171: Chapter 171 What a great physique!

Ancestor Xu Tianyan's expression changed drastically. "The Shadow Pavilion? The Northern Border's Shadow Pavilion? Fellow Daoist Cangwu, is this true?"

Elder Cangwu stood with his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent. "The Mahayana Early Stage Cultivator I just killed was a deacon of the Shadow Pavilion."

"He cooperated with the Xie Family, using Muyun Villa as a stronghold, and has kidnapped over a thousand Loose Cultivators and descendants of aristocratic families, sending them to parts unknown."

"The destruction of your Xuanyuan Dynasty's four major families was also orchestrated by the Shadow Pavilion, who secretly backed the Xie Family to cover up their deeds of kidnapping Cultivators."

Ancestor Xu Tianyan's face instantly turned ashen.

He had sent people to investigate the destruction of the four major families, but they had never found any concrete evidence, so he had assumed it was internal strife. Although he had doubts, he hadn't probed deeper.

He never expected that the Northern Border's Shadow Pavilion was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, and that the Xie Family, as the sole beneficiary of the destruction of the four major families, had actually defected to the Shadow Pavilion.

He fell silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and bowed deeply to Elder Cangwu. "Thank you for informing me of this, Fellow Daoist Cangwu. Once this old man returns, I will thoroughly investigate the Xie Family and wipe out all of the Shadow Pavilion's hidden agents."

Elder Cangwu nodded slightly. Without another word, his figure transformed into a streak of green light and swept toward the direction of Kunlun.

Ancestor Xu Tianyan stood in place, watching the green light disappear into the horizon with a gloomy expression.

He slowly turned around, his gaze falling toward the imperial capital. There, the Xie Family's estate was still brightly lit, as if nothing had happened.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his figure vanished from the spot, leaving a chilling voice echoing over Muyun Villa: "Xie Wanan, how dare you!"

Thousands of miles away, in a hidden valley in the Southern Wilderness, thick fog surged like a tide, shrouding the entire valley in a hazy gray darkness.

In the valley, a figure stood with his hands behind his back on a massive bluestone, surrounded by a faint dark-gray mist. His face was hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see his expression.

In his hand, he held a shattered jade talisman—it was the soul tablet of the Shadow Pavilion deacon. Now completely dim and lusterless, it crumbled into powder and drifted down through his fingers.

"Muyun Villa has been destroyed, and Ji Wusheng is dead." He spoke in a low, raspy voice, devoid of any discernible emotion. "What is the background of the opponent?"

Behind him, a dark shadow knelt on one knee, bowing its head. "My Lord, according to the surviving transmissions, the one who took action was Elder Cangwu of Kunlun. It was because people from the Shadow Pavilion touched a Disciple of Kunlun."

The figure fell silent for a moment. He said nothing, but the silence itself was already an answer.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice dropping a bit lower than before. "Kunlun... Kunlun again."

"The Shadow Pavilion's arrangements in the Southern Wilderness are not yet complete. Now that Kunlun has busted Muyun Villa, our operations in the Xuanyuan Dynasty will surely be uprooted as well."

"Those useless fools. Of all the people they could have provoked, they just had to provoke Kunlun."

The dark shadow behind him kept its head lowered, not daring to respond.

Silence hung over the valley for a moment before the figure spoke again, his voice returning to its usual indifference. "Pass down the order. From this day forth, all other hidden agents in the Southern Wilderness's forces are to go into dormancy and suspend all operations."

"Yes." The dark shadow bowed to accept the command, its figure silently blending into the thick fog and disappearing.

—

In the Kunlun Small World, spiritual mist drifted and Immortal Qi swirled. Compared to the valley of Muyun Villa, which was shrouded in bloodlust and gray fog, it was like two completely different worlds.

As Yun Tianque was supported by his older brother up the jade steps, his eyes, which had been dim from his injuries, suddenly lit up when he felt the immortal spiritual energy in the air, which was so dense it had almost materialized.

