Chapter 326: Returning with a Sword to Kill
The Evil Seed arrived so suddenly that it plunged the entire Kyushu Continent into chaos in an instant.
Numerous Immortal Sects and Sects crumbled in this Impact, and countless cultivators who had toiled for half their lives perished in the howling tide of corpses.
Only a few Sect members who reacted in advance found a glimmer of hope, barely surviving by fleeing in all directions.
Asked the Dao Mountain in Yu Province, Huangyun Mountain in Qing Province, Lingjian Mountain in Ling Province, Five-Color Cliff in You Province, and Xuán Hǎi Mountain at the border of Yun Province and You Province.
Within the several Daoist temples that governed the entire Qingyun World, countless Old Ancestors and Divine Lords stood suspended in the Void Realm, overlooking the ravaged Kyushu land, their deep eyes seemingly concealing an endless Xuán Hǎi.
Undoubtedly, this was a world-shaking change.
What needed to be clarified now was where the change originated.
The Sect Master of Asked the Dao Sect held two crimson jade orbs and turned to look at the Daoist serving behind him.
“Send a message to Tianshu Academy and ask them to deduce the Heavenly Pivot Art.”
“Yes.”
The serving Daoist immediately bowed and accepted the order, then floated down the mountain through the sea of clouds.
Soon, the Five Hall Masters of Tianshu Academy received the message. Five golden decrees floated down from the sky before them. Although the wording differed, the goal was all to understand the Heavenly Pivot Art deduction.
At this moment, the Five Hall Masters were on the Cloud Mist Mountain Cliff. Upon seeing the message, their brows furrowed tightly.
As one of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, Tianshu Academy, bearing the title of Great Xia Holy Sect, had always been renowned for its Heavenly Pivot Art, capable of deducing all under heaven and knowing the past and present.
However, the Heavenly Pivot Art was difficult to cultivate, and to this day, only You Yingqiu had gained some comprehension.
After the corpse tide erupted, they had immediately protected her to deduce the Heavenly Pivot Art, and the deduction had just concluded.
But during the deduction process, all they could see was a vast expanse of blackness, boundless, yet they received no Heavenly Dao revelation.
This meant that what they were deducing had already touched upon the Heavenly Dao.
Although the Heavenly Pivot Art was profound and unfathomable, human power could only deduce sentient beings; how could it deduce the Heavenly Dao itself?
Zuoqiuyang stood with his back to the sea of clouds, looking at his four Junior Sister and Junior Brother: “Sometimes, no revelation might also be a revelation. This disaster might be a Heavenly Tribulation.”
Chai Hu stared at him for a long time: “Are you saying our Human Race has angered the heavens?”
“The various Immortal Sects should be clear about what they have done that violates the Heavenly Dao.”
“Senior Brother is referring to the ruins?”
Zuoqiuyang looked at Chai Hu: “Naturally, that place.”
Lu Fengxian couldn't help but interject: “Previously, the five of us Senior Brother and Junior Sister all studied the Dao Fruits within those ruins. What they contained was the power of the Heavenly Dao, so how could it be said to violate the Heavenly Dao?”
“What do you think, Junior Sister?”
Zuoqiuyang turned to look at You Yingqiu, who said nothing, simply waving her hand to draw divine talismans.
In the evening, with a flicker of golden light, a huge talisman condensed in the Void Realm and spread in all directions.
Upon receiving the feedback, countless powerful figures from the Immortal Sects fell silent, then turned their gaze to the ruins in the southeast, northwest, which were surrounded by Evil Seed.
A thousand years ago, the Ancient Remnant Race attacked the Heavenly Dao en masse. Their Emperor attempted to usurp it by trapping the heavens with great magical power.
Subsequently, the Heavenly Dao bestowed Sacred Artifacts and great magical power upon the Human Race, annihilating the Lasting Peace Race and ushering in a resurgence of the Human Dao. Thereafter, everything related to the Lasting Peace Race was deemed by the Heavenly Dao as something to be annihilated.
