Chapter 750: Pudu Cihang

In the Wangqing Forest.

It is a patch of demonic energy so dense it cannot be dissolved.

And all this demonic energy is at its most viscous and concentrated around a low, small hill.

Passing through the narrow mountain path and entering the cave, one can see countless runes carved all around the cave walls. It is just that these runes have been worn away until they are extremely dim. At the very center of the cave is a deep, secluded spring, as if it could connect to the Ninefold Underworld. And what is contained within the secluded spring is not mountain spring water, but rolling demonic energy, endless demonic energy.

——Yinshi Youquan.

This is the Yinshi Youquan that, once it erupts, will destroy the Three Realms.

And within the unfathomable Yinshi Youquan, a strangely shaped sword floats, constantly bobbing up and down.

Every time the Yinshi Youquan is about to erupt, this sword emits an invisible, vast righteous energy of heaven and earth, suppressing the demonic energy.

But because the power within the sword is insufficient, a large portion of demonic energy escapes with every suppression, and looking at the situation, I fear it will not be long before this sword can no longer suppress the Yinshi Youquan at all.

……

Outside the Wangqing Forest, a massive barrier has formed.

Maintaining this huge barrier are the elite disciples of the Yinyue Dynasty and the Xuanxin Sect, as well as cultivators who have rushed over from all over.

And Yu Liancheng is currently floating dozens of zhang high in the air, a Liangji Arrow nocked on the great bow transformed from the Ten Thousand Daos Boundless, the bow like a full moon, aiming from afar at the cave where the Yinshi Youquan is located. This Liangji Arrow, having been reforged and inscribed, possesses unimaginable power and will also guide all the demonic energy back to the Tianmo Star.

The crowd below watches Yu Liancheng, who is drawing the bow and nocking the string, their breathing almost stopping, each and every one of them nervous to the extreme.

The fate of the Three Realms lies in the hands of this Holy Monarch of the Yinyue Dynasty, Yu Liancheng; success or failure hinges on this one move.

Whoosh!

As Yu Liancheng's fingers release, a shrill, piercing whistle instantly rings out between heaven and earth, and a rainbow light suddenly appears in the sky.

The Liangji Arrow seems to ignore the distance of time and space; one moment it was still in Yu Liancheng's hand, and the next it has already shattered the small hill and shot into the Yinshi Youquan, which is filled with endless demonic energy.

Rumble!

Although Yan Chixia and the others cannot see the specific effect after the Liangji Arrow is shot, they have already felt a violent tremor coming from the Wangqing Forest, as if the sky were turning and the earth overturning, or like an earth dragon rolling over. Even those with shallow cultivation are unable to stand steady and suddenly fall to the ground.

Immediately following, a massive surge of demonic energy shoots into the sky, transforming into a huge black pillar of demonic energy that rushes toward the Tianmo Star in the distant starry vault. The moment the black pillar of demonic energy gradually fades and finally disappears, everyone present instantly bursts into cheers, roars, and wild singing, completely unable to suppress the joy in their hearts.

This time, they did not suppress the Yinshi Youquan, but let the demonic energy of the Yinshi Youquan return to the Tianmo Star.

From now on, humanity will never again have to worry about the eruption of the Yinshi Youquan.

Every single person is a savior.

Although Yu Liancheng is dozens of zhang high in the air, he seems to be infected by the joyful emotions of the people around him, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, and then he raises his head, casting his gaze toward the boundless firmament.

At this moment, his gaze pierces through hundreds of thousands of kilometers, ignoring all tangible and intangible obstacles, piercing through the vacuum, and reaching a dark red planet far away.

This planet is filled with various cruel and evil thoughts, incomparably violent.

Even for figures at the level of the Xuanxin Four Generals or the Demon Palace Four Sages, being infected by these chaotic, violent, and world-distorting thoughts would likely result in mental trauma and falling into long-term madness and insanity.

Although there is no aura of life on the planet, it is as if countless red shadows are wandering about. Each shadow is so evil and twisted, but when they perceive that the demonic energy has been sent back to the Tianmo Star where they reside, they instantly become even more frantic.

"Tianmo Star, Ancient Heavenly Demon, the culprit of everything, wait for this seat to suppress you in the days to come." Yu Liancheng withdraws his gaze; he looks at the demons and ghosts in the Demon Palace, and he already has a plan in his heart for dealing with the Tianmo Star. However, that must wait until the day of the Heavenly Demon Rushing the Seven Killings arrives, and he must also find the peerless, extraordinary Su Tianxin to assist.

Once this plan is completed, humans and demons will no longer fight and kill all day long, at least not for a short time, and he will have fulfilled his duty as Holy Monarch.

Swish!

Just at this moment, a ray of light flies toward Yu Liancheng, and he grabs it casually, only to discover it is a strangely shaped ancient sword.

"Moye Sword?"

