Promise!

Chapter 292, Spiritual Energy

Returning to the Suspended Sky Mirror, it transitioned to a fully activated state, resembling a space-based satellite reflecting the scenery of the Funiu Mountains, offering an aerial view of the sacred cypress tree.

"These ancient trees have grown even larger now." Ge Daoqian, the head of the Ge family, said with a complex tone, sighing and reminiscing as if he were looking back on the past.

"This tree looks somewhat familiar!"

Xuanyuan Zhengji looked in the direction of the sound and murmured to himself. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he blurted out, "Isn't this the spirit form of the Chunling Qiu Monster?"

The governor's term is ten years, and he only arrived after more than twenty years. Unlike the three great family heads who witnessed the "Jiazi Demon Extermination" last time, the Chunling Autumn Monster is an extremely rare species. The three great family heads did not know it before and did not think there was anything wrong with it.

But as soon as these words were spoken, the private room on the top floor of the Suspended Sky Bureau fell silent instantly. Everyone present was no fool; they all realized something and their expressions changed.

Just then——

Within the light screen, the Prism Beast ascended into the air, displaying the aura of the peak of the Vajra Realm. Before dying, it shifted the beam of light, shooting it towards the direction of Thousand Cliff.

hum!
The light screen flickered and disappeared, followed by a violent tremor, and then a huge sound was heard coming from the Funiu Mountains. Looking into the distance, one could see a surge of primordial energy erupting from the Funiu Mountains.

This year's major energy tide seems to have arrived earlier than expected.

“There are records of earthquakes causing the expansion of the primordial energy tide, but the ‘Jiazi Demon Extermination’ causing the primordial energy tide to advance is unprecedented!”

"This is related to the Prism Beast, which is likely under the control of the Spirit Tree. Is this the work of that Spirit Tree? What does it want to do?"

"Let's leave those aside for now."

Shangguan Yunchang suddenly spoke up: "I've thought of a question. If the beast puppets controlled by Lingchun are intentionally concealed, can the Suspended Sky Mirror detect them and clean them up?"

"I'm afraid not."

Shangguan Jinfeng replied with an unprecedentedly solemn expression: "Just like the token of the Suspended Heaven Bureau, its functions are expanding step by step. The judgment criteria of the Suspended Heaven Mirror also need to be updated. There is no such information in the current data, so this method can be used to circumvent it."

This actually raises a question: In the current situation, during the Jiazi Demon Extermination event, the Suspended Sky Mirror locks onto a beast that has reached the Transcendent Vajra Realm. What are the criteria for identifying this 'Transcendent Vajra Realm Beast'?
There are two points now: First, the aura, physical strength, and energy fluctuations that surpass the third stage of the Vajra Realm; second, the active soul power fluctuations that surpass the third stage of the Vajra Realm.

In this logic, the sacred toon tree is a plant, and is therefore considered a rare and precious natural treasure, so it is naturally not subject to attack.

The puppets it controlled were in a state between life and death, satisfying condition one but not condition two. Especially at this moment, the roots of the spirit tree penetrated and pulled them into the ground. According to the logical analysis of the Suspended Mirror, the souls of these Vajra Realm beasts had been extinguished and they were already dead. Their corpses were being naturally decomposed and digested.

The Prism Beast, under Ling Chun's active control, exhibited active fluctuations of divine soul power within its body, thus fulfilling conditions one and two simultaneously, and also allowing it to be locked onto by the Suspended Sky Mirror.

"Speaking of which, I also thought of something. According to the records, three or four hundred years ago, during the Jiazi Demon Extermination, there were three or four super-limited alien beasts that were wiped out. However, starting more than three hundred years ago, the number has been reduced to one or two, although their auras are much stronger."

Cen Chongxuan's expression was equally solemn. He said in a deep voice, "Our ancestor originally thought that a beast king had appeared, and that the resources of the three dead zones of the Funiu Mountains had been concentrated on one beast. Now it seems that this might be a deliberate manipulation by the Lingchun, a deliberate act of pushing it out?"

Indeed, this spirit cypress has a special ability: in a short period of time, it can transfer energy to elevate one of its puppets to the same level as itself. In the previous "Jiazi Demon Extermination", it was in this way that one by one scapegoats was launched.

