Stepping out from the main entrance of the White Sun Mansion, Ming Lan gazed up at the clear sky in silence for a long time.
Inside the room, when Yu Ci revealed his stance, the gazes that many had cast upon her shifted, and the sharp-witted among them sensed something amiss. No one thought Yu Ci was being unreasonable. Even if he was, Xie Yan was present in the room. Although he remained silent throughout, his silence signified tacit agreement, effectively announcing that the Xuan Yin Sect had withdrawn from the feast of dividing the abundant resources of the White Sun Mansion.
Ming Lan, however, was not surprised in the slightest.
She stood on the steps of the main entrance for a while, the carriage was already prepared. Around the carriage were several high-ranking members of the Xuan Yin Sect, mostly women, all wearing indignant expressions. The hard-earned results of a night of struggle were wiped out with a single statement. The fact that these people didn't make a scene on the spot was entirely due to Ming Lan's esteemed reputation within the sect.
Walking slowly to the carriage, Ming Lan signaled to return to You Qiu Palace.
Her cultivation method was quite special, her physical constitution was significantly different from the other Golden Elixir cultivators, and even compared to cultivators of the same level in the Nature-Connecting stage. After a night of intense combat and with her mind preoccupied, she was already quite exhausted. Upon boarding the carriage, she leaned against the seat, closed her eyes to rest. In her half-sleep, half-awake state, she seemed to hear the sound of rolling thunder overhead.
After the great battle last night, the atmosphere in the city was still tense, and the residents were still in shock. The number of incense visitors in front of You Qiu Palace was sparse, only a handful.
The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, Ming Lan got off, and was greeted by another faint sound of thunder. Several high-ranking members of the sect were somewhat puzzled, but Ming Lan remained calm. She called over a disciple who stayed in the palace and asked about Red Yin's whereabouts.
"Master was supposed to go on a long journey, but for some reason she changed her mind at the last minute and is now resting in the backyard."
Upon hearing the disciple's response, Ming Lan pondered for a moment, gave a few instructions to the high-ranking members of the sect who were with her, and then instead of going to the backyard where Red Yin was, she turned towards the main hall where the golden body of Xuan Yin Immortal was enshrined.
Since there were few incense visitors today, the hall was empty, except for a disciple who was taking care of the hall's affairs. Ming Lan meticulously adjusted her clothing, washed her hands and face, and then knelt down in devout worship. The disciple sneaked a glance at her, always respectful and admiring of the amiable and approachable Dharma Transmission Immortal Master, and was even more impressed by her devout and selfless demeanor. Seeing her worship the Immortal, the disciple couldn't help but try to imitate her posture and demeanor.
After offering her respects, Ming Lan knelt in front of the golden body of the Immortal, closed her eyes and prayed. The disciple could vaguely hear her reciting the "Sutra of Original Vows", a text praising the divine power of the Immortal and expressing a heart of firm devotion. Ming Lan recited the thousand-word scripture at a slow pace, ten times in total, which took more than half an hour. By the time she got up, it was already midday.
Only then did Ming Lan head to the backyard. Along the way, she asked a disciple and learned that Red Yin had not left, nor had she dealt with any sect affairs, but was resting in the Meditation Room.
Without further delay, Ming Lan went straight to where Red Yin was. At the door, she knocked a few times. Receiving no response, she simply pushed the door open and entered.
The Meditation Room was spacious, yet its arrangement was rather minimalistic, featuring only a desk and a mat. At most, an incense burner would be lit on the desk, which was somewhat uncharacteristic of the owner's usual style.
Red Yin was pacing the room with her back to the door. Upon hearing the door creak open, she turned her head and saw Ming Lan. With an expressionless face, she returned her gaze to the Divine Bronze Mirror placed on the desk, no longer moving.
Her attire was different from the previous night. She had taken off her fancy clothes and put on the usual cloak of the sect. Her black hair cascaded down her back, reflecting the room's pearl-like light, giving the impression of a faint layer of smoke. In fact, this smoky aura was already swirling around her, subtly present, and more noticeable when she was still.
