Chapter 386: Taichang Temple

"Has the investigation been completed?"

Tai Shi Yu was stunned. Seeing Jiang Ning's serious expression, he clapped his hands repeatedly and exclaimed with great joy, "Haha, your Phoenix Terrace is truly impressive! This is excellent! What's there to distinguish? Arrest all fifty people, throw them in prison, and then slowly screen them. Better to capture the wrong ones than let any escape. This is a tremendous achievement that can earn us many top-tier cultivation resources."

Tai Shi Bai was even more excited and cast a grateful look at Jiang Ning. "The Tai Shi family won't compete for this merit, Fairy Yu. Please state any demands you have."

Jiang Ning said, "I need the city defense corps, overseen by the Tai Shi family, to cooperate with the Phoenix Terrace and apprehend all the 'Departed Spirits' tonight."

"Good, let's act now," Tai Shi Bai said, eager to proceed.

Outside the courtyard, fluctuations of spiritual energy emanated.

With a whoosh, a eunuch in a green robe, appearing to be in his fifties or sixties, used a divine movement spell to instantly appear in the inn. He looked at the four individuals in the courtyard and spoke in a shrill, aged voice, "The Grand Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has ordered that the demoness from Dragon Gate be sent to him."

Tai Shi Bai looked at Tai Shi Yu with a pleading gaze.

The Grand Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Tai Shi Qingshi, was Tai Shi Yu's father and a prominent figure in the Tai Shi family.

Tai Shi Yu hadn't expected her father to interfere. Calmly, she said, "You and Sir Jiang should act quickly and handle this perfectly, making sure no more mishaps occur. I will personally take her to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and try to keep her alive until dawn. Li Weiyi, you're coming with me!"

Upon hearing the name, Tai Shi Bai looked at Li Weiyi, who was still disguised as Zhao Meng, and paused slightly. "Zuo Ning?" he uttered.

Li Weiyi replied with an apologetic smile, "Once this task is complete, we can talk in detail tomorrow."

Inside the carriage heading to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Long Xiangcen's cultivation was once again sealed.

Li Weiyi and Tai Shi Yu sat on opposite sides, each lost in their thoughts.

Li Weiyi remained skeptical about Long Xiangcen's confession. It was highly probable that she genuinely didn't know the confidential details of the attack on Skyreach City and truly believed her role was merely to create chaos within the city to support the Western Front's war efforts.

Every infiltrator was merely a pawn.

Only when the precise attack time was confirmed would the order be personally issued by Luan Sheng Linyou.

This was the only way to prevent information leaks to the greatest extent possible.

However, it was unlikely that she only knew those two pieces of information.

Li Weiyi gently advised her, "If you have any secrets, it's not too late to tell them now. Don't hide them anymore. Luan Sheng Linyou doesn't care about your life or death, so why keep resisting for him?"

Long Xiangcen dared not reveal that Li Weiyi possessed a Divine Son's Life Tablet.

In her view, Li Weiyi had previously helped her.

Without Li Weiyi attracting Tai Shi Bai, she would have had no hope of survival. If Li Weiyi were to tell Tai Shi Bai about her connection to Luan Sheng Linyou, her last hope of survival would also be extinguished.

She believed that if she kept Li Weiyi's secret, he would keep hers.

Li Weiyi said, "She might be afraid of being killed by the demon race's Death Spirit Flame if she reveals secrets. Chief Jia, is there any way to block the Death Spirit Flame?"

"I've been maintaining a mental energy field to block it, precisely because I'm afraid she'll be silenced," Tai Shi Yu replied.

Li Weiyi asked, "Is there no permanent solution?"

"It can be blocked within certain special fields, such as the prisons of Skyreach City's various yamen offices. Residences where transcendent beings reside are also viable. Of course, it also depends on the intensity of the Death Spirit Flame within her," Tai Shi Yu explained.

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices' yamen office stood adjacent to the Skyreach Palace.

Through the carriage window, Li Weiyi saw three palace complexes built into the mountainside.

Veiled in clouds and mist, they appeared incredibly grand.

