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As for the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, aside from Chen Qing and those ancient worms from the old days, who else could understand it better than the people of the Shen Family?

Back then, Old Ancestor Shen was the only Grand Sorcerer who possessed the Dragon Transformation Technique and was active in the mortal realm, always trying to pry open the gates of the Dragon Palace, and what constantly stood in his way was the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley.

In Jiangnan, Chen Qing had smooth sailing, from having no foundation to eventually carving out his own territory in Jiangnan.

Besides the miraculous weapon of the Divine Path Sect, the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley played a significant role.

Without it, Chen Qing would have been eliminated at the very start; where would his current prestige come from?

But now, after so many years, the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley has long lost its function, yet suddenly a woman claims she owns the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley?

Could this be a serious problem?

"I should be the one asking you that question," the woman said coldly, eyeing everyone. "What exactly is going on? Why was the Dragon Palace forcibly opened? Why was the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley weakened?"

"This young lady...," Second Elder Shen frowned and said, "Many people know what has happened in Jiangnan over the years. When the demons awoke, the power of the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley diminished, ancient worms endangered the mortal world, and tens of thousands of lives in Jiangnan were parasitized and turned into walking corpses. If it weren’t for our lord who stemmed the tide and saved Jiangnan from fire and water, where would this golden age come from? Since the young lady knows about the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, how come you don’t know about Jiangnan’s King of Qin? "

"King of Qin?" The woman furrowed her brows slightly. "I see, so that guy still escaped, huh?"

"Who exactly are you?" Second Elder Shen asked with a frown.

If it weren’t for the fact that they were holding Wei Gongcheng hostage and they were afraid of damaging their own valuable assets, they would have taken action against her by now.

"My surname is Liu..."

"Miss Liu, is it?" Shen Laosan stepped forward and said, "May I know why you had a conflict with our Official Wei, and why are you holding him hostage?"

"Holding him hostage?" The woman sneered and said, "I’m not holding him hostage..." As she spoke, she threw Wei Gongcheng onto the ground, and at that moment, everyone could clearly see that his eyes were rolled back, his veins bulged all over his body, and he seemed to be in great pain.

"What’s wrong with Official Wei?" asked Second Elder Shen hastily.

"An Evil Spirit has invaded his body, and this is the result."

"Nonsensical!" Second Elder Shen said coldly. "What kind of Evil Spirit could invade the body of the Lord of Hell Ruler?"

"Lord of the Hell Ruler?" The girl surnamed Liu blinked, then she looked over everyone carefully and suddenly said, "I knew it, you lot seem like ghosts but not quite, and more like people but not quite—so it’s the Divine Path Sect. If only you’d mentioned earlier that this incomplete version still contains the Divine Path Sect. .. Well then..."

"Hmm... but it’s also tough; among commoners, few women hold official positions unless they are born into the Imperial Family and have been granted fiefs. But I guess in the Central Plains, that would be difficult."

This woman is not simple...

The Shen Family exchanged glances. This woman had immediately identified the Divine Path Sect’s technique and seemed extraordinary.

The Shen Family members were currently unable to use the capabilities of the Hell Ruler but, nourished by merit, have become Transcendent elites, yet they couldn’t gauge the depth of this woman.

"Who is your lord?" the woman asked. "What I mean is... what’s the name?"

"Our lord Chen Qing is renowned throughout the world. Has the young lady not heard of him?"

"Chen Qing?" The woman was taken aback. "That wooden boy? For real?"

Everyone: "..."

"So the boy didn’t die after all.

"You... know our lord?"

"Sort of..." The woman smiled and said, "Where is he?"

Everyone immediately frowned and looked at Wei Gongcheng, before saying, "Miss..... where did you find Official Wei? Could it be that..... His Majesty wasn’t with him?"

"Huh?" The woman was startled: "No... This guy suddenly appeared at the formation’s focal point in the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, startling me awake.

At that time, he was in a crazed state, invaded by an evil spirit.

