Chapter 578 Nine Xuan Royal Court

Six moons of varying sizes hung in the night sky, occupying most of the firmament. A hazy, silvery-green glow filtered through the flowing clouds and mist, then through the dense forest canopy, landing in the gaps between the bushes.

In the center of the cleared, level ground, a bonfire crackled and popped. The calls of birds and the low growls of wild animals could be faintly heard from the nearby woods, adding a touch of vitality to the dark green forest.

Qingzhou, beyond the Space-Time Gate.

Nine Xuan World, an unknown dense forest.

Li Yeyu, a member of the Zheng Nation's official Nine Xuan World exploration team and an outstanding young cultivator, woke up alertly from her sleeping bag because she felt a mosquito flying near her ear.

"That's strange. Didn't I use a mosquito repellent spell? Why are there still mosquitoes?"

Nothing could be more energizing than the buzzing of a mosquito in one's ear. In an instant, she was completely awake from the lingering effects of sleep.

The young woman had long, black hair and wore a simple exploration suit. She had been curled up like a cat in her sleep, but when she woke up, she instinctively stretched. Even the loose clothing couldn't hide her graceful figure, which possessed the charm of an oriental beauty.

Now awake, Li Yeyu looked around and saw that the other members of her exploration team were still asleep around the bonfire.

In the distance, a teammate on night watch in the treetop saw the awakened girl and silently made a gesture. Li Yeyu nodded slightly to show that she was fine.

All the warning spells were working well, and there were no abnormalities in the many trigger traps set up in the distance.

No anomalies, everything normal.

"The forests of the Nine Xuan World... are so quiet, so different from the hustle and bustle of Earth."

Thinking this, and unable to fall back asleep, Li Yeyu simply got up and quietly sorted out her personal equipment, confirming that her weapons and various exploration tools were still working properly.

At the same time, she couldn't help but shake her head slightly, silently complaining in her heart: "It's completely different from what I imagined. We've been exploring for more than ten days, but we haven't even found a single person... The official information that there are a large number of intelligent beings in the 'Nine Xuan World' is simply not true!"

"I thought I would encounter some wonderful alien lifeforms and civilizations, see more interesting people and things... But so far, all I've done is cautiously run around eating dust. I haven't done anything at all!"

Of course, she could only say these complaints in her heart.

If others knew, it would undoubtedly ruin her image.

After all, in front of others, she was Professor Li's daughter, the first and only student of Minister Su, a cold and powerful beauty with a hint of humanity. It had taken a lot of effort to create such a rare and precious SSR-level image in front of everyone, and she couldn't just ruin it!

Repeatedly reminding herself to be cautious, Li Yeyu felt a little disappointed in this Nine Xuan World exploration, but she perked up when she thought about the rewards and qualifications she would receive after the exploration was over.

"After participating in the exploration of this important space-time realm, I will have enough qualifications and points to go to an internal academy for further study. Maybe I'll even have a chance to enter the Chuan Dao Pagoda and challenge the Immortal God Trials!"

Essentially, the testing institution of the 'Zhong Miao Chuan Dao Pagoda' was well-known among the old transcendent families. In the past, only Saint Seats and Saint Seat candidates could go there for further study.

However, recently, the testing qualifications for the Chuan Dao Pagoda have been repeatedly relaxed. Now, as long as one has sufficient qualifications, and is a promising young talent like Li Yeyu, they are eligible to enter and participate in the trials.

If she could enter the Chuan Dao Pagoda, it would mean that her future was bright!

Thinking of this, Li Yeyu felt even more motivated.

"Jin Qiong is a divine bird, and Seros's grandfather is a high-level official in the Europa Concordance Bureau. They all have better starting points than me."

"The newcomer, Bai Yingxue, was just an ordinary person before, but she also has Phoenix blood... They are all people with great potential."

"In the team, Guan Wanjing is a martial arts genius who is rarely seen in a century, and Li Hanshan is also a carrier of Chongming Bird blood. Shao Qiming is not only a genius but also a skilled operator. Only I am a small woman with some talent, neither a genius nor possessing a bloodline, nor with the talent for operation."

