Chapter 80: The Imperial Consort and the First Qi

The man did not answer.

Then, the mist outside the cave suddenly began to roil.

The thick fog churned as if violently stirred by a giant, invisible hand. It surged, spun, and collapsed inward, condensing in the blink of an eye into an ice spear a full zhang long.

This ice spear was countless times larger than the previous ice blade.

Its shaft was as thick as a child's arm, and a cluster of incredibly frigid ice flame condensed at its tip. The pale blue flame burned silently, freezing the surrounding mist into fine ice crystals that drifted down like snow.

And then—

The ice spear tore through the air!

Its speed was astonishing, thrusting straight at Chen Lingxi!

Chen Lingxi's pupils shrank.

He moved almost the exact instant the ice spear pierced the air.

His right hand brushed his waist.

The Gold-Slaughtering Precious Saber fell into his grasp, pale gold patterns flowing along its blade.

The moment the saber left its sheath, his golden qi and blood energy erupted with a boom.

The sixth stance of the Evil-Slaying Blade Technique—Life-Severing!

As he slashed, the pale gold patterns on the blade flared with sudden, blinding light.

Hair-thin tendrils of lightning burst from the patterns, sizzling and crackling as they coiled along the edge.

At the same time, the cyan edge of the Cyan Edge Method attached to the blade. The cyan light was incredibly sharp and fine; instead of merely coating the surface, it melted into the edge, rendering the already peerless Gold-Slaughtering Precious Saber even sharper.

Wherever the blade passed, the air was silently cleaved open, leaving a faint, hair-thin vacuum rift edged with a lingering cyan glimmer.

Saber and spear clashed.

The sound exploded across the mountain!

The ice spear shattered on impact!

Chen Lingxi had shattered the ice spear in a single stroke, but the webbing between his thumb and forefinger went numb.

Meanwhile, the young man stood with his hands clasped behind his back at the edge of the mist outside the cave. He maintained his unhurried demeanor, as if that strike had been nothing more than a casual wave of his hand.

But Chen Lingxi noticed the young man's Adam's apple bob slightly, as if he were swallowing something.

Swallowing what? Blood.

This person is indeed heavily injured, Chen Lingxi judged inwardly. That strike just now likely exhausted the little spiritual energy he had left, and the backlash has already affected his internal organs. He is feigning composure.

The young man's fingers, hidden behind his back, suddenly twitched in a light hook.

From the mist directly above Chen Lingxi's head, an incredibly thin and fine ice blade dropped silently.

Formed from the fog about a zhang above him, it plummeted straight down, aiming right for the crown of his skull.

Chen Lingxi reacted with blistering speed.

He jerked backward, leaning so far that the back of his head nearly touched the ground, yet his legs remained rooted in place.

The ice blade grazed past the tip of his nose.

But before he could even straighten up, the third spell arrived.

The young man formed a bizarre hand seal with his left hand and spat out a single word.

"Condense."

His voice was extremely light, but the instant the word fell, the rock beneath Chen Lingxi's feet fractured inch by inch. Countless fine cracks spread out from beneath him like a spiderweb.

Frigid white mist surged from the fissures and rapidly froze, turning into countless hair-thin ice needles.

These ice needles covered every inch of ground where Chen Lingxi stood, so dense they were utterly unavoidable.

He had simultaneously hidden an ice blade in the mist above to launch a sneak attack and divide his attention.

Now, the ice needles forming from the ground left him with nowhere to step.

Simultaneously, the young man took a step forward.

He formed a sword sign with his hand, his sword intent piercing straight into the clouds.

Raising his right hand, he pointed the sword sign at Chen Lingxi from afar.

There was no sword qi, no sword light, not even a fluctuation of spiritual qi—just a distant point.

Yet in the span of that gesture, a sharp pain stabbed at the center of Chen Lingxi's brow, as if an invisible longsword were about to impale his forehead!

Chen Lingxi opened his mouth!

"Roar!"

Dragon Roar Technique!

This light shout mobilized every last drop of spiritual qi in his sea of qi, transforming it into an incredibly condensed spiritual sonic ripple that blasted forcefully forward.

Wherever the sonic wave passed, the countless fine ice crystals frozen in the air shattered into powder.

The collective sound of their shattering was like someone violently striking a thousand-jin bronze bell right in front of him, making even the ground tremble slightly.

The sonic wave of the Dragon Roar Technique collided with the young man's sword intent, like two invisible sledgehammers clashing underwater. The force was dampened layer by layer by the current, yet it still sent violent ripples across the surface.

The young man let out a muffled groan, his sword sign trembling slightly.

But his fourth spell arrived at that very moment.

