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Chapter 388 That damned human blondie!
It involves the Chu family, ancient ruins, Spirit Sword Mountain, and even the Pill Sect.

The sheer number and breadth of factors brought together made it difficult to distinguish between them, and there were few direct connections between them, leaving everyone completely bewildered.

Why did the demon race, risking suspicion from the barbarians, investigate so much complicated information before coming to the human race?

Inside the Heavenly Academy's inner courtyard, the group of people, deep in thought, frowned as they couldn't fathom the demon race's intentions. They thought to themselves, "Damn it, could it be that the demon race is more intelligent than the human race?"

Similarly, the investigation on the demon side is not going smoothly either.

Because in the eyes of humans, they are, after all, the invaders, so it is normal for them to be treated with caution.

Moreover, the specific details of the thousand-year-old families joining forces to commit this calamity are actually known only to the high-ranking members of the six major immortal sects themselves, with very little information being publicly revealed.

why?
The reason why powerful families such as the Chu, Li, Zhuang, and Zhu families were able to ascend to immortality so easily through the relics was that the Immortal Sect was tricked into opening the relics because they coveted the immortal opportunities. This was a loss of prestige for the Immortal Sect.

If too many details are revealed, the prestige of the Immortal Sect will definitely be greatly diminished.

This is not an exaggeration; isn't the Dan Sect's situation the best example?
Ever since the news of the five major immortal sects joining forces to besiege Dan Mountain spread, those aristocratic families have become very cautious, with some going into seclusion and others locking their doors.

This is a major blow to the stability of Qingyun Tianxia. Cultivation requires a stable environment to focus on enlightenment, and disunity is the last thing the immortal sect wants to see.

Therefore, partly due to the vigilance of the human race, and partly due to the limited amount of publicly available information, their investigation into the human race's fortune once hit a bottleneck.

As night slowly descended, the lanterns in Shengjing Xianyuan were lit one by one.

Ye Han and Lin Dou sat upright in the study, pondering the scattered information they had collected for a long time, their brows furrowing more and more tightly.

"Among the people we can contact, very few are close to the core of this matter. Even those who once accompanied the Immortal Sect to conquer those ancient families do not know the ins and outs."

"That's not surprising. There's a widely circulated saying among humans: 'It's good to be confused sometimes.' Their culture makes them unwilling to demand the truth, and they'll compromise if they can."

"Then what should we do?"

"Time is running out. Let's continue to gather relevant information; there might be other clues."

Ye Han picked up his teacup, drank the tea in it, and looked at Lin Dou: "How are things going between you and Feng Yang?"

Lin Dou raised his head: "That's right, we even went to the human race's teahouse to watch a play today."

"Has she been going out frequently these past few days?"

"Hmm, she seems to be very interested in female cultivators from the human immortal sects, and she has recorded quite a few names, such as Yan Shuyi and Yuan Caiwei."

Ye Han has visited the human race more often than others, especially since he was welcomed on his last visit for trade, so he knows a great deal about the human race's prodigies.

He knew who Yan Shuyi was, and he also knew where Yuan Caiwei came from. More importantly, he had heard the rumors about the Dao Discussion Conference in the past few days and knew the subtle relationship between the two.

Recalling the portrait he had seen in Fengyang's room, the demon prince fell silent.

Lin Dou was puzzled as to why he was silent and asked him what was wrong, but Ye Han simply told him to get along well with Feng Yang and then told them to go and rest first.

As the stars filled the sky and the night deepened, the candles in Shengjing Immortal Garden were extinguished one by one, except for the study, which remained lit.

Ye Han remained at his desk, repeatedly studying the information he had gathered.

A short while later, the door was gently pushed open from the outside.

The demon prince looked up and saw his younger sister, Feng Yang, stepping into the room from outside: "It's already midnight, brother, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"The Emperor of Great Xia has issued an edict, saying that he will summon us for a second audience tomorrow. I previously proposed that Yunzhou be our inherent territory and that my clansmen could enter the Immortal Sect to cultivate immortality. They will probably give a response tomorrow."

Ye Han pulled his sleeve off the desk: "According to the rules of diplomatic missions, regardless of whether they agree or not, we must leave within three days after the audience, so time is running out."

Feng Yang nodded, then walked gracefully to the desk, extinguished the lantern he had brought along, and placed it next to the desk.

