Minglong

Chapter 415 The Flowers Have Faded
The boundless wilderness was lifted up by the power of the immortals, forming a semi-circular grotto-heaven with a diameter of several miles.

Everything within the cave collapsed, and overwhelming evil spirits permeated it.

Huang Lin Zhenren, dressed in a yellow and black Taoist robe, stood atop the cave's dome, his sharp eyes like those of a white-browed Qilin, scrutinizing the surrounding world.

The ground below, bombarded by countless spells, has been transformed into a deep abyss. The corpse of a wandering Taoist lies at the very bottom of the abyss, covered in blood, with fragments of a three-stringed instrument scattered around him.

A white-haired Taoist nun in golden armor stood near the corpse, the 'Earthly Fiend Mace' resting on her shoulder as if she were carrying a large iron club for striking someone, her eyes filled with the heartache of 'not getting the desired item':

"That old demon is incredibly cunning! He's using an avatar to travel around, and he's not carrying anything with him. In that case, this fight was a complete waste..."

Yang Huaxian roamed the world for over three hundred years, enduring the righteous sects' suppression and the witchcraft turmoil during the founding of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and outliving many great cultivators, including the Living Buddha of the North. The reason for this was his caution.

The sixth realm of the demonic path is 'Demon Transformation'. Body cultivators will become demon generals larger than Chao Chitai, while ghost cultivators will have souls so powerful that they can detach from their bodies and control the power of heaven and earth.

Both Yang Huaxian and the Corpse Ancestor were ghost cultivators. As long as their souls remained intact, they could endlessly possess other bodies. The Corpse Ancestor would personally go to war, so his soul was usually inside his body. Yang Huaxian, however, only used his soul as a guide to remotely control his body. No one knew where his true body was hidden. This is why, at the end of the Witch Cult Rebellion, even though the righteous path captured the Corpse Ancestor, they still couldn't determine whether Yang Huaxian was alive or dead.

However, the body that can bear the divine soul power of a sixth-realm ghost cultivator is not an ordinary object. Usually, only cultivators with a pure yin body or who practice the most yin techniques, or even descendants of the Xuan Snake like He Can who are born with water, can be compatible with it.

However, even the physical body needs to be cultivated slowly by consuming rare and precious materials. Yang Huaxian's physical body had been used for at least a hundred years. Now that it has been shattered, without other spare containers, it will be difficult for him to reappear in the next few decades.

Master Huang Lin scanned the entire wilderness, but unable to locate Yang Huaxian's true form, he gracefully descended.
"Old Taoist Kongkong broke the tip of his sword, and Yang Huaxian lost his physical body. It will be difficult for them to go to the Northern Sea Lake to seize the opportunity again, but they certainly won't give up easily."

Swoosh~
Master Qixia twirled his mace, sheathed his weapon, and said confidently:
"With me here, we're guaranteed at least one piece of the treasure this time. We're both righteous old demons, so I'll give priority to extending Fellow Daoist Huang Lin's lifespan."

“However, even close brothers should keep their accounts clear! This Xuanwu divine gift is worth at least three ordinary divine gifts. I see that Fellow Daoist Huang Lin possesses a Qilin divine gift…”

The Xuanwu God can extend one's lifespan, but if one truly exceeds the limit of lifespan, its spiritual essence will be consumed very quickly, and it can only be maintained for sixty years. This can be considered a restriction set by the Creator for living beings.

As for other divine gifts, as long as they are not wasted, they can be kept close to the body to nourish it and, if used well, can be passed down for more than ten generations.

Therefore, the five divine gifts produce the same items, but their quantities in existence are completely different. With the Qilin Cave encountering problems and no longer producing opportunities, the value of the gifts from the Xuanwu and Qilin gods is significantly higher than that of the metal, fire, and wood gods.

However, when everyone came to fight for the treasure, Master Qixia immediately asked for three opportunities, and even specifically requested the gift of the Qilin God. This seemed a bit too much of a rip-off.

Without the divine gift of the Qilin, would Huang Lin Zhenren still be called Huang Lin Zhenren?
Although Huang Lin Zhenren was much older than Qixia Zhenren, they were both at the same level and leaders of the Daoist sect, and had always treated each other as equals. In the past, they had had many conflicts over the inheritance of the Daoist predecessors, and their relationship was similar to that of Xie Jinhuan and Lü Yan.

Upon hearing Master Qixia's words, Master Huanglin naturally felt no gratitude and replied:

"When I obtain the Five Elements Water, it is the Five Qi Returning to the Origin. If the evil path stirs up trouble again, I am willing to sacrifice myself to restore peace to the world. As for the opportunities I have, I will naturally give them to my young friend Qixia to help you govern the human world for another two hundred years."

