102: Thousand Fantasy Glass Painting

Chapter 102 Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting

"Beloved Consort, come take a look first. Are all these items Magical Artifacts?"

"Magical Artifacts?"

Cui Xiabing only then noticed that a pile of items was placed in front of them.

Zen staffs, cassocks, wooden fish, subjugation pestles, and so on, as well as some personal undergarments used by monks.

Judging by the appearance, even the clothes on Abbot Fayuan's body had been stripped off by someone.

Cui Xiabing hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Magical Artifacts must never be kept too close to a trapped Cultivator, otherwise it is extremely easy for him to control them again."

"Rest assured, Beloved Consort. Here, he is unable to control Magical Artifacts."

Zheng Yi said, "Beloved Consort, take a look first to see if there are any other Magical Artifacts among these items?"

"That scroll of the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting should be a Magical Artifact. Old Chen and I were temporarily controlled by this scroll. If it weren't for the Blood Moon Gu..."

"This concubine understands."

Cui Xiabing immediately lowered her body to inspect, and quickly picked out two things.

"Your Majesty, this concubine has inspected them. There are only two Magical Artifacts in this pile of things, but both are already damaged, and this concubine does not know how to repair them."

"The other things are just ordinary clothes."

"Oh?"

Zheng Yi looked over. The first item was a string of dark yellow Buddhist prayer beads, but at this moment, it was already covered in cracks and clearly damaged.

Even the cord connecting them had snapped, and more than a dozen prayer beads were piled together, looking dilapidated beyond description.

The second item was a subjugation pestle with a primitive appearance and a bronze color.

Just like the prayer beads, this subjugation pestle was also destroyed and completely unusable.

"Take another look at this scroll, Beloved Consort."

Zheng Yi handed the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting to Cui Xiabing, letting her inspect it.

Cui Xiabing's gaze shifted from initial suspicion to astonishment, and she placed it in her palm to perceive it intently, finally shaking her head as she said:

"Your Majesty, this concubine cannot figure out what this item is, but it is definitely stronger than this concubine's Flying Sword."

"What is the grade of your Flying Sword?"

"Medium Grade Magical Artifact."

"Doesn't that mean this scroll is at least a High Grade Magical Artifact?"

"Yes."

Cui Xiabing added, "A Cultivator who can successively control three different Magical Artifacts must be at least in the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, or even possibly the Late Stage of Qi Refining!"

"My Revered Master is like that as well. She also carries three Magical Artifacts on her person, not counting the Flying Sword she taught me."

"That's right, Your Majesty, I received a letter from Revered Master. She said that in at most a year, she will be able to return to Great Yu."

Zheng Yi's eyes lit up slightly and he asked, "Where is she now?"

"Snow Cloud Country."

Cui Xiabing said, "Revered Master said in her letter that she discovered a Spiritual Plant in Snow Cloud Country, which will mature in a little over another year. Once that Spiritual Plant is picked, she will set off to return to Great Yu."

"Snow Cloud Country..."

Snow Cloud Country was a country in the northern part of Great Yu, located further north than Wu Country, and only a tiny portion of snow mountains bordered Great Yu.

Zheng Yi was not very clear on the intelligence regarding Snow Cloud Country, and the two countries did not have much hostility, only occasionally contacting each other.

Zheng Yi only knew that inside Snow Cloud Country, there were continuous snow mountains and grasslands, it was sparsely populated, and the common people living there were also very poor.

"When Beloved Consort's Revered Master returns to the capital, We will certainly go to pay a visit."

Zheng Yi continued, "Right, Beloved Consort, do you have a method to find out this person's true cultivation Realm?"

Cui Xiabing pondered and said, "This concubine needs to channel Spiritual Qi into his Dantian to check."

"Good!"

The three of them arrived before the trapped Abbot Fayuan. Only then did Cui Xiabing see clearly that Abbot Fayuan had actually been stripped completely bare, his hands, feet, and neck all locked by iron chains and hung mid-air.

On the other side, they were secured to iron pillars and the wall.

Only his waist was wrapped with a layer of ragged cloth, obviously to avoid embarrassing Cui Xiabing.

Besides this, on his throat, temples, cervical vertebrae, and Dantian, a Blood Moon Gu was crouching, with its mouthparts probing into his body to suppress the circulation of magic power within him.

Most importantly, it was to threaten Abbot Fayuan not to move rashly.

Otherwise, with just a thought from Zheng Yi, these few Blood Moon Gu could kill Abbot Fayuan!

Cui Xiabing took a deep breath, holding a single hand hovering an inch above Abbot Fayuan's abdomen.

The magic power within her body circulated and surged into Abbot Fayuan's body.

