The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

Chapter 522: Qi Sensor, Assault and Replacement (5k)

At the same time, in the stone chamber high up in Baiyang Gorge, several Zhao Qings were busy handling different matters.

One of them, Zhao Qing, stretched out a string of silk from his fingertips, which extended to the rocks on the top of the mountain dozens of feet away from the stone chamber. They were connected to several floating water film bubbles. The air inside vibrated at various frequencies and made sounds, which were then firmly confined to a small area and transmitted to several jade talismans that were broadcasting.

The reason why they are not used in a concentrated manner but are distributed over the entire mountain is naturally to avoid mutual interference between antennas.

The other Zhao Qing stood in front of a life-size black ice human body model, with a faint gradient light emitting from his eyes, which penetrated into the extremely realistic meridians, acupoints, nerves, blood vessels, internal organs, and bones, stimulating the endless circulation of vital energy, in order to test the reliability of the model and verify the exercises.

A Zhao Qing holds a crystal ball with thousands of tiny optical fibers inside in his hand, controlling the dark Netherworld Water and corroding and engraving extremely complex patterns in it. This is a spare miniature hydrogen bomb with an increasingly streamlined and practical structure, and a single shot has a power of around a thousand tons.

There was another Zhao Qing, who gently stretched out his hand and pressed on a thin crystal screen, his fingertips constantly sliding, as if he was inputting and adjusting various data. The crystal screen was flashing with a faint blue light, and was covered with intricate runes and scales, with tiny but precise red dots in the center.

"The vital energy sensors distributed within a few dozen miles around Baiyang Cave have a very good monitoring effect." She whispered to herself and drew a zigzag line on the crystal screen: "Where did the two practitioners who sneaked into the back mountain of Qingteng Sword Academy late at night come from?"

"Judging from the speed at which this person left and the amplitude of the fluctuations in his vitality, his cultivation level should be at the sixth level or higher. We still need to be careful. After all, if someone does not take the right path but takes a detour, this is definitely not accidental, and there is probably some ulterior motive."

Zhao Qing's heart moved slightly, and her mind connected to the large number of optical lenses made of ice crystals in the clouds, activated the infrared thermal imaging tracking mode, and then used the energy sensors scattered on various hilltops. Under the dual monitoring, she quickly locked onto the intruder's movements.

The so-called Qi sensor sounds quite mysterious, but its working principle is actually not complicated. It simply converts invisible Qi fluctuations into quantifiable parameters to conduct real-time and accurate monitoring of the surrounding Qi environment.

These sensors are embedded with specially processed demonic energy sensing elements. As a vital energy life form, the "demonic energy" is extremely sensitive to the fluctuations of vital energy. It can capture the slight changes in the vital energy environment caused by the escape of the practitioner's mental power and energy, and its own state will also fluctuate slightly accordingly.

An ordinary wisp of true energy will obviously not be able to mobilize the same amount of vital energy in an environment with different concentrations or activities of the vital energy of heaven and earth. In a place without spirits, only its own energy will be effective. The change of "demonic energy" is also due to similar reasons, but it is much more sensitive.

In addition to the precise measurement of conventional properties such as magnetic permeability, transmittance, and refractive index of magic energy components, the "vital energy transmittance" is the key, representing the obstruction of the flow of the vital energy of heaven and earth among many materials, which is equivalent to the existence of "spiritual resistance".

Just like measuring voltage and current can be used to understand the state of a circuit, the Qi sensor senses the presence of practitioners by cleverly measuring changes in Qi concentration and spiritual Qi pressure by connecting the magic Qi elements and a series of spiritual materials in various "series" and "parallel" connections.

The advantage of this monitoring method lies in its penetration and concealment. Even if the practitioners use advanced concealment techniques to try to cover up their whereabouts, the Qi sensor can penetrate the disguise and directly capture the true fluctuations of their Qi.

Even if practitioners intentionally try to restrain their breath and blend into the ordinary, it is difficult to completely avoid the leakage of vital energy. Just as a person cannot walk in water without leaving ripples, when they use vital energy, they will also leave clear traces in the surrounding environment.

