Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 661 A Deal is Made, Jin Kingdom's Secret (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"Good! Very good!"

The red-haired cult leader laughed in fury, the blood in the pool churning violently: "A mere Golden Core cultivator dares to threaten me!"

He slammed his hand on the blood pool, and nine pillars of blood shot into the sky, condensing into a giant blood hand at the top of the hall: "Today I will show you what the true power of a Nascent Soul is!"

"boom!"

The blood-red hand slammed down with earth-shattering force, causing the entire hall to tremble.

Su Muqing and Zhao Qi turned pale and almost lost their balance under the oppressive force.

"If I were defeated by you so easily, what kind of grandmaster of array formations would I be?"

Li Yunjing remained unmoved, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

Suddenly, the array plate in his hand burst forth with dazzling lightning, and nine purple lightning bolts rose into the air like dragons, instantly piercing through the blood hand.

"Boom!"

The thunderous force, undiminished, blasted directly at the red-haired cult leader!
"what?!"

The red-haired cult leader was shocked and hurriedly summoned a blood-red shield.

The shield collided with the lightning, producing a deafening explosion.

"Crack!"

The blood-red shield shattered with a crash, and the red-haired cult leader was forced back several steps by the aftershock, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Now, can we have a proper talk?"

Li Yunjing stood with his hands behind his back, the array plate slowly rotating in his palm, ready to launch a second wave of attack at any moment.

The red-haired cult leader's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty, but he finally gritted his teeth and asked, "What do you want?"

"It's very simple."

Li Yunjing held up three fingers. "First, compensate me with three fourth-tier magic treasures; second, tell me the Demonic Sect's recent action plans; third..."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "What has happened in the State of Jin recently! Why do I sense an aura of impending doom?"

"impossible!"

The red-haired cult leader roared, "You're asking for too much."

"boom!"

Another bolt of lightning struck down, shattering the throne behind him into pieces.

"I'm not negotiating with you."

Li Yunjing said coldly, "Either agree, or I'll destroy your 'Blood Fiend Peak'!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the bubbling sound of the blood pool remaining.

The red-haired cult leader stared intently at Li Yunjing, then suddenly grinned maliciously: "Good! Very good! I admit defeat today!"

With a wave of his hand, three magical artifacts radiating powerful energy appeared in the air: "This is the compensation you requested."

Li Yunjing scanned it with his divine sense, and after confirming that it was correct, he put it into his pocket.

As for the other two conditions...

The red-haired cult leader said menacingly, "We need to move to a private room to discuss this further."

Li Yunjing exchanged a glance with the two women and nodded slightly: "Lead the way."

Just as they turned around, a strange red light flashed in the red-haired cult leader's eyes, and the entire blood pool suddenly boiled!
"Wait a minute!"

Li Yunjing suddenly raised his hand, and the lightning on the array plate suddenly intensified.

His gaze was like lightning as he stared intently at the red-haired cult leader: "This blood pool of the cult leader seems rather restless."

"What does Fellow Daoist Li mean?"

The red-haired cult leader froze, his sinister smile vanishing: "I have treated you with utmost sincerity."

"sincerity?"

Li Yunjing sneered and suddenly made a hand seal.

A beam of purple lightning shot out from the array plate, piercing straight into the depths of the blood pool.

"boom!"

The blood exploded, revealing countless eerie runes at the bottom of the pool, now flashing a dangerous red light.

"It's the core of the Blood Fiend Formation!"

Su Muqing gasped: "He's stalling for time!"

"Hahaha!"

Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, the red-haired cult leader decided to throw off all pretense: "Too late! The Blood Fiend Formation is complete, and you are all doomed to die today!"

The entire hall suddenly shook violently, and thick blood seeped from the four walls, instantly transforming into a huge blood-red cage.

"hehe!"

Li Yunjing unexpectedly laughed.

"Does the cult leader know why I wasted so much time talking to you just now?"

He slowly took out a new array plate from his sleeve, "Because... I also need time."

As the array plate descended, a beam of clear light shot into the sky.

Suddenly, dense silver array patterns appeared on the dome of the main hall, forming nine golden lamps. At the same time, thick mist emerged, confronting the Blood Fiend Array head-on.

"This is."

The red-haired cult leader's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Golden Lantern Array in the Sea of ​​Clouds!"

Li Yunjing stood with his hands behind his back, "This is specifically designed to counter your kind of evil formation. Now, we're even."

The two faced off across the distance, while inside the hall, two completely different array forces tore at each other, producing a teeth-grinding "crunching" sound.

Cold sweat beaded on the red-haired cult leader's forehead.

