Chapter 52: What’s the Purpose?

After that, the Qilin explained the general situation that had just occurred to the higher-ups of the Ling Wei.

Although it was a somewhat vague statement about helping resolve a significant problem that might lead to the destruction of Yangyuan County, without mentioning related disasters like the calamity of the gods, even this was enough for everyone to be immensely grateful to the Priestess and regard her as a hero.

After all, this was a fact acknowledged by the 【Holy Beast Qilin】 itself.

With that, the various problems arising from the depths of the tidal valley finally came to a conclusion. The Ling Wei and the exploration team led by Murong Yun stayed on the island for a night, and after ensuring that there were no further threats, prepared to escort the captured members of the Demon-Suppressing Sect back to the surface.

Though they had asked the Qilin if it wanted to join them in the outside world, it politely declined the suggestion from Vilyric.

It probably wanted to stay here and continue accompanying the West Saint, Yuan Qianqiu, who had departed earlier, quietly waiting for the arrival of its destined end.

Vilyric had considered helping it solve the problems caused by the Feather of Destruction, but the girl could tell that now that her companion had completely faded away and fulfilled its deepest obsession, the Qilin had little attachment left to this world.

Carrying a burden for a thousand years, this holy beast was tired.

Rather than physical issues, what it truly needed now was a genuine respite after releasing all responsibilities.

It was alright, anyway, based on Vilyric’s simple investigation, while the Qilin had indeed reached the end of its life, that was only relative to a long-lived beast like it; realistically, if nothing unexpected occurred, it could probably live for another ten years or so.

It just so happened that Priestess’s knowledge of the fearsome and inscrutable law of 【Void】 was still rather shallow, and it seemed the earlier solution to the problem with the Feather of Destruction was merely a coincidence facilitated by the golden-eyed Vilyric.

In that case, why not continue walking on the land of the Ancient Spirit Realm, and when she has a deeper understanding of such powers, return to see the Qilin’s stance wouldn’t be too late.

Time… there’s still plenty of it.

The return journey was much smoother than the arrival.

Not only was there the strong assistance of the Ling Wei, but the demonic entities in the tidal valley had also been significantly weakened due to the previous earthquake, the disappearance of Ya Zi, and the purification and destruction caused by Yuan Qianqiu burning itself, with most having vanished without a trace.

Though a few leftover little demons remained, they posed no threat to this experienced group of explorers and soldiers.

Before long, they climbed up the ropes from the giant cavity in the middle of the tidal valley, created by the earthquake when the Ling Wei army entered, and returned to the surface.

“Phew, what a feeling. It feels like I haven’t been gone long… Isn’t this what they mean by a feeling of being worlds apart~”

Looking up at the sunlight that was once again spilling down from the sky, Bai’er relaxed and stretched, while Ling Feng, who had always worn a heavy expression, seemed a lot lighter, nodding slightly.

After all, the biggest problem had indeed been resolved.

From yesterday until now, the exploration team that entered the tidal valley first hadn’t had much rest, successive battles and unexpected changes had drained much of their energy. Excluding the unpredictable Miss Vilyric, even Ling Feng, who had reached the 【Same Longevity】 state, showed signs of subtle fatigue after letting loose.

By the way, it seemed that the backlash she received previously from forcibly using the mystic technique to reinforce the Seven Star Demon-Preventing Seal had mostly healed, and none of it involved Vilyric’s interference.

This incomprehensible ability to heal oneself, aside from her strong personal strength, had to be connected to the bloodline power she had displayed before, even making Vilyric think of someone called 【Soul】, who also hailed from the Ancient Spirit Realm and had gray hair.

Oh, and besides that, there was another character who hadn’t been defeated by fatigue and seemed to still be in high spirits.

“Wait, the area outside the tidal valley… has changed to this extent? I see, no wonder the army could push in so easily; could it be due to the previous earth dragon turning over…?”

Muttering to himself, Murong Yun looked around in surprise.

Unlike those exploration team members who were, more or less, injured or buried underground, he actually appeared energetic, as though he could fight three hundred more rounds.

A freak, an absolute freak.

Aside from the 【Glorious Praise】 that Vilyric had released, this guy definitely had a problem with his constitution.

