Daoqi Huangcheng

Chapter 70, Section 69: The Dust Settles Down, Consort Gong's Confidant (6.8K words - Long Chapter, Please Subscribe)
Whoosh whoosh~
Without turning his head, Song Chen grabbed the Black Yama Edict and fled wildly through the Yellow Springs.

He looked at the black edict of Yama, which had dimmed considerably, and was horrified.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, he could sense that there were some problems with the Dream Mirror.

For example, Mengcijing suppressed the Ghost Realm too smoothly. She was not at the Foundation Establishment stage, while the White Demon Ghost Realm members were all at the ninth level of Qi Gathering. As for Huang Chong, he should have reached the Foundation Establishment level.

However, she showed no fear towards either Bai Wang or Huang Chong, and spoke without hesitation about "I'll handle it." As for her usual practice, Song Chen had never even seen the Dream Mirror being cultivated. She wandered around this land every day and every moment, pushing forward the matter of "opening the Ghost Gate."

That day, after he killed Elder He, Meng Cijing appeared. Was it really just a coincidence? Or did Meng Cijing not want to interfere with him to avoid any unexpected events?

Or perhaps, whether he or Elder He survives, the ending will be the same? Meng Cijing just hopes that he and Elder He can quickly settle things and stop causing trouble.

Or perhaps, the Dream Mirror felt that he, holding the "Yellow Springs Scripture," would be more useful in opening the gates of hell, which is why it favored him?
He then fabricated a bunch of lies, which seemed reasonable but couldn't withstand close scrutiny. If Jiu Lingzi had been there, no, let alone Jiu Lingzi, even Tian Kuizi would have become suspicious. But Meng Cijing didn't even ask him any questions and let him pass.

After that, Meng Cijing didn't tell Jiu Lingzi about this, and may even have covered for him, so Jiu Lingzi only deduced it after searching for the soul of He Bai.

The purpose of the Dream Mirror is to open the gates of hell.

She needs to open the gates of hell.

However, she was not satisfied with the fact that the Ghost Gate had only opened a crack, so she took matters into her own hands and used powerful demons as bargaining chips to push the Ghost Gate open. Naturally, in the eyes of the Dream Mirror, he, a being at the ninth level of Qi Gathering, was also a force to be reckoned with.

Meng Cijing killed him not because of any personal grudge, but simply because this Qi Gathering Ninth Realm cultivator happened to be nearby.

Like
Meng Cijing had been partnered with the crane demons for a long time, but when it came to turning against them, she did so without hesitation. The crane demons never expected Meng Cijing to be so terrifying.

And he, Song Chen, is nothing more than another He Bai.

For the Dream Mirror, there is no difference.

The Dream Mirror has always had its own plans.

Song Chen couldn't help but think to himself, 'This world is too terrifying; the heavens and earth are unpredictable, and the human heart is unfathomable.'

He sighed.

Anyway, there's no way he can go back to Jintao Mountain now.

He has done everything he was supposed to do, and now he needs to go to a safe place to wait patiently.

brush!
Song Chen took out the map of Dayong and spread it out in his ghost realm. A wisp of incense covered it, which roughly showed his current location.

He floated slightly above the Yellow Springs, and as he rose, the places he could pinpoint became increasingly precise.

However, the location is still not precise enough; it's as if there's a mist in between. He can generally go to a certain city, but he can't accurately choose where he will appear.

Song Chen then turned his gaze to the outside of Dayong.

This map does not show anything outside of Da Yong.

But once he crosses the border, that's it.

The thought flashed through his mind in an instant. After gaining a certain understanding of the world, Song Chen had already realized that the air outside might not be as pleasant as that in Dayong. In Dayong, he at least had some established interests. Outside, what was he?
With his thoughts settled, he turned his gaze to the capital of the Great Yong Dynasty.

His interests lie most deeply here.

No matter how drastically Jin Taoshan has changed, he needs to find a new employer.

The night rain poured down, and the distant sky, with its rolling thunder, had brought the downpour to the capital.

