Chapter 126: The Region Expands

Jingcheng, Qintian Tower.

At the very moment the Lingguang Hall manifested, a flash of spiritual light appeared on a white jade table atop the Qintian Tower.

Yuan Qi, the Director of the Qintian Bureau, sensed the disturbance and immediately rushed to the tower's summit; seeing the pattern that had appeared on the stone table, his expression involuntarily stiffened.

On the white jade table, a continent had appeared, with a magnificent red palace—the Lingguang Hall—standing in the southern region of that landmass.

An anomaly also occurred at the Guangyin Tower opposite the Qintian Tower; the History Book of the Four Spirit Realms manifested once again, gathering spiritual light to write a line of text upon its pages.

"On the seventh day of the sixth month, in the 4,990th year of the Qiling Era, the Lingguang Hall has manifested."

At the southernmost tip of Great Jin, deep within the vast and surging Southern Sea, the mist dispersed, and a boundless, enormous landmass slowly emerged.

Upon this land, mountains of fiery red rock were visible everywhere, along with colossal peaks constantly spewing flames.

Meanwhile, outside the Lingguang Hall, after the Demon-Suppressing Army had departed, Prince Fu, unwilling to let this ruin fall into another's hands, intended to send people inside to investigate.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice, eager to curry favor with Prince Fu, dispatched members of the Six Doors to lead the vanguard.

Upon receiving the order, the faces of the Six Doors members all grew solemn.

Chief Constable Xie Zhixun looked at his subordinates and instructed in a low voice, "Once inside, proceed with caution and do not touch anything within."

In contrast to the apprehension of the others, Hua Minghe, who was already a cultivator, felt mostly excitement.

Previously, the Six Doors had mostly dealt with matters concerning martial artists of the jianghu; they had never participated in major events like exploring ruins.

Soon, under Xie Zhixun's leadership, the Six Doors members crossed the gate tower and walked toward the towering palace complex.

However, the moment they stepped onto the ground paved with red jade, most of the Six Doors members jumped up in pain and then immediately turned back, retreating quickly.

"My lord, the ground inside is scalding hot; walking on it feels like treading on red-hot iron plates."

The feet of several Six Doors members were burned so badly they were a mess of flesh and blood, making even walking difficult.

After observing this, Prince Fu frowned, fell silent for a moment, and then sent several cultivators from behind him forward.

After crossing the gate tower, these cultivators had not gone far before they too hurriedly turned back.

"Your Highness, once we passed the gate tower, we were unable to utilize our spiritual power."

Except for cultivators possessing a Fire Spirit Root, the others, while not having their feet burned to a pulp like the martial artists of the Six Doors, still found the soles of their feet scorched unbearably by the rolling heat.

"It seems this Lingguang Hall can only be entered by cultivators who possess a Fire Spirit Root."

Upon learning this, Prince Fu looked at those present.

The officials exchanged glances and then sent forward the cultivators with Fire Spirit Roots they had brought with them.

After crossing the gate tower, the ten-odd cultivators with Fire Spirit Roots, though unable to use their spiritual power, suffered no harm from the red jade ground; they walked safely to the foot of the red jade steps and climbed up.

Seeing them successfully ascend the steps, Prince Fu and the various officials looked somewhat relieved.

However, when those people reached the first palace and attempted to open its doors, a burst of red light suddenly appeared, directly blasting them away.

The dozen-plus cultivators fell from the steps, which were dozens of meters high, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Witnessing this scene, Prince Fu's expression immediately darkened.

His Majesty had already claimed several ruins, so he had some understanding of the rules regarding their recognition of a master.

This Lingguang Hall clearly already belonged to that black-robed figure; unless that person was willing to relinquish the hall, the only way for others to have a chance at contending for it again would be to kill him, causing the hall to lose its master.

'Which faction did that black-robed person come from?'

Dangerous light flickered in Prince Fu's eyes; the Lingguang Hall was located within the capital's territory, yet someone had come to the imperial family's doorstep to slap them in the face. It seemed that with the recovery of spiritual energy, some people could no longer sit idle.

"Esteemed lords, my imperial brother awaits our report; please accompany this prince to the palace."

Unable to investigate the Lingguang Hall, staying here would only waste time, but the identity of the black-robed figure had to be uncovered; Prince Fu left a squad of personal guards to watch the site and then led the officials present back to the capital.

Originally, the Ministry of Justice officials had intended to leave the Six Doors members to guard the site, but Xie Zhixun disagreed, stating that many were injured and needed to return to recuperate.

Thus, Hua Minghe and the others were allowed to leave.

"Brother He, what kind of wound medicine did you apply to us? The efficacy is truly remarkable; the soles of our feet hardly hurt anymore."

On the way back to the capital, Xie Zhixun had found an ox cart to carry those subordinates whose feet were severely injured; although they were not walking, the pain remained unbearable until Hua Minghe applied medicine, making them feel as though they had come back to life.

Hua Minghe smiled and said, "This medicinal powder was refined by my Third Son; if you find it effective, I will bring some for you later."

Xie Zhixun looked over, gesturing for Hua Minghe to show him the medicine; after examining it, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Minghe, this medicine refined by your Third Son is somewhat different from ordinary golden wound ointment."

