Each of the nine dragon maidens possesses extraordinary abilities.

The woman in green lowered her voice again: "But I have never met my parents. I almost died when I was a child, and my mother saved me."

The recluse immediately frowned: "That madam? Damn it, what a load of rubbish! That guy just wants to sell you for money. Maybe they're the ones who kidnapped you. You little fool, why are you speaking up for bad guys?"

"But......."

“She has nothing to do with you now, doesn’t she?” the hermit said. “She has already sold you out. In other words, you don’t owe her anything.”

"Yes, is that so...?"

The woman in green was in a state of turmoil, and regardless of who was right or wrong, she simply nodded.

Her heart was filled with fear, panic, and confusion. For her, obedience was a habit. Her mother liked to educate her by beating, scolding, and starving her, forcing her to learn to sing and work as a prostitute. Now that someone was telling her that all of that was wrong and that she was free, she could not accept it without a doubt.

She had become numb, and after being numb for so long, it became difficult to regain her senses.

While Qingyi was brainstorming, the Hermit finally looked at Lu Yueyuan: "Sect Master of Jiuyi Sect, I've finally met you. You are truly a promising young man."

Lu Yueyuan smiled and said, "Senior, I am no longer the sect leader."

The reclusive hermit said, "Oh, the deputy leader of the Langya Gang has already told us about this. What a pity. I thought I could curry favor with the leader of the number one sect in the world."

Lu Yueyuan said, "It's all the same. My relationship with my aunt is very good. If you attach yourself to me, it's the same as attaching yourself to her."

The reclusive hermit quickly scanned Lu Yueyuan.

He's just an ordinary man with low cultivation. No wonder he was robbed of his position as sect leader in the final stage. With his qualifications, he shouldn't have even bothered running for sect leader.

But... The recluse glanced at the arrogance, and remembering what the other party had said before, she dared not underestimate him. There were countless heroes in the world, with all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. Stories of old men dying at the hands of young ones had happened before.

What's more, now this little thing Lu Yueyuan seems to know her inside and out, and is exceptionally clear about what she wants.

She said, "Thank you for helping me find the person. Qingyi is very important to us. Thank you."

Lu Yueyuan said, "Then our first deal is complete. Now let's talk about the second deal."

The recluse shook his head: "I'm sorry, I don't want to do it anymore."

Just kidding. She's already achieved her goal, so she doesn't want to get involved in the affairs of the Nine Peaks Sect. Otherwise, she really would be punched to death.

Lu Yueyuan did not insist: "It's your wish." He added, "If you change your mind, you are welcome to come to me anytime."

"Alright, Qingyi, good child, let's go."

Qingyi, still dazed, reached out her hand and grasped the other's hand. She followed the man, turning her head to look at Lu Yueyuan.

She will probably never forget that scene.

Sunlight streamed down from behind his shoulders, enveloping him in its glow, but his expression remained unchanged. He sat there like a statue forgotten by a window, serene yet lonely. Qingyi thought he had probably grown accustomed to solitude, so accustomed that he no longer even recognized it as loneliness.

Chapter 41: Miracle

In the following days, Zhongzhou experienced continuous torrential rain.

For the mortal world, a torrential rain is nothing unusual, but for the Jiuyi Sect, it was a different story. This rainstorm stirred up the spiritual energy, a rare spiritual rain that only appears once every hundred years.

The Huai Zai Mai is responsible for controlling the distribution of spiritual energy within the Jiu Yi Sect, and this special spiritual rain undoubtedly attracted their attention.

The sky was dark, with lightning flashing like dragons. The immortal ship weaved through the black clouds, and violent spiritual rain lashed against its hull. Yun Gui looked at the oppressive weather around him and raised his hand to recall the probing spirit pearl.

Yunhai walked over from the side in the rain and transmitted his voice to her: "We've found the place where the spiritual rain gathers. It's the location of Wuming Peak."

“Isn’t that just a barren mountain? We’ve explored it before, and there’s nothing there. How could it cause a disturbance in spiritual energy?” Yun Gui asked. Today, she was wearing special clothing from the Huai Zai lineage. The color was an extremely deep and dark ink blue, which made her look like she was wearing a tamed seabed night. Her waist belt was made of the shed skin of a young sea dragon, with natural white patterns floating on the deep blue background. When lightning flashed, it would faintly glow, like another lightning bolt hidden in the clothes.

