Chapter 541 - 477: Confrontation
The ruins.
TAP.
The soft click of a high heel echoed.
A beautiful woman, graceful and poised with eyes like tranquil pools of water, walked down the corridor.
A silver hairpin was tucked askew in her hair. She wore a form-fitting, teal-and-gold qipao that accentuated her bewitching, delicate face and her lithe, graceful figure.
Her long, slender legs, as if exquisitely carved from ivory, were half-concealed, yet radiated a luminous, jade-like pallor that was utterly captivating.
It was Qinghua!
A remnant of the Blood Moon Demon Palace, using the Candle Python Cave as her cover!
She was suspected to be the avatar of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, her background unfathomably deep!
THUD.
The sound of heavy footsteps rang out.
Several suits of animated armor appeared around the corner of the hallway.
Sensing an intruder, these temple guards—their minds long since clouded, transformed into monsters—still faithfully carried out their duties, charging forward with weapons in hand!
A fierce wind howled!
A heavy, powerful Nail Hammer came crashing down!
These suits of animated armor were generally Tier 4, and their weapons possessed special effects.
Moreover, they were incredibly tough. If several of them coordinated a simultaneous assault, even a great cultivator at the late or perfected stage would find them troublesome.
But Qinghua’s expression remained unchanged.
With a flicker of her Divine Sense, she raised her hand solemnly.
"Decree: Absolution."
Like a light cloud or a silken tassel, a silver decree flew from her hand.
The suits of animated armor were pierced by the decree, and in an instant, their bodies froze.
Physical damage could not harm them, but the technique contained within the decree posed a fatal threat to such creatures!
CLANG.
The suits of armor, along with their weapons, crashed to the ground with a dull thud.
Qinghua’s gaze was indifferent. She swept her eyes over them once and paid them no further mind.
’This Supreme True Talisman Decree is quite effective against these undead things.’
Qinghua thought.
The beings inside the animated armor had died long ago. Their flesh had completely decayed and fused with the armor itself.
It was only through the corruption of the Dao Source that they were able to exist to this day and retain their ability to move.
And that was precisely why as long as Qinghua used the decree to grant salvation to their souls, the animated armor would be instantly vanquished.
’Therefore, even though this body is only at the Late-stage Golden Core, as long as I’m careful, these ruins pose little threat to me.’
’Heh... Having this body train in the Supreme True Talisman Decree was truly a good move... Originally, I only chose it because this Cultivation Technique has no connection to the Demon Palace, simply to avoid suspicion.’
A smile touched Qinghua’s stunningly beautiful face.
The charm in that fleeting moment was enough to make all living beings fall in love.
However, that hint of pleasure vanished as quickly as it came.
’What is there to be happy about? All I did was kill a few mindless fools.’
’The Dream-Keepers... What on earth are those guys planning?’
’It’s been so long since I entered the Volcanic Grotto Heaven, yet they haven’t contacted me at all?’
Qinghua murmured to herself.
A hint of worry was hidden between her brows.
She had originally thought that with the Sun-Shining Divine Spear in her possession, these otherworldly deities would have no choice but to submit under external pressure.
But unexpectedly, not only did her last attempt end in failure, but this time, after she entered the Grotto Heaven and even the ruins, she still received no response whatsoever.
Their attitude was deeply thought-provoking.
It caused Qinghua’s previous confidence in her certain victory to waver.
’Could it be...’
’...that these old monsters have some other trump card up their sleeves?’
’But the Founder’s manuscripts never mentioned anything of the sort... Given the Founder’s Divine Techniques, his judgment must have been correct.’
’Could it be... that some change occurred during the time the Grotto Heaven was sealed?’
Qinghua pondered, a sense of urgency flickering through her thoughts.
The scheme involving the Volcanic Grotto Heaven was crucial for her, and for the restoration of the Blood Moon Demon Palace!
’After all, in the current Yaoguang, this is the only Tier 5 Spirit Vein I can scheme for.’
’The Hidden Spirit Vein controlled by the sect has been all but depleted over the past eight hundred years. It was stretched to its limit just to support me in reaching the Nascent Soul realm. There’s no way it could support a second Nascent Soul...’
Qinghua sighed.
As a native of this world, Qinghua understood the rules of the Cultivation Realm perfectly: the strong are revered, and power is supreme!
The fundamental reason for the Blood Moon Demon Palace’s destruction wasn’t that they went against the natural order or lost the people’s support. It was that their Divinity Transformation Ancestor, the Blood Moon Demon Monarch, had perished!
If the Demon Monarch were to be revived, with the Divine Techniques of a great Divinity Transformation cultivator like him, factions like the Jade Void Sword Sect and the Star Casting Hall... even if they banded together, they would all be slaughtered to the last man!
In an instant, the Blood Moon Demon Palace could make a king’s return and reclaim its golden age!
But that was obviously a pipe dream.
It wasn’t that resurrection techniques—Divine Techniques of that level—didn’t exist.
But reviving a Divinity Transformation cultivator?
Even if it cost her her life, Qinghua couldn’t do it!
Even if she found another Divinity Transformation cultivator, there would be no guarantee. It was simply impossible!
But thankfully, the Sword Master of the Jade Void Sword Sect had not achieved Divinity Transformation either.
So, as long as Qinghua could nurture a few Nascent Soul cultivators, stir up internal strife in the sea regions, and fish in troubled waters, there was still a chance of restoring the Demon Palace!
And that was the goal of Qinghua’s plan.
But nurturing a Nascent Soul cultivator required a Tier 5 Spirit Vein. And it wasn’t a matter of simply using it; it required permanently sacrificing a portion of the Spirit Vein’s origin.
Only then could one achieve the Nascent Soul realm!
But in the current Yaoguang, an ownerless Tier 5 Spirit Vein was incredibly hard to find... The Volcanic Grotto Heaven was the only place Qinghua could count on!
"Tsk..."
’What a pain...’
Qinghua sighed.
Suddenly, a massive BANG exploded by her ear.
The ground trembled violently, as if the very earth and mountains were shaking.
"Hm?"
Qinghua’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She stopped in her tracks, her expression turning wary.
A commotion like this meant whoever was coming had ill intentions.
"Heh..."
Her cherry-red lips parted as she chanted silently, forming a silver decree that she held concealed in her hand, ready to be unleashed at a moment’s notice.