Chapter 206: Opening the Seal!
Just as the three were discussing whether to inform the Pill Tower Ancestor, an abrupt voice rang out within the room.
In the next instant, before the three could even react, Jiang Yun's familiar figure silently appeared under their gazes.
"Jiang Yun!!!" Seeing Jiang Yun's form, unseen for several years, Xuan Kongzi and the other two immediately cried out in shock, staring at Jiang Yun with expressions of utter disbelief.
"What, just a few years without meeting, and Hall Master Xuan Kongzi, Senior Tian Leizi, Senior Xuan Yi—don't tell me you no longer recognize me?" Leading Qing Lin by the hand, Jiang Yun slowly approached the three, a light smile on his face as he glanced around at them.
After successfully refining the Nine-Reversal Phoenix Return Pill, Jiang Yun had used the power of the Saint Demon Flame to thoroughly heal the hidden injuries within Zhu Ming's body, leaving him without further worries. Following that, Jiang Yun once again proposed the idea of heading to the continent.
Zi Yan, having finally reunited with Jiang Yun and still in the midst of clingy infatuation, had wanted to come along. However, she was jointly vetoed by Jiang Yun and Zhu Kun.
Since the various clans still hadn't noticed the Taixu Ancient Dragons, they could fully exploit this advantage to the extreme and deliver a fatal blow at the final moment.
Faced with the dual authority of Jiang Yun and Zhu Kun, our newly appointed Dragon Emperor, no matter how indignant, could only obediently be "imprisoned" on Ancient Dragon Island.
Among the four women, Zi Yan remained on Ancient Dragon Island. Medusa took the time to first return to the Snake-People Tribe, after which she would lead them to the Serpent Earth Vein. With the support of the Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons and the Heavenly Demon Phoenixes, she would secretly unify the Beast Domain.
The Little Medical Fairy was preparing to refine pills and break through to four-star Dou Sheng. Thus, only Qing Lin accompanied Jiang Yun on this trip.
"You rascal... you really made us search hard. We thought..." Jiang Yun's laughter brought the three back to their senses. Xuan Kongzi even stood up, pointing at Jiang Yun with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"Thought what?" Jiang Yun's face maintained its smile as he picked up where Xuan Kongzi left off. "That I died at the Hun Clan's hands?"
"If the Ancestor and Senior Shen Nong hadn't been so adamant that you wouldn't fall easily, we really would have thought you'd met with misfortune!" Xuan Kongzi nodded and said seriously.
"I've caused everyone to worry!" Jiang Yun nodded, his tone gentle.
"Oh, right, and this is...?" Having calmed down, Xuan Kongzi's face also showed joy. At that moment, his gaze noticed Qing Lin, who was tightly nestled beside Jiang Yun, and he asked curiously.
"I am Qing Lin, Jiang Yun ge-ge's maidservant. Seniors, please guide me well!" Before Jiang Yun could answer, Qing Lin had already introduced herself to the three.
Hearing Qing Lin's words, Jiang Yun was momentarily taken aback. Then, looking at the gentle light in her eyes, he smiled, shook his head, and offered no further explanation.
Xuan Kongzi and the other two observed the "amorous glances" between Jiang Yun and Qing Lin with strange expressions. They weren't blind; with a century of life experience, the relationship between these two was likely far from a simple master-servant one.
Still, they couldn't control Jiang Yun. Xuan Kongzi merely felt some regret in his heart for his own disciple.
Cao Ying was a proud person. She had only ever admired Jiang Yun in her life, even to the point of adoration. But Jiang Yun had always turned a blind eye to her advances. After Jiang Yun disappeared, Cao Ying had even mobilized the Cao family's strength to search for him, but to no avail.
As a result, his importance in her heart had only grown. Now the Little Medical Fairy wasn't present, but another girl, Qing Lin, had appeared beside Jiang Yun. This joy of reunion was probably about to turn rather bland.
"Just now, I believe I heard something about an important matter requiring the Ancestor to decide?" Jiang Yun's voice interrupted Xuan Kongzi's internal musings.
Hearing Jiang Yun's question, the expressions of the three turned much more solemn. Xuan Kongzi spoke in a deep voice, "Just now, news came from Starfall Pavilion. The Hun Clan has already seized seven pieces of Tuo She Ancient Emperor's Jade from the various clans. Only the Xiao Clan's imperial jade in Xiao Yan's hands remains."
"The Hun Clan has already issued a challenge to the three clans. They've abducted Xiao Yan's father and intend to use him as a bargaining chip for the imperial jade. Yao Chen and the others believe this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. If we don't strike the Hun Clan down with one blow, once Hun Tiandi becomes a Dou Di, how could we possibly have a path to survival?"
"Therefore, Yao Chen wants to unite several major powers of the Central Plains and, together with the three clans, eliminate the Hun Clan."
As he spoke, a ruthless expression also flashed across Xuan Kongzi's face. The enmity between the Soul Hall and the Pill Tower could be said to have existed for over a thousand years.
It began when Hun Xuzi stole their teachings and caused the death of the Pill Tower Ancestor. Although the Soul Hall now existed in name only, the Hun Clan backing it still remained.
