Chapter 125: The Lingguang Hall Appears

The Nether River was ignited; six great demons struck simultaneously, causing the entire Genmen Pass to tremble.

The nine great passes of the Nine Netherworlds were interconnected; when Genmen Pass moved, the other eight passes moved with it.

As the nine great passes shook, the Medical Bureau to the northeast of the capital, the Blacksmith Quarter to the southeast, the thousand-year-old imperial temple Dixiu Temple to the southwest, the Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns Stone Forest to the northwest, and the Heavenly Division in the center all trembled in unison.

In the Medical Bureau, Gu Xing, who had been sitting in a reclining chair with his eyes closed resting, suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing the trembling ground, his expression turned grave as he hurried out of the courtyard, walked to the stone cauldron in the square, exerted all his strength to lift the cauldron, and then slammed it down heavily.

"Clang!"

As soon as the stone cauldron landed, a green halo rapidly expanded outward; as the green halo radiated, the trembling ground immediately stabilized.

The Blacksmith Quarter.

The moment the ground trembled was felt, uniform hammering sounds with the same rhythm and frequency rang out simultaneously throughout the entire market.

Under the successive strikes of iron hammers, the ground's trembling vanished.

The Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns Stone Forest.

The moment the ground trembled, the abandoned Bagua stone platform in the center of the stone forest, whose carvings were no longer discernible, suddenly began to rotate. The platform spun faster and faster, beginning to emit light; when the platform stopped rotating, the ground ceased trembling as well.

The Heavenly Division.

Wei Zhenjie, head of the Heavenly Division, had intended to personally lead a squad of Demon-Suppressing Army soldiers to Nanxiang County. The County Magistrate there had submitted a memorial stating that a magnificent palace had appeared, speculating it was likely an ancient ruin. Just as he was preparing to go himself, he felt the Heavenly Division trembling.

"Not good, there is an anomaly in the Nine Netherworlds!"

Wei Zhenjie's expression changed; with a 'whoosh,' he flew up and hovered above the Heavenly Division. Then, a wooden staff carved with the Four Spirits—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Zhu Que, and Black Tortoise—materialized in his hand.

"Bang!"

Gripping the wooden staff, Wei Zhenjie struck fiercely toward the ground. Rings of spiritual light appeared, and the Heavenly Division, which had still been trembling, immediately returned to stability.

Seeing the ground stop shaking, Wei Zhenjie had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw spiritual light streak across the sky in the southwest direction.

Dixiu Temple.

A young monk in his twenties fell clumsily from the sky into the temple grounds. Ignoring the pain in his body, he quickly took out a black-and-white 'brush' that had only a handle and no bristles, and began drawing talismans in mid-air.

Soon, five-colored spiritual light gathered beneath the black-and-white brush handle, and the character 'Stabilize' materialized.

The young monk waved his brush, and the character 'Stabilize' sank into the ground; immediately, the trembling earth calmed down.

Seeing the ground stop shaking, the young monk smiled faintly, then closed his eyes and fainted directly.

At the same time, spiritual light flew out from more than ten alleys in the capital, scattering in all directions.

"Thud~"

In an alley near the West Gate of the capital's outer city, adjacent to the Tudimiao, Hua Changxi, clad in a black robe, fell to the ground, cushioned beneath her by a red kasaya.

After leaping across the Nether River, Hua Changxi manipulated the kasaya to merge into the dim and gloomy long path; thereafter, the others on the kasaya disappeared one after another. Hua Changxi guessed they must have been pulled away by the Ghost Market tokens.

Hua Changxi lay prone on the ground without moving for several full minutes before she braced herself against the wall and struggled to her feet.

At this moment, her face was as pale as paper, and her body was stiff.

The several great demons that had appeared behind her had struck simultaneously; although most of the attacks were blocked by the Long-Eyed Arhat, she still suffered severe injuries from a portion of them.

Hua Changxi could feel her soul-body was in a state of extreme weakness, on the verge of separating at any moment; she needed to find a place immediately to replenish her soul power and repair her soul-body.

In her battle against the Green Dragon, she had nearly exhausted the spiritual power within her body; now, she lacked even the strength to go to Mount Wuzhi. Glancing around and spotting the city gate, she disregarded everything else, directly rode a cloud out, and headed straight for the Lingguang Hall.

The Lingguang Hall was the only place she could think of now, and it was the nearest location for healing her injuries.

On this day, the common people of the capital saw more than ten streaks of light cutting across the sky.

The common people of the capital were somewhat better informed; they knew those streaks of light were cultivators.

Seeing cultivators who could fly through the sky and burrow into the earth for the first time, the people were both shocked and exhilarated, envious yet full of longing.

Of course, it was not only the common people who were alarmed; the imperial family and the high-ranking nobles were also stirred.

Although the matter of spiritual qi recovery had become almost obvious after the earth-shattering great battle at Mount Wuzhi, in order to seize more cultivation resources, those who had already embarked on the path of cultivation had unanimously chosen not to expose themselves before the public.

