Chapter 101: True Martial Earth Palace
Everyone looked at Qin Yun as if he were a dead man.
What sort of place was the Blood Demon Pool?
It could be called ten deaths without life!
There were great terrors within, as well as great opportunities; it was the Demonic Sect Forbidden Ground and also one of the Demonic Sect’s strongest foundations.
Generally speaking.
If there were Gang Yuan Realm experts in the Demonic Sect whose great limit was approaching, they would proactively apply to enter the Blood Demon Pool. If they could come out alive, eight or nine out of ten could step into the Heavenly Human Realm, extending their lifespan by four hundred years, but the vast majority would dissolve within, becoming nourishment for the Blood Demon Pool.
Over generations like this, even the people of the Demonic Sect did not know exactly what dangers lurked in the Blood Demon Pool.
Qin Yun was very young, having just stepped into the Gang Yuan Realm not long ago, and now he actually wanted to proactively enter the Blood Demon Pool—this left everyone baffled.
Suddenly.
Someone thought of a rumor.
Qin Yun had entered the Gang Yuan Realm by using a peerless secret technique to burn his lifespan.
One by one, gazes turned to Qin Yun’s white hair hanging over his shoulders, and combining that with his action today of entering the Blood Demon Pool, they immediately believed it several degrees more.
“If you can smoothly come out from the Blood Demon Pool, this seat will personally request the Sect Master to allow you to become a candidate for Holy Son of our Sacred Sect!” Ghost Mask laughed and promised. He felt that Qin Yun had peerless talent, and if he could undergo metamorphosis from the Blood Demon Pool, he could stand at the pinnacle of the world.
Hearing this.
The congregation all perked up in spirit.
The position of Sacred Sect Holy Son was currently vacant. If Qin Yun could come out alive from the Blood Demon Pool, he would become a major contender for the Holy Son position.
But the congregation did not refute.
Everything would depend on Qin Yun coming back alive from the Blood Demon Pool. In the Blood Demon Pool, one had to comprehend the true meaning of the Sacred Sect to protect themselves; otherwise, it was ten deaths without life. If Qin Yun could safely return, it would mean his loyalty was not an issue.
Naturally, no one would question it.
Qin Yun bowed in salute:
“Thank you, Vice Sect Master!”
He kept his head lowered, his gaze complex.
Striving for three years’ time for the True Martial Sect was already the limit of what he could do; it was better than suffering an assault from the Demonic Sect right now.
After this, if he died in the Blood Demon Pool, then naturally all would be at rest, and he could not care about more. If he could come out alive, leading the team himself, perhaps there would be other turning points.
Ghost Mask’s cold voice echoed through the great hall:
“Halt the action. Heavenly Human Realm experts will temporarily rest and not act. The various major forces and halls under the Sacred Sect, Gang Yuan Realm and below, may act freely.”
“Understood!”
As the doors of the great hall slowly closed.
Ghost Mask sat upon the throne and suddenly asked leisurely:
“What do you think of this child Qin Yun?”
“His talent is not bad, and he fits well with the Sad White Hair Secret Technique you passed to him, but his loyalty seems somewhat insufficient. From his earlier words, it seems he still has some attachment to the True Martial Sect?” That voice carried an exaggerated strange laugh, laughing ‘hehehe’ several times after every sentence.
Ghost Mask smiled:
“No matter. When he comes out from the Blood Demon Pool, naturally both body and mind will belong to our Sacred Sect.”
“At that time, have him personally destroy the True Martial Sect—perhaps he will truly have the bearing of a Holy Son!”
How could he not see through Qin Yun’s little scheme? It was just that the True Martial Sect was truly a minor player in his eyes; the grand plan of the Sacred Sect was what mattered. He was not continuing to destroy the True Martial Sect now, not because of Qin Yun’s admonition, but because this commotion was indeed a bit too large.
The root cause was still the overwhelming deterrence of the Great Yan Martial Saint. Although he would not act casually, the Demonic Sect also did not dare to be too rampant.
