Chapter 2125: Six Harmonies Commandments

"Reporting to the Patriarch, the turbid energy shows signs of receding!"

The elder reported in a low voice, his heart filled with apprehension, unsure if this was a good time.

Minzhuo's expression flickered slightly, and he nodded, saying, "You and the Tenth Elder are to return to the Sacred Lake immediately. Take men and proceed to the turbid lands first, then await my command!"

"Understood!"

The elder bowed and departed.

The cave dwelling closed once more. Minzhuo rose from his prayer mat, gazing eastward with a solemn expression.

For him, the receding turbid energy during their engagement was the best possible timing. The only drawback was that the battle wasn't intense enough yet.

How could he make True Human Qin overwhelmed on all fronts?

Minzhuo's eyes glinted.

Regardless, he had to find a way to extricate himself from here, personally travel to the turbid lands, and retrieve Mount Daiyu!

He paced back and forth in the cave dwelling, pondering for a long time. He then sat back on his prayer mat and waited quietly for several days. Upon learning that the formation breakers had returned, he left the dwelling and flew towards King Lu's imperial carriage.

The army was arrayed before the imperial carriage, their morale noticeably low. This suggested that the battle had not yielded favorable results.

Minzhuo's gaze swept across the formation. He saw some familiar faces, all elites of the Changyou Tribe, but many other familiar individuals were missing.

A year ago, the Changyou Tribe's elites were incorporated into King Lu's army and suffered heavy losses in the great war. The number of fallen experts likely surpassed those of the preceding century. He himself had participated in battles multiple times and had sustained injuries. This was a necessary price to pay; the Siyou Tribe's losses were even greater.

Stepping into the imperial carriage, Minzhuo heard someone describing the battle situation. He quietly entered the main hall, where King Lu and several Siyou Tribe experts looked over and nodded to him in a friendly manner.

During this assault on the Storm Realm, Minzhuo not only sent his tribesmen to participate but also never shirked his own duty. While his contributions might not have been significant, King Lu and the others took notice, and their regard for him greatly increased.

Minzhuo stood silently to the side, listening to the Siyou Tribe expert, Siyu, recount the events. Upon learning that a method had been found to counter the five-colored crown, he felt a surge of secret delight.

Since the start of the war, they hadn't even managed to leave the desert, largely due to their apprehension about that crown. Now that a method of restraint had been discovered and they were approaching the Great Compassion Zen Temple, a strong offensive might be possible when the time was right.

Minzhuo saw his opportunity, his expression unreadable. He wouldn't abruptly jump out and incite action; it would be best to push subtly to avoid arousing suspicion.

At this point, Siyu finished recounting the combat, and everyone looked towards the Grand Elder.

How to break the Nine Heavens Green Pool Thunderstorm Grand Law was secondary; their concern was whether the tokens' power could be enhanced to truly counteract the crown.

The Grand Elder fell into contemplation. A moment later, everyone sensed a faint fluctuation emanating from his fingertips, indicating he already had an idea and was making deductions.

King Lu spoke softly, "Let us not disturb the Grand Elder. Everyone, follow this King to the side hall."

Upon reaching the side hall, King Lu said, "Forging treasures is not an overnight task. In the meantime, I ask that you all continue to probe the power of the enemy's thunderstorm techniques, Patriarch Minzhuo..."

Minzhuo stepped forward in response.

"Was the Great Compassion Zen Temple formerly the foremost sect in the Western Lands?" King Lu asked.

"Precisely!"

Minzhuo nodded, speaking with hatred, "The Western Lands have many Buddhist sects, with the Great Compassion Zen Temple held in highest esteem. Its abbot, Master Huaiyin, is the foremost eminent monk of the Western Lands and has slaughtered countless experts of our tribe!"

King Lu mused, "In Patriarch Minzhuo's opinion, could one of the three auxiliary altars be hidden within the Great Compassion Zen Temple?"

Earlier, King Lu had already informed everyone of the Grand Elder's deductions regarding the Thunder Altar. In a configuration of one main and three auxiliary altars, the main altar was likely located in Central Plains or the Eastern Sea, with each of the other three major regions having an auxiliary altar.

However, the enemy had hidden the auxiliary altars too well; they still hadn't been able to deduce their exact locations. Only by destroying one of these auxiliary altars could they claim a major victory!

Hearing this, Minzhuo's heart stirred. He feigned contemplation and said, "There is indeed some possibility. The Great Compassion Zen Temple was once on the verge of destruction but was saved by Fairy Liuli, which is why it stands today. Although it is a Buddhist sect, it has close ties with the Green Goat Temple. It is also rumored that Master Huaiyin and True Human Qin share a connection. In the Western Lands, there is no other force that True Human Qin would trust more than the Great Compassion Zen Temple!"

After a pause, Minzhuo continued, "After repeated skirmishes, I believe all of you have realized that True Human Qin is cunning and adept at using feigned and real tactics. To an ordinary person, placing an auxiliary altar in the Great Compassion Zen Temple might seem unwise, but True Human Qin might well do the opposite. This is merely my personal opinion, and I hope King Lu will consider it carefully."

