Northern Darkness Sea Freezes the Human Heart

"What Ji Zheng said should be true. Her ability to recreate the scene in the Painted Realm means she did indeed experience it. Otherwise, after the soul in the painting left, it would either be reincarnated or in a daze, unable to remember what happened inside, let alone recognize me."

Qiu Yan extended a finger and tapped it lightly on the table, his thoughts racing.

"However, recognizing me and finding me are two completely different things. After Ji Zheng left the Painted Realm, her soul was drawn back to her physical body, and she had no further contact with me. But before, she disguised herself as Ji Zheng and went to Yuan Ning to deliver an invitation. The timing was perfect, exactly the day I returned from Qingchang, neither too early nor too late. This shows that she was prepared in advance. Moreover, her visit to the Zhang Residence indicates that she had some understanding of my interpersonal relationships..."

As he pondered, he narrowed his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them.

"In this case, it can be almost concluded that Ji Zheng sent someone to investigate me, and only after figuring things out did she take the initiative to show herself and lead me to Eastern Capital. Moreover, her disguise and not showing her true face is also very suspicious. As a disciple of the Apricot Altar and a descendant of Sage, her identity is aboveboard. She should hold her head high wherever she goes. Why hide herself? Unless..."

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan's gaze shifted, sweeping over the two items on the table.

"Unless she doesn't want people to know her whereabouts, Ji Zheng lives in Eastern Capital and can easily open an elegant room in White Jade Tower, which means she is a regular customer. However, when she met me, she first sent someone to invite me, but did not reveal her true identity or name. She just didn't want people to know that she had contact with me. However, although I have some reputation in Jiannan, I am not well-known in Eastern Capital. What is there for people to be wary of?"

As Qiu Yan pondered this, he reached out and picked up the White Jade Paperweight.

"Thinking about it this way, we can deduce that Ji Zheng's real purpose was to prevent others from knowing that she was involved in the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse!"

Looking at the Paperweight in his hand, Qiu Yan recalled the Sage Paper in his mind.

Just now, Ji Zheng said she would repay the kindness with the Sage Paper and then take her Soul Entry into the Scholar Forest scholar's grove. Qiu Yan declined temporarily, citing the difficulty of making a decision and the need for further consideration. Afterwards, she took Hu Qi and Dai Guo to this inn to stay.

"The Sage Paper, the Soul Entry into the Scholar Forest scholar's world. If I don't join a certain academy, I can only accept Ji Zheng 'Eastern Capital gift. Even if she has other plans, it doesn't matter. Missing this literary event will always be a regret. However, there is still more than a month before the deadline, so there is no need to rush. Since I have come to the Eastern Capital, I the Essentials travel around and experience the culture of the Eastern Capital. Besides, the ancestral home of Chancellor Ma is here. Although he is in Prosperity Capital, it is only proper for me to pay him a visit."

Having calmed his mind, Qiu Yan gathered his thoughts and glanced back and forth between the Paperweight in his hand and the Jade Basin on the table.

"Before that, we need to uncover the mysteries of these two things and release the suppressed Literary Thought within them."

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan leaned slightly forward, his gaze falling on the Jade Basin, where he saw the Ginseng Baby sleeping soundly.

"The Ginseng Baby's actions are becoming increasingly unpredictable. Last time it carried a scroll of Sage Manuscript. Now it's carrying this Jade Basin. I wonder how it manages to do all this with its small body."

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Yan shook his head and gave up on asking.

The Ginseng Baby often hears the sound of reading, and its plump body is already full of Literary Thought. It can also Living Soul Spirit Projection, but its speech is simple and often fails to express its meaning. Even if it asks, it is difficult to get a clear answer.

Qiu Yan had seen this Jade Basin in Prince Yan's dream. It was related to the stolen Literary Thought and was placed in the king's study. Unexpectedly, the Ginseng Baby found it. With this item, it would not be difficult to remove the Literary Thought suppressed on the Paperweight. Therefore, Qiu Yan carried it with him, intending to use it to return the Literary Thought to the scholars. However, he had only managed to find the time to do so now.

Pulling himself back to reality, Qiu Yan glanced at the two characters on the front of the Jade Basin—

Northern Darkness)

Fashion may seem unremarkable in a dream, but when viewed with the naked eye, these two seemingly simple words reveal a profound, carefree, Transcendence state of mind.

" In the Northern Darkness there is a fish, its name is Kun. Kun is so large that no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans. It transforms into a bird, its name is Peng. The back of Peng is so large that no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans."

A thought flashed through Qiu Yan's mind.

This sentence is the origin of the word "Beiming". Ming, also known as Ming, refers to the sea, and Beiming refers to the sea in the north.

These words come from the inner chapters of the High Antiquity sage Master Xiaoyao. The reason this chapter has always been famous is because of a kind of life that lives in the Northern Darkness, namely Kunpeng.

When describing the Kunpeng, Master Xiaoyao said that it was "unknown how many thousands of miles it was," and that it could live in water and also transform into a bird.

"Anyone capable of transforming themselves must at least be at the Core-Forging Realm stage, having condensed False Core. If the Kunpeng truly exists, its cultivation level is naturally not low. However, to be able to support such a creature and allow beings from thousands of miles away to live within it, the vastness of the Northern Darkness is unimaginable. The words 'Northern Darkness' are inscribed on this Jade Basin; I wonder what its purpose is."

