight back.
It was onlyter when I came back and saw the uproar that came from his death that I realized the friends of the Chen family who cheated Song Ba were none other than Chen Xue and his guards.
But by the time I realized it, it was already toote, the damage had been done, a fact that Owner Song Ba used to keep me tightly under his control. Same as how I recorded the whole thing, he had a recording except his was of me striking a deal with the Fog Cloaks Assassin.
They sold me out and even doctored the recording to make it seem that I was the instigator of the whole thing. Owner Song Ba made me an offer, as long as I did jobs for him, and told him of the deals I made with the Chen family, as he already knew I had some dealings with some of them, then the recording would never see the light of day.
With no other choice, I agreed. Other than the information I fed him on the dealings I had, he never asked anything else of me.. though I had a feeling sometime in the near future, he would have, given how tense things had got between him and the owner of the Earthvine Restaurant.
Chapter 838 Sentence given (15)
Chapter 838 Sentence given (15)
??Chen Zian and Chen Gutian simultaneously turned their attention to Song Ba, whose ghost-like features grew more defined by the second.
Chen Gutian looked at Song Ba, with the same silent coldness in his eyes that he had given Shen Mu moments ago before he turned towards Yang Qing.
"Judge Yang Qing, I promise not to act out of turn and I am sorry for my early outburst.."
Yang Qing, sensing his sincerity, nodded as he removed the restriction he had ced on him, allowing the old Chen elder some freedom in his movement.
Yang Qing wasn''t too worried as he released him. Even if the elder decided to act out, Yang Qing was confident in suppressing him in an instant. About the only reservations he had was the consequences he would receive incase he did. As someone caught having human cauldron and pill ves, his future was already grim, and now with the shock of the news that just hit him, Yang Qing didn''t want to pile more troubles on him.
Elder Gutian nodded gratefully toward Yang Qing before he turned to face Owner Song Ba looking like he wanted to ask him something.
With the revtions thus far and the seemingly weight of it, rather than interfere, as long as there were no fights, Yang Qing decided to let things proceed their natural course. If Chen Butian or Chen Zian had any questions to ask, they could freely do so, in the context of things.
Besides, Yang Qing had noticed something as Shen Mu was giving his testimony. Chen Butian and Chen Zian were not the only ones who disyed reactions to his confessions about the death of Chen Butian''s son, Chen Xue. Most of the elders of the Chen family seemed shocked by the news, with some disheartened by it, and others, it was just in shock with no other reaction, but for one of them, the way they reacted caught Yang Qing''s eyes.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but narrow his eyes at him as he alternated his gaze between that elder and the Owner Song Ba.
"Owner Song Ba, why did you do it?" coldly asked Chen Butian.
"You''ve been ying me for a fool all this time, haven''t you? What a fool I have been.. colluding with my son''s killer.." he added as he shook his head whilst smiling bitterly before his look turned calm again.
"Back then, I only agreed to your n of taking in those poor children to the farm and subjected them to those roles, all because you promised to help me find my son''s killer. No matter how much I hated myself for it, I kept telling myself it was okay as long as it led me to my son''s killer. To that end, I would have done everything and anything, including sacrificing my conscience.
And now you want to tell me it was all for naught? I destroyed my conscience, at the behest of my son''s killer?
Why Song Ba? Why did you do it? Did ying with the emotions of a grieving father and ying him for a fool really bring you such pleasure?
What did I ever do to you? What did my son ever do to you? Of all the questions I have, that''s the one I want to know. Why... Why did you have my son killed?" Chen Gutian asked his voice, his face, all showing the grief that had haunted him for the past forty-three years since his son''s death.
In all his life, his greatest pride and joy was his son. The founder of the Chen family, Chen Fu had established himself as a sword cultivator, and when he broke through to the pce realm it was through the sword dao. However,ter generations didn''t have the same talent as him when it came to the sword, and they eventually decided to ply their efforts in alchemy instead.
However, even after pivoting to alchemy as their lifeline to stay afloat and relevant, it was still a sword n, through and through. They may not have the same talent as their founder, but they never abandoned the sword, not truly. Every generation would still practise with it, and Chen Butian was no different.
In his youth, his eyes were on nothing else but the sword, he loved it but unfortunately for him, the love was one-sided, the sword didn''t love him back. He had no talent for it, but like most, he believed that one day his relentless efforts would shine through and win its hearts, after all, it was said hard work trumps talent.
Later in life, he realized the facy in that statement. Hard work could never trump talent. A mortal could exercise his or her body to death, but if they couldn''t sense and absorb qi, they would never be able to be cultivators;
Someone could have a blue-grade cultivation art and meditate on it day and night without pause, but if they didn''t have a sufficient level of talent inprehension, then without a fortuitous fate-altering encounter, they were doomed to remain as they were.
But with talent, someone cultivating the poorest white grade cultivation art could somehow make gains using the art, and even quite possibly elevate it from the white grade to the blue grade. True talents could take a massive leap to the skies with a single movement while those without it could just stare at the skies, forever bound to the ground beneath their feet.
Hard work could never trump talent, but it could equate to it. But for that to happen it needed luck, which either tries to fill in the gap talent would need, or which was more often than not provide the talent that was missing in the first ce.
For example, a mortal with zero talent in cultivation suddenly stumbles onto a natural spiritual treasure that transforms their body and gives them the talent to cultivate.
Getting born into an affluent n, like Chen Butian was, could be considered a form of luck. He may have not had the talent for the sword, but thanks to the considerable resources the n had and the effort he put in, even without talent, he was able to make some progress with the sword and even achieve sword qi.
Were he to be born into a different n, an impoverished one, it would have been in doubt if he would have even developed sword sense, or ever reached the core formation realm, but because of his luck, he was born into the prestigious Chen n,a n containing the heritage of a sword pce stage cultivator.
When an immortal ascends even his chickens and dogs ascend with him and that was ever so true for Chen Butian, but ultimately, thete stages of the core formation realm and getting sword qi was the limit he could ever reach even with the support of the Chen n. That luck could only take him so far.
He was like a normal horse. No matter how hardworking the normal horse was, there was only so much it could carry, even with care from the owner, feeding on the best hay, regr checkups, and maintenance, there was a limit the normal horse would carry before its legs gave out. But if that horse had a smidge of dragon blood in it, then that limit grows exponentially regardless of how well it was cared for.
That was the importance of talent, and Chen Butian had little of it, luckily he had the Chen n to fall back on, it was why he was so greatly devoted to its wellbeing even after he realized he had no talent for the sword. He was one of the few elders who actively volunteered for the younger members of the n, especially those in the body refinement realm.He would also be the first to volunteer for dangerous missions like delving into unknown ruins, mysterious realms, and other dangerous ces in the hunt for treasures, and before he knew it, he was already 4,000 years old, closely approaching his lifespan limit, with no wife and children.
He didn''t mind it, but when the other elders including his nephew Chen Zian, asked him to rest, he had done more than enough for the n, only then did he consider having a family and it wasn''t because it was something he truly wanted but only because he felt it was something that would be of service to the n. All his life other than the sword, his n had alwayse first, even above his life.
With that thought, he found a dao partner, and even when he chose his dao partner, it was with the n''s benefits in mind which was why he went for someone from one of the minor nobles so as to draw more support for the Chen n. Other than her background, he didn''t care much for his dao partner and eventually, he had a child with her, Chen Xue.
Before he was even born, Chen Gutian already had everything nned out, which was he would use his lifespan to ensure his child would be of great service to the n that had given him so much. To him, his child was a tool of service to the n, they would exist solely for the n''s sake.
At least that was what he thought, but from the moment Chen Xue was born, for the first time, there was something that took the hegemony that the Chen n had in his heart, and that was his son. His world shifted and existed for his son, with everything elseing second ce to him. Chen Gutian always found himself surprised at the change that happened to him because of Chen Xue and it wasn''t because Chen Xue had shown considerable talent that drew even the eyes of the entire of the Chen n.
To him, he knew, even if Chen Xue had shown mediocre talent, he would still have felt the same way. Chen Xue was his son and pride and joy and that was it, there was no rhyme or reason. Chen Xue became his greatest achievement. Even if he gained sword intent, something he longed to achieve, it still would note to the exhration he felt every time he was around his son and the journey he shared as father and son.
One of his regret was, he started that journey toote and to make up for it, he tried to ensure Chen Xue had a wholesome life. Whatever ns he had of making Chen Xue useful to the n, he scrapped them, as he was even the one who continually tried to have Chen Xue live more, instead of just cultivating. To try and have other things in his life, that would make cultivating important.
The day Chen Xue died, Chen Gutian had managed to convince him to take a break from cultivation and go experience the thrill of an auction house, from the excitement that came from the unique treasures being revealed to the bidding war that came after, and the thrill that came from being one of the victors. He hoped to add some color to his son''s life. As someone who lived his life with single-minded devotion, he knew how exhausting that life was, and didn''t want his son to live the same life he did.
Therefore he had him go to that auction, not knowing he had sent his beloved son to his death.
When he received the news, he copsed and went into shock for a month, missing even the funeral, and when he came to, he didn''t believe it at all, thinking he was under some illusion attack, and when it finally sunk in, he broke. He cried, roared, fought, did anything to try and numb the pain of the loss, and the guilt he felt but none of what he did worked.
He grew to loathe himself in the process with each day bing unbearable, but through it all, there was one thing that kept him sane and steady, and that was vengeance. Finding his son''s killers and paying them back in interest was the only thing that kept him going.
Chapter 839 Sentence given (16)
Chapter 839 Sentence given (16)
??A silence bore down on the courtroom, its growing presence, stifling. Owner Song Ba seemed a little out of it, his mind, seemingly elsewhere, leaving only his soulless and nerve-wrecked body behind which was of no use to Chen Gutian who seemed to be using whatever willpower and self-control he had left to not attack Song Ba, but that self-restraint seemed to be eroding the longer Song Ba without answering his question.
Chen Zian at the side though looked to be holding himself back better than Chen Gutian did,cked the characteristics bearing of calm that he had earlier. Right now, he was nothing more than a volcano about to explode.
He was just as angry as Chen Gutian at the whole thing, albeit for different reasons from him. While Chen Gutian was maddened at the loss of his child and being duped by his son''s killer which added salt to injury, Chen Zian''s anger at the whole thing was at the loss of what potentially Chen Xue could have been.
His consideration was of how vital Chen Xue had been to the n, especially the potential of what he could have been. Chen Zian, like most in the n, saw hope in Chen Xue, hope that someday in the near future their n would wee another pce realm cultivator, and a sword cultivator at that just like their founder Chen Fu.
Chen Xue, since young had shown an uncanny aptitude for the sword, the likes the Chen n had not seen in a while. At six years old he had already achieved sword sense and at fourteen he already had developed sword qi,and at thirty he had already developed sword intent when he was just at the first stage of the core formation realm.
However, what made almost everyone including even the supreme elders hold him in high regard wasn''t because of the talent he showed with the sword but rather because he had gained their ancestor''s mark of approval.
Their ancestor, Chen Fu, while he couldn''t be considered the greatest genius of the sword when one considered the continent as a whole, but in certain circles he could be considered gifted.
Back then, when he and the six other founders of the empire ventured into the territory of the red maple spirit as they fled for their lives, even though he and the five others were not its chosen sessor,the red maple spirit handed them treasures on ount of Duan Qui.
As a long-lived spirit that had reached the peak stage of the pce realm and had already knocked on the doors of the domain realm, its breadth of sight was as wide as any seasoned cultivator. It may have not stepped into the domain realm and even failed the tribtion, but its experience, owing to its long lifespan and the achievements it made meant its judgment was just as good as a domain expert''s.
When it handed out the treasures to the six of them, it wasn''t in a haphazard manner but handed them treasures that werepatible with their talents. It was how it judged Chen Fu to have an aptitude for the sword, and Mo Li who had an aptitude for the saber, and Gui Ling whose talentsy in alchemy, Zhang Ren who had a strong spirit and sturdy body suited for the purely destructive arts that were tied to ughter qi.
For each, it gave them the appropriate treasure, and as a tree spirit that had lived 100,000 years, it wasn''t a hard thing to do. Even though it wasn''t a sword cultivator, or a saber cultivator, or cultivated its body to perfect the art of destruction, over the course of its long life it had collected a little bit of everything to expand its horizons. In the end, all paths led to the same road.
There was a lot to be gained from studying different daos, because in doing so, one better understood the different facets of the world around them, and the deeper that understanding got, the easier it became to understand oneself and the path one should take.
It was a great way of preventing blindness to one''s dao by being fluid in the different forms and diverging paths it could take and the red maple spirit with its long life could afford to study different types of dao even if it wouldn''t master them, deciphering them was a great way of improving itself which was how it ended up with all types of cultivation arts and techniques.
Mo Li received a blue-grade saber art from it, while Chen Fu got a blue-grade sword cultivation art that was also at the blue grade. Both were of the same level which was the low tier of the blue grade, but they were profound arts nheless which became the driving factors to both breaking through to the pce realm and even guaranteeing the continuity of their ns long after them.
For the Chen family, the art Chen Fu received was called the Owl vignt sword art, which had great demands on the cultivator''s soul, specifically their spiritual essence. The art''s true forte was countering attacks before they fully bloomed with fierce precision and for one to perfectly pull it, they needed a strong spirit that could sense those subtle changes.
The demands of the art were extremely difficult to meet which was why other than Chen Fu, no one ever reached perfection with art, let alone even the blooming stage which was a tier lower. The better ones cultivated it to the emergent phase while the majority were stuck in the beginner phase when it came to the mastery of the art.
Their ancestor must have anticipated the difficulty the art would prove to others, thus tried to break the art into easily digestible parts but in the process, he inadvertently had an enlightenment and ended up creating another art in the process, one that was built on the foundations of the Owl vignt sword art.
That art ended up being of a higher grade, a middle-tier blue-grade sword art, a fact that the Chen family had kept secret from others. Every person who knew of the existence of the art had to make a grand dao oath of not divulging its existence to outsiders.
That art was the true trump card of the Chen family, however,it was just as difficult cultivating it, as it was cultivating the Owl vignt sword art, but because it was his creation, their ancestor was able to create a means through which others could understand it easily, but even if he made it easy, it wasn''t truly easy. There was nothing ever truly free in the world, for everything gained, a price had to be met, and the price demanded for learning the art was something that stumped most within the Chen n.
Their ancestor imbued the true essence of the cultivation art he created in a top-tier natural dao treasure called the insight infusion jade bamboo, a spiritual nt capable of eternally storing a cultivator''s insights but also their spirit provided they were strong enough.
Using the bamboo, their ancestor poured all his insights of the cultivation art into the bamboo, which ended up transforming the bamboo in the process. It created 16 leaves, each leaf containing a portion of the insight their ancestor had left behind, and because it also recorded his spirit, the bamboo ended up transforming into a sword treasure that leaked the tempestuous sword qi of their ancestor.
"The true sword of a sword cultivator is their body. It is the river through which other swords are born.."Was what their ancestor always said.
There was a wave of millions of sword qi surrounding the bamboo which put a life-threatening pressure on those below the pce realm. The only way to pass through that sword qi was to decipher its essence, only after you did would you get the authorization to get to the bamboo.
One could not brute force their way through it as the sword qi contained the strength of their ancestor. Anyone who wasn''t at the pce stage expert would easily be shredded to pieces. Luckily for them, because it was birthed from their ancestor''s spirit, even those who tried to force their way through, there were no fatalities but for those who did, their bodies and cultivation base would be permanently crippled by the sword qi.
There was only one way through, to grasp the essence of the sword qi and use its rhythm to find a way through to the bamboo. Once one was at the bamboo, it was simple, one would pour their essence into the lowest leaf, and using their entire essence which was their mind, body, and soul, they were to feel the power contained within and firmly grasp the truth within and make it their own.
The process was direct and simple enough except, it was harder and even more dangerous than the flood of sword qi surrounding the bamboo. Feeling the power of the leaf with one''s entire essence was basically allowing their body, mind, and soul to be sliced apart by the essence of the sword art their ancestor had stored within. This was no different than being personally attacked by their ancestor.
The pain was unimaginable, and the pressure was soul-
crushing, and they had to bear through it long enough to grasp the essence contained within that leaf. Enduring, demanded a lot of one''s willpower.
One''s cultivation realm was useless there and few could survive even ten seconds of it let alone endure it long enough to grasp the truth within and the worst part was, the pain and the pressure would grow exponentially with each leaf. The further up the bamboo pole one moved, the harder it became.
There was once an elder of the n at the eighth stage of the core formation realm, who had sessfully endured the wrath and demands of the first four leaves, and was making his way for the fifth one.
With every essence sessfully consumed, the body, mind, and spirit of the cultivator would be strengthened greatly along with the understanding of the art. That elder though was at the eighth stage of the core formation realm, thanks to the baptism of that bamboo, could fight toe to toe with cultivators that were at the 11th stage and even had a chance of defeating them. He was that powerful. But when he made his attempt for the fifth leaf, he could hardly endure it for five seconds and his mind broke in the process turning him into an invalid.
That reality made most, no matter how much they wanted to learn the middle tie blue grade art, they were hesitant to attempt progress past a certain threshold. Chen Zian managed to cultivate it to the sixth leaf and he was one of the highest performers only being outdone by the three supreme elders who had cultivated it to the seventh leaf.
Despite only one leaf separating them, Chen Zian was sure that for the next 200 years at least, he would not be making any attempt at grasping the seventh leaf. In fact, he had sworn, he would only make that attempt when he was in the quasi-pce realm, before then, he would stay as far away as he could from it.
He had tried the sixth leaf when he was already at the 12th stage of the core formation realm, and even though he survived it, it was only barely. He passed out a millisecondter after he had grasped the essence of the leaf, and the damage he endured, especially to his mind, left him unconscious for seventeen months, and since then, despite the considerable harvests he made, he would shiver and get nauseous at the thought at making a try for the seventh leaf.
Looking at that jade bamboo was no different than staring down the maw of a dragon. Every attempt one made was the same as experiencing death in the most brutal and terrifying way. Chen Zian often found himself wondering if there was anyone who would ever reach the 16th leaf and some part of him was even doubtful if this was even a middle-tier blue grade art because it did not feel like one.
But as terrifying as the bamboo was and the doubts he had, Chen Zian saw someone who he felt had a high chance of conquering the bamboo, and that was Chen Xue.
By the time Chen Xue was fourteen he had already grasped three leaves, making him the youngest to do so. By the time he was thirty-four years old, he had grasped the same amount of leaves as Chen Zian, which was six, and when he did, he was just at the first stage of the core formation realm, unlike Chen Zian who was a peak stage core formation expert at the time.
Chen Zian truly believed Chen Xue would conquer the bamboo and master the artpletely and once he did, in one of the creeds left behind by their ancestor whoever mastered he art topletion would inherit his true legacy which included the sword he used.
Chen Zian didn''t know what their ancestor''s true legacy was, or even where it was, but considering the demands he made of his sessor, it had to be something precious. But for Chen Zian, he felt even if Chen Xue didn''t manage to reach the 16th leaf, with the amount of talent he showed, given enough time, the Chen n would produce a pce realm cultivator. No longer would they y second fiddle to the Mo and Zhang family.
They would no longer feel as though a guillotine was constantly hanging above their necks. Their n''s longevity would be guaranteed and to him, that was the most important thing. This was why be it him or the other high-ranking figures of the n which included the three antiques, they all held Chen Xue in high regard. He represented a lifeline for the n and when he died, it was like the Chen n had died with him which was why every fiber in his being was roaring for him to tear Song Ba to shreds.
Song Ba who looked bewildered and lost suddenly looked up, though he was still tense, something seemed to have switched in him.
"Shen Mu managed to keep his life by offering something to trade.. Could I do the same, Judge Yang Qing?"
Chapter 840 Sentence given (17)
Chapter 840 Sentence given (17)
"Please don''t agree to his request, Judge Yang Qing! That man killed my son!" Chen Gutian vehemently said with desperation in his tone.
A look at the expression he had on was all it took for anyone with discernment to guess his thoughts. He looked like a person who believed Song Ba would be able to weasel his way out of all he had done and quite possibly even get a cushy pardon for all he had done.
The world operated like that after all. As long as one had something substantial to offer, they could get away with anything. It wasn''t such an oundish thought to Chen Gutian that the Order could quite possibly release Song Ba.
Even if the Order was presumably a beacon of justice, he had experienced too much of the world to believe that they would remain impartial in the face of tangible benefits. Song Ba as a seasoned merchant and one who had ties to a grand organization like the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, surely would have something worthwhile to trade.
He had only discovered his son''s killer and now there was a voice inside of him, yelling.
"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! Kill him before he is released. He will get away with it! You know he will. Do it now while you still have the chance. Avenge your son. Do it! Do it! Do it!.."
Luckily a smidge of rationality held him back preventing him from goingpletely over the line.
"While I am interested in what you have to share, I feel like there are a few things I need to make clear from the onset, so you know what you''re dealing with here, and one of them, which is the most important one is, nothing you offer will get you released.
The evidence against you is already beyond damning, and the charges are as bad as it gets. The Order has intolerance against any and all matters that touch on the taboos of fiend arts. We already know it was you who supplied the techniques and means through which these elders nurtured pill ves and human cauldrons, especially when ites to the potions.
Your refining mes, the red ming lotus mes were a keyponent in blending all the ingredients.
It was your mes that helped cover the tracks as efficiently as it did, enough to fool the eyes of most orange-grade alchemists.
Unlike Shen Mu who wasn''t a direct participator in it all, you and those elders were, you are all culpable in the nurturing and harvesting of pill ves and human cauldrons, and as such, your fates are all but sealed because of it..." Yang Qing paused as his gaze narrowed on Song Ba, a solemn presence radiating from him.
"No matter what you have to offer, nothing you give will earn your freedom in any way, shape or form. You could offer the head of the most heinous criminal and the result will be the same.
For the crime of actively engaging in the nurturing and cultivation of pill ves and human cauldrons, the sentence for that crime is prolonged death. You will have to pay for every life you subjected to that fate, both the living and the dead.
Every crime has its pursuer and every debt has its collector. For what you did, the Order will collect in kind.
From the moment we found you guilty of those crimes, your death was guaranteed. That will not change, no matter what you offer, Owner Song Ba.."
Chen Gutian heaved a sigh of relief, while Song Ba, faltered, his knees almost giving way. Whatever strength he had garnered to try and negotiate with Yang Qing, seemed to have evaporated away the moment Yang Qing stopped talking.
While his thoughts weren''t like Chen Gutian''s, who thought there was a way for him to weasel out of everything and get away scot-free; he didn''t expect that to happen, not with the crimes he was charged with, but he expected there was a way to meet halfway, especially with what he had to offer.
Hearing Yang Qing directly say his death was all but set, sent him deeper into the abyss, especially when he imagined what a prolonged death meant. As someone who dealt in pill ves and human cauldrons and all other misdeeds, he could only imagine what paying back all he owed entailed and that thought made him feel, that maybe it was better off if he took his life now.
But he had doubts if he would even be able to. Yang Qing aside, who could likely freeze his movements with a mere thought, there were two domain experts present. Song Ba could forget doing anything of the kind, not to mention, he knew himself well, he was a coward through and through. Even with the threat of a painful death hanging over him, he didn''t think he had the resolve to take his life. Deep down he knew, if it came to it, he would hesitate.
Just as he was about to lose himself in the pit of despair, he heard Yang Qing speak again.
"That being said, if you have something to trade, even though death is still your end road at the end of all this, the journey to that point can be amended and made a bit easier on you..
What do you think? Would you be willing to trade whatever you have for that?"
"Smooth?" Song Ba asked with a weak, quivering voice, that was birthing a little bit of strength in it.
"Yes, smooth.." answered Yang Qing feeling no need to expound further on what that entailed leaving it to Song Ba''s imagination.
Despite the vagueness of it all, whatever it entailed it was better than the alternative. Whatever Song Ba envisioned was waiting for him in terms of a prolonged death and paying back what he owed, his imagination would ultimately fall short of whatever the Order had in store for him.
With the characters the Order dealt with since its establishment, the Order had refined its ability to break those characters. Some of them were as bad and hardened as one could get. The whole world could condemn them and spit on them and torture them for what they did, and they would remain unfazed by it and even have time to jeer at the world as they took its condemnation as a badge of pride.
However, no matter how hardened they were or unrepentant, half a year under the ''dedicated care'' of the Order was more than enough to turn them into soft persimmons. Song Ba wasn''t exactly a hardened person. Yang Qing had doubts he would even be able to survive the first ten minutes of that care.
To him, he was okay if Song Ba took the deal or not, though he very much preferred the former. For Song Ba who was having a mental breakdown a few seconds earlier, only to regain some semnce of calmness, it meant he had confidence that whatever he had was worthwhile.
Regardless of his dealings, he was a seasoned merchant, that identity was what made Yang Qing curious about what he had for trade, not to mention the suspicions he had, which he felt Song Ba could shine a light on.
It took Song Ba only a few moments before he came to his decision , which was more or less what Yang Qing had expected.
"I ept the deal.."
Chapter 841 Sentence given (18)
Chapter 841 Sentence given (18)
"Good, but I have to warn you. Every lie is a debt to the truth. You already owe a lot, please don''t add to the debt by lying or misleading us in any way. .." kindly exhorted Yang Qing.
"My word may mean nothing, but I promise not to lie. If there is one thing I value it''s my life," said Song Ba as he solemnly cupped his fist to show his sincerity.
"Good, but before that, can I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
"The information you have offered to share, is some of it rted to Elder Chen Gutian''s son?"
Chen Gutian''s eyes widened at Yang Qing''s remark as his eyes filtered through to Song Ba, eagerly anticipating his response.
"It is.."
"Okay then, you can start with that first ..." Yang Qing said before pausing suddenly before he decided to ask another question.
"Chen Xue''s death.. Was the Golden Bamboo Pavilion involved?"
"Remember Owner Song Ba, no lies, please.." Yang Qing added with an ominous allure to his soft tone which caused Song Ba to flinch even more.
Song Ba took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before he spoke, his eyes and voice clear as he did.
Chen Zian was infected with the same tenseness Chen Gutian had. If the Golden Bamboo Pavilion was involved, then the ramifications were much higher than Chen Xue just getting murdered.
Even if he didn''t know why they would involve themselves in their affairs, it did show they were within the Pavilion''s sights. At their peak when their ancestor was still alive, they were unworthy of gazing upon Golden Bamboo Pavilion let alone now.
"Why would the Golden Bamboo Pavilion care enough to have a junior who wasn''t even in the pce stage, assassinated?" was the question that continuously circted in his head as he waited with an abated breath for Song Ba to answer.
If the Golden Bamboo Pavilion then their family would be in a state of emergency. He would have to involve not only the three supreme elders of the n and the entire n, but he would also have to inform the rest of the major noble families and even the royal family would have to be roped in too.
The threat would be that dire. They may be at each other''s throats all the time, but in the face of an external force like the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, they would have to join together.
If the Golden Bamboo Pavilion could have Chen Xue assassinated, then wouldn''t they do it again to another family, and maybe it won''t be just juniors with potential but it could leap over to people like them, the main pirs of the ns.
Chen Zian couldn''t help but grow in worry. Assassinations were one of the few things the Order did not involve itself too much in. They would only get involved if the entire n was massacred to thest man, or if the assassination was done by some heinous organization that they were after, but other than that, if Golden Bamboo Pavilion was doing assassinations then that matter was theirs to settle.
From what he knew, the best the Order could offer was maybe offer asylum to some of their seedlings or act as brokers to help them fall under the backing of another organization that was at the same level as Golden Bamboo Pavilion or act as a mediator.
But with the things some of his n members had done, would the Order even help them? and even if they did act as a broker, ultimately it would be up to that organization to decide whether they would shield them or not, and the level of protection they would offer which may not be enough.
Then there was also the matter of paying the corresponding price to get that help, which would be anything but light. This was why Chen Zian felt that he had to rope in the other families if it was found out that the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. Alone, his family would not be able to afford it, not even if they traded the cultivation art their ancestor left behind, and that was about thest thing he wanted to do.
With their poor talents that forced them to divert to alchemy, they already shamed their ancestor as it is,?he did not want to add more to it.
Luckily for him, all his assumptions and scenarios were proved moot when Song Ba answered.
"Chen Xue''s deathhad nothing to do with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, though when I agreed to act, part of my motivation to do so was because I had the Golden Bamboo Pavilion in mind, but they had no part in it at all.."Song Ba firmly said bringing relief to the Chen n Patriarch.
"Continue.."
"Thank you... " Song Ba said with a polite bow.
"Patriarch Chen Zian, you hid him well.." Song Ba added out of the blue catching Chen Zian in surprise as his eyes went somewhere briefly before centering back on Yang Qing.
"So he was involved.." thought Yang Qing as he noticed the nce Song Ba made.
"Prior to the few months leading to his death, I had no idea your n had someone as talented as Chen Xue which is something I am sure you went to great lengths to hide, especially from the other families.
I can understand why you did it. If someone with his talents appeared, I would do the same. For someone with his achievements, you do everything and anything to ensure they live to their fullest potential and Chen Xue had plenty of it.
I doubt the other families, including the royal family, have someone as talented. Someone breaking through to the foundation realm with quasi-gold grade pirs, I doubt the Red Maple Empire has ever produced such a figure in its entire history.
And it didn''t just stop there, that same figure had also achieved sword intent before he was even thirty-five. Such achievements are enough to garner him the attention of even rank one organization. I find it strange why you never sent him to one.."
Seeing the ring look Chen Zian and Chen Gutian were giving him, he quickly resumed to his originalne leaving the duo who exchanged a look.
With the talent Chen Xue had shown, they could have sent him to Jade Leaf Academy or Thousand Battle Hall Pavilion but they didn''t do so because of Chen Xue and the inheritance their ancestor had left behind.
There was no denying the benefits the inheritance gave those who took its test and made gains. It was because of the tempering and nurturing effects of the essence contained in the leaves that Chen Xue was able to make the most of his talents. When he started, he was able to gain the diamond body from surviving the tempestuous sword qi which he used to temper his body, and thenter, he was able to achieve sword qi and quasi-gold grade pirs because of the firm foundations and benefits refining the essence within those leaves gave him.
But even with such apparent benefits, there were some within the n, including Chen Zian and Chen Gutian who felt Chen Xue would be better served in a rank one organization, but Chen Xue refused, insisting he needed to reach the 16th leaf before he paid any thoughts of cultivating elsewhere.
To him, it was his way of acknowledging and thanking his ancestor for his efforts. Leaving before reaching the end was the greatest disrespect he could ever show, and it could potentially leave him with a heart demon if he did.
Hearing the reasons he gave, how could Chen Zian and the rest insist on it, especially when to a sword cultivator tempering their hearts was just as important as tempering their way with the sword? Therefore he was left to stay.
Both Chen Zian and Chen Gutian could see the regret in each other''s eyes.
"When I heard about him, I couldn''t believe it myself, up until I saw it for myself..." Song Ba paused as he smiled in a self-
deprecating smile.
"Before true talent and strength, everything else is truly immaterial. When I saw him, I felt a deep sense of inferiority. I am a subordinate of a rank two organization, but in front of someone with a talent like Chen Xue''s I felt utterly inferior, which I figure is one of the reasons it didn''t take much to convince me to have him killed as the person who told me about him in the first ce wanted..." Song Ba said as he looked up.
"With his talent, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Chen n birthed a pce realm cultivator, and with his identity as a sword cultivator, and the talent he showed, he was bound to be one of the most powerful one the Red Maple Empire had to offer.
If he reached that level, I would have to cancel all the deals I had with the elders I had roped in with the pill ves and human cauldrons. With things as they were, that was something I could not afford to do.
I was already struggling to hold onto my identity as a subsidiary of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. The potions and spiritual herbs I got from the Chen family were about the only things keeping me afloat. I couldn''t afford to have anything that would interfere with it.
I judged Chen Xue''s strength and potential as one of the greatest dangers to it. I could not let him grow to what he could be, doing so would mean I would lose everything I worked so hard to achieve. It was something I couldn''t do.
The day I was told about him, Iughed thinking the heavens were cheering me on and helping me. What a joke.." said Song Ba with a bitterugh.
"The person who told me about him and especially made the request that I kill him was none other than Elder Chen Zhn, the Elder you were grooming to be your next patriarch.."
Chapter 842 Sentence given (19)
Chapter 842 Sentence given (19)
??The moment Song Ba finished the statement it was like a thunderp had exploded in the courtroom. First came the thunderous explosion then came the defeating silence that was apanied by the heaviness in the eye.
Chen Gutian''s eyes were as wide as they could be, overflowing with shock and disbelief. Chen Zian wasn''t that far behind as his eyes shed with bewilderment as he alternated his gaze between Song Ba and Chen Zhn.
He had been hoping Song Ba was lying to try so he could get whatever deal the Order would give him after this,but when he saw Chen Zhn''s reaction, whatever hopes he had were quickly shattered. Shock, anger, and confusion shed in his eyes as his eyes fell on Chen Zhn.
He couldn''t believe it nor understand it at all. Today was the most lost he had ever been in. Finding out that some of the elders were keeping pill ves and human cauldron didn''t hit him that heavily when he learned of it. Bar the involvement of the disciple from the Medical Saint Garden which guaranteed that they would suffer significant damage to their reputation once everything was exposed, that was about the only part he was worried about.
But when it came to the rest, if he was being perfectly honest, a huge part of him was d those elders got caught, especially those from cktear County.
Because of his rivalry with Chen Bo and the amount of influence Chen Bo had which included support from one of the supremeelders, his authority was always fragmented even if he was the n''s patriarch. He never truly had full control of the n.
To him, it always felt like he had split that authority with Chen Bo, as indeed it was. He could never implement whatever ideas he had for the n, meeting constant stumbling blocks and opposition at every turn. Even when it came to enforcing n rules, he was always restricted on those he could or could not punish.
The faction war between him and Chen Bo had infected every area of the n, stifling its progress greatly, but now with thergest number of elders involved in pill ves and human cauldronsing from Chen Bo''s faction, he had felt things had taken a turn for him. The elders involved, which included his son, were Chen Bo''s core force, and with him in seclusion, it was mostly Chen Bo''s son and those elders who were in the driving seat of the opposition.
But now, his core force was about to be eliminated for good, and at the Order''s hand at that, and even better yet the crime they were being convicted of was dealing in pill ves and human cauldrons. With such a crime over their heads, all the other members of the n would draw a wide berth, severing any association with the cktear County, even the supreme elder who supported Chen Bo would have to withdraw his aid,and that was even without Chen Zian bringing up the involvement of the Medical Saint Garden Sect into the matter.
Even if Chen Bo somehow broke through to the quasi pce stage like he suspected, with the taint of the deeds of his son and faction on him, he could forget about iming the seat of n Patriach, or wielding any form of authority. He was already guilty by association.
He had already nned it all, how he was going to use today''s charges to galvanize the n and do a thorough clean up, quelling all dissidents and finally consolidating all power and finally holding it firmly under his grasp.
He could already see it and he was excited for it, but there were a few aspects that he felt deep regret, and one of them was Chen Gutian and Chen Zhn being involved in the matter, especially thetter. When it came to his uncle, as cold as it was, he didn''t mind it too much if he got executed.
After Chen Xue''s death, he had be so unstable to the point that Chen Zian at one point had contemted having him forcibly detained because of how he acted. In the pursuit of his son''s killers, he constantly triggered feuds with the other major families who he felt were the greatest suspects.
Things among the founding families were already as vtile as it could get without an angry and reckless Chen Gutian stirring more things up with his actions. Luckily, Chen Gutian managed to gain some semnce of calm at some point and stopped acting out which surprised Chen Zian a bit, but with the information that had been revealed, he could guess why.
It finally made sense to him why his uncle who was always loyal to the n would do something to jeopardize it.
But to Chen Zian, even his involvement, while it was unnerving when he saw him among those charged, he quickly adjusted to the realities of it. Chen Gutian didn''t have long to live. He was closely approaching the end of his lifespan. He knew it and everyone else in the n knew it and as a consequence of it, Chen Zian no longer needed his support as he did when he was at his prime. With him soon approaching his limit, whatever sway he had with the n reduced concurrently with his dwindling lifespan. The future of the n no longer had anything to do with him.
Losing Chen Gutian wouldn''t affect the n in any way, and as for the rivals using his charges against Chen Zian like he nned to use the same charges against Chen Bo and his cohorts, Chen Gutian had the least number of pill ves and human cauldron, and if his guess about why he did it in the first ce was right, no one would me Chen Zian for what Chen Gutian did.
Plus the cold rational side of him weed his end, even. As a leader of any organization, one has to constantly expect and n for the worst to avoid being blindsided and ensure the longevity of the n. For him, his predecessor told him, he would need to constantly nurture his paranoia and learn to embrace it if he wanted the Chen n to be able to survive the treacherous waves it swam in.
Chen Zian faithfully followed that advice and it served him well. This was why even after Chen Gutian showed he was stable,Chen Zian always treated him as an unstable element that one never knew when he would explode only that at some point in time in the near future, especially when he approached his end, that lid that was holding things together would definitely explode.
Chen Zian gave him the post as the supervisor of Misty Caldera County in part to keep a close eye on him to prevent that eventuality. But with Chen Gutian having involved himself in taboo matter, and thus falling under the clutches of the Order, as cold as it was, Chen Zian no longer had to worry about that unstable element.
The Order would take care of it for him, but it was Chen Zhn that he couldn''t get to grips with in his involvement. While Chen Zhn didn''t show the same prodigious talent as Chen Xue, he was still one of the most talented young figures of the sect, even whilst Chen Xue was alive.
Currently, he was among the youngest, standing at just a few years over a hundred, he was among the youngest people to cultivate up to the fourth leaf of the legacy their ancestor left behind, and with the preparations they had made, in another ten years, he would have been more than ready to try the fifth.
His talents were one of the reasons Chen Zian favored him as his sessor, something he had long considered even when Chen Xue was still alive. While Chen Xue was exceptionally gifted with the sword, he was never that good at dealing with people, preferring to keep to himself or cultivate most of the time.
Chen Zhn was different, his aptitude for cultivating matched his ability to deal with people and establish rtionships. He had good rtionships all around not just within the n, and even among Chen Bo''s factions, despite their antagonistic nature, had favorable impressions toward Chen Zhn.
To Chian Zhen, Chen Zhn was the perfect candidate, and considering how close he had seemed to be with Chen Xue, with Chen Xue supporting him, the duo would have pushed the Chen n further and maybe finally close the gap with the royal family.
But, Chen Zhn not only colluded with the Red ming Lotus Alchemy Pavilion to nurture pill ves and human cauldrons in their domain, but he broke the one line that even Chen Bo and Chen Zian despite their rivalry, would never break, and that was to seek an outsider to murder one of their own, especially one with a rare talent like Chen Xue.
As a cultivation n, and a considerablyrge one at that,n members fighting one another was par for the course, and even ones leading to deaths, happened, but those deaths were always above board and direct like a death duel.
But even with the infighting,there were a few lines that were never crossed, one was murdering a ns member using an outsider''s hands and the other was, geniuses of the n, regardless of which faction they belonged to were untouchable, especially when it came to one of a kind genius like Chen Xue had been.
When it came to such individuals, it was the duty of the entire n to support them to the best of their abilities. Chen Xue was a direct rtive to Chen Zian, but Chen Bo and even the elders of his faction treated him with the same sincerity as anyone from Chen Zian''s side would.
That was the reason, the n elders despite standing trind riddled with nervousness as a result of it, when Song Ba used Chen Zhn of ordering the murder of Chen Xue, the fear they all had was reced by huge surprise and something else, especially when they saw the evident guilt in Chen Zhn''s face.
For the first time since stepping in the courtroom, they showed remorse, and shame.
Chapter 843 Sentence given (20)
Chapter 843 Sentence given (20)
??"I.. I... I.. I DiDn''t Do iT! n Leader, you have to believe me! I didn''t do it. I may have traded with Owner Song Ba to have a few pill ves and human cauldrons on the farm, but that was only because he promised to help find Chen Xue''s killer.
You all know how close we were. He was my brother.." Chen Zhn desperately said before he turned his pleas to the still muddle-headed Chen Gutian.
"Elder Chen Gutian, tell them. You were there when we both made that deal with him because the n was dragging its feet in finding his killer.
Owner Song Ba is just ndering me! Chen Xue and I were brothers! Why would I have him killed?
We had already promised each other that we would help return the n to its former glory. Don''t believe him. He is just trying to protect his life and he will say and do anything to that end.
Please don''t believe him! He is tricking you just like he tricked me and Elder Chen Gutian," added Chen Xue in a fluster.
"Seems my guess was right. That''s how they got his cooperation.." muttered Chen Zian as he shook his head as he took in the sight of Chen Zhn desperately trying to make a case for himself that he had been framed by Song Ba.
As a n leader whose job was to survive in an ocean of duplicity trying to constantly see through deception on a daily basis, Chen Zhn may have hidden himself well, but with the veil already exposed, Chen Zian could read him as in as day.
It wasn''t just him, the other elders could tell it too. The desperation and agitation in his voice wasn''t because he had been ndered but rather out of fear at being exposed.
As old foxes who had engaged in a lot of dubious things over the years that they would not want seen exposed, such as what they were being charged with at themoment, if they were ever exposed, they would react the same way as Chen Zhn. What Chen Zhn was doing was exactly what some had been nning to do the moment it was their turn to defend themselves.
They intended to deny everything, grovel and try to appeal to Chen Zian, using their loyal service to the n as their defence as a means of garnering sympathy and consideration from the court. But with how damning and incriminating the evidence had been, most abandoned that n. They were not nearly shameless to try it.
Chen Zhn was relentless in trying to make a case for his innocence, as he tried to get Chen Zian and Chen Gutian to speak up for him, however, the former had already judged him guilty of the crime and would not speak up for him, while thetter was still frozen in shock with gibberish mumbles.
Chen Zhn was finally silenced when Song Ba revealed the final nail he had prepared for a moment like this.
"As a merchant, there is no way I would engaged in something risky without having certain guarantees in ce, even if said thing was to my advantage, I would still try to get something out of it as payment for my efforts.
Having a potential n leader under my thumb was a worthy trade off for the risk I was taking. I recorded the whole thing and the proof is here.." Song Ba said as he formed a small seal with his left hand muttering a strange incantation that resulted in something peeling off from the skin in his right forearm.
That object was a paperthin translucent object that looked like the wing of a fly. As it peeled off, the wing like object released a mysterious energy, as an elusive ethereal power emanated from it.
"The wings of the heavenly secrets cicada. How did you get such a thing?" asked Hou Dehui as his eyes glittered in interest.
The heavenly secrets cicada was a spirit beast know for its ability to conceal itself, and rumor was it was so good at it that it could hide even from the heavenly dao itself.
"It was a gift I received from one of the leaders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.." Song Ba said as his eyes shed inplication as he peeled off the wing.
That wing was the most precious thing he owned, be it in terms of quality but also sentiment. Up until a few years ago, it was a possession of great pride, but it quickly turned into a painful reminder of how far he had fallen.
In value alone, the wing was just as precious as any concealing ascendant grade treasure. He had received it as a reward for all the efforts he had made, one of which was discovering a hidden property of sky grade herb.
The herb in question was the skyturtle dandelion. It was a good ingredient for healing potions, but when mixed with certain herbs, a certain aspect of it was released. That aspect was it had amplifying effects on potions that were rted to the mind, such as meditation potions, or one''s that were meant to give a cultivator small insights into a particr area.
The skyturtle dandelion had the ability to prolong the duration and increase the strength of the effects. The increase in duration or strength wasn''t too oundish, with effect being a minimal increase, but for potions of the mind, especially ones that helped one gain a deeper understanding into a particr area, prolonging that duration by even half a second, or increasing its ability by even a millimeter was the difference between one making a monumental breakthrough or not.
The gap was sometimes that small, a millimeter, orhalf a second. Whether one grasps theplete form of the dao he or she needs to breakthrough to the pce realm, or leaping from blooming to perfection in terms of mastery of a technique, or elevating the grade of an art; sometimes the gap between them was half a step, half a second, half a millimeter and the skyturtle dandelion, provided that chance.
This was why Song Ba gained a lot of merits and recognition when he submitted that discovery to the higher ups of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion which ended up with him receiving the wing of the heavenly secret cicada as a gift for his discovery.
Song Ba was over the moon when he got rewarded, especially the attention he got from the leading figures of the pavilion, with one of those figures being one of the founders. He expected from then on, he could only move up and eventually, he could maybeeven rise up from being one of the thousands subsidiary members into one of the executives.
Chapter 844 Sentence given (21)
Chapter 844 Sentence given (21)
??That opportunity never came. He never made another discovery like the skyturtle dandelion again, and because of the desperation he had for getting recognized again, it gave rise to a heart demon that impacted his cultivation base, and his abilities as an alchemist.
More talented figures rose up, and it wasn''t long before he was thrown into obscurity, his achievements a long-forgotten tale, as new sparks took the scene. He didn''t handle that fall from grace well, but at least, he thought he would always have the title of a subsidiary of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion to fall back on.
However, that thought was soon under threat when about four hundred years ago the Golden Bamboo Pavilion announced it would be reducing the number of subsidiaries it had as a result of the looming merger with the Maple Leaf Manor. By merging with another organization that was at the same tier as them, they no longer needed to have as many subsidiaries as they did.
Thus a culling era came about, where no one was safe. Competition among the subsidiaries was always brutal, but after the announcement from the Pavilion, it became even more ruthless and Song Ba who was already down on his luck, was quickly drowning in that storm.
Losing the title of a subsidiary of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion was the same as losing one''s life. The moment one lost that title,they were nothing more than fat sheep ripe for ughter. All the rivals, enemies, those they suppressed and those greedy, almost every person looking to get something would set their sights on them.
Being a subsidiary of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, while it was a blessing when one had it, it was a curse when one lost it because at the back of a lot of people''s mind would be, a subsidiary that had fallen from grace, was no different than a piece of meat falling from the sky.
Song Ba didn''t want to get devoured and out of said desparation, he moved onto the pill ve and human cauldron trade, to increase the quality of his goods at half the cost.
Some n it was. In trying to protect his life, he ended up in the clutches of the one organization he should never have and now, he was already well on his way to losing his life.
But at least after his trade, though he was surely to lose his life, his end would be better than what would have awaited him the instant he lost the protection of the pavilion or if he hadcked something to trade with the Order.
Sometimes a peaceful death was more than one could ask for.
Song Ba couldn''t help but smile at the absurdity of it all. He would have never expected that there would evere a time that he would be this calm with dying and even have a positive outlook about it.
Shaking his head clear of excessive thoughts, Song Ba traced his finger over the wing, triggering the activation of silver runes which converged together to form a mirage-like light that shimmered and created the image of two people seated in a beautifully decorated room that had arge window that went from the ground to the roof, looking no different than a wall in and of itself. The view at the window was of an emerald-greenke that produced a resplendent beauty as the rays of the setting sun bounced off it.
Of the two people seated in the room, one of them was Song Ba and the other was Chen Zhn. Song Ba was the picture ofposure, with the air of a seasoned merchant surrounding him, while Chen Zhn seemed slightly apprehensive.
["Owner Song Ba, are you sure this ce is safe to talk?"
"Hahaha, what are you worried about, young lord? There is no safer ce than here. Because of our close friendship, I am not afraid to reveal this to you, but I am one of the co-owners of this inn.."
"Co-owner?! How?! So you and that pce realm senior are partners in this establishment? How did you manage that?"
"It''s nothing much. I once brokered an important deal with that senior, striking a close friendship with him. Later when he decided to open up this ce, he offered me the chance to partner in it with him..." Song Ba said with an air of fake humility.
"So what is the urgent matter you wanted to discuss? You can rest assured with the arrays in this ce, not unless a domain expert decides to eavesdrop, anybody below that can forget listening in on what you want to share.
I give you my word, the only way what you discuss here sees the light of day is if you or I are the ones doing it or if there is a rumor-mongering domain expert lurking about.."
Both parties ended upughing at Song Ba''s apparent humor, withChen Zhn rxing as a result of it.
"Okay then... If anyone from the n were to hear what I was about to say, they would immediately have my head. I have no doubt they would try to silence you too.."
"What information is so important that they would be willing to kill someone associated with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion?"
"In your line of work, you''ve surely interacted with a lot of sects, especially ones in rank three, right?"
"I have, why? If you are looking for a referral, In exchange for the information. I can promise to try, but I can''t guarantee you an entry. It will have to depend on you, and them whether you get in or not. I hope you understand, young lord.."
"No, that''s not it, though I do appreciate the sentiment. The reason I mention them is for context on what I am about to tell you, so bear with me, please. You''ve obviously heard of the term legacy disciples?"
"I have?"
"Then you know the demands for one to be considered as one. They need to be the best of the best. A talent that hasn''t been seen in ten thousand years for one to qualify as a legacy disciple.."
"Y..es, but why bring them up?" asked Song Ba though he already had an idea as his gaze turned solemn.
"Well, one of the most guarded secrets in our n is within our n there is a figure whose talent is so high that his brilliance could easily outshine those legacy disciples. At just thirty-one years old, he has already achieved sword intent and has quasi gold-grade core. I do not doubt that within the next decade, he is all but guaranteed to reach the pce realm. I was hoping to prevent that reality, Owner Song Ba, but to do that, I need help, your help.."
Chapter 845 Sentence given (22)
Chapter 845 Sentence given (22)
??[The air in the room changed, heavy from the tension released from the duo.
"Young lord, Are you serious?" Song Ba asked with a questioning smile and look on his face.
"If your n truly has such a figure with such a high level of talent, then just like how sects are with their legacy disciples, shouldn''t you and the entirety of your n be doing your utmost to ensure he grows to his full potential?
But you want to prevent that from happening? It doesn''t make sense, young lord.."
Chen Zhn sighed, his eyes shing withplicated emotions. He smiled bitterly as he answered with a resigned tone.
"It''s because I am weak.."
"I don''t understand.."
"It''s just that. I am weak..." Chen Zhn paused, as his gaze seemed lost like he was in a different ce, not the room they were in.
"Most within the n admire his talent, and I used to at some point, but the older I got, and the further up my cultivation base grew, the clearer it became to me of the gap between us.
We live inpletely different worlds. When I was younger, these feelings of inadequacy were not as strong as they are now.
When you''re young, you have the luxury of dreaming. Believing that whatever you envision your future will be, it will turn exactly like that, as long as you are diligent and sincere in your efforts.
Thanks to those thoughts, I wasn''t affected much by the talents he showed because I always told myself, my aplishments would not necessarily lose out to his. I still had confidence in my talent and I never cked off.
But if my talents and efforts proved short, I thought that I would be mature enough to ept it after all, I and that n member were friends and could be considered as close as brothers even, but ultimately fear got the best of me.
I don''t know when it happened, but I became afraid. Afraid that I wouldn''t measure up, afraid that the kid I thought of as a younger brother would surpass me, afraid that the n would quickly withdraw all the attention and nurturing it had been giving me and pour it all to him; Afraid that life would not turn exactly as I hoped it would.
I tried as much as I could to fight against it, but... I lost that fight. I can''t keep living like this, Owner Song Ba, where I feel like the life I have, has just been loaned to me and eventually, there wille a day when I will have to give it all back.." Chen Zhn paused, his pitiful look transforming into a cold one.
"I don''t want to give it back, but the only way I can do that is if he isn''t around, and the window with which I can do anything about it is closing fast.
Owner Song Ba, I will be frank with you.."
"Please, young lord.."
"The n member''s name is Chen Xue, and I need your help to kill him.."
"Why would I agree to something like that? I stand to gain nothing from this. While I regard you highly young lord, merchants are not in the habit of engaging in things that will more than likely end in tremendous losses.
Someone with his talent is more than likely highly valued at your sect probably even more than your n patriarch, if his talent is as high as you say, and you want me to help you? Isn''t that no different than asking me to make an enemy of your entire n?
Why would I do something so reckless and thankless? Your fears have nothing to do with me, and if I look at it critically, shouldn''t I be befriending him instead? In my business, one can only make more friends, not enemies.
On ount of our friendship I will not reveal this matter, but young lord, I am afraid other than my silence, I can''t offer you anything else.."
Chen Zhn smiled calmly even with Song Ba looking like he was about to live.
"Owner Song Ba, we''ve known each other for long. There''s no need to pretend here. There are a few reasons why despite the risks involved I chose to share these thoughts with you. One is my fear and the window of opportunity to do anything about it, closing fast,and the other is ... you and I are simr in certain aspects.."
"Oh.. how so?" Song Ba said with an amused smile on his face.
"There is nothing we would not do to ensure our well-being.. To people like us, our livese above everything else.." Chen Zhn said, with still the sameposed smile on his face.
Song Ba narrowed his eyes as he sensed there was something else hidden within Chen Zhn''s words and demeanor.
"Owner Song, you are right, as a merchant, there is absolutely no reason for you to engage in a loss-making scheme, I may not be a merchant as seasoned as you, but I know whatever I am proposing is of much benefit to you as it is to me..."
"And what benefits are those?"
"Well for one, the potential n leader of the Chen n will owe you a huge favor and with what I am asking you to do, you can use even knowledge of this discussion as a chip in your favor.
As much as I want Chen Xue dead, there is a reason I decided to consult you on this. If I handled it myself, there are risks of me being found out as the culprit. I can''t have my n finding my fingerprints on this.
Having such a chip is worth it, isn''t it?" asked Chen Zhn.
"It is still not enough.."
"I know. Earlier you mentioned forming a friendship with him.. Have you wondered why you''ve never heard of him before today?"
"For someone of his caliber, your n would do everything to keep his identity a secret for his safety. A nail that stands out is quickly hammered down.."
"You are right. In part, the secret was so well maintained because of the n but the other is because of Chen Xue''s temperament.
He doesn''t care much for things outside of cultivating the sword. It''s why other than the elders of the n, not many know of his talent. He keeps mostly to himself, cultivating. temperament.
He doesn''t care much for things outside of cultivating Creating a connection with someone like that is easier said than done, even for someone as skilled as you. But there is another reason that I feel would make it impossible for the both of you to have a good rtionship, one of the key reasons, I thought to bring this matter to you in the first ce.." Chen Zhn said with a meaningful smile as he took the time to pour himself a cup of wine. Song Ba narrowed his eyes as he did.
"Some time back I met with Chen Jiang. You know Chen Jiang, right? I am pretty sure your paths have crossed a few times. He is one of the elders in charge of some of the farms in Cherry Blossom County.
When we were having drinks one time, he happened to 00:01
share a few interesting things about himself, Elder Chen Qiao, Elder Chen Longwei, and the things they have been doing for you..."Chen Zhn paused to take a sip of the wine he had just poured into his cup, his eyes forming crescent slits at the pleasant vor of the wine.
"This 20,000-year pear cial wine is a true masterpiece. I have never tasted a finer wine.."
"Young lord, if you have something to say, say it.." Song Ba said with a coldness to his tone that matched his look.
Chen Zhn stopped his yfulness as his look turned serious.