He discovered that he was unable to fully activate the Blood Fiend Array, and his opponent was clearly holding back some power.

Both sides are afraid to fight the wolf with a hemp stalk, and neither dares to reveal their hand first.

The Red-Haired Cult Leader was afraid that Li Yunjing's use of a fourth-order formation would destroy his blood pool and affect his cultivation; Li Yunjing, on the other hand, was afraid that the other party would fight him to the death, so he summoned five or six other Nascent Soul Realm True Monarchs, along with tens of thousands of demon cubs, to surround and kill the three of them.

Li Yunjing had a slight chance of escaping, but the others were not.

Zhao Qi and Su Muqing have almost no chance of survival.

This place is, after all, the headquarters of a demonic cult.

It's a veritable den of dragons and tigers.

Li Yunjing's ability to maintain a standoff with the other party is already quite remarkable.

The advantages of the formation gave him the ability to rival a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator ahead of time.

"It's better than this."

After a while, Li Yunjing suddenly put away the array plate. "Let's each take a step back. I only need one magic weapon; you just need to tell me about the current situation in Jin."

As they spoke, they thrust the two magical treasures they had just acquired—a halberd and a spear—at their opponent.

The red-haired cult leader's eyes flashed with bloodlust, his heart torn between heaven and man.

Finally, he snorted coldly, "Deal."

The blood pool gradually calmed down, and Li Yunjing also removed the "Golden Lantern Array of the Sea of ​​Clouds".

"The royal family of Jin suffered a sudden change."

The red-haired cult leader lowered his voice, "The crown prince has died suddenly, and the imperial advisor has disappeared. There are rumors that 'those people' have begun to take action."

"those people?"

Li Yunjing's gaze sharpened, and his tone suddenly turned cold: "Who are you this time?"

Upon hearing this, the red-haired cult leader's face flickered slightly with crimson lines: "Fellow Daoist, it seems you are quite curious about the affairs of the Jin Kingdom!"

"Please take a seat."

He waved his hand and set up a soundproof barrier, and a stone platform rose from the blood pool.

"I am indeed very curious about the affairs of the Jin state!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Li Yunjing conjured three jade stools out of thin air.

He sat down with the two women, the array plate still hidden in his palm.

“It started three years ago.”

The red-haired cult leader lowered his voice, "Back then, the earth's veins at the Jin Kingdom's imperial mausoleum trembled, and ancient restrictions were emanating from it. Three members of the royal family arrived in person, and that very night, the crown prince died suddenly in the Eastern Palace."

"Is it that crown prince who achieved the Core Formation at the age of ninety-nine?"

Li Yunjing suddenly interrupted.

"Exactly."

The red-haired cult leader gave her a meaningful look. "What's even stranger is that all three hundred people in the Imperial Preceptor's mansion disappeared overnight, leaving only withered 'Soul-Devouring Flowers' in the courtyard."

"Soul-Devouring Flower?"

Li Yunjing suddenly spoke up.

The Soul-Devouring Flower is a rare item in the Demonic Sect. Even ordinary Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in the Demonic Path don't have the chance to obtain it. How could the National Preceptor of Jin Kingdom, a member of the Xuanmen, have such a thing in his home?
Hearing this person's words, Li Yunjing became even more confused.

"hey-hey!"

The red-haired cult leader's pupils constricted, and he sneered, "It's this kind of demonic holy flower!"

"Does the cult leader know who instigated these two events?"

Li Yunjing tapped the jade stool lightly with his fingertips, making a crisp sound: "Three years is not a short time. Surely some news and clues must have been passed out by now?"

"Of course I know some inside information!"

The red-haired cult leader suddenly revealed a strange smile: "I think you are Grandmaster Li Yunjing, who helped Xiao Yuntian repair the formation, right?"

"Ok?"

Li Yunjing's pupils contracted slightly, and his fingers unconsciously tapped three times on the jade stool: "It seems you have already guessed my origins."

"Not bad!"

The red-haired cult leader waved his hand, creating a blood-red barrier, and said in a low voice, "The information I know is too valuable! You come from the 'Chang'an Dynasty,' and I need to exchange information with you! I can't tell you these secrets for nothing."

"can!"

After a moment's thought, Li Yunjing agreed to the proposal.

In his view, the experience of the "Chang'an Dynasty" was nothing special.

It's still very worthwhile to exchange information that's already past its expiration date for information you didn't know before!
"Okay! I'll start with the first one."