Master Qixia stood with his hands on his hips, looking righteous and self-assured:
"Then I'll take it. It'll still be the Five Qi Gathering at the Origin. I can suppress the mortal realm for two hundred years without any problems. What's the point of letting it pass through Fellow Daoist Huang Lin's hands?"

"..."

Master Huang Lin thought about it and agreed, but the price was simply too high. He couldn't very well say he wouldn't rely on Old Demon Qixia's help, so after a moment's thought, he simply said:
"This journey is fraught with danger, and there may still be people who haven't made it. It's not too late to discuss it after the dust has settled."

Master Qixia didn't say much. He had intended to thoroughly search the place to see if the Immortal Demon had dropped any treasures, but after a while, he suddenly remembered something and lightly patted his head:
"Oops!"

After saying that, he vanished from the spot in a flash and sped off towards the camp.

Master Huang Lin was baffled, yet also used to it...
-
Rumble…

The grassland outside the camp had turned into a giant sinkhole, with two figures the size of grains of rice standing in the center.

Empress Dowager Guo held the Heavenly Mace, her full head of red hair fluttering in the wind. With her tall figure, she resembled a female war goddess who stood alone over the vast land, gazing into the distant depths of the sky.

Kongkong Daoren suffered a great loss when he made his move with a sword. He found that the righteous path was too large and he had no chance to attack. They had already disappeared without a trace.

Empress Dowager Guo, fearing a surprise attack from the rear, did not pursue them further. Only after confirming there was no risk did she slightly tilt her head, revealing her strikingly defined profile.
"How are you doing?"

Xie Jinhuan was only shaken and disoriented, but his body was not injured. He casually lifted up some sand and gave Dugu Daoist a proper burial, whose body was still warm. He also recovered his energy and spirit, and even took a small step forward in his cultivation...

Seeing blood on Sister Guo's arm and ribs, Xie Jinhuan quickly stepped forward to support her arm, saying with concern:
"I'm fine. How are you, Sister Guo? Are you in pain?"

Empress Dowager Guo was a pure warrior, far more robust than the old demon without scallions. This graze from the stray arrow wouldn't affect her physical body, but she still looked slightly weak.
"My body is fine, but I used all my strength and my Qi Sea was greatly depleted. Now I can't go to the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum to recuperate, which is a bit of a problem."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinhuan remembered that Sister Guo's physique was now special, and she could not directly refine the power of heaven and earth. She could only return to the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum to recharge, otherwise she might automatically shut down.

With the situation in the North now in turmoil, if Sister Guo goes to the South for a month or two of seclusion, she certainly won't be able to participate in the battle for the Northern Sea Lake. Xie Jinhuan thought for a moment and asked:

"Are there any other ways to restore the Qi Sea? For example, the technique of seizing Qi, which directly refines the Qi and blood of others..."

Empress Dowager Guo was being helped along by the arm, but she didn't stop it; she looked just like Empress Dowager Qingcheng being supported by Xiao Huanzi.

“Theoretically, it is possible, but demonic arts are forbidden. Bloodlust can be removed with pills, but once you’ve been exposed to ‘blood-thirsty addiction,’ you can never forget it. This is true for Master Qixia, and it is also true for you.”

"Moreover, you only use this method to enhance your cultivation, and you can maintain your physique by practicing Qi in daily life. I can't practice Qi, and if I use this method to make up for my daily losses, I'm afraid I would have to kill several people every day. The price is too high."

Xie Jinhuan thought about it and agreed, replying:
"Then I'll ask Zisu later to see if she has any ideas. As long as Sister Guo hasn't escaped the Five Elements and Three Realms, she should be able to come up with some good ideas."

Empress Dowager Guo admired Zisu's talent, but she still dared not let Zisu easily treat her illness. After all, Zisu followed the standard path of evil cultivation, and the result of her actions would basically be—Grandmaster, don't worry about the cost, just tell me if she has recovered or not!

However, the current situation was urgent, and with his Qi Sea not fully replenished, he was feeling uneasy, so Empress Dowager Guo did not object. After exchanging a few more words, the two returned to the vicinity of the camp.

Ye Yunchi had broken through the soil covering the entire camp, because the impact of the battle between Xian Deng and Xian Deng was too great, and most of the civilians who were being protected were frightened unconscious.

Huo Yi, with his round face and thick beard, was so frightened that he hugged Chief Constable Shen Cang. Both of them were pale as death, like a pair of star-crossed lovers who had suffered a great calamity...

