Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 542 Stern Reprimand (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

On the watchtower of the "City of Glory," the Foundation Establishment cultivator on duty rubbed his sore eyes, when suddenly his pupils contracted as he was pierced by the seven-colored divine light that exploded in the sky.

"Then, what is that?!"

He staggered and grabbed the railing. In the bronze mirror, the void in the direction of the mine seemed to have been cleaved open by a sharp blade, and the roar of an ancient beast could be faintly heard from within the dazzling light.

"Dangdangdang..."

In an instant, alarm bells rang throughout the entire city.

"Could some kind of secret realm have appeared?"

The owner of a weapon-refining workshop in the East Market spilled his spirit tea, the tea stains spreading like ink on the expensive brocade carpet. He was clearly shocked by the scene.

"Could there be some kind of secret realm?"

"Ancient ruins appear? A rare treasure falls from the sky?"

"Want to go have a look?"

……

Elsewhere, monks flocked to the streets, gazing up at the ever-expanding, multicolored crack in the sky.

"It's the symbol of the Divine Firmament Dao Sect!"

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from the other side, causing the people in the crowd to gasp in surprise.

At the same time, many people felt a chill in their hearts: had the people of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" gone to the secret realm ahead of time and obtained the treasure?

In the "City of Glory," on the territory of the "Divine Firmament Dao Sect," the people of the "Divine Firmament Dao Sect" made their move first. Do they still have a chance?

While other cultivators were discussing the matter, the elders of the "City of Glory" had a drastic change in expression!

They all knew that direction led to the Xishan mining area!

There's no treasure there!

It's just an abandoned mining area!

The people of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" have searched that place at least eighty or a hundred times, almost reaching the underground lava layer.

These elderly people guarantee 100% that there is absolutely no treasure!
There isn't even a low-grade spirit stone there!
"This strange phenomenon seems to be a manifestation of the Five Elements supernatural powers?!"

"But this is seven-colored light, not five-colored light!"

"Could it be that some evil creature suppressed underground in the mine has been unleashed?"

In the main camp of the Shenxiao Dao Sect stationed in the city, three Golden Core elders were simultaneously awakened from their cultivation.

"This aura is definitely not that of an ordinary cultivator!"

Xuan Qingzi, who was in the lead, looked up at the sky, and the whisk in his sleeve moved without wind: "Activate the city protection formation immediately!"

Before he could finish speaking, the deputy city lord appeared.

"No need! It's Vice Sect Leader Li who's here!"

The deputy city lord's face was grim and dark; he knew he was in deep trouble.

In recent years, with peace prevailing throughout the land, he has devoted all his energy to cultivation, resulting in the neglect of the defense of the "City of Glory".

Now, things have really gotten complicated inside that abandoned mine.

"What should I do?"

Xuan Qingzi, his face dark, asked the question.

"You few go to the mine to provide support. You must prevent the evil god's projection from fully descending!"

Before the deputy city lord could answer, inside the city lord's mansion, the garrison lord, a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, crushed the teacup in his hand, the rolling sound carrying far and wide.

He gazed at the seven-colored light that pierced the heavens and earth outside the window, his back soaked with cold sweat.

If the projection of the evil god were to truly descend, his own negligence in guarding against it would be enough for the "Divine Firmament Dao Sect" to refine his nascent soul into ashes.

The "City of Glory" has never fallen since ancient times!
He certainly didn't want to lose this important town under his watch.

"Yes!"

With the city lord's order, Xuan Qingzi led more than twenty Golden Core cultivators, who transformed into streaks of light and headed straight for the mine.

Their spiritual energy surged, forming a dazzling band of light in mid-air, tearing apart the clouds wherever it passed.

Inside the "City of Glory," many cultivators could see it clearly!

With twenty Golden Core cultivators on the move, other cultivators from all sides dared not act rashly.

The deputy city lord quickly relayed the message that demons had appeared in the abandoned mine and that they were exorcising them, which greatly eased the commotion in the city.

At the very front of the group, Xuan Qingzi unleashed his natal magic weapon, the "Nine Heavens Thunder Pattern Banner." Lightning crackled and danced across the banner's surface, distorting the air into vortexes wherever it went.

"Boost!"

Xuan Qingzi turned around and shouted to his fellow disciples behind him, his voice carrying spiritual power and echoing between heaven and earth.

He was secretly anxious. Although Li Yunjing was exceptionally talented, he was doomed if he made a mistake when facing the projection of the evil god.

