A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 195 The Hidden Spring of the Underworld
Lanruo Temple, on the outskirts of Jinhua City

It was winter, the world was covered in silver snow, and all was quiet. However, several figures appeared on the bluestone path in the distance. These people walked on the snow without leaving a trace, and their figures were so fast that they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the temple with green tiles and red walls not far ahead, Jing Wuyuan frowned. Logically speaking, this temple should be a place for practitioners to cultivate in peace, so why is there so much worldly atmosphere, and even a trace of bloodshed mixed in?

"Your Majesty, this Lanruo Temple is rather strange. We should find the Seven-Life Lovers as soon as possible. This place is too close to Jinhua City. Although the secrets of heaven are obscured, we should still be careful."

Upon hearing this, Youyue nodded. After the group arrived at the temple entrance, Meiji, at Youyue's signal, pushed open the door and the three of them quickly entered the temple.

"In the rear hall."

After sensing for a moment, Youyue opened her eyes and spoke to the two of them. Upon hearing this, Jing Wuyuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his body shimmered with a ghostly aura, and his figure vanished instantly. A short while later, Jing Wuyuan returned with a swaddled baby. Youyue immediately took the baby, examined it for a moment, and then nodded to the two of them.

"Your Majesty, you and Meiji go first. I will handle things here."

"Then be careful, Meiji, let's go." Youyue called to Meiji, and the two quickly left Lanruo Temple. After traveling a hundred miles away from Jinhua City, a flash of light appeared on their bodies, and they had already returned to Sunrise Mountain City using a teleportation array.

Just after Youyue and Meiji left, a sharp glint flashed in Jing Wuyuan's eyes. He had only glanced at the place casually, but it turned out to be a den of iniquity. The monks were all stained with blood, and not one of them was a good person.

Jing Wuyuan didn't consider himself a gentleman, but he was extremely disgusted by this. He reached out and summoned clusters of emerald-green yin fire from the sky, enveloping the entire Lanruo Temple. With a loud bang, the yin fire intensified, and the monks in the temple screamed in agony. In just a few breaths, all living things were burned to ashes.

"It came pretty quickly."

Jing Wuyuan sensed the aura that suddenly appeared in Jinhua City. He was startled, glanced at Lanruo Temple which was already half burned, and then disappeared in a flash.

When Jin Guang arrived at the place, most of Lanruo Temple had been destroyed. Jin Guang's face was very ugly when he saw this. He sped up, but he was still a step too late. He waved his hand and a ball of golden light rained down, extinguishing the green eerie flames.

"Sect Master, there are no living people left in the temple."

Jin Guang took one last look at Lanruo Temple, then turned and left, and the others followed suit.

Inside the Xuanxin Hall, Fuyunzi looked at the golden light and said, "Sect Master, the thirty-six disciples are ready. When would you like to enter the hall to cultivate?"

"Take them to the spirit gate in a moment, and don't let them wander around freely."

"Yes, Sect Master." Seeing that the Sect Master had no further instructions, Fu Yunzi left.

"Holy Maiden of the Three Realms, how is the situation on the Yin Moon Dynasty's side?"

"Reporting to the sect master, the gate of Sunrise Mountain City opened half an hour ago, and there has been no movement since then. Moreover, the other party has set up a maze, and the three of us can no longer sense it."

Upon hearing this, Jin Guang's expression became very solemn. He was now 100% certain that the Seven Lifetimes of Enmity had fallen into the hands of the Yin Yue Dynasty. With this trump card in hand, the Yin Yue Dynasty, which had suffered heavy losses, was able to recover. With another 10 or 20 years of recuperation, they would definitely be even more difficult to deal with in the future.

Although Jin Guang was willing to launch an attack, the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect could no longer support him in doing so, and he could only recuperate quietly for the foreseeable future.

"I hope that senior brother can forge that magic-slaying artifact as soon as possible."

In the Fiery Cave, within the underground fiery pit, Gu Xu was continuously casting hand seals towards the Heavenly Demon Mine. After three days, a small portion of the crimson ore had become crystal clear, and the seven-colored light illuminated the underground fiery pit like a dream, with various beautiful scenes constantly appearing in Gu Xu's mind.

"This demonic ore is truly incredible. Even refining just a small portion of it has such a bewitching effect. If someone has a weak will, they might be corrupted and turned into a puppet."

Seeing the still slightly trembling demon ore, Gu Xu snorted coldly, and his body shone brightly with golden and crimson light, which helped the earth's yang fire to burn it. Then, thick black smoke rose from the demon ore.

