Chapter 44

Yue Qing stayed in the Green Snail Valley for nearly two months, delving into the magical techniques written in the Heavenly Book with Wei Fengniang. He particularly focused on the opening section, the "Yuan Yang Chapter," which was crucial. To use the subsequent spells, one must cultivate the Primordial Yang True Qi through this chapter; otherwise, most of the spells would be unusable.

Wei Fengniang, nicknamed Divine Hand Piqiu, initially followed the Buddhist path under the guidance of Venerable Guangming. Later, she obtained the ancient Heavenly Book's fragment, the "Raochi Immortal Scripture," on the summit of Mount Tian, and began to practice Daoist techniques. She then acquired a third of the "Chiyou Three Platforms Scripture" in the Western Kunlun and practiced the great techniques of the demonic sect. Later, she obtained the "Suno Scripture" from Jiangnan, which included many dual cultivation techniques.

Her studies were diverse, and she could not control her desires. Whenever she saw a decent-looking man, she could not resist him. Relying on her powerful magic, she recklessly absorbed their energies, causing her inner elixir to become impure. She had already reached the peak of a transcendent immortal but feared the intense tribulations that lay ahead, so she dared not take the final step to form a fetal elixir. Despite her increasing magical power, her Daoist cultivation did not advance. Now, with the "Yuan Yang Chapter," she could not focus on serious practice, dismissing Yue Qing's earnest advice and instead concentrating on the subsequent spells, hoping to integrate them with her past knowledge.

Yue Qing tried to persuade her several times, but seeing that she would not listen, he gave up. Calculating that the timing at the Purple Cloud Palace was about right, he bid farewell, declined Wei Fengniang's repeated attempts to detain him, and flew off toward the East Sea. He arrived at Qihuang Island, where he had previously agreed to meet Xu Feiniang, and indeed saw three female immortals gathering herbs on the island: Xu Feiniang, Sanfeng, and Dongxiu.

Yue Qing pretended not to see them and flew past the island from a distance of several dozen miles.

On the island, Xu Feiniang was showing a herb to Sanfeng and Dongxiu. As they glanced at the Qihuang grass, they saw Yue Qing's sword light and exclaimed in surprise and joy, "Isn't that Junior Brother Yue?"

Xu Feiniang turned and saw him. "It is indeed Junior Brother Yue, but I wonder where he is in such a hurry."

"Junior Brother Yue must have something important! Let's go over..." Before Sanfeng could finish, Yue Qing's sword light was almost out of sight. She immediately flew after him, and Xu Feiniang and Dongxiu followed.

At Yue Qing's speed, Sanfeng could not catch up. As the silver light grew farther and farther away, she was about to give up when it suddenly turned back. "Where are the three of you going?"

Xu Feiniang replied, "We were gathering herbs on Qihuang Island when we saw Junior Brother in a hurry. We thought you might have something important, so we came to check."

Yue Qing said, "I don't have anything too urgent. A friend from the Zhenyue Palace on East Spirit Mountain sent me a flying sword message. He recently lost a magical duel and doesn't want to ask his master and mistress for help. He wants to trade the Nine-Six Cosmic Spirit Shuttle, which his master, Zhenyue Shenjun, refined, for my Six Ding Six Jia Divine Demon Gourd."

"Nine-Six Cosmic Spirit Shuttle!" Xu Feiniang exclaimed.

Sanfeng and Dongxiu asked urgently, "What is this Nine-Six Cosmic Spirit Shuttle that even the well-informed Sister Xu is so astonished?"

"The Nine-Six Cosmic Spirit Shuttle is Zhenyue Shenjun's most treasured possession. Once activated, it can instantly summon the millions of years of Yin energy stored in the Earth's core, causing a powerful earthquake that can affect areas thousands of miles away. Volcanoes erupt, lava flows, black water rises like mountains, and the Yin energy and toxic fire spew out, turning the affected area into a dead zone, destroying all life within thousands of miles."

The immense power stunned Sanfeng and Dongxiu, leaving them speechless.

Yue Qing continued, "This is the kind of treasure. My friend is Zhenyue Shenjun's beloved disciple. He once saved his mistress's life and was rewarded with this spirit shuttle. Because of its wide-ranging destruction, he dare not use it and wants to trade it for my Divine Demon Gourd. I thought that in the future, when we clash with the Emei Sect, we could use this treasure to level the Emei region, returning it to a primordial state, and fight to the bitter end..."