No wonder he could explore back and forth in the perilous tidal valley alone and even bounce back from the backlash of a divine artifact; this Murong Yun… was hiding quite a few secrets.

On the ground, the previously met Yin Yang Division guard, a Daoist robe-clad beauty named Qin Xuan, was still waiting anxiously. Upon seeing someone finally emerge from the depths, she quickly led her people to welcome them.

“Everyone! Below…”

The Ling Wei operated independently, so there was no need to specially report to her; rather, Murong Yun turned back to glance at the less than half team remaining, revealing a slight bitter smile.

“It’s a long story; let’s discuss it later. Where’s Lord Wen Fu?”

Qin Xuan nodded with a solemn expression.

“Earlier, the terrible earth dragon turning over destroyed over thirty percent of the buildings in Yangyuan City and surrounding villages; the citizens have suffered heavy casualties, and countless disaster victims have become displaced. Yangyuan County is now in chaos.”

“What’s worse is that the violent tremor caused a breach in the Yangyuan City spiritual prison, which holds numerous serious offenders. The vicious demons took the opportunity to kill the guards and escape, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the earthquake. Many have vanished from the city.”

“The city guards and the Yin Yang Division are all taking action under Wen Fu’s instructions to provide disaster relief and capture escapees. Currently, there’s no time to spare, so I can only stay here to oversee the situation.”

“Is it that serious…?”

Listening to Murong Yun and Qin Xuan’s low conversation, Vilyric, who had been pondering over previous events, was quickly drawn in and unceremoniously retorted.

“Hey, hey, isn’t your spiritual prison a bit too flimsy? It can break just from a few shakes? Could it be someone skimped on the construction costs…?”

Upon seeing the Priestess approach, the two hurriedly turned to her. Perhaps after being spoken to seriously last time, Qin Xuan’s expression had become noticeably more restrained, yet she explained with some helplessness.

“Senior Vilyric, the spiritual prison is a specially designed prison for detaining those with extraordinary abilities; it was constructed to withstand even the might of 【Immortal Seeking】 realm experts. This matter is significant, and no one would dare cut corners. The strength itself is assured.”

“The reason so many prisoners escaped is that the tremor was incredibly intense, and on top of that, it is said that some vile individuals had previously disguised themselves and infiltrated the spiritual prison. They took advantage of the breach created when the earth dragon turned and suddenly launched an attack, killing the guards from within. That’s what caused the situation to deteriorate to its current level.”

“Those wicked people seemed to have prior knowledge of the earth dragon turning over, making it quite difficult to guard against…”

Murong Yun nodded in affirmation.

“It appears this was a premeditated action, possibly including those Demon-Suppressing Sect thieves mingling with the exploration team as part of their plan… quite the aggressive move.”

“Could the spiritual prison… once again be their doing?”

Ling Feng, who had come closer to the group, pondered briefly and exchanged a knowing glance with Vilyric, as though reaching a certain silent understanding.

The Seven Day Demon Lords.

From the appearance of 【Fleeting Void】 beneath the Crystal Palace in that inner sea, attempting to attack and kill Ling Feng, it seemed there was a much larger force behind this entire incident.

Inciting and enraging Ya Zi, leading it to actively assault the seal, causing massive earthquakes, then exploiting the chaos from these sudden changes to spread confusion, breaking into the spiritual prison, attracting the authorities’ attention, and tiring them out.

Though the situation was mitigated on the Qilin side thanks to the interventions of Vilyric and others, as well as the plans and sacrifices left by Yuan Qianqiu, preventing a true disaster from collapsing the seal, it did not mean their intentions had completely failed.

If their goal was not to completely destroy Yangyuan County, then what exactly were they aiming at under the cover of this series of chaotic disturbances?

Reflecting on this, Vilyric turned her head and glimpsed the large groups of Ling Wei soldiers pouring out from the depths of the valley.

The Ling Wei army… their rapid control over those Demon-Suppressing Sect guys was largely thanks to their timely arrival, but it seemed that this group might just be bait.

Bait… wait!

A sudden jolt surged through the girl’s mind!

“Hey, if the Ling Wei army is here, then where is the Princess Ling!?”

   

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