I, who was turned into a woman by the Jade Maiden Master, want to rebel against the Heavenly Gang.

Clearly, the pursuers attempted to enter Ghost Cry Forest but quickly gave up.

Qin Rufeng and his companions traversed the Ghost Cry Forest and finally arrived at the Netherworld Palace...

Although one could imagine that a sect with only its leader remaining would be desolate, the reality was even worse than imagined...

The jade steps were cracked into seven pieces and stuck diagonally in the moss. Half a broken plaque hung under the hollowed-out eaves, the character "殿" (palace) burned so black that it was almost illegible.

The tall, vermilion-lacquered dragon pillars lay fallen in the center of the square, their surfaces covered with spiderweb-like cracks yet still gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light.

The main hall, half of which had collapsed, revealed the framework of its dome, and most of the gilded beams and pillars had turned into rotten wood.

A mountain breeze swept through the hall, and tattered, faded curtains fluttered in the empty space. On the steps, half of an ancient bronze bell leaned precariously, a broken sword embedded in the taotie pattern on its body.

Wild grass as tall as a person sprouted from the cracks in the blue bricks of the square in front of the palace, and traces of dark red array patterns could be vaguely seen in the cracks.

The broken iron stake resembled the broken fangs of a dying beast. The bronze armillary sphere was stuck at the "Mars guarding the heart" mark, its gears rusted into knots.

At this moment, a petite figure appeared before everyone; it was Cang Shuyun.

Zhang Tui

Investigator Asuka Fukada

The author says it's a broken piece of writing...

Chapter 169 Acting One Step Ahead

Qin Rufeng's arrival made Cang Shuyun very happy, but the presence of other people with him also made her wary, like a small animal.

However, when Qin Rufeng explained that these were her sisters who had shared life and death with her, Cang Shuyun immediately lowered her guard.

Qin Rufeng was always very grateful to this Netherworld Lord who was as innocent as a young girl.

She had no dealings with Cang Shuyun; she simply received a great deal of benefit from him. Even Cang Shuyun's only request was for Qin Rufeng to learn the Netherworld Holy Scripture.

Such a powerful and top-grade cultivation technique was so sought after that even Liu's father, who was in charge of the Cuwu Dam Forest Four Ball House, couldn't get it. Not only did she give it away for free, but she also spent a large amount of spirit stones on it.

Therefore, Qin Rufeng did not hide anything from Cang Shuyun and told her everything.

Cang Shuyun nodded expressionlessly after hearing this, "Don't worry. No one can come in here without my permission."

With her words, everyone felt relieved.

Now that things have come to this, everyone around Qin Rufeng is her sister, someone she would share life and death with.

So she stopped hiding it and told everyone her true identity and her relationship with Nangong Yue and Gan Mingyue.

She also revealed her real name to everyone. However, since Liu Ruyan was used to being called Diao, Shangguan Qingxue and Cang Shuyun continued to call her Ruyan.

Not only that, but Nangong Yue also called her Ruyan... After all, this was not a pseudonym, and in terms of sect lineage, the name "Liu Ruyan" was even more formal than "Qin Rufeng".

The situation has stabilized for now. Shangguan Qingxue said, "In that case, Ruyan, you can focus on your cultivation and break through to the next realm."

However, Qin Rufeng shook his head, "I want to break through, but I can't do it with peace of mind."

"Because the campaign against Yuan Mengli has already begun! We can't delay for a moment, because she won't let us off the hook either."

"So we have to be faster than her in every step we take."

"Yuan Mengli probably doesn't know that I had already prepared rare and precious materials for the Five Elements Spiritual Roots in order to break through my cultivation level, and now I have gathered them all."

"We're already ahead of her, but we can't relax for a moment."

Qin Rufeng looked at Nangong Yue and asked, "Is there a way to contact Senior Sister Gan?"

Nangong Yue casually took out a talisman. "This is not difficult. I will tell her our current situation immediately."

"Wait a minute," Qin Rufeng said. "The escape of the musician and top courtesan of Qingyue Pavilion will definitely cause a huge uproar."

"If we escape into the Netherworld Palace, Yuan Mengli will inevitably make a big fuss about it. I will write a letter and ask Senior Sister Gan to present it to Empress Cangyun."

"The Empress?" Everyone found Qin Rufeng's decision to write a letter directly to the Empress unbelievable.

But Nangong Yue immediately opened the talisman, which turned into a letter, and handed it to Rufeng.

Qin Rufeng immediately began writing furiously.

The opening remarks consisted of polite and complimentary words.

Then Qin Rufeng frankly revealed his identity and the whole story of how he was forced to stay in Qingyuefang and then had no choice but to escape from it.

Since Empress Cangyun knew Gan Mingyue's identity but still made her a Thunder Sound Guard and even praised the Jade Maiden Sect Master Shen Yuchen, it means that the Empress at least had no enmity with the Jade Maiden Sect and even respected it to some extent.