For example, the Cultivation Techniques circulated by the Lasting Peace Race back then, and the Divine Artifacts they used, were all reduced to dust under the might of heaven, no longer tolerated by the Heavenly Dao Law.
So everyone understood that the relics should also be considered a type of such thing.
But during this period, the various Immortal Sects had been opening the ruins and seizing immortal opportunities. Perhaps it was precisely this act that angered the might of the Heavenly Dao, thus bringing down this vast tribulation to warn them not to cross the line.
This seemed to echo the old saying: “Those who follow the heavens prosper, those who defy the heavens perish.”
The method proposed by Tianshu Academy was to go and close the ruins, completely sealing them away.
On Asked the Dao Mountain, Huangyun Mountain, Lingjian Mountain, and Five-Color Cliff, many powerful Immortal Sect figures had unclear expressions after seeing this golden Post.
Pfft—a streak of finger light shot down from the high mountain. One golden Post was cut into a sky full of golden light. An Elder of Asked the Dao Sect raised an eyebrow, left a remark about it being nonsense, and then drifted away.
Not to mention that the corpse tide is now like a sea, making it harder than ascending to heaven to approach the ruins.
Just the immortal opportunities surging with immortal energy are not something these cultivators can simply give up.
Human greed is infinite. Why live only a hundred years when one can live a thousand? How can one be content with the Boundless Realm when one can roam in the Void Realm?
Moreover, this is just a tide of corpses. No matter how ferocious and brutal the dead bodies are, they are ultimately unconscious dead things. How can they be considered a Heavenly Tribulation?
“First, please ask the Elders of the Elder Council to lead the Disciples to resist the corpse tide.”
“For now, ignore the areas with the most Evil Seed, such as Central Province, Qing Province, and Liang Province. First, secure the areas north of Shengjing and guide the refugees to safety.”
On the peak of the cloud mist mountain, Zuoqiuyang rose from the sea of clouds and departed, stepping towards the giant mountain bell at the foot of Tianshu Peak.
In fact, he had anticipated the result that the various Immortal Sects would be unwilling to give up the immortal opportunities within the ruins even before sending the message.
Cultivating as a Human Race is truly arduous. Many people cultivate their entire lives with little achievement, only to be stopped before the Great Dao. Now that there is a shortcut to instant ascension, it is incredibly difficult to make people give up.
Not to mention the Five Great Immortal Sects, even within their Tianshu Academy, there was a stir over this Dao Fruit.
Clang—Clang—Clang—As the mountain bell was struck, several Elders landed, and countless Inner Courtyard Disciples were also summoned.
Upon receiving the Hall Master's decree, all these individuals began to move towards all directions of Shengjing City.
However, the Evil Seed besieging the imperial city's great formation were like a tsunami. Those who charged out from the city would kill one wave, only for another to surge in, making it almost impossible to advance.
Even if an Elder tore open a gap with a spell, most Tianshu Academy Disciples dared not proceed.
Because once they left the city too far, and the corpse tide flowed back, it might be difficult for them to retreat.
At the same time, Shengjing City was already overflowing with people.
Not to mention tea houses, taverns, immortal gardens, and restaurants, even the streets were packed with people.
These people were either Sects who had fled, having just escaped into the city before the corpse tide gained momentum, and were now panting as they looked outside the city.
Sizzle, sizzle—
The Evil Seed crashed against the great formation like a tide, emitting a bone-chilling tearing sound.
The entire great formation trembled violently. The golden immortal light was like hot oil poured into a cold pot, surging madly and exploding into countless dazzling light spots within the dark Evil Seed tide.
The Evil Seed in the front row were crushed as soon as they touched the great formation, but the Evil Seed behind them would howl forward, trampling on their companions' remains and surging up, frantically tearing at the constantly trembling formation light.
Blinding white light erupted where the golden light and black mist intertwined, and each collision stirred up circular airwaves.
