Demonic Demoness Training Project

"From what she said earlier, it seemed like she wanted to stay in the blessed land for fifteen days... Old man, do you think it's possible that Mu Qingque is actually a spirit crafted by some sect upstream?"

"It's not impossible. Just wait and see. This girl should know her limits. If she realizes she can't win, she'll come out on her own."

This year's Midstream Refining Conference was hosted by Master Taiyi, who read out the competition rules as usual. Mu Qingque and the others entered the blessed land one after another.

As expected, mid-tier sects were eliminated one after another.

Those who can participate in the Earth Group Conference are all at the Heavenly Crafting Realm. Such a level of cultivation would make them like Supreme Elders in a mid-tier sect.

However, they were powerless against the ancestors of the upstream sects. Whether it was their mastery of the Puppet Technique or their own combat strength, they were completely crushed by the disciples carefully trained by the upstream sects.

"There's always someone better, this is just too hopeless..."

Given that they are outmatched in both resources and talent, mid-level cultivators have virtually no chance of winning.

Mu Qingque was lucky; in the first three days, she did not encounter any ancestors from upstream. She collected some spiritual materials and refined them into a spiritual core.

During this time, Lu Li also figured out the operating principle of the Ice Spirit Core and installed it into her body.

Thus, the power of "A Drop of Divine Power from the Vast Ocean" temporarily surpassed that of "The Seal of Returning to the Void of Blessings," becoming another major trump card for her.

……

On the fifth day, Mu Qingque met with Fairy Liu Si, and the two clashed over a spiritual material.

Just when everyone thought that Mu Qingque's actions were about to end, Mu Qingque suddenly raised her hand, and a crimson array plate appeared on the back of her hand.

Others might not know what this is, but Lu Li knows it quite well.

"It's actually a miniature version of the Three-Phase Heaven-Burning Instrument. She actually embedded that artifact directly into the back of her hand."

When Lu Li first saw the Three Phases Burning Heaven Instrument, he only remembered that it was the size of a millstone. Now, when he sees it again, it is only the size of a palm.

Clearly, Mu Qingque made miniaturized modifications to the original puppet.

The three Heaven-Burning Instruments spun rapidly, the five-colored spiritual fire merging, rotating, and rising, finally transforming into a five-colored rainbow that crashed towards Little Liu Si.

Then, Liu Si was eliminated.

With just one move, Xiao Liu Si was defeated, with absolutely no chance to resist.

Things happened so fast that no one had time to react to what had just happened.

The entire audience erupted in uproar, and all the immortals were shocked.

"No? That's it?"

"How dare she attack a disciple from the upper echelons? Just who is this girl? What is she trying to do?"

"When the Tianyou Sect crafted this puppet, did they cut corners?"

Not only them, but even the immortals upstream could no longer sit still, staring incredulously at the images coming from the Heavenly Realm.

The reason why the Heavenly Craftsmanship Realm is called the Heavenly Craftsmanship Realm is because they possess their own Heavenly Craftsmanship Dharma Body. The cultivator and the Dharma Body are originally one, stored in the cultivator's dantian. Therefore, the Earth Group Conference does not restrict the use of the Heavenly Craftsmanship Dharma Body.

Even more terrifying is that Mu Qingque didn't even activate her Heavenly Craftsmanship Body.

Such a scene, in the eyes of the public, is even more unbelievable than a roe deer killing a lion with a flying kick from its heel.

……

Lingxi Sect, Elders' Pavilion.

Everyone remained silent, and the expressions of the various elders were all different.

"Could it be that what she said before was true? She said she was about to break through to the Void Refinement Realm. I thought she was joking."

"That's not right either. Everyone who can participate in the Earth Group Tournament is holding back their cultivation level, allowing late-stage Heavenly Craftsmanship Realm or even half-step Void Refinement Realm to participate. Liu Si is also half-step Void Refinement Realm, how could he not even withstand a single move?"

"Could this be a smokescreen, and there's actually a twist?"

Everyone remained silent and waited for a long time. Even after Mu Qingque took all the spiritual materials and left the battlefield, no reversal occurred.

An elder suddenly stood up and said excitedly:

"Excellent! This woman's combined form is a blessing from heaven for my Lingxi Sect. If we can rise to prominence, she will surely..."

Halfway through his sentence, the elder seemed to realize something and suddenly felt a lump in his throat, so he stopped speaking. Ren Yuanzi's expression turned extremely gloomy.