Hua Minghe trusted his comrades-in-arms who had faced life and death together, especially Xie Zhixun, who had always taken care of him, so he blurted out, "The prescription was accidentally seen by my Ninth Daughter... in a medical book."

Xie Zhixun glanced at him: "Is that the little girl who was captured by a demonic Daoist two years ago to be used as a sacrifice?"

Hua Minghe nodded: "Yes."

Xie Zhixun smiled: "That little daughter of yours is bold and clever, knowing how to save herself; among all those people captured by demonic monks and Daoists, she is the only survivor I know of."

Even now, when Hua Minghe recalled the incident of his daughter being kidnapped for a blood sacrifice, he still felt a lingering fear: "Regarding my Ninth Daughter's nature, sometimes I think her boldness is a good thing, but at other times, I feel she is too bold."

"If she were a boy, I would surely wake up smiling from my dreams, but since she happens to be a young lady, being too bold makes me truly fear she won't be able to find a husband."

Xie Zhixun comfortingly patted Hua Minghe's shoulder: "By the way, you mentioned earlier that she entered the Miscellaneous Labor Hall of the Medical Bureau as a laborer?"

Hua Minghe hummed in agreement: "I wanted to bring her home, but she was unwilling."

Xie Zhixun was surprised: "If you forbade her from going to the Medical Bureau, could she really defy your command as her father?"

Hua Minghe smiled somewhat awkwardly; unable to admit that he could not control his daughter, he merely added, "Now that my daughter has grown up, it is not proper for me to interfere too much in her affairs."

Xie Zhixun was somewhat speechless: "I think you are simply too indulgent with your child." He paused, then continued, "Actually, it might be better for your young daughter to remain in the Miscellaneous Labor Hall."

Lowering his voice, he said, "Currently, many noble officials in the court are trying to squeeze their descendants into the Medical Bureau; I heard that even the Seventh Imperial Prince has gone there."

"Those in power never act without benefit; their rush to enter the Medical Bureau surely means there is some advantage to be gained there."

"Since your daughter is already in the Medical Bureau, let her stay put and observe how those above are acting; by following their lead, she should at least be able to get a share of the spoils."

Hearing this, Hua Minghe nodded: "I will tell Ninth Daughter."

At this moment, someone began shouting loudly.

"What is going on? Usually, we can reach the city gate in just over an hour; today we have traveled so long, yet we still haven't even seen the city gate?"

Xie Zhixun and Hua Minghe's attention was drawn over, and at that moment, the two of them also noticed something was amiss.

Xie Zhixun turned to look back at the towering Lingguang Hall, still clearly visible, and his expression trembled: "Nanxiang County has grown larger."

Upon hearing this, his subordinates were all shocked: "How could Nanxiang County possibly grow larger?"

Xie Zhixun shook his head: "I do not know; however, commoners previously reported to the court that certain mountains and rivers had expanded, but these matters were suppressed."

"This world... is about to change!"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing this.

Xie Zhixun suddenly looked at Hua Minghe: "Minghe, we are all brothers who have faced life and death together; if it is not too troublesome, could you tell everyone how to become a cultivator?"

Hua Minghe stared at Xie Zhixun in astonishment.

Xie Zhixun pointed at all his subordinates: "After passing through the gate tower, they were all injured; only you and I remained unharmed. I was protected because of my shoes; what about you? What protected you?"

"I observed those who passed through the gate tower behind us; as long as they were cultivators, none were injured."

Hua Minghe knew of Xie Zhixun's keen powers of observation; since his status as a cultivator had been discovered, he did not deny it.

"Chief, are you truly a cultivator?"

Several constables who worked under Hua Minghe, disregarding the pain in their feet, rushed forward to surround him.

"How did you become a cultivator?"

"When did you become one?"

"Can we become cultivators too?"

Overwhelmed by everyone's questions, Hua Minghe raised his hand to stop them, then looked at Xie Zhixun: "Chief Constable, my becoming a cultivator was not due to my own efforts; I cannot promise anyone anything, but I can ask on your behalf."

Xie Zhixun smiled and patted Hua Minghe on the shoulder: "That is already very good."

The people of the Six Fan Gates, learning they might also become cultivators, were all invigorated; however, not long after, their spirits dampened again.

For no other reason than that the area of Nanxiang County had expanded dozens of times its original size.

Hua Minghe and his group traveled for three days and three nights before finally seeing the city gate of Nancheng in Jingcheng.

"How can the current Nanxiang County still be called a county? In my view, it is clearly a large prefecture."

Neither Xie Zhixun nor Hua Minghe had expected Nanxiang County to expand so vastly.

Seeing his exhausted subordinates, Xie Zhixun directly ordered them to return home and rest.

At the same time, a fierce battle was still raging underground at the Jiuyou Genmen Pass.

The Heaven Division deployed half of its Demon-Suppressing Army; after several days of fierce fighting, they captured Genmen Bridge, captured Minglong Pavilion, and captured Niutou Mountain. Just as Wei Zhenjie intended to attack Baigu Mountain, he was informed that Baigu Mountain had already been seized by the Duke Prefecture.

