Inquiry about immortality

After the Battle of Wild Deer, the Crimson Melt Kingdom ceased to exist in the world!

Ning Ye led his army to surrender, the royal family submitted, and all the lords of Chi Rong Kingdom followed suit. Even the original power of Luo An Kingdom was shaken by the result of this battle and took the initiative to surrender before Jiao Sheng Kingdom could launch a campaign against them.

In a short period of time, the Kingdom of Horned Life almost unified the entire territory!
Looking around the Zhu Qian Dynasty, there are numerous immortal kingdoms of all sizes scattered around, but only a large area in the southwest is occupied by the Jiao Sheng Kingdom, standing out from the crowd.

When the scope of vision expands to the half-demon kingdoms, the Horned Kingdom seems insignificant. Although its territory is not small, it is located in a remote area, and the world's attention is drawn to the forbidden land. Before the news of the dragon vein's emergence spreads, other forces will not give the Horned Kingdom a second glance.

However, the emergence of the Kingdom of Jiaosheng has stirred up many people's interest. For many years, no such powerful immortal kingdom has ever appeared around the Zhu Qian Dynasty. They were usually wiped out or subdued by the Zhu Qian Dynasty as soon as they showed signs of emerging. This situation has lasted for a very long time until it was broken by the Kingdom of Jiaosheng.

If there's a first Horned Country, there can be a second!
Fortunately, Emperor Zhu Qian and the Five Princes Zhu Qian were still alive and could keep things under control; otherwise, a chaotic war would have already begun.

To many, the Kingdom of Horned Trees is still somewhat grandiose and impractical.

The founding war of the Jiaosheng Kingdom defeated the armies of the two royal families, Zhilian King and Chuxu King. The Zhuqian Dynasty, however, had eight royal families and an unfathomable royal family. Furthermore, each of the eight Zhuqian kings only wielded a single protective artifact; the royal family were the true controllers of the dragon vein.

When the Zhu Qian Dynasty launches another military campaign, can the Jiaosheng Kingdom still resist?

Those in Jiaosheng Kingdom who know the origin of the dragon vein all have this doubt. Submitting to Jiaosheng Kingdom is only a temporary measure. Perhaps only when Jiaosheng Kingdom replaces the Zhu Qian Dynasty can they sincerely submit.

……

"Little Moon, I'm so sorry you've had to go through all this time."

In the old capital of Chirong Kingdom, Bai Ying'er stepped out of the eye of the storm and saw Princess Yue'er and Bai He coming to greet her. She spoke softly.

After the two countries broke apart, Princess Yue'er left in anger, and the couple had been living apart ever since. Only now did they have a chance to be together again.

"Sister-in-law, I'm also very wronged!" Baihe said with a grin, putting his arm around Princess Yue'er's slender waist and stretching his head, looking lazy.

Bai Ying'er rolled her eyes at him, stepped forward and pulled Princess Yue'er aside. The two women whispered to each other for a while, and then Princess Yue'er led Bai Ying'er and a group of Five Thunder Sect disciples away from the capital.

After Ning Ye was subdued by Qin Sang, he began to secretly build altars in the Chi Rong Kingdom. Later, he handed the matter over to Yue'er. The Five Thunder Sect only needed to take over these altars and send altar masters to them.

Mount Ouchu boasts a unique and mysterious landscape, with its verdant peaks rising like jade hairpins, piercing through the clouds. This mountain is imbued with spiritual beauty, where a stream of clear water can often be seen. Ancient pines hang from the steep cliffs, and the vegetation, imbued with the essence of heaven and earth, seems to possess a wisp of natural Taoist charm.

This mountain was originally the ancestral home of the Qitan tribe of the Chirong Kingdom, and one of their capital altars was built here.

"Disciple Fulongzi, leading the entire clan, respectfully welcomes Master!"

Bai Ying'er and the others descended from the sky, where people were already waiting at the mountaintop. Leading them was an old man in a black robe, who was Fu Longzi, the current patriarch of the Qi Tan clan.

Fu Longzi was originally a cultivator at the Refinement stage. When Bai Ying'er and the others came to him, he witnessed the Five Thunder Sect's thunder magic firsthand and was immediately impressed, so he became Bai Ying'er's disciple.

