Chapter 2298

Even a dying tiger's strength is not comparable to that of a ground-crawling ant.

"Anyway, I'm about to die anyway." The little wooden figure formed by Xu Qi Qin spoke expressionlessly, "Liu Qingdao is already the head of the Bingyuan Si, and those who can make him pay respectful homage are probably only the Nine Nether Great Emperor. To wipe you all out in one pot is my final contribution to the sect."

"Brother Xu, the laws of heaven and earth have been altered; self-detonating the Primordial Spirit can no longer harm anyone." Liu Qingdao said beside him, "You've listened to our discussion for so long; you should know the truth by now. Cangyan never intended to harm your life, nor did it wish to exterminate the Qixia Sect. Over these many years, Cangyan has done its utmost to maintain peaceful relations with the emerging Xian Sect and demon tribes, and the Qixia Sect will be no exception."

Xu Qi Qin fell silent.

Just now, the Nine Nether Great Emperor and the others were conversing, and he heard every word and sentence.

"The one truly harming you is the person wearing Tang Jingye's appearance and identity. Now, he still wants to provoke war between the Qixia Sect and Cangyan." He Lingchuan said to him, "You should now understand that the Qixia Sect can at most damage Weian City, but facing the entirety of Cangyan, it's like a mayfly trying to shake a tree—there's not the slightest chance of victory."

After today's battle, Xu Qi Qin finally gained an intuitive understanding of Cangyan's strength, and he no longer felt that He Lingchuan was boasting.

Such a vast country—how could the Qixia Sect possibly defeat it?

Xu Qi Qin could not imagine.

Liu Qingdao timely interjected: "But if the Qixia Sect truly moves against Weian City, we have no other choice but to eliminate this threat with all our strength! Brother Xu, the Wrath of the Dragon God is something the Qixia Sect cannot bear."

He stated plainly that Cangyan's counterattack would cause the Qixia Sect to vanish from the human world.

"Now, not only is Brother Xu's own life hanging by a thread, but the Qixia Sect has also reached a life-or-death juncture—one misstep leads to eternal calamity, and centuries of foundation will turn to dust!"

You surely don't want the sect to bury itself with you, do you? Dong Rui muttered in his belly, but he didn't utter those words aloud.

Liu Qingdao further advised: "Brother Xu, we already know the location of the Qixia Sect's mountain gate. If we are determined to exterminate the sect, we fundamentally need not expend this effort—we can simply dispatch a large army to clash head-on, and it's conceivable the Qixia Sect will end up blood-washed."

The people of Weian City are still waiting for water; this matter cannot be delayed. But he said: "To fight the Qixia Sect to the death would also fulfill the hidden person's intention. We do not wish for kin to suffer and enemies to rejoice."

Xu Qi Qin exhaled heavily: "What do you want to ask me?"

The soul does not need to breathe; this action is merely an instinctive reaction.

He Lingchuan then asked bluntly: "By what means does the Qixia Sect monitor the outside world?"

Xu Qi Qin warned: "What are you planning?"

"Once the Qixia Sect discovers our approach, it will surely take extreme measures." He Lingchuan said solemnly, "I have a plan that can maximize control over casualties on both sides, but this first step requires your intelligence."

Then he briefly outlined the plan and added: "This method causes the least harm to Weian City and also gives the Qixia Sect more room for maneuver; otherwise, casualties would be too great, and even if I wanted to spare the Qixia Sect, the military and civilians would not relent."

The best way to quickly gain Xu Qi Qin's trust is to speak truthfully. Moreover, his breath is as thin as a silk thread, and the snail toad's interior is a sealed space—no news can leak out.

After listening, Xu Qi Qin was somewhat surprised, but his expression indeed eased somewhat, yet he still made a demand: "I will help you, but in the end, you must let the Qixia Sect go free!"

He Lingchuan smiled: "If the Qixia Sect does not provoke trouble or violate Cangyan's laws, how could such a vast expanse as the Jinjin Plains not accommodate a Qixia Sect?"

Liu Qingdao also said: "Brother Xu, the Nine Nether Great Emperor's words become law!"

Xu Qi Qin still insisted: "Please have the Nine Nether Great Emperor swear an oath!"

He Lingchuan did not hesitate, raising his hand to point to heaven and swear. His golden words and jade speech, once sworn, cannot be easily retracted; otherwise, heavenly punishment will inevitably follow.

Only then did Xu Qi Qin relax his breath, then close his eyes briefly, and his brows furrowed.

Everyone noticed his complexion was worse than before, his skin pale and lacking luster, even somewhat translucent.

Such a state of the soul and spirit indicates——

He Lingchuan frowned: "Elder Xu, are you using soul power to sustain your body?"

Normally, the body nourishes and supports the soul and spirit, but Xu Qi Qin's current condition seems reversed—he is burning his own soul power to counteract bodily injuries.

Xu Qi Qin spoke with a bitter tone: "Otherwise, I couldn't have held on until now. You said, what harmed me is a demon puppet?"

"Very likely." Dong Rui remained as meticulous as ever.

How fast the world changes! Over a hundred years ago, Xu Qi Qin had never even heard the term "demon puppet," and now it threatens his life.

Time, fate?

"Elder Xu, we are about to reach Mount Xunyang." Seeing him suddenly dazed, He Lingchuan had to remind him, "Time is short."

The time left for Weian City is short, and the time left for Elder Xu and the Qixia Sect is also counting down.

"That's right." Xu Qi Qin finally came to his senses, "The entire Mount Xunyang is the Qixia Sect's eyes and ears."

"How so?"

"Have you not noticed that Mount Xunyang abounds in stone-skin grass? It grows on the mountain, at its base, and even in your city." Stone-skin grass is a wild weed ubiquitous in the Mount Xunyang range; just from its name, you know how tenacious its vitality is—it can even grow on stone.

"Our eyes and ears in the outside world are precisely a single stone-skin grass essence!" Xu Qi Qin said, "In fact, the Mount Xunyang range originally had no such plant; it was we who brought it here. The Qixia Sect stationed on Mount Xunyang also brought the stone-skin grass to this place. Over a hundred years later, the stone-skin grass has spread everywhere, and each stalk can serve as our eyes and ears! Though they possess no offensive power, the collective environmental perception of all stone-skin grass can project the surrounding scenery into a water mirror within the small cave heaven!"

Liu Qingdao raised his thumb in praise: "Impressive, this design is remarkably ingenious!"

It turns out the Qixia Sect's eyes and ears are not just one or two, but countless thousands upon thousands. Even if the enemy plucks one or two stalks, it's utterly useless.

He Lingchuan focused on the next key point: "Is there any way to shield their perception?"

"To undo the bell, one must find the one who tied it." Xu Qi Qin explained, "That stone-skin grass essence is the core of all this; as long as it is temporarily put to rest, the water mirror technique will fail."

He Lingchuan understood—this is cutting off the transmission channel.

"Has the water mirror technique ever failed before?"

"Yes, several times each year." Xu Qi Qin recalled, "After all, the stone-skin grass essence is merely a spirit monster; though its vitality is extremely tenacious, it often suffers interruption due to various reasons—such as the eruption of imperial nectar, celestial changes, it sustaining injury, or even excessively low temperatures. I remember a blizzard six years ago when temperatures plummeted extremely, causing many plants, including the stone-skin grass, to freeze to death, and that grass essence also entered a dormant state."