Thinking this, the girl clenched her fists. She looked up at the sky and encouraged herself: "That's why I have to work hard!"

The Nine Xuan World was large and empty. The surface area of the observable region alone was about the same as Earth's, or even slightly larger.

According to the current situation, this was a peculiar round-sky-and-round-earth world. A huge, round planet was surrounded by an equally round space bubble, and three spiritual energy suns took turns illuminating the entire world.

Six moons and three suns were the stars of Nine Xuan—it was said that these stars were all powerful arrays created by the Celestial Venerables with their own power, and were supreme palaces high in the sky. The entire Nine Xuan Continent was illuminated by the power of the Celestial Venerables, and their descendants lived and thrived on it.

Therefore, this world, which was obviously transformed by the Celestial Venerables together, had an ecological environment that was extremely similar to Earth's. After entering it, the exploration team did not even need to undergo ecological adaptation or magical blessings to breathe and survive normally.

However, when the spiritual energy was cut off, these suns, which were raised to the sky, all dimmed. According to the exploration team's current research, it could be judged that the entire Nine Xuan Continent fell into silence and cold at that time. In the dark night that lasted for thousands of years, even the stars and moons no longer shone.

Therefore, when the exploration team first entered the Nine Xuan World, many of the dense forests on the surface were almost black, turning into shade-tolerant or even fluorescent underground plants.

However, even so, after the spiritual energy was restored for five years, under the illumination of the re-lit suns, the dense forests on the surface of the Nine Xuan World began to gradually recover their emerald green color and return to their original appearance.

"As expected of a semi-artificial space-time realm that is said to have been transformed by the Celestial Venerables—the vitality of these creatures is really strong!"

After confirming that there were no abnormalities in her weapons and equipment, Li Yeyu got up, preparing to rotate the night watch so that her teammates could rest for a while before dawn.

The entire Nine Xuan World exploration team had a total of thirty-two people, divided into four teams. Li Yeyu's team specialized in local vegetation research, so they had been wandering in the dense forest, collecting samples of special plants and spiritual herbs from the Nine Xuan World.

The time for night watch passed quickly. Before long, the eastern and southern sides of the sky lit up with the morning glow of two suns—this was a unique sight of the Nine Xuan World. The third sun would not rise from the west until around noon.

In another ten minutes or so, it would be time for the exploration team to take action.

However, just as Li Yeyu was thinking about what special new occupations she could discover today, she suddenly vaguely heard a trace of fluctuation from the spirit world.

Li Yeyu was a possessor of the Tong You supernatural power (ability to travel to the spirit world). In other words, she could transform her body into a pure spiritual form, walk in the spirit world, cross material barriers, and shuttle through various spirit worlds at high speed, making her very sensitive to spiritual energy reactions.

"What's that sound... is it a squirrel?"

Although she thought so, Li Yeyu knew very well that it could not possibly be a squirrel—the spiritual energy reaction of a spirit beast squirrel could not be so delicate, nor could it have this feeling of self-suppression. It was clearly a sign that some intelligent being was trying to conceal their spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Could it be... the intelligent beings of the Nine Xuan World mentioned in the intelligence?"

"No, it could also just be a local spirit beast."

Thinking this, Li Yeyu frowned. After thinking for a while, she woke up a few teammates, whispered a few words of blessing, and then, taking her weapons and equipment, used her Tong You supernatural power to slip into the shadows and explore in the direction of the sound.

The moonlight had not yet faded, and the dawn had just begun to break. Silver-green and golden-red light intertwined, crossing above the dark green jungle.

Soon, the girl, who was shuttling in the shadows, saw two figures in what appeared to be a rather secluded forest secret realm, who were likely secretly meeting.

One of the figures had a slightly angry expression, wore a rather simple robe, seemed to have a second pair of arms behind his back, and had a third eye on his forehead. But overall, the difference between him and humans was not great.

