Qingran Breaks the Incantation

Kang Dabao didn't know whether what these water beasts said was true or false, but these water beasts, led by E Yuan, didn't seem to be entering this water vein for the first time.

They led Kang Dabao and the others in a different direction, and after about half an hour, they arrived at the forbidden area that was said to lead to the Moonlight Palace.

E Yuan, in a muffled voice, flicked his tail towards the restriction. "I urge all fellow Daoists to exert their utmost efforts."

Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Kang Da became somewhat disappointed. "You thought they had some clever tricks up their sleeves, but it turns out these water beasts only know how to use brute force to overcome skill?"

Jiang Qing gripped the hilt of his sword, his phoenix eyes sweeping across the water beasts opposite him, lost in thought.

Kang Dabao wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he noticed that over the years, whether it was due to his own temperament or deliberate imitation, Jiang Qing, the Sword Immortal of Double Brightness Sword Immortal, was becoming more and more like the Daoist Black Shoes.

The handsome swordsman observed for a while, then whispered, "Senior Brother, be careful. The One-Horned Poison Pufferfish and the Six-Eyed Sage Widower are not a threat, but the lead Jade Crocodile and the Purple-Whiskered King Tuna beside it require extra caution. Fellow Daoist Zhang was injured by the Purple-Whiskered King Tuna's tentacles earlier. In my opinion, that beast probably didn't use its full strength then."

"Purple-Whiskered King Tuna?" This was actually the first time Kang Dabao had ever seen such a rare aquatic beast. Such aquatic beasts were rarely found in Cloud Horn Prefecture. Even the few records in works like "A Preliminary Explanation of the Spiritual Creatures of Cloud Horn Prefecture" compiled by the Chongming Sect himself were vague.

However, judging from the depth of its aura, it was only slightly inferior to E Yuan among the four water beasts.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, was much more cautious than Jiang Qing and would not underestimate any of the four water beasts.

The One-Horned Poison Pufferfish had a single black horn that was as sharp as a flying sword, and its smooth skin was covered in venom, even staining the surrounding spring water dark. It was clearly a creature not to be trifled with.

The Six-Eyed Sage Widower Widow's cultivation level is already at the Second-Tier Upper-Grade. Its two eyes on its forehead can shoot poison lines, its two middle eyes can spray water columns, and its two eyes under its chin can spit out lightning. It is still a very troublesome opponent.

As for the Purple-Whiskered King Tuna and the Jade Crocodile E Yuan, whom Jiang Qing was wary of, their abilities were naturally far superior to the two beasts mentioned above.

However, in Kang Dabao's view, these four beasts were not only the leaders of the many water beasts in the Jade Lake, but they also clearly held a condescending contempt for the other water beasts in the Jade Lake.

As for the other Second Tier water beasts they encountered on the road, these four beasts also treated them very poorly, showing no sign of affection whatsoever, their eyes filled with the same disgust that an ordinary person would have for a pig.

This kind of gaze is usually reserved for high-level cultivators when looking at mortals and low-level cultivators.

"Are the other three beasts also 'Spirit Awakening' Demon Beast? They just brought out E Yuan to speak with us?" Kang Dabao figured his guess was pretty close, but Crocodile E Yuan spoke again, "Sect Leader Kang?"

Kang Dabao smiled faintly, raised his sleeve slightly, and said softly, "Fellow Daoist, please go first."

E Yuan didn't say anything more. He waved his tail lightly to the three beasts beside him in greeting, and said in a deep voice, "Then we'll start by offering our initial thoughts."

After speaking, the four beasts moved in unison. In an instant, the scene was filled with: a sharp horn, unstoppable; six piercing eyes, dazzling in their brilliance; purple whiskers, swift and powerful; Jade Crocodile, masterful in water, dominating the scene.

"Good heavens, if we really had to fight them, we'd most likely lose." Sect Leader Kang Da, watching from the sidelines, sighed, "No wonder these water beasts chose me to do business with them!"