"That's out of the question!" Dongxiu interjected. "How can Junior Brother Yue think of such a suicidal plan?"

Sanfeng also said, "Exactly! The Emei Sect is powerful, but we are not weak either! The Wutai Sect once surpassed the Emei Sect and is now their strong rival. With our Purple Cloud Palace's full support, we won't have to resort to such extremes. Junior Brother Yue, you must understand that if you trigger a great calamity, you will not only lose your chance to become a celestial immortal but also face divine punishment, destroying hundreds of years of cultivation... Sister Xu, please persuade Junior Brother."

Xu Feiniang's expression was serious. "Junior Brother has already made up his mind, and my persuasion would be futile." Sanfeng was anxious, stomping her feet and tugging at Xu Feiniang's sleeve. Xu Feiniang continued, "However, this matter is significant, so I advise you to think carefully."

"Exactly, think carefully!" Sanfeng said. "Junior Brother, why don't you come back to the Purple Cloud Palace for a while and deliberate further?"

Yue Qing hesitated, but Sanfeng and Dongxiu kept inviting him, almost pulling his sleeve. Reluctantly, he agreed.

The four returned to the South China Sea. Sanfeng and Dongxiu had him stay at the Great Bear Reef, and they personally prepared a feast. Xu Feiniang probed for information and sent away the troublesome Wu Fan. Yue Qing asked her, "How did it go?"

Xu Feiniang smiled. "Just as you predicted. Dongxiu obtained the Five Yin Demon Banner and has been making a name for herself. I secretly lured the Laughing Buddha with treasures, first striking Second Sister with the Purple Gold Bowl and then secretly attacking Jinxun with the Buddha Palm. I also used the bowl to scoop seawater into the divine sand passage, threatening to hand over the Purple Cloud Palace and make everyone his disciples. Later, Sanfeng devised a plan. I faced the evil monk head-on, while she used the Heavenly Demon Soul-Stealing Technique to assist. Dongxiu then secretly attacked with the Five Yin Demon Banner. The evil monk, though powerful, could not resist the Yin demons. After a half-hour struggle, he lost his mind and was reduced to a pool of pus and blood by Sanfeng's magic."

"The strength of the Yin demons lies in their intangibility, which no treasure or magic can defend against."

"Exactly. Sanfeng was envious and wanted to force the banner from Dongxiu. I mentioned your gourd a few times, and she focused on it. She has already decided to trade the Xuan Guang Ruler for your gourd, but she fears you might refuse and wants to add something else. I mentioned the True Water of the First Heaven."

"The True Water of the First Heaven is out of the question. We should stick to the original plan and trade the gourd for the Xuan Guang Ruler."

"I don't understand. Even though I didn't explicitly say it, from Sanfeng's reaction, she would give all the True Water of the First Heaven and the Xuan Guang Ruler in exchange. This would save us effort. Why not do it? Junior Brother, no one in the palace knows the value of the True Water of the First Heaven."

"Because they don't know, we can't trade it. Sister, this is where we differ. To you, the Purple Cloud Palace is just a pawn to use against the Emei Sect. Any casualties they suffer are a gain, and if they die, it's no loss to us. However, this will lead to the Emei Sect pushing us step by step, eliminating our pawns one by one. They will grow stronger, and all your efforts to form alliances will just be stepping stones for their growth. By then, if the Emei Sect thrives, Sister, you will be the true first contributor!"

Yue Qing's words were harsh, but Xu Feiniang was not angry. "What is your plan, then?"

"We cannot weaken the Purple Cloud Palace; instead, we should help it grow stronger. This way, it can be a powerful ally against the Emei Sect. We must not deceive them, or they might turn against us and join the Emei Sect, which would be disastrous. We should stick to the original plan: the Five Yin Demon Banner for the Dragon Sparrow Ring, and the Divine Demon Gourd for the Xuan Guang Ruler. This way, the demonic treasures go to them, and the Daoist treasures come to us. Both sides benefit, and our strength increases, which is the right path."

"Then... what about the True Water of the First Heaven? You don't want it?"

"Of course, I want it, but we can't let the Emei Sect benefit. We'll wait for Chufeng to emerge from seclusion and make the deal with her!"