Ghost Mask gazed into the darkness and sighed faintly:
“I only hope the Sect Master can achieve success soon…”
…
A storm of events.
Beginning with Divine Feather Great General annihilating the Demonic Sect’s Dead Fire Abyss branch, the struggle between the Great Yan Dynasty and the Demonic Sect became widely known.
Taking the assault on True Martial Mountain and the Wang Clan as a turning point, the matter reached an extremely tense level.
Just as everyone thought it would intensify further.
Unexpectedly, the two sides strangely fell silent, filled with an unspoken understanding.
Of course.
It was not complete silence, but rather the struggles between Heavenly Human Realm experts gradually decreased until there were none at all, while the killing below the Heavenly Human Realm became even more fierce than before.
From time to time, one could hear of Demonic Sect martial artists causing chaos in some place.
The entire Martial World also began to stir.
Some gained great fame after slaying demons, while others joined the Demonic Sect to acquire its resources and strengthen themselves.
Inside Mingwu Pavilion.
Ning Qi listened to Dragon Mountain Daoist’s account and fell into thought:
“So, the Great Yan Dynasty and the Demonic Sect must have reached some kind of understanding: Heavenly Human Realm experts will not intervene, only letting those below the Heavenly Human Realm clash. We’re temporarily safe.”
Dragon Mountain Daoist nodded:
“Correct. The destructive power of Heavenly Human Realm experts is too great after all. If they truly got heated, it would lead to devastation of life—this is something the Great Yan Dynasty does not wish to see.”
Ning Qi understood.
Although the Great Yan Dynasty held the advantage, with stronger strength and the Great Yan Martial Saint sitting in command, it also had a fatal weakness: its territory was too vast, with billions of common people.
If the Demonic Sect feared the Great Yan Martial Saint acting and thus did not go too far.
Then what the Great Yan Dynasty feared was the Demonic Sect going berserk, indiscriminately massacring at that point—they could not possibly have the energy to guard against every Heavenly Human Realm expert of the Demonic Sect.
Though what the Demonic Sect wanted was to overthrow Great Yan and see Great Yan’s lands and people as their own possessions, they generally would not act against ordinary people either. But if cornered like mad dogs, who knew if they would do something utterly mad.
Over these many years, the reason the Demonic Sect earned the word ‘demonic’ was precisely because their actions sometimes veered toward extremes.
What puzzled Ning Qi somewhat was.
“Why does it always feel like the Great Yan Martial Saint is holding back? By reason, with the Martial Saint’s power, he should be sufficient to suppress all existences below Martial Saint.”
Though Ning Qi had never seen the Martial Saint act personally.
But from the scattered records in the classics, and from King Zhenbei’s power alone, one could infer a thing or two. Ninth on the Heavenly Human Ranking already had such aura, let alone the Martial Saint.
“Is he unwilling to act, unable to act, or is there some other hidden matter?”
Facing Ning Qi’s question, Dragon Mountain Daoist was also somewhat puzzled. Perhaps everyone in the world was puzzled—likely only a very few knew the secret within.
“Perhaps the complete True Martial Inheritance records the Secret of Martial Saint, but what your master obtained back then was incomplete.”
Dragon Mountain Daoist rarely spoke of how he obtained the True Martial Inheritance back then.
His gaze showed a color of reminiscence.
“Back then, your master was young and mistakenly entered the True Martial Underground Palace. Relying on the ability to never forget what he saw, he obtained part of the inheritance, then fell into a coma. When he woke, he found himself in a stretch of barren mountains and wild ridges; the underground palace was gone.”
“Over these many years, your master has secretly gone back to that old site, but never saw a trace of the underground palace. Perhaps in this life, there is no fate to see it again.”
Dragon Mountain Daoist sighed softly.
Ning Qi, however, was astonished beyond measure.
“That True Martial Underground Palace is so mystical?”
