Chapter 210 Zhuxian: "What kind of weapon is it exactly?"...
"Jiang Xianjun!"
As soon as Jiang Yuhuo stepped into the camp, he heard shouts coming from afar.
The next moment, Ji Qiu'an appeared in her sight.
“Jiang Xianjun…you’re finally back…” Ji Qiu’an stopped a foot in front of her. He had run all the way here, his chest heaving, his eyes bright, and a smile blooming on his face. “I…I heard your voice. Where did you go? Are you alright?”
Jiang Yuhuo answered as she walked, "I'm fine. How is Mr. Zhou?"
Her gaze swept across the camp, finding many more cultivators than when she left. But most of them wore somber expressions and looked distressed.
Only Ji Qiu'an still had a smile on his face; at this moment, he was probably the happiest person in the entire camp.
Ji Qiu'an followed Jiang Yuhuo's steps, "Uncle is fine, he just overworked himself these days and accidentally fainted once..."
"Oh, right!" he said, his eyes suddenly lighting up. He smiled, grabbed Jiang Yuhuo's wrist, and strode off in another direction. "Jiang Xianjun, I'm taking you to see someone. You'll definitely want to see him!"
Jiang Yuhuo was led to the outside of a tent. A strong medicinal fragrance wafted from a corner of the tent flap. Inside, someone was busy at work; the old man had gray hair and a bamboo flute at his waist. The old man turned around; it was her master, Zhang Zhenyang.
Zhang Zhenyang also saw her, smiled at her, and waved for her to come in.
Just as Jiang Yuhuo was about to go inside, a voice suddenly came from behind her, "Junior Sister."
Turning around, she saw a young man in black holding a sword standing not far behind her.
"Senior brother!"
Jiang Yu's eyes lit up instantly, "You didn't leave!"
Wen Yizhan smiled and nodded at her, but her gaze fell on the hand that Ji Qiuan was holding.
"I just heard someone announce that you've already come in. I didn't expect you to be here."
He stepped forward and put his arm around her shoulder, subtly blocking her with his other hand. "Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Ji."
Jiang Yuhuo never expected to see her master and senior brother here upon her return. Overjoyed, the anxiety she had felt earlier due to the war eased considerably. Her attention was focused on Wen Yizhan and Zhang Zhenyang, and she was completely unaware of the sudden dimming in the eyes of those around her.
The situation regarding the war is indeed not optimistic.
Jiang Yuhuo learned from them that Zhang Zhenyang and Wen Yizhan had come to assist the Great Zhou. Not only them, but many cultivators from the Immortal Sect, as well as representatives from the two major sects and aristocratic families, had also come. It was strange, however, that the Li family had not made any move.
Jiang Yuhuo understood; it would be strange if someone from the Li family actually came.
Inside the tent, Zhang Zhenyang was treating Zhou Sidao. Slightly different from what Ji Qiu'an had said, Zhou Sidao hadn't simply collapsed from overwork; he also had a cut on his body. Although the wound was minor, Zhou Sidao's spiritual energy was draining away at an irreversible rate, and he had visibly aged considerably.
“I have tried many elixirs, but none of them have worked. The wounds heal quickly like ordinary wounds, but my spiritual energy is inexplicably draining away.” Zhang Zhenyang shook his head. “Little Zhou, your cultivation… I’m afraid it’s beyond saving.”
Upon hearing his words, Zhou Sidao's gaze dimmed on the couch. After a moment of silence, he smiled at the senior he had met many years ago and told a very lame joke, "Fortunately, I haven't made any significant progress over the years. If my cultivation level were too high, I would feel sorry for myself."
No one laughed. They were all cultivators, and they knew that no matter how high or low one's cultivation level was, being completely destroyed overnight was an extremely heavy blow to any cultivator.
“Uncle…” Ji Qiu’an sat by Zhou Sidao’s bedside, tears welling up in his eyes, “It’s my fault for not taking good care of you…”
Zhang Zhenyang comforted him, "Don't blame yourself. With something like this, the consequences are the same no matter who gets hurt. No one can stop it. This thing seems to be... born to suppress spiritual power."
"What kind of weapon is it?" Jiang Yuhuo asked.
Zhang Zhenyang took out a broken spearhead from the side.
The gun body was entirely black, except for a hint of blue at the tip.
This type of weapon evoked memories for Jiang Yuhuo. In Liyue Village, Qin Yuqi had given her a short sword capable of killing the mountain god, its blade also shimmering with the same blue hue. Later, in the palace, when she suffered unbearable pain at night, Qin Yuqi would talk to her at length. He had told her that the sword was actually given to him by Jia Qianyang, and that the ore they mined in Liyue Village was the raw material for making that kind of sword.
Jiang Yuhuo had suspected this before, and now that she had seen it with her own eyes, she could finally confirm it.
Qin Yuqi created them, using the ore mined in Liyue Village, and made countless weapons capable of killing immortals.
This is the source of his confidence in issuing the decree to kill immortals.
Zhang Zhenyang stared intently at the broken spear and sighed softly, "I don't know where the Yong army obtained such a weapon. Cultivators who are injured by it lose all their years of cultivation in one day, becoming like ordinary people... I have never heard of such a thing, and there is no way to counter it."
"If we knew where it came from, could we crack it?"
Zhang Zhenyang pondered for a moment, "All things in the universe are interconnected and mutually restraining. If we know their origins and investigate their principles, we may be able to find a solution."
"I know."
All eyes turned to Jiang Yuhuo, who said confidently, "I know where they got it from."
Since being taken away that night, Jiang Yuhuo has never returned to Liyue Village.
