Luo Ling took a step forward and stood in front of Qin Tiexin.
She happened to be stuck between Duan Jinyang and Qin Tiexin. After all, Duan Jinyang was emotionally unstable at the moment. Once monk Golden Core Peak lost control, a casual blow would be enough to kill Body Refining Realm's Qin Tiexin on the spot. She didn't want the apprentice she had finally rescued to be damaged here inexplicably.
Duan Jinyang also noticed his gaffe.
He rushed all the way from the ruins of the Blood Pond and waited outside the meeting hall for nearly an hour. Knowing that the only survivor was reporting the situation inside, and that the jade pendant that most likely carried his daughter's true spirit was also inside, he kept guard at the door.
I was worried about whether my daughter's true spirit could be saved, and I was also afraid that the only clue would be cut off in front of me. After waiting for an hour, I felt anxious in my heart, and I couldn't suppress it the moment I saw Qin Tiexin coming out.
He took a deep breath, took half a step back, and cupped his hands towards Luo Ling: "Elder Luo, I'm sorry."
Although Duan Jinyang is the leader of the Golden Sun Sect and Golden Core Peak is a cultivator, Luo Ling is at the same level as him, so he doesn't dare to show off in front of Luo Ling.
"Sect Master Duan." Luo Ling saw him retreating, so he stepped aside halfway and cupped his hands.
Daughter? Zhenling Jade Pendant? Surnamed Duan? Qin Tiexin had a rough guess in his mind, but he still asked, "Who is the senior?"
Duan Jinyang's eyes passed over Luo Ling's shoulders and landed on Qin Tiexin's face. He did not pretend to be a sect leader, but simply said, "I am Duan Jinyang, Golden Sun Sect master. My daughter is Duan Xuan."
Sure enough.
Qin Tiexin had thought before that Duan Xuan carried that level of life-saving Law Artifact, and her status within the Golden Sun Sect could not be low. But she did not expect that her father was the sect leader of the Golden Sun Sect.
He originally planned to wait for Wind and Snow Pass's war to end and then go to the Golden Sun Sect himself to send the jade pendant back. However, not long after he came back, they already came to his door.
Duan Jinyang seemed to have sensed the spiritual power fluctuations of the jade pendant, but his eyes still restrained and stopped at Qin Tiexin's chest, without using Divine Sense to directly explore.
He asked again, this time in a lighter tone than the previous sentence, "My little friend, is my daughter's true spirit jade pendant... with you?"
Qin Tiexin did not hesitate, and directly reached into his arms with his left hand and took out the jade pendant. The Spirit Rune inside the jade pendant was still flowing slowly, and the shadow at the core shook slightly. The moment it approached Duan Jinyang, the aura of the jade pendant clearly brightened for a moment.
He carefully held the jade pendant in his palm and handed it over.
Duan Jinyang took the jade pendant, pinched a Method Formula with his right hand, and drew three runes on the jade surface with his fingertips. The Spirit Rune inside the jade pendant lit up and then went out in sequence, and the shadow trembled slightly under the pull of the runes.
His fingers paused on the edge of the jade pendant for two full breaths, and then he slowly took it back, put the jade pendant against his chest, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.
"It's the true spirit of Xuan'er. It's a little sluggish, but the foundation is not broken." He put the jade pendant in his arms, looked up at Qin Tiexin, clasped his fists and saluted, "Thank you, little friend."
He took out a heavy Spirit Stone bag from his sleeve and handed it over with both hands. Qin Tiexin glanced at the bag, stretched out his left hand, and gently pushed the bag Spirit Stone back.
"Senior, Duan Xuan and I are friends who fight side by side. This is what I should do." His tone seemed to be a matter of course, "It's a pity that I failed to protect her in the end. It is the junior who apologizes to you for letting her become like this."
Duan Jinyang looked at his action of pushing Spirit Restoration the stone, and heard the guilt hidden in his last sentence. His eyes stopped on his face for a moment, and then he slowly shook his head. "Everyone has his own destiny, little friend. You don't have to blame yourself. It's a blessing that Xuan'er's true spirit can be preserved."
When Qin Tiexin heard these words, he paused for a moment, then took out a palm-long piece of dark brown wood from the storage ring. The wood was tight, and the growth rings on the cross section were so fine that they were almost countless, and the surface had a very light oily sheen.
"Senior, this is Soul-Nourishing Wood. The grade is not high, but the effect of Nourishment's true spirit is good. Duan Xuan is in its current state and can be used very well."