In a corner of the capital, a figure suddenly appeared, then, enveloped in a cloud of rain, sped towards the palace.
Song Chen fixed his gaze on Jingyang Palace and quickly descended.

This is the Cold Palace where Consort Gong was imprisoned.

Consort Gong, also known as the person on the Turtle Terrace, will be his next employer.

The mountain-covered pearl in her hand was the "work badge" issued by her.

He took a few steps forward, then suddenly felt something was amiss, because this time he sensed no human presence in Jingyang Palace.
"Miss?"

Song Chen tentatively called out from in front of the door.

no respond.

He lifted his foot as if to take a step across the threshold of Jingyang Palace, but then pulled it back and slowly retreated.

Today is the day Jiu Lingzi is to handle his affairs, but the person on the Turtle Platform is not in the palace.
Song Chen took two steps back, turned around and was about to use his water escape technique again. He decided to go back to the He family mansion and sleep with the Pei sisters.

Just then, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Scholar Song?"

Song Chen froze.

The voice continued, "Weren't you at Golden Peach Mountain? Why have you come here so late at night?"

Song Chen slowly turned his head and saw a person in blood-red robes standing in the black rain behind him. The person's face was exposed. Who else could it be but the person from the Turtle Platform?
He stared at the blood-stained robe.
The robe is designed to cover the entire body, and if paired with a mask, even acquaintances would find it difficult to recognize the person.

If it were fellow disciples helping out, the person on the Turtle Platform wouldn't need to dress like this at all.

Song Chen was extremely perceptive and reacted in an instant.

Boom!

A clap of thunder, a flash of lightning.

The lightning illuminated the faces of the people on the tortoise platform, turning them deathly pale and giving them a sinister appearance.

The man on the turtle platform was quietly watching him, then repeated softly, "Why...come here so late at night?"

Song Chen trembled all over.

He felt he might have to restart.

He seemed to have discovered something he shouldn't have.

But who could have imagined this?

But he still wanted to take the gamble.

Song Chen said in a trembling voice, "Mother, I'm scared."

Upon hearing the words "Mother Consort," the man on the Turtle Terrace paused slightly, a hint of appreciation appearing in his eyes. Then, with a swift movement, he passed by the man and entered Jingyang Palace, asking, "What did you encounter tonight?"

Her tone had softened somewhat.

Song Chen hurriedly said, "I was opening the Ghost Gate at Golden Peach Mountain when I was suddenly ambushed by Senior Sister Meng. After all, I have inherited the Yellow Springs Scripture, so I have some skills. I took advantage of the crane demons' distraction and fled. I didn't know where to go, so I ran here to my mother. When I arrived, my mother was carving in the palace, so I watched her carve all night."

The man on the turtle platform said, "Then what are you waiting for? Come in, it's cold outside."

Song Chen hurriedly followed.

Inside the palace, the person on the tortoise platform lit candles and a charcoal stove, and with a wave of his hand, a wooden puppet in the corner stood up.

On the tortoise platform, the person dressed the wooden puppet in her own clothes, and with a slight movement, transformed the wooden puppet into her likeness. Then, she looked at Song Chen and said, "Your mother still has some things to do. You stay here and don't go anywhere."

Song Chen said, "Understood, I will stay here tonight."

The person on the tortoise platform suddenly vanished from the spot in the next instant.

Song Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This new employer might even be above Jiu Lingzi.
However, the fellow disciples of the Five Elements Sect do not seem to be so harmonious. They may appear to be on good terms, but it is possible that they will secretly do bad things or even sabotage each other.

Song Chen stayed with a wooden puppet all night.

Just as dawn was breaking, the rain stopped, and the people on the Turtle Platform finally returned.

She put away the wooden puppet and sat down next to Song Chen again, her expression kind.

It's clear that she had a very successful night last night.

Whatever she did, she must have succeeded at least most of it.

The man on the turtle platform said gently, "Little Song, from now on you will officially be following me."

Song Chen hurriedly stood up and said, "Mother!"

The man on the turtle platform gestured for him to sit down.

Song Chen sat down.

