A Figure in Azure Blocks the Way

A giant hand descended from the sky, like a mountain pressing down, making Li Lingsu feel suffocated by the pressure. She didn't even have the thought of running away or dodging; all she could think about was waiting to die.

Li Lingsu watched in despair as the sky was covered by a giant hand, his pupils filled with only golden light, and his consciousness sank into boundless darkness.

"Amitabha!"

The sound of chanting Buddhist mantras roused the holy son from his dazed state. He looked around blankly and saw a world shrouded in auspicious clouds, with brilliant golden light shining through the clouds in the sky.

A faint, indistinct chanting of Buddhist scriptures echoed in my ears.

In that instant, Li Lingsu's mind was clear and pure, without a single distracting thought, and she couldn't help but want to put her hands together in prayer.

Who are you, benefactor?

A magnificent and awe-inspiring voice resounded, and in the sky ahead, a colossal figure sat upright. The floating lotus platform was as large as a small mountain, and the white-browed Arhat sitting cross-legged on the platform was like a giant supporting the sky.

Li Lingsu felt increasingly insignificant and felt an urge to become a nun.

It wasn't that Li Lingsu lacked resolve; it would be strange if she could remain steadfast in her convictions while in the Buddhist realm, facing an Arhat.

Only the most unruly warriors can resist the allure of Buddhism.

"This humble Daoist priest is Li Lingsu, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect."

He State of Mind revealed his identity.

The precepts of ordinary Zen masters are traceable and require recitation, while the precepts of Arhats are intangible and without trace.

Where is Xu Qian?

"Qingxing Garden in the northern suburbs of Yongzhou City." Li Lingsu State of Mind betrayed her teammate.

Who is with you?

The Arhat who guides love smiles gently, without opening his mouth, yet his majestic and awe-inspiring voice echoes throughout the Buddhist realm.

"Luo Yuheng, the leader of the Human Sect; and Mu Nanzhi, the most beautiful woman in the Great Feng and the Princess Consort of Zhenbei."

Li Lingsu said, without even realizing it, that her voice had become sour.

What do you desire today?

"I wanted to seize the dragon's energy host, but I was too late; the master beat me to it," Li Lingsu said regretfully.

Why did I expose you?

The Arhat asked again.

"I don't know." Li Lingsu shook her head, then suddenly said with grief and indignation, "Xu Qian is a heartless scoundrel. I have been hardworking and respectful to him all the way, but he betrayed me at the crucial moment. I should have betrayed him sooner. Not only is he having an affair with Luo Yuheng, but the most beautiful woman in Great Feng is also his wife. Master, jealousy makes me repulsive."

Like a devout believer, he answered the questions of the Arhat who had saved him from suffering while explaining his own troubles.

The Arhat who had attained enlightenment slowly said, "Form is emptiness."

Li Lingsu felt as if struck by lightning; her jealousy vanished, and she murmured:

"Form is emptiness, form is emptiness."

He kept repeating it, as if he had gained some insight.

Inside the inn.

Master Xuancheng summarized the day's news and said:

"I've learned something: Xu Qian has been to Yongzhou before and seems to have close ties with the local Gongsun Lineage. I'll visit Gongsun Manor tomorrow."

After speaking, he looked at Bingyi Yuanjun, awaiting her intelligence.

Bingyi Yuanjun said calmly:

"These past two days, Buddhist School monks have been frequently appearing and wandering aimlessly. They should be resting in the Buddhist realm; I haven't found an opportunity to abduct or torture them for information."

Li Miaozhen sat cross-legged to the side, and redundantly summarized. "Today, the two of you have achieved very little."

Bingyi Yuanjun and Xuancheng Daoist gave her a cold look.

Bingyi Yuanjun said expressionlessly:

"After two years of traveling down the mountain, I haven't grasped the essence of detachment from worldly desires, but I've learned quite a bit of glibness and sophistry. It seems that solitary cultivation is quite necessary."

Ah, this is all Xu Qi'an's fault. Li Miaozhen quickly shut up.

As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." When she was leading troops in Yunzhou, she was still a proper saintess. After going to the capital, she spent half a year with a man surnamed Xu and gradually picked up some of his bad habits.

Just then, there was a knocking sound from the window.

The three members of Tianzong looked towards the window at the same time. Master Xuancheng waved his hand, and the window opened.

A sparrow flew in, perched on the table, and spoke in human language:

"My name is Xu Qian."