This smoke was formed from innate demonic energy and already possessed spirituality. It had been held back for three days, preparing to turn against the enemy at a crucial moment. However, Gu Xu kept his mind focused and was not misled by the illusion. Now, his place of refuge is getting smaller and smaller, and he is forced to leave the demon mine by Hao Ri Jin Yang.

When Gu Xu saw that the demonic energy of the demonic mine had been forced out, a glint of light flashed in his eyes. A blast of frosty cold air shot out like an arrow, freezing the demonic energy as it was trapped by the array's restrictions. No matter how it struggled, it would not be able to escape.

The moment the demonic energy was sealed, the crimson and red colors on the demonic ore faded at a visible speed. A moment later, under the dual tempering of the Earth Yang Fire and the Hao Ri Golden Sun, the remaining large half of the Heavenly Demonic Ore began to become crystal clear, with specks of light radiating from it.

"It is so."

Gu Xu had previously guessed that the demonic ore and demonic energy were intertwined, making the calcination results insignificant. Sealing one of them immediately accelerated the refining speed. At this rate, it might only take half a year to calcinate it thoroughly. If other materials were to be smelted in, it would take at least several years. Even if the refining of the magic weapon was successful, there would still be the process of opening the acupoints and nurturing it. By this calculation, ten years would be considered fast.

With a flick of his finger, the demonic energy sealed by the Ice Soul Mystic Light instantly dissipated. After being repeatedly refined by the extreme cold and the earth's yang fire, it quickly turned into a pile of ash and fell into the earth's magma.

Just as Gu Xu was immersed in the refining process, the communication jade talisman in his sleeve suddenly moved slightly. Gu Xu immediately took it out and examined it. His eyes flashed slightly. He never expected that no matter how much he planned, the seven lifetimes of grudges would still end up in the hands of the Yin Yue Dynasty.

"Lanruo Temple, the secrets of heaven are obscured. Moon Demon, the more you interfere in human affairs, the more you will become entangled with the human world. When the time is right, my demon-slaying weapon will have a place to be used."

After sending a message into the jade talisman, Gu Xu continued to ignite the Earth Yang Fire, repeatedly smelting the Heavenly Demon Ore, and the impurities were quickly stripped away.

Inside the Xuanxin Hall, Jin Guang observed for a moment and saw forty faint auras in the spiritual gate. Apart from the four Xuanxin generals, the remaining thirty-six were all newly selected disciples with the greatest potential. Jin Guang was confident that he could make them the backbone of the Xuanxin sect within ten years.

Just then, the jade talisman beside the golden light slowly rose up. Upon seeing this, the golden light took it and examined it carefully, and his heart was immediately at ease.

Outside the Forest of Oblivion, outside a wooden house, Yan Chixia waited anxiously. Hearing the screams coming from inside, Yan Chixia felt a pang of heartache. He paced back and forth, his face full of worry. After an unknown amount of time, the sounds coming from inside the house grew fainter and fainter until they were almost imperceptible.

Yan Chixia's expression changed, and he was about to rush into the house without thinking. Just as he reached the outside, he heard the sound of a baby crying inside. The midwife hurriedly pushed open the door, almost bumping into Yan Chixia, who grabbed the midwife's sleeve and said anxiously, "How is my wife!"

"Rest assured, sir, madam is well. Congratulations on the birth of your daughter."

When Yan Chixia heard that his wife was alright and learned that he had a daughter, he was overjoyed. He took out a piece of silver and handed it to the midwife, saying, "Thank you for your trouble. May I go in and take a look?"

The midwife took the silver, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Master, go in now, but please be careful not to catch a cold. Madam is in good health; she'll recover in less than a month."

The midwife then mentioned some taboos for pregnant women, which Yan Chixia carefully noted down. After repeatedly thanking the midwife, he saw her off before returning home.

As soon as Yan Chixia entered the room, he smelled a faint scent of blood. Seeing Sima Sanniang's slightly furrowed brows, he took out a jade bead from his sleeve. The bead shone brightly and, with a slight glimmer, the residual blood and filth were immediately absorbed into it. The jade bead turned from white to black, and after most of it turned black, the entire room became comfortable and the air became fresh.

"Third Sister, how are you? Are you feeling better?" Yan Chixia put away the jade beads, came to the bedside, and looked at Sima Third Sister, whose face was pale.

"It's nothing serious, just a depletion of vital energy. Half a month of quiet meditation will make it fine. Big Beard, look at our daughter."

