524: Chapter 524 The Ingenious Use of the Jade Statue, The Xiao Family's Poisonous Scheme

Inside the dry well.

Hun Tiandi and Elder Dan reached the bottom of the well. Before them was a strange altar, surrounded by moonstones emitting a faint fluorescence.

Hun Tiandi scanned the surroundings, his gaze falling upon the altar.

Upon it sat a flawless white jade statue, appearing just as it had before.

Hum!

The white jade statue flickered, giving rise to infinite phantoms that erupted outward. Yin energy surged, accompanied by the wailing of ghosts and the howling of gods, as the two fell into an illusion.

It sought to confuse their minds, but Hun Tiandi had cultivated Sword Heart Clarity and remained entirely unaffected.

Unless he willed it, he would not be swayed. Beside him, Elder Dan's mind also wavered for a moment; had his soul power not been so vast, he likely would have succumbed.

"What a terrifying jade statue?" Elder Dan regained his senses, a look of wariness flickering in his aged eyes.

Suddenly, a burst of eerie light erupted from the altar, enveloping the white jade statue and sealing the illusory spirits and visions.

"Teacher, take action and bring this treasure with us," Hun Tiandi spoke.

"Mm!" Elder Dan utilized his Saint power to uproot the altar. Previously, he had planned to only take the jade statue, but this treasure was formidable.

Elder Dan decided to take the entire altar along with it.

Rumble!

After pulling out the altar and taking the jade statue, the dry well shook, and earth and stones began to collapse.

With a flick of his sleeve, Elder Dan took Hun Tiandi and left the Water Pavilion Courtyard, sweeping toward the Black-Corner Region.

Shortly after they left, the entire Water Pavilion Courtyard collapsed. Many forces from Black Seal City rushed to the courtyard, only to find a field of ruins.

As for who caused such destruction, it became an eternal mystery.

Longevity Hall.

Hun Tiandi stood atop the imperial steps. His inner circle stood before him, with those of lower cultivation further back and those of higher cultivation at the front.

In the center of the hall, an altar was placed upon a jade table, and atop the altar was the white jade statue. Everyone's eyes were fixed upon it.

After taking one look, Lie Yang's mind shook. He quickly sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to calm his heart.

The white jade statue was in the shape of a peerless beauty, seemingly crafted by nature itself. Her robes appeared to flutter, and she exuded an air of infinite enchantment.

This was the precious treasure brought back from Black Seal City—the white jade statue.

Looking at the white jade statue, everyone present experienced various illusions. Some saw endless beauties, some saw infinite malevolent ghosts, some saw their enemies, and some saw their loved ones.

All the aspects of life flooded into everyone's hearts.

"The heavenly demon jade statue? How is this possible?" Mud Bodhisattva suddenly cried out in urgency, as if seeing an unbelievable treasure.

"Mud Bodhisattva, do you know the origin of this thing?" Hun Tiandi asked with surprise.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, if I am not mistaken, this treasure comes from the Major Thousand Worlds. Its true name is: The heavenly demon jade statue."

"heavenly demon jade statue?" Hun Tiandi frowned.

"Indeed. What is before us is not its true original form; it has been placed under countless seals by a powerful expert, weakening its power many times over to merely disturb the mind," Mud Bodhisattva explained.

"Countless seals?" Hearing this, Lie Yang's mouth twitched, though his expression still showed signs of being affected by the allure.

"If the heavenly demon jade statue were unsealed, it should be a pitch-black pool, utterly dark and filled with infinite phantoms and illusions."

"This object would give birth to one Heavenly Demon every day, which would then tear through the void barrier and leave the Fighting Qi Continent."

Mud Bodhisattva did not hide anything and spoke directly.

Elder Dan and the other experts showed looks of wonder. This jade statue could actually nurture Heavenly Demons?

"Heavenly Demons, heart-disturbers. Rumor has it they are a formless and shapeless spiritual entity from the Major Thousand Worlds, a sublimation of the inner demon. They are unstoppable, and a low-level Heavenly Demon can be the bane of a Saint expert facing a tribulation."

"In the Major Thousand Worlds, becoming a Saint (The Three Heavens Realm) is very difficult, and the primary reason is the Heavenly Demon."

"An expert like Elder Dan would likely attract a Heavenly Demon when attempting to undergo tribulation and ascend. Success means ascension; failure means death," Mud Bodhisattva said.

