Grandmaster Secret Artifact

"Have the people from the Heavenly Policy Mansion not arrived yet?" Prince Qing stood on high ground, gazing down toward the foot of the mountain.

The Heavenly Policy Mansion was the Great Gan Dynasty's institution specifically responsible for handling matters involving martial sects. By rights, the matter of North Spring Mountain should have been received and handled by them.

"This old servant already sent word to urge them, but Grandmaster Zhou, the mansion lord, has gone to Hexi Province. Of the Twelve Heavenly Catchers, seven were originally stationed in the Capital City, but four followed him to deal with the Crimson Dragon Cult.

"Shangguan Yundun, ninth on the Black List, was executed a few days ago. The remnants of the Heavenly Remnant Gate, along with many people from the Black List, secretly gathered in the Capital City and nearly succeeded in breaking someone out of prison the night before last.

"The Minister of Punishments was found to be colluding with the Mystic Demon Sect and secretly providing them with assistance. By the time they tracked him down, he had already fled without a trace.

"The Princess's Wedding is imminent. His Majesty was furious and ordered that they be captured within three days and that the Capital City be purged. Lord Wu, who was originally meant to come, could only postpone his journey," steward Qin Hu said helplessly.

Prince Qing frowned. "Can't even one person be transferred here? The Imperial Guard alone will not do when it comes to dealing with martial sects."

"Lord Li of the Demon Suppression Division has already been arranged to come, but the earliest he can arrive is tomorrow afternoon."

Prince Qing sighed helplessly. The Imperial Court had too few Grandmaster-level experts, while Grandmaster retainers were retainers in name only; whether they acted depended entirely on their own wishes. The Imperial Court's power to deter others had greatly diminished, and all manner of demons and monsters had begun popping up one after another, constantly probing its bottom line.

"Let's go back to the courtyard. The Green Luan Gate will be coming up the mountain soon. We should at least receive them properly."

"This old servant can handle such a matter. They are merely a sect elder; with Your Highness's status, how could you—"

Prince Qing raised a hand to stop his steward. "It will do no harm to meet them. We will still need these martial people to contribute to the Demon Realm Seal."

"So it really was about the Demon Realm Seal?" Gu Yuanqing murmured softly. He knew very little about this matter, but with nothing happening in the mountains, he naturally wished to take a peek. He shifted his gaze toward the Green Luan Gate again.

A short while later, the group of women reached the mountaintop.

"So this is North Spring Mountain? I heard it was even a Forbidden Ground. It doesn't look like much to me. Compared with the scenery in our Green Luan Gate, it falls short by more than a little," said a young girl in a long green dress as she looked around.

"Dan Ruotong, watch your words!" Elder Guo turned back and reprimanded her coldly.

The girl in green stuck out her tongue and muttered under her breath, "But it's true."

A woman beside her giggled softly. "Junior Sister Dan, how can the former grounds of a sect that was wiped out compare to our Green Luan Gate?"

The girl in green nodded in strong agreement. "Senior Sister Ji is right."

The Prince's Residence steward Qin Hu had already arrived before the archway at the mountaintop entrance. Smiling, he cupped his hands. "Elder Guo, Elder Qi, esteemed fairies of the Green Luan Gate, this way please. Courtyards have been prepared for you on the mountain. Once you have set down your luggage and rested a little, the Prince has prepared a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."

The girl in green moved close to Elder Guo and whispered, "Master, you really have face. Prince Qing, the War God of the Great Gan Dynasty, is actually going to receive you personally."

Elder Guo shot her disciple a fierce glare, then returned the salute with cupped hands. "We have troubled General Qin to wait for us."

"I am no longer any sort of general. I am merely an ordinary steward at the Prince's side." Qin Hu smiled as he stepped aside and gestured for them to proceed.

Led by Qin Hu, they arrived before a courtyard, beside whose gate a sign bearing the name of the Green Luan Gate had already been erected.

The courtyard was spacious, easily enough to house more than a dozen people. Once the women of the Green Luan Gate had been assigned their rooms, servants brought hot water for them to wash away the dust of travel.

Afterward, the two elders of the Green Luan Gate followed Qin Hu to Prince Qing's courtyard.

Prince Qing waited at the entrance to the main hall. After a round of pleasantries, they took their seats inside.

"For the Green Luan Gate to send both elders this time, I am deeply grateful."