Sima San Niang held the swaddling clothes, reached out and touched one side, revealing the lovely baby inside. Yan Chixia looked at his daughter and felt a strange feeling for no reason.

He reached out to touch his daughter's face, but worried that he might hurt her, so he withdrew his hand.

Have you decided what name to give our daughter?

Seeing her husband's cautious manner, Sima Sanniang chuckled inwardly. This was nothing compared to what was to come; he would have plenty of headaches to deal with in the future.

“Hongye, Yan Hongye.” Yan Chixia pondered for a moment and uttered a name. Upon hearing this, Sima Sanniang’s eyes flickered slightly, and a shy smile appeared on her face.

She knew the meaning of the words "red leaves" all too well. They had met and fallen in love under a red maple tree, and eventually married.

"Madam, what do you think of this name?"

Yan Chixia looked at the shy Sima San Niang and had a good idea of ​​what was going on, but he still needed to confirm it.

"This name is good. Let's call her Yan Hongye. Hongye, Hongye."

Sima San Niang gently rocked the swaddling clothes, inside which Yan Hongye was sleeping peacefully.

Upon hearing this, Yan Chixia smiled and tentatively grasped Yan Hongye's delicate white hand with his rough palm. An indescribable feeling immediately filled his mind.

At the same time, Yan Chixia and Sima Sanniang exchanged a glance. A red light flashed on their hands, and a continuous stream of magical power poured into Yan Hongye's body to build her foundation. Because of Sima Sanniang's magic, the innate energy had not dissipated. It merged with the magical power that Yan Chixia had transmitted, and a wonderful change immediately occurred.

Her meridians gradually expanded, and her dantian expanded even further. The innate energy took root there, constantly absorbing the incoming magical power and shaping Yan Hongye's body.

Half an hour later, Yan Chixia withdrew his hand, his face slightly pale. After calming his breathing, he said to Sima Sanniang, "Hongye originally had excellent aptitude. With my ten years of cultivation, her future achievements will far surpass those of you and me."

Sima San Niang nodded upon hearing this. She and Yan Chixia had already decided to have only one child. Hongye's future had already been arranged when she was born.

"Red Clouds, will Red Leaf really be able to return to the True Sect of Profound Heart in the future?"

Sima Sanniang was very worried. As members of the Xuanxin Sect, they could not pass on any of the martial arts techniques they had learned from the sect to their daughter without the sect's permission. This was a matter of principle. However, if Hongye returned to the Xuanxin Sect, this problem could be solved. But the key was that they had already severed ties with the sect, so how could they have the face to let Hongye go back?

"Don't worry, although Jin Guang is in charge of the Xuanxin Sect now, Junior Brother Gu Xu still has some influence over Jin Guang. If I go to ask him personally, I am very confident that I can succeed."

Seeing her husband's reassured expression, Sima Sanniang felt relieved. Although her junior brother Gu Xu was detached from worldly affairs, if he were to intervene, Jin Guang would likely agree.

Just as the couple were exchanging pleasantries, a loud bang suddenly came from outside. Yan Chixia and Sima Sanniang exchanged a glance, then turned and left. When they came outside, they saw a thick black fog rising from the direction of the Forgetful Forest, and it was still expanding and surging towards them.

"Third Sister, the poisonous miasma in the Forget-Love Forest has erupted. I'll go deal with it first."

"be careful!"

Sima Sanniang gave a few instructions and then said no more. The poisonous miasma in the Forget-Love Forest would erupt every once in a while. If it was not stopped, it would spread to the human world and cause a calamity.

Fortunately, the couple had already set up an array to contain it within the Forest of Oblivion, but whenever it erupted, the array would have a flaw, requiring timely repair.

After taking all the necessary magical artifacts, Yan Chixia transformed into a beam of light and flew towards the location of the explosion.

A moment later, Yan Chixia looked down at the billowing black mist and frowned. Without thinking, he reached into his bag and took out array flags. With a burst of magic, the flags flew in all directions. Upon landing, they suddenly lit up, and thousands of rays of light intertwined to form a light shield. Runes flashed inside, constantly blocking the surging poisonous miasma.

"Strange, the poisonous miasma has been erupting more and more severely lately. What could be the reason?"

Yan Chixia felt relieved as he watched the formation successfully block the poisonous miasma, but then became puzzled. Logically, the poisonous miasma should have been continuously weakened by the formation, but each time it re-emerged, its power increased significantly, and its corrosiveness also became greater.

"Heaven and Earth are boundless, the profound mind and righteous law guide the spirit!"