The formation patterns flickered erratically, sometimes the golden light surged, crushing hundreds of Evil Seed, and sometimes the black tide pressed the light curtain inward, deforming it. The shattered Evil Seed limbs had not yet fallen to the ground when they were trampled into meat paste by the surging reinforcements.
Seeing this, although some knew that this great formation, which shared the same origin as the northern border's and had withstood the barbarians for a thousand years, would not be breached, they still couldn't help but feel terrified, as if they would be submerged by the Evil Seed in the next second.
“Patriarch Zhao, you’ve had a long journey. As long as you enter the city, you’ll be safe. My Prince invites you to rest.”
“Patriarch Zhou, all Elders, my Prince invites you to rest and dine.”
“Elder Wu, my Prince—”
“Patriarch He, Patriarch Zuoqiu, please take your clansmen to my courtyard to rest for a moment.”
On Yong'an Avenue and Chang Sheng Avenue, countless figures shuttled among these exiled Sect members, inviting prominent figures into a vast mansion.
At this time, Chong Wang, Wei Xiang, Minister of Rites, and other pro-immortal officials were all bowing at the gate to welcome them.
In those years, the pro-immortal faction controlled taxes and participated in the Spirit Stone business in Yun Province, accumulating immense wealth. They had many such mansions.
This disaster, which seemed like a catastrophe to others, was seen by Chong Wang and others as a heaven-sent opportunity.
So they opened their mansions wide, prepared countless spirit wines and Spirit Stones, and gathered all the doctors from the city's medical halls in the courtyard, inviting the prominent figures of famous Sects to rest, charging nothing.
Because in their view, this Evil Seed tide would eventually pass. With the goodwill established during this time of crisis, in the future, not to mention the Immortal Supervision, even the imperial throne would be within their grasp.
After inviting for a while, Chong Wang's mansion gradually became full.
After replenishing with Spirit Stones, the various patriarchs ascended the high building in the courtyard, looking at the boundless tide of corpses and the Elders and Disciples of Tianshu Academy who were constantly slaying Evil Seed.
Previously, because they were single-mindedly bringing their clansmen to Shengjing, many questions had been temporarily suppressed by them. But after getting a breather, those questions began to rise in their hearts.
Why did the Evil Seed suddenly run rampant? Where did these Evil Seed come from?
In the Qingyun World, there is a saying about Karma. They never believed in an effect without a cause.
The Patriarch of the Zuoqiu Family was named Zuoqiu Jingyun, the cousin of Zuoqiu Hall Master of Tianshu Academy. Although he was younger than Zuoqiuyang, due to issues with his cultivation and Lifespan, his hair was now white.
Looking at the sea of corpses and blood, Zuoqiu Jingyun couldn't help but speak softly.
“Everyone in the world knows that the only places that can accommodate so many Evil Seed are those vast and boundless ruins.”
Upon hearing this, the surrounding Sect patriarchs couldn't help but narrow their eyes.
After the Qi Ridge incident, the Six Great Immortal Sects, under the pretext of demonic creatures causing chaos in Qingyun, guarded all the ruins, designating a hundred-mile radius and defending them strictly, not allowing anyone to approach.
Some small Sects near the ruins even moved away from their ancestral lands because of this.
But now, tens of thousands of Evil Seed are pouring out from the ruins. There is only one answer.
“It seems the Immortal Sects are stealing from themselves.”
He Ye, the Patriarch of the He Family, spoke softly, his gaze deep and unwavering.
He and the Zuoqiu Family were in-Laws. His wife was Zuoqiu Jingyun's youngest Junior Sister, and his daughter was a direct Disciple of Zizai Hall.
Compared to some other Sects, their status was higher, so they naturally feared no Immortal Sect authority and dared to discuss.
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but recall the unbelievably young Prodigies of the Immortal Sects at the Youxian Assembly, the old acquaintances of the Immortal Sects whose cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds after many years of not seeing them, and how, right after the Youxian Assembly, a three-Sect war erupted on Yuepo Plateau, where the ruins were located.
