Chapter 972
Fragments of Ancient Bronze
"Is it true that True Monarch Juyang has been severely injured?"
Song Changsheng's eyes lit up. The higher one's cultivation level, the greater the impact of injuries.
After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, when fighting with the power of the Great Dao Laws, there is almost no such thing as minor injuries. After all, with the terrifying recovery ability of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, before the battle is even over, those minor internal and external injuries will probably heal on their own.
If it is described as an injury, then it is a severe blow, requiring at least decades or even centuries of seclusion to recover.
The higher one's cultivation level, the less likely one is to engage in combat unless absolutely necessary or when one is absolutely certain of a crushing defeat, because the cost is simply too high to bear.
"Still motionless, yet swift as thunder" is the most accurate description of battles between high-level cultivators.
Regardless of who Juyang Zhenjun fought that caused his severe injury, the fact that the Eastern Heaven cultivation world is leaderless is already established, which is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for the Song family to accelerate their infiltration.
It hasn't been long since the Chen Clan of Dongtian was destroyed. The so-called alliance actually has no cohesion whatsoever, and it is all just being suppressed by the powerful True Lord Juyang.
Juyang Zhenjun himself was a rogue cultivator, and apart from a few disciples, he did not have a reliable team to rely on. If he had the support of a family or sect that matched his strength, the Eastern Heaven cultivation world would definitely not be in the current state of a disorganized alliance.
When he was at the peak of his power, his subordinates were naturally respectful and obedient.
Now that he is severely injured, he has no time to care about the vast territory of the Eastern Heaven Cultivation World. Naturally, those demons and monsters in the shadows will surface.
The current Eastern Heaven cultivation world is like a sieve riddled with holes and leaking air everywhere.
If one can seize this opportunity to establish a foothold, it will be equivalent to having a stable stronghold within the Tianshan Mountains. This will not only allow one to receive information about the movements of various forces in the Southern Continent, but also to establish a trade route based on this.
The cultivation resources within the Tianshan Mountains are far superior to those in the border regions, and even the East Sea may not be able to match them. Because of the barrier of the Tianshan Mountains, many resources can be sold at exorbitant prices.
Although Rock City is capable of shouldering these responsibilities, it is, after all, a completely neutral cultivation city. It only has some say in the Chaotic Ancient Domain, and its influence in the surrounding cultivation world is very weak. In fact, because it is located in the Chaotic Ancient Domain, a no-man's-land, the major forces are very vigilant.
If they were to establish themselves in the Eastern Heaven cultivation world, it would be a completely different story. One of them, Pan Shi City, would operate openly while the other would operate covertly, allowing for a slow and subtle infiltration. This would not only provide the Song family with a way out, but also, if the opportunity presented itself, allow them to declare war on the Eastern Heaven Alliance in the name of the Chen family of Eastern Heaven.
A catastrophe is imminent. No place under the influence of the ominous star is absolutely safe. You can't put all your eggs in one basket.
In any case, the area inside the Tianshan Mountains is always safer than the area outside, since there is no direct threat from the demon race.
In any case, the small world is definitely a last resort.
Although the Song family has now moved all the mortal cultivators into the small world, all the eligible men and women live in a specially constructed barrier. The laws of heaven and earth within the barrier have been personally supplemented and perfected by him. Only in this way can the newborns conceived in the small world be guaranteed to be unaffected.
These barriers all need to be periodically connected to the laws of heaven and earth of the Purple Imperial Realm for maintenance; once completely sealed, they will inevitably degenerate.
Perhaps this situation will improve after he fully integrates and supplements the laws and powers of the Wutong Small World into the Cangmang Small World. Right now, he certainly cannot completely break away from the Ziyu Realm.
Master Mingtai said with absolute certainty, "I sent someone to verify this as soon as I received the news, and it is indeed true."
It was probably a conflict arising from the struggle for a secret treasure in the Nine Heavens. Several True Lords broke out in a melee. True Lord Giant Sun, being a rogue cultivator, was at a disadvantage in such a melee and was eliminated very early on.
While the Eastern Heaven Alliance headquarters appears to be operating normally, it is actually secretly shrinking its power, maintaining a facade of composure while remaining vigilant internally.
Where is Lingxiu now?
He had no interest in the so-called Nine Heavens Secret Treasure, because the Nascent Soul cultivation level was just the entry ticket; it was useless to be interested. He might as well focus on something more practical.
"She led a group to open a tavern in Wuye City in the Eastern Heaven Cultivation World. While gathering information, she infiltrated the surrounding areas. Over the years, she has been quite successful. Occasionally, she would also carry out some hunting operations against low-level cultivators of the Eastern Heaven Alliance headquarters."
