Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 255 The Shadow of the Ancient Realm
When Ye Tinglan "left," she hadn't actually left.

She hovered high above, hands behind her back, quietly watching Lu Xingzhou humming a little tune as he went to find the medicine. She slightly pursed her lips, her expression somewhat annoyed.

She knew what made men happy.

It was just a hug, I don't know what's making him so happy, he even started humming a song... It's not like we've never hugged before.

Inside the secret realm, they rolled around in each other's arms, cuddled as they entered the snake's belly, fought side by side, and emerged together. Even while she was in her wheelchair, their love was undeniably tender, and he kissed her bare shoulder. Even in the end, wasn't it she who carried him through the spatial rift as they left the secret realm?

Compared to this simple hug, it's nothing.

What's there to be happy about? You're so pathetic.

But why am I feeling a little panicked and wanting to run away?

Because no matter how much we hugged before, it was just an emergency and didn't involve men and women. After all, if we didn't do that, someone would die. I didn't have any ambiguous feelings in my heart.

This time, no matter how much she tried to convince herself of the "master embracing disciple" mentality, she knew it wasn't necessary. Especially since in his mind, "master" was a load of rubbish; he just wanted to take advantage of her. Yet, she softened and still gave in to his wishes.

Ye Tinglan really didn't know how to face it, so she simply stayed away and wanted some peace and quiet.

She didn't understand why she was willing to do it.

Is it really all for the sake of Qi Yuan Mu Yu?

That said, even in the alchemist trial, this guy's performance was quite perfect. In such a huge mountain, in the pitch-black night, he actually managed to find something by himself, and he even managed to find that Crimson Purple Fruit that was hidden so well.

This means that even though Anuo helped him cheat before, he didn't actually rely on Anuo to cheat much, and his training didn't suffer.

If we really consider it according to the alchemist trial, he should be able to get a reward... Pshaw, who said there would be a reward?
That Shadow Grass... wait, why is there Shadow Grass here?

Ye Tinglan frowned and calculated for a moment. The mountain's veins were predominantly yin, with very little fire element and abundant water element. Logically, such a thing shouldn't grow here.

This place is located on the outskirts of Shadowmoon Royal City, separated from Shadowmoon Sect by Shadowmoon City. It is roughly the area with the strongest aura in the entire Frost Kingdom, with a rich royal aura permeating it. Ye Tinglan's choice to support Si Han is actually related to the results of this "aura observation." Although aura doesn't represent everything, it is still a reference.

Although the cultivation of the entire Tianshuang Kingdom leans towards cold, and the Shadow Moon Sect, being named "Shadow," must be particularly outstanding in the Yin attribute, there is a difference between the ice-attribute cultivation of the Listening Snow Pavilion and the shadow-type cultivation of the Shadow Moon Sect. Moreover, the Qi here is so dense that it can suppress Yin evil, and it is even more inappropriate for something with the Yin fire attribute like the Yin Fire Grass to grow here.

Ye Tinglan suddenly remembered Si Han's bone dragon.

Si Han likely practiced a demonic and sinister technique in order to control the bone dragon.

His cultivation may have affected the changes in the energy flow of this place, giving rise to shadowy and malevolent spirits.

Originally, this was a matter between Si Han and the Shadow Moon Sect; what they chose to cultivate and what form they chose to take was none of anyone else's business. However, Ye Tinglan, as a Daoist cultivator skilled in observing qi, knew that this could lead to some unpleasant consequences.

There's a general feeling that the grandeur and imperial aura have been polluted and eroded; to draw an analogy, it's like a human emperor turning into the King of Hell.

It's definitely not about wanting to catch crickets or covet fish.

If this pollution and erosion goes unchecked, it will take a long time for the imperial aura to fade, at least a decade or more. But if someone takes advantage of this change, there are many ways to exploit it.

Ye Tinglan herself could use this change to manipulate the energy transfer, forcibly transplanting the royal aura of Shadowmoon City to another place.

If there are other demonic practitioners... they might be able to use the Qi Meridian Devouring technique.

Ye Tinglan counted on her fingers, her gaze falling on the dark mountains in the distance.

Someone is indeed manipulating the energy channels and devouring things.

The reason it's not finished yet is because Si Han lost the Bone Dragon, and the evil magic hasn't been further explored.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Si Han was taught the method of capturing the bone dragon by someone else, who was using him to undermine the royal aura so that he could devour it. Once devoured, the once prosperous Shadowmoon City below would be reduced to wasteland within a few years.

Someone with such methods... is most likely Huiyang.

It's unbelievable that I just told Lu Xingzhou that we rarely encounter opponents like this, and now we've run into one. Although they're not familiar enemies... Tianyao Holy Land has an inescapable responsibility in such a situation.

Ye Tinglan glanced at Lu Xingzhou, who was still searching for something, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly waved her jade hand, setting up a set of array flags in the mountains.

If they clash with Huiyang's enemies, they'll easily discover there's a mere fourth-rank weakling here, which could be disadvantageous for Lu Xingzhou. It's best to keep him hidden. Besides, this little man always acts like he's the head of the household, insisting on being the main force against the Xuan Snake. What if he overestimates his abilities and tries to join the battle? It's better to let him stay inside.

After setting up the formation, Ye Tinglan moved with lightning speed, following the trail. Nestled among the mountains was a mountain hollow, like a naturally formed abyss.

