The Nine Cauldrons

“Sect?” Li Jun and Yang Dong were both shocked.

A cold glint flashed in Yang Dong’s eyes as he asked, “Teacher, did you say Qing Hu Island?”

Teng Qingshan nodded and said, “Since I returned to the Land of the Nine Prefectures, the only sects that have held a grudge against are Emperor Yu’s Hall, Shooting Sun God Mountain, and Qing Hu Island! However, Emperor Yu’s Hall and Shooting Sun God Mountain are monumental sects, and they are not that stupid. Still, it is still possible that they were the ones who planned the attack! However, the force most likely to have planned this would be Qing Hu Island! It might be the remnants of Qing Hu Island trying to seek revenge!”

“The survivors of Qing Hu Island?” Hongwu and Honglin were slightly confused.

When they were born, Qing Hu Island had already been destroyed. Thus, naturally, they didn’t know much about Qing Hu Island.

“The remnants of Qing Hu Island…” Li Jun frowned and said, “Qingshan, after you killed the Blind Swordmaster, the elites of Qing Hu Island collapsed and dispersed. Many of their elites survived. If the many Powerful Experts of Qing Hu Island gathered together, they would be able to display tremendous strength.”

“Dong,” Teng Qingshan shouted.

“Teacher,” Yang Dong hastily responded.

“Issue this command: Gong Yu has been able to hide from us for a year, indicating that there must be someone helping him in Yuzhou. Find out who has he been in contact with and who he has met during this past year. I want to know which sect are those people part of!” Teng Qingshan frowned as he said, “Moreover, the expert that secretly notified us was a mysterious Innate Expert that lived in the region of Youzhou. If it was not because of him, over a thousand disciples in the branch of the Internal Martial Art would die.”

“Gong Yu has been hiding in Youzhou, so the mysterious Innate Expert must be in Youzhou as well.

“They must be hiding something in Yuzhou! Try your very best to investigate this!

“Also, command the people who had infiltrated the remnants of Qing Hu Island to try their best to find out what the remnants of Qing Hu Island are scheming,” Teng Qingshan said solemnly. The Xing Yi Sect was one of the greatest forces in the Land of the Nine Prefectures, and they have planted spies in the remnants of Qing Hu Island.”Yes, Teacher,” Yang Dong said respectfully.

Teng Qingshan felt that the desire to kill was surfacing into consciousness. He said to himself, “Qing Hu Island, I originally wanted to let your remaining members live… However, if you guys are really the forces that led this scheme for revenge, I will make sure that you all die.” Teng Qingshan had killed the evil leader of Qing Hu Island, the Blind Swordmaster. As for Gu Yong, he was nowhere to be found.

Teng Qingshan had no intention to kill the other members of Qing Hu Island. However, if those members had schemed against him, he would never allow them to live.

Five days later:

During the evening, Teng Qingshan was in his study room when Elder Zong Lu personally came to report something.

“Sovereign, we have news from Yuzhou.” Zong Lu held a thick pile of papers and said, “These papers contain the information of Gong Yu, regarding where he has been, who he has met, and all kinds of things.”

When Teng Qingshan saw the thick pile of papers, he frowned slightly. It would take him a long time to finish going through the papers. By the time he had read all the papers, it would already be midnight. Immediately, he said, “Uncle Zong, just tell me directly what you guys discovered about him.”

“Yes.”

Zong Lu respectfully elaborated quickly, “Our spies in Youzhou managed to find the people who had been in contact with Gong Yu. There are 18 people. Of the 18 people, 14 seemed very suspicious. Immediately, we dispatched people to capture the 14 people, but when we arrived, the 14 people were dead!”

“Dead?” Teng Qingshan was shocked.

“Right. Not only were these 14 people dead, but the relatives of these 14 people were also dead as well,” Zong Lu answered.

Hearing this, Teng Qingshan gasped.

The force that was going against his sect was very ruthless and fierce. In order to protect themselves, they had actually killed the 14 people and even the relatives of the 14 people. After all… Dead people cannot speak.

“It’s a dead end.”

Zong Lu said respectfully, “Sovereign, we are only certain of one thing now—Gong Yu had joined the Xing Yi Sect and learned the Fist Arts just so he could spread the cultivation technique to the outsiders in the Land of the Nine Prefectures! During the time he was in hiding, he lived a very simple life and rarely went to places with many people. Obviously, he didn’t betray the Xing Yi Sect for money or fame.”

Teng Qingshan nodded.

He was certain that there had to be a huge force behind Gong Yu, scheming against the Xing Yi Sect!

“Alright, Uncle Zong! You can go back and rest,” Teng Qingshan said.

“Yes.”

Zong Lu exited respectfully, leaving Teng Qingshan alone pondering in his study room. Immediately, with the use of the Sound Transmission Technique, he asked Li Jun to come into the study room.

“Qingshan, what do you need?” Li Jun said with a smile as she stepped into the study room.

“Little Jun, ask the Bladelike Chi to go to the Desolate Land and ask Little Blue to come here… Starting today, the Xing Yi Sect must be cautious at all times. Simultaneously, I will ask Little Blue to stay in the Great Yan Mountain,” Teng Qingshan said solemnly.

“Is the situation that serious?” Li Jun was astonished.

“Yes.

“Unfortunately.” Teng Qingshan shook his head as he said, “The Xing Yi Sect has no control over Youzhou. That is the territory of the Heavenly God Palace. The Xing Yi Sect does not have enough manpower in Youzhou. Although we are well aware that many of their people are hiding in Youzhou, we cannot owe the Heavenly God Palace any favor.”

Teng Qingshan didn’t want to ask the members of the Heavenly God Palace for help.

“It’s best to stay away from the Heavenly God Palace,” Teng Qingshan said.

