Chapter 10: News Spreads, Yan Jing City Shaken, Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine Revolutions of Spiritual Power!

After roughly clearing the battlefield, Han Yu rode his sword on the wind and vanished between Heaven and Earth.

It was a long time before any cultivators arrived in the vicinity; upon seeing the ruins of the Qingshan Sect, everyone gulped down their saliva in terror.

The Qingshan Sect had been wiped out!

The news spread like wildfire, and within a few days, it had traveled throughout the entire Qingzhou.

Great Yan Dynasty, Yan Jing City, First Prince's mansion.

"Bastard, simply a bastard! That person wiped out the Qingshan Sect with such fanfare—isn't that a naked slap to this Prince's face?"

The First Prince, Ji Zhengyang, was filled with fury, murderous intent surging in his eyes.

"Reporting to Your Highness, our spies have not been able to uncover any information about that Body Cultivator from the Sixth Prince's side; it is as if they appeared out of thin air!"

An old eunuch spoke gloomily.

"What does that prove? Is there anyone else besides Old Six who has the strength and motive to strike at my forces?"

"In this Qingzhou, apart from one sect and one gate, I already have three of the five factions under my control; my strength is enough to crush that fellow, Old Six!"

"Now that the Qingshan Sect has been destroyed, he has the strength to compete with me. Since he is heartless, I cannot be blamed for being unrighteous. Send word to the various kings to go to the Hanshan Sect and the Tiedao Sect to recoup our losses!"

Hearing the First Prince's words, the old eunuch showed a hint of hesitation, but after thinking it over, he still offered a reminder.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the Wangjing Zhanchang is about to open. If a great war breaks out in the Wangjing, causing too many losses, I fear it will be detrimental to the national fortune of our Great Yan Dynasty!"

"If this matter reaches the ears of His Majesty the Emperor, it will certainly be unfavorable for the struggle for the throne!"

"Therefore, Your Highness, please prioritize the big picture!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Zhengyang flew into a rage and slammed his palm down, shattering the sandalwood table in front of him.

"Prioritize the big picture? Why don't you say that to that fellow Ji Xingzhou?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, the reason the Sixth Prince dares to be so unscrupulous is precisely because no traces can be found linking that Body Cultivator to him. Otherwise, you could go to His Majesty the Emperor and impeach him; you would surely be able to convict him of the crime of overstepping boundaries and engaging in large-scale internal strife!"

The old eunuch explained earnestly. Ji Zhengyang already had a fiery temper, and it was only after a long while that he barely calmed down, a fierce and murderous glint appearing in his eyes.

"Since that is the case, then this Prince will simply not use people from our Great Yan Dynasty!"

Ji Zhengyang revealed a cold sneer, and the old eunuch was stunned for a moment before he understood his master's intent.

"Your Highness, are you thinking of borrowing troops from the Crown Prince of the Great Xuan Dynasty? But that Crown Prince is greedy by nature; the price to borrow Wangjing-level experts from him will not be small!"

"Heh, I am well aware of that, but this Prince naturally has a way to save money."

A wicked smile curled the corners of Ji Zhengyang's mouth.

"Hasn't that lowly maid awakened a Saint Body? If I sell her to that fellow Xuan Fengye, exchanging her for a few Wangjing-level experts to serve for several years would be effortless!"

"It is only a matter of time before he becomes the Emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty, and his position is already secure; he will certainly not refuse this trade of mine!"

Once these words were spoken, the old eunuch was stunned; he had not expected the First Prince to choose to hand over a Saint Body genius of the Great Yan Dynasty to others. However, upon realizing it was the unloved Jiu Gong Zhu, he felt relieved.

Jiu Gong Zhu had always been disliked by the Emperor, and her fate was destined to be that of a political marriage anyway.

Now that the First Prince was taking this action, even if His Majesty found out later, there would be no issue.

One who becomes an emperor does not fuss over trifles.

"Give the order for the Wudu Sect to take action; go to the Youxian Sect and secretly bring that lowly maid back!"

Ji Zhengyang said, then let out a cold snort.

"I originally entrusted this matter to the Qingshan Sect, but they failed to get it done and were wiped out instead. What a bunch of trash!"

Hearing this, the old eunuch frowned and immediately spoke up.

"Your Highness, do you think that Wangjing-level Body Cultivator might come from the Youxian Sect? And that they attacked the Qingshan Sect because of this matter?"

"Hahaha, I think you've gone senile, haven't you? The Youxian Sect has never interfered in the struggle for the succession. If they had done this, Old Six could have become the Crown Prince directly; why would he have been fighting me openly and secretly for so many years?"

Ji Zhengyang was dismissive. The old eunuch thought about it and also felt the possibility was slim.

For one, the Youxian Sect had no Body Cultivator heritage, and for another, it was unlikely they would offend the First Prince over such a matter.

Even if one took a step back, there was no reason to go as far as wiping out the Qingshan Sect.

"Then this old servant will pass down the order for the Wudu Sect to take action!"

