Milestone Breakthrough

Lan Yiyi went down the mountain.

Everyone watched her leave. Daoist Longshan wanted to speak up to Exit her, but in the end, he didn't say anything. Lan Yiyi's only request was not to tell Qin Yun Qin Yun she was the one who saved him. He didn't know what the hidden story was, but he could only respect Lan Yiyi's decision.

As everyone watched Lan Yiyi's figure disappear into the horizon, a sense of respect rose in their hearts.

Ning Qi felt a pang of emotion.

Lan Yiyi's previous words made him realize that this young lady Yiyi probably had very deep feelings for her eighth senior brother.

He left a trace of his breath on Lan Yiyi.

Since he had promised to owe Lan Yiyi a favor, he wouldn't go back on his word.

"Master, are you really not going to tell Xiao Ba the truth after this?" Ye Qinghe, feeling a little reluctant.

The Daoist Longshan sighed softly:

"I understand how you feel, but since you promised Miss Yiyi, you can't break your promise. When Xiao Ba wakes up, just say that Little Nine cured him. As for his relationship with Miss Yiyi, let them handle it themselves. If he's truly in love, he'll surely be able to let go of Miss Yiyi after he wakes up."

He could see it clearly too.

Unlike Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua, Qin Yun and Lan Yiyi may have already developed feelings for each other, but for some reason, they haven't been able to confess their feelings. This might also be why Lan Yiyi doesn't want to tell Qin Yun the truth.

In such a situation, forcibly interfering with things by outsiders would likely backfire; it's better to let nature take its course.

Everyone nodded silently.

As long as Qin Yun can wake up, there will be plenty of time in the future, and the two may still have a chance to get married. However, when he thought that the Southern Frontier was also an enemy of the True Martial Sect, Daoist Longshan couldn't help but smile bitterly.

It's rare for me to have two disciples who have found love.

One turned out to be the daughter of the deputy sect leader of the Demon Sect, and the other was the Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier.

The workings of fate in this world are truly difficult to explain.

Time passed.

The True Martial Sect gradually returned to peace.

However, there have always been undercurrents within the Great Flame territory. The Demon Sect forces are deeply entrenched and difficult to eradicate. It is necessary to dig deep bit by bit to avoid any omissions.

Under these circumstances, many martial arts sects gradually realized that something was wrong.

After realizing that the Demon Sect had suffered repeated defeats, they were all terrified and became even more in awe of the Great Flame. When the Demon Sect was around, at least there was a force that could contend with the Great Flame, which made the Great Flame somewhat lenient towards the martial arts sects under its rule.

But now that the Demon Sect has been eliminated, many martial arts sects are beginning to worry that the Great Flame might become even more demanding of them.

but.

Such concerns did not last long.

The war broke out again in the north.

On the grasslands, the Northern Barbarians gathered their firepower and caught the King of Zhenbei completely off guard. It is said that the King was seriously injured and is currently recuperating. The Northern Barbarians then marched south, but fortunately the imperial court quickly sent reinforcements to stop their advance.

Several generals have led their troops there, and the situation is currently at a stalemate.

Besides that.

The remaining remnants of the Demon Sect seemed to have received help from an unknown force, displaying remarkable resilience. Although they were still no match for the Demonic Sect, they were no longer being utterly crushed as before. After all, no matter how powerful Celestial Person Realm expert was, they could not launch an indiscriminate massacre; doing so would have resulted in heavy losses even if the Demon Sect itself were destroyed.

Such internal and external troubles.

The originally favorable situation turned into a tense one, especially after the Northern Barbarians diverted their attention, making it even more difficult for the Great Flame to wipe out the remnants of the Demon Sect with lightning speed.

The news reached True Martial Mountain.

After listening to Luo Wentian's words, Ning Qi fell into deep thought.

"An unknown force has appeared behind the remnants of the Demon Sect? Is it the Demon Sect Master who has emerged from seclusion, or is it someone else?" His eyes flickered slightly.

"And the Northern Barbarians chose this time to attack. Was it a 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao,' or was there another reason? The Prince of Zhenbei has been guarding the northern pass for so many years, and this is the first time he has encountered such an attack. He has been severely injured, which is unprecedented. It seems that the Northern Barbarians have been planning this for a long time."

Is there some connection between the two?

Luo Wentian frowned and said:

"Some martial arts sects might be involved on the Demon Sect Sect's side... Many people don't want to see the Demon Sect completely destroyed, so that the Great Flame can free up its resources to impose even stricter restrictions on martial arts sects."

Ning Qi nodded slightly.

The sects submitted to the imperial power, but given the chance, everyone would want to be free.

"But the petty actions of some martial arts sects alone probably couldn't have achieved this level of success. There must be other forces involved. Are they from the Southern Frontier, or other forces? Or perhaps both?"