“Yes, I think the Heavenly God Palace is becoming more dangerous.” Li Jun nodded and said, “Originally, their army was gathered in Youzhou. At first, I thought that they would attack the Snow Hawk, but I was wrong. Instead, their forces in Qingzhou and Youzhou gathered together and advanced several thousand Li to the Great Prairie and assembled with the elite troops there. And now the army has reached the southernmost areas of the Great Prairie and have entered the desert….”

Teng Qingshan nodded as he replied, “Yes, the Heavenly God Palace is really daring!”

The Heavenly God Palace had started dispatching their troops two years ago, and the elite troops of Qingzhou and Youzhou together now numbered over a million. The troops combined with the elite troops in the Great Prairie and continued advancing ten thousand Li, entering the vast desert!

The great desert!

That was the forbidden region for any living creature! The desert was deprived of water, and the horses couldn’t go fast in the desert. Moreover, the desert was too big, making the journey extremely difficult for the army.

“Obviously, the army of the Heavenly God Palace aims to pass through the desert and bypass the kingdoms in the western region. They would have to proceed through the Golden Path and head to Mani Temple!” Teng Qingshan commented emotionally, “The amount of food and water needed during this period is boundless… Fortunately, the number of the three troops combined only amounts to one million.”

The Heavenly God Palace ruled over a population of one billion people. Certainly, the one million soldiers of this army had to be the elites of the sect.

“We will be witnessing the battle between the two strongest sects in the Land of the Nine Prefectures,” Li Jun said with a smile.

When the great army of the Heavenly God Palace assembled at the borders of the desert, all the other sects in the land of the Nine Prefectures understood the intention of the Heavenly God Palace.

There was only one possibility—to attack Mani Temple!

Actually, there was an easier method—Eliminate the Ying Family and then cross Yongzhou to reach Rongzhou and Liangzhou, the two prefectures of Mani Temple. However, because of the 3,000-Li-wide Qin Mountains in Yongzhou, the prefecture of the Ying Family, it was too difficult for the Heavenly God Palace to cross the Qin Mountains and attack the Ying Family. Moreover, it was obvious that the Heavenly God Palace had no intention of being an enemy of the Ying Family.

They would rather take another route and pass through the huge desert!

“Back then, the Heavenly God Palace must have planned to destroy Qing Hu Island first and eliminate Shooting Sun God Mountain next. This way, they would be able to attack Mani Temple!” Teng Qingshan blurted out.

“Yes, this route is the easiest of the three. After all, Qing Hu Island and Shooting Sun God Mountain are both weaker.” Li Jun nodded.

Teng Qingshan smiled and said, “Pei San must be going to attack Mani Temple. Just let Mani Temple worry about this. This has nothing to do with us. Now I just need to find out who the force scheming against my sect is.”

…

Throughout the next several days, papers containing secret information were continually delivered to the Xing Yi Sect and placed on Teng Qingshan’s table.

However, this information did not have a high value. The intelligence agency had not been able to find out about any schemes planned by the remnants of Qing Hu Island.

“I won’t do anything. I will wait to see who’s the one behind this.” Teng Qingshan oversaw the Great Yan Mountain, and the Undying Phoenix and the Six Legged Bladelike Chi were both in the Great Yan Mountain as well. They weren’t afraid of anyone.

*****

In the Land of the Nine Prefectures, a strange period of peace and tranquility arose.

Besides the army of the Heavenly God Palace advancing in the vast desert, nothing much was going on in the Land of the Nine Prefectures.

In the Xing Yi Sect, in the Great Yan Mountain:

Rumble~~~ In the East Flower Garden, Teng Qingshan pulled open the doors of the cultivation room and walked out. And now the entire East Flower Garden was silver and white, covered in snow.

“Qingshan,” Li Jun greeted and walked over.

Teng Qingshan stared at Li Jun and said as he shook his head helplessly, “I thought I was very close to the Insightful Emptiness Realm, but I always notice new flaws and imperfections during the process of closed-door cultivation. I did gain more understanding and I did improve.” Teng Qingshan felt very helpless. It was the feeling of seeing a high mountain right ahead but never being able to reach the top.

The goal was visible but untouchable.

“However, I can’t be impatient,” Teng Qingshan said as he shook his head. “My teacher has been trying to understand the Dao of Life for a very long time. Until now, he still has not made a huge achievement.”

“Zhuge Yuanhong is too ambitious,” Li Jun said, shaking her head. “He could have comprehended the Dao of Mist, but he just wouldn’t do that. Instead, he wants to comprehend the Dao of Life. He wants to be able to exert control over 50% of the Power of the Heavens and Earth when he reaches the Emptiness Realm!”

Zhuge Yuanhong and Mu Tao, the experts overseeing the Gui Yuan Sect, had an extremely close relationship.

Ever since Zhuge Yuanhong found out that Duanmu Yu from the Duanmu Continent was able to control 50% of the Power of the Heavens and Earth when he had just attained the Emptiness Realm, he decided that he would comprehend the Dao of Life. With Mu Tao taking care of the sect, Zhuge Yuanhong could definitely focus on understanding the Dao of Life.

“Doing that will bring him some benefits.

“If he is able to comprehend the Dao of Life before he attains the Emptiness Realm, it will be easier for him to comprehend the Heavenly Dao,” Teng Qingshan said with a smile.

Teng Qingshan had just ended his closed-door cultivation. Elder Zong Lu, who was in charge of collecting and analyzing the information, rushed over.

At this moment, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun stood opposite each other in the living room, eating lunch.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

Zong Lu walked over quickly, treading on the snow.

“Uncle Zong.” Teng Qingshan smiled and walked to the living room to greet Zong Lu.

“Sovereign, I immediately came over when I heard that your closed-door cultivation had ended.”