The night spoke in silence, only the wind stirred the heart. The Queen of Evil stood before Meng Qi, yet gave him a feeling of emptiness, as if she were not truly present.
“Excellent blade technique,” a hoarse, enchanting voice whispered into his ears, tugging at his heartstrings. Meng Qi was still caught in the backlash of “Severing Purity,” and couldn’t help but feel his mind waver.
At that moment, the sound of the zither transformed, resonating like the lofty and tranquil flow of mountain streams, instantly calming Meng Qi’s emotions. As the Evil Calamity receded, he withdrew, raising his “Ice Pavilion” and adopting the stance of delivering a message. At such close quarters, what trick could she possibly pull now!
As the sword began to rise, a trace of sorrow flickered in the Queen of Evil’s aged eyes, and her left hand gently waved.
Meng Qi suddenly felt his body being entangled and pulled by something invisible, forcibly yanked sideways. His sword technique faltered, and he could not launch an attack in time!
Yin Heaven’s Net!
Although the Golden Bell Shield protected his body, preventing Yin’s soft energy from invading his flesh and directly manipulating his qi and muscles, it could still wrap around him like invisible threads, affecting his movements.
Within the range of the Yin Heaven’s Net, one was like prey caught in a spider web—the more one struggled, the tighter the entanglement became!
And the Queen of Evil was the silent, venomous spider, ready to feast!
The Queen extended her right hand, fingers slightly curved, aiming for Meng Qi’s head. Her fingers writhed like blooming petals, shifting unpredictably, yet the force they carried was sharp and layered, like solid energy filled with explosive power. Anyone struck would surely die.
Ordinary masters at the Opening Acupoint stage could also release palm winds or sword qi, but their offensive power was quite limited. Typically, beyond a few steps, it was no different from a strong breeze, lacking true destructive force unless it was a specialized technique like the Palm of Empty Slash. Even at close range, unless there was a significant disparity in strength between opponents, they could generally withstand the impact, suffering at most minor injuries or slight disruption. Therefore, battles among such experts still relied mainly on close combat, with palm winds and sword qi serving merely as supplementary techniques.
However, as the number of opened acupoints increased and inner strength improved, the destructive power of palm winds and sword qi grew stronger. At the Queen of Evil’s level—approaching or equalling the threshold of External Scenery, with physical cultivation nearly matching that of a Grandmaster—her qi could be released externally, forming protective auras. Her palm winds and finger strikes had become terrifyingly powerful, capable of killing someone from over ten paces away!
Against such overwhelming inner strength and terrifying palm and finger techniques, ordinary techniques were useless, for one could not even get close!
When You Huan duo attacked Meng Qi—who had once possessed formidable sword techniques but had his inner power destroyed—she had planned to kill him with a single palm strike from afar, only to be outmaneuvered by Meng Qi’s use of the A-nan Breaking the Precept Blade Technique.
The Queen’s finger wind sliced through the air like blades and swords, layered and explosive, making it difficult for Meng Qi to strike back even as he spotted the flaw in her movement. The force of her palm wind was so solid it resisted penetration.
The Queen moved not quickly, as if dragging the surrounding darkness with her, slow and heavy, yet unstoppable!
The zither’s sound rang clear and pure, causing Meng Qi’s heart to tremble. He forcibly steadied himself, suppressing the pressure of her aura and the disturbance to his spirit. He channeled the A-nan Breaking the Precept Blade Technique, allowing his mind to enter the empty, tranquil state before a strike.
Although he had rested for a while and recovered his energy, having just normally used “Severing Purity,” he now needed to activate the Self-Sacrifice Formula to unleash another strike. Still, he relied on the technique to maintain his composure, avoiding collapse under the pressure of the qi confrontation.
His muscles swelled, stretching his night clothes, dark gold flowing through them, as he prepared to break free from the entanglement of the Yin Heaven’s Net.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he halted his attempt, instead extending his spirit along the Yin threads entangling him!
In his tranquil, mirror-like mind, the surrounding scene was reflected clearly—countless invisible Yin threads swayed from all directions, some wrapping his arms, others coiling around his ankles, some forming nets nearby.