A bald monk sat cross-legged in the middle of a mountain valley, with faint dark energy silently converging towards him, and the surrounding shadows condensing into a dark ring behind his head.

"Lord Tianyao," he said in a low voice, as if talking to himself, "This matter has nothing to do with you, why bother meddling in other people's business?"

Ye Tinglan hovered above him, looking down at him: "People from the ancient realm are not allowed to freely enter and leave the human world. You have already violated the heavenly rules by recklessly disturbing your energy channels and devouring a city."

"Heavenly rules? Who is Heaven? What rules are there?" The monk smiled slightly: "To us, the human world is no different from finding a secret realm. How to deal with the secret realm is our own business. Just like when you entered the side of the Black Serpent, you didn't expect that the Black Serpent was the master and you were the intruder."

Ye Tinglan was already used to such absurd reasoning and showed no reaction, only asking in return, "How do you know about my entry into the Xuan Snake Secret Realm?"

"I didn't know," the monk said with a smile. "However, you still have the aura of the Xuan Snake's blood on you. I calculated and looked back, so I naturally knew."

Ye Tinglan felt a sense of unease; this monk was stronger than she had imagined. She said, "If I were to be on good terms with the Xuan Snake, it would still devour me. But if you were to be on good terms with the mortal realm, they wouldn't eat you. You are a cultivator of shadowy spirits; why make excuses for yourself?"

The monk still smiled: "Are you sure people won't eat me?"

Ye Tinglan was too lazy to answer. A dignified Huiyang, a superior cultivator, could be extremely revered in the mortal realm without any problem; people would only bow and worship him. Who would dare to eat him?

"If the mortals won't eat me, then lifespan will devour me." The monk sighed, "I need to break through, so I can't worry about anything else. If the mountains and rivers benefit me, I will offer sacrifices to them, and those who obstruct me will become my enemies."

This is the root cause.

Ye Tinglan had seen many such situations in her life, including Gu Shaoli.

The monk continued, “I observe that your cultivation is also on the threshold. Your support for the Great Qian Dynasty is not without its influence. If you do not thwart my plans, I can share a portion of the Heavenly Frost Qi with you, and everyone will be happy. What do you say?”

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "No need. You should go back to where you belong."

"Why bother?" The monk sighed. "The Holy Lord's love star is shining brightly; this is the time to cherish and deepen her relationship with her husband. Why wade into such muddy waters? It's no different from a general abandoning his bride on his wedding day to go to war. If he fails, the tears and blood in his boudoir will be pitiful and tragic."

Ye Tinglan: "?"

Putting everything else aside, this monk's ability to observe qi is definitely no less than mine. What did he see?

No, what nonsense are you talking about?
Whose love star is shining brightly, and whose wedding day is it?
Just as his mind was in turmoil, the surrounding shadows, like living snakes, silently coiled towards his back. The monks appeared to be conversing, but they were already making their move in secret.

Ye Tinglan suddenly disappeared.

The shadows swept away nothing, and Ye Tinglan, already wielding her divine sword, struck the monk on the forehead.

The dark halo floating behind the monk's forehead also came to life, directly blocking the sword above his head. With a "clang," a crisp sound of metal clashing rang out, and the energy burst out, scattering the surrounding shadows, which then swept back in like a receding tide.

The battle officially begins.

Land travelers in the mountains were trying to break the formation when they felt a tremor coming from afar, and their hearts skipped a beat.

The opponent was indeed a cultivator on par with Ye Tinglan; this kind of battle was beyond my ability to participate in.

In the battle against the Xuan Snake, he appeared to be fighting desperately to be a main force, but in reality, he stayed far away before it burrowed into his belly. Every attack from the Xuan Snake was blocked by Ye Tinglan. If they had faced each other head-on, he would have been crushed into mincemeat by the Xuan Snake long ago.

To rashly get involved in this battle would only be to hinder the gentleman.

But how can we just sit here and wait without doing anything?

Regardless, let's break through the formation first. Does this stupid woman really think she'll just rush in recklessly? Why set up a formation to restrict herself?
Lu Xingzhou's knowledge of formations was inherited from Yuan Muyu, whose formations were exactly the same as Ye Tinglan's. This was essentially a test between fellow disciples. The main purpose of Ye Tinglan's formation was to prevent the enemy from finding Lu Xingzhou, not to target him. It was indeed not difficult for Lu Xingzhou to break through the formation from the inside. He quickly found the point of breach and rushed out of the mountain with a whoosh.

Turning to look in the direction from which the tremor came, Lu Xingzhou pondered for a moment before heading straight for the Shadow Moon Sect.

Lu Xingzhou had previously learned about the changes in Qi and meridians from Ye Tinglan, and even the method of reversing one's fortune. He couldn't detect the changes in Qi and meridians when they were unclear before, but during this battle, when the opponent was drawing a large amount of Qi and meridians, Lu Xingzhou had already sensed it. After thinking about it for a while, he came to a similar conclusion to Ye Tinglan's previous judgment.

"I have important business to discuss with the King of Si, all of you get out of my way!" Lu Xingzhou rushed into the Shadow Moon Sect's mountain gate, shaking off the guarding disciples, and headed straight for the main hall.

The main hall was brightly lit. Si Han, who had experienced a series of misfortunes today, was holding a small meeting with a group of elders when Lu Xingzhou burst through the hall doors. Si Han was taken aback: "Young Master Lu, what's going on...?"

"Lord Si, who taught you the method to control the bone dragon?"

(End of this chapter)