--This, could this be the local intelligent life of the Nine Xuan World?!

At the first moment of seeing this figure, Li Yeyu, who was in the spirit world's Tong You state, couldn't help but subconsciously cover her mouth. She silently gasped: "Four arms and three eyes! This is the legendary ancient bloodline!"

The other figure shocked Li Yeyu even more.

"That, isn't that Professor Li Zhentang from the geology department?!"

"He should be in the Great Plains area collecting geological data from the Nine Xuan World... why is he here?!"

And at this moment.

Forest secret realm.

Li Zhentang took off his gold-rimmed glasses and silently wiped the dust off them with spiritual energy, without saying a word.

He was a successful young man in his early thirties, but already had gray hair and had obtained the title of professor—the gray hair was due to his hard work during his early years of study, and being able to obtain the title of professor at this age proved that in addition to being proficient in his professional field, he also had outstanding achievements in cultivation.

In other words, he was also considered a genius-level elite.

The professor had a handsome appearance, but his furrowed brows indicated that he was not in a good mood.

However, the three-eyed man opposite Professor Li seemed to be in even worse mood.

"Li Zhentang... you're finally talking."

He said in slightly strange Chinese, like an ancient dialect. Although the tone was strange, one could generally understand what he was saying: "You haven't contacted us recently, even though you've already opened the Space-Time Gate, you've remained silent..."

"Why just silence? Could it be that you've betrayed us?!"

Speaking to this point, the three-eyed man's tone was stern. His three eyes widened in anger, and one could vaguely see spiritual light flowing within them, as if it was brewing some extremely powerful supernatural power.

"...No betrayal."

In response, Li Zhentang did not seem afraid. The young professor with white hair sighed for a long time, then looked up and put on his glasses.

He said solemnly: "However, I feel that the King's plan for 'Xian Tian' (Earth) is too radical and needs to wait a little longer to see the effects... I opposed that plan, but the King did not accept my opinion."

"Wait?"

Hearing this, the three-eyed man seemed to be enraged. He roared: "How can we wait?"

"Don't you understand the situation in the Nine Xuan World?"

"With the spiritual energy cut off and the three suns dimmed, the vast realm fell into a state of darkness and obscurity. If it weren't for the Kings of past generations opening up the underground realm and using lava and spiritual ore as sources to maintain civilization... our Nine Xuan human race would have become extinct long ago!"

In response, Li Zhentang also seemed to be enraged. He replied in the same strange-toned Chinese: "It is precisely because I understand that I want to dissuade you—the people of Nine Xuan desire to live in a normal world, and I understand this better than anyone else, but..."

"No buts! Not everything has a but. It's not up to you to give advice on this matter—hand over the intelligence, it's part of the contract!"

But the three-eyed man rudely interrupted Li Zhentang. He said in a deep voice: "The Nine Xuan Royal Court has supported you descendants of Celestial Venerables from Xian Tian for so many years. This is the repayment you deserve!"

Instantly, Li Zhentang fell silent again.

--Wait, what, what, what?!

At the same time, in the spirit world, Li Yeyu was stunned by shock and confusion.

It was a silly expression that, if seen by outsiders, would be enough to instantly ruin her image.

"Professor Li... is actually a spy from the Nine Xuan World?!"

"And the Nine Xuan Royal Court, what is that?!"

At first, Li Yeyu had not yet reacted to the current situation.

But after all, she was a true elite genius. Soon, by eavesdropping on the two people's argument, the girl roughly pieced together some relevant information in her mind.

The Nine Xuan World, according to the records on Earth, was once an important space-time realm directly connected to Xian Tian, which is Earth.

Because the spiritual energy was cut off, the ecology of the Nine Xuan World was greatly damaged. The entire civilization was integrated by a powerhouse named Xuan Di, which was how they managed to survive the long thousands of years of dark night.

For Earth, Nine Xuan was just one of many space-time realms, still considered relatively important, but only that, not an irreplaceable place.

