“Really?”

Chu Qing was slightly stunned, momentarily thinking he had misheard, but after coming to his senses, a hint of joy flashed across his face.

Rong Min, noticing Chu Qing’s gaze, nodded firmly in confirmation.

“Quickly, show me!” Chu Qing exclaimed excitedly.

After he spoke, Rong Min and Yang Lian promptly led Chu Qing toward another stone chamber…

After the three left, three people were crouching in a nearby stone chamber.

They were Yun Lianqing, Song Chun, and Xiu Mei.

The three had lost all their internal power due to mistakenly entering a swamp. After exiting the Tiansheng Continent, they were too tired to wander around, so they found a stone chamber to rest and try to see when their internal strength would recover.

Unexpectedly…

…

…

They had overheard such important news.

Yun Lianqing stood up, looked outside the chamber to confirm there was no one around, then slowly retreated inside, looking toward Xiu Mei and Song Chun.

“Did this Prince hear correctly? Were they just talking about the method to activate the Divine Token?” Yun Lianqing asked.

Song Chun and Xiu Mei nodded simultaneously, “We heard it too.”

Seeing this, Yun Lianqing stroked his chin, “This Divine Token is in Mu Yunjin’s hands, and she probably hasn’t found the activation method yet. If these people get ahead of her, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

“Should we kill them now?” Xiu Mei suggested, looking at Yun Lianqing.

Yun Lianqing frowned and sighed, “In our current state, we might be able to kill a few chickens, but we don’t stand a chance against them. Besides, Chu Qing has arranged people throughout Fengyue Cliff, likely in considerable numbers. If we rashly go out now, we might die even faster.”

“Then what should we do…” Xiu Mei frowned. Having lost his internal power, he couldn’t even activate the Feng Yu Chamber’s spirit signals; otherwise, he could have summoned some beast spirits to help.

Song Chun also wore a grave expression, saying quietly, “If Chu Qing obtains the activation method, it will be even more troublesome for His Highness and the Princess Consort.”

After these words, the three fell silent.

“Let’s do this: we’ll split up. Two of us will track Chu Qing, and one will find a way to go to the Northern Ming Imperial Palace to bring reinforcements,” Yun Lianqing said, his expression unusually solemn.

“I’ll go to the Northern Ming Imperial Palace. Fengyue Cliff is quite far from there, and none of you can use lightness skills, but I still have a pair of wings to fly, which will save considerable time,” Xiu Mei said, looking at the two.

Yun Lianqing glanced at Xiu Mei’s wings and nodded, “Then go quickly and return quickly. This Prince and Song Chun may not be able to hold out for long…”

Xiu Mei nodded and, after their conversation, ran toward the other end of the stone chamber.

After Xiu Mei left, only Yun Lianqing and Song Chun remained.

“Prince Yun, do you have any protective weapons with you?” Song Chun sized up Yun Lianqing.

This Prince Yun was the future ruler of the Southern Court, of noble status. If anything went wrong here, the ruler of the Southern Court would surely be furious.

“I have plenty of daggers and concealed weapons,” Yun Lianqing replied.

“That’s good. We shouldn’t delay; let’s go out first,” Song Chun said.

After speaking, the two reached an unspoken agreement and cautiously peered outside the stone chamber.

Confirming there was no one outside, they headed in the direction where Chu Qing and Rong Min had disappeared.

…

Chu Qing followed Rong Min for quite some time. When they reached a dead end, they faced a massive stone door.

Rong Min reached out, just touching the edge of the stone door when his hand was blocked by Chu Qing’s folding fan. “Wait.”

“What is it?” Rong Min was puzzled at first, but after settling down, he noticed something amiss—there were faint footsteps behind them…

“Both princes, please go in first. This servant will investigate,” Yang Lian bowed to the two men, then flew toward the source of the footsteps.

Chu Qing narrowed his eyes, withdrew his folding fan, and said, “Open the door.”

Rong Min nodded, pushed open the stone door, and led Chu Qing inside.

After entering, it was completely dark inside, but vaguely, one could see that this place seemed to be arranged like a Buddhist shrine.

Rong Min took out a wooden torch he had brought with him, walked to a candlestick, and lit the candles one by one.

With the candlelight, the entire stone chamber brightened, but the air was filled with a heavy smell of dust.

It truly was a Buddhist shrine.

In the center of the chamber stood a golden Buddha statue. Below the statue were an incense burner and candlesticks for offerings. Around the shrine were also placed some portraits of Buddha and rows of candles.

The table for incense offerings was already covered with a thick layer of dust, and even the Buddha statue had collected some cobwebs from long neglect.

“How did you discover this place?” Chu Qing, not rushing to find the activation method for the Divine Token, turned to look at Rong Min.

Rong Min answered, “Didn’t you ask me to wait outside for your news? But I waited for a day and a night without any message from you, so Yang Lian and I walked around Fengyue Cliff a few times, and then we found this place.”

“Were these incense sticks and candles already here when you arrived?” Chu Qing asked.

Rong Min nodded.

Getting this affirmative answer, Chu Qing’s expression suddenly became somewhat strange. He slowly approached the table with the incense burner, his gaze falling on a half-burned incense stick in the burner.

Looking at the candles on the nearby candlestick, they were also half-burned.

“It seems someone has been here before,” Chu Qing slowly said.

Rong Min had not initially noticed these details, but after Chu Qing pointed them out, he felt a chill down his spine, making him uneasy.