These four beasts are indeed quite capable, but the restrictions on the path to the Moonlight Palace are clearly much stronger than the restrictions on the path to Jade Lake that Kang Dabao and the others had tested earlier.

After a period of noisy clanging and banging outside the barrier, the smoke and dust dissipated, and the layers of magical restrictions returned to their original state.

A hint of surprise appeared in E Yuan's eyes. He greeted Kang Dabao and the others, saying softly, "Greetings, fellow Daoists." As he spoke, E Yuan and the other three beasts uttered a strange syllable. A moment later, another twenty or so water beasts of varying cultivation levels surrounded them.

Seeing this, Kang Dabao and the other three no longer held back, lest they attract the disdain of these water beasts.

Under such circumstances, dozens of beams of magical light bombarded the barrier relentlessly, and finally a crack appeared on the surface of the barrier. Encouraged by the shouts of power, the water beasts worked even harder, and more and more fine cracks appeared on the barrier. E Yuan's eyes showed an extremely human-like look of excitement.

"For over a thousand years, no beast from the Jade Lake Lineage has been able to enter the Moonlight Palace. Today, I, E Yuan, can finally make my way!"

The sound of the barrier breaking was particularly pleasing to the ears of the beasts, but the four beasts, led by E Yuan, were not completely blinded by this enthusiasm.

Other dazed and confused Demon Beast were spurred on to break through the restrictions, while the monsters patiently lay dormant underwater, observing the situation.

Having Demon Beast as pawns is certainly a good thing. Yuan Xiyue has been manipulated quite frequently lately, so it's good that Sect Leader Kang Da can use them sparingly now.

Half an hour later, a Second-Tier Lower-Grade Jade Crocodile returned from the exit, chirped a few words, and reported the news to E Yuan.

"Sect Leader Kang, the boys have all gone to check. There are no outsiders in the main hall of the Moonlight Palace, so it's very safe." E Yuan's tone couldn't hide his joy.

Kang Dabao was still not entirely convinced. When everyone followed the four beasts out of the water, the eldest daughter of the Yuan Household family was still placed first by the Sect Leader Kang Da.

Only after emerging from a gurgling spring with the beasts and stepping into a lavishly decorated palace did Kang Dabao murmur in amazement, "So this is what the Moonlight Palace looks like!"

"Fellow Daoist Crocodile, where should we go next?" Sect Leader Kang Da asked hesitantly, having composed himself.

Hehehe,

So this beast can also sneer. Kang Dabao thought to himself, then heard E Yuan say, "After crossing the Puppet Covered Bridge and the Broken Dao Soldier Palace, we will arrive at the place where Guanyu stayed in the Moonlight Palace, the Ice-Drinking Chamber."

Inside are some of his treasures, most of which will likely be contested by others. Fellow Daoists, please don't be blinded by the treasures. Remember, our immediate priority is to obtain the key to open the stone gate."

"What you say is very true, fellow Daoist. We, Kang and the others will not forget it." Sect Leader Kang Da agreed verbally. He was very good at doing this kind of thing, which was both beneficial and cost-effective. Then he gave Jiang Qing a very subtle wink.

Having been fellow disciples for three or four decades, Jiang Qing and Kang Dabao's tacit understanding goes without saying. With just a slight gesture from the latter, Jiang Qing understood his senior brother's meaning.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Even if Demon Beast can speak human language, it is still Demon Beast, the most cunning and ruthless, so how could one easily believe it? When the time comes, if there is any treasure to be obtained, Kang Dabao unilaterally tore up the agreement he had previously made with E Yuan, but he felt no guilt whatsoever.

How could you possibly convince Sect Leader Kang Da to abandon the Golden Core Formation Pill or the Evergreen Vine just because of the bare teeth of a Jade Crocodile?

Just then, Zhang Qingran, whose expression had been normal, felt the cinnabar on her right wrist glow, and her face turned crimson. The female cultivator immediately became anxious, but she did not hide it from Jiang Qing, who had been by her side.

"What's this?!"

