Chapter 362: Chapter 366: Development of the Middle Region_1
The war on the Cold River was still ongoing.
Capitalizing on their geographical advantages, the Kylin Holy Land had attacked the Qionghua Holy Land multiple times, severely delaying its shipbuilding efforts. Often, warships were destroyed before they could even be completed.
"Scum! That damned Lin Wufeng!"
In a camp six hundred li from the Cold River, Zheng Guiqiong sat in the seat of honor, cursing loudly, her willow-like eyebrows fiercely arched in frustration. Below her, the upper echelons of the Qionghua Holy Land hung their heads, their expressions disheartened. They had tried numerous methods during this time, but all had ended in failure.
"What did the Holy Master say?" After venting her frustrations for a while, Zheng Guiqiong calmed down and asked in a low voice.
"Reporting to the Vice Holy Master, the Holy Master has instructed us to temporarily cease our attacks and observe the situation," an elder replied, having risen and cupped his hands respectfully.
Zheng Guiqiong did not respond immediately, a sharp glint in her eyes. She was a proud woman and could not accept defeat in this battle; she yearned to reclaim their lost ground. But considering the current situation, she became dejected.
Without even any ships, how could they dream of conquering the west bank?
"We will proceed according to the Holy Master’s wishes," Zheng Guiqiong said, shaking her head with a bitter smile and waving her hand listlessly. She disappeared from her seat in a flash, clearly in no mood for further discussion.
Meanwhile, the offensive by the Thousand Demon Court and the Purple Cloud Holy Land had also reached a stalemate. They were hindered by the Kylin Holy Land’s massive army and unable to advance an inch. After several assaults, the Thousand Demon Court and the Purple Cloud Holy Land halted their attacks and set up camp on the front lines.
The fierce battles on the three major fronts successively ceased, and the Eastern Border experienced a brief period of peace. However, everyone knew this was merely the calm before the storm.
While all eyes were focused on the impending great war, the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court, which had prudently kept out of the fray, had silently undergone a magnificent transformation.
Thunder rumbled in the sky above the Imperial Capital. Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Zhuge Liang, Xiang Yu, and others had successively broken through their original cultivation levels, successfully advancing to become Imperial Realm Martial Artists.
In the Imperial Astrological Observatory, Yuan Tiangang, having just passed his Heavenly Tribulation, hurried into the deepest secret chamber—a room adorned with star charts and filled with a profound, mysterious aura.
Now that I’ve broken through to the Imperial Realm, I should be able to divine new things!
Yuan Tiangang settled onto a prayer mat with practiced ease, muttering to himself, a hint of excitement in his voice. Before breaking through to the Imperial Realm, he was constrained by his Cultivation Realm; he could only divine events that had already occurred and could not precisely forecast future happenings. For instance, after the Primordial Supreme Mystic Realm appeared, he could divine that Qin Wudao would be in danger and even foresee that Guo Jia could resolve the crisis. However, before the Primordial Supreme Mystic Realm emerged, he could not predict its appearance.
Now that he had broken through to the Imperial Realm, his skills in astrology had reached a new level. He could divine future events, calculate the national destiny of the Great Qin, and even find ways to enhance the nation’s strength.
"Heaven and Earth are limitless, the cosmos profound..."
Yuan Tiangang closed his eyes, his hands continuously forming seals. The star charts carved into the walls of the secret chamber began to emit a faint luminescence, seemingly coming alive as they morphed into various forms. The mysterious power of fate enveloped Yuan Tiangang, allowing him to grasp the threads of destiny and uncover the unknown.
At this moment, he felt as if he were adrift in the depths of the cosmos, observing the future as an impartial spectator. In his vision, his own destiny, Qin Wudao’s destiny, and the destiny of the Great Qin unfolded one by one, each branching towards different futures. But they all ultimately converged upon an enchantingly beautiful red flower.
As for the fate beyond that point, it became obscured, yet vaguely, two paths could be discerned.
One of life!
One of death!
Strange! Yuan Tiangang furrowed his brow. He vaguely recalled seeing this enchanting red flower in an ancient tome, but the memory eluded him for the moment. Of course, with his current cultivation, he had long achieved perfect recall; he could remember even things forgotten long ago. He knew, clearly, that the reason he couldn’t recall the origin of the red flower was likely due to some mysterious force preventing him from doing so.
No, this concerns the future path of the Great Qin! I must figure it out!
Yuan Tiangang gritted his teeth and began to forcibly divine the matter. The power of fate surrounding him instantly grew turbulent. The future world in his vision trembled violently, and the destiny beyond the red flower gradually sharpened, revealing four faint, large characters:
Yellow Spring Dao Seal!
Just as Yuan Tiangang prepared to look further, a terrifying backlash from the power of fate struck him, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. All the star charts in the secret chamber shattered. Yuan Tiangang collapsed onto the floor, face up, his aura weakened to an extreme degree. His once ink-black hair was now streaked with white, and his ruddy complexion had turned deathly pale. In that brief moment, over ten million years of his lifespan had been consumed!
What is this thing?
Yuan Tiangang paid no heed to the loss of his lifespan. After resting for a moment, he sat up and retrieved a sheet of paper from his storage space, upon which he wrote the four characters: ’Yellow Spring Dao Seal’.
He stared at the four characters, lost in deep thought.
Yellow Spring referred to the destination of souls after death and was also one of the Nine Hells and Nine Springs. Could it be related to the Department of Inferno? It was undeniable that martial arts dominated this world, yet no one had proven the true existence of the Netherworld or the Department of Inferno. Therefore, this Yellow Spring might not, in some sense, be the actual Yellow Spring of legend.
Could it be a weapon?
Yuan Tiangang stood up and paced back and forth in the secret chamber, pondering deeply. If the Yellow Spring Dao Seal was a weapon, then based on this assumption, any weapon capable of determining the life and death of the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court would have to be, at the very least, an Innate Spiritual Treasure. But among all known Innate Spiritual Treasures, none were named Yellow Spring Dao Seal.
So... what could the Yellow Spring Dao Seal be?
With a mind full of unanswered questions, Yuan Tiangang went to the Scripture Pavilion, poring over ancient books in search of the truth. He remained there for two months.
During this period, the territory of the Great Qin Divine Court had expanded considerably, not from the Eastern Border, but from the Middle Region. After receiving the Imperial Elixir, Zhang Jiao and Sima Yi both broke through to the Imperial Realm. They began to expand the sphere of influence of the Abyss Guard, directly or indirectly controlling six Dao Domains.
「Dream Mountain!」
This was the seat of the Dream Fantasy Sect, a subordinate force of the Taiyi Saint’s Court. This ancient-level faction was renowned for its mastery of illusions; its bizarre and unpredictable methods often caught people completely off guard.
Illusions... I’d like to see just how powerful they are!
Zhang Jiao, dressed in a black and white Daoist robe and holding an ancient book, strode openly through the mountain gate, making no attempt to conceal his presence.
"Who goes there?"
The moment he entered, he was discovered by a patrolling disciple of the Dream Fantasy Sect whose eyes glowed with a red light. The disciple asked in a captivating tone, "Tell me, who are you? What business do you have at the Dream Fantasy Sect?"
An ordinary person would likely have been bewildered and confessed everything obediently.
So it’s a soul invasion? And I thought it was something more mysterious!
Yet Zhang Jiao was no ordinary person. Sensing the encroaching soul power, Zhang Jiao frowned slightly. The ancient book in his hand flashed faintly as he stated calmly, "Take me to your Sect Master!"