Tell Shen Lingxuan Her Husband Has Arrived

"Young Master, but this makes... four legs!" The tiger rested atop Chen Kangbao's shoulders. Terrified out of his wits, he sprinted even faster, as if he had been fitted with a rocket booster. "Oh." Qi Yuan tapped his finger, and the roaring tiger shifted posture in an instant. Its forepaws no longer rested on Chen Kangbao's shoulders; instead, its fangs clamped onto his waistband. In a flash, the carriage had six legs pulling it. Leaving a cloud of dust in its wake, the carriage sped toward Shiwanshanjue. Along the road, it drew many eyes, though most were curious or amused. *** Nightfall arrived. Inside a mountain inn, lanterns burned brightly. The elm railings had rotted with age, covered in a thick layer of paint to conceal the old bloodstains beneath. A closer look would reveal numerous blade notches hacked into the wood. Tucked away in such a desolate spot, it was a black inn that rarely saw travelers under normal circumstances. Now, business boomed. A great many people had rushed here from outside the State of Ning. The formerly overbearing innkeeper, seeing so many weapon wielders gathered together, hunched his shoulders and ran an honest business for the very first time in his life. "Gentlemen, now that the divine artifact embryo has surfaced, does anyone have useful news to share?" An elder with a goatee spoke up. He had a lean, weathered face, bright, piercing eyes, and a gourd hanging from his waist. "Since Grandmaster Jiu has spoken, no one should hold back. Share what you know so we can explore the ruins together. Otherwise, once more Heaven-rank weapon wielders arrive, we won't even get scraps of soup," a peaceable man remarked. He was an elder of the Ancient Thunder Sect, and the artifact he had tempered was the Thousand-Thread Golden Feather Robe, renowned above all for peerless hard-body defense. "Indeed. These ruins are utterly bizarre. Forget entering—even if one manages to get inside, all sorts of eerie events happen that make one's scalp tingle." "There are numerous guiling within, somewhat resembling Thorn Blood's spirit-nurturing grounds!" "Yesterday, Grandmaster Wu Gen charged in. As a peak Earth-rank wielder, he assumed nothing in the ruins could harm him and barreled right through. Who could have imagined a clay doll would suddenly appear and impale him dead with a single spear thrust?" At the mention of this clay doll, every face in the room darkened with dread. Those addressed as grandmasters were all peak Earth-rank weapon wielders—people who, if they cultivated diligently without slacking off according to Qi Yuan's standards, stood a real chance of advancing to Heaven-rank. Yet one had been skewered to death by a mere clay doll. Who among them wouldn't be terrified? "These ruins are simply too perilous. Even an Earth-rank weapon wielder cannot guarantee self-preservation. I fear only Heaven-rank weapon wielders can sweep through," an old man sighed helplessly. As peak Earth-rank weapon wielders, they were all regional hegemons who held sway over their own territories. Yet before these ruins, they could not even preserve their own lives. "In all my years, this is the first time I have encountered such a hazardous ruin." "Indeed. A typical peril is guarded by at most one formidable guiling and perhaps a hundred of the same kind. But this place is different. Just the types of guiling discovered so far number in the hundreds. It is truly bizarre!" The weapon wielders gathered here had seen plenty of wind and waves, witnessing all sorts of spectacles throughout their lives. Yet a situation like this was unprecedented. The weapon wielders fell into deep thought, some frowning, others closing their eyes. "Regarding these ruins, I have some thoughts," the Old Woman of Fox Mountain said, her voice raspy. Every gaze in the room turned toward her. "Do you all know the passage recorded in the *Secret Essentials of Origin*? 'On this day, darkness descended, and the gui fell upon the earth.'" The fewer the words, the weightier the matter. Upon hearing this, the weapon wielders turned pale. "Could this be a guiling forbidden zone?" "Such forbidden zones still exist in this world?!" Quite a few Earth-rank weapon wielders began to entertain thoughts of retreat. In the Qingshan Realm, there had originally been no guiling. Then one day, darkness fell, the gui descended upon the land, and vast swaths transformed into forbidden zones. At first, no one took it seriously, thinking it merely a small mishap. Who could have guessed that terrifying entities—guiling—would spawn within those zones? The catastrophe spread from there. Countless guiling crawled ceaselessly out of the forbidden zones, slaughtering mortals at whim. The mortal realm became a purgatory. In a single decade, the population