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Chapter 196 The Purple Mansion Bears the Calamity, the Nightmare Kingdom Appears, Yao Guang Breaks the Restriction to Hear the Heavenly Sound [Two-in-One]

What Tang Hao needs is feedback on the successful alchemy using Ji Liang's blood and flesh.

There's no need to wait until the rankings of the alchemy competition are released.

Therefore, as early as the moment Nan Sixian announced the effectiveness of the [Fengling Longevity Pill].

The progress was just five points away from being completed in an instant.

Clearly, it wasn't just the elders inside the waterside pavilion, but also the disciples watching the spectacle from the lakeside.

Everyone had doubts about the [Wind Spirit Longevity Pill] and had been observing the situation.

Once a sufficiently authoritative person gives their judgment, the hidden expectations are met, and the feedback arrives immediately.

At that time, Tang Hao was surrounded by a group of alchemy elders and didn't have time to check.

Having sorted out the events in his mind, he focused his attention on the present.

Back then, in the Tianyuan Palace of the Eastern Mausoleum Kingdom.

The arcane runes of the Nightmare Butterfly devoured a wisp of national fortune, thus initiating the construction of magical effects for the Nightmare Kingdom.

The illusion of the Black Dragon Butterfly, including the arcane runes themselves, all showed golden dark patterns as if they were engraved.

At this moment, those golden dark patterns had already woven into intricate and mysterious textures.

This caused the entire arcane rune to faintly shimmer with a dark gold hue.

With a thought, Tang Hao activated the Nightmare Butterfly, and a black dragon butterfly immediately flew out from the rune.

He examined it carefully and discovered the subtle golden patterns that were not very noticeable beneath the dragon butterfly's skin.

Now it is found all over its body, between its muscles, in the patterns of its scales, and in the outline of its wings.

It appears as if it were woven from black silk and gold threads. It no longer looks as eerie as it once did, but instead appears noble and mysterious, like a king of the dark realm.

'Tsk, this little butterfly is getting more and more beautiful.' Tang Hao had to admit that the Black Qi Dragon Butterfly's appearance was now extremely in line with his aesthetic sense.

He then muttered to himself, 'Now that the black aura has dissipated, the entire thing resembles a woven and forged black gold. The old name "Black Aura Dragon Butterfly" doesn't quite suit you anymore.'

Having accepted the new form manifested by the Nightmare Butterfly, he did not dispel the black and gold dragon butterfly.

Instead, he pondered the information interface of this technique.

"【Nightmare Butterfly】: Dream-based Mystic Art"

"Spell Effect: The Nightmare Butterfly, born from the fusion of four powers—hypnosis, dream entry, nightmare energy, and luck—can cast effects such as dream invasion, nightmare extraction, and dream illusion. This secret technique can be used flexibly, and more techniques can be developed independently."

"Nightmare Kingdom: Creatures infected and parasitized by the Nightmare Butterfly will have their subconscious influenced and restrained by the fortune. After their physical bodies perish, they will transform into nightmares within the kingdom. The limit of this spell's effect depends on the strength of one's divine consciousness and the level of the secret technique."

Note: This spell can only be used to guide those who do not dream. Those who do dream will be unable to construct their own dreams if they intrude.

Although the name of the secret technique has not changed, the original three powers have been combined, and now a new power has been added—luck.

Based on this, the spell effect Nightmare Kingdom emerged as he had predicted.

After repeatedly reading and pondering the description of the Nightmare Kingdom, Tang Hao had a thought and controlled the Black Gold Dragon Butterfly to rush into the secret runes.

"boom!"

The Black Gold Dragon Butterfly seemed to pass through a layer of black mist, arriving at a strange place in the blink of an eye.

Tang Hao's mind, which was attached to it, casually looked around.

'This so-called Nightmare Kingdom feels both real and unreal, like a narrow gap between illusion and reality, quite different from storage devices,' he concluded.

This place may not seem large, but it is actually quite spacious.

In addition, since it is a virtual place, those who can enter are not physical entities, so the size is not very meaningful.

'It can easily accommodate a city or a country if it's not at its carrying capacity limit, but once a powerful individual close to that limit enters, even the vastest area becomes like a tiny space, and it could even collapse at any moment.'

After a sigh, Tang Hao sensed something and suddenly understood.

'It's not exactly weak; its limit is roughly nine times the strength of my divine sense.'

Tang Hao's heart stirred, and he thought of the Nine Maidens of Yao Guang: 'They are essentially ghosts, long since devoid of physical bodies. If they were to merge with the Black Gold Dragon Butterfly, they would no longer need to be confined within the Jade Human Skin Drum.'

They are all currently at the late Foundation Establishment stage, which is just within their limits.

'However, entering the Nightmare Realm is tantamount to being completely bound to me. My life is their life, my death is their annihilation. I must ask them for their own thoughts on this matter.'

He is now about to form his core and has the ability to break the Jade Human Skin Drum, thus completely freeing and liberating them.

