197: The appearance of a secret treasure has stirred the interest of various parties.

The candlelight in the core hall of Beyond Heaven flickered, casting light on Jun Xiaoyao's calm and unruffled profile.

In the water mirror, Lin Chaoying in Duanyun Valley had stopped struggling. The alcohol made her eyes hazy, and she spoke intermittently about the whereabouts of the secret treasure of the Chongyang Palace—it was an "Innate Skill Jade Pendant," said to be hidden in the Tomb of the Living Dead on Zhongnan Mountain, capable of helping one break through to the Heavenly Human Realm and reach the Land Immortal Realm.

"Innate Skill Jade Pendant..." Jun Xiaoyao rubbed the black jade ring on his finger, a glimmer of interest flashing in his eyes.

He had long heard of Wang Chongyang's Innate Skill. If the jade pendant truly existed, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous boost to the strength of Beyond Heaven.

"Young Lord," Zhao Gao bowed and said, "Little Dragon Girl has imprisoned Lin Chaoying in a stone chamber in Duanyun Valley, locking her up with profound iron chains. That brat Linghu Chong is guarding the entrance, claiming he's afraid she might escape, but in reality... he's stealing sips of the 'Drunken Immortal Brew' that Lin Chaoying had hidden away."

The scene in the water mirror shifted. Linghu Chong was indeed holding a wine jar, humming a tune while chugging the liquor. The chains at the entrance of the stone chamber had been hacked to pieces by his sword; clearly, he didn't take the guard duty seriously.

Jun Xiaoyao shook his head helplessly: "Send the Marshal of the Unruly to keep an eye on him, don't let him actually let the prisoner escape."

At this moment, a message talisman suddenly lit up. Yue Fei's voice, rough from the battlefield, came through: "Young Lord, the Xuanbing troops have begun to rout! Zhao Xuan is fleeing with his remnants towards Duanyun Valley, it seems he wants to break through and escape!"

In the scene on the right side of the water mirror, seven warships of the Xuanbing Dynasty had already sunk, and the remaining three were covered in damage. The mast of Zhao Xuan's flagship had been struck by a catapult, and it was drifting crookedly toward the north bank. He stood on the deck, his long halberd propped against the ground, his armor covered in blood, yet his eyes remained fierce; clearly, he had no intention of surrendering without a fight.

"Run?" Jun Xiaoyao sneered, "Duanyun Valley is a dead end. Him running there is exactly walking into The Net." He looked at the summoning array. After days of recovery, the runes were glowing with a pale golden light, with enough energy for one mid-level summoning. "Summon someone else to go to Duanyun Valley and block him."

Zhao Gao responded and activated the array. The crystal at the center of the array burst into a dazzling red light. From within the red light stepped a figure clad in red robes, holding a judge's brush. His face was handsome but carried a hint of wickedness. It was none other than the "White Jade Rat," Bai Yutang, from three heroes and five gallants.

【 Character Panel Expanded:

Name: Bai Yutang (From the world of three heroes and five gallants)

Realm: Late Grandmaster Realm

Martial Skills/Techniques:

1. Flying Over Walls: Agile movement technique, skilled at climbing and jumping; once broke into Kaifeng Prefecture eight times without being captured.

2. Judge's Brush Technique: The brush strokes are eerie; hidden killing intent lies between the dots, stabs, and slashes, capable of breaking the Xuanbing Dynasty's Ice Body Protection.

Special Abilities:

- Mechanism Mastery: Can set traps in the treacherous spots of Duanyun Valley, specifically designed to counter cavalry charges.

- Silver-Tongued: Skilled in psychological warfare, capable of shaking the Battle Intent of routed soldiers, causing Zhao Xuan's men to turn against him.

Additional Items:

- Purple Gold Judge's Brush (Treasure Artifact): Hidden poison needles inside the shaft, the tip can pierce profound iron armor.

- Mother-Son Bombs: Explode upon throwing, releasing smoke to obstruct the pursuers' line of sight. 】

Bai Yutang cupped his hands and laughed: "Is the Young Lord bringing me credit? I've wanted to meet that brat Zhao Xuan for a long time!"

Jun Xiaoyao pushed the map of Duanyun Valley to him: "On the left side of the valley entrance, there is a place called 'Thread of Sky,' which is perfect for an ambush. Remember, keep him alive; I need to know why the Xuanbing Dynasty suddenly marched south."

"Got it!" Bai Yutang put away the map, his figure flickering and disappearing into the teleportation light pattern, leaving only the words "Wait for my good news" echoing in the hall.

The scene in the water mirror shifted to the Thread of Sky in Duanyun Valley. Bai Yutang was directing the Luowang Assassins to set up traps. He hid the Mother-Son Bombs behind rocks and used his judge's brush to carve mechanisms into the stone walls; as long as someone triggered them, the giant boulders above would roll down. Linghu Chong approached with his wine jar: "Brother Bai, why bother with these things? It would be much more satisfying to just slash them with a sword!"

Bai Yutang rolled his eyes at him: "What do you know? This is called 'subduing the enemy without fighting'." He patted Linghu Chong on the shoulder, "When Zhao Xuan arrives later, you are responsible for entangling him, and I will take care of the remnants."

Linghu Chong hiccuped: "Fine, as long as there's wine to drink, anything is fine."

At this moment, Yue Fei's message talisman lit up again: "Young Lord, the people from the Jiangnan noble families have arrived. They say they are willing to form an alliance according to your conditions. Their assets have been counted and warehoused, and their direct heirs have also been brought along; they are waiting outside the camp."

