203: Chapter 203 Strange Weapons

After cleaning up the Blood Pool, Ye Xuan immediately ordered the soldiers to search the palace thoroughly for any remaining weird arts of the Xuanyou Sect.

After staying in the foreign country for a few days without further disturbances, just as Ye Xuan intended to seize the neighboring country in one go, Yun Jian of the Qingyun Sect suddenly arrived unannounced.

This forced Ye Xuan to halt the military operations at hand and go to welcome him.

Dressed in green robes and exuding Immortal Qi, Yun Jian stood in the military camp, looking somewhat out of place compared to the soldiers in their heavy armor.

The two sat facing each other in the camp. Ye Xuan spoke, "Senior Yun, what wind has blown you here?"

Yun Jian stroked his beard and chuckled, "Little Friend Ye, I am also passing through this place on the orders of the Sect Master. Seeing Little Friend Ye here, I decided to stay for a while to catch up on old times."

Ye Xuan served tea to Yun Jian, a polite smile on his face.

"Little Friend Ye's two children are truly gifted. In just a few years, they have become Genius Disciples of my Qingyun Sect. I truly admire that!" Yun Jian smiled while stroking his beard.

Hearing this, Ye Xuan also smiled with gratification. "Not at all, it is all thanks to the good teaching of the Qingyun Sect. It is enough as long as my unworthy son doesn't cause trouble for your noble Sect!"

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries...

Ye Xuan thought of the Ghost Hand he had discovered in the palace a few days ago, thinking that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of Yun Jian's age might be well-informed.

So he said, "To tell you the truth, Senior Yun, Junior discovered a weird object in this palace."

Upon hearing this, Yun Jian's fingers stroking his beard paused slightly. His relaxed expression faded a bit as he looked up at Ye Xuan.

"Oh? What kind of weird object could make Little Friend Ye take it so seriously?"

Ye Xuan raised his hand, and with a slight movement of spiritual power, a pale, bony severed hand slowly emerged between the two.

As soon as the severed hand appeared, the surrounding air turned inexplicably cold. Wisps of Yin Baleful Qi spread silently, and even the bright firelight in the camp dimmed for a moment.

"It is this object," Ye Xuan said. "Junior was ordered by the Emperor to conquer this country. I encountered several Xuanyou Sect Cultivators and discovered a Blood Pool in the palace, where this Ghost Hand was being nurtured."

Seeing this, Yun Jian reached out to test it. His spiritual power quickly brushed against the Ghost Hand suppressed by the blood-red Talismanic Incantation.

A moment later, his brows furrowed slightly. When he withdrew his hand, it was already stained with a bit of grayish-black.

"Such heavy Death Qi," Yun Jian's voice sank. "This is by no means the method of an ordinary evil Cultivator, but rather the path of the Xuanyou Sect. Moreover... this Ghost Hand is a Sacrificial Vessel refined using the souls and essence blood of living people."

Ye Xuan's heart tightened. "A Sacrificial Vessel?"

"Correct." Yun Jian nodded, his gaze solemn. "This hand is perfect for triggering a blood array and colluding with Yin lands. This Mortal imperial city was originally an altar set up by the Xuanyou Sect to refine such Sacrificial Vessels."

"Senior, please clarify. What exactly is the significant use of this Sacrificial Vessel?" Ye Xuan asked hurriedly.

Thinking of how the Xuanyou Sect had become increasingly rampant in recent days, Yun Jian's expression grew more solemn.

He stood up and said, "Little Friend Ye, it is not convenient for me to explain clearly. Let this Ghost Hand be handed over to the Qingyun Sect for control first."

Seeing that Yun Jian clearly knew something but did not want him to know, Ye Xuan said, "In that case, I will leave it entirely to the management of the Qingyun Sect."

Yun Jian nodded, put the Ghost Hand into his bag, and then looked at Ye Xuan with a meaningful gaze. "Little Friend Ye, seeing as you have been serving Mortal countries for a long time, I have something to entrust to you."

He said, "This Xuanyou Sect is very likely to cause trouble in Mortal countries again. If you discover anything, pay close attention. If you find they are still refining such Sacrificial Vessels, send a letter to the Qingyun Sect immediately!"

Ye Xuan naturally nodded and then bid farewell to Yun Jian.

Yun Jian's figure transformed into a green rainbow and streaked through the air, leaving only a faint trace of spiritual power to dissipate in the wind.