The hand seal in his left hand had quietly changed at some unknown point. Pinching a wisp of silver light, he flipped his palm over.

The silver light struck the ground, and a silent, hyper-frigid ring of air expanded in all directions from beneath his feet, encasing everything it touched in a thick layer of ice.

Unable to stop his momentum, Chen Lingxi had no choice but to draw his saber again.

Lightning and cyan light surged wildly from the Gold-Slaughtering Precious Saber. He slashed at the ring of cold air, causing it to falter slightly.

Purple qi erupted from Chen Lingxi's mouth, but instead of clashing with the ring of air, it shot straight for the center of the young man's brow!

The purple qi was as fast as lightning, yet the young man made a grasping motion in Chen Lingxi's direction.

"Condense."

The surrounding fog instantly gathered into a massive hand that clamped down on the Purple True Precious Qi!

The Purple True Precious Qi was immediately caught in its grasp!

Even so, Chen Lingxi had already channeled vital energy into his legs and leaped high into the air.

He soared three zhang upward. With a cold gaze, his hand lightly brushed the empty air.

A longbow appeared in his grasp.

The bow's body was dark cyan, its string silver-white—it was the precious bow he had acquired from Yang Zhuri.

Gripping the bow with his left hand, he flipped his right palm to produce a fletched arrow.

The arrow looked grayish and utterly unremarkable, save for a very faint, almost imperceptible cyan glow seeping from its fletching.

Chen Lingxi nocked the arrow. Spiritual qi surged through the meridians in his arms, flooding into the bow, the shaft, the fletching, and the arrowhead!

The cyan light on the spiritual arrow flared to life, spreading from the fletching to the tip and illuminating the entire arrow like a miniature cyan sun.

The cyan light flickered unsteadily at the tip, emitting a faint hissing sound, like a starving wolf long suppressed finally spotting its prey.

The young man's pupils shrank slightly.

Spiritual energy rose from his body, and a small golden shield flew out, manifesting into two consecutive mystical barriers to block his front!

Chen Lingxi released the bowstring, the Cyan Edge Method and Purple True Precious Qi latching onto the shot!

The spiritual arrow tore through the air!

The arrow was too fast—so fast that even Chen Lingxi could only see a blurry cyan afterimage cutting across the sky.

A visible white scar was ripped into the air in its wake, edged with a faint cyan glow that lingered for a long time.

The hum of the bowstring was still echoing when the arrow smashed into the first mystical barrier.

Crack.

The sound of golden light shattering was crisp as it dissolved into a shower of sparks, immediately followed by the second barrier!

As the spiritual arrow passed through, both golden barriers dissolved in rapid succession!

However, the spiritual arrow was deflected by the second burst of golden light.

"To think there is actually a treasure containing a trace of spiritual opportunity in this land drained of spirituality."

The young man slowly raised his head to look at Chen Lingxi. The composure and tranquility on his handsome face had finally vanished entirely.

All that remained was a sinister expression of uncontrollable fury.

Chen Lingxi stared back.

This was his first time fighting a true Qi Circulation figure—it could even be called a spell battle!

It was a completely different experience from fighting vital energy martial artists.

This person's miraculous techniques are endless; I can barely even get close to him.

After their continuous exchanges, Chen Lingxi felt his own spiritual energy heavily depleted.

Meanwhile, despite his severe injuries, the young man seemed to be hiding more than just one or two trump cards.

And so, the two stood locked in a standoff, separated by several dozen zhang.

The frigid wind wailed against the cliff face, snapping their robes wildly in the air.

After a long while, the young man suddenly took a step back.

That step was extremely decisive.

A moment ago, he had been standing there with his hands behind his back. Despite the lack of flashing spiritual light, his snapping robes carried an inviolable aura, as if his earlier miserable state and fury were nothing more than intentionally revealed flaws.

The next moment, he had retreated, not even leaving a spare glance for Chen Lingxi.

With just one step back, his figure vanished into the clouds and mist. The fog rippled, and Chen Lingxi could sense that the man had already ridden the mist far away.

The mountain fog churned; not a single silhouette was left in sight.

But Chen Lingxi did not pursue.

Although this person is heavily injured, he is ultimately a Qi Circulation 6th Floor cultivator. Even if I give chase, I won't be able to take him down.

Chen Lingxi returned the Gold-Slaughtering Precious Saber to his Cosmos Bag and retrieved an ordinary healing pill, which he promptly swallowed.

A long time later, he opened his eyes. The two bright mirrors still hung high in the sky.

Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.

I am a native cultivator here. My understanding of the Greater World is pieced together solely from the words of Lin Suri, Wu Moci, and Ying Chi.

