Minglong

Chapter 332 The Master's Mission

Outside the Beiming Sect's headquarters, there were many people from all over the world who had come after hearing the news, all talking at once about the strange tales of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion.

Inside the mansion, several Northern Darkness Sect wizards patrolled the corridors to prevent any envious individuals from breaking in or spying.

In the master bedroom of the mansion, the doors and windows were closed, and the clothes rack was filled with shrine maiden costumes and various silverwares.

Empress Dowager Guo regained her majestic figure, wearing a burgundy home dress. Because of her naturally fair skin, the red dress and red hair made her look radiant and unparalleled, but her brows also revealed a hint of the heroic spirit of the strongest female warrior of the time.

At this moment, Empress Dowager Guo sat cross-legged on the couch with her back straight. In front of her was an open box containing the mask 'Dan Bird'. The mask still had a faint shimmering light on its surface, and the empty eye sockets seemed to carry a divine meaning, giving people a sense of awe and solemnity.

Having experienced the chaos caused by witchcraft, Empress Dowager Guo was well aware of the significance of this item. The Dan Bird was a magical artifact used by the ancestral witch Zhu Man, and its ability to control the blazing fire was merely a secondary function. Its true meaning was "spiritual communication," which is what the secular world calls invoking a deity to possess one's body.

However, the founder of Taoism once said: "All those who possess spirits are merely worldly tricks, not the true Tao."

Therefore, this practice of inviting a deity to possess one's body does not mean inviting a conscious deity to possess one's body, but rather establishing a connection with heaven and earth, or becoming a part of heaven and earth, and having limited control over the laws of heaven and earth.

This situation is similar to hers.

After she fell into Phoenix Tomb, she was imprisoned there for sixty years, which caused her body to show signs of merging with the origin of heaven and earth. Although this allowed her to undergo infinite nirvana and become almost a demigod, the price was that her body was completely assimilated, and she became the Golden Mother.

The Golden Mother is theoretically still alive, but she has become part of the Western world. She is neither born nor dies and has no personal consciousness. Only the cold laws of heaven and earth remain. The frequent appearance of half-demon fetuses in the Western Rong may be related to the Golden Mother's pollution of the origin of heaven and earth.

If she also reaches that point, the South might see girls born with 'red hair and blue eyes, breasts bigger than their heads,' or red-haired monsters, etc., her shadow will be everywhere, yet she herself will never be seen.

The mask 'Dan Bird' was created by the ancestral witch Zhu Man using some unknown method, allowing it to temporarily become part of the world without being swallowed or assimilated by it.

Although his control over the heavens and earth was quite limited, he could still crush ordinary people with his demigod body.

After all, fire magicians in the world borrow the power of the five elements from heaven and earth, put on masks and transform into gods who control the fire of the five elements. Even if they can only slightly interfere with the spells, it is enough to put the opponent at an absolute disadvantage.

Such a powerful artifact is something that only someone who has truly no equal and has established a sect to rule would give away.

Now that Yanbo City is using this item as a prize, its only purpose is to lure Xie Jinhuan. The reason for using such a valuable item is that Xie Jinhuan is not stupid.

This is clearly a trap, using tiger bone vine and phoenix feather grass as bait. Xie Jinhuan came for the divine power, and he wouldn't risk losing more for something so small.

As for the Five Divine Gifts, Xie Jinhuan already has Fire and Metal, but he can't produce Water for Longevity, and Earth is no longer available. So, he only has the Azure Dragon Divine Gift left. Xie Jinhuan can secretly steal it from outside, so why would he step into the trap of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion?

Therefore, the only thing that could make Xie Jinhuan take such a risk was an even rarer immortal artifact. The 'Dan Bird' was something Xie Jinhuan couldn't part with, so Yanbo City gave it up.

But bait is bait. Once it's eaten, it means the fish has taken the bait. What Yanbo City needs to do next is to pull the fish ashore. So Xie Jinhuan faces considerable risks ahead.

As he pondered this silently, a bolt of lightning flashed across the window amidst the torrential rain:
thunderbolt--

A faint, cloaked figure appeared outside the window without making a sound.

Empress Dowager Guo had no prior knowledge of this, and was slightly startled upon seeing it, but fortunately, a familiar voice immediately rang out.

"Sister Guo, it's me."

?

Empress Dowager Guo was slightly taken aback, and a look of 'You rascal, what brings you here?' appeared between her brows. She got up and quietly opened the window, carefully peering out to make sure that Old Demon Shang was not lurking nearby.

Call ~
Xie Jinhuan quietly slipped through the window of the woman in the pajamas and whispered:
"Don't worry, I'm watching, no one will notice."

Empress Dowager Guo closed the window upon seeing this and asked in confusion:
"How come you didn't make a sound? Have you entered the sixth realm?"