Nowadays, the Qitan tribe has almost abandoned its traditional cultivation methods, and the entire tribe practices thunder magic.

Almost all the disciples of the Five Thunder Sect today were acquired in this way. Many of Bai Ying'er's disciples, like Fu Longzi, joined the Five Thunder Sect as a whole clan.

In cultivation, nothing is more important than the cultivation method. Apart from the peerless geniuses who can create their own cultivation methods, countless cultivators spend their entire lives seeking only a true inheritance! Someone like Qin Sang, who possesses all kinds of great inheritances, is extremely rare in the entire Spirit Realm, even though these inheritances have various hidden dangers and problems.

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening"—this is by no means an empty saying!
Even if the Daoist Thunder Techniques only revealed the tip of the iceberg, they were still far superior to the inheritances of these half-demon tribes. When they grasped the mysteries of Thunder Techniques, they were almost all completely captivated, and few could resist the temptation. Even though changing cultivation methods during the Void Refinement stage would shake their Dao foundation and require a huge price to make up for it, they resolutely switched to cultivating Thunder Techniques.

During the Battle of Huanglu, Fulongzi was also in Jiaosheng Kingdom and personally presided over an altar. He was shocked by the powerful thunder magic of the Five Thunder Sect and showed great respect to Bai Ying'er, his master whose cultivation was comparable to his own.

"No need to be polite."

Despite their master-disciple relationship, Bai Ying'er was not arrogant. She asked Fu Longzi to get up, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then headed towards the capital altar.

The altar had already been completed. Bai Ying'er dismissed her attendants, inscribed talismans, and said in a deep voice, "This altar is named the Flying Demon Celebration Altar!"

"Floating Water Chestnut!"

Bai Ying'er summoned Fu Longzi and conveyed the sect leader's decree, appointing Fu Longzi as the master of the Flying Demon Celebration Altar.

This is the twelfth capital altar under the Gathering Spirit Altar, and each capital altar is presided over by a Void Refinement cultivator. Thinking of the current strength of the Five Thunder Sect, Bai Ying'er felt as if she were in a dream. Among her disciples were many Void Refinement cultivators, and even some in the mid-stage of Void Refinement, whose cultivation was a level higher than hers, which made her feel quite ashamed.

Bai Ying'er continued on her way to the next altar when she suddenly received a message.

After reading it, Bai Ying'er seemed to be deep in thought. She quickly appointed all the altar masters and then returned to the capital of Jiaosheng Kingdom.

……

In the capital, Yuan Zuo remained in charge, and he and Ning Ye worked together to govern the new Jiaosheng Kingdom. They were able to resolve any problems in a timely manner and handle all affairs in an orderly manner.

At the same time Bai Ying'er received the message, a talisman also appeared on Yuan Zuo's desk.

Upon seeing the contents of the letter, Yuan Zuo's eyes flashed with shock.

This is intelligence sent back from outside the Kingdom of Kakusho.

Now, the Horned Kingdom's opponents are no longer those insignificant immortal kingdoms. It needs to look up to the five superior kingdoms and pay attention to the changing situation in the entire half-demon territory in order to grasp the overall trend of the world.

Long ago, the Kingdom of Jiaosheng sent out many spies. Any major events that occurred in the Five Kingdoms were quickly reported back to Jiaosheng. This practice was bearing fruit, and the intelligence was becoming increasingly rapid.

The contents of this secret letter were very simple, yet they contained two shocking pieces of news: two dragon veins had appeared in succession!

The seventh dragon vein appeared in the southeast, almost at the border of the half-demon territory, close to the Xunfeng belt, and its location was even more remote than that of Jiaosheng Kingdom.

Other immortal kingdoms were too far away to reach it, and only experts from Xingtu Ghost Continent and Cangwu Kingdom rushed there. It is said that they have already fought there, and it is still unknown who will win the dragon vein. Due to its remoteness, Jiaosheng Kingdom lacks intelligence capabilities and only has this much information for now.

The eighth dragon vein is said to have appeared between Tianhu Shangbang, Xingtu Guizhou and Da Geng. It is currently only a rumor and has not been confirmed. No one has seen this dragon vein with their own eyes. However, the three great immortal kingdoms have all taken action. There may be some truth to the rumors!
Upon seeing these messages, Yuan Zuo immediately had a thought flash through his mind—how could it be such a coincidence!

