met free Chapter 262 Pingdong's Contribution, Wuchen's Relief
Chapter 262 Pingdong's Contribution, Wuchen's Relief
Chapter 262 Pingdong's Contribution, Wuchen's Relief
"Junior brother, what should we do now? Should we go out and fight Black Serpent True Monarch?"
Yue Qingqiu's face was full of anxiety as she quickly found Chen Yi, her tone urgency.
Currently, within the entire Star Moon Sect, only Chen Yi is the one she can discuss important matters with.
She already had a plan in mind: Chen Yi had already mastered the Star Moon Combination Divine Power. If she took the lead, the two of them could work together to unleash the divine power and might even be able to fight against the newly promoted Nascent Soul stage Black Serpent True Monarch.
Chen Yi slowly shook his head, his tone steady: "Black Serpent True Monarch is cautious by nature. He will definitely learn from the lesson of Golden Eagle True Monarch being killed by self-destruction. He will never fight us head-on without being absolutely certain of victory."
Moreover, the scale of this situation wasn't something he could have accomplished alone; he had the support of other forces behind the scenes.
He paused, then offered his suggestion: "I mean a complete contraction of the defensive lines."
We should temporarily abandon peripheral industries such as the Immortal City and the fishing grounds, and bring all the personnel stationed outside back to the sect.
Let's focus on steady cultivation first. Fairy, you can use this time to further enhance your Nascent Soul Divine Power and the Star Moon Fusion to another level.
I will also try to improve my combat strength in a short period of time.
"It's not too late to go out when the time is right."
"But those are the foundations of my Star Moon Sect, built up over many years!"
Yue Qingqiu said urgently, her eyes filled with reluctance. These industries were the foundation of the sect's operation; how could they be given up so easily?
"These are trivial matters, nothing to worry about."
Chen Yi's tone was calm yet certain: "As long as the sect's people are still here and its foundation remains, there will always be an opportunity to rebuild its foundation in the future."
If the people are all gone, no matter how much wealth you have, it's all just empty talk.
"All right."
After a moment of silence, Yue Qingqiu finally chose to follow Chen Yi's advice.
In fact, she had one last option: to submit to Sheng Yun Zhenjun, the Grand Elder of Law Enforcement of Qingyun Cave.
As long as she nods, all the current predicaments of the Star Moon Sect will be resolved.
But she had maintained her Dao heart and purity for so many years. If she were to bow down now, it would not only completely end her relationship with Chen Yi, but it would also cause cracks in her Dao heart, which she could not accept.
The Star Moon Sect's move to retreat completely caused both Black Serpent True Monarch and Sheng Yun True Monarch, the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall of Azure Cloud Cave Heaven, to frown.
The immortal cities, fishing grounds, and mines under the Star Moon Sect are nominally still the property of the Star Moon Sect. Although forces such as Eagle Ridge Mountain covet them, they cannot directly seize them and can only send people to annex them little by little in private.
Such methods may at most cause some damage to the Star Moon Sect in the short term, but they cannot shake its foundation.
After all, unless either Yue Qingqiu or Chen Yi is truly eliminated, the Star Moon Sect will remain like a centipede, dead but not dead, and will always have the potential to make a comeback.
On the other hand, Sheng Yun Zhenjun had previously tried various means to force Yue Qingqiu to submit, but all his efforts had failed.
He gradually realized that Chen Yi's existence had become the biggest obstacle to his control over Yue Qingqiu, and he became increasingly dissatisfied with Chen Yi.
"Let's figure out how to deal with that kid first."
A hint of disgust flashed in Sheng Yun Zhenjun's eyes, and he secretly sent an order to Hei She Zhenjun.
However, Black Serpent True Monarch also had his own difficulties. Chen Yi was better at "turtle" than anyone else. Since the Star Moon Sect completely withdrew, he had been staying in the sect and stopped most of his external business, just to avoid showing his face.
The only thing they maintained was the one or two annual transactions with the Thundercloud Sect for Thunder Brew.
Even if Black Serpent True Monarch was dissatisfied with the envoys who came to and from Thundercloud Sect, he dared not take action easily. He had been warned by Shengyun True Monarch before that Thundercloud Sect was powerful and that he should not cross the line, lest he bring trouble upon himself.