“Could it be some Mysterious Gate Array Formation concealing it? Or perhaps that underground palace is ‘alive’ and has gone elsewhere?”
He kept voicing various guesses.
Dragon Mountain Daoist slowly shook his head, negating his first guess:
“It should not be a Mysterious Gate Array Formation. I once asked a friend proficient in Mysterious Gate techniques to look; that place was indeed empty.”
Seeing Ning Qi so interested, Dragon Mountain Daoist smiled and said:
“Later, your master will take you there, and you’ll know.”
Ning Qi slowly nodded.
He was indeed somewhat looking forward to it—what secrets did this True Martial Underground Palace hold?
…
Time quietly passed.
As the Heavenly Human great battle gradually ceased, Ning Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief. This situation was better than he had anticipated; even his Fake Core had only consumed thirty percent of its energy.
He could finally continue cultivating with peace of mind.
Every day reading scriptures, enlightenment, tempering Gang Qi—his days were quite leisurely and free.
Inside Seeker’s Courtyard.
Ning Qi was focused on pill refining.
Yesterday, after a series of experiments and deductions, he finally combined the Sarira and Luminous Pearl and other spiritual materials, creating a pill formula that accelerated the tempering of Gang Qi.
He named it Golden Jade Pill.
Ning Qi’s movements were incomparably fluid, carrying a beauty akin to the pinnacle of skill. White Ape watched and learned nearby, utterly engrossed, but it truly was not material for this. It had tried once before, ending up covered in grime, and was still striving now, aiming one day to become a qualified pill refining child attendant.
Gang Qi transformed at will in Ning Qi’s hands. If other pill refiners saw that pill refining could be done this way.
They would be shocked beyond belief.
Finally.
As Ning Qi withdrew his hands, a thread of golden light bloomed from the alchemy furnace before him.
Ning Qi looked inside.
He saw six golden, dragon-eye-sized small pills quietly resting within.
“Let’s test the effect.”
Without hesitation, Ning Qi turned and entered the room, while White Ape cleaned up the aftermath.
One Golden Jade Pill swallowed into his belly.
In an instant, vast medicinal power surged forth.
But it was incomparably gentle.
It settled in his dantian without surging explosively.
Ning Qi entered the Unity of Heaven and Man state. Heaven and Earth Power turned into a great mill enveloping his body; a rumbling sound only he could hear rang out. Medicinal power poured in, strands of White Mist Gang Qi becoming even more viscous and pure—this speed was faster than before!
An hour later.
Ning Qi stopped cultivating and sensed the difference before and after.
A smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“This Golden Jade Pill is not for violent elevation, but for steady, enduring progress. One Golden Jade Pill can sustain my cultivation for a month’s effect.”
“Thus, after six Golden Jade Pills, I can enter the Jade Liquid Realm.”
Ning Qi was already very satisfied.
At that time.
He would be not yet nine years old.
Sensing the powerful Gang Qi in his body sufficient to erupt Heavenly Sword Technique twice, Ning Qi anticipated his strength after stepping into the Jade Liquid Realm. Perhaps by then, even without Fake Core support, he would have strength on the Heavenly Human Ranking, or even more exaggerated.
Ning Qi’s strength was already showing explosive growth, related to the supreme foundation he had built before.
Now, step by step unlocking treasures, his combat power far exceeded his realm—unimaginable for the world.
Ning Qi was joyful in his heart.
He walked out the door and glanced again in the direction of the rattan chair.
Or rather, below the rattan chair.
Astonishment immediately arose in his eyes.
He could perceive that the Enlightenment Tea Tree Seed had already sprouted slightly and was striving to break through the soil—this day would not be far off.
After absorbing the fleshly body of a Heavenly Human Realm expert, the seed had undergone a wondrous change.
Double celebrations.
This made Ning Qi sigh inwardly.
Dead seed sprouting; the haze brought by the Demonic Sect some days ago was also gradually dispersing.
Give him some time, and he would surely give the Demonic Sect a small shock.
