Yucheng

Daoist Zhenyi turned to look at Qingjun and shook his head. "This poor Daoist knows nothing about those matters either. I received this report less than half a cup of tea's time before you all arrived." The crowd exchanged glances. "Even assuming the report is true and not a trap, Old Demon Ye is crafty and treacherous. He wouldn't do this without good reason. Has anyone fought him recently or noticed anything amiss?" Demon Monarch Tongyou stood up and surveyed the crowd. Everyone shook their heads one after another. At that moment, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Celestial Alliance stepped forward and said in a grave voice, "If we speak of major events in recent days, I'm afraid only the battle at the Blood Lake comes to mind. Do not forget, Old Demon Ye lost an incarnation there, but he gained a jade bone! If I remember correctly, you all said the jade bone was personally carried away by Old Demon Ye in the end." "Does Fellow Daoist mean... Old Demon Ye was affected by the jade bone...?" Only that could explain why Old Demon Ye had undergone such a drastic change in temperament. Demon Monarch Tongyou paused, then turned to Qingjun. Among everyone present, only Qingjun had come into close contact with the jade bone and brocade skin. Qingjun understood what they were thinking. With a calm gaze, she said composedly, "The consciousness within the jade bone and brocade skin has undoubtedly perished. If any remnant soul had remained hidden, it could never have escaped my perception. You need not overestimate ancient cultivators, nor underestimate Old Demon Ye. How could Old Demon Ye drop his guard? Even if that person were truly alive, he would be nothing more than a spent, wandering ghost on the verge of fading. For such a remnant to seize Old Demon Ye's body or manipulate him would be virtually impossible." Hearing Qingjun speak like this, Qin Sang was inwardly astonished, admiring his senior sister's bold spirit in treating ancient cultivators as little more than dirt. On second thought, she was a master of puppets; her divine sense was formidable, and she certainly possessed unique soul arts. She truly had the confidence to back up her words. The others began speculating from other angles. "Could it be that Old Demon Ye unraveled the secrets of the jade bone, acquired some secret technique or treasure, and wanted to keep it for himself?" Just then, Madame Luo spoke up, her voice tinged with allure as she drawled lazily, "Why do you assume Old Demon Ye rebelled of his own accord? Why not consider the reverse? Old Demon Ye has always been overbearing and ruthless, making countless enemies even within Sin Abyss. Those people were previously cowed by his might and dared not harbor improper thoughts. But recently, he first lost his Blood Demon incarnation, then was wounded by Fellow Daoist Zhenyi. Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to strike at him?" A flurry of opinions broke out at once. Daoist Zhenyi said nothing as he listened to their debate. After a moment, he made his stance clear to all: "In this poor Daoist's view, even if there is a fifty percent chance this is a trap, it is worth the risk. Opportunity knocks but once; we cannot simply sit idly waiting for further reports! It will certainly be too late to mobilize the army, but with our flight speeds, we might just reach Yucheng before Sin Abyss quells the upheaval!" Sin Abyss was embroiled in infighting, unable to tend to external threats. If all the Nascent Soul cultivators set out together, there was truly a chance. The Celestial Alliance naturally took Daoist Zhenyi's lead. The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Xiaohan Realm hesitated slightly, but their interest was also thoroughly piqued. The benefits of breaching Yucheng went without saying. "This is indeed a once-in-a-millennium opportunity! The Sacred Monarch, Fellow Daoist Leng, and Fellow Daoist Qin are all here. As long as we remain vigilant, even if there is some treachery, we will be able to withdraw unscathed. Whether the news is true or false will become clear the moment we arrive at Yucheng," Xiang Qing chimed in, urging agreement, possessing great confidence in the strength of the Xiaohan Realm. Qin Sang and Qingjun exchanged a glance. Taking action or not made little difference to Qin Sang either way. After this war, what he needed to accomplish was essentially done. He bore no deep hatred toward Sin Abyss and had no pressing desire to wipe them out. However, if they could breach Yucheng and force Sin Abyss to sue for peace, the benefits were obvious. In the future, crafting a flying sword to replace the Ebony Sword and forging a magic treasure to subdue the Nanming Primordial Fire would both require precious spiritual materials—materials he might very well harvest from Sin Abyss. Qingjun nodded slightly. Seeing this, Qin Sang spoke up as well to voice his agreement with the plan. The group swiftly reached a consensus. "Good!" Daoist Zhenyi rose briskly to his feet, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "Since everyone agrees, we set off for Yucheng immediately. However, before that, I must make the unpleasant truths clear. Once we leave this hall, no one is permitted to leave the sight of the others without authorization, or do not blame this old Daoist for turning hostile!" A chill ran through the crowd, and they voiced their agreement one after another; none of them wished for a spy to leak their movements either. The Nascent Soul cultivators slipped out of Caishi City without a sound, completely unnoticed by the army stationed inside. Across the open wilderness, shielded by Daoist Zhenyi's concealment treasure, they sped straight toward Yucheng. As they drew closer to Sin Abyss, the terrain of the plains gradually shifted, low hills beginning to emerge. Scattered at first, they soon formed undulating mountain ranges. The peaks grew taller and more precipitous. Along the way, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly remained on high alert, and Qingjun used secret techniques to scout ahead, detecting nothing out of the ordinary. Halfway through the journey, Demon Monarch Tongyou let out a soft exclamation of surprise and suddenly asked to alter their course. After flying a short distance, Demon Monarch Tongyou waved his hand to signal a halt. Manifesting from thin air, he looked down at a patch of grass and barked in a low voice, "Come out!" "Lord Sacred Monarch!" A joyful cry sounded from the grass, followed by a figure darting out—a Golden Core cultivator. He wore Daoist robes embroidered with a unique cloud pattern, and a jade pendant with a similar design hung at his waist, marking him as a disciple of Sin Abyss's Hanyun Sect. Yet judging by his deferential demeanor toward Demon Monarch Tongyou, something fishy was clearly at play. "Why aren't you in Yucheng? What are you doing here?" Demon Monarch Tongyou radiated authority without anger as he questioned him in a deep voice. The Golden Core cultivator's heart tightened. Daring not conceal the slightest detail, he said hurriedly, "Reporting to the Sacred Monarch: the Nascent Souls turned on each other, plunging Yucheng into chaos, and the city was locked down. This disciple found a way out of the city just before the gates were sealed and was rushing to report to you..." It matched the intelligence Daoist Zhenyi had received! The Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged looks and hurriedly revealed themselves to press for details. Suddenly confronted with so many Nascent Soul patriarchs, the Golden Core cultivator was frightened out of his wits and poured out everything he knew. Seeing how bad things looked, he had slipped out of the city; though he had brought the news out in time, he was unaware of the underlying causes. "Clever fellow. You did well," Demon Monarch Tongyou commended, taking him along as they set off once more. ... "Yucheng is not far ahead." A few figures appeared on a mountaintop—Qin Sang and the others who had infiltrated this far. Slipping past Sin Abyss's outposts, they had crept here without making a sound and were now very close to Yucheng. Ahead of them, narrow, winding fissures crisscrossed the ground, and many fractures ran through the mountains as well. This was none other than the northern terminus of the Heavenly Scar. Here, however, the rifts appeared no different from ordinary fissures, containing no ancient restrictions or secret realms. According to their prior deductions, when the Abyss Ruins crashed into the heart of Sin Abyss, the resulting impact gouged out the Heavenly Scar, and the aftershocks had spread all the way here to create this terrain. "They will certainly have defenses arranged here. Approaching Yucheng unnoticed is virtually impossible. We might as well force our way through, catch them off guard, and storm Yucheng directly!" someone proposed.