vstars Chapter 34: The Strange Object
Chapter 34: The Strange Object
Qin Zhixue vaguely remembered that her father was seriously injured by Grandmaster Wei while trying to save her.
Under these circumstances, unless Snowdrift Manor is willing to assist her, she has absolutely no chance of escaping their clutches.
"Ninth Young Master..." Qin Zhixue pursed her lips, a figure appearing in her mind.
I felt a sense of anticipation.
But soon, she sighed inwardly.
She had proposed a marriage alliance, but the man made no response, clearly indicating that he had no interest in her.
If that's the case, will he still come to the rescue?
She clutched her sleeve with her delicate hand, her long eyelashes fluttering as she looked into the distance, sometimes lowering her head and pursing her lips.
I felt both anticipation and trepidation.
……
In the "Black Abyss," the groups from Snowdrift Manor, Famous Sword Manor, and Tang Family Fortress traveled for four full days.
After venturing five hundred miles into the 'Black Abyss,' we arrived at a small river.
An ancient bridge connects the two banks.
But then they saw a powerful figure dressed in a robe with an eagle totem blocking the entrance to the long bridge.
However, he was a member of the Great Wei royal family.
There were eight people in total, all dressed in brocade robes embroidered with eagles.
"We request that Master Qin come to see us!" the leader of the group shouted.
This is a half-step Grandmaster level expert with a scar between his left eyebrows, named Wei Zhong.
Wei Wuji retreated from Piaoxue Manor, but many people were still waiting outside to meet him, and they all followed him to the "Black Abyss".
"Qin Shisan stepped out from the crowd and bowed slightly to Wei Zhong."
At this moment, Yang Xuan, Yang Jiuli, Tang Yuan, and Tang Yifan all walked out from the crowd.
"Have you brought all the 'Black Abyss' ancient tokens?" Wei Zhong asked, glancing at the crowd.
"The ancient order has been brought!" Qin Shisan asked, "I wonder how my daughter is doing now?" He was worried.
"Don't worry, Master Qin, your daughter is perfectly fine!" Wei Zhong said calmly. "Please come with us!"
After saying that, he walked straight towards the long bridge.
Qin Shisan frowned, then looked at Yang Xuan and Wei Yuan and the others.
Yang Xuan looked at Yang Jiuli.
"Let's go!" Yang Jiuli nodded slightly.
Tang Yuan nodded in agreement. He also wanted to use the help of the other two families to get rid of Grandmaster Wei, so there was no reason for him to back down.
The three families followed Wei Zhong into the depths of the "Black Abyss".
……
As night fell, the three forces set up camp in a deep canyon.
The black fog here has become even thicker!
The moonlight could not fall at all.
Fortunately, a campfire dispelled the black fog and illuminated the canyon.
Yang Jiuli sat cross-legged on the couch inside the tent.
He drew a wisp of fire elemental energy and infused it into the Three Lives Stone to test the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
"Pure fire element... Spiritual energy level 0.9."
A row of data is displayed.
"0.9 level... almost a first-tier spiritual vein!" Yang Jiuli was overjoyed.
"If I were to cultivate here, it would take me over forty years to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining..."
A first-order spiritual vein is still too weak.
However, finding a spiritual vein that is close to the first rank is already a good start.
Therefore, Yang Jiuli was full of hope for the future.
"If I repair my spiritual root... my cultivation speed should also be able to increase."
With a thought, Yang Jiuli immediately absorbed the pure Fire Elemental Qi and injected it into the Three Lives Stone for purification.
Then, it is transformed into the Qi of Three Life and introduced into a spiritual root resembling ginseng above the dantian.
The root system beneath this spiritual root is connected to the cultivator's meridians.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Jiuli's spiritual root was found to have many cracks, indicating that it was in a damaged state.
Yang Jiuli originally possessed a superior spiritual root, and with his experience from his previous life, he should have a 20% chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm in this life.