Ming Lan, however, still wore a smile on her round face. After paying her respects, her gaze lingered on Red Yin for a moment. Regardless of whether Red Yin was willing to listen, she recounted her experiences on Cinnabar Cliff. Of course, she did not skip Yu Ci's attitude and the speculation about the consequences it might trigger.
Red Yin, without turning her head, just stared at the Divine Bronze Mirror on the desk and sneered, "A lowly runaway slave, he sure excels at taking advantage of others."
Ming Lan seemed to ignore this remark and simply asked, "Did Master decide to act because..."
Red Yin replied indifferently, "The Lichen Sect is very hospitable. Xie Yan personally played host, waiting in the sky for more than an hour. Did Master Ming see it?"
Ming Lan lowered her eyes, "The Sword Energy filled the sky, and the universe thundered. Xie Yan's Sword Way skills can indeed be described as grand."
"Grand for a dog's head!"
Red Yin squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, each word icy cold, "I haven't had a real conflict with him yet, but he's becoming increasingly reckless. Others may fear his overwhelming sword momentum, but who would prevail in a real fight remains to be seen!"
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Ming Lan neither agreed nor disagreed with Red Yin's harsh words. She took two steps forward, standing beside Red Yin to look at the Divine Bronze Mirror on the desk. At this moment, a faint light emanated from the Divine Bronze Mirror, and a circle of scorch marks had been burnt onto the desk underneath, indicating that the temperature of the mirror was indeed considerable.
Red Yin didn't avoid anything. The two had discussed this mirror at length the previous night. However, she still held her ground, "If you're going to say something stupid about returning things to their rightful owner, then don't bother speaking."
Ming Lan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and as expected, she remained silent. But Red Yin was getting emotional, "Ever since my damn brother passed away, I have been the owner of this Divine Bronze Mirror. That servant took advantage of my siblings and I being preoccupied with a powerful enemy, stole the treasure, and fled. Over a decade has passed, and he has become an Outer Disciple of the Lichen Sect. However, no matter what, his status as a runaway slave will not change. It's absurd for the Lichen Sect to stand up for this dog-like creature, and if I were to back down now, I would be the laughingstock of the world!"
Her voice was clearly filled with emotion, indicating that being held up by Xie Yan for over an hour had not left her as calm as she appeared.
Ming Lan pondered for a moment, choosing not to dwell on the question at hand. Instead, she followed the flow of conversation towards the mirror, "It seems this treasure still resonates with people from afar. Why not place it in the Storage Ring and sever this connection?"
Red Yin glanced at her, her mood slightly eased, and said, "That's the peculiar thing about this mirror. Even if it's placed in the Storage Ring, it can still communicate with the outside world. On the contrary, it stirs up the tranquility of the storage void. To put it inside would only invite trouble."
"Oh?"
This was the first time Ming Lan had heard of such a thing, and she was quite surprised. Red Yin looked at the Divine Bronze Mirror on the table, her expression rather complex.
"This mirror was obtained by my late brother over a hundred years ago during the great turmoil of the Northern Demon Sect. According to him, Old Demon Lu Chen of Dong Lu Mountain fought against the Demon Sect, and with a Primordial Thunder Hammer, he collapsed a hundred miles of land into a lake. The Demon Sect suffered countless casualties, and thousands of magical artifacts, including several famous treasures, were all blasted into rubble. This mirror was obtained from the battlefield afterwards because it was undamaged and its material was astonishing. He thought it was a treasure and brought it back for research, but he gained nothing from it until it was stolen by the escaped slave.
"Now it seems that the slave wasn't entirely useless. Over the past decade or so, he has indeed found some uses for it. He was on Cinnabar Cliff, and I was in You Qiu Palace. We were ten miles apart, but the connection never ceased. It seems that even if I really left, he could still urge Xie Yan to catch up. Hmph, I only regret that I used too little Incense of Extinguishing Life back then. I didn't extinguish his Divine Soul, which is why we have this trouble today."
