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墨書 Inktalez
Azure Sky Palace.
The grand palace complex is hidden deep within the Gorge, appearing majestic yet concealed. At the moment when the moon is at its zenith, looking from within, the crescent moon hangs in the center of a deep blue sky.
Under the eaves of the main hall, Li Xiaolou wears a dark, intricately embroidered sheer skirt, her hair styled high in a celestial bun. Silver ornaments sway gently at her raven-black temples with the night breeze, and the moonlight illuminates a hint of crimson on her snow-white Face, resembling a captivating beauty that steals one's heart.
However, her expression is calm and solemn, with her head slightly bowed, revealing a long, graceful neck. Her hands are clasped within the dark embroidered sleeves, long eyelashes lowered, maintaining a posture of reverence for quite some time.
After a long while, a dignified male voice finally resounds from within the hall: “Small Pavilion, why are you still not leaving?”
A flash of joy crosses Li Xiaolou's eyes, but her face remains respectful and solemn as she opens her Cherry Lips and speaks softly: “Please reconsider, Father! This is truly an excellent opportunity. If we miss it, I fear our Dao Sect will be at a disadvantage in this Spirit Realm War! As long as we enter Kunlun and destroy their temple, we will have shattered the backbone of the Immortal Sect! Guo Wanli has completely deciphered the 《Supreme Talisman Scripture》; the Xuantian Wujidao Formation is already ineffective against us. This opportunity is rare! Father, even if you do not wish to fight, you must consider our Dao Sect's millennia-long foundation!”
“I have made up my mind; you need not say more.”
Yet Li Xiaolou does not want to give up and continues to persuade with eloquence: “The two sects have long held deep-seated enmity; even if our Dao Sect is willing to give up, they Immortal Sect will not! The Kunlun Sect already knows that Guo Wanli has obtained the 《Supreme Talisman Scripture》 and will not let it go easily. If we do not seize this opportunity to attack Kunlun, they will surely unite all experts from the Immortal Sect to strike against us in the future! We must take initiative rather than be passive! Has Father considered that we are already in a situation where retreat is impossible?”
Silence fills the hall.
A surge of hope rises within Li Xiaolou, and she continues: “If Father does not wish to fight, please grant me a token so that I may lead our entire sect into battle! This battle will surely be won!”
The hall remains silent, and Li Xiaolou begins to feel anxious.
At that moment, the hall doors creak open wide, and someone strides out confidently.
Their eyes meet, and Li Xiaolou can hardly believe what she sees.
“It’s you!” With a graceful motion of her hand, she holds a fan made of jade-like silk.
“Do not make a move!” A sudden roar echoes from within the hall; it is none other than the voice of Yandao Demon Lord.
Ling Yi Zi's expression was calm as he closed the door behind him and, with his hands behind his back, said proudly, "Li Xiaolou, do you dare to disobey the words of the Sect Master?"
Li Xiaolou retreated swiftly, leaping into the air in surprise and calling out, "Father, how is he here?!"
Inside the hall, Yandao's voice rang out, "Do not be disrespectful! Ling Yi Zi is now my personal guard, holding the title of Magus. If you dare to be rude to him, it is the same as being rude to me!"
Looking at Ling Yi Zi's proud and handsome face in the corridor, Li Xiaolou's mind was in turmoil. After a moment, he suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Could it be that you are also one of my Father's people?"
"Exactly!"
Li Xiaolou was filled with astonishment; he never expected that Ling Yi Zi was also a pawn placed by his adoptive father within the Nine Li Sect. However, upon reflection, he immediately felt joy.
With a quick thought, Li Xiaolou descended and bowed respectfully to Ling Yi Zi, saying clearly, "Greetings, Magus!"
Ling Yi Zi waved his hand, clearly a bit impatient. "No need for formalities. The Demon Lord is still in seclusion and does not wish to linger on this matter. I am here to ask you: do you understand Talismans?"
Li Xiaolou was taken aback and shook his head. "Talismans are techniques of the Immortal Sect; we of the Dao Sect have always ignored them."
