Chapter 218: The Second Trip to the Capital

No need for a coachman to control them, four spirited demon horses trotted forward with steady, measured steps.

Inside the lavish carriage sat only one person, and one Yin God.

Shen Yi closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Compared with his last trip to the capital, he wore no longer the bone-chilling black armor, only a clean, neat ink-colored robe.

Reporting for duty at the Wumiao had no dress code requirement—this was a privilege reserved for a Provincial Commander.

Jiang Yuanhua drifted as he sat opposite: "Commander, you're in quite a hurry? I thought you'd stay at least two more months."

By his estimate, Jiang Qiulan's Dao Infant was damaged, so she should have lingered in Outside Qingzhou for some time. He had assumed the two young people would enjoy this hard-won peace and tranquility.

Tch.

Jiang Yuanhua shook his head. As for Lin Baiwei's little thoughts… so young, she should keep her mind on cultivation. Matters of love should be left to senior sisters.

"Sigh."

Shen Yi shifted his body—he truly did not want to share a carriage with this chatterbox.

Clearly a Yin God, yet instead of drifting in the sky, insisted on riding in a horse carriage like a mortal.

"By the way, I'm still quite curious—what exactly happened between you, my lord, and Qiulan at the imperial city last time?"

After losing his physical body, Jiang Yuanhua's skin had actually thickened considerably; such an infuriating question, he could actually ask it outright.

"…"

Shen Yi opened his eyes and cast a silent glance over.

Jiang Yuanhua suddenly felt a faint chill run through his body, his face full of puzzlement.

Qiulan resenting him was understandable—after all, though he had known something absurd had happened inside the Wang Fu, he had not spoken plainly. But where did Shen Yi's grudge come from?

"Could it be…"

Suddenly remembering something, Jiang Yuanhua adopted a look of sudden realization. Before he could finish, he awkwardly closed his mouth under the youth's calm gaze.

No wonder he came back so quickly last time.

It seemed the problem wasn't with Qiulan.

"I miscalculated."

Jiang Yuanhua gave an awkward smile.

When he had seen them off, he had casually offered a greeting—he truly only valued Shen Yi's talent and hoped, through the Wang Fei's connections, to help him obtain more resources.

He had simply forgotten that such a handsome yet fiercely commanding Grand General would likely hold far greater attraction for the Wang's heir—who had grown up among women—than for Jiang Qiulan.

That heir truly had nerve, daring to act improperly right in front of the Wang Fei.

"The Wang Fei came from outside the Daqian; marrying into the Wang Fu was already a condescension. I hear she has an elder cultivating at Xuanguang Cave, though I don't know exactly who. But you're a Provincial Commander, so you needn't worry about offending her."

"She cursed you, not me," Shen Yi replied flatly.

If Jiang Yuanhua hadn't brought it up, he would have nearly forgotten that woman he had only met a few times.

"She almost cursed me to death."

Jiang Yuanhua sighed casually. Without Shen Yi, that Slain Hunyuan master who had descended from the heavens, not only would he have been devoured by Xiaoyue, but the entire Outside Qingzhou would likely have been buried along with him.

Mentioning this, he finally quieted down: "Outside Qingzhou is still too small, and my aptitude is poor. If it were Lizhou… even Tanzhou could nurture a mid-realm Wu Xian, and taking down Xiaoyue would be no problem at all."

"The difference in cultivation between Wu Xian—is it the population of a province?"

Shen Yi suddenly realized—he had always been asking Lady Qinghua about martial cultivators… wasn't the one right in front of him a proper expert of the human race?

It was just that he had always seemed useless, which made Shen Yi instinctively overlook him.

"For a Commander, yes."

Jiang Yuanhua nodded. Shen Yi was now a Slain Hunyuan master, and indeed should know some information about Yin God cultivators. After all, nurturing a Yin God wasn't exclusive to Daqian; if he encountered one in the future, he wouldn't be caught too off guard.

