521: Chapter 531 A Pillow is Here When You're Sleepy!

For a moment, Lu Ming felt a bit numb.

He had been in the Profound Spirit Domain for so long, yet he had never entered the Inner Domain Grotto-Heavens; his understanding of that place was limited to rumors and the memories of some natives.

One thing was clear: to go from the Outer Domain to the Inner Domain, one had to use the teleportation arrays of the major Blessed Land families.

But there was a problem: the Grotto-Heavens belonging to each Blessed Land family were different.

If one accidentally chose the wrong one, they might end up knocking on the wrong door.

For example, if you clearly wanted to go on a pilgrimage to the Taixuan Immortal Sect, but ended up choosing a Blessed Land family subordinate to the Soul Devouring Demonic Sect.

By the time you realized something was wrong, you would already be in the middle of a demonic den.

Then congratulations, the final outcome would most likely be becoming a part of some old demon's soul devouring banner.

Of course, if Lu Ming wanted to, he could actually go to the Qingming Immortal Sect.

He possessed Yun Chenzi's memories and could be absolutely certain that this was a subordinate force of the Qingwei Dao Sect; through the teleportation array there, one could go directly to the Qingwei Grotto-Heavens.

Moreover, he reckoned the other party wouldn't dare to stop a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

But the problem was, he was currently walking around with the identity of Taishu Yichen, yet to return to his own lair, he had to use the back door?

If that got out, it would be the joke of the world.

"Damn it, what should I do!"

Lu Ming felt numb; he hadn't expected that his flawless disguise, which had even fooled those old guys, would get stuck at this seemingly simplest step.

"How about... I just quietly sneak into the Qingming Immortal Sect and take the teleportation array back?"

This seemed to be the only way now.

Just as Lu Ming was still hesitating and struggling, a ripple suddenly appeared in the Void Realm.

Lu Ming's eyes suddenly narrowed, thinking that some guy had seen through his identity and launched a surprise counterattack.

The Hunyuan Law was instantly activated, ready to deal with the incoming attack at any moment.

But before he could do anything, the Void Realm suddenly split open a gap.

Then, a disheveled figure stumbled out.

Lu Ming took a closer look.

Heh, it was actually an old acquaintance.

The person who arrived was Xuan Zhenzi!

It was just that Lu Ming was a bit confused; he didn't understand why this person would appear here.

Just as he was feeling puzzled, the voice of True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei came from the depths of the void rift.

The tone carried a hint of surprise and a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, we merely summoned your good disciple to ask some questions; we had no intention of making things difficult for him.

We intended to send him back to Qingwei Heaven personally afterwards; we didn't expect you to be waiting here. It was our lack of consideration."

After speaking, without waiting for Lu Ming's response, the rift suddenly closed, and the Void Realm returned to normal.

It seemed this trip was purely to send someone back.

"Uh..." Lu Ming was speechless for a moment.

So, his appearance just now had been mistaken by this guy as waiting for him to return Xuan Zhenzi?

Moreover, hearing the hint of wariness in his words, it was clear he hadn't expected that he actually knew about this matter.

It was truly a coincidence upon a coincidence, a coincidence to the extreme.

However, this was not necessarily a bad thing for Lu Ming. On the contrary, this posture of "predicting things like a god" made it easier for people to feel awe.

And the most critical thing was... Lu Ming glanced at the still-shaken Xuan Zhenzi, and his eyes lit up.

This guide hadn't just arrived, he had been delivered to his doorstep!

As a Daoist child of the Qingwei Grotto-Heavens, it was impossible for Xuan Zhenzi to not know the way!

Thinking of this, Lu Ming almost laughed out with a "hehe" sound.

True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei was truly a good person; knowing he was in trouble, he provided timely help.

It was just that his somewhat sinister appearance scared Xuan Zhenzi a bit.

Xuan Zhenzi had already learned from the conversation among the True Monarchs that the Qingwei Grotto-Heavens had suffered a great disaster, and his Revered Master had even been forced to fight that newly promoted Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Seeing his "Revered Master" standing before him unharmed, he should have breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason, an inexplicable sense of guilt surged in his heart.

He remembered that in order to save his life, he had intentionally or unintentionally revealed some information about the Qingwei Dao Sect; if his Revered Master were to find out...

"Ma... Revered Master..." After a long while, he finally gathered his courage and cautiously spoke to remind him.

"Hmm?" Lu Ming regained his focus, his gaze sweeping over Xuan Zhenzi's guilty expression, and his eyebrows suddenly raised.

This kid had a problem!

He remained calm, his fingers calculating within his sleeves, and he suddenly realized everything.

So this kid had sold out True Lord Qingxu to save his own life.

Although this was understandable, seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages was the instinct of sentient beings.

Moreover, facing a group of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, it was reasonable that Xuan Zhenzi couldn't hold back and leaked some information.

The key was that what he said was all inconsequential content; after all, given his level, he couldn't access anything deeper.

If True Lord Qingxu were here, he might have really shown mercy out of old feelings.