Undoubtedly, they had obtained something extraordinary from the ruins, but it had triggered this world-shaking change again, leading to countless Sects being displaced and countless casualties.
Just then, three figures came howling from the direction of Tianshu Academy.
He Lingxiu, Chai Ze, and Shi Junhao, who had been in seclusion for over a year, floated down into the courtyard and ascended the tall building of Chong Wang's residence.
Such a major event had occurred in the Qingyun World. Even though breaking through their cultivation was of paramount importance to them, their concern for their families' safety made them unable to sit still. They anxiously broke through their seclusion to see them.
“Father.”
He Ye was gazing outside the city. As he turned, he saw He Lingxiu approaching, and the solemnity on his face instantly faded by more than half: “Lingxiu—”
He Lingxiu stepped forward to He Ye: “Was this trip smooth? Was anyone in the family injured?”
“Half of the family’s Disciples were separated from us, and their lives are currently unknown.”
“How could this be—”
He Ye clenched his fists: “It happened so suddenly, there was no time to react.”
He Lingxiu had just come out of seclusion and was not aware of the world’s affairs, so she couldn’t help but ask: “What exactly happened?”
He Ye shook his head, not revealing his previous speculation.
His youngest daughter had, after all, been in seclusion to break through, and knowing about the Immortal Sect’s self-serving actions might not be a good thing; it would only add distracting thoughts to her Dao Heart.
Thinking of this, He Ye stepped back a few paces and looked at her: “After a year and a half of seclusion, you’ve reached the threshold of the Innate Realm?”
He Lingxiu nodded: “I estimate that in another year and a half, daughter will be able to enter the Initial Innate Realm.”
“Good, as expected of someone personally taught by your grand-uncle.”
Zuoqiuyang also couldn’t help but walk over, his expression full of admiration.
But soon, their gazes were drawn to a figure on the west side.
Chai Ze and Shi Junhao were meeting with their families, and their conversations were similar to those between He Lingxiu and He Ye.
However, what attracted them was not the content of the conversation, but the cultivation of the two.
Shi Junhao’s aura was profound and mysterious, clearly also at the threshold of the Initial Innate Realm, his speed nearly identical to He Lingxiu’s.
To reach such a cultivation at this age, one could dominate a region in the Qingyun World, but what was most surprising was Chai Ze.
Because at this moment, Chai Ze had already stepped into the Initial Innate Realm.
He Ye stroked his beard after seeing this: “This Chai Ze, he’s two years younger than you, isn’t he?”
“That’s right, Junior Brother Chai Ze is only twenty-eight, and he entered the Inner Courtyard later than me.”
“Indeed, the back waves of Nu River push the front waves.” He Ye’s praise drew nods from other Sects, who also marveled at his achievement of the Innate Realm at such a young age.
Actually, He Lingxiu was also a little surprised when she first saw Chai Ze break through a step ahead of her, but he had cultivated in the Xianxian Holy Land for many days, so it was not strange for him to break through a step ahead of them now.
But she wasn’t too far behind; among the young Disciples of Tianshu Academy in this generation, who was first and who was second didn’t matter much, there was no need to delve too deeply.
Just then, two figures with slightly swaying skirts walked towards He Lingxiu: “Sister Lingxiu.”
He Lingxiu turned back and found it was Young Miss Qiu: “Han Yue, are you not hurt?”
Qiu Han Yue shook her head: “I’m fine. I want to know if Ji You has returned to Tianshu Academy.”
“Ji You—?”
“Yes, I want to ask if he has returned.”
Princess Changle was comforting the still-shaken Sect Disciples nearby, and hearing the name she cared about, she couldn’t help but stop and look over.
“Why are you asking about Ji You? Is he not at Tianshu Academy?”
He Lingxiu was a little surprised to hear this name, which she hadn’t thought of for over a year.
He Ye couldn’t help but speak at this moment: “We met him on the way. The Qiu Family almost met with disaster, and he helped them with a single Sword Qi.”