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the Jiangnan noble family's group in the water mirror. The leader was a youth in brocade clothes, his face pale, clearly terrified. "Have Yue Fei bring them to Beyond Heaven," he said indifferently, "Place them in the east wing, assign two people to watch over them, and don't let them wander around."

Zhao Gao was recording on the side: "The Jiangnan noble families offered two hundred thousand taels of gold, three thousand loads of medicinal herbs, and three salt mines... This gift is not light."

"What they fear is not the Xuanbing troops, but us," Jun Xiaoyao said. "Do not let them know about the Innate Skill Jade Pendant for now."

In the water mirror, Zhao Xuan's remnants had entered Duanyun Valley, numbering about a thousand. Everyone looked terrified, their steps staggering. Zhao Xuan walked at the front, carrying his long halberd, his eyes vigilantly scanning his surroundings; he clearly sensed something was wrong. "Speed up! Once we rush out of the valley, it's the Northern Territory. Then no one will be able to do anything to us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud "boom" suddenly came from the Thread of Sky. The giant boulders above rolled down, blocking their retreat. Bai Yutang's voice came from behind the stone wall: "Zhao Xuan, don't waste your energy. You are already surrounded!"

Zhao Xuan roared, his long halberd sweeping horizontally, shattering the rolling rubble: "Who is playing tricks? Come out!"

Linghu Chong jumped out from behind the rock, his iron sword pointing directly at Zhao Xuan: "Your grandfather is here! If you have the guts, come and fight!"

Zhao Xuan recognized him as the person who had cut down the Snowline Eagle and was filled with rage: "It's you! I'll kill you!" The long halberd, carrying a cold chill, stabbed toward Linghu Chong. The Moves were ruthless; it was exactly the "Cold Ice Halberd Technique" of the Xuanbing Dynasty.

Linghu Chong was unhurried. He unfolded the "Sword-Breaking Form" of the Nine Swords of Dugu. The sword light was like a net, neutralizing the halberd's onslaught one by one. The two exchanged blows, Sword Qi and cold energy colliding, stirring up a sky full of white mist, making the troops on both sides hold their breath.

Bai Yutang took the opportunity to trigger the traps. The Mother-Son Bombs exploded, smoke filled the air, and the Xuanbing remnants were thrown into chaos. Luowang Assassins struck from the shadows. Amidst the flashing blades and sword shadows, people kept falling with screams. Seeing this, Zhao Xuan was anxious; his halberd attacks became more ferocious, yet he was unable to break through Linghu Chong's sword net.

Jun Xiaoyao watched the chaotic battle in front of the water mirror, his fingertips lightly brushing over the summoning array. There was still a little energy left in the array, enough to deal with emergencies, but he didn't intend to summon again—Bai Yutang's traps combined with Linghu Chong's sword skills were more than enough to deal with Zhao Xuan's remnants.

"Zhao Gao," he suddenly said, "Go to the stone chamber and ask Lin Chaoying for the specific location of the Tomb of the Living Dead."

Zhao Gao accepted the order and left. Only Jun Xiaoyao and the flickering candlelight remained in the hall. In the water mirror, the battle was nearing its end. More than half of the Xuanbing remnants were dead or injured, and the rest were kneeling and surrendering. Zhao Xuan had Linghu Chong's iron sword held to his throat; his face was livid, yet he still refused to bow his head. Bai Yutang walked up and tapped his Acupoints with the judge's brush, crippling his Internal Energy: "Don't be stubborn anymore. Once you arrive at Beyond Heaven, you'll have plenty of suffering ahead."

At this moment, Zhao Gao hurried back, his expression somewhat strange: "Young Lord, Lin Chaoying says... the entrance to the Tomb of the Living Dead is in the back mountain of the Chongyang Palace on Zhongnan Mountain, guarded by people from the Quanzhen Sect. And..." He paused, "She says Wang Chongyang is still alive and hiding in the tomb. The Innate Skill Jade Pendant is a bait he intentionally released to lure something out."

A trace of surprise flashed in Jun Xiaoyao's eyes: "Wang Chongyang is still alive? Some kind of thing?" He stood up, walked to the water mirror, and looked at the night scenery of Duanyun Valley. "It seems this Innate Skill Jade Pendant is more complex than I thought."

He tapped his fingertip on the water mirror, and the scene switched to the Chongyang Palace on Zhongnan Mountain. A group of Taoist priests were practicing their skills. The leading old priest had a crane-like appearance and a youthful complexion, with stable breath; he was actually a master of the Heavenly Human Realm. "Quanzhen Sect..." Jun Xiaoyao thought thoughtfully, "It seems I need to add another person to the team."

The light of the summoning array lit up again, this time a soft golden light, signaling that a Taoist expert would appear. Jun Xiaoyao watched the figure gradually condensing in the center of the array, a hint of expectation curling at the corners of his mouth—no matter what secrets Wang Chongyang was hiding, and no matter what that "something" was, as long as it blocked the path of Beyond Heaven, he wouldn't mind letting The Net weave an even larger web.

The wind outside the hall blew in with the scent of blood from Duanyun Valley, lifting a corner of the curtain and revealing the sparse stars in the night sky. Jun Xiaoyao knew that the struggle for the Innate Skill Jade Pendant had only just begun. And he was already prepared to add another force capable of shaking the continent to Beyond Heaven in this struggle.