With Chen Yi possessing a three-headed, third-tier peak-level defensive puppet turtle formation, even if he wanted to kill Chen Yi, he would need to lure Chen Yi to a place 100,000 miles away from the Star Moon Sect. If the distance is too close, with that kid's turtle shell and escape skills, he might be able to hold out until the Star Moon Sect's reinforcements arrive.
After all, Black Serpent True Monarch advanced to the mid-stage of Nascent Soul by devouring the Nascent Souls of his fellow disciples, rather than through his own cultivation. Therefore, his foundation was slightly insufficient compared to that of an ordinary mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Of course, not everyone stood idly by while the Star Moon Sect faced its predicament.
For example, Yun Tianzhenjun, who had just entered the Nascent Soul stage, took the initiative to send a message to Yue Qingqiu and Chen Yi: "I am already aware of the current predicament of the Star Moon Sect."
Do you two need any help? I, Yun, am willing to mediate.
Although Fairy Qingyue and I are not destined to be together, as her friend, I cannot bear to see her suffer like this.
Faced with Yun Tian Zhenjun's good intentions, Yue Qingqiu thought it over again and again, but ultimately declined politely. She knew very well that with Qingyun Cave Heaven and Black Serpent Zhenjun joining forces to exert pressure, even if Yun Tian Zhenjun mediated, he probably would not be able to shake the other party's determination, and might even drag him into the conflict.
Ning Bu'er of Qingfeng Ridge also sent a message to Chen Yi: "Fellow Daoist Chen, does the Star Moon Sect need my master, True Monarch Xuan Yin, to resolve this calamity?"
"The mere Black Serpent True Monarch of Eagle Ridge Mountain, and that mid-Nascent Soul elder of Azure Cloud Cave Heaven, are not worthy of Master's attention."
Chen Yi also refused the offer of help.
He knew in his heart that if he owed Xuan Yin Zhenjun a favor now, he would be unable to refuse if Xuan Yin Zhenjun asked for his Thunder Crystal Marrow Liquid after he advanced to the fourth level of Body Refinement.
This favor is too valuable to be used for anything truly critical.
[In another seven or eight years, once I advance to the fourth level of body refinement, I will be able to protect myself without worry. It won't be too late to go out then.]
Chen Yi pondered in his heart that he was currently lacking the main ingredient and two important auxiliary ingredients for refining the Nascent Soul Pill. He could only resolve the current predicament first and then make further plans.
Next, Chen Yi completely calmed down and began to focus on refining his marrow.
Since his last trip to Leifeng, he has accumulated a large amount of thunder crystals, thunder crystal marrow, and eight thunder crystal marrow cores that have fused with 120 strands of ancient thunder light. These are the sources of thunder spirit power that he needs for body tempering.
In addition, Chen Yi has basically stopped refining beast pills and puppets in the past two years, which has freed up more time to refine Enlightenment Thunder Brew.
He proactively contacted Qiu Li and added some of the Thunder Brew orders from the Thundercloud Sect. In this way, the fourth-tier Thunder Beast essence blood and ancient Thunder Liquid provided by the Thundercloud Sect in each transaction could barely meet his needs for body tempering.
[It's just eight years, Chen can afford to "tighten up" like that.]
【Black Serpent True Lord, Life Cloud True Lord, you two should live well and wait for me, Chen, to emerge from seclusion in the future!】
After setting his goal in mind, Chen Yi completely cut off external distractions and devoted himself wholeheartedly to marrow refining cultivation.
He practiced the Thunder Spirit Body Tempering Method every day, refining thunder crystals and thunder liquid. His body was often surrounded by faint lightning light, and his aura became more and more refined. He no longer cared about the disputes outside the sect.
Chen Yi's proposed policy of retreat naturally drew negative comments from many cultivators within the sect.
For them, the shutdown of peripheral industries has significantly reduced their profits. What's even more infuriating is that their sect has been humiliated right on their doorstep, yet the newly promoted Nascent Soul True Monarch remains holed up and refuses to stand up for the sect.
This "swallowing one's anger" approach fueled the resentment of the lower-level cultivators, who complained in private.
Among them, Ping Dong, who had a deep affection for the Star Moon Sect, couldn't hold back any longer and took the initiative to approach Yue Qingqiu: "True Lord, the Black Serpent True Lord's suppression of our sect is clearly a violation of the rules of Qingyun Cave Heaven. Why doesn't he send someone to the Cave Heaven headquarters to request justice?"
