Chapter 478: Secret Key to the Upper Realm, Taking Advantage of a Loophole

"Look at what I found here! Since Venerable Jiuyun is problematic, I refused to believe it and searched everywhere, and I actually found a very deeply hidden secret chamber!"

Regarding this point, Sheng Zhaoshui appeared somewhat smug, because even the side of An Shen had not found it.

Du En nodded slightly upon hearing this, appearing as if he were praising this.

The reason was simple: he had not discovered any traces of activity here when he returned, and the other's sudden appearance just now also seemed strange; it was evident that the secret chamber was indeed hidden extremely deep, and it was unknown how this fellow had managed to find it and enter or exit it.

With such mysterious methods, it was worthy of being from the sect of True Monarch Chengru.

Consequently, Du En spoke quite straightforwardly: "To be honest, I now suspect that you, like those Great Cultivators of the Void Micro, have been struck by something without even realizing it."

"Hey, hey, hey, is it really appropriate for you to say that? Are you still thinking of using the Universe Binding Rope to tie me up?"

Sheng Zhaoshui's expression stiffened instantly, the corners of his mouth twitching involuntarily, and then he very skillfully escalated the matter: "Since you think it would be like this, there is no reason to only think of me that way; Fellow Daoist An is the same, having been out of your sight for so long—if they were truly struck, they would definitely have been struck too!"

"And you yourself, actually suffering such a severe Dao injury, and it's a Scarlet Beauty Dao injury at that; that fellow Du En can conjure a Scarlet Beauty Guan Blade, and by managing to fish out the principles and laws contained within it, although it seems difficult, it is not impossible to do, so, are you still saying that you aren't the one with the problem?!"

"You are right, so, what exactly is the situation inside that secret chamber?"

Du En changed the subject directly, leaving Sheng Zhaoshui speechless and shaking his head, but he did not dwell on it and began to answer: "It is actually already empty inside; looking at the situation, it was likely cleaned out even before I came to Qingxuan. Tsk tsk, that Venerable Jiuyun is really good at setting things up, probably just waiting for us to walk into the trap!"

"And what is the deal with that book in your hand?"

Since the secret chamber was already empty and all traces and clues had long been cleaned away, there was no reason for such an obvious object to be left behind.

Sheng Zhaoshui smiled triumphantly: "This naturally wasn't found in there; this is my magic treasure, the Book of Sentiments. In a nutshell, it can use the traces of sentiment left behind by the constant thoughts of a certain person in a certain place to reconstruct some information from the past!"

"Sounds like it's about the same as those past remnants?"

Du En's counter-question seemed ordinary and casual, as if he were only confirming the specific nature, but if one were to actually pursue it, it seemed very sharp, as if questioning whether those previous remnants were merely the work of someone acting in secret here.

An Shen's gaze also seemed to change, looking over with a meaningful expression.

Sheng Zhaoshui shook his head quite decisively: "Although they look similar, they are actually completely different!"

The tone was firm and beyond doubt.

Then he immediately continued, not giving the other side any room to find gaps for further questioning: "Although that Venerable Jiuyun actually considered this aspect and appeared very cautious, and seemed to have seen similar methods somewhere before, so he cleaned it up very specifically, but unfortunately, I was still able to collect some residual dregs."

Saying this, he pointed to the book in his hand, and immediately, amidst the silent flipping of pages, some distorted, tadpole-like characters jumped and writhed, poking their heads out from the pages like little people.

In short, it was completely incomprehensible to anyone.

Only Sheng Zhaoshui nodded incessantly, as if he were watching, as if he were listening; in any case, it was a display of mystification, seemingly using this form of expression to explain to the god and the person opposite him that he had absolutely nothing to do with those past remnants.

Don't wrong me!

Although I might not dare to admit it if I did it, if I didn't do it, I definitely won't admit it—probably.

"So, what information or clues does it actually contain?"

Du En asked this, as if his doubts had been cleared.

"It's talking about a key. That fellow seems to have had a scheme for a long time, preparing early on; perhaps he was struck or possessed, so he was extremely manic when alone. In short, he was muttering to himself, wanting to find and collect the relics of a certain Great Cultivator—one of his magic tools, or rather, a key."

While saying this, Sheng Zhaoshui looked on with eager eyes, his meaning quite clear.

He had come out of that secret chamber a bit late and hadn't heard the full explanation here, only hearing the tail end, so his meaning at the moment was very obvious: tell me more!

So Du En explained it again.