A flash of bloodlust appeared in the red-haired cult leader's eyes: "The Crown Prince of Jin did not die suddenly, but was turned into a living corpse by the Imperial Advisor using the 'Soul-Devouring Flower,' and is now hidden in the Imperial Mausoleum!"

Li Yunjing was startled by this, then said in a deep voice, "The royal family has not responded?"

"Of course there's a reaction!"

The red-haired cult leader licked his lips. "The current emperor of Jin has long been possessed; the real emperor sitting on the dragon throne is the Supreme Elder of the 'Heavenly Corpse Sect'!" "What!"

Li Yunjing was shocked and could hardly believe that the State of Jin had been usurped without anyone noticing.

Zhao Qi and Su Muqing exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. They hadn't expected to hear such shocking information.

"What about the rest of the royal family?"

Li Yunjing asked in a deep voice.

"hey-hey!"

The red-haired cult leader sneered, "You can't keep asking, can you?"

"Okay! What do you want to know?"

Li Yunjing nodded and asked.

"Does the Xiao family of 'Purple Cloud City' really have a True Monarch at the Nascent Soul stage?"

The red-haired cult leader's eyes darted around, and he immediately asked the question he most wanted to know.

"Have!"

Li Yun nodded at the scenic spot, and only said this one word.

"Fellow Daoist Li, isn't this going too far? I've been talking to you for so long, answering every question you asked, and you've only given me one word in response?"

After Li Yunjing finished saying "there is," and then stopped, the red-haired cult leader was greatly dissatisfied.

"How many words would you like to hear?"

Li Yunjing looked at the red-haired cult leader with a half-smile, "This is news concerning a Nascent Soul True Monarch. The fact that I can tell you 'yes' is already out of consideration for our transaction."

The red-haired cult leader's expression shifted between light and dark, and the blood in the pool churned with his emotions.

"Okay, let's change the question."

Finally, he sneered: "Is the Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Xiao family the one who was rumored to have been killed by the Zhao royal family of the 'Chang'an Dynasty'?"

"The cult leader seems to know quite a lot."

A glint flashed in Li Yunjing's eyes: "That's right, it's this person."

"It sure is him!"

This answer made the red-haired cult leader gasp, his blood-red robe fluttering even without wind: "So, the Xiao family has been hiding their strength all along, preparing for a rebellion!"

"It's my turn to ask."

Li Yunjing interrupted, "Who is in charge of the Jin royal family now? To what extent does the 'Heavenly Corpse Sect' control over the court?"

"On the surface, the Second Prince is overseeing the country, but in reality, the court is controlled by the 'Heavenly Corpse Sect'."

The red-haired cult leader calmed himself down and said, "'The Heavenly Corpse Sect' has already infiltrated the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works among the Six Ministries."

At this point, he suddenly gave a sinister smile: "However, what they don't know is that the 'Heavenly Demon Sect' has long since taken control of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites."

Li Yunjing frowned: "Where is the Ministry of Personnel?"

The appearance of the "Heavenly Demon Sect" is not surprising. Ever since Li Yunjing met Ye Wuhen, he has known that the number one sect of the demonic path has been active on various continents.

Where there is chaos, there are demons.

Moreover, it is not surprising that the "Heavenly Demon Sect" is plotting the "Mysterious Heaven Realm" and gathering power in the nearby continent.

"The Minister of Personnel is a cunning old fox."

The red-haired cult leader snorted coldly, "He maintains neutrality on the surface, but I actually suspect he's a member of the 'Chang'an Dynasty'."

This information caused Li Yunjing's expression to change slightly.

"One last question: why are several sects of the Demonic Sect plotting against the Jin Kingdom?"

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"This is a very important question!"

Upon hearing this, the red-haired cult leader's blood-red eyes flashed: "I must receive an even greater reward before I can tell you!"

"Okay! Go ahead and ask!"

A hint of amusement flashed in Li Yunjing's eyes: "However..."

"Hehe! I'd like to ask just how powerful the Xiao clan's formations really are!"

The red-haired cult leader suddenly changed the subject, "If you just tell me this one thing, I will tell you everything I know!"

"This one……"

Li Yunjing hesitated for a moment before saying, "Extremely powerful! I can guarantee that once a Nascent Soul Realm True Monarch enters the formation, there is no chance of survival!"

"so smart!"

The red-haired cult leader's eyes widened in disbelief.

He hadn't expected Li Yunjing to say something like that!
I know far more than you can imagine.

Li Yunjing sneered, "I was involved in the entire formation. The power of the Xiao clan is no weaker than that of a typical behemoth sect!"

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

The red-haired cult leader was struck dumb, his blood-red face instantly turning deathly pale: "How could the Xiao clan be so strong?"