Xie Jinhuan shook his head and took out a bottle of pills:
"The Ignore Pill! Zisu's masterpiece, once ingested, even immortals cannot notice it. However, one must take the antidote to activate it, so it can only be used for concealment and escape, and has little practical use in actual combat."

Empress Dowager Guo had already noticed the remarkable abilities of this great-grandson of her disciple while still in Yanjing. Now, holding the medicine bottle, she glanced at it briefly and nodded, saying:

"This pill is indeed powerful; I couldn't detect even the slightest trace of its aura. But you should still be careful. The immortal artifact is just bait. The dumpling feast at the Mountain and Sea Pavilion in Yanbo City might just be a pretext for your jealousy..."

"I can see that now, Old Demon Shang has sided with the evil path?"

Empress Dowager Guo shook her head and sat down on the couch with Xie Jinhuan:

"Shang Lianbi is a very pure person. He is not greedy for fame and fortune, does not like to fight, and is not interested in love and desire. Back then, the righteous path invited him to besiege the Corpse Ancestor, but he was unwilling to leave the mountain. The Corpse Ancestor tried to recruit him, but he ignored him as well. He just wanted to achieve immortality and enlightenment. He would never take any risks if he could avoid them, even if he was criticized by the world."

"It is too risky to secretly plot to subvert the righteous path. According to Shang Lianbi's personality, even if he has some needs, he will not take sides early. Instead, he will wait and see, and only help others if they have a chance of winning. If they don't have a chance, he will support the righteous path."

"Although such opportunities are hard to come by, Shang Lianbi and Ye Sheng are the same age, so he won't be in a hurry to wait another sixty years. If his lifespan really comes to an end, he can also snatch the Xuanwu God's gift to extend his life. It's not Shang Lianbi's style to be so desperate and cause trouble everywhere so early."

Xie Jinhuan was a little confused:

"If that's the case, Shang Lianbi should just stand by and watch. Why is he setting me up with a magic artifact now? Is he trying to lure me out to see what happens?"

Empress Dowager Guo said earnestly:

"Shang Lianbi's aloofness does not mean that his disciples and followers are also obedient. If the evil path succeeds, Shang Lianbi will definitely follow suit; if it fails, this old thief will surely 'slay Shang Mingzhen with tears in his eyes' to apologize to the world. As long as he does not personally intervene and insists that he was negligent in his seclusion, what can the righteous path do?"
"Huang Lin Zhenren has raised a rebellious disciple. The righteous path cannot directly implicate Huang Lin Zhenren. All they can do is secretly investigate to see if Huang Lin Zhenren was involved. If they take action without evidence, the more than 100,000 followers of the Divination Sect, including Lü Yan, will definitely fight to the death to protect the sect's reputation. There are more cultivators in Dragon Bone Beach who are grateful to Shang Lianbi than the followers of the Divination Sect."

Xie Jinhuan understood the meaning:
"That means Shang Lianbi won't easily step forward; we only need to guard against Shang Mingzhen."

The Valkyrie shook her head: "That's not necessarily true. Shang Lianbi just doesn't want to openly use underhanded tactics. If you were caught by him after sacrificing your fellow Daoist at Dragon Bone Beach, as the leader of the righteous path, he could kill you with a perfectly legitimate reason. Afterwards, he would even blame Lu Wuzhen for not disciplining him properly. As for me and Qixia the Old Demon coming to settle a personal score, we can't even be considered to have any sense of justice."

Xie Jinhuan frowned: "Isn't Shang Lianbi also a follower of the demonic path?"

"He didn't sacrifice any blood to fellow cultivators; it was all cultivators who voluntarily offered their essence and blood. Was the person you refined also voluntary?"

That's not it...

Xie Jinhuan had nothing to say, so he turned his gaze to the mask in the box:
"How are we going to take this magical artifact back? Shang Lianbi probably won't let it go." Guo Taitai picked up her teacup and took a sip.
"The immortal artifact contains hidden markings that Yanbo City can track at all times, and it is difficult for cultivators below the sixth realm to find and erase them. That's why they dare to use this item as bait to lure you into taking the bait."

"With our abilities, erasing the mark wouldn't be difficult. But once the mark disappears, Shang Lianbi could be outside the house in the next instant. Even if he doesn't come, all we'll get is a celestial artifact."

Xie Jinhuan was surprised to hear this.

"Isn't this enough?"

Empress Dowager Guo shook her head and leaned closer:

"I came all this way hoping to take this opportunity to see if I could find any dirt on Shang Lianbi and deal with him. Now that he has delivered bait to me, how can I just take the bait and leave?"
"These days I'll stay in the city quietly, dealing with the people of Yanbo City in private. Once you've seized the opportunity and Dragon Bone Beach has returned to order, I'll lead the team back openly. This way, Yanbo City can't resort to underhanded tactics within its territory to avoid suspicion, and they can only follow the signs and wait for me to come out of the pass before taking action."

