https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-517-The-Blind-Artisan-Jiang-Yunxi-s-Moment-in-the-Spotlight/13026965/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-518-The-Elusive-Truth-Unfathomable-Part-2-/13026967/
Chapter 518: The Elusive Truth, Unfathomable (Part 1)
Chapter 518: The Elusive Truth, Unfathomable (Part 1)
Half a day later, in the bamboo forest.
Xie Danran stared at the visitor, his face filled with disbelief.
"Why, why?" he asked, perplexed.
He couldn't understand why, despite his perfect responses and flawless disguise, the Princess still sent someone to kill him.
If it were before, his identity would have been above such concerns.
But now, with the Princess having saved Jinan Prefecture, her desire to kill him was merely a petty exercise of power.
He had no means to resist.
"The Princess said you didn't deny being a murderer, a robber, and a thug..." The elder in black robes spoke sternly, his magical tool trembling in his hand.
Xie Danran's face turned blank with shock: "But! She! Didn't! Ask! Anything!"
Without asking how he responded, Xie Danran's face was filled with unwillingness.
Unfortunately, his resistance was futile, and his body went limp as he died on the spot.
The black-robed elder glanced at him, and his figure disappeared.
About a quarter of an hour later, an old man appeared, a bun still hanging from his mouth.
He looked at the corpse on the ground, and a pile of liquid spilled from his hand.
Sizzling sounds filled the air.
Xie Danran's corpse turned into a pool of water, leaving no bones behind.
"According to the young master's words, he doesn't even have a chance to turn into a Demonic Spirit now," the old man said.
Chen Kangbao's face wore a mischievous smile, and he too disappeared into the bamboo forest.
...
At the Heavenly Sect's base.
Zhou Xun's face was grim as he bowed to Wang Qingyi, who was not far away.
"Some time ago, Danran was rude to Lingxuan. I apologize on his behalf."
Just now, he had learned of his disciple's demise.
Now, with Xie Danran dead at the hands of Princess Jiang Yunxi, he was furious but helpless.
Firstly, Jiang Yunxi had killed Luotong Water Lord, wielding great power.
Secondly, new information revealed that Luotong Water Lord and the Heavenly Sect had a deep entanglement, leading to the fall of Galesword Master Wei Kun, and the Heavenly Sect was in the wrong in this matter.
Thirdly, Wei Kun's death was a weakening of the Heavenly Sect.
Since Xie Danran was already dead, Zhou Xun apologized on behalf of his disciple to prevent the Shen family from implicating Xie Danran's clan due to the previous incident.
This was the only thing he, as a master, could do now.
"Hmph," Wang Qingyi coldly replied, "Evil deeds will eventually lead to self-destruction."
Zhou Xun's face turned awkward, and he changed the subject, "Is it true that the magical tool, the Kitchen Knife, held by Princess Yunxi, is broken as she claimed?"
Upon hearing about this mysterious Kitchen Knife, Wang Qingyi's face turned serious.
"It's probably fake. I dare say that even with Princess Yunxi's strength, ten of her wouldn't be a match for my disciple Lingxuan.
To kill Luotong Water Lord and the Thorn Blood Elder, how difficult it must have been.
This shows how terrifying that Kitchen Knife must have been... How could it shatter?"
"With the royal family possessing this magical tool, their strength will increase, making life difficult for the Heavenly Sect and the Ancient Thunder Sect," Zhou Xun sighed.
In Ning Kingdom, the royal family's power had diminished, and their strength was inferior to both the Heavenly Sect and the Ancient Thunder Sect. But with the Kitchen Knife, the balance of power would shift.
"How did Princess Yunxi obtain this magical tool, and who crafted this extraordinary artifact?" Wang Qingyi wondered, her eyes filled with puzzlement.
This was a mystery.
After all, everyone knew that Ning Kingdom currently had no Celestial Rank Artisans.
As for the neighboring kingdoms, there were no rumors of any master capable of crafting a magical tool resembling a kitchen knife.
A kitchen knife seemed too crude and hasty.
Although this kitchen knife was powerful, it still appeared comical in everyone's minds.
At this moment, Zhou Xun thought of something and whispered, "Such a magical tool would likely interest visitors from Raksha Kingdom. I wonder if Princess Yunxi can keep it safe."
Wang Qingyi's face changed slightly, "Zhou Xun, regardless, this is an internal struggle within Ning Kingdom.
Whether the Kitchen Knife is in the royal family's hands or others', it's beneficial for Ning Kingdom.
If you..."
"Senior Sister, you misunderstand! I would never do such a thing!" Zhou Xun quickly explained.
"Hmph!" Wang Qingyi coldly interrupted.