The man on the turtle platform seemed to sense his confusion, or perhaps he was in a good mood, and continued to explain: "Some resources are extremely limited, and you have to queue up if you want to get them. But who goes first depends on their merit."

Song Chen asked curiously, "Merit?"

The person on the Turtle Platform said, "After entering the Foundation Establishment Realm, there will be a mandatory mission from the sect. The order of resource allocation afterward will be based on the ranking in this mission."

For example, in the previous mission, Jiu Lingzi was ahead of me in line, so he had the right to enjoy the dragon energy first.

However, this is not something that can be enjoyed indefinitely.

He can only enjoy the power of this emperor. He can plunder all the dragon energy of this emperor and seal it in a piece of clothing. At that time, the Great Yong Dynasty will be in turmoil again, and the dragon energy will have to be painstakingly gathered again.

The saying "The world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide" illustrates this principle.

However, if this emperor suddenly dies, then even if he failed to take the dragon's aura with him, it will be none of his business.

"Our Five Elements Sect forbids killing among fellow disciples; otherwise, submitting a petition will bring dire consequences."

The man on the turtle platform said with a smile.

It's clear she's in a really good mood.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared outside Jingyang Palace.

Jiu Lingzi looked somewhat disheveled, with a strange bite mark on his shoulder, but his expression remained relatively calm. He walked into Jingyang Palace and coldly asked, "Turtle Terrace, was that you?"

The man on the turtle platform asked in surprise, "We failed?"

Jiu Lingzi said sternly, "Recently, only two Foundation Establishment cultivators have come to Dayong. One is from Jin, and the other is someone I invited. However, a third one has appeared on the summit of Jintao Mountain. Tian Kuizi held the treasure I gave him and stayed close to the Emperor, but he was still no match for that person. He fell down with just a wisp of light. This can only be a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

The third Foundation Establishment cultivator killed the emperor!
Not only that, someone even killed the emperor's double!

The man on the tortoise platform asked in astonishment, "What emperor's substitute?"

Jiu Lingzi said, "Your daughter was brought out and hidden in the Iron-Headed Man of the Charcoal Gang. He looks exactly like the Emperor. The purpose was to seize power at a crucial moment and then rescue you!"
I've always known about this double. I haven't touched him because I'm keeping a backup plan in case something happens to the emperor.

If something happens to the emperor, this substitute can take his place, intimidate the people, and temporarily preserve the imperial aura.

But the iron-headed man also died.

The man on the turtle platform asked in surprise, "How did he die?"

Jiu Lingzi said, "Poison."

The man on the tortoise platform asked, "What kind of poison?"

Jiu Lingzi gritted his teeth and said, "Crane's Crest Red."

The man on the tortoise platform chuckled. Arsenic is a poison used by mortals, and also the most commonly used deadly poison in martial arts worlds for revenge killings and crimes of passion. This kind of thing seems to have nothing to do with cultivators.

She sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Jiulingzi, I understand your feelings very well, but this matter has nothing to do with me. I spent the whole night with Xiao Song last night. If you don't believe me, look at the map yourself. You should think more about who you have offended."

Jiu Lingzi said coldly, "But the dragon energy hasn't dissipated, so you are the biggest beneficiary. This means you can gather this dragon energy together and then go a step further to obtain more resources."

The man on the tortoise platform retorted sharply, "Don't forget, the Jin Kingdom might also benefit. If the Great Yong defeats the Northern Witch, and the Jin Kingdom defeats the Great Yong, then much of the Great Yong's dragon energy will be plundered by the Northern Jin Kingdom, becoming a boon for others."

During their conversation, Song Chen had already figured things out.

Last night, the people on the Turtle Terrace most likely went to kill the Emperor, and then realized on the way that they were heading towards Jingyang Palace, so they followed them. After that, they went out to kill the so-called Emperor's double.

In the Five Elements Sect, superiors can see the tracks of subordinates, but those of the same level cannot.

If you want to prove "fratricide," then the person making the claim must provide evidence.

But where can Jiu Lingzi find evidence that the person on the Turtle Platform made the move?

Under normal circumstances, he might have been able to find some clues.