Seeing this, Ye Han picked up the upside-down teacup, turned it over, filled it with tea, and handed it to him: "Have you been wandering around Shengjing City a lot lately?"

"I looked around," Feng Yang replied softly, pursing his lips.

After gazing at his younger sister for a long time, Ye Han suddenly spoke: "Lin Dou is quite good, both in terms of family background and talent. However, our demon race is not as concerned with social status as the human race. If you like any demon general, Father and I will support you."

"do not like."

"Then let's choose the scaled one."

Feng Yang, who had been staring at the documents on the table, suddenly raised his beautiful vertical pupils after hearing this: "The Chu family used the origin of the sacred artifact to perform a ritual, finding the connection between the Heavenly Dao and the sacred artifact, causing the sacred artifact to lose its power. What does this idea seem to you, elder brother?"

Ye Han paused slightly, then looked down at the case file in front of him, pondered for a moment, and then looked up: "Follow the clues?"

“That’s right. They use the origin as the vine, which is why they are able to find the connection between the Heavenly Dao and the Sacred Artifact, and then sever it. Humans, on the other hand, usually do repetitive things because what they have done before is the simplest and easiest thing for them to succeed at.”

"What does Sister want to say?"

Feng Yang pointed to a spot in the case file: "After the Qiling incident, the Immortal Sect sealed off all the ruins. Those aristocratic families were unable to bypass them to open the ruins. The only way was to have the Immortal Sect help them open them. Then they needed to ensure that the immortal treasures from the ruins could be brought out. Could something major have happened before that?"

Ye Han picked up the case file again and browsed through it: "Yes, a year before the incident, the Heavenly Dao had given an omen of floods and frequent earth dragons turning over, shortly after human cultivators entered the sacred land of the sages."

"So the disaster started from that time, otherwise Heaven would not have sent down the revelation."

"You mean that the artifacts from the ruins can be brought out because they are related to the sacred sites of the ancient sages?"

“That’s right. Based on what I’ve heard these past few days, I think the layouts of those ancient families can be traced back to the time of the sacred land of the sages. If we follow the path of tracing back to the source, how do we explain it?”

After pondering for a long time, Ye Han fixed his gaze on the words his father had once spoken to him.

He said that the Way of Heaven has no subjective will and cannot alter human cause and effect. The only thing it can do is monitor things that should not exist by connecting with the fortune of the human race. If things that should not exist suddenly appear in the world, it means that the monitoring of the Way of Heaven has failed.

"You mean they severed the link between humanity's destiny and the Heavenly Dao at the sacred site of the ancients?"

Feng Yang nodded: "I think that's the most likely possibility."

"Then why would the fortune flow out?" Ye Han asked, puzzled.

"It's impossible for nothing to happen after the human race's fortune was severed; it must have triggered something else that is causing the Holy Land to slowly disintegrate."

Ye Han spread all the case files out on the table and reviewed them again according to the ideas his sister had laid out. As things gradually became clearer in his mind, his expression turned astonished: "You... how did you figure all this out?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Yang pursed his lips slightly.

She didn't figure it out; she was just following someone's footsteps along the way, and she found that by looking at that person's footsteps, the things the tribe was investigating became incredibly clear.

"Brother."

"Ok?"

Feng Yang put down his teacup: "After I pay my respects to the Emperor of Great Xia tomorrow, I would like to visit the Heavenly Academy."

Upon hearing this, Ye Han slowly raised his head: "What's so interesting about visiting the Heavenly Academy? It's just a bunch of people sitting in the deep mountains, cultivating without a care in the world."

"I am quite interested in the methods of enlightenment and cultivation of immortality used by humans."

“Some families that secretly trade spirit stones with us welcome us to visit; it’s the same as visiting them.”

Feng Yang blinked lightly: "Immortal sects and aristocratic families are ultimately different, and the Heavenly Academy is relatively closer."

After a long silence, Ye Han smiled and said, "Alright, I will make this request to the Emperor of Great Xia when I have an audience with him tomorrow."

"Thank you, brother."

"Go and rest first."

Feng Yang nodded, then slowly got up and walked towards the door.

Watching his younger sister leave through the window, Ye Han's smile gradually faded.