When practitioners use their luck to force away dirty things, or like the middle-aged man in the yellow robe, use invisible pressure to make the thorny vines disperse automatically, these seemingly insignificant actions are actually the manifestation of the use of vital energy, and are thus captured by the vital energy sensor.

What is even more difficult for practitioners to avoid is that if they do not use their true energy to activate the secret method, they cannot exert their true strength, and naturally cannot avoid the surveillance of the infrared imaging of the clouds above; and once the true energy is used, no matter how small, it will trigger the alarm of the nearby energy sensor.

Of course, both optical visual search and vital energy trace sensing are tracking techniques that many high-level practitioners use simultaneously, but there are differences in the level of their performance. Zhao Qing was quite good at this in the past.

However, by integrating and compressing the latter into a small instrument, it is also possible to measure tiny fluctuations in the concentration of vital energy of less than one billionth, and to spread it widely to "sit back and wait", so that others will not even know that they have been discovered. This is another more sophisticated method.

"How should we deal with it?" Hearing that something unusual happened outside, several Zhao Qings asked at the same time and then started discussing.

……

As a huge city with a population of millions, Changling spanned a vast area during its continuous expansion, and even the climate in each area was often different.

In a vast paddy field by the Wei River, the rain continued, gently piercing the silence of the night like fine needles. Under the faint moonlight, one could vaguely see some villagers bending over and working hard, harvesting the tender green water celery. Their movements were skilled and quick, and occasionally a few low conversations could be heard.

The paddy fields are sparkling, reflecting the sparse starlight in the sky. Not far away, a quaint village lies quietly.

The houses with blue bricks and black tiles are arranged in an orderly manner. Although the buildings are simple, they were built long before the Changling Palace. Every brick and tile looks old. The moss on the wall looks even greener in the cool rain, adding a bit of charm.

These villagers were dark and thin, and had long been accustomed to working in water and rain. In such a drizzle, they did not even wear straw raincoats, but just let the raindrops gradually wet their clothes.

In a corner of the village, there is a seemingly ordinary farmyard. Under the eaves are neatly hung strings of dried salted fish, all of which are small sea fish as thick as a finger. In front of the door stands a tattered statue of the land god, and next to it are a few thin chrysanthemums planted, swaying gracefully in the rain.

At this moment, a figure with his face hidden in the shadows approached quietly, with light footsteps, as if blending into the night.

This person was none other than the middle-aged man in the yellow robe. He quickly glanced around and, after making sure that no one was paying attention, he quickly walked to the farmer's door, took out a sealed letter from his arms, placed it under the statue, and then gently moved a few inconspicuous stones in front of the statue.

By changing the positions of these stones, a simple and specific pattern is formed, which is the means used by Jiaodong County to convey messages. It contains the key to decoding the scrambled text in the secret note. Only those who are familiar with it can notice it and correctly interpret its meaning.

Next, he just had to wait.

The initial capital of the Jiaodong County clans came from the dried salted fish they sold to all parts of the Qin State. After a large amount of fish was made into dried goods, it could even meet the meat needs of one-third of the Qin territory, and gradually became the first choice for ordinary people to fill their stomachs and add flavor to their food.

Over time, the fishmongers located downstream of the market naturally developed a deep dependence on Jiaodong County, and the county's top officials took this opportunity to develop many fishmongers into their own spies and established a secret and efficient intelligence network.

The cheap and ordinary dried salted fish from afar quietly became an excellent carrier for transmitting messages and contacting various parties during the transportation process. The fishmongers traveled from place to place, not only bringing food, but also valuable intelligence and instructions.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the middle-aged man in the yellow robe was impressed by the foresight of the ancestors of Jiaodong County. At the same time, he looked around the farmer's yard to make sure everything was correct. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly paused and then bumped diagonally towards the wall on the side.

The not-so-solid courtyard wall exploded with a loud bang, but was immediately drowned out by a clear and loud roar.

A dark green flying sword suddenly flew out from the sleeve of the middle-aged man in the yellow robe. As if it had its own life, it quickly spun around his body and formed a protective light curtain.

Almost at the same moment, a transparent sword flew out from the darkness in the distance and pierced directly through the place where he was originally located, as well as several walls and houses behind him. Balls of dust waves bloomed one after another, forming a straight line.