But yesterday was the most chaotic time, with all sorts of unexpected events emerging one after another. Even though Jiu Lingzi had made some preparations, it was clearly not enough.

Besides the people on the Turtle Platform and Jiu Lingzi, there exist even higher levels above them.

However, it is clear that once one reaches the level of the person on the Turtle Platform, the magic weapon for tracking their movements seems to become ineffective. Otherwise, the higher-ups could simply scan the area and know where the person on the Turtle Platform went last night, without going through all this trouble.

Song Chen thought to himself: It seems that only by reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm can one truly live like a human being.
Just then, he suddenly realized that his surroundings had become quiet.

He looked up and met Jiu Lingzi's eyes.

Jiu Lingzi is watching him!
The master, who had always been calm and composed, suddenly became cold and sinister.

Just then, Song Chen felt his left hand being pulled.

The man on the tortoise platform grabbed his wrist and said, "This mountain-covering pearl of mine suits you quite well; it looks good on you."

After saying that, the person on the tortoise platform also raised his head to look at Jiu Lingzi and said indifferently, "The emperor has been lost, so the soul-summoning should be successful, right?"

That soul cannot linger for long. Quickly find a royal family to make clothes for you. Even if the dragon's aura is much less, it will still be a garment.

Stop arguing with me, you old woman. What's the point of all this? It'll just be a waste of time and effort.

Song Chen sighed softly and respectfully said to Jiu Lingzi, "Master, this is what happened yesterday."

He then recounted the events of the previous day in detail, explaining how he arrived at Jingyang Palace and sought refuge with the people on the Turtle Terrace.

His expression was sincere, without any pretense.

After explaining everything, he sincerely apologized: "I have been with Meng Cijing for a long time, but I did not notice her abnormality and did not inform Master in time. I am ashamed. Yesterday, Meng Cijing suddenly made a move. I was so frightened that my soul almost left my body. I only cared about escaping and was powerless to do anything else."

Jiu Lingzi waved his hand and said, "The matter of the Dream Mirror is not your fault, but when you came here last night, was the person on the Turtle Platform really in Jingyang Palace?"

Song Chen nodded, and then went on to describe many details, such as what clothes the person on the tortoise platform was wearing last night. In any case, even if the person on the tortoise platform had used a wooden puppet to scare him last night, he might not have been able to see through it.

At this point, he had to stand up and speak out, otherwise he would be seen as someone who refused to speak out in fear of punishment.

Therefore, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and perform with all his might.

Upon hearing this, Jiu Lingzi's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. He naturally could not believe Song Chen's one-sided story, but he had a natural pressure on this kid. Under these circumstances, since this kid already had the protection of the people on the Turtle Platform, he would naturally keep quiet if he could. His initiative to step forward and clear his name did indeed have some credibility.

Although this may not necessarily prove anything—after all, the people on the Turtle Platform might use puppets and illusions—it did fill in some of the gaps in his understanding of last night's doubts.

Once he had his clothes made, he had to leave the capital immediately.

The sect has other plans and cannot allow him to stay in one place any longer.

"When Meng Cijing failed her tribulation before, her human soul was occupied in the realm of illusion and reality. That ghost's earth soul is still in the underworld, so she wants to open the gates of hell and welcome back her earth soul. I repelled her yesterday, and she may not be willing to give up."

After uttering those words, Jiu Lingzi disappeared from the spot without lingering any longer.

After he left, the man on the tortoise platform gave Song Chen a satisfied look.

Song Chen looked alarmed, then sighed softly.

The man on the tortoise platform smiled faintly and said, "Little Song, come inside. It's best if you don't go anywhere these days and just stay in my room. Perfect timing, I'll tell you some knowledge about Foundation Establishment."

Jingyang Palace is a cold palace, and apart from the palace maids who bring meals, no one ever comes here on weekdays.

Even the courtyard was overgrown with weeds and the withered branches were not trimmed, making it quite desolate.

