Chapter 324: Tide of Corpses, Sea of Blood
"What is that?"
"Is it a dark cloud—"
As the Youxian Assembly in Qingyun World approached, countless Sect Disciples gathered, strolled, and sought suitable partners for marriage in an Immortal Garden in Central Province.
However, before the atmosphere could warm up, many noticed the sky rapidly darkening.
Young men and women instinctively looked up, and upon seeing the writhing blackness, they immediately held their breath.
In an instant, a screeching sound like grinding stones awakened the entire city, and overwhelming Evil Seeds, carrying a heavy Evil Qi, roared down with ferocious faces.
"Bang!!!!"
As the heavy bodies fell, they plowed a deep gully into the ground, then struggled to crawl up and rushed into the city.
One, two, three—with a crunch, the city guards were instantly swallowed, bursting into a puddle of blood.
Then, they stomped, tore, and rushed into the city, collapsing city walls and houses, frantically surging towards the most densely populated areas.
Wherever they passed, houses collapsed, and corpses lay everywhere.
The quiet human world instantly descended into chaos, and countless agonizing screams echoed throughout the city.
"What's going on? What happened? Where did so many Evil Seeds come from?"
"There are too many; we can't even see the direction; they are everywhere: southeast, northwest!"
The Sects gathered in Central Province reacted quickly; the moment they sensed something was wrong, their protective Formations instantly rose, enveloping their ancestral lands.
However, those ferocious Evil Seeds were merely dead husks, devoid of any fear, and still charged with undiminished Aura towards the Formation that glowed with Mystic Light.
The first batch of Evil Seeds crashed against the Formation, emitting a teeth-grinding shriek, and then were twisted into a pulp by the immense killing intent.
But the second batch of Evil Seeds stepped on their corpses, their sharp claws fiercely piercing into the Mystic Light.
Then came the third batch, the fourth batch—
The grand Formation, originally designed to protect the Sects, was instantly enveloped by a writhing tide of corpses, forming a giant ball, as the trampling, tearing, and jostling Evil Seeds had only a desire for slaughter in their eyes.
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!!"
"Boom!!!!"
With continuous impacts, the grand Formations of many Sects were directly shattered, and amidst countless screams, a bloody stench surged.
After the end of the Primordial Era, the Human Race rose, and during that time, corpse plagues appeared for various reasons, but never before had there been such a terrifying scale, almost like a locust plague.
Seeing this scene, the Sects not yet engulfed by the corpse tide instantly abandoned their protective Formations and scrambled to ascend northward.
Before long, countless carriages and treasure ships ascended into the sky.
Evil Seeds lack the ability to fly, so theoretically, ascending into the sky should be the safest option.
However, as countless people fled skyward, the Evil Seeds on the ground shrieked, then leaped into the air with a 'Peng' sound, reaching an incredibly high altitude, and densely swarmed onto the rapidly moving immortal ships.
Amidst intense shaking, the first immortal ship to ascend suddenly tilted, then violently crashed into another immortal ship.
"Too many, too many—"
"Don't panic, immediately head to Shengjing for refuge!"
On the west side of Central Province, the He Family head, with both hands raised to the sky, unleashed a surge of immortal light that directly repelled a large number of Evil Seeds, then roared, ordering his Family Disciples to immediately head northeast.
The individual strength of these creatures wasn't too strong, but their numbers were simply too vast.
Fighting them with human strength would eventually lead to exhaustion.
Moreover, there were many younger members in their Family, so immediate evacuation was the best course of action.
The protective Formations of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, as well as the Imperial Capital Formation of Shengjing, shared the same origin as the northern city walls.
Formations of that Rank had defended against the barbarians for a thousand years; even if these dead husks were stronger, they wouldn't be able to break through.
Thus, under this roar, the Sect Elders stood at the front and back, slaughtering Evil Seeds, while the younger generation was protected in the middle, and the group began to move westward.
Other surviving Sects in Central Province were also in this group, such as the Qiu Family, Liu family, and Sheng Family, who followed the He Family; upon hearing this, they immediately followed, and on their escape route, they also encountered the Zuoqiu Family, as well as the Huang Family, Zhou Family, Lu Family, and others who followed them.
Amidst the heavy bloody stench, Evil Seeds fell like pouring rain, whistling down.
Then they converged into a wave, chasing and attacking all the way.
Their numbers were simply too vast, and their Innate Physical Body was robust; many low-Realm cultivators were inevitably torn apart on the spot by the pouncing Evil Seeds.
Amidst the blood and gore, countless people were terrified out of their wits.
The Qiu Family, Huang Family, and Sheng Family were the weakest among them; although they followed the He Family and Zuoqiu Family, they were not of the same clan and would not receive proper care.
So after flying for not long, they saw a massive wave surge towards them, directly scattering them from the larger families.
