Embers of Sword

Chapter 766 Chaos
The atmosphere in Qingping Lane became very strange.

Jian Qingqiu, who had been holding back his anger, had now calmed down considerably.

Because he genuinely found it somewhat amusing.

"..."

The woman in the carriage who raised her hand to lift the curtain was stiff in her posture.

After appearing, the smile that had never disappeared from Nalan Qiutong's face froze.

Jian Qingqiu crossed his arms and silently stepped back a few paces.

He's not in a hurry anymore.

This wasn't the first time Du Yunzhong had clashed with him, so he was mentally prepared before he came... It would probably be very difficult to get into Qingping Lane.

However, Jian Qingqiu really didn't expect this.

Du Yunzhong didn't even give Nalan Qiutong any face!

"Lord Du, what do you mean by this?"

Nalan Qiutong's voice turned cold. She looked towards the alley. Qingping Alley was not long, and even though it was blocked by armored soldiers, it could not stop the divine sense of a Yin God.

Nalan Qiutong directly sent a wisp of divine thought into it.

The alley was deathly silent.

After a while.

A burly figure clad in heavy blue armor slowly appeared on horseback.

Du Yunzhong's face showed neither joy nor sorrow.

His gaze swept across the carriage, only lingering briefly on the "flower master" in the carriage.

"Lord Nalan."

Du Yunzhong calmly said, "The case in Qingping Lane... is being taken over by the Cangzi Battalion. Apart from those under the command of the Cangzi Battalion, no other unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter."

There was a pause.

“This is… the General’s intention,” Du Yunzhong added.

"This is the case of the pliers master."

Nalan Qiutong's face was ashen: "Moreover, I just came back from your general's place."

"I know."

Du Yunzhong remained calm: "I have already reported this case using the interrogation order... If you are not satisfied, you can try to cross Qingping Lane."

"Your Excellencies."

Jian Qingqiu picked up the conversation with a smile and said, "Does Lord Du's words mean that we can join forces?"

A chill flashed across Nalan Qiutong's eyes.

She was truly considering taking action at this moment, but the Flower Master gently extended a palm and pressed it on her junior sister's knee.

"Yes, of course."

Du Yunzhong also smiled: "The three of you can act together, but life and death are preordained. Once you act... you will bear the consequences."

Say it.

He raised his right hand and gently swept it across his chest.

He scoffed.

The void shattered, and a deep blue talisman appeared in Du Yunzhong's hand.

"Boom!"

The dimly lit entrance to Qingping Lane was suddenly illuminated by this talisman, and a muffled rumble of thunder could be heard in the air.

clatter! clatter!
Jian Qingqiu narrowed his eyes. After the talisman appeared, his horse became restless and unruly even with the reins tightened.

"..."

Even a powerful expert at the level of Flower Master, who had reached the Great Perfection stage, had a solemn expression at this moment.

Nalan Qiutong stared at the talisman and said in a low voice, "This is... the Dao Intent of Thunder?"

"good."

Du Yunzhong smiled and said, "Lord Nalan recognized it? This talisman condenses a wisp of the Great General's Dao intent... Although it is only a wisp, it is enough to cover the entire Qingping Lane. Since the Great General's promotion, I have not tested the power of this talisman. I wonder if there will be such an opportunity tonight."

"Heh...hehehe..."

Nalan Qiutong stared intently at the talisman and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

She knew all too well the power of the Yangshen Realm.

Once you take that step.

Then they truly transcended the mundane world.

Du Yunzhong clearly underestimated the power of this wisp of Dao intent... Once this wisp of Dao intent is released, it will cover far more than just Qingping Lane.

No wonder this guy is so tough.

It turns out that he was relying on Chen Chong's backing.

We really want to fight.

Only my senior sister was able to protect herself from this wisp of thunderous Dao intent.

"you……"

Jian Qingqiu looked at Du Yunzhong and gritted his teeth.

Is this guy crazy?
He just wanted to take Yun Ruohai away.

Anyone with eyes can see that Yun Ruohai has absolutely no connection with Buddhism! The escape of Venerable Fude tonight was just an accident!
"Lord Jian, would you like to enter Qingping Lane? Call Han Li here."

Du Yunzhong smiled and said, "Of course, I won't let Han Li pass even if he comes... but with his strength, he might be able to accept the General's wisp of Dao intent."

Speaking of which.

Jian Qingqiu could only leave with a livid face, temporarily abandoning his idea of ​​stepping into Qingping Lane.

the other side.

Nalan Qiutong stared at Du Yunzhong for a long time before finally having no choice but to leave.

……

……

"pity."

At the end of the alley.

Xie Xuanyi crossed his arms and leaned leisurely against the wall, watching the various forces retreat and Qingping Lane return to silence.

It's a pity that a fight didn't break out.

If a fight really breaks out, it will be quite a show.

It's highly likely that Jian Qingqiu can't do anything to Du Yunzhong.

