A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 126 Heavenly Secret Jade Mirror, Jade Snow Dragon Ring

After the battle, the three Fire Luo Dao protectors and two Lushan Sect disciples were taken into the Taoist temple. Before leaving, Chen Shouzhen gave the tea stall owner some compensation.

Originally, this senior disciple of the Lushan Sect should have had a lot to say, but the most urgent matter was to find a quiet room so that he could completely relieve Che Jinfeng's internal injury.

The room where the young Taoist priest slept was temporarily given up.

Guan Luoyang and the other two talked quietly in the courtyard.

In fact, Guan Luoyang had already taken notice when the two Lushan Sect disciples mentioned the name Xue Longzi while chatting outside.

Afterwards, the Huo Luo Dao people launched a surprise attack, clarifying the positions of both sides in a few words. Guan Luoyang had already notified his two teammates during that time.

The communication tool is a rune jade tablet provided by Gu Lanxiang, which can guarantee smooth communication within a range of 100 kilometers. Any kind of energy fluctuation generated by battles below the fourth star level will not affect the real-time communication signal, provided that the jade tablet is not directly broken.

While holding the jade pendant, you can choose to communicate via voice or type with your mind to send messages.

"The three guardians of the Fire Luo Path are basically all three-star level. It seems that the overall strength of the Fire Luo Path, which is our mission target, is definitely greater than the three of us. We must borrow strength from the mission world."

Anfeiyu's jade tablet made this statement.

He had changed into ancient attire, a dark blue short-sleeved robe with a round collar and front opening, and a soft-brimmed turban on his head, tucking his hair into the hat frame. He had a slight beard, bright eyes, and narrow eyes. At first glance, he looked no different from a lazy Tang Dynasty scholar.

Gu Lanxiang glanced at him, quite admiring An Feiyu's fashion sense. She sent a message on the jade tablet: "I just went to inquire and haven't had time to ask too many questions yet, but Huoluo Road is extremely famous, and there are some things there that are widely known."

"This sect originated in the Western Regions and crossed the Jade Gate Pass several decades ago, gradually expanding into the interior of the pass. However, it has only grown in strength in the last ten years. The sect calls itself the Fire Luo Holy Sect. Below the sect leader are the deputy sect leaders, the four envoys, the twenty-four protectors, and then the altar masters in various regions."

"The mission's so-called defeat of the main force of the Fire Luo Sect, conservatively speaking, means eliminating all the figures from the sect leader to the protectors."

An Feiyu then spoke up: "In the martial arts world, the rank of a person is basically linked to their martial prowess. Our opponents already include four reincarnators, plus thirty others with ratings of at least three stars."

"There are twenty-seven now," Guan Luoyang said. "Take it slow, no need to rush. I left one alive over there. We'll ask him later and see if we can get any secret information about the Fire Luo Sect."

He glanced at Gu Lanxiang. He could have captured her alive even after she recovered; Gu Lanxiang's Drunken Immortal Staff Technique was a perfect blend of strength and gentleness, and she only needed to hold back slightly at the last moment. However, when she actually attacked the enemy, she seemed to be a little more unrestrained than in sparring with teammates, showing no intention of capturing her alive whatsoever.

"By the way, the master we were assigned seems to be a member of some Ice Age Sect, possessing some treasures. This little Taoist temple also has some secrets worth exploring. Which of you two would like to go and have a detailed talk with that young Taoist priest?"

Gu Lanxiang volunteered: "Then I'll go. I'm more familiar with this ancient atmosphere, and I'm also quite talkative."

Guan Luoyang nodded and was about to head towards the woodshed when he suddenly remembered something: "Don't give alcohol to the child; he's underage."

Anfeiyu chuckled.

During their twenty-odd days of exchange and sparring in the base world, the two of them had a good look at Gu Lanxiang's alcohol tolerance. Apart from those medicinal wines that seemed to have special effects, she also drank a lot of other famous wines that couldn't be rated as star-level, almost treating alcohol as snacks and drinks.

"Don't worry."

Gu Lanxiang waved her hand and went into the main hall to find the young Taoist priest.

Guan Luoyang went into the woodshed to interrogate Fan Kelian.

An Feiyu consciously moved a little closer to the bedroom, essentially supervising the two disciples from Mount Lu inside.

Bored, Qian lightly touched the wireless earphone in his ear and took out a blue and white MP3 player that was symmetrical on both sides and almost heart-shaped from his personal space.