Yue Qingqiu simply shook her head slightly, offering neither response nor explanation. She knew very well that the root of this crisis lay with the Grand Elder of the Qingyun Cave Heaven's Enforcement Hall. Sending a message there would not only be useless, but might also alert the enemy and worsen the situation.
Ping Dong was anxious but helpless. He only had the cultivation of a Golden Core cultivator, and even if he wanted to help, he couldn't do much. He could only watch helplessly as the sect's predicament worsened.
Another year passed, and the cultivation resources of the Star Moon Sect only decreased and did not increase. The sect's treasury became increasingly empty, and the disciples could only rely on their previous accumulation to "live off their past achievements," which slowed down their cultivation progress.
Ping Dong could no longer sit still and once again urgently requested to see Yue Qingqiu, wanting to share the burden for the sect.
Yue Qingqiu was also filled with anxiety, so she went to Chen Yi to discuss countermeasures.
Chen Yi silently circulated his Xuan Tian Qi to perceive the world. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed softly, "So be it."
Reporting it to Qingyun Cave Heaven could be considered a solution.
After all, the entire cave heaven is not ruled by the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall alone; perhaps we can find other high-ranking officials who are willing to uphold justice.
However, the choice of special envoy must be carefully considered; at the very least, the envoy must possess substantial survival skills and top-notch escape abilities.
He paused, then added, "Since we've decided to send someone, Black Serpent True Monarch will most likely guess that. Given his caution, he won't personally take action to bully the weak, but it's still very possible that he'll ambush a Core Formation demon beast along the way, or arrange for a Core Formation cultivator to intercept them."
Upon hearing this, Yue Qingqiu immediately summoned several Core Formation cultivators from the sect to discuss the matter and informed them of Chen Yi's suggestion.
The Core Formation cultivators present exchanged glances, speechless for a moment. At a time when the sect needed someone to step forward, no one wanted to be the one who might lose their life as a "scapegoat."
Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, Ping Dong, who was standing at the end of the line, suddenly stepped forward and said loudly, "True Lord Qingyue, this junior is willing to serve you and go to Qingyun Cave Heaven to deliver a message!"
Yue Qingqiu was deeply surprised. She did not expect that, while the more senior Core Formation cultivators remained silent, it was Ping Dong, this junior, who had such courage.
She immediately shook her head in denial: "You are only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, and your strength is insufficient to take on this responsibility."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Ping Dong's whole body trembled violently, and a powerful aura of magic power suddenly erupted—that aura was in no way weaker than the peak of the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm!
Immediately afterwards, a pale blue starlight emanated from his body, and with a swift movement, he unleashed the Star Escape Technique, his speed astonishing, reaching the level of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator's escape technique.
A Core Formation cultivator in the arena exclaimed in surprise: "A mid-stage Golden Core cultivator with the power of magic, and he has even mastered the Star Escape Divine Ability at the peak of the third level?!"
"Pingdong, your talent is simply that of a future Nascent Soul cultivator for our sect!"
The other Core Formation cultivators also turned their heads, their eyes filled with surprise and admiration as they looked at Ping Dong.
Yue Qingqiu looked at Ping Dong, who had just displayed his strength, and gave him a deep look before slowly saying, "Flathead, your talent is indeed extraordinary, not much worse than that of Senior Brother Xingye back then."
Since you volunteered, if you can successfully complete this mission, I will recommend you as the senior disciple of the Star Technique lineage upon your return.
Ping Dong was overjoyed upon hearing this—he had endured for many years, seeking precisely Yue Qingqiu's attention and recognition.
The flame in his heart, long extinguished by reality, suddenly reignited, and he silently cried out in his mind:
Junior sister, you wait! As long as I can reach Nascent Soul stage before that Chen guy, you'll still be mine!
When the time comes, I won't look down on your choices during this period. As long as you kill that Chen guy, you'll still be clean in my eyes!
That guy surnamed Chen is a coward, unreliable. This vast Star Moon Sect will ultimately need the two of us working together to keep it afloat!
"However, this journey is fraught with danger and unpredictability. Please wait a moment while I go to Elder Chen to ask for a bottle of Thunder Brew, a magic-based escape technique, to protect you and save your life."