Xu Qianbingyi Yuanjun and Daoist Xuancheng exchanged a glance with expressionless faces.

For the Tianzong disciples, who are usually devoid of emotional fluctuations, this small detail was enough to demonstrate their surprise and importance.

Xu Qi'an?!

Li Miaozhen's eyes instantly brightened, her face radiant. The uncontrollable smile that had just appeared was quickly suppressed by her guilty conscience. She glanced cautiously at her master, and seeing that she wasn't being noticed, she immediately felt relieved.

"Heart Gu"

Bingyi Yuanjun examined the sparrow and, together with Daoist Xuancheng, performed a Daoist salute. "Greetings, fellow Daoist."

"Friends, fellow Daoists."

Xu Qi'an resisted the urge to bow with his wings, maintaining the demeanor of a superior. While Master Xuancheng and Bingyi Yuanjun scrutinized him, he also observed the two experts from the Heavenly Sect.

Master Xuancheng had a chest-length black beard and a pair of extremely majestic phoenix eyes, which unconsciously brought the image of Guan Yu to Xu Qi'an's mind.

Bingyi Yuanjun was a woman whose age was hard to guess. She possessed exceptional beauty and the voluptuous figure unique to mature women. Her temperament was cold and aloof, like a lifeless, exquisite puppet.

Her exquisitely beautiful face lacked expression.

As for the passionate young woman Li Miaozhen, Xu Qi'an glanced at her and then looked away.

He said slowly:

"Your sect's holy son, Li Lingsu, is currently traveling the world with me."

Master Xuancheng remained expressionless, his tone indifferent:

"Where is this wicked disciple?"

His coldness wasn't an expression of dissatisfaction, but rather a reflection of Tianzong's personality.

Xu Qi'an said, "Li Lingsu has been captured by Buddhist School Arhats."

After he finished speaking, he did not see any anger, shock, or worry on the faces of Bingyi Yuanjun and Xuancheng Daoist; the two elders of the Heavenly Sect remained expressionless as always.

This made Xu Qi'an question his own plan.

Could Li Lingsu really make two third-rank Heavenly Sect members decide to turn against Buddhist School?

Master Xuancheng said indifferently:

"Take it back."

"Please, fellow Daoist, recount the details of what happened."

Phew, you Heavenly Sect really are something else. Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief and pecked at the bird's head:

"If you don't mind, I'll come over in my real form to discuss this further."

Bingyi Yuanjun said in a flat tone:

"We await your arrival, fellow Daoist."

The sparrow pecked at its head, then flapped its wings and flew away.

In the clear pupils of Bingyi Yuanjun, the shadow of a sparrow flying away was reflected. She withdrew her gaze and transmitted her voice to Daoist Xuancheng:

He used the method of mind-controlling poison.

The possession of animals by the Primordial Spirit and the control of animals by the mind-controlling Gu are two different concepts.

The former's signature character is the orange cat Daoist priest, whose physical body is unable to move when he gets on the cat.

The Heart Gu is more like turning animals into clones, or manipulating their thoughts and emotions.

Master Xuancheng nodded and added:

"His Gu techniques are mediocre, not as powerful as we expected. This person's true cultivation level should be at the third rank."

Their previous assessment of Xu Qian was that he was at least a third-rank official, most likely a second-rank official, and certainly not a first-rank official.

Now that they've only met once, even if it's just a clone, it's enough for experts of their caliber to discern some clues.

Bingyi Yuanjun and Xuancheng Daoist made their judgment based on the fluctuations of the sparrow's Primordial Spirit, which was controlled by Xu Qian using the Mind Gu technique.

"Knock knock!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Master Xuancheng said loudly, "Please come in."

The lattice door opened with a click, and a young man in a blue robe stepped across the threshold and entered the guest room.

The pupils of Master Xuancheng and Lady Bingyi both turned transparent, and the Celestial Person and Man" mental technique was activated, giving Xu Qi'an a thorough understanding of things.

However, in the eyes of the two third-rank experts of the Heavenly Sect, Xu Qian was just like an ordinary person without any cultivation, and there was nothing unusual about him.

This is the biggest anomaly.

The "Unity of Celestial Person" mental cultivation method of the Heavenly Sect is a Law Technique for perceiving the heavens and earth and assimilating with nature.

The outward manifestation of this is turning everything around you into your own.

It is also an extremely sophisticated method of investigation.

However, despite their third-rank cultivation, they couldn't sense anything about Xu Qian's background.

Ordinary people?