This was a perfect time, one that came once in a millennium, to settle accounts. Otherwise, who knew when the Pill Tower would have another chance to seek revenge against the Hun Clan?
"This matter is of grave importance. The imperial clans have no shortage of high-level Dou Shengs. Without the Ancestor's approval, we have no confidence in agreeing to this," Tian Leizi added solemnly from the side.
"Jiang Yun, what do you think?" Xuan Yi nodded in agreement and looked at Jiang Yun, who had been "silent" after listening.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun pondered for a moment before speaking in a deep voice, "I think we can agree. However, the Pill Tower's strength is still worlds apart from a colossal entity like an imperial clan. We can open two battlefields: one at the Dou Sheng level and another below the Dou Sheng level. Although the Soul Hall exists in name only, there are still many of their remnants throughout the Central Plains."
"Not bad, this idea is very good. I imagine those old fellows will find it easier to accept as well. I'll go contact the Ancestor and reply to Yao Chen immediately!" Xuan Kongzi said excitedly, rising to his feet. He then hurriedly walked out.
"Senior Tian Leizi, this is my soul jade slip. If there is any news, you can contact me through it," Jiang Yun said, watching Xuan Kongzi's departing figure. He turned to Tian Leizi and produced a silver jade slip, handing it to him.
"Where are you going?" Tian Leizi was slightly stunned. He subconsciously accepted the jade slip and looked at Jiang Yun questioningly.
"I still have an item to retrieve!" Jiang Yun replied with a smile, his tone calm. Then, under the gazes of Tian Leizi and Xuan Yi, the two of them silently vanished from the room.
"This is..."
Instantly, Tian Leizi and Xuan Yi shot to their feet in shock, exchanging horrified glances. In hindsight, they realized they hadn't detected Jiang Yun entering the room at all. It was only when he had voluntarily spoken that he had drawn their attention.
It must be known that the three of them had already broken through to Half-Saint. Xuan Kongzi had even broken through to the Heaven Realm soul. Yet, not even he had sensed the anomaly. Then Jiang Yun's strength...
"Dou Sheng!!!" The two looked at each other and simultaneously drew a sharp breath.
No one would have imagined that Jiang Yun had also broken through to Dou Sheng in such a short time—and not just an ordinary Dou Sheng either. At the very least, the Grand Elder couldn't achieve what Jiang Yun was capable of now.
"Bang—"
The sound of a door suddenly being pushed open jolted the two awake. They frowned and looked back to see Cao Ying, dressed in a black robe, panting heavily with her hand on her chest. Her beautiful eyes swept back and forth across the room.
Ultimately, seeing no trace of the figure she wished to see, intense disappointment flashed through her eyes.
"Where's Jiang Yun?" Though she faintly knew the answer in her heart, Cao Ying still held onto a sliver of hope as she looked expectantly at Tian Leizi and Xuan Yi.
"He's gone," Xuan Yi said. Seeing this, seemingly reminded of her own past self, a pained expression flickered in Xuan Yi's eyes. She eventually walked slowly to Cao Ying's side and spoke.
"Gone..." Hearing the answer, the last shred of hope in Cao Ying's eyes vanished. Jiang Yun hadn't paused his steps for her. This seemed to indicate that she held not the slightest place in his heart.
In the end, it was just her own wishful thinking...
Well, it made sense. A heavenly genius like him—how could he stop for an "ordinary" woman like her?
For the first time, Cao Ying felt hatred for her own "mediocre" cultivation talent. If Cao Ying's thoughts were to spread, an uncountable number of people would likely curse her out.
Cao Ying was already a top-tier prodigy on the Dou Qi Continent. But if one broadened their perspective, looking at it from the level of the Great Thousand World, that originally top-tier prodigy would similarly become just one member of the teeming masses.
The disparity of this change was enough to shatter a person's will.
Thus, those who could ultimately reach the peak were all possessed of an unshakably resilient heart.
Somewhere in the Central Plains, amidst a stretch of towering mountain ridges...
Two figures suddenly appeared. The man was handsome and the woman beautiful, like a divine couple. They were precisely Jiang Yun and Qing Lin.
Looking at the verdant trees shading the mountain ridge, Qing Lin curiously asked Jiang Yun, who was scanning the surroundings, "Jiang Yun ge-ge, is this the place?"
Hearing Qing Lin's question by his side, Jiang Yun, whose soul power had been probing everywhere, pointed at a certain space nearby and said gently, "Right there!"
Looking in the direction Jiang Yun indicated, Qing Lin didn't notice anything unusual at first. But in the next moment, a green light flared brightly in her eyes, and she instantly detected the anomaly.
That patch of space presented an extremely distorted sensation. Faintly, a milky-white radiance seeped out from within the distorted space.
As time passed, the space was becoming increasingly unstable. Following this trend, within a few years, the space here would completely shatter.
Gazing at this patch of space, Qing Lin's soul power probed outward. However, moments later, her soul power was abruptly pulled back.