Yue Qingqiu changed the subject, considering the possible interceptions along the way, and decided to add an extra layer of protection for Pingdong.
Ping Dong felt a warmth in his heart again, and thought to himself: Sure enough, my junior sister still cares about me!
He bowed deeply to Yue Qingqiu with great emotion, his voice strong and clear: "Thank you for your kindness, True Lord Qingyue. I am deeply grateful!"
With the True Lord's care, this mission will surely succeed!
To repay the trust of the sect and the True Lord, Pingdong is willing to dedicate himself wholeheartedly, even unto death!
These words came from the bottom of his heart, and the Core Formation cultivators present could feel his determination, which greatly encouraged them.
"Indeed, it is in times of crisis that true heroes are revealed. Well done, Pingdong!"
"Pingdong, we await your safe return within the sect, and we await the good news you bring!"
Soon, Yue Qingqiu arrived at Chen Yi's cave, explained her purpose, and asked him to take out a bottle of Thunder Brew, a magic-based escape technique.
Chen Yi hesitated slightly upon hearing this. The Thunder Brew technique was his trump card for survival, and he didn't have much of it left. But then he thought that as an elder of the sect, he should help when the sect was in trouble, so he finally nodded in agreement.
He took out a jade bottle from his storage bag and handed it to Yue Qingqiu: "The newly refined Thunder Brew of Escape Techniques in recent years has been basically supplied to the Thundercloud Sect. This bottle is the earliest one I refined. I originally kept it for my own survival."
Its effects are slightly flawed; it can cause some unusual vibrations to the mind when used, but it is generally harmless under normal circumstances.
"Take it. Now that I've become an elder of the Star Moon Sect, I should do my part for the sect."
Yue Qingqiu took the jade bottle, and without saying a word, turned and left.
Whether by oversight or for other reasons, she did not inform Pingdong about the defect in this bottle of Lei Niang.
Ping Dong accepted the Thunder Brew escape technique handed to him by Yue Qingqiu, feeling his confidence increase. After solemnly bowing to Yue Qingqiu, he took the token jade talisman and used the Star Escape technique, transforming into a light blue stream of light. He quickly rushed out of the Star Moon Sect's mountain gate and flew towards the Qingyun Cave Heaven headquarters.
Several days later, three powerful fluctuations of magic power at the peak of the Core Formation stage suddenly erupted 50,000 miles northwest of the Star Moon Sect.
The sect's sensory array reacted instantly, not only detecting the fluctuation but also identifying the aura of a Star Technique cultivator within it, as well as a faint but urgent distress signal.
Upon hearing the news, Yue Qingqiu's expression changed drastically. She immediately sent an urgent message to Chen Yi, her voice urgent: "Junior Brother Chen, something has happened to Pingdong. Let's go out and rescue him!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement: "This place is too close to the Star Moon Sect. Even if True Monarch Black Serpent is bold, he would not choose to take action here personally, lest he give others cause for criticism."
"Let's hurry, maybe we can still make it in time."
Without further delay, the two joined hands and used the Star-Moon Fusion Escape Technique. Yue Qingqiu was surrounded by moon-white Nascent Soul escape light, while Chen Yi activated the Star Escape Technique. The stars and moon merged into one, led by Yue Qingqiu, and transformed into a peak Nascent Soul stage escape light that rushed out of the Star-Moon Sect's mountain gate and sped off in the northwest direction.
Unfortunately, the two were too late.
When Chen Yi and Yue Qingqiu arrived at the scene, they only saw a chaotic battlefield. Ping Dong had already fallen into a pool of blood, lifeless, and was dead.
Yue Qingqiu stared at Ping Dong's corpse with a murderous look on her face, and her Nascent Soul power surged unconsciously around her.
Instead of immediately dealing with the aftermath, she formed hand seals and unleashed a Nascent Soul secret technique. A pale white light enveloped the entire battlefield, and the residual magical energy and traces of battle in the air gradually became clear, allowing her to trace the details of the previous battle.
After a while, Yue Qingqiu condensed a wisp of magic power at her fingertips and pointed it at an inconspicuous spot on the ground of the battlefield. A special secret technique power seeped into the ground and retrieved a palm-sized recording stone.
She infused her magic to examine him for a moment, and finally sighed deeply, her tone full of regret: "Pingdong did his best, his sacrifice this time was worthwhile."