Xu Qian could never be an ordinary person.

Master Xuancheng and Lord Bingyi nodded slightly and greeted them:

"Fellow Daoist, please have a seat."

Li Miaozhen's bright eyes were fixed on him.

The Flying Swallow Heroine tried to find traces of Xu Qi'an in Xu Qian, but she was disappointed. Xu Qian had a calm and gentle demeanor, possessing the air of a superior person, and was composed and reserved.

Xu Qi'an, on the other hand, has a lively and unconventional look, exuding a sharp and flamboyant youthful spirit.

"You're quite the actor. If I hadn't known your identity beforehand, I wouldn't have recognized you. No wonder Li Lingsu was completely fooled by you," she muttered to herself.

After Xu Qi'an took his seat, he met the cold gazes of the two experts from the Heavenly Sect and went straight to the point:

"To my shame, Li Lingsu was abducted by the Buddhist School because of me."

He then briefly recounted how he and Li Lingsu met by chance, traveled together, and the reason why Li Lingsu was captured by Luohan.

Here he made a change, saying that Li Lingsu was too impatient and was lured out by the other party using the dragon energy host as bait.

"Luohan was present at the time, and I was unable to help him. I could only watch helplessly as he was captured and nearly lost his life. It was a truly tragic scene."

Xu Qi'an spoke, he glanced at Daoist Xuancheng and Bingyi Yuanjun, and unsurprisingly, the two remained expressionless.

Xu Qi'an thought to himself that he could never see any emotional change on the face of the Tianzong Daoist, his gaze lingering on Bingyi Yuanjun's beautiful face for a moment.

Isn't this just like the emotionless girl from my past life's anime? Oh no, I mean, the emotionless auntie.

Master Xuancheng pondered for a long time:

"Fellow Daoist and the Buddhist School seem to be vying for dragon energy."

He was trying to get information about the dragon's aura from Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an nodded, and to show his sincerity, he said:

"Dragon energy is the spirit of the dragon vein. After the Great Feng Emperor was beheaded, it dissipated due to various unforeseen events. If dragon energy cannot return to its proper place, the Great Feng Dynasty faces the crisis of destruction."

Master Xuancheng nodded in realization.

He had discussed the dragon aura with Bingyi Yuanjun several times and had roughly guessed the truth. Now, with Xu Qian's confirmation, he was certain that his guess was correct.

Bingyi Yuanjun's comment in a flat tone:

"Buddhist School has always attempted to gain influence in the Central Plains."

Xu Qi'an followed up, saying, "I have come here to ask for your assistance in defeating the Buddhist School Arhats and Vajras and rescuing the Holy Son. It would be mutually beneficial for us to cooperate."

"Is Xu Qi'an really this arrogant now?" Li Miaozhen muttered to herself.

Master Xuancheng did not immediately agree. After a moment of silence, he said:

"According to what you've said, the Buddhist School has one Arhat, two Vajras, a third-rank warrior from the Heavenly Mystery Palace, and a group of fourth-rank warriors. How can we possibly defeat the Buddhist School and rescue the Holy Son?"

Bingyi Yuanjun then said:

"This matter should be reported to the Heavenly Venerable for his decision."

The people of the Heavenly Sect will not be bound by the bond between master and disciple. Saving the Holy Son is too difficult, so they will not hesitate to choose the safest method—to seek out the Heavenly Venerable.

It's difficult to provoke them into taking action by appealing to the bond between master and disciple or the camaraderie among fellow students.

No rush!

Xu Qi'an raised his hand, "Please let me finish before you make a decision. Actually, we also have a peak second-rank expert on our side, and you're probably familiar with him."

He didn't keep them in suspense, looked towards the door, and called out:

"Imperial Preceptor, please come in."

Bingyi Yuanjun, Daoist Xuancheng, and Li Miaozhen all turned to look at the door.

A few seconds later, the guest room door opened again, and a tall woman wearing a veiled hat and a Daoist robe entered.

She waved her hand, and the door closed automatically. Then, she removed her veil.

She was stunningly beautiful, but a faint sorrow lingered between her brows.

It was none other than Luo Yuheng, the leader of the Human Sect, a super strong expert at the peak of the second rank.

Finally, a slight change in expression appeared on the otherwise expressionless faces of Daoist Xuancheng and Lord Bingyi.

"Greetings, Head Daoist."

The three disciples of the Heavenly Sect performed a Daoist salute in unison.

