Ascending the Jade Palace Chapter 93: Jingyi of the Wang Clan, Her Sword Cleaves the H

Regarding the difficult judgnt of whether Hongi was a true hegemon enduring humiliation to bluff the Wang Clan, or just a natural waste whenever he encountered a challenge, Wang Jingyi had her own special solution.

"Apply a charm art on him. His own cultivation thod is a charm art, yet none of you thought of using it to reverse-control him?"

Wang Jingyi effortlessly found the breakthrough to the problem.

Inside the patriarch's chamber, Yulou was also present. He watched the old patriarch offer an embarrassed reply.

"Charm arts are an insignificant path, and our Wang Clan lacks its inheritance, which is why it didn't cross my mind for a mont."

Facing his eldest sister, even the mature and stable old patriarch had his awkward monts. Yulou chuckled silently to himself.

A patriarch like this was truly entertaining, soone he would never get to see under normal circumstances.

"Speaking of which, there are things you don't know," Wang Jingyi continued. "Among the Ten Sects, only two cultivate charm arts: the Sky Serpent Sect and the Moon Splendor Sect. The Sky Serpent Sect rears many spiritual beasts. Those spiritual beasts know that once they give birth to offspring, the young will eventually be skinned and have their bones scraped by the Sky Serpent Sect when they grow up, so they refuse to breed. Therefore, the cultivators of the Sky Serpent Sect practice charm arts specifically to assist in crossbreeding their spiritual beasts."

Yulou listened in dumbfounded shock. He glanced at Hongi on the floor, and imagining Hongi assisting in the crossbreeding of spiritual beasts sent a shiver down his spine.

In the vast world of cultivation, wonders truly never ceased!

"Ancestor, then why does the Moon Splendor Sect cultivate charm arts?" Yulou wanted to continue broadening his horizons, so he asked cleverly.

"The Moon Splendor Sect likes to recruit outer disciples and then send them out to work as prostitutes to earn spirit stones. The ceiling of charm arts amounts to nothing more than this."

So that was how it was. It made sense; charm arts achieved their advantageous effects against enemies by influencing human consciousness. However, in magical combat, far too many thods were more direct, faster to take effect, easier to use, and possessed broader applicability.

Take sword cultivators, for instance, who excelled at utilizing flying swords. When a sword cultivator encountered a practitioner of a charm art, before the latter could even activate their technique, the sword cultivator's flying sword would already be slicing through the air, leaving the charm art practitioner to suffer a heavy blow.

"But senior sister, no one in our Wang family understands charm arts..." Wang Xianmao indicated that identifying the crux of the problem was not equivalent to solving it.

However, as a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, Wang Jingyi naturally possessed her own ans.

"I have charm art talismans, though their power is quite small and might be useless against high-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Still, weakening his will to resist should just about do it."

She sat where she was, sipping her tea while controlling her flying sword to begin paring away at Hongi's flesh.

One strike, two strikes, three strikes...

In truth, the mont he heard Wang Jingyi's words, Hongi already wanted to confess.

This old crone was simply too ruthless. Wang Jingyi's ruthlessness was different from Gao Jian's. Gao Jian belonged to the type who shouted and barked, only daring to act tough against the weak, whereas Wang Jingyi was soone who would rather act than talk nonsense.

Hongi wanted to confess, but his divine sense was restricted by the giant green python, and his mouth was stuffed with vines. He wanted to speak out but had no way to do so. This sort of thing was like gagging soone during an interrogation and then asking why the victim refused to speak. Calling it a miserable state was an understatent.

"Ancestor, wait, my master seems to want to confess!" Among the three, Yulou was the one who cared most about Hongi.

He truly did not want Hongi to perish directly. Even if Hongi could not achieve Foundation Establishnt, he still could not die.

That kid Yu'an was deeply in love with Senior Sister Ningyao. As the older brother, he wanted to bring Yu'an and Ningyao together.

This matter was too trivial, so perhaps the patriarch and Ancestor Jingyi did not care about Yu'an's romantic feelings, but as the eldest brother, Yulou cared.

The flying sword ca to a halt, the giant python vanished, and Hongi spoke with a tremble, filled with terror. "What do you want to ask?"

Wang Jingyi glanced at Wang Xianmao in surprise. Xianmao, you an to say you haven't asked him a single thing yet?

"Cough, did An Ning truly pass away?" Wang Xianmao cleared his throat with a flush on his face, speaking up.