"It's hard to say. It could be a change in the earth's ley lines, or a secret realm suddenly manifesting." Yunhai raised his protective spiritual energy, blocking most of the spiritual rain. "Our people haven't returned yet, and various detection magic tools can't penetrate any deeper. We can only confirm that it was caused by the earth's ley lines."

"Is it because of the situation in Qingzhou? I heard from the adults that the Zaishan Vein has achieved good results, and it is very likely that a breakthrough will be made first in the area of ​​earth veins," Yun Gui asked.

“The ley lines of the Nine Provinces are interconnected, so it’s normal for there to be a chain reaction. But if we don’t handle this properly, there will be serious problems with the turbulent flow of spiritual energy, as we can see from this spiritual rain.” Yunhai said, “The lord has gone to participate in the qualification review of Su Zhaoran, so we have to handle this ourselves.”

"Let's withdraw our Huai Zai lineage disciples first," Yun Gui said.

Many detection artifacts have spread outwards from the immortal ship. Since the disciples who went to scout ahead have not returned, Yun Gui dares not send anyone out again.

The wind chimes rang out amidst the storm, and even more spiritual energy gathered on Wuming Peak.

The spiritual energy downpour continues.

A spiritual thunderstorm is brewing.

The celestial boat approached Wuming Peak.

A buzzing sound filled the air, darkness enveloped everything, and occasionally a pale ray of lightning would peek through the gaps in the clouds. Before it could illuminate anything, it would be swallowed back by the next layer of dark clouds, like a drowning person reaching out for the last time.

Yunhai's body glowed with a pale blue light, and he floated downwards like a ghost.

Immortals can activate their natal magic weapon once they reach the Dao Realm. Yunhai is currently using this ability. As long as Yungui is safe, she is immortal.

“The surrounding spiritual energy is very strong, even forming a spiritual energy vortex,” Yunhai said. “I saw them. They weren’t injured, they just fainted. I brought them back using the glass bottle.”

"Has a secret realm manifested?" Yun Gui asked. "Or what is the reason for the anomaly in spiritual energy?"

Yunhai did not rush to answer.

She had already sensed something was wrong. She was now on the mountaintop, where violent spiritual rain was pounding heavily on the mountainside. The surrounding forests were being invaded by a large amount of spiritual energy, and her whole body was radiating a pale blue light, as if something was connecting them together.

Mount Jiuyi is the center of Zhongzhou, and the earth veins of Zhongzhou are the convergence point of all the earth veins of Jiuzhou. Legend has it that this place has witnessed the rise and fall of countless gods, and any ordinary piece of land may become the relics of gods.

After sealing the glass bottle and confirming that the disciples inside were safe, Yunhai returned to the immortal boat.

She said, "It doesn't seem like a secret realm, nor does it seem like a natural phenomenon. The earth's veins here have been activated by something, which is why spiritual energy is gathering here. Spiritual rain, spiritual energy vortex. If left unchecked, it may trigger a spiritual energy tide."

“Although Wuming Peak is not within our Jiuyi Sect, it is located too close,” Yun Gui said. “Prepare the magic artifacts to disperse this spiritual energy.”

"Then I'll go," Yunhai said.

“No, I’ll go this time,” Yun Gui said.

The Wuming Peak roared, and the vortex above its summit had expanded to engulf the entire peak.

Yun Gui flew on his sword and landed on the mountaintop. He took out a talisman and flew into the air, the burning talisman dispelling the darkness in the vicinity.

“The shape of the earth veins seems to have changed,” Yun Gui said. “The original mountain ridge here was like a reclining dragon, with two earth vein water lines running around the mountain from the east and west, converging directly below the mountaintop to form a natural water mouth. The water mouth is the mouth of the earth veins, through which spiritual energy is inhaled and exhaled, so although Wuming Peak is barren, the flow of spiritual energy has always been normal. But now the water mouth is blocked, and spiritual energy can only enter and not exit.”