This was the first time she had set foot on this land since she was replaced.
The village had been transformed into a small town, and all traces of the former Liyue Village had been erased. Jiang Yuhuo didn't want to look any further and led the group straight to the mine.
Even in the dead of night, the mine was bustling with activity. Under heavy guard, the miners worked day and night by torchlight, and every now and then, cartloads of blue crystals were pushed out of the mine.
"Is this the kind of stone?" Zhang Zhenyang asked.
Jiang Yuhu nodded, "Exactly."
Wen Yizhan looked at the distance below and thought, "It seems there's more than one mining site."
Jiang Yuhuo looked into the distance upon hearing the sound and indeed saw many clusters of firelight dotting the mountains and forests under the cover of night, with human figures moving among them, forming a net.
Over the years, they have discovered so many mineral veins; one can only imagine how many weapons they could produce.
The three of them, master and disciples, could see everything clearly from above.
"After years of preparation, this person has indeed harbored murderous intent towards the Immortal Sect for a long time," Zhang Zhenyang sighed in the night sky. "Perhaps it was the cause sown back then that led to this person's deep hatred for the Immortal Sect..."
Back then, he risked his life to save the Great Zhou Dynasty, defying the laws of Heaven and killing countless Yong soldiers with a single sword. Perhaps the seeds of hatred were sown at that time.
Hearing his words, Jiang Yuhuo suddenly thought, if it weren't for that battle, would Yong Kingdom have sought a way to restrain the Immortal Sect, and would Qin Yuqi have never come to Liyue Village...
She shook her head slightly, banishing these chaotic thoughts. Now that the die was cast, finding a solution was the most urgent matter.
Along the way, Jiang Yuhuo had told the two everything he knew about the mine, and they were about to go down and explore it.
At first, she thought Qin Yuqi was too arrogant, as there were no arrays or barriers at the mine entrance besides the soldiers guarding it. The three of them used invisibility spells to try to enter, but they were exposed before they even reached the entrance. It turned out that even if they weren't injured, their spiritual energy would be reduced here. No wonder Qin Yuqi wasn't worried about anyone coming to cause trouble.
The three exposed individuals had no choice but to knock out the soldiers guarding the cave.
The mine is no longer the same as when she first entered. The cave has branched out into many veins, widened and deepened. Only the blue stones are still embedded in the mountain wall, emitting a faint light, just as they were back then.
Zhang Zhenyang took a piece in his hand and carefully examined the stone and its surroundings, but he couldn't find the source of its power. He finally concluded, "It is something born of nature, but it has broken free from the system of all things and escaped the rules. It is born without restraint, just like fire is created by heaven but water does not fall to counter it..." He shook his head, "The characteristic of this thing is to restrain spiritual power and make it disappear. There is no reason to it."
But why did Heaven create something that would destroy spiritual power? Does Heaven also intend to destroy immortals?
As Jiang Yuhuo was puzzled, she heard Wen Yizhan ask, "What does this mean? Heaven created this thing so that mortals could kill immortals, but it still maintains the order between immortals and mortals and does not allow cultivators to kill mortals, otherwise they will suffer a backlash."
Zhang Zhenyang shook his head and sighed, "It does sound very unfair to cultivators, but perhaps Heaven, like the Kingdom of Yong, feels there are too many immortals in the world... Alas, who can truly fathom Heaven's will?"
Back at Zhou Jun's camp, cultivators from various sects were already waiting for news, their gathering resembling a small immortal alliance.
Jiang Yuhuo even encountered Elder Xingxuan of Tianque here. Upon seeing her, Elder Xingxuan immediately attacked her, demanding to know the whereabouts of Jiayue.
Jiang Yuhuo naturally wouldn't reveal a single word, but she felt it was necessary to let the people of Tianque know about other matters.
"Do you know that such weapons were brought to Yong by Li Tinghe, and that he also told the Yong people that they could quarry stones to forge weapons?"
On the training ground, Jiang Yuhuo pointed his sword at Xing Xuan, his voice not loud, but clear nonetheless.
"...He betrayed the Immortal Sect long ago. Whether it's Tianque or other sects, they are all objects to be slaughtered at will in his eyes. And yet you still want to protect someone who wants to destroy the Immortal Sect! Don't you find it ridiculous to protect someone who wants to kill you? He should have died long ago. Instead of pestering me to punish me, you should think about how to protect your disciples now."
"Nonsense! How dare you slander us, the people of Tianque!"
Xingxuan brandished his staff, his heart filled with shock and anger, yet he still refused to believe it. In his eyes, Li Tinghe had only used the Soul Splitting Technique to detach himself from his body and descend the mountain to cultivate after his body was damaged. Tianque had dutifully helped him preserve his original form, and he had no reason to harm anyone from Tianque.
What evidence do you have to prove that he did it?
Jiang Yuhuo gripped his sword tightly with a cold smile. "Didn't you witness it with your own eyes when he led the Yong army to slaughter everyone in Liyue Village?"
Xingxuan was suddenly startled, the image of the night he took Jiayue from the mortal realm flashing through his mind. He recognized Li Tinghe in the killing field below at a glance from the cliff, and understood what Li Tinghe wanted to do. This was another path to godhood that Li Tinghe was exploring, and he didn't want to disturb him, nor did he want anyone else to interfere. Therefore, he took Jiayue, who was in the process of differentiation, away. To prevent Jiayue from seeking revenge against Li Tinghe later, he took away her memories from the mortal realm.
He hadn't expected that Jia Yue had already revealed the inside story to the female cultivator before him, and he certainly hadn't expected that Li Tinghe had been planning the Immortal Slaying Ceremony in that place back then...
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