Actually, after becoming a disciple, Tang Hao had considered whether to beg his master to help the nine women find liberation.

He only slowed down because he needed to go to Shengjing to deal with his background and was worried that he might need help.

"Let's settle this matter after we return from the alchemy competition. It's not a good time to deal with these things now."

As for the creatures infected and parasitized by the Nightmare Butterfly, it is difficult to directly test this, and we can only observe it in the future.

However, Tang Hao also had a guess in his mind: 'The so-called influence and restraint probably just means they won't do anything to harm me, something like that.'

After examining the changes in the Nightmare Butterfly, he regained his composure.

At this point, the alchemy competition was basically over, and the disciples who participated in the competition successively conducted the final alchemy verification.

The final rankings won't be released so quickly; there will be further discussions over the next few days before a result is reached.

If both sides have no objection to the results of the elixir test, and there are no close elders in the waterside pavilion.

After leaving the lotus platform, he went to the lakeside to find his familiar fellow disciples and return home.

Only a few people, after completing the three questions, flew towards the waterside pavilion.

Among them were Luo Kedi, as well as the siblings Nan Liansong and Nan Lianzhu.

When Tang Hao opened his eyes, Lao Luo was sitting to the side, asking Yan Yumin and the others about his condition.

"Junior brother is awake? How are you feeling?" Luo Kedi asked with concern when he saw that he had woken up.

Tang Hao smiled and nodded, saying, "It's nothing, just divine sense..."

Just as he was about to say something more, he caught a glimpse of the Nan siblings walking towards him.

'Are they here to see Nan Sixian?' The thought had barely crossed his mind when the brother and sister also noticed him.

He paused slightly before heading this way.

"Nan Liansong (Nan Lianzhu) of Baihua Valley greets Elder Yan and Elder Mei."

After Yan Yumin and Mei Zhen responded, the brother and sister nodded to Luo Kedi and Helian Jinxi before turning to Tang Hao.

Nan Liansong smiled warmly and said, "Fellow Daoist Tang, it's been a long time since we last met. I didn't expect you to shine so brightly in the alchemy competition again. You will surely be among the top this time."

"Fellow Daoist Nan, you flatter me. I also wish you both satisfactory rankings," Tang Hao replied politely.

Seeing Nan Lianzhu looking at him with a strange expression, he wasn't surprised.

He vividly remembered how sensitive this girl was to the scent of flesh and blood: 'Now that I've fused with the [Power of Chenghuang], my bloodline has changed. She must be wondering why my scent is different from before.'

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they parted ways.

Yan Yumin and the others were worried about Tang Hao's condition, so they suggested that he go back to rest early.

Before leaving, through Nan Liansong's shouts, he finally learned about the relationship between the Nan siblings and Nan Sixian.

"Uncle, are you getting impatient?" Nan Liansong plopped down and poured himself a cup of tea.

His tone was relaxed and casual, clearly indicating that the two had a very close relationship.

Nan Sixian didn't respond, silently watching Tang Hao and the others board the flying boat and sail away.

Then he asked, "Are you acquainted with Fellow Daoist Tang?"

"We're not that close, we've only met a few times," Nan Liansong said after a slight pause. "But my sister and I witnessed his gold medal certification together."

He then gave a brief account of what had happened. "Oh? There's such a thing."

Nan Sixian looked somewhat surprised, as he had been away from the sect and was unaware of this matter.

He subconsciously looked at Nan Lianzhu, only to find that she did not react at all to the conversation between the uncle and nephew, and looked absent-minded.

So he asked curiously, "Little Bamboo, what's wrong?"

Nan Lianzhu woke up with a start when he heard his name called.

"Oh, Uncle, you called me?"

Shaking his head, Nan Sixian assumed she hadn't performed well in the competition.

He offered a word of comfort: "Don't take the competition at the exchange meeting too seriously. Focus on your own cultivation."

Realizing that her demeanor had caused a misunderstanding, she quickly composed herself and put on a smile.

"Uncle, don't worry, I played quite well. I was just thinking about something else."

Nan Liansong's expression shifted, and he asked, "Tang Hao?"

“Hmm, his aura has changed drastically this time, and…” Nan Lianzhu hesitated for a moment before speaking through telepathy.

Before she could finish speaking, Nan Sixian interrupted her: "Hey, I thought it was something serious."

He waved his hand, looking indifferent.

Outsiders are unaware that Nanlianzhu is sensitive to the scent of flesh and blood.

But as a member of the Nan family with whom he shared extremely close blood ties and relationships, he was naturally very clear about this.

"This kid's identity is undoubtedly that of a true disciple. Don't you know what the situation is with true disciples of the Qinghua Sect? Hiding his physical presence is nothing to be surprised about."

With great interest, Nan Sixian recounted the differences between Yan Yumin and Mei Zhen in their treatment of Tang Hao, as well as the method of refining the [Wind Spirit Longevity Pill], which might involve a fundamental law of the [Qinghua Sect].

Seeing their uncle's keen interest, the brother and sister couldn't help but exchange a glance and whisper to each other.

