Chapter 0709: The Secrets of the Mystic Realm

Chapter 0709: Secrets of the Mysterious Domain

Jian Nanhu saw Qin Yun also entering the dueling platform and quickly walked over, asking, "Qin Yun, did you really control the Demon Star Overlord? You controlled him and didn’t even tell me? I’ve been itching to pay him back!"

"You don’t need revenge now!" Qin Yun laughed. He was pretty tired and sat on the ground to rest.

The people here were in awe of him for turning the situation around.

After all, back when the poison hit them, they had been utterly hopeless.

Xiao Yuelan used the Little Jade Rabbit to detoxify everyone.

With so many poisoned, the process was slow, as the Little Jade Rabbit had to cure them one by one.

Outside the dueling platform, with the addition of Chu Binyu and the others, the members of the Long family were swiftly dealt with.

In this battle, the Medicine Immortal Valley, Canghuo Immortal Mountain, and several other major families took a beating—many Semi-Immortals, Martial Kings, and even Emperor Wu fell.

The attacking demonic forces from the Demonic Mysterious Domain were nearly wiped out.

Although few from the Sword Immortal Pavilion were killed, the Sword Immortal Villa was trashed.

After the fight, Jian Shitian and the others were completely exhausted, dropping to the ground—they had fought far beyond their physical limits.

The Sword family’s Semi-Immortals showed up late, but their presence put everyone at ease.

"Everyone, don’t worry—our Sword Immortal Pavilion has a special method to quickly detoxify you all. Please follow me!" said an elder from the Sword Immortal Pavilion.

Once the dueling platform’s barrier was deactivated, the crowd followed the elder, who mentioned leading them to a special detox pool.

The Old Demon Granny had already been detoxified, and her sealed power came back, so she healed fast. She didn’t need to go and instead stayed to tend to Qi Meilian.

...

After resting for three days in the ruined Sword Immortal Villa, everyone was mostly back on their feet.

The people of Sword City knew something major had happened at the Sword Immortal Villa, though they weren’t sure of the specifics.

During these three days, the Sword Immortal Pavilion deliberately let slip some details.

The story went that demonic sects from the Demonic Mysterious Domain had launched a surprise attack on the Sword Immortal Villa, collaborating with forces like the Medicine Immortal Valley and Canghuo Immortal Mountain to seize the Immortal Essence. However, they were annihilated by the combined efforts of the Sword Immortal Pavilion, Immortal Armament City, and the Demon Immortal GrottoHeaven.

This news shook the entire Pride Star Province.

The Tenglong Province also received the news, as members of the Long family and the Muzhou King had perished here.

Those who knew the details were required to maintain secrecy, sworn to secrecy by blood oath, to keep quiet about the details.

For instance, they were forbidden from revealing how Qin Yun had controlled the Demon Star Overlord to slaughter everything.

This time, Qin Yun had greatly aided the Sword Immortal Pavilion, so they would cover for him.

If word got out that he controlled the Demon Star Overlord, other provinces would come gunning for it.

The Odd Mark Hall within the Mysterious Domain would likely act immediately as well.

At the center of the Sword Immortal Villa, a huge mansion stood untouched—this was Jian Shitian’s residence.

In a large hall of the mansion, the leaders of the other major factions were gathered here. In addition, Qin Yun and Jian Linglong were also invited to attend.

Jian Shitian stood in the center of the hall and said, "We have three immortal sects here, along with the Jian Family and Demon Moon Island, totaling five major powers. We must unite!"

"Currently, the Medicine Immortal Valley, Canghuo Immortal Mountain, and those other major families are not our primary opponents!"

These faction leaders were well-informed and were now taking this opportunity to form an alliance.

Qin Yun knew this was no ordinary meeting, so he remained quiet and listened attentively.

The Cloud Demon Matriarch said, "I’ve long heard rumors that the Nine Sun Sect from the Profound Realm intends to regain control over the five mortal states of the Mortal Realm and directly command us to serve them!"

"Exactly," Jian Shitian nodded gravely. "That’s why the powerful demonic sects of the Demon Profound Realm couldn’t hold back and launched their attack after the Martial Arts Championship ended. The Demon Profound Realm wants to destroy us, while the Spirit Profound Realm wants to control us!"

Qin Yun asked, "Why does the Spirit Profound Realm want to control us?"

Bao Changshou replied, "A long time ago, the Five Immortal Sects, the major clans, and many other large and small sects were all closely tied to the Nine Sun Sect. You could say we were all their subordinate forces."

"But later, they abandoned their management over us, reduced the resources they provided, and left us to survive on our own. Yet, not only did we survive, we even grew stronger. Now, they want to regain control over us!"

Jian Shitian added, "We admit that our rise to power was partly due to the early support of the Nine Sun Sect. But we’ve also served them for many years and offered countless tributes. We're square with them now."

"Later, they became indifferent toward us, only establishing the Strange Mark Hall to maintain some connection with us."

"But they did send several Immortal Essences. Will they demand them back?" Qin Yun asked worriedly, as the Immortal Soldier City had obtained the most Immortal Essences.

"As long as the King of Aoxingzhou offers them tributes, it should suffice. Although the King of Yezhou is dead, the Strange Mark Hall has other factions, so a new state king can be elected," Jian Shitian said.

Bao Changshou frowned. "Something must have happened within the Profound Realm, making them urgently need resources from the outer Mortal Realm. They’re even willing to trade Immortal Essences for tributes!"

