After Bai Xiaosheng finished speaking, he turned to the duo and asked, "Is there anything else you want to know? I will do my best to answer all your questions."
Upon seeing his demeanor, the expression on the Qingxu Taoist's face improved slightly, suggesting that he believed the explanation Bai Xiaosheng had given him.
If their long-standing relationship was so heavy that one had to hide from the other, then he would have to carefully consider how to interact with the other party in the future and whether to collaborate with them wholeheartedly.
When the atmosphere between the pair relaxed, Pei Xuanjing opened a book in his hands to a certain page, then handed it over, saying:
"This is the formation, but I have little understanding of formations, so it would be great if you two could take a look at this formation and the preparation. If it is indeed effective, how long would it take to set up this formation?"
After receiving the book, the two took it in their hands and studied it together.
However, this formation was obscure and incomprehensible, so even with their understanding of formations, it would be impossible to grasp it in a short time.
However, this was within the trio's expectations. After all, it was unknown how much time and effort Shenxiao Sect had invested in compiling such a formation. If they could understand it easily, it would make them doubt the authenticity of the formation.
"I (Qingxu Taoist) need to study it for a while." Qingxu Taoist told Pei Xuanjing as he shook his head.
After all, this formation was originally a formation stretching across the entire Great Ming'S territory, so shrinking it while retaining its original effect was not as simple as just reducing the position of the formation's eyes.
Bai Xiaosheng also nodded and added, "Besides, even setting aside the study of this formation, simply looking at the materials needed for the formation is a daunting task. Gathering them would require tremendous time and effort."
"Then I leave this to both of you." Pei Xuanjing nodded in understanding.
While he may not be weaker than the two in terms of strength, he fell short when it came to formations and talismanic skill.
In the time that followed, the three did not immediately leave, but chose to stay here.
The duo was not lacking in martial arts skills, so they did not care about those skills and focused entirely on studying the formation, while Pei Xuanjing's attention was mainly on those martial arts skills.
Furthermore, the two were unaware of Pei Xuanjing's refining ability. Seeing him so obsessed with martial arts, they advised him that human power was finite. At their level, mastering one method can lead to mastering all methods, so there was no need to waste so much time on numerous skills.
Pei Xuaniing found it difficult to explain and simply made an excuse.
Seeing this, the two didn't press him any further, as everyone's path was different, and there were also experts who mastered various types of martial arts.
After advising him a few times, they focused their attention on studying the formation and said no more.
There were numerous martial arts methods here, most of which were accumulated by the Shenxiao Sect and left behind as a backup for their future disciples in case they don't have anything when they rebuild their sect.
Although Pei Xuanjing couldn't carry away all these martial arts methods for the time being, given ample time, he could first read some martial arts and refine their essence, and then choose some superior martial arts to take away when leaving.
Normally, martial artists at their realm could easily fast for a short period. Besides, with those behemoths outside, they were not short of food.
Thus, the trio each concentrated on their own research.
After about a month, Qingxu Taoist spoke, "We can stay in this forbidden blessed land for a month. If we don't leave after a month, we'll have to wait a year before we can open this forbidden blessed land again."
Seeing that the forbidden blessed land was about to close, the three came to their senses and prepared to leave.
Based on Pei Xuanjing's habits, with so many martial arts methods at his disposal, he could peacefully stay here until he had refined all the essences from the martial arts methods before leaving.
However, considering Ning King's rebellion was still unresolved, Pei Xuanjing did not insist on staying.
After all, for him, the things here could not run away. Even if he went out to deal with the matter, there would be no harm in waiting for another year and then coming in again.
The night after one day, a white mist suddenly appeared atop the Nameless Mountain Summit. After the mist had dispersed, the trio appeared on the summit.
The three originally planned to return to the True Martial Sect first, but when they descended the mountain and arrived at the city, Bai Xiaosheng received news: chaos had erupted in the Northwest Dao, Ning King in Yangzhou was on the move, and it seemed a rebellion could break out at any moment.
"In that case, we should part here. I'll deal with this unrest and reunite with you two afterwards." Pei Xuanjing told the pair.