"That’s it then. Although the Kunlun Supreme Talisman Scripture has fallen into our hands, we practice Yin Power—or rather, soul power. It is impossible to draw talismans using Yin Power. Therefore, while the Supreme Talisman Scripture is a treasure for Kunlun, it is worthless to us. Although we could find weaknesses in Kunlun's Xuantian Wujidao Formation using the Supreme Talisman Scripture and attack them, it would be a case of killing a thousand enemies while suffering eight hundred losses ourselves. Kunlun has been passed down for tens of thousands of years; they are not easy prey. Even if we were to breach Kunlun, our Dao Sect would inevitably suffer great losses. This is one reason. The second..." Ling Yi Zi suddenly switched to telepathy.
After hearing a few sentences, Li Xiaolou was both surprised and delighted. "Is that true?"
"Do you really want to question your Father personally? If you don't believe me, just go in and ask him yourself," Ling Yi Zi said as he spread his hand.
Immediately from within the hall came Yandao's voice: "Enough, Small Pavilion! If you cause any more trouble, I will have to punish you with confinement!"
Li Xiaolou respectfully replied, "Small Pavilion understands and will obey your orders. Moreover, Small Pavilion will also go and comfort Senior Brother and the others."
"Well, that's fine, but what Ling Yi Zi just said is top secret, only among you few. You must not leak it to anyone else."
"Understood."
There was silence in the hall as Ling Yi Zi immediately turned and pushed the door into the grand hall. The door closed behind him.
Outside, Li Xiaolou was once again stunned. During Yandao Demon Lord's seclusion, no one was allowed to enter, yet Ling Yi Zi could stay inside! This fact greatly shocked Li Xiaolou, and she couldn't help but glance at the more than ten Azure Guardians on the steps below. These elders of the Dao Sect had followed Yandao Demon Lord for thousands of years without such an honor; one could imagine how much trust Ling Yi Zi had earned from Father!
Thinking of the significant reason that Ling Yi Zi had just conveyed, Li Xiaolou felt her mind become active again.
Father had gained some insight into the Heavenly Dao and was beginning to show signs of ascension; this was a tremendous good fortune! It meant that there would be another Celestial in the Dao Sect. At such a critical moment, it was no wonder that Father disagreed with attacking Kunlun. It was indeed time to focus on guarding the Azure Sky Palace, allowing Father to comprehend the Heavenly Dao without distraction and prepare for ascension.
However, if Father ascended, who would be the next leader of the Dao Sect? As Li Xiaolou pondered this, she decided not to tell anyone about it, especially not to people like Iron Garment, Cold and Still as Water. This way, she would have enough time to prepare; once her father ascended, she would be the next leader of the Dao Sect!
The more she thought about it, the happier she became, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face. Suddenly, she recalled that Ling Yi Zi was actually one of her own and deeply trusted by Father. It seemed she needed to do everything possible to win him over!
Thinking of that stern and handsome face and their past encounters, Li Xiaolou suddenly felt a moment of distraction and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This person truly was lofty and profound. Unbeknownst to her, for the first time, her heart began to flutter lightly.
********
Deep within the grand hall's underground chamber, a flash of white shadow appeared as Ling Yi Zi entered the secret room where Yandao was in seclusion.
In the center of the chamber sat a humanoid mist quietly on the ground, resembling chaos from nine heavens—solidified and filled with immense power. Looking at this misty figure, Ling Yi Zi furrowed his brow. In the next moment, he sat cross-legged opposite the mist and extended his hands directly into it.
The dark mist began to shrink and swirl, compressing towards its core. Gradually, it took on a shape like a large cocoon, extending many slender gray spiritual threads that tightly wrapped around Ling Yi Zi's palms.
A red glow radiated from all over Ling Yi Zi, beads of sweat like soybeans oozing from his face as he tightly closed his eyes, clearly in great pain. Before long, his body began to tremble violently when suddenly a clear voice rang out: "Yandao! You will not succeed!"
"Well, I truly underestimated you! I didn't expect you to possess such power! But don't worry, you are ultimately just a remnant soul; do you really think you can cause trouble?"
