A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 212 Plotting Against the Hidden Spring
Yinyue Dynasty, within the Holy Temple

Qi Ye sat cross-legged on the jade platform, surrounded by surging spiritual energy that constantly converged on him. The luminous white pearl in front of him emitted a soft light that shone on Qi Ye. With each breath, the light flickered. After an unknown amount of time, Qi Ye suddenly opened his eyes and silently circulated his inner energy to calm his internal energy.

At the same time, the "Moon Soul Pearl" gradually lost its luster and finally fell into Qi Ye's hand with a thud.

"After months of arduous cultivation, I have finally made some progress. Now that I have encountered the golden light again, I no longer need to fear the golden talisman."

Qi Ye slowly rose, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. During this period of seclusion, his foundational magic power had increased considerably, and he had also cultivated several powerful divine abilities through this pearl. One of them was even comparable to the "Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique," making it a tremendous gain.

"It's a pity that the Moon Soul Pearl has exhausted its spiritual energy and cannot be used again in a short time. If I had a few more months, I might be able to advance my cultivation level by another step."

Although there was some regret in Qi Ye's tone, there was no disappointment on his face. With a wave of his sleeve, all the restrictive formations that sealed the palace were removed. Not long after the formations were removed, in the Hall of Four Sages, Evil Dragon and the others had already noticed and exchanged glances before heading towards the Holy Temple.

"Your Majesty, the Four Sages request an audience!" the four evil dragons called out in unison outside the closed palace gates.

"Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace gates slowly opened. Upon seeing this, the four of them immediately went inside. After seeing Qi Ye, they felt dizzy after just one glance. Knowing that the Holy Lord's cultivation had greatly improved, the four of them dared not look any longer and respectfully bowed.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Qi Ye waved for them to stand up and said calmly, "You four have come at the right time. Has anything happened recently?"

During his seclusion, Shichiya had temporarily handed over authority to the Four Sages and their teacher, Mirror Without End. If there were any major decisions that were difficult to make, the five of them would discuss them and, if they reached a consensus, they could make a decision.

Upon hearing this, the evil dragon stepped forward and recounted in detail some of the major events that had occurred, with a particular emphasis on the five individuals gathering the source of the demonic path.

After listening, Qi Ye remained expressionless, tapping his fingers incessantly on the back of his chair, making a thumping sound. All four of them were solemn and dared not utter a word. It was quite a while before Qi Ye's voice reached their ears.

"You have done a very good job. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. By the way, where is the teacher?"

Qi Ye had no complaints about the others asking the Empress Dowager for advice. After all, they were planning for the future of the Yin Yue Dynasty. Bringing the Empress Dowager along was just an extra layer of insurance. He wasn't that narrow-minded.

Upon hearing the Holy Lord's words, the evil dragons and their companions felt relieved. The evil dragon immediately said, "The Imperial Tutor is currently testing something with Yuan Shi Shangren and Lie Mingzi, and he is probably unable to attend to it right now. If the Holy Lord has the time, you might as well go and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Qi Ye raised an eyebrow, immediately becoming interested. Judging from the implication, could it be that the three teachers had created something extraordinary? If so, he wanted to see for himself what it was.

"Very well, let this Holy Ruler see what kind of powerful thing it is."

Qi Ye rose from his throne and, led by the evil dragon, walked out of the palace and arrived at a quiet valley at the northernmost tip of the Yin Yue Dynasty, where the forbidden area of ​​the Yin Yue Dynasty, the Burning Immortal Pool, was located.

When the dozen or so disciples guarding the valley saw the five people approaching, they immediately stepped forward to pay their respects. The evil dragon took out the token, and the disciples guarding the valley then made way for the passage. The five people went in one after another. Shortly after the five people went in, the passage was sealed off again by a layer of emerald light.

The further they went in, the stronger the scorching heat became. The stone walls on both sides were stained crimson. After walking for a while, the four evil dragons had already raised their protective true light, while Qi Ye was still walking calmly at the front, as if the scorching heat could not affect him in the slightest.

"The Holy Monarch's cultivation has improved by a great deal. The Nine Netherworld Flames in the Immortal Burning Pool are most effective at tempering the soul. Although the Holy Monarch could withstand these flames before, he could never have done so with such ease."

The evil dragon spoke with the three in their minds, expressing great admiration for the Holy King's transformation.

Having such a powerful, shrewd, and magnanimous monarch is a blessing for his subordinates. They believe that under the Holy Monarch's leadership, they will surely be able to completely defeat the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect and restore the glory of the demonic path.