Soul-Nourishing Wood is not precious, but it is extremely hard to find - it only grows in ancient tombs that are over a thousand years old or in dark wood forests deep underground. It is basically not seen on the market. This part of the collection of an unknown monk was acquired by True Person Xueying, and finally ended up in the hands of Qin Tiexin.
Duan Jinyang took the Soul-Nourishing Wood, rubbed his fingertips on the wood grain, and his eyes lit up for a moment. The grain direction and age of this Soul-Nourishing Wood are good. Together with Secret Method from the Golden Sun Sect, Duan Xuan can recover faster.
"Thank you, little friend." Duan Jinyang did not refuse, taking Soul-Nourishing Wood into his arms and putting it together with the wooden box of the jade pendant.
Qin Tiexin took out another storage ring. The surface of the ring was engraved with fine patterns, and a small dark green jade was embedded in the ring. He held the ring in the palm of his hand and handed it to Duan Jinyang, "This is Duan Xuan's previous storage ring. Senior, you can wait for her... and then return it to her."
Duan Jinyang took the storage ring, Divine Sense glanced at it and saw his daughter's long whip at a glance.
The whip body was neatly coiled, and traces of her habitual grip still remained on the handle. There were a few pieces of clothing and some sundries stacked next to it. In addition, what caught his attention the most was a fist-sized silk thread next to it, with a dark red sheen like Lava flowing on the surface.
It was the treasure Duan Xuan found in the underground palace, Blood Silkworm Gold Silk.
He took back Divine Sense, held the storage ring in his palm, and looked at Qin Tiexin for a long time.
When he looked at Qin Tiexin again, his eyes were completely different from before.
It was not only a father's gratitude to his benefactor, but also a kind of recognition that he rarely showed to the young monk. He took out a token from his arms, which was the size of a palm and was dark golden in color. On the front, there was a relief of a scorching sun, and on the reverse, the word "Golden Sun" was engraved in simple seal characters. There was a small Spirit Rune around the edge of the token, and golden light was flowing slowly in the depth of Spirit Rune.
"This is my guest token of the Golden Sun Sect. With this token, you can seek help at any branch in the Golden Sun Sect. In case of trouble, you can mobilize the subordinates of the Golden Sun Sect. resources." Duan Jinyang handed the token to Qin Tiexin, "If you have free time in the future, you can come to the Golden Sun Sect as a guest. I will welcome you personally."
"Thank you, senior." Qin Tiexin looked down at the token in his hand, put it in his arms without refusing.
"Senior, how long will it take for Duan Xuan to recover?"
Duan Jinyang pondered for a moment, "According to Secret Method of the Golden Sun Sect, the true spirit needs Nourishment about a year. Reshaping the body requires several rare materials, and it will take some time to prepare them all. If it's quick, you can be alive in a year and a half. If you are free by then, you can come to the Golden Sun Sect to see her."
"Junior will remember."
Qin Tiexin nodded.
A year and a half is not a long time for a monk, and it may be just a time for seclusion. He cupped his fists and saluted, and Duan Jinyang returned the salute solemnly, and then raised his hand to Luo Ling: "Elder Luo, Duan will take his leave first. If you can use the Jinyang Sect in the future, just send someone to summon you."
"Sect Master Duan walk slowly." Luo Ling returned the gesture with fists.
Duan Jinyang said no more, the flying sword under his feet rose, and his whole body turned into a golden stream of light, speeding toward the southwest against the clouds. The golden light soon disappeared into the gray-white light and shadow of the skyline.
Qin Tiexin watched the golden light disappear completely into the clouds, and then withdrew his gaze. He stood there in silence for two breaths, and unconsciously pressed the inner pocket of his chest with his left hand. The jade pendant had been handed over to Duan Jinyang, but there was still a faint coolness left in that position on his chest.
A year and a half is not long.
When Qin Tiexin and Luo Ling walked out of the door of the meeting hall, the sky outside had darkened. Gray clouds pressed over Wind and Snow Pass, and snowflakes leaked from the gaps in the clouds. They fell on the city wall and were melted by Spirit Rune, evaporating a very light white mist.
The entire Wind and Snow Pass has completely changed its appearance. The Spirit Rune on the city wall is no longer the faint glow before, but has been activated to the extreme. Every line is dazzlingly bright, and the blue-white aura spreads along the direction of the wall tiles to form a dense network of light.