The sixth dragon vein has just appeared, and the seventh and eighth have appeared in succession. Is this some kind of divine will?

The Kingdom of Jiaosheng is still trying its best to block the news. The commotion caused by the other two dragon veins is even greater, which has helped relieve their pressure. At least now they only need to worry about the Zhuqian Dynasty. The five superior kingdoms will not come together to seize the dragon veins.

If others knew about this, they would probably marvel at the extraordinary fortune of the Kingdom of Horned Life.

Every time the Kingdom of Horned Life faces a crisis, a miraculous turn of events occurs, helping them to turn danger into safety.

Yuan Zuo, being in the thick of it all, knew perfectly well that those miraculous turning points were all man-made. Following this logic, could the emergence of the dragon vein also be...?

Thinking of this, Yuan Zuo was startled and found it unbelievable, so he shook his head secretly.

What kind of person can get the owners of other dragon veins to cooperate? Unless the owners of these dragon veins are also cult leaders!

At this moment, the barrier trembled, and Bai Ying'er gracefully walked into the main hall.

"Greetings, Fairy White!"

Yuan Zuo stepped forward to greet him, cupped his hands in a salute, and, recalling his earlier speculation, couldn't help but ask, "Did the sect leader already know about this?"

Perhaps Qin Sang had already received news of the dragon vein's emergence, and only chose to unleash the dragon vein to eliminate the enemy when the Jiaosheng Kingdom faced a crisis.

Bai Ying'er knew what he wanted to ask, and said calmly, "Master is all-powerful, and we disciples dare not presume to know."

Yuan Zuo understood, nodded and said nothing more, only to hear Bai Ying'er continue.

"Have the three kings sent envoys again to persuade us to surrender?"

Yuan Zuo sighed softly, "I was just about to report to Fairy Bai that this time it wasn't a special envoy, but a secret letter!"

After saying this, he presented the secret letter.

After the Battle of Huanglu, Xiaoming Sanren was placed under house arrest, but secrets never stay hidden forever. Despite the efforts of Jiaosheng Kingdom to block the news, the three kings still received the message.

The King of Beilu immediately sent a special envoy to spy on them, implying that they should voluntarily hand over the dragon vein. The meeting ended in discord.

As Bai Ying'er scanned the secret letter with her divine sense, her expression darkened. There were no threatening words on it, but it simply stated a fact: the Zhilian Prince's Mansion and the Chuxu Prince's Mansion had reported this matter to the royal family, and His Majesty had already issued an edict that the challenge letter would be delivered soon!

The three kings wouldn't be so kind as to tip them off; their words implied a warning. Now that the Kingdom of Jiaosheng has voluntarily offered up its dragon vein, it's not too late for the three kings to mediate.

Perhaps this move was at the behest of Emperor Zhu Qian, a strategy of diplomacy before resorting to force.

Once the news spreads, it will surely cause a great uproar, just like the other two dragon veins. Emperor Zhu Qian will definitely want to take over this dragon vein without bloodshed.

"Rumor has it that Emperor Zhu Qian and the Five Kings have left the Daoist temple and headed to the forbidden area?" Bai Ying'er looked up at Yuan Zuo.

Yuan Zuo nodded and said, "It is rumored that not only the Zhu Qian Dynasty, but also the top experts of the Five Great Kingdoms are in the forbidden area! The rumors must be true, otherwise the Zhu Qian Dynasty would not have waited so long to take action. The Five Kings attach great importance to the Dragon Vein, yet none of them have come to seek out the Sect Leader. They must be preoccupied with more important matters."

This speculation did little to ease Yuan Zuo's mind; the Zhu Qian dynasty's accumulated power was immense, putting them under tremendous pressure.

Qin Sang's dragon vein was capable of annihilating the royal army, but no one knew exactly how strong it was, or how it compared to the dragon vein of the Zhu Qian Dynasty.

Although there were quite a few people who experienced it firsthand, they only knew that the power of the thunder was as deep as an abyss, terrifying and awe-inspiring. Everyone only saw the tip of the iceberg and described it based on their own imagination. In reality, the power of the dragon vein far exceeded their understanding, including the Void Refinement cultivators present.

