Chapter 287: Undercurrents, Defensive Formations, and the Dao Resonance Sounds Again!

Chapter 287: Undercurrents, Defensive Formations, and the Dao Resonance Sounds Again!

July 22, 2024

As Lu Qing was sorting out his thoughts, a gathering of powerful figures took place within a majestic building in the Holy City.

Several corpses, neatly arranged and covered with white cloth, lay before them.

"Master Qiu, why have you summoned us in the dead of night?" A towering, muscular man with arms that reached his knees asked in a deep voice.

"Everyone, take a look at these corpses," Master Qiu said, gently waving his sleeve to blow away the white cloth, revealing the full extent of the bodies.

The condition of the corpses shocked everyone present.

The bodies were mutilated, with severed heads and gaping holes in their chests. One corpse was even split cleanly in half, a gruesome sight.

However, the gathering consisted of formidable martial artists from Zhongzhou, and such a scene was not enough to faze them for long.

"Master Qiu, who are these people, and what does their death have to do with you calling us here?" The towering man continued his questioning.

"Everyone, is there anything peculiar about these corpses?" Master Qiu asked.

"Peculiar? They're just brutally killed, that's all. What else could be peculiar about them?" The crowd examined the corpses further.

However, they soon discovered that these corpses were indeed unusual. They were all Innate Realm experts, and their cultivation levels before death were not necessarily weaker than those present in the room.

This realization caused everyone's expressions to turn solemn.

The sudden appearance of four Innate Realm experts' corpses, coupled with the fact that no one recognized their faces, conveyed too much information.

But that was not all. Master Qiu, seeing the serious expressions on everyone's faces, pointed to one of the corpses and said, "Everyone, take a look at the tattoo on this corpse. Is there anything distinctive about it?"

"Tattoo?" Everyone looked at the corpse he was pointing to.

When they saw the tattoo Master Qiu was referring to, some felt puzzled, while others felt a sense of familiarity.

Those who felt familiar with it racked their brains, and suddenly, their bodies trembled as their eyes widened in realization.

"This tattoo, could it be..." one of them said.

"It seems that Elder Yue has recognized the origin of this tattoo," Master Qiu said with a slight smile.

"Indeed. This tattoo is very similar to the one recorded in our Guiyuan Sect's secret archives. But how is this possible? That sect was completely eradicated and wiped out hundreds of years ago, wasn't it?" Elder Yue said, finding it hard to believe.

"It's clear that the sect was not completely eradicated back then, and some remnants survived. Over the past hundreds of years, they have recuperated and grown stronger once again," Master Qiu said, his expression turning grave.

"Elder Yue, Master Qiu, what are you talking about? What does this tattoo have to do with some sect?" The towering man, feeling left out of the loop, finally asked.

"Wujiange!" A white-haired, child-faced elder said solemnly, "There's no mistake. This tattoo is the mark of Wujiange from three hundred years ago!"

Obviously, he had also recognized the origin of the tattoo.

As soon as the elder spoke, everyone was directly shocked.

"What? Wujiange?"

"Elder He, are you sure?"

"I remember now. This tattoo is indeed identical to the one recorded in my sect's archives!"

"But wasn't Wujiange completely wiped out hundreds of years ago?!"

Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Master Qiu said, "There's no need for doubt, my friends. Brother Fang and I have already examined these people.

The cultivation techniques they practiced were quite peculiar and matched the secret archives of our sects exactly.

Therefore, these people are undoubtedly remnants of Wujiange."

"But according to the archives, Wujiange should have been eradicated by the joint efforts of various sects hundreds of years ago. Why have they suddenly reappeared? Where have they been hiding during these past hundreds of years? And who killed them and left them here?" Someone immediately raised a series of questions.

"Regarding this matter, Brother Fang and I are also filled with doubts and suspicions. This is why we have gathered all of you here. I have a feeling that our ancestors might have been played by someone back then..." Master Qiu said, "I have a feeling that our ancestors might have been deceived or manipulated in some way."

...

In the Holy City, the people from the various sects were shocked to discover that remnants of Wujiange still existed.

July 22, 2024

High above in the Holy Mountain, within an exquisite building, several monks clad in crimson robes gathered together.

"Senior Brother Xuanming, I just received a secret message from Anzi. The mission of Wujian Tower has failed," Xuan Nu said.