Of course, this method also comes at a huge cost to Lingchun. If a puppet is severely damaged or dies, it means that Lingchun will forever lose that puppet and the power it transferred. Therefore, after a 'Jiazi Demon Extermination', it will take Lingchun several years or even more than ten years to recover.

"With such a large discrepancy accumulating, doesn't that mean Ling Chun is now controlling multiple Vajra Realm beasts?"

Xuanyuan Zhengji's gaze sharpened, and he gave the answer.

Upon hearing this, the air in the room seemed to grow heavy, and an immense pressure enveloped everyone's hearts.

Zhuang Jin did not speak, remaining in the state of 'transparent world'. At this moment, in his field of vision, the expanding heaven and earth energy deep in the Funiu Mountains seemed to contain something, faintly filled with a vitality, like a living, ever-expanding giant mist beast.

Even more shockingly, a strange energy appeared in the center of the triple death zone, which had a great attraction to the physical body and genes, and the body instinctively felt a desire for it!

This made him subconsciously think of something: wandering spiritual energy!

……

When Zhuang Jin broke through to the Yin Spirit realm, his physical transformation was stuck due to the limitation of his lifespan. He knew the crux of the problem: a lack of free spiritual energy!

He later inquired whether any of the powerful clans of the time had attempted to imitate the cultivation of mythical beasts in order to break through the lifespan limitations of the martial arts system.

The answer is: I have tried them. The physical secrets such as the "Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique" and the "Ice Soul Glazed Body" are byproducts of these attempts.

Getting back to the main point, this attempt failed because the foundation of the martial arts system lies in internal energy, while the foundation of the beast system lies in external power; these two are incompatible.

In the research and judgment of powerful clans and aristocratic families, the compatible method may also be related to the free spirit energy.

This brings us back to square one. The physical transformation was blocked by the free spiritual energy, so we needed to find another way to study it. But after taking a detour, we ended up back at the free spiritual energy.

'At this moment, I sense the strange energy emerging from the three dead zones of the Funiu Mountains. Could it be free-floating spiritual energy? The appearance of this energy is clearly related to the Prism Beast controlled by the Spirit Tree, and now it's the eve of a large-scale primordial energy tide.'

What Zhuang Jin had seen before reminded her of the many doubts that had been accumulating in her mind.

Eight hundred years ago, that immortal's footprints covered the entire land, and he traveled to almost every prefecture and county, changing mountains and rivers—why did that immortal go to such lengths to do all this?
In the Great Qian Dynasty, each of the nine provinces has a unique place, experiencing a small-scale primordial energy tide every year and a large-scale primordial energy tide every five years—why do these phenomena of unique places and primordial energy tides exist? What is their essence?
Each of the nine provinces has a Suspended Heaven Bureau, the structure of which was personally designed by that immortal. It also has a main and eight auxiliary Suspended Heaven Mirrors, whose original authority is bound to the noble families of each province and country. Why is this so? What is being plotted behind this?
After reaching the Yin Spirit realm, the physical body is sublimated and imprisoned, affecting the lifespan of martial artists. This is because the world lacks free spiritual energy, which did not seem to be the case eight hundred years ago—was this the work of that immortal?
Combined with another piece of information that Zhuang Jin had gathered: Beyond the Nine Provinces of the Great Qian Dynasty, in the four directions of east, west, south, and north: to the east lies the sea, and as one ventures deeper, one is enveloped in vast expanses of misty waves; to the west are the Mangcang Mountains, where, at their deepest depths, clouds form peaks; to the south lies the endless swamp, where, as one ventures deeper, miasma fills the air; and to the north lies the Tianshan snowfield, where, as one travels further north, ice and fog permeate the landscape.

At this moment, a terrifying thought suddenly arose in his mind: the land of the Great Qian Nine Provinces, covering 48 million square kilometers, was covered by the formations set up by that immortal who had traversed all the prefectures and counties of the Nine Provinces, altered the mountains and rivers, and absorbed the wandering spiritual energy of heaven and earth, creating a spiritualless martial arts environment.

The nine wondrous lands of the Nine Provinces are the eye of this colossal formation, or rather, the nodes. Each wondrous land experiences a small tide of vital energy every year and a large tide of vital energy every five years. Essentially, this is the accumulation of deviations in the formation over time, leading to small adjustments to the formation each time, and a major adjustment every five years.