"I know of the business between you and those elders, and they''re not the only ones handling that ''type of business'' for you. I know of three more in cktear County.
Don''t misunderstand, Owner Song Ba, the reason I mention this matter isn''t to ckmail you.." said Chen Zhn when he sensed the killing intent released by Song Ba.
"If it isn''t, why mention it? Or is it to show me you have a chip too?"
"I brought it up to show my sincerity. With the activity you are engaged with those elders, after finding out I could have just given that information to our n leader and gain even more merits from him and the rest of the n, considering the repercussions of having our own harbor pill ves and human cauldrons.
But I didn''t.. Like I said, we are simr, our well-beinges above the rest and for me, the Chen nes behind my needs, and would not hesitate to trade them if it would get me something that I want.
I could care less about those pill ves and human cauldrons, but Chen Xue is different. He values the n above his own life.
If you let him be, eventually, maybe when he is in the pce realm, he is going to find out and when he does, regardless of your backing, he wille after you.
Owner Song Ba, you and I are in the same boat here, for what we are after, neither of us can afford to have Chen Xue around. For me, as long as he is around, I will never have a life, my apprehension and helplessness born out of the inferiority I feel every time I am around him, will never let me. Only misery awaits if Chen Xue continues to live.
For you, I guess there must be a reason that made you desperate enough to take the risks you are taking with the pill ves and the human cauldrons. I won''t ask you what they are, but I promise you, as long as Chen Xue remains, you will have to alter those ns and even then, who knows, he may decide toe after you, long after you stopped.
It wasn''t that hard for me to find out what you were doing, and for him, when he breaks through to the pce realm, I figure it will be even easier. And when he does, what then?
But if you help me take care of him, you will eliminate that threat and continue what you are doing, and I will even support you with the operations, and recruit more elders for you if you want, and I can also ensure no one is none the wiser. I can even engage in the activity myself if it will put your mind at ease, that I won''t betray youter, and when I inherit the post as the next n leader, I figure our partnership will be even easier.
What do you think, Owner Song Ba? This isn''t much of a loss making scheme, is it? We both stand to profit immensely from this.."
Chapter 846 Sentence given (23)
Chapter 846 Sentence given (23)
??[Song Ba went silent for a few minutes before he finally gave his response, which was no different than what Chen Zhn expected.
"It seems other than cultivation, the young lord shows quite the skills in negotiations. You''d make a fine merchant.."
"So, what do you think, Owner Song Ba?"
Song Ba poured himself a cup of wine and took a single gup, emptying the cup before he poured himself another.
With his gaze trained on the clear wine, he asked,
"Are you sure you want to go through with this, young lord? I just can''t understand it. Is it out of hate, out of envy, or to ensure your position as the next n leader remains safe? Having a n member who you think of as a brother, murdered.
Aren''t things like these taboos in your ns? Is it really worth it?" Song Ba asked, his expression ambivalent.
Chen Zhn took the wine jar and poured himself a cup. After he was done, with a tired sigh he said,
"Like I told you before, I''m a coward. The fears I have, while irrational, are still there and they have overrun my lifepletely. I can''t live like this. If I was a little braver, things would never have gotten to this point.
Either I would have been brave enough to continue forward, or brave enough to ept my limitations and live with them.
But I can''t..."
Chen Zhn paused as he shook his head in dejection and took a small sip after.
"My cowardice wouldn''t let me and now the only path I see forward is eliminating Chen Xue. He is the root of it all. As long as he lives, he will be a constant reminder of my weakness and ineptitude, a never-ending source of the fear that is stealing life from me every single day.
If I am to have a chance at living even a normal life, he has to go. At this point, I don''t even care about my cultivation base, or achieving the things I set out to do when I was young. I just want to know what it feels like to not live constantly afraid.
Owner Song Ba, there is no turning back for me. I have zero hesitation about wanting Chen Xue dead. Only I know how much torment I have been living in because of his presence. I need peace, I need freedom, and right now, killing Chen Xue seems to be the only way to do that.
So, what is your answer? Will you help me with it? I hope you will, but if you can''t, it''s okay. I will just have to search for alternative means, but I will have to know your answer promptly. I can''t afford to dy.."
Silence ensued in the room with both parties, the atmosphere turning solemn as the two maintained eye contact, each with their own reasons for doing so. Song Ba was trying to see if there was any hint of falsehood in Chen Zhn, while Chen Zhn was staring hard to see what choice Song Ba would make.
Even though he felt Song Ba''s odds of agreeing to the matter were high,Song Ba was right about one thing. Chen Xue was highly valued by the entire n, and if anything were to happen to him, the repercussions were bound to be severe. Even with Song Ba''s identity as the owner of a subsidiary organization with ties to the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, if he was caught, the Chen n would likely not let him off.
But for people he could work with on the matter, Song Ba was the best candidate. Even without knowing the full details, just based on Song Ba dealing in pill ves and human cauldrons,Chen Zhn knew the merchant was just as desperate as he was if he was willing to engage in such taboo matters.
Therefore as things stood, killing Chen Xue was in both their best interests.
After a short moment had passed, Chen Zhn finally gave his answer.
"You drive a hard bargain there young lord. It would be remiss of me to refuse you. I agree, Chen Zhn.." Song Ba said his tone firm.
"But, you have to make sure to keep the promises you made, one of which is, that I need you to ensure no one finds out about my business within your n. Seeing how you were able to sniff it out, I can think of no one better to ensure its anonymity.
Other than that, I will also need your direct participation like you offered, and I can''t wait until you''re the next n leader, it needs to be now. Your fears aside, the n still values you does it not?"
"It does, why?"
"That is perfect. I''ve only been there once when I was discussing something with your n leader, but I have to say the environment in Spiritwood County and Misty Caldera County is really high quality from the denseness of the spiritual qi, to its naturalposition. It wasn''t part of the red maple spirit''s territory for nothing.
I have long since wanted to have some of my business done there, but with Chen Zian keeping such a close eye on both ces, It was next to impossible to find anyone to cooperate with, but with you, young lord, my dreams may be realized.
For me this is non-negotiable, I don''t care how you do it, but if you want my cooperation, I need my pill ves and human cauldrons in at least one of the two aforementioned counties, and since I can''t trust anyone else to do it without Chen Zian finding out, it will have to be you.
That''s my bottom line, do that, and I will consider your offer, but if you can''t, then however much I need your farms for my business, I would rather pack up my business and do it elsewhere, or even stop it all together.."
"I will try and get a leading post in one of them but I can''t have the same numbers as the rest. Even if Chen Zian values me, he always maintains a close watch on those two counties, mostly to guard against Chen Bo.
To be able to do so under his watch, the number has to be small. I can''t do more than five. I hope you understand..."
"Five is okay... Though this isn''t contingent on my participation, if you can find another person willing to do this business from those two counties, I would appreciate it if you sent them my way.
I would be more than willing topensate you in kind for the assistance.."
"If the moment presents itself, I will, but it will be difficult. The elders from these two counties are loyalists, not to Chen Zian, but to the n. It would be difficult to find anyone amongst them willing to cooperate considering the nature of the business, and the risks it poses to the n.."
"As long as you keep an eye out, it will be more than enough.."
"Okay... So we have a deal?"
"We do, but I will need six months to a year for me to verify if Chen Xue exists and is as talented as you say. Only after I have verified it will I act..
What''s his present cultivation base?"
"He is at the second stage of the core formation realm?"
"Mmh, no matter how heaven-defying his talent is, it would take more than a year for him to reach the peak stage of the core formation realm let alone reach the pce realm.
We can both afford to wait that long.."
Chen Zhn sighed as he answered,
"I wish we could take care of it today, but with how sensitive the matter is, I understand the need for prudence. Take the time you need, and when youe to a decision, please let me know, soon I hope.."
"I will, young lord.."
The two exchanged a few more words before finally, Chen Zhn left leaving Song Ba, behind.
Alone in the room, Song Ba pulled back the sleeve robe on his right hand until it revealed his forearm. He traced his hand over it whilst muttering an incantation that resulted in his forearm glowing with silver runes, that shed for a few seconds before disappearing.
"I hope there neveres a moment when I have to use this.." Song Ba muttered to himself.]
The scene that had been ying ended soon after,but immediately after ending, Song Ba manipted the wing of the heavenly secrets cicada, producing yet another recording.
The next recording was of Song Ba and Chen Zhn meeting a yearter, with the former having confirmed the veracity of the information Chen Zhn shared with him.
After everything was confirmed came the nning. The nning phase showed Chen Zhn providing every single piece of information that he knew about Chen Xue which even included his unconscious fighting habits that Chen Zhn had discovered over the years from being his sparring partner.
Every single detail about Chen Xue whether relevant or not wasid out bare to Song Ba. With all the information in ce, all they needed was an opportune moment to act, which Chen Zhn had said would provide,pletely revealing how.
The scheme involved using Chen Xue''s father to get Chen Xue away from the n. In the recording, Chen Zhn sounded confident in pulling it off, owing to the close rtionship he had developed with the father and son.
After he shared his n, Song Ba added to it by providing the entrance tokens for an auction being held in one of the auction houses he was acquainted with.
Song Ba yed recording after recording, showing him and Chen Zhn refining their n, up until the day of Chen Xue''s assassination. Song Ba didn''t reveal who he would use, and Chen Zhn didn''t ask either.
After Chen Xue''s death, next they met, was three months after the deed was done at the same inn they had met to kickstart the whole thing, and the topic of discussion other than celebrating the sessful assassination, was Chen Xue sharing the news of him being confirmed as the next n leader, with the ascension waiting till he was at the peak stage of the core formation realm as per the rules and how he had found the perfect candidate for Song Ba to add to help him with his taboo business.
That candidate was none other than Chen Gutian. Exploiting his grief, Chen Zhn had devised the perfect n. Most within the n suspected the Gui n of assassinating Chen Xue but without proof and the Gui n having the same strength as the Chen n, the higher-ups were unwilling to act which left the grieving Chen Gutian angry at the n for sitting on the fences and refusing to take action.
Chen Zhn''s n was aimed at taking advantage of this satisfaction. He would slowly work on Chen Gutian to the point he would willingly sacrifice anything to get at his son''s killer which was where Song Ba woulde in.
Song Ba as the owner of a subsidiary of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, didn''t need to fear the Gui n, and his identity meant his connections were extensive, even more so than the Chen n. Finding the killer would be easy with Song Ba''s help.
Leveraging on the desperation Chen Gutian had in finding his son''s killer, Song Ba would offer to search for Chen Xue''s killer, in exchange Chen Gutian would harbor a few pill ves and human cauldrons for Song Ba.
Chen Gutian wasn''t yet the elder in charge of the farms in Misty Caldera County, but the recordings showed Chen Zhn saying how it would be easy to get him the post. Chen Zian having done nothing about Chen Xue''s death or his killer, either out of guilt or appeasement, as long as Chen Gutian requested it, he would easily be given the post as the elder in charge of Misty Caldera County by the n leader.
The only issue was getting Chen Gutian''s agreement to nurture pill ves and human cauldrons, but that proved to be a non-
issue in the end. Chen Zhn''s yed him like a fiddle.
He preyed on his grief and anger and pretended he was just as angry, willing to do anything, after that, he eased into Song Ba''s matter and how he would be able to help them. He pretended that he would be the only one to engage in the matter, but he knew, with Chen Gutian''s temperament, there was no way he would allow him to bear that price and infamy alone.
The recording showed Chen Zhn bragging about how everything yed out perfectly from Chen Xue''s assassination down to the scheme of roping in Chen Gutian.
Chen Zhn had long gone silent when he saw the damning recordings y one after the other. In the end, all he could do was stare at Song Ba in disbelief.
"I told you before, young lord, the only way that matter would evere to light, is if one of us was the one to reveal it.."
Chapter 847 Sentence given (24)
Chapter 847 Sentence given (24)
??Chen Zhn stood there with the same dumbfounded expression Chen Gutian had been wearing all this time with Chen Zian showing the same look which quickly turned to shame and then anger.
He had seen and experienced his fair share of duplicity having done it himself a couple of times, even to fellow n members no less. If it would help him ensure the stability and growth of the Chen n, there was no tool he would not use including the maniption and exploitation of his fellow n members.
As a result of the life he led,he had long grown ustomed to painting others with the same brush like how a cheater would automatically assume everyone around them cheats because they do it.
Chen Zian because of his duplicity, always looked at others through the same lens. He always assumed every single person he dealt with had a duplicitous side to them and therefore as a result he was always suspicious of almost everyone... Almost.
Even as a highly paranoid, highly suspicious person, there were a few that he let through. Those he deemed didn''t need to be suspected, those he thought highly of and held great aspirations of. That list didn''t have many people, just three in total. One of them was the previous n master, the other was one of the three supreme elders, and thest one was Chen Zhn, his chosen sessor.
With the way Chen Zhn carried himself, he was one of the few that Chen Zian held truly in high regard as he envisioned how the n would flourish under his care. Chen Zhn had a decent cultivation aptitude, though it wasn''t at the level of Chen Xue, it could be ranked high up there within the n, with Chen Zian estimating it to be equal to his or even higher.
By his estimations even if the odds of him reaching the pce realm were slim, Chen Zian felt that given enough time he would reach the quasi-pce stage simr to the three supreme elders.
But what madeChen Zian appreciate him wasn''t his talent, his talent was just a bonus. Those who made the best leaders didn''t necessarily have to be the most powerful, yes strength was a pre-requisite, but it wasn''t set in stone that they had to be the strongest,being among the top five was more than enough, but what was important for a leader, especially for arge n like theirs was level of vision and adaptability, which was something Chen Zhn had in spades.
Chen Zian felt that the level would be sustained even if it didn''t improve by much under Chen Zhn''s stewardship. Longevity was all that mattered to him, and Chen Zhn was the right person for just that, and it was out of that admiration and expectation that Chen Zian gave him a lot oftitude within the sect, which was intentional on Chen Zian''s part to help him spread his wings and exercise and develop his abilities in preparation before his ascension.
But the rope he gave him ended up being a noose tied around his neck. Chen Zhn dealing in pill ves and human cauldrons, while it was bitter to swallow,Chen Zian wasing around to epting it and filing it under a teachable moment.
But finding out that the person he had groomed for his post not only hired someone to kill one of the greatest hopes of the n but had absolutely no regard for the n and saw it as nothing more than a tool to further his own gains, that cut deep. To Chen Zian, nothing was more important to him than the n, even his life, and to him, whatever means he used no matter how cold at times, it was always for the greater good of the n.
That recording had given him a huge blow as his gaze fell on Chen Zhn feeling his rage boiling within him as he saw the frozen elder.
"I have truly failed the n to have harbored a snake like you.." Chen Zian coldly said with every wordced with killing intent.
"n Leader, I.."
"There''s no need for more words Chen Zhn,.." Chen Zian interrupted before suddenly moving to the center of the courtroom which startled Chen Zhn as he thought Chen Zian wasing to attack him.
"Judge Yang Qing, I wish to request the court of something?" said Chen Zian as he cupped his fists.
"What is it?"
"From what I know of the Cultivator Baseline Conduct Charter, for an irreconcble feud, the Order can be requested to stand as a witness for a blood debt life and death duel.."
"We can.."
"I would like to issue a blood debt challenge to Chen Zhn on the basis that he had a fellow n member murdered. I am within my rights to issue one both as the n leader and also as a direct cousin to the deceased, Chen Xue.
My question is would I be allowed to? With the charges looming over Chen Zhn''s head can a blood debt challenge still be issued to him, if it is, then I, Chen Zian, in my capacity as both leader of the Chen n and a direct blood rtive, would like to issue a blood debt battle to the death against the perpetrator, Chen Zhn, with the Order serving as witness and officiator of the duel.."Chen Zian solemnly said.
"C..n L.." Chen Zhn had just been about to speak when his entire body was forcibly restrained by Yang Qing using his spiritual qi.
"The court has heard your plea, n Leader Chen Zian, but I reserve judgment and will give my verdict on the matter at the end of the case, as I pass my sentence to the rest which should be after Owner Song Ba gives his testimony and the rest of the elders who want to speak on their defense.." Yang Qing paused as his gaze swept over said elders.
"Though I have to warn you that lying will add more to your punishment so please be conscious of that when the momentes.."
The elders sensing the unveiled warning in Yang Qing''s words all nodded their heads.
"n leader Chen Zian, please wait until then.." finished Yang Qing as he addressed the Chen n Leader who cupped his fists in gratitude as he moved back to his position.
"Owner Song Ba, I doubt the information about the murder of Chen Xue was the only information you had to trade, was it? If it was, then I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it will not be enough..."
"I understand Judge, and you''re right, the information on Chen Xue wasn''t what I was looking to trade. The information I wanted to trade for an easy death is this.."
Song Ba pulled his left thumb right off his hand, however, the blood that was expected to be seen when one tore off his thumb wasn''t there, all that was there was a smooth stump like it had been molded from y, as for the dismembered thumb, it transformed into a small scroll.
"Gold earth genesis art.. an interesting art.." muttered Yang Qing as he saw the transformation.
The art was a low-tier blue-grade art, however, in terms of attack, it was weaker than even middle-tier orange-grade art. The art''s true strength was as a utility art. The user could transform different parts of their body into artifacts bybining them with certain treasures.
For example, one could have a part of their skull bone mixed with serenity cloud pearls and have their soul and mind refreshed constantly by the pearl. Because of the art''s influence, no one would be none the wiser that serenity cloud pearls are embedded into that cultivator''s skull.
A cultivator''s entire body would be a mix of different types of artifacts. The gold earth genesis art was an art that required considerable wealth to cultivate. What itcked in firepower, it more than made up for in terms of versatility and potentially the survivability of the cultivator.
One could hide things within their body and others would never know, like the scroll that was reproduced from Song Ba''s thumb.
Song Ba opened up the scroll, which was nk, but from the fluctuations released from the scroll, Yang Qing could tell there was more to the scroll than met the eye, especially from the well-hidden concealment arrays, self-destruct arrays, illusory, and about a dozen other arrays and seals that were beautifully hidden and crafted within the scroll.
Song Ba bit his left thumb, producing a gold-red blood drop which though was tiny produced as much energy as a thousand volcanic mountains, as it leaked out with a dense aura of life.
Song Ba''s face paled instantly the moment the droplet was formed, as his forehead instantly produced buckets of sweat with his breathing gettingbored as he did so.
His weakened state was understandable. The droplet he produced was the heart blood essence, which was the manifestation of his entire essence in the form of a drop.
Song Ba poured the droplet onto the scroll as he formed a seal with his hand which triggered a reaction from both the droplet and the scroll, as the scroll lit up and produced what looked to be theyout of a vivid lifelike map, while the droplet split into tiny droplets, about a hundred of them and spread out all over the map.
When he was done, withbored breathing, Song Ba out of habit reached out for his storage ring to get some vitality nourishing pills,only to find it wasn''t there having been confiscated by the Order before he was taken to the courtroom. Just as he was wondering what to do about the dizziness and the weakness that was heavily assaulting his body, he felt a gentle cool nurturing force enter his body, and his weakness and dizziness disappeared in an instant.
The force seemed to have even restored the heartblood essence he had expended. Just as he was absorbed in shock at the change happening in his body, Yang Qing''s voice trailed over.
"So what are we looking at here?" Yang Qing said as he pointed at the map.
Song Ba bowed in gratitude for Yang Qing''s assistance first before he answered, with some hesitation, albeit.
"If the information proves worthwhile, I hope the Order, doesn''t use what I am about to share to cancel the agreed-upon deal.."
"If it proves valuable, the deal will be upheld, but... if what you''re about to share shows you actively participating in a mass massacre of people in the upwards of tens of thousands, then I''m afraid, you will have to pay the penalties for that, no matter what you share.."
Song Ba heaved a sigh of relief at Yang Qing''s response as he quickly moved to point at the hundreds of droplets.
"Each ce these droplets are represents the location of a member of the Blood Scavengers and no, I am not one of them, but they were the ones who gave me the art that I used to grow the herbs and make potions using pill ves and human cauldrons, in exchange, I provided them the potions I brewed using those herbs.
I marked those potions using a secret art that would ce a tracker on the target''s soul once they consumed that potion. The tracker has an active shelf period. It would disappear after three months and the only way to keep it active is if that same person consumes the potion.
As it stands, I am not sure, if my potions have been consumed by the same person, or its different people, but what I am certain of is every single representation here is from the Grim blood scavengers or someone affiliated with them. Their locations will remain active for 79 days.
Is this enough for a trade?"
Chapter 848 Sentence given (25)
Chapter 848 Sentence given (25)
??"What do you think seniors?" Yang Qing used his pce sense to secretlymunicate with Hou Dehui and Lei Weiyuan who were still in the courtroom.
"It''s your courtroom, Yang Qing. You should do whatever you feel is best as per your judgment.." answered Lei Weiyuan
Lei Weiyuan''s words weren''t all that surprising as it was more or less what he expected of him.
"I agree with Lei, it''s all on you, Yang Qing, though, based on what that merchant is offering, Xiafan would owe you one. All things considered, this information is bound to make her life moderately easier, seeing how she is the one at the front lines dealing with the group.." said Hou Dehui.
"Thank you for your input seniors.." said Yang Qing as he leaned back in his seat, his gaze falling on Song Ba who was on pins and needles awaiting Yang Qing''s judgment.
"Grim blood Scavengers, I can''t deny that is quite something to trade.."thought Yang Qing as his gaze fell on the close to one hundred droplets that were actively moving around the map.
Each one of those droplets was a potential member of the Grim blood scavengers. It was less likely for any of those droplets to be a high-ranking member of the organization considering they got marked by a technique done by an eleventh-stage core formation expert in Song Ba.
Someone in the pce realm would more than likely realize if someone did something to their soul no matter how minute the interference. While Song Ba had done something to the potions to more than likely hide them from the eyes of potential even someone in the pce realm, such means can only evade their eyes if those figures don''t consume the potion, if they did, they would surely be found out.
Song Ba''s actions were also another indicator that those droplets were unlikely to feature important figures of the organization. With his cautious nature and considering who he was dealing with, there were three reasons Yang Qing could think of that would make such a cautious person like him go through with it. One, it was a great card to hold, if sessful, second, Song Ba was confident in his ability to do it undetected, and third which was the most important factor, Song Ba knew his audience well which informed the chances of discovery.
Had those potions been meant for important figures, there was no doubt in Yang Qing''s mind that Song Ba would have never dared to try and pull something with them.
The fact that those droplets could potentially be of low-ranking members was what made Yang Qing wrestle with the idea of agreeing to the trade. He could just reject it, and make use of the information, but that would be dealing in bad faith, which was something he would not do.
As deserving as Song Ba would be to the fate that awaited him, a deal was a deal, and Yang Qing had to be objective and fair about it. If he rejected the deal, he would have to give substantial reasons for it.
Havinge to his decision, he sighed, as he gave the response.
"Do you have more recordings like the ones you have shown that show your dealings with the elders present?"
Song Ba who had been expecting a rejection, was thrown off slightly by Yang Qing''s question, which left him bewildered in thought and dyed in his response.
"Huh?"
"Do you have any visual recordings that pertain to the deals made with any of the elders present when it came to the pill ves and human cauldrons business you had with them?" Yang Qing patiently asked again.
Though still confused, Song Ba answered,
"I do.."
"Then we have a deal, provide those recordings and the deal we had can be considered fulfilled.."
"Really?!" Song Ba agitatedly asked with excitement in his tone.
"Yes. I, in my capacity as the judge of this case, agree to the deal made between Song Ba and the court, having found the information traded to be sufficient.." announced Yang Qing.
He had no choice but to agree to the deal. Regardless of whether those shown on the map were important members of the Grim Blood Scavengers or not, Yang Qing had to ept the deal.
The Grim Blood Scavengers was just as infamous as the Dark Helminth Ghost Sect, or the Scarlet Blood Hands Syndicate, and in some aspects they could be considered even more dangerous than the two, not in terms of ability, but in terms of origin and members they epted.
The Grim Blood Scavengers was entirelyprised of blood-
fiend cultivators and they dubbed themselves as the '' true inheritors of the Crimson Blood Tide Sect''.
Them iming that title wasn''t anything new as it was amon urrence among a lot of blood-fiend organizations who aimed to borrow the prestige of the Crimson Blood Tide to grow their renown, so they could gain more members and also establish their legitimacy amongst their circle.
The Crimson Blood Tide even destroyed, still held a lot of sway in the blood fiendmunity. It was the closest thing to having a holynd power they ever got which was why most blood-
fiend organizations that came after it, they all sang the same tune which was built on leveraging the prestige of the Crimson Blood Tide.
The Grim Blood Scavengers wasn''t any different, however, the reason Yang Qing agreed to the deal wasn''t because of their im to be true inheritors of the Crimson Blood Tide, but rather how dangerous they were. Their history, though not long, was still long, having been around for almost 50,000 years, which is quite the feat for them considering all blood fiend cultivators were dubbed the number one enemy of the entire continent.
Their longevity was a cause for concern, however, the greatest concern was they had a domain expert leading them and about nine pce realm experts within their ranks, and that was what was known on the surface, who knew what they hid beneath.
They were active all over the continent, however over the past seven hundred years, their activity had been concentrated in Five Clovers Kingdom and the Red Maple Empire which was what prompted the Order to create a branch at the border between the two nations and even dispatch a domain expert as the branch chief.
Most assumed the Order had created the branch because both the Red Maple Empire and the Five Clovers Kingdom were backed by rank two powers, but it couldn''t be further from the truth.
Chapter 849 Sentence given (26)
Chapter 849 Sentence given (26)
??While the Order''s presence reduced the activity of the Scavengers, the Grim Blood Scavengers still remain active in both nations to date, having deeply entrenched their roots in both nations well before the Order came there. Those roots enabled them to hide in in sight, which made it difficult for the Order even with its considerable resources topletely root them out as they yed catch up. But though small, the Order was making ground but they still didn''t know why the scavengers were interested in the two ces.The Order had some educated guesses, but it was just that.
This was why Yang Qing had to agree to Song Ba''s trade. Even if he had only marked low-ranking members, maybe one or two of those low-ranking members had ties to an important figure. The hundred droplets provided a hundred threads to follow and one of them could potentially lead to something if followed. The trade was too good to pass up. Song Ba would still get executed in the end, the only difference was the process, and if he could trade an easy death for the chance to uncover something about the Grim Blood Scavengers, then he had no choice but to agree.
Song Ba riding the high of a sessful trade, produced recordings from the same heavenly secrets cicada wing that contained the evidence of his collusion with Chen Zhn.
The recording was what would be expected of a merchant. It was clear, concise, and heavily detailed, leaving no room for doubt, and as the main instigator of the whole thing, Song Ba''s recording contained more damning evidence than what the Order had, and the fact it was recorded with the heavenly secrets cicada wing, it left little room for doubt. The recordings were made by borrowing on the abilities of the cicada, which concealed itself by borrowing and mimicking the true essence of whatever was around it.
The cicada''s ability to capture the true essence of the world around it was legendary and this ability was tranted to the recordings made. Just like the recordings made by Mei Xiling, using the silver void talisman, by using the heavenly secrets cicada''s wing, the recordings Song Ba had captured everything to its truest essence.
In the recording that showed him and Chen Zhn plotting in the Emerald Lake Inn, those in the courtroom not only heard the gentle swooshing sound of theke but could even smell its scent, along with wine and the dishes they had at the inn.
The recording didn''t seem like a recording, but it made one feel like they were experiencing the memory themselves, like they were there as it was happening, and all that was thanks to the wing of the heavenly mystery cicada.
With the damning and thorough evidencepletelyid out, the elders shown in those recordings couldn''t help but lower their heads in embarrassment.
"Thank you for the testimony, you can now step back.." said Yang Qing, as the air around the courtroom turned heavy, with everyone except Chen Gutian, affected by it.
Chen Gutian still had a lost look on his face as he muttered, how? how ? over and over. If it wasn''t for Yang Qing using his spiritual qi to calm him, with how unstable he was, owing to the emotional upheaval he was in, his qi would have long gone erratic along with his mind, but even with Yang Qing''s assistance, he seemed to be barely hanging on.
"This is it!" unanimously thought the elders as they saw Yang Qing sp his hands together.
"Now with all evidence presented, I now leave the floor to you all, the used to make your case. If you have any defense you want to use, feel free to bring it up, but as I warned you earlier, any hint of falsehood in your statements and the penalties against you increase considerably on top of what you''re supposed to face.
But.." Yang Qing paused.
"Owning up to your mistakes may have a slight impact on your treatment after the sentence. While your sentence won''t change, I will send a recording of your conduct to those in charge of handling your sentence.
I can tell you now, being responsible and forthright goes a long way with them, sp please keep that in mind, and also as I said earlier, should any of you wish to have your n leader speak on your behalf, you can, provided he agrees with it..
Is there something you''d wish to say, n Leader Chen Zian?" asked Yang Qing when he saw Chen Zian''s movements.
"Yes, judge, forgive my interruptions once more, but I would like to make my stance clear on the matter, I hope I can.."
"You can. Go on.."
"Other than Chen Gutian, I will not be speaking on behalf of any other member present. For the crimes they havemitted, all I can say..." Chen Zian paused as his solemn gaze fell on the elders.
"You have dishonored our n and spit on the sacrifices our ancestor and those who came after have given to ensure we are where we are today.
You have done what you have done, and that can''t be changed, but you have a chance here, while it may not undo what you have done, or repair the damage done to those children and the n, you have an option to bring honor to the Chen in your names by being honest and take responsibility.
We all know how ancestor Chen Fu was. His character was just like his sword, firm, enduring, direct, simple, and honest. His heart remained unblemished by falsehood.
I have failed to live up to who he was, but I have tried to, and I hope you will. Please uphold your honors of the n which I think you once loved and revered. Be sincere and direct and own up to the things you did. It may not undo everything but if you do, when the endes, you will not be ashamed to face the predecessors that went before us.
Do what is right, as a fellow n member, I implore you.." Chen Zian said as he bowed slightly to them.
Chapter 850 Sentence given (27)
Chapter 850 Sentence given (27)
??Chen Zian''s words seemed to have greatly affected the Chen n Elders. Some lowered their heads in shame, others had an air of resolve about them, while others seemed to be in deep contemtion.
Whatever they were thinking about, they had time, as Chen Zian didn''t seem to be done.
"For my uncle.." Chen Zian paused as he sighed when he saw the state the old elder was in. A look of apletely lost and broken man.
"While I am not shameless enough to ask for aplete pardon for what he did, I would like to plead with the court to consider the circumstances that led him to the choice he made and show him some mercy.
Chen... My uncle... For as long as I''ve known, I''ve known to be one of the most loyal and selfless people I have ever met.
Before Chen Xue was born, he always put the well-being of the n above his own needs, sacrificing everything for it, and when Chen Xue was born, I could tell, he always harbored some guilt as he felt he valued Chen Xue''s life above that of the n, but to me, he didn''t.
The love, care, and attention he showed Chen Xue was no different than showing it to the n, both are not mutually exclusive.
Even though thises from a utilitarian basis, the talent Chen Xue showed, he was the pride and joy of the entire n, and part of the reason he was able to fully demonstrate his talent was because of the care and support my uncle gave him.
When ites to cultivation, one''s environment is a crucial factor, and when ites to the environment, most think it is the quality of the spiritual veins and other cultivation resources, but to me, the environment is everything that surrounds a cultivator which includes their everyday life and rtionships, and my uncle helped provide one of the best aspects of that environment to Chen Xue.
So, all his life, to me, his loyalty has never wavered, be it to the n or to his son, and it was because of that loyalty that someone like Ch..someone like Zhn was able to exploit..
Because of the close friendship Zhn and Chen Xue had, Chen Gutian treated him as he would Chen Xue. In his eyes, he was no different than his son, and to those he had close rtionships with, there was nothing Chen Gutian wouldn''t do for them.
Zhn no doubt exploited that nature and convinced him to do something he would have never thought of doing in a million years.
While I don''t know the grief he went through when he lost his son and can only estimate the pain, I can say without any falsehood in my heart, if it was anyone else but Zhn that brought forth the n to harbor pill ves and human cauldrons in exchange for his son''s killer, he would never have done it, no matter how much pain he was in, and how desperate he was to find his son''s killer.
I have no doubt in my heart that he agreed to it so that Zhn would not have to carry that sin alone. Zhn no doubt goaded him by saying he would do it with or without his consent, which more or less forced my uncle''s hand into joining up with Song Ba.
My uncle has been nothing but loyal but whether it''s Zhn or us, we all took advantage of it, and could never repay it back. Zhn betrayed it, and for us, the one time he needed us to stand up for him when his son died, we couldn''t because we were trying to observe the bigger picture and not cause any waves that would rupture the fragile bnce we lived in.
We all failed him, all I can do now is avenge his son''s killer and beg the court to show mercy.." Chen Zian said as he performed a deep bow before stepping back.
"Thank you for your statement and the court will take your statement under consideration when making a ruling.." said Yang Qing before he turned to face the elders.
"The floor is now yours, should you wish to say anything on your defense.." Yang Qing said as he opened the floor to the elders.
After a momentary silence andck of movement from them, someone stepped out, it was Chen Lai, Chen Bo''s son.
He first bowed to Yang Qing and the rest before his gaze fell on Chen Gutian, where his eyes shed with sympathy before they turned calm once again as he looked at Chen Zian.
"As someone who was always at logger heads with you, I never did like you or those around you, especially Elder Chen Gutian. He was obstinate, tempermental, short sighted and a meathead, but there was one thing I could never begrudge him for, and that was his loyalty to you but more so to the n.
Considering what I did, I am unqualified to speak on it, but then and now, his relentless loyalty was and is something I grew to admire greatly.
As much as I am disgusted with Zhn for what he did, we have just as much me to what happened to Elder Chen Gutian and junior nephew Chen Xue by allowing the fox into the hen house.
If it wasn''t for our dealings with Song Ba, that snake would not have found the perfect dagger to useand for that,...
I AM TRULY SORRY.." Chen Lai said as he bowed to both Chen Gutian who still had a listless and confused look and to Chen Zian, who looked surprised by the bow.
Chen Bo may have been his direct rival, but with him in seclusion, the person he had been contending with had been his son, Chen Lai. With the amount of hidden battles and enmity they had for one another, he would have never expected Chen Lai to bow to him.
After the bow, Chen Lai rose as he turned to face Yang Qing, but not before casting another look at Chen Zian.
"I have no doubt that you will use all this to consolidate your power in the n, and with everything that has happened.." Chen Lai paused as he sighed.
"I can''t say it''s a bad thing.Che.. n Leader, I know you need to do what you have to do, but the n needs to stand firm together, so what happened here doesn''t repeat itself.
Those involved are all here, I hope you can let the matter end here and try and make peace with my father and the rest. For him, I know , if he learns what happened to Chen Xue, he''s sure to change.
The only reason he opposed you so much was because he always believed your strength was insufficient to help the n sail the muddy waters that is the Red Maple Empire, but unlike me who resorted to tricks and viinous ways to oppose, he chose a more direct way, a way that honors our ancestor, and that is to surpass you in ability.
Don''t shame him, he already has enough to carry because of me. I''ve never asked you of anything but as our n leader I''ll ask you of that.." said Chen Lai.
"I will consider it.."
"That''s all I ask.."
Chapter 851 Sentence given (28)
Chapter 851 Sentence given (28)
??After getting his response, maybe to try and shake the nervousness that was within him, Chen Lai found himself straightening his robes, and taking a few breaths. Even though he had already steeled himself for what he was about to say, the convicting pressure the court had on him, he felt like he was facing the invible presence and weight of the heavens itself, judging his guilt.
Forcefully pushing back his nervousness, Chen Lai spoke.
"I admit my guilt in the harboring and nurturing of pill ves and human cauldrons and I admit my guilt to everything the court has presented as evidence of my crime. I did those things with willful thought, no one tricked me, ckmailed me, or threatened me into doing them. I chose to do them, and I ept whatever punishment the court deems fit for those crimes.." Chen Lai said as his voice though low, reverberated around the courtroom.
"The court acknowledges andmends your admission of guilt, Chen Lai, and while it may have no immediate impact on the sentence handed to you, at ater time it may.." said Yang Qing as he motioned for Chen Lai to step back.
With Chen Lai having taken the lead, and Yang Qing''s statement, the elders no longer seemed hesitant, as one after another took to the podium, directly admitting their guilt whilst also making a plea to Chen Zian to not pin the me of any of their actions on their family members who were uninvolved in the matter.
With not one of them choosing to confess rather than make excuses, everything progressed fast. However, even though all of them, confessed,for some it wasn''t what they truly wanted to do as Yang Qing noticed the reluctance in their eyes.
Those figures only did so due to cowering under the mounting pressure that was on them when one elder after the other chose to confess and own up rather than defend themselves. But it wasn''t just that, the insurmountable and damning evidence against them was also a huge factor for their admission, that and the unveiled threat Yang Qing had repetitively made on what awaited them if they dared lied to the court.
Whether out of a renewed sense of decency and responsibility or out of fear, Yang Qing was all too pleased with the rapid and smooth progress, that those admissions brought.
With all the admissions finally in ce, he could finally give his verdict.
"I, having found all evidence sufficient enough to pass a fair verdict, hereby present my sentence as the judge in charge of this case.
Chen Lai, Chen Lin, Chen Shanyuan, Chen Hou, Chen Gong, Chen Yufen, Chen Huang, Chen Mo, Chen Jiang, Chen Qiao, Chen Longwei, Chen Zedong, Chen Liwei, andstly, Chen Han,
I find you all guilty of viting the Cultivator Baseline Conduct Charter for harboring and nurturing pill ves and human cauldrons and as such for the vition the penalty is execution by cleansing from the chaos yang fire of redemption for the next 247 years which matches the number of victims you have converted into pill ves and human cauldrons, both the living and the dead.
As per the rules, those who survive the entirety of that cleansing, if you survive to thest day, you will be released.."
When Yang Qing said that, the eyes of almost every person charged lit up, whether it was the Chen elders being sentenced, or Song Ba or Shen Mu.
When Yang Qing announced that only death awaited them even though they had epted it, it was still a hard pill to swallow, and now hearing that there was a chance at freedom, it was like a severely dehydrated personing across a single dew drop on a de of grass. Even if it wasn''t enough to satiate their thirst, the dehydrated person, that drop was no different thaning across a big oasis.
That sentiment was the same to those in the courtroom about to be sentenced. They didn''t know how it felt to be cleansed by the chaos yang river or redemption, but no matter how difficult it was, each and every one of them thought to themselves, that surely they would be able to survive as long as they grit their teeth and steeled themselves through the cleansing.
They all increasingly felt they had sufficient willpower and desperation to weather through it, and no matter how torturous the process was likely to be, they only needed to survive 247 years. Aste-stage core formation experts, 247 years was as long as a nap to them. A blink of an eye and it was done.
"Is this true? If we survive those years, will we be let go?" eagerly asked one of the elders whose excitement had gave him the courage to speak up.
"It is. As long as you survive till thest day of the 247 years your debt to those you harmed will be considered repaid. I can swear a grand dao oath to attest to it if you want?"
"No, no, there''s no need for that, I believe you.." ecstatically said the elder with a wide smile on his face that was mirrored with by the rest.
Yang Qing paused as he gave them time to internalize the news while taking in their reactions while sighing on the inside when he saw those elders'' eyes shining with hope. Even Shen Mu at the side seemed hesitant.
As per the terms of his deal, for his testimony, he was spared the treatment of the chaos yang river of redemption, but the substitute for being spared was he would be imprisoned indefinitely until his lifespan ran out.
He would not be tortured and would get to live out his days as a regr at the Requiem. It was a good deal on all ounts the treatment of the chaos yang river of redemption, but the substitute for being spared was he would be imprisoned since, even though the environment was harsh, Shen Mu had been informed that he would still be able to cultivate and there have been records of prisoners having major breakthroughs because of the richness of the environment there.
But even with all that, some part of him was tempted to ask for a switch of his deal. Even if he kept his life, life imprisonment no matter the conditions was still life imprisonment, and the Requiem despite having records of cultivators breaking through, who knew the real reason why they broke through.
Most cultivators broke through under the pressure of death or being tempered by extremely difficult situations. Requiem being a prison was definitely not short of life-threatening and extremely difficult obstacles.
The deal only said they would not torture him, but it didn''t entail guaranteeing his protection in there and if he was being perfectly honest, a huge part of him, no matter how deserving he felt of the punishment handed to him, if he was given a shot at freedom, he would take it in a heartbeat.
And now, with what Yang Qing just announced, there was a way he could get an early release. If he asked for his sentence to be switched to the cleansing , he was sure he would get less years than the elders as he wasn''t directly involved nor had knowledge of the business they were doing. He was just the supplier of those kids, some he kidnapped yes, but some came willingly. Add that and all the other crimes he was guilty of he felt he would get maybe 100 years and even less maybe on ount of his mother and her identity.
"Maybe.." he''d only just thought of this as he turned to face his mother, only to freeze when he saw her shake her head as if she had read through his thoughts.
"Why?" he looked questioningly. Yes, his willpower may have not been his strongest suit considering the path he ended up taking after suffering a major loss, but he was different now, right? His mother was alive, he was repentant,and he had asaber intent which wasn''t only a powerfulbat tool, but strengthened the user''s spirit too.
Surely he could survive it, right? His odds were surely better than those elders, and at less the time However, his thoughts were cut short when he saw the other person who had made a deal close to his, remain unshaken by the news. He was about the only person to remain the same. That person was Song Ba. Shen Mu didn''t believe it, he had expected a simr reaction from ther merchant when a shot at freedom was presented to him, but it was like he hadn''t even registered what Yang Qing had said.
On sensing his gaze, Song Ba turned to him and smiled.
Chapter 852 Sentence given (29)
Chapter 852 Sentence given (29)
??Shen Mu felt a shiver travel up his spine when he saw that smile.
"Is there really something wrong with that river?" he wondered.
Even though he asked himself that, the warning from his mother and Song Ba''s reaction already answered the question.
There was no way the Order would be so lenient as to let go of cultivators who engaged in taboo matters. If they did, they would be drowned with criticism and public outcry for being corrupt or inept in their duties.
Cultivating pill ves and human cauldrons was considered a sinful act,monly associated with fiendish cultivators. Even before the Order was created, those harboring human cauldrons were considered a public enemy to the entire continent.
If it was known that the Order was letting go of those found guilty of such acts, what would the continent''s reaction be like?
As it stood, the Order was already on thin ice on the continent, add a scandal like this, and that ice would quickly melt bringing a fierce storm to the Order''s doorstep. Even if the Order was powerful enough to wade through all kinds of storms, they would not willingly invite one if they could avoid it.
Once his thoughts reached that far, Shen Mu''s eyes widened. If the Order made that offer, then that meant they had confidence that no one would be able to survive the Chaos yang river of redemption.
The Order has been in existence for almost 1,000 years and in that time, what manner of characters have theye across? For the reputation they had built, countless had fallen to their hands, and in that number surely there was no small number of core formation experts, pce realm experts, and maybe even domain experts, but in all this time, Shen Mu had never had a single person guilty of heinous taboo crimes being released.
This could only mean one thing, no one has ever survived that river to date. When he reached that conclusion, he could feel his whole body freeze over. He had almost thrown himself to an early death under the allure of a potential release that never existed in the first ce.
"How cruel are they?" thought Shen Mu as he looked up, finding a strange glint sh in Yang Qing''s eyes as it fell on him. If moments ago, his thoughts were merely, then the look Yang Qing gave him, all but confirmed it.
...
"I hope you can all maintain the same zeal when the momentes.." thought Yang Qing as he took in the crowd''s reaction.
He had sensed Shen Mu''s temptation, which wasn''t all that strange as he had seen others follow his train of thought when they made a deal opting to endure the test of the Chaos yang river of redemption, believing it was a better choice, but it couldn''t be further from the truth.
That river could kill a peak-stage soul formation expert in a thousand years, a peak-stage domain expert in a hundred years, and those below the domain realm would notst more than ten years. That river contained the most pure and ancient form of yang mes which were so potent that it could burn through space, burn through air, burn through any dao that was not rted to it.
The river was only one kilometer long and twenty meters wide, however, it reigned sovereign, one hundred thousand kilometers around. Whatever it didn''t permit to exist, would not exist without its say-so.
But with dangeres rewards, as destructive as the river was,it also brought countless benefits to those who were able to endure it or gain its recognition. The Chaos Yang River of Redemption was a mystical dao form that was rumored to have been in existence in the primordial era when the world was formed and as such it contained mysterious truths and secrets that preceded antiquity. A power that was unique and unmatched in profundity. Those able to grasp even the tiniest portion would harvest the benefits well after they have broken into the soul formation realm.
Yang Qing had heard that a few of the higher-ups of the Order cultivated there, especially those looking to break through to the soul formation realm and it wasn''t only them, even those looking to break through to the domain realm would have a chance to cultivate there under the protection of a soul formation expert to be tempered and reforged by the mes of that river.
The reason why the Order had a lot of domain experts was rumored to be because of the river''s effects.
But, even with the apparent benefits, no one ever stays there for more than a year. Only those in the soul formation realm could push to double digits, but even they would not dare hit triple digits, especially when one considered a thousand years in that ce was enough to kill any peak stage soul formation expert, despite their foundations and umtions.
The river''s ability to refine one''s entire essence from their body to their soul, to their mind was second to none, but that was only if you could survive it.
Per Yang Qing''s estimation, when it came to the Chen n elders before him, it was in doubt whether they would be able to survive six months let alone 247 years. A peak stage domain expert would not be able to endure those mes let alone somete-stage core formation experts, but if by some chance one of them endured it, they would be released, not because the Order honors its promises, but because of the Chaos Yang River.
A core formation expert enduring its mes that long could only happen if they gained the river''s recognition, and if they did, killing them would prove difficult bordering on impossible, after all, it was rumored that the river shared the same source as the phoenix''s me of rebirth and those who gained its recognition, received the same favor as the phoenix did.
Anyone outside the Order would believe such a thing to be false, after all how unique were the phoenix''s mes, its rebirth ability was something born of the supreme dao, making a replication of its ability nigh impossible but within the Order, there was a record of one person surviving its mes well beyond what should have been their ability to survive it.
Four years old that person was when he came across the river. Starving and dehydrated, that child made his way to the river and survived for eleven years as he drank the yang water from that river, as his body was broken and reformed several times over during that period until finally, the river acknowledged that child.
All this time, only that person has ever been acknowledged by it and is the reason the Order got to have that river in the first ce. That person was none other than the Chief Justice of the Order, Lai Ning, the immortal child.
Chapter 853 Sentence given (30)
Chapter 853 Sentence given (30)
??Only after the excitement had sufficiently died down did Yang Qing continue with his verdicts.
"Owner Song Ba for being one of the primary instigators of this whole ordeal, and your association with a blood fiend group, your verdict would have been execution under the heavenly inquisition de, and the sentence would have been carried four years from now.
However, because of your cooperation, and the court judging the information you traded to be valuable, that sentence has been vacated with another taking its ce.
You will spend the remainder of your life imprisoned, never to see the light of day..."
Song Ba heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that, however, he instantly became wary when he saw Yang Qing''s attention on him like he wasn''t done.
"In addition, while the trade does guarantee your life, a bit of a price needs to be paid for what you did..."
Song Ba''s heart dropped when he heard those words, and his eyes widened.
"As such, it is my rmendation pending approval from Supervisory Judge Lei Weiyuan, Supervisory Judge Hou Dehui, the Judicial Review Committee, and the Spirit Council, that Song Ba be subjected to the baptism of the Chaos Yang River Of Redemption for three days, or the limits through which his body and mind can remain intact.
Afterward, the Order can heal the injuries that present themselves as a result of that duration..
What do you all think?"
Song Ba filled with the courage of self-preservation, hurriedly spoke up.
"But Judge Yang Qing, I thought we had a deal.."
"We did.."
"Isn''t this a betrayal of that deal? You promised an easy death for what I offered.."
"Haven''t you heard my sentence? You will still receive an easy death by getting to live out the entirety of your lifespan incarcerated instead of what your original sentence should have been.
I can promise you this, death by heavenly inquisition de would have been a truly horrifying end. The agony it would have left on you would have followed you well into the afterlife.
But because of the information you provided, such a death has been removed from the equation.."
Yang Qing raised his hand as a gesture for Song Ba to let him finish.
He didn''t lie, for someone with a lot of blood on their hands, especially ones whose victims held a lot of grievance, facing the heavenly inquisition sword was the worst thing they could ever face, even worse than being thrown into the Chaos Yang River Of Redemption.
At least with thetter, it didn''t discriminate, and though any death brought by it was painful, it could be considered rtively swift, but the heavenly inquisition sword was different, it was especially ruthless to cultivators like Song Ba or Shen Mu who had the scent of grieving souls on them. Souls that were unable to find rest because of the reasons behind their death, and how they lost their lives.
As far as Yang Qing knew, almost every Order employee had interacted with the sword, the moment they started working for the Order because they all swore an oath to uphold the principles of the Order, with the sword bearing witness to the oath.
Yang Qing could never forget the memory of his interaction with it. He didn''t even know where that sword was when he was taken there, only that the room was dark save only for that sword that looked to have been crafted from the purest crystal in the world, unblemished by anything.
The sword had a gentle mystical light that flowed through its entire body, which made all who saw it feel like all their hidden thoughts and desires wereid out to bare beneath that light.
Even with the gentleness it evoked, Yang Qing felt a binding pressure on his soul, which came from feeling entirely exposed. There was nothing he could do or hide that the sword would not know.
Even after interacting with it,that sword was still aplete mystery to him. He knew next to nothing about it, other than, no one could ever lie in front of it and those judged by it would experience pain worse than death. The sword had this ability where all the aggrieved souls would be brought to life, albeit shortly, and they would all have a chance at enacting their vengeance several times over on the one they used.
The used would have to endure the torture by every restless spirit that haunted them. The sword as a conduit would transmit the wrath and everything those spirits would wish on the culprit.
It was the deliverer of the wrath of the aggrieved and restless souls who even in their death knew no peace and once thest victim had their vengeance, only then, would the used get in by the sword.
Yang Qing didn''t know how that was able to do all that, hearing only rumors here and there such as the sword being tempered in a rumored dao treasure, simr to the Chaos Yang River, only this one was called the Chaos Yin River of souls.
Yang Qing wasn''t sure how true that was, but he did know the sword''s abilities were terrifying and Song Ba could consider himself extremely lucky to have avoided that fate.
"The deal was for you to have a simple and easy death which you will... For them, surviving the cleansing of the Chaos Yang River Of Redemption depends on their abilities, the Order has no influence whatsoever on their survival or death.
Our only job is to take them to the river, where they will stay for the duration of their sentence. Their life and death in there has nothing to do with us, but for you, things are different.
Your association with blood fiend cultivators already guarantees you a painful death, let alone being the mastermind in creating pill ves and human cauldrons.
Me agreeing to the deal is an act of magnanimity and consideration, but even then, you still need to pay for what you have done, even by a tiny bit so the souls of your victims, be they living or dead, can have some form of justice.
This is why I have suggested that you be subjected to the same treatment as them for three days or til the upper limits of your endurance, whichever is longer.
You owe a debt and it has to be paid, one way or another, and this is the most efficient way, and unlike them, where their survival is up to them, in your case, the Order will personally guarantee your survival at the end.
Make no mistake, Owner Song Ba, this is not your death sentence, but a debt collection... Is that clear?" asked Yang Qing.
"It is.."Song Ba said with a low voice as he tried to hide his dejection and nervousness.
As a merchant, he had long grown wary of things that were too good to be true, especially when it came to deals. When there was an imbnce in the deal, when one side seemed hugely advantageous to the other, that always set off huge rm bells in him because to him, no matter the advantages there was usually a hidden corresponding price to pay.
The sentence of the Chaos Yang River, surviving it might seem like a path to redemption, but considering the crime done, Song Ba knew the river was sure to collect in kind. There was no way the Order was going to be at the losing end of that deal, and now being sent there even for a few days, he couldn''t help but worry.
He wasn''t exactly known for having strong willpower, if he was, he would likely not be in the situation he was in today. His only saving grace was he would not die from it, but even that thought left him in a depressive and frightful mood. Pain worse than death must havee from ces like the Chaos Yang River in mind.
Chapter 854 Sentence given (31)
Chapter 854 Sentence given (31)
??Just as he wasmenting his luck, Yang Qing continued,
"In addition, for conspiring to murder Chen Xue, while we have no jurisdiction in such feuds, should any one of his kin at some point in time, whether today, tomorrow, ten years or hundred years from now, decide they want to collect on that debt, despite you being in our custody, the Order will facilitate the blood debt duel, in ordance to the customs of the cultivators'' code of conduct.," said Yang Qing with his gaze pausing momentarily on the Chen n patriarch who seemed to be clenching his fists in frustration.
Yang Qing was right, Chen Zian felt deeply frustrated, especially after learning of Chen Xue''s death.
Other than Chen Zhn''s betrayal, what frustrated him was, he realized how weak their n was. Even if they had realized back then that Song Ba had been involved in the death of Chen Xue, he and the rest of the n, bar Chen Gutian would have been hesitant to act.
Song Ba''s identity as a subsidiary owner under the banner of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion would have made them hesitant, bordering on unable to do anything about it. Chen Zian could have easily ughtered Song Ba, but would he?
Song Ba by himself was nothing, but the Golden Bamboo Pavilion behind him was enough to strike fear in the hearts of many. He did not doubt if any of the founding families, even including the royal family, were in the same situation as him, they would have the same hesitation and considerations he was having right now.
For what Song Ba had done, the Golden Bamboo Pavilion was sure to draw a huge line with him, but if Chen Zian took Yang Qing up on his offer and challenged Song Ba to a debt-blood duel, would the Golden Bamboo Pavilion let him go scot-free, even after cutting ties with him?
It was a risk he couldn''t take, and that thought made his blood boil over. Red Maple Empire was littered with other Song Bas. What if they just like Song Ba decided to target a member of his n? Would he just have to shut up and take it? He knew already knew the answer to that,and had known for a while, because if he was keen on avenging Chen Xue, why did he choose Chen Zhn who only schemed, and did not challenge Song Ba who actually worked on the n, or Shen Mu who hired the assassins that did the job.
The answer was he couldn''t. One had the stamp of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion on him, and the other, assuming he could even match Shen Mu in a fight and win, he still had to consider his domain expert mother standing behind him.
Facing the realities of one''s weakness was always difficult, let alone swallowing it. It always left an unpleasant aftertaste.
Whatever thoughts he had, Song Ba seemed to havee to the same conclusions too, as he seemed undisturbed by the announcement, as he even managed to spare Chen Zian a nonchnt nce before he went back to worrying about how bad the experience of the Chaos Yang River would be.
As for worrying about Chen Zian or any other person from the Chen n taking up the offer. he could care less. There was a reason why he chose to settle in the Red Maple Empire or dared to deal in pill ves and human cauldrons with one of the so-
called founding families.
Red Maple Empire was just the glorified back garden of Golden Bamboo Pavilion, and those nobles were gardeners. It might seem like they had a partnership with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, instead of being subordinates, but everyone knew what the rtionship was truly like.