She paused, then sneered, "Last night, Sunset Valley sent Xu Hui. He was supposed to back up Jin Huan, but he just watched as the White Sun Mansion was wiped out. On Sky Wing Tower, the Shadow Puppet killed more than thirty cultivators of the Communication God level and above. The turmoil in Sky Rift Valley has not subsided, and there has never been such a heavy loss in a short period of time. Not to mention the panic in the city is much worse than before. Does he really think Cliff City is his to mess around with?
"I'm in trouble, but his troubles are even bigger than mine. I really want to see what kind of expression that dog will have when all this happens!
"When that time comes..."
As Red Yin's voice gradually lowered, the Meditation Room grew colder. Ming Lan's smile faded, her eyes clouded with melancholy, but in the end, she said nothing.
**********
Yu Ci, the "trouble" in Red Yin's mouth, had a mood quite different from the female cultivator ten miles away.
His discussion with Shi Song and others had long ended. Given his current physical condition, he really wasn't fit for hard work. Not long after he had dismissed Ming Lan, Shi Song and the others had all taken their leave. Even earlier, Xie Yan had already left to attend to his assigned tasks.
Only Yu Ci was left in the room. He closed his eyes, spread out his "Inner Void of the Heart", and a world both familiar and strange unfolded before his eyes.
Still, it was the same moon void, the same mountain forest and small lake, yet the usual tranquillity here had not yet returned. The stir-causing "Fish-Dragon" was nowhere to be seen, but the moonlight in the sky flickered, bright one moment and dim the next. The nocturnal mountain forest was blurred to the extreme, like a swirling mist, shifting and undulating in the void itself. Occasionally, it would become somewhat clearer, but it was hard to say it was a mountain forest; rather, it seemed to be a patchwork of thousands of fragmented images.
Most frequently appearing within those images were Red Yin and Ming Lan.
Yu Ci had been observing the situation on the other side through the Divine Bronze Mirror. Despite the great distance causing fragmented images, he could still discern the general situation. Red Yin would never have dreamt that the Divine Bronze Mirror could be used in such a way. Every action she took was reflected in Yu Ci's "Inner Void of the Heart", becoming the backdrop of the dark night and allowing him to perceive it.
Therefore, Yu Ci was able to wake up in time before she left and ask Xie Yan to help intercept, trapping Red Yin in You Qiu Palace, leaving her unable to take a single step.
This kind of mysterious affair is hard for ordinary people to imagine without a detailed explanation. However, in the "Inner Void of the Heart", the most unbelievable thing was not this:
In the turmoil of the void, Moonlight Glow was also flickering on the small central lake. At this moment, the lake water was also constantly churning. Suddenly, a dark shadow broke through the water and began to dance wildly in the void. The splashing water mist reflected the moonlight, like scattered pearls and shattered jade, a sight of incomparable beauty.
That was the previously disappeared Fish-Dragon!
With the appearance of the Fish-Dragon, the turbulence of the void became even more pronounced. It seemed as if the entire space was revolving around the Fish-Dragon. At the same time, the Fish-Dragon's glossy black body was also emanating a very faint mist, which disappeared into the void in the blink of an eye.
The "Inner Void of the Heart" was too turbulent and the impact was heavy. Yu Ci did not stay in it for too long and exited in less than a moment, smacking his lips as if tasting something. His keen sense of smell also detected a peculiar, indistinguishable scent in the air of the room.
At this moment, the room door sounded and Xie Yan walked in with a blank expression. His gaze swept over Yu Ci's face, and seeing that he looked well, his expression softened somewhat. "I've done what you asked, but your method is really awkward. If you really can't stand her, why not directly confront her? It would be simpler to just end it with a sword strike. What's the point of this stalemate?"
"There are some reasons for that."
Yu Ci smiled, just about to explain, when a laughter came from outside the room:
"Big boss Xie, is your junior still alive?"
With that laughter, the yellow-haired Xu Hui walked in. Though he was laughing, his eyes were cold.
Yu Ci glanced at him, then turned to Xie Yan with a smile:
"Uncle Master, this is it."
**********
Brother Fishbone wanted to catch a mermaid, whether he could get his wish was still unknown, but the Fish-Dragon was caught first.
...
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e