Most importantly, it's the second half of the letter. Qin Rufeng says that Yuan Mengli will never let him go, so he has no choice but to fight her to the death.

If she could win, she would take control of Qingyuefang. She promised to provide a large amount of spirit stones for the Empress to fight against the corruption of the blood cloud.

Qin Rufeng knew exactly what Yuan Mengli was like. She only cared about her own interests and wouldn't care about the blood cloud's erosion.

What is social responsibility? That's a product of modern civilization on Earth. So-called righteousness and justice? That's something from Earth's martial arts novels. In this dog-eat-dog, leisurely world, profit reigns supreme.

It wasn't just Yuan Mengli; all the major sects and factions had their own agendas. Even after the Empress offered a bounty to explain the stakes, they all prioritized self-preservation and were unwilling to contribute to resisting the Blood Cloud.

It would be no small matter if one's own disciple were infected with the Blood Cloud and brought back to the sect.

The Empress couldn't use forceful methods to maintain the fragile balance of Cangyun Mountain. However, most sects were still unaware of the terrifying nature of the Blood Cloud Infection.

Having experienced the Crimson Moon Prison and Liu Family Village, Qin Rufeng naturally understood. Therefore, she believed that the Empress must be extremely worried about the increasingly threatening Blood Cloud invasion.

If Qin Rufeng could truly provide financial support, it would undoubtedly be a timely help for the Empress.

This is Qin Rufeng's offer of cooperation. It's not "cash" or "empty promises," but rather a "bond."

In addition, Qin Rufeng also asked Gan Mingyue to spread rumors that the Qin Fairy Liu Ruyan had been forced into prostitution by Qingyuefang and had no choice but to escape due to unbearable humiliation.

The specific circumstances could be embellished and described as more tragic. Qin Rufeng knew he had to control public opinion.

It was also said that Liu Ruyan and Shangguan Qingxue had already fled far away and escaped from the Cangyun Mountain area.

To increase credibility, we can ask Ye Qingyun for help with this.

Qin Rufeng felt that he had a fairly pleasant working relationship with Elder Ye.

Although she was obsessed, she was also very intelligent. If it were one of the Thunder Guards from the Empress's side who spoke to her about this, she would understand that Qin Rufeng held considerable influence.

The letter was written. Nangong Yue then transformed the letter into a talisman, and with a slight incantation, the talisman turned into a bird with fiery red feathers.

Even a bird needs Cang Shuyun's permission to enter or leave the Ghost Cry Forest. Otherwise, no matter how high it flies, it will be difficult to break through.

After sending the letter, Qin Rufeng asked Cang Shuyun how he broke through to the Golden Core realm without being detected.

Cang Shuyun then led her to the underground secret chamber.

That evening, her companions helped Qin Rufeng with her cultivation, giving her a considerable amount of primordial yin.

Qin Rufeng felt a throbbing pain in his lower abdomen, and his whole body was extremely weak. He could only control his body to assume a meditation posture by having his soul leave his body and enter the Soul Lamp.

Once his physical strength had recovered somewhat, his soul returned to his body, and he began refining the five elements of rare and precious materials to break through to the Golden Core realm.

Because of his thorough preparations, abundant spiritual energy, and complete preparation of the Five Elements treasures, Qin Rufeng successfully broke through to the Golden Core Realm after only a few days of seclusion.

The secret chamber of the Netherworld Palace is isolated from the world, so no one outside can detect it.

As soon as Qin Rufeng emerged from the pass, he asked the Empress how she would respond.

Nangong Yue said, "Senior Sister Gan said that the Empress didn't care about this matter. She only said that it was an internal matter of Qingyue Workshop, and according to the rules, she wouldn't interfere."

This reply was a pleasant surprise to Qin Rufeng. It was already the greatest support he could receive.

The internal affairs of sects and factions will not be interfered with, which means that Yunxiao Palace, which has a good relationship with Yuan Mengli, will not get involved.

If Qin Rufeng were to destroy Yuan Mengli, he would seize control of Qingyuefang and would not face any repercussions.

Furthermore, the Empress knew Qin Rufeng was in the Netherworld Palace but made no mention of it. This implies that she would also pretend not to see Cang Shuyun's involvement.

That's absolutely generous!

On the other hand, news of Qin Rufeng and Shangguan Qingxue's escape had already spread throughout the streets and alleys of Cangyun City.

The version circulating is that Qin Rufeng was forced to flee due to being coerced and humiliated by Yuan Mengli. It is also said that she and Qingxue have left the Cangyun Mountain area, and some people even seem to have seen them elsewhere.

"Great, excellent!" Everything is proceeding according to Qin Rufeng's plan.

Shangguan Qingxue asked, "So what do we do now?"

Qin Rufeng raised his head, gazing thoughtfully at the ever-changing clouds in the distance. Then he asked Nangong Yue, "If we were to take action tonight to settle things with Yuan Mengli, would it be too late to inform Senior Sister Gan?"