The demon race has many classic stories about relationships between men and women. One of them tells the story of a young man from the Mao tribe who seduced a naive and innocent girl from the Lin tribe and eloped with her. The story of how the girl only returned after becoming pregnant is widely known.

The Mao ethnic minority boy in the story is idle and lazy, but he is good at sweet talk. He planned to elope because he couldn't afford the bride price.

After the elopement, the girl's family was naturally heartbroken, spending their days and nights in tears and longing for her return.

It wasn't until her daughter returned with the baby that her family saw how pale and thin she was, and how even her scales had lost their luster, and they realized how much suffering she had endured.

The young man from the Mao tribe was remembered by the demons because of his yellow hair and was regarded as someone who had stolen his father's or brother's treasure.

"Damn human blondie!" Ye Han slammed the case file in his hand onto the desk.

"The demon race wants to visit my Heavenly Academy?"

"That's right. It's said that they made the request during their audience, saying that if my Heavenly Academy allows it, they will go up the mountain in the afternoon."

The following day at noon, a gentle breeze swept through the main hall, bringing a refreshing coolness.

At that time, Zuo Qiuyang was still reviewing the information the demon race had been searching for over the past few days. Just as he was racking his brains, he heard a report from the Dean's Office, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He was confused about the demon race's purpose, but their sudden visit to the Heavenly Academy made him feel even more bewildered.

What could the demon race possibly want from the Heavenly Academy?
Seeing Zuo Qiuyang's brow furrow, Qin Rong couldn't help but speak softly, "If it's not possible, I'll go and refuse."

"No need, let them come. Since the consensus is to break the alliance between the barbarians and the demons, befriending my Heavenly Academy will have a much greater impact than befriending the Great Xia."

"Yes, I will immediately send my disciple to deliver the message."

After saying this, Qin Rong started walking down the mountain, but he couldn't help but slow down halfway down.

As Ji You approached Qin Rong on the mountain path ahead, yawning, she gently cupped her hands in greeting and said, "Long time no see."

"It's been a long time. Are you here to see Lord Zuoqiu?"

"I have some questions I'd like to ask. Is he in the palace?"

Manager Qin nodded: "The Palace Master is in the hall, you can go directly there." Ji You bowed to him in farewell and then headed up the mountain.

Seeing this, Qin Rong couldn't help but glance back, thinking to himself that he was probably the only one in the Heavenly Academy who could enter and leave the Heavenly Academy's Immortal Palace so freely without any notification.

At this moment, Ji You had reached the mountain peak and entered the white lawn in front of the Zizai Hall.

Since returning to the capital, he has been studying matters related to the realm of enlightenment in the library, clarifying the relationship between the five realms, and deducing the realm of the physical body.

Now he plans to find Zuo Qiuyang, who has reached the peak of the fifth realm, to talk to him about the aftermath and find some evidence to support his breakthrough.

Zuo Qiuyang had already heard the footsteps and looked outside to see that it was Ji You. He then ordered the disciples in the hall to serve tea.

From the day Ji You returned, he realized that Ji You was preparing for the next realm, so he was not surprised that Ji You would come to see him, and he had roughly anticipated the questions Ji You wanted to ask.

As expected, Ji You went straight to the point after entering the hall, asking about information regarding the Divine Journey.

"Among the five realms, the realm of Fusion to Boundless is all about cultivating with the power of the Heavenly Dao, understanding the operation of the laws by comprehending the Heavenly Dao, and thus obtaining profound mysteries. However, the realm of Divine Travel is the first time that the divine thought and the physical body are separated, so that the divine thought can get rid of the physical body."

"As for the five realms of perfection, the connection between the two is further reduced, allowing the divine sense to achieve independent perfection and reducing its dependence on the physical body."

"According to all the immortal theories of Qingyun, the human body is limited by the world, and will age and die, but the divine thought can theoretically exist forever. Therefore, this is an important step before ascension."

"When one is in the realm of immortals, one's divine consciousness can truly detach from the physical body and remain there forever. Even if the physical body perishes, the divine soul remains and can still roam the world."

“According to ancient records, the ancient race from a thousand years ago did not need to rely on sacred artifacts to ascend. But you are probably aware of the situation of our human race. Without the blessing of sacred artifacts, the peak of the Upper Five Realms is already the end. I have also had doubts about this, but my master said that this is the inevitable way of Heaven.”