“Where is the method to activate the Divine Token you mentioned?” Chu Qing asked, getting to the point.

“It’s here…”

Rong Min picked up a candlestick and led Chu Qing toward the Buddha portraits on the side, saying as they walked, “To be honest, I discovered it by accident.”

Upon approaching one of the portraits, Rong Min illuminated a row of small characters on the right side of the portrait with the candlelight.

“Look, the method to activate the Divine Token is recorded here,” Rong Min said.

Chu Qing looked at the small characters, stepped closer, narrowed his eyes, and took the candlestick from Rong Min’s hand, wanting to see the text more clearly.

After a while, Chu Qing finally made out the text on the portrait and murmured—

“Dawn breaks, the Divine Token emerges; the blood of the Divine Phoenix summons the dead spirits.”

After reading these sixteen characters, Chu Qing’s heart suddenly began to race, his inner feelings a mix of excitement and astonishment, but above all, a sense of ‘finally.’

In a flash, he seemed to already envision himself controlling the entire Canghua Continent.

“Dawn breaks, refers to early morning; this ‘blood of the Divine Phoenix’…” Rong Min muttered, frowning slightly, feeling somewhat drowsy.

Chu Qing, however, revealed a bloodthirsty smile, “Divine Phoenix, Divine Phoenix, Five-Colored Divine Phoenix…”

The meaning of these phrases together should be that at dawn, using the blood of the Five-Colored Divine Phoenix to summon the dead spirits and soldiers from the Divine Token…

Thinking about this, Chu Qing suddenly had a sense of enlightenment.

Indeed, the Five-Colored Divine Phoenix was legendarily in charge of immortal souls, while the Divine Token could summon dead spirits and soldiers…

So there was such a connection between the two.

Seeing Chu Qing smile with deep meaning, Rong Min couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart. “What should we do now?”

“Wait for the right time,” Chu Qing said, then took the candle and illuminated each of the other Buddha portraits one by one.

After a while, apart from the portrait they had just examined with text on it, the rest were ordinary portraits without any mysteries.

Finally, Chu Qing walked back to the original portrait, his eyes darkening as he held the flame to the portrait.

Instantly, the entire portrait burst into flames.

“What are you doing?” Rong Min frowned.

“Since it’s a secret, the fewer people who know about it, the better. Keeping this Buddhist shrine would eventually bring trouble,” Chu Qing replied.

After speaking, he threw the candle in his hand, and in an instant, all the portraits hanging on the walls of the Buddhist shrine caught fire. Flames rose high, and thick smoke billowed.

“Let’s go!”

Seeing this, Chu Qing left, satisfied.

But just as they reached the stone door, the open door suddenly began to close slowly. With a loud “bang,” it shut completely, raising clouds of dust.

Chu Qing narrowed his eyes and coughed lightly.

“What’s happening!” Rong Min, seeing the door suddenly close, was shocked and quickly went to push it, but it wouldn’t budge.

Chu Qing’s face also flashed with panic, and he immediately reached out to open the stone door, but it truly would not move at all.

By now, the fire in the Buddhist shrine was gradually spreading, and thick smoke had already enveloped the entire chamber, but at this critical moment, the stone door suddenly couldn’t be opened…

Chu Qing immediately felt like he had shot himself in the foot.

“Try using your internal power!” Chu Qing said to Rong Min.

Rong Min nodded, and both men channeled their true qi and struck the stone door.

Two powerful palm winds hit the stone door, making it shake and causing some debris to fall, but it still wouldn’t open.

“Again.”

…

Outside the stone door.

Yang Lian concentrated his true qi, firmly sealing the stone door with his energy. Beads of sweat continuously formed on his forehead.

“Prince Yun, Guardian Song, quickly find a way to enter the Tiansheng Continent and tell Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning about the method to activate the Divine Token,” Yang Lian said through gritted teeth to the two beside him.

Yun Lianqing scrutinized Yang Lian, still harboring some doubts.

Earlier, as he and Song Chun were halfway there, they had encountered this Yang Lian face to face. At that time, they both prepared to fight him to the death, but not only did Yang Lian not attack, he brought them here, repeatedly reminding them to be careful along the way.

They had just arrived when they heard Chu Qing recite those sixteen characters.

Just now, when Chu Qing had burned the Buddhist shrine and was about to leave, Yang Lian suddenly closed the stone door and sealed it with his internal power…

This series of actions was completely unexpected to them.

“You two need not doubt Yang. Although Yang works as an assassin, I have not lost my humanity. At this point, I can clearly distinguish who is righteous and who is evil,” Yang Lian said.

As he spoke, more debris fell from the stone door.

“You two should leave quickly; Yang fears he cannot hold out much longer!” Yang Lian urgently said to Yun Lianqing and Song Chun.

Yun Lianqing and Song Chun looked at each other, nodded to each other, and then cupped their hands to Yang Lian with genuine admiration. “A wise man knows when to act. We’ll see you in the Tiansheng Continent.”

“Good!” Yang Lian acknowledged with a smile.

Yun Lianqing and Song Chun returned the smile, then turned and quickly left.

After the two figures disappeared, with a loud “bang,” the entire stone door was shattered by a powerful palm wind and fell to the ground.

As soon as Chu Qing emerged from the door, seeing Yang Lian standing at the entrance, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. “You dare betray this Prince, you’re seeking death!”