……

Yan Jing City.

Sixth Prince's mansion, several bursts of laughter echoed.

"Good, good, good! That fellow Ji Zhengyang has really had a stroke of bad luck. I don't know what kind of expert he provoked, but he actually lost a Wangjing-level expert directly. In this struggle for the throne, my chances of winning have increased!"

A refined-looking youth laughed incessantly, and the long-robed strategist beside him also replied with a smile.

"The First Prince acts ostentatiously and stops at nothing; it is only natural that he has offended an expert."

"However, that Body Cultivator who wiped out the Qingshan Sect is incredibly mysterious. Since the First Prince cannot find their background, I fear he will pin the blame on Your Highness!"

Hearing the strategist's reminder, Ji Xingzhou did not care at all.

"It doesn't matter. That expert solved the Qingshan Sect problem for me; taking the blame for them is fine!"

"By the way, have the people below continue to track the whereabouts of this expert. If I can bring them into my fold, there is great hope for seizing the throne!"

"However, if you find the expert's tracks, do not disturb them rashly. First, offer a generous reward to build a good relationship!"

The strategist nodded, then added.

"Your Highness, the people you sent to the Youxian Sect should be arriving soon. Jiu Gong Zhu has a solitary temperament, and because of her mother's affairs, she likely harbors resentment toward the Imperial family; it will probably be very difficult to win her over!"

"It doesn't matter. If I cannot win over Little Nine, the eldest brother certainly won't be able to either. Even if Little Nine cannot be used by me, as her imperial brother, sending her some cultivation resources is only right and proper."

"She possesses a Saint Body; one should be on good terms with her, not bad!"

Ji Xingzhou seemed very open-minded, and the strategist felt more and more that this Prince had great potential.

If he were not a cycle younger than the First Prince and had not been beaten to many opportunities by his opponent, perhaps the position of Crown Prince would already be his.

……

Youxian Sect.

On Tianjian Peak, where peach blossoms covered the mountains, a powerful aura surged out from a room, causing the snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the nearby forest to tremble in fear.

"I have finally completed the nine cycles of Lingling, and I will soon be able to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm; in terms of Qi Refining cultivation, I estimate I am already a big step ahead of Senior Brother!"

Ji Yanling's pretty face was full of joy, and a confident smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

"However, being able to complete the nine cycles of Lingling in just a few short days is still because Senior Brother gave me so many cultivation resources again, plus the help of those two hundred catties of Fire Spirit Liquid."

"That I, Ji Yanling, can have my current achievements is still inseparable from Senior Brother; I don't even know how I will be able to repay him in the future!"

At the thought of repaying Senior Brother, the scene from that night surfaced in Ji Yanling's mind, and her pretty face could not help but turn bright red.

"I was really hot-headed at the time to actually use that kind of massage method on Senior Brother; thinking about it now, it really is shameful!"

To make a playboy like Han Yu, who has passed through ten thousand flowers, reach one hundred percent satisfaction with a massage—how could that ever be a simple matter?

"It's all that damn system's fault for issuing such strange tasks; how can I have the face to see Senior Brother now!"

"Forget it, I'd better continue cultivating and strive to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible!"

While Ji Yanling was letting her imagination run wild, under a hundred-year-old peach tree, Han Yu was sipping wine and humming a tune when the system sent another Jieji.

【Ding! Investment target Ji Yanling has completed the nine cycles of Lingling, target's current favorability is 88%, ten-thousand-fold return has been triggered!】

【Ding! Your Spirit Root has received endless nourishment, is radiating vigorous vitality, is growing sturdily, and is gradually transforming into a towering tree!】

【Ding! Your Lingling has completed nine hundred and ninety-nine cycles!】

Seeing the system notification, Han Yu gulped and looked inward at his dantian.

Good heavens.

For other Qi Refining cultivators, their Spirit Root and nine strands of origin Lingling are likely only the size of ordinary flowers or grass.

Even for an Extreme Realm Qi Refining cultivator who has completed the nine cycles of Lingling, it would at most be a small sapling.

But now, Han Yu's Spirit Root has completely grown into a towering tree.

Even for cultivators in the Immortal Platform Realm, whose Spirit Roots have been nourished by Immortal Power, they cannot reach this level.

Han Yu beckoned with his hand, and a wisp of extremely dense Lingling swirled in his palm; he narrowed his eyes, pondering in his heart.

"I wonder if my Lingling, which has undergone nine hundred and ninety-nine cycles, can be mentioned in the same breath as the Immortal Power mastered by Immortal Platform Realm cultivators?"

Just as Han Yu was thinking about how to conduct an experiment, the Peak Master token in his Storage Ring vibrated frantically, alerting him that someone was destroying a part of the Tianjian Peak formation!

Han Yu moved his body, turning into an afterimage as he arrived at that location.

Nearby, several cultivators were sneakily destroying the formation.

Han Yu was immediately delighted in his heart.

Aren't these the test subjects I needed?!