As the strands of the Three Lives Qi flowed into Yang Jiuli's spiritual root, they began to slowly repair the cracks in it.
However, this speed is so slow that it is almost imperceptible.
But Yang Jiuli showed no sign of giving up.
Constant dripping wears away a stone.
Once this spiritual root is repaired, with the accumulation of his previous life and the assistance of the Three Lives Stone, he will surely achieve great things.
The most important thing right now is to find a high-level spiritual vein.
In this way, the speed of spiritual root repair can be increased.
……
One night passed.
The following morning, September 15th.
Yang Jiuli stopped cultivating.
He looked inward at the Three Lives Stone.
Look at the spiritual root data.
"Superior-grade spiritual root: Under repair (1/10000), attributes hidden."
"The spiritual energy here is still too thin!" Yang Jiuli murmured.
He only manages to repair one ten-thousandth of his spiritual root after a night of cultivation. In other words, it would take him 27 years to fully repair his spiritual root every night.
Even with round-the-clock repairs, it would take 13 years.
Just then, a commotion arose outside.
With a thought, Yang Jiuli took in everything outside.
At this moment, Qin Jianhe of Mingjian Manor and Tang Xiao of Tangjiabao were leading their men toward Wei Zhong, a cultivator from the Great Wei.
Only two people remained by Wei Zhong's side.
The other five people have disappeared without a trace; they left overnight.
"What do you want?" Wei Zhong asked menacingly, drawing his soft sword from his waist as people from Mingjian Manor and Tangjiabao surrounded them.
"We lost a few brothers last night. Was it your men who did it?" a guard from Tangjiabao asked through gritted teeth.
A guard from the Famous Sword Manor looked at Tang Zhong and questioned, "Where are your men? Weren't there still five of them?"
"Someone is missing?" Yang Jiuli's eyes flashed.
At that moment, Yang Qin lifted the curtain of his tent.
Yang Jiuli stood up.
"Young Master, something has happened!" Yang Qin said.
"I already know!" Yang Jiuli said. "How many of us are there?"
"No!" Yang Qin said.
Yang Qin had long followed Yang Jiuli's instructions and was very vigilant, with the guards gathered in groups of three or five.
If there is any commotion, it will alert others, and the killer will likely avoid it and look for an easier target.
"That's good!" Yang Jiuli nodded slightly and then walked out of the tent.
He then walked toward Tang Zhong and the others.
At this moment, the people from Tangjiabao and Mingjian Villa were still questioning the people of the Great Wei royal family.
"Now that you have come to keep your appointment, why would we resort to underhanded tactics?" Wei Zhong said.
"Indeed, what my old imperial uncle wants is the 'Black Abyss' Ancient Token. We dare not cause any trouble before we have obtained it."
The other two powerful figures from Wei also quickly spoke up.
The people from Mingjian Manor and Tangjiabao were in high spirits, looking ready to start a war with them.
Seeing everyone's posture, Wei Zhong and the others felt uneasy, fearing that they might ruin the old imperial uncle's plans.
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiao and Qin Jianhe nodded slightly.
"If it wasn't you, then how could our people have disappeared without a trace?" said a renowned expert from the Famous Sword Manor.
This man, named Qin Feng, was in his early thirties and already at the peak of his career.
The people from Tangjiabao also looked at Wei Zhong.
"The 'Black Abyss' is dangerous; who knows if some strange creature is lurking there to claim lives!" Wei Zhong said.
"A strange creature!" Upon hearing this, the people from Mingjian Manor and Tangjiabao fell into deep thought, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.
At this moment, Yang Jiuli arrived.
"Ninth Young Master!" Everyone made way, and Qin Jianhe bowed slightly to Yang Jiuli.
Since the battle at Piaoxue Manor, Qin Jianhe and Tang Xiao have all held Yang Jiuli in high esteem.
Knowing that this young man possesses extraordinary abilities, he is destined for greatness.
