Dawn broke as Qing Yu rose from the ground, waving his hand to dispel the dew from Xuanfeng's body with his True Qi.

Last night, Qing Yu had sat cross-legged atop the peak through the night, and because of a special request by someone, Xuanfeng too had spent the night on a recliner.

It was fortunate that Xuanfeng was a Martial Artist of the True Pill Realm; otherwise, if it were any ordinary elderly person lying outside through the night, by morning one might expect to collect a corpse.

"My cheap master is truly a genius by birth, having such profound comprehension of Zhenwu Sect's Four Symbols Ultimate Skills," Qing Yu patted the book in his hand that belonged to He Qi, speaking to himself.

After his conversation with Xuan Shang last night, he had handed a book to Qing Yu. According to him, these were the insights and comprehension of his cheap master Xuanfa, originally written for Xuan Shang.

It was because of this book of insights that Xuan Shang had made rapid progress over the years, transforming from the weakest and youngest disciple to a great master with strength comparable to Xuanming.

Xuan Shang had already assimilated the book's knowledge and therefore passed it on to Qing Yu with the attitude of inheriting teachings on behalf of his senior brother. Initially, Xuan Shang wanted to tutor Qing Yu by hand in the Four Symbols Ultimate Skills, but Qing Yu refused.

What a joke, hand-held guidance, as if I, Qing Yu, am your little Taoist disciple.

Hence, Qing Yu sent Xuan Shang back to his dwelling halfway up the mountain and spent the entire night alone atop the peak, reading the book.

"Learning by analogy, I have gained a little as well. But to expect great improvement from this alone is impossible."

Qing Yu's power was still restrained within the Golden Core Fourth Transition, but his realm had taken great strides forward, now on par with Xuan Shang. It was completely impossible to improve significantly just by the comprehension of a book of insights.

"After all, it's still a bit slow; if only I could reach the Gold Core Sixth Transition, or even the Seventh Transition, I would be nearly ready to attempt..."

His unfinished words conveyed a subtle wariness as a pale golden Character Card shimmered into Qing Yu's view.

Come July, Qing Yu obtained another opportunity to draw a random Character Card. And this time, Qing Yu drew...

With a menacing demeanor and eyes full of killing intent, the noseless face appeared somewhat eerie, for he was—Voldemort... cough cough, Po Jun.

Name: Po Jun

Realm: True Pill Realm

Item: Heavenly Blade, Greedy Wolf, Dragon Essence

Martial Arts: "Vicious Gang Qi," "Heart Relinquishing Seal," "Cutting Grass and Leaving Roots," "Prison Sword Technique," "Breaking Wolf," "Wolf Kill," "Ten Thousand Swords to the Emperor"

Evaluation: Not below Wuming!

Po Jun hailed from Feng Yun, Wuming's senior brother. Every time Po Jun was mentioned, author Lao Ma mostly said, "Not below Wuming," but in reality...

It was just like Nie Feng saying "Not below me," a phrase to be taken with a grain of salt, never to be taken too seriously.

Po Jun's greatest use, perhaps, was crippling the fully vital Wuming, allowing for the entry of the invincible Wuming in his weakened state.

Overall, in the original story, although Po Jun featured frequently and his name bore a great amount of prestige, he was generally just a sidekick to others. From Jue Wushen to Emperor Shitian, Po Jun was always cast as a villain, never quite reaching the level of a boss.

Yet, it was such a sidekick character that Qing Yu found quite daunting.

Xiong Ba had already been defeated by Qing Yu, and now Jue Wushen would certainly not be a match for him. But it was this Po Jun, who had once offered his beloved woman to Jue Wushen, whom Qing Yu was wary of, choosing to seal his Character Card for the time being.

The reason for such caution lay in Po Jun's longevity, or rather his ability to cling to life.

While Xiong Ba, Jue Wushen, and others had been finished off, and Emperor Shitian was cut down by Duan Lang, who in turn was defeated by Feng Yun, Po Jun was still alive.