The four of them followed Qi Ye cautiously. After a while, a bright light suddenly appeared ahead. After passing through the light, they found themselves in a deep, dark red pit filled with flowing black liquid that churned and splashed up bursts of flame.

A wisp of black and red energy floated up into the sky, but was blocked by the stone wall above which was engraved with demonic patterns. Each time the demonic patterns absorbed the black and red energy, they would glow slightly. At the moment of glow, three figures below each held a spell, slowly guiding the green light down and pouring it into a pitch-black coffin.

After Qi Ye and his group of five entered, Jing Wuyuan and the other two noticed them, but they were at a crucial moment in refining magical artifacts. They simply nodded to Qi Ye and then focused their attention back on their hands.

After circulating the incantation for several breaths, the Yuan Shi Master, positioned in the center, shouted, "Condense the Spirit and Gather the Soul!"

As he spoke, a flash of blue light appeared in his hand, and a ball of blue light surged toward the black coffin. At the same time, Jing Wuyuan and Lie Mingzi each condensed a white and a red ball of light, which landed in the black coffin at the same time as the blue ball of light.

Just as the three-colored light ball fell into the black coffin, the black coffin trembled slightly, and the black demonic light slowly brightened. In an instant, the entire Burning Immortal Pool turned black. Upon seeing this, the four sages immediately guarded Qi Ye's side, watching the front with wary eyes.

The black demonic light lasted for half an hour before slowly dissipating. Yuan Shi Shangren saw that the black coffin was now covered with a layer of shimmering precious light, and he was immediately overjoyed. He had refined it for several decades, but it was not as good as the work done in just a few months. Now that the "Gathering Soul and Refining Coffin" had been completely repaired, he could try to refine the Supreme Heavenly Corpse.

"Congratulations, Master, on achieving your wish," Lie Mingzi said with a look of envy.

"Thank you both for your help. Otherwise, I would not have been able to refine this treasure so easily. Mr. Jing, I will definitely complete the task in ten days to half a month, without delaying the Holy Dynasty's use."

Yuan Shi Shangren put away the treasure coffin, then bowed solemnly to Jing Wuyuan. If it weren't for the other party's consent, even if he had joined the Yin Yue Dynasty, he would not have been able to come here. He still had to accept this favor.

“You’re too kind, sir. If that’s the case, then I’ll come again in a month.”

Jing Wuyuan stroked his beard and smiled, giving Yuan Shi Shangren enough time. Upon hearing this, the latter smiled.

After the black light disappeared, Qi Ye came over with the Four Sages. Jing Wuyuan and the other two hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects. Qi Ye lifted them up one by one and looked at Yuan Shi Shangren, "Shangren, are you living comfortably in the Holy Dynasty? If there is anything you are not satisfied with, please speak to this Holy Lord. Shangren is highly respected, and Qi Ye has many things to ask you."

"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

After the Yuan Shi Shangren arrived at Qi Ye's place, he couldn't see the other party's cultivation level at all, but just by the aura that dominated the world, he was shocked. He thought to himself that this generation's Holy Ruler was indeed exceptionally talented. No wonder Lie Mingzi was willing to submit to the Yin Yue Dynasty.

"Teacher, I heard from the evil dragon that you are refining something. What is it?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Wuyuan said, "It was my subordinate who asked Shangren and Fellow Daoist Liemingzi to refine the 'Mysterious Yin Demon Thunder' together. The power of the ones we refined before was still somewhat insufficient. Later, with the suggestion of Shangren and Fellow Daoist Liemingzi, we prepared to make some improvements."

As Jing Wuyuan spoke, he took out a jade box from his sleeve. After opening it, three black round beads were neatly arranged inside, with red lightning flashing inside. Qi Ye could sense the extremely strong destructive power within them at a glance.

"Your Majesty, please look. This item is based on the Profound Yin Thunder, with the addition of Yuan Sha and Fire Poison. Combined with the Yin Thunder that was originally incorporated, these three deadly elements come together. Once released, its power will be several times stronger than before."

Qi Ye reached out and took the Xuan Yin Demon Lightning. After examining it for a while, he returned it and asked in a deep voice, "Teacher, how many of these have been refined?"

"There are only three right now, but they can last for a month at most, and then we can get thousands of them."

Jing Wuyuan put the Xuan Yin Demon Lightning back into the jade box and immediately replied.

The key to this item lies in the fusion of Yin Thunder, Yuan Sha, and Fire Poison, but this step has already been broken through by the three of them. All that's left is mass production, which will only consume some precious materials, and that's nothing to the Yin Moon Dynasty.

"A thousand is still too few. In that case, I hope to refine five thousand within three months. I wonder if that is possible."