The Phoenix Pavilion, standing centrally, was a thousand zhang tall, its buildings shaped like clusters of flames. The main hall was at the mountain's peak, hidden within the clouds. Within the dense mist, the gigantic shimmering silhouette of a phoenix feather was visible, emanating a soul-stirring aura of power.

Jade Yaozi, the strongest person in the world, resided atop that mountain, having been in secluded cultivation within the palace for over a decade.

Even so, as the carriage passed by the mountain base, an immense sense of oppression was palpable.

"As long as she's there, no one can breach Skyreach City."

This was the consensus among all martial cultivators in Skyreach City, as Jade Yaozi's achievements a thousand years ago were terrifying: she single-handedly, with one sword, repelled the entire Nether Realm of the Departed.

She was a formidable individual, capable of fighting a group of transcendent beings alone!

Jade Yaozi was merely in seclusion; she wasn't dead!

To the left, the Phoenix Terrace, nine hundred zhang tall, comprised a cluster of white jade buildings.

To the right, the Kylin Terrace, eight hundred zhang tall, primarily consisted of black stone structures with lush vegetation and exotic birds circling overhead.

Above the three palace complexes, spiritual energy constantly rained down from beyond the heavens, gathering into waterfalls and spiritual streams that flowed towards Skyreach City and the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plains.

Ordinarily, this area was enveloped in clouds and shimmering light, making it invisible from the city, as if it were cut off from the world.

With a whoosh, the formation opened, and the carriage proceeded into the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

In the expansive square, a three-colored flame burned in a ceremonial altar.

A group of oddly dressed spiritual masters surrounded the altar, some beating Mosa drums, others shaking waist bells, and still others holding divine staffs... A total of eighteen spiritual artifacts were activated simultaneously, while strange incantations were chanted.

Tai Shi Yu explained, "They are performing an ancient secret art to ward off evil. The dungeon where the 'Ghost Infants' and 'Ghost Mothers' are held is directly beneath this altar."

Li Weiyi asked, "Is it effective?"

Tai Shi Yu answered euphemistically, "It can make the wails of the Ghost Mothers and the cries of the Ghost Infants much quieter."

"How many Ghost Mothers are imprisoned here?" Li Weiyi inquired.

"I'll take you there in a moment... We've arrived!"

The carriage came to a stop, and Tai Shi Yu, holding Long Xiangcen, disembarked first.

Tai Shi Qingshi sat on a rosewood chair just outside the main entrance of the yamen hall. Behind him, the room was brightly lit, with yellow window paper.

Around him, more than a dozen eunuchs and female officials had gathered. All of them possessed formidable spiritual power, and most were over sixty years old.

Tai Shi Qingshi appeared to be in his forties, with a gaunt and slender face, though his true age exceeded two hundred years. His eyes gleamed with an inner light.

After Tai Shi Yu and Li Weiyi saluted, Tai Shi Yu immediately reported the results of Tai Shi Bai's earlier interrogation.

This instantly caused a stir among the assembled officials.

Tai Shi Qingshi's expression remained calm, and without superfluous words, his gaze fell upon Long Xiangcen. "Fetch a scoop of the Mother-Child Spring and have her drink it."

Upon hearing this, Long Xiangcen's face instantly turned pale.

Li Weiyi also hadn't expected this Grand Minister to use such a tactic, confirming the saying that the older the ginger, the spicier it is.

Tai Shi Yu tried to intercede but was rebuked before he could even speak.

"Silence!" Tai Shi Qingshi commanded, not even glancing at him. His gaze shifted to Li Weiyi. "The Nine Li Tribe has gradually declined over the past few centuries, but the Hidden Gate has produced many talents. Your disguise technique is exceptionally well-practiced; you've even mastered the legendary Bone-Changing and Spirit-Swapping art. Surely, Li Songgu didn't teach you that? He doesn't possess such skill!"

Li Weiyi felt Tai Shi Qingshi's gaze like two scorching suns shining closely upon him, as if every pore could be seen clearly.