A demi-immortal from the Demon Immortal Grotto-Heaven said, "They don’t dare to directly rule over us—it seems they no longer have that strength. Otherwise, they would have acted long ago!"

"They do have the power, but conquering us would come at great cost. There must be internal conflicts in the Profound Realm, preventing them from attacking us," the Cloud Demon Matriarch said.

Jian Shitian nodded. "Right now, what we need to worry about are the forces from the Demon Profound Realm! They dared to brazenly attack our immortal sects in the Spirit Mortal Realm because they knew the Profound Realm wouldn’t intervene to help us!"

"Such incidents will surely happen frequently in the future!" Bao Changshou said. "We must return quickly and reinforce our defenses!"

The immortal sects' defensive formations would also involve the Strange Mark Hall.

Han Fenghu’s faction in the Strange Mark Hall was relatively neutral. Now that the King of Yezhou had been eliminated, another faction would take control of the hall.

Since Qin Yun had won first place in the Martial Arts Championship, the Immortal Soldier City would hold significant influence in the Strange Mark Hall.

The leaders of these factions discussed future cooperation and alliances, agreeing to also recruit second-rank sects.

They had brought Qin Yun here to make him understand that they were now all on the same side. They hoped that if he encountered conflicts outside, he would consider the friendships within the alliance.

After a long discussion, the discussions finally wrapped up, and representatives of the major factions gradually left the Sword Immortal Manor.

Just outside the manor lay the massive Sword City. The Sword Immortal Pavilion summoned many people from the city to assist in the manor’s reconstruction.

Han Fenghu from the Strange Mark Hall also came to inquire about certain matters before returning to report.

Xiao Yuelan and Qi Meilian left with the Cloud Demon Matriarch, heading first to the Immortal Soldier City—Xiao Yuelan had expressed interest in visiting.

...

At the door of Jian Linglong's tower, Qin Yun, Jian Shitian, and Jian Nanhu stood together.

Jian Nanhu whispered, "Qin Yun, when you entered this tower earlier, did you upset Jian Linglong?"

"No!" Qin Yun laughed.

Jian Shitian chuckled, "Linglong is someone who holds clear accounts of favors and grievances. Qin Yun essentially saved her life, so she’ll definitely remember this kindness!"

The door suddenly opened, revealing Jian Linglong dressed in simple white robes, her braid resting on her chest. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with gentleness, and her elegant, ageless face bore a soft smile.

This sight unnerved Jian Nanhu, as he had never seen Elder Linglong display such tenderness before.

"Sect Leader, to repay Qin Yun, I’ve decided to join the Celestial Armory City!" Jian Linglong said with a smile. "I’ll be leaving with them right away!"

"Wha—what?!"

Jian Shitian was stunned. He had come to see Jian Linglong and inquire about the Dragon Totem, never expecting she would defect.

"Don’t worry, I’ll always be a member of the Jian Family!" Jian Linglong took out a piece of parchment and handed it to Jian Shitian. "This is Qin Yun’s Dragon Totem. Pass it on to the other Mystic Rune Masters."

Jian Shitian glanced at Qin Yun, who averted his gaze, and then shouted, "You brat! Did you lure her to the Celestial Armory City?"

Qin Yun scratched his head and laughed sheepishly. "Well... Elder Linglong wanted to repay me. She chose this herself—I barely nudged her!"

"Qin Yun convinced me to join the Celestial Armory City! He even gave me two top-tier Dao Runes! Plus, the Celestial Armory City originally had one Immortal Essence, but now they’ve obtained three more, totaling four—leagues ahead of the Sword Immortal Pavilion!" Jian Linglong said cheerfully.

Though Jian Nanhu had lost to Qin Yun three times, he had never truly acknowledged him.

But now, seeing Qin Yun steal away Jian Linglong—the Jian Clan’s most fearsome tigress—he couldn’t help but admire him wholeheartedly.

Jian Shitian took the Dragon Totem and glared at Qin Yun, grumbling, "You brat, brazenly pilfering our talents—how despicable!"

"Sect Leader Jian, this really isn’t my fault... If your Sword Immortal Pavilion hadn’t mistreated her, I wouldn’t have been able to steal her away so easily!" Qin Yun replied with an awkward laugh.

Jian Linglong stored the tower behind her—a powerful architectural marvel she had refined and enhanced over the years.

Jian Shitian sighed deeply. "Linglong, I know you’ve longed for top-tier Dao Runes for a long time. I truly failed you in that regard... I’ll scour the world for finer ones in the future. You can always return—the Sword Immortal Pavilion’s doors will forever remain open for you!"

"I won’t be coming back!" Jian Linglong smiled. "Farewell, Sect Leader!"

With that, she left with Qin Yun.

Jian Nanhu watched them go, then glanced at the empty spot where the tower once stood, muttering in awe. "Elder Linglong is really gone? This is surreal! We’ll never hear her yelling at you all again!"

Jian Shitian suddenly grinned. "Her leaving isn’t such a bad thing. At least no one will dare shout at me, the Sect Leader, anymore! That brash, foul-mouthed harridan always called us elders dullards and imbeciles—we’ve had enough! Bao Changshou’s faction will bear the brunt now, haha..."

"Grandfather, you were just pretending earlier?" Jian Nanhu whispered. "I thought you genuinely wanted to keep Elder Linglong?"

"I’ve prayed for her departure for decades! Hahaha... When the time’s right, I’ll go thank that fiend Qin Yun!" Jian Shitian laughed heartily before whistling a jaunty tune and flying off.