Ancient Immortal Spring

The small courtyard outside the government office was deathly silent.

From the direction of the distant altar, the sounds of drums and chanting continued.

"Nonsense, this is utter nonsense... The Mother-Child Spring is an ancient immortal Immortal Spring. If it had problems from the beginning, wouldn't the Great Palace Master know? Wouldn't all of you transcendent beings know?"

A female official from the Taichang Temple was the first to break down, her emotions unstable, because she had drunk from the Mother-Child Spring.

Another female official who had drunk from the Mother-Child Spring said, "This is a conspiracy by the Demon Race, trying to create panic and shake the morale of the army on the eve of the great battle in the Western Territory."

Taishi Qingshi was a man of exceptional insight, capable of discerning the truthfulness of Long Xiangcen's words.

At that moment, his heart felt heavy. He walked over, his mental pressure descending layer upon layer, and asked in a low voice, "Where did you get this information?"

Long Xiangcen was nearly driven to mental collapse by the mental power of the Saint Mind Master: "It was Phoenix-born Unicorn-young... Zuo Ning of Danyue Ward fought with the Ghost Mother and used mental techniques to bring her back to her senses. After learning about it Phoenix-born Unicorn-young laughed and said that it was useless, and then said those words."

"He also mentioned Six Thoughts Zen Temple, Mother-Child Spring seemed to have a great connection with someone there... That's all I really know, nothing else..."

Taishi Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "Since it only came from the mouth of Phoenix-born Unicorn-young, it may not be true, and is most likely just alarmist talk."

Li Weiyi had been observing Taishi Qingshi's expression.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices' expression grew even more serious, as if he were deep in thought.

Taishi Qingshi knew some things about Six Thoughts Zen Temple. When Long Xiangcen mentioned this place, he was greatly shocked and believed it more than halfway.

Adjusting his official robes, he tried to remain calm and solemnly greeted, "Your Eunuch Chen!"

"This old servant is here."

The eunuch who had previously gone to the restaurant to deliver the order came out and bowed.

The Taishi Qingshi said, "I must go to the palace immediately. Before I return, the Court of Taichang Temple is only allowed to enter, not leave. Everyone must keep their mouths shut. If this news leaks out, be careful your entire family is doomed. Give her the Mother-Child Spring water!"

Taishi Yu watched Taishi Qingshi's retreating figure, his heart growing heavy. The old man, usually calm and collected, had never been so flustered before.

Even he could tell that the old man was putting on a brave face.

After being poured into the Mother-Child Spring, Long Xiangcen lay there like a stray dog abandoned on the ground, utterly dejected.

This despair and fear are more terrifying than death itself.

All the officials of the Taichang Temple felt as if a great disaster was about to befall them, and they scattered in all directions, filled with apprehension.

Li Weiyi walked to Long Xiangcen's side and squatted down. "Fairy Long is Proud Daughter of Heaven at the Inheritor-level, is this all the mental fortitude you have? Drinking from the Mother-Child Spring, you're bound to suffer a fate worse than death?"

Long Xiangcen's eyes snapped back to reality. Remembering Li Weiyi's abilities, she grasped at the straw. "Save me... I'll agree to all your conditions..."

No matter how wise and intelligent you are, when a knife hangs over your head, and you don't know when it will fall, you will surely break down in agony.

Li Weiyi asked, "What were you doing at the Six Thoughts Zen Temple on the night of the Jiazi birthday banquet at the West Sea Royal Mansion a month ago?"

Taishi Yu stood aside, glancing up slightly, completely unaware of the matter.

Long Xiangcen said, "It was Phoenix-born Unicorn-young's idea to have me lead you to the Six Thoughts Zen Temple. We all know that the Six Desires Dharma King and the Nine Fasting Dharma King are your people, and they obey the orders of the Jiu Li Tribe."

When Shi Liuyu to capture her failed and he was ambushed and seriously injured, Li Weiyi had already guessed this.

Only Long Xiangcen knew in advance that Shi Liuyu was following her, which allowed her to set up an ambush beforehand.

Since you knew someone was following you, why did you still go to Six Thoughts Zen Temple?

There is only one answer.

They were deliberately led there.

"What is the purpose of leading me there? Why are the Liang Family members and the heretical martial arts practitioners with you? What exactly is hidden in the Six Thoughts Zen Temple? And what is the grand ceremony that Phoenix-born Unicorn-young mentioned?"

Li Weiyi asked several questions in a row.

Taishi Yu could no longer hold back and interrupted, "Li Weiyi, just how much do you know? How did the Liang Family get involved with a cult?"

The Liang Family was a powerful clan that was dependent on the Taishi Family.

They are not only the leading Lineage in Liangzhou, but also wield significant influence in the city's City Defense Camp in Lingxiao City.

"No rush, I will explain this matter in detail later," Li Weiyi said.

Long Xiangcen said, "I know nothing about the Six Thoughts Zen Temple; I was only responsible for leading you there. As for the Liang Family and the heretical martial arts cult, I'm also unfamiliar with them. If I wanted to deceive you, I could easily make up a perfect story to lure you to the Six Thoughts Zen Temple and leave you with no place to bury your body. You'll save me, right?"

Li Weiyi stood up, pondering to himself: if Sikong Jingyuan wasn't secretly meeting with Long Xiangcen that night, what was he doing?

Could it be that a powerful figure is hidden within the Zen temple of the Rice Sect?

Could the grand ceremony that Phoenix-born Unicorn-young be a scheme to lure him to his death at the Six Thoughts Zen Temple?

Li Weiyi couldn't tell Taishi Yu about the Rice Cult for the time being, so he evaded the question.