He suddenly stood up and paced around the main hall, where you could hear a pin drop. Then, Ren Yuanzi's voice suddenly rang out:

"In the Primordial Era, the upstream sects would undergo a reshuffle every few hundred years. In the Ancient Era, the upstream sects would undergo a reshuffle every thousand years. But since the Middle Ages, the upstream sects have remained unchanged."

"Do you really think that the top sects would let her win the championship?"

Chapter 357 Insubordination

"Twenty thousand years ago, there were ten sects in the upper reaches of the river, but twenty thousand years later, there are only four left. And during this period, no mid-level power has been able to rise to the upper reaches. Do you know why?"

After Ren Yuanzi finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone knows the answer.

Just as the midstream imposes technological blockades on the downstream, the upstream imposes similar technological blockades on the midstream.

The more the cultivation world develops, the greater the gap in strength between different regions becomes, the more solidified the social hierarchy becomes, and spiritual materials and resources gradually gravitate towards a few individuals.

Only sects of equal standing can fight each other and eventually annex one another. No sect can cross the river domain. Qingyang Palace can annex Baiyue Palace, but if it has a conflict with Lingxi Sect, it would be considered an act of insubordination.

The Xuan Shu can assist in thinking, and the Ling Yuan can replace the Ling Gen. The gap between cultivators is determined from the moment they are born, and this gap is difficult to bridge by talent.

It's not that geniuses haven't emerged in the middle ranks, but once their talent crosses the red line, they only have two fates: either they are recruited by the upper-ranking sects, or they are nipped in the bud.

The rewards for the Midstream Weapon Refining Tournament are jointly provided by the four major upstream sects. In fact, the Midstream Weapon Refining Tournament of the Earth Group is a huge gambling table.

The upstream sects send out their own refined Soul Steamers to demonstrate their power to the midstream sects, with spirit ore, cultivation techniques, and yana diagrams as the stakes. The upstream sects can win, but if the midstream sects dare to meddle, they will be asking for trouble.

When it came time to decide on the candidates for the Earth Group, all the elders declined, as they didn't want to get involved in this mess at all.

Then, taking advantage of Mu Qingque's lack of experience and her relatively short cultivation period of only a hundred years, coupled with the fact that she did not belong to any particular faction, she was naturally ostracized and pushed to the top.

"Didn't any of you tell her about this? Didn't any of you remind her?"

"There's no need to remind her of this. It's not so much about whether she wants to do it or not, but whether she can do it. She defeated Liu Si right away. We never expected that."

"Sect Master, you mean..."

"I will make her admit defeat and then apologize to the Heavenly Uranium Sect. Hopefully, it's not too late."

While Ren Yuanzi was speaking, he had already sent a message to Mu Qingque through Xuan Shu Tian.

However, at this moment, another change occurred on the competition field, and an old man suddenly appeared in the sky of the disparate heavens.

"I must report this woman. She possesses the Dao Body of Returning to the Void and has surely plagiarized our sect's cultivation techniques. The competition should be temporarily suspended so that she can undergo an investigation."

Ren Yuanzi's heart skipped a beat. He had heard of the person who spoke before. The other party was an elder of the Tianyou Sect named Wei Canghai, who had the cultivation of the Integration Realm.

He was already prepared to apologize, but who would have thought that the upstream sects would get angry first, and the onlookers in the vast world had not yet recovered from the shock of Mu Qingque easily defeating Xiao Liu Si. Now, another unexpected change has occurred, and none of them have figured out what's going on.

"What is this? Is this woman the legendary Daoist Body of Returning to Nothingness?"

"No way, could it be that he got angry because he saw his sect's representative being defeated?"

"Getting angry? The same thing happened to True Monarch Tuihuo before. I believe True Monarch Taiyi will definitely uphold justice."

Unexpectedly, a glint flashed in the eyes of Master Taiyi. He merely glanced at the scene within the Starry Sea Cave Heaven and then uttered a single word indifferently.

"good."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Qingque was teleported out.

In an instant, countless gazes turned to the blue-haired girl.

The scene before her eyes left Lu Li feeling incredulous.

"Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill? It's just that our own representative was defeated. There's no need to make such a fuss."

