Chapter 67: Chapter 62: Plotting in the Holy Land, Usurping the Nest (Combined Part 2)
A play requires a full performance.
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...
The area around the Stepping Stone of Immortality had been cleared, leaving only Feng Qiyuan, Gu Chunyang, and a few Divine Infant Supremes.
As the barrier dissipated, Ling Qi didn't speak to Feng Qiyuan and the others, but instead stepped into the void and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Feng Qiyuan couldn't help but frown and turned to look at Wei Changqing, repeating his tactic, he spoke in a deep voice,
"What did that person just say to you?"
Wei Changqing looked bewildered and slowly began to speak:
"The Phantom Spirit Sect is in turmoil, not equal to the Tai Xu Holy Land..."
"An unexpected issue with a high-quality Immortal Bone..."
"Lack of cultivation resources, leaving me with very few at hand..."
"Deep-rooted heritage..."
"A chance to become a Saint Heir..."
Listening to these words, the crease in Feng Qiyuan's brow deepened and he remained silent for a long while.
In his perception, Wei Changqing's Divine Soul showed no anomaly, and it hadn't been cleansed or altered; these were indeed the words Ling Qi had spoken earlier.
"Master, this child..." Gu Chunyang sensed something amiss but couldn't immediately grasp the full picture.
"Xiao Yuanqing just died, and now he comes along. Could such coincidences really exist in the world?" Feng Qiyuan's expression remained unchanged, his voice evidently carrying a chill.
"Do you suspect Tai Xu Holy Land..." Gu Chunyang's expression subtly changed as he thought about it, and became more convinced of the guess.
Other than the Holy Land, how could anybody else possess the means to silently infiltrate the formation and kill someone!
"Not necessarily so, Tai Xu Holy Land values a high-quality Immortal Bone even more than us."
Feng Qiyuan appeared somewhat weary and he let out a light sigh, "But this child... really is too much of a coincidence..."
The value of a high-quality Immortal Bone, in the eyes of the Holy Land, is probably worth more than the entire Phantom Spirit Sect.
The only thing Feng Qiyuan could imagine was that Tai Xu Holy Land wanted the inheritance of the Phantom Spirit Sect.
"Then, Master, how should we handle this child?" Holding his thoughts back, Gu Chunyang suddenly found himself without direction.
After a moment of contemplation, Feng Qiyuan spoke slowly: "Teach him the spells. After he enters the Spiritual Spring, send him to the battlefield."
"Isn't that too risky?" Gu Chunyang hesitated, "The battlefield is perilous, and if he's not careful, the child might meet his end."
He really couldn't bear the thought of losing a high-quality Immortal Bone.
"Xiao Yuanqing was placed within the Sect with grand formations for protection, yet didn't he still die?" Feng Qiyuan shook his head:
"If he truly is sent by the Holy Land, then Ling Qi will surely protect him. With this child present, in the battle against the Night Light Pavilion, our Phantom Spirit Sect will be able to win."
Gu Chunyang still seemed indecisive, "If we're wrong in our guess and end up costing the child his life..."
"If he dies, he dies. Pretend he never came,"
Feng Qiyuan's expression turned ice-cold: "I still have a thousand years of life. Once you achieve Divine Transformation, you will be able to protect the inheritance of Phantom Spirit Sect and plan for the future."
No matter what, he couldn't let the inheritance passed down by the ancestors fall into others' hands during his time.
Before his voice fell, Feng Qiyuan stepped forward and vanished into the void.
After he left, Wei Changqing's expression gradually returned to clarity, a trace of bewilderment lingering on his face.
Gu Chunyang waited in silence for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Why didn't you leave with that person just now?"
"It's too far away from home..."
Wei Changqing smiled and shook his head, his face showing the simplicity and innocence unique to youth.
Gu Chunyang's eyes showed a complicated expression, and without a word, he turned and left with Wei Changqing.
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The Great Zhou Dynasty, South Sea.
The Great Zhou bordered various countries on three sides and faced the sea on one.
Near the coast, there were many islands, forming a frontier realm where sometimes small Sects or Immortal Path Loose Cultivators would settle.
In the coastal villages and towns, stories about Immortals were commonly heard.
This could be said to be the closest place in the entire Great Zhou to the Cultivation World, akin to Illusory Spirit City.
Two hundred sea miles from the shore, a dragon boat spanning over thirty zhang was moored near an island.
Above the dragon boat, flags stood tall, and atop the bow, a particularly eye-catching flag was hoisted, red with a golden background, embroidered with a fierce bird enveloped in flames, spreading its wings as if to soar.