After all, Han Li has not yet completed his advancement. The difference between the Great Perfection of Yin God and Yang God seems to be only a hair's breadth, but in reality, the difference is far too great... Unless one can cultivate two top-level Great Daos to compensate for each other's deficiencies and reach perfection together, it is simply impossible to fight against him.

Han Li was merely a pawn placed in Chongzhou by Nalan Xuance to counter Chen Chong; his strength and foundation were far inferior.

But Nalan Qiutong was different.

The Flower Master is at the Great Perfection stage; perhaps he can withstand this wisp of Dao intent.

Nalan Qiutong is a disciple of the Imperial Preceptor, and may possess a magical artifact or supernatural power similar to "Thunderous Dao Intent".

If they really try to force their way in, Du Yunzhong alone cannot hold them off.

However, Chen Chong was still inside the pass.

If Nalan Qiutong were to force his way in, this general would likely appear instantly.

Da da da……

The sound of horse hooves sounded.

Du Yunzhong returned to the alley.

Yun Ruohai has been shackled and his body is covered with Yuan Locking Array Talismans, which restrict the flow of Yuan Qi in his meridians.

For a warrior, such talismans are meaningless.

But for Yun Ruohai... being unable to use his vital energy meant losing the "Way of Water".

In this way, their strength will be greatly reduced, and they may not even be able to defeat cultivators in the Cave Heaven Realm.

Simple talismans are no longer enough to restrain a Yin Spirit Realm expert.

Therefore, the talisman affixed to Yun Ruohai's body also contained an even more powerful Dao intent.

This is the "Way of Thunder"!
This is the great principle of restraining water, and it was written by Chen Chong.

Once Yun Ruohai attempts to condense water, the Dao Intent of Thunder will be triggered...

"Yun Ruohai, you should have seen what's happening outside the alley, right?"

Du Yunzhong said calmly, "Jian Qingqiu came, but it was useless. Nalan Qiutong also came, but it was equally useless."

Yun Ruohai looked somewhat haggard at this moment.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Du, do you know what you're doing? Peace has finally been restored to Xuanbei Pass... You've detained me, are you trying to force the commander to take action and provoke a war within the pass?"

"If you hadn't entered the west alley, how could you have ended up in this predicament?"

Du Yunzhong said expressionlessly, "The Cangzi Battalion had already set up an ambush, and that Venerable Fude couldn't escape. If you hadn't interfered, the General wouldn't have punished me."

"..."

Yun Ruohai was speechless for a moment.

He had no grounds for argument; he had acted alone, investigating the murder of the Hook Pliers Master and attempting to apprehend Venerable Fude, which indeed violated the established order of Xuanbei Pass. "I should indeed bear responsibility for this matter."

Yun Ruohai took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "I am willing to bear the full punishment for your crimes. But you shouldn't have imprisoned me."

“I’m sorry, you don’t need to take the punishment for me, Yun Ruohai… I now suspect that you have ties to Buddhism.”

Du Yunzhong remained unmoved and calmly said, "Just cooperate with the investigation. If you are innocent, you will be released in a while."

Say it.

He waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to seize him, take him out of Qingping Lane, and imprison him in the Cangzi Camp prison.

"There is more than one Venerable Fude in Qingping Lane!"

Yun Ruohai suddenly spoke up, looking at Du Yunzhong and saying loudly, "In this Xuanbei Pass... there is also a great Buddhist practitioner!"

"stop."

Du Yunzhong waved his hand again, signaling the soldiers to stop.

He looked at Yun Ruohai, waiting for the next part to be told.

"The capture of Fu De is a sure thing."

Yun Ruohai said hoarsely, "I had set up a water prison... but at the critical moment, a great cultivator made a move, and that person broke through my water prison directly."

"Oh?"

Du Yunzhong raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Xuanbei Pass is searching for Buddhist practitioners with all its might. Finding even one more Yin Spirit would be a great achievement!

"What did that person look like?"

"Didn't see clearly."

"That person's Dao Realm ability?"

"do not know."

"Now that person has made a move, what about their magical artifacts and supernatural abilities?"

"..."

The alley fell into a brief silence.

Du Yunzhong couldn't help but laugh. He squinted and cursed, "Heh... Yun Ruohai, are you fucking messing with me?"

How could a great cultivator of Yin spirits not be able to provide even the slightest useful information?
Yun Ruohai opened his mouth, feeling utterly speechless and in great pain.

"Put it down!"

Du Yunzhong said irritably, "Give this guy 'water torture,' don't worry, he won't die from it!"

……

……

Not far from Qingping Lane.

The Xuanwei Flower Carriage slowly came to a stop.

Nalan Qiutong's expression was complicated as he rubbed his temples hard, slowly gathering his thoughts.

Before heading north to Xuanbei Pass, she thought there would be no trouble.

But this only lasted one night.

The troubles became countless.

The death of hook and pincer maker Geng Jiu was just a trivial matter.

"If you want to snatch Yun Ruohai, I can give it a try."