Bringing technological products from the base into the mission world requires paying a certain number of points. However, his earphones, which have a receiver made of magic crystals inside, are exempt from this requirement because they can receive music signals through his personal space.

The MP3 player does require a considerable amount of points, but it's also one of An Feiyu's trump cards. Especially after roughly experiencing the strength of the enemy faction in this world, he feels that spending the points he reserved beforehand on it is not a waste.

An Feiyu chose a song called "Water Dragon Chant," closed his eyes, and savored the exhilarating feeling that the music brought him.

However, nearly half an hour later, as one song after another played, An Feiyu opened his eyes as soon as there was any movement at the door of the woodshed, showing that although he was immersed in the music, he had not forgotten to be vigilant about the outside world.

Guan Luoyang pushed open the door and came out, his face showing great displeasure.

An Feiyu felt she could detect a hint of murderous intent in his expression: "Not going well? But it seems like I overheard you guys talking quite a bit?"

"He was quite proud of his past heroic deeds and didn't hesitate to answer my questions, ha!"

Guan Luoyang emphasized the words "heroic deeds" slightly, his words sarcastic and his face full of disgust.

Then I encountered another disgusting guy who liked to use his past misdeeds as a way to show off his bravery and glory. During the interrogation, he kept repeating those things to bolster his confidence.

It seemed as if he thought this would erase the fact that he had been defeated by Guan Luoyang before, and prevent himself from appearing weak.

"But when it comes to recent developments within Huoluodao, where its headquarters are located, and how its personnel have been deployed, he gives completely irrelevant answers."

"I slapped him again, trying to hypnotize him while he was half-dead and his mind was weak, but it seems he was already resistant to this kind of method."

The bedroom door opened, and Chen Shouzhen walked out at that moment, saying, "Top-tier masters have abundant vital energy, which naturally nourishes their spirit. Their vital energy and spirit are in harmony, making it difficult for them to be shaken by methods that bewitch their minds."

Guan Luoyang said, "In that case, he's useless even if he's alive."

"Aside from a few cases involving the Ministry of Justice of the Imperial Court and the Demonic Sect back then, I have never heard of anyone who could use interrogation methods to make top-notch experts say things they don't want to say."

Chen Shouzhen cupped his hands and said, "Gentlemen, although the Fire Luo Sect is not as imposing as the Demonic Sect was back then, it has already offended many fellow martial artists, and has a deep-seated grudge against our Lushan Sect."

"If you all agree, I would like to take Fan Kelian to the elders of the sect and ask them to use their connections to get the Ministry of Justice to help with the interrogation."

Guan Luoyang asked, "How long will it take?"

"With our Lushan Sect escorting them, and after the interrogation and news of their return, a month should be enough," Chen Shouzhen added. "If a notorious bandit like Fan Kelian, who has committed numerous bloody crimes, were handed over to the local government offices, he would either be executed on the spot, or it would take at least three months to be delivered to the Chang'an prison."

Guan Luoyang pondered for a moment. Although this time was a bit long, they could do other things during this period. If all else failed, handing the prisoner over to the Lushan Sect would be a good option.

"otherwise……"

An Feiyu spoke up, drawing their attention, and said, "Before deciding where he goes, how about I give it a try too?"

"You have a way?" Guan Luoyang nodded. "That's good."

An Feiyu glanced at the sky and said, "But not now. Let's do what we need to do and talk about it tonight."

"Then let's talk about the original intentions of the two from the Lushan School in coming here."

Guan Luoyang looked around and realized that the small Taoist temple was really too simple. There wasn't even a hall that could be set up for people to chat and have long conversations.

If they just stood in the courtyard chatting, it wouldn't be a problem among the teammates, but it got a bit strange when the guests from the Lushan Sect were included.

An Feiyu saw through his thoughts, walked to a corner of the courtyard, lowered his body, and reached his palm into the ground.

Activate the contract, Yellow Snake lying prone!

The bricks and soil on the ground came alive and deformed, twisting upwards into a slender python, its body constantly elongating and coiling, as if using the snake's body as a rope to weave a large mushroom-shaped table.

They then followed the same method and raised several small round stools around the table.

These tables and chairs are filled with soil, but covered with a layer of stone.

After the amphitfish withdrew the activation contract and the earth and stone settled down, a set of stone-shelled tables and chairs carved with fine serpentine patterns was completed.

"Alas, after Master went into seclusion, he was inspired by nature and by chance created a set of extraordinary skills. However, it required the three of us, his brothers and sisters, to travel to famous mountains and rivers, secluded scenic spots and ancient sites, and live in seclusion to develop the subsequent methods."