Lu Yan never expected such a large-scale operation. He regretted coming to the grasslands to cause trouble. However, he still used the Five Elements Seal to protect the surrounding area to prevent being attacked by the unknown old demon again.

Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua were also shocked by the earth-shattering power of the immortals. At this moment, they were checking the soldiers and dancers lying haphazardly on the ground in the camp with Zhao Ling to prevent anyone from being seriously injured and dying.

Upon discovering the Valkyrie with her long, wine-red hair returning with Xie Jinhuan, everyone was immediately filled with awe and respect.

Lu Yan quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Junior Lu Yan greets Senior Guo. I was short-sighted and did not recognize you just now. Please forgive me."

Nangong Ye, Bu Yuehua, Zhao Ling, and the others had just discovered that this Hu woman with breasts bigger than her head was actually the mighty Northern Valkyrie. They all stepped forward to pay their respects, while Nangong Ye was still a little apprehensive.

After all, her master had asked her to be a matchmaker for the Valkyrie and even become Qingmo's sister—wasn't that asking for her life?

Could it be that Master deliberately set an impossible problem for her, hoping she would give up and abandon the task herself...?

Ye Yunchi was equally terrified, after all, she had served tea to the Valkyrie at noon, treating her like her fourth concubine...

……

Empress Dowager Guo's involvement in the North Sea Lake conflict made it difficult to conceal her identity. Now that she was in the open, she regained the aura befitting a Valkyrie. After a slight nod, she first looked at Huo Yi:
"Chao Chitai colluded with the evil Taoists, and his title as the King of the Northern Border has been revoked. Although the Changhe tribe is not a strong and powerful army, you still dared to think of ways to help the people in times of crisis. You can be considered a good talent. From now on, you will lead the twelve tribes of the grassland."

Like Huang Lin Zhenren, the Valkyrie is a Northern Immortal, but unlike others, the Northern Zhou royal family is half Guo family blood. It was thanks to the Valkyrie that the country was not destroyed a hundred years ago. The Valkyrie has the right to depose and install emperors, both in terms of strength and status.

The Northern Kingdom was a collection of scattered tribal confederations. It submitted to the Northern Zhou when it was powerful and paid tribute, but only dared to establish itself when the world was in chaos. Appointing someone as the King of the North was clearly a matter of the Valkyrie's word.

Huo Yi had come here specifically to rebel, and seeing how righteous the Valkyrie was, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude.

Xie Jinhuan thought that Sister Guo looked truly domineering. If Xiao Biao saw her, he would be completely captivated. Therefore, he glanced around the camp:

"Where is Immortal Jiang?"

"Eh?"

Zhao Ling had been standing with Jiang Xian, but with the chaos outside and the ensuing turmoil, she hadn't noticed her surroundings and was now looking around in bewilderment.
"Yes, where is Miss Jiang?"

Chief Constable Shen Cang turned pale upon hearing the sound and hurriedly searched around, even under the table:

"Jiang Xian? Xiao Biao?"

Empress Dowager Guo knew that the old demon Gao had been exposed, and was hesitating whether to help cover for him. She was about to demand payment when she noticed that the pile of earth outside the tent had suddenly been turned over.
wow~
Then a little girl with braids emerged from the pile of dirt, her eyes filled with a strange look:

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey... Hey?! How did I end up sleeping here? I'm not dead yet, who buried me?"

Xie Jinhuan breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over to help Jiang Xian up.
"Why are you outside?"

Tread~
Jiang Xian hopped a little on the spot, shook off the dirt from her hair and skirt, and frowned in deep thought:
"I saw you being controlled, and it seemed like an old demon had appeared, so I wanted to go and rescue you, but I only took two steps before my memory went blank..."

"is it?"

Xie Jinhuan was quite touched and patted the skirt for her.

"He was probably stunned. It's okay, just don't be impulsive next time."

"I didn't mean to, I just wanted to help... Young Master Xie's swordsmanship is truly superb!"

"Ha ha……"

Xie Jinhuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Xiao Biao hadn't made any mistakes, but then he remembered something and looked around:

"Coal briquettes?!"

"Goo?"

The sound came from the camp.

Everyone turned to look and saw that the whole roasted lamb that had been placed outside the golden tent had fallen into the fire because of the earthquake.

A black eagle, which had somehow returned, was trying to drag out a lamb leg when it heard the sound. It froze and immediately stood at attention, ready to stand guard.

?

Xie Jinhuan was speechless for a moment...

(End of this chapter)