The establishment of the Suspended Sky Bureau, with aristocratic families in charge, essentially binds them to the Suspended Sky Mirror, allowing them to monitor and protect the array nodes and prevent the alien beasts from going out of control.

If that's the case, then the immortal who created and passed down martial arts eight hundred years ago, leaving behind immortal relics and various opportunities, like a saint; the intricate structure, with mutual checks and balances, maintaining the balance of the Great Qian Dynasty and preventing class solidification, all seem to have a reasonable explanation—is this the other party's testing ground? Or rather, is it some kind of super-large-scale promotion ceremony?

A series of horrifying thoughts flashed through Zhuang Jin's mind in an instant, but he quickly suppressed them, knowing that now was not the time to dwell on these thoughts, and spoke out what he had discovered.

……

Zhuang Jin stated his discovery: "In the three dead zones of the Funiu Mountains, a peculiar energy has appeared. At this moment, the expanding and bursting primordial energy of heaven and earth seems to contain some kind of active substance, which spreads along with the primordial energy of heaven and earth."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Jinfeng and the others all looked over.

Upon reaching the Yin Spirit realm, their spiritual power is released outwards, and they become acutely aware of the energy of heaven and earth. They also had a vague sense of it, but it was not as precise or clear as Zhuang Jin's, and they were simply preoccupied with the important events that had just occurred.

"I have now broken through to the second level of Yin Spirit Realm—Tai Ding. All of this was perceived in the 'Transparent World' state." At this crucial moment, Zhuang Jin did not hide anything and revealed his guess: "The energy sensation of the three dead lands of the Funiu Mountains, that strange energy has an instinctive attraction to me. I suspect it is the legendary free spiritual energy, and the vitality in the spreading heaven and earth primordial energy, I judge it to be some kind of infection method of that spirit tree, similar to spores. Based on the characteristics of that spirit tree, it may have the ability to turn any strange beasts it comes into contact with into puppets."

He didn't say the rest, but Shangguan Jinfeng and the others could all imagine that if it were true, this method of infection would expand with the tide of vital energy, and if left unchecked, all the strange beasts in the Funiu Mountains would be under its control, with unimaginable consequences.

Plans are subject to change. The six people were originally dividing up the benefits after the "Jiazi Demon Slaying", but now the situation has changed drastically, and everything has come to naught and is in grave danger.

At this moment, people with different identities, positions, and personal circumstances showed different attitudes.

"As I said before, that spirit tree may be controlling multiple Vajra Realm beasts. This matter needs to be considered carefully."

When Xuanyuan Zhengji's term expires after the New Year, he can be transferred and leave. If he delays for a while, it will no longer be his problem, and he can leave the mess to the next person in charge.

Upon hearing the warning of danger, Ge Daoqian, the head of the Ge family, hesitated, considering his own lifespan.

"fart!"

At this moment, Shangguan Jinfeng, unusually, swore, drawing everyone's attention: "In my opinion, we should act immediately and nip that Lingchun in the bud. Otherwise, as it controls more and more strange beasts and continues to grow stronger, Cangzhou will be destroyed in an instant."

As she spoke, she looked at the other two family heads: "Cangzhou is the foundation of our three great families. We, the Cangzhou families, only exist because Cangzhou exists; if Cangzhou is gone, it will become a dead land. Can we still be considered a family?"

"Not bad!"

Cen Chongxuan was still hesitant, but upon hearing this, he made up his mind: "I support Sister Shangguan, let's take action immediately."

Ge Daoqian also realized this and said, "This is also my contribution. However, my lifespan is not long. If anything happens to me, I would like to ask the two of you to take care of the Ge family."

The three great families of Cangzhou are closely connected. Now that the situation is critical, after Shangguan Jinfeng enlightened them, they quickly reached an agreement, demonstrating their sense of responsibility to defend their territory.

—The Great Qian Dynasty families are actually somewhat similar to the feudal lords. They are usually unruly, suppressing and blocking any geniuses under their jurisdiction who might threaten their position. But when disaster strikes, they are also the most steadfast in defending their territory.

In stark contrast, Xuanyuan Zhengji, the governor, was a mere official who had not experienced much personal hardship. Naturally, he was unwilling to take risks and gamble with his life. After a moment of silence, he looked at Zhuang Jin and said, "You three families can go in peace. I will guard the city with Fellow Daoist Zhuang."