Li Weiyi immediately dispelled his disguise, revealing his true appearance, and bowed with cupped hands. "It's merely a trivial life-saving skill. Before a true powerhouse, I am instantly exposed."

"As a Hidden God of your generation, one of the few chosen talents in Skyreach Realm, you can afford to be a bit more arrogant. There's no need for such humility. If I hadn't known your identity beforehand, I wouldn't have observed you so closely and might very well have overlooked you."

Tai Shi Qingshi continued, "Song Yulou has already reported your abilities to the Third Palace Master. The Third Palace Master has ordered that you must be found, and the Ghost Infant incident resolved as quickly as possible. Here we go! Let this Hidden God show us something remarkable. This official is quite curious about the spiritual essence of the Fusang Divine Tree and the mental power of the Golden Crow's flames."

Two soldiers carried over a large iron cage and placed it before Li Weiyi.

The iron cage was wrapped in chains and covered with numerous talismans.

"Tear off all the talismans," Tai Shi Qingshi commanded.

The two soldiers exchanged glances before cautiously approaching.

Li Weiyi walked over, gestured for them to step back, and with a flick of his sleeve, unleashed a burst of spiritual light that swept all the talismans away.

The Ghost Mother inside the cage immediately opened her eyes.

Her pupils erupted with bright, blood-red radiance.

With a clatter, the iron chains rattled violently.

Then, with a boom, she let out a piercing shriek, unleashing immense power. Gusts of wind and mist surged outwards, shattering the iron cage and chains into fragments that flew in all directions.

The Ghost Mother had disheveled hair, blood-red eyes, fangs, and long, sharp claws. Her entire body was covered in purplish-black veins, and chilling corpse energy and ghostly qi surged out simultaneously, enveloping the surrounding area like a black cloud.

She possessed the cultivation of the Dao Seed Realm.

Being closest to her, Li Weiyi was the first to be attacked.

Li Weiyi took a step back, evading her claw strike, then reached out with his left hand and seized her wrist.

He pinched his right fingers together.

Spiritual light at his fingertips shone brightly like a star as he struck the Ghost Mother's glabella.

"Zhe!"

Ripples of spiritual light emanated from her glabella, purifying all the corpse energy and ghostly qi.

The Ghost Mother's eyes closed, and she collapsed softly at Li Weiyi's feet.

"What excellent mental artistry, a single finger dispelling evil," a spiritual master from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices praised loudly.

After examining the Ghost Mother's condition, Li Weiyi felt a heavy heart. He slowly stood up and shook his head. "The time of her transformation has been too long. Her flesh and blood are almost completely corrupted into a corpse. How is this still a living person? Grand Minister, I'm afraid I'm powerless to help!"

"Just give it a try," Tai Shi Qingshi said. "Treat the dead as if they were alive."

Tai Shi Qingshi was well aware of the Ghost Mothers' condition, so he hadn't held much hope.

Song Qingli could be saved because her cultivation was high, the time of her transformation was short, and her flesh-and-blood body could still be reversed.

Meanwhile, two eunuchs were about to force Long Xiangcen to drink the Mother-Child Spring.

Long Xiangcen, terrified, turned pale and dared not conceal anything further. She hurriedly confessed, "I'll tell you everything, everything. Those who have transformed now are women who drank the Mother-Child Spring in the last two years, but... it's not like that, it's not like that. ALL women who have drunk the Mother-Child Spring will transform... When that day comes, they will all turn into Ghost Mothers. And their children will all become Ghost Infants and Ghost Children..."

Boom!

Her words struck like an earthquake.

Not only were Li Weiyi and the attending officials stunned, their scalps tingling, but even Tai Shi Qingshi's face changed dramatically. He swayed and then fell back into his chair, completely losing his composure.

It was important to remember that the Mother-Child Spring had been brought back to Skyreach City by Jade Yaozi more than twenty years ago.

This was about ten years before the outbreak of the war.

Over twenty years, how many women had drunk the Mother-Child Spring?

If this were to erupt all at once...

The sky would fall!