Chapter 1267: Yanjing

Next to this line of text was a clear illustration. Wang Qingling carefully scrutinized it; it strongly resembled the wood spirit possessed by Wang Changsheng.

"Thousand Gourd Realm, Fiend Lord Jinsha, Bloodthirsty Thorn."

Wang Qingling secretly noted these three terms. The "Record of Wood Spirits" offered no further information about the Bloodthirsty Thorn.

Fiend Lord Jinsha's wood spirit had already been destroyed. The wood spirit in Wang Changsheng's possession was likely cultivated from a Bloodthirsty Thorn seed. However, this doesn't mean that all wood spirit seeds can grow into wood spirits.

A thousand-year-old peach tree might become a spirit and transform into a peach tree demon under certain circumstances. This does not imply that all spiritual peaches borne by a peach tree demon can also become peach tree demons. Unlike demonic beasts, whose offspring are always demons, wood spirits are different.

She was even more curious about the cultivation level of the two Palace Masters of the Sun and Moon Palace, who were capable of destroying a high-grade Fourth-Tier Bloodthirsty Thorn.

The two Palace Masters of the Sun and Moon Palace had to combine their efforts and use their sect's treasured artifact to destroy the Bloodthirsty Thorn. From this, it was evident that a fully grown Bloodthirsty Thorn would possess formidable abilities.

The two Palace Masters of the Sun and Moon Palace were adept at combined attack techniques. As years passed, numerous ancient sects, some existing for tens of thousands of years, vanished into the river of history. Only the Sun and Moon Palace endured, and their combined attack techniques played a crucial role in their survival.

Creating a single cultivation technique isn't very difficult, but developing two perfectly compatible ones is exceptionally challenging. Furthermore, even a single technique requires continuous refinement by future generations, a process that takes at least several centuries. If one is unlucky and cannot overcome its flaws, all the centuries of effort and vast resources invested would be utterly wasted, like drawing water with a bamboo basket.

She continued to browse. Aside from the Bloodthirsty Thorn, she found no other thorn-type wood spirits. The "Record of Wood Spirits" documented hundreds of wood spirits, including peach tree demons, carnivorous plants, and spirit mushrooms that had taken human form, but the Bloodthirsty Thorn was the only thorn-type wood spirit listed.

An hour later, Wang Qingling finished reading all five ancient texts. She had gained a great deal, not only clarifying the origins of wood spirits but also acquiring much useful knowledge.

"Thank you, Senior Murong. We've finished reading. Please rest assured, we will not spread this information."

Wang Qingling returned the texts to the green-robed elder, speaking earnestly.

The green-robed elder nodded, put away the texts, and proceeded upstairs.

"Madam Wang, Fellow Daoist Wang, you must be tired from your journey. Please settle in first! We have already arranged your accommodation."

Murong Yuhua gestured for them to follow and led Wang Qingling and Wang Qiuming away.

On the third floor of the Scripture Repository, there were over a dozen tall, cyan bookshelves, laden with numerous ancient texts, jade slips, and bamboo scrolls. The green-robed elder carefully placed each of the five texts back in its original position.

A blue light shimmered in the void, revealing a plump and beautiful middle-aged woman.

"Brother Twenty-two, what do you make of the Azure Lotus Immortals?"

The middle-aged woman asked.

"I don't know, I haven't met them. Why? Are you still unwilling to give up, wanting to ally with the Wang family to open the family's secret realm? I suggest you stop worrying about it! This matter cannot be rushed; it requires a slow and deliberate approach."

The green-robed elder said meaningfully.

The middle-aged woman gave a wry smile. "Slow and deliberate? Brother Twenty-two, our development has hit a bottleneck. To open the secret realm on our own would likely take tens of thousands of years, and that's assuming our family doesn't encounter any major disasters. That demon has gone on a killing spree, causing widespread panic. In these troubled times, we must obtain what's inside the secret realm."

The Murong Royal Clan was formerly the Murong Family, the foremost cultivation family in the South Sea. When their family was annihilated, the Murong Family broke into scattered fragments, developing in various locations. Only this branch grew and prospered; all other branches vanished into the river of history.

The imperial family was the ruler of the Great Yan Dynasty, monopolizing most of the cultivation resources. The Murong Family's development had reached a bottleneck; to advance further, they needed to open their family's secret realm and retrieve the treasures within.

They had lost the key and could not open the secret realm unless eight Nascent Soul cultivators combined their efforts. It was precisely due to this restriction that the secret realm had not been opened by other forces.

The green-robed elder sighed. "I don't care about these matters; you all decide what to do. Don't think I'm meddling, but always have a backup plan for everything. The Wang family cannot be relied upon either. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself; outsiders will always remain outsiders."

"Of course. This matter isn't urgent yet; we're just preparing in advance. If our family rises and we can gather eight Nascent Soul cultivators, we won't need to ask the Azure Lotus Immortals for help. Yan Capital is holding a large-scale auction; will you attend? Second Uncle has already gone to Yan Capital ahead of us."

"A large-scale auction? Isn't that still forty or fifty years away?"

The middle-aged woman shook her head. "It seems it's because of that demon that the large-scale auction has been held early. They say many good items will appear. As the family's hidden strength, you and I must act discreetly, so as not to be discovered."

"I know how to act appropriately. In that case, I will make a trip to the capital."

Yan Capital was the imperial capital of the Great Yan Dynasty. The Capital Market, located within Yan Capital, was the largest market in the Great Yan Dynasty, abundant in cultivation resources and frequented by numerous merchants and travelers.

Yan Capital was situated on a plain, spanning 100,000 li. Its city walls, a hundred zhang high, were entirely constructed from massive cyan stones, each about a zhang long and half a zhang wide, with faint runes shimmering upon them.

Flags fluttered on the city walls, where hundreds of armored soldiers stood, closely monitoring everything around them.

Outside the East City Gate, a long queue stretched for three li, comprising people from all walks of life, including scholars and refined gentlemen, as well as butchers and woodcutters.

The area outside the West City Gate was relatively quiet. Cultivators entering Yan Capital were required to use the West City Gate. Standing outside was a middle-aged man with resolute features; judging by his aura, he was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

A colossal roar of a fierce beast echoed from high in the sky, like thunder.

Dozens of streaks of light appeared on the horizon. As they approached within ten li of Yan Capital, their speed decelerated, slowly descending towards the ground.

The streaks of light dissipated, revealing dozens of colossal golden tigers. Seated on the backs of these golden tigers were dozens of cultivators. A man and a woman stood upon a cyan lotus dharma seat; they were Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, Madam Wang, this is Yan Capital. How does it compare to the great cities of the South Sea?"

A tall, muscular man with a prominent beard pointed at Yan Capital, a hint of pride in his eyes.

Wang Changsheng smiled and replied, "The great cities of the South Sea and the Central Plains each have their own distinct characteristics; it's hard to say which is superior."

They had visited many markets, attempting to purchase Fourth-Tier medicinal pills for healing, but without success. By chance, they encountered Murong Bo, a leading figure of the Murong Royal Clan with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.

Murong Bo proactively invited them to travel together, and Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had no objections.

"Hehe, I've also been to the South Sea, but I still think Yan Capital is better. Let's go, enter the city."

Murong Bo chuckled, put away his spirit beasts, and walked towards the West City Gate.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the city gate performed a brief scan with a demon-detecting mirror. Finding no abnormalities, he permitted them to enter the city.

Please browse for a superior reading experience. The bookshelf synchronizes with the computer version.