" Seventh Master, how's it going over there?"
After the opening ceremony, there was a celebration banquet. Taking advantage of the break, Chen Ying quickly found Shen Qi.
Shen Qi didn't look well; she appeared very pale in the sunlight, a stark contrast to when she left last night.
Wei Gongcheng also glanced at him with a puzzled look. Shen Qi had been recuperating very well in Liuzhou, especially with the nourishment of the spiritual liquid from the South Mountain Bluebird Nanshan. Both his physical body and spiritual power had returned to their peak state. He had also been cultivating his inner energy very well these days. What happened in Great Azure Mountain that caused his complexion to suddenly become so poor?
"Yes, I understand the situation over there." Shen Qi nodded, his tone as calm as ever. "Every year at this time of Ziyue, the Yin energy of the moon surges, which is why there's a burst of Spirit Energy."
"Then, Seventh Master, what's wrong with your health?" Chen Ying asked hurriedly.
"Oh, it's nothing." Shen Qi shook his head and said, "I went into the barrier to take a look and was injured by the Yin energy, but it's alright. That guy is just physically unstable, and he doesn't seem to have any intention of making a move."
Upon hearing this, Chen Ying recalled for a moment, and it seemed that the other party's Spirit Energy fluctuations these past few times were due to physical instability, but they hadn't shown any malice. So it seemed it was just a false alarm?
"And you two?" Shen Qi asked, looking at the two of them. "How's the situation on your end?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ying quickly replied, "We haven't found any problems yet. During the opening ceremony, we deployed a large number of personnel, even bringing Yuchi Feihu was still recovering from serious injuries, to the scene. The security was very tight, and there has been no disturbance so far. Senior Wei also didn't see the evil creature that Seventh Master mentioned!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qi looked at Wei Gongcheng.
Wei Gongcheng glanced at Shen Qi, whose complexion was weak, and frowned slightly, but still cooperated and said, "I have been monitoring that girl named Shen Xue the whole time as you asked, but I haven't found anything unusual. There is no so-called evil energy overflowing from her body, nor any special magical energy fluctuations. She seems normal to me all day, except that she is a little weak."
"Really?" Shen Qi stroked his chin, somewhat puzzled. "This shouldn't be the case. Could it be that the evil creature has sensed us? This might be troublesome."
"Can't your Thousand Eyes detect it at all?"
"I already said its illusions are extremely realistic," Shen Qi said with a wry smile. "If I could find it, would I need to ask you to monitor it?"
Wei Gongcheng nodded. "That's true."
"Let's take it one step at a time," Shen Qi shook his head. "I'll go back and rest for a bit; the Yin energy in this Ziyue is quite overwhelming."
"Good"
Watching Shen Qi walk away step by step, Wei Gongcheng stared at the spot where the other had left, remaining silent for a long time.
"What's wrong, Mr. Wei?" Chen Ying asked curiously.
"It's nothing." Wei Gongcheng shook his head, then smiled and said, "It's just that Seventh Master seems a little different today."
"Oh? What's different?" Chen Ying was taken aback. "Isn't your way of speaking exactly the same as before?"
"Hmm, maybe I'm overthinking it. You go to the banquet first, I'll look around outside, maybe I can find some clues about that evil thing."
"Then I'll trouble you, sir."
"It's just my job."
After Chen Ying left, Wei Gongcheng immediately entered the Yin Realm. Feeling the familiar power of the Yin Realm, he felt a little more at ease.
Seventh Master
Wei Gongcheng's face darkened, and he quickly began to traverse from the Yin Realm. In about a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the foot of Great Azure Mountain.
As Shen Qi said, the barrier of Great Azure Mountain was now stable, and there seemed to be almost no problems from the outside. Wei Gongcheng glanced at it but did not approach. He stared at the barrier from a distance. It was still as green and full of vitality as before, but he dared not get close.
After hesitating for a quarter of an hour, he began to walk around Great Azure Mountain and came to a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain.
Upon opening the door, a strong smell of alcohol filled the air, and there were uneaten meat worms on the table.
Wei Gongcheng walked over. There were two wine bowls on the table, placed opposite each other, just as he had thought. Given Shen Qi's cautious nature, in the absence of outside help, the old man Hei Yun was a free helper.
Hei Yun was probably absent because he accompanied Shen Qi to Great Azure Mountain, but now that Shen Qi has returned, why hasn't Hei Yun come back?
In fact, he had already suspected it. Shen Qi was a very cautious person, thanks to his technique, which required careful observation to be effective. Therefore, Shen Qi had a strong ability to observe and often noticed extremely subtle details, just like how he sensed the evil creature next to Shen Xue.
Would such a meticulous and cautious person recklessly run into the barrier and let Ziyue hurt him?
Isn't he afraid that Ziyue might go berserk and kill him?