Upon seeing this, countless people immediately infused their bodies with immense Spiritual Qi, recklessly chasing forward.
Because they knew that if they were truly left behind at this moment, all of them would die here.
But the vision was beautiful, yet reality was often incredibly cruel.
The residual husks of the Lasting Peace Race were Innately powerful, their starting point surpassing the Human Race's Lower Three Realms.
At this moment, hordes of Evil Seeds, with screeching sounds, pounced forward, their constantly approaching ferocious faces seemingly wanting to devour everything.
"Pffft!"
Blood spurted, and severed limbs flew everywhere.
In an instant, countless Disciples guarding the periphery died or were injured.
The three Sect Family heads waved their hands, protecting their Family Disciples, their eyes splitting with terror as they faced impending death.
However, as the fishy wind assaulted their faces, a clear Sword Qi suddenly emanated from beneath the nine heavens, sounding like a Phoenix's cry, instantly overpowering the roars of thousands of Evil Seeds and awakening everyone.
From the corner of their eyes, everyone widened their eyes and looked up.
Beneath the turbulent sky, a dazzling Sword Light, with a "rumble," sliced through the gray mist, like a cascading Milky Way.
Before the sword arrived, dozens of Evil Seeds at the forefront were already cracking all over.
The next moment, a magnificent Sword Qi violently struck down, and the surrounding air instantly emitted an unbearable explosive roar.
Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the Evil Seed masses fell like wheat waves, severed limbs and broken arms instantly filling the sky, and the unspent Sword Intent also carved a chasm into the ground, raising a sky-obscuring dust storm that stretched for a hundred miles.
At this moment, the Family members of Sects such as the He Family, Zuoqiu Family, Fang Family, and Peng Family, who were flying at the very front, stopped in horror and looked back.
They saw Ji You, whose Aura was scorching like the rising sun, floating in the sky, with residual Sword Intent still humming throughout the heavens.
Without a moment's hesitation, everyone immediately got up and flew forward, taking advantage of the opening created by that sword strike.
As for the Huang, Qiu, and Sheng families, they dared not delay for a moment either, immediately getting up and catching up with the main group, continuing their westward journey.
When they encountered a high wall of pouncing Evil Seeds, everyone once again saw the figure amidst the crowd step into the sky and draw his sword, an incredibly fast sword cutting a gap in the tide of corpses.
Upon seeing this, the fleeing Sect Disciples couldn't help but look at the Qiu Family, who were trailing behind. When Ji You first entered the Inner Courtyard, the He Family had intended to arrange a marriage, marrying Qiu Hanyue to Ji You as a concubine.
At that time, Qiu Hanyue tried every possible way to refuse, and the Qiu family head seemed to think that a rural rogue cultivator was nothing to worry about, so he used every possible means and finally succeeded in refusing.
At this moment, the Qiu family head, whose Family had lost countless Disciples, remained silent, as if his Divine Soul had been scattered.
Ji You's sword strike wasn't to save people; it was to break through the tide of corpses.
But he suddenly realized that if their relationship had been different, that sword might have come faster, and their Family might not have lost so many people.
Meanwhile, only Sheng Xiyu, who had, as a good friend, tried every possible way to persuade Qiu Hanyue to quickly break off the engagement to avoid being ridiculed, dared not look back and remained silent.
However, during the subsequent escape, that heaven-slashing Sword Qi did not reappear.
The He Family head and Elder He Long, along with the Zuoqiu Family and Fang Family, two Boundless Realm cultivators and four Innate Realm cultivators, continuously wielded thunder and fire techniques, repelling pounce after pounce. After catching their breath, they couldn't help but look at Ji You, who was hidden in the crowd, and suddenly understood something.
This person wasn't here to help; he was purely here to hitch a ride. In fact, they weren't wrong.
Ji You's destination was the same as theirs, but the tide was surging, so upon seeing their large group, he decided to hitch a ride to avoid excessive consumption.
The previous two sword strikes were a gift, to show sincerity.
And at this moment, he was hiding in the crowd, constantly sprinting. "Boom!!!"
As the Zuoqiu family head flipped his palm, a surge of heavenly light crushed down, and all the Evil Seeds charging towards them were sent flying back a hundred feet.
Upon seeing this, Ji You's thoughts sank slightly.
He had come from the border of You Province, and after urging the coachman to flee for his life, he had fought his way here, clearly feeling that the Evil Seeds appearing this time were stronger than before.
However, they did not charge towards the villages where ordinary people lived, but rather precisely targeted and broke through countless Sects, as if they were being guided.
"Boom!!!"
Under the roar of spells, the initial surge was quickly broken through by the united Sects, and then other cultivators joined the group from elsewhere.
While the increase in numbers made their progress faster, it also meant an increase in casualties.