Nan Lianzhu said quietly, "That's not what I wanted to say."

They had long since realized Tang Hao's true identity as a disciple, so she naturally wouldn't ignore this situation.

"After we deal with my uncle, we'll talk to him privately and tell him what he'll say about it later."

While exchanging pleasantries with Nan Sixian, Nan Liansong was also subtly responding to his sister.

Remembering her uncle's temperament, Nan Lianzhu's lips twitched, and she nodded without making a sound.

After a while.

A side hall inside the Hundred Flowers Palace.

Nan Liansong frowned, somewhat incredulous: "You mean Tang Hao's aura is similar to Yan Ming's? That's impossible, sister, are you mistaken?"

He was filled with doubt and unease, wondering if this was true.

So, Tang Hao and Yan Ming might be brothers, or even twins like themselves.

At the very least, they were very closely related by blood, belonging to the same clan or lineage.

Despite this connection, one of them is in the Qinghua Sect, the leading sect among the five great immortal sects, while the other is in the Hehuan Sect, the most deeply hidden sect within the demonic sects.

Anyone who learns of this will immediately wonder if there's some kind of conspiracy involved.

This matter could be considered a big deal or a small deal, so it's no wonder that Nan Lianzhu became so distracted after realizing it, and almost revealed it to her gossipy uncle.

“Perhaps… it can’t even be said that they are similar.” Nan Lianzhu carefully chose his words. “It should be said that the two of them have the same blood and flesh aura, but Yan Ming’s is relatively weak, while Tang Hao’s is extremely strong.”

Nan Liansong was shocked and understood his sister's meaning.

For her to say that, it basically means she's convinced that the two are undoubtedly the same person.

After all, in the experiences and understanding of the brother and sister, no two people have the same flesh and blood.

"If that's the case."

His eyes flickered, and Nan Liansong tried to think of the best possible outcome.

"As a true disciple of the Qinghua Sect, Tang Hao usually uses the Xuan Turtle Breath Concealment Technique to completely conceal his bloodline aura. Therefore, when he transforms into Yan Ming, he releases a little bit of it to distinguish himself?"

As one of the five great immortal sects, and with the Nan family being a prominent immortal cultivation family within the Hundred Flowers Valley, they were aware of the name of this secret technique.

Hearing his brother's words, Nan Lianzhu breathed a slight sigh of relief: "I was worried that he might be a spy who had infiltrated the Qinghua Sect."

He said this with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"You're just worried sick." Nan Liansong had long known that his younger sister had feelings for Yan Ming, so he wasn't surprised at all by the comment.

He then shook his head and said, "Those who can become true disciples are mostly of impeccable character and were personally invited into the sect by the Supreme Elder. You have no need to worry about these things."

"Even those who later become true disciples will have their backgrounds investigated again." As he said this, a hint of joy rose in his heart.

At least I no longer have to worry about my sister being kidnapped by demonic cultivators.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he heard his younger sister say, "I remember that the true disciples of the Qinghua Sect always reveal their identities only after they have formed their core, right?"

I didn't understand what she meant, but I still nodded affirmatively.

"He's just an ordinary disciple in the sect... so what's the story behind the nine late-stage Foundation Establishment female cultivators following him?"

Startled, I looked up at her and saw that my sister's face was full of anxiety and uncertainty.

Nan Liansong was both amused and exasperated. He was worried about Tang Hao's identity, but it turned out that what he was really worried about were those nine female cultivators.

"In the secular world, he was the heir apparent of the Rong Kingdom of Dongling. Perhaps that maid was assigned to him by his family?"

Nan Lianzhu was taken aback, then immediately put on a "you're kidding me" expression.

Knowing that his answer was too perfunctory, Nan Liansong smiled awkwardly.

He then encouraged her, saying, "Little sister, do you really want to know? Why don't you just ask Tang Hao?"

He had only said it casually, but to his dismay, he noticed that his younger sister's eyes lit up.

Meanwhile, in the Hunyuan Palace, which is adjacent to the Baihua Palace and not too far away.

Inside a side hall.

A sneeze was heard.

Tang Hao rubbed his nose and muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled, "Thinking about me, cursing me, catching a cold—it means someone is thinking about me and talking about me."

Anyway, it couldn't possibly be from catching a cold.

Since he achieved the perfection of body refinement during the Qi Refining stage, colds have completely disappeared from his life.

He didn't understand, but he didn't care. He simply flicked his wrist and summoned the Five Elements Wheel.

Driven by magical power, nine ethereal figures materialized.

"I've met the young master!"

The nine women bowed gracefully and greeted Tang Hao with smiles.

Then, they looked around strangely, but couldn't see their respective flesh and blood puppets.

They all looked at their young master with curiosity: "Young master, why did you call us out?"

After greeting him, Tang Hao also suppressed his smile.

He looked at the nine women with a somewhat serious expression.

"Today, there is a matter that you need to decide for yourselves."

(End of this chapter)