"After all, the only way we obtain the power of incense and prayers is through the provinces we guard. The larger the province, the stronger the Commander. Of course, aptitude matters too. If it were someone like General Chen, even if you gave him Lizhou, he might not even reach Core Fragmentation."

Hearing this, Shen Yi raised an eyebrow.

Why did these master and disciple both like using Chen Qiankun as an example? Couldn't they show the old man some respect?

"Besides Commanders, there are many Wu Xian within the Wumiao. They control Daqian and hold the fate of the Nine Provinces… within the imperial city, they can all exert the strength of an upper-realm Wu Xian."

"Even…"

Jiang Yuanhua deliberated, then said softly: "Among the outstanding ones, some can even briefly control a Golden Body Dharma Aspect."

"Those twelve that fell?" Shen Yi's expression remained unchanged, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

"Though they can't bring out the full power of a Golden Body Dharma Aspect, they're still not something cultivators or martial artists below the Transformation of Spirit Realm can withstand." Jiang Yuanhua directly revealed Daqian's greatest trump card.

"At least as I know, the Lion Camel Dharma Aspect and the Yaksha Dharma Aspect—those two have been activated before."

As a former Outside Qingzhou Commander, speaking of this, his face actually showed a hint of envy.

As a Yin God cultivator, who wouldn't want to join the Wumiao and advance further?

Unfortunately, the Wumiao recruited only by aptitude, not by current strength. They only chose those with a chance to break through to the Transformation of Spirit Realm—even a commoner would do. Without that chance, even an initial-realm Wu Xian like him would only be turned away.

Without entering Transformation of Spirit, Daqian cannot be saved.

Only by condensing a Golden Body Dharma Aspect can one step beyond the Nine Provinces, and with unimaginable strength, win back face and the right to speak for the Daqian dynasty and the Wumiao. Otherwise, no matter how strong, one is only throwing one's weight around at home.

"Can be activated…"

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze. If he could obtain a Golden Body Dharma Aspect, wouldn't that be equivalent to having half a Transformation of Spirit Realm helper in advance?

He gathered his thoughts and continued asking: "What about Slain Hunyuan? How is the ranking determined?"

"Well, I had also inquired for Qiulan before. A True Person at Xuanguang Cave once cultivated a similar Ice Sha intent, and later used the method of condensing Sha to return to the origin, along with incomparably precious Mystic Crystal Jade Fruit, to complete the heart of his Dao Infant, stepping into the mid-realm of Slain Hunyuan."

"He was visiting Daqian at the time, and traded with the Shenxu Laozu of the Wumiao for this item, which is why records were left."

Jiang Yuanhua spoke cautiously, adding none of his own speculation.

He knew that once such things were spoken wrongly, the enormous impact it would have on Shen Yi—even possibly cutting off his path.

"Anyway, no matter what, you can't get around the Thousand Demon Cave."

Although he didn't know the specific reason, all the Hunyuan martial artists were locked in a bitter struggle with the Thousand Demon Cave. If the Daqian Dynasty fought to shelter Li Min and keep the Wumiao's foundations from collapsing, then why did the immortal sects?

Just a few dozen people, every one of them a powerhouse — surely they could still find some place to settle.

It couldn't really be that they truly cared for the world.

Mount Wutong — he could still buy that. As for Xuanguang Cave, forget it.

"Understood."

Shen Yi seemed to have found his direction once again.

The place the rest of the martial artists were heading to must be where the answer lay.

But from the looks of it now, Hunyuan Sect masters could easily end up playing the role of cannon fodder among them; only those at the Transformation of Spirit Realm were truly the ones reaping the fruits.

He still had to quickly build up the foundation needed to take part in it.

The two stopped chatting, yet the carriage kept moving forward at speed.

Day and night took turns.

That magnificent imperial city finally came into Shen Yi's view once more.

(End of Chapter)