Then, the line that had just been drawn began to glow rapidly, and countless overlapping runes inside it steadily transmitted the vital energy of heaven and earth, immediately transforming this area into a rapidly enlarged sword force, a crystal giant sword that was dozens of feet long.

The sword bent in an obvious arc, and it seemed as if it was going to chop towards the direction where the man in yellow robe had just dodged, but it suddenly broke apart in the middle, emitting dense and tiny sword qi.

The roof tiles were chopped off, the walls were cut, and some cats and dogs that had just sensed danger were shattered into countless pieces.

Most of the village was destroyed by this blow and turned into ruins, but one house was almost intact.

A huge dark green tortoise shell shadow covered the area. The surface collided with the falling sword energy and made a continuous ding-ding sound. There were countless dents and the color quickly dimmed. Over the years, Jiaodong County had hunted countless overseas beasts. The middle-aged man in the yellow robe had a powerful tortoise shell defense talisman. It was not unexpected that it worked at the critical moment and took the initiative.

His figure reappeared in a blood mist, but the dark green sword circling around him had disappeared. Instead, it was replaced by a slender soft sword. The majestic true energy continuously shot out along the runes on the sword, turning into countless sharp wind beams.

The reason why it is called a bundle is that it means there are not just one sword, but many swords, which represents extremely high difficulty in using and can be regarded as a unique mark symbolizing the identity of this practitioner.

A powerful innate aura also emanated from his body, adding to the wind bundles, making them quietly more flexible, just like schools of nimble little fish, leaping and dancing happily in the water.

Then, small waves of energy splashed in the air at the same time, and circles of green glowing ripples spread out, causing the energy of heaven and earth in a large area to become extremely chaotic, making it difficult for the enemy to perceive and control, and also making the real move of the middle-aged man in the yellow robe become concealed.

If you could observe the movements of those small fish more closely, you would find that they are also devouring each other as they leap around, using the energy of heaven and earth as nutrients, growing rapidly and eventually nurturing a single giant whale that can swallow the sky and evolve an extremely powerful killing move.

……

In the paddy field where many villagers had been working before but now the crowd had fled in all directions, there was still a middle-aged man who was still cutting autumn celery, holding the sickle very steadily in his hand.

About a few feet away from him, a small dark green sword began to accelerate rapidly, with the tip of the sword pointing directly at the man's back.

Within such a short distance, almost no practitioner would have time to dodge the flying sword's attack, not to mention that this flying sword had been lurking in the shadows under the moonlight without causing any sound, which could be said to be perfectly hidden.

At the critical moment, the attacker who had infiltrated the old farmers suddenly discovered that dozens of acupoints on his back became bright and transparent, and a crystal clear air mass gushed out. Then it suddenly exploded, and the air flow hit the water surface, creating a waterfall of mud and water that shot up into the sky.

Countless raindrops were shaken and flew in the opposite direction, just like the upside-down Milky Way.

With the help of the explosion, this person stretched out his arm in time at an angle that ordinary people could hardly imagine. His wrist turned extremely flexibly, and his entire arm swung rapidly in a circle. The sword light rotated and expanded in front of him, unfolding like a peacock spreading its tail, with a bright light.

Many slender green soft swords were connected into a piece, and the crystal sword energy was woven like a net, forming an open umbrella of light in front of him; many water droplets still floating in the air met the sword body, shattering countless filaments, which looked like tassels hanging from the edge of the umbrella.

When the flying sword controlled by the middle-aged man in yellow robe suddenly shot out, the light umbrella opened to its maximum, and then closed up. The countless sword energies shooting straight out from it collided with the sword energies blocking in front of it, making a resounding sound like a huge bell.

In this short moment, many slender soft swords bent and twisted in strange ways, entangled with each other, and actually tied two knots at the tip and the hilt of the sword.

They tightly bound the foreign flying swords and imprisoned them between the sword bundles. As the runes on the swords glowed and vibrated, all the true energy infused in them was forced out, making them unable to move at all.

"The Lunbu Sword Sutra? How is that possible?" Sensing the entire process of his flying sword being taken away, the middle-aged man in a yellow robe who was floating in the air, ready to attack, suddenly changed his expression, as if he couldn't understand it, and shouted in disbelief.

