Chapter 241 The Spy
The tree spirit watched the girl's receding figure from behind, slowly lowering his head, his pale hair concealing a hint of deep thought in his eyes.
After a moment, the boy raised his hand, and a wisp of black wood branch was pulled out from the tree behind him. In an instant, it wove into a long pole with deep textures and green buds emerging from the gaps.
The branches that formed from the leaves lifted the boy's body, and he slowly floated into the air towards the place where the girl had just left.
——
Mu Jianjian followed the bluebird eastward, weaving through the thickets of thorns. Now that she had regained her inner energy, she was even more agile. Worried about Nian Qing, she kept walking without stopping, ignoring the thorns that tore her sleeves.
The small bird came to a quick stop after it turned the corner, and the view in front of it changed from dark to open.
The dim setting sun cast an orange-yellow glow over a thicket of thorns, making the robes of all the cultivators present glow with a golden light and a transparent luster. Among all the cultivators dressed in similar brocade robes, stood two familiar figures.
Amidst the flashing blades and flying blood, the stench in the air almost drowned out the fragrance of the surrounding flowers. Yet, none of the people present stopped in their tracks, only the constant unleashing of true qi techniques and the oppressive aura that filled the heavens and earth.
Mu Jianjian leaned against a tree trunk, panting heavily. She gently touched her chest and looked up at Nian Qing and Mu Binyi.
When I first arrived in the Upper Realm, I had no true qi cultivation in my body, so I didn't have a direct perception of the strength of the people around me. But now, looking down at the people below, I see that they are all above the Nascent Soul stage!
You should know that the highest cultivation level in the lower realm is only the Nascent Soul stage!
A Nascent Soul cultivator is incredibly rare, yet here... they're as common as cabbages!
No wonder... no wonder when they fought against the cultivators from the Upper Realm in the Yingzhou Demon Palace, the other party looked at them with disdain. In the eyes of Nascent Soul cultivators, Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators were nothing more than toys to be bullied at will.
She bit her lip, her eyes flashing with resentment, but in the midst of the battle between high-level cultivators, she could hardly move an inch.
Even if they regained their original strength, they would still find it difficult to reach a level similar to theirs, and naturally, they would be unable to intervene in the battle.
If we rashly intervene, we might only hinder Nian Qing and the others.
On these thorny bushes were cultivators of the Wood Spirit Clan. The natural power mixed with true energy was more favorable to them. Coupled with the advantage of the terrain, a moment of carelessness could lead to being caught and falling into Bai Ji's trap.
"Do you know where the Broken Brocade Scroll is?" Mu Jianjian tilted her head and asked the bluebird beside her head.
The bluebird flapped its wings but did not move, seemingly puzzled as to what the other party was saying.
“The Broken Brocade Scroll, something like a book,” Mu Jianjian tried hard to recall her memories of the Xuan Tian Secret Realm, describing the Broken Brocade Scroll in as much detail as possible. She gestured to indicate its size, “It’s about this big, you know?”
The girl's voice was soft and patient. The bluebird seemed to have thought of something and finally began to flap its wings again, flying towards the other side of the fight.
Mu Jianjian clapped her hands in satisfaction, glanced one last time at Nian Qing who was still fighting, and then turned to follow.
Since she couldn't interfere in the battle here, she decided to try and retrieve the Broken Brocade Scroll.
——
"Clang, clang, clang—"
The violent clanging of the magical artifacts pierced everyone's eardrums. Countless cultivators surrounded the two people in front of them, but the leading man was completely unharmed.
"Lord Que, news has come from outside that His Highness Bai Ji is on his way. If we don't leave now, it may be too late to escape later." The three beads that Mu Binyi had been holding and spinning were now circling around him, emitting a faint glow and blocking the incoming true energy.
He gazed at the white-clad man whose expression remained unchanged and sighed softly.
If it weren't for the lingering injuries from years ago that prevented him from using the true strength of the Lord of the Palace, how could the current group of people possibly be a match for the Lord of the Palace?
If the Lord of the Palace were to recover from his hidden injuries and return to his full strength, even those old guys in the Immortal Palace would be no match for him!
"Bai Ji?" Nian Qing's tone was playful, and a shadow fell over his eyes. "He still dares to come over?"
Mu Binyi hesitated for a moment. He recalled their past and looked at the man's face. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Prince Bai Ji, who had not yet arrived.
It's likely that His Highness Bai Ji is unaware that the Lord of the Palace has arrived and wants to come and see what's going on.