All these threads originated from the Queen of Evil herself, still under her control. Thus, Meng Qi, using the threads entangling him, reversed his spiritual perception, sensing the Queen’s distribution of inner energy, changes in her movement, and the profound mystery of her fingers.
His mind remained as still as an ancient well, reflecting everything. The flow of the Queen’s protective aura, the layered strength and weakness of her finger wind, were all clearly revealed.
In that instant, the words of the “Qi-Piercing Style” surfaced in Meng Qi’s mind, and he suddenly understood: to master this technique, one needed precisely this level of mental clarity, or the ability granted by the Seal of Immortality to sense the enemy’s qi and inner energy.
He thrust his sword forward, navigating through the myriad threads of Yin energy, his blade moving crookedly, as if guided by some unseen force, piercing through and striking precisely at the weakest yet most pivotal point in the finger wind.
Puff! The finger wind dissipated. The Queen of Evil softly exclaimed in surprise, her fingers curling and gracefully flicking, striking Meng Qi’s sword tip and deflecting it.
Suddenly, the zither sound changed again—sharp and piercing, as if the strings themselves had snapped. A sharp gust of wind shot forth, targeting the Queen of Evil.
The Queen waved her sleeve, connecting the Yin energy, redirecting the gust to strike a nearby tree, leaving a deep wound in its wake.
Ruan Yushu still had such a move? Was there something strange about the zither?
Meng Qi had no time to be surprised. Seizing the opportunity, he slashed his sword.
The sword light was pure and condensed, chillingly sharp, like a summons from the Netherworld, shooting toward the Queen’s forehead. The timing and position were perfect, striking precisely at the flaw in her protective aura’s flow!
The Queen of Evil softly hummed, her right hand grasping. Countless threads of Yin energy returned, wrapping around her forehead in layers, forming a cocoon of Yin energy.
There was no retreat, no turning back. The sword’s speed seemed to contain an unshakable law. Before the cocoon could fully form, the blade had already arrived.
Boom!
The Yin cocoon exploded. The sword’s forward momentum was halted. The Queen’s left index finger lightly pressed against the sword tip, scattering the force in all directions.
Shielded by his internal energy and the disruption caused by the Queen’s protective barrier to the Yama’s Edict, her jade-like fingers remained unharmed.
Her veil suddenly split in two, gently drifting down, revealing a face untouched by time, its features delicate and breathtakingly beautiful. Time had only added a touch of weariness and maturity to her gaze, enhancing her allure.
“Excellent sword technique,” the Queen of Evil praised again in her hoarse voice.
Meng Qi gritted his teeth, ready to activate the Self-Sacrifice Formula for a final strike of “Falling into the Mortal World,” using his earlier perception of the Queen’s energy flow and the net’s structure to slightly push her back and flee.
At that moment, the Queen, her finger still pressed against the sword tip, floated upward like a paper doll, carried by the night wind to land beneath a distant tree, seamlessly blending into the darkness, trees, stones, and grass, present yet intangible.
So she hadn’t even used her full strength yet… Meng Qi suddenly understood. The Queen had merely casually swiped at him.
A few strands of Meng Qi’s black hair drifted down, unguarded by the Golden Bell Shield, caught in the ripple of her finger strike.
“Do you wish to infiltrate the imperial palace and discover the true condition of the old man?” the Queen of Evil asked, her gaze indifferent and weary as she looked at the two.
Hearing this, Meng Qi’s heart slightly steadied, though he dared not let his fighting spirit wane. The two were still locked in a qi confrontation; if he lost his fighting spirit, the Queen might seize the opportunity to strike.
Meng Qi assumed an offensive stance with his sword and blade, coldly asking, “You want to cooperate?”
“My subordinates lack experts like you, and none possess your stealth skills,” the Queen admitted frankly.
She had witnessed our kidnapping of Lu Huasheng from start to finish? How could that be so coincidental? And hadn’t the Ghost King already pledged allegiance to her? Question after question rose in Meng Qi’s mind, though he remained outwardly calm. “What do you plan to do? Why should I trust you?”
“If I wanted to kill you, you would not have escaped tonight,” the Queen said plainly, her confidence undiminished despite the earlier clash—perhaps it was a subtle contest of wills.