Yu Liancheng's expression tightens slightly.

The legendary peerless Divine Sword has taken the initiative to fly into his hand.

After pondering for a moment, he accepts this Divine Sword.

For the next three days, all the cultivators who participated in breaking the Yinshi Youquan celebrate for three days and three nights.

During these three days and three nights, they sing and dance, drinking joyfully until dawn; there is no distinction between righteous and evil, everyone is a comrade who has shared life and death.

However, there is no banquet in the world that does not end; once the three days are over, they go their separate ways, and when they meet again in the future, it will be with blades drawn, and they will not hold back.

Yu Liancheng, this Holy Monarch, does not follow the main force of the Yinyue Dynasty back to the Yinyue Dynasty, but instead rushes back to Chang'an.

Xiaoqing, Xiaobai, and his half-disciple are all in Chang'an.

……

Huaqing Palace.

Located at the foot of Li Mountain, built against the mountain, it covers a quite vast area. The halls and pavilions are all nestled among the valleys and forests according to the terrain of the mountain, with dense pines and cypresses, perfectly integrating the mountain scenery with human architecture, which the Emperor loved dearly; Xuanzong spent the winter in Huaqing Palace more than thirty times, hence this palace gained the name "Li Capital."

Li Mountain has many hot springs, famous throughout the world for nearly a thousand years.

At this time, two women are rising from the hot spring pool.

One of these two women is heroic and spirited, bright and dazzling, her every gesture carrying an elfin-like cunning and purity, yet also possessing a wild aura.

The other woman is radiant with beauty, with a plump figure, as beautiful as a peony, and possesses a noble and graceful demeanor that commands the world.

The two are wearing only thin, light gauze; having finished bathing, the gauze clothes are soaked by the water and cling to their skin, revealing graceful and alluring curves, with bits of white, smooth skin appearing and disappearing, inviting reverie.

The heroic one, who has tied her hair into a casual ponytail, looks toward the chest of the other plump woman, seeing only a surging, undulating expanse. Looking down at herself, her mood suddenly becomes less bright.

Just at this moment, a man in black appears in Huaqing Palace.

He walks with his hands behind his back, a smile on his face, passing through a path of colorful flowers, about to break into the warm room where the two women are. It seems that for him, such a rebellious act as peeping at a consort bathing is merely a common occurrence.

"Stop right there!"

A beautiful voice rings out suddenly.

Following closely, a brilliant and peerless sword light rises from the void, its approach like chasing light and pursuing electricity, fast to an unbelievable degree. And as the hilt of the sword trembles slightly, it instantly shakes out dozens of sword flowers, each one so thrilling that it seems to reflect everyone's soul, and can also glimpse every flaw in the soul, stabbing out from the flaw for a one-hit kill.

"Xiaobai, blades have no eyes, don't accidentally hurt anyone."

The man in black turns around, smiles slightly, and probes his index and middle fingers into the sword light, clamping the sky-filling, flickering sword light easily with his two fingers.

With a turn and a flick of his wrist, the long sword involuntarily returns to its scabbard.

If an ordinary Martial Dao expert were to see this, they would certainly find it miraculous; he used no Internal Force at all to break such an exquisite sword move, and even returned the sword to its sheath, simply reaching the level of "skill approaching the Dao."

"Yu Liancheng, it's you." The woman wielding the sword was naturally Bai Suzhen. At this moment, dressed in white clothes and a white skirt, holding a sword in her left hand, she had the air of a carefree wandering knight. It was just that this wandering knight's face was a bit too beautiful, and her eyes, black as lacquer, still held a trace of astonishment and joy.

"When did you learn swordplay?" Yu Liancheng asked.

"Just these past few days, I taught myself."

Yu Liancheng asked in confusion: "With your magic power, there is no need to learn swordplay at all. Why is this?"

Bai Suzhen said: "After all, this is the Capital, and there are countless experts. Although my current magic power is enough to dominate a region, the trace of demonic aura that arises when I make a move would inevitably cause unnecessary trouble. Practicing a human Sword Technique, while lacking in power, does not require magic power to drive it."

"What a clever girl." Yu Liancheng chuckled, then lifted his foot and walked toward the top of the warm room.

Bai Suzhen's slender and graceful figure swayed as she walked straight up to block Yu Liancheng: "You cannot go in."

Yu Liancheng chuckled and said: "Xiaobai, you have already recognized me, why still not let me in?"

Xiaobai's pretty face flushed slightly, but her expression remained dignified and serious: "Xiaoqing and Noble Consort are inside. Don't you know that one should not look at what is improper?"

"You, oh you." Yu Liancheng tapped Xiaobai on the forehead with his finger: "Clearly you are a little white snake, yet you insist on following human rules so strictly. Tell me, when you transform into your snake form, you don't wear clothes either; does that mean I can't look at that either?"

Xiaobai said with a serious face: "That is different."

