Chapter 22: True God's Blessing

The walking corpses in the town, driven mad by hunger, grew increasingly agitated as they scoured the valley in search of the living. Lu Lingyi captured one and brought it to the inn at the valley's edge for inspection. Using a secret technique for detecting demonic corruption, he discovered the person had indeed been poisoned by dark forces—but they were not beyond saving.

It turned out the townspeople had only been afflicted for less than two days. To save them, they needed a sacred item—something that could restore clarity of mind and purge demonic poison. Only then could the cultivators awaken from their zombified state.

Unfortunately, none of them had such an item on hand. Ruan Sang said gravely, "As you said, Nephew Lu, this poison can't be delayed. If left untreated, the people of Xuanwu Town will be lost forever, doomed to remain walking corpses."

The three fell silent. Was the entire population of Xuanwu Town truly about to vanish from the world?

Suddenly, Tang Yue remembered something and lit up. "I have a way!"

The two men looked at her doubtfully. She was just a little girl in the Qi Refining stage—what could she possibly do? But Tang Yue stepped outside the inn and used a sound transmission shell to create a loud, echoing signal. In an instant, all the walking corpses in the valley turned and began surging toward them.

Ruan Sang and Lu Lingyi turned pale. They had no idea what Tang Yue was planning, but with so many walking corpses incoming, they couldn't guarantee they wouldn't harm innocent townspeople in the process.

Just as the corpses were about to reach them, Tang Yue uncorked a jade bottle and used a Rain-Blessing Technique, transforming the liquid inside into a gentle drizzle that fell upon the undead.

Gradually, the corpses stopped snarling. They ceased their attack and collapsed to the ground, drained of energy. Some of the Xuanwu cultivators recovered quickly and sat up groggily. One of them even spoke, "What… what happened to us?"

Now it was Ruan Sang and Lu Lingyi's turn to twitch in disbelief. How could someone be so absurdly extravagant—she had used Qiongzhi Jade Dew from the Buddhist Domain without a second thought!

Qiongzhi Jade Dew was a sacred item of Buddhist origin. Across the entire Liu Continent, only Xuanyuan Mountain, Wuji Mountain, and Xianyuan Mountain possessed it. They hadn't known that Wuji Mountain had given Shui Yingrou a bottle of Qiongzhi Jade Dew as a wedding gift.

And now Tang Yue had used it like it was water.

Even if they had time to beg one of the three sacred mountains for Qiongzhi Jade Dew, they'd likely be refused. After all, if the people of Xuanwu Town perished, those very mountains could just divide up the Xuanwu Secret Realm among themselves.

But Tang Yue hadn't thought about all that. She simply believed that saving so many people was a good deed—something that would help her accumulate merit. More importantly, she had no real concept of how rare and precious Qiongzhi Jade Dew truly was. When she finally realized it, she felt a sharp pang of regret.

After a few days of rest, the residents of Xuanwu Town recovered and pieced together what had happened. The mayor said with a grave expression, "We've always maintained strict inspections of visitors in order to protect the secret realm. We hadn't noticed anything unusual recently… Who would've thought disaster would still strike?"

"If not for Miss Tang's generosity, we'd all be dead. There's no way we can ever repay such kindness. We can only engrave your name into our ancestral shrine, so our descendants may remember this forever."

Tang Yue was stunned. "I'm going in the shrine?!"

"There's no need for that," she protested. "Being able to save so many lives makes me happy. We're all cultivators of Liu Continent—this was just my duty."

But the mayor wouldn't hear of it. The debt of saving the entire town was far too great. If left unacknowledged, it would damage the town's karmic balance.

"Miss Tang, please don't be modest. You are the benefactor of our entire town. We must do whatever we can to repay you."

"We've heard that Miss Tang came in search of a Xuanming Fire Pearl. Unfortunately, it's been a long time since any have appeared in the secret realm. If you go in without guidance, the odds of finding one are slim. But if your name is carved onto our Shrine of Merit, you'll receive a sliver of the True God Xuanwu's blessing. That may increase your chances of obtaining the fire pearl."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yue stopped refusing. After all, she had come here for the pearl. If this boosted her chances of finding it, then using the sacred item had been worth it.

Ruan Sang was delighted. He had originally expected nothing from this trip. But now, thanks to Miss Tang's boldness, everything had taken a dramatic turn for the better. Had she been an ordinary heiress, she might never have dared to save Lu Lingyi, let alone the entire town. He began to believe that Tang Yue had the makings of someone extraordinary.

Lu Lingyi was determined to accompany them into the secret realm to help Tang Yue search for the fire pearl. She had done so much for him and the Lu clan—he needed to repay her in some way.

Unlike most secret realms, the Xuanwu Secret Realm only opened at night. So they entered under cover of darkness.

Xuanwu, also known as Xuanming, was the deity of water, with the body of a tortoise and serpent. Water flowed into the depths of the underworld, so this secret realm resembled a boundary to the netherworld—no sun or moon, only stars.

A great river flowed through the realm. On its banks, delicate flowers swayed gently in the wind.

