Heaven Official's Blessing Chapter 211-220

RuoYe, having been fully unfurled from his wrist, was poised for action. However, it retracted and settled once Xie Lian recognized the figure. "You... Yin Yu?" Xie Lian inquired.

Unbeknownst to them, a sizable opening, large enough for two to enter, had materialized. Yin Yu emerged halfway from this newly formed gap, a sharp shovel grasped firmly in his hand. He let out a sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Your Highness, it is I. Thankfully, I didn't excavate in the wrong vicinity. Let us depart from here immediately!"

Xie Lian had momentarily forgotten that Yin Yu possessed a sacred spiritual artifact – the Earth Master's divine shovel! That this tool was not confiscated was truly a heavenly stroke of luck. It seemed that sometimes, possessing a low profile was advantageous; amidst the chaos of combat, the enemy would surely overlook such an individual, although conversely, one's own allies might accidentally inflict harm. Just as Xie Lian moved to assist Yin Yu out, his body instinctively retreated a step. Yin Yu looked on, perplexed. "Your Highness? What is the matter?"

Xie Lian was equally bewildered as to why he had taken a step back. It soon dawned on him that it wasn't his own action, but rather Shi Qing Xuan, who had taken temporary control of his body, that had caused the backward movement.

The shovel wielded by the Earth Master felt remarkably familiar, making it easy to recall its past users. An inexplicable surge of dread washed over Xie Lian, a likely subconscious reaction from Shi Qing Xuan. Fortunately, Shi Qing Xuan's reaction was not overly severe, and he swiftly relinquished control of the body back to Xie Lian. Without delay, Xie Lian abandoned his intention to inquire of Hua Cheng about the individual needed to ascend to the heavens. He hastily jumped down into the hole, descending into the underground of the Heavenly Capital alongside Yin Yu.

Above them, the hole sealed shut in a short period. After they had crawled through the dark passage for a short distance, Xie Lian suddenly had a thought. "Yin Yu, can this Earth Master's shovel penetrate the barrier that confines the Heavenly Capital?"

"I... I don't believe so?" Yin Yu responded.

"Huh?"

Shi Qing Xuan interjected, "Then, does this mean that even though this sacred shovel is a spiritual device, digging around will still keep us within the Heavenly Capital? Doesn't that render it useless?"

Yin Yu scratched his head. "It's not entirely useless... A barrier array has been established outside the palaces of every martial heavenly official to impede their recovery from injuries. I reasoned that if they remained confined to their shrines, their combat strength might take years to fully restore. Therefore, I thought we could utilize the Earth Master's shovel to excavate a secret chamber in the underground, relocate all the martial gods there, and once they've largely recovered, we could attempt a breakout."

"Wait!" Shi Qing Xuan exclaimed. "Hua Cheng Zhu instructed that you tell those usele... those martial gods to conceal themselves and focus on healing independently. Attempting a breakout under Jun Wu's command would be tantamount to seeking your own demise."

Yin Yu looked astonished. "Your Highness, you... can communicate with Cheng Zhu? I thought that was impossible?"

"No, no, no," Xie Lian clarified. "The one who spoke with you just now was not me."

Shi Qing Xuan declared, "It was me! It was me, Your Highness Yin Yu!"

However, regardless of who was speaking, the words emanated from a single mouth, leaving Yin Yu in a state of confusion. "It's you, yet it's still you? But aren't you not you, Your Highness?"

Shi Qing Xuan sighed, "Ah, it's me, me, the Wind Master! Wait, you should address me as the...

“Former Wind Master. I’ve employed the Soul Shifting Spell. Ah, relaying messages like this is such a bother.”

He had come to observe and listen here, and then would return to his own body on the other side to relay everything to Hua Cheng. The thought of repeatedly entering and exiting made him feel weary. Yin Yu promptly replied, “Oh, oh, oh, what a difficult task! So that’s how it is!” And with renewed vigor, he returned to his digging. The two of them crawled onward for a bit before Yin Yu spoke again, “This spot… should be good! Your Highness, please conceal yourself here for the moment. I shall depart to retrieve the next heavenly official.”

The tunnel they had entered initially was slowly sealing shut. Xie Lian questioned, “Huh? You’re going alone? I’ll accompany you.”

“No, it’s fine,” Yin Yu said. “To be perfectly honest, Your Highness, the larger the hole the Earth Master’s Shovel digs, the more spiritual power it consumes. It will likely be quicker if I go by myself. The closest martial god’s palace to this location is…” He paused for a moment’s thought before continuing, “In any case, I shall return shortly.”

Shi Qingxuan, having repeatedly utilized the Soul Shifting Spell, felt the exhaustion from the immense and frequent expenditure of spiritual power affecting Xie Lian as well. He sat down on the ground, nodding wearily, his head and body feeling somewhat heavy. He raised a hand to support his head, saying, “…Alright.”

Thus, Yin Yu opened a new passage by himself and continued to burrow forward, while Xie Lian lay down on the ground, closing his eyes.

After an indeterminate period, he suddenly jolted awake. “Yin Yu?”

The surroundings were enveloped in complete darkness, accompanied by a dead silence. It was evident that Yin Yu had not yet returned. Shi Qingxuan spoke up, confirming this fact, “Your Highness, you are awake? It’s tiring, isn’t it? Yin Yu has not come back yet.”

After a period of rest, Xie Lian regained some energy. “How long has he been gone? Why hasn’t he returned?”

“It’s been nearly two sticks of incense time,” Shi Qingxuan replied. “He couldn’t have possibly gotten lost, could he?”

Sensing that something was amiss, Xie Lian declared, “I will go look for him.”

With that, he turned and began to crawl towards the tunnel Yin Yu had taken. Since Yin Yu would need this passage to return, the tunnel had not automatically sealed after being dug by the Earth Master’s Shovel. Xie Lian crawled cautiously within it. A moment later, Shi Qingxuan’s voice chimed in, “Crimson Rain Sought Flower says: ‘Gege, you’d best not go.’”

Xie Lian stopped crawling. “Something is likely not right, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Shi Qingxuan responded. “The tone of Hua Chengzhu sounds quite serious.”

“But it is precisely because it seems wrong that I must go find him,” Xie Lian stated. “Otherwise, if Yin Yu encounters trouble…”

At that precise moment, an intense chill coursed down his spine. Startled, Xie Lian whipped his head around. Shi Qingxuan also felt that chilling sensation prickle his back and exclaimed, “Good heavens, what was that? A shiver down my spine!”

Behind them lay the empty, pitch-black tunnel, with nothing visible. However, Xie Lian stared at it for a considerable duration before replying, “It’s nothing.”

Shi Qingxuan instantly fell silent, holding his breath. This was because, immediately after Xie Lian uttered the words “It’s nothing” aloud, he silently mouthed, “Don’t make a sound, someone is here!”

There was indeed another presence within this tunnel. They had been directly behind Xie Lian moments ago, but by the time he looked back, they had vanished.

Xie Lian’s innate sense of danger was never mistaken. Therefore, he could not allow the other party to realize he had already detected them, and he continued to act as if nothing had occurred. However, Shi Qing