The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS

"This place isn't suitable for talking. Follow me."

Qing Yu pressed his hand on Xuanzhen's shoulder, and the ground beneath their feet rippled like water waves, engulfing the two of them.

No sooner had they left than a figure dressed in a vermilion eunuch robe swept in.

Looking at the crumbling architecture of the Cold Palace and those unknown crystal chips, Cold Eunuch inwardly sighed, 'Someone here has achieved Divine Communication. This aura is unmistakable. But before this, our house had completely failed to detect this person's presence, it must have been the Nine Dragon Sky Array's protection.'

Thinking of the tasks Feng Jiwu had entrusted to him just now, Cold Eunuch's doubts deepened.

However, he was ultimately a servant of the Imperial Family and did not let his suspicions dictate his actions.

With a wave of his old, withered hand, an extreme chill Qi Force enveloped the unknown crystal chips, freezing and shattering them into specks of flying dust.

After finishing this deed, as if sensing something, Cold Eunuch looked towards the swiftly approaching colorful phoenix shadow.

'I still need to come up with a way to deal with the Great Princess. This old frame of mine is indeed tired,' thought Cold Eunuch helplessly.

Ever since the Great Princess returned from Feiyun Pass, her mood had been consistently poor, and Cold Eunuch had to come up with ways to avoid stepping on her landmines and inciting the Great Princess's ire.

Meanwhile, Qing Yu led Xuanzhen, bypassing the defenses of the Nine Dragon Sky Array, and arrived at the heart of the Northern Zhou Imperial Family—the underground palace.

"This place..." Xuanzhen looked towards the four light pillars in the distance, shocked, "That is the aura of the Dragon Vein, this place is..."

"The gathering place of the Northern Zhou's Dragon Vein and the hub of the Nine Dragon Sky Array."

Qing Yu summoned a ginseng as big as half a body and handed it to Xuanzhen, "Ten-thousand-year-old Ginseng Emperor, it will help you quickly stabilize your Realm and refine your Martial Arts within a certain range."

Xuanzhen still looked at Qing Yu with some shock, taking the Ten-thousand-year-old Ginseng Emperor in hand.

She indeed needed this item, as the upcoming battle would determine the future of the Zhenwu Sect. Stabilizing her Realm as soon as possible was also favorable.

However...

Xuanzhen gazed at the somewhat shriveled ginseng in her hand, or more precisely, at a small bite mark on the ginseng, "This is..."

"Cough, don't mind these details," Qing Yu brushed away the bite mark and said, "Absorb the Ginseng Emperor here to stabilize your Realm, then we'll head to the Zhenwu Sect."

It was time for Qing Yu to take charge of the Zhenwu Sect. The grudges of the past, too, needed to be settled.

"With the sight of this place, I'm no longer worried about our side's lack of strength. Being able to freely enter and leave the core of Northern Zhou, your strength is beyond my imagination," commented Xuanzhen.

Northern Zhou's current combat power, even without counting the Mountain River Academy and just the Imperial Family alone, was considerable. Moreover, there was now Qing Yu, the Martial Uncle.

Even the newly advanced Xuanzhen couldn't truly perceive Qing Yu's strength and weakness. Although he had only recently advanced, his strength was already ahead of many others.

"The waters of Zhenwu Sect also run deep," Qing Yu wasn't as optimistic, "Martial Uncle Xuanzhen, what's your view on Tong Jue among the Zhenwu Three Elders?"

"Master Tong Jue..."

Xuanzhen pondered for a moment, seemingly recalling past memories. Shortly after, she said, "The last time I saw Master Tong Jue was during the time when Xuanfa tried to seize power through force. Everyone thought Xuanfa had taken his own life, but in truth, it was Master Tong Jue who acted and crushed Xuanfa's attempt at the coup.

His lifespan is nearly exhausted, so he has been cultivating in seclusion within the forbidden grounds to slow down the depletion of his lifespan. Over the years, only Xuan Chen has had the chance to meet with the three elders and discuss major affairs."

"And how is the relationship among the three elders?" Qing Yu continued to inquire.

"Master Tong Jue and Master Tong Ming have a good relationship, and they are close to Xuan Chen. Master Tong Hua's relationship with them is neither distant nor close, as he has always been focused on deep cultivation. He is the one with the most remaining lifespan among the three but also the one who appears the least," Xuanzhen briefly described the relationship among the three.

"Alright, let it be. You go stabilize your Realm first. In this palace, aside from the central palace and the palaces where the four light pillars are located, you may choose any other palace at will."

After giving the instructions, Qing Yu turned and walked towards the central palace, lost in thought.

"························"

"Sword Maiden pays respects to the Mirror Master."

The woman, dressed in a black gown with two intersecting sword scars on her brow, bowed respectfully to the dark gold figure.

"You being able to merge two Sword Qis is somewhat beyond my expectations. But this is good; the better you are, the more force you can carry."

Qing Yu looked with satisfaction at the woman who gazed back at him with fervent eyes.

She was once the wealthy Zhang Family's daughter, a disciple of Xuan Guang, 'Song Ziqi,' and now one of the Xuanyin Sword Guards, called "Sword Maiden."

Sword Maiden's physique and aptitude were quite extraordinary, capable of integrating two Xuanyin Sword Energies in the Divine Origin Realm. She would also be the last Xuanyin Sword Guard, unless somebody dropped out.

"Now, let's start cleaning up Northern Zhou."

Qing Yu turned to Sword Maiden and the other two people beside her, "Sword Residence is in seclusion to fully integrate Sword Qi and achieve the Xuanyin Sword Body. The rest of you start sweeping through the Shadow Pavilion's forces in Northern Zhou. Within Northern Zhou, completely wipe out everything that belongs to the Shadow Pavilion, leave none behind."

Although Qing Yu did not believe that the Shadow King would become completely hostile to him, his current non-stance was also relatively indicative of his position.

Whether the enmity was hidden deep or he chose to keep watch from the opposite shore, Qing Yu didn't care. He only knew that the Shadow King showed a tendency to become an enemy.

If that was the case, then it was time to clean up the Shadow Pavilion's forces in Northern Zhou and also serve as a signal to the Shadow King.

If the Shadow Pavilion continued to operate in Northern Zhou, people would think Qing Yu weak.

It was also time to remind the Shadow King that Qing Yu was no longer the vulnerable True Pill of the past. Today's Qing Yu had acquired the means to speak on an equal footing with him.

"Yes, Mirror Master." All three echoed in unison.

"Mhm, you may leave."

Watching the three depart, Qing Yu sat back with eyes closed atop the bronze seat, gathering his Three Souls and silently evolving Martial Arts and the Dao of the future.

The further he walked, the clearer the path became. Unlike others who couldn't see the way forward, Qing Yu strode boldly on an ever-widening road.

Having reached the Divine Realm, Qing Yu was about to start blending his own Martial Arts. Unlike Xuanzhen, who had time to evolve slowly, he had plenty of villainous characters to use as stepping stones for his advancement.

'Zhenwu Sect, Taixu Wuji Scripture, and those people...'

This trip to Zhenwu Sect won't yield small gains, but the risks are equally nontrivial. Profit and risk are intrinsically linked, an unchanging truth from ancient times.

Qing Yu had a premonition that there would be some quite significant surprises waiting for him this time. The grudges of over a decade would also be reaching their conclusion.