Chapter 96

Just a few months ago, there were rumors of demon beasts appearing on the mainland, and a few cases also occurred within Canghe. As the largest sect in Canghe, the emperor naturally sent people to politely request Shangxuan Sect to send people to help subdue the demons.

At that time, out of courtesy and also wanting to investigate the truth about the demon beasts, Qinghe sent the Kaiyang Peak Master Ge Yu to lead the disciples there.

While outside, Ge Yu regularly contacted Shangxuan Sect, once every half month, without fail. The last time he sent a message, he said that he had discovered signs of demon beasts in the forest in the northeast of Canghe, and he was going to lead the disciples to investigate. After that, there was no more news from him.

Just as Qinghe sensed something was amiss and wanted to send people out to search, it so happened that Qiu Xianyun injured disciples, forcibly broke through the restrictions, and escaped from where he was under house arrest. Due to his special identity, Qinghe had no choice but to personally set out with the six elders to capture him.

Who knew that Qiu Xianyun's mental state seemed to have greatly deteriorated compared to before, becoming somewhat mad. He even admitted in front of everyone that he was the murderer who killed Qingxuan.

Qinghe had no choice but to throw him into the dungeon. He also summoned the six elders, saying that now the peak masters of Shangxuan Sect were incomplete and there were no high-level experts guarding the internal defenses, so he asked them to help keep an eye on things.

However, the good times did not last long. He discovered that his own body was also gradually changing.

At first, he just felt a bit weak. As time passed, this physical discomfort slowly manifested in the decline of his cultivation, to the point that in just a few months, it developed into the current situation.

Qinghe was naturally shocked and angry. He also invited the six elders, and everyone tried all kinds of methods, but in the end, it was all in vain. They could only watch helplessly as Qinghe's cultivation gradually disappeared, eventually becoming like an ordinary person.

For a cultivator who has lost their cultivation, it is difficult to escape the fate of natural decline.

So Qinghe used the excuse of encountering a problem in his cultivation and retreated into the alchemy room. He entrusted the affairs of Shangxuan Sect to Qingyan and the six elders, and on the other hand, he was also waiting for Yun Zong and the others to return.

After hearing this, Yun Zong stepped forward, took Qinghe's wrist, and checked his pulse. He found that there was indeed nothing inside Qinghe's body, not a trace of spiritual power. His voice couldn't help but carry a hint of coldness and anger: "Does this matter have something to do with Qingyan?"

"Perhaps there is some connection, but with his ability, it is absolutely impossible for him to silently cause my cultivation to be completely lost..." Qinghe suddenly thought of that strange edict again.

During the days and nights he stayed here, he repeatedly pondered the contents of the edict countless times. The conclusion he reached was undoubtedly earth-shattering and chilling.

If all of this was really related to the upper realm... then even if Shangxuan Sect was the number one sect in the world, he was afraid it would still be unable to fight against them.

Among the seven peaks of Shangxuan Sect today, they address each other as martial brothers and sisters, but in fact, they did not come from the same master back then. Only Qinghe and Qingying were truly fellow disciples under the same master, so their relationship was a bit better than others.

Ge Yu had a fiery and straightforward personality. Although Qiu Xianyun was somewhat eccentric and lazy, these two people's loyalty to Shangxuan Sect was beyond doubt. Qingyuan basically stayed in the alchemy room all year round and didn't come out, not someone who was attached to worldly affairs.

So originally, the one Qinghe was most wary of in his heart was Qingxuan, who was unwilling to accept his position as the sect leader back then.

However, unexpectedly, in the end, the first to die an unnatural death was Qingxuan. On the other hand, Qingyan, who had always been low-key and had no presence, came from behind and became the most suspicious.

Qinghe's expression was calm, as if he didn't take his own situation to heart: "The six elders can be trusted, but they have long been out of touch with worldly affairs. Unless it's absolutely necessary, they won't intervene."

He took out two jade tokens, both glowing with brilliance, but with different seal scripts. He handed them to the two people respectively. To Yun Zong, he said: "The one in your hand is the sect leader's token passed down through generations of Shangxuan Sect. With this, you can command the entire Shangxuan Sect, and it can also be used as proof in the future."

Yun Zong frowned: "Senior Brother..."

Qinghe sighed: "Although Yuzhou is a bit stronger in handling people and matters, his aptitude is slightly inferior. Moreover, at this juncture, his goal is much more obvious than yours, and it's unknown whether he can extricate himself. In comparison, you have a better chance."

Yun Zong nodded, accepted the jade token, and said no more.

