319: Chapter 317 Hidden Sect in Mountains and Rivers, A Secret Scheme Unfolds

The discussion in the great hall continued, with everyone still arguing over whether to hold their ground or launch a surprise attack.

Yun Ming stood in the crowd, silent for a moment, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He raised his head and looked at the Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect.

"Sect Master, I have a way."

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect turned his head to look at him. "Speak."

Yun Ming did not speak immediately. He looked around; the hall was crowded with many eyes, not the place for such a conversation.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect saw his concern, waved his hand, and an invisible barrier enveloped the two of them and the Master of Xuanhuang Alchemy Mansion.

The sounds inside the hall were isolated; one could only see figures moving, but could not hear what they were saying.

Yun Ming lowered his voice. "My map of mountains and rivers can hold people. I will put all of you inside, then I will sneak into the demonic Cultivators' teleportation array. Once we arrive, you can come out and catch them off guard."

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect frowned slightly. "A map of mountains and rivers?"

Yun Ming did not explain, but raised his hand, his Qi surging. An ancient scroll flew out from his Sea of Consciousness, suspended in mid-air, and slowly unfurled.

The scroll was not large, about three feet square, with mountains and rivers flowing upon it, shrouded in mist, with birds and beasts running about.

A faint spiritual light flowed along the edges of the scroll, not gold, not silver, but a luster that was indescribable, ancient, and vast.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect's gaze fell upon the scroll, his pupils contracting slightly.

He extended his Divine Sense, wanting to perceive the Rank of this Magic Treasure, but the moment his Divine Sense touched the scroll, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, disappearing without a sound.

It was not blocked; it was devoured. His expression changed.

The Master of Xuanhuang Alchemy Mansion also extended his Divine Sense, which likewise sank like a stone into the sea.

The two Soul Transformation Dao Lords exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

They had lived for most of their lives; what Magic Treasure had they not seen? Fourth-Rank, fifth-Rank, sixth-Rank treasures—they had even touched a few themselves.

But this scroll before them, they could not fathom. It was not that the Rank was too high, but that it was simply not within the Rank system they understood.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.

"Shall we go in and take a look?" He looked at the Master of Xuanhuang Alchemy Mansion.

The Master of Xuanhuang Alchemy Mansion nodded.

With a thought from Yun Ming, the map of mountains and rivers opened a gate of light. The two Sect Masters stepped inside.

The world inside the scroll was filled with twilight; the sky was grey, without a sun or moon, only eternal twilight.

In the distance, the fusang divine tree radiated golden light, which poured down like a waterfall, illuminating half the sky.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect's gaze fell upon that golden divine tree, and his pupils contracted again.

He recognized that tree. He had seen it in ancient texts—the fusang divine tree, an ancient divine wood, the dwelling place of the sun.

He had thought such things only existed in legends and had long since vanished in the long river of history. He had not expected to see it with his own eyes here.

A living, growing fusang divine tree, radiating infinite vitality.

The Master of Xuanhuang Alchemy Mansion's gaze was drawn to another tree.

Not far away, a verdant tea tree stood quietly beside a small wooden house. The tea tree was not tall, its leaves were verdant green, and golden veins flowed along them.

The enlightenment tea tree. His breathing quickened.

He had spent his whole life dealing with Spirit Medicine; he had seen countless fourth and fifth-Rank Spirit Medicines, and had even handled a few sixth-Rank ones.

But the enlightenment tea tree, he had only seen its name in ancient texts.

Legend had it that a single leaf of enlightenment tea could allow one to reach an Epiphany, allow one to Breakthrough a Bottleneck, and allow one to find direction in the maze of Cultivation.

He had thought this was just a legend. Now, the legend was laid out before him.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect withdrew his gaze and looked toward the area in the distance where people lived. Wooden houses, rivers, fields, cooking smoke; there were Cultivators meditating and Mortals working.

He frowned slightly. "There are people here too?"

Yun Ming nodded. "I saved them along the way. There are Sects besieged by the Yao Race, refugees who are Loose Cultivators, and Mortals. Since they had nowhere to go, I let them live here."

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect was silent for a moment. A Nascent Soul Cultivator, saving people in chaotic times, and placing them in his own Small World.

Such behavior was something he had never heard of, nor had he ever thought of. He did not comment, simply withdrawing his gaze.

The two toured the world inside the scroll, having seen the fusang divine tree, the enlightenment tea tree, and the area where people lived, finally arriving under the peach tree.

Yun Xi leaned against the tree trunk; the chains on her wrists and ankles were still bound, but her complexion was much better than before.

She was asleep, her breathing very light. Jiu Jiu squatted beside her, its five-colored feathers glowing faintly in the twilight.

Jiu Jiu saw Yun Ming, tilted its head, and glanced at the two strangers beside him, but did not make a sound.

Yun Ming walked up and briefly explained Yun Xi's situation.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect crouched down, placed his fingers on the chains, and extended his Qi into them.

