Lan Yiyi descended the mountain.
Everyone watched her leave. Daoist Longshan had initially wanted to stop her, but in the end, he didn't say a word. Lan Yiyi's only condition was to keep secret that she was the one who saved Qin Yun. Whatever reasons were behind this, he did not know, but he could only respect her decision.
As they watched Lan Yiyi's figure disappear into the horizon, a deep respect welled up in their hearts.
Ning Qi felt somewhat emotional.
What Lan Yiyi had said to him before made him understand that this Miss Yiyi had deep feelings for his eighth senior brother.
He left a trace of his aura on Lan Yiyi.
Since he had promised to owe Lan Yiyi a favor, he would not go back on his word.
"Master, when Little Eight wakes up, are we really not going to tell him the truth?" Ye Qinghe asked with some reluctance.
Daoist Longshan sighed lightly:
"I understand your feelings, but since we promised Miss Yiyi, we cannot break that promise. When Little Eight wakes, we will just say it was Little Nine who healed him. As for his relationship with Miss Yiyi, they will handle it themselves. If he truly cares, once awake, he definitely won't let her go."
He could see it clearly.
The relationship between Qin Yun and Lan Yiyi was not like Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua, who had openly expressed their feelings. The two might have feelings for each other but, due to some reason, had not yet broken through that invisible barrier. This was perhaps why Lan Yiyi did not want to tell Qin Yun the truth.
In such a situation, interference from outsiders would likely be counterproductive; it was better to let nature take its course.
Everyone silently nodded.
As long as Qin Yun could wake up, and with time still ahead, the two might still have the chance to reach a happy ending. Yet, whenever Daoist Longshan thought of the Southern Alliance being an enemy to the Zhenwu Sect, he could not help but smile bitterly in his heart.
It was rare that he had two disciples who had found their beloved.
One was the daughter of the Demonic Sect's deputy leader, and the other was the Southern Alliance Saintess.
Fate in this world was truly difficult to explain clearly.
...
Time passed.
The Zhenwu Sect gradually returned to calm.
However, within the Great Yan Dynasty, there were still hidden currents. The Demonic Sect's influence was deeply rooted and tangled, making it difficult to completely clean up. It required careful investigation bit by bit to avoid any omissions.
Under such circumstances, many martial sects began to sense that something was wrong.
After realizing that the Demonic Sect was steadily retreating, each was shocked beyond belief and grew more respectful of the Great Yan Dynasty. When the Demonic Sect existed, at least there was a power capable of rivaling Great Yan, which made Great Yan somewhat lenient toward the martial sects under its rule.
But now, with the Demonic Sect eliminated, many martial sects inevitably began to worry that Great Yan might become even stricter with them.
However, such worries did not last long.
The war in the north flared up again.
On the grasslands, the Northern Barbarians concentrated their forces and caught the Northern Suppression King completely off guard. It was said he was severely injured and currently recuperating. Then the Northern Barbarians marched southward. Fortunately, the court quickly dispatched reinforcements, stopping the downward momentum.
Several grand generals led troops to the front, and the situation was now at a stalemate.
Besides this, the remaining Demonic Sect remnants seemed to have received help from an unknown power and showed incredible resilience. Though still unable to win, they were no longer being crushed like before. After all, no matter how powerful the Heaven-Man Realm experts were, they could not indiscriminately slaughter all enemies. Such devastation would cause tremendous losses to themselves, even if they wiped out the Demonic Sect.
With such internal and external troubles, what was once a promising situation turned tense. Especially after being entangled by the Northern Barbarians, Great Yan could no longer swiftly exterminate the Demonic Sect remnants.
This news reached Zhenwu Mountain.
After hearing from Luo Wentian, Ning Qi fell into thought.
"An unknown power appeared behind the Demonic Sect remnants? Has the Demonic Sect's sect leader returned, or is it someone else?" His eyes flickered slightly.
"And the Northern Barbarians chose this moment to attack—is it to relieve pressure on one side by attacking another, or for some other reason? The Northern Suppression King had guarded the northern pass for so many years, yet this was the first time he suffered such an attack and heavy injury—unprecedented. The Northern Barbarians seem to have planned this for a long time."
"Could there be a connection between these two events?"
Luo Wentian frowned:
"Perhaps some martial sects are involved on the Demonic Sect's side… Many do not want to see the Demonic Sect completely destroyed, because once Great Yan has more energy, it might impose stricter restrictions on the martial sects."
Ning Qi nodded slightly.