Seeing this, Chen Yi stepped forward and asked in confusion, "What exactly happened?"
Yue Qingqiu handed the recording stone to Chen Yi: "Take a look for yourself. It records his final battle."
Chen Yi took the recording stone and slowly covered it with his divine sense. The scene recorded in the recording stone immediately unfolded in his mind.
It turns out that after receiving the mission, Ping Dong had been hiding his identity and suppressing his magical power to the early stage of the Golden Core realm, traveling north in a low-key manner to avoid attracting attention as much as possible.
But for some reason, halfway there, their path was blocked by a huge black snake that was tens of feet long.
The black snake's demonic body exuded an aura of near-fourth rank, clearly indicating that it was an interceptor arranged by the Black Snake True Monarch.
Seeing this, Ping Dong was unwilling to confront the other party head-on, so he immediately used the Star Escape technique to turn around and escape. The black snake chased after him at a leisurely pace, as if it were toying with its prey.
Unexpectedly, when Ping Dong fled to this valley, an incredibly terrifying and eerie aura suddenly erupted from both sides of the valley, revealing that the Ghost-Faced Evil Lord had been lying in ambush there all along!
The Ghost-Faced Evil Lord unleashed a deadly attack, instantly corrupting Ping Dong's Starry Sky Escape Light with his Yin Ghost Power, greatly slowing down his escape speed.
Immediately afterwards, the Black Serpent and the Ghost-Faced Evil Lord attacked from the front and back. One was a near-fourth-tier demon beast, and the other was a ghost cultivator at the peak of the Core Formation stage. The two peak third-tier combatants joined forces to launch a sneak attack.
Logically, this battle should have ended in an instant, but to everyone's surprise, Ping Dong actually held on for a long time.
His star-based techniques and star-based escape techniques had already reached the limit of the Core Formation level, and even under the combined attack of two powerful figures, he was still able to barely hold his own.
What's even more remarkable is that during lulls in the battle, he secretly hid the recording stone underground to document the situation, while simultaneously unleashing a powerful surge of magical energy to send a distress signal to his sect.
The fierce battle lasted for half a day, with powerful magical energy fluctuations spreading continuously. Even the rogue cultivators and cultivators from small forces within a radius of tens of thousands of miles could clearly sense it and avoided this dangerous area.
Ping Dong eventually succumbed to the overwhelming gap in cultivation levels, his magical power waning until he had no choice but to give up resistance and focus solely on escaping.
He immediately activated the Star Escape Technique to its maximum, and at the same time took out the Thunder Brew technique given to him by Yue Qingqiu and drank it all in one gulp. As the Thunder Brew entered his throat, the lightning around him surged, and his physical body instantly transformed into a Thunder Spirit Body. His escape speed suddenly increased several times, and he sped towards the Star Moon Sect.
But at this moment, the hidden dangers previously caused by the evil spirit power of the Ghost-Faced Lord suddenly erupted:
The ghostly energy vibrated within his body, causing his soul, which was not yet fully integrated with his physical body, to detach slightly from his body.
The mere departure of this wisp of divine soul from the body disrupted the balance of the Thunder Spirit Body. The Thunder Spirit Body required a high degree of harmony between the divine soul and the physical body to control, and the moment the divine soul left, the physical body instinctively rejected the remaining divine soul.
This sudden change created a fatal flaw in Ping Dong's control of lightning, causing his escape speed to slow down abruptly.
How could the Ghost-Faced Evil Lord let this opportunity slip by?
He immediately used Ghost Shadow Escape, transforming into a wisp of black smoke to catch up in an instant. He gathered Yin energy in his ghost claw and slammed it hard on Ping Dong's back.
Ping Dong suffered a severe blow, and his Thunder Spirit Body collapsed on the spot, spurting out blood.
Upon seeing this, the near-fourth-tier black snake that followed opened its massive jaws and bit the heavily injured Ping Dong to pieces, completely extinguishing his life force.
"well--
—
Looking at the bloodstains left on the battlefield, Chen Yi sighed softly, his tone full of regret, "Ping Dong truly died a heroic death this time. With his mid-stage Golden Core cultivation, he withstood two peak third-tier combatants and was able to hold on for a long time. This strength and sense of responsibility should serve as a model for all disciples of my Star Moon Sect."