Why else would the subsidiaries behave wantonly within their territory as if they were the true overlords of the ce and why would the Empire let them?
Even with their rtionship severed, Song Ba knew Chen Zian would never escape the shadow Golden Bamboo Pavilion had cast on them. He had no choice but to swallow it, either that or the Chen family produces a domain expert. But what were the odds of that happening?
If they struggled so much producing a pce realm expert, was a domain expert even remotely in the cards for them?
Song Ba felt he had a higher chance of surviving the Chaos Yang River for 247 years than the Chen n had of ever having a domain expert, and even if by some freakish chance they were able to, what were the odds they would be able to produce one before his lifespan ran out.
In all this, there was one thing that gave him confidence that that would never happen for them, and it wasn''t because the Chen ncked the talent and the resources to actually pull it off, which it did, but it was because of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
The Pavilion would never let them or any other family in Red Maple Empire for that matter, ever produce a domain expert, and risk losing their back garden. A merchant would never ept the loss of a valuable resource like that. Part of the reason Song Ba willingly agreed to kill Chen Xue was because Chen Xue by virtue of his talent had granted him immunity even if he was found out. In the pavilion''s books, his actions were considered merit.
Why has the Empire since it was founded never moved past the ranks of barely average among rank four organizations despite its long history and its foundation being the territory of a long-
lived spiritual nt that had once touched the doors of the domain realm?
In all its history, it has never produced a pce realm expert that had touched the seventh stage of the pce realm. Not e-stage pce realm expert, despite the resources of the red maple spirit at their disposal.
Were they truly that ipetent generation after generation that not one person could ever reach the seventh stage or was it because of something else?
Chapter 855 Sentence given (32)
Chapter 855 Sentence given (32)
??Song Ba hurriedly cleared his thoughts of the potential undercurrents of the Red Maple Empire. To him, if he was asked, he could only say the Empire brought that fate on themselves by choosing to maintain an ambiguous rtionship with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
If they outrightmitted themselves as a true and proper subordinate, instead of an allied partner like they tried to portray then the Pavilion would likely treat them as it did them. Its subsidiaries had no shortage of shops owned by talented cultivators with the top leading ones having already reached at least the middle to thete stages of the pce realm.
The executives who were in charge of the management of the subsidiaries and the branches of the pavilion, the Pavilion had nine executives, and each one of them was ate pce stage expert,and for some, they had once been part of the subsidiaries before they were elevated in stature and provided they managed to reach the peak stage of the pce realm, their status would be elevated further into the ranks of the Golden Elders, which was the position that was just below the three founders of the pavilion.
The Pavilion had seven Golden Elders and among their ranks,four were peak stage pce realm experts, two were at the quasi-domain stage and the leader of the group was a bonafide domain expert.
When it came to its own, as long as one showed promise, the Golden Bamboo Pavilion would pour resources and support said individuals, but only if you were considered one of their own, which the Red Maple Empire wasn''t considered as long as they wore the title of ''ally''.
"Is pride really that important if it stifles or risks your growth?" thought Song Ba, unable to understand why the Empire remained insistent on the rtionship it had with the pavilion despite the clear disadvantages.
To him, them trying to maintain a sense of independence and freedom was a foolish decision especially when one considered the state of affairs in the Empire. The subsidiaries, with the blessing of the pavilion, constantly stirred up trouble in the Empire, by promoting discord among the noble families.
They weren''t the only dagger used, the up-anding noble families were another. With secret support from the pavilion via some of its prominent subsidiaries, those families were quickly improving and growing in strength, and it wouldn''t be long before theypletely catch up to the founding families and maybe evenpletely rece them.
The reason those founding families were constantly feuding, other than instigation from outside forces, was because of the desperation that those families put them on with the gains they were making. It was why they didn''t hesitate to tear each other apart.
When two people are chased by a bear, the one who survives is the one who runs the fastest, and if both their speeds and circumstances are the same, then one of them will try to trip the other to increase their odds of survival. It was the same thing those families were doing.
They knew most of the challenges they faced, either directly or indirectly had something to do with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, and since they were helpless to do anything about it directly, not unless they found another backer at the level of the Pavilion, they could only tear at each other, in the hopes that one of them with slow down the bear that was after them.
It was why Song Ba always struggled to understand what the royal family and those families were thinking by desperately struggling to maintain their independence instead of giving in just like how their neighbors the Five Clovers Kingdom did. The Five Clovers Kingdom was a true subordinate of the Zou n.
Yes, their circumstances were different, with the Five Clovers Kingdom having been a rank three kingdom, starting down a potential takeover during the expansion reign of the Red Maple Empire, while the Red Maple Empire had a powerful empress to rely on and the inheritance of the long-lived peak pce stage Red maple spirit.
But even if the empire borrowed the name of the Red Maple Spirit, it was not the Red Maple Spirit.
Look at the two nations now, the kingdom that wasn''t worth their attention was almost catching up to them, while they stagnated and rotted from within. Whatever independence they were struggling to maintain would be taken away, either by the pavilion or the Five Clover Kingdom, whichever came first.
Is it worth it for a false sense of independence?
One must know to adapt to circumstances if they are to survive and Song Ba felt just like his days were numbered, the Red Maple Empire would not be far behind. Maybe he might soon havepany as he walked the Yellow River to the afterlife with Chen Zian who was looking hatefully at him being one of them.
He quickly held himself back from chuckling at the twisted sense of fate.
Song Ba tore his attention from Chen Zian as he ced his hand over his heart which seemed to have calmed down slightly. The short sadistic reprieve had given him a much-needed outlet for his fears.
Chen Zian gritted his teeth in pained frustration at the look of disregard Song Ba gave him. He may not be in Song Ba''s mind, but he could tell what Song Ba was thinking. A secondter he couldn''t help but sigh.
"Ultimately we are just too weak. Maybe back then we should have been insistent with Chen Xue. I don''t know if he would have reached the domain realm but even reaching the pce realm would have provided a shining light out of that looming darkness, " thought Chen Zian.
..
Yang Qing unaware of the thoughts and non-verbal exchange between the two continued with his verdict.
"Shen Mu.."
Shen Mu straightened up his body as his eyes flickered with worry. He wasn''t the only one who seemed on edge at the mention of his name, his mother, Tan Lanfen wore a look of worry as her index fingers moved back and forth like they were chiseling something.
"The court having found your cooperation and testimony satisfactory, we will thus honor the deal agreed upon before in exchange for your full cooperation.
For your crimes, you will serve a life sentence,pletely under the watch and authority of the Order until you breathe yourst..."
Shen Mu couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he heard that. Even if the deal was already agreed upon before the proceedings even started, he couldn''t deny that some part of him was slightly worried that the Order would renege on the deal and throw some terrifying sentence on him that would end with him dying painfully.."
"In addition, just like Song Ba, you are forever bound to a blood debt duel owed for Chen Xue''s life. Even if you didn''t know of his identity beforehand nor did you strike the blow that ended his life, you''re still culpable in his death having hired the assassins for the job.
His blood is on your hands, the same as Song Ba and the Hidden Fog Assassins who did the deed.
From now till thest day of your lifespan, should anyone from the Chen family im that debt, the Order will honor and uphold it.."
"I understand and ept, and thank the court for its magnanimity.." Shen Mu solemnly said as he cupped his fist.
He had expected as much when it came to the blood debt. Even before the Order, such was the way of life for cultivators. Whatever blood you spilled, you had to anticipate that there would be someoneing to collect the price for it at some point in time.
That being said, he felt conflicted about it. He felt regret for his part in it yes, but if someone from the Chen n came to collect, despite what reservations he felt about the whole thing, he would fight with everything he had to preserve his life. The thought of killing another person from that n made his heart feel heavy, especially if his father was the one who requested it.
Sneaking a nce at Chen Gutian, some part of him hoped he would forever remain confused he was in rather than gain rity and with it, a thirst for vengeance. He had enough blood on his hands, and with how bad things were for Chen Gutian, the weight of taking his life too was a burden he didn''t want.
As he was lost in his thoughts, Tan Lafen had thanked the court too for sparing her son''s life and requested to have some time with him before he was sent to Requiem, to which Yang Qing acquiesced but her time with Shen Mu would only be under the presence of a domain expert from the Order. With all things considered it would likely be someone from the special inquisitors who were experts at anticipating and sniffing out hidden measures.
With almost all of the sentences given, he was left with Chen Zhn and the distraught and confused Chen Gutian. Seeing Chen Gutian''s state, Yang Qing opted to hand Chen Zhn his sentence.
Even though Chen Zhn looked better than Chen Gutian, mentally, it wasn''t by much, as one could see the fear in him as he looked around him, looking for help or mercy. The Chen n elders had drawn a clear line from him, Chen Zian wanted to kill him, and the court was overbearing.
It was like everyone and everything around him was judging him as the culprit of the whole thing which prompted him to keep muttering,
"It wasn''t my fault..."
"Chen Zhn for the crime of harboring and nurturing pill ves and human cauldrons, just like the rest you shall be sentenced to the Chaos Yang River Of Redemption, where you will undergo its cleansing for 247 years, and should you survive it, just like what I told them, your debt will be considered to have been paid in full..." said Yang Qing, though Chen Zhn didn''t seem all too excited at the prospect, still wearing the same look of fear and nervousness.
"However.." Yang Qing added as his gaze fell on Chen Zian.
"The court will temporarily hold off on enacting the sentence because of the challenge issued earlier.
The court approves Chen n Leader Chen Zian''s request to settle the blood debt owed by you Chen Zhn for your part in the murder of Chen Xue.
Should you survive the blood debt challenge, only then will the sentence givene into effect..." announced Yang Qing.
"n leader, having issued the challenge, as per our rules, with you being the collector, you have the right to decide on the time, but that time can not exceed seven days because of his impending sentence. Were he given a life sentence we would have amodated the time frame you required, but because of the terms of his sentence, you have a week to prepare for the fight.
If you exceed that, without proper cause, his sentence will take effect on the eighth day.
When would you like to have the challenge?"
Without pause or thought, Chen Zian answered,
"Immediately, Judge Yang Qing.."
Chapter 856 Blood debt duel (1)
Chapter 856 Blood debt duel (1)
??"B..B.. but Judge I am not ready!" Chen Zhn hurriedly said in protest.
He was only at the eighth stage of the core formation realm while Chen Zian was at the peak stage of the core formation realm. Even though such a gap in cultivation base didn''t equate to an insurmountable gap in the core formation stage unlike in the pce realm where a difference in every minor stage came with a monumental leap in strength, he still had grounds to be worried.
Chen Zian wasn''t just any peak-stage core formation expert, as someone who regrly sparred with him, Chen Zhn knew intimately how great his abilities wereing second only to the three supreme elders who were in the quasi-pce stage, though Chen Zhn had this nagging feeling, that Chen Zian was likely on par with those supreme elders as he had likely achieved a fully formed sword intent.
Outwardly, both within and outside the n, Chen Zian was known to have not reached that stage yet, but as the cunning old fox he knew him to be, Chen Zhn felt Chen Zian would definitely hide he had achieved sword intent even from his people so as to have a card in reserve.
Chen Zhn felt strongly that he had likely achieved sword intent because of Chen Xue. Other than Chen Zian, the person he had sparred with the most was Chen Xue, which started when he was small going all the way through to when he had birthed his sword intent.
They must have sparred about a million times to the point that Chen Xue''s sword intent was ingrained in Chen Zhn''s entire being. That inadvertently made him extremely sensitive to the hidden qualities of sword intent. He didn''t know how it happened, but he could feel a certain quality from the three supreme elders that gave him the same sensation as Chen Xue did.
At first, he had chalked up that feeling to intimidation, butter through experimentation, he felt it was likely tied to sword intent, especially when thirty years ago Chen Zian started exhibiting that quality when prior he had not.
If his guess was true, his fight against Chen Zian, if it could be called that, the victor was already decided.
There was a difference between fighting a peak stage core formation expert with no sword intent, and fighting one that has, fighting the former was like fighting a lion, but fighting thetter was like fighting a lion that had the teeth, scales, and ws of a dragon.
Knowing Chen Zian''s vicious nature, there was no doubt he would take his time with those ws causing maximum amount of pain, drawing it out to torment him as he broke him piece by piece until finally delivering the finishing blow.
Chen Zian was thest person he wanted to face.
"As the perpetrator, you have no say in this. The battle shallmence immediately.." Yang Qing calmly said, extinguishing whatever hopes Chen Zhn had of dying the thing.
Chen Zhn wanted to make another go at it but Yang Qing''s gaze dissuaded him from it.
An instantter just as Chen Zhn was wallowing in fear and worry someone spoke, drawing the attention of the entire courtroom.
"Chen Zian let me do this.."
The voice was low, raspy, andcking in vigor but even in its weakness there was an unyielding resolve.
All the eyes centered on the originator of that voice.
"Uncle..." Chen Zian was just about to dissuade his uncle from taking the mantle of vengeance and let him handle it, but he swallowed his words when he saw the gaze Chen Gutian gave him.
He seemed to have aged even more so in the short amount of time they had been in the courtroom and that was saying a lot for someone close to the end of his lifespan. His frame seemed to have shrunk as he seemed shorter and bonier than he had been, with his skin hugging his bones, and his robes swallowing his entire, while his hair was as white as he could get.
He looked no different than a living fossil, but that living fossil had a spirited look in his eyes that managed to affect Chen Zian.
"Fine.." Chen Zian solemnly said.
"Thank you for amodating me and I am sorry for betraying the n.." Chen Gutian said with an honest smile coloring his face.
After that he turned to face Yang Qing, bowing at the waist as he did so.
"I did something deplorable and shamed my son and the n in the process. There is no excuse for what I did. I would like to undergo the sentence as my fellow elders. No more, no less.."
"You''re sure?" asked Yang Qing.
Chen Gutian''s circumstances were special which gave him no small amount of headache on how to deliberate. His grief had been preyed on, and of all those present, he was the only one to have the least amount of human cauldrons and pill ves with the former standing at one, and thetter being only two, and none of them were dead.
Also from the interviews conducted on them, those children had said Chen Gutian had treated them well.
Ignoring their roles, the treatment they received from him was no different than what the nsmen would receive, and when it came to the child chosen to be the human cauldron, the inspection done on his body revealed that he had been regrly fed natural treasures that boosted one''s vitality. His lifespan wasn''tpletely damaged as a result of those efforts, same to the pill ves.
Yang Qing had decided for his sentence, he would have sentenced him to a trial of the hearts by the heavenly inquisition sword which also could judge remorse as much as guilt while weighing the crimes. The sentence would be him getting stabbed by the sword and having their guilt and conscience tested by the sword. The process was brutal, to say the least, but provided one was truly sincere, wholeheartedly at that, they would survive the test, and once they did, their sentence could be considered served and paid in full.
However, for those who failed, only an agonizing death awaited them. Based on what he had seen, Yang Qing felt Chen Gutian would likely have survived the test, and if he still felt guilty after, Yang Qing would have suggested he use his remaining life to take care of the children he had on his farm, once they were fully restored by the Order.
From what he had seen of those children, they would likely ept, and also the fact that they had no one else to rely on was also another factor. The Order asrge as it was, was limited in its ability to help especially when it came to resources. It had to maximize every bit it had to groom more gifted personnel to deal with the growing workload. They didn''t have much leftover to support others. Healing them and giving them a shot at a new life by referring them to other ces like Yang Qing had nned to do was the best they could do.
But now seeing Chen Gutian and the choice he made, he had to reevaluate the n.
"I am sure, Judge. It is the only way I can face my son.." answered Chen Gutian with a peaceful smile.
Ever since he came to, he seemed different. He had a sense of tranquilness about him that waspletely different than the erratic demeanor he had before, or the lost look that he had after. Now he had a sense of rity and assuredness about him.
Yang Qing could already tell why and based on the look Chen Zian was giving Chen Gutian, he was likely aware too.
"Fine. Should you end as the victor of the duel, you will receive the sentence as the other elders.."
"Thank you for amodating this old man.." Chen Gutian said as he performed another bow before he turned to face Chen Zhn who seemed bewildered at Chen Gutian''s transformation, especially when he saw the rity in Chen Gutian''s eyes, which were devoid of anger, hatred, or bloodlust which he would have expected to see in them when Chen Gutian turned to face, but all he could see was a sense of peace, and a gentleness that a father would give to their son.
"Zhn.." Chen Gutian said as his eyes shed with regret.
"What?" Chen Zhn warily asked.
"What do you think Xue''er is thinking right now? Seeing all these? The father he admired and respected went and did something so shameful as harm other children all for the sake of vengeance.. his best friend, whom he thought of as a brother was so afraid of him that he had him killed..
and now the two most important people in his life were about to fight each other to the death.
Would he scold us? Would he beat us up and tell us to stop acting foolishly or would he be at aplete loss on what to do with us?
All my life, I have lived unafraid of anything except one, no two, disappointing my son, and disappointing the n, and I have managed to do both.
It''s why, now, I can''t seem to hate you, I can see the same fear in you. Our reasons may be different, but we have lived our whole lives under the weight of fear.
You may have betrayed my son and had him murdered, but I have to thank you for being his friend. Having you around made him happy as holding a sword did, and for that I am thankful and to repay that debt, I will help you exorcise that fear that has long gued your life."
"How?" Chen Zhn coldly asked.
"In death, all burdens of the heart and mind are removed. I will grant you a good death.." Chen Gutian said with a gentle and peaceful smile, his demeanor evoking the sense that it was a grandfather showing care for his grandson.
Chapter 857 Blood debt duel (2)
Chapter 857 Blood debt duel (2)
??"Than I will have to thank you in advance for your assistance.." Chen Zhn said, his tone rife with sarcasm that matched the sardonic smile he wore.
Chen Gutian''s sense of calmness had thrown him off a bit but after settling down, he felt relieved for not having to face Chen Zian. He couldn''t help but throw another wary nce at Chen Zian in fear that he may decide to push as the challenger instead of letting Chen Gutian take it.
But when he saw Chen Zian stand silent, his heart rxed. Chen Gutian was at the eleventh stage of the core formation realm, while he was at the eighth, but even though Chen Gutian was at the eleventh, in terms ofbat ability, Chen Zhn felt he had nothing to fear from the former.
Chen Gutian was a washed-out old man with average talent. His aplishments had more to do with the n''s backing and resources rather than his own talent. Left to his own devices, Chen Zhn strongly felt Chen Gutian''s talent would tap out at the fourth stage of the core formation realm.
He was different. Other than Chen Xue, there were not many in the n who''s talents he ever felt inferior to, let alone an old man who needed copious amounts of resources just to reach the eleventh stage of the core formation realm. An amount that would have likely nurtured two peak-stage core formation experts with decent talent.
Chen Zhn had used about an eighth of the resources Chen Gutian had, but when it came to umtions and foundations, Chen Zhn''s achievements had left Chen Gutian''s in the mud, be it the stability of their realms, their understanding of the dao of the sword.
From what Chen Zhn knew Chen Gutian had cultivated their legacy art up to the third leaf, whereas he, despite having a lower cultivation realm, being over a thousand years younger, had already cultivated to the fourth leaf, and if his fear of Chen Xue''s talent had not infected his will power, he would have even made an attempt on the fifth leaf like the sect master and most of the top figures of the n, registering himself as one of the youngest n members to do so.
His odds of defeating Chen Gutian were much higher.
"Don''t worry old man, I will send you to meet your son soon enough. How did someone with his talent ever father someone like that demon talent Chen Xue?
No, no, this is not the time to be thinking about that. Even for an old man with one foot at the doorstep of death, I need to be focused.."thought Chen Zhn as he took a few breaths to calm himself down before another worry snuck up on him.
"If I win the fight, would Chen Zian be able to issue the challenge again or another member of the n?"Chen Zhn worriedly thought as he warily looked at Yang Qing.
If he could be challenged without pause by different members for the next seven days wouldn''t he be stuck in perpetual challenges for the next seven days, and as the used in this matter, he would probably have no say or rest cing him in an already precarious position?
Chen Zian as a challenger was a wall he did not need to think he could get past, maybe if fought recklessly, angling for a pyrrhic victory he could force a draw, but what then? What if after that one of the three supreme elders decided to issue the challenge?
If it was as he feared then that meant, only an exhausting, and agonizing pain awaited him for the next seven days.
Oveing whatever paralyzing fear he had of Yang Qing, Chen Zhn decided to raise his concerns on the matter.
"Excuse me Judge Yang Qing but I would like to confirm something about the death duel format?" Chen Zhn asked with a shake in his voice that shook just as much as his knees and hands as he cupped his fists.
"I was just about to exin the rules of the duel, if the rules don''t address the query you have, feel free to ask after I''m done with the exnation..." said Yang Qing.
"That applies to the rest as well," he added.
"Thank you.." said Chen Zhn.
"The format of the blood debt duel and its apanying rules are not many. It''s actually just one that we really emphasize on, and the other is just an apanying rule.
That rule is this.." Yang Qing paused his gaze trained on everyone present before it centered on Chen Zhn, Chen Gutian, and Chen Zian.
"A blood debt challenge can only be issued once. In the end, regardless of who is the victor or the loser, the debt is considered paid in full.
What do I mean?
What I mean is this, if Chen Gutian loses this battle, Chen Zhn''s debt of murdering Chen Xue can be considered paid. By participating in the blood debt challenge regardless of the result, the debt is considered collected,
So Elder Chen Gutian, should you lose, your son''s debt will still be considered repaid, and the Chen n can not reissue that challenge nor can you ce that debt on any of Chen Zhn''s direct rtives, be it his grandparents, parents, siblings, aunt and uncle, or whoever you might think to transfer that debt to since you can''t have Chen Zhn.
If they are involved, whatever you do to them is up to you, but if they are not and you harm them in any way for that crime, it bes the Order''s matter.." Yang Qing said as he narrowed his eyes.
"As long as we are the officiators of this duel then Chen Xue''s grievance ends with the single blood debt duel. It does not go past that. Is it clear?" asked Yang Qing.
Chen Zhn couldn''t help but clench his fists in excitement. Even if he was still doomed to die,dying it by even a few hours was still well worth it. At least he would not be tortured by his own n members, and the duel was something that he could actually win. He even started making ns on how he would prolong the fight as much as he could to dy the onset of his sentence.
Chapter 858 Blood debt duel (3)
Chapter 858 Blood debt duel (3)
??"I understand, Judge Yang Qing and I respect the court''s decision on the matter.." said Chen Gutian.
"Zian''er what''s with that face?" asked Chen Gutian with a genial smile as he addressed the Chen n Leader who had contorted brows.
Chen Zian paused as if he were hesitant with his words, but eventually, he decided to voice out his thoughts.
"Uncle, with what we''ve been told wouldn''t it be better if.... I... did it?" Chen Zian asked, leaving a lot unsaid, but the breaks in his words and how he spoke, said a lot and it was what the other elders were thinking too.
If only one challenge was allowed, Chen Gutian may not be the safest bet to issue it.
No matter how much of a hateful snake Chen Zhn was, no one in the n would ever discount his talent. It was one of the reasons most within the n were amiable to him even those from the faction that opposed Chen Zian. His talent was greatly admired by most within the n, and Chen Gutian, well, with how boisterous he usually was, he got into no small number of fights because of it.
They had all seen him fight, and even though those fights were not fights to the death, it was enough to form a baseline. None of them felt Chen Gutian had the facilities to defeat Chen Zhn. His odds of losing were higher.
They may not like Chen Gutian that much, with some even hating his guts, but they respected Chen Xue, and what happened to him had to be avenged and the best person would be Chen Zian, who even though they disliked just as much as they did Chen Gutian, even more so, they could not deny he was powerful or why else would their leader, Chen Bo, choose to seclude himself for almost 300 years, in desperation to improve his strength?
To them, Chen Zian taking up the mantle of vengeance was a no-brainer, especially if they only had one shot at it.
But Chen Gutian thought otherwise.
"Permit my selfishness onest time, Zian''er.." Chen Gutian said with a sad smile.
"It''s the only thing I can do for him as his father. Let me do this, I need to do this.." Chen Gutian softly said, the resolve in his voice echoing out loud.
Chen Zian stared at him for a moment before he answered,
"Fine.." a sigh escaping his lips as he did so.
"Thank you, and don''t worry, I may not have been much, but I was Chen Xue''s father. I won''t lose.." added Chen Gutian with a carefree smile on his face.
"I will toast to your victory.." Chen Zian said, smiling for the first time.
"Not the cheap stuff, use the 10,000-year-old petal peony spirit wine in my abode. I had been saving it up to share with Xue''er when he reached the sixth leaf.... but this would be a good moment as any.
Pour some at his tablet will you?"
"I will.."
Only after the exchange was done did Yang Qing continue.
"The other minor elements of the fight is we will provide everything needed for thebat; this is the weapons and even the robes you will wear for that duel. All external objects you may have will all be confiscated and the venue will be a in tform.
Does that answer any questions you might have?" asked Yang Qing, his eyes on Chen Zhn as he did.
"No, no, I don''t,"
"I am okay too, Judge Yang Qing.."
"Okay then. To the rest of you, since this involves a member of your n, all of you including Chen Zian will be permitted to view the duel. Your sentence will resume immediately after the duel concludes.."
"Thank you for your consideration, judge.." harmoniously said the elders who seemed d. Whether it was because they would get to see Chen Zhn get what he deserved or because they had a pause in the execution of their sentence, who knows?
"Okay, I, Yang Qing, Outer Pce Judge of the Order, as the officiator of the blood debt duel between Chen Gutian and Chen Zhn hereby approve of its immediatemencement.." Yang Qing said as he brought his gavel down instantly producing a burst of light that covered everyone in the courtroom.
A secondter they were in a different location. They were atop a tform that seemed to have been built on the peak of a mountain. The whole mountain was filled with fog, which strangely enough didn''t impede vision, but instead seemed to make the skies above them clearer like they were looking at the skies on a clear night filled with the light of stars and moon.
"What is this ce?" muttered some of the elders as they gazed around them in stupefaction while Chen Zian looked visibly surprised as his eyes were trained on the fog that surrounded the tform. He could feel some powerful, archaic, and ethereal force lurking within it, something boundless, and transcendent.
He could feel something within him whispering to him that what he sought was in that fog, he only needed to grasp, but try as it may, whatever power or mysteries was in that fog was as ephemeral as its form. It seemed so close yet so far, understandable in one second and indecipherable the next, and the more he tried, the more he felt it getting further and further away like an obscuring veil was wrapping itself ever so tightly around him with every failed attempt.
In the end, he couldn''t help but sigh in reluctance as he increasingly felt that whatever was in that fog, as long as he grasped a tiny portion of it, would have provided him a path to the pce realm. The deep yearning he felt when he saw that fog was something that was evoked from within his true essence, which meant that whatever that fog was, it had something that could greatly impact his cultivation.
After today''s events, he was ever so desperate to reach the pce realm and desperately protect his n''s right to existence and survival.
..
Once everyone had settled down, Yang Qing appeared at the center of the tform.
"You can all take your seats..." he said as he waved his sleeves which caused the fog around them to churn as it extended backward while a few portions separated matching the exact number of all those present, except Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian.
Those portions quickly moved beside all those present who looked quizzically at it before Yang Qing told them they could sit on it.
Once they sat, most couldn''t help but gasp in surprise which Yang Qing expected considering he had the same reaction when he first felt how soft andfortable that fog was as a futon. Even now, all he wanted was to jump and rx on it. It was the most rxing and softest thing he had ever sat on. It evoked a sense offort he could never put into words, but considering the nature of that fog, it was only to be expected.
In a hurry to get the show on the road, Yang Qing waved his hands once more, causing a churn in the fog which trembled as another portion separated from it, only now it divided into two portions, with one portion headed to Chen Zhn and the other to Chen Gutian.
Just as both were wondering what to do with the mysterious fog, they saw something incredulous happen. The fog on each of their sides transformed into a long row of shelves filled with all kinds of weapons that all released the same fluctuations identifying them as top-tier sky-grade weapons.
Neither Chen Gutian nor Chen Zhn could believe what they were seeing. Chen Gutian''s recent breakthrough in serenity was destroyed as his eyes widened in shock as he looked at the never-ending rows of all manner of weapons from swords, to sabers, to staffs, to spears, to gauntlets, to ives. Whatever weapon he could think of was there, and the quality all matched.
To him, such a sight was something he would never imagine. He had doubts if even the Gong n, one of the founding families of the Red Maple Empire that had built its foundation in cksmithing would have such a lineup of weapons, and ones that were at the absolute peak of the sky grade, all at the same standard.
Just by sight alone, he felt there was about hundreds of thousands of sky grade weapons, and that was just his side, on Chen Zhn''s side it was bound to be the same number.
"You have three minutes to choose your weapon from the row.."
Chapter 859 Blood debt duel (4)
Chapter 859 Blood debt duel (4)
??After informing the duo, Yang Qing walked over to Yu Gen pulling over a portion of the fog that he and Yu Gen used to sit on as it slowly rose a few hundred meters from the tform.
With a singlemand, the fog obscured the duo as Yang Qing fished out a jar of cloud mist wine and two cups, quickly pouring for both he and Yu Gen as they both inadvertently sighed at the mysteries of the fog around.
"Where did they even find such a thing? Every time I see it I am mesmerized like the first time I saw it.." Yang Qing said as his eyes glittered with endless wonder and curiosity when they fell on the fog around them.
Yu Gen who had the same reaction, answered,
"A world this big, filled with thousands upon thousands of mysterious objects and ces like the Millionsfold Treasure Ocean, the Beast Churning Sea, the Celestial Ocean, or the green fog region.. It''s not strange to find inexplicable things like the chaos fog of manifestation.
That being said, it is still one of the most wonderous ones I''vee across. I can''t believe such a fog with no sentience at all can weave countless dao as a seamster does a cloth. How many Daos do you think it knows?"
"Considering the chaos energy it is rumored to contain, probably thousands, otherwise how else would it create such wless transformations.." Yang Qing said with an envious sigh as he had a tiny portion of the fog next to him transform into a brazier that burned with a gentle light blue me which he used to cook some skewered cow tongues he had on hand.
The fog that surrounded them, just as Yu Gen had mentioned, was called the chaos fog of manifestation and it could be considered siblings with the mimicry chaos sky metal which was iid into the ck medallion tower of the Order and became one of the foundational fabrics of its headquarters.
Both were rumored to have been birthed from the same source which Yang Qing guessed was why the Order had both in the first ce. He just didn''t know who brought them.
The mimicry chaos sky metal was what allowed movement into different floors and courtrooms of the Order, especially when it came to sensitive areas. It acted as a passageway but also as a barrier to those ces.
The mimicry chaos sky metal had a unique ability that would cloak everything it touched with the power of the void and since the entire building was made of the metal, it meant in no simple terms that the entire headquarters was in the void.
But if the entire was in the void, how was it still visible in the real world? Yang Qing didn''t exactly know how the mimicry chaos sky metal worked, but with the little understanding he got when he was told about it was the metal acted as a bridge and anchor to both worlds; the void world and the physical world, both sides would not be able to see or ess the bridge without its say so.
The tower basically existed in limbo between two worlds which made the tower virtually untouchable by both worlds as one would have to seek the approval of the mimicry chaos skymetal first before gaining ess to the tower.
Mysterious realms operated simrly to what the metal was doing, man-made ones, that is. For those types of realms, someone powerful would tear the fabric of space where it was weak, revealing the void world within then they would use several treasures. The bulk of the treasures in use were to ensure the void space was habitable and safe as void energy was cataclysmically destructive.
Were a pce realm cultivator like Yang Qing thrown into the void and exposed to its energies, despite the depth of his cultivation and firm foundations, he would not be able to survive more than two hours before the void energy disintegrated everything within him from his cultivation base, down to his body and soul. In the end, he would be consumed by the void and transformed into its energy.
But as destructive as it was, for those who could withstand its overbearing power, that world hidden within the void was a true paradise for cultivation. Void energy, though chaotic, destructive, and dense, contained a lot of benefits, one of which was the countless traces and whispers of dao a single drop contained. The reason those weak couldn''t survive was the potent force it contained that would tear apart anyone and anything unable to withstand it.
Most cultivators, especially those at thete stages of the domain realm and above liked to cultivate there because of those qualities of void energy. It was one of the highest rated ces for one looking to gain insight into supreme Daos like the space dao along with other obscure Daos like fate and karma that one would struggle to gain traces of in the real world one would easily find its traces and pathways spread all around in the boundless world of the void.
It wasn''t only the limitless pathways of Daos that drew a cultivator''s attention to the ce. The void was home to rare wonderous treasures from void crystals which if one had a way of converting and refining its energy, a single crystal contained the same powering energy as a million high-grade spirit stones, or extremely rare one like the nihilistic void stone that disintegrates anything it touches to nothingness, whether it''s a formation array, an artifact, an attack, provided it''s powered by dao, the nihilistic void stone will grind all its power down.
From present records when ites to formation arrays or artifacts, anything below purple grade and saint grade will have its abilities reduced to nothingness the moment it makes contact with the nihilistic void stone.
It wasn''t just the nihilistic void stone, there were countless other treasures like the luminous void wisteria which when consumed gave one eyes that were able to see the threads of dao, as one would see the threads of a yarn.
It was because of the astounding world the void hid, that any organization worth their salt, despite the risks involved would all try and establish a mysterious realm. The purpose of those realms was to borrow and refine a portion of the power and properties of the void, in the hopes that it would be transformed by it just like the nihilistic void stones, the void crystals, or the void creatures that learned to thrive in its environment.
But to build a mysterious realm one needed a powerful anchoring treasure that would hold the mysterious realm in ce and prevent it from being swept up into the void. Those realms needed a ce that anchored them to the real world, otherwise, if it got swept up, those within would be forever stranded in the void. That treasure also doubled up as a cloaking feature. Because it anchored a part of the world to the real world, the auraing from the real world acted as a veil that shielded the realm within the void, and what it shielded it from was the inhabitants of the void i.e. the void creatures which were the greatest threats in that ce.
However, the cloaking wasn''t foolproof, as provided those creatures were close enough they could easily see through it, and for those truly powerful, they didn''t even need to be close to notice the anomaly. The only way to prevent misfortune from striking was to have a powerful figure preferably a soul formation expert stand guard in that mysterious realm to detect any danger that might arise be it from the void creatures or void storms that may happen once in a while which had the potential ofpletely destroying the mysterious realm or the anchoring treasure it was bound to.
No matter what means one used, one was never truly safe there, but the mimicry chaos sky metal was different. It eliminated that riskpletely as it operated on both thews that governed the void, and those that governed the real world manipting them freely as it wished, and such a treasure, as far as Yang Qing knew was virtually unheard of.
The chaos fog of manifestation was just as wonderous, as it could recreate anything you wanted it to create, with one exception. It could not create life. So any living thing be it humans, animals, spirit beasts, sentient nts down to even sentient artifacts would not be recreated by it, but everything else, it could do with a mere thought such as the hundreds of thousands of grade weapons, or the brazier Yang Qing was using to barbecue his beef tongues or the mountain the duel tform they were in.
All of it was by the power of the fog, and it wasn''t a mere representation, but the real thing. The fog contained chaos energy which gave it the ability to freely manipte countless daos at will. Yang Qing didn''t even think it had a limit on the number of Daos it could manipte.
But sadly, it could not be used for cultivation like the Jade Leaf Empire and the Jade Leaf Academy used the Ten Thousand Jade Leaf Tree for their cultivation. One would not get enlightenment or any form of understanding from the chaos fog of manifestation despite the numerous Daos it manipted.
Every time one tried to observe it to glean understanding from it, it was like facing a transparent ss, that hid everything from view, and the longer you tried to look at whaty beyond the ss, the more your vision would get hampered, till finally the translucent ss would be opaque, obscuring everything from view.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh in pity as he imagined what could have been had the mysteries behind the fog been essible. With the number of talents the Order had, giving them ess to a catalog of numerous freely flowing Daos, was like giving wings to tigers. The Order would have likely already been a true hegemon by now as they continuously churned out pce realm experts.
As for domain experts, he was under no illusions that they would be swimming in the same number of domain experts as they would pce realm experts.
Even with the fog''s ability to manifest different Daos, the true test of the domain realm was surviving its tribtion. The fog would not be there to help them with it, but the pce realm was different. With sufficient preparation, one can survive it, and the bulk of that preparation was your understanding of the dao you were using to break through. Provided your understanding was good enough, the tribtion was nothing to fear. You could even bathe in it.
Provided the Chaos fog of manifestation was usable, it would have been perfect for deepening one''s understanding by exposing them to different Daos. As a consequence, the Order would have been able to produce the pce realm a lot faster and inrger quantities than they currently did, and with more pce realm experts, more branches could be established,lessening the gaps between them, furthering enhancing the response and reach of the Order.
When it came torge organizations for example rank one and rank two, the soul formation experts and the domain expert were in charge of holding the helm, they rarely acted because of implications, but the main driving force of these forces were their pce realm experts. The more one had, the more avenues one had to expand and exert their influence, and for the Order that was something they desperately needed.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but stare at the fog with a sense of grief, and resentment in his heart ming the fog for being mercilessly and thoroughly exploited by the Order.
"Could it be the Order? Did they make you stingy?" wonderedYang Qing, using the same calming means he had learned over the years whenever he felt stifled and angry.
All his misfortunes, whether it made sense or not, me the Order. It always brought him great relief to me them or had the possibility of riling him up even further. It worked as a double-edged sword, but even with the risk, it was a habit he wasn''t nning on giving up.
..
With Yang Qing preupied bemoaning and ming the Order in his heart as he chewed on the crispy beef tongues, Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian had each chosen their weapon of choice.
It came as no surprise that they both went for swords,ing from a sword-cultivating n, and further adding to their simrity, both their swords were single-handed long swords that were suffused with the wind element giving them the deep cyan glow that they had.
Both elders satisfied with their decisions walked to the center of the tform. Yang Qing seeing that they had made their choice, waved his hand, dispelling the rows of weapons leaving only a wide tform.
The atmosphere around the area instantly changed as it turned solemn. The elders who had their attention consumed by the chaos fog of manifestation, no longer gawked at it as they all focused their attention on the two people at the center of the tform.
Yang Qing floated to the center of the tform, his robes swaying with the gentle wind that blew around them.
"I won''t waste a lot of words, so without any further ado let the blood duel begin!" he said as he used his right hand like a mallet and beat the air like a drum producing a loud gong sound in the process.
The instant he did, Chen Zhn, and Chen Gutian, without hesitation, or exchange of words, shed swords.
Chapter 860 Blood debt duel (5)
Chapter 860 Blood debt duel (5)
??In the time it took to blink, they had exchanged over fifty blows, a testament to their abilities and experience inbating other cultivators. They didn''t try to gauge each other''s strength, probing each other here and there while trying to slowly build up momentum. No, such superfluous actions were reserved for the young ones, those who still had not yet been baptized by the true mes of the cultivation world.
Those who did, like Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian, knew how easy it was to lose one''s life in the cultivation world. A moment of carelessness and you could easily lose your life. There have been countless ounts of where a weaker opponent managed to catch a stronger opponent off guard, especially when it came to the lower realms between the early stages of the core formation realm and the qi refinement realm.
It was something those like them who had been baptized in the fog of war had seen over and over again, especially in their fights against the Five Clovers Kingdom.
Case and point, there was a time when a figure within the Mo family with above-average talent came to the battlefield for the first time with a cultivation base that was at the middle stages of the foundation establishment realm. While he didn''tpletely stand out, his skills were a cut above the rest, and was quickly garnering merit points on the battlefield.
However, that figure, who was even touted to have the potential to reach the quasi-pce stage some day got killed by ate-stage qi refinement cultivator, and the reason, the carelessness and arrogance of youth. He had gotten so overconfident in his abilities, that for those he thought beneath him, he would use the barest of minimum, despite being warned by his superiors whether he was facing a lion or a rabbit, he was toy waste to both with his utmost strength.
He ignored that advice and because of it, a qi refinement military personnel of the Five Clovers Kingdom who was thought to be dead, waited patiently for that Mo family member to let his guard down and thenunched one attack, burning every essence in his body to deliver that one fatal attack. That family member got stabbed through the head and died without even knowing how he died.
Someoneuded to have the potential of reaching the quasi-pce stage ended up dying to the de of a qi refinement cultivator that was already at death''s door.
That was a reminder of how ruthless the cultivator''s world was, where a moment''s carelessness would spell your end. Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian as veterans of war would not dare make the careless mistake that Mo family members did and it was evident in how they faced off against each other.
Chen Zhn before the fight believed his odds against Chen Gutian were better than if he faced off against Chen Zian, but regardless of what he thought, the moment the battlemenced, he challenged Chen Gutian as though he was challenging the greatest foe he had ever faced off against. He held nothing in reserve and neither did Chen Gutian, they both went all out.
The air around the tform went solemn and silent save for the relentless sh of des between the two.
The fruits of their cultivation and attainments wereid bare for all to see as they crisscrossed all around the battlefield looking like the incarnation of wind demons looking to rip each other''s lives.
"Their cultivation art is really something.." muttered Yang Qing as he carefully observed the two fighters.
He knew a bit about the core cultivation of the n, the owl''s vignt sword art. The art was built on speed, precision, hyperawareness, and sensitivity. The art''s strength was in countering an enemy''s attack with extreme swiftness, taking their lives in the process.
Yang Qing could see the spirit of the art in the way the twobatants in Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian went at each other. Their movements were fast and precise without a pause in movement, which answered the question Yang Qing had before the start of the fight.
What would the fight be like when counterattack meets counterattack? The answer was a relentless fluid attack that constantly changed in a single heartbeat. Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian delivered lightning-fast attacks with each attack either aiming at the vital organs or looking to incapacitate the opponent such as attacking their wrist or the tendons in their arms and legs.
They rapidly switched from attacker to defender with one continuous motion.
With a light twist of the wrist Chen Gutian''s sword moved like a viper looking to strike Chen Zhn''s right eye, Chen Zhn gently glided to his left, shing upwards deflecting the attack in the process as his attack aimed to sever Chen Gutian''s fingers. Chen Gutian instantly let go of the sword dodging the attack by a hair''s breadth and recaptured his sword almost instantaneously with his body lowered aiming for Chen Zhn''s knees with a horizontal sh looking to cleave it through.
The longer the fight continued the faster and more lethal their attacks became as the line between attack and defense blurred. With how fast they moved, anyone at the early stages of the core formation realm and below would be unable to follow their movements. All they would be able to see are dense cyan streaks of light crisscrossing at rapid speeds around the tform.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh in amazement the longer the fight continued. As powerful as their moves were, they were silent like a gentle breeze, but as lethal as a viper''s venom. The force in their attacks or counters would bepressed into its utmost limit and when released, it would be with contained pinpoint precision, and with minimal energy loss. Even when they moved it was with silent glides. Their breaths and entire being were perfectly melded with the air around them.
Their attacks and defense would turn soft and firm when needed, and the two fighters knew exactly when to make the switch. Looking at them, one would not believe the cultivation art they practiced was a wind-based one. It felt more like a blend of water and earth elements. It was fluid and malleable like water when needed, and a secondter it would turn firm and immovable like earth.
"No wonder there has been no one recorded to have reached the blooming phase of the art. It may just be a blue-grade art, but its demands on the cultivator are not any less than that of a gold-grade art.." said Yu Gen.
"The speed and demands the art has from attacks to counterattacks, the user has to have a strong soul for their spiritual sense to notice those intricacies fast enough to react ordingly.
There are also the demands on their bodies, I doubt anything less than the body of a core formation expert would be able to truly execute this art, even in the beginner stage of mastery.."
"I doubt just the body of a core formation expert is enough.." Yang Qing added with an inscrutable glow in his eyes.
"From what I can see of the art, it seems to have a transformative aspect to it. Its users have their bodies continuously changed by it so they can execute it better.
It has to have a minimum threshold in each stage which might be the reason the Chen n hasn''t had someone cultivate it to the blooming stage.
By my guess, at the body refinement stage at the very least, they need to use the art to achieve a gold body, but even that might just be at the threshold.
Considering the capabilities I''m seeing now, it could help someone achieve a diamond body provided they have a great understanding of the art, and have the resilience to actually endure it to that stage..." he added.
"Those are my thoughts exactly. The art demands precise and intricate maniption of one''s body in response to the art''s dynamic changes. A core formation expert''s body is hardly enough. There is also the demand on their qi capacity. It needs quite the storage capacity to sustain it.
I''ve onlye across a handful of blue-grade arts that are as demanding of it.." Yu Gen paused as an idea struck him.
"Now that I think about it, Yang Qing this art suits you perfectly, with your abnormal qi capacity and the strength of your soul, not to mention you have the peerless jade physique. It''s perfect for you.."
When he reached this point, Yu Gen''s gaze alternated between Yang Qing and Chen Zian.
"It might be their core art, but who knows, their n leader seems to be more of a merchant than even Song Ba. He might let you take a peak.."
"But I am not a sword cultivator.." Yang Qing said with a wry smile.
"I''ve always wondered about that. With your talent, you could have chosen any weapon to master, but from what I have heard, you haven''t. Is there a particr reason you haven''t?"
With a sigh, Yang Qing answered,
"Well, when I was young I did want to be a sword cultivator, but after I joined the Order, I was dissuaded from it by Assistant Dean Yu Long and Ren Shu, I mean the deputy valley master of Medical Valley.
Because of my physique, while it doesn''t hinder me from mastering the sword, if I did so, I''d be losing out a lot from some of the innate qualities it offers. The only way I can be a sword cultivator without losing out is if I master other weapons or styles to the same level as the sword to bnce it out, like the saber, spear, fist, or palm. If I achieve intent in one, I have to achieve intent in all, and it needs to be at the same scale.
Discounting the difficulty involved in actually achieving it,I don''t know if my physique would amodate it like Hung''s.
Every peerless jade physique has its specialty. Amodating different types of intents is Hung''s while mine is the sensitivity to life and bnce.."
"It''s a pity.."
"I know. I could have been a sword immortal by now if that wasn''t the case.." Yang Qing shamelessly said, provoking a twitch in Yu Gen''s eyes.
Chapter 861 Blood debt duel (6)
Chapter 861 Blood debt duel (6)
??The symphony of des shing continued to color the mountain peak, the atmosphere filled with tension and anxiety. That atmosphere had even affected Yang Qing and Yu Gen who had stopped their discussion with even the former putting away the brazier and whatever beef tongues were left as his eyes followed Chen Gutian and Chen Zhn.
The intensity of their fight grew with every passing second as the speed, ferocity, and power of their attacks increased with every swing and every sh.
Were the duel held anywhere else but this mountain, the surroundings would have likely been long ravaged beyond repair. The force created by the duo''s attacks was capable of punching holes through mountains, orying waste to hills and turning them into ins.
But because of the nature of the mountain and tform being a by-product of the chaos fog of manifestation, there was absolutely no damage to the tform or its surroundings. The fog contained and cushioned every destructive force created by the fight without interfering in the fight itself.
Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian were still going at each other neck to neck, but even after a few seconds had passed by, despite the ferocity of their attacks, not one of them had so much as a scratch on them. It was a true testament to their skills and the abilities of the owl vignt sword art.
They held nothing back as they attacked each other, with each attack, fast, precise, and lethal to the extreme. They were constantly dancing at the edge of death or a fatal injury, but as if they could read each other''s intentions, they both managed to dodge each other''s attacks at just the right moment.
Looking at them, one would think they watching a delicate dance across a precipitous cliff where a moment''s carelessness could spell one''s doom.
The crowd''s anxiousness was exactly for that reason. As fellow n members, even if they were not the ones fighting, because of their intimate familiarity with the art both were executing, they knew how dangerous that fight was, even with no injuries on either side.
The owl vignt sword art was built to exploit mistakes, especially tiny ones which it exploited to the extreme to provide a lethal counter. The art''s aim was to reap the target''s life from that one mistake no matter how small. One single blow, not five, not ten, not twenty,but a single blow to take an opponent''s life. Everything was geared toward that end, taking the opponent''s life with a single swing.
Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian may not have any injuries on them yet, but because of the art''s decisive and lethal nature, all it takes is one hit for one of them to be incapacitated or gravely injured.
Five minutes quickly passed by with the two still at a stalemate, however, the intensity didn''t wane one bit. As the fight continued, their individual qualities started to show along with the art''s demands.
Chen Zhn''s skills inprehension of the art showed. Those with keen senses and sharp insight could tell his understanding of the art was deeper than Chen Gutian''s. His movement, his attack, his defense, everything was seamless and free-
flowing,and had a lot of nuances and variations to it which showed howfortable he was in the maniption of the art. This in turn reduced the strain on his body as a whole, especially his muscles and spiritual qi reserves, while increasing the power and lethality of his attacks with how unpredictable and free-flowing he was with the art.
Chen Gutian on the other hand, despite being the one being pushed around the majority of the time, there was a reason he managed to hang on despite the difference in levels ofprehension and that was his experience. He may not have the deepprehensionChen Zhn had but he had practiced the Owl vignt sword art for far longer than him. As such from that experience he had ironed out his deficiencies with the art. He had a clear grasp of what his body could or could not pull off when it came to the art, down to the minute detail, and the result was someone who maximized those limitations to bring out maximum efficiency.
His attacks may not be varied or contain the same power as Chen Zhn''s attacks did, but thanks to the deep understanding he had of his body when it came to the art, he always knew how to respond ordingly to whatever Chen Zhn threw at him.
One fought with his body, the other fought with hisprehension.
However, from the reaction Yang Qing saw in the Chen n elders even Chen Zian, Chen Gutian''s disy was a surprise to them, which Yang Qing found intriguing and it wasn''t just them as Chen Zhn was the same too. Even though he was fully focused on the fight, the fluctuations he produced every time Chen Gutian defended against his attacks, or countered with one of his own, each time, there would be a reaction from Chen Zhn showing his surprise.
"How did he get strong? I''ve sparred with him over a hundred times, he was never this good. With his dwindling lifespan his body shouldn''t be this fast, even his qi reserves seem to be at the same level as mine.Did he do something?" wondered Chen Zhn.
"Didn''t I warn you and Xue''er every single time since you were young, never let your mind wander for even a second when in battle as it could spell your doom.."
Chen Gutian''s calm elderly voice carried over as he took advantage of Chen Zhn''s momentarypse. As Chen Zhn was performing a diagonal sh aiming to tear Chen Gutian from his bowel across his sternum up to his shoulder, hispse in concentration caused his muscle to tense slightly which lowered his speed, but not by much, only by a millisecond or so, however, for a practitioner of the owl vignt sword art, that millisecond may as well have been a minute to Chen Gutian.
Chapter 862 Blood debt duel (7)
Chapter 862 Blood debt duel (7)
??Chen Gutian performed a downward sh intending to interrupt Chen Zhn''s diagonal sh. Chen Zhn out of fear of losing his sword from the sh, tensed his muscles as he lowered his center of gravity, opting to lower the speed of his attack and focus on stability only to find the powerful attack he was expecting to fall on him was a feint.
Chen Gutian put less than expected force in his attack and instead borrowed the force created from their sh to recoil himself over Chen Zhn,unching himself slightly above Chen Zhn''s head, his body rotating along with his sword aiming to dice Chen Zhn''s head.
Chen Zhn rapidly reacted by dislocating his ankle and rolling over forward, narrowly dodging the spinning de aimed at his head. However even if he dodged the attack, he didn''t escape unscathed as a geyser of blood sprayed from his shoulder revealing an exposed vicle that was hanging loosely on his shoulders.
To those weaker than them, that whole segue of attack would have been like shimmering light charging over Chen Zhn in the blink of an eye, and a spray of blood appearing an instantter. From the recoil to gliding to shing,Chen Gutian''s speed had been as blindingly fast as he was throughout the attack.
If it were anyone else but Chen Zhn in that position, they would have likely had their head sliced through like a pumpkin without even realizing how.
Chen Zhn wasn''t given a chance to bemoan his state as Chen Gutian continued with his relentless attacks. A flurry of stabs and shes that shimmered into hundreds of cyan light descended on him like an avnche as he was forced into a desperate struggle of dodging and parrying.
With one shoulder almost out ofmission, his movements were greatly affected which in turn affected almost every other part of his swordy, particrly his reaction. For someone who had gone almost five minutes without so much as a scratch, shallow wounds started coloring his body in a growing number and it wasn''t long before his pristine white robes were colored red.
"His despicable character aside, one has to admit he is talented..." murmured Yang Qing, Yu Gen nodding.
Even with a torn shoulder, which effectively rendered his right hand unusable, and Chen Gutian not letting up in his attacks, the fact that Chen Gutian still couldn''t heavily injure him was a testament to the capabilities of Chen Zhn.
Even injured, his talents shone through in how he handled himself, especially in manipting the Owl vignt sword art. He fluidly executed the art to parry almost all of Chen Gutian''s attacks, and when defending orpletely dodging the attack wasn''t feasible, he knew when to trade his survival for small injuries, which always forced Chen Gutian''s hand to ept the trade.
Even handicapped he still managed to contain Chen Gutian''s attacks, but how long could he keep this up was what everyone wondered.
The owl vignt sword art was highly taxing on one''s body, and that was when one was fully fit, let alone in an injured state like the one Chen Zhn.
As the fight went on it became clear to Yang Qing why the art was ssified into a blue grade art. As potent as the art was, it had clear deficiencies, one of which was it was ill-suited for fighting a protracted battle.
The longer the fight went on, the worse it got on the one executing the art. Their muscles would be highly strained, and the demands of the spiritual sense were tranted into great demands on the soul which would be just as fatigued as the muscles the longer the fight went on, and then there was the enormous qi reserves the art demanded all throughout its executions. Its focus on extreme precision and speed meant you couldn''t let up for even a second. The tempo either had to be sustained or continuously raised. There was no lowering it or its bite would dull.
Chen Zhn and Chen Gutian had only fought for ten minutes but the amount of qi they expended was simr to the amount of qi one would expend executing a regr blue-grade art for one and a half hours straight.
He could already tell they were fast approaching the half mark on their reserves though Chen Gutian seemed to have a slightlyrger capacity than Chen Zhn.
It was ringly obvious now when it came to the Owl vignt sword art, you either had to settle the matter fast or as time progressed, the opponent would be the least of your problems. The art would quickly turn its de on the owner.
With each passing second, the relentlessness ofChen Gutian left Chen Zhn with little to do other than defend. His robes were soaked in sweat and blood, with hair sticking close to his skin, but even with Chen Gutian pushing him to the extreme, where a single misstep could spell his death, his eyes were calm, his response meticulous, without any waste of movement and when it came to Chen Gutian, his experience showed.
Even with a clear advantage, he wasn''t anxious, eager, or impatient to end, but maintained the same attitude he had throughout the fight even before Chen Zhn''s injury.
A secondter one of Chen Gutian''s attacks managed to prate Chen Zhn''s study defense which resulted in a pinpoint st at Chen Zhn''s side, leaving a gaping hole.
But even with another grievous injury to him, Chen Zhn didn''t so much as flinch or act desperately because of it. He maintained hisposure and momentum, as he adjusted himself ordingly to his body''s state which even if he was hated, earned a look of respect from those watching, notwithstanding Yang Qing and Yu Gen who both furrowed their brows at the same time just as Chen Gutian was arming another powerful thrust towards Chen Zhn''s exposed side.