of the Qingshan Realm fell by more than two-thirds. Casualties numbered well beyond hundreds of millions. In the end, it was only when allied forces from beyond the heavens arrived that the guiling in the Qingshan Realm were suppressed. The ten great forbidden zones were thoroughly suppressed and wiped out, finally bringing an end to the tide of guiling. Yet the guiling had taken root in the Qingshan Realm, and new ones emerged at regular intervals. Moreover, a few small or fragmented forbidden zones lingered on. "If this truly is a forbidden zone... I fear only a legendary God-rank weapon wielder could purge it!" The Earth-rank weapon wielders present shuddered in horror. "Rest assured. Even if this ruin is a forbidden zone, it is at best a fragmented one. Otherwise, we would all be dead already!" "Precisely. If it were an intact forbidden zone, the State of Ning and the State of Moshan would have been ruined long ago!" "If it really is a forbidden zone... the benefits inside must be intoxicatingly great!" "Many materials for divine weapons originated from forbidden zones!" Many weapon wielders began calculating their chances. Even if they could not seize the divine artifact embryo, walking away with other precious treasures would still be a massive windfall. "Since this is a forbidden zone, the danger is certainly greater than we anticipated. I propose we form teams to explore it. That way, even if we run into a Heaven-rank weapon wielder, we won't be entirely defenseless." "Agreed. Team up!" The Earth-rank weapon wielders' minds turned swiftly, and they set about forming groups with heated enthusiasm. Tu Sihai was also inside the inn, teaming up with several old acquaintances. "Alas, the five of us are quite capable, but we lack a top grandmaster," a voluptuous woman remarked with bewitching charm. "There are only so few top grandmasters, and none of them know us well. Why would they join our team?" a one-eyed elder rasped sinisterly. "As long as we don't cross paths with a Heaven-rank wielder, we should be fine if we stay cautious." The remaining two were twin brothers. Both had just reached the peak of the Earth rank, but connected by mind and spirit, their combined strength was formidable. "With the Heisha brothers here, we aren't weak either. We should be fine," Tu Sihai murmured, though he still felt a touch of disappointment that the top grandmasters they were acquainted with hadn't shown up. They dared not partner with strangers, nor would those top grandmasters necessarily deign to join them. Nearly a hundred Earth-rank weapon wielders gathered together, splitting into various teams. Just then, the sound of hurried hoofbeats echoed from the distance. An old man came sprinting frantically, drenched in sweat as he hauled a carriage along. Behind him, a tiger clamped its jaws onto the waistband of his pants. The sight was so ludicrous and bizarre that it drew the stares of numerous weapon wielders. At that moment, the curtain of the carriage parted, revealing a handsome face that would draw gasps from any woman. With a flick of the young man's hand, the tiger instantly shifted into a little bird and flew into his sleeve. The Earth-rank weapon wielders watching this felt a flicker of astonishment. "What a handsome lad!" "That was... an illusion art. He has some skill." Seeing the newcomer, Tu Sihai showed an expression of surprise. "B-Brother Qi!" "You know him?" The alluring woman licked her lips. "Such a young, vibrant body." "He... is no ordinary man." Tu Sihai recalled Qi Yuan swallowing the spirit body gu whole, and a trace of lingering dread stirred in his chest. Still, hadn't Brother Qi said he wasn't interested? Why had he come after all? The carriage came to a halt, and the young man stepped down. Glancing across the gathered weapon wielders, his voice rang out clearly: "Which one of you is Mo Sankong? Hurry up and roll out here to die! How dare you bully my wife? Did you think a dignified matrilocal son-in-law like me was someone you could push around?" A matrilocal son-in-law might take abuse, but only from his own in-laws. An outsider trying to bully him? Excuse me, but it's time for me to flash the crooked smirk. His voice rolled outward, washing over the crowd. There were too many people, and Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to inspect them one by one to find Mo Sankong. As for Shen Lingxuan, a brief glance told him she was not here. The expressions of the Earth-rank weapon wielders shifted slightly. Some looked on with amused detachment, while others frowned, thinking Qi Yuan was far too brazen and ostentatious. "Your grandfather Mo Shankong is right here!" a thunderous shout boomed. A burly brute carrying purple-gold hammers strode out. His jacket hung open to reveal a round, protruding belly, and