Chapter 271: Chapter 270: Li Qingshuang Returns
Silk Embroideress and Bai Ke arrived at Gu Zhao’s small courtyard with homemade pastries.
"Xiaobai and I made some layered pastries. Come on, everyone, try some!" Silk Embroideress held up the food box in her hands and then asked, "Why did Yunyang and Sister Yufei leave so suddenly?"
Zhuo Qingyan, who had been sitting quietly beside Gu Zhao, took the food box from Silk Embroideress. She gently lifted the lid, handed a pastry to Gu Zhao, and only then did she speak. "Yunyang achieved a Realm Breakthrough. He’s planning to go down the mountain and find a troublesome ghost to test his new skills on."
Bai Ke pouted. "He’s already so powerful. What kind of ghost could possibly withstand a single strike from his sword?"
Even though this was an Extraordinary World, the vast majority of the population was still made up of ordinary people. Among Extraordinary Beings, the most common were merely little demons and ghosts a few decades or a century or two old. You’d have to be lucky to run into a truly powerful one.
With Yunyang’s current level of Dao Practice, he could travel the entire world without issue, let alone just Changping Prefecture, as long as he didn’t go looking for trouble. However, Gu Zhao and the others preferred to play it safe, always putting safety first, which was why they hadn’t strayed far from their base.
The women all laughed at this. They came forward one by one to share the pastries Silk Embroideress had made. Gu Zhao waved Huang Yuan, He Feng, and the others over to join them.
"Silk Embroideress and I made them together!" Bai Ke stressed.
The women gave her a few perfunctory nods. No one denied it, but no one acknowledged it, either.
Bai Ke: (▼ヘ▼#)
Just then, a streak of light flashed across the horizon, heading straight for Daluo Palace.
"Are they back already?" Bai Ke looked up, then immediately said, "No, it’s not them. The color is wrong!"
The approaching light was a cyan streak, its tail stretching for over a hundred feet. It pulsed with a thick, pure Demon Qi; this was definitely not someone from Daluo Palace.
Thinking an enemy had arrived, Huang Yuan’s eyes narrowed. He began to channel his Magical Power, about to soar into the air to face the intruder, but Gu Zhao placed a hand on his shoulder. "A friend."
"Huh?" Huang Yuan was taken aback.
’Aside from the Daluo Palace Elders, the only other masters visiting Daluo Palace are Lu Zhengtang of the Yongding River and Bi Jingjing of Green Water Pool. This person’s aura is obviously not theirs...’
At that thought, Huang Yuan suddenly realized who it was. He instantly dispersed his Magical Power, and his face broke into a wide smile. "Ah, so it’s Miss Li."
"Li Qingshuang?"
Bi Yingying, Chen Zhi, and He Cailian all looked up at the streak of light in the sky.
In the next moment, the cyan light flew to the foot of Cuiluo Mountain, outside Daluo Palace. It landed beneath the Cyan Dragon Archway of the mountain gate, revealing a woman in a Celestial Cyan Cloud Patterned Thousand Water Skirt. Her handsome, elegant features held a hint of sharp intensity.
Li Qingshuang was not a member of Daluo Palace, so out of courtesy, she could not fly directly past the mountain gate.
But being welcomed inside was a different matter entirely.
Gu Zhao waved his hand, and a beam of iridescent light shot out from the small courtyard, forming a rainbow bridge connecting the courtyard to the mountain gate. It shimmered faintly with a seven-colored glow, a breathtaking sight.
This was simply a bridge formed by using one’s Divine Sense to its full extent, condensing the moisture in the air with True Qi, then using Magical Power to delicately control its shape, and finally letting the sunlight scatter through it to create the rainbow. One could call it difficult, but it was also simple—it relied purely on the depth of one’s cultivation.
Someone with low cultivation definitely couldn’t do it, but for a person with high cultivation, it was a casual feat.
But there was no denying that the display was truly beautiful. Many of the worshippers currently offering incense at Daluo Palace couldn’t help but fall to their knees and pray quietly upon seeing it, contributing a great deal more Incense to Daluo Palace.
A youth who had just entered Daluo Palace and been assigned to a remote dormitory for Registered Disciples saw this and couldn’t help but feel a surge of terror. However, an aged voice from within his body soothed him. ’All flash and no substance. Just a little trick, nothing to be afraid of!’