A sharp piercing light was instantly produced from where Chen Zhn was standing, heading straight for Chen Gutian''s sword.
ng.
A loud metallic sound reverberated around the tform, followed by the explosion of air and dust around them with something barrelling backward at breakneck speeds. Without pause, four bamboo leaves appeared above the tform, each leaf had a terrifying sharpness to it that it would not be a stretch to say one of those leaves could instantly shred apart a 10,000-meter mountain into particles.
"His art seems to have changed. Is it something he had? It seems to be even better and more dangerous in terms of its destructive abilities than the Owl vignt sword art.." said Yang Qing to Yu Gen as he observed the delicate crystalline bamboo leaves that were honing in on Chen Gutian with fierce momentum.
In a single moment, the role of attacker and defender had changed with Chen Gutian being on the defensive end as he blitzed around the tform defending against those leaves. Every time his sword shed against one, it produced the same feeling as one would when shing against another weapon.
His sword had faint cracks on its surface and his left side was bleeding heavily with bone being revealed.
Chen Zhn was fast on him with his sword coated in a deep green color that gave the illusion it was a bamboo shoot that released a terrifying sharpness that was several notches higher than the leaves targeting Chen Gutian. Were an early-stage core formation expert present to view the de in its current form, their eyes would instantly bleed from the sharpness radiated by it.
"What do you think, brother Yu Gen?"
"It''s a different art, though, I don''t know, it feels to have some aspect of the previous art he used, only this one seems to focus on one aspect to the extreme, sharpness."
"My thoughts exactly.."
Up on the tform, Chen Gutian tried his best to dodge the leaves looking to rip him apart, however, with how nimbly they moved, it proved difficult as cuts ranging from shallow to deep started appearing on his body from every leaf that prated his defense, and the circumstances turned graver when Chen Zhn joined the attack.
His attacks were now more forceful and powerful but still remained fast. His attacks felt like the attacks of a snapping bamboo shoot. Those snaps were curvingly fast and impactful, with Chen Gutian recoiling every time he traded blows with Chen Zhn.
However just as it looked like Chen Zhn was gaining ground, Chen Gutian''s de transformed, and just like Chen Zhn''s, his had the look of a bamboo leaf. Three leaves were produced from the tip of his de in rapid session, which shed against three of the four leaves that were targeting him, and just as the fourth leaf was about to tear his right eye out, a fourth leaf came out and intercepted the leaf that was after him.
"You reached the fourth.." Chen Zhn muttered in surprise as he saw Chen Gutian''s fourth leaf, which though looked smaller than the rest of the leaves he had produced, still contained the same sharpness.
Chen Zhn''s surprise didn''t stop there as he saw another leaf slowly sprout from Chen Gutian''s de as their des shed against each other.
His eyes widened as he saw the leaf slowly sprouted as he muttered,
"Impossible.." over and over.
The other elders looked just as surprised by the turn of events, only Chen Zian disyed a different emotion, his was that of regret, as he let out amenting sigh.
Chen Gutian at the moment had blue light veins appearing all around his body as the fifth leaf was being produced. When that fifth leaf formed, it was the size of a pea grain, but its momentum contained the destructive force of the four leaves he had producedbined.
"Let''s end this shall we.." he softly muttered with a tired aged voice as the fifth leafunched itself toward Chen Zhn, who managed to narrowly dodge it as it was aimed at his forehead. It struck his ear, vaporizing it in the process.
Chen Zhn let out a maddening roar as he increased the speed of his attacks with Chen Gutian matching him in kind. They traded blow for blow, their attacks turning into shimmering blurs in the process, as their attacks reached new heights in terms of speed and power. Their wounds grew rapidly, with more appearing on Chen Zhn owing to the extra bamboo leaf Chen Gutian had under his control.
Even with their growing injuries, none of them stopped as they increased the tempo. Chen Zhn with a decisive glint shing in his eyes, pulled his sword back like he was knocking an arrow, and in the process left his chest exposed to be sliced apart by two of the leaves that had been targeting him.
"You''re not the only one who can put their life on the line.." he muttered. In his gaze, he saw Chen Gutian''s thrust slowly approaching his heart. It was like time had slowed down.
"Will my sword ever reach you.." he thought as he saw the silhouette of a young handsome man with eyebrows that were shaped like a sword and clear serene eyes appear behind Chen Gutian.
"Four leaves return into one.."
The four leaves that had been floating above him instantlybined at the tip of his de forming a clover, and with it, a silent sword hum was produced along with a gentle cyan light that covered the entire sword and Chen Zhn.
He gently thrust his sword forward. It moved slowly just like Chen Gutian''s sword and his leaves were moving. In its slow speed, it caught up with Chen Gutian''s sword but ignored it as it moved past it, inching ever so closer to Chen Gutian''s chest, whereupon contact, the leaves slowly melted into Chen Gutian''s chest as the light that had covered the sword and Chen Zhn blended into it.
Chen Gutian''s chest disintegrated inch by inch, with blood and bone being melted away by the green light that had invaded his chest and it wasn''t long before a massive watermelon-sized hole was created in Chen Gutian''s chest, and Chen Zhn''s hand passed through that cavity while on his end, Chen Gutian''s de had already reached his body with Chen Zhn apathetically looking on as his chest was slowly being run through.
"Good fight.."
Chapter 863 Decay of the major families (1)
Chapter 863 Decay of the major families (1)
??Chen Gutian stood weakly, still wearing a genial smile on his face that wouldn''t think he was the one with a massive gaping hole in his chest. His aging face seemed to be aging even more as his white hair turned into a faint translucent color looking like it was a web string and not hair. One could feel his life draining out of him.
"I can .....see why..... Xue''er admired you so. At the n..... I doubt .....there are .....many... with your level of talent.." Chen Gutian said in betweenbored breaths.
"I admired him too... at some point.." Chen Zhn slowly said as he removed Chen Gutian''s sword that had impaled him in the chest. He ended up coughing up blood as he removed it.
His body looked worse than Chen Gutian''s, with deepcerated wounds that revealed bone covering almost every part of his body. Just like Chen Gutian, his aura seemed to be rapidly declining, though his was less severe than that of Chen Gutian.
Save for those two the whole tform was nketed by a heavy silence with looks of shock coloring the bulk of those present, particrly the elders. Almost every single one of them had their eyes wide and their jaws to the floor with a couple of them having pale, petrified faces.
There was a look of disbelief on their faces, understandably so after what they had seen, considering Yang Qing and Yu Gen looked slightly surprised while Chen Zian, even though he was silent, he had this solemn look on his face as he looked at Chen Zhn. His eyes became grimmer as he recalled the scene from earlier.
Chen Zhn''s final attack was the cause of it all. His final attack had been brilliantly fast and terrifyingly sharp to the point that most of the elders couldn''t track it with their eyes, and for Chen Zian, he felt were he the one facing off against it, surviving with devastating injuries was the best he could have hoped for.
"I can''t believe he reached the prerequisite to master that move," he thought with his eyes still locked on Chen Zhn, as other emotions started shing through them such as regret.
The cultivation their ancestor had left in the insight jade bamboo was tiered into sixteen leaves with a rising difficulty when it came to grasping one leaf to the next. However, there were chasms in difficulty that stood out in grasping the leaves, there were three major ones in particr, one was moving from the fourth to the fifth leaf, the other one was moving from the eighth to the ninth, and thest one was moving from twelfth to thirteenth.
Thest chasm from twelfth to thirteenth was an educated guess on their part since to date no one has ever reached the thirteenth leaf, with the highest holder having reached touched on the doors of the ninth leaf but failed in the end, and the price for the failure was his cultivation got crippled in the process.
His ending was a testament to how perilous and huge the gap was. For Chen Zian before he made a leap for the fifth leaf, he had to make a lot of preparations for almost 300 years and even then it didn''t feel like it was enough. It had taken him slightly 100 years to move from the first leaf to the fourth leaf but the attempt for the fifth leaf, just a single leaf had taken him 300 years and even then he barely made it through.
Because of the dangers involved in mastering each and every one of those leaves, ignoring the chasm stages, their ancestor''s will allowed one to move from one leaf to the next upon reaching the minimum level of standard in grasping the insights within each and one of those leaves.
This meant there were different standards in the disy of that art because of it, and what Chen Zhn showed was a move that only someone who had reached a major understanding of the four leaves could pull off. It was a technique that one would only ess if they reached a certain level of understanding in those four leaves.
In the entire n, counting Chen Zhn and Chen Xue, Chen Zian could only count four people who had mastered that art since. Of the remaining two, he was one of them while thest person was one of the supreme elders.
That showed how difficult the demands for mastering that technique were. When it came to him, the major part of the preparation he made for the fifth leaf was to master the four leaves into echnique, and of the 300 years it took him to prepare, he had spent close to 200 years mastering that technique.
When he did, it was well worth the hardship and pain he went through to master it as it was one of the impetuss to helping him master sword intent along with surviving the mastery of the fifth leaf. However, what he truly appreciated about it was its destructive force. Its power rivaled that of someone who had a basic mastery over the sixth leaf.
Just with that move alone, Chen Zian was confident of facing off against the two supreme elders who had not mastered it, despite both of them being at the quasi-pce stage.
"He mastered it.." he muttered with bitterness in his tone.
The bitterness wasn''t out of envy that Chen Zhn had mastered it in a much shorter time frame than he did, but out of sorrow and deep regret for the loss to their n in the loss of a true talent.
They managed to produce two talents in the same generation gifted enough to master the four leaves into one at such young ages.
He couldn''t help but feel like he had eaten a fly as he imagined the future the Chen n would have had with those two at the helm.
Earlier, he had bemoaned the loss of Chen Xue and wanted to murder Chen Zhn because he was the cause of it, but now, seeing the potential Chen Zhn showed, whatever anger he had was washed away, and all he had was a deep regret at the rot in their n that it ended up pitting two stars against one another, and harbored n members who would nurture pill ves and human cauldrons just to get ahead.
At the rate things were going, the Golden Bamboo Pavilion or the other rising noble families wouldn''t have to plot against them, they were already doing a fine job by themselves.
Chapter 864 Decay of the major families (2)
Chapter 864 Decay of the major families (2)
??Chen Gutian''s breathing grew fainter as his body seemed to be growing smaller as the muscles within his body rapidly shriveled. But even weakened he still remained standing his gaze trained on Chen Zhn with the same peaceful smile on his face.
"You seem happy?" asked Chen Zhn when he saw Chen Gutian''s smile widen.
"I am..How can I not be? I faced off against the wall called talent and for the first time, I managed to measure up against it..."Chen Gutian weakly said as heughed prompting him to cough up as he did so.
"But the greatest reason I am happy is I get to see Xue''er.." he added with a sense of peace and contentment in his tone.
Chen Zhn looked at him for some time as he saw Chen Xue appear next to Chen Gutian wearing the same smile Chen Gutian did.
With his eyes locked on Chen Xue, he couldn''t help but let out a sigh, as the silhouette of that mature-looking Chen Xue ovepped with a ten-year-old Chen Xue that followed him around like his shadow.
"In the end, death cleanses all.." he muttered wistfully. The fear, self-loathing, and obsession that he had long made a permanent home in him had already vacated now that death''s end was almost upon him.
He had barely mastered the four leaves into one technique, and to execute it he had to sacrifice something. He ended up shattering his core at the price. He no longer had his cultivation base. And for something that he had been obsessing with all his life to the point he manipted and murdered for it, now that he lost it, he found it strange how calm and easygoing he was with its loss.
Chen Zhn let out another sigh as the silhouette of Chen Xue disappeared.
"When you see him, say hi to him for me. Tell him... I will be joining him soon enough. We can have a true spar then.." he said as he turned to face the weakened Chen Gutian whose eyes looked to be just at the cusp of dimming.
"I will.." Chen Gutian muttered as his hands let go of the sword he was holding while his body toppled forward. Chen Zhn stopped his fall as he caught him in the process andy him gently on the floor, closing his eyes in the process.
After, he ended up sitting himself as he felt all strength leave his body, a consequence of his severely battered body and shattered core. He was prompted to look up when he saw a shadow over him.
"The blood debt duel of Chen Zhn against Chen Gutian is officially over with Chen Zhn as the winner.
The debt of the murder of Chen Xue is considered paid.." announced Yang Qing as he appeared next to Chen Zhn.
He pointed his index finger at Chen Zhn as a small green dew droplet filled with resplendent light was fired from his fingertip into Chen Zhn''s body. Within moments all the injuries he had rued were healed. Bones were reformed, muscles were sown back together, missing limbs reformed, and in just a few short seconds his body was unblemished and his aura stable, leaving Chen Zhn dumbfounded as he looked up at Yang Qing.
"You still have a sentence to serve. It would be careless of me if I let you die without serving it.." Yang Qing calmly said before he turned to face the rest of the spectating elders.
"With the duel officially over, your sentence begins. Senior Yu Gen, would you please?" Yang Qing said as he motioned for Yu Gen to have those elders transported to the requiem.
But before they could be taken away, one of the elders hesitantly spoke up,
"Could we say goodbye to him?"the elder said as he pointed to Chen Gutian''s body.
Yang Qing nodded in agreement.
One by one the elders walked over to Chen Gutian''s body bowing as they cupped their fists in respect until thest person was done after which Yu Gen left with them along with Chen Zhn who exchanged looks with Chen Zian as he was leaving, saying a word in the process.
"I am sorry, n Leader.."
"Do you regret it?" asked Chen Zian when they were shoulder to shoulder.
"Does it matter?" asked Chen Zhn as he walked away.
"Regret is a luxury for the living.." he added as he was teleported away by Yu Gen.
Chen Zian sighed at the response as he made his way to Chen Gutian''s body to give his respects. He took a seat next to his body, taking out a jar of wine as he did so which he promptly began to drink out of.
"A toast to your glorious disy, Uncle. Hope you can finally rest in the next life.." he said as he raised the jar of wine in toast.
Almost ten minutes passed by with him in that position with Yang Qing patiently waiting in the background. Once he was done, Yang Qing helped make arrangements to have Chen Gutian''s body delivered to the Chen n estate.
Once everything was arranged, only then did he make his way back to the courtroom, finding Xia Ting, sipping on something in her bamboo cup. She had been absent at the duel as she was the one charged with transporting Song Ba to requiem for his sentence along with passing the information Song Ba had traded to the Shadow Hawks Division, on the location of the members of the Grim Scavengers, to verify the identities of those marked before the information is sent to the special inquisitors and the branch chief of the Yellow ins Branch.
Yang Qing walked over to his podium and sat in silence soaking in the solemness of the courtroom. Chen Gutian''s matter had left him out of sorts, but as someone who had experienced such things time and time again, he quickly readjusted just in time as Yu Gen brought over the defendants for the next case, which was the Zhang family.
Yang Qing could only cross his fingers that there were not any unwee surprises with them like it did with the Chen n''s case. If he was being honest, one Chen Gutian was enough and he had just about had enough of his fill for the day, no matter how well readjusted he was.
Chapter 865 Decay of the major families (3)
Chapter 865 Decay of the major families (3)
??As Yu Gen was walking in, he was followed by nine individuals dressed in ck robes. Eight of the nine individuals looked young. They looked to be between their mid-twenties and early thirties, with only one of them looking slightly older, in histe forties.
Despite not meaning to, each one of them radiated with a palpable air of ughter, but despite its denseness, their eyes and temperaments were tranquil and still. The erratess and blood lust that one would expect from those with such a dense ughter aura was absent in them. They looked like perfectly sheathed des of ughter.
They walked silently to the center of the courtroom, with measured steps, and lined up, which seemed to be by design as the one with the weakest cultivation base was to the far left and the one with the strongest cultivation base, which was the middle-aged man ended the group to the right.
They were all in the core formation realm, with the weakest being in the third stage of the core formation realm, while those in the middle were all between the fourth and sixth stage of the core formation realm.
The middle-aged man, the strongest of the group, was a quasi-pce stage expert, and among them, his ughter aura seemed to be the lightest, almost nigh imperceptible. For someone who wasn''t at the pce realm, they would be unable to detect it.
To them, the middle-aged man looked no different than a schr who liked enjoying his tea and reading scrolls. He was thin and had a schrly air about him that apanied the genial gentleness in his eyes, but behind that face, Yang Qing could see a thick ck red mist that clung to his body like a cloak.
That ck-red mist had the metallic scent of blood, and even though it seemed harmless, just a tiny portion of it would reduce the weakest group member of the group, the third-stage core formation expert into a bloody pulp within seconds.
Yang Qing nodded in gratitude to Yu Gen before he resumed the long adage routine and speech he had given countless times before which exined the rules of the court, what was expected of those present, and the repercussions should any one of those present be found in vition of the rules of conduct within the courtroom.
After he was done, the middle-aged man looked like he had something to say, so Yang Qing allowed him to do so before heid out the charges.
The middle-aged man cupped his fists toward Yang Qing as a show of greeting, gratitude, and apology for his interruption.
"Forgive my rudeness my name is Zhang Guiren and I am the high elder of the Zhang n. I offer my apologies on behalf of our n Leader, Zhang Biwu. He would have liked to be here for the case, but he is the current general in charge of manning one of the border regions that we share with the Five Clovers Kingdom.
Considering the tense state of affairs between our two nations and the vital role our n leader upies, it would prove difficult to have him here on short notice. However, he has been apprised of everything and I have been mandated to act as his proxy both in presence and in whatever the court might ask of him.
My words and actions are his..." said Zhang Guiren as he performed another short bow.
"Thank you, High Elder Zhang Guiren for the exnation, and though the presence of the n leader is usually appreciated, provided they''re not the one on trial, their presence here is not obligatory and their absence would not reflect poorly on the court or affect our judgment on the matter.
The court understands absences are absent, and we appreciate your consideration and courtesy.." Yang Qing said as he cupped his fists too.
"Now, let''s move on to the main matter..." Yang Qing said as he turned to face the young Zhang n members whose faces and demeanor werepletely different from that of the Chen n elders.
Despite the Chen n elders being older and with higher cultivation bases, in terms of presence and in how they carried themselves, they werepletely different from the eight Zhang n members before him.
The Chen n elders had been frantic, and unnerved from the moment they stepped into the courtroom. Anyone could tell they were extremely afraid,but that was not the case with the eight Zhang n members before him. They werepletely unperturbed with zero fluctuations in their emotions. They looked more like soldiers calmly awaiting their instructions from theirmander.
Their demeanor wasn''t all too surprising considering the n they belonged to. The Zhang n was a militaristic n. They had made their bones in war. Their founder, Zhang Ren had been dubbed the mad bull spear of the empire, aptly named so because of the cultivation art he cultivated and how he was at the forefront of expanding their territories when they had just formed.
With his cultivation art, the raving crimson bull of ughter, a spear art, he spread destruction and fear to all who were unlucky enough to be the target of his spear. The art was a blue-grade art,and just like the rest founding families, it was something handed to him by the red maple spirit.
The art was a ughter-based art, and thus its users could only gain a deeper understanding of it by engaging inbat. It honed and refined the aura of ughter to a pure form and based on the sense of calm the Zhang n members were showing, Yang Qing guessed the art had aspects to it that strengthened the spirit of its users so they could maintain their rationality even when having such a dense baleful qi of ughter around them.
Because of their founder and the nature of their core cultivation art, the Zhang n out of all the other ns always contributed thergest number of experts whenever the Red Maple Empire was embroiled in war, that fact remained true back then when the Empire was just starting and it remained the same now in their war against the Five Clover Kingdom. No one contributed more numbers to that war effort than the Zhang n. The battleground was their true home.
They barely had any influence synonymous with a founding n within their territory, but at the borders where war was waged, that was their true domain.
Chapter 866 Decay of the major families (4)
Chapter 866 Decay of the major families (4)
??To the Zhang n, as long as you were strong enough to throw a fist, you were old enough to be on the battlefield.
From the record Yang Qing saw, they had a few six-year-olds who joined the battle fronts a few years back. At six years old he was busy thinking of ways to give his grandfather and the other elders diarrhea while the Zhang n had six-year-olds joining a battlefront with another kingdom. A battleground filled with hardened killers, where even being a veteran of war counted for nothing as you could easily die in the next second same as a rookie.
The calm state the eight were showing was only to be expected. One of the instructors who had been involved in therge-scale wars that the Order had been in in the early years after it was founded, back then he had been a measly early-stage core formation expert fighting against countless enemies both hidden and open.
Night and day, he was in never-endingbat and the only way he managed to maintain his sanity through it all was by considering his life already forfeit throughout the whole period.
"Live as the dead, and you will thrive with the dead.."he always said. Yang Qing had a feeling the eight Zhang n members had the same thoughts too. They already counted themselves among the dead on the battlefield and being here in the courtroom, it was just another battlefield to them, just wearing a different name and setting, but the stakes were all the same.
Since the moment they were born, they must have already been raised to consider their lives forfeit and have lived that way ever since. Why should they cower now?
..
Pushing his thoughts aside, Yang Qing went on with the case.
"Zhang Li, Zhang Wen, Zhang Dou, Zhang Xi, Zhang Wang, Zhang Luo, Zhang Wei, and Zhang Lixuang, you both stand used of engaging in taboo matters that violet the charter on cultivation society conduct.
The taboo matter you are used of engaging in is the practice of blood fiend arts. We have multiple witness ount testimonies that attest to it. How you have been consuming the blood essence of your opponents to grow your strength.
At the discretion of those witnesses, I will be reying their ounts. They will not be giving it in person, as they were afraid of reprisal after.
In addition, I have with me here a 36-petal sentinel sacred me orchid and heaven light opal..." Yang Qing said as he presented two objects in the palms of both his hands.
One of those objects was encased in a transparent crystal rectangr jade box. Within that jade box was a single stalk orchid which from stalk to the petals was pristine white with a resplendent wavy light of gold mixed within. Even encased, one could feel the overwhelming energy of purity that emanated from it.
On his left palm was also another object whose presence and look was just as transcendent and ephemeral as the orchid. The object on Yang Qing''s hand was an opal that was deep blue with mots of stars swirling within it. Looking at it, gave one the illusion that Yang Qing was holding a portion of the night sky in his palm. Even though the opal was the size of a mango, it contained the expansive presence of a full night sky. It looked like it could stretch for millions and millions of kilometers.
Both objects were ascendant-grade treasures that had been loaned to him for purposes of the case by the internal logistics department. They could sniff out even a tiny smidge of the presence of blood fiend arts on someone.
Both treasures could forcibly draw out the essence of blood-
fiend arts out of those who practiced them. The 36 petal sentinel orchid ignited in a sacred me whenever a blood fiend cultivator was close and the number of petals ignited will be in respect to the concentration of blood fiend essence in said cultivator.
From what Yang Qing knew of the flower, igniting 16 petals and above meant one had consumed the blood essence of at least a million people. The tenth finger of the scarlet blood ghost hands syndicate had ignited 22 petals when he was tested.
When it came to the heaven light opal, when in the presence of a blood fiend cultivator, the opal would transform into a dim red color as the stars transform into red lightning whose shade of color will get darker and thicker depending on how dense the blood essence is on the blood fiend cultivator.
If it''s extreme, like that of the tenth finger, the opal would detonate and transform into a blood-red cloud with a ck-red lightning brewing within it that contained the same cmitous power as a tribtion lightning. From what Yang Qing had heard, that lightning contained the same lethality as the tribtion lightning of breaking through to the soul formation realm.
Despite the inherent risks paused by those two treasures on blood fiend cultivators, Yang Qing dared take them out because they were the best at exposing them, and it also wasn''t that lethal to those with a low concentration of the blood fiend essence, which was the case with the eight Zhang n members.
Even without using both treasures, Yang Qing''s yin yang nature jade physique granted him the same ability as those treasures. Be it blood fiend cultivators, corpse cultivators, or poison cultivators, he could always sniff them out just as easily and even their levels were something he intrinsically knew. He had a natural sensitivity to the aspects of life, and he was especially sensitive to things that profaned it.
The ughter cloak surrounding the eight n members was different from that of Zhang Guiren, in that thetter was purer, it was in line with the great order of the world but for the former, theirs was impure and that impurity was brought by the fiend arts they practiced. But despite the eight practicing the art,the impure concentration wasn''t a lot.
If Yang Qing were to guess, they had at most 100 bodies on each of them or less. That number was significantly less than what he would normally find on most blood-fiend cultivators. Their number was low, especially when one considered the eight n members lived on a battlefield where they had countless opportunities to raise that figure.
Chapter 867 Decay of the major families (5)
Chapter 867 Decay of the major families (5)
Once he was done, Yang Qing went for the jade slips that were lined on his podium. They contained the testimonies of those who had witnessed what the eight Zhang nsmen before him had done.
Unsurprisingly, those witnesses were all fellow soldiers, some even being their fellow nsmen. It was thanks to the efforts and close rtion that some of the inquisitors of the Yellow ins Branch had with those soldiers that they were willing to divulge such information.
If it wasn''t that rtion, they would have likely taken what they knew to the grave. However, their cooperation only went as far as written statements on the events they witnessed. Real-live testimonies were out of the equation for them. They still hoped to continue their duties at the border,?and if it got out they reported their colleagues or nsmen for some, to the Order, they would never be trusted.
In extreme cases, if word of it got out, with a ce as chaotic as a battlefield, arranging their early demise would not be a difficult thing, and in the best-case scenario, they would get banished and shunned for life. They could forget life as they knew it.
The Order had no choice but to ept the written testimonies as enough but uckily for them, they had the two ascendant-grade treasures meant for sniffing out blood fiend cultivators. They didn''t need those testimonies that much to verify that fact, the ascendant grade treasures were enough by themselves, the testimonies were just formality and courtesy. The testimonies were just there to establish cause for suspicion and the test that would follow after.
Just as Yang Qing was about to start to rey the contents of the jade slips, Zhang Guiren interrupted politely.
"Pardon my interruption again, Judge Yang Qing, If I may speak?"
Yang Qing curious about what Zhang Guiren had to say, answered,
"You may."
"Our n has many shorings, we are far from perfect, even though they''re most within the empire who would dub us heroes. We know ourselves, we are not that, if current circumstances are any indicator.
However, for all our ws, there''s one thing we are not, and that is cowards who shirk away from their responsibility.." Zhang Guiren said with a firmness in his tone.
"None of them is here to refute the charges against them. They are willing to plead their guilt and ept the charges against them. There''s no need to present the testimonies or verify whether they cultivated blood fiend arts or not. They know what they did and are willing to confess and ept the consequences of their actions.
There''s no need to waste the court''s valuable time. They ept the charges and whatever punishment the court deems befitting of their actions, they will ept that too, and on behalf of the Zhang family, we will ept it too.." Zhang Guiren added with a solemn expression.
"Is that what you want?" asked Yang Qing, his question addressed to the eight n members.
The eight who remained indifferent the entire time exchanged looks with one another as they nodded toward the n member that had the highest cultivation base amongst them. He was at the sixth stage of the core formation realm. Their eyes seemed tomunicate something as they addressed that n member, who nodded before he stepped forward.
"Our vice n leader is right, as Zhang n members we will not shirk our responsibility. We willingly admit our guilt in the matter, but before you sentence us, could I say a few words.." said that sixth stage core formation expert whose tone waspletely unlike one would expect from someone who had lived their lives on the battlefield reaping the lives of others. His tone had a graceful peacefulness to it and contained a hidden strength that made others feel a sense of reassurance.
"If it wasn''t for him turning to blood fiend arts, just based on the strength of his soul alone, he would have walked far on the path of ughter without fear of having his mind go berserk.." thought Yang Qing as his gaze fell on that sixth stage core formation expert.
He looked to be in histe twenties, with long flowing ck hair and matching eyes, that contained strength, and tranquility within them. Of the eight, he had the least taint to the baleful ughter qi around his body, and in terms of aura, his was the one that was closest to Zhang Guiren, with how concealed his ughter qi was, even with the irascible nature of the tainted blood qi added to his ughter qi, he managed to contain the vtile nature of both, well. No doubt, thanks to his powerful soul.
Yang Qing saw a look of pity followed by anger sh in Zhang Guiren''s eyes, just before he spoke up.
"Zhang Su! Haven''t you shamed the n enough? Do you still intend to drag us through the mud and squabble? Cultivating those fiend arts not only muddled your head but also your spirit.
Be silent and calmly ept your punishment. Do not disgrace yourself, your men, and your n any further..."
Zhang Guiren''s tone was even-tempered, not showing the anger that was boiling within, but hearing him speak, was no different than a de of ughter gaining the ability to talk. The intent within was capable of causing an early-stage core formation expert to immediately start bleeding from every orifice, but Zhang Su, the sixth-stage core formation expert, who was the target of it, seemed entirely unaffected, even taking the time to peacefully maintain eye contact with Zhang Guiren.
"Every action I have ever taken vice n leader, has always been with the n in mind. I am not afraid of death, nor do I have the intention of avoiding it either, if that''s what must happen.
I am not pleading my case but rather speaking up for my men, as their leader, it is what I should do as my final act..."
Zhang Su paused briefly before finally saying.
"I love the n, vice n leader, we all do.."
Zhang Guiren looked at him briefly, his eyes shing with the same look of pity he had before. He sighed as he said.
"Fine, do as you will.."
"Thank you, vice n leader.."
Chapter 868 Decay of the major families (6)
Chapter 868 Decay of the major families (6)
Yang Qing slightly raised his eyebrow when he saw the eight Zhang n members show emotion, and it was one of relief when Zhang Guiren acquiesced to whatever Zhang Su wanted to say.
"First of all, just like I''ve just told our vice n leader, whatever punishment the court deems fit, we wholeheartedly ept.
We all knew what we were doing, and we didn''t necessarily go to great lengths to hide it either, otherwise, there''d have been no witnesses if we were looking to hide it.
I say this with utmost sincerity if the war with the Five Clover Kingdom ended today or even tomorrow, or whenever it ended, we would have voluntarily turned ourselves in.
I don''t excuse what we did, but what we did, we did out of necessity.." Zhang Su calmly said.
"Judge, can I ask you something?"
"You can.."
"Why do you cultivate? To you what do you think the purpose of cultivation in its whole, especially when ites to cultivation arts?"
"You want my personal opinion on the matter?"
"Yes, I would..."
"For me, it would be.." Yang Qing paused as he held his chin, his eyes and mind seemingly going elsewhere before rity colored the eyes again.
"For me, it would be to live, and if I was to boil it down, it would be survival.." Yang Qing said as the memory of his younger years shed in his mind when he was desperately clinging to dear life trying to survive his grandfather''s experience, andter when he joined the Order, it was to survive the fiendish instructors, and presently it was surviving the storms raging outside the Order, within the Order, and within himself.
At the core of it, what fueled him was the desperation to survive.
Zhang Su was slightly surprised by Yang Qing''s response which prompted him to smile as he nodded.
"The Order is embroiled in a bigger battlefield, of course, our thoughts would align.." Zhang Su said softly.
"I happen to think so too. However, for me and my brothers.." Zhang Su paused as he pointed to the seven n members behind him.
"Our survival is hinged on murder. Another person needs to die for us to live, and for me, cultivation is nothing but another tool to ensure just that. It''s a tool for murder.. which is how I managed to rationalize using blood fiend arts.." he said with a wry smile.
"After all, our core art thrives in a field of ughter, would using blood fiend arts be any different? We were using it on our enemies, not innocents. We were using it on those who would kill us.
Surely it''s not wrong if I used it that way, right? They were all questions we asked ourselves to make what we were doing, okay and if I''m being honest, some part of me doesn''t regret using it either.." Zhang Su said with a sincere smile on his face.
"The Zhang family, the spear of the Red Maple Empire, the river that separates the Empire from the terrors that lie on the other side, is what most within the Empire sing about us, and for us who came from such a n... when we are small, all we do is obsess, fantasize, and romanticize about the day we too will get to step up on that stage and uphold the honor of the n and have our exploits sung throughout the empire.
For us, there is no greater honor than being a Zhang family member on the front lines of war. When you''re small, you don''t think about the demands of war, all you think about is the glory it brings, it''s only when you''re there, in the thick of it, is when you see the side that those bards don''t sing about, the ruthlessness of it.
There are seniors from the n who talk to us about the seriousness of war, and touch on what it would demand of you, but when you''re so young, who listens? We are all indomitable heroes and immortals in our stories, up until the absolute p of reality smacks in the face and opens our eyes.
War takes a lot from you, even if you''re prepared, and even living on the battlefield for years on end, doesn''t take away the sting one feels when war collects its dues..." Zhang Su paused to rub his forehead, as a mncholic sigh escaped his lips.
"I''ve been there for sixteen years, and even now I''ve never been able to stomach seeing many of my nsmen die at the de of the enemy.
Each loss cuts deeper, and it''s even worse now..."
mes of fury burned in his eyes as he clenched his fist.
"The Empire that we bleed and die for, the empire that countless Zhang n members have given their lives to protect for thousands of years, is no more than a rotting corpse filled with greedy worms looking to tear each other up.
While we are at the border fighting, dying by the hundreds almost every other day, our fellow countrymen are busy squabbling with each other, letting their greed for power lead them, trying to devour each other at every turn, ignoring the fact that what they are doing is no different than a pig serving itself up to a pack of wolves.
They''vepletely ignored the wolf that is already at our doorstep, waiting to lunge at us and devour us whole.
Whatever is happening at the border, leave it for those brute bloodthirsty Zhangs to handle, they murmur in contempt..." Zhang Su paused as he took a deep breath to calm the erupting emotions raging within him, his emotions mirrored by his fellow nsmen who looked to be seething in anger too.
"We are continually paying the price for the Empire''s greed, selfishness, and foolishness. Our cultivation base thrives in war but it doesn''t mean we want to live there forever. I don''t want to stay constantly surrounded by the death of my rtives and n members, but that is what the so-called Red Maple Empire has consigned us to.
Before when the war started, the entire empire rallied as one united force and bared its fangs against its enemies, but now,.. but now those fangs are turned to each other.
The war would not havested this long had the Empire acted collectively and not entirely left the burden to us. The Five Clovers Kingdom even with the support of the Zou family would have never been able to gain the ground it did, as fast as it did, if we didn''t give them the opportunity to, when we let our greed dictate our actions.
But look where we are now, struggling to maintain a stalemate with a kingdom we would have conquered years ago if only we did what we were supposed to.
The Chen n, a n born from a peerless swordsman hides within its walls as they fight amongst themselves, instead of baring their edge against the empire''s enemy. No wonder their sword hearts have rust, and are now moving to alchemy.
The Gui n no longer supplies the potions needed for the war front, instead choosing instead to sell their wares to the highest bidders to rapidly amass their wealth and influence. They''re more merchants than alchemists now, and it surprises them why they have never produced a blue-grade alchemist to date. If we all die out, and the border is lost, will they even be able to protect that wealth they are hoarding?
The Mo n spending all its time and effort trying topete with the Duan Royal family for dominance and heritage, instead of trying to establish their prestige at the border.
The Gong family....they are the only ones who remained uninvolved in the rot, and while they still support the borders with armaments they provide, with the way the wind is blowing and how they have been distancing themselves from the other families including the royal families, I wouldn''t be surprised if some time tomorrow there is news of them leaving the Red Maple Empire for good..."Zhang Su paused to rx his tense body as his presence turned tranquil.
"The Empire isn''t called the Zhang Empire, but we are the ones bleeding for it. I stopped fighting for that empire a long time ago and started fighting to ensure my n members don''t die for that dying tree.
Left with no other option, we turned to blood-fiend arts. We didn''t do it so we could grow our strength, we only did it because it was the only option in front of us that would help us protect our fellow nsmen.
It is why in as much as I feel sad for bringing the shame of being a blood fiend cultivator to my n, I don''t regret it. I would rather be a viin and ensure my n members don''t die a thankless death in that ce.
Neither do they. Thank you for your time. I needed to exin why we did what we did and we dly ept the punishment deserved for our acts. Be it death or any other form, we willingly ept it.." Zhang Su said as he solemnly cupped his fists.
Chapter 869 Decay of the major families (7)
Chapter 869 Decay of the major families (7)
Zhang Guiren sighed lightly as his gaze seemed to wander elsewhere.
"Maybe we should start acting a little selfishly, otherwise.." on reaching here he paused his thoughts slightly as a mncholic gaze fell on Zhang Su before it inadvertently fell on the other n members. In his sight, their faces kept changing as they ovepped with the faces of other Zhang n members he had seen die over the years from the moment he was a youth just like them, fresh on the battlefield, to now when he was an aged senior of the n.
He let out another exasperated sigh as a number shed in his mind. It was one of the few things he never liked about his growing cultivation realm. Cultivators had superior memories which only became more absurd the further up the realms they moved.
At his realm, as a quasi-pce stage cultivator, he could remember with perfect recall even the sensation of what it was like to be in his mother''s womb from the moment he gained sentience. He could also remember what the weather was like the day he was born, how many people were there, who they were, what they smelled and looked like, and what their reactions were like.
Every single sense from sight, to smell, to sound, to touch and taste, he could feel it with vivid detail and rity as though it happened just a few seconds ago even though he all this happened 840 years ago.
From the moment he broke through to the core formation realm, he could remember things that happened to him when he was younger with such vividness that to him, it was no different than being there. That sense of sharpness even extended to inane and casual moments in life. Any single thing or person that came across his sight even just once, he would never be able to forget it or them, even if his interaction with them was a passing nce, or it happened over a hundred years back, he would remember it just the same as he would, something very important to him.
Looking at Zhang Su and the rest, all the deaths he had seen of his fellow nsmen came flooding back, every single face, and theirst moments, and what that tally had added up to the current date.
Zhang Su and the other seven n members were not isted in their thinking and in what they felt. Their sentiment was something that was felt by most within the n be they old or young. Provided they have stayed at the battlefront long enough, they would have the same misgivings.
The rot of the Empire had spread all the way to the border and their n, despite not being involved in the decay, had been affected by it, and the price for that was the death of hundreds of Zhang n members.
The higher-ups of the n have been debating for almost a thousand years if they should just pack it up and leave. Zhang Su was right, be it him, or elders of the n of the same stature as him, they had long seized fighting for the Empire. They were all fighting to ensure they had as few casualties as possible among their n members, to the point that their n leader, the only pce realm cultivator their n had was constantly stationed at the border to the point that he couldn''t afford to leave ande here for the case.
If he left, who knows the damage they would suffer as a consequence of it? Being thergest contributors to the war against the Five Clovers Kingdom left them praised within the territories of the Red Maple Empire, however, outside of it, apletely different tune was sung. The Five Clovers Kingdom absolutely hated their guts.
No one has killed as many cultivators from their kingdom as the Zhang n has to the point that Zhang Guiren sometimes wondered whether the kingdom fought so hard, was it to reim the territory they lost to them all those years back or was it to erase every Zhang n member and pay back the blood debt?
It was likely both. Countless assassination attempts had been made on their key n members both at the border and at the center of the empire. Another reason most of the Zhang n members had long lost any sentimental attachment to the Red Maple Empire. Some of the assassination attempts conducted within the confines of the Empire were done with the assistance of some of the nobles, and the despicable part was that it wasn''t even the newly ambitious noble families who conspired with those assassins, but the founding families.
Both within the Empire and at the border, nowhere was truly safe for them but at least at the border, they had each other. Feared and plotted against by their own nation, and hated by their enemy.
If he was asked who he feared the most out of the two, he wouldn''t have an answer to it.
At this point, what kept them at the border was to honor the spirit of their ancestor Zhang Ren, and try to live up to the reputation he built. But even then with the way things were shaping up, honoring their ancestor would cease to be a motivating factor for them.
Speaking for himself,?he was among those who had long grown tired of upholding that honor and if he was being perfectly honest some part of him resented his ancestor for it, especially when he learned part of the reason their ancestor fought so fiercely. Their ancestor fought so passionately because he was lovestruck and his target of affection was none other than the first empress, Duan Qui.
Sadly, it was an unrequited love, as the first empress had eyes for someone else, but their ancestor, unwilling to give up, showed his undying affection by using the one thing he was good at, fighting, and when that wasn''t enough, he dragged his family to it.
Zhang Guiren, unlike his ancestor, cared more for his n than the Duan royal family.
"Maybe it is time for us to leave this arena. We have already paid enough. The only problem is, will the Empire let us? Will the Five Clover Kingdom?" Zhang Guiren thought as his eyes shed with worry and frustration at how stuck they were.
As Zhang Guiren was undergoing his internal turmoil, Yang Qing had ovee his as he was deciding what sentence was suitable for the eight Zhang n members.
The circumstances surrounding them were not ck and white. They had not used the blood fiend art a lot despite being on a battlefield. The reason for doing it was also another factor, with it being to protect each other''s lives and there was also the fact that they used the art on foes who they were fighting to the death with and not some unrted innocent victim.
But ultimately, blood fiend cultivation was taboo. No matter the reason, it could not be tolerated, if it was, the implications would be devastating. The chaos and destruction that blood fiend cultivators could cause if left unimpeded was something even the indifferent holynds would not stand idly by and let happen, and as the watchdogs of the continent, it was especially so for the Order.
Once Zhang Su had rejoined his group, Yang Qing brought his palms together, with a solemn aura radiating from his body.
"The art you used, where did you get it from?" asked Yang Qing.
"We pilfered it from the corpse of one of the cultivators from Five Clovers Kingdom we had defeated. His name was Liu Gu from the Liu family of the kingdom, which is one of their major families, and Liu Gu was the grandson of one of their supreme elders.
I don''t know where he found it, but what I do know was it was thanks to it that he had killed so many of my nsmen, and even after we cornered him, despite him being at the same level as me, it still took the eight of us working together to defeat him.." answered Zhang Su.
"You didn''te with that art, did you?" asked Yang Qing, though he already knew the answer to the question.
Smiling wryly, Zhang Su said, "After we had grasped the fundamentals, to avoid being tempted to cultivate it even deeper, we burned it and forcibly erased the memories of thetter parts.."
"After this, there will be someone assigned to you. You can share with him what you know about the art and that Liu Gu.."
Zhang Su cupped his fist as he nodded in acknowledgment.
"Thank you for your cooperation in advance. Now for the crime of practicing blood fiend arts, no matter the reason, all eight of you are guilty of it. While I do sympathize with the situation you were put in, a punishment must be given for what you have done. Now I have two options for you..." Yang Qing said as he leaned forward.
"You have two choices of sentence to choose from. One of the options is, I sentence you to a lifetime imprisonment in leaned forward.
"You have two choices of sentence to choose from. One of the Requiem where you will be locked until yourst breath. You will never see the light of day, but you will live out the rest of yours afforded to you by your cultivation realms.
You can continue your cultivation, though it will be severely restricted, but when ites to meditation there will be none.
To reiterate, the sentence is for life, so even if you somehow break through to a higher realm and your lifespan increases, the length of your imprisonment isn''t firmly fixed on your present lifespan, but it is attached to your life in its entirety, whatever it may be now or in the future. You will be locked up in Requiem prison for all your days.
The other option is to face a treasure called the heavenly inquisition sword and undergo its judgment for 100 years. It will judge the weight of your crimes against your hearts..."
On reaching here, Yang Qing paused briefly as his gaze turned serious.
"Those 100 years will not be easy and there is a high chance you may lose your lives in the process, but if your hearts are clear and your willpower strong, you may survive it.
If you do, you may have a chance at some freedom. While you can never go back to the Zhang n, or go back to your lives as it was, you have a chance at a different life. If you survive the judgment of the sword, you have the opportunity to work for the Order on the various rehabilitation and restoration projects we have all around the continent.
So which option do you want?"
The eight n members looked at each other in surprise before they smiled a secondter as one of them said,
"Leader, would you please.."
"You''re sure?"
"We are from the Zhang n!" they answered in unison.
Their response left Zhang Su and Zhang Guiren smiling.
"We choose the second option.." Zhang Su answered without hesitation.
Chapter 870 Decay of the major families (8)
Chapter 870 Decay of the major families (8)
??"Thank you very much for your mercy."
After the delivery of the sentence and the choice made by the Zhang n juniors, Zhang Guiren filled with emotion, cupped his fists at Yang Qing as he thanked him. Even though he had already prepared himself for their death as was expected for any matter with ties to blood fiend cultivation, even if they still had the potential of dying to the Heavenly inquisition sword,they at least had a chance at surviving it.
Just that chance alone was more than he could have hoped for. Despite spending over 500 years on the battlefield and seeing countless of his nsmen die, he never quite got used to it. It still cut deep every time he saw it happen. He was d that the tally he had in his head would not be added to today.
The vice n master and the eight n members were given a brief moment to say their goodbyes. For warriors who had lived their entire lives on a battlefield, their goodbye went as much as Yang Qing had expected. No words were exchanged, they just nodded at one another, letting their gazes and bows convey whatever message they wanted to trade with one another.
With the goodbyes done, it was Xia Ting''s turn. She had been the one put in charge of sending those charged to where they needed to be taken after their sentence had been administered.
Yang Qing and Yu Gen took a small break which Yang Qing used to do some house cleaning which was just basically him sending the recordings of the proceedings to the spirit council and the Judicial Review Committee.
Only when he was finally done did he motion for Yu Gen to bring in the participants of the next case which was the Gui Family, another one of the founding major families.
Unlike the first two founding families withbat-based backgrounds, the Chen n being sword cultivators, and the Zhang n following the path of ughter like their ancestor, the Gui family rose from alchemy.
Their ancestor and founder, Gui Ling, during her life, was a blue-grade alchemist, and her talents were one of the key factors to why the Red Maple Empire had managed to expand so fast. Even though she wasn''t abatant, her alchemy skills were just as lethal.
Alchemists were highly sought after wherever they were, especially the established and skilled ones. A top tier orange grade alchemist with a cultivation base that was at the early stages of the core formation realm would be able to gain an audience with a pce realm expert than a no-name cultivator with quasi-pce stage strength.
They were just that valued. They were called creators and miracle workers in certain circles as they were able to do the extraordinary and unimaginable through a pill or a potion. They were able to transform dung into gold. Some no-name herb that was treated as a weed somewhere in their hands could be transformed into a potion that could pull someone from the grip of death, or to another it would give them the chance to change their fates and ascend to heights they never thought possible.
The things they could achieve made them as precious as dao treasures to cultivators. Cultivators would do anything to gain their services, which made alchemy one of the best professions one wanted to get into if they wanted to be rich and or make tonnes of connections.
Provided you were a decent alchemist, a lot of doors would be opened to you. If Yang Qing had not been scarred by his n to the point he would have faint tremors and mild panic attacks every time he was near a cauldron, he would have tried his hand at it and with the affinity his physique afforded him with various elements of nature, he had a feeling he would have been really good at it.
But s, alchemy was a subject that required great concentration, even if one had a powerful soul. He could never quite concentrate long enough to actually sessfully brew a potion. Every time he stirred the mixtures he would see the greedy crazy eyes of his grandfather and the other elders within the brew, which would always send him in a frenzy as he tried to exorcise those ''impurities'' with his more than energized Yang mes.
After destroying a few cauldrons, Yang Qing gave up on it, reluctantly, though he did get back to it once he had a great handle on his emotions, but by the time he did, he had already found something else he was truly interested in and could not give alchemy the time it needed.
Though he doesn''t regret jumping into archeology or studying the dissection and evolution of cultivation arts, especially the lost arts, some part of him, usually whenever he was low on funds, has always wistfully thought on the path not taken. What it would have been like if he had gone the alchemy route.
Some part of him envied that ability of theirs to brew wonder and fantasy with just adle, a me, some ingredients, and a cauldron,and the ripple effect the things they created had in the world around them, and the pull they had because of it and it was those abilities that pushed the Red Maple Empire and the Gui n to the heights they reached.
Red Maple Empire whose core territory once belonged to a powerful spiritual nt in the red maple spirit tree was a paradise to alchemists and herbologists alike because of the numerous and rare spiritual herbs and nts that grew in the area due to the red maple spirit''s presence, and the dense wood energy it released along with the amplified and refined spiritual qi that promoted their growth and quality.
Apetent alchemist would thrive in the area, and Gui Ling did just that when she became a blue-grade alchemist, and from it, the Red Maple Empire which was just a tiny bud, had enough capital to instantly bloom into a full-blown tree. A blue-grade alchemist could maximize their strengths by making full use of the strengths of their territory, i.e. the dense spiritual herbs, and because she was a blue-grade alchemist, countless cultivators joined up so they could gain her favor.
Bar the founding families, a good chunk of the noble families around the empire, those who joined up at the start, did so because of Gui Ling, a favor that extended well past her death, as presently, the Gui n despite not producing another blue grade alchemist still held as much sway as the royal family, be it with the noble families or the regr folks, and even in terms of wealth, they were neck and neck with the royal family.
But Zhang Su had been right.
Chapter 871 Decay of the major families (9)
Chapter 871 Decay of the major families (9)
From the reports collected on the n, currently, it operated more like a merchant n than a n whose roots were in alchemy. They chased lucrative deals all over with fervent passion to the point of undercutting others ruthlessly in the pursuit of those profits and connections.
Anyone who wasn''t at a certain standard, they reduced their association with them, even with those they had a history with like what they did with the Zhang n by reducing the quota of support they provided them at the border in support of the war efforts.
They suppressed whoever got in their way, be it the founding families like the Chen n whom they had a deep feud because the former had decided to try their hand at alchemy which the Gui n saw as their sole domain and property, or somepetitors with no background who refused to lower their heads and submit to them.
They had be tyrants and cut throats in their conduct which was how they ended upnding in Yang Qing''s courtroom.
Yu Gen led twenty-three of their nsmen into the courtroom and just like the Chen and Zhang family, the court had allowed provision for someone from their n to be present at the proceedings and even speak on their behalf should they wish to.
The person who came was their supreme elder called Gui De. He was a quasi-pce stage expert. The reports showed he was their most powerful cultivator with a natural physique, the mist lotus weaver physique that gave him adept skills in illusory arts.
Maybe due to the tense state of the Red Maple Empire, be it from the ruthlesspetition among the noble families, the veiled threat of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, or dealing with the consequences of the bridges they had burned in their pursuit for wealth, whatever the reason, Gui De and a few others within the n had decided to focus solely on growing their martial strength. Despiteing from an alchemist n, Gui De had few aplishments in that area other than the bare minimum that one would expect from someoneing from a long-standing alchemist n.
After they were all in the courtroom, Yang Qing went through the regr motions of introduction which involved exining the rules and the rights of all present, be it the court, the used, and the defendants before finally he moved on to the charges issued against those present.
The Gui n had no involvement in blood fiend arts, like the previous two families, however, they had just as much blood on them.
In their relentless pursuit to grow their wealth, and power and to ensure they remained the hegemons of alchemy, they used any and all means to that end. They operated on the motto of fearing the strong and bullying the weak and bully they did.
Of those twenty-two present, some had hired assassins to kill theirpetitors with some even making special requests such as having the assassins especially torture them before they took their lives, there was even one Gui n member who had the assassins use mind maniption arts on one of theirpetitors and had him ughter his entire family. After he had done the deed, the spell was canceled and the scene along with the memory of what he had done came flooding back. That person ended up going berserk and took their own life by self-detonation.
There were hundreds of cases that were simr to that one and every single one of them had a brutal ending to them. The Gui n were shown to be just as vicious as Chen Zhn who had his friend murdered and exploited the grief of that friend''s father.
All the twenty-two Gui n members present were just another Chen Zhn, though if Yang Qing was asked, they were even more ruthless than Chen Zhn, at least with Chen Zhn, the target of his cruelty was Chen Xue, but with these Gui n members, they each had at least fifty victims each, on them, whom they arranged for the most merciless endings unimaginable...
And the reason? A recipe that someone refused to share because it was thest legacy of their family having been passed down for thousands of years,
Another, just because they supplied potions to a customer belonging to the Gui n despite the sale having no impact on their existing rtionship with the Gui n.
Countless got tortured, and had their loved ones subjected to torment as they bore witness before finally being given a vicious death. Even until their death, Yang Qing didn''t think they found peace.
Having your entire family tortured and ughtered ruthlessly, all because you sold a few earth-rank potions to someone who decided to buy them from you on a whim.
Who would be able to find peace after something like that happened to them?Yang Qing sure wouldn''t.
The investigation done on the n unearthed their rtionship with an assassin organization by the name of Underground Ferrymen. That assassin organization was rumored to be headed by a middle-stage pce realm expert who it was said had managed to execute a pce realm expert when he was in the quasi-pce stage.
Whether that story was true, was of little consequence, what was true was, that the Underground Ferrymen had countless bodies on them, with some of them evening from some prominent rank three organizations. Their target went from individuals to entire organizations, from silent kills to spectacles, and the Gui n, some within their ranks at least, were shown to have deep ties with them dating back almost 4,000 years with even one of their members having married one of the assassins of the Underground Ferrymen.
The investigation unearthed the ties, and the thread though didn''t lead to the head of the snake, it did lead to several high-
ranking figures of the organization. After being worked on by the special inquisitors, those captured figures spilled everything including themissions they took on behalf of some of the Gui n members, and others that touched on cases other judges had.
It was a windfall for the Order and even more so for Yang Qing, as those members had irrefutable evidence of what the Gui n had them do and the arrangements and agreements they had with each other. It was from that pile that Yang Qing discovered the Gui n had even gone to the extent of having the Underground ferrymen assassinate a few Zhang n members so they would be triggered to remain on the border out of vengeance.
That wasn''t even the only frame job done at their behest, there were countless. About a third of the chaos in Red Maple Empire was at the machinations of the Gui family.
Chapter 872 Decay of the major families (10)
Chapter 872 Decay of the major families (10)
Even with the damning evidence presented against them, the Gui n members under indictment still tried to deny the charges as they tried to shift the me on other families iming their innocence in the matter.
They said it was the other families framing them for those deeds because they were jealous that the Gui family was the only one among the six founding families to have still maintained its growth even after their founder had passed on while the rest of the families were struggling to stay afloat.
But with the amount of damning evidence presented against them such as the visual recordings, documents of which some even had soul-binding seals to them, along with the testimonies of the assassins of the Underground Ferrymen, their excuses carried no water and the only thing it managed to do was add on to their troubles for lying to the court.
Eventually, they turned on each other as they tried to throw one another under the bus, the me game eventually extended to other members of the n and other parties that had evaded the investigative of the Order.
During their spree of trying to pull others into the mud with them, some even confessed that there were those within their n who had colluded with members of the Five Clover Kingdom here and there for a significant fee.
One of those implicated in the collusion was an old fossil of the n, who had trained many in alchemy. Though he wasn''t a supreme elder like Gui De, he was just as respected because of his attainments in alchemy, those who had benefited from it, and his age. He could be considered Gui De''s uncle by seniority and just like him, he too was a quasi-pce stage expert, though he was weaker and had leveraged the usage of pills to attain it so he could extend his lifespan. His name was Gui Weimin.
Gui De''s face darkened when he heard that Gui Weimin had colluded with one of the princes of the Five Clovers Kingdom to supply them pills, potions, and certain rare herbs that could only be found in the core regions of the Empire and in exchange, that prince would grant him an audience with one of the elders of the Zou n.