If such important figures get into trouble on their turf, these people will inevitably be held responsible!
Moreover, among these elders were the commanders of the "Black Tortoise Army" and the "White Tiger Army," who were Li Yunjing's subordinates. Now that their superiors were fighting on the front lines, they were all naturally anxious.

At the same time, the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators stationed in the city quickly assembled and deployed defenses at various points along the city walls in an orderly manner according to the pre-arranged plan.

On the city walls, ancient defensive formations were activated one by one, and a pale blue light curtain slowly rose, enveloping the entire city.

At the city gate, groups of cultivators, armed with magical artifacts, stood ready to respond to any unforeseen events.

Another patrol team, led by the deputy city lord, was responsible for controlling the areas where cultivators gathered in the city, ensuring that these guys wouldn't take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.

"Remember, our goal is to restrain the demonic cultivators and buy time for Vice Sect Leader Li Yunjing!"

Xuan Qingzi surveyed the crowd with unwavering determination, “No matter what the situation, we must not back down!”

As soon as they entered the mine, they were attacked by a group of skeleton soldiers.

These skeletons moved strangely, their eyes flickering with eerie blue flames, and the bone blades in their hands gleaming with a sinister chill.

"Formation!"

Xuan Qingzi shouted, and the crowd quickly formed a battle formation. Various magical lights intertwined as they engaged in fierce combat with the skeleton soldiers, continuously advancing deeper into the area.

Inside the city lord's mansion, although the Nascent Soul realm city lord did not appear, he was closely monitoring the battle situation. If anything went wrong, he would immediately tear through the void and use the "Minor Teleportation Technique" to directly enter the mine to provide support.

At this moment, Li Yunjing was not facing as much difficulty as the outside world had imagined. The Golden Core Realm demonic cultivators who had surrounded him were beaten by Li Yunjing after only a few rounds, bleeding from all seven orifices and collapsing to the ground.

Under Li Yunjing's violent onslaught, the projection of the evil god also began to crack, emitting bursts of unwilling roars.

Taking advantage of the opening in the projection of the evil god, Li Yunjing launched another attack, unleashing dozens of sword energies in succession, shooting towards the evil god like a storm.

"Kid! I've memorized your scent!"

The projection of the evil god collapsed completely with a loud bang, turning into countless black fragments that dissipated into the air.

"Damn it! Our hard work!"

The leader of the black-robed men watched all this in despair, his madness gradually replaced by fear.

"Your conspiracy ends here!"

Li Yunjing walked step by step toward the man in black robes, his whole body exuding a chilling killing intent.

Tell me! Who are you?!

The man in black robes tried to escape, but found that his spiritual power had been completely exhausted and he was unable to move at all. In despair, he asked Li Yunjing his last question.

"Li Yunjing of the Shenxiao Dao Sect!"

With a swift stroke of his longsword, Li Yunjing ended the life of the man in black robes amidst his despair.

The remaining wounded men in black robes were also finished off by Li Yunjing, and for those who were unable to move, he even ordered Liu Ruyan to personally take action.

My woman must be fought with blood!

Seeing that Liu Ruyan had killed several men in black, Li Yunjing nodded, then carefully inspected the altar to make sure no danger had been overlooked before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go. When we get back, we must make sure that 'City of Glory' is properly reorganized."

Li Yunjing took Liu Ruyan's hand, his eyes filled with frustration. "This is utterly ridiculous! Dozens of demonic cultivators at the Golden Core stage entered the vicinity of the 'City of Glory' and were offering sacrifices to an evil god, and they didn't even know it. I really don't understand what they were doing!"

Just then, Xuan Qingzi and his group of about twenty people, having cleared away all the skeletons, appeared at the scene. Upon hearing Li Yunjing's criticism, they all blushed with shame.

"Greetings, Vice Sect Leader Li!"

Xuan Qingzi and the others had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to pay their respects to Li Yunjing.

"Hmph! We'll talk about it when we get back!"

Without even glancing at the others, Li Yunjing flicked his sleeves, took Liu Ruyan's hand, and flew out of the mine first.

Back in the City Lord's Mansion of "City of Glory," the atmosphere in the council hall was heavy as lead. Li Yunjing sat upright in the main seat, his Golden Core Realm aura unconsciously overflowing, causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker.

Xuan Qingzi and more than twenty others stood with their heads bowed, cold sweat trickling down their necks and into their collars.

As for the deputy city lord Wang Tianhua and the newly appointed city lord Tianwu Zhenren, they both had grim expressions and sat to the side without saying a word.

As soon as Li Yunjing arrived, he told Liu Ruyan to rest in the secondary hall and immediately flew into a rage, showing her no respect whatsoever!
Even Nascent Soul Realm expert Tianwu Zhenren was criticized!