"Your Highness is too courteous. The Demon Realm Seal is of great importance. Our Sect Leader originally intended to come personally, but there are too many affairs within the sect for him to get away. Thus, only the two of us could bring the sect's Grandmaster Secret Artifact here."

Prince Qing smiled. "Sect Leader Zhao has the common people in his heart, a model for the Righteous Path among sects. Both elders are True Martial Experts. With the secret artifact here, there should be no problem."

The two elders exchanged glances. Elder Guo then asked, "This is originally a duty that falls to us sects. However, in the Imperial Court's message, it was stated that our disciples would be permitted to use the Demon Refining Array to draw Demonic Qi and temper Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha. Your Highness, forgive our presumption, but does this still hold?"

"The Imperial Court will naturally keep its promise. Rest assured, elders. Once the Profound Heaven Sect arrives and sets up the Sky Mending Array, we will use the Grandmaster Secret Artifacts as a foundation to transform the world's Vital Energy and repair the Seal. At that time, the disciples of your esteemed sect may enter and temper Heavenly Gang."

"A secret artifact? So that means every sect that came once had a Grandmaster."

Gu Yuanqing's gaze fell upon the flexible sword coiled around Elder Guo's waist. Its aura was completely unlike that of ordinary weapons; vaguely, he could sense within it a Qi similar to that of Living Beings.

"If I am not mistaken, this is the Green Luan Gate's Grandmaster Secret Artifact."

Legend had it that before a Grandmaster's lifespan ran out, before their Dao Embryo completely dispersed, they would strip out the Profound Martial Secret Treasure within it and seal it into an object that had accompanied them day and night and been steeped in their aura.

That object would then possess a trace of a Grandmaster's power, able to transform the muddled and mixed energies between heaven and earth into pure Vital Energy. Yet a Grandmaster Secret Artifact could not be activated without the Mental Method of the same lineage as its sect.

"This may be why the Imperial Court invited these sects here. Repairing the Seal requires the world's Vital Energy. Either a Grandmaster must act, or these Grandmaster Secret Artifacts must be relied upon."

"I wonder how the Secret Sword in the North Spring Sword Sect's secret chamber differs from a Grandmaster Secret Artifact."

Having obtained what he wanted to know, Gu Yuanqing no longer fixated on observing the Front Mountain and turned his mind back to his own cultivation.

He immersed himself in the Spiritual Mountain Trial and began sparring with others again.

After his transformation of heart last night, he found that his spiritual senses had become sharper in battle. He was now truly capable of fighting someone at the Profound Martial Ninth Layer.

Though he still lost more often than he won, Gu Yuanqing believed that with only a little more time, he would be able to win steadily. After that, he could face a Grandmaster head-on!

The people on North Spring Mountain gradually increased again. By the second day, North Spring Mountain seemed to have regained the bustle of several days prior.

The Green Luan Gate, Spirit Ape Sword Sect, Vast Sea Valley, Peerless Gate, Flying Feather Pavilion, and Profound Heaven Sect all arrived on North Spring Mountain.

Li Beiyan, the commander of the Demon Suppression Division, finally arrived as well. He took over the responsibility of negotiating with the sects, and Prince Qing finally withdrew to the second line, no longer managing affairs and appearing only on important occasions.

On the third day, all the people from these sects went down the mountain. Gu Yuanqing could not "see" the scene below, but he could guess that they had gone to deal with the damaged Seal.

Gu Yuanqing spent most of his days cultivating, yet in his spare moments, he still used Mountain Observation to watch the front courtyard and learned much about the martial world from these sect members.

Beyond that, whenever these people cultivated, he could not help but peek at them a little.

One had to know that most of the disciples who had come this time were elite disciples from their respective sects. The techniques they cultivated and carried were all first-rate secret arts of their sects. Though they might not compare with Gu Yuanqing's own Cultivation Method, they broadened his horizons regarding the path of cultivation and gave him new ideas for deducing his subsequent techniques.

These gains were something he had never expected. Looking at the sect disciples one after another on the Front Mountain was like looking at one experience bundle after another.

The affairs of the Front Mountain had nothing to do with him. From time to time, people came to the back mountain, but Imperial Guard soldiers naturally stopped them.

Until the sixth day, two young men dressed in fine brocade stood before the courtyard on his Front Mountain.

The tall young man on the left pointed at the courtyard and asked, "Who resides in this courtyard?"