As for Lin An, who drove Long Xiangcen that night, he was on the list. Li Weiyi believed that Taishi Bai and Jiang Ning, leading the Imperial Court guards, would be able to capture him tonight.

Li Weiyi looked at the mutated Ghost Mother lying on the ground, released Golden Crow Flame flames into her body, and began to refine them.

The Taichang Temple was still brightly lit in the middle of the night.

Taishi Yu had been interrogating Long Xiangcen, trying to get more information, and was exhausted. He pulled Li Weiyi to the dining hall, ordered the imperial chef to prepare a late-night snack, and asked, "How's it going on your end?"

"It's not optimistic. I can only refine the Ghost Qi within her body's magical energy. As for the decay of her blood and flesh, I can't do anything about it," Li Weiyi said.

Taishi Yu said, "We can consider immersing the decaying flesh in the Spirit Stream Spring for purification."

"If you can't regain consciousness, it's all in vain. Human consciousness is quite fragile; how can it withstand the torment of Ghost Qi and corpse energy?" Li Weiyi said.

Even someone with Tang Wanzhou's powerful cultivation and mental will would have serious problems if his consciousness was interfered with, let alone these Ghost Mother.

This is also the biggest problem with the method of soul searching.

The success rate of soul-searching is actually not high.

Consciousness is fragile, like smoke and mist, and will shatter at the slightest touch. If the person being searched has a strong will and fiercely resists, all efforts will be in vain.

Li Weiyi asked curiously, "What exactly is the Mother-Child Spring?"

Taishi Yu sighed, "Now, I'm not sure either! When the Great Palace Master brought it back, he said it was one of the Nine Springs cultivated by a supreme ancient immortal in Yingzhou's history. It has been endlessly regenerating since ancient times, connecting the inner and outer worlds, and containing the power of immortals. Drinking it can not only nurture a child with extraordinary talent, but also greatly benefit the mother."

"That's exactly why. In those years, countless women drank from the Mother-Child Spring and became pregnant and gave birth. You should know that with the Great Palace Master's prestige at the time, countless people would have heeded her call and gone mad for her."

"These women and their Lineage are scattered throughout the Twenty-Eight Prefectures of Lingxiao, as well as various government offices and military units."

"Now you know why the old man looked so panicked, like the sky was falling, right?"

"If something goes wrong... no, even if nothing goes wrong, as long as this news gets out, the war in the Western Territory will be lost, the human race will be lost, and the entire Imperial Court will be finished!"

"Now we can only hope that this is fake news, and perhaps we can still think of some way to calm people down."

Li Weiyi frowned. "Women in all Twenty-Eight Prefectures drank from the Mother-Child Spring? Not just in the Imperial Court?"

"Of course, the Xiao Tian Order hadn't been issued back then, and the world wasn't in chaos yet. That's why I said that the human race was bound to lose. The Zuoqiu Courtyard, the Xue Jian Tang Ting, the Lei Xiao Sect, and the Jiu Li Tribe —none of them could expect to stay out of it. It was just a matter of how much impact they would have. After all, the Mother-Child Spring in Lingxiao City needed to be consumed promptly," Taishi Yu said.

After the midnight snack, Taishi Yu led Li Weiyi to the dungeon below the altar.

The dungeon was an inverted tower-shaped magical artifact, made of black metal, engraved with Formation Script and runes, and guarded by a large number of powerful warriors.

Descending the stone steps, the entire space was shrouded in black ghostly mist, as thick as ink, almost like entering the underworld. Only by protecting themselves with spiritual light could the two of them keep it out.

Some of the Ghost Mother were imprisoned in water dungeons, while others were chained to stone walls with rune chains. Each of them had bloodshot eyes, long, disheveled hair, and was howling in low voices. They all looked like ferocious demons.

The chains rattled, and they bared their teeth and brandished their claws, their former elegance and beauty gone.

The Ghost Infant were locked in an iron cage; some cried, some roared.

A group of Ghost Mother imprisoned in the sixth level of the prison chase and hunt each other, then gather together to feast on each other, creating an extremely terrifying scene.

It's hard to imagine that just a few months ago, they were all young and beautiful, with their own thoughts and pursuits, whose daughters, and whose sisters.

Evil and destruction suddenly descended, a disaster for every family.

Li Weiyi and Taishi Yu were feeling depressed and overwhelmed with negative emotions, so they had to leave quickly and return to the ground, finally able to catch their breath.

"The Ghost Mother and Ghost Infant have only recently emerged. From the initial sporadic appearances, the Taichang Temple's prison is now almost overflowing."

Taishi Yu then asked, "So? Are you still hiding anything? Do you have a solution?"

"If I were Saint Mind Master, I might have the courage to face this unprecedented challenge. But with my current mental power, saving even one person would be difficult, let alone so many! It's just a drop in the ocean!"

Li Weiyi is a flesh-and-blood human being. Recalling what he had seen and heard in prison, he felt a strong sense of powerlessness and indignation.

I long to ascend to the summit of the Phoenix Pavilion and drag out that number one person in the world who has been locked away in her palace, so she can see the mess she has made.

Li Weiyi was ultimately a person who refused to admit defeat and was always full of fighting spirit. As soon as he finished speaking discouraging words, he turned around and returned to the dungeon, bringing out two Ghost Mother had recently undergone mutation and had relatively high cultivation levels.

Using mental techniques, he purified his mind and dispelled evil, then refined it with the mental power of the Golden Crow Flame.

What good is a drop in the ocean?

We'll save as many as we can.

The next day, the sun rose.

Sunlight streamed into the Taichang Temple, filtering through the treetops and leaves to create dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ground.

Jiang Ning approached from afar, led by a eunuch.

Li Weiyi was still treating the Ghost Mother in the spirit world. His mental energy was greatly depleted, and his face was full of exhaustion.