369: Chapter 368 Heavenly Dao Entries: Sword Domain

Far away in his small courtyard, Qin Changsheng was also extremely excited; he hadn't expected this operation to go so smoothly.

He had actually obtained the Golden Light Spirit Stone with such ease.

However, Qin Changsheng understood perfectly well that it was all thanks to Gou Feng's command token.

Without Gou Feng's token, Granny Qing would never have trusted Hu Nan.

Nor would she have handed over a Low Grade Heaven-Grade Magical Artifact to Hu Nan so easily.

Just then, Granny Qing seemed to suddenly remember something and spoke up: "Ten years ago, someone else came to this fifth floor of the Sealing Tower."

"My mistress once entrusted him to take a Secret Letter back to the Yao Race. Did that person successfully deliver it?"

Hearing Granny Qing's words, Qin Changsheng instantly understood who she was talking about.

The person who came to the fifth floor of the Sealing Tower ten years ago was him.

The one who delivered the Secret Letter was also him.

"In reply to Mistress, that person indeed delivered the Secret Letter to the Yao Race back then. Now, Leader Shen Guhong has long since read it and learned from it that the Empress is hiding within the Heavenly Sword Sect. However, the letter did not mention the Empress's specific identity, so the Leader still does not know exactly who she is," Hu Nan answered hurriedly.

Upon hearing Hu Nan's answer, the complexity in Granny Qing's eyes deepened, and she nodded slightly as if she had already anticipated this result.

Granny Qing sized Hu Nan up for a moment before saying, "Take this new Secret Letter to Shen Guhong!"

As her voice fell, Granny Qing raised her right hand and flicked her finger. A yellowed piece of letter paper flew out from her sleeve, wrapped in a layer of faint spiritual light and emitting a weak, ancient aura as it flew steadily toward Hu Nan.

The letter paper looked ordinary, but it faintly exuded a sense of gravity, indicating that the contents within were extremely important.

Hu Nan quickly reached out both hands, carefully catching the Secret Letter and gripping it tightly: "This Disciple obeys the command!"

Granny Qing nodded slightly and said no more: "Go now. Do not linger here, and do not cause any unnecessary trouble."

Hearing this, Hu Nan bowed in greeting once more and, without a word, turned and walked toward the stone door of the Sealing Tower's fifth floor.

...

Inside the Cave-Heaven Blessed Land.

Three treasures were laid out before Qin Changsheng: one was a heavenly dao fragment, one was the Low Grade Heaven-Grade Magical Artifact, the Golden Light Spirit Stone, and one was the Secret Letter obtained from Granny Qing.

[heavenly dao fragment: Can upgrade a Golden Trait to a Heavenly Dao Trait!]

[Golden Light Spirit Stone: Low Grade Heaven-Grade Magical Artifact. When placed in a Spirit Stone Mine, it can increase Spirit Stone production threefold!]

[Secret Letter: A Secret Letter given by Granny Qing to the Yao Race leader, Shen Guhong!]

Qin Changsheng's gaze first fell upon the heavenly dao fragment.

He cared deeply about the heavenly dao fragment.

With this heavenly dao fragment, Qin Changsheng could upgrade a Golden Trait to a Heavenly Dao Trait.

Qin Changsheng looked over his numerous traits.

[trait: Immortality, Substitute Death, Breath Concealment, Exchange, Sharing, Rebirth, Instant Spellcasting, Body Refining, Speed, Teleportation, Disease, Teleportation, Poison Resistance, Alchemy, Heart Demon, Insight, Armor Break, Disguise, Disguise, Sword Domain, Sensing]

[Heavenly Dao Trait: Cultivation, External Incarnation, Intelligence, Divine Sense, Source of Mana, Mana Absorption, Fire God, Thunder God, Innate Divine Strength, Qi and Blood, Storage Space, Sword God, Enhancement, Blade God, Repair, Bleeding]

First, Qin Changsheng excluded the Heavenly Dao Traits.

After all, these Heavenly Dao Traits could no longer be upgraded.

Next, Qin Changsheng turned his gaze toward the many Golden Traits.

