143: Chapter 143 Cangwu Imperial Platform

Three days later, Moonshadow Sect, Yingxia Peak, Guest Welcoming Hall.

The interior of the hall had been newly arranged. The floor was covered with a cloud-like carpet that muffled every footstep. Coiling dragons adorned the jade pillars all around, and spiritual mist swirled, fully displaying the atmosphere of an immortal's residence.

At the head of the hall, Ling Hao sat casually in his black Sect Master robes, yet he naturally exuded an aura as deep as an abyss and as steady as a mountain. Yu Lingshuang stood by his side in an ice-blue palace dress, as cold as frost, her gaze calm and steady.

Below them sat two visitors.

On the left was a burly man who stood as tall and solid as an iron tower. He wore rugged, dark brown beast-hide attire, his muscles knotted and his bare arms covered in hideous scars. His thick eyebrows were like blades, his mouth wide and nose square, and a pair of large, bell-like eyes flashed with piercing light as they opened and closed.

On the right was a woman dressed in goose-yellow feathered clothing. The feathered garment was light and ethereal, embroidered with phoenix tree leaf patterns in gold thread. She had a slender figure and a face of incomparable beauty, with a delicate nose and cherry-red lips. Her almond eyes, in particular, were clear and spirited, shining with every glance.

At this moment, she was curiously stealing glances at Ling Hao in the seat of honor, unable to help but marvel in her heart:

'This Heavenly Venerable Ling... truly is a figure like a banished immortal...'

After a long while, she suppressed the thought, a faint, imperceptible blush rising on her pretty face.

Although the two had different expressions, a hint of shock and suspicion was hidden deep within their eyes.

Upon stepping into the territory of the Qing State, the thin and barren Spiritual Qi clearly indicated that this place was indeed merely a Rank 4 cultivation kingdom.

And yet, in such a place, a Rank 8 power had emerged silently!

This completely overturned their understanding! Cultivation kingdoms above Rank 5 all needed to establish teleportation arrays leading directly to the Yunmeng Great Marsh to obtain resources for advancement. How could this place support someone to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage?!

"Heavenly Venerable Ling, Vice Sect Master Yu, I have long looked forward to meeting you."

The burly man's voice was booming as he was the first to cup his fists and speak.

"I am Elder Fu Tai, the Seventh Elder of Wan Shou Mountain."

Yue Qianqian rose gracefully and gave a polite bow, her voice crisp and pleasant:

"Yue Qianqian of the Wutong Divine Dynasty greets Heavenly Venerable Ling and Vice Sect Master Yu."

Her posture was elegant and her etiquette was impeccable.

After a round of pleasantries, Elder Fu Tai, being of an impatient nature, cut straight to the point:

"Heavenly Venerable Ling, we two have come by the orders of the Mountain Master (Zheng Nanxun) and the Empress (Su Fengyi) to sincerely invite the Moonshadow Sect to join the Cangwu Yuji Platform. You would stand as one of the three poles alongside our Wan Shou Mountain and the Wutong Divine Dynasty, leading the Cultivators of Cangwu Prefecture to collectively resist the True Demon Realm!"

Yu Lingshuang's gaze shifted slightly as she looked toward Ling Hao.

Ling Hao's expression remained calm as his fingertips lightly tapped the jade armrest.

"Join the Cangwu Yuji Platform? Tell me about the situation. What are the restrictions?"

"Restrictions?"

Elder Fu Tai waved a large hand and said gruffly, "This Yuji Platform was originally established to consolidate power against the True Demon Realm, making it easier to deploy resources and coordinate warfare. Only powers above Rank 5 are qualified to join. As for restrictions..."

He grinned, "For the three of us poles, there are basically none! It's just a matter of remaining consistent in the general direction of resisting the True Demon Realm. In everyday affairs, we still make our own decisions!"

Yue Qianqian added with a timely smile, her voice gentle:

"Not only that, after joining the Yuji Platform, all cultivation kingdoms and Sects above Rank 5 within Cangwu Prefecture must pay a fixed annual tribute to the Yuji Platform. Once these resources are gathered, they are quite substantial even for top-tier powers."

As she spoke, she subconsciously touched a silk pouch at her waist embroidered with spiritual fruit patterns.

Ling Hao understood; this was the top-tier benefit under the law of the jungle. He nodded slightly and asked casually:

"In that case, the restrictions are few. Then... if I wish to destroy the Cangmu Kingdom, would that be an issue?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of Elder Fu Tai and Yue Qianqian suddenly became extremely strange.

Elder Fu Tai's mouth twitched: "Uh... Heavenly Venerable Ling may not be aware."

His expression was somewhat helpless, "Not long ago, the Cangmu Kingdom once again submitted a declaration of national war to the Yuji Platform, applying to launch a national war against the Qing State! Although we have been rejecting them, they have been persistent..."

"Oh? Launching a national war requires approval from the Yuji Platform?"

Ling Hao's sword-like brows furrowed slightly, "Such a hassle?"

He intended to destroy the Cangmu Kingdom, so this was too much trouble.

Yue Qianqian was also aware of the matters between the Cangmu Kingdom and the Qing State, and she interjected,

"That is indeed the normal process, however..."

She glanced at Ling Hao, a trace of a sly smile in her eyes,

"For your noble Sect, which is one of the 'three poles,' things naturally need not be so cumbersome. Heavenly Venerable Ling would only need to give a notice during the Yuji Platform's routine meetings after the fact."

She paused, then blinked playfully,

"Of course, it would be even better if there were a 'justifiable' reason to shut certain people's mouths."

Elder Fu Tai nodded vigorously and said in a muffled voice: "Exactly! That's the way!"

At this point, the two exchanged a look. Elder Fu Tai's expression turned serious as he said in a deep voice:

"Heavenly Venerable Ling, in truth, there is an even more urgent reason for our visit."