Yan Chixia took out a magic talisman, recited the incantation, and the talisman transformed into a beam of light that pierced through the thick black mist and pointed in one direction.

"There's definitely something strange going on. Let's go investigate."

Seeing that the talisman had worked, Yan Chixia's expression turned solemn. He raised his protective light shield and rushed into the thick poisonous miasma. Following the talisman's guidance, he arrived at a hidden cave.

"The yin energy here is extremely strong, but it is suppressed by a righteous energy. Could it be..."

Yan Chixia's expression changed drastically as he thought of a certain place. He flew into the depths of the cave and immediately felt a bone-chilling cold. Yan Chixia slowly walked forward and saw a misty pool at the end of the cave, about ten feet wide. Water vapor rose and white mist condensed into frost, and the bottom of the pool could not be seen. The surrounding stone walls were all covered with ice.

In the center of the pool was a crimson longsword, with a red gemstone inlaid at the end of the hilt. It was radiating a scorching power, constantly fighting against the yin energy. However, it was clear to anyone with discerning eyes that the scorching energy was already at a disadvantage.

"The Netherworld Spring! The Moye Sword!"

Yan Chixia's face showed both shock and delight. Seeing that the suppressing power of the Moye sword was weakening, Yan Chixia immediately injected a stream of profound energy into the "Zhengguang Stone". With this help, the sword shone brightly, and the gemstone emitted a series of crimson halos that grew from small to large, forming a pagoda shape that enveloped the misty spring from top to bottom.

The Yin energy in the pool, sensing the suppressing force, immediately became agitated. However, with the combined efforts of the Moye Sword and Yan Chixia, after a brief stalemate, the red halos finally suppressed the Yin energy again. The Moye Sword hummed and returned to its original ancient appearance.

Seeing this, Yan Chixia withdrew his magic power and sat down by the pool, his face covered in cold sweat. The brief stalemate had almost drained all his remaining magic power, and now his whole body was trembling.

After swallowing a few pills, Yan Chixia took out some array flags and set up a simple defensive array. He then sat down to meditate and recover his energy. Half an hour later, when his mana had recovered to 40%, Yan Chixia stood up, put away the array flags, and looked at the Yin World Nether Spring in front of him.

"The Netherworld Spring that the sect couldn't find is actually here! No, we must tell the sect about this immediately. The Netherworld Spring is growing stronger every day, and the Moye Sword is already finding it difficult to suppress it."

Yan Chixia's face was solemn. This Yin World Nether Spring was the most deadly thing in the world, gathering all the evil and malevolent energy. Not to mention the righteous sects led by the Xuanxin Sect, even the evil sects such as the Yin Moon Dynasty, once they discovered this place, if they could not destroy it, they must seal it to prevent it from causing havoc on the world.

He reached into his bag and took out a recording bead, recording everything about the place. He then spoke a few words into it before putting it away.

"Before the sect's future inhabitants arrive, I must stay here to oversee things and prevent any further accidents from happening."

Although the Yin energy has now been suppressed by the sword, judging from the previous situation, this suppression will probably not last long.

Thinking of this, Yan Chixia summoned all the remaining array flags and set up a sealing array around the pool. Spiritual light intertwined and spread out above the pool. Yan Chixia's hands moved non-stop, casting hand seals one after another. Runes condensed and emitted a crimson light, echoing the faintly shimmering "Zheng Guang Stone" on the Mo Xie sword below.

Only when his magical power was exhausted did Yan Chixia stop, sit cross-legged, and swallow a pill to restore his energy.

Another hour passed. Yan Chixia opened his eyes, looked at the gradually increasing suppressive power, made up his mind, turned around and left the secret cave, transforming into a streak of red light and flying towards the outside of the Forgetful Forest.

Just as Yan Chixia was suppressing the Netherworld Spring, Gu Xu, far away at the Xuanxin Sect, had a sudden thought, as the restriction left on the Netherworld Spring was triggered.

"Yan Chixia has already found the Yin Shi You Quan? That's good. With him there and the backup plans he left behind, we can be safe for the next one or two decades. We should still inform the sect leader about this."

After sending a message into the communication jade talisman and transmitting it to the golden light, Gu Xu continued to use earth fire to smelt the Heavenly Demon Ore.

Inside the Xuanxin Hall, Jin Guang put away the jade talisman in his hand, his expression becoming somewhat calm.

"We can't worry about Yin Shi You Quan right now. Since Senior Brother said it will be fine for the next ten or twenty years, let's put it aside for now and deal with it after the sect's vitality recovers."

(End of this chapter)