Ji Yutang wanted to test Li Jingyu, but since the other party didn’t take the bait, she temporarily put the idea aside to avoid being too obvious and getting caught by Li Jingyu.
She quickly tucked the paper with the Dao script into her sleeve and let her thoughts wander.
When she looked up, her gaze unexpectedly met Li Jingyu’s deep eyes, and she was momentarily stunned, as if her mind had stopped working, leaving only those starry eyes reflecting her own image.
When Li Jingyu thought of the “Taiyin Physique,” she felt a bit gloomy, but that shadow quickly disappeared when she locked eyes with Ji Yutang.
She had no intention of speaking, just rested her chin on her hands and looked at Ji Yutang with interest until the latter hurriedly looked away.
“Why hasn’t Lin Daoyou returned yet?”
Ji Yutang deliberately brought up someone else to ease her own awkwardness.
Li Jingyu’s eyes held a smile as gentle as a spring breeze, and she said slowly, “Maybe there are too many things happening in the North Sea.”
Ji Yutang frowned and said, “Why hasn’t the news reached Jiuzhou?”
Li Jingyu smiled but didn’t answer.
The North Sea is the territory of demon cultivators, and most of those who come here are rogue cultivators seeking opportunities.
They may not align with the Eight Great Immortal Sects.
The Xuanming Yin Region is not easy to cross, and there are few large boats coming and going—besides, this change might have happened recently.
Shortly after their conversation ended, there was a knock on the door outside, followed by Qin Ruoshui’s clear voice.
“See, he’s back now,” Li Jingyu raised an eyebrow and said.
Ji Yutang frowned and glanced at Li Jingyu.
As long as Qin Ruoshui was around, she always recalled a scene from the past, making it hard to show a good face to the person in front of her.
She lowered her head to hide the shadow in her eyes and followed Li Jingyu out of the pavilion.
Lin Heng had indeed returned, sitting in a chair with a face full of anger.
As soon as everyone came out, he immediately spilled the beans about the news he had gathered: “There’s not much news from the North Sea Dragon Palace, but it seems to have been suppressed by a mysterious demon.
This demon claims to be the God of the North Sea and plans to rule over the many demon cultivators there.
He has no intention of recruiting humans but instead chooses to eradicate them.
Currently, the Beihai Demon Cultivators have not fully submitted, so only a small force is harassing Xuanming City.
But if that so-called God of the North Sea succeeds, Xuanming City might not be able to hold on.”
“The God of the North Sea?”
Li Jingyu’s eyes twitched.
Lin Heng nodded solemnly, “Yes, the God of the North Sea, with two green snakes as earrings and two red snakes as shoes, named Yu Qiang, self-proclaimed Xuanming.”
“The Tianhai Demon Sect’s visualization of the Twelve Demon Gods, a transformation of the Demon Ancestor?”
Qin Ruoshui suddenly stood up, exclaiming.
The previous “Shebi Corpse Calamity” had brought the Demon God Stake into the public eye, and now, in this distant North Sea, there was also a Demon God Stake planted by the Demon Sect!
The North Sea’s situation was likely driven by the Demon Sect, but with the Dragon Palace having primordial spirit-level power, and the Demon Sect’s great powers not taking action, how could they succeed?
Ji Yutang frowned and asked, “What level of cultivation does Xuanming have?”
Lin Heng replied, “Some say it’s at the Foundation Establishment level, others say it’s at the Primordial Spirit level, it’s unclear.”
Li Jingyu shook her head and shared her guess, “It might not be a true manifestation, just a demonic shadow.
But if we keep delaying, and it truly becomes the ‘God of the North Sea,’ who knows what will happen.”
After the Demon God Stake is planted, the turbid evil energy surges, nurturing the Twelve Demon Gods, but this requires a long process.
Why did the Tianhai Demon Sect plant the Demon God Stake to bring forth the Twelve Demon Gods?
Could it be to have these twelve demons evolve back into the Demon Ancestor?
This thought surfaced, and Li Jingyu suddenly sensed a foreboding, her brows furrowing tightly, not daring to speculate further.
Qin Ruoshui said seriously, “We might have to make a trip to the Dragon Palace City.”
The true dragon is the master of the North Sea, and now that it has hidden its tracks, allowing “Xuanming” to control the North Sea domain, something must have happened that Xuanming City cannot uncover.
“Moreover, I suspect the Chi Dragon is in the Dragon Palace City.”
As a dragon species, after the fall of the Dragon Palace City, it can still cause trouble everywhere.
Whether it betrayed the Dragon Palace City or not, this point is worth investigating.
“But with our strength, I’m afraid—” Lin Heng hesitated.
Qin Ruoshui said, “My master once befriended a true dragon from the North Sea and received a dragon scale as a gift.
We can seek that senior’s help.
But we must first send the news back to the sect.”
The true dragon clan, as the overlords of the North Sea, reside in the Dragon Palace City, which is not a secret location.
When Lin Heng went out to gather information, he also inquired about the whereabouts of the Dragon Palace City, but people advised him not to approach it without reason.
The Coral White Jade Crystal Palace, where the true dragons reside, is the most magnificent place in the North Sea, but it is also a perilous place.
Non-dragon species might be crushed by the terrifying dragon aura before even getting close.
However, with the dragon scale in Qin Ruoshui’s hand, there was no need to fear this.
The sea tides surged, roaring like thunder.
Lin Heng, a disciple of Langhuan Fairyland, specialized in the art of painting.
With a gentle stroke of his left hand holding a scroll, a large boat flew out from the painting and stopped on the sea.
“Let’s go,” Lin Heng said to the remaining three.
Qin Ruoshui was the first to step onto the boat, with Ji Yutang following closely behind.
Li Jingyu’s eyes held a hint of amusement as she quickly caught up with Ji Yutang, whispering softly in her ear, “Do you still need a water-repelling pearl later?”
Ji Yutang pursed her lips, thinking Li Jingyu was mocking her.
Back then, she had little magic power to use and needed the water-repelling pearl to move in the water.
But now, she practiced dragon skills, and riding clouds and controlling rain were instinctual, so why would she fear seawater?
She ignored Li Jingyu, found a place to sit on the boat, and circulated the Xuanxiang Pearl within her, converting spiritual energy into magic power to forcibly retain it.
“Junior Sister Ran,” Qin Ruoshui noticed the slightly awkward and tense atmosphere between the two and spoke gently.
Li Jingyu turned around, raising an eyebrow, her gaze towards him somewhat lazy.
Qin Ruoshui, seeing her demeanor, felt a sense of confusion, and after a moment, he continued, “When you visualize and contemplate the Big Dipper, have you encountered any difficulties in your practice?”
Disciples of the Eight Great Immortal Sects often sat together to discuss the Dao in their spare time, enhancing their understanding of different Dao mechanisms. Qin Ruoshui hadn’t spent much time with Junior Sister Ran, but each time she would bring up questions related to Dao techniques, assuming she was wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao.
Li Jingyu shook her head and replied, “No.”
Her Dao techniques were completely different from Ran Guzhu’s, even having traces of demonic techniques, so there was no “Dao” to discuss with Qin Ruoshui alone.
Moreover, when Qin Ruoshui spoke, she sensed a gaze as sharp as an ice blade falling on her.
She didn’t want to incur Ji Yutang’s dislike now!