"Clan leader, from my personal perspective, I don't quite agree with her actions. If she's not careful, the entire intelligence network could be wiped out with her," Master Mingtai said bluntly.
In his view, Chen Lingxiu's strategy was too radical, as if she were completely driven by hatred. This state of mind was both the most motivated and the most dangerous.
As the founder and guardian of Rock City, he had to be responsible to all the monks who trusted him.
Song Changsheng nodded in agreement and said, "It was indeed a bit too hasty. I will personally go to the Eastern Heaven Cultivation Realm later, so you don't need to worry, fellow Daoist."
The two chatted about the matter for a while, when suddenly, as if he remembered something, Master Mingtai took out a storage bag from his robes and placed it in front of Song Changsheng: "There's something I almost forgot to give to the clan leader."
"What is this?" Song Changsheng looked at the storage bag in front of him with a puzzled expression.
He picked up the storage bag, opened it, and found a bronze-colored metal fragment, only the size of a palm, with a very smooth surface that reflected a person's image in exquisite detail.
He stared at the metal fragment in his hand for a long time but still couldn't figure out what it was. Its material was quite special, and he racked his brains but still couldn't identify what kind of metal it was.
However, he could vaguely sense an extremely powerful Daoist principle within it.
It was very likely a fragment of a broken high-level magic artifact, but he still didn't understand why Mingtai would give it to him.
What is this?
Master Mingtai smiled and said, "To be honest, I don't know either. This thing came from above."
As he spoke, he pointed to the sky.
"The sky?"
"That's right. One night three years ago, I was secretly patrolling Rock City when I suddenly saw flames shooting into the sky and several streaks of light scattering from the sky. One of them landed on a barren mountain not far from Rock City."
In the Chaotic Ancient Domain, meteorites frequently fall from the sky. These meteorites often contain a large amount of meteorite iron, and if you are lucky, you can also obtain some valuable cultivation resources.
Because it was relatively close, I went to take a look and found the fragment in the meteorite crater.
This object fell from the sky, and even the hardest meteorite iron would inevitably suffer wear and tear, but this object showed no signs of wear whatsoever.
Knowing its materials were special, I brought it back. I haven't seen anything significant about it over the years. The clan chief is knowledgeable and a weapon refiner; perhaps he can be of use to it.
“Falling from the sky…” Looking at the fragments in his hand, Song Changsheng seemed to be deep in thought.
The fragments show obvious signs of being artificially crafted, so they are definitely not meteorites. The most reasonable guess is that some powerful being fought in the heavens, causing the magical artifact to shatter and fall to the ground.
This is a reasonable speculation in his view.
If this fragment truly originated from beyond the realm, then Song Changsheng needs to re-examine the starry sky above him.
How many fragments are there in total?
“Five pieces, scattered quite a bit, it might be difficult to reassemble them.” Master Mingtai naturally understood Song Changsheng’s thoughts. He had tried to find these fragments after acquiring them, but had made no progress over the years. Anyone with a discerning eye could see the extraordinary nature of these fragments. Even if their origins were unclear, refining them into magical artifacts would be quite worthwhile.
Without a suitable price, it's hard to impress others.
However, the conditions he could offer were very limited.
Panshi City is not an economically strong city like Luoxia City, and he doesn't know much about managing the economy. Only with the support of the Song family in recent years has the economy started to improve.
"Spread the word that we will buy these fragments without time limit, and the family will cover the expenses."
This fragment is definitely not from an ordinary magic weapon. It is just a piece of debris, yet its laws and Daoist charm are so powerful. In its complete state, it would at least be a top-grade law treasure, or even a more powerful "Dao artifact".
"Yes, sir." Master Mingtai quickly accepted the order.
Song Changsheng gathered up the fragments, stood up and said, "These elders of the Chen family have long lost their spirit and are of no use. Do not let them come into contact with the details of the infiltration plan, and do not let them leave the city to contact strangers. Since they like to enjoy themselves, then let them have their way."
His words were essentially a disguised way of placing the Chen family elders under house arrest.
He did give these people opportunities, but if they didn't seize them, then he can't be blamed.
Since they're all useless, let them stay in Rock City and wait to die. In the future, there will always be some spirited members of the Chen clan to replace them.
After leaving Panshi City, Song Changsheng went straight to the Eastern Heaven Cultivation World, firstly to persuade Chen Lingxiu, and secondly to harvest spiritual herbs.
Decades have passed since the first time the Song family came to the Eastern Heaven Cultivation World. The Chen family's legacy obtained from this land has become a key factor in the Song family's rise and will continue to influence the Song family in the future.