The sects submitted to imperial power, but if given a chance, everyone hoped for freedom.
"But just a few martial sects' small moves likely wouldn't cause this level of turmoil. There must be other forces involved, Southern Alliance people or other powers? Or maybe all of them?"
The Southern Alliance was extremely low-key now, but it was unknown whether they were behind these two matters.
In any case, the originally clear situation had become complicated again, with multiple forces seemingly involved.
Luo Wentian thought for a moment and lowered his voice:
"The Northern Barbarians' mobilization may be related to a certain rumor."
Ning Qi asked:
"What rumor?"
Luo Wentian pointed toward the direction of Yanzhou:
"According to the rumor… The Great Yan Martial Sage appeared a hundred years ago but has since secluded himself with no response, perhaps due to some issue. The Northern Barbarians only tested the waters a few years ago, but now, for some unknown reason, they have suddenly started a full-scale southward push."
Ning Qi's spirit trembled slightly.
The Great Yan Martial Sage was the only openly existing Martial Sage in the current world, a mountain looming over everyone's heads. The Demonic Sect, Southern Alliance, Northern Barbarians, or any other power wanting to shake Great Yan's foundation could not bypass this mountain.
"Where did this news come from?"
"Unknown. It suddenly spread throughout the martial world. The Great Yan court suppressed many martial artists because of it. Though large-scale spread was stopped, the well-informed basically all know."
Ning Qi nodded.
In that case, it was difficult to continue investigating.
After some discussion, the two finally agreed that it was best not to stir up trouble. The Zhenwu Sect had many precious treasures and deep foundations brought back from the Demonic Sect headquarters by Ning Qi. Now the priority was to develop quietly and not do anything else.
Anyway, with the Zhenwu Sword Stele and the Myriad Dao Tower, even if no disciples descended the mountain, their prestige would never be lost. On the contrary, it would increase day by day. More and more people would feel indebted to the Zhenwu Sect and show it respect.
Ning Qi watched Luo Wentian leave.
He thought to himself:
"If the Great Yan Martial Sage's state really isn't as before, perhaps this could become a breakthrough point to solve the problem of the world's power?"
He had considered this direction before, but with the Great Yan Martial Sage's overwhelming pressure for so many years, it was probably not simple. Only now could he consider it.
He shook his head.
Unless absolutely necessary, he still did not plan to take that path. The risk was too great.
Calming his mind and spirit, Ning Qi once again took out the Yu King Bead to carefully contemplate.
The blood-red color of the Yu King Bead had faded very faintly, almost restoring its original jade luster.
"Today it should be successful!" Ning Qi's eyes held some anticipation.
The recent days of calculations were not in vain. Ning Qi's control over the Yu King Bead was now incomparable to before. If the Demonic Sect Grand Elder revived, he would be shocked to see that the hundreds of years he spent refining the treasure were only a superficial understanding.
With a thought, the blood-colored silk serpent immediately swirled around Ning Qi's side.
As Ning Qi's will changed, the serpent transformed endlessly—sometimes becoming a heavenly blade, sometimes a divine sword, sometimes condensing into a mountain, sometimes rushing like a river. Moreover, it continuously evolved into various exotic beasts, each with different powers.
The profundity of this was likely beyond what the Demonic Sect Grand Elder could comprehend even after a millennium of study.
Ning Qi was very satisfied.
He was not only studying the method to condense Martial Sage power but also simultaneously deducing how to use Martial Sage power. The same treasure in different hands could have vastly different power. The Grand Elder's use of Martial Sage power was just reckless and wild, very rigid, nowhere near as flexible as Ning Qi's. The power difference was probably several times.
After controlling it for a moment, Ning Qi looked reluctant to stop.
If he conserved it, this Martial Sage power could still be used against enemies a few times.
But you cannot catch a wolf without sacrificing the child.
His gaze gradually hardened, and he began to fully activate the Yu King Bead.
Strands of Martial Sage power surged out, and the blood-colored serpent became denser. Then Ning Qi willed it to dissipate. Instantly, the blood-colored serpent began to collapse, like smoke and mist, transforming into the purest world power. The previous liveliness disappeared until it was completely gone.
At this moment, the Yu King Bead had returned to its original bright jade orb appearance, emitting a warm and gentle glow.
"Only by breaking can there be rebuilding! If the Martial Sage power condensed by relying on the Great Yu bloodline does not dissipate, how can the Martial Sage power condensed by my method coexist? There would be mutual rejection!"
