The Witch and the Demon Monk

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There is a mountain in the western suburbs of Dragon Abyss City called Soaring Leap Mountain. The mountain is covered with dense forests, and there are man-made stone steps winding upwards. There are many pavilions and streams, making it a popular place for Dragon Abyss City residents to escape the summer heat and enjoy the spring scenery.

There used to be Daoist Temple on the mountaintop, which was the site of the early Hidden Dragon Temple. Later, because the mountain was too high and it was inconvenient for people to worship, it was moved to a mountain inside the city, and the mountaintop Daoist Temple was abandoned. Most tourists stop halfway up the mountain, and the mountaintop is rarely visited.

On this sweltering summer afternoon, with the sun blazing down, no one was even more likely to overeat and climb to the top of the mountain.

Meng Qingying stood quietly on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the lush greenery below. The bright sunlight enveloped her, making her appear somewhat hazy from a distance. The mountain breeze caused her black cloak to flutter wildly, carrying a fragrant scent. The aura of the Netherworld Ghost Prison faded, and she gained a touch of humanity under the sunlight.

Standing behind him, Qin Yi looked at the abandoned Daoist Temple. He could still see the bustling scene it once had, but now it was so dilapidated that even rats wouldn't crawl on it. He couldn't help but sigh, "It's not the height of the mountain that matters, but the immortals who dwell there. Indeed, this mountain, though high and seemingly charming with its green hills and clear waters, is actually unbearably vulgar and has lost all its Spiritual Qi."

Meng Qingying didn't turn around, and said calmly, "It's just that it's been tainted by too much worldly atmosphere. Countless years ago, this place was also a land of immortals."

Qin Yi heard Liusu's voice in his ear. "No, tens of thousands of years ago this was just a small hill."

Qin Yi swallowed back the words he wanted to say, and remained silent for a moment.

Meng Qingying, however, assumed his pleasantries were over and said, "I thought you wouldn't dare come to a place like this with me. Do you know that here, I wouldn't hesitate to take action?"

Qin Yi said, "Perhaps your breakthrough to the Cloud Ascension realm is a leap in cultivation, far greater than my breakthroughs across so many levels... but I am still confident in my ability to protect myself."

Confidence stemmed not only from self-confidence but also from the assessment of her attitude. If there hadn't been an overwhelming disparity in their abilities, Meng Qingying definitely wouldn't have been so good-natured.

Meng Qingying said calmly, "You underestimate Tengyun's strength... If my Shadow Puppet hadn't been destroyed back then, or if I had successfully refined that Ancient Corpse, killing you now would have been as easy as killing a chicken. In fact, back at Hongfa Temple, you didn't even have the right to stop fighting me. Did you really think that your Muscle Tendon Change Third Layer was enough to deal with Heart of the Harp Perfection at the peak of her cultivation? It was just that I lost my most suitable Shadow Puppet, and my strength dropped significantly."

Qin Yi scratched his head. It seemed to make sense. The core of their Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect was definitely not "shadow," but "accomplice," a mysterious art of using all things for their own purposes. Meng Qingying's shadow techniques weren't dark Law Technique, but rather a way of controlling shadows—in short, using shadows as accomplices. Under this system, her combat power would indeed be significantly weaker after she herself had tricked her usual Shadow Puppet in the ancient tomb.

"To be honest, my current strength is somewhat lacking, which makes it difficult for me to stand up to the Great Joy Temple, and that's all thanks to you." Meng Qingying turned to look at him, her eyes turning cold again. "Qin Yi, you have no idea how much you've dragged me down."

Qin Yi said, "It's been so long, and you still haven't found a suitable puppet? What about that Celestial Maiden Law Artifact?"

"That's just a low-level Law Artifact, better than nothing. It only alleviated my predicament of not having any puppets to use. It was used to take my place when I broke through to the Lesser Small Tribulation of the Cloud Reaching Realm, that's all. Did you really think I relied on it to fight? It's not even as good as your sect's Painting Souls and Book Spirit."

Qin Yi: "..."

"I've found a suitable puppet," Meng Qingying said calmly. "But it seems you're causing me trouble again."

Qin Yi suddenly realized. "Dragon energy!"

"That's right, that dragon energy solidified into a form, it's a puppet of a Luck Dragon."

Qin Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

They really underestimated Tengyun.

I initially thought this mysterious Technique Method was the work of a powerful being, perhaps Meng Qingying's master or someone else, and that she was just there to assist. But it turns out that it was Meng Qingying herself who did it; she is that powerful being.