Lu Lingyi said, "The Xuanwu cultivators gave us a map and marked potential fire pearl locations. I sensed the strongest fire-element energy coming from the Beast Burial Ground. We should start there."

Ruan Sang agreed. "The Lu clan is known for their sensitivity to elemental energies. Following your intuition is our best bet."

Lu Lingyi replied humbly, "Thank you for the praise, Uncle Ruan. Let's head there first."

Ruan Sang flew on his own sword, while Lu Lingyi carried Tang Yue on his. Swordflight was faster than a spirit boat.

Tang Yue marveled at the secret realm's beauty. Unlike mountainous Xuanwu Town, this was a sprawling plain. Wildflowers bloomed in clusters, and streams flowed between them. From above, it was a dreamscape of color.

Glowing specks drifted above the flowers. Lu Lingyi explained, "These are Xuanwu Flowers, unique to this secret realm. They resemble Netherworld Flowers but can survive in this realm. They likely formed from the nether energy of the Xuanwu deity's body."

"They're so pretty! Can they be planted outside the realm?"

Lu Lingyi smiled. "They're very delicate. They require just the right amount of nether energy—too much or too little, and they won't survive. So they can only grow here."

Tang Yue sighed with regret. She'd hoped to bring some back for her senior brothers and sisters.

Soon, they arrived at the Beast Burial Ground, where a large formation rose before them.

Ruan Sang said, "This must be the Xuanwu Seven Constellations Array. It requires two people to break it. Nephew Lu, would you join me?"

"Of course, Uncle," Lu Lingyi replied.

Tang Yue watched from the side, hoping to learn something. But since she wasn't inside the formation, she couldn't make sense of the technique and could only wait.

After a while, they broke the array. Ruan Sang turned to her. "Junior Sister Tang, the beast burial ground may provoke the divine beast's spirit. But since you carry the True God Xuanwu's blessing, and the townsfolk have already prayed on your behalf, you should be allowed to enter safely."

Tang Yue nodded and entered. The interior was pitch black—she couldn't see a thing.

Then ghostly blue-green flames—netherfire—floated up among the giant beast bones. She approached them cautiously, looking for the reddest flame she could find.

Eventually, she reached the center, where one flame glowed slightly redder than the rest. She took out the jade box crafted specifically for the fire pearl, and very carefully trapped the flame inside, doing her best not to get incinerated.

As soon as she sealed it, the red gemstone on the box emitted a brilliant light—a sign that the netherfire was indeed a Xuanming Fire Pearl.

The True God's blessing had led her to an unimaginably rare treasure.

She walked back toward the entrance, beaming. "I got it! I found the Xuanming Fire Pearl!"

Ruan Sang was overjoyed as he received the box. "This is a fully mature, complete fire pearl—perfect in quality. Elder Duan's daughter can be saved."

So Ruan Ying's life was preserved. Madam Shui could finally stop worrying. Tang Yue felt rather satisfied with herself.

The three of them exited the secret realm and returned to the reception hall—where they found Elder Duan already waiting.

"Junior Brother Ruan, I came the moment I received your transmission. Have you found the Xuanming Fire Pearl?"

Ruan Sang, seeing how anxious he was, replied immediately, "Senior Brother Duan, we found it—a mature, intact pearl. Here it is."

Elder Duan trembled as he took the jade box and confirmed its contents.

Ruan Sang had sent a spiritual message ahead when Tang Yue received the True God's blessing, believing their chances were high. He'd advised Elder Duan to delay any judgment against Ruan Ying.

That message had rekindled Elder Duan's hope, prompting him to come in person. Now, with the fire pearl in hand, he nearly wept with relief.

He turned to Tang Yue. "Miss Tang, thank you for retrieving the Xuanming Fire Pearl for me. I know you did it on your aunt's behalf, but you had no obligation to do so. You're not related to the Duan clan, and you could've walked away. I will never forget this act of kindness."

Tang Yue smiled. "Elder Duan, there's no need to thank me. Perhaps your daughter was meant to live a long life, and the heavens arranged for me to bring her the pearl. This is our fate."

"As they say, 'The origin of a thing lies with the close and the strong; its chance lies with the distant and the weak.' I'm just the weak chance."

"How could you say you were weak?" Elder Duan said warmly. "You gave it your all. I, Duan, will consider this a karmic bond between you and my daughter. For now, I must hurry home to treat her, but I promise—I will repay this favor."

"No need," Tang Yue said. "Her recovery is what matters most."

Understanding his urgency, they let him leave immediately.

The trio stayed one more day in Xuanwu Town, enjoying the townspeople's lavish hospitality, and then departed.

Before parting ways with Lu Lingyi, Tang Yue handed him a recording stone. "Senior Brother Lu, this contains everything we discovered in Xuanwu Town. I hope it helps you investigate what really happened."

"Thank you, Junior Sister Tang," Lu Lingyi said sincerely, deeply moved by her care and attention to detail.

Tang Yue also gave a copy of the recording to the townspeople. Only then did they realize: had Tang Yue not arrived when she did, the entire town might have been slaughtered by Lu Lingyi. A chill ran through them at the thought—and they began to suspect that they had been used as tools to frame him.