Chapter 425

"The Fourth and Fifth Dragon Heads went to the War God Palace and have vanished without a trace."

"Now, only the Seventh Dragon Head remains atop Qinglong Peak!"

"Yes! I'll go seek an audience with the Seventh Dragon Head right away."

The fact that the Seventh Dragon Head, Zhang Sanfeng, joined the Qinglong Society is known throughout the land.

Moreover, he is a master ranked on the Nine Provinces Heavenly Dao Combat Ceiling List.

With him overseeing matters, the situation isn't too dire.

"Good! I'll go with you—this 'Unwavering Devotion Pill' must be destroyed!"

Jiang Yuyan is determined to eliminate any existence that threatens Ximen Wudi.

The two immediately set out together to find Zhang Sanfeng.

……

Across the Nine Provinces, openly and covertly, countless factions are converging on Xingyunzhuang for the 'Unwavering Devotion Pill' and Lin Shiyin.

Xingyunzhuang, located in the Great Ming, was originally named Li Yuan, the ancestral estate passed down three generations by Li Xunhuan.

It was because Long Xiaoyun schemed, feigning to save Li Xunhuan.

Li Xunhuan, unwilling to harm their brotherly bond, gifted both Li Yuan and Lin Shiyin to Long Xiaoyun.

He himself, in lonely despair, left the Great Ming.

Coincidentally, he encountered the Qinglong Society's expansion and was introduced by the ever-watchful Tianji Elder Sun Baifa into the Qinglong Society.

He became the Lord of the First Month Hall.

At this time, Xingyunzhuang, renamed from Li Yuan, had grown bustling.

Countless martial heroes came under convoluted pretexts to visit Long Xiaoyun.

At first, Long Xiaoyun received each one personally, for he could not tarnish his reputation as a great hero.

Though he knew full well what these people truly sought.

But after receiving so many, Long Xiaoyun grew weary and annoyed.

After greeting him, these Wu Lin figures would immediately take up residence as if they were old friends.

Not only did their daily expenses flow like water, but every night they changed into night-robes and scoured every corner of Xingyunzhuang.

What they wanted, of course, was to find Lin Shiyin and the 'Unwavering Devotion Pill' on her person.

But Lin Shiyin was Long Xiaoyun's possession, and the 'Unwavering Devotion Pill' was a powerful asset.

After the Heavenly Dao Flower List was revealed, he had hidden Lin Shiyin and the 'Unwavering Devotion Pill' in a place no one could imagine.

How could he possibly give others a chance?

But after searching for several days straight, the martial heroes grew desperate.

The next morning, they all gathered in Xingyunzhuang's grand hall.

"Lord Long, your lady has a karmic connection with the Buddha—why not bring her forth? I, the old monk, shall grant her a thread of Buddhist fortune."

Xuan Nan of the Great Song Shaolin pulled a secret manual from his robe and offered it before Long Xiaoyun.

"Old monk, spare the words."

Dong Fang Bai pinched a needle between her fingers, her expression hostile.

"Long Xiaoyun, hand over Lin Shiyin, and I may spare your life."

"Otherwise, you'll be forced to swallow the Three Corpses Brain-Shattering Pill."

"Yes! Long Xiaoyun, give up Lin Shiyin…"

With Shaolin and the Sun-Moon Divine Cult taking the lead, the other martial heroes erupted into clamor.

Long Xiaoyun had foreseen this scenario and was furious inside, yet he spoke calmly:

"Fellow martial artists, though Lin Shiyin is my wife…"

"Since the Heavenly Dao Flower List was announced a few days ago, she has vanished without a trace."

"I, in truth, wish to know her whereabouts even more than you all…"

"Bullshit…"

"Long Xiaoyun, it seems you won't yield until you see the coffin."

Those present at Xingyunzhuang were merely minor factions nearby.

If they couldn't seize Lin Shiyin before the great powers arrived, there would be no chance at all.

Dong Fang Bai, without hesitation, flicked several needles, ready to teach Long Xiaoyun a lesson.

Her Wu Gong far surpassed Long Xiaoyun's by more than a major realm.

The needles, derived from the Sunflower Manual, were nearly invisible to those below her cultivation level.

Just as the needles blurred before everyone's eyes and were about to pierce Long Xiaoyun—

Suddenly, everyone in Xingyunzhuang felt their hearts pound violently.

Even Dong Fang Bai was affected.

Disrupted by this, the needles naturally fell to the ground.

At some unknown moment, a profoundly sinister figure appeared beside Long Xiaoyun.

"You are Long Xiaoyun?"

This man was Cang Qu, the Heavenly Demon, sent by the Tang Empress Wu Zetian to seize Lin Shiyin and the 'Unwavering Devotion Pill'.

Merely by unleashing his Heavenly Demon Field, no one in Xingyunzhuang could move.

Even the lives of all present hung solely on his whim.

Long Xiaoyun himself felt his heartbeat accelerate violently, as if his heart might burst at any moment.

"Who are you?"

After a difficult glance at Cang Ku, Long Xiaoyun asked a question.

"This Seat's name is not for the likes of you to know!"

Having confirmed it was Long Xiaoyun, Cang Ku did not waste any more words.

He directly activated his demonic art, using psychic power to invade Long Xiaoyun's consciousness and search for Lin Shiyin's whereabouts.

Xie Tiao could already use demonic seeds to create psychic power and disturb others.

The "Heavenly Demon" Cang Ku, who had created the Heavenly Demon Strategy, naturally had even greater mastery over controlling demonic seeds than Xie Tiao.

With just a light sweep, every detail of Long Xiaoyun's life, great and small, had already been obtained by Cang Ku.

Looking at the various shameless deeds within Long Xiaoyun's memories, Cang Ku no longer held anything back in his heart.

He directly squeezed him dry, extracting everything he wanted to know.

"So that's how it is, she was actually sent there! He really is quite a talent."

After finding what he wanted, Cang Ku let out a cold laugh.

He didn't even look at Long Xiaoyun, who had become an idiot due to the erosion of the demonic seed's psychic power.

He directly activated his demonic art, and his entire body vanished into thin air.

Once Cang Ku left, his Heavenly Demon domain naturally disappeared without a trace.

"Hoo, who was that? I almost thought I was going to die…"

"Me too, it was terrifying. By the way, did someone just come by?"

Cang Ku's appearance and departure went completely undetected by anyone.

If not for the wildly beating hearts in their chests, everyone would have almost suspected whether anyone had actually come.

"Sigh! It seems a major power has arrived, this Lin Shiyin…"

Xuan Nan understood that Lin Shiyin was no longer someone he could get his hands on.

He uttered a Buddhist invocation, calmed his heartbeat, and led the people of Yunzhou Shaolin away.

"What a pity, what a pity…"

The other minor powers all sighed in unison and left directly, just like Yunzhou Shaolin.

Only Dongfang Bai, looking at Long Xiaoyun who had become an idiot, was contemplating something.

261-Someone worries atop the Deyue Tower!

Not far south of Xingyunzhuang, there was a den of debauchery—the Deyue Tower.

Here, wine, lust, wealth, and temper were all indulged in.

Countless high officials and noble personages, as well as great figures of the jianghu, would come here to amuse themselves.

Even those from beyond the Great Ming had heard of the Deyue Tower's fine reputation.