Qi Ye stared at Jing Wuyuan and the other two, asking with a hint of expectation.

Jing Wuyuan stroked his beard thoughtfully, then glanced at Yuan Shi Shangren and Lie Mingzi. The two gave him a look, and Jing Wuyuan immediately replied, "This subordinate will certainly complete the mission and will not disappoint the Holy Lord." "Good, if Teacher lacks anything, there's no need to ask Qi Ye again. Just make your own decision. By the way, did Teacher find any clues while investigating the Yin Shi You Quan?"

The Netherworld Spring has always been a place that both the righteous and demonic factions have been trying their best to find. The Yin Moon Dynasty is looking for the Netherworld Spring in order to gain an advantage. If they use such a big trump card well, it will be enough to cause some trouble for the righteous faction.

"Your subordinate was just about to report to the Holy Emperor that the celestial secrets were previously chaotic and difficult to discern. However, through continuous probing over the past few months, I have discovered that the ghostly aura in the Forgetful Forest has suddenly intensified, obscuring the sun and clouds. If there is no mistake, this should be an anomaly caused by the Netherworld Spring."
However, the Forget-Love Forest is blocked by a Xuanxin Orthodox Sect formation, and the guardians are none other than Yan Chixia and his wife.

"Forgetful Forest, Yan Chixia." Qi Ye murmured, then a glint flashed in his eyes. The speed of this Xuanxin Sect was indeed not slow.

"Judging from the scale of that formation, the Xuanxin Sect has been aware of this place for over a decade. It won't be easy for us to destroy it."

Jing Wuyuan sighed deeply. The Xuanxin Orthodox Sect discovered this place more than ten years in advance; they were already far too late.

"Now that we know about this, we cannot ignore it. Even though Yan Chixia and his wife are there, the Holy Dynasty's attitude must be made clear. Wujian Sage, immediately send assassins to the Forget-Love Forest to see what their arrangements are."

Upon hearing this, Wujian immediately accepted the order and left.

"We cannot abandon the Netherworld Spring, nor can we abandon the foundation of the Holy Dynasty. Evil Dragon, what about those demonic lineages that remain outside and have not yet submitted?"

"And there's also the water demon Biqing and the serpent dragon celestial being." The evil dragon was prepared and immediately named the two.

"The water demon Biqing is elusive and can survive wherever there is water. She is not easy to find, so let's put her aside for now. As for this Huilong Tianzun, I remember that he cultivated in Panyuan Ravine."

"If the Holy Lord remembers correctly, this person is indeed in Panyuan Ravine. This place is a full 20,000 miles away from the Yinyue Dynasty. In addition, the Heavenly Venerable is not well-informed and may not know about the recent events."

Qi Ye nodded upon hearing this and said to the evil dragon and the asura, "Evil dragon, asura, I'll trouble you to go to Panyuan Ravine this time and make sure that the Heavenly Venerable knows the Holy Dynasty's goodwill. If the Heavenly Venerable is unwilling, there's no need to say anything more; just come back directly."

Upon hearing this, the evil dragon and the demon Shura solemnly accepted the order.

Just then, the Yuan Shi Shangren bowed and said, "Holy Lord, I can offer some assistance to the water demon Bi Qing."

"Oh, Master, please tell me your method." Qi Ye was overjoyed when he heard that Master Yuan Shi had a way to contact the water demon.

"Holy Lord, please look at this." With that, Yuan Shi Shangren spread his palm, and a piece of jade bone appeared in his hand. It didn't seem to have anything special about it, but as Yuan Shi Shangren infused it with magic power, a faint jade light flickered.

"This item is called the 'Same Light Bone'. As long as one side lights up, the other side will sense it no matter how far apart they are. As long as the Holy Emperor sends someone with this item to Ghost Mountain and waits patiently for three days, they will see the water demon Biqing."

Yuan Shi Shangren handed the "Tong Guang Bone" to Jing Wuyuan, who then passed it on to Qi Ye. After examining it for a moment, Qi Ye handed it to the Evil Ghost Sage and instructed him, "This time, you will meet with that water demon Bi Qing on my behalf."

"Yes."

After the four sages left one after another, Yuan Shi Shangren and Lie Mingzi, knowing that Qi Ye had something to say to Jing but had no chance to say it, also left one after another.

"Teacher, how is the Empress Dowager doing lately?"

Jing Wuyuan was startled upon hearing this, and Qi Ye once asked him what it meant.