Perhaps considering that this man would become her confidant in the future, and also considering that the two of them had told the same lie and made enemies with the same person, and that this man had received the inheritance of the "Yellow Springs Scripture" and was considered to have potential, the person on the Turtle Platform was now taking good care of him, answering Song Chen's questions about cultivation one by one, which could be considered a good deed.

Song Chen had been trying to figure these things out on his own before, completely baffled, but now someone finally explained them to him.

"This world is actually divided into three realms: the Real Realm, the Realm of Reality and Illusion, and the Illusionary Realm."

The real world is the human realm, which is vast. The two countries bordering us are the Northern Wu Kingdom to the north and the Jin Kingdom to the east.

As for the realm between the real and the virtual, that is the place that the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator can go to.

Look at your spiritual roots. After the fourth, they began to spread towards the realm of reality and illusion. By the ninth, they had already touched the edge of the realm of reality and illusion, only lacking a breakthrough.

However, the realm of illusion and reality is very different from the human world. The sky there is occupied by the wind of calamity all year round, and the earth there is constantly burning with the fire of karmic retribution.

Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm essentially means being able to withstand the environment of the Realm of Illusion and Reality. Once you reach that position, you will naturally have achieved Foundation Establishment.

At that time, the spiritual root will be entangled, which is the so-called Foundation Establishment Platform.

That's about all the information you need about the Three Realms.

"As for power, it is actually divided into body and soul."

The supernatural powers of summoning wind and rain and manipulating treasures are all aimed at the physical body.

"And the concept of the soul is quite simple."

Humans have three souls.

The soul of heaven, the soul of earth, the soul of man.

The Heavenly Soul is your destiny, but most people's destinies are actually no different, with infinite possibilities. It may decline or rise. As for the True Dragon Destiny, it is unique to the Son of Heaven, which is the convergence of people's hearts.
When a celestial soul descends to earth, it will become tainted by karma due to its surroundings. Good karma and bad karma are both karma. When this karma accumulates, it will become a mark of that person, becoming an earth soul.

Your destiny will give rise to your thoughts, which is intention; once you have intention, you put it into practice, which is karma.

Therefore, the Heavenly Soul's business, intention can create karma, and karma gives rise to the Earthly Soul and the Human Soul.

As for the human soul, you can understand it as an obsession, either extremely strong or something you can't let go of.

After death, the celestial soul goes to the realm between the real and the illusory, the terrestrial soul enters the underworld to be judged, and the human soul remains in the mortal world. When karmic retribution is complete, the three souls unite and are reincarnated anew.

"What I'm saying all this is to tell you that the realm between the real and the unreal is actually where the Heavenly Soul resides. Therefore, the land there is filled with the eternal Avici Hellfire, which burns all the earthly souls and human souls that have secretly crossed over."

As for the power of Avici Hellfire, you've probably seen it in the Yellow Springs Sutra: first, the true nature of karmic fire; second, the mind consumed by delusion; and third, the hell of fire.
If you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, you will naturally be able to manipulate some small amounts of karmic fire power, which is absolutely lethal to those in the Qi Gathering stage.

Even the weakest Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator can use this power to deal with the strongest Qi Gathering Realm cultivator, who is powerless to resist.

I know that Jiulingzi gave you a cup of tea, and that tea contained the karmic retribution of fire, but it was extremely rare; otherwise, you would have died long ago.

Consort Gong explained the wood carving to Song Chen as she worked.

Jingyang Palace was naturally shrouded in a transparent protective barrier that isolated it from all sounds and sounds.

Song Chen wasn't idle either. He observed Consort Gong's wood carving techniques and one day he started making them himself.

Just when Consort Gong thought he was secretly learning how to make wooden puppets, he made two reclining chairs of different sizes.

Consort Gong was not beautiful; she was as thin as a rake and wore loose-fitting clothes, perfectly fitting the image of a concubine in the cold palace. Therefore, he made a wooden reclining chair that was not very wide, while his own was a slightly larger size.

"Mother, shall we give it a try?"

Song Chen looked at Consort Gong expectantly.

Consort Gong said, "Look at me, I made wood carvings, and all I made were two chairs?"

Song Chen, acting like a junior, gripped the wooden chair and said, "Mother, please give it a try."