Gui De didn''t need to hear the rest of the testimony to guess as to Gui Weimin''s intentions. The closer Gui Weimin came to exhausting his lifespan and dying, the more fearful he became of it and it wasn''t long before the maddened obsession with staying alive kicked in. He burned through countless resources within the n to stop that from happening.
There were only two ways he could do that, one was if he used a natural treasure that extends his lifespan, and the other was if he broke through to the pce realm. Finding a natural treasure that extends one''s lifespan was just as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Treasures that were capable of such a feat, at the very least, would be at the absolute peak of the ascendant grade and because of their nature, they were rarer to find even whenpared to other ascendant and saint grade treasures.
No matter how much wealth they had, even if they emptied the coffers of their entire n, and even thrown in that of the entire Red Maple Empire, they still wouldn''t be able to afford the clues to such a treasure, let alone buy it.
Theycked the resources and the connection to acquire it, and if by someck they managed to get their hands on it, would they be able to keep it long enough to use it or would the rest of the Red Maple Empire wake up one day and find the entire Gui n had been ughtered to thest man within their grounds without a clue who did it or why they did it.
Gui Weimin''s situation could only be remedied one way and that was for him to break through to the pce realm and have his lifespan leap from 4,500 to 15,000 years in a single bound. Realistically, it was the only feasible option if it wasn''t for the fact that Gui Weimin didn''t have enough talent to take that leap, and to make up for it, the n expended countless resources that could bridge that gap.
They were hemorrhaging resources for that effort, it was Gui Weimin, a senior they all respected and admired, of course, they were going to do all they could to support him, going even to the extent of backstabbing old friends, swallowing up theirpetitors, lessen their support for the war because they didn''t want to pour their resources in two bottomless pits.
If they had to pick between their n and supporting the war efforts at the border, of course, they would put themselves first. Maybe if they produced a blue-grade alchemist or a pce stage expert they could revisit the issue but with the Gui n having no blue-grade alchemist nor a pce realm expert like the Zhang, Mo, or the Duan royal family did, of course, they were going to pick themselves at the expense of the rest.
But even with their self-preservation and how ruthless they had been in how they went about their business, he would have never expected a collusion with the Five Clovers Kingdom.
The reason he neverpletely agreed to cutting off their entire support at the border was because he knew what would happen to them if the Empire lost that war. The Five Clover Kingdom would carve them up and devour them not sparing even a single bone.
But hearing this.. that one of their well-respected elders was supporting the enemy all so he could escape death, that he didn''t see iting.
What if he was asked to sell out his n for a chance at extending his life, would he hesitate?
Even though he didn''t want to admit it, Gui De felt he knew what Gui Weimin would choose if he had to choose between the two.
...
Yang Qing ignoring the inner turmoil of Gui De was hard at work as he dly recorded everything down which he then transmitted to the Shadow Hawks Division, and the Yellow ins Branch to follow up on it.
If everything was as those n members said, the Gui n would end up receiving a significant blow to their foundations.
Even without those additional testimonies that implicated more members of their n, just the loss of the twenty-two members present was sure to cause significant damage to their reputation.
About three-quarters of those present were high-ranking elders of the Gui n and none of those present wasn''t a top- tier orange grade alchemist.
Even if the Gui n was an alchemist n, how many top-tier orange-grade alchemists did it have? Losing fifteen top-tier orange-grade alchemists was sure to impact them greatly.
Nurturing alchemists requires considerable resources and time to do, especially ones at the level of those present. Recing fifteen top-tier orange-grade alchemists would likely take a few hundred years at least.
If they had a blue-grade alchemist to guide them, that timeframe would shrink down considerably but the Gui n didn''t have one, and if they hadn''t yet produced a single one in close to 20,000 years, what were the chances they would produce one anytime soon, or that they would even be allowed the time to do that.
When it came to certain matters such as treason, the Order''s hands were tied, what Gui Weimin did or didn''t do wasn''t the Order''s business, but a few hours from now every city from the border to the imperial capital of the Red Maple Empire would know of the snakes they harbored within its territory.
Same with all the single-target assassination victims. Assassinations in the cultivation world weren''t exactly a prosecutable offense by the Order. Assassinations were part of the cultivators'' world, the Order would only get involved and prosecute someone if the assassination led to the annihtion of an entire household, or organization in which the victims included mortals, children, or people not of that world, or if the Assassin organization used was one that was on the Order''s hit list.
For those kinds of assassinations in which their hands were tied, the Order would try its very best to ensure information about the perpetrator reaches anyone with deep ties to the victim. The Order couldn''t collect that debt, but that person surely would.
Even if they were symbols of justice and fairness,they were still part of the cultivation world and sometimes itsws took precedence over the Order''sws, one just had to judge when that time was,and the affairs of the Gui n was one such time.
Yang Qing patiently waited as those elders sold each other out, spilling everything they knew in desperation, not even taking the time to negotiate a deal for the information they spilled. Only when they were done did he deliver the sentence. Gui De did say a few words on their behalf, but his mind wasn''t there even as he did it. His words seemed more perfunctory and casual as a result. Like he was doing it just to go with the motion and fulfill his duty as the vice n master of the Gui n.
Twenty-one of the twenty-two n members were sentenced to life imprisonment in Requiem and considering the things they did, their stay there would be anything but pleasant. Yang Qing had a feeling the students at the Institute would be having fresh sparring partners sometime in the future.
As for the one remaining Gui n member, Yang Qing exercised his judicial discretion and executed him on the spot in front of the other n members.
Judicial discretion was the authority granted to a judge to enforce their sentence personally, bypassing the Requiem. To avoid the judges unterally taking matters into their own hands all the time, a limit was imposed on its use, and someone of Yang Qing''s rank had twelve of them for the year, and he decided to use one today.
Whenever a judge felt they wanted to use it, they would need a majority approval from the spirit council, a high-ranking figure from Requiem, and the Judicial Review Committee. Since all three divisions had a live viewing of the court proceedings via the monitoring arrays in the courtroom, once Yang Qing presented his request to exercise his judicial discretion, it didn''t take long to receive a response.
The three divisions approved his request, and unanimously at that. The n member he executed had been the n member who had his victim beguiled with an illusory art that had him ughter his entire family, brutally at that. He had a wife, two concubines, four sons, and two daughters, of which two of his youngest children who were two of his sons, one was seven months old, and the other was almost two years.
That n member had his victim y his entire family and the spell was cancelled after he was done. That victim got targeted all because he refused to trade a family heirloom that he wanted to pass down to his eldest child.
The heirloom in question was the core of a spirit beast, a luminous moth. The core had no special abilities other than its ability to heal minor wounds, calm emotions, and induce a peaceful sleep in whoever wore it.
It had been passed down in the victim''s family for thousands of years, and he wanted to pass it down to his eldest child, his daughter. But his n went to shambles when that Gui n member saw it on him and asked for it.
The victim politely declined as he cited his reasons for doing so in the hopes the Gui n member would understand. Luminous moths were not rare, and the core they had wasn''t all that unique among them either as it belonged to one that was at the early stages. With the might and resources of the Gui n, they could buy thousands of them that were way better than his if they wanted to and would have sold his to them if it wasn''t a family heirloom. and the deep sentiment attached to it as a result of it.
Things didn''t go as he expected. He ended up controlled by a secret art and massacred his family in a vicious and sadistic way and then was left to stew in the horror he had created. That victim ended up self-detonating after he saw the sight of his yed family.
Yang Qing executed that n member by incinerating him to ashes, delivering his death, swiftly, a kindness he didn''t afford his victim.
Chapter 873 Decay of the major families (11)
Chapter 873 Decay of the major families (11)
??Once he was done with the Gui family, Xia Ting arrived just in time to transport them to Requiem. In addition to getting life imprisonment, for the lives they had taken, should anyone rted to their victims ever seek rpense through blood duel, the Order will happily oblige.
That order wasn''t received well by the convicted Gui n members. All of them were alchemists and even though most werete-stage core formation experts, Yang Qing could tell by the fluctuations of their cultivation base that they had reached their present realms through pills and potions. Their fragile cultivation base would be exposed and exploited in a blood duel.
"Good riddance.." muttered Yang Qing as Xia Ting took away those n members. Gui De, their vice n master, left immediately after the sentencing was done with an urgency to him. No doubt because of the information that showed that one of their n members was a traitor. If such information got out, and their n was unprepared for it, they would be left in a precarious position.
Things were already tense as it is and in their pursuit of growing their power and amassing wealth to make up for not having a pce stage expert, they had ruffled a lot of feathers and created a lot of enemies, the least of which were the founding families.
If word got out that their supreme elder had been colluding with the Five Clovers Kingdom, he could already imagine what was likely to happen. Those families would instantly band together and attack them.
When it came to foundations, except for the royal family, the five founding families were at the same level, and though their Gui n was wealthier, in terms of core power and foundations, they were not stronger than the rest, and right now, one could even argue they were slightly weaker whenpared against the Zhang and Mo family who both had pce stage experts.
Their founder had left them treasures to help guard their n grounds against even pce realm experts, but so did the other founding families. If those familiesbined their forces and resources in earnest, it wouldn''t take long for all their defensive measures to be breached.
By Gui De''s estimates, it would take no more than four days, and if the royal family got involved, that time would drastically shorten.
"I am sorry Elder Weimin, you brought this upon yourself. I can only hope your death and that of your family will be enough.." Gui De thought as a merciless glint shed in his eyes.
...
It didn''t take long after the Gui n''s case for the next family to be brought in, the Mo family. Fourteen of their nsmen were brought in, of which thirteen were on trial with the extra member being the n leader who had been allowed in the court as a courtesy by the Order, in case the n leader wanted to speak at their behest.
Their n leader, Mo Li, had the same bearing as Chen Xian. He was calm and steady like a boulder but within that calmnessy a tempestous saber. In terms of bearing, they were simr in that regard, but when it came to talents, that was where the differences appeared, and one of them, it went without saying was Mo Li''s cultivation base. He was at the first stage of the pce realm and from the fluctuations he was releasing he looked to be just at the cusp of reaching the second stage.
By Yang Qing''s estimates, in about six months to a year, he would have already taken that step, catching up to the Zhang n''s leader who was a second-stage pce realm expert. Though as a saber user, even though Mo Li''s cultivation base was lower, even in his current realm, Yang Qing had a feeling he would be able to put up a decent fight against the Zhang n''s patriarch.
And the reason for that was Yang Qing could feel how properly refined Mo Li''s saber intent was. It was to the point that even though Mo Li had great control over it to the point he could effortlessly conceal it by blending it within his body, Yang Qing could still feel its intrinsic qualities effortlessly emanating from his body.
It was sharp, free-flowing, and tidal. Looking at Mo Li made him feel like he was looking at a kingfisher stirring a hurricane and a thunderstorm with a p of its wings on a cold dark night with the only source of light being the dangerous gleam of its talons and beaks.
Only when one had reached a certain threshold in the cultivation of their saber intent, could its ''quality and character'' be as evident as Mo Li''s was.
When Yang Qing saw him, he could finally understand why it was rumored that the Mo family had been trying topete with the royal family over the years. The attainments Mo Li had showed, he was qualified to do it. Provided nothing happened, given enough time with the talent he showed, at the very least he would reach the middle stages of the pce realm.
His qualifications aside, after seeing Mo Li and the way he carried himself, Yang Qing did find himself puzzled about something.
After years of being a judge, he had developed a knack for reading people from even the most mundane of things, and based on what he was reading off Mo Li, the Mo n Leader didn''t seem the type to care one iota about being an emperor or wielding power in that form.
He had seen enough saber experts in his lifetime to be able to tell that Mo Li was a through-and-through bonafide saber fanatic. The purity in his saber intent told him that. To a man like that, even his family and his life came second to his saber. All other things were immaterial and considered hindrances whenpared to it.
There was no way a person obsessed with the saber like he did, would spare so much as a second thought lusting after the crown like what the rumors said.
If he was truly in opposition with the royal family it had to be for some other reason, either he was using the royal family as a whetstone to sharpen himself, or there was something else that prompted a man like him to act against them and that something had to be as dear to him as his saber was.
Yang Qing didn''t believe the throne had reached that level. As important as it was to most, to someone so devoted to the dao of the saber, the throne would be no more than a distraction for him.
While he was curious about what the underlying reason behind his antagonistic attitude toward the Duan royal family could be, he decided to shelve the matter to focus on the matter at hand, which was the prosecution of the thirteen Mo n members.
All thirteen members were young noble scions of the n and had checked off all the stereotypical check boxes that one would expect to see from pampered young masters who had not experienced the wind and the rains of the world. They were arrogant and ruthless to those they deemed weaker than themselves or those they could bully without fear of reprisal while they cowered and whimpered like newborns in front of those they couldn''t threaten with their background.
They were all trembling, too scared to even look up. The longer Yang Qing looked at them, he realized something. Their eyes would asionally dart to their indifferent n leader and immediately after it would seem like their fear would spike up a notch. A few seconds in, it was clear to him that the reason for their fear wasn''t the court or what punishment they were going to receive but rather what terrified them to the point that some almost toppled over, was their n leader, Mo Li.
If that was the case, then it exined why when it came to the Mo family, none of the high-ranking figures of the n which included their n elders and the promising youths were caught up in the investigation, unlike the Chen, Zhang, and Gui n that had a mix of their elders and youths with potential.
Mo Li was likely a terrifying deterrent within his family and how they conducted themselves. As for how thirteen members still ended up in the Order''s crosshairs despite his deterrent, Yang Qing felt it was more than likely because the thirteen members present were too useless in terms of talent to catch his eye as none of the thirteen members was at their core formation realm despite their background.
They were all of a simr age to Yang Qing but the one who had the highest cultivation base amongst them was only at the eleventh stage of the foundation establishment realm while the restnguished between the sixth and ninth stages.
The other factor was they didn''t live at their n''s main grounds where their n leader was, but instead lived at the various residences that were a million miles away from their n''s main grounds.
All thirteen were residents of Purple City where they used their background and the considerable distance from their n''s main grounds, to lord over the rest. Seeing their reactions, Yang Qing had doubts if they would have had the guts to replicate their crimes at any other ce that wasn''t that far away from the sight of their n leader.
He couldn''t help but sigh as his gaze fell on them. Even after he made the introductions and exined the rules of the court, none of them dared look up. Left with no alternative, he moved on to list their crimes as he presented the evidence, along with calling some witnesses.
The thirteen n members were guilty of crimes one would expect to see from some silk-dandy young masters. Cases of bullying here and there, kidnapping, beatings all in the name of face, stealing wives and daughters, and the like.
They also funded a few of the gangs one of them being the ck Viper Gang from which Yang Qing had apprehended a blood fiend cultivator from within their ranks. It was the same gang that the Zou siblings associated with when they lived in Purple City. Its leader, Shu Wei, a second-stage core formation expert was among the list of witnesses. He sang like a canary, especially when he was made aware of what fate would befall him for having a blood-fiend cultivator within his ranks.
From their list of crimes, it was evident the thirteen Mo n members weren''t exactly the brightest of people. Their hubris and name were exploited and used by others for their gain, even theckeys they had under them used them in one way or another.
With the chaos and crimes theymitted, one could always see the trail of others pulling their strings, especially the subsidiaries of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. They were the primary beneficiaries of those n members'' arrogance and stupidity as they constantly used them to sow discord and chaos all overPurple City in an effort to undermine the City Lord''s hold over the city.
In the end, after he listed out their crimes, not one of them offered a word of retort, as they all weakly admitted to their guilt in the matter, stammering as they did.
Yang Qing sentenced them to hardbor for one hundred years. As for what that hardbor would be, he left it to the penalties and rehabilitation office under the administration hall to decide. As the thirteen n members were being taken away, they all seemed to burst with relief as they left the courtroom.
Throughout the whole proceeding, the n leader, Mo Li, said no more than ten words, and the words he did speak, it was when greeting Yang Qing, and excusing himself after he was done with the sentencing. In between, he said nothing.
Chapter 874 You talk too much
Chapter 874 You talk too much
??"How do you want to handle the next group? Will you deal with them individually or do it collectively as a group?" asked Yu Gen once it was just him and Yang Qing in the courtroom with Xia Ting having already gone to handover the Mo nsmen to the penalties and rehabilitation division.
"We are already here.." Yang Qing said with an exhausted sigh as he rubbed the bridges of his eyebrows to exorcise the tenseness he felt due to the uing case.
Resting his eyes on his palms, Yang Qing let out another sigh as he rubbed his eyes in the process before looking up smiling wryly at Yu Gen, as he did.
"The cases we have against them aren''t exactly things we can directly punish them for. For them, we are no more than middlemen between the aggrieved and them. In the end, what happens is in the hands of the aggrieved.
And since some of those cases ovep amongst them, we might as well do it all at once.
The charges aren''t a lot. Let''s bring them all in and get it over with. I just hope the others don''t lose their nerve.." Yang Qing said as threw himself back to his seat, seemingly hoping it would swallow him.
Yu Gen nodded, wearing the same look and bitter smile Yang Qing had.
"Have his parents arrived or any notable figures from the pavilion?"nguidly asked Yang Qing just as Yu Gen was about to leave.
"I haven''t seen them, but considering their son is about to stand trial any moment now and they were already informed of it beforehand, and now after your sentencing. I figure they are already in the building or presently with him.."
"Mmh...." murmured Yang Qing absentmindedly as he stared into the glittering stars shining above his courtroom, his mind drifting off elsewhere.
"I really shouldn''t have tried to sneak in those three months.." he weakly said, regret in his tone.
"I am d you think so.."
Yang Qing hurriedly sat straight, his body tense as his head tilted in the direction the voice originated from.
Even though he already knew who the owner of that voice was owing to the unforgettable impact that owner and the voice had left on him for the past few years, he still felt his strength leave his body when he saw the stern, silver-eyed, silver-haired middle-aged man that had now graced his courtroom.
Who else could it be other than Lei Weiyuan?
"His timing is impable as always.." thought Yang Qing as his body started feeling like hot prickly needles were popping out at every part of his body, especially his back. His tongue felt dry, his chest seemed to be closing up, and there was also a ringing sound in his ears, but the sensation that took the cake in his body was his beating heart. The fervor with which it drummed, it was no different than the passionate beating drums that would be used to encourage soldiers about to go to war.
"You seem unnerved. I never thought I''d see this side of you... here.." said Lei Weiyuan as his eyes looked around the courtroom.
"How could I not be, Supervisor Lei? I am about to face off with potentially one or more angry domain experts with my puny second-stage pce realm cultivation.
I feel like I''m tempting death here.." Yang Qing said with an aggrieved tone as he used his hands to support his weak torso.
He left a few words unsaid which was that he med Lei Weiyuan for all this. If it wasn''t for him throwing evaluations on him in his final week,he would never have stepped foot in Purple City, and none of this mess would have fallen on him.
Yang Qing paused in his grumbling when he saw the most terrifying viin he knew, sh a small smile.
"With your ability to attract trouble, I''m sure you''d have ended up in a simr situation at some point in time. No use ming me..." Lei Weiyuan said, the smile still on his face, as his hands moved as he rubbed his beard. His eyes narrowed as they gleamed with a sage-like light as he added,
"Besides, if it wasn''t for your brilliant idea of giving yourself a three-month vacation, you would not be in this mess in the first ce..."
Yang Qing instantly felt like jumping over his podium and walloping the old man, but knowing his chances against the fiend, he chose to be a filial junior and endure.
The rush of anger and indignation quickly filled his heart and belly which strangely enough counteracted the nervousness he was feeling.
Lei Weiyuan turned his body away from the podium, turning it in the direction of the entrance.
"You shouldn''t worry too much.It''s just the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. Even if they allied with the Silver Leaf Empire, it shouldn''t be something that should shake you one bit.
Aren''t you the one who always shamelessly brags out there about how you have thousands of tall trees here to shelter you from the winds and storms here at the Order?"
Yang Qing''s jaws sank, and from the sudden surprise, he inadvertently spoke out his true thoughts.
"How did you know that?"
Realizing what he had just said, he hurriedly ced his palms over his mouth, in a bid to take back his words, but it was already toote for that. It was already out there.
Lei Weiyuan, his hands sped behind his back, cast a sideway nce toward Yang Qing, expressionless.
"Who doesn''t? You''re not exactly known for keeping things to yourself, are you? You talk too much.." Lei Weiyuan curtly said.
His delivery and his expression as he did so left Yang Qing feeling too embarrassed, with his retort to the statement being weak mumbles of,
"What''s wrong with being expressive and sincere?"
Ignoring Yang Qing''s mutterings, which even he didn''t believe, Lei Weiyuan turned his attention back to the entrance.
"We each have our roles to y here, nothing more, nothing less. There''s no need to shoulder more than that. You do what is expected of you, and we will also do our parts too. Its how the Order has always worked and why despite the odds stacked against us, we are still here, aren''t we?"
"We are.." Yang Qing said as he felt his heart lighten.
"That''s better.." Lei Weiyuan said.
"Before I forget, both of Lin Duyi''s parents will be present during the case. In addition, there will be two more guests other than them. One has a rtion to Lin Duyi from his mother''s side. No doubt brought here to try and pressure us into some sort of concession.." Lei Weiyuan said still with the same impassive speech, but one could hear the disregard and contempt in his tone.
"The other one is a surprising figure. I can''t wait to see their reaction.." he added as he smiled briefly before his expression turned deadpan again.
Chapter 875 Unfamiliar figures join the proceedings
Chapter 875 Unfamiliar figures join the proceedings
Yang Qing feeling a sense of dread creep up on him, hesitantly asked,
"What are the cultivation realms of the two guests?"
"They are both in the domain realm," Lei Weiyuan said with an unhurried and calm tone, his demeanorpletely opposite to Yang Qing who had already be deathly pale.
Holding his closed right palm in front of him, he started counting from his index finger with absentminded mutterings filled with disbelief.
"There''s Lin Guiren, the founder of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.." he said as he counted his index finger.
"Then there is his wife, Cai Hong.." he added as he moved to his middle finger, before simultaneously raising two more fingers making it four.
"And now we have two more guests, making it four domain experts.." Yang Qing weakly added, his tone shaky, his expression aghast as though he had seen a ghost.
"Supervisor Lei, shouldn''t we just dump this case to the domain courts?" Yang Qing asked with a pleading tone.
"What are you going on about? The case is already yours, there is no way it can be moved on. Besides the primary culprit here is the Red Maple Empire, a rank 3 organization. Their rank means it falls directly in yourne as a pce court judge who deals and handles all matters rting to pce realm experts and organizations headed by them.." Lei Weiyuan casually said.
"Besides, you are the primary in this. Having brought this case to the Order''s doorstep you should be the one to see it through to the end...
And because of the numerous things it has unearthed in the process, the merit points and other bonuses you earn from this will be quite substantial.." he added, choosing to use thenguage Yang Qing appreciated the most, incentives.
However, the target didn''t seem like he had the mental capacity to appreciate the incentives, in fact, he seemed rather incensed at the remark as his eyes gritted his teeth in anger before it immediately switched to ttering of fear.
Yang Qing was in no mood or frame of mind to care about the potential merit points and bonuses he would get after all this was done, not with the weight of what he was nning to do. Doing it in the presence of two domain experts and potentially gaining their wrath was already hard enough, let alone now adding four more in the mix.
Could those merit points guarantee his safety against four domain experts? With the Order''s long history of being stingy with those things, it was highly unlikely if the celestial nesting weaver was any indication.
That arrogant parasitic bird cost him a lot of merit points to redeem and with the way the treasurer had put it as he redeemed it, the treasurer made it seem like he was getting a steal.
He was bamboozled into believing that the moment he acquired the egg he was well on his way to gain the authority to stand at the same table with mythical creatures and even bargain with them.
As long as the egg was hatched, it was purported that his path to glory was all but guaranteed.
But what did he get? An ulcer, a beast that robbed him of everything; joy, peace, and his meager resources, and what did he get in return for that trade-off, all he got from it was a bird that abused him constantly, constantly shining a ring light of how poor he was, and maybe a decent nest.
But even though the nest was decent for both rxing and cultivating, because of that damn bird''s mouth, he could never enjoy either, in peace.
As for gaining the right to stand at the same table as mythical beasts, he would likely get eaten at that table because of the celestial nesting weaver''s mouth.
Right now talk of merit points and bonuses offered him little to no motivation. What he needed was a sense of security. Potential merit points gave him none of that, right now what he could depend on were a few things. One of them was the monster he was currently in the courtroom with.
Though at this point he still wasn''t sure who he was more terrified of, Lei Weiyuan, or those four domain experts.
Other than the old fiend, at least Hou Dehui would be there. Maybe with his history with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, Yang Qing hoped Hou Dehui''s presence would draw their attention to him rather than Yang Qing.
He honestly hoped that they would have enough bad blood between the two to the point that Hou Dehui''s presence would leave them unnerved, ufortable, and distracted as a consequence of it.
Other than the two domain experts, there was one other thing he could depend on, but in as much as it was dependable, it wasn''t foolproof. His hands moved to his medallion that was on the podium, which he clutched tightly as his eyes darted around the courtroom.
Yes, the other thing he could depend on was the courtroom itself. The whole tower was littered with countless arrays and artifacts which he was told were even capable of holding a soul formation expert at bay and the medallion was the key to such a fieresome power.
But even with all that firepower surrounding him, he was still agitated. After all, at the Institute, where the instructors'' sole goal was to destroy any shred of hope in them, they had long grown into pessimistic paranoid beings as a result of it.
Right now all Yang Qing could imagine was how his reaction speed mayg behind a domain expert''s to the point that it would render the medallion in his hands moot.
If a core formation expert with a saint-grade treasure was suddenly attacked by a peak domain expert, would the presence of that treasure help them survive it or would they die without even knowing how they died?
Just as Yang Qing was about to sumb to another maelstrom of worry, Lei Weiyuan''s voice pulled him from that drowning abyss.
"They are here.."
Yang Qing hoped he was referring to Yu Gen and the culprits of the next case, but when the doors of the courtroom and he saw who walked through, his hopes were instantly crushed.
Leading the front was none other than Hou Dehui, with his heroic and carefree demeanor, and unique star-shaped irises that had five pupils in each.
Behind him were five figures. One he instantly recognized having seen him during his promotion ceremony. The figure looked to have been carved from a radiant golden star with his radiant golden hair, eyes that had the presence of the sun in them, and a face and bearing that would mistake him for an immortal.
Who could it be other than one of the founders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, Lin Guiren? On his left, he was nked by another person who didn''t lose one iota to his presence. It was ady with light purple hair with matching eyes whose beauty and splendor made her look like a purple star.
With the cold look he received from her, it wasn''t hard for Yang Qing to guess her identity. It was Cai Hong, Lin Duyi''s mother and Lin Guiren''s wife. She also had another title to her which Yang Qing recently became aware of, hence his added anxiety, she had been the first princess of the Silver Leaf Empire, an established rank 1 empire. However, she has since abdicated that title so she could be with Lin Guiren.
Chapter 876 Could it be?
Chapter 876 Could it be?
Avoiding further eye contact with the woman who looked like she wanted to tear him limb to limb, Yang Qing''s gaze moved toward the man walking a few steps behind her.
The man looked to be in histe thirties to his early forties with light grey hair that added to the schr''s charm that surrounded him. There was a sense of ease, confidence, and grace to him, that even while walking, it almost seemed like he was gently gliding across the room. It went without saying that he had a visage that looked like it had been carved from the finest jade by the finest craftsmen which went perfectly with the schrly air he had about him.
Yang Qing may not know who that person was, but from the elegant-looking white robes that were probably made from better materials than the robes Yang Qing had on, Yang Qing guessed he had to be some important figure, and with how close he was to Lin Guiren and Cai Hong, it had to be one of the two guests Lei Weiyuan had mentioned to have some rtionship with Cai Hong.
"Is he from the Silver Leaf Empire?" wondered Yang Qing before his question was answered a momentter when he saw a silver leaf pin on one of the pins the man had used to hold his hair in a daoist topknot.
Trailing a few steps behind them were the remaining two people who were walking side by side, though one of them seemed to be purposefully walking a few inches behind the other, almost as if he was deferring to him.
Yang Qing''s eyes narrowed as he felt something within him stir when his eyes fell on the guest walking a few inches in front of the other.?The guest looked to be in histe thirties,posed with a sense of tranquil gentleness that paired perfectly with his auburn hair and matching eyes.
Looking at him, Yang Qing felt a sense of familiarity with him, which at first he couldn''t understand where that sense of familiarity wasing from. But, after a few seconds, it clicked for him as he recalled feeling the same way when he firstid his eyes on the saint-grade treasure, Green Cocoon.
That mercurial saint-grade treasure had not spoken much to him whenpared to Universal Robe, or Veiled Destiny, but of the three, he had felt a natural affinity to Green Cocoon.
The sense of familiarity he felt now with that guest when he dug further into, it almost felt simr to what he felt when he interacted with Green Cocoon, though it wasn''t exactly the same.
"Who is he?" wondered Yang Qing as he saw the man smile at him.
Yang Qing had no doubt based on the look the man was giving him, he had felt the same thing, probably even more defined than Yang Qing considering how the disparity in their abilities.
Yang Qing deciding to shelve the matter moved his attention to the final person. Earlier, Lei Weiyuan had mentioned there would be two additional guests, but as it stood, there were three additional guests. Clearly, Lei Weiyuan didn''t think it pertinent to mention the third person, and seeing him, Yang Qing could understand why.
Of the five, he was the only one that Yang Qing could actually gauge his strength. The other four wereplete enigmas to him. When he looked at the four, he couldn''t tell their cultivation base at all. It was like they were mortals with no cultivation albeit he felt a subtle form of weighty forceing from within his soul wherever he looked at them.
But that feeling was nigh negligible and if it wasn''t for his powerful and highly sensitive soul, that sensation would easily overtake him.
The fact that he couldn''t feel any cultivation from them could only be an indicator of the gap in their abilities and considering the sensation he felt from them was the same as he had with Lei Weiyuan and Hou Dehui, it could only mean all four were bonafide domain experts. Even without Lei Weiyuan telling him of it beforehand, it would have be easily evident to Yang Qing the moment they stepped into the courtroom.
But when it came to thest person, he could tell his exact cultivation base. Thest person, just like him, was at the second stage of the pce realm. He looked to be in histe fifties with a rough look to him with ck hair, and a firm build to him. One look at him and one would feel like they were staring at a heated anvil.
Yang Qing''s gaze shed with an inscrutable glow as his eyes went from the middle-aged man with the rough appearance to the young man he felt the sense of familiarity. From the way they were walking, Yang Qing felt those two knew but didn''t know each other at the same time. Though he could feel a sense of venerationing from the rough-looking man.
"Could it be..."
Yang Qing''s trail of thought was cut short when Hou Dehui and the rest of the guests arrived at the center of the courtroom, joining Lei Weiyuan in the process.
"Fellow daoist Lin Guiren, you and your team can take that side, while fellow daoist Deng Wei and Gong Jie can take the other.." Hou Dehui politely said as he pointed to his left and to his rest.
Lin Guiren nodded, as he moved to the left side, while the young man, that Hou Dehui called Deng Wei moved to the right side along with the right side.
Though Yang Qing didn''t show any outward change in emotion, still wearing an impassive and slightly amiable look, inwardly waves of shock were cascading within him.
"So it was him?!"he thought as he felt his wild guess from a few seconds earlier get confirmed.
"I can''t believe he is alive, and a domain expert at that, and him.." Yang Qing''s gaze fell on the rough-looking man once more.
"Last I read, only the Zhang, Mo, and the royal family had pce realm experts. Of the remaining three founding families in the Chen n, Gui n, and Gong n, none of them had one.
Who is he? Is he rted to them or is he just someone coincidentally sharing the same name with them and happens to coincidentally be standing next to someone sharing the exact name as one of the founders of the Red Maple Empire?
What''s happening here?"
Chapter 877 The maidens impasse
Chapter 877 The maiden''s impasse
??Yang Qing silently circted his meditation art to forcibly calm himself down. With the group of people in his courtroom, he couldn''t afford to let his rumbling thoughts and emotions get the better of him.
"Even with their presence, regardless of why they are all here, all that is immaterial. It doesn''t change the facts of the case or what needs to happen.."Yang Qing told himself as he regained his sense of self.
Oddly enough, from the moment the five guests reached the middle of the courtroom, all the anxiety and dread he had from a few moments earlier when it was just him and Lei Weiyuan, it all seemed to vanish. All he had now was an inexplicable sense of calm.
"Is what people feel when they are about to die?" mused Yang Qing as he rxed his body and mind, unaware of the gaze Lei Weiyuan had thrown his way.
"This kid... If only he wasn''t azy schemer..."
..
"I think introductions are in order as we wait for the main parties to arrive. It shouldn''t be too long but we can use the little space in time to get the introductions out of the way. What do you think, fellow daoists?" Hou Dehui said with a light smile on his face.
"It''s your ground, we will defer to it.." Cai Hong,coldly said, not hiding her displeasure.
Though even with her cold attitude, as someone who had grown up embracing fear since he was small, Yang Qing saw some snippets of it sh in the woman''s eyes even as she sarcastically retorted against Hou Dehui, especially when thetter threw an amused look her way.
"Since Lady Cai Hong, has decided to speak up, it is only right we start with your side.." Hou Dehui said, still wearing the same casual and carefree demeanor.
Lin Guiren who had been silent all this time, sighed softly and then cupped his fist.
"My name is Lin Guiren, founder of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. I hoped to have been here under better circumstances, but such is life. I hope we can all leave here under better ones.." Lin Guiren said, his voice soft, yet resonant.
As he mentioned leaving under better circumstances, part of his attention had drifted to Hou Dehui before it drifted back to Yang Qing, further highlighting to the history between the two sides.
Immediately after beating up the young master Lin Duyi who had been trying to snatch away Ellie with the assistance of the previous emperor of the Red Maple Empire, and the Golden Bamboo Pavilion branch head in charge of the branch in Red Maple Empire, when he called Lei Weiyuan to seek guidance on who to throw the hot potato on, the old fiend purposely mentioned Hou Dehui, highlighting that thetter had a history with one of the founders of the Pavilion by the name of Liang Zhen.
Judging by the reactions Cai Hong and Lin Guiren had toward Hou Dehui, their history with each other seemed to run deep to the point that the couple seemed wary of thetter.
Yang Qing soon shook his head free of the conspiratorial thoughts. Whatever history they had, it was between them. Far be it for him to go snooping on another person''s secrets. If Hou Dehui decided to share it at some point in time, Yang Qing would be all too d to hear it and maybe even lend a hand if he could,but he wouldn''t proactively dig up another person''s secrets.
After Lin Guiren was done, Cai Hong went next doing little to mask her discontent as she did.
"Cai Hong, mother to the son you arrested.."she callously said, not mincing her words.
Immediately after her, was one of the two domain guests, the schr.
The sch cupped his fist with a sense of elegance and grace which Yang Qing felt strongly supported his guess that he was someone from the Silver Leaf Empire.
"My name is Liu Guan and I am the Imperial Household Manager of the Silver Leaf Empire, however, currently I''m here not as the Imperial Household Manager but as a friend offering moral support to a friend and to be in any way service to them and to the court to ensure a peaceful resolution in today''s events.."
"Figured as much, but an Imperial Household manager? It seems she hasn''tpletely fallen out of grace with her father as the rumors suggest.."thought Yang Qing as his gaze alternated between Cai Hong and the Imperial Household Manager, Liu Guan.
Standardly, an Imperial household manager handles the personal affairs of the emperor and the running of the day-to-
day of the pce. At face value, one could mistake them as just servants, no different from the pce maids or the stewards, but that couldn''t be further from the truth.
Handling the emperor''s personal affairs meant that person was one of the most highly trusted individuals within the emperor''s circle which gave them more capital than even some ministers and senior officials.
And handling everything within the pce, meant he had ess in ces where most would be denied entry, every personnel within the pce effectively fell under his purview from the gardeners to the pce maids, to the stewards, down to the imperial guards who guarded the pce, they were all within his jurisdiction.
This highlighted the amount of power they wielded. Not just anyone could be entrusted with the role. They had to be highly valued by the emperor and also had to show considerable talent worthy of that role. At the end of the day, strength was still king. No matter how valued they were, it would be useless if they didn''t have the strength to truly hold onto whatever favor was bestowed upon them.
It was why Yang Qing was surprised to see the Imperial Household Manager of the Silver Leaf Empire was the one apanying Cai Hong, after all, the stories that floated around showed she had a sour rtionship with the current emperor, her father.
When she was younger, she had shown remarkable aptitude for the pen and the sword to the point that the emperor highly favored her to be his sessor.
But, once upon a time when she was out gaining experience, training her martial strength at the same time trying to look for talents that would be of benefit to the empire, she stumbled upon a young talented Lin Guiren who captured her young maiden heart.
Completely enamored by him, she made all attempts to be dao partners with him, including offering him the crown of emperor. However, Lin Guiren, the man that he was, had his ambitions, which he and the two other founders of Golden Bamboo Pavilion shared. He didn''t want to be emperor or consort and thus rejected her.
This left Cai Hong at an impasse. One was to let it go and forget Lin Guiren and go back to Silver Leaf Empire, and if life went in the expected trajectory, be theEmpress of the rank one empire or the other, abandon her titles, and pursue love. She chose thetter, which incensed the emperor to the point that he would have had Lin Guiren killed, if it wasn''t for the tremendous potential he showed, along with the other two founders, and also the connection they had.
From what the little bit of information showed, a soul formation expert intervened on their behalf, saving the trio from the ire of Silver Leaf''s Emperor. But even if he let them go, he was thoroughly incensed by the whole thing that he proimed to the entire Empire that the first princess, Cai Hong was no longer his daughter, and with it all titles and powers associated with it were stripped from her.
But with Liu Guan being here, it showed the rtionship between the father and daughter wasn''t as irreparable and broken as the rumors showed.
Chapter 878 Deng Wei’s identity.
Chapter 878 Deng Wei''s identity.
The one to follow after the Imperial household manager was done, was the person Yang Qing had been most curious about. Even if he felt his guess on his identity was more or less right on the mark, his heart couldn''t help but speed up in anticipation when he saw the young man take the stage.
"That damn Mao Mao infected me.." Yang Qing thought, ashamed at the excitement he was showing.
"Like fellow daoist Hou Dehui said, my name is Deng Wei, and before anything else, I would like to thank you all for your amodation and also to apologize on behalf of my friend''s descendants, and mine too, and the Red Maple Empire.." said Deng Wei as he bowed deeply
His actions startled Yang Qing as he had not expected a domain expert to bow before him in apology.
Yang Qing wasn''t the only one caught by surprise, as the person next to him, Gong Jie reacted strongly.
"Ancestor, don''t do that!" he said frantically with a pitch in his tone showing a level of anxiety and difort that one would not expect from such a rough-looking man.
"We are the ones who brought this on and destroyed what you and the rest hoped the Red Maple Empire. We are the culprits and should be the ones to apologize. You had nothing to do with it!" the rough-looking man pleadingly added as he tried to help Deng Wei.
Deng Wei slowly raised his gait which gave the illusion that it was because of the efforts of the rough-looking man, but all present, including the rough-looking man, knew it wasn''t. If Deng Wei didn''t allow there was no way the rough-looking man would have made him move one millimeter even if he burst forth with the strength of his entire cultivation.
"Hope of Red Maple Empire, huh.." muttered Deng Wei with a mncholic look as his gaze fell on the rough-looking man who was now apologizing for another thing.
"Deng Wei? Forgive me if I am out of turn here, fellow daoist, but are you the same Deng Wei as the rumored seventh founder of the Red Maple Empire?" asked Liu Guan.
"Good job. I can see why you are the Imperial Household Manager.." joyously thought Yang Qing, cheering the household manager''s efforts.
Other than Hou Dehui, Lei Weiyuan, and the rough-looking man who presumably knew his identity, everyone else looked on curiously. Even the snappy Cai Hong had her fury abate slightly at the question as her eyes fell on Deng Wei with an appraising look.
Even while being the center of attention, Deng Wei''s demeanor was the same as that of a gentle breeze during summer weather.
Looking up, he sighed once more, before he answered,
"Founder?.... I never did much back then to be considered that..." pausing as he looked at Liu Guan and the rest.
"It was all my friend''s doing, but to answer your question, while I may not be the founder, that Deng Wei and I are the same. I am surprised that anyone knows of me, seems like someone put me in the history books back then despite me telling the rest not to.." Deng Wei said as his gaze fell on the rough-looking man who lowered his head and smiled sheepishly.
"Thank you for humoring me, fellow daoist Deng Wei.." said Liu Guan, with the same elegant and refined air to him.
"It isn''t much.." Deng Wei lightly said as his gaze fell on Lin Guiren.
"Be it today or tomorrow, my identity would have gotten out one way or another. Besides, I would have introduced myself properly to fellow daoist Lin Guiren at some point.." he added with a meaningful undertone to his voice.
"Aren''t you behaving a little too arrogant for a sixth-stage domain expert?" said Cai Hong, her tone rife with contempt.
"Am I?.." Deng Wei said with a gentle smile.
"I am sorry if it came off that way. I haven''t been interacting with people for a long time. For the past 30,000 years, I have interacted with no more than four people. Since long ago, social interactions have never been my strongest suit. I apologize in advance for mycking manners, fellow daoist.."
Just as Cai Hong was about to retort again, she paused as Lin Guiren touched her hand, throwing her a look that said don''t.
"I look forward to talking and making your acquaintance, daoist Deng Wei. Forgive my wife, it hasn''t been the easiest of months for her. I will make sure to apologize properly at ater time.." said Lin Guired with a poised calmness.
"It''s okay.."
"Hong''er don''t antagonize him. There is something strange about him.."
"Strange how?"
"I don''t know. I can''t quite put my finger on it but I can feel fleeting strands of a primal force from him. The sensation I am getting from him is simr to what I''ve felt from the Fu n patriarch and a few of the elders.."
Cai Hong''s pupils trembled slightly before they went back to normal.
"You mean he has a contract with one of the mythical beasts like the Fu n does with the golden roc?"
"No, not that. The sensation I''m getting from him is even stronger which makes me wonder if the rumors surrounding him had some truth to it?"
"The one of him being a treefolk?"
"Mmh. If it is true, then even if he is just in the sixth grade of the domain realm, with the mythical bloodline of the treefolk in him, other things aside, as a treefolk, he is guaranteed tremendous vitality, let alone him being a domain expert.
I could defeat him, but killing him is another matter, and even if I could do it, mythical beings like them have soul links within their bloodline. Someone within their bloodline would be alerted and immediately know who did it from the many esoteric means at their disposal.
Besides, his potential ancestry aside, he doesn''t strike me as the reckless kind. If he wants topletely cut ties between the Red Maple Empire and us, he should have something that gives him the confidence that he can actually do it.
We already have enough on our te with our merger with Green Fig Manor, keeping all secrets surrounding the mysterious realm of the Sky rendering sword sect under wraps, and now Duyi''er''s matter.
We can''t add more to the te. We have enough to deal with as it is.."
"I know. It''s just that I''m worried about Duyi''er. If anything were to happen to him.."
"It won''t. I will do everything to help him or guarantee his life at least, no matter the cost. He is my son too and I don''t want anything to happen to him either.."
...
Unaware of the covert discussion happening between the couple, Yang Qing was practically beaming at the subtle tenseness in his courtroom. His prayer had been answered. Whatever attention he had feared would be ced solely on him was now being split among different sides. Hou Dehui was getting some, and now it seemed Deng Wei had joined in on the action.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but silently give the mysterious founder a thumbs up.
"No wonder I felt some sense of kinship with him.." thought Yang Qing as his spirits rose.
"But a sixth-grade domain expert? How did he manage to increase his cultivation realm so fast? Is it because of his supposed treefolk bloodline?" curiously wondered Yang Qing.
Red Maple Empire was roughly about 35,000 years old, and if he took the ounts written back then as facts, it meant that 35,000 years ago, Deng Wei was not a domain expert. If he were, then they would not have been fleeing from the rank three n that had been pursuing them back then.
Following that thread, then it meant that it took him 35,000 years to move from the core formation realm to the middle stages of the domain realm staring down at the doors of thete stages. Such a speed was stupendous, even by the Order''s standards, after all breaking through to the domain realm seemed like an impossible task, and it was even harder moving from one stage to another.
Some domain experts immediately after breaking through might never improve again,or for others, it might take them those 30,000 years just to move from the first stage to the second stage of the domain realm, and others may never get to step beyond the early stages of the domain realm just to reach the fourth stage, let alone climb to the sixth stage like Deng Wei had done.
Reaching the sixth stage in just 35,000 years was a testament to Deng Wei''s abilities, but Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel there might have been another factor in why he improved so fast in such a short amount of time. His treefolk bloodline while a factor, may have not been the only thing.
"Maybe it lies with where he has been for the past 35,000 years..." thought Yang Qing.
Chapter 879 The silver fiend acts
Chapter 879 The silver fiend acts
Yang Qing''s suppositions on the mysteries surrounding Deng Wei were interrupted when the doors to the courtroom were opened.
Because the courtroom was shielded against spiritual sense,?almost everyone''s attention was captured the moment the doors were opened as they all faced the same direction.
Walking in was Yu Gen, who despite facing the gazes of six domain experts, didn''t seem to falter one bit, as his pace and demeanor remained unchanged as he walked into the courtroom.
The same couldn''t be said of those following him though as a few of the cultivators behind him looked agitated, even one unable to contain himself.
"Father, Mother!" yelled one of the cultivators in the procession, who in agitation looked to break away from the group, as he ran to the side where Lin Guiren, his wife, and the Silver Leaf Imperial Household Manager.
Yu Gen looked at Yang Qing, almost as if asking, "Do I stop him?"
Yang Qing shook his head sideways, allowing the agitated cultivator to make a beeline for the Golden Bamboo Pavilion team.
"Duyi''er!"
That cultivator wasn''t the only one to react. Cai Hong, reacted the same way the moment that cultivator appeared in the courtroom and grew even more when that cultivator called out.
"Mother?!" the cultivator yelled as he cried into Cai Hong''s arms.
Who else could it be other than the young scion of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, son to one of the founders of the pavilion, Lin Duyi? Only his current look and demeanor were a stark contrast to what he was when he had that altercation with Yang Qing a few months ago.
He no longer had that ir of a noble prince he had back then. That charm and arrogance that made it seem like he could flip the heavens and the earth with one flip of his hand. Where he looked like he couldmand the wind and the rain with a single word. There was no shred of that person in him now.
He looked more like an animal that had just received the worst beating of its life and the only thing it managed to keep from that beating, was its life. He looked haggard, cloaked in extreme fear all around, he was fidgety, and his eyes were bloodshot, no doubt from the fear and anxiety coursing through his body.
When it came to appearance, while his robes still showed he was a person of considerable wealth with how they shimmered with a sense of brilliance and grandeur to them, a testament to the craftsmanship and materials used to create them, but because of how wretched Lin Duyi was, the brilliance of those robes only served to highlight how broken the young scion was. He looked more like a beggar donning imperial garb.
Also for some reason, even though it was impossible for cultivators, especially for one like Lin Duyi who was in the pce realm, it looked like Lin Duyi had lost a little bit of weight. His cheeks and eyes seemed a little bit sunken, along with his chest, which left Yang Qing puzzled.
A pce realm cultivator''s body was like a forged monarch-
grade artifact, there was absolutely no way for a cultivator of that realm to lose weight even when they were close to exhausting their lifespan. Even with just a few hours left, their bodies would still maintain the same sturdiness.
The only way for their bodies to change involuntarily was if they were nursing a grievous injury. But as far as Yang Qing knew, other than being imprisoned in a courtyard at the Yellow ins Branch, no harm befell him. He wasn''t tortured in the slightest and the courtyard he was sequestered in was of the same quality as Yang Qing''s courtyard minus the furnishings Yang Qing put up over the years after he moved in.
By all ounts, it was a decent courtyard. Yang Qing couldn''t help but find it puzzling why Lin Duyi looked so. The previous emperor and the branch manager of the Golden Bamboo Pavillion were all held under the same conditions, and they looked okay, unlike Lin Duyi who looked like he had been held in some dungeon in the deepest recess of the earth where there was no sun, no warmth, and all he had forpany were ferocious bloodthirsty creatures that looked to tear him apart.
"What did you do to my son?!" Cai Hong fiercely asked, killing intent shing in her eyes as her domain pressure was released from her body, and the target of it was Yang Qing.
Yang Qing felt like he was plunged into a cold abyss with the piercing chill of death quickly closing in on him. Just as he felt like he was about to be suffocated, the abyss was dispelled by a warm gentle light. With his regained rity, he saw where the light came from when he saw Lei Weiyuan wave his sleeves as his stern gaze fell on Cai Hong.
"I will advise you to remember where you are. This isn''t the Golden Bamboo Pavilion or the Silver Leaf Empire or any other ce that you can act as you please. Act out of ce again and I will personally ensure that you know this is the Order.." Lei Weiyuan said, his expression calm as always, but his tone made one feel like they were facing a silver sword that had the might to pierce through the heavens.
Even Yang Qing was taken aback by Lei Weiyuan''s presence. He always knew the old fiend was powerful, but because of the disparity in their cultivation realms, he could never tell by how much. Seeing him in action, even if he didn''t do much, Yang Qing felt like he had gotten a small glimpse of it.
Cai Hong''s expression quickly turned from fierce to solemn as she retracted her killing intent.
"Please forgive my wife for acting out of turn.."
Lin Guiren broke the silence and the heavy atmosphere as he cupped his fist and bowed slightly in apology.
"We will allow such a thing only once..." said Hou Dehui as his gaze fell on Lin Guiren, Cai Hong, and Liu Guan who just like Cai Hong couldn''t help but throw a solemn nce toward Lei Weiyuan.
Chapter 880 Struggles of the powerful
Chapter 880 Struggles of the powerful
??Apart from Deng Wei, every domain expert present was ate-stage domain expert, be it Cai Hong, Lin Guiren, him and the two domain experts from the Order in Hou Dehui and Lei Weiyuan. Their presence was restrained, and though Liu Guan as ate-stage domain expert could tell so and so were in thete stages of the domain realm, because of the restrained presence, he couldn''t urately gauge deeper into the strength levels.
Coming here, he was already appraised of Hou Dehui by Lin Guiren, who described the judge as terrifying. That appraisal was something Liu Guan took to heart as Lin Guiren even when pitted against the Silver Empire, was someone whose strength was capable of shaking theEmpire, barring their soul formation experts.
For someone of such strength calling another terrifying only served to highlight the scariness of Hou Dehui, which was why his all attention had been on Hou Dehui,pletely overlooking Lei Weiyuan, but now, as Lei Weiyuan, leaked a bit of his aura as he issued the warning, Liu Guan couldn''t overlook him anymore.
He was at the ninth stage of the domain realm, but he felt a credible threat to his life when he felt that aura leak out, and for it to threaten him so could only mean, the silver-haired man with the impassive expression was significantly stronger than him, if he could feel that way just from his aura. He could only imagine what it was like for Cai Hong, who was the target of it whilst also being slightly weaker than him, being at the eighth stage of the domain realm.
"Emperor, what did you throw me into? Even if one of the ancestors was the one standing here, I doubt it would influence much.
WhileI know well enough to not underestimate them, even my overestimation of them seems to have fallen way off the mark.
I am sorry, princess. I am afraid we have hit an iron wall here. I am afraid the Empire''s prestige is insufficient to eat at this table let alone negotiate on it.."thought Liu Guan as he smiled bitterly.
After Lei Weiyuan''s warning, some semnce of sanity and control which was marred with a hint of wariness returned to Cai Hong''s eyes. That threat helped her contain herself as she reigned in her murderous emotions while tightly embracing Lin Duyi like a mother hen would protect her chick. That embrace only got tighter as Lin Duyi''s sobs continued. From the moment he walked into the courtroom up to when he jumped into his mother''s embrace, not once did he look up.
His actions drew a lot of awkward looks all around the courtroom, which all seemed to say the same thing.
"He is a pce realm expert, isn''t he? How is he still being coddled, so openly at that?"
Even Lin Guiren, despite being the picture of calm was ill at ease in his heart at the disy and couldn''t help but sigh inwardly in defeat. He knew well enough to not intervene.
By the time he became daopanions with Cai Hong, they were both already in the domain realm, albeit in the early stages. But regardless of whether one was in the early stages or at thetter stages of the domain realm, just the fact that both he and his wife were in the domain realm meant due to their powerful cultivation bases, their ability to conceive was that much harder.
It was always difficult for powerful cultivators to conceive, and that difficulty grew the further up the realms one moved. A mortal could have seven or eight children by the time they were twenty-three, and that number could possibly even be higher if they had multiple wives and concubines, but for someone in the core formation realm, the circumstances were vastly different.
No matter whether they had multiple wives or partners, in five hundred years that core formation expert may end up having one or two children within that timeframe, and those numbers shrank the higher up the cultivation realm one moved.
That difficulty was hypothesized as the heavenly Dao''s way of creating a bnce because almost always, the offspring of powerful cultivators had natural aptitudes in cultivation. Most natural physiques were born from powerful cultivators despite those cultivators not having natural physiques themselves.
Just by virtue of their cultivation base, they can inadvertently affect the fortunes of their offspring. Thus to regte this advantage, the heavenly dao restrains the ability of these cultivators to conceive to the point that some may go their entire lives without a single child despite trying, and this wasn''t just applicable to human cultivators but to spirit beasts too. Powerful spirit beasts suffered the same difficulty.
Lin Guiren, being a domain expert at the time had surrenderedpletely to the possibility he may never have a child and that possibility grew stronger when year after year passed and they weren''t able to have one.
He was okay with that eventuality, but the same couldn''t be said for his partner, who was always hoping for a child. It took them almost 23,000 years before Lin Duyi was finally conceived.
With how long he took to get here, and the emotional weight it had been, especially on Cai Hong, when he was born, he became her entire world. She spoiled him rotten, acquiescing to his every demand, and for Lin Guiren, while he wasn''t as excessive as Cai Hong, he would be lying if he said he wasn''t affected greatly by having a son. It was to the point that the relief and joy his birth brought him freed his mind inducing an epiphany in the process that helped him improve his cultivation realm by a single stage, moving from the tenth stage to the eleventh stage of the domain realm.
Even if it was just a single step, the gap within that step was the same as a first-stage domain expert cultivating to the sixth stage of the domain realm. In theter stages, improving by a single step was just as difficult as scaling the heavens.
Chapter 881 Retirement doesn’t look good on you
Chapter 881 Retirement doesn''t look good on you
Ignoring Lin Duyi''s actions, the rest of the cultivators who walked in with him all moved to the center of the courtroom before Yu Ge directed them to stand in the direction they pleased, all except a few, whom he brought with him to where Lei Weiyua and Hou Duhei were.
The group that Yu Gen guided to the two domain experts wasprised of five individuals.
From the group, there was a slightly elderly woman who looked to be in her early fifties. She had graying white hair tied in a bun which gave her a motherly charm. She was a third-stage core formation expert and she was standing next to a young man who looked to be in histe thirties.