The escape technique Thunder Brew given by Chen Yi is not problematic in itself. When a normal cultivator uses it, at most, their soul will be more damaged, but they will never experience any sluggishness in control.
However, this Thunder Brew has a unique characteristic: when it transforms into a spiritual form within the physical body, it causes a slight tremor in the soul, requiring an extremely high degree of compatibility between the soul and the physical body.
A cultivator who has progressed through the natural process of cultivation and advancement has already achieved a high degree of integration between their soul and body, so there will naturally be no problem.
When Chen Yi gave Yue Qingqiu Lei Niang, he had specifically reminded her of this point, but perhaps she forgot to tell Ping Dong.
Yue Qingqiu stood to the side, remaining silent throughout, her face expressionless.
In fact, several days ago, when Ping Dong unleashed his mid-stage Golden Core power and the peak of the third level of Star Escape, she sensed something was amiss. Ping Dong's soul strength far surpassed that of other cultivators of the same level, and he even showed signs of becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator. At that time, she guessed Ping Dong's true identity, which should be the senior brother Xingye who had fallen years ago.
But she couldn't say it.
Now that she and Chen Yi have already achieved physical intimacy and are making great progress in dual cultivation, if Senior Brother Xingye were to return as "Pingdong," not only would her relationship with Chen Yi break down, but the entire power structure and inheritance system of the Xingyue Sect would also fall into chaos.
She had her own plans: this mission was dangerous, and Ping Dong might get injured, causing his cultivation to stagnate. From then on, he could only be a peaceful Core Formation cultivator and would no longer be able to threaten the current situation.
But she didn't expect that Pingdong would die in battle on the way.
Perhaps, this is fate.
When Yue Qingqiu was sorting through Ping Dong's belongings, she carefully put away the recording stone that documented the battle. This recording stone was definitely a crucial bargaining chip for the Star Moon Sect to break out of its current predicament.
Although according to the rules of Qingyun Cave Heaven, the higher-ups of the cave heaven usually do not interfere too much in the life-and-death disputes of cultivators at or below the Core Formation stage, the evidence clearly recorded in the recording stone of the Black Serpent True Monarch's collusion with evil cultivators such as Ghost Face Evil Monarch is enough to put the Black Serpent True Monarch in a passive position within the cave heaven.
"Pingdong did not die in vain; he did open up some new possibilities for the sect's current predicament."
Looking at the recording stone in her hand, Yue Qingqiu sighed, "When we return, we must focus on comforting Pingdong's family; we cannot let their sacrifice be in vain."
This statement served as a final verdict on Ping Dong's life and also determined the sect's attitude towards his family.
After collecting Ping Dong's artifact fragments, remains, and recording stone, the two quickly retreated back to the Star Moon Sect using their escape techniques.
In a secluded spot tens of thousands of miles away, the Black Serpent True Lord had yet to reveal himself and make a move. The third-tier lower-level divination master from Eagle Ridge Mountain had already warned him that if he wanted to attack Yue Qingqiu or Chen Yi, he only had one chance, and two conditions had to be met:
They should stay more than 100,000 miles away from the Star Moon Sect, and Yue Qingqiu and Chen Yi should act separately. Otherwise, the effect might be poor, and they might alert the enemy.
However, this time, even ambush against Ping Dong, who was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, had many unexpected events, allowing Ping Dong to hold on until he sent out a distress signal. Black Serpent True Monarch became increasingly cautious.
He also realized from this accident that the Star Moon Sect was not as fragile as it seemed on the surface, and that the sect's foundation far exceeded his expectations, which made him even more hesitant to act rashly.
Upon returning to the sect, the Star Moon Sect held a simple yet solemn memorial ceremony for Ping Dong to commemorate this cultivator who sacrificed himself for the sect.
After the ceremony, Yue Qingqiu went to the secret room alone, took out the recording stone, and used a secret method to cut out the part where Ping Dong's body and soul were not in harmony, which caused the flaw in his lightning escape technique. This part involved the secrets of Ping Dong and the Star Moon Sect and was not convenient for outsiders to know.
After dealing with the recording stone, Yue Qingqiu immediately sent it to True Monarch Yuntian of Qingyun Cave Heaven through the sect's communication array, entrusting him to deliver this evidence to the higher-ups of the cave heaven.
Yun Tianzhenjun was already very concerned about Yue Qingqiu's matter, and after receiving the image stone, he immediately agreed to help.