The patriarch thought to himself: Fortunately, my face is green-complexioned, so even if I blush, no one can tell.

"She passed away, she passed away! But her grotto-heaven is sealed. She told that it can only be opened after I reach Foundation Establishnt. If I couldn't rely on myself to achieve Foundation Establishnt, I was to pass the matter of the small grotto-heaven down to Ningyao, so that she could open it after achieving Foundation Establishnt in the future. The reason for this arrangent was the fear that our cultivation bases would be insufficient, causing us to court disaster because of the grotto-heaven."

Wang Xianmao and Wang Jingyi exchanged a glance before resuming their interrogation. They asked a thorough round of questions, and Hongi answered everything he knew without reservation, though he genuinely did not know much.

Nevertheless, by the end of it, the two of them still did not entirely trust Hongi's words.

But things having reached this point, they could only head to the location of the small grotto-heaven to take a look.

Even if it were a poisoned bait, Wang Jingyi had the confidence to take a bite and spit it back out!

"I will return to the clan to fetch Rongshi. You take Hongi to the location of the small grotto-heaven to set up a formation array. That way, even if An Ning is still alive, the two of us can still wage a battle against her!"

The patriarch specialized in wood-elental thods and held a significant advantage in setting up formation arrays, making Ancestor Jingyi's arrangent highly reasonable. Wang Xianmao looked at Yulou and said, "Eldest sister, take Yulou along with you. I fear he might encounter another unexpected mishap..."

At that ti, Wang Xianmao had even intended to take Yulou directly to Dripdrop Cave to join the sect. It could be said that the patriarch attached imnse importance to Yulou.

"Very well!"

Wang Jingyi possessed a decisive temperant. She imdiately wrapped Yulou in spiritual energy, instantly teleporting into the sky.

Driving her Minor Formless Spirit Sword and holding Yulou with one hand, she flew straight toward the territory of the Wang Clan.

By the ti Mu Chunzer, who presided over the grand array of Clear Stream Market, discovered that a high-stage cultivator had visited, Wang Jingyi had long since departed.

Mu Chunzer had been startled several tis today, and he was shocked once more this ti, believing another grand cultivator had paid a visit. He conjectured that perhaps the Mangxiang lineage behind the Wang Clan had sent a Purple Palace cultivator to inspect.

However, since the person had already left, he naturally would not cause further trouble.

This was precisely the strength of Wang Jingyi. Moving in and out of the grand array established by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect as she pleased, Mu Chunzer could not even catch a glimpse of her tail!

——

Two days later, late at night, beneath an unnad mountain gorge more than three hundred miles east of Clear Stream Market.

Yulou, who was kept close to the patriarch's side at all tis, had also arrived at this location. However, he could only watch the actions of the patriarch and Ancestor Jingyi from a distance.

Wang Xianmao sat at the center of the formation array. He had deployed a triple formation array; the first layer of concealnt array encompassed a radius of three miles, and within it lay two layers of killing arrays. Standing inside the killing arrays, Yulou was perfectly safe.

Ancestor Jingyi was a tal-attribute sword cultivator. Placing her hand upon a massive, seventh-grade yang-raising stone, she had already stood there for two full days and a night. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and said, "It is about ti. Let us begin."

Hearing this, Wang Xianmao manipulated a wooden vine to lift Hongi up to the boundary where An Ning's small grotto-heaven intersected with this world—should any mutation occur, he could also be used to block a blow.

Seeing the two ancestors finally make their move, Yulou hastily widened his eyes, wanting to see their techniques clearly.

Wang Jingyi had received nurturing from the Wang Clan since childhood to build her foundation. Later, she entered the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and beca a disciple of True Person Xuanzhuan, making her an exceptionally formidable sword cultivator.

The only scenario in which an ordinary cultivator could witness a sword cultivator from such a major sect strike would be right before they reported to the underworld.

However, though Ancestor Jingyi had called for the start, the two of them were not in a rush at all. Instead, they continuously utilized various talismans and spells to augnt their potential advantages in any ensuing combat.

Wang Xianmao naturally activated his divine ability as well. Once Limitless Spiritual Opportunity was unleashed, the green spiritual vitality blocked out everything around him, leaving Yulou unable to see a thing.

Hongi was scared out of his wits by the imposing aura of the two individuals, to the point where he even prayed in his heart. An Ning, oh An Ning, my love, you absolutely, positively must have passed away. Do not screw over under any circumstances.