Having said this, Minzhuo knew the timing was right. He only needed to plant a seed of an idea in everyone's minds, then bowed and retreated.

Those present were all seasoned veterans; such statements could be considered reasonable conjectures. If he had been too eager or made groundless speculations, it would certainly have aroused suspicion.

As expected, someone nodded slightly, agreeing with Minzhuo's words.

"Given the Great Compassion Zen Temple's high status, even if it's not an auxiliary altar, it certainly houses an important dharma altar. Capturing the Zen temple is imperative!" Mountain Lord Mo stated resolutely.

King Lu remained noncommittal. As usual, he set the strategy for breaking the formation and then dismissed everyone.

Over the next nearly two months, King Lu's side dispatched people to challenge the formation multiple times. When they emerged from the heavy rain once more, the Grand Elder finally emerged from seclusion and produced a new type of token.

The token's size and form were similar to the previous ones, but the difference was a luminous pearl embedded in its center, with blue light swirling within.

"I have named these decrees the Six Harmonies Decrees, and the precious pearls within them are called Six Harmonies Inscribed Pearls. They are a set of extraordinary treasures I unexpectedly acquired, and incorporating them into the Six Harmonies Decrees complements them perfectly. All of you, integrate a drop of your essence blood into a decree and meticulously refine it; this treasure will then acknowledge you as its master. During combat, by collectively activating the Six Harmonies Decrees, you can restrict that crown!"

The Grand Elder's tone was full of confidence. With a wave of his hand, tokens flew towards everyone.

Upon receiving the decrees, some immediately forced out essence blood and attempted to refine them, while others observed cautiously for a while before putting them away.

The Grand Elder surveyed the crowd and continued, "The King and I have discussed this: the Great Compassion Zen Temple is the foremost sect in the Western Lands. Capturing this temple holds immense significance, and we must do our utmost to achieve it! Daoist Li..."

The Grand Elder turned his head to look at one side of the hall, where a person sat on a high chair. This person appeared young but exuded a weathered, world-weary aura, as if time had smoothed away their sharp edges. Sitting there, they seemed like the most ordinary and unremarkable individual, easily overlooked.

Of course, no one else in the grand hall overlooked this person.

This person was Li Yue, whose cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Void Realm's second tier. He was neither King Lu's subordinate nor part of any of the One Emperor and Four Kings' factions. He was known for his low profile and was not prominent within the Siyou Tribe, yet all factions showed him considerable deference.

Initially, everyone was greatly surprised to see Li Yue, as King Lu had managed to enlist his aid.

During this period, Li Yue only intervened in a few crucial battles, and his performance truly lived up to his reputation.

"What are your instructions, Grand Elder?" Li Yue rose, his voice as gentle as his demeanor.

"This battle is of utmost importance. I request Daoist Li to lead the army! I will personally act as your support!" the Grand Elder stated gravely.

The conflict, which had lasted over a year, saw both sides constantly probing each other's strengths with various tactics.

As King Lu's army pressed closer, in addition to Qin Sang and Si Lu's companion beasts, a sinister and peculiar stone statue and a firebird spirit successively appeared on the battlefield.

Ostensibly, the Storm Realm had revealed four Void Refinement experts.

With them soon at the city gates, if True Human Qin intended to fully protect the Great Compassion Zen Temple, now was the time to reveal any remaining trump cards!

What they were most wary of was the missing Attendant Xia. The Grand Elder had been waiting for him to show himself.

Li Yue nodded gently and readily agreed, "I shall do my utmost!"

After speaking, he looked at the others, cupped his hands, and said, "I hope all fellow Daoists will lend their full support!"

With the main general decided, the next step was troop deployment and formation. A ball of white light flew out from the Grand Elder's sleeve, revealing a jade slip.

With a flicker of divine sense, the contents of the jade slip materialized in the air.

Everyone's gaze was drawn to it. They observed closely and discovered a profound grand formation.

"Thanks to your repeated risky ventures into the thunderstorm to investigate, the King and I have deduced a method to break the formation: using a formation to counter a formation! Unless True Human Qin has other hidden surprises, we have over seventy percent certainty of success with this formation. However..."

The Grand Elder paused, waiting for everyone to grasp the formation. He then continued, "This formation has a core position, an eye of the formation, which requires an expert to guard it constantly. Once the grand formation is activated, this position cannot be hidden and will be most vulnerable to enemy targeting. I wonder if any fellow Daoists are willing to volunteer? I will surely offer a generous reward!"

Silence fell within the imperial carriage.

The Grand Elder's meaning was clear: if Attendant Xia remained hidden and then struck, he would undoubtedly target the formation's core first. At that point, with the grand formation battling the thunderstorm, others would struggle to protect the core, making it the most perilous position.

Though a generous reward was tempting, personal safety was paramount. No one wanted to collapse just before dawn, like reaching the top of a mountain but failing at the last step.

No one responded.

The Grand Elder felt a pang of disappointment. Just as he was about to designate a trusted confidant for the task, Minzhuo stepped forward from the crowd.