After he finished speaking, the expressions of the people around them couldn’t help but become strange.
An Innate Realm cultivator under thirty years old could indeed be called a Prodigy; even within an Immortal Sect, it was enough to cause admiration.
But the problem was, there was a monster in Tianshu Academy who could almost overshadow everyone’s brilliance.
He Lingxiu turned slightly at this moment and exchanged glances with Shi Junhao and Chai Ze, her eyes somewhat puzzled.
When they went into seclusion, Ji You had just come out of seclusion from the Xianxian Holy Land. After returning, he was still in the Profound Realm. In their eyes, he had already reached the end of his cultivation and would likely be lost in the crowd. They didn’t expect to hear his name again after coming out of seclusion.
Just then, a deafening explosion suddenly came from outside the grand formation.
Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn over, only to see the three Boundless Realm Elders of Tianshu Academy’s Elder Council frantically blasting a roaring tide with their Cultivation Technique.
And the reason they were doing this was because the Tianshu Academy Disciples who had been sent out were now deeply trapped within the tide, completely surrounded.
Not far from them were hundreds of cultivators who had fled, also trapped before the tide.
Those were the people the Tianshu Academy Disciples were supposed to meet, but now both the rescuers and the rescued were about to be engulfed by the corpse tide.
The Qingyun World never advocated for the spirit of so-called selfless dedication; even these Elders who came were there because their own people were trapped outside the city.
But the tide was like a mountain and sea barrier; even if these Elders tried their best, it was difficult to bring them all back in time.
Just as everyone’s hearts were hanging in their throats, a brilliant Sword Qi streaked across the sky, like a galaxy pouring down, and slashed down with a roar.
Under the intense Sword Pressure, the Evil Corpse tide was instantly torn open with a huge gap.
Everyone looked up at the sky in a daze, only to see Ji You stepping through the Void Realm, his scorching aura seemingly burning through the entire night, followed by countless spiritual lights flashing and Dao Swords suspended in the air.
Seeing this scene, tens of thousands of cultivators in the city subconsciously held their breath. The feeling was as if they had seen someone carrying a sea of stars to kill.
Buzz!
The heavy Dao Sword, carrying sharp Qi, instantly converged like a Dragon, pressing down with a roar towards the surging tide, violently cutting out dozens of feet of dust explosion.
The roaring Evil Corpses instantly flew horizontally, countless shattered dry limbs flew all over the sky, the heavy Sword Dragon continued to slash until it stopped abruptly before the main formation, and the raging tide in front of the gate was directly cut into a huge void.
Those who were trapped found an opportunity and immediately surged with Spiritual Qi to break out of a gap, scrambling to escape into the city. Still shaken, they looked behind them.
Ji You, holding Bai Rulong, roared into the city, landing on Yong'an Avenue.
With a snap, he released Immortal Emperor Ru Long’s collar. Ji You, while holding his robe, collected money from the people behind him, and gazed at the corpse tide blocked by the grand formation.
After collecting the money, he soared into the sky and roared towards Tianshu Academy.
And in Shengjing City, countless gazes followed his figure until they finally recovered at Nishan Peak.
Half a month ago, the Youxian Assembly ended, and everyone returned. Countless people were saying that Ji You, to save his concubine, had brandished his sword and repelled a Boundless Realm Elder of Lingjian Mountain.
Those who hadn’t witnessed it firsthand wondered if it was an exaggeration, until they saw the sky full of Sword Qi.
In Chong Wang’s residence, Zhao Yunyue clenched her fists with a gloomy expression, while Sheng Xiyu, who had persuaded the Qiu Family to break off the engagement, looked at Qiu Han Yue.
Seeing Qiu Han Yue looking at Ni Mountain with an unwilling expression, she knew that her friendship with Qiu Han Yue would no longer exist.
Actually, they had seen it after all, so the sense of shock wasn’t that earth-shattering.
