77 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 77 Yan Zhu Guang was in no hurry; she found herself enjoying the peculiar challenges of the stone swamp. She sensed there was more to this placid stone swamp than met the eye, and she was curious to uncover its mysteries. “No rush. After all, there’s plenty of time. I’ll find a way to decipher this. I want to see what this stone swamp is truly about.” The Qinggong Tower was open for one year, during which time, as long as the disciples didn’t suffer lethal injuries and weren’t forcibly transported out by the sect’s disciple token, they could remain wherever they wished without expulsion. When the year ended and the Qinggong Tower closed, any disciples not in deep meditation would be teleported out. Naturally, Qinggong Tower, as a training ground for enhancing the disciples’ strength at the Fenghua Immortal Sect, maintained rather considerate management. If a disciple were deeply immersed in meditation when Qinggong Tower closed, their introspection wouldn’t be abruptly interrupted. Once the disciple had finished their insights and returned to their senses, they would then be transported out. However, to prevent individuals from exploiting this timing to meditate, the extra time spent would be compensated in other ways. For instance, it could cost them their next opportunity to enter Qinggong Tower or deduct from other sect benefits. Yan Zhu Guang hadn’t used up much time in the Flame Intention realm before, so with a long year ahead, she decided to explore at her leisure. If one direction wasn't productive, Yan Zhu Guang would simply try another. The black swamp’s mud pillars crumbled downward while simultaneously surging upward to form new pillars. Her previous attempt to intercept the towering mud pillars with a grass net failed; they slipped through and consumed the net. Blobs of black mud crashed down, obliterating the grass net she’d left behind—its tracks now in disarray. Though the pervasive black mud appeared menacing, its descent was slow, and Yan Zhu Guang could easily dodge it. Yet, a sense of impending danger lingered in her mind, as if something sinister lurked beneath the sluggish surface. As she contemplated the source of the threat, without warning, the entire stone swamp space inverted. The swamp, originally at the bottom, became the new top. The entire black swamp plummeted down, covering the space, leaving Yan Zhu Guang with little room to dodge. “Heavens, be careful, Host!” When Yan Zhu Guang entered the tower, she shared part of her consciousness with the System, allowing it to perceive what she saw. Without such sharing, in places controlled by consciousness and Dao Intention, the System would've only seen an empty tower. Now the System could vividly sense Yan Zhu Guang’s world, and the overturning described was terrifying. The roaring sound of falling swamp mud was deafening. Yan Zhu Guang quickly summoned her flying sword, dodging the descending mud while swiftly flying downward to avoid being buried by it. Currents caused by the swamp mud whooshed past her ears. The feeling was tense; it was like anticipating the sky falling. The way the stone swamp space suddenly flipped caught Yan Zhu Guang off guard. Nevertheless, she was not flustered; in fact, she felt a thrill. In such moments, maintaining composure was crucial. Losing rationality would only make the already dangerous situation even more unmanageable. The blood spirit vine on Yan Zhu Guang's wrist stirred, but she suppressed it, preventing it from acting impulsively. Then, with a swift clap of her hands, she released the wood spiritual energy within her. As her fingers danced gracefully, balls of energy shot upward, easily merging with the blackness above. The grass seeds and nets Yan Zhu Guang had previously scattered, now swallowed by the black swamp, unexpectedly came into play. Countless roots rapidly grew and intertwined within the descending mud, forming a vast net that adhered and solidified the mud into chunks of black soil. These massive chunks of black earth shattered and fell at varying speeds, granting Yan Zhu Guang easy passage through the gaps. The dense "mud sky" also gradually halted its descent due to the roots' anchoring. The System was astonished: “Can you play like this...?” In its view, this stone swamp space resembled a massive world. For the Host to hold the “sky” with only grass roots? Is the Host truly this powerful? “What are you thinking?” Yan Zhu Guang, now calmer, could also sense the System's thoughts: “As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the ‘intention’ realm must also be from Foundation Establishment practitioners. Can such deeds be that exceptional?” “The size of an intention world reflects its creator’s comprehension of the Heavenly Dao. As a fellow Foundation Establishment cultivator, my intention surely isn’t weaker than this swamp world’s.” “If I am determined to resist, what challenge is there in opposing an entire world?” With her words, the “black earth” sustained by numerous grass roots sprouted verdant leaves, transforming into a green plain. “The purpose of Qinggong Tower is to amplify the predecessors’ intentions. Some places might appear daunting; yet, if you falter, you will surely fail. But with clarity and understanding, it’s all a façade, merely posturing.” “If I wished, I could steady this ‘sky’ or even obliterate this entire world.” With the utterance of "obliterate", the previously well-behaved grass turned ferocious, rapidly growing by consuming the black soil, piercing