The Grand Elder was delighted. "Patriarch Minzhuo wishes to guard the formation's core?"

Minzhuo replied, "Precisely! I am willing to undertake this task. The hands of the Great Compassion Zen Temple monks are stained with the blood of my tribe. I once swore to slaughter all those bald monks and raze every Zen temple to comfort the heroic spirits of my tribe!"

Then, he cupped his hands again and said, "That person commanded me to fully assist King Lu, but under King Lu, experts are as numerous as clouds, and I have found no opportunity to display my abilities, which has made me anxious. After this is accomplished, I hope the Grand Elder will put in a good word for me with that person."

Even now, Minzhuo still didn't know the true identity of "that person," only having deduced their origin from snippets revealed by Zai Zhen. But this didn't stop him from bringing up "that person" to justify his actions.

With the turbid energy about to recede, he had to extricate himself quickly. Being severely wounded on the battlefield and retreating to the rear for healing was the most legitimate and least suspicious reason.

However, these experts all possessed keen discernment; intentionally feigning injury was not advisable. He had to find a genuine opportunity!

Now, the opportunity had arrived.

Minzhuo believed that the Boundless Eight Extremes Diagram was certainly not that simple; even if suppressed, there would be a way to escape. He specifically mentioned "that person" to further increase his standing in the Grand Elder's eyes.

For the sake of Mount Daiyu, it was worth the gamble!

As expected, the Grand Elder harbored no suspicions.

He was unaware that Minzhuo had never directly interacted with "that person." In his view, Minzhuo's obsequiousness and complete obedience to "that person" were perfectly normal. The Changyou Tribe had already offended the Zhuyan Tribe, and in this territory, only "that person" could protect them. Minzhuo had no other choice.

The others didn't know what unspoken pact Minzhuo and the Grand Elder were making, but they knew it surely concerned some great secret. They feigned ignorance to avoid getting involved.

Ten days later.

West of the Great Compassion Zen Temple.

Four figures hovered in the void.

Among them were Qin Sang and Si Lu's frost ferret, along with a black stone statue and a firebird.

The stone statue was sent by Su Nü, similar to a puppet, capable of remote control, and named the Stone Ghost Warrior, possessing considerable strength.

The firebird was a clone of the Vermillion Bird.

They gazed westward, seeing countless figures beyond the rain curtain. Battle formations, like dark clouds obscuring the sky, were advancing towards the curtain of rain.

It was impossible to count how many soldiers King Lu had dispatched this time, nor how many experts were hidden within the formations. One thing was certain: this was the most massive offensive since the war began!

The enemy had clearly come with an unwavering resolve to win.

"Brother Qin, your foresight is extraordinary; the enemy is indeed launching a major offensive," the stone statue's mouth opened and closed, emitting Su Nü's clear and melodious voice.

Qin Sang showed no trace of self-satisfaction; this was not difficult to predict.

The enemy had found a way to counter the Five Elements Divine Light and were now close to the Great Compassion Zen Temple; a general offensive was highly probable.

"Hehehe..."

The Vermillion Bird clone, ever eager for chaos, let out an excited cackle. "Too bad they don't know you cultivate both dharma and body, possessing not only a dharma idol but also a dharma body, and your dharma body's strength far surpasses your dharma idol's!"

Su Nü also smiled. "This time, they're surely in for a huge surprise. I wonder if we can eliminate a few of them first!"

"Difficult!"

Qin Sang shook his head. "Killing companion beasts is easy; killing people is not!"

He gazed at the continuous green mountains beyond the rain curtain. Earlier, sensing that the atmosphere was off, he had switched the positions of his Dharma Body and Dharma Idol, with the Dharma Idol guarding the main altar and the Dharma Body returning.

What appeared to be the same physical body was, in reality, completely different.

With the thunder talismans inscribed into the altar, it was the Thunder Altar that cast the Nine Heavens Green Pool Thunderstorm Grand Law, not Qin Sang himself; the Dharma Idol could also activate it.

While the opponents sought a way to counter the Five Elements Divine Light, Qin Sang was also devising methods to prevent their escape. Though there had been some success, he always felt this wasn't the full power of that mysterious land.

This time, with the Dharma Body taking action, if all went smoothly, it might be their final probe.

The Great Compassion Zen Temple held a special position in the Western Lands. Qin Sang knew the enemy would undoubtedly exert full effort to capture it. His retreat to the temple's exterior was precisely to leverage this opportunity for his plans!

As it now appeared, the situation was developing in the direction he had anticipated. Unfortunately, there was a minor unforeseen circumstance: the turbid energy had receded during this period.

"The enemy is coming in!"

Among the four, Si Lu was the most tense. Seeing the vanguard of King Lu's army enter the rain curtain, he quickly called out a warning.

Once the vanguard had fully entered the rain curtain, it would be their turn to act.

Qin Sang's lips moved slightly as he transmitted some instructions. His figure flickered, and he was the first to vanish deep into the heavy rain, disappearing without a trace. The other three figures concealed themselves soon after.