That makes sense. In this world's system, the Soaring Cloud Realm represents the most standard immortals who can ride the clouds and mist. In the system I'm familiar with, that corresponds to the Golden Elixir, and Golden Elixir cultivator is certainly powerful enough to be called a great being. The monkey I defeated in the painting only had cultivation equivalent to the early stage of Cloud Ascension; it had no Law Technique weapons, no Law Treasure, and no intelligence, so it couldn't represent true Cloud Ascension.

Moreover, Meng Qingying seems particularly insane. What kind of puppet is this that she's eyeing? Would an ordinary person even think of using something like this to make a puppet? Her imagination is boundless, and she's incredibly daring. She still doesn't care about the lives of ordinary people. The chaos that might erupt after the dynasty's dragon energy is taken away is nothing to her. She only cares about her own advancement. Her goals are clear and extremely pragmatic. She truly has the potential to be a demonic boss.

However, since it has nothing to do with Cheng Cheng, it makes people feel much more relaxed... Qin Yi really didn't know how he should face Cheng Cheng, and he didn't want to meet her in a confrontational context. It would be best if it had nothing to do with her.

Meng Qingying continued, "This Great Qian Dragon Qi was not something I could have taken away originally. It just so happened that I discovered that many of the Outer Sect of the Great Joy Temple were preaching in the Great Qian and digging for alchemical Cauldron. To facilitate their actions, they also extensively colluded with officials, which shook the foundation of the Great Qian and weakened the Dragon Qi. So I came up with an idea: let them shake it even more deeply, to the point that it would be enough to change the dynasty, and then I could easily obtain the Dragon Qi."

Qin Yi said, "So originally, Great Joy Temple didn't get involved in the imperial court; you tricked them into it."

"It wouldn't be accurate to say I was deceiving them. This is something the Great Joy Temple has always planned to try. The area around their Great Joy Temple is a Buddha Country on earth, where they can take Cauldron need. Over the years, they've become somewhat insufficient, and they've long planned to establish similar pilot projects in secular countries. But this is not an easy task, because most countries have immortal backers." Meng Qingying smiled slightly, "If you say I was deceiving them... then I only deceived them on one thing, which was to make them mistakenly believe that the Great Qian Dynasty is backed by my Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect, and now my sect has abandoned the Great Qian Dynasty."

Qin Yi was both amused and exasperated.

No wonder the Great Joy Temple seemed completely unaware of the relationship between the Great Qian Dynasty and the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace, and also how Meng Qingying had managed to deceive them; there must be quite a lot of inside information. But how she deceived them is no longer important; the matter is now quite clear.

The Witch and the wicked monk are using a vast country as a chessboard, manipulating it at will.

The evil monk shook up the destiny of the Great Qian Dynasty, allowing the Witch to steal the dragon's energy. Once the Great Qian Dynasty completely collapsed, the evil monk would then establish their "Buddha Country." This was their cooperation.

"I should have been able to take this dragon energy long ago," Meng Qingying sighed. "But an unexpected event occurred. The Great Qian Dynasty may have a treasure that suppresses the dragon energy, preventing me from taking it. When I planned to enter the palace to steal it, these 'allies' turned against me and guarded the treasury, preventing me from taking it."

Qin Yi asked curiously, "Why is that?"

Meng Qingying sneered, "They are lecherous monks, and I am a woman. Why do you say that?"

Qin Yi opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"Because they have the upper hand, even if the dragon's aura remains intact, they are 80% confident they can gradually control the Great Qian Dynasty. They don't necessarily need Non-Self, so they've set their sights on blackmailing me, intending to use what I ask for to gain control of me. If this register were in my hands, I would have a bargaining chip, although the register might not actually be of much use; it's still a variable. Is their overall situation more important, or is it more important to take advantage of me once?"

Qin Yi finally said, "I see."

That's truly the work of a demonic sect. Even though they're cooperating, they immediately try to take advantage of their ally once they feel they have the upper hand. Of course, Meng Qingying isn't an innocent bystander either. The Great Joy Temple is still completely unaware that the Great Qian Dynasty has other powerful backers. Once the deal is done and Meng Qingying leaves, this "Buddha Country" won't be able to escape. It'll probably be demolished by Ju Yunxiu in less than half a month.

Meng Qingying said nonchalantly, "Alright, that's it. The story is over. Brother Qin, you're a man of your word, where's the roster?"