"Looking at it this way, the three cultivators and three demons above Void Micro were all very concerned about the emergence of that Jian Yi, but the three demons took the first step, and then the three cultivators each took action, whether actively or passively. In any case, the crux of all the signs seems to be attributable to that Jian Yi."

"Then what exactly is that key?"

Du En ignored Sheng Zhaoshui's summary and only pressed for an answer to this.

"The Secret Key to the Upper Realm!"

Sheng Zhaoshui's expression turned grave, "This 'Upper Realm' should refer to the Ancestral Star Spirit Pivot Realm, the place we came from, but specifically to the situation here now, it is clearly not that simple!"

That really is nonsense.

Du En wanted to say this, but instead asked An Shen without a ripple: "Can these three fragments be recast? It is very difficult for me to do so, and I still need to recover from my injuries and finish the preparations for the array."

"I can try, but I need Fellow Daoist Sheng's assistance to use that book to extract and exclude the problematic areas, so as to avoid it becoming uncontrollable after recasting."

An Shen deliberated slightly and nodded in agreement.

As soon as Sheng Zhaoshui heard this, he knew it would be a bitter chore; if he were the least bit careless, his own life-bound magic treasure would suffer. He immediately revealed a helpless expression, and that human skin also couldn't help but feel uneasy, though unfortunately, it was already like fish meat on a chopping block and had no power to choose.

It was clearly an existence that could make a normal Transformation Stage cultivator exceptionally troubled, yet it had ended up in such a state; it probably hadn't expected this itself, and at this moment, it was filled with regret—regret for coming to Jiuyun City and walking right into the tiger's den.

And there were three of them!

How could they possibly divide it up! No one paid any heed to this silent resentment and regret; in the end, Sheng Zhaoshui still did not refuse this serious task and could only suppress his fatigue, taking on the heavy burden of recasting and repairing the Secret Key to the Upper Realm together.

As for whether Venerable Jiuyun would come to steal or snatch it during or after the recasting?

One could only say that was exactly what they were hoping for! They weren't afraid of that fellow appearing; they were only afraid he wouldn't! However, the development of the situation was once again somewhat unexpected.

When the progress on both sides was steady and smooth, Du En's Dao injuries were basically healed, and he had largely finished reviewing the content related to the array, the peeping observer hiding in the dark also seized this perfect opportunity.

He did not appear before the two people and the god, but first appeared in the eyes of the medical cultivator, Bai Ji.

"You, you..."

Appearing abruptly in the middle of the night, he gave him a fright, and he almost thought it was a rehash of old matters, coming to target him for something, but after calming down, he still forced himself to remain composed.

"City Lord, what are your orders?"

Startlingly, the one who appeared before him was none other than Venerable Jiuyun! When Bai Ji lowered his head, a trace of mockery appeared in the Venerable's eyes, as if born from the fact that Du En and the others' previous actions were now benefiting him, and then he looked at the small cultivator before him with a cold and playful gaze.

"Follow me."

The voice was somewhat hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a long time, causing Bai Ji's heart to skip a beat.

But under the current circumstances, he had no choice but to bow his head; as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could only endure his unease and follow the other party as they wandered through the City Lord's Mansion like a ghost.

Then, they arrived at the place where the Zhu siblings lived.

The older brother, Zhu Qing, was not here at the moment; he was still learning various chores, appearing diligent and exceptionally hardworking.

So only the younger sister, Zhu Yi, was still inside, studying medical classics.

"Go, call her out." "This..."

In the current situation, even a fool could see that this Venerable Jiuyun was truly problematic!

Although he was the true original body.

Bai Ji hesitated for a moment, until a magical artifact was pressed against his back; its sharp edge pulsed, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his whole body trembling, feeling as though he were already dead.

The terror of the Deity Transformation stage was visible to the naked eye at this moment, unmasked and unrestrained, a world of difference from the attitude Du En and the others had toward people.

Cold sweat instantly covered his entire body, as if he had been fished out of water.

Then the magical artifact abruptly vanished, as if everything had been a falsehood.

"Go, call her out."

"Yes, yes..."

Under the threat of life and death, Bai Ji dared not show any further resistance, stepping forward as if mourning his parents.

"Don't play any tricks, act natural; if you really can't, hehe!"

Speaking in a sinister tone, Jiu Yun Shangren seemed to be implying something; Bai Ji was quite qualified as a medical cultivator and had considerable talent, so he quickly noticed a subtle abnormality in his body, and when he pulled up his sleeve to look, he saw that the skin there was already covered in greenish-blue patches, looking just like corpse spots.