As expected, the higher-ups of Qingyun Cave Heaven were extremely dissatisfied with Black Serpent True Monarch's collusion with evil cultivators after seeing the recording stone.
The Grand Elder of the Enforcement Hall was under considerable pressure due to his previous connection with the Black Serpent True Lord, and had no choice but to publicly punish the Black Serpent True Lord and issue an arrest warrant to track down the Ghost-Faced Evil Lord.
For a time, the Black Serpent True Monarch restrained his sharp edge and temporarily stopped suppressing the Star Moon Sect.
The Star Moon Sect was able to regain some sovereignty over the immortal city, fishing grounds, and mines that had been previously occupied, and the sect finally escaped the predicament of being completely blocked.
However, the situation has not completely improved. Forces like Medicine King Valley, which had previously traded with Star Moon Sect, especially those that cooperated with Chen Yi on Thunder Brew and puppets, are still unwilling to resume their dealings, clearly still fearing the Black Serpent True Monarch's subsequent retaliation.
It can only be said that this breakthrough with the help of the image stone has only slightly eased the predicament of the Star Moon Sect and given them a chance to breathe, but reality remains cruel, and the real advantage still lies with the Black Serpent True Monarch.
Chen Yi remained unmoved by this and continued to focus on his cultivation.
He knew very well that improving his own strength was the most important thing in the current situation. Even if the plan to refine the Nascent Soul Pill had to be postponed, he would never risk leaving the sect too far away at this time.
Two more years passed, and Chen Yi and Yue Qingqiu remained steadfast in their sect, hiding away from the outside world. Just when everyone in the Star Moon Sect thought the predicament would last even longer, good news arrived—Ji Wuchen had come.
This time, Ji Wuchen no longer concealed his whereabouts, but openly unleashed his Nascent Soul level escape light, his body enveloped in whistling spiritual energy, flying towards the Star Moon Sect from the distant horizon.
His escape was incredibly powerful; wherever he passed, the clouds in the sky were forcibly parted, creating a passage several miles wide, as if clearing a path for him, displaying his majesty.
This terrifying aura instilled awe in all cultivators at the Core Formation stage and below within and outside the Star Moon Sect. None dared to approach the area enveloped by the escape light, and they all retreated to a distance to observe.
Even the Black Serpent True Monarch, who was far away in the direction of Eagle Ridge Mountain, sensed this Nascent Soul aura from afar, and his expression instantly became extremely solemn.
He could clearly sense that although Ji Wuchen's magical power was nearly half that of his own, the aura emanating from him was exceptionally condensed, even carrying an indescribable sense of oppression that made him feel vaguely uncomfortable.
A hunch arose in Black Serpent True Monarch's mind: if he were to actually fight Ji Wuchen, he would probably not gain any advantage and might even suffer a loss.
"The Ji family has produced yet another prodigy!"
Black Serpent True Monarch sighed inwardly, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "I never thought that these two cowards from the Star Moon Sect could still survive after hiding for so long. Instead, they managed to climb onto the coattails of the newly powerful Ji family."
He wasn't stupid; he immediately decided to temporarily postpone the task of "killing Chen Yi" assigned by True Monarch Shengyun, thinking to himself, "If you want to kill him, go do it yourself. That Chen Yi is hiding in the sect's shell, too cowardly to come out, while his friends are all capable. Killing him is harder than killing a Nascent Soul cultivator!"
Seeing Ji Wuchen's escape light land steadily at the Star Moon Sect's mountain gate, Black Serpent True Monarch no longer hesitated and directly withdrew his suppression methods against the Star Moon Sect. He was already a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and had been eyeing the Star Moon Sect's spiritual veins for several years, but had not gained much advantage. Now that Ji Wuchen was an obstacle, he simply gave up and instead planned to look for opportunities elsewhere. There were not many mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in the Azure Cloud Cave Heaven. Surely he could find an unclaimed spiritual vein dojo?
On the other side, Ji Wuchen's escape light stopped at the Star Moon Sect's mountain gate. After the light dissipated, he was dressed in a green robe, and his temperament was even more composed than it had been two years ago.
Chen Yi had already received the news, so he quickly stepped forward, feigned a bow to Ji Wuchen, and said, "Junior Chen Yi greets True Lord Wuchen!"
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