"Notify the Heavenly Division; have them investigate immediately to see exactly what has happened."

In the Taiji Palace behind the imperial palace, the Retired Emperor's expression was extremely grim.

Within the capital's territory, even the imperial family had voluntarily restrained themselves from using spiritual power; now that someone had broken this rule, the Retired Emperor was deeply dissatisfied.

The noble families had many channels of information, so the matter of spiritual qi recovery could not be hidden from them; this had already caused the imperial family to distribute many resources. If the common people of Great Jin were also to participate, the cultivation resources the imperial family could collect would only become scarcer.

The Heavenly Division.

"Master, what has happened?"

The people of the Heavenly Division were stunned by the recent tremor and had rushed out one after another; the leader among them was Chu Junyi, Wei Zhenjie's most prized disciple.

Wei Zhenjie flew down from the sky, his expression grave: "There is a change in the Nine Netherworlds; your master must go down to investigate. Junyi, you will lead a squad of Demon-Suppressing Army soldiers to Nanxiang County to investigate."

"Remember, if what the County Magistrate says is true and that palace is indeed an ancient ruin, do not yield whether it is people from the imperial family or other nobles who wish to contend for it."

Chu Junyi nodded: "This disciple understands."

Subsequently, the master and disciple parted ways; one led people down into the Nine Netherworlds, while the other led people to Nanxiang County.

The Medical Bureau.

Gu Jinfan, who was refining medicine in her room, also detected the tremor in the Medical Bureau at the first moment; she was the first to rush to the old courtyard in the square, even faster than the Bureau Chief.

Both of them witnessed the scene of Gu Xing lifting the stone cauldron and then throwing it onto the ground.

"Elder Gu, you..."

Gu Qiming was somewhat at a loss for words as he looked at Gu Xing. The stone cauldron standing in the square was somewhat incongruous; he and many others had entertained the idea of moving it, but unfortunately, no one had ever been able to budge the cauldron.

Yet at this moment, the stone cauldron had actually been lifted by an old man on the verge of death.

Gu Jinfan was also looking at Gu Xing: "Elder, has there been a change in the Nine Netherworlds' Demon-Refining Prison?"

Gu Xing glanced at the two of them, said nothing, and bent over, trembling as he returned to the old courtyard.

Seeing he revealed nothing, both Gu Qiming and Gu Jinfan felt extremely helpless.

Gu Qiming looked at Gu Jinfan: "How do you know about the Nine Netherworlds' Demon-Refining Prison?"

Gu Jinfan looked at him: "Bureau Chief, as more and more ancient ruins appear in various places, many things are no longer secrets." Having said this, she bowed slightly, turned, and left.

The Dan Sheng Hall is the array eye suppressing the Demon Prison; its tremor surely means something has happened in the Nine Netherworlds, and she must hurry down to investigate.

At this moment, those who had arrived at the square included not only the Director and Gu Jinfan, but many others as well, all drawn by the recent tremor.

"What just happened?"

"It must have been an earthquake."

In the southern suburbs of Jingcheng, within Nanxiang County, stood the Ling Guang Hall.

After the Nanxiang County Magistrate reported the matter of Ling Guang Hall yesterday, many in the imperial court received the news; when Hua Changxi arrived, she saw several factions already gathered there.

Most critically, she spotted her father, Hua Minghe, outside the hall.

Countless soldiers guarded the exterior, while seven or eight individuals crowded inside, quarreling as each sought to take control of Ling Guang Hall.

Hua Changxi could barely hold on; seeing the Zhu Que jade pendant still floating inside, untouched, she confirmed that those within possessed weak spiritual power. Tightening her black robe, she rode a cloud and charged straight in.

"Bang~"

Hua Changxi immediately unleashed her spiritual power, knocking everyone inside to the ground, then snatched the Zhu Que jade pendant.

"Rumble~"

The instant the Zhu Que pendant was removed, Ling Guang Hall blazed with intense red light; except for cultivators with fire spiritual roots, everyone, both inside and outside the hall, was blasted away.

Ignoring the strange phenomena at Ling Guang Hall, Hua Changxi swept the cultivators inside out, sealed the hall doors with another burst of spiritual power, and hurried underground.

Upon reaching the square of the Zhu Que Transmission Stele, Hua Changxi could endure no longer; she collapsed to the ground, retrieved the Soul-Devouring Tree branch from the Shennong Cauldron, lay upon it, and fell into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, outside Ling Guang Hall.

When Chu Junyi arrived with the Demon-Suppressing Army, he happened to see a figure in black robes rush into the hall; before they could reach it, everyone inside had been thrown out. He attempted to lead his troops in, but the doors slammed shut, and when he tried to force entry, the red light flashing upon the doors blasted him backward.

Moreover, the ground outside Ling Guang Hall shook violently, accompanied by the emergence of vast red light.

The red glow was so intense that no one could look directly at it.

When the trembling ceased and the red light dissipated, everyone present was stunned by the sight before them.