From the proximity she was standing next to the young man and the unconscious air of familiarity it evoked, it suggested the elderly woman and the young man had some rtion with each other. Though the faint resemnce in some of their facial features was a dead giveaway that they did.
The young man had a simple face. One couldn''t call him ugly, they would not call him handsome either. It was a face that would easily get lost within a crowd, but as uninspiring as his looks were, he did have a pair of high-spirited eyes that stood out. The eyes spoke of someone who would remain determined even if the skies were to fall. His eyes seemed to match perfectly with his cultivation base which was that of a quasi-pce stage expert.
Other than the two whom Yang Qing assumed were mother and son, right behind them were a pair of cultivators walking side by side whose eyes kept darting around the courtroom reflecting the nervousness within them.
The wariness they showed, and the way they scanned the room, almost as if looking for exits was done all too naturally. Such a habit, to be naturally ingrained as it was, could only be gained by those who were constantly exposed to dangerous situations at every turn. One of the pair was thin and tall, with a hawkish face, donning blue robes, and had a cultivation base that was at the peak stage of the core formation realm.
The cultivator next to him who mirrored his actions when it came to warily scanning the room for dangers and exits was also a peak stage core formation expert, wearing light green robes and was slightly shorter than the previous cultivator and his body wafted with a smell of pounced herbs.
Behind them was an elderly man, who looked to be in the twilight end of his years. He was hunched over, with silver-white hair and, a long beard that had reached the floor, and he looked emaciated. He had on silver robes with cloud embroidery at the sleeves. His cultivation base matched that of the spirited young man, which was at the quasi pce stage but unlike thetter, hiscked the firmness and robustness that the young man had.
Yang Qing could tell whatever fragility the old man showed, it wasn''t because of his age. With his natural sensitivity to the vitality and flow of life in living things, Yang Qing could roughly tell the elderly man''s age from the fluctuations his body and soul released.
The fluctuations showed he couldn''t be more than 2,000 years old despite looking to be at death''s door already. His current degenerated look wasn''t because he had exhausted his lifespan but rather from Yang Qing could tell, his soul had been damaged, and from what he could tell, it looked like a part of it had been forcibly ripped from it. That separation not only severely injured his soul but had impacted his foundations too, hence the weakness.
The elderly man was the only one in the group who didn''t seem slightly apprehensive at being in the courtroom, but rather he seemed to be sending vicious res, not masking his killing intent at all as his gaze fell on the branch manager of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion branch in Red Maple Empire. His sights alternated between the branch manager and Lin Duyi who was still hidden in his mother''s embrace.
That elderly man didn''t seem to care that he was openly showing hostility to Lin Duyi in front of his domain expert parents, and from the level of intensity showed in those hate-
filled eyes, if given the chance, it looked like it wouldn''t take much for him to consider risking it all and attacking the branch manager and Lin Duyi. Only a sliver of rationality seemed to keep him in ce.
Maybe because they were aware that the old man already had one foot in the grave, but neither Cai Hong nor Yao De, the pavilion''s branch manager showed any reaction to the open hostilities shown by the old man.
After the group of five arranged themselves next to Lei Weiyuan, all that remained was for the branch manager and the former emperor to decide which side they wanted to stand in.
For the branch manager, it went without saying, he went to the side where Lin Guiren was, but when it came to the former emperor of the Red Maple Empire, he looked conflicted but more than that from the moment he walked into the courtroom he showed a perplexed look when his eyes fell on the burly pce realm expert that was standing next to Deng Wei. He showed a look of disbelief, unable to tear his eyes away from him on the walk over.
"Gong Jie, is that you?" asked the former emperor, his expression and demeanor showing he bewildered he was.
"Retirement has not been good on you, Duan He.." answered the burly Gong Jie with a coldness to him.
Seemingly unable to believe it still, the former emperor ended up asking what it was that made him so confused in the first ce.
"When did you reach the pce realm? Last I heard you were stuck in the peak stage of the core formation and now...." Duan Hu paused as he narrowed his eyes, growing more baffled as his gaze fell onGong Jie.
"You''re already in the second stage.." he absentmindedly added.
"I got lucky, is all. It was all thanks to our founder.."
"Founder?!"
Duan Hu''s eyes widened as he saw Gong Jie''s eyes reverentially dart toward the young man he was standing next to.
"What founder?" Duan Hu muttered, fully confused by the whole thing.
Chapter 882 Sides chosen
Chapter 882 Sides chosen
Even though he felt the young man was mysterious and was likely much more powerful than him, Duan Hu threw caution to the end as he openly scrutinized the young man trying to identify his origins.
When Gong Jie mentioned he was the founder, he automatically assumed it was the founder tied to the Gong n, but as far as he knew their founder Gong Zhi had died when he ventured to the Bestial Churning Sea trying to procure some ingredients that could help him improve on his cksmithing skills.
But from what he read from the chronicles of the Red Maple Empire,?Gong Zhi died on that venture. When he analyzed the facial features of the man before him, he could not see any resemnce between him and Gong Zhi, or any of the other founding families.
Because of his gender, he had automatically ruled out the Gui family and his family, the Duan family.
Just as he had steeled himself to ask the young man his identity, he saw him speak as he addressed Gong Jie.
"Little Jie, it''s your turn to introduce yourself..." said the young man as he patted Gong Jie''s back gently pushing him forward.
"Sorry, founder.." Gong Jie said as he smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head trying to reduce the sense of embarrassment he felt.
Duan Hu grew only more confused as he saw Gong Jie''s reactions. He and Gong Jie were from the same generation, and while they were the farthest things from friends, he knew a bit about the man, especially his infamous temper. He was like a wild beast who when triggered would react ordingly.
He was notorious for always getting into arguments that quickly devolved into fights, and it didn''t matter who it was. A couple of times he ended up brawling with even their n patriarch. The n wasn''t exactly known for having mild-tempered individuals, but even within a n of irascible individuals, Gong Jie stood out.
Seeing him acting like an obedient child was something he would have never expected. It surprised him even more than his second stage pce realm cultivation.
His gaze narrowed in thought as it fell on the young man.
"Who is he?"
As he was lost in wonder, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Could it?!"
Duan Hu looked like he had just seen a ghost. Just as waves of shock were coursing through his body due to the guess he had,?he heard a gentle soothing voice sound in his mind. The voice of the young man.
"You''re Duan Hu, right? You have her eyes... You could go stand with them if you like, or you could join us.."
Duan Hu''s pupils trembled as he gazed at the young man, feeling a strange sense of tranquility well up within him as he looked at him. Complex emotions shed through his eyes, before finally, he moved, heading toward the young man and Gong Jie.
As he moved, some part of himpelled him to look behind him where Lin Duyi and the Golden Bamboo Pavilion team stood. He couldn''t help but shake his head when he saw their attention wasn''t on him, even his so-called sworn brother, Yao De, the branch manager, kept his gaze fixed on the podium.
...
"My name is Gong Jie, a member of the Gong family in the Red Maple Empire, and a traveling cksmith. I thank the court for amodating our presence here," said Gong Jie as he cupped his cupped his fists.
Yang Qing nodded in acknowledgment before his attention centered on the entire courtroom. Despite his earlier scuffle with Cai Hong when she wanted to murder him, his heart and emotions turned still.
Sitting on his chair, he could feel the presence of the courtroom coalesce on him, and his podium. Lin Guiren, Cai Hong, and the others had ceased to be domain experts in his eyes but were instead parties subject to the rules of the court he governed.
He may have not noticed it himself but he radiated a regal aura that resonated with the imposing atmosphere of the courtroom even Cai Hong''s eyes shed with an inscrutable glow as she sensed the sudden change in atmosphere within Yang Qing.
"My name isYang Qing, and I am an outer pce court judge of the Order.
The Order has been called upon today to mediate a few matters, and as per the cultivation charter guidelines, we have judged the matters brought before us to have met the threshold to warrant our intervention.
Both sides, the aggrieved and the used will be allowed to make their cases and after both sides are done, the terms of the agreement will be discussed with me serving as both the witness and officiator of the deal.
Once ratified, whatever terms are agreed upon will be enforced by us, the Order.
Is everything clear?"
Everyone present nodded.
"Good.." Yang Qing said as he sped his hands together.
"The first matter being handled is between the Wu family and the former emperor of the Red Maple Empire, Duan Hu.
Would both parties pleasee to the center please.."
Yang Qing made a weing gesture to both sides, as he waved his hands to his chest.
Duan Hu who wasn''t that far from the center, was the first to arrive in a few steps. Next was the Wu family, which turned out to be the elderly woman with the greyed hair tied in a bun, and the young man standing next to her with simple facial features and spirited eyes.
As they walked to the center, the young man''s eyes shed with the same venom as did the elderly man from before who was still throwing death res at Yao De and Lin Duyi.
When it came to the young man, the target of his resentment was none other than Duan Hu. His eyes flickered with a vicious coldness as his gaze fell on Duan Hu. It took Duan Hu a few seconds before he finally realized who both were.
Chapter 883 Smiles that hide stories within them
Chapter 883 Smiles that hide stories within them
Just as Yang Qing was about to continue, he paused as the doors of the courtroom opened once again and two individuals walked in. One of the two individuals was Xia Ting, and the other looked to be a seventeen-year-old in dark orange robes, and a face one could forget easily.
Drawing curious nces all around, the two walked over to Yang Qing''s podium, who promptly triggered istion arrays via his medallion. Yang Qing waved Yu Gen, Hou Dehui, and Lei Weiyuan over before he turned his seat with his back facing the center of the court and his front facing the wall behind his podium, where Xia Ting and the seventeen-year-old young man were standing.
Owing to the strength of the istion array, not even Lin Guiren or the other domain experts could tell what they were discussing. To anyone not in the soul adept realm and above, they could forget about breaking through those istion arrays and eavesdrop on the discussion, Yang Qing and the rest were having.
The interlude didn''t take long. About two minutes or less they were already done with Yang Qing dispelling the istion array not a moment after. The seventeen-year-old young man bowed to Yang Qing and the rest before leaving the courtroom.
Lei Weiyuan and the rest returned to their respective positions. As for the rest, most couldn''t hide the curiosity within their eyes as they wondered what all that was about.
Yang Qing settling properly on his podium, had his gaze fall on the young man with the simple look briefly, which drew a bewildered look from the man before Yang Qing''s gaze finally trailed toward Lin Guiren.
"Pavilion master Lin Guiren, there is something I hope to seek your assistance in which pertains to the matters we are about to discuss today..."
"Speak freely, Judge Yang Qing. If there is anything I can help, I would be more than willing to do so.."
"Good, thank you for your assistance in advance. What I wanted to ask is this, do you know the whereabouts of Shao Ren?"
On mentioning that name, two people showed drastic reactions to it. It was the Wu family. The young man gritted his teeth as an unbridled killing intent shed in his eyes, while the middle-aged woman standing next to him showed a pained look as tears started welling on the rim of her eyes.
With considerable effort and willpower the middle-aged woman, held back her tears as she extended her hand toward the young man. The young man on detecting the middle-aged woman''s touch, reacted like he had been startled awake. The volcano that was erupting within him was instantly quelled by the tender worried gaze of the middle-aged woman.
"It''s okay.." he whispered with a smile, which though stiff, did its job of assuring the middle-aged woman.
..
It only took a moment for Lin Guiren to recall who Shao Ren was.
Seeing no sense in probing why Yang Qing was asking about him or his history with the Wu family, Lin Guiren''s response was concise and direct.
"Shao Ren has been cultivating at our headquarters for the past seven years in preparation for his breakthrough to the pce realm.
While he hasn''t yetpleted his breakthrough, he is not that far from it.."
"How long do you think it will take him?" asked Yang Qing.
"Based on his speed and umtions to this point, it shouldn''t be more than three years, four at the most.."
"Thank you for your candor, pavilion master.."
Lin Guiren acknowledged it with a slight nod.
Yang Qing softly sighed as his gaze fell on the simple man.
"You''ve heard him. Because he is at a critical juncture, we can''t interrupt it, not without breaking one of the fundamental rules among cultivators.
Are you willing to wait until he is done?" gently asked Yang Qing.
The young man clenched his fists before he released as he exhaled gently in a bid to calm himself.
"Do you believe him?"
Even though he didn''t outrightly say it, everyone knew whom his skepticism was directed to.
"Someone of his stature wouldn''t bother lying about something like that.. Besides, what he says lines up with what we found. The person who just left more or less confirmed his general location and status.
It all lines up.."
A strange flicker of light shed in Lin Guiren''s eyes as he heard Yang Qing''s response, with his gaze inadvertently following the path leading to the exit doors of the courtroom.
"I am willing to wait. It is better that way even.." answered the youth.
"Okay then. When the timees, you both will be appraised.."
"Thank you.." said the young man with a heartfelt expression.
Yang Qing nodded as he said,
"Mmh.. Now if you don''t mind. It''s your turn to air your grievance.."
The simple-looking young man nodded as his gaze fell on his mother nodding assuringly toward her before it fell on Duan Hu, shing with anger briefly before it went back to normal.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, before finally opening his mouth to speak.
"My name is Wu Mingli, and this is my mother, Zao Shan.." he said as he politely pointed his palms toward the middle-aged woman who bowed her head toward Yang Qing, Hou Dehui, and Lei Weiyuan with a genial smile on her face.
Anyone could tell from her smile how worn she seemed, drawing sympathy from most. Even the hunched-over elderly man spared her a look of sympathy as she was smiling.
"Before my father died, we considered ourselves loyal citizens of the Red Maple Empire, but after his passing, I am truly ashamed ever having been associated with them.
But that''s not why I am here. I am here because of a man called Wu Fang, my father, and one of the few I ever truly admired and respected. There was no finer man than him, in my eyes, but s .... the world is never kind to people like him.." Wu Mingli said with a mncholic sigh.
Chapter 884 The man he was
Chapter 884 The man he was
"My father wasn''t exactly the most talented, but there were two ces that I found he excelled at. One of them was being steadfast and the other was his sense of responsibility. His steadfast heart made him unwavering in the person he was as he stood up for the things he held dear, one of which was his family, and the other was the Empire.
He loved both more than his life..." Wu Mingli paused as he sighed lightly as his gaze drifting elsewhere.
"I wish he had a bit of selfishness in him, if he was, maybe his fate could have been avoided.." he muttered absentmindedly before some rity resumed in his eyes.
"He was born in one of the viges in the frontiers of the Red Maple Empire. Some long remote vige that was far removed from people and was neighbored by mountains, hills, and rivers.
His parents were farmers and had things remained the same, he would have likely followed the same path. He was not a man with that much ambition. As long as he could care for the things that mattered to him, he was more than content. For the him back then that was showing filial pity to his parents and caring for them when they got old,?getting a wife, having children, and training his children to be dependable people.
To him such a life would have been more than enough, and now that I think about it, eventer in life what he wanted out of life didn''t change by much. It was only the scale that changed, moving from a vige to an empire, and the reason for that change was what happened to him when he was sixteen years old..." Wu Mingli paused when he felt his voice trembling.
"A certain morning when he was sixteen, just like always, he went to the mountain that bordered the vige to harvest some herbs and do some fishing in one of the creeks.
It was a routine that he had maintained almost every day since he was four, and that morning he had assumed it would be just another doing the same thing he had done over a thousand times.
Only he had no idea that the creek he always fished silver perch at, harvested crab gillyweed from, actually harbored a dangerous spirit beast in the core formation realm. The spirit beast in question was a riverstone serpent..." Wu Mingli said as he smiled when he recalled his father''s expression as he narrated the story, especially when it came to that riverstone serpent.
At the time his understanding of the spirit beast was rudimentary. Their vige was at the fringes of the border in some forgotten territory. Their lives were far removed from the rest of the Red Maple Empire, as such they didn''t know much be it when it came to cultivation or matters rted to it such as knowledge of spirit beasts.
Their knowledge was restricted to the local flora and fauna that neighbored the vige, more specifically the ones they interacted with on their day-to-day. He didn''t know what a riverstone serpent was, or how terrifying it was.
Only when he moved and was exposed to cultivation-rted topics did he realize how lucky he had been. That knowledge and the experience he had with the serpent left him with an inadvertent fear of all snakes be it those without cultivation or those that had it. He feared them all with equal measure, a fact that Wu Mingli exploited when he was young and felt himself bold enough to y a prank on his father with a green snake he had caught in their courtyard.
The prank was sessful as he petrified his father and had a greatugh from it, but his joy was short-lived. He shivered slightly as his gaze fell on his mother. Immediately after the prank, his mother gave him the worst beating of his life which left him wondering if they were truly rted.
Immediately after the beating she went and bought about five hundred red-scaled spiders, dug a 400-meter pit in their courtyard, and threw him and the spiders in there for a few hours. His father feared snakes, and he feared spiders, specifically the red-scale spiders having been chased by a hoard when they caught him torturing one of their kinsmen.
It was one of the scariest experiences of his life, luckily his father saved him from the torture immediately after he regained his senses from the prank Wu Mingli had pulled on him with the green snake.
Pulling his thoughts back, Wu Mingli continued with the tale.
"Beneath the bedrock of the creek he usually fished aty a core formation riverstone serpent that had been in hibernation for quite a long time, and if I was to guess it must have been lying there in that state for a few thousand years at least.
The vige has been there for almost 3,000 years and in that time not once has there ever been any recording that mentioned any sighting or encounter of the riverstone serpent.
The serpent was likely inactive during that whole time, otherwise, if it had been active, I doubt the vige would have remained active to date..."
Wu Mingli''s conjecture wasn''t unfounded. A riverstone serpent while not the most ferocious of spirit beasts was still not your garden-variety spirit beast. It was skilled with both water and earth elements, and they were infamous for causing mudslides that would suffocate its victims before it devoured them.
One that was at the core formation realm had the capability of drawing an entire town, maybe even half a city if it was sufficiently motivated. They had the ability to cause widespread destruction and because of their affinity with the water and earth elements, they had terrifying vitality and defenses, one of which involved perfect camouge in areas that were filled with either water or earth-based spiritual qi.
The incapacitated state of that riverstone serpent was likely the only reason that vige remained standing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the vige''s luck. Countless cases of viges being attacked and devoured to thest man were reported to the Order every single day. There were even some that he couldn''t believe what he was reading, such as one vige where the vigers were raised like chives by a crimson cloak ape.
The ape raised those vigers like a farmer raised his livestock. It would feed the vigers spiritual fruits and other nts to help improve their strength and health, in a bid to ensure their birth rates would swell and the quality of their bodies would be high. It would then harvest seven of them per year.
That vige had been living in that hell for almost 6,000 years up until one of the inquisitors of the Order stumbled onto the vige while on a mission and eradicated the ape. But by then the ape had consumed tens of thousands of vigers. Those vigers from the moment they were born, were raised as cattle primed for ughter.
The fate of Wu Fang''s vige was far kinder than what other viges faced when they neighbored a spirit beast and they were the weaker party. Wasn''t the Deer Mountain Kingdom facing the same issues despite their numbers and the powerful cultivators within their ranks? In some aspects they were no different than those viges whose fates were not in their hands but on the whims of the spirit beasts.
Chapter 885 My sword
Chapter 885 My sword
Pushing his wandering thoughts aside, Wu Mingli continued.
"The riverstone serpent likely heavily injured had been in a stasis-like hibernation for thousands of years and who knows it may have remained in that state for quite some time if it wasn''t for my father.
When he was fishing, he identally got injured by a catfish that was in the creek. His tussle with it ended up with him suffering a slight injury that left him bleeding into the creek.
His blood was what pulled that beast out of hibernation.
While the vige was secluded from the rest of the empire and didn''t have a widely spread knowledge on matters rted to cultivation they still knew enough to the point that the vige had quite the number of qi refinement cultivators.
During my father''s time, they had at least twenty of them with my father counting amongst their number, and being the youngest one at that.
Without some form of cultivation, it would have been next to impossible for the vige to establish itself. It was bordered by hills, mountains, and forests all around.
For the vige to sustain itself in such an environment where they had no ess to towns or ces packed with humans where they could trade or get things they required, they had no option but to depend on themselves and make provisions from what surrounded them and that required some form of strength.
Be it scaling those steep mountains for spiritual herbs and the creeks that flowed through them filled with fish or venturing into the forest and hills that were filled with other bounties important for their sustenance.
All these ventured activities were fraught with dangers and difficulties that required some form of strength, especially the forest and hills which were filled with wild animals and a few spirit beasts whose strength had reached the qi refinement realm.."
Wu Mingli paused when he realized he was about to go off tangent.
"Master''s habits and the other seniors seem to have rubbed off on me.." he thought wryly.
"My father at the time was in the early stages of the qi refinement realm, but because of his young age,.. He was neen at the time. The vigor of his youth, coupled with the vitality of a qi refinement cultivator, even if he only used low-grade cultivation arts to reach it, those two factors working concertedly together ensured his blood was no different than a tantalizing, aromatic dish that had been ced right smack in the face of someone who has been starving for days.
Though in this case, the person in question was a riverstone serpent that had been starved for thousands of years.
My father''s blood dripping down to where it slumbered, awakened it, and its desire to live, and an unsatiable hunger.
Drawing onto whatever reserves it had, it burst out of that bedrock, startling my clueless father in the process who couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw the beast.
I am not sure what its size was, but going by standard sizes of riverstone serpents that were in the core formation, I guess in terms of length it should have been about a kilometer while in terms of girth, probably about the size of a normal cow.
I don''t know, maybe because he was petrified,?but my father''s description of the one he came across went away from the norm..." Wu Mingli said as heughed dryly.
He felt so betrayed when he got to see what a true riverstone serpent looked like and the description his father had given him of the beast.
"From the way he described it, he said it was asrge as an ocean, with nostrils that served as gateways to the abyss, an aura that made the heavens cry, and vertical pupils that looked to have beenposed entirely of a river of blood.
It''s evident how terrified he was of the thing. Its presence and appearance left him utterly petrified and too scared to think of anything.
Without thinking he threw the stone he had at the serpent and immediately fled without bothering to check whether the stone connected or not, or even if it did any damage to it.
That point as he was running away, was what shaped my father into who he becameter in life.." Wu Mingli said as his expression turned slightly solemn and mncholic
"He may have not had an idea on what kind of spirit beast the riverstone serpent was, or its abilities, or anything of that sort, but having been exposed to its aura, and being a cultivator,?he immediately knew how potentially dangerous such a spirit beast was just based off the presence of its body.
From the moment heid eyes on it he instinctively knew that even if the entire vige was marshalled together against the beast, there was nothing they could do against it. Their attempt would be no different than an egg trying to smash itself against a mountain.
They would all die without so much as putting a scratch on it. But despite knowing all that, when he was running away, the direction he was running to was the vige.
He told me this,?as he was running even in his muddled terrified state he still had a bit of rity in him that was enough for him to imagine what would happen to their vige if that serpent followed him back there.
But even knowing this, knowing that his entire vige could be massacred to thest person and devoured after, by the serpent, and him running to the vige would be a guarantee to that fate, his feet didn''t stop moving.
Not once did he divert his route and maybe lead the serpent in a direction that was far from the vige. He went straight for it at the highest speed possible.
He told me this..."
Wu Mingli paused as his gaze was transported to that memory. It was five-year-old him seated outside, the clear sky filled with the twinkling thousands of stars apanied by the gentle glow of a full moon, and below that vast mor above them, was him, his father, and his mother, and a crackling fire at the center of them.
He could see the outline of that me being reflected in his father''s eyes as he spoke, and him listening attentively with his head buried between his knees.
"Mingli, what do you think about heroes?"
"They are cool.." answered the young Mingli, his eyes shining with the same radiance as the stars above as he did.
"Would you like to be one?"
"What do you mean be one? I already am one. Earlier I saved Shen Jue from Aunty Ma''s yellow dog when it chased after him when it saw him pee on Aunty Ma''s hedges..
He almost got bitten by it if it wasn''t for me acting swiftly and carrying him up the tree next to him.
Mmph, serves him right for bragging that even his pee was powerful enough to leave animals scared to death.." said Wu Mingli, as he puffed out his chest.
"Ahem, that was heroic of you.." Wu Fang awkwardly said,unsure of how to react to that, before his gaze turned solemn again.
"What about a hero who doesn''t just save a boy from being punished by a dog for hisarrogance, but a hero who saves hundreds, from people you know like me, your mom, to your friends, down to strangers, have you ever wanted to be such a hero?"
"I do," Wu Mingli said as he clenched his fists with a zing passion lit up within him.
"I did too.." his father said with a mncholic sigh as he took a sip from his wine leather bag.
"When you''re young before the world has its ws in you,you always believe yourself to have the makings of a hero. When we are young we are all heroes in our tales. We y all these scenarios in our minds all day that always end up with us showing off our heroism.
I wasn''t any different either...
What would happen if a bandit attacked the vige? For a child with the grandeur of heroismthe answer is simple, I would defeat the bandit..
What if the bandit isn''t alone and their numbers are more than the vige can handle? The answer for that, again simple, I would fight them off with my sword, not shrinking one bit. May valiance will be more than enough to scare them and if it isn''t, I will willingly stake my life to protect everyone in the vige.
That was how I imagined things when I was small. Fired up at every turn, hoping that the world would provide me with the chance to be a hero.
A chance that my imagination would be tranted into reality. Where I can show off to my parents and the rest of the vigers how amazing I am. To be the hero who I have always thought myself to be.
The opportunity finally came for me, and I failed spectacrly at it. We may be heroes in our own stories, but remember this, the world can make viins of us all.
The world is not such a kind ce that it will just let you be what you imagine yourself to be. It will test you in the cruelest of ways and if you''recking even slightly, you will soone to discover that the line between viin and hero is a very thin one.
As someone who crossed that line, what I can tell you is this, we all have a viin inside of us, son. For me, the greatest heroes are those who can confront the viins within them when the moment calls for it.
You don''t have to save tens, hundreds, or thousands, you just have to save the one.." Wu Fang said as he leaned forward and gently poked Wu Mingli''s heart.
"And how do you do that, the answer I found is keeping it simple and finding one thing you hold as dear as your life and using it as the sword to contain that viinous spirit.
For me, the sword I found was your mother... and you..
Find your sword, Mingli. The right sword that can help you keep the viins in your heart at bay, then maybe just maybe you can then point it to the world outside of it..
Never forget, don''t underestimate the world, it can draw out the viin in us, and it is really good at it, too, and just like Aunt Ma''s dog, it might attack you at unexpected moments. Keep your sword up at all times, hero..."
Chapter 886 Change in trajectories
Chapter 886 Change in trajectories
Wu Mingli sighed as rity resumed in his eyes. Back then he didn''t understand what his father meant or why he seemed sorrowful, frustrated, and relieved at the same time as he said those words.
His father''s words were iprehensible to him back then, but after experiencing the harshness of the world only then did those words reveal the wisdom thaty within.
Even though he long discarded any desire to be a hero, those words still served and guided him to who he is today, especially when it came to tempering the heart and the will. Those words were what helped him reach heights he never thought possible, and now he was just a stone''s throw away from the pce realm because of it.
"Don''t worry father, I will make sure to wield my sword for you, just like you did for me.." Wu Mingli thought with staunch conviction.
With an austere and somber look to him, Wu Mingli continued.
"All this while as my father was running away from the riverstone serpent, all he could imagine was how it would tear through the entire vige.
No matter how much he screamed at his legs to stop, they would not listen to him. With every ground he gained, the more fearful he became of what fate awaited him.
Whichever way it went, he knew his end would not be a good one.
Because of its highly weakened state, my father was able to cover half the distance it took to get back to the vige from the creek in the mountains.
If it wasn''t for its apparent weakness, even without doing anything, its aura alone would have been capable of suppressing and incapacitating my qi refinement stage father. With the enormous disparity in their strength, he would not have been able to move let alone make enough ground from it as he did.
As he was making ground, inching ever so closer to the vige, my father''s prayers shifted from getting away from the serpent to hoping it devoured him before he made it back to the vige, sparing him the fate of bing the greatest sinner of all, for leading that thing there.
By luck, his prayers were answered, twice at that. The first one was when the serpent finally moved, and when it did, it was like an avnche had struck the mountain, and the second was when a blue lightning streak that looked like it had descended from the heavens struck that mountain with an even fiercer momentum than the riverstone serpent had when it moved.
A thunderous explosion hit the mountain which caused my father to tumble, roll over, and fall, and as he did he managed to catch sight of the fearsome destructive power of that lightning. Half the mountain got shattered by that lightning and the area where that behemoth of terror had be a massive webbed crater and a beast that was charred beyond recognition to the point it looked no different than arge pumice rock. The only thing that made one not think it was not a rock was the river of blood that poured out of it.
My father was spared the fate he greatly feared by some wandering cultivator who had been secluding himself in one of the hills that neighbored that mountain and was alerted to the serpent when it made an appearance.
Maybe out of pity for the state my father had been in, that cultivator dug out the riverstone serpent''s wisdom pearl and handed it to my father, along with a few words of encouragement.
The words were lost on him. Because of shock, all his senses did not function as they were meant to. His hearing was bad, his vision was blurry, and for a few minutes there he had even forgotten who he was and where he was, and when he finally came to, the wandering cultivator was nowhere in sight.
All he had as proof that everything that happened wasn''t some nightmare or illusion was the half-destroyed mountain, and the wisdom pearl in his hands.
As for his benefactor, eventer after he had calmed down, no matter how much he tried to recall their face or even their voice, his memory of them was always blurry.
Though, regardless of his blurry memory, those events became an indelible part of him and shaped the person he becameter.
After the events, he left the vige, maybe out of guilt for what he almost damned the vige too. Even though that reality never happened, I don''t think he ever forgot it or forgave himself for it.
Maybe because of how intense that guilt was, my father, someone who had intended and was more than content to spend the rest of his life in that vige, left at the tender age of neen and went to start over somewhere else, already having an idea of what he wanted to do.
Shaped by that experience, specifically the wandering cultivator who intervened and saved his life in more ways than one, my father had in him to do something close to it. This path led him to be a garrison guard of the Red Maple Empire.
A post where he could protect others just like he was protected.."
Wu Mingli paused as he smiled sorrowfully.
"Because of how impassioned he was at his duty, eventually he rose through the ranks and was promoted from a garrison guard watching over one of the frontier towns, to a city guard protecting one of the cities that fell under the jurisdiction of the royal family.
I wasn''t born then, but I can imagine how proud he must have been to be given the post, even as just a footman..." Wu Mingli said with a smile that was mirrored by his mother, who softly muttered,
"He bragged for a whole year.."
"Throughout his life, he never rose past being a footman. Even though he was assiduous in his duties and well-liked by his superiors and the citizens of the city he watched over, he could never make it past bing a footman because of his strength.
Because of howcking his vige had been in matters rted to cultivation, even if they had qi refinement cultivators and some low-grade cultivation arts to help one reach a breakthrough to the qi refinement realm, their means, and methods were not the best, they could not be considered average, and it left all of them with ring ws in their foundations notwithstanding my father.
Those ws severely hindered my father''s cultivation path, so no matter how much effort he put in, he could never touch the core formation realm.
He reached the seventh stage of the foundation establishment realm at his peak. With such strength, he could only ever be a footman, but even then, he was still one of the best city guards in Spring Plum City.."
Chapter 887 Green Dragon General Store
Chapter 887 Green Dragon General Store
??Wu Mingli subtly clenched and unclenched his fists as his gaze fell on Duan Hu briefly before it went back to Yang Qing.
"Because of how fulfilled he looked when doing it, and how chivalrous he made the posting seem to be, I too at some point in life had entertained the thought of following in the same path and bing a guardsman.
Our home was a constant hub of smiles of gratitude from our neighbors and those who my father had helped in one way or another both when he was on duty or off duty. Something I took great pride in at the time.." Wu Mingli paused as he smiled bitterly whilst shaking his head at his naivety from back then.
When trouble struck them back then, he desperately tried to go to those neighbors and those who owed his father a debt of gratitude, in the hopes that they would help the man they owed that debt to, but the moment trouble hit, their home turned from the king''s pce into a beggar''s cesspit that everyone did all they could to avoid.
All the empty promises they had made back then to his father turned into nothing more than smoke in the air when they were called on it.
His mother had warned him of that possibility, but the young him thought they were true friends, truepanions who would remember what their father had done for them and do so in kind when he needed them.
They didn''t and the young Wu Mingli back then, got heartbroken, bitter, resentful, and hated them for it,but the him right now, after maturing a bit, he could understand and almost empathize with the choice those people made back then.
What he was asking of them back then was no different than him asking them to throw themselves in front of a monstrous consuming fire that had the potential of dragging not only them but also everyone they were associated with.
It had been selfish of him to ask and to expect them to answer, which was something that took quite some time for him to understand and admit to himself.
Even if he understood and epted their actions back then, if something were to happen to them and they came to him for help, he would not help them. It would not matter whether whatever they needed help with was something difficult to achieve or something that he could do easily with a flip of a hand, he would reject them all the same.
People who only ate with you when the table was full and deserted you when it was empty were not apany he wished to keep or associate with.
He admired his father''s sense of selfless responsibility, but no matter how much he admired him, he did not want to be like him when it came to being selfless. His assistance and sentiment were restricted to those who mattered to him. Those were the ones he would raise his sword for, but to strangers, he would be no more different than a spectator in their affairs.
Pulling his thoughts back, Wu Mingli continued.
"It was in themission of his duties as city guardsman of Spring Plum City that another tragedy struck him.
During one of his patrols, he came across an altercation between a store clerk and the teenage son of one of our neighbors.
The store clerk in question was the store clerk of one of the most famous and powerful shops in the city, the Green Dragon General Store.."as he mentioned the store, killing intent shed in his eyes before he quickly contained it.
"The general store in question was famous for dealing in all kinds of wares bothmon or rare. It was hard for someone to miss anything if one went to look be it potions, pills, talismans, formation temtes, cultivation arts, weapons, everyday artifacts, appraisalmissions.
It was a one-stop shop for whatever you needed which was what made it so frequented and famous both within and outside the city. Well, that was one of the reasons, with the other and more significant reason for its sess being its identity as a subsidiary of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
Its background and prestige left it revered and feared throughout the city, even by the City Lord himself and the noble families settled within the city.
Just like other prominent cities around the Red Maple Empire, the Spring Plum City did not have any shortage of subsidiaries of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, but even among them, the Green Dragon General Store was considered head and shoulders above the rest. Their repute was to the extent they were respected and feared even more than the City Lord or the noble families settled within the city.
With such a reputation hanging above them, you can only imagine what those associated with the store were like. They saw themselves no different than princes, and all within the city as their subjects.
It was to the point that even a mere store clerk could act with impunity without fear of any retaliation whatsoever, which was what should have happened that fateful day had my father not intervened.
One of the store clerks of that store by the name of Ding Xiaoli ended up in a dispute with the son of one of our neighbors by the name of Li Fei.
Li Fei had been looking for a miasma-purifying butterfly hibiscus to help cure his mother from the miasma poisoning she had gotten on the job working on amission for the Green Dragon General Store.
Their family wasn''t well off to the point that they could afford a sky-grade herb like the miasma-purifying butterfly hibiscus. The Green Dragon General Store had refused to cater for the medication under the guises that Li Fei''s mother wasn''t a direct employee of the store, along with other excuses the store used to welch out of taking ountability for her state.
Desperate, Li Fei''s father and three of his brothers decided to try their luck at delving into forests and searching out ruins in the hopes they could find the solution to their predicament in those ces leaving Li Fei and his two sisters to care for their mother in the meantime."
Wu Mingli silently charted his meditation mantra to quel the boiling emotions within him.
Chapter 888 Saved life, ruined life, ended life
Chapter 888 Saved life, ruined life, ended life
Months passing by without hearing from his father drove the young Li Fei desperate, and it only got worse when his mother''s state got worse.
Out of desperation he sold everything of value in their home and borrowed, my father was one of those who gave what he could to the venture despite knowing it was a fruitless task, and when Li Fei, couldn''t borrow or sell anymore, he took what he had scrounged up to the?Green Dragon General Store, in the hopes that on ount of his mother''s history and long time service with the store, they could work out a deal or even a structured payment n.
Things didn''t work out as Li Fei expected and he was ruthlessly kicked out by the store clerk Ding Xiaoli. Maybe out of fury at being rejected and the pent-up frustration finally blowing up, Li Fei lunged at Ding Xiaoli to attack him.
Ding Xiaoli was ate-stage foundation establishment cultivator while Li Fei was just a peak-stage qi refinement cultivator. You can imagine how things yed out for Li Fei after he attempted an attack on him.
Li Fei was beaten within an inch of his life. His legs were crippled so he wouldn''t escape, and his cultivation was too, and then Ding Xiaoli slowly tortured him in public so others could see. Shaking the mountain to scare off the tiger, they always like to say.." Wu Mingli said with a sardonic smile.
"Everyone who was there silently stood by as they witnessed the whole thing happen. Not one person said or did anything as Li Fei cried out till his voice turned hoarse.
I was one of those people.." Wu Mingli said with heaviness in his tone.
Li Fei''s screams had haunted him for quite some time after the fact, and now as he narrated the whole ordeal, he felt like he had been transported to that very scene.
A cobblestone pathway, an intersection filled with many buildings and people, and at the center of that intersection, a grand pavilion with a statue of a green dragon coiling around the flying eaves of the roof of that pavilion.
In front of that pavilion was a twenty-year-old youth, whose knees were facing different directions crying, bleeding, eyes widened in fear and desperation, and standing above him was a well-dressed demon in garbed with a handsome human skin, a kind smile, and dressed in brocade robes.
If it wasn''t for the blood on the sleeves of his robes and hands, and the ruthlessness with which he tore at the twenty-year-old youth, one would have mistaken that fiend for a saint.
Standing witness to that horror were countless people all wearing the same look from the elderly, to the men, to the women and the children, they all had that look of dread, the same look that the twenty-year-old youth being tortured to death had.
An intersection that usually bustled with activity was silent with an oppressive air of fear. Even with the sun high up, there was a suffocating darkness growing within that intersection.
Wu Mingli looked to his right, and there was someone there. A middle-aged man wearing a red-brown robe, a matching coat that had an embroidered image of a red maple tree, and a thin one-meter-long saber at his waist.
"My father was there too.." Wu Mingli softly said with his gaze still on the middle-aged man standing to his right who bore facial features that resembled him.
Yes, his father was there, and just like the others, he too had that same horrified and paralyzed look on his face as he watched what was happening at the intersection.
Wu Mingli, like a son who adored his father, liked to join his father as he did his patrols around the city, and that day wasn''t any different. It was how they both ended up there that day, and it was also the first time Wu Mingli had ever seen his father make such a face. It was a look of desperation and fear.
For as long as he knew the man, no matter the situation he was in, he always had a steady and calm presence around him that reassured those around him. It was what made him such a great guard and why many people felt safe to ask him for his assistance, but that day he saw him afraid and most of all looking irresolute. He was shaky.
"What tremendous turmoil you must have been in, back then.." thought Wu Mingli as he cast a sympathetic look at the specter of his father before he turned his gaze to where his father was looking, with his bloodshot eyes.
At that moment as he switched his view, Li Fei who was having his left hand broken turned at just that moment and looked at them and weakly mumbled something, which at the time, Wu Mingli had been too terrified to make out, let alone notice it.
But when he grew bold enough to confront that memory and with his growing cultivation base, he finally noticed those words, and with it some sort of answer on why his father did what he did.
"H...E...L...PM....E....,"
"Li Fei weakly mumbled for help amid all that pain and before I could register it, my father acted. That time I didn''t understand why. There was a reason why no one chose to step out.
There were hundreds of core formation experts out there, but none of them stepped forward;
There were noble families there, with some evening from the founding families, but none of them came forward either.
Why was that?
My father wasn''t the only guard there that day, others were present there, some his superiors, but none of them even so much as uttered a single word of defense for Li Fei.
Why did everyone present remain unmoved?
It is simple, we were all afraid, not of the horror happening before us, but of the person and the massive overarching pavilion behind him.
If it had been a different store clerk maybe someone could have said something at most, but Ding Xiaoli was different, he was Shao Ren''s nephew, which in no simple terms meant he was pavilion royalty where the Green Dragon General Store was concerned.
Acting against him was no different than acting against Shao Ren, the store owner. It was why everyone was afraid, my father included.
He knew what fate awaited those who dared act out of a ce where Xiaoli was concerned. It was why he had that look on him back then. The look of someone who had the desperation of death on them, but he acted anyway.
I don''t whether it was because Li Fei reminded him of how he was in a simr circumstance back then and the wandering cultivator stepped in, or the guilt of what could have happened back then spurring him on, or because I was there, and he didn''t want his son to see him differently.
Whatever the reason was, it was strong enough topel my father to act against the better judgment of all who were present and intervene on Li Fei''s behalf.
Even though he knew it wouldn''t work, my father tried a soft approach. He tried to appeal to Ding Xiaoli''s humanity to spare Li Fei.
An ambitious but foolhardy approach. If Ding Xiaoli had any humanity in him, he would not have done what he did to Li Fei, and he would not have done with such a gleeful look to him.
We all knew fiend cultivators could be considered saintly monks ifpared to him. He was the incarnate of vileness clothed in human skin.
He was infamous around the city and with good reason. He only looked alive when he was tormenting someone. And if there was one thing he cared about in his life more than tormenting people, was his face, and my father''s act of intervention had robbed him of both.
And for that, he retaliated in the only way he knew how to, through unbridled violence. I don''t know whether it was because of how tense the whole situation was and its effect on him,but my father retaliated in kind, with an unhinged savageness to him.
One side was a pampered young man who things always went his way without struggle even from those whose lives he took, and the other was a middle-aged man who had to fight several times over for every single thing he ever got in his life.
Even though his path to the higher realms had been cut short due to his wed foundations in the early stages, he shored up and perfected all he could within his realm. That fight ended as soon as it started with my father ferociously punching Ding Xiaoli in the gut, crippling his cultivation and knocking him out, all in one swift motion.
No one saw iting, and no one believed it even as Ding Xiaoli barreled like a broken kite toward the pir of the pavilion and slumped over.
A millisecond was all it took. In just a millisecond a life was saved, a life was ruined, a life was ended.."
Chapter 889 No different than slapping the emperor’s face
Chapter 889 No different than pping the emperor''s face
"Ding Xiaoli getting crippled took everyone by surprise, my father included.?With what he had done, most of us expected an immediate reaction from the store, after all, the wholemotion had happened just outside their door and the pir Ding Xiaoli crashed through was theirs.
But no one came out.
At the time I couldn''t understand why, and just naively assumed the reason they didn''t react was that even they knew Ding Xiaoli''s actions were unpardonable.
I thought they too had grown some conscience from the wholemotion. Xiaoli always behaved like a fiend, but never to the extent of what he did that day.
It was wishful thinking on my part that maybe the store had tacitly approved of my father''s actions hence theck of reaction on their part.
Because a few secondster, one of the shop clerks of the store came out and picked up Ding Xiaoli''s unconscious and crippled body and went back to the store.
Not once did he interact with my father, he didn''t even spare a nce his way.
I remember feeling relieved when I saw that clerk walk back into the store..." Wu Mingli said with a bitter smile.
"I thought my father had got away with it, that the world was finally ready to ept just acts. How wrong I was.." Wu Mingli said as he shook his head.
"Back then I didn''t know, but a few, especially the city guards and those well-informed, they knew why the store didn''t react and it wasn''t because they had grown a conscience as I had assumed.."
Wu Mingli''s eyesced with coldness and contempt fell on Duan Hu.
With his eyes still on the former emperor, Wu Mingli said,
"The reason the store didn''t react was because of the title my father wore. Even though he was just ate-stage foundation establishment cultivator, at the end of the day regardless of his cultivation base, he was still a city guard, and city guards by default regardless of their attainments and rank fell under the emperor''s jurisdiction.
Openly?acting against a city guard was no different than pping the emperor''s face.."
Wu Mingli didn''t bother to hide the contempt in his tone as he said thest sentence.
"If my father had been just another bystander and not a city guard, they would no doubt have acted against him then and there, but because he was a city guard, the store had to be tactful in how they reacted.
They couldn''t act against my father in the same manner Ding Xiaoli did to Li Fei. To act against him, certain ''conditions'' had to be met.
Considering how domineering the store and the subsidiaries had been acting to the point that they could openly torture a citizen of the empire without fear of reprisal, fulfilling those conditions was something simple for them.
After all, the person in charge of those conditions was the same person who allowed them to act as they wished, isn''t that right, Emperor Duan Hu.." Wu Mingli coldly said.
The former emperor''s response to the question was an impassive sigh and silence. His actions drew a scoff from Wu Mingli.
"With such an attitude, I am genuinely amazed as to how you reached the pce realm.." Wu Mingli said before turning his attention back to Yang Qing. He would have plenty of time to deal with the emperor.
"With the store noting after him, my father quickly carried Li Fei, bringing him back to our home. There was a heavy expression on him, which at the timeI assumed was because he was worried about Li Fei who didn''t seem to be doing too well.
My father quickly tended to his injuries. While he couldn''t do anything about his crippled cultivation, dealing with his broken legs and dismembered arm was easy enough.
After he was done, I saw him handing Li Fei something and a few words as he escorted him back to his home. That was thest time I ever saw Li Fei or his family, because the next day, their house was empty save for the household items, but for the people who inhabited it, none of them were there.
Neither Li Fei, nor his sisters, nor their sick mother was there. And it wasn''t just them, because his aunts and cousins did too. Come the next day not one of them could be seen. I can only hope that the reason for their disappearance was them running away, and the words my father left Li Fei with was telling him to run.."
Wu Mingli genuinely hoped that they run because if they did, then that meant his father''s actions back then were not in vain.
"Though it''s been 238 years since that incident, I doubt Li Fei is alive, but for his sisters, and the rest, I hope they had a better turn in their fates.."
Though Wu Mingli thought that, he couldn''t fully believe in it. Has the world really ever been that fair?
When it came to Li Fei''s family, his father was the one with the highest cultivation. Li Fie''s father just like his father, was also ate-stage foundation establishment cultivator, with Li Fei''s father being slightly higher at the tenth stage while his father''s was at the eighth.
Having experienced the ruthlessness of the cultivation world over the past few hundred years,he knew a foundation establishment cultivator was just a stronger ant. They''d struggle to survive in that world just as much as a qi and or body refinement cultivator. A foundation establishment cultivator was just a little sturdier that was all.
The strongest person in Li Fei''s family was his father, but his foundation establishment cultivation was insufficient to guarantee his family''s life, if it was, would his wife have been denied treatment by the Greem General Dragon Store?
If he had been at the core formation realm, while the store would have not feared him, they would have afforded him the basic courtesy afforded to someone of that station.
A core formation cultivator could be considered a precious resource even within a high-ranking organization like the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, let alone one of their subsidiaries. The Green Dragon General Store would not have wanted to fall out with one easily just because of a mere sky-grade herb.
Were Li Fei''s father a core formation expert, they would have likely reached an easypromise, but he wasn''t and because of it, things devolved as they did, to the point he was forced to risk his life along with his brother''s to search for alternative means elsewhere.
If their father''s strength could be considered trivial, what about Li Fei''s? Or his sisters''?
Chapter 890 A gentle frailty that hides indomitability
Chapter 890 A gentle frailty that hides indomitability
??Technically they did have another foundation establishment cultivator within their ranks, their mother. She had been at the fourth stage, but the poisoning incapacitated her. She was no different than a newborn child with how weak she was.
This only left Li Fei as the person with the highest cultivation base in that household, as an eighth stage qi refinement cultivator. But with him crippled, he was essentially just another mortal, which now left the burden to his sisters who were both younger and weaker than him with the most powerful of the two, aged twelve, being a silver body refinement cultivator.
If the circumstances were normal, they could have maybe depended on their two aunts who had moderately higher strength. One of them was a first-stage foundation establishment cultivator and the other was the ninth stage of the qi refinement realm. It wasn''t much, but it was better than what Li Fei had.
But after what Li Fei did, the gravity of it and his actions inadvertently implicating them, would they even want to associate with him? They were not rted by blood, only by marriage, and now they were staring down the fangs of the Green Dragon General Store.
Them abandoning Li Fei and his siblings, and cutting any sort of ties between them would be a kindness. It wouldn''t be strange if one of them got the idea of killing Li Fei, his sisters, and his mother and offering their heads as a token of apology to the store in the hopes of protecting their lives and their families.
After those events, Wu Mingli could imagine Li Fei and his sisters were more than likely on their own. And if they were,what were the odds that a team whose highest cultivator was a silver body cultivator managed to escape a behemoth like the Green Dragon General Store whose might shook the entire Spring Plum City?
Even if he assumed by some crazy luck they managed to escape the city, another obstacle waited for them ahead, in the name of the Red Maple Empire. As long as they remained, the store''s tentacles that were deeply entrenched in every part of the empire would definitely find them provided they remained within its territories.
If they wanted to live, they only had one option, which was to flee the empire unnoticed. Would two teenagers, one a cripple, the other a silver-body cultivator, add to that a sick person and a nine-year-old really be able to pull that off?
While Wu Mingli may not know what was in the pouch his father handed to Li Fei, with his father''s means, there was no way what was in there was capable enough to guarantee their safe passage out of the Empire.
But assuming by some heaven-tier luck they did make it out of the empire in one piece, was their strength sufficient to support their survival in the world outside?
Deep down he knew, the likelihood that Li Fei and his sisters survived the escape was slim to none. They were likely dead, and if he was a betting man he would likely bet that they died in Red Maple Empire. They likely didn''t even get to make it past the city gates, and their deaths were likely gruesome ones done under the dark veil that shrouded the entire empire.
"All else aside, I really hope they made it out.." Wu Mingli wistfully thought.
"After Li Fei left, my father called me over to the same firece we always liked to sit at, and my mother made the same roasted potatoes and garlic-salted fish we liked to have when we were sitting there, and for the first time, he shared his potato wine with me.
That brew was a keepsake of his vige. He always drank it himself but that night he shared it with me and my mother. What came next was nothing out of the ordinary. He regaled me with tales of his youth, dropping a few anecdotes and pearls of wisdom here and there that subtly helped guide me on the person I should be, by using some of the experiences, mistakes, regrets, and achievements he had in life.
Infected by the atmosphere that had the sense of normalcy it always had, I assumed everything was okay and thate tomorrow, everything would go back as it was. My father would resume his duties, patrolling the city, while I and my mother would resume our normal lives.
My father didn''t seem worried, neither did my mother.." Wu Mingli said as he cast a gentle gaze on his mother.
It took tragedy to strike them for him to realize how strong his mother was. She may be in the early stages of the core formation realm and he was at the quasi-pce stage. He was miles ahead of her in terms of personal strength, but when it came to strength of spirit, he felt he paled to her.
In the storm that hit them, he would not have survived it as easily as he did, if it wasn''t for her steadfastly facing it all on her own as she shielded him from it.
With how astute he came to discover her to be, she must have had an idea of what fate awaited his father, but that night, thest night that all three would ever spend together, she was as peaceful as his father had been.
Facing death with equanimity required a certain level of willpower as even the bravest might waver when that moment came. His father knew only death awaited him for what he did but despite it all, he was calm in the face of it, even sparing time to assist Li Fei and share a mundane moment with his family despite what awaited for him.
But to Wu Mingli, while he felt his father was brave, he felt his mother was braver. When deathes, for the person who dies, that would be the end of it, but for the living, the loved ones of the deceased, they would have to carry the burden of that death and whatever it brings, as the living.
The burden thates, the storm thates, it is all theirs to carry and shoulder as the living, and when it came to his mother, the burden that came was anything but light. Weathering through it as she did, for both of them at that, required strength that Wu Mingli didn''t feel he had.
His mother looked gentle, with a frailty of fatigue to her, with a genial smile, she had an aura that was no different than a mortal grandmother, but beneath that exteriory an invulnerable and unshakeable spirit that supported the path and growth of a quasi pce stage expert.
She gave him his life in more ways than one, and under impossible circumstances at that.
Chapter 891 Two arrivals at dawn
Chapter 891 Two arrivals at dawn
??"With her temperament, if she had a better background, there is no doubt that her heights would have definitely exceeded mine.." Wu Mingli thought as his gaze fell on his mother before a resolute glint shed in his eyes.
"Master did say there are treasures capable of doing stupendous things to the point of even undoing past mistakes. There is nock of treasures capable of reforming and transforming one''s body. The only issue is their rarity.
Once I reach the pce realm, opportunities to find those treasures will grow. Soon enough I will be able to repay you a fraction of all you have given me.." Wu Mingli thought as he gently looked at his mother.
While her circumstances were not as bad as his father''s who was born in some vige in some wilderness somewhere, his mother was born in the first town his father got stationed at as a garrison guard. While the town was moderately better than the vige his father grew up in, it wasn''t by much.
The town was a border town, and not highly popted or invested like the towns closer to the center of the Empire were. In loose terms, one could consider it a high-ranking vige with a little bit of infrastructure and the Empire''s influence on it.
Her mother was born there, to a father who was a cksmith that made unranked weapons, and her mother was a semester. None of them ever cultivated past the qi refinement realm, and in terms of means, they didn''t have the ability or know-how to provide their daughter with ample cultivation resources and guidance.
Just like his father, she ended up with wed foundations too that hampered her journey forward. Had it not been for Wu Mingli''s current station, she would have likely halted at the foundation establishment realm just like his father.
However, even with the countless resources, whatever was currently avable to him could at most help her reach the middle stages of the core formation realm. Anything past that would prove almost impossible. His only option now was to search for those treasures that could mend those ws or give her a chance to undo them.
But treasures that were capable of doing such a thing, at the very least were dao treasures. This meant they were difficult to get for a quasi-pce stage expert, and even if he broke through, the degree of difficulty may lessen slightly but it would still be there.
No matter the degree of difficulty, Wu Mingli had resolved himself to do whatever it took to get them. If being a pce stage cultivator wasn''t enough then he would try for the domain realm.
Because of her improved cultivation realm, his mother could now live for at least another 3,500 years. If it took him 252 years to reach the quasi-pce stage, he hoped 3,500 years would be more than enough time for him to make that attempt to reach the domain. He was under no illusions about the enormity of the task, but he had to do it somehow.
Cultivators were blessed with enormous lifespans which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how one looked at it. He didn''t cultivate this hard all so he could end up alone.
If you had the strength to bring those that mattered to you to rise those heights with you, why wouldn''t you do it?
Most said cultivating was defying the heavens, but was it? He always felt that was an erroneous thought somehow.
To him, cultivating was just another aspect of living. Cultivation was like a mirror and guiding light at the same time. It helped reflect what was in your heart and at the same time it helped illuminate doubts and expand your understanding of oneself through extraption of what was around you and within you.
Its goal wasn''t to make one detached from all life but to sensitize and integrate one to all forms it takes and for him, his mother was a huge part of his and he would do everything to ensure it.
Whatever aspirations he had, none of it made any sense to him without his mother there, but first, he had to sort out some matters, one of which was to give his father a proper send-off as a dutiful son should, something he had not been able to do back then.