His brow furrowed as he followed the chains to their source—the peach tree.

His gaze fell on the tree trunk, and his Divine Sense delved into the interior of the peach tree, finding a piece of a Divine Soul amidst the layers of spiritual light.

The remnant soul was very weak, like a candle in the wind, but it was indeed a part of Yun Xi.

"Soul-Splitting Chains," the Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect stood up and looked at Yun Ming. "Someone cut off a small piece of her Divine Soul and fused it into this peach tree. As long as the peach tree lives, the chains will not vanish. As long as the peach tree is not destroyed, she cannot be free."

Yun Ming nodded. "Do you have a way?"

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect did not answer, instead taking a copper mirror from his sleeve.

The mirror surface was as smooth as water, with complex runes engraved on the edges, the runes glowing with a deep blue light.

He aimed the copper mirror at the peach tree, and the scene inside the peach tree appeared on the mirror's surface—the direction of the root system, the flow of Qi, and that imprisoned remnant soul.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect's Qi extended into the copper mirror, transforming into countless spiritual threads as thin as hair, which wrapped around that remnant soul.

His movements were very light and slow, as if he were dismantling a precision mechanism.

Yun Xi's body began to tremble, her brow furrowed tightly, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Jiu Jiu chirped nervously, gently covering Yun Xi's hand with its wing.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect accelerated, the spiritual threads tightening abruptly, pulling that remnant soul out of the peach tree.

Yun Xi let out a muffled groan, her head tilted to the side, and she fainted.

The remnant soul was guided by the copper mirror, slowly flying toward Yun Xi. The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect aimed the copper mirror at the center of Yun Xi's brows, and the remnant soul submerged into her Sea of Consciousness, fusing again with her Divine Soul.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect withdrew the copper mirror and stood up.

"It is done. Her will is very strong. If it were anyone else, they would at best lose their memory, and at worst, their Divine Soul would be damaged. She has only fainted and will recover after resting for a period of time."

Yun Ming looked at Yun Xi's pale face, was silent for a moment, then turned and bowed deeply to the Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect. "Thank you, Sect Master."

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect reached out to support his arm, not letting him bow. "No need for such formalities. Cooperation requires reciprocity."

Yun Ming raised his head and looked into the Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect's eyes.

He read a meaning in the other's gaze—not condescending charity, but interaction between peers.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect had seen his map of mountains and rivers, seen the fusang divine tree, and seen the enlightenment tea tree, and had already regarded him as an existence of the same Rank.

Yun Ming nodded and did not say more.

The two Sect Masters exited the map of mountains and rivers and returned to the great hall. The discussion in the hall had subsided, and everyone was waiting.

The Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect and the Master of Xuanhuang Alchemy Mansion exchanged a glance, then spoke simultaneously.

"Hold our ground," said the Sect Master of the Divine Forging Sect. "Attack," said the Master of Xuanhuang Alchemy Mansion.

The two said different things, but the meaning was the same.

On the surface, they would put on a stance of fighting to the death, letting the Yao Race believe they intended to hold their ground.

Behind the scenes, they would transfer the entire Sect into Yun Ming's map of mountains and rivers.

Several Elders at the Great Circle of Nascent Soul reacted first and left to carry out the orders.

Golden Core and Foundation Establishment Cultivators subsequently received orders and began to pack their bags, bundle up resources, and prepare to relocate.

No one knew the true plan; they only knew the Sect was about to launch a massive counterattack.

Yun Ming stood outside the great hall, watching the Disciples of the two Sects busy, watching the mountain ranges of the Shenduan Sect and the Golden Core-shaped mountain gates of the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion slowly move in the twilight, and watching people move boxes of Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, and Magical Artifacts into his map of mountains and rivers.

He did not speak, just watched quietly.

The light gate of the map of mountains and rivers remained open, and people filed in, disappearing into that eternal twilight.

The area in the world inside the scroll grew larger and larger, with more wooden houses, rivers diverted, and fields cultivated.

The Sect Heads led the Disciples to help settle the newcomers, dividing areas, building houses, and distributing food and water.

No one complained, no one argued; everyone was busy.

Night fell, and the Yao Race's offensive outside the Mountain Guardian Array did not stop, but the clamor inside the array gradually subsided.

The last batch of Disciples walked into the map of mountains and rivers, and the last batch of supplies was moved in.

The Sect Masters of the two Sects stood before the empty mountain gates, looked at each other, and then simultaneously walked into the light gate.

The light gate closed, and the map of mountains and rivers transformed into an ancient scroll, landing in Yun Ming's hand.

Yun Ming put away the scroll, transformed into a five-colored Escape Light, and disappeared into the horizon.

Behind him, the mountain ranges of the Shenduan Sect and the Golden Core mountain gates of the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion still stood in their original places, the Mountain Guardian Array was still running, the spiritual light was still flickering, and the Yao Race's attacks were still continuing.

But there was no one left inside.