The single hall that had stood there before had transformed into a towering, magnificent palace complex arranged in a pyramid shape; the main hall stood at the highest point, with other structures descending in tiers, the lowest palaces still dozens of meters above the ground, resembling a mountain range from afar.

Where they had previously stood outside the hall doors, they now found themselves beneath a memorial archway dozens of meters high, its plaque bearing the three large characters 'Ling Guang Hall'.

The archway stood at least several hundred meters from the palace complex; gazing upon the mountain-like structures, these nobles, accustomed to looking down on others, for the first time felt their own insignificance, like ants.

After a long shock, Prince Fu, the current Emperor's younger brother, was the first to recover, and upon doing so, flew into a rage: "Who was that person in black robes? How dare they seize a royal palace!"

The appearance of the black-robed figure was so sudden that no one had anticipated it; mainly because those present were either officials from the Six Ministries or princes and dukes, none of whom had expected anyone to dare challenge them for the spoils.

Most importantly, this was the southern suburbs of the capital, within the imperial domain, where the royal family held absolute control; even the most ambitious nobles would not contest the royal family in these areas.

Had they not seen that whether noble clans or Daoist and Buddhist sects, all only scrambled for territory outside the Central Province? Even in the regions of the Central Province near the capital, everyone tacitly avoided encroachment.

Seizing land within the capital region was an outright rebellion against the royal family!

This time, when rumors of a possible ruin in Nanxiang County emerged, the powerful nobles did not show themselves, allowing officials from the Six Ministries to fight over it.

Why?

Was it not because it was difficult to contend with the royal family?

If the court took control, although it would not become private property, since members of noble families served in all Six Ministries, while the lion's share of benefits would go to the royal family, they could still sip some of the broth.

No one expected someone to appear who refused to follow the rules.

"What background does that black-robed person have? How dare they snatch an opportunity from the court!"

Hua Minghe had come with the Six Doors; the Ministry of Justice had brought not only Six Doors personnel but also soldiers from the Heavenly Prison, intending to take over this ruin.

Now that events had completely exceeded their expectations, everyone could only gather together and discuss in hushed tones.

"The Minister and the others entered the hall first; why was the opportunity seized by the black-robed person who arrived later?"

Hearing Hua Minghe's question, the Chief Constable of the Six Doors explained quietly: "Matters of opportunity are extremely uncanny; they do not follow the rule of first come, first served."

"That Zhu Que jade pendant inside the hall must be the token controlling Ling Guang Hall, yet after the Minister and the others entered, not a single one of them could remove the pendant."

Upon hearing this, Hua Minghe formed a new doubt: "That black-robed person charged straight into the hall; how could he be certain he could remove the pendant? Did he come here beforehand?"

The Chief Constable immediately signaled Hua Minghe to stop speaking, but his words had already been overheard by many.

Someone even relayed these words directly to Prince Fu.

Hearing this, Prince Fu immediately jumped to conspiratorial conclusions and snorted coldly: "After the Nanxiang County Magistrate reported this ruin, only the Six Ministries and the Grand Secretariat knew of it. Regardless of who sent people ahead to scout, if this ruin is returned to the royal family, I guarantee I will plead with the Emperor to let past offenses go unpunished."

"If anyone insists on hogging everything alone, once the court investigates and exposes them, do not blame me for being ruthless."

Seeing everyone remain silent, Prince Fu's expression darkened further; he walked over to Chu Junyi and asked with some reproach: "Where is Minister Wei? Why has he not come?"

Chu Junyi replied: "Something has happened in the Nine Netherworlds; Master has gone down to investigate."

Hearing this, Prince Fu frowned: "When did this happen?"

Chu Junyi answered: "Just before we arrived."

At that moment, Chu Junyi's storage ring vibrated; he moved away from the crowd, took out his communication stone, and soon heard Wei Zhenjie's urgent voice.

"Junyi, forget about the matters in Nanxiang County; bring the Demon-Suppressing Army quickly to the Gen Gate of the Nine Netherworlds. The Nether Dragon, Huang Mang from Ox-Head Mountain, and the White Bone Lady from White Bone Mountain have all been severely injured; hurry and seize their territories."

Hearing this, Chu Junyi's expression shook; something truly major had occurred in the Nine Netherworlds—the Nether Dragon had been severely wounded!

Recalling the dozen or so streaks of spiritual light he had seen earlier flying in various directions, Chu Junyi's eyes flashed; could they have caused the massive changes at the Gen Gate?

"Your Highness, changes have occurred in the Nine Netherworlds; we must go support Master. We take our leave."

After informing Prince Fu, Chu Junyi led the Demon-Suppressing Army away swiftly.

This Ling Guang Hall was indeed a rare ruin, but compared to the Nine Netherworlds, it was no longer so urgent.

Watching the Demon-Suppressing Army depart in haste, everyone present displayed varied expressions; abandoning such a massive ruin meant something truly catastrophic must have happened.