Pulling his thoughts back, Wu Mingli continued with his testimony.
"The night passed without incident. If I knew it would have been ourst, I would have savored it more because when morning came, our lives as we knew it, got upended. Just when dawn hit, there were two people already at our door.
One of them was the captain of the Spring Plum city guards, and the other was the overallmander of all the city guards who handled the territories that were directly under the control of the royal family.
Both the captain and themander were descendants of the Duan royal family and as for the reason why such an impressive lineup was at the doors of some foundation establishment city guard that early in the morning, it was to take my father in custody, though that was not how they put it back then..." Wu Mingli paused to contain himself.
That morning was thest time he ever saw his father.
"When they came they said they were there to confirm the version of events from my father and confirm a few details because of the sensitivity of the matter. At the time, I didn''t think to question the absurdity of it.
There were countless witnesses there, over hundreds of them saw what Ding Xiaoli did, and what happened after. There was no need toe that early in the morning just to confirm the details.
They had a discussion with my father in the backyard whose details I don''t know. The discussion was a private one between the three, and after, my father left with them, not before deceiving me that everything was okay, they were just going to finish up the remaining matter at the city guard offices.
It was only when dusk arrived and I still had not heard from him that I realized something was off. Just as I was about to head to their offices, the captain came back, but he was alone this time.
It was he who informed my mother and I, that to protect my father from further retaliation, he would have to be sent to the border frontline where the war between the empire and the Five Clover Kingdom was happening.
By his words, they had reached apromise with the store owner of the Green Dragon General Store, and in thatpromise, the city guards agreed they would relieve my father of his duties as a guard, and he would be transferred to the border as a soldier, a post he would serve until his veryst breath.
Only this way could they guarantee his life..."
Chapter 892 The curse that follows
Chapter 892 The curse that follows
??Wu Mingli''s tone and demeanor turned colder.
"They made it seem like they had done him and us an enormous favor with that proposition, with the captain even casually mentioning that Ding Xiaoli must have learned his cruelty from someone, insinuating that the store owner was probably just as vicious if not more so.
It never made sense to me. My father only did his job and somehow got the shorter end of the stick. All for doing something that the empire should have been doing in the first ce: protecting its people.
No matter how much they tried to color it, sending my father to the borders to be a soldier was no different than sentencing him to death, especially when they said he would have to hold that post for life.
How was that any different than sentencing him to death? While he trained diligently, making him one of the strongest in his realm, in the end, he was still a foundation establishment cultivator.
How would such a strength guarantee his life on a battlefield where there was even a record of a quasi-pce stage cultivator losing his life?
The protection afforded to him by the empire was only against the Green Dragon General Store and wasn''t against the opponents he would be facing at the border. Whatever opponents he faced, whether he lived or not, it would all depend on him.
After he was done, the captain left me a slip containing my father''s voice.." Wu Mingli said as he took out a slightly discolored grey jade slip.
The materials used in creating the slip had been mediocre,and if it wasn''t for him expending a few resources to upgrade it, the slip would have long disintegrated or the voice within would have been distorted somehow, with time.
Wu Mingli held the slip carefully like it was some precious treasure, as indeed it was, to him. He poured his spiritual qi into it, triggering it to y the recording.
Wu Mingli''s mom finally showed some reaction when the slip appeared, as her pupils flickered with a sense of sadness, longing, and tender love. Using Wu Mingli''s arm as cover, she deftly wiped the tears that had formed in her, before finally smiling with a nostalgic look to her as the recording yed.
"Shan''er, I am sorry for the mess your foolish husband has left behind, but knowing you, I am sure you will handle it well from the years of experience of being my wife, hehehe...
Having you and Mingli has been my greatest fortune. I am truly blessed to have been a partner and father to you both.
Mingli, there are so many things I hoped to teach you, but more than that, I had hoped to see the man you would be. But even without seeing it, I know you will make something amazing of yourself, better than your old man here.
I may not have had the best aptitude for it, but I think I developed a good eye for discerning those who had the potential for it, and you, my son, have one of the greatest talents I have ever seen, even whenpared against those in Spring Plum City.
And I am not just saying this as a father, but as a cultivator who has interacted with all manner of talents. I just never thought to say it so you wouldn''t get a big head, after all, I know it wasn''t Shen Jue who peed in Aunty Ma''s backyard trying to assert dominance against her yellow dog.
You were walking awkwardly all week. The excuse of you hurting yourself doing horse stance wasn''t the most creative of excuses. Do not underestimate a foundation establishment cultivator''s regr senses and spiritual sense. I could see the several bite marks and location..hehehehe.."
Wu Mingli wanted to quickly halt that part of the recording that somehow in the intensity of the emotions he was under, he had forgotten about. But it was already out, all he could do was bravely look at the ground like a man and hope that the ground would turn sentient and swallow him.
His neck reddened when he heardhis mother softly chuckle as she murmured,
"Hero Mingli.."
It took Yang Qing all his willpower not tough or even show signs of it. It got even harder when he tried to reconcile the Wu Mingli before him, who looked like a valiant sword general in every which way, and the Wu Mingli who got bit severally by a yellow mutt, and judging by the insinuation of the recording, the location might have been an unpleasant one.
Caught in the spirit of nostalgia, Yang Qing couldn''t help but recall the ck dog he regrly fought with when he was small. The dog didn''t have a smidge of cultivation, but its intelligence was no different than a spirit beast that had unlocked its wisdom pearl.
There was always this gloating look it had every time it saw Yang Qing wail as he tried to unsessfully escape the clutches of his grandfather and the other elders. At the worst moments of his life, it was always there with a smug grin, and worst of all, it was a thief who liked stealing his food, especially.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh as he wondered if he was cursed. The moment he broke through to the silver body stage he got his revenge on the dog in kind. In the spirit of it, since it liked stealing his food so much, Yang Qing ''graciously fed'' it the disgusting potions his grandfather used to feed him to improve his physique.
Back then he had thought that was the end, his life would never be disturbed by another animal again, but that curse followed him even when he came to the Order. Ellie stole from him all the time, the Celestial nesting weaver was an insufferable beast put on the to give him a heart demon, and then there was the dense starlight crab that attacked people without warning.
"I hope Haishi and Bolin don''t end up turning like them. Surely they wouldn''t, right?"
Chapter 893 Nobles live like dogs and fiends live like emperors
Chapter 893 Nobles live like dogs and fiends live like emperors
??Yang Qing pulled his mind from the worrying thoughts as he focused back on the recording.
"But even with such an aptitude... Mingli, remember what I have always told you? Make sure you discern your heart always and confront the viins within, if you do, then the heights you reach will exceed what you or I could ever imagine.
But if you don''t... There have been countless sons and daughters of destiny who left this world all too early. I don''t want you to be among those numbers.
Act prudently, son, and above all, as a father, my hope for you is you live to the joys of your heart, whatever that may be, mine was marrying your mother, and being a father to you, as for you, whatever it is, know this, as long as its something close and dear to you, I will always cheer you on to attain it.
I left something with your mother. I had hoped to be the one to personally hand it to you, but with things as they are I think your mother should handle it. She''s always been meticulous and the wisest person I know. Make sure to follow and trust her arrangements.
I love you both, and who knows, maybe we might get to see each other again when I break through to the pce realm.
Hehehe, I hope you''re notughing at your old man for saying that. Back when I was wooing your mother, my mind went nk and I ended up bbing one of the deepest desires of my heart during that gut-wrenching fear.
She might have taken it as just the bragging ramblings of a youth trying to look good, but the words I said back then were true then and are still true now; It''s my dream to reach the pce realm and sail among the skies like the figure who saved my life.
I know the ws I made during my early years make it difficult and unlike you Mingli''er, I don''t have the highest of aptitudes, but I hope to one day step into that mystical realm. Maybe the border might give me just that opportunity.
I have been told that even though the border is fraught with dangers, there are countless treasures there, and even if my servitude here is due to special circumstances I can still earn merit points which I can redeem from the royal family.
Next time we meet maybe your old man will be a pce realm cultivator. I hope when we do meet you will be one too, Mingli''er.
Take care you two. Mingli watch over your mom for me in the meantime, will you? and Shan''er please don''t throw our son in a pit filled with red-scale spiders, and if you really have to, because I know how he is sometimes, then at least don''t let it go beyond two hours.
Be well you two, and Shan''er make sure you take Mingli to see where I was born. It might be good for him."
The recording stopped after those words, with Wu Mingli carefully storing away the slip in an ivory jade box before putting it away into his storage ring.
He took a deep single breath and then looked at his mother nodding to her in affirmation, before finally looking back to Yang Qing.
"While he did try to soften it and reduce the morbidity in it,as people closest to him, we knew that slip was his farewell to us. However, I do believe he was serious about hoping to be a pce realm expert, but the undertone within it wasn''t that of someone speaking his ambitions but of someone expressing his regret.
It was the admission of someone who knew he was never going to achieve one of his dreams, and the reason for that failure had nothing to do with his wed foundations or talent or external factors, but rather, he knew he would not be alive to attempt it.
Six weeks after he was apprehended, a soldier came to our home and informed us of his passing. The cause, he had died from the attack of a core formation expert from Five Clover Kingdom who self-detonated after being encircled.
That detonation not only took my father''s life but the lives of 800 other soldiers from the Red Maple Empire.
I don''t know how they came up with the figure,maybe they felt such a number would be able to make the news they delivered, slightly ptable..." Wu Mingli said with a sardonic smile.
"It worked... for a bit..." Wu Mingli added as his smile turned cold.
"It would have continued to work longer if that had been the real story..." Wu Mingli''s gaze drifted slightly to Duan Hu before shifting back to Yang Qing.
"Before that bombshell was dropped on us, in those two months, I had tried to mobilize any help I could to try and reverse the decision made about my father.
In my naivety, I thought if enough voices spoke out about the unjust decision made against my father, it might maybe touch important people who may then speak at his behest and have him released from his fate.
With how many people my father helped over the years and the reputation he had built, I assumed those willing to speak up for him would be many. But the reality was different. I realized the ugliness of this world that day.
People will celebrate with you when things are going good for you, but the moment things go bad they will quickly desert you like the gue.
Our home ... me ... my mother ... we became that gue not a day less than the day my father got taken. Whether it was our neighbors or those ''friends'' who so liked to call my father benefactor.
Before, all they kept saying was how they wanted to repay my father in whatever way to pay back a little bit on what he did for them, but when I called them on it, it was like they didn''t even know who my father was, or what he did for them, there were even some who had the gall to try and turn on us so they could curry favor with the Green Dragon General Store.
They were all quick to draw the line between us and them. Not that I me them, after all, their actions were a symptom of the extreme rot in the Empire, where those with good hearts live and die like dogs while fiends live like emperors..."
Chapter 894 Breaking the precept
Chapter 894 Breaking the precept
??While Duan Hu remainedpletely impassive to Wu Mingli''s remarks, the same could not be said about the Gong n''s elder. Gong Jie had deeply clenched his fists as he cast a cold gaze toward Duan Hu.
"Didn''t we tell you that your approach would do more harm than good? See what it bore. Is this what you truly wished for?" asked Gong Jie, as he used his pce sense tomunicate with the former emperor secretly.
"What other choice did I have? The Five Clover Kingdom already had the backing of the Zou family, and we were all on our own. How did you expect us to contend against them when they had that sort of backing?" asked Duan Hu in a slightly frustrated tone, as part of his attention fell on Deng Wei, who still had the look of serenity and gentleness.
"There could have been a better way to handle it that didn''t end up with us selling out the entire empire to the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.." Gong Jie said with a certain reluctance and regret in his tone.
"If only I had discovered the ancestor sooner.."he thought.
Back then after one of his regr sh with one of the elders, on a whim, he ended up deciding that he would leave the n for a bit and roam the continent. He had stagnated at the realm of a peak orange-grade cksmith for so long, that it left him feeling frustrated, stifled, and highly vtile. This not only had an adverse effect on his work but also his rtionships within the n.
Fights were a regr thing in the n. It was something that had be part of their culture, but even if they fought regrly, it always had a substantial reason to it, and more often than not it was always centered on the art of cksmithing.
Rarely,bordering on almost never, would n members fight about a personal matter. It almost always had to do with cksmithing; the measurement of an ingredient here,the temperature of an ingredient there, the better secondary material, the right smelting method, and many other things.
It was because of this that though the Gong n members fought a lot, they were among the most close-knit n in the empire. They would fight one minute and once one or both were proven right or wrong in what they were fighting about, the matter would be considered resolved, and immediately after those members would be sharing wine andughs together until the next smithing-rted argument came.
That fact was true for Gong Jie. While he got into a lot of fights, not once had those fights not been rted to cksmithing. But after the frustrations ofnguishing at the orange grade got to him, he began fighting just cause, all to vent that frustration.
People from the n started avoiding him and it wasn''t long before some of the senior figures of the n, including the n leader, talked with him. The conclusion of that talk ended up with him being given suggestions to help him deal with the frustration.
He wasn''t the only one from the n to get frustrated at getting stuck. Since their founder, they only ever managed to produce one other blue-grade cksmith, who fortunately and unfortunately was from the same era as their founder.The world only knew they had one at the time, but only those from the n knew there were actually two of them. The royal family may have had its suspicions, but they could never verify it.
Sadly, after the two of them, the Gong n had never been able to produce another. A curse and a nightmare that haunted every Gong n member since.
From the suggestions given, Gong Jie decided leaving the n and taking a breath was the best solution for him. It was only after he made that choice and informed them of it that the news of one of the founders potentially being alive was made known to him by the n leader and the two grand elders.
Of the six founders, Deng Wei was closest to their founder Gong Zhi. It was to the point that Gong Jie was surprised that their founder had even gone against Deng Wei''s wishes to be anonymous. Despite not being a literary person, their founder had been the person behind the story that made certain highlights about Deng Wei. Like how the inheritance left to them by the Red Maple spirit had more to do with Deng Wei than Duan Qui.
He didn''t know why, but Deng Wei didn''t want the fame associated with the real events that happened that day, but their ancestor because of how close they were, was unable to keep it silent.
Before he left he was given an amulet Deng Wei had left their ancestor. Deng Wei had left that amulet for their ancestor or descendants as a means to find him if they ever found themselves in a desperate situation.
Before their ancestor died, he left vehement instructions behind, that the n was only allowed to use it if they feared destruction of the n, anything less and they should not use it.
It was with that amulet that he eventually found him. Though it took him close to six hundred years for him to do so. Using an invocation, the amulet released a glow that showed Deng Wei''s general direction. He kept following that direction until it led him to the coastal towns next to the Bestial Churning Sea, and then the glow disappeared without him spotting Deng Wei.
It took several months before Deng Wei met him, and even then he had a feeling the only reason he met him that early was because Gong Jie, with his fiery personality, ended up angering someone he should not have, which left him being used as live bait by said person at the Bestial Churning Sea.
Deng Wei intervened just when he was about to torn apart by one of the spirit beasts that had taken a shine to him.
As for why the n patriarch and the two grand elders decided to seek out Deng Wei, despite the n not facing any n-destroying peril, it was because of the state of the Red Maple Empire. The noble ns were at each other''s throats, to the point that it had gone even beyond the point of just stealing each others'' benefits, with lives being lost. Then there was the Golden Bamboo Pavilion which was deeply entrenching itself into the affairs of the empire via their subsidiaries and other means.
But more than that, the thing that made them desperate enough to ignore their ancestor''s precepts on when to use the amulet, was because of the royal family, and the dangerous rift brewing within, that they had kept hidden from most.
That hidden bomb was dangerous enough to the point that the n leader and the two grand elders felt that the Gong n''s future was at risk along with the rest who were unlucky enough to be caught in the explosion.
Chapter 895 Origins of the first empress, Duan Qui
Chapter 895 Origins of the first empress, Duan Qui
While Gong Jie may have not known much about their founder, Deng Wei, or his deep friendship with their ancestor, he did know enough about the royal family and the troubles that were brewing within. All the top figures within the six founding families did. It was why some, like the Mo family, were emboldened enough to try and whittle down their power as they made an attempt for the crown.
The Duan royal family was split and while the core reason for that had to do with the Zou family, the Zou familying into the picture served more of an impetus for that split more than anything else.
The royal family was currently split into two factions and the reason for that split had to do with their ancestry.
Their ancestor, Duan Qui may have been a rogue cultivator in her earlier years, but she also had another identity, which was what forced her into the life. She had been the bastard child of a noble scion from the prestigious Xin family, a rank-two family with a rich history, and one of the prominent families famous within the circles of alchemy and herbology.
As far as he knew, outwardly it was known that the family had seven gold-grade alchemists and at least five gold-grade herbologists making the family one of their giants in those particr fields. Their repute was only less ifpared to behemoths like the Medical Saint Garden Sect or the Flowing Valley Sect.
Them not measuring up to the two was fairly understandable. One was a rank-one sect renowned throughout the entire continent for its medical practices,?and the other was a holynd, not much needed to be said about that. But whenpared to their peers, the Xin family measured up and the first Empress, Duan Qui, was tied to them through her father who had been one of the rising figures of the n.
Her story was not all that different from most stories which involved someone from a prominent background, getting involved with someone from a lesser background, except her story had a bit of a twist. In mostmon scenarios where both parents are of different standing, usually, one of the parents, the one with the better background, usually abandons and even mistreats the lower stratum partner and their child, but in Duan Qui''s case, her father actually loved both her and her mother, dearly, to the point he wanted to forsake his family name and leave the n and live with them both.
Despite his determination, things are never that easy, not when the object of his affection is a herbologist with no background to speak of. Duan Qui''s mother was a farmer, who kept to herself and her little piece of farm where she took care of various kinds of spiritual nts and herbs, up until a young man who was casually flying around got drawn by the gentle and meticulous charm with which she worked, came and overturned her life.
The young man eventually fell in love with the gentle farmer, and the gentle farmer for the first time loved another person with the same fervor and honestness as she did her farm and the nts she so attentively and graciously took care of and eventually after years together, a little girl was born to them in Duan Qui.
Her first three years were spent on that farm, and then as any parent would, in the hopes that she would have a brilliant future ahead, her father took her and her mother back to the n. He wasn''t disillusioned by the kind of reception he would receive from the n when he went there with his new ''family''. It was the reason he didn''t choose to go back immediately after bing daopanions with Duan Qui''s mother and only waited after she had been born and was slightly old, for him to make that decision.
No matter how prepared he was, his estimates of how they would react still fell short. He had been away from the n for almost 120 years and in that period like most ns of such stature would do, they had an arranged marriage for him to the princess of one of the powerful rank three kingdoms that had subordinated themselves to the.
The kingdom in question was the Radiant Swan Kingdom. Even if it was subordinate to the Xin n whenpared to other organizations of simr rank, it was at the top of the crop.
The Red Maple Empire despite being of simr rank could not hold a candle to them. They had five pce realm experts, with the one with the highest cultivation base being Duan Hu the former emperor, who was a third-stage pce realm expert.
Meanwhile, the Radiant Swan Kingdom had no less than thirty pce realm experts, and rumor had it that among those thirty there was one who was already at the peak of the pce realm. The Red Maple Empire just could notpare at all.
Their strength was what made the Xin n look favorably upon them to the point that they even wanted to marry off one of their main-line descendants. That descendant was Duan Qui''s father, and the princess he was marrying was rumored to be a one-of-a-kind genius who drew even the attention of the Xin n''s senior figures.
Even if they admired the Radiant Swan Kingdom, no matter how strong they were, it would still have been insufficient for them to consider marrying a direct mainline member to them, at most they would have chosen someone from the branch, or if they were to choose someone from the main line, it would not have been Duan Qui''s father. Her father was a prodigal genius who stood out even within the n. He would be thest person they would ever consider to marry someone from a subordinate kingdom, no matter her rank. They only made an exception due to the talent she had shown.
Gong Jie didn''t know the specifics when it came to the talent, he could only assume it had to be one of a kind for it to prompt the senior figures of a rank two n to make such an exception. Everything was arranged perfectly and agreed upon unanimously with even the grandfather of Duan Qui''s father, one of the gold-grade alchemists of the n, also one of the domain experts, signing off on the arrangement.
What they didn''t count on was that one of the main parties in the said arrangement was already married and that he even had a daughter to boot. His return which should have been a joyous asion ended up triggering a storm, and it got worse when he vehemently rejected the marriage, pping the faces of all who made the arrangement, with his grandfather being on the list.
But no matter how much he refused the whole thing, at the end of the day, he was just a pce realm expert and a junior within the n. Even if he was a prodigious talent, he still had not grown to the point that he could do whatever he wished in a powerful n like the Xin n.
Despite his refusal, the n was adamant about going on with the arrangement, and as for Duan Qui and her mother, there was only one way to deal with such a ''mistake'' and that was to erase itpletely. The n would have killed them both had Duan Qui''s father not threatened to take his life if they did which prompted his grandfather to step in.
In the end, both parties reached apromise, Duan Qui and her mother would be allowed to live, but not within the Xin n. They were to be banished, and Duan Qui not to wear the Xin name, as for her father in exchange for the guarantee of their lives would agree to the marriage.
Thus the family of three was forever fractured and separated. Duan Qui''s father started another life and as for Duan Qui and her mother,while the Xin n promised not to act against them, the same could not be said of the Radiant Swan Kingdom.
With the chaos it created when her father brought them to the n, and the passion with which he refused the marriage, even though the n tried to put a lid on everything, news of it trickled to the kingdom. Whether by design or not, they became aware of Duan Qui''s and her mother''s existence, and the level of importance they held to her father''s life, something the kingdom found intolerable.
As one would expect they did try to hunt the mother and daughter for years after finding out about them, luckily their father had left them with a lot of defensive measures such as artifacts and talismans, and debts owed by friends he had.
But even with such measures in ce, with how potent those attacks were, Duan Qui''s mom got a lot of injuries as she was trying to eke out a path to survival for her and her daughter. Even though she didn''t sumb to those injuries, the umtion left long-term trauma on her body, which coupled with the mental toll the separation from Duan Qui''s father took, it shortened her lifespan immensely. She who as a core formation expert should have lived for thousands of years, ended up living for hundreds, leaving an orphaned Duan Qui, who ended up choosing to b a rogue cultivator and eventually struck a lifelong friendship with the other founders.
The n that they ended up feuding with which led to them eventually running all the way to the territory of the Red Maple Spirit had been a n with ties to the Radiant Swan Kingdom. It was as they were running away that Duan Qui decided to reveal her history to them, a risk on her part because one of them could have sold her out to curry favor with those from the Radiant Swan Kingdom trying to target her.
Luckily no one did, and eventually, they created an empire together. Duan Qui, maybe in the hopes to spar her descendants on, divulged her ancestry to them in the hopes that someday the Red Maple Empire would stand at the same heights as the Xin n that spurned her and her mother.
She may have intended that, but her descendants had other ideas of their own. Already within them, some entertained the thought of going back to their roots. To them returning to the mighty tree that was the Xin n was better than the prospects of the Red Maple Empire. Despite knowing the history between the Xin n and the treatment they showed to their ancestor, they dared entertain the thought because they felt their circumstance was different from Duan Qui''s and her mother''s.
When the duo was brought back to the n they were rootless weeds with no background to speak of, but if they did it, they would be going back as royals of an established rank three empire that obtained the inheritance of a long-lived peak pce stage tree spirit.
Going back under those circumstances, they were optimistic the Xin n would wee them, and as for the hostilities of the Radiant Swan Kingdom, they were not all too worried about it. As long as the Xin n epted them, the Radiant Swan Kingdom as a subordinate kingdom would have to act in line with the n''s wishes and if one looked at it closely, in terms of bloodline, they were closer to the Xin n, than the Radiant Swan kingdom was, after all, their ancestor was the daughter of a mainline descendant and one who had great standing at that. They believed that by leveraging on those lines, their standing may even be better than the kingdom''s.
Eventually, such thoughts slowly grew a life of their own among the Duan n members who were not satisfied at being overlords in a ''pond'' but instead wanted an entire ocean. The thought truly got its legs when two things happened, one was when the Xin n celebrated weing a domain expert in their ranks by the name of Xin Guyi. Xin Guyi was Duan Qui''s father.
The other impetus was when the Five Clovers Kingdom became a subordinate of the Zou n. That development gave them all the more reason to seek out the Xin n and eventually, the royal family ended up getting split into two factions. One faction wanted to go back to the Xin n, and the other hoped to honor their ancestor''s wishes and develop the Red Maple Empire.
With time as the Five Clovers Kingdom grew in strength, the faction that wanted to rejoin the Xin n slowly grew in number while those that wanted to remain, dwindled. The return to the Xin n faction looked well on its way to dominating, that was until Duan Hu appeared and forced their hand by entering a partnership with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, essentially halting those ns.
But even with that move, there was still a divide among them. The royal family had three pce stage experts, and one of them supported going back to the Xin n, the other remained neutral, and then there was Duan Hu.
The Empire was now in a precarious position which threw the Gong n to desperation. They were stuck between two tigers..three, if the Zou n was thrown into the mix. Whichever side wins, the empire stands to be the loser.
On paper, they were cooperating partners with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, but in reality is with how things were in the empire, everyone could see there was no partnership there, the Red Maple Empire couldn''t even be considered a subordinate to the Pavilion with how dominated they were by mere subsidiaries of the Pavilion.
Would it fare any better if the Xin n came into y? Based on its history with Duan Qui, Gong Jie felt things would even be worse with the Xin n. Only the Zou n offered them a respectable fate, at least with the Zou n, they would all die, or be banished, but when it came to the two rank two organizations, being ves was the fate that awaited them.
Luckily all those fates could be avoided. Gong Jie silently breathed a sigh of relief when his gaze fell on Deng Wei.
Chapter 896 Terms of the deal (1)
Chapter 896 Terms of the deal (1)
While Gong Jie was filled with relief at the potential turn of fate for the Empire, Duan Hu was filled with a different feeling. While outwardly he didn''t show any change in emotion, inwardly, it was a different matter altogether.
The cooperation with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion could be considered his child. Everything from start to finish was nned by him. The return to the Xin n faction was quickly gaining momentum to the point that even the neutral pce realm expert from the n started entertaining such thoughts.
He didn''t know why the neutral member was having a change of heart. Maybe it could have been because he could see how powerful the Five Clovers Kingdom was bing and felt maybe the time to jump ship had arrived.
When the war started, the Five Clovers Kingdom only had a single pce realm expert, whom the Empire didn''t know about up until the Kingdom came to their doorstep to dere war. Fast forward to the present, the?Kingdom now had four pce realm experts while the empire had five. But while the empire had the greater number, it was just one extra pce realm, and if it had been in a different nation, one that was more unified, that extra pce realm expert would have been a significant asset.
But that was not the case with the Red Maple Empire. They all had their agendas, and having an extra pce realm expert meant nothing and if one looked at it critically, only two were genuinelymitted to the war effort, and that was the Zheng n patriarch and the neutral pce realm expert from the royal family. As for the remaining three, he was busy keeping the rival royal member at bay, and the Mo family patriarch was trying to seize the opportunity created by their feud.
It was no wonder the Five Clovers Kingdom was quickly gaining ground on them. They were united,?and most of all, the Zou family gave them ample support. The reason they could produce four pce realm experts in such a short amount of time could only be because of their intervention.
But what about the Red Maple Empire?
Unlike the opposite faction, Duan Hu didn''t believe they would have a good fate if they went to the Xin family.
Personally, even though he was in the faction that hoped to honor the wishes of their ancestor and help elevate the Red Maple Empire to stand at the same heights as the Xin n, he did not believe it could ever be done. He even felt they might regress.
Other than the Mo n, the Zheng n, and the royal family, the other founding families had not produced another pce realm expert since their founders despite the resources at their disposal.
Tens of thousands of years have passed since all their founders passed, bar Deng Wei, and in that time, neither the Gui, Chen, or Gong ns, produced a single pce realm expert, and when it came to the rest the Mo and Zheng n only had a single one each, and the royal family had three.
Duan Hu was cognizant of the fact that if they did not have the amount of resources they had at their disposal, they all six families would not have produced a single pce realm expert, and yet despite believing that, he was adamant at staying. Why?
It was because unlike the rest, blinded by greed and the prospect of joining a rank two n, he strongly believed their fates would be far worse than whatever the Five Clovers Kingdom would do to them if they lost the war.
The Red Maple Empire was nothing in the face of a behemoth like the Xin n. The Radiant Swan Kingdom wasn''t the only rank three organization counted among their subordinate. There were sects and other organizations affiliated with them that were of simr rank.
Being a rank two n didn''t just mean having domain experts, it meant overreaching influence. It was just a single n, but the territory it ruled over was a hundred timesrger than the entire Red Maple Empire.
The Red Maple Empire could notpare to even a finger of the power they held. They would be no different than Duan Qui and her mother, infact, their circumstances could be considered worse. At least when it came to their ancestor and her mother, they had the backing of her father, who was a prominent member of the n.
What did they have? Their ancestor, Duan Qui? The same person who was chased out of the n? Everybody sharing prominent member of the n.
What did they have? Their ancestor, Duan Qui? The same her bloodline would be a constant reminder of what happened back then. A stain that the Xin n would not want known to others. Going back was no different than giving the Xin n, a chance to erase that stain.
Even if Duan Qui''s father was now a domain expert of the n and had some say, would he take them back. His affection was to his daughter, not to her greedy descendants that are a few generations removed from her.
What about his wife, the princess of the Radiant Swan Sect? What if she was still alive and a domain expert too? Her reaching the domain realm wasn''t a stretch, after all, she was rumored to have a heaven-defying talent, and for it to catch the eyes of the Xin n, that talent had to be talent that was capable of reaching the domain realm.
If she truly was a domain expert, that meant they had a domain expert for an enemy. She had grounds to despise them even more than the Xin family. After all, they served as a constant reminder that her husband once loved another woman more than her and had a child with that woman.
He felt that whatever fate awaited them at the doors of the Xin n was bound to be a horrible one. Well, he might not hold much hope for the Red Maple Empire, he did not want his n to be wiped out, or suffer a far worse fate.
Chapter 897 Terms of the deal (2)
Chapter 897 Terms of the deal (2)
??That desperation drove him to the doors of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. As a matter of fact, they were the ones who came to him, citing their feud with the Zou n as the reason for their help.
They did offer the Red Maple Empire toe under their umbre as one of their subordinates. The terms of subordination were highly lucrative, but Duan Hu''s pride and fear would not let him, and thus they settled on a loose partnership in which the Red Maple Empire would borrow just the name of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion and the promise that if for any reason the Zou n became directly involved in their war against the Five Clovers Kingdom, then the Golden Bamboo Pavilion would intervene.
In exchange for borrowing their name, the Empire would firstly allow the pavilion to open a branch within their territory along with other subsidiaries, then the others were tributes and special discounts offered to the Pavilion for the various spiritual herbs they produced, especially the herbs grown in the core region of their territory, where the red maple spiritir had been.
In addition, the pavilion also asked for one legacy from the red maple spirit. Other than pouring its life and nature essence into their ancestor along with its insights, it also left her the bulk of the treasures it had amassed. The Golden Bamboo Pavilion asked for the chance to pick one treasure from the pile, and they had to be the one to choose it.
Duan Hu had been reluctant to agree to that part of the deal until the envoy promised they would not take any cultivation arts or artifacts. They would only be taking a single item, and it was one of the founders who would be doing it. If he didn''t find anything to his liking, he would leave the pile untouched and the deal would still be considered fulfilled.
Hearing that one of the domain leaders would be involved, Duan Hu had no option but to agree. He had no idea which leader came, or when he came, only that a few days after that, there was a continent-wide announcement that the Golden Bamboo Pavilion was in partnership with the Red Maple Empire.
He may have not known when the leader came but as someone who knew every single treasure within that pile, he knew what was taken. The item taken was a weathered sword that looked to have been made of some sort of jade material. But its luster was faded and looked no different than a weathered y sword.
Before Duan Hu broke through to the pce realm, that sword never stood out to him and just looked like any regr old junk that had suffered the wear and tear of time.
It was only after he reached the second stage of the pce realm, that he felt there was something weird about it. Though the feeling was always fleeting and ephemeral, it sometimes gave him the sensation he felt when he faced his tribtion when breaking through to the pce realm. He always felt like he was staring into that cmitous cloud. The feeling wasn''t as distinctive as the real thing and was subtle, and it didn''t appear often. He only felt that way on the nights the clouds were heavy.
Over the years he did try to see if he could uncover any mysteries but other than that weird sensation he discovered nothing of note from it. When he realized that was what the founder had taken, other than slight curiosity about what mysteries it held, he wasn''t all too bothered that was what was taken.
In fact, he felt relieved. Whatever mysteries the sword may or may not have held mattered little to him, especially when it seemed impossible for him to decipher those mysteries. He would rather trade it for tangible benefits, like gaining a partnership with a rank two organization like the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. Everything else was immaterial. He would not gamble the future of his n and the empire on the potential of an unknown, not when they were staring down the barrel of possible eradication.
Thus, the partnership was formed. The branch was created, and the subsidiaries soon swarmed his cities. With it already announced, the return to the Xin faction''s momentum was halted.
He may have seeded in averting the fate he feared would await them if they went back, but in exchange he had brought another, right to their doorstep. As the weaker party in the partnership, he knew they would always be at a disadvantage with the Pavilion.
They needed the Pavilion''s name for protection against the Zou family, but the Pavilion didn''t need them. It was the reason he ended up turning a blind eye to the subsidiaries and all the things they did, and even getting personally involved in covering up their misdeeds.
The reason he tried to form a deep friendship with Yao De the branch manager who got assigned to the empire was in the hopes of leveraging that friendship to at least improve the circumstances a bit.
But looking at Wu Mingli, his mother, hearing his case, there were already millions of others in the empire experiencing a simr fate. Before he made the deal he had resolved himself to sacrifice anything and do whatever it took to ensure the Duan family and the Red Maple Empire remained standing.
But with how things devolved, he couldn''t help but feel rather than saving it, he had elerated the rate of decline of the Empire.
He couldn''t help but sigh as he wondered what would be next for him, his n, and the empire. Even with one of the founders alive, would he be able to undo the rot that had already seeped into every inch of the empire?
Only now, did he dare admit it to himself that the empire was genuinely and truly broken.
"Maybe it might be too broken to restore.."
Chapter 898 Terms of the deal (3)
Chapter 898 Terms of the deal (3)
??Almost everyone involved in the court was burdened with their thoughts. Whether it was Lin Duyi and his parents who did not know what fate had in store for them, or the previous emperor, Duan Hu, or the Gong n elder, or their founder, Deng Wei, they may not show it, but each one was gued with the thoughts of what next.
Whether it was them, or the aggrieved. When the testimonies were done, they would all have to face whatever future today''s deliberations had on them. The good, the bad, and theplicated
...
Wu Mingli, without pause, continued with his testimony.
"With almost everyone having already turned on us, turning our home into a ghost town, after the notification of his death, we left. We didn''t even get to see his body or give him a proper burial.
Like bandits, we left in the dead of the night, and after two days we were already at the vige where my father was born.
I half expected us to be attacked on our way there by either those from the store or some ''do-gooders'' but thankfully we were not.
In haste, my mother took me to the spot where my father had met the riverstone serpent. Whatever wastnd it had been, it was not that, when we went there. It was brimming with life, whether it be lush vegetation, with even a few sky-grade herbs growing in the midst, or the crystal clear river that flowed with vigor.
My father had hidden the serpent''s wisdom pearl in that river. I still don''t understand why he never used it himself.." said Wu Mingli.
"From the moment it was given to him, he had already decided it would be yours before you were even conceived..." his mother softly answered from the side with a gentle loving smile on her face.
"Old man.." Wu Mingli muttered with a smile as he recalled the face of the simple-faced man with a resolute air about him, which alternated with clumsy where snakes were involved.
Wu Mingli took a second to regte his emotions, before continuing with the tale.
"With the wisdom pearl in hand, we left for parts unknown, leaving the borders of Red Maple Empire to go start a new somewhere.
I only came back about thirty years ago, when I was at the peak of the core formation realm, to an empire that had grown far worse than it had been when we left.
I don''t know, maybe out of nostalgia, or out of hope that maybe my father''s death may have sparked a positive change in the empire, I decided to sneak back and take a look.
What greeted me was just .....sorrow.." Wu Mingli said with a despondent sigh.
"The cities were filled with people, and they had grown far beyond how I had left them. But even with all that going for it, they were devoid of the vor of life. All that hung there was a cloud of bitterness, pain, and endless sorrow born out of an empire that left its weak and helpless to the vicious wolves around them.
I should have expected it.." Wu Mingli said as he shook his head sideways.
"Unwilling to linger anymore in such an environment I decided to pay a visit to our home, onest time. Everything was as we left it, the only difference being it now had different upants.
As I was lost in the memories of that ce, some unknown figure appeared and threw a jade slip toward me, as he left the following words before leaving.
''If you want to know what happened to your father, the truth is in that slip..''
I couldn''t sense his appearance or disappearance from start to finish. He was like a phantom.
I had thought with my peak stage core formation cultivation base I could roam around freely around the empire without fear, even against the owner of the Green Dragon General Store, but that figure upended that confidence with just a few milliseconds.
I couldn''t tell the slightest thing about them. Had they wanted to kill me, I have no doubt they would have been able to do it with extreme ease. I do not doubt that figure was more than likely a pce realm expert.."
Duan Hu''s eyes flickered with a mysterious glow at the remark.
"Upon realizing the disparity in our strengths, whatever reservations I had about the slip being a trap, were gone. Though even if it were, I would have dly fallen for it if it involved my father.
But luckily or unluckily, what was in the slip turned out to be true.." said Wu Mingli as he took out a grey jade slip. Without a waste of movement and time, Wu Mingli immediately poured his spiritual qi into it, ying its contents.
The recording showed a short middle-aged man whose facial features resembled Wu Mingli walking alongside another man who looked to be in his early forties and had a regal bearing on him. The color of his hair matched that of the Duan Hu. It was an almost dusk orange color, simr to that of autumn maple leaves.
The duo were inside a quaint courtyard. They were seated quietly beneath a cherry blossom tree before another person joined them. The person in question looked to be in his early thirties, with long flowing ck hair, a thin build, and a face and an aura that was of a banished immortal walking the mortal realm.
It wasn''t long before those wondering as to his identity, were made aware of it when the middle-aged man with the regal bearing addressed him as store owner Shao Ren. Even in the manner he talked, he talked gently but there was an ethereal power to it.
..
"So this is him?" asked Shao Ren as he casually pointed at the simple-looking middle-aged man.
"It is," answered the regal-looking middle-aged man.
Shao Ren gently sighed as his gaze fell on the simple man before going back to the regal-looking man.
"Xiaoli may have been a good for nothing, but he was my nephew. If it had happened to any other person that wasn''t him, I would have dly let the matter go and let you handle it as you saw fit, but since it was him... We are both in a difficult spot...
I am sorry Commander He for putting you in a position where you have to deliver one of your own, but certain things though distasteful have to be done.." Shao Ren said with a sympathetic sigh, as the duo sat across from him stewed in silence.
"Thank the Emperor for amodating my selfishness. I, Shao Ren will not forget it.." he added.
"What do you n to do with him?" the regal man, thus named Commander He, asked, as he pointed toward the simple man. One could sense the hesitation in his tone.
"Don''t worry Commander, I am not a thankless brute. I am not my nephew, I have some propriety. If I wasn''t, I would not have settled for just him. But to set your mind at ease, I will deal it here, in your presence.." Shao Ren lightly said as his attention drifted to the simple middle-aged man.
"Your name is Wu Fang?"
"It is," the simple middle-aged man calmly answered.
Shao Ren''s eyes shone with interest as he asked," You don''t seem afraid. Many would be in your position. I wonder why is that. Or you just don''t feel fear, or you have already resolved yourself to what will happen. Did Commander He, tell you?"
"I didn''t, but there was no need for me to. He could already guess. He is one of our best-performing city guards for a reason.." Commander He said as he cast a sympathetic look toward Wu Fang.
Wu Fang on detecting the gaze, smiled.
"You shouldn''t feel guilty, Commander. From the moment I decided to act, I was prepared for this eventuality. I would still do it again," Wu Fang said with a peaceful smile on his face, which had the opposite effect on themander, who ended up averting his gaze.
"To answer your question, store owner Shao Ren, It is not that I am not afraid. There are a lot of things I am afraid of,disappointing my son and wife is at the top of that list, closely followed by regrets, and then snakes.." Wu Fang said as he chortled slightly before he turned calm once again.
"Unlike those brave warriors, I won''t say that I am not afraid of death either. I am afraid of dying but for me, the life that leads to it is what affects the degree to which I will be afraid when the momentes. If I am swarmed by regrets to the moment of my death, then I would be frightened, but now...I have lived a full life, store owner Shao Ren.
It''s why I can face my end with a thankful heart, and a peaceful spirit.."
"I admire your spirit, City Guard, Wu Fang. I wish you a fair turn, in your next life.." Shao Ren gently said as he waved his sleeves producing a mirage-like light that gently swept up Wu Fang instantly disintegrating him both body and soul.
"Have a pleasant night, Commander He, I am sorry I will not be seeing you out. Please tell the Emperor, I will visit him tomorrow, to personally give my thanks for him amodating my selfishness..." Shao Ren said as he got up to leave.
"Also I will talk to the rest of my workers. They will behave better.." he added as his body disappeared and the recording ended.
Chapter 899 Terms of the deal (4)
Chapter 899 Terms of the deal (4)
"A pce realm expert..." Yang Qing threw a curious nce in Duan Hu''s direction. Based on the foundations Wu Mingli had, Yang Qing was inclined to believe that the person who handed him that recording was indeed a pce realm expert, a quasi-pce stage expert would not have been able to sneak on him undetected, after all, just from the undtions he released, Yang Qing could already tell that Wu Mingli was someone with a gold core.
With such foundations, a quasi-pce stage cultivator would find it difficult to sneak on him undetected. Anyone with a blue core and above would have a robust spiritual sense, courtesy of their spiritual core.
For someone to sneak up on Wu Mingli without his awareness, during its first instance, someone could maybe make a case that it could have happened because he was distracted. He was back home, bombarded by the ce''s strong emotions and memories. In such a state, being distracted is expected, but the figure managed to disappear as easily as he appeared with Wu Mingli unable to sense or do anything about it.
For someone to be able to do that they had to be vastly more powerful than him, or had a powerful treasure on them that gave them that ease. That same person also managed to record the deal between themander and the store owner of the Green Dragon General Store.
The recording had enough rity to the point that one could sense the strengths of the individuals recorded in it. Shao Ren and the Commander of the city guards were both quasi-pce stage experts, and they both had no clue they were being recorded.
This was what convinced Yang Qing that the culprit was more than likely a pce realm expert. Only they would be able to sneak up on two quasi-pce realm experts, and a peak stage gold core expert without any of them being aware of it.
And if it was a pce realm expert, then the suspect pool was a small one. The Red Maple Empire didn''t have that many pce realm experts to begin with. They only had five, and he could already eliminate Duan Hu from those five, leaving four; the Mo n patriarch, the Zheng n patriarch, or one of the two remaining pce realm experts from the Duan royal family.
Whoever it was, it was evident they had something against Duan Hu. Otherwise, why leak the information?
"It seems like he has some ideas as to who it might be," thought Yang Qing as he caught the former emperor''s subtle reactions.
...
After the recording was done, Yang Qing took custody of the slip as per Wu Mingli''s wishes, who no longer wanted to keep it.
He had reyed that recording over and over till it became an obsession which quickly evolved into a heart demon. Everything from this point was geared towards the elimination of that obsession if he ever wanted to have a life or reach the pce realm.
Today''s proceedings were as him seeking reprieve for his father, and at the same timeying him to rest thusying the groundwork for the life thaty ahead.
"I could hardlye to terms with what I saw neither could I believe it. I reyed that recording over and over, my disbelief, and denial growing with every rey. I kept thinking to myself,?surely this has to be a lie. Yes, the empire is messed up in more ways than one by letting the subsidiaries however they pleased, but surely they would not resort to even selling out one of their own.
But the cold hard evidence was there, staring me in the face and I could not believe it. I only epted it as real when I took the slip back to my master and he and his colleagues verified that it wasn''t doctored and that everything written there was real.
The moment I got the confirmation, it was like a rewind switch had been hit, and I was mourning my father over again. .." Wu Mingli said with sorrow in his voice.
"I still struggled to believe it or understand it, but I buried those feelings, and only came to revisit them seven yearster when I reached the quasi-pce realm expert.
Whatever doubts I had, there was one sure way of confirming them and that was asking the people involved. I couldn''t?reach the Emperor.." Wu Mingli said with a coldness to him.
"But I could sure as hell reach Shao Ren or so I thought. By the time I had made up my mind to seek him out, he had already left the empire, that left me with only other choice, that was to seek themander.."
Duan Hu''s pupils instantly constricted, as he asked,
"It was you?.. You were the one who killed him?"
"Yes.." Wu Mingli softly answered with an apathetic demeanor about him.
Wu Mingli''s look turned reminiscent.
"Given his roIe in it, I would have still killed him, but the events that transpired leading up to his death were all his doing.
He asked for a duel to the death. If he won, then he would have eradicated a potential thorn in the empire''s back, but if I won, he would verify the truth of the recording I was given through a soul stone.
I won and I got the soul stone.." Wu Mingli said as he politely nodded his head to Yang Qing who produced a milky white stone that looked to have been made of a gtinous substance and was dancing with silver, golden, azure, and cyan lights, giving it a mystical charm.
Said item was a soul stone, a unique natural treasure that someone could use to store memories. Soul stones were mercurial in that before they were used, they looked no different than a pebble, and when it came to durability, they were as fragile as ss, but once someone branded it with their soul, and poured their memories into it, the stone would achieve a transformation, into what it was now. An object of ethereal beauty, and when it came to hardiness, it could self-
repair itself, and the only way to destroy it was if the power used was vastly superior to the full strength of the person whose soul was branded on it.
In the case of the soul stone in Yang Qing''s palm, for it to be destroyed, it could only be at the hands of a pce realm expert. If it was Yang Qing''s soul stone, it would need the strength of at least a middle-stage expert.
When the stones were branded, they not only absorbed the memories they were branded with but the qualities of the person''s soul, and in Yang Qing''s case, his soul stone would be tainted with a dense aura of vitality.
Themander''s soul stone was simr in that regard too. Owing to the red maple spirit''s bloodline that flowed within them as a result of the deal between the red maple spirit and their ancestor, every Duan n member had a dense life aura, and that soul stone showed signs of it.
"Emperor Duan Hu, and the team from the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, please feel free to examine its contents. The Order verifies that the contents of the soul stone have not been tampered with in any way.." Yang Qing said as he passed the soul stone over to Duan Hu first for his perusal.
Using a soul stone was just as simr to reading someone''s soul for the memories branded within, except it was less intrusive and had fewer risks, however, they were also prone to tampering, if one was skilled enough.
It took a moment for Duan Hu topose himself. He still looked visibly shaken from the revtion about the death of themander. When he passed, it triggered a storm within the empire.
Because of the growing line of betrayal within the Empire, he could never pinpoint who did it. He suspected the other ns of the deed just as much as he did his own n, after all, themander had been one of his persons, and he wouldn''t put it past the rival faction within the n to have him killed to deprive him of loyal helpers and support. He had even killed a few royal members as a result of it.
Pushing theplex emotions that were brewing within him to the side, he quickly poured his spiritual essence into the soul stone, examining its contents.
The process was swift and smooth. In three minutes or less, Duan Hu was already done and was handing the soul stone back to Yang Qing who passed it over to the side of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion team, before handing it to Deng Wei out of courtesy.
All parties present were in agreement that the soul stone had not been tampered with, and the memories contained within were authentic. Those from the Golden Bamboo Pavilion may not have known themander, but they did know Shao Ren, and looking through a soul stone was no different than reliving themander''s memories.
Everything he felt or sensed was contained in its raw authentic form within that soul stone and as for Deng Wei, he may not know anyone within that memory, but he was a domain expert. It was child''s y for someone of his rank to authenticate the memory of a quasi-pce realm expert, whether he knew the person or not.
Duan Hu was the surest of all that the memory was real, after all, he was featured in that memory. The memory did contain the version of events as showed by the jade sip Wu Mingli had produced, but it also showed the events that happened before and after which was him signing off on Wu Fang being handed over to Shao Ren and the meeting that happened after, when themander reported that the deed had been done.
It was an otherwise damning indictment of his role in the whole affair.
Once everything had settled, Wu Mingli spoke.
"Every debt has a debtor, and as the son, it falls on me to collect on the debt owed to my father.." Wu Mingli said as he turned to face Duan Hu. Even without hearing what he had to say, just from his looks, Duan Hu already knew Wu Mingli''s goal.
"My father''s only crime was being loyal to a nation that did not deserve it. Instead of being awarded for his integrity, he was punished for it.
I may have not had the ability to do anything about it back then, but I do now.." he added as his gaze trailed over to Lin Guiren and the rest.
"A life for a life, that has always been the rule of the world, and my father is owed one. With the Order serving as the witness, you said Shao Ren should be out of seclusion in three years or less, right?
I will give him an extra year to solidify his foundations, so he has no excuse. In four years, with the Order as the witness, I challenge Shao Ren to a life-and-death duel.
Of course, he is free to refuse it, but if he does, I will stille for him, and if your pavilion interferes..." Wu Mingli paused as he took out a scroll that radiated with an otherworldly energy. The source of that energy came from the binding on that scroll. It was a white branch that stirred the spiritual qi around them, almost as if breathing life and wisdom into it.
Lin Guiren, his wife, the Imperial household manager, and even Deng Wei had a sense of seriousness to them as their attention fell on the branch.
Wu Mingli muttered an incantation that reacted with the branch as it opened itself, allowing the scroll to be unfurled. The scroll was revealed to be nk, without any writing. Not a secondter, the branch branded itself onto the scroll, and a drawing of a majestic white tree filled with leaves that abounded with wisdom was produced, as colorful lights were produced by those leaves.
One could hear the voices of sages and schrs discussing countless mysteries and truths of the way of the dao emanating from those leaves. Those present could feel their spirits stirred, and their minds racing, guided forth by a transcendent power that was as old as creation.
"If the Golden Bamboo Pavilion interferes, then the Jade Leaf Academy will involve itself in the matter.." said a voice,ing from one of the leaves within the scroll. The voice was akin to a whisper of wind, trailing countless eons, containing the essence of countless secrets and truths collected throughout those eons.
Chapter 900 Terms of the deal (5)
Chapter 900 Terms of the deal (5)
??Even with the faintness of the voice, everyone could feel the grand presence and power within. All, from the core formation experts present to the domain experts, were slightly affected by the sense of majesty and power within that voice.
How could they not, when said voice was delivered through one of the most powerful dao natural treasures known in the entire continent, the Ten Thousand Dao World Jade Tree, the foundation of the behemoth that was Jade Leaf Empire and the aforementioned Jade Leaf Academy. A natural treasure rumored to have escaped the confines of a saint-grade treasure.
Feeling just a tiny bit of the profound power it contained, Yang Qing couldn''t help but feel curious about how it would feel like standing before the real thing if just a tiny portion of its aura was this impactful.
Just this tiny exposure left him feeling like his mind had been given a sudden jolt as countless ideas that he had been ruminating on over the past few months were suddenly being transformed from a jumbled mess with no clear path, and now they were being smoothened out and he could roughly sense the path he should tread on.
Yang Qing''s look turned pensive as a certain memory surfaced in his mind, triggered by his current state.
"This feeling.. it is eerie simr to the feeling I got from that book. However, the reaction is different. The book''s effect was much more tyrannical. It seemed to have had a demand on one''sprehension.
Myprehension isn''t bad even whenpared to those from the Order, but even with old Lei reducing the book''s effect, the flood of insights rushing into my mind made me feel like my brain and soul were about to explode, but the jade tree''s sensation is different. It is milder, more like a patient and kind teacher meeting the student at the level they are art.
With such a treasure, no wonder the Jade Leaf Empire has existed for so long. With its effects, who knows how many hidden dragons and tigers lurk within it? Them being dubbed a quasi-holynd may be an underestimation of their true strength.." thought Yang Qing as his attention drifted off to the rest.
They all had mixed reactions with the most intense being on Duan Hu, whose impassive look finally had strong emotions reflected on it, and it was of fear and shock.
When he walked into the courtroom, he instantly recognized Wu Mingli and his mother. When Wu Fang''s matter happened, he investigated everything rted to him, and that of course included his family.
Before he gave the nod to have Wu Fang handed to the store owner of the Green Dragon General Store, he had personally paid them a visit on the day of the incident and saw the family sitting together in their backyard, as Wu Fang leisurely drank his wine while sharing his tales with an attentive Wu Mingli.
He only ever saw them that once, and it was over 200 years ago, but with the sharp memory of a pce realm expert, anything he saw even just in passing, whether it happened yesterday, 10 years ago, 100 years ago, or 1,000 years ago, the memory of that moment would be as vivid as someone reliving that memory in its entirety.
He may have not thought about Wu Mingli, or his father for those 200 years, but the instant he saw him, even though he had changed from the youth he was with a qi refinement cultivation base,and transformed drastically, into a young man with a quasi pce stage cultivation, Duan Hu still instantly recognized both him and his mother, despite the changes that had happened to both.
And the moment he did, all he could think about was how horrible his luck over the past few months had been. He shed with an official of the Order when he, Lin Duyi, and Yao De were attempting to capture Ellie. The actnded them a beating, and imprisonment, which in turn led to the uncovering of a whole heap of worms, and now one of those uncovered worms had grown into a dragon that was after his head.
He could already tell Wu Mingli''s foundations were much stronger than he had been at his stage, and he did not doubt that if Wu Mingli broke through to the pce realm, he would not be his match.
The turn out of the battle would be just as simr to what happened when they fought against Yang Qing, if it could even be called that. He was a third-stage pce realm expert, Yao De was at the second stage, while Lin Duyi was at the first stage, but with the treasures he had on him, he could hold his own against a regr third-stage pce realm expert like himself.
But despite all three of them working together, they were still pped around by Yang Qing. With the powerful fluctuations Wu Mingli released, he felt fairly certain that there was a possibility he could replicate that same feat, and even if he couldn''t defeat all three as Yang Qing, at the very least when facing one of the three, he would be able to defeat them with the same ease as Yang Qing did.
The instant he came to that conclusion, he began to worry. His worry wasn''t at the prospect of being defeated. Wu Mingli may have contained his emotions well, but Duan Hu had been an emperor facing treachery on all sides, Wu Mingli was a thousand years too young to hide his true thoughts from him.
He knew the look of a man seeking vengeance, and considering the history, he knew he was one of the targets of that vengeance. With the choices he made, and the direction he led the Empire in, and the things that happened, he knew one of those choices woulde back to haunt him at some point in his life if he lived that long.
He had long surrendered himself to the possibility that someone may one daye to collect on the many debts he owed, and he had made his peace with it. When that moment came, he would face it head-on, and if he died in the process, so be it.
As long as he was the only one to pay that price, he was okay with it, but Wu Mingli had him worried, and it wasn''t the defeat that had him worried, but rather the implications behind his strength.