"We've arranged for our men to lie in ambush outside the pass. If it's just some ordinary thugs trying to rob us, we'll grab a few witnesses to testify that Yanbo City is unethical. If Shang Lianbi dares to secretly follow us and take back the immortal artifact, then there's nothing more to say. If he wins, he'll be utterly disgraced; if he loses, he'll die and his life will be extinguished!"

Bang, bang...

Xie Jinhuan clapped his hands lightly, his eyes filled with awe:

"What a brilliant move to turn the tables! Sister Guo, you've got a brilliant idea!"

Empress Dowager Guo curled the corners of her lips and pushed the box forward a little:

"I just checked it, and there's nothing wrong with it except for the markings. I know you like it, so you can hold it and play with it."

Xie Jinhuan was indeed envious of this magical artifact, but with a red-haired, blue-eyed patron with breasts bigger than his head sitting in front of him, looking at the treasure would be a bit of an eyesore. So he closed the box first and reached out to take his pulse:

"How is Sister Guo's health? Infiltrating Shang Lianbi's territory is extremely dangerous; she can't afford any mishaps..."

Seeing this, Empress Dowager Guo naturally extended her long, slender right arm, allowing Xie Jinhuan to take her pulse. She was about to respond when, unexpectedly, three years later, she heard a divine oracle once more:
"He wants to touch you."

The voice was ethereal and distant, carrying a hint of divinity, as if a goddess from the heavens was whispering in my ear. The voice was exactly the same as the "left side" I had heard three years ago.

? !
Caught off guard, Empress Dowager Guo jumped up in fright and quickly looked around.

Before Xie Jinhuan could even place his hand on his wrist, seeing this, he also reached for the throwing knife at his waist and cautiously looked around:

"Old Demon Shang is here?"

?

Empress Dowager Guo looked surprised and doubtful, paused for a moment, and then realized that it was 'He' who spoke. Her gaze then turned back to the young swordsman with red lips and white teeth opposite her:
"You want to touch me?"

"what?"

Xie Jinhuan was taken aback and sat up a few degrees:

"Sister Guo, you saved my life, how could I have such thoughts..."

Empress Dowager Guo trusted Xie Jinhuan, but she trusted even more the deity behind the Old Demon of Qixia. After staring at Xie Jinhuan for a moment, she seemed to hear something and leaned closer:

"Is this the master's mission?"

"what?!"

Xie Jinhuan froze, realizing his wicked wife was setting him up, and quickly said:
"I, Xie Jinhuan, never submit to anyone, how could I possibly have a master..."

Empress Dowager Guo slightly raised her hand and said earnestly:
“Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother, it’s only natural for you to call them ‘Mother.’ What’s there to be ashamed of when you’re a ‘servant of God’?”

Mother?

Xie Jinhuan opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.

Seeing that Xie Jinhuan seemed displeased, Empress Dowager Guo continued to instruct him:
"The reason Yanbo City set you up might be to find out about this opportunity you have. You are blessed with good fortune, so don't take it for granted or become arrogant. Otherwise, you will understand what it means to 'not care about the heavens' if you lose this opportunity."

Xie Jinhuan discovered that Sister Guo was mistaking the ghost for God, and he didn't know how to explain it, so he could only ask:
"Does Shang Lianbi also know about Senior Qixia's special qualities?"

Mrs. Guo took a sip of tea from her cup:

"You think you're elusive and a master at catching criminals, that you're the only one who can outsmart others, and no one can outsmart you. Is that reasonable?"

"Was Master Qixia like that back then?"

"The Old Demon of Qixia wasn't as low-key as you were back then."

Empress Dowager Guo, recalling the glorious days of the past, frowned slightly:
"When slaying demons and monsters, she would publicly 'point the way like an immortal' and announce the location; when seizing opportunities, she was always the first to arrive. While we were still figuring out whether she had found out yet, she had already grabbed the opportunity and 'wahaha~' and flew away."

"Lacking weapons, she fiddled around for a while and pulled out a Zheng Lun sword, which she then showed off to me; when encountering a strong enemy, she could always come up with some incomprehensible supernatural spells and incantations."

"At first we thought she had a master protecting her, but even after she reached the peak of the sixth realm, she was still like this. How could outsiders not see that there was a problem?"

Xie Jinhuan thought that they were indeed taught by the same master, their styles were exactly the same:
"and then?"

"Then everyone was curious about what kind of opportunity the Old Demon Qixia possessed, but until the end of the Witch Cult Rebellion, no one understood the reason. I have been searching for many years without any clue. Shang Lianbi is single-mindedly pursuing immortality. Even if he knows he can't seize it, he will definitely want to find out the truth. So you must remember to be careful..."

"Understood……"

……
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I wrote all night, revising and editing over 10,000 words, but I'm not satisfied. In the end, I only had less than 4,000 words left. My brain is completely fried from writing. I can only update one chapter today or two!

(End of this chapter)