As the traits were excluded one by one, Qin Changsheng's gaze landed on Sword Domain.

Among these traits, the Golden Trait Sword Domain had the highest cost-performance ratio.

Upgrading the Golden Trait Sword Domain was absolutely the optimal choice.

"Upgrade the Golden Trait Sword Domain!" Qin Changsheng commanded.

As Qin Changsheng's voice fell, the heavenly dao fragment slowly merged into the dim Golden Sword Domain trait within his Sea of Consciousness.

With the injection of Heavenly Dao power, the previously dormant Sword Domain trait suddenly lit up. Dazzling golden light erupted from his Sea of Consciousness, piercing through his body and illuminating the entire Cave-Heaven Blessed Land with a faint golden glow.

The power of the heavenly dao fragment continuously nourished the Sword Domain trait. The patterns on the trait's surface rapidly transformed, becoming increasingly intricate and brilliant. The original golden light gradually turned into a deep Heavenly Dao golden glow, surrounded by dense Heavenly Dao power, as a Pressure far exceeding its previous state slowly spread out.

[Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the Heavenly Dao Trait: Sword Domain]

[Sword Domain: Heavenly Dao Trait!]

[1. Kendo Amplification: Can greatly increase the strength of one's own Sword Domain. Whether it is a Sword Domain understood by oneself or one manifested through a Magical Artifact, both receive all-around Enhancement, significantly boosting the Sword Domain's deterrent force and combat effectiveness.]

Qin Changsheng marveled inwardly. This single divine effect immediately raised his Sword Domain's power by a level. In the future, whether trapping or killing enemies with the Sword Domain, he would achieve twice the result with half the effort.

[2. Sword Domain Enhancement: The defense of the Sword Domain is greatly increased; ordinary Golden Core Cultivators cannot destroy the Sword Domain.]

[3. Casting Enhancement: The Speed of manifesting the Sword Domain is increased threefold.]

[4. Invincibility: Within the Sword Domain, you will gain a ten-second Invincible Golden Light Shield.]

[5. Synchronization: Your Incarnations can also use the Heavenly Dao Trait: Sword Domain.]

Looking at the description of the Heavenly Dao Trait, Qin Changsheng's eyes were full of joy.

Especially the fourth characteristic: Invincibility.

With these ten seconds of invincibility, it was enough to reverse the tide of battle in a desperate situation. Whether facing a powerful enemy far exceeding himself or being surrounded, he could rely on these ten seconds of invincibility to escape calmly or even counter-kill the enemy. This divine effect undoubtedly raised Qin Changsheng's survival capability to a new height.

Qin Changsheng slowly raised his hand, and with a thought, ten Dragon Abyss Swords flew out directly.

As soon as the Dragon Abyss Swords emerged, they formed a golden Sword Domain.

The golden Sword Domain enveloped the entire Secret Realm. Sword shadows crisscrossed, and the Pressure was majestic. Compared to the previous Sword Domain, the current Heavenly Dao Sword Domain was not only twice as strong, but its defense was also indestructible. Its manifestation Speed was like lightning, and his entire body was surrounded by a faint halo of invincibility, giving rise to a sense of power that controlled everything.

He could clearly feel every divine effect perfectly merging into the Sword Domain. Heavenly Dao power circulated within it, making every part of the Sword Domain exude a formidable aura.

Qin Changsheng's eyes were filled with delight. With the Sword Domain evolving into a Heavenly Dao Trait, his strength had undergone a qualitative leap. Whether dealing with the Yao Race's conspiracies or facing the Empress hidden in the Heavenly Sword Sect, he now had more confidence and chances of victory.

Putting away the Heavenly Dao Sword Domain, Qin Changsheng slowly stood up and looked at the Low Grade Heaven-Grade Magical Artifact, the Golden Light Spirit Stone.

At the same time, he summoned the Heavenly Dao Trait Enhancement.

[To enhance the Low Grade Heaven-Grade Golden Light Spirit Stone, one hundred million Spirit Stones are required.]

Looking at the Spirit Stones required for Enhancement, Qin Changsheng shook his head slightly.