Someone doesn''t just be that strong, in such a short amount of time, without a force behind it. Over 200 years ago, Wu Mingli was just 16 years old and in the qi refinement realm, but jump forward 200 years, he was already a quasi-
pce stage expert, with terrifying foundations.
Such a result could have only been the work of something powerful. Either a powerful treasure that can do astronomical things such as give a 16-year-old youth a stupendous transformation to the quasi-pce stage, or there was a powerful organization behind the transformation. He was more inclined to believe thetter. Such an implication terrified him because it meant whoever his backer was, they could produce a powerful quasi-pce realm expert like him in a short 200 years.
By his guess, not many organizations could pull that off, and those that he thought could, were bound to be organizations that the Red Maple Empire could not afford to offend. As an emperor and the chaos surrounding him, he had long grown ustomed to assuming worst-case scenarios, rather than best-case scenarios, so he is not caught tfooted, and in his worst-case scenario, he had Wu Mingli belonging to an organization that was maybe at the same caliber as the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, not once had he thought he would have a behemoth like the Jade Leaf Academy backing worth.
The Red Maple Empire wasn''t worth a fart whenpared to such an institution. Wu Mingli belonging to some rank two organization already made him nervous to no end, as he thought of the possibility of Wu Mingli using said backer to not only punish him, but the entire Empire, ...but the Jade Leaf Academy ....his mind was shocked beyondprehension, to even contemte the implications of having created an irreconcble feud with one of their members.
He had gone beyond just feeling frightened. Even their founder, despite his domain-level strength, would not be able to subvert the danger if the Academy was dead set on destroying the Empire. The threat factor of the academy was at a different level. It was to the level that even figures like one of the leaders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion Lin Guiren, or a haughty person like Cai Hong, or the Imperial Household Manager of the Gold Leaf Empire, a rank one entity, itself, the same as the Academy, all of them without exception had grim expressions on their faces, when that warning was issued.
All Duan Hu could think of was in trying to avoid a mess he had ended up creating a disaster. He wondered at this point if his life was even enough to quell a bit of that disaster.
The fact that the Academy was willing to threaten a renowned rank two organization like the Golden Bamboo Pavilion meant that Wu Mingli was valued by them. It was for this reason that Duan Hu didn''t feel his worries about the Empire currently hanging at a precipice, being too oundish. It was a very real possibility.
"What kind of luck is this?" he bitterly thought as he hoped Wu Mingli''s ire would just be on him, Shao Ren, and the deceasedmander.
Chapter 901 Terms of the deal (6)
Chapter 901 Terms of the deal (6)
??"The Golden Bamboo Pavilion will not interfere. Shao Ren will be informed of the matter after his breakthrough.." said Lin Guiren, his expression regaining a sense of calm.
Upon getting the confirmation, Wu Mingli nodded, cupping his fists in gratitude.
"Thank you pavilion master for your amodation.." Wu Mingli said with a tone that was neither too servile, nor overbearing.
He may have a vendetta against Shao Ren but he still had to show a modicum of respect toward Lin Guiren, he was, after all, a domain expert. The world still deferred to the strong, otherwise, why would he have asked for a guarantee from the Jade Leaf Academy?
Without their backing, even if he had the achievements he had today, he would have had to employ other means to get his vengeance.
With his affair against Shao Ren already settled, Wu Mingli turned his attention toward Duan Hu, who though had a taciturn expression from years of experience of masking his true thoughts, was inwardly panicking.
"As for you, Emperor Duan Hu, For the respect my father once held for the Red Maple Empire, in honor of his feelings for it, I will give you two choices.." Wu Mingli coldly said.
"The first option is simr to Shao Ren''s, which is a fight to the death in three years, or the second option, I forego the duel and in exchange you right all the wrongs born from the mess you created by behaving like my father did, and punish the wrongdoers and help the oppressed.
Give justice to all oppressed within your empire, like Lin Fei was. Address every grievance be it a recent incident or something over a thousand years ago. For as long as the perpetrator is within your territory, they need to be punished for it.
You may have turned a blind eye to everything that happened, but I am sure as the emperor, you most of all are well informed of every single one of those misdeeds.
As long as you swear here on the heavenly dao that you will right all those wrongs, and give reprieve to those harmed by your inactions, then whatever grievances I have against you can be considered settled..."
"Is the second option a real option?"
Duan Hu''s expression visibly showed the disbelief he was in. He would never have predicted Wu Mingli''s second option would be that. Even reying it over his head, a huge part of him felt that the young quasi-pce stage expert had mentioned it in jest just to torment him, but the austere look he had on, as he said it, made the previous emperor think otherwise.
"It is real, Emperor Duan Hu.." Wu Mingli said, especially enunciating the ''Emperor'' part.
"It''s about time you acted like a true emperor to your people for all the times you did not or if you feel the burden is too much to bear you can always choose the first option.
Personally, on a selfish side, I hope you choose the first option, but this is not for me.." Wu Mingli said with a sigh, as his gaze fell on his mother briefly.
She might not say anything, or show it, but he knew she was deathly worried about today''s events and the repercussions it may have on him. She only had him, and as for him, he had her,his master, his two senior brothers, and one senior sister. If anything were to happen to him, she would truly be alone, and he had no doubt she would sooner join him and his father than spend the rest of her life alone.
He had to avenge his father, that was non-negotiable, but he also had to be considerate of his mother. That was in part the reason he made a concession when it came to the previous emperor, Duan Hu, by offering him a second option.
The second option was the middle ground he hade up with as a way to honor both his father and mother. Forcing the Emperor''s hand to give justice to the oppressed was his way of honoring his father''s spirit of service and protection of the weak, and when it came to his mother if the Emperor chose the second option, then his mother would not have to worry about him fighting a third stage pce realm expert.
Even though he wanted to end the Emperor''s life himself, like he did themander, the second option was apromise he could leave with. It was only when it came to Shao Ren that he was unequivocal in his choice. Shao Ren had to die, and by his hands at that.
It took a few seconds for Duan Hu topose himself, and immediately after he did, he already had the answer to the option he would pick. He had already picked that option even long before Wu Mingli asked him to do so.
Just as he was about to give his response, someone else beat him to it.
"He chooses the second option.." a gentle voice sounded, which though gentle sounding, had a firmness that served as a warning to Duan Hu.
"Why?" Duan Hu asked in confusion, his question directed to the gentle-looking Deng Wei.
"You were about to choose the first option, weren''t you?" Deng Wei softly asked, adopting the demeanor of a parent questioning a child, a question they already knew the answer to.
Though Duan Hu didn''t answer, his bodynguage, more or less confirmedDeng Wei''s guess was right on the mark.
Wu Mingli smirked slightly. He wasn''t too surprised that was the option Duan Hu would go for. If he picked the second option, that was no different than bing an enemy of all the subsidiaries of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
Almost every single one of those subsidiaries had bloodied their hands with the citizens of the Red Maple Empire at one point or the other. Very few were not marred with the stain.
If Duan Hu chose the second option, he would have to punish all those organizations, which would in return leave the Red Maple Empire at loggerheads with the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. While they might not necessarily care too much about their subsidiaries, Duan Hu punishing three-quarters of them would likely not sit too well with them.
While strength was king, face was its mistress. Some people sought greater strength all to gain face, and in certain spaces, strength equates face and vice versa, which was why most powerful organizations went to great lengths to preserve theirs, and he felt that was likely true for the Golden Bamboo Pavilion.
But why had he given Duan Hu that choice despite knowing full well he was likely to refuse it because of its implications attached to it? The reason for that was sentiment. It was something his mother had told him one day when he was having a fit and ming his father for acting selfishly.
Deep down he knew that his words and thoughts were wrong, but the pits of grief had long robbed him of sanity and reced it with bitterness, anger, and resentment at everything and everyone.
It was in one of those fits, that his mother told him something he would never forget.When tyranny besw, then rebellion bes duty. While his father''s actions may have seemed selfish on the surface, but in its truest essence, it was a reflection of his convictions. Duty had always been a part of who he was and in some sense, it mattered more to him than his life.
Wu Mingli had this childish hope that maybe that spirit had been inherited. The second option was born out of that desire. He hoped maybe if it came down to it, maybe Duan Hu would choose duty instead of avoidance.
Chapter 902 Terms of the deal (7)
Chapter 902 Terms of the deal (7)
??But he was wrong, though he expected it. Deng Wei speaking up, now that was a surprise. Wu Mingli didn''t know of him, other than what he could infer from the little observations he had made, and one of those observations was that he was a powerful figure, and probably as powerful as his master.
He felt no cultivation base whatsoever from him, and it was the same with Lin Guiren, his wife, or the Imperial Household Manager, the list was long. About the only people whose realms he could feel were Duan Hu''s which felt slightly powerful, the other members withints whose strengths he could urately grasp as he was stronger than them, and then there was Yao De''s whose presence was slightly weaker than Hao De''s. Of all the pce realm experts present, he had the weakest presence, while Lin Duyi and Gong Jie had the same amplitude when it came to the pressure he felt from them, but the highest pressure he felt came from Yang Qing, which he wasn''tpletely sure was either a result of his cultivation base being that deep and high, or it was a phenomenon born out of some artifact in the courtroom.
But whether it was Lin Guiren or the rest, he couldn''t feel anything from them, and that was the same feeling he got from his master, who was a domain-level expert. Drawing the same sensation, he could only assume he was a domain expert, and from the introductions that happened earlier, he was suspected to be one of the founders of the Red Maple Empire. Wu Mingli despite being a resident of the Empire, for all those years, had never heard of a founder with his name, he only knew of the six families, but seeing the behaviors ofDuan Hu andGong Jie, he was inclined to believe that he could very well be one of the founders.
He felt slightly bitter inside as a thought crossed his mind as his gaze fell on the young founder. With his strength, had he been around, then his father''s fate could have been avoided. Those subsidiaries would not have behaved as they did with someone like him around. However, he quickly pushed those thoughts to the side. What had happened, had happened, and it could not be reversed, things could only move forward.
"I will ensure he fulfills your demand. I can swear on the heavenly dao, if you want," Deng Wei said with a soft smile.
Wu Mingli slightly stunned by the remark, took a few seconds before he gained rity.
"No, No, there is no need for that senior. Your word is more than enough.." Wu Mingli hurriedly said.
"Thank you for your trust.."
"Thank you for your amodation, senior.." Wu Mingli said as he cupped his fist.
"With all parties in agreement, as the mediator and officiator,I will ratify the agreement. In three years Wu Mingli and Shao Ren shall have a life-and-death duel to settle a blood debt owed to the former for the death of his father.
The Order shall provide the time and ce.
The second arrangement, Duan Hu, with your agreement to the terms set by Wu Mingli, We shall in the capacity as the overseer of this agreement ensure that you uphold your end. Someone from the Yellow ins county will be in charge of the oversight.
They will review all cases with you, but as to what punishments or assistance you may give based on those cases, it will be up to your discretion to decide on how to deal with it.
We will also be sharing the findings of those investigations and judgments thereof, with Wu Mingli..
Are all parties in agreement with the terms?" asked Yang Qing as his gaze fell on Wu Mingli, his mom, Duan Hu, Deng Wei, and finally the team from the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, with his sight specifically focused on Lin Guiren.
"We agree.." they all unanimously answered.
"Good.." Yang Qing said as he formed a seal with his hands which triggered arge array at the center of the sky-like roof.A golden feather filled with countless ancient runes was produced from that array.
Almost all domain experts present, except for Lei Weiyuan and Hou Dehui, had solemn looks on their faces when that feather appeared. Though peaceful looking, the feather radiated with a transcendent power that made the hearts of those domain experts tremble.
Yang Qing grabbed the feather and used it as quil as he wrote something on an ancient-looking parchment. Golden lights flooded the parchment every time he wrote, and by the time he was done, the parchment radiated with an ethereal golden light, and power that made it feel like it was a heavenly edict.
He then grabbed his medallion, and a gold eagle spirit instantly appeared from it and flew into the scroll prompting it to transform into three golden scrolls, one of those scrolls flew over to Duan Hu, the other to Wu Mingli, while thest one transformed into a golden shooting star and phased through the ceiling of the courtroom, disappearing off into parts unknown.
Lin Guiren''s eyes narrowed as a terrifying ink of suspicion crossed his mind. Cai Hong and the Imperial Household Manager both had the same look on their faces as they looked in the direction the gold light had disappeared.
"With that, all the agreement among all parties can be considered delivered.." Yang Qing paused briefly as turned his head toward Lin Guiren.
"Do not worry, the notice will not interfere with his seclusion or the tribtion in any way. He will not know it is even there until it is right for him to do so, " said Yang Qing.
"With that, the agreement among the three parties can be considered officially reached and ratified. The enforcement of said agreement now falls on us, which will adhere to as per the terms of the agreement.
Wu Mingli, Madam Zhao Shan, You are free to leave, and thank you for your time and cooperation.." Yang Qing gently said as he cupped his fist.
"Thank you.." Wu Mingli and his mother uniformly said as they both returned the gesture before Xia Ting led them out of the courtroom.
Chapter 903 Work of two figures
Chapter 903 Work of two figures
??As Wu Mingli and his mother left the courtroom Lin Guiren and his wife still had grim expressions. Thest scroll that flew toward Shao Ren wasn''t just the Order handing out a notification, it had much graver implications.
The Golden Bamboo Pavilion had thousands upon thousands of subsidiaries spread throughout the continent. They had various roles one of which was the spread of the pavilion''s influence, with the business they conducted only serving as a tool to further that end.
The subsidiary members had the same role as the outer sect disciples of a sect. They were new blood injected into the pavilion, the same way outer sect disciples of a sect operated, and just like sects, if one of those subsidiaries showed some promise, then their station would be elevated.
They would be brought into the fold and given either the post of an executive or be the branch manager of some of their key branches around the continent. If they continued to improve, they would be made into elders, whose authority across the pavilion was just below that of the founders.
The minimum qualification for an elder was the ninth stage of the pce realm. Every elder at the very least was ate-stage pce realm expert.
The elders were in charge of recruiting and evaluating subsidiary candidates, and it was from within that base that they would try to search for those with the talent to rise up into executives.
The subsidiary phase served as a test for those candidates simr to how sects conducted their tests. A bunch of cultivators would be recruited as outer sect disciples and then they would be given support that was just enough to help them settle and build their foundations and then they would be left to fend for themselves,pete against each other, grow their strength, and at the end there would be a test to see who among them had grown enough to warrant a promotion to the next stage, the inner disciple courts.
The subsidiaries were the same. The Golden Bamboo Pavilion just lent them their name and a few start-up resources, but after that, they were hands-off. Whatever trajectory those subsidiaries followed, was up to them. Whether they thrived, stagnated, got destroyed, or got swallowed, it was up to them, the Golden Bamboo Pavilion would pay them little heed. It would not even avenge them, not unless they got destroyed by an enemy of the Pavilion. In that instance, the pavilion would be forced to act, but anything but that, and they would not act.
The subsidiaries were left to themselves in the wild. The only way to leave the wild and gain the attention of the pavilion was if one of them reached the quasi-pce stage. They were a merchantpany, yes, and any true merchant, the one thing the one universal constant all merchants had was they hated making a loss. Whatever they could do to prevent it, they would do it, and in a cultivation world, there was only one sure way of ensuring you would not incur losses and that was to be strong.
Without sufficient strength, no matter how shrewd you were, you would always suffer a loss. If you didn''t have the strength to hold onto what you had, others would always take from you. That fact was why the Golden Bamboo Pavilion graded strength above anything else. Yes, they did offer rewards for other achievements that were outside strength, but those rewards were not true acknowledgment from them.
True acknowledgment would onlye if one of them reached the quasi-pce stage. It was only then that they would be considered true members of the pavilion, and the pavilion would do its utmost to nurture them, which involved letting them cultivate in their core grounds and even granting them ess to precious cultivation resources.
Shao Ren having already garnered enough umtions and insights to break through to the pce realm, was in one of those precious cultivation grounds. With one of the founders being an aplished gold-grade formation master, it went without saying that all their key areas were covered in gold-
grade arrays, including the area where Shao Ren was, presently.
One of those arrays was one of obfuscation, and it could shield the area even from the awareness of a soul formation expert, but Yang Qing''s actions and words, meant that the scroll he just sent was capable of pinpointing Shao Ren''s exact location irrespective of distance, and not only that, the scroll could also breach whatever protective measures they had there, with the same ease. Those gold-grade formations might as well not exist.
That level of exposure where the Order could breach their defenses with ease, irrespective of distance, sent rm bells in Lin Guiren''s heart. If they could prate their defenses that easily, how easy would it be for the Order to attack them?
Yang Qing couldn''t help but gleefully celebrate inwardly. Lin Guiren and the rest, as seasoned old monsters, were experts at masking their emotions, but it didn''t take a genius to guess that his earlier disy had left them unnerved. Openly seeing someone breach your defenses was bound to leave someone agitated, especially if said someone was confident in those measures.
Yang Qing gleefully took it all in. He has always been a vindictive and petty person. The debts he owed, he could easily forget them, but the debts he was owed, no matter how small, he would always remember them and record them in his heart.
As he was busy gloating at their misfortunes, he couldn''t help but release a heartfelt sigh as he took in the wholesome sight of the courtroom.
What he did wasn''t something that could be easily replicated. He had merely been a bystander during the whole thing. Two figures had been the ones running the show, and those figures were two of the most powerful treasures the Order had at its disposal, to the extent that both those treasures stood out even against saint-grade treasures.
Without them, sending the scroll as he did would have been impossible.
Chapter 904 Help from an old friend
Chapter 904 Help from an old friend
One of those treasures was the very courtroom they stood in, or to be specific, the entirety of the ck medallion tower. The entire tower was a single entity, and either because it was built from a unique treasure such as the mimicry chaos sky metal, and countless other ascendant grade and saint grade treasures mixed in, but the tower had a sentient spirit, and it was the true protector of the judges, inquisitors and other workers that inhabited.
Why was Yang Qing always adamant about not leaving the headquarters, even when seduced by irresistible offers? It wasn''t that he was a strong-willed person that could effortlessly resist temptations. He wasn''t, in fact, he was self-aware that he was one of the most weak-willed people in the Order, easily susceptible to bribes. Soft life Yang Qing and Always scheming Yang Qing would not have been born if he was.
Self-preservation was the thing that kept him from sumbing to the Order''s ''vicious'' attempts, and the source of that self-preservation was the building they were currently in. It was his safe haven, and yes, the countless arrays and the powerful cultivators that roamed its halls contributed to that safety, but his greatest confidence was the building itself and the spirit entity it birthed.
"How strong is that entity?" Yang Qing once curiously asked as his curiosity for the esoteric and the mystic got tickled.
The person he asked told him this, that spirit, in the time it took someone to finish a cup of tea, had sufficient strength to raze ten rank-one organizations, to the ground, destroying everyone and anything. That was the day Yang Qing developed a deep love and veneration for the building and vowed to never leave it.
Of course, behemoths like the Jade Leaf Academy or the Thousand battle hall pavilion were not included in the ten, but rank one organizations, were rank one organizations for a reason, and destroying ten in such as short amount of time was no small feat.
Part of what made the tower such a great threat was its ability to manipte space and the void as it willed. Distance was immaterial to it.
Yang Qing used that aspect of it to deliver the scroll. The other treasure he used was an old friend, Veiled Destiny.
With its mastery over karma, it could effortlessly track Shao Ren''s location, using the strong karmic thread that had linked him to Wu Mingli and his mother.
Karma was a powerful dao of simr rank to time and space, and in terms of difficulty, one could say it was harder than the two. Even now, there was no clear guideline on how to cultivate it, with only those who have reached theter stages of the domain realm rumored to be capable of sensing its power, and even then they couldn''t freely manipte it as they wished, not like Veiled Destiny could. The best they could do was iste themselves and the areas they were around from being spied on or attacked using it.
Almost every single entity that was capable of using and manipting karma was born with the ability to do so and was not trained in it, which was what made karmic experts so scary. They had esoteric means of attack at their disposal that one didn''t even know how to fight or defend against.
The only sure way one could defend themselves against them was if they had karmic dao treasure, or if you broke through to the soul formation realm. At that stage, one was sensitive enough to respond and even retaliate to its attacks. Ate-stage domain expert could defend themselves against it too, but their means were restricted to passive defense.
From the information, Hou Dehui had shared with him about the Golden Bamboo Pavilion, all three founders of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion were in thete stages of the domain realm, and wherever Shao Ren was, there was a high chance, one of those leaders was closeby.
If it had been anyone else but Veiled Destiny they could have likely shielded the location from karmic deduction, but who was Veiled Destiny? Yang Qing knew nothing about its mysterious origins, only that it was powerful enough to deduce even the karma of an early-stage soul formation expert, despite their apparent immunity to karmic deduction. Ate-stage domain expert, no matter how deep their umtion was nothing in its eyes.
As for why he went through all the trouble of sending the scroll like that, it was for deterrent of course. A reminder to the Golden Bamboo Pavilion and the Gold Leaf Empire who exactly they were dealing with, and judging by their solemn expressions, the message had been delivered, loud and clear.
..
As Yang Qing was lost in his musings, Gong Jie and Duan Hu were having a private discussion of their own.
"Do you regret letting them live?" Gong Jie derisively asked.
Complex emotions shed in Duan Hu''s eyes as his gaze fell on where Wu Mingli and his mother had stood.
"I am not too sure," he finally answered as he brought his attention back to the stout elder.
"But I do feel regret.." he added. What the regret was about, he didn''t expound on it and Gong Jie didn''t ask.
"Letting them live.." inwardly thought Duan Hu as he smiled bitterly.
Gong Jie had misunderstood the whole thing and Duan Hu wasn''t about to correct him. Back then, it wouldn''t have been strange for Wu Mingli or his mom to be eliminated as they left, and Gong Jie had assumed that the only reason they survived the journey was due to him. After all, it wasn''t strange when dealing with troublesome matters for one to get rid of the root and the stems to rid oneself of future troubles.
Wu Mingli and his mother being alive, meant someone stepped in and guaranteed their life, and for those involved, few people could do that and he happened to be one of those people, but it couldn''t be further from the truth.
The truth of the matter was neither he nor Shao Ren cared much about them. They were inconsequential figures, and an elephant doesn''t concern himself with the misgivings of an ant.
Even if Shao Ren had gone after them, he wouldn''t have pursued the matter as he didn''t explicitly or implicitly forbid it. Wu Mingli and his mother''s surviving was just dumb luck that they were so insignificant at the time that Shao Ren couldn''t even be bothered to seek then out.
But now, that insignificant figure had already caught up to them and was now baring his fangs at them, and as long as Wu Mingli survived his duel, which Duan Hu felt the chances were high he would, after all, he hade the Jade Leaf Academy behind him, then it wouldn''t be too long before he became the inconsequential figure.
He couldn''t help but shake his head at how things had turned before he let out yet another sigh as his gaze fell on the three cultivators withints, two he recognized intimately, and he knew why they were here.
Chapter 905 Resident of the Bestial Churning Sea
Chapter 905 Resident of the Bestial Churning Sea
??After he was done with his gloating, Yang Qing ushered the next case.
"The next disagreement to be heard will be that of Xiao Gun and Yao Chang whose case is against Branch Chief Yao De, and Commander Duan Mu, but since thetter has already passed, that burden falls on you, Emperor Duan Hu, since it is believed he had been working as your representative on the matter.
Could the two Daoists please step forward.." Yang Qing said as he motioned toward two cultivators.
It was the two cultivators who when they walked in looked wary of their surroundings, especially the people within it. They seemed to be scanning the courtroom for potential exits.
As Yang Qing called them forward, despite the gentleness in his tone, one could tell they were visibly anxious being there, and that anxiety only grew when the court''s attention was on them.
One of them was the tall and thin cultivator donning blue robes and had sunken eye sockets, bulging cheekbones, and a downward w-like nose that gave him a hawk-like look. He had lightly greyed-out hair tied into a slightly messy bun that was held together by a red wood,which Yang Qing recognized to have been wood from a redworm tree, a tree famous for its healing properties, especially against yin-rted mdies.
Walking next to him was the cultivator in cyan robes, an average build, and face, and had a heavy scent of herbs on him. Based on the density of the scent, one could assume he was either an herbologist or an alchemist.
Both cultivators were at the peak stage of the core formation realm, and based on their fluctuations, by Yang Qing''s estimates, they both had orange grade cores, with the thin and swallow cultivator edging out slightly either in terms of the purity of the grade or his umtions.
Yang Qing couldn''t detect the ''vor'' of dao on them. That meant they still hadn''t found the pathway to the pce realm yet, or even the quasi-pce stage. If they didn''t, then the peak stage of the core formation realm would be the highest level they would ever reach.
Mustering whatever strength they had, the duo made their way to the center of the courtroom, asionally lowering their head submissively to avoid eye contact with those present, including even Yang Qing.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh when he saw their disy. The way they reacted seemed almost second nature to them. A habit they had no doubt gained from repeating the same action over and over for the majority of their lives.
Seeing their demeanor, and how nervous they were only further reaffirmed Yang Qing that he was right to have crossed off bing an itinerant cultivator from the onset. Most children who had just started their journey, if any one of them was asked, Yang Qing had a feeling that six out of ten would want to be a rogue cultivator.
On paper, it had a romantic charm to it that was appealing to the dreamers. Using the earth as your bed, the skies as your nket, traveling from west to east, north to south, with nothing but your sword and wine skin, and creating legendary memories in between. To be free and unfettered. Not chained to anything or anyone, but the heavens above and the earth below. There was nothing freer.
Yang Qing born with genes of a proper coward, a trait he no doubt believes he had inherited from his father, and born into a n of lunatics that provided him with optimal grounds to hone that cowardice, all this factors made Yang Qing the ultimate practitioner in the dao of paranoia.
He was unlike other children who were free to just indulge in their fantasies at a young age. At their age all Yang Qing could think of was how dangerous a situation could be, and the millions of ways things could go wrong, and when it came to bing a rogue cultivator, he had a million of them.
He greatly dreaded being a rogue cultivator and it was to the point that if he was given a choice between being a lifetime guinea pig of his grandfather and his band of lunatics or bing a rogue cultivator, he would, with no hesitation, choose the former. He was afraid of it that much and with good reason.
Rogue cultivators were not as free as how they were romanticized to be. Whatever freedoms one has, one immediately loses them the moment one bes a rogue cultivator. Yang Qing had never seen a more restrained people.
From the moment you wore that cloak, you became an outsider in your continent. You had to be mindful of every step you took so you don''t end up offending someone you should not. You could not be too outspoken, you could not be sessful, because the moment you are, you get branded a bandit, and get killed and stolen from under the banner of righteousness. Everyone around you was yet another person who could harm you, from the nobles to the prominent sect and n members, to scions of powerful organizations, down to even your fellow rogue cultivators.
You had to always be alert to the countless dangers around you. You were doomed when you were poor, and you were doomed when you were rich, doomed when in the trenches, doomed when sessful.
The only path to survival was lowering your head up until you had enough strength to raise it, and even then, most would still look down on you.
No one who had a choice in the matter would ever choose that path. It was fraught with nothing but tribtion and countless dangers that never seemed to pause, but those who managed to survive it and even thrive in it ....
The rogue cultivationmunity was looked down upon by most. They were looked down on even lower than mortals with no cultivation, but all these powerful organizations never took it too far, especially the powerful ones, those ancient rank two organizations and above. They were always mindful of their actions, a habit they reinforced in their members in how they handled the roguemunity, and the reason for that was, within the roguemunity, there were terrifying individuals whose individual strength could rival that of an entire sect, be it rank one or two.
That reputation wasn''t unfounded. At the Bestial Churning Sea, a ce filled with the most vicious spirit beast even a domain cultivator would easily lose their life there if they ventured in too deep, the further one went in, one would finda few small inds. When it came to size, Yang Qing''s abode was several timesrger than any of those inds, but when it came to richness be it spiritual qi, or the natural force of dao, those inds would make Yang Qing''s abode look like a pauper''sir.
Those inds were birthed from the origin energy of that sea, which made them rare and extremely precious cultivation grounds filled with all manner of dao natural treasures that one would never find anywhere else, but no matter how blessed and attractive thosends were, some of themy uninhabited. Reaching them meant traversing over half the sea, and at the mid-way point, even an early soul formation expert would have to be wary, while those inds were further in, located in the most dangerous region of the entire sea, where only the most vicious of those terrifying spirit beasts had built theirir.
No human would ever venture to that ce ande back in one piece, let alone dare to cultivate there, all except one person. There was someone, save for just a spear, who ventured into that ce, and imed a single ind for himself, and that person was a rogue cultivator, who to date still lives.
If the midway point was dangerous to an early-stage soul formation expert, one could only imagine what horrorsy that deep, and that person had managed to not only reach it but even take one of those ces for himself, and build an abode there. Such a feat spoke volumes of the person''s ability.
The heavens were said to be fair, whatever they took, they gave back in kind in another form and vice versa. The path of a rogue cultivator was a highly treacherous path, fraught with dangers all around, those who not only survive but also thrive in it, end up reaching heights that others could only ever dream of.
Their abilities and umtions are terrifying to behold. In fact, went it came to the domain realm, almost seven out of ten rogue cultivators who reached the qualifications for it, ended up surviving its tribtion and breakthrough.
They may not have the highest numbers overall, but they had the highest sess rate. But that was only if you were strong enough, talented enough, and lucky enough to survive and grow on that path.
The sad news was, that not many could endure it, let alone survive it. Most end up dying in the early phases of that path, while others ... well others end up broken by it, afraid to ever look up at the sun and they stall, forever bound in that darkness, unable to take even a single step, forward, till all they are is broken shells of themselves who are constantly fearful of everything around them like the two cultivators that stood before him, who looked like they wanted nothing more than to hide themselves under the marble floors of the courtroom or dash through the door that was behind them.
Chapter 906 Transcendent walker
Chapter 906 Transcendent walker
"Yin Yang genesis; Lark Serenity Aria.."
Yang Qing''s pupils had a subtle shift to them as ark bathed in pure light shed in them.
"Daoist Xioa Gun, Daoist Yao Chang, thank you for stepping forward.." Yang Qing gently said to the two rogue cultivators whose heads were still hanging low. But upon hearing Yang Qing''s voice, the nature of it emboldened them to look up, and when they did, as they gazed into his pupils they felt the sense of unease, apprehension, and the tenseness that had grown to the point of even choking them, start to leave their body.
As they looked at Yang Qing, they could a tranquil force emanating from him with them being slowly sucked into that sense of tranquility. Before they knew it their vision suddenly changed, where Yang Qing once sat now featured ark with pure white feathers that emanated with the charm of the moon and something else, that gave it an otherworldly presence.
Its wings'' gentle p produced a melody with an archaic power to it and a gentle calmness that subverted their imagination. They could feel and see the materialization of that melody transform into a gentle gust of wind brimming with warmth envelope them and in doing so filled with them with a peace they had never known before.
All the wariness, and umted fatigue they had built up their entire lives was washed away by that melody within that gust of wind. Their minds felt unencumbered, and their souls felt refreshed.
The average-height cultivator whose body was filled with the scent of herbs started tearing up as the illusion of therk disappeared, and the courtroom went to its original view.
"Thank you.." said that cultivator as he used his sleeves to wipe away the tears in his eyes.
His partner next to him, the cultivator with the hawkish features, though he didn''t cry, was just as heavily impacted as he bowed to the waist toward Yang Qing.
Gong Jie had a puzzled look on his face due to the reactions of the two cultivators. He couldn''t make heads or tails of why one of them was crying and the other was bowing within a few seconds of being called.
For a second there he had thought they had gone mad from fear. It was visible to everyone present how petrified they were. From the way they walked, to the rest of their bodynguage down to the movement of their qi. The tenseness of their qi was like that of a wounded and cornered animal. It was erratic.
But sensing it now, their qi was smooth, their bodies seemed rxed and the look in their eyes had changed somehow. A curious glint shed in his eyes as his gaze fell on Yang Qing. Seeing the reactions of the two cultivators, whatever had happened to them was likely tied to Yang Qing.
He alternated his gaze between Yang Qing and the two cultivators trying to see if he could discover a clue. Eventually, he gave up and decided to just ask their founder what happened.
"Founder, what happened to the two of them?"
"Peace.." Deng Jie calmly answered.
"Peace?" Gong Jie asked in stupefaction.
"Yes, peace... The reason they are so emotional is because Judge Yang Qing gave them something they have craved deeply all their life, but they could never feel it..." Deng Wei paused as his gaze fell on the two rogue cultivators before it went to Yang Qing. He too seemed to have been slightly affected by the disy.
"From the moment they were self-aware, they have likely never known peace. Always being wary of everything around them, afraid that something bad would happen to them if they let up even once, and the world constantly proving them to be right to be wary.
Living under the constraints of such a burden for days, to weeks, to months, to years, to centuries, to a millennium... The toll it takes is anything but light. Who knows how much the two of them have umted, its weight I have no doubt is more than enough to drive many to near insanity.
You remember how it was for you when you ventured alone to look for me?"
Gong Jie nodded grimly as his back tensed up a bit. Those years were anything but easy, especially for someone short-tempered. It was okay to act how he wanted when he was within the confines of the Red Maple Empire, after all, he was part of one of the most powerful ruling families in the Empire, which let him behave how he wanted, and he also had a peak stage core formation cultivation base to rely on, which was more than enough capital within the Empire.
He who had never left the Empire, naively started his journey thinking he could act how he wanted, only to be given a rude awakening a few months in. He realized how terrifying the outside world was when he almost died at the hands of someone with a lower cultivation base than him and only survived thanks to the protective treasures he had been given by the Gong n leader.
Things only went downhill from there and it wasn''t long before he had lost his boisterous personality and was acting no different than the two rogue cultivators. The fear got so much that he finally broke and got into a fight with someone he shouldn''t have, all in the hopes that the death that woulde from it would end his misery, only things didn''t quite go as nned. He ended up being used as bait in the Bestial Churning Sea and was exposed to a new deeper level of fear that he never thought possible.
That whole journey had left him broken. Though it had been the reason he managed to breakthrough to the pce realm, that desperation, he never wanted to have that experience again, even if it meant that he would not get to improve his cultivation base.
That experience was something he would rather not revisit, and yet he only endured it for a century, unlike the two rogue cultivators. Who knew how much they had seen or experienced, unlike him, they didn''t have an anchor of a family like he did when things got really bad for him.
They had to face that storm knowing they had nothing to rely on but themselves. Gong Jie knew if it was him, he would not have endured it for as long as they did or as good as they did, even with how fidgety they had been. He would have long lost his life, or his mind, or both.
Seeing the empathic look Gong Jie had on, Deng Wei continued,
"So you can understand why they are like that. That burden getting washed away, all that fear, bitterness, and frustration. It''s like they are breathing and living again. While they still have to contend with that world again the moment they leave here, at least for this moment, they get to know what it feels like not living under such a suffocating sensation. They get to see life on the other side, which to them is more precious than even a saint-grade treasure.."
As he finished, Deng Wei couldn''t help but sigh in gratification as his gaze fell on Yang Qing. Yang Qing hadn''t just offered them reprieve, but he had cleansed and restored their souls in that brief moment, and such a feat was a work of wonder, especially when Deng Wei felt the nature of the underlying power within said action.
When he walked into the courtroom, he did feel some slight affinity to Yang Qing, a kind of resonant, which led him to the assumption that maybe Yang Qing had the bloodline of the treefolk like him.
If they had met anywhere else but the courtroom, he would have been able to verify it easily with his abilities, but here, it was a tall order. Other than the surface level of information, Yang Qing waspletely isted from deduction. It was as if there was a powerful veil or ward around him that hid all the relevant things about him.
That istion prevented Deng Jie from digging deeper into the resonance, but now, he didn''t know the spell Yang Qing had used on the two cultivators, but he could tell its nature, which more than confirmed to him that his guess had been off the mark.
Yang Qing didn''t share the same treefolk bloodline as him, and the resonance he felt was not a bloodline-rted one, but a dao resonation. That impact was greater than if Yang Qing had a treefolk bloodline, because dao resonation meant, whatever dao Yang Qing practiced was of the same root as that of treefolk.
Dao resonation wasn''t amon thing, it wasn''t easily triggered. There were countless Daos out there, and countless cultivators who though may cultivate different techniques, the Dao pathway they choose may be simr, but such cultivators may not trigger a resolution, the only way they would trigger one is if the Dao they both practiced was a supreme grand dao.
It was only the supreme grand Dao that could trigger dao resonation. What was the supreme grand Dao? One could think of it as the highest grade of Dao, the very threads that held the operation of a world. Time and Space were supreme grand Daos, and so were other esoteric forms like Destiny, Fate, and Karma.
Supreme grand dao could be considered the ultimate form of Dao. Mythical creatures were a terrifying force to behold because they each had a natural affinity to one of the supreme grand Daos, with some even capable of manipting two like the Kunpeng that could manipte space, and the primordial water dao, which was the ultimate form of the water dao.
The things they could do, the abilities and powers they could disy, it was to a stupendous degree that even words couldn''t describe it, nor imagination capture it, and all of it was because of their attunement with the supreme grand Dao.
The treefolk had an affinity with the Dao of life which gave them absurdly long life spans, high vigor and vitality, and high sensitivity towards the form life takes and its maniption. To them what constituted as life was a broad concept, for example, to them, the Dao could be considered a breathing living entity as would an animal, a nt, or a human, and the treefolk''s sensitivity to life made them expert practitioners and maniptors of different forms of Dao.
Deng Wei had only managed to touch upon that power because of the assistance of the red maple spirit that helped unlock a bit of his bloodline, and when it did,it was like a whole new world had been opened to him. Even now, as a middle-stage domain expert, he still felt marveled and inferior to the world thaty within the pathway of the supreme grand Dao. That path was called the path of the transcendent, and few ever had the opportunity to walk on it let alone gaze upon it.
Sensing regr Dao was difficult enough as it required a significant degree of talent, wealth, andprehension,with greater demands being ced on talent andprehension, but when it came to the supreme grand Dao, the degree of difficulty grew infinitely.
Only ten in a million cultivators could actually sense the supreme grand dao, and of those ten, only four would sense it well enough to actually internalize it and pursue its path, and even then it was an upward battle, with the degree of difficulty being as hard as scaling the heavens.
For Deng Wei, the only reason he could sense the pathway was that his treefolk bloodline gave him a right of ess to it, and even then when he started out it was vague. It only became clearer when he used various resources and help from a few powerful friends to improve the degree of purity of his bloodline.
Having felt its power himself, he was intimately aware of how difficult it would be to grasp that power without a cheat like the bloodline of a mythical creature flowing through your veins, yet Yang Qing had done just that. Relying on nothing but himself, he had earned himself the right to walk on that path, and based on the arcane and primordial nature he felt when he executed his art, the ticket Yang Qing had wasn''t any less than that of a pure-blooded mythical creature.
His understanding of it may still be in its infancy age, but the purity of what he had ess to was simr to that of those mythical beings. Such a feat was capable of shaking the hearts of not only Deng Wei, but also Lin Guiren, Cai Hong, and the Imperial Household Manager, Liu Guan who understood the difficulty and implications of such a feat, especially Lin Guiren, whose eyes shed with an emotion that was akin to envy.
"A transcendent walker.." he thought as his look of envy was quickly reced by determination.
Every domain expert present knew what it meant to touch upon the supreme grand dao. Not every domain expert was a transcendent walker, but for transcendent walkers, provided they lived, were all guaranteed to step into the domain realm, and when they did, their foundations and abilities were terrifying to behold.
Myths and legends were built from people like them.
When they walked into the courtroom, they may have looked at Yang Qing as just another talented cultivator from the Order, but now, with his identity as a transcendent walker, he could no longer be seen as such because it was already set in stone that provided nothing unexpected happened, he would be a peer soon enough. They couldn''t overlook him, especially the couple whose son had an altercation with him.
Chapter 907 Of that I have no doubt
Chapter 907 Of that I have no doubt
As the domain experts were lost in their thoughts, Yang Qing was lost in his own, too.
"The art''s effects seemed to have improved drastically than I expected!" he thought as he contained his surprise while examining the effects on the two rogue cultivators.
The cultivation spell he had just used, Yin Yang Genesis: Lark''s serenity aria, wasn''t a spell he learned in some cultivation scroll or talisman somewhere but rather was an innate spell that came from his peerless jade physique, the Yin Yang Jade Nature Bones. Every peerless jade physique user would suddenly acquire innate abilities tied to their physique simr to how spirit beasts, spiritual nts, or those born with natural physiques would have innate abilities.
Yang Qing received a few innate traits and spells when he broke through and the spell he just used had been one of them.
In the early days after he had just unlocked it, the spell''s ability was restrained to just offering him protection against abilities that disrupted the mind while also offering him a certain level of sensitivity to different ranges of killing intent directed at him.
As he improved his cultivation base, the range of those abilities grew to the point that when he was in the foundation establishment stage, the art''s effects evolved from granting him extreme sensitivity to even mild killing intent to sensitivity to the state of other living being''s soul, especially if it was tainted either by miasma or was injured somehow.
However, even if he knew it, he still couldn''t do anything about it. The art relied solely on the strength of his soul. As a foundation establishment cultivator, even though his soul was more powerful than most, owing to the innate benefits afforded by his peerless jade physique, it was not strong enough for him to heal someone''s soul of the various mdies he saw.
His soul''s strength at the time could only support the spell''s restorative features on himself. Only when he broke through to the core formation realm did he finally have an active effect on others. He could finally do something about the disorders he saw in other people''s souls but only up to a degree.
The degree of the effect he had, improved as his cultivation base grew. When he was at thete stages of the core formation realm, using the spell, he could finally even affect heart demons and mental demons, whilst also urately judging the strain of someone''s soul state.
He had other innate attributes that gave him the ability to determine the state of someone''s soul, but when it came to effecting change, none was better than Lark''s serenity aria, whose ability got more stupendous when he broke through to the pce realm. Whereas when he was in the core formation realm where though he could see those mental and heart demons, and even have an effect on them somewhat, the effect was no different than using a salve on a serious injury. He could only slightly soothe the strain and damage left by them but when he reached the pce realm, that effect catapulted.
He could restore the damages done by those mental and heart demons, while at the same time revitalizing the spirit of its victims, by restoring it to its original ''vor'' before it got contaminated by the heart and mental demons, and in doing so, the victim could seamlessly rid himself free of those mental demons, provided they were willing.
That particr effect of the spell was useless on him, but it had a great effect on others, and it was an aspect that was highly appreciated at the Medical Valley as the spell''s effects were effective on anything with life, from cultivators to artifacts with spirits.
What made Yang Qing shocked though was the ease and rapid effect of the spell when he executed it. When he was using he was only looking to alleviate some of the mental pressure the two cultivators were under by stirring their spirits slightly and revitalizing their souls a bit. He was in no way targeting the demons that hadid them captive.
Even with his new found abilities,?and the two of them being weaker than him, it would have taken considerable effort and time for him to restore them to the point that they could rid themselves of those shackles, but what he was seeing was exactly that. The souls of the two cultivators were bright, and full of life, and when he was executing the art, he felt something shake within him as a soft ethereal power blended with the spell as he was casting it, and next thing he knew, the spirits of the two peak stage core formation experts had been revitalized.
"It must be because of that jade tree.."?muttered Yang Qing, increasingly certain of his guess. The nature of his qi and the effect of all of his spells had changed ever since he woke up from hisa. Though his understanding was still rudimentary, he could tell that deep within him, something had been unlocked, he wasn''t sure what, but it hadpletely changed his entire being somehow.
He couldn''t help but sigh at the thought of his insane grandfather being right. It went without saying that he knew all these changes were brought about by his physique. As much as it pained him to admit it, his grandfather was right in saying there was more to the peerless jade physique than met the eye. There were tonnes of mysteries left to uncover from it.
"But all of that will have to wait.." thought Yang Qing as he brought his attention back to the courtroom only to find himself puzzled at the gazes he was getting from Deng Wei, Lin Guiren, and Liu Guan.
"What''s with them? Do I have something on me?"?Yang Qing curiously wondered as he quickly used his pce sense to check his body and robes for any changes.
"Lei, does he know?" asked Hou Dehui with an amused smile on his face as his gaze fell on Yang Qing.
"You know he doesn''t. As per the Order''s policies, he will only be made aware of it when he is in theter stages of the pce realm.
If that brat knew, knowing his personality, he would be using any chance he got to unt his abilities even more than he does, but not before he makes more noise at the sries and remuneration department about how he needs to be given better consideration.
He would have long milked it for everything it''s worth.."
Hou Dehui couldn''t help but chuckle lightly at the remark as he said,
"Of that, I have no doubt.."
...
Yang Qing unaware of the discussions happening around him, after confirming there was nothing wrong with his robe, and that he was still as handsome as ever (self-proimed), moved the case along.
"Xiao Gun, Yao Chang, would you please?"Yang Qing said with a gentle tone and an encouraging smile. He may have cleansed them of the umted fatigue and stresses to their soul, but whatever phobias they had, they were still there. The experiences of all they had gone through and endured up to this point, were still there, the only difference now, was they had a bit of rity and breathing space from it.
Yang Qing had not eliminated their ability to feel fear or anxiety, he just healed the umted toll it had on them and gave them a chance to face off against it.
The duo took a second topose themselves before the herbal scent-filled cultivator nodded at the tall and thin cultivator as a sign that he should go first, who threw a helpless smile before nodding agreeably.
Out of habit, he lowered his head slightly as he subconsciously reached for his waist only to realize that the sword that had always been there, was absent today, having been confiscated before he was brought to the courtroom. It wasn''t that he had any intention to use it, just that its presence would have served as a great pir of support in such an unnerving situation.
"M.m.. My name is Xiao Gun, and I''m a rogue cultivator, originally from Haishu vige, a fishing vige in Duck Lilly Kingdom. I have been a rogue cultivator since I was eight years old.." said the hawk-faced cultivator.
He started slightly nervous, but as he talked more, he gained a sense of calm andported himself well. One could hardly believe he had been the trembling twig from before.
Infected by hisposure, the other rogue cultivator stepped forward.
"My name is Yao Chang, also a rogue cultivator, and was once a member of a small n in the Bluefish Kingdom, called the Yao n," Yao Chang as his tone and expression turned mncholic.
"They are not there anymore.." he added, before stepping back, leaving the stage to Xiao Gun.
Xiao Gunfortingly patted Yao Chang on the back, before he straightened his robes slightly at the chest as a way to prepare himself for the testimony.
"The reason I am here today is because 65 years ago, a friend of ours, also a rogue cultivator, by the name of Fu Yong, was robbed and assaulted whilst he was out on business in Red Maple Empire.
The identity of his robbers was, City Guard Commander of the Red Maple Empire, Duan Mu,who was working at the behest of Branch Chief Yao De.
Together, they wanted to rob Fu Yong of a legacy he had on him. A legacy belonging to the Verdant Water Crane Sect..." said Xiao Gun.
Chapter 908 Sacred Kirin Manor
Chapter 908 Sacred Kirin Manor
Xiao Gun clenched his fists lightly as a glint of pain, anger, and helplessness shed in his eyes before it transformed into a renewed will.
"I, Fu Yong, and Yao Chang have known each other for close to 800 years, and in that time we formed a deep bond from surviving countless life and death situations with each other..." Xiao Gun said as he smiled fondly, possibly recalling a memory of the trio.
"When you be a rogue cultivator, you have no one to rely on but yourself. The experiences you have make you wary of almost everyone youe across. Those within established organizations look at you with disdain, while when ites to your fellow rogue cultivators, you can''t trust them either.
The life and experiences of our kind are not easy, especially on the mind. Whether one admits it or not, recognizes it or not, it does something to us, and almost always the effect isn''t good. Some end up twisted because of it.
There have been cases of some rogue cultivators, because of the bitterness and resentment they have umted from being shunned and mistreated, turning that anger on other rogue cultivators to the point of openly attacking one whenever they came into contact with one, with others even going to the extent of capturing some and torturing them..."
Xiao Gun paused as fear from a long-distant memory shed in his eyes briefly, and he wasn''t the only one, Yao Chang had the same reaction too.
"Us three brothers, I, Yao Chang, and Fu Yong knew each other because we all got kidnapped at the same time by the same rogue cultivator. He was at thete stages of the foundation establishment realm, while we were in the early stages.
We were all kidnapped at different periods. Of the three of us, Yao Chang was the one who was grabbed earliest, while I followedter. When he grabbed me, Yao Chang had already been there for almost three years, and after me, Fu Yong was brought in three monthster.
We were all taken under the same guise. The rogue cultivator in question was a skilled alchemist who purported himself as a kind figure. At markets frequented mostly by rogue cultivators, he sold pills and potions at an affordable rate and even had bonus services such as providing free check-ups as he had some skills in medical cultivation too.
For rogue cultivators like us who constantly flirted with death and always had to penny-pinch every resource we had, someone like him is a boon for us. So it wasn''t hard for us to let down our guard around him.
This is not to say that we were careless around him. In our way of life, you be inherently suspicious of everything and everyone, but if there''s in anyone skilled enough to breach that line it would be one of our own, as they know exactly how we think and judge situations.
Tan Song, his name was. He worked me for two years. Though he offered friendly rates on the pills and potions, it wasn''t overly friendly to the point that it would trigger rm bells in my mind, as asionally he would ask for favors in return, such as sourcing a certain herb for him, or as additional manpower when he went harvesting and the like.
Asking for favors was his way of lowering our guards, after all, an overly kind person would trigger the highest suspicion among our kind. We would more easily trust a viin than we would a saint.
Tan Song asking for favors as a form of repayment, helped reduce that suspicion, which was why a few yearster when he asked me to acquire a certain herb for him at a particr location, I didn''t think much of it. It wasn''t something I hadn''t done a million of times before, and I assumed it would be the same as all the other runs I had done before.." Xiao Gun paused briefly before he continued.
"Only this time, it wasn''t. The location he had sent me to was one of his abodes, which was powered by a carefullyid array and hallucinogenic red mist spider lily flowers that paralyzed me the instant?I stepped foot in there.
Once captured, he took me where he had the rest, who just like me, were rogue cultivators. He would experiment with various recipes on us. If it wasn''t for the euphoric look he had on his face whenever his failed recipes tormented our bodies, or the look of disdain he had whenever he grabbed us to experiment on us, I would have mistaken him for just a passionate alchemist who was too cheap to buy pill ves, or pay someone to willingly be a guinea pig for his recipes.
The hate he had for us was clear as day, I never knew his full story, only that at least hundreds of rogue cultivators died at his hands.
Eventually a few yearster, thanks to the noble efforts of a desperate member who couldn''t take it anymore, we found a window to escape. Fu Yong, Yao Chang, and I partnered up and eventually, we managed to get away from him.
A few others got away too, and with it the news of what Tan Song had been doing. He got killed by a core formation rogue cultivator whose sworn brother had been one of his victims.
As for us, having survived that ordeal together, we developed a sense of kinship. Though because of that very same ordeal, and the experience we had with Tan Song, we could neverpletely trust one another. But that did not stop us from working together.
Without sufficient strength to prop yourself up against this world, you need the help of others to act as you support, otherwise, by yourself, you will cave and break under its massive weight.
Thus we three brothers found the perfect bnce of acting as each other''s support whilst also having a healthy sense of wariness towards one another, and because of it, we created a system.
Every harvest we made be it ruin exploration, diving into mysterious realms, or scavenging to other ces of fortune, we made clear guidelines on what our roles would be, and in case the exploration bore fruit, how the split would be, and since we couldn''t fully trust one anotherpletely, we reinforced it through the services of a third party, the Sacred Kirin Manor..." said Xiao Gun.
The Sacred Kirin Manor was a niche rank two organization whose members numbered not more than twenty, and who practiced an esoteric art, that was centered on an elusive form of Dao, the Dao of Oaths which is rumored to be a vein of Dao tied to the heavenly Dao itself.
Every member was believed to have the bloodline of the Sacred Light kirin. Kirins were believed to be emissaries of righteousness, and the sacred light kirin especially, was believed to be the flesh and blood incarnation of the heavenly Dao itself. It served as a bncer in the world at the behest of the heavenly Dao and was rumored to have the ability to sermon a lightning tribtion to punish those who broke that bnce.
It was unknown how true that rumor was as a sacred light kirin has never been cited, but if it really did exist, then that would make it one of the most dangerous creatures in the entire world. Lightning tribtions could ignore all defense a cultivator might employ, all was useless before its might, and no matter what preparations you made, you would still be filled with dread the moment it appeared.
Yang Qing could remember how suffocated he had felt when those clouds appeared above him either when he was breaking through to the core formation realm or the pce realm. While he went through the lighting strikes smoothly and easily, he knew it wasn''t the same for others, as there have always been recordings of those who died under their tribtions be it the core formation one, or the one in the pce realm.
It was when it came to the domain realm, that the danger of the tribtion was universal. Unlike the tribtion of the core formation realm or the pce realm where as long as you had a sturdy and deep foundation and umtion you were guaranteed to have a smooth experience to the point that Yang Qing shamelessly bathed in it with smugness when it came to the domain level tribtion things were not that easy. A heaven-defying genius stood the same chance of dying as did an average cultivator.
If the sacred light kirin could control such a cmitous tribtion at will, how terrifying would it be as an opponent? Every domain expert who survived their tribtion did not do it unscathed, and the number of tribtions was set. As far as Yang Qing knew, there were nine of them. As long as you endured the nine, you were through.
What would happen to those domain experts if they had to endure twelve, fifteen, or thirty? The answer was simple, they would die. This was what made the sacred light kirin potentially so terrifying, luckily it could not be proven that they existed, but what was true was the Sacred Kirin Manor had the ability to enforce agreements between parties.
Yang Qing didn''t know how they did it, only that it had something to do with the esoteric art they cultivated. Those who vited the terms of the agreement even slightly would face the wrath of the heavens, which in simple terms meant a white light in the form of a kirin would strike them down and kill them on the spot, no matter where they were.
Most prominent merchant groups liked to use their services, and the Order did too, on a few agreements here and there. When it came to hiring their services they were a particrly odd bunch, for what they offered, they never charged that much, and only charged a third of the value of what was in the agreement which could be paid in whatever form the client wished be it treasures, spirit stones, or even render a service to the manor that was equivalent to the value, they would ept.
Yang Qing had once asked a few of the seniors at the Order if they did that because they were just ascetics who were indifferent to fame and wealth, and the response he got was, that the manor''s true payment was the agreement itself.
The Dao they cultivated grew in strength from every agreement they supervised, and it would be invaluable so, if the agreement was adhered to. The agreement benefited them just as much as it was to the parties.
Yang Qing couldn''t help but sigh at the measures Xiao Gun and the rest took. Defying even a single use in the agreement would be counted as a vition, no matter how small, and it would invite the lightning''s full wrath.
The punishment was indiscriminate whether it was a small vition or a big one, the ferocity of the strike would be the same. Taking those agreements, no matter how beneficial, was extremely risky as it was no different than surrendering your lives to the agreement.
He could see the mistrust of the three cultivators, yet the desperation to work together.
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