Chapter 322 : Connection with Heaven and Earth
Chapter 322: Connection with Heaven and Earth
Li Qingqiu stood atop the mountain peak, his gaze directed downward. In the central courtyard of the Heavenly Works Hall stood a grand and imposing array platform—it was precisely the main teleportation formation.
The main teleportation formation was octagonal in shape. The platform was constructed from special minerals, and eight stone pillars stood along its edges, each reaching a height of fifty feet. The pillars were covered in dense grooves, giving off an ancient and mysterious aura.
Many disciples of the Heavenly Works Hall were embedding spirit stones into the platform.
The Spirit Perception Realm disciples summoned by Li Qingqiu were already in position. Their expressions were solemn, all prepared for battle.
Regarding the existence of the northern Land of Demons and Devils, every Spirit Perception Realm disciple had already been informed in advance, so no one dared to be careless.
Li Qingqiu held expectations for this batch of disciples. The vast majority of them were Top Ten disciples from the Grand Dao Tournament, representing the future of the Clear Sky Sect. He hoped they could temper themselves through battle, just like Xue Jin, and become truly reliable members of the sect.
The reason he had not sent Yuan Li was that he regarded Yuan Li as a killing weapon, not someone to be dispatched everywhere.
At present, Yuan Li possessed outstanding cultivation aptitude and extraordinary comprehension. He could still grow stronger, rather than stopping here.
Thus, Li Qingqiu hoped Yuan Li would focus his energy on cultivation. Only when the sect truly needed him would he take action.
Li Qingqiu’s gaze fell upon Zhao Zhen and Ji Ya. For these two disciples, he actually held even greater expectations, feeling they should not be limited to their current level.
In truth, Zhao Zhen and Ji Ya were already outstanding. The former had slain two Spirit Perception Realm demons, while the latter had faced a demon tide alone. However, compared to Shen Yue, Xu Ning, Jiang Zhaoxia, Yun Cai, and Yuan Li, they always seemed just a bit lacking.
Li Qingqiu believed they still needed more combat experience.
Soon, the main teleportation formation activated. The platform trembled as the spirit stones on the eight stone pillars emitted dazzling, multicolored light.
At the signal of the Heavenly Works Hall disciples, Zhao Zhen led the group onto the platform, with the others following closely behind.
The platform was spacious—even with fifteen people standing on it, it did not feel crowded.
The platform began to radiate intense light, merging with the brilliance from the eight stone pillars. In an instant, the figures of the fifteen disciples were swallowed by the light. The platform trembled more violently, even causing Li Qingqiu to feel the ground beneath his feet shaking slightly.
Boom!
A dazzling beam of light shot up from within the Heavenly Works Hall, piercing straight into the sky and drawing the attention of many disciples.
Li Qingqiu could sense that the auras of Zhao Zhen and the others had suddenly vanished. He brought up the Dao Lineage Panel and saw that their portraits were still present, which reassured him. He then turned and went back to cultivate.
In the days that followed, the entire sect was discussing teleportation formations.
The Heavenly Works Hall moved quickly, continuously constructing array platforms and establishing connections with the sect’s various immortal cities and strongholds.
……
Autumn deepened.
In a sparse forest, Hu Yan sat cross-legged atop a rock. Scorching white vapor surrounded his body, causing his robes to flutter.
“So this is the legendary Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity, fearless against evil entities?”
A female voice rang out. Hu Yan opened his eyes, turned his head, and saw Zhu Qingling—who had entered the sect on the same day as him—walking over.
Now grown, Zhu Qingling was breathtakingly beautiful. In the evaluations of some idle disciples, she was even ranked among the Ten Great Immortal Beauties of the Clear Sky Sect.
Seeing Zhu Qingling, who looked like a celestial being, approaching, Hu Yan did not feel joy. Instead, he felt a headache coming on.
After all these years, Zhu Qingling greeted him every time she saw him, and he had no choice but to respond. Their relationship was not particularly close, but he was not a fool—he could sense that she paid him too much attention.
No matter how beautiful she was, Hu Yan did not want to be too entangled with the Zhu Clan.
Moreover, he already had Duan Xiaojuan in his heart. Although her appearance was not outstanding, their personalities were compatible, and he preferred spending time with her.
Of course, even disciples with unattractive appearances would gradually become better-looking after cultivating the Primordial Unity Scripture, especially in terms of temperament.
“Yes,” Hu Yan replied.
His Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity was no longer a secret, as he had occasionally gone to the Martial Arena over the years to hone his combat experience.
Any immortal cultivator could sense that Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity and Vital Energy were two completely different things.
Seeing her approach, Hu Yan withdrew the Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity into his body.
Zhu Qingling stopped in front of him and asked, “How confident are you about this Grand Dao Tournament?”
Hu Yan instinctively wanted to be modest, but recalling the teachings of his senior sister, he raised his brows and said, “For me, everyone else is a challenger.”
Zhu Qingling froze, clearly not expecting such an answer.
After saying it, Hu Yan actually felt a sense of relief.
So this was how his senior sister felt.
Because of his childhood experiences, his personality had become cautious and humble. Not only others—even he himself found himself rather dull.
He liked Duan Xiaojuan precisely because she was straightforward and cheerful, saying whatever came to mind.
He, too, wanted to become someone with sharpness.
“So that’s how you see it. Very good—I will challenge you,” Zhu Qingling said, her eyes burning as she stared at Hu Yan.
This surprised Hu Yan. Why did it feel like she had become even more enthusiastic toward him?
But now that things had reached this point, he no longer thought too much about it. He replied, “I won’t lose.”