Yet this Qi Circulation 6th Floor cultivator is undoubtedly a figure from the Greater World, he muttered to himself.

A heavily injured Qi Circulation 6th Floor cultivator—whose methods I have already grasped to some extent—I can prepare for him in advance!

If I can capture him alive, I can uncover the secrets of the Greater World.

The days in the Thorough Awakening Spiritual Chamber passed, reaching the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The leaden clouds pressed ever lower, hanging heavily over Yuanjiang Prefecture like a slab of frozen, half-melted ink.

The northern wind poured in from the river, threading through the streets and alleys. It sent the newly hung silk palace lanterns beneath the eaves swaying violently, their tassels tangling and untangling with a rustling sound.

The long avenue in front of the prefecture office had been cleared of pedestrians.

Armored soldiers stood every three paces along both sides of the street. They wore silver armor and silver helmets, holding long lances whose red tassels remained perfectly still in the wind.

The soldiers kept their eyes fixed straight ahead. From afar, they looked like two rows of cast-silver statues.

The street itself was utterly empty, without a single soul in sight.

The commoners had been cordoned off at intersections several streets away, packed closely together in a dense black mass.

A few bailiffs blocked the alleyway entrances, holding their water-and-fire staves horizontally.

The city gates were crowded with people.

Chu Jizhe, the governor of Yuanjiang Prefecture, stood at the very front. He wore a sapphire-blue official robe with a silver belt around his waist and a black crane-feather cloak draped over his shoulders, its fur collar ruffling gently in the wind.

Behind him, two rows of officials were lined up by rank. Some wore scarlet robes, others cyan; some wore black gauze caps, others ridged crowns. Every one of them stood with hands lowered and heads bowed, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

No one spoke.

There was not even the sound of a cough.

Only the occasional snort of a horse drifted up from the steps below, quickly swallowed by the howling wind.

Chen Lingxi stood amidst this street-wide silence.

He was positioned in the top-floor attic of an inn.

This inn was called Wangjiang Tower, the tallest building in Yuanjiang Prefecture, squatting in the center of the city at a full six stories high.

It boasted sweeping eaves, upturned corners, crimson railings, and emerald tiles.

Chen Lingxi had arrived during the yin hour. Concealed by the Concealed Edge Method, he had silently scaled the attic's sweeping eaves and slipped inside through a half-open ventilation window.

The highest attic was cluttered with old tables, chairs, and trunks, all coated in a thick layer of dust. The air was thick with the musty stench of rotting wood and old fabric.

He found a shadowed corner and sat cross-legged, retracting his aura to the absolute limit until he blended into the room's gloom like a single speck of dust.

Now, he pushed the south-facing window open just a crack.

The Concealed Edge Method circulated to its utmost limit within his body, shrouding his spirit.

Deep within the hundred-odd bones of his body, his golden qi and blood energy was similarly suppressed to the point of near stagnation.

From the outside, the window still appeared tightly shut, the attic entirely empty.

Yet he could see far into the distance.

At the end of the official road, a procession of carriages was slowly approaching.

The procession was incredibly long, stretching out for fully half a li.

At the very front were the vanguard cavalry, roughly a hundred riders, all mounted on tall, majestic steeds.

Behind the cavalry was the honor guard: banners, canopies, feather fans, golden melons, and silver hammers. The assorted ceremonial implements gleamed with a cold luster beneath the gloomy sky.

And further back was the main figure.

A jade carriage with a grand canopy, drawn by eight snow-white steeds. The carriage body was lacquered in gold and painted with a 'hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix' motif; the phoenix tail, embroidered with silver threads, ruffled softly in the wind.

A gilded canopy hung overhead, its four corners dangling with tassels and flawless eastern pearls that emitted their own soft glow in the dim light.

The carriage curtains were woven from silver-red cicada-wing gauze. Through the sheer fabric, one could only faintly make out a figure sitting upright within.

Behind the jade carriage marched more infantry in silver armor and helmets, followed by a massive, swarming crowd of accompanying eunuchs, maids, and attendants holding censers, horsetail whisks, spittoons, and hand warmers—every conceivable necessity was present.

Imperial Consort Chun's pageantry is truly terrifying in scale.

Chen Lingxi's gaze fell on the curtains of the jade carriage.

He couldn't make out her face, only a blurry silhouette sitting perfectly upright, as motionless as a jade statue enshrined on an altar.

Right at this moment, a carriage parked on the side of the road began to move.

County Princess Yunhe?

This County Princess visited the West Courtyard every day; naturally, Chen Lingxi recognized her carriage.