"Gentlemen, I am already aware of the situation. The Great Wei royal family desires the 'Black Abyss' ancient token, but I doubt they would act at this time," Yang Jiuli said. "As for the disappearances of the two families, please show me the places where they vanished before making a decision!"
"Okay!" Qin Jianhe nodded and invited Yang Jiuli to the scene.
Soon, they arrived at a corner of the canyon.
Supplies were placed here, a little far from the tents.
"The missing person's name is Qin Xiaoyi. He was guarding the supplies here yesterday!" Qin Jianhe said.
Yang Jiuli glanced around, then headed towards the ground to sense it.
There were no signs of a struggle on the ground, but there were a few drops of blood.
The soil next to the blood droplet looked like it had been dragged.
"If there's blood, then it's not a case of disappearing without a trace!" Yang Jiuli whispered.
"That's exactly why we're wondering if it was someone from the Great Wei royal family who made the move," Qin Jianhe said.
Yang Jiuli nodded slightly.
He then went to the site where the people from Tangjiabao had gone missing.
It is also the location of supplies.
There were a few drops of blood on the ground, but not many signs of a struggle.
There were also signs of dragging in the soil nearby.
However, no dragging marks were found in other areas.
The person seemed to have vanished from the spot.
"It seems this 'Black Abyss' is no ordinary place!" Yang Jiuli murmured.
He then turned to Tang Xiao and Qin Jianhe beside him and said.
"Tell all the brothers to be careful. From today onwards, no one should stand guard alone or act alone!" Yang Jiuli said.
"Did Ninth Young Master discover anything?" Tang Xiao asked.
Tang Yifan was also standing nearby, looking at Yang Jiuli.
"We have a few clues, but we'll have to wait and see tonight for the specifics," Yang Jiuli said.
Everyone nodded slightly.
Then, the three groups packed up and continued on their way.
……
In front of the stone wall.
Five Wei guards leaped across the long river and arrived at the stone platform.
Wei Wuji stood with his hands behind his back and looked at the newcomer.
Wei Zhan stood to the side.
Qin Zhixue's body was bound by purple energy, and she stood to the side as well.
"Your Majesty..." One of the guards bowed respectfully. This man was named Wei Da.
The other four people all bowed.
"How is it?" Wei Zhan asked.
"All three masters have arrived!" Wei Da said.
"So everyone's here!" Wei Zhan's gaze sharpened, a chilling glint flashing within it.
Qin Zhixue was overjoyed and continued to look at Wei Da, wanting to know what was going on.
"Did they bring the 'Black Abyss' ancient token?" Wei Wuji asked with a dignified tone, his eyes flashing.
"Yes!" Wei Da said. "Besides that, they also brought two coffins!"
"Two coffins?" Upon hearing this, Wei Zhan's eyes flickered, and he secretly glanced at Wei Wuji.
"A coffin!" Wei Wuji also pondered.
"A coffin?" Qin Zhixue wondered, her thoughts racing.
"Which two families carried the coffin?" Wei Zhan asked.
"It's Mingjian Villa and Piaoxue Villa!" Wei Da said.
"These two families..." Upon hearing this, Wei Zhan's expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Wei Wuji and said, "Third Grand Uncle, I'm afraid things are not good!" He vaguely remembered that when he was at Piaoxue Manor, 'Yang Xiangru' appeared and displayed great power, directly suppressing his own grand-uncle.
The fact that these two families are carrying coffins suggests there's more to the story.
The river breeze ruffled Wei Wuji's purple robe, and the atmosphere on the stone platform became slightly solemn.
"How heavy is this coffin?" Wei Wuji asked, his gaze sharpening.
"It's heavier than a regular golden nanmu coffin!" Wei Da said.
They had secretly observed the three families during their meeting and were able to judge the weight of the coffin by the changes in the breathing of the person carrying it.
"Could it be that Father brought the Ancestor here?" Qin Zhixue wondered to herself.