Since Ning King was stirring, Pei Xuanjing naturally didn't want to waste any more time and planned to set out immediately.
Pei Xuanjing then told Qingxu Taoist, "Furthermore, my disciple Pang Hong will need to stay in the
True Martial Sect for a while longer. I hope the Taoist Priest can take good care of him."
To his surprise, before Bai Xiaosheng could even reply, Qingxu Taoist said, "I promised before that if you go, I will help you, do you think I was joking?"
"Taoist Priest, are you being serious?" Bai Xiaosheng raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Regardless, the identities of the Taoist Priest and Pei Xuanjing were completely different.
No matter what Pei Xuanjing did, it would only be regarded as his own idea.
But as the current head of the True Martial Sect, every action of Qingxu Taoist did not merely represent himself, but also the will of the True Martial Sect.
If he appeared alongside Pei Xuanjing to deal with Ning King, it would undoubtedly declare to many people that the True Martial Sect and Pei Xuanjing shared the same standpoint, this was an entirely different implication.
At a time when Pei Xuanjing was still being hunted down by the Great Ming imperial court, the True Martial Sect, which was closely related to the royal family, took such action. Even if it was due to Ning King's rebellion, it would still lead many people to speculate.
Pei Xuanjing also chuckled, "Taoist Priest, why bring out a cannon to kill a mosquito! Ning King is just a mere mortal, we don't need you to act."
Qingxu Taoist wanted to interject, but was stopped by Pei Xuanjing, "Taoist Priest, we're at a critical moment, and you should prioritize the overall situation. Don't draw attention."
He was hinting that the most important thing right now was to study the formation.
There was no need to expose their connection due to Ning King and attract attention from the Great Ming imperial court and other forces.
Bai Xiaosheng also gave his advice.
With much talking, they finally convinced Qingxu Taoist to stay, at least temporarily.
With Qingxu Taoist persuaded, in order to prevent him from changing his mind, Pei Xuanjing didn't delay any longer.
He promptly bid farewell to the two and set off alone towards Yangzhou.
What the departing Pei Xuanjing did not Imow was that the day after he left, Qingxu Taoist, too, quietly set off for a certain place..
A few months ago, Yangzhou, Ning King Residence.
The Ning King Residence, which spans hundreds of acres, is tightly guarded by countless soldiers, so much so that not even a fly could enter.
At noon, a gentle breeze was stirring up ripples on the shimmering lake inside the residence.
King Chujiang, one of the ten Yanluo of the underworld, came walking slowly, crossing a stone bridge to reach the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
Ning King lounged on a chair, holding a small celadon cup in his hand, and slowly sprinkled fish food into the lake, enticing a swarm of fish into a feeding frenzy.
Next to him, a young monk dressed in white interrupted, his refined appearance emanating an air of natural elegance and detachment from the world.
There was also a young woman in a red dress, playing with a jade pendant and wearing a faint smile.
"You are late," the monk in the white robed said unhappily at King Chujiang•s arrival.
King Chujiang chuckled, cupped his fists and said, "I was held up on the way here. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"The small matters don't matter." Ning King emptied the remaining fish food in his cup into the water, causing a frenzy among the fish. He put down the celadon cup, shrugged nonchalantly, and said.
Then, he stood up, stretched his body, and said, "Since you're here, let's get down to business!" "Very well." King Chujiang said with a smile.
The monk in white pointed to the young woman in red and said, "I presume you're familiar with this lady! The Holy Maiden is here on the orders of the Master to discuss this important matter."
The woman in the red dress was indeed the Holy Maiden Yu Yiyao, a disciple of Zhao Baiyang, the leader of the Mire Sect. She stood up, gave a slight bow and said, "Yu Yiyao, greets senior King Chujiang."
King Chujiang furrowed his brows, "This is a matter of great importance. Even if your Master couldn't come in person, there should at least be a Protector or Elder. Why are you here instead!"
His tone was rather cold; clearly, he was quite displeased with the Mire Sect for sending such a person.