"Do you have a grudge against the Xiao family?"

Looking at the somewhat distraught red-haired cult leader, Li Yunjing asked curiously.

"Humph!"

The red-haired cult leader snorted coldly and slowly regained his composure.

"Tsk tsk..."

Li Yunjing clicked his tongue in amazement. Without a doubt, this demon must have been abused by the Xiao clan, otherwise, every question would involve the Xiao clan.

"Alright, ask me!"

The red-haired cult leader's face darkened; he naturally saw through Li Yunjing's thoughts.

"What exactly is the purpose of your demonic sect doing this?!"

Li Yunjing's smile vanished, his gaze fixed intently on the red-haired cult leader, and he asked in a deep voice.

"for."

The red-haired cult leader sighed softly, "To open the entrance to the 'Mysterious Heaven Secret Realm'! A key to the secret realm is hidden beneath the Jin Kingdom's imperial tomb!"

"what?"

This answer shocked Li Yunjing.

"I should have thought of that!"

A series of thoughts surfaced in Li Yunjing's mind.

The Chang'an Dynasty, the Jin Kingdom's royal family, ancient demonic corpses, the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Shadow Pavilion...

All the clues have come together.

"last question."

Li Yunjing said in a deep voice, "Don't you 'Northern Demonic Sect' have any ideas?"

"idea?"

The red-haired cult leader gave a wry smile. "In the past two years, I certainly had many ideas, otherwise I wouldn't have known so many secrets! But in the last year, more and more important figures have become involved. With my level of cultivation, how could I dare to compete with them?"

"interesting!"

Li Yunjing's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "I have another request. I want your help to enter the Jin Kingdom. This is a piece of cake for you, isn't it?"

“It’s really simple!”

The red-haired cult leader nodded and asked in return, "You also want to participate in the fight? Your array formation skills are very powerful, but you have no chance of gaining an advantage, and there is even a high probability that you will perish."

"Wealth is found in danger."

Li Yunjing smiled calmly, "You can help me!"

"Alright! I can help you forge an identity to enter the State of Jin."

The red-haired cult leader took the jade talisman, his eyes flashing with bloodlust: "However..."

He changed the subject abruptly, "I need you to agree to one condition."

"Speaking!"

Li Yunjing smiled.

When he needs something from someone, he naturally has to adopt the right attitude.

"If you successfully obtain the key to the secret realm, I want a share of the spoils."

The red-haired cult leader licked his lips. "I only want one of the treasures, the 'Blood River Chariot'."

"You're quite picky."

Li Yunjing gave a meaningful smile. "How do you know I'll definitely succeed?"

"Because I see the shadow of Xiao Xuan in you."

The red-haired cult leader gave a sinister smile. "Perhaps you are a genius?"

The two stared at each other for a moment, then Li Yunjing suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! Deal!"

Empty promises mean nothing!
Even though nothing has been finalized yet, Li Yunjing is willing to make this promise.

As for the Blood River Chariot, a supreme treasure of the Blood Path, he was naturally aware of it. Li Yunjing knew that even if he and Ye Wuhen joined forces, there was absolutely no way they could obtain a supreme treasure of that level of the Demonic Path.

Since it doesn't exist, then we can readily agree to this devil's demands.

Three days later, at the border of the State of Jin.

Holding the token given to him by the red-haired cult leader, Li Yunjing led the disguised Zhao Qi and Su Muqing through the checkpoint smoothly.

Upon seeing the words "Shadow Wind" on the token, the gatekeeper's expression changed drastically, and he immediately allowed passage.

This is a secret service organization of the "Jin State," the henchmen of the royal family. Ordinary checkpoints would not dare to stop such people.
The three had barely stepped out of the checkpoint when dust billowed up on the distant official road as a troop of black-armored cavalry galloped towards them.

Upon seeing the token in Li Yunjing's hand, the leading general immediately reined in his horse and stopped.

"grown ups!"

The general dismounted and knelt on one knee. "An urgent order from the Prime Minister's office! Your Excellency must return to the capital immediately!"

"What happened?"

Li Yunjing's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm, thinking to himself, "Did the subordinates mistake me for someone else?"

The red-haired cult leader obtained this token from the "Shadow Wind" organization, so the original owner of the token must be dead.

The border patrol must have received orders to meet this person near the border and bring him back.

"There was an unusual disturbance at the imperial mausoleum last night. The Prime Minister said that all members of 'Wind Shadow' must be summoned back."

The general suddenly lowered his voice, "This order takes precedence over any other mission. Please return immediately, sir!"

(End of this chapter)