Although Qin Changsheng had seized many Spirit Stones from the Yao Race,

those Spirit Stones had all been used by him to enhance Magical Artifacts; he didn't have many Spirit Stones left at all.

Moreover, this Low Grade Heaven-Grade Golden Light Spirit Stone was of no use to Qin Changsheng.

He didn't even own a Spirit Stone Mine right now, so even if he enhanced this treasure, it would serve no purpose.

Qin Changsheng put away the Golden Light Spirit Stone and then turned his gaze to the Secret Letter.

This Secret Letter was wrapped in a faint spiritual light. On the surface, it looked no different from ordinary letter paper, with no handwriting, as if it were just a piece of plain white paper.

But Qin Changsheng already knew in his heart how to decipher the Secret Letter.

Qin Changsheng brought over a basin of clear water and some realgar.

He placed the Secret Letter in the water.

A moment later, faint black characters gradually emerged on the previously blank Secret Letter. The handwriting went from light to dark, slowly spreading like ink dropped into water, until it was clearly presented on the paper.

A sharp light flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes as he quickly picked up the Secret Letter and examined it carefully.

He saw a short seven-character poem written on the Secret Letter, the handwriting neat and the strokes powerful.

[Heaven hangs sword shadows illuminating the Mortal realm, sword cries among a thousand Peaks hide an immortal face,]

[Deep within the Sect courtyard hide profound secrets, follow the traces to break through the dust and smoke,]

[A ray of clear light leads the way forward, the spiritual heart is secretly tied to old karmic ties,]

[Immortal poise cannot hide the monarch's aura, the Fairy's shadow hides her tracks awaiting the Lord's return.]

The moment he saw these lines of poetry, Qin Changsheng whispered, "In the Heavenly Sword Sect, seek Fairy Qingling."

After reading it, Qin Changsheng's whole body shook, and a flash of unmaskable astonishment and shock crossed his eyes.

"Seek Fairy Qingling?!"

"Could it be that Fairy Qingling is the Empress?"

"Or does Fairy Qingling know the Empress's whereabouts?"

A storm surged in Qin Changsheng's heart. He never expected that this Secret Letter entrusted by Granny Qing would hide such a shocking secret.

That Fairy Qingling, who had always stayed in the Qingyun Sect with a gentle and refined temperament, was actually the Empress that the Yao Race had been searching for so bitterly, hidden within the Heavenly Sword Sect!

After finishing his reading, Qin Changsheng showed no more astonishment or shock, merely slowly placing the Secret Letter into his Storage Space.

Over the years, he had been secretly suspicious of Fairy Qingling. Many clues had already made him a bit more wary of this Fairy from the Qingyun Sect.

What made him most suspicious was Fairy Qingling's extraordinary talent and Cultivation Speed.

The Qingyun Sect Leader, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi, was a Cultivator who had been famous in the Cultivation world for many years, with a deep Foundation and outstanding talent. Yet even so, Fairy Qingling's Cultivation Speed far exceeded that of Sect Leader Xuanyangzi and the others.

In just a few short years, she had soared from the Early Stage Golden Core all the way to the Peak Golden Core. Such a terrifying Cultivation Speed was absolutely not something an ordinary Cultivator could possess; it was more like she had used some kind of external force or possessed an unknown special identity herself.

Besides that, there were a few other things that deepened Qin Changsheng's suspicions.

First, Fairy Qingling had once secretly instructed Jiang Lijuan to go to the largest auction house in the Cultivation world and spare no expense to bid for a pair of purple-gold earrings.

That pair of purple-gold earrings wasn't some powerful Magical Artifact, but rather the Empress's earrings.

Back then, he had been very puzzled as to why Jiang Lijuan would bid for that pair of earrings.

Looking at it now, all of this was done under Fairy Qingling's direction.

With a wave of his hand, Qin Changsheng summoned the Heavenly Dao Trait: Intelligence.

In the next instant, a piece of information appeared on the attribute panel.

[purple-gold earrings: The Empress's earrings]

[Held by: Fairy Qingling]

[Location: Heavenly Sword Sect]

Second, Fairy Qingling possessed a purple-gold key.