"What a formidable seal," Qing Lin said in surprise as she withdrew her soul power. The soul power of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils was already exceptional. Coupled with the support of Jiang Yun's soul origin, Qing Lin's soul power had already reached Heaven Realm Great Perfection.
Just now, within that spatial seal, she had actually perceived the dissipation of souls, showing just how powerful the one who laid this array truly was.
"This array connects with the energy of heaven and earth, corresponding to nine stars in the void. It cannot be opened unless those nine stars converge, triggering a drastic shift in energy. Trying to forcibly open it is harder than ascending to heaven," Jiang Yun explained with a light laugh upon seeing Qing Lin's reaction.
"However, the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint's inheritance includes a method to enter and exit it, saving me a lot of trouble." With a grand wave of Jiang Yun's hand, countless spirit seals instantly filled the sky. As Jiang Yun's hand seals changed, these spirit seals transformed into strands of light, escaping into the void of the distorted space.
As the final spirit seal landed, Jiang Yun's hand seal suddenly changed. At the same time, he uttered a low shout:
"Open!"
"Boom!"
A powerful energy fluctuation instantly surged through the entire stretch of heaven and earth. Faintly, the sound of tidal waves could even be heard emanating from the void.
That distorted space also quietly split open a tiny crack. Milky-white brilliance poured out from the fissure. Within that brilliance was a terrifying temperature that even souls could not withstand.
Soul Realm.
In the void, two terrifying divine lights pierced through layers of space and landed in the northwest direction of the Central Plains. In that distant sky, an intense radiance had suddenly erupted.
Within that radiance was an extremely terrifying temperature. The ripples spread outwards, affecting an unknown vast range.
They actually penetrated through layers of space and transmitted into the Soul Realm itself.
"Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame!"
"Who... who opened the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame's space ahead of time?!"
After a brief moment of stunned bewilderment, a furious, exasperated roar resounded in the minds of many Hun Clan members.
Nihility Devouring Flame had thought that after breaking through to the Emperor Realm soul, this old friend was already something in his bag. He never expected someone to intercept it halfway.
How could he possibly tolerate this?!
"Nihility, we'll naturally find out just by going to look," Hun Tiandi's indifferent voice followed.
"Right! Once I find out who it is, I'll definitely tear them to pieces!"
As their voices faded, a spatial rift opened. The two of them stepped in one after another and vanished from the Soul Realm.
Similar events were also occurring in the Gu Clan, the Yao Clan, and the Yan Clan.
Someone had opened the space sealing the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame ahead of time. Had that person obtained the inheritance of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint?
Otherwise, even Hun Tiandi couldn't forcibly open this patch of space. Other than the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint, who else in this world could achieve this?
Did that also mean the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, which had been ownerless for thousands of years, was about to meet its master? And now, faced with an all-out war between the clans, a possessor of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame bearing the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint's inheritance would absolutely be a powerful ally.
Beyond the imperial clans, large sects and great powers all across the Central Plains had, at this moment, dispatched large groups of figures who shot into the sky, bringing the whoosh of wind-breaking sounds as batch after batch streaked across the horizon.
Their destinations were all strikingly consistent, all pointed unmistakably toward the northwest of the Central Plains!
The earlier commotion had stirred the entire Central Plains into a state of unrest...
Xiao Yan and Yao Chen, who were rushing to Holy Pill City, also saw the unusual phenomenon at this moment. The two halted, their expressions grave as they gazed in the direction from which the high temperature emanated.
Xiao Yan remained silent and grim-faced. Flame Incantation required devouring Heavenly Flames to evolve. As one of the top three flames on the Heavenly Flame List, the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame was naturally something he also coveted.
However, judging by the current situation, it seemed impossible now!
"Let's go. This thing has already drawn the attention of too many people; it's not something we can covet," Yao Chen withdrew his gaze from the distance and said to Xiao Yan, his eyes carrying a hint of regret.
Indeed, the premature emergence of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame had disrupted the plans of all major powers. Those who could arrive first at a time like this were all top-tier experts. This wasn't something a one-star Dou Sheng like Xiao Yan could participate in.
"Sigh..." Xiao Yan exhaled deeply and said calmly, "I know, Teacher. It's just a pity about this thing!"
As he spoke, Xiao Yan took out a yellowed piece of ancient leather paper from his storage ring. The paper was drawn with seemingly random, patternless lines. In a corner of the paper was a somewhat lotus-like, blurry pattern.
The lotus was dark black. On its surface, a thin layer of black flame seemed to be adhered. Upon closer inspection, the entire lotus faintly gave off a demonic, eerie feeling.
This was precisely the final remnant map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame. At some point, it had ended up in Xiao Yan's hands. However, this remnant map was ultimately of no use now.
Looking at the remnant map, Xiao Yan sighed regretfully. Then, the two of them continued speeding toward Holy Pill City.
And in the void, a yellowed piece of leather paper drifted with the wind, unknown where it would finally land.
---------
I started a new translation and I would be very happy if you decided to check out my new translation for a rather rare fandom. It's a crossover based on Mondaiji (Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?)
Mondaiji: Am I A Dragon Species? https://www.webnovel.com/book/36661423108025005