Abbot Fayuan was currently heavily injured and unconscious, showing not the slightest reaction to the external spiritual power.

Very quickly, Cui Xiabing withdrew her palm and said, "Your Majesty, this Abbot Fayuan's cultivation is merely at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, only one layer higher than this concubine."

"The fourth layer of Qi Refining? We know."

Zheng Yi said, "You've worked hard, Beloved Consort. This place is dark and damp, We will have someone send you back up right now, wait for Us in the bedchamber."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Then this concubine will take her leave first."

Cui Xiabing said softly, then turned around and walked up under the guidance of a Shadow Guard.

But Zheng Yi stared fixedly at Abbot Fayuan before him, saying in a deep voice, "Old Chen."

"This old servant is here."

"No matter what method is used, dig out all intelligence from his mouth."

"Even if it's whether he peeked at the village widows bathing when he was a child, We must know!"

Chen Liancang said in a grim tone, "This old servant obeys the decree! I will certainly not fail Your Majesty!"

Zheng Yi nodded, and also turned around to leave the underground palace, taking the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting with him.

Yet Chen Liancang turned back and looked up and down at Abbot Fayuan, just like looking at a piglet waiting to be slaughtered.

"Someone come~"

In the darkness, at least a dozen figures appeared, all of them Shadow Guards he had painstakingly cultivated, and at this moment they also stared coldly at Abbot Fayuan.

"Listen well, you will be in groups of two, divided into four groups a day to monitor this person. Do not let your gaze leave him. As soon as he wakes up, report to this old servant the very first moment, understand?"

"Understood, Old Ancestor!"

"Hehehe..."

In the darkness, Chen Liancang's tone was incomparably icy.

"What of a Cultivator? Aren't they still fallen into this old servant's hands."

"After you wake up, this old servant will naturally dig out all your secrets from your mouth!"

"I hope you... can hold on!"

Zheng Yi, who walked out of the underground palace, found Cui Xiabing at the very first moment.

"Beloved Consort, do you have a method in your hands to refine Magical Artifacts?"

"Does Your Majesty want to refine that Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting?"

Cui Xiabing asked curiously, "The refining method this concubine learned was taught by Revered Master, just for refining that Flying Sword."

"I also don't know if it can refine the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting. Furthermore, this concubine just investigated; Abbot Fayuan has not died yet, and there is still his Restriction on this Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting, so Your Majesty cannot refine it."

"That is to say, we must wait until he dies?"

Holding the Thousand Illusion Glazed Painting, Zheng Yi was somewhat unwilling.

This was a High Grade Magical Artifact after all, capable of effortlessly controlling him and Old Chen, two Innate Realm powerhouses, in an instant.

If it could be mastered by him, it would be even like adding wings to a tiger!

Cui Xiabing shook her head and said, "Waiting for the original owner of the Magical Artifact to die is one method, and there is another grinding method, which is to constantly wear away the Restrictions on the Magical Artifact using one's own magic power and Divine Thought."

"The Restriction of a fourth-layer Qi Refining Cultivator... it can be broken after spending about a year or two."

"One or two years..."

Zheng Yi's mouth twitched, and he immediately had the feeling of entering a mountain of treasures but returning empty-handed.

"Forget it, let's wait for Old Chen to dig out some things from his mouth first."

"Mm."

Cui Xiabing touched Zheng Yi's glabella with heartache and said, "Your Majesty, please don't always furrow your brows. This concubine feels heartache watching you~"

"Heartache?"

Zheng Yi swept Cui Xiabing up in his arms and laughed aloud, "Then let Beloved Consort soothe Us, hahaha."

"Ah~ Your Majesty!"

An hour later, Cui Xiabing lay contentedly in Zheng Yi's arms and fell into a deep sleep.

And in Zheng Yi's mind, a line of text appeared on the Yin Yang Treasure Mirror once again.

[Absorbed Yin Qi, Magic Power +1.]

[Absorbed Yin Qi, Water Attribute Spiritual Root +1.]

"As expected..."

Zheng Yi said, "Only when my cultivation partner and I are of one mind and soul, with the affection bonus, can I gain magic power."

"Now my cultivation is..."

This line of text disappeared, and rows of text appeared instead.

[Destiny Revered Master: Zheng Yi]

[Talent: Yin and Yang]

[Lifespan: 27 / 5668]

[Spiritual Roots: Water (Medium Grade 1/1000), Earth (Low Grade 63/100), Wood (Low Grade 12/100)]

[Magic Power: 1/1000]

[Comprehensive Strength: First Layer of Qi Refining]

[innate spiritual energy Progress (First Tier): 6/10]

His Water attribute spiritual bone grew the fastest, and had already reached the Medium Grade Realm.