Her carriage wasn't particularly extravagant, merely a bit larger than those of ordinary wealthy families. It had cyan curtains and varnished walls, and was drawn by a modest pair of chestnut steeds.

The carriage paused by the side of the road.

The curtain was lifted, and a maid supported County Princess Yunhe as she stepped down. Then, the jade carriage arrived nearby.

The royal carriage did not stop.

Only the silver-red cicada-wing gauze curtain was pulled back a fraction from within by an incredibly pale hand.

The hand was exceptionally white, as pale as mutton-fat jade soaked in clear water, with slender and perfectly proportioned knuckles. Its nails were painted with pale pink polish, giving off an incredibly soft, pearlescent glow when illuminated by the sky through the parted curtain.

That hand rested casually against the edge of the curtain, its knuckles slightly curled, resembling a half-bloomed white magnolia—languid yet aristocratic.

The gap in the curtain wasn't large, just enough to reveal a face.

Imperial Consort Chun's face was breathtakingly beautiful, so much so that she hardly seemed like a mortal being.

Her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, their peaks as faint as a fading stroke of ink, slanting diagonally into her temples.

Her eyes were phoenix-shaped, the corners lifting slightly. Her pupils were impossibly deep and bright, like twin black obsidians submerged in a crystal-clear mountain spring, carrying an indescribable radiance whenever her gaze shifted.

The bridge of her nose was high, her lip line sharply defined, and her pointed chin lacked any trace of harshness, instead exuding an innate, pure nobility.

She looked no older than eighteen or nineteen, her features as youthful as a young maiden's, yet the depth in her eyes was absolutely not something a young woman should possess.

It was an incredibly profound, almost apathetic calmness—the look of someone who had stood at the peak for far too long, long accustomed to looking down, long accustomed to all living beings groveling at her feet like ants.

Chen Lingxi's pupils suddenly constricted.

It really is her!

He had seen her before.

That day, above the clouds at the peak of Cuojin Mountain, he had watched from a great distance as she sailed a small skiff through the sea of clouds.

Back then, with a mere flick of her finger, she had sent a longsword flying, destroying a spirit with a single strike. A casual beam of cyan light had been enough to force back several murderous auras closing in on her.

At that time, she stood at the bow of the skiff, her robes flowing with rosy light. Dazzling spiritual radiance blazed around her, as though a miniature sun had been confined to that small space—so resplendent she could not be looked at directly.

Yet at this moment, her face held not a hint of that blazing intensity, not a trace of flowing spiritual light, and none of that chilling majesty that could kill with a flick of a finger above the sea of clouds.

She simply assumed the posture of a young married woman, lifting the curtain to reveal half her face, tilting her head slightly toward the roadside.

Smiling, she spoke to County Princess Yunhe.

County Princess Yunhe stood by the road with her head bowed, her posture respectful yet carrying a hint of intimacy. She nodded from time to time, her lips moving as she presumably replied.

A moment later, the Imperial Consort casually beckoned, as effortlessly as one might summon a kitten or puppy.

County Princess Yunhe raised her head, a very faint smile gracing her face. Lifting her skirt, she stepped onto the brocade cushion laid out by an attendant and stooped to enter the jade carriage.

The curtain fell, concealing both faces.

Chen Lingxi didn't dare stare for long, waiting until the jade carriage had passed.

Only then did he shift his eyes slightly, tightening the Concealed Edge Method a degree further before activating the Observation Technique of the Six True Art.

Spiritual energy flowed from his sea of qi, traveling up his meridians and pouring into his eyes.

In a flash, the world before him changed.

Billowing vital energy steamed from the armored soldiers filling the street—a mix of crimson and silver-white, with flecks of golden light shining through the silver.

Those auras intertwined, clashed, and repelled one another, merging above the street into an invisible, churning torrent.

To think so many experts are hidden within this procession.

He shifted his gaze to the rear of the jade carriage.

The people there wore assorted attire: official robes, armor, and casual scholar gowns.

They were scattered throughout the ranks, completely unassuming. If he hadn't used the Observation Technique, he would have thought they were just ordinary officials, military officers, and aides.

But in Chen Lingxi's eyes, these individuals were utterly different.

Vital energy rose from their bodies like wolf-smoke signals.

These were over a dozen searing auras concealed amidst the crowd, each one astonishingly heavy and profound.

One person's vital energy was a dark gold, surging through their meridians like liquid mercury—this was someone at the Golden Body Great Completion or even the perfection stage.

There were even two whose vital energy had transformed into a jade-like substance, their entire bodies radiating a translucent white glow. When their energy circulated, the faint sound of chiming jade could be heard—these were beings who had stepped into the Jade Qi Realm.