"I knew it! Those good-for-nothings couldn't accomplish anything!" a towering monk with arms reaching his knees exclaimed angrily.

The group of wastefulness had boasted endlessly about their exceptional assassination skills. Yet, they couldn't even handle a mere youngster and an old man.

It had been a mistake for Xuankong Mountain to take them in; they were utterly useless!

"Senior Brother Xuanming, now that the failure of Wujian Tower's mission is known, what should we do?" Xuan Nu inquired.

Before Xuanming could respond, the towering monk continued, "Hmph, so what if they failed? What does it have to do with us?

Moreover, let those fanatics create some chaos out there.

Our secluded existence in the secret lands, away from the outside world for so long, has made this realm forget our might.

Even a mere disciple of Tianji Tower dared to defy the Buddha's order and speak impudently.

I say, let Wujian Tower stir up some trouble. Let the various sects out there remember the price of defiance.

Back then, the hundreds of years of peace in this realm was not achieved easily. Without our secret lands maintaining order, they wouldn't have enjoyed their peaceful lives for so long."

Xuan Nu remained silent, but his expression revealed his agreement with the towering monk's words.

"Amitabha."

At that moment, Xuanming, who had been silent with a calm expression, finally spoke:

"Xuan Yan's words, though lacking in Buddhist compassion, are not without reason.

Our emergence from Xuankong Mountain after centuries of seclusion has deprived the outside world of the light and teachings of Buddhism.

As a result, reverence for the Buddha has diminished.

Without reverence, there is no order, and without order, ambition and turmoil flourish.

This is not a good thing for the people of the realm; it is a calamity.

Therefore, for the sake of the people, Xuankong Mountain must remind this realm of the greatness of Buddhism."

"As always, Senior Brother Xuanming understands the Buddhist teachings profoundly."

Xuan Nu and the others were deeply convinced by Xuanming's words.

"Then, Senior Brother, what should we do next? The Wujian Tower disciples we brought out have all perished.

That little beast is still alive, and as long as he continues to breathe, the other secret lands will continue to mock us."

"Temporary setbacks should not sway your hearts. After cultivating Buddhism for so many years, how can you still be blinded by trivial grudges?

That young man's survival indicates that his destiny has not yet ended. This is the will of Heaven.

Since it is Heaven's will, we can temporarily let him live a little longer. As for our primary purpose in coming here, it is to fulfill the Abbot's task and seize the opportunity.

As long as we obtain that opportunity, Xuankong Mountain will rise to prominence once more in the coming millennium.

Do not lose sight of what's essential and be distracted by petty hatreds." Xuanming spoke with a solemn tone.

"But Senior Brother Xuanming, the Abbot said that the opportunity lies within the Holy Mountain, yet we have been here for so long without any sign of it. When will it appear?"

"Be patient and refrain from arrogance or impatience." Xuanming closed his eyes, his voice calm and steady. "I can sense that the opportunity should manifest itself very soon."

Seeing that Xuanming had entered a meditative state, Xuan Nu and the others dared not disturb him further, despite their lingering doubts.

In the following days, hidden currents stirred within the Holy City.

The resurgence of Wujian Tower, once believed to be long gone, quickly spread among the major sects of Zhongzhou.

The entire Zhongzhou realm was subtly shaken by this revelation.

Fortunately, the matter was confined to the higher-ups of the sects, preventing any widespread chaos.

However, the hearts of the various sects were in turmoil, and the atmosphere within the Holy City became eerie.

It felt like a storm was brewing.

None of this affected Lu Qing and his companions, though.

After the Wujian Tower assassins were dealt with by Lu Qing and Xiao Li that night, they hadn't encountered any further attacks.

Even the Master of Tianji Tower, who had taken away the corpses of the Wujian Tower assassins, hadn't reappeared, leaving them to wonder what he was up to.

Thus, Lu Qing and his group spent their days leisurely in the small courtyard next to Lin Zhirui's residence, practicing martial arts, drinking tea, and indulging in culinary delights.

Their days were peaceful and unaffected by the tense atmosphere in the Holy City.

"Master Lu, look!"

In the courtyard, Lu Qing sat on a stone bench, holding a delicate carving knife as he etched something.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Li sat obediently by his side, waiting quietly.

