Chapter 725: Suppressing Earth Qi
By noon, Qi Xuansu returned to his office and spoke via his mind voice. “Elder Lin, where was the original exit of the underground palace that you were in? I’ve been rethinking it—that Yin-Yang Gate in Qian Xiangyun’s study must have been modified by her. After all, people from your era didn’t have that many cannon models. How did she enter the underground palace before that?”
Lin Yuanmiao replied, “There were originally two exits from the underground palace. One was destroyed, severing all connection to the surface. The other is the Yin-Yang Gate you came through, which was originally a back door. If you know the exact location, you can connect a temporary Yin-Yang Gate to the underground palace’s permanent one. As for how Qian Xiangyun knew how to open it, I’m not sure. But I’m certain she only knew the surface mechanism. She couldn’t open the Yin-Yang Gate on her own, so she must have had a formation diagram. The cannon models on the shelves were merely used to hide it.”
Qi Xuansu understood. It was similar to when he opened the Ghost Kingdom’s Yin-Yang Gate. The Ghost Kingdom’s location was fixed, but the other end of the temporary gate could vary. He could open one outside the Jinling Prefecture or outside the Imperial Capital.
The so-called formation diagram was essentially a large talisman. It was the true key to the gate, functioning like an address, much like Madam Qi’s sigil.
The cannon models were a decoy used to obscure the diagram. Since Qian Xiangyun fled in a hurry, she could not take the diagram with her.
Qi Xuansu thought that next time, he might retrieve the formation diagram and claim a whole underground palace for free.
Of course, he could also turn it over to the Daoist Order. But Qi Xuansu did not have that kind of selfless spirit.
If he were truly upright, he should have dug out the Longevity Stone Heart and returned it to Madam Qi. While he was at it, he could report her too. Then he would go confess his crimes, admit to being a member of a secret society, and end up imprisoned beneath the Demon Suppression Tower, perhaps even accompanying Yue Liuli. Or he could just kill himself in guilt.
However, Qi Xuansu could not do it.
Besides this underground palace left by Sage Changchun, there was also the Tongzhen Palace left by Master Tongzhen Daling, Lin Lingsu.
Most of the old cultivator caves had already been excavated by the Daoist Order. Some were even open to the public for disciples to worship and tour. But Qi Xuansu had never heard of Tongzhen Palace, which meant it had slipped through the net.