Southern Xinjiang is keeping a very low profile now, but it's unknown whether they were involved in these two incidents.

In conclusion

The situation, which had been gradually becoming clearer, has become complicated again, with multiple forces seemingly involved.

Luo Wentian and said in a low voice:

"The Northern Barbarians' expedition may be related to a rumor."

Ning Qi said:

What rumor?

Luo Wentian pointed in the direction of Yanzhou:

"It is said that... the Great Flame Martial Saint has been in seclusion since his birth a hundred years ago, without any response. Perhaps something is wrong. The Northern Barbarians were just testing the waters a few years ago, but now, for some reason, they have suddenly begun to march south with all their might."

Ning Qi felt a slight tremor in his spirits.

The Great Flame Martial Saint is the only Martial Saint still in existence in the world today. He is a mountain weighing on everyone's head. Whether it is the Demon Sect, the Southern Frontier, the Northern Barbarians, or any other force that wants to shake the Great Flame, they will definitely not be able to get around this mountain.

Where did this news come from?

"I don't know, it just suddenly spread throughout the martial arts world. The Great Flame Dynasty suppressed many martial artists because of this, which stopped its large-scale spread, but those who are well-informed basically all know about it."

Ning Qi nodded.

That would make it difficult to continue investigating.

After discussing for a while, the two finally decided that it was best not to get involved in the mess. The True Martial Sect had many treasures that Ning Qi had brought back from the Demon Sect headquarters, so what they needed to do now was to develop in a low-key manner and not do anything else.

With the True Martial Sect True Martial Sword Stele and the Myriad Paths Tower in place, even if no disciples of the True Martial Sect's favor and give the True Martial Sect face.

Ning Qi watched Luo Wentian leave.

He thought to himself:

"If the Great Flame Martial Saint is truly not in his former state, perhaps this could be seen as a breakthrough in solving the problem of the power of heaven and earth?"

He had considered this direction before, but the Great Flame Martial Saint has dominated the world for so many years, he is probably not simple, so it's only now that he can give it a shot.

He then shook his head.

He still doesn't plan to take this path unless absolutely necessary, as the risks are too great.

Concentrate and calm your mind.

Ning Qi took out the Yu King Pearl again and studied it carefully.

The blood-red color of the Yu King Pearl has faded very much, almost returning to its original jade-like luster.

"We should be able to succeed today!" Ning Qi with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

These past few days of deductions have not been in vain. Ning Qi's control over the Yu Wang Pearl is now far greater than before. If the Grand Elder of the Demon Sect were to be resurrected, he would probably be dumbfounded, realizing that he had only scratched the surface of the secret treasure after hundreds of years of refining it.

With a thought, a crimson streak immediately appeared around Ning Qi.

As Ning Qi's thoughts changed, the ribbon transformed in countless ways, sometimes into a celestial blade, sometimes into a divine sword, sometimes condensing into a mountain, sometimes rushing like a river. Moreover, it continuously evolved into many Mutant Beast, each possessing different powers.

The profound mysteries within are likely beyond the comprehension of even the Grand Elder of the Demon Sect, who would struggle to grasp them even after a thousand years.

Ning Qi was very satisfied.

He wasn't just researching the method to condense the power of Martial Saint; he was also deduce the application of that Martial Saint. The same secret treasure could have drastically different effects in the hands of different people. The Martial Saint power that the Grand Elder controlled that day was nothing more than a chaotic and unrestrained burst of power, which was very stiff. It was nowhere near as agile and free as Ning Qi's. The difference in power was probably several times.

After manipulating the device for a moment, Ning Qi's eyes showed a hint of reluctance.

If used sparingly, this Martial Saint's power can at least be used to fight several more enemies.

But you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

His gaze hardened, and he began to fully activate the Yu Wang Pearl.

Strands of Martial Saint power surged forth, the crimson ribbon growing ever more intense. Then, with a thought, Ning Qi caused it to dissipate on its own. In an instant, the crimson ribbon began to collapse, like smoke and mist, transforming into the purest power of heaven and earth, losing all its previous vibrancy until it finally vanished completely.

At this moment, the Yu King Pearl had returned to its original appearance as a bright jade pearl, radiating a warm and gentle luster.

"Destruction precedes construction! If we don't dissipate the Martial Saint power condensed from the bloodline of the Great Yu Dynasty, how can we possibly use the Martial Saint power condensed by my method, which would create mutual repulsion!"

"This attempt is not only a further exploration of the Yu King Pearl, but also an attempt to understand the Path of the Martial Saint!"

He wouldn't have been so resolute if he hadn't been absolutely certain.

In Ning Qi's mind, flashes of inspiration constantly flickered, their essence intertwined.

He mobilized his entire being, and his body was glowing.

In an instant.

