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Chapter 322 The Battle for the Relics
From noon to evening, the sky gradually darkened.

Ji You flipped through the case file transcribed by the county magistrate's clerk to the end, and then took out a huge roll of cloth from his storage gourd.

The cloth scroll was covered with densely packed characters, connected by circles and lines, making it look incredibly complex.

Ji You picked up a brush and wrote down the date Fengxian Villa moved out of, then filled in a series of keywords such as "biting" and "bloody smell".

With a flick of the finger, the study was bathed in a dim yellow light. A wisp of spiritual energy rose with the wind, lifting the entire scroll of cloth into the air.

Ji You took a few steps back and examined the roll of cloth for a while.

"The immortal master gave me medicine."

"There are fewer and fewer people."

"Summoning you to another place to practice secret techniques."

"Their five senses seem to be getting duller and duller."

These words or phrases were copied down by him from the messages left behind by other vanished immortal villages or from the discussions of the surrounding people.

The ink from before had dried completely, yet it seemed to proclaim a deadly deception.

Ji You leaned against the window, watching quietly as the dozen or so calligraphy brushes in the pen holder spun in the air, arranging themselves into various shapes, with her palm facing down.

Sometimes it resembled a six-pointed star, sometimes a star map in the night, so much so that Fang Zhongzheng's lacquered red desk was gradually spun into a deep pit, and the surface paint was peeled off into pieces.

After watching for a long time, Ji You's gaze fell on the lower right of the cloth scroll.

That area was specially reserved when sorting out clues, and it was marked with the names of some aristocratic families such as the Du family, Bai family, Liu family, Li family, Zheng family, Tianshu Academy, Chen Clan, Chu family, etc.

The immortal estates in Fengzhou were mostly branches of powerful families, and these powerful families were the real controllers behind those vanished immortal estates.

Ji You wrote it down because Tan Huizhi's grandson had mentioned the four words "the immortal master gave medicine" before he disappeared.

When he was in Fengzhou Prefecture, he asked the disciples of Xianzhuang who could be called the Immortal Master.

According to those disciples, the so-called immortal master refers to the elder in charge dispatched by the family to which the immortal manor belongs.

In other words, if the problem with the Immortal Manor arose because of the so-called Immortal Master's gift of medicine, then the cause and effect naturally lie with these aristocratic families.

At this moment, Ji You picked up a brush and wrote the four characters "Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion" after the names of those aristocratic families.

Fengxian Manor is backed by Xuanyuan Immortal Mansion, a fact that is known to almost everyone in Yuyang County.

Moreover, Ji You had a memory of the year he first came to Qingyun Tianxia, ​​when the sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers were heard from the mountain as names were being announced.

I remember that Master Chen once told him that it was a visit from a celestial master from the Supreme Holy Sect.

Ji You watched for a long time, his gaze constantly shifting between these aristocratic families and immortal sects.

Night had fallen, and with the moon bright and stars sparse, the courtyard behind the county government building was filled with distinguished guests.

Jia Sicong, Dong Wei, and other former disciples of Master Chen gathered together to pay a special visit to Fang Ruoyao, who had returned from the Immortal Sect.

Fang Zhongzheng specially arranged a banquet for them, but as the dishes were served, no one touched their chopsticks. Instead, they looked out the front window of the study to the south from across the large courtyard.

Because candles were lit in the study, the shadows cast by the candles on the doors and windows were very clear.

They knew that Ji You had also returned, and was in Master Fang's study.

The reason they didn't start eating was because they were considering whether to invite Ji You to join them.

"Since we parted ways in Yuyang, many years have passed since we classmates last met. Fairy Ruoyao, why don't you invite Ji You to come out for a drink?"

"Yes, the annulment of the engagement happened a long time ago. With Ji You's magnanimity, I think he won't hold any grudges anymore."

“Back then, I used to flirt with Widow Wang at the village entrance together. We shouldn’t be so distant. If Fairy Ruoyao doesn’t want to go alone, we will accompany her.”

Fang Ruoyao hesitated for a long time after hearing this before slowly getting up. The others followed suit. However, just as they were about to walk towards the study, the figure reflected in the candlelight on the door and window suddenly stood up.

Then, a scorching aura suddenly pressed down, and everyone saw a sword aura soaring into the sky, its heavy force hitting the heavens and creating shimmering waves in the sky.

Under the moonlight, the thick clouds were torn apart for miles.

Seeing this, everyone quickly sat back down.

Before the dishes were served, they had asked Fang Ruoyao to demonstrate her magic. They saw spiritual energy surging in her palm, and they were amazed just by her ability to lift the pot from a distance.

But just a moment ago, they vaguely felt that what Fang Ruoyao had cultivated in the past five years and what Ji You had cultivated in the past five years were not the same thing.

