Chapter 66

(Here's the update for noon. The number of recommendation votes is a bit low today, so everyone, please come and vote. Yes, continue to request for collections.)

"In the face of absolute power, both intrigue and open confrontation are but illusions!"

Su Qinnian's tone was very firm. Heaven moves, and the noble person strives for self-improvement without ceasing. When the small person appears, the noble person uses his blood and qi to slay ghosts and spirits!

"Very well, I will go into seclusion!"

Qing Ye roared, his fatty body trembling. After a few days, he seemed to have grown even more.

Slap!

This was Qing Yu slapping the back of his head, scolding, "You fool, there's no time to waste. You and I will each take a Demon-Slaying Order and go down the mountain again. Regardless of whether we have any gains, we must return within eight days."

Su Qinnian's heart stirred, and he understood Qing Yu's plan. This was to use the opportunity to slay demons to advance further, to hone his skills amidst life and death, and to push his cultivation of the Turtle-Snake Art to a higher level. With his current discernment, Qing Yu's and the other's cultivation had indeed advanced remarkably. In this short time, both had already entered the seventh level of the Turtle-Snake Art. If they succeeded in slaying demons, they could comprehend the eighth level's heart method. Even if they couldn't break through further, it could serve as a reference to push their cultivation of the first seven levels to perfection.

After a bowl of bear meat soup, the two were about to go down the mountain when Su Qinnian called them back.

"Look closely."

Su Qinnian shouted, and Qing Yu and the other were stunned as they saw the world shift from day to night.

The starry sky was vast, with a cold winter moon hanging in the nine heavens.

Most importantly, the Su Qinnian before them disappeared, replaced by a massive divine turtle. Its dark yellow shell, more aged than withered wood, its deeply wrinkled turtle paws, seemed like an ancient divine mountain standing there.

Roar!

A roar like a dragon's cry echoed as the turtle's head lifted to the sky, aiming at the moon, and it sucked in fiercely.

Moonlight fell like a pillar, as if the entire world was collapsing into the turtle's mouth. This was a stunning sight, with each turtle shell, larger than a millstone, displaying strange phenomena—mountains and rivers, swords and spears, sun and moon, stars, and many other scenes intertwined, imprinting in the two's eyes and minds.

This is...

At this moment, the two understood what was happening, their eyes shining. They carefully observed, constantly memorizing, verifying, and many insights flooded their hearts. Their internal organs trembled, and the blood in their bodies began to flow along a mysterious path, gradually seeping into the depths of their organs.

However, just a few breaths later, the world shattered, the starry sky collapsed, and the sun rose again. They returned to the Qingyang Palace.

Looking at Su Qinnian, his face was pale, and he was breathing heavily, his eyes extremely dim.

Without a word, he glanced at Qing Yu and the other, then sat cross-legged to meditate, using the morning bear's blood to replenish his spirit and recover his energy.

After a while, Su Qinnian opened his eyes, his mental strength still somewhat weak, but he had recovered about sixty percent.

For the first time, he used the Soul-Subduing Technique to create such a grand illusion, changing the day to night, and reenacting the divine turtle's form from his memory. From the moment he began to sketch the divine turtle's form with his mental strength, the consumption increased dramatically. In just a few breaths, his mental strength was almost depleted.

"Could it be..."

The fatty stared wide-eyed at Su Qinnian, but when he turned to look, Qing Yu had already waved his hand and left the palace. He scratched his head, ultimately not asking, but his eyes still shone as he patted Su Qinnian's shoulder, winking and whispering, "Let's do it a few more times when the senior brother comes back. The senior brother will bring good wine. By the way, how about a flower girl?"

Su Qinnian rolled his eyes, slapped away his fatty hand, and turned to leave.

Pouting, the fatty turned around, muttering to himself, "What's there to be shy about? When I was a kid, I often peeked at the neighbor's Second Flower bathing. Well, it's not right to look at what shouldn't be seen, but the girls down the mountain are really beautiful..."

Not far away, Su Qinnian's lips twitched, feeling speechless about the fatty's thoughts.

...

Ten miles from Qingyang Peak.