At that moment, Hu Zezhi bounced over to Lu Qing and spun around a few times.

"Oh, Miss Hu, your leg has fully recovered?" Lu Qing looked up from his work and smiled as he addressed her.

"Yes, it's all thanks to you, Master Lu. If it weren't for the medicine you prepared, I wouldn't have recovered so quickly," Hu Zezhi expressed her gratitude.

As the saying goes, an injury to the bones takes a hundred days to heal.

Hu Zezhi was well aware of the severity of her leg injury.

Now, in such a short time, not only had she fully recovered, but there were no lingering effects.

More importantly, there wasn't even a scar left behind.

This was all thanks to Lu Qing's exceptional medical skills, and her heart was filled with gratitude beyond words.

"My medicine may be good, but it's also because you've been taking it regularly and diligently practicing your exercises. Otherwise, no matter how good the medicine is, if the patient doesn't take care of their body and follow the doctor's instructions, it's all in vain," Lu Qing said gently.

Hu Zezhi's heart warmed at his words, and just as she was about to continue expressing her thanks, she finally noticed what Lu Qing was doing with the carving knife in his hand.

Her gratitude turned into curiosity as she asked, "Hey, Master Lu, what are you working on?"

"Nothing much, I'm just embellishing this pendant." Lu Qing replied without pausing his work.

With a slight wave of his hand, the fine carving knife etched an intricate talisman into the pendant he held.

The next moment, the pendant emitted a faint white light, and as the light faded, the pendant returned to its original appearance.

However, if one looked closely, they would see a mysterious talisman flickering deep within the translucent jade-like pendant.

"There, it's done. Xiao Yan, come here and let me put it on for you." Lu Qing said as he lifted his head.

Hearing her brother's words, Xiao Yan obediently leaned forward.

Lu Qing gently helped her put on the pendant.

"Remember, you must always wear this pendant and never take it off by yourself." Lu Qing adjusted the length of the cord to ensure that the little one couldn't take it off on her own, and then reminded her.

"Xiao Yan understands!" Xiao Yan replied cheerfully.

She happily touched the pendant, feeling that the fish stone pendant seemed even more beautiful after her brother's carving.

"Master Lu, what was that just now?" Hu Zezhi, who had witnessed the entire process, asked in surprise.

She recalled the scene in Yunlai Town when Lu Qing had refined the jade bottle with godlike means.

"This pendant was something I gave to Xiao Yan a long time ago. I'm just embellishing it to make it look nicer." Lu Qing explained.

"Oh, Sister Hu, this was the first gift Brother gave to me. It was made from the fish stone he dug out of a big green fish's mouth!" Xiao Yan proudly boasted to Hu Zezhi.

"I see, no wonder it looks so beautiful." Hu Zezhi said, feeling a bit envious.

Seeing that Hu Zezhi didn't press the matter further, Lu Qing smiled.

The carving he had just completed was not merely an embellishment.

He had inscribed a basic defensive formation into the fish stone pendant.

From now on, if Xiao Yan encountered any danger, the formation within the pendant would automatically activate and protect her.

With this, even if something unexpected happened and neither he nor Xiao Li could get to Xiao Yan in time, the little one would still have a final layer of protection.

Lu Qing had actually wanted to do this for a long time.

However, his previous attempts at inscribing a formation into such a small pendant had been somewhat beyond his capabilities, despite his strong soul force.

It was only a few nights ago, when he had attempted to breakthrough to the Innate Realm, that he had partially succeeded and cultivated true qi.

With the nourishment of true qi, not only had his physical body and soul force grown stronger, but his control over them had also improved significantly.

This made it possible for him to successfully inscribe such a delicate formation.

After inscribing the defensive formation, the pendant had truly become Xiao Yan's protective amulet.

Hu Zezhi wisely refrained from asking further questions, and Lu Qing, of course, did not reveal everything.

However, the successful inscription of the formation had sparked an idea in Lu Qing's mind.

Perhaps he could engrave more similar items as a precaution for the future?

As Lu Qing pondered the feasibility of this idea, he suddenly felt a tremor throughout his body and looked up at the sky.

At the same time, a massive wave of heavenly might rippled through the heavens above, reverberating throughout the world.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end