At this moment, Yuan Feng, who had just broken through the Dao Soldier Palace with the Daoist Black Shoes, stopped what he was doing. The red rope around his fair neck glowed with a barely perceptible light, which surprised the young master of the Yuan Household who had just casually tried it out.

"My little darling is still alive, and even managed to enter the Moonlight Palace at this time? Does that mean there might be more than one way to enter the Moonlight Palace from the palace gate?"

This fellow was very gloomy. Seeing that the others beside him did not seem to notice anything amiss, he pretended nothing had happened and remained silent.

Little did he know that Zhang Qingran's probing action had stirred up a huge uproar.

"This female cultivator is connected to those cultivators who entered the palace before her?!" E Yuan's vertical pupils flashed with a fierce light, and the auras of the other three beasts also rose steadily.

"Fellow Daoist, don't panic, it's just a misunderstanding." Kang Dabao stood in front of Zhang Qingran, stopping E Yuan's pressing steps. At this moment, he still didn't understand what the cinnabar in Zhang Qingran's hand was, but he knew that he absolutely couldn't let E Yuan and the other beasts devour Zhang Qingran.

It wasn't that he was determined to save Zhang Qingran's life, but rather that this female cultivator was connected to Moon Fern, whom he cherished dearly. If she were to disappear again, he didn't know where to look for her.

Furthermore, if we allow these beasts to run rampant without restraint, our cooperative relationship with them will be meaningless.

Since they were already at a disadvantage in terms of strength, they were truly like fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others.

"Fellow Daoist Kang, this journey concerns the long-cherished wish of my Jade Lake Lineage for thousands of years. This matter is of utmost importance and cannot afford the slightest mistake. I urge you to show some sincerity and not let a woman damage the trust between us." E Yuan spoke politely, but the fierce glint in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Sect Leader Kang Da urged urgently, "Fellow Daoist Crocodile, please wait! This Fellow Daoist Zhang is the only one among us who can comprehend the Second Tier Body-Cleansing Formation Plate. If anything were to happen to her, wouldn't your clan's thousand-year-old dream just vanish like a bubble?"

After pondering for a moment, E Yuan said in a deep voice, "It's alright. I will destroy the female cultivator's physical body and imprison her soul in Law Artifact. Within a month or so, I should be able to keep her mind clear, which will be enough for her to analyze the formation."

Ironically, this actually helped her escape the restrictions imposed by others, allowing her to be reincarnated sooner.

"That beast!" Kang Dabao cursed inwardly. This E Yuan was even more ruthless than he had anticipated! He then pressed Jiang Qing 'Sect Leader Kang Da half-drawn flying sword back into place, and turned back to mutter, his voice tinged with reproach. "Fellow Daoist Zhang?"

Zhang Qingran's face flushed red, and she stammered, "This... this..."

"This is the 'virginity mark' that Yuan Feng planted for her," Yuan Xiyue, who had been observing coldly, spoke up at the opportune moment, making no attempt to cover for Zhang Qingran, and stated bluntly:

"Yuan Feng has planted it for each of his concubines. It is impossible for Zhang Daoyou not to know about it. I am afraid that he is lucky, so he has not spoken to Daoist friends and others along the way."

Upon hearing Yuan Xiyue's words, Zhang Qingran immediately abandoned her previous coy demeanor and earnestly said, "Sect Leader Kang, I truly did not intend to conceal anything. Please forgive me!"

"Forgive? This stupid woman!!" Kang Dabao's small eyes widened, filled with anger. He glanced at the lurking E Yuan and other beasts before he refrained from lashing out on the spot.

"Fellow Daoist Kang?!" E Yuan raised his voice, and the water beast that had come with him followed closely behind. It was clear that if the Jade Crocodile leader became dissatisfied, the fragile alliance that had just been established between the two sides would crumble in an instant.

Should we hand Zhang Qingran over to the water beasts for a meal, or risk fighting them for such a foolish woman?

For a moment, Kang Dabao was at a loss for what to do.