"This attempt is not only a further exploration of the Yu King Bead but also a trial of the Martial Sage path!"
Without sufficient confidence, he would not be so resolute.
In Ning Qi's mind, flashes of spiritual light continuously shimmered, the essence weaving together.
He mobilized his entire being, his body glowing.
In an instant, the Three Blossoms of Essence, Energy, and Spirit converged at the top!
The entire Seeking Dao Courtyard's energy surged several times over.
"World power, gather!" Ning Qi silently commanded.
He recalled the experience of the Blade Demon's breakthrough and the silver page left by Wu Jianghe, along with all his recent thoughts. Without hesitation, the overwhelming world power converged. The entire Seeking Dao Courtyard became the vortex center.
Daoist Longshan, who was digesting the Heaven-Penetrating Pill's power inside Mingwu Pavilion, immediately awakened and turned to look toward the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
The Blade Demon, secluded in the back mountain, was also attracted by the sudden fluctuation of world power. His expression changed slightly, somewhat excited, for he sensed the same fluctuation as when he tried to break through the Martial Sage realm.
"Could it be that the Heavenly Sword Daoist has already started trying?" He couldn't help but stand and look in that direction.
Fortunately, Ning Qi had made preparations in advance, so the few Heaven-Man Realm experts studying at the Zhenwu Sword Stele and Myriad Dao Tower did not notice.
Ning Qi was focused.
The Three Blossoms converged, forming a strange "funnel," not much different from the one condensed by the Blade Demon before, but much stronger.
Streams of world power passed through the "funnel" and seemed to be "filtered."
Ning Qi's divine intent carried a sense of oppression.
He restrained the torrent of world power pouring in.
He strongly resisted the urge to refine the world power into his body. That terrifying sense from the unknown made him realize that this "funnel's" "filtering" might not work well. He silently commanded all connections to immediately transfer to the Yu King Bead before him.
This was exactly Ning Qi's plan.
Normally, the next step would be to refine the world power into the body and then condense it into Martial Sage power. But now, knowing the abnormality of the world power, he dared not do that. Instead, he took an alternate path, combining it with the Yu King Bead.
To some extent, this was similar to the previous external pill method.
The inspiration indeed came from that method, but the difficulty was completely incomparable. Even Ning Qi only had about a 90% confidence level.
He dared not slack off.
His divine intent continued to communicate with the Yu King Bead. The pearl shone brightly, warm and powerful. Its special patterns began to operate, drawing in strands of world power. Ning Qi focused and used a special frequency to vibrate the world power.
The Yu King Bead's light grew fiercer, like a small sun.
Inside the Seeking Dao Courtyard, turbulent waves surged.
Waves of world power gathered, but there was no outlet to vent. Ning Qi's pressure increased. Fine sweat appeared on his forehead.
Fortunately, this deadlock did not last long.
Ning Qi's previous calculations were not useless. With his constant adjustments, the Yu King Bead finally changed!
"Hum!"
Invisible waves spread outward.
The world power flowing into the Yu King Bead began to transform and compress at an astonishing speed. Ning Qi's spirit trembled as he seriously studied the changes. He discovered that after the special patterns ran, some substance had fused inside. Then the vast world power transformed into faintly brilliant Martial Sage power!
A faint white power condensed within, completely different from the previous blood-colored serpent.
"Success! As expected, Martial Sage power condensed purely from world power is somewhat different from the secret method used by the Demonic Sect Grand Elder. The current Martial Sage power is more balanced and peaceful. Perhaps this is the correct path. The reason the Demonic Sect Grand Elder and others failed was that they couldn't master it."
"Yes, Martial Sage treasures can only be controlled by Martial Sages. Except for me, others can only use some shortcut secret arts to activate partial power. Even I might not have fully activated this treasure yet."
Various thoughts flashed through Ning Qi's mind, and he felt immense joy.
Without a doubt, this was a milestone breakthrough.
It meant that for the first time, he had independently condensed world power into Martial Sage power. Though aided by a treasure, it was still remarkable.
From now on, the Yu King Bead would no longer be a drifting leaf without roots. Unlike before, Martial Sage power would not diminish bit by bit. This would greatly increase Ning Qi's combat power. Most importantly, he could now freely deduce and research Martial Sage power without restraint. Once he understood the secret of the Yu King Bead's Martial Sage power condensation, the Martial Sage realm would essentially be open to him.
His only task was to solve the abnormality in world power and then naturally step into the Martial Sage realm.