“You want to confirm the old man’s condition; I also want to confirm it. In this matter, we share a common goal and interest. As for what comes after, whether we become allies or enemies, no one can say.”
“By no later than the day after tomorrow, or as soon as tonight, we shall infiltrate the palace. I will draw away and distract Wang Derang, while you sneak into the sleeping quarters to confirm the old man’s condition.”
Meng Qi thought silently for a moment. “You’re not afraid I’ll deceive you about the result?”
“Once confirmed, no matter the old man’s condition, there will be corresponding changes. I won’t need you to tell me the result,” the Queen replied, her expression unchanged.
“Fine. But I must first consult General Lu. If he doesn’t know the emperor’s condition, then tomorrow night we infiltrate the palace,” Meng Qi nodded in agreement.
Besides, he had expended considerable energy tonight, repeatedly using his blade and sword.
The Queen lightly nodded, stepped back into the shadows, and vanished, leaving behind a lingering, profound aura.
Meng Qi turned his head, watching Ruan Yushu restringing her zither, slightly relieved that only a few strands of his hair had fallen, not his wig.
“I didn’t expect you to be able to play a zither with qi-infused notes?”
Earlier, she had strummed a gust akin to sword qi, capable of injuring enemies from afar—truly the equal of a sword master! No wonder the daughter of a noble family couldn’t be underestimated!
“My father doted on me and gave me this ancient zither,” Ruan Yushu replied, her tone as cold and distant as ever.
“How many acupoints have you opened?” Meng Qi couldn’t help but ask.
“Four,” Ruan Yushu answered frankly.
At an age roughly equal to his, perhaps even younger… Jiang Zhenwei had only reached this level at that age—she had used the Heavenly Wisdom Pill, but honestly, with her talent, she would have naturally opened her ear acupoint within another month or two.
As Meng Qi thought, he checked his own condition, discovering that the Golden Bell Shield, which had been on the verge of breaking through, had finally succeeded under the pressure and disturbance of the Yin Heaven’s Net. He had finally entered the sixth stage, capable of refining the acupoints related to his nose!
Returning to his courtyard, Meng Qi did not immediately seek out Lu Guan but decided to meditate and stabilize his condition.
“Why didn’t you seek out the Sword Emperor?” Ruan Yushu suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Meng Qi turned his head, grinning. “You’ve been holding that question for a while, haven’t you? You wanted to ask earlier?”
Ruan Yushu lifted her chin and turned to leave.
Meng Qi hurriedly said, “Because the Fourth Prince’s allegiance is unclear, seeking out the Sword Emperor would be dangerous. At least the Queen of Evil is a reluctant ally.”
“An ally?” Ruan Yushu stopped, puzzled.
“It was my sudden idea to capture Lu Huasheng, yet the Queen of Evil watched the entire time. Do you think that was a coincidence?”
Ruan Yushu’s brows slightly furrowed. “Luo Shengyi?”
Did he betray them?
“No. If Luo Shengyi had betrayed us, the Queen wouldn’t have risked being discovered by watching. She could have simply waited for his report,” Meng Qi said smugly. “There was one other person who knew we were going.”
“The Third Prince?” Ruan Yushu understood.
Meng Qi nodded lightly. “Yes, the Third Prince. It wasn’t the Seventh Prince who conspired with the Queen of Evil, but the Third Prince! Because if their collusion were exposed, all the court officials would oppose him. Thus, he deliberately let the Queen attack Luo Shengyi, creating a false impression, making Luo Shengyi no longer suspicious.”
“Didn’t the Queen herself say earlier that she had no experts like me under her command? If she supported the Seventh Prince, the Ghost King wouldn’t be any weaker than me.”
“The Ghost King is the Ghost King, and the Queen is the Queen. The Ghost King pledged allegiance to the Seventh Prince, but that doesn’t mean he pledged allegiance to the Queen.”
“Moreover, only with the secret support of the Devil Sect, which had been plotting for years, could the Third Prince’s intelligence network be so efficient!”
Ruan Yushu’s expression changed slightly. “Even the Reckless Vajra has a clever side…”
Meng Qi’s smug smile instantly froze on his face.
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