There were at least three times more guards on the city wall than usual. Every few steps there was a monk standing with a weapon, facing the darkness outside the gate. Under the city wall, there were monks urgently checking the spiritual power output of the array eye nodes. Some were carrying boxes of talismans and elixirs, and some were installing additional protective array plates on the city gate.
The patrols shuttled through the streets with fast and urgent steps. Several Golden Core-level auras emanated from the depths of the pass, each guarding at different directions. The entire Wind and Snow Pass was like a startled giant beast, waking up from hibernation and slowly showing its fangs.
At the same time, deep inside Devil Domain Forest.
In the meeting hall of Black Stone Fortress, dozens of Devil Marshal were making a fuss.
"Xueying That guy hasn't sent any news back yet, so I just said that the human race is unreliable. Who will fight the feint attack to the west?"
"Why are we fighting? The human race may have laid a trap outside the east gate waiting for us."
"Trap? Wind and Snow Pass There are only a few Golden Core. We have thirty Devil Marshal here, and we can crush them even in a frontal attack!"
"Has your brain been burned out by Flame Demon? Have you forgotten how many people died in the last attack? Once the gate protection formation is opened, you can't even get in!"
Sheng Xiao'er sat at the top, one leg crossed over the other, holding a green Yingying spiritual fruit in his hand, taking a small bite, and casually glanced over the Devil Marshals who were quarreling.
Liu Qing stood beside her, with a respectful posture, his hands folded in front of him, and his eyes lowered.
In the corner, Youlun was lying low on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. The pressure of any Devil Marshal present was enough to make him breathless. Dozens of them came together, and the pressure almost crushed him. He lay on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold stone slab, sweat dripping from his chin, forming a small puddle of dark water on the ground.
Helisi slapped the stone table in front of him with a heavy palm. The entire black stone table instantly turned into powder, and stone chips scattered everywhere. The quarrel in the hall stopped abruptly.
"That's enough." His voice was not loud, but every word was like hitting an anvil with the back of a knife, "This is a rare opportunity for our clan in the past hundred years. Wind and Snow Pass is like a bastard with a shell. We usually hide behind the city wall and we can't chew it. It's rare that Lord Sheng Xiao'er is sure to help us open the city gate. Is it possible that we will fall short because of an omission of an internal agent?"
He looked around the audience and glanced at every Devil Marshal face. "That human named Xueying, whether he has broken through Nascent Soul or not, whether he can still appear outside the west gate, we must attack."
No one answered in the hall. He added, "Don't you want to be promoted to Devil King?"
As soon as the words "Devil King" came out, the breathing of dozens of Devil Marshals became heavier at the same time.
The difference between Devil Marshal and Devil King is that Devil Race is like a chasm. No matter how strong Devil Marshal is, he is still a general who charges into the battle. Devil King can leave the front line and go to the center of the demonic domain to receive blood training, and then gain the qualification to enter the holy city of Central Heaven Great Region.
There is only one shortcut to promotion to Devil King: a large number of high-level human monks Essence Blood.
Seeing that everyone basically reached an agreement, Helisi turned around and handed over to Sheng Xiao'er: "Please start the attack plan."
Sheng Xiao'er looked at the expressions of greed and fear on the faces of the demons, and a contemptuous smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She threw the core on the table and raised her fingers in the corner.
"Come here."
All Devil Marshal's eyes were fixed on the weak Devil Race huddled in the corner.
Youlun was so overwhelmed by dozens of gazes that he could hardly stand still. He shivered and got up from the ground, his knees weakened twice, and he managed to stand upright by holding on to the stone wall. He moved step by step in front of Sheng Xiao'er, knelt heavily on one knee, took out a three-foot-square jade plate from his arms, and raised his hands above his head.
There are hundreds of light spots densely arranged on the jade plate. Most of the light spots are arranged along a nearly straight track, with only a few scattered outside. Each light spot is flickering slightly, like some kind of sleeping life.
Sheng Xiao'er pressed his palm on the jade plate. In an instant, the entire jade plate and all the light spots on it were dyed deep pink. The pink light was so thick that it was almost substantial, surging and flowing on the surface of the jade plate, like a layer of living liquid. Very fine pink threads began to separate between the light points, connecting with each other, weaving into an increasingly dense network. The air in the hall trembled slightly as those pink threads unfolded.
The corners of Sheng Xiao'er's mouth raised, and his eyes were astonishingly bright under the pink light.
"Let's get started."