But Lu Ming was different; he had no feelings for this convenient disciple.

Just a moment ago, he was thinking about how to ask Xuan Zhenzi to lead the way; now he didn't need to struggle anymore, he could just kill him and search his soul.

Moreover, this might even be something those True Monarchs would be happy to see.

After all, if they really didn't want Lu Ming to know, given the status of those Nascent Soul True Monarchs, even if Lu Ming had some achievements in the way of Heavenly Secrets, it wouldn't be so easy to divine things so clearly.

And the fact that he had calculated the cause and effect so clearly must have been intentional on their part.

Perhaps they wanted to sow discord between Revered Master and disciple, or even wanted Lu Ming to take action to purge the Sect, thereby further weakening the strength of the Qingwei Grotto-Heavens.

Lu Ming saw through this and intended to go with the flow.

After all, the Qingwei Grotto-Heavens was just a resource site for him; he was going there to enjoy himself, not to engage in construction and development.

So, one more or one less Xuan Zhenzi didn't matter.

With this thought, a dark light flashed in Lu Ming's eyes.

Xuan Zhenzi, who had just been nervous, suddenly froze, his eyes becoming empty and gray, and his vitality quickly faded away.

An Immortal Master of Golden Core Perfection died just like that, without a sound.

Lu Ming didn't care about this at all.

But adhering to the principle of not wasting, he didn't let go of the other party's Divine Soul and his sword Dao Law; he digested them in the blink of an eye.

The Divine Soul was refined, the Law was devoured by the Dao Nascent Soul, and a large amount of memories and insights flooded in, but at the Golden Core level, it was somewhat lacking in front of a Nascent Soul Divine Sense.

Lu Ming didn't look closely; he just scanned it roughly and obtained what he wanted.

That was the spatial coordinates of the Qingwei Grotto-Heavens!

With this thing, he could directly tear through the Void Realm and cross over, never having to worry about not finding the way again.

Lu Ming stopped lingering; the Void Realm around him suddenly shattered, and the Chaos Qi within surged.

Yet his expression remained normal; he lifted his foot and stepped into it, disappearing.

Not long after he disappeared, the space here rippled again, and the phantom of True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei reappeared in the scene.

Feeling the lingering aura here, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Truly ruthless; he killed his own disciple just like that."

This True Lord Qingxu had really changed a lot this time.

He hadn't originally intended for True Lord Qingxu to take action; he just wanted to sow discord, but he hadn't expected True Lord Qingxu to be so ruthless and decisive.

But come to think of it, ever since he was set up by the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord, True Lord Qingxu had undergone a great transformation; his style of doing things was much more ruthless and decisive than before.

"I don't know if this is right or wrong."

In the past, True Lord Qingxu was easy-going and easier to deal with, but precisely because of that, it was hard to find opportunities to take advantage of him.

But now his style had changed drastically; although it was expected that this would inevitably cause greater turmoil for the already precarious Qingwei Heaven.

But I'm afraid his aggressiveness will also be greatly enhanced.

Regarding this, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei could do nothing, and just sighed faintly.

Immediately, he stopped lingering, his figure disappeared, and the scene fell into silence again.

...

Qingwei Grotto-Heavens.

It was not the chaotic scene of ruins as imagined.

Many buildings had already risen from the ground again, and the figures of Cultivators were shuttling back and forth, busy and bustling.

Some were transporting spiritual materials, some were repairing array patterns, and some were cleaning up the ruins. Everyone was performing their duties, and everything was in good order.

Apparently, during the time True Lord Qingxu was away, the Cultivators of Qingwei Heaven had spontaneously started repairs.

However, although it had recovered some of its immortal atmosphere on the surface, it ultimately lacked some spiritual charm due to the massive loss of the Grotto-Heaven's Origin.

Both the concentration of Spiritual Qi and the Dao essence of the Law were somewhat thin, barely approaching the fourth-tier level.

If placed in the outside world, this would already be an excellent Grotto-Heaven blessed land.

But as the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality; having lived for years in a place comparable to a fourth-tier High Grade Spiritual Vein, although it wasn't difficult to take a step, it was truly uncomfortable.

At this time, above the Qingwei Dao Sect, dozens of Golden Core Cultivators were lined up on both sides, looking at the scene below, all with different expressions.

Some were worried, some were bowing their heads in silence, and some had flickering eyes.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the scene was as heavy as the silence before a storm.

After a long while, a Golden Core Elder spoke first, breaking the silence.

He sighed, his tone full of worry. "The Old Ancestor has already been gone for several days, and I don't know what the situation is now."

An attendant next to him chimed in, looking distressed: "Exactly, with the Old Ancestor away, my heart is always hanging, and the people below are also panicking."

At this time, another Elder snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the people present.

"It's not just panic; I heard that a few families have already started to stir."

Once these words were spoken, the hall suddenly went quiet, and everyone's eyes turned to the speaker.

"Elder Fang, what do you mean by this? This is a time of turmoil for the Dao Sect; it is better to be cautious with words that are not conducive to unity!"