Zhu Qingling gave him a deep look, then turned and walked away in another direction.
Seeing her leave just like that, Hu Yan did not dwell on it. He closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
The reason he cultivated outside instead of in his cave dwelling was because he could better sense the natural world.
He had discovered that his Righteous Qi of Vast Integrity had a certain connection with heaven and earth, and he was trying to understand that connection.
The exchange between Hu Yan and Zhu Qingling was merely a microcosm of the third Grand Dao Tournament. More and more talented disciples were declaring bold words, expressing their confidence, which made the atmosphere within the sect grow increasingly fervent.
On the other side.
At the lowest level of the Suppressing Evil Tower.
Yan Qing sat leaning against the wall, his gaze fixed outside the cell door. His eyes were unfocused. Though he appeared numb, there was still a trace of expectation in his heart.
He was waiting for that masked Clear Sky Sect disciple to find him again.
A long time had passed since that Illusory Realm—so long that he had begun to suspect it was fake. But the moment that thought arose, he forcibly suppressed it.
The Black Fiend Demon Monkey in the neighboring cell had already quieted down. That man named He Jinshu had injected something into the monkey’s body, and since then, it had become listless.
If Yan Qing could not still sense its aura, he would have thought it was already dead.
The miserable state of the Black Fiend Demon Monkey made Yan Qing realize that his time was running out.
At that moment, Yan Qing’s eyelids twitched. He seemed to sense something and suddenly stood up, crawling toward the cell door. To his delight, he discovered that the Black Fiend Demon Monkey had disappeared, and the other cells were also empty.
The Illusory Realm had come!
He stared at the darkness at the end of the corridor, his eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.
Soon, footsteps echoed from the darkness. Xie Shu, wearing a theatrical mask, gradually appeared in Yan Qing’s field of vision.
“You finally showed up! What have you been doing? Why did you make me wait so long?” Yan Qing demanded angrily.
Xie Shu said, “Tomorrow, the Clear Sky Sect will decide your life or death. The sect is too powerful, and now they’ve set up formations—I have no chance to rescue you. You must first submit to the Clear Sky Sect and accept the Life-Control Talisman. I have a way to remove it. Before that, stay obedient as a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect. Do not act recklessly.”
Hearing this, Yan Qing was enraged. He shouted, “Are you playing me? You want me to accept the Life-Control Talisman?”
Within the Heavenly Nether Sea, the Life-Control Talisman was no secret. He knew it was essentially unsolvable—unless the controller voluntarily removed it, it could not be forcibly undone.
Accepting it meant handing one’s life to another. How could Yan Qing accept that?
“If you refuse, then wait for death. He Jinshu wants to dig out your spiritual root,” Xie Shu said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Yan Qing panicked. In his eyes, He Jinshu was a madman. He might truly do such a thing. Even though Yan Qing had never heard of such an act before, he was now filled with fear.
Either die, or hand over his life.
If it were the Yan Qing who had just been imprisoned, he would definitely choose death.
But after enduring so many years of torment, how could he accept dying now? What would all that suffering have meant?
Moreover, this person claimed he could remove the Life-Control Talisman. What if he truly could?
Yan Qing fell into painful torment, while Xie Shu turned and walked back into the darkness.
The illusion dissipated. Sounds of heavy breathing came from the surrounding cells, indicating Yan Qing had returned to reality.
That night, he did not know how he endured it.
It was only when footsteps approached that he regained clarity.
He saw a handsome man he had never seen before walking toward him, followed by He Jinshu, Yu Lan, and a mysterious masked figure.
Looking at that masked person, Yan Qing inexplicably thought of Xie Shu—but he could not be certain, as their masks were different.
The one who came was Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu brought Chu Jing and the others to Yan Qing’s cell. He looked at Yan Qing and said, “I’ve heard that you are considered a genius in the Spirit Sea. Killing you outright would be a pity. Are you willing to join my Clear Sky Sect? If you are, accept my Life-Control Talisman. Once you earn enough of my trust, I will remove it. Otherwise, you can die now and spare yourself further suffering.”
He was direct—his words were exactly the same as Xie Shu’s.
Yan Qing opened his mouth. It felt as though all his strength had been drained. He became dispirited and weakly said, “I am willing to accept.”
Li Qingqiu did not waste words. He directly took out the Life-Control Talisman reforged by Wei Tianxiong and began casting the spell.
Chu Jing and the others were extremely interested in the talisman and watched intently.
Not long after, Yan Qing’s agonized screams echoed throughout the lowest level of the Suppressing Evil Tower—heart-wrenching and terrifying. Even the Black Fiend Demon Monkey in the neighboring cell trembled.
The other prisoners shrank into the darkness, trembling and not daring to show themselves.
After a long while.
Li Qingqiu stored the Life-Control Talisman into his storage pouch. Looking at Yan Qing lying in a pool of blood inside the cell, he said, “As long as you behave, the Clear Sky Sect will not treat you poorly. Perhaps one day, you will be glad for your choice. Looking back, this will be a blessing, not a disaster.”
With that, he turned and left.
Yu Lan and the others immediately bowed. Only after he disappeared into the darkness did they turn to face Yan Qing.
After leaving the Suppressing Evil Tower, Li Qingqiu headed straight up the mountain.
Taking Yan Qing in was not a helpless decision. Although he could not kill Yan Qing for now, Li Qingqiu had already formulated a series of plans. Yan Qing would be an important chess piece.
However, since he had accepted him, Li Qingqiu wanted to see what kind of panel this so-called Spirit Sea genius possessed—to dare claim invincibility within the same realm.