"What is different? It's all stark naked, coming and going with nothing on." Yu Liancheng said seriously: "To use Buddhist terms, it is that you are too attached."

A burst of footsteps sounded from inside the door, and then the door of the warm room was pushed open.

"Sister, who are you talking to?" Xiaoqing and Noble Consort finally walked out. Because they had just soaked in the hot spring, their skin appeared exceptionally moist, and their hair was still a bit damp.

"Yu Liancheng, you're back." Xiaoqing tilted her head, her beautiful eyes staring straight at him. She didn't say much, but a flash of joy appeared in her expression.

Originally, Yu Liancheng had let Xiaoqing stay in the Yinyue Dynasty, as the Yinyue Dynasty had more demonic cultivation arts, but this fellow missed Bai Suzhen and returned directly to the Capital.

"Yuhuan greets the National Master." Yang Yuhuan bowed gracefully, her eyes shifting, charming and beautiful.

Yu Liancheng swept his gaze over Yang Yuhuan and nodded with a smile: "Your cultivation progress is not bad. Tomorrow I will examine you carefully."

"Yuhuan awaits the National Master."

"By the way, there is something I want to ask you all." Yu Liancheng turned his head, his expression slightly solemn: "After entering the Capital, I sensed a trace of demonic aura."

Xiaoqing said: "It's just a demonic aura. The Capital is so large, there must be many demons hiding here."

"No. This demonic aura seems ordinary, but it is actually extremely pure. Even compared to you and Xiaobai, it is even a step above." Yu Liancheng said.

"What!?"

Xiaobai and Xiaoqing were immediately quite shocked.

With their current cultivation, they are both peerless great demons who suppress their own regions; to think there is still a demon in this Capital stronger than them.

Yu Liancheng said: "And when I observed it with my Qi Gazing Technique, this demonic aura has actually begun to devour the national fortune of Datang. If this continues, the country will cease to be a country, and that demon will obtain great fortune, even having hope of ascending. Think carefully, have any strange or bizarre things happened in the Capital recently?"

The three women heard the gravity in Yu Liancheng's words and began to think, but soon shook their heads. The three of them are all "homebodies," their channels for receiving information are not wide, and furthermore, they did not take the initiative to inquire.

Yu Liancheng was somewhat disappointed, so he planned to directly use his divine sense to spread a large net over the entire Capital and search wantonly.

However, doing so also has its flaws; it might alert the demon in advance and cause it to hide.

"Lord National Master, Yuhuan has a piece of information, I don't know if it is relevant." Suddenly, Yang Yuhuan seemed to recall something and said, parting her red lips slightly.

"Speak."

"His Majesty has received many high-level Buddhist and Daoist figures, as well as eccentric people from the Edo these days. These high-level figures and eccentric people come from all over the world. Among them, many are just making up the numbers; from Yuhuan's current perspective, they can only be considered street performers. But there are indeed some who have true talent and high magic power."

Yang Yuhuan's beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she said: "Perhaps the demon the National Master is looking for is among these people."

That Xuanzong would receive eccentric people and high-level figures did not surprise Yu Liancheng; he even guessed that these people might have been sent by Xuanzong to deal with him.

He couldn't be bothered to care and had Yang Yuhuan find a specific list of these high-level figures and eccentric people.

When his gaze swept over the list, Yu Liancheng's eyes fixed on one name.

—Pudu Cihang.

"Yuhuan, help me find information on this Pudu Cihang again."

"That is not necessary." Yang Yuhuan said.

"Oh?"

"Because Yuhuan already knows about him." Yang Yuhuan smiled slightly: "This Master Pudu is the Buddhist master with the highest seniority in the current Zen forest. Although the Imperial Court favors the Daoist Canon, the number of Buddhist believers among the common people is no less than those of the Daoist Canon. When this person first entered the Capital, it is said that the whole street was full of believers prostrating themselves; the scene was extremely spectacular."

"His Majesty has also summoned him and holds him in high esteem, even wanting to promote him to the position of National Master. Many royal relatives and high-ranking officials have invited this Master Pudu to their homes as guests to lecture on the scriptures. Nowadays, the Master stays at Daxiangguo Temple and holds Dharma assemblies from time to time, and every time there are countless believers who go to listen."

Yu Liancheng rubbed his chin and said: "So it really is this Pudu Cihang."

Xiaoqing asked in confusion: "Could he be the peerless great demon you spoke of?"

"It should be him."

Yu Liancheng sorted through the information regarding Pudu Cihang.

According to the original path, Pudu Cihang should be a peerless great demon, a true scourge to the country and the people. Although his demonic power has not reached its peak, it must not be underestimated. He even dares to touch the national fortune; it can be said that he is bold enough to defy the heavens, after all, Datang has not yet reached the end of its dynasty.

There is also one very important question.

"Such a big centipede, how many jars of wine would it take to soak it?"