If I had known this would happen, I should have treated him to several more baskets of steamed dumplings.

Jia Sicong trembled slightly as he recalled the opportunity he had that year to forge a path to success.

Three days later, at dusk, Ji You arrived in Zhongzhou.

Most of the prominent families listed on his scroll were located in Zhongzhou, including the Liu and Du families, and the Zheng family's old residence was in the neighboring prefecture.

He felt that if these aristocratic families really had problems, there would have been some clues. The reason they hadn't been discovered was probably because the families were isolated from each other, and many things had gone unnoticed. So he decided to come and find out.

Moreover, from a spatial perspective, he felt that the closer a powerful family was to the Zheng family, the more likely problems would arise.

To his surprise, all these aristocratic families had their doors tightly shut, surrounded by whistling magic arrays, and their interiors were eerily silent.

In addition, there are cultivators on duty in shifts guarding all the entrances to the dojo, rotating every two hours.

However, after several visits, he learned of another way: a water shop located in Lingbi City.

“We usually deliver water to the Liu family. In a way, we’ve been serving the immortal for decades.”

"Old Master Liu always uses tea from the stream at Yuquan Mountain."

The shopkeeper was an elderly man in his fifties who kept arguing about Ji You's money.

After hearing this, Ji You tapped the table lightly with her fingertips: "Will you still be sending them in the next few days?"

"No need to see me off. A while ago, the Liu family sent someone to say that they don't need water for the time being."

"Is Old Master Liu no longer drinking tea?"

The water shop owner waved his hand: "They just won't let us deliver it, but they'll fetch the water themselves."

After listening, Ji You pondered for a long time: "Did you cause some trouble that made the Liu family unwilling to use you anymore?"

“Young master, what are you saying? Our Runquan Water Shop is a century-old brand, specializing in the business. No one has ever said anything bad about us. To be honest, those immortals may have profound magical powers and can fly and disappear into the earth, but they may not be as good at fetching water as we are.”

Hearing Ji You's question, the water shop owner was clearly displeased. He pursed his lips and tried to prove himself for a while: "If you don't believe me, young master, you can go and ask Old Xu at the vegetable shop. They've stopped delivering vegetables, and that's the same time they're delivering them."

Ji You remained silent for a long while: "When did it start?"

"It was probably around the middle of last month."

"Before the water was delivered, did anything happen at the Liu family's house?"

"A group of people left in a hurry by carriage for half a month, and then they came back. They stopped wanting water and vegetables and kept the gate closed all day."

After the water shop owner finished speaking, he looked at Ji You and asked, "Young master, did you actually order water? Why do you keep asking about the Liu family?"

Upon hearing this, Ji You smiled, left the silver in his hand, and then got up and left the water shop.

The Liu family sent someone to attend the Immortal Tour Gathering, and upon their return, the entire family was placed under martial law...

High in the sky, Ji You hid among the clouds and looked down at the Liu family's huge mansion, somewhat puzzled by the connection between them.

He then took to the air and flew for two full days to reach the Li family in the northwest of Zhongzhou.

Aside from the few prominent families adjacent to the Zheng family patriarch, Ji You felt that the biggest problem lay with the Li family, naturally due to Li Ruilin.

In his view, even if Li Ruilin was a member of a branch family, he should still have brothers and parents.

But it seems highly illogical that Huang Yueniang was the only one searching for him after he had been missing for so long.

What made him even more suspicious was that the Li family and the Liu family were under martial law at almost the same time, around the same time as the Immortal Tour.

The Li family is a thousand-year-old family, far larger than the Liu family.

Their family's dojo was itself a city, almost comparable in size to Shengjing. However, after the clan's protective formation was activated, he couldn't even step through the city gate.

He surveyed the area around the Li family's residence for a long time before heading to the Wulu Trading Company in a nearby city.

He had promised the arrogant girl that he would go back to Fengzhou to see her, but he hadn't figured out the truth about this matter buried deep in Fengzhou, and he felt uneasy. So he wrote to her, wanting to postpone it for a few days.

After sending the letter, Ji You found an inn to stay at.

He had been traveling between several major states for the past few days, which had taken a heavy toll on him, requiring him to enter a period of meditation to recuperate. After three days of recuperation, his physique gradually returned to normal, and he set his sights on the Bai, Du, and Chu families.

Meanwhile, on Spirit Sword Mountain on the shore of Xuanhai.

Yan Shuyi, dressed in the Immortal Robe of the Master of Appraisal, stood atop the mountain, looking down.

In her sight, the dolls she had brought back from Fengzhou were catching loaches along the mountain stream, their silvery laughter ringing out from time to time.