This is an attempt to form a united front with Zhuang Jin in order to protect themselves.

"Husband!" Shangguan Yunchang looked at Zhuang Jin, her eyes pleading.

Before Zhuang Jin could speak, Shangguan Jinfeng suddenly spoke up again, analyzing the situation: "Although Ling Chun may be able to control multiple Vajra Realm beasts, we have seen with our own eyes that strange Prism Beast before. Such promotion must come at a price."

Now that the spirit cypress has been exposed, it may be about to transform into a spirit form, which involves its energy and is the time when it is at its weakest.

On the other hand, if I regain the authority over the Suspended Sky Mirror, and travel with Patriarch Cen and Patriarch Ge, carrying the Suspended Sky Mirror, with the added benefit of the Suspended Sky Mirror's close-range authority, and being of the three attributes of wind, thunder, and ice, we can unleash combat power close to the third level of the Yin God realm for a short period of time.

Xiao Zhuang and Chang'er, you two have secret techniques that can bring you close to this level.

The three of us have an even greater trick up our sleeve: we can fully activate the Sky-Piercing Mirror again, which can severely injure even a Great Vajra Realm beast. With such concerted efforts, the situation can still be salvaged.

If this succeeds, our three great families will certainly not let Xiaozhuang down.

As soon as these words were spoken, Cen Chongxuan and Ge Daoqian also spoke up, saying that once this crisis was over, they would definitely open the family's secret vault and promised various resources.

"Why speak so formally when we're all family? The situation is critical right now, how can I remain aloof? Fine, I'll go too!"

Zhuang Jin agreed.

For his own sake, he needed these resources and the safe environment of Cangzhou to further his progress and break through to the Yang Shen realm before heading to the capital. In addition, even if he went to the capital in the future, he needed to have a backup plan in Cangzhou.

From a moral and logical standpoint, there is Shangguan Yunchang.

Given all these factors, Zhuang Jin would not give up on Cangzhou unless it was beyond saving.

As for personal safety?

Zhuang Jin himself is now at the second level of Yin God Realm. The Holy Spirit Pearl has also been sublimated by absorbing the broken Void Realm Stone. He can even fight against those at the third level of Yin God Realm. With the help of Shangguan Yunchang and all his trump cards, as long as Ling Chun does not enter the Great Vajra Realm, he can at least protect himself.

The reason we didn't take the lead on this matter before was because rushing into it wouldn't be a good deal.

Heaven helps those who help themselves. Cangzhou belongs to the three great families. He will only help them if they save themselves. If the three great families are really indecisive, they might as well break up as soon as possible and leave with Shangguan Yun Chang.

In other words, his previous observation was also a test for him of the three major families.

At this moment, Zhuang Jin agreed, achieving a five-to-one advantage, which immediately put pressure on Xuan Yuan Zhengji.

"When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact; Governor Xuanyuan should think carefully."

"The strange energy of those three deadly places, or the wandering spiritual energy, is dangerous but also brings great opportunities."

"We urge Governor Xuanyuan to consider the greater good!"

This is a combination of soft and hard tactics, an attempt to forcibly coerce Xuanyuan Zhengji.

The soft approach involves offering the opportunity of free spiritual energy, promising no unfair treatment for those who contribute, and enticing them with promises of resources. The hard approach involves threatening the governor's duties and even personal safety, suggesting that if the overall situation is disregarded, a "pacification before external threats" approach might be necessary. In such a critical moment of life and death, there is no need to doubt the determination of the three great families.

Xuanyuan Zhengji was a smart man, and smart men naturally know when to yield: "Fine, fine, I'll follow you all and go!"

Thus, the following conclusion was reached: Shangguan Yunchang temporarily returned the authority of the Suspended Heaven Division, and Shangguan Jinfeng, Cen Chongxuan, and Ge Daoqian formed one group; Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang formed another group; Xuanyuan Zhengji was positioned in the center of the three, eliminating interference for the group on the way and saving the strength of the others.

As for the six Yin Gods all leaving, taking the Suspended Mirror with them, leaving the city empty?

The Shangguan family has methods like the puppets and special jade tokens that Zhan Shengchu created back then, and the other two families also have their own resources to protect themselves. For the time being, it's not a big deal.

After a very brief period of preparation, the group of six made a decisive decision and set off immediately.

……

(End of this chapter)