"This, this... cough, cough! Cough!"

Just as he felt horrified, he suddenly discovered an abnormality in his throat; he tried hard to cough up phlegm but couldn't, instead letting out a strange sound: "Miss Zhu..."

This was his voice, his voice when normal!

Bai Ji was terrified by such methods, realizing that Jiu Yun Shangren actually had one final choice, which was to control him like a corpse to go knock on the door and call people, guaranteeing it would be exactly the same as when he was alive! The reason he didn't do that was probably out of fear of something—either the other lords, or fear that Zhu Yi might still be able to recognize it.

Although he thought this rationally in his mind, Bai Ji dared not gamble now; having completely lost the heart to resist, he resignedly nodded in obedience.

The abnormality in his throat vanished instantly, and he subconsciously coughed twice.

"Who is outside?"

Zhu Yi's vigilant voice came through, and Jiu Yun Shangren quietly disappeared.

Is there really some peculiarity about Miss Zhu?

Bai Ji thought with a sigh in his heart, his eyes rolled, and he said: "Miss Zhu, it's me."

"Mr. Bai?"

"Mm."

"Why are you visiting so late at night?"

Zhu Yi's vigilance faded slightly, but she remained suspicious.

Because the two sides should be in a state of isolation right now, and if Du En decided to lift the isolation, given that side's personality, they would only come directly to her with people in tow.

It must be said, Zhu Yi's judgment of people was quite accurate.

"Because there has been an accident."

"What accident?"

"It's the Red Star, the Red Star has reappeared; the guards have all been sent out, and I don't know if the lords are even in the manor. I was feeling uneasy, and then I discovered the isolation measures had vanished, so I braced myself to come and see. After all, Miss Zhu, you are very much related to that Red Star."

"What?!"

Zhu Yi was suddenly alarmed, not because of the Red Star, but because her brother was still outside; although Bai Ji didn't mention it at all, based on the performance of Du En's previous actions, it was possible he might be taken to do something, or encounter some other abrupt abnormality that no one could detect.

So she hurriedly pulled the door open, but just as she pulled it halfway, she saw Bai Ji and stopped abruptly, thinking to close it again.

"Heh!"

A hand suddenly appeared, jamming the door.

The edge of the door suddenly erupted with ripples of Dao, diverse and varied, with both people and the deity striking out, like a living saw, instantly sawing off half of Jiu Yun Shangren's hand.

However, he had already succeeded, placing his hand on Zhu Yi's shoulder.

Grabbing her with one hand and Bai Ji with the other, Jiu Yun Shangren revealed a strange, stiff smile, then abruptly vanished.

Hm? Du En had already sensed something wrong, first sending a sound transmission to An Shen saying he would handle it, then rushing over, but the place was already empty.

"You certainly know how to exploit loopholes, but I wasn't without precautions for this."

Du En had made prior arrangements and immediately began tracking, following the methods left on Zhu Yi.

When his figure flickered and reappeared, he had actually arrived at the abandoned mine south of the city again.

"That guy An Shen clearly sensed the clues, and even knew of Jiu Yun Shangren's existence long ago, yet... as expected, it's still that same style of conduct."

He muttered again about how hard this team was to lead, and felt a little nostalgic for Sheng Shen; teaming up with her back then, the synergy was truly maxed out, the coordination harmonious, and he didn't even need to speak.

"Roar!"

"Awoo!"

While he was slightly distracted and reminiscing, bursts of roars rang out.

It was the City Lord's Mansion guards that An Shen had previously sent to station and watch here; at this moment, they had transformed into a strange human-beast hybrid form.

Simply put, it was like a black and white chessboard, their flesh and blood intertwined, the jagged edges dripping with blood, roaring continuously from the mouths of the beasts, while from the mouths of the humans...

"Lord! Save me!"

"Lord! I have suffered for you before, I have even exerted myself for you!"

"Lord..."

Living voices came through, all begging and wailing.

And as they spoke, they all pounced forward.

"As expected, those previous ones were just decoys; these, hmm, half-human, half-beast, half-evil, half-resentful things are the true results. Their strength is comparable to the peak of Deity Transformation, and there is room to improve to the level of a heaven-sent genius. It's like the pipe was broken and not reconnected; that is quite worth pondering."

Du En spoke as if he were conversing with Jiu Yun Shangren, perfectly calm, having foreseen it all.

(End of chapter)