"Sect Leader Kang, I do indeed have a solution." Yuan Xiyue finally found an opportunity to negotiate, and could no longer hold back, she spoke frankly.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, you seem to have forgotten something!" Kang Dabao's anger intensified. These foolish women really thought he, the Sect Leader Kang Da, was one of those lust-blinded fools. How dare they even make demands at a time like this?

As Sect Leader Kang Da lightly incantated, Yuan Xiyue felt an invisible force seep into her flesh, threatening to crush her heart.

Yuan Xiyue suppressed her pain, her face resolute. "If Sect Leader Kang does not grant my request, even if I perish at your hands right now, I will never reveal the solution."

"This woman's suddenly standing up to me now?!" Kang Dabao was even angrier, but E Yuan on the other end had already noticed something was wrong. "It's a good thing these human cultivators aren't a united front. If they were truly in cahoots, dealing with them later would probably require a lot more effort!"

Thinking of this, the fierce glint in E Yuan's eyes faded considerably. Its tone had calmed considerably:

"Fellow Daoist Kang, time is precious and cannot be wasted. I'll only give you fifteen minutes. If you handle this well, we can talk about anything. If not, don't blame the Jade Lake Lineage for being ruthless."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Crocodile, I, Kang, will handle this matter well." Although this beast had seen through the rift between the four of them, Kang Dabao felt much relieved upon hearing E Yuan's softened tone.

E Yuan led the beasts away temporarily, and Sect Leader Kang Da also released Yuan Xiyue's Yang Blood Heart-Locking Incantation. At this moment, the female cultivator's eyes were unfocused, and she felt as if she had finally come back to life.

Grandmaster Zhang Yuandao was known for his ruthlessness when leading troops in the Imperial Guard. The Yang Blood Heart-Locking Incantation he created for barbarians was so potent that it was unbearable for ordinary people.

"What does Fellow Daoist Yuan intend to do?" Kang Dabao demanded. Yuan Xiyue had cultivated the Wisdom Consort Aspect many years, and it had long been ingrained in her skin and bones. Even without her intentional actions, others could feel that she was naturally alluring and could not look away.

At this moment, Yuan Xiyue had not yet recovered, and her beautiful face had a look of Xi Shi clutching her heart, making it difficult for people to hide their pity.

"I have freed Fellow Daoist Zhang from the spells Yuan Feng set up, and I also beg Sect Leader Kang to show mercy and lift the curse on me." The eldest daughter of the Yuan Household spoke softly and gently, but it was not difficult for others to hear the resolute intent in her words.

The reactions varied. Zhang Qingran almost forgot her own predicament, her eyes brimming with urgency; Jiang Qing lowered her eyes, clearly weighing the pros and cons, and remained silent.

Kang Dabao looked at Yuan Xiyue intently for a while before saying in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Yuan, please do as you wish. I, Kang, grant your request."

Yuan Xiyue's expression remained aloof. After hearing that Sect Leader Kang Da had agreed, she seemed not to be afraid that the latter would go back on his word. She gracefully moved to Zhang Qingran's side, examined the cinnabar on the latter's right wrist for a while, and remained silent for a long time.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan?!" Having been locked away by this cinnabar for nearly twenty years, Zhang Qingran had been waiting for this day for an unknown amount of time. Now that she was at this critical juncture, she could hardly contain herself.

Yuan Xiyue gently comforted him, "Fellow Daoist, don't be anxious. Yuan Feng followed Heshan to cultivate for over half a century in his early years and was taught a fragment of the Cosmos Rank, Lower Grade cultivation Cultivation Method, 'Mysterious Female Devil-Nurturing Cultivation Method'. He can plant no fewer than a hundred kinds of 'virginity-protecting marks' on female cultivators. Please allow me to test it out first."

After she finished speaking, a peony thorn emerged from the flower crown on the female cultivator's head and gently touched Zhang Qingran's virginity mark.

A streak of crimson blood appeared on her jade-like arm. Yuan Xiyue and murmured softly for a while. The peony thorns had absorbed the blood. After a long while, the thorns burst open, leaving behind a trail of lingering fragrance.