Qinghe then said to Zhou Yin in a gentle tone: "This is the Tianxuan Peak token. Qingxuan has died, and the position of peak master is vacant. Zhou Yin, I know you are not someone who covets worldly affairs, but now Shangxuan Sect is facing internal and external troubles, and there are very few people who can be used. I have to trouble you more, please bear more responsibility for Yun Zong's sake."

Yun Zong said: "Master!"

From the bottom of his heart, he was unwilling to drag Zhou Yin into this whirlpool.

Qinghe waved his hand, stopping his words, and said to Zhou Yin: "I know you have the Heaven Washing Brush and Jade Spirit Rhinoceros Horn in your possession."

Zhou Yin's expression remained unchanged.

Qinghe said: "It seems you already know about the matter of the Painting of Mountains and Rivers. There is an item in the sect leader's token that Yun Zong has, which has the same effect as the Heaven Washing Brush. This item is of no great use if it remains in his hands. In the future, when Yun Zong opens the token, he should give the item inside to you. Consider it as completing the karma between you and me."

Zhou Yin nodded slightly without saying a word.

Qinghe showed a sincere smile: "Thank you."

In his life, from a lowly junior disciple to the sect leader, his legendary ups and downs went without saying, let alone his schemes and methods. However, for the sake of Shangxuan Sect, he paid almost all his efforts in his life, even at the cost of his own cultivation stagnating.

He never thought that in the end, everything he had painstakingly built and managed would face the situation of disintegration. It was truly the work of fate!

After explaining everything, fatigue appeared on his face. His originally crane-like white hair and youthful appearance now became a face full of wrinkles and age, like a dying old man, no longer having an immortal bearing.

"You should leave as soon as possible, the farther the better. As for Qiu Xianyun, save him if you have the ability, if not, then forget it. He is not the murderer who killed Qingxuan, so when I captured him at that time, I intentionally left a loophole. The seal and key to the dungeon can be opened with the tokens in your hands..."

Qinghe took a breath, "I previously cast some spells on those jade tokens. Carrying them on your body can make you immune to any formations and seals in Shangxuan Sect, and it also enhances invisibility techniques. Even elders will have difficulty discovering you. Enough, too much time has been wasted. You should leave quickly!"

He didn't explain the matter of the edict too clearly to the two of them, only vaguely mentioning it in passing.

The more they knew, it might not necessarily be a good thing. On the contrary, it could bring endless troubles to the two of them.

At this point, whether it's Qingyan or anyone else, even if the mastermind behind the scenes is found out, it will be difficult to avoid the impending storm that is about to sweep in. Moreover, Qingyan is most likely just a fuse, and what's hidden behind it is most probably related to that imperial edict.

How can mortals fight against the heavens?

Let alone relying on Yun Zong and Zhou Yin alone, even if the current Seven Peaks joined forces with the six great elders, it would be negligible.

As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn.

This is the most important significance of Qinghe Zhenren preserving Yun Zong and the others.

It's just that he didn't know that after going through a series of events such as the Lianyin Immortal Residence and Tianyan Sect, Yun Zong and the others' understanding of the upper realm was already slightly more than his.

The two didn't stay long. Qinghe Zhenren spoke very quickly. When they came out, only about the time of a cup of tea had passed.

They closed the main door and left the range of the formation before releasing the prohibition on the four disciples guarding the door. There were no traces of damage.

Those four only thought they had been in a daze for a while and had no idea what had happened.

"So what are your plans next?" Zhou Chen asked lazily after waking up from a nap.

That old man is really long-winded, always causing trouble for his Ah Yin!

But Chengming's reach is quite long. Not only did he place chess pieces in Tianyan Sect, but he also didn't spare Shangxuan Sect. It seems other sects are no exception. The demon beast incident had just been resolved when one of his plans failed, he came up with another, seemingly wanting to take advantage of the chaos on the continent to reap the benefits.

Zhou Chen secretly sneered. He wouldn't let him have his way. When the demon race also gets involved, it will surely become even more lively!

Yun Zong said, "I'll go check the dungeon. As for Senior Qingying's side, I'll have to trouble you."

Zhou Yin grunted and flew off in the direction of Yuheng Peak.

Zhou Chen chirped in his arms, "Ah Yin, don't forget the inn at the foot of the mountain and the sweet and sour carp!"

The corner of Zhou Yin's mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything.

Reminder complete, seeing that he didn't seem to have forgotten, Zhou Chen happily rolled over.

He had always remembered it himself.

That's why promises shouldn't be made lightly, especially to people with excessive memory.

Yuheng Peak was tranquil and elegant at night.

Because there were more female disciples here, the buildings were mostly exquisite. Under the night, the scattered lights in the attics and the torches lining the mountain paths were like a fire dragon winding upwards, quite spectacular.