These were two killing gods who had prepared themselves for two days and a night!

"Are you ready yet?" Ancestor Jingyi's voice remained eternally placid, sounding akin to a piece of cold tal.

"In a mont. Let us apply one more Golden Eagle Fall Talisman. Just in case we cannot defeat her, we can still flee... There, all set."

After the two had utilized a horde of amplification spells and talismans, Wang Xianmao applied an extrely rare Golden Eagle Fall Talisman. This was a Foundation Establishnt-grade talisman crafted from the flight feather of a golden eagle. The na 'Golden Eagle Fall' implied that once it lost its flight feathers, the golden eagle would fall to the earth and never fly again.

However, with the enhancent of the Golden Eagle Fall Talisman, a cultivator's escape thod would beco a notch faster. Furthermore, the effect of a rare Foundation Establishnt talisman like the Golden Eagle Fall operated externally—it would not inflict any side effects upon the user, which was also highly crucial.

Ordinary low-stage cultivators using a Thousand-Mile Talisman needed to stick it onto their legs, and using it excessively would damage their limbs.

Wang Xianmao was just about to apply a Golden Eagle Fall Talisman for his sister as well, but Wang Jingyi shook her head and said, "There is no need for , Brother Mao. If death cos, I shall be the first to die."

After utilizing the Golden Eagle Fall Talisman, Wang Xianmao's speed would be faster than Wang Jingyi's, which was why she refused his gesture to apply another one to her.

The patriarch froze for a mont, silently putting away the Golden Eagle Fall Talisman—not because he was cold-blooded, but because Wang Jingyi's personality was simply like this. Yet halfway through putting it away, the patriarch channeled his spiritual Qi once more, delivering the Golden Eagle Fall Talisman before Yulou.

'If any mishap occurs, use the Hundred-Mile Evasion Talisman combined with the Golden Eagle Fall Talisman. You will have a chance to escape. Yulou, survive well; only then can you beco what you wish to be.'

The patriarch's voice arrived via divine sense. Looking at that dense green spiritual vitality, Yulou felt a certain weight in his heart.

This was undoubtedly the most important opportunity for the Anbei Kingdom Wang Clan in a thousand years. The two ancestors had already gambled everything. Would they succeed? They would succeed, right! They would definitely succeed!

Strictly speaking, the act of applying auxiliary and amplification spells before the battle seed to have lasted a long ti, but it had actually taken less than a brief mont.

"Xianmao, shall I begin then?" Ancestor Jingyi confird one final ti.

"Yes, I am prepared as well!"

Yulou suddenly witnessed a blinding golden light erupting from within that green spiritual vitality. A human-shaped golden silhouette, resembling a golden lantern, erged amidst the green aura.

Wang Jingyi had unleashed her divine ability—Manifest Golden Aspect!

Her hand, which had rested upon the seventh-grade yang-raising stone for two days and a night, gently lifted that Minor Formless Spirit Sword which possessed ninety-seven layers of restrictions.

The instant the spirit sword left the stone, the massive yang-raising stone instantly crumbled into fine powder, completely devoid of any spirituality as it drifted with the wind!

It turned out that Wang Jingyi had been charging the sword using a secret thod, absorbing all the essence within that yang-raising stone over the course of two days and a night!

Under the effects of nurous auxiliary and amplification spells, in coordination with Wang Xianmao's Limitless Spiritual Opportunity divine ability, and with the enhancent of the Manifest Golden Aspect divine ability, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect Core Disciple Wang Jingyi held that Minor Formless Spirit Sword—which had drained all the essence of the seventh-grade yang-raising stone—and slashed straight toward the intersection between the small grotto-heaven and this world.

Formless signified having no shape. Minor Formless ant it was sowhat shapeless, but not completely so.

Hongi, who was being hoisted by the vines to serve as a spare shield, watched with wide eyes as Wang Jingyi, transford into her golden aspect, bypassed him with her sword.

That Formless Sword appeared utterly ordinary, devoid of sword Qi, spiritual rhythm, or even a sense of sharpness. This was not because the Formless Sword was lacking, but because Wang Jingyi was far too exceptional.

At this mont of unleashing the charged sword, she manifested her golden aspect through her divine ability, achieving a unique state of human-sword unity. Two days of charging the sword, at the cost of a seventh-grade spiritual object like the yang-raising stone, had brought an imnse amplification to this Formless Sword.