Old Master Duan's expression turned solemn, and he said quietly:

"Making a mountain out of a molehill? Anyone can defeat Liu Si, even the Lingtu Ancestor and the Nuoyi Ancestor, but this junior from the middle ranks is the only one who cannot."

The soul-replicating artifacts refined by the upstream sects have an extremely high degree of fidelity. In a sense, if one person defeats the soul-replicating artifacts of an ancient sage, then one has defeated the ancient sages at that level.

In other words, if Mu Qingque had been born in that era, she would also have been qualified to become an ancient sage and leave her name in history.

Lu Li didn't doubt Mu Qingque's talent; she was just surprised by the aggressive, almost ferocious, attitude of the upstream sect.

Previously, when True Monarch Tuihuo wanted to overturn the table, True Man Taiyi stepped forward to uphold justice. However, when it came to the upstream sects wanting to overturn the table, True Man Taiyi almost unhesitatingly sided with the Tianyou Sect.

Wei Canghai's divine sense pierced through the Heavenly Realm and finally landed on Mu Qingque. After examining her, his eyes narrowed, and he said:

"As expected of the Returning to the Void Dao Body, you stole our sect's cultivation technique. Is the Lingxi Sect Master here?"

Immediately afterwards, Ren Yuanzi appeared in the Xuan Shu Tian, ​​his posture humble, completely lacking the demeanor of a sect leader.

"Senior Wei, what are your orders?"

“Your Lingxi Sect is quite audacious.”

"No, no, it was all her doing. This woman is not a formal member of my Lingxi Sect. Please forgive my ignorance for not discovering her constitution. When we return, I will definitely punish her severely."

"Oh, so she's a temporary worker?"

"Yes Yes Yes……"

Ren Yuanzi wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and repeatedly agreed. It was too late to apologize now; the only way out was to shirk responsibility.

"Then I shall take her away. Do you have any objections?"

"I wouldn't dare, but I will follow your instructions, senior."

The changes on the scene came so quickly that even Lu Li was somewhat at a loss. The Lingxi Sect Master, who had previously angrily confronted the Tuihuo True Monarch, was now speaking in a humble tone, and the Taiyi True Man, who was upholding justice, also remained silent.

Boom!

On the banks of the Mengjiang River, a thunderclap pierced the sky, and dark clouds obscured the sun.

A cultivator outside the arena looked at the array plate in his hand and asked in confusion:

"Why is it so dark... The weather forecast didn't predict it would rain today."

At that moment, Lu Li also felt that it was getting dark.

Mu Qingque was one of her few friends. Lu Li wanted to step forward, but for the first time in her life, she found herself powerless.

This despair was even more profound than when they watched helplessly as Lu Ling was taken away by Ying Wange.

Duan Xuanyuan suddenly spoke, his tone urgent:

“You unfilial disciple, your master… I advise you not to be so foolish as to meddle in other people’s business.”

Lu Li loosened her clenched fist, and her expression softened slightly.

"She should be alright, right? I remember she has connections. If her backers intervene, perhaps..."

Lu Li muttered to herself, her blood pump throbbing rapidly.

Yesterday, she was threatened by True Lord Tuihuo, but Mu Qingque helped her defend herself. Now that Mu Qingque is being threatened, who can help her defend herself?

boom!

Another bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, and dark clouds slowly pressed down towards the river. The moisture in the clouds accumulated to its maximum, eventually turning into a torrential downpour.

Chapter 358 Shocking Change: Facing the True Lord of Retreating Fire!

"Perhaps later, one of the upstream sects will jump out and accuse Mu Qingque of being a pawn of their lineage, and then confront the Tianyou Sect to calm everything down."

After pondering for a moment, Duan Xuanyuan said:

"It's not impossible, but if it were true, the Heavenly Uranium Sect elder should have shown up when he came out just now."

"Or rather, she is actually a successor of a hidden sect, whose background is even greater than that of the upstream sects."

"Hidden sects? What are those? You've been reading too many fictional stories. Which hidden sect can compare to the power of a sect from the upper echelons?"

"No...?"

There is no such thing as a hidden sect in this world; only the demonic path would hide and conceal itself.

Orthodox sects do not need to hide or conceal themselves. Sects need to exchange puppetry techniques and trade spiritual materials and puppets. Sects that remain secluded will eventually become stagnant and be eliminated by the times.

Lu Li recalled her dream from last night, and then said:

"What if it's a sect from the ancient times? Their puppetry techniques are far more advanced than ours now."