An Feiyu fabricated a story, his face full of melancholy, shaking his head repeatedly, "It's a pity that although the three of us have achieved some success in martial arts, we cannot take care of our master's daily life, which is why the Snow Sweeping Temple is so poor."

Chen Shouzhen quickly said, "With Senior Xuelongzi's abilities, if he wanted to live a life of luxury, making a fortune every day would be no problem. He must be enjoying this little world to himself. Now that the three of you have mastered your martial arts, you have been able to eliminate scum like Yang Jichang and his ilk. Senior's spirit in heaven would be gratified."

As they spoke, they sat down at the table. Chen Shouzhen touched the tabletop with his fingers and felt that it was cool, clean, and free of dust. He secretly admired this amazing skill.

Guan Luoyang looked at An Feiyu with some surprise.

Guan Luoyang already knew about the superpower of Activation Contract, but when they were sparring, An Feiyu mentioned that his Activation Contract could only be applied to gaseous and liquid non-living matter.

Anfeiyu gave him a look and quickly mouthed three words in Mandarin.

"You taught me..."

Guan Luoyang understood.

In the temporary teams of the Main God Space, the default rule is to make people with similar factional stances teammates. The temporary team contract also prohibits teammates from harming each other by any intentional means.

Therefore, Guan Luoyang and the other two were very open and generous when they communicated.

Gu Lanxiang shared some of the essential techniques she learned from the Pandaren in Pandaria, World of Warcraft.

Guan Luoyang had some knowledge of the Mind-Intent Method, which was also effective for the two of them, so he taught it to them.

Unexpectedly, Anfeiyu, who relies on superpowers to fight, has made quite rapid progress in the Mind Control Technique. In just over twenty days, he has already expanded the scope of application of the Activation Contract.

"Ugh!"

Chen Shouzhen sighed and said, "You all have a deep bond with your teachers, which is admirable. However, there are some people in this world who, despite coming from prestigious families and receiving the teachings of chivalrous scholars from a young age, still choose to fall into evil ways."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Although family scandals should not be aired in public, you have all been kind to my fellow disciples, and we still have requests of you, so we can't worry about such things now."

Chen Shouzhen told the story of a traitor from the Lushan School, who was also his junior sister—Qiu Ruzui.

Qiu Ruzui comes from an extraordinary family and is intelligent and quick-witted. She was favored by the elders of the Lushan Sect from a young age. Her talent in martial arts is also outstanding. She is six years younger than Chen Shouzhen, but by the time she was fifteen, her martial arts skills had caught up with Chen Shouzhen's.

Her elders suppressed her for another year, but finally couldn't resist her pleas and let her go down the mountain to travel the world. They even sent two senior brothers and two senior sisters to accompany her and take care of her.

In the six months since they came down the mountain, they have done a few acts of chivalry. Although Qiu Ruzui was not yet a first-class master at that time, her skills were already outstanding for her age. Some people even gave her the title of "Red Leaf Fairy".

This reputation, however, led to the family targeting these individuals when they were guests at a wealthy household. They even attempted to drug Qiu Ruzui.

Qiu Ruzui recognized the poison, but also discovered that everyone in this family secretly possessed martial arts skills and had already harmed many martial arts heroes and ladies from noble families.

She devised a plan to escape, but returned and secretly poisoned the well water in that household.

In less than three days, this whole bunch of villains were all dead.

This should have been a great thing that everyone applauded.

However, the poison Qiu Ruzui used was something she had concocted herself while studying on Mount Lu. Its potency was beyond expectation. After being put into the well, it spread to the well water of dozens of nearby households. Within three days, these dozens of innocent people died one after another.

The toxicity was so great that people three miles away suffered from dizziness and discomfort due to the well water.

This calamity alarmed the authorities, who issued a warrant for Qiu Ruzui's arrest. The Lushan Sect also sent people down the mountain one after another to take her to plead guilty.

At that time, the Lushan Sect thought that she had made an unintentional mistake and was prepared to protect her and imprison her for life.

Qiu Ruzui was young at the time, and in her panic, she repeatedly killed and wounded government soldiers and fellow disciples. Things got out of control and escalated until she even killed her master with her own hands.

The masters of the Lushan Sect came out in full force, but she went all the way back to Lushan, killed the elders, stole the sect's treasure—the Heavenly Mystery Jade Mirror, and went to join the Western Regions Fire Luo Dao.