The speaker was indeed Ling Yi Zi, but the voice was unmistakably that of the Yandao Demon Lord, deep and hoarse, like a sound from hell.
The clear voice had vanished.
Ling Yi Zi's complexion fluctuated between green and white. After a long while, his hand slowly retreated. In front of him remained a human-shaped mist, but upon closer inspection, the mist appeared less solid than before, as if part of it had dissipated.
Ling Yi Zi muttered the name Yandao: "Strange, why can't I still merge? As long as I merge it, with yin and yang in balance, the Six Shadows will converge, and I will surely attain the Heavenly Dao. What a pity; why is it still one step short?"
Ling Yi Zi murmured to himself, his brows tightly knitted together. After a moment, he said, "I understand now; it must be done gradually." He resolutely extended his hands back into the mist. The mist stirred again, transforming into a large cocoon shape. This time, countless dark and eerie faces appeared on the surface of the cocoon—some male, some female, some old, some young—truly bizarre.
Ling Yi Zi seemed oblivious to it all; a red glow surged around him as he continuously activated the Li Fire Scripture, forcefully absorbing the drifting remnants of souls from the mist bit by bit.
The secret chamber fell silent. Only the strange large cocoon continued to stir, tendrils wrapping around Ling Yi Zi's hands before vanishing.
********
Nine Li Sect, Chengxian Pavilion, twenty-eighth floor.
Li Hong walked straight to the innermost part and pushed open the door. This was the designated training room for the sect leader. Inside was a large Spirit Gathering Array with an Azure Light Reed Mat placed in the center. Without even glancing at it, Li Hong walked directly to a corner and waved his hand to project his Divine Thought. Immediately, a concealed hidden door appeared.
Li Hong stepped inside.
This was the core of Nine Li Sect—a secret chamber within a secret chamber—where all secrets lay hidden.
There were no windows on any side; the walls were made of three-foot-thick Black Jade that emitted a faint Azure Light. Familiar fluctuations of spiritual energy constantly flickered across the walls. This was the power of Restrictions.
The entire secret room was not large, filled with various Strange Creatures. In one corner stood a large floor-length bronze mirror, while on the other side was a peculiar vanity-like object, which had a Jadeite mirror on it. Both the Jadeite mirror and the large bronze mirror in the corner gave off a strange feeling, as if someone was peering in.
Li Hong's gaze fell upon a tall Bronze Lamp in the center of the room.
This Bronze Lamp was over a person's height, ancient and elegant, branching out into no less than three to five arms, each holding a unique and ornate Golden Lamp. Compared to its former glory, only about twenty lamps were lit now. One of them had a particularly robust and large blood-red flame, situated at the very top of the Bronze Lamp, radiating beautiful iridescent rays. Li Hong immediately sensed that this was his Fate Lantern.
Next, he sensed the Fate Lanterns of Yun Jiuzi, Chuxiong, Chuxuan, Chuming, Chu Liang, Yue Changzi, and all the elders of the Nine Li Sect. Finally, his gaze landed on five Golden Lamps that were in a very strange state.
Among them, Li Hong sensed that three belonged to Ling Jizi, Ling Xiaozi, and Yue Mangzi. It seemed they were still alive, but their condition was clearly not right; these three Fate Lanterns were particularly dim, with flickering blood-red flames that seemed ready to extinguish at any moment.
Li Hong understood clearly; the three had been taken away by Elder Yao as captives and must be having a hard time—serves them right!
His gaze shifted to two other Golden Lamps that were in a Strange state.
One belonged to Elder Yao. Now his Golden Lamp had undergone a peculiar transformation; within the blood-red flame was an almost invisible black strand resembling a wick. Li Hong could sense that this black wick contained faintly obscure and Strange energy.
Elder Yao must have officially begun practicing the Demonic Cultivation Technique by now. Li Hong smirked coldly; he felt certain that he would fall into madness!
Finally, his gaze moved to the last lamp. Whether he wanted to or not, Li Hong found his heart sinking rapidly.
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