Upon seeing this, the young appraiser couldn't help but raise his hand and gently stroke his lower abdomen.

Although Youxianhui had tried to conceive several times without success, she was now starting to unconsciously develop a desire to become a mother.

Especially in the first few days after she returned, she even dreamed at night of moving to a small courtyard in Fengzhou and strolling around holding a little hand.

Of course, there were also disciples of the Little Heavenly Academy in that dream.

Even in his dream, the little appraiser was stubborn, pulling along a miniature creature that resembled himself and teaching it to call a stranger "uncle," only to get a spanking in the end.

In front of Zai Zai, Yan Shuyi tolerated the rudeness of the little Tian Shu Academy disciple, but that night he was put on a pedestal and told that he wanted to have another one.

She had been in the position of appraiser for twenty years, always in a high position. She had never imagined that she would live such a life one day, but when she saw it in her dream, she found it quite interesting.

Just then, footsteps sounded from behind him. Ding Yao came from the foot of the mountain and arrived at the summit through the clouds and mist.

"Master, I'm back."

Yan Shuyi concealed the hint of coquetry in her eyes and turned to Ding Yao expressionlessly: "You opened it?"

Ding Yao nodded: "It's open..."

"How's it going?"

"Preliminary investigations indicate that there are quite a few of them."

Yan Shuyi nodded after hearing this, and his gaze fell on the Heavenly Sword Peak opposite.

Since returning from the Immortal Gathering, Lingjian Mountain has been receiving a constant stream of news about the Immortal Sect opening the ruins, causing many of the elders on the mountain to become increasingly restless.

Among them were Tianjian Peak, her father, her uncle, and many elders from Xuanjian Peak.

Because the wielder and the sect leader of Lingjian Mountain are not the same person, they have long been plagued by internal strife, with deep rifts between them, and are therefore very wary of each other.

However, on this matter, the two opposing forces, who are like fire and water, have stood on the same side.

In their view, no matter how the inheritance of Lingjian Mountain is decided, the first priority is to ensure the transcendence of Lingjian Mountain as a whole.

Currently, the other immortal sects have greatly increased their strength due to the immortal opportunities within the ruins. If they fail to utilize these opportunities due to their mutual antagonism, then Spirit Sword Mountain will surely attract the covetous eyes of other immortal sects in the future.

So the two peaks hit it off and went to open the ruins.

Yan Shu was indeed the appraiser, but given that the two peaks had reached a consensus, she could not forcibly stop the process at this moment.

Especially during the Youxianhui trip, she didn't see anything strange about the people who took the fruit, so she could only turn a blind eye.

Because her father was right, if the other five immortal sects were allowed to grow stronger, Lingjian Mountain would surely suffer. She couldn't act impulsively based on her feelings in such matters.

After regaining her senses, Yan Shuyi looked at Ding Yao and asked, "Now that it's confirmed there are quite a few fruits, can they suggest how to distribute them?"

Ding Yao lowered her voice: "The peak master agreed to give Wenjian Peak 20%, and the remaining 80% will be split equally with Tianjian Peak."

“Dividing it equally… Father’s plan is excellent, but Yan Zhong is not stupid. I think Tianjian Peak will definitely not agree to this division.”

"The appraiser is right, Tianjian Peak did not agree."

Back then, the Junior Appraiser used the distribution of pills to set up a scheme, pulling Wenjian Peak into the group. Now, the relationship between the two peaks is becoming increasingly close.

Therefore, from Tianjian Peak's perspective, although the distribution is 40/40/20, it's better to see it as 40/60, because he is certain that Wenjian Peak's 20% will eventually fall into Xuanjian Peak's hands, and they naturally won't agree to that.

Yan Shuyi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and at the same time, she waved her hand and released a wisp of spiritual energy, lifting up a little girl who was about to fall into the stream while playing.

Seeing this, Ding Yao couldn't help but narrow her eyes, thinking to herself that the appraiser must be thinking about having another child for the young master, since he sees these little kids playing every day.

Just then, a horn sounded on the sword-testing platform of Spirit Sword Mountain, attracting their attention.

Beneath the sea of ​​clouds, countless disciples emerged from their chambers upon hearing the horn and gathered at the Sword Testing Platform.

Subsequently, the disciples from other surnames were kept within the sect, while the disciples surnamed Yan were selected by the elders of the two peaks and then taken down from Spirit Sword Mountain.

The ruins have been opened and their interiors have been initially explored. Naturally, they need to be guarded, and more people need to enter.

As sword energy surged like a torrent at the foot of the mountain, countless disciples left, and at the same moment, Zhuo Wanqiu's figure descended the mountain.

Upon reaching the summit of Xuanjian Peak, she approached Yan Shuyi and handed him a letter.