Consort Gong said, "You want to be my Tiankuizi?"

Song Chen said, "If Senior Brother Tian Kui Zi failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, and I also fail to break through, then I can only accept that fate."

Consort Gong said, "If you break through, you will be someone I brought out. When you arrive at the sect, you will also bear the mark of being with me and bear some of the karma that originally belonged to me."

Song Chen said, "I will do my best to break through."

Consort Gong was many years older than him, so it wasn't inappropriate for him to call himself "child." In fact, Consort Gong was the first person to seriously teach him.

Consort Gong said, "Then put away those flattering words and focus on breaking through. If you break through, there will be fewer variables when I make clothes in the future, and you won't end up like Jiu Lingzi."

If you can't help me, even if you try your best to build a relationship with me now, you still won't be able to do what Tian Kuizi can do in the future.
You should know that after Jiu Lingzi leaves, all his original resources will be inherited by me. In other words, Tian Kuizi will have to shamelessly call me Master from now on.

Although Tian Kui Zi lacked talent and luck, he handled things exceptionally well; otherwise, Jiu Ling Zi wouldn't have considered him a confidant.

Song Chen looked at the two wooden chairs and said, "Then I will invite Mother to sit down after I break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm."

Consort Gong paused for a moment, then said, "Alright."

Song Chen put away the wooden chair and suddenly asked, "Mother, since the Realm of Illusion and Reality is eternally burning with the Avici Hellfire, why was the Dream Realm possessed there?"

Consort Gong said, "This shows that the evil spirit that possesses the Dream Realm is extremely terrifying, and I roughly understand its purpose."

It wants to open the gates of the underworld to unite with the earth spirit; it goes to the realm between the real and the virtual to find its own heavenly spirit; it must have committed too many sins, too great and too far-reaching, and is unable to reincarnate, so it wants to revive itself through this method.

Unfortunately, while the human soul is an obsession, its power is far inferior to that of the earth soul. The fact that it was repelled by Jiu Lingzi indicates that it had been severely depleted by the karmic fire in the realm of illusion and reality. Otherwise, the fact that it could survive for so long in the realm of illusion and reality, and still have the strength to possess an unfortunate soul, would have been enough to defeat Jiu Lingzi.

Song Chen asked, "Then what will happen to it now?"

Consort Gong said, "Borrowing a corpse to return to life, growing together with the Dream Mirror, gradually merging completely with the Dream Mirror, and then trying to retrieve one's two souls, thus leaping into a terrifying existence."

Song pondered for a moment and said, "That day, I was ambushed by it and almost died. At that moment, I felt that it was extremely powerful. If it was still at the ninth level of Qi Gathering, how could it be so strong?"

Consort Gong smiled and said, "That day, the Gate of Hell had already opened, and the aura of its earth soul was behind the Gate of Hell, passing through the Yellow Springs bit by bit, which is why it was stronger than usual."

If the gates of hell are closed, its earth spirit aura will be completely blocked, and its strength will return to its original level.

Now that it has been defeated by Jiu Lingzi, it must be injured, and its identity has been exposed. It is now thinking about hiding and escaping, and it is unlikely to come to bother you again in the short term.

However, you must be wary of Jiu Lingzi's deception. Before he left, he said that Meng Cijing might not be willing to accept it. This seemed to be a reminder, but it might actually be misleading.

He may have reached some kind of agreement with Dream Mirror, and is looking for an opportunity to trick us.
However, as long as you live in the palace, he will have absolutely no chance.

Alright, be patient and wait quietly. Things are very chaotic outside right now, and Jiu Lingzi can't delay any longer. His clothes need to be made, and according to the sect's rules, he must leave after they are finished. He will soon be handing everything over to me.

At that time, whether you become my disciple, or not even become a disciple, or become my junior brother, will be up to you.

Only by striving for self-improvement can one carve out their own path in life.

P.S.: It's more coherent to write longer chapters after it's published; all chapters from now on will be longer.

I'd appreciate some monthly votes at the beginning of the month, thank you!
(End of this chapter)