Chapter 499: Chapter 369: Civil Selection, New and Old Grudges
Xingxiu Cave, is a forbidden place of the Beiqing Pill Palace.
Its significance is second only to the Star Sacrificial Tower standing within the Beiqing Realm.
The most accurate account of the origin of Xingxiu Cave is that it was once the dwelling of an Alchemist at the Fang Immortal Level, before his epiphany of Divine Skills and his ascension to immortality.
Although he ascended, Xingxiu Cave still contains a vast number of Ancient Elixir Recipes and Spiritual Artifacts left behind, each of which, if brought to the mainland, would be worth a fortune.
Rumor has it that Chen Hongru, Beiqing’s number one alchemist today, has such superior alchemy skills because, when he was young, he had spent a month understanding them at Xingxiu Cave.
Naturally, with such legends about Xingxiu Cave, many petty thieves coveted it.
After Chen Hongru became the Dan Palace Master, he declared that if one could refine the Reincarnation Elixir, their country could send people to explore Xingxiu Cave.
Even so, not just anyone can enter Xingxiu Cave; at least Ye Lingyue, who was excluded from the Daxia Delegation, did not qualify to enter.
Those who can’t refine the Reincarnation Elixir have even less right to do so.
"Ling Yue, don’t feel discouraged. I’ve inquired about it, and this year’s adventure into Xingxiu Cave is different from previous years. This year’s exploration has set up official and civilian representative teams. Although we can’t join the Daxia Delegation, we can participate in the civilian selection. As long as we rank in the top three, we can enter Xingxiu Cave." Lan Cai’er spent a lot of effort yesterday and finally had some gains.
For Ye Lingyue, this was an unexpectedly good piece of news.
Xingxiu Cave could be said to be a land filled with gold.
Apart from national delegations, this time, due to special regulations from Emperor Qing and Chen Hongru, many powerful families with the ability to refine the Reincarnation Elixir eagerly participated.
After all, representing a country in competition was a personal honor, but in doing so, what one obtained from Xingxiu Cave, minus the part given to the country, would leave little for the individual. However, representing a family was a completely different matter. Entities like Kaijiang Prince Manor or several large Sects would rather form their own teams, so that their heirs and Disciples could obtain far more resources.
Once this news spread, the entire city was abuzz.
The Daxia Delegation only found out about this news after arriving in Beiqing, and within the team, Hong Mingyue and Luo Song were so angry they nearly vomited blood.
"I still need to think this over carefully." Ye Lingyue originally did not intend to reveal that she too could refine the Reincarnation Elixir, but if entering Xingxiu Cave was the only way, she might have no choice but to personally step in to refine it.
"What’s there to think about? I’ve already registered," Lan Cai’er said with a wave of her hand, speaking with a gusty flair.
Ye Lingyue rolled her eyes. Her sworn sister always acted first and reported afterwards.
"There’s one more thing, Ling Yue, guess who else I saw at the Dan Palace? We saw Chen Minzhi." Lan Cai’er and Little Wuya also saw people from Kaijiang Prince Manor yesterday, and to their surprise, Chen Minzhi, who should have been long dead, appeared at the registration site.
"Chen Minzhi isn’t dead?" Ye Lingyue was shocked.
She had clearly witnessed Chen Minzhi’s last breath, and she had even personally checked him; there was no breath left, and not even Cauldron Breath could have saved him.
"The Chen Minzhi you’re talking about, is he the second son of the Kaijiang Prince Manor?" Feng Xun inquired.
"Exactly. We had some grudges with him earlier, and when we were in the Ancient Forest, we killed him." Lan Cai’er and Little Wuya were equally startled as if they had seen a ghost, and they immediately informed Ye Lingyue upon returning to Feng Residence.
Someone coming back to life after death was truly the most incredible matter.
Ye Lingyue, who had herself died once, harbored countless doubts, but without seeing Chen Minzhi in person, those doubts were mere conjecture.
News of the upcoming opening of the Beiqing Star Cave had already spread throughout the entire Qing Province Continent.
In the few remaining days, Emperor City had become a lot more lively.
On the day of the civilian selection, Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er, accompanied by Feng Xun, arrived at the Dan Palace together.
This was Ye Lingyue’s first visit to the renowned Dan Palace of the Qing Province Continent.
As the morning sun rose, a majestic palace of green tiles and bricks loomed, drifting in and out of sight within the morning mist.
Outside the Dan Palace, the crowd was bustling, with various powers having gathered for the civilian selection.
As soon as Ye Lingyue alighted from the carriage, she felt several malicious gazes on her back.
Before she could turn around, she heard the voice of Hong Yuying.
"Humph, Ye Lingyue, you really don’t know when to give up, daring to participate in the civilian selection. Do you really think, with your meager alchemy skills, you could possibly outdo my grandfather?" The three siblings from the Hong Family were also standing outside the Dan Palace.
Standing with them was a tall, lion-nosed, broad-foreheaded, muscular elder. It was Zhuge Rou’s father, Zhuge Yi, the Outer Sect Elder of the Heavenly Armor Sect, and also the Sect’s Elder of Alchemy.
Beiqing’s exploration of the Star Cave this time around, with the additional civilian selection, had attracted the attention of many religious sects.
While the big players like the Three Sects and Nine Schools might not have been greatly interested in this kind of adventure, second-tier sects like the Heavenly Armor Sect were very keen.
After all, Ancient Elixir Recipes and Heavenly-level Spiritual Artifacts were like treasures that could solidify a sect’s foundation, especially for second- and third-tier sects.
Upon learning of this news, Zhuge Yi from the Heavenly Armor Sect, together with a team of ten, arrived in Beiqing, hoping to make a name for themselves in this civilian selection.
Hong Yuying, seeing Feng Xun step out of the carriage with Ye Lingyue, had eyes that seemed almost ready to spew fire.
Turning around, Ye Lingyue faced Hong Mingyue and others, who were stunned upon seeing her face; even Zhuge Yi showed a trace of surprise.
"Your face!" Hong Yuying screamed as if her tail had been stepped on.
She had happily believed her sister when she heard that Ye Lingyue’s face was ruined.
But now, seeing her again, Ye Lingyue’s appearance not only had improved from before but was even more beautiful, to the point that even her own sister, Hong Mingyue, was overshadowed.
Hong Mingyue’s eyes shifted, her gaze growing bright when she saw Luo Song looking at Ye Lingyue, and she unconsciously gripped the Canghai Three-Life Flute in her hand even tighter.
Zhuge Yi, looking at Ye Lingyue’s face that was even more exquisite than his granddaughters’, frowned.
This Ye Lingyue was the daughter of Ye Huangyu.
Zhuge Yi had heard that because of Ye Huangyu, his daughter, Zhuge Rou, and son-in-law, Hong Fang, had been at odds lately, their relationship devoid of the love they once had.
Zhuge Yi had been skeptical. With his daughter’s beauty and his own support, how could that boy Hong Fang’s heart stray, but now it seemed... the Ye Family’s Mother and Daughter were far from simple.
For the sake of his daughter’s, Zhuge Rou, happiness and status, he would do whatever it took to completely annihilate Ye Family’s Mother and Daughter.