But for the beings of the Nine Xuan World, Earth, Xian Tian, was their only hope of returning to a normal world.

Yes, the spiritual energy had recovered, and the Nine Xuan World had come back to life... but since they knew that the environment here was not stable, who would be willing to stay in a possible death trap?

Therefore, fifteen years ago, at the very beginning of the spiritual energy recovery, the entire Nine Xuan World used a great sacrificial ritual to send several elites of the Nine Xuan World to Earth by secret methods.

And these elites searched for the descendants of the Celestial Venerables who once had palaces in the Nine Xuan World, using related cultivation methods and inheritances as bait, to make them sign contracts with the Nine Xuan World, collect information about Earth's Xian Tian, and serve the grand plan of the Nine Xuan World in the future.

The temptation of Celestial Venerable-level cultivation methods, who could resist it?

In addition, the Nine Xuan World elites who crossed over to Earth were true elites. Under their guidance, most of these Earthlings who accepted the contracts had a close feeling towards the Nine Xuan World, and even thought that they were people of Nine Xuan.

At least, they would feel sympathy for the difficult situation in the Nine Xuan World.

Li Zhentang was one of them.

His ancestor was the Daode Tianzun (Lord Lao), one of the three Dao Venerables. Although it was unknown whether he was a direct descendant, he was indeed suitable for cultivating the Daode Tianzun's cultivation method inheritance.

In recent years, he even became a member of the Zheng Nation Security Bureau through his talent and hard work, and successfully joined the exploration team to explore the Nine Xuan World as the leading professor of the geology department.

However, for some reason, Li Zhentang seemed to have a conflict with the forces of the Nine Xuan World. The two sides seemed to have a great dispute due to different views on the plan.

"Three years after three years, it's been fifteen years, how long do you want me to be a sleeper agent?!"

At this moment, feeling that there was no way to communicate clearly with the three-eyed Nine Xuan person in front of him, Li Zhentang suppressed his anger, completely unaware that there was another person in the spirit world secretly observing him: "The King wants to invade Earth—this is absolutely impossible! Earth's strength is far beyond your imagination. Several Saint Seats are only stabilizing their foundations, so they have not chosen to advance to Earth Immortals rashly."

"I know that the King has extraordinary talent and strength, but... there is Minister Su on Earth!"

"Absurd!"

In response, the three-eyed Nine Xuan person also felt quite impatient. He also suppressed his anger: "His Majesty Xuan Di has extraordinary talent and is a direct descendant of the Great Celestial Venerable. How can he be compared to ordinary humans!?"

"Our Nine Xuan World has been honed in the darkness for thousands of years, just to return to our Xian Tian homeland, but you have repeatedly hindered us and are unwilling to give us intelligence, Li Zhentang, don't you feel ashamed!"

"I gave it, you just don't believe it! I told the truth, what shame is there?!"

"Three years for Earth Immortals and five years for Celestial Immortals, you can even say such lies? If you're going to lie, at least learn how to lie!"

Having said this, both sides obviously felt that they could not communicate with each other at all.

Letting out a long breath, the three-eyed Nine Xuan person clenched his fists and threatened the white-haired professor in front of him: "Li Zhentang, be polite to me. Without me, no one would know that you are one of us from the Nine Xuan World—when the King personally leads an expedition to Xian Tian..."

However, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Li Zhentang.

"Wait, are you saying that without you, no one would know that I have a private connection with the Nine Xuan World?"

At this moment, Li Zhentang's tone seemed very strange: "Am I understanding correctly? Apart from you, no one else knows of my existence?"

"Otherwise?"

In response, the three-eyed Nine Xuan person seemed quite baffled: "What are you thinking? Such a confidential matter, who else could know besides the King and us?"

Then, he saw that the rather refined white-haired young professor in front of him suddenly revealed a fierce look.

"Good!"

At this moment, Li Zhentang gave a low shout. He took off his glasses and burst forth with spiritual energy: "Fifteen years have passed, and my conscience is clear—I don't need to be a person of the Nine Xuan World!"