Upon learning this news, Wei Zhenjie was so furious he wanted to strike someone: "Why is the Duke Prefecture everywhere?"

Chu Junyi, standing nearby, waited until Wei Zhenjie had vented his anger before speaking: "The reason the Duke Prefecture reacted so quickly was due to Gu Jinfan's warning."

"Lady Baigu was trapped and killed directly by Gu Jinfan using the Kunlun Mirror."

Hearing this, Wei Zhenjie narrowed his eyes: "That Gu Jinfan is quite a character."

Chu Junyi agreed with these words; earlier at Mount Kunlun, he had witnessed that young lady's resolve; without her charge, the Duke Prefecture could never have returned fully laden.

Chu Junyi looked at Wei Zhenjie: "Master, what exactly caused this shift at Genmen?"

The Heaven Division had placed agents in all nine passes of Jiuyou; as soon as Wei Zhenjie arrived at Genmen, he learned the full course of events, and sighing, he said: "Grand Master Changmei of Xiangguo Temple has died."

"Some time ago, I received news that Xiangguo Temple and the Celestial Master's Mansion intended to send their disciples to Jiuyou for training; later, the Three Pure Palaces and the Taisu Palace also became involved."

"Grand Master Changmei led the group; two or thirty people came to Jiuyou for training together, all of them direct disciples. Originally, there should have been no danger, yet they inexplicably entered the Soul-Severing Forest."

Chu Junyi's expression shook: "Entering the Soul-Severing Forest; could it be that they intended to..."

Wei Zhenjie said calmly: "The training was a pretense; their true objective was likely to seize the Two Symbols Talisman Brush."

Chu Junyi hurriedly asked: "Did they obtain the Two Symbols Talisman Brush?"

Wei Zhenjie shook his head: "I do not know; Grand Master Changmei and his party were captured and brought to Niutou Mountain, then imprisoned in the Soul-Devouring Well. By rights, their soul energy should have been completely drained by the Soul-Devouring Tree, yet fate decreed they should not perish."

"A female cultivator who had drunk the Spirit-Sealing Soup yet could still utilize spiritual power was also imprisoned in the Soul-Devouring Well; it was that female cultivator who rescued them from it."

Chu Junyi: "How did she manage that?"

Wei Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly: "That female cultivator could condense the Zhu Que Flame of the Fenji Primordial Spirit. The reason the Nether Dragon was severely injured was due to the Zhu Que Flame; the reason we could so easily capture Minglong Pavilion is that all the ghosts in the Nether River of the Genmen section were burned to death by the Zhu Que Flame."

"The Zhu Que Flame..."

Chu Junyi thought of something and immediately informed Wei Zhenjie about the black-robed figure seizing Lingguang Hall.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhenjie slammed the table fiercely: "Lingguang Hall... When the Zhu Que Emperor walked among mortals, he styled himself as Lord Lingguang; why did I not think of this sooner?"

Had he thought of it earlier, he would not have believed that taking over Lingguang Hall was less urgent than coming to Jiuyou; he would absolutely have personally led the team to seize Lingguang Hall.

"That black-robed figure must be the female cultivator who fought the Nether Dragon; being able to severely injure the Nether Dragon means her cultivation base is definitely not merely at the Core Formation realm. A Nascent Soul realm expert appeared, yet the Heaven Division received no intelligence whatsoever; where did she emerge from?"

Chu Junyi looked at him: "Master, I think I know who she is."

Wei Zhenjie: "Who?"

Chu Junyi: "The Fire Lotus Immortal of Mount Wuzhi."

Wei Zhenjie stroked his chin, pondering: "Come to think of it, it very well could be her. Have you investigated her identity?"

Chu Junyi shook his head: "Whenever the Fire Lotus Immortal appears, she only summons the siblings An Ran and An Ze; everyone who has seen her has sworn a Heart-Demon Oath, making it impossible to probe her origins."

"The Mountain Spirit of Mount Wuzhi and the Welcoming Pine should know, but we cannot capture them."

Wei Zhenjie: "Continue monitoring Mount Wuzhi; we must uncover the Fire Lotus Immortal's identity."

At this moment, Mencius Yu and Ye Jingzhou arrived.

"Minister, Commander, look quickly at what this is!"

Each carried a wooden tray; inside the trays were entirely storage treasures.

Chu Junyi stepped forward to examine them, frowning as he said: "The demons of Niutou Mountain have actually killed so many of our human cultivators."

Wei Zhenjie said nothing, merely instructing Mencius Yu and Ye Jingzhou to distribute the storage treasures from the trays to the soldiers who had performed exceptionally well in this campaign.

After the two departed, Wei Zhenjie smiled at Chu Junyi: "Come, let this master take you to see the Soul-Devouring Well; beneath this Niutou Mountain lies a soul-crystal mine."

"Having seized Niutou Mountain, this master need no longer worry about lacking cultivation resources when advancing to the Spirit Platform realm in the future. Speaking of which, we truly must thank that Fire Lotus Immortal; had she not ignited the Nether River, it would indeed have been difficult for us to break into Genmen."