After carefully examining the sample, Yuan Xiyue finally spoke, "Yuan Feng has put a lot of effort into this, Fellow Daoist. He used the blood of a heron as a catalyst to prepare the cinnabar, and then refined a needle from the sacrum of a fresh Second Tier tiger. He then applied the cinnabar to your sample on a yang year, yang month, yang day, and yang hour. In that case, Fellow Daoist must have been born with the Fragrant Mist Physique?"

"The Fragrant Mist Physique?" Kang Dabao, being so ignorant, had never heard of it before. But seeing Zhang Qingran's flushed face after Yuan Xiyue's words revealed it, he knew that this spirit body was probably similar to Feng Wan's Clear Spirit Physique, which was suitable for tonifying.

So what if it's suitable for tonifying the body? The Daoist priest doesn't have time to prepare it right now.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, let's not talk about anything else. Is there any way to break this? Our time is running out." Seeing that E Yuan was frequently peeking towards them, Sect Leader Kang Da asked.

Zhang Qingran, being a cultivator herself, quickly lost her initial embarrassment. Seeing Yuan Xiyue's confident demeanor, she couldn't help but remind her again:

"Yuan Feng once said that he was very careful when he applied the sand, and there is a hidden secret in this 'Guardian Sand'. If I dare to ask someone else to break this sand for me, I should first think about whether I can keep my life after the sand is broken."

Yuan Xiyue nodded without refuting, but explained, "He certainly meant well, but in the entire Jingnan Yuan Household, even Ancestor Buwen, perhaps no one understands Yuan Feng better than I do."

Kang Dabao's eyes lit up with a strange light. Yes, this eldest daughter of the Yuan Household knew that Yuan Feng coveted her century-old virginity, so how could she not secretly seek ways to retaliate?

Yuan Xiyue turned her gaze away from Zhang Qingran and faced Sect Leader Kang Da, earnestly saying, "I am absolutely confident that I can break this method, but there is one thing I do not yet possess, and I must ask Fellow Daoist Kang for it."

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, please speak freely."

"That makes things easy! Fellow Daoist Yuan, what do you want from me?"

Half an hour later, the red rope around Yuan Feng's neck, who was meditating with his eyes closed, began to glow incessantly, almost disrupting his breathing. Before the young master of the Yuan Household could stop it, the red rope had become extremely hot.

Yuan Feng suddenly opened his eyes, frowned, and quickly chanted Mnemonic: "Imperial Edict"

With a "sizzle," the red rope around Yuan Feng's neck flew up, carrying a layer of tender flesh, and burst open after flying a distance of about ten feet.

"Which scoundrel ruined the cinnabar I planted for my little darling?!" Yuan Feng was furious, ignoring the bleeding wound on his neck. If there hadn't been others around, he would have already exploded on the spot.

Even though he suppressed his anger, the commotion could not be hidden from those around him.

As an ally, Yue Lan was naturally the first to express his concern. "Fellow Daoist Yuan, what happened?"

Yuan Feng naturally wouldn't tell Yue Lan about such troublesome matters, so he forced a serious expression and casually brushed it off. Chu Yanran and the others, who had noticed something amiss, also came over.

Hearing Yuan Feng's perfunctory words, Chu Yanran was quite blunt and, disregarding Yuan Feng's disheveled appearance, said, "In that case, let's move on as soon as possible."

The Mountain-Viewing Cave has been open for more than a third of the time. Since all of you fellow Daoists have recovered from your injuries, it's not advisable to linger here any longer. We should head towards the Ice-Drinking Chamber.

After Chu Yanran said this, everyone responded, including Yue Lan, who was an ally of Yuan Feng.

Yuan Feng was furious upon hearing this. He glanced at Yue Lan and thought angrily, "There's no other way. If we can't find Little Darling after we find Toad Dew and Osmanthus Fragrance, then we'll have Chu Yanran and my sister use their essence together."

"I hope this female cultivator's spiritual essence is purer, and not too much less refined than my little darling's, lest it ruin my important task of achieving core cultivation."