Spiritually Connected Ancient Jade, Viewing the Sea of Consciousness

Great Li Imperial Palace, Purple Gold Pavilion.

"Imperial Lord, the Medicine Manor remnant has been brought back. This is the scroll found on her."

After escorting Yao Qingyin into the Purple Gold Pavilion, Li Lianying respectfully placed the scroll beside the Dragon Bed.

A moment later, a hand withered like dead grass, thick with deathly aura, reached out from behind the curtain and drew the scroll inside.

Soon, a voice brimming with authority and resonance rang out from within the curtain.

"Yes, yes. This scroll records the exact location of the secret realm Yao Xingchen encountered back then."

"A thousand years have passed, and the seas have shifted. With this scroll, we only need to find the place it describes. Then we wait quietly for the Heaven and Earth Cataclysm, and when the secret realm descends once more, we can enter and seize every opportunity within."

"Eh!"

After the laughter subsided, a soft exclamation came from behind the curtain.

"Rumor has it that after Yao Xingchen emerged from that mysterious secret realm, aside from mastering the unfathomable Art of Pill Dao, he also brought out an ancient jade."

"Lianying, what is the meaning of this! Where is that ancient jade!"

Hearing this casual yet reproachful tone, Li Lianying immediately knelt, a flicker of fear on his face. "Imperial Lord, that... that ancient jade is not... not on this girl."

"Not on her! What does this mean!"

A cold voice came from behind the curtain. Though not loud, it reached Li Lianying's ears with perfect clarity.

Li Lianying quickly explained, "Reporting to the Imperial Lord, it must be that this Medicine Manor remnant has hidden the ancient jade somewhere."

Hearing this, the man behind the curtain erupted in fury. Instantly, a terrifying aura capable of swallowing mountains and seas burst forth from within the curtain, followed by a voice like divine thunder and heavenly decree.

"Lianying, that secret realm is of utmost importance to Me. With your methods, can you not simply make this Medicine Manor remnant reveal the jade's whereabouts?"

"Your Majesty, calm your wrath."

Li Lianying lowered his head even further, nearly pressing his face to the ground. In such a posture, it was hard to imagine that not long ago, he was a figure of peerless elegance and transcendent Dao mastery.

Just what kind of existence was this Imperial Lord before him, to make a man like this bow so low?

Hearing no further sound from behind the curtain, Li Lianying continued, "Your Majesty, there is one matter this old servant forgot to report earlier."

"The ancestors of the Medicine Manor once rendered a great life-saving grace to the Sword Sect. The Sword Sect Master has just declared that the Great Li Imperial Family must not take her life."

"Otherwise, given this old servant's cultivation, I fear I would not have been able to wrest this Medicine Manor remnant from the Sword Sect Master's hands."

"Imperial Lord, you know this old servant has some means, but this Medicine Manor remnant is only at the Innate Realm. If I were to apply those methods, she would likely perish, body and soul."

Silence fell once more behind the curtain. After a long pause, a somewhat resigned voice emerged. "The Sword Sect Master has intervened! You crossed blows with him. What level do you judge his strength to have reached?"

Li Lianying pondered for a long time, weighing the matter repeatedly in his mind, before speaking uncertainly. "Reporting to the Imperial Lord, this old servant trembles to say it, but the one I fought was merely a divine soul projection of the Sword Sect Master."

"Though only a divine soul, it contained earth-shattering power. This old servant has never seen any 'Dao Attainment' existence whose divine soul could wield such might."

"Not to mention 'Dao Attainment'—even a 'Dao Master Realm' existence could not have a divine soul bear such overwhelming power as the Sword Sect Master's."

"You mean..."

The man behind the curtain paused mid-sentence, as if struck by a thought, but the words that followed refused to leave his lips.

Li Lianying's gaze flickered. He gritted his teeth, then spoke with resolve. "Imperial Lord, this... This old servant suspects that the Sword Sect Master may have already stepped into the 'Fate Realm,' or is merely one opportunity away from entering 'Dao Attainment' and becoming the God of Heaven and Earth."

Hiss!!!!

The man behind the curtain drew a sharp breath, followed by a wild, bitter laugh like a raging sea of thunder and lightning.

"'Fate Realm,' 'Fate Realm'—to think that in this era, someone could still step into the 'Fate Realm'!"

"Jian Wuhen, you would oppose Me like this. One hundred and twenty years ago, you reduced Me to this state, and now you block My path again."

After venting his fury, the man behind the curtain calmed down. "Enough. This matter is not your fault."

"The Great Li Imperial Family is in decline, its foundations unstable. The calamity of King Zhennan in the Southern Ridge remains unresolved. If further turmoil arises, before the Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm even arrives, the Great Li, which has stood for a thousand years, may crumble and fall."

"Now that the Sword Sect Master has entered the 'Fate Realm,' the Great Li Imperial Family does have many hidden reserves—ancestors slumbering in forbidden lands from a millennium of rule."

"But those who can step into the 'Fate Realm' are few and far between. Moreover, the path of the sword is unmatched in offensive power. Even if the royal ancestors awaken from their seals, they may not be able to overcome the Sword Sect Master."

"After all, My goal is the fortune of that secret realm. For the Sword Sect Master's sake, sparing this Medicine Manor remnant's life is no great loss."

"Bring that Medicine Manor remnant here. I will use the Spiritually Connected Ancient Jade to probe her Sea of Consciousness."

Following the order, Li Lianying brought Yao Qingyin before the Dragon Bed. Her true qi and acupoints had all been sealed by Li Lianying, leaving her as helpless as a puppet.

As Yao Qingyin was brought before the Dragon Bed, a withered, lusterless hand like a dead tree root reached out, placing a dark green ancient jade radiating divine light upon her forehead. In an instant, Yao Qingyin fell into a deep slumber.

The Spiritually Connected Ancient Jade was a supreme treasure of the Great Li Imperial Family. It was obtained by the first Li Emperor from an unknown Ancient Tomb.

At that time, nine such jades were found in the tomb, but over the millennium, eight had been consumed, leaving only this one.

The Spiritually Connected Ancient Jade was mysterious and unfathomable, capable of probing divine souls with the power of a god.

For a thousand years, through this jade, the Great Li Imperial Family had plundered countless heaven-defying inheritances and opportunities from others. Had there been no other choice, he would not have wasted such a rare treasure.

The man behind the curtain activated the Mystic Method, channeling power into the Spiritually Connected Ancient Jade. Closing his eyes, he sent his divine sense into Yao Qingyin's Sea of Consciousness.

Within the Sea of Consciousness lay the memories of a cultivator's entire life. The man's divine sense swiftly traversed Yao Qingyin's mind, soon reaching the scene of her escape from the Medicine Manor.

In her frantic flight, Yao Qingyin was struck by a palm from a demon sect disciple, tumbling from the eaves and rolling to a stop before a Youngster.

The Youngster looked down to examine her injuries. The Great Li Imperial Lord's divine sense could not see the Youngster's face. But as the Youngster looked up—suddenly, within the curtain, the aura churned violently. The Spiritually Connected Ancient Jade shattered, and a mouthful of precious blood sprayed across the curtain.