Thinking to himself, Qiu Yan followed the actions of the Prince Yan in his dream, raising his hand to put the White Jade Paperweight into the basin. However, he stopped at the rim of the basin, then stretched out his other hand, extended his fingers, focused his mind, and slowly inserted them into the Jade Basin.

Apart from the Ginseng Baby, the Jade Basin appeared empty to the naked eye. Qiu Yan stretched out his finger and lowered it towards the bottom of the basin, but he didn't feel anything touching anything along the way. However, he knew that this Jade Basin was not simple. With a calm mind, he focused his consciousness on his fingertip and released his perception.

However, nothing happened until the fingertips touched the Jade Basin.

Despite his doubts, Qiu Yan did not let his guard down and planned to continue his investigation using other methods. He reached in and tried to grab the Ginseng Baby and take it out. However, the moment his fingers touched the Ginseng Baby, he was suddenly jolted and felt as if a whirlpool had formed in the Jade Basin, pulling at his soul and trying to draw it in!

In a daze, the sound of reading aloud lingered in his ears. He looked around and saw that the walls of the inn were nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a vast ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see.

A chilling aura emanated from the sea, seeping in layer by layer, as if capable of freezing one's heart!

"Hmm? This is..."

Startled, Qiu Yan tried to calm himself down, but to no avail. He then tried to circulate the scriptures, but they were still shattered by the suction force. Finally, he used the Sage Spirit.

The two volumes of spirit emerged, each with its own doctrines and spirit, fixing Qiu Yan's soul and consciousness in place.

But the next moment, from the surrounding ocean, words came out, the first of which was " In the Northern Darkness there is a fish, its name is Kun", and then a series of words flew out, flowing and elegant, confronting the two volumes of the Sage Spirit!

As the standoff began, the suction force suddenly dissipated, Qiu Yan's mind returned to normal, and the boundless ocean around him vanished, restoring the scene of the inn. Then, with a grab and a lift, he took the Ginseng Baby out of the Jade Basin, and then with a thought, he retrieved the two scrolls of Sage Spirit, ending the standoff.

On the table, the Jade Basin sat quietly, seemingly unchanged.

In Qiu Yan's hand, the Ginseng Baby turned over, stretching its roots. As if waking from a deep dream, it wriggled a few times, fell from Qiu Yan's hand onto the table, climbed a few times, found a book to cushion its body, and lay still.

Qiu Yan looked at the Jade Basin, his expression shifting between light and shadow, lost in thought.

"The scene in the basin just now seemed like an illusion, yet it was somewhat different. And the last piece of writing that flew out could stand in opposition to the Sage Spirit... Could it be...?"

As he thought about it, his eyes lit up, and he reached out his hand again, but halfway there, Qiu Yan suddenly froze.

"Have you finally found Fire Sovereign?"

The Netherworld, the Fire Sovereign Domain.

This is a world made of flames, containing towns and human figures.

In the center of this fiery world stands a palace, with the three large characters "Fire Regent Palace" inscribed on its main gate, each character as fiery and ever-pulsating.

At this moment, within this palace, a figure radiating white light waits quietly. He is a Seventh-Rank Deity. Apart from him, no other figures can be seen in the vast palace.

After a while, a ghost servant hurriedly came from the inner hall. Upon seeing the Seventh Grade deity, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency. Divine Radiance messenger you brought has been delivered to Lord Fire Sovereign. However, Lord Huo Zheng is currently in seclusion studying Divine Ability and may not be able to respond immediately."

"That's alright, waiting a few days won't hurt," the Seventh Grade deity replied, then closed his eyes, and the aura of his entire Divine Body settled down, making him look like a divine statue, assuming a posture of waiting.

The gods are eternal. Ordinary people would be impatient to wait for an hour or two, but for the gods, even standing still for a year or two is just a blink of an eye.

This Seventh Grade deity was entrusted by the Prefectural God to come to the Fire Sovereign Domain to deliver a message. Normally, such a matter could be conveyed through telepathy, but the Prefectural God had doubts, so he sent him here so that this deity could see the Fire Sovereign in person before returning to report. Although the Prefectural God did not explicitly state these matters, those who are subordinates of the deity must figure them out themselves.

Upon seeing this, the ghost servant looked troubled. As a ghost of the Netherworld, he dared not inquire about matters of the gods. He could only bow, turn around and leave, passing through the corridor and turning around the palace buildings, arriving at the core area of the Fire Regent Palace.

Here, the flames are intense, crystallizing into stones. Firestones pave the ground, fire crystals form pillars, and flames create domes. Heart Fire is everywhere, and the heat is incessant. Ghost servants, unless they possess Fire Sovereign within their souls, would find it unbearable. As soon as they enter the core area, they will be burned to ashes by the flames.

Even so, he dared not venture further, stopping far away and prostrating himself, saying, "Reporting to Lord Fire Sovereign Official, the Well God has not left, but is waiting in the hall."

As soon as he finished speaking, a surging rage emanated from the depths of the flames—

"Hmm? Why so much trouble! You're interfering with my comprehension of the mysteries of the Divine Path! Right now, I'm about to begin my comprehension, but I don't have time to question you. Let's see what that message in the divine Divine Radiance is about, and then deal with it first."

As the voices spoke, the flames flickered, revealing Fire Sovereign dressed in court robes. However, compared to before, Fire Sovereign now disheveled, and his whole body exuded Chaos Intent!