After all, he was the legendary number one sorcerer!
Then there was that tone just now, as if he couldn't find the evil thing. That's not something Shen Qi should say. Shen Qi is someone who seems gentle and humble, but is actually extremely competitive. This can be seen from every time he plays chess with me. His desire to win is far stronger than Shen San and Shen Er. Such a person would not say such things.
We can basically conclude that either Shen Qi has a problem, or it's not Shen Qi at all!
But whether it was the former or the latter, Wei Gongcheng knew that he could not easily enter Great Azure Mountain. Otherwise, if he disappeared like Shen Qi and Hei Yun, the situation in Liuzhou would completely collapse. This was the master's rear base. He had thought so highly of him back then, and now that he had gained so many benefits, he could not easily let this rear base fall.
Is there any way to explore Great Azure Mountain without taking any risks?
And it's unlikely to be noticed?
Wei Gongcheng thought of something and began searching the room.
Hei Yun is a cunning fellow. When he was hiding with Chen Qing, he kept tricking his honest cousin Wei Gongzhan gathering information.
He remembered that the Hei Yun were connected to Wei Gongzhan's ranged magic.
Where is it?
Given Hei Yun's vigilance, he wouldn't carry such a location-tracing technique on his person, as that would give the other side a chance to pinpoint his location. Therefore, that guy must have inscribed the technique somewhere, and whenever he wanted to contact Wei Gongzhan, he would use that technique to make Wei Gongzhan come down the mountain.
He searched the room but couldn't find it, which made him a little anxious. But then he thought about it and realized that the other party probably wouldn't have placed the spell in such an obvious place.
Where could that be?
After sitting and thinking for a while, he suddenly realized that the old man had developed a hobby after coming here: fishing.
The river at the foot of Great Azure Mountain is very wide, a large river, and fish often swim down from the Great Azure Mountain. These fish, which are said to possess a spiritual quality, are Hei Yun's favorite. He often catches them to enjoy with his drinks. Many passing merchants know him and would bring some things to exchange for his fresh fish.
Upon realizing this, Wei Gongcheng immediately teleported to the riverbank and searched for a suitable fishing spot along the river for a long time before finally finding one.
At a secluded fishing spot, there was a fluctuation of magical energy. Upon closer inspection, a bloodstone was found, inscribed with intricate magical formulas.
This is it.
Wei Gongcheng used his mental power to get closer. This spell was definitely a universal spell, not a special spell formation. Given that old guy's personality, he wouldn't have allowed Wei Gongzhan to use the spell formation method.
Sure enough, the spell began to rotate, connecting a direction. Wei Gongcheng watched the spell nervously, hoping that he was just guessing.
But what brought him to despair still happened.
There was no response from the other end!
If he guessed correctly, the other end of this communication technique should be engraved on Wei Gongzhan's body, which is why Hei Yun was able to have Wei Gongzhan available whenever he called.
If this spell doesn't elicit a response, it means something might have happened to Wei Gongzhan!
"Don't eat him!"
In a cave, a chubby, adorable little girl stood blocking the entrance, glaring angrily at the people outside.
Wei Gongzhan lay inside the cave, his body a bloody mess, barely breathing.
"This little girl is quite fierce." Murong Yunji approached with a smile, giggling as she looked at the flustered little girl.
"Alright." A stunningly beautiful woman behind her spoke softly, "She's young and easily teased. If she unleashes the Golden Crow Flame, it won't be a joke."
"Tsk tsk, such a child, yet possessing such talent, truly enviable." Murong Yunji shook her head, then looked behind her. "Then what should we do? Just let that person live? Don't forget, Chen Qing is not what he used to be. Even if he leaves, there are still many people in our forces who can threaten us. Not to mention, just the several Underworld leaders from the Shen Family combined are worth half of the Nine Ministers!"
"Just keep an eye on him," A Li said nonchalantly. "A mere immortal farmer, how could he possibly escape?"
"Whatever you want." Murong Yunji shrugged. "I don't recommend it. Sometimes, even the smallest detail can be the key to a mistake. In my opinion, it's better to just slap it down completely. At worst, you can give the little brat a treat."
A Li glanced at the sulking Xiaoli, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook her head. "That girl is stubborn; one piece of candy won't appease her."
Seeing that she couldn't reason with Murong Yunji, she didn't dwell on it and asked about something else, "Is that thing in Liuzhou City really reliable?"
"Unreliable."
The one who spoke was a weak-looking Ziyue. She looked at Murong Yunji and said, "To be honest, if it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't want to contact it at all. It's even more dangerous than you."
"Wow, that's quite a high compliment!"
"Hopefully, that guy will behave himself in Liuzhou," Ziyue said, looking at the Liuzhou City. "Just like you said, Chen Qing's power is not what it used to be. If we don't take it easy, we'll all die here!"