He pointed toward the southeast outside the hall,

"The True Demon Realm has begun another large-scale invasion, and this time they have invested heavily."

Yue Qianqian also pulled back her smile and said solemnly:

"In the past, the battles between our Cangwu Prefecture and the True Demon Realm were fixed at the ancient battlefield in the northwest of Cangwu, where there is a massive spatial rift."

"Under the suppression of the wu tripod, although other places in Cangwu Prefecture have spatial rifts, they at most allow Demonic Venerables (Soul Transformation) to pass through."

"But this time, we don't know how the True Demon Realm managed it, but they have simultaneously opened three spatial rifts in three directions that are just as large as the great northwestern rift. It is estimated that they will allow Sky Demons (Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable) to pass through."

Ling Hao withdrew his gaze from where Elder Fu Tai was pointing. "How much strength does the opponent have?"

Yue Qianqian shook her head.

"It's not very clear yet. Based on the strength displayed in the ancient battlefield in the past, the True Demon Realm has at least three Tribulation Transcendence Stage Sky Demons, dozens of Void Tempering Stage Devil Emperors, numerous Body Integration Stage Demonic Saints and Soul Transformation Stage Demonic Venerables, and countless Nascent Soul Demonic Lords!"

"Although these three large spatial rifts are currently unstable and will likely take three to five years to fully stabilize, the secondary spatial rifts are becoming more and more numerous."

Elder Fu Tai looked at Ling Hao with burning eyes, speaking with a tone of entreaty:

"The main forces of my Wan Shou Mountain and the Wutong Divine Dynasty need to guard the three large rifts in three directions; we are stretched thin."

"If this spatial rift in the southeast direction falls, the heart of Cangwu will be wide open."

"Once they fight their way to the Yunmeng Great Marsh and seize the wu tripod, the consequences will be unimaginable! The Mountain Master and the Empress have discussed this and sincerely request Heavenly Venerable Ling to preside over the southeast to deter the demons and stabilize our Cangwu rear!"

"Of course, we will not leave your noble Sect to fight alone. We will also have other Rank 7 and Rank 6 cultivation kingdoms assist. As for the specifics, we can negotiate further on the Cangwu Yuji Platform."

Ling Hao fell silent.

This must be the primary purpose of your visit.

Yu Lingshuang had also told him about the situation in the surrounding kingdoms; the hands of the True Demon Realm had already reached them.

And in the Qing State, during this time, the Moonshadow Sect's erosion suppression monuments and towers of laws had basically covered the entire territory.

With the erosion suppression monuments suppressing the erosion qi and space, no spatial rifts had appeared within the Qing State.

But if the surroundings fell and the southeast collapsed, the Qing State would find it difficult to remain unaffected.

"Since it is a common enemy..."

Ling Hao looked up, his deep gaze sweeping over Elder Fu Tai and Yue Qianqian,

"The Moonshadow Sect accepts."

Great surprise and relief simultaneously erupted in the eyes of Elder Fu Tai and Yue Qianqian.

Elder Fu Tai even laughed heartily: "Good! Heavenly Venerable Ling is indeed a man of great righteousness! Splendid!"

With the main business concluded, the atmosphere lightened considerably. The two sat for a while longer before rising to take their leave.

Ling Hao and Yu Lingshuang saw them to the mountain gate.

Elder Fu Tai was a man of swift action. He solemnly cupped his hands to Ling Hao and Yu Lingshuang: "Heavenly Venerable Ling, Vice Sect Master Yu, I shall head back now to report!"

With that, his form transformed into a violent beast shadow that tore through the sky and vanished in an instant.

Yue Qianqian, however, did not leave immediately. She first respectfully bowed and bid farewell to Ling Hao and Yu Lingshuang.

Once their figures had disappeared within the mist-shrouded mountain gate, she immediately pulled a bright red vermilion fruit from her sleeve and took a large, crunching bite without a care for her image. Her cheeks puffed out, and her almond eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

'Mmm... although the fruit in the Qing State is a bit lacking in spiritual energy, the taste is quite sweet...'

As she chewed, she recalled the solemn task her Second Senior Sister, Gu Qingyao, had entrusted to her before she left Qifeng Palace.

"Qianqian, on this trip to the Moonshadow Sect, be sure to observe that Heavenly Venerable Ling carefully. Her Majesty has ordered a detailed investigation into his personality, preferences, style of conduct, and interpersonal relationships—especially... whether he has any romantic ties... This matter is classified as Grade A Secret!"

Yue Qianqian swallowed the fruit pulp, tilted her head, and looked at the Moonshadow Sect's majestic mountain gate shrouded in the morning glow. Her gaze turned once more toward the direction where Ling Hao had disappeared, lost in thought:

"He really is handsome... and his temperament is transcendent... To think Her Majesty personally ordered an investigation into this? Could it be..."

The majestic face of Her Majesty, which was like eternal ice, surfaced in her mind, and an absurd yet exciting thought popped up.

"She went out once... and Her Majesty, who usually regards the men of the world as nothing... has had her heart stirred?!"

She was so startled by her own thought that she took another bite of the vermilion fruit to calm herself.

"Mmm... guessing is useless!"

Her almond eyes darted about, spirited and sly.

"Second Senior Sister said the more detailed the investigation, the better... then this young lady will reluctantly stay in this Qing State for a few more days to conduct a deep investigation!"

She licked the fruit juice from her lips, her eyes flashing with an eager light.

"And while I'm at it... I'll see what other delicious food this Qing State has!"

The goose-yellow figure gave two light, cheerful hops, humming a tuneless little tune as she strolled leisurely toward the distant Six Ridges Giant City, quickly disappearing into the lush mountain forest.