Although he had an invisibility technique, flying on a sword in mid-air was still too eye-catching. So Zhou Yin avoided the official road and directly took a small path around, his toes lightly tapping, leaving no traces in the snow. In just a moment, he had already arrived outside Yuxu Hall where Qingying resided.

A faint conversation came from inside. Zhou Yin had no habit of eavesdropping, but at this moment, he couldn't care about that.

"Master, my heart can be illuminated by the sun and moon. If you say I have not served you well, I will accept it. But if you say I betrayed the sect, that is absolutely impossible!" The speaker's voice was low and choking, but Zhou Yin almost immediately recognized it as He Yun's voice.

Qingying's voice was also not loud, but her anger was evident, "Yes, you didn't betray the sect, you just pledged allegiance to another master! I thought I treated you well. From the moment you arrived at Yuheng Peak, I treated you the same as other personal disciples, without any difference. I didn't expect you to be so ambitious that even Yuheng Peak can't contain you anymore!"

"Disciple, disciple has her difficulties..." He Yun didn't continue.

"Who exactly is the person behind you? Qingyan?" Qingying asked again.

"..." He Yun remained silent.

"Forget it, leave, I don't want to see you!" Even though she was furious, Qingying didn't utter any harsh words.

"...Disciple will take her leave first. Please rest well." After a moment, the door closed and it became quiet inside again.

Qingying sighed wearily, her body suddenly stiffening.

No, right now Senior Brother Qinghe's situation is probably even more dangerous than hers. She must go see him!

As soon as the thought arose, a figure slowly appeared in the room.

"Zhou Yin?!" Qingying was a bit surprised. "How did you..."

She had too many questions, so much so that she didn't know what to say for a moment.

Zhou Yin didn't waste words and briefly explained the situation on Qinghe's side. Seeing that her cultivation was intact, he said, "What will you do?"

Qingying smiled bitterly, "Although my cultivation is still there, I've been placed under a prohibition and can't use even half of my spiritual power. You don't need to worry about me. Just go meet up with Yun Zong directly. If you run into Qingqing, bring her along too if possible!"

Zhou Yin nodded and was about to leave when Qingying called out, "Wait!"

She took out an item from her sleeve and tossed it to him. "Take this!"

It felt cold to the touch. Zhou Yin looked down and saw a white jade toad.

"This white jade toad is not some rare treasure, but it contains nearly half of my spiritual power. I hope it can be of use to you!" She paused. "Be careful above all else. Don't push yourselves. As long as you're still alive, you can plan for the future later!"

This was basically consistent with Qinghe's idea of "as long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn".

Zhou Yin grunted and immediately vanished into the void, heading towards the place where Qiu Xianyun was being held.

Halfway there, Zhou Chen poked his head out and started analyzing his views, "I didn't expect that He Yun woman to actually be on Qingyan's side...She hid it really well, still acting deeply affectionate towards you. But I felt she wasn't a good person at first glance. I indeed have discerning eyes!

"...Actually, come to think of it, what is her purpose in siding with Qingyan? Is it to become the Yuheng Peak Lord? That's too unrealistic. With her current cultivation, even if she becomes it, it will be hard to convince people. Or did the upper realm give her some benefits..."

Zhou Yin listened to him chatter endlessly by his ear with a blank expression, his pace unconsciously quickening.

Zhou Chen's sparing no effort to smear He Yun had two purposes. One was to completely shatter her image in Zhou Yin's mind so she would no longer pose a threat to him. The second was revenge for Zhou Yin not allowing him to show his human form or intervene, let alone hug and kiss along the way.

Zhou Yin obviously also understood. Keeping Zhou Chen in furball form for so long was indeed a bit hard on him. So, on the principle of not haggling with him, he generally let him talk his fill.

Zhou Chen continued, "Ah Yin, why aren't you saying anything? Do you think that woman is very good? Oh, I knew it, when she was being attentive to you back then, you were still a bit moved, right? Men, they are all vain...Why are you still not talking? Don't forget about the inn at the foot of the mountain and the sweet and sour carp!"

Zhou Yin: "..." He suddenly felt a little admiration for himself. Under such enchanting music, he was still able to keep a clear head and accurately find the target.

The dungeon was actually a water prison.

It goes without saying that it was dark and damp. Anyone locked inside was a person who had committed a grave crime against the Shangxuan Sect. Because they were cultivators, ordinary water prisons could not affect them.

Therefore, before entering the water prison, in addition to abolishing a person's cultivation, countless restrictions and seals had to be added to the water prison, making them suffer inside and regret their actions, achieving the purpose of torture and punishment.

Also because of this, there was no need for disciples to guard around the water prison. Basically, no cultivator who was sent in could come out.