Having fought their way through, everyone had become numb to the strong smell of blood, as if they had grown accustomed to it.
Just then, people suddenly saw a figure ascend into the sky, his scorching Aura spreading like the first light of dawn.
Looking up, they saw Ji You leaving the group, flying towards a different direction than theirs.
That was where the Evil Seeds were most densely packed, screeching, tearing, trampling, writhing, like a dense tsunami.
The moment Ji You soared into the sky, the monstrous Sword Qi in his hand also swept across, instantly cutting a huge gap in the tide of corpses.
As he delved deeper, the onlookers were all astonished.
They were astonished by his extraordinary combat power, and also by not knowing where he was going, only seeing the constantly rising Sword Qi following him into the sky.
Half an hour later, Ji You arrived alone at Linyuan City.
By this time, the city was already a ruin of broken walls and shattered tiles, with signs of devastation everywhere.
There were also many Evil Seeds gnawing on corpses, and upon seeing someone arrive, they immediately swarmed forward madly.
Ji You gripped his long sword and struck out fiercely.
The pouncing Evil Seeds were cut in half at the waist, and the massive Sword Qi directly collapsed a building, pressing the remaining pouncing Evil Seeds beneath it.
At this moment, Ji You flew to a large residence, his golden eyes surging as he scanned the surroundings.
This was another Family on the list, the Du Family, which was the Family where Du Zhu resided.
The Du Family residence had already been overwhelmed by the tide of corpses, with bricks and walls collapsed and tiles shattered.
But strangely, there were no bodies in the entire collapsed residence, not even bloodstains; it seemed as if there had been no one in the courtyard before the tide of corpses arrived.
Ji You investigated for a long time, then suddenly heard a sharp shriek, and instantly launched himself from the ground.
The Evil Seeds in the distance now roared, re-forming into a tide, leaping from the collapsed city walls, and madly tearing towards him, like a breaking dam.
Seeing more and more Evil Corpses, Ji You turned and galloped towards the southwest.
Only when all the Evil Seeds had been led to the southwest did Ji You's entire body erupt with scorching Qi, and he shot into the sky, then landed in the city to the northeast, quickly concealing his Aura.
Facing him was still a collapsed residence, its shattered gatehouse now a pile of broken bricks, with a white character on a smashed door panel.
Like the Du Family, the Bai Family's courtyard also had no bodies or bloodstains.
If his guess was correct, the other Sects he had visited earlier should also be deserted by now.
It wasn't due to strict guarding, nor was there any hidden conspiracy; in reality, those people had already disappeared after the Youxian Assembly.
Then, the tide of corpses suddenly surged.
Whether it was the timing or the strange behavior, it was all too coincidental, and his arrogant companion had said that too many coincidences were definitely not coincidences.
Four years ago and four years later, all these things seemed to be the work of the same group of people.
Ji You continuously scanned this large Sect residence with his golden eyes; without the obstruction of the Family Protection Formation, everything in the courtyard clearly appeared under his search.
Soon, his gaze slightly narrowed, and after much thought, he walked through the courtyards.
Under the dim sky, the shrieks of the Evil Seeds were constant, sometimes far, sometimes near, making one's hair stand on end.
From time to time, there were also sounds of buildings collapsing, causing people's hearts to tremble.
Ji You walked to the ninth courtyard of the Bai Family, passed through the moon gate, and stopped in a half-collapsed hall.
In Qingyun World, the number nine is revered, so this should be where the main branch of the Bai Family resided.
A Sect is a Sect; even if the Bai Family was not top-tier, this courtyard was still half the size of a city.
A poor fellow whose village only had five courtyards had never seen such luxury and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
After scanning around, Ji You entered a room in the side courtyard, stared for a long time, then suddenly struck the ground fiercely with his sword.
The floorboards in the room instantly shattered, revealing a downward staircase beneath, and faintly, a movement of something crawling up from the ground emerged from the darkness.
There were people in the Bai Family; this was something he had sensed with his Divine Thought earlier.
Ji You gripped the long sword in his hand and descended the stairs, and as he gradually reached the bottom, the long sword in his hand suddenly loosened slightly.
In the dark basement, Bai Rulong was hugging an iron sword, huddled in a corner, staring ahead with a face full of terror.
"Brother Ji!"
When he clearly saw who had come, Rulong Immortal Emperor suddenly cried out in grief, his deeply emotional tone making Ji You feel for a moment as if he was calling his own father.
Ji You walked up to him at this moment, remained silent for a while, then reached out and took the money pouch from his arms.
Bai Rulong: "?"
Looking at his strange gaze, Ji You suddenly reacted: "Uh, I have a strange habitual action whenever I see you, sorry, sorry."
Upon hearing this, Rulong Immortal Emperor's mouth twitched.