If a more substandard sword cultivator were in her place, when they utilized this Formless Sword, it would surely be radiant with brilliant light and piercing sword Qi, looking infinitely powerful. However, in that manner, the power accumulated at such an imnse cost would rapidly dissipate.

Hongi had once taught Yulou the Spirit Energy Nurturing thod to nourish spiritual artifacts. Wang Jingyi's thod of charging a spirit sword was, to a certain extent, an advanced progression of the Spirit Energy Nurturing thod, but it was also far more than a simple advancent.

A spiritual artifact's power was already imnse to begin with, but during combat between Foundation Establishnt cultivators, the accumulated power would diminish with every single sword strike!

Therefore, Wang Jingyi controlled the Minor Formless Sword in her hand with absolute focus, seeking to ensure that not even a shred of the power capable of deciding the outco of the battle would leak away.

The female cultivator manifesting her golden aspect finally approached the location of that small grotto-heaven. The seemingly ordinary Formless Sword suddenly erupted with imnse spiritual rhythm and majesty the mont it collided with the boundary.

Hongi, bound by the vines, was instantly blown backward by the shockwave. Wang Xianmao's vines were actually so frail beneath the residual power of Ancestor Jingyi's Minor Formless Sword!

Yulou could perceive that the world enveloped by the Limitless Spiritual Opportunity was undergoing a transformation.

This was a strike from a sword cultivator, a strike enhanced by talismans worth over ten thousand spirit stones, a strike nurtured by draining an entire piece of seventh-grade yang-raising stone. Furthermore, it was the strongest strike Wang Jingyi had delivered since comncing her cultivation path!

Beneath a sword strike of this caliber, even the heavens and earth trembled. Even if An Ning herself were present to receive this strike, she would surely perish, her path dissolving into nothingness.

A grotto-heaven was also a heaven! Jingyi of the Wang Clan, her sword cleaves the Heavenly Gate!

An Ning's small grotto-heaven, which a Foundation Establishnt cultivator could open upon mastering the location, naturally could not remain hidden beneath a sword strike like this.

A dark, ruptured hole manifested in midair; that was the entrance to the small grotto-heaven. The small grotto-heaven, independent of this world, was like a bubble adhering to the surface of water. However, when damaged, it would not burst; instead, it would slowly repair itself, once again forming a closed space independent of the world.

Gazing at that slowly healing dark rupture, Wang Jingyi hovered in midair. She waited for a long ti, yet she did not receive the attack from the female cultivator of Hidden Dragon Abbey, An Ning, which she and the patriarch had feared most.

It could be said that all of their preparations had been made to withstand this well-known, seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator of Hidden Dragon Abbey, but now, it seed she had truly passed away.

"Rongshi, it is your turn," Ancestor Jingyi spoke.

Hearing Ancestor Jingyi's words, not far away, Wang Rongshi, who had likewise waited for two days and a night, nodded solemnly. He stood up, walked before the patriarch, and ca to a halt.

The white-haired Wang Rongshi dropped to his knees with a thud, prostrating three tis. When he rose again, his eyes were already brimming with tears.

"Rongshi requires no reward, I only wish for my Anbei Kingdom Wang Clan to flourish continuously for generations!"

Watching the nearly one-hundred-and-twenty-year-old Wang Rongshi step firmly into that dark rupture without a shred of hesitation, both Wang Jingyi and Wang Xianmao felt sowhat lancholy. Wang Xianmao let out a long sigh, turning his head slightly away in reluctance.

Was it pressure? Responsibility? Honor? Sha? Helplessness?

Wang Xianmao could not distinguish what was manipulating his heart. Though he was clearly uninjured, his heart ached exceptionally severely. Knowing that soone always had to shoulder the risks was an entirely different matter from watching one's own younger generation step into danger with one's own eyes.

Wang Rongshi was a child he had watched grow up. Rongshi's youngest son, Yuliu, possessed poor aptitude and left ho early, dying at the hands of rogue cultivators outside.

Rongshi had failed to break through Qi Induction his entire life, but his eldest son, Yuming, was the very first Qi Refining cultivator of the Wang Clan's Yu-generation. Now, he had stepped into An Ning's grotto-heaven.

Wang Rongshi's cultivation base was not high, but the baked wheaten cakes he made were delicious, and both Yulou and Yu'an loved to eat them.

Uncle Rongshi, I still want to eat those fragrant donkey at wheaten cakes you make once more.

Yulou felt a surge of anticipation, but what he anticipated was more than just eating wheaten cakes.