a terrifying aura radiated from his frame. "This young fellow has some nerve, daring to provoke Mo Shankong. Mo Shankong is a seasoned grandmaster, only a sliver weaker than the very best." Qi Yuan looked over the burly man and shook his head. "You're Mo *Shan*kong. The one I'm looking for is Mo *San*kong. You're not the same person. Mo Sankong is a eunuch." "You dare call me a eunuch?!" The burly man's eyes widened, fury blazing within him. "Boy, take my hammer!" A whistling gale tore through the air as the afterimages of giant hammers flashed. Mo Shankong leaped skyward, descending with overwhelming force. The might of that single strike easily exceeded a thousand jun, enough to cleave mountains and shatter boulders! Even an ordinary Earth-rank weapon wielder would be injured if struck by such a blow. Qi Yuan's expression did not waver. "Your hammer isn't up to snuff." He extended a fair, slender palm and lightly tapped the hammer. *Boom!* An indescribable surge of colossal force traveled down the hammer, slamming directly into Mo Shankong's arms. Numbness and agony swept over him along with the tremendous force. Mo Shankong's massive body stumbled backward violently, flying seven meters through the air before crashing down. This sight shook every weapon wielder present. "He caught Mo Shankong's hammer strike with his bare palm? Is his hand forged from iron?!" "He defeated Mo Shankong in a single move! He clearly hasn't attained the unity of heaven and humanity, so how can he be this powerful?!" Nearby, Tu Sihai sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes flickering with shock. *Brother Qi is this strong?!* Though he had seen Qi Yuan swallow the spirit body gu raw, he hadn't held high expectations for the young man's overall strength. He was simply too young, at most newly advanced into the Earth rank. Yet this move just now surpassed even the top grandmasters present. Had he displayed the unity of heaven and humanity, everyone here would have mistaken him for a Heaven-rank weapon wielder on the spot. Qi Yuan took a step forward, looking down at Mo Shankong on the ground. "Can we talk nicely now?" Mo Shankong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, all his earlier ferocity entirely vanished. "A misunderstanding, purely a misunderstanding! With my meager strength, I'm unworthy of being your enemy, Young Master." The hot-tempered Mo Shankong had turned remarkably accommodating. "And here I thought you'd have some backbone and boldly declare, 'Yes, I did it!'" Qi Yuan remarked casually. Whenever someone framed him, Qi Yuan never bothered to prove his innocence; he simply beat the accuser to death and asked, *Yes, I did it. What of it?* Of course, this situation was different—it had truly been a misunderstanding. "We'll let the matter rest here." Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to waste time on Mo Shankong. He swept his eyes over the crowd. "If anyone has news of the old eunuch Mo Sankong, tell me, and I will reward you handsomely." As for Shen Lingxuan? She had come here specifically to evade danger, so she would naturally conceal her identity. Finding her wouldn't be easy. Asking these people likely wouldn't yield any answers. The crowd looked at one another in silence. None had seen the old eunuch Mo Sankong. Mo Shankong stood there with an awkward look, realizing the young man truly hadn't been looking for him. After five breaths of silence, a timid voice spoke up: "Could Senior be referring to... an elder with a voice like a screeching drake, who has no beard...?" Wang Dao had plucked up his courage to speak. Having only recently broken through to the Earth rank, he had come here to vie for opportunities. However, his strength was low, and thus far no one had been willing to team up with him. If he charged in blindly, he would likely die a miserable death. Yet he could not simply walk away. He suffered from a hidden affliction, and if he didn't take a gamble here, he wouldn't live much longer anyway. Thus, he finally dared to speak. "That should be him," Qi Yuan said. None of the neighboring states had a tradition of eunuchs cultivating, so this drake-voiced man was almost certainly the Mo Sankong he was looking for. "Where is he?" Qi Yuan asked. All he wanted right now was to track down that bath-averse white moonlight and kill him. Killing Mo Sankong would yield an enormous amount of experience points on one hand, and allow him to plunder the man's state of the unity of heaven and humanity on the other. Wang Dao immediately recalled that figure, dread thick in his eyes. Though that person had concealed his aura, the faint traces that leaked out inadvertently were still terrifying. He was at least a top grandmaster. If not for his incurable illness forcing his hand, Wang Dao would never have