Although the words spoken to Master Tianwu were not harsh, the fact that a Golden Core cultivator would get angry at a Nascent Soul cultivator still made the Master look unpleasant and feel deeply ashamed.

However, Li Yunjing is now the deputy head of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect".

Holding great power and representing the "Shenxiao Dao Sect," even a feudal lord dispatched from elsewhere dared not disobey his orders.

After all, he was no longer the former lord of the "City of Glory," the "Heavenly Vault True Man"!
"Tianqiong Zhenren" is a true big figure in "Shenxiao Daozong", a top expert in the Nascent Soul Realm, and the commander of the first pass in the north!

In terms of status, even Li Yunjing's teacher, Qin Jiuxiao, treated "Tianqiong Zhenren" with utmost respect.

But Master Tianwu was different.

His qualifications are somewhat lacking; among those in the Nascent Soul realm, he is not considered a formidable figure.

In other words, the importance of the "City of Glory" has greatly diminished, which is why Master Tianwu was appointed as the city lord. Otherwise, given Master Tianwu's qualifications and cultivation, he would not have been qualified for this position.

In the past, when the "City of Glory" faced a crisis, Master Tianwu was at most a deputy city lord.

Li Yunjing naturally knew the name of Tianwu Zhenren and also knew his background.

Li Yunjing naturally had no fear of this person.

Of course, respect for Nascent Soul cultivators is also essential. Li Yunjing only said a few words and did not delve into the matter, much less hurl any insults!

Given their relative strength, Li Yunjing couldn't really treat the other party like a subordinate and reprimand him!

As for the deputy city lord Wang Tianhua?

That's a seasoned sly one!
He has been serving as the deputy city lord of "City of Glory," overseeing the overall situation.

Back then, when Li Yunjing was first arrested and imprisoned in the "Divine Prison," it was Wang Tianhua who fabricated the charges against him!
Li Yunjing harbored no ill will towards this person and even respected him quite a bit.

Moreover, in terms of cultivation and seniority, this deputy city lord is a strong contender, and Li Yunjing naturally does not want to offend Wang Tianhua to the point of death over this matter.

Moreover, Wang Tianhua's words implied that he had already given in and admitted his mistake.

Since it's difficult to hold Tianwu Zhenren and Wang Tianhua accountable, the others naturally have to take the blame!

"Elder Xuanqing, do you know your crime?"

Li Yunjing suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ice.

He lightly tapped the table with his fingertip, and a dark purple piece of wood was thrown to the ground. It was a fragment of the demonic array from the mine. "Such a large-scale evil cultivator festival, and you, as the patrolling elder of the city, didn't give any warning. The garrison in the city was completely unaware. Do you think this 'City of Glory' is a joke?"

"Deputy Sect Leader, please atone for your sins!"

Xuan Qingzi knelt down with a thud, and the people behind him followed suit, prostrating themselves: "We neglected our duties and are willing to accept punishment!"

"For many years, because of peace and tranquility, we have indeed become less vigilant!"

When he looked up, his eyes were full of shame. "The spiritual energy tides have been erratic lately, and I mistook it for a natural phenomenon... That's why... That's why I was so careless..."

The other Golden Core elders remained silent, heads bowed, their hearts pounding with fear.

Even Master Tianwu and Wang Tianhua looked displeased. After all, these were their subordinates, and to be reprimanded by Li Yunjing in front of them was a disgrace to their superiors.

Unfortunately, this incident has blown up too much.

Master Tianwu and Wang Tianhua dared not say anything more!
Li Yunjing gave the two men plenty of face, not scolding them, but taking his anger out on their subordinates, which made them somewhat relieved.

Otherwise, how could one save face by being reprimanded by Li Yunjing in front of everyone?
"Snapped!"

Li Yunjing slammed his hand on the table, shattering it as wood chips flew. His aura, like that of a dragon and tiger, erupted: "Spiritual energy tide? In the demonic sacrificial array, how many innocent lives have had their souls extracted and refined! You, as resident elders of the 'Divine Firmament Dao Sect,' don't you even have this much vigilance?"

His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Deputy City Lord Wang. "Deputy City Lord Wang, how do you plan to explain such a blunder that has occurred under your jurisdiction?"

"I am willing to resign from my position as deputy city lord and go to the front lines to serve as a warning to others!"

Wang Tianhua wiped the cold sweat from his brow and bowed, saying, "Before we depart, starting today, we will conduct identity checks on all cultivators within the city, restart the thirty-six layers of patrol posts, and inspect the defensive array points of the city walls..."