"I don't understand what you're saying," Yunhai replied. "What will happen if we don't do anything?"

“A very serious spiritual energy tide,” Yun Gui said. “The spiritual energy layout of the Jiuyi Sect will be disrupted. When this place becomes a spiritual mountain, our side will be ruined.”

"Go ahead, I'll help you." Yunhai used the power of his natal magic weapon again, and his pale blue spirit body left his body and floated behind Yun Gui.

Her consciousness split into two, one physical body and one spiritual body. The internal struggle between her left and right hemispheres nearly caused Yunhai to lose her composure, but she managed to maintain her composure.

The necklace around her neck shone brightly; that was her secret weapon—Resonance.

Her abilities are roughly threefold.

The first level is Spiritual Connection. This is Yunhai's most frequently used ability. When she possesses her teammate's spirit, the Resonant Tide will connect her and her teammate's spiritual consciousness, allowing their perceptions to be completely synchronized. While sharing the burden of her teammate, she will also inject her own spiritual power into her teammate's meridians through resonance amplification, increasing the teammate's spiritual energy intensity.

The second level is the sound of the tide. After a spirit possesses a teammate, it can use the teammate's spiritual energy to conduct outwards, transmitting it a second time in the form of sound waves through the air, thereby controlling the direction of the surrounding spiritual energy.

The third level is Return of Breath. This is the ability that Yunhai uses the least. After using it, the spirit will briefly take over the teammate's physical body, and the teammate's spirit will be transferred into the physical body. It can be understood as an alternative soul swap.

When Yunhai's spirit possessed Yungui, the light on Yungui's body visibly shone brightly, as if amplified, and the network of spiritual energy distribution could be seen clearly.

"Alright, alright, I've dispersed the high concentration of spiritual energy around you," Yunhai transmitted his voice. "You can now set up your magical artifact in peace."

"What is that?" Yun Gui suddenly asked.

Because of the increased spiritual energy, her talismans could detect farther. Something was rippling within the earth's veins, and all the vortexes were converging towards it.

Chapter 42: The Holy Emperor's Broken Sword

"What?" Yunhai asked.

"There seems to be something in there, deep in the earth's veins, that thing is attracting the surrounding spiritual energy."

"Within the earth's veins? That must be a manifested treasure," Yunhai said. "But I clearly didn't sense any manifestation of the treasure before."

"Wait, the spiritual energy around us is not right," Yun Gui said. "Let the immortal ship sail further away."

"Okay, be careful!" Yun Gui suddenly shouted.

The surrounding spiritual energy roared like a giant beast, and just like a giant beast turning over, the entire mountain suddenly leaped upwards and then crashed back down. The shockwave from the impact surged outwards along the earth's veins, uprooting the forest at the foot of the mountain. The trees were torn to pieces in mid-air by the turbulent flow of spiritual energy, and the debris was swept into the sky by the next wave of impact before it could even land.

The tide is coming.

Millions of raindrops hung suspended in mid-air, each still in its falling posture, its elongated tail not yet broken, yet they remained suspended, as if time itself were being held by the throat. Light emanated from within each suspended raindrop, its color rapidly transitioning from a deep blue to a blinding white. Yun Gui could see his own exhaled breath also frozen in mid-air, its edges being tinged pale blue by the light of spiritual energy.

Three seconds later, the raindrops washed over it.

The mountains, the sky, the distant silhouettes—all the scenery appeared as if viewed through a bowl of stirred water, their outlines stretched, compressed, and distorted into irregular arcs. She had just thrown out a newly lit talisman when it was instantly extinguished by the aftershocks of the tide; the ashes, before they could even disperse, were torn into finer powder.

The first tide formed, and Yun Gui felt the gravity reversed, his body crashing into the mountain.

The spiritual energy roared, and silvery-white droplets flew upwards against gravity, only to turn back and fall downwards at a certain height, forming a continuous loop of water. This loop of water swirled around the pit opening, spinning faster and faster, until it finally became a completely closed, silvery-white ring.

They and the fairy boat were trapped in the middle by the tide.

"Have all the disciples of the Immortal Boat enter the glass bottle and protect them well," Yun Gui transmitted to Yun Hai while maintaining his balance.