involved himself in a clash between such formidable figures. A single misstep would grind him to dust. "Senior, that person entered the ruins through the seventeenth black gate in the northeast direction," Wang Dao answered truthfully. "What do you want?" Confirming Wang Dao wasn't lying, Qi Yuan prepared to set off after Mo Sankong. "I want... Senior to let me tag along when exploring the ruins... and protect me a bit if it's convenient," Wang Dao gritted his teeth and said. He was doomed to die either way; he had to take the gamble. "That's it?" A complex look flashed across Qi Yuan's eyes. "Fine, no problem." With that, he glanced toward Tu Sihai not far away. "Old Tu, want to team up with me? I happen to owe you a favor, so I'll repay it this time." Qi Yuan extended the invitation. He disliked the feeling of being indebted to others. Tu Sihai's eyes lit up, and he was about to accept. Their group happened to lack a top grandmaster, and this Qi Yuan appeared vastly stronger than even the finest among them. Beside him, the blind elder cautioned, "Old Tu, that Mo Sankong might not be someone to provoke lightly. If we get dragged into this..." Clearly, his thoughts ran deep, suspecting Qi Yuan might be inviting them along merely to use their strength against Mo Sankong. Having survived in the pugilistic world for so many years, there were very few people the blind elder truly trusted. "Don't worry. A mere Mo Sankong—once I find him, I can suppress him with a flip of my palm," Qi Yuan said softly, his voice brimming with confidence. The seductive woman offered a sweet smile. "If you're willing to join us, sir, we naturally welcome you with open arms." "No problem at all," the Heisha brothers agreed in unison. The blind elder said nothing further. Tu Sihai bowed to Qi Yuan, a complicated smile on his face. "Then I shall trouble Brother Qi to ensure my safety." "Rest assured. As long as you stay with me, there won't be any danger in these ruins." Qi Yuan was bursting with confidence. Having said that, he suddenly looked at all the Earth-rank weapon wielders present. "Everyone, could you do me a favor?" With a flick of his sleeve, dozens of banknotes fluttered out. Every single banknote was worth a staggering ten thousand taels. At this sight, the weapon wielders present drew in a sharp breath. This man was truly wealthy! Even top grandmasters didn't possess such fortunes. Yet this young man produced it effortlessly, meaning the wealth on his person was far greater still. Even the alluring woman looked at Qi Yuan with glittering eyes. Quite a few women openly cast flirtatious glances his way. Were it not for the fact that he needed their help, Qi Yuan would have reported them for sexual harassment on the spot! "Please speak, sir." Having witnessed Qi Yuan's strength, the others were naturally very respectful. "When you enter the ruins, if you run into anyone—man or woman—pass along a message: 'Shen Lingxuan, your husband has come for you. Do not fear.'" Qi Yuan unleashed the power of his wealth. "As long as you do this one thing for me, this ten thousand taels of silver is yours." Ten thousand taels was considered a handsome sum even to Earth-rank weapon wielders. Now, merely delivering a message would earn each of them ten thousand taels—wasn't that a massive bargain? This Qi Yuan was truly... rich and naive. Many weapon wielders were astonished. Recalling Qi Yuan's previous antics, Tu Sihai wasn't surprised in the slightest; Brother Qi had always acted eccentrically. "Very well." Many of the weapon wielders chimed in, agreeing one after another. Promptly, the banknotes settled into their hands. Only three Earth-rank weapon wielders chose not to get involved, clearly wealthy enough to avoid taking on unnecessary trouble. "Since you've taken the money, you must do the work for me. Otherwise..." Qi Yuan's expression remained placid as his hand flicked slightly. *Whoosh!* A figure fell from the ceiling, crashing to the floor. It was a frail old man with an expression of utter disbelief. A slash wound ran straight down his forehead, his aura rapidly fading until he drew his last breath. "Stealing is a crime, and stealing from me incurs triple the penalty!" "Not only did you want to steal my things, you dared to attempt a sneak attack on me. Die." Qi Yuan's voice was faint. The Earth-rank weapon wielders looked on with palpable dread. They knew Qi Yuan was flexing his might to intimidate them. And it was remarkably effective. "That's Elder Xianyun... killed in a single strike!" "He was a top grandmaster!" "His speed was blinding, and he was unmatched at cloaking his presence—none of us noticed him!" "With such strength... I fear not even a Heaven-rank weapon wielder could match him without invoking the unity of heaven and humanity!" "Just how does