The three flowers of essence, energy, and spirit converge at the top of the head!

The energy within the entire Dao-Seeking Courtyard was several times stronger.

"Power of Heaven and Earth, gather!"

Ning Qi silently thought to himself.

He recalled his experience of the Blade Demon breaking through to the next realm, the records left by Wu Jianghe on the silver pages, and all his recent thoughts. Without any further hesitation, the surging power of heaven and earth converged, and the entire Dao-Seeking Courtyard became the center of the vortex.

The Daoist Longshan was digesting the effects of the Tongtian Pill in the Mingwu Pavilion, instantly regained consciousness and turned to look in the direction of the Dao-Seeking Courtyard.

The Blade Demon, who was in seclusion in the back mountain, was also drawn to the sudden fluctuations in the power of heaven and earth. His expression shifted slightly, and he became somewhat excited, because he sensed the same fluctuations as those he had experienced when he attempted to break through to the Martial Saint realm that day.

"Could it be that Fellow Sword Dao has already begun to try?" He couldn't help but stand up and look in that direction.

Fortunately, Ning Qi had made preparations in advance, so the several Celestial Person Realm experts who were studying the True Martial Sword Stele and the Myriad Dao Tower did not notice.

Ning Qi was completely focused.

The three flowers converged at the top, forming a peculiar "funnel," not much different from what the Blade Demon had condensed, but in terms of strength, they differed greatly.

Streams of the power of heaven and earth converged through the "funnel," seemingly having been "filtered."

Ning Qi's Divine Intent carried a sense of oppression.

He was restraining the outpouring of the power of heaven and earth.

Suppressing his desire to refine the power of heaven and earth into his body, the terrifying feeling in the the Unseen made him realize that the "filter" of this "funnel" was probably not very effective. He shouted in his heart, and all his connections were instantly transferred to the Yu King Pearl in front of him.

This was exactly Ning Qi's idea.

The normal course of action would be to refine the power of heaven and earth into his body and then condense it into the power of Martial Saint. However, knowing that the power of heaven and earth has some abnormalities, he naturally dared not do so. Therefore, he took a different approach and combined it with the Yu King Pearl.

In some ways, this is somewhat similar to the previous methods of external alchemy.

The inspiration did indeed come from this method, but the difficulty was completely different. Even Ning Qi was only 90% confident.

Ning Qi dared not slack off.

The Divine Intent continued to communicate with the Yu King Pearl. The pearl shone brightly, warm and powerful, and the special patterns within it began to operate, drawing in strands of the power of heaven and earth. Ning Qi, however, used his attention to make the power of heaven and earth vibrate at a special frequency.

The Yu King Pearl shone even brighter, like a small sun.

In the Dao-Seeking Courtyard.

Stormy waves.

Waves of heaven and earth power converged, but there was no outlet for them. Ning Qi's pressure grew heavier and heavier, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Fortunately, this stalemate did not last long.

Ning Qi's previous deductions were not in vain; with his continuous adjustments, the Yu Wang Pearl finally underwent changes!

"Buzz!"

Invisible waves spread outwards.

The power of heaven and earth surging into the Yu King Pearl finally began to transform and compress at an astonishing speed. Ning Qi's spirit was shaken as he carefully comprehended the changes. He discovered that after the special patterns of the Yu King Pearl were activated, some kind of substance was incorporated into it, and then the vast power of heaven and earth was transformed into strands of extraordinary Martial Saint power!

A wisp of shimmering white power condensed within it, completely different from the previous crimson ribbon.

"Success! As expected, the Martial Saint power condensed purely from the power of heaven and earth is somewhat different from the one condensed by the Demon Sect's Grand Elder using that secret technique. The current Martial Saint power is more balanced and harmonious. Perhaps my method is the correct one, but the Demon Sect Sect's Grand Elder and the others simply couldn't master it before."

"That's right. The Martial Saint's Secret Treasure can only be controlled by Martial Saint. Apart from me, others can only use some tricks and secret techniques to activate part of its power. Even I may not be able to fully activate this secret treasure now."

These thoughts flashed by in an instant, but Ning Qi felt immense joy.

Without a doubt.

This is a landmark breakthrough.

This means that for the first time, he single-handedly condensed the power of heaven and earth into the power of Martial Saint. Although he relied on the power of a secret treasure, it was still a remarkable achievement.

From this day forward...

The Yu Wang Pearl will no longer be a rootless duckweed, and its power will not diminish with each use as before. This will greatly increase Ning Qi 'Martial Saint combat power. But most importantly, Ning Qi can now freely deduce and study the power of the Martial Saint. Once he understands the secret of how the Yu Wang Pearl condenses the power of the Martial Saint, the Martial Saint will be practically within his grasp.

All he had to do was resolve the anomaly in the power of heaven and earth, and then naturally step into the Martial Saint.