169: The Spirit of the Vessel, Qingming

[Tiangang City is over a hundred thousand kilometers away from Longyang Town, but for you, it took less than a day to arrive.]

[As you neared the town, you quickly spread out your Divine Sense and immediately locked onto your sister, Qin Yu, inside the Qin Residence.]

[However, what surprised you was—]

[When your Divine Sense swept over her, she suddenly looked up, staring precisely in your direction, her face filled with vigilance.]

[To avoid trouble, you let Liu Ruyan wander around the town while you went alone to Qin Yu's small courtyard.]

[As soon as you entered the courtyard, you saw Qin Yu staring at you with a serious expression, her aura restrained.]

[Previously, your cultivation was low, and you couldn't gauge her depth.]

[Now, upon closer inspection, you were greatly shocked—]

[She was actually at the Early Nascent Soul Stage!]

[A Nascent Soul Cultivator in her twenties—this was simply unbelievable!]

[Suppressing your shock, you confirmed that her Divine Soul was pure and she had not undergone Possession, so you couldn't help but ask, "Are you really Qin Yu?"]

[She also scrutinized you in surprise: "Are you really my good-for-nothing older brother? How do you have Nascent Soul Divine Sense?"]

[When you explored the Qin Residence just now, you hadn't deliberately concealed your Divine Sense, so she had keenly detected it.]

[Hearing her familiar tone, you rolled your eyes: "Then how do you have Nascent Soul cultivation?"]

[At this moment, you finally understood—]

[During the fifth simulation, she said she was at Foundation Establishment Perfection and that she had gained some Cultivation Technique incantations in her mind. Now it seemed that, even in her twenties back then, she had already learned to hide her strength.]

[And in the sixth simulation, when she was eight, she said "someone taught her how to cultivate immortals in a dream"—it was likely this statement that was true.]

[No wonder her two accounts were different; she must have grown older and learned to lie.]

[Suddenly—]

[You felt a ripple in the surrounding space, and the next second, you were enveloped by an invisible force, reappearing in a void.]

[You immediately realized that you had just been forcibly teleported.]

[But you knew you were still somewhere on the Tianhuang Continent.]

[This kind of ability made your heart tremble.]

[Just then—]

[Qin Yu suddenly appeared opposite you.]

[The next second, a ball of silver mist suddenly emerged from her body, transforming into a translucent child's phantom floating in mid-air.]

[Qin Yu looked at the phantom and quickly called out, "Qingming, don't hurt him, he is my good-for-nothing older brother."]

[Hearing Qin Yu's words, you immediately understood—]

[That misty figure was the Artifact Spirit of the grotto-heaven magical treasure, the "qingming mirror." As an Artifact Spirit, it had no gender and no fixed form.]

[Within the Small World of a grotto-heaven magical treasure, the Artifact Spirit exists like a "Pseudo-Heavenly Dao," making it simple for it to move you anywhere.]

[It was just that it hadn't fully recovered yet, so even within the Tianhuang Secret Realm, it wasn't omnipotent.]

[Qingming said in a childish voice, "Your brother has a problem. He must be confined here, or both you and I will be in danger."]

[Qin Yu shook her head: "Look at my silly brother. What danger could he possibly pose? No one would believe it if I told them!"]

[Qingming said seriously, "That woman next to him is a member of the Liu Clan Immortal Family."]

[Qin Yu widened her eyes, looking at you: "Oh my goodness, big brother, you're playing a dangerous game, sleeping with an enemy?"]

[You frowned: "Can you speak a little more refinedly?"]

["Refined? Don't you know that our ancestors were the Qin Immortal Clan, who were later destroyed by the Liu Clan Immortal Family, and our Old Ancestor Qin Mo was exiled to this Tianhuang..." Qin Yu looked serious.]

[Before she could finish, you interrupted her and said earnestly, "Don't worry, her name is Liu Ruyan, and I placed a Slave Contract on her..."]

[Then, you told her about the situation regarding the Liu Clan Immortal Family and the Immortal Domain.]

[You did not mention your other experiences from the simulations, only recounting the normal events of this trip.]