This was a spiritual peak shrouded in white clouds, with white cranes flying and phoenixes nesting. The summit was enveloped in rosy light, with purple mist swirling. A clear waterfall cascaded down over four hundred feet, shimmering like a golden river under the sunlight, brilliant and magnificent.

At the summit, pavilions and terraces were stacked, with flowing water and mountain springs, carved railings and jade steps, exquisitely crafted, radiating with splendor.

In the center of these pavilions and terraces, a tower rose ninety-nine feet high, its entire body glowing with purple light, dotted with golden stars. Upon closer inspection, it was entirely made of purple sandalwood.

In the Han Empire, golden-threaded nanmu and purple sandalwood were reserved for the imperial family, not to be used by the common people. But here, there was such a massive purple sandalwood tower, and the thick patina in the sunlight indicated that it had been there for at least a decade.

This was the source of the purple mist.

At the top of the tower, a middle-aged man in a light golden Daoist robe stood tall, holding a golden duster that seemed to be made of condensed sunlight.

"A tower a hundred feet high, where one can pluck the stars. My Purple Light Tower is ninety-nine feet high. I wonder if it can reach the tenth level of thunder, the pinnacle of the Pure Yang Spirit..."

The light golden robe fluttered, the man's hair and long eyebrows seemed to be filled with golden light, like jade and glass, with the appearance of thunder and lightning.

Then, as if thinking of something, the man's duster swayed, and a playful smile appeared on his lips. He said lightly, "What is the 'Xiuming Dao'? Even after five hundred years, it still wants to be reborn. The past will eventually be erased, and only the present can shape the future. This is the supreme truth of the Heavenly Dao, the cycle of time."

...

Chang'an City.

Among the high walls and green tiles of the imperial palace, a group of officials in brocade court robes walked out of the palace gate. The guards on duty remained silent, their eyes filled with reverence.

Then, the group of more than ten officials carefully moved aside, different from the side gate they usually used. A golden-threaded nanmu carriage, pulled by four blood-sweating horses, slowly drove out of the main gate. Only after it disappeared at the end of the street did the officials start moving again. Their eyes were wary and reverent, with various expressions of envy and resentment intertwining.

But throughout, no one dared to speak. It wasn't until the group was far away that a guard hesitated and said, "Who was that just now? A prince or a noble lady from the harem? Even the empress, without a document from the Ministry of Rites, can't open the main gate except for the annual sacrificial ceremony."

"Silence!"

Another guard was shocked and immediately shouted. After half an incense stick passed, he took a deep breath and said with lingering fear, "You're new to the palace, and you need to get rid of your rough manners from the battlefield. There are many experts in the palace, and even those officials walking on foot are top-notch experts. If you speak like that, they can hear you from miles away."

"And that golden-threaded nanmu carriage, remember, you must never obstruct it. It belongs to Ling Tong, the current head of the imperial armory, a nobleman with great imperial favor. He is one of the few top experts among the officials, and his use of the main gate is a sign of the emperor's favor. It's not that I lack courage, but to be honest, there are many forces entangled inside and outside the palace. Even the noble ladies in the harem have powerful clans behind them, each using their own skills. Many officials are replaced every year, and the old ones either rise to higher positions or lose their heads."

Sigh!

The guard who spoke was suddenly taken aback, his face pale. He had never felt such fear on the battlefield, and now he somewhat missed the days of risking his life in battle, at least not feeling as nervous and on edge as he did now.

...

Winter Solstice.

In Wudang Mountain, the snow never stopped, the snowflakes larger than goose feathers, turning the entire four hundred miles of Wudang Mountain into a snowy white.

Qingyang Palace.

Su Qinnian looked at the thick icicles hanging from the eaves outside the hall, a fire burning in front of him, with a golden-brown roe deer roasting on it.

The aroma of the meat was enticing, but Su Qinnian had little appetite. The palace was cold and empty, and he realized that he was alone again.

He thought of the Beihai, the harsh border, and he had read about the geography of the empire. At this time, it should already be so cold that one's breath turns to ice, more than twice as cold as Wudang Mountain. Historical records show that many soldiers stationed there could not withstand the cold and froze to death on the northern coast. (Here's the update for noon. The number of recommendation votes is a bit low today, so everyone, please come and vote. Yes, continue to request for collections.)