Neither Ning King nor the monk in white spoke at King Chujiang's dissatisfaction, only watching Yu Yiyao with interest, to see how this Holy Maiden would respond. After all, the Mire Sect's actions had indeed caused them some dissatisfaction as well.
With Yu Yiyao•s wisdom, she knew King Chujiang was trying to assert his dominance. Unfazed by his reproach, she answered with a smile, "Ever since Pei Xuanjing rose to power, he has caused significant losses to our sect, killing many of our experts. And now with a significant matter pending, Northwest Dao is of utmost importance. To prevent oversights and mistakes, the Master decided to personally guard the Northwest Dao and has summoned all the sect's experts. Recently, he wanted to meet with some old friends to get them to join us, which is why he sent me here to seek understanding."
After hearing the explanation, while it seemed forced, there was no further inquiry. After all, the three parties were in a partnership and the power of the Mire Sect was not insignificant. Being given such an explanation was respect enough to their faces.
Ning King glanced at the monk in white, who nodded, and asked, "Do you two know how prepared you are? If we give you a tip-off, can you respond immediately?"
This alliance had already lasted for quite some time; Ning King was willing to cooperate with notorious forces like the Mire Sect and the Underworld in order to ascend to the throne— a signal of his considerable ambition, disregarding any external ramifications, and focusing solely on attaining the supreme position.
In Ning King's view, winners were kings and losers were reduced to bandits. As long as he could ascend to the throne, any price was worth paying, for there would always be a chance to recover later.
Who did not know that the founding Emperor was once a beggar, but when he eventually created the Great Ming Empire, it only added to his prestige and fame rather than being ridiculed.
As a descendant of the founding emperor, Zhu Chenhao wasn't concerned about losing a bit of reputation.
The monk in white had a mysterious background, but everyone knew that he was the most trusted person in Ning King's circle.
Yu Yiyao and King Chujiang nodded simultaneously and promised, "Everything is ready. As soon as your side starts, we will take action."
Upon hearing this, the monk in white nodded in satisfaction.
Like the famous minister Yao Guangxiao, the monk in white was confident that he could similarly influence Ning King's rise to power.
After Pei Xuanjing parted ways with Taoist Qingxu and Bai Xiaosheng, he quickly set off towards Yangzhou.
It would take about twenty days to reach the site of the rebellion in Yangzhou from where he was. No matter how hard Pei Xuanjing pushed, riding day and night, it would still take at least ten days.
However, Pei Xuanjing's current identity was rather sensitive. He knew that if he showed himself, he would surely draw the attention of many, especially those who held grudges against him, like the Underworld and the Mire Sect.
There was also the hurdle of the imperial court, for they knew that Ning King was causing trouble in Yangzhou. However, no one knew why Pei Xuanjing was heading to Yangzhou and his intentions.
Perhaps he wanted to join forces with Ning King to conspire against the Great Ming Empire?
It wasn't impossible, so the imperial court would surely attempt to stop him in order to prevent such a union.
Thereby, Pei Xuanjing couldn't push his travel too hard. He had to reserve some energy to prevent potential accidents, such as ambush or assassinations from the imperial court, Underworld, and the Mire Sect.
Therefore, ensuring his own safety, it would still take Pei Xuanjing at least ten days to reach Yangzhou.
Just as he expected, seven days after he departed, and just a few days away from entering Yangzhou, he encountered his first roadblock.
And this roadblock was neither from the underworld nor the Mire Sect, but the Great Ming Empire.
"Who are you? Why are you obstructing my path?" Pei Xuanjing frowned at the soldiers blocking his way.
The commander dressed like a general coldly said, "Pei Xuanjing, I am General Yang Yunhui of the Dehua Guard Command Department. I am here to arrest you."
He had already received news that Pei Xuanjing would arrive here and had set up an ambush, hoping to arrest Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing coldly said, "You don't bother with Ning King's rebellion, but you come to arrest me?"
Without another word, Yang Yunhui gave the order, "Take action, dead or alive."
He of course knew about Ning King's rebellion, but Ning King's power was larger than what he could handle..