The Flower Master said, "That talisman containing the Dao of Thunder is powerful, but if Du Yunzhong were to use it, it shouldn't take my life."

"Sister..."

Nalan Qiutong sighed softly: "Believe it or not, once you make your move, Chen Chong will descend in his true form in no more than three breaths."

"..."

The flower master frowned, somewhat puzzled.

"Yun Ruohai's matter is not as simple as you think."

Nalan Qiutong leaned back and sighed, saying, "No matter how stubborn Du Yunzhong is, he is ultimately reasonable. This case of investigating Buddhist monks is a joint effort by all three parties... The case of Venerable Fude was started because of Master Hook and Pliers. No matter how domineering Du Yunzhong is, he should not have stopped us from entering the alley."

Du Yunzhong and Jian Qingqiu had a long-standing conflict.

However, he had no conflicts with Nalan Qiutong or the Flower Master.

"This was... done on purpose."

The flower owner seemed to realize something.

"If this guy didn't have Chen Chong's authorization, how dare he provoke you and me?"

Nalan Qiutong said with distress, "Yun Ruohai is innocent. Even if he ruined the case, he will only be punished at most. What I'm worried about now is Chen Chong."

The Flower Master's expression changed slightly: "You're worried about him, that he's disobeying the imperial edict?"

"Yes."

Nalan Qiutong sighed deeply.

This is what she's most worried about, and it's also the most important thing tonight.

The Crown Prince's edict was successfully delivered into the inner city.

Chen Chong also accepted the imperial edict.

If nothing unexpected happens, Chen Chong should leave the city and head south early tomorrow morning after arranging various trivial matters. But this case just happened tonight in West Alley... If he really wanted to investigate the Buddhist cultivators, why not downplay the matter, release Yun Ruohai, and continue the citywide curfew?

Clearly, Du Yunzhong was ordered to stop Jian Qingqiu and himself in order to escalate the matter.

The only way is to make a big fuss about this.

Chen Chong thus had a legitimate reason to "defy the imperial edict".

"Han Li will never sit idly by while Yun Ruohai is detained."

The Flower Master frowned and said, "Jian Qingqiu has already gone to the City Lord's Mansion... If Han Li goes to storm the Cangzi Camp, won't this matter just get bigger and bigger?"

"I have already sent the message."

Nalan Qiutong said wearily, "Han Li already knows about the 'Imperial Edict to Head South.' A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. He is a smart man and knows what Qianzhou is thinking. Now is not the time for confrontation... However, these conflicts can only be suppressed for a while and cannot be resolved directly. Now I just hope that Chen Chong will leave the inner city early tomorrow morning to be summoned by imperial edict."

"I'm afraid... it's difficult."

The flower master was silent for a moment, then said, "What happened in Qingping Lane tonight is a very bad start."

Chen Chong is already showing signs of obeying orders but not decrees.

"Actually, I have another question in my mind."

Nalan Qiutong looked at her senior sister and murmured, "With Yun Ruohai's strength, subduing Venerable Fude should be a sure thing... How could he possibly fail like this?"

The two did not enter Qingping Lane.

Even from dozens of feet away, one could vaguely sense the battlefield with divine sense.

This was, after all, a fight between two powerful Yin Gods.

The lingering scent at the scene will take a long time to dissipate.

"I feel weird too."

The Flower Master frowned and said, "In Qingping Alley, there are only two auras... one is Venerable Fude, and the other is Yun Ruohai. This guy lost to Venerable Fude in a one-on-one fight?"

"I have a feeling that there is a third person involved in tonight's battle in Qingping Lane."

Nalan Qiutong suddenly spoke.

She made this judgment without reason or basis.

some.

It was just a gut feeling.

Those who inherit the profound arts have extremely accurate intuition.

"A third person?"

The Flower Master's expression changed slightly, and he spoke solemnly: "You mean... someone secretly intervened to help Fude escape the water prison?"

It's not difficult to do this.

Anyone with the cultivation level of Yin Shen Realm can break the deadlock.

The Flower Master knew that this Northern Pass was so vast... Since Venerable Fude was able to infiltrate it, it wouldn't be surprising if a second Yin God Realm expert from Buddhism appeared.

just.

What's terrifying is that he broke through Yun Ruohai's water prison without leaving behind any trace of Daoist intent.

"If it were Senior Sister who fought in Qingping Lane tonight..."

A thought arose in Nalan Qiutong's mind, and she looked at the woman beside her.

"It's hard."

After pondering for a long time, the Flower Master sighed and said, "Removing Yun Ruohai's water prison is easy, but leaving no trace... is very difficult. If it were me, I would only have a very small chance."

"It seems... there might be a 'Great Perfection' master from Buddhism who has infiltrated Xuanbei Pass..."

Nalan Qiutong looked up at the ceiling of the carriage and softly murmured two names.

"Hidden Cicada?"

"Miaozhen?"

She couldn't quite place it.

(End of this chapter)