He outlasted bosses from one generation to the next, and Po Jun had become an extraordinarily formidable expert.

"With Dragon Essence within him, Po Jun's strength might not match that of Emperor Shitian, but it's certainly not inferior. I must be fully prepared to challenge Po Jun," Qing Yu murmured to himself.

The Dragon Essence was too important to lose. If Po Jun were to lose the Dragon Essence he possessed, Qing Yu would likely be heartbroken to death.

"Dong—"

A sudden and melodious bell sound, evolving the mysterious Dao sound of Yin Yang, came from the heavens, striking as though it rang right by the ear.

"Wuji Bell. Something major has happened," Qing Yu's eyes flashed as he looked towards the distant Chonghe Peak, as if trying to see through the clouds to the form of the sacred artifact left by the ancestors of the Zhenwu Sect.

The Wuji Bell did not toll for trivial matters. Even the Seven Peaks resolution mentioned by Xuan Shang did not qualify to ring it. Only the annual ancestral ritual and events affecting the entire world warranted the tolling of the Wuji Bell, summoning all Peak Masters for deliberation.

"I'll represent Xuanfeng and attend the meeting at Chonghe Peak," Xuan Shang's voice reached his ears, carrying his secret transmission.

"I'll take good care of Xuanfeng," Qing Yu glanced at Xuanfeng, who was lying on a recliner, and transmitted his response.

Though he had already thought of an excuse to cover up the situation, the later Xuanfeng's abnormality was exposed, the less unexpected it would be. If this matter were revealed before the Seven Peaks decision, just investigating Xuanfeng's illness would take a considerable amount of time, which would be disadvantageous for him and Qing Yu.

"What could this major event be? Hmm..."

As the Wuji Bell continued to ring, Qing Yu already had some guesses in his mind.

"The Demon Path on their side should also be making a move..."

The Heavenly Demon Palace has emerged, and the Blood Demon Sect should not be far behind. Especially since he had heard from Yun Wuyue that the Blood Demon Sect was planning something big.

The people of the Blood Demon Sect, having indulged in slaughter for a long time, always made a big deal of everything they did. If they were to truly enter the scene, it would undoubtedly be accompanied by a bloody backdrop.

Thinking this, Qing Yu looked somewhat displeasedly at the swirling mist all around.

The Zhenwu Seven Peaks were towering into the clouds, and unless it was a special breed like the White Phoenix, it was virtually impossible for the messenger eagles to reach the peaks.

Only the specially bred Cloud Eagles of the Zhenwu Sect could serve the purpose of sending messages.

Here in this place, Qing Yu was, in effect, cut off from the outside world.

"Forget it, if the Blood Demon Sect is stirring up trouble, there are surely others who are more anxious than I am. I shouldn't worry too much, I should just read my book."

Within the Nine Provinces of Central Plains, Seven Provinces belonged to the jurisdiction of Daqian. If the Blood Demon Sect were to create chaos, it would definitely be Daqian that was most affected. Perhaps Emperor Qian was already frantically worried by now.

As for Northern Zhou, if one were to speak practically, it was not really up to Qing Yu to take action.

Feng Jiwu might be the emperor of Northern Zhou, but when it came to influence within Northern Zhou, he was far overshadowed by Meng Shanhe of Mountain River Academy and Zhuge Longsu.

If there were really a catastrophic disaster, Meng Shanhe and Zhuge Longsu, these two great Buddhas, would bear it.

Moreover, there were always the monks of the Zen Sect!

The grudge between the Blood Demon Sect and the Buddhist sect was profound indeed. A thousand years ago, at its zenith, the Blood Demon Sect used the "Blood Demon Heart Transformation Method" to turn many high monks into blood-stained Blood Monks.

Likewise, during the destruction of the Blood Demon Sect, it was the Buddhists who killed the most ruthlessly and decisively.

The hatred between the two was as deep as the sea.

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