Seeing Jing Wuyuan's stunned expression, Qi Ye said calmly, "After my seclusion ended, my senses became more acute than before. I sensed a faint demonic aura in the Holy Palace. This demonic aura is very similar to the aura of the Moon Demon that appeared before. Didn't you find anything suspicious, Teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Wuyuan's expression changed drastically. He then gave a bitter smile and, meeting Qi Ye's questioning gaze, took a deep breath, looked around, and quickly formed several hand seals. A transparent light shield concealed the two figures within.

"As expected of a wise ruler, I only recently discovered this myself. However, in order not to cause panic, I am pretending that nothing has happened, so as not to alert the enemy."

"Why did the Moon Demon appear in the Holy Palace? Who conspired with her?"

Qi Ye already had a guess in her heart, but she still hoped that Jing Wuyuan could give her a definite answer.

"The Empress Dowager seems to have become a different person lately, somewhat unfamiliar." Jing Wuyuan did not answer directly, but instead brought up Empress Dowager Yin Yue.

However, this was enough for Qi Ye to understand. He slowly opened his closed eyes, looked at Jing Wuyuan with a firm gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Since the Empress Dowager's health is not good, she should rest and recuperate. Teacher, your medical skills are the best in the Holy Dynasty. You must heal the Empress Dowager's injuries!"

Upon hearing this, Jing Wuyuan's heart skipped a beat. Meeting Qi Ye's indifferent gaze, Jing Wuyuan bowed solemnly and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate understands."

The True Sect of Profound Heart, in the Valley of Mysterious Wonders

The three holy maidens who were calculating the secrets of heaven opened their eyes at the same time. After exchanging glances, the other two nodded to the leading holy maiden. The leading holy maiden understood and immediately transmitted her voice to the sect leader, Jin Guang.

Jin Guang, who was refining the Treasure Shuttle together in the Earth Fire Cave, had a sudden thought. Gu Xu, seeing this, said, "Sect Master, if you have something to attend to, go ahead and deal with it. With me here, there won't be any problems with the Treasure Shuttle."

Jin Guang stood up, bowed, and went to the side to receive the message from the Holy Maiden of the Three Realms. After checking it, he learned that the Yin Yue Dynasty had discovered the location of the Yin Shi You Quan (a place name), and some assassins had already arrived at the Wang Qing Forest. Although some were killed by Yan Chixia and his wife, some still managed to escape back.

"The Yin Moon Dynasty is really eyeing the Yin World Nether Spring. They really have an insatiable demonic heart. It seems we need to speed up the refinement of the Treasure Shuttle, or things will change."

Jin Guang made a decision in his heart. As for the Yin Yue Dynasty sending four sages to gather the source of the demonic path, Jin Guang did not care much. Since the other party was willing to integrate the demonic path, he had no reason to stop them. Wouldn't it be more convenient to annihilate the demons in one fell swoop and save them from running around?

Send a message to the Holy Maidens of the Three Realms, asking them to inform Yan Chixia and his wife that the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect will send a team of disciples to guard the area.

Jin Guang then sent a message to Qinglong Xuanjiang, instructing him to select an elite team to go to the Forgotten Love Forest, and to follow the arrangements of Yan Chixia and his wife.

After giving his instructions, Jin Guang returned to the altar and continued refining the treasure shuttle.

"Senior brother, the Yin Yue Dynasty has designs on Yin Shi You Quan. How long will it take for this treasure shuttle to succeed?"

"It will take at least two months. The time is not right. Forcing its use would only be a waste of its power. You don't need to worry too much. With Senior Brother Yan and the others in the Forgotten Forest, it shouldn't be difficult to hold out for a while."

Gu Xu was quite at ease. With the strength of the Yin Yue Dynasty alone, even if they broke through the sealing formation, his hidden trump card in the Spring Valley would make them suffer greatly.

Hearing his senior brother's confident words, Jin Guang felt a little relieved. He had to admit that it was because of his senior brother's presence that he had the confidence to be so assertive outside. Otherwise, he would have been powerless to fight against the Yin Yue Dynasty on his own.

Under the power of their magic, the faint purple light on the "Guardian of Righteousness and Demon-Subduing Shuttle" began to fade and then intensify, repeating this cycle three hundred and sixty times. After this, the purple light suddenly shone brightly and then scattered purple spots across the sky.

Seeing this, Gu Xu shouted and made several hand seals in succession. At the same time, a golden flame floated in the palm of Jin Guang's hand and was thrown downwards. The purple light spots slowly merged into the shuttle under Gu Xu's control, while the golden flame continuously burned the shuttle during the fusion process, accelerating the fusion speed.

After an unknown amount of time, all the purple light spots merged into the magic shuttle, and the golden flames became very weak, slowly receding into the golden light.

Happy New Year to everyone!

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(End of this chapter)