Standing in the camp, Ye Xuan watched the sword light fading in the sky. The polite and gentle smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a look of deep contemplation.

The personal guards beside him, seeing that his expression was off, did not dare to say much and just stood by silently.

Ye Xuan withdrew his gaze, recalling the solemnity in Yun Jian's eyes the moment he touched the Ghost Hand and his hesitant look.

Furthermore, his forceful removal of the Ghost Hand without revealing any details filled Ye Xuan's mind with clouds of suspicion.

The Qingyun Sect clearly knew the inside story yet was being evasive with him. Was it because they felt his cultivation was too shallow to know the secrets?

Or was there a great secret behind this that even the Sect had to treat with caution?

"General."

A soldier entered the tent, immediately knelt on one knee, and spoke respectfully, "The reorganization of the camp's soldiers is complete, and the surrendered troops from various places have been properly arranged. Shall we proceed with the original plan to conquer the neighboring country?"

Ye Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the churning thoughts in his mind. When he looked up, his face had regained its usual calm and decisiveness.

"The expedition will be postponed for three days for now."

The guard was stunned. "My Lord? Our army's morale is high; now is the perfect opportunity to deploy..."

"No matter how good the opportunity is, it cannot compare to a hidden danger in my heart," Ye Xuan's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

"Since the Xuanyou Sect placed a Sacrificial Vessel in this country, the neighboring countries and even the surrounding nations might not be clean. If we rashly deploy our troops, we might have our Foundation uprooted as soon as we leave. Being attacked from both front and back by then would be too late for regrets."

He paused, his tone becoming even more severe. "Pass down the orders.

First, triple the number of Secret Agents sent to the surrounding countries. Immediately report back if there are any unusual movements in cities, missing civilians, or places where Yin evil energy permeates.

Second, Seal off the ruins of the Blood Pool in the palace's underground chamber. Send elites to guard it day and night, and allow no one to approach until further investigation.

Third, the entire army is to rest and reorganize, and prepare for battle. No one is allowed to leave the camp without my order."

"Yes!"

Under Ye Xuan's orders, the soldiers remained stationed there without moving.

One day later.

Yun Jian, who had gone to meet the head of a prominent family on the Sect Master's orders, arrived at his destination only to find corpses everywhere. Even the nearby Mortal countries had no one left, only piles of bleached bones.

The only conspicuous thing was that the original central mansion of that family had become a blackish-red, foul-smelling Blood Pool, with no trace of any living person remaining.

These remains were already several years old. By the time the invitation was sent to the Qingyun Sect, the entire clan had already been slaughtered.

Yun Jian flew his sword into the Blood Pool. Aside from some transformed corpses, even the Blood Pool, which exposed countless white bones, had long since dried up.

This Blood Pool had already produced a Sacrificial Vessel and was abandoned here by the people of the Xuanyou Sect.

"Could it be that Xuan Yin San Ren of the Xuanyou Sect has already found that Secret Realm?"

Yun Jian murmured to himself. He quickly suppressed the palpitation in his heart and forced back his unease.

Impossible! If he really found it...

Yun Jian's spiritual power surged as he forcefully suppressed his roiling blood. His gaze swept over the withered bones on the ground and the dried Blood Pool, the coldness in his eyes growing more intense.

These lunatics being so reckless most likely means they want to open the Minghai Realm, which was sealed by ancient Cultivators and only mentioned briefly in the Sect's secret records!

It is said that an inheritance of an Ancient Demon God is hidden within the Minghai Realm, along with countless treasures. Taking any item from it would be enough to cause all the Sects to fight over it.

This was also why Yun Jian did not want to inform Ye Xuan about such matters.

This Secret Realm opens once every hundred years, but the entrance is extremely difficult to find. It also requires several Golden Core Cultivators to jointly inject spiritual power into the entrance to open it for a brief moment.

However, only a few Cultivators have ever been able to come out of it.

It is said that a powerful Artifact Cultivator once forged a treasure called the thousand void ethereal map. It could directly lead a Cultivator into the Minghai Realm without any obstacles when the entrance opened.

As soon as this treasure appeared in the world, it was fought over by several Sect Cultivators, but it was lost during the struggle, and there has been no news of it since.

Could it be that the entrance to the Minghai Realm has opened, and the Xuanyou Sect found it without them knowing?!