But what was most surprising were He Lingxiu, Shi Junhao, and Chai Ze, who had been in seclusion for a long time. They gazed at the direction he left with a look of contentment, as if for a long time they couldn’t comprehend the previous scene.
At this moment, Ji You had already landed on the Inner Courtyard’s mountain peak, stepping towards the cloud-shrouded mountain summit.
The wind was strong at night, especially on the mountain summit.
The howling north wind constantly tore at his white robe, causing it to flap loudly.
At the highest point of Tianshu Peak, in front of a thatched hut in a Zen forest, an old man dressed loosely, with a weak, fading aura, was looking down, watching him head towards the cloud-shrouded mountain summit.
The Five Hall Masters quickly heard footsteps and couldn’t help but turn to look. Upon seeing the approaching figure, they were slightly surprised.
“Ji You?”
“It’s a man-made disaster.”
“?”
“This surging corpse tide is not a natural disaster, it’s a man-made disaster.”
Ji You waved his hand and pulled out the cloth scroll he had filled with writing and drawings, unfolding it with Spiritual Qi in the mountain wind.
The Five Hall Masters rose upon hearing the sound, their gaze falling upon the cloth scroll.
The content on it was everything Ji You had learned from investigating the Evil Seed. When strung together, everything became clear at a glance, causing all Five Hall Masters to narrow their eyes.
They found it hard to believe that for so many years, someone had been constantly stealing things from the ruins, and it was closely related to every disaster.
Even this astonishing change was orchestrated by these people.
Zuoqiuyang turned to look at Ji You, his eyes flickering.
When the Immortal Fate went awry, he shone brightly at the Youxian Assembly. Everyone was drawn to the Heavenly Dao’s blessings. He hadn’t expected Ji You to use that time to uncover so much.
Chai Hu recovered at this moment: “So, the Chu Family, Du Family, and others have been stealing Immortal Fate. Now that the Immortal Sect occupies the ruins, they simply decided to go all out, causing disaster to destroy the Sect and its traces, while hiding in advance, preparing to re-divide the Nine Provinces after the tide passes?”
Ji You shook his head: “No, the timing is not right.”
“?”
“Whether it’s the Great Barren Forest or Soul Severing Mountain, the ruins have been open for so long, and no one has seen half an Evil Seed. It was as easy as going home for the Immortal Sect to steal things from the Lasting Peace Race, but at this moment, Evil Seeds suddenly emerged in unison. Before that, were the Evil Seeds always hiding?”
Ji You’s initial guess was the same as Chai Hu’s; he thought that the objects from the ruins had suddenly received the Heavenly Dao’s forgiveness and could appear in the human world,
and were then discovered, occupied, and divided by the Immortal Sect.
These people hidden in the corners discovered this at the Youxian Assembly, and then released the Evil Seeds accordingly.
Doing so could both bury the traces they left around the ruins and redistribute the cake of the Nine Provinces.
But after making the deduction, he always had a strange feeling lingering in his heart, making him feel that something was not right.
It wasn’t until he was on the way and saw those Evil Seeds, crushed by the walls of Wannian County, still trying to crawl out even if their bodies broke, that he understood what was wrong.
Because this deduction conflicted with the characteristics of the Evil Seeds.
These things are just dead shells, without any thoughts. They will recklessly pounce and kill at the slightest scent of human Qi.
How could they patiently hide when the previous few ruins opened, only to gather together at this moment to launch a surprise attack?
That’s why Ji You said the timing was not right.
The only possibility is that before the Great Barren Forest was opened, that group of people had already calculated everything, controlling the Evil Seeds in advance not to appear, silently waiting.
Then, until this moment, those Evil Corpses poured out of their nests.
So, if they really had to wait until this moment to make their move, it means that the matter they were waiting for was already completed before the tide arrived yesterday.
Zuoqiuyang also understood Ji You’s hidden meaning at this moment: “They have been waiting for all the ruins to be opened by the Immortal Sect themselves. The tide is not the goal; these people have other plans.”
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