Cold sweat formed on Zhou Xun's forehead. He was anxious, wondering why his attempt to change the subject had angered his senior sister.
It seemed he had to keep trying!
He turned to Shen Lingxuan, his voice calm, "I heard that the Flower Thief, Grandmaster Hengshan, has been waiting for an opportunity to strike against Lingxuan. It's strange that we haven't seen him lately."
"Hmph, if he dares to show up, I won't let him get away!" Wang Qingyi declared.
Beside her, Shen Lingxuan's face was veiled with a light scarf, concealing her features, but one could still sense the intensely cold and icy aura emanating from her.
She recalled that day outside the temple, when a young man wielded a water sword.
She was curious about his identity.
Despite not having achieved the unity of heaven and man, he effortlessly sliced through an Earth Rank Apex opponent.
Such strength was truly terrifying.
"If he shows up, I won't let him off either!" Zhou Xun quickly added.
"Sigh," Wang Qingyi sighed, "Lingxuan... perhaps you should return to the sect for now."
The Yin Deity Body was too overpowering, and it was only because Shen Lingxuan hadn't reached the Earth Rank Apex that the ancient monsters of the Celestial Rank from other kingdoms hadn't tried to seize her.
To utilize the Yin Deity Body's power, Shen Lingxuan needed to be at least Earth Rank, preferably Earth Rank Apex.
Now, Grandmaster Hengshan's whereabouts were unknown, and the Celestial Rank Armament Generals from Raksha Kingdom must have learned about Ye Mountain Lake. What if they harbored covetous intentions towards Shen Lingxuan?
Wang Qingyi had this hidden worry.
Shen Lingxuan's gaze remained calm, and she finally nodded, "Okay."
Within the sect, there were Earth Rank Armament Generals, other Earth Rank magical tools forming arrays, and even Celestial Rank Armament Generals would find it challenging to conquer.
Moreover, her previous life's companion sword was also within the sect, providing her with some self-defense capabilities should powerful enemies appear.
Now, with wolves circling, it was indeed unwise for her to stay outside any longer.
Especially since the last time she prepared to kill Grandmaster Hengshan, she had already exposed her strength as an Earth Rank Armament Master.
If that young man were to expose her, it would likely stir up a storm of bloodshed.
A late-stage Earth Rank Yin Essence Body was enough to drive a Heaven Rank Armament Master mad.
Shen Lingxuan left the main hall and returned to her own residence.
The tall Zhisuang approached her.
Shen Lingxuan asked, her voice cold, "Has my husband not returned yet?"
"No," Zhisuang shook her head, her face filled with anger. "He's being unreasonable. He went to Ye Mountain Lake and hasn't even met with Miss Ye, and now he's disappeared without a trace!"
"Did he encounter any danger?" Shen Lingxuan asked, then shook her head again.
Before his death, Qi Yuan left a gift for his son, Qi Yuan. Ordinary people couldn't harm him.
"I'm setting out for Shen Wood Mountain now. Pack your things and come with me," Shen Lingxuan said.
"Should we stop by my home first?" Zhisuang asked.
Shen Lingxuan shook her head, "It's better not to. It will only cause my parents unnecessary worry."
...
At the Shen Family stronghold, Qi Yuan and Chen Kangbao returned leisurely.
This caused quite a stir.
But for Qi Yuan, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
At this moment, he held the Divine Wood Token, drinking and chatting.
"I heard that something strange happened in Ning Kingdom's Ye Mountain Lake these past few days.
Yunxi Princess used a special magical tool, a kitchen knife, to kill Luotong Water Lord.
At the same time, the Water Serpent Elder of Thorn Blood also perished.
Chef Elder, is this magical tool kitchen knife related to you?"
A staff member from Thorn Blood asked in the group.
Ji Wuyun saw this and was speechless.
"You don't suspect that Chef Elder is the kitchen knife, do you? Magical tools don't have their own consciousness, and even if they did, they would be sacred artifacts. But the intelligence of sacred artifacts is at most that of a six or seven-year-old child. Do you think Chef Elder looks like a child?"
Now it was the staff member of Thorn Blood who was speechless.
He clearly wanted to say that Chef Elder was the Earth Rank Artisan who crafted the kitchen knife.
"Speaking of this, aren't you guys from Thorn Blood supposed to be a mini-boss?"
"Forget it, your Thorn Blood's atmosphere isn't that great either. That old man wanted to keep me as a mistress. I'll change you guys instead!"
"Oh, it seems like Chef Elder isn't willing." The staff member of Thorn Blood was disappointed. "I thought we were kindred spirits."
"Don't say such disgusting things!"
"..."
After exiting the Divine Wood Token group, Qi Yuan had a thoughtful expression.
"According to the information I've gathered, this Thorn Blood should be considered a mini-boss, right?"