Without witnessing a Nascent Soul stage expert in action, one cannot know the extent of their power. A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator can easily annihilate a Void Refinement cultivator, and the same can be done in the early-stage Nascent Soul stage.

The same applies to the dragon vein. The five superior kingdoms have not shown their fangs for many years, and no one knows how strong the dragon vein should be. We can only speculate based on common sense that the Zhu Qian Dynasty is definitely stronger than the Jiao Sheng Kingdom.

Just then, the spirit mirror floating in the corner of the hall trembled slightly, revealing Ning Ye's figure, who was also worried.

"I will go and report to my master immediately. I hope Fellow Daoist Yuan and Fellow Daoist Ning will stabilize the situation and not lose their composure!"

Bai Ying'er hurried back to the Five Thunder Sect headquarters with the secret letter, but she didn't seem too panicked.

Yuan Zuo and Ning Ye only knew that the annexation of other countries by Jiao Sheng Kingdom was an elaborate scheme. But she knew that this was just one link in a larger scheme, in which the Zhu Qian Dynasty was merely a slightly larger obstacle.

Since Master chose this time to expose the dragon vein, he must have considered it carefully. The appearance of other dragon veins is part of the 'scheme', and someone is secretly cooperating with Master.

Upon arriving at the cave dwelling, Bai Ying'er activated the restriction and called out "Master." Suddenly, she saw a ray of light fly out of the restriction, which she quickly caught. After seeing it, she felt relieved and turned back to her own cave dwelling.

The three kings' secret letter received no response.

After a period of silence, just as the secret letter had predicted, the Zhu Qian Dynasty sent an envoy to openly issue a declaration of war to the Jiao Sheng Kingdom.

At this time, the Kingdom of Jiaosheng had barely managed to incorporate the former troops of the Kingdom of Chirong. Before the people of Jiaosheng could even celebrate their previous victory, they suffered another heavy blow.

This time, the crisis is even greater than the last. The Zhu Qian Dynasty has not given them time to digest their gains or recuperate, and they have lost their backers; the three kings who previously supported them have become enemies. Once the Zhu Qian Dynasty launches an attack, it will be as swift and devastating as a thunderbolt. It is impossible for the war to drag on for more than a century like the previous conflicts between the Shadow God Kingdom and the Crimson Melt Kingdom, which gave the Horned Life Kingdom the opportunity to grow stronger.

Is the Kingdom of Horned Life destined for only a brief period of glory, destined for decline and imminent doom?

Within the Kingdom of Jiaosheng, the rumors that had just been extinguished by lightning resurfaced, and despair quickly spread to every corner of the kingdom. Meanwhile, the Five Thunder Sect's incense offerings flourished even more, and the people of Jiaosheng prayed that the Five Thunder Sect could unleash its divine power as it had last time and annihilate the invading enemy!

Many others watched from the shadows, indifferent to whether the Kingdom of Horned Sage perished or not; they were simply anticipating the arrival of chaos.

Even if the trees are beautiful in the forest, the wind will destroy them!
It's undeniable that the leader of the Five Thunder Sect is a remarkable figure, destined to be a powerful force in chaotic times. However, he's too impatient, jumping out now. The Horned Beast Kingdom, this scapegoat, is destined to become a sacrifice before the arrival of chaos!

As the declaration of war was issued, secret letters flew back to the Kingdom of Horned Life like snowflakes.

The Zhu Qian Dynasty had no need for secrecy in its campaign against the mere Jiao Sheng Kingdom. It openly mobilized its troops, and a large army gathered on the southwestern border. Led by the royal family, the eight royal palaces acted in accordance with orders, proceeding in a flurry of activity. Every move they made was grand and imposing, like a death knell for the Jiao Sheng Kingdom.

The massive army's advance demonstrated the Zhu Qian Dynasty's determination to win, causing widespread panic in the Jiao Sheng Kingdom and putting the situation in grave danger.

At present, the only thing that the entire country of Jiaosheng can look forward to is the mysterious leader of the Five Thunder Sect!

Little did anyone know, Qin Sang had already left the Five Thunder Sect's headquarters and arrived near the forbidden Qingning Palace. (End of Chapter)