After a pause, the aged voice added a warning. ’Daluo Palace does indeed have many masters. You must be careful in your daily life. Do not expose yourself.’
Meanwhile, standing at the mountain gate, Li Qingshuang saw the beautiful rainbow. A corner of her mouth curled up as she stepped onto it, allowing the True Qi within the light to hold her aloft without any resistance.
The next moment, the rainbow bridge retracted, bringing Li Qingshuang along with it back to the Sect Leader’s small courtyard in the rear of Daluo Palace.
"Qingshuang!"
"Qingyan!"
As Li Qingshuang landed in the courtyard, Zhuo Qingyan stepped forward to greet her, taking her hands. "Qingshuang, what took you so long?"
Li Qingshuang squeezed Zhuo Qingyan’s hands back, then glanced first at Gu Zhao before her gaze swept past Bi Yingying, Chen Zhi, and He Cailian. Only then did she break into a smile. "Things have been busy at the Spirit Court. I just got back from a trip to Yongzhou."
"Yongzhou again? I thought the Spirit Court wasn’t supposed to be operating in Jiangnan anymore," Gu Zhao asked.
Li Qingshuang sighed. "It’s all Great Ning Territory, after all. How could we abandon it completely? The Xuanwei Divine Sect has retreated to Jiangbei, but there have always been Spirit Court disciples active in Jiangnan."
"Oh?" Gu Zhao was curious. "I haven’t seen any."
"Aren’t I one?" Li Qingshuang first pointed to herself, then added after a moment of thought, "But there aren’t many disciples in Jiangnan, so it’s normal that you haven’t met any. Also..."
Li Qingshuang smiled. "With Jiangnan in turmoil, Spirit Court disciples may not be revealing their identities."
At this, Li Qingshuang couldn’t help but look around, sighing with admiration. "It’s only been a little over half a year, and Daluo Palace has already become such a grand sight."
She had been rescued by Gu Zhao and brought to Daluo Palace at the end of last year. Back then, Daluo Palace consisted of only a single main courtyard complex, and its renovations weren’t even complete.
But seeing it again today, not only was the main courtyard bustling with activity, but even the auxiliary courtyards scattered across Cuiluo Mountain were almost fully repaired. The vast area stretching from the Cyan Dragon Mountain Gate in the east to White Tiger Cliff in the west, from the Vermilion Bird Forest in the south to Xuanwu Lake in the north, was now filled with courtyards.
More importantly, the number of masters at Daluo Palace was also increasing.
Li Qingshuang turned to Huang Yuan. "Congratulations on your advancement, Yellow Guardian. Your Dao Practice is profound; longevity is within your grasp."
Huang Yuan clasped his hands in return. "You’re too kind, Miss Li."
Li Qingshuang then turned to Gu Zhao. "I heard that Daluo Palace destroyed the Yellow Heaven Altar and the White Bone Cave, and has already established a branch in Bai Shi Prefecture."
Gu Zhao nodded. "You’re well-informed. Where did you hear that from?"
"The Nether Fire Sect," Li Qingshuang said, her expression growing serious. "The Nether Fire Sect has conquered Shide Prefecture and will likely move into Changping Prefecture next."
Gu Zhao’s eyebrow twitched. "Didn’t they just take Shide Prefecture? Aren’t they going to take time to consolidate their base of operations?"
Li Qingshuang shook her head and said grimly, "A Spirit Court disciple discovered that what the Netherfire Sect Leader is cultivating is very likely a Demon Technique!"
Gu Zhao blinked but said nothing.
Li Qingshuang blinked back. "You don’t know about Demon Techniques?"
"Um..." Gu Zhao thought for a moment. "The Yellow Heaven God used souls to refine Magical Treasures, and the White Bone God Monarch used children to refine bones. Do those count as Demon Techniques?"
Li Qingshuang shook her head. "Those are certainly heinous methods, but Demon Techniques are far more terrifying. They can change a person’s fundamental nature and can even affect the natural world."
At this point, Li Qingshuang grew a little curious. "Daluo Palace has existed for hundreds of years and possesses a deep heritage. Are there truly no records regarding Demon Techniques?"
Gu Zhao said nothing.