"Your subordinate is afraid that His Majesty the Emperor—" Mu Binyi hesitated before speaking. Although Bai Ji was as stupid as a pig, His Majesty the Emperor was different!
The Emperor has never hidden his disgust for the young prince. He probably thinks about how to dig out the meridians from the young prince's body and give them to his own son!
“He won’t show up in person,” Nian Qing said coldly, watching the cultivator wielding a long sword attack him. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the cultivator flying. A smile played on his lips. “He’s so arrogant. At most, he’ll order a few more cultivators to get rid of me. In his mind, it would be beneath him to take action himself.”
"What are you all doing! Arrest these two people for me!" A furious male voice suddenly rang out from outside the arena. Everyone stopped their attacks and looked in the direction of the voice. Sure enough, they saw the man dressed in a dark, gilded robe.
Among the many astonished cultivators, Nian Qing's smile remained unchanged. He spoke softly, yet each word was clear: "Pig."
Pig.
Above the silent, thorny thicket, the man in white stood high above, his aloof and elegant gaze like that of a celestial being descended from heaven. In contrast, Bai Ji, with his dark and sallow complexion, looked like a bewildered clown.
Upon hearing those two words, the first reaction of the many cultivators was—
It's over.
Although Bai Dian treated the disciples of the Immortal Palace families with courtesy, he never paid any attention to ordinary cultivators of average talent.
In the current situation, even if they join forces to kill the demonic cultivator in front of them, they will probably still be punished!
“A group of pigs kept in the celestial palace, and a pig’s head surrounded by pigs.” Nian Qing uttered these words slowly, and although the words in his words were extremely vulgar, they sounded extremely noble when spoken by him.
"Kill him for me!" Bai Ji gritted his teeth, his face beyond pale purple, so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.
But as he gazed at the man opposite him, the thought of leaving arose in his mind.
Here lies a killing formation laid down by the Emperor's men, and countless cultivators stand in his way. Why... why...?
He was even able to make a connection to that person from a hundred years ago!
The arm that had been severed once before was now throbbing with pain again. Bai Ji sneered and looked at the two who had started fighting with dozens of cultivators. Then he turned to look at a palm-sized talisman pasted next to a tree branch.
Just as he was about to tear the talisman open, he heard a woman's voice behind him.
What do you want to do?
Bai Ji frowned and turned around.
Why is there another woman here?
Standing before them was a girl whose true energy was so weak it was almost imperceptible. Her black hair was disheveled and unruly, and beneath her delicate features were three dark red scars covering her skin, making her appear unusually conspicuous.
A small, thin blue bird was perched on the girl's shoulder, but it quickly flew away after being shooed away by the girl.
"How dare you speak to me like that?" Bai Ji sneered, not taking the suddenly appearing Mu Jianjian seriously.
Mu Jianjian tilted her head. She had just arrived here with the Broken Brocade Scroll when she saw this man trying to reach out and take the talisman next to him, clearly with ill intentions.
Desperately recalling memories of the man before her, she finally found herself in a position to match Bai Ji's image in her mind. Even after so many years, his words were still as infuriating as ever.
She quickly realized what was happening, rubbed her hands together, and then cupped them to her cheeks, looking at him with an expression of adoration. "Your Highness Bai, I heard that you would be coming to the competition, so I came here specifically to see you! I went through all the trials and tribulations just to catch a glimpse of you here."
Mu Jianjian spoke in a high-pitched voice, her soft words seemingly afraid of disturbing the air around her. She blinked her watery eyes and looked at Bai Ji, whose complexion gradually changed from dark to calm.
"Tch, I have absolutely no interest in an ugly woman like you who is utterly useless."
To Bai Ji, being admired by a disfigured and ugly woman was an extremely disgusting thing, but looking into the girl's sincere and moist eyes, he didn't feel particularly averse to it.
After all, most people looked at him with fear and apprehension, but there was none of that in the eyes of the person in front of him.
"Your Highness, could you tell me what you are doing here? I can do everything I can to help you!"
Mu Jianjian felt like vomiting, but seeing the man in black seemingly enjoying it, she could only endure the nausea and continue speaking.
Bai Ji was like that a hundred years ago. As the only prince of the Immortal Palace, he was indeed still just as stupid and brainless a hundred years later. She even felt that he hadn't made any progress in his cultivation.
How can such a person compare to His Highness!