Ever since his master told him before his death that he and You Yingqiu could consult Ji You when they were in doubt, Zuo Qiuyang had completely trusted Ji You, so he told him everything he knew.

Upon hearing Zuo Qiuyang's words, Ji You nodded slightly, thinking to himself that cultivation was a process of spiritual transcendence, where the soul detaches from the physical body, which was consistent with his deductions based on the books he had collected.

Conversely, physical cultivation might lead to a closer bond between the physical body and the divine mind.

The unity of body and soul...

He had previously stated that he did not aspire to ascension, which was not a problem for him.

"Does Lord Zuoqiu have any suggestions for my advancement?"

"I cannot give you an answer regarding my traditional path of enlightenment and cultivation, as well as physical cultivation. In my understanding, the only cultivation method similar to yours is the Night Watchman lineage within my Heavenly Academy."

Ji You's eyes flickered slightly after hearing this: "Night Watchmen, that sounds intriguing. Are there any aspects of their traditions that I can learn from?"

Zuo Qiuyang shook his head: "They are different from you. The Night Watchers' tradition is to cultivate both enlightenment and physical refinement, not to go against the grain as severely as you have."

"Are they practicing both Dao and physical cultivation?"

“That’s right. I happened to see a document a few days ago when I was organizing Master’s collection of books, and it did contain this record.”

After listening, Ji You pondered for a long time: "If the Palace Master said that the Night Watchman's inheritance can cultivate both body and mind, why has no one inherited this cultivation method since then?"

Zuo Qiuyang smiled upon hearing this: "The body-refining method of the Night Watchers is different from that of the world. It is said that there will be a significant difference from the lower three realms. It is a cultivation method that is unknown to others. It is said that the conditions are very strict and not everyone can do it."

Upon hearing these words, Ji You thought of her shattered spiritual essence, like a lotus flower.

The only cultivation method he could access back then was the half-scroll he found in the mountains. He had no other references and could only cultivate step by step according to its records.

After his spiritual essence shattered, he thought he had made a mistake in his cultivation, but now it seems that it was the unique cultivation method of the Night Watchers. It requires cultivators to tear their spiritual essence apart when they reach the peak of the lower three realms in order to lay the foundation for subsequent spiritual fire body tempering.

From 9 am to 1 pm, Ji You and Zuo Qiuyang talked for an hour until there were no more questions to ask before he took his leave.

"You want to return to the sacred land of the sages to continue breaking through your realm?"

"I'll go see Instructor Cao and a few senior students first, and then I'll go back."

"Don't stay at the Heavenly Academy for a few more days."

"If we delay any longer, the sacred site of the sages will be restored, and where am I going to find free spiritual energy..."

"?"

Ji You stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zuo Qiuyang, and then headed towards the inner courtyard.

Just as he left, Steward Qin from the Dean of Affairs rushed over to report that the demon clan had arrived at the Nishan Divine Path.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Qiuyang looked at the cloth roll marked with circles and dots, then instructed Qin Rong to invite several elders from the Elders' Pavilion. He then floated down the mountain and flew to the outer courtyard.

Sometimes when you can't figure out what the other person is thinking, the best way is to actually get to know them, which is a more direct approach.

As soon as he appeared in the outer courtyard, the disciples of the Heavenly Academy gathered near the Ascension Jade Platform, and even the sides of the Azure Lake were filled with their figures.

Whether out of comparison, hatred, or concern for the future of humanity, they all viewed the demon royal family with a sense of scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the demon delegation had already ascended the divine path.

Ye Han was dressed in a blue silk robe and a red silk shirt, with a purple jade crown on his head. He was elegant but slightly arrogant.

Lin Dou and Ya Shan were dressed in the same way; the former was tall and slender, while the latter was broad and heavy, both with a cold and arrogant expression.

The most eye-catching of all was the demon princess who attracted much attention after arriving in the capital due to her appearance and figure.

Feng Yang was dressed in an exceptionally beautiful bright yellow gown today, with auspicious clouds and snow-capped mountains embroidered on the hem. She also wore a crown on her head, which, combined with her scarlet vertical pupils, gave her an exotic beauty that was incredibly striking.

Even though the disciples of the Heavenly Academy harbored hostility towards the demon race, they still spared no praise.

"Lord Zuoqiu."

"Your Highness, Your Highness, how have you been enjoying your stay in Shengjing these past few days?"