he cultivate?!" Everyone present was shaken. As for Tu Sihai, a brilliant light gleamed in his eyes. Brother Qi was simply too formidable! This journey into the ruins seemed to hold little cause for worry now. Wang Dao beamed with delight. The stronger Qi Yuan was, the greater his own safety would be. "Let's go. We're off to hunt down that old eunuch Mo Sankong," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly. "Understood." The five members of the party followed without hesitation. Wang Dao hastily fell in behind Qi Yuan as well. At this moment, Tu Sihai couldn't resist asking in puzzlement, "Brother Qi, the Shen Lingxuan you're looking for... could she be the one from the Heavenly Sect who possesses the Profound Yin Physique?" "Yes," Qi Yuan nodded. "It really is her? She's here? Brother Qi, doing this... might put her in grave danger. After all, that is the Profound Yin Physique. If others discover her, the consequences..." "Don't worry. She is my wife in name, after all; how could she lack skill?" Qi Yuan had met Shen Lingxuan twice. Shen Lingxuan's true strength was far greater than what she showed on the surface. Even that Mo Sankong would likely have a tough time taking her down. Her entering the ruins might be part of another plan, or perhaps an attempt to avoid exposing her strength and drawing a siege from the Heaven-rank cultivators of Rakshasa Country. "Little brother, you asked them to deliver a message for you, but even if they tell Miss Shen, you won't know about it. And even if Miss Shen hears it, she won't know where you are, will she?" The alluring woman voiced her confusion. Seeing that Qi Yuan was looking for his wife, she dropped her coquettish act and began playing the demure maiden. "That... is too complicated to explain," Qi Yuan replied offhandedly. "Put simply... I have technology." Were those banknotes truly just banknotes? Qi Yuan knew Myriad Transformations and possessed the technology from the starship on Arch Star. Tampering with the banknotes was child's play. The moment they encountered Shen Lingxuan, Qi Yuan would know instantly, along with her location. That way, he could rush over immediately. No matter how good Shen Lingxuan's disguise was, it might fool these Earth-rank weapon wielders, but it couldn't fool Qi Yuan's technology. The technology from the Arch Star ship seemed to share the same origin as the ruins of the Ancient Clan. Those Ancient Clan ruins had an immense background; even Yang Gods were nothing special there. In terms of foundation, Qi Yuan estimated it was far more formidable than the Immortal Realm. After all, Yin God Venerables there were treated like malnourished infants. "Technology... what is that?" The others were utterly bewildered, completely unfamiliar with the word. "Technology... is also an alternate Great Dao," Qi Yuan replied, voicing his own realization. The stronger he became, the deeper his insights grew. The immortal arts of the Immortal Dao, the martial arts of the Myriad Dao Martial God, and technology... each was a Great Dao. Carried to their ultimate ends, every single one of them was terrifyingly profound. *** Meanwhile, within the ruins, inside a sealed, narrow room. Shen Lingxuan wore a long black dress, a frigid aura radiating from her body. Her delicate brows were tightly knit upon her pretty face. Before her lay an opened wooden chest, within which rested a journal. She looked down at the journal, reading through it with great care. *"Today they came looking for me again... I wanted so badly to refuse, but the compensation they offered was impossible to turn down. So that my poor child may come into this world safely, I must defeat them!"* *"Today Liu Mei learned a new dish. It was delicious."* *"I met a blind implement master. He possessed the highest talent for implement crafting I have ever seen. I was ordered to invite him to join us, but regrettably, he refused."* *"I do not know whether this course of action is right or wrong, but I have no other choice... Once the Chaotic Star Domain is destroyed, the Qingshan Realm... will also be swallowed by darkness."* *"Can we succeed? Can we?!"* *"Can the fragments of the curious treasure of light... really be forged?"* *"When God brings light, will God... truly protect us?"* *"It has begun. There is no turning back. Either I die... or the curious treasure of light appears in this world. Or... I die, and God brings no light."* A wealth of information was recorded within the journal. Shen Lingxuan read through it carefully, her eyes devoid of sorrow or joy. After an unknown length of time, she closed the journal and let out a deep sigh. "As expected, Master Qi joined them. To forge a fragment of the curious treasure of light... was it worth it?" She gazed toward the ruins ahead, sighing faintly. "Failure..."