Chapter 1411: Power in the Darkness

Fu Wendeng was momentarily stunned. His weapon was a large axe, and cleaving open a bronze base with it seemed like no difficult task.

He acknowledged the instruction, raised his large axe, and swung it down.

As his axe neared the dragon head, a soft, yielding force pushed it aside. Fu Wendeng tried twice more, but each attempt was met with the same resistance, preventing him from completing his master’s command.

Qi Yunsheng frowned and instructed, "Gouge it from the back."

Fu Wendeng moved to the rear of the bronze base and swung his axe once more.

This time, the chiseling proceeded smoothly.

He had nearly split the bronze base in two when that same soft force reappeared.

He lowered his axe. "This barrier is remarkably strange; one cannot perceive it unless attempting to strike it."

"It merely serves to protect the dragon-head totem." This particular barrier was unlike any Qi Yunsheng had ever encountered.

Could it truly be, as the legends suggest, that it was not formed by human hands?

Accepting this would require acknowledging that Emperor Jiuyou was indeed a divine being, not human.

Qi Yunsheng abruptly rose and seized the axe from his disciple's grasp.

As he infused it with his true essence, a blue light emanated from the axe blade, growing increasingly vivid and concentrated.

Qi Yunsheng's cultivation was significantly more profound than Fu Wendeng's.

After gathering his full power, he, too, brought the axe down upon the dragon-head totem.

A sharp "clang" resounded, the sound of metal striking stone.

The onlookers immediately cheered, for the barrier shattered on impact, and the dragon-head bas-relief was split into fragments!

The Master's power was indeed extraordinary.

The supposed divine power left by Emperor Jiuyou was nothing more than that, no match for a single strike from their Master.

Qi Yunsheng tossed aside the axe and let out a cold laugh.

"I wondered how difficult it would be to break. It was nothing!"

He hadn't even used his full strength, yet this legendary, mystical bas-relief had been utterly shattered.

Perhaps this was merely an effect left by a divine spell?

The bronze fragments rolled a few times on the ground, and before they even came to a stop, a strange noise suddenly rumbled from beneath the earth.

Everyone quickly stepped back, calling out, "Master, be careful."

They feared that the bas-relief might have been cursed, and that breaking it would trigger...

Before their thoughts could finish, the ground beneath their feet began to undulate as if an earth dragon were stirring, accompanied by a dull, rumbling, cracking sound.

Everyone scattered as if facing a formidable enemy.

The sound emanated from deep underground; it was thick and resonant, somewhat resembling a monstrous, muffled roar.

This unusual phenomenon persisted for about ten breaths before abruptly ceasing.

They then observed the ground, where small mounds, about two feet high, had emerged and protruded upwards. They resembled paths in a field, but even more so, bulging veins on a human body.

What was this?

The area was vast, and from ground level, its full extent was impossible to discern clearly.

Fu Wendeng climbed the nearest large tree, ascending five zhang above the ground, to get a better view from above.

With a single glance, his expression changed drastically.

"Master, this... this is incredible..."

From his vantage point, the dragon-head bas-relief had reappeared.

This time, it wasn't on the bronze base, but imprinted on the very ground where everyone stood!

The dragon-head mark was no longer merely the size of a millstone; it had transformed into a colossal pattern with a diameter of ten zhang!

Currently, almost everyone was standing directly upon this colossal pattern.

Notably, Qi Yunsheng's position was directly within the gaping maw of the dragon, as if the creature might burst from the earth and devour him at any moment.

The inherent, ancient majesty of a dragon washed over them.

Even a cultivator as seasoned as Fu Wendeng felt an ineffable sense of awe in that moment.

Hadn't Qi Yunsheng just boasted of shattering the dragon-head totem?

It was as if this mysterious, unseen power sought to impress upon everyone that it could never be obliterated by human hands!

What would happen if they tried to remove this mark from the ground as well?

The others exchanged wary glances and subtly took two steps back, fearing that the Master might indeed command them to act.

As the others marveled amongst themselves, Qi Yunsheng remained silent, having leaped to the treetop to gaze down for a long while.

This phenomenon was clearly beyond human capability. A single word sprang to his mind:

A miracle.

If this pattern were to appear before any temple, it would undoubtedly be hailed as a divine miracle.

Could the so-called Emperor Jiuyou truly be connected to the divine?

Was there a deity behind him, or was he, perhaps, a deity himself?

Qi Yunsheng swiftly dismissed that thought, as another critical concern came to mind:

Xue Zongwu had come to him this time to discuss the murder of the accountant Qian Yu and the theft of the problematic ledgers from Frost Creek. Both he and his disciple were deeply concerned: what if the ledgers had been stolen by someone under Supervising Minister Qingyang?

These ledgers, if they fell into Qingyang's hands, would be a devastating weapon against Xue Zongwu and King Yao.

Until this very moment, he had believed that Qingyang shouldn't directly target Xue Zongwu. Such matters could be resolved openly in court; why resort to a high-risk assassination?

A botched attempt, with leaked information, would be disastrous for Qingyang.

However, conversely, from Qingyang's perspective, if she were confident she could eliminate Xue Zongwu directly, wouldn't that yield the greatest benefit?

The frontier general who had always opposed her, a trusted confidant of King Yao, would be gone, greatly reducing Qingyang's obstacles in overseeing the State of Yao. Xue Zongwu's death would also cause a stir in the imperial court, offering Qingyang an excellent opportunity to make strategic arrangements.

For her, all these outcomes would be advantageous.

Qi Yunsheng couldn't be certain if Qingyang had other calculations woven into her plans. After all, the old hag was nearly two hundred years old, having lived twice as long as he had.

Furthermore, Qi Yunsheng had heard whispers that Supervising Minister Qingyang also seemed to have connections to divine beings.

This wasn't surprising. If one were to claim that Beiga's old Grand Preceptor didn't know divine beings, Qi Yunsheng would be more inclined to disbelieve it.

So, how difficult would it be for Qingyang to conjure a miracle like the dragon-head totem beneath their feet?

If a deity willed it, it should certainly be possible, shouldn't it?

The more divine phenomena Emperor Jiuyou manifested, the closer his connection to the deities seemed.

This was a useful clue.

At that moment, his house servant finally rushed over, cradling a red wooden box in his arms, its lid covered with a thin layer of dust.

"Master, your box!"

Qi Yunsheng opened the box, which contained an assortment of vessels, looking at first glance like a mere junk container.

From the bottom of the box, he retrieved a sewing kit, carefully extracting a golden needle and placing it in a bronze bowl which he then filled with water.

The golden needle appeared ordinary, much like a common sewing needle, but under the light, it occasionally shimmered with faint blue or red luminescence.

Qi Yunsheng then chanted an incantation and affixed a talisman paper to the side of the bowl.

The water in the bowl instantly stilled, becoming perfectly motionless, as if solidified. At this point, even if the bronze bowl were inverted, the water would not spill.

While the water remained still, the golden needle within the bowl began to drift. Initially, it rotated as if orienting itself, but after approximately seven or eight breaths, it ceased its movement, its tip pointing steadily westward!

Upon closer inspection, it was still moving, albeit very slowly.

A faint, cold smile finally touched Qi Yunsheng's lips. "Emperor Jiuyou? Ha, why are you still in the human world after committing murder?"

The artifact known as "Plain Sailing" had been crafted by Qi Yunsheng's benevolent master using this very "Merciful Mother Needle" from the bowl, subsequently given to Qi Yunsheng. Years later, Qi Yunsheng gifted "Plain Sailing" to Xue Zongwu as a life-saving magical artifact, while retaining the Merciful Mother Needle for himself.