Chen Lingxiu is perhaps the only one among the few remaining elders of the Chen clan who still has any sense of justice and remembers the blood feud of the family.
This was also the main reason why he chose her in the first place, but her methods were a bit too aggressive. After all, the Song family did not yet have the ability to contend with Juyang Zhenjun. If her identity was exposed, no one would be able to protect her.
As the most important pawn of the Song family in the Chen family of Dongtian, he didn't want the other party to be entangled in hatred and die halfway...
"teacher?"
Faced with Song Changsheng's sudden visit, Chen Lingxiu's initial surprise quickly turned into delight.
"No need for formalities. Let's find a quiet place. I have something to say to you," Song Changsheng interrupted, his face expressionless.
"Yes."
Chen Lingxiu felt inexplicably uneasy and led him into the underground secret room.
"I came from Panshi City and just finished meeting with Master Mingtai. Is there anything you would like to say to your master?" Song Changsheng gazed at her calmly, as if he could see through everything.
Chen Lingxiu bit her red lips tightly and knelt down in front of him, saying, "This disciple knows her mistake and begs for punishment from teacher."
Seeing her sincere attitude, Song Changsheng's expression softened slightly, and he said earnestly, "Haste makes waste. Your main task now is infiltration, not hunting."
Hunting down low-level cultivators is of no use to the Eastern Heaven Alliance; in fact, it would expose your existence, making it a losing proposition.
"The Great Sun True Monarch is severely injured, and his control over the alliance has weakened. Now is the perfect opportunity for you to infiltrate. Don't let a small gain lead to a greater loss."
"I will heed your teachings and will definitely restrain myself in the future, and will never let such a thing happen again."
"This will not be repeated." Song Changsheng nodded.
He knew that Chen Lingxiu's hatred for the Eastern Heaven Alliance was uncontrollable, and it was good that she could vent it. But everything had to be done in moderation, and he wouldn't be so lenient next time.
After saying that, he changed the subject, asking, "How is the infiltration plan going? Have you obtained any useful information?"
"Yes, teacher."
At this point, Chen Lingxiu hesitated for a moment and said, "But this news has not been verified and its authenticity is questionable."
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me about it."
"Three months ago, a Golden Core family in the True Water Cultivation Realm in the south of the Eastern Heaven Cultivation Realm was wiped out overnight by an unknown force, causing widespread panic. Demonic energy was found at the scene, and the person who did the attack was very likely a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Demonic Path."
Many people speculate that it might be the one who attacked the Hundred Cauldrons Sect during the Five Academies Grand Competition.
At that time, both the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty and the Hundred Cauldrons Sect had Nascent Soul True Monarchs personally come to participate in the investigation, but there was no progress, and it was as if they had disappeared into thin air.
But just a month ago, our spies, who had infiltrated the Eastern Heaven Alliance headquarters, reported that they had sensed a pure demonic aura at the headquarters.
Do we have reason to suspect that the giant sun is colluding with demonic cultivators, or even protecting that demonic Nascent Soul cultivator?
The news about the Demonic Nascent Soul had been mentioned to Song Changsheng by True Person Mingtai before, but this was the first time he had heard about the latter part. However, it seemed somewhat far-fetched, so it was no wonder that Chen Lingxiu hesitated.
If even the Nascent Soul True Monarch couldn't find the trace of that demonic Nascent Soul, how could a spy whose cultivation level was not even at the Purple Mansion stage have noticed it?
In Song Changsheng's view, collusion with demonic cultivators was possible; back then, that corpse-raising man had followed Juyang in attacking the Chen clan of Dongtian.
However, Song Changsheng felt it was unlikely that he was protecting a Nascent Soul cultivator from the demonic path, as he himself was already severely injured, and the risk of doing so was far too high.
He even suspected that it might be fabricated.
Seemingly guessing what Song Changsheng was thinking, Chen Lingxiu quickly added, "This disciple knows it's absurd. If someone else had reported it, this disciple certainly wouldn't have believed it, but that scout is exceptionally talented and has a very keen sense of various forces."
He was specially recruited into the Eastern Heaven Alliance headquarters because of this, and has now become an inner disciple.
The disciple believes that his words do have some credibility.
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng's attitude immediately became serious...
……
P.S.: Thank you for your monthly votes, fellow Daoists. Last month I received over 1,200 votes, which I round up to 1,300. This month I will add 13,000 words.
I'll try my best to finish this chapter before the new year, and I hope you'll continue to support me in the new month. Thank you so much! (End of Chapter)