She understood that the Emperor favored his own son, but was the Empress truly so biased? Were they blind?
"What family are you from?" Bai Ji didn't notice the cultivator who was gradually losing ground in the battle; he only focused his attention on the girl in front of him.
"The Lin family of the Immortal Palace," Mu Jianjian's smile gradually froze, but she dared not show any impatience. She tried her best to steer the conversation toward the talisman pasted on the tree, "I saw Your Highness trying to tear off this talisman just now. Is there any special use for this talisman?"
On the other side, true energy surged, and another bloodstain appeared on Mu Binyi's robe in the blink of an eye. He controlled the prayer beads in his hand to attack the cultivators around him, and unintentionally glanced at Mu Jianjian who was talking with Bai Ji not far away.
"Lord Que, she's a spy!" He frowned and cursed as he looked at the girl's smiling lips. "No wonder she tried to distract me by speaking up. She said she wanted me to protect you, but she was just planning to go back and report to Bai Ji!"
Perhaps their current predicament is partly due to her actions; after all, what immortal palace person doesn't despise demonic cultivators!
At this moment, Nian Qing also turned around and saw the girl looking at the other person with affection in her eyes.
He lowered his eyes, and for the first time, a ripple appeared in his previously calm heart. The smile on his face slowly disappeared, and when he looked up at the cultivator in front of him again, the aura he exuded made the other party take a step back in fear.
However, before he could take a few steps back, the white-clad man extinguished his life force with a simple movement of his head!
At this moment, the white-robed man's aura suddenly changed. He didn't seem like a banished immortal, but rather like a fallen demonic cultivator. The others were all startled and dared not step forward rashly.
After dealing with the cultivator in front of her, Nian Qing turned slightly to the side and glanced coldly at Mu Binyi, saying, "It's none of your business how she is treated."
Mu Binyi was unwilling. Why was the Lord of the Palace still protecting that woman even though she was in such a state?
"She appeared hundreds of years ago when you were about to leave the palace and establish your own Demon Palace. Now, she has reappeared when you need the Broken Brocade Slip to treat your hidden ailment. Don't you think it's a coincidence, Lord?" He transmitted his voice secretly, his words filled with resentment and incomprehension.
Every time she appears by the Lord of the Palace at such a crucial moment, it's hard not to think that this woman was originally a spy chosen by the Emperor from the Immortal Palace and planted by his master's side!
"Who told you?" Nian Qing's gaze was cold, almost piercing through Mu Binyi's body, filled with scrutiny and questioning.
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Mu Binyi quickly stopped himself from speaking before saying, "It was just my guess. I was only worried about Lord Que, afraid that he would be bewitched by this woman and lose himself..."
“You don’t need to say such things again. If you say them again, you won’t need to stay by my side anymore. As for her—” Nian Qing withdrew her gaze and paused, “She’s not that kind of person.”
“…Yes.” Mu Binyi reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the girl.
Unaware that she was being suspected, Mu Jianjian continued to try to get information out of Bai Ji step by step.
"Bai Dian is really amazing. He even knows about array formations. Unlike me, I'm clumsy and I'd probably have a hard time even using my true energy to remove this talisman."
She had just learned that if this talisman were removed, all the endless magic arrays laid out in this thicket of thorns would be revealed, and all the cultivators here would fall into the arrays and have their souls extracted, unable to live or die!
You must protect this talisman.
Mu Jianjian concealed the thoughts in her eyes and rolled her eyes as she listened to Bai Ji begin to boast about his own magic array techniques.
After listening for so long, Bai Ji's magic array only scratches the surface; it's probably not even comparable to Linghu Zhuoyu's...
It's been a long time since I last saw Yu Yu in Yingzhou. I wonder how she's doing...
“You stand here. I will go and ridicule him properly. When I signal you to remove the talisman, then you shall remove it.”
Mu Jianjian could hardly believe her ears.
She had only known Bai Ji for a quarter of an hour, yet she was entrusted with such an important task?
Either he's brainless and doesn't bother to think about her background, or he has a backup plan and doesn't take anything in front of him seriously.
"Your Highness, but my cultivation is low and I don't understand the art of talismans and arrays..." Although this was exactly what she was thinking, she still had to put on a show and refuse.
Bai Ji interrupted him abruptly, "If I tell you to do it, then do it."
As Mu Jianjian watched the man in black leave the talisman, the look of affection and intimacy she had just shown vanished instantly, replaced by calm.
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