[Qin Yu actually knew all these things; firstly, Qingming had told her, and secondly, she occasionally left the Tianhuang Continent herself.]

[Qin Yu nodded seriously while listening to your account.]

["Wait," Qingming suddenly interrupted you, "I checked your Aptitude when you were young. You had no Spiritual Root and extremely poor Aptitude, making cultivation impossible. How could you reach the Nascent Soul Stage in just over a decade?"]

[You rolled your eyes at it and said calmly, "Qingming, let me ask you, am I Qin Chen?"]

["Yes!"]

["Then is it possible that I Awakened the Legacy memories of the Qin Family Old Ancestor?" You casually fabricated an excuse.]

["It is possible!"]

["Then is it possible that I possess a special secret technique to conceal my cultivation and Aptitude?"]

["It is impossible for me to believe!"]

["Then, if I don't make a move now, can you discern my cultivation?"]

["Indeed, I cannot!"]

["Then have I successfully concealed my Aptitude and cultivation?"]

["Yes, you have!"]

["Good. Since I am fine, and I am an enemy of the Liu Clan, and you are also an enemy of the Liu Clan, doesn't that make us allies?"]

["I suppose... so!"]

[Under your careful guidance, Qingming also felt that your reasoning made sense.]

[You suddenly thought of a question and asked Qingming curiously, "Qingming, why did you choose my sister?"]

["Your sister possesses the Chaos Spiritual Root and the Chaos Body. Should I choose you instead of her?" Qingming replied flatly.]

[Hearing Qingming's words, you were stunned.]

[Your own sister was actually the one-in-a-million, invincible Chaos Spiritual Root and Chaos Body?]

[No wonder you were a prodigious good-for-nothing; it turned out all the nutrients from the same womb went to her.]

[Comparing people truly makes one frustrated.]

[You asked again, "Qingming, since you recognize my sister as your master, why don't you take the qingming mirror and leave the Liu Clan Immortal Family?"]

["Silly brother, haven't you noticed that Qingming hasn't recovered yet?" Qin Yu shook her head helplessly. "And even if Qingming recovered, it probably couldn't move the qingming mirror."]

["Why?" you asked curiously.]

["The qingming mirror has been placed under a Restriction by the Liu Clan Old Ancestor. Unless the Restriction is broken, the Artifact Spirit won't be able to move it, even if it recovers." Qin Yu explained seriously.]

["Then why didn't the Liu Clan Old Ancestor just erase the Artifact Spirit?"]

["Because without the Artifact Spirit, not only would the power of the qingming mirror be greatly reduced, but this entire world would also collapse, and all living beings would perish. That's why the Liu Clan only imprisoned the qingming mirror's main body." Qin Yu's expression was solemn.]

["What is that bronze mirror in the sky?" You pointed upwards.]

[Qingming answered first: "That is what the Liu Clan is using the living beings of the Tianhuang Continent as sacrifices for, attempting to refine a new Artifact Spirit. Once successful, I will be completely devoured by the new Artifact Spirit."]

[You nodded in sudden realization and continued to ask, "Is there no other way?"]

["We recently found a method. As long as we find the six-leaf azure lotus, it can not only help Qingming recover but also greatly increase the Artifact Spirit's strength. At that time, we can break the Restriction and completely control the qingming mirror." Qin Yu stated solemnly.]

["six-leaf azure lotus?" You were slightly confused.]

["The six-leaf azure lotus is the supreme Foundation of Creation for the Artifact Spirit of a grotto-heaven magical treasure. It can greatly enhance the Artifact Spirit's strength, help it reinforce the Origin Law of the grotto-heaven world, making the space more stable and the rules more complete; it can also strengthen the Artifact Spirit's control over the grotto-heaven magical treasure." Qin Yu explained in detail.]

[You nodded, finally understanding.]

[No wonder Qin Yu had gone missing—she had left the Tianhuang Secret Realm to search for the six-leaf azure lotus.]

[And this time, the disappearance was real. Could she have met with misfortune upon leaving the Tianhuang Secret Realm?]