Chapter 137: Tenfold Extremity

Standing within the prefecture governor's manor, gazing out at the surging waters of the Qingyuan River, Qi Xiuning's temples fluttered in the wind as a solemn expression settled over his face.

"Something is wrong. The changes in the Qingyuan River are highly abnormal."

Beneath the clear blue sky and over the roaring river, deep suspicion took root in Qi Xiuning's mind.

"Some kind of transformation I am completely unaware of must have occurred within the Qingyuan River. This sudden rampage of the river is most likely caused by this shift, and perhaps the previous incident was as well."

"To be able to shake an entire water vein—such a change is by no means trivial. I only wonder whether it is a natural phenomenon or the deliberate work of someone."

"If it is merely a natural occurrence, that would be relatively manageable. But if someone orchestrated it on purpose, then it warrants deep consideration."

As thoughts clashed within his mind, Qi Xiuning weighed numerous possibilities in that single instant.

Not long after, Yu Jinshi, the head of Qi Xiuning's secret guard, stepped in from outside.

"My lord, the rampage of the Qingyuan River has subsided. We can be basically certain that it will not spawn a new flood."

Bearing a trace of weariness he could not entirely conceal, Yu Jinshi reported the latest situation in a low voice to Qi Xiuning. The moment he discovered the signs of the river's turbulence, he had personally made a trip to investigate.

Hearing this, Qi Xiuning nodded.

"During this period, have there been any anomalies from the three great families, especially regarding the powerful individuals within their clans?"

Unable to suppress the doubts rising in his heart, Qi Xiuning inquired about the state of the three major families.

At these words, although Yu Jinshi felt a sliver of confusion, after a brief moment of contemplation, he quickly provided an answer. As the chief of the secret guards, he naturally controlled the intelligence network flowing in and out of the prefectural manor.

"The Lu family shows no anomalies. Ever since their ancestor Lu Yongnian was injured, the powerful figures of the Lu family have all retreated to their ancestral grounds. As for the Wen family, their ancestor Wen Jialiang went out to visit friends and has yet to return, his exact whereabouts shrouded in mystery. The two Qi-refinement experts of the great completion realm in the Wen family have had no unusual movements lately."

"As for the Gao family..."

His voice lowered, and by the end, a hint of hesitation flickered across Yu Jinshi's face.

Noticing the subtle shift in Yu Jinshi's tone, Qi Xiuning directed his gaze toward him.

"Gao Siyuan of the Gao family seems to have left Cuizhu Mountain recently, though it is not entirely certain."

Meeting Qi Xiuning's gaze, Yu Jinshi offered a less-than-definitive answer.

Although the prefectural manor had planted spies within all three great families, practically none of them could reach the core positions. Under such circumstances, accurately pinning down the movements of Qi-refinement cultivators was remarkably difficult.

In truth, had the Gao family not been fostered by the prefectural manor—granting the manor a relatively high degree of control over them—it would have been exceedingly difficult for the manor's spies to uncover any anomalies under Gao Siyuan's deliberate concealment.

Hearing this, Qi Xiuning's brow furrowed.

"Gao Siyuan? Could it be him? The probability is not high."

Pulling back his gaze, Qi Xiuning sank into deep thought. Although Gao Siyuan's recent movements were somewhat unusual, he genuinely did not believe the events concerning the Qingyuan River could be tied to him. Without other reasons, Gao Siyuan's cultivation level and the Gao family's foundation were still far too thin; they should not possess the capability to shake the entire water vein of the Qingyuan River.

"Old Yu, I must trouble you to take one more arduous trip. Thoroughly investigate the situation in the upper reaches of the Qingyuan River; I suspect there are anomalies there."

Gazing into the distance, as if looking through a layer of mist, Qi Xiuning issued his command.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jinshi immediately bowed and assented.

Meanwhile, on Muyu Island in Qinghe County, watching the river waters rolling endlessly past, Jiang Chen was likewise pondering certain matters.

Similar to the previous instance, the exact moment the Qingyuan River ran wild, he once again heard the roar of the river's spiritual essence. Yet, unlike the previous anger and pain, this time the roar carried a profound sense of relief, as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

"To this day, the volume of my soul has reached nine times that of an ordinary person, falling just a fraction short of the tenfold limit. Precisely because of this, my sensitivity to spiritual fluctuations has grown increasingly acute."

"If it was merely a guess before, I can now be virtually certain that the voice I heard belongs to the Qingyuan River itself. It is only that its spiritual essence remains scattered and has not truly condensed into a tangible form."

Thoughts swirling, Jiang Chen carefully sensed the shifts within the Qingyuan River.

Aside from that single roar, he could no longer establish any connection with the river at this point.

"Just what kind of entity could make even the Qingyuan River unable to bear its weight? Could it be that the previous flood was caused by this very thing?"

"Now that this entity has vanished, did it dissipate naturally, or was it taken away by someone?"

Lacking further insights, Jiang Chen linked this recent upheaval to the earlier outbreak of floods. Yet, without more clues, he remained unable to pierce the fog and behold the true reality.

Just as Jiang Chen fell into contemplation, Hongyu hurried over with a look of joy on her face.

"Young master, the wolf-poison flowers have bloomed again, and this time there are two of them."

Filled with a hint of excitement in her voice, Hongyu brought Jiang Chen good news.

As the influence of the Taiping Sect continued to grow and the assistance it could provide multiplied, the wolf-poison vine had been thriving. Not only was ordinary flesh and blood in endless supply, but even the meat of demonic beasts could be enjoyed at regular intervals. To ensure a sufficiently abundant supply of flesh and blood for cultivation, animal husbandry had become a core industry vigorously supported by the Taiping Sect following the establishment of the guild.

Beyond that, the cave where the wolf-poison vine resided had been intentionally infused with gathered spiritual Qi by Jiang Chen using the root systems of Taoyao, granting it an exceptionally high-tier environment.

Taoyao possessed a unique intrinsic nature, naturally endowed with formidable control over spiritual Qi. Because of this, the places where its roots spread naturally radiated a spirit-gathering effect. Moreover, it could release spiritual Qi through its root system, elevating the concentration of spiritual Qi in a small, localized area.

Leveraging this ability, Jiang Chen had silently restructured the western slope of the Taiping Sect, gradually transforming it into a blessed spiritual land. Of course, this transformation came at a price: the continuous depletion of spiritual Qi within the spirit grotto.

Under such conditions, the wolf-poison vine naturally grew better and better. Back in the day, the Fierce-Horned Wolf clan could never have provided such luxurious conditions for it.

"Two of them? That is indeed wonderful news. With these two wolf-poison flowers, the power of my divine soul should be able to reach the tenfold extreme."

With this thought arising, Jiang Chen cast one final glance at the Qingyuan River before turning back toward the Pure Heart Cottage to burn incense and bathe, preparing himself to refine the wolf-poison flowers.

That night, with all preparations complete, Jiang Chen ignited the wolf-poison flowers. Inhaling their fragrance, he began utilizing their medicinal potency to stimulate his own divine soul and accelerate the growth of his soul power.

"Having used it several times, the stimulation the wolf-poison flower provides to me is growing weaker and weaker. Once my soul breaks through and enters the second tier, its effects will likely cease entirely. By then, I shall need to seek out new auxiliary resources once more."

As this thought settled, Jiang Chen's mind sank into absolute tranquility. Traversing through myriad illusions, his concentration remained unshakeable as he tempered himself.

As time slowly flowed forward, the power of Jiang Chen's divine soul steadily grew.