Someone said with dissatisfaction, but this Elder surnamed Fang turned a deaf ear to it and continued to speak on his own.

However, his eyes unconsciously glanced at a white-haired old man standing in the center of the crowd.

Seeing the other party open his slightly closed eyes and look at him, he breathed a sigh of relief, so he spoke with more confidence.

"Hehe, be cautious with words? Lin Yuanshan, don't tell me you don't know about these things?"

"Oh right, I forgot that among them are your Lin family, as well as the Zhao family and the Zhou clan; they haven't been very peaceful lately!"

Once these words were spoken, it was like a thunderclap, and a buzzing sound of discussion suddenly rang out in the hall.

But their eyes unconsciously glanced at the Cultivators of the families named by the Elder surnamed Fang.

Suddenly, these people felt like they were on pins and needles, especially when they saw that white-haired old man also looking over, their hearts skipped a beat.

However, some of them reacted quickly and immediately jumped out to scold sharply.

"Fang Qing! Stop spouting nonsense here; I think it is you who have ulterior motives, trying to sow discord among fellow disciples while the Dao Sect is in turmoil and the Old Ancestor is away. Your heart is punishable, and your actions are punishable!"

"Exactly, we are loyal to the Dao Sect, as clear as the sun and moon, yet we are being unreasonably criticized by you; it is simply unreasonable!!"

"I have shed blood for the Dao Sect, I have contributed to the Dao Sect; you are spreading rumors to confuse the public, apologize to us quickly!"

"..." With the initiator gone, those guys who were named immediately shared a common hatred and began to verbally attack Fang Qing, looking as if they had suffered a great grievance.

However, Fang Qing was not to be outdone, fighting against the crowd, engaging in a war of words with the scholars. Suddenly, the scene was chaotic, like a street market argument.

"Enough!" Just then, an aged but dignified voice came from the middle of the crowd, suppressing all arguments.

The person speaking was none other than the current Grand Elder of the Qingwei Dao Sect—Lu Chenyuan. He was a great Cultivator of the False Nascent Soul Realm.

Speaking of which, Lu Chenyuan's achievement of the False Nascent Soul Realm could be considered a fine story among the major Grotto-Heavens in the Profound Spirit Domain.

It is said that when True Lord Qingxu was attaining the Nascent Soul Dao years ago, he encountered an unexpected accident under the Heavenly Tribulation.

It was a Nascent Soul True Monarch who did not wish to reveal his name who secretly interfered, causing the Heavenly Tribulation to mutate.

But Lu Chenyuan was only at Golden Core Perfection at the time, yet he did not hesitate to stand in front of True Lord Qingxu and took a blow of the Heavenly Tribulation's aftermath with his own body.

That blow almost made his soul fly away and spirit scatter, destroying his dao foundation completely.

However, it also bought True Lord Qingxu a glimmer of survival, and he finally succeeded in attaining the Dao.

Afterwards, as if to show gratitude for his kindness, True Lord Qingxu spared no effort to spend hundreds of years traveling throughout the Profound Spirit Domain, searching for Heaven And Earth Treasure.

Finally, he even expended his Nascent Soul Origin, personally killing a ten-thousand-year-old turtle, and used its essence pill to forge the False Nascent Soul Foundation for Lu Chenyuan.

From then on, Lu Chenyuan became the number two figure in the Qingwei Dao Sect, second only to the Old Ancestor.

After all, although a False Nascent Soul is not a real Nascent Soul, with the support of that Nascent Soul spiritual object, his strength is far above that of an ordinary Golden Core Perfection, and even with the blessing of the Qingwei Grotto-Heavens, he can contend with a Nascent Soul True Monarch for a while.

In addition, he is upright and fair, and has high prestige in the Sect. When True Lord Qingxu is in seclusion or away, Sect affairs are mostly handled by him. Therefore, when everyone in the hall saw him speak, no one dared to say more.

Seeing that the scene had quieted down, Lu Chenyuan's eyes were calm, his gaze swept over everyone, and finally landed on Fang Qing, his tone unhurried.

"Do you have solid proof for what you just said?"

Fang Qing, seeing the Grand Elder speak, immediately bowed respectfully and cupped his hands.

"Grand Elder, please observe, the matter of the Zhao family sending people out is something I saw with my own eyes.

And according to my careful investigation, the force they are secretly contacting is a subordinate force of the Yujing Dao Court, the Xianwang Mansion! There is also circumstantial evidence regarding the Zhou clan and the Lin clan; although I haven't obtained solid evidence, these families have always had close dealings with the outside world.

They dared not act rashly when the Old Ancestor was here, but now that the Old Ancestor is away, they have been passing messages out frequently these days. Now that the Dao Sect is in turmoil, we must be on guard."

Lu Chenyuan was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Since that is the case, we cannot sit idly by. With the Old Ancestor away, the Sect must not be in chaos. Since these families have developed ulterior motives, we must let them know that the majesty of the Dao Sect cannot be violated."