Ming Huaiwei suddenly stood up in the Chuiyi Hall. It was time to examine Su Zhaoran, the future sect leader who was about to replace Lu Yueyuan. He was chatting and laughing there. Ji Cheng said that Wei Daidan and the other incarnations of the Dragon Maidens were sitting there with cold faces.

Seeing Ming Huaiwei get up, Wei Daidan transmitted his voice: "Where are you going? This isn't over yet."

Ming Huaiwei walked out without saying a word.

Her two senses of Yun Guiyunhai disappeared, which made her somewhat panicked. Her inner insecurity erupted, and she reactivated the communication talisman, but there was still no response.

Unable to make up her mind, she instinctively wanted to find someone to rely on.

"What are you doing here? Isn't it inspection time now?" a male voice interrupted her.

She looked up in a daze and saw Lu Yueyuan, only then realizing that she had unknowingly wandered into his cave.

"Hey, hey, you lazy pig, wake up! Our fairy boat is gone!"

Yun Gui opened his eyes and found himself stuck in the mud, with Yun Hai's spirit calling out all around him.

The sky was already enveloped in thick spiritual energy, and the concentration of spiritual energy in the surrounding area was enough to burst her meridians.

"My body fell over there!!" Yunhai said.

"Are the disciples alright?" Yun Gui asked.

"You should care about me, not them. My physical consciousness has fainted. Without my physical body to control the magical artifact, I can only maintain this posture," Yunhai said.

A buzzing sound echoed all around. Yun Gui sat up, clutching her head, and only then could she see her surroundings clearly.

Wuming Peak has disappeared.

Instead, a massive crater appeared, its opening engulfing the original base of the entire mountain. Its edges were jagged, and fragments of rock continued to fall from the fractured rock strata. The depth of the crater was immeasurable; from Yun Gui's position, one could only see the rock layers extending downwards along the crater walls, with something rumbling from the deepest depths.

Yun Gui rekindled the talisman, and the light dispelled the darkness within. With the blessing of the cloud sea spirit, she saw the true face of that thing.

"Are you kidding me? This, this thing..." Yun Gui's voice trembled.

"Wow, that's terrifying!!" Even the cloud sea, which shared the same view, was startled.

It was the remains of a sword blade.

The blade was estimated to be wider than the hull of a celestial ship, and the curve of its tip, viewed from her angle looking up, resembled a broken silver mountain. Half of her body was submerged in the ground, its energy severing the earth's veins by half.

The enormous and magnificent sword blade—this is what triggered the tide of spiritual energy.

Yun Gui could hardly describe her shock. The blade was made of a special material, and if she tried to probe it further with her divine sense, it would bounce back. She dared not go any deeper and quickly withdrew her divine sense.

"This is some kind of magical artifact, but how could there be such a magical artifact? It's like... a weapon of the gods," Yunhai muttered to himself.

"A god who wields a sword..." Yun Gui said, "This kind of divine weapon has been hidden near our Jiuyi Mountain for so long, how come we didn't discover it? Was it because it was concealed by the power of the earth's veins? Then why is it suddenly activated again now and starting to cause turbulent spiritual energy?"

Yunhai asked, "Is it because of Zaishanmai's actions in Qingzhou?"

“It’s possible that the ley lines of the Nine Provinces are interconnected and influence each other, but this sword… this unknown divine artifact has clearly been activated by someone. More importantly, none of the four gods worshipped by our Nine Peaks Sect use swords. Which god’s weapon is this?”

“The divine artifacts of the gods are the ultimate form of magical artifacts,” Yun Gui continued. “They are the highest masterpieces that surpass the Heavenly Dao. Each of these artifacts is renowned, but I have never seen this one before.”

"Could it be that this isn't a deity from our Central Plains, or perhaps this deity is too far removed from us?" Yunhai asked.

“I don’t know, history isn’t my forte,” Yun Gui said. “Those guys from Zai Shanmai are good at history, we’ll have to ask them.”

"Let's go," Yunhai said. "The situation is beyond our control now. The divine artifact has appeared; it would be better to contact the master as soon as possible."

"Okay, I'll contact the adults."

She burned another talisman, then remained silent for a long time.