"Tonight?!" Everyone could hardly believe their ears.

Chapter 170 Making a Settlement

Nangong Yue asked, "Isn't this too hasty?"

“It was too hasty,” Qin Rufeng said, “but Yuan Mengli thought so too.”

"Do you really think my words can fool her?" Qin Rufeng shook his head. "She won't believe that I left Cangyun City. We clearly entered the Ghost Cry Forest."

"She must know that I deliberately spread the word in order to buy time to break through to a higher realm."

“She guessed right,” Qin Rufeng said, “but she couldn’t have guessed I would be so fast.”

Shangguan Qingxue also said with a worried expression, "But you have only just broken through to the Golden Core stage, your foundation is shallow and you have not yet accumulated spiritual energy."

Qin Rufeng nodded. "What a coincidence, Sister Qingxue. Yuan Mengli must think the same thing."

"She also thought it was impossible for me to go see her right away after just coming out of quarantine. But I insisted on going anyway!"

"She didn't expect me to break through to the Golden Core realm so quickly. She didn't even expect me to take the initiative to find her."

"According to her thinking, you and I should have fled Qingyuefang and gone far away. She doesn't believe what I said, she just hasn't confirmed it. She doesn't expect that we would have the guts to go back and kill her."

"That's why we have to do this." Qin Rufeng's eyes revealed a resolute determination.

“If it’s just about accumulating strength for one battle…” Qin Rufeng said as he took out a large number of Qi-replenishing pills from his storage space, “My body is resistant to grass… no, resistant to medicine. Taking these pills will allow me to quickly gather spiritual energy.”

"As for cultivation foundation..." Qin Rufeng laughed, "Even if I successfully break through, I'll still be a realm below Yuan Mengli. I can't possibly break through another realm before fighting her."

"I cultivated to the Golden Core Realm only so that I could sign a contract with Feng Hua."

Everyone now understood Qin Rufeng's determination.

Qin Rufeng then said to Nangong Yue, "Senior Sister, could you please contact Senior Sister Gan?"

Nangong Yue nodded. "I'll tell her our plan now."

Ru Feng then looked at Qing Xue, "Sister Qing Xue, let's tell everyone about Yuan Mengli's methods now. So that we can have a countermeasure."

The group then began to devise a strategy...

Shangguan Qingxue first mentioned that Yuan Mengli was skilled in talisman techniques, especially in controlling puppets with talismans. The puppets she used were likely the deceased fairy maids from Qingyuefang.

The puppets she manipulates have different spiritual roots, so she can use the puppets to fully unleash the power of different attribute talismans.

It can be said to have all five elements and no obvious weaknesses.

"But it doesn't have anything particularly outstanding," Cang Shuyun said. "While the art of spirit talismans is comprehensive, it's not good at direct attacks. This is an advantage for us."

"But Ruyan, have you thought about how to form a contract with Fenghua? From your previous description, she seems to be in a puppet state, unconscious."

"That will require your help," Qin Rufeng said to Cang Shuyun. "Feng Hua's body is bound, so could I communicate with her soul?"

“Yes.” Cang Shuyun nodded. “You really are talented. We’re on the same page.”

"But we must be fully prepared. I've met Cai Luan once, and I feel I can't defeat her, but she can't defeat me either. I have no idea how long it will take me to force out her soul, or how long I can maintain it."

Qin Rufeng: "It's alright. Opportunities are fleeting; we can't wait until we're absolutely certain of everything before we act."

Cang Shuyun: "Moreover, the Netherworld Ten Fiends Formation cannot be used before you and Feng Hua form a contract. Because the vengeful spirits it summons will cause trouble when I force out Feng Hua's soul."

Qin Rufeng nodded. "Understood. I have other ideas."

Cang Shuyun: "That's excellent. I'll take care of Feng Hua then."

The core strategy of having Cang Shuyun, their strongest member, confront Feng Hua was decided. Next, the group continued discussing how to deal with Yuan Mengli.

Soon, Gan Mingyue replied. She was perfectly fine and could join the battle.

Not only that, she also brought intelligence. Aside from casting a wide net to search for Qin Rufeng and Shangguan Qingxue, Yuan Mengli took no other action.

After the plan was finalized, Qin Rufeng swallowed a large amount of Qi-replenishing pills to everyone's astonishment. His body was overflowing with spiritual energy, like a golden goblet or jade cup filled with fine wine.

After everything was prepared, it was already late at night. Qin Rufeng and his companions then left the Netherworld Palace, met up with Gan Mingyue outside the city, and headed straight for Qingyue Workshop.

The night is deep and still; not a single insect or bird chirps. The moon hides behind the clouds, appearing and disappearing intermittently. In the distance, the lights of the buildings twinkle like starlight, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

Suddenly, a sliver of cloud parted, and the snow-white moonlight swept across Qin Rufeng's face, outlining a beautiful yet resolute profile.

Ru Feng was now single-minded and determined to win. Her theory of a swift victory convinced both her companions and herself...