And then there was one person with absolutely no vital energy fluctuation whatsoever.

Like a walking corpse, even their heartbeat had seemingly stopped.

These experts scattered in the procession were like sharp blades wrapped in coarse cloth—seemingly ordinary, yet capable of erupting with terrifying, city-destroying power at a moment's notice.

Chen Lingxi withdrew his gaze and slowly suppressed the spiritual energy of the Observation Technique back into the depths of his sea of qi.

But just then, his eyes involuntarily landed on a certain spot at the very back.

There was a person.

Riding on horseback, she had a slender figure. Her black hair was pinned up with a silver hairpin, exposing the pale nape of her neck.

Lin Longyue.

Her face was pale, her breathing unsteady.

But upon taking just one glance at her, Chen Lingxi's expression suddenly froze.

In the perception of his qi observation art, Lin Longyue's body actually contained two entirely different types of qi!

One was filthy and black as ink, squirming sluggishly through her meridians. Wherever it passed, her own vital essence was silently devoured and dissolved by those insect-like shadows.

This filthy qi was not eroding her randomly. Instead, it roamed through her meridians along an extremely regular trajectory. With each cycle, it carved a new pattern into her body.

It was as if someone were using her body as paper and this filthy qi as ink, meticulously drawing an incredibly complex and eerie array, stroke by stroke.

The array was not yet complete, but its outline was already faintly visible.

Chen Lingxi watched silently for a moment.

County Princess Yunhe was consuming Lin Longyue's vital essence to strengthen herself.

He had known this for a long time.

Later, when he was intercepted and nearly killed in the Thorough Awakening Spiritual Chamber, Lin Longyue had struck her temple against a rock. Her blood had actually smelled fragrant—so fragrant it evoked an indescribable, mouthwatering craving.

He knew back then that there was something unusual about Lin Longyue.

But what truly astonished Chen Lingxi was not this filthy qi.

It was the other strand.

The one hidden in the absolute depths of Lin Longyue's body, concealed beneath her dantian, tucked away in her marrow, wedged between the most obscure, profound crevices.

It did not gush outward, nor did it retract inward. It merely lay dormant, like a bright pearl buried in the deepest abyss of the ocean. It hid all its brilliance, leaving only a faint, incomparably gentle glimmer flowing slowly across its surface.

That qi was far too profound and mysterious.

It contained an indescribably immense spiritual essence, like a treasure trove sealed away for eons, leaking only meager threads of its aura through microscopic cracks.

This—

He abruptly withdrew the Observation Technique, closed his eyes, and circulated the Concealed Edge Method a few more times, plunging his aura back into a deathly stillness.

Yet, try as he might, he couldn't suppress his racing thoughts.

To think such an extraordinary existence is hidden inside Lin Longyue's body!

It seems Crown Prince Ying Chi discovered the secret within Lin Longyue long ago.

He pondered silently.

That must be why he passed down a secret method to County Princess Yunhe, using it to plant an array inside Lin Longyue and waiting for her, this great medicine, to mature.

No sooner had this thought settled than another floated to the surface.

Lin Suri also cultivates the Six True Art. He should have noticed it long ago as well.

Chen Lingxi's eyes twitched slightly.

Lin Suri was the eldest young master of the Marquis's estate and spent every day with Lin Longyue. With his cultivation at the Qi Circulation 6th Floor and those eyes capable of seeing right through people, how could he fail to notice such an astonishing secret hidden inside his own sister?

But he had done nothing.

Not only had he done nothing, he had tacitly permitted everything County Princess Yunhe was doing to Lin Longyue. He had allowed that filthy qi to carve an array into his own biological sister's body, letting that stalk of great medicine be watered and catalyzed to maturity day after day, right under his nose.

What is Lin Suri plotting?

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, suppressing the roiling emotions in his chest.

The Six True Art circulated slowly within him. Beneath the barrier of the Concealed Edge Method, the stream of liquid spiritual energy in his sea of qi surged silently, replenishing his depleted spiritual energy thread by thread.

Outside the window, the northern wind cut like a knife.

The canopied jade carriage had reached the intersection and turned onto the official road leading toward the East Courtyard of the Baosu Marquis Residence.

Behind it, the vast procession of armored soldiers, officials, servants, and eunuchs followed in a mighty wave. The dense mass of figures packed the entire avenue to the brim.

Lin Longyue's horse mingled with the crowd, drifting further and further away.

His gaze peered through the gap in the window lattice once more, landing on Lin Longyue's back. If I can harvest such a treasure to cultivate... he mused silently, the light in the depths of his eyes growing ever calmer. My First Qi will inevitably become incredibly powerful. It could very well turn into my greatest foundation.