Luo Yuheng nodded, sat down next to Xu Qi'an, and said softly:

"I'll take care of capturing the Arhat. Your job is to clear the way for me and hold off the two Vajras. No need for a death match, just keep them occupied as much as possible."

Xu Qi'an added, "Sun Xuanji from the Bureau of Astronomy will also lend a hand at that time."

Master Xuancheng and Lady Bingyi had no further objections; the former nodded slightly.

"Do you have a detailed and comprehensive plan?"

Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "No, no one knows about your presence yet. Speed is of the essence in war, so this is the best plan."

Li Miaozhen pretended not to know Xu Qian and listened silently.

She looked at Xu Qi'an, then at Luo Yuheng, and tried to recall carefully, but couldn't remember any deep friendship between the Xu family and the head of the Human Sect.

Outside Yongzhou City.

The group walked along the official road, which was muddy, with snow still covered in mud on both sides.

They were Ji Xuan's seven-person team, and the Buddhist School monks led by Jingxin and Jingyuan.

Left with no other choice, Miao Youfang was drawn into the group and left Yongzhou City with them.

Why leave the city?

The young man with the gun on his back, Xu Yuanhuai, frowned and asked.

"Because Buddhist School monks are compassionate and do not wish to harm the innocent."

Liu Hongmian replied with a smile, her tone and expression laced with sarcasm.

With a gentle smile, Junxiu Jingxin explained:

"Yongzhou is densely populated, and a major battle in the city is bound to result in heavy casualties. Chuzhou City in the northern border was razed to the ground in a melee among a group of third-rank experts."

"Moreover, Xu Qian is a government official; he certainly won't take the bait."

Xu Yuanhuai remained silent, seemingly accepting this explanation.

Miao Youfang couldn't hold back any longer and cursed:

"Kill me or torture me, go ahead. If I even flinch, I'm no hero. But before that, at least let me die knowing why."

He glared fiercely at Ji Xuan ahead:

"You're their leader, so you tell me, what have I done to you? Why did you chase me all the way from Qingzhou to Yongzhou? What's the point?"

"Did I sleep with your mother, or your wife?"

The old Daoist priest with banana leaves smiled and shook his head:

"You brat, you have no sense of propriety. If this were Qianlong City, your entire family would be executed just for those words."

"Alright, since you're curious, this old Daoist will chat with you."

"Boy, you've just reached the sixth rank, only one step away from forming a body of copper and iron. Let me ask you, how long did it take you from refining your spirit to achieving a body of copper and iron?"

Miao Youfang didn't understand why he brought this up, and said irritably:

"One month."

The old Daoist priest with banana leaves asked again, "How long did it take you to go from the Essence Refining Realm to the Qi Refinement?"

Miao Youfang scoffed dismissively:

"I started learning martial arts when I was nine, and I'm twenty-two this year. How long do you think it took me?"

He actually can't do math, and he's deliberately putting on a dismissive attitude to cover up that fact.

The old Daoist priest with banana leaves then asked:

"Whether it's Qi Refinement, refining the spirit, or even achieving a body of copper and iron, all of these processes are extremely time-consuming. Yet you only used one month to fill your Dantian and develop your Primordial Spirit. Now, divine light is faintly visible on your body."

"Don't you find it strange? Haven't you thought about the reason?"

Miao Youfang's expression suddenly froze. He quickly realized the reason and snorted:

"I'm exceptionally talented and intelligent, are you jealous?"

Ji Xuan turned around and chuckled:

"Speaking of talent, who here isn't better than you? If I'm not mistaken, your advancement along the way wasn't due to exceptional aptitude, but rather a series of fortuitous encounters."

Miao Youfang said in astonishment:

How did you know?

The old Daoist priest with banana leaves shook his head. "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. Do you understand?"

Miao Youfang fell silent, his brows furrowed, deep in thought.

Suddenly, he noticed that the group had stopped; these powerful men had come to a halt in unison.

Then, he stared intently at the official road ahead, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Miao Youfang glanced at the people around him, including Daoist Jiaoye and Liu Hongmian, all of whom had solemn expressions. The boy carrying the gun, however, had bloodshot eyes, as if he had seen his father's killer.

The beautiful woman beside the boy had a complicated expression and bit her lip in a very girlish manner.

Miao Youfang looked into the distance and saw a man blocking the road ahead.

He wore a fluttering blue robe and held a narrow-mouthed longsword.

P. S.: That's all for today. Going to sleep now. I'll add the next chapter tomorrow. Yeah, I'll try my best.