Chen Shouzhen said bitterly, "In recent years, she has become almost the most active figurehead of the Fire Luo Sect. With her poison skills, martial arts, and the Heavenly Secret Jade Mirror, she has swallowed up more than thirty large and small gangs and sects since the Jade Gate Pass. Her evil deeds are simply..."

He seemed unable to continue speaking, letting out a long sigh that was filled with both deep hatred and indescribable, complex pain.

Guan Luoyang gave him a few seconds to pause before asking, "Judging from your tone, this Heavenly Secret Jade Mirror seems to have some wonderful uses, but what exactly are its special features?"

Chen Shouzhen began to explain.

The terms "second-rate" and "third-rate" among martial arts practitioners are merely conventional understandings. These distinctions may also be related to factors other than martial arts skills, such as power and wealth.

But going further up, it's different. Only those who have refined their spirit to the point of steel and attained perfect clarity of the six senses can be called first-rate.

This is a rigid standard: the true qi must still be controllable after leaving the body, and condensed to be as solid as real refined steel. If a protective qi wall is laid down, it is exactly the same thickness as refined steel.

It is essential to be able to detect any traps, ambushes, or explosives that pose a threat in advance, and to have a proactive awareness of them.

Therefore, although there are many powerful mechanisms and gunpowder in the martial arts world, the only way to deal with top-level masters is to rely on a master of the same level to kill them.

The most terrifying thing about the Heavenly Jade Mirror is that it can blur a master's perception of danger.

For example, if someone who possesses the Heavenly Secret Jade Mirror disguises themselves slightly and poisons the food of a top-tier expert, their six senses will become ineffective.

If the person holding the mirror sets up a deadly trap in a certain place to lure someone in, the person being lured will not be able to predict it.

"But this is only the function that the Heavenly Jade Mirror could play when it was in Lushan. The sect has secret records that this mirror can actually be developed for many more wonderful uses."

Chen Shouzhen shook his head and said, "Qiu Ruzui is probably the nemesis of our Lushan Sect. The Heavenly Secret Jade Mirror has obviously reached a higher level in her hands."

"This mirror can not only be used to deceive others' senses, but also to enhance the wearer's own perception. If someone's plan against her is truly threatening, she will be able to detect it even if it is hundreds of miles away. She can even sense the other party's general strategy through the Heavenly Jade Mirror and take countermeasures accordingly."

It turns out it's something like this.

Guan Luoyang nodded: "So what you want to borrow from us is something similar to this jade mirror, something that can interfere with each other?"

Chen Shouzhen admitted, "Your sect's Jade Snow Dragon Ring is probably the only similar treasure still existing in the world that we have any hope of finding."

The Heavenly Jade Mirror is on the Fire Luo Road, but it's still unknown whether the Jade Snow Dragon Ring can be found.

Guan Luoyang then asked, "Is there no other way besides the Jade Snow Dragon Ring to target the person wielding the mirror?"

"Then he must be a grandmaster."

Chen Shouzhen said, "But after the battle to wipe out the Demonic Sect ten years ago, there are only a handful of grandmasters left in the world, and the righteous path of the martial arts world has also been severely weakened. Unless Xu Miyuan, the leader of the Fire Luo Sect, clearly appears somewhere, it will be difficult to get a grandmaster to take action against a Fire Luo Sect envoy."

This isn't about self-importance, but rather a matter of mutual deterrence.

Among the grandmasters, those belonging to the righteous path all have complex networks of connections. If they act rashly and Xu Miyuan takes the opportunity to destroy their stronghold, then it will be too late for regrets.

Guan Luoyang then inquired about many things in the martial arts world from Chen Shouzhen.

The main focus was on which forces might be able to help in the fight against the Fire Luo Path.

"Are you guys still chatting?"

Gu Lanxiang led the young Taoist priest out, playing with a small object in her hand. "Lunch is almost ready. I don't see much left in the kitchen. Let's go out to eat together."

"Okay," Guan Luoyang said. "Hmm, what's that in your hand?"

Xia Qing said, "I gave them to my senior sister. They are all things left by Master. There should also be some left for my senior brothers and sisters. It's all my fault for not remembering a couple of days ago."

"This is a bracelet, it's definitely for Senior Sister. There are also three books over there, one for each of us."

The young Taoist priest was very happy with his assignment.

It's strange. My senior brothers and sisters have been back for a long time, but it seems that only today did I realize that even after Master left, I still have people with me.

"This is!!!"

Chen Shouzhen suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on the bracelet on Gu Lanxiang's finger. Its color was delicate and snow-white, with a small gap between the two ends, and faint scale marks.

(End of this chapter)