That purple-gold key was the key to breaking the Empress's Seal.

Third, there was the defense map of the Yao Race's northern front from back then.

Back then, the northern defense line was suddenly breached by the Yao Race.

Before, he had always thought it was an accident.

Looking at it now, it was likely that Fairy Qingling stole the defense map and then handed it over to the Yao Race.

Fourth, over the years, Fairy Qingling had always been obstructing strategies against the Yao Race.

Some time ago, Qin Changsheng suggested that the Yao Race wanted to create chaos in the Mortal world to obtain Mortal blood.

But Fairy Qingling rejected investigating the matter on the grounds that Qin Changsheng's information source was unreliable.

Fifth, there was also that faint killing intent in the way Fairy Qingling looked at Hu Nan.

Qin Changsheng took a deep breath; he also wanted to hand this Secret Letter over to Sect Leader Xuanyangzi.

However, very quickly, Qin Changsheng shook his head.

Because Fairy Qingling and Sect Leader Xuanyangzi were Senior Brother and Junior Sister.

They had cultivated together in the Qingyun Sect since childhood. Sect Leader Xuanyangzi was decades older than Fairy Qingling and had looked after this Junior Sister in every possible way since they were young. Their bond was deep, far exceeding that of ordinary fellow Disciples.

Over the years, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi had trusted Fairy Qingling implicitly, leaving many important Sect matters for her to handle, and even praised her numerous times before many Cultivators for her outstanding talent and pure Heart-Nature.

More importantly, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi had spent many years with Fairy Qingling and understood her better than anyone else in the Cultivation world.

In Sect Leader Xuanyangzi's heart, Fairy Qingling was gentle, refined, and indifferent to worldly struggles. She was the pride of the Qingyun Sect and his most trusted Junior Sister; she could never be involved with the Yao Race.

Qin Changsheng knew clearly that if he gave this letter to Sect Leader Xuanyangzi,

Sect Leader Xuanyangzi would never believe Hu Nan's words, let alone the poem in the Secret Letter. He would only think it was a conspiracy set by the Yao Race and that Hu Nan had deliberately fabricated lies to frame his Junior Sister, Fairy Qingling.

...

Autumn went and spring came; in the blink of an eye, a year had quietly passed.

During this year, Qin Changsheng had been cultivating in the Cave-Heaven Blessed Land the entire time.

At the same time, he also secretly kept an eye on Fairy Qingling's every move, never relaxing for a moment.

After this year of dedicated Cultivation, Qin Changsheng's Cultivation level had seen a small, steady increase.

What pleased him even more was that his understanding of the Heavenly Dao Trait [Sword Domain] had also reached a higher level. Whether it was Kendo Amplification, Sword Domain Enhancement, or the use of casting Speed and the invincibility halo, he had become more and more proficient. He was already able to exert more than seventy percent of the Heavenly Dao Sword Domain's power, making it the most solid trump card in his hands.

Compared to the increase in his Cultivation, Qin Changsheng was still more concerned with Fairy Qingling's movements.

Over the past year, by taking advantage of the [Sensing] trait, he had been secretly tracking and observing her, and gradually discovered a hidden clue.

Fairy Qingling seemed gentle and quiet, practicing within the Sect all year round, yet she frequently went to the Qingyun Tower alone. Moreover, every time she entered the Qingyun Tower, within half an incense stick's time, the Yao Race's Shen Bing would follow closely behind. The two would stay in the tower for a long time before quietly leaving one after the other. The entire process was extremely secretive and had never been noticed by other Sect Disciples.

Shen Bing was Shen Guhong's daughter, with high Cultivation and a secretive way of acting. She spent the whole year maneuvering between the Yao Race and the major Sects to gather information.

Now, Shen Bing's frequent secret meetings with Fairy Qingling at the Qingyun Tower were definitely no coincidence.

However, what Qin Changsheng looked forward to and felt most joyful about was not the increase in his Cultivation, nor the clues he had found regarding Fairy Qingling, but the fact that a new year had arrived.

According to the rules of the trait panel, he could draw a new Golden Trait every New Year.