through the “sky." The stone swamp’s true intentions panicked, instantly hardening into black stones, entrapping the grassy roots within the impenetrable black rock. However, Yan Zhu Guang's fingers flicked continuously, releasing pulses of wood spiritual energy into the petrified grassland, reinvigorating it. The once fragile roots now seemed like iron, burrowing into the unyielding black stone. Tiny fragments rained down like a storm of black stone. She remained unmoved, surrounded by a shimmering aura of wood spiritual energy. The small black stones failed to reach her. Meanwhile, her fingers wove complex seals faster than the eye could follow. Suddenly, her gestures stilled, and the stone swamp space erupted with verdant light, illuminating everything green. The vibrant grass swiftly filled the entire space, leaving only the area beneath Yan Zhu Guang’s flying sword untouched. Even when the space was saturated, the grass thrived eagerly, pushing outward. The seemingly delicate blades and roots packed immense power, soon allowing faint light to stream in, turning the dark space into a sieve of brightness. ... The Host truly did break through this stone swamp world. Just like the fiery realm before, the stone swamp began to quake violently, and Yan Zhu Guang experienced another dizzying shift, flung into a new world of intention. While Yan Zhu Guang traversed the intention worlds within Qinggong Tower, outside, Yun Mi Xue maintained the tower’s operation, and Gu Chen oversaw the Fenghua Immortal Sect’s affairs. The Elder investigating outside Tianyu City sent back word. Through their diligent efforts, they finally traced the marks of Su You Mo Jun. Su You Mo Jun’s mighty prowess, bestowed by the previous Demon Lord, was such that though formidable in strength, his command over it was less fluid compared to personally cultivated skills. Thus, even with his best efforts to conceal his tracks, the Fenghua Immortal Sect Elders’ investigation revealed his presence. Now the truth behind the former sect leader’s murder had come to light. Yet, the motive mattered little to the Fenghua Immortal Sect. Between demon practitioners and immortal practitioners, was there truly any need for a “reason”? Delving deeper would implicate Su Qian Er. Gu Chen, clearly not foolish, quickly recalled the dispatched Elders and publicly disclosed the cause of the former leader’s demise. The Elders had no doubts. After all, the former leader had transitioned to “past.” Identifying the culprit to provide an explanation and demonstrate the sect’s resolve sufficed. Was it necessary to thoroughly investigate for the former leader’s sake? However, some uncertainty lingered among the Elders about publicly announcing the affair. For the esteemed Fenghua Immortal Sect’s prior leader to be assassinated outside by someone from the Dripping Blood Demon Domain was hardly flattering. Wouldn't it suggest that the Fenghua Immortal Sect was inferior to the Dripping Blood Demon Domain? In the grand hall of deliberation, the atmosphere among the elders was subtly tense. Gu Chen simply stated, "There is no need for further discussion. Matters regarding the Dripping Blood Demon Domain must be made public." "Master, perhaps you should consider this with more deliberation," an elder opined. Gu Chen continued, "However, before proceeding, I must ask a few elders to undertake a task and visit the Qiao Family." "The Qiao Family?" The elders exchanged uncertain glances. One elder questioned, "Is the Fenghua Immortal Sect going to involve itself in the affairs of the Qiao Family?" Another elder had a sudden insight, "The Qiao Family is also currently troubled by demonic cultivators. The true perpetrator behind the slaughter of the Qiao sub-family remains unidentified. Although it doesn’t seem like the usual method of the Dripping Blood Demon Domain, it could well be their doing." The other elders shared looks. "Water Elder, are you suggesting...?" "Even if it’s not the Dripping Blood Demon Domain, it’s good. If the demonic path can silently annihilate the Qiao sub-family, who knows how long they've been lurking? The same applies to the fate of our former leader." Another elder chimed in, "Those on the demonic path are cunning. Who knows how long they've been hidden in our righteous domain? Surely, the death of our former leader and the Qiao sub-family is a demonic scheme!" Regardless of the actual cause of the former leader's demise, it must be cast as a conspiracy between the demonic and the righteous paths. At that point, it wouldn’t be the Fenghua Immortal Sect's disgrace but rather the demonic path’s treachery, plotting against the righteous path. Then, to prevent a demonic attack on the righteous path, other righteous sects wouldn’t mock them for losing a sect master to demonic cultivators. Instead, they would unite to jointly fight against the demonic cultivators. The Qiao Family must currently be overwhelmed. If approached to jointly navigate this matter, they surely wouldn’t refuse. Gu Chen nodded, pleased that the elders were astute. With this approach, no blame would fall on Su Qian Er, and the secret realm discovered by Yan Zhu Guang would remain undisclosed. If Su You Mo Jun is wise, fearing exposure of Su Qian Er’s identity, he wouldn’t publicize the matter of the secret realm. As Gu Chen wrapped up the affairs concerning Yan Zhu Guang, Su Qian Er’s lineage, and the sanctuary, a secret message silently appeared within his transmission jade token. Sweeping it with his divine consciousness, Gu Chen read, "Qiao Sheng Jiao?"