"not enough!"

Li Yunjing rose and paced back and forth, each step leaving faint lightning marks on the ground. "From today onwards, the City of Glory will be under martial law. All personnel entering and leaving must be inspected by the 'Seven Star Soul Appraisal Array,' and each market must report any unusual activity every three days."

"Elder Xuanqing, lead the city's elite forces to thoroughly investigate all abandoned sites in the city!"

"If I discover another stronghold of the demonic forces..."

His words abruptly stopped, and the murderous intent emanating from him was like a tangible blade, sending chills down the spines of everyone in the hall.

Finally, Li Yunjing looked at Wang Tianhua and said in a deep voice, "As for Deputy City Lord Wang, he is demoted and dismissed. You should atone for your crimes by restoring the 'City of Glory' to its former glory!"

"Yes! This subordinate will obey the Deputy Sect Master's decree!"

Wang Tianhua felt relieved. Li Yunjing's meaning was clear: this was the end of it, and he had no intention of reporting to the sect.

This is enough!

Master Tianwu also breathed a sigh of relief; Li Yunjing wasn't too outrageous after all.

The fact that this matter was handled within the scope of "City of Glory" shows that they were given enough face and were given a chance to redeem themselves.

"Alright! Let me just remind you one more thing!"

Li Yunjing looked around at everyone and said coldly, "In a few years, I will personally lead the 'Black Tortoise Army' and the 'White Tiger Army' to the front line. When I inspect the defenses of the 'City of Glory' again, if it is still a disorganized mess, I will show no mercy!"

"Cough cough!"

Master Tianwu coughed, his face flushed, and said loudly, "If this happens again, I will personally cripple the elder who neglected his duties!"

"Ok!"

With the assurances of Master Tianwu and Wang Tianhua, Li Yunjing's expression finally improved considerably.

"Alright! I'll leave now, so as not to delay your business!"

Li Yunjing stood up and was about to leave.

"Vice Sect Leader Li, wait!"

At this moment, Master Tianwu and Wang Tianhua stood up and stopped Li Yunjing.

"Huh? Is there anything else?"

Li Yunjing raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"Is such that!"

Master Tianwu and Wang Tianhua exchanged a glance, and Wang Tianhua said, "Vice Sect Leader Li's wedding day is approaching. We are stationed on the frontier and cannot leave to attend the wedding. However, we cannot forget to present our wedding gifts. Since Vice Sect Leader Li is here, we will present our gifts directly!"

As he spoke, Wang Tianhua took out a jade box, held it up with both hands, and extended it in front of Li Yunjing.

"This……"

Li Yunjing hesitated.

This gift doesn't seem so easy to receive!

If there's nothing to move forward with, he'll just accept it.

But after making such a big mistake, and after I reprimanded them, they offered me gifts, as if they were soliciting bribes. This is not something I can accept.

"Cough cough!"

Seeing that Li Yunjing refused to accept the gifts, Tianwu Zhenren became anxious and quickly said, "Vice Sect Leader Li, please accept them! On your wedding day, not only will my fellow disciples from the Shenxiao Dao Sect send congratulatory gifts, but countless sects and families from the entire Ming Dynasty cultivation world will also send their gifts. If you refuse ours, wouldn't you be looking down on our colleagues from the City of Glory?"

"Alright! Then thank you all, fellow disciples!"

Seeing that he had no choice but to accept it, Li Yunjing could only smile and soften his attitude as he reached out and took the jade box from Wang Tianhua.

As for what good stuff is inside?

Li Yunjing did not open it to watch!

What kind of treasures hasn't he seen by now?

He not only possessed fourth-tier treasures, but also several fifth-tier treasures!
In terms of wealth, even a Nascent Soul cultivator might not have as many magic treasures as him!

Li Yunjing accepted the congratulatory gift, chatted with everyone for a few more minutes, and then sent a telepathic message to Liu Ruyan, taking her back to "Yanyu Tower".

Inside the council hall of the city lord's mansion, only a group of elders, the city lord, and the deputy city lord remained, looking at each other in bewilderment.

A moment later, Tianwu Zhenren's angry roar echoed from the council hall. After another round of frantic output, Tianwu Zhenren's mood finally improved.

Only then did they hand the matter over to Wang Tianhua to handle.

Wang Tianhua followed suit and launched into a tirade of abuse!
While Li Yunjing and Liu Ruyan returned to "Yanyu Tower" and lived a carefree life, "City of Glory" underwent a tremendous change.

(End of this chapter)