Elder Dan nodded; it was indeed so.

"However, the benefits of this treasure outweigh the disadvantages. If one cultivates near it, they will surely be beset by infinite illusions, giving rise to inner demons. The closer one is, the greater the influence."

"But through long-term cultivation, it can certainly temper the spirit and strengthen one's state of mind."

"In cultivation, training the body is the easiest, while elevating the state of mind is the hardest. The state of mind determines one's cultivation level; if it is not high enough, it is difficult to advance."

"This object can refine the spirit and temper the state of mind, potentially creating countless masters."

Mud Bodhisattva took a deep breath and spoke excitedly.

Everyone fell silent.

Hun Tiandi also understood. This treasure was heaven-defying; it could mass-produce peerless masters, even strategists and geniuses—the very talents the Dazheng Dynasty needed.

Rather than spending a long time searching for them, it was better to create them.

"Jie jie jie, with this treasure, Dazheng will surely reach a new level," Hun Tiandi said with satisfaction.

"Your Majesty, I have an idea. Using this treasure as an array foundation and assisting it with the secret techniques of my Mud Bodhisattva lineage, I can create a Derivative Realm."

"A Derivative Realm specifically for tempering the spirit. Upon entering, the physical body remains, but the spirit can experience a hundred cycles of reincarnation."

"Let the Heavenly Demon disturb the heart to see one's true self."

Mud Bodhisattva said excitedly.

"Good, proceed as you suggested. Any materials needed, I will find for you. If they are not here, go to the Central Plains to get them," Hun Tiandi ordered.

"Hahaha, if it truly succeeds, after a hundred cycles of reincarnation, even the most fragile spirit will become indestructible, seeing through everything, and the realm of cultivation will have no limits."

Elder Dan smiled slightly.

"Yes!" Mud Bodhisattva immediately responded.

Ao Sihai also smiled, a look of determination flickering in his eyes. Choosing to sign with the Dazheng Dynasty was the wisest decision of his life.

Jia Ma Empire, Xiao Family Manor.

The high-level members of the Xiao Family were gathered. In the hall, the woman who had gone to the Snake-people Tribe, Xiao Yu, was informing the elders of her experiences.

"The Snake-people Tribe is unwilling to participate?" Xiao Lin asked in surprise.

"Yes, Clan Leader!" Xiao Yu said with a face full of helplessness.

The Snake-people Tribe was unwilling to make a choice, and Xiao Yu had tried to pressure them, but it almost provoked their resentment.

"For now, we don't need to worry about the Snake-people Tribe. Xiao Yu, you may step down!" As the Clan Leader, it was fine for Xiao Lin to address her this way.

"Everyone, according to intelligence from the Central Plains, three months ago, the Sovereign of the Daxuan Heavenly Dynasty held a grand wedding, intending to marry the Saintess of the Lei Clan. He used this as a setup for a trap."

"Multiple forces joined hands, including the Void Ancient Dragon, Gu Xing of the Gu Clan, Saint Leiyun, and two Saints from the Daxuan Heavenly Dynasty. They set a trap to kill Hun Tiandi, but unfortunately, it failed in the end."

"Not only did he leave the Lei Clan swaggeringly in front of everyone, but he also snatched away the Lei Clan Saintess."

"Furthermore, Hun Tiandi declared war to his face, vowing to destroy the Great Yan Empire and seize the Central and Northern Regions."

In one breath, Xiao Lin shared all the intelligence from the Central Plains with the Xiao Family elders.

"How is that possible? Five Saint experts surrounded him, and he still escaped?" Xiao Li's dark face also showed a hint of shock.

"It wasn't an escape; the trap was broken. The five Saints were restrained, and in the end, even when Emperor Gu Xuan arrived in person, he could only watch helplessly as Hun Tiandi departed."

Xiao Ding spoke up, feeling equally helpless.

"That bastard has already grown to such a level?" Xiao Li said coldly, the hatred for his son's death being irreconcilable.

"No, word is that the Dazheng Empire intends to advance to an Imperial Dynasty. That will be our opportunity. If we destroy the Dazheng Empire during its advancement, killing Hun Tiandi will not be difficult."

It turned out the Xiao Family's plan was to strike during Dazheng's advancement war, destroying this overlord of the Black-Corner Region. Their intentions were sinister, with one poisonous scheme after another.

In the depths of Xiao Lin's eyes—