Ji You tucked the money pouch into his own pocket: "Enough small talk, why are you here?"
"I was scared, so I hid."
"Where are your Family members?"
Bai Rulong was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "They're gone—I don't know if my father abandoned me, he didn't even tell me they were moving."
Ji You frowned tightly: "When did they disappear?"
"I don't know, after I returned from Tianshu Academy, I was arranged to go on a blind date with a girl from Qingzhou, and when I came back, I found that everyone in the Family was gone."
"Do you know where they went?"
Bai Rulong pursed his dry lips: "Brother Ji, weren't you here to find me? What do you want with my father?"
Ji You turned to look at the pots and pans in the corner: "Never mind, this place is not suitable for long stays, I'll take you out of here first."
"Where are we going?"
"Back to Tianshu Academy first."
Bai Rulong followed him out trembling, then looked at the city full of crawling Evil Seeds and his eyes instantly froze: "How can there be so many Evil Seeds?"
Ji You continuously absorbed Spiritual Qi and said: "Evil Seeds are the Physical Bodies of the deceased Lasting Peace Race, and the Lasting Peace Race was the strongest race in the Primordial Era; their reproductive capacity must have been astonishing, so this number is not strange."
Seeing the Evil Seeds tearing at shattered corpses not far away, Bai Rulong was numb: "Brother Ji, why don't we go back? It's quite safe where I was."
Ji You turned to look at him, then noticed his cultivation: "We haven't seen each other for a long time, have we? How come you're only at Junior Third Realm Completion?
Are you busy dating every day?"
"It's not easy, Brother Ji, aren't you also only at the Tong Xuan Realm?"
"Enough small talk, let's go quickly. If we encounter any fleeing Sects on the way, I'll give you a ride."
Bai Rulong looked at Ji You after hearing this: "My cultivation is insufficient, I'll drag you down, you'd better not take me."
Ji You took out a rope from his storage gourd and tied it to his waist: "It'll be more convenient with you."
"Why do I have a bad feeling?"
"A small cut on the hand doesn't hurt, right?"
"?"
Half an hour later, the Evil Seeds in Linyuan City gathered more and more, gradually surging like a black tide, constantly shrieking and attacking in the ruined city.
And in front of their pursuit, a figure clutching his arm was desperately fleeing while cursing.
Just as those ferocious Evil Seeds leaped into the air, about to overwhelm the figure who was constantly cursing, the rope tied to his waist suddenly tightened.
Before he could react, he was violently pulled in the opposite direction by a terrifying force.
At the same time, a magnificent Sword Qi roared out along the direction the Evil Seeds were rushing.
This was a heavy sword, but it contained extreme sharpness, roaring directly through the dense tide of corpses, countless Evil Seeds were cut in half at the waist.
Bai Rulong finally managed to stabilize himself, watching this scene with eyes full of shock.
In these years at Tianshu Academy, his Dao Heart was firm, he ignored external affairs, and only wanted to find a good time, basically like a transparent person, wandering outside of cultivation matters.
Only at this moment did he realize what he had missed.
This is called Tong Xuan Realm?
Just then, Ji You suddenly grabbed him by the collar, leaped onto a half-collapsed city wall that had not fallen.
The tide of corpses in the city was temporarily cleared by that one sword, but the tide of corpses outside the city was still surging.
Looking down from their position, black masses of Evil Seeds were constantly rushing, stretching for a thousand miles, so dense that it made one's scalp tingle, and wherever they went, there was devastation and wailing.
Especially the bloody smell in the wind made it hard to breathe.
Seeing this, Bai Rulong's face turned pale, and he subconsciously clenched his palms: "How could this be—"
Ji You turned to look at him: "It's a man-made disaster."
"What?"
"Although it's hard to see clearly in the chaos because of the sheer number, if you stand at a high place and observe their direction of movement, you can faintly distinguish that they are moving precisely north-south, east-west. Unless they are hunting, they will temporarily turn their heads, but after killing all living things, they will return neatly. So, someone must have set anchor points to lure these things back and forth. I suspect this tide of corpses is being controlled by someone."
Bai Rulong's shoulders trembled after hearing this: "I'm just a Junior Third Realm Completion, don't say anymore, I dare not hear such secrets."
Ji You raised the corner of his mouth: "Do you know, I killed five Boundless Realm Sect Elders a while ago."
"?"
"Really, on Dan Mountain, I killed them so much that the Five Great Immortal Sects all wanted my dog's life, but you see, I'm still alive and kicking now."
Bai Rulong turned his head slightly: "Isn't this a time to escape? Why are you bragging—"
Ji You patted his shoulder: "I want to tell you that I am very strong, so I am not afraid to know some secrets. Now that I see so many people dead and the entire Realm destroyed, Brother Ru Long, do you have any secrets you want to tell me?"
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