After I subdued him, the only time he was lucid was when he asked me to bring him back here. .."

"I see..." The others quickly offered their thanks: "We are grateful to the lady for lending a hand."

"It was nothing..." The woman waved her hand nonchalantly and then turned to Wei Gongcheng and said, "The evil spirit within him is no simple matter. I couldn’t see clearly what it is at the time. You should be cautious. If his position is of great importance and he’s successfully possessed, it’s likely that that area’s divine authority will be taken over by someone else. "

The others were immediately alarmed!

Lyuzhou, controlled by Wei Gongcheng, was very important and had the largest group of Shadow Soldiers in Hell. Combined forces from several other areas might not match up to Lyuzhou, and if it fell under someone else’s control...

While they were in a state of shock, the sound of fast galloping horses suddenly came from afar.

"It’s a messenger..." Second Elder Shen frowned. Judging by the direction, the messenger was from the Central Plains border. Could it be that something happened to Tian Heng in less than half a day since he went to the border?

The messenger was a soldier stationed by Nanming Prefecture, where there was a facility that could communicate with the Central Plains border over long distances, designed by Heavenly Court Magicians.

Through the release of energy from afar and subsequent decoding, simple messages could be formed.

Normally, nearly a dozen magicians were needed to maintain it, and the consumption was quite large.

Unexpectedly, it played a role so quickly.

"Report..." As soon as the soldier dismounted, he hurriedly said, "Sir, General Tian has sent back urgent intelligence. There’s a surge in spiritual energy. The Imperial Court’s northern expedition army has been temporarily withdrawn.

But due to the long distance back to the Imperial Capital, they fear ambushes, so they have rerouted to Jiangnan.

They are expected to arrive in Jiangnan in half a day. .."

"Rerouted to Jiangnan?" Second Elder Shen and the others immediately realized that with the surge in spiritual energy, as per the situation at Celestial Serpent Palace, it was very likely that a King Level Giant Python had invaded this world.

To avoid losses, running towards Jiangnan indeed seemed like a good option.

However... with important military matters at hand, Tian Heng, as the commanding officer at the front, could have made decisions on his own. Now, however, he has sent a message back... Could it be?

Second Elder Shen hurriedly asked, "Did General Tian say anything else?"

"He said...." The soldier hesitated before saying, "Should we take this opportunity... to annihilate the Imperial Court’s soldiers?"

"This guy... has quite the ambition..." Second Elder Shen frowned.

It must be said that this indeed was an opportunity.

If the Imperial Court were to lose this batch of troops, it might not recover its strength for five years.

With the current situation, they didn’t have five years to spare.

However, the problem was that the two sides were allies at the moment.

A stab in the back would mean losing trust before the world, which couldn’t be good for reputation.

One should not underestimate the importance of reputation. Once the Imperial Court collapses, the Central Plains will definitely be controlled by various Ancient Forces, like during the historical Warring States period.

At that time, if Jiangnan is perceived as untrustworthy, it will likely become a point of propaganda for the enemy. It may seem unimportant now, but it would be a significant vulnerability at a critical time.

Moreover... even considering the current situation, is it really a good choice to doom the Imperial Court?

Nowadays, demons are widespread, and with the surge in spiritual energy, the Celestial Serpent Palace’s strength will also surge. Once the Imperial Court is gone, Jiangnan alone will have to bear the pressure from the Celestial Serpent Palace, and that might not necessarily be a good thing.

As their facial expressions shifted, the sound of urgent hooves approached once again.

However, the direction from which it came made the Shen Family’s complexions turn even grimmer.

The position by the Central Plains border was protected by a Great Formation, and even if strong enemies attacked, it generally wouldn’t cause immediate trouble. But that direction was different.

That was... the direction of the Dragon Palace!!

"Sir..."

The soldier, straining his voice, didn’t even dismount from the horse in the distance before he immediately called out: "There’s trouble, something’s happened at the Dragon Palace!!"

Everyone: "...."