"These things aren't important. What's important is increasing my strength and...role-playing."
"Oh, leveling up is too difficult. I'm only at level 119 now."
After killing countless malevolent fish and Luotong Water Lord, Qi Yuan's experience bar reached level 119.
Converting this to the current world, it would be the peak of the Earth Rank Armament Master.
The next step would be the Heaven Rank Armament Master.
Playing the role of Chef Elder increased his level by twenty, which was considered slow for Qi Yuan.
"It's strange. According to my experience bar, after killing so many demonic spirits and Luotong Water Lord, I should have reached level 120, but I haven't... Could it be the rules of heaven and earth interfering?"
When Qi Yuan was in the Moon Gazing Realm, his experience bar had skyrocketed, but his level hadn't increased.
Now, he encountered a similar issue.
"It's probably due to the restrictions of this world's rules."
"To break through, Armament Masters like them need to comprehend the unity of heaven and humanity."
"So, I need to achieve that unity too?"
Qi Yuan speculated.
In his memory, he had the knowledge and experience of a blind Artisan breaking through to become an Earth Rank Artisan.
Additionally, he was already a powerful cultivator at the Purple Mansion stage, so the concept of unity with heaven and humanity was... quite simple for him.
In an instant, he entered the state of unity with heaven and humanity.
From Qi Yuan's perspective, the world seemed to pause.
The wind stopped, and the rain ceased.
The river's flow halted.
A ripe apple hung motionless in the air.
He seemed to merge with the world, becoming one with it.
The rules of heaven and earth flowed through him, and the origin seemed as close as a child.
Qi Yuan felt that if he reached out and grasped the origin, he could achieve unity with heaven and humanity.
However, a bitter expression soon appeared on his face.
"The unity of heaven and humanity... Heaven is vast, and humans are small. To achieve unity, I seem to have become too large, turning into the unity of heaven and heaven?"
He had infused his essence blood into this game, essentially becoming part of its development team and a shareholder.
His attempt at unity resulted in the unity of heaven and heaven.
"So, I can't achieve unity with heaven and humanity?"
Qi Yuan was perplexed.
"It seems I'll have to... devour someone else's unity with heaven and humanity."
Qi Yuan sighed.
The Non-Eating Holy Mother had given him the ability to devour origins, so he could also devour this unity.
"I need to find some Armament Masters at the Heaven Rank, some white moonlight."
Currently, he could only achieve the unity of heaven and heaven, not heaven and humanity. To break through this limitation, he needed to kill Heaven Rank Armament Masters and devour their unity with heaven and humanity.
Qi Yuan was deep in thought, wondering where he could find such Armament Masters, when suddenly, a voice drifted into his ears.
"Mild and gentle, do not seek..."
Qi Yuan's comprehension abruptly stopped.
He immediately withdrew from the state of unity with heaven and humanity.
A look of curiosity appeared in his eyes.
"Did I just hallucinate again?"
He searched the sky, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was nothing to be found.
"Hey, who's speaking?" Qi Yuan activated his superpowers to communicate with the owner of the voice.
But the surroundings remained silent, and no response came.
"Could this game have a bug?"
"That's not unusual. After all, this game almost crashed, and it was my blood that helped it recover. Some bugs are to be expected."
"Can I exploit this bug?"
"This probably doesn't count as cheating."
Qi Yuan's thoughts wandered.
At that moment, he took out the Divine Wood Token.
"Hey, does anyone know the origin of 'mild and gentle, do not seek'?"
When encountering something he didn't understand, he would usually ask the search engine or AI. In the game, he naturally had to ask the staff member of Thorn Blood.
"Brother Knife indeed went to the Sacred Wood Abyss." The staff member of Thorn Blood seemed to have free time, always responding to messages promptly.
"Oh, what does this have to do with the Sacred Wood Abyss?"
In the original novel, there was a broken stele at the entrance of the Sacred Wood Abyss, with inscriptions on it.
"There are words on the Divine Wood Token, Brother Knife should know them."
"There's wood... and profound chaos." Qi Yuan replied.
On the Divine Wood Token, the front had the word 'wood', and the back was engraved with 'profound chaos'.
"At the entrance of the Sacred Wood Abyss, there's a broken stele with inscriptions."
"Do they include what I just said?" Qi Yuan asked curiously.
"In ancient times, wood stood silent in profound chaos.
Now I think of you, like wood yearning for spring.
Mild and gentle, do not seek."
"These are the words engraved on the stele. Oh, and the first character for 'wood' is incomplete, missing a part on the right side, and I don't know what character it is."
"Indeed, 'wood' and 'chaos' don't rhyme, so it might be missing a character.
Who carved these words?
(End of Chapter)
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