The youth looked up, his gaze sweeping over the celestial peaks floating in the clouds, the winding spiritual springs, and the towering bronze pagoda in the distance. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but he only coughed twice, making no sound.

Yun Tianxiang looked down at him and patted his shoulder. "Recover from your injuries first. You'll have plenty of time to look around in the future."

Elder Cangwu led them to a quiet side hall on the eastern side of the Main Peak.

The hall was simply furnished but filled with Spiritual Qi. Outside the window, a spiritual spring gurgled past, its waters carrying a faint halo that bathed the entire room in a soft glow.

Elder Cangwu had Yun Tianque lie down on a couch in the hall, then raised his hand to send a streak of green light into the youth's body.

The moment the green light entered his body, Yun Tianque's already weak face suddenly flushed red, which then quickly receded, restoring a bit of color to his complexion.

The accumulated internal injuries within his body, the Meridians corroded by drugs, and his Dantian, which had been damaged by the biting cold in the dungeon, were repaired, cleared, and nourished one by one under the circulation of the green light.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Elder Cangwu withdrew his hand. The youth's breathing had stabilized significantly, and his face was no longer so pale. His eyelids fluttered slightly, as if he were about to fall asleep, or perhaps relaxed after finally shedding all his burdens.

"His injuries are no longer a major issue. He will recover after a few days of rest." Elder Cangwu looked at Yun Tianxiang.

"His Physique is unique. There is a force circulating through his Meridians that differs from ordinary people. Though faint, it is highly pure. If he has someone to guide him, his future path of cultivation will not be bad."

Yun Tianxiang was slightly startled. Although he had awakened his memories of his past life, he had not yet checked his younger brother's Physique.

Hearing Elder Cangwu say this, he walked over to the couch, gently pressed his hand against his brother's pulse, and sent his Divine Sense inside.

After a moment, his expression changed slightly. He looked back at Elder Cangwu, his eyes filled with a touch of complexity. "The Seven-Holed Exquisite Heart?"

Elder Cangwu nodded slightly. "I noticed it just now while healing him. The structure of his heart is different from ordinary people; each of the seven apertures connects to a unique meridian. He is naturally attuned to the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, making it an excellent Physique for cultivation."

"It's just that there was no one to guide him before, and combined with long-term erosion by drugs, his Physique has been suppressed and failed to manifest."

Lying on the couch, Yun Tianque was not yet fully awake. His eyes were half-open and half-closed. Hearing the words "Seven-Holed Exquisite Heart" in his daze, he blinked with half-understanding and looked at his older brother.

Yun Tianxiang fell silent for a moment, then turned and bowed deeply to Elder Cangwu. "Thank you, Elder, for saving him, and thank you for being willing to guide my younger brother."

Elder Cangwu waved his hand and turned to walk out of the hall. "Let him rest first. Come to the Main Peak tomorrow, and the Sect Master will arrange a place for him."

His figure quickly vanished into the spiritual mist outside the hall.

The next morning, Yun Tianque was brought by his brother to the front of the Kunlun Grand Hall at the summit of the Main Peak.

He was still a bit uneasy as he stood before the hall. Last night's hasty healing session had restored a lot of his energy.

But facing this majestic hall, and facing the white-robed figure inside who was said to control all of Kunlun, he still unconsciously straightened his back.

The hall doors were wide open, and Jiang Changge sat in the main seat.

His gaze swept over Yun Tianque, and the faint pulsation unique to the Seven-Holed Exquisite Heart within the youth's body entered his perception.

"The Seven-Holed Exquisite Heart," Jiang Changge sighed inwardly.

What a great Physique. Naturally attuned to the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, cultivating at a tremendous speed; in any Sect, he would be a prime talent they would scramble to recruit.

Yet, the System remained completely silent, stubbornly refusing to pop up the words "destined person."