The sun hung high, and beneath the sunlight, the sea shimmered with ripples, layer upon layer, like glinting golden scales.
A small flat boat was tossing among the nearby waves, a figure sat at the bow, letting the waves roll over it, unmoving as a mountain.
Splash——
Moments later, the sound of water exploded, and a figure burst from the sea, leaping onto the bow.
"Are you sure you threw it here?"
Song Lingxue looked at Li Mingzhou sitting at the bow, a hint of skepticism in her eyes, "Could it be that you remembered wrong?"
She was dressed in sharkskin, her hair in disarray behind her, her complexion pale from soaking in the seawater, her breath slightly unstable.
"No mistake, my memory, is stronger than yours."
Li Mingzhou huffed lightly, "That piece of stone wall wasn't large to begin with, with so many years gone by, washed away by waves, sinking into mud, anything's possible, it's not that easy to find."
Song Lingxue sat on the edge of the boat, feeling somewhat discouraged for a moment, as the waves lapping at her ankles brought a sensation that was both gentle and forceful.
That day after leaving the Song Residence, within a few days, she had run into Li Mingzhou.
After some involvement, they finally made clear their respective standings.
Hearing the news of the Song Family's troubles, Li Mingzhou immediately set out to confirm Chu Zheng's safety.
Having lived nearly a hundred years, he had never seen a person with such an exceptional root bone, truly hard to let go of.
After meeting Song Lingxue, Li Mingzhou didn't make a scene, even used his means to find Song Yun and his companions, altering their identities and hiding them on the spot.
After that night, Song Lingxue's martial prowess surged like a gushing well, her inner strength advancing at a rapid pace. In less than half a month after leaving the Song Residence, she had entered the realm of Grandmaster.
Then onward, she ascended in triumph, and within a mere three months, her inner strength underwent a transformation, stepping into the realm of Martial Path Grandmaster.
Such astonishing changes naturally had Li Mingzhou exclaiming her as a monstrous talent.
After a round of sparring, he once again produced the move of Xuan Tian Seal, which Song Lingxue perceived as having some clues.
From this incomplete Xuan Tian Seal, she vaguely sensed that ahead in the martial path, there was more to be discovered.
Grandmaster was far from the end.
After some questioning, they arrived at today's scene.
However, searching for an incomplete stone wall at the bottom of the sea was like finding a needle in a haystack; after a long and fruitless search for over a month, Song Lingxue still had nothing to show for it.
"Shall we call it off?"
Seeing Song Lingxue silent with a lowered head, Li Mingzhou spoke out to persuade her,
"Instead of wasting time here, it'd be better to spend it searching for Chu Zheng; he still has the fragmented map I made a rubbings of in his possession."
He was still somewhat worried about Chu Zheng.
"His current situation is probably more dangerous than mine."
Song Lingxue shook her head; she didn't want to cause more trouble for Chu Zheng. Taking a deep breath, she dived back into the sea.
Half an hour later, a tremendous wave suddenly burst forth, accompanied by an excited whisper:
"I've found it!"
Stepping onto the boat, Song Lingxue fondled the near three-foot-long fragment of wall. After a moment, a light seemed to appear in her eyes as she murmured to herself:
"I see it..."
In her eyes, within this piece of the wall, there seemed to be an energy flowing.
"What do you see?"
Li Mingzhou looked at the dark stone in front of him, scratching his head, utterly baffled.
He had studied this stone for a long time back in the day and came out with nothing.
"The path of martial arts..."
Song Lingxue's eyes were filled with obsession; she had never felt as she did at this moment.
This fragment of wall was like a beacon, instantly clearing the dense fog before her eyes.
Beyond qi condensation, the path of martial arts still continued.
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As the morning sun rose and its rosy light dyed the sky, passing through the mountains and vegetation, it shone into a canyon.
Chu Zheng sat cross-legged on a huge rock, his breathing long and drawn out, taking half an hour for each inhale and exhale.
Fu Quanliang was not far away at the mouth of the mountain, meditating with his eyes closed, his mouth bulging, stuffed with Qi Boosting Elixirs.
He was beginning to attempt to break through to the Spiritual Spring.
Nearing midday, Chu Zheng finally slowly opened his eyes, and after adjusting his state to the optimum, he pulled up his panel and used up all of today's repair attempts.
[Condensing Space Bracelet (Sixth Order): A Spatial Spiritual Treasure, connected to a Small World, forcibly shattered by a Sixth Order being, once belonged to a Demon King, after many days of hard work, you have finally repaired it.]