Ye Han bowed forward with the courtesy due to a human: "Humans and demons share many cultural similarities, something I discovered during my last visit. This is perhaps the best evidence that humans and demons once lived together in the Nine Provinces."

Zuo Qiuyang smiled calmly and did not respond directly, while the elders behind him showed cold expressions, thinking to themselves that the evil intentions of this demon race were truly everywhere.

A seemingly innocuous greeting concealed a sharp rebuttal, causing both parties to freeze in their gazes.

The only one who remained outside the conversation was Princess Fengyang.

She paid no attention to what her brother was saying to the palace master in front of her, but instead kept looking around, looking at the area around the Jade Ascension Platform, the Enlightenment Field, the Azure Lake, and the Elegant Garden by the lake.

In her view, everything seemed to match the stories she had heard, becoming traceable.

She looked from the east side of Biyue Lake all the way to the west side, and as she looked, two figures on the distant mountain path suddenly came into her view.

It was a young man with long hair tied up, chatting with an older man with a large chest.

During their conversation, the young man tried several times to take something from the other man's pocket, but the chubby man guarded against it with a wary expression.

Upon seeing this, Feng Yang's eyelashes suddenly trembled, his eyes widened slightly, and his cherry-pink lips unconsciously parted slightly.

She didn't come to see him; she had only been following his footsteps and looking around, not actually wanting to see him.

While she was still in a daze, the two people in her line of sight patted each other on the shoulder, as if saying goodbye. Then the fat man went up the mountain, while the young man she had been focusing her attention on walked towards her.

"Guests from afar, you have come all to visit my Heavenly Academy. I presume you have something to offer?"

"Palace Master Zuoqiu, you flatter us. We have long admired the Heavenly Academy and came to visit out of curiosity. We have no other purpose."

"Then why don't we first come to my hall for a chat, so that the elders can introduce you to everyone, and then you can browse around at your leisure."

"That would be perfect."

Ye Han cupped his hands in greeting to Zuo Qiuyang, who had extended the invitation, and then prepared to follow him away.

However, before he could even put his foot down, he caught a glimpse of his sister still standing there, seemingly lost in thought.

At the same time, Lin Dou, Ya Shan, Zuo Qiu Yang, and the elders behind them also turned around and saw that a pair of pointed ears were slightly erect in the hair of the demon princess, and her cheeks were gradually turning red.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Qiuyang and the elders behind him exchanged glances and immediately looked in the direction that Princess Fengyang was gazing, where they instantly saw Ji You.

After a slight pause, they looked at the demon princess again, their eyes showing not only surprise but also a thoughtful expression.

Ji You had just finished talking with Cao Jingsong and was crossing Biyue Lake to go down the mountain when he suddenly noticed that many people were looking at him.

He then looked up and around, and soon saw the group of figures standing on the white jade platform for ascending to immortality.

He had visited the snowy region four years ago, a long time ago, but he still recognized the demon princess who had once given him acupuncture at a glance.

As he gazed at her, Ji You slightly cupped his hands in greeting.

Feng Yang quickly regained his senses, bowed to him, then raised his cold and distant eyes, glanced at him lightly, and followed his brother into the distance, as if he had only seen an old friend he had never thought of before.

Ji You was not surprised by this, and after watching him leave, he walked down the mountain.

Feng Yang treated him well when they were in the snowy region, but that was mainly out of a doctor's professional attitude towards a patient. In reality, she had no good feelings towards the human delegation from that time, so much so that even in a friendly state of mutual trade, the princess did not see them off when they left, and could not even be considered a friend.

So even though he knew the demon race was in the capital, he never thought of meeting them.

He naturally regarded Feng Yang as a friend of a friend and appreciated her unwillingness to start a war, but that did not necessarily mean that she wanted to be friends with him.

It's just a chance encounter; if you deliberately act like an old friend when you go to see someone, it's not polite, but rather a disturbance.

Fortunately, Kuang Cheng wasn't talking nonsense, otherwise he might have really lost his head.

Under a clear sky and amidst a gentle mountain breeze, the demon clan delegation followed Zuo Qiuyang up the mountain.

Just as he stepped onto the slope, Feng Yang, who had been expressionless throughout, suddenly turned his head without warning and secretly glanced at the figure descending the mountain.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)