While the Earth attribute and Wood attribute Spiritual Roots were still Low Grade.

But Zheng Yi believed that given a bit more time, with the assistance of Cui Xiabing and Yuechan, he would definitely be able to step into Medium Grade!

Most importantly, the first layer of Qi Refining...!

He closed his eyes and could clearly feel a warm breath circulating at his Dantian within his body, taking the Dantian as the center and continuously circulating through his limbs and hundreds of bones.

And the magic power vortex located at the Dantian was also constantly rotating, remotely directing the magic power circulating throughout his whole body.

"Is this... magic power?"

"What a pity, I don't have a primary Cultivation Technique, and these magic powers are just attribute-less magic powers without any characteristics."

"Unless I can find a suitable Cultivation Technique and corresponding Spells."

And Immortal Master Yuheng...

Zheng Yi's heart stirred, thinking of that Taoist nun of the Taiyi Sect who had lived in the imperial palace for over a year.

"This woman must also have a Spiritual Root, otherwise Old Immortal Master Zhao Xi Zheng of the Taiyi Sect wouldn't have let her participate in the imperial consort selection."

"Now that cultivation is imminent, it's time to take her down!"

"And the Yunmeng Lake Tuoba Family."

Zheng Yi's gaze changed again. He had previously issued two imperial edicts, inviting Abbot Fayuan of Tianlong Temple to come to the capital, and at the same time ordering the Tuoba Family to offer an orthodox daughter as a consort.

Abbot Fayuan harbored evil intentions and was imprisoned by him.

Yet this Tuoba Family had remained silent all along, neither agreeing nor answering, and even the Jinyi Guard who went to convey the decree had disappeared without a trace.

Truly strange.

"It seems the Yunmeng Lake Tuoba Family also harbors rebellious intentions, otherwise they wouldn't have gone this long without replying. Do they want to drag this out?"

Zheng Yi muttered, "Since you want to drag it out, then We will grant your wish!"

"We also want to drag it out!"

After a night, the next day, a piece of news came from within the White Jade Capital.

"Abbot Fayuan is profound in Buddhism and well-versed in the three teachings; Your Majesty is utterly convinced and has invited him to temporarily reside in the palace to expound on Buddhism for Your Majesty!"

Rumor had it that some eunuchs saw that after Abbot Fayuan entered the palace, Buddhist light rippled across the sky of the White Jade Capital, lotuses bloomed step by step on the ground, and a hundred birds paid homage to the phoenix, bringing a drastic change in heavenly phenomena!

At the same time, a team of Jinyi Guards escorted more than a dozen carriages toward Tianlong Temple in Lin'an.

Abbot Fayuan expounded the scriptures, and Your Majesty was overjoyed, specially bestowing numerous rewards, escorted by the Jinyi Guards to be delivered to Tianlong Temple!

As for how many Jinyi Guard and Eastern Depot spies were among these rewards, that was unknown.

Chen Liancang had once said that two new Innate powerhouses had recently been born among the southern Martial Forest families.

His intelligence was also investigated and learned from the Martial Forest by relying on the Eastern Depot and the Jinyi Guards.

Abbot Fayuan of Tianlong Temple was not that newly promoted Innate powerhouse.

Then what about that Innate powerhouse? Were they still hiding within Tianlong Temple?

The goal of the Jinyi Guards on this trip was precisely to investigate this Innate powerhouse!

Just as Zheng Yi set his sights on Tianlong Temple, the Yunmeng Lake Tuoba Family, and Nanyue County, Xu Mujun, far away at Black Mountain Pass, suddenly sent shocking news.

The old emperor of Wu Country had died.

Before dying, he left an imperial edict for the seventh son, Wu Siwen, to succeed him.

This Wu Siwen came from the Meng Family, a prominent family of Wu Country. His grandfather was the prime minister of Wu Country and had controlled the imperial court for many years. It was entirely normal for him to support his own maternal grandson to ascend the imperial throne.

However, more than a dozen princes, including the first prince, second prince, and fourth prince of Wu Country, were completely unconvinced, and led their respective troops to wage bloody battles around the imperial court of Wu Country.

The chaotic state was not the least bit inferior to Great Yu.

In order to stabilize the imperial court and find foreign aid for his maternal grandson, Meng Yu, the prime minister of Wu Country, paid the war reparations between Great Yu and Wu Country at the fastest speed, thereby gaining the support of Xu Mujun.

Xu Mujun's letter this time was to ask which faction Great Yu should support in ascending the throne?

Besides this, there were two other matters.