As far as he knew, as one of the Zheng family's secret sword manuals that was quite niche and difficult to practice, there were only a handful of practitioners in the entire Jiaodong County who truly mastered the "Lunbu Sword Manual".

Except for himself, everyone should be a master of the seventh realm and the backbone of the family. How could they appear in the hands of the enemy?

Even if this can be explained by the leakage of the cultivation method, why is the natal object that the other party cultivates also the same Tianshu Sword Umbrella that he ordered from his family workshop many years ago and looks exactly like it? The difference between the two is so small, then...

When Zheng Liren thought of this, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He couldn't help but think of thousands of weird and terrifying possibilities. An indescribable fear began to spread in his heart, like a cold snake's tongue, licking his soul.

He subconsciously fell from mid-air and stood on a tilted beam. Several shark-like sword spirits that had just evolved from small fish and were full of sharp teeth were roaming around him. Their scales were covered with spikes, and they looked extremely ferocious and fierce. They protected Zheng Liren in front and behind.

Seeing that this move had been completed, he felt relieved. Just as he was about to use the new sword style to take a defensive stance, intending to take the opportunity to escape and send a signal to obtain support from the Changling garrison, he suddenly felt a sharp little sword shooting out from the soles of his feet, entering through his tailbone, and completely cutting open his back.

If the other party knew all the secrets of my cultivation techniques and was well aware of my weaknesses, he would naturally be able to see through the mystery of my "fish playing in the water" attack and defense and use the most insidious flying sword method to attack my vital points, killing me instantly...

At this moment, the thought that he had not yet fully thought through flashed through Zheng Liren's mind. Relying on the tenacious vitality of a cultivator at the peak of the sixth realm, he did not die for a moment. He relied on his true essence to hang on to the last bit of life, and his body slowly fell forward.

He reluctantly turned his head, his sight piercing through the blood mist and dust, trying to see the face of the attacker. However, when those eyes really locked onto the other person, Zheng Liren felt as if he was hit by an invisible hammer, his heart suddenly shrank and almost stopped beating.

The person standing there was not any enemy he had imagined, but a man who looked strikingly similar to him. No, it was simply another him. From the hair to the eyes, from the clothes to the temperament, everything was exactly like him except for the cold murderous intent.

"You... who are you?!" Zheng Liren struggled to speak, his voice became hoarse due to shock, full of despair and confusion. His consciousness began to blur, but the fear in his heart was like a wildfire, unstoppable.

But the "other self" just smiled coldly, did not answer, but slowly raised the Tianshu Sword Umbrella in his hand. The natal object that should have belonged to Zheng Liren became the sentence of his death at this moment.

With a gentle wave of the sword umbrella, countless slender soft swords weaved into a net again. This time, their target was no longer the foreign flying swords, but Zheng Liren himself.

"So... it was me..." He muttered to himself, the fear and sorrow that surged in his heart intertwined and almost drowned him.

He tried to recall his life, but found that his life trajectory seemed to overlap with the "enemy" in front of him, and he could not tell which were real memories and which were the other party's illusions.

The soft sword in the figure's hand trembled lightly, and countless green sword qi wrapped around Zheng Liren's body like silk threads. Those sword qi seemed to have spirituality, accurately cutting off his connection with the vitality of heaven and earth, and also cutting off his last hope of survival.

Zheng Liren felt his body gradually losing temperature, and his vitality was slipping away like sand in an hourglass. He watched the middle-aged man in a yellow robe who looked exactly like him, and his heart was filled with endless confusion and unwillingness.

"Why... is it like this..." He murmured softly, and his voice gradually dissipated into the night sky.

The figure did not answer, but just stood there silently, watching Zheng Liren's life flame go out bit by bit.

It was at this moment that the broken walls, broken beams, destroyed paddy fields, and the smell of blood in the air suddenly began to dissipate like rising mist and became false illusions.

An intact "Zheng Liren" wearing a yellow robe simply tidied his clothes, touched the flying sword hidden in his sleeve, smiled slightly, and left the farmer's house with the statue of the land god in front of the door, striding towards the distance.

When he flew across the paddy field, a slightly glowing jade talisman appeared in the hand of "Zheng Liren".

……

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