"My Lord, a letter from the Daoist sect."

"The Dao Seeking Sect?"

Ding Yao looked at Zhuo Wanqiu with a puzzled expression: "Why is the Dao Asking Sect sending a letter at this time?"

Zhuo Wanqiu shook her head, her eyes also filled with confusion.

Yan Shuyi reached out and took the letter, opened it, read it silently for a while, and then said softly, "A conflict has broken out on the Moon Soul Plateau."

"They've made a move against the Chen Clan?"

Yan Shuyi nodded: "The Vice Sect Leader of the Dao Seeking Sect sent a letter, requesting our Spirit Sword Mountain to come and assist us, promising that we can receive 30% of the spoils from the Moon Soul Plateau ruins."

Zhuo Wanqiu opened her mouth after hearing this: "I didn't expect that after such a long stalemate, we would finally start fighting."

The ruins atop Luna Plateau are the only ruins that remain closed to this day.

It is located on the border of Qingzhou, but part of it is adjacent to Yuzhou, so both the Daoist Sect and the Chen Clan are eyeing it covetously.

After the Immortal Tour ended, the Daoist Sect took the lead and sent many disciples to guard the ruins. The Chen Clan also immediately sent disciples to surround the mountain, and the atmosphere between them had been tense for a long time.

A while ago, a group of people from outside the sect sent a message saying that they had agreed to sit down and discuss ownership, but unexpectedly, they started fighting in the blink of an eye.

As Ding Yao pondered, a hint of confusion suddenly appeared on her face: "Logically speaking, the strength of the Dao Seeking Sect should not be weaker than that of the Chen Clan. Why would they specifically give up 30% to ask my Spirit Sword Mountain for assistance when the two sides are facing off?"

"Not only the Daoist Sect, but also the Mountain and Sea Pavilion from the Moon Soul Plateau are involved."

"But after the incident at Qiling, all the ruins in the world were divided up. A part of the Moon Soul Plateau lies within the territory of Yuzhou. In addition, the Dao Fruits of the Dao Seeking Sect's ruins are very scarce. It is barely understandable that they took action. Why is the Mountain and Sea Pavilion also so unruly?"

Upon hearing this, the young appraiser's eyelashes trembled slightly: "I don't know what the Mountain and Sea Pavilion is thinking for the time being, but the Dao Seeking Sect has always wanted to be bound together with my Spirit Sword Mountain. They asked my Spirit Sword Mountain to help them in the battle for the ruins, which seems to be for the purpose of killing two birds with one stone."

The seven major immortal sects have been checking and balancing each other for many years. If Lingjian Mountain were to intervene now, it would be bound to the Dao Asking Sect for the next hundred years.

Because no matter what they think, other immortal sects will consider them allies.

Ding Yao pondered for a moment, then asked, "Master, how should we respond?"

“Spirit Sword Mountain is currently in turmoil over the division of the spoils. We will not respond to this matter for now. Go and ask Elder Qi to come out of seclusion and go to Moon Soul Plateau for me to see how they are fighting and observe the situation.”

"Yes."

Ding Yao bowed and accepted the order, then headed towards where Elder Qi was.

Before long, a sword aura shot into the sky from the mansion located between Tianjian Peak and Xuanjian Peak.

Zhuo Wanqiu watched for a long time, then couldn't help but turn to look at her appraiser: "I feel this matter is getting more and more out of hand, and I'm feeling uneasy..."

The young appraiser looked in the direction where the sword energy had departed and said, "The world, which has been peaceful for so long, has suddenly begun to fall into turmoil, which will naturally make people subconsciously worry about the occurrence of disaster."

“But the son-in-law said that should be a good deed.”

"The good he speaks of is not the kind of good that is good or evil, but simply that it is harmless. However, those who want to snatch the fruit have a distinction between good and evil. Cultivating immortality emphasizes that nothing exists outside the mind and that the Dao follows nature. But the relics are related to lifespan, realm, and cultivation. No one can control their greed, and their bottom line will be lowered."

Yan Shuyi murmured softly, her beautiful phoenix eyes gradually becoming deep.

Since the ancient times, the human race has been devoted to cultivation and seeking the path to immortality, and nothing too tempting has ever appeared that could cause them to fight over it.

Even she had never witnessed a three-way confrontation before, and she couldn't predict how things would unfold.

If the disciple of Xiaoxiaotian Academy were on the mountain, she could still have a discussion with him. However, she received a message from him today, saying that he had something to investigate and could not come for the time being.

Thinking of this, the young appraiser couldn't help but tilt his head.

She used to keep her actions secret and create trouble in the shadows, so this was the first time she had the idea of ​​wanting to hear what others had to say, and she felt a little strange.

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(End of this chapter)